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“Woah Woah Woah! I didn’t see nothin’! I’m not sayin’ nothin’!” A panicked Nick yelled.“And you never will.” Mr. big snarled.“Please! If you’re mad at me about the rug, I’ve got more rugs!” Nick continued as a polar bear grabbed them, another opened a trapdoor, which revealed an ice water pit, and the first one dangled Nick and Judy over the water.At that, Mr. Big’s daughter, Fru Fru, entered the room and said: "Oh, Daddy! It’s time for our dance!" Then she saw the polar bear holding Nick and Judy.“What did we say?” She continued, “No Icing anyone at my wedding!”“I have to, baby,” Mr. Big said, “Daddy has to.”“No no no!” Nick yelled.“Wait. Wait! She’s the bunny that saved my life yesterday! From that giant doughnut! Remember?” Fru Fru realised.“This Bunny?” Mr. Big asked.“Yeah! Hi!” She waved to Judy.“Hi,” Judy said, mustering a small wave, “I love your dress.”“Aw... thank you!”“Put them down,” Mr. Big said, after which the polar bear put Nick and Judy down.“You have done me a great service,” Mr. Big said to Judy, “I will help you find the otter. I will take your kindness and pay it forward.” Judy then leaned in and kissed Mr. Big on both cheeks, as Nick looked on, dumbfounded.As the wedding went on, Mr. Big told them about Emmett.“Emmet is my florist. He had something important to say to me, so I sent a car to pick him up, but the car never arrived,” Mr. Big explained.“Because he was attacked,” Judy said.“No,” Mr. Big countered, “He attacked.”“Otterton?”“Yes, he ripped up the car, scared my driver half to death, and, according to my driver, his ear fell off! If you want more information, talk to my driver, Renato Monchez. He lives in the Jungle district at Vine and Tujunga,” Mr. Big told them.As Nick and Judy drove to Mr. Monchez’s residence, Nick asked Judy, “What do you make of it? Do you believe him?”“Actually, yes. If Mr. Big is telling the truth, we could have an epidemic on our hands,” Judy explained. At that point, she got a call.“Judy, it’s Bogo.”“Chief Bogo?”“Yes, and it’s about your parents.”“What about them? Wait-they aren’t missing, are they?”“They have just been reported missing not five minutes ago,” Chief Bogo sighed. “Your end of the deal is off. You now have as much time as you need to find the missing mammals.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Okay, understood,” Judy said, on the verge of tears.“What happened? Did the chief fire you?” Nick asked Judy.“No, worse,” Judy answered.“What?” Nick inquired.“My parents went missing.”“Oh…oh. That’s…that’s horrible,” Nick said, trying to comfort her.“Could you…could you hang on a sec?” Judy asked while pulling over, then getting out.“Sure, why?” Nick asked, then he heard Judy sobbing.He walked over to Judy and sat next to her.“There, there. Just let it out,” Nick cooed, rubbing her back.“Unh-unh-unh-unh,” Judy sobbed.“Do you want to talk about it?”“No-ho-ho-ho-ho,” Judy sobbed, then changed her mind to: “Yes, ye-he-he-he-hes.”And she told him about her life as a child. Including the part about Gideon. She felt much better after that talk.“You know,” Nick said, “I know what that’s like.”“Seriously?” Judy asked, surprised.“Yup, I was small, and emotionally unstable, like you,” Nick started.“Har, har,” Judy mocked.“No it’s true,” Nick continued, “It was my eighth birthday, and all I wanted to do was join the junior ranger scouts. So, mom bought me a brand new uniform, because, by god, I was going to fit in, even if I was the only fox in the troop. The only predator...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

…Flashback…“Okay, Nick!” a young zebra called, “Ready for your initiation?”“Yeah!” a young Nick called back, “Pretty much born ready!”The lights flicked off, and a flashlight flicked on, revealing a young woodchuck’s face.“Okay, now raise your right paw,” The woodchuck told him, shining the flashlight into his face, “and deliver the oath.”“I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be brave, loyal, honest, and trustworthy,” young Nick said.“Even though…you’re a fox,” the woodchuck remarked.“Wha-?” Nick started, getting scared.Then the flashlight clicked off.“What did I do-?” Nick started. Then they tackled him and started wrestling him into a muzzle, with little Nick yelling: “Please guys-tell me what I did wrong! What did I do wrong?!”“If you think we were ever going to trust you without a muzzle,” the woodchuck said, “you’re even dumber than you look!”“Aww...is he gonna cry?” another mammal mocked.Nick ran out of there as fast as he could, tearing off the muzzle, sobbing uncontrollably.…End Flashback…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“I learned two things that day,” Nick told Judy, “One, I was never gonna let anyone see that they got to me.”“And...two?” Judy asked.“If the whole world’s only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there’s no point in trying to be anything else,” Nick finished.“Nick...you are so much more than that!” Judy said.“Yeah, try telling the rest of the world that,” Nick scoffed.Then they were back on the road to Renato Monchez’s. They rode in silence. When they got there, Judy rang the doorbell.“Mr. Monchez?” Judy said “We just want to know what happened to Emmitt Otterton.”They heard a lot of clicking. Then the door opened to reveal a panther’s eye.“You should be asking…what happened to me!” he said, opening the door to reveal his other, scratched, eye.“Woah,” Nick said, “A teensey otter did that?”“Yes, he was down on all fours, ripping up the car, and he just kept yelling about the Night Howlers,” Monchez explained, “The Night Howlers! And then, the strangest thing happened. His right ear fell off!”“Night Howlers? As in Midnicampum holicithias?!” Judy asked.“The very same,” Renato said.“Oh god! Oh god! Oh-god-oh-god-oh-god! I was right!” Judy said, then started hyperventilating as she started to get a panic attack. “I was right, oh god, I was right,” she said again, Nick helping her to sit down on a rock, one of his paws on her forehead, the other on her back, one of her paws on her heart.“Judy, what’s wrong?” Nick asked.“I think I know what happened to those mammals. I still don’t know where they are being taken, but I think I know why,” Judy explained, calming down.“Why?” Renato said.“Necrotizing Rabies. A virus that is synthesized from Nighthowler DNA, Necrotizing Fasciitis DNA, and Rabies Virus DNA. It is transmittable through bites, injuries inflicted by the infected, touching the infected, touching the dead body that died from the virus, and it is an airborne virus,” Judy explained, “Whoever’s taking them must be quarantining them in secret.”“So...I could be infected?” Monchez asked.“Yes,” Judy said.“What does it do?” Nick asked.“It,” Judy said, “literally turns you into a zombie. The first symptoms of Necrotizing Rabies are: you go batshit crazy for blood and flesh, small parts falling off the body, i.e. an ear, and growling and snarling, but eventually, you start rotting to your skeleton! Oh, and it strikes suddenly, without warning, and, after a couple seconds of being infected, you feel no pain.”“Well, that would be a horrible way to go!” Nick exclaimed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“You guys want to come in and sit down, while I tell you about Emmet Otterton?” Renato asked.“Sure,” Nick said.“Okay, let me unchain the door,” Monchez said.When he unchained the door, Nick and Judy heard a loud “Ghah!” and the door swung open to reveal Renato Monchez down on all fours and growling at them.“Run,” Judy said, “Run!”Monchez lunged at them and he narrowly missed. Nick and Judy ran, so Renato gave chase, eyes full of bloodlust...and blood.“Officer Hopps to dispatch!” Judy yelled into her radio, “We have a 10-91! Jaguar infected with Necrotizing Rabies! Vine and Tujunga!”“It’s Ta-hunga!” Nick yelled.“Okay, we’re sending backup!” Clawhauser, the dispatcher, yelled, then Judy tripped and dropped the radio.“Hopps! HOPPS!” Clawhauser yelled.They got to the sky-tram platform, where Judy grabbed a lamp post, swung around it, dodging another attack from Mr. Monchez, and slid across the platform so fast that she almost fell to her death on the other side of it! Luckily, she grabbed on to the platform so she didn’t fall off, but, unfortunately, she was hanging at least a hundred feet in the air!Meanwhile, Nick was trying to reason with the jaguar, but it wasn’t working at all.“Buddy,” Nick said, “As one predator to another, I think we can settle our differences in a civilized fashion.” Mr. Monchez lunged at him, but stopped short, thanks to Judy’s quick reflexes in shackling Renato to the post she swung around earlier. But when he lunged the first time, his shackled leg tore halfway free.“Now, I can sense you’re a little tense right now, so I’m gonna give you a little space,” Nick said, shuffling by Renato, hands out in front of him.The jaguar lunged again, his leg tearing completely free! They both ducked, then heard a loud BANG! And Renato’s head exploded. They both turned around to see Chief Bogo holding a standard military-issue Ithaca Model 37 shotgun.“Do not tell anyone about what happened tonight. This is top secret,” Bogo said, “If word gets out about this, there will be mass panic.”“Oh chief, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!” Judy exclaimed, hugging him.“What should we tell the public?” Nick asked.“Nothing,” the chief answered, “Take the body to the autopsy department. We need to know where this is coming from,” he continued.“Should we keep looking for those mammals?” Judy asked, the “we” being herself and Nick.“Yes. And if you find them, tell me before you tell anyone else. I will decide what we should tell the public, if we tell them anything,” Bogo said.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Okay,” Nick said.

“Who are you again?” The chief asked Nick.

“Oh, I don’t think we were properly introduced. I’m Wilde. Nick Wilde. Pleased to meet you,” Nick said, shaking Chief Bogo’s hoof, “I was helping Judy with her case.”

“Speaking of…Judy, I have a gift for you,” Chief Bogo said, handing her a pair of stilts.

“What do I need these for?” Judy wondered.

“To drive your brand new, sixty-thousand-dollar, armored, off-road police cruiser!” Chief Bogo exclaimed. Judy’s jaw dropped to the floor.

“Serious? I can’t even reach the floor pedals-wait, that’s what these are for,” Judy observed, nodding to the stilts in her hand.

“An excellent observation, Miss Hopps!” Bogo jokingly mocked.

“Aww...thank you!” Judy said, hugging Chief Bogo again.

Bogo bid Nick and Judy “adoo” and left.

“A sixty-thousand-dollar car?! Is he serious?!” Nick asked.

“Yup,” Judy replied, hopping into the car. Nick strode around to the passenger’s side and slid in, as Judy slid behind the wheel. “Oooh, This is niiice,” she said, wiggling around in her seat.

At that, the radio came on and a very terrified sounding Officer Benjamin Clawhauser spoke: “Bunnyburrow is under attack! This is not a drill! I repeat!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!

” Nick and Judy just looked at each other with wide eyes.

“Aren’t you from…” Nick trailed off.

“We gotta go!” Judy yelled. She started the car, turned on the sirens, and sped south-southeast.

“Nick! Go in the back and grab the M16!” Judy commanded.

“Way ahead of you!” Nick said as he went in the back and grabbed said M16.

They drove in nervous silence for almost 2 hours until they reached their destination, by which time it was too late. Bunnyburrow was a smoking ruin.

“No,” Judy whispered. “No-no-no-no-no!” she then screamed. Then she started sobbing.

“Oh, Judy,” Nick consoled, wrapping his arms and tail around her and stroking her ears in an effort to comfort her.

“Why?!

WHY?!

” Judy screamed. Nick simply kissed the top of her head, causing Judy to stop sobbing. “Wait- did you just… kiss me?” Judy asked.

“I’m sorry, I thought it would- mmf!” Nick was unable to finish his thought because at that moment, his lips roughly connected with hers. Nick, being Nick, deepened the kiss. And that’s when Judy pulled away and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you,” Judy said.

“For what?” Nick wondered.

“For the kiss, silly. No-one’s ever kissed me like that before.”

“Well, I can’t see why. You are the most beautiful mammal I’ve ever known,” Nick said.

“Wow, n-nobody has ever told me

that

before.” Judy stammered.

“Let’s just head back to Zootopia,” Nick suggested.

“Good idea,” Judy replied.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Judy started the car and they drove in solemn silence back to Zootopia. And when they arrived at the precinct one station, the station was in full panic mode, thanks to the attack on Bunnyburrow.“HOPPS! My office! NOW!” Bogo screamed, “And bring that fox boyfriend of yours, too! We may need him!”When the mammals that Bogo called arrived, Nick asked: “What’s up?”“Well, we found all the missing mammals,” Bogo said.“You did? That’s great!” Judy exclaimed.“I’m not sure how great that is, Hopps,” Bogo stated, “seeing as how they all are showing the same aggression patterns as that jaguar I killed. And they’re rotting… alive.” At those words, Nick and Judy looked at each other with wide eyes.“It’s become an epidemic,” Judy said. Nick agreed with a nod.“What’s become an epidemic?” Bogo asked.“Years ago, during World War Two, my great grandparents developed a new type of weapon. Necrotizing Rabies, they called it. It was a bioweapon with the capability of creating literal zombies. It is an airborne virus that can also be transmitted by touching the infected or touching the infected dead body. That’s right, the disease is transmittable even after the organism it has infected dies. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: increased aggression, increased pain tolerance, body parts falling off due to rot, to name a few. The infected mammals, however, gain lucidity for about five minutes just before they die from the infection, so that they can feel guilty about how many lives they've ended and how many more they've affected. There’s only one cure and no vaccines. That one cure is death,” Judy explained. “And you think this virus is back?” Bogo asked.“I just need to see the infected mammals, to know for sure, but yes, I think someone revived the virus,” Judy said.“I’ll take you to where the mammals were found,” Bogo said.“Thank you,” Judy said.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Thirty minutes later, Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, and Adonis Bogo arrived at Cliffside, where the mammals were found, and subsequently held, in secret.

And when they arrived on the ward where the infected mammals were held, Judy’s first reaction was “Ohhh… shit.” And she was right to say that, for it looked like a literal zombie ward. In every hospital room there was a rotting, snarling, mammal. Then they came across Mayor Leodore Lionheart, trailed by Assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether; she looked like she had been recently crying, while he looked very solemn and resolved.

“Dawn? Have you been crying?” Judy asked.

“Yes,” she whimpered.

“Do you want to talk about it?” At that, Bellwether collapsed into Judy’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

“They’re gone!” She screamed. “They’re fucking gone!”

“What do you- what do you mean?” Judy asked.

“My family! They’re… They’re dead!” This revelation caused Judy’s breath to hitch in her throat.

“Oh Dawn, I cannot imagine what you’re going through right now, but I’m here for you,” Judy said, holding her.

“Should we tell her?” Lionheart asked quietly.

“Yeah, we should. If she finds out on her own, she won’t make it through the day,” Bogo answered tiredly.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Judy, there’s something you should know,” Lionheart said sadly.“What is- wait… my parents aren’t infected, are they?” Judy asked, starting to get worried.Bogo placed a hoof on her shoulder. “We’re sorry, Judy,” he said.At that, Judy screamed, “NOOOO!” then fell to her knees, sobbing and hyperventilating, causing both Nick and Bellwether to run over and comfort her. Nick wrapped his arms around Judy and pulled her close, while stroking her ears and whispering, “It’s okay. You’re okay, They’ll pull through, they’ll pull through.”“You don’t understand, Nick,” Judy said, finally done crying, but still sounding tired. “This disease has a one-hundred percent kill rate. There’s no possible way to survive.”“Oh. I’m truly, deeply, sorry for your loss. I know exactly what your going through, as I endured something ten times worse,” Nick said.“What could be worse than losing your parents?” Judy asked with genuine curiosity.“Losing them on your eighth birthday,” Nick answered, prompting Judy to gasp and put her paws to her mouth.“Wait,” Judy said when she recovered, “that was the same day as-”“-the junior ranger scout incident? Yes. Yes it was,” Nick said.“What happened?” Judy asked, fresh tears welling up in her eyes.“The night the incident happened, I went home to tell my mom, her name was Marion, by the way, but there was nobody home, or so I thought. I found them in the bedroom. Dad was already dead, but Mom was still alive. I still remember our final conversation…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

…Flashback…“Nicky, I love you very much,” his bloodied mom, Marion, said.“Mommy? What happened?” young Nick asked.“He found us, Nick.”“Dae-jong Kang? He found us?”“Yes. Go to the police. Tell them what happened. And when they find him, I want you to be there to kill him. If they won’t let you, tell them my name and tell them I’m your mother. They’ll let you then.”“I will,” young Nick said.“And Nick?” Marion called.“Yes?”“Please take my paw,” she said, holding out her paw.Instead of taking her paw, he climbed on his parents’ bed (“What are you doing?” Marion asked) and took her in his arms.“Ahhh, this feels nice,” Marion sighed while in Nick’s arms.“I’m sure it does,” young Nick said sadly.Then he heard his mother whisper, “I love you Nick,” and felt her heart give out.…End Flashback…“I went to the police, told them what happened, and they started searching for that motherfucking bitch of a Black Mamba. They found him, of course, and when the day of the trial arrived, he was sentenced to immediate death. Everyone knew who I was and who my mother was at that point, so there was no surprise when I was chosen to be his executioner. Ate him alive, I did, starting from the tail and working my way to the head. Turned the courtroom into a bloodbath.” He chuckled. “Sometimes I feel like my parents are still up there, watching over me.”“Nick, that’s so sad.” Judy whispered.“Hey, at least I got to brutally kill that bitch, right?” Nick asked.“Yeah, remind me not to get on your bad side.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Wilde, Hopps, Bogo, Bellwether, and Lionheart were striding through Cliffside’s zombie ward when Judy came to her resolve: “We have to come clean. We cannot keep this a secret. We need to place this city under mandatory quarantine,” she said.“I agree,” Adonis said, “If this virus gets out, then Mammalian and Reptilian civilization will end as we know it.”The five exited Cliffside and drove to Precinct One, where they planned to hold the press conference.“You tell them everything, Judy. I don’t want the public in the dark anymore. Also, answer any and all questions they might have, until they run out of things to ask that are case relevant.” Lionheart said.“Including the part where you kitnapped the mammals? Yeah, I figured that out,” Judy said.“You did? How?” Lionheart asked.“The how doesn’t matter. What matters is that you did good, what with keeping the city feeling safe,” Judy explained, “But now you know exactly what it is, and that there’s no cure or vaccine. No reason to keep it from the public any longer.”“What do you mean we know what this is? We’re not even close to figuring it out!” Lionheart exclaimed.“Well you are talking to the rabbit who’s great grandparents designed the virus during WWII,” Judy said.“Wait- WHAT?! This virus… is NECROTIZING RABIES?! The goddamn incurable ZOMBIE VIRUS ?! Shit-shit-shit-shit. This isn’t happening. This is just a nightmare. This isn’t happening this isn’t happening this isn’t happening,” Dawn repeated, now in full panic mode.“I’m truly, deeply, sorry Dawn,” Judy said, placing a paw on her shoulder.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When they arrived at Precinct One, they found the place crawling with reporters, as Bogo told every news agency to meet at said precinct for a press conference.“Well, looks like I’ll be answering a ton of questions today,” Judy commented. “I might need your help, Nick.”“You can count on me,” Nick said.They strode in the main entrance to the precinct and walked to the podium, where they were going to tell the reporters exactly what’s going on. When they arrived at the podium, however, they were bombarded with questions.“Okay, okay, okay! One at a time, please!” Judy called over the crowd. “You will all get a chance to speak. I will answer any and all questions you might have to the best of my ability.”“Officer Hopps! Over here!” a pig called.“Yes?” Judy called.“What can you tell us about the case?”“Well, I can tell you that the kitnapper had a very good motive. He was just trying to protect the city. What these mammals all had in common was that they’re all infected with Necrotizing Rabies. But he and his assistant couldn’t figure it out. It was I who told them that it was Necrotizing Rabies.”“And who might this kitnapper be?” a giraffe asked as Lionheart held up a sign saying, “Tell them.”“Lionheart. He’s not the one who’s creating the virus, though.”“Then who is? And what is Necrotizing Rabies?” a boar asked.“We still don’t know who’s behind the virus, but this virus creates literal zombies with 100% pain tolerance. It was originally created in World War Two, under project undead, by my great grandparents to combat the Germammals. The project did get completed, but after the first few tests, my great grandparents shut it down, because it was designed to have no cure or vaccine, and it was just too dangerous to be kept. They thought they destroyed the virus completely, and so did my grandparents, and so did my parents, and so did I, but obviously somebody revived it. And for this reason, Lionheart and I agreed that it would be best if we put the city of Zootopia under a mandatory quarantine, effective immediately. Any more questions?”The audience shook their heads.“Good. Now the police department, fire department, and paramedics were all given the option to leave, but the entirety of all departments decided to stay, so all normal laws will be enforced. We’re all in this together,” Judy finished, sweeping her paws across the crowd and giving a watery smile. At that, a loud, slow clapping sound came from behind her, and she turned around to see the screen behind her turned on and showed a crocodile.“That, Judy, was a very moving speech. Bravo, Judy. Bravo,” The crocodile said.“What do you want, Cock Jong Un?” Judy spat.“That’s Crock Jong Un to you!” the crocodile corrected. “And you said that you don’t know who’s behind the virus? Well, now you’re lookin’ at ‘im.” The audience in the background gasped.“You’ve been watching this conference, haven’t you?” Judy asked.“Yup! Satellite TV, I can get literally anything! But this TV is special. It can also send messages and support live video chat. But that’s beside the point. The point is, I want to show you something. I want to show you my plan to destroy you and everything you love,” Crock said.“It’ll fail,” Judy said.“You think so, huh? What if I told you that four out of the five parts of my plan are already completed? And the fifth one is being implemented as we speak. Part one: hit every small town in Mammalia with napalm. Two: Infect every big town and city with the Necrotizing Rabies virus. Three: Wait for them to go into quarantine. Four: Force a Yellowstone eruption. We did that by dropping a small nuke on it, only about a kiloton, but it was enough. Yellowstone has erupted. By my calculations, the ash cloud should reach you in a couple of hours. And five: Nuke every city that wasn’t destroyed by the eruption. We’re using a Tzar Bomba missile we stole from Russia to do that. And we’re replicating it. Good. Bye.” The screen then turned off.Nick and Judy turned to each other, he with worried eyes, she with teary eyes.“I don’t wanna die,” Judy said, burying her face into his side.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Zootopians took the news surprisingly well. There was no riot, no looting, and no killing. In fact, you couldn’t tell anything was wrong. They just accepted that the North Reptilians had won and there was nothing they could do. Mammalkind was about to go extinct.

Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps drove to Judy’s apartment where they waited for the missile to impact.

“I’m scared, Nick,” Judy said while being held by Nick. “I don’t wanna die.”

“Me neither,” Nick replied. “I’m scared too.”

At that, they heard a muffled boom, and their lips slowly connected. They died like that, kissing. They didn’t even know they died…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

…until they opened their eyes. In front of them was something resembling outer space, but it was full of other mammals. And they were standing on clouds“Woah, is this the Afterlife? Are we… are we dead? Cool! Hey Nick! Watch this!” Judy called. Then she jumped up and did two somersaults before landing.“Calm down, Carrots. We’re dead, remember?”“Oh, lighten up, Slick. It’s not like there’s anyone left to miss us.” Then a sudden realization hit her like a train.“There’s not anyone left to miss us,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “Oh, Nick, what if we’re forgotten?” she asked, the tears now running down her cheeks. Then she fell to her knees and doubled over, weeping.Nick ran over to her and pulled her close, trying to comfort her. “Judy,” he said, “look at all these mammals. They remember you.”“But they’re dead. I wanted to go down in history as the first bunny cop to join the ZPD. I wanted to be remembered for generations to come. But, Mammalkind is now extinct and the reptiles won’t put us in the history books because they don’t like us. They’ll probably omit mammals from history. There’ll be no trace of us left,” Judy said sadly.“Who cares what the living does? Let them forget mammals! They’ll be missing out on learning about the kindest, most caring, most beautiful creature in the world, you!” Nick said.“Oh, Nick, you’re just saying that,” Judy said bashfully. At that, Nick kissed her.“L-let’s just go find our parents,” Judy stammered, stunned by the kiss.“Oh my god, that’s right! My parents are up here! Wow! I can’t wait to see them again! It’s been what? Twenty-four years now?” Nick asked.“I think so, judging by what you said,” Judy said, “Let’s go find them.” Nick swept Judy up in his arms, prompting a giggle from her, and they started their search. They found both of their parents chatting it up with each other not five minutes later. What came next was a lot of hugging, happy sobbing, and joy.“We’re sorry we weren’t there for you, son,” Nick’s father, John, said.“Dad,” Nick said, “there’s no need to apologize. It was not your fault. It was Kang’s fault, and I made him pay dearly for it,” Nick answered. “By the way, Black Mamba meat is delicious! You should try some!”“You ate him, didn’t you?” Nick’s mother, Marion, asked.“Yup! Ate him alive, too!” Nick answered proudly.“That’s my boy!” John exclaimed.Meanwhile, Judy was having her own heart-to-heart with her own parents.“Mom, Dad, I’m really sorry I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry I was too late. I mean- I shouldn't've left. I failed. I couldn’t make the world a better place. If I can’t do that, then who am I? What was my purpose in life?” Judy wondered.“Oh, Judy, there’s no need to apologize! There was nothing you could do,” Bonnie told her. “And as for your purpose, if mammalkind did not go extinct, you would have inspired tons of mammals to be better,” Bonnie said.“If mammalkind did not go extinct,” Judy said. “Those are the keywords. Now, I can’t make the world a better place… but I could make the afterlife a better place.”“And how do you suppose you’ll do that?” Stu asked.“Therapy. I’ll just talk to the mammals and help them cope with death,” Judy answered.“Good call,” Bonnie answered.And that’s how she mostly spent the rest of eternity. I say mostly because even the dead need a break from hearing about others’ troubles. And Judy wanted to spend some quality time with Nick and both hers and his families.
fin

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