Chapter 1: The Wilde Hopps Detective Agency
-Told by Nick-
It had been two months since the Nocturne Knights' heist of the Arctic Diamond, and things had settled down. For those two months, I had been in Heaven on Earth. Carrots and I were officially a couple, and I couldn't have been happier! The love I have for that rabbit is impossible to measure, and the fact that she was my girl made me want to shoot to the moon with joy!
And hey, even more good news: we finally found a building for our new Detective Agency! It was a small office in Downtown Zootopia, right across the street from Jumbeaux's Café. You know, the ice cream parlor that Carrots and I first met?
Things were really looking up for us…until we got our first official case, and wouldn't you know it would be a real doosy? I'm talkin' massive explosions, more kidnappings, violence, conspiracies and of course, the Nocturne Knights were involved somehow. It all happened on the day we opened for business.
"A little to the left!" Carrots said as Wolford, Clawhauser and I were moving the last of the furniture into place. It was a very heavy desk. Wolford and Clawhauser were at each end, and I was stuck balancing the bottom because I was the smallest of the men. And of course Hopps was standing on top of the desk, spouting orders.
"Your girl certainly is bossy, Wilde." said Wolford.
"What can I say? It's all part of her charm!" I said.
"Less talking, more moving!" said Hopps.
Clawhauser was huffing and puffing. "I…can't…do this…anymore. I…need…a…break!"
"We're almost done, Clawhauser. C'mon, move that tail of yours, we're on a deadline! Doors open in five minutes!" she said.
We moved the desk to the left, like Ms. bossy-bunny commanded.
"Eh, we're crooked, move a little to the right." she said.
We moved it to the right.
"Wait, that's too far!" she said.
We moved it slightly to the left.
"Okay, that's perfect! Set it down gently."
Clawhauser dropped his end and collapsed on the floor.
Wolford couldn't keep his end up. The desk fell hard, and I jumped out of the way. It almost fell on me!
Hopps jumped off of the desk and landed on my stomach.
"Oof! Hey, watch where your leapin Carrots! We're gonna have to watch how many carrot milkshakes you chug, that hurt!"
She grabbed my tie and pulled my face close to hers. "Better watch it, fox. Don't want me to show the guys the picture of you in that bunny costume on our Halloween date night, do you?" she whispered.
"N-no, let's just keep that between you and me." I said.
She kissed me. "Don't worry, fox boy. I won't show them, that picture is for my personal amusement."
"I'll get you back for that pic you took, Carrots. Mark my words."
"We'll see." she giggled.
There was a knock on the door. Hopps and I got up. Clawhauser was still passed out on the floor.
The door opened. "Hello? It's me!" said a high-pitched voice. It was Aurora, and she had a few bags in her hands.
Wolford ran to her. "Let me help, Ms. Foxtrot." he grabbed the bags for her.
"Thank you, Michael. You're so sweet!" she said.
"Hey, Aurora! isn't this a pleasant surprise? What are you doing here?" asked Hopps.
"This is your grand opening isn't it? I just thought I would stop by and congratulate you guys, and I brought the stuff you guys ordered." she said.
Wolford laid the bags on the coffee table in the middle of the office. Aurora took something out of one of the bags, it was a nameplate. It said The Wilde Hopps Detective Agencyon it.
"This goes on your door, I also got one with everyone's name on it to put under the agency's name. I also got some business cards for you too." said Aurora.
"Ain't she a peach? You're so considerate, Ms. Foxtrot." said Wolford, he was blushing something fierce.
"I told you to call me Aurora, Michael. We're friends now, you don't need to be so formal."
"R-right, sorry Ms. Foxtrot…I mean, Aurora."
Wolford was always this awkward whenever Aurora was around. It was blatantly obvious that he liked her.
Gee, I really hope I wasn't that embarrassing before Carrots and I started dating. I mean this is tragic, why doesn't he tell her how he feels? It'll make him feel so much better, and it's obvious she likes him too. I thought as I watched the potential of romance blossoming before me. It was kinda nauseating.
"Well, who's going to put these up on the door? You guys are officially open, right?" asked Aurora.
"I'll help you Ms. Fo-Aurora." said Wolford.
"I was hoping you'd say that, Michael." she said. They walked out of the office and started to work on sticking the nameplates on the door.
I picked up one of the business cards, they looked really nice. The card had the name of the agency in bold letters, and under that it had the address and our names.
"This should really help us get some business." I said.
Carrots snatched the business card out of my hand.
"Hey, I was lookin' at that!" I said.
"These are really nice. And look, our names are right next to each other…that's so cute! But why is your name first?"
"Well it is the Wilde Hopps Detective Agency, Carrots, not the Hopps Wilde Detective Agency. So it would be weird for your name to go first."
She punched my arm. "I like the name Hopps Wilde Detective Agency, it has a nice ring to it."
"If we're opening a brothel, maybe." I said sarcastically.
"Okay, it's up!" said Aurora.
Carrots and I walked out and looked at the door. It was right there in gold letters, the Wilde Hopps Detective Agency. Now it was official. It was such a good feeling, I was going to work with my gal and my two best buds fighting crime and saving lives.
"Well, we're officially open. We should get our first case any second now." said Hopps.
We waited for someone to walk into the office, or the phone to ring. Nothing, absolutely nothing. We waited there for four hours, and it was duller than Chief Bogo's love life.
Carrots was sitting by the phone, smiling the entire time. She was so excited, she didn't let the lack of inquiries bother her.
Wolford and Aurora were playing cards, I was playing on my phone, and Clawhauser was still out cold on the floor. It was just about lunch time, and my stomach started to growl.
"Aw man, I'm hungry. Did we bring any food?" I asked.
"Nope, we didn't even hook up the fridge yet." said Wolford.
"Let's go get some lunch." I said.
Clawhauser leaped up from off of the floor. "Did someone say lunch?"
I lifted my hands. "Glory, he's been healed!" I yelled.
"Where are we going?" he asked gleefully.
"We can't go anywhere, what if someone calls?" said Hopps.
"Aw c'mon Carrots! We have voicemail, and we're all hungry. Can't fight crime on an empty stomach!" I insisted.
She sighed. "Alright, I guess we can get a little something."
"Let's go to Lionardo's diner, they have the best pie!" said Clawhauser.
"You're not gonna get donuts?" asked Wolford.
"I'm a sweets connoisseur, Wolford. I don't only eat donuts."
"I guess we're going to Lionardo's diner then." I said.
We grabbed our stuff and locked the door.
We headed to Lionardo's Diner. On our way there, we ran into an old friend. It was Shadow, he had been let out of jail after we proved his innocence. We offered him a job at the agency, but he declined. He said he would work with us as a freelance informant.
"Hey Shadow, long time no see!" I said as I gave him a high five.
"Hey there, Red. I was actually on my way to talk to you and Bunns about something." he said.
"What's going on?" asked Hopps.
"It's got something to do with the Nocturne Knights. I think they're up to something, and it ain't good." he said.
"Why don't you come with us to lunch? We're going to Lionardo's Diner, it'll be my treat. We'll talk about it there." I said.
"Okay, but let's get a booth away from any prying ears. I don't want nobody to know what we're talking about. The Knights have been much more out in the open since the Arctic Diamond incident, they've gotten bolder." he said.
"Sure thing." I said.
We walked across the street to the Diner, not knowing that that day would mark the beginning of a war between us and the Nocturne Knights. We were blissfully unaware of what those vile animals were up to, or how far they would go to get their way. This war was going to come at a high cost, and all of Zootopia was going to be the battlefield. If you thought the Night Howler or the Arctic Diamond cases were crazy, you ain't seen nothing yet!