Oh my gumdrops, dear readers I am immensely sorry for how the last chapter came out. I won't lie when I wrote that let's just say I was mildly inebriated and exhausted as I posted that at 4:30 at night for me (I began writing it at 11). So to anyone who read that and was appalled at the grammar, general makeup of wordplay or legibility, I am incredibly sorry. I will be updating that chapter as soon as I can get to it which should be soon.
Now I'm hoping to get these prologue chapters out quickly just to set up what exactly this tale shall be about. I don't know what this story falls under category wise, as it will be a Drama/something fic. However, I don't know if that something will be either Supernatural or Sci-Fi, which is why I currently have it as Drama/Supernatural.
Without further adieu let's start
Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia
"Officer Hopps if you could move."
Judy's sobs of incomprehensibility stopped on a hairpin, whipping her head around her dropping ears covering her line of sight. When she brushed them away from the spectacle that beheld her gave her pause.
Two feet in front of her stood a cloaked mammal, their face covered by a blood-covered mask. A manic grin plastered across the width of the face. The figure had different shafts of metal piercing their back, alone handle graced the mammal's torso, standing straight the blade piercing straight to the heart. The wound gushed crimson, his life force ebbing away.
"Sir you need to lay down, the paramedics will be here s-soon" Judy mentally cursed her voice for giving away the battle she was having.
"Now Judith, if you wish to ever speak to your friend again, move." The voice coming from behind the mask never wavered, unlike her own. Stumbling over Judy fell on her back clawing to get away from the mammal which appeared to be after her fox. Covering what she could of Nick's body, Judy started to growl in defiance.
"Don't. Touch. Him."
Electricity seemed to spark of the unknown mammal's body arcing in between the polls sticking out of his back. "I only have seven minutes and forty-three seconds to fix his soul back into his body, now if you please. Move."
Speechless at his words Judy waivered, finally admitting defeat. She moved around nicks body, clutching to his paw. "You said that you could save him." Finally looking at the mammal who took great pain in kneeling down to her level. "Please, I'll do anything."
hovering his paw over Nick's wound, he motioned for Judy to bring the hand she was holding onto close. "What I am about to do, I do for the future of Zootopia. This city needs people like you, officers like you, and I am not about to let either of you two die on the other." Holding their entwined paws together right above the rebars tip, he pushed downwards. Red and purple electricity started to arc between the rebar and the collected paws. "Soon, the two of you will be tasked with what I can only imagine as being harder than my own."
Pushing further down Judy couldn't believe her eyes, the rebar had started to dissipate the further down they went. A cracking sound brought her eyes back up to look at the mask of the mammal. A hairline fracture started worming its way up his cover. The myriad of steel blades had disappeared causing his wounds to bleed freely. The blood itself never hitting the ground, seeming to turn to dust before contacting anything.
"Shit!" The mammal shouted. "I need more energy." Watching him whip his head around, he zeroed onto the rhino she had put down. "That'll do fine..." his giddiness being easily discernible over the electricity that was arcing over his form. Reaching his paw out Judy saw feline fingers stretch over in the direction of the pachyderm. The energy seemed to coalesce in his hand before striking the side of the rhino, seeming to empower the mammal, Judy was awestruck.
Glancing back down at his patient; his mask finally breaking away. Judy's first reaction was one of fear. A ghoulish visage marred his face. His fur had begun to wither and fall off. His right eye gone, his ears had been sawed off. It all gave him a death-like appearance. "Do I look as you'd imagine I would Ms. Hopps?"
"What are you?" Always the officer, the most pressing matter of who or what Judy supposed saviour was, had caused Judy to blurt out the insensitive question.
"Haha, would you believe it, but I normally look quite youthful." His paw was now directing hers up to rest over Nicks' heart. He stood up motioning Judy to stay kneeling. "Now, I need you to imagine you're grasping out for Nicks soul. I need you to anchor it into his body, use whatever emotions you can." Waiting for a nod from the lagomorph, he stood over Nicks form hovering his paws over them. "Start when I begin the process."
Waiting for the go-ahead Judys' thought started racing 'I don't even know who this mammal is. How can I trust him? Nicks dead. There isn't any way to bring him back.' She argued, 'But what if he can, shouldn't we at the very least try?'
"Now." Red energy started flowing down into her paws, burning them. "Focus! Or there won't be any way to bring him back!"
Staring down Judy shut her eyes, imagining everything she could about her partner. All the times they spent patrolling, joking about their coworkers. Every criminal they brought down, every time they cried together clutching the other for comfort after a horrible case. "Stronger!" Clutching his paw harder, Judy remembered her best friend. Every crack at her droopy ears, every dinner they visited, every movie they'd seen. "Stronger!" Judy remembered her mate, every gentle caress. Every quiet moment they had, the bond they shared, being able to say anything and always knowing the other was always, no matter what, there for them.
Leaning down to his mouth, she kissed him. It felt as if months had passed or mere second, it didn't matter to Judy. He was there with her at that moment. "I love you, Nick, come back to me. You're scaring me, playing dead like that. Come back to me you dumb fox." Her whisper carried all the pain she felt at that moment, all the heartbreak, the love she felt for him.
The energy stopped flowing, the scarred feline now with only his trousers covering him, collapsed backwards. "I guess this is it, huh father? Finally, dying for another life. You have to be happy now..." Smirking up at the ceiling, he slid down the wall a bloody streak following him. "You will meet one of my kin, when you do officer, knock the smug bastards lights out, would you?"
Heavy footfalls sounded from around the corner. Both heads turned it sync, one with a look of stupidity, the other with a manic grin. Chief Bogo rounded the corner stopping dead in his tracks taking in the scene, a group of paramedics following close behind.
Offering a lazy salute the feline turned his head skyward again, closing his tired eyes. Judy was still trying to figure out where the rhino had gone, his form having disappeared since the last she saw it. Two paramedics crowded Wildes body checking his vitals as another checked the man who saved him.
"We have a pulse, but it's weak. Swelling of the pectorals and the left forearm." A skunk informed the chief, the alpaca lifting the vulpines form onto a stretcher, Judy lost her grip on his paw. Glancing at her hands, she noticed how all her fur had been burnt off, feeling not even a shred of pain from the bare red skin had her confused.
"His pulse is nonexistent!" The one Paramedic called out as he checked the feline's vitals.
"Heh, Chief call off the worrywart." Straining to stand the male climbed slowly, never accepting the paramedics' attempts to help. "I need to talk to you in private."
Standing at his full height while giving the water buffalo a smouldering glare sent shivers down Judy's spine. Whatever was about to happen, would cause most to blank, the Chief, however, wasn't one of those mammals.
"Go," Bogo commanded the antelope. Looking stuck between following orders and helping the man Bogo gave him one final word of inspiration. "Now." Choosing to save his hide, the paramedic followed the others footsteps determined to help at least one mammal tonight. Waiting for the mammal to leave; the chief levelled the scarred mammal with a glare. "What do you need now Seven?" Folding his arms, the Chief called the mammal out.
"To explain to people what happened here! How deep this truly goes. I need you to keep the public in the know." Shuffling forwards, Seven grabbed inside his pocket bringing a pouch out, handing it to the buffalo. "I entrust unto you a piece of the puzzle-"
"Excuse me but what the cornnuts is going on!" Judy bellowed tired of being ignored. "My partner. Died. In Front of me. I think I deserve an explanation, Mr. I'm all mysterious. Especially since somehow, he's back to the land of the living!"
Looking back the feline beamed "I wish I had more time Judith, but alas it appears... I am fading quicker then I thought I would." Holding up his paw which had started to atomize itself. "Either which way, Bogo shall explain everything in due time. But only when He gets out Bogo."
Turning back to Judy, he briskly walked over to her sitting down on her level, resting his one working paw on her shoulder he grimaced. "If you remember anything I've said tonight remember this. 'Love never dies. It never goes away. It never fades, so long as you have one you can give yourself to, Love can make you immortal.' You'll figure out what that means in due time. Now I think you should run after Mr. Wilde, Yes?"
Judy stared wide-eyed at the mammal in front of her, never had she felt as calm as she did at that moment. Nodding her head, she sprinted down the corridor after her partner, 'No my Mate.'
Glancing back to the chief, half of his body dissolved, Seven smiled a true sparkling smile. "She'll understand. I know they both will."
Sprinting down flight after flight, of stairs Judy finally caught up with the paramedics, slowing before she crashed into the back of the antelope from before. "Excuse me, am I allowed to travel in the ambulance, that is my partner you're carrying." The paramedics had slowed a hairsbreadth allowing her to catch her breath a small amount.
"His pulse's stabilizing, so I don't see why not." The head EMT skunk stated, "Judging from the burns on your paws you'll be needing some medical leave too."
Silently looking down at her paws, Judy paused at the strange crystal that had hung itself around her neck. It was wrapped in silver chains and pulsed in cadence with her heart, the gem itself looked to be uncut amethyst quartz. Covering the treasure, Judy found herself feeling extreme relaxation as her paw pads brushed along the surface.
Silently praying in thanks to whatever God had saved her and Nick tonight, Judy caught up with the paramedics. Reaching the bottom floor had Judy's psyche reeling, the doors leading into the central atrium having been smashed open. In fact, there was a trail of carnage leading up to the stairs creating a clear path. "Remind me never to get on Bogo's bad side."
Having quipped to herself, Judy realized she was being left in the dust again. Hopping over to the ambulance's that had pulled up outside during the raid, she quickly found the one holding her mate. Climbing into the passenger's seat, Judy waited silently for the EMT's to finish their checkup on Nick.
"Your very brave ya know." Turning her head, Judy saw the skunk climb into the driver's seat. A couple of bangs resounded from inside the ambulance, causing the skunk to growl. "Watch it back there! What are ya, a Bumbling Bull!" The skunk's fur stood on end as he faced forward turning the keys grumbling obscenities about alpacas and their spit he shifted the ambulance into drive.
"As I was saying before klutzy back there interrupted me, your brave doing what you do."
"Thank you-"
"Brave and stupid that is. There ain't a chance that this night woulda gone off smoothly, yur all idjits is what I think-" The hog-nosed skunk was starting to get on Judy's nerves, his tirade continuing as she thought to herself. 'What the frack is this guys problem, doesn't he know what the fuck we were doing there?' "-especially when one the ones heading into that shit show was a lady as purdy as you."
"What!" Judy's rage was leaking into her words the incredulity of his tirade not making a lick of sense. "First you insult my coworkers. Second, you insulted my work. Third you stupid southern bastard, I'M MARRIED!"
The silence that followed would have been humorous to Judy in any other situation. However, this was unlike any that Judy had found herself in over three years. The skunk shut his trap and stared ahead not wanting to draw the bunny's ire anymore then he had already.
Upon reaching Zootopia General Hospital, Judy noticed the unusual amount of mammals rushing in and out of every exit. Seeming to be an effort to help injured officers of every species get the service they needed as quickly as possible.
Unlocking the door, Judy face planted into the asphalt, her legs giving away under her body. Dragging herself up she started stumbling towards the direction she could have sworn the skunk and alpaca bolted to. Hearing some shuffling to her right, Judy turned in the general direction nearly falling over. "Wolfard?
The timber wolf was limping past Judy, a splint holding his leg together. Looking over she noticed a bullet wound that passed through his left ear. Blood trailed its way down his face.
Wolfard was with the raiding party, but seeing him in this condition made her worry. "What happened? They weren't... supposed to have any guns." The statement hit her with how stupid it must have sounded to the canine.
Looking down at the small officer with loathing, Judy flinched away from the glare. "There was... complications after the chief tore through their defences. They pulled out guns, actual guns..." Staring forwards, his speech becoming more hoarse with each word. "Del, he d-didn't make it."
Like a proverbial bullet, the five waves of grief hit Judy hard. Denial, 'how could someone as great as Delgatto be killed.' Anger, 'how dare any mammal to be so bold as to take a brother away from her.' Bargaining, 'I would give anything just to see him one last time.' Depression, 'How can the ZPD continue without him.' Acceptance, 'He's in a better place now.'
Looking back up at the wolf, tears streaked his fur in a pattern of despair. "Come on Wolfie, Let's get you inside." Grabbing ahold of his paw, Judy lead him slowly inside the Hospital. "Everything will be okay. I have a feeling that things will start looking up. Don't you?"
Hello, Dear readers it is I again at the latest I can, I hope this Chapter starts to interest some of you, it took me some time to get out due to multiple different reasons. However, this update is biweekly the next shall be in a week. (hopefully)
As always I hope you have a good time reading this, Have fun.
Updated: 2018-05-23 Used a beta that wishes to be nameless at this time to fix some stuff.