"Okay, understood," Judy said, on the verge of tears.

"What happened? Did the chief fire you?" Nick asked Judy.

"No, worse," Judy answered.

"What?" Nick inquired.

"My parents went missing."

"Oh...oh. That's...that's horrible," Nick said, trying to comfort her.

"Could you...could you hang on a sec?" Judy asked while pulling over, then getting out.

"Sure, why?" Nick asked, then he heard Judy sobbing.

He walked over to Judy and sat next to her.

"There, there. Just let it out," Nick cooed, rubbing her back.

"Unh-unh-unh-unh," Judy sobbed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No-ho-ho-ho-ho," Judy sobbed, then changed her mind to: "Yes, ye-he-he-he-hes."

And she told him about her life as a child. Including the part about Gideon. She felt much better after that talk.

"You know," Nick said, "I know what that's like."

"Seriously?" Judy asked, surprised.

"Yup, I was small, and emotionally unstable, like you," Nick started.

"Har, har," Judy mocked.

"No it's true," Nick continued, "It was my eighth birthday, and all I wanted to do was join the junior ranger scouts. So, mom bought me a brand new uniform, because, by god, I was going to fit in, even if I was the only fox in the troop. The only predator...

...

Flashback

...

"Okay, Nick!" a young zebra called, "Ready for your initiation?"

"Yeah!" a young Nick called back, "Pretty much born ready!"

The lights flicked off, and a flashlight flicked on, revealing a young woodchuck's face.

"Okay, now raise your right paw," The woodchuck told him, shining the flashlight into his face, "and deliver the oath."

"I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be brave, loyal, honest, and trustworthy," young Nick said.

"Even though...you're a fox," the woodchuck remarked.

"Wha-?" Nick started, getting scared.

Then the flashlight clicked off.

"What did I do-?" Nick started. Then they tackled him and started wrestling him into a muzzle, with little Nick yelling: "Please guys-tell me what I did wrong! What did I do wrong?!"

"If you think we were ever going to trust you without a muzzle," the woodchuck said, "you're even dumber than you look!"

"Aww...is he gonna cry?" another mammal mocked.

Nick ran out of there as fast as he could, tearing off the muzzle, sobbing uncontrollably.

...

End Flashback

...

"I learned two things that day," Nick told Judy, "One, I was never gonna let anyone see that they got to me."

"And...two?" Judy asked.

"If the whole world's only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else," Nick finished.

"Nick...you are so much more than that!" Judy said.

"Yeah, try telling the rest of the world that," Nick scoffed.