Hovering around 1500 views right now! Over-doubled since he release of chapter two. About 30 followers as well, somewhere around 20 favorites and 15 reviews. With only three parts in these numbers are absolutely stunning. This community is spectacular. Thank you all soooo much for your support in this endeavor.

And before I go on too much, I'd like to thank the following people for their kind words and support.

Spanksie, coloruserpro, WitheredOmega, DirtKid123, The Delta 42, SvenTheElephant, Zootopian Fulf, xxmofo54xx, spyrofan34, katyusha69, Star912, and the many others whom have accompanied me so far.

I'd also like to thank the guests who have been the main drive of this project. Whoever you are, thank you (and a special thanks to HOLY SHIT. I don't laugh out loud much, but great review)

Expect the rate of chapter output to decrease within these next few weeks; from here on out, I'll put up the release date of the next chapter at the end of the current one. Well, let's get back to the chapter, eh? I hope you enjoy the third chapter of Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction.

"I need to talk to him," Judy stated, eyes focused on her friend in the room opposite her.

Chief Bogo turned his curious gaze toward the mammal next to him.

"Officer Hopps, we've had this discussion before. He's too unstable for direct contact," He responded, his voice laced with a twinge of frustration.

He wasn't wrong - for the past twelve and a half days, ever since her partner had returned to her and the realm of the living, she and the chief had traded very heated words regarding his treatment. Bogo believed that in his current state of savagery he was a threat to any and all who approached him, and therefore should be kept in isolation until they were able to give him the night howler antidote. Judy, on the other hand, thought that this was cruel. It had been Nick who helped her stop Bellwethers plot! It had been Nick who patrolled with her every day of his career, helping rid the streets of criminals! It had been Nick who spent two full years starving and freezing in a prison! Surely he deserved some kind of respect, even in his current state. Right?

Wrong. Bogo was her superior officer, so he was the one who called the shots. She hadn't been too effective at convincing him to let her meet with her partner during her very emotional rage while Nick was tranquilized.

But now that she had calmed herself she carried a card up her sleeve. A card called the Officers code of conduct. Her eyes moved off Nick, chained in the room beyond the one way window, and onto her superior.

"Chief, Wilde is one of your officers, right?" Judy asked, her amethysts prying into her boss's thoughts.

"Yes he is, Officer Hopps. But currently, as you well know, he is incapacitated and needs to be kept in confinement," He said annoyed. Judy nodded and looked toward the feeble fox, who lay on the floor, clips holding down his paws and legs while two metal half-circles over his head and torso kept him from fidgeting. Worst of all, there was a muzzle over his snout.

"Chief Bogo, what does protocol say about the treatment of incapacitated officers?" She asked, smirking. Her eyes went back to her boss, and he didn't look overjoyed. He huffed menacingly before walking over to the entrance to Nick's 'holding cell', which in reality was just a disused laboratory on the ship. The door swung open a little too violently.

"I am not one to violate rules and regulations, Officer Hopps, but Officer Wilde is dangerous and I won't let any officers under my command be injured because they make unprofessional decisions while in his presence," Chief Bogo warned, his eyes stern before they moved to his watch.

"We dock at 1500. The time is 1350," His eyes rested on her again. "You have twenty minutes with Officer Wilde."

Judy hopped off the table she had been watching her partner from and walked over to the doorway. Chief Bogo held up his free hoof, his gaze becoming icy serious.

"But If I feel that you are in any kind of danger, you're out of there and Wilde's going under," He finished, his raised hoof falling to the tranquilizer gun strapped onto the belt slithered around his waist.

"There'll be no need for that, Chief," She said over her shoulder as she strode through the doorway. The rooms barren, white walls made her feel as if she was in some scene from Claw Wars. The size of the room, which had been designed to house machines the size of a hippos minivan yet now only held Nick, was absolutely stunning - her and him could've easily fit into it twenty times over.

The sound of her feet hitting the tiled floor echoed eerily, and as the distance between her and Nick shrunk she caught a low growl coming from behind his tight muzzle. Yet she refused to look at him. She had seen him in his current state long enough.

The distance between them was a foot at most, but her eyes still did not meet her counterparts. She began to silently panic. Why was she here? She had been so concerned about meeting with him that she hadn't thought about why she was meeting with him.

Time stood still for a moment, the gears in her mind spinning full force. She knew what she wanted to say to Nick.

Her legs felt as if they were broken in every possible way, reeling under the weight of the building thoughts and memories in her head. She gave in and fell to sit with her legs tucked up underneath her. It was only then that Chief Bogo closed the large, metal door. The sound of it slamming shut shook the room.

This was also the sound which shook Nick from his depressive slump. Ever since his savage self had awakened from the tranquilizer a few days prior he hadn't looked out the vision save for when someone entered his room. But it had never been the mammal he wanted to see...

He needed to apologize to her for his incorrigible actions. He didn't quite know how, but he felt like everything was his fault. The pain he caused her. The sadness. And now this.

What had happened earlier was just a terrible encore. Worst of all, he couldn't fight the beast who had taken his form hostage. He had been defeated by himself. Not even defeated - massacred. He never stood a chance in the first place. Why am I still alive? he wondered miserably. To watch all the pain and trouble I'll cause?

Guilt was beginning to become his best friend.

His weary eyes flicked up at the ear-shattering sound, expecting a wolf in uniform. The black canine was the mammal who had become his feeder, and the way he fed his savage self only added to his humiliation. Putting a raw fish on the end of a sharpened stick and pushing it right up into his muzzle made him feel like he was a savage beast with no hope of being anything else.

Though the canine was nowhere to be seen. This time it was a rabbit - and not just any. It was the exact mammal he was waiting for. He forced his legs to a standing position. His head hung slightly forward in defeat yet his eyes remained dry. He had cried himself to death before and it hadn't helped him one bit. Maybe weeping your heart out wasn't always a good way to get over a memory. His paw gently rested against the vision. Against his partner. Against his Carrots.

"Judy..." He began, deciding not to use a nickname, "I'm so sorry. I could've hurt you. I could've-" He paused for a moment, the words caught in his throat. "I could've killed you."

Judy's eyes still did not meet his, even as his savage self growled right in her face. Her legs were folded back on themselves in a relaxed kneeling position and her paws fiddled with one another on her lap. Finally, her perked ears, which had faced toward the wall, now turned to him.

"Nick, do you remember the Night Howler Incident?" She began.

He gave a slow nod while his savage self only growled louder. Where was she going with that memory?

"At the press conference I destroyed our friendship and I almost tore Zootopia apart. I stereotyped you and all other predators. I nearly ruined your life, Nick. But you forgave me for it. I didn't realize that forgiveness was part of your character."

Her eyes finally met his. "Thank you. I never did tell you that."

Her rear lifted up from the balls of her feet and her paws moved off her thighs and began to tug at his muzzle. Nick watched quietly eyes wide. She's removing it.

It was on his savage self when he awoke and it hadn't helped him calmed down at all. His memory of being muzzled by scouts when he was young still upset him greatly. Once the memory was a nightmare to him. But with Judy's help on the gondola, all those years ago, he had confronted that dark time in his life and now it was just a sad memory. Her removing his muzzle was much more symbolic than anyone else could realize. It was forgiveness.

As the muzzle became looser, more and more of his savage self's fangs came into view. Judy made the last pull and the muzzle ripped off of his snout, taking all of his guilt with it. His savage self's fiery green eyes burned into her, and her eyes burned back. It was an unsettling staring contest for Nick, who could only watch his partner's blank face and twitching nose.

His savage self made the first move. His mouth opened up as if to snap at Judy, even though he was in no position to harm her. A snarl erupted from his chasm of teeth. But she didn't flinch. Her scent was strong, filled with unwavering resilience. It lacked even the vaguest thought of fear.

"Stop it," Nick ordered, life reinvigorating him. He stood up straight, his paw still on the vision and his face becoming serious. He had to take control of his body back. Judy, with her eyes still locked with his, moved her paw onto his. Another snarl began in his chest.

"No," He sternly commanded. He knew his attempts at stopping the violent outbursts were useless but he still did it to reassure himself. At the sound of his savage self's snarl the huge, metal door in the back of the room swung open and an equally huge mammal stepped into the room.

It was Chief Bogo.

He looked stern, as always, and Nick moved his paw off the vision and up to salute his superior. He hadn't saluted him in two years - maybe longer. He had never been the most respectful officer on the force.

"Sir," he said politely.

He was glad to see the massive beast he called his superior again. Sure, they weren't friends, but he had always held a secret respect for the cape buffalo even though they had their differences. He was aware that he wasn't the most conventional officer in the precinct. He got the job done the same way he had scammed mammals - quickly and cleanly.

His savage self stared coldly at Chief Bogo, not reflecting his true emotions in any way. This was all he saw, of course, but was shooed out of the room by a wave of Judy's free paw. Her eyes never met him but her ears were tilted in his direction to show some kind of acknowledgement of his presence. The chief grunted and the door slammed shut. Judy began to speak as the metallic echoes continued.

"He said he'd tranquilize you if he thought that you were going to hurt me." She leaned in ever so slightly toward his savage self's stern, but not vicious, face. "But I don't think you'll hurt me."

Her words had been like stone before - hard and cold. But as he slowly took in her words a hint of warmth entered his chest and a small smile made its way onto his otherwise solé not face. Judy had always been the optimistic one, even in the worst situations, and her secretly untroubled tone right now was just another example of this. He stared deep into her magenta eyes. What's next, Carrots? He thought, his sarcasm reigniting within him. Marriage?

Judy continued to grip Nick's restricted paw. He was still in a savage state, but was relatively calm now that Chief Bogo had left the room. She felt the need to comfort him in some way - deep down, inside the emerald pools glaring at her, she could feel the real Nick staring back. The chief's intrusion wasn't a big deal, but it had routed her previously intense thoughts and replaced them with rather humorous ones.

What would Nick say right now? She thought to herself. It was a little game she liked to play once in awhile. A smile cracked onto her face and amusement exerted out of her eyes and attempted to enter the stern ones right in front of her.

"Morning Chief Horny!" She mumbled carefully so that her boss wouldn't hear. Nick continued his sullen glare but she knew that behind his steel expression he was laughing as hard as she would be if 'Chief Horny' wasn't watching them from behind the one way glass.

Nick had come up with that nickname for him when he was drunk out of his mind at a celebration. The whole department had stayed after hours one night for a big welcome back party for the chief. He'd been out sick for two weeks with a nasty cold, and, naturally, Nick thought that the first thing he would want to do would be to drink his heart out. So while the rest of the mammals on the force bought their boss nice gifts, he brought a case of beer. Which the chief barely snorted at.

Nick had put on a sad show, a 'woe is me, I bought the chief the wrong gift' face on him the entire time. But as soon as his superior's attention shifted he wandered off beer in hand. It was only minutes before all the beer was out of hand and in his head. It was her first time seeing him really hammered and for the first hour or so it seemed hilarious. He was wandering around the commons, talking to many of his new co-workers and getting to know them through sly remarks and easy jokes. But the further the night went on the more and more rowdy he became. A few of the officers cast irritated glares at him when he began to spread rumors about their sexuality and he got on the nerves of a few more when he started nicknaming them.

To stop him from embarrassing himself too much, and from getting kicked in the head by Officer Rhinowitz, she had led him into the records room - thankfully lacking it's usual badger.

"See ya, Chief Horny! Officer Hippty-Hopps here is about to rock my world - On-record," He shouted to no one particular. Judy's ears fell behind her plaid pink shirt as they filled with embarrassment. But she had been blessed. No one on the force had heard her partner's profane words.

With one final shove he was through the doorway. She slammed it shut behind her before jumping to lock it. When she landed she began to endlessly thump her foot against the floor and angrily glared at his sly smile. The room was pitch black save for the light streaming in through the blinds on the door window, illuminating his orange fur as he leaned against a table.

"Well?" She said, arms crossed. His half closed eyes and huge grin fanned the fire inside her.

"Well what, Cottontail?" He asked, his arms moving up to imitate hers. She quickly walked up until she was nearly under him and pointed a finger at his face.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde! You need to apologize to Chief Bogo, every officer in precinct one, the city of Zootopia, and me!" She said, her voice progressively becoming more and more murderous. But, as always, Nick kept his cool.

"For what, Fluff? Hwurting your fweelings?" He taunted, bending over so that his nose was only millimeters from hers.

"For violating office rules, Nick!" She yelled, her paws clenched at her sides while her legs strained to keep her balanced on her toes as she tried to match his height. "You're drunk on premises - you could get disciplined! What if Chief Bogo suspends you? And not just that - you need to apologize to everyone for your lies and insults!"

All Nick did was smile down at her twitching nose. He had no intention to apologize to anyone. He only had one intent for the night, and his dumb bunny had walked right into it.

In one fell swoop he picked her up in his arms, holding her head with one paw and her arched back with the other. One of her legs flicked up in the air while the the other barely touched the ground - he was the one supporting her. Their position mimicked a very intimate move she had seen on 'Dancing with the Otters'. Her ears flashed red and she began to breath heavily - embarrassed, somehow, being in this position with her best friend. But his eyes locked with hers and his sly smile became devious.

"First off, Carrots, I'm not violating any rules. The handbook allows the consumption of alcohol as long as the consumer's Blood Alcohol Content stays below 0.12 percent. And six cans of that beer only raises mine to 0.11 percent," He explained, his eyes prying into her frightened ones. "Second, I wasn't being rude to any of the mammals here tonight. I was being funny, and If I hurt anyone's feelings then that's their own fault. Not mine. I'm an innocent fox."

He moved his face much closer to hers. Their muzzles gently rubbed against one another's.

"Third, I wasn't lying. I really did think you were dragging me in here so you could satisfy your little bunny urges which I know happen all year round."

Judy opened her eyes even further as his grin became passionate.

"And I would gladly be your foxy toy."

Judy opened her mouth, speechless, but before she could muster a sound Nick stood her back up and spun her before he strode proudly toward the door. When she caught herself her drunken friend was in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder with the same grin which it seemed was always on his face.

"Sorry, Flatfoot. You can hold it all in for one more night, right? I have to get back to the apartment - I have work tomorrow!" He put up two fingers in a mock salute. "Till then, sweetheart."

Judy stared after him, mouth agape. What just happened? She thought to herself. A very murderous voice responded. He just sentenced himself to death! That's just what happened! Anger and embarrassment filled every fiber of her body. That fox was going to get it now! And not the kind of 'it' he wanted!

She stormed out of the room, fists clenched and eyes burning. Her target was walking away, about to leave the headquarters. She was about to release a battle cry until another officer called out to her target.

"Hey, Wilde! What were you and Hopps doing in the file room?" Officer Delgato shouted as Nick stood in front of the exit, the open door letting in the cool night air. Snarky chuckles came from the other officers standing around the tiger.

Nick turned toward the tiger and the other larger members of the force surrounding him. All were looking at him, including Chief Bogo, who was in the middle of the group sitting down in a massive chair. His gaze was bleak, just as it had been since the start of the party.

A joking smile crawled onto Nick's face.

"Just checking out the Chiefs toys," He responded, the mischief in his voice resonating with the officers. Huge cackles and laughs erupted from the group, some of them bending over and others slapping their superior on the back.

Judy stared onward. Luckily, none of the mammals, save for Nick, had noticed her standing by Clawhauser's desk. The drunken mammal caught her gaze and returned a wink. That made her absolutely furious. How dare he make a fool out of her and their superior officer! Her legs built up power for a short sprint but before she could chase after him the door slammed shut and the cool night breeze was cut off. She'd have to wait until morning to get her grilled fox.

Amused chatter bounced around the huge room, and her embarrassed gaze returned to Chief Bogo. The group around him had returned to their previous discussion, but the massive mammal in the middle of them held his gaze with her. Her partner had disrespected him a little too much tonight.

But, of course, no punishment was ever given to him. He was correct; he could get drunk as long as his BAC remained below 0.12%, and crude banter wasn't ruled off either, even though she personally saw it as insubordination. The only thing she could do was angrily explain his actions the following morning as he dealt with his brutal hangover, deliberately leaving out his inappropriate advances toward her. He didn't have to know about that part.

But the gaze Chief Bogo had cast her after he had left... It had such sullen hate built up within it. She had only seen such a glare from her boss on one other occasion. Nick's funeral.

Oh sweet cheese and crackers, his funeral! Judy thought to herself. If I had died then I'd want to know about my funeral.

Her paw began to become damp with nervous sweat but she still kept it locked with his. Her gaze had been connected with his stern one over her memory, and she had no desire to change that. She only dived deeper into his emeralds as she told him about his funeral.

Nick was in danger of suffocating with all the laughs erupting from his chest. He hadn't felt like this since before his arctic vacation! Judy had explained that nickname to him the morning after what she referred to as his 'drunken rampage'. It had been a crude joke, even for his very low standards, but he loved that kind of humor. When he first heard it he laughed hard, just as he was doing now, even though their relationship was a bit strained for the next few weeks.

As soon as he could breathe again, Nick straightened his fragile form and looked out the vision toward his partner. Her eyes looked deep into his, unseeing to anything but them. He knew her face when she was deep in thought.

Wonder what's going through that carrot filled brain of hers? He thought to himself, trying to pry into the thoughts behind the purple gaze. His smile quickly became awkward as her silent stare continued.

"You really love my eyes, don't you Carrots?" He sarcastically asked. He was beginning to become his old self again. In mind, at least - his body was a far different story. The silent awkwardness between them continued for several moments until, finally, Judy's eyes began to flick around his as if she were searching for someone.

"Come on, you dumb bunny, Come on. You know I'm in here," He said quietly yet merrily, a twinge of sadness plaguing his words. "You've always been the optimistic one." Her eyes finally rested again and she gave a big smile.

"You lazy fox," She began, shaking her head. "You didn't even show up to your own funeral."

Nick's smile became melancholy.

My funeral?... He thought. They had one for me? Geez, how much could the ZPD miss a fox? But a polite interest took over his mind. For heaven's sake, it was his funeral! If it hadn't gone just right he would have the tails of every officer in the precinct.

"Tell me mo-" He started to say, but Judy interrupted him, following his command.

"There were about 200, maybe 300 mammals there. The department held a big ceremony down at the Singapaw docks, where you left from," She recounted, her eyes shooting sadness into his own. Yet she still spoke with a smile. "All the officers from the precinct brought flowers for your memorial. The Mayor even came down and put up a picture of you."

Nick was astonished. How much did I mean to these mammals? Wasn't I just some ex-con who became a turncoat cop?

"Bogo's speech wasn't too long, considering what you've sacrificed for the city. His words were kind. He never got to know you well. Nobody really got to know you too well, Nick. Not even me..." Judy slowed her talking as she went on. Her eyes wandered off his and his sad smirk grew even more. "But you meant so much to all of us."

"I know, Carrots," He said quietly, moving his paw onto the vision, right on her cheek in a vain attempt to comfort her. "I'm so sorry I've put all you through this..."

"Finnick was there," Judy resumed, her eyes trailing back to his. The grip on his paw tightened ever so slightly and Nick could feel his real body flexing, urging to break free of its bonds. He snickered, remembering his quick-to-violence friend he had known for his entire life. Judy wasn't the only mammal he had missed. Finnick and Voltaire would be mad that he hadn't joined them for their weekly drink for the past two years. Clawhauser would probably cry when he saw him again - what a pushover! But he was a friend none the less. He had missed them all so much. He had even almost missed Prophit.

"He arrived after the others had left. I was sitting right under your photo-" She paused for a moment, her eyes filled with despair. "-crying, and I felt this paw on my back. When I turned, he was there. Sunglasses and all," She sniffed, her eyes becoming glossed. "It was cloudy, so he must've worn them to hide his feelings. Sounds like another fox I know."

Nick's eyes began to glaze. He had meant so much to all these mammals yet he had put them through all this suffering, through all this pain, through all this loss. He was an officer of the law but some of his antics, as well as his not-so-clean past, had offended and hurt many mammals from many branches of life. Normally he wouldn't care about other's feelings a whole lot but this time it was different. It was his legacy. In the end, he had been a jerk to so many...

Judy's paw squeezed his even tighter and she leaned in. Their mouths weren't an inch apart. A low growl came from savage Nick but they were too preoccupied with one another to care.

"I'm just..." She said, cutting short as she choked up for words.

"I'm just so glad to see you again, Nick."

Their pawhold broke and was replaced by a tight hug. Nick couldn't hear his savage self growl - his feelings of heartache prevented any of his senses from working properly. He needed to comfort his Carrots, to tell her he was sorry for everything he caused, to tell her that she was just an emotional bunny and he was just a dumb fox. He needed to be by her side again, to be her partner again...

Even though he didn't realize it, the flower of love began to blossom in his heart.

Judy pulled away from their embrace, her eyes ever so slightly red from the few tears she could muster. At the sight it was Nick's turn to release a few silent tears of his own. Judy moved her arm across her face to wipe her nose and their paws becoming clasped again. She shared the sadness in her eyes with his savage self's stern ones.

Nick stared back, his body straight and eyes damp. His uniform hung a little heavier off him as the last of his tears dried on his cheeks. He had missed her so much - but his feelings of loss weren't half as powerful as hers were. No matter the sadness they both felt before or the years which had flown by since their last meeting, they both were still the best of friends.

A huge shape by the door drew Nick's attention away from his partner. It was Chief Bogo. His arms were crossed and his eyes were full of some unidentifiable emotion. Nick was too weakened from his sobs to salute again - he instead held the huge mammals gaze as he collapsed onto his knees.

"Hopps, time's up," The chief said, his eyes moving off the now snarling Nick and onto her back. With one last squeeze of his paw she turned and walked slowly out the door without looking back, her ears limp. Bogo's gaze followed her before he turned, and for a brief moment he and Nick locked eyes. A small smirk found it's way onto his face.

"It's good to have you back, Wilde," He said with a twinge of elation. With that his positive tone and expression was gone. He left the room with a stone cold face, his voice barking in the other room.

"Get him ready to disembark!"

Nick knelt in the darkness, a humble feeling washing over him as he watched his savage self growl and thrash against his restraints while officers brought a huge cage into the room. He was still here. He wasn't gone forever. Hope flared inside of his bony chest. Soon everything would be back to normal. He would be back to his old job, fighting criminals with his carrots.

He stood up, suddenly rejuvenated. The sadness was gone from him - he could've hurt Judy, he understood that. In fact, he had hurt Judy. He had hurt her because he had died without her permission. That was kind of funny now that he thought about it. But she had forgiven him, and once he received the night howler antidote they would be together again. He took a final deep breath as violent barks erupted from the now unrestrained mouth of his savage self.

Once you reach the bottom, the only way you can go is up.

F*** This took a while! Hope you liked it! All other projects are on hold until this story has reached it's conclusion!

Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction Chapter 4 - July 22nd

Fourty Thousand: A Zootopia Fanfiction Prologue - TBA

Guilt, that Monster: A Zootopia Short Story - TBA

Dire Situations: A Zootopia Short Story - TBA

This chapter was last edited 8-23