It was a bitter night illuminated by the lights of a sleeping metropolis. Nick didn't mind working the night shift, or at least that was what he told himself while he took a sip of coffee from the disposable cup he had on hand. Having a hot beverage was a pleasant thing, especially in the cold nights. Even though that wasn't the source of warmth he wanted at the time, he'd have to settle for an obtainable thing.
"Stop daydreaming." The Fox demanded to himself. Of course, he knew he wouldn't be able to follow that simple command, but he would try his best. Even if his best only got him three minutes of tranquility.
"Why did you offer yourself to do the night shift," asked the fox, with an annoyed tone.
They were doing foot patrol in the Downtown area. Following a predetermined route with occasional deviations to grab a coffee. This was their third dose of caffeine that night.
"Already told you," responded the bunny with a similar inflection than his partner's. Judy did little to hide the fact she was tired.
"Did you?" Added the fox, with an oblivious tone. He did remember why she had taken the night patrol, he just wanted to see how sloppy his colleague was.
After a long pause, Judy responded with an angry tone, "I'm not going to explain it again."
"I didn't know that the legendary 'Judith Hopps, savior of Zootopia'," the fox gestured with a paw like if he was picturing the invented title into the air while speaking with his sarcastic tone. "Got angry when she missed her nap."
He didn't see it coming, but the jab to his left arm gave him a little more than discomfort. The fox put his right paw over the aching area of his arm.
"Someone's cranky," Nich said, trying to get back to his partner.
They stayed quiet for a while. The Fox used that time to consider the reason why she offered herself to take the night shift. When they started to work together, Judy had several misconceptions about foxes. She believed that he would prefer the night patrols, she had a point, foxes were nocturnal mammals after all. But, Nick had adapted to working- if what he did before meeting the rabbit could be called work- in the day as most nocturnal mammals had.
The true reason why she had been taking the night shifts was her neighbors, who were being more obnoxious than usual, barely allowing her to sleep. Nick had been forced to listen to every complaint his partner had about her two loud neighbors.
He wasn't surprised by the fact that she couldn't sleep with all the noise coming from the flat adjacent to her own. What really amazed him was that she was still living in a shoebox apartment.
"She could at least move to a shared apartment… I wouldn't mind sharing" He realized that he was, once again, fantasizing about a future he would not have.
"You should move to a proper apartment," the fox decided to break the silence. He made sure not to add any suggestion about sharing in that sentence.
"It's not easy to find an affordable place in the city," she responded, dismissing the suggestion. "I don't really need a different place, just new neighbors."
"I know you bunnies like tight quarters, but you could get something a little bigger" He added. She gave him an offended look in response to his spiciest comment. However, he didn't turn to meet her violet eyes. "At least share with someone."
The realization of what he had just suggested came a little too late. They had come to a stop, waiting for a truck to pass before they could cross the street. Maybe it was only his imagination, but the atmosphere had gotten a bit denser, and the night a little more heated. The only wish he had now, was for her to dismiss what he had just said as just another joke.
She didn't…
"Huh?" She questioned, showing a noticeable smirk in her muzzle. Suddenly she had recovered her normal energy and was now looking at the fox's eyes, or she would have been if it weren't for the fact that he was still wearing sunglasses. Hadn't been wearing them, she would have seen the now dilated green eyes of the Fox. "Was that a suggestion?"
"God, from all the things I said tonight, why did she choose to hold my feet to the fire for this one."
"Well, of course, it was," he responded, doing his best to keep his cool.
"And with whom do you suggest I share?" She asked with the disingenuous tone and innocent grin he knew so well.
A simple and instinctive part of his mind wanted to suggest living together. Nick did his best to silence it. He preferred to think it was the rational thing to do, that there was no chance of his desire being mutual.
He wasn't afraid of not being able to live with her. They spent most of their time together. They worked together and ate together, they were more than co-workers or friends, they were partners, and he doubted that spending an extra eight hours alongside each other would be a problem. What he was afraid of was the agony he would have to suffer each day. Not being able to confess to her, despite his desire to.
His scramble to get something out of his muzzle was interrupted when they heard a high-pitched feminine cry, sending a chill down their spines. Both turned their ears in the direction of the scream. It was coming from an alley just behind them, one they had just passed by.
Without hesitation, they started running in that direction.
The alleyway was between a bakery and a four-floor apartment building. When they got to the entranced of the alley, they laid their backs against the larger building for a second. Just enough for them to take out their tranq-guns and light their lanterns. He took off his sunglasses and let them fall to the grass.
The rabbit was the closest to the alley. Without any further delays, she shifted her position, letting her right shoulder be supported by the wall before turning the corner, leaving her cover and going into the dark alley. He quickly followed.
The alleyway would have been consumed by the darkness if it wasn't for the dim, gentle lights coming from their lanterns, as they explored the backstreet. Nick detected movement in the left wall and pointed his light in that direction. What he saw made his heart beat a little faster and his pupils dilate a bit wider. Just beside a dumpster, there was a figure. It was facing the other side of the alley and was moving quietly in that direction. He could only see a brown coat and a black hat.
"ZPD, stop!" He shouted. His partner was also focusing on the same figure.
He didn't turn, nor did he stop. He lifted his right arm and dropped a small black cylinder, the object hit the asphalt of the alley making a click sound. And before any of them could react a blinding light illuminated the dark alley for a brief second, followed by a deafening high-pitched bang.
Nick lost control of his legs and fell to the ground. The constant acute sound tearing his eardrum apart was the least of his problems. He could see nothing but a blazing light and feel nothing but a dizziness in his gut. He covered his eyes with his paws in a desperate attempt to put an end to the maddening light.
His partner was in no better shape than him…
She could now see, but the exasperating cacophony had no stop. In desperation, she had folded her ears trying to protect her inner ear from the sound. If she had been able to process anything, she would have seen the suspect fleeing the scene.
Almost instinctively, as soon as she recovered some sense of location, she made the effort to lift her head and see her partner. Her vision was still impaired, but she could see him, crouching, with his knees on the floor, doing what he could to cover his eyes. She wanted to get near him, she wanted to embrace him, to clinch some security in a desperate situation. But, she was too disoriented to move.
What were mere seconds seemed like minutes of extreme disorientation and weakness to them. But in time, they recovered just enough to get back on their feet.
"Carrots?" Finally inquired the fox with weakened voice.
"I'm… here," the bunny responded after a couple of seconds trying to decipher his voice "I'm all right. I think."
They scanned the alley with their recovering eyes in search of the mammal who assaulted them. Nick locked his lantern in a small figure.
"Contact dispatch," he ordered while approaching the motionless Koala resting by the dumpster "Tell them we have a dead Koala and a dangerous mammal in the streets."
She didn't respond. The sudden pain she felt in her belly impeded her from doing nothing but to look down at the fragment lodged in her body…
After checking the pulse of the female Koala calmly resting against the dumpster, Nick turned his head to meet his partner's silhouette.
"Carrots, It's no time for-" the words coming out of his muzzle were silenced at the sight of blood. He stood up from his kneeling position and rushed to stand with his injured partner.
"ZPD 2187, I have a 10-33 on Little Herd Street. Koala with no pulse. Officer Hopps is
injured." Informed the Fox by radio while examining his partner's wound.
"Copy. 10-61"
"Beware, armed suspect last seen heading to Lone Street"
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. The Next one should be up in a couple of days. I'm looking for Beta testers to help me improve my writing in the following chapters, if you're interested send me a PM or an email at myusarnameispepino