When I got up there were two things I noticed. First, it was dark. Very dark. Second, it was very quiet. I felt around for my Pip-Boar and slapped it on my arm before turning on the light. The shack was not very large. Onion and I could fit in it rather comfortably, but I couldn't tell what species it was designed for. The bed I was lying on was a bit larger than me, but not overly so. There was not much else. Opposite the bed was a table and a single chair. There were some magazines scattered around, although they were all too faded to make out anything. I looked at the walls. It looked like there used to be windows on four of the walls, but they had been boarded up, luckily the door was still usable.

Beside the table was Onion, floating a few inches off the ground, most likely in rest mode. On the wall behind the bed was a large poster. It depicted a large building with a curved roof. It was decked out with lights, and below it said Come on down for a Wild Time!. Sounds classy. There was not much else in the shack. I looked down on the bed and remembered that it was a bit … used. I swallowed my nausea. I went through a lot worse in the Burrow. This time, however, I did not have access to a shower to clean off.

I went over to where I hung my jumpsuit to dry. I noticed that there were a few holes in it and that it was still damp. My fur had mostly dried up, but I really did not want to put that thing back on again. I picked it up and turned it over to where the 76 was emblazoned. I rubbed my paw over the numbers before I threw it on the ground. I did not want to remember that place. Thankfully, I came prepared. I opened my backpack, which thankfully was waterproof, and pulled out the clothing that I packed. It was not much. Some black jeans and a button up blue and white flannel shirt. I thankfully had some clean underwear, I have no idea when or how I will plan on cleaning my clothes, so figured it be a good idea to pack something. After getting dressed I went over to Onion and woke him.

"Good morning Miss, or should I say night? It is rather dark in here."

"You noticed that too, huh? How long do you think we have been here?"

"By my calculations, I'd say about five hours. How are you feeling Miss?"

"Better honestly. Between me getting knocked out by those damn darts, and this rest, I am feeling unusually refreshed."

"That is good news. Now, come first thing in the morning we should try to find some shelter a bit more, clean than this."

According to my Pip-Boar, it had to be around ten at night. I really did not want to spend the next six to eight hours trapped in this small shack just to wait for some sunlight. I was getting very fidgety and needed to stretch my legs. "Hey Onion, I am going to take a look around."

"This place is rather small.I am sure you have seen everything."

"No idiot, outside."

"Miss Springs, I do not recommend it after that debacle that we barely managed to get through. What if there are more of those, creatures, out there in the dead of night?"

He was right. We almost did not make it out of there alive. If it wasn't for those explosives, we would have been dead. I can't just stay here though. I won't admit it to him, but that little adventure we had was actually a bit exciting. Defiantly the most excitement I had in my entire life. It makes me want to know what else is out there, what other dangers thrive in this unknown world. The safety of the Burrow was well behind me, and it was just the two of us. We needed to stick together. Unfortunately, neither one of us were fighters.

"Your arm actuators are on the fritz, right?"

"Yes, Miss. My arms are not functioning much above thirty percent capacity."

"Well, since I am fresh out of parts to fix you, and I want us both at tip top shape, I think looking around for something I can use would be advisable."

"I really don't think …"

"You. Stay. Good boy."

"Honestly, I am not your pet Miss Springs."

"I know. A pet would talk less."

Well that shut him up. I don't blame him though. Yes, I do need parts to fix him. I used most of my spares when I almost lost him the last time. I also need to see what is out there. I was hoping that while I check out the immediate surrounds, I could come across something that could help either of us. I was not planning to go too far, I don't even know what direction we came from, and the last thing I need is to go wondering back into that hell hole and find out some of them survived the explosion, although I don't see how they could. I grabbed my tool belt, placed the gun firmly between the belt and my body, although I did not want to use it unless absolutely necessary, and left the 'comfort' of the shack.

"Now don't go answering the door for strangers."

"No one can be as strange as you Miss. Do be safe."

The only time I have ever seen the night sky was in some books. The sky always looked so very majestic, a blanket of small lights bursting from the darkness, hints of blues and purples from distant galaxies. My mother told me about the constellations that helped ancient travelers find their way. There was the Mother Bear, and her son the Little Bear. She told me the story about how long ago, before the dawn of civilization, a great bear had lost her child while foraging. She looked high and low for him but could never find him and, in doing so, got so very lost that she could not find her way back home. The mother eventually found her son, who had fallen off a cliff. Stricken with grief, the mother bear stayed by her child's side until she too died. Mom told me that in her final breath, she begged her gods to never let another soul get lost again. They answered her by binding her and her son's spirit to the sky in the form of two constellations. They would always be together and would always help those who were lost. I had wished I could see the sky - to see those two bears trapped in the heavens for myself. Too bad my first good look at the night sky was ruined by overcast.

Reality came crashing down and I shook my mind off and scanned my immediate surroundings. It was too dark to make out much, but after my eyes adjusted for a bit, I could start to see shapes forming in the night. Tents. There were probably hundreds of tents scattered throughout here. Most of them had collapsed, but a few were still standing. Since I had no idea who, or what was out here, I decided to kept my light off. I did not want to attract any undue attention.

I walked up to the nearest tent and carefully dug through it. Just like in the stadium, it was covered with a thick layer of dust. I found a couple empty cans, a tattered sleeping bag, but nothing useful. I also saw a small pile of bottles. I picked one up and looked at its faded label. It was called Rad! Cola. It was like this will the next few I tried. I ignored the tiny ones. I highly doubt anything rodent size would help me any, and tried my luck at a very large one. Unlike the firstfew, I found a some unopened cans of … food I think? The labels were missing, but I put them in my backpack, just in case. I also found some more empty bottles of that soda. Almost every tent had at least one. Must have been a popular drink. One of the tents had an unopened bottle of the soda, seemed popular enough that I should try it, but not now. I put it in my bag and continued my search. A few of the tents had the skeletal remains of its former residents. The first time I saw one I had to bite my tongue just so I wouldn't scream. Despite all I saw earlier, the sight of a body, even its decomposed remains, is still a bit unnerving to me.

While most of the collapsed tents were a bust, the first intact one, a dark yellow tent that was almost double my size, held some nice surprises. The first thing I noticed was a metal sphere not much larger than Onion. I closed the tent behind me and risked turning on my light. The light reflected off of the metal plates and almost blinded me. After dimming my Pip-Boar a bit, I could finally make it out. It was an almost perfect sphere save for one side that had been flattened. On it was a screen that had a large crack going through it. Unlike Onion who had all of his antennas and sensors on top of him, this thing had them on either side, like whiskers.

My Pip-Boar could not seem to connect to it either through wireless or the wired connection port I found just below the screen. Luckily I was able to pry open it's casing and scavenge a few parts that might be compatible with Onion. I wish I could just take it with me and spend more time figuring out what it was, but it was too large for me to carry. The tent did not have much else to offer though. More empty cans, some shredded clothing that was way too large for me, and a metal box. The box was locked but something in me really wanted to know what was inside. I did not have any lock-picking tools, nor the experience to use them, but I did remember something I read once. I think it was called Tumblers Weekly. I don't know why a magazine about lock-picking was in the Burrow, or who it even belonged too, but it did have one article in it about needing to pick a lock with no tools. Now how did that go? I think it said to find two really thin objects that can fit in the lock. I looked around and remembered the antennas on the robot. I went over and snapped a few of them off, they look thin enough. While trying to recall the article, I carefully turned them.

Snap! Damn. Luckily there are a few more. I really know I shouldn't be wasting time with this, but I really do like a good mystery. Plus, it's bothering the crap out of me not knowing what's in there. After a few more attempts, and a couple more broken picks, I was finally rewarded with a pleasing clicking noise as the latch popped open. Time to collect my treasure. Inside the box was lined with a rather intact red velvet lining. There were two small velvet pouches. They had a bit of weight to them, and were tied with a small golden rope. I carefully opened and placed its contents in my paw. It was a gold coin. It was large enough to cover my whole paw, but not too large to make it hard to carry. On one side depicted a rabbit. The rabbit looked an awfully lot like me, but then again, maybe I just look like a typical member of my species. I turned the coin over and on the back was printed the word Luck. I opened the other pouch and inside was another coin the same size and color, only this time instead of a rabbit, a fox was portrayed on it. The back of this one said Cunning. I put them back into their pouches and put them in my bag. I almost felt compelled to take them, and it is not like there is anyone here to appreciate them.

I grabbed my bag and started to head out when I tripped over something that I missed. It was an unopened bottle of Rad! Cola. I picked it up and put it in my bag, maybe it's still good. I turned off my light and headed out of the tent. I tried to get my bearings, and figure out where Onion was. I could not see the shack anymore. It felt like it had gotten darker while I was in there. I gave my eyes some time to adjust but it still did not help, all I could see were tents. I activated my Pip-Boar and turned on the tracker program. Thankfully, I had a tracker on Onion, and within a few seconds it told me that he was located behind me. I found some parts for him, and it is way too dark to continue looking around, so I may as well head back. As I started to walk I heard a very loud crack in the air. It sounded an awful lot like the gun I had.

My ears twisted in the direction of the sound and I waited. Maybe I was imagining it? After a moment of silence, I figured it was nothing and started back when two more shots fired off from the same direction. Now I know I'm not imagining it. I turned in the direction of the noise. It was still too dark to make out anything, but after a few seconds that changed. A small light flickered into existence a distance away. I really should head back, what if it's more of those creatures? Then again, they did not seem smart enough to use a gun, and that was defiantly a gun. Perhaps they are in trouble just like I was? I know that I would have loved help back there, so maybe I can offer some assistance. I headed towards the light, moving carefully as to not make a sound. Just in case.

I finally was close enough to the light to make out that it was a fire. I could hear voices but was still too far to make it out. As I got closer I was able to make out some words. I kept hidden as I listened for a moment, last think I needed was to spook them and get shot.

"I tell you Griff, those savage ghouls seem to be out numbering us. Last week we ran into, what, five of them the entire week? I've shot five just this past hour!"

"You know those fucking things are everywhere, I am sure that explosion we saw probably just woke some of them up."

"Yeah, about that, what do you think it was? Better question, why the hell are we heading towards it!?"

"You know the boss wants us to find more salvage, what better place than Zootennial? It's been off most radars due to the large amount of ghoul activity there, but maybe someone finally decided to clean the place up. If that's the case, we should try to take advantage of it."

"And if it's already cleared out, or worse a rival gang, what then?"

"We will just play it by ear Jay. As long as it ain't those Red-Neck freaks, we should be fine. Then again, I doubt it's them, or else that place would be one giant bonfire."

Gangs? Red-Necks? Just who are these people? I was sure they needed some help, but now I am wondering if that's not the case. I should just head back. Onion is probably worrying about me. I slowly turned around and started to leave when a noise froze me in place. Fuck, did they know I was there?

"Hey! Who goes there!"

Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck. I am a goner. Maybe they will just see me as a lost soul and take pity on me? Maybe these guys are actually decent folk, who just so happen to be collecting scrap for a living. Yeah, I will be fine. Right? I should have just listened to Onion and stayed at the shack until morning. What should I do? I could try to run, or I could just give myself in. They had to know where I was by now, so why haven't they found me?

"Help! Please help me!"

A new voice, a female? Maybe they didn't know I was here after all. I turned back and attempted a peak at what was going on. Until now I was just listening. I folded my ears behind my head and took a look as carefully as possible. The two who were talking earlier were standing with their guns pointing the opposite direction of me. One of them looked to be a deer, but most of his antler's had been broken off into stumps. He was dressed in a ragged trench coat. The other one was a wolf, his black fur matted underneath some scrappy looking clothing made of, was that hide? Where did … no, I did not want to think about that. At least after two decades, predator and prey still seem to be working together.

"My husband … We were attacked!"

The new voice belonged to a feline, a cheetah perhaps? She was wrapped in what looked like two dresses of opposing colors sewn haphazardly together. I guess when the world ends, fashion dies with it. She was holding her arms across her chest as if she was trying to comfort herself.

"Ok, ok calm down miss. What attacked you?"

"It was ghouls!"

"Yeah, we've seen a few more than usual around here. What were you doing out here so late at night?"

"My husband and I, we are traders. I wanted to rest the night, but he was insistent on making it to Beaverton by daybreak."

"Hmm, well where did you get attacked?"

"Over…" she points in a direction, then hesitates and points in another. "It's near the Highway 21 junction. We were trying to pull our wagon through the remains when we were attacked."

"Perfect. Don't worry ma'am, your wagon will be safe with us."

"But what abo…"

That was all she could say before the deer fired his weapon. He must have been a good shot because she dropped right where she stood. What kind of monsters were these?! Shooting a helpless woman who was just asking for assistance. I better get out of here before they see me. Not the kind of first impression I expected out here, and don't want it to be my last. Thankfully they did not seem to notice me as I snuck away. After I was sure that I was far enough away from them, I turned my Pip-Boar to Onion's signature and followed it, being careful not to leave any trace so that they can't follow me back. For once I was thankful of the darkness.

I returned to the shack with no further incidents. I took a small look around the outside to make sure that everything was sealed. I did not want any of my Pip-Boar's light to bleed out and make us a sitting target out here. When I was content I opened the door. I should have knocked because I was inches away from being stunned by Onion's shock baton.

"Oh Miss! So sorry. You were gone so long that I was beginning to worry. Then I heard something slinking around the outside and feared the worse."

"Yeah that was me Onion. Just wanted to make sure this place was secure for the night."

"So, besides me nearly electrocuting you, you discover anything interesting?"

"I found some spare parts to fix you with and I saw a woman get killed."

"My audio processors must be on the fritz, I thought I just heard you say you watched someone get killed?"

I filled in Onion on everything that happened. The coins that I found, the robot that I salvaged the parts from, and the events that played out involving the death of an innocent woman. I know that if Onion had eyes, they would be wide with disbelief when my story ended. I tried to forget what I saw and took out the parts I salvaged and began to work on fixing him up.

"My word Miss. I do hate saying I told you so, but the Burrow sounds like a much safer place than here."

"To tell you the truth Onion? I am actually feeling, happy."

"Say again Miss? You just said you watched someone die! How can you be happy with that?"

"Not at that. If anything, that makes me mad and nervous at who else we might meet. It's this whole thing. Life in the Burrow was boring after my mother died. Sure, I enjoyed fixing the things residents brought to me. I loved fiddling around with any piece of tech I could get my paws on, but even that was getting stale. While I thought we were going to die when those, I think they were ghouls based upon those two's descriptions, were after us, I felt an unfamiliar rush of excitement."

"If you plan on putting us in more of those situations, I am just going to go scrap myself to get it over with."

"Don't be so melodramatic Onion. I don't plan to purposely put myself into those types of situations. I still want to find a nice place to settle down, to live life how I want to, not how others tell me too. If a little excitement is thrown at us here and there, well, it will help keep us motivated."

I think Onion was about to make a remark on that when I shut his power off. I had to do a few detailed fixes and did not want to fry anything. That and I really did not want to argue with a robot right now. My heart was still racing from what I witnessed, and that was almost an hour ago. My brain was still trying to process what happened. Part of me wanted to go and get revenge against what they did, but my logic overthrew that fast. They were obviously used to this, and knew how to use a gun. I however, did not have that luxury and would probably die before I could even attempt anything. Another part of me wanted to go and see if I could help the husband, but between the unknown number of ghouls that might still be there, and the fact that it was still too dark out to see much turned me away from that idea. Something tells me I will need to try to find some protection, and fast. One of them mentioned a trading town nearby, Beaverton was it? That should be our first destination.

After I was done fixing Onion I turned him on. It would take a while for him to fully reboot, so I decided to make use of this quiet time. I took down the towel that I had hanging on the wall and placed it on the bed. Now that I see how dirty it is in the light, I don't think I will have as easy a time falling asleep on it without something between me.

I sat down and brought my backpack to me. I fished out the canned items and looked them over. I was feeling a bit hungry. I have some rations with me, but I was curious. I got up and went over to my tool belt that I slung over the chair. I happened to have a multi-function tool that had a can opener on it. I pried open the can, being careful not to spill anything. When it was opened I took a look inside, it looked like some kind of soup. It smelt fine. No mold. I stuck my finger in it and pulled out something foreign. It was a whitish color and very flaky. I got a strange whiff of something from it. I still couldn't tell if it was good or not, but only one way to find out.

"Miss Springs! Stop right there!"

He was awake. "Ugh, what is it Onion? Can't you see I am trying to eat? I'm starving."

"Yes, but that is not for you. It is meat. Fish to be precise, and species like yourself are not meant to digest such foods, it could make you sick."

Fish? My entire Burrow were mostly vegetarians. The few that could eat meat, did so through some kind of imitation meat paste. I remember once when I was a kid a couple rabbits and myself were daring each other to do stuff. One of them suggested to try eating that paste. I knew that we were not supposed too, but apparently he decided to accept the challenge. He ate an entire can of it, a week's worth of rations to some of the smaller residents. It did not agree with him. He was in the medical facility for a week before he recovered.

"Yeah, I better not. I doubt medical help is easy to find around these parts."

I threw the can onto the ground and put the other one away. I wasn't about to see what was in it, and who knows, if it isn't something I can eat, maybe I can give it to someone who can eat it. If I even find anyone who isn't cold hearted enough to shoot a defenseless woman. I really hope I do not have bad dreams about that. Nightmares are the last thing I need.

I grabbed my back and dug through it some more. I pulled out the two pouches with the coins and took them both out. They were really shiny. I wonder if someone was polishing them? Everything else out here was covered in grime or dust, these coins stood out. I noticed that Onion had gotten closer, as if he was looking at them too. Did he develop a taste for shiny object?

"My word Miss, where ever did you get those?"

"I found them in a small box when I was searching for parts. Do you have any idea what they are? They look too pristine to be simple bits of currency."

"Actually, my database pinged as soon as I registered them. They are called the Treasure of Zootopia. Commissioned by famous singer, and peace activist Gazelle, twelve coins were created representing the diversity of animals and personalities that made up the City of Zootopia. Four known sets were created. One was given to the Mayor, Gazelle kept one set, a ZPD officer named Judy Hopps was given a set, and the last set's whereabouts is unknown."

"Hmm, so they are part of a set. I will defiantly be keeping these, maybe I can reunite them with their friends."

I stared at them for a bit longer before putting them back into the pouches. I don't know why but I have the urge to collect them all, or at least one whole set. They had some kind of radiance about them. I put them back into my backpack and remembered the strange plastic carrot I found. I pulled it out and gave it a closer look. It has buttons, so it must be some sort of electronic. I noticed two very small screws on one side. I got up and went over to the desk to have a little more room. After grabbing my screwdriver set I went to work taking it apart. The inside was very basic -three buttons, a microphone, a speaker, and a power source. The batteries were dead, but the unit itself seemed intact. Since I did not have access to whatever primitive power source this thing had, I did the next best thing. Through some fancy rewiring, I was able to hook it up to my Pip-Boar. According to it, there was a small memory unit built in, and there was a recording stored on it. I downloaded it to my Pip-Boar.

"I am about to go to sleep Onion. You better power down and recharge yourself. We leave in the morning and I want us both well rested. I heard about a town called Beaverton. Apparently it's a trading hub, might be worth checking on. Maybe we can find supplies, or even work there for us."

"I do hope we don't run into any more of those ghastly creatures, or worse. I don't think my circuits can take any more worry."

I smiled at him and laid on the bed, being careful that I was on the towel and not the actual mattress. I turned off the light and turned on the recording.

"I tried to make it in time Carrots, I really did. I just knew it was a mistake for you to take on that case alone. They should have sent an investigator from Little Rodentia instead, but you … you just had to be so adamant on taking this damn case didn't you? Things are turning to shit out here Carrots. Ever since the explosion in Tundratown there has been rioting, looting, and everyone is turning on each other. No one knows who did it, and everyone is blaming each other. The precinct is drowning in emergency calls. We don't have the animal-power to handle this. We need… sigh, maybe it is a good thing you are in there, safe and secure. I don't want to lose you, but I'd rather know you are safe than for the worst to happen. You said that this Burrow would only be sealed for thirty years, so maybe I will see you again. If, no, when you make it out you know where to find me. Oh and Carrots, remember that test you submitted? Well the results … what was that? No, not here, not now. Remember that I will always love you Judy, and don't forget …"