Two of a Kind

by AnsemD

Seven mammals from different places of this world and with different backgrounds will meet in the city of Zootopia. All of them brought together by fate and some of them even connected through a shared past that bounds them without their knowing over centuries. Judy's and Nick's encounter and the Nighthowler case was just the start to a story that will shake the world to its core.

1. Decision

A/N: Dear reader, please be aware that all chapters still in a reworking process. If you find serious mistakes in one of the chapters, then please be assured that those grammar and spelling errors will soon be fixed. But I hope you will enjoy reading my work despite those mistakes. Reviews are always welcome.

ARC I - Something Begins

"We make our decisions, and then our decisions turn around and make us." - F.W. Boreham

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Nick

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The evening of a normal Sunday at the end of August was drawing near and the sun was slowly setting to the horizon. Still, a way to go. However, such things were right now not interesting for the odd couple, which was sitting on a table for two, enjoying their favorite drinks and the presence of each other.

The Burned Bean was one of those new and fancy coffee shops, that now opened everywhere around town and which stood on top of a little hill in the Zootopia Central Park. It was at the moment best and hottest place if you wanted to enjoy a good cup of coffee. It was also the choice of Nick and why should Judy disagree to something like this? As soon as she heard the idea, the gray doe was head over heels for the idea of the fox. Not every of his ideas for their time together was great, but Nick got slowly the hang of it. Nick even made a list with things she liked which were not exactly her taste. Right now, they sat together in a coffee shop, just the two of them, on the last table of the terrace and drinking, talking and having fun. Still, there was one topic that needed to be cleared from Judy's mind, before she could be happy for the rest of the day and Nick knew that.

"So, what do you want to do now Nick? Do you want to join me on the streets as my partner or not,"Judy asked with a big smile on her face. Both of her ears pointed at Nick with high anticipation. Nick knew what she wanted to hear but his gaze went from her small coffee cup, up to the adorable doe. For a moment he just tried to burn this image of her in his mind.

Like so often in the last two month, she was wearing her blue dress with the floral pattern on the edge of her skirt. On her right ear was a fur clip in form of a purple ribbon. Judy was watching very closely what Nick was doing. Her eyes didn't closed, not even for a second. He knew what she wanted to hear from him. And he knew, that the waiting was driving her crazy but like so often, he had no interest in stopping this game. He loved every second with her, so why should he end it this little game so soon?

With a smirk on his muzzle and a look that she almost knew too well, after the short period of their friendship, Nick raised his right paw to his chin and played the old "well-let-me-think" game. The teasing made Judy very eager to hear his answer. By now, she was standing on the edge of her chair. Her mouth was slightly open and revealed her pure white front teeth with a smile.

But Nick loved to see her going crazy over a question, she had asked him a felt eternity ago but which was shortly before her first TV speech and to which he had never given her a clear answer. At least until today.

Nick made a secret out of his decision but in reality he was long registered for the ZPD Academy. He was ready to end his old life and to begin a new one. No more hustling, no more tricks, no more living on the line between right and wrong or at least he hoped so. Well, maybe there would be the possibility to bend the laws of Zootopia from time to time a bit.

Nick smiled bright over his face and said," Carrots, you know that I'm a well-known business mammal on the streets of Zootopia. What would my customers say, if I disappeared just like that?" The fox flicked with his fingers to point out his importance and grinned.

"Mmhmh, yes business mammal... I think someone else can sell those pawpsickles." said Judy with a giggle and rolled her eyes. Smiling she continued, "And Nick, this is just a crazy idea from a countryside bunny, but maybe the ice-cream mammal could sell those. What do you think, Slick?"

This time it was Nick's turn to roll his eyes, "Okay, you got me. Maybe those guys could do the job." He took another quick sip form his black tea and heard how the short claws of Judy clacked rhythmic on the table.

"Okay, so you dodge my question again? Fine, I can also do other things to get my information. You know, I learned something about interrogation techniques in the Academy," Judy said and put on her cutest puppy face. Not very creative, but it worked. Nick melted internally but tried not to show too much of it.

„Oh no, Carrots, not this again and by the way, what is that for an interrogation technique? Whom do you want to make talk with that? Desperate bucks in their twenties to forties?,"Nick said and chuckled over his own joke. Judy kept looking at him with her puppy face and he decided to change his plans. He prepared himself for a little play. Putting one paw to his head, he did as if Judy would use a telepathy mind control on him," Oh no...bunny...tries to...break...my…mind. Must...resist...her...cuteness."

Her adorable face died in an instant when she heard the word, that always triggered a reaction from her. Two puffed up cheeks and two dangerous half closed eyes showed Nick that he had gone too far. The fox remembered that Judy had once arrested a hedgehog, who constantly called her cute during work her lunch break, they both spend together. Truth to be told, she looked especially cute on this day, mostly because of her complete meter-maid-dress but Nick asked himself from time to time, how far he could play this game before she would arrest him. However that would not happen, at least he hoped so.

"Nick! You used the c-word again. In public and without permission! How many times I have to explain this to you,"Judy said and pressed her little arms into her sides, to look even more intimidating. Something, that not really worked, because of...well, just imagine a bunny in a blue dress, with some stitched flowers on it, together with a purple fur clip on her right ear that looked like a ribbon. The problem should be clear and Nick wanted to play his game further.

"Oh, so there is a way to get the permission to use this? What do I have to do, Whiskers? Two weeks straight carrot diet? Or do I also need to become good at multiplying?"Nick said with a smirk. He wiggled his eyebrows and waited for the predicted reaction. And there it started, the fur around Judy's muzzle slowly turned from a pure white, into a rose like color. Her ears seemed to lighten up.

Of course she wanted to play it down. She sat back; and took a sip from her carrot cappuccino with extra vanilla flavor, looked to her left and remained silent for a moment. She pretended to watch some mammals playing football between some trees in the park, not far from the place they both sat.

"Jerk," Judy replied without looking back to Nick. She still gazed at the playing mammals and tried to avoid Nick's look.

"Oh come on, Carrots. You know you love me…," Nick said and for him it was a slip of the tongue, an imprudent sentence and maybe even more a wish than a real statement. But this was the moment, when Nick internally facepalmed himself and prayed that she would not stood up and run back to her tiny apartment with the two noisy neighbors. No, to his surprise, she was even smiling at him.

"Do I know that? Yes, yes I do," the gray bunny replied and smiled back at the fox – teasingly of course.

Nick exhaled deeply as he recognized, that Judy didn't take him seriously. She had learned quickly in the short time of their friendship, maybe even too quickly, how to handle Nick.

A look on his phone showed him that they were now nearly two hours in this little coffee shop, Nick was always fascinated how fast the time passed when they were together. He could swear that it had been until now not more than five minutes, that they had spent together.

"Nick, you are trying to dodge it again. Please, I just want an answer to my question..." Judy begged.

Her voice changed a little bit, she almost sounded sad and the least thing Nick wanted to have was a sad bunny. There was it again, this little sting in his heart which made him weak, really weak. No request, and it didn't mattered how big or small it was, Nick could turn down when it came from Judy.

For him there was no real question, if he would join her and work with her in the ZPD. She could be a garbage collector and Nick would say yes, without a second thought to her proposal. What should he regret?

Leaving his old life? As if anything would make him happier than leaving that piece of dirt behind.

Having a dangerous work as a police officer? Well, his life until now was not exactly free from danger and when he thought about those dangers, he realized that all greater ones were initiated by a mammal with long ears. It was either Judy or a grumpy hare with the name Jack.

What he was probably doing right now? Nick didn't know and the longer Nick thought about him, the less he wanted to know what he was doing at the moment. Damn, Jack still owed him a lot of money and an apology. You don't let a friend almost drown in the Canal District and don't look for him afterwards

'Stupid hare.' Nick thought but somehow he missed him. If he remembered correctly was Jack always a good target for jokes. One day he had to tell Judy about all of this. Hopefully, this day wouldn't come so fast.

What else should he be afraid of? Surviving the academy? Nick had overcome worse things than that but he also had the slight feeling, that hard times lay ahead.

To overcome the academy would be no problem for Nick but being apart from Judy for six months? This was unthinkable for the fox. Three weeks ago, she was just for a short vacation back in Bunny Burrow. Judy had wanted him to join her, she had said that there were more than enough free rooms in the burrow of her parents but Nick didn't felt comfortable enough to meet over 250 bunnies and he was the only fox. He also thought, that they didn't know each other well enough for something like this. A fact that had changed dramatically in the last weeks, but back then he had the same problem of missing her and he had the feeling that by now, it just got worse. Besides his discomfort on meeting dozens of bunnies, he had needed the time to submit his police academy application and of course to say goodbye to his old hustler life.

It was nothing big, just some small tricks on some innocent mammals, maybe a card trick or sell some good old pawpsickles with Finnick. But all the fox could do was sitting on a bench in this park, looking for possible mammals and...nothing. He couldn't do it. Every time he had made a decision and picked someone, his mind had gone blank and all he could think of was Judy in the gondola after the attack of Mr. Munchas, how she had laid her paw on his arm and said, 'Nick you are so much more than this.'

One sentence spoken by her sweet little voice and he was fallen, maybe that had been the moment he saw more in her, than just a bunny with high ambitions and unreachable dreams. And it had been the first time that someone besides Nick's mother and sister believed in him. She was somehow he didn't want to disappoint, somehow she had become important to him and somehow he had started to like her, maybe even more.

All of that had happened, despite the fact that they were the complete opposite sides of the same coin. A bunny cop and a fox hustler. Maybe it was their differences, which let them work so well together. Maybe it was something else that made it feel as if they knew each other for ages. As if they had met before in another life before, but that was nonsense for the fox.

But he knew one thing for sure, he needed her in the academy. In his thoughts, he wouldn't survive six months without Judy. So, Nick needed a solution and he needed it fast. However he had to be careful; she was smart, very smart.

"Judy." Nick said.

And there it was, all the tension and her anticipation was back but to Nick's relief appeared a smile on her face. She knew that it meant serious business when he called her by her first name. Nick smiled soothingly to Judy, this time without sarcasm or any second thoughts.

"You know that we spent almost every day in the last two month together, right?"

"Yeah, that...should be about right," Judy said and she looked now a little bit afraid, probably because of the sudden change in Nick's behavior.

"Do you really think, I would just leave you? I mean, we spend eight great weeks together and then just poof and I disappear? Nah, whiskers. That's not my style. Of course I will join you on the streets," Nick replied with a soothing smile.

Nevertheless, at this moment many things went through the head of Judy Hopps at the same time, so that she couldn't hear what Nick had said. All she could do was bring on her worries,"I hoped so too...but look...there is just one more week, till the next academy period starts..."

"Judy…"

"...and you didn't tell me how you decided..."

"Judy…"

"...and we need to register you and pack your things and…"

"Judy…"

"I wanted to instruct you and and…,"

Judy had one paw on her head and the other clenched to a fist, which was lying on the table. Nick carefully laid his paw on Judy's. The bunny slowly relaxed her fist and looked up into Nick's eyes.

"Relax whiskers. It's all done," the fox said with a soothing smile.

"You...did? I mean when? But...but we spent every day together in the last weeks? I mean besides the time in those annoying interviews, when have you done it?" Judy asked with a slightly open muzzle.

"The two days in which you made a visit at Bunny Burrow, I went to the ZPD in Savannah Central to deliver my application. There was this guy, I think Clawhauser was his name? He seems to know about me, joining the force. We talked and he wanted to know some things about y-."

Nick couldn't even finish his sentence; Judy jumped over the table and hugged him tight with her little arms around him and her head on his chest. His nose was now right between her ears and for the first time he could smell her sweet scent very clearly. Deep down in the ancient parts of Nick's brain, Judy should be prey for him. But the smell he had now in his nose was sweeter and better than that of any vixen he ever knew. It was almost as if he knew the smell. It seemed so familiar, he could put it.

Carefully Nick stroked over her ears, while she kept pressing herself onto him. She was light, warm and the only thing that filled Nick's mind in this moment.

Almost whispering, she spoke to him," Thank you Nick, that was what I wanted to hear."

He could almost hear her smile.

With his muzzle between her ears, which he softly stroke back when he quietly hear her breath, he knew that she inhaled his scent as much as he inhaled hers. She was sitting on his lap and if Nick could decide, she could stay forever, he had nothing against it.

Quietly, he spoke into her ears," Well carrots, as much as I enjoy you sitting on top of me, I must say our neighbors are not so delighted about our current… let's say show."

With widened eyes, Judy jumped back on the table and looked over to the other mammals. All of them looked with concern and some even with disgust over to the fox and the bunny. She held her paws up and tried to explain the situation with cliche sentences, directly out of every second Dollywood movie.

"W-wait, it is not what you think. We are just friends, okay? Ehm," Judy exclaimed loud and sat fast down, after the last mammal looked now back on their own table. Nick sat just there with his head leaned on his paw, smiling like someone freshly in love.

Judy needed some moments to collect her memories and just continued to talk about the last information, she still had in mind, "Wait, you said you talked to Clawhauser? About me?"

"Yeah, you know the two of us talked about the standard things, like which of the boys in the department you like most, your favorite Gazelle songs and so on. You know, typical boy chit chat."

"What? Nick?!" the bunny protested with a smile on her face. Nick saw that the mammals around them still glanced from time to time over to Judy. And he knew what they were thinking. Is that really Judy Hopps? Is she still spending her time with the fox? Are they maybe even closer than the media told them? He didn't liked those thoughts from them, all of that was none of their business.

Judy looked around her as if she was searching for something but Nick knew, she was looking for the same reason he was, other mammals. It was only because of her new celebrity status, which was something she hated and...well, let's say liked at the same time. She was now a symbol of hope, trust and safety for everyone in this city. The whole city had high expectations of her now and about what she would do in the future. The fear to fail was a heavy burden on the little shoulders of Judy and sometimes Nick hoped he could take some of them on himself but he didn't knew how.

Despite all of that, Nick never saw her waver. Because that was not how Judy Hopps worked. If she had made a decision once, then she would follow her way, comes hell or high water; giving up would never be an option for her.

Privacy was another thing that the little gray doe could only dream of in her life. She had to watch every step she took and needed to look out for every meeting and where and with whom it took place, here in Zootopia. This was one of the reason why Judy loved her time with Nick, because he didn't mind if there was a paparazzi or a fan who wanted an autograph. Often they were shocked when they saw them together, it seemed like a lot of mammals didn't understand that there was really a friendship that bonded them together. Most mammals thought that this whole fox and bunny friendship thing was just some PR stunt for the public.

"Don't worry. I just told them good things. You know me, Carrots," Nick responded with a smile.

"That's why I'm worried! You have to know he is a huge chatterbox but also the heart and soul of the Precinct One. And you have no idea how worried I was! The last 2 weeks, I've been asking myself again and again if you really want to team up with me and become my partner. I also had the fear, that you would go back to your old life and continue to do the things you had done before. And one day I'd had no other option than to arrest you!" Judy and exhaled deeply. This thoughts seemed to gave her some sleepless nights.

"For you, Carrots, I would always do that and you should know that by now!" Nick said with a little bit of hurt pride in his voice.

"Maybe you are right," Judy replied and scratched her neck. She seemed to feel embarrassed about Nick's words, and all the worries she made herself in the last days.

Nick, however, was not finished and continued," Besides, you think way too much about all of this and one day you will break your sweet little head over something, that isn't worth the time and that maybe will never happen." Nick said and watched how she blushed again. For him, it was almost too easy to make her blush.

"I was also afraid you would start hustling again, "Judy said with a little giggle.

"Maybe a pawpsickle here and there for the sake of the good old times," Nick replied with a smirk and waited for Judy's reaction. He could saw her jaw slowly opening and her gaze turn to a slightly angry one, but he knew that it was nothing to serious. They played just their usual game, like always.

"You promised me to stop that!" Judy said in a high voice.

"It was a joke, Carrots. Geez. I mean I couldn't even find a meter maid to pay for my Jumbo Pop," Nick said with smile.

Her eyes slowly lost this deadly sparkle and a smile appeared just some seconds after his reply on her muzzle.

"Dumb fox." Judy said.

"Sly bunny. You know, as soon as I'm on the streets with you, I can show you all the dark and shady parts of this city. And trust me, there is more than enough for us to do as cops," Nick said with a grin, not knowing that one of the rare and serious things he said today, was taken lightly from her.

"Nick, come on. I'm a cop now. I know the dark sides of this city. You know, we had there a little case with a lot of missing mammals not too long ago." Judy said, her gaze was on her almost empty cup and the index finger of her right paw, slided in circles over the edge of it.

"Believe me, Whiskers, you ain't seen nothing yet. I mean, what do you see when you are looking at this?" the fox said and pointed with his right paw at the skyline of Zootopia, which laid directly behind them. Judy looked confused and didn't know if she should smile or be serious with him at the moment.

"Well I see skyscrapers, some other huge buildings, apartments,...Okay I'm not sure what your point is."

He made a last smirk and prepared to be serious and Nick hoped she would understand. Understanding in terms of taking him seriously, but he guessed she would not.

"It's a facade, nothing more. A big play to trick mammals; you could also call it a hustle, sweetheart. Nevertheless the inner core of this city is rotten. You saw it all by yourself. Bellwether would have sacrificed you without a second thought and even Lionheart put the savage mammals into the Cliffside Asylum to find a solution. What his solution would have been in the end, nobody knows. Both were ready to sacrifice mammals for their own good. Moreover, this Fluff, is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more mammals and organizations who will try to corrupt, hurt or kill you." The fox ended without a smile on his lips and watched her, as the words sank into her mind. He hoped that something of this reached her but he wasn't sure.

"When everything is so rotten, then maybe it is good that I, as a police officer, am here to tear it out and compost it? You can call me the new Zootopia crime gardener and, between the both of us. I think I know a thing or two about plants." Judy said and chuckled like a little child. Deeply exhaling thought Nick to himself, 'Come on Wilde, give her some last days of freedom in this city. It won't last forever.' And so he played along and smiled.

Judy ended her sentence with a wink to him and a big smile on her muzzle. However, Nick couldn't keep straight and started laughing about the image of Judy as a gardener. Satisfied with herself, she sat on her chair, which was at least two times too big for her, and grinning she took the last sip of her cappuccino.

Not long and Nick wiped away his tears of joy, but said, "Oh, Carrots, I tell you, one day you will die because of those optimism but don't worry, I will be there either to go with you or to save you. But one thing is for sure, you will not be alone."

"If you are be my side, then I have nothing to fear Nick." Judy said and looked happy over to him.

And Nick felt that all of her words were true and could be cut in stone. He felt a little blush on his face. Strange, thought Nick, till now he had known no one who really stood for the things which were said. However, she was different. No lies, no hesitation, just the truth. It was somewhat soothing that mammals like her still existed but on the other hand, it frightened Nick. Because Judy would be hurt if she went on like this. Mammals would want to use such an open mind and Nick hoped that he was ready to stand at her side and to protect her from those individuals. The town, the bad boys, everyone knew she would do great things in the future and Nick would be there, to support her as good as he could. Just when the fox thought he had heard every strange idea from her; she came along with a new one. But that one was really rattling at his core.

"Nick, wouldn't it be better if you made a clean cut with your past? I mean to inform everyone who is important to you about your decision? I...I mean, you don't have to, it is just a suggestion...nothing more," Judy said and kept her eyes on the empty cup, which she was playing with.

"I thought you knew it already," Nick replied with a smirk. His gaze still laid on her and there it was again, this little blushing from before. Embarrassed, but happy, Judy looked over to him.

"Nick that is… nice. But you know what I mean."

And there it began, the inner dialogue of a conversation, which was way too long in a break, 'A clean cut? I'm not sure if this will work with every one. Of course, some will be happy to see me again but others will hate me for what I want to do. However, she is right on a certain level, I can't just disappear for six months and then return as a police officer. This would be even crazier, than what I plan to do anyway. Maybe she is right? Maybe not? Can you really deny her that request? She just wants to help you...idiot.'

For the first time in their friendship, Nick's face was serious, not played seriously. Judy would see the difference. No, Nick was in deep thought and Judy knew it was her request, which had made him like that.

He tried to give her a smile but even that was not really the Nick she knew, still, he said, "I will think it through Carrots, okay?"

A relieved smile came from her face and Nick could hear how she exhaled deeply. The crazy thing was that Nick really thought about the whole clean-cut version and going on with his life. The old Nick would put it aside, made a half-assed promise and never thought about it again but this was before Judy. B.J., Nick's new time measurement, everything before that, was almost meaningless. He looked into her eyes and was sure that he would do it, as soon as he could. But now was time for the hustler, time to play and to have fun with her.

Nick changed suddenly the topic and tried to excite her for a new idea, "Come on Fluff, I like to have some fun and I can see the seasonal funfair from up here. And, don't ask why but I can feel that there is a bet, that I can win against you on the shooting galleries."

From the table they were sitting at, they both had a magnificent view over the Central Park with its many trees and of course the Ferris-wheel and other attractions which seemed to grow out of the green and which already lightened up and blinked in many different colors. A worthy aim for couples and mammals in love from all over Zootopia or for a fox who wanted to trick a little bunny.

"You know that I'm a cop, right?" Judy said

"Yes, and?"

"We have shooting training and I'm not so bad at this. So I decline."

"Oh, come on Fluff, you are just frightened that tonight you'll find your master, well at least when it is about sending little metal ducks to heaven," Nick replied and felt confident that he would win this little bet.

"No, not really. But I'm frightened that you will cry the whole night because you lost against a little bunny and a female of course." Judy shot back at the fox

The grin on her face couldn't be overseen by anyone. Nick paid for the hot drinks and walked with the little bunny at his side through the warm evening in Zootopia Central Park. Along a path that leads directly to the area of the funfair and Judy was not aware that Nick's aim was still the shooting gallery. Thinking to himself he declared, 'Okay Carrots, you are begging to be hustled. No problem. You tease the hustler, you will get the hustler.'

"I was thinking, Fluff, that we know each other for over almost two months now, but we don't know really something about the other so…" The fox began and the bunny became suspicious about his behavior,"...so, Mr. Wilde, you thought you could ask me out and I would tell you everything about me, so you'd have something to tease me with?"

She answered quickly with a devilishly smile on her face. Nick put up again his fake pride and laid a paw on his chest to answer.

"Miss Hopps, I'm hurt. How can you say something like that to an honest citizen of this town? It almost sounds, as if I want to blackmail you, with a carrot that is in truth a recording device. Tststs. Who would do something like this?"

Replied the fox with his eyes closed and waited for an answer. Nevertheless, she was just walking beside him, smiling up at Nick with her big purple eyes and her twitching nose. But Nick knew, she got the reference.

"Okay Slick, what is on your mind?" Judy said and rolled her eyes. Nick, however, began enthusiastically like a little kit to speak.

"A game of course! It is pretty easy, so listen. We will tell each other a surprising fact about our life. The one that is more overwhelmed by the fact of the other loses. But remember, I said surprising, so please not the fact that you wanted to become a police officer or that you like carrot cake, okay?"

"Okay sounds good, but not really like a game?" Judy said and crossed her arms in front of her chest. The doe looked confused up to Nick, but she could see that he had still something to tell her.

"Ahahah Whiskers, let me speak out," Nick said with a grin and her gaze told him that she knew that he was up to something.

"If you can't name a surprising fact about yourself a small wish is granted for a certain fox, okay? But like I said, the main point is, that your story is more interesting than mine."

"Wait and what is with me? I would say, the same rules for me right Nick," said Judy.

"Clever bunny."

"Sneaky fox"

"To clear your mind. If, but only if and I don't think that this will happen, a certain bunny can tell a surprising anecdote of her life but this handsome fox here can't, then little bunny girl, you are free to wish for something and I will fulfill it." Nick ended the explanation of the rules and folded his paws behind his back.

"Mmmh I don't know…" Judy replied and began to think about the idea. Both mammals walked side by side over a wooden bridge in the heart of the Zootopia Central park. Mammals, tall and even smaller than they are, crossed their way over the lake. Nick watched a group of ducks swimming underneath the bridge they just walked on and waited for a reply. He decided finally to take things into his own paws.

"Don't worry, Fluff, just say no. I'm not mad at you. We both know that you can't win this game. I mean remember, all the things I witnessed in the past and well… your time in Bunny Burrow," Nick said and kept walking with a devilish grin on his face. Nick got her and both knew it.

And there it was, she stopped walking and started to think about his words. Nick could almost hear her little head overheating. In her mind she was fighting a battle, she could only lose after all her honor was insulted. Nick still kept walking with his arms behind his back and waited for her sweet little voice to speak up.

"Okay, deal!"

Lightning fast, the red fox turned around and shook her paw. At first, she seemed a little bit scared about his fast turn but she regained her posture rather quickly. Both stood there for almost a minute shaking their paws and grinning at each other like two demons who formed a pact to rule over the world. Nick slowly drew his paw back and waited for her anecdote. Judy had now her paw on her chin and was back in her mind to come up with something and Nick hoped it was something good.

"I think, it is only fair if we would say ladies first, Carrots," Nick said, grinning down to Judy, both now back to walking and beside each other. Nick, with his sharp eyes, saw the shooting gallery in the middle of the funfair. The fox became slightly nervous but just on the inside, his outside representation was as calm as a lake in the morning. No wave distorted his surface.

A deep exhale came from Judy before she started to talk, "Okay, I never told this story to anyone, but when I was 8 years old, I joined together with some of my sisters the ballet school in Bunny Burrow…," Judy said. However, her gaze was no longer up to Nick. She looked down at her paws. She was constantly rubbing them as if she would wash them right now. Nick understood, the heroine of the city was embarrassed, but for Nick's taste not embarrassed enough.

"Mmh, I can't even imagine the little Judy Hopps in ballet cloth, dancing to swan lake...oh wait, I can," Nick chuckled about the image he had in his mind, he also thought it would look incredibly cute but he banned this one thought for the moment back into his mind. Judy's inner ears and nose went like so oft this day to a bright red color. Nick saw that she needed a little push, to continue with her story.

"So, I think that was a great story and I'm happy that you sha-."

"It's not over! I have to concentrate," Judy said a little bit angry. She closed her eyes, took her little fist to her mouth and coughed calmly.

"Okay, okay, keep going," Nick replied with his paws defending up in the air.

"So after two months of training with our ballet teacher, an old female Russian rabbit of the worst kind, we had a dance performance….and I was very nervous…"

"And?"

"And couldn't sleep too well…."

"Yes..."

"And during the performance I..."

She really tried and it seemed to be a very embarrassing memory.

"...puked on my sisters."

"What?!" Nick shouted, that was definitely something, even the red fox didn't saw that coming.

"...And another kid in the first row of the audience." Judy added quickly.

Nick was walking on her left side and she was looking straight to her right just because she couldn't face him. Nevertheless, it was just too good, Nick couldn't keep it together and burst out in laughter. Judy kept walking and holding her left arm with her right paw. Anybody could see that she was totally embarrassed.

"Carrot . . . I . . . oh god . . . I'm sorry. I'm truly glad that you shared this experience with me."

For some time the chuckling of the fox about the shared story was the only thing you could hear.

"So I think I won," replied Judy calmly with a winning smile on her face.

"Sorry Whiskers, I think I can top that."

And with this words out, she was back and ready to defend her points. Judy was sure that even he could not top her story. Or could he?

"What? How? This is the most embarrassing story I know about myself. And you are the first one I told it!"

"Whiskers, I'm honored that you shared this memory with me. However, we have to keep it fair. Now is my turn."

Nick chuckled and looked at her depressed face. And there it was again, the little sting in his chest. For now, he tried to ignore it.

"Come on, Whiskers, I will never ever tell anyone about this. So please don't be mad. Future police officer promise."

Nick gave her a little wink and hoped that this would make it a little bit better for her. Judy looked up to him with a little smile, but Nick made also an internal note to himself,' If I'm ever able to travel with her to Bunnyburrow, I have to ask her father if I could get a copy of that video about this performance… Just for... reasons. I mean every father does something like that, okay most of them, I think.'

"So Carrots, the first thing you have to know about me is that I'm a pretty good guitar player and singer. Oh, what am I saying, I'm great! Well, how did I achieve that, you want to know? I had a lot of free time because of my hustling and I needed a hobby."

Nick watched her out of the angles of his eyes and he could see her jaw-dropping like a mature apple from a tree.

"You...what? Nick, we said no lying!" Judy replied, and Nick could hear the disbelief in her voice.

"Oh sweetheart I don't lie, one day I will play a whole performance just for you and you will love it! I promise." Nick answered with a big grin on his muzzle and enjoyed her confused face.

"You know, you can land some pretty decent scams on mammals when you can play guitar and know some songs about love, tragedy and so on. However, forget about that, it is the past and no longer necessary. Well, let's say it's true for the scamming but the music, that is still a part of me."

Her confusion seemed to deepen but so did her interest in the story.

"Well, it was seven years ago that there was a city-wide competition about who was the best singer and I tell you I gave everything. Thousands of mammals were standing there to cheer you up. It was great. Unfortunately, some mobster had an eye on me during this time, so I couldn't take my place in this competition under my real name. So…"

She watched him, still in disbelieve but with a smile on her muzzle,"So you took another name for the competition? But why did you enter it?"

"Because of the only reason I had at that time: money and maybe a little bit of fame. The winner would gain the incredible sum of $ 100,000. Besides, Carrots, I was doing well. Very well. However, in the end, I couldn't win the final for myself. I became second behind a lion with the voice of an angel . . . or so they said. I would say he had the voice of a 14-year-old boy before he hit puberty. But I'm fine. And yeah, this was my little story . . ."

She still walked beside him with her mouth wide open. Nick raised his paw and closed her muzzle slowly. She looked confused for a moment but there was still a question, that Judy needed to ask him.

"Wait, what was your name in this competition?"

"I still think that is the best part of this story! You know the famous bunny guitarist Buck Berry? Yes, okay. Well, I named myself after his most famous song 'Johnny B. Good'. Because, what could possibly be farther away from the truth than that? Especially at that time."

However, now it was Judy's turn to laugh as if there was no tomorrow. She stood there in the middle of the path, mammals walking left and right around her and she was laughing and holding her stomach with tears in her eyes. For a short moment, Nick thought that she had difficulties with her breathing but it was all fine.

"So, what would you say about my little story, Carrot?"

"Blueberries and I mean complete blueberries. I think I won this one…"

Let us all remember that this little bunny is not able to curse. Nick tried to teach her over the time but the not cursing rule was just too deep into her little bunny mind.

Nick took out his phone and searched on Zootube for the video they recorded on that day. 2,5 million views until today, 'Too bad, 'thought Nick,' that no one will ever know who this amazing guy was.'

Grinning, he held the little screen directly under Judy's muzzle and watched as her jaw dropped again.

What did she saw? Well, Nick together with some friends performing some pretty famous rock songs, the audience was going mad over the performance.

"Sweet cheese and crackers! That's you! I mean not exactly you, but a younger version of yourself. It's oh my, holy carrot cake! You didn't lie to me. You really can play an instrument and sing..."

"Miss Hopps I'm deeply hurt!" Nick said with a fake expression, that seemed to work on Judy.

"I'm sorry Nick…"

"It's called a hustle sweetheart, so now stop being so uptight and wait for my wish. Or do you want to argue against the fact that I won?"

She knew that she had lost, but she seemed to acknowledge her defeat slowly. But she did. And it seemed that Judy decided, that it was on here now to play with the fox. For this, she held both of her paws in the air beside her ears and tried to sound mysterious.

"Okay Mr. Fox, this bunny is all yours; do with her as you please. No more uptight talk," Judy said in an alluring tone.

With these words, she crossed her stretched out paws in front of her chest and closed her eyes. She looked seducing with her head up to Nick, still with her eyes closed. However, he was not prepared for something like this, nor he was prepared for the prudish and uptight Judy, not the one with light makeup on her eyes and a seducing smile around her lips.

Makeup? Something he recognized just now, where were his eyes the whole time, how could such a detail slip through his attention? Nick tried to cover his insecurity by acting like the hustler he still was, but the moment Judy opened her eyes to him, he knew he had lost. He swallowed heavily and could just do what a schoolboy could do, who stared too long at his crush until she noticed it and turned his head away in embarrassment. Not prepared to be hustled by her, he took some time to collect his thoughts. Still, with a shaking voice, he continued his talk with Judy.

"O-okay little bunny, eyes closed and paws to the back."

"Mhm, Mr. Wilde, I didn't know you already learned the police talk or do you know such talk from somewhere else," Judy said still teasing the fox. Another heavy gulp of the fox and he was sure that Judy had heard it.

Nick's paw went to her back, from where he tried to guide her to his target. But somehow his gaze crept over and over again down on her back, over her sweet little tail, which wiggled from time to time and he did not know if she did this for him, down to her…

"Do you see something you like?" Judy asked with a smile and her eyes still closed.

"What?" Nick asked, shocked in the first moment.

"You breathe in my ear, which is not bad… but which means you look to the left. Do you saw an attraction on the funfair that you'd like to take a closer look at?" Judy asked in her heartwarming way and smiled.

Taking a last look over the bunnies back, the fox started to smile and said, "Oh yeah, there is one attraction, I would like to take a closer look at but maybe later…."

They stopped right in front of the shooting gallery and Nick got finally his confidence back, he softly laid his paws on her shoulders and said, "Okay, you can look now."

Judy opened her purple eyes and she scanned instantly the whole attraction in front of her. She put her paws on her hips and exhaled with a shaking head.

"Oh Nick, really? I don't want to take you out," Judy said with a little-disappointed smile on her face. For a moment both stood in front of the shooting gallery, hypnotized by the movement of the little ducks and the blinking of the colorful lights. All in all, it was one of those typical tents, in blue and red, with four rows of ducks, 4 or 5 meters behind the counter. Even a little staircase for smaller mammals had been installed so that they could enjoy some rounds of shooting or could win something for their loved ones. The ceiling of the tent was tightly filled with stuffed animals of all kinds but Nick had long seen the plush he wanted for Judy.

"Okay Carrots, new game. Since you are so confident about winning this, there should be no problem for you to start, right? Each of us gets 15 bullets, the one with more dead ducks on the score wins. How does this sound?"

"Good, but what does the winner get?" Judy asked.

"If you lose you have to visit me once a week in the academy," Nick said and saw how Judy's facial expression slowly changed into a neutral one.

"Oh...okay..."

"And you? What is your wish..."

"No idea, I will come up with something as soon as I know."

Something had changed; Nick knew it but couldn't lay his finger on it. It was as if the whole atmosphere had changed and he didn't like that, not one bit. Did he say something wrong? Had he been too forceful? Nick tried to ban those thoughts in the background of his mind.

He turned to the owner of the gallery, a maybe 40-year-old tiger, who seemed to know, nothing else than his life as a carny. The tiger had a scar over his left eye, wore jeans, a white shirt, a camouflage jacket and nothing else. Nick knew him, of course, he did, he knew everybody. His name was Carlos, a guy who liked two things more than everything else, drinking and fist fights. Especially fist fights were something which Nick liked to avoid. Especially after he remembered, where he left him the last time...or better in which company.

So, he did, what he always did best, put on his best hustler smile and played along.

"Okay, Sir we like to have two of your best guns with 15 bullets each."

"Aye Sir, that makes 10 $ together...say do we know each other...fox?"

"Good, Sir. I don't think, that we have met until now...wait maybe in the church?"

"No,...I don't know. Hell, doesn't matter…," the tiger replied and went some steps back. He leaned on a pole and rotated a toothpick from one side of his muzzle to the other but kept Nick in his gaze and seemed trying to remember who that fox was.

"Okay, Whiskers your turn," Nick said and pointed with his paws to the counter of the shooting gallery.

"Say...do I have to worry about you and the...tiger," Judy asked with a confused look on her face.

However, Nick, tried to avoid the subject," What? Him? Pffft, nothing to worry about him, Whiskers...but if you would be so nice...just, don't call me by my name here, okay?"

Nick handed the gun over to Judy; she took it quickly and after a couple of seconds, she started to shoot the little ducks. The first shots did not go well; she missed but could get accustomed to the gun in her paws. In the end, she still had a very impressive score of 11 out of 15 ducks, not bad. She was fast and precise but Nick knew he could top that. She handed him the gun without any expression.

"Here fox, impress me," Judy replied and stepped back.

A short exhale and Nick started.

*Klack*

*Klack*

*Klack*

*Klack*

*Klack*

First row, clear. 5 out of 15

Nick needed to top the first, he put on his smile and aimed for five ducks in a certain order, "Every second duck in the second row and you have to give me a kiss. What do you say, Judy?"

It was just a joke from Nick and he just thought that Judy would blush and remain silent but not this time. After she processed his teasing and got the control over her dropped jaw back, she began to smile and said," Fine but I decide where and when. Deal?"

"Deal," Nick replied with a dirty grin and began. Inhale, exhale.

*Klack* - stop - *Klack* - stop - *Klack* - stop - *Klack* - stop - *Klack*

Second row, clear. 10 out of 15

Judy's eyes begin to widen as she saw, that he didn't miss a single duck on his way and she knew what that meant. Nevertheless, she still kept on smiling. Nick, looked for a short moment to her and said, "You owe me, Whiskers."

Nick wanted to end this game quickly now.

*Klack* *Klack* *Klack* *Klack*

Third row, clear. 14 out of 15.

And the last one, this is the only one Nick didn't get every time. But he had the feeling that this time would be different. Inhale…, exhale…. and shoot... *Klack*!

Judy saw this turned abruptly around and left the gallery with crossed arms. Nick shook his head about the sore loser; he would soon follow but needed his price at first.

"Okay hotshot, you made it. Now, you have the freedom to choose anything you want. What should it be?" The Tiger asked, still leaning against his pole.

Nick's gaze wandered over the army of cuteness that hung over him, waiting for their new masters, just to rediscover the right thing he saw for her. A smile flashed over his face as soon as he the right plushie.

"Oh, I think I found it. Could you please give me the last item on the right side and could you please put it in a bag? That would be really nice of you."

"Are you sure? That is not even the biggest, cutest or fluffiest animal?"

"No, but it will be the perfect stuffed animal for a certain mammal," Nick replied chuckling.

"Here, hope she will like it."

"Oh, believe me, she will," Nick said but just then and just for a short moment seemed Nick's mind to skip a thought. Still caught in his daydream, about how he wanted to give the present to Judy, he said," Well, see you, Carlos."

Not even realizing his mistake, turned Nick around and walked away but the tiger took now an even closer look at the red fox.

"Wait a moment, I never told you my first...Nick? It's you isn't it?" Carlos asked confused about the sudden realization.

In shock, Nick stood still on his feet and thought for a way out of his current predicament. He also had to check why his mind always went blank as soon as he thought about Judy. Nick needed to find her, but at first, he had to solve his problem with the Tiger behind him.

"What? Ehm...No...I don't know anyone by that name…," Nick tried to explain, but Carlos was faster.

"It's you,...I can't believe it. Did you really think, I wouldn't recognize you, Wilde? Sometimes I need a little time...but you...just tried to ignore me."

His hands were up as if Judy took him in arrest. Slowly, Nick turned around and exhaled deeply. Still, a little bit frightened the fox began to talk," Fine Carlos, you got me. What do you want? Money? How much do I owe you?"

"What? Nothing or at least an apology, for trying to ignore me," Carlos said, now with a grin on his muzzle. His toothpick hung from his right side and he waited for an explanation from the fox.

"You...you are not mad at me, big boy?" Nick asked with confusion. The red fox was careful, he knew how fickle the Tiger could be.

"What? For ignoring me? Well, a little." Carlos replied.

"You still know, where we saw each other the last time, right?"

"Yeah, in the rain forest district, in the 'Blue Oyster Bar'. I'm a regular guest by now. Why don't you come over from time to time? Have some drinks, dance a bit, have fun you know?"

Nick slowly became suspicious about the situation and looked dazzled to his left and right, just to check if there weren't more mammals, which were maybe even waiting for him. He still didn't understand what was going on here. He walked the last steps back and was now directly standing at the counter of the gallery.

"You know this is a club for male mammals, right? And with that, I mean special male mammals?"

"Yes, and?"

"And, you like it there?"

"Yeah, great place."

"Aha, you're sure?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Nothing, all good and hey whatever floats your boat. So, sorry for my bad behavior from before and a good day to you Carlos; maybe we'll see each other again," Nick said and knocked two times on the counter of the shooting gallery. He left the confused Carlos in his tent and waved a last time over his back, Carlos leaned just back at the tent pile and shook his head.

Smiling to himself, he looked at the bag and tried to follow Judy's weak but sweet scent over the area of the funfair, which was not so easy in a place with popcorn, sugar-coated apples, cotton candy, and other delicious things. Nick was sure that his sister would love it here, the sugar-addicted vixen. A lot of mammals walked now over the area, couples, families, and groups of youngsters, all with the aim to have a good time here. He also passed a lot of booths, most of the containing some games, food and in one he even saw a fortune teller but all had one thing in common, they were good visited. After some minutes he could finally smell her sweet scent again, not strongly but enough for him to follow her over the yard. Not much longer and Nick found her standing beside a lantern, her ears up, like ever when she was curious about something. It was easy to tell that Judy was interested in the huge Ferris wheel in front of her but her ears dropped as soon she saw the huge crowd in front of it, waiting would take a long time...on the normal way but she forgot that she was here with Nick. He needed not even 3 seconds to understand what she wanted and stood himself behind her and said, "Hey Whiskers, do you want to take a ride on the Ferris wheel?"

"That would be great but...it's already late and tomorrow I have an early shift in the department...and the queue in front of it is just too long…and NICK...WHAT DO YOU-?! LET ME DOWN!" Judy shouted in Nick's ear, who just grabbed her by her waist and took her over his left shoulder. She was light and Nick grinned over the tantrum she threw at him. Her feet into the front and her head over Nick's back she tried to come free but it was no use, the fox held her tight, his paw just some inches over her tail on her back.

"NICK...LET ME DOWN! EVERYONE IS LOOKING," the bunny screamed with a completely red head. And what should Nick say? Yes, everyone was looking. However, who wouldn't, if you heard a little bunny screaming and it turned out that this little bunny was also the famous police officer from TV, who everybody knew and loved. And that the fox who held her captive, was also the one, with whom she solved the case. Nevertheless, why should anybody be worried? Everyone would see just two friends, having fun...or at least one of them had.

"Of course is everybody looking, Whiskers. I mean, you scream like crazy, on a funfair, where everybody tries to have fun . . . you know that's why it's called a 'fun' fair," Nick said smiling to Judy, walking through the aisle between the booths, in direction of the exit from the Ferris wheel.

Her protest kept coming but her voice was now quieter, almost whispering she said to Nick, "Please Nick, let me down. I think they can look under my dress…."

"Don't worry Carrots; do you really think I would let them do this? They can just see your pretty legs, that's all," Nick replied and heard no more complaining from his shoulders. However, he did not need to see but knew nonetheless that her ears and cheeks would be decorated by a bright red.

Nick went directly to the exit of the Ferris wheel, where he searched for Dustin, an old friend of his, who worked like Carlos on the same funfair. Shortly before reaching him, Nick put Judy back on the ground. Her big eyes looked directly at Nick, as she wanted to hear something from him.

"Everything okay, Carrots?"

"Do...do really think that?"

"Think what?"

"That I have pretty legs?"

"Well, you also have a pretty tail but yes, I really think that. Is that so bad, Whiskers?" Nick said to Judy and grinned. Blushing and obviously happy with the answer, Judy turned to the exit of the Ferris wheel and walked slowly in this direction; well, hopped would be the better description for her behavior.

Nick followed her until she stopped, standing directly behind a relatively big warthog. Dustin was like always doing his job, he was standing there and helping mammals out of the gondolas and what should Nick say, he was good at it. He was probably the warthog on this planet with the slowest reaction but he was a good guy.

"Hey Dustin, how are you doing?"

The warthog turned around and needed a moment to realize who the red fox was. However, as soon as he understood who was visiting him, he spoke with a big smile to the red fox.

"Nick! How long has it been? 3 years? Oh man. Great to see you, how are you doing?"

"Well, it's been 7 years since I worked here but we meet about 6 months ago or so, during the Spring Festival. You worked there at the auto scooter, remember?" Nick asked. Dustin seemed confused but nodded after some seconds of thinking.

"Yeaaaaah, riiight. Sorry, my head...you know. So, what can I do for you and your little girlfriend?"

With these words, he looked at Judy and gave her a little wink. She still did not understand what was going on and why they stood at the exit of the Ferris wheel.

"Thanks for asking, could you organize us a gondola? Just for the two of us, you know? And don't worry I owe you one." Nick said and gave a little salute to the warthog, who just stood there and grinned before he continued.

"Sure Nick and don't worry, you can stay as long as you want. Just stand up when you come down so that I can let you both out." Dustin said.

"Thanks, Buddy, you have my number if you need something."

Nick nodded at him and gave a little wink to Judy to calm her down. He could already imagine that she wasn't okay with his approach of taking a ride on the Ferris wheel like this. Dustin opened the next arriving gondola for them and Nick held his paw to Judy to help her into the cabin. With light feet, Judy stepped in the gondola and sat on the right side. Nick followed her and sat across her.

Dustin closed the door of the gondola and after a first jolt, the Ferris wheel began again to move. Silence fell over the odd couple. For a while, they just sat and enjoyed the great view they had from their places. But after a while as if their eyes were to opposite poled magnets, went both their glances back at each other. They couldn't do anything about this.

Nick, who wore like so many times his green Hawaii shirt and brown pants, spread his arms over the backrest of his seat and looked deep into her purple eyes. Judy instead folded her paws and looked at the fox and his emerald green eyes.

Surprisingly for both of them was, that the silent moments they both shared never felt awkward. It was more a calm time were both could gather their thoughts, or enjoy a short moment of silence without the force to say anything, and knowing that the other was still there waiting to continue their conversations whenever they felt like it.

The gondola slowly rose above the trees of the park and showed them the illuminated skyline of Zootopia. Judy seemed to enjoy the warm evening, the light breeze and the view over the city. She turned her head to the skyline of the inner city, while she started to speak.

"Why did you hustle me into visiting you?" Judy said with a sad sounding voice. She got him and Nick knew it. She caught him on spot with his paw in the cookie jar, like his Mum did when he was a little cub. And like always she was too clever, as if she wouldn't recognize what Nick was doing. That again confirmed Nick's theory, that her sweet and cute face was just a facade for all of her talents.

'We all wear masks, right Judy? Some of us look sly and others look cute but still, we are all wearing masks,' Nick thought to himself and of course he would try to come out of this.

"What do you mean, Carrots? We just had some fun during the day and..." Nick started to explain but Judy's gaze allowed no further flimsy excuses. The doe looked at him, like a mother who knew which of her kids broke the vase and who was tired of hearing any more lies about it. Nick knew his teasing of her ended for today.

"Don't play dumb with me. I'm not in the mood for this now. The moment we left the cafe, I knew you were up to something! You pulled the first move with the surprising fact game, just to force me into your little shooting game, in which you were amazingly good but nonetheless that lead to your wish, that I shall visit you. Am I right Mr. Wilde?" Judy said, and Nick could see how she stomped nervously with her right feet on the ground.

"First, thank you for the compliment, that I was amazingly good, you know, I like this sentence from females; and second, don't you want to visit me?" Nick asked confused, he had thought she would do it, despite the fact that they had known each other just for some weeks. Maybe he was wrong and what he

"That is not the point Nick. To be honest, I was quite impressed with the plan you worked out and shared on memories with me, just to see a bunny from time to time in the academy." Judy replied, and gave him a smile. Nick exhaled deeply, only the truth was something that could save him now.

". . . Fine. Do you want to know? I was embarrassed and thought you wouldn't visit a grown-up fox. I just need my weekly dose of Carrots; I mean, who else would I tease the whole time?" Nick tried to smile but it wasn't one of his best smiles today, he felt that, at the moment, Judy was pretty damn serious.

"Nick, in half a year, you will be my partner on the streets. Our lives depend on the trust we share and so does our friendship. It is not something that can be taken lightly." Judy said with a serious gaze and her arms crossed in front of her chest

"I know... I'm sorry." Nick replied and dropped his head, watching to the floor of the gondola.

Judy started to lean over to Nick and took his snout into her paws. Her face was just some inches away from his. Nose to nose.

Nobody knew it, not even Judy but at this moment Nick was so nervous about the closeness to another mammal, like never before in his life, and he had to concentrate on his feelings or his head would easily close the gap. A hard fight was taking place in his head, the one side screamed 'Come on, do it. Kiss her, that's what you want and she probably too!' but the other cried almost as loud as the first one 'NO! Stop it, you risk the best friendship you ever had! What is if she doesn't like you?', but none of them seem to win and so he remained silent and waited for her to reply.

"So please, never do this again."

Nick had no cool or catchy answer, or even something elaborated, so he just stuck to the obvious. Plain and simple.

"Never."

And with this word out, she gave him a little spank with her paws on his muzzle and started like to laugh like a little kid who tricked his best friend. Nick realized slowly that this was exactly what happened just now. She had tricked him.

"Good, because, twice a week, I will work as an instructor at the academy. Of course, I will visit you at the weekends. You know, Bogo didn't want me to work alone, so I'm up to 3 days paperwork and 2 days in the academy."

Now the time had come for Nick's jaw to drop and his gaze faded to pure emptiness. Slowly he asked the only possible but also a rhetorical question.

"You tricked me?" Nick said in utter disbelief. Unable to understand that this little and cute face had fooled him? Her? Miss Righteousness?

"It's called a hustle sweetheart and I know you would like it." Judy purred into his face, her smile wider than ever before. It took him some time but he regained his normal expression and was ready to shoot back.

"I can't believe it you . . . Well, actually. . . . You know you would make a pretty good hustler? Don't you?" Nick said with his smug face.

"Oh, how dare you!" Judy replied and played the hurt police officer.

"Sly Bunny."

"Dumb fox."

Both chuckled and continued watching the skyline again. They were by now on the highest point of the Ferris wheel and before the town at night. A majestic view for the too, which silenced both for a moment, until Judy remembered what she wanted to ask.

"Say, Nick, you didn't sell just pawpsickles to mammals, right?" Judy asked and he could hear that she didn't want to hear another sly comment from him, just the truth.

"What, for so long? No, I worked here and there, met mammals, sold things. How do you think I could know so many of them? Like I said, it was no understatement, when I said I knew everybody." Nick replied. The fox still watched the skyline, while he leaned with his left arm on the railing of the gondola. His head laid on his arm.

"So like Dustin? He seems to be a nice guy? Why did you stop working here?"

"Oh he is the best, maybe a little bit slow but hey, at least he didn't work for the DMV. The funfair events...well, let's say the boss of the funfair and I had different opinions on a specific topic and he kicked me out"

"Sounds pretty unspecific..."

Nick smiled and went into deeper details about his mysterious past. A past with so many stories, that he would need half his life to tell Judy every one of them.

"The boss of this place was in a leading position for mammal trafficking. Because this funfair changes its location every eight weeks, it is very suitable for hiding mammals as a layover and no, I had nothing to do with this. I heard the whole news about this place from Dustin and helped him to shut it. I too had my limits and something you can call a code: no drugs, no weapons, no money and of course no mammals. Because of this restriction, I was dead for most of the criminals in this town, I mean in terms of business. So, the only things I could do to earn my daily meal was to do half legal things, like the one you caught me with." Nick explained. His head still rested on his arm but he looked now directly at Judy.

"So, this code is the reason you walked on the fine-line between honest citizen and street hustler?" Judy asked carefully and with her best smile.

Nick leaned a little bit over the railing of the gondola, to enjoy the breeze of the warm summer night and looked again over to the skyline of the city. Judy watched how the fur on his muzzle moved slowly in the wind.

"Exactly, that's what happened...Well, at least until some cute little bunny came along and accused me of tax evasion," Nick said and winked to Judy, who thought for a moment about the scolding Nick for using the c-word but seemed to let it slide for this time

"Anyhow, there were this two girls, bobcat sisters, and the owner saw them as personal property. One night, after Dustin told me this I helped them to escape. Together they went to the ZPD, made a statement, got protection from someone in the city and got the director into jail. And this was 7 years ago...but still today I don't understand why I did that."

Nick closed his eyes and waited for a reply from the doe, but after some time he felt something on his right paw. Judy had grabbed for Nick's right paw and enclosed it with both of hers. Happy like a little child beamed Judy up to the fox, who couldn't understand what she wanted from him.

"I know why because you have more in you and you have the urge to help mammals. That's why I want you as my partner and nobody else! But tell me, was this the same incident that lead to the music competition and you changing your name?" Judy said and drew her paws back.

Nick was tipping his nose with one of his fingers to show her that she was on the right path. After that, she laid her paw on his and was watching him again with those big amethyst eyes. If this was one of those romantic movies, in which Nick had been with Judy one or two times, they would kiss now and say how much they loved each other but this wasn't a movie, this was their reality.

It was not the right time, Nick decided, and he broke the romantic moment, despite the fact that he liked the atmosphere. Like month ago, where he had been in the nearly same situation with Judy, Nick exhaled deeply and drew his paw back.

"Oh come on Carrots, let's not be so emotional. Besides, I have something for you."

Judy showed at first a slight disappointment about the interrupted atmosphere but as soon as she saw the gift from Nick, her curiosity won over the feelings from the little bummer and, like always when something interested her, Judy raised her ears.

"What? For me?"

"Yep, just for you. I think it's not bad, that you have this one for the time the real deal isn't around."

The nose of the little doe twitched fast, as she followed Nick's paws with her eyes. Her own paws clasped the blue fabric of her dress over her thigh. He pulled a stuffed animal out of the bag, more exactly a little red fox, half her size. Judy's eyes light up and confirmed his correct choice of a plushie.

"Oh my god, thank you, Nick! That's so . . . I mean I never got a present from someone on a funfair! Thank you!" Judy said and gave Nick a quick hug and another dose of her sweet scent.

But she seemed to make fun of Nick. Why wouldn't get a pretty bunny like her not a present on a funfair from someone? It made no sense for the fox.

"What? There's not some happy memory between you and a buck your age, strolling arm in arm over the funfair in Bunnyburrow? Eating cotton candy on this both and driving auto scooter on the next?" Nick asked with a questioning gaze on his face.

But Judy just kept on smiling, she turned the stuffed fox in her paws, inspecting every inch of him. The red of the stuffed mammal almost matched perfectly the one of Nick's. To all of this came that the little guy wore brown pants and a green shirt, just like another fox she knew.

"No, not once," Judy replied still inspecting the gift and didn't seem depressed about the answer she gave. And there it was again, that little sting, that Nick felt as Judy told her that and he could just try to be sorry.

"Geez Carrots, I'm sorry to hear that," Nick replied.

"You don't have to be. Until now, I was never really interested in any relationship. So don't worry. To become a cop was my number one wish and, besides that, I was like an outsider in our school." Judy said as if it was nothing but Nick knew just too well how it was and what it did to you to be left alone.

"Why's that?"

"I stood up for everyone who had problems and tried even back then to make the world a better place. But some of the other mammals made fun of me and tried to avoid me because of my odd behavior." Judy explained with no trace of remorse.

Nick noticed her statement about relationships and asked himself what she meant with that. Judy, however, placed the fox on her lap and hugged him from behind. Nick could see how tired she was, as soon as she placed her head on the head of the stuffed fox. Never in his life, Nick wanted so badly to change his place with a stuffed animal, well, basically he had never wanted that before, but there's a first time for everything.

"Don't worry, Carrots, from now on, nobody will make fun of you, or they'll get problems with me," Nick said and Judy replied with a little smile, "Oh, Mr. Wilde becomes protective for a little bunny…. That's nice of you Nick but I'm a big girl now and I think I can protect myself."

"Well, it's never bad to have a fox to watch your back," Nick said with a grin and leaned back, watching the skyline slowly disappear, as the gondola went down.

Judy was still in a good mode and teased him a little bit longer, "You mean like you did shortly before we got to the shooting gallery?"

For a second Nick lost control over his facial expression, not long but it was enough for Judy to confirm her thoughts. Like a schoolboy, Nick turned his head away from her and looked over the now dark park, "I don't know what you're talking about, Whiskers."

Both mammals rode another round on the Ferris wheel before Nick saw that Judy almost fell asleep on the head of the stuffed fox. She closed her eyes slowly but still looked over the funfair, the park and the town in the background; Nick knew that it was time for her to call it a day.

"What do you say, Carrots? Another ride on this crazy wheel?" Nick asked and slapped with his paw against the metal frame of the gondola.

"Nah, I think I'm fine. Tomorrow is another long day, so I think I will head home. Would you mind accompany me to my train station?" The sleepy bunny asked as she stretched her paws over her back.

"It would be my pleasure to escort you," Nick replied with a smug grin.

They stood up and waited for the help of Dustin to get down from the gondola. After a little thank you and an autograph from Judy, Dustin had finally realized who she was, they both made their way from the funfair over to nearest Metro Station. Talking and joking they both walked through the Downtown of Zootopia. It was an incredibly quiet and warm night, the perfect conditions for a stroll in the evening.

Unfortunately, for Nick was the stroll not really long and it was time to say goodbye. Again he felt a little sting in his chest but he knew this one would stay a little bit longer than the others had, at least until they met again.

Standing on the platform of the Metro Station, there were still some minutes until Judy's train arrived and both started to say their goodbyes to each other.

With crossed arms, Nick stood in front of Judy and said, "So, hustler bunny, I wish you a good night and dream of some carrot cake. Will I see my favorite bunny tomorrow?"

A giggle came as a first reply from the doe.

"Thanks, Nick and yeah, I should be free for dinner, so please call me before," Judy said and looked to the nearest timetable for the trains. After she confirmed the time, she continued to talk.

"And I wish you a good night as well, Mister Wilde and don't forget, no hustling," Judy said with a stretched out index finger to underline her statement but she was also smiling up to him.

Only a minute until her train arrived. Judy looked slightly dazzled up to Nick and said, "You have there something in your fur Nick...no not there...on your right cheek."

Judy knew that Nick was always eager to fix his appearance and even after half a minute of correcting his fur he wasn't done. Well, he couldn't be, because there was nothing to fix. Nick wasn't the only one, who could play tricks on others to reach a goal; Judy had learned more than a few things in her time with him.

"Still there?" Nick asked a little bit annoyed. Judy's train was already entering the Metro Station and he didn't want that this was the last impression from him.

"Wait, Nick...bow down...I will fix it for you…," Judy said smiling. However, as soon as Nick's head was on her heights, she wrapped her paw around his right cheek, drew him closer to her and gave him a short kiss on the left cheek. Confused about the sudden interaction, Nick forgot even his last words, the only thing he could do was standing there and looking after her with a slightly open mouth.

Judy, on the other paw, took her stuffed fox, walked over to her train and turned a last time around to Nick. Smiling to him, she said, "Don't look so dazzled dumb fox, a debt is a debt, right Nick?"

"Yeah...I just hoped you'd forget it and I could wait for interest rates…," Nick replied with a weak voice and waved with his right paw. It was almost too gorgeous how she was standing there, waiting for her train to start in her blue dress, still hugging her stuffed fox. Both waved a last time at each other before the doors of the train closed.

Alone and confused, Nick stood still for a while in the Metro Station and thought about the kiss. Minutes passed before he could decide what he should do now. He knew that he should go home but it took him another minute before he started to move.

Exhaling deeply, he made his way to his apartment. It took him almost 10 minutes longer to return home than normal and that just because he took for some stations the wrong train. This had never happened to him, why was he so rattled? Just because of the kiss from a little bunny? He couldn't answer this question . . . at least not yet.

Finally home, he made himself a white tea, like he always did, and stood on his balcony, watching the moon, thinking about the day and what Judy told him today. A short message arrived, that she had returned safely home, which Nick just answered with a good night and a fox smiley.

"A clean-cut, huh?" Nick said to himself, taking a sip from the tea in his left paw and rotating his phone in the right. Grinning, he said to himself, "Maybe Judy is right and it's time for the lost son to return home."

It wasn't fear that kept him from going back to his mother, nor was it something he couldn't fix. The more he thought about it, the more he knew, there wasn't anything broken, that it was just shame and guilt. Shame for the things he had said to her and guilt for the things he had done afterward, the hustling, the searching and keeping himself away from his mother and sister because he had taught himself that he was no good for them. After all those years, he wasn't proud of his mistakes but he was somehow thankful for some of them.

With quick fingers, he went to the contacts app and scrolled through the almost countless phone numbers he had gathered over the years and the notes he had made for each of them – most of them still owed him a favor.

Nevertheless, there it was, the number he was looking for, the one of the restaurant of his mother. It was now almost midnight and he knew that she would be sitting in her small office, planning the next day, maybe even drinking a glass of wine or chewing on some licorice as a reward for the hard day.

After some hesitation, he dialed the number and it took not even two rings until he heard the familiar but also long missed voice of his mother. She sounded like a typical female vixen in her 50s, confident and with a little smile at the end of every sentence.

"Emilia Wilde, how can I help you at this unholy hour?"

"Hey, mum… I knew it's been a while…"

Slightly annoyed, Emilia Wilde interrupted her son, which she seemed to mistaken for her daughter," Honestly Patricia, it's no longer funny to call me and pretending to be Nicholas. I know, yes, you are good at imitating his voice but these calls have to stop. We laughed one or two times but now it's over, okay?"

Nick exhaled deeply and shook his head, smiling: the relationship with his mother was...well let's say interesting. Nick met from time to time his sister Patricia, a young vixen on the verge of becoming a medical doctor and both shared a deep connection to each other. And his sister Patricia was...different. A cheerful mammal if you knew how to take her but sometimes even on the edge to insanity or far beyond. 'And the imitation of me seems to be Patricia's latest trick she played on others…' Nick thought and sighed.

His mum was more like him, to be exactly she was like a 50-year-old, female version of Nick, just with the big difference that she hated crime and everything illegal. She had worked for everything she had in her life and she would defend it just as eagerly.

"No mum, it's really me. Nick."

A short silence before Nick heard her voice again. She sounded surprised but, more than that, happy, something Nick could tell even from the phone.

"Nicholas?"

"Please mum, just listen first. I wanted to ask if it's okay to meet tomorrow with you and Patty?" At first, there was just silence, but it was fast replaced by the heartwarming laughter of his mother.

"Dumb fox, of course, it is. I told you my door will always be open for you, no matter what happens. But why the sudden change?"

"Let's just say, there will things change in the future and I want to tell you and Patty about this. And…"

"And?"

Nick could almost hear the grin on her face through the phone. Somehow, she already knew, what he wanted to tell her or so it felt to Nick.

"And...I want you two to meet someone important in my life, with whom I will spend a lot of time in the future."

Something rumbled in the background of Nick's mother's office. He had an idea what this could be and put his tea on the floor.

"Nicholas...please wait a second I put you on speaker, your sister just walked in."

"What? No...mum. Mum! Mum? Wait, that's..."

However, Nick couldn't stop her from letting Patricia into the conversation. He could almost feel how both vixen stood now grinning around the phone, waiting for him to answer. All he could do was sitting on one of his chairs and try to survive this conversation the best of his possibilities. One of his paws massaged slowly his temples and the other tried to hold the phone to his ear.

"Hey...prince charming, how are you doing?" Nick's sister Patricia echoed through the phone.

"Hey Patty, I'm fine and I hope so are your patients in the hospital?" Nick replied to her and he felt how he slowly started to smile.

"Well . . . some of them, yes. What's up bro, you're finally ready to come back?"

Emilia answered the question faster than her son did.

"Oh yes Patricia, he is. Nicholas will come tomorrow to us for dinner and then even in company of young lady."

"No way! Wait...damn it!"

Nick knew his mum and sister good enough to know that something was going on on the other end of the phone. Patricia seemed to walk around the little office, cursing like an old sailor in Spanish.

"Why are you all of a sudden so moody, Patty?"

"You must forgive her, Nicholas, but we two had a little bet running on your behalf."

The red fox leaned back and looked up to the moon; he had almost forgotten how much he missed the conversations with his mother, they were sometimes exhausting but always entertaining. Nick wasn't mad at the two for the bet. Oh no, he would have done the exact same thing, in their position.

"Okay, what was it about?"

"Well, Patricia said that you would come back on your own and I said, older and wiser as I am, that only a female could fix this problem...Oh please Patricia, don't sulk like that..."

The little tantrum from Patricia over her lost bet seemed to be over, all Nick could hear from her now was the loud exhaling.

"That's it, I'm out...Nick, see you tomorrow and don't forget your bunny. I have now a date with my wardrobe, from which I need to choose the right dress for this rare occasion." Patty said and her voice trailed slowly off until Nick couldn't hear her anymore.

"What? Patty...wait," but it was too late, Nick's overexcited sister was long gone and only he and his mother stayed behind. Now, where only one mammal was left, Nick asked, "What does she mean with my bunny, Mum?"

"Oh Nicholas, do you really think we two beauties live under a stone? We saw, of course, your interview with Miss Hopps on TV. So, who else could you bring to us tomorrow?"

"You got me, Old Lady, I bow down before your wisdom," Nick said and chuckled about his mother's words. A short silence passed between her and Nick. After some seconds, Nick recognized that his mother's voice changed. It became softer and almost loving no hint of sarcasm in it.

"Nicholas…?"

"Yes, mum?"

"I'm happy that you are coming back...I missed you."

Another short silence took between mother and son before Nick replied.

"I missed you too, Mum...I...I see you tomorrow, same old house and same old time, I guess?"

Another heartwarming laughter of Emilia echoed through the speaker of Nick's phone. It was now, that Nick understood and felt how much he missed it.

"You know that I hate it to change things Nicholas, so of course it will be the same time and the same place. You know your old room is still untouched, cleaned but untouched. If you want to stay overnight for the sake of the good old times..." Emilia Wilde replied and Nick could again hear this typical smile from her over the phone. Of course, understood the red fox the allusion of his mother.

"Thanks, mum, but I have my own place."

"Of course, I always forget how old you already are. I wish you a good night, my Son."

"Good night, Mum."

The call ended, but for a while longer he held the phone in his paw. Nick stood up and grabbed his cup from the floor; in it only the last, bitter part of his tea; he drank it in one gulp. Fascinated by the view in front of him, he stayed at the railing and asked himself what would Judy say about his family. If she would accompany him tomorrow? The thought about his mother and sister made him smile. But not just about them, he also thought about the past and the things yet to come.

---

Judy

---

The gray bunny was making herself ready for bed. After a hot shower, Judy laid now on her bed in her purple sleeping shorts and top. Tomorrow, she knew awaited her a lot of patrolling on the streets of Zootopia, but at least she could hope that she could meet Nick for dinner. A ray of hope for a probably dull and uneventful day.

'Nick… Why can't I get you out of my mind?' Judy asked herself and went in her mind over all the events of the current day. No matter how she turned it, this day was one of the best. Everyday with Nick was somehow special to her and the more time they spend together, the more important he became to her. Judy could already feel that there was coming another discussion with herself and no matter what she did, she would lose this discussion.

'Why is he always so handsome to me?' Judy asked into the depths of her mind, waiting for her own inner voice to reply.

'Maybe because he likes you? Did you ever thought about this possibility?' The voice replied.

'Of course, I thought about it, but he is a fox and I am a bunny. How should that work?'

'Maybe it would work but just if you would let it happen.'

'But what is if I don't like him enough?'

'Really? You ask yourself that question? You are into him since the end of the Night Howler case! Or better since the moment you know that he could close his fangs around your throat without anything happening to you. You can trust him blindly and you know that. You even wanted to invite him to your home.'

'Since when is trust alone enough for a deeper relationship?'

'It's not all, but it is the foundation on which everything else will be built. But If you don't like him enough, then tell me why did you give him this kiss? You know it was just a joke from him and nothing more. Even he forgot about it. So why did you do it?' The voice asked and Judy knew she had lost.

'Because...I don't know! Why does my own mind has to be so annoying!' Judy grunted and threw herself on her back. Her paws were clenched to fists, which covered right now her eyes. It took her some time and some controlled breathing, but slowly she relaxed and she swung her paws behind her on the bed. Judy was annoyed with herself and looked up to the ceiling.

'I'm so annoying because I am you. And you can't accept that you don't know the answer to the question.'

'To which question?'

'You know which question…'

'You are no help…'

Judy sighed and was interrupted by her phone. She thanked all three goddesses that it wasn't her parents. It was a message from Fru and it seemed, that she was more than curious how the day of the gray doe went.

'Maybe Fru can help you with the question?' Her voice said and went silent. Judy sighed again, turned to lay on her stomach and took her phone in her paws to respond her rodent friend.

Fru: 'Hey Judy! How was your date with Nick? (^w^)'

She could feel how the heat spread about her cheeks but she tried to ignore the feeling for now.

Judy: 'Fru, it wasn't a date! (-_-')'

Fru: 'Okay if you say so… But, what did you two do?'

Judy: 'The usual stuff, visit a coffee shop together, walking through the park, strolling about the funfair...Oh, Nick shot me a stuffed animal and he got us a ride on the Ferris wheel.'

Judy had just hit the send button when she realized how everything she had just written would sound to someone else. What she described was a perfect date and she didn't saw it. Not one moment. Fast she began to type before Fru could respond to her.

Judy: 'I know how that sounds but it wasn't like that!'

Fru: 'Oh honey, if you say so…'

After the last reply of the rodent, Judy dropped her head and phone to the bed. She didn't expect another reply and right now she also wanted no further reply. But like so often are wish and reality two completely different things. The ping tone of her phone brought her back and she looked at the small screen.

Fru: 'Judy, can I ask you something?'

Judy waited a moment before she began to type.

Judy: 'Sure'

Fru: 'What is Nick for you?'

Judy stared just at the bright screen, when a voice echoed from the back of her head, 'See? She knows the question.' The gray doe damned for a short moment her own thoughts but continued with typing.

Judy: 'I don't know, I think we are just good friends.'

Her eyes slowly wandered from the phone to the stuffed animal, which sat in front of her and seemed to watch her texting with the shrew. Judy laid on her back and looked at the stuffed animal.

"From down here you seem almost to grin at me or do you remember me just of another fox, mmh?" Judy said with a smile to the fox, who looked with his black button eyes down at her. Her phone made again a little ping sound, which drew her attention back to the conversation.

Fru: 'Judy why are you so worried about the fact that you could be more than just friends? ( • • ?)'

Judy: 'I know, it shouldn't but isn't it odd that a bunny and a fox...you know...'

Fru: 'Not long ago it was odd that bunnies could be police officers. I don't know any predator-prey relationship myself but why shouldn't you two be the first? And maybe you aren't?'

She had a point there but still, it was such a tricky situation and they weren't even partners in the ZPD yet.

Judy: 'I don't know Fru. I need time to think about...all of this.'

Fru: 'Don't worry, Judy, if you need someone to talk I'll be there for you. And remember if you really want to know, ask him what you two are. For your sake and his.'

Judy didn't think that the answer was so easy to find. She sat by now with her back against the wall, the stuffed animal in her lap. She hugged the small fox from behind and watched the moon travel over the clear night sky. Slowly, her head sunk to the head of the little fox.

"He is just a friend, everything else would make it just more complicated, or not? Do we really have to hide what we feel? I wish you could be here with me and see what I see right now."

With those last words in her mind ended her thoughts for the day. She grabbed her fox even tighter and drifted slowly to sleep.

---

Woodpecker

---

The snow leopard closed the door to his car and stepped directly into a puddle, which was halfway filled with mud and rain. It was no good start for his work here. Moreover, one thing was already sure: for tomorrow, he needed a new suite and Woodpecker knew that his wife wouldn't be delighted to clean mud from his trousers.

A half-loud growl escaped his throat but there was nobody around him who could hear him. But he knew one thing for sure: Trogon, the mammal who planned this operation would pay for this. Woodpecker thought about the black wolf with his stupid grin and could already imagine that he did this on purpose; he used every opportunity to make his stupid jokes and little pranks. Clown would be a better suiting job for Trogon and not the one he had, as a leading mammal in a professional organization. Woodpecker, which was of course not his real name, went in direction of the bar which stood for many years here in the Meadowlands of Zootopia. Right now it was just an old scrap yard, filled with old cars, bikes, and other discarded metal. In the middle of this metal graveyard was 'the Broken Pipe', a bar made out of huge metal plates, car parts, and other junk. Right now, it just provided shelter for the lowest of the society. Thugs, addicts, and thieves were the normal clientele. No mammal with good intentions would ever go to this place.

The bar was still some meters away but the thick fog got worse. Right now Woodpecker's fur was almost completely damp and if there was a thing he hated, then it was damp fur, and of course, mud on his suit – Trogon would pay for it, so much was sure.

Without hesitation, he walked into the rustic bar and looked around; the only other mammal in the room was the barkeeper, an old raccoon with a big scar on his right cheek. He was also a member of the organization and knew what he had to do. Tables, chairs and all other old interior stood abandoned in the room and Woodpecker was never sure if the inside or the outside of the 'Broken Pipe' was sadder to look at.

"Are they already here?" The Snow Leopard asked with a rough voice.

The Raccoon didn't answer, all he did was nodding and going back to his daily work, so Woodpecker went on. It seemed that the bar would end in some meters, but behind a huge and movable metal part laid another room, this one was almost as empty as the other one. However, there was a big difference here: at the last table sat two timber wolves. One laid with his head on the table and was sleeping, the other was reading something on his smartphone. Both seemed to be in no good physical conditions and the only ones who had followed the call for work. Sometimes it seemed for Woodpecker as if all capable criminals were already part of The Company, and everything that was now left on the streets was either a coward or an idiot. And if so to which of the two categories belong those two? He would soon know.

"Are you two here because of the rumor?" Woodpecker asked, still walking towards them.

The wolf with the smartphone looked up to the Snow Leopard. He had a skeptical look on his face and seemed as if life had taught him to be better safe than sorry with the ones who stood in front of him.

"Who wants to know that?" The gray wolf with the smartphone asked and looked at the Snow Leopard from head to toe, unsure what he should think of the huge and intimidating feline. Both were obviously brothers and wore some dark blue and worn out sweat suits. The clothing looked cheap and the mammals in them more than tired.

"You can call me Woodpecker."

The other brother woke slowly up from his sleep and answered with a chuckle, "Woodpecker? Pfft, a stupid name! Who gave you that name, your mamma?"

The wolf who answered the Snow Leopard first seemed to understand the situation, the tone against his brother became much tougher and he yanked his brother over to him by his collar. The just awoken wolf looked unsure about what just happened but remained silent.

"B-Billy, what's wrong? Who is he?" the half awaken wolf stammered to his brother. Fear was now the only thing in his eyes.

"Shut up, Jim. Obviously, it's a code name. Here, take this and get us something to eat." The smarter brother of the duo, with the name Bill, replied.

"But, but that is our last money…" The confused brother said.

"For the sake of the three goddesses, just do IT!" Bill yelled at his brother and he turned in fear around and walked towards the improvised metal door. Woodpecker could feel that the remaining brother was obviously embarrassed by his sibling.

"You'll have to excuse him, he is not… the smartest…" Bill said and cleared his throat.

"It's okay, as long as you can keep him under control and he will do as commanded."

"Yes! Yes, yes that will be no problem. By the way, my name is Bill Meyer and the idiot who got us something to eat is my brother Jim. Please take a seat."

His shaking paw pointed over the table, to another chair. Woodpecker took it and sat directly in front of Bill. The wolf was afraid, Woodpecker could smell that very clearly. But he continued, he had work to do and the Snow Leopard wanted eagerly to go home.

"Do you know why you are here?"

"Y-Yes, you are looking for new members for your organization, but this is all I know, " Bill answered slightly nervous. He knew he had a dangerous and influential mammal in front of him, one wrong word and everything could go south.

"Okay, first thing, if one word of our conversation leaves this room, then you and your brother will die."

Bill gulped but nodded as an answer.

"Good, I think you understand what is on the line for you. I will make it quick for you and me. What we want is that you join the ZPD, graduate from the academy training and work for us in the rows of the ZPD. As soon as we say it, you will execute every command we order, you will give us import intel, weekly reports and so on. Do you understand me, Mr Meyer?" Woodpecker explained and laid the briefcase on his thighs.

"Yes, I guess so. We are basically snitches, right?" Bill asked, but dared not longer than some seconds to look into Woodpeckers gray eyes.

"All in all, yes." The Snow Leopard replied.

"Okay, that's no problem. We can do that." Bill assured.

"Second, and at the moment the most important thing you will do is observe and report."

"Observe?" Bill asked.

"Yes, and to be precise you will watch very closely Officer Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde…" Woodpecker explained but was interrupted by

"Wilde? Nick...Wilde? But he is a street hustler? He has nothing to do with the cops." Bill explained confused. Woodpecker ignored Bill's rude manners and just went on.

"He was but joined the ZPD some weeks ago. Hopps is still without a partner and because of that she will train the recruits in the academy. When Wilde ends his training, he will be assigned to her. Do you understand?"

"Yes of course. But why those two?" Bill asked.

"I give you a good advice, Bill. Never ask questions, as long as you have no code name or a reputation. We have our reasons for monitoring Wilde and Hopps."

"Of course, I-I'm sorry," Bill replied and dropped his gaze back to the table.

Woodpecker nodded and searched in his briefcase for the papers. Quickly he found what he was searching for and Bill looked with widened eyes at him and the two heavy contracts, with at least fifty pages. Woodpecker laid both of them in front of him. The wolf surely awaited something else than standard paper contracts.

"We are an organization and with that we have contracts. Read it carefully and if you have finished it, read it again," Woodpecker said and tapped with the claw of his right index finger at the paper, "This contract binds you to us and that's until death. No exceptions, no turning back; once into it, only death can free you. Think about it and make your Decision."

No answer from Bill, he just nodded and took the two contracts in his paw. Woodpecker's time here was over, so he stood up and said his last words.

"You have three days to think about joining us. During this time you can stay here. Eat and sleep are on our costs. If you sign, give the contracts to the barkeeper, he will inform us and we will talk about the upcoming task." Woodpecker said and closed the button on his black suit.

"We will...and thank you," Bill answered with a smile. No fake, this was just happiness.

"Don't thank me too soon. You have no idea what awaits you. Goodnight Mr. Meyer."

Woodpecker turned around and walked back into the first room. The barkeeper looked at him and this time it was the Snow Leopard who nodded to him, he replied with the same gesture and everything seemed to be clear between them. Jim, the other sibling, fell asleep on the bar while he was sitting on a high chair at the counter. Besides him stood two plates with undefined soup. Woodpecker looked down at the food and thanked the three goddesses for the cooking skills of his wife.

When he thought about his wife and daughter, he was glad that this was his last task for today and he could finally drive home. At the door, he took a quick look back at the sad scenery but he decided rather quickly that the view was not worth it. The door opened and he looked right into thick fog, he sighed a last time before he stepped right into the disgusting weather and towards his home.