Chapter Notes:

So this chapter is basically just the press conference that Judy gives and the conversation with Nick after, but there are some extra things involved. Rights are not mine, I don't own Zootopia or any of the characters.

This starts during Judy's press speech about the case. Enjoy-

Nick's eyes began to open wide seeing the images and video of all the missing mammals being displayed behind Judy as she gave her speech to the press. All of the animals being muzzled and guided by collar polls, a few animals lashing out swiping at a nearby officer, other animals with sadness plastered on their faces and their ears laying down flat, and even Emmit Otterton squirming around trying desperately to free himself from the collar. All these images began making Nick feel hot, claws squeezing in on themselves with the nails aching, flashes of memories from being muzzled as a kid being tear to his eyes and then rage. "...It might be time to consider their biology. Predators survived on these killer instincts long ago," Judy's voice rang through Nick's ears pulling him from his painful memory flashes, and now she was approaching him.

The grey bunny began telling him about not having enough time when he interrupted her with a raised paw, "Oh, I think you said plenty." Hurt and betrayal flowing deeply with his sad tone. "'Clearly there's a biological component, these predators may be reverting back to their primitive savage ways.'" He said quoting her words from the speech, with each word passed his expression shifted. Betrayal began turning into anger, and his hurt expression wrinkled at the muzzle with eyes narrowing in defensively, bordering threateningly.

Her voice firm but her face holding a confused gaze at her friend, "I just stated the facts of the case, its not like a bunny can go savage." She said not seeing the message in his words, the message in her words. "Nick you're not like them." She said now clearly confused, trying to defuse the situation, but only making it tick by faster.

Another wave of hurt and betrayal quickly overcame Nick, but out of subconscious defences it was replaced even quicker by anger, "Oh so there's a them now?" Nick said voice laced in pain and anger. now without his knowing or doing, his muzzle wrinkled near snarling, his eyes were completely focused on the rabbit, and his mind breaking down everything she said, along with his own logical thinking.

"You're not that kind of predator." Purple eyes began reflecting hurt and misunderstanding off of emerald ones.

"The kind that needs to be muzzled? The kind that makes you need to carry around, fox repellent?" The red furred mammal asked now fully lacing his words in accusation and spite.

A small grey faced looked down at the familiar canister in guilt, in shame, in regret.

Nick sent his paws to his temples trying to grasp at what little sanity he had left, once vibrant green eyes now a near void black with ears point out and back showing aggression. "L-let me ask you a question. Are you afraid of me?" he asked testingly causing Judy's nose to twitch slightly with her mouth open and expression hurt.

"Are you think I might go nuts?" He asked warningly. "Do you think I might go savage?" He asked threateningly, moving his now visible claws in a circle between them. A snarl now just as clear on his face, eyes trained, muzzled scrunched, fangs showing, and rage ever present.

claws. pain. fear. Run. Run. RUN. Now Judy's prey nature that kept rabbits alive during the stone ages was now screaming inside of her trying desperately to live. But now those survival instincts are drowned out by modern thinking inside her mind. Instantly her mind raced back to what happened with Gideon when she was younger, one of few times she had experienced fear like this, a fear for one's own life.

Judy walked between the carnival stalls in time to see Gideon stealing her friend, Lambbell's tickets from her and shoving them in the front pocket of his overalls. "Baaah baaah baaah" he sounded mockingly in her face as her pushed her away by her head.

"Hey. Stop that." Judy called out to the country fox as she stomped up to the group.

He looked over and laughed seeing her still in the police outfit from the carnival's play. "Nice costume loser." He said in a thick country accent getting a laugh out of him and his friend Travis.

"Kindly return my friend's tickets please." She demanded of the larger mammal, extending her hand forward.

"You better watch out little bunny because I'm a fox." He said hitting his fingers to his chest as Travis snaked around behind him, "And like you said in your little play us predators used to eat prey, and that killer instinct still runs through our DANA." he said with a snarl showing of his small but sharp teeth.

"I believe it's pronounced DNA." Travis corrected Gideon with a whisper.

Out of anger from being corrected Gideon took a hit at the weazel, "Shut it Travis. Don't tell me what I know." He said turning his attention back to Judy and pushing her down. "Are you afraid, awww are you gonna cry little bunny, hu?" Seeing the small rabbit on the floor with watery eyes with a twitch in her pink nose made the two predators start to laugh.

"She totally going to cry. Look at her nose twitch." Laughed the sneaky weasel as he pointed at her.

Gideon stepped closer to her now leaning over her, and that was what started the fight or flight response kicked in, and with that so did Judy. For an mammal, rabbits were some of the smaller ones however they didn't survive during the stone ages for nothing, no. Rabbits survived off their powerful legs often used to outrun and flee from any predator that was after them, and using these very same powerful legs Judy kicked up connecting with the bottom side of Gideon's muzzle. Unfortunately for the small rabbit, the size of the fox prevented any severe damage, and the well idea backfired as it only proved to enrage him.

pain. fight. fight. Fight. His predatory nature began to manifest and take hold. Now the seemingly massive predator was snarling fully out of rage and hate, with his claws drawn out his claws with full intent on mauling his prey laying helpless before him. In a flash of violence he drew three claw marks across Judy's cheek which were already beginning to show blood seeping out slowly.

pain. danger. fear. run. run. RUN. The prey instincts were burning up inside the small bunny, they burned so strong she gave in, but she was never able to get away.

A heavy clawed paw forced itself onto her face holding her to the ground, "YOU BETTER REMEMBER THAT NEXT TIME YOU THINK YOU ARE EVER ANYTHING MORE THAN JUST A DUMB BUNNY!" Gideon screamed menacingly inches from her face as he got up, shoving her face back down.

'No. I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid. I won't run, I won't run.' She told herself coming back to the present, willing herself to stay standing in front of Nick.

"You think I might try to...EAT YOU?" Nick asked fully displaying his claws and fangs as he snapped his upper body over Judy's as if to pounce.

LIVE! The bunnies instincts screamed out finally breaking through into Judy's conscious. Without a moment to spare, without a moment to think, without a moment to doubt, she reached out to defend herself as she unclasped the fox spray a grey paw still twitching over the canister.

*click* the safety button sounded, a sound missed by those a few feet away, but a sound that near shouted to the fox and bunny alike stopping them both in their place.

There was so much hurt that found its way onto the red foxes face, so much hurt that he nearly drowned in it. "I knew it." He huffed looking not to her scared purple eyes, but to a menacing pink casing.

Purple eyes followed the now green eyes, they followed right to the very same pink casing causing her to also nearly drown in her emotions. Thick waves of guilt and regret washed over Judy's conscious. Ears previously perked up defensively picking up all sounds in front of them dropped limp in sadness and desperation swaying sideways and the bunny shook her head trying to show that it wasn't her intention to make the move. Those very same waves of sadness spilled out to Nick trying just as desperately to reach him, only to find his walls he built as a kid were already far above their reach.

Nick's near neutral face now returned only now with a twinge of disappointment, "Just when I thought someone actually believed in me." He said to himself and anyone who cared enough to listen. "Probably best if you don't have a predator as a partner." He stated pushing a paper into her paws and walking away tail swaying back and forth irritatedly. News reporters made way for him, though all of them with their equipment facing the two during their whole conversation ready to twist their words as they see fit.

Looking over the yellow paper, Judy's eyes widened. Looking over the filled out paper, Judy's eyes widened. Looking over at the trust and faith Nick had for her, Judy's eyes widened. "no" a quiet voice whispered to itself. "Nick. Nick." Judy called trying to chase after her friend. Trying to show just how sorry she was for what she had just said, for what she had just done. Only this time to be stopped by a wall of reporters and recording equipment.

"Officer Hopps, were you just threatened by that predator?" A beaver questioned accusingly.

"No. He's my friend." Judy responded trying hard to get through the crowd. Her voice now firm and sure in her decision and words.

"We can't even trust our own friends." Another rabbit asked or claimed, it wasn't know what she meant.

Looking at the reporter confused at the change in her words, the change in her meaning, "That is not what I said." Judy stated back, trying to clarify her message, only to be drowned out by more questions being pushed onto her from the reporters now completely encircling her.

Author' Notes:

I tried to stay true to the movies wording, but also only wanted to include important parts of the dialogue rather than the whole thing. Plus I have been having a hard time finding what is said throughout the movie word-for-word.

Well there's that chapter. I know it was a pretty short chapter but the next one will be longer but, how was it? Let me know what you thought, all the goods and bads.

I'm right this and another fic at the same time so it's kinda like my first, but I'm hopping that with doing this I can grow in more ways than one with my writing. I hope to be back soon!-