Chapter 04 - Change starts with all of us
Judy Hopps woke up at 5:30 A.M., and just like every morning, she would start her day with a little workout in a nearby park. Unlike her partner and roommate, Nicholas Wilde, she was a morning mammal. Nick, on the other paw, preferred to exercise in the evening close to sunset due to his nocturnal attitude. For Judy, this was just fine. Even if they became close friends over the last two years, it was still good for their relationship as partners and roommates that they each had some time for themselves. When the gray doe returned from her training, she was greeted by her landlady, Mrs. Lace, who was brushing the short path towards the apartment building.
"Good morning, Anne!" Judy greeted the elderly skunk lady cheerfully.
Ah, Good morning, Judy dear," Anne responded. "Know what? I finally found a new tenant for the apartment on the top floor."
"I'm glad to hear that, Anne," the doe said. "How long was it since Mrs. Pawson moved to the retirement home? Two months?"
"Two and a half," the old skunk answered. "Well, since my usual agent decided to change his profession to civil service, it took a bit longer than usual to find a new one."
"Well, I'm afraid he won't come back that soon since he's doing great at the ZPD," Judy returned with a big grin on her muzzle.
"Ahhhhw. That's too bad," Anne countered with a wink and giggled happily.
"So. How is our new neighbor?" Judy asked.
"Uhh! I don't know that much about him," Mrs. Lace answered. "He is an arctic fox from Europe. Ohh! And I think he is an artist since he said the light from the windows in the roof would be perfect for his atelier. All in all, I think he is a nice mammal."
"That sounds great," the doe said and took a look at her watch. "Ohhh. I'm sorry, Anne. But I have to go."
"Don't worry, dear," Anne replied with a warm smile. "And before I forget about it, the little box your parents send to you every two weeks arrived yesterday. I just placed it next to the staircase."
"What would I just do without you, Anne," Judy thanked Mrs. Lace with a broad smile. Since Anne spent most of her time in her apartment building, she offered all her tenants to take care of any packages that would arrive for them when they were not available.
"Don't mention it, dear. That's what good neighbors are for," the landlady answered with a wink of her eye. "I still have to empty that big jar of blueberry jam you gave me a few weeks ago. Say? Does your mother think that you are starving here?"
"Well, I just told her about those microwave meals I used to eat when I first moved to the city," the doe explained which earned her a hearty laugh from the old skunk.
Judy might have been a great cop, but her cooking skills left much to be desired, and her mother knew that. And so she insisted that she would send her some goods from the family's farm to make sure that her little girl would eat something nutritious. It always contained some of Bonnie's homemade preserved vegetables and jam and a few bottles of Judy's favorite carrot juice which were made by some of her uncles who ran a little fruit juice production plant in Bunnyburrow. Sometimes, there was also one of Gideon Grey's fantastic pies or fresh products that were in season at that time. Especially the blueberries. Judy once got some, and they were gone in a snap.
Judy said goodbye to Anne and headed towards the staircase where she found the crate.
'Mom, I told you not to send me too much,' the doe thought with a shake of her head when she lifted the brown box and realized that it was one of the heavier ones again.
Judy put it down on the counter of the kitchenette and opened it. Between all the usual jars and bottles she also found a smaller wooden box which had the words 'Bunnyburrow's Best' written on it in fancy letters. There was a little sticky note.
'Hey Bun Bun
I sent you the little something you asked me about when we phoned.
- Mom'
Judy rolled her eyes when she read the message.
Oh, Mom, the doe though. I told you that I would need it in two months as a little birthday surprise for my roommate. Now I must make sure he won't find it before then.
Judy took the little box from the crate and went into her room. Fortunately, she and Nick had agreed that neither would enter the other's bedroom without permission, and she was sure that the fox wouldn't break that rule – she hadn't had caught him yet at least. So, an ideal hiding spot would be under her bed in her opinion. But at first, Judy wanted to check out the content, so she opened the little fasteners and swung open the cover. In the inside of the case, there were three big bottles. The labels showed the same fancy letters as the box itself.
'Bunnyburrow's Best Blueberry Wine'
A few days before, Judy talked with her mother via MuzzleTime. It was then when the matriarch of the Hopps family mentioned that, due to the fantastic weather, the last blueberry harvest brought some of the best blueberry wines in ages. Bonnie's brothers, who run the fruit juice production plant, told her that they almost sold the whole vintage in just a few weeks. At that moment, Judy remembered that she still hadn't gotten a gift for Nick's birthday two months later. So, she asked her mother to get her some of the wine her uncles made, often in boxes for other mammals to buy as gifts. Of course, Judy had no idea that her mother would send a huge group of her kits to get the wine at the very moment the call was closed. Bonnie, who never liked to procrastinate, thought it would be the best to send it with the package for her little girl that was already prepared for the next morning.
Nonetheless, at the sight of the open box, Judy knew that she had the perfect gift for her partner. The gray doe almost squeaked with joy when she closed the box again and pushed it under her bed.
'Nick will love it.'
With a spring in her step, Judy bounced towards the bathroom to take a short shower after her previous workout. Twenty minutes later, she sat at the small dining table in the living room, enjoying some toast with the fresh blueberry jam she found in the crate from her mother. The air was filled with the delicious scent of fresh coffee, though Judy never needed it. Sometimes her colleagues joked that they would all soon be unemployed if Judy Hopps would ever start to consume caffeine. Nevertheless, she liked the smell.
Her partner and roommate Nick, on the other paw, couldn't imagine a world without his beloved 'Elixir of Life'. As a nocturnal mammal, he was never used to waking up that early in the morning. And as Judy soon realized, there was no better way to bait him out of his bed sheets than expose him to the alluring scent of freshly brewed coffee, even better than the loudest alarm clock. This was just one of the fox's little whims, and some of them could be really annoying. But all in all, she enjoyed her life with her roommate, especially the fact that there was someone you could talk to after work. Back in the Burrows, there was always somebody around. And not even her enormous hoard of stuffed bunnies or the conversations of her loud neighbors could convince her about the lack of company at her old apartment. No, living together with her fox friend was just great. All she had to do was to get rid of most of his bad habits.
Judy was just browsing in the mail of the previous day when she heard the sound of an opened door followed by a loud yawning.
"Morning, Carrots," Nick greeted his partner tiredly.
"Morning, Nick," the doe replied without lifting her gaze from the letters in her paws. "Coffee will be ready in a bit. You better hurry before it gets cold."
"Got it." the fox confirmed weakly followed by another yawning and the sound of scratching.
Just when Judy reached for her glass of carrot juice, she lifted her gaze towards the sound. What the doe saw let her snort loudly. Her partner, dressed in nothing but his boxers, was strolling towards the bathroom right now while his claws were scratching the shaggy fur of his cream-colored chest. The way his eyes were slitted and his long tongue was hanging out from his open muzzle with a pleasured grinning on it just finished the awkward picture. So much for getting rid of bad habits.
"Gosh, Nick!" Judy shouted amused. "Can't you behave yourself when a lady is around?"
The todd stopped and rubbed his eyes. He blinked in confusion and started to scan the room.
"Sorry, Carrots," Nick finally responded with grinning on his muzzle. "I can't see any lady around. Just you."
"Ah shut up and get ready, dumb fox," the gray doe commanded, amused.
"Na, don't tell me you don't like what you see, Fluff!" The fox smugly said when he started to stroll towards the bathroom again while his fluffy tail playfully wagged behind him.
Judy tried to cover the view with her paws playfully while she turned away her face and started to laugh loudly at the fox's antics.
"Get a move on, Jerk!"
Judy lowered her paws and peered towards him until he stepped through the door. She had to admit that he was in a great shape since he came back from the academy. He looked handsome – for a fox, of course.
Gosh, stop it, Judy, she thought to herself when she felt a blush that crawled up towards the black tips of her ears. He's your partner – and your best friend. Don't jeopardize that with some bunny-like behavior.
She took a deep breath and got herself a mouthful of her carrot juice before she tried to focus herself on the mail again.
Dumb, handsome fox.
When Nick closed the bathroom door behind him, he smiled happily. Coffee used to be his favorite way to start his day as far as he could remember, but almost one year ago he found something that was way better. And that was the bright laughing of his roommate. This beautiful sound warmed his heart almost every day. He couldn't imagine his life without this laughing – or that beautiful pair of purple eyes that always beamed towards him with joy and encouragement – or the soft gray fur he could feel when she embraced him in one of her hugs. Judy was his friend, but she was also more. There were also Finnick or Anne who were friends of him for almost his whole life, but Judy was something special. He could talk to her about everything, even things he could never imagine to tell anybody. Was it still just friendship or was it more?
Ok, enough of that, Wilde, Nick thought when he took a deep breath and stepped into the shower. She's a bunny, and you are a fox. It might be ok to share an apartment - It might be ok that she is your best friend – but it's obvious that there can't be more than that.
After a quick and icy shower to banish all that strange thoughts from his mind, Nick got dressed and joined his roommate at the breakfast table where he just found a steaming mug of fresh coffee and two slices of toast with a thick layer of blueberry jam waiting for him already. He happily smiled towards the gray doe who was sunk into a letter while she munched on her own breakfast.
"You're, the best, Fluff," the fox cheered when he lifted his hot beverage towards his muzzle.
"Don't mention it," the Judy responded still focused on reading the letter in her paws. "You were the one that cooked that amazing veggie lasagna last evening. I'm just glad that I can handle the coffee machine and the toaster."
Unlike Judy, Nick was talented in the culinary sector, even if he never knew about it before. One evening when both of them just couldn't decide on a takeaway restaurant, Judy joked that all that nocturnal energy of the vulpine could be used to prepare something for dinner. Nick accepted the challenge and after a view into the fridge and a short search on Zoogle he managed to create a little dish from it, and the result was just fantastic. Actually, Judy loved it so much that she suggested, or rather demanded, that the fox do it again as soon as possible. In the beginning, he just tried some simple dishes, but soon he tested himself in more and more challenging meals and finally explained that he would be in charge of the kitchen from now on. And he was so adorable when he watched a cooking show on TV with a notepad in his paws and his tail wagging in excitement when he looked forward to trying out the new recipe on his own.
"How about this?" Nick began and took a careful sip of his coffee while Judy raised her gaze towards him. "If this whole cop thingy doesn't work out, we will open a little diner. I will handle the kitchen, and you will be in charge of the coffee machine and toaster."
"Ohh, shut up and eat your breakfast," the doe responded amused.
"Alright, mom," Nick joked and stuffed a slice of toast into his mouth.
Judy just shook her head and continued reading the letter.
"Amipfing impferefting?" Nick asked with his mouth full of toast which let the doe lifted her glance again. She raised one of her eyebrows and threw an educational stare towards him.
"Forry, Carropf!" the fox excused himself and took a large gulp from his mug to flush down the contents of his muzzle. "Anything interesting?"
"Na, just a letter from my brother, Johnny," she replied and focused on reading again.
"Johnny? Johnny?" Nick thought out loudly. "Oh, I know. He is that guy who almost choked on the 20 carrots he stuffed into his mouth at the same time, isn't he?"
"No, that was Andy," Judy responded and snorted loudly. "Why do you always relate that story to any of my brothers."
"Honestly?" Nick began. "You just have too many brothers, Carrots. And I like that story."
"I knew it would match your sense of humor, Slick," the doe said smugly. "Anyways, John is the one who always wanted to work with trains and who never stopped to tell me anything he knew – like how to drive a subway car for example. He just finished his training to become a conductor."
"Oh, that one," Nick responded and took another sip of coffee. "Remind me to have a conversation with him about putting a bee into his sister's bonnet – speaking of conducting."
"Nick! Just get over it. Everything worked out just fine."
"You were almost thrown from a driving subway car by an angry ram…"
"Almost!"
"…before we nearly caused a collision with a freight train…"
"Nearly!"
"…and virtually died in an explosion."
"Virtually, Nick!"
"I just want to make a point there, Carrots. It was dumb, blindfold and risky – and if we ever get into such a situation again let's just call some backup."
It was something that Nick realized while he helped her solving the Nighthowler case and also during their partnership at the ZPD. While he preferred to check out a situation and move carefully, Judy was more willing to take a risk to achieve her goals. And Nick knew that it was pure luck that both of them were still breathing. One time they were almost iced by the mob boss Mr. Big after Judy insulted him in front of his bodyguards, another time they nearly fell to their deaths in the Rainforest District but were luckily tangled in some vines. And then there was that waterfall next to the Cliffside Asylum. And all that happened on just one day. Of course, he knew what Judy was capable of. In the Academy, Major Friedkin showed the cadets a video how Judy knocked out a rhino in no time. And during their year on the force, plenty of situations demonstrated that she could deal with almost everything. But in the end, she was just a small bunny, and Nick knew that it would only need one lucky blow by a vast thug to knock her out in an instant – or worse.
"All right, Slick!" Judy responded with a big grin on her muzzle. "If we ever find an old subway car which is used to grow Nighthowlers by a ram named Doug we will call some backup."
"Silly Bunny!" Nick countered huffily, but when the gray doe regretted to stop her joyful grinning towards him, the fox eventually burst out laughing, which was soon joined by Judy's laughing – her wonderful bright laughing.
They finished their breakfast and put the used dishes in the sink. This would be a job for the fox who is in charge of the kitchen. The fox and the bunny left the apartment building and got into the ZPD cruiser that was parked in front of it. Even if their home was in the quiet surroundings of the city, Mrs. Lace often told them that some of the other tenants liked that improved sense of security that was caused by the police car. It was usually Judy who drove to work while Nick just sat there and observed his surroundings.
"Look, Carrots. They just set up a new one," the fox said and pointed a finger towards a huge billboard. It showed Judy and Nick in their police uniforms. Below them, the words 'Change starts with all of us' were written in large letters.
"I hate those posters," Judy grumbled in annoyance. "All the mammals at the ZPD put their effort into making this world a better place every day, but you won't see a poster of them."
"Don't worry that much about it, Fluff," Nick spoke calmly. "They just needed somebody to show all those predators and prey out there that they can get along singing Kumbaya together. And who would be better than a bunny and a fox for that? Just see it as another way to keep the streets peaceful."
Judy still didn't like the idea being some kind of figurehead for the city, especially since Dawn Bellwether tried to use her that way for the ewe's own sinister plans. But there was also some truth in the fox's words too.
"I guess you are right, Nick," the gray doe finally responded and let out a deep sigh.
"Of course, I'm right," the todd countered and lowered his aviators to smugly winked towards his partner. "Did you forget how awesome I am?"
"Silly fox," Judy replied, amused and tried to silence the snort that escaped her muzzle with her paw but finally burst out into a fit of that beautiful laughing the fox loved so much. He joined her for a few seconds before they calmed down again and Judy almost forgot why she was so upset before – until she noticed another poster they just passed. This time she just snickered silently and shook her head.
"Thank you, Nick," the gray doe whispered to her partner.
"You know you love me."
Judy and Nick entered the precinct one building at a side entrance near the motor pool and made their way towards roll call. When they entered the huge foyer, they heard a very excited squeal from the reception desk in the center of the place. Benjamin Clawhauser, the bulky cheetah who sat behind it and leaned over the desk, had his arms supporting his grinning muzzle while an earphone stuck in one of his ears. The wire leads to a smartphone in the paw of Diane Silverhowl. The white wolf who was wearing a black t-shirt, a pair of khaki BDUs and a black wool hat with the ZPD logo on it had the other phone plugged into her ear. The canine also had a toothy grin on her muzzle, and the tails of both mammals waged in excitement – which showed anything but the professional behavior that was expected from a member of the ZPD. Ben was the first officer who noticed Judy and Nick. He pulled the bud out his ear and waved enthusiastically towards the gray bunny.
"Judy! Judy, you have to check this out!" the bubbly feline squealed. "Diana and I just listened to the new song of Gazelle. It is so fantastic!"
Also, the white wolf removed her earplug and stopped the song on her phone.
"Judy! Nicky!" the she-wolf greeted them excited. "How are my favorite bunny and fox officers today."
"Diana, it's been a while," Judy responded happily. "Where have you been? And what you two are talking about?"
"Oh, I spent the last few weeks at the Academy," the white canine began to explain. "There isn't that much to do with the tactical unit since the crime rate is this low at the moment. Also, my old partner retired a few weeks ago, and so chief Bogo and major Friedkin thought that it would be a good idea to send me to teach the cubs there how to hold a rifle the right way. It's at least better than just hanging around in the armory or at the shooting range the whole day. One of the graduates just became my new partner. She says that it was you two who inspired her to try and join the force. I can't wait to introduce her to you."
"Well, Carrots. Change starts with all of us, " Nick whispered smugly into Judy's ears but regretted it in an instant when he saw the deadly glare she threw upon him.
"Alright, Diana," Benjamin cut in before Judy could say something. "I'm sure there is enough time for such secondary stories later, but now let's handle the important things first."
With this words, the feline snatched the two earphones from Diana's paw and put them into the ears of Judy and Nick. Before the smaller officers could say anything, the white wolf started the song.
"You will love it," the canine told them excited when the song started. Diana and Ben both glared at them in excitement and chuckled childishly. If there was anyone in the ZPD who was almost a big Gazelle fan as Benjamin Clawhauser, it was Diana Silverhowl – or Chief Bogo, but nobody would say that to him directly.
Other than her usual pop songs like the famous Try Everything, this new work of the famous singer was rather smooth. It was a beautiful song about a predator and a prey that talk about how they could live together in peace and harmony and Judy especially loved the message of it.
When the song was over, Diane pulled out the earplugs.
"What do you think?" Benjamin squealed.
"Isn't the new song just fantastic?" Diana cut in before Judy or Nick could answer. The wolf and the cheetah focused on the gray doe and the excited wagging of their tails was just intense. But before Judy or Nick could say anything, a deep voice bellowed from above them.
"Hopps! Wilde! Silverhowl!"
The four mammal crunched in shock and carefully lifted their gaze towards the source to see a furious chief Bogo bowing above the rail and Judy's glare towards Nick a few minutes earlier was nothing compared to their superior.
"Stop distracting officer Clawhauser from his job! And stop acting like kits! This is a police station, not some nursery."
After this warning, the huge cape buffalo made his way towards the staircase. For a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence fell upon the lobby, but it was soon broken when muffled laughing was heard. A European badger and a timber wolf - both in the same outfit as Diana - stood there and tried to hide their laughing with her paws which earned them an angry glare from the white wolf.
"And what is so funny about that, Drake?" Diana growled towards her S.W.A.T. colleagues.
"Nothing!" was the only word that Oscar Drake the badger could answer before he and his partner Shaun Nighton the wolf couldn't hold it back anymore and filled the place was with their laughter.
"Well, I guess I have to go," Diana said when she pocketed her phone. "I know two guys who need a kick in their fluffy butts."
"Maybe we should already call a caretaker, Carrots," Nick whispered into Judy's ear with a smug expression.
"Oh, shush you," the bunny laughed.
The wolf said goodbye and stormed towards the two laughing mammals. She wrapped an arm around their necks and pulled them into a tight headlock before she turned her head towards the reception desk and winked towards Judy, Nick, and Ben.
"Ok, friends," Diana chirped. "Let's have a little talk."
"Help! Police brutality!" Shaun laughed while Oscar just had a bright grin on his muzzle when Diana pulled them towards the armory.
"Isn't she just amazing?" Benjamin whispered silently to himself which earned a soft chuckle from the bunny and the fox.
"Maybe, you should finally tell her that too, Ben," Nick advised which was returned with a shocked expression on the cheetah's face while his paws were covering his mouth. "And yes! You said that loud."
"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy hissed when she checked the time. "Nick! We have to hurry. Roll call is in a minute. I ain't gonna have parking duty for a month for being late."
"Especially after that little incident with Chief Buffalo-Butt," the red fox joked before he was pulled away from his partner. "See you, Spots."
The fox and bunny duo made it to their usual place just in time before the daunting cape buffalo entered the room. As usual, the officers started to bang their paws and hoofs on the table to welcome their superior.
"All right! All right!" the chief of police shouted when he arrived at his usual place behind the podium in front of his officers. And as every day, some of them just didn't want to stop. "Enough!"
The officers finally stopped their ritual sat down. Chief Bogo put on his glasses and focused on the clipboard in his hooves.
"Ok. It seems we have some new recruits, today," he began.
"And as always, it's a great pleasure for you to welcome them to our happy family here at the ZPD, isn't it so chief?" Nick smugly cut in.
Bogo glared towards the red fox for a few seconds, which wasn't anything odd. Since Nick began his new career as a police officer, he always tried to tease his superior. And as always, Bogo would counter with one of his grumpy responses. But today, the cape buffalo wouldn't make it that easy for that fox, so he changed his expression with a friendly smile.
"You say it, officer Wilde," Bogo responded grinning.
Nick's ears and jaw dropped in an instant, and he swallowed hard. Also, his partner just shrugged when he glared towards her with an expression of pure shock. Even the officers around them started to whisper in confusion. Bogo was sure up to something.
"Ok! Enough of that!" Bogo shouted to get the attention of his officers again while his grinning was replaced by his usual grumpy expression. "Since we are still blessed with no major crimes lately we will do regular patrolling just like yesterday. Dismissed!"
Nick and Judy sighed in relief. They were sure that the former behavior of the chief would signal that he had some rather nasty task for them. But just when the small officers got up from their places and passed the podium on their way towards the door, Bogo rose one of his hooves, and the previous smile appeared on his muzzle again. "Oh, just one more thing. Officers Hopps, Wilde, Snow, Sari! Please, stay a few minutes longer."
Well, here we go. What will it be? Parking duty? Or one more of those stupid PR visits for city hall?' Judy thought sadly. Wait! Snow? Sari? I never heard those names before.
When the other mammals left the room around them, Judy and Nick spotted two new ZPD members that were standing in the passage between the tables. One of them was an arctic hare. He was way bigger than Judy, and like her, he had black tips on his ears while the rest of his fur was white as snow. His blue eyes glared annoyed towards the corsac vixen who stood a few steps away from him. Nick, who used to read mammals his whole life, noticed in an instant that the buck wasn't happy to be around the female vulpine, but he hoped that there might just have been some friction during their time at the academy. The corsac vixen on the other paw had a fluffy pelt in a mix of white and gold. Her size was very small for a vulpine and she was even towered by the arctic hare by a bit. She seemed a bit shy in the way she tried to avoid the eye contact with Judy and especially Nick.
"Hopps. Wilde." Bogo began. "These are our newest recruits, officers Aksel Snow and Aliya Sari. I wish that you team up with them for the next weeks."
"Wait! What?" Nick and Judy began just to be interrupted by the cape buffalo again.
"Well, as long as the city stays that quiet, I thought it would be the best idea to let our new members gather some practical experience by teaming up with some more experienced officers. And who but you two could be a better choice for that task? Besides that, the ZPD owns only one cruiser that can be driven by officers of your sizes."
Bogo took the glasses from his muzzle and handed his clipboard over to Judy. The gray doe took it and saw the two attached dossiers about the new officers. When she saw Bogo walking towards the door, she couldn't forbear a big smile on her face.
Give some practical experience to recruits? That isn't so bad at all, Judy thought. He could also just let us do…
As if the cape buffalo could read her mind he suddenly stopped and turned around again.
"Of course, I could also let you all do parking duty instead – if you insist."
He glared towards Nick and Judy. Neither of them knew if and how they should respond, so they just shook their heads lightly.
"Good. I thought so too. Just try to keep the rookies away from the more severe cases. Should be an easy task as long as the city keeps that quiet. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir!" the fox and the rabbit answered with a salute.
"Splendid!" the cape buffalo replied with a pleased smile and left the room.
Judy and Nick eased their stance and turned towards the two rookie cops who made their way the red fox and the doe next to the door. Snow, the arctic hare, moved at normal speed while his gaze seemed to avoid the foxes in the room and was mostly focused on Judy, while Sari, the corsac vixen, moved rather slowly. Her gaze was lowered while one of her paws nervously rubbed on her arm.
"Well, look at that, Carrots," Nick bowed down and whispered into Judy's ear. "How was that slogan again? Change starts with all - OUCH!"
He should have known it better, but this time Nick earned a quite forceful blow in his ribs by Judy's elbow for teasing her. The gray doe just ignored his whimpering and stepped towards the two rookies with a big smile on her muzzle.
"So, welcome to the ZPD. I am officer Judy Hopps," the gray doe introduced herself before she turned and gestured towards Nick who was still rubbing his side. "And this is officer Nick Wilde."
"Wel *cough* Welcome at the ZPD," the todd managed to greet them too.
Judy just shook his head amused and offered the arctic hare her paw.
"Officer Snow if I got that right?" she said with a friendly voice. "It's nice to meet you."
"Aksel Snow," the buck answered with a smile when he took her paw and shook it firmly. "It also nice to meet you too, Officer Hopps. I heard a lot about you. You are the reason I joined the academy actually."
"Please, call me Judy," the doe responded.
"Nicholas Wilde," Nick greeted when he also offered his paw to the hare with a friendly smile. "You can call me Nick."
"Officer Wilde," the buck answered when he begrudgingly accepted Nick's paw and shook it half-hearted. Also, his previous smile was replaced by a neutral expression.
At this point, there was no doubt for Nick that this hare would mean trouble. He knew that kind of behavior well enough at that point. The fact that he was a fox was sufficient for this mammal to expect the worst of him or of that poor vixen who stood beside him. But he knew how to deal with his kind.
Never let them see that they get to you, he told himself and just smiled at the buck.
Judy also noticed Aksel's behavior, and in the beginning, she wanted to say something. But then she remembered her own reaction when she saw Nick walking into that ice cream shop. She saw nothing but a fox who was probably up to something. Ok, in the end, he was up to something after all. Anyways, Nick was one of the finest mammals she ever met. And she knew that she could trust him with her life. And officer Snow would realize that too for sure. So, the doe just ignored the two males for now and focused on the corsac vixen.
Uhh, what was her name again, Judy nervously thought when she turned over the dossier page of the hare to uncover the vulpines.
"Officer – Sari. Did I pronounce that right?" the doe asked carefully.
The vixen lifted her head responded with a shy nod.
"A… Aliya Sari. It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," the young vulpine nervously greeted her and offered her paw.
"It's also Judy to you," Judy answered with a big smile on her face when she shook the paw of the golden vixen. "Aliya? What a lovely name. I never heard it before. May I ask you where it comes from?"
"M…My parents are from Central Asia, ma'am," Aliya stammered. "They came to Zootopia about 20 years ago. It's a name from their old country."
"There is no reason to be nervous, Aliya," Judy tried to calm the rookie cop down. "And it's Judy as long we are not in public."
"S…. Sorry, ma'am," the corsac vixen replied. "I… I mean, Judy."
"Don't worry, kid. I'm sure that she won't eat you," Nick joked.
"Ohhh… I d…did not think that she would eat… Oh…" Aliya stammered again, but when she realized the joke, she dared to chuckle about it carefully.
"Oh, she can laugh," Nick spoke cheerfully when he offered the young vixen his paw. "Nicholas Wilde. And it's Nick. Don't you dare to call me 'sir'. And no worries, we are a big happy family here at the ZPD."
"I'm sorry, si… Nick," Aliya answered when she accepted Nicks paw. "I… It's just such a big honor to meet you two. And now I'm also teamed up with the heroes of Zootopia."
Look at that little striver, Aksel Snow thought when he rolled his eyes in disgust.
"OK!" Judy clapped her paws together. "Let's go and make the world a better place. I'm sure there is enough time for some more small talk during the patrol."
With a loud cry, Sophia Hill opened her eyes wide and sat up on her bed. The cougar put one of her paws to her chest and breathed rapidly. It took her a few minutes until the feline became aware of her surroundings and was able to calm down. But while the initial shock vanished slightly, dark memories replaced it. The puma pulled her legs towards her chest and started to sob while tears started to run down her cheeks.
"Sophia!" a female voice called from the door to her bedroom. Sophia lifted her head and saw her friend Layla Nightingale, who was also a cougar like her. The other feline sat down on the bed next to Sophia and started to rub her back gently.
"Another nightmare?" Layla asked which was answered with a weak nod and more sobbing.
"I… I was there again," Sophia cried. "Back at Savana Central, two years ago."
"It's ok, Seety. Calm down. I'm here," Layla said when she pulled her distressed friend into a hug.
"I… It's not ok, Layla," Sophia stammered and shook her head. "I still can see their faces when I sleep. I can hear them scream in panic. I… I can smell the blood."
"It was not your fault, Sophia. It was that insane sheep with her drugs. I know that you would never hurt somebody."
"I killed them!" Sophia shouted and pushed her friend away. "I killed three mammals. And I can only imagine how many it would have been if I wasn't stopped by the grizzly who almost lost an eye while he restrained me."
The cougar took a deep breath and looked into the eyes of her friend.
"You have no idea how I feel. How could you? I swore to help mammals when I became a doctor and now look at me. I'm a murder. I'm a monster."
"Maybe I don't know how you feel," Layla started when her friend buried her head in her paws again. "But I know that it wasn't your fault. That sheep picked you because mammals trusted you, no matter if they were predators or prey. You were one of Zootopia's best physicians, and with you going savage she almost reached her goal but thankfully that bunny and fox stopped her conspiracy."
"But it doesn't change what happened…" Sophia started again.
"And do you think that what you are doing will change it?" Layla cut off her friend. "You work overtime almost every day, and on your free days, you help at that free clinic or as a paramedic. And there is also that project at your hospital too." Layla shook her head before she continued. "I know you think you have to do all that as some form of redemption, but I say that it is too much for you."
Sophia lifted her head again and saw the worried expression of her friend.
"I'm sorry, Layla," the cougar spoke. "I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for coming to help me with all that."
"Hey, that's what friends are there for," Layla answered with a smile, but then she started to sniff. "And now you should take a shower. I don't want to have the whole apartment smelling like a hospital again. You really should wash up that disinfectant when you come home."
"I guess you are right," Sophia responded with a light chuckle.
"Of course I am," Layla laughed. "No hurry or you will be late. Not that you haven't earned it to sleep in a bit."
After a refreshing shower, Sophia left the bathroom in her usual work dress – some green scrubs and a white doctors coat. Layla sat at the kitchen table and read a magazine about electronics. And she had to admit that the glasses she wore looked fancy at her. It wasn't very common that a cougar needed glasses. At least she didn't know any.
"Have you seen my ID-card, Layla?" Sophia asked. "I can't lose it. You know that somebody could use it to enter the storage at the hospital where we keep the Nighthowler samples for research."
"Don't panic," Layla answered without stop reading and pointed behind her. "I found it on the floor and placed it in the key bowl next to the door."
Sophia sighed in relief. She grabbed the small plastic card and pinned it to her coat.
"Ok, I'm out, Layla," the cougar said. "Don't expect me home early. I promised that I would help out in Happy Town this evening."
"Wait!" Layla called and turned around. "I almost forgot that I prepared you some lunch. Well, it was more a leftover from the cooking class last evening. It's in the fridge."
"Ahh, I see," Sophia laughed and walked towards the fridge. "I have to act as your test mammal again."
She opened the door and found a large food storage box. A note was pinned to it.
'Enjoy your meal – Layla and Jody'
"Jody?" Sophia asked.
"Yea, she was my partner last evening," Layla responded. "She brought some of the ingredients. It's a meatloaf. I hope you like it."
"I will, thank you," Sophia said when she stored the box in her bag. "And also say 'thank you' to your friend."
"Oh, I will, don't worry," Layla responded with a bright grin. Sophia didn't know why, but sometimes her friend looked kind of sinister when she showed her teeth like that, but she would never say that. The cougar was way too happy to have somebody around her, after the events two years ago.
"Ok, I'm out now, for real," Sophia waved her friend goodbye and left the apartment.
Jody, she thought. It was a familiar name. She just had a bunny doe with that name as her patient in the free clinic in Happy Town a few days ago.
Thanks to all that faved my little story here. It's the first time I wrote anything and I'm glad that you like it.
A special thank you for the guys who took the time and helped me with editing and beta reading:
-DancingLunarWolves
-OptimusPower92
-Zl0tty
Zootopia and it's characters belongs to Disney...
My OCs in this story:
-Anne Lace
-Diana Silverhowl
-Aliya Sari
-Aksel Snow
-Sophia Hill
-Layla Nightingale
Oskar Drake © OptimusPower92
Shaun Nighton © nightslayer716
be prepared to meet some other guys from the Zootopia Underground in this story
References:
The Gazelle-Song Diana and Benjamin are listening to is a little rewriting work and can be found on my DA page. Name: "Take my paw"
The story about Judys brother Johnny was written for me by servant1999 and can be found on my DA page. Name: "Trains"