Summary :

In an obscure Zootopia, predators are cursed. Prey, saved, are hidden from this "evil form of life" they don't understand. One thing can keep them alive... an exchange must be made, when the union time comes. No abstraction is permitted. And yet, Judy Hopps would like it so much... After all, this sly fox haunting her thoughts has so often proved that predators were not so bad...

Disclaimer : I don't own Zootopia. The movie will always be better than anything I can write. Still, I hope this story will give you something to laugh about!

Missing Hearts

What feelings does Autumn invoke in you?
For most bunnyburrow residents, it's the time for the reddening leaves to finally flutter their way to the ground. For others, it's the season celebrating the moment when prey were no longer hunted by predators. October 31 was the day when the monsters were cursed for their crimes.

But it was also a fateful one, when each prey was forced to sacrifice something as important for them as life itself: freedom. Then, everyone agreed that autumn fraternized with loss. And death.

Except perhaps the Hopps family.

That autumn 1789, every evening, a sweet voice would be heard from their farm. It was Bonnie, helping her children to fall asleep with a love story.

And among these kits, a flower was blooming.

Chapter 1 - The Birth of a Dream

"The prince stood up between the monster and the princess. His eyes spoke for him: 'Back off'. But the opponent chuckled, and raised a mocking eyebrow. Nothing seemed to frighten him, especially not a buck in blue tights."

"However, evil never wins."

"The hero took out his sword and jumped. The beast struck the first blow with its deadly claws, but didn't notice the second slash. Then, blood was confused with its fur. It was of the same color."

"The prince abandoned the already breathless fox lying on the ground, and ran to join his sweetheart. Tears were flowing from her eyes. Anyway, he put a knee on the ground, wrapped her paws with his own and finally, asked her: 'Let's not waste time, my dear. Do you want my doll in exchange for yours?'"

The awwws of kits exploded in the room. Bonnie used her tenderest voice and finished her narrative. "To which she replied 'I want it' in an emotional voice. The two rabbits married and had many kits! End."

Bonnie closed the fairy tale book while everyone was fidgeting. The voices mingled:

"Awww they are sooo cute!"

"Mummy, mummy! I want to be a princess too! "

"Eurk, I wanted more fighting."

"Again, again!"

"Why don't foxes ever have a princess?"

The last reply threw a cold chill among the excited children. All looked at the bunny that defended the predator. One of them broke the silence. "You're weird, Jude, why do you want him to find one? He's wicked!"

"Yeah, I can hear from here his belly making noises..." Added another of her brothers. "I'm sure he can eat the princess alive, with those sharp teeth! … Disgusting."

All of them nodded and agreed with the evidence: predators were repulsive. And as their dad always said, foxes were the worst. He took this outlook from his own father: they are red, because they were made by the devil. No wonder they are cursed. And for children, these fairy tales were real: foxes really ate rabbits. They could speak, but thought about bloody meat. Even their tails - which some had secretly dreamed of embracing in their arms - were only a ruse, hiding the real threat.

The only one who thought differently looked at her siblings with a trembling nose. However, she thrust out her chest, and was about to defend herself - Or, defend the fox – when Bonny spoke again. The conversation and thoughts ended here. "Maybe it's time to go to bed, don't you agree?" She said playfully. "I don't want a sound, and all eyelids should be closed. The sooner you sleep, the sooner you will be to the surprise tomorrow morning ..."

She didn't have to say it twice. They all rushed to their beds, forgetting their protests. The surprise in question was well known to all of them: a little lunch, including carrot pies and other delicacies rarely in sufficient quantities for the whole family. But not surprisingly, two eyes were still open. While all slept peacefully with the evening's story in mind, she put her feet on the ground and left the room.

When Judy stepped into the living room, her mother wasn't reading as she usually did. Both her parents were in a discreet but agitated conversation. "Darling," said Judy's father, "you don't think these stories aren't too… huh… violent, for our kits?"

"Stu…"

"I mean, there is a lot of… blood," he continued. "They are too young to know what is waiting for them… outside the farm."

Bonnie put a reassuring paw on her husband's shoulder. "I know. But don't you think they… already know?" she said and sighed sadly. "But we'll talk about it next time, look behind you. Honey, you're still awake?"

The last part was addressed to Judy. A chill went through her and she jumped, but came in front of them. She felt she had to be courageous, so she nodded. Stu laughed softly, and waved his paw to invite her to sit between them. Her parents' warmth convinced her to speak.

Judy used to do hugs rarely, but sometimes one was enough to reassure her. "I just wonder… why? I mean, in books predators are always like: 'BLOOD BLOOD aaaaaand DEATH' and rabbits: 'Ohhhhh my lovely princess, you're okay? Want some babies?' but what if they are much more than that? A-and why do bunnies have to have babies? I don't want babies, I want to be the princess who save the preds!"

Her parents looked at each other when she finished her performance. Both laughed loudly. Stu tousled the fur on Judy's head and Bonnie took her paw while their daughter waited for them to calm down.

"My beautiful, Jude…," replied her mother, after clearing her throat. "You have a wonderful sense of justice…"

"Is it true? I'm right, right?" The grey kit showing her most alluring smile. However…

"… But you know, it's hard for a bunny to be friends with a pred. Even impossible," finished her mother, squeezing her paw gently.

Stu continued. "Bunnies don't do that. Ever."

Judy's ears lowered. But she wouldn't accept defeat. "Oh… then I'll be the first one!"

Her father took her other paw with both his, surprisingly. Judy blinked several times. AND were both her paws under those of her parents? Kind of… oppressing. Stu obliged her to look him in the eyes. "It's good to have dreams, but not when they can get you killed."

His intensity began to frighten his daughter. She sought for her mother's support, but she was nodding her head. "Look, why don't you adopt the dream of your younger sister Violet? Florist. It's less noble than carrot farmer, but it's a reasonable fantasy!"

Stu dropped Judy's arm and placed his paws on her shoulders. "And if your dream is simply to make different friends, we can introduce you to the family… Laitue? They are hares, but trustworthy!"

Suddenly, Judy jumped off the couch. "Hey, I will not change my mind! I'll make the world a better place!" she exclaimed, looking at them with her fists on her hips. "For everyone, not only prey!"

Judy was proud of her words, and to give them more force, she left the room with a confident step. But seeing her only from behind, her parents didn't notice that her nose was shaking furiously.

"Darling… don't you think we should tell her? Or at least forbid her from leaving the farm? For her safety…"

Even though Judy was naturally curious, she didn't want to go back to find out more. But, perhaps she should have.

Later that night, Judy didn't have enough coherent thoughts to answer her questions. While she was struggling to find sleep, others struggled to stay alive.

How did she know?

The smell.

The distant screams.

And when she heard the door open and close and the agitated voices of her parents coming through, Judy hugged her trembling knees, repeating to herself again and again:

Nothing can happen to me. Predators aren't violent.

-15 years later -

"Do you have enough dresses? Because, you know you can't wear pants there? Oh, and are you absolutely sure you want to take the… huh, traillne?"

Judy covered her mouth to stifle a tiny laugh. She looked towards the railroad, but nothing came to them. Behind her, half of her family was shaking because of the cold air. "Daddy, it's 'train'! Don't worry about that. It's scary, but safe. At least, more than a stagecoach… I don't know what my future hosts did to get from here to Zootopia in their time!"

"That's why they are the only ones in our family to have left…" Stu said. "But, Judy… Mr. and Mrs. Rose were two. A wife and husband… you're alone."

"Huh. We've talked about it since I've been 21, dad… I'll come back in a month. To get married, as you wish."

"It's for your safety… you know what happens to a rabbit who doesn't give their wedding doll to someone before they're 25 years old!"

"If you're so worried about the 'bunny side of the curse'… I can always take it with me…"

Judy was joking, but the idea of leaving her doll didn't please her at all.

"So that you return with a predator on your arm? It's. Out. Of. The. Question!"

Bonnie then sighed. She held out a bag to Judy. A bunny was embroidered on it, the straps forming its ears. "You may have thought about most of the necessities to live, but you have forgotten something essential…"

Judy took it in her paws. She felt something solid inside. When she opened the bag, she saw a book. The book.

"Thanks, Mom", she said after thinking it through. "That's exactly what I needed."

Her mother hugged her. "Be careful."

"Mom, there is nothing to be afra-"

"No, Jude, I'm not talking about predators in general. You have never given up on defending them. But once, we had a good reason to try changing your mind."

"I know."

The "traillne" (as her father said) was arriving. The noise prevented her from thinking about her memories. She looked behind her and saw the smoke-darkened sky. Yet despite the black and white scene, Judy sighed with a cute smile and calmed her parents.

"I'll send you letters as soon as I am settled. I love you!"

Every member of her family asked for a hug. It was like saying hello to all the guests in a family reunion. There is always someone groaning at the sight of all the mammals to embrace. But this time, it was to say goodbye. Despite the excitement, the grey bunny felt more and more uncomfortable. Nobody grumbled. More than that, everyone seemed to prolong their embraces. Or, wanted to. She was obliged to go faster and faster, as the noise of the train approached.

Then, the noise stopped. When she looked behind her, the doors were open.

Her father hugged her for the last time. "If anything happens, you know you can come home whenever you want! And even if all goes well!"

And after that, she was gone

There were no breakdowns, no disasters or accidents. Judy took a moment to congratulate herself on her choice, and noted in the corner of her head that she could tease her father for it. But on the other hand, something still happened.

Finding a spot was horrible.

Literally.

The first reaction she had inside was ... to cross her arms to prevent the heat in her body from escaping.

That's a joke, she thought.

The air was cold like the passengers' gazes. The doe wondered if she hadn't outraged them in any way. To avoid a misunderstanding, she smiled as sincerely as she could, despite the melancholy rushing inside her stomach. It was like playing a role.

But ... visibly a bad one, since all of them looked somewhere else.

The rabbit shrugged her shoulders, and began to search for an empty cabin.

Train was the best way to just relax, thinking about life. To gazing out the window, at the distant clouds, as the world moved by. The thing is… there is always pigeon shit on the glass. Judy was taking the train for the first time, but she was ready to bet that this was regular - having also seen a lot of other dirty windows in the same train. So, there was no way to touch the glass with her pawtips and to gaze faraway, as all those heroine of novels do. Judy rubbed the space between her eyes, and looked at her bunny bag to avoid the pessimistic metaphor of settling in her mind. Instead, she took the book from the bag and smiled at the memories it represented.

She stroked the cover. The paw-made drawing had become tarnished, but the fox holding the young rabbit in his arms could always be distinguished, like the prince in blue tights pulling his sword. The doe smiled at the memory. Everything had gone from there, and she hoped to be able to pay homage to the child she was before the time came.

She opened it.

Actually, Judy was 24 years old. This meant that she had only one year – or, more precisely, less than a few months – to find answers. What really happened during that autumn of 1789?

Then, she'd commit her future to a buck. In the proper sense of the word. Even if predators were banished from the area for being "cursed", prey shared a good part of it. The doe had no idea how much was lies and how much was truth. But what she was sure: strange things happened to those who didn't respect the rules.

At birth, parents offered to each baby a piece of tissue. Like a blankie, the child deposited its smell on it. Once dirty, the fabric is recycled on the child's 8th year. Then, it makes a doll of it, and spells their creation with strands of furs which are stung by an eel.

Tradition was so ingrained in their minds that the practice name wasn't always known. What's more normal? Voodoo practiced so young, it could be almost frightening. At least, given what its name was referring in other times.

Except that here, there was nothing to fear. Prey didn't create an undead army with these children. But it didn't mean that the object in question was manipulated easily. At least until a certain age. There was a good reason for it: everything that touched the fabric was felt by the owner. Someone is putting a dirty paw on it's arm? Then HOP, you have a furious desire to go take a shower.

Judy had always hoped for a future husband with no sweaty paws. Because prey didn't bother themselves to do sorcery for nothing. Of course. The ultimate goal was to symbolically offer your own freedom to your partner by giving him the way to possess you. To cherish you. Or to hurt you.

And vice versa.

Said like that, it was not very romantic. And despite her reluctance to do it herself, Judy was convinced that it was a wonderful thing. Almost poetic. The problem wasn't the act, but with whom she'd do it.

Her bubble of thought broke when she realized that the city had replaced the fields. Judy leaned towards the window to see as much as possible. The grey bunny felt like a little girl again, her eyes wide open as if she watched the new spring flower field. Except that this field was not made of flowers but a myriads of colorful buildings, not totally removed from the earth. Some were still in construction, under all kinds of climates. Yet, the landscape brought some dreams to the doe.

How such immense things can be built, while there are only old burrows in our lands? She wondered. I thought they had just invented the train...

Judy couldn't stop smiling, and when the train stopped she rushed towards the exit to see more of it.

Outside, a spotted bunny, nicely dressed, was waiting alone on the platform. Judy needed a few seconds to realize that the lady's paws were waving to get her attention. Judy smiled a little more at the sight of a friendly face.

"Miss Hopps…?" the spotted doe asked while closing in as to meet her.

"Oh no, please call me Judy!" the grey doe said as she also approached. "If only you knew how grateful I am to be welcomed at your home!"

"Aww, well, it's a pleasure. Welcome to Zootopia, Miss Judy. And, what a pretty name you have. The contraction of Judith, I suppose?"

The two ladies began to walk. Judy struggled to not be distressed by the bright orange colors of the city.

"Yes, but rarely I've heard someone calling me Judith."

"Oh, in that case, you can call me Rosie. This way," she replied, pointing towards the street.

"Nice to meet you! Wow. Those large buildings look like giant carrots… do you live in one of those charming homes?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you here, but our house has none of these incredibly efficient innovations, I have to say. But, a good carrot soup is waiting for us, something to warm your heart."

Indeed, the house was nothing like Judy imagined. However, she found the place charming. The house was modest, but welcoming.

When Rosie opened the door, the grey rabbit was speechless, because of seeing the beautiful old furnishings. They had decorated the room like a painting, each having an original form. Also, the hostess had chosen all of them in a dark wood. In the same way, they weren't the only bleak thing. Candles were on the furniture but something was missing.

"Do not worry about the light, Miss Judy. If it is too low for you, I will send more candles to your room."

The day ended as quickly as her travel. Judy already considered Rosie as her friend by the end of the tour. She noticed that her new room smelled very musty, so she opened the window and noticed the ivy on the walls, and the empty square. Judy was surprised to see no one (having thought the small streets that Mrs. Rose and she had took were the reason why she hadn't met anyone besides the train passengers) and more to not see Mr. Rose during the visit either, not even at the meal.

Rosie told her that he was staying with his own friends as he had work to do with them. She actually lived 'earning money without even going out.' She also added that she 'sold her talents'. Because of Judy's confusion, she avoided the misunderstanding by not thinking about it, much. Therefor Judy thought about her father, and promised to herself to not speak a word about the couple's situation while of course trying not to ponder upon the lady's motives for inviting her in her home -which were visibly straying towards the need of help. At that very moment, she was interested in her new friend's story, and listened to her without judgment. But tiredness prevented her ability to listen, and as Rosie began to explain her job, the grey doe's eyes slowly closed on their own.

Curiosity prevailed against reason when noises awoke her the next morning.

The first time she heard them, Judy groaned and turned in her sheets as to stop her dream from ending abruptly. But it was a wasted effort, as her eyes became aware of the light in the room. Her eyelids and the pillow against them no longer sufficed to keep her asleep. The grey doe had the impression of falling, her stability feeling disoriented while trying to remember all that happened yesterday. Her thoughts were slowly ordering, and the strange environment was meanwhile making her panic. It was the musty smell of the room that managed to at last calm her senses.

"Ah, it's true. Zootopia" she recalled.

The noises were renewed: two people were talking in the room under hers. One she knew, and another she didn't. It belonged to a male. His tone was polite – and even a little annoyed - but the sound of it was seductive to her sensitive ears, the kind of sexy voice that didn't hear among farmers. A shiver ran along her neck as she got out of bed to listen for more. She heard some footsteps. Some were light and probably belonged to Rosie, but the others were heavier, followed by a sort of sliding, like a tail being dragged.

This male was definitely not prey.

Judy stepped down the stairs very cautiously, still in her nightdress. She covered her arms, not being able to have her feet warm enough. The windows all around were open and refreshing the air – she regretted not bringing better clothes. There were even a few wisps of morning fog wishing to go inside, producing an atmosphere as imagined in bad novels. The bunny shook her head, approached the voices, perceived an open door ...
"I shouldn't be doing this," she mumbled to herself as she risked a look inside, hidden by the tiny wall.

That was where she saw him.

The male was a red fox.

Author notes : Hi there! So here it is... the project I wanted to share since so long ... my halloween AU, Missing Hearts! For now, the story will follow the original movie. More or less... you will see, wait for WildeHopps!

Thank you for reading so far, if you have anything to advise me, or if you want to give your opinion, I would be happy to hear it (or, read it), so feel free to send me a comment! It's always a pleasure.

And then, a lot of thanks to two great editors, Markovas who was courageous enough to read and correct my story full of frenchy mistakes, and Stubat, who did an wonderful job in editing. I am so grateful! Thank you so much!

Happy Halloween!