Hi! I've been working on this story for so long, really. So, yeah enjoy! I want to thank my co-writer and editor, you've helped me so much!
In loving memory of Silvy, you we're an amazing cat
Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde drove down a street near Little Rodentia. Nick sat slumped against the window and watched the streets go by with half-slitted eyes.
"Nick? Hey Nick! Don't fall asleep," Judy said, to the side of his furry head. "It's not even ten o'clock!"
Nick sat up straight with an effort. "I'm awake."
"At least someone's going to get a good night sleep when our shift's over! I'm glad I'm driving - you would have gotten us killed by now," she said. "It's a beautiful night. Crack the window open and get some fresh air...and fix your fur on that side, you've flattened it."
Nick yawned, corrected the fur on his head and did as she'd suggested.
"So, you had a late night last night?" Judy enquired.
"I certainly did," Nicked replied, and a grin spread across his face. "I had a date."
"A date? With who?"
"A foxy lady," Nick drawled.
The street lights cast flashing beams across Judy's surprised face. She began to probe further but fell silent as the radio blared rudely into their car.
"Officers Hopps and Wilde. We just received a report of a rodent car theft, left of the Little Rodentia entrance." The voice was Chief Bogo's. "You're closest. Get out there now; I'll send backup."
Nick picked it up and replied. "On it, Chief." He turned on the police sirens and Judy sped up.
"Well, that was very professional, 'On it, Chief,'" Judy teased.
Nick glanced at her. "At least it's not as bad as the last time you tried to reply. 'O-oh.. Y-y-yes Ch-Ch-Chief...'" He burst into laughter.
"Haha," she said sarcastically. Suddenly, she put her foot on the break and the car squealed to a halt. "And here we are. Look!"
"Woah, Carrots! Learn to drive!" Nick exclaimed. Judy pointed to the dark figure poised on the roof of a large building. It was small enough to be a bunny, but the ears were the wrong shape. Maybe a cat or meerkat? Judy thought.
There was an odd hump on its back that she recognised as a backpack, large enough to conceal a rodent car.
The bunny and the fox jumped out of the car. The figure followed their movement for a moment and then sprang sideways, running lightly along the peak of the roof.
"Zootopia Police! You are under arrest! Come down from the roof," Judy shouted. She sensed Nick beside her, his paws moving busily as he loaded a weapon.
"What are you doing?" she hissed. "We don't want to kill it!"
"It's a tranquilliser," he replied calmly.
"It'll fall off the roof!"
"It's a cat."
Upon reaching the edge, the figure paused and looked back at the officers. The moon chose that moment to slide out from beneath a small, dark cloud, and Judy saw two glowing golden eyes staring down at them.
"Stop, or we'll fire!" Judy yelled.
The figure turned away.
"Stop! You are under arrest!" Judy shouted again, beginning to sound desperate.
Nick took his chance to shoot the figure with the tranquilliser. He took quick aim, fired, and the animal jerked as the dart struck home in the side of its neck.
Judy turned to Nick. "Great shot! Let's go get it."
Nick gave her a triumphant grin and they ran towards the elegant, double front doors of the building. The sign above them read, "Goldenvale Retirement Home for Difficult Senior Citizens". Nick pulled his radio from his belt and gabbled into it as a brown bear in a nurse's uniform opened one of the doors and gestured them inside. It seemed she had been watching them from a window, along with several excited, elderly citizens in dressing-gowns.
"Thank you. Where's the back door?" Judy said to the nurse. The bear pointed down a corridor.
"Oh good, a commotion," croaked a bent little meerkat, holding her pink robe closed with one paw as she peered around the nurse's bulk. "What is it about this time? Thelonius Wolf is finally getting his comeuppance, is he?"
"I saw you running. Ladies didn't run when I was young," commented her companion, another meerkat who was likely to be her twin. "'Graceful' was the watchword in my day."
"I'm a police officer, ma'am!" Judy replied as she leaped forward, Nick close on her heels. She heard him laughing.
As Nick and Judy tore down the polished floorboards, more geriatric animals came out of their rooms. A babble of nonsense arose around the officers as they ran.
"They're here to arrest Thelonius."
"About time! Why has it taken so long? Thelonius is a menace!"
"Aw, he ain't so bad."
"You are a LION, sir, and a MALE, he wouldn't dare bother you! But I was a star of the stage and screen, and he cannot forget my beauty! I bear the brunt of it! I, and I alo- and, uh, others, I suppose..."
"You slipped into "Cold Hall" there, very melodramatic."
"A brilliant play sir, and what would someone like you know about it?"
"I wrote it."
"Please go back to your rooms, we will tell you when it's safe!" Judy called out as they ran down the corridor. A toothless wolf in a brown robe grinned evilly as she approached his doorway and out of pure mischief, stuck his cane in Judy's path.
"Oh, really? Ya think so?" Judy asked him as she bounded into the air, easily making it to his eye level. She tweaked his cheek as she sailed past. The old wolf stood, shocked, and then grinned delightedly. Judy landed, turned a corner and ran on, Nick three steps behind her.
"I still got it, ya-ta-ta," Judy heard the wolf boast to his neighbour across the corridor, a withered but neat-looking ram in a robe of blue silk.
"You're a disgusting specimen, Thelonius," the ram replied primly, and closed his door.
They entered a square courtyard comprised of four main buildings with a small fountain in the middle, and saw the small figure near one of the corners. Judy noticed the dart on the ground. The thief must have pulled it out. The animal was leaning on the wall near a door, nodding groggily.
Nick and Judy closed in on the suspect, getting a better look at it. It was indeed a female cat, wearing a mask and gloves. Her trousers and pullover were dark green, and what they could see of her fur was silver-grey. Her glazed golden eyes were tainted with fear, but something else too. Defiance. Determination. Something crazy. Judy felt her caution escalate. They were going to make their arrest and the cat had no escape, but it appeared that she might have other ideas.
"Zootopia Police Department, paws in the-"
The cat sprinted past them, knocking Judy down. Even though Judy's caution had forewarned her, the cat's unexpected speed still took her by surprise. She lay on the pavers, winded, as Nick ran after the blur. It zipped through the back door of the retirement home and up the corridor they had just used.
He paused at the door to look back at Judy.
"Get her," she wheezed at Nick. "I...OK. Don't call...Officer Down."
Nick nodded and gave chase. He hated running on polished floorboards. If he didn't slow before he turned a sharp corner - like the one approaching now - his claws made him slide. As he slowed, he heard, "Ya-ta-ta - oh! Hey, give it back!" There was a crack, and the sound of wooden pieces hitting the floor. "My cane!"
The cat was too far ahead of him. He gave up on hurrying and strolled around the corner just in time to see, in the distance, the cat slip through the front doors. He could hear sirens approaching. There was still a chance the officers outside would catch her. The nurse stood by, shielding the two little meerkats, an elderly bunny and a tiger with her bulk.
She told him everyone was unhurt, and her gaze travelled to the wolf, who was cuddling one of the splintered pieces of cane to his chest, looking lost. Nick could see she was trying not to smile. He turned away quickly, and trotted back to find Judy.
He collided with her in the doorway leading outside and they danced awkwardly for a moment.
"Carrots," Nick said, as he steadied them both. "Take it easy. Are you OK?"
"Of course, I was only winded. Did she get away?"
"She got away."
"She's gone? No one's that fast! I know a cheetah that is supposed to be super fast, but that wasn't normal - not with a tranq! Come on!"
They slipped back into the building, and Judy set a fast pace. She often did, for no apparent reason. Nick had often wondered if that was a bunny thing, or just her Judyness.
"She was hyped up on something," he said, starting to pant.
Judy remembered that she could run for much longer than Nick before she would feel the same strain. She slowed.
"Or she's a highly trained athlete," she said.
When they got outside, they found that several officers had arrived and there was no cat in sight. Nick and Judy had to tell them that the cat was gone. Disappeared into the night. Embarrassing, but at least now they knew some new things. Judy made a mental checklist in her head.
The thief is a dark silvery-grey female cat.
She is very, very fast, even while tranqed
She wore a black mask and gloves.
She has golden eyes.
She stole a car-
Why? What make and model? Was there anything of value in the car, and who did it belong to? Judy nudged Nick and they walked over to Chief Bogo, who was ordering some other officers to search the area. He turned to the little bunny and looked down at her as she reported.
"Don't sweat it, Hopps, it's happened before. The animal always got away. Last time, it was a wolf. But we know more now, we have something to go on at least. Well done. So well done, in fact, that, I'm assigning this case to you, Hopps and Wilde. For obvious reasons."
Judy's ears shot up with pleasure and then drooped as she took in all his words. The animal always got away? A case that no-one could solve, he meant. It was being thrown to Judy and Nick as they were the junior officers, and they were doomed to fail -
"Sir," she blurted boldly. "What obvious reasons would they be?"
The Chief seemed to take in all her insecurities with one glance. He leaned down from his massive height to put his face in hers. "Because you're a BUNNY, and that means FAST," he rumbled, and jerked a hoof at Nick. "And Officer Wilde is a FOX, and that means CUNNING. That's what's needed here. FAST and CUNNING."
"Uh, Sir," Nick spoke up quietly, but with dignity. "Didn't we see what that kind of thinking does to -"
The Chief swung around on him. "Are you telling me that you are NOT cunning, Wilde? Are you telling me that you don't have what I need for this case?"
Nick stepped back. "No Sir, I'm as sharp as -"
"Good. That's why, Hopps and Wilde. The two of you together are...pretty good. Effective. I NEED effective, do you both hear me?"
The bunny and the fox stood to attention. "Yes, Sir."
"Most cats live in Catilatown now, and there aren't very many silver-grey ones even there," Bogo told them. "So this one shouldn't be hard to spot here in Zootopia."
Nick nodded. He knew Catilatown. During his con-artist days, he had visited it frequently when things had gotten too hot for him in Zootopia. It was mostly inhabited by cats, but other mammals lived there too. There were, he remembered, lots of high places.
"I have a question, Chief. What's going on? You said the last car reported stolen was taken by a wolf?" Judy asked. Chief Bogo's eyes narrowed as she asked.
"Thirty-one rodent cars have been stolen in the last three months. It's a ring, and so far we've got witness testimony that three wolves and a cat have been involved. All very strong and fast. We don't know who's running it and the cars never show up again. But I'm telling the Mayor I've put you two on to it," the Chief replied. Nick stood next to Judy, hands in his pockets. Judy knew the look in his eye. He had realised something, but didn't want to say it in front of the Chief.
"Now, I've just given this case to the best qualified officers. In return, I expect results. I haven't got time to hold your paws. Get to it!"
The Chief waited for another "Yes, Sir!" before stalking away.
They headed to their car. "So, we have another case to solve now," Nick said as he glanced at Judy, who nodded. She knew what he was feeling, because she felt it herself - embarrassment at being told off by the Chief, and elation at his compliment.
"We can talk to some witnesses ourselves tomorrow, maybe get a lead or two," she said.
"Yeah, this is going to be a good case, I can feel it. Maybe I'll be promoted to Deputy-Chief!" Nick joked. His tiredness had seemingly vanished.
"I doubt it, what would a 'Deputy-Chief' do that the chief doesn't do already?"
"I dunno, but I want a raise from this case at least!"
"Ha, when they double the budget then we'll get decent coffee in the canteen," Judy said. "But you can dream on, Slick. It's still my turn to drive, so put your paw away. I'm not giving you the keys."
"Rats."
"Okay," Judy said as they drove, unable to wait any longer. "What's on your mind?"
Nick's teeth gleamed as he gave her a sidelong smile. "Nice pickup, Carrots. It's the Chief."
"What about him?"
"Why was he here tonight?"
Judy blinked. "Why...wouldn't he be?"
Nick snorted. "He patrols a desk, Carrots. He doesn't shift his bulk from the ZPD unless it's something really big. Now, I know I'm just a CUNNING fox, but this case isn't that big. No-one's been hurt."
"Your car gets stolen, it hurts," Judy replied. "Enough cars get stolen, a lot of people get hurt. Then they complain to the mayor, who's gotta do something or he won't be mayor after the next election. So he sits on the Chief's head until the pain goes away. That's why the Chief was there. He's being pressured."
The light dimmed a little in Nick's eyes. "Yeah...you're probably right...maybe," he said.
"Maybe? What else could it be?"
He watched her as she drove. Finally she said, "I trust your instincts, Sly Fox."
Nick sighed. "I just thought that the Chief knew more than he was saying. Just a feeling."
Judy nodded. "Well, he's unlikely to discuss his political problems with us."
"Yeah."
He wanted to drop it, and she let him.
Judy dropped Nick at his apartment and then, yawning, turned the car radio on to stop herself from falling asleep during the drive to her own home. The passing lights of the city cast moving shadows and stripes of light and made her think of all she and Nick had done for the city. It was a good and satisfying life, and never, ever boring. Every single day presented new opportunities to help people. She wondered if Nick really did have ambition enough to climb the ranks. Deputy-Chief? She considered it for herself, dubiously. She wouldn't want to patrol a desk. It would take her away from the life that she loved. Neither she nor Nick had been on the force long enough to be considered for such a role anyway.
She parked the car outside her apartment and entered her room. It was small, but private and absolutely wonderful, as she didn't have to share the space with any siblings. She changed her clothes, jumped into bed and fell asleep in under a minute.
That's the first chapter! Please review! See you in a few days.