Authors' Notes:

usernamesweretaken notes: That's how wrong a day could possibly go. This was my first time working on a collab with someone, and I feel like it went pretty smoothly. Our writing styles aren't identical, so we'll see where this goes, but I'm looking forward to it!

la perlas mermaid notes: So I've done requests before but this is the first time I've done a proper collab, so far it's a pretty fun thing to do and it's great to have someone to help you with a story. So this is how things go: I was in charge of most of the first chapter and usernamesweretaken will handle the second one and so forth, which means there will be a shift in writing styles from chapter to chapter. We have created a basic outline together to keep things cohesive. Hope you enjoy!

The world is an awful, merciless place. It is corrupted, indifferent and above all hypocritical. And if the world is bad, then the rainforest district is even worse; a cruel concrete jungle that looks like an overgrown garden, where the rich stomp on the poor and the ones left behind are destined to disappear into the void. Mammals believe they have evolved beyond the cruelty of the jungle law, but society is just a vague veneer of rose-colored glasses that makes us think life is fair when in reality it is not. Well… at least that's what Julien believes.

Julien is a Kinkajou that lives above the trees in the rainforest district, his modest apartment is one of many compounds that border the river dam, the howling noise of the water and the turbines working away inside of it have become part of his life. Most of his neighbors have gotten used to it by now but he has always felt like the continuous noise and the lack of peace will drive him mad one day. He hates this district with a burning passion but doesn't have the means to go anywhere else.

Earning minimum wage and working overtime just to make ends meet has left him with very little time or money for entertainment, so he spends what little free time he does have climbing over the tallest branches and looking down at the mammals below, rows and rows of busy streets staked on tiers. Over time he has gone from feeling amusement at the thousands of mammals stuck in the same grind as him to feeling anger and resentment towards them.

A few years ago he had some hopes, at least of becoming something more than a broke ass loser. Tired of being called a failure throughout most of his high school years he had tried to join the Todesregen mafia after dropping out of school. However, he couldn't pass the initiation rite of taking a beating from all twelve members of a low tier gang. By the third mammal he had to fight, he had been in so much pain he called it quits and ran away. Now, whenever he walks by their turf he hears their howls of laughter and insults of "little bitch"; the embarrassment has haunted him ever since.

He hates them all, he hates the gangsters that make life miserable for poor mammals like him, the police that would rather turn a blind eye before confronting the problem, and the so-called honest citizens that just bow their heads and let this all happen. But he hates the leader of the Todesregen the most, the one ruling the organization that could have taken him away from this miserable neighborhood and given some meaning to his pathetic life. His favorite pastime is to lurk from the highest branch and observe that jaguar while daydreaming about crushing that mobster to the ground. Look at the fucker, drowning in stolen goods and surrounded with females while the rest of the district rots under his rule. One of these days he will have his revenge.

Until one day, it happened, a mighty earthquake that tore the dam holding the central river of the district.

I'm an idiot, Nick thought to himself. Oh, he had everything planned, a seemingly casual outing with his friend that would slowly turn romantic until at the end of the day he would ask her to be his girlfriend, should she say yes he would take her to dinner at a fancy place to celebrate and make it all the more memorable, starting with the right foot and all. He even had a plan B, since he would have the entire day to read and gauge her reactions to see if he had a chance with her. Should she not show any interest, he could abort the mission and keep things casual between them without telling her how he truly felt. Sure, if it came to that he would mope once he got home, but his pride and their friendship would be intact.

But for a smart streetwise city fox, his plans had gone tails up far too quickly; their outing had been one disaster after another.

First, it was the movie fiasco. He picked the film himself, it was supposed to be an indie romantic comedy but halfway through, the film became a subversion of romantic tropes. What was supposed to be a harmless romance between two otters ended up as a slasher flick where the male protagonist became a deranged serial killer that tried to kill the female lead, turning her into a final girl. Judy loved the film, she laughed excitedly when the gore fest erupted on the screen, claiming it was finally getting fun. Turns out she did like romantic comedies but slasher films were her favorite. He, on the other paw, couldn't handle the excessive brutality and had to leave the theater to empty his lunch into the nearest toilet. To add insult to injury Judy got worried and followed him to the bathroom, and since she couldn't come in she stayed outside and kept asking him if he was alright, loud enough to call the attention of the employees and many other mammals passing by. Real smooth Wilde, such a ladies male, it's not like you were expecting a kiss today.

And now the chance to assess her in a future romantic setting was gone up in smoke. she spent the rest of the day fussing over him like a worried mother on her kit, or perhaps to be more accurate an older sister over her younger sibling.

Realizing he would have to abort his romantic plans for the day, he texted Finnick not to save the reservation on the "Passion Flower", a very romantic restaurant in the rainforest district, and since the building was perched high above the river on an artificial tree branch, it had one of the most beautiful views in all Zootopia.

[What happened dude? Did she say no?] The fennec fox's reply appeared on his cell phone screen.

[I'm not asking her today. I screwed up on the movies and made a fool of myself.]

[No way mammal, I've been hearing you bitching about that bunny for months and I'm not taking any more of that bullshit. You are taking that fluffbutt to diner TODAY and you're either getting laid so you can stop your whining or she's ditching you so you can finally move on and get a nice vixen tail like any sane fox would.]

[Get off my back Finn, I'm not risking my chances today, I'll have to try later on.]

Just as Nick was putting away his phone, Judy got a notification on hers.

"Huh, Finn just texted me," she said puzzledly. "He says to tell you that your dinner reservations are ready and we should be there by eight-thirty. I didn't know you wanted to have dinner today. Are you sure you're feeling well enough to do that?"

Nick groaned frustratedly and facepalmed so hard his paw must have left a bruise on his forehead. How the hell did he even get Judy's phone number anyway? Seriously, that tiny fox always seemed to have an ace up his sleeve. Ugh screw it, the only thing that scared him more than Judy's rejection was facing Finn's wrath.

The view from the restaurant's terrace at sunset was supposed to be breathtaking, it had been ever since it was built. Sadly, an earthquake had broken the river dam, dropping the water level of the district's main river dangerously low. Because of this and in order to save water until the construction was fixed, the sprinklers around the district were shut down. For the last two weeks, the delicate plant species of the district had been deprived of water and begun to dry off and die, so now the terrace has a full-fledged view of dying vegetation.

"It's still beautiful, in a way, you know?" Judy said, looking over the landscape below. She was leaning forward over the rail, giving him a nice view of her cute, perfect tail pointing upwards and shaking a little bit.

"Yup, one hundred percent," Nick answered while drinking his blueberry juice in a martini glass (it was a fancy place, he might as well keep things classy).

"There aren't many chances to see the rainforest like this. It's always supposed to be this lush green but now there are these dark blotches between the trees that are still alive, it makes the surviving ones look brighter," she said, a sweet smile and a dreamy look in her eyes.

Not caring at all about the previous mishaps from the bad day, he gently scooted closer to her and placed his arm around her shoulders. She instinctively snuggled into the embrace.

The forest below them was dying, but sooner or later the sprinklers would be restored and it would be brought back to life. Dying nature can lead to beautiful moments like these, sharing an embrace with someone you love, just like bad days can lead to great endings. Oh, why not? Let's take the plunge and see what happens. Nick thought to himself

Just as he was about to confess his love towards her, Judy became alert and pointed towards the foliage below "Nick look! There's some strange movement there, somebody is running through the trees."

"So?" Nick wondered. "Maybe they're hiking or something."

"That area has been cleared, civilians aren't allowed there and no authorized personnel would be working there on a Sunday evening." Judy had her ears high in alertness, her whole body tense, almost like a predator about to pounce.

"You're right, Carrots, I'll notify the precinct and then we'll…" Nick said, grabbing his phone but he stopped mid-sentence as he saw his partner jumping from the terrace and into the trees below, there were enough branches nearby for her to land in, but seeing her jump from one to another knowing they were dry enough to snap at any second made him groan in exasperation.

He sent a message to Delgato, who was on dispatch today. [Suspicious activity in the area below the "Passion Fruit", Hopps and I are on the scene but we might need backup.] Seriously, why did they always have to be the ones to stumble into things? And they were off duty, too.

Pocketing his phone, he dedicated no more than one second to complaining about falling in love with a crazy adrenaline junkie and leapt after her.

He wanted to believe he did a decent job at following her, sure some of the thinner branches cracked a little under his weight but for the most part, he made it to her side in little time. They were at ground level now, close to the construction area where the dam was being repaired.

She was paralyzed and alert looking beneath her, "Don't move," the doe warned in a tone that left no room for discussion

"What is it, Carrots?" He asked quietly, scanning the area and looking for a possible perp nearby, but before she could answer, he saw it right between Judy's feet.

It was tiny, difficult to spot below the tall dry grass, but it was clearly a bomb.