Soaring Ever Higher

"Morning...forecast calls for blue skies."

The announcement emanated through the room and was followed by heavy strums on a guitar with the beats of drums, eventually settling into a catchy rhythm. The sudden intensity of the music had managed to rouse the attention of the formerly sleeping mammal. Struggling to awaken properly, the music continued to play.

"Sun is shinin' in the sky, there ain't a cloud in sight. It's stopped rainin', everybody's in a play and don't you know, it's a beautiful new day."

He consigned from his morning trance and outstretched a paw to quell his phone's barrage of designated "get up now" music. He looked down at the device and nimbly moved his hand around the screen, inputting a code to silence the alarm. He had learned to not trust himself with a simple alarm, since he had too many close calls with Bogo over his punctuality at the precinct. The reynard smiled at his new choice of alarm to wake to. He was required to input a short series of swipes to fully quiet the alarm. He made his way to the bathroom to make himself presentable for the day ahead. He grabbed a towel from the rack and proceeded to drape it along the overhanging bar at the shower's entrance. Nick reached to grab the bottle of "Tropical Paradise" shampoo, absentmindedly turning the knob of the shower as he did so. No matter how intelligent Nick believed himself to be; he failed to recall that his apartment had an older water heater, the type that takes a good, few seconds to work properly. A shrill yip broke the silence of the atmosphere, followed by Nick scrambling from under the shower head to evade the icy hell.

"Damn it," he cursed at no-one in particular "I'm awake now!"

The rest of his shower went much better, allowing him to relax and show special care to his back and base of his tail, his most sensitive areas. He stepped out and dried his fur, ensuring to fluff his chest and scalp fur to make the following combing session go smoothly. He finished his morning routine, inspecting himself for any clumps fur he may have missed while combing. He smiled at his handiwork and smiled at his reflection before exiting his bathroom.

Nick strolled through the rooms of the apartment until he met his beauty, the object that never abandoned him in his time of need…his coffee maker. He may not have the cutting edge in many things around his apartment, but he made sure to satisfy his "coffee lust" as Judy had described it. The Ewewig 300 set immediately to brewing a cup of blueberry-accented coffee, much to the vulpine's delight. With coffee in hand, he made his way to the living area and plopped down onto the couch. He found his remote after some haphazard searching, and flipped the device on.

"...and you could say the whole situation became quite un-bear-able as police were forced to escort the mammal off the premises, much to the appreciation of the store owner, Steven Pawson. Mr. Pawson went on to thank Officer Snarlov for ensuring the intoxicated mammal did not harm any of his patrons dining with him that day. I for one, love eating at the Midnight Lounge, and I will also thank Officer Snarlov and the ZPD for all their hard work as well. This has been Richard Blitzer, back to you Fabienne."

The busy city backdrop with the coyote journalist soon changed to a newsroom with anchors Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge.

"Thanks Rick," the snow leopard anchor answered. She looked over to her moose counterpart as he prepared to deliver the next point of news.

"In other news, it seems store owners are reporting a decrease in their stock of various meats. Sources claim that the shortage has caused a spike in prices for many seafood dishes at local restaurants, as well as beetle burgers at Bugaburger. Many predators are concerned about the lack of availability for their favorite dishes, but some are seemingly unaffected, due in no small part to their various fruit or soy-based diets. Civil leaders for the districts in Zootopia are aware of the isssue and are planning to investigate the shortage, whether due to population decrease or disease in the supply. The news comes as slight comfort to the predatory population. I sure hope the issue is handled soon and properly, but for now it seems like a waiting game."

"I still wouldn't mind a nice smoked tuna though," Fabienne commented with a saccharine smile. Peter drew a mild grin himself to help assuage his predatory partner's sincerity in the comment.

"Well, that appears that is all we have time for. Stay tuned for Good Morning Zootopia 7:00."

The television's screen went black. Nick sat the remote beside him and leaned back, polishing off the remainder of his coffee. He sat in silent contemplation, mulling over this new knowledge. He would be lying if he didn't think this would cause him quite the amount of paperwork for him and Judy. He had a feeling the chief would have the item on the docket for this morning's meeting. Nick sighed, believing these new cases would lay the foundation for a new wave of paperwork, which is always to him as much fun as pulling fangs. He relinquished his thoughts of the impending news and proceeded to sift through his clothes to put on his uniform. He slid the formal navy pants on, buttoned the matching shirt, and tied his tie, ensuring it had just a slightly loose knot. After appraising the clothing to confirm it had no particulates or filth on it; he headed out for work. As he left and headed down the apartment complex's stairs he couldn't shake the feeling that was lingering in the back of his mind. Something about the morning announcement concerning the food market left him wondering,

"Why just the predatory foods," he questioned under his breath.

Nick found a steady gait as he made his way to the precinct, deciding to enjoy the sunrise walking the streets that morning. He didn't really feel the morning breeze, as his mind was more focused on the possibility of the thefts of local food supplies causing him more headaches and paperwork than necessary. He finally relinquished his negative thinking about his own dissatisfaction, to remember the other half of his partnership. Judy probably would find some way to make this situation out to be a major conspiracy; she may even go so far as to recruit some other mammal to assist them with an investigation, only to find how deep the whole case actually goes. Nick chuckled at the ludacris thought, then remembering how the two of them actually met by those exact events. He smiled letting the memories flow into his mind and fully distracting him from his otherwise somber and pessimistic thoughts for the day ahead. "Well, at least I won't have to go it alone on this one," he mused.

Nick found himself at the stoop for the Grand Pangolin Arms. He scoffed at the irony of the name, knowing full well how "grand" the accommodations were. He had visited Judy's apartment once or twice on his way home to help Judy carry some things into her apartment. He fondly remembered the "carrying of carrots for Carrots", a comment that earned Nick a very sore arm for the rest of the afternoon that day. Nick met her most mornings that he actually managed to wake up from bed to attend to his job on time. Eventually, he heard the faint sound of furred bunny feet racing down the stairs inside. He smiled and turned away from the door leading into the apartment and began to speak,

"It sure is true what all males say about waiting on females. I don't know how much longer I will be able to wait on my cu-" as he turned to look at his partner Nick soon found out how quickly he could be silent with the help of Judy's fist in his ribs. He raised his head up with an exasperated look on his face somewhere between surprise and fear but full of pain. Judy stood there with an all-to satisfied look on her face with her arms crossed that screamed "you deserved that".

"Funny, I don't seem to hear any gentlemales complaining," Judy spoke with an airy, satisfied voice, "Do you?"

Nick finally found his voice; it was with his pride on the ground next to him.

"Hey Carrots, I am so very glad to see you this morning, I was just thinking out loud about how much I have been missing you," he wheezed slightly as he continued, "It has seemed like an eternity." Nick finished his sentence with a look of feigned innocence, complete with little kit eyes, at Judy to show his apology. Judy uncrossed her arms and tossed her head back while she rolled her eyes at the display. A smile took over her features as she began to slowly walk ahead of Nick.

"Come on Slick, you can make it up to me by walking me to work."

"You know you love me," Nick responded to her as he fell in line with her.

"You really are corny aren't you? Fine. I'll play along. Yes, yes I do."

Nick chuckled at her response as did she, the two of them enjoying the reproduction of one of their first days on the job together as partners. Judy fell in next to him, glancing up with a smile while he smiled back.

"Good morning Officer Hippity-Hop," Nick commented while watching for any physical retaliation the bunny might throw his way. Judy instead opted for a more psychological approach to the attack.

"Morning Officer Slick, hope you have been keeping the streets clear of shady individuals. I would hate to see unreputable activity on the streets on such a nice day," Judy responded. She eyed his expression as it shifted into a more relaxed one.

"I sure have officer. I trust you have been handling any domestic claims?" Nick grinned as he saw her eyeing him down from beside him. This was going to be a contest of wit and humor. It wouldn't be long before a victor would arise from the verbal tussle. Judy continued with new vigor. She didn't want to lose another bout with the fox.

"I had a little bear cub ask me to deal with a bully for him. I told him that sometimes people do that because they are afraid of what they are capable of. I told him to talk to his parents about it and be strong and not let the bully scare them." Judy had a determined look in her eyes, one that Nick knew all too well. It was the same look of pride he saw when she told him of her past encounters with Gideon Gray when they were children. Judy cautiously peered to her side, not showing the growing smile underneath her atmosphere. Nick seemed to hang onto her words, simply adding:

"What happened after you told him that?"

"He smiled, thanked me, and ran back to his mother. I saw the little cub exchange some words with his mother. She smiled and walked back over with his paw in hers; she thanked me and whispered that the aforementioned bully's mother were old school friends and had talked. They believe she has a crush on the little cub. I just smiled and told her that most kits do that sort of thing all the time. I even mentioned your name Nick," Judy's grin was in full effect now as she caught the instance Nick realized he was outplayed by his partner's storytelling. His ears dipped straight and back, and she could have sworn she had seen the membranes turn a deeper shade of pink than usual. She laughed at the display she had a front row seat to. Nick proceeded to walk ahead of her a couple of steps to avoid her penetrating gaze at one of his more vulnerable moments. She continued to laugh at her partner's actions and added more fuel to the fire in his ears, "I seem to have chosen an appropriate metaphor for you, huh Nick?" she continued her verbal victory lap, much to Nick's chagrin. As they approached a pedestrian crossing, he stopped at the curb. Judy was continuing her now light chuckles, but with attention more on her conversation than where she was going. Nick watched as she began to step off the curb and quickly grabbed the bunny's arm, spinning her around on the heel of her paw as he did so. The sound of a jaguar's sport car thundered past the bunny's back followed by a rush of air. She immediately ceased her giggling as a new and very shocked expression took over her form. She realized she had nearly walked into the oncoming traffic near the precinct. She finally regained her composure and realized she was pressed up against something soft and warm. Judy raised her vision up to see that of Nick staring down at her with concern etched on his features. He slowly pulled back from her,

"You okay there, Carrots?"

She slowly nodded her head, not breaking eye contact with the fox.

"Good. Didn't need a partner pancake this morning," Nick managed out, the worry finally seeming to leave his voice. "C'mon, let's get to work before Buffalo Butt feeds me my own tail." Before Nick had a chance to remove himself from the smaller mammal, she spoke up.

"Thanks, Nick. I guess I should be watching where I'm going, heh." Judy responded meekly. Nick took notice of their current accidental stance together, and an idea formed in his mind that would serve as a proper riposte to the recent events. Nick pulled Judy closer to him and lowered his snout to where it was inches from hers and softly spoke, "There are other, safer ways to get someone's attention Carrots." He punctuated his statement by pulling away from her slowly and releasing his grip on her hand and side. Satisfied with his handiwork, he proceeded to walk across the now clear crossing, leaving a very surprised bunny in her place. Nick began a chuckle of his own as the fresh sight of Judy standing at the crosswalk with very read ears standing straight up, a rapidly twitching nose, and wide eyes was quickly becoming his favorite sight in months.