Chapter Text
The first thing that came to Pawbert’s mind was not the cold temperatures he was surrounded by, it was his leg. It made sense though he had just fallen off of a one thousand foot tall building… five? Ten minutes ago? It would honestly depend on how long he was unconscious for.
With a grunt Pawbert lifted himself out of the snow pile he was stuck in. He noticed about five feet away was a concrete sidewalk.
I was this close to making a large, red, indent on that sidewalk.
Pawbert stood up then fell back down to the ground with a yelp.
I think I definitely broke something in that fall.
Sure enough it was his leg. Now a Normal Mammal would stay put until help was to arrive. But Pawbert is now a fugitive, so he stood up and began to limp his way down the sidewalk.
About fifteen feet away he noticed something sticking out of the snow. Confused, he limped over to investigate. When he picked it up he smirked. It was the venom injector Nick knocked out of his paw during their fight.
Nick… Pawbert thought, anger and fear suddenly building up in his mind. If he’s alive, then that means the others must be alive too. Pawbert looked out to the distance and saw the Lynxley Estate. It was about a three hour walk from where he was. No he would never make it in time. He looked around him looking for something he could steal to get there fast- There!
A snowmobile. A polar bear stood next to it with a sign that read.
One hour of riding is four hundred dollars.
Pawbert limped up to the snowmobile and drove off laughing maniacally.
“Hey! Get back here!” The polar bear shouted.
Now it would only take about fifteen minutes to get to the Lynxley Estate.
Finally, things are going my way. Pawbert thought to himself.
Pawbert had no idea how long he had before the others would catch up to him. So he had the snowmobile going at full throttle the entire time. It actually was not that different from driving a motorcycle.
He was able to reach the Lynxley estate in no time. He pulled up next to his fathers office. Likely where his father would be located at this time of day. He hopped off the vehicle, hobbled up to the door, and took a deep breath.
Pawbert entered through the door quickly and locked it as quickly as he could. He slouched against the door out of breath.
”You…” Pawbert turned around and in horror saw his father standing over him. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “You dare show up here after what you are doing?”
“Wait, wait wait wait!” Pawbert Cried. “I didn’t betray you… I was pretending so that I could get them on my side, learn where the original patent is so that I could destroy it to help us!” Milton raised one eyebrow with interest.
“Go on…”
“I only helped the snake get into Zootopia, steal the Journal, pretended to be his partner, worked with officer Hopps, to learn where the Reptile Village is.” Pawbert took a breath. “When I learned of where the village was, I stabbed Hopps in the Neck with this and killed them all.” He held out the venom injector that was still loaded with the venom he intended to use on Nick.
”Perhaps you are not as useless as I thought you were after all…” Milton took the Injector. “You say you know where the village is?” Pawbert nodded. “Good, take me there then.” They walked over to the glass door on the other side of the office.
“Father, what do you want us to do here?” Kitty spoke up. Pawbert didn’t even notice that his siblings were in the room with them.
“Remain here, we will be back within the hour.” Milton placed his hand on the door to open in then paused.
“What is it father?” Pawbert asked.
“I can hear someone coming,” Milton turned to Pawbert. “You weren’t followed, right?” Pawbert froze. They noticed me driving away on the snowmobile. There goes my pretending to be dead cover. The door exploded behind them as Judy, Nick, Nibbles, and Gary flew in on a snowmobile.
“YOU TOLD ME YOU KILLED THEM.” Milton yelled. He grabbed Pawbert by the shoulder.
“No wait- I thought I- But she was-” Milton increased his strength on his grip.
“You did betray me, you rotten little liar.” Milton growled.
“No- I didn't, I did it all for you Dadd-” Milton stabbed the venom injector into Pawbert's neck. Everyone in the room froze, looks of shock and horror took place on everyone’s faces except for Milton.
“Dont worry, for a mammal your size, the venom will kill you slower than it will others.” Milton opened the door then threw Pawbert out the door.
Pawbert hit the ground and slid down the icy patio, then tumbled down a snowy slope. When he finally stopped Pawbert stood up, the venom was already making him very dizzy.
He remembered Gary saying snake venom would take about five minutes to kill a Lynx his size. Gary… he now regretted what he did.
“Pawbert please you don't have to be like them…” He could hear Judy's voice in his head.
“I don't want to be different.” His voice echoed back.
No, I want to be different! He began staggering through the snow.
I want to be different! Another step. He began to cry.
“I’m so sorry Gary,” He stumbled and fell to the ground. This was how he will die, out in the cold alone, this probably is the way he deserves to die.
He was in his bedroom laying in bed. His mother sat next to him in a chair reading a book to him. He was eight years old.
“Mommy?” Pawbert asked. His mother paused where she was in the book and adjusted her glasses.
“Yes dear?”
“Are reptiles real?” His mother seemed taken aback by that question.
“Why, yes Pawbert, they are real alright.” She then leaned forward and patted Pawbert on the head.
“Can I meet one?” His mother thought for a moment.
“That’s not going to be easy.” His mother said. “They don't exactly live in Zootopia anymore.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a story that you will learn about in detail when you get older, but one of the reasons is because they wouldn’t be able to live here because of the weather wall.”
“Why?”
“Reptiles require a specific temperature to survive. If they don't have that special temperature they will die.”
“But some mammals require special temperatures to survive too!” Pawbert exclaimed.
“Your correct Pawbert.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll keep this short for you.”
“Keep what short Mommy?” Pawbert asked. She smiled down at him.
“A long time ago, around the same time as your grandfather creating the Lynxley Journal, there was an accident with a Pit Viper, that’s a kind of snake, this snake bit someone and they didn’t survive. Ever since then reptiles have left Zootopia.”
“Is there more to the story Mommy?”
“Yes there is, but you will learn about it when you're older, now go to sleep, Pawbert.” She stood up and set the book she was holding on the nightstand next to him. “Goodnight, Pawbert.”
“Good night Mommy.”
No, I’m not giving up yet. Pawbert thought of chasing the memory of his mother out of his head.
He extended his arm and began to crawl very, very slowly. He eventually came to a tree and leaned himself up to it.
He always imagined that when he died he would be around family and friends when it happened. He has never felt so cold before.
“Pawbert.” He looked up. Gary was there next to him. He forced himself to give a smile.
“Gary” he choked. He outstretched his arm and cupped Gary's face in his Paw. “I’m so sorry.” Tears rolled down his face.
Gary wrapped his tail around his arm lightly. A small smile came from Gary.
“It’s ok, Pawbert, I forgive you.” Pawbert looked into Gary's yellow eyes.
“Why? Why forgive me for what I did? I tried to kill you, I hurt you, betrayed you, left you for dead. Why do you forgive me?”
Gary looked away from him.
“Because I understand why you did it.” Pawbert felt fatigue overwhelming him.
“Gary…” His arm slipped from Gary's head.
“And that’s why I believe that you deserve a second chance.” With all his might he looked up at Gary. His vision was blurring up.
“Stab me straight in the heart!” Said something from a small speaker
“Wh- Wh- What?” Pawbert asked. He then felt a prick in his arm then felt warmth. “Gary… Why?”
“It’s never too late for you to change, I can see who you truly are under all that fur, behind all of your scars, deep down I know you have good in you still.” Gary said. “Permission to hug?” He stared at Gary with disbelief.
Pawbert yanked Gary with both arms close to him. He felt the snake coil around his body.
“Now then Partner, will you accept this second chance, to start fresh?” Then Gary smirked. “Or should I bite ya?” Pawbert chuckled, his first time feeling this happy in a long time.
“I accept this second chance,” Pawbert said. “Besides, the road to redemption is quite long for me, and I would like to make things right for everyone.”
“That road is gonna be quite long for ya alright!” Pawbert looked up to see Nibbles standing nearby, along with Nick and Judy.
“Pawbert…” Judy said. “Are you all right?” Pawbert stood up, his leg still hurt from that long fall.
“I think I broke my leg.”
“Can you still walk?” Judy pressed.
“I should be able to with some help.” Pawbert said with a grimace
“Good, we'll need to hurry, I have no Idea how long mayor Winddancer can hold off your family.” Pawbert's head perked up in surprise.
“Mayor Winddancer is fighting my family!?” Pawbert exclaimed.
Later
They all had climbed inside of a snowtruck and were riding to the clock tower sticking out of the ground. Pawbert sat in the back seat of it while Judy tended to his leg.
“Judy…” Pawbert said.
“Don’t,” She said. “We’ll figure out what’s going to happen to you later.” Pawbert looked out the window.
“No, it’s just,” He took a deep breath. “I just want you all to know how sorry I am for hurting you, I don’t expect forgiveness, but I also want you to understand why I did it.” Everyone was dead silent.
“My father, as you all saw, really hates me, but my siblings do as well.” Gary wrapped his tail around his paw and he held it.
“But the reason why they hate me so much is because… of my Mother, and how she raised me.”
“I have felt my fathers wrath from the day I was born, I carry the scars as reminders of what happens when I let him down.” Judy's eyes widened. “When my Mother died, she was unable to protect me from him anymore.”
“You don’t mean he…” Judy started. Pawbert then took his sweater off, revealing the years worth of scars that he wore on his body.
“Yes,” Pawbert's voice was shaky. “He hurt me… a lot.” Pawbert then turned away from Judy.
“I thought by doing what I did today that my family would see me more than what they think I am, my whole life I have wanted to be seen as a Lynxley.”
“I didn’t want to be different from them, I just wanted acceptance.” Judy placed her paw on his shoulder.
“I thought that if I burnt the original patent for the weatherwall…” Pawbert buried his face in his paws and cried. It was quiet in the vehicle for a while.
“We will be at the clock tower in about three minutes.” Nick said from the driver's seat. Pawbert put back on his sweater hiding the scars.
“I am ready to be different from my family,” Pawbert said, wiping away his tears. “Gary, do you know where your great grandmother's house is?”
“Yes.” They rode the rest of the way in silence.
They walked through the snow up to the clock tower. Pawbert fell behind from the rest of the group because of his limp. Nick noticed this and walked with Pawbert.
“Is it holding up ok, Whiskers?” Whiskers? What kind of name is that?
“Yeah it will hold up.” A pause between them. “Listen about what happened on the Weatherwall…”
“You don’t need to apologize, I understand what you’re going through.”
“I don't think you really understand-”
“I do understand,” Nick took a breath. “I had been out on the streets since I was twelve years old.
“What?”
“I understand the desperation to do anything to get by no matter how illegal,” Nick turned towards him. “You were desperate, you did what you had to do to survive.”
“Yeah, but I bet you didn’t try to kill anyone.” That’s when he noticed his ears flattened against his head. “You didn’t… Right?”
“A Weasel.” Nick clenched his fists. “He stole money from me, I chased him onto a roof top, he was cornered, I pushed him off the side.”
“What happened to him?” Nick looked down to the ground.
“Well, he is paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of life.” Pawbert placed his paw on his shoulder.
“Does it get any easier?” Pawbert asked. “The guilt?”
“No, but over time you learn how to live with it.” Nick gave Pawbert a small smile. “But hey, at least the mammals you tried to kill forgave you.”
“At least I didn’t kill you.” There were some shouts up ahead.
“Yo, Pawbert, Nick, hurry up!” Nibbles called out. “Unless if you're too busy making out, we need you to come help us open this door! It’s frozen shut.” Nick glanced up at Pawbert.
“You go on ahead, with my leg the way it is, I think it would be best if I didn’t do any labor of any kind.” Nick nodded and jogged up to the rest of the group. Pawbert looked down at his feet in thought as he limped.
There is an entire village under all of this snow, and I never knew about it. But there are many things Pawbert didn’t know about Zootopia. Perhaps when this is all over we could explore Zootopia and see what it has to offer. Then a thought hit him.
What's going to happen to me after all of this is over? Pawbert started thinking of all the crimes he committed today.
Four Counts of attempted Murder, Assault and Battery, Obstruction of Justice. There were probably many more he committed. Pawbert doesn’t need to do the math to know that he would probably be going to prison for the rest of his life.
He looked up at the others, they were all busy with the door.
If I wanted to escape, now would be the time to do it.
Pawbert didn’t want to go to jail for the rest of his life, he had so much more to live for, all he had to do was run back to the snow truck, drive away, hide somewhere for a long time then it would all be over.
No, he was tired of running away from his problems, he would deal with the consequences of his own actions. Perhaps if he testified against his family, the sentence could be decreased.
“What’s going on Pawbert? I can see the gears turning in your head.” Judy said. He looked at Judy and sighed.
“I’m just thinking… what’s going to happen after we find the patent?” Judy looked him in the eyes.
“What are we going to do? Or something else?” Judy asked.
“It’s just that, I’ve thought of all the crimes I’ve committed today, how long that would mean I’m in prison for.” He looked away from her.
“You don't need to do the math to know that I will be going to prison for the rest of my life.” There was a groan that came from the door behind them as Nick pulled on it.
“You're not going to prison for life,” Judy said.
“Judy-” Pawbert started.
“No, think about what your family has done to you, what psychological problems that you have probably developed because of them. We can use that against them in court, and your scars all across your body.”
“I already know I am going to testify against them too but-” Pawbert tried.
“Pawbert.” Judy said. “The most you're probably going to spend in prison is one to three years, with the possibility of house arrest.”
There was a loud crash as the door came open from the clocktower wall.
“Well, that’s that.” Nick said. “Carrots, Whiskers come on, doors open!” With that Nick, Gary, and Nibbles disappeared into the clock tower.
“Pawbert, I will do everything in my power to get your family to have justice for what they have done.” Judy said. “Now then, shall we?” Pawbert nodded.
Judy and Pawbert walked up to the doorframe of the clock tower door. Judy entered first and descended down into the darkness. Pawbert paused and took one last glance at the sun.
“Pawbert, are you coming?” Judy called. Pawbert took one last breath of fresh air, turned towards the darkness and descended into the darkness.