Welcome back!

Sorry for the wait, again. I've been busy, lately. Which has got me thinking, actually. Is there a way I can update you all on the story's progress? If there is, let me know. I'd like to keep you all updated. It sucks to be left in the dark with these things.

Well, I haven't much to say. I hope you all like where the story is heading!

...

"Yes, I've seen the… No, I haven't heard of them before. But they may be exaggerating their… what? Nick? Sir, with all due respect… listen, please, he isn't fit for duty..." She finally gave in and leaned back with a sigh. "First thing tomorrow morning, seven. Okay," she huffed in defeat as she threw her smartphone onto their couch-side table.

"So, it was never just a simple robbery-turned-shootout, huh?"

"No," she sunk into the pillows, "I guess not."

"Why does he want me there?"

"You're a predator and you work with me, a prey. He wants us to just roam the city and let people see us working together. Bogo believes it'll… calm them people down."

Nick got up from the couch and went over to their kitchen and pulled out two cups. He than began pouring carrot juice in one and blueberry juice in the other. "This is going to get worse, isn't it?"

"I hope not."

"I don't mean to be negative here, but… I can see them gaining more ground, more supporters. Predator-prey relationships are still strained as it is, even after you proved that predators were going savage because of Nighthowlers, not because of their biology." Judy closed her eyes and thought back to that press conference and the week that followed. She nearly tore the city apart after saying those ignorant words.

"I'm still sorry about that."

"You know I've forgiven you. You made up for it," he replied with a smile and returned to his partner with the drinks. "You're my best friend."

"And girlfriend?" Judy asked with a sly smile as she took her carrot juice and snuggled into her partner's fur as he sat back down.

"And girlfriend, you silly bunny." He sipped a little of his drink.

"Yeah, yeah. But, do you really think this could get worse?"

"It's been a year, yeah, but I still catch dirty looks and rude comments."

"I-" Nick cut her off again for the thousandth time.

"No, no, I have to stop you right there. It's okay, I promise. My life has actually improved ever since that conference. "

"How so?" Her ears perked up.

"Well…" he looked into her eyes, "I've had the time of my life. I have a decent profession, some animals actually look up to me now (despite what's going on now at the moment), he inched a little closer, "…oh, and I get to spend every second of my time with the best animal in all the world. Can't forget that."

"You are a huge flirt, you know that?" She was falling for him even more than she already had.

"I try."

"But, I think the honor of being the best animal of the world belongs to you."

"I don't know about that."

"C'mon, you're a great mammal, the best even."

"Plenty would disagree, cottontail."

"Well, I don't," she chirped. "It's impossible to please everybody."

"Though, even the word says 'I'm possible.' It's how you spell it, at least." He sighed in memory of his father. He told him that. He also told him that even if something really is impossible, like pleasing everyone, you can at least try. Then you'd become exceptional. Judy even said that once. Ah, inspiration sayings. Everyone knows 'em.

"Hm, never looked at it like that. You're right."

"But, we really do need to get some rest. I'd rather not be a zombie by morning."

"Nick, it's only one."

"I knoooow!" he yawned loudly and awkwardly, making them both laugh uncontrollably. Love was truly blossoming.

…

"Wilde. Hopps." The chief greeted his star officers. "I'll skip all the pleasantries since I don't care." He paused and shifted a few papers. "I trust you both know the severity of the situation?"

Nick donned his usual, cocky smirk and said, "Hundreds of anti-predatorists, probably with an ironic taste for predator blood, fear within the streets, possible back-lash from preds, the threat of a mini-civil war, and so on. That about cover it?"

"Wilde, cut it," Bogo growled. "But, yes, you're correct. And their numbers are indeed multiplying with every passing hour."

"Sir, do they even have a name?" Judy asked.

"They call themselves the Liberators, implying that prey need to be liberated from predators and they are the ones who are going to do it. That's irrelevant, however. I just need you two to calm things down. Show predator-prey cooperation and friendship before things get out of paw."

"Chief, tell us, seriously. How bad are things, really?" Nick was growing slightly impatient.

He hesitated and set his eyes on the red fox. For a moment, they locked eyes. "...Only an hour ago, we got a report of a savage predator; a cougar." Nick's tail began twitching, but he remained silent. "The antidote has been given to her, but, it isn't working."

"How is that possible?" Judy said.

"As of now, Hopps, we haven't found a trace of Nighthowler in or on her. There seems to be something else causing this."

"The, um, Liberators are probably behind the cougar, Bogo," Nick huffed. "They could have found a way to disguise the flower and its traces, or they have found another way to make predators go savage."

"That's what we believe. But, for now, we have nothing to go on. All we know is that this group of prey is not claiming responsibility for the cougar."

"Let me guess," the fox stood up, "they are blaming her biology for the attack? And prey are believing them?"

"Yes, that is unfortunately the case."

"Is, is this my fault?" The buffalo and fox turned to look at the little bunny who was fidgeting with her droopy ears. "I said the same thing a year ago… did I cause this?"

Nick went back to her side and took her paw. "No, Judy. I've had people say the same thing to my face years before I met you. Some people just believe that, and most of them probably believed that even before you said it during that press conference."

"Your partner is right. What you said at the conference isn't the first time I've heard a predator's biology brought up and blamed for their actions.

Judy nodded. "And that shouldn't happen. I'm going to stop this!" Her foot was thumping wildly.

"We are going to stop this. Let's just get all the information we need."

Judy ignored him, darting past and heading onwards to their cruiser. "Well," Bogo muttered, "dismissed, I guess."

Nick laughed. "Where did the cougar go savage?"

"Apartment 407 on Walnut Street. Tundratown."

"They named a street 'Walnut Street' in Tundratown?"

"Don't ask."

…

"Hey, wait up!" he panted as he saw his partner jump into their cruiser.

"I've been. Get in!" She opened the passenger side door and drummed her tiny claws in the steering wheel out of sheer impatience.

"What's the hurry?" Nick said as he jumped inside.

"I'm tired of all of this hatred towards predators! You shouldn't have to live with prey doing these things to you! First, it was that stupid sheep in your class, then you got muzzled for trying to be a scout, and then that fair was destroyed with your… sorry, Nick.." Suddenly, the car lurched forward and jumped onto the street.

"Carrots," he laughed, "Relax. At least try to. We'll stop this. Let's just not lose our badges for speeding?" He looked outside their window and saw the blur of buildings, animals, lamp posts, and cars. A screeching followed as Judy applied the breaks.

"S-sorry."

Nick placed his paw on her shoulder. "We've got this. Let's just start investigating. We need to visit where the cougar turned savage."

"Oh, right. Do we need to turn around or call? I left in a hurry and I-"

"I asked him already."

"So that's what took you so long!"

"Yeah, because I know how to do my job," he smiled.

"Oh ha ha. Now, please, where is it?"

"Tundratown. Apartment 407 on Walnut Street."

"Walnut Street? In Tundratown?" She was confused by the name as much as Nick.

"I know. Let's just get there."

It took them a good hour to enter Tundratown, a vast section of the city that was designed for animals who live in snowy environments. The entire district is blanketed in a thick layer of snow with cracked ice covering anything the snow does not touch. Even the roads are slick with slushy snow. But, sometimes, you do get the luxury of taking a slab of ice, floating on a thin river, through the center of the district.

Nick and Judy found themselves driving down an isolated slope that was lined with two-story apartments that had also fallen victim to the snow's grip. Here and there, they saw penguins, arctic foxes, and even a polar bear walking along the slick sidewalks.

At the bottom of the slope, they found the apartment. It was like all the rest except for the yellow police tape covering the front door.

The duo stepped out of their vehicle, wearing thick police coats, and made their way towards the crime scene. A lone officer acknowledged their presence and motioned then towards him. He was a tall gazelle. 'Why was a gazelle an officer in Tundratown? How does he handle the cold everyday?' Nick thought. Judy wondered this as well.

Perhaps its best not to question, though.

"Greetings,Hopps," came a gruff voice from the gazelle. "…and Wilde. I'm officer Hahn. Go ahead and step under the police tape. Just be prepared. The scene isn't pretty." Nick nodded and Judy murmured a shaky 'thanks' and followed her partner through the doorway.

He wasn't lying. The living room was trashed. A box television was lying screen-first on the floor surrounded by the remnants of it's glass, the couch was tore to pieces, having being chewed on and scratched, and even a ceiling fan was torn from its place and was lying as a crumpled mess on top of the broken coffee table.

That wasn't the worst part, though. Blood was strewn all over the compact room, soaking into the green carpet and staining just about everything else. In the far left corner, dark blood stained the white wall in such a way that it made a silhouette of a mammal. Nick and Judy looked at each other and sighed. That must've been where a victim of the cougar sat. They probably were no longer alive.

"Yes, it's grisly," the gazelle officer told them. "The cougar, we learned, lived here. Her name was Carmelita Mccloud. Her fiancée was here when she turned savage; a young, male cougar. His name was Jonathan Tice. She killed him."

Nick pulled his partner close to him and looked at the officer standing in front of him. "Where is Carmelita now?"

"At Upshaw Memorial, a hospital here in Tundratown dedicated to Upshaw, a predator surgeon. He risked his life on the day that the Predator Fair was attacked all those years ago. He saved many preds. Sadly, he is not here with us now."

"The world has lost many great people," Nick said quietly. He hated thinking back to that day. Judy looked up at him with concern.

"Which is why Zootopia has us to protect the city." Judy nodded. All she wanted to do was make the world a better place.

Hahn spoke up again. "But that can be a difficult task when there are no leads. Take a look around. No signs of forced entry, no signs of Nighthowlers, nothing. All we have is a small living room that is torn to shreds. No other rooms have anything worth noting in them. This is all we have. Carmelita turned here, made her kill, and was taken away by police officers. That's all we know."

"There's got to be something," Nick whispered to himself, sniffing around the room and taking a closer look at every little detail.

"We've had our top canine units take a look They came back with no further information. I doubt you will."

"He's got an uncanny skill at noticing the smallest and most crucial of details," Judy remarked, thinking back to previous cases they've been on together where he found substantial evidence where everyone else found nothing. Nick Wilde was very good at his job.

"Why do I smell a squirrel?" Nick said as he sniffed the air.

"You don't. There hasn't been one in here."

"Was there a squirrel in the investigation team or part of the paramedic team who came to this building? If not, then we have a third mammal who was in this room at the time of the attack."

"Wilde, I can assure you, there has not been a squirrel in here. There are no squirrel paramedics or officers in Tundratown, and none visit the district anyway."

"Well, I believe him. He has an amazing record and I've seen him action enough to know he is a very capable officer," Judy supported Nick.

"Of course you think that. I know who this fox is."

"This fox?" Nick growled.

"I don't know how you got on the force, but I know you don't belong there. This bunny, yes, she's a good cop. But I don't know about you."

"Where did the attitude come from?" Judy growled as well. Nick made sure to note that, apparently, bunnies can growl. Or Judy alone can.

"Didn't you just see him sniffing around like an idiot? We already had better mammals with better scent detection come in here. There is no way a fox could-"

Suddenly, Nick and Judy's radios boomed to life with Bogo's voice coming through their speakers. "Wilde, Hopps! We have a situation by the Precinct! Come here ASAP!"

Nick made a snarling noise and then hurried off to their cruiser with Judy right beside him. Neither of them noticed the grin that appeared on Hahn's face as he watched them leave.

…

The street was in an almost somber state. The fox and rabbit, having already exited their vehicle, looked in horror at the scene in front of them. There were twelve prey animals dead in the street in front of their Precinct. Three predators were also dead, having been shot by officers at the scene. Paramedics dotted the street as they worked to take the bodies.

They walked silently as they made their way to chief Bogo who was speaking to Mayor Keegan, a scrawny hare with slim ears and brown eyes.

"You can't do that, Mayor Keegan!" roared Bogo. "We don't know what is causing predators to go savage! Doing this will only increase the chaos!"

"What other choice do I have?!" spit the hare. "Do I just sit aside as I watch innocent prey die by the hands of dastardly predators who can't control their inctincts?!"

"Can't control – what?! Sir, this is not their own doing! Something is making them go savage against their will! Do you not hear me?!"

"You're fired, Bogo! And I AM bringing back shock collars! I will not sit idly as prey die! This is my only choice!"

"You're only choice?!" screamed Nick. "You are asking for a civil war! There are other ways to protect the city! Bringing back shock collars, after they've been outlawed for several decades, will only make matters worse! They were outlawed for a reason, you bastard!"

Judy finally spoke up. "I know predators who are better mammals than most prey in the city! This is a hate crime against them! You are reverting the city back hundreds of years!"

"We already have thirteen prey dead because of their kind! Shock collars are coming back, and they are exclusively for the predator population! Hopefully then their kind will learn its place in society!"

"Not on my watch!" growled Nick as he sprinted towards the Mayor with Judy beside him.