Chapter 3

A Minor Issue


Nick and Judy were at their desks one Wednesday afternoon, going over some reports of repeat offenders they had encountered in the past couple of weeks. Their desks in the first floor workroom had a good view of the mezzanine below through large panes of clear glass, so they saw most of the criminals along with other concerned parties coming and going. Out of all the mammals in Zootopia, young wolves were the most consistent "guests" of the ZPD. Even then,the cause was rarelybeyond the baring of teeth and light scuffling before police broke up the fight.

'You ever wonder why those dum-dums keep up their oh-so honourable feuding?' Nick said through a mouthful of corn chips.

'Hm?' Judy looked up from her paperwork and followed Nick's casual gaze to see a pair of wolves in handcuffs, along with a tired Delgato dragging one of the youngsters along. 'I dunno. I didn't even know it came to feuding. I thought it was a teenage male thing.'

Nick swallowed his mouthful. 'True, but surely you would've noticed how many wolves are brought through in that age demographic.'

Judy frowned to herself. Up in the workroom she tended to be so focused on her work that she mostly ignored the sights below.

'It sounds like you have an idea, slick. Hit me.'

'Well, a simple check on Clawhauser's log would show the wolves never feud within their families.'

'Huh.' Judy frowned. 'Wait, since when do you have clearance to check the log without permission?'

Nick casually fished another handful of chips from his open packet.

'Madam, you can't blame a fox for being curious. Besides, I just asked Ben and he told me, so I didn't technically look through it myself.'

'Ugh…' Judy fought the urge to recite the specific clauses in their privacy policy that had just been broken. 'Why would Clawhauser tell you that? You haven't been here that long.'

'Well… I started by asking him how long he's seen these wolves getting brought in over and over. And… get this, he's noticed it ever since he started working the front desk.'

Judy stared at her partner.

'You're kidding.'

'Not this time, fluff.'

Nick had an oddly serious look in his eyes, so Judy was inclined to believe him.

'So… what? You told him you wanted to try and fix such a deep-seated problem? Just so you could peek at the log?'

Nick grimaced and averted his gaze. She scrutinised him further for several more seconds.

'Wait… You actually want to fix this deep-seated probelm? Over the mammals you've consistently scoffed at and called dum-dums?'

'Well, to be fair, they were being dum-dums every time I scoffed at them.'

'Nick!'

Her partner continued to avoid the question, standing up and throwing his chip packet away into the desk bin.

'Time for the afternoon patrol, Carrots.'

'Huh?!'

Judy pulled out her phone. It was 3:05 – they were due for patrol five minutes ago.

She zipped around her desk, gathering her keys, badge, and equipment sash. Nick, however, seemed to have prepared all that while she was focusing on her paperwork. He watched her fumble around smugly, only for her to wag a finger in his face.

'This isn't over, you know.'

He shrugged as he made his way to the staff elevator. 'It is if someone else calls dibs on the Z-240.'


Nick wormed his way into the driver's seat ahead of Judy, leaving the rabbit tight-lipped in the passenger's seat. Nick had fortunately already had licences for both class C cars and larger vehicles like sedans, and a refresher course was all he needed to adjust to the police models.

Anytime Judy even attempted to bring up the wolf subject, Nick, still wearing his signature smirk, pointed to the warning in front of her seat: "Do not distract driver". They both knew it was for civilians, but Nick silently pointed at it every time Judy tried to bring up the subject. She quickly dropped it and focused on scanning the road and nearby pedestrians as Nick cruised at a steady forty-five kilometres per hour.

They came to attention as their radio emitted a quick burst of static and Clawhauser's voice sounded over the network.

'Dispatch, we have a brewing 10-21 on Furor lane. Are there any available patrol cars in the area?'

Judy grabbed the microphone and pressed the switch. 'This is unit zero-four. We read you, Clawhauser; we can be at Furor lane in a few minutes.'

'Ah, Judy and Nick! Emmitt Otterton's on the line. Small world, huh? He's still observing the situation in person. I'll connect you.'

Nick and Judy exchanged a worried glance.

'Isn't that ill-advised?' Nick asked her. 'Mammals shouldn't stick their nose in wolf fights. It'll only make it a bigger headache for us.'

'Emmitt must have some reason,' Judy began, but was interrupted by another burst of static, a gust of loud radio wind, and a gentle, sophisticated male voice spoke.

'Hello? Officers Hopps and Wilde? Is that you?'

'Good afternoon, Mr. Otterton!' Nick put on his salesman voice. 'How can we help you this fine evening?'

Judy narrowed her eyes at her partner before rolling her eyes. 'Ahem... Anyway, what's happening down there, Emmitt? We're about five minutes away. Your number one priority is to keep yourself safe.'

'I know,' Emmitt said with a slight quiver. 'I was with my wife and children for an evening walk after work when we spotted this strange group of wolves – from my estimation, we first observed them at street number 22.'

'What's strange about them?' Judy asked.

'Well… they have been following another wolf, who looks like he's just walking to the station from work. This does not feel right, officers.'

'Emmitt, can you give us a physical description?' Nick asked, his expression darkening. 'Their age, size, subspecies…?'

They could almost hear the otter's whiskers twitch for a moment.

'The smaller wolves are younger, I believe. They also have lighter fur. I am not too well-versed in mammal subspecies, however, so you'll have to forgive my formless observation.'

'What about the lone one?' Nick prompted, and Judy noticed he was steadily increasing the car's speed.

'He's quite a bit older than the young ones, and his fur is almost black. Could be some animosity between different canines?'

'That's a bit extreme,' Judy said. 'I mean, I've seen wolves growling at each other before, but never over different subspecies. It's usually something silly like "he looked at me funny."'

Nick shook his head at her. 'You're focusing on the wrong part, Carrots. It's the age gap and… method, that worries me.'

'Huh?'

Nick's eyes were trained on the road with the concentration of someone watching their highlight reels spin, and large ears were open and pointed at the receiver. After some more silence with Emmitt following the wolves at a distance, they heard distant voices mixed in with growls.

'Can you tell what they're saying?' Nick urged. 'We can't hear much on our end.'

'I think the older one has gotten fed up. He's telling the younger ones to… Well, I never! Such language.'

Judy managed an awkward grin. 'We get the picture, Emmitt.' She frowned worriedly. 'How did the group respond?'

'They are calling him names, but they are difficult to make out. It may be some wolf thing… Anyhow, the older one is trying to leave.'

'That's good,' Judy said with relief. 'I can only hope he doesn't retaliate.'

However, Nick was silent, and Judy's gut tightened. That's not a good sign.

'They are still following him. The older one stopped and is once again telling them to – you know. And…' The otter paused, as if lowering his phone to listen, and they heard distant voices again. 'They're talking about someone… brother? What? And they're using past tense… As if…'

Nick's ears splayed out and his eyes went wide. He snatched the receiver as if his life depended on it.

'Emmitt, get out of there! You've done enough. I'm calling in backup – we'll be there in a couple of minutes.'

Through the speaker, they heard a sharp growl and snarling ensued in the distance.

'The grey just leapt at them!' The otter was alarmed. 'And now they're… oh lord…'

The otter cried and the radio disconnected after a flurry of rapid footsteps. Nick immediately disconnected and returned to the ZPD desk, all with one paw on the wheel.

'Nick, what–'

'Just trust me, Carrots,' he said as he was punching in the numbers.'It'll take too long to explain before we get there.'

Judy's nose twitched as she bit her lip worriedly. Running through the officer postings that afternoon, the only ones close enough to lend a hand were Wolfard, who was tracking an escaped criminal, as well as Bogo, McHorn and Rhinowitz, who were in an important conference overseeing an electoral debate. Calling them from their posts was a great risk, considering how fresh Nick was. She could only hope someone else on a less urgent assignment was nearby.

'Clawhauser!' Nick called out. 'We have a 10-86 brewing on Furor lane! Wolf affray with intention to kill! We need backup ASAP.'

'What?!' Clawhauser sounded frantic. 'I'll call Wolfard and the Chief right away. But… Nick, I can't guarantee they're available. And there's no one else in the vicinity.'

'I'm aware,' Nick said dryly.

'They may not agree immediately. I'll call them, but it might be up to you to convince them. Um… good luck.'

Judy's dread only increased as the receiver went silent. She still had no idea what Nick was so sure of, and he was risking his career on it. At least, that's what it felt like.

She barely had time to process it, however, before the speaker tone sounded with a new, rough voice barking through it.

'Wilde! Clawhauser just phoned in a 10-86 on Furor lane.'

'That's right,' Nick said.

'Are you sure about this? This ferret will get away from me if I leave my assignment now.'

'I know, Wolfard, but another wolf's life is in danger.'

'...Explain.'

'Emmitt – the witness – saw a group of three younger wolves following and taunting one older grey wolf. And just then, they started talking trash about his dead brother. The last thing we heard was the grey attacking them and Emmitt running for the hills.'

Wolfard was silent for a few seconds, and they waited with bated breath. Until finally:

'I'm calling the chief and the Rhinos. Wilde…. You better be right about this.'

The line went silent again, and Judy could see the bend just a few hundred metres ahead.

Their encounter with a savage Manchas in the Rainforest district came to the forefront of her mind. In many ways, it felt like a repeat incident. Judy doubted Nick would lose his job outright, but it was a frightening possibility. But then she remembered Nick standing up for her. Even if Nick was wrong, his heart was in the right place, and she would return the favour if need be.

'Nick, I don't know what's going on, but–'

'I know we're taking a big risk here,' Nick said quietly. 'Sorry if it feels like I'm dragging you into it.'

Judy shook her head. 'But I trust you. I've got your back… so let's do this.'

The fox gave her a thankful nod as they rounded the corner. They quickly spotted their otter, waving his arms in the air ahead on a grassy lawn and pointing at the pavement path along the road.

The scene playing before them sent chills down Judy's spine. Four large predators were tearing at each other fully with their claws and teeth, with red splotches coating the grey pavement. It only reinforced how difficult her job was – if mammals would willingly do this to each other without the influence of some toxic flower forcing their paws.

Nick slammed on the brakes, and she snapped out of her pondering as her training kicked in; all she could do was analyse and de-escalate the situation by whatever means possible.

They checked their sidearms before the leapt out of the vehicle, as Judy yelled out at the top of her lungs.

'ZPD! All of you – hands in the air!'

Only the lone grey wolf seemed to acknowledge the pair, and only for an instant before he retaliated against one of the youngsters clawing at his snout. After only a second of observing the fight from up close, Judy knew she and Nick would have no physical power here. They loaded their tranquilisers with the appropriate dose.

'Get on the ground now!' Nick yelled, brandishing his tranquiliser.

Again, the wolves paid no attention. Judy was at a loss for a moment; if they could at least be the targets, even temporarily, it would buy them time for backup to arrive while minimising injury to each other, as Judy and Nick were trained to deal with larger criminals. But if this fight kept going on the way it was, one or more of the wolves could die.

After a couple of further warnings fell on deaf ears, Judy reluctantly joined Nick and prepared to fire.

Nick shot first, catching the rear timber wolf in the abdomen. The youngster whined for a moment, but resumed his attack on the grey wolf after a few seconds, albeit slower.

Between the two officers, Nick and Judy hit each of the timber wolves twice, but then they had no more, and further doses would be even more dangerous.

Judy reached to the back of her waistband and froze, eyes trained on the wolves in front of her. Her fingers traced on two more potent weapons: a taser and a handgun. They could do some serious damage if used improperly; thus on principle she avoided using them. However, when a mammal's life was in danger, she was left little choice. She watched Nick brandish a taser and ignite it, and she quickly followed suit.

With the wolves ignoring them, it was relatively simple to deliver shocks to each of them in their sides or back. However, as Judy feared, their aggression high on adrenaline meant the tasers only seemed to aggravate them further after a momentary pause.

Thankfully, she heard the sounds of distant police sirens coming around the corner. Bogo, Rhinowitz and McHorn barged out of their large transport vehicle, while Wolfard came up behind them on a black motorcycle. They took one look at the scene and immediately rushed in; McHorn moved to block the two attacking parties while the rest of them restrained them, mainly by cuffing their hands behind their backs.

The only one they had trouble with was the older grey. Wolfard held him from the back, and Nick and Judy tried to get the handcuffs on him. But now he perceived them as a threat, and snapped his jaws at them every time they got close.

'Jeez... Just calm down and I can let you go!'

Wolfard's words went unheard, the grey wolf still gnashing at the figures in front.

As the two rhinos brought the timberwolves under control, Bogo studied the frenzied grey for a moment. Then, he retreated to the transport vehicle, and the sound of metal chains set off alarm bells in Nick's head.

Even as they struggled with the grey wolf, Judy could see her partner staring at Bogo, now approaching with a long muzzle and mouthguard.

Nick, don't push this…

She was torn. She didn't want Nick to jeopardise his new career so early, but deep down she knew he wouldn't back down from something like this. It was part of why she wanted him as her partner in the first place.

Either way, she was powerless to stop events unfolding before her. She and Nick noted how the grey's growling seemed to intensify as soon as Bogo came into view with the muzzle. And, as she predicted, Nick stood in front of Bogo to block his way.

'You can't use a muzzle.'

Bogo regarded the fox with an uncertain frown.

'There is no other way, Wilde.'

Nick shook his head rapidly and pointed at the grey. 'He needs to go to the hospital! If you use that muzzle, he'll die of shock. He's already lost too much blood.'

That gave Bogo pause, and Wolfard stared at the fox for a moment. Finally, the chief spoke.

'Then what do you suggest?'

Nick studied the grey, still gnashing his teeth in his and Bogo's direction. His ears flattened, and Judy could see fear in his green eyes.

'Let him go.'

Judy's eyes went wide, as did Wolfard's. The grey was clearly pulling in Nick's direction, and the implication was clear.

'Nick, you'll–'

'I'll be fine, Carrots.'

She could instantly tell from the look in his eyes, as well as his folded ears, that he wasn't as sure as he sounded.

Bogo was still frozen in place, as if still processing what the fox had just said. Wolfard was similarly bewildered, but having seen the grey's condition up close, he finally nodded his grim consent, and let his fellow wolf lunge forward.

Judy had to fight every instinct in her body not to try and cuff the wolf's leg, but not only was that impossible at the moment, doing so would likely lead to the very thing Nick had warned them about. However, at least Rhinowitz stood on standby to intervene if Nick's plan didn't work.

Nick braced himself as the wolf went for him, but adopted the most unthreatening pose he could muster. The wolf's grabbed his left arm, causing Nick to flinch for a moment, but the grey stopped short with their long snouts nearly touching.

As the excruciating seconds ticked by, and Judy's heart felt like it would burst out of her chest, the wolf slowly released him. When the grey finally attempted to stand up straight, his leg buckled and he collapsed onto the grass, whimpering miserably.

Nick also fell backwards, sitting and staring ahead while breathing heavily. Judy rushed to his side.

'Are you okay?'

Nick opened his mouth but only a weak croak came out. Instead, he shook his head, but pointed in the wolf's direction.

Wolfard got applied a quick bandage to Nick, and after Judy placed a comforting paw on his good arm, she turned around and immediately analysed the wolf bleeding on the ground. Listening to his whimpering, she realised he was crying.

That's right. Emmitt mentioned something about a dead brother…

She zipped over to their Z-240 and fished out all their first aid supplies she could find, as did Bogo. Wolfard also looked over the grey to assess the damage. From what Judy gleaned on her way to and from her SUV, it didn't look good.

As they piled on whatever bandages they could to stop the bleeding, Nick managed to drag himself over to the SUV with Wolfard's help just as they heard a siren – an ambulance siren. One of the Rhinos had called an ambulance for the grey as soon as they had secured the timberwolves. They got only one, but it was able to fit an elephant, so there was enough space for Nick and Judy as well.

The paramedics, consisting of a moose, antelope and cougar, got the grey onto a stretcher. They also looked over the timberwolves, but gave them the all clear to use their own transport as they had no serious injuries. Bogo took the SUV they had arrived in, while Judy got to work on Nick towards the front of the ambulance, as Bogo and Wolfard followed in their respective vehicles.

As the cougar spared a moment for Nick and examined his wound, Judy winced– Nick's blood was now trailing over his tattered uniform from the deep gash left by the grey. However, she was more concerned about his mental state as she assisted the paramedic; Nick avoided eye contact, and was still hyperventilating somewhat. His paws were also shaking as she applied the bandage around his arm.

The moment they were done with the bandage, feeling bold, she reached over his lap and gripped his right paw tightly. She kept her eyes averted, but she felt relief when Nick squeezed back.

'You were very brave, Nick.'

The cougar nodded in agreement, but soon returned to his colleagues.

Nick's breathing started to slow down and his paws stopped trembling. After a few minutes he leaned back and took a couple of deep breaths, now staring out the ceiling window.

'I'll… be rescinding my last statement…'

'At least it's over.'

Nick was silent for a moment, before sitting up and eyeing the ambulance ahead warily.

'No… not by a longshot, Carrots.'


The paramedics had identified the wolf as Sam through their initial questions to gauge his responsiveness, and rushed him to the emergency ward. Judy, at this point, felt both mentally and physically drained, while Bogo and Wolfard seemed as alert as ever.

At first, Bogo had attempted to send her home, as Nick was also checked in to the emergency ward to get some stitches. She wanted to stay to escort Nick home, so Bogo had relented. However, even sitting there waiting, she was physically and mentally exhausted. She checked her phone: it was already 9 pm.

By the time Nick was out with his arm in a sling, she was all ready to take him home. To her surprise, he also refused to leave when Bogo tried to send him home. Normally, she would have been extremely annoyed – she had already missed dinner and tomorrow's work schedule was already out the window. However, she was slowly learning more about Nick. As close as they were, he still didn't talk about himself or his past all that much. She was seeing a new side to Nick, and wanted to see it through.

She soon fetched some snacks and soft drinks from the nearby vending machines and shared them with Nick. Bogo accepted their decision to stay without comment, still standing in the waiting area alongside Wolfard.

Without realising it, they both had drifted off until they heard the cougar paramedic's voice, and they awoke to Wolfard and Bogo talking to another feline doctor – a black panther. The feline lowered his large glasses as the rabbit and fox strode over between the much larger wolf and buffalo.

'Is Sam still kicking?' Nick managed to say, all signs of drowsiness gone.

'I've run over the details with your chief and colleague here already. He's still in terrible condition, but he is stable. He won't be answering any of your questions for at least a day.' The doctor wrung out a small smile. 'Nicholas Wilde, is it? As I understand it, we have you to thank in particular. If Sam continued to thrash about on adrenaline much longer, he would be dead now.' His smile faded a little. 'But it was still a bit too reckless for my liking.'

As they were absorbing the information the doctor had already strode away, with speed befitting his feline nature.

Nick and Judy slowly looked up at Chief Bogo. The buffalo continued to stare in the doctor's direction, still contemplating the situation.

'Chief Bogo?' Judy said. 'What can we–'

'There is nothing more to do today,' he said shortly. 'However, tomorrow… things will get… interesting.' He finally inclined his head toward them, addressing Wolfard as well. 'All of you will go home. Wolfard, drop off your cycle first. I have important work for you tomorrow afternoon. Do not come any earlier than 11 am; if you do, I'll throw you out myself.'

He walked through the entrance immediately, leaving a confused Nick and Judy. However, Wolfard gave a wry smile.

'You'll get used to that.' The wolf smiled and nodded down at them as he made his way towards his bike. 'Hopps, Wilde. Take care of yourselves. Until tomorrow.'


At 11am the next morning… Nick was early. He was waiting outside of Bogo's office for Wolfard and Judy after they had gotten the rundown from Clawhauser. They also saw Rhinowitz and McHorn come out of Bogo's office. The fox waved at them as the rhinos passed them by.

'I guess the Chief's office isn't quite enough for all of us.'

He was trying to smile, but Judy could see something underneath the façade. An intensity she hadn't seen since he confronted her after her disastrous Night Howler conference. Their heads swivelled toward the door as Bogo's voice boomed out of it.

'Come in.'

Judy suppressed a gulp, but the fact that Wolfard was there with them alleviated her fears somewhat. If Nick was going to penalised somehow, it wasn't going to be announced in this meeting. That begged the question: what was?

Nick put on a brave face as they followed behind Wolfard into the Chief's office. The wolf seemed unfazed, however, and there was even a glint of excitement in the predator's eyes.

Does he know something we don't?

Bogo had his large hands entwined in a contemplative pose sitting at his desk. There were two enormously wide chairs that took most of the floor. The chief bowed his head at the furniture, and Wolfard took one while Nick and Judy were able to scramble up onto the other. Judy's nose twitched a little as she looked up at the chief, and Nick's tailed swished nervously. Bogo then scanned the three of them for a moment.

'I'll keep this as short as possible. The attack on Samuel Grayson is not the first offence – his brother, Sean Grayson, died in a similar incident five years ago.'

After Judy's ears fell, she frowned thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.

'Those timberwolves weren't charged with murder, then, or even mammalslaughter, if they're already free to do this.'

Wolfard seemed to bristle with anger, though Judy quickly surmised it was directed at those timberwolves.

Bogo nodded. 'They were charged with mammalslaughter, but they were – conveniently – just about to graduate from high school, and got off on community service. However, they weren't the same wolves, just from the same family. And it is a large family.'

'And what family is that?' Nick asked.

'The Cannites,' Wolfard said with distaste. 'They mostly kept to themselves, but they have it out for the Graysons.'

'Why?' Judy asked. 'Is there a history between the two?'

Wolfard frowned, as if recalling an unpleasant memory. Bogo kept his eyes trained on the wolf for a moment before he elaborated.

'Wolf families tend not to be forthcoming with their relations with others. The ZPD have treated such relations in a similar manner to different mafia families. Unless it affects anyone outside of the concerned families, we tend not to get involved.'

'It sounds like this has been going on for a while,' Nick postulated. 'And I'm gonna go on a limb that it's been a problem for a couple of decades.'

Wolfard stared at him in surprise, but Bogo simply gazed at the fox expectantly.

'You've been talking to Clawhauser.'

Nick nodded. 'Am I wrong?'

'Hold up, hold up,' Judy said, raising both her paws. 'Could you guys keep me in the loop, please?'

The other three glanced at her for a moment. Finally Bogo leaned back and folded his arms gruffly.

'Wolf confrontations have been a thorn in the ZPD's side ever since I was promoted to Chief. Because, on some level, wolf families will always be antagonistic to one another.'

Judy stared at the buffalo in surprise, especially at the implied generalisation, before turning her gaze to the wolf beside her.

'Wolfard? Is that true?'

The grey grimaced uncomfortably. 'It applies more to the older generations… but yes. The more a particular family sticks together, the more likely they are to make enemies of other wolves. Either that, or they cut off contact with their family completely – which most of the younger generations do. It's a very… tribal way of thinking.'

It was at that moment that flashes of Mr Big's comment about their inner nature, and scenes of the natural history museum, flashed through Judy's mind. She glanced at Nick for a moment of clarity.

'Is that why all those young wolves keep coming through? Because no one takes it seriously?'

Bogo's eyes shone with a glare as she leaned forward, tapping his desk heavily.

'And this Cannite family is using this city's laid-back attitude towards wolf tribalism to mask malicious intent. The first offence they managed to get off on mammalslaughter, as we could not gauge a specific motive or any hard evidence. I do not intend for the perpetrators here to get the same treatment. Even if they are minors by a hair's breadth.'

'Sir,' Nick said pessimistically, 'We likely won't get a motive or hard evidence this time. And I hate to say this, but how do we know the Graysons are being honest with us? If Sam won't talk about why the Cannites are targeting him like this, then it's going to be hard to charge them with anything, since from Emmitt's account he technically attacked first.'

'You might be right, Wilde,' Bogo said, 'but we have a twenty-eight year old grey wolf in critical condition, involved in a savage attack by three younger wolves in broad daylight, for reasons unknown to us. The public is going to ask questions about their safety. And we can't blame it on a toxic flower this time.'

Both Nick and Judy's ears perked up as they realised what the Chief was pushing.

'What do you need us to do?' Judy asked.

'Wolfard,' Bogo's eyes shot to the wolf. 'I need you to arrange for the jury to include at least two wolves – though more would be better – each from neutral families. Our mistake before was allowing the tribunal to select the jury without any prior understanding of wolf particulars. If need be, visit any notable wolf families and explain the circumstances behind which they would have an interest in the proceedings – some members might even volunteer. Grizzoli might have some contacts you could use, but he's currently taking over your previous assignment. I'm also certain the MII folks will be all too happy to assist you.'

Judy could only picture the Inclusion initiative jumping at the chance to promote more predators on jury rolls.

Wolfard nodded enthusiastically as he stood up with a salute. 'Yes, sir!'

For a moment, Judy sat with dread as Wolfard strode for the door, but Bogo immediately turned his attention to her partner.

'Wilde, I want you to complete the preliminary report, get an official statement from Emmitt Otterton, and interview the three timberwolves we are holding under house arrest. Then, do the same for Samuel. If you accept, I'll have the hospital contact you directly when he is ready.'

After a pause, Judy spoke up.

'What about me, sir?'

Bogo leaned back a final time, adopting a similar contemplative posture to when they first came in.

'To be frank, Hopps, the main reason I called you in here was because you and Wilde are partners – what affects one of you affects you both. You can assist him with this case, or you can attend normal duties with a temporary partner of my choosing. The decision is up to you, but I need it quickly. Now, if possible.'

Nick and Judy exchanged a single glance.

'I'll stick with my partner on this,' Judy said determinedly.

Bogo nodded. 'I expected as much. It will be up to you two to uncover something incriminating. A qualified jury will be useless without any material to work with.'

There was another pause, and the Judy's first question had still not been answered. She fidgeted in place for a moment, before Nick picked up on her discomfort and voiced her concerns for her.

'What about the elephant in the room, sir?'

Bogo raised an eyebrow. 'Is there one?'

Nick grimaced nervously after an awkward pause. 'About the muzzle-'

'Irrelevant at the moment. If you're inclined to believe I've forgotten, I'm afraid I have not. Nor have I forgotten the first time you challenged my authority. However,' – his gaze softened as Nick's ears splayed out in alarm – 'If you had not, we would all be in an unfortunate position right about now. We are, however, going to have a serious discussion after this case is over.'

Judy still looked doubtful as she spoke up.

'This is still a large responsibility for someone of Nick's experience, sir. Not to mention,' she gestured at her partner's sling. 'Is it wise to put him in an interview room with even one of those wolves?'

'Delgato and Fangmeyer will be on duty. As per our procedures, I'll have them accompany you into the room – both of you, if you so choose – but from what I've heard of your methods, you might come up with something that necessitates them leaving. I've made them aware of that as well.'

Judy quickly deduced that "your" meant her and Nick together as partners. Bogo had heard of their exploits in the Night Howler case like everyone else; he just didn't show any deliberate appreciation of them.

'Well, Wilde?' Bogo said, starting to sound impatient. 'I still haven't received your answer.'

As Nick glanced between both of them, Judy knew his mind was already made up. His green eyes were filled with purpose, and Judy couldn't help but smile.

'I'll do it, sir.'


Their conversation with Emmitt went relatively smoothly. The Otter accepted Nick's call to the station, and Judy and Nick went over the details with him one more time. In fact, the otter came prepared with a written statement already, predicting he would have to supply it that day. Unfortunately, he could not recall the exact words that triggered Sam's attack, but agreed to appear in court as a witness if it was requested of him.

It was harder for Nick to handle writing the preliminary report – most of the cases he had worked on already were pretty cut and dried. His first case of his old friend Flash speeding through Savannah Central ended with a moderate fine, but Nick had suggested to the sloth areas where he could speed all he wanted without breaking the law, including the abandoned warehouse area. While Flash was not necessarily happy, he accepted this fine and paid it without too much fuss.

Judy had far more experience on that front, given how large and long the Night Howler case ended up being, but she tried to make Nick do most of the writing while giving him gentle pushes in how to write certain statements and what information should go where. Nick highlighted a key factor in that the Cannites' initial taunting regarding a dead relative could be construed as much of an offence as a physical attack, if not more, but left that as a side note for this report to revisit in the final report before charges were laid.

It was 4pm by the time they were both happy to submit the report to Clawhauser, who would then send it through to Bogo. Since they had both worked for long hours the previous day, they weren't required to attempt the interviews today. However, both Judy and Nick wanted to interview the wolves as soon as possible, since they would be less receptive or cooperative the longer they were held by the police. There wasn't enough evidence to hold them any longer than that, at least until the hearing.

'So do you have a plan?' Judy asked Nick at his desk, just after she presided over the report submission.

He pulled at the desk and swung in his office chair, putting his good paw to his chin as the chair did a 360. He looked up at her just as the chair slowed to a stop.

'The way I figure it, they orchestrated the attack to make it look like self-defence. Which it technically is… Anyway, the ideal outcome for them would be to be declared innocent victims of a violent and older grey wolf's attack.'

'And since I've never seen or heard wolves run from a challenge from another wolf, they figure they are within their legal rights to fight back instead of running?'

Nick nodded. 'Even a mouse in Little Rodentia would see this as common knowledge.'

The fox spun his chair again. Judy at first saw this as somewhat childish, but it seemed to help him think in situations like this.

'We want them to think we're going along this path if we're going to get a motive. They're kids, but they're old enough to be graduating from high school soon.'

'The motive would be obvious to them, but not to us…' Judy thought out loud, tapping her foot on the base of her own office chair.

Nick stared at her for a moment, and she could see an idea was forming in his head.

'I think I can use that, Carrots. I know it's been a while, but… you still have that carrot pen?'

Judy stared at him blankly for a moment.

'Uh… Nick? It's an interview room. It's already decked out in recording equipment.'

Nick blinked in stupefied surprise, before he smirked and let out a short chuckle.

'Aha… Just testing you, Carrots.'

Judy grinned and hit him in the good shoulder playfully.

'So... how do you see this playing out?'

'… Let's just say I need to play the part of the rookie cop who only got this far due to special treatment and luck.'


Nick quickly looked over the profiles of the three wolves before requesting the wolves be brought in to the interview room. Their names were David, Gavin and William, with William being the oldest by one year.

He requested the youngest, David, first. Judy and Fangmeyer surveyed the interview through the one-way window while Delgato stood to the side and Nick presented his information to David, asking for his account of what transpired.

David was clearly uncomfortable, which only intensified once Nick started reading him his legal rights. The first thing he asked was if he could be interviewed with his brothers at the same time. When Nick told him no, he exercised his legal right to silence, and would only answer the questions if his brothers, a lawyer, or at least William, was in the room with him.

After moving on to Gavin, with similar results, Nick deduced that William, being the eldest, was also the one who planned this attack out – and the one who would give him what he needed, if he played his cards right.

Delgato and Fangmeyer swapped places this time, with the tiger being the one to bring in the timber wolf, having slightly lighter grey-brown fur than his brothers. William was not muzzled, and he was allowed a change of clothes dropped off by his family. He had several large red gashes on his face and arms, but most were shallow. Those that weren't were bandaged, and Nick only spotted a couple of those wrapped around his limbs.

Once Fangmeyer sat the wolf down, Nick approached and hopped on the large steel chair that appeared much too big for him, before placing the wolf's profile in front of him and quickly flicked through the first couple of pages. He stood while William was able to sit, though regarding him with impatience and some veiled hostility.

'How long are we going to be held here?' The wolf asked, annoyed. 'It's not normal to hold mammals this long without proper evidence.'

Nick nodded. 'We had to attend to your injuries first. Regardless, I have to get the formalities out of the way, so bear with us a little longer. If it goes well, you should all be free to go after we're done here. At least until a hearing, if it comes to it.'

'A trial? This is stupid.'

'It'll be necessary to press charges on the guilty party.'

After Nick confirmed his name, date of birth and address, ran through his rights, including being informed of possible crimes and accusations, informing his family (which he had done), privacy, right to a lawyer, and that anything he said in the interview could be used against him in court, and therefore had a right to silence. As he paused after finishing, the wolf studied him suspiciously.

'So I don't have to answer your questions?'

Nick steadied himself. It was now he had to put his plan into action.

'Technically, no… But it seems to me that this is a clear case. However, your brothers have exercised this legal right, so it makes it kind of difficult to proceed decisively. The grey wolf – Samuel, right? He attacked first, from the witness' statement.'

William relaxed a little and nodded.

'That's right.'

'My point is – without some account from you and your brother's, it'll take longer to arrive at a conviction for assault. Or whatever this may end up being.'

'Assault?' William objected indignantly. 'He tried to kill us!'

'Well…' Nick put on an awkward grimace. 'Wolves do this kind of thing all the time. We need something more to charge him with anything serious.'

'Then why are you talking to me? Get a confession out of him!'

Are you brain-dead, kid? The guy's barely conscious after what you three did to him.

He swallowed his ire. If this was going to work, he couldn't afford to lose his composure.

'He's currently not lucid enough to talk to us. Would you rather be held longer so he can wake up properly?'

William shut his snout and leaned back with folded arms, looking off to the side. Nick also caught the wolf's eyes on his sling.

Time to go on the attack.

'Look, help us out. This is only my first real case, but even I can tell this is more serious than the usual teeth-baring we deal with. The faster we get an accurate picture of what happened, the faster we can resolve this.'

The wolf slowly studied him with a bit more interest. 'Where's that rabbit partner of yours? You two are kind of famous, even to us wolves.'

'I'm… on my own today. The ZPD is a bit stretched thin at the moment.'

Neither of those statements was incorrect, but Nick could not cross the line of outright misleading the subject with incorrect information.

Finally, William grunted with resignation.

'Fine. I want this over and done with. What do you want to know?'

'I want to establish this from the very start – you claim that you and your brothers are not guilty, and that Samuel Grayson is the guilty party?'

William nodded, and Nick noted it down before continuing.

'Start with your version of the events.'

'The three of us were heading home from school that day.'

Nick nodded and opened his file to the third page. 'This says you attend Pinewood High school, correct?'

'Right – and we were halfway down to the train station when that grey approached us.'

Nick ears perked up at the wolf's emphasis, belying some prior knowledge of "that" grey.

'He started to follow us at the end of Furor Lane. My brothers and I got fed up and called him out on it, and that's when he attacked us.'

'Unprovoked?' Nick gave a perplexed frown. 'Not even a word?'

'None,' the wolf said. It almost impressed Nick how he confidently he delivered his story. 'Though "unprovoked" isn't really the right word to use here. There is a reason he would attack us, though it goes back some years.'

Nick pretended to think for a minute while studying William's profile.

'Was it some family thing? A feud?'

'You could say that. The Graysons have had it out for us for at least a decade.' The wolf's gaze hardened a little, once again regarding the fox with suspicion. 'Do you have a record of the history between our families?'

'I wouldn't be able to comment on that in any detail unless it was relevant to the case. However,' Nick hesitated, 'there were some incidents, a few years back.'

Sean was actually rather prominent in these street confrontations… not that that's what you're thinking, huh kid?

William nodded slowly. 'Pay attention to that. We wolves don't like talking about our family history, but you'll find a motive for him wanting us dead in there.'

Nick adopted a blank expression, before transitioning to a confused one. You're trying to spin this as revenge on Sam's part? Interesting.

'I'm sorry, but I didn't find anything like that.'

The wolf's eyes widened, before his jaw thinned into a snarl.

'Then what were you talking about before?'

Nick shrugged. 'Like I said, I can't comment specifically unless it was relevant to the case.'

'Then keep looking!'

Fangmeyer, watching them closely, narrowed his eyes, but despite William's bared teeth, the timber wolf showed no sign of actually attacking. Nick knew this; it would make no sense for him to attack the interviewer, but that wasn't enough to stop the slight pang of fear running through his chest.

Nick scratched at his cheek, glancing off to the side to appear as though he was at a loss.

'There's not enough evidence for us to charge Samuel from what we know.'

'Are all of you police officers so incompetent? The evidence is right there in the record!'

Nick shook his head.

'As far as we can tell, Samuel is perfectly normal wolf. Even more well behaved than normal, since I found no incidents of him in wolf fights before today.'

Something seemed to snap in William as his eyes widened in a momentary frenzy.

'He's not normal! He is a filthy scumbag! Just like his prey-loving bastard of a brother!' He paused for a moment, and narrowed his eyes. 'The whole family is guilty for not disowning him.'

Gotcha.

He managed not to smile though, only to look shocked and uncertain. The shock was at least partly true – he wasn't expecting anything to do with prey.

After waiting in silence for a minute, William sat back down in his chair as he simmered down. Nick was half expecting him to realise the mistake he made, but he was just as confidently impatient as he was at the beginning.

'You have nothing more to add?'

William shook his head. 'That's all you'll get from me.'

'Without something concrete and tangible, it'll take longer to reach a resolution.'

The wolf shook his head stubbornly. 'I'm done. We need to go home.'

Nick sighed heavily, and this one was genuine.

'…Alright.' He waved at Fangmeyer to open the behind him. 'The interview with William Cannite was conducted by Nicholas Wilde on Thursday the 24th of May, starting at 5pm and concluded at 5:40pm, witnessed by Officer Fangmeyer.'

He sat back as Fangmeyer led the young wolf out. It was the first time he actually felt tired since the initial patrol yesterday. He glanced sideward at the one-way glass, able to perceive his partner's large ears with his acute night vision.

She gave a thumbs up.


The next couple of days were spent gathering whatever evidence they could find, which turned out to be rather simple with their access to the city's cameras without having to jump through any hoops. Whether it was deliberate or not, Sam Grayson had finally lost it in an open park in close proximity to an apartment block and two cameras on street lights nearby.

Two of the apartment residents – a wildebeest and oryx – also had observed the attack and their stories corroborated Emmitt's account well. As far as evidence went, they had almost everything they needed.

However, two days after Nick's interview with William, his desk phone rang with Clawhauser's extension flashing on the digital display.

'What's up, Ben?'

'Hi Nick!' The cheetah sounded cheerful as usual. 'I've got Dr. Franklin on the line for you. I believe he spoke to you after you delivered that wolf to him?'

Nick took a moment to recall the panther doctor that summarised Sam's condition before they left him at the hospital.

'I remember. Put him through, Ben.'

'Sure thing! I hope it's good news.'

There was a brief moment of hold music before Nick heard another channel being brought in, and Clawhauser spoke to the new channel.

'Hi Doctor! I have Nick on the line now. Go ahead, Doctor.'

'Thank you, Clawhauser.' The panther cleared his throat. 'Nicholas Wilde, is it?'

Clawhauser's channel dropped out as Nick spoke.

'In all my glory. Is Sam doing alright?'

'Indeed… He is awake, and responding to the nurses well. However, he has asked about the case against the Cannites several times – he seems pretty anxious.'

'Can we talk to him?'

'Of course. Contrary to some of the nurses here, I believe speaking to you would lift some weight off his shoulders. He did initiate the attack and gave you your injury, so he might believe he is about to sentenced for a crime.' The doctor's voice lowered slightly. 'I cannot say anything about the investigation on your part, but anything you can say to put his mind at ease I would appreciate immensely.'

Nick nodded. 'Okay, doctor. I'll see about coming over this afternoon.'

'Please do. And thank you again for what you did for the lad.'


Bogo immediately gave Nick and Judy permission to visit the Savannah Central hospital, and so they took the light rail just outside the ZPD over to the hospital. A nurse at reception showed them to Sam's room, where they found Dr. Franklin standing outside the curtained dormitory. He studied some X-rays and stapled pages with a serious expression, before he spotted the rabbit and fox over his paper.

'Ah! Officers Hopps and Wilde.' He gestured with open paw for them to go through the curtain. 'Sam is the first on the left. Try and keep your voices down inside. I'll be at the front desk when you're finished; there are a few things I wish to go over with you.'

Nick and Judy nodded thankfully as they pushed through the large blue hospital curtains, and saw a medium-sized dormitory floor with two large hospital beds on either side. After walking a few steps, they saw Sam resting in his bed, looking listlessly out the large window at the end of the dormitory.

The grey wolf was in much better condition than when they left him, but the wolf looked absolutely miserable. There were thick bandages visible in the chest area, and the bed was covering everything below.

His ears perked up for a moment as he spotted them.

'Oh, it's you two. The doctor told me you'd be visiting today.'

The bed was high up, but there were two high chairs for them to climb up and sit on. They both studied him again before Judy spoke.

'How are you doing?'

Sam grimaced and tried to lift his arms, but he immediately ground his sharp teeth and lowered them.

'Can't leave the bed yet. Some of my friends visited before, and it really sucks not being able to even shake their paws. All these bandages can get real itchy.' He sighed. 'At least I can eat solid food.'

He glanced between them before he frowned. 'You're here about the attack, right?'

As they nodded, he pursed his lips as he looked out the window briefly.

'I don't want you to sugarcoat anything. What are my charges?'

'Definitively?' Judy answered after a quick glance with Nick. 'Assault of a police officer, however, we have marked it as both under duress and accidental.'

Sam tilted his head for a moment in surprise. 'What about the whole fight? I can freely admit that I attacked first.'

Nick shook his head slowly. 'We don't have anything definitive on that. I think the law as it is written isn't taking into account the severity of what the Cannites said to you that likely triggered the whole incident.'

Sam paused for a moment, before he shook his head doubtfully. 'Words can't be equated to a physical attack.'

'From what I know, and from talking to some of my wolf colleagues… that might not be true.'

The grey stared at Nick incredulously for several seconds, before he leaned back and stared at the ceiling in thought.

'Just what did they say to you?' Judy asked gently. 'I want to understand.'

The immediate and visceral pain that momentarily clenched Sam's jaw made her regret asking. Nick quickly interjected with a gentle tone.

'You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. That said... it would really help us if you did.'

As Sam remained silent, he exchanged a solemn glance with Judy. If their guess was correct, it would have been similar to William's outburst during his interview.

Sam glanced at Nick several times, opening his jaws to say something, but held back. Eventually, he took a deep breath and looked at them both.

'I thought I had come to terms with it all… until they mentioned my brother. It was no secret that they were in some way responsible for… what happened to him. It all just came back as they delighted in reminding me, and… for a moment, I just wanted to die. Maybe that was really why I attacked them – I don't know.'

Judy's eyes widened while Nick frowned.

'Do you have any other family?' Judy managed to ask. 'You mentioned friends visiting, but…'

Sam snorted, but there was no joy in it. 'I don't really talk to my parents anymore. Sean was the only family I really had.'

Judy, curiosity twitching on her nose, leaned forward to ask more, but Nick held up a paw and shook his head slowly. Her ears drooped for a moment; it wasn't her place to pry any further.

'I'm sorry.'

Sam managed a small smile, before looking up at the ceiling with an air of finality.

'So where do we stand? With the case and all that?'

'As it currently stands…' Nick began cautiously, 'the evidence points to the Cannites wanting to kill you. And they wanted to provoke you into attacking first, so they could try and use that as a defence against conviction. As for us… we're trying to put at least two wolves from unrelated families on the jury roster so far. They should understand the Cannite's intention better than the others, and I'm hoping they'll explain it during their deliberations.'

Sam's expression remained neutral, but Nick continued.

'Best case scenario, they'll be convicted for attempted murder, and will be charged as if they were adults, since they're practically at that age.'

'You seem to be going an awful long way for my sake.'

Nick raised a confused brow, to which Sam sighed sadly.

'Either way, it won't bring Sean back.'

'No…' Judy said. 'But we can at least make sure justice is served. And that this kind of thing doesn't happen again.'

Sam's ears slowly perked up as he thought for a moment. 'Yeah… I suppose you're right.'

'Can you at least tell us your version of what happened? You don't have to mention what they said, but anything you can tell us will be helpful.'

Sam reluctantly recounted his experience, noting that he quickly feared for his life when he recognised the timberwolves, and deliberately took a route that was open and in view of as many cameras as possible. By the time he got there, though, he was so angry with the Cannites that he couldn't help but attack. It very much lined up with what they already knew.

After another moment of silence, he shrugged. 'I don't think I can tell you anything else. Any idea if or when there's going to be a trial?'

'It will depend on whether you plan to plead not guilty, and if you're accusing the Cannites of instigating the attack.'

Nick held his tongue after that, waiting for an answer without any influence from him or Judy.

'If you're telling the truth about those wolves on the jury… then I'll plead not guilty. I won't give them the satisfaction of getting away with the same thing twice if I can help it.'

Nick and Judy nodded with some relief. 'Dr. Franklin will be our contact from now on. He'll let you know when we get news on your trial.' She grimaced sympathetically. 'He… might also bring up therapy at some point.'

After a moment, Sam nodded silently, to the point where they knew the conversation was over.

However, as they got up to leave, Sam spoke up just as they were about to leave through the curtain.

'It was Nick Wilde, wasn't it? And Judy Hopps.'

They turned to face him uncertainly. 'So you've heard of me,' Nick said, managing a quick smile.

The wolf stared at them for a few seconds, focusing particular on Nick and his sling.

'Your face was the first thing I remember after I lost it. Franklin told me what you did.' He glanced away bashfully for a moment before regaining eye contact with the fox. 'Thank you. I won't forget it.'

Nick glanced back at the wolf in surprise, before adopting his usual smirk – though Judy caught a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.

'Well… uh… that's what we do at the ZPD.'

Judy stared at him for a moment before beaming.


Bogo requested to see Nick, Judy and Wolfard once again the next morning. Dr. Franklin had given Nick and Judy a rundown of Sam's condition – he would be in hospital for a few more weeks at least, along with him mentioning finding a suitable therapist for the wolf.

The Chief looked a bit more relaxed than the day before – though he was still contemplating heavily as he was going over Nick's preliminary report.

As soon as they sat down, his eyes shot to the wolf.

'Wolfard! Status update.'

'I have two wolves that already want to attend the hearing, even before I mentioned the allowance we'll give them. The Council also confirmed that they've included three more wolves in their jury pool. We just need to wait for them to respond.'

Bogo nodded slowly, gears turning in his head.

'Going by the typical hearing procedure, it will be at least a month before the hearing.'

Nick's ears flicked back in displeasure.

'It might sound like a long time, Wilde, but it gives Samuel enough time to recover so he can properly represent himself. He'll also be safe from the Cannites in hospital – we even considered transporting him to the Cliffside facility for extra security. Franklin was not too keen on the idea, however.'

Judy stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds.

'Are you kidding?!' Judy squeaked. 'I can't imagine that place would make a good hospital for anyone! No wonder Franklin was against it.'

A hint of amusement crossed Bogo's gaze. 'Just because you found over a dozen savage predators in a dark and sinister laboratory, Hopps, does not mean it was always like that, or that it was the only floor of the hospital. It remains a state-of-the-art facility, especially in matters that require security.' He grumbled for a moment to himself. 'It's a waste to leave it unused…'

Nick slowly nodded, somewhat satisfied. 'So what now?'

'Now?' Bogo's gaze flicked to Nick's sling. 'Normal duties – within reason. All of you will be notified when the date is confirmed – I will see about getting all of you on duty during that hearing. It should be simple enough under the reasoning that the concerned wolves may get violent towards each other.'

As they were dismissed, Nick grimaced uncomfortably just outside the office. Judy could relate; the fact that Bogo still had not had that "serious" discussion meant that the vulpine would have to wait a whole month. At least Bogo's inclusion of Nick fostered some hope for his career.


Nick's arm had more or less healed within a single week, but he and Judy spent the next three restlessly going about their normal duties. At first, Judy worried that they would go through something similar if the wolves around Savannah Central picked up on the trial, gossiping amongst themselves. However, to her surprise, they noticed a significant drop in wolf-related incidents in the precinct. She was able to surmise that the seriousness of which the case was viewed meant that the police would treat any other incidents with heightened severity.

She and Nick hadn't needed to follow up on gathering much evidence after that. The attack had broken out in clear view of two cameras in the vicinity, though unfortunately there was no clear audio. Thankfully, a couple of prey residents in the nearby apartment building came forward with statements that at least corroborated Emmitt's statement. After spending a couple of days checking with any other nearby residents, they had all the evidence they needed. It was only a matter of waiting for the hearing, which had been confirmed as Bogo predicted; a month after the incident, which fell on the 26th of June at 10 am.

Four wolves had ended up on the Jury, all from neutral third parties with no known connection to the Cannites or the Graysons. Sam was up and walking, with some visible stitches and bandages, but otherwise looking well. The Cannites had no obvious signs of injury, though they all looked resentful of having to attend at all.

However, Wolfard took quick notice that a pair of older timberwolves – the parents of the timberwolf trio – had arrived, but Sam's parents were nowhere to be seen. However, there were a few wolves of his age. The hostile looks exchanged between the two parties did not engender confidence, but Bogo had foreseen this. Given the allowance of public attendance, the chief had assigned McHorn and Delgato to the court along with Nick, Judy and Wolfard. At the start of the trial, they gave the sizeable jury, along with Sam and William's party, copies of their report based on what the police observed right as Nick and Judy had first arrived.

Sam and William's party gave their accounts first, with Sam still showing signs of injury in his stilted movements. They were followed by Emmitt and the two apartment residents were called in one after the other to give their account of what happened. It already looked bad for the Cannites as their story was contradicted heavily by all of them, and the wolves in the jury glared at the brothers on multiple occasions. Right after Sam had finished his statement, after the Cannites, the two elder jury wolves asked if the court had information about Sean, given he was mentioned by name. Nick and Judy swiftly gave them a police report for them to peruse that was prepared for this very occasion.

As they hoped, the wolves in the jury were the most talkative during the jury's deliberations. They weren't close enough to hear what was said, but most of the Jury seemed to be of the same mind after the wolves took the lead in explaining the nuances of wolf behaviour that applied here.

However, two prey were the ones to deliver the Jury's verdict on both parties by the end. The first, a grim-looking Oryx, delivered Sam's verdict.

'In regards to William Cannite, along with David and Gavin Cannite, their accusations as established are as follows: that one: Samuel Grayson instigated the attack, two: that it was done purposefully and with malice, and three: done with the intent to kill.

'We have found unanimously, that they failed to prove accusation number one. All witness accounts contradict this claim directly.

'Accusation number two, therefore, is rendered impertinent, as it assumes the first accusation was proven true. It is possible that retaliation could have been performed with equal malice, but the evidence shows the defendant clearly attempting to extricate himself from the situation.

'Accusation number three is more unclear. From the witness statements, Samuel tried, as I said before, to disengage from the confrontation, when it was first reported at 22 Furor Lane. It cannot be clearly discerned whether Samuel intended to kill the Cannites when he finally attacked them, caught on camera close to the field off 48 Furor lane, but from the police report, he was no longer in a mental state for any intent aside from an adrenaline-fuelled fight-or-flight response. And going by the actual resulting injuries he received compared to the Cannites, it is more likely that the Cannites had this intention rather than Samuel, especially at the beginning of the incident. In regards to the Cannites' accusations, therefore, we, the Jury, find Samuel innocent of the Cannite's charges. I will pass the matter to my colleague, Mr. Anders.'

The presiding judge, an elder elephant, smacked his gavel on its wooden stand as the Cannites collectively growled amongst themselves.

'Order!'

A combined, pincered look from Wolfard, Delgato and McHorn hushed the timberwolves.

A bespeckled giraffe then stood up, nearly reaching the ceiling, as he shuffled his notes before speaking.

'Samuel Grayson's only accusation against the Cannites is singular, but a serious one: that they targeted him deliberately, with intent to kill. This is supported by many factors: the first is that all witnesses observed the Cannites following Samuel Grayson along Furor lane for quite a distance. The second is that there was a separate incident five years ago that Samuel's brother, Sean Grayson, died on a charge on mammalslaughter, in which other Cannite family members were also involved. This links to this current case, and supports the charges of a targeted attack against the Graysons in general. Third: the doctor that handled Sam as a patient, reported that he would have died from shock and blood loss had Officer Nicholas Wilde not calmed the agitated wolf the way he did, while the mental state of the Cannites reverted far more quickly, and their injuries were comparatively far less serious. Fourth, we have a basis for a motive, based on the transcript provided by the ZPD in the interview with William Cannite. Therefore, we, the jury, find the three Cannites guilty of attempted murder. We also motion for their status as minors to be overruled, given the repeated attack by one wolf family against another, in a pattern that indicates them deliberately using their age as a legal shield from consequence.'

After the brothers momentarily looked at their elder brother in shock, all Cannites in the room fell deathly silent. As the judge and jury made their final statements, Nick couldn't help but smile with satisfaction behind his shades.


Fortunately for Nick, Wolfard handled the final report. Their duties remained as normal as ever, though they soon noticed the air around the other officers had changed. Wolfard stopped to check on them both a couple of times, and frequently updated them on Samuel's progress in therapy, with some of the predator officers giving Nick passing congratulatory gestures – Delgato even slapped his back, much to his dismay as he faceplanted.

Finally, a few days later, Nick's phone rang, and he heard Clawhauser on the other side.

'Morning, Nick! How have you been?'

His cheerful tone belied the gossip going around the office.

'It's been exhausting, Ben. And actually painful.'

'Sounds like me after I got my big break.' The cheetah cleared his throat. 'Anyway, Chief Bogo wants to see you. Are you free?'

The casual tone clashed against the sudden nervousness squirming in the fox's gut, but he braced himself after a moment.

'I'll be there in five.'

'No worries!'

Nick groaned to himself for a moment as he hung up. Judy, having listened in from the opposite cubicle turned around to smile at him.

'Might as well get it over with.'

'Would it be too much to ask you to accompany me this fine afternoon?'

Judy chuckled and shook her head. 'I'm not going to steal any of your thunder this time, slick.'

'Oof… Abandoning me at my moment of need. How savage, Hopps.'

She laughed again and used her long foot to spin his chair out from his desk. 'Go on. You've got this.'


As Nick took a deep breath, and cracked his knuckles, Bogo greeted him shortly.

'Come in.'

Nick peeked his head first through the door, still weary of entering the room alone.

Bogo was sitting up straight in his chair, gazing at him with scrutiny.

'Sit.'

The chair was thankfully one that he could sit properly but have the buffalo in full view. As he did what he was told, and shifted uncomfortably, Bogo was silent for almost a minute, turning around to observe his view of the city through the window behind him.

'It seems the case went well. In your opinion, Wilde, was it resolved to your satisfaction?'

Nick paused after a moment's thought. 'Permission to speak freely, sir?'

'That is the point of the question, Wilde.'

Nick frowned to himself, some of his ire at the Cannites resurfacing. 'The incident shouldn't have happened in the first place. The one five years ago… the ZPD failed to respond in time, and Sean Grayson might have survived. The Cannites shouldn't have gotten off so easy.' He exhaled to release the heat building up in his throat. 'But… given the current circumstances, I don't think it could have turned out any better.'

'Indeed.' Bogo grunted. 'There are certain limitations of the law that we cannot bypass. We cannot reopen that incident five years ago, despite Wolfard and I having an opinion in line with yours. I had suspected that the older generations of Cannites had some level of influence in instigating the attacks. At the very least, with their youngest now going to jail, those plans will no longer be possible.'

Nick watched the chief curiously, as Bogo continued to stare out the window, and Nick could see hints of regret in the bull's squared shoulders.

'Being part of the ZPD for nearly thirty years, one often sees injustices that can never be corrected. Civilians and officers frequently suffer, and at times, die. I have had to bear the responsibility of many losses.' He turned around, and leaned forward over the desk. 'One such loss could have been Samuel Grayson.'

Nick's ears splayed out nervously, but he held the buffalo's gaze.

'Make no mistake, Wilde. What you did could be construed as insubordination, or obstruction of an officer's duty. The muzzles, as unpleasant as they are, are designed to protect all mammals involved. If you had acted purely on emotion and against better judgement, I would have grounds to penalise you or suspend you.' He closed his eyes for a reflective moment. 'However… Dr. Franklin spelled it out. Without your intervention, that wolf would be dead. You spared me from adding another civilian casualty to my service record.'

At that moment, the buffalo grimaced, leaning back uncomfortably. A smile gradually grew from the fox's snout.

'So... Are you saying I can naysay you whenever I deem appropriate?'

Bogo's eyes widened in horror for a moment, before he slammed a hoofed hand down on his desk.

'Absolutely not! Dealing with your current antics is already giving me a headache. I'll get a hernia at this rate.'

'Well… I appreciate the vote of confidence, sir.'

Bogo sighed with exasperation, before waving his had toward the door. 'Well, I have no more to say. Get out of here.'

Still smirking, Nick slipped out of the tall chair and opened the door, stopping for a moment when Bogo grunted again, and he glanced back at the Chief.

'… Hopps was right about you.'


Judy was waiting near the elevator, leaning against the elevator's metal wall with one foot propped against it. As Nick approached her, she gave him a grin, laced with both nervousness and excitement.

'So… how did it go with Bogo?'

Nick scratched his head sheepishly as he pressed the down button above the rabbit's head.

'Dunno how to put it… but I guess the Chief likes me now.'

As the elevator dinged, the pair entered, with Judy adopting a cheeky smile.

'You should've asked for a raise.'

Nick regarded her smugly. 'And what makes you think I didn't?'

'These ears aren't just for show, you know.'

The fox's smirk dropped for a moment, before he shrugged.

'Okay, you got me, Carrots. I think if I pushed him that far he would have physically thrown me through the door.'

'Maybe, maybe not. I think he's gotten a lot better since you joined up.'

'If by "better" you mean better at putting up with me, then you're on point.'

There was a moment of silence, and Judy tucked her hands behind her back innocently and stepped just a little closer, sticking to him as they exited on the first floor.

'So… wolves, huh?'

From the momentary flick of his ears and widened eyes, Nick had not expected her to remember, and he regarded her suspiciously.

'Yeah. Wolves.'

'With their sharp teeth. Claws. Bushy tails. Sharp ears. Kinda good-looking, compared to other predators. Sound familiar?'

Normally Nick would take that as a compliment, but he had seen her angle from a mile away. And he had no afternoon patrol to bail him out this time.

'If you're trying to freak me out like some murderer in a horror film, you're doing a great job, fluff.'

Nick started to quicken his pace, in some vain hope that Judy would drop the subject when they arrived at their desks. After a few seconds of silence, he glanced over his shoulder worriedly, to find that Judy had disappeared.

Only to pop up from his other side, still with that disturbing smile, promptinga surprised flinch.

'Carrots… seriously. Enough with this wolf obsession.'

Judy stuck to him like glue, periodically retreating behind him and smiling at him from the other side. She recalled one of her treasured memories of Zootopia, with the fox right in front of her.

'You know, back when I was… younger, and more emotionally unbalanced like you, I remember a somewhat insufferable guy opening up to me. He talked about a childhood dream, and while it was sad at the time, it made me wonder. Specifically, the part about joining a pack.' Her smile somehow grew eviller. 'It all makes sense now.'

'Hopps, I know you think you've got it all figured out, but you've–'

'–Hit the nail on the head?' They had stopped, and she had his undivided attention now. 'Wolves. You like them.'

Nick frowned bashfully. 'You come up with crazy ideas, Carrots, but that's on top of your list.'

'Crazier than driving a kaput carriage filled with Night Howlers, only to blow it all up?' Judy tapped her chin mockingly. 'Maybe I'm not the only crazy one.'

'For the record, I was against that plan from the start.'Nick sighed in resignation. 'Where are you going with this, Carrots?'

'Say it.'

'Say what?'

'Don't play dumb, you dumb fox. "I like wolves". Say it.'

Nick's snout scrunched up like a child refusing to eat his veggies.

'No!'

'Saaaay it.'

Nick managed a savage grin. 'Or what?'

Judy's grin somehow matched his, as she casually pulled her carrot pen out and tapped it against her shoulder. Nick stared at like it was a bloody knife.

'When did…? – You wouldn't.'

Judy relished the terrified look the fox was giving her. She also admitted that apart from feeling enormous satisfaction, it was also kind of cute.

After a split second, Nick dashed forward and reached out for the pen, but Judy sidestepped and tripped the fox up by holding her foot out. Nick groaned and pushed his head up on his elbow while tapping the floor with his free paw.

'You know,' Judy leaned down, dangling the pen just out of his reach, 'I never knew how much easier it was to use this thing when I only need to record myself talking. Much more consistent.'

When Nick continued to frown, disgruntled, she held it out slightly.

'Come on. All this pain could be avoided if you just said it. Repeat after Judy: "I like wolves". And maybe "I'm a dumb fox" for good measure.'

He tipped his head up at her. 'You're really enjoying this, aren't you?'

She nodded shamelessly. 'More than you can imagine.'

Judy stepped back a bit when Nick pushed himself upright, giving her a calculated look.

'Carrots… seriously, if you erase that recording, I'll let you drive the Z-240 for a fortnight.'

Judy blinked with surprise. They both knew how much the fox loved to drive the thing at every opportunity.

'Ooh, that's a tempting offer…' She continued to tap the pen against her shoulder. 'Make it a month. And throw in a pawpsicle once a week. Then… I'll erase it once the time is up.'

Nick studied her carefully, before he shrugged his shoulders and sighed in defeat. '… Deal.'

As he fell in line behind her towards the offices, he managed a fond smile. 'You are… one scary bunny.'