Hopefully, there will be no more surprises from here on out.

In other words, no more favors...

Since Cody and Penny were safe and secure, I reunited with Mrs. Bianca and Bernard from the Rescue Aid Society at the end of the west side river in Rainforest District to give them an update. Both were very delighted with the news. After receiving confirmation from the jackals' parents that the kids made it home, the two mice later spoke with Mayor Lionheart, who signed off on the case to consider it closed.

He looked up from his desk and asked again, "So you found the two missing mammals, huh?"

I nodded. "We did, sir."

"Goody," he stamped one last document with his signature and passed it over.

"Give this to the girl," he instructed, referring to the panther secretary outside his office. "Thank you, bye-bye."

Per our deal, the Mayor finally signed the papers and all other pertinent documentation to grant filming permissions for Corey, the Choreographer. I returned to the Palm Hotel, which was undergoing extensive flood repairs. From there, I went to the tiger's office and delivered everything to his desk.

I had never seen a tiger's tail wag so fast and outstretched.

"Wow," he was exceedingly astonished. "This... this is great! Not only did the Mayor grant me filming permissions for the Canyonlands district, but he also authorized me and my stunt crew to work by the delicate arches for my upcoming sequel. It's perfect!"

"You're welcome," was all I said.

The tiger picked up his phone again and began texting his producers like crazy.

I cleared my throat.

"Ah, right, I almost forgot," Corey said, facepalming with his fist. "Let's head on over to the theater right now so that I can get Porsha trained for Zootopia's downtown musical."

We left his office, took the elevator, and headed outside.

We got inside his spacious tiger-striped limo and took a luxurious ride to the downtown theater. While Corey and his executives indulged in a fine selection of alcoholic beverages to celebrate their next production phase, I sat in the back seat and applied rubbing alcohol to my wounds.

Once we arrived at the theater, the stage manager awaited us by the curb to let us in. We funneled our way toward the front of the auditorium, ducking and dodging under animal crew members carrying a variety of stage props and neon-colored costumes.

"Corey, you made it!" the koala announced over the megaphone, excitedly sliding down the banister and jogging over to us. "I take it you're here to help us out with Porsha?"

"The weeping girl huddled in that corner over there?" the tiger pointed at the grey wolf behind us.

I sighed, "Yep. That's her."

He took out his pen to jot down a few notes on his clipboard. "I see..."

"Yeah, her friend really wants her to be on the show," the director said, referring to Porsha's lonely cheetah friend on the far side of the stage. "I mean, we've tried and tried...." the koala nervously laughed. "...but Porsha can't really act."

"No, she can't," I confirmed.

Corey took one last quick glance at her, jotting down some final notes before passing them over to his assistant.

"Very well, then," the tiger clicked his pen and loudly clapped his paws together. "Let's get this show on the road."

I didn't think Corey would ever have the patience for her. Not in a million years. She was just terrible. However, through Corey's delicate coaching, reverse psychology, and repeated trial and error in the backstage area, he eventually got Porsha's acting skills to adequate levels. In other words, she became competent enough to perform reasonably well on stage without anyone in the audience getting up and leaving. Even I was slightly impressed when it was her turn to demonstrate her newly developed abilities in front of the producers during final rehearsals.

After getting dressed in tight green spandex outfits, Porsha and her cheetah friend happily swung around the auditorium on bungee cords as part of their performance, and together they sang.

♪ Don't wanna live as an untold story ♪

♪ Rather go out in a blaze of glory ♪

♪ We can't hear you ♪

♪ We don't fear you ♪

♪ We'll live now 'cause the bad die last ♪

♪ Dodging shots with your broken past ♪

♪ Oh, we can't hear you ♪

♪ We don't fear you now ♪

♪ Wrapped in your regret... ♪

And they sang. And they sang. And they kept singing and singing as they interacted with the colorful stage props.

♪ We wanna taste love and pain ♪
♪ Wanna feel pride and shame ♪
♪ We don't wanna take our time ♪
♪ Don't wanna waste one line ♪
♪ We wanna live better days ♪
♪ Never look back and say ♪
♪ It could've been us ♪
♪ It could've been us, yeah ♪

The test audience thought the two mammals were both fantastic. They clapped and cheered for them. I thought they were okay. Not exactly my kind of music, but to each their own.

"Alright, she can sing and act now," I observed, getting up to leave. "Time to go."

The koala producer turned in his VIP seat. "Don't you wanna stay for the rest?"

"No."

And just like that, I left the theater to let everyone else enjoy the remainder of the show. It was time to head to my next destination: Diego's Pizza.

The floating restaurant had since traveled upstream, stuck in a sheet of freshly frozen ice, ready to serve hot-n-ready pizza to customers in the cold Tundratown environment. I crossed the boardwalk to speak with the cheetah owner Diego who was working the brick ovens.

"Hey there!" he greeted, wiping his paws on his apron. "I just saw my daughter's Instaram post about her friend getting accepted into the musical show! That's wonderful!"

"Does that mean you can make the pizza now?" I asked.

He nodded with a grateful smile, "One Amazon Supreme Pizza, coming right up," and started gathering all the baking ingredients now that he found the mood.

Atop the layer of butter-soaked dough, he placed pawfuls of green peppers, black olives, diced tomatoes, fresh avocado, chopped onions... and crickets?

Okay...

Diego placed additional firewood into the brick oven before using the peel spatula to position the decked-out pizza over the central flame. The cheetah and I stood and watched the news while we waited for everything to cook. At a whopping 700 degrees Fahrenheit, it didn't take long for the pizza to finish baking until its edges were golden crisp and oozing with molten cheese. Diego retrieved the finished product from the oven and carefully placed it into the most oversized cardboard pizza box I'd ever seen. It could barely fit through the restaurant's doorway. Hot steam seeped from the sides of the box, enough to make anyone's mouth water, and it smelled pretty damn good too.

With the pizza box in both hands, I approached the exit.

"Oh, um, don't forget to take these!" Diego opened the freezer and grabbed the blueberry pawpsicles he had been keeping in storage for me.

"Right... Can't forget those," I thanked the cheetah as he placed them into a paper bag for me. My hands were already full, so I had to use my finger. "Finnick better be happy with this..."

I waved Diego goodbye, gave him a small tip from the few coins I had on my person, and headed towards Savanna Central through the Sahara Square train route. With the soaring triple-digit temperatures, I didn't have to worry about the pizza getting cold on the way. I just had to carry it high above my head on the crowded train, which was a pain in the ass since it weighed more than five stuffed burritos at least.

Upon arriving in Savanna Central and walking a few blocks north of the station, it was easy to track down Finnick. His ugly brown van with graffiti could be spotted from half a mile away. He still had his hip-hop music blasting at max volume, causing the pavement and some adjacent apartment buildings to vibrate.

Wouldn't have expected anything less.

"One Amazon Supreme Pizza," I announced, setting the box on the roof of his van. "Extra large, extra toppings, supersized, overpriced, and overstuffed. A perfect portion for a full-sized elephant... or a tiny finnegan fox, like yourself."

"Ha! A lovely Amazon Supreme Pizza just for me! Just the way I like it!" he jumped up and down with his paws fully extended. "Now gimme!"

I held the box beyond his reach. "You'll get your pizza when you turn off this damn music."

He laughed. "Not a chance! I listen to music when I eat."

"Finnick...." I called him out. "That was the deal."

He pointed his wooden bat at my face. "You forgot my blueberry pawpscicles!"

"They're right here," I waved them in his face.

He started jumping up again, trying to grab them. "Gimme, gimme! I'm starving!"

"Music first," I reminded.

He groaned, hobbling his way toward the device between the two subwoofers. He yanked the plug, pressed the off button, removed the cassette tape, and disconnected the speaker wires.

An immediate sense of relief came over me and possibly hundreds of other animals in the area as Finnick's music suddenly stopped, leaving us in a peaceful, quiet city ambiance. Never had my ears felt so great. Silence really was golden.

Somewhat dissatisfied, the fennec fox tossed the plug aside and snatched the pizza box from my hands. "My music comes back on in five minutes."

"Make it ten."

"Seven."

"Eight," I insisted.

"Seven," he declared with his mouth full of pizza. "Seven minutes! Take it or leave it."

"Fine," I sighed in annoyance, heading toward the Lemming Brothers' Bank. "Seven minutes. You better keep your word."

Finnick gave a thumbs up as he continued to gobble up his Amazon Supreme Pizza. The little guy was already on his third slice, and it was bigger than his head.

I jogged toward the Lemming Brothers' Bank, about half a block down the road, to speak with Rhino, who was on the top floor in his workshop. He was the lemming who pioneered the development of AAAAA batteries, and now he had the chance to fix them for me.

"It's about time you got that blasted music turned down," Rhino complained, putting on his tiny goggles and getting his miniature tools ready. "I couldn't even hear myself think. Now I can finally work my magic."

"You better hurry," I said, sitting outside the rodent's building. "It could come back at any moment."

"It should only take me seven minutes to fix this battery. Maybe ten," Rhino shrugged.

I kept my fingers crossed, anxiously waiting.

Thankfully, Rhino finished right on the dot. The obnoxious hip-hop music from Finnick's van returned at full strength precisely when the lemming finished soldering the last wire on the AAAAA battery.

"I'm so gonna retire after this," the lemming stated, trying to cover his ears.

"How's the battery?" I asked.

"It's looking much better. The charge is holding fine, and the swelling has subsided," the lemming nodded while admiring his work. "I'd say you can get about three or more months of usage from the juice that's left inside these cells," he lifted the AAAAA battery from the workbench with his tiny paws, hauling it over to the window and grunting under its weight. "I'd only be extra careful with it and avoid charging it overnight."

I grabbed the battery between my thumb and index finger. "Thanks..."

The next stop was Shell City. It was the gift shop located inside Zootopia's southern main harbor. I took the pair of AAAAA batteries and the special polishing cream from my satchel and gave them to Chip, who eagerly accepted the supplies. He loaded the recharged batteries into his custom rotary tool, prepared the rare purple seashell in a wooden vat containing a warm mixture of natural chemicals, and began the process of polishing.

"This'll turn out very nicely once it's finished!" the chipmunk remarked with a ring gesture.

"It better," I muttered, praying he wouldn't break it.

Chip carefully angled the cone-shaped shell with his tiny paws and finished scrubbing away one of the last rough edges. "I said it once, I'll say it again. These types of seashells are super rare," he whipped out his phone to snag a few photos. "They don't come into my shop very often. If ever."

"...Fascinating," I said, not caring too much for what he had to say. I just wanted to get out of here.

However, as the polishing process continued, I began to notice how much more pristine and beautiful the seashell looked. It was like a complete makeover. The seashell had a different purple color along its surface depending on the lighting and the angle. Even the tan-colored interior had a similar effect, almost as if it were made of marble.

As the chipmunk finished polishing, he made a few final modifications to the cone-shaped seashell per my request to convert it into a baby crib for an Arctic shrew. Just a few cushion pads were all it needed.

"All done!" the chipmunk proclaimed, gently sliding toward me the pink gift box containing the seashell inside. Couldn't this guy have picked a less feminine-looking box?

I couldn't help but lift the lid off. Just a quick peek.

"You like it?" Chip noticed me staring.

There was a brief pause. "Very impressive...," I complimented, and I really meant it this time. The polished seashell was an absolute masterpiece. I'd stick it on my ship's control console if I had one, which I didn't.

Feeling proud and happy with the result, the chipmunk asked, "Anything else I can help you with?"

I shook my head, grabbed the seashell from the gift box, and left the store promptly. Hopefully, that'd be the last rare seashell I'd ever have to get polished.

My next stop was Mr. Big's mansion at the northern end of Tundratown. Based on the significant amount of snowpack building up along the outside of his property, it gave me a little peace of mind knowing that the razorbacks were keeping their promise, at least for now.

In the meantime, I needed to deliver the purple seashell crib to Mr. Big's granddaughter in exchange for his grandmother's secret cannoli recipe.

When the polar bears let me into the mansion, they escorted me into a spacious living room where Mr. Big, his daughter Fru-Fru, and many other arctic shrews were gathered on top of an ornate coffee table and socializing at what appeared to be a large baby shower. There were tiny balloons, pink and purple lights, cheese refreshments, and gifts everywhere. As soon as I walked in, everybody stopped what they were doing and stared. One of them even got startled and spat out her drink.

I slowly held up the purple seashell.

"Oh, my god, it's here!" Fru Fru and her gal friends screamed with excitement, causing everyone's drink glasses to break.

The polar bears and I covered our ears and winced as the mansion windows cracked and multiple car alarms went off outside. What... the hell?

Miraculously, the seashell was still intact. I carefully placed it on the table, and Fru Fru and all her female shrews swarmed it like crazy, completely enthralled by its polished texture. They couldn't stop raving about it for the next half hour.

"Wow! So cute!"

"Isn't it divine?"

"This is amazing!"

"Oh, my god! It's so beautiful! I love it!"

One of them teared up. "Super adorable! I just can't."

"It feels a lot nicer than my prison bed," a mouse with piercings commented.

"Aw, yeah, look how gorgeous it is!" a rodent took a selfie, nearly spilling her wine.

"Girl, check out those colors!" a mouse shined her phone light on the crib's sparkling surface. "They're just like Judy's eyes!"

Another shrew with excessive red makeup walked in and gasped. "What? Judy got a seashell crib!?" she turned toward her cousin. "Honey, how come I didn't get one? Now I'm jealous..."

The Arctic shrews kept going and going on about how wonderful the baby shower gift was. Even some of the mafia polar bears nodded in satisfaction, knowing it would keep the shrews occupied. I was glad it was received well.

Fru Fru tested out the seashell crib by placing her baby Judy inside, who was already sleeping soundly. She didn't toss or turn once. Everyone stared in 'aww' as the baby shrew cooed and yawned in its new bed.

After letting out a small grunt, Mr. Big smiled. "You have done me a great service, Cherry. I will share my Grandmama's cannoli recipe with you. I will take your kindness and pay it forward."

He extended his arms out, though I wasn't sure what he was trying to do. He waited and waited while I stood there, clueless.

Fru Fru cleared her throat, whispering, "It's a hug."

"Hmm?" I wasn't understanding.

"My Daddy wants to hug you," she whispered louder.

The other shrews and polar bears made discreet motions and commanding gestures with their paws.

"Oh, um..." I leaned forward on the desk with hesitation and felt the old shrew hug my nose. "Thank you, sir."

A few seconds passed, and I could briefly smell the red flower pinned to his tuxedo, which smelled nice.

After Mr. Big released me from the embrace, he signaled Koslov to bring Grandmama's recipe forward, which the stoic polar bear kept hidden inside one of the golden lockets around his neck. He opened up the first locket, pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper resembling a fortune cookie slip, and dropped it in my hand. Aside from the font size being less than 3, the recipe was still legible to some degree... and quite legit. It even had the secret ingredient listed, which surprised me. White Alba Caramel Truffle...

Now I could trade this cannoli recipe containing the secret ingredient in exchange for those porcupine quill chopsticks.

I returned to the noodle restaurant near Peace Valley Road in Rainforest District. The shirtless panda was still serving animal patrons like last time.

I met him behind the kitchen counter and gave him the secret ingredient recipe he wanted.

"Whoo-hoo!" the fat panda celebrated with a fist pump. "This is awesome! You're awesome!"

In exchange, he gave me his razor-sharp black and white chopsticks, which were actually porcupine quills. I carefully placed them into my satchel to avoid getting cut.

"Alright. You're awesome," the happy panda repeated. "Last thing I'm gonna say, I promise."

"Okay. Bye-bye," I waved with my back turned.

Now that I had the porcupine quills in my possession—one of which was the Alpha Quill—I returned to the Zootopia General Hospital to meet with Sharla, the black sheep nurse working in the West Wing. She promised to read Gideon Grey's apology letter if I returned the Alpha Quill to Kevin, one of her elderly porcupine patients.

I did my part and gave Kevin his Alpha Quill. It was the very first porcupine quill he grew on his body. More than anything, it was a good luck charm to comfort him in his upcoming surgery, and he was happy to have it in his paws again. Sharla too was delighted to see her patient's mood improve, but now it was time for her to do her part.

I handed her the envelope, which she reluctantly held in her hooves.

"Well...," she sighed, "A promise is a promise," and opened Gideon Gray's letter to read it.

A few minutes passed, and she continued reading. Based on her facial expressions, she didn't seem too pleased. It looked more like a chore for her. She was half expecting to be insulted by her childhood bully, much like in previous interactions, such as the Carrot Days Festival. However, what she got instead was completely different.

After finishing the last paragraph, the black sheep teared up, completely overcome with emotion.

Wow," she sniffled. "He... he got us tickets!"

I noticed her holding what appeared to be multiple colorful strands of carnival tickets. They must've been inside the envelope this whole time.

Wiping a tear from her cheek, Sharla looked up and smiled, "Thank you, Officer Cherry. Thank you."

"Is it what you expected?" I asked.

The sheep stood by the window, staring at the horizon. "It's everything that I hoped for."

Later that night, Gideon and Sharla went on a picnic date somewhere near the edge of Bunnyburrows. They both coordinated a time to meet after work and reconcile after so many years. I only tagged along to ensure Gideon brought the apple pie. After all, he promised to bake one for me if Sharla read his letter, which she did.

After laying out the checkered picnic blanket under a lonely tree on a hill, overlooking the beautiful sunset, Gideon opened the food basket and gave me one of his apple pies.

"Here you are, Mr. C," he placed a pink box in my hands.

I gave a head nod in gratitude. The pie smelled delicious, of course. No surprise there.

Satisfied, I left the two of them alone so that they could cherish their special moment together. They both seemed happy to see each other. Not only did Sharla eventually find forgiveness in her heart, but Gideon finally felt redeemed.

Now that I had the apple pie, I could trade it for two bags of carrot compost from Uncle Terry. Quite a downgrade, considering how tempting it was to take a bite out of that pie. Regardless, I had to exercise some willpower.

Upon arriving at Terry's farm, the rugged old rabbit gladly took the delicious-smelling pie from me and had me follow him towards a flimsy wheelbarrow filled with malodorous carrot compost. A hell of a trade, I must say.

Fighting back the odor, I pushed the wheelbarrow for fifteen minutes down the dusty road, reminiscing the time I first met the Hopps family before arriving at their farm field.

The bunny kids were playing, hopping, skipping across the carrot patches, and having a good time. Meanwhile, Bonnie, Stu, and Hazel stood by the blue truck, finishing putting the eucalypt leaves back together to resew the koala kid's blankie.

Come to find out, the bunnies mistakenly used the koala kid's blankie as carrot compost after the kid's father accidentally dropped it from his trunk after buying groceries from the Hopps family vegetable stand. Yes, it was really made of leaves. Go figure.

Hazel's ears perked up, "Mom, Dad, Look! It's Cherry!" as she saw me approaching with the wheelbarrow.

I tried to hush her, "C'mon, Hazel. The whole world doesn't have to hear."

She cupped a paw around her mouth, shouting, "Hey, everyone! Cherry's here!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, the bunnies all came rushing in.

I scoffed. "Thanks a lot, Hazel."

She gave a sly smile, still trying to mess with me.

Bonnie and Stu came forward to see what I had just wheeled in.

"Well, I'll be darned," Bonnie said.

Her husband, Stu, took a quick sniff. "Yep. That's Uncle Terry's compost, alright."

"Oh, dear," she placed a paw over her chest. "Thanks for bringing it all the way here. It looks like you got your exercise for the day."

Stu noticed how heavy the wheelbarrow was and felt sorry. "Hopefully, getting the compost wasn't a huge inconvenience."

I lied, shaking my head. "None whatsoever."

"Terrific," he clapped his paws together. "I'm glad it was easy then!"

Now that I brought them actual carrot compost, the bunnies could use it on their farm patches instead of using the eucalypt leaves. That way, we could gather the remaining leaf pieces and restore the koala's eucalypt blankie to its original glory.

And that's precisely what we did.

Bonnie did one hell of a job sewing everything back together. From a large pile of small eucalypt leaves, she successfully combined them all into one medium-sized blanket. It resembled a square cluster of green dragon scales, only softer, lighter, and nowhere near as strong as mithril. In addition, its natural aromatic scent was a minty, camphoraceous aroma that was sharp and highly pungent. Like mint, inhaling eucalyptus opens the sinuses and clears the head, according to Hazel. However, the fragrance also contains hints of the forest, which some koalas describe as sweet and similar to honey. This is especially true when the leaves are highly concentrated, tightly sewn together, and properly placed on the cub's body. Hence, a blankie like this could wake up any koala child, regardless of how deep of a sleep they're in.

Typically, a child needs his or her blankie to fall asleep. That's how most cubs are in Zootopia, according to Bonnie. However, in Buster's case, since he's a koala bear, he actually needs his blankie to wake up.

Fancy that...

After thanking the Hopps family, I took the eucalypt blankie and headed to Woodland Elementary School.

Even after all this time, Buster was still sleeping up in the tree with the paper receipt tucked under his paw as it gently blew in the wind. I needed to get that slip signed by his principal.

I tossed the blankie high up into the branches, making it land on the koala cub's head. It wasn't long before he started sniffing the leaves, slowly waking up as he took in their strong scent.

Finally... I thought. The blankie had actually worked.

He yawned with his arms outstretched, noticing the paper stuck on his paw. "Oh, uh, officer?" he grabbed it with his fingers barely in time before it blew away in the wind. "I, um... I got your receipt."

"Great!" I praised. "Now, bring it down, please."

Buster did as instructed and climbed down the tree. He gave me the receipt, which I snatched from his paws before rewarding him with a candy sucker I took from the hospital waiting room.

The young koala happily skipped over to his father, who was still napping under the tree and cuddled beside him. Together they snoozed for the next couple of minutes until it was time for school to start.

Do koalas really need that much sleep? I haven't even slept for days...

That was when the principal, Mrs. Armadillo, arrived. Shortly thereafter.

"You finally got me something to sign?" she asked.

I handed her the paper receipt, which she hurriedly signed before tending to her pupils. It was for the biofertilizer ferns she bought from the flower cub at Zootopia University.

And that's exactly where I headed next.

Haru, the botanist, the university's only gardening club member caring for the rooftop garden, requested that I get her receipt signed before she gave away two green calendulas. After all, the flowers weren't free.

"Thank you for staying to help," she closed her eyes and bowed. "I didn't think you'd actually say yes."

Once I received the two potted flowers, I carried them to the apothecary in Little Rodentia. Stuart, the mouse apprentice working in herbal treatments, needed two green pedal extracts to create the medicine for pneumonia.

Not just any medicine, though...

It was the most diminutive of its kind. Designed and modified to specifically treat a tiny mouse with little to no natural immunity. The concentration of the compounds and the boiling points had to be precise. There were no shortcuts. With only a soft tap of my finger, all the vials and glass tubes could've shattered in the lab. Only the tiniest paws in Zootopia could create such a medicine.

Thankfully, Stuart knew exactly what to do. He had me keep my distance until he was finished since a single rumble from the street could've thrown off his concentration. I just had to ensure he wouldn't trip like last time and accidentally destroy the medicine.

As I sat outside the gates of Little Rodentia, waiting for him to finish pouring the medicine into a vial, I saw him trip on his tail again. I barely caught his body from falling between my two fingers, and he miraculously caught the vial from falling between his two fingers.

"Phew," he wiped the sweat off his brow, placing the green vial in my palm. "Now, that... that was a close one...."

I sighed in relief. "Let's not do that again."

He nervously chuckled, straightening out his bowtie and lab coat.

With the medicine in my palm, I journeyed into the middle of the pine forest across the bay, a few miles outside Zootopia. It didn't take long to get there. Only a couple hours...

In the shaded grove, across the meadow, was a humble village of mice living off the grid. Notable among them was Mrs. Brisby.

She stood alone by the pond, tending to her family's laundry. At times, she couldn't help but cry. Her son still must've been very sick.

Perhaps not for long.

I quietly knelt down to her level and handed her the tiny green medicine vial. It took a moment to register with her, but she became overjoyed upon seeing it.

"That's it! Timmy's medicine!" she clasped her tiny paws together in gratitude. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

I bowed my head in acknowledgment.

Without wasting time, Mrs. Brisby crossed to the other side of the pond, leaping nimbly from one lily pad to another. I sat and waited for her by the log. Outside her home, her children awaited her return. She took a kettle from over the fireplace and filled a bowl with soup. She poured the contents of the green medicine vial into the bowl and moved into the bedroom. Through the tiny window, I saw Mrs. Brisby begin to spoon-feed the warm soup to her son Timothy. An overall sense of hope could be felt in the atmosphere. One by one, the other children gathered around the bed. When the soup was gone, Timothy yawned and peacefully fell asleep. Despite being very thin, he appeared well-comforted, knowing he'd get better soon.

With her son taken care of for now, Mrs. Brisby felt more at ease and came back across the pond. She and I reunited with Koda, the young brown bear, so she could take us to find his older brother.

I let the mouse stand in my palm since we had a long walk ahead.

Mrs. Brisby pointed the way for us, remembering where Koda's brother might've gone, and helped us navigate the rugged forest terrain. She knew this area better than anyone. At times, her directions sounded like a riddle.

Hike to the tree that stands without bark,

Lift up our eyes and look for the mark,

Past the cliffside that looks out to the west,

In no more than an hour, you'll know by its crest.

And just like that, we spotted a large brown bear lying on his back on a slanted rock slab, who appeared to be cloud gazing.

"Kenai!" the bear cub ran up to big brother and leaped onto his tummy.

Kenai let out a big 'Oof' before glancing up to see who it was. "Koda? I told you I'd be back in two days," he sighed but couldn't help but smile at him. "Did you miss me that much?"

Koda said nothing. He only snuggled further into his big brother's arms, embracing him tightly.

Kenai chuckled, giving him a light head noogie. "It's good to see you too, little brother."

The two of them wrestled and played for a bit before we headed over to the Salmon Run to pick some mulberries. After we found his big brother, Koda said he'd help me fill buckets with all the berries I wanted.

The bear's home had to be the most beautiful and peaceful place I'd ever been to. It was sprawling with waterfalls and pools of various shapes and sizes. Salmon fish were jumping between them. It was similar to Mystic Springs Oasis in some ways, except it was more outdoors, natural, family-oriented, and involved less nudity. At least the bears have the decency to wear burlap shorts.

This beautiful forest area between the mountain ranges was nothing like I'd ever seen, except in simulations. Even back then, I could never experience the actual scents or sounds of nature. Only audio recordings and lab samples from previous worlds conquered by the Stratocracy.

"Hey, Officer Berry?" Koda called out.

I realized I was zoned out for a moment. "What is it, kid?"

"I smell a lot of mulberries over there," he pointed across the stream, referring to one of the thicker bushes by the waterfall. "Let me help you pick them."

I lifted the buckets that were already filled to the brim with berries. "No thanks. I'm good."

I waved the bears goodbye and headed to the edge of the forest. It was time to visit those raccoons at their hollowed-out tree stump nest. With the bucketloads of blueberries, hopefully, they'd accept them in exchange for that special golden wrench they stole.

They could smell me coming as soon as I stepped into their territory.

"Mulberries!" they got all excited.

"Mully, Mully, Mully-berries!" the kits started hopping over each other.

"Give me some mullberries!"

Paws were extended all around. "Over here! I want some!"

"Wait! Where's the third bucket?" the coon leader questioned, placing both paws on his hips.

"Third? You only gave me one," I said.

More and more raccoons started to pour in, gathering around my boots.

Regardless, the coon leader grabbed a berry and took a savory bite. "Meh, it doesn't matter," he wiped his mouth, licking his fingers. "We're too hungry to complain anyway."

"Let's dig in!" they all swarmed the buckets.

"And the wrench?" I inquired.

The raccoons were too busy snacking on the mulberries. None of them were paying attention.

I looked around the tree stump's interior and spotted the wrench hanging on the wall above the fireplace. Even though some raccoons saw me grabbing it, they didn't care much about it. Not anymore, at least. They only cared about feasting upon the mulberries before they were all gone. With that, I left the masked thieves in peace and took the special wrench.

Now it was time to return this tool to its proper owner.

Just outside the forest boundaries, right next to the highway, the young fox mechanic with blonde fur sat patiently on a lonely rock in the grass field, fiddling with the light electronics on his safety goggles. Next to him was the delivery truck with a broken rear axle, still suspended on a steel jack. The ram driver was inside the cabin, taking a nap.

"My special wrench!" the fox cheered as he wagged his tails. "You found it!"

I tossed it over to him.

He caught it with his paws. "Thank you, sir!"

"You think you can fix that truck?" I asked.

"Of course, I can!" he answered confidently. "I can fix anything."

He proudly held up the wrench as sunlight reflected off its shiny gold surface, making me squint.

With a happy twirl of his special wrench, he immediately went to work on the delivery truck. It didn't take him long to fix the rear axle. He also made some additional modifications to the suspension struts and air valve stems to ensure longevity. Not bad for an 8-year-old.

Now that the truck was fully repaired, I woke the ram delivery driver, and we rode to Jumbeaux's Café together to deliver the soy. We brought everything to the back kitchen, and the elephant servers had everything they needed to make the Red Zeicester Cheese.

A couple minutes later, it was ready in a to-go box.

Like cheddar cheese but crumbly in texture. More moist with a milder flavor. The rind was reddish-orange with a powdery mould and a hint of annatto extract. It was definitely some high-quality stuff.

Jerry Jumbeaux Jr rang me up at the cafe counter register as I put the cheese in my satchel.

The elephant sighed. "Fifteen dollars..."

I handed him a twenty. "I'd like the change, please."

He glared as he passed the change back to me. "Tips are appreciated."

"How much? 18? 20? 35%?"

He rolled his eyes, annoyed. "That's too high. Anything between 5-7% would be just fine."

I nodded, handing him three dollars. "I think I'm starting to like Zootopia now."

The elephant said nothing and only furrowed his eyebrows before walking off to help another mammal customer who wanted to buy a jumbo pop. A female fox.

With the Red Zeicester cheese in my hand, I returned to the overgrown back alley in Rainforest District to give it to that rat squatter living in a watering can. He had been there for who knows how long... and it was time to get him out.

"Hmmm, the rat smells cheese," Templeton's voice echoed from the metal interior as he heard me walking.

I unwrapped the cheese and set it outside his makeshift home.

"And not just any cheese," the rat poked his head through the watering can's spout. "Red Zeicester! That would go beautifully with my stomach."

"Go ahead," I gestured toward the ground. "Pig out."

"First off, I'm a rat. Secondly, I'm not just any rat. Because soon, I'll be TWICE THAT!"

"Whatever," I bent over to pick up the watering can. "Now get the hell out of there."

He grinned. "The rat is happy."

And just like that, he crawled out the lid, went down my armored leg, and scurried toward the cheese to partake of it. It was a little gross watching him eat, but at least he was content.

Now that I had acquired the watering can, it was time to deliver it back to its owner. Mr. Otterton.

His floral shop was just around the corner from the alleyway. I entered through the front door and found him trimming his bundles of roses by the counter.

"Here you go," I placed the item on the table dramatically. "One missing watering can."

Mr. Otterton gave a warm smile. "Thanks."

I shot him a glare. "...That's it?"

"Well... what were you expecting?" he splayed his paws lightheartedly. "I mean, it took you so long I could have gone and got it myself."

"What? I've been traipsing all over Zootopia for the last couple of days..." I began ranting. "I've negotiated with nude fanatics, razorback delinquents, and needy mammals. I swam to an island for an exotic seashell, nearly drowned in a mine, and fought a grandmaster at a shrine... I've filled buckets with mulberries, made herbal medicine to help cure a sick little mouseling, and that's all the thanks I get? Good hell..."

The otter crossed his arms, giving a concerned look. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble."

I sighed, taking a moment to exhale.

"After all, I only asked you to do me one small favor," he continued.

I nodded, knowing he had a point. It's not like he meant for all the craziness to happen. I sat in his floral shop for a while, reflecting on all the life choices I made up to this point. Mr. Otterton was kind enough to offer a glass of water and a bundle of three roses free of charge to show his gratitude. Obviously, he wasn't present during the last few days' events, but hey, it was better than nothing.

I wasn't sure what the roses were for or why he even gave them to me. I told him I didn't need them—nor did I really want them... but he insisted I kept them just in case—for a 'special someone,' he explained. I told him I didn't have a 'special someone,' but he said to keep them anyway 'just in case.' I didn't want to make him think I was ungrateful, so I carefully placed the roses in my satchel and exposed the heads.

Feeling tired, I headed for the door, waving Mr. Otteron goodbye.

"Before you go, can I ask one huge favor from you?" Mr. Otterton asked.

I stopped in place, becoming a little disgruntled. "What?"

"Could you grab that basket up there for me?" he pointed toward an upper shelf in his shop. "It's too high for me."

I grabbed the empty basket, dropping it into his paws.

"Thank you," he said, filling it with a bag of soil.

"Anything else?" I asked.

The otter shook his head and smiled. "Nope, that's it."

Without saying another word, I immediately left the store and collapsed on a nearby patch of grass. It was time to call it a day.

***

I began my long journey of returning to the police station a few hours later. The probability of Chief Bogo terminating me would invariably be high... but I didn't care. I disobeyed his orders, repeatedly missed work, and gladly did whatever I felt like doing. That is, going on a wild goose chase across Zootopia. Whether that was right or wrong, it felt right at the time. Good or bad, I did what I had to do. Insubordination? It was just a bullshit word he'd use to intimidate his officers into subordination. Nor did he ever mean it when he said it. It was merely a filler word to maintain his false sense of dominance.

I mentally prepared myself as I contacted him via the radio. With the ZPD badge unclipped and resting in my hand, I was ready to confess everything that had happened. I looked down and noticed my entire body covered in grime and occasional blood stains. The armor was cracked and dented in various places, and my helmet was also missing. Thus, it'd be one hell of a story to share.

I waited and waited for Bogo to answer, yet nothing happened.

Officer Grizzoli came on the line and told me Chief Bogo was out for the day. The water buffalo was too busy meeting with the Mayor and the Governor, answering questions from City Hall, and formally addressing the public on recent events that were terrorizing the city.

However, as I stood among the animal citizens outside the train station to watch the news on a video billboard, we learned that was no longer the case.

The elected officials were as confused as they were baffled regarding the current status of Zootopia. Water levels across the city had somehow receded, temperatures had become more stable, and the climate walls were mysteriously restored to their full glory. They said everything was back to normal... but not quite. Almost as if they didn't know what to make of it.

As I walked the streets of Savanna Central, I couldn't help but notice how different things were.

The floodwaters had transformed many downtown areas and reshaped various streets and infrastructures, causing new rivers to flow through them that didn't exist before. This forced many mammals to get creative as they rebuilt their community around or on top of these changes—whether bridges, dikes, or decorative ponds—they slowly figured out a way to adapt to this brand-new cityscape. Meanwhile, cubs and pups were playing in the water, splashing each other, and having the time of their lives.

Adjacent parks and recreational areas were also greener, more lush, and filled with more exotic vegetation due to the recent moisture. Even the window sills on some businesses and apartment buildings had new flowers and plants growing alongside them. I could see animals poking their heads out to see for themselves. A few wildebeests ate the foliage like a snack, a female pig watered and welcomed them like it was her new garden, and a male elderly sloth stared at them in child-like wonder as he picked a bundle of dandelions.

Overall, the city of Zootopia was in a good place. Disaster recovery went far better than anyone could've ever hoped for.

But that wasn't all.

News coverage around the city showed how the new climate walls affected the districts. Temperatures now had increased variability per square mile for each environment, creating a more comprehensive range of unique ecosystems. In other words, there was no longer a sudden and direct change in temperature between any two districts. Quantitatively, that also meant temperatures would no longer go from 102°F to 32°F in seconds while driving or riding public transport. Instead, it would take at least a minute or two to feel the effects, which would help mitigate sicknesses animals commonly experience when crossing between districts of extreme temperatures. This led to the creation of what many were calling 'Hybrid-districts.'

A tropical jungle with less humidity, a dry desert with more rainfall, a high-elevation mountainside with less snow, a red-rock canyonland with snowcapped plateaus, or a pine forest with more daytime sunlight. The possibilities were endless.

The districts were also much bigger now.

Tundra Town received a fresh layer of snow and ice that blanketed everything beyond the horizon, covering everything past the old boundaries up to the coast, where enormous glaciers appeared to grow in size and volume. Aerial footage showed fascinated animals building camps along the Northern icy surface to explore the new frozen wonder.

In Rainforest District, fallen trees were carved into new bridges and roadways. Flooded tunnels became new traveling routes for hippos and polar bears. Waterfalls were more spread out with a consistent and steady flow, looking more beautiful than the news anchors could remember.

Sahara Square had newly formed islands made of sand along the Sahara Coast Bay, leading to luxury houses and resorts being built on some of them. After the floodwaters had receded, a new desert oasis emerged South of the Palm Hotel. From what I could tell, it looked beautiful.

All in all, it was still Zootopia... but things were slightly different going forward. Investigations were still underway, but no one would find anything particularly egregious.

Savage and Winter called me earlier to discuss the matter, asking me if I saw anything after we separated. I simply told them the razorbacks got away. Hence, my numerous injuries. That, however, was a partial lie. Although, it might've explained why the climate walls suddenly returned to normal if the razorbacks abandoned them and fled. Thus, it was all a bit of a mystery to the agents, including myself, since I had to pretend I didn't know anything. Yet, it all worked out in the end. Zootopia was brought down to its knees... so that it could be built back bigger, better, and more robust than ever before. More exotic, more diverse, and more lively.

However, despite all these positive changes generally well-received by most animal citizens after the clean-up operations were complete, I searched far and wide for the razorback's swampland but could never find it. The news coverage never mentioned it. Did the razorbacks decide not to have a swamp at all? Did they keep it hidden from the public? Whatever the case might be, they were keeping their promise. That's all that mattered.

At last, Zootopia was peaceful again. It felt great to breathe the fresh air.

As I walked across the newly renovated park in Savanna Central, looking at everything being back to normal, I saw a giraffe and tiger teenagers playing with a soccer ball. The ball came to me, and I kicked it back to them.

I finally arrived at the ZPD station and noticed it got a new central window installed with reinforced sand-blasted pillars. The clean-up crew finished towing away the rusty bus that crashed into the old window during the floods. I never liked the building's design, yet it looked much better.

Inside the ZPD, Clawhauser had everyone gathered at the front desk with a big important announcement. At least, so it seemed based on how many officers were there. I've never seen a cheetah so excited and jumpy in my entire life. He nearly knocked over a thick stack of purple tickets in his paws because he couldn't contain himself. Judy and Nick were there as well.

"Pack your bags, everyone, because we're going to Gazelle's concert!" Clawhauser laughed joyfully as he stood atop his desk and started dancing.

"Hooray!" everyone cheered, giving each other high-fours and chest bumps. "Woot-woot!"

The elephants trumpeted, the tigers roared, and all the wolves howled in celebration.

I sighed. "Oh boy..."

***

The concert was held at the Zootennial Outdoor Stadium. The largest of its kind in the world. It was a spectacular venue that could hold up to 87,000 mammals (about 33,000 elephants) and hosted some of the most fur-raising shows in the world. We were all on the Prance Floor. At least, that's what the pamphlet said.

"I can't believe you tried to sell your ticket!" Judy tugged at her ears with excitement. "This is Gazelle, for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, c'mon, Chenry! What were you thinking?"

"She's the greatest singer of our lifetime! The angel with horns!" Clawhauser struggled to keep himself still. "I sooooooo can't wait to hear her new album!"

The officers were giving me a hard time. Meanwhile, we stood in a long ass line, waiting to enter the venue. It was getting dark, I was tired as hell, and I just wanted to get some sleep. Everyone else seemed fully energized for the occasion and ready to party all night, which I wasn't looking forward to.

I couldn't believe how many mammals were here. Concerts weren't really my thing. They never were. They're overcrowded and overrated, especially with these talking animals. I didn't even know who the hell this 'gazelle' was anyway, so I figured someone else could've benefited more from the ticket. Unfortunately, Nick intervened at the last minute.

"So, let me get this straight," Nick continued messing with me. "The ZPD gives you a free VIP ticket to Gazelle's concert, one of the most spectacular events in the world, and you tried to only make a few bucks off it?" he chortled. "Buddy, that's the worst sin any mammal could commit in Zootopia."

"Trust me, I could do worse," I said, following from behind.

"Tsk tsk tsk," the fox shook his head as the line moved along. "An amateur move."

"Perhaps the biggest one of the century," Wolfard added as he took a selfie with all the stadium spotlights in the background that could be seen from miles away.

I sighed. "Thanks, Wolfard."

He snagged another photo with his wife. "No problem."

Our line moved closer and closer to the stadium entrance.

"Have you even been to a concert before?" Judy asked.

I shook my head. "No."

"What?!" Judy, Clawhauser, and the officers gasped. "Are you serious? You're gonna love it!"

"Yeah, It's time for you to live a little, buddy," Nick said.

I questioned the fox. "Since when did you become a 'gazelle' fan?"

He shrugged. "Not really, but Carrots is. I'm just here for the fun."

I turned towards the bunny. "You're really into all this?"

"Yep - You bet! I'm a huge Gazelle fan!" Judy proudly proclaimed.

"Actually, you're a tiny Gazelle fan," the fox patted her head. "But let's not split hares."

Judy playfully nudged him in the stomach with her elbow, causing him to flinch dramatically.

After a short while, we were finally funneled into the grand stadium. It was filled with vibrant lights that lit up the night sky. I never felt so nervous like this before. Everyone was dressed in glitter, sparkles, red, pink, and purple for the occasion. Apparently, every soul in this city, big or small, was a huge 'gazelle' fan.

I guess there was one way to find out why.

One by one, we started to meet up with all kinds of mammals. Family, friends, cousins, and relatives of various ZPD officers. In addition, old colleagues, former coworkers, close companions, local neighbors, and many acquaintances came from around the city. We also saw rural animals, famous celebrities, regular tourists, and seasonal migrants from across the globe.

Everyone was here.

Innumerable animals of all shapes, sizes, and species.

The lights suddenly went off, the entire stadium went dark, and I thought the power might've gone out. I couldn't see a thing. However, animals began clapping and shouting like crazy. It got loud. They pulled out their phones to record the event, and the entire prance floor appeared like an ocean of stars in the night sky. Mass excitement erupted across the expansive cheering crowds. At the heart of the stadium, purple, blue, and pink lights illuminated the fountain waters shooting up in the air like a magical stage curtain.

"Good evening, Zootopia! Come on, everybody, put your paws up!"

In the center glowing stage, surrounded by four brawny tigers covered in sparkles, was a young slim antelope-looking female in a sparkling pink skirt with a matching top. She had golden brown fur, tall, spiraling horns, and a lock of golden hair hanging over her brown eyes.

I took a wild guess and told myself she was probably 'gazelle.'

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ I messed up tonight, I lost another fight ♪

♪ Lost to myself, but I'll just start again ♪

♪ I keep falling down, I keep on hitting the ground ♪

♪ I always get up now, see what's next ♪

Her voice was rather lively and pleasant. The animal masses were going wild as they danced to every beat. I simply stood there to take it all in— admiring it.

♪ Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up ♪

♪ Nobody learns without gettin' it wrong ♪

♪ I won't give up, no, I won't give in ♪

♪ 'Til I reach the end, and then I'll start again ♪

♪ No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything ♪

♪ I wanna try even though I could fail ♪

She continued to perform 'Try Everything' as the tigers danced beside her. As she danced, Clawhauser watched from the side of the stage as close as he could get, glowing with sheer excitement. Judy, Nick, and the ZPD officers were dancing side by side. They urged me to join them, but I simply smiled and shook my head.

Charity soon found me and invited me to go dancing with her.

"Baby, you ready to come shake your tail with me?" she held out her paw.

I looked down. "I... I don't have a tail."

"It's okay; we can share mine," she playfully brushed hers across my legs.

I nervously chuckled as the coyote guided me through the crowd of animal concertgoers. She looked very beautiful tonight. A few members of the ZPD followed us so that they, too, could get closer to the central stage. We weren't the only ones.

The final lines of "Try Everything" were performed before the next song. Charity and Judy danced to the music. Even the Howl family—Jay, Jamie, and Joseph—waved hello to us and were all happily dancing together. The young wolf pup, Joseph, howled to the music, which we all thought was cute. Everyone was having a great time. Charity looked at me and bumped me with her hip to get me to dance, which I eventually did. However, I wasn't nearly as good as everyone else.

"You got this, Cherry," the coyote encouraged, showing me the steps of the song." Just watch my feet, okay? You're doing great."

With a bit of practice, I finally got the hang of it.

"Wooo!" Charity cheered as we danced side by side. "Eso es!"

We looked at each other, smiling. Charity had such pretty eyes. Meanwhile, Chief Bogo danced like he owned the dance floor. From the looks of his mood, I probably wasn't fired. Clawhauser danced around, shaking his behind. Bonnie and Stu were dancing in their own unique rural style. Hazel and her friends were there too. Yax was laid-back, enjoying himself. A pig lady next to him was disgusted by his smell. He chuckled. On the far side, Emmitt Otterton twirled his wife, dipped her, and they joyfully embraced.

"¡Con las pezuñas arriba! Come on! Shake your tails with me, come on! Yeah!"

The tiger dancers performed a harmonious roar, which was pretty cool.

Over by Mrs. Armadillo, we saw Flash and Priscilla dancing—very slowly. Koslov stood behind them, bobbing his head to the music. On his palm, Mr. Big, while sitting in his chair, danced with Fru-Fru as she held baby Judy in her arms. Fru-Fru's extended family and friends—Tru-Tru, Brianca, Christine, Mandy, and Charisma—danced together while taking hundreds of selfies.

"Put your paws in the air, come on!" the talented gazelle sang. "¡Con las pezuñas arriba, vamos!"

Gideon and Sharla were doing the foxtrot. Dr. Bell, Finnick, and Mr. Manchas moved in their own style, improvising on the beat. Cody and his sister Penny held each other's paws, spinning and merrily jumping and hopping in a circle. Duke Weaselton danced until he saw money from an animal's back pocket. He danced up to him and tried to grab the cash.

I shot him a quick glare, followed by a slight smirk.

Intimidated, the little weasel left the money alone and quietly danced away.

Over in the corner of the stadium, I saw the maned wolf dancing with his new lady friend, who also happened to be a maned wolf. At the same time, Rebecca Pawts, my first Zootopian interrogator, could be seen dancing with her new coyote guy friend. We also saw Sir Whiskers, Kitty Claws, and DJ Stripes grooving in the premium stands.

Other couples could be spotted on the dance floor. Mason and Diane, Jack and Skye, Bernard and Bianca, and Diego and his wife. The list of concert attendees could go on forever...

Gazelle continued singing as the tigers danced around her on the glowing stage as it put on a brilliant light show. The magnificent presentation was unlike anything we've ever seen. Every mammal here was fervently dancing, giving it their all, including... the razorbacks?

Yep, they were here.

Tusk and his crew had their hoods on, and a few others had disguises. However, none of them were armed. They were all dressed in sparkling 'gazelle' attire, which was quite a sight.

With his son by his side, the gray razorback eagerly approached us and smiled, "Thought we'd miss the party?"

I crossed my arms and glared, "You've got some nerve, showing up here."

He chuckled. "It's good to see you, my friend."

"Likewise," I smiled, giving him a fist bump.

He nodded proudly. "You know, this all worked out pretty well, didn't it?"

"Indeed, it has," I admitted as we gazed upon the crowd of animal concertgoers.

Everyone around us was having a ball. Mr. Tusk and his family bobbed their heads to the music, going side to side in a group shuffle.

Just then, a question came to mind. "So, uh... how's your swamp?

"Oh, it's fantastic," he bragged. "You'll have to come to see it sometime. It's truly heavenly. I picked the best spot in town, right in the plain site too."

"Is that so?" I asked in wonder.

He pulled out his phone to show me his map. The razorback's swampland was situated near the Western coast, at the edge of the Rainforest District.

"Huh," I was surprised. "I didn't think to check there."

"The door's open anytime you wanna visit us," he reminded. "Watch where you step, though. Those willow bogs can get a little treacherous."

I nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "I'll keep that in mind."

The gray razorback bowed his head. "Until then, enjoy the rest of your evening. Take care, my friend," he picked up his tired son before leaving. "And tell your girlfriend hi for me."

Unsure what he meant by that, I waved Mr. Tusk goodbye. He went off into the crowds to dance with the rest of his family before disappearing from view.

It was nice to see him again... never thought I'd say that.

After shuffling through the sea of mammals, I reunited with Charity and the rest of our group close to the stage. We all danced like the party was just getting started. My body began to tire and ache on the side, but the positive vibe was still there. Perhaps enough for a few more songs. Meanwhile, Charity kept dancing with all that youthful energy inside of her. That coyote girl's spirit burned bright and strong. I couldn't help but smile at her when she always smiled back. Without a doubt, she was one of the most pleasant mammals to be around.

Later that night, the female 'gazelle' and her tiger dancers performed many new songs in their exclusive album.

♪ A Whole New Wool ♪

♪ Make A Mammal Out Of You ♪

♪ Furever In My Heart ♪

The stage lights changed from purple and blue to green and orange, indicating the long-awaited transition. These songs haven't been publicly released yet. Tonight was going to be the big night where that would all change. The sheer eagerness among the crowds as they struggled to contain their excitement was almost too fun to watch.

They were great songs.

Dancing felt awkward for me initially, but I soon got over it. Everyone else was doing it, so there was no shame in it. Just go with the beat. Go with the flow. After all, this was pretty fun. I didn't want to admit it, yet Charity knew I was enjoying it. All thanks to her.

Joseph and Hazel took turns riding on my shoulders—anything they could do to sit high above the crowds for a better view and wave at the singing Gazelle up on stage. Both of them were having an absolute blast.

We kept dancing and dancing through the new album.

"Alright, everybody, who's got what it takes? Yeah! Vamos a bailar!" the sparkly Gazelle sang to the lively concertgoers over the microphone. "Yeah! Show me what you got; come on!"

Everyone started busting out their best moves. They did everything in their ability to put themselves out there. Multiple colored spotlights turned on across the stadium, shining on various animals giving it their all. The Gazelle invited a few of them up at a time to come on stage and dance with her. As any Zootopian could imagine, this made everyone go crazy for the fantastic opportunity.

After the spotlight shined on a young mouse family who came up on stage, the light switched over to the opposite side of the stadium where we were and shined directly on Clawhauser.

Every officer of the ZPD went wild.

"WHAT!?" the fat cheetah exploded with laughter and excitement. "O-M-goodness! I can't believe it! I can't believe it! It's happening, it's happening!"

He got invited up on stage to dance with the Gazelle. I've never seen so many happy tears being shed by a cheetah before. He danced his pants off—figuratively, of course—in the short time he was given to be on stage before it was someone else's turn. Imagine how much weight he could've lost by that alone. Regardless, the ZPD officers and I loudly clapped and chanted for him.

"Wooo! Way to go, Clawhauser!" Judy and Charity cheered.

"Not bad for a donut-loving cop," Nick complimented.

By the time the cheetah got off stage, he had nearly fainted from an overdose of joy.

"Best. Night. Of my LIFE!" he exclaimed exuberantly. He was left nearly speechless. "THAT was SOOO much better than the app!"

We were all very happy for him. His wildest dreams finally came true. The dance spotlight continued to shine on other stadium areas, giving more and more animals an opportunity. Not everyone could go up on stage; otherwise, we'd be here all night, but the Gazelle was very inclusive and diverse in who she invited on stage with her. Predator and prey alike, big and small, it didn't matter. As long as there was a strong passion for dancing.

At this point, more than a dozen mammals had gone on stage to dance with the Gazelle. Things were starting to wrap up now. A spectacular light show was being put on before the end of the concert.

Just then, a random spotlight suddenly shone upon us out of nowhere. It was so bright I had to shield my eyes. The colors changed from a vibrant purple to a soft blue.

"Hey, you there in the back!" the Gazelle pointed at me. "Come on up!"

"Oh, crap..." I froze in place, completely in disbelief. Perhaps she was referring to someone else?

"Yay, Cherry!" Joseph howled.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Hazel quickly pulled out her phone and started recording.

I hid behind the tallest mammal nearby.

"Come on, Chenry!" the officers pushed from behind.

"You got this, baby!" Charity encouraged.

"Let's go!"

"You get to meet Gazelle!" Officer Francine trumpeted her horn loudly, gently nudging me toward the stage.

"Yeah, buddy! Don't be shy!"

"What are you waiting for?"

"Venga! Come on!" the gazelle singer insisted, beckoning with her hoof. "I want you on stage with me."

I slowly backed away. "I-I don't think so..."

But then everyone started pushing from behind.

Even Chief Bogo was doing it. "What in the grazings heaven are you thinking? Get up there."

"Heck yeah, dude!" Cody cheered. "Go for it!"

The more I resisted, the more the animals insisted. This was especially true when the moment was being captured on camera. I couldn't believe this. I didn't want to go up there. Regardless, that's exactly what everyone wanted me to do.

Charity held my hand, Hazel and Joseph grabbed the other, the officers pulled me by the cloak, and the rest pushed against my back. They did whatever they could to get me up on that stage. They were not stopping anytime soon.

"Guys, come on," I begged them. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, we're serious!" Judy said, grinning.

"Just go up!"

"Live a little!" Nick reminded.

"Go! Up! Go! Up! Go! Up!" the audience repeatedly chanted with a thunderous roar of enthusiasm.

I sighed, knowing any further effort to resist the will of these animal concertgoers was futile. Completely futile. Standing in front of 80,000 plus animals? How bad could it possibly be? Pretty damn frightening, if you ask me.

One of the tiger dancers helped me up onto the upper stage platform. His giant paws were covered in sparkles and glitter dust, much like an anthro Barbie bodybuilder. The circular stage area was well-lit, glossy, covered in shiny polished glass, and overlooked the entire Zootennial stadium with a 360-degree view. Words couldn't describe how nervous I felt.

"What is your name, guapo?" the golden antelope cheerily asked, putting her arm around me.

"Uh... "I wiped the sweat off my brow. "...Cherry?"

She turned toward the crowd. "Let's bring it together for Cherry!"

The stadium erupted in thunderous applause, which was very surprising to me. I expected more booings, but those were so few and far between. The loud cheerful ambiance mostly tuned out the negativity. It was a nice little boost of confidence, despite the fact I was still beyond nervous. Even so, the golden mammal did her best to make me feel welcome here. She was very socially minded and believed in acceptance and equality for all.

"I'm sorry, what's your name?" I decided to ask her, keeping it down to a whisper.

She smiled warmly. "I'm Gazelle."

"Yes, I can see that you're a gazelle. But what's your name?"

She giggled. "That is my name, silly."

"Oh."

It all made sense now.

Before Gazelle and her four tiger dancers started dancing to a brand-new song, I leaned over to whisper a small favor from her. She nodded in understanding, being very kind and humble about my request. I thought she was going to say no. But thankfully, Gazelle allowed some of my friends to come up on stage too.

I'll never forget the looks on Charity, Joseph, Hazel, and Judy's faces as they lit up with joy. They were beyond thrilled to meet Gazelle on stage. After all, she's been their favorite pop star celebrity ever since they were little cubs. It only seemed fair that they got the incredible opportunity that they truly deserved. Plus, it was a way of diverting attention away from me.

The four of them danced alongside Gazelle and her four tiger dancers for the next minute or so. I simply took a knee on the lower section of the revolving stage, watching them up close in admiration while recording the monumental moment with Hazel's carrot phone. They were having a ball. One of the tiger dancers even came over, grabbed the phone, and took a big group selfie of us, which made for a funny moment because I forgot to smile. Plus, my eyebrows were furrowed.

Gazelle thanked us immensely, made us feel right at home like proud Zootopians, and we got off the stage in preparation for the concert finale. We reunited with our group and danced our tails off for the rest of the night. Judy and Nick, Hazel and Joseph, their families, Tusk and his crew, Bogo and Clawhauser, and the rest of the ZPD. And, of course, me and Charity. A human and a coyote together.

We've come a long way in our dancing abilities ever since we first met each other at the ZPD academy. That's a day I'll always remember. Because of her, I felt more confident and hopeful about life, especially in this exotic world. I was grateful to have someone like her by my side. Almost like having... a really good friend.

As a fan-favorite way to close the night, the final lines of "Try Everything" were performed by Gazelle herself.

♪ I'll keep on making those new mistakes ♪

♪ I'll keep on making them every day ♪

♪ Those new mistakes ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Try everything ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Try everything ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Try everything ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Try everything ♪

Gazelle and the tigers did a final pose as the song ended. Everyone in Zootopia cheered and applauded as a stunning fireworks display lit up the stellar night sky.

As we both gazed upon the glamorous city horizon, the coyote wrapped her arms around me and I put my arm around her.

The concert was officially over. The lights dimmed to take in the natural scenery around us. In other words, time for everyone to go home.

Damn... that was fun.

I was probably the only one in our group who yawned. How could anyone else not be so tired at such a late hour? I suppose these concerts took some getting used to.

Everyone wished each other a good night before returning to their homes to get rested for the next day. I carpooled back to the station with the ZPD officers before walking back to my apartment with the greasy walls and collapsing onto that rickety bed.

Never in my life had I felt so exhausted before. Yet, it actually felt great. Mentally I had never felt so alive but physically I was completely wrecked. Zootopia really does have a lot of surprises.

Before switching the lights off, Nick and Charity both sent me text messages. Charity wanted to plan our next date for tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, Nick wanted to meet up for lunch... to catch up on a few things.

I replied with a 'yes' to both of them, closed the ZPD laptop shut, and finally closed my eyes to get some sleep.

***

The following morning was pretty relaxing—probably the most normal morning I'd had here in Zootopia in a long while, even though nothing here is ever really normal. Regardless, the city was strongly thriving. Mammals of all kinds were living in peace and harmony. No one was causing any trouble so far. No arrests, five-year jail time, or class-three health code violations to report—not even a single parking ticket had to be issued...

In other words, no paperwork.

It was almost as if time had slowed down in Zootopia. Last night's concert must've helped many mammals to take a moment to pause, rest, and reflect on their new way of life. Thus, the overall morning vibe emanating throughout the streets of the metropolis felt refreshing.

Later that afternoon, Nick and I met up on our lunch break in Rainforest District. We were at a cozy restaurant inside a giant hollowed-out tree trunk above a pond. We arrived a bit late to avoid the lunch rush.

"So, how does it feel to save the city?" Nick asked, setting down his menu after ordering a plate of cheese-sprinkled crickets. "I bet that must feel great!"

I had previously recounted to him everything that happened in the last few days. The endless favors, the flooded mines, the climate walls, all of it. I wasn't going to tell him initially, but the sly fox kept prying me with curious questions all morning. Thankfully, he promised to keep everything confidential—not that it mattered in the long run—only as long as I did all his paperwork for him for the next two weeks. He was a business-savvy mammal; I'll give him that one.

Regardless, I scoffed at his exaggerated remark. "I didn't save the city, Wilde. I just-"

"Here we are," the otter waitress brought another drink to our table, "Enjoy your Arctic Spritz mocktail, sir."

I nodded, "Thank you, Sam."

She gave a friendly smile before scurrying away to help two wolf customers.

The fox wouldn't drop the topic and started munching on his appetizer. "You were saying, furless?"

"Right." I sighed. "So, yeah..." I took a long sip of my drink. "I didn't save anything. I didn't save anyone. I just... helped put things back to the way they were."

"Uh, huh," the fox sipped his espresso coffee. "Big difference."

"Whatever, Wilde."

"Oh, c'mon, furless," the fox laughed. "You're just trying to be humble about it. Be proud of yourself for once!"

I sighed. "I don't want to take credit for something I had zero intention of following through on."

"Why not? I do it all the time," the fox joked. "Remember the missing mammals case? I was a shifty fox with a fake badge back then."

"Yeah, but you got your act together somewhat and became less of a lowlife."

"Ha! So did you," he complimented. "Last I remember, you were an extraterrestrial outcast, moping around."

Taking another sip, I asked, "Am I still?"

"Well," he smirked behind the cup with a wink. "I'd be more of an untrustworthy fox if I said no."

"More untrustworthy?" I scoffed. "I didn't think that was possible."

We both shared a laugh.

"You're improving, buddy—only slightly, though. Let's put it that way," he said, raising his cup. "If I had a golden sticker, maybe I'd give you half of one."

"Thanks, Wilde." I raised my glass. "You're not too bad yourself."

He nodded in agreement, smirked proudly, and resumed snacking on his plate of crickets. As we leaned back in our chairs to relax, Nick gazed out the restaurant window overlooking the rainforest. Something was on his mind.

After a while, Nick turned back in his seat. "Can I ask you a serious question?"

I paused for a few seconds, thinking his question couldn't be that serious. "Sure," I said, giving him permission anyway. "Go for it."

There was a rare solemn moment on the fox's part before he suddenly asked, "How are things going between you and Charity?"

His question caught me slightly off guard. I was in the middle of sipping my drink. After setting it down and taking a deep breath, I answered, "Good. Things are good."

"Glad to hear," Nick acclaimed. "It's nice to see you two together. You're boyfriend and girlfriend now, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Um, yeah, she's my friend."

"You mean your girlfriend," he corrected.

I shrugged in confusion. "Aren't they the same thing?"

"No, no, buddy," he grinned at me with a slight chuckle. "There's a big difference. I'm sure she's talked to you about it."

I scoffed. "Yeah, a little."

"What'd she say?" Nick asked, leaning in closer.

I took a moment to recall. "Well, she asked me that one night if I wanted to be her friend—well, her boyfriend. Since I'm a boy and she's my friend, it makes sense."

The fox tried holding in his laughter. "And?"

"So I said yes."

The fox clapped his paws together triumphantly. "Oooh, buddy! You're boyfriend and girlfriend now, huh? Yep. It's official!"

"Official? What do you mean official?" I asked confusingly. "We're just friends."

He merely laughed. "Buddy, you just agreed to be her boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah, so?" I didn't see the connection.

"So that means things are really moving along well between you two lovebirds," he batted his eyes with a smirk. "Romantically speaking."

I nearly choked on my drink and was utterly shocked by what he said. "Wait, what?"

"Yep, you heard me," the fox said proudly. "I saw how you two danced last night. Everyone at the ZPD, including me, thought it was wonderful. Golly, let me tell you, that girl's a keeper! She'd make a great life partner, huh?"

My mouth hung ajar as my mind raced over 100 miles per hour. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Seriously, furless?" the fox let his paws fall to his sides. "You're only figuring this out now?"

I didn't answer. I could only feel my neurons firing faster and faster by the second. I couldn't even take another sip of my drink without shaking. Reality started to hit me like a ton of bricks. So this is what all the mammals were referring to? I thought it was all just a joke. To my dismay, it wasn't.

"Are you really that dense?" Nick asked, tilting his head.

"Wait, "I had to stop and reflect to get caught up. "You're talking about courtship?"

The fox nodded. "Yep."

"Between me and Charity?"

"Uh-huh."

I stared him down, completely dumbfounded. "So there IS a difference between friend and boyfriend?"

He smirked. "Yeah, obviously."

I looked the other way. "Shit..."

The fox took another sip of his drink. "You gotta admit, you two would make a great couple. Everyone else agrees."

"No, no, no, this can't be happening. This cannot be happening..." I tightly clenched the sides of my head as this new load of information became too much for me to handle. "I have to break up with her."

"Break up?" Nick's ears shot straight up. "Buddy, you got yourself the most beautiful coyote gal in Zootopia. A cheerleader, a beach model, and a cute role model. She's tons of fun, and you're no fun at all. She completes you."

"But she's a coyote."

He raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"I can't date outside of my species, Nick."

"Why not?" he asked.

"It goes completely against nature."

"Against nature?" the fox seemed slightly offended by this. "Why do you say that?"

I sighed. "You wouldn't understand..."

"Try me," he insisted.

It felt awkward having to explain it to him. "In my world, humans aren't even supposed to date non-humans. Why would we ever? The very thought of it is beyond irrational. It goes completely against nature."

"But you're not in your world anymore, are you buddy? You're in Zootopia now. You gotta learn to accept that."

"No," I shook my head in denial. "It goes against everything I know. It's wrong... I-I can't."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, furless, and you'll never be happy," he said. "Because in this crazy world you're stuck in, love has no boundaries."

"Look, Nick. There are many things I can barely tolerate. Same-sex marriage, interracial marriage, whatever. At least they're between two human beings. But interspecies relationships? Between a human and a coyote? That is pure nonsense, and I will have none of it."

"Then what?" he splayed his paws. "Are you gonna live the rest of your days all alone in a sad, miserable life? Why not spend your precious years with someone you care about?"

"Dammit, Nick. I can't confess my feelings to a coyote."

"Why not?" the fox smiled. "Interspecies relationships are a beautiful thing. Carrots and I have already seen it for ourselves."

"Yeah?" I questioned him. "If you're both prime examples, why aren't you two engaged yet?"

The fox went quiet for a moment. "...we're working on it."

I clenched my fists in frustration as my mind raced a thousand miles per hour. "I cannot accept this reality."

"You're gonna have to, buddy. It's the only way to be truly happy."

He was really starting to piss me off. "No. I'm better off dying single."

"No, you're not," he pointed sternly. "Don't even believe that for one second."

"Forget it, Nick. I have to split with Charity. Tonight. It's for her own good. Humans like me have a reputation for disappointment. Trust me, I've seen it."

"I bet you can change that," he said with hope.

I shook my head. "Not worth the risk."

He inched himself closer. "You can't do this to yourself, buddy. More importantly, you can't do this to her."

"It's for her own good," I said.

"She has feelings for you, you know."

"An oversight on her part," I scoffed.

"'C'mon, furless! You two were meant to be together," Nick expressed boldly. "You can't just throw away a perfect life you're about to have."

"Watch me," I said as I stood up to leave. "Because as soon as I see Charity tonight, I'm breaking up with her."

Nick shook his head in disbelief. "You're making a big mistake."

I shot him a quick glare as I stormed out of the restaurant. "The only mistake I'm making is taking dating advice from a fox."

***

I met up with Charity later that night. We planned on seeing each other at the Sahara Coast, just a few blocks northeast of Sandy Ridge. However, due to a few significant geographical changes from the climate walls, we decided to meet each other east of Sandy Cove instead.

Once I see her, I know exactly what I have to do.

I remembered the roses Mr. Otterton gave me yesterday. I took them out of my satchel to inspect. Looks like I won't be needing these anymore. Thus, I tossed them aside.

Breaking up with the coyote was necessary for my sanity. Plus, she deserved better. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but we both had to face reality. After all, she was a coyote: a beautiful Zootopian girl living in a thriving exotic world full of peace and harmony. I was a human, a military soldier banished from a dark, desolate world plagued by war and suffering. The two of us coming together would never work out. How could it?

All I had to do was be very direct and honest with her. Assertiveness was key. I was sure she'd understand. I've never had a coyote girlfriend, let alone any real girlfriend, but this should all be straightforward.

A new text came in from Charity:

Baby, you almost here? <3

Taking a deep breath, I responded:

five more mins

It wasn't true, though. I was actually only one minute away. But I needed more time to think. This was especially true when I believed breakups are better done in person.

Shortly thereafter, Charity sent a smiling coyote emoji with a heart symbol. I was beginning to understand what it all meant now. Coyotes are happy to have hearts?

As soon as I stepped onto that fresh beach sand, I mentally recited what I would say to Charity. It proved to be much more difficult than I anticipated. My thoughts and words just weren't coming together correctly—nor did they even sound well rehearsed.

I turned around the corner at the large bamboo sign and saw a slender coyote waiting by the sand dune. Taking another deep breath, I slowly approached her. Here goes nothing.

Her ears perked up as she heard me coming. "Cherry!" she jumped into my arms. "I'm so happy to see you," she nudged her head closer before gazing into my eyes. She was chirpier than ever. "How was work today?"

"Good," I answered, politely returning the gesture.

I noticed she was wearing a wet suit top. I didn't know what for exactly. Either way, she looked very pretty tonight—almost like an angel—but that was beside the point. It was time to do what needed to be done.

"Charity," I set her down on the sand. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Me too!" she said.

This caught me off guard. "Wait, really?"

"Yep!" she nodded.

Perhaps she was thinking the same thing. "Alright then..."

She smiled. "You can go first, baby."

"No, no, um, you go first," I insisted, thinking it'd be easier for me. "You can go first."

"Okay! Did you hear about the new ocean waves along the upper coast?" she asked excitedly. "They've been cranking like crazy ever since those new island resorts were formed over there. You see?"

She put her furry head next to mine as she pointed along the shore. I was astonished by what I saw. The waves were really ripping tonight.

"Let's go surfing together! Just you and me," the coyote said.

This piqued my anxiety. "...Surfing?"

"Yeah!" she went over and grabbed two surfboards sticking in the sand. Hers was a medium size, and mine was extra-large. Both boards were a few feet taller than us.

I reluctantly grabbed my board. "I-I don't know how to surf."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you," the coyote reassured.

I tried coming up with an excuse. "Even with your injury? I thought you were..."

Charity unzipped her shirt to show me the scar on the side of her midriff. The little mark came from our last encounter with the razorbacks. She was pretty lucky to walk away after being shot by a steel harpoon, which miraculously only grazed her on her side.

"Yep. Bye-bye bikinis," she said.

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now," I joked since her scar was barely noticeable.

There was a hint of a smile from the coyote as she grabbed my hand with her paw. "C'mon, baby. Let's go while the tide is still high. I'll show you the ropes."

I followed closely behind her. I had never been surfing at night, let alone during the day. My world didn't offer that kind of leisure activity—not with the nuclear winter skies and toxified oceans. But Zootopia was the exact opposite. It had natural lighting under the bright full moon with crystal clear waters and smooth swirly sand that looked better than any AI-generated model. I couldn't think of a better place in the universe to surf, even when compared to Earth-77 during its prime days.

Charity and I got to the beach and surfed for the next couple of hours. The water was clean and refreshing. The temperature felt good too. However, surfing was hard. Very hard.

"Dang. How in the world do you do this?" I kept wondering.

I fell off the board several times—more than I wanted to admit. It took tons of practice and lots of careful coordination with Charity. She showed me where to place my feet, how to lean forward, and what to do for steering. Like the tide, the skill curve often felt too high. I almost wanted to give up—surfing was a challenging sport for newbies, but Charity was very patient with me at every step. She taught me everything she knew.

"Try bending your knees like this," she demonstrated, "and have them pointing towards each other. It's all about comfort while shifting your weight."

"Wait," I tried to mimic her form. "Am I doing it right?" I eagerly asked, only to immediately fall backward with a huge splash.

She giggled. "Poco a poco."

One of the key lessons was balance. Many mammals in Zootopia use their tails when surfing. They'd raise, lower, swing, or even bend it at an angle depending on the wave and wind patterns. It accounted for a significant portion of their body weight. Since I didn't have a tail, Charity had to adapt her lessons slightly to match my unique stature. Also, I didn't have paw pads like her to grip the board better. Even so, Charity did an excellent job showing me the basics. Things started clicking for me once I finally got the hang of it. Slowly but surely, I started developing muscle memory.

"Wooo! Bien hecho!" she cheered as we both caught the same wave. "Eso es!"

I gave her a thumbs-up right before I crashed back into the water.

As a matter of fact, I still got knocked off my board most of the time. About 16 out of 17 times. Perhaps more than that. The coyote only fell once. Yet, it didn't matter because we had tons of fun! On one occasion, after getting wiped out by a giant wave, we both washed up on shore together, laughed, and went out after those waves again. We surfed and surfed all night. It was a pretty cool experience.

She gave me a high-four. I gave her a high-five.

Charity was exceptionally good at surfing. Watching her gracefully cruise across those crystal-clear wave crests was like a work of art. She was indeed a natural. I was okay, but my surfing posture looked more like something straight out of a comedy skit. Despite this, the coyote enjoyed every minute of surfing by my side. I, too, was glad to be with her.

Perhaps surfing was a good way for us to wind down a bit before I initiated the official breakup. That way, we're both too tired to go into all the details.

Later that night, we packed up our surfboards, dried ourselves off, and went straight to Charity's place. It was her treehouse home in Rainforest District situated high above the canopies. Both of us were pretty exhausted, so we decided to sit down on her sofa to relax. However, instead of putting on a movie, the coyote had another idea.

"Wanna come look at the stars with me?" she invited, gesturing me to join her outside.

"Alright." I yawned, still feeling somewhat sore from our recent beach adventure.

She grabbed a knitted blanket from her bed for us to share before turning off the porch light. After draping the blanket over us, she snuggled beside me to get warm, wrapping her fluffy tail around. The stars were out in their full glory tonight, and they were mesmerizing to gaze upon. We both stared in awe.

As the coyote rested her head against my shoulder, I reminded myself of what I needed to do. It took a while to finally build up enough courage, it wouldn't be easy, but I had to do it. Eventually, I was ready to move forward with the breakup.

"Charity?" I whispered to her.

Her eyes were still closed, and my hand was cradled in her paws. "Yes, Cherry?"

I sat up straight, causing the coyote to lift her head. "There's something I have to tell you."

Her ears perked up as she gazed into my eyes, listening intently. "What's on your mind?"

I sighed in shame, looking away. "This whole thing between you and me, it isn't going to work."

The coyote's ears drooped back in sadness.

"We can't be together like this," I asserted.

A little tear began to form on the side of her cheek. "What... what do you mean?

"Well," I began to explain, taking a deep breath for what was about to come. "For starters... this blanket's too small. It just doesn't fit the two of us."

Charity glanced off to the side in slight confusion. Then she noticed her toes and my legs sticking out of the covers. Shaking away her initial thoughts, she turned back to me with a relieved smile, "I'll go grab us a bigger blanket then!"

She quickly stood up and disappeared into the other room in her treehouse.

Dammit... I cursed under my breath. I should've just manned up and told her already. As soon as she comes back, I'll do the breakup.

The coyote soon returned with a large quilted blanket—enough to cover our legs and toes with extra room to spare.

We snuggled together for the next hour on her sofa, and I was almost too tired to speak what was on my mind. I fell asleep on her lap a couple of times throughout the night, and she gently stroked my hair with her paws. She liked doing that.

Together, we gazed upon the stars in the beautiful night sky. It all looked so magical. We even saw two shooting stars.

"Cherry?" she whispered.

My eyes were closed, and I was still resting. "Hmm?"

"If I had a wish, do you know what I'd wish for?"

I yawned, venturing a random yet noble guess. "A million bucks?"

She giggled, shaking her head at me as she stroked my head with her paw.

After a minute of peaceful silence, she answered, "To be with you forever."

I lifted my head briefly, looked at her smiling into the night sky, and lowered my head again, quietly sighing to myself. Eventually, I have to tell her.

Finally, when it was time to head home and get ready for tomorrow, we walked halfway across the rope bridge connecting to her treehouse to say goodnight.

She held me close. For over half a minute, we kept each other tightly embraced. She stared into my eyes, and I stared into hers—they were so beautiful and majestic. It was almost like staring into the wonders of the universe. Then we hugged again for a little while, almost as if time itself had stopped.

"Good night, Cherry!" the coyote beamed, holding my face tenderly between her paws. "I love you!"

She leaned in closer, closed her eyes, and gave me a kiss.

My face turned red. I didn't know what to do or say. Nor did I know what had just happened. The beautiful coyote happily skipped back into her treehouse before waving good night.

I clenched my fist, knowing I should've said something to her when I had the chance, but I didn't. I just couldn't do it. Soon, I chuckled as I loosened my fist. Then, a peaceful feeling overcame me. I uttered the words I'd been wanting to say all night.

"I love you too, Charity."