Alright folks, fantastic news. My love for Zootopia has been so unlike my love for countless other movies, it actually had me actively looking at how much money it's making in the box office, solely because I so dearly want this movie to be a standout success for Disney, in the hopes it'll inspire them to make a sequel at some point in the future, just like I'm sure so many of you have also wanted. Well, as of today, I now see that Zootopia has officially grossed over 1 BILLION DOLLARS worldwide, officially making it the third official Disney movie to make that much behind Frozen and Toy Story 3, as well as the 26th highest-grossing film of ALL TIME. This was the goal I so desperately wanted it to reach, to the point that I actually saw the movie a record 13 times to help make it possible. And before you ask, no, I don't regret a second of it. I'm so happy right now that so many people are still going out in masses to see this movie even after it's been out for so long. It really goes to show just how strongly its wonderful story and beautiful message resonates with the rest of the world. I couldn't be more proud of you all.
Anyway, I just really wanted to let that out. So now for the real reason we're all here. Here is the second chapter, and here's where we'll really get the ball for the story rolling. I was so nervous about how Chapter 1 would end up looking, yet you all assured me how much you loved it, and just like all times before, to hear your honest thoughts are what makes this all worth it. So I can only hope this chapter will live up to your expectations. Enjoy.
Zootopia belongs to Disney, not myself.
"No, we can't unplug the CB so you can listen to Dead Kangaroos (Dead Kennedys), Nick," Judy stated firmly without any hesitation as her partner immediately let out an exaggerated groan of childish frustration.
"C'mon, Carrots; listening to everyone else prattle on about this or that jaywalker or loiterer gets so boring after four hours; even you can't say I'm wrong there," Nick whined as Judy continued driving their cruiser down the busy winding streets of Tundra Town. It was another typical day on the job; a rather welcome experience for their first day after returning from Bunnyburrow. But at least on those regular days, by now something would've happened for our duo to at least get out and run or at the very least get some fresh air.
When Chief Bogo had assigned them to this chilly part of the city, they thought they'd at the very least get to direct a vagrant polar bear from walking in the small mammal pedestrian lane for foot traffic. But alas, no. They'd been patrolling in agonizingly boring silence for four long hours by now, with nothing but their own desperately grasping chatter and the droning reports of their co-workers to keep them company.
"Boring or not, it's still important we're reachable. What if someone got hurt, or better yet what if something happened to one of us? I think we can both agree neither of us wants to be the one to tell Chief Bogo we couldn't respond or call out just because you got bored listening to the CB," Judy explained with a smug grin on her face, as if she knew she'd already won the argument while Nick rolled his eyes and gave her a humble defeated smirk as he rested his head on his paw, gazing out the window at the falling snow on the virtually all-white district outside.
"Yeah, I guess that's true. I mean, we're left with the paperwork regardless, right?" Nick mused as Judy quietly chuckled to herself.
"That's right. See? You really ARE learning," she said with exaggerated praise as Nick once more rolled his eyes.
"Only because you're a simple teacher. Okay, so with that being settled, do you think we can at least stop and get some coffee? I know I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night," Nick asked before letting out an exhausted yawn.
"Yeah, as fast as the train ride is, I can't exactly say it makes for comfortable seats for sleeping. Maybe if everyone hadn't tried to make us stay longer, we might've been able to turn in sooner," Judy reminisced to yesterday's events to when they had to reluctantly leave Bunnyburrow. Her parents had once more proven all too reluctant to let their little girl and their new favorite fox go; but the kids especially were nearly heartbroken to have to say goodbye to their Uncle Nick.
"Ah, you can't blame your family. I mean, you bunnies are so naturally emotional anyway. Frankly, I'm surprised they were able to let us leave at all," Nick said bluntly while Judy gave him a semi-amused smirk. As true as it was, it always did annoy her very slightly whenever that cheeky fox brought up her and her family's overly emotional nature.
"Yeah, you've got that right, cheeky fox. For a minute, I thought I was going to have to get in a tug-of-war with the kids over you," Judy said amusedly, trying to ignore that frustratingly sly grin on Nick's face.
"Why, Carrots, it's nice to know you think of me as your literal prize. I must say, I'm flattered," Nick teased as the bunny kept her eyes on the road; having to resist the urge to hammer down on the brakes just to shut him up, even if it did probably mean they'd spin out on the ice as a result.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Nick. Do you want me to stop for coffee or not? Just because you're as awake as the walking dead right now doesn't mean I am too. I can keep going all day," Judy pretended to threaten as Nick let out another defeated yet amused sigh as he scooted away, as if silently motioning to her his surrender. With a proud little smile, Judy soon pulled their cruiser over before quickly reporting their impromptu stop on the CB.
Soon, the two partners were quickly making their way through the gliding snow and the brisk, chilly air to the nearest coffee shop; both letting out a sigh of contentment at the warmth inside, complimented quite nicely by the much more ambient lighting that gave it an unexpectedly relaxing atmosphere.
"Okay, we can hang around for a little bit, Nick; but YOU'RE buying. Don't forget our bet this morning," Judy explained with no regret or hesitation as Nick let out an involuntary groan of exasperation.
"I still say you cheated, Carrots. I'll bet you asked Clawhauser what his favored paw is beforehand. How else would you know which side of his neck today's doughnut would be stuck in?" Nick accused while Judy held her little head up high with a bright smile on her muzzle before motioning for him to step forward and order for them both.
Shortly afterward, the two were seated in a comfortable little booth at the window, looking out at the expanse of Tundra Town at the foot of the mountain this street was on. No matter which part of Zootopia they went to, they always seemed to find the spots with the best views of each one that just seemed to radiate with the incomprehensible beauty this grand city had become so well known for on their patrols.
Honestly, Nick always preferred Tundra Town as his favorite part of the city, even if it was the natural turf of the likes of Mr. Big. He hated getting his fur wet if he could help it, so the Rainforest District was a place he usually tried to avoid, the City Center was by far the noisiest part of the city if he was ever out on the streets, and while Sahara Square was warm all year round, in the summers it was especially brutal. But here, his fur always kept him warm in spite of the frigid temperatures, it didn't immediately get wet from the snow, and it was a surprisingly quiet district despite being easily the biggest district of them all.
As he admired the view, he failed to notice his partner sitting across from him, partaking in her own caffeine rejuvenation while also gazing at him with quite the unreadable look in her violet eyes.
She'd never admit it, but seeing Nick so deep in thought, looking so calm and just overall at ease with the world, always gave her a pleasant warm feeling in her heart. It always seemed to make her remember anew just how much struggling they'd both had to go through to get to where they now were even before they'd met, and just how much they'd come to rely on each other along the way; making the secure and pleasant moments they got to share like this all the more worthwhile. It was like Nick Wilde had unwittingly become her one-step means of remembering how things could never stay bad for anyone so long as they had those they cared about for support.
Granted, this was far from the first time Judy had found herself feeling like this while secretly watching her partner, but today for some reason it came across even stronger than before.
"Is there something on my face, Carrots?" Nick suddenly asked, snapping Judy out of her reverie as the fox was now glancing right back at her.
"No. Why?" she asked confusedly as Nick gave a barely audible snigger before chugging down his cup.
"Cause I couldn't help notice you staring at me; and last time that happened was when I'd gotten that bit of blueberry pie stuck to my face," Nick explained; ignoring how Judy's ears instantly folded down in embarrassment to know he'd caught her staring.
"Right, sorry. Being able to relax a bit just got me thinking back, that's all," Judy tried to cover it up as she hurriedly finished her coffee and tried to hurry for the exit. The sooner they could get back on the job, hopefully the sooner he'd decide not to ask any more questions.
"Well don't leave me in the dark, Fluff. What could you possibly be thinking about?" Nick pestered her as he kept in step all the way back to their cruiser before they both climbed back in.
"Nothing specific. I still just find myself remembering…well, everything…you know, about us," Judy hesitantly admitted as she started the engine and they began to roll further down the mountain road.
"Wow. You think about the weirdest stuff when we've got nothing to do; you know that? It's been two months already, I'd thought you'd be more focused on the future by this point," Nick commented as Judy still felt her ears burning with embarrassment.
"Well, I do think about that sometimes. But…you know, how many mammals can really say they went through half as much as we did, huh? Sometimes it still just really amazes me all the stuff we accomplished thanks to each other," Judy tried to explain while Nick was now glancing at her in mild interest.
"Yeah, well, I guess I can't really disagree with you there. Maybe they'll make a movie about us one day," Nick said sarcastically while Judy let out a semi-amused giggle. She was trying to be serious, but it took a lot to get Nick to do the same. Maybe it was for the best. Besides, while being out on patrol was hardly the time or place for her to get all nostalgic or reminiscent or even start talking about whatever else had continuously been on her mind thanks to that fox sitting next to her. She just had to hope that somehow, there'd come a time where she'd finally be able to get some of her more personal concerns off her chest.
Finally getting Nick to meet her family had definitely relieved a lot of her stress, and to see them accept him and he come to reciprocate so quickly had warmed her heart like nothing else. But thinking back on that amazing weekend had indeed come to bring back some old feelings she'd been continuously trying to ignore all day; but there was no way she was going to dwell on that right now. She'd just have to hope something could happen and they could just forget about her little gazing misstep.
It wasn't long afterward they'd pulled themselves over just outside the main park of Tundra Town. At least, as much of a park as one could expect to find buried under all that snow. But that didn't make it any less pleasant. If anything, watching all the citizens going about their business while juxtaposed to the children all laughing while sledding down the numerous hills or skating on the massive frozen lake provided a strange kind of contrasting serenity to this part of town; enough so that any discomfort or suspicion between Nick and Judy had all but been forgotten.
As they sat in silence, only momentarily disrupted by the occasional CB report from another officer simply reporting in, both partners were currently deep within their own little worlds. Nick had been looking out at the kids with their parents skating across the lake. Even as far as they were, he could still hear the collective sounds of their laughter. To see and hear something everyone could agree was downright precious brought a thoughtful smile to the sly fox. On one paw, it couldn't help but bring back one of his most pleasant memories.
When he was six years old, to celebrate the last day of kindergarten, his mother had actually put together enough money for them both to have their own pairs of ice skates. Obviously he was both immensely excited and immensely scared at the same time. But one thing he always remembered about that day was how happy he felt when his mom had gotten him moving across the ice and had let go of him halfway through without him even realizing it. Of course he'd ended up gliding into a mound of powder, but when he'd realized he'd gone so far by himself, he didn't even think about the fact she let him go. It was one of the most exciting feelings he'd ever had; it made him feel so big and brave and grown up. And of course, the fact they got to end what was one of the best days of his young life with his mother keeping him warm and the both of them looking at how beautiful Tundra Town was all lit up at night with hot chocolate to enjoy only made this memory that much more precious to the formerly jaded ex-conmammal.
On the other paw, he found himself reflecting on everything since that day that had led him to be where he was right now, snuggled up in a warm police cruiser with the best bunny in the world seated next to him. Some days, he still found himself struggling to believe that this life was really his own. He'd become so accustomed to being on his own; having no one trust him and having nobody to watch his back but himself for so long. Just the fact that he owed this complete turnaround to the very same bunny he thought was initially some delusional hayseed following an idiotic dream still felt nothing less but astounding to him.
'Oh, listen to yourself, Wilde. Looks like you and Carrots both have the same bad daydreaming habits,' that same pesky voice in his head noted sarcastically as the fox quickly shook his head so as to clear his thoughts.
Looking back at the kids ice-skating, the thought of maybe someday bringing Judy out here on one of their days off came to mind. Already he could just imagine that little bunny who was always so confident and brave acting like the same scared little kit he once was having to be on the ice for the very first time; those ears folded down and those eyes wide and both frightened and wondrous. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd get to send her gliding by herself and landing face first in the snow to see the same look of excitement he knew he must've had. He couldn't deny the idea itself was quite enticing.
Honestly, he'd come to hate the idea of ever having a day all to himself without his partner there to make fun of or partake in whatever misadventures they'd think to have at this point. He couldn't even think of at what moment this indescribable attachment to her had manifested itself. Yes, for a long time now he'd accepted he couldn't stand not having her around in his life from now on, but this desire to willingly spend even his spread out times of real freedom in her company? It was an unspoken mystery even to himself.
"Drifting off a bit there, partner?" Judy's voice suddenly piped in, quickly bringing Nick back to reality as he found her looking at him with a greatly amused grin.
"Okay, you got me, Carrots. I won't tease you for daydreaming anymore," Nick admitted as Judy once again gave him that smug smirk of victory like she'd given him back at the DMV so long ago.
"Thanks, partner. It'll be both our little secrets. Gotta say I'm curious, though. You were watching those skaters pretty intently from what I saw," Judy mentioned as Nick laid back in his seat with that same satisfied grin that his partner at least had the awareness to know not to keep pushing buttons like he so greatly lacked.
"Ah, I was just watching those families out there. It just got me reminiscing, that's all," Nick said nonchalantly while Judy's ears perked up with interest. For once Nick was actually thinking back on something positive? Now her curiosity was really piqued.
"Oh come on, Nick; you can't say something like that and just stop there. What were you thinking about" Judy asked with a somewhat childish whine while Nick just let out a tired sigh.
"Okay, fine, stubborn bunny. Well, I actually came out here with my mom once when I was a kid. We—" Nick began to explain, only to see Judy's eyes widen and her ears dart right back up. At first he thought that was just her giving him her undivided attention, until he noticed her gaze was focused outside.
"What's wrong, Carrots?" Nick asked concernedly as he got back up to see what could've possibly grabbed her attention, only for his own ears to perk up as his heightened hearing picked up a single sound from amid the amassed laughter and chatter: the sound of crying.
"You hear it too?" Judy asked in dead seriousness as Nick shot her an equally serious gaze and gave her an affirmed nod.
"Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps. Officer Wilde and I have picked up a disturbance near Tundra Town Park. We're currently investigating, over," Judy quickly reported into the CB before they both stepped out of the cruiser; switching on the radios at their hips just in case.
The two officers quickly rushed into the park; both their ears high up and listening for any trace of that same crying they'd heard. Of course, being among the crowd and all of its own noises proved to make doing that very difficult while the two tried to make their way through the congestion.
Once they'd gotten through, they instantly noticed a small gathering of other animals on the other side of the lake. Wasting no time, the two rushed over, and just as they'd thought, the crying grew louder the closer they came. It didn't take long for them to realize it was more specifically the crying of a small child they were hearing. Instantly, worried thoughts of perhaps one of the skating children being hurt came to mind; but once they managed to make their way through the small gathering, they were instead met with a single small Arctic fox curled up on a park bench sobbing uncontrollably to himself while the crowd were all muttering worriedly to each other. The child didn't look to be any older than five years old.
"Officers Hopps and Wilde, ZPD. Can anyone explain what's going on here?" Judy immediately asked as the crowd shifted their attention to the two police officers. Part of Judy couldn't help but feel frustrated having to ask something so redundant, even if it was for procedure or protocol's sake. It was so obvious what was wrong here.
"We're not entirely sure, officer. Someone just found him like this. We tried asking where his mom was, but the poor little guy's been crying nonstop; we can't even get him to talk. Nobody's come forward as his sitter, guardian, sibling or anything like that," a nearby polar bear explained as Judy quickly wrote down what was said; all while feeling her heart twist and turn at the sound of that poor child's sobbing while a nearby otter was trying her best to comfort him.
All the while, Nick was watching the little Arctic fox with a strange kind of intensity. It wasn't anger or anything like that. It was more like a remorseful recognition. He saw so much of his childhood self in this poor little guy; that same broken-hearted 8 or 9 year-old crying to himself on the steps outside the Junior Ranger Scouts HQ. The same small child that always ran to his mother whenever he was hurt or some other kids picked on him. But this lost child had no one; no one to truly come and calm his fears. This poor little fox looked so despairing and frightened, as if all the larger concerned mammals standing around him protectively were rather monsters leering over his every move and he had no one to protect him. It gave Nick a painful twisting feeling in his gut as he felt his heart catch in his throat to see a child so miserable and alone. He almost didn't even notice when Judy had finally rejoined his side.
"They say nobody's come claiming to be his parents or guardians. I'm calling this in," Judy whispered before pulling her radio from her hip and hitting the button.
"Officer Hopps to Dispatch, we have a 273A in Tundra Town Park; I repeat, a 273A in Tundra Town Park, over," Judy spoke professionally into the radio while Nick instinctively joined the crying child on the park bench; placing a supportive paw on the tiny Arctic fox's shoulder. The child didn't even react or acknowledge this as his wailing had been reduced to quiet sobs.
"Copy that, Hopps. Could you please clarify? Over," the slightly static-disrupted voice of Benjamin Clawhauser responded as Judy glanced to see her partner trying his best to comfort the lost child.
"There's a single Arctic fox child here; male, most likely as old as five. It appears he's been separated from his parents or legal guardians. The crowd watching over him has reported no one coming forward. I want to try and see if we can perhaps get any information on his parents from him, over," she explained as she found her mind racing as well. How could something terrible like this have happened? What kind of parent would lose track of their child like this? Were they not even looking? Where could they possibly have been? None of these questions mattered right now, and she knew that. What mattered right now was getting this poor child somewhere safe and they could figure out what to do next.
"Understood, Hopps. If you're able to get a name, report it in and we'll see if we can run a match for a parent to contact, over," Clawhauser answered as Judy signed out and quickly rejoined her partner. Thankfully by this point the child seemed to be at least as calm as could be expected. Perhaps this meant he'd be open to talking with them.
"Hello there, little guy. What's your name?" Judy asked the child as kindly as possible as the little Arctic fox very hesitantly looked up to meet her eyes as she knelt down to be at his same height. All the while, Nick remained silent. He could tell Judy knew what she was doing by trying to be so approachable to this kid, all while he himself was still struggling with this maelstrom of repressed emotion raging inside him. The last thing he wanted was to ruin all his partners' effort. By this point, some of the crowd had begun to disperse, either out of concern that their presence might somehow frighten the tiny fox, or because they felt the police officers now had everything under control. Who could really say?
"M-M-Max," the scared little fox barely muttered in even a whisper as Judy gave him a comforting smile. This was good, at least she was able to get the little guy talking.
"Hi, Max. I'm Officer Judy and this is my partner Officer Nick. You don't have to be scared of us. We're here to help you," Judy continued as Max seemed to just now notice the red fox sitting right beside him; almost instinctively recoiling back before the bunny managed to somehow keep him calm. Something about this nice lady bunny seemed to reassure him, as if maybe she really could help.
"Y-you are?" Max asked nervously as Judy gave him a single nod of the head. Slowly, the child uncurled from the little ball of fuzz he'd rolled himself into, never taking his eyes from Judy's as her nice smile kept him at least somewhat calm.
"That's right. I just need to ask you a couple questions, okay?" she asked as Max timidly gave her an accepting nod.
"Okay, Max. Would you tell me your last name?" Judy asked as she pulled out her little notebook, all while Max actually looked to be thinking hard, as if he'd actually forgotten in his previous panic.
"V-V-Volpes," Max muttered as Judy quickly wrote his name down before tucking the notepad away again.
"Okay, Max. Now why are you out here all by yourself?" Judy asked as she finally sat opposite Max with Nick. Thankfully, this seemed to really put the child at ease as though he already felt legitimately safe with the two of them.
"I-I can't find my mommy," Max stuttered sadly as Judy and Nick's ears both folded down sadly with him; Judy maintaining her friendly presence while Nick slowly bowed his head; a greatly troubled look in his eyes.
"Do you remember where you last saw her?" Judy asked as Max looked to be struggling trying to remember. She honestly couldn't help but mentally chastise herself for once again relying on such redundant questions. Any kid would've obviously already looked wherever they last saw their parents.
"No. S-she took me shopping with her, and I-I got lost cause of all the people. I looked for her, but I don't know where I am. I can't find her anywhere," Max lamented; his voice quickly descending back into tears as Judy and Nick both exchanged sympathetic glances with each other.
"Well don't you worry, Max; we're going to find her now," Judy reassured him as she hopped from the bench and began to pull out her radio, only to suddenly feel nick lay an interrupting paw on her shoulder.
"What exactly are you doing, Carrots?" Nick asked in a hushed whisper as he continuously shifted his gaze to the tiny child behind them.
"You're kidding, right? I'm giving his name to Dispatch. Then they'll be able to run his name through the system, pull up a birth certificate, then they'll have the name of his parents or guardians to contact," Judy explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world; looking at her partner with confusion as he seemed incredibly reluctant to do it this way.
"How long do you think that would take? Say they try that, call the folks supposed to look after him and nobody's home, or they don't have a cellphone. What then? How would they contact them then? What happens to that kid in the meantime?" Nick asked, his tone growing more and more impatient as his focus was now entirely on Max.
"We're not just going to leave him all by himself out here, Nick. I was going to ask if he'd want to at least come back to the station with us so he could at least be warm," Judy explained, but this answer didn't seem to satisfy her partner at all as she could feel his grip on her shoulder begin to tighten, and his face begin to grimace almost painfully.
"That's not what I mean. Suppose it all falls through. Suppose we aren't able to reach his parents, what then? How long does everyone else keep looking? How long until they just say they can't do it anymore, and that kid is left all on his own?" Nick continued, although by this point he seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else as Judy just stared up at him in confusion of where all this tension was coming from.
"Nick, that would NEVER happen. We're not just going to abandon a child if we can't find their parents, you know that," Judy tried to reason with him. For a few seconds, her partner said nothing. His grip slowly began to loosen on her shoulder. But then without a word, he stepped away from his bunny and quickly approached the little Arctic fox; kneeling down to be at his eye level. Within a few seconds, Judy watched as Max suddenly climbed up onto Nick's shoulders as the red fox began to make his way across the park with long strides in each step; the way a mammal on a mission would move, spurring Judy to quickly run after him.
"Nick, what do you think you're doing?" Judy called after him as she quickly caught up with him, looking up at her partner like he'd gone crazy.
"I'm going to find his mother myself, Carrots. The system is too unreliable, and it takes way too long when it actually CAN be counted on. I'm not just going to ignore a kid who's all alone, understand? I'm not just gonna do nothing and have another kid end up all alone for the rest of his life…not again," Nick explained in dead seriousness; his tone quickly dropping to a barely audible whisper Judy struggled to hear as he made a beeline for the other side of the park.
"Nick, what are you talking about? Don't do this! We don't even know where to start looking," Judy protested, but Nick just kept going like she might as well not have said anything.
"Well we have to try, don't we?! But if you'd rather follow procedure then go right ahead. I'M doing what needs to be done," Nick spat back with such unexpected anger, both he and Judy momentarily froze with equally shocked looks on their faces. Before any more words could be shared, Nick quickly turned away from his partner and continued striding along while Judy just looked at him walk away dumbfounded.
Where in the world did all that raw emotion come from? There was no way this could've been something that just suddenly came up; Nick was at least honest enough with his emotions with her by now that if something were really bothering him, he would've at least dropped some subtle hints. But this had just come right out of nowhere. Why was this sudden incident making him so tense, so distant, and so easy to anger? And what did he mean when he'd said 'not again'? There was no way she was just going to ignore any of this as she quickly took off after him as he reached the sidewalk facing a large department store built into a towering skyscraper.
By the time she'd caught up with Nick, the fox didn't even look like he was thinking in this moment anymore. His gaze was so distant, almost as if he were in his own little world. It looked like the gaze of someone thinking back on something painful. Gone was any trace of that sudden anger and resulting remorse he had. He looked utterly emotionless at this point. The most upsetting thing about this was that this wasn't the first time Judy had seen him like this recently.
Ever since their first night at Bunnyburrow, every night when they were alone, she always noticed that Nick seemed to be off somewhere else in his head; completely unresponsive and giving no signs of emotion. It was nothing like the way he usually was, hiding his real emotions with his grins and constant wisecracks. It was as if he were reminiscing about something farther back than he'd gone in ages, something that really seemed to trouble him. And yet he never seemed to acknowledge it whenever she DID attempt to ask him how he was feeling.
But now that it had been brought out now out here in the open, now it was all too clear that whatever was troubling her partner so badly, it was much more serious than she'd thought it was.
"Nick, what is going on with you? Talk to me, please," Judy pleaded as Nick barely even glanced in her direction before shifting his shoulders so Max wouldn't be at risk of falling.
"If you have to tell the Chief about this, I won't stop you, Carrots. This is just too important," Nick muttered as the crosswalk lights suddenly turned green and he was already following the flow of foot traffic with Judy hot on his heels.
"It's important to me too, Nick. But knowing what's going on in your head is just as important. You've never been like this with me before and I want to know what's going on," Judy tried to reason with him as they reached the opposite sidewalk and Nick began making his way for the department store entrance.
"I get that, Carrots; but this is my problem, not yours. Just let me do this. I have to at least try and make things right for someone else," Nick tried to talk her out of it, but the grey bunny was having none of it; thumping her foot on the floor in frustration before quickly running after him again.
"What does that MEAN, Nick? Why can't you at least trust me enough to let me in and know what's bothering you so much?" Judy asked beseechingly as Nick quickly sidestepped his way through the mass congested crowd of the story; while Max had an unobstructed view over the rest like a lookout. All at once his purpose for carrying Max became clear to Judy, but right now it was her partners' stubbornness that was primarily on her mind.
"This isn't about trust, okay, Carrots? You just wouldn't understand," Nick argued as he thankfully came to a stop, as if giving Max the time to really look around for any kind of sign of his mother among the crowd.
"Then HELP me to understand, dumb fox! We're partners, on and off the job, remember? We help each other when we're struggling, so help me to help you, please," Judy pleaded with clear frustration as Nick bowed his head in regret. Why did he always have to be so stubborn when she only wanted to help him, just like she always did.
"I know, Carrots. I know. You're right. Look, I'll tell you, but let's at least do what we can for this little guy first? I…I can't just leave this unfinished," Nick finally relented as Judy let out a relieved sigh and nodded in agreement. One way or another, she was going to find out what was tormenting her best friend so much, and if helping him lift this self-appointed weight from his conscience would help, then so be it.
"Hey! Hey, excuse me, officers?" a random voice suddenly called out from within the crowd; catching both their attention as they were quickly approached by a young adult snow leopard in an employee apron.
"Officers, where did you find that child?" the leopard asked anxiously as Judy and Nick both exchanged knowing or perhaps hopeful glances with each other.
"We found him all alone outside at the park," Judy explained, and all at once the leopard's worried expression changed into a relieved smile with an accompanying sigh as she quickly straightened herself back up.
"Oh thank goodness. There's a grown up Arctic fox whose been calling out for her child for the last thirty-five minutes. We've been looking all over the store for him," she explained as both officers' spirits instantly rose up, not even noticing Max's ears perk up at the mention of another Arctic fox.
"Max!?" another female voice suddenly called out from the other side of the store; and like a switch had been flipped, the tiny fox practically leapt from Nick's shoulders, and the entire crowd almost instantly parted in time for him and Judy to see Max practically sprinting towards a larger Arctic fox who was running towards him as well before her son practically leapt for her to catch him in mid-air with a joyous hug.
That one magical moment would be engrained in Judy Hopps' memory for the rest of her life for two very major reasons.
One, the nearly overwhelming sensation of happiness and true accomplishment burning in every fiber of her little being to know what she and her partner had inadvertently accomplished. She didn't even care if the way they'd done it was against procedure, or if she'd initially been against it. All she cared about was seeing the looks of sheer bliss on mother and sons' faces to know they'd finally found each other again.
And two, the surprisingly emotional glimmer in Nick's eyes as he watched them. It was strange; it wasn't just a look of happiness for the once parted family he'd wanted so desperately to help. There was a kind of sadness to it too. As if he was seeing something else in the two Arctic foxes that wasn't really there. Instantly, Judy knew it had to be another instance of whatever was tormenting her partner making itself known once more.
No matter what, once they were off the clock, she was going to find out the truth, and no matter what, she was going to help her partner through it, whatever it may have been.
Well, much like with the previous story, there was originally going to be a lot more in this chapter, but I decided to split it up so as to meet my one-chapter-a-week quota for you all. I'd never want to keep you all waiting with baited breath for an update.
I'm not gonna lie folks, I had a really hard time putting this chapter together. I try so hard to maintain a balance of what's going on in real time and just what goes on with Judy and Nick mentally and emotionally, cause the inter-personal drama between them is the real focus of this story and not the actual action itself.
But even beside that, I have periods where I struggle with severe depression, and the time I took writing this chapter happened to be one of those periods. It really saps you of the willingness or the inspiration to write. But I realized bringing some much needed light into the lives of others really helps me emotionally as well, so I didn't want to just leave you all hanging. So hopefully this chapter will satisfy you for another week.
Enjoy. I can't wait to hear all your thoughts. Your support really means the world to me.