Chapter 4 – Is it Love?
"In love?" Judy repeated.
"Yes!" Timbertin responded, "Quite simply like you two!"
Nick and Judy both stiffened up with his comment, and he let out a nostalgic chuckle, "Don't bother denying it! I can see it in your souls. The way you two trust each other completely, how you two can joke with each other so easily and appreciate every word. How you, Judy, just got embarrassed by his words just now!"
Judy blushed, letting the heat from her cheeks nearly glow through her grey fur. And again the Curator chuckled, "I've lived it for so long I can tell instantly." he said and turned to the exhibit, "Even if the two are nothing but painted shadows inside a large stone!"
Nick cleared his throat, hopping to ease Judy's embarrassment of the old beaver's words. "How exactly do you know that he's protecting her?" the fox asked.
"Look at the angle of his blade!" Timbertin said, getting the embarrassed Judy and the blushing Nick to turn their heads to the stone. "It's pointed flat, as if he was trying to take a swing at something in front of her. And even if you use the argument that he was simply trying to teach her a lesson, look again. The blade, if the swing were to continue, would pass a safe three inches above where her ears are at the moment."
"Rubbish!" the three of them heard from the other side of the stone. When the fourth member showed himself, he was what looked to be a badger. Old enough that the fur on his chin had grown long, almost down to his belly. The problem was, Judy couldn't find a grey hair anywhere on him. "The warrior is a predator! Back then Predators and Prey were always at war with each other."
"That's a pretty old way of thinking!" Judy said as she folded her arms. Nick could tell her anger was rising, her foot began tapping rapidly.
"Adrian, if only you'd look closer!" Timbertin said.
"I have looked close enough and I say that they're a depiction of a slaughter!" Adrian said in a huff, "Do not forget that bunnies were commonly beheaded for not participating in the war, there pacifism was not excepted by either side."
"It is also said that bunnies like her were more spiritually in tune with nature. This is why they preferred to stay separate from the fighting."
Nick and Judy moved closer to the stone, circling it to check it out more as the two employees bickered. It was incredible, the pictures on the inside weren't flat and two dimensional like they thought, but rather like the dummies you'd see in a clothing store window. Three dimensional, though she could still argue if the rabbit was female or not. She just couldn't see the face. "How did they do this?" Nick asked as he placed a paw to the gem.
"Don't know!" Judy replied and turned to lean her back and head against it, "But if this argument turns into a fight I'm busting out my cuffs!" Nick spied her smile, and turned back to the arguing old men.
"Besides, the warrior is too close to take her head off, he'd barely graze the top of her head with the hilt of his sword!" Timberlin said, and Adrian turned his head to the two cops.
"What are you doing!" he asked in a huff, "You're not supposed to touch the exhibits!"
"Oh! Sorry about that!" Nick said as he dropped his paw from the stone.
"We were just wondering how long it would take you to notice!" Judy added in, but with a little more innocence to her voice as she pushed herself from the crystal.
"Besides, you guys forgot to put up the barrier!" Nick then added to her comment.
"I take it you've been having a slow day?" Timberlin asked while Adrian snarled at them.
"What's his problem?" Nick asked.
"Adrian." Timberlin interjected as the badger opened his mouth to yell, "Go home! You're tired, and don't deny it! You've been up all night cataloging the new artifacts!"
Adrian simply growled, and then sighed, rubbing his eyes in a tired pain, "Fine!" he said, "But don't go around telling everyone about your theory. It hasn't been proven yet!" With that, he turned and tiredly left the building.
"I'm sorry about him, he's very passionate about his work." Timberlin said as he turned back to them.
"No, it's ok!" Judy said happily.
"It's the most action we've had all week!" Nick replied, and started moving towards the front door, "See yah, and don't forget about the barrier!"
"I won't!" Timberlin said with a smile, and turned towards another hallway, "Mark! The barrier! We need the barrier around the new exhibit!" and he walked away, no one noticing the strange circle and writing that appeared beneath the two shadows of the amber.
"Ho! Now I feel better!" Judy said as she walked back to the squad car.
"Same here!" Nick said in response, "I thought those two were going to throw some punches!"
Judy laughed, "That would have been a very short fight!" she said, and opened the door to her car. Suddenly, the ground shook, causing everyone to start shaking, and Judy to fall on her tail. "What was that?" she asked as the shaking stopped. "I didn't know Zootopia had Earthquakes!"
Suddenly, a window shattered from the museum. And out jumped a figure. "HEY!" Judy shouted as Nick found his feet again.
"This is Officer Wilde!" Nick called into his radio as the two climbed into the vehicle, "We got a 10-31, someone just broke out of the Natural History Museum! The suspect is carrying something in his arms. We are in pursuit!" Judy started up the engine, and hit the gas as hard as she could. Tires screeched on the ground as the left their spot, and roared down the lot to an open lane. Nick leaned forward and flipped the switch to light up the siren.
"Finally!" Judy said with a smile, "Some action!"
They quickly caught up with that person, and found him in what looked to be very rusted violet painted samurai armor. "Huh?" Nick asked, as he watched whatever it was run at a quick pace. "I can't imagine how far he can get with all that junk on him!"
"Let's at least get a look at the face!" Judy said.
"Sure thing partner!" Nick agreed, and gripped his chair as Judy hit the gas again, speeding up and pulling the vehicle in front of the strange person. She expected to see another animal, but instead she found a white mask, shaped in the fission of a grey wolf with rather large fangs sticking out of his mouth. "That's creepy!" Nick said, and lifted his dart gun.
"Ok! Paws up!" Judy said, and looked at what the 'samurai' was holding. She was in shock, it looked like Judy was in his arms, eyes closed and wrapped in a light blue woman's kimono with pink cherry blossom pedals floating across the bottom half.
Suddenly, he spoke from beneath the mask. The words completely foreign to them both. "Huh?" Nick asked as he turned to his partner and back to the criminal. The warrior crouched, Judy lining up the shot, and jumped. Nick and Judy both stopped in shock as he easily soared over their car, landed softly on his paws, and ran, ducking in and out of buildings as he lept over traffic, and lost them completely.
"How did he do that?" Judy asked.
"Are you kidding me?" Nick whispered in shock, "He's a black fox?"