Hello, people of the internet! It is past midnight in my time zone at this very moment, now 22 minutes into Sunday, and I'm not the slightest bit tired! Must be that one cup of Coca-Cola I had five and a half hours ago. Anyway, there's going to be a little bit of controversial content later on so let me just clear the air now; I am a bisexual (finally came to terms with it) male who believes that a person has the right to be in love with whoever he or she wants to be in love with unless his or her individual character proves otherwise.
Nick: I know I said I had great night vision, but that's no reason to put me on the night shift…
Judy: (yawns)
Okay, now I'm just the slightest bit tired. Here you go. Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Gathering Leads
Judy drove their police car into Tundra Town under Nick's guiding directions. The fox instructed, "Take the next left."
"Got it," Judy confirmed. She was dying to meet Winter and find out why she and Nick broke up. Nick's lips were sealed like a beaver dam about the subject. "So, what's Winter like?"
"She's very giving of her time, so she should have no problem being interviewed," Nick informed her. "She's out-of-this-world cute. Kind of like you."
"Don't call me cute," Judy warned him. Nick let a triumphant chuckle pass through his lips. He knew she hated being called cute, but that's how he saw her. He had a soft spot for cuteness. Her spunky personality only added fuel to his fiery passion. Judy made the left turn. "Nick, which way now?" Every time she said his name, it was like she was tugging on his soul. "Nick!"
"Just keep going straight. We go right in three blocks," Nick answered. He was tempted to reach out for her long ears and stroke them in his paws. It would distract him from his mother going missing and the awkwardness and embarrassment he would soon feel when Judy found out why he and Winter didn't mesh as a couple. "She makes for a pretty good cover artist."
"A cover artist? As in music?" Judy asked, trying to fuel the conversation.
"Yeah," Nick confirmed. "She'll do karaoke on Fridays at the café sometimes while her significant other covers her shift. They've even made their own mixes. They've written their own original pieces, but those never took off."
"That's too bad…" Judy said sympathetically.
"Yeah, real shame. The right is up here," Nick told the bunny, who turned the wheel in response, which subsequently turned the car.
"Wait, she found someone else? How soon was it after your breakup?" Judy asked. "Sorry if I seem like I'm prying."
"No, no, I kind of pushed her toward this mammal. I said, 'You'll be happier with this other mammal than with me. You and I lead two different lives, anyway, and I don't want to end up on some hit list like Finnick is with half of the women in Zootopia'," Nick nonchalantly informed the bunny.
"That's very mature of you," Judy commended him. "I'd give you a pat on the back, but I'd prefer to keep both paws on the wheel."
"Thanks for valuing our safety over a short-lived congratulatory pat. You expected less of me?" Nick spoke, smirking.
"You're taking all of this awfully well," Judy commended him once more.
"I have faith that it'll all work out. I've got my lucky charm with me, after all," Nick informed the rabbit as he kissed her on the cheek.
Smiling innocently, Judy asked, "What lucky charm?"
Nick's lower jaw would have landed in the cup holder between them if it hadn't been hinged to the rest of his skull. The flirtatious compliment went right over her head; right between those long, flowing ears of hers. He finally managed to tell her, "You! You are my lucky charm!"
"Oh. Aww, Nick!" Judy gushed with appreciation until a realization came to her. "That's a rabbit's foot reference, isn't it?"
"Maybe," Nick teased. He pointed at a parking lot. "There's the parking lo—whoa!" Judy took a hard turn pulling into the lot, pulled into a spot, and parked the car in seemingly a single motion.
"Whoops. Sorry," Judy unapologetically said.
"Sly bunny."
"Dumb fox."
"C'mon, let's go," Nick suggested as he got out of the car. He entered the café with the rabbit by his side.
A fox with beautiful white fur, electric blue eyes, and a black waitress uniform with a navy blue parka over the top came over and greeted, "Hi, guys! Welcome to the Polar Café! Nick? Hey, long time, no see!"
The arctic fox hugged the red fox. Nick returned the hug and said, "It's good to see you, Winter."
Judy's eyes widened. This was Winter? She was beautiful and her personality was more like spring or summer than it was winter. Winter said to Nick, "So your mom told me you became a cop! The first fox cop! That's amazing!"
"Actually, I came to talk to you about my mom, but first, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Winter, this is Officer Judy Hopps, my inspiration and invigoration," Nick introduced the bunny to the white fox.
"How do you do?" Winter asked as she held out her paw.
"Fine, thanks," Judy replied as she shook it.
"There are a lot of similarities between the two of you now that I think about it. You're both easily excited, perhaps a little emotionally unstable—" Nick began, but he soon got an earful.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE?!" Judy and Winter got in Nick's face about his choice of words. They looked at each other and giggled.
"I've heard a lot about you. You're the first bunny cop ever!" Winter said in admiration.
"The odds were stacked against me, I'll admit, but I wouldn't let something like that crush my dreams. I want to make the world a better place. That's always been a dream of mine!" Judy explained as a wave of triumph washed over her. "And Nick here has been helping me with that ever since I was a rookie."
"You're still a little green compared to the other cops. It's a good thing I like green," Nick said to Judy.
"That's good, because you're even greener!" Judy teasingly reminded the fox.
"Now, about your mom, I heard from old Dom about that… Nick, I am so sorry to hear…" Winter began to offer her condolences.
"Thanks, Winter, but we're going to find her. We need you to tell us about anything out of the ordinary on your last visit or any recent visit to see her," Nick assured the arctic fox.
"Win, is something the matter?" a female snow leopard dressed in the same attire as Winter came over. She seemed protective of the arctic fox.
"No, Panthera. I'm just helping Nick with a case. That's all," Winter assured the snow leopard.
"Hm? Hey, Wild Wilde, I haven't seen you around these parts in a while," Panthera greeted.
"I wish I had been around last time to see you guys, but I was too busy not being iced the last time I was in Tundra Town to say hi," Nick informed them.
"You let Mr. Big capture you?! Oh, sweet shaved ice, Nick, you just had to sell the shrew a skunk butt rug… You just had to get a great deal!"
"The skunk butt rug was a real eye opener for me, too," Judy informed the white fox.
"Keep a close eye on this one," Winter advised and Judy nodded.
"I'm right here…" Nick reminded them, feeling as though they were under the impression that they were talking about him behind his back. "Wait…did you see any polar bears in my mom's apartment building?"
"No, thankfully. Now that I think about it, a wombat I had never seen before was going up the stairs as I was going down the last time I went."
"A wombat?" Judy echoed as she pulled out her memo pad and carrot pen.
"Was it radioactive?" Nick asked excitedly.
"Your mother is missing and that's the first thing that comes out of your mouth regarding the subject of the mysterious wombat?" Judy criticized Nick's bizarre question.
"It was part of a weird dream I had when we stayed at your parents' place in Bunny Burrow," Nick explained himself.
"You two would make a cute couple!" Winter giggled.
"Way ahead of you," the red fox and the rabbit informed her.
"Aww!" Winter cooed.
"Good for you, Wilde," Panthera said to Nick as she wrapped an arm around Winter. Winter seemed to press herself against Panthera.
"Was the wombat wearing anything that caught your eye?" Judy questioned.
"Yeah, um…he had on a black jacket and I glanced back at him when he passed me on the stairs. His jacket had the skull of an angry bull on the back," Winter informed the rabbit as the latter wrote down the description. "And no, Nick, the wombat was not radioactive. Nick?"
When Winter said Nick's name again, Judy looked from her pad to her partner and discovered the absent, yet thoughtful gaze in those emerald eyes. The rabbit spoke up, "What is it, Nick?"
"An angry bull skull… A crime syndicate uses that symbol as their trademark," Nick realized aloud. "Thanks for your time, Winter. Next time I'm in here, I'll be a paying customer and I'll tip you twenty-five percent." He went back out to the car.
"Thank you so much!" Judy politely, yet abruptly thanked the arctic fox and followed her partner out. The way Nick stormed out of the café gave her chills, and it wasn't because they were in Tundra Town either.
Nick got in the passenger seat of the car and Judy got in the driver's seat. Nick asked, "So now you see why she and I broke up?"
"Because of your knowledge of crime syndicates?" Judy asked, confused. "I didn't even think to observe the context."
"Carrots, let me put it to you like this. They're like your crazy neighbors, only not crazy," Nick informed her. Suddenly, Judy understood.
"Oh! I get it now! Aww! Well, good for them!" Judy said with a pleasant smile. "And good for you for putting someone's happiness ahead of your own."
"I'm a saint," Nick joked.
"You're a sinner, but you're my sinner," Judy slyly told the fox guided his muzzle to her face. She then kissed him on the lips and thoroughly enjoyed all eight seconds of it.