Now, Judy could say that she had seen quite a few things ever since she moved into Zootopia. Including maniac sheep and diminutive crime lords. However, she had not quite seen something like what she was seeing in front of her eyes in there.

The horse had a great, flaming heart floating above his hand, and it was hot, for Judy could feel the heat form where she was standing, and so could Nick and the armadillo lady, by the way. The horse was practically fuming, with a maniacal smile on his face as the flaming heart continued to bur on his hand.

The crowd seemed like it was holding its breath, and so were the two canines in the background. As if they were just expecting the unfolding of what was happening.

The horse continued to pant.

And to pant.

Eventually, his breathing starting getting more even, and the smile that he had was calming down, and becoming more like the calm smile from before. Meanwhile, the red flames of the heart started changing color again, and going back to that soft violet coloration.

The horse took one last deep breath, and he looked at the three smaller mammals in front of them, the armadillo woman in particular.

"But, you are not my mother…" The horse said, giving a sympathetic smile. "So, I guess I can give you a little slack." He said, winking.

As one, the crowd and the canines let out their breath.

"So, that being said," the horse spoke, as he looked at the crowd, and said, "It is time for me and my friends to [i]vanish from the party[/i]! It was great performing to such an amazing crowd! You are the best! We love you, Zootopia! Have a nice day!" With this, the horse winked and snapped his hooved fingers, and the heart immediately collapsed upon itself, causing the violet flames that formed it to convert into smoke, which spread out.

"Wha-"

"Hey!"

"I can't see!"

The smokescreen blinded the three mammals, as it was thick, but it didn't caused troubles breathing at all, having a strong, but not overpowering smell, which somehow like a chemical product.

The cloud lasted for some moments, but soon it was dissipating, and as it did, the horse, wolf and dog were no longer there.

The crowd reacted soon, as the mammals in there all cheered and applauded, as the show had come to an amazing finale.

"Okay… that actually happened." Nick said, as he and Judy both waved their hands in front of their faces to try to clear out what was left of the strange smoke.

"Did you saw that?" Judy said, looking around, trying to catch sight of the three strange mammals, especially of the horse. "Did you saw what that horse did?"

"Yeah, I did." Nick said. "It is the kind of thing that you don't see every day."

"How did he do that?" Judy said, and Nick shrugged, right before he turned his head to the armadillo lady, who was still in the ground, and she had a thousand-yard stare, and Nick could also notice that she was shaking.

"Lady?" The fox cop asked, but there was no answer.

"Lady, you still with us?"

The armadillo blinked, and she looked at the fox, who was looking back at her.

"… huh?"

"Are you alright?" Nick asked, now starting to get genuinely worried.

"I-I… I guess so…" The armadillo said. "I-I just need to… Drink some tea… In my house…" She got up slowly, and started to walk away. Nick had a raised eyebrow at her, and he couldn't help but think:

"[i]Man, that little number that the horse did scared her real bad.[/i]"

"Where are they?" Judy asked, and Nick looked at his partner, before looking around. These three were nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, the crowd was excited as they talked to each other, mostly about the amazing show that the three guys did, ending with an amazing magic trick. Some of them had been recording it into their phones the whole event, and now they were posting the videos they made. The mammals were walking away, as the show that had brought them together now had ended. Some remained behind as they talked to each other or looked around, as if trying to find a clue of where the mammals had gone. Nick and Judy were among the later ones.

"Mammals don't just disappear like that." Judy said, still looking around.

"Well, I'd say it seems to be turning into a trend." Nick said, "I wonder how much they have rehearsed before they got ready to do that little number of theirs."

The bunny continued to look around, she even came close to the place the horse was in, and she was examining the ground, as if she would do when looking for evidence of a crime. "[i]He was standing right here… Now, if he moved right after the smokescreen appeared…[/i]"

"Well, it looks like our job here is done." Nick said, clasping his hands together as he looked at his bunny friend and partner. "What about we drive to the nearest food place and buy ourselves a snack? Maybe even a little bite for our friend of the reception desk?"

Judy looked up at him, and she looked around one more time.

"How did that horse did that?"

"Some alcohol on his fingers? A smoke machine on his pocket? Maybe some of that fire-proof flammable gel on his hand? Who knows? Maybe we can make him talk next time we see him, but you know how these street magicians are with their tricks." Nick said, and he turned around to walk back to their vehicle, and Judy remained in place for a few more moments, looking at the place one last time before she turned around and walked behind her partner.

The thing that the horse did with the flames… Judy had never quite seen anything like that. It had been a trick. Anyone reasonable would assume that it was a trick. It had to be.

Still…

"Dude! On top of all of that the horse is still a magician!" Someone in the crowd said.

"Yeah, that thing of the fire heart and the smoke was awesome!"

"I got it on video!"

"Me too!"

"I'll post it right now!"

As the crowd dispersed and chatted about the "great finale" of the show that the guys had put, they were showing each other the shots they got from it in their cellphones. Pictures and videos were being showed among friends, right before they were uploaded in MuzzleBook accounts and shared with friends and contacts.

Meanwhile, the two cops had gotten into their car and were driving away from the place. All the while, Judy had not stopped thinking on what she had seen back there.

[center] *********************[/center]

Upon arriving, Nick and Judy were sure to stop by the "donut office" to give a box of donut to their ample friend.

They found Benjamin with his back turned to the front of the reception desk. The cheetah seemed not to have noticed their approaching.

"Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh…" They could hear him muttering. The fox and bunny sahred a look, before Judy called.

"Huhhh… Clawhauser?"

The cheetah continued to have his back turned, and he seemed as if he had not noticed their approach.

"Clawhauser?" Judy called again. She had the slightly impression that the cheetah was getting hyperactive…

"Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh" the cheetah started to mutter, and Judy now had the distinct impression that there was something making him distraught.

"Benjamin!" Judy called as loud as she could. The answer was immediate, as the cheetah let out a surprised squeal as he threw his arms upwards. His phone going into the air, and the cheetah had to throw himself into his desk to grab the device before it hit the ground. Once it was secure into his paws, the big feline now was looking at the two smaller mammals, looking like a kitten caught with the paws in the cookie jar.

Judy and Nick both looked at him, and at the expression on his face.

"Hey, Spots." Nick said, "What, checking on a dating site to see if someone is to your liking?"

"W-what?" Benjamin said, looking at his phone and back at the two mammals. He quickly hid it behind his back. "O-oh! Right! I-I was… I… Huhhh…"

"Hey, relax, I was just messing with you." Nick said, "No need to get that nervous."

"Y-yeah… I know. Sorry. Is just I… I was looking at a video someone tagged me and… I got a little caught up in it." He said, looking at the ground. Nick raised an eyebrow at him, and after a little pause, he asked:

"Clawhauser." The cheetah looked at him. "This video your friend tagged you. Did it made you upset?"

The cheetah looked at him, and he seemed to be about to answer, but he only held that expression for a while, and he looked away from the fox's face, looking not too well."

"Ben…" Judy said. "It was not a video about what happened in Fangtropolis, is it?" There was genuine concern in her voice. Ben had been down for days ever since he saw what happened on live tv. The last thing that he needed was a video that would bring all of these memories back to him.

Clawhauser looked at her, and after a while of what seemed to be silent consideration, he gently shook his head. "No, nothing like that." He said. "It is just… look, is just a silly video, it is nothing you guys should worry about, really." He said, as he took a deep breath and put on a smile on his face, recomposing into his chair. "Just a silly thing that even I should be worrying so much. I'm fine. Ohhhhh, are those for me?" He said, looking at the box of donuts that Nick was carrying with both arms.

Judy was about to press on the subject, but Nick was quick to cut her out.

"Sure are, buddy." Judy looked at the fox, who offered them to the big cheetah. "We were lucky, these were the last one with these colorful sprinkles that you love."

Clawhauser smiled with his paws balled on fists on his checks, and he lunged into the box, snatching it from Nick and taking it to himself.

Judy looked at him, and back at Nick, who was gesturing very subtly at her to drop it. She looked at him for a few moments, and she complied, especially when he saw Benjamin humming happily as he savored these donuts. It was good to see him in the regular happy and bubbly self. To ruin it over some video that she was curious to know about… it just was not worth it.

"Hey, you!" A voice suddenly came. The three mammals turned around to look at who was it. They saw a sheep approaching. This sheep was around five feet tall, with white bulky wool, and with these regular sheep eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt over his wooly body, and brown pants with black tissue belt. The sheep came to them with a sure step as he stood in front of the front desk, and he said:

"I want to see the one who runs this place! Where is the chief's office?"

Nick and Judy shared a look.

Benjamin was about to answer, when Nick cut him.

"And you would be?"

"None of your business, fox!" The sheep said, rather aggressively.

"Ouch. That is quite rude." Nick said, with feigned emotional pain. "And you sheep are known for being such sweet creatures."

"We are also know for head-butting someone who angers us." The sheep said, turning to look at the fox. "So, you would be smart on not getting me angry."

"You realize you are threatening a law officer, right?"

"Enough of that!" The sheep demanded. "I want to see the police chief!" The sheep demanded, and Nick and Judy shared another look, while Clawhauser just looked at them as someone who is quite like left out in the situation.

"Well, if you want so much to see the chief, then I guess we should take you to him, right?" Nick said, and he turned to Clawhauser. "Spots, turn your direct line with the chief and tell him we are taking an angry sheep to see him." He turned to the sheep, and said, "Sir, if you were kind enough to follow us?"

The sheep snorted some nasty answer, and soon he was following both the fox and the rabbit as the cheetah looked at them leave, before he did as the fox had asked him.

One quick elevator trip and a walk in the superior walk and soon they were knocking on Chief Bogo's door. It took only a moment before the big buffalo opened the door, and he did not looked very happy.

"This better be really important." The chief said, looking not only to the sheep, but also to the two officers that had scouted him there.

"You are the one who runs this zoo?" The sheep asked, causing the chief to look at him in surprise. "I have a thing that I want to talk with you about. We have to be quick, I have to go into a [i]big break house party[/i] after I'm done here.

The chief looked at him for a few moments, and he said:

"Get in."

Soon, the three mammals walked into the chief's office, as the water buffalo closed the door behind himself, locking it. He turned to look at the sheep, in time to see the mammal reach out around his neck and move his wool aside, stretching his skin up his head, until his whole head was shoved backwards, revealing another head hidden just underneath it. It was the head of a wolf, with dark-brown fur, a white muzzle, a big black snout, and eyes of a teal-blue coloration.

The wolf took a deep, gasping breath, as he opened the buttons of the shirt, opening it to reveal that underneath, instead of wool, he had the same dark-brown fur of his head. "Great Fenrir! This feels good!" The "sheep" said as he was able to free himself a little from the costume he was wearing. "I swear that if I stand underneath the sun too long I'm gonna bake like a pie!"

The three animals looked at the mammal, with the chief being the first to talk:

"Wolfard." He said, nodding at the wolf, who only nodded back at him, as he enjoyed the air conditioner of the chief's office.

"That sheep costume of yours still freaks me out." Nick said as he looked at the panting wolf.

"I'm still amazed at how realistic it looks." Judy said, admiring the costume that the wolf used for his undercover works. She heard that Wolfard had fabricate it himself, and she could only think that the wolf must be extremely skilled to make something so good.

"Yeah, but it gets HOT!" The wolf said, opening two more buttons to let the cold air reach all of his chest fur. "Seriously, I don't know how the sheep stand it all day."

"So…" Bogo said. "I assume you have something."

"Have I ever came back with empty paws?" Wolfard asked, as smile forming on his panting muzzle, as he fondled in the pants of his sheep costume. He pulled out what seemed to be pieces of old paper. "Wilde and Hopps' information was quite accurate. That 'Slimy Tusks' dude might not know how to brush his own tusks, but he is very helpful for interested customers."

The wolf gave the old and dirty papers to the buffalo, who looked at them and saw that they had been worked as if they were tickets. With a bad writing and an even worse grammar. "Tomorrow night. Sahara Square, Pier Nile Mouth, warehouse 12. He even gave me a suggestion on who to bet."

"You positive?"

"The guy was very specific. It was supposed to two days ago, but one of the fighters was not in the mood for fights. Apparently, the guy had family back in Fangtropolis." There was not need to say anything else on the subject.

"He also told me that if I got really close to the cage where they would fight maybe I could get my 'hooves' a lost tooth or two, but I needed to be careful not to get blood on my wool." The wolf added.

"Good… Very good." The chief said, walking back to his desk. He pressed the intercom.

"Clawhauser."

"[i]Yes, chief?[/i]"

"When the officers come back from their assignments, tell them that they must go to the meeting room. I'll discuss with them something that will need some personnel."

"[i]Okie dokie![/i]"

"And, Clawhauser?"

"[i]Yes..?[/i]"

"I know you have not been well lately." The chief said, in a tune softer than most officers were used to hear from his mouth. "If you think you need a few days off to relax, don't hesitate to say."

The three officers on the room shared looks. Normally, unless you had suffered a death in the family or was so sick that you were actually in the risk of dying, taking a day off to "relax" was a sure way to get yourself fired.

There was a brief silence, before Clawhauser's voice came back from the other side of the radio.

"[i]Thank sir, but I'm fine, really.[/i]" The cheetah's voice said. "[i]I'm really, really okay. Thanks for caring[/i]."

There was another silence, before Bogo said.

"Okay, if you say so. Get back to work." The chief said in his usual tune, and he turned to look at the three mammals in the room, who were looking at him as if he had suddenly grown an extra pair of horns.

"The same goes to the three of you!" The chief said. "Get back to your assignments now!"

The three mammals flinched as the chief resumed being his regular loud self. Wolfard soon was buttoning the shirt of his costume again.

"Yeah, gotta go back to being the stereotypical 'wolf in sheep's clothing'?" Nick said to him as he walked to the door. The wolf turned to him, returning the smug smile.

"Yeah. The '[i]baked[/i] wolf into the [i]very[/i] [i]hot[/i] sheep's clothing'." The wolf said, before he fixed the mask of his costume and opened the door, saying something loudly about how these police guys were all useless.

"That wolf could have been an actor." Nick mentioned. "Seriously, he could easily win an Oxcar."

"And that costume is so good!" Judy said, "Seriously, if he had not talked back down I would not have known it was him!"

"Yeah, the damn thing looks real. I heard he used real wool to make it. Only the eyes that kinda look dead…"

"If the two of you are done musing on Wolfard's ability to create costumes." Chief Bogo's voice snapped at them. "You two need to go back to your desks and continue your work."

"Oh, right! Right away, sir! Let's go Nick!" Judy said, as she rushed to the door. Nick looked like he was going to follow her, but he stopped for a moment.

"Nick, lets go!" Judy said. But Nick remained in place, and he seemed like he was thinking of something.

"Wilde, have you decided to become part of my office's decoration?" Bogo asked. "If you have, at least go stand in a corner, so you will not trip on you when I walk."

There was a brief pause, and Nick turned around and looked at Bogo.

"Hey, Chief?"

"What?" Bogo asked.

"So, say." Nick said to him. "There would be any chance that Hopps and I could be on the team for tomorrow night?"

Bogo looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, we [i]were[/i] the ones who found the lead that will make this all possible, right? Technically, this is [i]our[/i] case. So maybe we could follow it until the very end." Nick spoke with his usual smirk, and the chief only looked back at the fox, while Judy stood in the door, watching the scene before her.

"Go back to your desks and continue your work." The buffalo said to him. "When the rest of the officers come back, we all will discuss this in the meeting room. Dismissed."

Soon, the two officers were walking out of the chief's office and taking the elevator back to the first floor.

"So, what was that?" Judy asked.

"What was what?"

"You asking that to the chief." Judy said, looking at the fox.

Nick looked back at her. "Oh, you mean, asking him to include the two officers that found the lead into the breaking of the place of the illegal fighting? Well, I just thought that maybe I should at least bring it up. After all, if I remember correctly, you were the one who was anxious for it in the day we first found the clue, ain't I right?"

Judy looked at him, realizing that he had a point. "Well, yes, but…"

"What, are you having second thoughts on this?" Nick asked. "The great Officer Hopps is having second thoughts about going after bad guys and helping make the world a better place for mammals everywhere?"

There was no answer. Nick looked at Judy, and kneeled in front of her as he put a hand in her chin.

"Carrots, listen to me." Nick said. Judy did as he asked, and looked at his face. "We all have been on edge in the past three days. Believe me. You don't need to be extremely perceptive to noticed that a lot of people have not been feeling quite well since… that night."

Yes, Nick was right. Ever since the Darkest Hour, many mammals were not feeling okay. There was sadness. Stress. There were people talking about the subject. Some of the people who saw it through the television, like Nick and Judy had, were pretty shaken by the event. She even heard about some officers who had not come to work for a day or two, and came back looking downtrodden.

"There are cases in which we cannot help others." Nick said, "No matter how hard we want to." For a moment, Judy wondered if Nick was saying that to her or to himself. After a moment, Nick looked back into her eyes, and he continued:

"But there are things that we [i]can[/i] do. There are mammals who we [i]can[/i] help. This is what we must do, Carrots. We must focus into what we can do now, and give our best in doing it. Going after these guys, stopping a ring of illegal fights in which mammals can potentially kill each other just to pleasure a crazy crowd? That is something that we definitely can do, and we can do it very well."

Judy looked back at him, and Nick smiled at her. "After all, we are two of the top officers of the ZPD, right?"

Judy looked at him, and she saw that same smug smile that she had known for around one and a half year now. However, this time, she also saw something else behind it. She saw a kind smile of a truly caring friend. She felt a warm within her chest, and she could not help but smile at Nick.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." She said, as she and Nick just looked into each other's eyes. Nick looked at these amethyst orbs, while Judy looked at the sea of emerald that were Nick's eyes. They were almost looking hypnotized by each other. However, they could still notice something.

Turning their eyes to the open door of the elevator, they saw a familiar face. It was a wolf wearing the blue ZPD uniform. He was shorter than the average wolf, being 4'5'' feet tall, but he looked to be quite fit. The fur on his body was a grayish-white coloration, with the exception of the insides of his ears, which were dark-grey. His eyes were also dark-grey, almost black, and they were glued in the two smaller mammals. The wolf was shaking slightly, and he had a look of his face that was of barely contained excitement, with a visible giddy smile.

The two mammals looked at the wolf, at each other, and they immediately separated, as if all of sudden being aware of how close together they were. The wolf, however, continued to look at them with that look of giddy happiness.

"Ahem! Officer Fanghanel." Judy said, as she composed herself and looked at the other officer, Eliot Fanghanel. The wolf continued to look at her for a moment, and he somehow managed to compose himself. The look of giddy happiness was replaced by a smirk at the two, much more controlled. However, behind him, his tail continued to wag at a very high speed.

"So… did I interrupted some moment between Zootopia's darlings?" Eliot asked the two, the smug smirk still in his face.

"Nah, it was just some conversation." Nick said dismissively. Eliot nodded, humming an "umm-humm" of someone who knows better. The fox looked at him, and he spoke. "So, white fang, are you going upstairs to the bull's corral?"

"Yup, the chief wanted me to have a word with him." Eliot said, "Something about the little surprise party I made for Pennington last week."

"Oh, yeah." Nick said, remembering the event. "The one in which you came rolling in with a whole band in the bullpen in the middle of the briefing… I still don't know how you got a cake that big through the door."

"Oh, it wasn't easy." Eliot said. "Believe me."

"So, I do believe we got to go back to our assignments." Judy said, and soon she and Nick were moving past Eliot, who walked between them inside the elevator. "Officer Fanghanel." Judy said to the wolf as he went inside.

"Officers." The wolf said, getting inside of the elevator and turning to look at them as they left. The wolf continued to smile at the two going officers as the doors closed. Right after they closed, someone who was close enough could hear the sound of a loud, excited howl coming from the inside.

"Our dear white fang is still as excitable as ever." Nick mentioned casually as they walked.

"I really hope that the chief doesn't fire him." Judy said, "It was already bad enough that he got a week's suspension after that."

"Firing our dear Eliot? Nah, buffalo butt wouldn't go that far." Nick said, "The guy is almost as good as making this place more friendly as me or Benji. It would become a lot more boring if he left, and the chief knows that."

Nick had a point in there. Ever since day one it was clear that Eliot was what many would call "a nut case". He was prone to making crazy comments, many of which seemed to have little to no base, and he was also famous for jumping to conclusions. Still, many enjoyed his attitude, for he was positive and funny, and he often made the place brighter by being in it, even if sometimes he didn't quite heard to others, and tended to ignore common notions of personal space. Eliot was fun to have around, and many in Precinct 1 enjoyed his company, even if he was a bit annoying at times.

Not to mention that there were a few occurrences around the precinct regarding Eliot that one could almost classify as stalking…

"He seemed really happy, didn't he?" Judy said casually, and Nick nodded.

"Yeah, he sure did."

"What do you think got him so happy?"

"Oh, trust me, Carrots." Nick said, remembering a few of the commentaries that he had heard Eliot making about him and certain bunny cop, and also what he heard white fang and Benjamin speaking about some kind pool going on about "WH". "You really don't want to know…"

[center] *********************[/center]

The day went on rather uneventful.

Judy and Nick continued with their desk duty. Meanwhile, the officers came back from their respective assignments as the day went on, and each one of them got the message from Benjamin about the meeting at the bullpen at the end of the day to discuss the matter of importance.

Granted, by the end of the day, most of the officers of Precinct 1 were gathered into the bull pen, from the biggest to the smallest. And we are not referring only to Judy and Nick.

Ever since Judy's, and half a year later Nick's, graduation in the academy and their joining in the ZPD, there was an influx of smaller mammals attempting to join the police. Not all of them graduated, of course, but some did, and some of them were good enough to join in the Precinct one.

These smaller mammals were able to gather many in a single one of the biggest chairs, and along with their much bigger brothers in blue, they were waiting for the chief to come.

Once he entered, it was the traditional thing, and once the commotion died down, the Chief Bogo looked around the place, at each officer in there, big and small.

"Officers." He said. "You are probably wondering why I have gathered all of you here." He spoke, and before Fanghanel could make some inconsistent commentary, or Wilde could wisecrack, the cape buffalo said: "I did, because today an undercover officer has brought about an important lead on the case of the illegal ring fights."

A murmur came from the officers. Bogo continued.

"So, for those who [i]still[/i] don't know, recently, Zootopia has faced a problem that seems to have come from some of our neighbor cities: mammals who gather in abandoned places to see two fighters use their claws, teeth or antlers against each other." The buffalo said, looking at his subordinates. "They have come to our knowledge after a video from a phone was leaked, showing one of these fights. Now, I would show this video to you, but it is quite brutal, and I don't want some of you to go back to your homes without appetite for dinner."

"So, we have known of these fights for the past month, however, it is very likely that they have been going on for longer than that. Naturally, since this kind of event is greatly against the law, we, as upholders of the laws, have the duty to stop it. Not to mention that the City Council got personally disturbed by the level of violence in these fights, and they have put us to stop them before someone gets kill."

"So, some of ours best officers have been set into finding information on these fights, but it proved to be quite difficult, since they seemed to make it sure that the information regarding the fights would be restricted. Some say it was even amazing that the video leaked and we got the wise of the fights, in first place."

"However, a few days ago we seemed to have a certain stroke of luck, as Officers Wilde and Hopps found out a piece of information regarding the fights."

"Happy to serve, chief!" Nick said, making a salute, and Judy could only smile as she stood by his side on their chair.

"This information" Bogo continued, choosing to ignore Wilde and focus on what was important, "Has allowed us to reach a very solid lead. Not only we have the full knowledge of the place and date of the next fight, but we also have some info on the 'professionals' who are going to fight."

"The first one is a bison who goes by the name 'Jason Killer Hooves'. Real name: Jason Bisantin. He was quite a name in the professional fighting circles. Three years ago, his wife left him and placed a restraining order on him for domestic violence, and after that he got caught more than once for drunk driving. He was finally banished from the professional cycles for having become too violent, as in his last fight he beat his opponent so much that the guy went in a coma. He is strong and we assume that he is very violent."

"The second fighter is a lion named Mateo Fera. He has quite a history, which includes a lot of citations in his early days, including for order disturbance and aggression. After he completed 18, he also got caught a lot of times for possession and use of catnip, he is a known addicted. He is said to be violent and prone to using claws and teeth in any fight he gets into, be it in the street or with a law officer. He is not native to Zootopia…" The buffalo made a small pause, and continued: "He was born and raised in the city of Fangtropolis, having moved here last year. However, his brother still lived in the city…"

Bogo didn't continued, there was no need. Everyone knew what that implied, and the heavy looks in the face of many officers was easily noticed. The buffalo decided that it was better to continue.

"Fera can be considered as violent as Bisantin, if not more. Not only that and the fact that he is a known addicted, but there is also the fact that he is famous for hate crimes against prey. Yes, he is a predator supremacist, and he will by fighting against a prey, you all can easily see where this is going to go."

"This fight will happen tomorrow night, and we have the chance to catch the ones behind this event and shut it down for good. For that, I'll going to assembly a team of mammals to proceed. And [i]this[/i] is why you are all here."

The chief stood there as he looked at the many officers in there, and he said:

"I would like to tell you that I already have a few names that I'm going to call into this mission. However, I'd like to know if someone else would like to volunteer for this, or offer your names. Be aware, this will be a mission of importance, and it will be dangerous."

There was a certain silence in the room. However, there were some officers who did rose their paws and hooves as they were wanting to take part on it. Bogo knew that not all of them would be part of it, but he knew that some of them were qualified, and that some of them would insist to be present in this, for one reason or another.

Well, it seemed that the meeting was going to take a while.

A good number of the smaller officers wanted to take part in the busting. Some of them probably wanted to prove themselves, just like Hopps had done. Still, Bogo knew that some of them just weren't suited for the job, either for their inexperience or for various other reasons. Still, Bogo ended up selecting some of them for this mission, like a meerkat named Meerkovitz, he was rather new, and he had got very good grades in the academy, especially in the terms of his aim when firing a dart gun, he was happy by being a transit guard, but he would be very good in this mission.

Among the officers were Wilde and Hopps. Their great deal of experience and the rather important cases that they cracked in their relatively little time in the force made them more than qualified for this busting. It was something that Hopps surely seemed thankful for.

Among the bigger animals were Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Delgato and Wolfard. After this was decided, as well as a brief discussing of what the officers would be doing in this busting, they were all dismissed.

Soon, Judy and Nick were both heading out of the station, both still in their uniforms, as they caught the train that would lead them to the central station, where they would go their separate ways back to their respective homes.

Nick was sitting next to the bunny, who seemed to be lost in thought. However, the way that her foot was tapping in the ground was an indicator that Nick could not ignore.

"So, already anxious for tomorrow?" He asked, and the bunny looked up at him, and she was actually able to smile back.

"Guess so. Well, it is something important, right?" She said, "We don't have these kinds of operations every day. So… yeah, I'm kind of anxious."

"Like the super carrot cop that I know." Nick said, and he added, "Good to see you being yourself again."

Judy looked at him, and she smiled softly. "Yeah, the whole Fangtopolis thing took a number in me."

"On all of us, Carrots."

There was a brief silence, and Judy spoke.

"Well, I guess you and Bogo both are right. There is nothing I can do about it…" Judy said, sounding a bit distant as she said that. "Sometimes there are occasions in which we just can't help others… no matter how much we want to."

A heavy silent hung in the air, as Nick knew that there was no proper answer to something like that.

"… But, there are occasions in which we [i]can[/i] help others." Judy completed the thought, looking back into at the fox. "In these occasions, we gotta give our best, and focus all of our efforts." She was smiling again. It was not a half or sad smile, it was one of the strong and confident smiles that Nick was used to seeing in her face. "It is in these moments that you really must do your job and do the best you can to help others and make the world a better place."

Nick smiled back at her, his usual smug smirk, and he said, "Oh, yeah, I was wondering when I was going to listen to another one of your speeches about 'making the world a better place'. My dear idealistic bunny."

Judy looked at him rather annoyed, but with a smile in her face. "You teasing fox."

"You know you love me." Nick said.

"Do you know that?" Judy said, and thought for a few moments, "Yes. Yes I do." She spoke, and this ended that little altercation that they had. It was just one of the many times that they have these kinds of talks, they were a sign that things were normal and fine, and that they had one now, was a sign that the mood surely had improved since that morning.

Nick couldn't help but feel satisfied that Judy was recovering her usual self. It was assign that things were going back to normal. As Nick relaxed, he catch something in the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he was able to see a butterfly. It had blue wings and it flapped them as it flew clumsily between the mammals.

"Hey, look at that." Nick said, and Judy soon was looking and seeing the butterfly as well.

"How did it got in the subway?"

"Maybe it just fluttered its way in?" Nick suggested, as he butterfly continued to flap its way among the mammals, who seemed not to notice it. "Seriously, you'd be surprised. I even saw pigeons walk inside of the trains."

The butterfly fluttered in between the mammals, and soon it was making its way in direction to the bench the two mammals were sitting into. It flapped its wings as it fluttered in front of them, circling their heads slightly.

"Hey!" Nick said, and Judy giggled a little bit.

"It is pretty." The bunny said.

The butterfly fluttered around them, before it landed in Nick's shoulder, and remained in there.

"I think it liked you." Judy said, and Nick looked curiously at the butterfly that was on his shoulder, seemed to have found a place where it liked to stay. Soon after, the train was stopping, as the voice announced which station they were in.

"Oh, look, it is our stop!" Judy said, and soon Nick and Judy both were getting out of their train. The butterfly was still steady on Nick's shoulder.

"Guess you made a new friend, Nick." Judy said, looking at the butterfly still on the fox's shoulder.

"Well, I [i]am[/i] quite amicable. Also, you know how they say that bugs love sweet things, right?" Nick said, flexing his eyebrows at the bunny, and Judy could only chuckle at the fox. Soon the two friends were saying farewell to each other as they went their separate ways. Judy went to get another train, while Nick now was walking in direction to the exit.

It was night, and there was a lot less mammals in the street, and the ones that passed seemed to give Nick little mind. Still, the fox was sure that he was still an unusual sight, being a fox in a police uniform. The butterfly nested on his shoulder surely seemed to add a little more to his interesting figure, Nick was sure.

"You really liked me, didn't you?" Nick asked the butterfly, and he was pretty sure that some would think he was crazy for talking with an insect.

The bug continued on his shoulder for all of the way he was making to his home. Including when he passed by a spot that he particularly didn't liked. It was an empty, large street that was very close to a big iron fence. This fence seemed to be dividing what seemed to be a gated community. There was a great banner on the other side of said fence, it showed cartoonish predators and a big saying: "[b][i]HAPPYTOWN, PEACE THROUGH UNDERSTANDING[/i][/b]". The banner was as old and wear down as the rest of whatever was inside of "Happytown", from the abandoned buildings to the old benches and trashcans.

Nick couldn't help but shiver as he had to look at that place on his way home. It always gave him shivers. And apparently, it was not just him. The butterfly on his shoulder was flapping its wings a bit more. It was still steady in his shoulder, but it almost seemed to be distraught.

"Don't like that place?" Nick asked, as he quickened his pace. "Me neither."

Nick felt relieved as he left that iron fence behind, not even bothering to look behind to give a last evil glare at it, as he simply wanted to get home.

A while more of walking, and Nick was arriving at an old building. It was a bit worn down by time, but it still looked nice. Walking in, Nick gave a quick "hello" at the llama who watched the main gate, and soon he was walking up the stairs and into his apartment.

The building could be a little old, but the apartment was not bad in the slightest. It was nicely sized, and it had good furniture. Nick had been a scammer of great success for a while before he changed professions. He was able to gather a good deal of money from unsuspecting mammals, enough for him to be able to live comfortably. His apartment had a big couch, some fancy chairs, and even a big screen television. All of that bought with hustling money!

It was something that Nick would not say proudly to his new friends at the police, of course, but he would be lying if he said he didn't felt quite proud of himself for having made enough money to have a home like this. He still had some saved…

Sighing, Nick let himself rest. As he loosened his tie, and he was on the way across unbuttoning his shirt, as he looked to see the butterfly still steady on his shoulder.

He stared at it for a few moments, and said: "Ooookay… Look, it is not that I don't like having you around… actually, I'm glad that you came home with me, but I really would like some 'me time' now." As Nick spoke, he moved his paw at the butterfly, and it climbed into his finger. Nick walked to the window and opened it, "You should go your way, you know, look for some garden, butterfly things. Okay? Now shoo!" Nick said, and waved his hand, making the butterfly take fly out of it.

Nick closed the window, and he sighed.

"I'm really making friends with insects now… I need to get out more." He said as he removed his shirt and was now going in direction to the bathroom, to take a good hot shower.

As Nick mused, the butterfly continued to fly just outside of his window. After a while, it fluttered away.

After moving a couple several meters from Nick's window, the butterfly started to glow. As it did, it looked as it was crumbling away in dots of light, as the wings cracked like crystal. In seconds, the butterfly had completely broken down in dots of light, which disappeared in the air.

[center] *********************[/center]

Judy had a calm and smooth travel back home. Of course, considering that the train she was taking had considerably more mammals than the last one, she had to resort to hold onto someone's tail, due to her small stature, this also meant that, in some cases, she was right at butt level. This was one of the disadvantages of being a short mammal, but still, the ride home was rather smooth.

She was easily able to get out of the train and take the stairs to go back to her home. It was just a short walk from that point. The streets were rather empty at that time, but still, Judy felt secure enough to walk back to her home.

After all, it was not like someone who try something with someone like her.

However, as she walked, she felt a shiver run up her spine, and her nose started to twitch. She knew that feeling, the feeling that there was someone watching her. Judy looked to the sides, as she tried to point out the location of the one who was watching her.

Some mammals in there. A deer crossing the street. A raccoon turning the corner.

But none of them looked like they had their eyes on her.

Judy blinked, and she slowly turned back around, and continued to walk.

However, her nose was still twitching. She still had this feeling in the back of her head that there was someone watching her. Following her. Looking at her every move.

Judy starting walking faster. The feeling was still there. A feeling of nervousness. A feeling of being followed, almost stalked.

Judy quickened her pace a bit more. The feeling persisted.

Soon Judy was practically scampering into the street, drawing a few looks of the mammals that were on the street. Judy continued to scamper until she had sight of her home. The building Grand Pangolin Arms.

Judy bounded to there, and she practically made an Olympic jump as she covered the stairs all in one go. She opened the door as quickly as she could, got inside, and practically slammed the door closed, startling the landlady, who was going down with a nightgown, and who almost jumped back as the bunny came in jumps.

"M-Miss Hopps?" Dharma Armadillo said to the bunny, who was panting as she had come inside. "Hopps? Are you okay?"

Judy took a few moments to answer, as she took a deep breath. The feeling that had over her on the street was now dissipating. Her nose finally was stopping twitching, as now she felt that no one was watching her anymore.

She finally was able to gather her thoughts, and she looked at the landlady, who looked at her with worry. Judy gave her an excuse, that she wanted to get home because she was tired and wanted to rest. It took a while of convincing, but the armadillo accepted her justification, and Judy soon was climbing the steps in direction to her apartment.

Judy was a cop. She prided herself as strong and independent, so she was not about to admit that she had bolted inside the house because she had the feeling that someone was following her and that got her scared. Besides, she felt much safer now that she was at home. She felt calm and in control, and what had just happened was just something that was quick and was over now.

The last thing she needed now was for others to see her as some paranoid, easily spoken bunny, confirming much of the stereotypes that she was working so hard in breaking.

As she approached her apartment, she was able to hear the familiar voices of the Oryx-Antlersons, on yet another of their squabbles.

"Why do you need to practice this meditation thing, anyway!?" Pronk's voice came

"Because the site says that they will help increase my inner peace and make my life better!" Bucky answered. "And it is not meditation! Is a series of mental exercises based on old exoteric traditions!"

"Oh, it is meditation! We already go to the Mystic Springs! Why do you need to meditate at home!?"

"Maybe because I want to try and improve myself and better my life!"

"You want to improve yourself!? Than quit looking at these self-help trash online and try to learn something more useful! Like how to fix radios! Ours has been broken since before we moved in!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, [i]you[/i] shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

Judy rolled her eyes, and she unlocked the door. She said as loud as she could:

"Hey boys!"

"Hey, Hopps!" Pronk's voice answered.

"How was work today?"

"Oh, just nice." Judy said across the wall. "Pretty slow, but Nick and I were called on some order disturbance that turned out to be just some animals performing in the street!"

She unbuttoned her vest and removed it. "There was a wolf playing guitar and a dog doing remix! And there was also a horse dancing! At the end, the horse did something kind a strange… he created flames from his hooves and made a smoke screen."

"Wait! You mean, that video I got tagged in today? That of the 'presentation at downtown'? In which the end the horse makes a heart of flames and then turns it into a cloud of smoke?"

"Yeah! The very same!" Judy said, stopping in midway as she was unbuttoning her pants, and the answer came right after.

"So you and the fox saw it! Was it cool? Because it did looked cool from my cellphone. A friend of mine was there and he recorded the whole thing in video! He posted it on ZooTube and tagged me on MuzzleBook! It was really cool!"

"Yeah, it was cool! We got it! Give it a break!"

"What? I'm not allowed to like something?"

"Yeah, but you don't need to keep repeating how cool it is every two minutes!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, [i]you[/i] shut up!"

Judy just smiled and rolled her eyes. She removed her clothes completely, and she changed into something more comfortable. She downed some nice shirt and a pair of slack pants. Now, she rummaged through the fridge in look for the plate she had left ready for herself earlier. Some nice salad with broccoli and some pasta.

Humming as Bucky and Pronk continued their arguing (something that she had already quite got used to) she made her way to the microwave and put the plate inside. Soon she pressed the button, and as the food was getting heated, she walked back to the fridge of get herself some orange juice.

All of sudden, she felt a shiver running down her spine.

A familiar feeling came to her as her nose started to twitch.

There it was again.

That feeling of being watched.

Judy looked around in reflex, trying to pin point where it was coming from. However, she soon was reprimanding herself.

[i]Oh, come on Judith![/i] She said in her own head. [i]Now you are feeling like there is a stalker in your own apartment!? That is too paranoid even by bunny standards! Just take a deep breath and relax! This is your home. You are safe here. Besides, there is even no one around to be watching…[/i]

"Hey, that bird is there again!"

Bucky's voice broke Judy out of her thinking.

"Bird!? What Bird?"

"That bird that I told you about a few days ago! That weird-looking crow! It is just there outside the window again!"

Judy blinked, and she looked at her own window.

There was something outside, she could see it.

Judy blinked, and she approached the window, to take a better look. She was able to see something perking in the electric cables, before the black creature flapped its wings and flew away with a loud cawing sound.

Judy almost jumped back when she saw it, her nose twitching madly.

"It just flew away!"

"It was probably just some bird!"

"It was strange!"

"What do you mean by strange? It is a crow! It is not like there aren't crows around!"

"That crow is strange! It comes here every few days and just keeps perched in that line looking at the building! It is creepy!"

"What, the crow is spying on the building now?"

"I'm telling you it is strange!"

"Not as strange as a guy who thinks that birds are spying in mammals!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

They continued at this, and Judy was in there. Still feeling a bit shaken from what had just happened. The sound of the microwave indicating that her food was ready snapped her out of the strange thoughts, and she was able to shake it away as just a bird perched in the powerlines. Nothing too out of normal in there.

But still…

As Judy went for her meal, and her crazy neighbors continued their bickering, the black bird flew away from the building, moving high and away from the streets of the city. It glided silently across the night sky, practically invisible against it with its own black feathers.

After a while, the crow was going down again. Closer and closer to the ground, as it approached the hoof of a certain building. As it landed, a figure came from the shadows and approached the crow.

The crow perked in there, and looked at the figure as it approached.

The crow cawed, as the figure came close, and gently reached a furred paw to pet on the head of the crow…