A bear. Clawing. Gunshots. A bunny. Relief. Familiarity.

Sounds and feelings boiled and rolled all around him, bathing his mind in a chaotic cacophony of murmuring memories and voices.

Comfort. A voice. Warmth. A tickle. Shyness. Heartbeat. Curiousity.

Flood after flood of emotions swirled around inside of him, pulling on his heart and twisting his stomach in ways he never thought possible.

Discovery. Realization. Denial. Worry. Twisting. Acceptance.

The whirlwinds began to die down. The constant tsunamis had ceased and instead he felt a calm and shallow stream trickle and flow around his mind, cooling his confused head. He liked this feeling and wished it would stay.

Curiousity. Fear. Wanting. Wishing. Courage. Heartbeat. Watching. Warmth.

He could see something. No. Someone. A small figure. They were smiling wide, small, white, buck teeth showing and little nose twitching. Big black-tipped ears. The pace of his heart quickened and his stomach twisted in knots. He liked the way it felt.

Light.

And suddenly it was all gone. The images, the sounds, and the gentle voice was whisked away by bright breeching light cutting through the warmth of his familiar darkness.

He woke up.

The male sat up in his bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, little crumbs and dust falling away. When he opened his eyes, he saw the blinds had been open. He forgot to close them last night before he went to bed. Woops. But he was glad. He had work today anyways. Today was Friday.

He yawned, opening his big maw wide and stretched his tongue, his canid teeth glistening in the morning sun. He smacked his lips and went to his closet, he picked up some black casual pants and slid them on. Then he headed for the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and did his business before going back to his closet and throwing on a solid grey shirt. He grabbed his badge and hung it around his neck.

As he was reaching for the knob of his front door, he stopped. He remembered something he was going to do today.

He stood there for a while, the door long forgotten and was just looking at his choice of clothing. He wondered what he was doing. What was he thinking? That's just it. He wasn't thinking. He had forgotten.

He went back to his closet and dug through every article of clothing, snatching up the cleanest and most unwrinkled things he could find. After throwing on something that was leagues more decent than his earlier attire, he went back to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth again. He paused. Then he brushed his tongue for good measure.

'Should I smile? No, she would probably be put off.' The canid rolled multiple thoughts around, his thinking mind currently in overdrive. 'But would she be? I doubt she'd even flinch. She's not scared. She can't be. She's strong.' he smiled as the brush moved over his tongue and teeth.

He spit. He took a swig of bright blue liquid, burning his tongue and cheeks with the sharp, hot minty flavor. He spit into the sink and washed his mouth with water. He smiled widely in the mirror, his pointed teeth gleaming.

'Of course she wouldn't be scared. She said she wasn't when she saw them. I even smiled at her and she smiled back! You're a dummy for thinking otherwise.'

He stared into the mirror just a bit longer, reveling in this fresh sense of confidence. Then he looked into his reflection's eyes sternly.

"Okay," he began, "today's the day."

He smoothed down his shirt and made sure there was no stains or wet spots from him brushing his teeth. He looked back into the mirror and smiled again, beaming with pure excitement and confidence.

"Johnny Wolfard, Today's the day you are going to ask Judy Hopps on a date."

He smiled just a bit wider. A twinkle of hope shined in his eyes.

"Yeah… You can do this, big guy."

Then he grabbed his keys, left his house, locked the door, and drove to work.