Judy sighed as she stepped out onto the city sidewalk. She didn't hate the nightshift, not totally at least. The city at night did seem to have a certain feel to it, even here in the city center as some mammals trudged off to home to sleep, while some more nocturnal mammals just got up to start their day. Even with the bright lights and city noise, the place seemed almost half asleep. She knew this wouldn't last. She had worked than enough eventful night shifts to know the coffees in her paws would be crucial over the next twelve hours.

She walked down the sidewalk, carefully carrying both coffees. Nick was parked in the cruiser just a few blocks away, he had offered to park in front or make the walk himself, but Judy had insisted she didn't mind. Their shift had just barely started and already he was getting restless, so she was glad to go get their drinks.

As she walked, her path took her alongside a construction site. She had seen signs advertising the construction as a new office for some insurance firm. She was just barely aware of her surroundings as she passed by until a shout, followed by a fairly strong shove got her attention. Her carefully held coffees spilled to the ground, and she spun, ready to snap at whoever pushed her, when she saw probably one of the largest coyotes she had seen in her life. He was tall and heavily muscled; honestly he could've passed for a wolf if it wasn't for the sandy tan of his fur. He wore an orange high-vis construction vest and hard hat, and had a nervous grin. As he smiled, Judy noticed a long scar on his muzzle, reaching from just below his eye across both lips before curving along his jawline. If the mammal hadn't looked so sheepish, Judy probably would've felt intimidated by the larger predator.

"I'm not sure what you were thinking," Judy said, "But you do realize you just shoved an on duty police officer right?"

"I'm real sorry about that officer, I just didn't want you to get hurt by those bricks!" the canine answered, gesturing to a cracked pile of red brick just a few steps behind Judy. "I guess a couple must've slipped off a pallet up top. I saw them falling and I just had to get you out of the way…sorry about your coffees." The coyote looked down rubbing his neck. Despite saving her skin, he obviously actually felt bad about her spilled coffees. A wave of shame rolled over Judy as she realized how rude she was to a mammal just looking out for her.

"Oh jeez, don't worry about the stupid coffees, those bricks could've killed me!" Then another realization hit her as well. "Wait…they could've killed you too! What the hell were you thinking jumping in the way like that?"

The coyote grinned nervously and said "Well, I couldn't just let one of the best cops in the city get taken out by some bricks!"

Judy's ears turned pink and she gritted her teeth. It was true, she got recognized a lot in the city, the Nighthowler case was still just barely a year ago and it had gotten her a lot of screen time on the city's news channels. Makes sense that he knows me, but why would he risk his life like that? She thought.

"Well thank you so much, Mister…?"

The coyote hesitated, looking oddly apprehensive before answering.

"Foreston. Tice Foreston."

Judy smiled and stuck out a paw for a friendly shake "Thank you "

Tice shook her paw, still seeming a bit nervous, saying "Don't mention it Officer Hopps…I guess I owe you a couple coffees now, huh?"

Judy laughed brightly at that and shook her head, "Heck no, if anything I owe you one! Seriously, I really appreciate it." The coyote nodded with a smile silently and let go off he much smaller paw.

As the silence lengthened, Judy bounced a bit on her paws before saying "Well…I really should get back to the cruiser, my partner will be wondering where I got off to."

"Oh of course! I should be getting back to work too. Have a good night officer!"

"You too!" chirped Judy as the two shared a smile. Judy bounced off down the sidewalk, her lost coffees almost forgotten. It definitely wasn't every day a mammal saves your life. And he had been so nice! Judy made a mental note to remember the big coyote. Maybe she could make good on her offer and bring a coffee for him, as long as he stayed on that site for a bit.

After a few minutes of walking, she found herself back at her cruiser. She opened the door and hopped in, and groaned as she found her partner dozing off behind the wheel.

"Nick! Get up, no sleeping when you're the only one in the cruiser!" She admonished.

The russet fox jolted awake, before slipping back into a sleepy daze. He yawned as he reached towards the passenger seat, mumbling,

"Sorry Carrots, you know how I get on these night shifts without my coffee." His paw grasped at the empty air before the realization hit him. "Carrots…did you not get the coffees?"

Nick's face was the picture of horror. Judy had to stifle a laugh as she was reminded of a time she had asked a certain fox about how he had been handling his taxes. She knew she shouldn't laugh. Nick being nocturnal, and having to work some days and some nights had tossed his body's clock all out of whack these past few months, and she knew it was taking a toll. She dropped her ears as she launched into her explanation.

"Well see, I had the coffees, but then I almost got whacked on the head by these falling bricks! A coyote pushed me out of the way and I spilled the coffees. I would've gotten new ones, but I didn't want to leave you here alone too long." The last bit wasn't exactly a dig on her partner, but he had been nearly asleep when she came back.

Nick was suddenly all seriousness, seeming to have quickly shook off his drowsiness.

"Oh god…Carrots are you alright? Did you get hurt at all?" Nick looked at her intensely, with a look of the utmost concern. Judy was shocked to find a little bit of a blush creeping up on her.

"Yes Nick, I'm fine. I wouldn't be, if it wasn't for that coyote but…I really am fine."

Nick kept his gaze locked on hers for another moment, and Judy almost began to feel a little awkward. Sure, her and Nick were best friends, and now partners these past six months since he left the academy but she really didn't think he would react like this. A decent amount of concern was expected in their situation but this was…something else.

Nick's gaze locked for just another moment before he sighed and seemed to relax.

"Well…alright. As long as you're okay." He paused for a moment before adding with a chuckle, "I'm having a hard time believing there's a mammal out there that shoved you down and got away unscathed"

Judy laughed, but then thought back to the coyote. He must have been at least more than double her size, and his workers clothes really had been able to hide the tough, rolling muscle beneath his shirt. He had been extremely friendly, but Judy couldn't help but feel he was definitely a mammal she wouldn't want to meet pissed off in a dark alley.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence for a minute before their radio crackled to life as Clawhauser's voice came through.

"Any unit, any unit, we've got a 10-25 on Thirty-third Street in Happytown."

Judy groaned and slammed her head to the dashboard. Someone had called in a dead body in Happytown, and she just knew her and Nick would be the current closest unit. Even if any other officers were close enough to take the call, there was almost always bigger fish to fry in Happytown, and being the relative rookies on the force, her and Nick would be expected to take this one.

Just as she expected, Nick keyed up the handset and replied,

"Roger Benny, me and Officer Hopps are close enough to take it. Were on our way to the call."

He hung up the handset and flicked on the lights and dropped the cruiser in drive. He didn't cut on the sirens; a body in Happytown was an everyday thing, there really didn't seem to be a point. As he pulled out into the road he glanced sidelong at his rabbit partner.

"Suppose it's gonna be one of those shifts, huh Fluff?" he asked with a tired grin.

Judy sighed as she slumped down into her seat. She loved real police work, but rolling a dead mammal in the ghetto really wasn't her dream call. She buckled up and resigned herself to a less than awesome shift as their blue lights reflected off the night time store fronts.

The cruiser rolled down the dark streets of Happytown. This sure as hell wasn't the same as the bright, bustling nightlife of city central. Here, the cruisers lights didn't reflect off the windows of trendy bars and cafes, or high end banks. They shone on liquor stores with bars on the windows, quick cash loan centers, and burnt out tenements. The people walking the sidewalks cast them sidelong glances and tried to shift further into the shadows and pools of darkness left by burnt out streetlights. This was a world that Judy had never known, not until she pinned on her badge. This was a world where that same badge made her, at best, someone to avoid, and at worst, a target. She watched this world pass by for a moment, before glancing at Nick. She knew he had grown up in this district. She had no idea where exactly, but she knew the sly fox had spent his fair share of time on these streets, hustling just to survive. She watched his face carefully. If being back here ever bothered him, the fox had never shown it.

As the fox turned the cruiser onto 33rd street he slowed, looking for their possible crime scene. They were the first two officers on scene, and in a neighborhood like this, the caller wasn't likely to stick around and wait for the cops. The pair cruised down the street in silence. Usually they would joke and laugh as they drove, but responding to a dead body was something that definitely sobered the two. Nick finally slowed and rolled to a stop at the mouth of an alley between a particularly seedy bar and a pawn shop. Judy turned questioningly to Nick.

"You sure this is it Slick? Clawhauser didn't say anything about an alley."

"Just a hunch I guess." Nick shrugged, unbuckling his seat belt as Judy did the same. She had learned to trust her partner's instincts, especially with things like this. The two hopped down out of their cruiser and walked towards the alley.

Both officers pulled flashlights off their belts, clicking them on and illuminating the alley. It was a typical city alleyway, an overflowing dumpster to one side, with stained concrete ending in a dead-end brick wall. The two slowly padded side by side, careful to swing their lights over every inch of the dirty concrete. As they came up on the dumpster, Judy's stomach tightened with nerves. Something told her that's where they would find what they were looking for.

As they turned the corner, her stomach dropped. She was right to have nerves. Curled up next to the dumpster was a young beaver. She couldn't have been more than 20, and she was most certainly dead. Beneath her fur, Judy could detect a gray tinge, and her lips had already begun to turn blue. Even if the girl wasn't dead, Judy would have guessed she wasn't far off from it. She was horribly thin for a beaver, most were known to keep at least a thin layer of some insulating chub.

She turned away, taking a deep breath to steel herself. Nick simply stood there, looking down sadly at the poor beaver. Judy guessed maybe he was more used to a sight like this, but she found no comfort in that. Nick had been on the force for even shorter than her; the fact that a scene like this didn't faze him didn't indicate a very happy past. Nick was her best friend, but he had honestly managed to remain mostly a closed book on some subjects. Judy's chest tightened, and something in her told her to give her foxy a partner a hug. He looked so sad, like he knew her personally, like he knew her and everything she had been through. Her heart to do it but she pushed the feeling down. Later, she told herself, Later I'll make sure he's okay.

Finally, Nick reached up to the radio clipped near his shoulder and keyed up to dispatch.

"Dispatch this is Officer Wilde. Just responded to the 10-25 on 33rd. Found the body on site, about to start our examination."

"Roger Officer Wilde, radio In with anything unusual." Came Clawhauser's reply. For all his quirks, the cheetah usually remained professional over the air.

Nick pulled out a set of purple rubber gloves, offering a set to Judy as well. They pulled them on, crouching next to the body to begin examining. Nick reached out and gently rolled the beaver onto her back, pulling her out of the tight curl she was in. she had obviously been roughing it for a little while; she wore jeans and a hoodie almost worn down to threads and her fur looked greasy and knotted. Judy swallowed hard as she got a better look at her. She looked like she may have once been pretty. She couldn't help but start to imagine her younger, happy in high school, studying hard, maybe looking forward to college. How did you end up here? She wondered, looking at the blue lipped mammal before her.

"Looks like she's been here a few hours, at least. We should check for a wallet"

Nick's voice shocked Judy out of her little internal monologue. She glanced up at him, and saw him looking purposefully at her. Judy looked down and away, a little embarrassed. Even though Nick loved to crack jokes about 'emotional bunnies', he knew some things really did dig at her. She sighed and dug deep to find her resolve. She gave a slight nod and began to pat down the beaver.

In her back pocket, she found a small wallet. She wordlessly passed the wallet over to Nick as she continued her search.

"Janet Pinebough," Nick read, "She's got a Zootopian license but not a whole lot else. Couple of gift cards, couple of bucks. Doesn't look like a robbery with the cash and wallet still here. No obvious wounds…I'm thinking overdose here Fluff."

"I think you may be right there, Nick," answered Judy as she carefully pulled a small bag of powder and the typical junkie kit of a spoon and syringe out of the beaver's front pocket.

"Could've called that. Any idea what it is?"

"Hmm…actually no." Judy was perplexed by the little baggie she held in her paw. She had experience with almost every drug the streets had to offer at this point and this didn't look like anything she recognized. It wasn't a leafy little herb like nip, wasn't brown like Happytown Tar, but wasn't as pure white as she expected pounce to be. This stuff was a strange, baby blue powder that she didn't recognize. She rubbed the baggie between her little fingers, wondering. She flipped the bag over and saw a design on the outside. She squinted at it, trying to make it out. It looked like a crudely drawn knight's helm, with two swords crossed behind it. Judy cocked her head at that. She knew dealers often liked to leave a mark on their product but she'd never seen this one before. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture before passing the bag over to nick.

"Hey Nick, have you ever seen this mark before?"

Nick shined his light on the plastic baggie, scratching his chin. Finally he said,

"Nah, I've never seen this before…must be some new guy on the market." He placed the baggie next to the body and stepped away. Judy followed his example; this case was pretty cut and dry. Nick radioed in to Clawhauser again and stated the facts and requested for the city coroner to come out to retrieve the body. He picked up the wallet and the drugs, placing them in evidence bags that he carefully labeled. That was one thing Judy supposed she had his years of hustling to thank for. After manipulating mammals his whole life, Nick had become particularly meticulous and careful, and this carried over to how he handled evidence. Judy could at least appreciate that particular outcome of her partner's previous life choices.

With the evidence safely secured, the two cops stepped out to stand by their cruiser. Judy's brow creased as she still wondered about the baggie they had found. Finally, Nick just had to ask.

"Still a little salty you couldn't identify that substance?" Judy looked at her partner and felt the tiniest flash of annoyance at his smug grin. She felt her irritation melt away quickly though. She knew what Nick was doing. He knew she hated calls like this. There was no one to help in this situation. The victim was already dead. The dealer knew exactly what the stuff he was pushing could cause. The best they could hope for was to put the dealer behind bars before he managed to sell another batch that took another life, and even then, the users would just find another dealer. It was a situation no beat cop could ever hope to fix, but Judy appreciated her partner's attempt to make her feel better.

"Yeah I guess I'm getting a little rusty. Well bring the sample back the precinct and get it checked out, I'm sure they'll have more answers for us."

"Whatever you say Fluff, you're the boss."

Judy chuckled at that. Judy was technically the senior officer between the two because she had been in a little longer, but it wasn't by much and besides Nick's joking it rarely came up between them. Besides, in the months they'd been on the force, both officers had proved they were more than capable of handling any challenge. Pairings between such junior officers were rare, but their arrest record made a strong case to Chief Bogo that they worked best together.

The two officers waited patiently in silence for the coroner. Their lights had scared off any curious locals, and the street was totally deserted. It was far from silent though, as sirens wailed in another part of the district. Somewhere else, some glass smashed and voices yelled at each other. Even farther off, Judy could hear the thump of the bass from a club downtown. Her mood darkened a little at that. The people inside would be drinking, dancing, and partying with no idea of what was happening in this part of town. By the luck of the draw, by some genetic lottery, they had been born into lives where they would never hide behind a dumpster, pushing poison in their veins, or duck down into the shadows, casting glances and curses as a police cruiser rolled by. Judy scowled a little as these dark thoughts clouded her mind.

'Hey," Nick said softly.

Judy looked up at him, willing her irritation to not show, to not lash out at her partner. He didn't deserve that.

"So I was thinking Carrots…any chance of a movie marathon at your place after our shift?"

And there it was. Judy looked up her partner and almost was a little choked up. This time, there was no smugness, there was no patronizing edge. He knew how Judy felt about this stuff and knew how to fix it.

Cheesy movies.

Even cheesier pizza.

Maybe a few well-deserved breakfast beers.

Judy was steadfast and managed not to cry. She knew her partner would be absolutely merciless with his teasing if he saw her crying. It wasn't the first time the two had dealt with a tough shift this way but it may have never been so necessary so fast. The first call of the night was usually never this rough.

Judy forced on a chipper smile and responded "Heck yeah, Slick. You're In charge of buying the beers this time, I got the last time!"

Nick faked a vicious dry heave before responding "Jeez, yeah, maybe if you call that carrot ale a beer! That stuff was poison!"

Judy laughed before tossing back, "Yeah, you can dump on my choice of beer as long as you want, as long as you never buy that absolutely toxic blueberry cider again!"

The two laughed on the sidewalk, their emotionally taxing job temporarily forgotten. The two didn't realize it but they both had a special task. It was to keep the other one sane in this crazy world they lived and worked in, by any means necessary. One was essential to the other and to split them up would be to ruin the both of them, though they wouldn't know it. The officers just waited in the night, below their cruiser lights, under the sodium glow of an ancient street light.

Happytown, Four hours later

The midnight wind swept down the street mercilessly, chilling the small weasel to the bone. Not like his species was very large in the first place, but a rough life and more than a few missed meals had whittled him down to skin and bone. He trudged through the night anyways, with one purpose in his mind; he had to re-up. This new stuff was making money like crazy. He could easily afford to skim a little off the top for himself. He had never had it so easy, he'd made more money in the past few weeks than he ever could've just moving his usual nip. He had to let his guy know he was pushing it and ready to get some more.

The weasel turned left into Friendship Park. It was a shitty little playground with some crabgrass soccer fields nearby, an obvious attempt by some long gone mayor to get the predator vote. Jokes on them, now everyone just came here to smoke nip and cause trouble.

The weasel headed towards the public bathrooms in the middle of the park. His mouth almost watered at the thought of picking up more of this stuff. If his guy was generous enough, he might even keep a fat bag for himself. He had made enough profit last batch, he could probably afford it. He licked his lips at the thought as he pulled open the door.

The wolf leaned casually against the sink in the grimy bathroom. He was wearing a nice jacket and scarf, looking decidedly out of place in the grimy public bathroom. Honestly, the weasel thought he was some kind of narc when he first approached him. He just didn't seem like the type to be pushing drugs, and who just walks up to strangers and asks them to help them with it? Now however, he didn't give a damn who he was or how he dressed, as long as he had some more of stuff for him. The wolf spoke right away, giving no time for pleasantries.

"Well, you called me here so it must be important. What the hell do you want?" the wolf asked lazily. He made no attempt to hide his disdain for the weasel before him.

"Hey man, hey," the weasel rambled, "That shit you gave me, that shit flew off the shelves! I need more, like, ASAP." The weasel had stepped forward, hands together like a man in prayer.

"Well damn," the wolf grinned, "I know its good shit, but I just got you a new batch yesterday. Shit should've lasted a week. How'd you manage that?"

The weasel grinned mischievously as he pulled his last baggie out of his pocket.

"Simple! I just used brand marketing my dude!"

He proudly held up his baggie of blue powder. The wolf's face instantly dropped into a blank stare. There was a silence before the wolf deadpanned,

"What…the FUCK...is on that bag?

The weasel answered nervously "Heh heh..hey man…I just saw that tattoo on your wrist and thought that was like, your sign or something you know? The dealers here, they love to leave a sign on the bag so the junkies know what's up!"

The weasel put on a sly grin and leaned in towards his conspirator.

"And hey…between you and me…I heard the last batch I sold, some little junkie beaver ended up dead. The lowlifes will be fighting in the streets to get our shit now, I got the strongest shit on the block!"

The weasel tossed his head back and laughed his heart out. As far as he was concerned he had the world at his fingertips. He didn't notice that the wolf didn't join in on the laughing.

"So this beaver…she died right?" asked the wolf

"Hell yeah, yes she did!"

"And she died…with a bag of my drugs…with your little drawing of MY tattoo in her pocket. Probably still had it when the cops rolled the body, huh? And you said just about every junkie out here knows you've got the stuff right?" His tone was light and casual, but the implications were pretty clear. Even the burnt-out weasel could feel the mood change.

. "Hey…" whined the weasel, "You should be thanking me!" The weasel began to back away from the wolf. This encounter was going very different then how he imagined.

The wolf smiled slowly, leaning down to get eye level with the smaller predator.

"Well, tell me Weaselton…how should I thank you?"

Weaselton's eyes went wide and he froze. He had lived his life around dangerous mammals long enough to know he was in serious trouble. He knew he only had one chance. He tensed to bolt for the door.

Before he could even twitch, the wolf's paw flew inside his jacket and drew out a pistol. With the ease of a practiced gunslinger he fired two shots in a blink, both rounds finding homes in Weaselton's chest. The weapon had a long tube on the muzzle, a suppressor which made it damn near silent, the loudest noise in the dirty bathroom being the shell casings bouncing off the tile.

Weaselton dropped, clutching at his chest with a gasp. He didn't even have the wind left to scream. It didn't take long for the last little bit of life to leave him. The wolf bent over his body, quickly grabbing the decorated drug baggie. Even if anyone heard the shots, no one was calling the cops in this part of town, but still, he didn't want anyone finding him in here. He didn't want to have to kill two junkies tonight.

The wolf pushed out the door and began to stride purposefully. He really hoped this didn't complicate shit. Finding a new local to push the stuff wouldn't be an issue but the baggy with his tattoo made him at least a little nervous. Hopefully whatever cops found that beaver were the typical lazy doughnut munching type who would just chalk it up as another dead junkie.