A RABBIT'S STORY
Otto Hopps was tall for a rabbit, when he was younger he was mistaken for a hare. He was a soft grey color with dark black stripes. Well, nowadays, he was about all grey, the black stripes turning white years back.
Otto Hopps was feeling old for a simple reason. 'I am old' he thought.
'Hell, I remember when dirt was clean' the old buck said to himself, laughing at his own joke.
What he hated the most, especially at night, was when his memories came back. During the day, there were lots of grandkits and even great grand kits running around, making noise and chasing each other. Typical bunny behavior. 'I love the noise and all the clatter' even when he'd be acting like a crotchedy old buck and making noises about all the life around him.
'I've just seen too much death, too much suffering…too much everything.'
Otto Hopps was the father of a small family for rabbits, just 23 bunnies, 15 bucks and 8 does, he lived with his youngest daughter Bonnie and her mate Stuart.
'I'll admit it, Bonnie was always my favorite daughter' he'd tell to his friends. Sadly, he didn't have any friends his own age, they were all gone now, and he was alone with his memories.
Otto was so proud of his grandkits. Lance Corporal Ronald Hopps was a warrior rabbit, sadly killed while protecting his fellow warriors. This buck so reminded him of himself when he was a young buck…but he died. Another bad memory.
Judy Laverne Hopps was his warrior doe grandkit. She was a tough little thing, she was braver than any other grandkit from any rabbit family. "A tough doe is a fearless foe," he'd always said to his friends.
At this point they'd just smile and give him an, "Ok Otto, we know all about fearless does".
Now Judy Hopps was a ZPD officer in Zootopia, a real hero with the scars to prove it. Her mate was a red fox, another officer named Nicholas Piberius Wilde and the only warrior fox Otto knew. 'His parents must have really been mad at the kit to saddle him with that name,' he pondered. 'Piberius…really?' 'Why not just call the boy "Stinky McStinkface" and be done with it?'
"Poor Todd" he'd said to Bonnie. Which surprised his daughter since she'd only heard, "Foxes are red because the Devil made them" from her father whenever a fox would be mentioned.
Now, he had a warrior grandkit Judy, and a warrior Fox grand-son-in-law. He needed to talk with Nicholas Piberius Wilde.
"He's the only one I can talk to, to tell my story…he'll understand and can talk to my family…both my families', he told Bonnie.
"You've got to have him come, I need to talk to Nicholas…Please…have him come, I need him to understand"...he was now crying on Bonnie's shoulder.
Bonnie had never seen her father cry, not even when her mother, his mate, died. When upset, her father got very very quiet, crying, never! Bonnie was scared.
'Nick and Judy had to come, now,' the doe thought…'but how to do this?'
Bonnie called her daughter, "Judith, we need to talk.'
"Oh cheese and crackers Mom!" Judy squeeked. "Judith? Mom, what did I do wrong, really, I didn't know I shouldn't….NICK, come here, did you do something I don't know about?"
"Huh, what, Nooooo, can't think of anything that would get Mom upset?" he squeeked too, not even bothering with a smirk as he looked at his bunny mom.
"Nicholas and Judith…Pop Pop wants to see you, especially Nick," Bonnie said, eyes wide and nose wiggling.
"Otto didn't get a new fox taser he wants to try out did he?" Nick commented, his smirk coming back on line.
Bonnie was shaken up and gave such a worried and sad look, Nick could only say, "We'll be there tomorrow, have to clear it with Buffalo Butt first."
Wondering out loud, Nick and Judy were both confused, "Why does Pop Pop want to see Nick…and why not Me too!?" Judy asked.
"We'll both be there tomorrow, get the blueberries ready for your favorite fox…bye Mom," they both said.
"Well Fluff, since your fox is going into the jaws of the beast tomorrow, I think I need some special care" Nick said, giving his fox-pout face, "well, it was worth a try".