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The following is a work of fanfiction: there is no intent of this author to violate, transgress, profit from or infringe upon the Copyright and Intellectual Property (IP) rights of the parent Copyright or IP holders of characters, events or locations belonging to the same which may be contained within this work. To reiterate; this is a Derivative Work meant to be used under Fair Use as described in 17 U.S.C. § 101 and § 107.

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The Sons of Efrafa

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Finally found the cafeteria! Thank god for this nose, Nick old boy. Glad that polar bear let us get the day to ourselves before we really started training. I still can't believe that crazy rabbit pulled it off; I really thought they'd just laugh and shred my application. Well mom, Carrots; I'll make you both proud! After Bellwether, there's nothing at this academy I'm not ready for!

"I'm not asking for one of your kidneys or your firstborn, I just want a fish patty sandwich!"

Except, maybe that.

Chapter 10

If there was one thing that Jacob felt was a constant in his life, it was the ignorant judgement of strangers. A fine case in point was the brown bear serving in the ZPA's cafeteria.

"Look, rabbit, just get some carrots or a veggie-burger and move on; you're holding up the line."

"First of all, if anyone needs carrots it's you. If your eyes were working properly you'd know I was a hare, not a rabbit. Secondly, I've got sweet potato fries, so I don't need extra sugar; I need protein."

The ursine leaned over the counter at Jacob. "Why are you even ordering fish; you can't eat it."

"Why? Did you not cook it correctly?"

The bear lurched back as if he had been slapped. "What!? Of course, I cooked it correctly!"

"Then I can eat it just fine." Jacob crossed his arms and looked at the mammal across from him like a teacher lecturing a stubborn student. "Ever since mammals discovered fire, the line between carnivores and herbivores has become meaningless! Cooking breaks down the tough cellulose fibers that carnivores can't digest, as well as the long chain proteins that herbivores can't digest. Tyson and Kellogg figured it out; I mean, those fish patties are already 10% wheat binder, while the veggie burgers you're serving have chicken meal as a protein supplement."

A sow a head taller than Jacob tapped her manual trotter on the tray counter.

"Lands-sakes just give the boy his sandwich already! It's his problem if he can't eat it."

There was a general murmur of agreement from the serving line. The bear grudgingly placed the sandwich on Jacob's plate.

"I'm not cleaning it up if you throw up."

Jacob took his tray and headed towards the only table sized for mammals his height, while mumbling to himself. "You're barely willing to do your job back there, why should you do it out here."

As he was getting ready to eat he noticed two mammals hesitantly approaching his table: the sow from earlier, and a red fox. He motioned for them to join him when they looked at him questioningly. "Just because it's a cafeteria, doesn't mean it's high-school cafeteria rules. Have a seat."

"I don't know," the fox smirked at Jacob while taking a seat, "…carnivorous lagomorph in a confined space? I could lose a digit."

Jacob grinned back. "Nah; 'Night of the Lepus' is the third Tuesday after St. Crispin's day, so you should be good for a few months." Jacob put his lunch down and extended his manual paw. "Jacob Emanuel Raibert, you can call me Emanuel."

The fox took the proffered paw. "Nicholas Wilde. Call me Nick."

Jacob turned to the now seated sow. "And my lovely savior?"

"Pearl Swineart." She blushed delicately as she shook Jacob's paw. "I hope I'm not overstepping, but was that display necessary?"

Jacob paused for a moment. "Probably not, but I've never really had much patience for the willfully bigoted."

Nick lazily chewed on his Waldorf salad. "Yeah, I can see how someone from Happy…" he paused at a glare from Jacob. "Excuse me, Foxburough, might have issues with the common Zootopian mammals opinion."

Pearl glanced between her two dining partners. "I thought you two didn't know each other?"

Jacob finished his sandwich and began working on his fries. "Not that I know of, though your voice is familiar. You ever come into VT Commons?"

Nick looked down at his salad. "Once, for business, a lifetime ago." He looked up with a strained smile on his muzzle. "But that's not it. Our friend here is something of a minor celebrity, what with being in the news three times and all."

Pearl looked at Jacob with surprise. "Well, I do declare! What ever did you do?"

Jacob looked at Nick thoughtfully for a moment before the memory hit him. "Pawpsicles! That's where I remember you from, you were outside the courthouse!"

Nick looked relieved. "Yeah, guilty as charged."

Jacob snorted. "So was I, but that record is sealed now."

Pearl began theatrically fanning herself with a napkin. "Goodness, what sort of ruffians have I fallen in with?"

Jacob gestured with one of his fries. "Reformed ruffian, thank you very much."

Nick chuckled. "I somehow doubt the niece of Arthur Swineart is going to be put out by a couple of reformed ruffians such as ourselves. Your extended family is more than a little famous in certain circles." When Pearl looked slightly alarmed at that, he continued. "Not as famous as your father and grandfather, Dale Jr. and Sr., but still."

Pearl shrugged. "And you're familiar with Arthur's circles, how?"

Nick set his fork down. "I, may have, brokered some deals for parties within those circles."

Jacob glanced sideways at Nick. "Deals in Foxburough?"

Nick closed his eyes and took a calming breath. "Only once, and that one fell through, thanks in no small part to you. Then life and a rug happened, and I had to seek new employment."

One of Jacob's ears perked up. "That's an awful frank admission. That must have been hard."

Nick visibly relaxed. "Thanks. A friend of mine got me this chance, contingent on full disclosure. This would have all come out eventually, so I'd rather be in control of when and how people learn. I want," Nick looked fiercely at something only he could see, "I NEED my coworkers to know they can trust me!" Jacob gripped his shoulder and nodded.

Pearl pursed her lips. "Pardon me, but, what's so significant about Foxburough?"

Nick picked up his fork again. "The Basilica of Our Martyred Lady."

Jacob continued at Pearl's puzzled look. "It's the only Reman Catholic school in 300 miles of Zootopia. The Capo-Y-Capo of the Cosa Nostra for the west coast, Anthony Bagnoli, wasn't going to trust his children to the public-school system, or any school he couldn't get to in under an hour."

Pearl leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "And you know this, how?"

Jacob finished his fries. "I went to school with Francesca and Abboti; she was a year ahead of me, while he was a year behind. Plus, I was in a gang which, apparently," Jacob looked at Nick, "…had dealings with 'Mr. Big'."

Pearl leaned back. "That must be one scary mammal." Nick and Jacob both nodded. "So, what were they like?"

Nick smiled fondly. "Abboti is a sweetheart; takes after his grandmother. He's in Rome now, I think."

Jacob folded his manual paws on the table. "Polis Vatican, he's studying to be a priest. Fru, on the other paw, is every inch her father's daughter. I have never seen a mammal turn a crowd on someone faster than her."

Pearl shook her head. "Well goodness, aren't we just a set;" she pointed to Jacob, "… a gangland tough," then to Nick, "… a Consiglieri," finally to herself, "… and a wheel mammal from a family of rum runners. We're our own little mafia."

"La Familia!" Jacob did his best unintelligible Marten Brando impression while Nick tried to whistle the theme to "The Godotter" without laughing. Pearl didn't bother trying not to laugh.

After a week of basic orientation, uniform issue, and in-processing to get the cadets settled, they were finally standing before their first real challenge: the confidence course. The staff called it the 'Variable Environment Course' or VEC, but that wasn't what Jacob called it. He had already been through basic once; he was here to learn and be certified in the particulars of working in Zootopia, not to discover that it was possible to overcome obstacles put in front of him. He stood in a relaxed parade rest stance and waited for their Senior Training Instructor (STI) Maj. Friedkin to give them the go signal. He looked around and noted the attitudes of some of the other cadets. Some cadets were excited, but a lot were nervous, Pearl among them. Nick, like himself, was relaxed, if a bit more flippant. It made sense, as he was a city native, and in his thirties; he already knew what he was and was not capable of, so the VEC wouldn't be a surprise to him.

Jacob nudged Nick and nodded towards Pearl, then glanced meaningfully towards the VEC. Nick seemed to understand, as after looking at Pearl and the course, he nodded back, his smirk was replaced with a look of determination. Once the Maj. told them to form up at the ice wall, Nick and Jacob went to stand beside Pearl.

Jacob put a paw on her shoulder. "Don't worry about the course, Nick and I will help you through it. Just get across the ice flow to the base of the wall, we'll help you get over the top."

She took a calming breath and un-clenched her trotters. "Okay, but I don't want to slow you two down; and what about the rest of the course?"

Nick's easy grin was back "Relax. Frau Blucher over there," there was a rumble as the rest of the class started running, "… just said we had to complete the course, not that we had a time limit. As for the rest of the course, we'll deal with it one obstacle at a time."

The STI looked over at them. "La Familia get a move on!"

"Yes Ma'am!" The three yelled in unison and broke out into a fast jog towards the wall. As they were approaching, Jacob glanced at Nick.

"Corners?"

Nick nodded. "Corners."

At that the two of them headed for one of the sides of the wall, and climbed up by gripping the corners, rather than trying to scale the flat face. Once at the top, they both grabbed onto the top edge with one manual paw and hung down with the other paw towards Pearl. She made it to the base of the wall and tried to jump up to reach their paws but fell just inches short.

Before Pearl could lose hope, Jacob noticed Beatrice Samuels, a timber wolf who seemed to keep to herself, also struggling with the wall.

"Samuels!" She looked over when Jacob bellowed her name. "Give Pearl a boost!"

She hesitated for a moment, then rushed forward and silently got under the struggling sow. In short order, Pearl was at the top of the wall. Jacob looked at Nick.

"One more, buddy, then it's our turn."

It was Nick's turn to look hesitant, but he stayed where he was and turned to their erstwhile comrade. "Alright, Bea, your turn!"

Her jump reached the two dangling mammals, who grabbed her wrists. Jacob and Nick were about to start pulling, when Pearl grabbed them by their now quite frigid paws. With a cry of, "Hold on tight!", she simply fell backwards, allowing her greater mass to pull the other three over the top. They slid down the other side and landed in a pile. They paused in their efforts to untangle their limbs when they saw the Maj. looming over them.

She waited for a moment, then spoke. "The hell are you lot waiting for, engraved invitations? Get your tails in gear and up to the Sandbox!" They were on the move three seconds later.

As they approached the Sand Storm Simulator (SSS), they saw a number of cadets already trying to make their way across. The size of the megafauna gave them some advantage, as the wind turbines couldn't move them. The smaller mammals, however, were having more difficulty. Beatrice whimpered when one of her fellow wolves was blown from the SSS.

Jacob and Nick were trying to come up with a solution, when Pearl piped up. "Drafting!" All three of her comrades looked quizzically at that. Pearl huffed. "We tuck in behind one of the big mammals and let them cut the wind for us!"

Nick chuckled. "Not the most ideal phrasing, as we will be literally behind some big mammal's behind, but I suppose I can get behind that idea." Everyone groaned at the collection of puns and set off to conquer the next obstacle.

Pearl's idea was a success, and they came out the other side as the only non-megafauna to not be exhausted thanks to Timothy Hathi Jr., a bull Indian elephant with a rather unruly mop of head fur. Upon seeing the troop following in his wake, he struck up a peculiar Britannian marching tune, and stayed on the ground until Jacob and company were past the obstacle. Not having to fight the environment gave them the strength needed to stay on the bars in the Rainforest district simulation area. In the end, they were the only mammals to complete the entire course in one run; and since they didn't have to re-try any obstacles, they were also the first to complete it. Jacob made it a point to cross the finish-line shoulder to shoulder with Pearl and Nick, at which Samuels paused to join them.

Once the last cadet had crossed the finish line, Maj. Friedkin had them all take a knee around her. "Alright cadets, somebody tell me what happened out there today."

A Bengal Tiger named Samir Rajasthan spoke up while pointing at La Familia. "That bunch cheated!" There was a general murmur of assent, though it was not universal. "If those two hadn't helped, that sow would never have finished." He glared at Pearl, causing her to wilt a little. The three with her sidled closer in a show of solidarity, and Beatrice bared her teeth in a silent growl. Tim Hathi Jr. openly rumbled his displeasure at the young tiger.

Friedkin looked around at the assembled mammals. "Is that what you all saw?" There was a round of nods and some grumbling from most, but not all, of the cadets. "That's funny, cause what I saw was several officers coming to another officers' aide!" Her look quickly became a glare. "Get this through your heads mammals: you are here to Pass this course, not Win it! Out there on the beat you will NEED to rely on the mammals beside you, and they will NEED to rely on you. If you can't do that, if the other officers on the force feel that you don't have their backs in the field? Guess what, pretty kitty? YOU'LL BE DEAD!"

It took little while for the cadets to really buy into Friedkin's words, but slowly, the mammals in the class came around.

La Familia was gathered in the dorm common room, as Pearl looked at Nick in shock. "What do you mean, 'you can't drive'? You need a license to get into the academy!"

Nick looked chagrined. "Yeah, full disclosure: I only passed the road test because I'm friends with the proctor."

Pearl huffed. "Land sakes! Well, we have a couple of hours before lights out each night; let's get down to the driving course and start getting you passable."

La Familia anda few cadet spectators went down to the track. The three settled into one of the training vehicles: Nick in the driver's seat, Pearl in the front passenger seat, and Jacob in the back. Once everyone was buckled in, Pearl looked over at Nick.

"Now I want you to do the course once, at whatever speed you feel comfortable. I need to see what I'm working with. These Land Rover Evoque series trucks are designed to move at speed with more than three tons in them, and the lot of us barely weigh in at 300 lbs., so she'll feel a little tippy. Be gentle when going through the turns."

Nick nodded and started through the course. Once he finished his run through, Nick looked back in pride: not one cone on the course was out of place.

Jacob leaned forward. "Astounding! We may have reached speeds of up to 35 mph!"

Pearl looked sharply at Jacob when Nick's ears flagged. "Oh hush, you! It's his first time."

"And as such I need to make sure that it's suitably awkward."

Pearl made a shushing motion with her trotter, then turned back to Nick. "Nick, honey, you're going to need to be comfortable going faster than that. There are, as you know, some very capable drivers who will be very aggressive. You need to be even more so. Let's try again, but this time, don't go any slower than 55 mph. Don't be afraid to hit a few of the cones; that'll tell me what we need to work on."

Nick took a calming breath, then took out a small can Binaca aerosol spray from his pocket. Something in his posture made Jacob reach for the Jesus Handle, just before Nick madly sprayed his maw and screamed, "WITNESS ME!" Nick took off.

Once he finished his second run, Nick looked back in pride; only three cones were still standing. Jacob gurgled inarticulately while brandishing the Jesus Handle which had broken off in his paw. When he looked over to Pearl, she only shook her head.

"Mediocre."

Their little troop was in the gym, helping Pearl with what she felt was an impossible task: The Enormous Criminal test. Some of their fellow cadets came along, either to help or to spectate. Jacob stood in the sparring ring with Hathi.

"This isn't about technique, it's about realizing that you can do this. It's no different than the Confidence Course, and you managed that just fine."

Pearl nervously shuffled her pedal trotters. "Yeah, but I had you guys helping me with that."

Beatrice rested a paw on Pearl's shoulder. "And we're helping you with this." Her voice rasped from what turned out to be a childhood injury.

Pearl nodded, then turned to watch Jacob and Timothy. There was some trepidation in the elephant's demeanor; Jacob had received a serious warning earlier that week for injuring one of the TI's during Enormous Criminal training. The injury had not been as much of a concern, as the fact that Friedkin had to physically restrain Jacob from continuing to pummel the lioness' temple once she was unconscious.

Jacob turned around to face the Indian elephant.

"The key here, is to not try to take on the entire mammal. You ready?"

When Hathi nodded, Jacob took a flying leap and kicked him in the chest. Unsurprisingly, Timothy didn't move. Jacob repeated the attack, with varying techniques for 30 seconds before he stopped and turned back to Pearl.

"Once an opponent gets to be about four times your mass, trying to brute force them into submission becomes nearly impossible. The solution," Jacob faced Hathi again, "… is to break them down into manageable chunks. You ready?" Hathi nodded. "With opposition this time. This will hurt."

Timothy assumed a basic fighting stance, then stepped forward while sweeping out with his trunk. Jacob rushed in the direction Hathi was swinging, but just out of his reach. Once he was behind Hathi's lead leg, Jacob spun and punched Timothy's hamstring. The bull collapsed onto his manual hooves and knees with a pained trumpet. Jacob darted up to Timothy's head, which was now at Jacob's eye level. He threw Hathi's ear flap forward, so it covered the ear canal, and slapped hard. With another pained trumpet, Timothy fell over.

There was silence for a moment as everyone stared at the fallen elephant, then Nick looked at Jacob. "What… the Hell? That was nothing like what you did to Tomlinson!"

Jacob walked around to look into Timothy's eyes.

"Ancient Efrafan fighting technique. You alright, buddy? Do you need a medic?"

"No, I just need to sit for a moment. Where did you learn that?!"

"Anatolia; like I said, ancient fighting techniques my ancestors developed."

Pearl looked between Jacob and Timothy. "Developed for what?!"

Jacob turned to his friends and looked quizzically at them. "For fighting elephants, and tigers, and aurochs," he said as if it should have been obvious, "… basically, anything more than twice my size, this is what we do."

The group boggled, and asked in unison, "Why?"

"Because my ancestors were bred for war."

Beatrice threw her arms wide. "Who in their right mind would breed hares for war?!"

Jacob went to the edge of the ring and leaned on the ropes. "We don't know his name, only that he was the youngest son of a dynastic line of Nemean lions in ancient Purrsia. Our histories call him Elil-hrair-rah, 'the Prince with a thousand enemies'. He wanted a fearless killing force that could slip into an enemy camp unnoticed. It worked too; we killed off all his brothers and helped him extort the throne from his father."

Timothy sat up. "So, what happened?"

"He was assassinated on the anniversary of his assent to the throne." Jacob shrugged when everyone looked incredulously at him. "Well, he did have a thousand enemies. Anyway, the Nemean Kings kept us as shock troops, so we have a great store of knowledge on how to kill all sorts of creatures, but most of it boils down to: never attack head on, always keep moving, immobilize and overwhelm. That is what I want you to take from this, Pearl."

"Yeah," Nick shook his head in amazement, "… not the part about how lagomorphs are all, apparently, terrifying engines of destruction."

Jacob glanced over at Nick. "Oh no, remember that part too. Anyway, it's your turn Pearl." Jacob looked out into the crowd of mammals. He motioned to one of the Hippos in their class. "Hawthorn, you want to step in and… hey, where are you going?"

A crowd of cadets watched as Jacob squinted at Nick. "Seriously?" Nick crossed his arms and all but glared at Jacob. "You can't have not heard of the Miranda Laws."

"I'm not talking about compelling a confession without making sure an individual understands their rights, but anything said without prompting after the arrest is made should be admissible. At the very least, it should be usable to secure a warrant."

Nick shook his head. "It's all in the phrasing: 'Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law.' A judge's chambers qualify, so a warrant secured based on testimony given before the Miranda rights were read and understood, becomes inadmissible, as does any evidence secured under that warrant."

"So, if I have a perp doped to the gills on his own product rambling about his boss' operations, I can't act on that information? That's insane!"

Nick relaxed back in his chair. "That's getting more into the realm of probable cause; you're talking about using confessions, coerced or otherwise, made before Mirandizing the individual to secure legal authority to search. That sort of situation is precisely why the Miranda Laws exist."

Rheinman, a reindeer and one of the assembled cadets loomed over Nick. "You seem to know a lot about using the law to get out of paying the consequences."

Nick looked up. "You're right, just like I know that looming over me as you're doing right now could be construed as 'Atavistic Harassment' under 18 Zootopian Municipal Code (ZMC) 247A. Theoretically, I could file assault charges; and whether or not they stick ZMC as well as the ZPD's own regulations preclude anyone with assault charges, or accusations of speciest discrimination against them, from 'serving in a position of public trust'." Nick smiled at the cervine's look of alarm. "But this is all hypothetical, because no one here would ever stoop so low, right? I mean, we're all here to serve every citizen of the city, not just the ones we feel are sufficiently deserving, right?"

A general hush fell over the room, until Jacob spoke up. "If police work doesn't work out for you, I know a couple of people at the DA's office who would kill to have you as a prosecutor."

Nick scoffed. "Please, I'm seen as villain enough as it is."

Jacob shook his head while holding his salad fork like a stylus. "I'm sorry, but I just don't buy into the whole 'Judy Hopps Monomyth'."

Nick leaned over his Ambrosia salad. "I'm not asking you to become a born-again Zootopian, I just want to know where all this resentment for her comes from." The gathered class nearly all nodded and murmured in assent.

"Really!" Pearl delicately dabbed her lips. "I mean, I grew up with the Hopps'; they may be small town, but they're not small minded. They even work with the fox who attacked Judy as a kit."

"Well kudos to them, but their little darling all but started a species war by not thinking about what she was saying." Most of the carnivores looked thoughtful at Jacobs declaration. "I know she was used by Bellwether, but that doesn't excuse her actions; especially since there has been no apology, official or otherwise, from her or the ZPD. Whatever it is that she did to Bellwether to cause her to alter her plans is about the only thing keeping me from spitting every time I hear her name."

Nick locked eyes with Jacob. "She quit."

"What?" The entire room was stunned.

"You heard me. After the press conference, they tried to make her the, 'Prey Face of the ZPD'; some kind of sop for the masses. She quit in protest, because she felt she shouldn't be praised for the damage she did to the city," Nick started attacking his lunch. "…and she did apologize, to me."

"Oh my God!" Pearl exclaimed. "The whole family tried to pass it off as her coming home as a reward for finding those mammals, but she was just so depressed. It started to get the rest of the family down. It all makes sense now!"

"I don't buy it." The entire room was still and stared at Jacob. "I know what I sound like, but I need to know: if she truly felt she needed penance, if she wanted to fix what she broke, then why did she leave the one position that would have allowed her to do just that?"

Nick grit his teeth for a second. "Because they had no faith in her, all right? Bogo tried to fire her for taking the Otterton case, but when Bellwether made it a matter of the Mayor's Office, he made Judy's job contingent on solving the case in two days. It's just…"

Jacob pushed his plate away. "Whoa whoa whoa, they slapped a time limit on solving a potentially violent crime? I know I'm still working on my civil code, but that's so far outside legal…"

Nick shook his head. "Not they, He: Chief Bogo."

Jacob boggled for a moment. "Sonova…, I'd heard Bellwether had dirt on the bull, but I didn't know she had his balls in a vice! No wonder he caved on the conference."

A pronghorn sheep named Bramton gaped. "But, why? Why would the Chief of Precinct One… just, why?"

Nick looked at the ceiling. "For the same reason I tried to get her to quit and stop bothering me: because she's a rabbit, and how dare a rabbit be anything that might upset the status quo." He looked around at the assembled class. "I know I'm not the only one to have their prejudices, or to have to endure those of others, but she managed to overcome them all, by herself, and that deserves respect." He looked pointedly at Jacob.

Jacob settled back in his chair. "I don't give respect to people I haven't met, but you and Pearl know and respect her, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Still, I lived my whole life being called 'slum-baby' and being told my heritage was a disgrace to mammal kind by people like Bellwether. When things like the Press Conference happen, and you're told half the people you grew up with are un-evolved monsters, you get resentful."

Nick seemed about to press his argument when Pearl interjected. "Hey now, you were the one who just said we each endure our own burdens but let's not forget that it's how we deal with them that defines whether we're good mammals or not!

"I grew up a tomboy, the daughter of a racing family. I wanted to race just like my daddy and granddaddy, but I was, 'just a girl'! I should, 'be more demure and feminine if I wanted to marry well'! But when I tried that, I found out the ugliest of truths': I'm a pig! I can be pretty, 'for a pig', or talented, 'for a pig', but as far as society is concerned I will never be anything but a fat, ugly sow!" Pearl was in tears at this point. Several of the female megafauna in the class seemed ready to join her, while nodding their heads. "Do you know what the happiest moment in my recent memory is? It was the day I helped a stranger get a fish sandwich, and he called me his 'lovely savior'." She turned to Jacob, whose ears were back in distress. "You didn't attach any modifiers, no 'for a pig', certainly no 'what are you doing here instead of in the home whelping a new litter'. I was just your 'lovely savior', and I don't think you understand what that means to me. I don't agree with your anger towards Judy, but I can't help but think it's just that you don't know her."

There was a chuff of bitter laughter from the back. Everyone turned to look at Eveline Whitall, a whitetail deer from the Meadowlands district. "Believe me, being pretty isn't all it's cracked up to be." She looked around. "Oh, don't give me that look! I may not have his ears," she said while pointing at Jacob, "…but I still heard you whispering behind my back, when we first arrived. 'What's the supermodel doing here?' or 'What does she think she's trying to prove?' God forbid that one of the 'entitled prey' should just want to do the right thing, or even just do something meaningful! It's been a while since I've heard that, not since I owned the lot of you at the firing range." She glanced back at Jacob. "Thanks for the pointers, by the way."

Eveline clenched her hooves in her lap. "Did you know there's a reg that says if you turn down three acceptance letters in a row, you can't re-apply to the academy, ever? I didn't know, until I came to the personnel center to find out why I kept not being notified one way or another. Turns out, I had been accepted, twice before, but my aunt kept shredding the letters!" She looked up and glared defiantly at the class. "She had the gall to say she was doing me a favor! 'You can do so much more with your life.' Yeah, like work for her agency as a model, or an actress, or a singer. If I wanted to go into business, she would send me to the best school to learn to be a secretary so I could work for some rich, handsome buck, and spend the rest of my life as just another pretty, meaningless face."

Samir rumbled in his seat while staring at the floor. "Family IS the worst for that sort of thing. 'You're a Rajasthan, an A's not good enough!' 'How dare you only get silver in the Nationals, you're supposed to be the son of Kings!' All my life, I was almost good enough. Then I got here, and in the first week, I was shown up by a hare, a pig, a fox, and a wolf, and I can almost hear my father disowning me for that disgrace." When he looked up, it was with a cold sneer. "And you know what? I can almost bringmyself to care."

Samir stood up, and everyone took note of the regal bearing that seemed the birthright of Tigers. "You accepted me, crap attitude and all. You dragged me, kicking and screaming, into your confidence, and for the first time, I am good enough." His voice boomed through the cafeteria. "WE are good enough, worthy enough, smart enough to be counted! Not you, or me, or her, but we are!"

The hall shook as the class cheered. Nick looked over at Jacob. "What were we arguing about again?"

"I don't know, I probably said something stupid. I can't keep track of an argument unless there's booze involved."

As the academy progressed, so too did the comradery of the class. The cadets shared not just their skills, but also their lives, their fears and hopes. Hathi talked about always trying to live up to the reputation of his father, 'The Colonel', while Samuels spoke about her sense of isolation growing up as a wolf who couldn't howl. By the time exam week arrived, many in the class admitted that they felt closer to their fellow cadets than to their own family. Through all this, they improved, as a team.

Pearl all but strutted out of the ring, while TI Tuskerson massaged the end of his trunk where she had grabbed his septum and marched him around the ring like an unruly child on a minder leash. She sat down next to Jacob, as Nick headed into the ring to face off against TI McHorn.

Jacob glanced at his friend's beaming face.

"Nice work in there; I knew you could do it." He noticed something about Nick's sparring partner. "Oh, this won't end well."

"Hmm?" Pearl looked to the ring, then blushed. "Well, I never!"

"I should hope not. Anyway, did you get your posting yet?"

Pearl primly demurred. "You know they don't hand out assignments until we actually pass."

"And you know that's just formality; all that's left is this, and our last run through the Confidence Course. Everybody else already knows where they're going. Eveline and Samir were hilarious when they found out they were being assigned to the Third together. It's like they keep forgetting everybody knows they have a thing for each other."

"Too true."

There was the sound of a single punch, then McHorn collapsed like a felled tree. Jacob shook his head in disappointment, while Nick calmly walked back out of the ring. "Pride goeth before the fall; he should have just worn his cup." Jacob turned back to Pearl. "Anyway, stop avoiding the question. Where are you being assigned?"

Pearl huffed. "If you must know, I'm going to the Zootopian Highway Patrol."

Nick settled in beside his friends. "Nice! Good to know that the bureaucracy didn't get in the way of rational placement." Nick glanced at the ring once the rhino had been helped off, and saw the next TI, Lt. Leona Tomlinson step up. "I think it's your turn, Emanuel."

The African lion visibly flinched at the elated expression on Jacob's face. Jacob all but skipped into the ring.

"Oh relax, TI! Friedkin said I'd fail if I used excessive force this time."

Maj. Friedkin looked over the assembled cadets standing at Parade Rest on the graduation field.

"When I first met the lot of you, you were little more than an unruly mob, and I didn't have high expectations. Truth be told, on paper, you're not really outstanding: you didn't beat or set any course or program records. In fact, your collective scores are so close to one another's, that some of the Precinct Chiefs wondered if we were somehow padding our numbers." She growled in disdain. "Then they saw you all in action, and they saw the one other thing you did, that no other class as done in 33 years: you did not lose one, single cadet; no washouts, no injuries, no disciplinary discharges! You are the first class since before I joined the police, where the entire cadre is graduating!" Every cadet stood a little taller at that.

"I want you to remember that lesson: you are a part of the Police Force, and where ever you go in the future, you will always be a part of this family, and we will always be with you.

"Class 243, Aten-Hut!" The ground shook as the class snapped to attention. "Attention to orders: let these presents be to all here present, that by the order of the Commandant of the Zootopian Police Academy, and the authority of the Commissioner of Police for the Polis of Zootopia, do hereby authorize the commissioning of the following persons, they having demonstrated skill, determination, fortitude and honor in the discharging of their obligations, as Officers of the Law, with all the rights, privileges, and obligations pertaining thereunto. And having been duly sworn and witnessed, may now receive the Badges of their office. Signed on this day by my paw, Singh Kali Bagheera, Commissioner of Police, and Roderick Wendell Price, Commandant of the Zootopian Police Academy."

She set down the document she had been reading and stepped back from the podium. She was immediately replaced by Judy Hopps, who had only moments earlier, given the class' commencement speech.

"When your name is called, please come up and receive your shield. Pantherton, William J."

One by one, the cadets came forward. The smile on her face almost seemed to split her skull when she said, "Wilde, Nicholas P." Then came Jacob's turn. He ascended to the stage and stood ramrod straight in front of the smaller rabbit, while his family and several others from the neighborhood cheered him on. To her credit, her ears only flagged for a moment, though he did hear her mutter, "Frithrah, a keth vaorah, a mitéath blair than u léao." It was a traditional Lapino prayer of protection against Inle-rah.

'Oh well,' he thought to himself, '…it's not like we'll be working in the same precinct.'