It took Judy a minute to realize that nothing happened to her. She had been so paralyzed by fear that she didn't notice the fox walking away at first. But once she came to terms that she was still alive, and with no bite marks on her body, she finally opened her eyes. "Huh..?" She whispered, anxiously averting her gaze around to see where Nick had gone.

She used the wall behind her to hold onto something while she stood back up. The thought of running away crossed her mind, since she wasn't sure if he was going to come back to attack her when she least expected it. But her curiosity got the better of her, as well as common sense, since leaving a savage animal in the apartment wasn't a good idea.

"Nick?" She called out, slowly stepping into the kitchen in search of the fox. But it wasn't a long pursuit, since she found him laying on his back on the tile floor. He shifted over and over, like he was trying to scratch his back somehow. He didn't seem to be in a "killing mood", but that could change at any moment, so she kept her distance.

Well, now she was even more confused than before. From what she knew about animals when they turned savage, it's that they showed no mercy to those around them. It didn't matter who it was, as long as they ended up as the next meal. Savage animals would always go for the kill.

So why didn't Nick?

Judy dared to make herself present in the kitchen, and while the fox did notice, he didn't do anything to acknowledge her. He just continued to roll around the floor until he was rid of the itching sensation on his back. Once he was on his stomach, he began to lick his paws, paying no mind to the obvious prey standing nearby.

What's going on with you? She wondered, narrowing her eyes. This was unlike any encounter she had with a savage before. A year ago when predators all over Zootopia were being targeted with Night Howlers, every one of them were merciless and unpredictable. Nick's condition was no doubt caused by the infectious flower-turned-drug, but he was acting calm now, like he had no intentions of hurting her.

Does he know who I am? She questioned, but was quick to shut that down. No, that's impossible. Maybe the effects are wearing off, and that's why he's still acting like that.

Judy hesitantly walked into the kitchen, intending to see what the fox would do. But when he sensed her getting closer, he stood up and skittishly backed away. It seemed he was just as anxious as she was, and in order to gain his trust, she'd have to earn it. But it was tricky, since she never had to do anything like this before. Perhaps she should take a more gentle approach.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," She spoke in a soft tone, taking a cautious step closer to him. He snarled at her in his own defense, but she tried not to appear too afraid. They couldn't fear each other right now, especially not Judy. She had to be brave, so he would know that it was okay to trust her.

Steadily, she held up her paw, reaching out toward him. "It's okay, Nick. I'm not gonna hurt you." She assured, "And I know you don't want to hurt me either, right? You're in there somewhere, I know it.."

Nick's face softened seeing her hold her paw out. He tilted his head, trying to decipher what she was saying. But to his ears, it just sounded like a bunch of gibberish. Although, by the tone of her voice, he was able to tell that it was words of comfort. Between that and the gesture, his uneasiness began to disappear.

Judy observed his behavior very closely, noticing his anger fading the closer she got to him. She particularly focused on his eyes, and how they were concentrating on her paw. They appeared to be almost back to normal, which she took as a good sign. At least now they lacked the threatening twinkle that was prominent before the chase.

Once they were close enough, Nick pressed his head against her palm, signaling to her that it was okay to touch him. Judy smiled with relief, keeping her paw rested on his forehead right above his eyes. "See? It's okay." She said, placing her other paw on the side of his face. "It's just me."

She knelt to the floor, watching as he nuzzled his face against her touch. She wasn't sure how she managed to calm him down, but she was glad it worked. But her victory was short lived, since she quickly realized she had more questions than answers.

"What happened to you?" She asked with a concerned frown. The fox remained unable to reply. Instead he just sat down and gazed at the bunny with a blank expression. Even if he wasn't necessarily a "savage" at the moment, he still wasn't back to his old self.

Why did he go savage in the first place? It definitely wasn't by accident, it had to have been caused by the Night Howler serum that was the reason behind the savage attacks last year. But the only mammal capable of starting that again was the former mayor, and she was currently locked away in prison. It couldn't have been her. But who else would want to target predators? And why Nick of all mammals?

There was certainly more to this, but Judy didn't even know where to start on figuring it out. In fact, just the thought was giving her a headache. She sighed, leaning against the cabinet behind her.

"Great. What am I supposed to do now?" She asked aloud, speaking more to herself than to her friend, who currently couldn't understand her. Despite that, Nick saw the stress and sadness on her face. He might not have comprehended her words, but he did sense the emotions she was feeling.

Unexpectedly, he laid down on the floor next to her and rested his head on her lap, donning a face of sympathy as he looked up at her. Judy giggled quietly, bringing her paw up to stroke the top of his head. It was strange how in a span of ten minutes, he went from a cutthroat, raging predator to a calm and gentle companion. But at least something good came out of the situation.

Judy's smile faltered after a while. She knew that whatever happened now was all on her. Nick was her responsibility, his life and well-being was in her paws. If anyone found out he was affected by Night Howlers, they would surely take him away. While that might've sounded like the better option, Judy knew why she couldn't let that happen. So she was on her own for this one. It was up to her to help him...somehow.

She stared down at the fox that was slowly starting to drift to sleep in her lap. Her paw continued to caress the red fur on his head and around his ears to soothe him in any way she could. "I don't know who did this to you," She said quietly, "But I swear to God, I'm gonna fix it."