proud to foster the first great leap into a future of progress and prosperity for all of you wonderful residents," said Keyes, completely full of himself.

More applause.

"I, Judge Randolph R. Lagus, bear witness to the signing of this official document," announced Judge Lagus, "by which the town of Bunny Burrow agrees to the terms proposed by Terra Firma Incorporated. If there is anyone present in this community who opposes to the signing of this document…"

"I OPPOSE!" said a loud voice in the audience.

Keyes looked up. Everybody looked. At the front of the crowd, leaning on his walking stick, was Cletus Hareington himself.

President Keyes bolted up from his chair.

"YOU!" he shouted. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

And a second later, he realised his mistake. But it was too late. One hundred and sixty cameras and cell phones recorded his words. There was murmuring all over.

"Ha! Would be, if it weren't for the brave police officer who saved me!" said Cletus. "And now yer head's on the choppin' block, buster!"

And right on cue, the doors to the city hall burst open. And everyone watched as a tall and lithe vixen ran into the hall, followed by six other people of different species.

It was Beatrice Lorena Wilde! But what a difference! She was wearing a green uniform and protective vest, and in her paws she carried a stun gun, charged and ready.

"Wow…" said little Bianca from her mother's arms. "Aunty Bea looks badass!"

Everyone agreed, not bothering to wonder where Bianca had heard that word.

"Freeze! Environmental Protection Corps!" she shouted in an imperative voice. "Preston Keyes, you are coming with us!"

Preston Keyes looked all around him with murder in his eyes.

"You tricked me!" he spat. "You tricked me! All of you!"

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," said Bea saucily. "Boom!"

The next events took place so quickly that everyone remembered them differently. The two grizzly bear thugs advanced upon Bea, but she shot one with her stun gun and her co-agent behind her shot the other. Preston Keyes shot towards the end of the stage and jumped at a large window. It shattered and he landed outside on the grass, running for his life towards the parking lot, where his chauffeur was still in the big black car.

Keyes opened the door to the car and jumped in.

"DRIVE!"

"Where to, sir?" asked the chauffeur, an elegantly-dressed ram.

"ANYWHERE! OUT OF TOWN! JUST DRIVE!"

The chauffeur put the car into gear and drove out of the parking lot, just as Bea and her co-agents and the rest of Bunny Burrow, all with cameras in their paws and hooves, poured out of the city hall.

"STEP ON IT!" shouted Keyes, and his chauffeur floored the gas pedal and shot out of the parking lot and towards the town exit.

"To your vehicles!" shouted Bea, and all her co-agents rushed to their vehicles.

Keyes's car raced down the road that led out of town. The chauffeur was confused but he did as he was told, driving at top speed away from the city. Keyes looked back. Seeing nobody chasing them, he sighed and buckled up.

"Close shave," said Keyes.

"Is everything alright, sir?" asked the chauffeur.

"Shut up and drive!" snapped Keyes.

The chauffeur did. They shot past farms and woodland, putting miles between themselves and Bunny Burrow.

Then suddenly…the chauffeur saw lights up ahead. Red and blue blinking lights.

"Sir…there's a police barrier," said the chauffeur, slowing down.

"DON'T SLOW DOWN, YOU MORON!" shouted Keyes. "RAM 'EM!"

"Sir!" said the chauffeur. "We'll get into terrible trouble…"

"WE'RE ALREADY IN TERRIBLE TROUBLE, IDIOT!"

At the police barrier, two squad cars were blocking the road. Sheriff Donovan Shepard, Officer Judy Hopps, Officer Nicholas P. Wilde, Garth O' Possum, Doctor Amber Beverly Latrans and a whole group of people from Bunny Burrow were all present. They had rakes and hoes and scythes in their paws and were ready to use them.

"Alright," shouted Shepard. "Tire shredders! Now!"

Several metres ahead of the barrier, Shepard's deputies Old Ben and Barkins unfolded a spike strip across the road. The chauffeur noticed and slammed the brakes.

"DON'T STOP! YOU MISERABLE COWARD!"

The black car drove over the spikes and the four tires burst! The chauffeur managed to bring the car to a stop a few metres from the police barrier, where Shepard and the others were waiting.

The black car came to a stop. The driver door opened and the chauffeur walked out with his hooves in the air.

"Whatever is going on here, I want no part of it!" said the chauffeur, walking towards Shepard. "I am turning myself in!"

"Good move, son," said Shepard. "Would you kindly cuff him, Judy?"

"My pleasure," said Judy as she cuffed the chauffeur, who offered no resistance.

Preston Keyes witnessed the scene, his face contorted with rage.

"KEYES," shouted Shepard. "STEP OUT OF THE CAR! YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN!"

Keyes cursed under his breath and opened the glove compartment. From it, he took a black case and opened it. Inside was a dart gun with several darts. He loaded the darts into the gun and cocked back the air pump.

"KEYES!" shouted Shepard. "TURN YOURSELF IN! YOU ARE SURROUNDED!"

Keyes opened the door and stepped out of the car. Then he raised his dart gun.

"ANYBODY MOVE AND I'LL SHOOT!" roared Keyes.

"Put the weapon down, Keyes!" said Old Ben, running with Barkins from behind the black car.

"GET BACK THERE!" said Keyes, aiming his dart gun at Old Ben.

"Ben! Do as he says!" shouted Shepard. "You too, Barkins!"

Old Ben and Barkins did as they were ordered, standing behind Shepard. Judy and Nick lifted their stun guns.

"DON'T!" yelled Keyes, aiming his dart gun into the crowd. "I'LL SHOOT THE FIRST MISERABLE WRETCH WHO MOVES!"

Everybody stood still. Judy and Nick knew that the darts were filled with deadly rattlesnake poison. If Keyes started shooting, it would be a terrible situation.

Then suddenly, Garth moved. He grabbed a rake from one of the crowd members and walked towards Keyes.

"STOP!" said Keyes, aiming his dart gun squarely at Garth's body.

"I'll show you, you stuck-up piece of vermin," said Garth as he advanced upon Keyes.

"STOP OR I'LL SHOOT YOU! I SWEAR!"

"I'll rake your face off, you two-bit varmint!" yelled Garth.

"STOP OR I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!"

"FOR BUNNY BURROW!" yelled Garth in an inspiring war cry. "Schlachtet den feind! RAAAAAHHHH!"

The opossum charged! Preston Keyes pulled the trigger! A dart shot right into Garth's chest!

"AHHRRRGG!" yelled the opossum, pulling the dart out and falling to the ground.

"GARTH!" yelled Amber from the crowd.

"DON'T MOVE! ANYONE!" yelled Keyes, loading another dart.

"I'll kill you…I'll tan your hide…" said Garth as he dragged himself to Preston Keyes's feet.

Keyes kept his dart gun aimed at Garth as he watched the opossum dragging himself with difficulty towards him. And finally…

"My….comrades….ugh…shall…avenge…my…death….ugh…"

And Garth slumped onto the ground at Preston's feet...dead.

"NOO!" wailed Amber. "You evil villain!"

The whole crowd moved a step closer to Keyes, their faces contorted with anger.

"Stand back!" yelled Keyes as he aimed his dart gun into the crowd. "Stand back or I'll shoot you! I'll shoot every one of your miserable hides! Not one more step…"

And suddenly, a long brown whip lashed through the air! It wrapped around Keyes's dart gun and snatched it out of his paw. Then it flung the gun away! Keyes looked incredulous!

"WHAT?!"

It was Garth's tail!

"FOOLED YOU!" taunted Garth.

The dart gun flew through the air and landed thirty feet away in a field on the side of the road.

Garth jumped up from the ground and his fist struck a ferocious uppercut on Keyes's jaw, knocking the rabbit back and sending him flying against the black car with a loud THUD!

"That was for Jenkins, evildoer!"

Preston Keyes fell to the ground, dizzy from the punch and unable to move.

"HAHAA!" laughed Garth. "You have been thwarted by the power of cunning, you miserable pile of regret!"

Garth stood with his paws to his hips and an ear-to-ear grin, posing dramatically and savouring every bit of this victorious moment.

"Thought you had killed me, you vile wretch?! I was just playin' possum with you! And you fell for the oldest trick in the book, like a sucker! Neener-neener-neener!"

Amber walked up behind Garth, laughing mirthfully as she hugged her sweetheart around the shoulders. Everyone walked up behind them, triumphantly watching the scene.

Keyes's head rose a bit and he looked up at Garth, standing there with his arms folded over his chest, a look of sheer triumph on his face. Garth and Amber put their thumbs to their ears and waggled their fingers, sticking their tongues out at the fallen rabbit.

"But…but how…" muttered Keyes. "How…are…"

"HA! How am I not dead?"

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