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Chapter Ten: Trial Separation

"The Roaropean wolves are noted as being some of the last species in Roarup to reach civilization and establish a nation of their own, only beating out the mammals of Sibearia by about a half century. Once unified under the Düclaw clan came the merging of their language, writing, fables and other elements into more or less the Roaropean wolf culture as we have come to know it. But the North Mammalian Wolves took even longer than their Roaropean counterparts to reach a civilized state. In fact many modern mammals, especially descendants of the Norwulves, joke that the Canidean wolves still have yet to reach a state of civilization."

"Predating the colonization of the peninsula that would become Zootopia, the wolves of Canidea had no declared nation of their own. As was the way before Scottram and Norwulff organized, the North Mammalian wolves existed in pack based communes called 'tribes'. They also shared similar expansionist ideals to what the Norwulves once held. But unlike their brothers in Roarope who chose to rule over and accept the different species of the native regions they came to conquer, Native Mammalian Wolves were fiercely territorial and very aggressive toward outsiders, non-wolves especially. When expanding their territory, the tribes of Native Wolves would either drive the previous settlers or simply kill and in some cases eat them."

"At the time the first settlers came over from Roarope in 1630 there were a variety of different Native Wolf tribes largely spread across the northern part of the continent, but for the sake of exactly what pertains to both Vernon and my familial roots, the focus of this timeline will be the infamous 'Redclaw Pack'. Most of old Zootopia was inhabited by various tribes of rabbits, foxes, and other native mammals when the first settlers arrived, and as discussed before these natives were quickly adopted into the more modern society that the settlers had brought with them. However, the North Eastern part of Zootopia, just below the NorthMountains that separate the peninsula from Canidea proper was inhabited by the 'Redclaw Pack'. This tribe of wolves were the sole inhabitants of the area that would become the Meadowlands."

"The Meadowlands back then were much as we know them today. The lush and fertile open grasslands made the area a perfect place for the farming early Zootopia would come to depend on to sustain itself, and there-for it became an essential area for the settlers to occupy. The Shcottish sheep were particularly fond of claiming it, as not only could they work the land, but it's climate was closest to that of their homeland. The natives who had been absorbed into the migrant society however, refused to step foot in the Meadowlands. They warned the sheep, and their representative Archibald Bellwether that the native wolves were dangerous. The other native mammals who had tried to go there before rarely if ever came back, and those who returned shared horrific tales of the heartless and cruel beasts they had encountered."

"Archibald however, had faith that these new wolves would be just as interested in being a part of this new society as the other local inhabitants had been, and that any diplomatic issues could be easily resolved. So the migrants of Scottram began to build and farm in the Southern part of the Meadowlands, with plans for the easy acquisition the Northern portion through negotiations."

"Thus the first interactions between the early sheep and wolf settlers of the area and the Redclaws was nothing short of a disaster. Archibald wasn't prepared for an enemy that couldn't be reasoned or bargained with. Every attempt at diplomacy usually ended in violence on the part of the Redclaws. Sheep sent to meet with them either never came back, or barely escaped with their lives. These tribal wolves didn't seem to care what the new migrants had to offer them, and had no desire to share the land for the benefit of both parties. What made matters worse was that the tribe had begun attacking settlements that encroached too closely to the border of the North Meadowlands, and this is when it became apparent that many of the sheep who had disappeared in attempts to negotiate had been eaten by the tribe."

"Leif Hunter, whose Norwulff migrants had settled in the Alpine Ridge, had done his best to assist Archibald in trying every diplomatic effort they could to end the dispute peaceably. But the mounting failures were causing Archibald to grow more incised and enraged. With each diplomatic misfire, the Redclaws were painting a clear picture that they didn't care for outsiders, nor would they stand to have them anywhere near them. There were many times Archibald was ready to actively go to war with the natives, but Leif talked him down. This ultimately began to draw Archibald's ire toward the wolf as he began to question his loyalty toward the Shcottish sheep. Leif however, maintained that he was certain there was a way to get through to the natives, to end the senseless bloodshed."

"The Caprid Massacre of 1663" was the straw that broke the camels back and plunged the Meadowlands into a war against the Redclaws. The incident took place in a town on the border of the North and South Meadowlands known as Shetland. During the night, the Redclaw tribe invaded the small hamlet, killing the rams and capturing the ewes and lambs of the village. The rams were decapitated, their heads left on pikes scattered around the hamlet as a warning to the Shcotts. Presumable the ewes and lambs were eaten by the natives. Today the road that crosses where the town once was is known as 'Sheeps Head' in reference to the atrocity."

"It was that gruesome act that pushed Archibald over the edge. And thus he began to shore up an army to take the North Meadowlands by force. He was stalwart on not only driving the clan out, but wiping them off the face of Animalia. The level of masochism and horror involved in 'The Caprid Massacre' had also reopened the old wounds of the Shcottish caprid migrants, who were even starting to look at the Norwulves among them warily. The attack was tugging neatly at the old fears which sheep held for wolves of all kinds."

"The Redclaw war dragged on for three years, with each victory over the Redclaw's by Archibald's rams being undone in as little as weeks. No matter how many times the Shcotts seemed to drive the wolves off, they returned and took the land back with a vengeance. By the tail end of the three years, Archibald had begun to beseech the other representatives of Zootopia's districts to pledge their own voluntary armies to assist his own dwindling one. During this time Leif Hunter had kept largely out of the war. When diplomacy had completely and utterly failed the wolf seemingly retreated solely into the affairs of Alpine Glade, thus drawing more ire from Bellwether."

"When it finally came down to the point where Archibald was begging the wolf to pledge some of the Norwulff citizens to join his fight, Hunter refused. As I mentioned earlier, Leif found it rather pointless to send more mammals to their deaths just to see the Redclaws take back the land they had died for. He actually called on Bellwether to simply end the war, to pull the settlements back from the border, and even offered to cede a portion of his own peoples district to allow the Shcotts to expand. This would allow them to get to know the tribe better, maybe initiate a trade system and slowly work them into proper society. Essentially Hunter had proposed a plan of attrition."

"Archibald completely and utterly refused, as the ram had become certain that the Redclaws would not rest until they had killed every last Shcott. More over, the ram refused to accept any mammal into civilized society that still saw prey as a food source. The impasse marked the start of a growing sour and distrust between the districts, which would only be made worse by the next actions Leif Hunter would take."

"In the third year of the conflict, Leif had begun to actively meet and trade with the Redclaw tribe. Bellwether, upon finding this out was naturally appalled. He saw this action as a stab in the back by the Norwulves, A slap in the face of Moira's treaty, as well as the innocent lambs that were continually losing their lives in the ongoing war effort. Hunter publically remained adamant that working to bring the Redclaws over to civilized society was the only path forward, and he intended to pursue that path. This opinion was abhorrent not only to the residents of The Meadowlands, but most of the wolves in Alpine Glade as well, and it continued to worsen relations between the two districts."

"In truth, Lief's public stance was a ruse. The wolf had seen 'The Caprid Massacre' as the point at which where there had been no going back. He had tried to be sympathetic to the natives, but they had proved themselves too monstrous to be trusted. But he had resolved to find the reason as to why the wolves refused to give up the land, and how they always managed to return despite taking heavy losses. Thus he had begun trading with the clan under the pretense of learning about them. Very quickly, he had managed to work his way up to meeting safely with the leader of the Redclaw tribe. In Leif's personal writings he described most of his findings as "disgustingly primitive" and "un-mammalian". "

"During his meetings he discovered a great deal about the Redclaw culture, and why the attempts at diplomacy had failed at every turn. The Redclaw saw prey as nothing more than food, and those hapless sheep that had mistakenly come to them seeking to make peace had essentially delivered themselves as easy food to the tribe. The few wolves they had killed among the sheep in the towns they attacked were justified as freeing servants to prey, which was a station worse than death. There-for the Redclaws had seen killing them as a mercy. They had called them worse than an 'Omega', a term Leif had never heard of before. Pressing that line of interest the wolf learned that the tribes still held staunchly to pack roles, and all they did was based around those stations. Omega's were the outcasts, the failures and dregs of their kind who were unwilling to adhere to the pack law."

"However, the most important thing Hunter would come to learn, as I mentioned in the chapter about Norwulves, was the Redclaws belief in divine right. Essentially, these wolves believed that all the land on Animalia belonged to wolves and wolves alone. Whenever the sheep would attempt to drive them out, the pack would lick it's wounds, garner help from neighboring tribes and inevitably take the land back. Because they refused to recognize any mammal but another wolf as having rights over land, a mammal as lesser to them as a sheep stood no chance in permanently holding a territory the tribe had deemed to be their own. It would take an equally strong tribe of wolves to drive the Redclaws away for good, lest the cycle would continue."

"With this new knowledge, Hunter returned to Alpine Glade and quickly drafted his attack plan. By now the continued trading with the Redclaws had given Hunter the location of all of their encampments, as well as when and where they were most vulnerable. Amassing his troops in secret, Hunter prepared his attack for the night of the harvest moon. A night he knew the tribe would be celebrating, and thus unaware of the oncoming attack."

"Thus on the cold October night in 1666, Hunter launched a siege on every Redclaw stronghold with an army made up entirely of Norwulves as well as Omega natives that had taken refuge among the Norwulff society. The surprise attack was bloody and brief, but in less than twenty-four hours and having suffered many casualties, the last remnants of the Redclaw pack were driven over the NorthMountains never to attack again."

"The victory was a relief, but also weighed heavy on Leif Hunter's soul. Many migrant wolves had died, and even more innocents had been killed in order to make sure the Redclaws would never return. That guilt was something that would plague his personal writings till the end of his days."

"But what made it worse was the fallout that would come after. Archibald's half hearted thanks doused with anti-wolf rhetoric. In some instances Bellwether would argue that it was the brute-like nature of wolves that had caused the problems for the Shcotts in the first place, which is why it had taken that same brute force to end it. He began to parrot that the whole affair was a stark reminder of exactly where wolves had come from, and that caprid-kind should never forget it. I'm not sure exactly why he became such a staunch anti-predator leader despite Hunter ultimately saving The Meadowlands. Maybe petty anger over Leif's unwillingness to act earlier, or perceiving he was too sympathetic toward his own kind, or simple agitation over not getting what he wanted. Sufficed to say relations between wolves and sheep in Zootopia continued to worsen."

"As for relations with the remaining Redclaws, well they were over and done with. And those survivors warned the other tribes of the trickery and deception of the Norwulves. Alpine Glade, and it's governing bodies became synonymous with betrayers, and were seen as nothing more than slaves to lesser prey species. Thus most other tribes, whether warlike or peaceful refused to communicate with any Norwulff. The only native wolves that would communicate with those in Alpine Glade were Omegas, looking for refuge from the terror of living amongst the clans."

"Today many tribes still operate all across Canidea and North Mammalia., but they grow smaller with each passing generation due to the rules of their pack structure. While some have become some-what civilized, organizing into city-states in a few sparse regions, most still operate in a tribal fashion. These wolves adhere to their steep traditions and pack structure rigidly, and those traditions mostly remain unchanged. Most have gotten rid of condoning the eating of prey, but there are still rumors and stories floating around that suggest savage tribes are still out there."

"The difference in cultural beliefs, as well as the historical war between the native and non-native wolves still causes friction between the two classes of wolves. It is a bitter rivalry and hatred that still exists to this day despite more and more tribal wolves integrating into modern Zootopian society. In fact the only native wolves that do manage to get along with Norwulves are the Omegas, many of whom bred into the Norwulff population over the years. Even the Hunters themselves would see-"

Dawn nearly jumped out of her wool as she felt a tap on her shoulder. As she whipped around the ewe threw the headphones she had been wearing to the side of her laptop before she found herself under the looming gaze of Vanna. The tigress, now dressed in a set of plain pink themed pajamas featuring cartoon tigers across the shirt, raised her paws defensively with her ears splayed back against her head.

"Sorry..." Vanna said softly. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just had to get your attention."

Dawn clutched a hoof over her chest as she did her best to slow the rapid beating of her heart.

"Lamb sakes! You gave me a real s-start!" Dawn stammered, trying to ease her staggered breathing. "I d-didn't even know you were in the room!"

When Vernon had walked Dawn up to the girls bedroom, and reluctantly left her behind the ewe had been left all alone. Despite her exhaustion, the ewe had decided the best thing to do would spend a bit more time typing up some of the more drab, historical portions of her novel in an effort to help push her over the edge into an easy sleep. She assumed she would have been out by the time Vanna came up to the bedroom, but clearly the ewe had lost track of time.

The tigress winced slightly. "I was trying to ask you a question, but I guess your headphones were blocking me out." Vanna said.

Dawn chuckled uneasily. "S-sorry, I-I uh..." Dawn stuttered. "I like to listen to music while I work...I-It makes it easier to write."

Vanna gave a simple nod. "I see."

An awkward silence hung over the two mammals, and only when Dawn's heartbeat had managed to ease back down to it's natural tempo did the ewe fully contemplate what the tigress had said.

"Y-you had a question?" Dawn asked, slightly nervous about exactly what the coming question would entail.

The tigress lifted her right arm, revealing a matte grey machine hanging lazily in her claws. Dawn could see water sloshing around in a translucent compartment as the feline raised it.

"I wanted to plug in my humidifier." Vanna said flatly. "But I thought I should ask first if it was okay to set up. It is a bit noisy."

Dawn put a hoof to her lips for a moment as the mundane nature of the question had caught her off guard. Smiling, the ewe gave a brisk nod.

"O-oh sure." Dawn stuttered. "I-I don't mind."

Vanna nodded before making her way back to the bed across from Dawn. As the tigress began to set up the device on the nearby nightstand Dawn found herself reflecting on the earlier lunch where she had first met the tigress. Vanna's reception to the ewe was a cold one, but when the conversation lead to Dawn's past the feline seemed to give her a break despite it being obvious that Dawn's criminal behavior had affected the path her life had taken.

Still Dawn couldn't help but feel a deep sense guilt eating at the back of her mind in regards to the tigress. With Audrey, Dawn knew where the she-wolf truly stood in regards to her past. If Audrey were lying, it was nearly impossible to tell as everything she had said seemed to ooze with warm sincerity. But with Vanna, despite her assertions that she had been more tired with city life than anything else, Dawn could still sense a discomfort from her. Vanna's agreement to let the past remain in the past was clinical and awkward, and at the time Dawn was willing to accept it. But after what had happened with Dorian at dinner, and resolving to face her past despite it, it only seemed fair to give Vanna the chance to express if she really felt differently. At the very least Dawn could explain herself, and truly apologize for the trouble she may have caused Vanna.

Despite the ewe's reluctance to even touch on it, she had to know the truth. Exactly how much did the 'night howler scandal' affect Vanna? Was she really burying some sort of deeper resentment for the families sake? The ewe was going to be open about her past, and it seemed best to test the waters with the tigress.

With a dull whirr the humidifier hummed to life, emitting a barely visible column of steam as it chugged along. The tigress, seemingly satisfied, now took a seat on her mattress.

"V-Vanna?" Dawn murmured, her voice shaking with uncertainty. "C-can I ask you a q-question?"

The tigress arched an eyebrow at the ewe.

"Yes?" She asked in a slightly confused tone.

Dawn scooted to the edge her own bed, doing her best to hold a brave face as she eyed the tigress.

"F-forgive me I-If this is sort of personal." Dawn gulped. "But I n-need to know."

Vanna nodded for the ewe to continue.

"W-when you left Zootopia..."The ewe coughed. "I m-mean transferred to "The Meadowlands." Dawn gulped. "I-I mean, t-that was my f-fault right? It was the night howler scandal tha-"

Vanna held up a paw stopping the ewe mid speech. Letting out a sigh, the tigress placed a paw to her forehead.

"Dawn, you don't have to-"

"No." Dawn stood on the bed. "I w-want to know. I need to know if it's my fault you had to leave Zootopia Vanna. I-if you resent me because of it." The ewe sat back down. "Y-you shouldn't have to pretend to like me because of Audrey, Vernon, or anyone else."

"Dawn." The tigress shook her head.

"I want you to be h-honest...please." The ewe pleaded. " I-If I'm truly going to be part of this family we should be a-able to discuss this."

The tigress placed her head in her paws as she let out another sigh. Vanna stayed like that for a moment before straightening back up and seemingly composing herself. With another deep breath, the tigress cleared her throat.

"I supposed you have noticed by now the way I carry myself." Vanna said. "I tend to scare a lot of smaller mammals. I've been told I'm very intimidating." The tigress lamented. "Which I am sure is why you feel I'm harboring some sort of anger toward you."

Dawn stayed silent, stuck somewhere between feeling it would insult Vanna to agree with her, but come off as condescending to disagree.

The tigress rubbed her face seemingly in an effort to wake herself up a bit more.

"I was a member of the Sahara Square Police Precinct for about eight years before I transferred out to the North Meadowlands Dawn, and it was at that time I got to see the worst Zootopia had to offer." Vanna smirked. "I suppose it's only natural when you are a cop after all."

"When I came to Zootopia, I didn't think it was all bright smiles and warm hugs like television made it out to be. I was smart enough to know the difference between a cheesy slogan and reality. But I had wanted to be a big city cop since I was a kitten, and I grew up watching real cold case documentaries and studying actual criminal statistics rather than cop movies. I had an idea of what I was getting into when I took the job. I knew there were plenty of truly evil mammals out there."

"But I wanted to help. I wanted to stand among my fellow mammals as someone they could look upon with pride and trust. Someone they knew was looking out for them, as childish as that may sound. I wanted to help make Zootopia what it was trying to be." Vanna gave a sarcastic chuckle.

"When I took my place on the force, I dove right into that dark side of Zootopia eager to clean house." She sighed. "And it was as bad, if not worse than I had ever expected."

"Despite all my preparations, I was still a country girl from a small town in the San Furnando Valley. The worst crime you'd find out there is teens pulling harvest pranks." The cat sighed. "I endured it all of course. The organized crime, the murders, the gang violence. But it hardened me in the process, made me colder because of it." She shrugged. "It was my way of dealing with it."

Dawn was now leaning forward, listening keenly to the felines story.

"Long before, well..." Vanna muttered. "Before your involvement in the 'Night Howler Scandal', I had long since been dealing with both prey and predators looking at me as if I were going to pounce on them at any moment."

Vanna scratched the back of her head uneasily. " I've been called my fair share of predator slurs, and cat slurs, by criminals and citizens alike." Vanna laughed weakly. " Especially the few times I had to work parking duty."

The tigress shook her head in disbelief. "I swear to this day I've never been called worse names than when I was handing out parking tickets!" She gave a terse laugh.

"But, I'm getting off track." The tigress said, clearing her throat. "The point is that as I hardened to the cruelties of all the crimes I saw, I began to harden toward the citizens I wanted to protect. The occasional stare, the mammals pulling their children slightly closer to them as I walked past, it was getting worse every year not because of my species, but the coldness I exuded on a daily basis." She placed a paw over her muzzle.

"My partner for most of those years was a male tiger, and his demeanor with the public was nothing short of outstanding." Vanna smiled. "When citizens approached us for help, Thomas was always the one they talked to. Kids loved him, and if any prey were afraid of him they never showed it."

"It was because of him I learned why most of the citizens looked at me the way they did." Vanna shrugged. "Sure some did because I was a predator, that was something I accepted, there would always be some mammal to judge you based on your diet or species." Vanna raised a finger. "But my problem was I came into the precinct every day looking for a fight. I came to Zootopia already hardened, and devoting myself to my work almost constantly only made it worse." Vanna shook her head. "Thomas said the reason mammals looked at me like I was ready to pounce, because the flicker behind my eyes always said I was."

Vanna placed her paws on her knees as she let out another sigh. "He also told me if I kept up that way I was liable to snap. I was making my own misery by focusing on the darkest elements of Zootopia instead of trying to enjoy the beautiful parts."

Dawn was now practically leaning off the mattress, fully engrossed in Vanna's tale.

"S-so what happened?" Dawn asked timidly.

"I started giving serious consideration to giving up on the job, and trying to find something else to do with my life that would break down the walls I had built around myself. I mean, I had went into the job to be someone the public could look to for protection, not to be feared, and I had utterly failed at that. I tried meditation, yoga, going to the naturalist club, but none of that seemed to ease my intimidating aura I brought to the job with me every day. I knew If things kept going the way they were going I was going to have to quit the force." Vanna raised her paws before drooping them back to her sides. "

"Then the mammals started disappearing." Vanna muttered.

Dawn felt a lump form in her throat, and swallowed hard in an attempt to break it up. "O-oh..."

"Granted things didn't blow up until Lionheart got caught, and that rabbit cop made that uninformed comment." Vanna shook her head. "Then suddenly predators at prey were more at each others throats than ever before, it was like there was a war broiling just below the cities surface waiting to break out."

"V-Vanna I-I'm so so-"

"But strangely, it didn't really change anything for me." Vanna cut the ewe off.

Dawn shook her head briskly in disbelief. "I-I'm sorry..." Dawn stammered dumbly. "W-what?"

"I mean, yes I was afraid of going savage." The tigress shrugged. "I thought it was a very real illness. But the public didn't really treat me any different than they had. I was used to the stares, to the fear."

"What was hard to watch was Thomas coming apart." The tigress sighed. " He had never known what it was like to be feared. The glares cut into the poor tiger like daggers." She crossed her arms. "I mean he was a mammal who actually lived up to the goals I had wanted to live up to. A beacon of peace, a mammal of distinction among the community, and suddenly they were all turning away from him."

"Now Thomas was pulled down to my level, with only close prey friends and our fellow officers placing any degree of trust in him." Vanna grimaced. "The rest of the station was in more or less the same shape. Some of my predator colleagues openly wept sometimes because they were terrified of possibly turning. We tried to console each other, but as far as we knew it was an illness. It had an equal chance of striking any of us at any time. We were all terrified."

Dawn could feel her stomach sinking, gnarling in anguish. Being not only reminded, but given detailed accounts of the suffering she caused was making her regret ever bringing up the question. She wanted to weep right there for the lives she had so thoughtlessly ruined, but tried her best to remain stoic in spite of it.

"Then the order came down to start sticking all the preds behind a desk." Vanna grunted. "At Precinct Two, you get behind a desk and your active days are numbered. You are never getting back out on the beat. Some of us took the position with grim resignation, but Thomas decided he had enough and transferred back out to a precinct in his home town on east coast."

Vanna narrowed her eyes at Dawn slightly. "I take it you probably know that by that point many predators were starting to flee Zootopia because the outbreak was seemingly limited to the city."

Dawn gulped, nodding her head warily.

"Thomas was leaving partly because of that, but mostly because he felt like the mammals he swore to protect had rejected him." Vanna sighed.

"I feel guilty saying this, but because of his decision I was inspired to do the same thing for different reasons." She mumbled. "I wanted to leave because I didn't want to end up behind a desk. Because I didn't want to deal with horrible, grim, gory cases anymore. Because I wanted so desperately to go somewhere and start over, and become a less hardnosed, softer tiger than I was." Vanna grinned slightly.

"So I applied for a transfer to the North Meadowlands, rural enough to be a relatively quiet place, yet close enough to Zootopia that if it didn't work out I could transfer back. I had to wait about three weeks for them to place me, but until then I was off the beat, and glad to be. It was a load off my back." Vanna placed a paw behind her head, rubbing it slightly. "And then, two days after I applied for my transfer you were exposed and sent to jail." Vanna grimaced.

Dawn couldn't help as the tears began to run down her face. What the tigress had told her was nothing short of a horror story, one of the many she was sure the citizens of Zootopia had from that terrible time. The well of guilt in Dawn's stomach made her want to wretch. The ewe expected Vanna to confess a deep seated hatred for her right then and there, but instead the tigress held up a single finger.

"Don't cry Miss Bellwether, as I said before it is all over and done with." Vanna said coolly. " If you are worried about my fellow officers, they did recover. Unlikely as it seemed all the preds put behind desk were placed back into their usual beats. And Thomas is happier in the small town he set himself up in. We still keep in touch."

"B-But you..." Dawn whimpered. "th-they...I..."

Vanna slowly rose to her feet and crossed the room toward the ewe before sitting herself down next to her. Gingerly the tigress placed a large paw on Dawn's shoulder, causing the sheep to recoil slightly.

"My life turned out a lot better too." Vanna said, coming in slower with her paw as Dawn finally allowed it to rest on her shoulder.

"Out in the Meadowlands I got exactly what I didn't even know I needed Dawn." Dawn looked up to find the cat smiling warmly. It was a strange sight to see, the cold cat she had become so used to responding so warmly to what seemed like such a horrible event. "I met Zach, and well...he evened out my personality. He got me to learn to laugh, to see the brighter side of life when no other mammal could." Vanna gently shook the sobbing ewe with her paw. "I even got inducted into this wonderful family. And in that way what happened to you helped me find my way in life."

Dawn wiped the tears from her eyes as she stared up at the tiger in disbelief. Dawn sniffled loudly, letting out a choking gasp as she tried to compose herself but it was no good. She only hoped it wasn't loud enough for Vernon to hear, lest he come running to her 'rescue'.

"H-how can you look at what I-I did so positively?" Dawn sobbed. "I mean, y-you, your fellow officers, those victims-"

"You know one thing I learned from Zach, from the Hunters, was that mammals can get in over their head and make some pretty terrible decisions." Vanna rolled her eyes. "Especially when they are scared of something."

Vanna gave Dawn another gingerly shake, enough to draw the ewe's focus back to the tigress' face. "Now I don't know much about how you grew up, but based on what I heard about how you and Vernon were separated I can't imagine it was very good. And I know from seeing the trial that you weren't exactly working under the best conditions."

Dawn choked back another sob. "You saw that?"

Vanna nodded.

"W-why would you even give me the b-benefit of the doubt?" The ewe sniffled. "W-what if I w-was lying."

"Miss Bellwether." Vanna coughed. "Dawn, on that witness stand I saw a broken mammal, I knew it because I saw Thomas break the same way." Vanna murmured. "You don't fake that, you can't."

Dawn leaned into Vanna's side, sobbing quietly as she rubbed her face into the tigress' pajama shirt. She felt Vanna gently patting her back as she continued to quietly weep.

"Since I've been out here I've learned so much from the Hunters. I followed their example and got involved in rehabilitation programs, scared straight programs, talked at schools. " Vanna chuckled. "Those wolves really got me to care, to see the mammal before the criminal, and I'm eternally grateful to them. Those wolves are never wrong about any mammal, when they see someone who truly wants to change they know it's sincere."

Dawn felt the tigress pull away slightly. Looking up she could see the tigress smiling back down at her.

"I mean, look at Vernon." Vanna grinned widely. "He believed in you, and what happened?"

Dawn simply whimpered, unsure of how to answer.

"You saved Zootopia, nearly at the cost of your own life." Vanna nodded. "At the cost of your own flesh and blood!" The tigress raised her voice slightly.

Dawn simply rubbed her eyes, desperate to stop the tears.

"But I-I still-"

Vanna gave the ewe a more vigorous shake.

"If you want to know how I feel about you, then here it is. I don't hate you Dawn. I don't hold what you did against you. At the time I was mostly indifferent to it, and now after everything that's happened it seems irrelevant to me." Vanna said plainly. "If Vernon, Zach, Wade and Mom are willing to believe in you, why shouldn't I?"

"Be-because-."

"I'm giving you a clean start, even if Dorian doesn't seem to be." Vanna cringed slightly. "Whatever his reasoning." The tigress gave the ewe another shake as the lamb finally managed to start composing herself.

"Just accept it already." Vanna chuckled. She shook Dawn again as she smiled down at the ewe, drawing a few laughs between the dying sobs.

"I'm going to keep shaking you till you accept it!" Vanna was practically giggling now, something before this conversation Dawn had been unsure the tigress was even capable of. The laughter was infectious and soon Dawn found herself giggling as she pushed away from the large mammals grasp.

"O-Okay!" Dawn sniffled slightly, choking back her laughter. "Okay!"

"Good." Vanna gave the ewe a satisfied smile.

Giving Dawn a pat on the back, the tigress rose to her feet, making her way back to her own bed as Dawn chased the last of her lingering sniffles away. Despite how terrible revisiting her crimes had been, especially knowing about the mammals she had displaced in the process, Dawn had come away from her talk with the tigress feeling mostly relieved. What was even more surprising to Dawn was not just the fact that the tigress was earnestly willing to give the ewe a redo, but how the seemingly stoic and unmoving feline had treated her with such warmth and emotion. It was as different as night and day.

With a final hard sniff, Dawn slid back up to the top of her bed. Easing the laptop back onto her lap, the ewe briefly scanned what she had written before quickly saving and closing down the document. Peering over her computer, she spied the tigress lying flat against her own bed, staring at the ceiling.

"V-Vanna?"

The tigress leaned her head up and cocked and eyebrow.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Thank you." Dawn smiled.

The tigress gave a small smile in return before allowing her head to lay back down against the bed. A moment of silence passed between them before Dawn spoke again.

"Vanna?" Dawn asked again.

"Mhh?" The tigress murmured, this time she didn't raise her head.

"D-do you think I'll be a-able to get Dorian to like me?" Dawn whimpered.

Vanna let out a hard sigh. She was silent for a few moments, possibly mulling over the question before she finally responded.

"He'll come around." Vanna said. "He's a good mammal. Stubborn, but good." The tigress placed her paws behind her head. "Just give him some time."

"T-that was my plan." Dawn stammered.

Vanna nodded affirmatively. "Good."

Again the room fell silent, but it didn't last long as the ewe thought of a follow-up question. Putting her laptop aside, Dawn started to move back down the mattress.

"D-do you think if Vernon and I-"

Dawn heard a pop, and suddenly the room was filled with the husky and familiar voice of the famous 'Suri Nicks' a she sang a live rendition of 'Crystal', one of Dawn's favorite songs. Dawn stared back at her computer quickly to find that she had pulled the headphones loose with her knee as she moved down the bed. She had completely forgotten she had left her music playing.

"OH-EM-GOODNESS!"

Dawn turned back to see Vanna was now sitting straight up in her bed. The tigress' face had an almost alien look of overwhelming excitement plastered on it.

"IS THAT SURI NICKS!?" Vanna clasped her paws together.

Dawn gave a meek nod.

"I. LOVE. HER!"