Our finest Hour

Chapter 8: Trouble Comes A Knockin'

Warm sun shone on the city of Zootopia, its ivory towers glistening in the brilliant light. White puffball clouds drifted lazily across the sky. Mammals milled about on the streets, like ants to the birds soaring high above. A congregation of them gathered near City Hall, a veritable throng of mammals big and small; Predator and Prey. On this sunny day shaping up to become quite the scorcher, a stage was set up on the first steps to that indomitable building. The city's beating heart of authority was surrounded by cameras and news crews. Sweating under the hot sun, the mayor and her administration completed preparations. Today was a wonderful day for a press conference. Today was an even better day to go to war.

Last Evening

Mayor Bellwether and General Swinton whiled away the evening on the balcony just outside Dawn's private office. The party was still going full swing and the two wished to recuperate some before donning their masks and waltzing back into the thick of it. Bellwether watched well-to-do Prey dancing and laughing the night away in the intricate gardens of City Hall. The green sparkle accompanying her many Predator servants whisked to and fro in the night; so much like the fireflies she remembered from her youth. Gently swishing her glass of wine, Bellwether looked to Swinton and smiled.

General Swinton wore only her finest regalia to the lavish party; a political fundraiser, if she remembered correctly. Her jewels faintly glimmered in the light of the crescent moon.

"Olivia, dear." Bellwether drawled, taking a sip from her glass. "How are things? It's been so long since we've sat down and just talked." Swinton groaned.

"Don't remind me Dawn! What with the constant meetings with my tacticians and coordinators, I've hardly had a moment to myself as it is." Bellwether's smile turned wry.

"You're preaching to the choir. Reigning in my incompetent colleagues has been hell. The whining from those councilors! You'd think they were infants instead of adults." She sighed. "Oh well, I wanted them malleable to our organization. Now I must pay the price." General Olivia Swinton pursed her lips.

"I've made all the preparations for tomorrow's press conference. The ZAF is ready to mobilize at a moment's notice. We are ready for the invasion." Bellwether nodded, a gleam to her eyes.

"Excellent. All the proper documents have been filed; the votes are in. As of tomorrow, we are at war." There was a moment's silence between the two, before Olivia spoke.

"And the new collars?" Olivia Swinton inquired. "Are they ready for deployment once the population has been subjugated?" Bellwether smiled, a cold, malicious grin.

"Absolutely. The new and improved tame collars are prepped for testing out in the field."

"Serves those filthy chompers right." Swinton growled. "Savages should be grateful we haven't just purged them." Bellwether narrowed her eyes.

"As much as it pains me to say it, we need them Olivia. Our way of life must be built upon someone's back, why not the Predators'? I could never see Prey performing the demeaning manual labor currently occupied by the pelts." Swinton sighed in disappointment.

"I know. Still, I'm going to miss the shocks." Bellwether laughed lightly.

"Always the sadist Olivia. How goes your other venture? I hear Martin Bogo yet eludes justice." Swinton grit her teeth in repressed rage.

"He has proven to be clever and skillful in evading our troops, despite our agent's intel he always slips the noose. I do have a proposition for you, though." Bellwether perked right up at that.

"Oh? Do tell."

"Instead of simply killing him on the field, I propose that we capture him alive via our operative. Now, picture this." Swinton emanated an aura of malevolence as she continued. "He is the face of the opposition. A soldier without blood on his paws who fights for a 'noble' cause. Take from the powerful, give to the weak." Bellwether listened, enraptured. "We need to destroy him as a symbol. To do that, I say we tease out his Predatory instincts. Show Predators everywhere that even their saints are nothing but beasts." Bellwether frowned.

"And how do you suppose you're going to accomplish this?" She asked skeptically, crossing her arms and legs. Swinton smiled, the gesture chilling even Bellwether's black heart.

"Have you ever heard of Midnicampum Holicithias?"

Present

Dawn Bellwether stood before the crowd with a plastic smile, elevated above even the tallest giraffe's head by her stage. Thousands of eyes were upon her as she moved closer to the microphone.

"Good morning, Zootopia." She formally addressed. Her eyes purposefully skirted the sea of glowing green LEDs segregated from her Prey constituents. "Your government has an important declaration." Her voice was grave. "As of today, we are at war with the savages of Happytown." Nervous muttering erupted from the crowd. Or, precisely only one half of the crowd. "No longer will we have to bear their random raids in the night! No longer will we have to fear the Predator menace! It is time to assert our dominance as the arbiters of right and wrong. We have the moral high ground! We have the might and the means to put down this uprising FOREVER!" Bellwether's voice picked up in passion as she shouted her speech. A few of the Prey in their half of the crowd nodded their heads, clearly enthralled.

"Yeah!" Shouted an enthusiastic hippo.

"Down with the chompers!"

"Kill the pelts!" At this point, the Predator crowd began to disperse rather hurriedly. More and more Prey filled the void they left behind, until there was nary a green light to be found. Bellwether nodded as the crowd gained steam, cheering and applauding the coming war. The swell of power she felt riling up these mammals was almost intoxicating. Focus. Dawn told herself. You can't get swept up in this. Keep a level head.

"Our troops will march through those gates and bring justice to the terrorists of Talon! We shall reclaim OUR land, for PREY use!" That really got them rowdy, Bellwether observed as she allowed a small grin to cross her face. "All I ask of you, citizens of Zootopia, is your continued support, for with it… WE WILL MAKE ZOOTOPIA GREAT AGAIN!" A deafening roar spilled out from the crowd as thunderous applause boomed throughout the block. Bellwether chuckled inwardly as she searched the throng's eyes and found the bloodlust she'd been hoping to inspire. All was transpiring just as they had planned. By the weeks' end, Happytown would be hers'. The sooner testing could begin, the better. A lot of money was riding on this, and Bellwether was not one to waste a single dollar.

OOO

Last Evening

Martin shot me an awkward grin. I just rolled my eyes. I could tell something was eating at him, but I decided to drop it. He didn't need me prying into his head.

"So…" I broke the silence, reclining next to him on the sofa. I stretched out my feet and kicked them up onto the coffee table. "What do we do? It's too early to go to bed, too late to go out." I eyed his injured leg. "Not that you'd have much fun with that leg." He scowled at the wound in question.

"Damn marksmen bunnies, always ruining my day…" I couldn't help but splutter out some laughter at that statement. What he said combined with the grave look on his face was just priceless. I felt his paw come to rest on my shoulder. Turning my eyes up to his, I was surprised to find a soft appreciation. "Thank you, really." He said sincerely, muzzle turning up into a smile. "You saved me. Fired off a couple rounds like a badass too, I might add." Heat filled my cheeks as I blushed. My heartrate quickened in distress as I saw his face don a pained expression.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, feeling a pang of concern echo in my chest. Martin closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, I saw a deep anguish. "Does your leg hurt? I'm going to go get some water for your pills..." I moved to go fetch a glass of water from the kitchen, but his paw stopped me.

"I can handle the pain." He said in a quiet voice. "It's just… I nearly ended up like my family." He clarified. I bit my lip, remembering that his family had been slaughtered. How awful, to have them torn from you in such a manner at such a young age. Martin turned his eyes up to the ceiling and sighed. I moved his paw into mine to try and offer him some comfort. He seemed to appreciate the gesture, as his grip tightened ever so slightly. "Tortured to death. What a way to go…" Moisture gathered at the corner of his eyes. "Jesus Christ, it's been years. Why is it so hard still?" A few tears leaked into the fur beneath his eyes, turning the patches a mite shade darker. Watching Martin cry sparked something in me, a protective urge to take him into my arms like a kit, and tell him everything was going to be fine. Except it wasn't. Nothing was okay. Everything was wrong.

In one fluid motion I had my arms around him in a soft hug.

"It's because you love them, ya dumb fox…" Martin laughed a little as he leaned into the hug. My head resting in the crook of his neck, his scent drew into my nostrils with every breath. I could smell the choking city on him, it was practically baked into his fur; but there was something else. Martin smelled vaguely like… violets. I liked it. Pressing my head deeper into his fur, I heard him let off a hum of contentment and found myself growing sleepy. I closed my eyes and leaned against his muscular body. He didn't seem to mind, and I was so tired from my long day. The burn in my body weighted my limbs into lead. I could let my eyelids droop, just for a few moments… I was snoring in seconds.

Present

Someone shifted beneath me. Yawning, I stretched my limbs and opened my eyes. Light streamed into the living room from Martin's windows. I smacked my lips appreciatively. I woke up feeling refreshed, full of energy. I hadn't had such a good night's sleep in a long time. Martin's bed must- I gasped as memories of last night hit me like a rock. I never made it to the bed. Chancing a look down, I stiffened as Martin's lap came into view. My mouth gaping in dumb horror, I was shock-still for a few heartbeats before lurching away to the other side of the couch. My heartbeat thundered against my sternum. Did I…? I really did. I fell asleep in his goddamned lap!

Embarrassment rocked my world as my face and even ears turned a shade of cherry red. Without thinking, I reached over and slapped him.

"Shit!" He yipped, bolting awake. Blinking rapidly, Martin looked around the room, his eyes landing on my abashed face. He seemed to realize what had happened, as he gained a shell-shocked appearance.

"That was for not waking me up!" I said hotly, huffing as I crossed my arms.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized profusely, raising his paws in surrender. "It's just… you looked so tired and I didn't want to wake you." He then proceeded to mutter something under his breath.

"What was that?" I prodded sharply, poking him in the bicep. A flush of heat rushed through me as I realized how hard it was. Damn it all… Why did he have to be so handsome?

"W-would you believe me if I said nothing?" He stammered weakly. My piercing glare said it all. Martin sighed in defeat and came clean. "I said, you also looked really… cute." He then rose his arms and defended his face, anticipating a mauling. None came. Cute. The word rang through my mind as warmth blossomed in my chest. The feeling left me giddy.

"You think I'm cute?" I said softly, all previous venom lost. Martin looked like he wanted to die right then and there. He opened his mouth to speak, but his phone impeded him with a buzz. He lunged for the device, appearing happy to have a distraction. I rolled my eyes so hard it was surprising they didn't get stuck staring at my brain.

Martin stared at the screen for a few moments and all the life seemed to drain from him. He dropped the phone and gazed at the ceiling, his eyes staring out into nothing.

"Martin?" I asked, astonished to see such a reversal. "What's wrong? Do you need your pills now?" He shook his head slightly. Turning his eyes to me, I saw that he was beyond shocked. Fear glimmered out from behind his azure orbs. Picking up his discarded phone, he gave it to me. My interest piqued and just a little bit of anxiety picking up my heartrate, I looked. My veins turned to ice. A chill enveloped my entire body. There was a text on the blue screen, four words in all caps.

ZOOTOPIA HAS DECLARED WAR