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* {{Expy}}: Some readers have compared Murana as the Dark Flame Wolf to be similar to such characters as Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/SpiderMan, and even the ComicBook/ThePunisher because of the way she operates, moves and deals out justice.
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* {{Expy}}: Some readers have compared Murana as the Dark Flame Wolf to be similar to such characters as Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/SpiderMan, ComicBook/SpiderMan, and even the ComicBook/ThePunisher because of the way she operates, moves and deals out justice.
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* ShoutOut: There is a small moment in the epilogue between Murana and Max which mirrors the argument from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' where Edna Mode dismisses capes as dangerous and inefficient for hero work.
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* ShoutOut: There is a small moment in the epilogue between Murana and Max which mirrors the argument from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'' where Edna Mode dismisses capes as dangerous and inefficient for hero work.
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* {{Adorkable}}: Both Steven Stinkman and Max Thrash can be this in different ways. Steven at his innocence with females despite being quite the chick magnet and a momma's boy. Max with his autism and his no-nonsense way of communicating with people.
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Not particularly for the primary characters, although it is a breath of fresh air to have a wildebeest be a protagonist, but many of the minor, insignificant characters in the story end up being lesser known species such as a paca or a dhole.
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* BeingGoodSucks: For nearly a decade, Murana has been the murderous nighttime vigilante, the Dark Flame Wolf. She has married into the ZPD through Anthony Wolford and has adopted a skunk named Steven and started a family. She is a respected CEO of the Lemming Brothers Bank and has been for quite some time. None of this was to last and this entire week-long spanning story shows it all crumbling down all at once in fantastic fashion.
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* RealityEnsues: For nearly a decade, Murana has been the murderous nighttime vigilante, the Dark Flame Wolf. She has married into the ZPD through Anthony Wolford and has adopted a skunk named Steven and started a family. She is a respected CEO of the Lemming Brothers Bank and has been for quite some time. None of this was to last and this entire week-long spanning story shows it all crumbling down all at once in fantastic fashion.
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* AuthorAvatar: A interesting case where the author's own Zoosona is the primary protagonist of the entire story. However, the narrative avoids the pitfalls of making such a character a MarySue by being three-dimensional with her flaws, faults and plenty of negative character attributes to offset her positive ones. It also seems like she fails a lot more than she succeeds.
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* AuthorAvatar: A interesting case where the author's own Zoosona is the primary protagonist of the entire story. However, the narrative avoids the pitfalls of making such a character a MarySue by being makes her three-dimensional with her flaws, faults and plenty of negative character attributes to offset her positive ones. It also seems like she fails a lot more than she succeeds.
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''In Darkness I Hide'' is a fanfic that deviates from the norm in the ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fandom. Instead of focusing on Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as the primary protagonists, the fanfic chooses to following an entirely brand-new creation: a female wolf named Murana Delante Wolford. What sets this fanfic apart from most other OriginalCharacter fanfics is that the main protagonist does not share the limelight with the film's canon characters, instead the film cast plays more of a supporting role and services the plot of the OriginalCharacter.
The story is set in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' and follows a literal week long journey through the life of Murana Wolford. She is an influential bank CEO by day and a murderous vigilante by night that burns her victims alive. What seems fairly black and white as a protagonist slowly becomes convoluted and complex as more characters are added to the mix, each adding more insight to the nature of Murana and helps to explain the true motivations for her actions.
The story is set in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' and follows a literal week long journey through the life of Murana Wolford. She is an influential bank CEO by day and a murderous vigilante by night that burns her victims alive. What seems fairly black and white as a protagonist slowly becomes convoluted and complex as more characters are added to the mix, each adding more insight to the nature of Murana and helps to explain the true motivations for her actions.
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''In Darkness I Hide'' is a fanfic that deviates from the norm in the ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' fandom. Instead of focusing on Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as the primary protagonists, the fanfic chooses to following an entirely brand-new creation: a female wolf named Murana Delante Wolford. What sets this fanfic apart from most other OriginalCharacter fanfics is that the main protagonist does not share the limelight with the film's canon characters, instead the film cast plays more of a supporting role and services the plot of the OriginalCharacter.
The story is set in''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' and follows a literal week long journey through the life of Murana Wolford. She is an influential bank CEO by day and a murderous vigilante by night that burns her victims alive. What seems fairly black and white as a protagonist slowly becomes convoluted and complex as more characters are added to the mix, each adding more insight to the nature of Murana and helps to explain the true motivations for her actions.
The story is set in
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* BlackMagic: A bit of an oddity in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fanfics, this mystical element is introduced by the totems that each of [[spoiler:Don Karnage's]] men carry. This totem allows them to [[spoiler:suck the souls from their victims and add their remaining years to their own and allow them to survive a singular death blow per soul]].
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* BlackMagic: A bit of an oddity in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' fanfics, this mystical element is introduced by the totems that each of [[spoiler:Don Karnage's]] men carry. This totem allows them to [[spoiler:suck the souls from their victims and add their remaining years to their own and allow them to survive a singular death blow per soul]].
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** A fandom specific variant: Andy Lagopus, the zoosona of the founder of [[https://www.zootopianewsnetwork.com Zootopia News Network]], a website dedicated to reporting on all things ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}''. This OriginalCharacter only shows up in two scenes with very little impact to the plot.
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** A fandom specific variant: Andy Lagopus, the zoosona of the founder of [[https://www.zootopianewsnetwork.com Zootopia News Network]], a website dedicated to reporting on all things ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}''.''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}''. This OriginalCharacter only shows up in two scenes with very little impact to the plot.
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** ChekhovsSkill: Defied and Exploited. While not necessarily a skill, the innate urge to howl for wolves is shown at the end of day 1. No real credence is given to this feature of wolves in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' until day 6, where [[spoiler:Don Karnage and his crew force a howl to incapacitate Murana]].
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** ChekhovsSkill: Defied and Exploited. While not necessarily a skill, the innate urge to howl for wolves is shown at the end of day 1. No real credence is given to this feature of wolves in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' until day 6, where [[spoiler:Don Karnage and his crew force a howl to incapacitate Murana]].
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* DarkFic: This story is not for the casual fluff audience of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fanfics. It deals with a lot of adult, mature themes alongside sexual innuendo, violence and cursing.
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* DarkFic: This story is not for the casual fluff audience of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' fanfics. It deals with a lot of adult, mature themes alongside sexual innuendo, violence and cursing.
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** The battle between [[spoiler:Christopher Guara]] and Murana across the rooftops of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' is swift but exciting.
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** The battle between [[spoiler:Christopher Guara]] and Murana across the rooftops of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' is swift but exciting.
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Corrected the wording since it made no sense given the definition of Fugue state.
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* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: During Day 4 when [[spoiler: Murana is found to be in a Fugue State where she has no memory of her life before a certain point in her traumatic past]], Billy, AJ, Anthony and Steven all agree that [[spoiler:making her answer for her crimes]] at this juncture would not be fair to her as a person since [[spoiler:she would have no memory of them and is innocent of such atrocities until such time her memory returns]].
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* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: During Day 4 when [[spoiler: Murana is found to be in a Fugue State where she has no memory of her life before after a certain point in her traumatic past]], Billy, AJ, Anthony and Steven all agree that [[spoiler:making her answer for her crimes]] at this juncture would not be fair to her as a person since [[spoiler:she would have no memory of them and is innocent of such atrocities until such time her memory returns]].
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* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: During Day 4 when [[spoiler: Murana is found to be in a Fugue State where she has no memory of her life before a certain point in her traumatic past]], Billy, AJ, Anthony and Steven all agree that [[spoiler:making her answer for her crimes]] at this juncture would not be fair to her as a person since [[spoiler:she would have no memory of them and is innocent of such atrocities until such time her memory returns]].
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This is Creator/DarkFlameWolf's third fanfic written, but second finished and can be viewed at [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12574334/1/In-Darkness-I-Hide-A-Zootopia-Story fanfiction.net]],[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515248/chapters/25843134 archiveofourown.org]], and [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/116259666-in-darkness-i-hide-a-zootopia-story wattpad.com]].
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This is Creator/DarkFlameWolf's third fanfic written, but second finished and can be viewed at [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12574334/1/In-Darkness-I-Hide-A-Zootopia-Story fanfiction.net]],[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515248/chapters/25843134 archiveofourown.org]], and [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/116259666-in-darkness-i-hide-a-zootopia-story wattpad.com]] and [[https://www.inkitt.com/stories/fanfiction/286479 inkitt.com]].
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A nice Take That pointed out by a fellow reader.
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* TakeThat: There was currently a popular character ship that occurred in fandom between an Officer Wolford and Officer Fangmeyer, aptly titled 'Wolfmeyer.' It just so happened to appear shortly after Creator/DarkFlameWolf established Murana being married to Wolford, so this did not sit well with the author as that ship took off. As a sort of potshot and nod to the fandom created ship, there is a small interaction between Fangmeyer and Murana in the Epilogue where there is some obvious tension between the two, with Murana, of course, getting the upper hand on the tit-for-tat.
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These two were pointed out by a fellow reader: Ubernoner
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Anthony Wolford, Murana's husband, is this at the start of the story. He dislikes her current adopted son, Steven, and does not think highly of her wanting another, Max. He also is quite distant and cold to Murana after they get into a huge fight about having a child. It isn't until she goes missing that he has to work together with Steven to help find her and over the course of their journey, he begins to warm up to the idea of being a part of the family Murana wants.
** To a lesser extent, AJ is a jerk to Anthony and Ralph, but shows fondness for Steven. Despite having Anthony and Ralph beaten up in his rave club, he does offer to drive Ralph to the hospital to be with his wife and son after it is discovered he had been caring for [[spoiler:Murana all of day 4 along with Billy Silva]].
** To a lesser extent, AJ is a jerk to Anthony and Ralph, but shows fondness for Steven. Despite having Anthony and Ralph beaten up in his rave club, he does offer to drive Ralph to the hospital to be with his wife and son after it is discovered he had been caring for [[spoiler:Murana all of day 4 along with Billy Silva]].
* ParentingTheHusband: At the start of the story, Anthony appears to be somewhat juvenile and focused more on his wants to be a father to blood-related cubs with Murana. After leaving her over a dispute, he learns what it means to be the type of husband Murana wants through working with Steven on finding Murana when she goes missing.
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* WalkingSpoiler: Every single trope that references [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] is marked as a spoiler since his appearance in the story is such a pleasant surprise for readers who are familiar with the TV show he heralds from: [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'']], and that most wouldn't realize this story is a crossover of sorts until his introduction.
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* WalkingSpoiler: Every single trope that references [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] is marked as a spoiler since his appearance in the story is such a pleasant surprise for readers who are familiar with the TV show he heralds from: [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'']], ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'', and that most wouldn't realize this story is a crossover of sorts until his introduction.
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No Such Thing As Notability.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tvtropesidih_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That pose requires some serious upper body and core strength!]]
''In Darkness I Hide'' is a fanfic that deviates from the norm in the ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fandom. Instead of focusing on Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as the primary protagonists, the fanfic chooses to following an entirely brand-new creation: a female wolf named Murana Delante Wolford. What sets this fanfic apart from most other OriginalCharacter fanfics is that the main protagonist does not share the limelight with the film's canon characters, instead the film cast plays more of a supporting role and services the plot of the OriginalCharacter.
The story is set in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' and follows a literal week long journey through the life of Murana Wolford. She is an influential bank CEO by day and a murderous vigilante by night that burns her victims alive. What seems fairly black and white as a protagonist slowly becomes convoluted and complex as more characters are added to the mix, each adding more insight to the nature of Murana and helps to explain the true motivations for her actions.
This fanfic is very adult-oriented in nature. Although not as severe as Creator/DarkFlameWolf's previous finished fanfic, ''FanFic/ZeldasHonor'', this story does deal with a lot of dark and mature themes. There are instances of past abuse, neglect, torture, and how such experiences can color a person's life in the present in the form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, among other things. There is also sufficient violence and a quite a few allusions to sexual actions peppered throughout the story as well.
This is Creator/DarkFlameWolf's third fanfic written, but second finished and can be viewed at [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12574334/1/In-Darkness-I-Hide-A-Zootopia-Story fanfiction.net]],[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515248/chapters/25843134 archiveofourown.org]], and [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/116259666-in-darkness-i-hide-a-zootopia-story wattpad.com]].
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!!Tropes that apply to this fanfic:
* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Murana]] didn't really have the best childhood growing up. [[spoiler:Her own brother being raped and burned alive at the hands of her mother and boyfriend]] is just the tip of the iceburg of the horrors in her young life.
* ActionGirl: Zigzagged. Murana is a vigilante who kicks butt and murders criminals. However, the story depicts both her victories and failures over the course of the story.
* ActionMom: Played Straight and Inverted. Murana is a mother to Steven Stinkman, but not by birth but by adoption. [[spoiler: This is because Murana cannot conceive normally due to a womb injury when she was younger, strongly hinted at being caused by Don Karnage]].
* {{Adorkable}}: Both Steven Stinkman and Max Thrash can be this in different ways. Steven at his innocence with females despite being quite the chick magnet and a momma's boy. Max with his autism and his no-nonsense way of communicating with people.
* AintTooProudToBeg: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] is absolutely in it for survival. If he feels he doesn't have the upper hand, [[spoiler:and he doesn't have a stolen soul to take a fatal wound for him]], he has no shame in groveling and pleading for his life, if not flat-out running away.
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] has a perchant for being flamboyant and dramatic when he is enjoying himself being evil.
* AuthorAvatar: A interesting case where the author's own Zoosona is the primary protagonist of the entire story. However, the narrative avoids the pitfalls of making such a character a MarySue by being three-dimensional with her flaws, faults and plenty of negative character attributes to offset her positive ones. It also seems like she fails a lot more than she succeeds.
* {{Backstory}}: This entire story is basically one big reveal for Murana's backstory. Readers are thrown InMediasRes and are left to figure out her past as events unfold.
* BackForTheFinale: Quite a few characters funnel in and out of the plot early on as the narrative requires, but several characters come back for the finale showdown like Ralph Grayz, Billy Silva, Ronald Latrinae and Sebastian.
* BerserkButton: Don't call Christopher Guara a fox. Specifically a 'fox on stilts.'
** For Murana: [[spoiler:abusing, murdering or violating a female or young kid is enough to sign your death warrant]] and prompt a visit from the Dark Flame Wolf to come burn you alive.
* BigBad: [[spoiler: Don Karnage]] is the primary villain of the story, despite not showing up until the end of the second day, 7 chapters in!
** One could also argue that the biggest villain is Murana herself. On a more internal conflict standpoint, she is constantly fighting against her past and the entire story builds up to a final choice which determines which path she will follow for her future.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: Murana has quite the cast of characters for her family. She has an adopted skunk for a son, a wolf husband who is an officer in the ZPD, and she is looking to adopt a second son who is a raccoon and autistic. Murana is a vigilante, her husband dislikes skunks and raccoons, Steven has a fetish for feet paws and everyone has a hard time communicating with Max. Lots of problems ensue providing the bulk of this story's conflict.
* BlackAndGrayMorality: There is a lot of discussion within the fanfic itself about the nature of true justice and most of it centers around the victims of horrendous crimes and the justice that the Dark Flame Wolf deals out in response.
* BlackMagic: A bit of an oddity in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fanfics, this mystical element is introduced by the totems that each of [[spoiler:Don Karnage's]] men carry. This totem allows them to [[spoiler:suck the souls from their victims and add their remaining years to their own and allow them to survive a singular death blow per soul]].
* BrickJoke: In the third day, Ralph Grayz submits a request to ZPD evidence to collect an earring piece. Chief Bogo submits a denial to that request. ZPD evidence is handled by a sloth named Raina who processes things in order. Fast forward to the middle of the fourth day and we get a comical Raina attempting to stop Grayz long after he has collected the earring on day 3.
* BrokenPedestal: Steven always looked up to his mom and the fact she was a vigilante out there doing justice. It wasn't until he discovered she was actually killing them, just before the events of this fanfic, that he decided he didn't want to help her any longer with her nighttime escapades.
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:If Don Karnage or any of his men currently have a stolen soul absorbed into their bodies, they can survive a fatal wound that would normally have killed them. However, this expends the soul they stole and they can then be killed like anyone else unless they steal another]].
* TheCameo: Two of them. Finnick shows up in chapter 1 hawking his wares in front of the Lemming Brothers Bank as Murana goes and tells him off. The other shows up in the epilogue, claiming himself to be [[spoiler:Shere Khan's descendant, the very same one in ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'']]!
** A fandom specific variant: Andy Lagopus, the zoosona of the founder of [[https://www.zootopianewsnetwork.com Zootopia News Network]], a website dedicated to reporting on all things ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}''. This OriginalCharacter only shows up in two scenes with very little impact to the plot.
* CarChase: A variant. Instead of a car, Murana uses a motorcycle and is chasing an entire airship, in the rain, atop rooftops and dodging lightning. The entire sequence literally takes up an entire chapter.
* ChaseFight: Murana, Max and Ron at the beginning of the fifth day are fleeing from [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] and the whole sequence covers an office cubicle farm, an elevator shaft and a stairwell.
* ChekhovsGun: The earrings Murana receives from her son, Steven, become a plot point later when Ralph uses them as the final piece of evidence to link her identity to the Dark Flame Wolf because of both remembering seeing them on her when they met at Tail Hollow Orphanage and Steven admitting he got them for her as a present.
*** Another example is the mystical totems that [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] and his men carry. We see firsthand what they do at the start of day 5 and the implications of this don't become clear until [[spoiler:Max survives a fatal gunshot to the head]] because of their powers.
** ChekhovsClassroom: A variant. The scene between Jack Savage and Murana in the hospital on day 2 reveals two things that occur later. [[spoiler: One is the blatant promise that he will return to kill her which he does 10 chapters later! The more subtle one is their discussion of their former employer of Rosco, whose name ends up being the password that Ronald uses to disable the ceiling gatling guns at the Lemming Brothers Bank, showing his true nature as the second assassin a few pages before it is officially revealed]].
** ChekhovsGunman: Jack Savage is an assassin who shows up randomly during day 2 and exposition dumps a lot of information about Murana that doesn't seem immediately relevant. [[spoiler:Fast forward to the end of day 5 when most readers will have forgotten about him and he shows up in terrifying fashion to literally assassinate Murana]].
** ChekhovMIA: Remember that lemming secretary, Trudy? Although it appears she was a throwaway character in the first chapter, she later returns in day 5 to confront Murana while simultaneously explaining potential reasons why and how Murana got her job at the bank as a CEO.
** ChekhovsNews: There are multiple times characters turn on the news and see reports on events happening in the city that become important later, [[spoiler:such as the electrical storms throughout the first and second day being generated from the Iron Vulture]].
** ChekhovsSkill: Defied and Exploited. While not necessarily a skill, the innate urge to howl for wolves is shown at the end of day 1. No real credence is given to this feature of wolves in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' until day 6, where [[spoiler:Don Karnage and his crew force a howl to incapacitate Murana]].
* ColdBloodedTorture: What [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] does to a poor wolf cub because he assisted in the escape attempt of Murana and Max.
* CrazyPrepared: Jack Savage. When going up against a fellow assassin, you can't be anything less.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] fights off both [[spoiler: Don Karnage and Mad Dog]], a squad of heavily armed police and two fellow assassins to include Murana just to get at her. He would have won too if not for the dumb luck of [[spoiler:Courtney]] showing up.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: This is primarily the reason for all of Murana's woes and decision-making.
* DarkFic: This story is not for the casual fluff audience of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fanfics. It deals with a lot of adult, mature themes alongside sexual innuendo, violence and cursing.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The original movie was your usual Disney fare, apart from a few frightening scenes, mild sexual innuendos and heavy themes such as racism and political conspiracy. This fanfic delves straight into brutal killings, harsh violence, actual deaths, moderate swearing and dark topics like rape, abuse, suicide, murder, molestation and [[spoiler:the sucking out of your own soul]].
* DeathByIrony: A funny one for [[spoiler:Dumptruck, one of the named pirates under Don Karnage]]. We meet an orca prositute during day 3 with Ralph Grayz who assists him during his investigation. We don't think much of this random character until the end of day 6, [[spoiler:when Sebastian comes in to save Ralph from choking at the hands of Dumptruck. The reason this is ironic is because Dumptruck has a sexual perversion to young flesh and he dies in a sexual fashion by both drowning and impalement]], land dwellers being Sebastian's sexual perversion.
** A dramatic example at the start of day 7. The very totem that prolonged [[spoiler:Don Karnage's]] life is the key to his death when Judy Hopps destroys it.
* {{Determinator}}: Murana encapsulates this. Even when she is recovering from being stabbed through the ribs, she takes a combination of adrenaline and pain killers and forces herself to enage in a motorcycle chase across rooftops in the rain to aerial land on an airship, fight off dozens of bad guys and ultimately crash land onto The Docks. Even after all of this, she continues to get up and drag herself to chase after [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] to save her son despite numerous injuries.
** [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] also embodies this after he suffers a near fatal fall down a stairwell and is met against heavy opposition in pursuit of his goal [[spoiler:in killing Murana]]. He does not stop until [[spoiler:Courtney comes in from left field]] and puts him out for good.
* TheDragon: Just as [[spoiler:Max Thrash]] is a sidekick to Murana of sorts, his counterpart is [[spoiler:Mad Dog]] who is the second in command to [[spoiler:Don Karnage]].
* DrivenToVillainy: Murana was not a very nice person growing up and a lot of that had to do with her past influencing her. This story is primarily about her redemption.
* [[DeusExMachina Dues Ex Skunkette]]: [[spoiler:Courtney showing up to slam her car into Jack Savage qualifies as this since it is so random and it appeared that Murana had no avenues to survive against Jack Savage]].
* EnemyMine: Despite having been stabbed by [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae]] just moments before, Murana agrees to cooperate with him to survive [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] for lack of any other alternative for assistance.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Jack Savage is very polite when he first meets Murana. [[spoiler:Because of their past relationship as partners, he offers her a headsup that he will be gunning for her as a courtesy to their past friendship]].
** In the same vein, Jack Savage also knows when he has failed and willingly stands down [[spoiler:from killing Murana]] when it is clear that Rosco would not be happy with his failure regardless of what happened next.
* {{Expy}}: Some readers have compared Murana as the Dark Flame Wolf to be similar to such characters as Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/SpiderMan, and even the ComicBook/ThePunisher because of the way she operates, moves and deals out justice.
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:The entire concept of Don Karnage and his pirates being able to suck your soul out to extend their lifespans. There is no afterlife for you, just an eternity of non-existence as your soul is swallowed up forever]].
* FirstDayFromHell: The entire first day that spans three chapters, things are just not going well for Murana. She gets into a fight with her son, Steven, and ignores his pleas to stop killing people. She gets attacked by her secretary, Trudy, after the lemming has embezzled enough money to put the bank under. She has to break the heart of Max, knowing she'll probably never have the time or opportunity to adopt him. Finally, her vigilante mark she was planning to kill gets botched and she is injured and chased down by the ZPD. The next day ends up being even worse for her.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are quite a few instances throughout the story.
** The earrings Steven gets his mom during chapter 1 come into play quite often. One as an item Ralph recognizes when he sees Murana at Tail Hollow Orphanage. Then when she loses one during the scuffle at the end of day 1. Then as the final piece of the puzzle linking her identities together during Ralph's investigation.
** Murana's first botched mark at the end of day 1 with Javier Sanchez was foiled by a hooded figure in an orange hoodie. Fast forward to the end of day 2 and it was [[spoiler:Christopher Guara]] who had been handing the notes to Steven to give to his mother to draw her out so he could talk to her, admitting he was the one who ruined her hit.
** News reports involving electrical storms at night and missing children from orphanages throughout the first and second days hint at the true threat in the story: [[spoiler:Don Karnage and his band of soul-sucking pirates]].
** A more blatant example that is verbally exposited by [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] himself, promising he'd come back to kill Murana. It is many chapters later that he finally makes good on that promise.
*** An addendum to the above, there are plenty of seemingly pointless dialogue and banter between Murana and [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae involving chicken, tea]] and more that don't make sense why they were included until much later when [[spoiler:Jack Savage confirms they were all subtle attempts to kill her]]. Other hints include [[spoiler:Ronald's]] one-sided phone conversation during Ralph's investigation and his entire scene with Max during day 5 at his apartment.
*** And another example where Murana and [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] discuss their previous employer, Rosco during their conversation at the hospital during day 2. This small tidbit of information doesn't seem important until during the conflict of day 5 at the Lemming Brothers Bank where, to disable the overhead gatling guns, [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae]] tells Max to use the passcode of R-0-S-C-0 to turn them off. A subtle hint at his true nature pages before it is revealed.
** In the climatic final action sequence, [[spoiler: Mad Dog's soul is sucked out by Max]] accidently. Not much focus is given to this act, but given all the hints previously on how this mystical process works, it should come to no surprise that [[spoiler:Max survives a headshot at close range in the final battle with Don Karnage]].
** A subtle one where we see in day 1 that Murana uses the musk of her son, Steven, to mask her scent when she moonlights as a vigilante. Later when she goes missing, the mixture of her scent and his is what guides Steven to her exact location underneath the Fox Den with Billy Silva.
* [[GiveHimANormalLife Give Her A Normal Life]]: After all she has done, Chief Bogo is intent on putting her behind bars for life. [[spoiler:It isn't until Judy Hopps, Ralph Grayz and others step in on her behalf do they come to a deal that gives Murana some semblance of a normal life. Despite this, there will always be the ever-present threat of Rosco, Mr. Big and other dangers out there that are drawn to Murana, even a bonus one being introduced in the epilogue: Shere Khan's descendant]]!
* HappilyAdopted: Not at first, but at the end of the story, both Steven and Max are quite happy and content at being part of their weird family unit.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Although it seems [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae is a dutiful and faithful secretary to Murana]], he was constantly plotting her death throughout the entire story up until the end of [[spoiler:day 5 where he stabs her through the ribs]]. He later regrets this action and ends up helping her get her son back from [[spoiler:Don Karnage]].
* TheHerosJourney: An interesting variation on the theme.
** Murana's Departure starts when she is captured by [[spoiler:Don Karnage]], thus taking her away from her existing life where everything is falling apart.
** Murana's Initiation is upon her return, she must learn to trust others and work together as a familial unit to achieve her objectives, something very unfamiliar to her since she has always worked as a lone wolf.
** Murana's Return is where she finally makes the pivotal choice to [[spoiler:spare Don Karnage, thus giving up her life of vengeful justice and spending it with her family. Choosing to become the hero she was always meant to be]].
* HeroicBSOD: The moment Murana lays eyes on [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] and sees him about to kill Max, she completely breaks down and gives up. We later find her in [[spoiler:day 4 somewhat amnesiac and in a fugue state where she has regressed to that of a child]].
* HyperspaceArsenal: Jack Savage seems to have this during the fight sequence beginning day 6. With sniper rifles to elevator cable cutters to grenade launching gun attachments to pole extension metal shields to a variety of ammo types. It seems crazy to think he had it all stuffed in his tuxedo. Even Nick Wilde calls him out on this.
* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: The final choice Murana has to make.
* InMediasRes: The story does not dwell on anything resembling a {{Backstory}} for Murana. Instead just throwing you directly into her normal routine and expecting you to keep up as it slowly reveals explanations to all your questions as the week progresses in the story.
* InstantSedation: When Jack Savage fires tranquilizer darts into each of the officers of the ZPD during the Lemming Brothers Bank action sequence, they all collapse asleep almost instantly.
* InterestingSituationDuel: There are a few highlights from the story:
** The battle between [[spoiler:Christopher Guara]] and Murana across the rooftops of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' is swift but exciting.
** The fight scene with Anthony Wolford and Ralph Grayz against AJ's bouncers in his night rave club, The Fox Den. AJ himself even steps up to be the DJ block to provide battle music for the one-sided brawl.
** The entire altercation at the Lemming Brothers Bank involving no less than a mob boss's niece and his thugs, two assassins, [[spoiler:soul sucking pirates]], the police, Murana and family with some ceiling gatling guns thrown in for good measure. Sprawling across the lobby, upper cubicle farms, elevator shaft and stairwell, this entire sequence covers nearly two chapters alone.
** The penultimate chapter is one big action sequence that takes place across the city rooftops, on an airship, and then finally down by The Docks near a boardwalk amusement park.
* InterspeciesRomance: Confirmed between AJ, who is a fox, and Murana, who is a wolf. They once had a romantic relationship before she got married to Anthony Wolford, where it is strongly hinted that AJ had planned to marry her at one point.
* JustifiedCriminal: Murana's stance on her justice is in targeting only the most vile and depraved criminals for death. However, her methods to achieve these ends puts her directly in the path of the ZPD and Chief Bogo. There is even a huge altercation that Murana and Bogo get into over just this subject and debating if her actions were truly justified or not as they both point out the flaws in the other's argument.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] delights in doing this to ordinary civilians or people who displease him. He also abuses his own crew quite often.
* TheMole: To the shock of many readers, [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae, Murana's new loyal secretary]], turns out to be the second assassin.
* MoralityPet: In the epilogue, Max promises to be this for Murana in case she ever gets out of control.
* MythologyGag: A Variant. Interesting in that it actually references Creator/DarkFlameWolf's other work, ''FanFic/DeathBecomesYou''. The leader of The Arbiter's Hand, Rosco, is mentioned in both works, and Jack Savage's connection to Murana is also mentioned in both. For readers who have read both stories, they would get far more meaning out of the connections presented.
* NotQuiteDead: A pretty blatant scene in the Lemming Brothers Bank during the climatic battle at the start of day 6. [[spoiler:Don Karnage and Mad Dog rise up from being fatally shot by Jack Savage due to the powers of their mystical totems]].
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Due to the shifting protagonist nature of the story, we only hear about the daring escape from the [[spoiler:Iron Vulture]] by Max during day 5 and 6.
* OffstageVillainy: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] actually plays this straight and defies it at the same time. We hear a lot of the atrocities he has done onto Murana and others, but we also see the bad things he does during the story as well. However, some of his worst actions are still described as happening offstage.
* OriginalCharacter: This is the foundation of this entire fanfic. It is centered around one and a majority of the supporting cast are also original too.
* ParentsAsPeople: The nature of Murana being a mother factors a lot into the problems she faces in the story. Having to juggle her vigilante lifestyle with her homelife while still managing her time as a busy and flustered bank CEO is reflected in her inability to cope as it all comes crashing down on her after stalling the inevitable for nearly a decade.
* PlayingWithFire: Played straight. Murana literally uses fire to burn her victims in her pursuit of justice. She also uses fire later on to innovatively make a [[spoiler:skunk flamethrower with her son, Steven]].
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler:This is part of Murana's {{Backstory}} and part of the reason she acts the way she does]].
* RealityEnsues: For nearly a decade, Murana has been the murderous nighttime vigilante, the Dark Flame Wolf. She has married into the ZPD through Anthony Wolford and has adopted a skunk named Steven and started a family. She is a respected CEO of the Lemming Brothers Bank and has been for quite some time. None of this was to last and this entire week-long spanning story shows it all crumbling down all at once in fantastic fashion.
* RebuiltPedestal: Although broken at the start of the story, Murana rebuilds her image in the view of her son, Steven, literally right before his eyes as she chooses to [[spoiler:spare Don Karnage's life]].
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Not particularly for the primary characters, although it is a breath of fresh air to have a wildebeest be a protagonist, but many of the minor, insignificant characters in the story end up being lesser known species such as a paca or a dhole.
* [[SharpDressedMan Sharp-Dressed Mammal]]: Jack Savage is the epitome of a consummate professional assassin, wearing a tuxedo even when it seems highly inappropriate when hunting down his mark.
* SexSlave: It is hinted at that [[spoiler:Murana was this to Don Karnage]].
* ShoutOut: There is a small moment in the epilogue between Murana and Max which mirrors the argument from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' where Edna Mode dismisses capes as dangerous and inefficient for hero work.
* ShowDontTell: Through the majority of the first day, we are given glimpses at the vigilante skills Murana has. It isn't until the first night we are treated to a full sequence of her showing off exactly what she can do as a merciless vigilante.
** An inverse of this happens in the middle of day 6. Although hinted at throughout the entire narrative, the author, in their chapter notes, stated that before proceeding onward to the final conflict, they had no choice but to finally exposition dump the rest of Murana's {{Backstory}} in a conversation between Murana and her husband, Anthony.
* SmellySkunk: Steven's nature as a skunk is used extensively throughout the story. Murana uses it as a covering scent as well as weaponizing it into stink bombs. Steven uses it to track her down during day 4 and to defend himself accidently against Billy Silva. We also get the hilarious and innovative use when Murana utilizes [[spoiler:Steven as an actual stinky flamethrower at the end to ward off Don Karnage's men]].
* StoryArc: You could technically split the entire story up into three distinct parts:
** Chapters 1-7 or Days 1 and 2 - We follow Murana through her hardships over these first two days, setting up all the plot threads and issues to be resolved later on, and ending on the surprise crossover appearance of [[spoiler:Don Karnage]].
** Chapters 8-16 or Days 3 through 5 - This is where the story shifts into three different protagonist viewpoints: Ralph Grayz, Steven Stinkman and Max Thrash. The search for Murana and learning about what she's all about is the focus here, and it ends when all of them are reunited at the end of day 5.
** Chapters 17-20 or Days 6 and 7 - This is the conclusion of the story where all primary characters introduced before resolve any remaining plot threads, and all villains are defeated in one manner or another.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Despite not caring for the other, both Anthony and Steven band together in their shared goal of finding Murana as she goes missing during days 3 and 4.
** Another example where Ralph ends up working with Murana in the final chapters despite having serious grievances against all the law-breaking stuff she does.
* ThickerThanWater: Murana's family is broken at the start of the story. It is only through crisis and danger that they bond together as a familial unit and by the time the epilogue rolls around, they are all acting together as a crime-fighting family.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Ralph has to abandon his black and white morality center and decide between doing what is lawful and doing what is right, when doing the lawful thing would end up with a lot of bad things happening to innocent people.
* [[TriggerPhrase Trigger Memory]]: Murana is found with [[spoiler:amnesia and appears to be in a fugue state, regressing to that of a child's mind. It isn't until Steven uses their shared experience of bonding at night with him cuddling up around her feet does this specific action trigger her memory to return]].
* WalkingSpoiler: Every single trope that references [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] is marked as a spoiler since his appearance in the story is such a pleasant surprise for readers who are familiar with the TV show he heralds from: [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'']], and that most wouldn't realize this story is a crossover of sorts until his introduction.
* WhamEpisode: The one-two punch of [[spoiler:Jack Savage showing up to assassinate Murana]] in day 5 after having not seen him since day 2 and the fact [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae was a undercover assassin who is the one who finally stabs her]].
** The entire sequence at the end of day 2 where [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] makes his entrance and suddenly makes the story a crossover in the process. The fact the entire protagonist view shifts to Ralph Grayz starting on day 3 only cements the shock value of this moment.
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Jack Savage, Don Karnage]] and his men all don't seem to care who gets in the way of their objectives. Only [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae]] seems to avert this trope, immediately calling out that he won't harm a child.
* {{Yandere}}: Courtney definitely falls into this category. The moment [[spoiler:Billy Silva]] professes his love and promise to Steven in the epilogue, she essentially goes berserk and attacks him.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Murana states that Ronald looks familiar to her and asks if they've ever met before, Ronald claims they have not. [[spoiler:It later becomes clear she recognizes him because he looks so much like his dad, Rosco, whom she worked for when she was a young assassin under his employ]].
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[[caption-width-right:350:That pose requires some serious upper body and core strength!]]
''In Darkness I Hide'' is a fanfic that deviates from the norm in the ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fandom. Instead of focusing on Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as the primary protagonists, the fanfic chooses to following an entirely brand-new creation: a female wolf named Murana Delante Wolford. What sets this fanfic apart from most other OriginalCharacter fanfics is that the main protagonist does not share the limelight with the film's canon characters, instead the film cast plays more of a supporting role and services the plot of the OriginalCharacter.
The story is set in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' and follows a literal week long journey through the life of Murana Wolford. She is an influential bank CEO by day and a murderous vigilante by night that burns her victims alive. What seems fairly black and white as a protagonist slowly becomes convoluted and complex as more characters are added to the mix, each adding more insight to the nature of Murana and helps to explain the true motivations for her actions.
This fanfic is very adult-oriented in nature. Although not as severe as Creator/DarkFlameWolf's previous finished fanfic, ''FanFic/ZeldasHonor'', this story does deal with a lot of dark and mature themes. There are instances of past abuse, neglect, torture, and how such experiences can color a person's life in the present in the form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, among other things. There is also sufficient violence and a quite a few allusions to sexual actions peppered throughout the story as well.
This is Creator/DarkFlameWolf's third fanfic written, but second finished and can be viewed at [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12574334/1/In-Darkness-I-Hide-A-Zootopia-Story fanfiction.net]],[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515248/chapters/25843134 archiveofourown.org]], and [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/116259666-in-darkness-i-hide-a-zootopia-story wattpad.com]].
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!!Tropes that apply to this fanfic:
* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Murana]] didn't really have the best childhood growing up. [[spoiler:Her own brother being raped and burned alive at the hands of her mother and boyfriend]] is just the tip of the iceburg of the horrors in her young life.
* ActionGirl: Zigzagged. Murana is a vigilante who kicks butt and murders criminals. However, the story depicts both her victories and failures over the course of the story.
* ActionMom: Played Straight and Inverted. Murana is a mother to Steven Stinkman, but not by birth but by adoption. [[spoiler: This is because Murana cannot conceive normally due to a womb injury when she was younger, strongly hinted at being caused by Don Karnage]].
* {{Adorkable}}: Both Steven Stinkman and Max Thrash can be this in different ways. Steven at his innocence with females despite being quite the chick magnet and a momma's boy. Max with his autism and his no-nonsense way of communicating with people.
* AintTooProudToBeg: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] is absolutely in it for survival. If he feels he doesn't have the upper hand, [[spoiler:and he doesn't have a stolen soul to take a fatal wound for him]], he has no shame in groveling and pleading for his life, if not flat-out running away.
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] has a perchant for being flamboyant and dramatic when he is enjoying himself being evil.
* AuthorAvatar: A interesting case where the author's own Zoosona is the primary protagonist of the entire story. However, the narrative avoids the pitfalls of making such a character a MarySue by being three-dimensional with her flaws, faults and plenty of negative character attributes to offset her positive ones. It also seems like she fails a lot more than she succeeds.
* {{Backstory}}: This entire story is basically one big reveal for Murana's backstory. Readers are thrown InMediasRes and are left to figure out her past as events unfold.
* BackForTheFinale: Quite a few characters funnel in and out of the plot early on as the narrative requires, but several characters come back for the finale showdown like Ralph Grayz, Billy Silva, Ronald Latrinae and Sebastian.
* BerserkButton: Don't call Christopher Guara a fox. Specifically a 'fox on stilts.'
** For Murana: [[spoiler:abusing, murdering or violating a female or young kid is enough to sign your death warrant]] and prompt a visit from the Dark Flame Wolf to come burn you alive.
* BigBad: [[spoiler: Don Karnage]] is the primary villain of the story, despite not showing up until the end of the second day, 7 chapters in!
** One could also argue that the biggest villain is Murana herself. On a more internal conflict standpoint, she is constantly fighting against her past and the entire story builds up to a final choice which determines which path she will follow for her future.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: Murana has quite the cast of characters for her family. She has an adopted skunk for a son, a wolf husband who is an officer in the ZPD, and she is looking to adopt a second son who is a raccoon and autistic. Murana is a vigilante, her husband dislikes skunks and raccoons, Steven has a fetish for feet paws and everyone has a hard time communicating with Max. Lots of problems ensue providing the bulk of this story's conflict.
* BlackAndGrayMorality: There is a lot of discussion within the fanfic itself about the nature of true justice and most of it centers around the victims of horrendous crimes and the justice that the Dark Flame Wolf deals out in response.
* BlackMagic: A bit of an oddity in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fanfics, this mystical element is introduced by the totems that each of [[spoiler:Don Karnage's]] men carry. This totem allows them to [[spoiler:suck the souls from their victims and add their remaining years to their own and allow them to survive a singular death blow per soul]].
* BrickJoke: In the third day, Ralph Grayz submits a request to ZPD evidence to collect an earring piece. Chief Bogo submits a denial to that request. ZPD evidence is handled by a sloth named Raina who processes things in order. Fast forward to the middle of the fourth day and we get a comical Raina attempting to stop Grayz long after he has collected the earring on day 3.
* BrokenPedestal: Steven always looked up to his mom and the fact she was a vigilante out there doing justice. It wasn't until he discovered she was actually killing them, just before the events of this fanfic, that he decided he didn't want to help her any longer with her nighttime escapades.
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:If Don Karnage or any of his men currently have a stolen soul absorbed into their bodies, they can survive a fatal wound that would normally have killed them. However, this expends the soul they stole and they can then be killed like anyone else unless they steal another]].
* TheCameo: Two of them. Finnick shows up in chapter 1 hawking his wares in front of the Lemming Brothers Bank as Murana goes and tells him off. The other shows up in the epilogue, claiming himself to be [[spoiler:Shere Khan's descendant, the very same one in ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'']]!
** A fandom specific variant: Andy Lagopus, the zoosona of the founder of [[https://www.zootopianewsnetwork.com Zootopia News Network]], a website dedicated to reporting on all things ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}''. This OriginalCharacter only shows up in two scenes with very little impact to the plot.
* CarChase: A variant. Instead of a car, Murana uses a motorcycle and is chasing an entire airship, in the rain, atop rooftops and dodging lightning. The entire sequence literally takes up an entire chapter.
* ChaseFight: Murana, Max and Ron at the beginning of the fifth day are fleeing from [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] and the whole sequence covers an office cubicle farm, an elevator shaft and a stairwell.
* ChekhovsGun: The earrings Murana receives from her son, Steven, become a plot point later when Ralph uses them as the final piece of evidence to link her identity to the Dark Flame Wolf because of both remembering seeing them on her when they met at Tail Hollow Orphanage and Steven admitting he got them for her as a present.
*** Another example is the mystical totems that [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] and his men carry. We see firsthand what they do at the start of day 5 and the implications of this don't become clear until [[spoiler:Max survives a fatal gunshot to the head]] because of their powers.
** ChekhovsClassroom: A variant. The scene between Jack Savage and Murana in the hospital on day 2 reveals two things that occur later. [[spoiler: One is the blatant promise that he will return to kill her which he does 10 chapters later! The more subtle one is their discussion of their former employer of Rosco, whose name ends up being the password that Ronald uses to disable the ceiling gatling guns at the Lemming Brothers Bank, showing his true nature as the second assassin a few pages before it is officially revealed]].
** ChekhovsGunman: Jack Savage is an assassin who shows up randomly during day 2 and exposition dumps a lot of information about Murana that doesn't seem immediately relevant. [[spoiler:Fast forward to the end of day 5 when most readers will have forgotten about him and he shows up in terrifying fashion to literally assassinate Murana]].
** ChekhovMIA: Remember that lemming secretary, Trudy? Although it appears she was a throwaway character in the first chapter, she later returns in day 5 to confront Murana while simultaneously explaining potential reasons why and how Murana got her job at the bank as a CEO.
** ChekhovsNews: There are multiple times characters turn on the news and see reports on events happening in the city that become important later, [[spoiler:such as the electrical storms throughout the first and second day being generated from the Iron Vulture]].
** ChekhovsSkill: Defied and Exploited. While not necessarily a skill, the innate urge to howl for wolves is shown at the end of day 1. No real credence is given to this feature of wolves in ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' until day 6, where [[spoiler:Don Karnage and his crew force a howl to incapacitate Murana]].
* ColdBloodedTorture: What [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] does to a poor wolf cub because he assisted in the escape attempt of Murana and Max.
* CrazyPrepared: Jack Savage. When going up against a fellow assassin, you can't be anything less.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] fights off both [[spoiler: Don Karnage and Mad Dog]], a squad of heavily armed police and two fellow assassins to include Murana just to get at her. He would have won too if not for the dumb luck of [[spoiler:Courtney]] showing up.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: This is primarily the reason for all of Murana's woes and decision-making.
* DarkFic: This story is not for the casual fluff audience of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' fanfics. It deals with a lot of adult, mature themes alongside sexual innuendo, violence and cursing.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The original movie was your usual Disney fare, apart from a few frightening scenes, mild sexual innuendos and heavy themes such as racism and political conspiracy. This fanfic delves straight into brutal killings, harsh violence, actual deaths, moderate swearing and dark topics like rape, abuse, suicide, murder, molestation and [[spoiler:the sucking out of your own soul]].
* DeathByIrony: A funny one for [[spoiler:Dumptruck, one of the named pirates under Don Karnage]]. We meet an orca prositute during day 3 with Ralph Grayz who assists him during his investigation. We don't think much of this random character until the end of day 6, [[spoiler:when Sebastian comes in to save Ralph from choking at the hands of Dumptruck. The reason this is ironic is because Dumptruck has a sexual perversion to young flesh and he dies in a sexual fashion by both drowning and impalement]], land dwellers being Sebastian's sexual perversion.
** A dramatic example at the start of day 7. The very totem that prolonged [[spoiler:Don Karnage's]] life is the key to his death when Judy Hopps destroys it.
* {{Determinator}}: Murana encapsulates this. Even when she is recovering from being stabbed through the ribs, she takes a combination of adrenaline and pain killers and forces herself to enage in a motorcycle chase across rooftops in the rain to aerial land on an airship, fight off dozens of bad guys and ultimately crash land onto The Docks. Even after all of this, she continues to get up and drag herself to chase after [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] to save her son despite numerous injuries.
** [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] also embodies this after he suffers a near fatal fall down a stairwell and is met against heavy opposition in pursuit of his goal [[spoiler:in killing Murana]]. He does not stop until [[spoiler:Courtney comes in from left field]] and puts him out for good.
* TheDragon: Just as [[spoiler:Max Thrash]] is a sidekick to Murana of sorts, his counterpart is [[spoiler:Mad Dog]] who is the second in command to [[spoiler:Don Karnage]].
* DrivenToVillainy: Murana was not a very nice person growing up and a lot of that had to do with her past influencing her. This story is primarily about her redemption.
* [[DeusExMachina Dues Ex Skunkette]]: [[spoiler:Courtney showing up to slam her car into Jack Savage qualifies as this since it is so random and it appeared that Murana had no avenues to survive against Jack Savage]].
* EnemyMine: Despite having been stabbed by [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae]] just moments before, Murana agrees to cooperate with him to survive [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] for lack of any other alternative for assistance.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Jack Savage is very polite when he first meets Murana. [[spoiler:Because of their past relationship as partners, he offers her a headsup that he will be gunning for her as a courtesy to their past friendship]].
** In the same vein, Jack Savage also knows when he has failed and willingly stands down [[spoiler:from killing Murana]] when it is clear that Rosco would not be happy with his failure regardless of what happened next.
* {{Expy}}: Some readers have compared Murana as the Dark Flame Wolf to be similar to such characters as Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/SpiderMan, and even the ComicBook/ThePunisher because of the way she operates, moves and deals out justice.
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:The entire concept of Don Karnage and his pirates being able to suck your soul out to extend their lifespans. There is no afterlife for you, just an eternity of non-existence as your soul is swallowed up forever]].
* FirstDayFromHell: The entire first day that spans three chapters, things are just not going well for Murana. She gets into a fight with her son, Steven, and ignores his pleas to stop killing people. She gets attacked by her secretary, Trudy, after the lemming has embezzled enough money to put the bank under. She has to break the heart of Max, knowing she'll probably never have the time or opportunity to adopt him. Finally, her vigilante mark she was planning to kill gets botched and she is injured and chased down by the ZPD. The next day ends up being even worse for her.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are quite a few instances throughout the story.
** The earrings Steven gets his mom during chapter 1 come into play quite often. One as an item Ralph recognizes when he sees Murana at Tail Hollow Orphanage. Then when she loses one during the scuffle at the end of day 1. Then as the final piece of the puzzle linking her identities together during Ralph's investigation.
** Murana's first botched mark at the end of day 1 with Javier Sanchez was foiled by a hooded figure in an orange hoodie. Fast forward to the end of day 2 and it was [[spoiler:Christopher Guara]] who had been handing the notes to Steven to give to his mother to draw her out so he could talk to her, admitting he was the one who ruined her hit.
** News reports involving electrical storms at night and missing children from orphanages throughout the first and second days hint at the true threat in the story: [[spoiler:Don Karnage and his band of soul-sucking pirates]].
** A more blatant example that is verbally exposited by [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] himself, promising he'd come back to kill Murana. It is many chapters later that he finally makes good on that promise.
*** An addendum to the above, there are plenty of seemingly pointless dialogue and banter between Murana and [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae involving chicken, tea]] and more that don't make sense why they were included until much later when [[spoiler:Jack Savage confirms they were all subtle attempts to kill her]]. Other hints include [[spoiler:Ronald's]] one-sided phone conversation during Ralph's investigation and his entire scene with Max during day 5 at his apartment.
*** And another example where Murana and [[spoiler:Jack Savage]] discuss their previous employer, Rosco during their conversation at the hospital during day 2. This small tidbit of information doesn't seem important until during the conflict of day 5 at the Lemming Brothers Bank where, to disable the overhead gatling guns, [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae]] tells Max to use the passcode of R-0-S-C-0 to turn them off. A subtle hint at his true nature pages before it is revealed.
** In the climatic final action sequence, [[spoiler: Mad Dog's soul is sucked out by Max]] accidently. Not much focus is given to this act, but given all the hints previously on how this mystical process works, it should come to no surprise that [[spoiler:Max survives a headshot at close range in the final battle with Don Karnage]].
** A subtle one where we see in day 1 that Murana uses the musk of her son, Steven, to mask her scent when she moonlights as a vigilante. Later when she goes missing, the mixture of her scent and his is what guides Steven to her exact location underneath the Fox Den with Billy Silva.
* [[GiveHimANormalLife Give Her A Normal Life]]: After all she has done, Chief Bogo is intent on putting her behind bars for life. [[spoiler:It isn't until Judy Hopps, Ralph Grayz and others step in on her behalf do they come to a deal that gives Murana some semblance of a normal life. Despite this, there will always be the ever-present threat of Rosco, Mr. Big and other dangers out there that are drawn to Murana, even a bonus one being introduced in the epilogue: Shere Khan's descendant]]!
* HappilyAdopted: Not at first, but at the end of the story, both Steven and Max are quite happy and content at being part of their weird family unit.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Although it seems [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae is a dutiful and faithful secretary to Murana]], he was constantly plotting her death throughout the entire story up until the end of [[spoiler:day 5 where he stabs her through the ribs]]. He later regrets this action and ends up helping her get her son back from [[spoiler:Don Karnage]].
* TheHerosJourney: An interesting variation on the theme.
** Murana's Departure starts when she is captured by [[spoiler:Don Karnage]], thus taking her away from her existing life where everything is falling apart.
** Murana's Initiation is upon her return, she must learn to trust others and work together as a familial unit to achieve her objectives, something very unfamiliar to her since she has always worked as a lone wolf.
** Murana's Return is where she finally makes the pivotal choice to [[spoiler:spare Don Karnage, thus giving up her life of vengeful justice and spending it with her family. Choosing to become the hero she was always meant to be]].
* HeroicBSOD: The moment Murana lays eyes on [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] and sees him about to kill Max, she completely breaks down and gives up. We later find her in [[spoiler:day 4 somewhat amnesiac and in a fugue state where she has regressed to that of a child]].
* HyperspaceArsenal: Jack Savage seems to have this during the fight sequence beginning day 6. With sniper rifles to elevator cable cutters to grenade launching gun attachments to pole extension metal shields to a variety of ammo types. It seems crazy to think he had it all stuffed in his tuxedo. Even Nick Wilde calls him out on this.
* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: The final choice Murana has to make.
* InMediasRes: The story does not dwell on anything resembling a {{Backstory}} for Murana. Instead just throwing you directly into her normal routine and expecting you to keep up as it slowly reveals explanations to all your questions as the week progresses in the story.
* InstantSedation: When Jack Savage fires tranquilizer darts into each of the officers of the ZPD during the Lemming Brothers Bank action sequence, they all collapse asleep almost instantly.
* InterestingSituationDuel: There are a few highlights from the story:
** The battle between [[spoiler:Christopher Guara]] and Murana across the rooftops of ''{{Disney/Zootopia}}'' is swift but exciting.
** The fight scene with Anthony Wolford and Ralph Grayz against AJ's bouncers in his night rave club, The Fox Den. AJ himself even steps up to be the DJ block to provide battle music for the one-sided brawl.
** The entire altercation at the Lemming Brothers Bank involving no less than a mob boss's niece and his thugs, two assassins, [[spoiler:soul sucking pirates]], the police, Murana and family with some ceiling gatling guns thrown in for good measure. Sprawling across the lobby, upper cubicle farms, elevator shaft and stairwell, this entire sequence covers nearly two chapters alone.
** The penultimate chapter is one big action sequence that takes place across the city rooftops, on an airship, and then finally down by The Docks near a boardwalk amusement park.
* InterspeciesRomance: Confirmed between AJ, who is a fox, and Murana, who is a wolf. They once had a romantic relationship before she got married to Anthony Wolford, where it is strongly hinted that AJ had planned to marry her at one point.
* JustifiedCriminal: Murana's stance on her justice is in targeting only the most vile and depraved criminals for death. However, her methods to achieve these ends puts her directly in the path of the ZPD and Chief Bogo. There is even a huge altercation that Murana and Bogo get into over just this subject and debating if her actions were truly justified or not as they both point out the flaws in the other's argument.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] delights in doing this to ordinary civilians or people who displease him. He also abuses his own crew quite often.
* TheMole: To the shock of many readers, [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae, Murana's new loyal secretary]], turns out to be the second assassin.
* MoralityPet: In the epilogue, Max promises to be this for Murana in case she ever gets out of control.
* MythologyGag: A Variant. Interesting in that it actually references Creator/DarkFlameWolf's other work, ''FanFic/DeathBecomesYou''. The leader of The Arbiter's Hand, Rosco, is mentioned in both works, and Jack Savage's connection to Murana is also mentioned in both. For readers who have read both stories, they would get far more meaning out of the connections presented.
* NotQuiteDead: A pretty blatant scene in the Lemming Brothers Bank during the climatic battle at the start of day 6. [[spoiler:Don Karnage and Mad Dog rise up from being fatally shot by Jack Savage due to the powers of their mystical totems]].
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Due to the shifting protagonist nature of the story, we only hear about the daring escape from the [[spoiler:Iron Vulture]] by Max during day 5 and 6.
* OffstageVillainy: [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] actually plays this straight and defies it at the same time. We hear a lot of the atrocities he has done onto Murana and others, but we also see the bad things he does during the story as well. However, some of his worst actions are still described as happening offstage.
* OriginalCharacter: This is the foundation of this entire fanfic. It is centered around one and a majority of the supporting cast are also original too.
* ParentsAsPeople: The nature of Murana being a mother factors a lot into the problems she faces in the story. Having to juggle her vigilante lifestyle with her homelife while still managing her time as a busy and flustered bank CEO is reflected in her inability to cope as it all comes crashing down on her after stalling the inevitable for nearly a decade.
* PlayingWithFire: Played straight. Murana literally uses fire to burn her victims in her pursuit of justice. She also uses fire later on to innovatively make a [[spoiler:skunk flamethrower with her son, Steven]].
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler:This is part of Murana's {{Backstory}} and part of the reason she acts the way she does]].
* RealityEnsues: For nearly a decade, Murana has been the murderous nighttime vigilante, the Dark Flame Wolf. She has married into the ZPD through Anthony Wolford and has adopted a skunk named Steven and started a family. She is a respected CEO of the Lemming Brothers Bank and has been for quite some time. None of this was to last and this entire week-long spanning story shows it all crumbling down all at once in fantastic fashion.
* RebuiltPedestal: Although broken at the start of the story, Murana rebuilds her image in the view of her son, Steven, literally right before his eyes as she chooses to [[spoiler:spare Don Karnage's life]].
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Not particularly for the primary characters, although it is a breath of fresh air to have a wildebeest be a protagonist, but many of the minor, insignificant characters in the story end up being lesser known species such as a paca or a dhole.
* [[SharpDressedMan Sharp-Dressed Mammal]]: Jack Savage is the epitome of a consummate professional assassin, wearing a tuxedo even when it seems highly inappropriate when hunting down his mark.
* SexSlave: It is hinted at that [[spoiler:Murana was this to Don Karnage]].
* ShoutOut: There is a small moment in the epilogue between Murana and Max which mirrors the argument from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' where Edna Mode dismisses capes as dangerous and inefficient for hero work.
* ShowDontTell: Through the majority of the first day, we are given glimpses at the vigilante skills Murana has. It isn't until the first night we are treated to a full sequence of her showing off exactly what she can do as a merciless vigilante.
** An inverse of this happens in the middle of day 6. Although hinted at throughout the entire narrative, the author, in their chapter notes, stated that before proceeding onward to the final conflict, they had no choice but to finally exposition dump the rest of Murana's {{Backstory}} in a conversation between Murana and her husband, Anthony.
* SmellySkunk: Steven's nature as a skunk is used extensively throughout the story. Murana uses it as a covering scent as well as weaponizing it into stink bombs. Steven uses it to track her down during day 4 and to defend himself accidently against Billy Silva. We also get the hilarious and innovative use when Murana utilizes [[spoiler:Steven as an actual stinky flamethrower at the end to ward off Don Karnage's men]].
* StoryArc: You could technically split the entire story up into three distinct parts:
** Chapters 1-7 or Days 1 and 2 - We follow Murana through her hardships over these first two days, setting up all the plot threads and issues to be resolved later on, and ending on the surprise crossover appearance of [[spoiler:Don Karnage]].
** Chapters 8-16 or Days 3 through 5 - This is where the story shifts into three different protagonist viewpoints: Ralph Grayz, Steven Stinkman and Max Thrash. The search for Murana and learning about what she's all about is the focus here, and it ends when all of them are reunited at the end of day 5.
** Chapters 17-20 or Days 6 and 7 - This is the conclusion of the story where all primary characters introduced before resolve any remaining plot threads, and all villains are defeated in one manner or another.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Despite not caring for the other, both Anthony and Steven band together in their shared goal of finding Murana as she goes missing during days 3 and 4.
** Another example where Ralph ends up working with Murana in the final chapters despite having serious grievances against all the law-breaking stuff she does.
* ThickerThanWater: Murana's family is broken at the start of the story. It is only through crisis and danger that they bond together as a familial unit and by the time the epilogue rolls around, they are all acting together as a crime-fighting family.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Ralph has to abandon his black and white morality center and decide between doing what is lawful and doing what is right, when doing the lawful thing would end up with a lot of bad things happening to innocent people.
* [[TriggerPhrase Trigger Memory]]: Murana is found with [[spoiler:amnesia and appears to be in a fugue state, regressing to that of a child's mind. It isn't until Steven uses their shared experience of bonding at night with him cuddling up around her feet does this specific action trigger her memory to return]].
* WalkingSpoiler: Every single trope that references [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] is marked as a spoiler since his appearance in the story is such a pleasant surprise for readers who are familiar with the TV show he heralds from: [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'']], and that most wouldn't realize this story is a crossover of sorts until his introduction.
* WhamEpisode: The one-two punch of [[spoiler:Jack Savage showing up to assassinate Murana]] in day 5 after having not seen him since day 2 and the fact [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae was a undercover assassin who is the one who finally stabs her]].
** The entire sequence at the end of day 2 where [[spoiler:Don Karnage]] makes his entrance and suddenly makes the story a crossover in the process. The fact the entire protagonist view shifts to Ralph Grayz starting on day 3 only cements the shock value of this moment.
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Jack Savage, Don Karnage]] and his men all don't seem to care who gets in the way of their objectives. Only [[spoiler:Ronald Latrinae]] seems to avert this trope, immediately calling out that he won't harm a child.
* {{Yandere}}: Courtney definitely falls into this category. The moment [[spoiler:Billy Silva]] professes his love and promise to Steven in the epilogue, she essentially goes berserk and attacks him.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Murana states that Ronald looks familiar to her and asks if they've ever met before, Ronald claims they have not. [[spoiler:It later becomes clear she recognizes him because he looks so much like his dad, Rosco, whom she worked for when she was a young assassin under his employ]].
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