Hey guys. StoryCrusader here.
First off though, I will like to take a moment to talk about how I plan this story to go down. The story will not follow one case throughout the whole of it, rather there will be multiple cases that will be investigated and solved throughout the plot, but they will all be in chronological order and the story will flow from one to another. Basically, think of this as one of those crime drama tv shows where with each episode, there is a different case/mystery to solve. Now, does this mean that each chapter will be its own separate case? No. The story will be split into sections with each section having a particular case with a few chapters making up each section. That is the plan.
And so enough talk. Lets get on with it!
Enjoy
Section 1: The Case of the Silver Fox
Chapter 1: Just Another Day As an Officer at the ZPD
The crime lord's inner circle waited for their tiger leader to speak as he paced back and forth in front of them in the dimly lit room. They were all nervous. They could see that their boss was angry, and when he was angry, anything could send him into a violent fit of rage. So, they kept their muzzles shut. They were however giving each other nervous glances because they were in fact nervous, well, all except one.
The fox just leaned against the wall in the shadow of the corner. He was calm. No emotion. Being an albino fox, his coat was silver colored. It made him appear like a ghost.
The silver fox's eyes looked as if he was blind, but he wasn't. They appeared absent of any pupils and had a grey film-like coating across them, making it near impossible for anyone to know where he was looking. He could be looking at you, and you wouldn't even know it.
The other members of the circle were afraid of their leader, but they were terrified of his second command. After all, there was a reason the silver haired fox was considered a living nightmare. He was cold and calculating, as sly and clever as foxes came, ruthless and just plain terrifying.
Unlike others in the circle, the fox did his own dirty work which is one of the reasons why the tiger had made him his second in command. If there was something the crime lord wanted to be sure got done, quickly and silently, the fox was the one he would rely on to carry out the job.
The fox was what nightmares were made of. A ghost in the night.
But, all thoughts about the fox ended when the tiger stopped pacing and hunched over a table in the middle of the room.
The predator hit the table with his fists.
"Everyone GET OUT!" He snarled.
The mammals didn't need to be told twice as they tried to exit the room as calmly but as quickly as possible, but soon, the room was empty, well almost empty.
The tiger noticed the fox moving from his position in the corner towards the door.
"You are the only one I trust to get the job done," the tiger told his second in command. He looked up at the fox. "Will you do it?"
He couldn't help but shiver as the fox responded in his cold and eerily high-pitched voice.
"Consider him dead."
The fox gave an evil chuckle as he noticed the slight shiver from his boss and left the room.
Judy woke up to someone pounding on her apartment door. The same someone that yelled at her through the door.
"Judy?! You home?"
Judy Hopps had an elephant sized headache, and did not feel like talking to anyone this morning, especially when it was her day off.
She raised her head from the pillow just enough to yell at the door.
"What do you want Nick?!"
The pounding on the door stopped.
"What do I want? I want to spend the day with my bestest widdle rabbit friend! That's what. Come on, Carrots. We planned this for over a week!"
Judy ears drooped as she buried her face in her pillow with a groan.
Was that today?
Nick rocked back and forth upon the back of his feet outside his best friend's apartment, wondering what was taking her so long.
What could she be doing?
The red-furred fox had just raised his paw to the door to knock some more when the door opened to a very tired and annoyed bunny.
Nick's eyes widened.
"Woah Carrots? I would say you are a sight for sore eyes but…err… are you feeling alright?"
Judy glared at the fox. Her fur was rough. Her ears drooped. Her deep purple eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious that the rabbit did not feel alright, and Nick knew it but asked anyway.
Judy's expression softened slightly at her friend's concern.
"Sorry, Nick. Bucky and Pronk didn't stop arguing until three in the morning about the color green of all things. Green."
Nick nodded with understanding but also with amusement.
"I see? Carrots, have you ever consider moving?" The fox teased.
Judy forced a grin.
"When don't I?"
She stepped aside to let her partner in before closing the door behind him, whilst stretching and letting out a yawn.
"Anyway, I think I am going to have to pass on that music festival for today, Nick," She said coming out of the yawn and with drooping eyelids.
It has been about a year since they had solved the Missing Mammal Case, and ever since then they had been spending a lot of free time together as well as at work since Nick Wilde was a cop now.
They had planned on spending their day off at the music festival that was being held in the convention center downtown with Gazelle headlining the event as well as other big names like Coldpaw and Elephanna Grande as well as some small-time bands like Bred, a little-known rock band for the rock enthusiasts. Bands from all over that have secured a place in the event.
"I don't think loud music is what my head needs right now," Judy groaned, massaging her forehead in the process.
I need a pain killer right now.
Nick gave a reassuring grin and wave.
"Say no more. I understand," he said. "If I had two loud obnoxious neighbors like them, I would be feeling the same way."
"Hey, we heard that!"
"Yeah, what you have against us, eh?"
The sly fox ignored the voices coming from the other side of the wall as well as Judy's annoyed look because of them and continued.
"But! Here is what I propose. How about you take a pain killer, and then we will walk on down to that café around the corner, get you some breakfast, and then take a walk around the park, and if you feel better after that, we'll go to the festival, if not then we will find something else to do? Sound good, Fluff?"
Judy rolled her eyes at the word 'Fluff.' The fox made a convincing argument, but she would like nothing more than to sleep…
"Wait a minute! 'Against us'? Against 'you' Pronk! You're always starting it!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yes huh!"
"Shut up!"
"No you shut up!"
On second thought, sleep was probably the very thing she will not get today, especially with neighbors like Pronk and Bucky.
A few minutes later and Nick and Judy were walking out of her apartment building and down the street. The red furred, green eyed fox wore his favorite green pawaiian shirt and his favorite tie with his usual khaki pants. Judy wore a purple button down shirt and jeans.
Usually, she would be skipping energetically down the street by the fox's side, but today she walked the walk as a very tired bunny, more awake now than earlier but still very asleep.
Judy had just let out a yawn when she noticed Nick watching her.
"What? Never seen a sleepy rabbit before?" She smirked.
The fox smiled.
"I have never seen you this tired. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen you tired at all. You sure you're okay? Cause if you don't wake up soon I might have to carry you the rest of the way."
Judy's eyes widened slightly as an image of Nick carrying her into a café floated through her mind as well as the possible embarrassing scenarios that may come after it. No, she didn't want that.
"You, you don't have to do that! I can make it by myself," she quickly stammered.
Nick smirked.
"You sure? I can always ask a waitress at a certain café for a certain jug of iced water and pour it on a certain sleepy bunny instead?"
Judy's ears shot up as she looked at him with horror before they fell back when she narrowed her eyes at the mischievous fox.
"You wouldn't dare?!" She half questioned, half ordered.
Nick suddenly stopped and leaned down to her eye level with a smile.
"There's the Judy I know! And would I do that? Yes, yes I would if it got you to wake up, but seeing as you are now awake, no, no I will not. Unless you fall asleep at the table, then I won't be able to resist the opportunity."
The rabbit couldn't help but give the fox a grin as they started walking again.
"Some friend you are."
"You know you love me." Nick teased.
The rabbit elbowed him in the ribs, resulting in a satisfying grunt from the fox.
"Yep, I do, you sly fox."
"Dumb bunny," Nick responded rubbing the spot where she jabbed him.
Two hours later, Judy was glad that she agreed to Nick's proposal. They had had a nice breakfast at the café, where she had energized herself with several cups of coffee while they talked about work and joked around, the usual. By the time they had left, Judy's headache was nonexistent, and she was feeling much better, so much so that they could have gone to the music event, but they were having such a good time that they decided against it.
Instead, they ran by the police precinct to deliver the two tickets to two very excited individuals. They didn't get a reaction from Chief Bogo until they left his office, when they heard a curious shout for joy muffled by his door. Clawhauser on the other hand squealed for joy.
"OOOOOhoohoohooo! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! O M Goodness! How did you get tickets? They have been sold out for ages!"
Nick grinned.
"I know a guy," he replied.
Upon leaving the station, they ran into some of their friends, fellow officers of the ZPD and had a quick chat before they started towards the park to enjoy some of the beautiful weather, while it lasted. There were some dark clouds and thunder in the distance.
They were just about to cross the street over to the park when there was a loud shriek.
A young wolf was chasing after a leopard, who was quickly outrunning him and knocking into pedestrians as he went. The cat had a black bag locked in his paws. The shriek had come from a bystander who had been pushed over by the feline.
The wolf was a bit out of shape but was giving a valiant effort to catch the thief, all the while yelling for help.
"Stop him! Thief! He's got my laptop!"
Nick and Judy quickly looked at each other before taking off in unison after the leopard.
They raced past stores, apartments, and other businesses weaving in and out of the other animals who were coming from the opposite direction.
Judy was making more progress than Wilde since she was smaller and more agile, but the fox had kept up much as he could.
"Excuse me! Sorry! Coming through! ZPD!" The rabbit yelled as she beeped and bobbed through the mass of animals.
The leopard rounded the corner with a bag under his arm. Judy gave chase while Nick, tired of trying to run through the crowd of mammals, peeled off down a side street to try to cut him off.
"Stop! ZPD!" Judy bellowed as she closed the distance.
She bobbed and ducked around the mammals covering the sidewalk in front of her, all the while keeping her eyes focused on the back on the leopard target.
Her ears flopped behind her as she found she had a clear shot to the target and put on a burst of speed to further close the gap between her and the feline. She was about to leap upon the thief when Nick suddenly appeared out of nowhere, tackling the thief to the ground.
Judy nearly collided with the two.
She watched Nick proceed to handcuff the feline. She had to admit. Nick was getting pretty good at being a cop.
"You..." Nick panted.
The fox may have graduated from the police academy, but he was still not a very good endurance runner.
"…Are one fast cat," he wheezed out as he held the now handcuffed leopard with one paw while he clutched his side with the other, his green eyes to the sky.
Judy, who was breathing quite easily compared to the fox, smirked.
She put her paws on her hips, cocking them to the side in her usual stance, before teasing him.
"Nick, you feeling alright? You're looking tired."
Nick rolled his eyes with a grin.
"Har, Har."
The leopard was complaining about abuse when the young brown-furred wolf ran up behind them only to bend over clutching his knees, panting heavily.
"Thank..you…office….cers," he said between breaths.
Judy picked up the black bag from the pavement and handed it to the wolf with a smile.
"I think this is yours."
The canine accepted it with a quick smile and a nod.
"Thanks."
"You're very welcome."
Judy beamed. Nothing made her happier than when she was doing her job.
The wolf gave another thankful smile before hurrying off down the street, probably trying to get inside before the rain. The dark clouds from earlier were now on top of them.
Judy gave a sigh. She loved her job.
"Just another day in the life of a ZPD officer, eh partner?" She asked looking up at her fox companion as they started quickly escorting the leopard to the station before the rain came.
Nick grinned and shook his head.
"No, no, no. You have to say it like this: 'Is this just another day in the life of a ZPD officer?'" He asked looking down at her, his grin getting wider with each second.
Taking the hint, Judy began to grin herself.
"Yes, yes it is!" They joked together.
Their laughter was cut short, however, by a piercing unmistakable popping sound coming from behind them that could only be one thing.
Nick and Judy locked eyes.
"Was that?!" Nick gasped, his heart racing.
Judy quickly nodded, already on the move towards the screaming.
"Gunshot! Call it in!" She yelled back, as the wind whipped up and the rain began to fall.
Lightning lit up the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
The storm had arrived.
Gunshots?! Uh oh. A mysterious silver fox. A crime lord. What are Nick and Judy getting themselves into?
I hoped you liked it. It wasn't as long as I had hoped, but I thought the gunshot was a good spot to leave off, for now. So, stuff is happening. The plot is beginning to unfold. Who was being targeted by this silver fox? How will this case affect Nick and Judy's relationship? What will they learn about their own feelings for one another? All questions to be answered at a later time. I hoped this got you curious cause I am about to take you for a Wilde ride, or at least that's the plan.
Remember to leave a review. I would like to know how I did as well as your thoughts on how to continue this story.
Speaking of continuing the story, it may take me longer to get another chapter to you, so just a heads up.
Until Next Time!
StoryCrusader
