Hey everyone. Well, it was hard to get through my semester finals and having to put this chapter on hold; but just as I promised, here's Chapter 6 for all of you. I know this sounds selfish, but I was a bit disheartened to see the more lackluster response to this chapter. Nowhere near as many follows or favorites this time around. I'm actually kinda willing to bet putting Chapter 5 up between late Thursday night and early Friday morning played a big part somehow.
Anyway, I apologize if the first part of this chapter feels incredibly rushed. I just wanted to iron out the minor details of the two weeks we're going past. I've learned that needless padding can really hurt a story, so I decided you all at least deserve to know the noteworthy things that were supposed to happen between Chapter 5 and this one. With that all being said, I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter at least as much as you've enjoyed the others. I would really like to know your thoughts.
Zootopia and its characters don't belong to me; they belong to Disney.
Everyone is familiar with the saying 'time flies when you're having fun'. But with that being said, two weeks had seemed to practically fly by since the night Nick Wilde accepted Judy Hopps' invitation to be her official partner in the ZPD.
Almost all at once, both their lives seemed to practically turn upside down as they both made immense efforts to settle into the new directions their lives were starting to take. Within those two weeks Judy had officially filed as a resident in Nick's apartment and arranged for all her things back in Bunnyburrow to be sent over (all while struggling to convince her parents NOT to come personally to help her get settled) while also steadily recovering through her rigorous daily training with Nick's help. Within nine days, the determined bunny had been able to work herself back into the best shape she could be in, once again able to move without the need for crutches.
At the same time, Nick's entire disposition seemed to nearly make a complete 180; as if his decision to officially join the ZPD had awakened a dormant part of him neither he nor Judy knew existed. He was no longer as carefree or laid back as he usually was. Instead, he began to actually take things more seriously: like helping Judy through her recovery or dedicating himself to actually jogging every morning, almost as if trying to get ahead of the curb for when it would eventually be time to get on the next train to the ZPD academy.
And yet to both their unspoken relief, he was still able to smile or crack a joke at almost every opportunity whenever he and Judy had time alone together. Amid the craziness of both of them trying to get their lives sorted out, those serene moments were sacred for them.
At the same time, the rest of the city's old wounds from the Night Howler's case had finally healed over. Normality had finally sunk back into the minds of the populace as the once staggering numbers of charity groups and benefit events towards mammal unity had slowly sunk back into obscurity, as though the animosity between predators and prey over the last few weeks had never even existed.
And even better: Judy herself had gotten to witness personally that any damage the incident had caused within the ranks of the ZPD had officially been repaired; as any predator officers that had forcefully been reassigned in the wake of the tension were finally being let back into their rightful places among their fellow law enforcers, right down to good old Clawhauser returning to his rightful place at the lobby's front desk. Somehow, just seeing that one little detail be rectified seemed to really resonate with Judy that everything was finally back to the way it was supposed to be.
And yet, despite everything falling into place, life returning to normal for everyone, being fully healed at last and officially having moved in with her best friend; Judy could never shake the fact that once she was fully capable of taking care of herself again, Nick was going to leave for the academy. It'd taken her a good few months of constant training and struggling to finally graduate, and knowing that she would be all alone in their apartment for that long couldn't help but make her feel considerably sad. Unlike her when she lived nearly 200 miles away in Bunnyburrow when she left, the academy wasn't even an hour train ride from Zootopia itself; but regardless, Nick was surprisingly insistent on going the distance and not returning until he either graduated or got kicked out.
Perhaps it was knowing that he was so determined to make this change for the both of them that made her times alone with Nick so much more precious for Judy. She couldn't be more proud of him to see he was so committed to helping her get settled and to bettering himself, but she never could figure out the best way to communicate that to him in a way that wouldn't have left both of them red in the face.
Over those two weeks, she had spent nearly all her time by herself thinking back to that conversation she and Mrs. Otterton had back in the hospital. Some days it drove her up the wall having to go round in circles to really figure out just what it was she really felt for Nick. She'd never deny that he was the best friend she ever had, and she'd be lying if she said that him leaving her in his anger didn't make her feel utterly dead inside. And she also couldn't argue that him accepting her apology and letting her back in had to be the greatest feeling she'd ever experienced; and she also couldn't deny that thinking of him staying by her side through all this time since then made her heart flutter every now and then.
But at the same time, it always came back down to cold hard facts. They were different species, and she couldn't say for certain if what she felt towards him in their times alone was really something stronger than their unbreakable friendship, or if it was simply that strong friendship and nothing more. And of course, there was always the possibility he didn't feel the same way in those solitary moments, regardless of how flustered or nervous he got whenever they got close.
By this point, Judy had at least managed to quell those confusing emotions for the last several days, instead choosing to focus on helping Nick prepare for his training and getting herself settled. But now that it was all over and done with, the day had finally come.
The Central Zootopia train station was almost frighteningly empty this early in the morning. The sky was only beginning to turn the deepest shades of blue and purple as Nick and Judy stood patiently at the platform for his train. The usual noisy hustle and bustle of the station instead hung with unbearable silence as both mammals found themselves at a loss of what to say. This was their last chance to truly speak face-to-face for the next few months, and it was only now the fact was hitting them head on; leaving an unpleasant empty pit in both their stomachs.
Nick wasn't even going to think of backing out of doing this. Being his bunny's partner sounded like the most fun he could ever have, and even if that weren't the case, the look of incomparable pride in her eyes made all that strain and effort more than worth it. The last thing he wanted was to waste it. But at the same time, to know she wouldn't be there for him to make his jokes to, or to be there to comfort him when he felt especially down was far from pleasant.
And Judy at the same time felt especially reluctant for this moment. She kept telling herself it would only be a couple weeks, but now that time was gone like nothing, and here they now were. She didn't want to talk Nick out of doing this. She wanted him for her partner more than anything, and she knew how serious he was about going through with it. The sheer lengths he'd pushed himself to go just by breaking his nocturnal lifestyle habit and actually forcing himself to go jogging in the mornings spoke testaments to that. This was his choice to make, and she wasn't going to deprive him of that independent spirit. But she still dreaded the loneliness she was bound to go through without having him around; to know he wouldn't be around for her to joke or simply hang around with…or to hold.
'Oh, please, Judy, don't start thinking about that NOW. If you do, you'll never let Nick get on that train,' the voice of reason practically begged as Judy tried desperately not to make eye contact with the fox lest he see how truly conflicted she was. But if only she could see the internal war reflected in his eyes as well.
'C'mon, Wilde, this is the last chance you'll have; you've gotta say SOMETHING to her,' Nick's own inner voice demanded as he swallowed a painful dry lump in his throat before very hesitantly shifting his gaze to the little grey bunny standing loyally at his side; wringing her paws together as though struggling as well. Even without any words being said between them, that one little sign seemed to make it crystal clear to him that he wasn't alone in feeling this apprehension towards leaving.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, Judy's ears suddenly perked upright as she instinctively looked down the track to see the distant shape of the train steadily approaching the station. Now the already limited time they knew they had had been cut even shorter.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay having the place all to yourself, Carrots? I realize such a big place is a bit much for a little bunny like yourself," Nick asked with that unavoidable snark as Judy shot him a barely amused smirk with a roll of the eyes.
"Maybe worry more about yourself than me, overprotective fox. Are YOU sure you don't want to just come home every night after training? It's not like they're going to hold you there against your will. You live closer, so you at least have that option," Judy offered one last time; hoping her expression wasn't giving him any hints she was actually hoping he'd take her up on it. As much as she didn't want him to know the loneliness probably would get to her, there was still that pesky tidbit of bunnies being so naturally emotional, so there was no telling just what she was actually showing.
"C'mon, Carrots, don't try and use your being lonely to make me come back. I said it before already: the next time you see Nicholas P. Wilde, I'll either be the ZPD's first fox officer, or its first fox dropout. Either way, I'll be the first fox, so I guess I win no matter what," Nick joked as Judy couldn't help but giggle in amusement just as the train pulled to a stop at their platform. God, if only she knew how much he'd actually come to love the sound of her laughing at his endless arsenal of awful puns and quips.
"Well, just remember that no matter what happens out there, I'll be cheering you on every step of the way, Nick. If I could make it, so can you," Judy encouraged him as she gave him a friendly little bump on the arm as the train doors slid open.
"I'll try not to let you down, Mommy Bunny," Nick humored her while trying to sound like a prim and proper little school kit before grabbing his suitcase and beginning to make his way for the train; his footsteps becoming heavier, all while Judy felt her heart hammering at her chest harder and harder; trying to fight the pesky stinging of tears welling in her eyes knowing these were their final moments together for a number of months.
Both mammals felt a grand variety of things to say start creeping up their throats; their entire bodies practically trembling with knowing they'd regret it for the rest of their lives if they didn't say anything else. The weight of knowing this was it had all at once become too much to bear.
"Nick," Judy's voice suddenly called out to the fox as he instantly turned around to give her his attention; only to be caught off guard when the little bunny suddenly ran to him and hopped high into the air to wrap her arms and legs around his torso in a nearly crushing yet loving embrace. The weight quickly brought Nick to his knees as he quickly regained his senses and hugged Judy in return; both of them silently relishing in each other's' warmth, as though trying to photograph this last moment to hold onto in each other's' absence.
"Just know that no matter how this may turn out, I'll ALWAYS be proud of you," Judy whispered softly in Nick's ear as the two continued holding each other; practically for dear life before the sounding of the train's horn quickly brought them back to reality as they reluctantly pulled away from each other; both of them blushing furiously while trying to avoid the other noticing.
"I promise I'll check in with you every night so you don't get too lonely, Fluff," Nick finally managed to say as he stepped into the train while Judy gave him a grateful smile that nearly melted his heart where he stood.
Good God, what was this bunny DOING to him over the last two weeks? How had this bunny cop that had for the longest time been nothing more than his best friend suddenly become such a close part of his life that saying goodbye today felt nearly as painful as death? How could anyone rationalize a single one of the emotions he found himself feeling in her presence these days?
Before he knew it, the doors had slid closed; effectively separating him from the bunny still smiling emotionally at him from the platform as the train began to lurch away before steadily picking up speed. Nick didn't waste any time racing up the stairs to the top floor of the train car so he could catch one last glimpse of Judy still waving goodbye to him from the platform before the train took its first turn and officially cut off his view of the now distant train station. With nothing more to be said, but with heavy regret still hanging heavy on his chest that he couldn't have said more, Nick resigned himself to sitting back in the only seat this floor had, now just having to tick away the seconds before he'd finally be at the academy and could officially begin the journey towards this fresh new start to his life.
All the while at that same moment, Judy still stood at the edge of the platform; still putting all her energy into waving goodbye as she saw Nick looking back at her from the glass dome atop the train car as it sped off. Just the implications of that one silent action spoke volumes of just how mutually hard this already was for them both, but she never regretted a second of this morning as she dedicated those last images she saw of him before he left her sight to memory, as if to remind her that the next time she'd get to see her best friend again, he'd very much be a changed fox.
Regardless, once she knew she could no longer see him again, a single tear did manage to escape and roll down her fuzzy face as she took a deep breath through her teeth to steel herself. She couldn't allow the loneliness to get to her this soon. This time was going to require both of them to be strong; and if he was really going to do his best to make her proud, she wasn't going to allow herself to let his expectations of her down either. So with that, the bunny hesitantly stepped away from the platform and began to make her journey back home, ready to face the first of many days without Nick Wilde at her side, just like her first days in Zootopia.
God, thinking back on it now, those days felt like they'd happened years ago instead of not even a month. This was definitely going to be a very long few months.
Later that afternoon at the ZPD…
Just like she had feared, the apartment felt so much bigger and empty without Nick around to liven it up. As such, the sooner Judy could get back to work at the ZPD at long last, the better. Surely the day would be busy enough to help get her mind off of it to the point once it would be time to go home, Nick would already be settled in and able to video chat with her all through the night. Thank goodness the academy didn't confiscate phones for when it was after training hours.
But unfortunately, with the end of the Night Howler case, crime rates throughout all of Zootopia had gotten so low, it left a good number of officers with nothing to do more than paperwork, standard patrols or parking duty. Anything else barely even exceeded that of a simple jaywalker or a pickpocket. And that was for the officers lucky enough to at least get patrol duty. Unfortunately, Judy was not one of them today.
Being a cop was great, but the one thing they never liked to acknowledge was a mandatory part of the job was processing the paperwork for every arrest or misdemeanor reported, and she got the short end of the stick by having to process a handful of parking and moving violations at her personal desk. Having to go through the motions of making sure all the details checked out while listening to the dull humdrum of the office to the point it became an incomprehensible buzz left the bunny nearly bored to death.
'I guess Nick had a point. After your first case involves saving the entire city, everything else really DOES feel dull as dirt in comparison,' she thought to herself as she instinctively looked up to the wall-mounted clock to see it was barely even noon yet. She let out a miserable groan as she quickly got back to work at her computer; silently hoping that perhaps if she focused hard enough, it'd make time go by faster.
Suddenly, there was a loud wrapping at the wall of her cubicle, prompting her to spin back around in her chair at attention to find Chief Bogo leaning over her cubicle wall, looking as serious and straight-to-business as usual. Now that Judy was officially back on the force, the mentor-like atmosphere the chief had given her the last few times they'd met had been replaced with that of the typical domineering boss every other officer no doubt had grown accustomed to. Of course, the look in his eyes no longer had that condescending glint as it did when she first arrived, so at least real progress had been made in that regard.
"Come along, Hopps. There's some…important business that's come up we need you for," the chief said straight to the point as Judy immediately got up to follow him before she could even stop to think what could've possibly been going on that involved her personally.
"Sir, what exactly is going on?" the bunny asked confusedly as the chief never broke his stride while heading for the elevator before hitting the button for the lobby.
"Our…former mayor has suddenly requested a word with you," was all Chief Bogo could think of to say that could hope to sum up the out-of-nowhere request that had come to his desk today from Zootopia's most secure prison.
Central Zootopia Penitentiary
Walking through the dreary grey halls of this maximum security prison left Judy feeling more than a little uncomfortable. This was where the worst criminals the city had to offer were locked up, and the atmosphere definitely showed. The ambient noises of distant growls and shouts along with the intimidating electric sounds of the cell doors and intercoms gave the whole place such an unwelcoming feel. This couldn't have been the place Mayor Lionheart was being held, or at least she'd certainly hoped that weren't the case. But then again, if she was being asked for personally, then that meant it was…the other mammal she knew the mayor title belonged to.
After being led by the guards through the mazelike halls with Chief Bogo standing behind her protectively, Judy found herself being guided into a small room occupied only by a long silver table with a single chair at each side. But the one feature that stood out was a wall of glass dividing the room clean in half, with only a few holes in the center to allow occupants on both sides to communicate. She found herself swallowing a heavy lump in her throat as she figured all she could do was sit down and wait for whoever invited her here to arrive.
"We'll be right outside listening in, Hopps. If anything at all happens, we'll be right there to back you up. And when you're ready to leave, the button under the table will let us know and we'll be right there," Chief Bogo assured her as he and the guards filed out of the room before the heavy steel door shut with a resounding thud that echoed through the room; momentarily leaving Judy all by herself in this grim cold room.
The seconds felt like minutes as she began once again wringing her paws together nervously, for once having no idea just what to expect from what was about to happen. For a few seconds, her mind once again went back to the reassurance having Nick around always left her with. This would've been so much less nerve-wracking if she at least knew he was out there.
'Stop thinking about that, Judy. You're back on duty, you gotta be professional about this. You're brave and you're strong. You've handled worse than this by far, so just go into this with confidence and you'll be fine,' she quickly reassured herself just as she picked up the muffled sounds of footsteps echoing from the other side of the opposite wall she was facing. Before she knew it, the door clicked open and swung with a rusty groan as two bison prison guards walked in tandem into the room; each holding opposite ends of a chain before stopping at opposite sides of the other end of the table. And just as Judy had inevitably come to realize, she was met with none other but Dawn Bellwether climbing into the opposite chair facing her. Once the little sheep was up, the guards locked her chains into two rungs sticking out of the table, no doubt to keep prisoners from trying to escape or fight back. Not that her tiny stature would've done anything if she even tried.
The quiet between the two small mammals was unbearable as Judy tried to read Bellwether's body language, just to get an idea just what might've been going on with the former mayor to see what her deal was. But silent observation was only going to accomplish so much. Who knew what she wanted to talk to Judy about, so the bunny figured she might as well get them started.
"How's it been settling into the life of a convict for the past two weeks, Ms. Bellwether" she finally asked as professionally as possible while the sheep had little to no visible reaction to anything Judy had just said.
"Obviously I'm still here with all my limbs intact and my wool unruffled, so I guess you could say I've settled as best I can," Bellwether answered with no hint of emotion.
"Well, for a tiny sheep in prison with a bunch of much bigger mammals, you look good. Inmate orange is a good color on you," Judy met her back with a joke that she couldn't believe had actually come out of her mouth so naturally. It almost felt like Nick had said those words instead of her. Oh God, that fox was actually rubbing off on her!
"Yeah, you can go ahead and laugh it up, Judy. I guess you earned it after all," Bellwether said with clear distaste for being mocked while Judy quickly collected herself again.
"I understand you specifically asked for me. Is there anything in particular you suddenly felt like sharing today?" the bunny asked as she quickly took out her notepad and the carrot pen Chief Bogo had returned to her last week.
"Nothing too serious if that's what you're thinking. I guess I just felt like seeing you one more time for some reason," Bellwether said in mock innocence as Judy's brow furrowed. That answer didn't sit right with her at all. She knew how smart Dawn was, and she wouldn't possibly want to actually waste both their time with idle chit-chat as if they were actually still friends.
"I feel like I should be flattered, but for some reason, I'm not. If there's something you've got up your sleeve, I want to hear about it. Although, I guess we both know you're too smart to just tell me right off the bat," Judy explained as Bellwether couldn't help but let out an especially bitter chuckle.
"Same old naïve Judy. Thinking the real world is like the movies. I'm not some kind of comic book supervillain, okay? I know when I'm beat, and as much as I hate to admit it, you beat me. My cohorts are locked up with me, and the chances of any of these other mammals, especially the predators, working with me is less than zero. So you can quell your excitement," Bellwether relented as Judy seemed to visibly calm down.
For a few seconds it was back to that awkward silence as Judy mentally scrambled to think of what else to say, all while Bellwether nearly seemed to be staring right past her, as if staring right into her soul.
"I see that fox of yours isn't here with you. He finally go crawling back to whatever foxhole he came out of?" the sheep asked with clear venom intended for the fox as Judy immediately shifted her attention to Dawn at the mention of Nick. Hearing someone speak of him with such vitriol couldn't help but get under Judy's skin as one of her feet instinctively began thumping against the leg of her seat.
"For your information, Ms. Bellwether, Nick actually just left for the ZPD academy just this morning. He and I are going to be enforcing the law as partners before too long," Judy said with an undeniable hint of satisfaction, as if intentionally trying to rub it in Bellwether's face that a predator was free once again.
Instead, Bellwether let out a surprisingly loud laugh of the utmost amusement, catching Judy and even the sheep's own guards by surprise.
"You…you really think the ZPD is really ever going to allow a fox into their ranks? Oh, you really ARE just some dumb hick bunny, aren't you?" Bellwether asked between her gasps for air as Judy felt her fur bristling at the criminal's mockery.
"Nick has proven his bravery and loyalty to me and Chief Bogo both, Ms. Bellwether. No matter what you might think, Zootopia is changing, and prey and predators are unifying together like never before," Judy informed the sheep with pure confidence.
Again, Bellwether let out another round of laughter, practically having to wipe her eyes behind her glasses from the amused tears.
"You really think what you've done to the people of this city is really going to last, Judy? You think just because predators and prey have at this moment joined in harmony and sang 'Kumbaya' together that it's going to be that way forever? Wow…just wow…
"Those people will get over what you've done for this city in due time, mark my words. And when they do, it'll be like nothing's ever changed. Predators and prey have ALWAYS been enemies. It's just in our nature; and nature will always win no matter what idiotic ideals or hopes you hold on to! You may have locked me up, but in the end you've accomplished NOTHING!" Bellwether proceeded to say in a hateful ramble as her once emotionless face nearly seemed to flare with absolute hatred for Judy and Nick alike; as if Judy standing by her belief that peace between both races was possible was what finally broke the sheep's calm and collected demeanor.
"That's where you're wrong, Ms. Bellwether. That may have been the way it was back in the Stone Age, but time ALWAYS changes things, and the relation between prey and predators is no exception. Clearly there's nothing left for us to say, so I'll bid you good day," Judy said with as much conviction and confidence in her words as ever as she quickly hit the button Bogo had mentioned, and just like he said, the door behind her opened and the chief and guards came in to help guide her out while Bellwether's guards did the same.
Just before stepping out the door, Judy suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked back to the sheep over her shoulder.
"And just for the record, Dawn; that fox, that predator, has been a far better mammal to me than most other prey I've known. Just something I thought you'd like to know," Judy said in one final bold statement before finally exiting out; as if with the sole intention of letting that little fact torment that hateful little sheep. As cruel as that intention no doubt sounded the more she thought about it, she couldn't deny that it still felt immensely satisfying to prove that wooly little monster wrong.
"Do you really think it was smart to antagonize her like that, Hopps? Granted, she can't do anything to you from in here, but speaking as a professional, I don't think it was," Chief Bogo commented as they made their way for the exit, while Judy didn't look the least discouraged by his disapproval.
"She just wanted me here to get under my fur, sir. I just felt it was only fair I return the favor," Judy said with no regret as they stepped back out into the parking lot to make their way back for headquarters.
"As much as I know you don't want to hear this, Bellwether did have something of a point. Even if the academy did accept Mr. Wilde for training thanks to the Mammal Inclusion Initiative; that doesn't necessarily mean all mammals, recruits and instructors alike, are going to be entirely open to the idea of a fox joining the ZPD," Bogo said in a lower mutter, as if to emphasize how serious he was on leveling with her on this. While Judy didn't dare let the chief see that this got her immensely worried; that lingering doubt was going to be haunting her for the rest of the day until she could speak to Nick again.
She wanted more than anything to believe that the truth of the Night Howlers case would've gotten the citizens to look at how they'd acted towards each other and want to make an official change. But in the end, nature ruled over all. And nature was not easy to overcome.
Later that night…
After that foreboding little encounter at the prison, the rest of the day had thankfully gone by much faster as Judy had hoped. She couldn't stop thinking about what Bellwether and Chief Bogo had both said, and it just left her far too anxious to just return home and forget today had ever happened. The entire time she made the return trip, she could at least look forward to getting to at least talk to Nick tonight. That would surely take her mind off everything.
Of course, opening the door to see the apartment cloaked in darkness without a soul to greet her once again brought that stupid sense of loneliness back all at once as Judy let out an exhausted sigh before proceeding to get herself ready to turn in.
Once she'd eaten and gotten herself freshened up, she spent what felt like a good hour just lying on her single bed that took up most of what was now her personal bedroom; staring up at the ceiling while being left alone with her thoughts. Not just on the disturbing implications of Bellwether and Bogo's warnings, but once again back to what had been on her mind the most over the last few weeks, all of course centering around Nick.
Bellwether's claim of the immutable laws of nature brought back Judy's worrisome doubts about the plausibility of her recent feelings towards the fox. They hadn't dissipated over the last two weeks; instead only lying dormant for when she'd be alone. In the end, nature was what always brought the mental discussions to an end, and now having Bellwether re-enforce that hard concept just made the doubt even worse.
On top of that, having her own boss confirm that Nick may very well not be welcomed into the ZPD with open arms brought even worse nagging doubts to Judy's mind. Was all her optimism for what a positive change the city had made all for not? Was she just fooling herself into thinking this peace would last? She couldn't deny she was comparing a couple weeks of progress to millions of years of pure animal instinct. Instilling peace between predators and prey could NEVER be that easy. And if such were the case, who knew just what kind of abuse or scorn her future partner would have to deal with. In a way, it could potentially be even worse than before, since he'd made it so clear to her he legitimately wanted to help others now. If the mammals he swore to protect would only treat him with scorn and hatred at every turn, who knew what it would do to him? And even worse, she didn't know if she would even be able to hope to make it better.
Suddenly, the silence that forced Judy to retreat into her head was broken by the familiar electric humming of her phone on the nightstand; and at this hour on this day, that could've only meant one thing. And as such, Judy nearly felt her chest burst from the instant excitement.
Like a shot, Judy swiped the phone and quickly held it up to see the name she'd been longing all day to see greeting her. Not even wasting a second, she quickly accepted and was soon met with the familiar and welcomed face of Nick gazing back at her with that same confident yet well-meaning grin.
"Hey, there she is! And it looks like you haven't managed to burn the place down yet," Nick greeted her as Judy had to struggle to keep from hyperventilating at how good it was to hear his voice again after such a stressful day.
"And it looks like they haven't kicked you out yet either. Looks like I don't have to cancel interviews for a new roommate after all," Judy shot right back with a clearly joking grin as Nick couldn't help but laugh. Whether it was out of amusement or pride to see how much his timely wit was starting to show in the grey bunny, neither of them knew.
"Yeah, well, don't forget to tell whoever you pick they gotta hit the road as soon as I come back. One roommate is a paw-full as it is," Nick humored her as the two mammals both laughed in amusement; the looks in both their eyes clearly reflecting this was a reunion they both clearly needed. For a few seconds, neither of them could say anything, as if choosing instead to just bask in the moment and be grateful for the fact that they could have moments like this still.
"So, how're you liking the academy so far, Nick? It's pretty incredible, isn't it?" Judy finally managed to ask as Nick looked around off camera to his new surroundings, although from what she could see, everything was nearly pitch black.
"Don't start getting all nostalgic just yet, Carrots. Me and the other recruits pretty much spent today getting the grand tour, though I'll bet you got the same treatment too. Gotta say, though, it's not as big as I was expecting," Nick admitted as Judy could already remember when she was in his place not too long ago. Of course she'd found the academy both amazing and intimidatingly big; but what bunny WOULDN'T have thought so?
"Well, once they actually start your training, you'll get even more used to the layout, believe me. It's going to happen eventually," Judy said in false warning as Nick momentarily gave her a fake scared look as though he were a little kit scared of the dark before returning to that smile.
"Well, the instructor said we wake up at 4:30 and gather out front at 5:00 in the morning. Guess I picked one heck of a time to start getting up early for those jogs, huh?" Nick asked; his tone clearly showing immense gratitude for that personal choice as Judy couldn't help but grin in agreement. She and her family had always been early risers; came with the farming lifestyle. But for a naturally nocturnal mammal like Nick, he couldn't have picked better timing to follow in her footsteps in that way.
"So have you gotten to really meet any of your fellow recruits yet, Nick?" Judy asked as she rolled onto her side with the phone still held delicately in her paws; and for a second she couldn't help but imagine that the fox was actually right there opposite her staring right back.
'No, stop that, Judy! Not now!' mental Judy immediately chimed in as the bunny quickly came back to reality, hoping she wasn't blushing and that Nick wouldn't notice through the phones' screen.
"Well, not on a personal level, not yet. There surprisingly aren't a whole lot of others this time around, or at least I'm assuming this is less than what they're used to. It's mainly a lot of the same: some elephants, some brown and polar bears, a lion and a tiger or two, some wolves. But there are actually some other smaller mammals too. I noticed there was a beaver and even a couple other bunnies too. I guess you're becoming like a real inspiration, Carrots," Nick explained as Judy couldn't help but feel an air of pride entering her chest to know she was inspiring others to step forward and make a change just like her.
"That's fantastic, Nick. They're all going to be your team for while you're all training, so if you manage to work together, I know they'll be able to trust you just as much as I do," Judy said in clear congratulation as Nick gave her a genuine smile of gratitude for the kind words…but at the same time, Judy could almost swear she saw an inkling of hesitation in his green eyes for an instant. Then again, she couldn't deny she was genuinely exhausted at this point as well.
"Well, as long as I'm still able to talk to you, I can take whatever this place has to throw at me, Carrots. With that being said, I guess I should probably hit the sack, huh? Last thing I need is to pass out in the middle of training, huh?" Nick asked sarcastically as Judy nodded in understanding, although she still couldn't shake that momentary falter in the fox's composure.
"That's a good idea, Nick. Let's talk tomorrow night, okay? And…I hope you know that if there's anything at all the matter, you CAN tell me, Nick. Okay?" Judy asked with an almost motherly concern; and this time, Nick looked particularly caught off guard with that, as if he genuinely didn't know how to answer that before he managed to take a deep breath and calm his nerves. For all Judy knew, this could've just been his anxiety from being in such a new place without her around. Almost like a kid whenever they came to a new school.
"I appreciate that, Carrots. I'll be sure to remember. Alright, talk to you tomorrow," Nick finished the call surprisingly formally, with no witty jokes or anything to close out on. It left Judy feeling considerably concerned what that could've possibly meant. It was so unnatural for him to be so blunt and not have something witty to say, especially to her.
At that moment, at the ZPD Academy…
As the comforting image of Judy's smiling face gave way to the black of an empty cellphone screen, Nick let out a heavy sigh as he bowed his head; hunched over with exhaustion on the edge of his bunk. Luckily, he had no bunkmates to speak of, cause he was really not in the mood for conversation with anyone else. He couldn't even bring himself to tell Judy about what was bothering him, so how could he even hope to tell anyone else?
Reluctantly tucking his phone into his pocket, Nick hesitantly turned to look at the wall right above the head of his bunk. He'd done everything he could to keep the wall out of Judy's line of sight on the phone, cause the last thing he wanted was for her to feel the need to come to his aide if she saw this.
He hadn't even really spoken to any of his fellow recruits, but at least one of them must've figured out which dorm room was his from one of the instructors while everyone else was off getting dinner after the tour had finished. Or who knows; for all he knew, one of the instructors could've done it while no one was around.
Scrawled on the wall above Nick's bed in red paint were the words: MUZZLE THE FOX!
And there you go, everyone, Chapter 6 and Nick is officially in the ZPD Academy. Before any of you jump to any conclusions, this isn't the beginning of some big mystery that's going to take up the rest of the story. That's not what my intention was when formulating this. This is just a point to emphasize there was unfortunately some truth to Bellwether's words. No matter how much good an individual can help do for many, prejudice will always dwell within others. It's a sad fact of life.
But yeah, the rest of this story, we're going to basically be following Nick as he struggles to let go of the pain from the past prejudice he's suffered in an effort to finally begin his life anew and prove he's more than what others and he himself believed him to be.
And I'm really trying hard not to rush the development of Nick and Judy's respective feelings for each other, but darn it, it's harder than it seems sometimes.
Anyway, I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you all think. Now I'm focusing solely on my final, and when that's finished, I'll be able to focus on writing this series full-time for the duration of the summer.
Enjoy!