Image inspired by the fanfiction "Visitors" that you'll find only on Fanfiction.net: www.fanfiction.net/s/11848663/… which happens in chapter 4 right after the incident with the polar bear that had a bone to pick with Bellwether for being responsible in his brother's disappearance. You might say the story even takes place some time after those end credits with Gazelle's concert as it is mentioned that it was months later when Nick joined the ZPD, so it might have been a year and a half after her arrest in this story, which I'm guessing. Anyways, it is mentioned that Bellwether got out with a black eye and could have suffered from other claw marks on her body which would have been a hell of a lot worse for her if the security guards did not come to her rescue in time. Here is also hoping there are doctors and psychiatrists in prison that do their part in helping inmates that suffer from mental conditions, disabilities, injuries, trauma, and emotional breakdowns, Dawn Bellwether included. Hopefully they gave her something to help with the black eye and those other scratches to prevent any infection, and gave her a cold washcloth to keep on her face overnight as she struggles to fall asleep in her cell.

Unfortunately, sleep is hardly on Dawn's mind as she sits alone in her cell beside the barred window, unable to get her mind off what happened in the cafeteria earlier that day, seeing and understanding the consequences of the bad choices she made herself and deeply regrets every single one of them, all because she could not overcome her own anger, fear, confusion, and hatred of predators that wronged her so terribly when she was once an innocent little lamb and carried that burden up to adulthood when struggling to make her way into society until Lionheart became the last straw on her part. Before a year has passed since her arrest, she used anger to hide and bottle up her emotions while being around other inmates, too ashamed to show any tears for anything, and would rather do that when she's alone in her cell with no one watching, otherwise everyone else would accuse her of "faking" emotion as she fears, thinking even if she told someone what she used to endure as an "easy prey" animal, none of them would ever believe her or understand enough on what drove her off the edge, which is why she has remained the quiet, isolated inmate in prison, having little interest in friendship...unless a situation in prison begins to slowly call on that act of kindness that may still be inside of her, trapped. Right now, it appears that she sees how much she had hurt someone else other than herself, recalling how that polar bear almost killed her and wanted revenge for what she did, just like she wanted revenge against all predators for what they did to her and her kind, only to see that she took on a dark path of her own and was too blinded by her own anger, hatred, fear, and confusion to stop, not even wanting to think of what would have happened if Nick and Judy did not stop her from continuing to make the worst mistake of her life and become no better than the predators that wronged her. Part of Dawn believes she has ended up paying the ultimate price for her crimes as she sees what the Night Howler scandal left behind and made more enemies than friends in prison, unless she were to be lucky one day of finding one or two inmates that know who she used to be before her arrest. But even that is not enough to prevent her from knowing that predator inmates already have their every eye on her, everywhere she goes and some part of her feels suicidal that she'll try to find something to inflict self-injury.

The following day, Bellwether gets a visit from Nick and Judy that originally had no intention of seeing her until they came across Mrs. Otterton who was less than kind to her two months earlier, in which Dawn responds saying she deserved every bit of unkindness from her after what she did, seeing that her own actions had cost her the loss of any chance on true friendship and love from anyone else, and still doesn't know if any family members of hers are still alive out there or might not love her the same way anymore, and wouldn't blame them for that. All Dawn can do is have feelings of remorse and guilt for what she lost, whether or not anyone believes her on that. She even expected Judy to hold a grudge for turning Nick savage and trying to kill her, but to Dawn's surprise, Judy does not show any of that, saying she is not one to hold grudges forever, even if she wanted to. Despite what Dawn tried to do, Nick and Judy hold some sympathy for her in store, even after noticing the black eye on her face and the minor claw marks. By this time, Dawn finally reveals the truth of why she truly hates predators and what they did to her when she was a lamb, something she has carried up into adulthood, which was beyond devastating and tragic to the point where she became deeply scarred and broken, giving her a fear and blinded vision that all predators are just like ones that wronged her terribly and viciously. One day at recess, Dawn Bellwether was cornered by a gang of predators who sheered all the wool from her head in a hostile manner that it hurt so much, leaving most of her bald head bleeding while they continued to mock her and nobody offered her comfort when it happened. To them, she was nothing more than a stupid lamb. Ever since that most fearful, hurtful, and tragic incident, Dawn spent most of her life hating and being afraid of predators, vowing to make them all pay for what they did to her and the emotional scars they put her through, having to cover most of her head when either coming to school or going out in public until the wool grew back slowly as time passed. Like Agatha Prenderghast, Dawn wanted every predator to feel the same pain they inflicted on her, little realizing that her dark emotions were slowly twisting and blinding her into becoming someone she would later regret herself. That's when Judy brings up the discussion on Gideon Gray and how she distrusted foxes for many years after that, until she met Nick, admitting she was terrified herself as a child. Then she almost lost Nick as a friend and after resigning, she found out that Gideon had changed into a different fox who is now a professional baker and does business with her family, soon apologizing for who he used to be which gave Judy the power to finally forgive him. Judy is confident that if Dawn ever found those same predators that hurt her as a lamb, they've most likely grown up with a career and family they might have loved enough to protect them from the chaos happening within the city, even if she can't really prove it, but is starting to see how all this anger, fear, confusion, loneliness, and unforgiveness had already done to Bellwether and wants to find a way to help her be free of those negative feelings that have kept her trapped for so long in the darkness. And by doing that, Judy recalls the time that the judge sentenced Dawn to life in prison with no chance of parole, but is insistent on preparing to try for an appeal to have the judge reconsider her lifelong sentence in hopes of turning it down to 5 or 10 years instead. While Judy is aware that Dawn still needs to serve time for what she did before, just looking at the condition she is in now, she feels in her heart that Dawn does not really belong in prison for the rest of her life. At first Dawn feels reluctant, unsure or doubtful about ever being a reformed member of society again, but again Judy is insistent on wanting to help her in any way she can, wishing she could have realized sooner how Dawn felt about predators before she ended up in prison. But they can't keep their hopes up too high, and Judy is aware that it may cause controversial stir throughout the city, but she's prepared to take that risk and still find a way to help Dawn reform instead of leaving her to end up miserable, sad, and lonely forever behind bars. This is what Dawn did not expect from Judy, but she ends up feeling thankful for this act of kindness and accepts that she does need to serve time for what she did.

Zootopia © Disney