Hey all, DLW here with a new chapter. I'd like to thank all the readers, follows, fav's and reviews and for your feedback, you guys are amazing. One more part to this chapter and then onto the 5th. More at the bottom. Disclaimer: Zootopia and its characters are copyright Disney. (I own none of the characters in the story aside from the O/C's.).

The Dystopian Society

Chapter Four: Bite Sized

'Order Up'

"When I sat next to you, you whispered and I asked 'What were you trying to say?'"

[February 4, 'Cuerñorayas Restaurant' 8:37 PM]

Things had settled down significantly in the diner. Many of the police units had cleared away and patrons had begun to fill the empty space, even a few bats had managed to swoop in and hang from set light fixtures if they could find a table. Various predators and prey flocked in from time to time, quickly busying the wait staff to fulfill their jobs. The sound of tv's and music filled the air, and the smell of food on the stove welcomed everyone there.

Nick had given the handcuffs back before he started working, only to get a vicious stare back from the rabbit. Though she and a few officers remained, there was no longer any indication of a hostile situation. They were there now to eat, enjoy and return to their shifts.

She had apologized for the inconvenience and introduced herself to Gazelle properly. She was grateful when she showed no ill will against them and kept her offer.

"Thank you, Nicholas." Gazelle sighed.

He had been patching up her wound, cleaning, and stitching quickly while the initial anesthetic took hold. She was nothing but grateful for the help, even through the numbing pinpricks of pain.

"I told you, call me Nick," He answered, averse to such formalities among friends. "Now keep still."

While he didn't like seeing blood and having to work around it, he couldn't just leave his friend to bleed out more. It was his responsibility as a vet, but his mind began to wander, routine mundaneness setting in.

"So, how are things going with you? Still trying to get that spot in the New Years Animalia Jubilee?"

His question, though only small talk, brought a bright smile upon Gazelle's face. Still feeling the dull numbness in her forehead, and the possum cooing to her side, she chuckled but didn't move her head.

"I've tried just about everything I could to get a sponsor last year, but I'm not giving up on it when the stakes are higher this year though." She said with an air of confidence.

With a smile of his own, he continued to work. "Ever figure out that song?"

He could hear a hiking in her breath as he crossed another set of stitches. Had he not ordered her to keep still, he knew her excitement could have cost her.

"My brothers and I have the music and some basic dance steps down, but I still haven't come up with any of the words."

With nothing more than a nod and sound of approval, Nick continued his work as Judy looked at the menu. She wouldn't admit to how hungry she was, but was equally as nervous with a restaurant that had predators as waiters. Thankfully, for her, Gazelle's presence and that of her fellow officers had eased her mind to the atmosphere provided.

While still deciding, one of the tigers, Mateo, came up to their table. He set down a small bag of ice and carried with him a pen and paper. Unlike before, he now wore an apron with the restaurant's logo, a long curved horn with black and orange stripes running across it.

He flashed a toothy smile at Judy who found herself inching away with the menu facing him. He picked up on her behavior and did his best to hide his fangs. "What would you like?"

"Uh..." She sat there reviewing her options for the umpteenth time, not knowing what she wanted or if anything was her size or to her tastes. Her nose scrunched at some of the options as they were fish or bugs to some degree.

She heard a gleeful laugh from across her, she turned her gaze to meet Gazelle's far more caring visage.

"May I suggest our carrot spice coffee and pancakes?" She pointed to the menu, already anticipating Judy's protest and question. "All veggie I assure you, on the house."

With the free promise of meatless sugar and bread from a fellow prey mammal, Judy couldn't argue with the suggestion. Famished, she nodded towards the tiger who jotted down her order.

"And the usual for you Nick?" He continued, flipping a page and writing down what he already knew what would be said.

"Yep." Nick answered, never looking back as he put the last few stitches in Gazelle's wound.

Judy half scoffed, shaking her head at the meat eaters choice of 'usual'. Though she wondered what it was, her mind replayed everything she knew of a fox's dietary habits.

The tiger turned again, facing Gazelle with a smile. "And for you Zel?"

She took a moment to think, "Just Coffee, I'll get something else later."

Taking her order down, he crouched to the giggling possum and chuckled. "And for you little one?"

She gave no real response, laughing and hugging Gazelle even more as she smiled widely back at him.

"Strawberry-cinnamon roll it is." He said, standing back up and walking to the next table.

As he left, Nick took a pair of scissors and finished crossing the last stitch. Proud of his work, he gently pressed a piece of sterile gauze onto the wound to finish cleaning it.

"Aaaand... done. Just tell Clawhouser to remove them in a few days." He said, offering Gazelle the bag of ice to which she happily complied.

No sooner did he finish his work and sterilize his paws and take a seat in the corner near Judy, did officer DelCorre stroll by, pen and paper in his hoof. He eyed over the table, nodding towards his superior and focusing to Gazelle.

"Can you tell us what happened?" He began, scribbling down his notes for the report. As he did so, a loud voice tore away his attention and that of many of the restaurant patrons for a moment.

"I AIN'T MAKIN PANCAKES FOR THE BUNNY!"

The voice was loud enough for everyone to hear it, though few recognized it as the small fox that worked there. His voice was closely followed by what sounded like distant thunder.

The moment passing in silence and the restaurant regaining its sense of calm, Gazelle focused on the officer to recall her story. "Some strange guys jumped me when I was on my way back."

Nodding, the llama diligently wrote the account. "Any idea what they looked like?"

She lifted the ice from her forehead for a moment think clearly. "They... uh... I don't know actually. I was walking through the alley as a shortcut from errand running when these... two mammals, about as tall as me or so came out of nowhere."

She placed the ice back, feeling a headache grow as she recounted the experience. "My collar shocked me and I don't know how. I think I managed to hit one of them, but they got me back."

As she gave the account and DelCorre wrote his in, the tiger returned to their table with their orders, interrupting their investigation with a tray set with tantalizing food.

"Thankfully, we were across the street," He said, setting their orders in front of them and focusing his attention to the llama. "Saw em' turn tail and run."

As he set the plates, Judy went wide eyed at the delicious meal prepared for her. Though cautious at first, she took a fork and sliced off a bit of the pancake to eat it. The moment she did so, her hunger and the flavor of the food demanded that she continue. In less than a second, she was practically stuffing the first pancake in her cheeks.

It did take her some time to see the others stare at her awkwardly, even Gazelle set her coffee down and Cinnamon stopped chewing to watch her. As she slowed her pace, she questionably looked over at the smiling red fox who was cheerfully chomping down on what looked to be blueberry filled pastries. She raised a brow at his odd choice of food and quietly sipped her coffee.

"Did you catch who they were?" DelCorre asked, nodding thanks toward the tiger who set his food on the other table.

"Not too sure," The tiger answered, scratching the back of his head. "Looked like wolves or something."

"Wolves!" Nick blurted out, starting to choke on his turnover the moment he did so.

Worried eyes of the table falling on him, he pat his chest and cleared his throat as to not cause the others too much distress. Though he recovered quickly and tried his best to put off their cares with a smile, he chewed slower, listening to the account more intently.

"I think so, but... the whole thing was kind of odd." The tiger continued.

The llama paused, eyeing him curiously before jotting something else down. "How so?"

"Well... they didn't have the usual look for a pair of wolves, trench coat and all. Even if they did, wolves aren't usually in this part of town at this time, not with the full moon out."

Nodding in agreement, the officer scribbled the details down. As he thought of what to say next, Gazelle's voice pierced the silence before him.

"Wouldn't be the first time something like that happened here in the district either."

Judy, still nibbling on her pancakes, caught notice of the statement immediately. With mammals missing constantly up above, this may be another lead. "Does that kind of thing happen a lot here?"

Her voice small but curious, Gazelle looked her way. "Yeah, there's a raccoon that's usually here by now. He's always up and roaming the streets, and witnessing stuff to talk about later." She motioned her hoof as if to mock the mammal in question while smiling broadly.

"A raccoon?" Judy repeated.

The tiger, Mateo, nodded. "Yeah, he tips nicely too."

His smile and chuckle were both dumbed down by a low sounding huff.

"Mat..."

The tiger's ears fell to his head. He wore a toothy grin and shrugged as Gazelle stared daggers at him. "What, he does!" Was all he could protest.

Judy nearly chuckled at the spectacle. How the prey mammal kept her natural enemy on his toes. She stifled her laughter as she pressed further into the potential informant. "Any idea where he is?"

As she spoke, she watched the tiger turn his attention to the doorway where several more patrons had entered. She caught the faint glimpse of his smile forming as he pointed.

"Speak of the mammal, there he is."

His gruff voice and features pointed across the room to a scraggly looking raccoon. He limped slightly as he made his way towards the edge of a small booth, darting his eyes in every direction and focusing intently on the window when he sat.

The tiger waved at Judy. "Let me take his order, just follow behind me after if you'd like."

She nodded, cautious still, but followed him after he made his way to the table. As she went, she could see more of the mammals that attended the restaurant. To her surprise, there were a few prey mammals that wore bands around their necks that sported a bright blue light. Identifying them as tame collars, Judy shook off her previous notions and continued forward to the tiger.

She watched as he took the order, thanking the raccoon for his visit as he left. It was then that she approached and got a better look at him.

Being a raccoon, he was about as tall as Nick. He wore a dark green vest that sported too many pockets to count and a pair of jet black slacks. He had the traditional bandit mask that many of their species had been known for. Dark and light brown were the shades of his fur, all the way down to his ringed tail that twitched in the chair.

He looked as though he had seen better days as he propped his right left leg up on the chair and rubbed it as if it were pained. He wore several bandages, some around his arm and a small wrapping around his tail. When he wasn't eyeing the window of the restaurant, he sat texting something on his phone.

She neared with caution. "Sir?"

Immediately, he looked up, startled by the voice of the rabbit with a terrified gasp. Judy could hear the repercussions of his sudden scare as a soft beep followed in its wake. She took a moment for him to calm down, waving her paws and assuring him that she wasn't there to arrest him.

She pulled her badge out once his collar indicator was set to green. "Hi, I'm lieutenant Ju-."

"What do you want rabbit?" The raccoon cut her off with a sneer.

From the tone of his voice, Judy could clearly tell that he wouldn't be easily cooperative for long. She composed herself, breathed deeply, and placed her badge back.

"Do you have a moment for a few questions?"

His reply was somewhere between a muted grunt and a muffled sigh. He paid her little head as he continued his routine of rubbing his leg, looking out the window, and texting.

Having heard no form of protest or 'no', she pried a little deeper. "I was told you observe the streets of the district, is that correct?"

His response was about the same as before, only with a huff and a nod as a difference.

She clapped her paws together as this could help her investigation. "Have you seen anything unusual as of late? Say any strange mammals or odd activities?"

He was silent for a moment, his yellow eyes staring deeply into her own. He shook his head and stared back out the window. Judy herself felt as though she was getting nowhere, she was about to thank him and leave when he sighed.

"Well, there's you, of course." He said as if it were fact, taking the time to tilt his head to the table she sat at moments ago. "Walking around with that fox."

His observation came as a bit of a surprise to Judy as she hadn't been there for too long with Nick. Though the aspect of the raccoon watching them seemed odd, Gazelle did say that he was always watching the streets.

"Some folks missing here and there. Been happening for years and nobody knows why," His voice trailed off as easy going or uncaring before he turned to face Judy again. "Standard city stuff, but you better watch your back."

Being one of caution, Judy took a step back. The way he looked at her was far more menacing than she had imagined. She knew full well the status of the city and its missing cases, but the raccoon's word of caution somehow seemed to be more dire than that of even her co-workers.

She shook off the feeling as he leaned back in the chair.

"Thank you sir," She nodded, pulling out her phone and making a quick note. "And what's your name."

Again he seemed startled by the mention, but all of his focus was toward the window. He quickly picked up his phone and typed, breathing heavily as he did so. In a matter of seconds, he calmed down enough to quickly glance at a bewildered Judy.

"Just... call me Vancouver." He muttered, a blank expression on his face.

She nodded and walked away, silently questioning his strange behavior. Though even before she made it back to her seat, she watched as the cheetah and small fox dashed up to their friend.

"Gazelle, are you okay now?" Was the first thing he asked, much to the surprise of the red fox sitting cross-armed next to him.

Gazelle blinked a few times, slowly removing the bag of melting ice away from her forehead. She met him with a kind smile and pulled back her hair to show him the stitches.

"Don't worry Clawhouser, I'm fine, see." She assured him, even tapping at the stitch line to show she felt as little pain as possible; though he still retained his worried look. "I just need these removed in a few days."

He breathed sigh of relief, but could still be seen as jittery about her being injured in the first place. Before he could delve further into conversation, Finnick jumped on the table and paced his way over to Nick. He caught the red fox mid-bite into his pastry.

"I WANT MY VAN BACK NICK!" He shouted, forcibly setting his collar off to shock him.

As he fell to the table, writhing from the immediate pain, Nick sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew there wasn't anything he could do about it at the moment.

He waited until Finnick had at least regained something of his composure and some semblance of stability before he questioned him. "Hey buddy, I know I owe you a favor, but... do you still have that old guest book from the park?"

The little fox sat up, panting and eyeing the smiling fox as if he were the enemy. He bared his teeth and turned away, fed up with his friend's antics and the loss of his vehicle. Though he turned to face a scolding Gazelle, he huffed at the sight of the small possum staring at him cheerfully; she even offered him the last piece of her cinnamon roll to which he shook his head.

Understanding how upset he was, Nick sighed and reached his paw out to him. He was stopped by Clawhouser before he got the chance.

"Finnick, kind of..." He began, nervously drawing out the words to explain the dilemma. "Shredded... most of it..."

Both Nick's and Judy's ears and jaws dropped when they heard this. Nick couldn't believe that he came all that way to hear the news, and Judy couldn't believe that the best lead she had was shredded by a small fox.

Though through this, Clawhouser waved his paws in a 'no' motion. "I-i did keep the last recorded days though."

Suddenly, the two found life in their ears again. Judy more so out of relief of a lead and Nick for putting him one step towards freedom.

"Do you have it with you?" Nick asked hastily.

Smiling, Clawhouser pointed to the kitchen. "Yeah, it's upstairs. I'll get it for you."

He started to turn back to get the document when his eyes went wide. The table watched him freeze when he looked Nick dead in the eye. With a gasp that didn't suit his size, he pointed directly at the fox.

"W-what's that on your neck?" He asked somberly.

Nick fidgeted uncomfortably, knowing full well what he was asking. "Oh, this little thing?"

He reached up to his collar, revealing the added band that was affixed to it. He forced a smile while the others , aside from the curious possum, equally wore horror in their eyes.

Around the table, beeps of their collars went off from the realization of what he was wearing. Judy watched as the most distraught looking one was none other than the small fox that stood in front of him.

"You're wearing a funeral tie?" His voice, though still deep, was far less aggressive and threatening than before. Had you not heard him before, you'd think he was a different mammal.

Expressions of gloom and worry filled their faces, but Nick continued to crack a smile while he still had the strength to.

"Relax guys," He waved his paws and readjusted his collar to be less noticeable. "I'll be fine, really."

Assurance given, he couldn't stop the heartbreaking stares they were giving him.

Wide-eyed and clutching his paw, the fennec fox shook. "Those things kill, Nick."

Nick sighed. "Yeah, Finnick...I know."

Now angrier, the small fox stood in front of him. "Why are you-"

"It's part of my parole," Nick answered flatly, nodding his head to Judy who eyed him back. "They released me but I had to wear one and help our cute little rabbit here."

There was nothing he either do or say to get out of this. This was his sentence and that was all there was to it.

Judy narrowed her eyes at the statement. "Don't call me cute."

Nick smiled back at her, quickly turning his attention to the fuming fennec fox. "Adorable, isn't she?"

This time, Finnick couldn't bring himself to look at Nick in the eye. He stared blankly at the space between him and Judy. "Why would you agree to that?"

In an attempt to console his friend, he shrugged his shoulders. "Snowflake signed the papers. I kinda couldn't refuse after."

He seemed to relax a little at the statement, though not much as his ears still lay back. He went to say something but a sudden burst from the door and shuffling of feet stopped him.

The table collectively turned their heads to see a rather distraught and tired possum hobbling towards them. He heaved and panted as he made his way over, ignoring the terrified eyes of everyone else there. He stopped as soon as he got to the tables edge where Clawhouser stepped away to the back, giving him room to breathe.

Despite the most of them knowing the possum, Gazelle would be the first to speak. "Salt?"

He didn't respond immediately, only catching his breath and nodding. He looked down to the distraught Cinnamon who clung to Gazelle even the more. He motioned with his paw for her to follow, but she shook her head and began to pout. When she did this, the possum let loose a frustrated huff. Gazelle shook her head and lifted the child up, ignoring the ice completely as she shuffled out of the seat.

"Salt, have a seat and don't argue." She commanded, getting an awkward stare from the heaving possum. He soon found himself complying as he replaced Gazelle in the corner and watched as his niece was seated next to him.

Gazelle leaned down to the two, waving her hoof in discipline. "Cinnamon, no more skipping school."

Her scolding seemed to work as the possum twiddled her paws and nodded weakly. She then turned her attention to the older possum who was still recovering. "And Salt, what happened to you, you look worse than before?"

He shook his head and held up his paw to signal he was fine, though the scrapes and bandages on his tail and face told a different story. He looked at Nick and the others before casting his gaze down at Cinnamon. He tilted his head towards the door, hoping that she would be compliant to leave.

The child shook her head and looked pleadingly at Gazelle. "We got kicked out of our apartment."

The look on Gazelle's face was one of both sympathy and disbelief. She stared at Salt, not looking at his wounds, but his expression. "Wait, didn't you work there? They let you go?"

He took a moment to sigh, and then nodded.

Gazelle placed her hooves on her hips and smiled. "Why don't you work here with us then?"

His ears perked up and he looked at Gazelle as best as he could before he huffed and turned to his niece. He motioned his paws in all manner of ways as she watched carefully. She nodded and looked wistfully at Gazelle when he had finished delivering his message.

"Uncle Salt says he can't stand heat too well. It makes him really itchy and it hurts more." She replied, placing a paw on her uncle's arm.

As Gazelle stood there, thinking of what to do, she felt a paw weigh down on her shoulder. She turned her attention to the smiling Mat behind her.

"We do have a spare room and could always use someone to help just bust dishes and close with us." He invited.

Gazelle chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Would you be okay with that, Salt? We have plenty of room upstairs for two more and I can watch Cinnamon while you work with the guys. Deal?" She held out her hoof to the possum, though he shied away at first, the near tearful eyes of the child forced him to reach out his paw and comply.

While she made the agreement, Gazelle noticed the angered look on Finnick's face. So before he could say anything, she leaned forward.

'Fin, be nice, you know what it was like for you.' She whispered, low enough for only the two foxes and Judy herself to hear.

Finnick only crossed his arms and huffed, but soon saw the child smiling at him again. Though not willing to, he started to smile himself.

Nick chuckled at the spectacle, taking another bite of his lukewarm pastry. He was enjoying the flavor until he heard a fake cough from Gazelle, gaining his attention.

"Nicholas, we have burn ointment in the kit. Do you mind helping Salt for a moment?" She pleaded, knowing full well what buttons to push.

He quickly put down the pastry, giving her a plastered smile. He didn't want to leave his pastry, but refused to let the opportunity fall to someone else to help the possum in need. He reopened the kit and hopped onto the table despite the possum's protest.

As Nick started removing the bandages, Cinnamon looked up to Gazelle shyly. "Miss Gazelle, can you play that song?" She asked in a hushed tone.

Though the question came unsurprisingly, she cheerfully pat the child's head. "Sure little one."

She gracefully skipped over to the musical stand where their instruments lay, selecting her guitar out of them all. A standard acoustic guitar, with a glossy finish and various shapes of hearts and animals drawn all over it. After strumming to ensuring it was in tune, she walked back to the table and sat next to the possum's.

"You really should be resting, Zel." She heard from across the room to where Alejandro stood bringing out an order.

She shook her head, raising her hoof to tell him she was fine while she bean to play. She plucked at the strings, their tune becoming a soft and harmonious melody. The high notes not overly stressed, the low keys not saddening; even the repeated notes sounded different and more joyous than before. Though there was music playing still in the background, her song attracted the attention of many of the mammals there.

As she came to an end of the song, she heard several mammals clapping to their best. Some cheering encore and others whistling that she played again. She smiled and thanked the patrons while idly strumming to pass the time.

Judy herself couldn't help but stare in awe and clap herself, she hadn't heard a song like that before. She attracted the attention of Gazelle who chuckled at her applause.

"That was amazing." Judy cheered.

Gazelle continued to hum and strum the instrument. "Thanks, my mother taught it to me before she passed. I never learned any of the words though."

Judy could hear a slight shift in her voice. A somber tone that didn't match any of the features of the cheerful mammal she had seen since she got there.

Her eyes set on the tame collar that the prey mammal wore, she felt a burning question arise. "How are they your brothers?"

Gazelle stopped strumming her guitar and looked around the restaurant to the tigers going about their jobs. She smiled as she sighed, and slowly plucked a few strings. "My family and I came to the city from the Forrest."

She strummed the instrument slowly as she told her story. "We were outsiders just trying to make it, and a lot of prey citizens didn't like us. Mom was in music, dad in business, and me in high-school."

She felt herself laugh as she thought back. "The La'Gñeb's were the first to actually welcome us, they saw us as friends immediately. Their Pa owned this restaurant as an inheritance, and their Ma taught dance when she could."

She smiled as her family busied themselves, one or two nodding in their direction while she idly played. "My parents opened a music shop downtown and didn't see any issue with predators as guests and patrons. They were so nice to us, but... some of the prey citizens didn't like that."

Her tone dropped along with her posture. Her notes took a lower tone than what she wanted to find. "So... they... someone burned it down one night, we never found who."

The tempo grew faster.

"When the authorities came, they thought the La'Gñeb's were responsible as they were seen around us a lot. My parents refused to press charges as there was no evidence. They tried to arrest them on conspiracy, but my father fought back for them, hoof, teeth, and horns until he was arrested."

Faster and faster still.

"After a long series of legal battles, we were found guilty of fraud, assault, and so many other things. The judge gave my father a choice to confess or face punishment. He chose to wear a collar, and so did mom and I."

The sound came to a stop, her glossy eyes slowly focused on Judy.

"I almost died the day after I got it on too. I learned the hard way that you can never shower with it. Ma La'Gñeb had to break down the bathroom door to get there in time, she even tried to lick me back to life after she saved me."

She placed the instrument down to rest at the table side.

"After that, we decided to move down here as they invited us. We've been together ever since. Both sides even became legal guardians for the others children."

She clacked her hooves together and grinned widely.

"And that's how I went from the sweetest Thomson," She flashed the cheesiest smile she could. "To the most dangerous La'Gñeb."

Judy sat there in awe of the tale, she had never heard of anything of the such. From a prey family to being adopted by predators, she didn't know what to think. She did, however, raise a brow at the last part.

"You, dangerous?" She sassed.

"Yeah, far more dangerous than us." A voice called out from behind the bar, Al waving at them and taking an order.

"Almost pokes our eyes out every day with those antlers." Another voice called, Mat stepping up to the officers beside them.

Gazelle gave him a stern look. "And you keep using them as floss Mat..."

He rolled his eyes, thanking the officers and walking up to their table to check on them.

"But anyway, that's pretty much who I am," Gazelle sighed, fiddling with her tame collar. "A gazelle considered predatory and sentenced to wear this for life."

Judy momentarily sat still, eyeing the device. Like the other prey she saw wearing them, the indicator glowed a soft blue color. She felt no danger around the prey, but still didn't fully understand how that came to be. Despite all of this, she scratched her neck, thought she couldn't explain why.

As she thought, the tiger, Mateo, stepped up to them. "Well, she doesn't have to because of Swinton's 'Rehabilitation Clause'."

He wiped his paws together, seeing who needed what removed from the table. He failed to notice, however, the glare that Gazelle had given him.

Out of curiosity of how such a thing was removed and silently thankful for the possibility of Gazelle being freed, she pressed the question. "Rehabilitation Clause?"

The tiger scratched the back of his neck, ignoring the stares and head shaking of his family across the room. "Yeah, it's a small addendum to the Swinton's clause changes that allows prey to have their tame collars removed after a-"

"ENOUGH!"

Gazelle's piercing voice rang across the room, startling many and silencing everyone. Even Nick, who had just finished wrapping the possum's burn wounds, had been shaken to the core from the sound.

As commanding as it came, so did her inevitable shock that forced her to hunch over and grasp at her neck in pain. Many eyes watched her as the two present tigers rushed over to aid her. They were by her side in seconds, raising her up and sitting her back on the seat.

The small possum whimpered into her side as she drew small breaths in recovery.

"I-i told you already... h-how I feel about that," She spoke, her voice raspy and pained. "I-i can't do it.. there's no point."

The tigers held their heads in silence, neither daring to move as they watched over her.

"T-there is nothing... to rehabilitate about me. You're all my family, and I refuse to believe otherwise." She continued to say, tears welling in her eyes as she looked up to them.

Her collar beeped again, turning yellow, and on the cusp of red.

"I'd rather die with this on than reject what I believe in." She told them, feeling a slightly less powerful jolt that forced her to stare at the floor.

With fresh tears falling from her eyes, she folded her arms and whispered. "So please... don't try to convince me."

She felt heavy paws on her shoulders, and a set of smaller paws at her back. The tigers stood above her with woeful looks of their own while Finnick and the possums tried to smile and cheer her up.

"Sorry Sis," Mat apologized, reaching her hoof with his paw. "Let's get you upstairs."

Tired and shocked from her experiences, Gazelle nodded and stood up. She didn't complain as she leaned on his shoulder and was escorted to the back.

She paused for a moment, to look back at Judy. Her smile dull and faded, but still hanging on. "Take care, Nick, and Judy." She spoke, and continued on her way.

With her being taken away, Finnick turned to the possum pair and sighed. He motioned for the two to follow him as well. He hopped down from the table, giving Nick a glare and pointing straight at him before leading the two to the kitchen.

In moments as Judy processed what was happening, Clawhouser walked out from behind the bar with a somber look on his muzzle and a few papers clutched in his paws. He had appeared somewhat pale, but Nick could clearly tell what he was distressed about.

"Here's the list, Nick." He said, casting his gaze downward and handing the papers to him despite Judy reaching out.

He happily took them in one paw and bit into his pastry with the other. "Thank's Ben. Oh, and Honey says hello."

The cheetah perked up from hearing the mention of the badger. Though he looked to want to say something, he waved at the two and slipped back to work.

Judy, now being alone with Nick once more, thought to simply demand the paper from him, soon caught him eyeing the names intently as if to make a mental listing. It was something that she had commonly done herself, but she didn't know how he'd fare.

Peering over to the list, she heard a muffled cough that caught her attention. She turned to see DelCorre and his partner standing up at the edge of the table and saluting her.

"Lieutenant, when you're ready, we can give you a lift to the elevator." The llama announced.

Standing up herself and saluting, she motioned for the fox to follow suit. He promptly pocketed his last remaining pastry and hopped down off the seat to follow her.

As left through the door with the llama ahead of them, the sheep officer, Coal, faced Judy and Nick with a stern stare.

"Does he need cuffs?" He asked gruffly and pointed accusingly.

Judy looked down at the cuffs that he had returned to her and clutched them in one paw. She didn't know why she hesitated, but something felt... off about it to her. She turned to Nick who offered her a weak smile and his wrists in return.

It was then that she shook her head and waved her paw dismissively at the officer.

"Not needed for now." She replied meekly.

The sheep huffed in agreement, waddle-walking to his best towards the vehicle parked further down.

The fox's smile grew and she heard the faint beep of his collar before she turned and pointed him in the direction of the cruiser down the street. He happily walked towards them, skimming over the paper as he got closer.

Judy, however, stopped as an odd feeling crept up on her. Thought she first thought it was her cautionary stance when Nick was behind her, she looked down the street away from them to see a lone figure standing and staring into the restaurant.

From its shape, height, and lighting, she could tell it was a koala. She breathed deeply, having felt better that Jack's companion was still as vigilant as when they were at Honey's.

Thought she would have to tell Jack about what happened when she was in the bunker, she continued her way to the cruiser. She had what she came for, she could go home when she was done.

"I watched you smile warmly at me and I answered. 'Maybe... you aren't what was wrong.'"

Hello there, and welcome to the end notes! You know that moment when you realize their last name is just Bengal backwards with accents?

And we're near the tail end of the fourth chapter of this volume. One more and chapter 5 here we come.

And I hope you get a chance to read this and the other at your leisure. Also, these stories can be found here as well:

fanfiction:
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users/DancingLunarWolves/works

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Till Next Time
-DLW