CHAPTER 09: ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME?

11:00 a.m. En route to Otterton's Flower Shop, 3 days later

Nick walked along the sidewalk, whistling to himself. The last few days had been good. He watched his childhood friend get married, he helped co-write a song with Nathan, and he was almost finished with his own song. On top of that, Jack had signed the band up for some kind of party being hosted for all the acts in the upcoming music festival. Nothing could bring him down.

Or at least that's what he thought before he made it to the flower shop.

Two Police officers, whom Nick made out to be Officers Fangmeyer and Grizzoli, were walking out of the shop, followed by a grief-stricken Olivia Otterton. He hurried up the pace to catch up to them.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Nick questioned, but Fangmeyer and Grizzoli only looked at him, sympathy in their eyes, then got into the squad car. Olivia, a sorrowful look in her eyes, placed a paw on Nick's shoulder.

"It's Emmittt, Nick." Nick's brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"They found him, with the other 16 mammals that went missing." Nick's eyes widened at the sound of his underlying suspicions coming true. He had desperately hoped that he was wrong.

"But, you said that he had gone to see a friend." Nick asked, hoping that this was all just some cruel joke.

"According to the officers, he never made it out." Olivia motioned for Nick to follow her as she got into the squad car.

"Well, then it's a good thing that we found him right?" Then Olivia hung her head in sorrow. Why does she look so sad?

"They said that he isn't the same, anymore, that something's wrong with him." Olivia spoke, her voice not much louder than a whisper. "The officers are taking me to see him now. Can-can you come with me, dear? I don't know if I can do this alone."

Nick was silent, but he nodded as he placed his arm around her shoulder as they got into the squad car and sped off to the Zootopia General Hospital.


11:00 a.m. Dominic's

Judy sat at the counter, scrolling through her phone. She was waiting for Clawhauser at Dominic's so they could spend some time together seeing as how she hadn't seen much of him since she started playing with the guys. When she had called him, though, he sounded sad and her mind couln't help but wonder why it was. Just as she began to ponder on the observation, however, She heard the door creak open as Ben stepped in. She smiled and ran over to him, wrapping her arms as far as she could around him.

"It's good to see you Benji!" She exclaimed and she felt Ben's arms slowly wrap around her, but he remained silent. After they let go of each other she could see, by the look on his face, that something was wrong, but she wasn't sure whether it was appropriate to ask about it. "Sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I've been swamped in things to do!"

Again, Clawhauser nodded to affirm that he was listening, but made no sound. They sat there in silence for a while before she piped up again.

"Hey, Benji, is something wrong?" Benjamin looked over at her and sighed deeply.

"Sorry, Judy. There's just been some trouble at work is all."

"What's going on?"

"Well," Clawhuaser began. "You're still fairly new to the city, so you probably haven't heard, but there was a rumor about mammals, specifically predators, going missing. And yesterday, we received an anonymous tip that Mayor Lionheart had a piece of land out near the bayside that he kept private. We attained a search warrant and found that he was harboring 16 missing mammals." Judy's eyes widened.

"That's terrible! Who does something like that."

"That's not all." Judy calmed down and let Clawhauser proceed. "When we arrested Mayor Lionheart, he pleaded his innocence. He said that they had 'gone savage' and that he was trying to protect the public. And when we took another look at the kidnapped mammals, we realized that they had gone savage." Judy's brow furrowed. That can happen?

"The doctors don't know for certain what's causing it, but since it seems that only predators are going savage, they're theorizing that it might be a component in our DNA that's causing us to revert back to our savage ways."

Judy's eyes widened even further.

Could that be possible?


Nick and Olivia stepped out into the parking lot, looking up at the General Hospital, then followed the officers inside. From there, they were directed to an elevator, which took them to the fifth floor: The psych ward. They walked silently down the hall, Nick's arm never leaving Olivia's shoulders. They entered a room with blacked out glass pane. Grizzoli stood watch outside the door and Fangmeyer stood next to a control panel.

"Are you two ready?" Olivia looked over at Nick, and though she was afraid of what she was going to see, she looked back at the screen and nodded. Nick turned his head towards Fangmeyer and answered.

"Go ahead." Fangmeyer flipped a switch and the blacked out glass then cleared up, and both Nick and Olivia quaked at what they saw.

It was Emmitt.

Or what they thought was Emmitt. He was writhing and fighting against the restraints on the bed that they locked him. His movements were violent and erratic, his fur disheveled and matted, his iris covered up by the black of his pupils. Olivia began to quiver as tears rolled down her cheeks and Nick pulled her in close.

"That's not my Emmitt."


3:00 p.m. Sidewalk Citizens floor

Judy had gotten back to the main room, closed the door behind her, and slid down to the floor. How had today's mood changed so quickly? One moment, she was in the best mood of her life. The next, she felt like she was going to throw up.

"You okay, cottontail?" She heard Finnick ask. She looked up to see the other band members staring at her. She stood up and dusted off her pants.

"Yeah, I guess I'm alright?" She sat down at the table and looked at the guys again. This time, she realized that they didn't look so happy either. "What's wrong?"

Joey flipped on the TV, which showed footage of what she now knew to be the savage mammals being treated at the General Hospital. Her eyes widened after seeing it with her own eyes.

"They're saying that the animals went savage." Joey stated, his expression remaining the same.

"Yeah, Clawhauser told me about it."

"So what does this mean?" Judy hadn't thought about that. What did this mean? She didn't want to give any wrong answers, so she said exactly what she knew.

Nothing.


4:00 p.m. Otterton's Flower Shop

Nick and Olivia sat silently in the flower shop, taking in everything that they had seen that afternoon. Olivia was shocked and saddened to see her Emmitt reduced to a snarling monster, but she also knew that the doctors were doing everything to fix things, and she had faith in them.

Nick, however, was a stranger to concepts such as faith and hope. His mind was wrapped around the idea that his old friend may never be the same again, and that frightened him. But before his mind could torture him further, he heard the doorbells jingle as they opened and Jack stepped in.

"How'd you-"

"Finnick told me that you were here." Jack stated. "Come on, we're gonna be late as is and you need to dress in something more appropriate." Nick's brow furrowed.

"Listen, Jack, I know that you worked hard to get us where we are now, but I don't think I ca-"

"Go, Nick." He turned to see Olivia's paw on his shoulder, a sympathetic smile on her face. "I'll be fine here."

Nick wanted to protest, but past experiences revealed to him that even if he did, she would find a way to get him to go. He hugged her tightly and walked out of the door.

Jack began to walk out of the door, but turned to look at Olivia, who mouthed 'Take care of him'. He nodded and stepped through the door, following Nick back to the apartment.


4:30 p.m. Sidewalk Citizens floor

Just as Nick stepped through the door, he felt arms wrap around him and he staggered back. He looked down to see Judy there, a sorrowful look on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Nick."

"For what?"

"I met with Clawhauser. He told me about Emmitt." She hugged tighter and pondered whether to tell him what Clawhauser said the doctors were theorizing. She pulled away and saw Nick's distant expression and opted not to. She watched as Nick shook his head from his thoughts and came back to reality. He grabbed a blue plaid sport coat and tossed over his graphic tee.

"Come on, guys. Maybe tonight can help us take our minds off of things for a while."


6:30 Jungle gym Concert Hall

Tonight was not helping him take his mind off of things. Finnick was up mixing with the DJ, Joey went off to flirt with some cheetah and Noah was break-dancing with an old school hip-hop band called Run ZMC. Nick originally thought about dancing, but decided not to. So, he opted to do one thing he knew would help him take his mind off of things: take a few shots.

Judy wasn't accustomed to parties, so this was a bit overwhelming to her. She decided that she would just tag along with Nick, though she wasn't really in the mood to drink. Nick pulled out two shot glasses and poured into both of them. He slid one to her.

"Care to have a drink with me?"

"And suffer the ramifications like last time?" Judy smirked at him, and he donned his own lopsided smile. She looked at the glass for the second, then downed its contents.

One hour later, and they had gone through an entire bottle. They were laughing, telling embarrassing stories and facts to each other.

"Really!? Foxes actually do that!?" Judy spoke through a fit of giggles. She wasn't quite drunk, but she was buzzed enough that she had pretty much forgotten all about the events of earlier today.

"Yeah. We just dive… headfirst into the snow." He watched as Judy continued to laugh and clutch at her sides. "Alright, alright, I's your turn now."

She fought to quell her fits so she could speak. "I'm not sure there's anything else." Then she remembered. "Well, I can play piano." Nick's eyebrows rose.

"Oh really? Well, that isn't funny nor embarrassing, but I'm interested nonetheless."

"forget it, Nick. Ou don't wanna hear about it." She heard Nick scoot closer, then place his elbows on the counter, resting his head on his hands. She tried to ignore him for a while, but eventually gave in.

"My grandma taught me." She ran her finger around the brim of the glass. "While Nathan taught me guitar, my grandma took notice of my talent and began teaching my piano. She told me music could speak." She smiled at the memory of grandma Sophie. "It could tell stories, teach lessons, and confess love. She considered music a living, breathing thing. She was the sweetest bunny in the world" Then her face fell. "Well, she was until she died."

Nick's ears fell back against his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's alright, you didn't know."

"So, why don't you play anymore?" Nick watched Judy as she searched for a reason.

"I don't really know, why. I guess I just stopped."

"Well, that just won't do." Nick grabbed Judy's paw and began led her away from the bar.

"Where are we going?" Judy asked as she tried to pull away.

"Just trust me." Nick stated without turning around. Eventually, they made it to a door being guarded by a huge black bear. Nick showed him the badge that they were given at admission, and the bear stepped to the side and opened the door. The two had just transitioned from loud sounds and flashy strobe lights to a quieter room and warm light. Judy gazed in awe at the room.

"What is this?"

"It's a music room." Nick continued to lead her by the paw as she looks around the room. She sees different mammals, including several famous ones, playing instruments here and there. He leads her to the middle of a room and she then realizes what he wants her to do.

Nick walks up to the piano in the middle of the room and pulls off the covers. Judy's eyes widened. It was a beautiful black grand piano. She walked up and glided her hand over the keys.

"Play it." She turned to look at Nick, who was now sitting on a chair he pulled up next to the music bench. Judy laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I haven't played in years, Nick. I don't know if I can-"

"Trust me. As corny as it sounds, music is like riding a bike." He patted the bench cushion and she, reluctantly, sat down. She placed her fingers lightly on the keys and began to pluck out the beginning of Clair de Lune. After about one painstakingly timid measure, she hit a wrong note and pulled her paws away from the keys.

"See, I can't do this." Nick held up a paw and she quieted herself.

"Try again." She placed her fingers on the piano again, but Nick placed his fingers over hers, surprising her as she looked up at him. "This time, remember what your grandmother said: It's more than just a song. It's a story." He helped her along, until she became more confident. He lifted his fingers off of hers and sat back sown next to her. She began to play more fluidly, her fingers deftly hitting the keys with the skill of a practiced professional. Nick saw her eyes close as she let herself be consumed by the music, and for a quick second, he felt a twang in his heart, but he shook it off. He gazed around the room, and he saw artists, including Elkton John, Gazelle and Paul McCatney, all abandon their instruments as they walked over to listen to Judy play. He smiled and turned back to her. This bunny was truly something else. She managed to get him to open up to her, to start believing in things again… to hope again. Judy, you truly are one special bunny.

As Judy played that last of the notes, she opened her eyes and felt her fingers on the keys. They felt so light and fragile, as if they would break if she pressed any further. She heard clapping and turned around to see that the mammals in the room all around her. She looks at Nick with as much warmth as physically possible.

"Thanks for making me do this." Nick smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, I didn't make you do anything. Sure, I nudged you in the right direction, but you made the decision all by yourself." He then heard the sound of what every star despises: the sound of reporters entering the room.

They turned around to see them filing into the room, looking for the 'next big scoop'. The reporters caught sight of Nick and Judy and began climbing over each other to reach the two. By the time they made it over, the two were swamped in questions. Nick and Judy exasperatedly tried to answer whatever was asked.

"Nick, how does it feel to go from having nothing to suddenly getting the chance to have it all?"

"It's kinda overwhelming, honestly."

"Judy, how does it feel to be consumed by all of this so quickly."

"I guess it's like Nick said: overwhelming."

The reporters continued with their questions, but Nick began to realize that they were taking it towards the direction of the savage predator case. As much as Nick did his best to rope the interview back towards the upcoming festival, he knew that Judy wasn't nearly as used to crazy situations. And in the midst of all of the questions, one could be heard over all of them.

"What is going on with predators?" Judy was confused how this interview had taken such a crazy turn.

"I'm not quite sure how that has to deal with us?"

"You're the only prey in the band, is that correct?"

"Y-yes?" She stuttered, obviously not liking where it was going. Neither did Nick.

"We were wondering, if you had any insight as to why these predators were going 'savage'." Judy pondered whether now was the time to use the information Clawhauser gave her. Maybe, if I do, they'll leave us alone.

"Well, from what I had heard, the doctors are saying that it might have something to do… with their DNA." Nick's brow furrowed in confusion. What?

"Ms. Hopps, would you care to explain?"

"Um, yes. What I mean is: thousands of years ago, um, predators used to survive through their… a-aggressive hunting instincts." Nick's mind brought him back to the ranger scout incident, and his confusion was now being replaced by disbelief and… anger. "And for whatever reason, scientists believe that they may be reverting back to their savage, a-and primitive ways."

Judy was beginning to get uncomfortable as the reporters continued to press her for more answers, but she saw Jack enter the room and march over to them.

"Alright. That's enough. No more questions, thank you very much." He stated and pulled them out of the circle. "Sorry abo that guys." He then heard his phone buzz and he walked away from the two to answer it.

Nick stood there and watch Judy take a deep breath.

"Wow, that was intense. I didn't even get to talk about how we met or-"

"Oh, I think you said plenty." Nick huffed out, a bitterness in his tone.

"What do you mean?" She honestly doesn't know?

"'It might have something to do with their DNA'? That 'these predators may be reverting back to their primitive savage ways'? Are you serious?" Nick made no attempt to hide the disappointment on his face as he repeated what she said, and she held up her hands in defense.

"I was just stating what the doctors were theorizing."

"Yeah, key word there, carrots: Theorizing."

"Well, it's not like a bunny could go savage." Nick felt anger boil inside of him. There's the truth.

"Right, but a fox could, huh?" He saw Judy's eyes widen.

"Nicl, stop it! You're not like them." She tried to assure him, but it only makes it worse.

"Oh, so there's a them now?" Nick questioned, anger and sarcasm oozing from each word. She scoffed in frustration.

"You know what I mean. You're not that kind of predator."

"The kind that needs to be muzzled?" He reminded her of the ranger scouts incident, and then looked down at the bottle of fox repellent peeking out of her pant pocket. "The kind that makes you believe that ou need to carry around fox repellent?" He saw the guilt in Judy's eyes. "Yeah, don't think I missed that little item the first time we met." He saw as reporters alike took notice of their little fight and began rolling, but he didn't care. He had officially gotten his point across, but he had become so angry that he continued to push.

He raked his claws through the fur top his head in frustration. "Le-let me ask you a question; are you afraid of me?" He closed the gap between them and her eyes widened. Ding, ding, give the fox a prize, he thought.

"Do you think I might go nuts?" She flinched as he spoke again. Right again, Wilde.

"Think I might go savage?" He used his claws for emphasis. Still no answer. You're on roll, here.

"Do you think I might try to…" He paused then jumped forward, claws still beared. "EAT YOU!?" And this time, there was an answer. She jumped back and held one hand out while the other hovered over the bottle.

And at that moment, all of the disappointment, all of the anger, all of it; it was all gone. Instead it was replaced with sadness. Here stood a mammal that Nick had trusted; a mammal that he had told his life's story to, and now she was standing there, about to spray him with fox repellent. Once again, he was heartbroken.

But he wasn't going to let her know that.

"Huh, I knew it." He slumped backwards. "Just when I thought someone actually believed in me…" Judy stepped forward to say something, but Nick held up his hand.

"Probably best that you don't make friends with me." He meant to say predator, but 'me' is what came out. And with that, Nick walked off. He heard her call out for him as he left the room, but he just winced and kept waliking.

"No, Nick. Nick!" Judy tried to catch up to him, but she was stopped by the now-continuing barrage of reporters.

"Ms. Hopps, were you just threatened by Nicholas Wilde?"

"Nonono, Nick is my friend." She defended as she tried to move around them, only to fail.

"We can't even trust our own friends?"

"that is not what I said!"

"Are we safe!?"

"Have you seen any other foxes go savage!?"

Oh God, what have I done?


A/N:

Hey, guys, it's just fluff by myself today. Flapjack hasn't slept a wink in the past few days, and the poor thing almost fell asleep at work, so I forced him to go to sleep for a bit.

Anyways, here's another chapter for you guys. This one's pretty heavy, and we got the idea from 3 differents PMs with other accounts. Nick's not quite as smooth and level-headed here as he was in the movie, so we hope you guys felt as though the emotions he was feeling was realistic.

We originally planned for this to be an interview session with the band, and Judy would make her comments in the middle of the interview, but then we got a fourth PM from the lovely Tatuminhbca, who then gave us the revolutionary idea about Judy learning piano from her grandmother, so we incorporated it into the story and we LOVED it.

For those who are joining us for the first time, this marks the beginning of a pretty heavy couple o' chapters, so I hope you guys can bear with us. It gets REALLY good, trust me.

So I have a few notes. First things first: Mrs. Otterton's first name. she didn't have one in the movie, so we're just using her voice actor's first name. \

The piano piece was Clair de Lune, a piece written by Claude Debussy, a brilliant french composer. Gazelle is Shakira, Elkton John is Elton John, and Paul McCatney is Paul McCartney.

Yes, It was Jack leading Judy away from the reporters, not Bellwether, but don't get any ideas. Jack is not the anonymous tipster. He's one of the good guys.

Sorry if this chapter had too many perspective changes, but we had to see what was going one between both Nick and Judy.

One more thing before I go:

Flapjack and I were doing a Q&A, and we had several questions, but now cannot access them because we cannot access our old account, so we're probably gonna start over. If there's anything you wanna kow about us, feel free to ask. Only one rule: No asking for personal info, please.

That's all, though. I hope you guys have a very good day. Remember that life is short, so don't waste valuable time on trivial things and frustration. See you guys next time!