Chapter 9

The next morning Nick was still fast asleep as he tossed and turned in the bed while he was asleep and right now he was enduring a horrible nightmare. It was a nightmare that he could not shake that was very real...


Nick was in the middle of some kind of jungle with a violent thunder and lightning storm overhead as thunder crashed and Nick's fur became soaked in the pouring rain. He looked around and tried to find something, anything, that was familiar but all he could see was unfamiliar trees, flora and fauna that he had never seen in or outside of Zootopia before in all his life.

"Daddy!"

"Ella?" Nick asked when he heard that cry.

"Daddy!" Ella cried again as she ran out towards him.

"Ella!" Nick exclaimed.

Suddenly something grabbed Ella and dragged her back into the bushes as she screamed "Daddy!"

"Hang on baby, daddy's coming!" Nick cried as he ran towards her.

He jumped to grab her but he missed her and she vanished. Nick desperately dove into the brush to find his daughter but found nothing, nothing but a pair of giant, glowing red monstrous eyes staring right back at him. Nick didn't even have time when the beast lunged forward and roared.


Nick shot right up and sighed heavily as he leaned back on the bed and sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. What a horrible nightmare. But somehow he had a horrible feeling that something was not right. He slipped out of bed and opened the door to his bedroom and immediately let out a yelp when he saw Judy, bound and gagged on the floor with Orlando trying to untie her ropes.

"Judy!" Nick cried as Kiana joined him before she ran to the nursery to check on the babies while Nick ran over to his friend and untied the gag around her mouth "What happened?! What's going on?"

"While I was getting Orlando a midnight snack, someone jumped us and tied me up!" Judy said as Nick untied his partner "I tried to fight back but I couldn't see where they were and I heard Ella's voice talking to someone."

"Ella?!" Nick exclaimed in horror.

While Judy finished untying herself Nick ran into Ella's room and just as he feared his beloved human daughter was missing. Her phone and backpack and everything else was there, but Ella was not. It was like his nightmare had come true and fear took over his whole body before he noticed a message on Ella's bed and began reading it.

Dear Wilde residence,

Your daughter Ella is in our care now and she will not be released until she has played her part in our plans. Do not worry, she will not be harmed in any way, shape or form, but if you dare try to find our location we will resort to very unpleasant measures. She will be returned if she behaves herself and does her part, but I cannot guarantee anything if she turns out to be a spoiled rotten brat.

Sincerely Yours, the Master Treasure Hunter.

Nick became so filled with rage and anger he tore the letter apart and let out a loud, angry yell.


Ella, still in her pajamas and holding her toy fox Hal in her arms, was sobbing as the van she was inside kept driving down a road to some unknown location as she hugged her toy and wondered where these brutes were taking her. It was bad enough that these crooks broke in and hogtied Judy, but threatening to kill her siblings if she didn't willingly and quietly go with them? That was a down right low for anyone.

Finally the van came to a halt and the doors open to reveal two men and a squirrel, the very squirrel who helped them break in and out of houses without even tripping an alarm. They all wore black suits and matching ties and shirts and they did not look very friendly, in fact they reminded Ella of Mr. Big's own polar bear goons as they led her out of the van and into an elevator that let them up to the top floor of a large building before the doors opened and they entered a large office building where they saw a woman looking outside the window overlooking something outside.

She turned her gaze at the men as she turned to show Ella her full appearance in the sunlight, She was a full grown woman with long green and black died hair, bright blue eyes, red lips and wore a black and white dress with black boots.

"Who are you?" Ella asked.

"I am Kaley Browne, a high class treasure hunter and master business tycoon of the highest degree." The woman said "I've hunted every known treasure all across the globes and endured twice as much but in the end it's always worth it to see gleaming gold and sparkling silver shine in your jewelry collection that you can wear with pride."

"Why did you abduct me?" Ella asked.

"I prefer to think of it as surprise recruiting." Kayley said "Besides, it's not like we're going to chain you to a wall or stuff you in a trunk or something. We're hot on the trail of the most wonderful treasure ever on the entire planet, and it just so happens to be somewhere around here near one of my own business ventures."

"Why me?" Ella asked "Why did you take me?"

"It's not just you my dear," Kayley said "I've collected others with special links to this treasure and you my dear, has the most powerful link to it. Probably because you were adopted into a family of animals, namely a fox couple, their babies and a rabbit."

"How... how did you know that?" Ella asked in surprise.

"You know that pendant you have around your neck?" Kayley asked before she showed Ella a pendant like her own, only instead of an animal paw print, it was a crown with a small glowing jewel in the center "I have one too."

Before Ella could ask another question Kayley looked up at her men and said "Take our new little employee to work with the others."

Ella was worried about what she meant but kept quiet as the men took her down the elevator to a locket room and they handed her a uniform, which was made up of a purple dress with a red apron and fancy orange shoes.

"Why are you giving this to me?" Kaley asked

"Don't worry, your new co workers will explain." said one of the men before he turned to the other one and said "Bring out Kara and Piper."

The other man ran out of the room and soon returned with two human girls Ella's age wearing the same uniform. One had long orange hair and brown eyes and the other had longer brown hair that was held in a braid with white glasses in front of her black eyes.

"Meet Piper and Kara," the first grunt said "Our expert waitresses, they'll teach you the ins and outs about what to do on the job. Now get going, it's time for work!"

Piper and Kara left for work Ella took a quick look outside the room and realized that this work that the grunts were talking about was something she did not expect to ever be taken to. It had slot machines, loud music playing on stage, TV screens showing different sports and loud gamblers of all kinds either cheating or playing fairly or more as they continued to enjoy themselves merrily as they wanted.

Suddenly Ela realized where she was and where Piper and Kara worked at. It was a casino!