Author's Note
Here I am, starting another story when my original is still in progress. Classic me. If you're interested in a poorly written, uninspired piece of garbage Zystopia fanfiction, check out my fic Under an Iron Fist. This story, however, is not set in a Zystopian universe. It takes place a bit after the movie ends. I think that's it…
Oh, wait! How could I forget? I think that many of you would like to know this essential piece of information. There will be WildeHopps! :D
Sunlight lazily crept into the apartment bedroom, snaking its way through the cracks in a pair of curtains that hung in front of the window. Thin lines of light blanketed a sleeping fox, who lay on his bed curled up in a fetal position with his tail tucked between his legs like a furry pillow. Though the day was just about to begin for him, outside in the city of Zootopia the day had never stopped. Millions of mammals buzzed through the streets twenty-four seven; some on their way to their jobs for an honest living, others making cash by any means necessary.
The fox had once found himself lumped in the same category as the hoodlums, criminals, and gangsters of the city–scraping out a living at the expense of others. But now–through a stroke of luck he still struggled to understand–he had dedicated his life to doing the exact opposite. Day after day he donned his uniform, shined his badge, and put in his all to doing his duty: making the world a better place.
The alarm blared an intolerable ringing. Nick Wilde was thrust into consciousness, seriously considering reaching out to smash it into billions of tiny pieces.
Despite having a newfound wellspring of motivation and passion for his job, mornings were always a bit… tough for Nick.
The alarm, he thought as he groaned into his pillow. Why is it always the alarm? This stupid alarm always rips me from the only rest I can get. I wish I could sleep forever.
Nick's ear twitched as he heard the door to his room open followed by the soft pattering of small paws on the carpet.
"Rise and shine, Nick!" a cheerful voice piped up.
Nick cracked an eyelid open to find a grey, female bunny in a police uniform bouncing her way across the room to the window. The curtains were drawn back sharply, bathing the room in light. The sudden change from near pitch black darkness to a overwhelming brightness that Nick was sure rivaled that of the surface of the sun made the fox groan even louder. He ripped the pillow from under his head and smooshed it on top of the other side of his face.
The alarm was still angrily blaring.
"Carrots," Nick mumbled. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to play my 'Get out of work free' card. I have urgent matters to attend to."
"I think your ten extra minutes of sleep can wait, Nick," the rabbit countered, reaching over and turning off the alarm.
"Ten? Minutes? I'm sleeping for the rest of my life if I have anything to do with it!"
"Yeah, no. Up now. If you can get dressed and freshen up before I finish breakfast I'll let you drive the squad car today."
"It's gonna take more than that to get me out of bed, fluff."
"Your coffee's on the nightstand. Black, just the way you like it."
Nick lifted the pillow from his eyes just enough to see that the bunny was right. Steam was still rising from the cup.
"What would I do without you, Carrots?" he asked.
"Go back out on the street, hustling pawpsicles and living in a box under a bridge. Now c'mon! We don't have all day."
As Nick watched Judy Hopps skip out of the room and into the kitchen, Nick wondered at the chain of events that had led him from small-time hustler to her partner at the ZPD.
It'd make for one hell of a movie, Nick thought vainly.
The smell of blueberries and pancake batter finally coaxed him out of bed. His paw instinctively reached out for the coffee first, his other pulling off his boxers.
"Getting dressed, Carrots! He shouted to the other room. "No peeking!"
"You wish! I've got better things to do than look at your fox junk."
Nick took a large gulp of coffee letting the bitterness wash over his taste buds. The kick of caffeine was essential to his morning routine, and - more importantly - to helping him think up sly quips at a moment's notice.
"You and I both know all rabbits are sex-crazed perverts. 'It's in their biology.'" Nick teased.
The subsequent groan Judy let out in exasperation brought a half smile to Nick's muzzle.
"Right, and foxes are all devious criminals," Judy huffed. "Any more sassy remarks and you're missing out on these delicious pancakes."
The fox froze in the middle of zipping up his pants. "You monster! You know blueberries are my greatest weakness!"
Judy chuckled from the other room. "Don't care! My house, my rules."
"Pfft! One, this is an apartment, not a house - there's a difference. Two, I pay half the rent, ya know."
Nick exhaled on his badge and wiped off the mist from his breath. He turned it towards the sunlight to check for the signature golden sparkle, and promptly clipped it onto his uniform. With a final gulp he finished off his coffee and made his way to the bathroom.
"You wouldn't be paying rent at all if I didn't give in to your begging to share an apartment with me," Judy piped up. "...And you better not pee on the seat again!"
"That wasn't me! What do you think I am, an animal?" Nick protested, before flushing the toilet and quickly checking to see if the seat was clean.
"You are an animal, and who else could've done it if not you? Make sure you wash your paws!"
"Yes, Mom ... I'm washing 'em, I'm washing 'em." He wiped off his paws on his pants and grabbed his toothbrush. "And for the record, I didn't beg to share an apartment with you! This was your idea."
Nick started brushing and felt the minty suds wash away the now sour aftertaste of his morning coffee. It wouldn't matter in the long run, though. He was surely to have at least a few more coffees during the day.
"Nuh uh! You asked me when you were approaching your first full year on the force. We were having shakes at Bugburga when you suggested it, remember?"
"I 'emembah 'oo shpilling 'ohwah shake and-"
"Huh? I can't understand you."
Nick spit out the toothpaste and allowed the water to rinse it down the drain.
"Sorry," he said. "I was saying I remember you spilling your shake and being too embarrassed to ask for another one. I had to give you half of mine." He gave himself a quick, devilish smile in the mirror, winked at the reflection, and went to the kitchen. "You're welcome, by the way."
"That did not happen!" Judy argued as Nick sat down at the table. She was already seated in the chair across from him.
"Did too."
Nick looked down at a plate of blueberry pancakes set in front of him. He wasn't surprised that Judy finished breakfast before he got ready. She always beat him, and thus always drove the squad car. In truth, Nick didn't mind. After all, he had full control of the radio for both music and police business while riding shotgun. And most importantly, he could focus his attentions on making wry quips and jokes to amuse his 'chaffeur.'
Judy lifted up her fork and pointed it accusingly at Nick, leaving a small string of syrup dripping down the plate. "Listen here, Slick Nick. I bet you're just making up stories to make me look bad because you're jealous of me." The tone of her voice was dead serious, but the barely suppressed smile that spread across her face told Nick otherwise.
The fox feigned surprise. "Jealous? Me? What would I have to be jealous of a pretty bunny such as yourself?"
Judy's eyebrows shot up.
"Wait a sec … did you just ca-"
Judy's phone started to ring. It was face-down, so she lifted it up to see the caller ID. Her eyes widened.
"Dang it! It's my parents!" She exclaimed before pointing rigidly at the fox seated across from her. "Don't say a word, Nick!"
"Ugh, again? Can't we just-"
"Not. A. Word!" She brought a finger to her lips in warning, before she put on her brightest smile and tapped the answer button on her phone.
"Hey Mom! Hi Dad! What are you two doing calling this early in the morning?"
Judy's mother had the phone centered on herself, with a nervous-looking older bunny chewing his claws in the background.
"Well," Bonnie said, "your father here had sort of a… hunch that you may have been in danger." Bonnie moved the phone closer to her face and whispered, "He read something in the paper that said bunnies in the city have a higher chance of getting myxomatosis, and you know how protective he can be."
"Hey!" Judy's father protested. "The Daily Carrot is a respectable news source, and I have every right to be concerned for my daughter!"
"Stu, dear… that same newspaper claimed that forty-seven percent of bears commit an act of cannibalism in their lifetime. They didn't even cite any sources!"
"Yeah, well… that's beside the point! Judy, are you alright?"
"Yes, Dad," Judy replied. "Perfectly fine."
"Have you been experiencing any nausea recently? Headaches? Chest pain?"
"No, I-"
"Swelling? Vomiting? Rashes?"
"Dad, I'm completely-"
"Muscles spasms? Diarrh-"
"Dad! Stop it! There's nothing wrong with me. Did you have anything else to ask? I gotta go to work soon."
"Oh yes!" Bonnie said. "How's Nick doing? Your partner?"
Nick's ears perked up. He was under the impression that Judy's parents had little knowledge of him, and now was a perfect time to find out exactly how much detail they knew.
"He's doing well. I couldn't ask for a better partner."
Nick clasped his paws next to his cheek, batted his eyelashes, and mouthed an 'Awww'. Judy ignored him.
"He found himself a vixen yet?" Stu asked, turning the phone on himself. "That Wilde fella ain't getting any younger."
Nick pursed his lips while Judy rolled her eyes.
"Just because he's a fox doesn't mean he's going to end up with a vixen." Judy said. "He could very well end up with somebody else."
"Right, sorry Jude. I'm sure whatever girl or guy Nick finds will be-"
"No, Dad, that's not what I… never mind. Why are you asking so much about him anyway?"
The camera focused back on Bonnie. "Well we both think it's just so great what you've done for him. You got him off the streets, got him a job, helped him find his own place to live… I guess we're just…"
"Interested," Stu finished. "Might as well call him family! And you know that any family of yours is family of ours, too."
"I guess," Judy agreed.
Nick, who had just finished off his fourth blueberry pancake, cleared his throat. When Judy looked up at him, he tapped his imaginary watch, signaling for her to wrap it up.
"Uh," Judy stammered. "I really have to get going to work."
"Okay Judy! Be safe! We love you!" Bonnie said.
"The city ain't gonna save itself!" Stu added.
"Love you too! Bye!"
The bunny placed the phone back in its original position and buried her face in her paws. Nick rested both elbows on the table and started calculating the ideal length of time before the silence should be broken. After about twenty seconds, he decided to speak.
"They still don't know we're living together, huh?"
Judy sighed and lifted her gaze to meet the fox's.
"I'm sorry, Nick," she said quietly. "It's just gonna be a bit harder for me to talk to my parents about it. They have the tendency to . . . jump to conclusions."
"There's no need to apologize, Carrots. I'm not mad, I'm just . . . confused is all. I mean it's not like we're dating or anything. There isn't really anything to even explain to your folks. We're just partners in the ZPD, and for financial and conveniency reasons, we happen to be living together."
Judy had a cheek in her paw and was using her fork to play with the pancakes on her plate.
"I know," she confirmed. "I'm . . . I need a bit more time. I'll let them know, I promise."
Nick raised an eyebrow and smirked. "It's going to be before your parents visit again, right? I'm not too keen on clearing the apartment of every trace of me and staying at a Mareiot again like last time.
The rabbit returned the smile. "Yes, Nick, I'll make sure they know before they visit next time."
"Good." He grabbed his plate and stood up, the wooden chair behind him screeching against the floor. "Let's get a move on. Like your old man said, 'The city ain't gonna save itself!'" He made sure to put on his best Stu Hopps impression, which in his mind happened to be a strong Podunk accent.
"Shut up!" Judy yelled playfully, standing up to put her dishes away as well. "My dad does not sound like that!"
"He totally does."
"Does not!"
"Does too."
The comedic quipping between the two carried on as it did every morning, spanning from their departure from the apartment, to their ride on the train, all the way to their arrival to the 1st Precinct Building.
"Holy shit, Wilde! You drink so much damn coffee I wouldn't be surprised if you had caffeinated piss."
Nick lifted his eyes from his now half empty cup of coffee to identify the mammal addressing him. A grey(?), smiling timberwolf approached him and leaned an elbow on the counter by the coffee machine.
"Mornin' Wolfard," Nick greeted his fellow officer. He took another sip of coffee and smirked. "You still telling girls you were maimed in the line of duty, or are you finally admitting that you were just born ugly?"
Wolfard scoffed and pointed a clawed thumb at his face. "You wish you were as pretty as me, Wilde. But then again, when you got looks as shit as yours you'd better get used to the idea of being mistaken for a damn hippo."
"Easy, Wolfard, there are some pretty hippos out there. And do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
"Heh, nope. Only yours."
"Joke's on you. My mom's been dead for twenty-three years."
Wolfard's smile fell. "Oh shit, Nick. I'm sorry. I had no idea."
The fox let laughter escape from is throat as he leaned down and slapped a knee.
"I'm just messing with ya!" he chortled. "Mom's so healthy she could run a marathon with two obese rhinos on her shoulders. . .or maybe just your fat behind."
The wolf punched Nick on the arm as the smile found its way back on his muzzle.
"Ow!" Nick cried.
"You asshole! I felt bad for a second."
"Mission accomplished."
The two predators watched as officers filed into the bullpen. Officers of all different shapes and sizes gathered by the tables, awaiting Chief Bogo to come in and give them their morning assignments.
Nick's focus locked on Judy, who was already sitting in her designated chair in the front and talking to Officer McHorn. She looked serious. Professional. Ready to tackle the crime of the city and willing to take on anything life throws at her. Nick admired her deeply for that. The bunny wasn't one for calling it quits.
"Judy tell her folks you're living together yet?" Wolfard said, interrupting Nick from his thoughts.
Nick looked down at the dark reflection in his coffee.
"No," he replied. "They still don't know."
"Figures. It's trouble enough you got a pair of nuts between your legs, but a fox living with a bunny? I can't imagine anyone born in the last generation accepting that without batting an eye."
Nick sighed and finished off the last of his coffee, making sure to wait for the final dark brown dregs to drip down the styrofoam cup onto his tongue.
"She's so confident, though. So fearless. I thought that if anyone would be able to tell her folks without any shame it'd be her."
"Everyone's got their weak spots. Even that little bunny that you swoon over so much."
The fox furrowed his eyebrows and turned his head to the wolf. "What are you trying to say?" he asked curiously.
"You like her, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, of course I like her. We're basically–"
"Cut the shit, Wilde, you know what I mean. Your bristly ass has a crush on Judy Hopps."
Nick blinked a few times at his friend before laughing a bit too vigorously and rolling his eyes.
"Pfft! Me? And Judy? Naaaaaah . . ."
Wolfard wore an unamused expression that said 'Spare me, Wilde. You can't fake your way out of this one.'
Nick's face went serious. "Is it really that obvious?"
"To others? No. You have an uncanny ability to hide your emotions from the public. I, however, have an uncanny ability to recognize other mammals' romantic interests. I know you're into Judy Hopps just like I know how Officer Maneard only voted for Former-Mayor Lionheart because he thought the cat was hot."
"Well dang, Wolfard," Nick said, looking back at Judy. "Didn't know you had such a gift." The fox's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, Maneard's gay?!"
The wolf smirked. "He's about as straight as Clawhauser."
"Clawhouser's g– . . . wait, I already knew that one."
Wolfard gave a small laugh as the two went silent again.
Nick scratched the back of his neck realization suddenly washing over him. If anybody else knew of his secret feelings, it could mean major trouble for him. Bunny-gets-weirded-out-and-friendship-goes-bye-bye kinda trouble, as Nick liked to call it.
Wolfard slapped a paw on Nick's shoulder.
"Listen, buddy, there's nothing to worry about," he said, as if reading the fox's mind. "Not a soul will hear a word of what we just talked about. I promise."
Nick felt comfort in his friend's words of support, but still wasn't totally sure he was in the clear.
"You're not . . . offended, are you?" he asked.
"Offended? I don't give a rat's ass who you wanna screw! Love is love, dude. Plus you two are just adorable. A fox and a rabbit. . .it's like some Disney shit. Who wouldn't be pulling for you guys?"
Nick felt relief rush through his veins as he shrugged the paw off of his shoulder.
"Thanks, Wolfard," he said.
"Don't mention it," Wolfard replied, slipping his paws into his pants. "Actually, do mention it. I love praise."
"Of course you do."
The monumental form of a cape buffalo walked through the door prompting the mammals in the room to start pounding their desks and chant Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! in unison.
"Well, Wolfard," Nick commented as he moved to go sit with his partner, "I'll see you around. Drinks tonight?"
"Hell yeah, Wilde! We gotta talk about what you're gonna do with Judy. You know I ain't letting a packmate get blue balls on my watch."
". . . yeah let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"Wilde! Wolfard! Your tails, in those seats, now." The buffalo's deep, tough voice demanded. A top-heavy cape buffalo was standing cross-armed behind a podium that appeared miniscule in his shadow. He wore a heavy scowl that promised a world of unpleasantness to those who crossed him.
Nick unflinchingly strolled to the oversized seat he shared with Judy, climbed atop of it, and look directly at Chief Bogo with a smug smile on his face. The rabbit beside him rolled her eyes, unamused by his actions.
"Did you hear me Wilde? When I give an order, I expect to be answered," Bogo made clear. His voice rang in the ears of every officer within the general area, making the mammals with more sensitive hearing wish natural selection hadn't evolved their auditory capabilities.
"What's that Chief?" Nick feigned ignorance. "I'm afraid I couldn't hear you. Could you possibly speak a bit louder?" This earned a few groans from his fellow officers.
"Shut you tiny mouth before I shut it for you, fox!"
Nick clasped his muzzle closed with a paw, still smirking.
Bogo glared before straightening up and saying, "Alright, let's get on with it. Assignments: Delgato, Higgins, Trunkaby, there's a big expo going on in Savannah Central at 10 AM. We'll need you to run security."
The three called mammals promptly stood up and left the room together.
"Wolfard and Mchorn," the chief continued, "illegal narcotics have been running rampant in the Nocturnal District for the past several months. We need a good nose to sniff out the supplier and some brawn to take them down."
The ground erupted in a low-magnitude earthquake as McHorn got out of his seat next to the fox and the rabbit. He left the room with the wolf closely behind. Wolfard gave Nick a quick wink before the door shut.
"Wilde, Hopps, our so-called 'dynamic duo'." Nick and Judy's attention snapped back to Bogo. "We've been getting suspicious reports of a black van with a busted taillight in Sahara Square. Witnesses have claimed they've been verbally threatened by whoever's driving it. The van has tinted windows, so the suspect's species has remained unidentified. Find the moron and get his car off the streets."
The two gave a quick nod of understanding and hopped out of their chair together. Nick grabbed another cup of coffee on his way out, and once they left the room, Nick began complaining.
"Ugh, why couldn't we monitor the event? Frank Zebra's playing Sahara Square and new new album's kickass."
"Who?" Judy asked innocently.
Nick's jaw dropped and he stared at Judy, bewildered. He shook his head.
"I have so much to show you in this world, Carrots."
The fox slipped on his sunglasses and opened the door leading to the parking lot, allowing Judy to walk through first. He never hesitated to show courtesy to any female he respected–a selective group that consisted solely of Judy and his mother.
Judy turned around, walking backwards through the parking lot so she could face Nick while she talked to him.
"If Fred Zebra is anything like any of the other quote-unquote musicians you've shown me, I think I'll take a hard pass."
"Frank Zebra, thank you very much, and who would you rather listen to? Gazelle? Justin Beaver? Gimme a break."
The bunny sensed she was getting close to her vehicle, as she made this same morning walk hundreds of times before and memorized the distance. She turned to the squad car and hopped up to open the oversized door, talking as she did so.
"I would, actually, and so would ninety-nine percent of the rest of the planet. It's way better than that weird album you showed me yesterday."
Nick followed Judy into the car, strapping himself in and pulling out his handy-dandy auxiliary cord.
"Neutral Elk Hotel is an amazing band, mind you, and you should be aware that you've lost five friendship points for making a negative comment about them."
"Oh nooo," the bunny sarcastically quipped, turning the car on and shifting to reverse. "Whatever will I do without those essential five friendship points? What does that put me at now, Slick? One-thousand four-hundred and ninety-five?"
Nick scrolled through the large repertoire of Frank Zebra on his phone, searching for the perfect introductory tune.
"One-thousand four-hundred and sixty, actually, and to make up those lost points you're going to have to suffer through all nine glorious minutes of. . ." he tapped a song, ". . .'Muffin Mammal.'"
The chromatic notes of the distorted electric guitar blasted through the speaker system, resulting in Judy's ears flattening against the back of her head.
The car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the streets.
"You know," Judy said. "You're the only officer in the ZPD that brings an aux cord on shift with him."
Nick smirked. "I'm also the only officer in the ZPD that likes to have fun."
"I'm fun!"
"Right, and in other news, pigs can fly."
Judy suddenly slammed on the breaks as a traffic light ahead of them turned from yellow to red. Nick lurched forward, his seatbelt locking and keeping him from flying out of his seat. He chuckled.
"If you think that I didn't learn to wear a seatbelt after the first time you did that, you really are a dumb bunny."
Judy rolled her eyes, leaned forward, and ripped the auxiliary cord from its port.
"Hey!" Nick whined in protest.
The bunny merely smiled at her own actions.
"I think we've got a match, Nick."
The fox lowered his sunglasses, following the direction of his partner's gaze as she slowed their cruiser down and parked by the sidewalk. Just as expected, a black van with tinted windows lay undisturbed on the opposite side of the street. The left taillight was broken and clearly non-functional.
"Wanna get his vehicle towed right now?" Nick asked. "Or would you rather wait and see if he threatens somebody?"
"I figured we'd go for the double whammy on this one."
"Stylish, I like it."
Nick simultaneously raised his sunglasses and lowered the volume of the current Frank Zebra song and putting his phone in the cup holder. He took a swig of coffee, sat it down in the other cup holder, and returned his gaze to the van. To his pleasant surprise, he noticed Judy's paws tapping the steering wheel to the rhythm of the tune. He grinned in self-satisfaction.
"It appears to me that someone is enjoying 'City of Tiny Lights,'" he said mockingly.
"Hm?" she replied, still facing out the window. "Yeah, it's alright, I guess."
"You guess? One does not simply 'guess' when it comes to Mr. Zebra."
"I don't know what you're trying to get at here, Nick."
"You like the song. Admit it."
"I'm not following you."
"Admit it!"
"Huh?"
"Ad-"
"What?"
"-mit"
"Stop!"
"It!"
"Okay! Gosh! It's a good song, okay? Do you want a prize or something?"
"Nope." Nick's smile grew broader. "I've already got one."
Judy rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."
"Yeah? You're hopeless-er."
"You're-"
". . .A WORTHLESS, SHARP-TOOTHED PIECE OF GARBAGE! I OUGHTA POACH YOU AND MAKE YOU MY NEW RUG! GET THE HELL OUTTA MY CITY, VERMIN!"
The duo's line of sight immediately shot back outside to see a crack in the van's window rolling back up. A female dhole was quickly scurrying away on the sidewalk by the van. She had a look on her face that matched terror mixed with disgust, and she was tightly holding the ears of what appeared to be her son.
"Harsh," Nick said, a bit stunned. "You're telling me this guy's been idly sitting in his van all this time, waiting for someone to pass by just to yell at them?"
"Seems so," Judy said. "You call it in. I'll go have a word with this pleasant-sounding fella. 'Kay?"
"Mm-hmm."
The bunny opened the door and slipped out of the squad car while her partner reached for the radio. He clicked the transmission button while he watched Judy approach the van, hands on her hips.
"Clawhauser, it's Wilde. We found the harassing mammal with the missing license plate. Officer Hopps is approaching the suspect's vehicle. Standby."
In response, Nick was met with garbled static from the receiver. He clicked the button again, this time more firmly, and glanced over to see Judy knocking on the door of the van, as she couldn't reach the window.
"Clawhauser, do you copy? Over."
Nick nearly mistook the squealing of burning rubber for another round of white noise. The driver's side door of the cruiser lurched open and Judy clambered in panting. She instantly geared into drive and wordlessly U-turned, speeding off after the black van. Nick had already turned on the sirens and thumbed the radio again.
"Uh, Clawhauser, buddy, I don't know if you can hear me, but we've got a 10-80. We're in pursuit. I repeat, 10-80 we're in pursuit."
"That lunatic nearly ran over my foot!" Judy growled as she made a sharp right-turn, following the van past a strip mall. 'City of Tiny Lights' still faintly played as they chased the van. Passerbys hugged the sides of buildings as the two vehicles raced past. A few took out their phones to record the chase, dropping their shopping bags to the ground to get maximum camera stability.
"Nick! Loudspeaker! Now!"
The fox fumbled with the radio and held the mouthpiece to his lips.
"This is the ZPD. To the mammal in the black van, pull over immediately. You are putting lives in danger. Pull over immediately."
The van reeled around a corner, two tires leaving the friction of the asphalt for a moment before returning to the ground. It swerved, leaving tires marks that would undoubtedly remain tattooed on the Sahara Square streets for months to come.
The van began to approach a dead end, the stretch beyond the street boasting tens of miles of barren desert.
"He's gotta pull over," Judy said. "There's nowhere to go."
Nick sighed. "Judy, I'm afraid you underestimate the profound desperation of a criminal on the run."
Just as Nick suspected, the van bounced over the curb and hit the sand. For a few moments the two cops gained on him as the van's wheels ground helplessly against the sand. About fifty meters before they reached the van, however, the suspect must have changed gears. It shot forward, shooting up twin plumes of dust and sandy earth as it sped away.
"Sweet cheese and crackers," Judy said. "Why doesn't anybody ever pull over when we ask them to?"
The two felt their seatbelts lock against their chests as the cruiser wheels hit the curb. Judy changed over to four-wheel drive to compensate for the oncoming sand. The crunching, sinking battle the tires fought was quickly won, and the squad car slowly began to accelerate once again. The gap between the two vehicles began to close.
Judy held her right paw over to Nick, flexing her fingers in a 'fork it over' motion.
"Give me the radio," she demanded without taking her eyes off of what was ahead.
Nick did as she asked, and in the split second she took to look for the transmission button, the front left tire of the cruiser met a small sinkhole in the sand. It wasn't nearly enough to flip them over, but it proved to be a substantial inhibitor to their velocity.
To Nick's dismay, the last of his coffee erupted from the cup, drenching his phone in the cup holder next to it. Frank Zebra's jamming made some skips and finally came to a halt, as if uttering a final, dying breath.
"Damn it!" the fox cried, grabbing for his phone as though it were a fragile infant.
As Nick attempted to wipe the coffee off his uniform, Judy regained her focus and spoke into the mouthpiece.
"This is it, pal. You're not going to find anything but desert for the next hundred or so miles. Stop your vehicle right now if you know what's good for you."
Whoever was driving apparently did not know what was good for him. And contrary to what the duo expected, he was not alone in the van.
The sharp, supersonic crackling of gunshots registered before the two cops even noticed anybody lean out of the passenger window. The sound echoed for miles, but wasn't strong enough to carry itself to the ears of civilization. Nick felt a thump followed by a slight decline on his side of the car. Despite Judy's best efforts, the now-deflated tire took the reigns, and the fox and the rabbit found themselves swerving uncontrollably in the loose sand. Momentum worked against them, and the car careened over, flipping once. . .twice. . .three times before achieving equilibrium on its left side.
Nick shook his head a few times to ease the shock, and raised his limp arms to massage his temples. He looked to his left–no, that was down now–to see Judy doing the same.
"Hopps, you alright?"
She did a quick body inspection and gave him a half-hearted thumbs-up.
"Good, good. . ." he said. "Can you move over a bit? I'm probably gonna come tumbling down once I click outta this seatbelt, and I'd hate to add to the whiplash you're pr-"
More gunfire made Judy's ears shoot up, and she hastily started moving.
"They're aiming for the gas tank," she said urgently. "Go. Go!"
Adrenaline pumped through the fox's veins and the world seemed to slow down. The bunny jumped out of the way, letting Nick fidget with his seatbelt, gravity inevitably helping him clumsily fall flat on his face. Judy grabbed him by the wrist and began to kick at the windshield. Confusion and dread washed over the fox as he helplessly watched.
"Carrots, you can't expect to break that! That's police-grade safety glass that-"
Spider-webbed cracks appeared on the window, and after two more kicks Judy's foot sent the shattered remains of the windshield straight off the car.
"Holy-" Nick began.
"Come on!" Judy yelled, yanking Nick out of the impromptu exit. She dragged him up a sand dune–not a big one, but it reached above their heads– and the now muffled sounds of bullets rattling against the frame of their overturned cruiser filled them with relief. They hadn't been spotted leaving.
The relief was short-lived. As the two crested the top of the dune, the shockwave of an explosion sent the two sprawling. Nick felt flying bits of debris patter against his back and whiz past his head. Some bits of shrapnel dug into his pelt, leaving him with lacerations that began to bleed into his fur.
Nick and Judy scrambled to their feet and leapt over the other side of the hill, ears ringing. Still disoriented from the car wreck, Nick collapsed and rolled down to the bottom. Judy slid down to catch up to him and again grabbed his wrist.
"Nick, we have to keep going! They'll notice we escaped!"
Breathless, the fox nodded.
He got up with the bunny, but a pained cry from her brought her into his arms.
"Hopps?" he said concerningly. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
She scrunched up her face in agony and took a few dry, short breaths of air. A trifle of a moan escaped her lips, as if she was trying to answer, but another wave of pain overtook her body and mind. Instead, she unclasped a paw from the back of Nick's uniform and pointed at her left leg. Nick's eyes followed her motion, and he gasped when he saw a deep, bleeding gash across the back of her hamstring.
"Aw shoot," he said in dismay. He kneeled down and laid Judy on the sand, resting her lacerated limb across his thighs. He slid his sticky, coffee-stained phone in his pocket. "Uh. . .umm. . .okay, Carrots. I really need to wrap this u-"
"No!" she loudly whispered. "They're going to find us here, so we have to move now!"
"You can't go anywhere on your own with your leg like that. We'll be wasting energy for nothing, and you'll make it worse. They have a van and–god damn, those were real guns."
Judy squeezed her eyes shut and let out a large breath, trying to keep herself calm.
"You-" she started, and took another labored breath. "You need to go without me."
Nook shook his head, refusing to accept that as an option. "No, no, Carrots come on I'm not leaving you here."
"I. Can't. Walk."
"No, Carrots, you said that least time you tore up your leg. We'll find a way. We always-"
"Hey, boss, there ain't no bodies in here!" someone yelled from the other side of the dune. The two stared at each other in stunned silence, trying to figure something out while the fire crackled from what used to be their squad car.
Author's Note
Yes, the Zootopian version of Frank Zappa is still alive in this universe, and yes, I changed the title 'Muffin Man' to 'Muffin Mammal.' Deal with it.
I'm not ditching Under an Iron Fist, because despite its lack of. . .you know. . .decent writing, I won't feel complete until it's complete. I'm going to set a deadline of December 28 for the next update of this story, because I feel like I'm more likely to update if I've got that hanging over my head.
As always, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my new shitstorm in the making.