ZOOTOPIA: THE SCALES OF FEAR

Disclaimer: Zootopia is property of Disney.

Before I continue, I feel I should address the issue of the existence of the dingo in this series, as Zootopia takes place in a world where, due to the non-existence of humans, nearly all species of dogs as we know them do not exist. When I wrote Reckless Endangerment, I had erroneously assumed that the dingo was a natural descendant of the wolf that had evolved to survive in Australia's environment. However, after conducting more research, I have discovered that the ancestry of the dingo is far more muddled, and may indeed include some breed of domesticated canine that came about from human intervention. Because of this, I must either change the dingoes to dholes (who do bear a close enough physical resemblance to dingoes), or I must make up some bullshit to justify their existence, and I don't feel like going back and changing the word 'dingo' to 'dhole' in every sentence in Reckless Endangerment. So, here's my ass-pull: dingoes in this universe are the descendants of dog-like canids who were tamed or domesticated by pigs, probably among the earliest mammals to achieve sentience and domesticate themselves as well. This occurred thousands of years before the events of Zootopia took place... and that's my explanation. Deal with it.

Also, this chapter contains some lime near the end, but nothing explicit enough to warrant an M-Rating at this point.

Chapter 03: City Slickers

Date: Friday, October 13th, 2019

Inside the terminal of the Zootopia Pan-Continental Airport, Nelson Brookes waited for his new boss to arrive. He noticed that several of the other animals, mammals mostly, were eyeing him suspiciously. With the definite exceptions of the residents of the Outback Region, most mammals in Zootopia had great distrust or indifference towards reptiles.

Leaning back against the rail guard, Nelson let out a sigh before checking his watch. The plane carrying Arjun had arrived at least ten minutes earlier. "What the hell's taking them so long?" Nelson muttered in annoyance. Looking over at the exiting hall, Nelson saw three tanuki walking out, followed by a family of European rabbits. Coming out after them were two dholes, a male and female who were apparently on vacation.

"I wonder, wonder, wonder... just who will come out next?" Nelson sang quietly to himself, following the opening lyrics of a game show that he used to watch. Following a trio of koala bears, Nelson finally saw another reptile, who most of the passengers ignored, while the other animals in the terminal became wary of as soon as they saw him.

"Kalmius," Nelson muttered in annoyance. Following Kalmius, however, was Arjun himself, a large Komodo Dragon, rivaled only by Komo Domo in size. Nelson lifted his front paw into the air and waved them over. Behind Arjun were a dingo, a yellow-headed monitor lizard, a roughneck monitor lizard, and a large wedge-tailed eagle, which caused all of the animals in the terminal to become wide-eyed, except for the passengers who were behind the avian.

Dominus Razak, the eagle, looked around with a smug glint in his eyes. "Yes, I know I'm beautiful, no need to say it," he joked as he walked past a family of cottontail rabbits. Even with a rigid beak, one could still tell if a bird was smiling or frowning based on the muscles around its beak and their eyes. Right now, Razak was smiling.

"Try not to scare the natives. They are... quite excitable," Nelson said as the bird walked closer to him. Nelson looked down at the clawed digits protruding underneath the feathers of the birds wings, holding onto the handle of his suitcase. During the last few thousand years, sentient birds had begun to experience a resurgence in clawed digits on their wing limbs, a long-lost remnant of their extinct Mesozoic ancestors. A few species had even begun to experience the emergence of opposable digits that were analogous to mammalian and reptilian thumbs, although, granted their genetic ancestry, avian thumbs were reptilian thumbs.

"Sorry," Razak said. "You'd think they've never seen a bird before, given their reactions," Arjun said snidely. "Archosaurs aren't very common outside of the Outback Region," Nelson explained. "Wait... does that mean there are crocodilians living around here?" Pam, the yellow-headed monitor lizard, asked curiously.

"In the more wild regions of the Outback, yes," Nelson said. "But, they aren't sentient," Nelson said. "Of course not," Kalmius said. Arjun looked around and noticed all of the animals staring at their group. "We should get moving," Arjun said as the group began walking towards the security checkpoints. "So," Arjun began quietly, "I assume that our equipment is being handled by Sal?"

"He just called me a few minutes before your plane arrived. Everything arrived safe and secure on the boat," Nelson said. "Good. Now, where do we meet him?" Arjun asked. "We'll call him after we exit the airport. I'd rather not take the chance of someone listening in on us," Nelson said. "Good point," Arjun said in agreement. Nelson looked over at the dingo, who was wearing a tan straw hat on his head.

"Hey, Sylvester," Nelson said. "Yeah?" the dingo replied as he glanced over at Nelson before placing his suitcase on the conveyor belt and stepping through the security checkpoint. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about-" "Don't worry about it," Sylvester interrupted him as the lizard caught up to the dog. "But-" "Look, I didn't really like either of them anyway, although I do appreciate your condolence," Sylvester said as he grabbed his suitcase off of the conveyor belt.

After the group exited the final security checkpoint, they made their way over to the parking lot, where Nelson and another of Domo's subordinates had parked two gray jeeps, both of which had faded decals and rust in various spots, but were nonetheless workhorses because of their usage around the watery areas of the Canal District and various docks. Arjun followed Nelson over to the jeep that he had driven, along with Kalmius and Pam, while Sylvester, Razak, and the rough-necked monitor lizard both entered the other jeep.

"So... you thought it was a good idea to bring Darryl along?" Nelson asked as he buckled his seat belt. "Yes. Now, call Sal and ask about where we should meet him," Arjun replied in a professional manner. "Right," Nelson said before taking out his cell phone and dialing Sal's number. "Hello?" asked the panther on the other end.

"Sal, listen. Arjun has arrived, and he wants to know where we can meet up so that we can get the equipment," Nelson said. "It's still going through customs. Everything's intact, but the last three crates are still being processed. If I rush the process, it might draw unwanted attention," Sal replied. "But you said that they were already done," Nelson said. "No, I said that they had arrived. I never said that they had finished going through customs," Sal countered.

"So when do we meet up with you and where?" Nelson asked, frustrated. "Tomorrow, around noon, at my bunker. You know where it is," Sal said. "Yes, thank you, Sal. We'll see you tomorrow," Nelson said. "Bye," Sal said before hanging up. "Well, there's a small setback," Nelson said. "Not really," Arjun said. "After all, we have at least a week before the ship bringing the product arrives," he added.

"Right. Well, I guess I should take you to your new... area of residence, I guess?" Nelson said, uncertain of how to describe their next destination. "Does the driver of the other car know where to take us?" Arjun asked as Nelson began backing out of the parking spot. "Oh yeah. He'll take a short detour, though, to make sure that it doesn't look like both vehicles are going to the same place. Then he'll make his way onto our path, if he doesn't make a wrong turn," Nelson said, remembering the difficulties that he'd had with the other driver earlier that week when planning the route and travel procedures.

Looking out the passenger side window of the jeep, Arjun took in the sights of Zootopia as they drove onto the main road that would take them to the freeway. "Architecture is similar to Sygnalia," Arjun noted. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Architecture," Nelson said as he drove past the open fields near the airport. "So, out of curiosity, what happened to the equipment used by Wilbur and the others?" Kalmius asked, breaking the silence.

"Most of it was collected by the police after they found where the team had been staying," Nelson replied. "I heard they were staying in two locations, and the police found both?" Kalmius asked. "Apparently," Nelson said. "You said that most of it was collected. What about the stuff that the police didn't touch?" Arjun asked him.

"Well... we managed to retrieve a few guns and their passports, and we found Maulia's sword on the freeway the morning after the assassination attempt. I had some of our guys hide it in a secure location," Nelson said. "Make sure to let Sylvester know about it," Arjun said. "I thought he didn't care?" Nelson replied. "Just because he didn't like Maulia and Zack very much doesn't mean that he doesn't care," Arjun said.

"Okay then, I'll make sure to let him know," Nelson said before merging into the right lane. "I guess we'll be staying somewhere in the Outback Region?" Kalmius asked as he saw the travel sign indicating the distance to the Outback Region. "Yeah. Technically, it's a large island. It used to be only accessible via the train system, but a year ago a large tunnel bridge was built to connect the place to the rest of Zootopia for regular traffic," Nelson explained.

"Fascinating. So, how's Wilbur doing?" Arjun asked. "He's kept his mouth shut. I sent someone to visit him incognito a few days ago. He hasn't said shit to anyone. He's still going with that story he made up about going after Mr. Albigul on his own and all that," Nelson said. "Good. His loyalty is strong," Arjun said. Nelson nodded his head in agreement.

The rest of the ride was silent as the group made their way to the Outback Region, or Outback Island as most called it. When they pulled up into the driveway of the large house. "Now, this place may look a bit rough on the outside, but that helps deter burglars from going near the place," Nelson explained. "How is it on the inside?" Arjun asked him.

"It has all the necessary utilities, and a backup heating system in case of inclement weather," Nelson replied. "Komo invested wisely," Arjun noted as he unbuckled his seatbelt before opening the door and stepping out of the jeep. "Yeah... it doesn't have a pool, just so you know," Nelson said as he also exited the jeep. "That's fine. A pool would attract unwanted visitors," Arjun said.

"So... when do you want to start touring the facilities we have in Zootopia? You know, the warehouses, the processing plants, the works?" Nelson asked the larger reptile. "Tomorrow, after we meet with Sal," Arjun said firmly. "Of course," Nelson responded. Arjun turned his head when he heard the other jeep pulling up into the driveway.

"We are all staying here?" Arjun asked Nelson. "Well, I thought that was the plan," Nelson said with a shrug. "I wasn't told otherwise," he added quickly. "I see. In that case, we shall stay here for the duration of this particular stay-over. During the next stay-over, I hope that more suitable arrangements can be made for the others," Arjun said as he passed Nelson and walked over to the door. Nelson run over to him to give him the key.

"You'll need this," Nelson said. Arjun accepted the key and inserted it into the lock before opening the front door. "Home sweet home," Arjun said sarcastically as he looked around the mostly bare living room. "Um, this room is deliberately left bare, to give the impression that there's nothing to steal," Nelson said as Arjun looked around. "The way you keep bringing that up makes me wonder," Arjun said.

"Wonder? About what, exactly?" Nelson asked as he followed Arjun into the spartan room while the others entered the house. "Wow! Bland walls, my favorite!" Darryl Keith exclaimed sarcastically, causing the larger reptiles to stare at him in minor annoyance. "Anyway, in response to your question, I'm wondering about the police presence in this region. I was informed that Outback Island has its own precinct, yet I have seen no sign of police presence since we've arrived," Arjun said.

"There are some unfortunate politics in play that have made the precinct on this island suffer from small numbers of officers and sporadically updated equipment," Nelson said. "So they're stretched thin?" Arjun asked him. Nelson nodded his head. "I was under the impression that the Outback Precinct rivaled the one in Savanna Central in size," Arjun said.

"Well, yes... but not in terms of animal power. Since half of their forces are made up of reptiles, most of the mainly-mammalian government officials in Zootopia are rather... negligent in their care of this particular area. They give all of the latest toys and gadgets to the other precincts, and our mole has told me that they only receive the newest stuff just before it becomes outdated. Prejudice, he says," Nelson explained.

"Oh my," Arjun said sardonically. "How... unfortunate," he added with a smirk. "Well... that doesn't mean that they're pushovers, sadly," Nelson said. "Oh?" Arjun asked him. "No. They are... quite tough," Nelson said. "Is that so?" Arjun asked the smaller lizard. "Yes. They make up for quantity with quality... most of the time," Nelson said.

"Speaking of numbers, how have our dockside facilities been faring?" Arjun asked him. "They're fine. We've been forced to cut a few corners, however, in certain areas. Mostly in terms of distribution, as we don't have enough mammals working in the distribution sector," Nelson said.

"Why do we need more mammals?" Arjun asked him curiously. "Zootopia is ruled by mammals, and they make up more than three quarters of its total population," Nelson said. "But, I thought you already knew this?" he asked the Komodo Monitor. "I was aware that mammals outnumbered reptiles, but I did not realize just how big the gap truly is," Arjun replied.

"Yes. If we could get a few more koalas and some wallabies or kangaroos, then we could see some improved sales of our products," Nelson said. "Most mammals don't trust reptiles, I take it?" Arjun asked the smaller lizard. Having grown up in places where reptiles and mammals were almost equal in number, Arjun was unaccustomed to the prevalence of such discrimination between the different vertebrates.

"Not very much. Terrapins seem to be the least distrusted, but even herbivorous Marine Iguanas are treated with suspicion by most of the mammals living inland," Nelson said with distaste. Arjun walked over to the closest window and looked outside. "Would such distrust make any incident involving us immediately suspicious?" Arjun asked Nelson. "Huh?" Nelson asked him.

Arjun turned to look at the water monitor. "If one of our reptiles gets in trouble, will that lead the police to us, or cause someone to go snooping around our facilities?" Arjun asked the smaller reptile again. "That depends on where it happens. If something happens here in the Outback Region, then the locals may not care very much, since they live alongside reptiles and birds all the time. If something happens on the mainland, however, it's possible that someone might start snooping around," Nelson replied.

"So, we need to be careful for the next few months until we've established a stronger foothold in the mainland," Arjun said thoughtfully. "Yes. But, we do have to deal with competition as well," Nelson said. "Competition? You mean that bear, Sharpo?" Arjun asked. "Well, not just Sharpo, but also Mr. Big," Nelson said. "I thought that the shrew only operated in that snowy district," Arjun said.

"The majority of his territory and operations are located there, but he also has some ground located elsewhere, such as the Rainforest District and the Downtown region of Savanna Central," Nelson explained. "What about the Canal District?" Arjun asked him. "That... is mostly under our control, although Sharpo has one or two places up there, but most of it belongs to us," Nelson said.

"And this island?" Arjun asked him. "Actually, most of our facilities are located in the Canal District, with only the main site and backup HQ located here, as well as your residence," Nelson said. "My residence? What about yours?" Arjun asked in surprise. "I live in the Canal District. Since I've been overseeing everything going on over there, I figured it was easier just to live in one of the warehouses with a few adjustments," Nelson said. "Adjustments?" Arjun asked him.

"I cleaned up and re-tiled one of the bathrooms and added a shower for myself on one of the upper levels of the place. I pretty much live there," Nelson said. "That's... I don't know if I should applaud your dedication or if I should feel sad that you actually live in your office," Arjun said, genuinely confused. "Eh, I get enough sleep, and it cuts down on driving back and forth to work," Nelson.

"Tell me, the main site and backup HQ; do they both have the same amenities in them? Are they the same size?" Arjun asked him. "Wait, don't you already know this? I mean, surely Mr. Domo must've left plenty of documents and plans for you to look over, right?" Nelson asked, confused by Arjun's questioning.

"Just answer the questions," Arjun said. "Okay. Both places are the same size, although one of them has half of its floors underground, while the other only has two floors underground. Both places have storage rooms and offices in them, as well as plumbing. They also have some locker rooms and showers, but those haven't seen much usage lately. I mean, they get used, but not as much as they used to," Nelson said.

"One thing that Komo never clarified for me was which facility has that giant coke shredder," Arjun said. "Um... I think both of them have one, although the one in the backup site doesn't get used unless there's a problem with the one at the main facility," Nelson said. "Is it kept in decent shape?" Arjun asked him. "Oh, definitely," Nelson said while nodding his head.

"Good. That's all for now. Tomorrow," Arjun said as he turned around to face his subordinates, "I want everyone to be ready. We'll be visiting this Sal person, and then we'll begin overseeing the operations. After a few months of getting into a comfortable routine, we'll begin further expansion."

Date: Saturday, October 14th, 2019

Nicholas Piberius Wilde felt something shift in his arms as he slowly woke up. "Wha?" he mumbled as he watched Judy twitching in her sleep. He saw her tail wiggle as she snuggled closer into his chest, causing him to smile at the sight. "Judith Hopps, you are just too adorable," Nick said affectionately as the rabbit whined in her sleep and nuzzled her face into his chest.

"Geez, after last night, I didn't think you'd have any energy left," Nick joked as he gently stroked the back of Judy's head and lightly scritched the base of her ears, causing her to almost purr as she nuzzled him affectionately. "Hey, you woke me up, so it's time for you to wake up too," Nick said as he tried to sit up in their bed.

Judy groggily opened her eyes after a few more minutes before looking up into Nick's. "Mornin' beautiful," Nick said as he leaned down to kiss her. "Right back, handsome," Judy said tiredly with a smile. "So... what's on the agenda for today?" Nick asked her as he stretched out his muscles and swayed his tail under the covers. "First? Bathroom," Judy said as she got out of the bed and walked out of the room.

"I was... kind of hoping for morning cuddles," Nick muttered before yawning as he got out of the bed as well. He made his way over to the bathroom, where Judy was still on the toilet. "Nick!" Judy admonished. "What? You left the door open, so don't blame me for coming inside. Besides, I need to brush my [yawn] teeth," Nick said as he grabbed his toothbrush from the counter before adding toothpaste to it and running it under the faucet for a few seconds.

Judy rolled her eyes at Nick's behavior, having grown accustomed to it in the time that they'd been living together. After she flushed the toilet, Judy made sure to wash her hands before grabbing her own toothbrush and starting the morning ritual. When Judy spat into the sink, Nick snickered.

"What?" Judy asked him. "Oh, it's just that there's something familiar about the sight of white liquid around your lips," Nick teased. "Seriously?" Judy asked him before grabbing a cup of water to gargle. "Well, it doesn't arouse me as much as the real thing, in case you're worried," Nick teased. Judy rolled her eyes at his raunchiness before she looked over at the fox before he walked around her and sat on the toilet.

"I'll be in the kitchen getting breakfast ready," Judy said as she walked out of the bathroom. "Blueberry pancakes?" Nick asked her hopefully. "I'll have to see if we still have any," she replied as she walked away and entered the kitchen.

Opening the freezer door, Judy checked to see if they had any pancakes of any kind left. "No pancakes at all," she said in dismay. Hopping onto a stool, Judy opened a cupboard and checked for any cereal. "Hey, we still have a box of Admiral Crunch," Judy said as she saw a box with a drawing of a red-uniformed bear holding a bowl of cereal.

After checking the refrigerator for milk (or soy milk, as bovines were longer used for the production of lactated liquids), which they had half a gallon of, Judy set out two bowls and filled them. She was just getting the spoons when she heard the sound of the toilet flushing, followed by the rushing water of the sink. When it stopped, she sat on her chair and started eating her cereal.

Even with the crunch of the cereal, she could still hear Nick's paw pads on the floor as he walked into the kitchen. "No pancakes?" he asked her. "Nope. We don't have any left... of any kind," Judy replied before taking another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. "Oh well, I'm not necessarily hungry for food this morning, if you know what I mean," Nick said with a mischievous smile on his face.

Judy raised an eyebrow as Nick walked over to her before kneeling down. "Nick," Judy warned him. "I'm trying to eat my cereal. Eat yours too, and then we can have some fun," Judy said sternly. "Okay, fine. I'll eat-hey, is this Admiral Crunch? I thought we finished that box a week ago," Nick said as he sat down and started eating his cereal. Judy merely rolled her eyes again for the umpteenth time that morning.

It was really adorable, Judy noted as she watched Nick eat his cereal. He was like a youngster with how quickly and enthusiastically he ate his food. He was actually finished before she was, and after he had licked the bowl clean, he looked at her with a grin.

"So... I'm still hungry," Nick said with a salacious glint in his eyes. Judy's heart rate increased as she caught his meaning. "I wonder... how does bunny taste?" he asked before he slipped out of the chair and crawled over to Judy, quickly grabbing her thighs before plunging his face in between her legs. "Nick, wait! Let me fin-oh, sweet mystery of life, I have fooouuund yooouuuuu!" Judy only finished her cereal nearly forty five minutes and three orgasms later.

Nick's face was rather drenched when he came back up. "I'd say that I'm full now," he said with a smirk. As Judy gasped for breath, she looked at him through half-lidded eyes and smiled at him. "Just... let me finish eating. Then... then you'll be in for a treat," Judy said.

Nick smiled and walked over to the couch to wait for her. When she was finished with her cereal, she made her way over to him on all fours. Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, what's this?" he asked her coyly as he grabbed a box of condoms from behind the sofa.

"This?" Judy asked him. "Yeah? Should I slip on a rubber now, or later?" he asked her smugly. "Oh, I'd say later. I have a very big favor to repay you right now," Judy said with a smile before she lunged forward.

Three Hours Of Intense Fucking Later...

"You know," Nick said breathlessly, "I might need to clean this sofa again." Judy snuggled up next to him, having almost put herself into an orgasm-induced coma. "Mmhmm," she murmured as she nodded her head. "I think I'll use fire. That should do the trick," Nick joked, causing Judy to chuckle. "You can light my fire anytime," Judy mumbled.

"That was terrible," Nick said with a smile. "Mm, I learn from the best," Judy replied contently as she felt Nick's tail brush over her as Nick curled his body around her. "Well, I'll have to teach you better then," Nick said softly. Judy nodded her head before she heard her phone going off.

"Oh, not now," Judy grumbled as she looked over at the bedroom where the offending noise was coming from. "You have your voice mail set up. They can leave a message," Nick said as he placed a small kiss on her cheek. "I know, but..." Judy trailed off before she tiredly pulled herself off of the bed and walked over to the bedroom, leaving Nick alone on the sofa.

When Judy returned to the living room, Nick was already asleep. "Um, not today," Judy said into the phone as she smiled at Nick's sleeping form. "How about tomorrow?" she asked the person on the other end. "Sounds good to me. We'll see you guys tomorrow at noon. Bye," the person on the other end said before hanging up. "Bye," Judy said before she placed the phone on the coffee table and quietly crawled onto the couch and back into Nick's arms, snuggling into him for comfort.

Author's Note: Yes, this chapter seems a bit short, but I honestly think that it works best where it is right now. The next chapter will have a slight 'montage' feel to it as it covers a series of events spanning a few months before the chapter after that one deals with the slowly building fire that will become the mafia war between Komo's Empire (run by Arjun) and the crime organizations and families that didn't get wiped out by Lisker and his ring both before and during the events of Magnum Fur. Remember, Lisker and his subordinates had been doing the vigilante thing for quite a while before being transferred to Precinct One.

As for the content of this chapter, while I do write some lime stuff, I'm not sure if I'll pursue writing full lemons again just yet. Honestly, it'll depend on my mood while writing the chapters. There will be some lime stuff in future chapters, but nothing explicit like in Magnum Fur... at least not yet anyway. Like I said, it'll depend on my mood while writing the chapters... or I'll flip a coin.

Also, yes, the character of Arjun Rooter is indeed partially named after one of the bad guys from Lethal Weapon 2 (1989).