A/N
Hello everyone. This is proving to be quite popular, much to my pleasure as the author. I love hearing how much y'all enjoy this dalliance of my muse.
Of course, I do not own Zootopia, and can therefore make no claims to Zootopia or its characters. I only make claim to my own OC's included herein as needed. Though I think I could do more with it than Disney is at the moment. So many awesome ideas that they could use, and they're sitting on their asses.
I blame Bear678 for this.
Anyway, on with the show.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wilde Cardz - Savage Territory - Chapter 18
Several weeks prior along the rail line to Bunnyborrow.
After leaving the Hairysburg community and the ZPA, Judy continued on towards home. After having spent the night in the top of a tree; she kept finding that having real claws was endlessly useful, allowing her to climb the tree and set up a hammock to sleep in, safely some thirty feet above any savages; she continued her journey.
Late that next afternoon she came upon the second town along the line and could only frown. There wasn't much left of Jamestown. It was completely burned out, the buildings gutted and many savage mammals roaming around. Still, being late in the afternoon, she decided to stop and rest, given everything, she was feeling run down and didn't want to push herself. Especially if she needed to defend herself.
Entering the town, Judy moved slowly, not wanting to interact with a savage if she could avoid it. Finally she found the center of town and that it had at least a partial wall created. Clearly there had been some survivors but it also looked like they had been attacked as parts of the wall were burned and fallen.
Moving into that area, and figuring that she might find viable shelter there, she picked up the scent of fresh fertilizer and manure, despite the fact that the burning was weeks old. This gave her hope as she moved along, keeping to the shadows and ears up.
Coming into view of the city hall building, she saw it was intact, and surrounded by a high, make-shift wall. This increased her hope that there might at least be some survivors there. Finally, she had to move out across the open space of a park, which had clearly been cultivated and was being tended within the past week, based on how the plants and soil looked, and the lack of weeds.
As she approached, she dodged to the side, a very large tranq dart hitting the dirt where she had stood a moment before. Landing in a crouch, she had her lethal out and had the laser sight pointing up the barrel of the tranq gun that had just been fired at her. "Cease fire! I am not a threat unless you make me one."
A deep, booming, and very familiar voice came over the wall. "Identify yourself and your intentions."
Judy yelled back. "Stop aiming a megafauna caliber tranq at me, Chief, and I'll lower my weapon and advise."
The weapon fired again. Judy spun, releasing her lethal in mid-air, grabbed the dart out of the air, and continuing her spin, threw it right back down the barrel of the weapon it came from. As she came back to the position she started, she snatched her lethal out of the air and drew back down on the mammal on the other side of the wall.
Judy yelled again. "I'm gonna remind you, Chief, I'm firing 10 millimeter hot load. This is going to hurt, even you, alot! It can also cut through that sheet metal you have between you and me."
There was silence for a moment, then the weapon barrel retreated. "Okay. I'm not pointing at you."
"Judy nodded and lowered her weapon, standing but staying on her toes, ears up and listening. "Judy WildeHopps. Passing through on the way to check on family. I was just looking for a secure place to hold up for the night."
"Hopps?" A very familiar muzzle appears over the wall, though sporing a broken left horn. "Hopps, is that really you?"
Judy chuckled, knowing it was him already. "Hi Chief." She chirped happily. "What are you doing here?"
"I had family that lived here. When everything blew up and it was clear that things were irrecoverable, I headed here to check on them."
"Oh! I do hope that Patricia was with you."
He shook his head while indicating a section of the wall. "She was not, but we were supposed to meet here if things went really south in the city. This kinda qualified, so I prayed to be able to join back up with her here. She got here a few days before I did." Pausing as he lifted the section of wall for her to slip under. "I… I just wish I knew what happened to Ben."
Judy nodded and looked up at her old boss. "I'm sure he survived things. I'm confident he did, so you shouldn't worry too much."
Bogo nodded, but looked down. "Still, we worry about him. He was part of our family, if you didn't know."
Judy chuckled. "Most of the precinct knew, and chose not to out you, since you let those of us like Lizz and Mike, or Nick and I, go, as long as we didn't get too over the top with the PDA while on the job. Or let it interfered with our job, like Keerlt and Joshepen."
Bogo nodded. "Yeah, I don't know how they thought they could still be partners while going through a divorce like that." Shaking his head. "Anyway. It's good to see you. Come on, I need to get a relief on the wall and I can introduce you around." Whistling a series of notes, a wolf with clear and fairly fresh burns came jogging out of the building. His ear clearly burned away leaving him with one intact ear, and the tattered, scared remains of the other. The eye on that side, cloudy. He acknowledged Bogo with a grunt, glanced over Judy, then turned to the wall and his duties.
Judy nodded. "Great, and you can tell me what happened to the town. It looks like a war happened. Did you get attacked?"
Bogo frowned with a growl. "Not quite so simple, but it might as well have been that."
Judy's ears fell. "Oh…"
Bogo nodded. "Don't worry, the good guys won, since the bad guys didn't realize that they had a lot less support than they figured they did. It was a group that were aligned with the mammals that caused all this." Waving a hoof at the world in general. "They made a play for control and when they were rebuffed, the rest of the town not going along with it." Motioning towards the town. "Well, you can see the results."
Judy frowned. "Oh, that's terrible. I hope not too many lost their lives. I know those mammals didn't care about anyone, just their mission."
Stopping and looking down at Judy, Bogo shook his head sadly. "Unlike what I saw as I was leaving Zootopia, this town was almost untouched. Only about a dozen mammals went savage, and about a third of the population gained abilities. The town was amazingly safe, all considered. Unfortunately, a few of the terrorists that caused this whole thing were also in town. They were working to get the town to drive out the predators, but few wanted to do that, especially after things became as they are and those predators were one of the best parts of the defense of the town. That didn't stop them trying to set up the predators.
When I got to town I recognized them and explained the truth. They were run out of town. We lived safe and secure for about a month before they came back. They burned as much as they could. Trapped most of the predators in their homes where they burned. Of course, they were less than careful, and I doubt they cared, but they lit a good half the town on fire. While we were trying to put out the fires and save lives, they lit the other half of the town. Only a quarter of the mammals that lived here survived."
Judy gasped. "My gods! Please tell me you were able to deal with those beasts?"
Bogo sighed and looked away. "I did something I never realized was in me. I tracked them down, and I killed them. Gods help me Judy, I killed them. More to the point, I burned them. I have abilities. I can generate flames from my hooves. Doesn't burn me, but I can light fires, heat metal enough to bend easily. I was so angry."
Judy nodded. "In this world, we have to do things we would not have done before. I've used my skills many times. I promised Maria that I would never use my skills to take life, not actively. Yet, I have found myself doing it with disturbing regularity since the world became like this. You knew Nick and I had skills beyond what our resumes suggested. Did you ever figure out why?"
Bogo shook his head. "No. Which disturbed me at the time as much as seeing you best mammals that were trained killers."
Judy laughed. "Yeah… About that. I was the only student of the only surviving master of the Cheth. Maria, the Crimson Gazelle, my college roommate, and your idol, the singer, Gazelle. While Nick was the only actually ranked survivor of the Helketta. So our skills, given that, are understandable."
Bogo stopped as he held open the door to the building, then groaned loudly running a hoof down his face. "Oh by the Gods! That explains so much about you two. I'm surprised he isn't with you, though."
Judy looked down, her ears falling limp. "I don't know where he is. I helped set up a community in the Rainforest, but I couldn't keep waiting. I left him a message I know he'll get so long as he isn't savage and he'll follow me. If he isn't already at Bunnyburrow waiting for me. But I know Nick. He is probably helping make a better world by building communities." Shaking off the fear for Nick that was still wrapped around her heart, she looked up at Bogo. "The burrow is one of our, the world has gone to pellets, rally points. He will try and find me there, if he can."
Bogo nodded and led the way into the building. "Makes sense."
As they entered the building, a screech of joy made them both twitch. "JUDY! You're alive!" Patricia Bogo came running towards them, bandages wrapped around her left arm. Coming to a stop and grinning, Patricia pranced in place. "Oh Gods, Judy. It is so good to see you. We've not heard much from anyone in the city to know who survived and didn't."
Judy grinned up at Patricia. "Patricia, so good to see you too. Adrian was just telling me what happened to your community. I'm so sorry to hear that you had to deal with that." Looking up at Bogo. "I do have more information on what happened and why. Sadly, the geneticist that created the virus was killed by a savage created by his own virus. One of his lab assistants from what I can tell, but I was able to collect a lot of data. I'm happy to share what I learned. It doesn't help end all this, but it at least helps us understand what happened."
Adiran nodded. "We can discuss that at dinner tonight. First let me introduce you to the rest of the mammals that still live here. It's only a handful of us now."
Judy nodded sadly. "And I'm betting many of you are injured in some way. Lots of burns after the fires?"
Patricia chuckled darkly. "Yes. I'm lucky that I haven't gotten an infection. We lost so many. There really are only thirty of us now. We've lost many to infections from their injuries. Adiran has beat himself up for what he did to those animals, but they were not mammals. They were beasts who murdered without regard for what they did to the world. They were trying to commit genocide and essentially succeeded. They destroyed mammalian civilization. At least the savages out there only kill for food."
Judy grinned. "Your lawyer is showing, Pat."
Grinning. "The world may have ended, but I am what I am. I just wish I knew what happened to Ben. Ben, Adrian, and I were married. We just didn't let anyone know so that it didn't interfere with things for them at the precinct. Not that it matters now."
Judy laughed lightly. "Hate to break it to you, but we all knew. We just didn't make anything of it, because Adrian didn't make a thing about most couples, like Nick and I, or Lizz and Mike. Only breaking them up when they showed they couldn't work together."
"Ah! That actually answers a few things I had always wondered."
Adiran chuckled as they walked. "Yes. Noting that Judy is basically a fully trained assassin, along with her fox. Which explains why they were able to take down mammals they had no business being able to. How many times did I complain to you about the excessive force complaints by megafauna. No one bought it, and the traffic cam footage did show them taking down bull elephants. No jury was willing to accept that excessive force was used though. A giant elephant complaining that a rabbit and fox hit too hard? Really?"
Patricia laughed. "Oh, that's priceless. Always did get a laugh when you would bring those home and read them to us."
Adrian laughed nervously. "Yeah, until you realize that both rabbit and fox weighed nearly as much as a wolf, hit as hard as a rhino, and were faster than a cheetah."
Judy shrugged. "What? Side effects of a lot of things, including the treatment with the Nighthowler extract. We kinda had to build up a tolerance. The fact that it resulted in us getting stronger was just a bonus."
Patricia frowned. "What do you mean, treatment with Nighthowler extract?"
Judy grinned wickedly. "Exactly that. Both Nick and I were targeted by Bellwether crazies, and were hit with dozens of different versions of the Nighthowler toxin. We took it upon ourselves to start dosing with Nighthowler extract. Very low doses at the start, in order to build up a tolerance. The next time we got hit with Nighthowler, it did affect us, but not by turning us savage, we were more like primals. We were still ourselves, but not. No inhibitions, no limiters. We were still aware and in control, but that part of us that says you shouldn't beat the goat that just shot you with a Nighthowler pellet, into a bloody pulp and an inch of his life, wasn't there. So that is what we did.
It didn't help that our strength was so much higher because of physiological changes that it caused. After the incident with the goat, the doctors made us come in for regular checks. By the time everything went to hell, we were essentially immune to every version of NIghthowler that the terrorists had tried against us. The most it did was remove those inhibitions, resulting in them being beaten nearly to death each time."
Patricia nodded a moment, then shook her head. "Good gods. That's insane."
Shrugging, Judy chuckled. "Based on what I learned from the scientists files, those treatments Nick and I underwent, along with the experimental treatments for the virus, essentially immunized us against going savage, and is why I've got as many abilities as I have." Looking up at Adrian. "Even if I hadn't dodged, that dart would have just bounced off. I expect Nick is much the same."
Patricia turned on her mate. "Adrian! Why would you fire on her? Did you even raise an alarm?"
"It isn't like that. I was trying to get a bead on her before asking her to identify her self, and it went off."
Judy smirked. "And the second dart?"
"Same issue. Damn thing is sketchy and has gone off, in the holster a few times. They need maintenance I can't give it."
Patricia shook her head again. "He's been different since he beat those mammals. It's like when he was on the streets all over again. It took him months to get past what he had to do back then, now, having done it with his bare hooves. I don't know if he'll ever get past it."
Judy nodded. "I'm sure he will, with your support. It was something that had to be done. They had already mortgaged their souls as mammals. They were part of what destroyed the world and killed billions." Looking up at Adiran. "They themselves directly killed so many, and hurt so many more. Including your mate. If anything, they'll build a statue of you."
Adrian scoffed. "Please, no. Anything but that."
They entered one of the courtrooms, a megafauna one, and found those not on watch or other duties. Patricia spoke up. "Hey everyone. We have a visitor! Judy WildeHopps!"
Slightly more than twenty mammals appeared from behind curtains and make-shift walls to welcome Judy. Most were medium to small mammal size. There were eight wolves, five males and three females, five of which also wore healing burn scars. Three white tailed deer bucks and two does, two of the bucks with burns. Four rabbit does, one buck, and ten kits, with three of the kits and one of the bucks also showing burn scars.
Adrian smiled. "Judy stopped by looking for shelter for the night as she is headed towards Bunnyburrow to check on her family."
Judy looked around, then up at Adrian. "With the wolf I saw, you and Patricia, that's only 31 mammals. Are there more?"
Adrian shook his head sadly. "Just four others. Another wolf, my sister and her mate, and a young tiger. He's sixteen, but has been our primary defense since the attack."
The tiger in question walked in behind them. "Hey, I picked up the scent of a new mammal, a rabbit I think…. And there she is. Hello. I take it that since Adrian escorted you in, that you are not a threat to us?"
Judy smiled and turned around, then froze as did the tiger. Regaining her senses, Judy grinned. "Benny? Benny Tigerson?"
"Judy?" The tiger dropped to his knees and wrapped her into a hug. "Judy. Oh my gods! You are alive. Where is Nick? And you're…"
Judy giggled happily from within the hug and squeezed him back, which made him groan, surprised by her strength. "I don't know where Nick is. Though I'm sure he is alive. I have to believe that. To answer your unasked. I haven't heard anything about Maria or your Brother." Turning to Adiran and Patricia. "Benny is the baby brother to Jarvis, one of Gazelle's dancers, her mate since college, and one of my best friends." Judy pulled all the way out of the hug. "Benny, it is so good to see you."
Looking over the mammals, they were all slightly undernourished, dirty, and clearly had their spirit just about crushed. Even Patricia and Adrian's eyes showed a weariness. Judy shook her head sadly, then looked up at Adrian. "Look. I don't know what all you have been through here. You told me a piece of it, and it was bad. Worse than even some that still live in the city have been through. Maybe you need to walk away from the burned remains of this town. I know it was your home, but there isn't much left.
Ursula, a bunch of the instructors from the ZPA, and surviving students from the class that was in session have a large community in Hairysburg. It is only a day or two's hike from here. You would be safer, and away from the memories and reminders of the horrors those evil mammals inflicted upon you. They also have the ZPA's infirmary, so you could get proper treatment for your injuries. Or, you could come with me to Bunnyburrow."
Adrian nodded. "I figured if she survived, Ursula would put together something. Do you really think they would accept us?"
Judy shrugged. "Chief. With the way the world is, mammals all have a clean slate. At least until they prove themselves unworthy of it. I know you and her had some contention, but they have a lot of small mammals and could really use some medium and large."
Adrian nodded thoughtfully. "I'll think about it and discuss it with the rest. In the mean time, let us provide you with some food."
Judy considered refusing and using the food she had with her, but it became clear upon seeing the look from Patricia that it would be exceedingly rude to refuse. After the meal, Judy was shown to a small former office where a bed had been set up. She asked Patricia to stay for a moment.
"Pat, come here a moment will you." Listening and making sure that the others had returned to the main room some distance away.
Patricia walked over and kneelled down. "What's up Judy?"
Judy motioned to her wrapped arm. "Let me see it."
Patricia frowned and moved to stand. "Judy. I'm fine, and there is nothing you can do."
Judy pointed at the floor. "Pat. Park that tail and let me see." The tone giving no quarter for dispute, Patricia sat down heavily. With sad eyes she unwrapped her arm. Judy nodded upon seeing it. "Yeah. That's pretty bad. Let me see what I can do. Yours seems to be the worst, or at least the one who has healed the least."
Patricia looked away. "I lied earlier. It is infected. It is going to take me eventually, and other than losing the arm and hoping, there isn't anything we can do."
"We will see about that."
Judy grabbed Patricia at the wrist, right where the burn and infection started. Patricia tried to pull away and was surprised she couldn't. "Judy. That hurts."
"Sorry, Pat. This is going to hurt. A lot. Try not to scream."
"What?"
Judy started glowing, and then blue flames leapt down her arms to her paws and then started to chew into the flesh of Patricia's arm. Despite herself, Patricia screamed, but still found she could not pull away. When she looked again, expecting worse burns, the heat and pain almost unbearable, she instead found fresh clean flesh left behind as the flames burned up her arm. Despite the pain, she found herself looking on in astonishment as the flames Judy was producing burned their way up her arm.
Once done with the burns, the flames went out and Judy let her go, falling against her pack. Judy quickly pulled a large pack of chicken jerky, alfalfa, and wheat grass out of her pack and inhaled it. Looking up at Patricial. "Well, that took more out of me than I thought. That infection was aggressive and had spread. I think I fixed your other issue too." Giving a tired chuckle. "Anyway. I need to rest now."
In truth, it had only taken about thirty seconds, as Judy laid back and fell asleep. Adrian bursti into the room. "Pat, what happened? Are you alright?"
Grinning up at Adrian, Patricia wiped the tears from her eyes, born initially of pain, but overwhelmed by tears of joy. "Adrian… It's Judy." Holding up her arm. "She healed me. Judy healed me, and implied that she also healed the rest of me. Do you think?"
Pulling Patricia into a hug, Adrian tried, and failed, to hold back tears. "She saved you, that's all that matters. If she pulled that off too, then any calves we have will need to be named after her and Nick. There was always something special about those two." Looking down at Judy and wiping his tears after they released the hug. "Let's let her sleep. We can ask questions when she wakes up."
Judy woke early the next morning feeling refreshed and quickly ate some of the jerky in her pack. She then sought out the Bogo's. Upon entering the main area where most of the mammals lived, she found the noise of a boisterous discussion that bordered on argument.
Benny: I understand what the rest of you are saying. I do. What I think you should do is follow Adrian to Hairysburg. I will be going with Judy to Bunnyburrow. I need to find my brother and sister-in-law.
Adrian: It really is the best option for everyone. We are not feeding ourselves enough. However, if any of you decide to stay, we will wish you the best.
A wolf: It's the damn rabbit! She spouted off her mouth again and is tearing us apart. Just like before Bellwether.
Benny: Yeah? And do you happen to remember who took down Bellwether? Or who took down Council member Swinton? Or maybe you remember who took a bullet for Mayor Gleeson, got up, and then physically took down the shooter?
A different wolf: And your point?
Judy shook her head, then spoke up. "Stop blaming me for what others did. As my mate has reminded me for years. My words at that press conference would have been maligned for what they were. Ignorant, specist words, from a rabbit from the sticks that didn't know any better. The only reason they worked was because of the centuries of hate that both predator and prey fostered for each other. Now we have actual savages to contend with. Savages created by the hate of specist prey that made my comments at that press conference look like glowing compliments.
The world we now find ourselves in was created by those specist beasts, like the ones that did this to your town. The virus was supposed to target just predators, but it was rushed, and they infected themselves with it first to act as carriers. That allowed the virus to mutate and affect all mammals, not just predators. There is more to it as well. Sadly, with the scientist dead, I don't know if we will ever know the full truth of why some were affected, others were not, and others still were given abilities that are right out of a comic book.
The real question is. Are you going to stay here and hope you survive, or are you going to grab the opportunity. Hairysburg has a large and prosperous community that is fully protected and has access to the full resources of the ZPA. That means weapons, medical care, and a large enclosed section of land that they are farming. They also have a large chicken farm they are working to get back up and running. They could use more mammals. They don't have enough chickens yet, but they are working on it. I do not know what I will find in Bunnyburrow. It could be a community like Hairysburg, or it could be one like this, barely hanging on.
In the end, it is your choice. Follow me to Bunnyburrow, follow Adrian to Hairysburg, or stay here. Just don't try to blame me. I get that you're scared. The world is not a nice place out there, but this is the sticks, so there are fewer savages. I have given you information you didn't have. Now you know about Hairysburg, so it is an option you didn't have before. What you do with that information, regardless of my suggested course of action, is on you."
Benny nodded. "Exactly what I have been saying. I'm sure you heard, but I'm going with you to Bunnyburrow. I know that you can handle yourself, but this is not up for negotiation. Maria and Jarvis would hang me by my tail and shave me if anything happened to you."
Judy chuckled. "Thank you, Benny. It'll be nice to have someone else along."
Benny smiled. "Happy to, Judy. I happened to be in town to scope out a possible place for Maria and Jarvis to take a few months break."
Judy nodded. "Makes sense. I had wondered. You should have checked out Aurora, from what my cousins said, it was mostly inter-species couples there. They would have gone all but unnoticed. Nick and I had considered moving there and signing on as deputies, but we got a much better reception than we expected in Zootopia."
"Actually, that was next on my list when things went to hell."
After a few more hours of argument, all the mammals decided to take the chance and head to Hairysburg. The promise of the larger community, getting away from the burned out reminder of their homes, and the promise of healthcare and sufficient food driving the decision. Self preservation winning over fear. Leaving only Benny to follow Judy. They promised to stop by on the way back to the city when they did. After which, Benny and Judy headed out of the community for Bunnyburrow, leaving the rest of the community to plan, pack, and head out themselves.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As the sun was starting to tough the horizon, Judy and Benny approached the Bunnyburrow train station, and finding it abandoned, leapt to its roof to get some perspective on the town and rest where most would not look for a rabbit. Especially not one in the company of a tiger.
From the roof of the station, they were able to get a good view of the area. The town itself was walled off and appeared intact. They could even see some mammals moving around beyond the wall, and as they were working fields, they were clearly not savages.
Judy looked up at Benny. "Well, the Hopps farms is much of what we see in that direction, but the burrow is too far to see from here." Pointing. "I think we should make contact with the town first. I hope they will know what the condition of the burrow is. If not, fine, if so, we will at least have some idea of what I'll be walking into."
Benny nodded. "I agree. I'm sure you will have some family that is here in the town."
Judy nodded. "Very likely. At least some cousins. That said, it is late. Lets curl up here for the night and meet the town in the morning."
"I'm on board with that. Considering... I'm surprised you have the energy you do."
Judy shrugged. "I've got a lot less than I feel I should, so…"
"That's scary."
They then made camp on the roof of the station, eating and bedding down with Judy taking first watch.
