Chapter 1: Unknown Memory
As the sun started to touch the hills, Thomas, Judy, and Nick walked out of the forest and headed to the middle of the field where everyone was getting together and grabbing things from the care package. Thomas was a little nervous since he ran off and everyone was already staring at him. "I feel very sick," He said trying to collect himself. All of this was still very difficult to absorb.
Judy looked up at him with a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine, once you have some Mr. Otterton's homemade soup," She said as walked over to the fire pit that was in the middle of their village. "There's nothing like it. Worth a taste that's for sure." She sat down on a log and turned to see Thomas just standing there with his arms behind his back.
"I can't." He said in a low voice as other animals were staring as they walked by him. "Hopps! Get that kid a seat before he falls over!" Demanded a buffalo wearing a police uniform. "On it sir!" Judy obeyed, hopping off the log to assist Thomas and help him over to the log for a place to sit. He was starting to look a slight green.
The teen shook his head and stared at the ground as if it'd give him answers. "Now Thomas can you tell us anything you know about well… anything?" Judy asked with a soft tone. He lifted his head to see everyone was looking at him except for Nick. He swallowed hard and shook his head vigorously in an attempt to remember something. But there was nothing. " I…. I… I can't remember anything," Thomas said looking back down accepting defeat.
Everyone sighed and went on to their business. Nick walked up to the bonfire and laid down some fire wood down to kindle it. In less than a minute there was a steady fire. The sly fox sat back on the log next to Judy and started poking the fire with a stick. "I told he wouldn't know anything," Nick said still tending to the fire. Judy sighed deeply at her partner's less than helpful words of confidence. The rabbit didn't hold it against him though.
She looked at Thomas and patted him on the back. "Your memory might recover in a few days time," Judy said with a smile.
Nick only rolled his eyes as continued with the fire. "What am I supposed to know?" Thomas asked. Judy opened her mouth to say something but Nick beat her to it. "You're suppose to know what we're all doing here and who sent you and all that stuff," Nick said in slight frustration before throwing down a stick.
Thomas looked at Nick. "And what about me? I think I need some answers. I mean why are we here in the prison?" Thomas asked, still pondering the need for a rock wall. Nick only chuckled as he stared into the burning fire. The light of the embers had a beautiful flicker effect on his emerald green eyes. "We thought you would know," Nick said aloud then turned his attention to the boy sitting to his right. Thomas was a little confused. "What do mean by that?" He asked. Nick sighed and looked back at the fire. "Because, before you there were originally 12 of us. 6 prey and 6 predators. Now we have one human and humans are the worst of the predators," Nick said as he stood and walked away. "I thought maybe you'd have the answers considering you're the odd one out." He left with an agitated flourish of his tail.
Judy didn't say anything for a moment while what Nick said lingered. After a moment she addressed Thomas. "We know about humans because…. They invaded zootopia. Our home. They took us away from there and brought us here, the lantern district as they call it, for...well..six years. We Don't what has happened to the outside world," Judy explained.
Thomas nodded in slight understanding. "I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do for all of you," He said and swallowed hard. Judy nodded. Thomas thought to himself as he looked away from Judy. 'The man who sent me here in my dream. Could he be important? What'd he have to do with all this?' He thought. Judy moved off the log and walked over to where Mr. Otterton was making fresh soup. Thomas stayed where he was on the log just stared at the fire.
'How do I know of I can trust these guys?' Thomas thought to himself. He looked behind him and noticed everyone was still watching him. 'But they seem like they're in trouble,' He turned forward and picked up the stick that Nick was poking the fire and started kindling the fire himself. 'Maybe I should just keep everything to myself,' Thomas thought to himself as he poked the fire. Nick watched him poke the fire while Judy walked up to him. "Hey," Judy tapped his shoulder softly. Nick didn't say anything, he only crossed his arms. Judy stood next to him and looked back at Thomas. "Carrots. I really don't trust this kid," Nick admitted while his eyes were trained on the teen.
Judy sighed softly. She expected this from the moment she realized the newest prisoner was a human. Naturally most Furs of zootopia hated humans and for good reason. Judy however, had...her own reasons for liking them. If not for that, Thomas may not have made it. Not that anyone would have killed him but...they might have just left him to die..
"Nick we have to give him a chance. I mean he might not know anything now, but he might know something later down the road," Judy reasoned in a calm voice. Nick only shook his head before looking at Judy. "And how long before he turns on the rest of us?" Nick asked with an obvious look of resentment in his eyes. Judy lowered her ears and kicked a little rock.
"Nick that's not going to happen I'm sure of it," Judy said, looking back up at her friend. Nick opened up his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Judy took a deep breath before speaking up again. "I'll keep my eye on him, but I'm telling you this now. He's not like them," She nodded and started walking back over to Thomas. Nick only shook his head once more as he made his way over to Mr. Otterton and started helping with the soup.
Thomas looked down at his bar code tattoo and touched it. He started to get a headache as flashes of the drone smacking him against the ground and scanning the tattoo on him raced through his mind. "Hey," Judy made herself known as she walked up to him. Her voice broke him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her. She had a curious look on her face despite him playing it cool.
"Hey," Thomas said when Judy saw next to him once more. "The rest of us don't have a bar code like that," she said looking at the tattoo. Thomas looked down at the tattoo and touched it again. "I woke up in a van and this drone attacked me. Before I could even defend myself he put this tattoo on me", He said still looking at the tattoo. Judy gasped in surprise. "Then I was thrown from the top of that hill and ended up here," Thomas explained. Judy lowered her ears. "Is that all you remember?" Judy asked. Thomas said nothing but nodded.
Judy nodded in her response. "Okay," Was all she said. Thomas lowered his head into his knees and tried to think of anything else, but couldn't. The two just sat there until dinner was ready. Later that evening Judy showed Thomas where he would sleep and it wasn't quite the room you would expect. It was pretty small for one but.. "Your bunking me here?" He asked as he and Judy walked into Nick's cabin. "Isn't this Nick's space?"
"Yep," Judy said with a slightly mischievous smile. Thomas really wasn't sure about this. Was she trying to set them up as friends? If so this was not the best way to go about it. "I don't this is such a good idea," Thomas sounded a bit uneasy, crossing his arms as a result. Judy tapped her foot and crossed her arms as well. "You'll be safe here. Nick won't hurt you," She reassured and stopped tapping her foot. Thomas looked down to the ground and thought for a moment before answering, "Okay."
"Okay so you'll be on this side of the cabin," Judy explained as she showed him where his quarters would be. Thomas followed Judy to his side of the cabin as she showed him his bed. "You'll sleep here and Nick will sleep on the that side," She said pointing behind them. Thomas turned around and looked at Nick's bed before looking down at Judy. "Are you sure about this?" Thomas asked nervously. Judy looked up at him. "Thomas you worry too much," She said with a smile. Nick walked in the cabin with a frown on his face. "Oh so you're bunking him here with me?" Nick said in a rude tone.
His annoyance didn't go unnoticed by the boy and the bunny. Judy chuckled softly then walked over to the entrance of the cabin. "You guys should be able to handle things on your own now right?" The rabbit clapped her paws together and slowly stepping out of the cabin. Nick only rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Okay I'll see you guys in the morning," Judy said before leaving Thomas and Nick together. Nick looked at Thomas and just studied him. "Here are the rules in my cabin. You stay on your side and I'll stay on my mine. Stay away from my stuff and I'll stay away from yours. Got it?" Nick explained. Thomas nodded in response not that he had any stuff. Nick nodded in turn. "Good. Lets keep it that way until we build you your own cabin," Nick said as he took off some covers from his bed. Thomas nodded again as he was getting into his own bed.
"Lights out in five kid," Nick said before having a sip of water that was sitting next to his bed on the nightstand. "What about a bathroom?" Thomas asked. Nick turned and looked at him with a less than amused look on his face.
"That's in the pod where you woke up. All you have to go in there and there's a bathroom inside," Nick explained. Thomas nodded before turning away from Nick and looking towards the wall. He and Nick didn't say anything for the five minutes of waiting for lights out. Nick then turned out the lights once the five minutes were up. Thomas remained laying on his left side away from Nick. Without much resistance the boy was out like the lights his new roommate had turned off
XxTHOMASxX A/N This is another remastered version all edited by my pal AtticusParker17 and I give him my thanks for doing all thse remastered chapters.