Guest- A significant other for Kygo is not likely, as she is a very suspicious person and would never instill her trust into someone. She would view a relationship as more of a vulnerability than an act of unity.

A very big fan- I do not have an organized upload schedule, as life at times can be very busy and other times much less so. However, I'll try to upload at least once per week, barring any vacations or a schedule jammed with work. Thank you, also!

KevinStoner- Is the story really giving off that vibe? Lol.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their support even through the month-long droughts. It always makes me happy to see positive reviews about my writing and others dubbing my story one of their favorites of all. It brings me lots of joy, so thanks again! :)

I've promised to continue updating more often, and I will stick to that as long as life permits me. As you know, the story has been running for a while now- since late April, which is crazy to think.

Upon writing the first chapter, I didn't know what to expect in terms of reception. However, as it turns out, that hasn't been a problem in the slightest.

I'm glad that everyone is enjoying the story, and with that being said...

I hope you all enjoy Chapter Two of Part II!

Judy POV

Not much time has passed since the morning, not that I've noticed. My sister is set to arrive later today, which is a blessing and a curse; a blessing to see her again and a curse to see our universal pain.

I find it very hard to believe that any of this is real, but eventually, my mind accepts it. I may not comprehend it in full, but the reality is beginning to dawn on me.

My parents are gone. I'll never see them again.

I knew something like this would happen all along. I put myself and my family in the path of inevitable harm with great naïvety, but the question is:

Was it worth it?

My brother died just before we moved in brutal fashion which created quite the depression atmosphere around my family, and now, well...

All I have left is Maddie, my sister.

From what I've heard, she hasn't been told about everything yet, which means when she returns home from camp, it'll be an emotional hurricane.

And will it ever be a violent one.

Kygo POV

I stand by the door to the safe house, chipping away at my claws with my teeth, trying ever so hard to sharpen them a bit. My eyes still are having trouble registering the world without a bit a of blur. Ever since the trap set by Vince, I haven't felt the same.

Although I'm still searching for purpose, I try ridiculously hard to keep myself sane. I commonly find myself attempting to converse with myself, debating who I am and what I should do next.

As I chip away at my "oh so beautiful" nails, I hear a gentle knock on the door.

I, as well as the other guards immediately whirl around to face the doorway, guns drawn. Any bullets from the other side would never make it through the tough frame, so as long as we're behind it, we're safe.

One of the officers beside me looks through the cameras, scanning the outside for any threats.

Eventually all we spot is a lone ferret, standing innocently just outside the door.

His eyes shine indifferently to go along with his semi-formal jacket, his teeth slightly jagged as they protrude from his lips. "

"Identity?" one of the officers asks through a microphone, and the ferret jumps at the sudden booming voice.

"Family" he says, "I'm visiting Kygo Willis. I'm her distant cousin".

I stare in confusion at the ferret before my eyes, the guards turning to me for approval.

"I don't know any of my family" I admit, "do you see any weapons on him?"

They shake their heads yes, but do not shake me of suspicion.

"Why would I be related to a random ferret?" I ask them, scratching my chin, "it just doesn't add up".

"Nothing really does these days" the rhino officer replies, and I find myself enjoying his satrical humor; as if he took after me.

"Right you are" I begin, gesturing towards him to get his name.

"Officer Riley" he tells me, and I nod with apathy.

"I assume you know who I am" I mutter, "but anyways. I assume we can handle some lame ferret. Let him in".

Officer Riley presses a button and enters a short passcode to allow the doors to open, the ferret entering meekly.

I stare him down suspiciously, wondering just who this ferret is. He claims to be related to me, but what do I know? I have no family left. If I do have any cousins, I've never met them. Perhaps he actually is who he says he is.

Nevertheless, I must retain my suspicious and cynical attitude.

"Who are you?" I ask bluntly, looking him over.

"Ro-Romari Willis" he stutters, looking somewhat anxious as he forces out an answer.

"Romari, huh?" I question him, approaching him slowly and cautiously, "and you're my cousin?"

"Distant cousin... yes, I am" he answers, "nice place ya got here, might I add".

I look around the small safe house, noting that it's nothing to marvel at. This ferret is certainly a suspicious character.

"Right" I answer skeptically, "So, Romari. Tell me: how old are you?"

He fidgets, matching his quirky demeanor and twitchy personality.

"Twenty six" he answers seemingly honestly.

"Okay" I answer, "so why exactly are you here? How'd you know I was here?"

He retains a calm expression, although a thoughtful one.

"Oh, I um... I knew you were in the area, and I eventually caught your scent! Yeah! We ferrets have a good sense of smell!"

"And how did you know it was my scent?" I ask him, arms crossed.

"Well, I've known you since you were a baby!" he insists, "how could I not?"

"Okay Romari" I begin seriously, "what do you want with me?"

"Just to talk" he answers, scanning the surroundings anxiously, "just for a minute. Won't be here too long, I don't think"

"You don't think?" I ask in a fashion similar to an interrogation, "do you-"

"Hey, Willis!" Riley tells me, "don't be so rude to family!"

I sigh, allowing him to fully enter, knowing the ferret carries no weapons and poses no threat; that is unless he has a rare disease that he wishes to inflict on us...

No, Kygo! Think realistically.

As we enter the den, I watch him precariously as his eyes spot Nick, his expression instantly changing.

"Is that really the Nick Wilde?" he nearly screams, holding out his paw for Nick to shake, "what a pleasure it is!"

Nick squints his eyes, Violet and Judy at his side. He seems infinitely unsure about what is going on, but he shakes the ferret's paw regardless.

"Good to meet you too?" he states, sounding more like a question than anything, "I'm Romari. See, I'm related to Kygo, so I tho-"

"He thinks he is related to me. He could be a little loose in the head for all we know" I interrupt, causing Romari to look a bit unraveled.

"Oh, believe me, I'm her cousin!" he repeats persistently, "and it's an honor to meet you!"

Nick nods.

"You know me from... the news?" Nick asks him, and I stare the ferret down, ready for any move he may make.

"Of course! You're quite hard to miss, if you ask me!" he chirps, "but anyways, important matters to attend to!"

He definitely seems to be faking the accent.

"Sure enough" I retort.

"Well, I'm going to talk with ol' Kygo for a moment! Be back in a jiff!"

I mentally drag the buffoon over to a table, knowing I have good reason to be suspicious. And it's only a matter of time until I crack the case.

Nick POV

After the thick and thin, there's one question that never wants to leave my mind:

What's next?

I'm not really safe anywhere, especially under the roof of a middle school. My mother has been reluctant to mention anything regarding school or education, which concerns me.

What does my future hold? Will we ever leave the safe house? Will we live, or die? Nothing seems certain at this point, which really bothers me...

Sometimes I sit back and think about who I would have become in life without meeting Judy Hopps. I like to think that I'd still be alive, but that's not exactly realistic. But in any case if I did survive, who would I be? Who would I grow up to be with life troubling me in the worst of ways? Would I be successful, or living on the streets? Would I be a respectable citizen or a hustler on the streets?

There's really no telling at this point, although I lie in bed at night envisioning each scenario with wonder. In fact, most of my time is spent deep in wonder, and, well... thinking about Judy, but that's a different matter.

Fear is ridiculously powerful, as I've come to find, and seeing Judy suffering so much pain is even more of a powerful thing.

"That was weird" Judy speaks to me regarding the strange ferret, staring at him as he walks away.

"Yeah" I say with a chuckle, "Kygo's mysterious ferret cousin".

She sniffles at the funny-sounding remark, leaning back on the sofa again.

"Right" she says while laughing.

"Melvin will be here early" Violet informs us, "I'll go wait for him".

"Okay" we answer as she makes her way towards the door, and only then do I realize yet again just how beautiful Judy is.

I find myself staring at her, a common predicament for myself, which she notices quite fast.

"Nick?" she asks me, and I can't help but smile idiotically.

"Sorry" start, "I was just thinking about... I don't know... how far we've come since that day on the bus. It's just crazy" I admit.

She grins, marveling at the thought of how far we've come as well.

"Yeah" she says sweetly, "since that day at the game store. Remember?"

"Of course I do" I answer her as if it were an obvious question, "that was one of the best days of my life".

"That was the day where I first-" she pauses, "first felt kind of... odd about you".

I look into her eyes with worry.

"Odd as in weird? Like bad weird? Like I'm-"

"No, Nick" she replies, "the best kind of weird".

"I'm weird?" I ask her, not knowing exactly what she means by the usually degrading word.

"Of course you are" she tells me, ruffling the fur on top of my head, "but I wouldn't love you if you weren't".

I grin warmly at her, biting into a cookie from the bag in front of me, tasting as sweet and chocolatey as her words.

"Well then" I declare in a fake fancy accent, "may I be forever weird".

Violet POV

I welcome my best friend inside with a smile; something I'm still not used to wearing on my face, and he drops his backpack full of stuff to do and miscellaneous homework on the floor near the den-area.

"How's the house been while I was gone?" he asks, and I mentally envy his privilege of having loving parents; something I've wished for all my life.

However, once again, now that I think about it, my friends are more of a family than I've ever had. They certainly make me feel at home.

"Boring" I mutter, "I mean, just as depressing as usual. But still pretty boring".

"How's your paw doing?" he asks, regarding my still broken front paw. I broke it in attempt to escape from Vince's lair, which eventually we did succeed in doing.

"Oh" I begin, staring at my tightly wrapped hand, "it's still... plenty broken. But it's healing. Well, unless I have a terminal bone condition that doesn't allow bones to mend".

"Don't be silly" he teases me, "the chances of that are miniscule".

"I'm not silly" I assure him, "I'm the opposite of silly".

He prods me on the arm with his trademark teasing smile.

"Sure you are".

I find myself giggling as I look into his light blue eyes for a moment, but then shake the look off of my face quickly, not knowing what has come over me lately.

"So" I say, gesturing to the mysterious ferret known as: "Romari".

"Have you noticed the ferret?"

Melvin squints his eyes through his glasses as he stares the ferret's way, obviously bewildered by the ferret's unforeseen presence.

"I have now" he responds, "why's he here?"

"He says he'll be here for just a minute. Kygo's cousin apparently".

Melvin scratches his head, shifting his attention to Nick and Judy sweet-talking on the couch again.

"I see the lovebirds are in full swing" he states, "as usual".

I look at Nick and Judy and then at Melvin, not knowing how to reply.

"Yeah, what's new" I mumble, "but anyways. I was wondering if you wanted to maybe go hang out somewhere. I mean, we're not wanted dead by anyone... at least not that I know of".

He shrugs.

"I guess we're not, but... what if there's someone out there, sleeking in the shadows of the city, waiting to kill us or something? You just never know these days".

I snicker at his worrying.

"Oh, come on. Have you forgotten who's on your side?"

He takes a look at me, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Violet, the most ruthless of all assassins and the queen of combat".

"Right you are, Melvin" I respond.

"Let me just ask my parents" he adds, unlocking his cell phone as he speaks, "I don't think they'd mind, but then again, they are really paranoid at the most unfitting of times".

As I watch him text his parents, I just know that something has changed recently about him.

Haircut? No. Braces? They've always been there. Eye color? I've definitely studied that enough to know it hasn't changed. His voice hasn't really changed from his cute little squeak of a- cute? You mean totally... totally... unattractive!

"Are you taller or something?" I ask him aloud, and he looks up at me from his phone, confused.

"I... don't know" he answers slowly, "why?"

"Then why do you seem like a different person all of a sudden? When I met you, I just saw you differently..." I trail off.

He shrugs again as he sends the text.

"Maybe because we're closer now?" he guesses, "I mean, I look at you differently too. You're my best friend now".

I feel a burning anger towards myself, as I seem to be losing my mind all of a sudden. He's just Melvin! Why do I have to be so difficult!

"I-" I begin, aggravated, "I... don't know" I finish flatly.

"Maybe it's the jacket?" he suggests jokingly, and I roll my eyes.

"Oh, shut up. You've definitely done something!" I say exasperatedly.

He purses his lip, looking at me with a perplexed face.

"Or perhaps it's just you?"

I squint my eyes, staring at the floor in frustration.

"You're right" I tell him, "it's just my mind messing with me. There's nothing wrong here..."

He nods slowly, still a bit dazed by my unusual behavior.

"You sure you're okay, Violet?" he asks.

"Yeah, yeah" I reply quickly, "have your parents answered?"

"I just sent the text like fifteen seconds ago" he informs me, "but I'm sure they'll say yes. What exactly do you have in mind?"

I embrace the change in topic, using it to brush the awkwardness clean out of the air.

"Oh, right" I start, not even recalling what it is I have in mind, "maybe we could..."

"We could go down to the mall and see the new phone that just released! Now that sounds awesome!"

I stare ahead at him, considering his suggestion.

"That does sound like fun" I say, knowing the true reason it sounds so good is simply the fact that Melvin will be there with me...

Not that I'd ever say that.

He grins meekly and giggles for some reason, confusing me and causing me to worry an irrational amount.

"What'd I do?" I ask worriedly, "is there something in my teeth?"

He tucks his phone inside his pocket, laughing again lightly.

"No, you're just really happy" he speaks.

"So?" I ask him defensively, "isn't that good? That's not funny, it's just..."

"Relax, Violet" he interrupts, placing his paw on my shoulder, "of course it's good. I'm just not really used to seeing you so happy" he speaks, "but... why are you so happy today? With all that's happened, I wouldn't expect it".

I shrug quickly, shifting my line of sight to a lone cup on the counter in the kitchen, trying to avoid the truth.

"Not sure" I start a bit quietly, "must be the weather or something".

"Cloudy and sixty five degrees" he states, "nothing special, right?"

"Umm" I say, quickly gesturing to his phone nervously, "so did they say yes?"

He gives me a quizzical look before answering my question.

"Yeah, they did" he answers, "as long as we stick together".

I wish that I'd stop acting so weird inside and out, but it's becoming difficult at this point. I theorize that perhaps I'm sick or something, or maybe, as I've said before, I'm losing my mind.

The attempt to change from stoic and distant to personable and warm hasn't been easy on me, and maybe my emotions are experiencing an inner hurricane as a result. What if this is just backlash from altering myself too much as a person?

I certainly hope I'm just sick or something. I'm beyond sick and tired of everything being so complicated, especially as of late. After befriending Nick, Judy and Melvin, life has not been the same.

"Not been the same" in this case meaning eventful yet better. My life before all of this was miserable; absolutely atrocious.

I lived with a family of wolves who treated me as lesser, and although I've escaped them for now, I have one major concern:

They're definitely looking for me.

Being constantly locked out of the house and neglected was quite an eye opening experience for me, although it did give me some false impressions.

After such experiences, I accepted that I'd never be happy. I told myself that family will never matter to me, and neither would anyone else. However, I've come to see things differently now.

One more look at Melvin as we prepare to leave confirms that I couldn't have been more wrong.

Flashback- 4 Years Ago- 5:01 PM

Violet was born a girl of innocence that at this point she cannot recall. The years had passed for her as a fuzz of dullness and neglect, feeling more alone than possibly any soul in the universe. However, she had come to embrace her independence, and even at the mere age of nine and a half, she had adapted a "me against the world" mentality to carry at her side.

Many viewed her as cold and even evil, as her quiet demeanor provoked prejudice, as well as her obvious appearance.

As a fox, she had to deal with the blatant disadvantages of being herself: constantly being judged before even a word was released from her mouth, banned from many stores and schools, among other things.

She sat at her kitchen table alone in her small, cramped apartment, listening to the chatter coming from the living room. Her "family" would have such "family nights" every Wednesday evening, and as usual, she was not invited.

She had three siblings at this point, all of which wanted nothing to do with her. Her brother was especially abusive, verbally harassing young Violet every time they were to cross paths.

She dug her fork into her cold meal, her empty eyes looking as glum as always.

"I almost wish being at school" she'd think to herself, "at least there's idiots for me to laugh at".

At school, Violet would sit back and laugh at everyone around her, knowing that no one would dare to mess with her or retaliate. She had a scrappy look to her, her eyes always full of anger. Her claws were sharpened to the point of being razor sharp, her eyes soaked with dark eyeliner.

The eyeliner, at least to her, represented isolation. Her eyes, at least to her as she looked in the mirror, appeared separate from the rest of her sullen face in the state of wearing the make-up.

"What are you doing?" her mother asked with a hint of hostility, walking in the kitchen to retrieve a coffee mug.

"Eating dinner" she retorted, matching her tone, "what does it look like?"

Her mother scoffed.

"A bit early for that, don't you think? Or do you even think at all?" she asked with a snicker, grabbing her cup.

"Leave me alone" Violet demanded, "go enjoy time with your family!"

Her mother, however, did not take so kindly to Violet pointing out obvious disfunction.

"You brat!" she spat, pouring some of her drink on to Violet's head as she passes, "and you wonder why you're so despised!"

Violet in these times was simply a small child and couldn't bear to hear such things, but she managed with all her might to hold back any tears.

She simply stood up from the table and left her food sitting, beginning the walk to her closet of a room.

"You better throw that away unless you want a beating!" her mother threatened, but Violet simply discarded her words.

She was sick of even registering the words spoken by her family, and she wishes someone else would enter her life who actually cared.

However, she hid her true wishes behind her facade, hiding her emotions, fearing that her family could use even things like emotions against her.

She slammed her door and locked it, the tears falling freely now as she opens the curtains of her bedroom window, staring at the sunset with longing.

How she wished to be happy. It was a lifelong dream that she had chased, and she knew that the only way to avoid being picked apart by everyone else was to fit the stereotypes of being a fox:

Being mysterious, cunning, threatening, suspicious...

It was all but required of her in order to survive in the harsh world she was forced to live in, like an apple to gravity.

As she cried, she heard a flurry of footsteps headed in the direction of her door, and she began panicking. Her paws shook in fear as the furious voices of her parents became audible.

"You bitch!" her father spat as he unlocked the door, clearly over the edge of madness.

Violet stood her ground in the center of her room, a few feet in front of her door. Although she felt quite terrified, she decided that being a fox, she had to deal with the consequences. She disrespected her abusive mother, and therefore, she had to accept the repercussions in a stoic and tough manner.

The door flew open and her parents entered, her siblings watching anxiously from behind them.

Upon reaching her, her parents instantly laid hands on her, slapping her across the face brutally.

"You dare disrespect your mother like that!" her father hissed.

"She's not my mother!" Violet cried with desperation, fighting to escape her guardians, "she'll never be!"

Her father knocked her to the floor, shoving her face against the hardwood.

"Stay on the floor where you belong!" he yelled, Violet's fiendish siblings giggling in the background from the doorway.

"You're pathetic!" her mother added in disgust, kicking her in the side.

Violet had learned from experiences like this that she was simply born into misery, and although she had never met him, her biological sibling and future friend Nicholas Wilde was enduring similar experiences at this point in time, although this was impossible to know.

Nick was another fox at her school, but they had never really spoken. She had dismissed him as another part of "everyone else", and therefore viewed him as a threat.

After all was said and done, her parents left her sobbing on the floor of her room, her siblings adding a few more cruel remarks before slamming her door and leaving her alone at last.

She was bruised and torn on the inside, tired of this endless cycle.

She held her breath in order to lessen the tears and opened her window softly, careful not to make too much noise, and then crept out on to the fire escape, closing it behind her. She sat down on one of the stairs, burying her face in her knees, her eyeliner running down her fur, staining it a deep shade of black.

It was becoming too much for her to bear, and it wasn't the first day she debated running away from home.

However, she knew of one obvious problem: she knew no one. No one would ever accept her into their home, as she was a fox. She wasn't trustworthy.

She stared at the sunset, trying her best to put a bullet into her emotions and stop the "petty crying", as she called it.

A moment passed as she bit her lip, watching the sun sink below the horizon.

And then she burst into tears again.

Kygo POV

As my conversation continues with Romari, I begin to see that perhaps he is not as suspicious as I originally thought. His words seem to be sincere even through his shaky accent, and everything he says lines up with what I know.

"So that was the day I decided your mother was not one for me to mess around with" he says with a chuckle, telling me of the time he attempted to insult her in a teasing manner during a "family reunion, resulting in him being stuffed inside of a Christmas tree box.

Although he was probably a child at that time, I could still imagine my now deceased mother performing such an action. I assume that I wasn't born at the time, so that explains why I don't remember any of it.

"Glad you learned that as a kid" I speak, "if you were an adult, she probably would've shot you".

He laughs at the remark, apparently finding my seriousness amusing.

"Oh, you're being serious?" he asks, his laughter now absent as he adjusts himself in his chair.

I nod my head, taking a sip of my drink.

"So, Kygo" he begins, "tell me: are the children your friends?"

I've never been referred to as something other than a kid, so it's a welcome change for me to be grouped apart from them. I'm seventeen years old, but I do look quite young for my age, which irks me quite a bit.

"Yeah" I answer, "I guess I'd consider them my friends. Not like I have anyone else".

He nods, rubbing his hands together in what looks like anticipation, which I cannot explain.

"You just look isolated from them, so I was wondering".

I stop in my tracks.

"You think so?" I ask him.

"Well I don't mean to be rude" he tells me, "I just can't imagine a near-adult like you fitting in with a group of children".

Finally! Someone recognizes that I'm almost a legal adult!

"I do get pretty sick of people lumping me into the "child" category" I admit, "so thanks for... not doing that".

"Oh, I relate to you, dear Kygo!" he responds, "as a teen, I was quite small in stature for my age. And oh, did I ever despise being called a child!"

"Really?" I ask, noting the similarities between him and I, "that's... cool".

He leans forward a bit with a formal smile; almost too formal to be legitimate.

"Kygo" he begins, "I see you're a well put together lioness, but I have to ask: do you ever feel out of place?"

My eyes widen involuntarily as he stumbles upon by greatest fear; my deepest insecurity.

"I-" I begin, shocked that he knew to ask such a question, "I-I guess I do sometimes, honestly. I just don't know-"

"Your purpose?" he finishes, and I stare, dumbfounded.

This ferret must be a counselor or psychologist or something... this is almost creepy. In fact, it is creepy. Stuff like this isn't normal...

"Yeah..." I say slowly and suspiciously, "how do you know that?"

He puts his small paw on top of mind in an empathetic manner.

"Because, Kygo" he begins, "I understand you. I guess what they say about family is correct" he adds.

I squint my eyes in uncertainty.

"What do they say?" I question him.

"They say that members of families can really understand each other, and that empathy is all but universal between them. They say that to be family, virtues are even unconsciously shared between members".

I sigh.

"That depends on the family. If that was true, Nick would be a psychopath".

This time, it's him who appears to be caught a bit off guard. He holds his breath for a moment with a nervous laugh before continuing.

"Um, how so?" he asks me.

"Nick's father is the devil himself" I say half-wittedly, thinking back to the carnage at the Hopps' home.

"Oh!" he says, "how impeccably fitting for you to bring up that felon!" he adds.

"Why is it fitting?" I ask, reaching for my gun, "do you know him?!"

"Heavens, no!" he states quickly, lifting his hands in the air to stop me.

"Then how?" I ask more calmly this time as I sit back down into my seat, placing my hands back on the table.

He takes a deep breath, fluttering his eyelashes as he recovers from nearly being shot.

"He's the most wanted man in all of the city!" he says, "how could I not know him?"

"But why was it fitting that I mentioned him?" I interrogate him angrily.

He anxiously laughs again, darting his eyes from left to right.

"Just because he... intrigues me. See, I've always been intrigued with the criminal mind. Why does he do what he does? Why did he kill a child? Why is he so obsessed with killing his family? How does he manage to hide so well even among Zootopia's best detectives?" he expresses, "it just interests me".

"So you are a psychologist?" I ask him.

"Of sorts" he answers smoothly, "it's a dream of mine".

I nod as I take in his answer.

"So, Romari" I begin confidently, "as a psychology lesson, I'm just going to tell you a word, and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Is that okay?"

He shifts in his chair, straightening his posture.

"Of course" he answers, "everyone loves games".

I lean forward in my chair, signaling to get Officer Riley's attention before I begin speaking as he stares at me, confused from the door way.

"Okay word one" I begin, and Romari signals for me to continue...

I place my hand on my nearest weapon, ready for anything, and then I speak.

"Vince Wilde".

So, apparently Kygo is on to Romari, huh? Or maybe she's just testing him? Who knows?

Once again, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! There's still a long way to go. How will Judy cope with her parents gone in the long run? That's a question that has yet to be answered...

I'll try to update soon (in the next week), so be ready!

Thanks for reading, and please leave any thoughts, concerns or theories in the reviews!

Until next time!