It was a great fair, Judy thought, so far. She had just done her performance at the Kid's Competition, and it had been a blast. So what if they had only gotten 6th place out of seven animals, so what if the seventh mammal passed out, it was still good to Judy.

She would just have to try harder next time.

However, her parents were just giving her a lecture about how not trying was way better than trying. What's with that? Judy loved trying, so she was going to stick with it, no matter what her parents thought or said. She was going to be a cop no matter what, it was her dream, and she would stick with it.

"One carrot at a time," Bonnie said.

"Amen to that," Stu said after her. What? Oh right the lecture. But Judy wasn't listening, as her rabbit ears perked up to as she heard a whisper. Gideon Grey, the school bully's whisper, to his weasel sidekick Travis. They just started to follow a group of Judy's friends back behind some stalls, and the look on that fox's face spelt trouble and not a friendly walk in the park.

Judy glanced back at her parents, who were still bickering, then back at the opening. They weren't watching, so she took off after the other mammals.

The tiny rabbit arrived just in time.

"Give me your tickets right now, or I'm gonna kick your meek little sheep butt!" Gideon growled, shoving one of the kids, a little black lamb, into the others. They looked so scared!

"Ow, cut it out Gideon!" she cried.

"Baa, baa, waddya gonna do cry?" the young fox cried back tauntingly, making the little sheep cringe.

"Hey, you heard her! Cut it out," Judy said, walking up to the group, having enough of Gideon's tormenting. It wasn't the other kids' fault he was so greedy, so they shouldn't suffer for it.

"Nice costume loser. What crazy world are you living in where you think a bunny can be a cop?" Gideon chuckled, stalking up to the small doe.

"Kindly return my friends tickets!" Judy cried, handing out her paw in expectation. The other kids watched on, not daring to breathe.

"Come and get 'em!" he said, gesturing to himself then her. "But watch out, 'cus I'm a fox!" he beared his claws, making Judy's noes twitch slightly. "And like you said in your dumb little stage play, us predators used ta eat prey! And that killed instinct is still in our dunnuh,"

"Uh, I'm pretty much sure it's pronounced DNA," Travis whispered behind his paw.

"Don't tell me what I don't know, Travis!" Gideon seethed, swatting the weasel away. He very much obliged to step back, with wide eyes.

"You don't scare me Gideon!" Judy said tentatively, stepping up to the fox. Without warning Gideon shoved her to the ground. Judy gasped in shock, as she looked as Gideon towered above her. The others screamed and ran behind a tree, where they peered over at the two, shocked.

"Well you scared now?"

"Look at her nose twitch, she is scared!" Travis cried, like it was the best thing in the world. It was true, Judy's nose was twitching like mad.

"Cry little baby bunny, cry," Gideon taunted above her, as he lent on his knees. That was the last straw, thought Judy, as she stopped twitching her nose and hardened her face in one swift motion, and then quickly kicked Gideon's lingering face square on the muzzle. Judy heard a gasp from behind the tree, and she quickly regretted the movement as Gideon touched his nose, then looked over at her with pure hatred.

"Oh, you don't know when to quit, do ya?" Gideon asked, eyes narrowed, as he pulled his paw up, then suddenly claws shot out from it in a giant screesh. Judy gasped in horror, heart racing so fast as she watched him walk over to her.

Gideon started growling, and Judy's eyes clamped shut as she waited to feel the raking claws across her face.

But it never came.

She looked up in shock as she heard a growling scuffling in front of her, and her eyes shot open to see another fox, a new one, on top of Gideon, seeming to be seething mad at him. He started to shake Gideon from the front of his collar, shaking so hard that the fox bully's teeth chattered.

"What the heck were you thinking, Gideon?! What were you thinking you would accomplish through that, huh?! What. Were. You. Thinking?!" the new fox yelled into Gideon's face, making his ears fall back.

"I was thinkin'…. I don't know," Gideon mumbled back in shame.

"That's right, you weren't! You. Weren't. Thinking! See what went wrong there? I knew you were a bully in recent times but this is really the icing on the cake! Wait till I tell-"

"You won't tell ma, will you Nick?!" Gideon gasped in shock, looking up at the other fox, making him smirk.

"Oh, depends on if you apologise to the bunny you about to skin!"

"Alright, I will, I will!" Gideon cried, scrambling up and walking up to Judy slowly. The other fox, Nick, just stood where he was as he watched on with grave eyes. Gideon seemed to feel it in pierce his back as he kept walking, stumbling every so often as his eyes darted from Judy, to the ground, then back to Nick and Judy again. Judy quickly scrambled up to meet him, as he finally stopped in front of her.

"Mm sorry," he muttered through his teeth.

"I didn't quite hear that," Judy said, putting her paw to her ear.

"Yeah, Gid, I didn't either," Nick called from behind, slowly walking up to them with his paws in his pockets. Gideon eyeballed him warily, and then sighed slightly.

"I'm sorry. There, I said it, now you won't tell?" He said to Judy, then to Nick, eyes large and hopeful. Was this the fox that was just tormenting her and her friends?

"Oh you bet I will! What you were just about to do was unforgiveable, and you deserved to be punished! I'm telling Aunty Susie as soon as we get in the car, and I suggest you get your lousy butt over there because that was what I was sent here to do!" Nick yelled in Gideon's face, making the larger fox remorse.

"But you promised,"

"It's called a hustle, Gid, okay? Just get over to the van, we're leaving. Unless you want me to tell it in exquisite detail," Nick said, standing up tall with his paws in his pockets, eyes narrowed like they meant business.

"Alright," Gideon grumbled under his breath, trudging off in the direction Nick came. The two mammals waited in silence until they were sure the bully had left. Only then did Nick turn around, and Judy got to study him better. He was slightly higher than her, and definitely smaller than Gideon, much brighter too. He wore a light aqua shirt, and some cream jeans. His tail was quite bushy, but sleeker than Gideon's. They must be distant relations.

"And don't you think I've forgotten about you, Travis, so you better scram before a call on your parents, ok?" Nick called over his shoulder, and the weasel quickly sprinted away, nearly as fearful as Gideon.

"I'm sorry about Gideon, he's just an idiotic fox with no reason to live life. Are you ok?" Nick asked, cocking his head in concern. Judy blinked once, then looked up to his face, which looked calm and inviting, yet ready to fight.

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks mister…?"

"Nick. Nick Wilde," he said, putting out a paw to shake. Judy smiled, taking the outstretched paw.

"Judy Hopps," As they shook paws, Judy's friends finally came out from behind the tree, all making a big fuss around the two new friends.

"Are you okay Judy?"

"What happened?"

"Did you get out tickets?" the little bunny asked, eyes wide and hopeful. Judy looked back down at her in dismay.

"No, I didn't,"

"Yet here they are," Nick smirked, pulling his right paw out of his pocket, and handing them over to the little bunny.

"You got our tickets back!"

"Yes, when I was wrangling him. I decided he hadn't quite earnt them," Nick smiled at them, and they all went into a group hug. Judy laughed happily, snuggling into the assortment of fur and wool. She may not have gotten them herself, but they had gotten them back, and as long as the job was done, it didn't matter who took the glory.

"But Chief Carrots here should get most of the praise. She did start to try and stand up to Gideon, after all," he said, pointing over to Judy after they broke up the hug. Ok, so maybe a little of the praise did count.

"Yeah, you were awesome Judy!

"Your so cool for sticking up to him!"

"Thanks so much!"

Another round of praises. Oh well.

"It wasn't a problem, guys. I have to practice at being a cop anyway," she smiled back at them, then beamed up at Nick, who smiled back.

"Yeah, you sure will make a great cop. Come on guys, let's go tell mum and dad!" the white male sheep cried, and many cries of agreement and farewell were called, as the young gang ran over and out of the small clearing. Soon it was only Judy and Nick left.

"You will sure be one heck of a cop with that enthusiasm, Carrots," Nick laughed, patting Judy one the shoulder.

"You think?" she asked hopefully, jumping up and down on the balls of her feet. Nick smiled yet again and nodded.

"Sure thing, officer fluff. Just be able to control it, or else you could find yourself up against a wild jaguar!" he said, smiling at Judy's smile and optimism.

"Well, I better get going, Carrots. I have a lot of stuff to do, and a fox to tell on. Until next time!" Nick said, saluting at her and then walked off.

"See ya Nick!" she called after him. He wasn't half as bad as Gideon, and a really nice guy. If it wasn't for him, she may have an entirely different view on foxes, and wouldn't ever think they were trustworthy, since Gideon was the only fox she ever knew. Maybe, just maybe, not all foxes were the cruel, cheating, sly animals the world thought they were, and maybe they did have some good foxes in all of that bunch of stereotypical things hanging in the air.

Her parents did just exaggerate, Judy thought, as her paw ghosted over her cheek which would have been used as a pin cushion, and then she walked over to the exit of the clearing, took one look back at Nick's bushy tail, then walked out and over to where her parents were still trying to figure out where she went.

Maybe, just maybe.