Vacation really takes it out of ya, mentally and physically. This is coming from someone who has spent most of the summer away from home. The one thing it does help with is focus. I was able to finish both Chapter 7 of Primal and the Prologue to A Fox in Shining Armor. Lucky for you all!

Well, I recieved some 'heated' words about what qualifies as 'August 31'. I'm on US Eastern Standard time but will change to NZ Standard time within a few months. I will admit I went a day over; and for that I am sorry.

Hope you enjoy chapter 7 of Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction!

"Morning Nick!" Judy greeted as she bounced away from the door. Nick smiled as he watched her jump onto the oversized metal chair, her tail twitching as she scrambled up the side of it.

"Morning Carrots. I trust you had an eventful weekend rummaging through my belongings," He sarcastically replied. At first glance his partner was cheerful and full of life. She sat with her legs crossed and smile wide and lacked even the smallest amount of scorn or disgust - in other words, the complete opposite of what he had been expecting. Maybe he had been worried about nothing over the weekend. Maybe she hadn't found out too much about his past. He breathed a sigh of relief and put his paws into his pockets.

"Well today's the first day of your recovery," She warmly commented as she slipped her paw into her pocket and pulled out a familiar phone, "So I thought It'd be best if we started with some kind words from our co-workers."

Nick raised an eyebrow as his smile retracted.

"You might want to be careful looking through that phone, Carrots. There are some pictures on there which could scar you for the rest of your life," He warned playfully. But he was completely serious. There were more than one Not-Safe-For-Work pictures of him on it.

Only hearing his savage self growl as he cowered underneath the cot, Judy began to tap on the phone and a moment later looked back up at him with a gaze full of memory.

"Right after the ZPD found out about your 'death' Ben organized an online memorial for you," She recounted with a twinge of elation, "He called it 'Slick Nick's last tixts."

Nick snorted and Judy rolled her eyes.

"I know what you're thinking, and you're right. It is a really cheesy rhyme. But it had a heartfelt purpose. Ben thought that since you were always on your phone in your free time then it was only right if he shared his final goodbye the way he thought you'd want it. Others started to catch on and eventually he had to set up a group chat to manage all the texts. And now I'm going to share some of those texts with you."

Her eyes darted down and she began to read off the phone.

"Officer Trunkaby said: 'Officer Wilde, I never knew you well. You were always just one of my many co-workers who I could barely remember the name of. But from my time working with you on the Dingo Starr case I discovered that you were a respectable mammal. You will be sorely missed.'"

Nick nodded, quickly taking in the kind words. He remembered how the elephant had helped him finish the paperwork for the particularly difficult abduction case.

"Officer Wolfenstein, who's new on the force, said: 'Officer Wilde, thank you. You showed me that a predator could become anything he wanted to be in Zootopia. You convinced me to join the force without saying a single word to me. You made me a better mammal, and for that you are my hero. Wherever you are now, I hope that you're enjoying it."

Nick smiled and frowned. He hadn't met this Officer Wolfenstein, but he had never imagined that he would be his hero. He had never imagined he'd be anyone's hero. It felt great - as if he were glowing! Was this how Judy felt all the time? Basking in the warmth of others pride?

"Ben said: 'Nick, I never thought a chubby cheetah like me would ever find a friend as great as you. You were always kind and funny, even during times when you really shouldn't have been. I'm disappointed that you never liked Gazelle but my biggest regret is that I didn't try hard enough to get you and Judy together. Maybe another time :). We'll all miss you so much.'"

Nick snickered at his co-workers words. First off, 'friends' was a bit of a strong term to describe their relationship. 'Casual Acquaintances' was much more appropriate. Second, Clawhauser remembered the best of someone's personality and then completely exaggerated it. He hadn't been very kind to him over his career. More like 'occasionally polite' - but that was when he wasn't coming up with a hundred different nicknames for the rather obese cheetah. Third, no matter how much he him he would never like Gazelle. But getting together with Judy? With every day that passed he felt like the answer to that question was inching closer to 'yes'.

Judy moved her amethysts up to look at him with an amused smile.

"I'd say that Ben's biggest regret is also mine," She said racy before her eyes moved back again on the phone. Nick flicked his ear in amusement and his heartbeat sped up significantly. The answer wasn't inching closer to 'yes'; it was already on it.

Consumed by their feelings for one another, neither he or Judy noticed his savage self flick his ear at the same moment he did in the darkness.

"Even Chief Bogo left a message," Judy said, pausing for a moment to clear her throat before impersonating his heavy voice, "'Wilde. You were a good officer. Rest in peace.'"

"Nice impression of buffalo butt, Carrots," He joked. He was surprised that his superior had left him a message on account of their rocky relationship. What's more, he even called him a good officer. That simple complement was kinder than anything else the chief had ever - and probably would ever - say to him. Once he returned, he would hold that against him for the rest of his life.

"Finally, we come to mine," Judy finished, her voice suddenly out of energy. "I only wrote it yesterday. I just couldn't bring myself to do it before."

She took a deep breath.

"Well, here goes nothing," She mumbled.

"Nick. Before I met you I was some dumb country girl who moved to the big city and expected utopia. What I got instead was you. You showed me that the world wasn't all fun and games, and in return I showed you that the world could accept anyone, no matter what species they are. The months we spent together as partners were the best in my life. And the lonely months that followed were the worst."

Nick felt a sudden pain in his heart but smiled at her words none the less. Judy breathed for a moment before she continued, her voice much more shaky.

"I enjoyed every - or at least most - of the moments we spent together. They say that you only realize how much you love someone once they're gone. If that's true then I love you to the moon and back, Nick Wilde."

Nick felt his eyes widen and his ears fall as Judy's beautifully purple gaze met his. He hadn't expected her sudden, emotional outburst. She hadn't given him any warning. Stunned, all he could do was dive deep into her eyes. Within them, behind all the compassion and caring, there was sympathy. Something had changed how she felt about him very recently, and he had an eerie suspicion of what, or rather who, it was.

"I assume you met my mother," he said flatly as his shock ebbed. All she did was continue her stunningly gorgeous stare and a realization washed over him.

She loved him. She wanted to be with him, and he wanted to be with her. But did he love her?

NO! A voice within him thought. You don't love anyone, Nick Wilde. Remember your mother? Love only brings pain! Loss! Suffering!

And? Another voice responded. Love is love. You can't deny the feelings you're having, Nick. You're in love with Judy Hopps.

No! The other voice furiously exclaimed. You don't love her, Nick. You're her friend and she's a rabbit - a rabbit. A fox can't love a rabbit! And you can't love anyone, regardless. You know that. Remember your mother, Nick. Remember all the hurt? All the flames? Do you want that to happen to her?

Nick shook his head as his fear consumed him, and he reluctantly sided with the radical voice in his head. He was afraid to love anyone because he was afraid of losing them. He had experienced that awful feeling of guilt and heartbreak once before, and he had no intention of ever experiencing it again. If he returned to Judy only to see her die in some crime or accident then he wasn't sure he would ever find happiness again. And if he was the cause of her death, which in his position, both physically and socially, was a very real possibility, then he knew he couldn't go on living. Deep down he had an itching inkling that he loved her.

But right now, and for the rest of his life, she would only be his close friend. As careful as he could be, he drew his paw up and placed it against the vision, right on the side of her still smiling face.

"That's nice of you, Carrots," he said thoughtfully, "but I don't share the same feelings. No matter what I do or feel, I can't give you what you want."

Judy quickly strode into the assignment room, her eyes immediately moving to her seat in the front row. The seat next to hers lacked it's usual occupant, Officer McHorn, and instead seated an excited cheetah who was leaning forward onto the table and waving a large paw at her. Pleasantly surprised, she waved back.

"Morning Ben!" She greeted as she scrambled up the side of her chair.

"Morning Judy!" He nearly squealed. She cracked a grin at his glee.

"What's all the excitement about?" She asked. Clawhauser began to bounce out of his seat, his paws clutched against the edge of the table.

"Once a year I'm required to spend one day on patrol," He answered enthusiastically, "It's part of my contract as the ZPD'S secretary. And because today's that day I talked with the chief about it and he said that I could be your partner! If you wanted me to be, that is."

"That's great, Ben!" She exclaimed merrily. "I'd love it if you were my partner today."

He squealed and began to bounce up and down in his chair, adding to the already noisy room. Judy chuckled at his excitement. Even after four years of working with him she had still never worked with him directly on a case and she was just as eager as he was to see what he was capable of.

"Atten-tion!" Officer Higgins called from the doorway. The groups standing and sitting around the room broke apart as the officers took their seats. Officer Higgins moved to stand at attention next to the doorway and a moment later Chief Bogo walked through. The room erupted in noise at the sight of him. Paws slammed against desks and chants echoed throughout the room. Even Judy joined in the horseplay, and she caught Clawhauser awkwardly doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

"Quiet," The chief grumbled as he stood at the podium at the front of the room. The room fell mostly silent but all eyes moved to Clawhauser as he continued to slam his paws into the desk. Realizing his mistake he quickly clasped them together and sat up in his chair with a huge embarrassed and apologetic smile.

"As you can all see the first business of the day concerns our secretary," The Chief growled. "Today Officer Clawhauser will accompany Officer Hopps on patrol. If that's acceptable to you, Officer Hopps."

"It is, Chief," She responded.

"Good," He grumbled, turning to look down at the clipboard. "Now onto the next business of the day. The sparring and training rooms will be closed today for the yearly assessment of the BEAST squadrons. This will mean that none of you are to engage criminals which you cannot apprehend with only the help of your partners."

Chief Bogo turned the page on his clipboard.

"Assignments:"

Judy's ears perked up.

"Francine, Grizzoli, Higgins. Patrol in Tundratown."

She gave a small sigh of relief knowing that she wouldn't freeze to death today.

"Rhinowitz, Mchorn, Trunkaby. There's an unregistered passenger ferry docked at Singapaw. I need you to secure the scene so port authorities can make their sweep."

The three huge officers stood and made their way toward the door, their heavy footsteps shaking anything not bolted down.

"Fangmeyer, Delgato. Patrol in the Rainforest District. Snarlof, Anderson, Johnson. Patrol in Sahara Square. Wolford, Wolfen- Where's Officer Wolfenstein?"

"He took a sick day," Officer Wolford, his partner, shouted from the back of the room.

"Well then Anderson, you're with Wolford. Patrol in Savannah Central."

Chief Bogo looked up from his clipboard and rested his sullen and unamused gaze on Judy and Clawhauser as the last of the other officers exited the room.

"And finally, you two," He said slowly, walking away from the podium to lean over them. He threw a manila folder onto the desk and Judy opened it, finding the criminal record of Duke Weaselton.

"Weaselton is up to something," Chief Bogo said.

"He's always up to something, Chief," She remarked as Clawhauser leaned over to her.

"Who's Weaselton?" He whispered excitedly.

"Just some petty thief," She answered, annoyed that even after multiple arrests he was up to no good yet again.

"That may be true, Hopps, but our petty thief is getting himself into deep water," Chief Bogo commented. Judy closed the folder and put it back on the desk.

"For the past few days we've gotten reports of a suspicious looking weasel spending his entire day sitting on a bench in a park in Sahara Square. What makes this questionable is that the park has developed a sinister reputation for gang recruitment."

Judy frowned.

"Sir, I don't think Weaselton is trying to join a gang," She said, "It's not his usual MO. He'll do side jobs for them, but if he got involved with one then that'd cut off his income from others."

"You're probably right, Officer Hopps, but we can't take any risks," Chief Bogo responded, "You well know that Lionheart won't allow any gang-related activity in the city, and if we can stop one mammal from ruining their life forever then that's another success for his crackdown. The two of you's job will be to monitor Weaselton. If you see him talking to or following anyone he shouldn't be then book him. Understood?"

Judy nodded, and Clawhauser did the same much more energetically.

"Dismissed!" Chief Bogo ordered as he straightened himself. Judy jumped down from the chair and smiled as she followed Clawhauser, who was nearly bouncing off the walls, out the door.

"Officer Hopps, can you hang back for a moment?" Chief Bogo asked just before she walked out the door.

"Of course," She answered, reaching into her pocket and tossing Clawhauser a set of car keys.

"Ben, why don't you pull the cruiser around front?" She asked. His eyes lit up and he nodded incessantly.

"I'd love to! And don't worry, chief, we won't have a repeat of May 2013," He promised.

"We better not, Officer Clawhauser, or the cruiser won't be the only thing which needs to be repaired," The chief casually threatened.

"Understood, sir," He responded half-frightened before he hurried down the hall. Judy walked back into the room, and with a massive push from her leg she was able to shut the door behind her.

"How's Wilde?" The chief asked as he turned and stared down at her.

"No improvement yet, chief. But it is the first day of his recovery, so I didn't expect any," She answered optimistically.

"Nor did I," He agreed, giving a curt nod, "I feel that his recovery will take some time, but I am as confident as you are that he'll pull through."

There was a brief moment of stillness before the Chief cleared his throat and walked to the podium to collect his clipboard. Judy followed behind him as he advanced toward the door, unable to open the massive slab of wood by herself.

His paw rested on the doorknob for a second before he turned to look down at her.

"Every morning I want an update on his condition, Officer Hopps. If he so much as consciously twitches his ear, then I want to know about it," He ordered.

"I wouldn't hide it from you, chief," She reassured with a twinge of elation. He gave a brief nod before he pulled the door open and wandered down the hallway. She went the opposite direction, trying to be as quick as possible so she wouldn't keep Clawhauser waiting any longer than he needed to.

There hadn't been any improvement today, but she was very optimistic that over the coming weeks his condition would improve. It was the only thing he could do. Once her confession of her feelings for him sunk in he'd hopefully begin to show signs of coming back. She wanted him back, and she had to know if the feelings she was having were hers alone or mutual.

If they were hers alone, then it would hurt. She knew that. But whatever relationship they would have would be miles better than the one they shared only some weeks ago. But if their feelings for one another were mutual, then their relationship would become much more closer. And passionate. Only time could tell what would happen...

But right now, she couldn't dive into those kinds of thoughts. She had a weasel to catch.

Weaselton did look out of place sitting nervously on the park bench. While sophisticated mammals dressed in suits and working clothes passed him by, he only wore an old pair of exercise shorts and a dirtied white tank top. Definitely not the attire you'd want to wear if you were trying to blend in.

Judy kept her eyes on him as she leaned forward in her seat, paws on the steering wheel. Her over-zealous partner did the same with his paws on the dashboard. From their covert position in an alley they could monitor their suspect without being seen by him, all the while not having to leave the confines of their cruiser. But after an hour and a half of intense focus there still hadn't been any movement from him.

Judy heaved and leaned back into her seat, taking her paws off the steering wheel. She glanced over at Clawhauser, who was still intently watching Weaselton in a very cramped position.

"Ben, you can move that seat back if you need to," She commented. He gave a huge sigh of relief and began to adjust the seat.

"Thank goodness!" He said as the cruiser shook at his adjustments. "I thought I was going to suffocate! I was just too nervous to change it without permission since it was still set to Nick's adjustments."

"There's no reason to worry," She reassured, turning back to the motionless weasel. He can always just readjust it.

Now comfortable, Clawhauser turned to Judy with an excited smile.

"So this is what it feels like to be a real cop?" He rhetorically asked.

"Yep," She responded smugly, turning to lock eyes with him. "But just wait. You'll have had enough of it when our suspect still hasn't moved in six hours."

He giggled and waved his paw.

"That's funny," He exclaimed. Iit looks like you've finally found the sense of humor your partner left you."

"What do you mean 'finally'?" She inquired forcefully but politely with a big frown. Clawhauser fidgeted, realizing his ill-conceived statement.

"Well," He began, "You haven't exactly been the Judy I know for the past two years."

She shifted in her seat to face him, and he continued when her face became even more sternly curious.

"You were just so focused on bringing in the Grizzly Brother that you kind of forgot everything else. I mean, you stopped going out for drinks with me, you stopped texting me after work, and eventually you just stopped talking to me!"

A sudden realization washed over Judy and she began to feel embarrassment and guilt well up inside of her.

"I can understand that you were upset- we all were. And you were his partner, which made it even worse. I'm not complaining, but you didn't have to cut me of-"

"I'm so sorry!" She loudly interrupted. "I'm so sorry, Ben! I didn't know I was that blind! I didn't mean to alienate you, and I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

She closed her eyes and took in a huge, unsmelling sniff. When she opened them she put on her most pleading face and held out a paw.

"Can you forgive me?"

Clawhauser stared at her blankly for a second before he eagerly shook her paw.

"Awwww," He almost squealed, "I could never stay mad at a cute little bunny like you!"

She smiled, ignoring his transgression. They both turned back to monitor Weaselton, who still had yet to move off the bench.

"But you have to buy me a drink," He added. "And take me to the Gazelle concert down at Westrat stadium."

"You well know that neither of us can afford tickets to that concert," She scoffed in a mock tone of outrage. Clawhauser turned to her with wide and sad eyes.

"Come on, Judy!" He pleaded, "I love her new album more than anything else in the world! And If I bought a ticket to her concert then I'd starve!"

"I'm sorry, Ben," She apologized. "I love the album as much as you do, but If I were to buy two tickets then I'd starve and be homeless!"

Although I can always crash at Nick's place now that I know where it is, She fancifully thought. But she wasn't ready to cross that bridge yet - it was still his house, regardless of her name now being on it's deed.

Clawhauser Huh'd! and crossed his arms..

"I guess you'll have to buy me two drinks then," He pouted. "How does this Thursday sound? We could go out for Nick's Birthday."

Judy's eyes widened and her ears perked.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, his Birthday!" She exclaimed. "Is it really on Thursday?"

Clawhauser gave a big nod.

"I would've expect you to remember August 14, seeing how you were his girlfriend and all." He playfully commented. She just shook her head, mouth agape.

"I haven't really been thinking about the date too much," She explained. "I've been focused on some other stuff."

Stuff called Nick Wilde, She silently added.

"I'd love to go for drinks on Thursday."

"Good," He responded gaily. "We can celebrate his life and his friendship."

Judy smiled and turned back to the suspect, suppressing the feelings which urged her to tell her friend that her partner wasn't dead. She was glad that she had a friend to talk to again, even if it wasn't the one at the top of her 'Mammals I need to talk to' list. As she took a moment to analyze the situation in the park a big frown formed on her face.

Weaselton was still on the bench, but now he was accompanied by a jet-black wolf who wore dark gray running shorts and a tight blank tank top. He sat next to him, speaking, but wasn't turned towards him. Weaselton kept his eyes off his new counterpart as well, not wanting to draw any suspicion towards them both.

"Clawhauser, are you seeing this?" She asked, pointing towards the wolf.

"Yeah," He answered. "What do we do now?"

"What chief told us to do," She responded, opening the cruiser's door. "We arrest them both."

She jumped out onto the worn black concrete and slammed her door shut. The cruiser visibly shook as Clawhauser joined her on the sidewalk across from the park. Looking both ways they crossed the mildly busy street and reached the sidewalk on the other side.

"So, what's the plan?" Clawhauser eagerly inquired as they stood besides the park's high metal fence. Judy tapped her foot, her mind hard at work formulating a plan.

"Ok," She said, snapping her fingers. "I've got it. You see that gateway?"

She pointed to a metal archway she could make out at another end of the park. Clawhauser nodded.

"I need you to go guard that gate," She ordered. "Go around the park and don't let them see you. When you're in position I'll flush them toward you, and we should have them both trapped."

"Got it," He said, turning and beginning a slow jog around the perimeter of the park. Judy watched the gate at the other end of the park intently, waiting for his arrival. After what felt like an eternity he appeared, bent over and breathing hard. After he collected himself he gave a thumbs up, still panting. Judy nodded and began to walk towards Weaselton and the wolf.

Luckily her small size and the generally larger mammals walking around her concealed her from her targets. They only saw her when she was standing right in front of them, her arms crossed and foot tapping against the pavement. Stunned, all they did was stare at her as she drew out her badge.

"ZPD," She stated, "You're both und-"

They both bolted at the words, the wolf in the lead. Judy sprinted right behind them, weaving in and out of oncoming foot traffic. She cut them off as they tried to turn away and slowly herded them toward her partner. Once they saw Clawhauser they stopped dead in their tracks, trapped between the two officers in a standoff.

Weaselton made the first move, trying to rush Clawhauser but only being caught by one of his massive paws. He struggled as he was thrown to the ground and only thrashed harder when Clawhauser drew out his extra-small pair of handcuffs. Taking advantage of the situation, the black wolf threw himself over Clawhauser and landed lightly on the sidewalk before he sprinted across the street, causing the traffic to stop abruptly with a series of loud honks.

"Ben, secure Weaselton!" Judy called out behind her as she chased the wolf across the street. Directly across from the gate where Clawhauser was standing there was a long, dirty alleyway. The wolf ran straight down it and she followed, the bright mid-morning light dimly streaming between the brick buildings on either side of her.

Her adrenaline filled strides still couldn't catch up to his. He was a predator; his legs were purposely made for sprinting, but not necessarily for long-distance running. Above her own curt breaths she heard him beginning to pant heavily.

"Surrender!" She called out to him, "You can't get away! We can offer you assurances if you willin-"

His paw slipped into his pocket and Judy felt her heart freeze over.

He's reaching for something! She thought. Her police instincts kicked in and her paw fell to her belt. She managed to unlock the case to her tranquilizer gun and she drew it out at the same time the wolf's paw came out of his pocket. It was clenched around a small vile of red liquid.

Whatever that is, it's an unknown substance that could do harm to bystanders or officers.

She raised her tranquilizer gun and carefully aimed it at the nape of his neck.

I have reason to subdue him using force!

Time slowed down as she threw herself up into the air. She gripped her gun with both paws and waited until she was at the summit of her jump to pull the trigger. Luckily, her years of shooting practice paid off. The dart found it's mark.

But at the same time the sedative entered her suspect the red liquid in the vile did as well. He crushed the glass tube in his paw and let the substance enter through the newly formed wounds. Judy landed lightly and continued her sprint after him.

He abruptly stopped as the alleyway ended in a brick wall. Judy pulled out her taser and cautiously approached him as he stared up at the sky, back turned to her.

"On the ground!" She yelled, but he didn't move. She stopped her advance on him. If he could withstand a sedative dart enough to put a elephant down in seconds then she didn't want to know what else he was capable of.

"On the ground - NOW!" She forcefully ordered.

His muscles tensed underneath his tank top, and with one massive push off the ground he hurled himself halfway up the wall. He scrambled up the other half with his claws, and Judy flinched at the sounds of metal pulling against brick.

"Metal...claws?" She asked confused.

With one final heave her suspect was on top of the building and out of sight a moment later. Judy slid her taser back into her belt and scowled at herself. She rarely lost a criminal. Her determination to catch anyone and make Zootopia a safer place drove her to be much more vigorous when it came to apprehending suspects. If this had been a fair fight he wouldn't have stood a chance against her, but whatever was in the vile had given him an unfair advantage. With a final, frustrated sigh she began to jog back down the alleyway.

"Officer Hopps," A voice below her called, "Is your suspect in custody?"

Judy reached down to her belt and held her short-distance radio up to her mouth.

"No," She responded bitterly, "He's avoided capture - for now. Is Weaselton secured?"

"Yes. I'm taking him back to the cruiser now," The radio crackled. Judy nodded.

At least one of the targets is in custody. She thought. Clawhauser doesn't make a half bad field officer.

After several minutes of light jogging she reached the cruiser and saw Clawhauser putting Weaselton in the prisoner's seat in the back.

"Hold on," She called out to him, and he looked down at her before turning his suspect to meet her face to face.

"What were you doing with that wolf, Weaselton?" She inquired aggresively.

"I ain't talkin', Flopsy the Copsy," He defiantley responded. She growled, but he wasn't intimidated.

"Put him away," She commanded Clawhauser, and he nodded before shoving him into the cruiser. Weaselton's shout of protest was cut short as the door slammed shut.

"I hope he didn't cause too much trouble," Judy said, walking to stand in front of the hood of the car.

"Oh, he didn't," He responded, coming to stand next to her. "it just took me a while to get the cuffs on him, that's all."

He looked down at her curiously.

"How'd you lose the wolf? You never lose anyone, Judy."

"He had this weird substance," She explained. "Once it was inside him he resisted my tranquilizer and scaled a perfectly vertical wall. And by the sounds of his climbing he had metal claws. Or something along those lines."

Clawhauser looked up into the partly cloudy sky, his eyes squinted.

"A strange liquid. And metal claws..." He pondered. "Not many criminals use those, do they."

Judy shook her head.

"Not many, no. They're illegal and pretty expensive, since they have to be perfectly fitted to your fingers."

She looked up at Clawhauser.

"That only makes me more worried that he's still out on the streets."

"Well, once we take our weasel back to headquarters we'll find out who this predator is and how to catch him," Clawhauser reassured.

Judy grinned.

"Well let's get back to headquarters, then," She said, turning to open the door to the cruiser. Once she was in she pulled the door shut and put on her seat belt as the car shook from her partner's entrance. She pulled the keys out of her pocket and was about to start the cruiser when she looked over at him.

"Ben," She said.

"Hmmm?" He replied, struggling with the seat belt.

"Good work today," She commended. "I forgot how good it felt to have a partner."

"Oh stop, you," He chided with a downward wave of his paw. "I was just doing my job."

Judy smiled and turned the car on. It didn't feel good to have a partner again. It felt really good. Clawhauser would never be her first pick, but he was a helping and observant partner none the less. Completely different from Nick, who had been little more than a burden most days.

Most days. When he made an arrest, it was usually an important one. She could never match his skills and information he learned in the criminal underworld, but she could at least try. They were polar opposites, but that worked very well for them - like Yin and Yang. Pulling out into the slow traffic, she could hardly wait for the day when she and him would be patrolling the streets again.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction Chapter 8 - September 16

A Fox in Shining Armor: A Zootopian Fanfiction Chapter 1 - September 30

Fourty Thousand: A Zootopia Fanfiction Chapter 1 - TBA

A Debt payed in Blood: A Zootopia Short Story - TBA

It doesn't feel great in the morning: A Zootopia Short Story - TBA

This chapter was last edited September 1, 2016