"Do you think history will remember us after we're gone?" Judy wondered idly as she eyed the passing cars.

"Are you kidding me?" Nick grinned and cast his arms wide. "The History of Zootopia, Volume 4 – WildeHopps!"

"Today we're going to be discussing the origins of the Mammalian Unified Rights Bill. More specifically, the social and political events that led up to it." The professor began stroking his beard as he paced back and forth before the assembled students. "While this historic piece of legislation has unquestionably become a cornerstone of modern society, like most societal changes it was borne out of the fires of conflict. So, the question I pose today is this; from what seeds did it grow? What factors can be said to have most directly shaped its creation?"

The class sat quietly, many of them attempting to avoid eye contact. Professor William Daskal's class on Civil Rights was mandatory for any mammal hoping to attend Zootopia University's School of Law; that didn't make the billy goat's passion for audience participation any more enjoyable for his students.

"Well? Anyone?" Daskal bleated, pointing to a nearby koala. "What about you?"

"T-the Zootopian Civil Rights Movement?" She stammered.

"Considering this class is called History of Zootopian Civil Rights," The professor responded dryly. "I'd say that's a safe assumption."

A young capybara in one of the middle rows tentatively raised his paw. "The Night Howler Crisis?"

"Not quite the answer I'm looking for. Although those events did help set the stage, it would be several years before their impact would be felt. What else?"

"The TSP." A zebra at the front confidently put forth.

"Excellent! The Taxonomic Solidarity Party generated a great deal of controversy in the post-Bellwether political arena. Can you give any examples?"

"Err..." The zebra clearly hadn't anticipated any follow-up questions. "Well, they were a conservative party, so they used the riots to try and push through more aggressive legislation."

"A stunningly vague analysis, Mr. Nyathi." The professor commented, raising an eyebrow. "Care to take another swing at it?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, they wanted stronger policies against...erm...regarding certain types of..."

The tiger sitting behind him rolled her eyes. "Oh, for the love of... The TSP was an far-right political party that wanted to enact restrictive legislation applicable only to predator species. These included mandatory curfews and employment restrictions, but some of the hardliners were even pushing for total species segregation through the establishment of predator-only ghettos."

"Top marks, Ms. Shah!" The professor exclaimed, turning to regard the class again. "And who was their key player?"

"Longfellow!"

"Ah, yes." Daskal's eyes briefly scanned the back row, unsuccessfully searching for whomever had shouted. "The TSP's favorite son."

"Bellwether." Anaya Shah piped up again. "The TSP painted her as a martyr after she was imprisoned. Even more so after she died."

"A particularly ironic twist of fate for her, all things considered." Daskal commented. "And on the other side of the floor? Who would you say was Longfellow's opposite?"

The capybara lifted his paw again. "Hartford?"

"How so?"

"H-he was one of the biggest supporters for predator equal rights, e-even though he was from a prey species." The large rodent gulped. "He was t-the deer that marched with the wolves in the first Unity Parade."

"You're quite right, Mr. Gordon. Councilor Bruce Hartford was indeed a unifying figure among progressives of all species." The professor smiled. "Now please, take a breath before you pass out."

Another ripple of laughter prompted the bashful mammal to slouch down in his seat, but couldn't wipe the pleased smile from his face.

"So here we are. The air is rife with tension and the TSP has been supplying plenty of fuel. The stage is set, the players stand ready, our pot is set to boil and our metaphors have been thoroughly mixed." Laughing along with his students, Daskal reflected with some amusement that this topic always seemed to bring out his dramatic side. "We're just looking for the catalyst! The spark that that set the whole thing ablaze!"

Despite his enthusiasm,, though, his students still seemed reluctant to speak up. "Come on then! Anyone?"

"Wildehopps!" A cheetah in the back row shouted, many of his fellow students laughing in response.

"Notwithstanding the ridiculous moniker, that's somewhat correct." The goat chuckled. "Nicholas Wilde and Judith Hopps-Wilde are two very significant figures in Zootopian history. There's a reason a statue of them stands in the lobby of the ZPD's Precinct One building. As the first of their respective species to work in law enforcement, the pair were already de facto figureheads. As friends, partners, and eventually as mates, the pair of them stood as a symbol for interspecies relat–"

"Bradley Mason!"

"Wha...?" Unaccustomed to being cut off mid-sentence, Daskal stammered briefly as he cast about the room in search of the one who'd interrupted him. He quickly spotted a raccoon sitting in one of the middle rows, paw raised in the air. "What was that?"

"Bradley Mason, sir."

"And who, exactly, is Bradley Mason?"

"He's the catalyst. He's the reason we're all sitting here."

The professor gave the young mammal an intrigued look. "Go on."

"Mason was a truck driver coming into the city from the Tri-Burrows. He took a turn too fast and jack-knifed his truck." The young mammal explained. "Hopps and Wilde were the ones to discover that the truck was transporting Night Fury. Hopps got exposed to the drug and ended up in the hospital, and Wilde's investigation is what led to Gordon Manger being sent to Black Rock Prison, which most experts agree led to the collapse of The Aries Brotherhood."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, sir. Those are also the events that sparked their romantic relationship," he added, wincing when the professor gave him a particularly skeptical look.

"I'm curious where you drew your information from."

"The usual places; newspapers, interviews, city records."

"I see. And what got you looking in the first place?"

"An...uh...old family story." The raccoon answered evasively.

"And I'm sure it was a very entertaining story." The professor rolled his eyes lightly and favored that raccoon with a particularly patronizing smile, prompting a ripple of laughter that floated through the lecture hall. "But in academia we deal in facts, not fiction."

"It's all verifiable in public records." He insisted.

"Is that right?" He peered at the young mammal curiously. "You don't look very familiar. Your name would be...?"

"David Wi...lcox." The raccoon cleared his throat awkwardly. "Er...David Wilcox, sir."

"I see. And are you registered in this class, Mr. Wilcox?"

"I'm auditing."

"Hm." The professor grunted noncommittally, but didn't comment any further.

Although the rest of the lecture went smoothly, Daskal couldn't ignore the tiny flicker in the back of his mind. Something about that raccoon – Wilcox – didn't quite sit right.

"It's been over fifty years since then, and in that time, we've taken some tremendous steps forward. There are very few jobs left that are regarded as being species-exclusive. It's no longer considered unusual for predator and prey children to attend school together from a young age." He shrugged. "Some would argue we still have a long way to go, and in many ways, they would be correct. Society has always been slow to accept change."

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he realized it was time to wrap it up. "Well, I think that's enough for today. Your term assignment details are available online through your student profile, as are my office hours." As the students filed out, Daskal glanced up at one in particular. "May I have a moment of your time, Mr. Wilcox?"

It didn't escape his notice that the young mammal hesitated before responding, as if he had to remember that the name belonged to him.

"Yes, Professor?"

"You said it was your family's history that prompted your research?"

"Yes, sir."

"The Wilcox family, was it?"

"That's right."

"Unusual name, Wilcox." The goat mused. "May I see your student ID, please?"

"Of course, sir." He handed the plastic card over; sure enough, the name beside the raccoon's picture read David Wilcox. Still, Daskal had a doubt.

Returning the ID, Daskal kept his hoof outstretched. "Now may I see your driver's license?"

"I don't think that's necessary, sir."

"And I think otherwise. Unless you'd like me to contact the Registrar's office and ask what they think."

"I..." Sighing, the young mammal withdrew the government-issued ID from his wallet and hesitantly placed it in Daskal's hoof. The professor frowned, lowered his eyes to read the name, and very nearly dropped the card in surprise. "Your name is..."

"Yes, sir."

"Does that mean you're related to..."

"They're my grandparents."

"I see." Daskal nodded thoughtfully. "Tell me, why are you hiding behind a false identity?"

"I'm not hiding, sir. I'd just prefer not to advertise. I'd rather be just a regular student."

"Hm. What year are you in?"

"Fourth."

"May I assume, at least, that you've received a conditional acceptance to law school?"

"No, sir. I just wanted to learn more about my family."

"Admirable, but the history department's policies clearly state that students that aren't on track to Zootopia Law cannot attend, let alone audit, my classes."

"Oh...I see." The young mammal sighed and his shoulders sagged. "Thank you for your time, Professor."

As the young mammal sitting across from him began to gather his things, Daskal leaned back to consider the case before him. For a moment, he'd thought he had the raccoon figured out; another ambitious youngster from an influential family, thinking the rules didn't apply to him.

He'd been an educator for most of his adult life, and was no stranger to disappointed students. He'd heard every imaginable story, knew all about lofty goals and parents with high expectations, met more than his share of entitled blue bloods and stress-wracked scholarship holders. He'd been given countless reasons for why any given student was a unique case, and why he himself should make an exception for them.

The only thing virtually all of those cases had in common had been his absolute refusal to grant exceptions to those that asked for them.

But what he saw before him was something very different and far more valuable; a student upset for no reason other than being denied the opportunity to learn.

"However," He continued, regaining the young mammal's attention. "The beauty of being tenured is that the rules only apply so far as I want them to. I think I can find a seat for you."

"Really?! Thank you so much, Professor!"

"Don't celebrate too soon. There are conditions, and the first is that I'll expect you to have all of the work assigned so far to be completed by next week. Second, you will commit to never missing a class." The professor peered at him over his glasses. "I don't care if you're standing on death's doorstep, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir! Totally clear."

"I hope so. Third, this is a difficult class and I hold my students' work to a high standard. Given your unique access to otherwise unavailable personal accounts, I'll have even higher standards for you. Understood?"

"Of course, sir."

"Good. Finally, your admittance to this class is, to a degree, in recognition of your family's proud legacy of service to the citizens of Zootopia. I intend to see you live up to that legacy, which is why you will have your completed application to the Zootopia School of Law – including a personal essay – on my desk before the midterm."

"Sir?"

"I'm quite serious. I make no guarantees, but if you perform sufficiently well in my class then there are mammals in the faculty of law I can speak to. Remember, I expect excellence." Professor Daskal leaned forward in his chair, once again regarding the excited-looking young mammal before him. "Do you believe you're up to the challenge, Mr. Wilde?"

"Absolutely, Professor." David grinned. "One hundred percent."

56 years earlier

"Why is it always Wildehopps with you?" Judy asked. "Why not Hoppswilde?"

"Because I'm taller than you. That means I'm easier to photograph, so I get to choose our celebrity name."

"What? That doesn't make any..." The rest of her objection was interrupted by the screech of brakes and a chorus of blaring horns. "What the hell?!"

Triggering the low-profile lights on their unmarked cruiser, Judy smoothly cut into traffic and made a beeline for the source of the disturbance. Only a few hundred meters ahead, an eighteen-wheel cargo truck had managed to jack-knife itself while trying to navigate a sharp curve in the road.

"Cheese and crackers." Judy muttered. "Why the heck did the driver think he could take this road in a truck that size?"

Nick shrugged disinterestedly. "He was probably just trying to skip the toll booth on the freeway."

Responding to his attitude with a half-hearted glare, she released the buckle on her seatbelt and popped her door open. "C'mon, let's go find out what happened."

"Carrots, we are off duty." He reminded her. "Look around you. See how many mammals are on their phones right now? I guarantee that there'll be a patrol car here in no time."

"Well, at least run the truck's plates?"

Groaning, Nick threw a paw over his eyes in frustration. "You're killing me here, Carrots."

"Humor me? Please?" He lifted his paw to find her doing that...thing...again. The thing with the big eyes and the droopy ears. And...was she?...Yup, there was the single, subtle nose twitch.

"Fine. But you're buying lunch tomorrow." Entering the truck's license plate into their car's remote terminal, he quickly skimmed over the available information "Looks like the truck is registered to a company called...lemme see here...Spring Harvest LLC." He furrowed his brow. "Weird. I don't see any prior incidents, but there's a flag on the company's profile."

"Really?" Unfortunately for Nick, that only served to pique Judy's interest further. "Well, they didn't give us these detective's badges for nothing. Let's get detecting!"

Refusing to dignify her enthusiasm with a response, the fox sullenly climbed out of the car and trailed behind her to the immobilized truck.

As they got closer, Judy spotted an anxious-looking skunk climbing down from the cab. "Doesn't look like the driver is hurt."

"What a shame." He muttered.

"Nick, stop being such a grump." She scolded him. "Sir! Sir, are you alright?!"

Pausing his harried inspection of his vehicle, the driver turned to face them and took off running the second he caught sight of their car's flashing lights. Nick slowly came to a halt even as his partner burst forward, shaking his head as he watched her close the distance and apprehend the skunk in a matter of seconds. "Why do they always run?"

Just a few minutes later, after the driver had been handcuffed to the truck's bumper and hastily informed of his rights, the detectives climbed into the trailer. Opening the first box he came to, he let out a long-suffering sigh that caught Judy's attention. "Nick?"

"Clearly we've stumbled upon a massive criminal operation here."

"Would you please try to lighten up?"

"How could I when faced with such evil." Picking up an oddly-colored wax vegetable, he gave his partner an unimpressed look. "I don't know about you, but I suspect these may not be real. Is there no end to this web of deception?"

"Well, there's one surefire way to be sure." Grabbing the obviously fake carrot from his paw, she winked and proceeded to take a giant bite.

Hmm... A prologue to Analysis, or an epilogue to something else?

In the meantime, here's something new - for me, at least. Back in the day, whenever of my favorite fanfic authors (JMG 2.0) added OCs into a story, he would end each chapter with a "Cast" list. That way, the reader could envision the characters the same way he had while writing them. I always loved it, so I thought I'd do the same for Analysis / Footnote and see what people think.

I'm interested to hear how close it is to what you were picturing.

OC VOICE CAST (in order of appearance)

Bradley Mason - Michael Cera
Doctor Albert Forrest – Michael Caine
Det. Davis Clayton - Kevin Pollack
Roxxie - Brittany Murphy
Gordon Manger - Michael Rooker
Grant Shepherd - Elliott Gould
Professor William Daskal - David Hyde Pierce
David Wilcox (Wilde) – Justin Long