Prey Can Go Savage

Savage Rabbit

The leopard followed behind the rabbit, attempting to remain quiet.  He knew bunnies were well known for their superior hearing abilities, and didn't want to give himself away. She turned down an alley way when he decided this was the perfect chance to put forth his plan.  He started to pick up the pace, almost going into a run, before he turned down the alley and saw her standing at the edge of the alley near a trash can.  He sprinted, ready to grab her, when she turned around, jumping into the air, missing his paws by a hair.  He skidded to a stop, swinging himself around, glaring at her with so much hatred Judy almost flinched without him even touching her.

"You damn rabbit!  You think you're so quick?" he asked, showing his teeth.  Judy straightened herself up, her ears standing in the air, her reflexes on point.  She had heard this guy coming up on her almost 5 seconds before he even attempted to grab her.

"I like to think I am." she replied back, her hands reaching for her elephant tranquilizer in her utility belt.  The leopard hissed, causing her to look at him in confusion, her eyebrow raised.

"What's this about?" she asked, keeping her calm, yet also reading herself.  The cat almost seemed to smile, and crossed his arms.

"What's this about? What's this about!? What do you think!?" he asked angrily, his ears pinned.

Judy didn't answer, she just stared back, trying to meet his gaze.  He lowered his head down, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"My name..Is Cole."

"C..Cole?" She asked.  What was so threatening about that?  What did he even want from her?  She didn't recognize him from any cases or files, meaning he hadn't been arrested before..that she knew of anyway.  She scanned the area behind him.  No one was around.

"You..You disgusting prey animal.."

"Excuse me?" She put one paw on her hip, her other prepared to grab the dart gun.

"You're hatred caused me to lose everything I had.." He took a step closer, causing her to back up.

"My hatred?  What.."

"Yes!  You think that all predators are savage!  That no prey animals could ever hurt anyone else..Prey animals are little angels..And the creepy, scary predators with their large teeth and razor sharp claws.." he hissed.

"I didn't say anything of the sort..If you're talking about what happened a few months ago..Yes, I did start something that I wish had never happened, but it was all unintentional.  I never meant for what happened to happen.  I don't hate predators..My best friend is a predator.."

"Yeah, that fox.  He's an idiot for trusting you.."

"Excuse me, Nick is a very well respected officer, and I don't understand your motive for this, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave, else you run the risk of being arrested for harassment.  I'm asking you politely to leave me alone." she answered, her eyes narrowing. 

The tension grew more, and they stared at one another for a moment, then he seemed to ease down.

"My family.."

"What?"

"My family.  They were killed because of you.."  Judy's ears lowered more, if they could.

"I never killed anyone." she replied.

"You caused them to be killed..Your little speech, about predators..caused the prey to hate us..They came, they came into our house in fear, and killed my mother and father..."

Judy's ears perked up.

"No..I never meant for that to happen..You're the one predator family that..the prey...turned really violent during those times..I remember there being a story about a group prey animals turning in fear, showing up and killing two predators because they were afraid they would turn savage.."

The leopard's ears lowered, a fang hanging out of his mouth.

"Cole..That was your mother and father?" she asked.

"What do you think..?" he asked.  Judy looked at the ground.

"Nothing I said was ever meant to turn one side against the other, I swear of it.  I know I was to blame for the outburst and the fear..But I wasn't the cause of the attacks. Mayor Bellwether started all of that." she explained.  He didn't seem like he changed his mind.

"That nasty sheep may have been the one behind the attacks..but you started the hatred..the fear..the distrust.."

"I tried telling them to stop!  I tried to stop them all!  I tried to keep the peace, I tried to tell everyone that I never meant for the situation to turn out the way it did!  But it happened! I'm sorry!" Judy shouted, a single tear showing in the rim of her eye. Cole's eyebrow rose, but he had to continue.

"The prey who did this were arrested...Cole, they'll be in jail for the rest of their pathetic lives..But I can't bring your family back.  I'm sorry..I'm sorry for everything that happened during those events..But I can't change the past.  I can only try to fix the future." She sighed, staring at the ground.  Cole watched her in amazement, her words running through his mind.  No..This had to continue..He saw his perfect moment, and took his claw, swinging it outward, then swinging forth, slashing Judy across the face.

Gah!!! 

 Judy hit the side of the building wall, slamming against it, hard.  She slid down, groaning.  The bunny looked up through her dreary eyes to see him standing over her, something in his paw.

He reached down, grabbing her by the ears and pulling her off the ground, her small form hanging from her ears, to where she was face to face with him.

"Sometimes, the only way to learn is to go through the same experience." he stated, before opening his paw, revealing a night howler pellet.  She gasped, but her head was so fuzzy from the impact, the gash on her face dripping warm liquid, matting into her fur.

"I'm going to show you what it was like..Watch the city turn it's back on you..Watch the ZPD turn it's back on you..Watch your fox friend turn his back on you..Because now, Judy Hopps, you're going to be nothing more than a savage.  He shoved her against the wall again, holding her small form in place.  He took the pellet, and shoved it into her mouth, forcing her to eat it.

Judy coughed, trying to get the pellet out, but it was no use.  She ate it. She tried to kick him with her back feet, but he was so much stronger than her, tougher than her.  Her head hurt, and he threw her onto the ground with force.  She hit the concrete, wincing in pain.

"Congratulations Officer Hopps, for being the first ever savage prey animal." he smiled, before he quickly threw his jacket hood over his head and sprinted down the road, attempting to reach a decent distance from Judy before the effects of the Night Howlers completely overtook her.