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• And we are live where just moments ago a great decision has been made...

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• ... PRP has just been approved with a shocking majority. It seems these past two weeks have been favoring the procedure with the last push.

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• ...no doubt that the last five cases of predators becoming savage have something to do with this historic step forward in the prey-protecting measures the government has been applying.

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• The death of one of the victims, a teenage zebra, adds up to the list of causalities at the paws of savage predators, reaching a total of fourteen in the past three years.

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• The mayor has announced a set of future prophylactic measures that, she hopes, will help contain these attacks, even reduce them if proven effective.

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-_ ...in Paradise Avenue, where, as irony would have it, a massive protest from the predator community had to be stopped by the security forces. The protesters say these prevention measures will make their already difficult lives a living hell._

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• How will these measures work? Can you give us an example?

- Certainly. Adding to the already known relocation protocol, we understand that some extra controlling mechanism had to be in place in the chance a predator becomes savage in the presence of prey. Since our hard-working police officers can't possibly be in every square meter of the city, a simple but ingenious solution has been devised to work wherever a predator is, independently of the presence or not of other prevention measures. This device, for now just a prototype, will keep a constant register of a mammal's life signs, more specifically their heart rate. If at any moment it were to rise above the normal rate based on their species, this device will detect possible aggressive behavior and shock the predator, stunning him or her long enough to either force a recovery of their self-control or the arrival of the security forces without damage to any other mammals in the vicinity.

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• ... sources have informed the ZNC that these measures will probably be extended to other places aside from Zootopia. According to this new information, the mayor would have been in contact with other city leaders about this "savage predators" issue and offered to give support in the implantation of these measures in order to impede a possible outbreak within an unprepared population.

• They finally did it.- Said the tired buck, leaving the remote control on the table with disgust.- They have taken decades, centuries of peaceful coexistence, and thrown them down the toilet.

The silence in the room transmitted the agreement of all present mammals to Stu's words. All the adults of the Hopps family, workers and associates of the farm, and friends were all seated in the Hopps' living room watching the news reveal the blunt reality of what was going to come. In one of the front seats, hiding his face in his paws as a worried Judy tried to comfort him, Gideon couldn't believe how things had turned out. To be fair, no one there could, neither pred or prey.

• What is going to happen now?- Asked Jerry Howlsong, a young wolf in his early thirties who, along with his father and two sisters, had moved to Bunnyburrows a couple of years prior. Looking for a way to help his family settle in a new place, he ended up working for the Hopps, helping in various tasks such as transporting the product to the truck for selling. As he learned to do more things, his help had become irreplaceable in the farm and earned their trust.- Will we be forced to leave now?

• I don't think so.- Answered Barney, one of Judy's older brothers and a lawyer.- We are not in Zootopia, their laws should not affect us. All they can do, as said on the TV, is to suggest that other cities apply their protocols. It's up to their own mayors to do that or not. So far, I can't see a reason why Carroter would even consider it.

A general sigh of relief raised a bit of everyone's hopes. Carroter, the mayor of Bunnyburrow, was one of the promoters of pred-prey relations for years. The very reason he had been reelected for nearly two decades was how much the town had grown and prospered in that time thanks to the inclusion of all kinds of mammals, including predators, in a previously all-bunny environment. Some said it was the same idea Zootopia had in the beginning but on a smaller scale.

• Still, we should be prepared for many changes around here.- Continued Barney, making everybody worry again.- Even if we are not forced to implement these regulations, we will be affected anyway. Predators will probably try and leave the city, finding in our town a safe haven of sorts. Our population could increase a lot in a short period of time.

• But, that is good, isn't it?- Intervened Bonnie.- Some more mammals will even benefit us. There is plenty of work to come around, businesses can bloom here.

• It wouldn't be "Some more mammals", mom.- Said Judy this time, understanding what her brother meant.- Around a tenth of the total population in Zootopia is pred. While the number itself doesn't look high and is the very reason they couldn't impede these laws from becoming a thing, they are a lot for a town like Bunnyburrow. We could be facing a situation where we would need to tell them not to come here because we have no more space or resources, and I don't think they would be happy about that.

• And accepting so many predators at once could also stir some worries among the local population.- Intervened Janice, a female bobcat that started helping Bonnie with taking care of the smaller kits when the doe began having back pain several months ago.- There is a lot of acceptance towards predators here, but we have already seen how far that goes when they were afraid of Gideon. No offense.- She added looking at the fox in front of her.

• None taken.- Gideon replied turning his head just enough to let her see he really was not offended.- Though I think that had something more to do with my childhood than with their level of acceptance. I guess I had it coming.

• Don't. You. Dare. Say. That. Again.- Accompanying each word with a not-so-gentle hit from her finger to Gideon's chest, Judy reprimanded the fox, who looked at her with appreciation for the effort of cheering him up.- They had no reason or right to doubt you and you know it. You can't keep blaming yourself for what you did when you were a cub, I already told you.

The Hopps' phone rang at that moment, spooking many of the mammals there, as they didn't expect it.

• Hold that thought, young man.- Said Stu, as he walked towards the machine.- If you insist on still bringing up your childhood bullying, I do have a couple of words I wanted to tell you since then.- A wink from the buck was what finally made the fox crack up a smile before Stu took the call.- Hopps here... Oh, good afternoon... Yes, we just saw it... Tomorrow? Yes, of course, I'll be there... Sure, I'll tell them. See you then.

The sigh he let out could be heard in the silence in the room, and the worry on his face was not helping. Everybody was expecting him to explain, but he still took a few seconds before he could oblige.

• Speaking of the devil. It was Carroter. He is organizing an emergency meeting for tomorrow morning, at 10 a.m.

Almost all mammals there understood how important that meeting was instantly. Only those who hadn't lived long enough in Bunnyburrow did not.

• Why does he tell you, boss? I didn't know you worked in city hall as well.- Said Jerry, his face showing his confusion.

• I don't, son.- Replied the buck with half a smile.- You'll see tomorrow. You and your father are invited as well. Same goes for you, Gideon.- Added looking at the vulpine.- He tried calling you at home a while ago and asked me to tell you.

The fox nodded and stood up to leave.- I better go home then. I'll see ya'll at the meeting.

As he walked through the front door of the house, a feminine gray paw took hold of his arm to make him stop.- You know you can stay here, Gid.

• I know, Judy. But I've been here for two weeks already. I can't abuse any more of your parent's hospitality.- Joked the tod, knowing very well that it had been precisely Stu himself who offered Gideon to stay there as long as he needed.- I need to check on the store and my house. I can't just disappear because I had an issue.

• A panic attack is "just an issue" for you?- Retorted Judy. She did not like to see Gideon like that. It took her a while to calm him down and a couple of days for him to regain his cheerful self. The doe didn't want to leave him alone in case it happened again.- You couldn't even defend yourself when that... sheep almost got all those mammals against you. And those days after!

• But I am better now, and all thanks to you and your family.- He reassured as he placed his paws on her shoulders. He did indeed feel better, and the fact that she had been by his side all the time was surely the reason.- I'll be ok, don't worry. I promise I'll be at the meeting tomorrow. Ok?

Judy pouted and refused to look at him, making the fox feel more love for her than he already did. With his right paw placed under her chin, he lifted her head until her eyes met. As it happened, an urge wanted to push both of them forward and close the distance in between, but they were in the open and could be seen.

• OH, FOR CARROT'S SAKE, WILL YOU TWO KISS ALREADY!- The shout startled the couple until they recognized it as Stu's coming through an open window, from where he obviously heard, and probably some of the others as well, their conversation.

• Dad?

• STU! LEAVE THE KIDS ALONE TO THEIR BUSINESS!

• I AM! I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT IT, I JUST WANT THEM NOT TO BE SO SECRETIVE ABOUT IT AND-AUAUAUAU!

The yells of protest coming from the patriarch of the family, probably due to his wife taking a not-so-gentle hold on one of his ears, only made the couple redden even more. However, that didn't impede them from following the buck's advice and sharing a kiss now that their secret seemed to be in the open.

• I'll see you tomorrow, alright?

• You better be there. I may not be an officer anymore, but I still know how to kick doors down if needed.- Threatened Judy in jest, to which Gideon couldn't help but chuckle.

• I don't doubt that.- He said before placing one more soft and brief kiss on her lips and started walking towards the road that led to the town.

...

As the alarm sounded, Gideon felt like he had barely gotten any sleep, which was closer to reality than he would have liked. Checking on his store, calling his providers, making sure his accounts were in order... That took the rest of the previous day and a good portion of the night. Still, he was satisfied to see that, even after those two weeks, his losses had not been important. It would take some time before everything flowed again as before all that happened, though.

The fox had just let his paws touch the floor when his phone vibrated. A small green light on the corner indicated unchecked notifications. With a light tap on the screen, it lit up to reveal more than thirty messages, all from the same mammal.

With a smile full of love and incredulity plastered on his face, he began reading the messages, all asking him how was he, if he had any problem, and wanting to know if he would like to go together to the meeting among other things.

After he had read the last one, he started replying with one until the screen changed to show a call from the very bunny he was texting.

• Finally! I thought you were going to sleep forever! I was about to go and check if you were ok!

• Good morning to you too, M'lady. What can this sleepy fox do for ya?

• Answer my text from now on would be nice.- Replied Judy in a playful tone.

• Will do my best to accommodate you, but I can't make any promises. Ya'know I need ma' beauty sleep from time to time.

• No matter how much you sleep, you won't get any prettier. You are a lost cause in that regard.- Bantered the bunny on the other line, leaving Gideon no choice but to reply in kind.

• Maybe so, but I must try. One of us must at least be acceptable.

A gasp from Judy told him that he had been successful and that she was not expecting that. For a second he thought he had exceeded the limits of the joke, but the amused tone of his girlfriend pushed that worry away.

• You are getting your ear pulled when I see you, Mister.

• That is if I let you. And you have easier ears to get a grip on, so I wouldn't play that game with me, M'lady.

• Oh, that's it! You are in for it! You know how competitive I am!

• I count on it, Sweetie, believe me.

• 10 o'clock, Townhall. Don't be late.

• Wouldn't dare.

After the call was ended, the device showed the current time: it was well past nine. He had about thirty minutes to shower and get dressed and another 15 minutes to get to Townhall. It was quite close, and he would probably arrive there pating a bit, but he would manage.

A shower later and dressed in a comfortable beige T-shirt and blue jeans, the fox exited his home and turned his key on the door to close it when a shadow covered his own on the wall. Turning to what was blocking the light, he found two mammals looking at him, their badges very visible on their blue uniforms.

...

• He is late.

Stu looked at her daughter with patience, though that was wearing off after the now forty-third time she had said those exact three words.

• He will come, Jude. Maybe he had something important to take care of in the bakery. And we can tell him whatever he misses, so don't worry.

Her grumbling was the only reply he got, softening his frown slightly. Since their secret had been made public, at least within her family, Judy allowed herself to show how happy she was with him. The old buck and Bonnie had spent a while after the fox had left their house talking with the young doe about their relationship, and both parents couldn't be happier. Gideon had become a very kind and hardworking mammal after the years, as their trading dealings with him had revealed. Also, there was the fact that he was probably the reason Judy seemed to get better from her incident in Zootopia, and that is something they were grateful for. It had been very hard for them to see her before energetic and fearless daughter become a mere shadow of her former self. That is something he, as her father, would never forget.

• I know, but...

• Good morning everyone! If I may have your attention, please!

The voice of the mayor attracted indeed the focus of all presents in the big auditorium to himself as the chatter diminished. Carroter was a bunny about to enter his sixties, with strands of silver fur slightly aging his otherwise younger appearance: His body had maintained over his political career the build that farming tended to give all hardworkers, his caramel-colored fur, and green eyes making him look like he was still on his late forties. Stu remembered that, ten years ago, the mayor had been the romantic focus of many young does in town despite his age. And the fact that he was more open to the public than his predecessors (there wasn't a party where he had not been seen dancing with the crowd) and the interest he had for the well-being of his citizens, had made him a friend of all in town.

However, the expression the mayor had that day on his face, one that always had a smile for everyone, was filled with seriousness and worry. As silence filled the room and everyone accommodated themselves until all could see, they all could notice the importance of the situation, if their presence in that room was not already an indicator of it.

Normally, that room was used for formal meetings of the different political groups around one big table to discuss the situation of Bunnyburrow. However, Carroter started many years ago more informal "meeting sessions" among the heads of the different farming clans to solve emergency situations concerning what was the town's life and blood: farming itself.

As a former farmer in a familiar community, he understood how important was that all clans, despite obvious rivalry regarding sales, profits, and whatnot, helped each other when a crisis arose to any of them. If a flood were to destroy someone's terrain, the other families would join resources to help at least minimize the damage and even the losses, allowing the affected to keep working and providing their products to both the community and Zootopia, maintaining the economy's balance. This "Council of Elders", as some of the now not-so-young used to name it since then, helped the growth of the town and improved relations, which was one of the reasons Carroter was still in charge.

Still, this was the first time Stu, who had been part of the council since these meetings began, had seen not only the usual heads of clans, but also a big number of individuals that had nothing to do, or not directly, with farming. They were both prey and predators that either had a business in town or worked for someone with one. Since obviously the whole town wouldn't have fitted in the room, as big as it was even with the absent table, Carroter seemed to have made a selection as representatives for all sectors of the population, so everyone could have their voice in this meeting.

That, Stu thought as a heavy drop of sweat ran down the side of his head, was not a good sign.

• Thank you, everyone, for coming today on such short notice and, even more so, since I am sure you all want to be at home deliberating privately about what is possibly a worrying situation for our town. You all, especially predators, surely know that yesterday the PRP was approved in Zootopia, which forces any and all predators to move to specific areas of the city, according to city hall, "to protect the prey population".- A couple of growls, interestingly the better part of them coming from prey, could be heard after those words.- For the past couple of weeks, Zootopia's city hall has been contacting me, and I suspect other towns as well, to apply the PRP here as well.

• They can't do that!

• How dare they?

• Do they honestly think we are like them?

The rooms filled immediately with angry voices, again coming especially from the prey, showing their repulse to that idea. While Carroter felt somewhat relieved that all seemed to think like that, he knew they couldn't waste time like that.

• Gentlemammals, please, quiet down. I understand your feelings against it and I share them all. The exact same you just exclaimed I replied to them in all instances they insisted on it. As far as I am concerned, that kind of treatment to anyone in this town will never happen. However, now that it has been approved, there are some points that I feel we all, as citizens of this community, must discuss. One of them is the main reason I assembled you all here.

All eyes and ears were focused on the rabbit, whose tired eyes hinted at something they wouldn't like at all.

• As you all know, our prosperity is based mostly on farming and the products we sell, mainly to the city. Tourism is also part of the town's income since many from the city find Bunnyburrow to be a relaxing place to stay for a while, but that is only a fraction. This relationship with Zootopia comes from many years ago, three centuries as it turns out.- As if on cue, an assistant by his side gave the mayor quite a large roll of paper that he unrolled and displayed to the crowd.- This is a copy of a document that I've been delivered a week ago by the people in Zootopia's Cityhall. They claim that the original is around three hundred years old and that, in short, places the property of Bunnyburrow under their rule. That means...- Again, loud voices rose over his, not so much as before due to the shock and incredulity, but still enough for Carroter to ask again for silence so he could explain.- Please, allow me to clear this to you. As Professor Roger discovered in ancient archives, Bunnyburrow first began simply as one of the several food supplies for the soon-to-be big city, at that time not so much. Zootopia's king at the time, King Simba the Third if I remember correctly...- A quick look to the aforementioned professor, standing close to his left, confirmed the information with a nod.- ...wanted to expand it as big as possible to hold as many mammals as possible. The idea was to create a powerful kingdom with a large army and an economy that other kings would be jealous of.

• The problem was that a large community of mammals living together needed an equally large food supply.- Continued pProfessorRoger, having suddenly all gazes shifted towards him in an instant.- It was customary, and logical, that all farming land would be outside the cities, focusing the main terrain for commerce, art, entertainment, government, and such. Since King Simba wanted the city to grow, he sent several groups of bunnies, very well known for their knowledge of excellent farming techniques, to different directions from the city to establish communities that would serve them as food sources. That would allow for the land in between to be used in time to expand the city larger and larger as the King desired. As we know, and the couple of hours by train serve as evidence of, his dream ended up being way too big for what reality allowed him. But still, the relationship between Zootopia and Bunyburrow remained. While we would use a piece of Zootopia's land to live on and of it, we would be a separate community. The deal was that we would give Zootopia all the resources they needed in exchange for their services, be it cloth, luxuries, and such, or something more important as protection in case of an invasion.

• Now comes the part that concerns us.- Again, Carroter took the focus of the room as the historical part of the explanation was done.- While we have grown exponentially through the times and we still have that trade relationship, while times have changed so each small town can make decisions by itself, we are still using Zootopian land according to this document, so we are bound by their rules and they have the right to implant them here.

• Are you telling us that Zootopia can and will implant the PRP here despite our objections?

Disbelief for the dark situation the town seemed to be going to find itself in had made everyone silent, making Stu's question to the mayor as loud as if he had been shouting even if he had spoken at a normal volume. The reply, feeling like a death sentence, came after what seemed long seconds.

• That is correct.

Carroter expected an uproar of angry voices. He knew personally the majority of the citizens present in the room and knew what kind of mammals they were, and he expected, while not desired, for them to be outraged by this situation. And he was not disappointed in that regard except, again, that it was mostly the prey who showed more anger. The predators looked more defeated than angered. One in special, a middle-aged wolf named Richard, was sitting on the ground, back against the wall, and hiding his face behind his paws. His shaking shoulders and the group of bunnies and other prey trying to comfort him were all the explanations Carroter needed. Richard moved to Bunnyburrow two years prior after his wife was killed by a group of anti-preds, leaving him with two infant cubs and the need to flee the city if they were to live peacefully. They were finally settled there, with friends and a blooming business, and now everything was turning to ashes again.

"Not if there is anything we can do."- Thought the old buck as he clapped his paws loudly to recover the attention of the room.- Sadly, that is the situation we are in now. And it is our moment to make an important decision that affects everyone. I know what I want, and I am pretty sure that it is the same as you, but if we are going to try to fight this, it has to be official: Do we accept the laws Zootopia is forcing on us, with the consequences that will bring to us, our friends and, in many cases, families, or do we want to do whatever we can to stay an open community as we have always been?

• Can we fight it?

• Is there a way out of this?

• Do you really have to ask?

• Yes, Kevin, I had to ask.- Continued the mayor, now a little less anxious since he had the city backing him up.- Together we are stronger, and if there is someone who doesn't like the idea of fighting the system to protect the rights of predators, I need to know. And after we start any of the options we have, we probably will have to support each other until we stabilize our commercial situation.

• What do you mean? What commercial situation?- Asked Stu, confused.

• He means that, whatever we decide to do in order to fight them, one thing they are probably going to use to extort us is to stop trading with us as they do now.- Ventured Judy by his side, her assumption being confirmed by Carroter's nod.- By cutting the trade flow, which is our main economic source, they will expect us to fold and do what they say. If we are to win this, one thing we must do is find a way to circumvent that problem.

• Reducing the quantity of product to just self-sustain the town would be an option, but that brings several other problems.- Stepped in Stevenson, a farmer neighboring the Hopps'.- Less product means less work, which leads to fewer workers needed. So, we wouldn't have enough work for all the mammals in town.

• Let's not forget that many predators from the city will probably consider Bunnyburrow a safe haven and will try to move here.- Added a younger one by his side who reminded Judy and Stu of what Barney said the day before.- What do we do with them? I don't think we can possibly have enough space for them. Or resources, less even if we cut them down to sustain ourselves.

• What if we build some more houses for them?- Suggested a bear at the back of the crowd. While neither Judy nor Stu knew his name, they recognized him as the boss of a building company.- There is quite a lot of terrain that could be used to build enough apartments for several hundreds, even thousands. If we want to build them fast, those who won't work at the farms if you cut down the products can help. It's not ideal esthetically since big apartment buildings are not what one would expect of Bunnyburrow...

• But it could be done.- Finished Carroter with a grateful smile.- That solves part of the problem. Self-sustaining, ironically, can only sustain us for a while. What can we do about that?

The sound of a phone interrupted the debate and an embarrassed Judy fumbled with her pocket to get it out and mute it, apologizing to everyone as she walked away to take the call.

• What about selling to other cities?

• That could work. Some already do and I know for a fact that some are very interested in our products.

• What about transporting our products there?

• There are companies for that, uncle.

• But we must first let them know we have products for them. How do we do that?

• A fair! Let's invite them here, show them everything, and sign the contracts right there!

• I don't think it works quite that way, but the idea is good.

• Then there is the matter of...

• YOU HAVE BEEN WHAT??

An eerie silence fell in the room as every head turned to the source of the yelling. Judy Hopps had one paw holding the phone to her ear while the other was clenched into a tight fist.