"Hold up, Fluff," Nick gleefully shouted between heavy pants. His mind was focused on his crutches and trying to keep them by his sides without them slipping on the wet leaves sticking to the pavement path his partner had led him down. Fracturing his skull wouldn't be the best thing for his health - nor was this strenuous walk! But he needed exercise and his rabbit wanted to show him something, so who was he to argue with a stubborn and fretful bunny?

"There we go," He grunted aloud as the leaves thinned out and sunlight began to stream in through the canopy overhead. He turned his gaze upwards, confident that he could shuffle along stably again, and stared at the rabbit looking back at him from the end of the pathway through a squint. He grumbled quietly to himself as he continued his approach, not wanting to make his counterpart think that his annoyance was because of the hike. It was just that his eyesight was returning - and that meant he was once again susceptible to the sun's blinding rays.

"Hurry up, slow poke!" Judy shouted at him while she incessantly hopped from one foot to the other, and Nick smiled and sped up his pace as much as he could. He could feel her eagerness pulsing out from her green blouse even from here, and some of it managed to penetrate his thinning fur and excite him. Here he was with the mammal he loved, the mammal whom he had waited so long to see again. It still seemed impossible to him that he was with her, but he didn't question the universe. Fortune was on his side, and that made his heart swell to the point where it was stretching the sutures on his chest.

"Slow down, before you make me bust something!" He sarcastically shouted as Judy turned down a bright curve in the concrete path and disappeared from sight behind the surrounding trees and ferns.

"Then hurry up, before I break your crutches and leave you out here all on your own!" She energetically yelled with a twinge of frustration from behind the corner, and Nick felt his smile grow a little more as he rounded the same curve in the path.

"I can almost walk without them, Sweetheart," He daringly commented as he caught sight of his rabbit standing on the edge of the path with her eyes focused outwards. An earnest expression was on her face as she stared at the blindingly bright scene between a break in the trees, and even as he came to a standstill beside her she paid no attention to him.

"I'm Nick Wilde," He began to lightheartedly joke, following his partner's purple gaze outwards from the path. "I've been dead twice. I can handle a half-mile hike without... Wow..."

Sprawled out before him was paradise itself, in all of its magnificent grandeur. The mid-morning sun was barely peeking behind the rolling hills on the other side of the valley, illuminating every tree on the hills to a light green. The river that ran just beside the institute was crystal blue, and even from its constant course far below him at valley's floor the incessant sounds of its gentle torrent were still audible. No matter where his eyes traveled there wasn't the slightest sight of civilization. It was almost overwhelming, the remoteness and beauty of everything, but the warmth radiating onto his fur and his partner's quick, constant breaths motivated him to stand still and enjoy the sight.

What am I turning into? Nick easily asked himself while he relaxed his muscles and reclined into his crutches. Some philosophical jerk. Jeez. Soon enough I'll be growing a mam bun. Wonder what Carrots will think.

Nick didn't bother asking the rabbit standing next to him and instead moved his left paw off his crutch to grip her limp paw. Her ears shot up as he wrapped his fingers in-between hers, and she turned towards him with a surprised expression without uttering a sound. Even from the corners of his eyes he could see a smile forming on her face, and he felt her digits curl around his in a wordless show of compassion. After a while he closed his eyes, basking in the love that seemed to whirl around him. For the first time in years he finally felt content.

"You know, it's gonna be hard," Judy eventually said after what had felt like a lifetime, and Nick opened his gaze and looked over her downcast yet strength-filled face. "Just jumping back into society. A lot's changed in two years, you know."

"I'll have to get a new phone," He jovially acknowledged, and Judy turned towards him with a humored smile and a partially raised eyebrow.

"Is that really the first thing that springs into your mind?" She critically asked.

"You betcha," He answered with a smile, and she affectionately scoffed in fit of annoyance while her eyes turned back to stare at the valley. Nick remained silent as he studied her face, and he felt a small feeling of nervousness push itself into the forefront of his mind as he rolled his jaw. A lot had changed since he had departed from Zootopia on that fateful voyage. But so had he. He wasn't the same, closed-minded fox that had been abandoned at Arctic One.

"Truth is, Carrots, I'm not too worried about jumping back into the city and the ZPD," He confessed, turning back to look towards the rising sun, and from the corner of his gaze he caught a sight of purple. "You see, I've got a cute little bunny up my sleeve that's gonna help me grip the reins again."

"Awwwww!" Judy lightly exclaimed in warmth, and she leaned over onto him and buried her cheek into his shoulder. Nick grinned in delight at the feeling of her heartbeat against his fur, and he pressed his cheek into the top of her head.

"But don't call me cute again," She warmly warned with a twinge of seriousness while their scents wrapped around one another.

"Sue me, cutie," He deviously countered, his grin now a full smile.

Wow. What a journey it's been. Two surgeries, an election, family issues and senior year in school.

AND, of course, a 22 chapter story. (I think it's 22, at least...)

I'm pleased to announce that this is the end of Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction. But is this the end of the story? Hell No! Did you see how ominous I left the ending? Prophit ain't gone! (Not yet, anyways...) I hope you all will wait around for Primal's second part:

Intrigue

A Zootopia Fanfiction

Q: So when will Intrigue be released?

A: As of now Intrigue has no release date. Most likely its prologue will be up and ready to read by mid-summer (that's northern hemisphere, folks!). I'll post any updates on the release date here, in this 'chapter'. Just don't check every other day or complain about how 'long you'll have to wait'. Writing takes time!

Q: What will Intrigue be about?

A: I'm not revealing major plot points, but Intrigue will revolve around the conflict between Judy/Nick and society, Nick and his duty to keep his true identity secret, and Prophit's attempt at segregating Zootopia. The story will take place in the months after Primal, with the prologue taking place at the end of Nick's recovery at the MGRI.

Q: Is there anything else you can tell us about the story?

A: noun: intrigue

1.

formal the secret planning of something illicit or detrimental to someone.

informal dirty tricks

alternative a secret love affair.

2.

formal a mysterious or fascinating quality.

Q: Great. A vague answer. So what will you do now?

A: If you didn't already know, I'm already involved with a second story called A Fox in Shining Armor: A Zootopia Fanfiction that is set in a medieval/renaissance AU. Go read that if you haven't yet! That will be my priority over the next few months, and as such will be updated on a bi-monthly (2 times a month) schedule until I have more free time. Also, my second priority is to fervently edit and correct Primal itself. I haven't had the time to really put my back into it and edit it properly, so expect minor grammar/ word choice changes over these next few months but NO major plot changes.

But, Like i said before, Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction is finished.

If you have any questions, concerns, requests, etc, please feel free to PM me. PLEASE DON'T COMMENT QUESTIONS - THIS CAN BECOME VERY ANNOYING SOMETIMES. I will answer all questions sent to me in this 'chapter'.

Q: are you looking for more oc

A: Not really. I feel like OCs take life out of a story, and I use them begrudgingly and with intense caution. I don't just like to create a named character with a backstory just for the heck of it! I feel that it's then that the main characters of the story begin to have the life drained out of them and transferred to someone's interpretation of themselves in that universe. Hence why none of my own creations have taken the forefront of the story.

Q: Hey I have a question about your the sequel to this story why would nick have to keep his true identity a secret?

A: That's been answered several times throughout the story. Allow me to take you back to chapter ? (honestly I can't remember where I wrote it, but I KNOW it's there). Since Mayor Lionheart kept Nick's existence a secret to avoid a political firestorm (mentioned in CH4), he complicated the situation by therefore acknowledging that Nick was dead. While this drew the public eye away from the situation for good, Nick just can't jump back into society now that he's all patched up! He'll have to live the rest of his life either under a NEW ALIAS or move into a remote district of the city (THAT'S NOT HAPPENING). Hence, this is Lionheart's weakness and what Prophit will exploit to remove him from the mayor-ship.

I should probably say that Zootopia and its respective characters all belong to Disney but that Prophit, Voltaire, and Zdanskyi all belong to me. Don't steal, but feel free to ask!

I honestly thank each and every one of you for reading this piece. I never imagined how much love this would get. It all started out as a side hobby, but turned into a story with 300 followers. Damn Spartans. I don't care if you've only just joined or you've been here since the story had 5 words, you all matter to me. From me to you,

Thanks for a wonderful ride.

Sincerely, Tsar Volkov