Zootopia’s populace has become fractured in the wake of a series of savage assaults by seemingly feral animals. These mammals were reportedly mild-mannered and normal until, for whatever reason, they erupted into wild violence. Complicating the atmosphere surrounding this string of shocking events is the fact that all of the animals that have lost their minds have been predators and have done considerable damage in their rage. Officer Judy Hopps, the Zootopia Police Department’s first rabbit officer, inadvertently instigated the widespread mistrust of predators and has willfully retired from the force. In the wake of her announcement the city’s prey animals have become deeply fearful. The prejudice against predators which is normally forgotten and buried in their unconscious has risen to public consciousness. The predators are scared as well that they might fall under the madness as the animals that recently went feral and hurt their family or friends. In addition to this paranoid notion predators also have to deal with the strong knee-jerk animosity of their prey-animal peers.

Savanna Central Square does not seem the bright, cheerful place it normally is. A lone police cheetah sulks around the park’s fountain pool. The cat, Ben Clawhauser, had just a week ago attended a protest in the Square led by his idol the pop singer Gazelle and seen the ugly predator-prey animosity firsthand. Clawhauser is normally excitable and vibrant, but these days there isn’t much for him to smile about. His closest prey friends have been distant since news of the attacks began to spread and, most damagingly of all, he has been relocated to the Department’s records group. In his usual station at the department’s front desk Clawhauser can at least socialize and help visitors in his own way. The records room itself is stifling and the work is extremely tedious. The cheetah jumped at the opportunity to run an errand for Mayor Bellwether who required a dossier regarding the recent attacks. The husky cat now makes his way to town hall which faces the police department on the opposing side of Savanna Square.

Ben keeps his head low as he walks. At one point a pig father fearfully hurried his children out of his way which stabbed him deeply. Finally reaching Zootopia town hall’s impressive edifice Clawhauser pauses for a moment to catch his breath.

“Hooooo boy.” Ben says as he begins his climb up the stairway. He then shuffles his way through the buildings busy doorways. He heads to the reception desk where the lady deer in attendance gives him a sheepish wave. Clawhauser had taken on a habit of diminishing himself in front of prey animals to avoid scaring them but thankfully he can act himself with Doe, a family friend.

“Hey Benny! What are you doing here? Catching bad guys?” Doe says. She is two or three years Clawhauser’s minor, but somehow she had always seemed to be the more knowledgeable and worldly of the two.

“Doe! Girl I am glad to see you.” Clawhauser says, equally happy for the desk which he deflates onto in his exhaustion. “Nah no bad guys today. Chief told me to slow it down with the cop action. I’m too good really.”

“Haha, right. I’m sure you’ve been chasing down criminals all day and that’s why you’re so out of breath. That’s definitely the reason.” Doe says with a grin. The levity between predator and prey doing them both good.

“Totally! I mean, psshhh, I’m a cheetah come on.” Clawhauser says, snatching some of the jelly candies from Doe’s tray.

“Oh files?” Dooe says, eyeing the thick folder in Clawhauser’s hand. “Boring.”

“Yeah, files.” He says, rolling his eyes. “Hey do you know where Assiste-uhh, ‘Mayor’ Bellwether is? I have to hand her this dossier.”

“Yeah it’s weird calling her ‘Mayor’ now right? Well she was free about twenty minutes ago, then I think she said she was going to move some things out of her old office.” Does says. She then confirms this on her business phone. “Yep, I’d check there. Between you and me she’s been really stressed lately. I don’t know what it is. I get that she’s the full mayor now, but I don’t know, she’s been really agitated. So just watch what you say.”

“Oh! Thanks. I’m sure she’s just freaked out by the new responsibility. Everybody’s freaked out lately with all the… predator stuff that’s been going on.” Clawhauser says, clumsily baring his discomfort to the deer.

“What kind of stuff? I don’t think I know about any predator stuff.” Doe says, lightly punching Clawhauser’s shoulder. The friendly gesture warms him profoundly.

“Heh, right. Well ma’am, duty calls!” Clawhauser says. The cheetah strides into the hall proper before turning hastily turning around. “Thanks a lot Doe!” He waves before gingerly turning on his heel and making his way to the mayor’s former office. ‘Office’ is an unduly strong word for the cramped closet in which the former Assistant Mayor performed her role. Knocking on the heavy door, Clawhauser shuffles uneasily.

“Helllloo? Assist-err. Mayor Bellwether I have that dossier you asked for!” Clawhauser says. When his calls go unanswered the cat pulls the door ajar and takes a look inside. The desk and filing cabinets that used to be housed in the office have been moved away. If Mayor Bellwether was moving her belongings she has apparently finished. Clawhauser can barely fit his bulk inside the office so he slams the heavy door shut and thinks for a moment. The only other haunt of Bellwether’s that Clawhauser knows is the basement. He heard from Doe that the sheep often spends her breaks down there though it is anyone’s guess what exactly she gets up to. Feeling he might be a bit late already Clawhauser hustles toward the basement.

Clawhauser had never been in the City Halls basement and his first thought upon entering the dank place was wondering why anyone would willingly spend time there. The oppressive heat outdoors has penetrated to the subterranean floor and is infused with an unbearable humidity. Clawhauser’s ears pick up the clunking of a malfunctioning air conditioning unit. He pants mightily already and he is barely past the threshold. Descending a few steps into the large room Clawhauser finds that the basement is quite dark.

“Um, Hello? Mayor Bellwether? Sorry I’m late.” Clawhauser says. He can see well enough in the dark, but if Mayor Bellwether is down here she is sulking in the shadows. The basement is apparently used primarily for storage as there is a large amount of campaign paraphernalia and event machinery cluttering the hall. There is still no sign of Mayor Bellwether, though Clawhauser notices that a bulkhead on the far wall is ajar and letting in sunlight. Curious, Clawhauser carefully winds his way around the messy, dark basement. Soon Clawhauser’s delicate ears pick up the sound of hushed voices. The sound is nearly inaudible, even with his hearing. Feeling acutely that he is trespassing on something secret the cheetah clings to a nearby rack and perks his ears toward the sound.

“—Did what you asked. Tweaked the formula a little bit. Took me and the boys a long time. A real long time Dawn.” A male voice says. Leaning toward the source of the speaking Clawhauser notes the scent of not only Mayor Bellwether, but some other sheep as well. “You never told me why you asked for this anyway. You know the feral plan isn’t going to fail.”

“I –know- the feral plan isn’t going to fail Doug.” Mayor Bellwethers says. Her voice far more severe than Clawhauser has ever heard it before. “Because I’m paying you to dart these preds without missing your mark. But if you do let one get away we’ll have this formula as a back-up. If we can’t get rid of them, we’ll change them. Get it?” Clawhauser’s eyes widen. He doesn’t completely understand what he has just heard, but he knows that it involves the recent predator attacks and that he may be in a bad situation. In his shock the Cheetah leans into the rack behind him, knocking over one of the campaign signs. It lands with a loud clattering and the voices fall silent. After the moment of silence Clawhauser hears the pattering of hooved feet. Overwhelmed and not thinking clearly Clawhauser decides to play dumb.

“H-hey Mayor Bellwether? I uhm, I have the file you asked for. Doe at the front desk said you might be down here.” Clawhausre says. There’s no response and to his surprise the hoofsteps have gone silent as well. He pads forward, watching for movement, but is then shocked when he is pounced upon by two burly attackers. They are immediately betrayed as sheep by their wool and they are strong ones at that. They each grab one of Clawhauser’s arms and roughly restrain him. Before the cheetah can shout for help a firm, hoof-hand clamps his muzzle shut.

“Hmmph?! Mmmr.” Clawhauser groans, tugging at his arms.

“Who is it? Bring them here.” Bellwether says. The toughs holding Clawhauser drag him with some effort toward the bulkhead door and to Bellwether who is waiting within the beam of light. The small sheep glares wide-eyed as Clawhauser is revealed.

“Oh geez it’s a cop!” One of the burly sheep holding Clawhauser says. Bellwether softens, her darting eyes revealing that she is hastily concocting a response.

“Dawn what do we do? Is he a spy?” The other tough says.

“No. No I don’t think he is. Let him talk.” Bellwether says. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just, just bringing you that file you were looking for… What’s going on here?” Clawhauser says.

“What file? Oh! That was an hour ago, what the heck took you so long? Grrrrrr. How much did you hear?” Bellwether says, jabbing a finger at the cheetah’s belly.

Clawhauser sweats, “H-hear? I didn’t hear anything. Doe said you’d be—“

“Dawn he’s a cheetah. He probably heard you from the stairs. I told you we couldn’t do this here.” One of the unseen sheep says.

“Oh my god, it really is you. I can’t believe it. Why… why are you doing this? How?” Clawhauser tactlessly blurts. Whatever is happening to the predators of Zootopia is being masterminded by Mayor Bellwether. Clawhauser’s mind races to think of a way out of the compromising position in which he finds himself.

“Damn. You’re right.” Bellwether says, picking up a small attaché case that had been by her side.

“Hey! Wait, what’re you gonna’ do to -mmmph!” Clawhauser shouts before being silenced again by one of the grunts.

“Well Doug I guess I get to see how this works after all.” Bellwether says. The sheep retrieves some kind of gun from the case and takes aim at Clawhauser.

“Hmmp! Mmmm!” Clawhauser shouts. Without warning the mayor shoots the cheetah. There is no loud bang and no pain for Clawhauser aside from a small prick. A syringe dart has emptied itself into his abdomen. As soon as Clawhauser notices the dart he begins to feel woozy. With a headrush he collapses in the arms of his attackers who lower him to the ground. The cheetah falls to his hands and knees gasping for air.

“Wha-, oof, what was that?” Clawhauser says.

“Huh, that does work fast.” Bellwether says, turning over the dart gun. She is soon joined by the two male sheep.

“Well yeah. We learned from the first night howler trials remember? If it doesn’t take effect right away then there’s no point.” One of them says.

“He-hey! What did you, huh?” Clawhauser is crawling toward the sheep when he feels a tingling in his right arm. There is a strange swelling of the muscles and a burning of the skin. Clawhauser watches as his fur grows beneath his uniform, causing it to bugle and strain. He grips his arm as it changes. His hand-paw shudders as his fingers merge and transform. The fingers harden and thicken until Clawhauser possesses not a paw, but a hoof-hand like most ungulates have. Along with this the fur on his arm has emerged from his sleeve to reveal that it is now thick and curly like wool. The seams around the shoulder have burst open to reveal more of the changed fur. “A-a hoof? Wool—what?! Hrrrng.” Clawhauser’s other arm follows suit with the changed one and the cheetah’s torso begins to groan and change as well. The cheetah can barely move due to the discomfort. He hugs his bulging belly with his changed arms. All over his torso he has begun to sprout wool which is fighting to free itself from his suddenly tight uniform. The cheetah’s proportions shift quite a bit. With some cracking of the spine Clawhauser shortens to a stocky build. He does retain his girth however. His big belly juts out from under his shirt and the thick wool makes it look even larger.

The cheetah’s waist and legs change next. As with the rest of his frame the cheetah’s new legs are beefy and short. Clawhauser falls to his bum as his foot-paws change as well into big, hooved feet. The toes merge and then harden with finality and the confused mammal sits in shock looking down at his unrecognizable, transforming body. As he does so his long, feline tail shortens to a stubby one which is naturally covered in wool as well. It twitches to display his anxiety.

“Wow Doug, this is incredible!” Bellwether says, watching Clawhauser’s uncomfortable transition with glee. “You know I almost want the nighthowler plan to fail so we’ll have an excuse to increase the sheep population by force. Haha.”

“Nngggh, noooo. No waaayy” Clawhauser groans. His neck thickens a bit with muscle as the wool continues to spread. The transformation of the head is very disorienting and seems to happen all at once. Most disorienting of all the changes are those to Clawhauser’s senses. While he isn’t as athletic as most cheetahs he does still have their excellent senses. Or he did. Clawhauser’s muzzle reshapes into a soft, fuzz covered ungulate one. The canine teeth most predators possess in some variation are lost, replaced by rows of grinding teeth for easily munching greens. “Hrrung? Muh teefth.” Clawhauser tries. His voice has been altered by the transformation. While it still has the cheery character of his prior voice it is now gruffer and deeper. His night vision is lost as his eyes change. He blinks through the uncomfortable sensation and is left with the flat-pupiled eyes of a sheep. Clawhauser brings his hoof-hands to his head and feels as the wool spreads. He pinches his ears as they lengthen and become a bit floppy. There is a mental aspect to the transformation as well. The cheetah, now mostly sheep, grips his head in his hands as the transformation subsides. Bellwether approaches and runs her hands through Clawhauser’s wool.

“There we go. Let those violent, predator urges go.” Bellwether says.

“So Dawn there is that one thing I was telling you about. You’ll see.” The sheep Doug says.

“How is this possible?!” Clawhauser says, adjusting to the new shape of his mouth. “I’m not—I, baaa-aa.” A bleat escapes his mouth involuntarily. He looks up in confusion to see the three sheep standing over him. “You did this… It’s you, you’re behind the predator attacks.” Clawhauser attempts to stand. He startles himself with the clop of his hooves and wobbles in place as he attempts to find his bearings. His uniform is completely ill filling now. It is too long and it bulges all over from the wool. The wool is also making Clawhauser extremely warm as well exascerbating his recovery. He wonders how the other sheep can stand it.

“Woah woah, hold it buddy.” Doug says, stepping forward. Clawhauser freezes in place. “No need to run from us bud, we’re all sheep here.” He speaks in a velvety tone and even though Clawhauser knows he should run he is compelled to stay.

“I’m not a sheep! Baa-aaa! Yuh-you did this to me!” He says loudly.

“Quiet down. We’re trying to help here. We have to stick together. Come on.” Doug says. Bellwether steps forward as she begins to understand Doug’s angle.

“That-that’s right. Just us sheep.” Bellwether says.

Clawhauser turns away from them and finds himself frozen in place. He wants to go, but he can’t leave the others. He wants to join them, rather he is compelled by his new body to be among the other sheep. Even standing apart from them as he is now makes him uncomfortable. He turns to Bellwether and the others and shuffles toward them groggily.

“Ohhhh! I see. Having a little trouble dealing with the herd mentality huh?” Bellwether says, patting Clawhauser on the shoulder. “That something young sheep learn to grow out of as they get older but I guess you’re getting it all at once. Pretty annoying right? Not being able to think for yourself. Blindly listening to what the other sheep say and do.”

“What-what am I going to do?” Clawhauser says, looking down at his speepish body. As the others join and comfort him he begins to realize that he can’t reveal their secret. He can’t go against them. They’re his friends. His herd. Even though rationally he understands this is not the case his body just won’t obey.

“Hey, don’t worry. You’re one of us now. We’re going to take good care of you.” Doug says.

“You wouldn’t tell anybody about what you saw down here right?” Bellwether says.

“N-nnoo.” Clawhauser says, to his regret, earnestly.

“Good boy.” Bellwether says. She leaves Clawhauser to prod and explore his new body and joins Doug by the bulkhead door. Clawhauser, not wanting to be alone, shuffles closer to the other sheep.

“Alright-alright this is good. It works.” Bellwether whispers

“Yeah, he’s not going to say a peep now, we’ve got him. But what do we do with him? He’s a cop, he can’t just disappear.” Doug says.

“I know. But now that I’m the full mayor I can pull strings. I’ll hook him up with a new identity. You just take him back to your place, get him some clothes and make sure he stays nice and obedient, got it? He might be a mindless herd-follower, but he still knows our secret.”

“Oh don’t worry about that. Worst comes to worst I can use some of my dud darts on him. Seems like those make the herd instinct even worse, among other things, heh.” Doug says.

“Good.” Bellwether says before joining Clawhauser. She coddles him gently which only softens him more to her suggestion. The others pack up their cases. “Alright officer. Your brothers over here are going to bring you home. Make sure you do everything they say. I’m going to get you a new identity and a new job. I’m pretty sure there’s a receptionist job that just opened up at the ZPD. How’d you like a nice sheep name? I’m thinking Woolworth. Maybe Ewesburg?”

Clawhauser can only nod dumbly as Bellwether shephards him to the bulkead door where Doug and his partner are waiting. “Yes ma’am. Can’t wait.” He says with mounting excitement. Being treated like a sheep, by his fellow sheep, is exciting for a reason he can’t fully understand.

“Hey you’re going to have a great time. The sheep life is much better than being one of those big, ugly, and eugh, loud predators right?” Bellwether says.

“Baaa-aah! Yeah… maybe?” Clawhauser says, stepping out onto the City Halls rear lot with Doug and his partner.

“There’s a good boy.” Bellwether says. She shoves Clawhauser out the bulkhead door and slams it shut. Doug then firmly slaps Clawhauser on the shoulder.

“Welcome to the herd, brother. Hahaha!” Doug says.