It was four in the morning now. The sun would be rising soon, and there was no time to lose. Judy had to make her move now, or she might not see her partner for a long time—or ever again. For all she knew, they might not succeed in making a new antidote. She would rather have feral Nick than no Nick at all. Plus, she could never take down Bellwether without him. They did it together the first time, it was only going to work again if they were reunited.
She knew she wasn't supposed to get involved, and that she was supposed to let the other cops handle it. But Bellwether was out to kill her and Nick. That was part of the revenge. She wasn't going to just sit around and wait to be killed. No, she was going to fight back. If anyone was going to take down Bellwether for good, it was going to be Judy.
She managed to track down the truck taking Nick to the outside of town. It was a long drive to the facility, so they weren't completely out in the middle of nowhere yet. Judy took the route and eventually caught up to them. But she drove at a distance and kept her headlights turned off, so they wouldn't suspect anyone was following them.
Now all she could do was wait for them to stop, which could take forever. Hell, they might not even make a stop. But Judy hoped that they would. She had to pull this off, unseen. She was risking everything right now, and she refused to let it all go to waste.
Luckily, by some miracle, the truck soon slowed down and pulled to the side of the road. Judy did the same, but parked as far away as she could. She glanced out the window, realizing they were already outside of the city limits and were on the sketchy backroads surrounded by woods. At least it was easy to hide out there.
She kept her head low while peering over the steering wheel. She watched two figures exit the truck and speak to each other. They appeared to be arguing, but it wasn't anything too tense. From the looks of it, they were out of gas, which prompted them to pull over.
Perfect. Judy thought as they began to walk away in the other direction. The nearest gas station was a few miles away, they wouldn't be returning for a while. Now was her chance.
She practically jumped from the car and jogged to the truck. Two doors were on the back, and just behind them she would find her partner. But of course, there was a lock. Thankfully Judy predicted this. She pulled out a pin from her pocket and placed it in the key hole, twisting and turning it in any way possible to get it to open.
She constantly checked her surroundings, just to be sure she was alone and no one was driving nearby, or that the drivers were coming back. Yes, she was taking a risk, but she still wanted to do everything she could to avoid being caught. Lord only knew what sort of hell she would face if she was.
Finally, the lock came undone. She mentally cheered herself as she pulled the doors open, which was a bit difficult since they were bigger than her. But it was worth it, once she found Nick sitting inside. He was muzzled and leashed, and the look on his face nearly tore her heart apart.
But then their eyes met, and his mood changed completely. His head lifted and his tail started to wag excitedly. He had no clue how she got here, but he was grateful she did.
"Nick!" Judy said with relief, hopping into the truck. She slid to her knees and wrapped her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank goodness! Oh, it's okay, I got you. It's gonna be okay." She said assuringly, almost refusing to loosen her grasp. It might've only been a few hours, but she had missed him terribly.
Nick cooed and nestled his head against hers as an attempt to return the affection. He didn't even mind that she was squeezing the air out of him, he was just happy to have her here.
After a minute or so, Judy slowly pulled away, since she knew they didn't have time to lose. "Don't ever do anything like that again." She said firmly, pointing her finger at him. "From now on, we have to stick together no matter what, okay?"
Nick gave her a nod in response. She smiled softly, "Alright, let's get you out of here."
She stood up and moved her paws to the back of his head. She noticed that the leash was actually attached to the muzzle, and the other end was tied to a hook on the ceiling. It might not have looked secure, but when she tried to undo it, it proved to be harder than she thought.
Still, she tried everything she could to get him out of it as fast as possible. She wanted him out of that damn muzzle already, and once he was they were going to get the hell out of there. She managed to undo one of the straps, which would make the rest of the process much easier.
But then she froze, her ears twitching at the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking. She didn't need to turn around to know what was behind her. Or rather who was behind her.
"Step away from the fox."
Judy sighed with dread. Great, just when she thought she could get away with this. Now she was faced with a whole other problem. "Bellwether—"
"I said step away!" She repeated, raising her voice. "Before I shoot you both."
There was no use in trying to argue or negotiate. Bellwether wouldn't listen, and she could easily kill them at any second. Judy stared at Nick for a moment, seeing him scowling at the sheep, but unable to growl with the muzzle over his mouth. She wanted to free him, but it seemed she wasn't going to have the chance.
Reluctantly, Judy put her paws up and slowly backed away from him. His attention turned to her when she moved, in which she gave an apologetic frown. He whimpered and stood up, wanting to follow her, but he was held back by the leash.
She stepped out of the truck, feeling Bellwether's presence right behind her. But then she heard a low growl, and she knew right away it wasn't Nick. She turned her head, finding a large grey wolf standing right next to Bellwether. This must've been one of the savage predators she had in her hideout. But why would she need to bring one if she already had a gun to use?
Judy glared at her, "You brought a wolf to do your dirty work?"
"Part of it." Bellwether said, gently stroking the wolf's neck. "You're not the only one who can tame a wild dog. Only I didn't have to get knocked up by him."
She laughed, but all Judy could focus on was the wolf. He was staring at her with cold, darkened eyes and sharp teeth. She wasn't sure if he was going to be the one to kill her or if Bellwether wanted that victory all to herself. But there had to be a reason she brought him with her.
"You're sick." She muttered, shaking her head.
Bellwether raised her gun, "I'd watch it if I were you." She took a step closer to the bunny, lessening the distance between them. "So here's what's gonna happen, Hopps; you're going to get in your car and drive back to Zootopia, and you're gonna keep your fucking mouth shut about all of this. Because if you don't, not only will I tell the chief you broke another law, but I'll also kill lover boy over there." She gestured the gun to Nick.
Judy turned back to look at her partner. The threat was actually getting to her. She knew Bellwether wasn't above killing anyone, and she could easily do so right now.
Bellwether chuckled and took one more step until she was close enough that she could keep the gun pointed right at Judy's head. "And as for that fox, he'll be joining my other predators. If he doesn't obey," She spoke louder so Nick would listen, since she was talking to him now as well. "Then his little rabbit whore will be killed!"
She glanced between the two of them, "Have I made myself clear?"
Nick stared daggers at her, while Judy just sighed and nodded. She wanted to think of a way out of this, but she was out of ideas. Yet again, she was trapped with no other options. Bellwether was one step ahead of her once more.
The sheep laughed cruelly, slightly lowering the gun. "That's what I thought." She said, "I mean, why take the risk? He's just a stupid fox, he's not worth dying for."
Judy lifted her head, her eye twitched with anger. Now she had been pushed to the limit. Bellwether could insult and manipulate her all she wanted, but when she messed with Nick, that was where the line was drawn. Nick was not a stupid fox, and he was worth dying for.
The anger built up inside of her, and finally Judy snapped. Without hesitation, she grabbed Bellwether by the wrist and turned around to throw a punch at her stomach. Bellwether groaned and bent over, which gave Judy the chance to snatch the gun from her grasp and throw it out of sight. If there was going to be a fight, it was gonna be a fair one.
Bellwether wasn't ready to go down so easily. She retaliated by grabbing the bunny's shoulders, attempting to throw her down. Judy did the same, and they both fell to the grass, trying to pin each other down, or to at least throw some solid punches at one another's face. The wolf had snarled at their actions, but did nothing more than stand back and watch, since he wasn't given an order yet.
Nick's eyes went wide as he gazed ahead of him. He didn't expect to witness a fight. But he wasn't going to just sit there and let it escalate. Judy needed his help, and fast. He stepped backwards to try and yank himself out of the muzzle. Since Judy got one of the straps undone, maybe the others would come loose as well.
Bellwether gained the high ground and kept her pinned by pressing her knee on Judy's chest. She reached into her pocket to pull out her backup weapon; a dagger. "Easy there, slutty bunny." She chuckled, "You wouldn't want anything happening to your baby."
Judy gasped, seeing the dagger aimed near her stomach. She grunted as she grabbed the sheep's ankle to throw her off of her, then crawled up so she was on top. But her victory was short-lived, as Bellwether quickly shoved her back and sat up.
"Don't act so surprised. What do you think I did in prison all that time?" She asked with a raised brow. She laughed and stood up, making her way to the bunny with the dagger grasped tightly in her hoof.
Judy huffed and raised her leg, kicking Bellwether right in the stomach the second she got close enough. She stood up with a heavy breath, reaching for the dagger. But Bellwether raised it higher so it would be harder to obtain. The two fought over it for some time, trying to hurt each other in any way they could to have more power over the other.
Nick continuously pulled and tugged, which was causing some discomfort around his ears and snout. But he could honestly care less. He repeatedly glanced over to make sure Judy was okay. It seemed every time she was winning, Bellwether would make a move that slowed her down.
Soon enough hits had been taken that the two were bruised and disheveled. Try as she might, Judy was unable to keep her ground for long. She was exhausted even before the fight began, and the only thing that kept her going was adrenaline. Now that it was running out, she wasn't sure how much longer she could last. But Nick's life was depending on it, she had to try.
Bellwether noticed the bunny continuously trying to catch a breath, and to be honest, it was amusing. Watching a pregnant cop try and take her down wasn't something she expected, but man was it fun to watch.
"I'm surprised to see you slowing down, Judy." She commented. "You're quite a fighter, I'll give you that. But I think it's time we wrap this up."
She swung a fist at Judy's face, punching her directly in the nose. It was such a strong force that it sent her falling to the ground. Bellwether laughed sinisterly, then turned to the wolf and snapped her fingers to catch his attention.
Judy slowly sat up, groaning as she held her face. A warm, thick liquid began to drop from her nose. She moved her paw, seeing that blood had smeared onto her palm from where she was holding her nose.
Just as she was about to get up, she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Bellwether forcefully held her arms to keep her on the ground, while managing to hold the dagger close to her throat. "Sorry, Carrots. You should've just stayed out of this."
Judy glared at her for using that nickname, but her irritation instantly faded into fear when she noticed Bellwether making a gesture at the wolf. She gasped, turning to see the large predator slowly advancing toward them.
Nick began to feel hopeless. Whoever strapped him in these restraints knew what they were doing. Escaping was starting to seem impossible. But when he saw the position Judy was in, and how the wolf was getting dangerously close to her, he felt a sudden burst of rage pump through him. He narrowed his eyes and once again pulled himself back, this time refusing to stop until he was free.
Judy squirmed and wiggled, but no matter what she was unable to pry herself out of her enemy's grip. With every step the wolf took, she felt her heart beating faster and faster. It didn't look like there was a way out of this. She didn't want to admit defeat, but what other choice did she have?
Was this really it? Was she actually going to die right here? She had too many regrets, too much unfinished business she couldn't take care of. She never got to apologize to everyone for what she did, she never got to hear Nick's voice one last time. She never even got to have her baby and watch it grow up. She would never get to tell Nick how she felt about him, to tell him she loved him and wanted to be with him.
She closed her eyes and turned away, bracing herself for what was about to come. She didn't want to fight anymore, she just wanted to get it over with.
But then she heard something from the truck. She lifted her ears and looked over in that direction, shocked to see Nick jumping out from the truck, his eyes full of fury.