Judy swore that all she did was blink in the time it took for Nick to leap from the truck and pounce the wolf to the ground. She didn't know how he got out of the muzzle, but she was grateful he did. Though she also worried for his sake now. The wolf was three times his size, fighting it wasn't going to be easy. The odds of him even winning were unlikely.
"No!" Bellwether exclaimed in frustration. "Kill that damn fox!" She called out to her wolf, then stared down at Judy, "I guess I'll deal with you myself."
The dagger's tip lodged through the skin of Judy's neck, emitting a painful yelp from the bunny. Nick's ears perked up as he turned to see what was wrong, which gave the wolf a chance to push him away and onto the ground.
Nick quickly scrambled back to his feet. Instead of getting back at the wolf for what he did, he focused on Judy. She was bleeding, but luckily she managed to grab Bellwether's wrist and push the dagger away so it wouldn't cut any deeper. Oh, how Nick wanted to kill that sheep for what she did.
But he was unable to make his way over to the two. The wolf had grabbed him by the tail with his teeth and yanked him backward. Nick growled and turned back to face him. If this wolf wanted to push his buttons, then he had succeeded. Nick didn't care that he was much smaller, he was too distracted by his own rage.
As the two canines engaged in their fight, Judy struggled to escape from Bellwether's surprisingly strong hold. She kept the dagger away the best she could, but the sheep was committed to slitting her throat and having her dead right this second. However, seeing Nick break free his own trap and come to her rescue, she somehow regained the strength to fight back.
She let out an angered cry as she brought her fist up to hit Bellwether right in the chin. Right away she seized her chance and crawled out of her grasp, standing up with a heavy breath. She brought her paw up to her neck where she'd been cut, hoping to prevent any further blood loss. Thank god she didn't let Bellwether cut too deep, otherwise she could've been dead already.
Her attention was caught by the sound of loud snarls and barks, which could only mean one thing. She turned to the predators, who were attacking each other left and right. They pushed and scratched, and even tried pinning each other to the ground or against a tree. It didn't seem like there was a winner yet, but most likely it wasn't going to be the fox.
"No! Nick!" She cried out, fearing for her friend's sake. He might've been tough, but he was no match for a wolf. But what could she possibly do to help? She had to do something other than stand there and let it happen.
Quickly, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and sent her location to Chief Bogo. She didn't give him a reason why, but she knew he would figure it out for himself. Hopefully he would send backup and not focus on the fact that she blatantly went against his orders.
Bellwether soon stood up, picking the dagger up with her. "Oh, you're in for it now, bitch." She laughed bitterly, pointing at Judy with the dagger. She glanced over at the other two fighting, in which she smirked. There was no doubt in her mind that her wolf was going to win, so she wasn't worried about them.
Judy took a small step back, putting her phone away. "Go ahead. Kill me." She said, which surprised the sheep at first. "But you're not gonna get away with this. I already told Bogo all about your plan with the evidence I took from your hideout. It doesn't matter how many times you escape prison or how many predators you turn savage. You will never divide the city again!"
"Hm, perhaps not." Bellwether shrugged, "But it's still fun to try. Besides, I'll be just as satisfied watching my wolf eat the remains of your carcass!"
With that, she darted toward the bunny with her dagger raised in the air. Judy was better prepared this time, and was determined not to let her get another hit. She grabbed the sheep and pushed her down on the grass, hoping to keep her still until backup arrived. Bellwether consistently flailed the dagger around at her face, but she dodged it almost every time. The worst she did was poke her a couple times.
The fight between Nick and the wolf was becoming exhausting. Neither one of them was willing to back down, but it was getting difficult to keep going. Especially for Nick. He didn't have quite enough strength to amount to the wolf. The only thing that kept him going was his built-up anger.
Eventually the wolf was able to catch him off-guard by swinging his paw across his face. The second Nick's head was turned, the wolf seized the chance to bite into his neck. Nick yowled in pain, immediately catching Judy's attention.
"NICK!" She screamed, horrified by the sight. The wolf showed no mercy as he sank his teeth into her friend, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She could barely defeat a sheep right now, let alone a wolf that was five times her size.
But Nick refused to go down like this. With the little strength he had left, he slashed his claws into the wolf's face, startling the predator into releasing him. Nick moved away, coughing a couple times as he tried to catch some of his breath back. He wasn't sure if he was bleeding or not, but that wasn't important to him.
The wolf shook his head and regained his focus on the smaller predator. If he wasn't angry before, he sure was now. He let out a deafening bark as he and the fox lunged at each other at lightning speed.
While Judy was partly relieved that Nick was able to save himself, she didn't know how much longer the fight could go on before he was seriously hurt, or worse. She didn't see how either of them were going to make it out alive at this point. They both had an enemy out to kill them, and it was getting harder to keep fighting.
Bellwether was soon able to push the bunny off of her and scampered away, which was not what Judy was expecting. She had no idea what her plan was now, but she didn't have the energy to chase after her. Plus she had to make sure Nick was okay, so she stayed put.
As exhausted as Nick was, he was keeping up with the wolf just fine. In fact, the wolf was starting to slow down now, since the smaller predator was wearing him out. Both canines circled each other in an attempt to catch their breath while still remaining caught up in their quarrel. Nick was also using it as an excuse to get closer to Judy. Now that Bellwether seemingly disappeared, all he had to do was keep her safe from the wolf.
Judy held her paw up to her mouth as she let out a cough. But along with the air that came from it, so did some drops of blood. She took it as a reminder to try and cover her open cuts the best she could, since the last thing she needed right now was to bleed out.
Nick and the wolf continued to growl and stare at each other coldly, both with prominent scars and scratches impacted by the other. They charged yet again, this time Nick being the one to move first. He threw himself toward the wolf to tackle him to the ground. He scraped the wolf's neck with his teeth as a bonus, just to get some revenge.
The wolf was hardly fazed, though. If anything, Nick's attack was more irritable than intimidating. The larger predator let out a howl and threw its claws onto the fox's back, then proceeded to shove him away on the ground. It was quite a hard push that caused Nick to skid on the grass.
Now that nothing was distracting him, the wolf got back on his feet and re-focused his attention onto the prey in front of him. He had two orders to follow, and they were to kill both the mammals standing in his master's way. He might as well kill the smaller one first, since she wasn't going to put up a fight.
Even though Judy was keeping her eye out for Bellwether, she noticed the wolf coming toward her again. She quickly tried to scoot away, since she knew she wasn't going to succeed in standing up. She didn't know where she could go, or how she could even get away, but any solution was better than just letting herself get eaten.
But then she stopped, as something new entered her view. To her surprise, it was Nick, standing in front of her, shielding her from the wolf. She previously thought he was too hurt or tired to keep fighting. But even after everything he'd been through tonight, he still managed to go on. And it was her he was fighting for. She was the one he was trying so hard to protect. It was why he broke free from the muzzle. Hell, it's why he got himself muzzled in the first place. He knew she would be in trouble if he stayed with her any longer, therefor he acted up on purpose so they would take him away.
You know I'd never let anything happen to you. He once told her, not too long ago. She never doubted him, but she never expected his word to be kept while he was savage.
That must've been what kept him from hurting her that night she found him. Nick recognized her as someone he needed to protect, not kill. She wasn't sure how he knew it was her, but by some miracle he did and ever since he tried everything to keep her safe. The new Night Howler serum might've been stronger, but it was no match for Nick's attachment to Judy.
As though the wolf wasn't endangering their lives already, Bellwether appeared yet again from who knows where. But now she had the gun again, locked and loaded. That was probably why she ran off; to go look for it. She raised it up to aim it directly at the two. "So sad it has to end like this." She taunted, putting on a fake pout, "Now the world will never see its first bunny-fox abomination."
Judy shot her a glare, but it was short-lasting. She knew she had no high ground to stand on now. She and Nick were cornered with nowhere to run. There was a hungry wolf advancing in front of them, and a bullet-wielding sheep ready at the side. No matter what move they made, they were going to end up dead.
Nick tried his best to keep Judy shielded from both of the threats ahead of them. He growled at both of them, but did nothing more to fend them away. There wasn't much he could do anymore. He already did everything he was able to, he just wished it had been enough.
However, Judy did nothing. There was nothing left for her to do. She was worn down and defeated. There was no more strength or adrenaline or fighting spirit left in her. There was no point anyway. Bellwether won, end of story. She just prayed that a miracle would come their way and somehow Nick would make it out alive, even if she couldn't.
"Any last words, cross-breeder?" Bellwether asked with a triumphant smirk.
Just as Judy was about to brace herself for the inevitable, she felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. It wasn't the small hint of light appearing in the sky, and it wasn't a random burst of energy that came out of nowhere.
It was the sirens in the distance.
Hope found it's way back in her mind now that she knew help was on the way. Maybe they actually could make it out of here. Either way, Bellwether was going to get caught, which was a relief itself.
The sirens got louder, which alerted Bellwether into realizing what was happening. She turned around, seeing several cop cars driving up the road behind them, along with an ambulance.
"Have fun in prison again." Judy finally said.
"Shit!" She muttered. She gestured at the wolf, "Don't let them see you! Go!"
Just as she and the wolf were about to make a run for it, the officers got out from their cars just in time to stop them. Bellwether was immediately pinned to the ground with her arms behind her back, while the wolf was restrained by the paramedics.
Thank god. Judy thought to herself as she watched the sheep getting pushed into the back of the car by Chief Bogo. It was just as satisfying to watch the second time, even after everything that went down. She might've been in worse trouble than before, but at least now her mind could be at ease knowing the city wasn't in danger anymore.
She let out a heavy sigh, allowing herself to fully collapse to the ground. All of the energy she used tonight had taken a toll on her body, not to mention the wounds Bellwether had inflicted on her. She stayed conscious as long as she could, but now she was completely drained and she couldn't keep herself awake for another second.
Nick kept his gaze down to avoid directly staring at the flashing lights. He caught a quick glimpse of all of the figures standing by the vehicles. Some of them he recognized from earlier, in a similar situation to this. Only this time, the wolf was the threat, not him. He tried not to make himself noticeable, in fear that he would be put right back in the muzzle.
As he turned to check on Judy, he was shocked to find her passed out behind him. He stepped over to her and lowered his head to sniff around her body, trying to confirm if she was okay or not. She appeared to be breathing still, but not like normal. It was clear as to why; she had an open slit on the side of the throat with blood dripping onto her neck and chest. There was also dry blood stained under her nose and around her mouth.
Nick frowned nervously, nudging her with his snout to get her to wake up. He needed to actually see her eyes open to know she was going to be okay, he just had to. She was breathing, but it wasn't assuring enough. He gently pawed at her shoulder, moving her in any way he could without hurting her. But nothing seemed to be working, she was out cold.
He whimpered sadly as he gazed down at her still, beaten body. He did everything he could to protect her, and she still ended up getting hurt. No matter what he did, he just made things worse for her. He felt as if he failed her, in more ways than one.
Well, he didn't fail her yet. There was still hope, she could still be helped.
Nick looked over at the group of officers and paramedics. He might not have known how to help her, but they could. With a strain in his throat, he let out a loud bark to get their attention.
A few officers turned their heads, specifically toward the fox that made himself present. He barked again, nudging against Judy so they would understand what he was trying to say.
"It's Hopps!" Officer Francine said with widened eyes.
Chief Bogo pointed to the bunny while calling out to the paramedics, "We need to get her to the hospital quick! She's pregnant!"
The paramedics immediately jumped into action. They hurried over to the pair, gently picking up Judy and placing her onto a smaller-sized stretcher. She was taken into the ambulance so they could have easier access to the equipment needed to patch her wounds for now.
Nick anxiously watched them take her. Even though he knew she was safe in their care, he couldn't help feeling uneasy about being separated again. But it was for the best. He couldn't help her any more than she could help him.
Bogo sighed, taking a look at the fox. He seemed more tame than last time. Actually, he didn't seem like a savage at all. He still looked like Nick, just not as evolved as he used to be. And why would he try so desperately to save Judy's life if he was savage?
The two made eye contact for a moment, which surprised Bogo even more. The fox seemed to recognize him, which was probably why he looked guilty and ashamed. So Judy was telling the truth earlier, he wasn't dangerous. He was just Nick, trapped in the affects of the Night Howlers.
One of the medical technicians whistled to Nick, while holding up the muzzle he escaped from to indicate it was time to get back in the truck. As much as he dreaded going back, he knew he had no choice. But at least Judy was safe, even if he couldn't stay with her.
"Hold on." Bogo said, just as Nick was about to walk away. "Let him go with her."
Everyone was confused, including Nick. Was he actually suggesting letting a feral animal go with an injured officer?
"Chief, we can't do that." A paramedic said, "He's a savage fox, he's dangerous."
"No, he's not." Bogo said firmly. "Trust me, let him go with her."
"Chief Bogo, with all due respect—"
He gave them a look, silently warning them that he was in no mood to debate it, and that it wasn't a suggestion. No one wanted to argue with him, so they hesitantly obliged and gestured for Nick to come to them.
Nick looked over at the chief with a grateful smile before he eagerly hopped into the ambulance, sitting at Judy's side. He wagged his tail, laying his head on the side of the stretcher.
"Alright, let's get these two to the hospital." Said the paramedic, closing up the doors behind them.
Bogo watched the ambulance and the cop car holding Bellwether drive away. It had been one hell of a night, full of conflicting thoughts and feelings. But at least the enemy was caught, the other savage animals would be found, and a new antidote would be made soon.
He sighed again, shaking his head. This is going to be a lot of paperwork.
(A/N: mannn fight scenes are hard to write. But I did my best and now that it's over, there's only two chapters left! Be prepared to cry, or smile, or both)