Author's Note: This is another chapter that is explicit for violence.

Nick and Judy's eyes locked. She could barely even recognize the animal in front of her. His clothes were torn and blood matted his fur from the savage beating he had just received and his face was contorted in a vicious snarl. He was hunched over, three paws on the ground, the other hung limp and twisted. His back was arched and his fur puffed up in a primal, monstrous stance. What was worst though was his eyes. His normally cool green eyes were wide and his pupils narrowed into primitive slits.

His ears flicked between Judy and the sheep but his eyes were locked on Judy. He snarled at her and took a small step towards the smaller mammal. Judy glanced at the knife Dawn had thrown to her. It was only inches away, she could grab it easily to defend herself if the fox lunged at her but could she kill her dearest friend to save her own life? Nick took another step towards her. Judy's heart was racing she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't kill him but she wasn't ready to die either. She opened her eyes. She would get nowhere by panicking. Nick continued inching towards her, limping from his broken arm.

Judy watched his broken arm, though it hurt her to look at it, she knew it was her only opportunity for survival, as was Bellwether's intention. Nick came into pouncing range. He leaned back and lunged. Judy leaped to the right hoping to dodge on his bad side. She looked back and was surprised to find that the lunge at her must have been some kind of feint because instead of landing in the place she used to be, he instead leaped to his own right, going in the opposite direction Judy had. She watched stunned as Nick scurried to the side to one of the lab tables. He dove under it and backed himself behind a tank where he hissed and growled angrily.

"What is this?" Dawn called in disappointment. "What kind of terrible predator is this? She was right there! Do all foxes turn into snarly scaredy cats when they go savage?" The rams merely shrugged at each other in confusion.

"Sly fox," Judy whispered in amazement. Where Bellwether saw cowardice, Judy realized that even in his savage state, Nick was able to think quickly on his feet. The sheep's attempt at hindering the fox had backfired and set Nick's mindset to one of survival rather than hunting. Nick was able to recognize his vulnerable state and come up with a plan to defend himself, despite how primitive it was.

"Oh mutton chops, and here I was really looking forward to a show. Well, what are you two idiots doing? Drag him out of there. We'll figure something else out."

The two rams exchanged nervous glances before they knelt by the table to fish out the fox. Despite its primitive simplicity, Nick's plan worked very well. He hissed and snapped at the sheep so they couldn't get close enough to grab him.

Judy heard a scream from one of the rams. He was almost successful in pulling out Nick, but only because the fox had latched on to the sheep's arm with his teeth. Nick gave his head a violent twist, ripping open the the flesh on the ram's arm. As the ram scramble to get out from under the table Nick released his attacker and returned to his position of safety. The ram held his bleeding arm and ran towards the stairs. Blood trailed behind him.

"Idiot," the other ram mumbled as he grabbed the chain that was connected to Nick. He gave the chain a tug and Nick was dragged out with a yelp. However, the ram was too close and Nick lunged at the him. The sheep jumped back in surprise, narrowly avoiding the attack and dropping the chain in surprise. Nick ran back to his spot.

"Pain in the ass fox," the ram cursed. He wasn't ready to give up on his plan. The ram walked further down the chain, closer to Judy, and began fishing out Nick again. With the ram outside his attack range Nick could only struggle in vain to pull back and stay in his spot.

Judy realized the dangerous position Nick was coming into. He needed help and she wasn't about to watch him receive any further harm. She spied the knife, still within reach, and grabbed it. She gave a shout as she ran towards the ram and thrust the blade into his back, just above his right hip.

The ram screamed and arched his back in shock as Judy pulled out the blade, now covered in blood. She thrust the blade deep into his flesh again and a third time before the ram swung his hoof back, knocking Judy to the side, still clutching the blade. He held his side and turned towards Judy, backing away from her. Unfortunately for him, he was also backing into the table where Nick hid. The fox jumped out and bit the sheep's leg. The ram gave a jump before he too ran for safety.

Dawn stared open mouthed at the retreating ram and then turned to look at Judy. The bunny stood there, clutching the knife, in a defensive stance. Dawn's mind raced with what to do next and she grew frustrated as she realized how the tables had turned.

"I hope you're proud of yourself Judy Hopps. You think you managed to accomplish anything here? You haven't. You are still my prisoner and you are still trapped down here with that savage fox and guess what? He is going to get hungry eventually and bunnies are a fox's natural prey. My plan hasn't changed. One of you will still kill the other!" She yelled before she stomped up the stairs to check on her cohorts.

Judy relaxed her stance and collapsed to the ground exhausted. She looked down at the blood stained knife. Blood was also splattered on her white paws and her shirt. She touched her face and felt sticky globs of blood on her cheeks. She couldn't believe she had actually stabbed an animal. She thought about how easily the sharp blade had sliced through her foe's skin and muscle.

She sat for a moment and listened. She could hear her partner panting heavily nearby. She tried to look for him under the table but she could only see the tip of his nose bob up and down with his breathing. His good arm was sticking out and he laid his head down on it. Nick closed his eyes and let out a pained whine.

Judy's heart broke for the fox. Nick was still covered in blood, but with his eyes closed and his face no longer snarling he looked like her old lovable fox.

"Nick?" Judy whispered softly. His ears gave a flick but he gave no other indication that he heard her. She called to him again and inched a bit closer but still received no response. She continued to inch closer on all fours towards the savage creature. Her heart raced as she knew she was entering his striking range but he still just laid on the floor, his breathing was slowing to a normal rate.

Judy was just a about a foot from the fox when he opened his eyes and lifted his head. Nick and Judy locked eyes and she froze, unsure of what he was going to do next. He sniffed the air, taking in Judy's scent and then stood up on his three good limbs. He took a hobbled step towards her with a huff. His larger body was towering over her and Judy felt very small, even with Nick standing on all fours. He looked down at her crouched form through thin pupils before he collapsed on top of the small bunny. Judy was knocked off balance and Nick began whining in her lap.

She let out a relieved chuckle as she stroked her fox's fur. Nick pressed his head against her body and began licking the underside of her chin and his tail began to wag slightly. He whined the entire time he was showering her with affection. It was like he was trying to convince her to help him. She wondered if he actually recognized her in his state or if he simply decided she was no threat. Either way she was happy to be holding her fox in her arms again.

"Oh Nick, I'm so sorry." Tears welled up in Judy's eyes and she ran her paws through Nick's coarse fur to his soft undercoat. "I'm so sorry this happened and I'm so sorry for the way I treated you."

Nick snuggled his head harder into her belly. Could he still understand her?

"When we get out of this, I promise to be better to you. I'll give you the space to be your own fox, I'll think first instead of jumping down your throat all the time and I'll try to be less controlling of you." Judy began sobbing, "I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy because guess what? We're going to start a family."

Nick gave no reaction to her words but continued rubbing his head on her. Maybe he couldn't understand her words after all. She gave a silent prayer that they would get out and she would be able to tell him the good news when his mind had returned.

But first they had to get out of this basement. She struggled to come up with a plan when Nick's head shot up. Her ears twisted as she too heard a heavy step come down the stairs. Nick growled and Judy prepared for the second wave of the sheep's torture.