Author's Note

Hello! I just wanted to quickly let you know that this story is incredibly old, and easily my worst work of all. I am severely, incomprehensibly disappointed in the quality of the writing, the lack of proper punctuation, the rampant capitalization, and also how violent I portrayed the scene with Nick losing his eyesight. I have wanted to delete this story for a long, long time, however, since it has a decent following, I shall leave it intact out of courtesy for those that have found enjoyment from it. If you are a new reader and wish to read something of far greater quality, then I highly recommend checking out pretty much any of my other stories, here. 'When Instinct Falls' is my personal masterstroke, and I'd recommend it over this one any day, in every way.

I appreciate your patience and consideration, all the same. Thank you.

"If love is blind, then maybe a blind person that loves has a greater understanding of it." - Criss Jami

...

How strong must ones love be for another for them to be willing to sacrifice anything... anything... for the sake of such desire?

In Nick's case... It was his vision. His eyes. The most descriptive sense of them all. His sight,

The only sense that allowed him to see the wonders of life...

Was gone.

...

Law.

The embodiment of societies impossible ideals.

The citizens are malleable... but those that defend them, are stone: Shaped only by the harsh weather of expectation. And none have a greater burden of expectation then the Police. For they are courage, they are honor, and they are justice... personified.

Courage, is not the absence of fear... but the will to face the frightening.

Honor, is not a stubborn oath... but the integrity to uphold what is right, even if it is not easy.

Justice, is not an adherence to the law... but a code of fairness and morality.

But sometimes, the brave souls that abide by this code must make sacrifices. They must forgo their will, their desire to live, and endure pain. Suffering. They must be willing to lay down their life for the greater good, if such a thing even exists. There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.

But when the person you love cannot see your affection, some might ask... what is the point?

The point... Is Sacrifice. It is shedding yourself of any doubts or hesitations, and willingly giving in to fate. But with sacrifice, there is always a price.

Nicholas Wilde was blind.

It was the price to be paid... And he paid it willingly.

...

The Cruiser glided down the street with ease in the afternoon clear. Traffic was at a minimal, and rush-hour was still ages away, so the vehicle that carried the two tiny officers was met with little resistance on their mid-day patrol. A Fox manned the wheel whilst his mate, Judy- A Self Righteous Bunny, reclined in the passenger seat. They were on a simple schedule that day: Afternoon patrol of the business section in Zootopia's inner district, then report back to the ZPD at 3:00 for a briefing before being excused for the rest of the day. Both animals were appreciative of the easy work-day, as they were often used to being sent off on some new case every other week. They considered themselves lucky that they've stayed in one piece throughout their career so far, as they had made frequent conflict with large, viscous animals, both predator and prey alike on their endeavors. They enjoyed the simplicity of that afternoon.

But the seething underbelly of the city consistently showed its darker side. They've been on patrols where they had expected a quick and easy time keeping watch, but instead have ended up breaking up fights, pursuing suspicious citizens, and arresting violent animals. Even something as innocent as a patrol could turn sour in the blink of an eye. That's why both Fox and Bunny kept their guard up as they scanned the area. You never knew when something might happen. It could be anything from petty-theft to armed robbery. Even something as minor as littering could require their attention if not dealt with; as the city government was surprisingly strict about cleanliness and sanitation.

Point being: Both officers were ready for anything...

But that didn't stop them from engaging in idle conversation to pass the time. They discussed both trivial and pivotal topics, ranging from small-talk to their political standpoints. Enjoyment was had in these simple moments, for it was them that you often learned the most about someone. They had parked themselves in front of the entrance to the largest Plaza in the main district, and after some time decided to engage in communication as they counted down the hours.

"So then I told him, you got the wrong guy!" The Fox cried as he exclaimed one of his past run-ins with the law to his mate, Judy, who sat adjacent to him whilst listening with intent. "Those are clearly wolf paw prints, not Fox!" He pointed with open hands at the steering wheel for effect, as he was so completely enraptured in the story that he was practically acting it out.

"So then this fuzz-face lets me go, but only after I compare my paws," He points to one of his open hands, "With the ones in the snow! Gosh... some guys just can't take a joke can they, huh Carrots?" He asked as he locked eyes with the Bunny, who beamed at him with a large smile.

"Not all officers are that stubbornNick... Besides, they're just doing they're job!"

Nick donned his favorite facial expression: Smug smile, half-lidded eyes, and easy grin. "I shouda' known you'd say something like that, Whiskers." He claimed as he turned his head and set his eyes on the scene in front of him: The plaza stretched out in front of their Cruiser, the sides of the street bearing many different shopping centers and civil-services. The communal area was buzzing with activity, shoppers shifting through stores, citizens relaxing on benches dotted across the landscape, friends gathered in groups and socialized with one another. There was a lot to take in, but as an officer, you had to train your eyes to sift through the commotion and to be able to select any suspicious or unlawful activity. Both Nick and Judy knew this. But on this lovely day, it seemed that nothing could go wrong. There wasn't a single suggestive act in sight. Everyone was minding their own business and actions, going about their day with ease. But as he stared out the window of their car, Nick couldn't help but feel as if something was... off.

No way can there be that many people and not a single one of them be out of line, He cynically thought to himself.

As a former Con-Artist, Nick knew the criminal side of Zootopia quite well. He may have been a cop, but he was distrustful of society and its conniving ways. There was always someone up to no good. Somewhere. Out there. In the thick of it all.

But as far as his youthful eyes could see, he saw no signs of danger: Just law-abiding citizens enjoying their day.

Nothing at all...

Relax Wilde, He mentally told himself. You're gonna drive yourself crazy thinking like that...

Thankfully, his mate was there to derail his monorail of thought before it could get itself in a train-wreck. "Hey Nick," He heard her say.

The Fox turned his head back towards his lovely mate, who sat with her hands across the dashboard of the car as she fiddled with her thumbs. Nick took note of the expressive way her sensuous body was hunched over. He noticed the way her ears drooped to her side disappointingly. She was agitated. Stressed. Worried.

"Do you have the feeling that..." She stopped herself when she shook her head lightly from side to side before continuing. "Do you have the feeling that something's wrong?"

Uh oh...

The Fox had written off his aforementioned thoughts as simply his sardonic side speaking. But when Judy had the same sinking feeling, he knew that something wasn't right.

Not answering right away, he quickly scanned the scene in front of him: He saw a family of Giraffe's walking close together down the sidewalk, a lone hippo reading a newspaper on a bench, a group of juvenile lionesses exiting a store- Targoat- hands overfilled with bags of varying sizes, overflowing with newly purchased clothing and other accessories.

Nothing...

He sank back into his chair. Relief washed over him... But the layer of dirt that was doubt still remained; stubbornly clinging to his flesh, refusing to let go and be washed away with the tide. He waved away those thoughts after realizing that he still hadn't answered his mate's question.

Not wanting to leave her hanging, especially with a sense of pessimism, He plastered on a facade smirk to obscure his worry. He looked his wife in the eye and soothingly said his next few words:

"Don't worry Fluff... nothing's wrong here. Everything is alri-"

A shrill scream pierced the air, interrupting his statement.

He momentarily saw Judy's ears shoot up in detection before he swiveled his own head in the direction of the vociferous noise. Right outside of the nearby Targoat, the same group of Lionesses that the Fox had spotted earlier were running around in circles and backing away from a focal point near the entrance, handbags and other accessories flying through the air in a small storm of makeup and clothing. Then the crowd briefly parted, allowing Nick to spot the source of the commotion: A juvenile male lion, maybe in his teens to mid-twenties, was locked in hand to hand combat with a pure black panther. Everything the panther wore was black, straight through his leather jacket and midnight slacks, right down to his glossy fur. His flat color scheme made it hard to tell his age, especially since he had his back to the cruiser. What they were fighting about, neither officer knew. But it didn't matter. They had work to do.

Nick quickly turned to his mate, and watched her as she unbuckled her seat-belt. "Looks like we got a Throw-Down on our hands!" He muttered to her as he stepped out of the car door. Judy sighed loudly before finalizing the Fox's words with a comment of her own. "Unfortunately." Both animals nodded to each other and began racing towards the action.

As he got closer, Nick managed to pick out more details about the scuffle. The Panther had a large orange purse slung over his shoulder, obviously not his... no doubt stolen from one of the female Lions who were still busy being unhelpful, waving their hands in the air and yelling. The male Lion was apparently trying to get the purse back, as he was grabbing for it himself, but wasn't having much success. Both Felines had their arms locked around each-others necks and shoulders, shuffling around in agitation. The Panther had his back to the officers that were running toward him, and was oblivious to their coming presence. The Lion however, saw Nick and Judy as they made their approach and suddenly released his own hold on the handbag.

Aahhhh...Smart... Nick thought to himself. The Fox realized that the Lion wasn't trying to hurt the Panther: He was just trying to recover the stolen item. The Panther had the exact same goal in mind no doubt, so when the Lion let go of the satchel, the Panther immediately turned tail and fled: Right into the waiting arms of the Police officers.

As the Panther turned around and slammed into Judy, Nick got a better look at him. Nothing much... black on black on even more black. The only bit of color was his eyes, which were blue. They starkly contrasted the rest of his body, and were unnerving to look at: A splash of indigo in a sea of darkness.

Nick registered all of that in a split second. His conscious made him reach for his radio, which he promptly pulled out and spoke into: "Dispatch, we encountered a Throw-down here in the central plaza, Officer Hopps and I are currently engaging, standby on that pending, over!" He hooked the radio back into his collar, not bothering to wait for a response. As he contacted other officers and the station, Judy was busy wrestling with the Panther on the ground. She was strong and tough for her size, but it was no contest: The Panther backhanded the smaller Bunny and sent her sprawling a few feet backwards, but Nick's mate was an agile creature. She regained her balance in mid-air, twisting herself appropriately before landing on her feet and left hand, sliding a few inches back before gaining traction against the concrete.

Nick reminded himself to complement his mate on being a complete bad-ass once they finished with this. He promptly pulled out his tranquilizer gun, which was hooked up to his utility belt. The Panther swiped at him, knocking the fire-arm out of his grip and sending it careening farther down the sidewalk path. Nick turned back toward his opponent and locked eyes with the Panther, who was growling menacingly. For the first time, Nick noticed that the feline had flying colors on the front of his leather jacket: Gang colors.

Great... some wannabe gang-banger with a pole up his ass... Nick contemplated in his head.

Right when the big cat was about to lunge at him, Judy grabbed his neck from behind and put him in a head-lock, or at least the best headlock she could manage. Remembering her lessons from Police Academy for when fighting a bigger opponent, she used her momentum and weight to corkscrew the Panther's neck, bringing his body with it, and slam him into the ground.

Nice, Fluff, He internally complemented his mate, who still held the writhing panther against the concrete surface, burying his face into the ground.

"Nick! Cuffs!" She shouted at the Fox, who without hesitation had pulled out his pair of size-adjustable hand-cuffs. Nick heard sirens close-by and in the distance.

Good... backup's here! This hairball has got it comin' to him! Nick thought with excitement.

He made his way over to the pair, but everything went wrong when the Panther somehow managed to reach back and grab Judy by the waist, ripping her off his back and then harshly throwing her into the ground at his feet with a cringe-inducing thud.

Nicks vision turned red as boiling rage overtook his sanity. He charged at the Panther, his sense of reason as shattered as Judy's broken form which lay unmoving a few meters away. As he ran at the beast that had hurt his mate, his assault was met with a foot to the stomach. He bent over the shape of the foot like a folding chair as it plowed into his gut at full force. He collapsed to his knees at the feet of the Panther, sputtering and coughing up small droplets of red liquid. Blood.

He raised his gaze and locked eyes with his mate, who had found the strength to lift her head just enough to see Nick. Her Purple eyes shown with fear and care, but also terror at the sight before her. Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw a Police Cruiser pull into the nearby lot and park itself right next to their own car. Their good friend Officer McHorn kicked open the door, and ran towards the scene, tranquilizer in hand, with his partner at his side; A Timber wolf whose name escaped him.

Nick raised his of line of sight even higher, stopping at the Panther that loomed triumphantly above him. He saw the Panther lift us right arm and unsheathe his claws: 4 inch polished black talons that seemed to gleam with an aura of pain. The panther locked eyes with Nick, and smiled almost sympathetically down at him. His smile melted into an expression of hatred as he raised his claw above his head, and swept downward.

Time stopped.

Nick saw his beloved Judy, laying just a few feet away from him. She had managed to rise to her knees, and she had her left arm thrown out at Nick, hand extended as if to grasp on to some falling object. Her beautiful amethyst eyes were shedding tears, and her face was filled with horror.

Nick saw the two other officers farther back, their tranquilizers aimed and locked on to the Panther.

The Panther...

Nick saw him looming above him menacingly. His right arm raised high above his head, brought down in a swinging motion towards the Fox's face. Nick knew what he was going to do. He knew what was going to happen. The Panther was going to rob him of his most treasured and important sense.

Never again would he be able to gaze lovingly at his mate.

Never would he be able to see his friend's faces fill with laughter at one of his jokes.

Never would he be able to stare down the world he lived in.

His vision rested once more on the Panther. Nick knew this would be the last thing he ever saw:

His mate crying,

His comrades shooting,

And worst of all, the bastard that made him blind.

Time started once more, and the Panther brought down his swipe.

Nick felt the panthers claws sink into his face... searing pain erupted the instant the claws made contact with his corneas.

Then everything went black.