"A Zootopia Story: Outfoxed"
By ZangooseMiner and STT
Chapter 1: "Upstart"
Zerrith took a deep breath. As much as he tried to prepare for this moment, he still felt incredibly anxious. He adjusted the tie on his uniform a bit and slowly moved his fist forward to knock on the door. Then he retracted it nervously. Then he moved it forward again, then started the process over again. The wolf growled anxiously to himself; he wanted to do this. He had to do this.
He swallowed and knocked.
He stood in silence. No going back now; he had knocked, and there were footsteps on the other side of the door, getting closer. This was it.
The doorknob jiggled and clicked before slowly turning, and the rectangular piece of wood slightly creaked ajar, an eye poking out and staring him down.
"What do you want?" the man asked.
Zerrith barely repressed his violent shaking and somehow managed to speak. "H-Hello, sir! I'm Zerrith Powers of the Ranger Scouts, Troop #404. I'm here to get my..." He froze as he tried to recall the badge's name. "Apprenticeship badge! A-And I'd maybe like to apprentice a police officer...if...that's okay with you..."
His voice shrunk as the door slowly opened the rest of the way.
Standing in the doorway and staring down at him through a pair of aviator glasses was a taller fox. He lowered the glasses down his snout a bit to give an unimpressed-looking stare at the boy, making him feel all the more uneasy. The glasses were the most appealing things he wore; a baggy shirt and a pair of jeans hung loosely off his body.
"...s-sir?" The wolf broke the silence after a moment.
The fox sniffed and removed the sunglasses, folding them and hanging the accessory on his shirt. He glanced up and down the boy.
"Apprentice?" he repeated. The boy nodded. "Me?"
Zerrith nodded once more. "Y-Yes! You...are Officer Wilde, right?" he asked, tilting his head.
The fox pursed his lips. "Yeah, that's me. You're a Ranger Scout?"
"Yes sir, Troop number fo-"
"4-0-4, yeah," Nick interrupted. He sighed. "Okay, look, I don't think I'm your guy. I mean, there are plenty of other good cops around here. Just, y'know...find one."
He started to back into the apartment again.
"I-I did find a good cop." the boy stepped forward and placed a hand on the door, pushing it open some. "I was sent here by an Officer Hopps!"
The fox stopped, knitting his brow. "She what?"
"She sent me!" The wolf repeated. "I went to her, and she gave me your address!"
Nick stepped back out. "Wh-What? Why would she send you to me?" He was awful with kids. And just people in general. And a Ranger Scout, no less. Didn't she remember his opinion on that?
"Cause, uh...she thought you and I would be...like...t-two peas in a pod…?" The wolf blushed. "Q-Quoting her…k-kinda…a-and she also said you needed the company!"
"...Needed the company…?" he frowned. He slapped a palm to his face. "How long," he mumbled.
"At least…" The boy swallowed. "...a m-month."
Nick dragged his hand down his face and glared at the wolf. "You're joking."
Zerrith lowered his ears and shook his head slightly. "N-No sir."
Suddenly he was glad he didn't have to do all this badge nonsense. "...What if I say no?"
The wolf tensed, a ping of surprise hitting him. He suddenly felt...hurt. "...n-no?"
Nick growled. "Where are your parents?"
"...d-dead." The boy answered bluntly, rubbing one arm with his hand. "They...they died a long time ago…"
Now Nick felt bad. He also suddenly realized why Judy actually sent him. "You...you're an orphan?"
Zerrith nodded. "Yeah...I'm an orphan. No shit."
The fox was a little taken aback by the cursing. "H-How old did you say you were again…?"
"Uh, I'm ten...why?"
Nick sighed and placed a hand on his neck. "I-I dunno, I just...I..."
"...n-no, it's fine, I understand." The boy's lips twitched into a reluctant smile. "H-Have a nice day."
And he started his walk down the hall.
Nick just watched for a moment, wrestling with his conscience, seeing the disheartened wolf slowly stumble away. Then he grumbled loudly. "Fiiine!"
The wolf whirled around. "W-What?"
Nick pointed a finger at him. "J-Just...stay there for a sec."
The fox disappeared inside, closing the door and leaving Zerrith watching confusedly. Where was he going? A moment later, the door swung open, and out came Nick, dressed in his police uniform.
"Come on...Zero, was it?" he said, walking past.
Zerrith blinked before groaning and following him. "I-It's Zerrith!"
Nick ignored him and jogged down the stairs, walking out to the parking lot. There, a shiny police car sat. Zerrith grinned at the sight.
Nick noticed. "You like it? I call it the Fuzzmobile."
"It reminds me of a worn down Batmobile…" The boy inspected it before giggling. "I'd call it the Scatmobile!"
"Ha, ha," Nick said dryly, unlocking the doors. "Get in."
Zerrith smiled and hopped into the passenger's seat, taking out a notepad from his shirt pocket as he did so. As Nick hopped in, the boy remained quiet as he scribbled words in it.
"Alright...good."
Nick glanced down as he started the engine. "What's that?"
The wolf quickly turned the notebook away. "N-Nothing!"
Nick smirked. "Calm down, Zennith, I was just asking a simple question…" The fox rolled his eyes.
"Zerrith." The wolf grumbled.
Nick pulled the car out of the parking lot and stopped at the street. He smiled and clicked a switch on the dashboard, then picked up the police radio's microphone.
"This is Officer Wilde, going patrol with ridealong Zzz..." he glanced at the wolf.
The wolf crossed his arms and shook his head. "You're on your own this time, officer."
Nick smiled and shrugged. "Suit yourself." He returned to the mic. "Ridealong Zena, Princess Warrior. Say hi, Zena!"
Zerrith shot him a glare, a blush flushing over his cheeks, before he snatched the radio from his hand. "This is male ridealong Zerrith Powers, Ranger Scout from Troop #404, partnered up with an asshole cop."
Nick shot him a glare. "What the-"
A deep voice came over the radio. "Oh, daaamn! He got you, son!"
Nick's grip on the steering wheel tightened greatly as his ears quickly flattened. Zerrith chuckled.
Another voice came, this one painfully familiar. "Officer Hopps here, Wilde is a confirmed asshole. Avoid at all costs."
Some laughter came from the speakers.
Nick blushed. "Et tu, Carrots?" he shouted to the mic.
Zerrith giggled. "Hi, Officer Hopps!"
"Hey, Zer!" she replied. "How's Nick treating ya?"
"Pretty not great." The wolf sighed. "He's kind of a dick."
More laughter. Nick scowled and grabbed the mic from him. "Okay, Fuzzmobile is going now!"
"'Fuzzmobile?' I thought it was the 'Bustmobile' before," a woman said.
"Or 'Wilde Times?' What happened to that?" another chuckled.
Zerrith leaned towards the radio. "I called it the Scatmobile personally."
Nick growled at him. "Wilde out!"
"Make him buy you doughnuts!" someone called.
"Shut it, Wolfmire!" Nick yelled, slamming the mic down and clicking the radio off. He sighed angrily.
Zerrith laughed. "Sheesh, best thing that's happened all day! Honestly, I-"
He stopped as he saw the fox clenching the wheel tightly, eyes squeezed shut, breathing slowly. "Get. Out." he said through his teeth.
The wolf blinked. "...w-wait, what? C-Cmon, I was just jok-"
"I said out!" he barked. "I'm not gonna' put up with a bratty little kid who insults and embarrases me for fun, so you can go find someone else to leech for a badge!"
Zerrith sat still for a moment before sniffling. "F-Fine then…"
He opened the door and slid out, shutting it and walking down the sidewalk. He couldn't hold back, tears were already rolling down his cheeks. He didn't like being yelled at, and yet here he was, bringing people's anger out and it was his fault.
Nick watched the boy walk away for the second time today.
"Go get him," the voice in his head told him.
No. That brat could deal.
"But he's an orphan. Are you gonna turn away an orphan?"
First time for everything.
"Man, you fucked up baaad." That voice didn't come from his head, but the back seat of his car. The fox jumped.
Sitting in the backseat, having been silent and unnoticed the whole time, was the small fennec fox Nick had known for many years; Finnick. He hopped up from where he sat and climbed over into the passenger's seat.
Nick groaned and slumped in his chair. "Aw, cheese and crackers, Fin! What did I tell you about sleeping in my car?"
"Only do it when the van is out of commission." Finnick replied. "And right now, it's in the shop for a repainting. So until then, this place is mine."
The fox glared. "It's not yours. It's not even mine. It's police property. You're lucky I don't arrest you."
The smaller fox shrugged and watched the boy. "You love me too much for that, though."
Nick pursed his lips. "What do you want, anyways? I'm busy."
"Busy? If busy in your head means losing your shit with orphan kids, then you're pretty fucking booked." He chuckled in his offputtingly deep voice.
The officer sighed and fiddled with his badge. "He had it coming, Fin," he said, though he doubted it as he said it.
"Had it coming? Fuck that, Nick. You were being a dick to him, you had it coming." Fin shook his head.
Nick glanced up to see Zerrith turn a corner into an alleyway. He kinda was responsible. When he thought about it, he guessed he overreacted. A little. "I dunno, man. I don't think I can handle a kid for a month."
"Nick, I remember you telling me that story of yours, about your fucked up Ranger Scouts experience." Fin sighed. "Are you gonna let a shitty experience pass again? You went through one, now you have the chance to fucking stop one. But no, you're creating one."
The words hit him like a brick. Suddenly he flashed back to the Scouts building, the shadows over him as the...thing was put on him. How powerless he was. He thought of how Zerrith felt, sitting back there by himself, crying because a cop yelled at him.
The fox snarled in exasperation. "Gosh, I hate you."
"Love you too, Nicky-boy." Finnick chuckled. "Now can I get back to some peaceful sleep without you both throwing profanities everywhere?"
"Uh, no," Nick rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go find something else to do?"
"It's either I sleep in here, or I go out there and yell at that kid some more for ya. So what the fuck's it gonna be?"
He glared. "There's a cot in my place, just get out of my car."
Fin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Bet you feel good about yourself; screaming at a kid, ruining his day, maybe he just wanted to fucking hang out and have fun with ya. Try to be less of an asshole." With that, the fennec fox hopped out of the car, walking back to the building. "Ciao," he called over his shoulder.
Nick huffed and got out, slowly walking to the alleyway.
Zerrith was sitting at the edge against the wall of a building. Sniffling constantly and with a shaky hand, writing in his note pad. After a moment he yanked the page out and tossed it into the wind. Nick quietly cleared his throat.
"The hell do you want…" The wolf muttered, not even looking up.
The fox's mouth opened, but he shut it again. What did he want?
Zerrith flipped open his notepad to a random blank page. Though, instead of writing in it, he stared at it for a while in silence. Then, he ripped it out, crumpled it up, and threw it at Nick.
"That means go away, you don't want me hanging around you anymore."
Nick sighed and came closer. "I'm...sorry for what I said. You didn't need that."
"Anyone can say anything," The wolf looked at the fox, his cheeks damp with tears. "But meaning what you say is a different thing. And I doubt you're legitimately apologizing."
The fox sat next to him on the concrete. "I don't like being yelled at either. Not fun."
He glanced at the wolf; Zerrith simply stared at the ground.
He continued. "...I used to get yelled at a lot. By people who didn't like me because I'm a fox. They all thought I was trying to steal something or trick them."
Zerrith's ears twitched; he wasn't looking, though he was indeed listening.
Nick pointed at the badge on his chest. "But, uh...I got this. So people trust me more. Doesn't make them like me, but they don't yell anymore." He watched the boy. "So, I guess what I'm saying is...it gets better, y'know? You aren't stuck here forever. Some day, you're gonna kick life up the ass and tell it who's boss."
The boy sat silently for what seemed like an eternity, before he sighed. He stood up and stretched, placing his notepad in his shirt pocket again. He lightly wiped his cheeks, wiping away excess tears and leftover dampness. Finally, he smiled at the fox.
"So, I'm thinking you buy us a totally-not-too-late breakfast?"
Nick chucked and stood as well. "Hope you like doughnuts."
The boy licked his lips. "Mmm! Love 'em!"
The fox put a hand on his back and walked with him to the police car. "Come on, I'll let you turn on the sirens!"
Zerrith giggled. That sounded like fun to him.
TO BE CONTINUED…