(AN/ Hey folks it's Crewefox/Garouge here with a new zootopia fanfic project, now before you protest don't worry The Broken Mirror will still have weekly updates, this new fic is a side project that's set long before the first Take a Stand that won't have regular updates it's just for me to try something different while me and the other TAS dev team members build a new DnD club on discord. So without further ado, let's get cracking with this side fic...)

Chapter 1- Escapism

Bunnyburrow's public library wasn't very large for a farming community that was so populous, the busiest part of the red brick building was the public use computer suite where the fastest internet connection in the county was found.

A regular weekend patron of the library was Judy Hopps, the sixteen year old rabbit who often sought solitude in the library when she needed to get away from her very large and noisy family and where she could study peacefully towards her goal of becoming the first bunny cop. Not many members of her family were supportive of her aspirations to become a police officer, her parents often cited that the job was too dangerous for a bunny and that she would likely not get through the selection process. Only two of her siblings encouraged her to pursue her dreams; the hard working Heather and the enthusiastic Connor, both older and were always a source of moral support for the young bunny.

"And done." Judy sighed, saving her history essay on the Great War before leaning back in her chair. The essay wasn't due until Tuesday morning but the rabbit had a habit of finishing homework early so she could cram in some extra studying, she had the best grades in her class and she only held onto that title through constant studying.

"Ugh, I hate history." A voice next to her moaned, Judy looked over at her friend and study buddy Sharla Shears, the black wooled ewe whose family owned the local diner, the sheep was dividing her attention between a few open history books on the desk and her half written essay on the computer screen. Her hoof reached into an open bag of caramel chews and tossed a couple in her mouth, she then picked up the bag and held it to Judy "Want some?" she asked with a mouth full of candy.

"Thanks but I can't." Judy shrugged, pointing to the shiny metal that linked her teeth "They'd get stuck in my braces."

"I need my sugar fix for studying, I tell you I'm bringing all the candy I can when I get to the International Space Station." Sharla gave a tired smile, she was studying hard to achieve her dream just like Judy.

"The cop and the astronaut, Bunnyburrow's finest." Judy smiled, hopping off her chair "Ok, I'm going to find the only criminal law book in the library and check it out for like the billionth time."

"Seriously Judy you've got to take a break from the constant studying, you don't see me reading up on Air Force regulations in my spare time." Sharla advised.

"Come on, Sharla. You know me, I can't switch off." Judy reasoned.

"Yeah and soon enough you'll burn out like you did last year, remember when I found you in a big crying heap after you studied for nearly eighteen hours straight for a test you would've passed easily?" Sharla parried, going back to typing her essay "Look we're both nerds who study a lot, we've got to be if want our future careers but try and find an outlet and I don't mean exercising, why don't you check out a book that isn't linked to police work?"

"You mean like a novel?" Judy asked, scrunching up her nose.

"Yeah, I mean a little bit of escapism always helps me. Honestly I play video games when I get stressed from studying and when I go back to the books I work better." Sharla answered with surety.

"Well I suppose if it'll improve my overall performance I can give it a try." Judy mumbled.

"Great, go find a book and come back to me, I'll be here for another hour with this." Sharla moaned, focusing on her assignment.

It took a lot of willpower for Judy not to head to legal section of the library, she made herself go to the fiction area, a place she only went when she had a literature essay to do. The bunny breezed by the romance section, a genre she wasn't overly concerned with both in fiction and real life, it wasn't that Judy was inexperienced with affairs of the heart, she had already had dated two bucks and like most teen rabbits she had gone all the way with one of them but the relationships always fizzled out when they got too serious, Judy was too focused on her future to ever fall in love. She imagined she'd become a cop before getting into a serious relationship with a guy.

Judy made the conscious decision to bypass the crime and thriller genres as well, they were too linked to her police studies and she wanted something that was so far removed from the real world for the full effect of escapism. She turned the corner and read the sign on the bookshelf aloud "Sci-Fi and Fantasy." Judy walked down the aisle figuring it was worth a shot. Judy made the conscious decision to bypass the crime and thriller genres as well, they were too linked to her police studies and she wanted something that was so far removed from the real world for the full effect of escapism. There wasn't many books for the genres, there were a lot of gaps in the shelves and many of the books looked old and unloved, Judy saw the familiar Tolkien books and was about to pick up the complete 'Lord of The Rings' when she saw a blue book that looked completely out of place; the front cover was made to look like an old ancient tome but in fact it was printed on glossy paper from probably the last decade, resting on top was a small plastic box containing various dice and covering the title was yellow post it note. Intrigued, Judy picked up the book and dice box and read the post it note 'To the new Dungeon Master, take this as a gift and I hope brings you as much joy as it did me, Sincerely –Calthur The Bunny Barbarian' Judy then peeled away the post it and read the title 'Dungeons and Dragons – Dungeon Master's Guide', she then opened up the book to find no novel but facts, stats and beautiful illustrations of magical beasts "What in the world is this?" Judy asked herself, unaware that this book would help her, her friends and an old enemy come together.

(AN/ Short and Sweet. And if you're intrested in playing DnD with fellow Zootopia fans just search for Bunnyburrow Dungeons and Dragons club on my tumblr; crewefox, the server will be only in the next few days and the first game will be in a couple of weeks. I hope you like the start of this story and come back for more, so please review and c ya soon...)