A new day dawns. The sun rises over the city, gleaming off the thousands of windows on the towering skyscrapers, the snow in Tundratown, and the water surrounding the city. In one small apartment in Savannah Central, a rather interesting conversation is underway. "Nick, you are not wearing those awful shirts when you meet my family," said a small grey rabbit doe, a stern look on her face.
"Aw, come on Carrots, I just want to be honest. Nick likes his pawaiian shirts, so Nick is going to wear his pawaiian shirts," responded the red fox todd standing opposite her, as he rifled through his clothes drawer.
Judy huffed, both amused and annoyed by his antics. "Two things slick. One, stop referring to yourself in the third person, and two, if you want to be honest, you are going to look like the responsible police officer that you are, and the kind of mammal that my parents will actually want me to date." This conversation was coming about as a result of the events of the last two years. When she had first met Nick, she had heartily disliked him. His sarcasm, cynical streak, and speciesist comments made him seem like every naysayer who had ever tried to stop her from achieving her dream, told her she couldn't do it. When they worked together to solve the Nighthowler case, she found a new best friend, and subsequently had her heart broken with guilt and loss when she drove him away with her own subconscious bigotry. After being reunited, they became inseparable once again, partners on the force and best friends and roommates in life. However, they soon both realized that they wanted more. Judy had never had a real boyfriend in her life. Every buck thrown her way had wanted her to give up on her dreams and be a housewife. But Nick always helped and supported her, combining their strength. Nick, for his part, had simply never let anyone in. He only had one real friend before Judy, so forget him having a girlfriend. But when the beautiful, idealistic, and driven bunny burst her way into his life, he found his defenses going down. The layers he had built up, trying to keep everyone away and not see when they got to him, she was peeling them away. For months, the two of them had been stuck in a kind of dance, sure of their own feelings, but unsure of the other. The drawn out and unnecessary process was finally ended when Nick had sucked up his courage and told her how he felt. It was with the greatest joy that she returned said feelings, and their current relationship was born. Now, several months later, they were heading to Bunnyburrow for the annual Carrot Days festival. It would be the first time that Nick would meet her parents face to face, so she wanted to make a nice impression. However, Nick being Nick, he continued in their usual antics and playful banter, hence the current argument over attire.
"Touche, Carrots, I will hunt for more boring outfits. Although, in a pinch, I seem to remember that you enjoy my look with nothing on at all." His voice dropped to a low and husky tone on the last sentence.
"Nick!" Judy squealed, embarrassed by his dirty humor. "You can't say things like that! My family probably won't take too kindly to those sort of suggestive comments. I just want them to get used to the idea of us being together, not of us doing that."
This caused Nick to smirk wider still, and he couldn't resist more jibes. "Yes, I'm sure that the scariest thing in the world will be getting chased around by a couple of bunnies with pitchforks and torches."
Judy gave him an incredulous look and said in a playful tone, "Try three hundred, Slick."
Nick's smile dropped instantly into a frown, briefly reminding her of when she had out hustled him, as he stammered "T-th-three hundred?!"
"Mmhmm, and that's just my siblings," she smiled. Nick looked like he was going to faint, and she quickly moved to reassure him. "Hey, Nick it's okay. I'll be by your side the whole time. If you get too overwhelmed, we can leave, okay?" she finished off with a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.
This brought Nick back, and he said "All right Carrots, but I want it to be known that you owe me after this," eliciting a giggle from Judy. She was quickly silenced, however, when Nick bent down to give her a sweet kiss right on the lips.
Less than an hour later, the pair stood at the Zootopia Central Station, waiting for the train that would take them to Bunnyburrow. Nick, having finally conceded to not wear his usual green pawaiian shirts, was clad in a plain blue shirt that Judy said complemented his fur color and a pair of gray pants. Judy had chosen what Nick called her "country bumpkin" outfit, pink plaid shirt, jeans, and a sunhat. They also carried a suitcase apiece, Nick's a plain black while Judy's was decorated with carrots.
As they stood looking, and in Judy's case listening, for a sign the train was coming, they couldn't help but notice the stares the were getting. You didn't become the first of your species on the police force and solve the biggest case in the history of the city without getting some unwanted attention. Some looked upon them in awe and admiration, some were simply indifferent, and others showed downright loathsome hatred. Since the news of their relationship went public, they had steadily seen more and more of the latter, who would verbally attack them at any chance simply because of who they chose to be with. At this moment in time, one of those such mammals was a white tailed deer buck, who was stalking his way over to them, looking like he wanted to pick a fight. Nick noticed this, and ever the sly one, sized up the buck. His expensive suit and haughty expression suggested a mammal of considerable wealth, maybe a banker or lawyer. Nick anticipated that this would probably make them consider themselves superior, and he circled his tail around Judy in a protective gesture. Judy also saw the buck approach them, and felt Nick's tail snake its way around her, and knew that he was expecting a confrontation. This prediction soon came true, as the buck stopped his march and glared down at them with what could only be considered pure and unrestrained hatred. "Can I help you sir?" Nick asked politely as possible, not wanting to aggravate the situation any.
The deer narrowed his eyes and responded with "Well, you could stop this obscene display of sin and deprivation. You two disgust me and are a disgrace to mammal kind. Not only do you display contempt for keeping yourselves to your species, you have to cross the lines between predator and prey! You should be ashamed of yourselves. If you had any decency, you would jump in front of the next train and spare us your abomination of a relationship." The buck's tone had started off cold, but quickly rose to an angry shout, causing several passerby to stare.
For his part, Nick lost none of his cool, keeping his emotionless mask in place. "Well, sir, can I please have your name?"
The buck was so taken aback by this response that he responded honestly. "J-Jack Cloven."
"Well, Mr. Cloven, I'm afraid I'm going to have to report you for harassment and death threats." Jack's face quickly turned to shock. "Now, we're about to go on a trip, and we don't want to have to postpone it because we had to arrest some mammal who didn't agree with our lifestyle choices and instead told us to jump in front of a train. So, I would suggest that we let you off with a warning, and in the future you just keep your opinions to yourself okay?" Now looking frightened, Jack quickly walked away, wanting to get as far away from the officers as possible. In such a hurry was he, that he didn't notice the eyes staring at him with just as much hatred and anger as he had shown, or the figure who moved through the crowd after him. Slightly shaken from the confrontation, Nick turned back to gaze at Judy, who was also looking up at him.
"That was nicely handled officer," she complimented, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thank you officer, I just couldn't stand him trying to ruin our trip."
Judy let out a chuckle and sighed, "Well, that makes two of us." They joined their paws together and stared wistfully off into the distance, seeming perfectly content with the world and like nothing could faze them.
Meanwhile, a short time later, Jack Cloven had returned to his office. Nick had been correct. He was one of the key lawyers at a prestigious law firm, and due to his intelligence and profession, often considered himself superior to other mammals. Although he had been driven off by Nick, he was now even more furious than before. Him, a proud, white-tail deer lawyer, had been talked down by a fox! He shifted through the papers on his desk, still muttering to himself. "That little prick! Who does he think he is? Being a cop is not a free pass to do whatever the hell you want. Damn sinners, you'll get what's coming to you eventually."
These words had barely left his mouth when all of a sudden, a paw grabbed his head from behind. He barely had time to register surprise when a knife, its blade shining in the dim office, found its way to his neck. The cold steel ripped through fur and flesh, splitting his throat in a grim red smile. As soon as the knife was finished with its work, it was replaced by a glass vial that was held up to the wound and filled up with blood. Once it was full, the killer put a stopper on it, and emerged from the shadows. Now out of hiding, they were revealed to be clothed in a tight black bodysuit and a utility belt. They were also quite tiny. Leaping onto the desk, the assailant stood up to their full height, just two feet but with another foot of ears, looking dwarfed by the desk on which they stood.
They withdrew the vial from a pocket on the belt, took out the stopper, and dipped a single digit into the crimson liquid. Withdrawing their finger again, they set to work. The strange mammal started drawing a symbol on a blank sheet of paper on the desk, making it nearly as big as their whole body. When they were finished, they stood back up, revealing what they had drawn. Shining in the fresh blood was a rendition of a halo wreathed in flames. Seemingly admiring their work, the killer turned back to the corpse and said in an light, unsettling voice, "Sorry I can't stay to chat, but I have a train to catch."
Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to my first ever fanfic. Since this is my first, I understand if the quality could be improved. Please comment and review, constructive criticism is appreciated.