Here's a thing. Recently I've had this idea, and since I have the means to write it down, it's going here. It will probably become another one of my sories that updates infrequently, despite the fact that I already have it almost completely thought out to the end. If you don't like it, well, that's not my problem.
Inculdes a dystpic hell of a corrupt country, trying to hold on to its former glory, a massive conspiracy against its people, machinations of a power-hungry old mammal who seeks revenge against society, action, romance, humour, humourous action. Featuring, a wide variety of characters, from a dolphin businessmammal, a movie star turned crime lord named Mickey 'the Mouse', rats and rams, a cynical private investigator called Nick Wilde, and even a few appearances from sir Attenborough.
Zootopia is owned by the folks at Disney. It would have been much better were it owned by me (or it wouldn't have come out at all, because I'm lazy).
"Tensions rise within the Administrative Regions of Blackwood, Richlake and the Blue Hills as local nationalist terrorists release a statement that they've formed a coalition that will fight together, for the sovreignty of their respective lands. In an official response, the chancellor points out that the independence referenda held in these Regions were unconstitutional and urges the mammals residing in the crisis-stricken regions to stay calm and to not let fear rule them. The military has also declared to be sending aditional troops to combat the 'threat to our stability'. More on the terrorist activity in the West in the 1 pm news. You are listening to ./)Radio One./)!"
A generic pop song started playing over the speakers, filling the Bunnyburrow Central Station with an upbeat tune, in a stark contrast to its appearance. While it was indeed colourful and inviting, looking almost like a toy train station, the presence of beggars, bunnies, in a vast majority, numbering above a hundred, gave it a less cheerful look. Bunnyburrow was suffering from severe overpopulation, and those that could afford it, left, mostly migrating to the capital.
One such bunny was a young doe who stood at the centre of Platform 1. Smiling, the grey-furred female held onto her small suitcase, her violet eyes turned towards the South, waiting for her train to appear. Yes, the bunny in her twenties, like many others, was moving to Zootopia City, the massive capital of the Grand Republic of Zootopia. However, unlike the others, who left their home region with no clear goal other than a chance at a better life, this female had her purpose. Her dream, pulling her towards the metropolis.
"He-hey! Jude the dude!"
The young doe turned to see her parents, standing behind her, along with all of her siblings and some of the other members of her clan. Together, the group numbered above a hundred - which was still less than half of her family, mind you - and they've all come to see her off. Theirs was a family of respectably reasonable rabbits, who rarely ventured far beyond the borders of the administrative region of Bunnyburrow, after all, so seeing one of them move was a rare occurence.
"So, you're... you're... sure you won't change your mind, Judy?" her father spoke again.
The young doe, Judy, sighed. "Dad, we've been through this, when I left for the Academy. And when I graduated. Actually, we've had this conversation many, many times. So, I'll just skip it and say this. I'll. Be. Fine."
"Your father is just a little worried, Judy," her mother stated.
"Yeah, a little. I mean, this is the capital we're talking about. Zootopia City. I mean, every year, thousands of bunnies move there. And their families rarely hear from them again. It's just..."
"But I'll be staying with cousin Roger. We hear from him all the time, dad. And he's been there, what, six years already? He still calls home at least once a week. And he says you have nothing to worry about."
"Hear that, Stu? My brother's son says everything will be fine," her mother assured her father.
Stu sighed. "You always were more of a Turner than a Hopps. Always running out in the fields, or around the city streets of Kaerbannok. I knew from the moment you said you wanted to be a cop that this day would come. I tried to convince myself it wouldn't... oh dear, here come the waterworks!" The buck's eyes welled up with tears, his wife patting his paw to calm him down.
"The high-speed train from Foxenrise, Deerbrooke, Goldfield and Empire Bay, bound for Zootopia City, now arriving on Platform 1. Please, stand behind the yellow line."
"That's my train," Judy stated. Soon enough, the sleek bullet train rolled into the station, gradually slowing down to a halt. Doors, for mammals of all sizes, from the smallest to the tallest, opened up, and several passengers disembarked. Mostly bunnes and hares from the South, visiting relatives, but there were some non-lapine mammals, whose purpose of visit was to conduct business in Bunnyburrows capital of Kaerbannok and its surrounding arrea.
"Well, I'll be off then," the young doe said. She gave her parents a quick hug, Holding them close. "I love you guys!" And then, she bounced off towards the train. She could hear her parents, and the brothers and sisters who had come to see her off, saying their goodbyes, while the younger ones ran towards the train, waving. She waved back, even as the train's doors closed and started to leave the station.
"This train is now departing from; Kaerbannok, Bunnyburrow; bound for; Fenrirsholm, Fenrirsheim; and Zootopia City, the Central Administrative Region."
The bullet train accelerated, approaching the speed of sound as it travelled upon the magnetic rails. It left Bunnyburrow Central behind, speeding through the vast surrounding fields and townships. Despite being among the smallest Administrative Regions, Bunnyburrow had the third highest population count, tailing behind only Empire Bay City Region and the CAR.
Judy made her way to the uppermost part of the train car, which provided a panoramic view of the picturesque landscape it traveled through. Save for herself, a sleeping male beaver (castor fiber) and an old poster advertising a 'scenic entry route into Zootopia' ('See the city before you arrive at the station!' it read), the observation deck was empty. She pulled out her phone, put her earphones into her ears and played one of the pop singer Gazelle's older albums, made herself comfortable on the railing at the head of the train and admired the landscape, letting her mind wander.
For as long as she could remember, she had wanted to be a police officer. Well, not really. When she was very little (read: pre-school) she had wanted to be a superhero. But once she learned that superheroes weren't real, she decided for the next best thing: an officer of the law, who kept the Republic's Peace and put bad guys behind bars. And there was nothing that could dissuade her now.
As it turned out, severalt things made a good attempt though. When she first declared that her dream was to join the Zootopia Police Department, in a play which I will omit from this tale, for the reader has likely seen it a few times already and probably knows it by heart, her parents were not very thrilled (all the time throughout the play, her father had had his yep-this-is-going-into-my-cringe-compilation look as her recorded it on his camera). They attempted to dissuade her, telling her that she could always make the world a better place by becoming a farmer (which wasn't false - the Republic of Zootopia only satisfied only a little over third of its needs when it came to food, having to import the rest, due to the increasing urbanisation). But it wouldn't make her quit.
The next person to try to dissuade her was a fox by the name of Gideon Grey, a local tough guy whose insecurities had lead him to become a bully. By showing that he was bigger and stronger, he tried to insinuate she couldn't be a cop. As if that would work. It wouldn't make her quit.
The last, but certainly not least, obstacle in her way of becoming a police officer in Zootopia City, wasn't a person, but rather a simple formality: the height requirement for entering the Zootopia Police Academy. As a bunny, she was in the Small size cathegory, while the Academy only accepted mammals from Medium and above, as listed by the Republic's Size Cathegorisation of Terrestrial and Semi-Aquatic Mammals. To be fair, that last one did almost make her quit and settle for becoming a police officer in Bunnyburrow, but fortunately for her, the government's Mammal Inclusion Initiative was looking for a Small-class mammal to add into the ranks of the ZPD. The moment she heard about it she applied. Weeks later, she was visited by government officials, who congratulated her on being chosen, asked her to sign a few papers, and, by the next month, she was already attending the ZPA, with the next class of cadets.
The training was, in a word, brutal. Not only was it designed for mammals at least three times her size, the drill instructor, a female polar bear named Friedkin, wouldn't let her forget it. The young doe could have sworn that the bear was out to make her life a living hell. But even this, she endured, training harder than everyone else and (at one point, literally) using ther fellow cadets as stepping stones on her way to success - which did little to endear her in their eyes. Friedkin had warmed up to her in the end, though.
And so, she finished the academy - top of her class, actually. Due to her high scores, she was assigned to Precinct 1, which oversaw District 1 of Zootopia: the Concrete Jungle of the downtown one of the city's twelve districts, each of which had its own unique ecosystem. Here she was, on her way to the capital. She wondered what awaited her. What kinds of mammals would she meet? Would she get to see the marina, where the aquatic mammals of the Empire of Atlantis had their embassy? What was the Nocturnal District like, with its massive brutalist blocks which blotted out the Sun? How big was Little Rodentia, which boasted the highest population density? What was the Climate Control System like?
As if the gods wanted to let her know that they were listening to her thoughts, the moment the last question formed in her head, the sky darkened as the train was hit by a thunderstorm. They were now by the sea, already travelling through the Administrative Region of Fenrirsheim towards its coastal capital of Fenrirsholm. An anouncement was heard around the train, apologising and declaring that there would be a slight delay in the train's arrival times due to the unexpected weather conditions.
"Tch," the beaver, who had awakened due to the thunder, spat. "This storm over Fenrirsheim has been going for two weeks now. And they call it 'unexpected'? The ZTA, I tell ya..."
"Final station: Zootopia City, the Central Administrative Region. Passangers be advised: You will be asked for your entry documents at the entry checkpoint. Thank you for travelling with the Zootopia Traffic Authority: travelling with you since 1862!"
The train had come to a halt at the Central Train Station in District 2 (Savannah Central). Judy was still in a daze, ever since the massice capital city had come into her view, only minutes earlier. Enormous skyscrapers, reaching to the sky at the centre of a sea of buildings, divided into diverse neighbourhoods, from the snowy Tundratown to the green Rainforest District, had made an unforgettable impression on her.
She stepped upon the platform, observing her surroundings. Mammals of numerous species, from enormous elephants to tiny mice, were going about their business, disembarking or entering trains, walking carelessly with smartphones in hand or buying drinks at a local lemonade stand. The station itself was ornately decorated, built in a neo-renaissance style in the late 19th century, with the coats of arms of the original thirteen regions of the Republic painted on the walls.
True to the announcements words, though, a checkpoint stood at the exit from the platform. Five booths stood on the way out, with queues quickly forming in front of them. Without a moment to lose, the doe stepped into the one which seemed to be moving the fastest. As it turned out looks had been deceiving. For the next twenty minutes, she awaited for her turn.
"Next!" Finally, she stepped towards the booth
Behind the desk inside the booth sat a massive pink-skinned pig (sus domesticus), wearing a black suit and tie. His black eyes gleamed critically behind a pair of silver-rimmed round glasses. Judy had to crane her neck to look up at him, for not only was he much bigger than her, but he also sat on a raised platform, which made him look even more menacing. His officious gaze, fixed directly on her from the moment she had entered his line of sight, made the doe feel as if he were scrutinising her very soul. He opened his mouth to speak, and Judy half expected him to scold her for that one time she had been late for school when she was ten.
"Papers, please!" he rumbled authoritatively, reaching towards her with an open hoof. Judy quickly gave him a thick stack of documents, containing the entry permit, proof of employment, residency documents and more, along with her personal identity card as well. When she had found out how many forms one had to fill in in order to even enter the capital, she thought it a silly joke. But now...
"Name and personal name(s)?"
"Hopps. Judith Laverne," she answered, keeping her smile.
"Species?"
"Sylvilagus floridanus, purebred."
"Father's personal name(s)? Mother's maiden name and personal name(s)?"
"Stuart Peregrim. Turner. Bonnie Lisbeth."
"Do any of your close relatives live abroad, or in the Administrative Regions of Blackwood, Richlake, or the Blue Hills?"
"No."
"What is the purpose of your visit?"
"Oh, I've come to make the world a better place! I'm starting work tomorrow as the first bunny police officer!" she tried to answer cheerfully, hoping to cut through the officious atmosphere.
The pig was not amused. "What will be the duration of your stay?"
"I'll be staying indefinitely. Maybe until retirement."
"... There is a problem with your documents. Your entry permit has not yet been validated."
Judy's heart skipped a beat. What the pig had said was completely ridiculous, for she had made sure that her documents were completely in order, but the way he had said it made her wonder if, perhaps, she had forgotten to fill in the form in full. "... Excuse me?"
"It says here, at the bottom, 'validated on Harmony Date 7. 5. 2061'. Today is 15. 5. 2016 HD," the swine stated.
"Oh, come on! That's obviously a typo!" she protested, frowning.
The pig's gaze went from her to her documents and back to her, considering what to do."... You've been selected for a random search. Please wait, while I contact-..."
"Hey! Judes!" a voice interrupted, coming from beyond the checkpoint.
Judy turned in the direction of the familiar voice, to see a grey male bunny, a bit taller and a lot fatter than her, approaching with a smile. He had put on quite a bit of weight since she last saw him, when he moved to Zootopia City six years ago, and his grey shirt and pants weren't the type of clothes he wore back in those days, but she would recognise those blue eyes and that wide smile anywhere. "... Roger?"
His eyes lit up as he ran the last few paces towards her. "Belenos! It is you! C'mere, li'l cousin!" Before she knew it, Judy was enveloped in one of her older cousin's signature bone-crushing hugs. The pig watched them quietly, his unamused expression unchanging, as they embraced. Finally, they separated, smiling. "By the gods, Judes! You've worked up some muscle at that academy of yours!"
"And you've put on some weight! Too many carrot roots in your diet? You know those things aren't good for your liver."
"But they are soooo good for my taste buds! Mmm..."
"Excuse me!" the border inspector piped in. "It's always a pleasure, mister Turner," he respectfully nodded at Roger. "Do you know this doe?"
The buck chuckled. "Do I? This here is my cousin Judy. She's come here to become the first bunny cop, she did!"
The pig hummed. "Perhaps you can help clear something up then? There's something wrong with her papers."
"Oh? What seems to be the problem?"
"It appears there is a problem with miss Hopps' entry permit. It says 'validated on 7. 5. 2061'. She claims it's a typo, but it makes the document invalid nonetheless. I can't let her through."
"Tell me, Schweinberger, what's the penalty for letting someone without the proper documents through?"
"If I get caught, one hundred Zootopian bucks."
"Then how about I give you two hundred bucks? And you, I don't know, look the other way?"
"... Welcome to Zootopia City, miss Hopps. Cause no trouble. Next!"
As soon as the two rabbits were out in the main hall of the train station, Judy addressed her cousin: "Alright, what was that!?"
"What was what?" Roger asked, confused.
"Did you just... bribe a government employee? In front of me, a newly minted police officer? I mean, his cause for denying me entry was ridiculous, but he was still doing his job, which is to prevent potential threats from entering the city!"
The buck chuckled. "Ah, I see what the problem is. See, Judes, I merely made a small contribution to his retirement fund. You got in, didn't you? And the only thing wrong with your documents was that typo. Besides, the purpose of having border control between the Administrative Regions is not to increase security, but to lower the unemployment rate."
"Roger, you know I can't let this slide! I may start work tomorrow, but I'm still a policemammal! I should report both of you!"
Her cousin sighed. "Judes, I think you'll find that, in this city, 'donations' are more common than you think."
The two stepped out of the train station, into the warm Pride Rock Square. Judy dropped the argument for the time being to admire the plaza.
"Anyway, welcome to Zootopia City! ninety-nine percent of the wealth, ninety-nine percent of the energy consumption - or just any resource in general, now that I think about it - and the highest crime rate in the country. Thirteen districts, each with a unique ecosystem and climate, maintained by water sprinklers, moisture collectors and giant cooling/heating devices that have caused more climate change than that meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. The place where 'anyone can be anything'... By Toutatis..."
His cousin was not listening, but rather admiring the view. Other than the train station, the square was surrounded by other neo-renaissance buildings, including the ZTA office building, the Museum of Transportation and the Kingdom of Pride Rock consulate. At the centre of the square, a great rock stood, a monument to the Pride Rock's royal government in exile. Behind the buildings on the other end of the plaza, skyscrapers rose to the heavens, dwarfing them like a giraffe dwarfed a mouse.
Roger chuckled at Judy's impressed daze. "Come on, let's get you to the apartment."
Her cousin led her to his car, which was parked nearby, despite the shortage of empty parking spaces which evidently plagued the area around the station. It was a silver Lagos Urban Gen6 S, a sleek, relatively new automobile marketed towards the upper middle class. It was the model designed for the Small-class mammals, so, since bunnies were among the smallest in their cathegory, it was quite spacious for the two lagomorphs.
They drove off, towards District 1. The roads were relatively empty, due to it being around three in the afternoon. Judy was just relegating her travelling experience to her cousin. "Oh, they promised a scenic entry route into the city, but when we got here, the train went straight to the station. What's up with that?"
"The scenic entry for the bullet train?" Roger wondered. "Yeah, it's been under maintenance for the last... what, seven, eight years? I did get to ride it when I came to Zootopia University to study law."
"Eight years!?"
"Yeah. Now it's pretty much just a financial black hole."
The car entered the downtown area, driving among the massive skyscrapers. Most of them were office buildings, but it was apparent that there were a few posh apartment buildings among them as well, just to their right. Between them, parks were packed, in their shadows, with playgrounds, paths and small fountains.
"So, where do you live? Here?" Judy asked.
Roger chuckled. "What, here?" he snorted. "I wish. This here on our right, this is Respublica Heights, the most expensive neighbourhood in - probably - the entire world. Not only do you have to be filthy rich to live here, you also need to be old money. Here, you have the manmals whose ancestors backed the founding of the Grand Republic in 1753. No way I'll ever live here!"
"Oh... But you must earn plenty of money, right?"
"Well, last year, I made around seventy-five grand ZB, so yes, plenty. It's a booming business here in Zootopia City for us lawyers."
They continued their jurney, entering St. Romulus the Viking Square. It was the political centre of the Grand Republic and the city, With the House of Parliament, Republic Council and Presidential Palace lining its northern edge, Zootopia City Hall and Regional Courthouse on the eastern edge, the House of the Ministries, the chancellor's office and the High Courthouse on the western edge, and, on the southern edge, the police station housing both Precinct 1 and the administration of the entire metropolitan police. The neo-classical buildings gave the square an awe-inspiring look, topped only by the ten-metre statue of the tundra wolf (canis lupus albus) after whom the square was named.
Judy remembered her history lesson from primary school well. According to legend, Romulus and his crew were returning from their jurney of pillaging in the south, back to Farenderland in the north, a severe blizzard washed them ashore, at the mouth of the river Bigwater. The local tribe of beavers, led by chieftain Stumpchomp the Hospitable, took pitty on the freezing wolves and offered them shelter in their dam. As days passed, two more groups were given shelter from the blizzard: A caravan of reindeer trans-Wildland traders, led by the merchant Rudolf the Red Nosed, and the beavers' mortal enemies, the neighbouring tribe of otters, led by chief Otto the Humble. It is said that in the two weeks leading up to the winter solstice during which these mammals of different species had to share the same shelter, the four leaders became friends and decided to found the trade post which eventually grew into the city of Zootopia.
"That's where you'll be working, Judes!" Roger pointed out, nodding at the police station. "ZPD Headquarters and Precinct 1, both in the same building. Quite the sight, eh?"
"It is," Judy agreed. "I take it you've been here plenty of times?"
Her cousin chuckled. "I'm a lawyer. Of course I have! Someone needs to make sure those idiots who get taken in don't dig their graves any deeper." He sighed. "It hasn't exactly endeared me to the 'esteemed' officers of the ZPD though. A heads-up, Judes, lawyers and cops don't exactly mix."
"Sounds like you're not exactly fond of policemammals either," the doe commented, a bit surprised by her cousin's tone.
"Well..." he slowly spoke. "They're... They're not all bad..." They stopped at a red light on their way off the square. Roger took this opportunity to give his younger cousina pointed look. "Just a little warning. What you saw earlier, at the train station, with the border officer? Let's just say he's not the only government employee who's ready to look the other way for a donation to his retirement fund."
"What do you mean?"
"'Show, don't tell,' Judy. You'll understand what I mean tomorrow, when you start work. You'll see."
They drove for a while longer, entering a more affordable residential area. Dreary-coloured, badly maintained brick-built blocks of flats from the 1950s, which had been built to accomodate workers migrating from countries still recovering from the War, as well as the refugees fleeing from the Red Menace. Nowadays, they accomodated a vast array of mammals, from simple workers to students.
"Well, here we are," Roger announced as they turned into a blind alley packed between two blocks, in the Small to Medium part of the neighbourhood. "Grand Pangolin Arms, luxury apartments."
"You... You live here?" Judy asked, utterly astonished. The building, which was in a passable condition at best, wasn't something she had expected when she decided to move in with her welloff cousin. Why, it was something she would probably be forced to have found for herself had it not been for Roger.
"Why, of course. It's cheap, uh, cozy, the heating usually works, there's one bathroom on each floor... And, it's close to my office!"
"But couldn't you afford something more..."
"...in my price range? Well, let me tell you... There's nothing. The city's dealing with a severe housing shortage. I had to look really hard to find even this place. Luckily, a friend of mine, who's now one of my clients, by the way, helped me a lot."
"Huh? So what happens to all the Bunnyburrow rabbits who move to Zootopia? Thousands of them come every year."
"Not just rabbits. All kinds of prey mammals. Unless they can afford a suburban house up north in the Meadowlands, they end up on the streets. Even homeless shelters can only take so many."
"Cheese and crackers, that's awful! How come no one knows about this?! Why does it never appear on the news?"
"I see you still swear like a saint. It's something mammals just don't talk about. Judy, you'll find that in this city, there's this collective mentality that, if you don't think about a problem, it'll go away. Anyway, welcome."
They stepped through the front door, immediately greeted by a staircase. The room was dark, with a single weak light illuminating the room, flies, mosquitoes, moths and other flying insects buzzing around it. Next to the stairs, a door stood, with D. Armadillo, written on a plate hung on it.
"That's our 'friendly' landlady's apartment," Roger explained. "Don't knock on the door unless it's urgent. That reminds me..." He reached into his pocket. "Here's your key. Don't lose it. Seriously, don't."
His cousin, noticing his gaze darkening, stared inquisitively. "Why? she asked.
"Our flat is 606, on the sixth floor. There's no elevator, so we'de best start walking, these stairs, Judes."
Judy made no comment on the fact that her cousin had dodged her question, focusing instead on the stairs that led upwards. They were clearly made for mammals from the Medium size cathegory, the smallest of which were about three times her size. It was times like these she really thanked the gods for the excellent jumping ability of the lagomorpha. That, and her training at the ZPA, allowed her to easily scale the steps.
Roger, however, struggled quite a bit. She remembered that he had always been less energetic, at least for a rabbit, but, like his stature, his fitness had decreased quite a bit since last she saw him. He trudged up the steps like he had just run a marathon. On the third floor, he asked that they take a breather.
"Woo!" he exclaimed, fanning his face with his forepaw "Times like these, I wish mammals could use sweat to regulate their heat or something."
"I'm not sure having to clean our fur every few hours would be worth it," Judy answered. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a second." He bent down, steadying his breathing. "I swear, these stairs are getting steeper."
Judy took a moment to look around. The stairs had led them straight to the third floor corridor, which stretched to the right, walls a dreary pale pink colour, ending with a window, which likely overlooked the back alley where Roger had parked his car. Doors lined the right wall, at surprisingly short intervals, which made the doe wonder how large the apartments really were.
After a short while, they continued their way upwards, finally reaching the sixth floor. It was much like the third one, except, Judy could swear, the walls were slightly paler. Roger led her to the sixth door, upon which, once upon a time perhaps, the number '606' had been written, but now, only something resembling 'oUo' remained. Roger unlocked the door, looked at his cousin briefly, smiling, before slowly, and dramatically, opening the door. "Home, sweet home!"
A small, quaint room stood before her. At six square metres, it might have been small for two medium-sized mammals, but to a couple of Small-class bunnies, who were also used to living in their crowded clan warrens, it was more than enough. Two beds stood against the walls, one on each side, with a window between them on the wall behind them. At the front of the room, a closet, maybe small for a larger mammal but just enough for rabbits, stood against the left wall, and a desk with a single lamp, a microwave oven and a radio that doubled as a digital clock upon it. Underneath the desk, a small fridge stood.
"Sure, it's not much, especially for someone of my standing," Roger commented. "The paint is starting to peel off the walls, there's this squeaky spot on the floorboards," hedemonstrated by taking a few steps, "not to mention you have to share the bathroom with an entire floor of strangers. But it's close to the city centre, cheap and it's not like I do anything other than sleeping here."
The sound of hooves upon the carpet in the corridor pulled their attention back outside the room. Two antelope, a kudu and a gemsbok, had just come up the stairs. Judy wasn't very familiar with the bovine sexual dimorphism, but she was sure both were male, judging from their attire. The kudu was carrying a cardboard box, filled with books, while the gemsbok had a six-pack of beer under his armpit.
"Hey, Roger," the kudu greeted casually.
"Evening," Roger greeted back, with a bit more enthusiasm. "Allow ,e to introduce my cousin, Judy. She'll be staying with me for a while."
"Bucky," the Kudu introduced himself.
"Pronk," the gemsbok said.
"Your next door neighbours."
"We're loud."
"Don't expect us to apologise for it."
With that, the two antelope entered their room, closing the door behind them.
"Pronk Oryx and Bucky Antlerson," Roger stated. "They're not very talkative... that is, when you're talking to them. They always butt in when you don't want them to though. They never told me, but I'm sure they study political science at St. Darwin University, here in Zootopia."
"What makes you think that?" Judy wondered.
Roger didn't answer. He simply counted down from three to zero with his fingers, before pointing at the wall separating their room from the antelopes'. Immediately, shouting started to emanate from the neighbouring room.
"NO! THE COMMONWEALTH'S FOREIGN POLICY IS ENTIRELY REASONABLE, CONSIDERING THEIR GEOPOLITICAL SITUATION!"
"WRONG! THEIR DISPLAYS OF MILITARY STRENGTH ARE COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR, AND THEY DISHONOUR EVERY THIRD INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT THEY ENTER!"
"OH, SHUT UP!"
"YOU SHUT UP!"
"Call it a hunch, but it might have something to do with the way thex debate political issues," Roger commented. "Back to the matter at hand. Your bed is the one on the left. The left side of the closet is yours. The bathroom is next to the staircase. The garbage is in the back alley. Now, let get you unpacked."
The sun was starting to set when they hung the last article of Judy's clothing in the closet. Roger warmed up a pre-prepared meal for them in the oven: two plastic bowls of vegetable risotto. He explained that he usually ate outside and had the food in his fridge only in case of an emergency. As they waited for their food to warm up, the buck asked his cousin to turn the radio on and tune in on Radio 1 for the evening news.
"...-And from that day forward, any time a bunch of mammals are together in one place it's called a Zoo!-..."
"...-But overall, porcupines are one of the best protected builds of all time-..."
"...-They literally want you domesticated. They want to declaw you. Dehorn you! Defang you! And hot-blooded mammals need to realise that!-..."
"It's set to channel number one," Roger piped in, seeing that Judy was having trouble finding the station. "Just press one."
"...-Hey, Bigbad Wolf!"
"Oh, it's still on the comercial break..."
"What is it, Little Redwool, my sweet lamb chop?"
"Did you know that Imeatation is celebrating it's tenth birthday this year?"
"Really? Already? It seems like only yesterday when Imeatation Mutton first hit the shelves!"
"Doesn't it? They've come a long way! They're planning to introduce a new product: prepared pies with imitations - or, should I say i-meat-tations - of flesh in them."
"Well, what are we waiting for, my mutton? Let's go to the nearest grocery store!"
"Try our Imeatation Beef Pie, our Imeatation Horse Pie and our Imeatation Rabbit Pie! Happy tenth anniversary, Imeatation!"
" ./)Redwool, dear, you are so sweet, so is a nice joint of meat, sausages are tops, so are steaks and chops, meat is what I like to eat!./) "
"Imeatation from Fangwood Foodstuffs. Keeping the wolf fed and the lamb whole!"
"Ten years, huh?" Roger wondered. "To be honest, I thought it was older..."
"You know this... brand?" Judy asked. The mention of an imitation - or, rather, Imeatation - of rabbit meat sent a shiver down her spine, but she wouldn't deny that she was intrigued. Carnivores and omnivores usually ate poultry, seafood and, sometimes, bugs to satisfy their needs for animal protein. But most of these, save for perhaps ostrich meat, didn't contain satisfactory ammounts of vitamin B-12, found in the red meat of mammals. She had heard of the company that apparently found a way to artificially grow imitations of mammal meat, and, being the only one to successfully do so, Fangwood Foodstuffs gained an indisputed monopoly over the market.
"Oh, yes. Tried it once even. Friends of mine dared me to try eating rabbit flesh. I must say, I was a little interested what we tasted like."
"What was it like?"
"Let's call it interesting for now. Now shhh! It's starting."
"This evening on Radio 1 Daily:
"Leodore Lionheart, the mayor of Zootopia City, announces that he won't be running for mayor next year, as he will be dedicating his attention to leading the United Zootopia League in this years parliamentary elections. However, he adds, he intends to make these last months in office count.
"And, speaking of the elections, who are our runner-ups and how popular are they with the voters? Being Quinquember, the election day in Duedecimber is quite far off, but quite a few of the candidates believe that the early bird catches the worm.
"In other news, meteorologists warn that the storm over the coastlines of Fenrirsheim and northern Bunnyburrow might worsten. Evacuation warnings have been given to several coastal towns, as well as an orange alert for the Fenrirsholm port. Experts are chalking the severe weather up to climate change.
"You are listening to the evening news on Radio 1 of Radio-Television Zootopia! I'm your host, Rudy Wideantler!
"Good evening, and welcome to-..."
In complete silence, without any warning, the broadcast stopped. The light in the room went out and the street lamp no longer illuminated the outside. Judy's ears perked up, surprised by the sudden lack of light. Curses were heard from the apartment next door.
"Ah, damn it!" Roger swore. "Don't worry, that happens from time to time, mostly in the evening."
"What happened?"
"Oh, just a power outage, city-wide. I swear, though, they're getting more and more frequent..."
"Are city-wide blavkouts that common here?" Judy asked, shocked by her cousin's revelation.
"Oh don't worry. Power'll be back in ten minutes, tops."