Morning came, and another day was starting in Zootopia.

It was a brand new day for all of the mammals to get up and start their lives, most of them feeling rested after a good night's sleep and ready to take on whatever the day would bring.

However, others were not as keen or positive about the incoming day.

Not all of them looked forward to a new day coming. In fact, some would rather prefer if this new day never came at all.

Back and forth the panther paced on his apartment, with diagrams of mammal-like constructs all over the walls and pieces of golems left unfinished on an improvised workshop. Sometimes he would stop to look at the clock on the top of the wall, before resuming pacing back and forth.

He would also sometimes stop for a moment and look around, as if he was expecting someone to come out from a shadow or from a corner suddenly. Maybe a fox who was carrying something to give to him...

The panther cast another glance at the clock, seeing that it now showed that it were just a few minutes to seven. It was still early morning, but the panther knew that it was not too soon. Actually, it was nearly late.

He once more looked around, expecting, hoping, to see a fox come out carrying something in his paws.

He felt stupid expecting Cornelius to come forth carrying the package out of nowhere. However, considering how that fox somehow managed to get in and out of his apartment without warning, he felt that it was not so far-fetched that the fox would come out of nowhere with the solution for his problems held on his paws.

It would certainly be welcome. It would make Peter think that he didn't made a complete mistake by entrusting on another plan from Cornelius, especially one that involved employing a freelancer who he hadn't even met.

He would certainly welcome the fox with open arms, knowing that he came to him and delivered him the package before...

*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK*

... he arrived.

The panther looked at the door, knowing who it was, for only one mammal he knew knocked like that, and it was only when he was pissed.

The panther walked to the door, while the mammal on the other side knocked more. He was internally cringing, as he already knew what was coming, and he opened the door.

Tasman didn't even waited for an invitation to enter. Instead, he simply walked inside the apartment, looking at the panther, and saying:

"Do you have it?"

He didn't waited for the answer, as he simply looked at the panther and continued:

"I gave you three days to get it. So, where is it?"

Peter said nothing, just looking at the other mammal with a stony expression. This silent staring seemed to be all of the answer Tasman needed.

"You don't have it, do you?"

More silence. Tasman scoffed.

"Of course. I don't know why I expected you to have it."

"I need more time." Peter said, trying to put himself in a better situation.

"What, to prove your incompetence once more?"

"I can get it back!" Peter said to the smaller mammal, who was not intimidated or even impressed, even as the panther practically towered over him. "I... have something on the works. It is still in process, and I'll have it back any time now. Maybe tonight. I just need a little more time for my plan to work."

"A plan, you say?" Tasman asked, looking up at him. "What plan exactly?"

Peter hesitated, before he spoke slowly...

"I... hired a freelancer."

"You hired a freelancer?" Tasman asked him, "With the MTC's money?"

"No!" The panther was quick to say. "I... had my own money saved. I hired him and he went to recover it. He will probably bring it to me soon."

"Really?" Tasman asked, looking at him. "Well, I find it hard to believe."

"It is true!" Peter said to him. "The freelancer will have it back!"

"Is this guy good?"

"Yes, he is!"

Tasman looked at the panther with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that hesitation that I notice in you?"

"No..." Peter said, and the smaller mammal continued looking at him.

"It is." Tasman said surely. "Actually, I noticed it a few times while we were talking."

He gave a step forward, looking up at the face of the panther.

"This freelancer you hired." He said, "Have you ever worked with him before?"

Peter took a moment to answer. In this, Tasman asked another question:

"Did you ever heard of his work before?"

"Yes, I did!" Peter was surer about this. "He is Pryce Sheppard! The Terror of the Tridents! He is one of the most famous freelancers around!"

"Most famous, yes." Tasman said, looking at him, "Best? Definitely not. Not with how much attention he calls and how much collateral damage he causes. But again, maybe you don't mind much about collateral damage, considering the little plans you have been having lately."

Peter said nothing, and for a long moment, he and Tasman simply looked at each other for a long minute, before the panther finally looked away. This made the smaller mammal scoff.

"I gave you three days." Tasman said, looking at the panther. "Three days to get the package back and fix your mess. Three days more than you deserved for having failed two times in a row already. I gave you that, and you managed to fail a third time."

Peter's paws curled up in fists, his claws digging into his palms as his gritted his teeth. He still was not looking at Tasman, but even if he was the smaller mammal would still not be impressed in the slightest with the bigger mammal. Even though he was bigger and stronger, Tasman simply had absolutely no reason to fear him whatsoever.

Peter was the one who had reasons to fear Tasman.

They both knew that well.

"Well, guess now it is up to me." Tasman said, and he started to walk away. "I'll be the one to fix your mess. You just sit and don't do anything stupid, if you can."

Peter flinched as he heard the smaller mammal say that, and on his way out, Tasman stopped and said:

"Oh, and before I forget, you can be sure that the big shots at the MTC will be hearing of how you messed up royally. Be ready to get your privileges reduced."

Peter said nothing in return, and only stood in there as Tasman slammed the door on his way out.

The apartment was silent, with Peter standing alone on the center of it.

After nearly a minute, he walked to the bench where the half-built golems laid.

He looked down at it for a few moments, before he violently threw them off the table, before pounding the table so hard that it broke.

Not satisfied, Peter turned his attention to other piece of furniture, shattering it with nothing more than his paws, letting out curses and screams of rage as he did.

He then clawed the sofa. Broke down the nearby closet. Opened holes on the walls as he punched them. All the while, he continued to scream in rage and spit out curses.

He cursed Tasman for being so arrogant and for criticizing him so much and talking to him as if he was an idiot. He cursed Cornelius for his stupid plans that didn't worked and only put him on even more problem. He cursed himself for having gone along with the plans of the stupid fox and allowing himself to be in even more problem with Tasman and the MTC.

Among all of those curses, among all of the rage that he was feeling for all those who made him feel miserable, Peter still found an excuse to curse at the Wilde clan. Especially, he found time and rage to curse at Sophie and her little fur ball of a son.

Even as he was done trashing his own temporary workshop, and was now standing on the middle of it with all the trashed furniture around him, he continued to curse both Sophie and Nick, until he started to curse only Nick Wilde.

The one who ruined everything for him.

The one who destroyed all he had.

The one who was the most responsible for all of his misfortunes.

The one whom he hated more than anyone else in this world.

Peter remained in there for a few more moments, before he turned around and started to pick up the pieces of golems that he had thrown on the ground, and started to work on them.

All thoughts about the MTC, about Tasman, about Cornelius, all of that was forgotten.

He was already in problem enough, so it made no difference at this point. He could forget about that.

Now, all that was on his mind was Nick Wilde.

All that was on his mind was doing something to him while he still had the time. And for that, he needed his golems.

At the very least, he would be able to make that fox pay, since he was already in trouble anyway.

With that thought in mind, the panther worked on his golems, aiming to have them ready as soon as possible.

Everyone had started a new day at Zootopia. Including the mammals currently on the Manechester mansion.

Everyone woke up after a good night's rest, and all still remembered what happened on the previous night. So, many of them glared at Adrian as they all gathered on the table for breakfast, until Benjamin joined them.

Benjamin was smiling, he claimed that he had a very good night and woke up feeling happy. It seemed nearly as if he had forgotten what had happened on the previous night. Some of them wanted to leave him be, but then Adrian asked for the word.

Josh and Marcy both glared at the horse, as if giving him a warning not to make Ben feel bad. They looked a little surprised when the horse started to apologize to Ben.

With everyone looking, Adrian very polite apologized to Ben for the whole scene on the previous day. For having exposed his past and made accusations based on mistaken information. He said he was deeply sorry for having assumed the worst of him based on what Clawde had said, and that he was very ashamed of himself for forcing him to relive painful memories and put him under so much unnecessary stress, and that he hoped that the cheetah could find it on his heart to forgive him.

Ben looked surprised, and he looked at Adrian for a few moments, before recomposing (and seeming a bit bashful for once more having all eyes on him) and telling the horse it was alright. Ben said that it was an honest mistake, and that it had all be cleared now, so they were both okay.

This seemed to be enough to Adrian, who soon got seated, and the breakfast began.

No one mentioned anything more about the whole situation during breakfast, as to avoid going into the subject deeper and maybe making Ben upset. However, some of the table didn't felt like they swallowed the half-assed apology that Adrian gave.

Ben honestly seemed that he had accepted the apology. That was one thing about Ben, he had always been quite forgiving, not being the kind who held onto grudges. He never held grudges against anyone of the Precinct for the time he had to spend on the boiler room during the Night Howler scare. Of course he would be forgiving now as well, that was just how the sweet cheetah was.

Still, some of the presents thought that Ben was a bit too forgiving, and that he accepted Adrian's apology too easily.

Others, however, accepted it and moved on. As it was the case of Gazelle.

The popstar still thought that Adrian's behavior on the previous night was unacceptable, and that he was extremely rude on treating Officer Clawhauser like that. However, seeing that he apologized and that the cheetah really didn't looked like he held any ill-feelings towards him, she assumed that it was alright. However, as Adrian approached her after breakfast, she made sure to tell him that she thought that he should mind his way of treating others on the future, to not do that to someone who did nothing wrong.

The horse assured her that he would try to have better information on the future, and avoid jumping to conclusions. As he did so, he steered her away from the others, and Tyson made sure to stay close, as he wanted to make sure that Gazelle would be safe, he had been a little paranoid ever since the attack on the green maze with that guy and that thing.

Meanwhile, everyone else was doing something else with their time. Judy, for instance, decided to take a stroll on the house.

As she walked on the hallways, she took in on how big the place was, and it wasn't just because she was a bunny in a house meant for horses. She looked all around the place, and it was by opening some doors at random that she ended up entering the library.

It was a very nice place, with soft chairs all around, all of which looked quite inviting for anyone to sit and spend a good few hours reading, and that was what Judy did.

She was able to jump over the tall rows of books of the shelves, having to use a bit of acrobatic skills to be able to balance herself and look among the many shelves. She was able to find some books that looked interesting. Taking the books out of the shelves was a challenge on its own, once they had a size meant for mammals much bigger than a bunny, but Judy managed.

Soon, the bunny was on a big chair, with her legs spread and a huge book on her lap, which she was readying as a way of passing her time. It was quite an old book, but it was a very interesting read.

She finished the book in less than one hour, and she was already passing to the next. This one was taking much longer to read, as it was a much thicker book. Judy was a quick reader, but she thought she was not going to end that book before lunch.

As she was reading the book, her ears picked a sound coming in the direction to the door.

*clop-clop-clop*

It was the sound of hooves on the hardwood floor.

Soon, the door opened, and Judy rose her head to see not only one, but two horses walking through the door.

"Officer Hopps." Yahya greeted the small bunny on the chair.

"Good morning." Judy said to Yahya and to Euphemia, as the two horses walked into the library; both of them nodded back, as they walked among the shelves, and looked like they were looking for something.

"Looking for a book?" Judy asked, to which Euphemia answered:

"Obviously."

There was no irony on her voice. She didn't seemed upset that the bunny asked something stupid either. Judy did felt dumb for asking that. She then said:

"Well, what book are you looking for? Maybe I can help you find."

"No need, Officer Hopps." Euphemia said, looking at the bunny for a moment. "We can find it ourselves; you can continue reading your book."

Judy took a moment as she looked at the two horses, and then went back to her book. However, she found herself with difficulty to focus properly on her reading as those two horses were on the room.

She had that feeling of being watch, which put her a bit on the edge. She looked briefly at the two horses, seeing that neither of them was looking her way. She remembered what she learned about Yahya, and about his very wide range of vision. That horse could see practically everything around himself save for a small spot. His face was turn to the shelves, as he looked among the books, however, he could still see Judy on his field of vision. Perhaps this was the source of Judy's feeling of being watch.

However, it was not just being on his field of vision. Judy could not shake this feeling. The feeling that the horse was looking intently at her. Almost as if... he was evaluating her.

That feeling made her nose twitch, and made her feel somehow uncomfortable, nearly as if there was a certain tension on the room.

The fact that the two horses remained eerily silent as they looked among the shelves added to the social tension on the room.

Eventually, Judy couldn't take it anymore, and she decided to speak:

"So, it is a beautiful morning today, isn't it?" Judy asked, and the two horses continued what they were doing. For a moment, Judy thought neither of them heard her, until Yahya said:

"Indeed, it is a nice morning." The horse said, "Fine temperature, clear skies, a pleasant breeze. It is overall a beautiful morning, I suppose. I even saw a few birds on the trees outside."

"Indeed, it is a beautiful morning." Euphemia agreed, and Judy felt part of the tension of the room go away. This encouraged her to speak a bit more, and she looked for some topic to talk about.

"So... I saw Adrian with Gazelle after breakfast." She said, looking at the two horses. "He looked like he was talking to her about something..."

"Oh." Euphemia said, "So, he already started, it seems."

"Started?" Judy asked, looking at the mare, "What do you mean?"

A brief silence followed that question, and Euphemia looked at her grandfather, who still looked among the shelves for that book.

"Officer Hopps, are you aware that, five years ago, my son tried to run for mayor?"

Judy looked at Yahya.

"Yes, I heard about that." Judy said, looking at him. "He was running for mayor against Lionheart, and it seemed that he could win, but them there was... some scandal, and he ended up losing."

Judy thought that it was better not to directly mention the incident of Chief Bogo being attack by either Euphemia or Chandler. She thought it would be a sore subject, and that it was better to avoid him, especially with one of the possible perpetrators present on that same room.

"Indeed." Yahya said, "It was quite a blown to Adrian's ego and ambitions. But it never made him give up. He still plans to become the mayor."

"What? He is going to run again?" Judy asked, and now Euphemia was the one answering:

"He planned to do it for a while." The mare said, looking at the bunny. "Due to the scandal of Lionheart and Bellwether's arrests, and the whole Night Howler case, there was such a confusion on the city's political agenda that the elections were postponed. But, they finally marked a new date for the next elections to mayor. My father plans to announce his running for the seat of mayor before the end of this year."

"He is still reeling from the scandal of five years ago, but luckily, most of the mammals seem to have forgotten and moved on with their lives." Yahya said, now he was walking up a nearby stair to look on the higher shelves. "Adrian is using this chance to start over a whole new campaign to become mayor. He has enough money and political influence to build a solid base, like he did half-a-decade again. Still, he is looking for a little advantage to start off his running for mayor. Which was why he was talking to Gazelle."

Judy took in what Yahya was saying, and she quickly connected the dots.

"He wants her support?"

"Gazelle is one of the most influent mammals on Zootopia." Yahya said, "Both for being a famous singer and for being an active and dedicated defender of predator rights. If Adrian could get someone like her to support his candidacy, his chances of winning would be much greater."

"So, it is all because he wants to be mayor?" Judy asked, looking at the two.

"My father really wants to be on the City Hall." Euphemia said, once more looking among the shelves in look for that book. She picked one book and looked at it. "He has a lot of plans for the city. To help it 'become great again'."

"It was his slogan five years ago." Yahya said, "More of the mammals on the city thought it was catchy. It certainly made a lot of animals come to his side."

"He really wanted to become mayor." Euphemia said, as she placed the book back on the shelf, apparently it was not the one she was looking for. "He said that he would help the city to become as great as it could be. He would make Zootopia the new center of the world."

"If you ask me, I think he was not that much interested on the city." Yahya said very casually, as if the subject didn't interested him very much. "The city was not in a crisis or anything, and even though it is not perfect, it is already pretty much as influent as it can be, being a place that symbolizes the pacific coexistence between species, and all." He continued to look around, moving the stairs through the library. "If you ask me, Adrian was more interested in being in a position of power than in actually paying services to the city. That boy has always wanted to feel superior to others."

Euphemia said nothing, and neither did Judy. She just reflected on what she had heard.

"Then... it may be a good thing that he was not elected..." She said to herself, but a bit more loudly than she intended. The two horses heard it.

"Well, it certainly is to you, Officer Hopps." Yahya said, "Otherwise, you would most likely never have gotten your badge."

"Huh?"

There was a brief silence. Euphemia stopped what she was doing and looked at the bunny.

"Do you know that the Mammal Inclusion Initiative was only implemented after Lionheart was elected, right?" The mare asked to the bunny. "It was one of his main bases of his platform. A lawsuit that made it forbidden and outlawed to deny job applications based on species, or size, and that encouraged mammals of different species to apply for jobs that they would normally not apply, if that was what they wanted."

"Yeah, I know about it." Judy said, as she remembered how it was thanks to the Mammal Inclusion Initiative that she was able to apply for being a cop and not rejected immediately.

"My father was not in favor of that law." Euphemia said, looking at the bunny. "He said that inclusion was good, but that there was a limit for it."

Judy looked at her with a surprised expression, as the mare explained:

"Let's say a mouse applies for a position on the ZPD as a cop. Or even as a bodyguard of a much bigger mammal. Due to the law, they cannot be deny the job for being a mouse, and they have excellent references. They end up getting the job. But, just on their first day, they have to deal with an elephant. We are talking about a much bigger mammal who could trample on them as if they were a bug. There is nothing that the mouse can do to stop the elephant from going in. In fact, if they try, they might end up being kill. The law would basically cause those smaller and weaker mammals to be set up to fail."

"Quite an extreme view regarding the law." Yahya said, "Even if there was some funding on the argument."

"My father thought that the law would eventually do more harm than good." Euphemia concluded. "He even had his own law project for when he was mayor. It never had a proper name, but the mammals working on dad's team used to call it 'Natural Order Project'."

"Natural... Order?" Judy said, looking at the mare.

"Well, the project was... how do I put it...?" Euphemia said, and she then explained:

"Let's say that a beaver and a skunk apply for the same job, a spot on a construction company. Historically beavers have always been involved in construction projects. They have a natural instinct that revolves around building, and the public opinion agrees greatly that this is just the kind of work that a beaver should involve. Thanks to the Natural Order Project, the hirer would be required to hire the one among the applicants who has the more natural inclinations to fulfill the job on the most efficient way possible. Therefore, the beaver would be the one getting the job, instead of the skunk."

"What!?" Judy said, "You mean, just like that!? But wouldn't that encourage and perpetuate stereotypes?"

"Some like stereotypes." Yahya said bluntly, as he looked among the books on the place. "Many, in fact. Of course, everyone talks about breaking barriers and accepting differences and ending the division between mammals. But, the fact is that a great number of mammals like division. They like the fact that species and groups are clearly divided between each other, and they don't like the idea of those divisions being broken. Which was why some would have really liked Adrian's law project."

"The law would make sure that mammals with specific natural inclinations would have priority over certain jobs that best fit those inclinations." Euphemia said, "Just like beavers would be favored to works on construction, rhinos and other big mammals would have priority on works that involved strength, like being a member of the ZPD or being a personal bodyguard."

"Which is why you would most likely never have gotten a badge if Adrian had become mayor." Yahya concluded. "There would be no Mammal Inclusion Initiative if he had, and his own law would ensure that other species, bigger and stronger ones, would always have priority over you in the ZPD. Of course, if you applied for a job on anything regarding agriculture or, let's say, a fertility clinic, you would be the one having priority over other applicants."

Judy blinked, as her mind processed what she just heard.

Was that for real?

That was what could have happened if Adrian had become mayor?

This "Natural Order Project" would have actually became a law?

It was basically the opposite of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative! While one encouraged inclusion and the breaking of species barriers, the other actually gave anyone a legal and acceptable excuse to speciest behavior when hiring!

With a law like that in place, she would never have been able to become a police officer! Not the mention Nick!

It encouraged more division on society rather than trying to fight it!

That was part of Adrian's plan to "make Zootopia great again"?

He actually considered that a good idea?

What a jerk!

Suddenly, Judy remembered what Nick had told her days ago, about how he realized that Adrian was a jerk after hearing his first speech. Did that meant that his other proposals as a mayor followed the same vibe as that law?

Thinking of it was making Judy's mood go on a bad direction. She didn't wanted to hear more about it. She didn't wanted to think about it any longer. She tried to leave the subject behind and focus on her book, but she could still feel the subject on the air, as if it was a fly that was nagging on her by flying around her ears.

"You know, I've been reading this old book, and there is a lot of mentions to the 'P-word' in it." Judy said after a few minutes of silence, "What does it means?"

"What is the context?" Yahya asked, and Judy looked at him.

"Context?"

"The texts on the book talk more about herbivores or carnivores?" Yahya clarified, as he continued to look through the books. "If it talks more about herbivores, then the chances are that the 'P-word' it talks about is 'prey'. However, if the text focus more on carnivores, then it is more likely that the word is actually 'predator'."

"You know, it really doesn't help that both words start with a p." Euphemia said, looking at her grandfather, while Judy looked at Yahya as well, her expression blank as her mind processed what she had just heard.

"Wait..." Judy said, and her eyes widened as realization hit her.

"'Prey' and 'predator' used to be slurs!?" Judy said in shock.

"On my time they were." Yahya confirmed. "Much like 'chomper' and 'grazer' are today."

"It was before you and I were born, Officer Hopps." Euphemia said, looking at the bunny. "I understand that you never heard of it, but it is truth. Decades ago, being called a 'prey' was an offense, much like being called a 'predator'."

"B-but..." Judy said, looking at her, "But... why?"

"Because of the very origin of the two words." Yahya said, still focused on the books.

"The word prey always meant an animal that is hunted and killed by another animal for food." Euphemia explained to Judy. "Because of this, the word itself is associated with the fact of being hunted and eaten by another animal. If you are a 'prey', back then, it meant that you were an animal whose place in the world was at the bottom, that you were weak and vulnerable and could never move up on the food chain. Your destiny was to be killed and eaten by stronger animals, and there was nothing that you could do about it, for that was how it was."

"Being called a 'predator' was also not nice." Yahya said, "The word had a connotation of someone who hunted and devoured others. In some cases, it was even use to describe crimes of sexual nature. Being a predator meant being someone who hunted and exploited the weaker. It was the same as being an oppressor, a bully, a criminal. The word itself was considering insulting if the one speaking it was not a carnivore."

Judy thought about it, finding the idea of "predator" and "prey" being considered insulting to be hard to grasp on her head. She then looked up at the horses, seeing that Yahya was still focus on trying to find that book, while Euphemia was looking back at her.

"But... no one gets offended by being called a prey today. Nor a predator. They are not offensive at all. They are official terms for the types of animals."

"The words have been re-appropriated." Euphemia said to her. "They started the re-appropriation process around the time dad was just a calf. Around the time he was a teenager, the words stopped being slurs completely and became the new official nomenclature for the specific types of mammals. Before that, mammals were divided in herbivore and carnivore."

Judy took in what the mare was saying, and she was reflecting on it.

"I never knew that the kinds of mammals had other names in the past." Judy said, "I mean, I never heard that in the history classes."

"That's because this is the kind of thing that they don't teach little children." Euphemia said to the bunny, "It is more of a college-level knowledge. Truth is; there has been many different nomenclatures in the past, depending on the period. It is not common knowledge nowadays, but it is the kind of thing you can easily find out if you research."

"Back on grandpa's day the norm was to divide animals between 'herbivore' and 'carnivore'. Some complained because this kind of categorization purposely left out insectivores and omnivores." Euphemia continued to explain, "Also, you might find it hard to believe, but just like 'prey' and 'predator' were slurs, the words 'chomper' and 'grazer' were once the official names of the two groups of mammals. Only for a very short period, though."

"Also, before that, the names of the groups of mammals were also different." Euphemia continued, "Back from the Middle Ages to the mid-1700's the official names for the groups of mammals were 'hunters' for the predators and 'game' for the prey. Those fell out of use in favor of other terms. It was only on the start of the 1800's that mammals started being divide in 'herbivore' and 'carnivore', the same way as the wild beasts."

"Oh, and you will find this really interesting." Euphemia said, looking at the bunny. "Back on the old days, and I am talking before the Middle Ages, the mammals were actually divided in two specific types: 'life mammals' and 'nature animals'."

Judy blinked.

"Say what?"

"It was very early in history." Euphemia explained to her. "Some even say that this was the first ever form of dividing the groups of animals based on their diets. The prey of the time, the animals who ate plants, were called 'nature mammals', because they fed on 'nature'. Meanwhile, the predators were referred to as 'life mammals', because they fed on 'life', namely, other animals."

"Oh..." Judy said, reflecting on this. Euphemia then said:

"As you can see, the way mammals call each other have varied a lot with time. Some things that were once something very normal to say to refer to a certain group of mammals now is consider highly offensive, and what once were slurs now are the actual name of the groups. Nowadays, it is very rare for 'prey' and 'predator' to be use as insults, although some actually do it. The words are the actual names of the mammal groups, and everyone says those things to refer to them without meaning anything bad by it."

"I am from the old school." Yahya said, looking on the top shelf full of books. "I prefer 'herbivore and carnivore'."

Immediately after, he got down the stairs, as he said:

"It is not here. I haven't seen it anywhere."

"You sure?" Euphemia asked. "Maybe it is around here somewhere and you missed it."

"I have literally looked all around the library." Yahya said, turning to his granddaughter. "I have seen it enough times, including just yesterday. I am pretty sure I wouldn't be mistaking it."

"Maybe is in the second library." Euphemia said, and they were both leaving, when Judy said:

"You guys sure you don't need my help?"

"No, there is no need. You are a guest, and we don't want to bother you." Euphemia said, going after her grandfather, but she stopped for a moment, and looked back at the bunny and said:

"But, if you see a book with a worn-out blue cover, let us know. Also, we appreciate if you don't read it. It is personal to the family."

With this, Euphemia and Yahya both left the library, leaving Judy to look at the door through which they departed, before she turned her attention back to the book she had been reading, and trying to resume her readying. However, her mind was still processing all that she had just heard.

It was a new morning on Zootopia, and everyone was awake and ready to start their day.

Including the mammals of the ZPD.

Mammals were coming back and forth, working on their daily routines. Well, the ones who were not discharge from the hospital yet.

The good news was that they were not in danger, as it seemed. In fact, most of them already gave signs of being recovering, according to the news from the doctors. However, they were still in a weakened state, and they needed to rest. Not only that, but the doctors also wanted them to stay on the hospital a bit more for observation.

They wanted to be sure that there would be no lingering effects left on them. None of them knew exactly how curses worked.

So, as result, the ZPD was working with a bit less personnel than regular, at least for one more day. This meant they had to work with reduced staff, as part of them were put on nightshift to replace the regular night staff, while the rest continued working on the day shift.

Some thought that they would need to call for help from another Precinct, but it turned out not to be necessary, as long as they managed their personnel right.

So, even with limited officers, the work managed to go along and normally.

Still, some of the mammals in there seemed to be on their toes after hearing how the guys were attacked by a curse during a night. Some of them seemed to be afraid that the mages who did that could come back and curse the rest of the ZPD.

They really didn't had training or protection against that kind of thing.

Still, they did their best to go with their business, which included going on their routines, making patrols, writing reports and being on the front desk receiving newcomers and dispatching cruisers. After all, that was their job, and they couldn't stop.

Among those officers, were Eliot Fanghanel and Gerald Clawrence. Both of them were on their cruiser, and they were ready to go on their own assignments, to go around town on patrols and stopping one or two perps on their way.

However, even as they focused on their job, they found it hard to focus one-hundred percent on their work.

That was not unusual to Eliot, who was easily distracted, but it was definitely unusual for Clawrence, who was so focused and professional all the time.

Right after the entire situation with the attack on the ZPD, Bogo called them both, and he and the enforcers shared a lot of information with them. They told them details of the MTC, and of many facts that Nick and Judy found out while investigating the case with the enforcers, as well as the things that Bogo himself found out.

Bogo had decided that the two deserved to know, after what they had been through. This, of course, meant that he shared even the sensitive information with them. What, in turn, meant he told them about the nature of the package that the MTC so desperately wanted back, and how it was directly connect to the tragedy of Fangtropolis.

It was the kind of thing that made a mammal think.

Eliot was looking at his phone, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

"I still haven't decided if I should tell her or not..." Eliot said to his partner. The panther didn't reacted, only keeping a thoughtful expression as he continued to pay attention to the street. He was the one driving, after all.

"I mean, I have always told her everything, but I stopped sharing all details of the cases with her after Ellie called my attention on it." The wolf continued, "And Bogo told us not to tell anyone else, to avoid causing uproar, but I really want to tell Pumpkin about it. I mean, we are talking about a magecraft-powered atomic bomb! What if it goes off here in Zootopia? I feel I should let Pumpkin know."

"But... I don't want to scare her." Eliot said, "If she hears about that she could get really worried, and this could make her stomach worse. I told you that she's been feeling sick lately, didn't I? And she has been having dizziness lately. I think she may have gone down with something. I am afraid that if she knows about it she will get worried, and sickness and worry are never a good combination. Well except when they make you go to the doctor and you find out the cause of the problem before it gets worse."

"I also kind of want her to leave the city, but then she would be asking me why and then I'd have to tell her. This could also put stress on her so I don't really know what to do." Eliot confessed, and he was sounding more upset as he spoke and looked at his wife's pictures on his phone. "I want to go talk to her, but I just can't. You know?"

No answer. For a good two minutes.

Eliot looked at his partner.

"Gerald?" He asked, and the panther continued to look forward at the street, paying close attention to the cars and to the signals.

"Are you doing that thing again?" Eliot asked him. "The thing when you focus so hard at something that you just ignore everything I say so much that you are literally not hearing a single word?"

No answer. That meant that he was. What meant that Eliot had been basically talking to himself for the past twenty minutes.

"Gerald." Eliot said, poking him in the shoulder, what made the panther finally turn his head to look at him.

"Did you asked me something?" Gerald asked after looking at Eliot for nearly ten seconds. Eliot then spoke to him one more time, speaking on how worried he was with the entire thing regarding the MTC and their "package", whatever it was.

This time Gerald listened and he nodded, and he was once more with his eyes on the road. However, this time he was answering to the wolf:

"Bogo was very keen on keeping it secret, to avoid causing panic. So, we should keep it a secret." Gerald said as he made a turn. "Of course, this means that you should not tell your wife. At least not until the case has been solve."

Eliot nodded. He assumed that Gerald was right, like usual.

People would always say that, between the two of them, Gerald was the more reasonable, while Eliot was the more emotional, and that the two somehow were complete opposites of each other, and that was why they worked so well as partners.

"I have been thinking." Gerald said, just as Eliot was about to start talking again. The wolf looked at the panther, who was still paying attention to the road as they spoke.

"Not about 'the package'." Gerald said, "But more about the other things they told us."

He then stopped at a signal, and looked at the wolf. "Do you remember the warehouse they spoke about? The one that belongs to 'K.T.'?"

"Oh, yeah!" Eliot said, "I remember that, and I remember that they said that they know nothing about him. Apparently the guy is so rich that he can make sure that no one finds out anything about him, so they can't find out anything."

"Yes. They can't..." Gerald said, "But I might know someone who might can."

"You do?" Eliot asked, looking at the panther.

"He is... an old acquaintance. From before I became a cop." Gerald says. "He works with some guys who work on managing the warehouses on the Canal District. He owes me a favor. He probably won't be happy for me making contact, but he most likely will accept on doing me a favor if I ask him, as long as I keep it off the records."

"He can tell use K.T.'s real name?"

"Maybe their entire file." Gerald said, "Once we know the person to whom the warehouse belongs..."

"We'll be one step closer of finding more on the MTC!" Eliot concluded. "Yes, let's do this! Then we'll be able to get the entire organization! I mean, maybe they are a bit too much for us. I mean, they are all mages, and the last time we fought mages it didn't ended too well, remember? Oh, of course you do! You were there! And were just a few days ago."

Eliot continued to ramble on, while Gerald was keeping his attention on the road. Eliot was once more failing to notice that the panther was not hearing a single word of what he was saying.