"Life can be cruel. Life can be difficult to the point of suffocation. Life can shove you to the ground and forget about you whilst taking away every single thing you hold dear. Given the chance, life will do all of that and more, not once having the slightest care, the slightest hint of remorse. It will never feel regret. It will never come back and make things better. No, instead, it'll smile and laugh as you struggle to find any reason to be happy anymore, to find reason to live with as each haggard breath reminds you of what you've lost in the journey we call life.

The only thing you have is the paw you've been dealt in life; the set of cards that dictate every single aspect of every single second of your short life. You may choose how to play them, but sometimes, it doesn't even matter. Life could give your opponents, your hardships, a better paw, a paw that is impossible to beat, for instance. In truth, you could be the most intelligent being on the planet, but the luck of the draw will always have some sort of control over your life and the events that play out over the course of each day. You're never the one in control as you make decisions that supposedly are of your own free-will. Your fate, your journey, is determined from the second your little form emerges from the bloody womb of your mother."

That's what she's been told. Did she ever believe it?

Perhaps, for a few fleeting moments years ago, she did. She did believe it. How could she not, though? It felt like the sad mammal who was so passionately speaking about life knew exactly what she was going through. It was as if he had watched an overly-detailed movie of her troubled existence; a movie that shown him the cards she had been dealt and the impossible game she found herself stuck in ever since her little eyes lost their innocence and saw the world for what it truly was.

But, she had a son whom she loved with every fiber of her being, every wispy inch of her slowly aging soul. There was never a second where she was not thinking of him. The very thought of her son clung to the back of her mind so powerfully that not even the most dire of circumstances that would require her utmost focus could tear away the little itch in the back of her mind that was Nick Wilde. Her Nick Wilde.

He was hers from the very beginning. From the very second he was born, the very second the shining emerald pastures that were the two of his eyes opened up and soaked in all the intricate details of the world, she loved him with a love so undeniable and so true that even the most despicable and uncaring of animals would stop and appreciate the love emitting from her heart that belonged solely for her little, red fur ball that was now her life and her entire reason for living.

And he was the only thing she had left. One of the few good and immensely important cards she had been dealt. He helped her realize that, while she may have been dealt a paw of issues, hardships, troubles, and et cetera, she had more than enough good cards to see her through to the end of the game all the while coming out good in the end. In fact, he was one of her two winning cards; Nick and George Wilde. The best cards anyone could ever hope to be lucky enough to be given. The best and only ones.

Did she feel lucky? Yes, yes she did. Was she lucky? Blessed? That is entirely up to your own interpretation, your beliefs. But, I must say, in my own opinion, she was both.

…

Fear.

A thing a significant amount of prey mammals feel when they see a predator. It's not neccassarily their fault, though. They are hardwired ever since birth to fear claws, with the ability to dig into a mammal without issue and drag out any number of organs, fangs, with the ability to snap a neck in half as if it were a dead stick fallen from a withering tree, and even the smallest of movements that could be a predator lurking in the shadows. It's something that most prey will never get over when they see a predator.

Disgust.

Prey learn early on in life during their first few months at school of what exactly predators can do to them. Of how they relish the taste of iron as blood from their newest kill seeps through the chunks of meat that they tear through. Of how they rely on meat to survive, never touching the delicious fruits and vegetables that surround them, instead choosing to devour defenseless prey.

It's not uncommon for young students to puke and gag at the thought.

Anger.

Of course, eventually, these students become enveloped with the blazing fire of anger towards predators once they learn all of these facts. 'How could these things to that to us?' they ask. 'What did we ever do to them? Counless lives have been lost to predators, and for what?' This anger builds and spreads throughout every fiber of their being sometimes. It's almost an inevitability when the prey schooling system teaches this to their students. However, in their defense, they do teach a variety of good things about predators to their students. But, sometimes, the damage is done and is unable to be repaired.

Thankfully, there are mammals like Judy Hopps who are able to see who predators truly are. They truly are the glue that holds this civilization together. Mammals who look deep inside of others instead of relying on stereotypes and actions of their kind from years ago.

But, isn't glue a temporary fix? When something as complex as society relies on glue to hold everything together, you must re-apply it. Nurture it. Enhance it. There will always be things chipping away at the solidified glue that you worked tirelessly to apply.

One simply cannot assume that the glue will last forever. Things break all the time. They will break if you try hard enough.

The glue between predators and prey, the glue of harmony between these two sides of what really is the same coin, is now cracked and chipped. The entire construct that is society is about to crumble into a pile of angry, mis-matched pieces.

Perhaps it already did. After all, there was a horde of angry prey rampaging throughout the city.

The worst part was how no one was trying to stop it. Instead, many were joining in. Taking part. This was their chance to let loose all the built up anger towards preds. To show their kind how they think of them. How worthless predators are.

In their minds, they found that there was no real reason for predators to exist. They simply murdered and feasted upon defenseless mammals all those years ago, doing nothing to actually contribute to anything worthwhile. Back then, yes, it was nature's way of keeping populations in check. But now, with society, the murdering of mammals is an act that can land you a life in prison. There is no trimming of particular species' population.

So, knowing that, what purpose do predators have? They are simply a walking memory of the disgusting things that their kind used to do.

Never before did they contribute to anything. They were all vile muderers. Why should they be treated as equals now? Why are they not punished for these ancient actions? Society can go on without them. No one needs a wolf, a fox, a jaguar. They've served their purpose years ago. And, now, they are reverting back to their old ways and allowing their most primal instincts to take control, the prey believed.

This was the driving force of this angry horde. They were even becoming inclined to stoop to murder. To officially rid themselves of these carnivorous wastes of fur.

To them, a predator held no value whatsoever.

This is how several homes were burnt to the ground, ashes and clouds of smoke filling the air. Cries of joy, coming from the horde, could be heard a mile away.

It wasn't enough, though. They were starting to itch for blood. They had the numbers. They could do it. They could kill a predator and get away with it.

And that they did.

Several families of predators were killed, brutally and without mercy, and their muderers were having the time of their lives. They relished in it.

It was only a matter of time until they made their way to Nick and Judy's old home. Everyone knew where they lived. The heroes of Zootopia, a title that no longer means anything, were basically celebrities. Of course their address was leaked out.

And now, what was once their home was about to be burnt to a crisp.

Gasoline was their choice. Together, they splashed and poured gallon after gallon of the combustible liquid all over the apartment building.

They didn't even care about the surrounding apartments. This fire was going to burn brightly and unhindered.

…

Amber Wilde did not know what was going on. All she wanted to do was help her son and his girlfriend. With their busy jobs, there was no way for them to find the time to move everything out by the deadline.

At first, things were calm. She was content for the most part as she packed up Nick and Judy's belongings into cardboard boxes. Amber couldn't wait to surprise those two lovebirds with their stuff inside a storage unit.

Though, she couldn't help but feel a little tinge of guilt. She was, after all, invading their privacy. But, otherwise, they could lose everything they own.

Deep inside, she was angry at the city as a whole. Predators were better than what the news made them look like. It's like all of their past good deeds have been completely wiped from the preys' memories and replaced with anger.

It's like they forgot how much her son has sacrificed in order to protect the city. How much prey had hurt and nearly killed him in his early days as a little kit. How bad they, too, can be. Not all prey are sweet and innocent just like how not all predators are evil and murderous.

It made her fur stand on end.

Her ears perked up suddenly, twitching after having heard what must've been hundreds of paws hitting the ground simultaneously.

For a second there, she was terrified. But she soon relaxed and continued packing. Until the footsteps stopped right beside the front door, that is.

Silence filled the air for a moment until a single mammal's footsteps could be heard coming towards the apartment. The sloshing of a liquid inside a container made Amber shiver. What was going on?

…

'This is going to be good.'

That sentence echoed inside of Martin's head as he splashed gasoline onto the front door of the building.

All in all, he was excited and anxious. Excited to show predators what they are really worth and anxious to see the blaze that'll erupt once they light the gasoline.

But for it to really burn like he wants it to, like everyone wants it to, they need to enter the home and drench every inch of the place. Nothing should survive.

With the help of a few others, the ram slammed the door open and stormed inside, but hesitated to pour the liquid that was sloshing in the container he held. There was a predator in here with them. A fox.

'This is going to be great!'

Swiftly, they grabbed the female fox and dragged her outside by the end of her tail.

….

I do apologize for the short chapter. I can't really do much about it, sadly. School has been taking up an enormous amount of my time. Honestly, I didn't expect it. But I guess this is what you get when you are in the classes I am in.

It didn't help that I had to miss a few days of school. When I came back, I learned that I had a ton of homework to do… that was fun.

There was also a few things going on at home (relating to illnesses, injuries, and hospital visits).

All in all, I was busy. I really am sorry, but I couldn't help it. I'm going to try to find more time to write, but it really is up to school and the things going on at my place.

That being said, I will finish this story eventually. I don't give up on projects like this. There is still a lot of story to go, and it may take a while to reach completion, but I assure you, I will finish it. I'm really enjoying writing this, after all!

And, well, tell me what you think about what's going on in the story. I'd like to know your opinions! I'm honestly curious.

Note: Yes, I know, this is technically not a continuation of the story. All of this had already happened. But it was all seen from Nick and Judy's side of things. I thought it would be interesting to share some more viewpoints.

Rest assured, though. The next chapter will push the story forward. Thanks for reading!