zootopia · anthropomorphic animals · systemic oppression · shock collars · prey vs predator · judy hopps · dystopian setting · police procedural · prejudice · dark alternate universe
Rainwater traced glistening paths down the cobblestones in the predator district, the neon glow from the main street barely reaching the narrow alley I now entered. My ears, long and sensitive, caught the faint scuff of a retreating footfall ahead. I drew my tranquilizer gun, the mechanism clicking softly in the quiet. My nose twitched, sorting the scents of wet fur and garbage from something more acute—caution, and the old, deep-seated fear every prey animal learns. I stepped fully into the gloom, the beam of my flashlight cutting a shaky path, ready for whatever had drawn me here.