Zootopia is property of Disney

Dishonored is property of Bethesda

Restrict the Wandering Gaze that looks hither and yander for some flashing thing that easily catches a man's fancy in one moment, but brings calamity in the next. For the eyes are never tired of seeing, nor are they quick to spot illusion. A man whose gaze is corrupted is like a warped mirror that has traded beauty for ugliness and ugliness for beauty. Instead, fix your eyes to what is edifying and to what is pure, and then you will be able to recognize the profane monuments of the Outsider.

- The First Stricture

The tide was high on the Wrenhaven, the afternoon sun dancing and shimmering across the surface of the river, almost a hundred feet below the dark clad fox who clung to the side of a white stone tower. Sparing a quick glance down as a wave crashed against the rocks below (a fall from this height was sure to be fatal), the fox grunted and shifted his weight to reach above him.

The tower's face was sheer, almost polished, masonry. The gleaming white stone had been quarried hundreds of years before in Caulkenny on the Isle of Morley, and was presented to the Emperor as a sign of the Duke of Morley's loyalty. In the century since it was built, no army had ever captured Dunwall Tower, nor had any siege come close to success. Thousands of tons of the stone were shipped at great expense so that the Emperor's seat of power would be impregnable, a testament to the strength of the Empire.

But while the tower was designed to keep an army at bay, a single fox was able to make a mockery of the illusion of impenetrability. The climb was difficult, testing the fox's strength and agility, as he deftly leapt from one miniscule handhold to the next. To any ordinary mammal, such a climb would be the height of madness, nothing more than an attempt at suicide.

But Nick Wilde was never one to let foolish things like caution and common sense get in his way. And this was far from the first time he'd climbed the tower.

With a grunt, Nick reached a paw up to grasp at the metal of an exposed vent that jutted out from the masonry near the top of the tower, the black metal a stark contrast to the bright stone around it. The fox pulled himself onto the vent, pausing to catch his breath. He was very near to the top of the tower, resting on the side of the large building that extended out into the Wrenhaven and housed the waterlock - one of Anton Sokolov's famous inventions. A boat from the river could sail into a chamber at the base, great iron doors shut behind it, and - by means of great steam powered engines - the water raised up the length of the tower.

It sure beats climbing. Nick thought to himself as he glanced across the river.

From his vantage point, he could see the whole of Dunwall spread before him, sprawling up the banks of the river. As the sun continued its descent to the horizon, Nick could see that the gaslights were beginning to be lit across the city, twinkling in orange and yellow hues. The points of light were joined with a smattering of harsher ones, the white light of electric spotlights.

The deep bass of the horn of a whaling ship drifted lazily off the river, and Nick could just make out a handful of the massive steel vessels heading up and down the river, billowing dark clouds of smoke behind them.

Nick soaked in the sight, the feel of the wind whipping through his fur, and took in a deep breath to catch the smell of salt and smoke.

This was Dunwall. His home. His city.

From where he sat, it was beautiful. Nothing revealed the extent of the plague that ravaged the city, nor the depths of turmoil that its populace faced. All was placid and serene.

Nick stood, and turned back to the wall of the tower in front of him and began to climb once more. After a short time, he reached the parapet of the tower overlooking the waterlock. The roof was thankfully unoccupied, so Nick hopped down, pausing to check that his equipment had made the climb with him.

His quiver clung tight to his back, the fletching of two dozen shafts poking out from the well-oiled leather. Strung across it was his bow, a simple oak recurve - functional, if not fancy. At his waist, a simple thin sword was sheathed in a scabbard. Though no slouch with a blade, Nick never found much use for it, preferring to use his bow in most situations. Still, it was nice to have, and it had saved his life on more than one occasion.

Nick walked to the other end of the tower and peered down at the balcony below. He spotted two members of the Royal Guard, a wolf standing at the parapets to the south, overlooking the Wrenhaven. A moose was leaning back in his chair against the tower walls, snoring loudly.

Typical. Nick thought with a sly smile, If the Watch paid half as much attention as they're supposed to, I'd be out of a job.

Nick looked up from the balcony across to the building housing the waterlock, and knew from experience that the gap was too far for him to jump from the top of this tower without breaking a leg. But Nick had come prepared.

The fox reached back and retrieved his bow, and drew a strange arrow from his quiver - in place of an arrowhead, this arrow featured three spring-loaded prongs that were designed to shoot out once the arrow struck a solid surface. He fastened a rope to the end of the arrow and put it across his bow.

With a steady and practiced hand, Nick drew the bow, aimed, and let the arrow fly. It sailed over the gap, landing on the roof across the gap with a soft clatter that could scarce be heard over the cawing of seagulls or crashing of the waves below. Glancing down at the guards below - who gave no indication they'd noticed - Nick donned a sly grin.

As easy as ever.

Nick pulled his end of the rope tight until the hook on the arrow caught the edge of the waterlock roof. Swiftly, he tied his end of the rope down, creating a tight rope across the gap. Hopping back up onto the parapet, Nick gingerly tested his weight on the rope. It would hold.

With a last glance down, Nick's muzzle split into a wide smirk and he began to walk across the rope, crossing the gap without difficulty. Once on the roof of the waterlock, Nick reached behind him and put up his hood and cowl. His red fur would stand out in the late afternoon sun, and Nick had no desire to be noticed.

Nick began to make his way across the length of the waterlock roof. In front of him, Nick could see the grounds of Dunwall tower and the keep proper behind it. With luck, Nick wouldn't have to venture any further into the tower's ground to accomplish what he had come to do.

Reaching the far edge, Nick glanced down to the grounds below, searching for his quarry.

On a small balcony slightly below the gazebo that dominated the western half of the grounds, he caught sight of a figure that made his breath catch in his throat.

Judy Hopps, the Royal Protector.

He remembered the day as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. Six years ago when Theodanis Abele, Duke of Serkonos had arrived to pay tribute to the previous Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin. It had been overcast, dreary and grey, a usual day in the Month of Rains.

The word had spread well in advance of the Duke's arrival: Abele had brought the winner of the Blade Verbana with him to swear into the service of the Emperor. And the rumors said that not only had the winner put the best swordsman in the Isles to shame, but she was but a 16 year old rabbit.

It was the latter thought that most of the populace found laughable. A bunny out fencing mammals more than twice her size? Impossible.

And yet the rumors persisted, so many had gathered for the sole purpose of catching a glimpse of this mysterious swordsman.

Nick too had been curious, and positioned himself on the top of a roof overlooking Clavering Boulevard. He figured he would watch the procession approach, and then take to the streets to cut some purses.

The Duke's procession had been bristling with color, brilliant pennants fluttering in the wind. The Duke was borne aloft in a litter carried by a half dozen burly mammals, flanked by the Grand Guard in their crisp white uniforms with traditional red sashes.

Theodanis looked every bit the part of a Duke, his auburn mane tinged with grey looking regal over a white coat. The old lion had waved to the crowd that had gathered to see the procession, periodically turning to whisper something to the mammal who sat next to him.

From his vantage, the canopy of the litter had blocked his view. On impulse, Nick had abandoned his plan to pick pockets and dashed across the rooftops to get further ahead of the procession. He paused on a rooftop and glanced down at the litter.

The rumors had been right.

Nick never forgot how vibrant the rabbit's eyes were. Brilliant, amethyst orbs that seemed to be staring right at him.

And then Nick realized she was staring right at him.

Clearly the rabbit had seen Nick dashing from roof to roof and had moved to put herself between him and the Duke, a paw on the pommel of her blade. She defiantly glared at Nick, daring him to make a move.

And Nick found he couldn't tear his gaze away for a long moment.

Suddenly coming to his senses, Nick darted up a wall and out of sight. The procession passed on its way towards Dunwall Tower, but the memory of the rabbit's fiery gaze lingered on.

Nick shook the memory from his head, and turned his attention back to Judy. Not that this was particularly difficult.

The fox couldn't explain why, but something about the rabbit drew him to her. He was captivated by her every movement. This was not the first time he'd spied on her from afar. He'd watched when she was named Royal Protector, and followed her through the city on nearly a dozen other occasions.

Judy stood, sword drawn, squaring off against one of the Royal Guard, a leopard two and a half times her size. Nick heard the clashing of steel on steel, marveling at how quick the rabbit was on her feet. She had a determined smirk on her face, which Nick was quite familiar with.

She was toying with the poor leopard, and the look on the feline's face made it clear he knew it too.

In the flash of an eye, Judy dove under the leopards legs, rebounding off a small wall behind her to plant both of her feet into the small of the cat's back. The guard went sprawling forward, and Judy kicked his sword aside and put her blade to the leopard's neck.

Nick suddenly realized he was smiling under his cowl.

Judy helped the guard to his feet, and Nick could tell from her gestures that she was giving the guard tips on his footwork, where to put his weight and when. The leopard nodded, clearly thankful for the pointers. He gave the rabbit a smart salute, and made his way towards the tower's keep.

Judy watched the guard go, and stood, ears down, clearly deep in thought. Nick couldn't help but think her beautiful.

Outsider's eyes … Never thought I'd lose it like this - especially not over a rabbit, Nick mused.

Judy's ears suddenly sprang up, one swiveling to the side. She turned, and Nick saw a small black furred mammal leap towards the rabbit. Judy had plenty of time to step to the side, but instead threw her arms wide and caught her attacker in a laughter filled hug.

Nick recognized the young pantheress immediately: Emily Kaldwin, daughter of the Empress, and heir to the throne.

The fox watched the two wrestle for a moment, before Judy helped Emily to her feet. Emily tugged at Judy's paw and pointed to a small ravine on the tower grounds. Judy smiled brightly and nodded, prompting Emily to dash ahead down the gorge. Judy closed her eyes and began to count.

Nick had seen the two play hide and seek before, and he loved watching how subtly Judy was teaching Emily the basics of stealth. The pantheress had a knack for it too, Nick had noted. After several rounds, Judy and Emily started to make their way back up the ravine towards the keep.

As he watched them go, Nick cursed himself for being born a commoner. For being born a fox, the son of a tailor . He was a fool, breaking into the seat of the Empire simply because he was pining over a girl - a rabbit of all mammals - that he had no chance in the Void with.

Maybe in another life.

This was going to be the last Nick saw of Judy for sometime. It was well known that the Empress was going to send Judy to tour the Isles for a solution to the plague. And Nick knew that a ship was waiting to take her on the morrow.

The sun had begun to touch the horizon, and the shadows had grown long. So Nick turned to leave, but stole one last glance down at the Tower grounds. He immediately regretted it, because a third figure had joined Judy and Emily - a tall, regal, feline form.

It was her - Jessamine Kaldwin, her Imperial Majesty, the Empress of the Isles, and the witch that let his father die. He felt his paw clench tight against the hilt of his sword. Nick had to steady himself to stifle the growl that started to rumble deep in his throat. How he wished he could run his blade through that monster's cold heart.

Jessamine's beloved status in the public eye drove Nick absolutely mad. They were certain their Empress was going to save them all from the plague that has been devastating Dunwall for months.

Nick couldn't believe how daft they could all be. The Empress wasn't going to save them from the plague. She was more likely to burn down whole blocks just to keep it at bay, away from her shining fortress on the river. If anyone was going to save the city, it would be the Royal Physician, provided he wasn't too busy painting some noble's portrait ...

Nick's anger continued to fester. Oh, how so very easy it would be to just a draw back his bow and let an arrow fly loose. He wouldn't miss, and he could be back in the water before anyone knew what happened.

As tempting as the thought was, it would do nothing but create more problems. Not only would he become the most wanted mammal in the Isles, but he would destabilize the entire Empire. Having Parliament stumbling over itself in a rush to hold everything together would do nothing to help the common mammal living in Dunwall. Conditions would only get worse.

Nick let out a sigh, knowing that taking his revenge would do nothing to help. He'd feel some momentary satisfaction; a fleeting feeling of justice being dealt, before everything would begin to topple. Having the city on the verge of collapse would be very bad for business.

He was the Shadow Fox, the infamous thief in the night. There wasn't a safe, vault, or bank in Dunwall he couldn't crack.

Whatever else he was, Nick was no assassin.

He'd lingered here too long, it was time to go to work.

Authors' Note:

Honor for All is a collaboration between WhatABummer and Nehkles. We both love Dishonored and Zootopia, and couldn't help ourselves.

It's funny … we tried to come up with a good hook for a Dishonored AU before the second game came out, to no avail. But after getting hyped by actually playing through the second game (it's really good!) and seeing some amazing fan art by the one and only WyvernsWeaver (easily in our top two favorite Weavers), we suddenly found ourselves talking long into the night to come up with a story.

Now we know how Piero felt ...

We're very excited to write this, and we hope you enjoy!