Blanche's message hit all of us hard. Both Mayor Swift and Petey, whom had just learned about her fate, wore expressions of shock and grief. Blanche's uncle, whom she said she wasn't that close with, looked as if he'd just lost a child of his own. He looked unsure of what to do, or what to say and eventually just buried his face in his paws.

I could tell that Mayor Swift was hurt by this news as well, but she didn't show her emotions like everyone else. She looked sullen, like she was on the verge of crying, but it never came. I envied how strong she was with her emotional control. I guess having to constantly look like a leader to her people must have given her a resolve of steel, but I could still tell it hurt her, and bit by bit her mask was cracking.

Mark and Holly just held each other. Of the two, Mark seemed to be the one showing the greater emotion to having heard the message, while Holly was trying her best to comfort him. It was the same with Nate and I. I was just curled up in his arms as I felt the warm drops of Nate's tears hit the back of my neck. I could feel my own tears but they weren't nearly enough. I wanted to be more upset. I should be more upset. I just felt, broken.

North had left shortly after the message stopped playing. He said he had something to take care of, but the way his voice sounded, I wondered if he simply felt out of place. He didn't strike me as the emotional type. I didn't try to stop him from leaving. Everyone had their own means to deal with their feelings. I just hoped he wasn't trying to bottle it up like I had been.

Despite all this, the one who I felt the worst for was Jasmine. I had dragged her into this emotional wreckage with zero warning on what to expect. I freed her from the ones who wanted to torture her, just to drag her right back into their grasp. Now she's sitting here, probably with no idea on how to react or respond to all of us falling apart. We're still strangers to her, and how can I keep the promise to protect her, when we can't even protect ourselves. She was the one who ended up saving us from the Red-Necks.

I felt Nate rub his paw between my ears. "You just take all the time you need, none of us are going anywhere."

"I… I'll be okay. I think."

"You two have gotten close, haven't you?" Mayor Swift's voice seemed to crack momentarily before she gathered herself back into her normal form.

I chuckled a little, the feeling causing a momentary lapse in whatever emotions were currently in control. "Closer than you think."

"Oh my. I could tell you two were a good match, but never expected to see you move this fast."

I had expected some kind of quip to come from Holly, even I knew that was the perfect set up for one, but she just sat there with Mark in her arms and gave the mayor a look that actually sent a shiver down my spine. Even Holly had her boundary, but I wish it didn't involve so much sorrow.

"Oh dear, I'm… sorry. I've never liked seeing people like this, especially ones I care about. Running this town for so long has taught me that both fear and depression can spread faster than any fire. I always tried to make sure it never got to that point by doing my best to distract everyone from it."

"We appreciate your concern mayor, but we've been through a lot, Olivia especially. Sometimes even jubilance can hurt more than it helps."

The mayor just looked at me and Nate, something was in her eyes that I could only describe as a mix of shame and sorrow. "I think… it's been a while since I've had a chat with Mark and Holly. We need to catch up on a few things. Petey, could you take Olivia and Nate over to Petunia's get them some food? Tell her that I will pay for it myself."

"S-sure." The mayors voice seemed to have snapped him out of some trance-like state or something.

"Jasmine was it? You should probably stay here. With all the ruckus earlier, I don't think anyone noticed your…" The mayor simply pointed to her chin. "I don't think your appearance in town will be seen without some apprehension."

"I understand. I figured that there would be… issues with my appearance."

"I'm sorry Jasmine. We'll do what we can to help." Nate and I walked towards the door following Petey when I stopped and turned back towards her. "Also, I wanted to say thank you. You save us, despite what it might have cost you if we failed."

"Y-your welcome. I… it's only been a day, but you've shown me more kindness than I think any of the Red-Necks ever showed me my entire life. I don't think I could have lived with myself if I simply stood back and watched."

I gave her a reassuring smile before we left.

Life had started to return to a semblance of normalcy in the town. Many of the citizens were giving us looks. Some looking thankful for saving them, again. Others, however, told me that either the mayor hadn't been able to win everyone over from last time, or if she did, this recent attack on Hope caused that work to become undone. Either way, I don't think we were still entirely welcome here.

I wished that we could all just move back here. Between the flickering lights and the rusting support beams, this town looked like it could fall apart at any moment. If only they knew how much help Nate and I could do for this place. Between the two of us, this town would look like it was just built in a few months time. Distrust seemed to be a much more powerful motivator than their own wellbeing.

"You two take a seat, I'll fill Petunia in and start cooking. Got any requests?"

The rumble in my stomach at the smell of food told me that I don't think it mattered. "Surprise us."

Nate and I pulled our chairs close together, him not wanting to move even an inch from my side, his tail curling around me, and always seemed to have at least one paw resting on me. In the past I had thought he was too clingy towards me, but right now I don't think it was possible to be. I wanted him here just as much as he wanted to be.

"Sorry for bailing."

"There you are North. You left in a bit of a hurry there."

"Yeah, I don't do very well around other mammals when they're like… well like this."

"I'll forgive you, this time. Come, join us." I motioned towards a chair that was opposite from us.

"I was just going to…"

"Sit."

North grabbed the chair out from the table and plopped down on it. I saw him fiddling with something in his shirt pocket.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this is the little thing I had to take care of." He seemed rather nervous while he was reaching into the pocket. He started to pull out something when an object fell out and made a metallic clink as it landed on the table. I reached out and grabbed it before North was able to take it back.

It was a small golden object that had a curved shape to it. The shape reminded me of shields that they used in medieval times. It had a shine to it that told me its owner kept it in good condition despite its age. On it was engraved Officer at the top, with Police at the bottom. Around the inner image of a star were the words: Trust, Integrity, and Bravery. I turned it over and inside was engraved: P1-A113.

"What's this? I thought you said there were no police in the wasteland."

North snatched it out of my paw, looked at it a moment, and placed it back into his pocket. "There aren't. I've had that for, well for as long as I remember. Could never find myself to part with it. Here, this is for you."

He handed me something that I recognized instantly. It was a coin, but not just any coin, its size and shape matched the other three I had. It was one of the Treasures of Zootopia. On the side facing me was the word Strength. I turned it over and saw an image of a rhino on the other side. I had the need to put this with the other three, but I had left my bag in the mayor's office.

"Thank you. You really didn't have to."

"No. I did. I may not be a people's mammal, but I've been around long enough to tell when someone is troubled. Problem is, I usually don't give a damn unless it can bring me some caps, but there's just something so… familiar with you, that for the first time in, well, ever, that I actually felt bad hustling you. That's why I couldn't sell those coins, even though I had a buyer offering me enough money to quit hustling all together. It just felt… wrong."

"That's… actually kinda sweet of you North. And to think, when I first met you, my first impression was that you were simply a low down, no good, crooked low-life with no regard for your fellow mammals."

"Ouch. Yeah, I deserved that."

"What did you mean when you said something felt familiar about me to you?"

"I couldn't describe it no matter how hard I tried. Your very presence just fills me with a sensation of longing." North suddenly threw up his hands, "I'm not trying to come on to you or nothing! I can tell you already have a better fox than I could ever be in your life."

"Yes. Yes I do." I grabbed Nate and gave him a kiss. I had wondered what kind of reaction North would have, but he didn't seem to be phased by it. I know the mayor once told me that interspecies relationships were still looked down upon by some mammals, and that this town had a few of them, and my guess they were part of those who stood against Nate and Mark's presence. "You don't seem surprised by this. Even Mayor Swift seemed a little shocked."

"Heh, I've seen it all sweetheart. It also feels… right to me for some reason. It's probably just the rest of my brain finally rotting away."

"I've been meaning to ask, why is it that some ghouls are like any other mammal, but others are… not?"

"I've wondered that myself. The earliest I remember from my ghoulification, I tried to figure it out myself. I even tried to live in some ghoul only towns. I lived in the Undercroft for at least a decade. That's the wasteland's largest all-ghoul town. They're not anti-social or anything, it's just that we ghouls have a bad rap. Most wastelanders can't, or won't, differentiate between a ghoul like me or a savage and just try to kill us all. The folks in the Undercroft just want to live free."

"If it was such a nice place, then why are you out wandering the wastes?"

"Every ghoul has a… tick I guess you can call it. It's a small remnant from their pre-ghoul days. The lucky few who actually can remember their past, typically have the most free will due to being able to live without it, but for us ghouls who can't remember their past, the tick is the only driving force in their lives. When you lose your tick, you lose yourself, and that's when you become a savage. There's no turning back from that. Trust me, mammals have tried and it only ever leads to more death."

"So, what's your tick?" I felt that North was beating around telling me this.

"It's… well to put it blunt, it's hustling. Talking mammals out of their caps, or talking them into buying a worthless piece of junk…" North looked over to Nate, "I'm truly sorry I sold your brother that faulty power core by the way. If I had known he was friends with your rabbit, I probably would've canceled the trade right there. Here," North slid a small bag towards Nate. "This is everything your brother paid, plus some extra."

Nate looked at the bag, hesitated a moment and then slid it back towards North. "Y-you don't need t-to. I'm… s-sorry. I… when s-she was taken… I alm-most tried to…"

"Kill me? You ain't the first to try and won't be the last. I'm used to it, and typically other mammals don't scare me. To be honest, I would've probably tried to kill me too. Actually I probably would have killed me if I was in your place, but you were the better mammal. I've never felt like the better mammal, at least not until recently. " North leaned in towards Nate and started to whisper. He did realize I was only a few inches from Nate, right? "To be honest, your rabbit is the first mammal to ever truly scare me. You sure did pick a feisty one."

"Y-you have n-n-no idea a-and I wouldn't have it any other way."

I could tell Nate was still a completely different mammal around others. He seemed rather nervous around North especially, although from what the others told me about what happened after I was taken by those mercenaries, I really couldn't blame him. If someone ever tried to take Nate from me, I don't think there would be a force in the world that could hold me back.

"Here ya go darlin', fresh from the kitchen. Petey told me what happened, an' while I can't do much ta help, I did dig inta my 'premium' foods. For you Mista Valiant, I have some fresh grilled trout, and by fresh I mean it! No rads or mutations here. Got a friend who raises 'em over in the Meadowlands." She placed the plate with the fish and something else in front of him. He looked over it and I saw his eyes widen a bit as his nervous expression melted a little.

"And for you dear, a creamed carrot bisque with alfalfa pressed crackers. Probably not as fancy as yer friend's meal, but vegetables are a bit easier ta come by than untainted meat."

"It smells delicious. Thank you."

She turned towards North. "I'm sorry sugah, I didn't bring anythin' fer you, I thought it was just gonna be the two of 'em."

"We ghouls aren't known for eating. I should probably get going."

"No." North started to get up but paused at my voice. "Stay. While I'm sure Nate wouldn't mind a little alone time with me, I think right now, it's best to simply be near friends."

North slowly sat down, looking a bit surprised. "Friends? After everything I put you though, how can you think of me more than a mere acquaintance?"

"Yeah, I wanted to shove a few bullets where the sun don't shine a few times, but mammals can change, and the simple fact that you're even trying to change makes you so much more than most mammals I've run into. That's why I can call you a friend."

"Well, you can call me honored."

I tried to think of a snappy comeback to North's response, but got distracted by an odd expression that Nate started making after Petunia left us. He kept poking some of the food on his plate with a fork as if trying to question their existence.

"What's wrong sweetie? It looks as if you're trying to torture those… whatever they are."

"They're mushrooms. Nasty. Evil. Little. Fungi. I hate em. I really, really hate em."

"Mushrooms? If they're that bad, why did she serve them?"

North interjected before Nate could respond. "To most they're a delicacy. To others they're no better than a weed."

"Die." Nate stabbed one with a fork and looked as if he was about to fling it away. I quickly grabbed the fork from his paw.

"Don't waste food Nate. Here, let me try it." I sniffed it. It smelt a bit musty, but not in a bad way. The butter that was glazed all over it gave it a smooth shine. I placed it on my tongue and tasted the butter. After a few chews I realized it wasn't that bad. Not as good as this carrot bisque, but something that I would definitely eat again.

Nate gave a shudder after I swallowed it. "Nasty things. You can have the rest." He started to push them onto the table but I halted him.

"I'll just pick from your plate. I don't want to make a mess for Petunia."

"You do realize that's part of her job, right Carrots?"

I dipped my spoon into the broth and flicked a little at North. "This is carrots, not me. Plus, I'm considerate like that."

"You're something alright."

"Don't tempt me North. I got plenty of ammunition right here."

Nate whispered, but still loud enough for both of us to hear. "And she didn't want me to waste food…"

I grabbed another mushroom off his plate. "I'm a lady, and I can do what I please." I purposely put on an over exaggerated accent.

North and Nate looked at each other then burst out laughing. It's nice to see Nate smile. I know it's only temporary, but even a small bit of enjoyment was good for us. I grabbed another mushroom, and this time I tried to dip it into the carrot soup. Not a bad combination, although the butter was almost like a barrier, causing most of the carrot to slip right off.

"So North, what are you going to do now?"

"Like I said before, I 'm thinking of opening my own shop here. The mayor already gave me the go ahead, and I got the caps and inventory to start."

"But there's something wrong, isn't there?"

"You can say that. As you can tell, Hope isn't a large place. Huts are built upon huts, abandoned ones are snatched up before you can blink an eye, and that's left me with nowhere to set up my shop. The mayor said I was welcome to set up a temporary place during the trade fairs, but that only happens once or twice a week."

"Maybe I can see if…"

I heard the sound of a tiny throat being cleared. I glanced around me before looking to the ground. There stood a very familiar red-furred squirrel.

"Mr. Rattigarian! How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long Miss Springs, but long enough to hear the small conundrum from your ghoul friend here, and I think I might be able to offer a bit of assistance."

North stared at the small rodent for a moment before speaking. "And what's in it for you?"

"Simply to help. Although I do admit that I probably wouldn't be offering this if you weren't a friend of Miss Springs. Not that I have anything against ghouls mind you, it's just that without her, we wouldn't have a town to even operate a business in. It's the least I can do to repay her."

"That's very nice of you Mr. Rattigarian."

If there were only more people in this town like the mayor, Petunia, and Mr. Rattigarian, then we would be living here. It's not that I didn't like the bunker, it's just that sometimes it feels so… closed. It kinda reminded me of the Burrow, how you never knew the time of day without looking at a clock, you could never tell what the weather was like outside because there was no weather, and you are always around the same people day in and day out.

In Hope, things were random, they were unpredictable. One moment it might be sunny, but the next there's a rad-storm. New faces and new species that I've never interacted with would come and go. Some I may see over and over, some I may never see again, and to wake up to the newly dawned sun was an experience that I could never get enough of. I took another mushroom off of the plate and popped it in my mouth, wondering if the others ever thought about that.

"Olivia! That's…"

Why were both Nate and North looking shocked? I was just about to ask what I did when I noticed that the mushroom I just ate tasted… different. The texture wasn't mushy, but rather flaked apart as I chewed. It didn't have an earthy taste to it either. This tasted… I've never tasted something this unique before. This wasn't a mushroom, was it?

"Um…" I involuntarily swallowed, "you guys okay?"

"You just ate a piece of fish!" Nate seemed like he was in a bit of shock.

"You're a prey, not a predator Carrots! You could get ill, or worse from eating meat!"

"Well I feel fine." I sat there and tried to feel my body. No signs of sickness, my body didn't feel like it wanted to reject the fish. "Eh, I'm sure my mutated DNA will take care of it."

"Wait, what do you mean 'mutated DNA'?"

"Oh yeah, don't think I filled you in on this little tidbit North. Apparently I'm part fox."

"WHAT?!" I think North's outburst turned a few heads. I didn't want to look and just moved my head closer to the table, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Well, apparently, at least what the doctor told me, somewhere down the line a fox and a rabbit underwent some genetic modification to allow them to bear children together. I guess I was descended from one such couple."

"That's… wow, you really are something, aren't you? Not only are you the most insane rabbit I ever met out here, but also the most unique one to boot. If there was an award for crazy, I think you'd take the cake."

"Did I hear mention of cake?" Petunia popped in at the table.

"Ohh, cake. Yes please."

"Whatcha want hun? Gots carrot, chocolate, butter, an' I think a few slices of both blueberry an' apple pie back there. The cake is fresh-ish, but the pie is one of them instant types."

"I think I'm all carroted out here so let me try... the chocolate?"

"Make that two." Nate seemed interested as well, despite still gnawing away at his meal.

"May I have some of the blueberry pie? I can pay, of course."

"I thought ghouls didn't eat?"

"We don't, or at least we usually can't taste much, but there's something about blueberries that comforts me. Heh, caps and blueberries, the two things I enjoy the most. Maybe I should call my place that: The Caps and Blueberries Emporium."

"Would you even sell blueberries?"

"Probably not, but It has a bit of a ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Eh…" Nate didn't sound too sure of it, neither did I, but it was his place.

"Sounds a bit too… well it's your place North."

"You don't like it, do you?" North actually seemed a bit let down by my disapproval.

"How 'bout the North's Emporium?" Mr. Rattigarian chimed in his opinion.

"Heh, I like it. I like it a lot." North seemed to cheer up at the suggestion.

"Well then, it's settled. Give me a week to clear out the place I have in mind. Right now it's a dumping ground for stuff that no one wants, but they also don't want to simply toss. Once it's cleared out you can have it. For a small monthly fee, of course. I may be generous, but I'm still in charge the town's economics."

"Knock ten percent off the rent and I'll clear it out myself. Heck, give me the first few months rent for free, and I'll not only clear out the junk, but turn a profit off of it and give you fifty percent."

"Two months, and deal. You sure know how to drive a sale, don't you Mr. West?"

"It's in the blood. I have a feeling I'll be seeing a bit more of you Carrots. Don't forget to visit next time you stop by."

I said my goodbyes to North as Mr. Rattigarian led him towards his new establishment. First Drake, then Jasmine, and now North. Deep down I knew that a mammal could change if they try hard enough, but sometimes I wonder. Did they change on their own, or was it because of me? Even Nate has changed. Between how he acts around me, and of what Holly told me of his past, I knew he wasn't the same fox he used to be. If I can instill change like this, then maybe the wasteland isn't doomed after all.

"'Livi! We got news, you better come and check it… are you eating MEAT?!"

I didn't realize that I had been picking bits and pieces of the fish off of Nate's plate. From the looks of it he had stopped eating it and was now concentrating on the cake, at least he was until Holly arrived.

"Yeah. Turns out I can eat meat, who knew?"

"You… no, I'm not jealous. Do I look jealous? Lucky doxen…"

"You had something to tell me Holly?"

"Oh, yeah! We just got a message from Lazlo. You might wanna come back to the mayor's office and check it out. It's about the Legionaries."

Everyone seemed on edge back at the mayor's office. It wasn't a worried expression, more of an anxious one. Everyone looked at me, looking unsure on how I would react. With all that's happened, I had nearly forgotten about the Legionaries. In the back I saw Jasmine sitting on the floor, her neck slightly bent over. The office wasn't nearly tall enough for her to be comfortable. I did notice something new however, a small black veil around her face that covered up the metallic bits. It really made her blue eyes stand out. They were quite pretty.

"Y-you like it?" Jasmine must have noticed me starting.

"Yeah, looks good on you, and I can't see any signs of the metal jaw. Will do wonders at keeping you hidden from the Reclaimers. Plus it makes you look cute."

"I-I… t-thank you. The mayor was kind enough to get it for me." Unlike Nate and I who have reddish fur, her golden and brown spotted fur made her blushing fairly more obvious. I didn't mean it that way. I really hope she didn't take it that way either.

"Any friend of Olivia is a friend of mine."

"So, Holly said something about the Legionaries?"

"Yeah. I received a transmission from Chief Lazlo while you were gone. Seems he already heard about the Red-Neck issue, but by the time he rallied a team to come to our aid, I informed him that you had taken care of things. He seemed rather impressed. I also mentioned Jasmine's… issue, and he thinks they can help her with that."

"Wait, how much did you tell him about her?"

"Oh, everything sweetie. He's not the type of mammal you can easily lie to. Honestly, he didn't take it nearly as negatively as I thought he would. He seemed a bit surprised, but then you did manage to befriend a deathwing, so he wasn't that surprised."

Every time I think of a deathwing, I think of Drake still missing, and then I remember Blanche. Nate could tell because I felt him wrap his arm around mine.

"Don't worry sweetie. I didn't tell him about Drake and Blanche. That's something best to be told in person. Now, about the Legionaries. It seems that after the Red-Neck attack on their headquarters, they're a bit scattered, and are setting up small outposts throughout the wasteland to act as a temporary base until they can get theirs back. Apparently the Red-Necks won and are now in control."

"Do you have any idea why they attacked them?"

"No clue, and Lazlo isn't sure on it either. If the Red-Necks are involved, it can be something as simple as an argument. They tend to take things a bit seriously." Jasmine simply nodded her head in agreement with Mayor Swift.

"Does he have any idea where these outposts are?"

"He does, actually, but said that he wanted all of you to see him at their headquarters personally. He's afraid of the locations being compromised. He would like all of you to head there as soon as possible."

"If we leave within the hour, we should make it before nightfall." Mark looked as if he was trying to add things together in his head.

"Well then, it's settled. Jasmine, are you okay with this?"

"I… yes. I don't see how they can help, but I know you want to, so as long as you think it's worth it, I will follow."

"You make it sound as if you don't have a choice in the matter."

"As long as I can be identified as a R-Red-Neck, I am in danger, y-you all are in danger. N-no, I don't think I have a choice."

"With me, you always have a choice. If at any time you're not comfortable with something, you can say no."

"I-I… I'm sure. T-this is what I want."

"Well then, let's get ready everyone. I don't want any surprises between here and there. Maybe we can finally bite this whole thing in the ass once and for all."

I took out the coin that North gave me. It's hard to forget everything that's happened, and I know that I probably will never forget these past occurrences, but I need to make sure I am strong enough to protect them and myself. I took out the small pouch that held the other three coins and took them out and held all four of them in my paws.

The sheep represented bravery. I needed that bravery in order to face what trials were to come. I needed to be brave not only for my friends, but for myself. The rhino was strength. In order to be brave, I needed to be strong. Strength comes not just from my body, but my mind and heart as well. For one of them to fail, the others will begin to crumble. The fox was for cunning. I'll need all I have to make sure we don't fall into any more traps, to make sure that we can evade anything that can hurt us again. The last one, the one that I felt I connected with the most of the four. The rabbit. Luck.

Ever since I left the Burrow, I thought I was being driven by some unseen force, a fate that drove me to become who I am. I now realize that it wasn't fate that drove me out of the Burrow, it was my own determination to find something better. I could have died right there, I could have never found Hope, never found my friends and my new family. I could have never met Nate.

But I did, and right now, I feel like the luckiest mammal to ever have lived, I just hope I don't loose anyone else along the way.

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Before I begin, I have a little announcement. Starting this week, I will be adding Friday to the posting docket. You know what that means? Less time to wait between chapters! Yay! Now, I want to add more posting days, but I want to know from all of you something first. Is there such thing as too much? I am sure many of you do not read this the day it is posted due to one reason or another, so I don't want to be posting every single day to prevent chapter titles from potentially spoiling things or making people feel rushed. So far it's Sunday, Wednesday, Friday. I have been toying with changing it to Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, giving a double chapter leading into the weekend, but I would like you, as the readers, to give me an input on what would work best. Now, onto the show!

"I had been planning on interviewing a certain deathwing, but since he's nowhere to be seen, I figured I would use this episode to go over them as a species. Now, deathwings, as many of you might have guessed, aren't a species that came about through natural selection. While they look like bats, that's only a portion of their overall genetic structure.

"However, they're not simply a creation of a radioactive world like some others, such as ghouls and firebugs, are. Deathwings were created during the height of the war, or should I say, during the height of confusion since no one really knew who the enemy was. Just like nearly every technological and biological discovery of the past has been aided, or influenced by war, so were the deathwings.

"The problem with not knowing who or what your enemy is, is that it's very hard to prepare for them. Sure, many have ideas, such as the historical bridge between predator and prey, or even a war against other nations, some of whom don't share the same ideals that a city like Zootopia spreads. Without knowing who the real enemy is, the military wanted to prepare for any possible engagement.

"That's when the idea to create a super-soldier came into existence. Nearly every comic book, sci-fi movie, or story has had a super soldier at one point or another, and while it's always been in the realm of fiction, there were a few who thought that maybe it could be brought into reality. Many of the top biologists and chemists within the military were brought together in a secret summit in order to come up with a viable plan.

"The very first thing thought of was the currently used performance enhancing serums. The problem with them were that they didn't last for more than a few minutes, often had detrimental side-effects after wearing off, and previous experiments with mammals being constantly fed the chemicals ended up doing more harm than good. The mammal's body, no matter the species, was simply not designed for such stress. That's when they decided to make a mammal who's body wasn't.

"Early tests were done on death-row inmates who were given the opportunity to live and serve the country rather than face certain death. Most of them either went insane and had to be killed, or they died during the experiments. One constant proved that many of those on death-row showed existing signs of mental conditions that they believed interfered with the chemical process. Soon after, they started to take volunteers from both the lower rank military, and from civilians with promises that the military knew they would not have to keep. During threats to a mammal's very existence, extreme measures are often needed to be taken.

"Of course, that didn't stop conspiracy nuts from trying to link the reports of declining homeless mammals and an increase in missing ones. The military and the government denied these allegations of course, but that didn't stop them from trying to spread the rumors. In reality, the military wasn't responsible for most of those disappearances, but that's best saved for a later After Show.

"Now, after a few years of work, the perfect soldier was created, and it was all thanks to one mammal. Moira Flitters. Moira was a bat, but not a tiny one that often populate the Rainforest District, no, she was a large flying fox, one of the largest bats to live in Zootopia, and had her home within the Nocturnal District. She was up to her ears in debt, had no family to fall back on, and was about to lose her home. When she heard about this procedure to help the war effort, she jumped at the opportunity. The military made promises that they would not only wipe her debt, but make sure she was set for life. They weren't lying, however, they also didn't believe she would survive this. A bat had never been part of the experiments.

"How wrong they were. Whether or not it was some freaky genetic flaw, or a flawless DNA code, her blood proved to be the catalyst to bind together all the other biological sequences. The speed of a cheetah, the strength of a tiger, the prowess of a wolf, and now, the flight and agility of a bat. Her blood bound them all together.

"Now, before you ask, no, these super soldiers weren't some kind of hodgepodge of body parts. That might sound like an ideal soldier, but in reality, that'd simply make for an effective meat shield. However, there was one small thing that almost prevented this entire thing from happening. After successfully replicating Moira's unique genetic code, she became the first successful super soldier. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

"She was savage. While the chemicals did indeed dramatically increase her strength, speed, and agility. She was unable to communicate through anything but grunts, growls, and clicking noises. She also showed a massively increased metabolism rate that made her constantly hungry, and a vicious carnivore. Despite this mental deficiency, everything proved to be a success. They locked her up, keeping her sedated in order to run more experiments on her. However, during her capture, she managed to not only kill two soldiers, but also got injured, and it was then discovered that her wounds would not heal, no matter how much medical attention was given. That was another big flaw.

"One day a cultural anthropologist was brought in to the experiments, not as a subject but for her more recent experiences. She had been studying a tribe of aboriginals who lived on a remote island, one that hadn't been documented or visited by any mammal before her. Biologically, they weren't mammals, and she believed they were a result of a genetic split between a common ancestor millions of years ago. She had been studying them for years, and had just published a report. The report had not gone public yet, and it unfortunately never would due to the world as they knew it finally ending, but one of the top brass in the military caught wind of it, or rather, an aspect from it. It seemed that this non-mammalian race had a unique trait. If certain parts of their body, such as a tail or a finger, were to be injured or removed, they would be able to grow it back within a month or so. He sent out for this anthropologist and wanted her to bring back a live specimen.

"She refused of course, and also withheld the island's location, knowing that if she gave it up, they might be endangered. Between threats of jail time and being labeled a traitor to the country, which would make any future excursions impossible, she came to an agreement. She would not reveal the location, nor bring them a live specimen, but she would bring them active genetic samples. An agreement was made and a week later, she returned with the promised samples.

"It only took a few months before these regenerative strands of genetic code were successfully integrated to the current one. After it was given to Moira, she soon showed regeneration from her injuries at a rapid rate. Apparently, whatever gave her the increased metabolism, also increased the regenerative properties to an astounding rate. It didn't do anything to quell the savagery though, but the military decided to still proceed with the experiment.

"Special shock collars, derived from the SafeCo's canceled Tame Collar project, were created to control the super soldiers. These creatures were far more intelligent than their savagery showed, and the military soon learned that after successfully being able to 'control' them through the collars. However, they were much more intelligent than even the military realized.

"The military created twelve super soldiers total. They didn't want to enter mass production until they could make sure that they had complete control of these creatures. The Meadowlands was a perfect place to test them out since it was one of the least populated areas. They already had a weapon test facility there, including an underground nuclear weapon testing chamber. It's unknown how many nukes were detonated there, but it's said that the area was not nearly as protected as the military thought. Small traces of radiation had started to leak into the Nocturnal District, but due to its distance, this leakage took a few decades to show any real significance, which is probably why the military never really noticed or cared about it at the time.

"The tests proved successful at first, but the super soldiers started to waiver, to ignore certain orders. Even the increasing effects of the shock collars did nothing to improve this. Soon, a decision came to scrap the project, that it was proven to be unreliable. Turning the shock collars onto the highest, most lethal setting, they planned to take them all out. However, what the military didn't realize was that these creatures had been purposely getting shocked, in order to build up a resistance, and with the aid of the rapid regeneration, all the shock collars managed to do was produce enough of a surge to fry the circuitry, causing them to fail.

"The creatures were free, and what was the first thing they did? They fed on all of their captors. The military closed the project permanently and sent teams to take care of these creatures, but none of them ever came back. When the bomb in Tundratown went off, and the world was thrown into chaos, the creatures were forgotten. It was thought that these creatures would be infertile, but even that was proven wrong when Moira produced the very first naturally conceived deathwing. Unfortunately, despite them being fertile, Moira was the only female among the twelve, and the first children were males. She became the queen, but also the source of all future deathwings, a name that was coined by some of the earlier wastelanders.

"A deathwing's lifespan is long, but even in the hundred and three years that Moira lived as a deathwing, she only ever gave birth to ten females. It seems that the genetic soup within her body made females a rarity within her species. It is unknown if that was simply because of her own DNA before the change, or if that was simply how the genetics turned out.

"To this day, while deathwings are a little too plentiful for many, nearly all of the ones you see are males, their females being so uncommon that they are kept hidden away within their lairs. The males are so protective of the females, knowing that they are needed to keep their species going, that they are willing to die rather than any harm come to them. If you ever manage to see a female deathwing outside a lair, run and hide. Because there are probably a dozen or more males nearby that are willing to give their lives to protect her. It's a no win situation.

"So, there you go folks, a little history on the deathwings! Remember, I'm still open for any suggestions for future After Shows. So until next time, take care everyone and remember, Drake is the only friendly deathwing in existence that we know of. So please, don't go socializing with the next one you see, or else you will most likely be on its menu."