Chapter 2: Ice Cream

Your steps were quick and nimble as you made sure to keep him in sight. He was definitely a fox. The tail, fur, and way his eyes kept shifting from side to side proved that. Your eyes narrowed as you noticed him walk up to a van. It seemed like he was waiting for someone. Making sure to stay a safe distance away, you leaned against a building and acted as if you were waiting for someone as well. Your tail twitched occasionally as you watched him from the corner of your eyes. He did not move at all. Agitated by the fact that he was stiller than you, you forced your tail to remain still. It took some effort to ignore the need to flick your tail, a habit you had since you were little.

'The nerve of that guy. Just… standing there.' You groaned quietly as you realized that you could not think of anything else he was doing wrong to irritate you. That only made you angrier. 'Why doesn't he move?'

It would be more efficient to continue wandering the streets and pick pocket a few other animals but you find yourself riveted to your spot. The feeling of outsmarting a fox kept you there as the seconds turned to minutes. You tell yourself over and over again that it will all be worth it when you see the look on his face. Snickering, you allow yourself a moment to picture those green eyes widened in shock when he realizes that he has been robbed blind. You lazily turn your head to see whether he is still waiting.

"What?" You say as your eyes widen with shock instead. He was gone.

Growling under your breath, you chastise yourself for being so careless. Of course he noticed that you were watching him! He had been setting you up. Making your mind wander while he slipped away unnoticed. You break into a run and try to catch a glimpse of his unmistakeable Hawaiian print shirt. A shirt like that could be spotted a mile away. Not to mention his interesting tie.

'I could find him by his smug face alone.' You think with agitation. 'How does he expect to hide with a get up like that?'

Blushing, you look down at your own outfit for a split second. Your bright yellow shirt and light pink pants seem to scream at you. The pink, flower clip in your hair brushes against your ear for a moment… something it never does. Your paws form fists as you attempt to ignore the insults your outfit is screaming to you. Your eyes quickly scan the crowds as you look for the fox. He had to be somewhere close, you had only looked away for a second.

'Was it a second? I can't remember.' You try to figure out how long you had been daydreaming about robbing the annoying fox blind.

Just when you think it is time to give up and score a few more sheep, you see him. Grinning from ear to ear, you skip through the crowd and take shelter behind an elephant. Peeking out from behind the large animal, you smile as you notice the smug fox walking along the street. Your heart races as you see him walk into an ice cream shop that you knew well. It served the best cookie dough ice cream. You had visited there many times, always leaving with a scoop of ice cream and no money spent. Licking your lips and flexing your arms, you prepare to sprint across the street.

You are a streak of grey as you dash across the street, avoiding every car that came your way. Crossing the street was like a dance. You had to flow with the traffic, keep the rhythm of the cars, and make it to the end of the performance. Ignoring the shouts of angry drivers, you continue to weave through traffic until you make it to the other side. Smiling with satisfaction, you glance into the ice cream store window. He was standing by the counter with a smaller fox by his side. It seemed like the fox was a child, but your instinct told you to look again. Narrowing your eyes, you ignored what you thought you saw and tried to see what you really saw.

The smaller fox was standing too erect. No small child was able to walk without hunching over slightly. The weight of those ears on a kit would have caused them to wobble unless they were considerably older. The elephant suit he was wearing hinted at barely old enough to walk. He also looked around too much. Like he was on alert for something or someone. The motions between him and the taller fox seemed too fluid, as if it was rehearsed. No child would listen to an adult as quickly as the fennec fox was doing at the moment.

"Something is rotten in the city of Zootopia." You say with a smirk.

After a few minutes of conversation between the fox and the elephant behind the counter, the owner finally hands your prey a large, blue jumbo pop. Motioning for the fox to leave, the elephant quickly turns to the next customer in line. It is obvious that he does not like the fox… and that they have had a similar conversation before. You stroke your hand through your wavy hair as you think about what your next move will be. It is apparent that the fox and his companion will pass by you on their way out. If you want to make any profit from him, you needed to make sure you made just the right moves. Snapping your fingers, you silently slip around the corner.

Clearing your face of all emotion, you begin to walk towards the ice cream shop only to find yourself bumping into the jumbo pop buying fox. Luckily, the little fox is holding the prize and jumps out of the way. A little too skillfully for someone who is supposed to be a child. Noticing that you and the larger fox are on the ground, you begin to help him up and apologize.

"I am so sorry sir. I hope I didn't hurt you." You say as you hoist him onto his paws.

"No problem at all miss. I hope I didn't hurt you." He says smoothly.

"Not at all. I see you are here with your little boy." You say sweetly.

"Yep, just bought him a jumbo pop. It's his birthday." He says with a smile aimed toward the jumbo pop holding fox.

The fox gives you a toot toot with his elephant suit before going to stand next to his apparent father figure.

"Toot toot." You giggle. "Birthday huh? How about I give you a little something to apologize? Buy him another gift from me." Reaching into your pocket you pull out a handful of bills. It contains a ten and a five. Although you can't afford to give up money, your gut tells you that you will be making it all back soon.

"No apologies needed." He begins as he pushes your hand back to you.

"Nonsense. Take it." You stuff it into his paw and give him a quick hug.

"Thank you miss." He says with a smile.

Nodding your head to him, you began to slowly walk away. Listening for the sound of their footsteps, you turn the corner before stopping. Just like you hoped, they start to walk toward a dark alley a few streets away. Chuckling, you silently follow.