(See the end of the chapter for notes .)

Yet more questions. Maybe some answers too.

Chapter Text

Nick pulled back the hammer on his pistol, sheerly for the intimidation factor. "Start talking. Now."

Wolford sighed. "Nick, I'm ready to die, the gun is meaningless."

Nick kept his aim steady. "Yeah, sure, since when are you a crazed Zealot?"

He pointed to me. "Since one of the things in Judy forced me to kill my sister."

The room went silent.

Fangmeyer raised his hand. "Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

I groaned. In for a penny, in for a heap of trouble. "Hi Fangmeyer, I'm actually Judy. You know, Judy Hopps from work? I turned into a wolf, and now there's an evil voice in my head and a bunch of wolves with swords are trying to kill me for some reason."

I am not evil! We raided to give our village food and shelter you naive child!

"Okay, now it's saying it's not evil."

"Oh it's definitely evil." Wolford returned.

Wait, I had a village?

The white wolf looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. "What the... are you all on drugs?"

"Not going to lie, I'm kinda hoping that's the case." Nick mumbled. "Gotta say though, worst. Trip. Ever."

This was getting us nowhere. I approached Wolford, with murder in my eyes. "What do you know Wolford?"

The grey wolf met my gaze, evenly. "I know what that thing will do to you. It starts small, especially if you're prey, though it's rarer a prey animal gets possessed. The demons like warriors. They don't move in unless you make their last host bleed. You're a werewolf Judy Hopps." He let out a breath, steeling himself. "But you don't have to stay that way."

I stared at him. "Werewolves? That's your story? I'm a-" I paused, considering my situation. "Okay, actually that makes as much sense as anything else that's happened today. Go on."

Wolford continued. "It starts with irritation, growling, prodding from the voice. It will get louder and louder until all you can do is tear your friends apart to make it stop and pretty soon... There won't be anything left of you. You won't be an animal anymore, just a snarling beast, consumed by rage." He looked down, a wistful look on his muzzle. "You'll want everyone you ever loved to die Judy. And you'll have enough magic coursing through your veins that it'll take an army to stop you. And for the record, we don't really have one of those anymore."

"Who is we?" I demanded. "Are you telling me you've been crooked this whole time? Who's paying you? What investigations have you sold out! Who are you!" I felt another growl building in my throat. He'd betrayed everything the police stood for, I... I...

I shook myself, suddenly aware of my spiking temper. I took a step back, and a deep breath. "I am in control... I am not going to hurt anyone. Period. Now, answer the questions."

Wolford grew the faintest of smiles. "Always knew you had an iron will Judy." He frowned. "But it won't last. You have a week, tops, of slow mental degeneration and physical augmentation before there will be nothing left of the noble Judy Hopps... But it doesn't have to go down that way." He held out a paw. "Please, I'm begging you, let me take the fall for this one. If nothing else, you have a family to go back to. I don't."

He sounded completely serious. My mind was racing. What the hell was happening? I needed a plan.

Okay, so first off there was no way I was killing Wol-

Nick sighed, lowering his gun. "He's right Judy, we need to do this."

Fangmeyer stared at the fox like he'd just walked out of a mental institution with a foaming mouth, wearing an orderly's bloody pelt. " What!? "

The fox turned to me. "You hear things on the street Judy. These things are real, and we've got to act fast. I'm dead serious Judy, it's just like Jumbeaux's."

My eyes widened. "Oh... Oh god you're right."

Fangmeyer's face was a study. He eyed each mammal in turn, trying to find some rhyme or reason to what was happening around him. Finally he grit his teeth. "Okay, this has gone on for long enough. No one is killing any-"

Nick turned his gun on the white wolf. Fangmeyer froze.

Nick held his weapon steady, a pained look in his eyes. "I'm sorry Fangmeyer. You're a good cop. Too good for what has to be done here. Just stay right there, maybe look away. You won't want to see this.”

Fangmeyer eyed the gear on his belt, the gears in his head clearly turning.

The Fox shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid Fangsy. Now, Wolford, you said this stuff turns preds faster than prey?"

The grey wolf nodded, clearly relieved by this turn of events. "A lot faster."

Nick nodded. "Then we'll want to get some restraints on you before we do the transfer. Judy, grab my cuffs and his. Hands and feet. Make sure you throw on a muzzle too."

I nodded, snatching the gear off the predators' belts. Wolford put his hands behind his back and his legs together. He even helped me slip on the muzzle when the time came.

When he was restrained, The grey wolf nodded. "Okay, that'll hold for a few seconds at least. Now grab the knife from my belt."

Instead, I took his entire belt off, knife, pistol, baton and all.

The grey wolf blinked. "Okay, I guess that's one way to do-"

Nick put his gun away. "Right then. Sorry Fangsey, had to make that look good."

The white wolf stared at the fox for a moment... And then he smiled. "God damnit Wilde, you beautiful bastard."

The disarmed, completely restrained wolf's jaw would have hit the floor if he didn't have a muzzle holding it in place. "You... You hustled me!?"

My favorite fox smirked. "It's kinda what I do, sweetie."

Wolford immediately started struggling, only managing to topple himself to the floor and writhe around a bit while emitting a steady stream of muffled curses.

The fox turned to the white wolf. "So, you want to call this one in or should I?"

Fangmeyer shot him a very strained grin. "I think I'll let you handle the paperwork you cheeky bastard. We're going to have a long talk about you pulling your standard issue on me later." He turned to me. "So, I'm guessing you're actually one of Wilde's old friends. Care to explain what the hell is going on?"

I considered for a moment how I could have told the truth and somehow still be mired in a tangled web of lies. "Well... That's not totally-"

There was a crunch, then a click.

My hearing had improved drastically when all this stuff had started, but I was still getting the hang of telling where distant, echoing sounds were coming from.

This crunch was closer, painfully close. It was a tiny thing, but its implications were terrifying.

I turned to Wolford. His lips were sealed shut and he was clearly shifting his tongue.

I rushed over to him and tore the muzzle off, then pried his mouth open.

Sure enough, he'd popped out a tooth.

And now that tooth was blinking.

I heard several cars pull up outside.

My eyes widened. "Oh shit. Incoming!" I snatched out the tracer lightning fast and crushed it before Wolford could even close his mouth.

I strapped on Wolford's gear belt, more out of reflex than anything else, and drew his gun. "I hear ten hostiles outside. We need a plan!"

The ZPD is not technically a military organization, but damn do we fall into line when someone barks orders at us. Nick and Greg got into cover by the windows.I tipped a curtain and took a peek outside for a threat assessment...

Assessment: We had pistols and dry wall cover.

They had assault rifles and military grade body armor.

I closed the curtains instantly. "Okay, we've got to run. Here's the-"

I was about to spout out what I'm sure would have been a brilliant, completely original plan that would have solved all of our problems, but I was interrupted by yet another unexpected sound, this one much less subtle.

I chanced another peek outside to see an absolute monster of a vehicle careen down the street. It looked like the bastard offspring of an Abram's tank and a bulldozer and it was moving faster than an Indy 500.

Out of this frightening metal giant's window burst a humongous muscled arm holding what looked like an artillery piece, which promptly started raining a hail of what appeared to be grenades all around our assailants.

A huge burst of teargas filled the air outside and our terrifying savior made a sharp drifting turn and charged Wolford's house.

The demonic machine that was the ZPD High Threat Response Vehicle literally smashed a hole in the side of Fangmeyer's living room with a sickening crunch.

This had all happened in about two seconds.

The elephant driver swung open the behemoth's massive door. She let out an enraged trumpet and glared daggers at us all. "Get the fuck in!" She shouted.

Nick was the first one to get his voice back. "Yes Ma'am Francine."

#

“Well Greg I hope you’re fucking happy!” Francine said as we rocketed out of Fangmeyer’s front yard. The elephant was practically twitching. “Oh look at me, I’m Greg Fangmeyer I drag gang violence into the suburbs! Aren’t I a great guy?”

“Damnit! We’re not a gang! We’re the good guys!” Wolford shouted.

Why I’d thrown him in the back I couldn’t tell you.

Francine groaned, making a very sharp turn down a nearby street. “Whatever you say Wolfy.” She snatched up her radio, and pressed the button, a hiss of jammed static filled the air. “Fuck… You know Greg, somehow ‘I told you so’ doesn’t cut it.”

Greg threw out his arms . “How the hell was I supposed to know this would happen!”

“He does have a point there Franny.” Nick mentioned as he eyed the unmarked sedans chasing our tails.

The elephant grunted, spinning the car around and darting backwards through the line of very confused pursuers. “Okay, granted, this is weird , but you totally violated procedure and you had to know something was wrong. This is just like those foxes on fifth avenue.”

“I thought they were girl scouts! I just gave them a lift!” The white wolf snapped defensively.

“Yes,” Francine returned. “But when we found out they were actually drug pushing Fennecs, who had to clean up the mess? Oh, that’s right! Me! Just like I’m doing right fucking-”

The bulletproof windows on the car’s rear sprouted a number of cracks as bullets slammed against them.

Francine sighed. “Take the wheel.”

Fangmeyer grabbed it and Francine leaned her grenade launcher out the window, lobbing a meaty projectile right through one of the pursuer’s windshields.

The chasing car careened to a stop as its drivers struggled to breathe, slowing down the other pursuers as they juked to avoid it.

Francine took the wheel back. “Greg, you do get why we have rules about shit like this right? It’s to prevent crazy ass collateral damage like that! Seriously! Do you know how much paperwork I’m going to have to fill out for shooting a moving car? Do you know how fucking dangerous that was?”

I like this creature, she has a warrior’s... spirit...

“Shut up voice!” I shouted as what looked like half of Zootopia shot by us in a blur. I was being shot at and betrayed, and I just did not have any patience for her anymore.

I don’t take… take… Ugh… You know you have startlingly little riastarthae, you need to work on that.

“What in the name of cheese and crackers is Riastarthe?” I snapped. I was getting way past tired of the voice’s bullshit… Okay that was racist, I felt bad for even thinking it. If Mom was here she’d be washing my mouth out with soap.

The elephant shot Fangmeyer a nasty look. “Oh! So you didn’t just grab a random wolf being pursued by gangs, you picked a mentally ill random wolf being pursued by gangs. You sure can pick ‘em Greg.”

Fangmeyer growled back at his partner. “Okay, seriously Francine, I’ve had-”

“Turn here!” Nick shouted, pointing to an old subway entrance. “I know a place we can lose them.”

Francine careened to the left and smashed through the barricades guarding the condemned tube in front of us.

Unfortunately, the elephant was forced to slam on the brakes as a large wall of fallen rock appeared in front of us almost instantly.

Francine threw up her arms. “Great plan Wilde, now we’re sitting- Where are you going?”

Nick had hopped out the window. He kicked over a rock and threw a switch.

The ground beneath us shifted and our car began to roll down a sudden dirt ramp. Francine managed to slam on the break and Nick scampered behind us as we found ourself in an old, poorly lit dugout of some kind.

Nick clambered down after us and threw a switch on the wall, sealing the hidden door behind us.

In the dim, flickering light, the fox sighed. “Thank god for mole smugglers… Francine, kill the engine! We’ve got to be quiet!”

Francine killed the engine. The headlights went with it and the room went black.

Nick climbed back inside and I held Wolford’s muzzle shut.

For a moment, everything was silent.

We heard other cars coming in above us, slowing to a halt. Various barked orders were exchanged and slowly, after what felt like hours hiding in the dark, they left.

It was probably only minutes. An army that size would have to draw ZPD notice.

Of course, I didn’t know how compromised the ZPD was.

Ugh… Judy, the voice came. That ride was quite tense. I don’t have much left. Need to rest...

I raised an eyebrow. What does that mean?

“Are they gone?” Francine whispered to Wilde.

The fox shrugged. “I don’t hear them. This had to be a hit and run though. That kind of firepower moving around would need to vanish fast.”

“Okay,” The elephant nodded. “Then I think it’s long past time time you explained to us what exactly is going on. Personally I have a lot of que-”

I choked. My vision swam and I let go of Wolford as a cracking, horrible sensation filled my body.

“Judy!” Nick cried, grabbing a hold of me.

I barely even registered him for the pain and the disorientation. The world was getting bigger, huge even and I… I…

I blinked, opening my eyes and seeing my reflection in his. My real reflection.

I also noted my pants had fallen off, so we were all enjoying that.

The entire car stared at me.

“T-that just raises further questions!” Francine cried.