Chapter one - Three years later

• Look at that fox! Walking around like nothing.

• Sush, you! We all know their reputation, just don't deal with them and leave them be!

• Why should I? We would be better off without them! We already have problems as it is without them tricking honest mammals!

Only his russet ears gave any sigh of paying attention to that conversation, and the slight flick could be interpreted as a way to get rid of a fly or incommodity due to a breeze tickling the fur inside. The fact was, the fox did hear every word they said, the same many other "civil mammals" spoke when they thought Nick couldn't hear them. Or maybe they didn't care at all if he did.

He was used to that kind of treatment foxes received from others, as if all of them were untrustworthy, cunning and mischievous and the rest were pure as mountain water. It had become almost second nature to them to distrust foxes, to the point of keeping a hand over their wallets every time one passed by and never believing what they said even if they had been asking for the time.

Well, in his specific case, they were right on the money, Nick couldn't deny that. He had spent the last 23 years of his life hustling, cheating and overall winning money out of other mammals using bad arts. It wasn't that bad, though: he had food, he had money to buy whatever he needed, he had a place to sleep and the effort was minimal. If the bad side of it was the other mammals to think of him as trash, well, then go ahead. They were going to do it anyway, so why bother working hard and clean to prove them wrong if they would not believe it?

So, he never minded what they said about them, or him more specifically. He would feign ignorance when asked about their fame, offense and pain when faced against specieist comments or behavior and gratefulness when someone decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Those last ones, if handled carefully, could be a nice source of money in the future.

That has been his life since Nick left his home at the age of 12, having faced so young the true face of Zootopia, the so called "city where anyone could be anything".

Nick raised his gaze to look to the building standing tall at the center of the city, very visible even from the fox's current location in Sahara Square. It turned out that, while a fox could not become a trusted and respected member of the city, a small and fragile sheep could become a dictator.

In the three years she had been mayor of the city, the ewe had approved many laws going against predators. Since the missing mammal case showed that predators were somehow turning savages, the recently elected mayor used the fear in prey mammals to make any movement against preds as she wanted, always with the excuse of wanting to protect those in danger and keep security on the city.

Translated to layman's terms, predators were screwed.

For starters, any job that would directly allow contact with prey customers was out of their reach, including security, protection, emergency... basically, no predator could open a store that had products that could be even used by prey or work as police officer, firefighter or doctor.

• "We don't know when any predator is going to succumb to their biology and become savage! They could hurt anyone on sight, even kill them! We already have dozens of cases of savage predators being investigated, and some have come with casualties! We can't afford that anymore!"

The clamor of the prey mammals and the end of the mayor's speech when presenting the JLP law (Job Limitations for Predators) could be heard all around the city. The same happened with the most recent PRP (Predators Relocation Project), which was still underway but it was undoubtedly going to be approved as well soon. They already forced predators to start living in pred communities on each section of the city instead of mixing with prey all around it. It was the only way predators were able to make their stores and jobs work again. Those communities where at the farthest section of each square, leaving the rest, including the very center of the city, the most business profitable, for the prey.

The entrance of predators into "prey territory" was very frowned upon, to say it mildly: a little cheetah kit, no older than eight years old, walked from Savanah Central to a store Downtown and was kicked out by a group of prey teens, accusing him of entering their territory. Some adults present had praised that attitude of the teens, not wanting dangerous mammals among them.

The PRP wanted to make those communities a permanent thing, but also move them even more closer to the city limits, to the point of ending outside of it "if they deemed it necessary".

Naturally, after so long of being beaten up so much for something they had no control of, predators had raised their voices to the same level as the clamors of the prey. They were faced immediately with a police brutality never seen since before Zootopia was built. What had started as a loud but peaceful manifestation ended with many wounded and a couple of deaths. The excuse they gave for the later was that "they thought they had become savages before their own eyes and had to act to protect the population".

Nerves were on edge and predators, incapable of fighting the whole city by themselves, were just throwing all their frustration to the first target they got. Who cared about foxes, anyway? They were not to be trusted! Probably they had something to do with all this mess too!

Nick looked back to the street and continued walking. It all began the day at that press conference, right after discovering where the 13 missing mammals were being held. All of them, apparently, had been caged there to investigate in secret the reason of them becoming savages. The reason for this secrecy was that all of them were predators, and the mayor of the time, Lionheart, didn't want the public to know that particular detail.

At the thought of that conference, a soft growl escaped the fox's throat. If there was a painful memory in his mind, aside from the one where he got muzzled, that was it. All his life ignoring the hard looks and ill intended words of others and suddenly she changed it all: Judy Hopps.

That police officer had hustled him, and very skillfully so, into helping her with a case. The fox made very clear many times how much he didn't like that situation by making his presence as insufferable as possible, enjoying every rolling eyes, frustrated looks and groans. But then, he became invested with the case. Or more correctly, with her. He saw how hard Judy was working to solve the case, to the point of risking her badge for the sake of others. She had respected him, saved his life even, and he had just mocked her at every occasion. He opened up to her, telling her the reasons he was what he was, and she understood and showed support. They became a team.

They had grown fond of each other, to the point the bunny offered him something he had never expected: a way out of his life in the mud. Judy wanted Nick to become her partner, a police officer that she trusted with her life. For the very first time ever, the world was being good to him.

That is, until she placed the blame of the savage transformation into the predator's DNA. How could she? After all she said on the sky trams, telling Nick that he was more than a shifty fox, after telling him that she wanted Nick as a partner, she still was that specieist?

The presence of the fox-away in her belt, that he had seen the very first day they met, suddenly got a new meaning. The bunny even reached for it when he acted menacingly, instead of trusting him, like the bunny said did.

He hadn't seen her since. When the riots against predators began, she could be seen sometimes on the TV, trying to separate the two groups without avail. Hypocrite. Nick had seen how distrustful she was of predators. She may have been able to fool him for a while, but not anymore.

Not long after, however, her presence just disappeared. Nick had been expecting her to come out of no-where, trying to apologize. But that never happened. The fox never saw her joke-mobile again or any bunny ears through the glass of a real patrol car. That infuriated him further. She had turned prey against predators, wreaking havoc on the city, and she would not do anything to fix it.

As it turns out, she had resigned, if the info he had collected was correct. He knew everybody, after all. Making the right questions to the right people was easy, more so when it was about someone famous.

Why did she resign? Was the police officer's work so hard on her? As he could see, she was not held in high regard before they found the captives. Maybe she did get a promotion and didn't like it. Either way, she probably had returned to her carrot farm, where she belonged. She had done enough damage already.

With his paws inside the pockets of his pants, he held an item that he didn't know why it was still there. After all that had happened, he should have thrown it away at the first chance he got. It was the very reason that rabbit had managed to hustle him in the first place, recording his stupid blabbing about how much was he winning by scamming others: the carrot-pen recorder.

He had never used it, not even to write things down. Why hold to that thing? What was he expecting to happen? For her to look for him to get it back? Highly improbable. If she had not done that already, she wouldn't after so long.

He just had no reason to still have it. Yet, every time he passed by a trash can, he made no movement to get rid of it. There were days he forgot it was there, very "busy" and "work loaded" days; but he could not relax without feeling the touch of plastic as he inserted his paws in the pockets.

As he turned a corner, and as if the world had been listening to his thoughts, a trash can was nearby. He went for it, grabbing the device and taking it out, determined to throw it away. That damned thing, reminding him how he got fooled by a rabbit, not once but twice. This was going to be the last.

With his paw just over the opening, he pressed the play button, his own voice sounding through the speaker.

"I make 200 Dollars a day, Fluff! 365 days a year since I was twelve!"

• I was a fool.- Said the fox, looking at the device with disgust that he quickly masked with a neutral expression.- How could I think she would be different?

His claws opened, letting the pen fall inside the trash can to join uneaten food, bottles, torn papers and other trash it contained. Without looking back, and feeling somewhat better to finally move on, he walked away, crossing the street into an alley. Close by, his partner Finnick was waiting for him to start hustling that day.

A smile formed in his face, one that he used to appear friendly to others even if he internally despised them. This time, however, he was actually smiling for a reason: he could finally forget about Judy Hopps.

...

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...

• There you go, ma'am. Have a nice day!- Said the bunny as the client stepped away from the stall and another took her place.- Good morning, Jacob! What will it be today?

• Hello, Judy! A dozen carrots and... would you happen to have onions?

• Sure I do! Is Barbara going to make her famous stew today?

• Yes, she is! The kids are asking for it like they haven't eaten in days! Would you like me to bring you some tomorrow?

• No, thanks. Mom would get jealous if she discovers I've been enjoying Barbara's cooking and will want to do hers.- Judy leaned it, confidentially.- It's not as good as she thinks it is.

• I can hear you, sweetheart!- Came Bonnie's voice a couple of meters away, as she brought more product to be placed on the stall. Judy stuck her tongue out mockingly and returned to attend the buck.

No-one could say the weather wasn't perfect. Only a couple of small clouds to throw some shade here and there, a gentle breeze to cool things down a bit... It was one of those days Judy loved to get to be behind the counter. Some of her brothers and sisters her age that still lived in the family home were working on the fields, helping their father gathering their products and planting new ones. Bonnie, a handful of the younger siblings and herself were in charge of the selling at the market. Many bunnies, sheep, goats and other mammals were walking up and down to get the best prices around, and that included the famous "Hopps' fruits and vegetables" stand.

• Judy! I'm going back home to get more cargo! Call me if you need anything!- Yelled from the inside of the truck her brother Danny, being answered by a nod and a wave of her paw before going back to the deal at paw. Then, she saw a familiar face in the crowd and her smile grew wider.

• Good morning, Gideon! Don't tell me you already sold out!

• Yep! Wha' can I say, I'm good at baking pies!- Replied the fox, smiling back as he approached and walked behind the counter.- Don't ya worry, 'thou. I brought one special for ya!

From a bag in his paw, he took a container out with a pie inside. At the sight of such gift, the clients, joking, of course, started complaining.

• That is not fair! I want free pie too!

• Can I have a slice? It looks delicious!

• Could you please attend me already so I can go and buy one for myself?

• Okey, okey, I got the message!- Said Judy, quietly thanking the fox and placing the pie out of sight before facing the clients back. But her mother stepped in and took her place.

• I'll handle the stall for a while, dear. You have been standing a while now, go rest for a bit.

• Great! Thanks, mom!- Thanked the young doe, but before she left she grabbed a knife and cut a slice of Gideon's pie for herself, causing her siblings to ask for their part as well.

Instead of just sitting there, both Judy and Gideon decided for a walk around, leaving the loud mix of voices and enjoying the quietness of the rural sight.

Since Judy had come back from Zootopia, three years ago, she had become friends with the fox, previously a childhood bully that even went so far as to leave three scars on her left cheek. When they met again, he had apologized, admitting he had been insecure and couldn't control it, consequently using bullying to feel better.

After her actions in the big city, Judy couldn't help but feel sympathy for the fox and forgave him. Her parents told her Gideon had started a pastry shop and they were partners with him. That surprised the doe, in a good way: her parents had been very afraid and suspicious of any predator, and since Judy was going to Zootopia, their concerns grew bigger. However, at her return, not long after, she found her parents to be more accepting and willing to give preds a chance to prove themselves. In their words, she had inspired them to make that move.

• Did ya hear the news?- Asked the fox, the good mood vanishing from both of them. Judy nodded.

• They are going to discuss the PRP next week. If it gets approved, they will start moving predators a month later. "To give them enough time to do the moving themselves", they said. It's horrible.

• Yeah. I can't believe things are that bad there. Luckily, you are here or you would be in the middle o' it.

• I should be there, trying to fix things up. It is my fault things are like this.- Lamented the bunny, looking in the distance, to the utopia she had broken.

• You know that's not true, Judy!- Said Gideon, a little higher than he wanted.- You did your best to help every mammal there! You even that case they couldn't! All the rest is out of your hand!

• That's what you always say, Gid, but I should have said something, done something, to avoid all this!

• Like what?- Asked the fox, tired already having had this same discussion many times.- You were there and no-one heard! What else could you do?

• Retracting from what I said in the conference would be a start.

• And then, what?- Insisted the fox, receiving silence from the bunny.- That's right, nothing. The problem was not what ya said, but what the others wanted to understand. You told them what ya found out, including that all those affected were predators. What they did with that is not your fault.

• I can't help but feel like it is. I can't just shake the blame like that and place it on them. There are hundreds of predators that are being blamed for what is happening, predators like you!

• And yet I don't believe for a second that this is somethin' you should blame on yourself.- Said Gideon, looking to the field ahead of him.- I am no doctor or scientist, I don't know anything about biology or genes or "DANA".- Said with a little smile and a wink in her direction, which she replied with her own smile.- If there's something wrong with us, something we can't control, the only thing we can do is be careful until they find a way to fix it. If they ever decide on fixing it.

Judy didn't say anything to that. It was very obvious that, the way things were now, they would not help predators go back to the life they once had. Gazelle, the famous singer that everyone adored, had fought for the right of predators, begging the citizens for empathy and kindness. In the end, since people would not hear her words, she decided to move out of Zootopia, ashamed of what her kind was doing to innocent mammals.

• It's not fair.- Said the doe. Quietly, Gideon walked behind her and embraced the bunny in his big arms. Judy closed her eyes and sighed, feeling for an instant protected and safe, forgetting the problems of the world. She tilted her head back to see the fox looking down to her, sad and preoccupied for the bunny in his arms. Gideon lowered his head and placed it against her left cheek, where he himself, in a life long back in time, had hurt Judy. She accepted the gesture and placed her left paw around his head and reached for his ear, caressing it softly.

After a couple of moments like that, he moved his head to place a tender kiss on her lips, which she replied in kind.

Their friendship had grown stronger by each passing day, the fox obviously wanting to repay Judy for what he had done to him. She told him everything that happened in her short time in the city. The good things... and the bad ones.

He had listened every word, understanding that it was important for her to share her experiences. Why to him and not her parents or other siblings, he didn't know, but he was happy that the doe didn't resent him for his mistakes as a kit and trusted him like that.

Judy had kept reading and hearing news from Zootopia each day, wishing for a day that they said all was fixed, that everything was going to be ok. Obviously, and for Judy's despair, that never happened.

Many times had the fox, used to visit Judy at her home by then, found the bunny somewhere in the fields in a deep depression. He tried to cheer her up the best he could, but he had not much success. At best, he managed to get her to stop crying and smile a little with the promise of pie the next time he visited.

It didn't take long for Gideon to realize that he liked Judy. Maybe that was the reason that he picked on her as kits, he didn't know. What he did know is that he wanted to make her happy, make her forget about Zootopia and the events that were happening there. He soon discovered that last part was not going to be possible. Judy and him would get in heated discussions when he asked the doe to stop reading the news from the city, as if knowing how much she had hurt the citizens of Zootopia acted both as penance and balsam. So, he decided to just be with her and help her go through with it.

When the news told about the PRP being drafted reached her paws, almost a year ago, she was shocked. There was another unfair action against predators because of her, another mark under her belt.

No matter what he did, she would not stop crying. He tried reassuring her that everything was fine, that she was not to blame, but she wasn't listening. Not knowing why he was doing it, Gideon cupped her cheeks on his paws to raise her head and kissed her.

In the few seconds that it lasted, the first thing he noticed was that Judy wasn't crying anymore. If because it had worked or if she was too shocked to do anything, he didn't know, but he wasted no time in finding that out.

• You are not to blame, Judy. You are the most amazing, brave and caring bunny I've ever met. I don't want you to think the contrary. And if anyone has doubts about that, they can talk to me.

He left Judy's room shortly after that, the tension and awkwardness in the room almost physically palpable. For a couple of days, they didn't see each other, too embarrassed, especially the fox, to face the other. Then, Judy visited Gideon's shop, all embarrassed, and asked for a piece of his cake.

From that point, their relationship became one deeper than friendship. She was happy with him and, if his tail every time she was around was any indication, he could not be happier himself. They agreed that they should keep it a secret for the time being due to how things between prey and preds were at the moment, not wanting to start some kind of scandal that would force them apart. Still, Judy's mother discovered it, how they didn't know, but she seemed supportive and promised to say nothing for the moment.

• By the way, how's Thomas? Has he recovered yet?- Asked Gideon a while later as they were on their way back to the Hopps stand, referring to one of Judy's younger brothers. Recently, he had tripped and broken and ankle. It was nothing serious, but the kit was getting very tired of staying at home.

• No, not yet. Won't be long, though. The doctor said he would be jumping around in a few more days.

• That's nice t'hear! I can bring some pie for him later to cheer'im up, if you want!

• I'm sure he would like that, but shouldn't you be SELLING those pies?- Asked Judy concerned. The fox simply waved his paw, dismissing the problem.

• I make more pies than I can sell! By the end of the day, I have three or so pies left that are gonna get bad if no-one eats them!

• Oh, is that so?- Said Judy, looking at her boyfriend with a smug look.- Are you sure it's not an excuse to see me?

Gideon averted her gaze, not noticing his own tail showing his embarrassment and happiness.- Maybe.

Letting out a giggle, she looked around for anyone watching, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and said in low voice, with a little red tint on her face:- I'll be waiting.

As the bunny joined her siblings and mother, the fox walked away through the streets of the town until he entered his shop, closed in his absence, and then he let his joy free, jumping around like a kit with new toys and singing while he baked a new batch of pies.

The fox still couldn't believe how lucky he was, but he didn't care as long as it lasted, and he hoped it would be like that forever.