Disclaimer: I own nothing!
"Hello!" – normal speech
"Italic on the whole sentence." – thoughts
Italic on individual words – emphasis
The Country Doe
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"So, which one of you little ones can tell me about the origins of Zootopia?"
There was a general grumbling of discontent around the classroom as the History teacher asked his question. The consensus seemed to be that, as most of them were currently at (or approaching) the distinctively mature age of 9, it was a terrible offense to be referred to by the term 'little'.
The old beaver suppressed a smirk. He allowed his students a couple seconds of indignation, not once betraying his inner amusement, before asking again. "Anyone?"
A small grey paw raised slowly amongst the sea of furry bodies, which came mostly in other shades of grey, along with browns and beiges. Its owner's identity did not surprise the teacher, but the slight hesitation in the movement was somewhat uncommon for her. In any case, he recognized the young bunny instantly. Not an easy thing, as 9 out of 10 students in the class… nay, all of Bunnyburrow, was a rabbit or hare of some kind. Their faces tended to blur together even to other leporine teachers.
"Yes, Judy?" the beaver kindly prompted the kit.
Now that every other 'little' face in class was turned to her, the bunny abandoned whatever reluctance had been gripping her earlier. She stood straight up on her chair, all one-and-a-half foot of her, with her small mouth curved into a cheerful smile, long ears standing upright and purple eyes sparkling with determination.
"The City of Zootopia was created 713 years ago, sir." she began, childish voice upbeat and crystal clear. "When all the different mammals came together to protect themselves from the other Tribes. It was built as a symbol of their new friendship and common goals, a place where the many species could live and work together. Now it is the largest mammal settlement in the world, and a place where anyone can become anything they want." she finished with a nod of utter conviction.
"Ah", the teacher thought with an internal sigh, "to be this young and innocent again."
Before he could praise the bunny for her eloquent, if over simplistic answer, he heard a muffled snort and a whisper from the back of the class. "Know-it-all." a snide voice said.
Unfortunately it was too low for the beaver to identify the speaker, and when almost every other one of his young charges joined in on the snickering, either out of childish malice or mostly to go along with the crowd, any hope of assigning a just punishment went out of the window.
"NO calling names in this classroom! You should be ashamed of yourselves, children!" he scolded the room in his stricter voice. The young ones subsided and many even affected an apologetic face, but it was doubtful that any would take the words to heart from just one telling-off.
Through it all young Judy Hopps remained ramrod-backed, her gaze fixed stubbornly on the dusty blackboard. Only an almost imperceptible drop of her ears and a twitch of her pink nose betrayed her discomfort. Now the beaver understood why she had been reluctant to answer the question, and he really should have known better. He was also sure that she could tell him exactly who had said those mean words in the first place, what with a bunny's exceptional hearing, but calling her on it would accomplish nothing but putting the poor thing even more on the spot.
He gave another internal sigh while remembering other common aspects of youth, this one far less nostalgic.
"That was an excellent answer, Judy. You can sit back now." he told her firmly. His words and tone seemed to at least comfort the bunny a tiny bit, as she gave him a little smile while sitting back down primly. He addressed the class. "Now, let me elaborate a tad more. Though Predator-Prey relationships at the time were a far sight from our more… primal past, Zootopia was founded and first inhabited only by Prey mammals. There were still many Predator species that looked down on Prey, and Prey species still held great fear of their fellow mammals."
A very justified fear, as it were. They would learn more about it when they were a bit older.
"But necessity is the mother of all changes. The reptiles were a threat to all mammals, and our ancestors soon came to realize that." he took a moment to drink a little water, soothing his old throat. "Less than a century after Zootopia's foundation, the Predator species started to be accepted into the mammal alliance. Just a select few at first, mostly those who were also Prey themselves. But more came, and slowly we learned how to survive together, work together, and live together. Today, almost all mammals live in harmony. We kept the lessons we learned long ago, even after we defeated the reptile tribes. And that's a very good thing, children."
"But Mr. Rivers," a leveret boy spoke from the back. He was very small for his age, and could easily be mistaken for a rabbit, "my momma told me not to be alone with any Predators larger than me. They can be mean." then he lowered his voice to almost a whisper, and the old teacher had to strain himself to hear. "Especially foxes." There were mutters of agreement by many of the others. The teacher had no doubt many 'mommas' and 'papas' in their town held similar opinions.
He might not have been a fox, but the only Predator student in this particular class, a young leopard seated at the front row, slumped sadly at his classmate's words, as well as the murmurs that followed.
The teacher was about to speak to the cub, but was beaten to the punch when a grey paw came to rest on the black-dotted arm. He watched as young Ms. Hopps squeezed the boy's arm and gave him an encouraging, bright smile. He grinned back timidly, straightened a little, and the beaver was sure there was a blush beneath that fur. The cub had been one of those laughing at Judy just a minute ago, and he was sure she knew that.
'Hum… that is one special bunny, right there.' the beaver thought to himself.
He crossed his arms at his back and scolded the class again, though a little more gently this time. They could hardly be blamed for the prejudices of their parents, after all. "Now children, being 'mean' has nothing to do with being a Predator or Prey. I think many of you have brothers and sisters who have been 'mean' to you in the past. Or who you have done bad things to, humm?" he gave then a piercing gaze and saw many a fidget. "Should you be afraid of rabbits and hares, then? No, all mammals can be good, and all mammals can be bad. It's up to us to decide which one we want to be."
Before he could continue, the loud shrill of the bell rang across the entire school. It was time for the children to stretch their limbs and have a snack. The beaver gave a couple of surprised blinks, having completely lost track of time. But he recovered quickly.
"All right, young'uns. I want all of you to read chapter 4 of your History book, and do the exercises. We will have questions and answers next week." a lot of little groans greeted him at that, and he smiled. "You can go now. Shoo."
As he vaguely registered the shuffle of little feet in the background, the beaver instead focused on gathering his papers inside his suitcase and tiding up the desk and blackboard for the next teacher. That task done, he could finally leave for a well-deserved cup of hot coffee in the staff room. He could use the breather, as soon he would have another rambunctious bunch of preteens to take care of.
But his plans were derailed as he turned to the door. There, standing in front of his desk, was a grey bunny. The beaver almost walked over her. "By the Great Pond! Almost ran you over, Judy. How can I help you, dear?"
She gave him an adorably apologetic smile. He expected she would ask him about the lesson or about something she learned in her books, as she was a very curious and smart bunny and had the best grades of her year to prove it, but what came out of that little mouth surprised him.
"I wanted to thank you, sir." she gave a bow, ears flopping down her back. "For telling them off for thinking bad things about Tommy. Sometimes the others are all jumpy around him, and it makes him sad. He's a nice kitty and doesn't deserve it."
The beaver scratched his snout while he considered Judy. He noticed she made no mention of his scolding the students for mocking her, which included the 'nice kitty' himself.
"Do not mention it, dear. It's my job to guide you young'uns. We must all live together now, and we can't do that by being strangers."
Of course, he also knew stereotypes and generalizations were a natural mechanism of animal survival. And prejudice sometimes had a legitimate reason for existing, even if only in the broadest of terms. But his charges were just children and it was better to make them open-minded, rather than cautious to the point of intolerance.
Ms. Hopps perked right up, though. "I know, right!" in a flash, she hopped up to his desk and was now almost nose-to-nose with him. That and her loud exclamation were more than enough to startle the old teacher. "It's so infuriating when everyone becomes all nervous and sketchy. Daddy has a supplier who is a badger and his family came over for lunch once and it was horrible! Everyone was so quiet and mom wouldn't let us in the dining room but I saw it all from the door and they had a daughter my age and she looked so bored and sad with no one to play with!"
She looked like she was getting on a roll, and the teacher found himself too bemused by the fire in the bunny's eyes to interrupt her.
"And I know some Predators are nasty. Like Gideon and Travis, those jer… ah, I mean…" she caught herself and coughed a little to hide the slip. "Those boys! But half my brothers and sisters need a good scrunching most of the time like you said and it's just so unfair, you know?"
The beaver finally managed to recompose himself. Checking the strap on his suitcase just to avoid grinning at the indignant little face before him, he tried to answer her. "I understand how you feel, Judy. But the only thing we can do is try to show others the error of their ways. I think we will all get there, eventually, but it will take much effort and patience."
The grey-furred kit deflated, nose twitching. "Yeah, I guess…" then she perked right back. He found it far too amusing just how fast her mood could change. "That's why I love reading about Zootopia! It just sounds so amazing! A place where all mammals are equals and happy and free to do anything! I want so much to see it! But mom and dad are always too busy at the farm to take us there and they say I can't go by myself because I'm too young." she spoke the two words as if they were bad names.
He suppressed the urge to snort. It was amazing how rose-tinted most books presented Zootopia to be, even ones meant for adults. As if all the common problems that plagued smaller settlements would not be proportionally larger in a mega-city. But that was propaganda for you.
"Well Judy, Zootopia has its own share of difficulties, I assure you. But I guess that's what the ZPD is there for." he chuckled.
The bunny's ears trembled and she blinked several times very quickly. "ZPD?" she asked with a cute tilt of her head.
"Ah, sorry. I mean the Zootopia Police Department. Humm, you know how Sheriff Augustine and her deputies keep order in town, yes?" she nodded, a little uncertainly. "Well, the ZPD is like that, just much, muuuuch larger. They serve and protect all mammals of Zootopia and make sure they all obey the law and live in peace."
For some reason, that seemed to get the bunny very excited. "Really? Mom told me the deputies are the ones who take down the bad guys, but I never see them doing anything important." a less-than-complimentary description, but true enough for such a peaceful rural town like Bunnyburrow, he supposed. "Are the deputies of Zootopia really that awesome?"
The beaver smiled. "They are called 'officers' up there, Judy. Or 'cops', in the popular term. And yes, I dare say they see much more action than our own agents of the law."
The bunny was starting to vibrate with interest. "That's… amazing…" she breathed out, voice almost quivering.
As much as the beaver felt joy in seeing such a bright child, he really needed that coffee. "Now, I'm sure you must be hungry and eager to play with your friends. You should get to it or you'll miss the entire break."
She opened her mouth to speak but then stopped herself. A focused look appeared on her face for a couple of seconds before she seemed to come to some kind of decision and smiled at him. "Yes, Mr. Rivers! Have a very nice day, sir!"
"You too, dear." he patted her head. The bunny sprung down from the desk and skipped out of the room with an energy that made his rusty bones ache just by looking at it. Children like Ms. Hopps were what made this job so rewarding for the beaver. He followed his student at a much more sedated pace, closing the door to the classroom on his way out. And that distraction made him miss the fact the bunny did not go towards the cafeteria or playground, but to the opposite direction instead. Down where the school library was located.
She could not waste any time. She needed to learn more about the ZPD!
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15 years later
The icy rain pelted her mud-matted fur, but she barely felt it. The ground was rough and there was a sharp little rock digging at her back, but she did not care. The sun was almost gone for the day, but the late hour was the last thing on her mind. All she could think of as she desperately gasped for breath was how an animal could be in more pain than ever before, and physically insensitive at the same time.
Now that was a terrible mystery.
It seemed like an eternity before her blurred vision cleared enough for her to recognize her surroundings, and the bleak landscape of the Academy's Proving Grounds greeted her eyes. That was the 'affectionate' nickname given to the large training complex formed by a series of distinct fitness courses, designed to simulate the terrains and environmental hazards of the many districts of Zootopia. Those courses were all circled by a running track a quarter-mile long.
A track Judy Hopps had been running around non-stop for the last two hours.
She could finally take deep breaths now, and her head no longer felt as if it would crack in two. She might just survive this.
"Still lying to yourself, yokel?" a sarcastic voice called from somewhere close.
The bunny closed her eyes and gritted her teeth so hard, she could hear it. "I DON'T need this right now."
Her reviled instructor did not seem to care, though. "The track isn't going to become shorter just because you wish it, fluffbutt." she felt, more than heard, the heavy feet of the polar bear approaching her, and opened her eyes to see the white fur and smirking visage of the Drill Sergeant high above her head. It was a testament to how spent she was that her usually sharp ears had not picked up on the she-bear's presence before. Or perhaps it was the mud inside her ear canals, who knew? The giant (to her) artic mammal was wearing only a light uniform, but it was more than enough for an someone completely adapted to the water and cold. As it was, the umbrella over her head was just meant to mock the country rabbit.
Still, she would not give her the satisfaction of taking the bait. Doing her best to get her breathing under control, forcing herself to ignore the fire in her lungs, Judy spoke. "Sorry, ma'am. Just doing some evening exercise." she was proud of how firm her voice was.
The sergeant was not. "You know, Hopps? When you spend even the weekends working yourself to the ground and you still can't keep up with your fellow cadets, it really raises the question of just what you're still doing here."
Judy clenched her paws tightly. "I'm here to become a police officer, ma'am."
The bear raised a brow. "That so? Interesting, because up until now you have mostly been a poor joke. In all fairness, though, the conversations at staff meetings have been a hair more entertaining these last weeks. I suppose we have you to thank for that."
The bunny had to use every bit of her will to keep her pink nose from twitching. "I'm going to become a police officer, ma'am." she repeated.
The bear clucked her tongue disapprovingly and looked ready to deliver another scathing remark, when she suddenly paused. Instead, she looked intently at Judy's eyes. The fixed, unreadable stare stretched on for so long, the bunny was starting to become genuinely worried.
And then, those eyes that had always looked at her with nothing but skepticism, disdain and disappointment, got softer. Judy could not tell exactly what it was, but it looked like pity.
She hated it.
"Look… Hopps…" her voice as well was almost kind, and she hated that, too. "I don't know what you were trying to prove by applying to the force, but you already did it, all right? A rabbit never came so far before. You survived two months of one of the toughest training regimes in the world. You aced all your theory tests and you never flinched, even when I put you on the sparring ring with a rhino." she crouched next to the still prone rabbit, and even went as far as covering her with the umbrella. "You can turn back right now, and no one could think any less of you."
Judy found it hard to speak past the lump in her throat. This unprecedented shift in her instructor, who never had a kind word for the little rabbit in all her time at the Academy, was rising all kinds of conflicting emotions inside her. She felt like crying, and sweet carrots she was going to kill herself if she started crying right now.
She eventually managed to ground out. "I can't give up now." and despite all her effort, her voice was starting to break.
The sergeant did not pounce on that glaring sign of weakness, though. She kept speaking in that same alien tone of almost-kindness. "This has nothing to do with your drive, Hopps, or your courage. You've proven both beyond any doubt. It's just… certain occupations are not meant for some mammals, you know? And there's no shame in that! We all contribute to society in our own ways, and every one of those ways are equally important."
A large white paw came over to her face, but Judy was too exhausted to even flinch. With a gentleness that she would never expect from the though-as-nails polar bear, the sergeant cleaned the mud from the rabbit's face. Her eyes were stinging now, and it definitely was not from the rain.
"Just play to your strengths, Hopps." she told her after she was done. "Do what comes naturally. It's the best way to live."
Judy Hopps did not know what to say, and that was a very rare occurrence for her. The polar bear just waited with a patient look, as if willing to give her all the time in the world. All the emotions she had kept bottled up since entering the Academy, her frustration, her anger, her sadness, it all threatened to overwhelm her now. She opened her mouth to speak, and she honestly had no idea what was going to come out of it.
But just before she could say something she would regret, the scars on her left cheek burned.
It was a tiny thing. Almost imperceptible, really. The wounds Gideon Grey gave her had healed many long years ago, and the fur had grown back so it was impossible to see the little marks on her flesh. She was sure the twinges they gave her from time to time were purely psychological in nature.
But she still felt it.
The deluge of doubt and depressing thoughts ebbed away from her like the last chill of the night swept away by a warm summer breeze. She no longer felt like crying. Even her soreness and exhaustion lessened. Under the surprised gaze of the drill sergeant, the bunny got herself onto a sitting position, mudded grey ears straight up and purple eyes determined.
"We can be anything we want." her voice was soft, but steady. She was looking at her own dirty and calloused pawns.
"Say that again, Hopps?"
"Mammals can be whatever they choose to be, ma'am." she repeated, voice stronger now. Her paws closed into fists, and she looked the she-bear straight in the eyes. "And I'm going to prove it. To you… and to them."
The instructor blinked slowly at her once, twice. Then she got back up to her feet and looked down on the rabbit, the gentle-slash-pitying look from before replaced by her usual stony expression.
"Well, in that case you should try to be a fairy, bumpkin. Because you sure as hell ain't becoming a cop unless you really step up your game."
Despite the harsh words, Judy could swear there was something different between them now. The derision that she always got from the sergeant was gone.
She felt as if she had passed some kind of test.
"I will improve, ma'am." she told her with conviction, getting back up to her feet. She only wobbled a little.
"Then get to it, Hopps! You still have a good fifteen minutes of daylight. You gonna waste it?" she pointed a claw back to the track.
"No ma'am!" she yelled, and began running again. She heard the piercing shrill of the sergeant's whistle, and put even more speed to it. Her legs screamed at her, her lungs went right back to burning, and even the tip of her little rabbit tail hurt. The mud had soaked down to the very roots of her fur and it would be a nightmare to clean out. But none of that mattered, because Judy Hopps was a bunny on a mission.
She was going to prove the sergeant wrong. And Gideon Grey, and all of the others. But despite that conviction, something else the polar bear had said stuck to her.
"Play to my strengths, huh? Yeah, I can do that."
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"Are you trying to kill that rabbit, Ursula?"
The voice of her colleague snapped the polar bear from watching her most unique trainee speed up along the muddy track. She spared the brown-furred, middle-aged wolf a glance.
"You're a nosy son of a whore, you know that?" she told him flatly. Both of them kept their voices low, mindful of a rabbit's superb hearing.
Her answer was a grinning muzzle and a lazy shrug of the shoulders. "You know you love me." he drawled, then inclined his head to the tiny form in the distance. "So?"
She took a moment to answer, still contemplating just giving him the finger. But in the end… "She can take it." was her simple declaration.
He raised a curious eyebrow, silently inviting her to elaborate.
She did so with some reluctance. "I have little doubt that doe right there is the toughest rabbit on the planet, Jim. And I don't mean it in a patronizing way."
"Oh? You sure about that, Ursula? Because I distinctively remember your rant about the Mammal Inclusion Initiative and how training a bunny was a 'waste of taxpayer's money'."
The drill sergeant felt her hackles rise at the reminder of her earlier views, and sighed. "Yeah, I did believe that in the beginning. I won't deny it. But my opinion changed, Jim. And if you were the one watching Hopps tear herself apart every single day and night, yours would too."
"Humm…" the disbelief was still evident in the wolf's tone.
"Okay, look." the polar bear said irritably. "You've sparred with Hornster, right? How many of his punches can you take?"
"The steroids-guzzling rhino? You think I'm made of steel, Ursula? The only way to survive a fight with that kid is to dodge." he told her, a frown on his face as he tried to see her point.
She turned back to him fully and crossed her large arms. Her umbrella laid forgotten on the ground, but she hardly needed it.
"I put Hopps on the ring with him. Large Target Takedown, yes? Well, he got her square in the guts, full power. Seeing it made me want to faint.
"Ouch." he winced. He could definitely sympathize with that image.
"Do you know what she did?"
He tilted his head. "Puked?"
"Well… yes. But then she got back up."
His eyes widened. "Dogshit!"
"Three times." she raised the appropriate number of fingers to him. "Hornster could hardly believe it himself. He won, of course, but I think he was scared shitless of her by the end. I know I was."
"Damn…" the wolf muttered. His eyes went back to the rabbit on the track.
"That's not all, Jim. I don't think Hopps realizes it, but her fitness scores are going up faster than a rocket. She's already our best sprinter, not that much of a surprise there, but her strength and endurance are also beyond impressive now. And don't even get me started on her marksmanship! I've never seen a mammal improve so fast. It's almost unnatural."
"Are you telling me we have some kind of super-rabbit in the Academy, Ursula?"
The sergeant snorted and shot another look at the bunny. She was now jumping through the obstacle course of the Rainforest District training grounds. "More like super-stubborn, I think. There's fire in her, Jim. More guts inside that little bunny than in all of the other cadets combined. And she really believes in what the police should stand up for."
They spent a few moments watching said cadet. "Okay, I'll take your word for it. And what was that little intimate chat about?" he once again raised an eye at her.
"A last chance to back out." Ursula answered promptly, arms behind her back. "Fantastic results aside, the pace she's putting herself through is excruciating. I wanted to make sure she was committed to it. I told her no one could think less of her if she left, and I meant what I said."
He nodded after a few seconds of consideration. "Sounds fair. And she clearly made her choice. So, what now?"
"Now?" the polar bear's own muzzle slowly turned into a grin. "Now I make sure Judy Hopps becomes the best damn copper Zootopia has ever seen." she declared with confidence.
They both saw as the bunny finally collapsed to the ground after clearing the course. This time, she stayed down.
"If you don't kill her first." her partner pointed out dryly.
Ursula's grin turned positively feral as she went to see if Hopps was still conscious.
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4 months later
Her first day as a full-fledged Officer of the Zootopia Police Department, Precinct 01…
…and it was nothing like she had expected.
With a sigh, Judy placed a ticket on the windshield of yet another unlawfully parked car. She wondered how many hopes could be dashed in the span of a single morning.
Make no mistake, Zootopia was breathtaking. It was a kaleidoscope of sights and scents and sounds. Buildings of all sizes, shapes and colors imaginable. Wide avenues intersected by narrow streets dotted by twisting alleys. Its size was mind-boggling, housing millions of mammals inside its borders. It was a marvel of engineering, simulating such contrasting natural environments right next to each other. By day, it shone like all the precious jewels in the world. At night, it lit up under thousands upon thousands of artificial lights in a dazzlingly spectacle of colors.
No, the city was everything she ever dreamed it would be.
The citizens were the problem.
'Didn't forget, just don't care', were the words of her new boss, Chief Officer Bogo. And just like that she was back to being a country bunny trying to prove herself to the world; all the sweat, blood and tears she had shed to get to this point simply swept under the carpet. She had thought graduating at the Academy would prove her worth beyond doubt. She had thought being the top cadet of her class (and Ursula had confided that some of her scores had been all-time records) would see her being sent up straight to the tough cases. She had thought she was finally entering a place of equals, of mammals she could respect and trust to have her back just as she would always have theirs. She had thought she could finally start to make the world a better place.
And here she was, driving her 'appropriately sized transport' and writing parking tickets.
"Oh, boo-hoo. Poor little bunny." her conscience told her snidely. "Step up, Hopps! You got the badge, you know you are a police officer. And if the Chief wants to put you on probation as a meter maid, you're damn well going to be the best meter maid ever!"
She shook off the encroaching melancholy, and tried not to think how many times she had to do that in the last 6 hours.
"And besides," her conscience was much chipper now, "it's not like you didn't do anything worthwhile today. You made sure a business followed the appropriate rules of sanitation, stopped a blatant case of bigotry, and made a young child happy on his birthday!"
That memory brought a warm glow to the bunny's face, even as she endured the angry complaints of a mongoose whose shiny new roadster she had just rung up. It had been so rewarding to stand up for that poor father and his adorable kit. It not only made her feel like a true cop, it also confirmed what she had always believed: that a mammal's species had nothing to do with their integrity. So she too had been suspicious of the shifty-looking fox at the beginning, who cared? The important thing was that she was right about her views. Buoyed by that knowledge, she put another burst into her steps and renewed her focus. No expired parking would escape her sight today!
And seven written tickets later, down in Sahara Square, she saw the very same small tyke from lunch standing at the sidewalk just a little ways from her latest mark.
She just had to go say hello.
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"…you lied to me." she had to struggle to keep her voice at reasonable levels. "You liar!"
The fox did not seem fazed in the slightest by her death glare. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." he corrected her in a smooth drawl. Then his forest green eyes grew large and he put a wounded paw to his chest. "And I'm not the liar," he quickly pointed to his right, "he is!"
She knew it was a damn trick, but her head swiveled of its own accord at the sincerity dripping from the fox's tongue. It took less than a second to confirm that yes, it was another con, and when she looked back the slippery canine was already gone. Out of the corner of her eyes she caught the end of a bushy red tail just breaking the corner of a building two streets away. The larger part of her was absolutely livid at his gal in lying to her face a second after stating he had not lied, and she immediately went after him to put the scum in his place.
Another, smaller part of her mind wondered how the fox had moved so damn fast without her hearing it. But she left that mystery in the backburner for now.
She half-expected to find her red-furred target running wildly away from her, but he was just strolling down the street looking as serene as one could be. "All right, Slick Nick. You're under arrest." she told him firmly.
He did not even spare her a glance. "Really? For what?"
So she listed his crimes. And what followed were some of the most humiliating minutes of her life as the fox deftly countered every single one of her accusations, correctly deduced she was from the country and from a family of carrot farmers (even if he had been wrong about the exact county and her parents planted more than just carrots), and then proceeded to point out just how naïve she had been about Zootopia, her beliefs and her dreams. By the time he left her alone at a small yard, she was open-mouthed and desperately trying to come up with anything to defend herself.
The difficulty she was having came from the fact his remarks hit very close to home. She had been wondering some of the same things all day, even if she tried to bury it all beneath a positive attitude. Even so, she was not about to let a lowly crook like him have the last word.
She jumped out of the yard only to come face-to-foot with a walking rhino, but her finely-honed reflexes kicked in and she adroitly avoided the large animal.
"Well, you do know how to hop." came the sly voice a short distance down the street.
Her sharp eyes zeroed on the green tropical shirt, and she dashed over to stand in the path of the fox who still gave her that same infuriating lazy smile. She barely managed to avoid stepping on the fresh patch of cement a few construction beavers were pouring on the sidewalk, so focused she was on the perp.
"Now you listen!" she jabbed the popsicle stick in her hand at his chest like a weapon. "No one tells me what I can or can't be, especially not some jerk who never had the guts to try to be anything more than a pawpsicle hustler."
He just chuckled. "It pays well, meter maid, you should try. I can give you some pointers, even. You know, for a reasonable fee…" he wiggled his eyebrows and she had to keep herself from huffing. "Besides," he cocked his head and his smile got a bit larger, "I'm a sly fox, I just do what comes naturally." he made a show of buffing his claws.
Judy's scars throbbed.
"Don't do that!" she hissed out to him.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Don't blame your despicable lifestyle on your species!" she raised to the tip of her feet, trying to get into his face. "That's the worst excuse! We are what we choose to be, and you are just a jerk who happens to be a fox!" she repeated the words she had said to her own parents just a day ago.
"Oh?" his lazy drawl did not change, his easy smile remained. But something shifted behind the green eyes, and the bunny could not tell what it was. "Such a strong statement… from a rabbit who carries around a flask of fox-repellant."
She felt as if she had been punched, all her self-righteous anger vanishing in an instant as she deflated. Her right paw went automatically to said self-defense equipment, but stopped half-way there.
"I… I…" she once again found herself grasping for words, but this time it was much worse. The fox's expression stayed the same, he simply kept his half-lidded stare right on her. And she suddenly found she could no longer meet that gaze. She looked down to her feet.
He hummed pleasantly and started walking again, going around her paralyzed form. But just a few steps away… "Nothing to be ashamed of, Carrots. That's just good thinking." the veiled sarcasm behind those words cut her almost like a physical blade. "Don't get discouraged, there's still lots of meters to be maided. Hang in there."
The soft footsteps got fainter and fainter, and soon he was gone.
Judy just stood there, she did not know for how long, mind racing and heart beating so fast she could hear it. A distant part of her mind was aware of the confused stares of the construction beavers, who had stopped working to watch the spectacle, and the sounds of traffic and hurried pedestrians. Before she even realized it, she was running. Frantically sprinting in the direction she had heard the con-fox going. Not seeing him anywhere on that street, she went to the nearest intersection, weaving her way through startled mammals who grumbled about crazy costumed rabbits.
She moved as if on autopilot. All the time her mind screamed to her. "What the hell are you doing, Judy?!"
She wished she had an answer.
She ran for minutes, quickly inspecting every street and window, but there was no sign of the fox. She did not know what she hoped to accomplish. Zootopia's central district was huge, he could be anywhere by now. But just when the strange and undeniable urge that had possessed her to chase after the fox cleared enough for her to start thinking again, she caught sight of red fur at a side alley.
And there he was, still walking in that same relaxed pace, pawns in his pockets. After her mad and only half-conscious search, what were the chances?
Before she could talk herself out of it, she dashed into the narrow passage. Even with the sun still shinning brightly in the sky, the alley was gloomy thanks to the tall buildings at both sides. Somehow, even the sound of cars and mammals was muffled. It was like walking into another world.
"Hey!" she called to the retreating form.
The fox stopped, and then turned only his head to look sideways at her. If he was surprised, or unnerved, by her appearance, he did not show it. He just gave her that same smile. "Really Carrots, we both have things to do. Aren't you abandoning your post or something?"
"You were right." she told him, eyes closing and paws clenched at her sides.
"I am right about lots of things, fluff. You'll have to be a little more specific."
With a deep breath, Judy slowly took out the fox-repellant out of her belt. She opened her eyes to look at the little pink container, and once again asked herself why she was doing this. Why was she, a proud police officer, inside that dark alley speaking with a confessed con-artist who had played her, and repeatedly insulted her just minutes before?
Suddenly, the answer was clear. She raised her eyes to the fox, who was still in the same position.
"You were right." she repeated. "I'm being hypocritical, I'm not following my own words. I'm being a jerk, myself." she gave another look at the flask in her paw, and squeezed it. "You know, I didn't want this stupid thing. But my parents insisted, and I took it just to give them some peace of mind." the bunny shook her head, ears flopping around. "But that's no excuse. I didn't have to carry it with me to work, I could have left it in my apartment. Or just threw it in the first damn waste bin I came across, but I didn't!" she exhaled in a huff. "I think… I think I just thought 'hey, it's not like I'm going out hunting foxes right? What's the harm?' Guess I was still afraid, after all." she finished softly. Then her purple eyes hardened. "Well, I'm done with this!"
She saw an open dumpster further down the alley. With a single deft move, she threw the pink bottle where it deserved to be. In the trash.
The fox's eyes tracked the small object as it sailed through the air to fall into the dumpster. He spent a couple seconds just looking at it, before turning his attention back to her.
"Wow…" he dragged the word out very, very slowly, smile growing larger. He put a paw to his heart. "That was inspiring, Carrots. Really, inspiring. I'm touched beyond words that you would…"
"Shut up!" she yelled at him. He raised a curious eyebrow, but stopped talking. "Stop lying! This isn't about you! I'm not doing this for you! I just can't call myself a police officer if I can't even stand up for my own principles!" she took another deep, trembling breath. When she spoke again, she was calm and collected. "You are a criminal, no matter how you try to dress it up. But even a conniving lowlife like you doesn't deserve to be discriminated upon, and I was doing just that to you and to all other foxes without even realizing it. So I am sorry for that."
It was as if a weight had left her chest, leaving her feeling a little empty, but cleaner as well. Soon, that emptiness was filled with a new sense of determination, and she straightened up to her full (though admittedly not that impressive) height. She looked hard at the fox. She was somewhat surprised to see he was no longer smiling. Instead, his face was a contemplative mask. She cared little now, however.
Her scars remained quiet.
"I have my eye on you, Wilde." she pointed a furry finger at him. "Don't let me catch you hustling anyone ever again, or you'll just see what this country doe can do."
With a firm nod, both to him and to herself, the bunny turned her back to the fox and started to walk out of the alley.
"You really believe all that, don't you? This isn't just you spouting some stupid slogan." his serious voice stopped her stride. It was still the same smooth, unhurried tone, but also different. That subtle mocking quality was gone.
She kept staring at the street beyond the alley. "Yes."
She waited for him to speak whatever nonsense he wanted to speak, and was caught by surprise when she heard a weary sigh coming from his position. She kept her back to him, though.
"Very well." he started in an equally tired tone. "In that case, allow me to give you one more piece of advice, okay? Free of charge."
She furrowed her forehead. What was his game now? "Go on."
"Go back to your farm, Carrots…"
She closed her eyes tiredly. Of course, how could she expect anything else? "Just cut it out."
"…before this city takes those noble ideals of yours and crush them."
Her eyes snapped open. He had said something similar before, but there was an undercurrent to his words now that implied a whole different meaning. She turned back to the fox and was unprepared for the intensity of his gaze on her. All traces of laziness or humor were gone from his face. The relaxed and slumped posture had vanished, and he seemed taller. Nick Wilde suddenly did not look like a sleazy con-artist anymore.
He looked like something much more dangerous.
"Look around you." he gestured grandly all around them. "This city, it is a symbol. A symbol meant to keep the mammal world united. The tall buildings, the shiny monuments, the Districts… all of it was built to tell everyone out there what we are capable of. While the birds live isolated on their mountains, and the damn scalies still eat each other on those islands we expelled them to, Zootopia is proof of how much more evolved mammals are. How Predator and Prey can overcome any challenge together."
He was quiet for a moment, as he fiddled with his tie. "But a symbol doesn't need to be true to do its job, Carrots. On the surface, Zootopia works, sure. It would not have survived so long otherwise. But we are still just animals. Still a thousand different species competing against each other. Still closed off, still angry, still afraid. You think that little 'refuse service' display by Mr. Fatso at the ice-cream shop was bad? That was nothing. There's a dark side to this city that the papers never show and most are happy to ignore, if they even acknowledge it. But you are a cop, so you might not have that luxury."
The rabbit was tense. There was a sense of threat coming from the fox, but she somehow felt it was not aimed at her. "What are you trying to tell me, Wilde?"
He gave her one more piercing look, green eyes against purple. "I'm telling you to go back to your family, Officer Hopps, while the world is still bright. While mammals are good, and justice prevails despite all odds, and anyone can be a hero if they just try. I'm sure there will be a place at the local Sheriff's for such a dedicated bunny, and the folks there might actually appreciate you."
They stood facing each other for she did not know how long. His whole demeanor was just so unlike what she had seen up until now, that she had to gather her thoughts before asking him to elaborate.
But when she finally opened her mouth, a loud 'BANG' echoed from the street behind her. She turned quickly, body crouched, instinct making her ready for action, only to find an ancient-looking truck slowly making its way down the lane, black smoke coming out of the back and the oldest elk she had ever seen squinting above the driver's seat.
Like before, her distraction lasted only a moment. And like before, when she turned back, the fox was already gone without a sound. This time she found no traces of him.
ANs:
Hello, everyone. Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Just putting some foundations down. I would like to say a few things about this story:
As I mentioned in the summary, this will be a retelling of the Zootopia movie. First, I would like to say that I loved the movie, every part of it. My intention was actually to write a post-credits story about Judy and Nick, police officers extraordinaire, taking on some really dangerous foes and showing some amazing skills. But then I realized the Judy and Nick I wanted to write would be too much OOC for the original material. So now I'm going to adapt the base story instead. I want to keep faithful to the basic storyline, but change it enough to hopefully keep you guys interested.
To sum it up, everyone in the movie is getting a boost. Bad guys and good guys. Also, Zootopia will be a grimmer place, in large part to accommodate Nick's new background. Which leads us to our protagonists. Judy remains largely the same, as she was already a pretty badass bunny to begin with, she just has some more levels in her character sheet now. As for Mr. Wilde, he's getting a whole new set of talents. As you saw, he's still a con-artist by the time Judy comes to Zootopia. But before that? Well, his past will be revealed during the course of the story, just like in the movie.
I want Judy and Nick to be roughly equals in the asskicking department. But she's the knight in shining armor, while her fox partner is… well, I guess the dark knight.
You saw how I skipped a lot of scenes. Well, I don't want to bore you with what you've all already watched. If a particular scene is not shown here, it either never happened (in which case it should be obvious why), or it went down almost exactly like in the movie, so there's no point revisiting it. Things will change, thanks to the revamped Judy and Nick, and the more progress we make, the more AU the story will become.
The rating is for violence and language. No hot furry action in this one, sorry. As for a Judy/Nick pairing? That's most likely, but it will be slow and this retelling will probably remain in the realm of friendship. We will see.
Leave me your thoughts. I'm a very slow writer, but chapter 2 should be out by the weekend.
Thank you for reading!