With a crack of thunder, the storm had begun. Outside, clouds had begun to roll in at high speed as a hurricane was blowing over the coastline outside of Zootopia. The howling wind and drenching rain had attacked the city, billowing over Savannah Central and bringing the orange light of the evening to an end. Outside, chaos reigned that night.

But inside...that was a totally different story.

Looking up at the skylight of their apartment, a peaceful gray bunny lay in a bed. There was nothing this storm could do to shake the content mind of Judy Hopps. She sat up in the bed. Looking across the room, she smiled. There he was: the reason for her smiles. Nick was sitting at a desk with his laptop, catching up on news about the hurricane. He looked back over his shoulder at Judy.

"Carrots, you just gonna keep staring at me like that? Gonna give me a complex." Judy's smile didn't even waver in the tiniest bit. Nick felt her smile wrap him in warmth, as a matching one found its way to his muzzle. He closed the laptop and moved over to the bed to join her.

The two just lay for a few moments, looking at each other. Judy loved all of Nick's smiles, from his smug hustling smirk to his genuine laughing smile. But her favorite was the one he had right now, looking at her with simple, pure love. It was a different smile, one she first saw under that bridge so long ago. It pulled her in, made her feel secure.

The moment was perfect, but didn't last long as another huge crack of thunder shook their apartment. Both bunny and fox turned to the skylight, seeing the sheets of rain hitting the glass as the storm passed over.

"Nick…" She turned back to him.

"Yeah, Carrots?"

"Do you like storms?"

The question, innocent enough, caught him off guard. "I don't...not like storms. Hurricane Carla here doesn't seem like she's too bad of a gal." He looked back to her eyes as she giggled. "Why do you ask?"

Judy looked back up to the skylight. "I remember growing up back in Bunnyburrow...storms were always so much scarier then. But since I moved here...I actually think storms can be beautiful."

Nick put his arms around her and pulled her close. "Scary storms? I thought my bunny wasn't afraid of anything."

"When I was little it was different. I still remember the big ones that came through when I was a little doe back home. We were farmers, remember? Rain was always a big deal. Too little, and the crops would wither. Too much...and well no one buys soggy carrots."

Nick laughed. "Kinda like that time Clawhouser accidentally dumped his bowl of Lucky Chomps on you? You were kinda a soggy Carrot that day."

"Haha...no I was a steamed Carrot that day." They both laughed.

"Well I'd still take you. I've developed quite a taste for Carrots as of late." Taking his paw under her chin, he placed a light kiss on Judy's lips. "But I get what you're saying about storms. They're very powerful. I guess out in ol' Bunnyburrow you didn't have a nice fancy apartment building with lightning rods and skylights to protect you."

"No, we didn't. And some storms got pretty intense."

A loud laugh escaped Nick. "And now I'm imagining nearly 300 bunnies all snuggled up under a massive blanket as the thunder rolled by." Nick's eyes rolled back in his head. "A fluff-pocalypse."

"Oh stop it, Nick." Judy gave a light shove to her fox. "Life on that farm was always hard, but it was nothing compared to being an officer here."

"You bunnies were all about that wretched 'hard work' weren't you?"

"Ha! You wouldn't have lasted two days as a farmpaw for my dad." The statement caught Nick's full attention.

"You're right, I'm much more fit for a supervisor position." Nick sat up and pretended to point to imaginary farm workers. "You there, go pick some blueberries. And you, stop eating one carrot for every three you pull. Now, you all keep working while I go tend to the farmer's daughter." Nick turned back to Judy and started tickling her. Squeals and laughs overtook the sounds of the storms for a few moments.

After recomposing herself, Judy put her hand to her brow and did her best southern belle: "Oh no, what-ever shall I do? Daddy, this sly fox has tried takin' me with his wiles!"

Nick laughed, playing along with his own country accent. "Your daddy can't help you now, little miss!" He leaned down, planting kisses on Judy's cheeks and neck until his eyes raised up to meet hers.

Judy relaxed as Nick's emerald eyes pulled her in deeper. "You know, my dad always did say to watch out for foxes."

"That certainly sounds like your dad. You worried I might take advantage of you?" Nick's smile grew bigger.

Judy laughed. "If anything, I'm the one who took advantage of you." Nick was about to rebut when she leaned in and planted a quick, but deep kiss on Nick's lips. The kiss hit the target, shutting down whatever Nick was about to say. She pulled back, satisfied with herself. "That's what I thought. I may be the only one in the world who gets to see a speechless Nick Wilde."

Nick's brain finally rebooted. "Heh...sly bunny."

"Dumb fox." she said, as she pulled him in again.

As the storm raged on, Nick and Judy finally managed to get out of bed and did a little cleaning in their apartment. It had been a very busy week for them, and some of the chores had fallen to the wayside. With a load of laundry in, dishes done, and uniforms hung ready for the next day, Judy took to laying on the bed again. Her eyes traced back to the skylight, watching the rain hit the glass in a never ending cascade.

Nick came in the room a few minutes later, surprised to see her sitting and watching the storm again.

"You know, Carrots, we do have a TV."

Judy smiled. "I know, I'm just a little nostalgic tonight."

Nick studied his partner for a moment, deciding whether it would be better to leave her to her musings or join her. He decided on the latter, plopping down next to her again on the bed. Together, they sat in silence for a few minutes, both just taking in the sounds of the storm outside.

Finally, Nick broke the silence. "Tell me more about the farm."

"What?" Judy sat up on her elbows, looking at Nick.

"I said, tell me more."

"You want to hear about the simple farm life?"

Nick chuckled. "Carrots, with your family, nothing is simple." Judy gave him a playful shove. "Seriously, tell me more."

"Well..growing up, we always had to help with the crops, cleaning, cooking...everything."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"You got used to it. Why do you think I'm so willing to put in extra hours at work?"

"Because you get to spend more time with me, of course."

"That must be it."

"So you had to cook, clean, pick carrots, and I'm guessing help take care of the Hopps Horde?"

Judy laid back and looked to the skylight again. "Yeah, pretty much. Occasionally there was visitors, some other kinda excitement. I remember once a fire broke out in the fields."

"A fire? How's a fire start in the middle of a field?" Nick asked.

"Well...that's a long story."

Nick pointed up to the skylight. "Well, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. I've got plenty of time for a long story."

"Good point. It was when I was just a young doe, 9 years old…"

When she was just a girl, she expected the world, but it flew away from her reach, so she ran away in her sleep...dreaming para, para, paradise, everytime she closed her eyes...

The sun beat down on the three small bunnies. Judy and two of her sisters, Jessica and Joanna, were busy picking blueberries for their mother's desserts that night. It was still early in the day, but the sun was already making their fur dry out.

"It's SO HOT." Cried Judy, her small 9 year old frame unable to take much more. She fell down in the rows between the blueberry bushes, faking as if she were dying. "Ugh, I'm DYING!"
Jess and Joanna giggled at their silly sister. They too, began feigning death as all three does began rolling around in their family's massive garden.

A larger, older male walked up to the scene. "Well cripes, if you three can't take the heat, I guess we'll just have to skip out on the blueberry pies tonight!"

All three girls immediately popped up, with a unified "BUT DAD!"

Stu chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. "Well then you better get up, those blueberries ain't gonna pick themselves! Now shoo, shoo!" Stu waved the girls on. All three ran down the line of bushes, quickly plucking the juiciest berries.

About an hour later, their large baskets were full, and the three girls headed back into the house to meet their mother. Bonnie Hopps and some of the other children were busy cutting veggies and kneading dough. Dinner time around the Hopps home was always an ordeal that required most of the children helping. They were all on rotation, taking turns helping in the fields or in the house to get ready each day. Even among rabbit families, the Hopps were one of the biggest. 276 kids was enough to drive any mammal crazy. But Bonnie and Stu weren't just any mammals.

A few hours later, dinner was served in the grand dining hall of the Hopps family. Hopps Produce had been a name for many generations in the whole greater Zootopian area, and this family home had been built on for generations. A wonderful dinner of baked carrots and a radish salad had made its way around until every last bite was gone, and that meant it was time for all the children's favorite time: dessert.

Judy and her two closest sisters got the honor of wheeling out the carts, covered in fresh, warm blueberry pies for the family. Each kit got a warm slice, with Stu and Bonnie last. As dinner came to a close for the day, the incredibly long ritual of getting all the kits ready for bed began. It was then that little Judy happened to be walking by the backwash room when the door heading out back opened suddenly.

A small, slightly dirty ram with a concerned look on his face stepped in. "Jude, where's your pa?"

"What's wrong, Samuel?"

Samuel shook his head and waved his hooves. "There's no time little Jude. Your pa needs to come out here real quick, there's a fire in the fields!"

Judy's eyes grew wide as she turned to run for her father, who was likely in his small office accounting for the day's harvest. She and Samuel pushed the door open, startling the older buck.

"Jude, what in the - Samuel?" Stu's eyes locked onto the sheep. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Mr. Hopps, it's the field! There's a fire!"

Outside, a small fire was blazing in the field where the corn rows were. Samuel had already notified the fire department in town, but they were at best another half hour from arrival. As the fire grew steadily, Stu had pulled several of the older bucks and farmpaws to start making a fire break around the area. Thankfully, the fire was near the irrigation line, so water was also available to cut off the fire from behind, while the workers dug trenches to stem the fire's growth downwind.

Stu was working hard at delegating, and saw Judy standing, looking on at the blaze. The fire reflected in her eyes. She'd never seen so much fire before in her life.

"Jude, get back to the house and make sure the younger kits stay indoors. This is thankfully just a smaller fire, shouldn't be too hard to hold it back until the fire department can get here."

Judy's eyes focused on fire. How could a fire have started in the middle of the fields? The question bothered her. As they continued working to control the fire, Judy's eyes moved over towards the treeline across from the fields. The light of the fire made a choir of shadows in the woods, but she noticed something her father was likely too busy to see. Going into the woods, moving away from the fields, was a tire track.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she felt compelled to investigate. Fires with no rational explanation and tire tracks heading into the woods...something wasn't right. Judy waited until her father turned back to the blaze and made her way to the tree line. As she got closer, she saw that the tire track must have belonged to an overturned wheelbarrow about 20 feet into the woods. She ran to the barrow, turning it over and revealing what she feared. It was a gas can. About to turn back to go let her dad know, Judy's ears caught a sound further into the woods. It sounded almost like...laughter.

She moved further into the woods, towards the property line that separated them from their neighbor's, the Greys. The sound of laughing got louder, until Judy peered over a bush, seeing two mammals sitting and laughing. From behind, she could see one was a ferret, and the other was a fox. Gideon and Travis...she thought. Did they...why would they?

The ferret spoke. "Oh man, Gid. Can't believe that worked."

"Yeah...that oughta set those dumb bunnies back a little."

Judy's eyes narrowed as she realized what they were saying. She felt anger welling up inside her as she leaned onto a branch of the bush she was hiding behind. Her weight resulted in a loud SNAP. Gideon's ears pulled back as the laughing stopped.

"Who's there?" he screamed as he turned around. Judy dropped hard behind the bush as he spun, hoping he didn't see her. Her heart began to race.

"What's up, Gid?" asked the ferret. "What'd you hear?"

Gideon looked out into the woods, his eyes allowing him a much better view of the area at night. He stepped over towards the bush where Judy was hiding. Judy could hear him sniffing the air.

"Travis...c'mere." Gideon motioned for the ferret to join him. He slowly pointed to the bush. "I smell...a bunny."

Fear gripped Judy like an icy paw, panic causing her instincts to kick in. Her legs fired her from behind the bush in a blur of grey fur and she hauled fluff back to her family's property. Behind her, she could hear the thuds of Gideon and Travis's attempt to run after her. Gotta get home, gotta tell dad…

Judy darted out of the tree line, noticing the fire department had finally arrived on scene and was working to get the fire under control. In light of the fire, she saw her dad standing near the fire truck speaking with an older fox in a fireman's hat. Tears began streaming down her face as she ran towards him.

"DADDY!" Stu looked over to see one of his oldest daughters running towards him at top speed from the exact opposite place she was supposed to be. He picked her up as she reached him, holding her as she was crying and shivering.

"Jude, what's wrong? Why aren't you in the house?"

"Daddy, it was Gideon! He started the fire!"

"Whoa whoa, calm down there Judy. Who did what now?" Stu set her down and knelt down next to her, trying to calm the crying doe.

"I saw a tire track heading towards the woods, and I followed it and found a gas can. I went further and found Gideon and Travis laughing about starting the fire!"

"Those two are always up to trouble, but this...this is too much even for them. Are you sure Judy?"

"I'm sure, dad! You said yourself foxes are always causing trouble!"

Stu's face dropped when he heard what Judy had said directly in front of the fire chief...who happened to be a fox.

The fire chief stepped in. "Miss Hopps, I hope you have proof. That's a very serious accusation!"

Stu held his hands up. "Chief Reynard, I'm sure this is all some kinda misunderstanding."

The chief's eyes trained onto Stu. "Mr. Hopps I sure hope so." With a small growl he turned and walked back to the line to help the rest of the squad with the remaining fire.

Stu turned to Judy. "Judith, I told you to go back to the house!"

Judy felt her ears fall back when her dad said her given name. "But dad…"

"Don't 'but dad' me, little one. You get back to the house and we'll discuss this later."

Judy's tears began to well up again, but she obeyed. She ran back to the house and found the only bunny in the world she thought could help: her mother.

After consoling the crying doe for a few minutes, Bonnie picked her up and carried her to her room. The other bunnies in the room were already asleep, so Bonnie quietly placed Judy down and tucked her in.

Judy sat back up before her mom could leave. "Mom?"

In the doorway, Bonnie turned back. "Yes, dear?"

"Why do foxes hate us?"

Bonnie's heart sank. She knew these kind of questions would come eventually. She went back and sat down at the end of Judy's bed.

"Judy...sometimes you just can't deny nature. Foxes and bunnies were natural enemies for so long...and even though we've grown as a world, some mammals just can't see it any other way."

"I don't understand why we can't all just be friends. Why do some people have to be so mean to others?"

Bonnie lowered her eyes. Judy was learning a hard lesson at a young age. Sometimes, mammals were just mean because being mean was all they knew how to do.

"Judy...sometimes the world isn't perfect. Sometimes mean mammals come around, and we just have to carry on trying to be the ones who make the differences we want to see." She placed her arm around Judy. "That's how you can create your own little paradise. You be the mammal you want to see in others."

"Like the founders of Zootopia?" Judy pulled back from her mom, eyes wide. "We learned about them in history class. They wanted to make a world where predator and prey could live together in harmony, so they made the biggest city in the world!"

Bonnie smiled. For tonight, she could let her daughter believe. "It sounds nice, doesn't it?"

Judy laid back down. "I want to live somewhere like that, mom."

As Bonnie walked out of the room, she peered back to see Judy's eyes finally closing. She softly replied, "Me too, sweetie."

Judy's eyes shut, the chaos of the evening taking its toll as she began to fall asleep.

The last thought through her mind before she drifted away was of the magical city of Zootopia. It must be paradise.