Opening Statement: Alright, so I figure some of you guys are expecting a new flipped scene soon, but sorry to say this is here now... okay, let me rephrase that, this is an idea that was inspired by the last chapter of fellow author Bluewolfbat's one shot collection, if you've read it already, then you know where this will be going, if not... well then try and bear with me okay. Fair warning, this story will have cussing, and depending on how things go, perhaps some furry nudity, so for that reason this story is rated Mature... other than that I'm pretty sure this story will be a nice Teen rated fic, but I'm just covering my tail with this one. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and as a bit of fun, I'm going to be throwing in little Easter eggs into the story, which I will mark and explain at the bottom of the page.
Disclaimer: Zootopia and all characters related to the film are owned by Disney... I own nothing... dang it.
Judy's Strange Habbit.
It was a nice morning in the city of Zootopia, the sun was rising over the horizon, birds started chirping with their morning songs... and Nick Wilde, first fox officer of the ZPD, was still in bed. Now, for those wondering, no he was not sleeping in, on the contrary he was simply enjoying the sweet morning ambiance before he had to get up and get ready for the day. Oh, and why wasn't Nick rushing around frantically to get ready for work? Well, for him and his partner both, it was their vacation time, both he and the grey furred rabbit had been given two weeks off once their boss, Chief Bogo realized that Judy had been working non-stop on cases since she had cracked the Night Howler case with Nick's help, despite the cape buffalo demanding numerous times that the bunny go take a break.
Of course, being the bunny she was, Judy vehemently refused taking time off, and had pleaded, even begged on her knees to be allowed to stay at work (1). Unsurprisingly, Bogo denied her request, informing the rabbit that no matter the profession, all employees were legally obligated to take time off, especially police officers. So, with a sad look on her face and drooping ears, Judy took the two weeks off... though her mood perked when Nick had requested his two weeks to be cashed in along with Judy's, elaborating that with his being the second smallest officer on the force, that he'd just have trouble working alone, and wasn't willing to work with any of the other officers for the same reason.
Luck was on his side, and that is why today we see Nick simply lounging about in his apartment... that is until he heard something. Nick shared his apartment with his partner, something that was questioned by many a mammal both on and off the force, but truth be told it was simply for location; Nick's apartment was closer to the ZPD building than the Grand Pangolin Arms.
Back to the matter at hand, Nick heard what sounded like chewing, specifically teeth being scraped across a wooden surface... and his ears fell. The only other time Nick heard a sound like that was during an incident that happened shortly after Bellwether was sent to jail, the Night Howler pellets had been temporarily stored in the break room fridge, and during transport to the evidence room freezer, one had dropped out and fell into a basket of blueberries Judy had stored there for her lunch (2).
Needless to say, Nick was worried that this was something similar, so with light footsteps, he made his way to Judy's bedroom, waited at the door, and then slowly opened it so he could peek inside. What greeted him was an odd sight; Judy Hopps was chewing on what looked like a stick of wood, and not in any sort of leisurely manner like one would chew on a tooth pick, she was gnawing the crap out of the poor log. After about thirty seconds of watching in silence, Nick took out his phone, held it up, and clicked the picture button. The simulated shudder sound that rang out caught both mammals off guard, Nick because he had temporarily forgot his phone had a sound for taking pictures, and Judy because she wasn't expecting anyone to be watching, causing the bunny to yelp and jump in surprise, after which quickly hiding the small log behind her back and chuckling, Nick simply shaking his head and grinning his trademark "caught-you-red-pawed" grin.
"So... how long have you been doing that Carrots?" Nick asked, Judy feeling her ears burning up as she blushed, a nervous chuckle issuing from her lips before she responded, "I have no idea what you're talking about Nick." Judy replied, trying her damnedest not to crack under the pressure, before Nick held up his phone and revealed a photo of the grey bunny, the small log still firmly held in her mouth as she clearly had been caught mid bite. "Come on Carrots, I caught you, and I have photographic proof of you chewing on wood like a beaver... frankly, if this were a criminal offence then I'd have enough to take you in for questioning." Nick explained, his grin not leaving his face as he observed his rabbit room mate, the grey furred girl sighing before revealing the stick from behind her back, "Okay, I was chewing on this apple wood, happy now Mr. Fox?" Judy asked, Nick giving a confused look to her in response.
"Okay... why were you doing that? Is this like the time when you accidentally ate shrimp and liked it? (3)" Nick asked, gaining a groan and roll of the eyes from Judy, "No... it's to do with my teeth... rabbits have teeth that grow constantly, and we have to keep them trimmed down so they don't hurt us-"
"And chewing on wood helps with this how?" Nick asked, receiving a glare from the bunny, "It helps because chewing on this hunk of wood grinds my teeth down nicely." Judy explained, Nick pondering it and then smiling in understanding, "I think I get it... if you don't gnaw on that log there, then your teeth could potentially out grow your head... and to be honest the mental image that gave me just now was quite amusing, but I digress, I'm sorry Fluff." Nick replied, Judy smiling and then picking up her log again, resuming her chewing from before, causing Nick to chuckle and pat the bunny on the head between her ears, "You bunnies... always so fascinating," he said, Judy blushing as she continued to chew the log, the fox getting up and making his way out of her room, and to the kitchen, making himself some coffee and mulling over the events of the morning.
"Carrots, why does everything you do have to be do freaking cute?" Nick thought aloud, the gnawing sound stopping briefly, and before he could react, Nick found himself blinded by a rogue pillow with carrot print case on it, "I HEARD THAT YOU JERK!" Judy shouted from her door, Nick taking the pillow and tossing it onto the couch, sitting himself down and sighing, "Man... how good is her hearing?" Nick asked, his voice just barely a whisper, "Good enough to hear you talking about me from here Slick!" Judy shouted back, Nick smiling and letting loose a laugh.
And there we go! A story that isn't flipped. Hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think in the box below.
Oh, and for those wondering, here's the Easter Eggs I put in the story, and an explanation of their sources:
1. This line is a reference to Spongebob Squarepants episode 74a of season 4 "Bummer Vacation" in which Mr. Krabs literally forces Spongebob to go on vacation, to the point of leaving him out in the middle of the woods... all so Mr. Krabs could save a couple of nickles.
2. This event is actually depicted in artist Eric W. Schwartz's Zootopia comic "Bad Berries" in which we see Judy go savage from accidentally eating a Night Howler pellet. It's easy to find in a google search and the artist has many other comics based on Zootopia.
3. Nick's quote here is a reference to fellow fanfiction author Ultimate Naco Topping's story "Rules Were Meant to Be Broken", specifically Chapter 7 of said post, during which Judy unintentionally eats a tiny shrimp, discovers she likes it, and tried to hide that fact out of shame. The entire post is a very good read, and I highly recommend anyone here to read it for themselves.
Anyways, again I hope you enjoyed, let me know ehat you thought in the box below, and I'll see you in the next update, PEACE!