He stayed up late to figure out what he did wrong when he tried to play with Kyle. He had been looking at websites about fox, canine, and carnivore upbringing but the lack of any answers was making him more and more frustrated. After a few hours of searching, he finally realized that all sites were made by predators for predators. They just assured that the reader knew the basic stuff and that they were dealing with more sophisticated problems. But Matt wasn't a predator and, even with all his research, there was something fundamentally basic he was still missing in his approach. He could not ask the fox what the problem was because he was still wary of him.

The night's sky had started to brighten by the time he finally gave up. Matt put the computer away and rested his head on his pillow, deciding to ask Liam the next day.

The brown bunny was annoyed and tired when he finally arrived at work at a uncharastically late 8:30am. Unfortunately for him, Emma already arrived at the office and was chatting with Liam as they worked.

"Guess the question will have to wait…" he thought as he made his way to his desk.

"I prefer simple and fast card games. Ones that you're able to finish in about 30 minutes. Mostly about collecting sets or building your deck. I don't have the patience to spend several hours playing one game." Emma admitted

"Those games are good but nothing beats setting up a whole day aside to play one massive board game that takes hours to finish. It is like an event that you do with your friends." Liam countered. "You should try it. It is fun."

Matt smiled as the two playfully argued with each other. Who would believe that only a week ago Liam was only willing to chat about work-related stuff. It took him some time to find his place but after that he warmed up to his coworkers rather quickly.

"Oh no, I tried that. Once in college, me and Matt played Risk with our friends. It took us 6 hours to finish and at the end I wanted to kill him for backstabbing me." Emma looked into the distance, shuddering at the memory. "Never again."

"But Risk is not a good game so it is not a good example." Liam reasoned, though a touch of annoyance seeping through .

"Matt said the same thing when he tried to convince me to play another long board game with him. So if he wasn't able to convince me, you don't have a chance."

Just then, the sheep's eyes noticed the brown bunny seating himself at his desk, before smirking and waving to catch his attention.

"It seems you and Liam have similar interest in long, boring board games."

"Hey! They're not boring!" Matt protested which turned into a long yawn. "But, yeah, I'm interested in them. Shame that I wasn't able to play anything that long since college. I love Twilight Imperium."

"That is a great game! You should try it some time." Liam's ears were up and gesticulated a lot like an excited cub.

Emma just waved her hand dismissively and focused on Matt. "Yeah, yeah, sounds great. But, anyway, what happened to you? I think it is the first time that you go to work so late."

"I stayed way too long on my phone. I didn't realize how late it was."

"I mean, it's technically true." Matt thought.

"Sure…" The sheep wiggled her eyebrows suggestive as she giggled. "You'll have to show me what kept you up so late. I'm sure I'll love it too~"

Matt groaned loudly which made the hyena chuckle softly.

"""

"Sorry, not today. I'm in the mood for something sweet and a coffee from Snarlbucks." Liam said as they were taking their lunch break.

Matt turned his head away from the computer. It was his chance for a private chat with Liam.

"I'll join you," Matt said. He had brought his own lunch but he could always eat it at home. "Of course, if you don't mind me coming with you."

Liam shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind."

Matt locked his computer and followed the spotted hyena to the exit.

"I was addicted to Snarlbucks when I was in college," Matt admitted. "But then I needed to pay my loan so overpriced hot chocolate needed to leave my life."

"You were going to Snarlbuck for hot chocolate!?" Liam shook his head in disappointed. "There are so many better places that sell hot chocolate."

It was a beautiful spring morning. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the sun shining a comfortable heat upon the world. He loved taking walks through the Meadowlands District on days like this. The architecture reminded him of Bunnyburrow. It had an old towny feel. Buildings were made out of brick and sat low to the ground, with the skyscrapers of the metropolis far away over the rolling hills. It was the oldest part of Zootopia because the Meadowlands didn't need climate control. It was natural for this part of the world.

"Well, I don't go out too much and Snarlbucks was close to campus." Matt said as the hyena was getting ahead, making the rabbit quicken his pace to catch up.

"Oh, I have a list of places that you'll enjoy. One of them is nearby. We can check it out next time."

"I would love that." Matt was panting. "Could you slow down? I know bunnies are meant to be quick, but I have shorter legs than you."

Liam looked down and saw the bunny jogging to keep up with him. "Oh, sorry."

"No problem. You just need to get used to smaller coworkers." Matt was catching his breath.

"Mammals have told me that I walk fast even for my own size category." The hyena was embarrassed that he didn't consider Matt's size.

They finally arrived at the big coffee shop. There were a lot of tech and financial companies in the area and the shop was prepared to deal with that amount of mammals. They placed their orders and found an empty table for them to sit. The only available table was for medium size mammals which was perfect for Liam. However Matt couldn't comfortably use the chair that was next to the table. He looked around to find one for his size . Looking around, Matt spied a mix of oddly shaped chairs shoved into a corner. A small bar stool stuck out at an odd angle which, by Matt's guess, could easily fit under their table.

"Liam. Could you get that chair for me?" Matt pointed to it.

"Sure." Liam brought it closer. It had steps on its side from Matt to climb on without any trouble.

"It's the first time that I've needed to use one of these. It's rather comfortable. Maybe we should suggest to the boss that he should buy a few of those. The table that we are using at the kitchen is way too big for us and much too small for you." Matt sat comfortably but looked like a kit at the adult's table.

"That is the essence of a good compromise. No one is happy. But we should be able to convince him to buy a table for my size with chairs for you. He is desperate to show how progressive he is. Table like that would be a cheap and effective move." Liam admitted.

"Hm… I am wondering what else we can get out of him based on that." Matt noticed that several mammals at the coffee shop watched them carefully.

"I wouldn't overdo it. It should be easy to get funding for specific problems that our team will have."

"Speaking of specific problems," Matt began, his voice full of hope. "I visited Kyle yesterday. Since you are my canine expert could you explain his behaviour to me?"

Liam smirked. "No problem. Though, you do know that I am technically more feline than canine so you choosing me as your expert really just means you have no other predators to ask."

"O-of course." Matt stuttered and his ears were red from embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it." He waved his hand dismissively. "It's a common mistake. "

"Ok but I am still sorry. Anyway, yesterday I tried to play with Kyle. I was bouncing a ball against the wall to get him to chase it and I thought it was working initially. He seemed interested but stopped himself. He just watched and was getting more and more uncomfortable."

Liam nodded as Matt explained. The bunny seemed to be making himself more and more worried with each word he spoke. It was kind of endearing to see the rabbit get so worked up over something like this.

"It was probably awkward for him to play with a prey but he should know the rules. He should chase after the ball even with you around." He paused for a second, thinking. "Where did you get your tennis ball? Maybe it was a cheap one and the chemical smell was off putting. You have to consider smells when it comes to canines. In general you should get canine safe balls. Ones that are not designed for canines could make him feel sick after playing with them."

"Tennis balls? Rules? And how can you get sick from a tennis ball?" Matt furrowed his brow confused.

"What kind of ball were you using?"

"One of the balls they have at the orphanage. It's a big soft rubber one that's really light and safe for kits. Bunny kits like kicking things so it's soft enough that it wouldn't hurt a kit if it hit him accidentally because it is mostly filled with air."

"Oh, I see what happened." He laughed quietly. Few mammals around them smiled as they heard him laughing.

"Can you tell me?" Matt asked, desperate to know what he was getting wrong.

Leaning over, the hyena's face turned a little more serious.

"How committed are you to helping that kit? You might not like the answers but you will understand him better."

"I want him to have a better life." Liam narrowed his eyes, feeling as if Matt wasn't answering his question.

"Matt, Liam." A female cheetah called as their orders were ready.

The hyena studied Matt's face. Matt lowered his ears, not sure what was happening but didn't turn his eyes away. Liam's intense stare kept him in place. Finally, Liam sighed,got up from their table, and approached the waiting cheetah, smiling apologetically.

"I hate to be doing this but we got a call and we need to get back now. Could you put our orders in cups to go and bag our pastries?"

"No problem. It happens all the time." With practiced precision, she took back their orders and prepared them to go.

Matt, still seated at the table, worried to himself that he had somehow offended Liam. He jumped off his seat and joined the hyena. Soon the cheetah was back with their orders.

"Here are your orders. Have a good day, Jester." She smiled and winked at Liam. The hyena froze for a second and laughed awkwardly.

"Thanks." Matt said and took their orders. He handed Liam his bigger cup and that got the hyena to move.

Liam led them out of Snarlbucks. He was nervously scratching his cup and was looking down. He took a deep breath and shook his head. The hyena looked at Matt with a determination and started walking in a different direction than the one that they came from.

"I need to show you something and that should answer all of your questions from the coffee shop. It is a small detour."

After a few turns they arrived at a tall hedge and walked next to it. They were sounds of laughter coming from the other side of the hedge. It was not hard to figure out that it was some kind park and the hedge was used as walls so mammals inside could have privacy. Matt got nervous when he read the sign next to the entrance 'Park for Ppredators.'

"Don't worry. You are with me so you can come in." He said casually, walking into the park as the rabbit followed nervously.

Matt looked up at the sign again, feeling the nerves spread around his body. He'd never been to a predator-only park. He had always wondered what they were like. Were they so different from prey-only ones? He'd passed a few every now and again, but had never seen inside. The hedges that surrounded them blocked out any nosey prey mammals who would want to peek in.

"Come on. You wanted to learn how canines play." Liam encouraged, seeing the bunny frozen to the spot by the gateway.

Steeling himself, Matt loudly swallowed down his fear, and walked in. The hedge continued on the both sides of the path as they walked in. It was like walking through a hallway. There was a wall at the end and opening on both sides of the path. Following Liam, Matt entered the predator park proper.

After all that anticipation, Matt was disappointed. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it all somehow felt a little anticlimactic. It just looked like a normal park. It had large open areas and few playgrounds. It was also empty. It was the middle of a work day so most kids were at school. The only odd things were hedges that were planted in a square shape with one entrance to get inside. Matt's ears pricked up as he heard the sounds of faint cheering coming from one in the far corner. He looked at Liam who was his guide, who lifted his head and sniffed.

"There are few canine families who live round here so it's probably one of them. We should find the loudest." The hyena smiled and walked in the direction where he smelled canines.

As they approached, Matt's sensitive ears began to pick up laughing and giggling. In the open area there was an adult timber wolf with three pups, all of whom were so wrapped up in playing that they didn't notice the hyena and bunny approach. The father was tossing a ball and pups were chasing eagerly after it. Matt didn't see the details from up far. Then Liam stepped in front of the bunny and all Matt could see was Liam's back.

"Stay behind me until we get closer so they wouldn't notice you." Liam whispered. "That way, you'll see how they play up close and they may think the rabbit smell is just something weird on a hyena."

When they got a little closer, Liam leaned slightly out of the way so Matt could get a peek. The three pups were running around their father as he was holding the tennis ball. They were all beaming. There was something unsettling about their smiles but the bunny couldn't place what was it. He only saw those smiles for a split second before a shiver ran down his spine. When the dad tossed the ball, his pups chased after it. At first it seemed not too dissimilar to when bunnies chased after a ball, but when they got closer, they dived forward. The pup that was in front opened his mouth, his sharp white teeth flashing in the midday sun. The other two pups behind the other leaped forward too, their sharp claws showing, as they tried to get ahold of the ball before their brother could bite it. They tumbled to the ground in a heap and, in all the commotion, it was anyone's guess who had got the ball. The boys, and the dad, were all laughing as one of the pups emerged victorious, ball in mouth and tail wagging away happily. The boy, proud of his victory, shook the ball in his paw, his teeth shining as he bit down on the soft fabric. Seeing this, Matt squeaked, his ears dropping and his nose was twitching.

The father looked back when he heard the noise, his eyes going wide as he saw the scared bunny. The pups were running back to him, all smiling from ear to ear and panting, their teeth were exposed. Quickly, the father crouched in front of them and spoke hurriedly, pointing towards the bunny. At the same time boys clamped their mouths shut and one of them had folded his ears back. Even from where Matt was standing, he could see how uncomfortable they all looked.

Finally he stood up and tossed the ball again. Boys ran after the ball. However they behaved differently. They didn't dive for the ball and tried to catch the ball with their paws rather than claws and teeth. Their energy seemed to dip but they were still enjoying it. The pups were still panting but their mouths were only slightly parted so their lips covered their teeth. When pups were focused on the ball, the wolf looked back. His gaze went to the hyena, giving him a disapproving look. Liam held his gaze before signalling they were moving on. The father, his face unchanged, merely nodded in reply and returned to his boys.

"We should get back to work. Our lunch break is almost over." Putting a paw on Matt's shoulder, he began to lead the bunny out of the park. Matt could only nod and follow his lead, with his heart and head racing after what he saw.

"""

"Matt?" Tom said as he was giving the bunny some grilled vegetables.

They were sitting in Tom's backyard. Martha was standing next to the grill and kits were kicking the ball around. It was a nice two-story house located in the Meadowlands. The house was big enough that each kit would have their own room when they would grow up. They were getting to that age when they would want their own space. Matt was watching kits play when Tom's voice brought him back to reality.

"Thanks." He smiled weakly and slowly turned towards the table.

"Is everything alright?" Martha asked, a concerned look on her face as she placed. ketchup and mustard on the table.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well." Matt took a bite of his vegetables. "This is delicious!"

"It was supposed to be a thank you dinner so I went all out. I am glad that you like it." Martha beamed with pride.

"She is the best cook." Tom confirmed and playfully punched his wife's shoulder. Martha giggled and returned the gesture with her own double punch.

"You're so cute together." Matt smiled as he watched the couple.

"I picked the best guy to be my husband." Martha ran her paw on Tom's ears and went back to the grill. Tom watched her walk away with dreamy eyes.

"Should I leave and take kits with me so you can have some alone time?" Matt teased, pointing at Tom's bright red ears.

"There is no need for that." Tom muttered embarrassed, hiding his telltale ears behind his back.

"Are you sure? You know that I don't mind kitsitting. A romantic date would be great for you two." Matt grinned, his joy increasing as Tom's face turned a nice shade of pink.

"You just want to eat more food prepared by my wife." Tom teased back.

"You got me." Matt giggled, lifting his paws in mock surrender.

"You're finally back in a good mood."

"I just had a lot on my mind recently."

"Did something happen during the lunch break? You looked as if you'd seen a ghost or something afterwards. Has Liam done something? Do… Do you need help?"

"No! Liam is a great guy. You don't have to worry about him. I… I just realized something." Matt bit his lip, unsure how to broach the topic.

"Yeah?" Tom motioned with his hand for the bunny to continue.

"When was the last time that you saw a predator's teeth?"

Tom chuckled. "Is that all? God, it must have been the last horror movie I saw. I love horror movies! They always show a good close-up shot on them when the bad guy is a predator. It is an effective tactic for a jumpscare."

"When was the last time that you saw a predator's teeth in person?"

Tom's thought for a moment. "I mean, every day at lunch. We eat with Liam all the time."

"Yes, but have you ever seen his teeth?" Tom opened his mouth to answer but stopped and his brow furrowed.

"You know, I don't think I have ever seen them. He tilts his head down before every bite." Tom was thinking. "Ehm… I… Oh, I know! In highschool there was a cougar that was a bully and liked to scare us with his teeth. He got in a lot of trouble because of that."

"Today was the first time for me… That's just crazy." Matt shook his head in shock at the revelation.

"You're just overthinking it." Tom waved his hand dismissively. "It's probably impolite to show your teeth in public or something like that. I am sure it was just an accident."

Matt nodded slowly but, somehow, the answer didn't quite satisfy him. It didn't feel right that an honest smile from a predator pup could be considered an accident. For the rest of the visit, Matt tried to carry on as normal, chatting away to Tom and Martha, and playing with their kits, but the thought, now burrowed into his brain, would not go away.