Nick was back in his hammock and staring at his phone while dreading this phone call. He and Judy had sat on the porch swing kissing for some of the happiest moments of his life. It only felt like a few minutes, but Nick was sure it was closer to an hour, maybe a little longer. He couldn't remember who had finally called it a night, but one of them had, and he'd then helped Judy out of her dress and into her nightshirt. While helping her change, he'd mentioned the phone call to his mom he needed to make and, if it wasn't so late, he knew his honeybun would have given him a royal ear chewing for worrying his mom the way he had. In the words of Duke Weaselton: Judy was the opposite of happy. She was unhappy.

Nick rubbed his face while remembering the scathing look Judy had leveled at him after hearing he'd ignored his mom's and sister's phone calls these past 3 months. The only thing that saved him was his adamant insistence that he was calling his mom tonight and that he would talk to her for as long as she wanted. After tucking his honeybun into bed, he sang her to sleep, then put away the digital movie player, his speakers, and the dishes from dinner. He would worry about the rest later.

Now he was in the backyard (he didn't want to wake Judy up while talking on the phone) and stalling for time. But there wasn't anything left to distract him. Taking a deep breath, he opened his phone and about had a heart attack when he saw several missed calls from Anya. He had put his phone on silent for the date, and so had missed when she'd called sometime during their dance.

Quickly accessing his voicemail, he pulled up Anya's first message and pressed play. Pulling the phone quickly from his ear, he feared he might go deaf from how loud Anya was yelling.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde! You promised to call mom this afternoon, so why is it that I just got off the phone with her and she hasn't heard hide, nor hair of you!? If you haven't talked to mom by tomorrow morning when I get up, then I'm grabbing my surgical tools and jumping on the first train to Zootopia. And when I get there, I'm going to sew your lying mouth shut so you have a reason not to talk to us! You got that mister?"

As the message ended, Nick was too afraid to play the other two messages she left. Gulping loudly, he quickly sent her a text explaining his lack of time this afternoon and evening, but was calling her right now, and would spend all night talking to her if that's what mom wanted.

Taking another deep breath to calm his racing heart, he then opened his contacts to call his mom when he received a text from Anya (shouldn't she be asleep by now?) with an emoji giving him the evil eye and the message that she was serious about sewing his mouth shut if he didn't talk to mom tonight.

Nick rubbed his muzzle while imagining his sister sewing his mouth shut. With a cold shiver running down his spine, he quickly sent another text assuring her that he was calling and to stop distracting him and go to sleep. When Anya simply sent him a gif of a mad hyena doctor grinning manically while holding up a scalpel and a syringe, Nick rolled his eyes. Closing the app, he went back to his contacts and called his mom.

It seemed like it rang forever before the call connected and he heard his mom say, "Hi, this is Vivian. I can't come to the phone right now, but leave me a message and I'll get back with you just as soon as I can."

Nick's ears flicked back. He wasn't expecting to catch her voicemail. Taking a deep breath, he waited for the beep, then said, "Hi, Mom, it's Nick. Your dumb son who's been worrying you to death these past 3 months. I can't tell you how sorry I am about ignoring your calls. I wasn't in a very happy place mentally. I'm not hurt physically, and I wasn't out in public, so I wasn't around any of the savage attacks." Taking another deep breath, Nick added, "But I'm good now, Mom, because I found my happy place again. So, give me a call when you get this message. I'll be up waiting. I love you, mom. Bye."

Ending the call, Nick slumped back in the hammock. He'd gathered his courage to call his mom and listen to her crying from worry, and it was all for nothing. Rubbing a paw down his face, he tried to figure out why his mom wouldn't answer the phone on a Thursday . . . night.

Nick groaned. "Right, Girls' Night Out," he mumbled to himself. Every Thursday night, his mom and her circle of friends would get together and play games, or do some craft project, or whatever else the group decided they'd do that week. And since they were all nocturnal mammals, his mom could be out all night.

With a heavy sigh, Nick laid back in the hammock and stared at the stars for a few moments. As the night breeze ruffled his fur, Nick thought about his mom, and then about Judy. Would his mom even accept her? Accept them? How would his mom feel about him dating a bunny? And not just any bunny—but the rabbit who painted a bright red target on the backs of every predator in Zootopia. Nick knew that if his mom could see past the whole press conference fiasco, she'd really like Judy, but convincing her might be tricky—though nothing like it'll be to convince Stu. Now that was a headache and a half considering how suspicious Stu already was of him.

He could still hear Stu telling him not to touch Judy's ears and if Stu had already tried to foist a whole bag of Fox Away products onto Judy when she first left for the city, Nick was sure they were still lying around somewhere in the Hopps burrow. Or possibly under the seat of Stu's truck. Being sprayed in the face with pepper-spray or tazed by her father wasn't something he ever wanted to experience.

Rubbing his face again, Nick sat up and sighed. Trying to convince worried parents that the inter-species relationship you are in is the right thing was harder than it should be. One was terrified of predators for unfounded reasons, while the other strongly disliked prey for very obvious reasons. He was just lucky Bonnie was behind them. Having to live like hermits out in wilderness didn't sound like a lot of fun if they had to make it a permanent arrangement.

Standing up, he made his way back towards the house. If he was going to be up waiting for a while, there were better things he could do than worrying about potentially difficult parents—like going through the video footage of their date and making a movie out it. With a wide grin, he couldn't wait to see Judy's face when she saw the video. He'll also save pictures of some of the better shots and send them to her, along with several to Fru-Fru. After she gifted them with 6 exquisite dresses, there was no way he was going to slack on his half of the deal.

Jumping up on the porch, Nick retrieved his spy cameras and then ran upstairs. Entering through his room, he hurried to the piano room and sat down in front of the computer. Plugging the cameras in one at a time, he began transferring the files so he could compile the data. With excitement shining in his emerald eyes, Nick got to work making a movie of his and Judy's fist date.

….….

"Vivian," a black-footed ferret spoke from across the table, "are you sure you don't need to check your phone? Whoever just called left you a message." With a blink of her light brown eyes, she stared at her red-furred friend for a moment longer, then glanced down at her cards. It was a rubbish hand she'd been pawed and she didn't see how she could win this round.

"Oh, pish-posh, Suzie. I'm sure it's just Anya calling back. She probably forgot to tell me something or to remind me not to stay out too late. You know how she worries about me." Vivian replied without looking up from her cards. It was a winning hand for sure, and she couldn't wait to play it.

Suzie glanced at Sabrina, the dark-brown and brindled bat-eared fox vixen sitting to her right, and then at Lucina, their much larger, pale-gray artic wolf friend sitting to her left, and finally she looked at Charlotte, the reddish-blonde red fox vixen who was sitting at Sabrina's right. Vivian was sitting between Charlotte and Lucinda and was shuffling her cards around in her paw. As their gazes met, Vivian's four friends all wore the same worried expression. They all wanted to suggest the phone call might be her missing son, Nick, but no one wanted to bring up his name in case it was another false alarm. Vivian had worn herself ragged that first month the news had broadcasted the savage attacks from Zootopia. Every time the phone rang, Vivian would scramble to answer it in the hopes it was Nick. But it never was.

Vivian had just now gotten her grief and fears under control and was finally starting to act like her normal, cheerful self. This was the first Girls' Night Out Vivian had come to in 3 months and no one wanted to spoil the mood by bringing up a son no one was sure was still alive.

"Oh, come on, girls, if you don't get your heads in the game, you're all going to lose," Vivian taunted her friends as she looked up from her paw. She was on a winning streak and actually having some fun for once—or at least, it kept her from worrying herself to death. Zootopia had already swallowed up her husband and older son, and she couldn't stand the thought that it might have also swallowed her second son.

"Okay, Vivian, take this!" the Lucinda crowed while spreading her cards out on the table in front of her. Her bright-blue eyes lit up with triumph as she said, "Read 'em and weep."

Vivian's amber eyes flashed with fiery glee. "Ha, Lucinda, you read 'em and weep!" Slapping her cards down, Vivian folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, a smug grin plastered across her face.

Lucida was the oldest of the group and looked at the three vixens and the ferret almost like her own daughters, even though they were all grandmothers themselves, with the exception of Vivian. Her two kits were the only ones who had yet to settle down and start families of their own. Vivian lamented on more than one occasion that her kits might never give her grandkits. And now, with the savage attacks going on in Zootopia, and with Vivian unable to reach her wayward son, Lucida found herself mothering the older vixen more than usual.

Shaking the worrisome thoughts from her mind, the artic wolf stared at Vivian's hand in shock. How the older vixen was able to get the royal flush that trumped her full house, Lucida didn't know. She was sure she had the winning hand this time.

Everyone else at the table groaned and threw their cards on the table. Although everyone was happy to see Vivian finally acting like her energetic, happy self after months of tears and worry, nobody liked being on a losing streak.

"Okay, I'm tired of this game," Charlotte complained after throwing her cards on the table. Waving her black paw through the air, she said, "You've won the last 8 games. Why don't we play something else now?" She and Vivian were both part of the large red fox population in town and had become very good friends in the last few years as both their daughters were best friends and worked together at the hospital. Her daughter, Loralee, and Vivian's daughter, Anya, would frequently plan get-togethers for the two families on their days off. Now, if Nick would just come home once in a while, it would greatly ease Vivian's mind and put to rest many of her fears for her wayward son. Charlotte also knew that Loralee was eager to meet the handsome (and single) todd who Vivian was so very proud of. And if Nick hit it off with Loralee, maybe he'd have an excuse to hang around town more often. Heaven knows, Vivian desperately wished Nick would move to Rándýrabær where she could have both her kits close at paw.

"Ooh, why don't we play Turkey Foot?" Sabrina suggested. She was a bat-eared fox a few years younger than Vivian, but ever since the red fox had moved to Rándýrabær almost six years ago, the two of them had bonded like sisters. They shared just about everything together. And the very few times Nick actually came for a visit, he would sit and play his guitar with her two boys, Trevor and Tyler. And even though Nick was over a decade older than her boys, that didn't stop Nick from treating them like his own brothers—or for Trevor and Tyler to look up to him like the older brother they always wanted, but never had. They only had their annoying older sisters to deal with. Sabrina had 3 older daughters who had already moved out on their own.

"That sounds like fun," Charlotte agreed. Turning to Lucida, she asked, "Where did you put the dominoes after the last time we used them?" They were having their little get-together at the older she-wolf's house and Charlotte didn't remember seeing the large double-12 domino set when they were going through the games earlier.

"Here, let me get them," Lucida said as she stood up from the table. "My grandkits were over earlier this week and we played Mexipawn Train."

As Lucida went to find the missing domino set, Charlotte and Sabrina helped Vivian put away the poker cards while Suzie got up to refill their tea pot and grab some more snacks.

After the dominoes were found and the tea and snacks refilled, the group started the first round of Turkey Foot. The match was intense, though still filled with smiles and laughter as Lucida talked about the antics of her grandkits and Suzie chimed in with a few of her own stories, as she babysat three of her little grandkits during the weekdays. Charlotte and Vivian talked about their daughters and how proud they were of their work at the hospital, though they both wished they didn't have to work such long hours. Sabrina spoke of her two boys (the only kits she still had at home as they were just finishing high school), and how they hoped to start a band once they graduated.

As the game progressed and the snacks disappeared, Vivian's winning streak finally broke as Suzie ran out of tiles first. Everyone was in high spirits as they started a new game, with the fun continuing late into the night.

….….

Delilah had arrived home from work late as the paperwork that had to be filled and filed after the Council meeting today had left her swamped. She had known Bellwether was pushing to pass several bills and amendments that would have negatively impacted the predator population, such as segregating them from the prey population, but she hadn't heard of some of the others Bogo had brought up, such as banning predators from working in politics. And, of course, learning of the hated shock collars still left a chill in her bones. Even though she was an okapi, these sick and unjust laws would have directly impacted her—for they targeted the mammal she loved most in the world.

So, she was now pacing back and forth in the large foyer of her home while waiting for her mate to arrive home. He had been out of town on a business trip and should have been home hours ago, but he was held up at the airport. Although it was easy enough for predators to leave the city, coming back into Zootopia—especially at the airport with its tight security and many checkpoints—had become tedious and time consuming. And even though the culprit behind the savage attacks had been apprehended and so no new attacks had happened this week, the checks and security measures put in place due to the attacks had yet to be revoked.

Which meant Delilah was left pacing back and forth while waiting for her mate, Landon, to return. She wasn't anxious about him being able to return home, though it was highly inconvenient, but it had been over a week since she'd last seen him and she missed him dearly. Especially after hearing what Bellwether had intended to inflict on him for no other reason than he was a predator. The segregation law would have separated them as Landon would have been forced to move out of their home, Bellwether's predator work policies would have choked Landon's company until he was forced to close it, and then she didn't even want to think about what the evil shock collars would have done to him and their relationship (she was completely addicted to Landon's touch and the vile collars would have limited how excited he could get). And the thought of him getting electrocuted every time his emotions got a little strong made her sick to her stomach.

So, she would forever be grateful to the two small mammals—prey and predator—who worked together as a team to stop Bellwether's reign of terror. She was still having a hard time believing what Bogo had told her about the two—a fox and a bunny—and how close they were. This information furthered Delilah's impatience, as she couldn't wait to share the news with Landon. To tell him all about the fearless bunny and cunning fox who had single-handedly saved the city—and were now living together.

When Bogo had told them during the Council meeting that Judy Hopps had asked Nick Wilde to be her partner on the force was shocking enough, but when Bogo told her after the meeting that Judy was living with Nick because of her leg injury, Delilah was half afraid to believe it. At the same time, it gave her a lot of hope. She and Landon had been hiding their relationship for fear of the repercussions of their choice to be together. They both knew that society would never let them be if they found out a prey had chosen a predator for a mate, especially a predator with such sharp teeth and killer claws.

If she wasn't in public office (she was on the city council now, but she had to work her way up to her current position) and Landon wasn't the owner of an upstart, burgeoning company they wouldn't have worried so much about their relationship getting out. But as it stood, both could lose their careers if society found out about them as the negative backlash would have stifled and crimpled their chances of success. But now, with Judy and Nick soon to be working together on the police force, and seeing how they were the ones to save the city, if they were also to get into a relationship . . . perhaps she and Landon wouldn't have to hide their relationship for much longer.

Turning back around as she continued to pace, she ran her hoofs down her silk robe while wondering how much longer she would have to wait. She still couldn't get the awful idea of Landon wearing a shock collar out of her mind. Hearing the click of the front door opening, Delilah spun around. Seeing the large, dark, smokey-grey Tigard walk through the ornate front door brought a huge smile to her face, along with a deep sense of relief at finally seeing him home, safe and sound.

Landon's face and body were a dark, smokey color with black spots on his face and neck with black stripes along his back and sides that broke up into black rosettes near his belly. And although Landon's face was shaped more like his black leopard mother's (just slightly larger to fit his larger frame), he also had the longer fur that framed his face like his Bengal tiger father, along with some faint gold markings mixed in with the smokey grey around the spots on his face. He also had a stronger, heavier build than a leopard, but not quite as muscular as a tiger. Delilah thought it was the perfect blending of the two species and loved every inch of his unique body.

Stepping through the door, Landon grinned to see Delilah waiting up for him. The fact she was wearing her thin, ivory robe added to his delight (the silky robe did little to hide her stunning figure). Lightly kicking the door shut behind him as he walked in, Landon grinned wider (and showing off his very sharp canines) and said, "I thought you might already be asleep. I know you have another long day tomorrow." Dropping his bags just inside the door, he opened his arms to catch his muscular mate as she launched herself at him.

"Nope, not a chance." As Landon caught her, Delilah wrapped her long, black and white striped legs around his waist and was thrilled to feel his large paws cupping her rump and thighs to hold her up, even as his nose nudged her chin up to reach her short-furred, dark neck. With a happy purr as she wrapped her black and white, striped arms around his neck and played with the fur above the collar of his white suit shirt, she added, "We haven't seen each other for over a week and I'm not sleeping until I have my fill of you." A shiver of pleasure and anticipation ran through her as his rough tongue slid across the dark-brown, velvety fur of her throat, then she felt his sharp teeth clap around her smooth, long neck.

Gasping in delight, even as his claws slid under her robe and lightly pricked her skin through her short, dense fur, Delilah couldn't wait for Landon to drag her up to their bedroom—but first—she had some exciting news to share with him. Once he gave her a chance to speak, anyways. His tongue, teeth, and claws were leaving her breathless.

As he started moving towards the stairs, Landon released her neck to rub his scent mark over her cream-colored cheeks, then captured her mouth with his. Smelling his scent on her, tasting her on his tongue, and hearing her moan of pleasure somewhat soothed his predatory need to be with his mate after more than a week of not seeing her. Pulling back from the heated kiss, he began licking and nipping at her throat as he started carrying her up the wide staircase while wondering what interesting things had happened to her that day. Her favorite time to talk was when he was attacking her throat while carrying her up to their room.

A bright smile spread across Delilah's face as her body became instantly aware of him and his tender, yet very thrilling touch. With a shaky breath, she said, "I heard something interesting today."

"Oh," Landon murmured against her dark, reddish-brown fur of her throat. "And what was that?" With his rounded, black ears pointed forward, he waited attentively for her response.

Delilah played with the thick fur around his ears and the back of his neck as she answered, "Officer Hopps is back in town."

Landon paused in nipping her neck as a scowl crossed his dark, spotted face. "What about her?" he asked as his tone turned a bit cold. He was the CEO of a predator-run company that his dad had started after going through his mid-life crisis (his dad had realized he was forty-five and felt like he hadn't accomplished anything in his life). His dad had named the company Hybrid Innovations, and after Landon graduated university with his business degree, he joined his dad in running the company.

But last year his dad had retired and the company was now in Landon's paws. Hybrid Innovations continued to expand and grow until three months ago, after all those savage mammals were found and a certain press conference happened. And then as predators continued to go savage, the company's stocks dropped 10 points and their sells took a hit. They contracted to mass produce up and coming new products that had scientific innovations, mostly in the medical field (Hybrid Innovations supplied hospitals and research companies with cutting-edge lab equipment), but they also produced equipment that could be used at home or at work, such as top-of-the-line security cameras with crystal-clear images and night-vision capabilities.

But after that dumb rabbit opened her big mouth three months ago, and as more predators continued to go savage every week, the company lost a lot of its prey contracts and buyers. And then, to make matters worse, three weeks ago several of their prey business partners pulled out, along with a quarter of their prey employees who up and quit on them. There was even talk of the remaining prey employees going on strike to force him, the company's predator owner and CEO, to step down and either hand the company over to one of the few prey employees in management or to sell the company to one of his prey competitors. The disgruntled prey employees also wanted the predators who were members of the Board of Directors (which was all but 2) to step down, as well. Basically, the prey employees wanted to cleanse the upper management of all predators and turn the company into a prey-run, prey-owned company.

Landon hadn't been worried at first, but after Delilah told him about some of the anti-predator laws and business policies Bellwether was trying to get passed, he panicked. After calling an emergency meeting, he left town to meet with the Board of Directors, the Company Lawyers, and the Finance Department to come up with a plan to keep the company afloat and out of prey hooves. They were still trying to hammer out a viable plan when the news hit that Bellwether was arrested as the mastermind behind the savage attacks. They put their meeting on hold until they could see the affects of her arrest and what interim mayor Bisiorn was going to do about the laws Bellwether was trying to implement. Even then, it took several days before he could get a flight back to Zootopia.

Delilah lightly licked Landon's ear soothingly in response to his scowl. She hadn't been too happy about Hopps's statement three months ago either, for it put a huge strain on their relationship. Not between them as a couple (they loved each other too much for that), but due to the strain it put on Landon as a predator, along with the distress Landon's company was now in, that it left her mate lying awake many nights wondering what was to become of himself as a predator, his father's company that had been left to him, and all his friends and family.

But the thing that bothered Landon the most was wondering what would become of them. With all the unrest in the city along with much of the prey population calling for segregation of predators, Landon feared what would happen to him and Delilah when others found out they were mates. That a predator, who could potentially go savage at any moment, had taken a prey as his mate and was living with her in such a physically intimate way. This was also a question Delilah had herself which also left her lying awake at night. She was still madly in love with Landon, even after all these years (they'd been a couple now for nearly a decade), and she couldn't stand the thought of living without him if the terrified prey population had their way of chasing the predators out of the city or at least segregating them.

So far, they'd been lucky in keeping their relationship a secret since their house was built in a secluded valley on the edge of the Rainforest District. A house Landon had purchased in preparation of asking her to be his mate. He wanted their home to be a sanctuary where they could come and be themselves without fear of what others thought or said.

With a smile as she nuzzled the base of his fuzzy ear, Delilah remembered the first time she'd seen Landon. They met in middle school shortly after her family moved back to Zootopia from overseas. Her parents had been from Zootopia originally but had returned to their native jungles of Africa just before her eighth birthday, as her parents were conservationists and were working with a group to preserve their ancestral homeland.

So, a week shy of her eighth birthday, her parents packed up and moved the family (she had an older brother and a younger sister) to the Ituri Forest in central Africa where a large Wildlife Reserve was set up to protect the many lizards (including crocodiles), the 100's of bird species (including the illusive Congo Peacock), and the thousands of unique insects that still lived there, as well as several reclusive villages of okapi and other shy citizens of the jungle, such as the smaller jungle elephant, forest buffalo, the tiny water chevrotain (commonly known as the fanged deer), and the reclusive leopard.

Besides protecting the wildlife and native villages, the reserve also protected the vast biodiverse plant life that was found there, with many unique plant species having medicinal properties that were used in pharmaceuticals and as natural remedies for various ailments. The Epulu Conservation and Research Center had been built there at the heart of the Reserve and is where her parents worked.

Okapis were shy creatures by nature, but Delilah's parents had overcome their species' shyness to lobby for better protection of the reserve and to spread awareness of the unique culture of the forest and the need to protect it.

As young as she was, Delilah felt proud of her parents as they passionately fought for what they believed in, even going up against large mining companies who wanted to destroy the rainforest in their greed for mineral ores, precious metals, or priceless gems. Her parents and the others working at the Research Center (scientists and park rangers alike) also went up against blood-thirsty poachers who cared nothing for the animal carcasses they left rotting on the jungle floor once they obtained what they wanted (crocodile skins and teeth were still highly prized on the black market, along with the brightly colored feathers of many of the exotic birds who lived in this unique rainforest).

Their efforts gave her a taste of politics when she was still young and inspired her later in life. They probably would have remained there, in the Ituri Forest, to this day if not for a tragedy that befell them there. A rebel group made up of poachers and illegal miners attacked the Conservation and Research Center and burned it to the ground after looting it and killing many of the animals kept there for observation and research. Her father and several other workers, including two rangers, died during the attack.

Fearing for the life of her calves, Delilah's mother packed them up and moved the family back to Zootopia. That was almost five years after they moved to Africa and she had felt overwhelmed once they got back to the big city. After getting used to the openness and laidback ways of the African jungle, Delilah didn't know how to act or how to deal with the fast pace, large crowds, and all the loud noises she found here in the city (okapi's had highly developed hearing to avoid danger in the dense jungles). Being plagued with an Okapi's near-sightedness didn't help either, and many of the kits she met teased her for her thick, coke-bottle glasses and the heavy accent she returned with.

Landon had found her crying behind some bushes one sunny afternoon and had taken it upon himself to befriend her. Being a hybrid, he had been teased a lot himself, so he understood how she felt. It didn't take long for them to become fast friends, and with Landon's support, along with introducing him to his own family and friends, she slowly came out of her shell and overcame her shyness. And as she grew older, she decided to go into politics to change how prey and predators interacted and to work towards removing the dividing line that was still found between them in many aspects of society.

When Landon finally asked her to be his mate further fueled her desire to dissolve the divide between predator and prey. And although the divide wasn't obvious when one took a casual glance at the city, the prejudice was apparent when one took a closer look. It sat just under the surface of society, waiting to be exploited by a sociopath like Bellwether. And when a predator and prey tried to get too friendly with each other, the unwritten rules about what was acceptable—and what wasn't—became glaringly obvious.

Bellwether's insidious plot had undone much of the progress she'd made in politics to lessen the division between prey and predator, but seeing how Officer Hopps and Nick Wilde worked together to save the city, Delilah felt they might be able to get everything back on track. In time, and with the help of these two small mammals, they might finally dissolve the divide between predator and prey. Especially if there actually was, or were to develop, something between Judy and Nick that went beyond friendship. But first, Delilah knew they needed to get the prey population over their blind (and ridiculous) fear of predators.

Nuzzling the base of Landon's other furry, rounded ear as she brought her thoughts back to the present, Delilah then continued, saying, "It was Hopps who figured out the real cause of the savage attacks, and it was Hopps who discovered Bellwether and her plot, and it was Hopps who got a confession from the evil ewe."

Landon nipped his mate's neck a little harder than he intended, then ran his nose up her reddish-brown neck to the soft underside of her pale jaws while murmuring with a slight growl, "So now you're singing praises to the rabbit." It was a statement and not a happy one.

Delilah chuckled lightly while thinking of the unusual duo she wanted to meet. "If it was just about her, I wouldn't," she nipped his ear and added, "But she had a little help."

Landon paused on the stairs, then pulled back to look at his long-necked mate. "She did?" Flicking his ears in irritation, he growled out, "So what amazing prey helped her out?"

Leaning forward, Delilah booped his smaller feline nose with her much wider okapi nose and said, "Not prey. It was a predator, a fox, in fact. A red fox by the name of Nick Wilde."

Landon's eyes widened and his ears pricked forward. "Nick Wilde? As in Nicholas Wilde?"

Delilah nodded as she cocked her head curiously and asked, "You know him?"

With a nod, Landon replied, "I know of him and have a met him a few times, though it's been years now." At his mate's questioning gaze, he explained, "He's the fox Honey Badgersen took in. I met him on a few occasions when I was doing business with Honey." With an ear flick and a slight grin while remembering the eccentric old badger, he added, "You know my company had several contracts with her to mass produce several of her non-military . . ." Landon paused while recalling how Honey labeled her products. Meeting Delilah's dark-brown eyes as his grin grew bigger, he finished saying, "Toys, as she called them."

The confusion in Delilah's eyes cleared up a smile spread across her face once again. "So what was your impression of him?"

Landon shrugged, then continued up the stairs as he answered, "He seemed like an alright fellow. I know Honey trusted him explicitly and he was smart enough. He was also witty and easy to get along with, but watch out if you tried talking down at him or stepped on his tail." With a head shake and light chuckle, he added, "He becomes a real devil if you cross him."

Delilah was intrigued and asked, "What do you mean?"

With another chuckle, Landon explained, "During one of the scientific innovation conventions where new prototype gadgets and break-through inventions were introduced, a couple of unsavory characters came around trying to 'convince' Nick to reveal information on one of Honey's projects and Nick talked circles around them, then called them up for attempted theft of research material." Landon paused a moment, then said, "Or was it theft of a patented invention?" With a slight head shake, he added, "Something like that. I only heard rumors about it, so I'm not a 100 percent sure what happened, but those two fellows never showed their faces at a convention again."

Delilah chuckled as this fit in with what Bogo and Bisiorn had said about the smug todd. "Well, according to Bogo, Nick helped Hopps in finding the missing mammals 3 months ago and then was instrumental in helping her catch Bellwether."

Landon nodded. "Well, that better explains how she succeeded. Nick definitely had the high intelligence of red foxes."

Delilah nodded in agreement, but then said, "From the way Bogo was talking, it seems it was a joint effort. They both pulled their own weight."

Landon shrugged. He didn't really care about the rabbit, but it did surprise him that Nick Wilde was willing to help her. Wondering where his mate was going with this information, he brought his muzzle up and started nipping and licking the base of one of her large, wide ears.

With a slight shiver of pleasure, Delilah said, "Well, here's something that might surprise you." Landon raised an eyebrow as he reached the top of the stairs and she answered, "Judy Hopps has moved in with the sly todd and is now living with him."

Having stepped into the hallway at the top of the stairs, Landon froze as this was something he never thought would happen in a million years. Although he didn't know the todd well, he had heard plenty of rumors about him, ones that painted a very unhappy picture of his life before Honey took him in and practically adopted him. And although predators were just as guilty as prey when it came to specisms against foxes, Landon had heard that most of the pain and suffering in Nick's early life was the direct result of specist prey and uncaring cops. So to hear Nick let a rabbit who was not only prey, but also a cop, move in with him, it left him dumbfounded.

With a teasing grin, Delilah continued to flabbergast her mate. "Not only is Judy living with Nick, but she asked him to be her partner on the force and he has agreed. He'll be entering the ZPD this fall and will graduate in the spring."

This news went beyond Landon's processing ability and he stood gaping at his mate who merely grinned at him with laughter dancing in her deep, brown eyes. Finally, Landon snapped his jaw shut and then exclaimed, "Nick's going to be a cop!?"

With a light chuckle, Delilah nodded while saying, "That's right. I hear he was Zootopia's first fox lawyer and come spring, he'll be Zootopia's first fox officer—serving beside the city's first rabbit officer."

Landon looked off towards the left and gazed thoughtlessly at the large jungle painting hanging on the wall. It was a picture of the Ituri Forest where Delilah spent much of her kithood, but Landon didn't see any of it as his mind swirled with the implications of what Delilah had said. Judy Hopps—the cop and rabbit who had slandered every predator in Zootopia—had not only moved in with a fox but had asked him to be her partner on the force—and he accepted!

Disrupting Landon's stupor, Delilah nuzzled his ear again and whispered, "Although I doubt they're in a relationship, if they're already living together and will soon be working together, then it's not so farfetched to think something more might develop between them."

Landon blinked then cocked his head with his ears pricked forward. "You think Judy and Nick will . . . what? Will be like us?"

Delilah shrugged. "Why not?" Sliding her hooves down the back of his neck and then forward to the front of his shirt, she began unbuttoning his white shirt as she added, "The level of trust they've obviously developed doesn't happen every day." Running her dark hooves through his now exposed chest fur, she continued saying, "And with them already living together, and with them soon working together, is it really that far a stretch of the imagination to see them together a couple?"

Landon flicked his ear, then started walking down the hallway. "Well, Hopps is a rabbit and Nick's ancestors used to eat hers."

Delilah shrugged as she continued running her hooves through his fur. "Your ancestors used to eat mine and yet here we are."

Landon paused again, then a grin spread across his muzzle as he dipped his muzzle forward to nip her chin. "You're right. Here we are." Nudging her chin up with his nose, he nipped her jaws, then murmured against her short, velvety fur, "And here we are at our bedroom."

Delilah chuckled as Landon began nipping and licking his way down her throat again, even as she slid her fingers down his shirt to finish unbuttoning it. With her mind only partly on the couple they were discussing, she added, "I plan on stopping by their house this weekend and personally thanking them for their heroic efforts on behalf of the city."

"Hmm," Landon muttered as he raked his sharp canines through her short, dense fur, even as he slid his clawed fingers up and down her thighs, which brought a moan from his mate. With a hungry, predatory look in his light green eyes, he growled huskily, "You do that and then come back and tell me how high the likelihood is of them getting together." Lifting his head to meet Delilah's own heated, hungry gaze, he added, "But for now, you're with me and I distinctly recall you saying that you couldn't sleep until you had your fill of me, so no more talking about anyone else until morning."

Delilah opened her mouth to respond, but Landon didn't give her a chance as he captured her mouth with his own. And as he deepened the kiss, he walked through their bedroom door and kicked it shut behind him.

….…...

Up in the heart of Tundra Town, Silvano Big sat in his padded chair and stared blankly at the frozen fireplace in his study. A glass of vodka was held in his right paw, and he swished it around absently in its crystal glass while lost in thought. After a moment, he raised the glass and took a drink, then lowered it and glanced at the portrait of Grandmamma with a pensive look on his face.

Silvano wasn't sure how long he sat there when the voice of his dearest friend spoke up from behind him.

"Silvano," said the largest, oldest, and leader of the polar bears under Big's command, "you been sitting here brooding for hours. What troubles you?"

Big glanced over at Koslov who stood patiently waiting for his boss to retire for the night. It had been a long day and he should have been in bed by now, but the past would not let him. In a quiet, tired voice, Silvano said, "Fru-Fru met with Judy and Nicky today." Koslov grunted his acknowledgement, and Big continued, "She tells me that Nicky is going to be a cop and partner with Judy on the force."

Koslov froze for a moment as he'd been in the room with Big when Raymond brought Fru-Fru home, and he had heard the Don's daughter talk about the todd's unlikely relationship with the doe, but Fru-Fru hadn't mentioned anything about Nicky wanting to be a cop before they went to dinner. He hadn't seen the tiny shrews again until after Silvano had said goodnight to Mistress Fru-Fru and retired to his study—where he simply sat and stared into the ice-enshrouded fireplace.

Licking his lips, Koslov asked slowly, "You . . . you do not believe Nicky will turn on you . . . do you?" He didn't believe Nicky intended to backstab his boss, but it didn't matter much what he thought if his boss believed otherwise. And he would be truly sad if Big decided to put a hit out on Nicky. Unlike many of the other polar bears on Silvano's payroll, Koslov liked the sly todd and didn't believe Nicky had intentionally double-crossed Silvano five years ago. That just wasn't how the sly fox worked, nor was he dumb enough to make such a stupid (and fatal) mistake.

Silvano waved his paw, saying, "Meh, Nicky assured Fru-Fru that he would leave the past in the past if I did, and so that is where it will stay."

With a relieved nod, the large polar bear asked, "If not Nicky backstabbing you, then why sit stewing?"

Silvano did not immediately answer but sat in silence as the memories of betrayal washed over him. Finally, he asked, "Why? Why did he do it? I welcomed him into the family and treated him like my own son. His father was a dear friend of ours and I was heartbroken to learn of his murder. In memory of John Wilde, I accepted Nicky's terms when I hired him. I kept him away from the jobs that would require killing and I let him toe the line of what was legal and what was criminal while funding his scholarship program. So why? Why did he sell me such a disrespectful rug for Grandmamma?"

Shaking his head sadly, Silvano continued without giving Koslov a chance to answer. "Grandmamma loved that boy. Him and Anya both, she treated them like her own grandkits. I thought Nicky loved her, too." With another sad shake of his head, he murmured, "He not only disrespected me, but he disrespected Grandmamma—that I cannot forgive."

As Silvano became pensive, silence returned to the room, and Koslov waited a moment before speaking slowly, saying, "I do not believe Nicky . . . knew . . . what the rug was he sold you."

Silvano spun his chair around to look at Koslov, but the polar bear held a finger up to forestall his comment, and said, "I show you what I mean." At the shrew's nod, Koslov hurried from the room and came back a few minutes later carrying several large newspaper clippings (they were cut from a polar bear sized newspaper).

Spreading the papers out on the desk beside the Don, Koslov smoothed them out and then read, "Yesterday evening, Maige 'Honey' Badgerson passed away at 4:58 PM. She was a shining pillar of the community during her active years . . ." Koslov didn't bother reading the whole paper as they both knew what Honey had accomplished in the city. Looking up at his friend, the large polar bear explained, "Honey died three weeks after you asked Nicky to pick up the rug." With his ears pinned back, Koslov whispered, "Nicky wasn't dealing with Honey's failing health . . . she was dying." Blowing out a heavy sigh, Koslov smoothed the paper again as Silvano sat in shock. After a moment, he mumbled under his breath, "Nicky gave us the rug the morning after the funeral."

Big sat in silence while his mind traveled back five years ago. He had left town a week after commissioning Nicky to get the rug and didn't return until the day before Nicky called to say the rug was ready for pick up. He'd been busy getting everything squared away after his long absence and planning Grandmamma's 76th birthday party, so he didn't get the news of Honey's death till a week after hauling Nicky in for selling him the rug, but he hadn't paid attention to when she had died. He was too hurt and angry to care.

With a heavy sigh, Silvano's gaze dropped to the ground as he just now realized what the smug todd had been going through and explained why Nicky had dead eyes when they'd met to exchange the rug. With another heavy sigh, his bushy eyebrows turned down further as he considered the emotional turmoil the red todd was feeling. Shaking his head, he turned to Koslov and asked, "But even in his grief, why would he sell me a distasteful rug?" After hearing the rumors of Nick's betrayal with the rug, he'd been so enraged that all he could see was red. Disrespect and betrayal were the two things he couldn't forgive. He refused to hear any explanation and accepted no excuse.

Koslov nodded. "It make no sense. Nicky had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Even in grief he would not do something so stupid. He was set up. Someone wanted him dead and used Honey's death and your rage to do it."

Silvano nodded as this made more sense than Nicky turning on him. He'd watched Nicky and his brother Demetri grow until their dad was murdered, and then he lost track of them after Vivian packed them up and moved. He didn't see Nicky again until he showed up at his door years later, wanting to exchange his skills for money to fund his sister's scholarship program. Nicky's terms had been beneficial to both of them and he'd readily accepted. Nicky really lived up to his father's aspirations of becoming something great, and Big had no reason to regret taking the slick todd on. Not until Nicky sold him the skunk-butt rug.

With a shake of his head, the shrew turned back to his closest friend, "Do you have a guess at who would do this? With Nicky's skills, there's quite a few mammals who wished him dead, though few would be bold enough to use me to do it."

Koslov nodded, saying, "It is not a guess, but a certainty." At his tiny friend's raised bushy eyebrow, the large polar bear continued. "Nicky laughs most things off, but we both know how ruthless he can get when you step on his tail. And setting him up to be iced would count as 'stepping on his tail'."

Silvano nodded as he thought of those who foolishly pitted their intelligence against the sly todd in an attempt to hurt him in some way. A fair number of them wound up in jail, while a good number more were ruined financially or had their careers ended prematurely. And although it was difficult to get on Nicky's black list (he didn't let most things to get to him), once on the list you could be sure Nicky wouldn't rest until justice (his brand) was served—whether it took a month or a year, it didn't matter to Nicky. He would figure out the best way to ruin you, and then put his whole focus into bringing it about. He would dig up the past, calculate the best method to reach his goal, then plan out his attacks with crystal-clear precision. Nothing was left to chance. And by the time he was done, no one could trace anything back to him. He made friends with the shadows and moved among them, and easily disappeared when he tired of playing.

Big had always marveled at Nicky's skills. He would maneuver mammals around like chess pieces to further his goal without anyone being the wiser that they were being manipulated. Not that Nicky was ruthless in moving his chess pieces (many of Big's polar bears complained Nicky was too soft-hearted) but he knew how to talk to or maneuver mammals to get what he wanted—such as moving those in authority to 'catch' those on Nicky's black list in the middle of their illegal activities, whether it be the cops, a spouse, or the hated mammal's boss. At the end of the day, the mammals were always ruined in some way. One and all came to rue the day they ever crossed Nicholas P. Wilde, many of whom simply knew him as Red.

Of course, Nicky didn't perfect his skills on his own. When Silvano first agreed to take Nicky on, the todd's abilities, although impressive, were still unpolished, but it didn't take long under the Don's tutelage for the sly todd to perfect the art of espionage. Upon hearing of Vivian's illegal experimentation and Nicky's bold move of spying on the doctors to obtain the evidence needed to throw their criminal tails in jail, Big knew where he wanted to put Nicky in his organization.

Silvano had many rivals, large and small, who wished to set up shop in his territory, and it was a constant struggle to find and eradicate them—at least, it was until Nicky was put on the job. Although Silvano had several other foxes on his payroll who were adept at gathering information, none of them could read mammals like Nicky, nor did they have all the nifty spy gadgets Honey gave Nicky to test out (Nicky never gave out his spy gadgets, and trusted very few mammals with them).

At his boss's silent reverie, Koslov spoke up. "Who was captured and dragged to prison three months after you threw Nicky out into the raging snowstorm?"

Silvano leaned back in his chair while he thought of the week he'd dragged Nicky to his mansion, threatened to ice him, then sent him scurrying out into a howling blizzard. He'd half expected the red todd to freeze to death, but Nicky hadn't survived so many years on the street for nothing. As the arctic shrew thought of the months that followed, hurt and angry, (his operations took a huge hit with Nicky's absence), Big then recalled the buzz that hit the media following the capture of a vicious vixen who quickly became 'public enemy number one' once her activities were discovered.

Leaning forward, he pointed a finger at Koslov and answered, "Nakita Silvertail." At his friend's nod, Big sat back and rubbed his chin while remembering the gossip that flew through the criminal world at her sudden downfall. No one expected her demise as she was too good, too smart, and too ruthless to leave any trails leading back to her. Some said she'd gotten cocky and, in her arrogance, had made careless mistakes, but Big knew better. It was obvious to him and others in the know-how, that she'd been set up. There's no way all five of her hideouts would have been raided at the same exact time and her escape route cut off, but no one could figure out who had done it—or could have, for that matter.

At the time, only Silvano and a few of his most trusted polar bears knew Nicky had survived the mansion (he being one of the few mammals who could pull it off), but with the blizzard they tossed him into, the bears had a bet going on, on whether or not the red todd was still alive. No one had heard hide-nor-hair of him since they kicked him out three months prior. The consensus had been that he'd frozen to death and they'd stumble across his frigid body months later.

Of course, the body was never found and about 4 months after Nakita's demise they caught rumors of Nicky's reappearance. But by then, the hype over Nakita's downfall had blown over and no one made the connection—not even Big or any of his polar bears. Big had written the smug todd off and never wanted to see his cheating face again.

As Silvano remained silent, Koslov pulled out a second paper clipping from under the first and smoothed it out on the table next to where his friend sat. "Even after being caught, Nakita is too good to have the charges stick. She would confuse the prosecutor and play the jury. The court hearings should have dragged out for months—not an open and closed case that only took a day to convict her on all counts."

Silvano slid from his chair to get a better look at the large picture in the middle of the newspaper clipping. It showed the top half of Nakita as she had knocked over the prosecutor and had him pinned to the floor as she punched and scratched at his arms and face, even as several officers in the room were racing to pull her off the helpless attorney. A table stood in the way of catching the prosecutor's face (the courts didn't let the media show Nick's face as they thought having a fox attorney in court would tarnish their public image), so no one could see who the prosecutor was, but there was no hiding the bushy fox tail with the dark tip that flew above the table after its owner was knocked to the floor.

Stabbing his large white finger and black claw on the picture just above the bushy tail, Koslov continued, saying, "Only one lawyer alive able to convict her. Only one irritating enough to make her drop her act and incriminate herself. Only a fox as cunning and manipulative as she is could do it." With a wide, toothy grin, Koslov added, "The only fox lawyer in all Zootopia."

Kneeling down, Silvano gently stroked the large black and white tail on the newspaper clipping. With all the pieces falling into place, everything finally made sense. Nakita had vowed that Nicky would regret the day he snubbed her. Nine months later Honey died and Nicky sold him the skunk-butt rug. Three months after that, Nakita was hauled to jail and convicted. Four months after that (once the hubbub of Nakita's demise blew over), Nicky returned but never again stepped into Big's criminal circle. He'd dropped out of pretty much any criminal circle and stuck mostly to small-time hustles.

With his bushy brows furrowing in question, he asked Koslov, "If you knew this all those years ago, why did you not say anything sooner?"

Koslov took a minute to answer, but when he did, it was with finality. "First, you were too hurt and angry to listen. Second, Nicky needed a way out." As Big snapped his gaze up to stare at his friend, Koslov continued, "Other bears right—Nicky is too soft for this lifestyle. He only signed up to put his sister through med school. His goal was accomplished, and yet he could not just leave. Nicky had good heart but rubbing shoulders with criminals everyday was slowly staining it, and with Honey's death it would only get worse. John would not want this for Nicky. He was meant for bigger and brighter things." With firm nod, the giant polar bear repeated, "Nicky needed a way out and this was it."

Big stared at Koslov for several more moments, then sighed heavily. Dropping his gaze back to the fox tail in the newspaper clipping, he brushed it with his paw one last time, then stood and slowly climbed back into his chair. Waving his paw, Silvano finally said, "You are right, my friend, Nicky was never cut out for this life." With a soft chuckle, he added, "A cop!" Shaking his head, Big murmured, "Nicky will turn the ZPD upside down."

Koslov nodded solemnly and added, "Nicky and Mistress Judy will be a force to reckon with. We will have to be extra careful in our activities. Where other cops will see nothing, Nicky and Judy will see much. Nicky knows our MO, so even if we leave no tracks, he might still read our signatures."

Big nodded again. "Yes. Nicky promised Fru-Fru to leave the past alone, but any new crimes he and Judy learn about will be reported." Koslov nodded as Silvano scratched his neck. "This leaves me with much to think about." Tilting his head, he added, "When Fru-Fru celebrates little Judy's birth and invites Judy over, we must be sure to invite Nicky, as well." With another scratch of his neck, Big added, "It is time I welcomed my prodigal son home."

….….

Adrian Bogo had finally laid his head down on the pillow after another very long, very stressful day at work. With his wife, Camille, snuggled into his side, Bogo gratefully pulled her closer into his warm embrace. With a heavy sigh, he let the stress of the day flow off of him while listening to his wife's soft breathing. This was why he worked his tail off at the ZPD, and why he wanted to be an officer in the first place—to keep his sweet Camille safe, and later, their two calves, Rachael and Jake.

While snuggling deeper into his pillow while running a hoof gently down his wife's arm, he was just succumbing to sleep when a worrisome thought hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh, bloody —," he muttered under his breath, and just barely caught himself from swearing with Camille laying beside him.

"What is it?" Camille murmured sleepily. If she wasn't already half asleep, she would have probably shaken her head at his worrisome expression (she always found his worrisome expression so cute!), but she was too tired and way too comfortable to move right now.

"Hopps was in my office today and I forgot to inform her about the press conference the city council wants her to speak at next week."

"Hmm," Camille murmured as she slid her hoof up her husband's chest, then said, "Just call her tomorrow. There's plenty of time." Although she didn't change her expression, Camille hoped this next press conference would go better for Hopps than the last one.

Bogo nodded. "I'll have to. It's too late now." Glancing down, he caught the faint smile that adorned his wife's face. She was so cute when she was sleeping!

"Right," Camille muttered as she rubbed her cheek against the left side of his chest as she lay curled against his side. Using the crook of his shoulder for a pillow, she tiredly mumbled, "Call tomorrow." With a big yawn, she added, "Now go to sleep. You have another long day tomorrow."

Bogo nodded and tried to take his wife's advice, but the thought had disrupted his sleep and now he found himself lying awake with sleep nowhere to be found. With a wordless grumble, he rubbed his hoof down his face, then across his forehead, trying to get the tense muscles to relax enough for him to fall back asleep. But once awake, his mind kept rehashing all his worries from that day—the foremost being two tiny, irritating mammals in what many in society would consider a taboo relationship. Bogo wasn't personally against the relationship, since both mammals were committed and seemed to truly care for each other, but it was such an unusual pairing—predator and prey, fox and rabbit—that to say it was weird would be an understatement.

Pushing the troublesome thought aside, his mind immediately latched onto the trouble working with the Feds would be. Whenever they had to work with the ZBI or AIA, they always came in and tried to take over the whole case and didn't want to keep the cops in the loop of what they were doing or what they had discovered. Of course, part of that had to do with the ones in charge of the investigation trying to further their own careers by taking all the glory. It was always a huge headache.

After an hour or more of carefully twitching and shifting in bed in an effort to get comfortable while trying not to wake Camille, Bogo finally convinced his brain and body to take his wife's advice and allow sleep to claim him once more.


WingedKatt here. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Sorry this is posted later than I normally do. Expect future posts to be around the same time on Saturday. Next chapter, Nick will finally get a chance to talk to his mom.

FYI: Okapis are secretive cousins to the giraffe who live in the Ituri Forest, a rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are extremely elusive creatures with a dark, reddish brown and black body with zebra stripes on its legs. They have large ears that are extremely sensitive to the faintest sounds, but due to the dense, shadowed forest they live in, they are extremely short-sighted and rely on their hearing to warn of danger. Leopards are their main predator as they can bring down an adult okapi, but the smaller wildcats will hunt down their calves. Hyenas will sometimes enter the forest and kill the okapis, too.

There really is an Epulu Consevation and Research Center in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Ituri Forest of Africa, and on June 24, 2012 it was attacked, looted, and burned by rebels made up of elephant poachers and illegal miners. Several people were killed, along with all 14 okapis that were being researched there. On July 14, 2017 there was another attack that killed several wardens and 2 trackers of the reserve.

Tigards are a hybrid between a male tiger and a female leopard. When the leopard is a black leopard, the cubs are often born black or a dark, smoky gray with both black spots and stripes on the body. They are a beautiful animal and I highly recommend looking their picture up on the internet.

Chapter 59: Not Even Running, will post in 2 weeks. Have a good weekend and stay safe. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them.