Author's Note:
Now rated M for graphic depiction of violence and self-harm. No vulgar language, though, so if you are ok with violence but rather not have all the cussing, you can read this with no problem.
Based partly on Zootopia: Snowfall by winterrios69.
Some of the details have changed from the old version because they were wrong to begin with, or because I wasn't happy with the old ones.
Intro:
In the quiet, dimly-lit room, a single reddish-brown colored paw reached out for a book. The room was suddenly brightened and went back to black. A few seconds later, the air was pierced with the sound of loud thunder.
The figure hugged the book closely before laying it down onto the desk. Another paw reached for the desk lamp, illuminating the desktop and book. The figure opened the book to the first page; it was blank. Grabbing a pencil, the figure sat staring at the page for a while. A lone tear fell from the figure's face, landing on the page, leaving a little puddle on it.
The figure began writing her story...
Prologue:
So, this is a prologue, or something like that. I'm not sure what I need to say, but here goes.
Hello. My name is Nicole Marie Wilde. I'm 17, I'm a fox, and my parents are Nick and Judy Wilde. I have two brothers, Kenny Wilde, a rabbit, and Josh Wilde, another fox. Me and Ken were adopted the same day, and ironically it was Kenny's birthday. I was two when I was adopted. Josh was adopted eight years later. It's a little fuzzy, but I think his parents got killed somehow, and he was left, so my parents took him in as their own. I don't know what happened to my parents, but I really couldn't care less. This is my family now, and I wouldn't change them for the world.
Dad has had a pretty rough life. He was bullied as a child just for being a fox. Since he wasn't able to change their minds, he decided to become the stereotype. He lived that way for over twenty years before my mom came along. She found him and changed him. God, they tell the story all the time; it was the Night Howler case that was what brought them together. Eventually, he joined the ZPD like mom. Three months before they got married, though, he had his left paw amputated by a gang during an undercover mission. And a month before me and Kenny were adopted, he lost his prosthetic during yet another undercover mission. I guess since he knew the streets well he was good for undercover stuff. But since then, he has had a new one installed, and it looks like he never even lost his paw in the first place.
Mom was sort of the "black sheep" of her family. She wanted to be a police officer all her life, when her parents were completely against it. She battled against all odds and joined anyway. But nobody believed she would survive very long, especially her boss, Chief Mason Bogo. She proved everyone wrong when she solved the Night Howler case. Now, the two are the best cops at the ZPD Precinct One.
I want to become a cop like my parents. Kenny, on the other hand, wants to become a full-time officer in the military. That's my second choice if being a cop doesn't work out. We never met our paternal grandparents. They died before I was even a year old. But me and Kenny were named after them. My middle name is Marie, like our grandma, and Kenny's is Jefferson, like our grandpa. Josh, meanwhile, loves to do all kinds of things. He doesn't have an idea of what he wants to be, but he's only seven.
I have two best friends, Brandon Pines and Tia Clawhauser. Brandon was the one who told me I was adopted, not my parents. We were on the playground at school back when we lived inside the city. He must've assumed my mom was a fox too, because Dad usually picked me up from school. But this one day, I don't remember the circumstances, but Mom came to pick me up. When he saw me run over to her, he nudged me and said she wasn't my real mom. I didn't believe him, but I asked Mom about it on the ride home. She brushed it off until that night at supper when Mom and Dad explained how me and Kenny were adopted and how they weren't able to have kits of their own. I was sad, but it didn't break my love for them; in fact, it caused it to grow more.
And I have a crush on Todd Marshall. But only Brandon, Tia, and Ken know. I feel it would be too awkward to tell my parents just yet. But once he asks me out, they'll be the first—no, probably third—to know.
I don't consider myself the "rebellious" type. I'm usually ok with whatever rules my parents set up. Dad is really good at switching between being his kids' best friend and their dad in a split second. Mom, on the other hand, is not the best at it, but at least she tries to be the best Mom ever (spoiler alert, she is!). She has this innate ability to remove your bad feelings when you are in her presence. It's odd, but I think that's what keeps Dad going.
I love my family as it is, and I wouldn't change them for the world. I don't know who my biological parents are, and if they are even alive today, I really don't care. This is my family now.
Chapter 1 – Only A Normal Day:
I open my eyes to be greeted with the ceiling of my bedroom. I yawn and roll over, tossing the covers aside. I get up and step out of my bedroom. I make my way downstairs to the living room, where I sit down on the couch. I could hear Mom making breakfast in the kitchen. The sun was just peeking through the large patio windows into the house. I had gotten used to waking up early so I could go with my parents to the Precinct in the mornings during the summer when I was old enough to. I am in the process of getting an internship at the Precinct to get a head start on training.
"Morning, Nicole," Mom said as she stepped out of the kitchen with her coffee mug in paw.
"Morning," I said.
"Did you do your homework last night?"
"Yes. I think that paper will get an A- at least."
"Good to hear." Mom got up and went back to work in the kitchen.
Dad groggily walked down the stairs as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. He had his prosthetic cover in his paw.
"Good morning," I said.
"Morning. It seems like I have to wake up earlier every day," Dad said as he flopped onto his easy chair. Mom came in and handed Dad a cup of coffee. "Thank you, Carrots."
I look about the room. The house is a four bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, three-car garage, two story house. There is a large backyard with an in-ground pool and covered patio, complete with well-kept furniture. My parents love to entertain guests, especially us kids' friends. We had moved out to Temperate Terrace after my parents adopted Josh. They knew raising kids would be a lot easier in the suburbs than the city.
"Kenny's sleeping in again," Dad said.
"I'll take care of this," I said as I made my way back upstairs. I open the door to his room and take a look at my brother. He is sprawled out on his bed, the covers thrown off during the night. His snoring reminds me of a freight train barreling down the tracks. I pick up one of his pillows and begin hitting him with it.
"Ah! What's going on!?" Ken yells as he squirms around on his bed.
"Get up, ya sleepyhead!" I said as I threw the pillow into his face. "You stayed up too late playing games… again."
"Alright! Alright! I'll get up! Jeez!." Ken started getting out of bed, so I went back downstairs. Kenny's always playing games. He never seems to know when enough is enough. Dad's into gaming, so he built all of us, except Josh, our own desktop computers. They have the specs to crush anything. He also likes to make sure we have the latest top-notch gaming consoles, too.
I sat back down on the couch as Ken sat beside me. "Breakfast is ready!" Mom said as she stepped into the living room. "And can someone please wake Josh up? You need to leave for school in an hour."
I got up and walked passed Mom into the dining room. Since I'm a fox, I grew taller than Mom when I was about thirteen. Kenny is ever so slightly taller than Mom, but Josh hasn't grown that tall yet. I don't want to say anything, but I think Kenny is Mom's favorite because he's the only other bunny, but that's none of my business.
"Ok, I guess I will," Dad said as Kenny had followed me into the dining room.
We sat down to eat our breakfast, scrambled eggs and turkey bacon for me, and jelly toast for Kenny.
As we're eating, Josh comes in and sits down at his spot, followed by Dad, in full police uniform. He started pulling the prosthetic cover onto his left paw as he gave me a kiss on the forehead. "See you later, sweetie." He then proceeds to give Kenny and Josh a one-armed hug. "See you guys later!"
"Bye!" we all say. Dad steps out into the garage and we see his cruiser pull out of the driveway.
Mom has saved up her vacation days and is staying home for a week. She felt she needed to take care of the house a bit now that school has started. Speaking of, I need to get ready.
I put my plate into the dishwasher in the kitchen, then go back to my room. I pick out some clothes and proceed to change into them. As I put my shirt on, I notice the scar on my back in the mirror. I run my paw down it as I remember that day. "Never again," I whisper to myself as I gather my books and shove them into my backpack. I give Mom a quick hug as I walk out the door.
I walk out into the sidewalk and walk to the corner of our street to the bus stop. Brandon was there, waiting for me. "What's up?" he asked as I joined him.
"Internship papers haven't come in yet," I said. "I hope they come in this week."
Brandon nods in agreement. Brandon is a red wolf, and his mom is a ZPD officer like my parents. She was an MCB agent before being transferred. Brandon's a few inches taller than me, and probably taller than Dad, but I haven't ever seen them side-by-side.
Kenny and Josh walk up beside us as soon as the bus pulled up. Kenny is the "guardian" of Josh at school; keeping him out of fight, getting him where he needs to be on time, et cetera.
We all get on board the bus, saying hello to the driver, Mr. White. Mr. White used to work for Mr. Big, but when he decided to retire from that, Mr. Big pulled a few strings and got him this job. He's really nice and loves to take care of kids in the bus. It was like he was made for this job.
When we arrive at school, me and Brandon are surrounded by mammals of all sizes. I start walking towards the door, but almost step on a small group of mice. "Watch it, big guy!" one yells.
"Sorry! Sorry!" I said as I walked away, making sure not to step on any more small mammals.
Once I make it to homeroom, I sit in my assigned seat, third row, next to the wall with the window. Brandon's seat is right next to mine. The class is comprised of medium-sized mammals, rabbit to wolf I think. The last student to walk in was none other than Todd Marshall. I stare at him as he walks in and takes his seat. He turns and looks at me and I turn away. I look back and he gives a little wave. I wave back, not wanting to be rude.
"You do realize," Brandon started. "You'll never actually meet him if you just smile and wave all the time. Go talk to him!"
"Oh no no no no no! I'm not doing that!"
"And why not?"
"What if… what if he doesn't like me?"
"Really? I haven't seen him display any inter behavior, and you two are the only foxes. You have a pretty good chance with him."
Brandon began to push me out of my seat. But just then, Mrs. Ramwell came in. "Too late now," I said.
Brandon rolled his eyes and mouthed the words "After class." I just gave a nervous shrug.
"Class!" Mrs. Ramwell started, making the students become silent and listen to her. "Today is a special day. It is the day we will be having the new anti-bulling rules go into effect. For today, you will need to sit in a different seat than normal, and you must be at least one seat apart from your friends." I gave a nervous look at Brandon, knowing he would force me to sit next to Todd. "And you will then get to know the mammal you sit next to." Of course. "We'll start now. Move to a different seat. You have five minutes."
Mammals started moving about the room to a different seat than what they were in.
"Come, on," Brandon said, taking my paw and pulling me over to where Todd had moved to. "Todd Marshall, I'd like you to meet Nicole Wilde."
"Wait, you know him?" I asked Brandon.
"Just an acquaintance. Have fun!" Brandon said as he went to a different seat, abandoning me with my crush. I knew I would mess this up.
"Hey," Todd started.
"Um, hey," I said back as I sat down in the seat next to him.
"So, you're the daughter of Nick and Judy Wilde, right?"
"Yeah. They adopted me when I was two."
"Cool."
I sat in silence for a while, not knowing what to say, but Mrs. Ramwell saved me by starting the class.
I was pretty bored during the hour that the class went on, but I made sure to never let Mrs. Ramwell see. She hates it when a student shows any sign of boredom. I got detention for yawning once. What's up with that?
At lunch, we were supposed to sit at a table with mammals we had either never met or barely knew. I really think this was a waste of time, but I sat at a table with some mammals I didn't really know. I asked their names, gave them mine, and shook their paw (or hoof). I didn't have a problem with that. But what made me jump was when Todd sat right next to me.
"Hello again, Nicole," Todd said.
"Oh, um, hi again, too, I guess," I said, getting nervous once again. It was exhilarating to be sitting this close to him, but also terrifying at the same time. I could feel a warm blush under my fur as I sat there, eating my chicken nuggets.
When Todd finished his food, he wiped his muzzle with a napkin, then turned towards me. "So," he started. "What's it like to be th daughter of the greatest officers the ZPD has?"
I felt a bit taken aback by this question, but I answered politely anyway. "Well, it has its ups and downs. A big up is the opportunities I have because of it."
"Opportunities? Like what?"
"Well, for one, I have a better chance of getting into the ZPD Academy once I turn twenty one."
"And you mentioned downs?"
"Yeah, like, for instance, sometimes my parent will be gone on the night shift, or maybe a case is taking longer than they thought. I have to take a lot more responsibility to take care of things when they are gone."
"I have to stay home alone a lot."
"Oh?"
"My dad works at a big architectural firm in downtown, and he's often away on business meetings and whatnot."
"What about your mom?" I instantly regretted asking that, because Todd's eyes started to tear up. It was quick; they were gone as soon as they were there.
"She's gone. She died four years ago. I know it's been hard on my dad. He got drunk every night for a long time after that. My mom's brother took better care of me and the triplets better than dad ever did." Todd took a long breath. "He taught me more about life than anyone else. When he died a year ago, I almost killed myself, but his words kept telling me to hold on. So I did."
"I'm… I'm sorry I brought it up," I said, holding back tears of my own.
"It's ok. I've been needing to tell someone that for a long time. I never had many friends, especially in school. I was always jealous of you and how you had so many friends, despite being a fox. Nobody listens to me because I'm a fox."
"I though the prejudice from the last generation would've died out by now!" I said, shocked at how Todd had been treated.
"You'd be surprised at how much prejudice there still is in the world."
Throughout the rest of the lunch hour, me and Todd sat and talked about all kinds of stuff. When we walked into second hour, which we also shared, I didn't recognize Brandon sit next to me. He tapped he on the shoulder, startling me.
"I see you made a friend," Brandon said, motioning to Todd.
"I suppose so," I said.
"Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. Name's Brandon."
"Nice to meet you, Brandon," Todd said, shaking his paw.
"Likewise."
As I was walking out of the school building, headed for the buses before they left, I heard Todd call out.
"Nicole!"
I turned and faced where it was coming from and I saw him walking up to me. "Hey," I said.
"Hey. Do you think it would be ok if I hung out at your place?"
"What?"
"I know we just met today, but I have nowhere else to really go. My dad is off on a business trip, and the triplets are with the grandparents. I'll leave as soon as your parents say so."
"I guess it's ok. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind." By now, the buses had already left. "Guess we're walking," I said.
"I walk to school everyday. it's not a big deal," Todd said.
As we are walking home, I shoot Mom a text.
Me: Hey Mom. I'm walking home from school. A friend is coming over to hang out. Cool?
Mom: Ok. See you in a few.
"My mom said it's fine if you come over."
"Cool beans."
When we got home, we went into the front door. "Mom! I'm home!" I called out.
"Be there in a minute!" she replied from the kitchen.
Me and Todd sat down on the couch in an awkward silence. When Mom entered, she looked at Todd, then at me. "Who's this?"
"Mom," I said. "This is Todd Marshall."
Todd shook Mom's paw when she offered it. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Wilde."
"Likewise, Todd." Mom turned to me and whispered in my ear, "Don't do anything you'd regret."
I nodded, reassuring Mom I was being smart about this.
"Have fun, you two," Mom said before heading upstairs.
I looked at Todd, who looked at me. "What do you want to do?" I asked. "We have Zboxes and a PawStation if you want. We have a lot of games for them, too. Howlo, Forza, Battlefront, Call of Duty… We have tons of board games if you want."
Todd chuckled a bit before sitting back down on the couch. "I'd love to play a game of Zootopia-opoly. I haven't played that since middle school."
"Ok. But I must warn you, I've been playing since I was three," I said.
"Oh please. My dad's a businessmammal. I think I know a thing or two about finances."
That night, as we were gathered around the dinner table, enjoying a home-cooked meal, Dad asked as usual, "How was everyone's day?"
Before I could even get a sound out, Josh blurted out, "Nicole had her boyfriend over!"
I could feel my face and ears turning warm and red. "He's not like that!" I blurted back at Josh.
"Well," Josh started, "he's a fox, and he's handsome."
"So?" I asked.
"You love him!"
I was really not up to this, so I dropped it. Dad raised an eyebrow at me before sharing a look with Mom.
"What'd you do, then?" Dad asked.
"Played a game of Zootopia-opoly," I said.
"Anything else?"
"We talked a bit."
Dad nodded as he put his fork into his mouth. "How long have you known him?"
"I met him today."
Dad choked on his food and took a sip of water to flush it out. "What?"
"I was introduced to him today, and he's really nice," I said.
"Nicole, you know you don't just invite someone you just met into your home!"
"It's safer than if we met up at a gas station or something!"
"This is true," Mom said.
"Thank you!" I said.
Dad sat in silence for a moment, before looking at me. "Tomorrow, I want to meet this tod, ok?"
"Yes, sir," I said. "Ironically, his name is Todd."
"Probably the author read that male foxes are called tods, so he named him after that fact," Dad said.
"Nick!" Mom said. "No fourth wall jokes at the table!"
"Sorry, Carrots," Dad said, putting his paws up in surrender.
Protagonist's Note:
So, yeah. that's the first chapter of my story. I know it may seem like some sappy teen romance or something, but it's not. It'll be a few chapters, but it gets really dramatic and—
Author's Note:
Hey! What're you doing in my note? It's my time to talk to the readers!
Sorry about that. Anyway, thanks for reading this far. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story! Remember to favorite, follow, and review!
Edit: Thanks to FlimFlam3 for his constructive criticism on this story. He suggested the intro part, so thank you for that idea.