Prologue:

A wild storm pounded against the walls of Elkcatraz, keeping its guards inside.

Deep in the lowest cell a large silhouette crouched. Chains bolted to the walls wrapped around its body, holding large paws behind its back and a muzzle trapping its jaws.

It was a lioness.

Her black tipped ears flicked back and forth, listening to the thunderous beat of raindrops and hail, listening to the paw steps of her guards just outside the door. Her breath was calm and shallow, her chest barely rising with each intake.

She was waiting.

A new sound touched her ear, so quiet she would have missed it if she hadn't been listening for it. Her golden eyes snapped open, the pupils sharp and dilated. The sound was like a scraping, like someone was using a knife to open a locked door. The lioness looked up.

The tiles of the metal roof were shaped like squares and she could see what appeared to be a blade slicing through one tile, her heart started to hammer with excitement.

The tile was pulled away to reveal a vent that would be a tight squeeze but one that would be worth it. And then she found herself looking into intelligent eyes. A spider monkey was staring back at her, wearing black silk and grinning like a mad animal. He slid out of the hole he had just carved, landing silently on his feet as if he were a cat.

The lioness couldn't speak for the muzzle pressed painfully against her mouth, but her eyes spoke volumes. The monkey nodded once before holding up the small blade that he held by his tail. In a matter of seconds he had undone the locks that chained the lioness. He made to release the muzzle but before he could the lioness brought her unbound paws to her face, revealing her abnormally long claws that were plated with a shining iron, with one quick flick of one she had sliced the muzzle free, she smiled. Without a sound she picked the spider monkey up and put him in the vent, quickly jumping in after him. The smaller mammal led her through the maze until finally she smelled the glorious scent of rain and wind and nearly crushed her rescuer in her haste to be free.

Outside the lioness stood to her full height and spread her arms out, taking in a deep breath as rain slammed mercilessly into her fur. She had not felt this amazing in thirteen years.

The spider monkey impatiently tugged on the lioness's shirt and she followed him, there were no guards out in this deluge, they made their way to the opening he had made of the wall, crawled down the rocky outcropping of the island and made it to a hidden boat.

When Elkcatraz was just a dot in the distance the lioness let out a victorious roar, "Finally! Finally, I am free!"

Her glowing eyes turned to the monkey, "Arachnid, you have done well, my friend."

Arachnid's smile was oily, "Of course, my dear. You are the key to our victory."

Those words made her ears perk up, "Victory? We still have allies?"

"Only a few," he admitted, "But enough to reach out goal. What are your orders, Ironclaw?"

Ironclaw turned to the south, where her old home laid. She grinned, showing off her row of fangs, a violently gleeful light in her eyes, "Take me to Zootopia. Our plan has not changed; I will burn that city of lies to ashes."