Zootopia Drabbles (Discontinued)

Aftermath Ch.1

The worst part about their collars were the itches. Sure, the PMD (Predator Managing Department) watching their every move was rather unsettling. But having their heart rate monitored and their brain activity registered was something all predators had gotten used to.

Ever since the savage outbreaks had started about a year ago, the city had slowly begun to spiral into chaos. He and Judy never found the reason behind the attacks, but the police were still searching. Some speculated that it was an animal who had a grudge against predators and was drugging them to turn them vicious. Others believed that it was a predatory instinct that had finally woken up after centuries of being asleep that started to drive animals to kill.

Regardless of the reason, no one felt safe anymore. The prey were worried they could be killed, and the predators were worried they would kill. So as a solution, the government suggested MBC's or Mandatory Behavioral Collars on all predatory civilians. These collars would monitor the predator population and incapacitate any animal that was detected to be savage. Within the next month or so, every predator had been equipped with an MBC.

Fortunately, the MBC's did their job and stopped a lot of dangers. The animals were paralyzed when they went savage, the police picked them up, and they spent the rest of their lives in a laboratory where they were monitored in an attempt to find a cure. Unfortunately, the devices raised bigger problems, like the itching.

"I almost have it." Nick said as he clawed viciously at the back of his neck, trying to get in behind the collar. "I swear I'm so close."

He and Judy were on break from a patrol route in the rainforest district. They sat on a bench overlooking a city block while they talked and ate their lunch. The bench was pushed up against a massive tree, so they had shelter from the light rain that fell down over the city.

Judy, who was sitting beside him, began giggling at her partner's struggle. She hated it when she laughed at Nick because of his collar, but it was just so funny.

"You want some help with that?" She asked with a grin.

"Nope, I don't need help." Nick quickly denied. But after struggling with the gadget for far too long, he finally admitted defeat. Nick sighed and looked at Judy with disappointment in his eyes.

"I need your help." He said shyly. "Please."

"Ok. If you insist." Judy replied with a smile as she hopped up on Nick's shoulders and used her small paws to get underneath the metal. Once she started scratching at Nick's neck, she felt him shudder, and let out soft 'ooooh's and 'aaaah's.

"What would you do without me?" Judy asked as she fell off of Nick's shoulders and into his lap.

"Probably buy a decent back scratcher." He answered jokingly, picking his lunch back up.

Judy chuckled and took her own food. They sat in silence, eating their meals and enjoying each others company. Once Nick finished his sandwich, he looked down in his lap at Judy. She was munching on a bunch of berries, looking at the animals going about their day in the rain. Some had umbrellas, others risked it and ran to their destination. As she ate, she grabbed Nick's tail and brought it close to her chest to snuggle it. He loved it when she grabbed his tail.

But he wasn't enjoying the moment as much as he should have. He was still thinking about the piece of junk around his neck. His MBC. Sure, it helped save a few animals, but was it really that necessary? Collars were humiliating. It was a message that told everyone that predators couldn't control themselves.

And why didn't any prey have any? There was no proof that they could control themselves any better than predators, they had just never been on the edge of going savage. And if a prey suddenly did go crazy and attack, would MBDs be mandatory on all animals? Nick didn't want his tax money to go to such a stupid cause.