Sorry for the long wait on this one. I got caught up in the other stories and I rewrote this chapter a couple of times until I was finally satisfied with it. I'm still not 100% but it gets the point across without too much boring dialogue. Things will start moving along at a faster pace in the story after the next couple of chapters.
Judy was returning from the fields after helping her family with work on the farm. She was the first one to get back so she could get ready to meet Logan. The two had grown close over the past couple of months. They had met up several times after finishing the work on their family's farms.
Sometimes they would just spend time together talking about their future plans. He had planned to move to Zootopia, once he gotten his law degree, and help others like Judy who wanted to do more than what society limited them to. She was walking back into their home and towards the showers when her mom saw her.
"Judy, there's a letter for you." Bonnie said. Taking the letter off the counter she read over the return address.
Department of Burrowland Defense
Not reading anymore Judy rolled her eyes. It had been a couple of years since she got a recruitment letter from the military. She took it with her to her room and laid it on her bed. She gathered up some clothes to change into and headed towards the showers.
After a quick shower, she went into the kitchen and grabbed some carrot juice before leaving. Sitting at the bar she noticed several other letters.
"Wow recruitment must be really slow for the military." She remarked.
"Mmhmm," Bonnie replied, "we received ten letters in all. I tell ya I don't know why they still think we need a military at all."
Finishing her juice, Judy placed the glass in the sink and walked out the door. On her way down the drive way she saw several of her other siblings making their way back. Waving as she passed, she trotted down the road to the meeting place halfway between her home and Logan's.
The sun was already setting and the reflection of deep purple mixing with orange and red as the sunlight reflected off the clouds was mesmerizing. Judy smiled as she stared up at the sky and only stopped when she made it to the tree they always met at.
She took a seat next to the trunk and leaned against it. Her gaze still on the multicolored sky. She felt her eye lids beginning to get heavy as the warm air drifted across her fur. She closed her eyes for just a second that stretched into unknown hours.
She wasn't sure how long she had slept. Only that someone was calling her name. When she opened her eyes, she saw Logan was standing in front of her with a flashlight. She smiled up at him as she stretched her limbs. "Hey!" she said through a yawn. "What time is it?"
"It's late, sorry I didn't get her sooner." His ears were sagging and twitching from the effort he was making to keep them up. Even in the dark Judy could tell his smile was forced.
"What's wrong?"
"Judy, I got a letter from the military today." Judy's ears straightened realizing she had received one as well and whatever was wrong with him had come from the letter. "They've instituted a draft."
Judy raised her paws to her mouth to stiffen the gasp that had escaped her. "I have to report in two weeks for training." Logan continued. But before he could say anything more Judy placed her paws on his stopping him from saying anything further.
"I got a letter as well! But I didn't open it it's still sitting on my bed!" Judy reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Unlocking the phone, she found her mother's contact information and pressed the green call button.
Holding the phone to her ear she nervously brushed them down with her paw. After three agonizing rings, "Judy!" she heard Bonnie cry.
"Mom! The letter!" Judy's voice was full of emotion.
"I know hun. Jeremy, Sarah, Sam, Emily, George, Mark, Scott, Edward and Malcolm all got the same letter. Your father is on the phone trying to call a congressmammal or someone and Mark and Scott are trying to call the numbers on the letters. It's all over the news the whole country is in an uproar over this."
After talking to her mother, Judy finally put the device away. Logan had sat on the ground next to her. Judy tried to call the number for the police academy but only the night receptionist was there and would pass her message on in the morning.
Logan offered to walk Judy back to her home and she gladly accepted. Not wanting to be alone in an uncertain time. As they walked they discussed the implications this would have on their lives. Logan might be able to get a waver and stay in college but if not, he can always resume his studies after his service ended.
For Judy however, it wasn't likely they would extend such a waiver. Being the first rabbit police officer wasn't a very popular idea. Resigned to wait till in the morning Judy said goodbye to Logan as they reached her drive way.
She walked down the rocky path and he turned back towards his own home. Once inside her house Judy went to her room and opened the letter without saying a word to anyone else. She took the letter from her bed and opened it. Reading its contents over and over. She tried calling the numbers listed but only got busy signals.
After a while there was someone banging on her door urgently. Startled she opened the door to find Edward, one of her brothers that was also drafted.
"Quick there's something on the news you have to see." Without another word, he turned and raced back into the main living area with Judy right behind him. Once in the large room with several tv's, Judy looked up as the news coverage showed an army of foxes in what appeared to be war games.
"It's been confirmed by both government officials as well as a spokesmammal from the military that a draft has indeed been instated. We go live now to the capital." Judy watched as the screen changed to picture of a rabbit in a military uniform standing behind a podium with several microphones.
"Thank you for your attendance at this late hour on short notice. As of two weeks ago it was decided that a mandatory draft to military service was needed to address a growing threat from Vulpisia. Recent activity within Vulpisia has shown that the fox nation may be preparing to attack Burrowland. It is with…"
Judy turned away from the tv and walked back to her room. The reality of open war with another country had put her and the rest of her family and possibly the entire nation into a state of shock. She went back to her room and laid down on the bed. She spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in her bed.
In the morning Judy woke to find most of the family gathered together in the living room with her dad giving out work orders for the day as usual. Reminding everyone of the prior day's events, he told those that had received a letter to stay behind.
Once everyone else had left the house or went about their choirs Stu brought Judy and her 9 other siblings into a small dining room. Small for a family of nearly 300 rabbits anyway. They all took a seat at the table and watched as their father slumped into his chair at the head of the table. The bags under his eyes showing he hadn't received a wink of sleep much like them.
"The county clerk's office called this morning." He tiredly stated. "They want everyone who received a letter to be at a special meeting tomorrow. They'll have a spokesmammal from the military there to address any questions we might have. Till then I want you here helping around the house. I don't want you getting hurt because you were distracted out in the fields around equipment."
The group solemnly nodded in response. They spent a moment talking to each other about what had transpired. Then split off to help with the choirs around the house. Shortly after leaving the small dining room Judy received a call she had been waiting all morning for.
"Hello, this is Judy Hopps speaking!" she eagerly spoke into the phone.
"Ms. Hopps, this is Officer Thornclaw with the Zootopia Police Academy."
"Yes, did you receive my note from the night receptionist?"
"We did and I'd like to make sure I understand your situation correctly. According to your not you received a draft notice for military service yesterday?"
"Yes, I did."
"Since your application was accepted under the MII I contacted the mayor's office this morning. Given your unusual circumstances they have extended a waver for your application. Tell me do you know when your military service will be concluded?"
"I don't the letter didn't say. We're meeting with a spokesmammal from the military tomorrow."
After a few more questions Officer Thornclaw gave his direct number to Judy informing her to let him know what the period of service would be. The rest of the day went by slowly as Judy's only thoughts were on the meeting tomorrow and getting to ask the one question she wanted an answer to.
After a night of no rest and a day of being emotionally stressed. Judy managed to get a few hours of sleep that night. The next morning, she and her siblings who were drafted headed to the county courthouse where they would meet with the spokesmammal from the military.
After an initial briefing from the rabbit in charge, a gruff looking sergeant who had black fur with brown spots randomly scattered about. Judy had been given the answer she wanted. The mandatory draft would only last six months after initial military training had been completed. Which consisted of 10 weeks basic training or boot camp and however long your technical training would last.
There would be test before the two-week report time done to identify everyone's most dominant skills and what duty's they would be assigned. Judy stayed for most of the meeting but left after a couple of hours when the questions changed from ones of authenticity to just ridiculous.
Leaving the courthouse Judy called Officer Thornclaw and let him know of the 6 months of service following training. To Judy's delight, if she got a short technical school, she we be discharged from military service in time for the next class at the ZPA.
As she struggled for a moment with her excitement at the news, she spotted Logan walking out of the courthouse. After giving him the news about the ZPA he was unsurprisingly happy for her. He himself had learned that there would be no wavers for anything other than medical conditions.
The two walked around town for a bit enjoying the others company. After splitting up, Judy began walking home feeling slightly better about their situation. She hoped that this whole possible war with the foxes thing was just politicians and military generals making a mountain out of a mole hill. No offense to moles she thought.
In Vulpisia
"They did what!" Nick yelled at Skye from behind his desk. Having just learned that the politicians and military leaders of Burrowland were blaming a nonexistent threat of invasion by Vulpisia as cover more instigating the draft. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"I wish I was sir." While the initial awkwardness of their first meeting had worn off, Skye still found it strange to be working so close to someone that was essentially family. "I just received the intel report from the S-2."
Nick leaned back in his chair and placed both paws on his face pulling them down the sides. "How do they expect us to safely jump into Burrowland and not be surrounded by a bunch of angry bunnies. Because as soon as the shooting starts those raw recruits are gonna shoot at the first thing they see that's not a bunny."
The two sat quietly in the room together for a moment letting the frustration work itself out. Nick finally spoke, "Well that explains the move order."
"It does. This little escapade by the rabbits let us move the brigade closer to our objected without drawing to much suspicion from the wolves."
"Alright major, start letting everyone know we need to be completely out of here within the month. I want a report from all the shops on what we can expect or what we know we'll need at our new home. We'll meet tomorrow at 1600 to discuss what we know so far and plan anything we need for the next day and coming weeks."
After taking a couple of notes, she looked up at him. "Will that be all sir?" His only answer a nod of his head and a wave of his paw.