Chapter 21
Lieutenant Nicholas Wilde of the Zootopia Police Department stepped out of the subway car along with a tidal wave of other mammals, which carried him up the escalator and out into the city streets of Precinct 1. Blinded by the morning sunlight, he put on his mirrored shades, and pulled out a pack of Mareboro Strongs from his shirt pocket. Technically, he wasn't allowed to smoke while on duty… but he wasn't on duty yet.
It was five-to-seven AM.
His promotion had earned him a feeling of pride and fulfilment, though not a new car. There were, however, still thoughts haunting his mind which made the need to ride the subway to work a minor problem. He began smoking more. He began drinking more. He began frequenting fish restaurants much, much more. Sometimes, he couldn't fall asleep at night because he was feeling hungry for something different than what any eating place in all of Zootopia could offer him. Sometimes, when he did fall asleep, he would wake up in the dark with a beating heart, imagining that he was tied up, muzzled, and locked in a cage.
During the day, however, he would dedicate himself wholeheartedly to his work. With a shiny golden badge on his chest and with a trustworthy smile of a law enforcer on his face, he would sit in the chairs of journalists and stand in front of cameras as the official spokesperson of the ZPD. There he, a predator and a fox, would do all his best to convince the terrified populace of the city that not all predators were as monstrous as the deceased Butcher, the beast they've all heard about, who had been a fox as well. Nick spoke, avoiding the details which both Judy and Chief Bogo forbade him to disclose, and used his vulpine wit to soothe the masses with stories of how Butcher's Den was infiltrated, exposed, and terminated. The tales always came with a solemn vow that every police officer in Zootopia was doing all he could in order to find every single one of the remnant carnivores, and put them before a judge and jury.
The tales were not a scam, however. Because he'd been there, and saw all of it. What he did was just omit the unnecessary, gory and uncomfortable threads of the story.
Soon, the first flesh eaters were put on public trial, judged, and sentenced. The people's desire for justice was slowly being satisfied. Nick did his job. Now, having unwillingly become Zootopia's hero, he could return to his old police station, and to his regular duties.
As he walked down the streets with his paws in his pockets and a smoke hanging from his lip, masked behind his sunglasses, he did not pay attention when other animals recognized him and looked over their shoulders when he passed by.
Finally, he stood before the entrance to the Police Department. It felt good to be back after so many weeks of boring interviews… Throwing the butt of his cigarette into an outdoor ashtray, he headed inside.
Officer Clawhauser was, of course, more than overjoyed to see his colleague. As soon as the cheetah noticed him walking in, a huge grin appeared on his chubby face.
"Niiick!" he shrieked like a little cub seeing his idol. "I mean, Lieutenant Wilde! Please, allow me to shake your paw… I've seen you on TV. About a thousand times, probably!"
Licking the chocolate off the fur on his fingers (as he'd just finished devouring a candy bar), Clawhauser stretched out his arm and grabbed Nick without even waiting for him to do the same.
"Jeez, Ben! You don't have to call me that," the fox protested, attempting to get his limb back from the much larger animal. "Settle down! I'm still the same animal I was before…"
Setting him free, the corpulent feline glared at him more seriously than ever.
"No, Nick. You're much more than that," he then said solemnly. "You're an example and a model to all of us, especially to cops. And especially especially to predator cops!"
"Ah c'mon! I hardly did anything! Even a kid can smooth-talk a bunch of journalists."
But Clawhauser did not pay any heed to the fox's modesty. Instead, he showed him a whole bunch of flowers which were standing on the side of his counter.
"Just take a look for yourself! Aren't these lovely?"
"What are those?" Nick asked, gazing at the bouquets in confusion. "Did you buy them?"
"No, silly!" the cheetah protested with a snicker. "Read the labels. These are gifts from the grateful citizens of Zootopia! This one's from Abraham Lynxon Primary School in Tundra Town. They're asking you to come speak to the kids! You're a real role model now! And these lovely tulips are from a 'Mrs. Neigh'. See what the little letter says? 'To Lieutenant Wilde, my hero'! And this one here says 'the animals of Horne County will be forever grateful to you for kicking Butchers a…' uh… you probably get the idea. Gosh, and just take a look at those roses! There must be, like, two dozen of them! Oh, I wish I got roses like those from someone at least once… This one also has a label."
Clawhauser opened the letter attached to the huge bouquet as Nick put his elbows on the counter in a pleasant anticipation. But instead of reading the note aloud, the cheetah frowned.
"Hm, I don't get it… You better take a look at this yourself."
He then detached the label delicately, and gave it to the fox. Opening it curiously, he was then able to read the cryptic message inside.
TO N. W. & J. H.
Underneath the initials, there was a print of someone's paw, impressed on the paper with the use of blood-red ink.
He easily recognized that the paw print was that of a wolf.
"Oh, I know perfectly well who this is from," Nick announced with a smirk.
"You do?!" the thrilled Clawhauser gasped. "That's so nice of people! And those are not the first flowers, either. They keep coming!"
"Tell you what, Ben," the fox looked at his colleague. "Keep the flowers. You deserve them as much as I do for all your work. Take care, it's good seeing you again. Later."
"Later…" Clawhauser waved his paw, genuinely grateful and almost speechless.
Nick still felt the cheetah's gaze on his back as he walked away.
Sheesh, he keeps staring at me as if I were Coyan the Barkbarian, or something… the amused fox snorted in spirit.
Over by the coffee machine, he noticed a familiar sight. It was a young rabbit, dressed as a cop, pretending not to notice him as he approached.
Standing right behind her back, Nick cleared his throat.
"You wouldn't happen to have a quarter on you, lieutenant?" asked the female officer.
"Why, it just happens that I do…" he answered, passing her the coin. "… lieutenant."
She then bought herself a latte and, holding the cup in her paw, turned to face him.
"Your fur smells like an ashtray."
"Well, your fur smells like dinner."
A slap on the shoulder followed that nasty remark… but that was concluded with a smile.
"It's good to see you're back in the saddle, partner," said Judy.
"It's good to be back," Nick answered her, grinning. "Are ya doing a good job at hunting those dang carnivores?"
"A better one than you at hunting prey, thankfully."
They hugged, and then the fox also bought his customary triple espresso for himself. He was really glad to see his rabbit friend again. They've been working separately since the day they were freed from Butcher's Den, and each member of the duo had been very busy, trying to focus on their duties in order to forget all the terrible things which had happened to them there. Or, if not to forget, at least not to think about it.
Finally, they were together again. And although they knew perfectly well that nothing would be the same ever again, they hoped that eachother's presence, just as it had before, would help them to overcome their personal flaws and limitations.
"Guess who sent us flowers," Nick said to his partner, giving the rabbit the note which was attached to the bouquet of roses.
Examining the piece of paper curiously, lieutenant Hopps almost instantly gasped.
"It's from Mathilda!" she realized. "Wow, she must have heard all about what happened by now."
"Uh-huh," Nick nodded in affirmation. "I hope she's feeling a bit better. I prefer to receive flowers than bullets to the brain."
"Hmm. You sure the bullet would even hit anything if she really fired her gun that time?"
"Oh, you're just asking to be bitten again, aren't you?"
They quickly quit their mutual teasing, however, as a whole herd of other police officers ran up to them to congratulate Nick for his achievements. As the fox shook paws and received painful pats on the back from his huge fellow law enforcers, he tried to look at Judy in a way as to indicate to her that he didn't feel completely comfortable with receiving the praise which should really be attributed to her… But the rabbit just continued to laugh, showing that she did not mind that at all.
Suddenly, the crowd of officers fell silent and parted as the booming hoofsteps of their chief were heard. They made way for the buffalo, who stood before the fox and crossed his arms.
"Lieutenant Wilde," Bogo uttered with a stern look.
"Yeah, I know, I know…" Nick mumbled submissively, taking his shades off and beginning to button up his shirt.
But then, suddenly, his boss stooped down and stopped him from doing that by grabbing his arm. The stumped fox glared at him, perplexed…
"What I do now?" he inquired.
"You're still asking that?" Bogo narrowed his eyes. And then, he smiled with pure joy. "You've saved the reputation of the whole ZPD! Not only did you and your partner stop that horrid club of carnivores. Now, after all the press releases with you involved, we finally don't have mammals of all shapes and sizes roaring outside our doors, and we can focus on the job of bringing the guilty to justice! I've already said this after promoting you, and I want to say this again- we are all proud to have you as part of our team. Everyone, please give lieutenants Wilde and Hopps a big hand!"
Applauded by their colleagues, Nick and Judy stood stupefied.
"Wow. I didn't expect that, especially from Bogo…" the rabbit whispered to her partner, smiling awkwardly.
"I get what you mean. It only took fifteen days of sitting in a cage, almost starving to death, being held at gunpoint a few times... and stopping the largest carnivorist outbreak in a hundred years... for him to show a little appreciation," the fox mumbled back.
"Fine! I think that's enough!" the buffalo raised his arm in order to make everyone settle down, reassuming his serious attitude. "This case isn't over yet, and we still have clandestine carnivores walking the streets in broad daylight. So back to work!"
"That's more like it!" sneered lieutenant Wilde, taking a sip from his coffee cup.
The animals stampeded into the bullpen and took their spots. Judy was smiling happily when she finally had her friend sitting by her side again.
Chief Bogo stood at his pulpit, a thick file in his grasp, and put on his glasses.
"Right," he began. "As the judges are dealing with those flesh eaters whom we've already managed to locate, I trust you are aware, as all of the city seems to be, that many fugitives are still on the loose. We don't know how many there are, but we must keep our eyes open and investigate every last crevice. Society is counting on us. And so: officers Grizzoli, Snarlov and Andersen, you continue with your investigation in Tundratown. McHorn, Delgato- Sahara Square. Fangmeyer, Jackson- Rainforest District. Wolfard, Pennington, Krumpansky- Savanna Central. Wilde, Hopps-…"
"Parking duty!" both lieutenants said at the same time, themselves surprised by how in sync they were.
"I beg your pardon?!" Bogo took off his glasses and glared at the duo in amazement. Then, he breathed out through his nostrils angrily. "I'm surprised you two are still in the mood for nonsensical buffoonery after what you've been through…"
"No, that's not it!" Judy stammered uneasily. "I mean, chief. Remembering what happened the last time Nick and I went on a mission together, I thought that we could, you know…"
The buffalo raised a brow.
"What, get a lighter assignment? Lieutenant Hopps, I did not promote you and your partner so that you could go back to writing parking tickets! That's not what we're paying you for!"
"Well, it's not like we're not grateful for the raise you gave us," the fox entered the conversation, smiling slyly. "But you've gotta admit that we kinda earned that, plus more. What was the exact phrase you used? That we've saved the reputation of the whole ZPD? I'm sure that one day of rest would be an even greater proof of your gratitude."
"Do not attempt to enchant me with your vulpine erudition, Wilde!" Bogo was becoming increasingly irritated. "I'm not some nit-witted journalist who'll eat up everything you wave before his nose."
"Oh, I never said anything like that!" Nick continued with a smirk. "And I also didn't say that by saying we want to take care of parking duty, we meant that literally. There's gotta be something else Judy and I can do around here. You know, we still wanna be useful!"
Seeing how the duo of lieutenants gazed at him innocently and pleadingly, but also that the expressions on the rest of the officers' faces indicated that they were on their side, the buffalo finally sighed, yielding to their request.
"Very well! You get one day to work here, at the station. I initially planned to send you two to lead the infiltration of the Mystic Springs Oasis for any possible carnivores who may still be hanging around over there, knowing you are familiar with that place, Wilde. But if you haven't had enough rest while lying in your hospital bed, then suit yourself."
After that announcement, Nick turned to his partner, grinning.
"Sure you don't wanna change your mind?" he proposed.
"Don't even think about it!" the rabbit staunchly protested.
"Right. It's the archives for you, then," their chief announced to them finally. "The database needs to be updated eventually, and since Clawhauser's busy answering calls from concerned citizens and vindictive prey animals accusing their predator neighbors of being carnivores for no reason, I guess you can take care of that for him today. In other words, shake your tails and get to work!"
Happy about their much lighter, although boring, duty for the day, Nick and Judy made their way to the archive room. Then, carrying huge files which came from the courthouses that dealt with the individual members of Butcher's Den who have already been caught and tried, they stumbled into the computer room in order to add the new information to the ZPD's database.
"Tonight on To catch a predator…" sneered the fox, gazing at the tall stack of documents which were lying on the desk.
"Why don't you go ahead and take a seat?" his partner proposed, picking up the joke.
"Don't mind if I do, Chris Haresen."
Grinning, Nick then read what was written on the cover of the binder. "The case of Bucher's Den. Classified. Seems like a lot of Fangley's former pals have already been sentenced, haven't they?"
"Up to date, we've apprehended 48 predators," Judy informed her partner dutifully, logging into the ZPD mainframe. The fox knew perfectly that she herself was responsible for finding many of them while he was away, most likely to clear her conscience from the burdening feeling of being guilty for this whole mess in the first place.
The female officer continued.
"Since Fangley, Woodsworth, and two others were killed at the factory, one suspect hanged himself in his cell… and another one was lynched by a mob in Ferndale… that leaves us with 42 separate cases for today. Those are only the files of the members of Butcher's Den. We won't have time for their many associates, like the owners of funeral homes who sold dead bodies to them as carrion…"
Her partener's ears fell when he heard what the total result of the investigation was… and not only because of the sudden deaths of some of the carnivores. What shocked him even more was that only so few of them have already been caught. Both him and Judy saw at least 70 predators at their monthly gathering back at Butcher's Den.
The rabbit, however, seemed unfazed by any of that, demonstrating a completely professional approach. Then Nick understood that, although they were both lieutenants now, Judy was still the more experienced one of them. Or, perhaps, to a certain degree, she was simply driven by a justified desire for revenge? He couldn't tell.
"Uh, how about you take care of the typing, Carrots?" he suggested. "You must be sick and tired of looking at all these papers."
"What I'm sick and tired of is looking at the faces of these beasts…" she growled back, tapping the floor with her foot. She then pulled up an office chair to the screen of the computer, her paws hanging ready over the keyboard.
"Okay. Who's first?" she asked.
Nick opened the thick file of the case and took the first page out of it. It had the stamp of the Zootopia Central Criminal Court, and an attached mugshot of a Doberman Pinscher.
"Arf, Barry. Age: 35. Species: Canis familiaris." Nick read the name on the document aloud as Judy typed. "Hey! Wait a minute! The second one must belong to his twin brother."
The fox then grabbed the next report. It was almost identical.
"Yup, I was right. Larry Arf. Age: also 35. Everything's basically the same from then on."
"What are their charges?" Judy inquired curiously.
"Well, they were both clearly hunters," her partner estimated from the contents of the documents. "5 separate charges of first-degree murder for each one of them, plus habitual carnivorism, participation in a criminal syndicate, participation in crimes against the animal kingdom, specieist hatred… and, in case of Barry, armed assault of a police officer. In total, probably enough for about five death sentences per capita. Their court hearing is due on October 19th."
He finished reading with a slight smirk of satisfaction on his face. His partner, completely preoccupied with her work, entered all of the information into the computer archive.
"Okay, that's it for the Arf brothers," she said finally, indicating to Nick that he should carry on.
"This is getting interesting!" said the fox, taking another sip of coffee and stretching himself out comfortably in his chair. "Hey, guess who's next! It's our friendly jackal porter, Mr. Kane De Silva. Aged: 31. Species: Sylvilagus audubonii."
"Ha-ha. Very funny," Judy snorted mockingly, recognizing the binomen which actually belonged to her own species. "Did you learn to pronounce that just in order to make this joke? Kane's definitely more closely related to a Vulpes than any Sylvilagus… But I'd guess that he was most likely a Canis aureus."
"Sylvilagus, Kanosaurus, whatever…" said Nick. "Good job, Lieutenant Nerd. Whoa! This is a surprise! Says here that Mr. De Silva was actually not a hunter at all!"
"Yup. I believe Lawrence said the same thing during his interrogation," the rabbit admitted.
"Anyway, he was still charged with habitual carnivorism, participation in a criminal syndicate, taking part in genocide, and specieist hatred. He got twenty years for that, without parole, and he's gonna spend them at the good ol' dog pound at 1313 Stripes Ave."
"The Zootopia Central Metropolitan Penitentiary," Judy corrected him while typing in the proper name of the institution. "I hear they don't take kindly to carnivores there…"
"Well, too bad for Mr. De Silva for the next 20 years," Nick threw Kane's file on the side of the desk casually. "Next. Oh, it's Lawrence Vulpine himself! Species: Vulpes vulpes, obviously. Turns out our reluctant young traitor is only 19 years old. After testifying against his former colleagues, he got out with only a three-year sentence, suspended for six months, for carnivorism and having been a bad guy. This is very lightweight, especially that he'd been guilty of petty theft and fraud on several occasions as a juvenile… Hm, he kinda reminds me of myself, actually. Well, except for this- he has to register as a carnivore for the next fifteen years. He's on the witness protection program, and lives under an assumed name, but he'll definitely have a hard time finding a legal job after people find out he used to eat meat."
The fox sighed, meditation on the impossibility of leading a crime-free life for some of the members of his species… He didn't think about that for two long, however, as Judy, who had no such qualms, was waiting for him to continue.
"Okay," the male officer reached for another file. "Hey, here's another familiar face!"
Now he himself started feeling a desire for vengeance, as the mugshot revealed to him the image of his former accomplice.
"It's Chase, that double-crossing pelt salesman!" he exclaimed, overjoyed that the one who'd almost gotten him killed years ago was now behind bars. "Chase E. Quiote, alias 'Lester Howland III'. Species: Canis latrans, aged 40. So he was just a carrion eater, after all. Charges: fraud, money laundering, illegal trade of animal remains… and, of course, tax evasion. Yeah, I remember all of that. Plus, the usual- carnivorism, genocide, species hate crimes. His trial took place last Monday, and his sentence adds up to a lovely total of 45 years behind bars, without parole. By the time he's out, if he ever is, he'll have to hire someone else to chew his food for him."
"I'm guessing you're not upset because of that," the rabbit turned to him, snorting in amusement. "Could you, by chance, just read the contents of the files? I'm having trouble separating the actual facts from your commentary."
"Sorry, I can't help it…" her partner answered her. Then he picked up another document. "Dang! Carrots, look at this one!"
"Huntswell, Brenda," Judy read aloud after taking the piece of paper from him. "Wow, that is one nasty mugshot…"
"Well, her face was never a picnic to begin with," the fox cussed, eager to find out about the fate of their most hated guard. "Says our ferocious Felis concolor's maiden name is Screwtail. She's 53, and had been married to a mountain lion by the name of Charles Huntswell. Her husband passed away twelve years ago, and Brenda was accused of poisoning him. She was acquitted then, due to lack of evidence… but it looks like her latest trial is already over. Apart from the usual, she was found guilty of 12 separate cases of murder, three cases of assaulting an officer, including both of us, with the result of serious injury, plus attempting to deter a police investigation, money laundering, various types of financial fraud… darn, the list just goes on and on! Her total sentence is: seven death penalties via lethal injection, 560 years behind bars… and a modest fine of 15 million bucks."
"The fate of the accountant of a criminal syndicate," sighed the female officer, though her voice was completely bereft of any remorse. "Formatting the hard drives did not help her much… When's her execution due?"
"Last Saturday…" Nick mumbled in astonishment, picking up a protocol attached to Brenda's file.
"Really? She's dead already?!" Judy wondered.
"Well, they took care of her fast…" estimated the fox. "She was put to sleep at 6 PM, and declared dead at 6:23. For her last meal, she requested rabbit stew. Of course, all she got was a bugburger and fries…"
Judy almost laughed out loud, although the situation was rather dark.
"Rabbit Stu? You're telling me she wanted to eat my dad?"
"Oh yeah, your father's name is Stu… Rabbit Stu. Hmf, all those puns are going to kill me someday!"
Seeing that her partner was not in the mood for dark humor, the rabbit decided to get back to work.
"Give me the protocol of the sentence, I need to scan it," she requested.
After handing the document to her, Nick looked at the pile of files, which was still enormous… This was to be a long day, after all. Flipping through the papers briefly, he looked at the sentences their guards have received.
"Burns, Tigon. Death penalty. Manendes, Leonardo. Death. Clawford, Bearnard. Lethal injection. Jason and Clara Prider, the lions we saw hunting the lamb in Fangley's recording... L-I for both. L-I here, L-I there… Dang. I know stern law is better than no law, but they're gonna run out of tranquilizer at this rate…"
Suddenly, the fox silenced. Lifting up a file in front of his face, he attracted his partner's attention.
"Who's that?" Judy asked.
"Julia Fangley, née Vixey. Aged 37…" Nick read gloomily.
"Oh yes, the bloody vixen herself."
The male officer, himself a fox, couldn't help but feel sorry for Butcher's widow. The expression she bore on her mugshot was one of limitless sorrow…
But then, as he read her charges, he remembered who she really was.
"Says here Julia was a hunter. And a skilled one, at that… She was accused of at least 20 murders, and confessed of having committed 11. She's from Ferndale, so she was tried by the Horne County judge. She'll be executed next month… and it appears that the method of execution over there is by firing squad. That's the first time a female will be shot in that county in 40 years..."
"She'll join her mate in death, in that case," the rabbit lieutenant said coldly, in a way which surprised even her partner. She then changed the tone of her voice somewhat, as if in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry about her son, though…"
"Yeah, I am too…" mumbled Nick.
He then gave Judy Julia Fangley's sentence to scan. As she did that, he quickly searched the remaining files, looking for the picture of another fox… When he did not find it, he was greatly relieved.
They worked like that until late in the afternoon, without a break. Finally, when all of the 42 cases were typed into the database, exhausted both physically and mentally, the duo of officers exited the archives, deciding to call it a day.
"Oh, you're done!" Clawhauser exclaimed as he noticed them returning to the lobby. "Thank you both so, so much for that! I also had to work overtime today. My back is killing me…"
"How did the others do?" Judy asked the cheetah, rubbing her blood-shot eyes.
"Oh, good. I mean, relatively. Most of the guys came back about an hour ago, with empty paws… There was a brawl at a bar in the Rainforest District, however, and Fangmayer and Jackson are still stuck investigating…"
Suddenly, another animal entered the station. It was a beaver dressed in a courier's outfit.
"Uh, hello?" he asked, unsure which of the officers he should speak to.
"Yes, my friend?" Clawhauser assumed a tired, yet sincere smile. "What can we do for you?"
"I'm lookin' for a… Nicholas P. Wilde?" the mammal said after checking his clipboard.
Surprised to hear his name, Nick turned away from smelling Mathilda's roses and approached the courier.
"That's me. What, is there a package for me or something?"
"Ha!" the amused beaver chuckled. "Much more than a package… Do you have any identification I could see?"
"He's got plenty of business cards!" Judy joked, approaching them, herself curious about what her friend had just received.
Certainly, Nick had a whole bunch of cards… but none with his own name on them. Choosing the obvious solution, he showed the beaver his police badge.
"Alright, Lieutenant," said the animal after confirming the fox's identity. "Follow me."
"Huh? Do you mean to tell me that this thing is outside?" he inquired with growing confusion.
The courier said nothing more, laughing mysteriously. Nick and Judy followed him through the doors of the police station, but to their surprise, he did not lead them to his van. He walked around the building and to the parking lot…
… where there stood a huge tow truck, right about done with unloading a new car.
The car was a red Stallion Firebird Convertible.
As soon as Nick saw the vehicle, his jaw fell and his eyes went wide… Standing on the asphalt in awe, he thought that he was dreaming.
"Oh wow!" Judy skipped over to examine the car. "Is this really for Nick?"
"Yup," answered the courier, glaring at it in envy. "He just needs to sign the receipt. As soon as he wakes up, that is."
His partner had to literally pull the fox's sleeve in order to make him move again. Only then did he laugh out loud.
"Haha! Uh, but how's this possible?! That's not my old car, it can't be! This one must be brand new! Who's it from?"
The beaver showed Nick his clipboard.
"See here? Sender unknown. Now, if you would please sign on the dotted line, officer Wilde. I got a home I need to go to, you know."
Still basically petrified, the fox took the pen in his shaking paw. After he was done writing, the courier reached into his pocket and handed him something.
"Your keys, and your registration. The baby's all yours. Drive safely." He then shouted at the driver of the tow truck before leaving himself: "Take 'er away, Harold!"
Left alone with Judy and the Convertible, Nick pounced toward his shiny new vehicle, still unable to believe how lucky he was.
"I guess serving the people of Zootopia does pay off…" the rabbit said to him, impressed.
Smiling like a kit during Christmas, Nick ran all around the car, admiring the chrome rims, the shiny crimson paintjob, the smell of brand new leather on the interior…
… and then he froze.
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" he exclaimed in utter outrage. "What the heck is this supposed to be?!"
"What?" Judy asked him, surprised. "You don't like it?"
"I love it! It's just these darn front seats… they're both different!"
The rabbit gazed into the vehicle and saw that he was saying the truth. The passenger seat was covered with a slick orange artificial leather, which she liked because it reminded her of carrots. But the driver's seat had a strange black fur on it…
"What is that?" she asked, sniffing. "It smells kinda weird…"
Putting his paws on his hips and hanging his head, Nick suddenly noticed something else about the car…
And that made him laugh so much that he almost lost his breath. His partner looked at him, perplexed as she observed the fox sitting down on the ground in front of the bumper…
"What is it?" she narrowed her eyes.
Unable to speak, wheezing to catch his breath, Nick pointed toward the license plate…
When Judy looked at it, she saw that it read: 5KUNK 8U77.
Then she understood.
"The driver's seat… it's covered with the fur from a skunk's butt, isn't it?"
"Y-yeah…" her partner cackled, standing up from the asphalt and wiping the tears from his eyes. "… a-and you know what that means, right…"
"It means that… this car is from Mr. Big!" after she realized that, she started laughing herself. "Haha! Well, he must be thankful to you for eliminating a dangerous rival… You should be happy! That means he must have forgiven you for your old mistake!"
"Yeah, good job again, Lieutenant Nerd…" the fox continued to grin as he opened the door of his new Stallion. "… we all got our sweet revenge, didn't we? Alright, enough of this. Hop in!"
"Where're we going?" the rabbit asked, surprised by her partner's proposition.
"Well, we're done with work for today, right? I still gotta take you to that shooting range. C'mon, let's get there while they're still open. I guess the carrot-colored spot is reserved for you."
"Doesn't this mean that this is actually our car?" she inquired smugly while fastening her seatbelt.
"Ey, look at the registration! It says Nicholas P. Wilde, okay?"
"Fine, fine! Red isn't my favorite color, anyway…"
The fox then reached out to open the glove box, and put both his documents and wallet inside. Leter he took the pack of Mareboro Strongs from the pocket of his uniform, and placed it there, as well. Once he did that, Judy noticed that something fell out of his shirt and landed on the floor.
When she picked up the piece of paper, Nick flinched.
"Hm…" mumbled the rabbit, reading what was on the business card. "Fangley Industries, Inc. Oscar Fangley, Manager. 537 Parrot Street, Ferndale, Horn County. Are you keeping this as a souvenir? Or as a hunting trophy?"
Snatching the card from her paw, the fox threw it into the glove box, and then quickly closed it.
"Y-yeah, something like that…" he stammered awkwardly. "I just don't wanna look at it right now…"
Little did Judy know that this little piece of paper was actually more than just one of Oscar Fangley's old business cards. Her partner was thankful that she didn't see the other side of it.
There, written in a fancy cursive, was the name and phone number of miss Scarlet Vixey.
Nick still couldn't make out if she came to him on her own that day, or if it was all just part of her brother-in-law's plan. However, he felt that, perhaps someday, he would want to find out. Only then would he make up his mind whether to turn her in, or not.
Starting the engine of his Convertible, which made his think happy thoughts again in spite of the fact that he was sitting on the fur from a skunk's behind, he put on his sunglasses and turned toward his partner.
"So, you ready to go shoot some bullseyes, Carrots?"
"Sure!" she smiled back at him. "I hope you're prepared to lose!"
Then, reaching out with her paw, she turned on the radio and began looking for an appropriate station. To Nick's surprise, she picked one that played gospel music.
"What, no Gazelle today?" he inquired with a smirk.
"Nah, who can listen to that stuff over and over all the time… I'm still a country girl, after all," the rabbit responded in a fake hick accent. "You got a problem with Elvis Pawsley, city boi?"
"No. No problem at all…" said Nick, hitting the gas.
As they drove away toward the setting sun, the interior of the Stallion was filled with the smooth low tones of the King's voice, which soothed the pair of officers' tired minds and wounded hearts.
Well the bear will be gentle, and the wolves will be tame,
And the lion shall lay down by the lamb,
And the beasts from the wild shall be led by a child
And I'll be changed, changed from this creature that I am.
THE END
AN: A kind of bitter-sweet ending, in'it? A bit more gruesome than in Zootopia Crime Files. Hey, but the case was far more serious than any of those in the game, too XD Such is the work of a law enforcer- protect the children of the poor and punish the wrongdoer. They must keep a professional attitude, even toward death.
A word of postscript, in case you're interested (if not, you can just skip it). The whole motif of the story is the struggle between two forces: instinct, and reason. The characters of Zootopia are animals, which makes things even more complicated, yet their anthropomorphism makes it possible for the events to be comparable to human life. Any human is also stuck in between two powers which try to influence his will: his low, purely animalistic instincts (or passions), and his reason (or conscience). Countless times, we have to make decissions about which of these we should follow. This is why some people become saints, while others- beasts. And no matter how terrible a beast one becomes, he will still be trying to justify his acts as 'normal', or 'purely human' (like Oscar Fangley).
The moral of this story, however, is that the lowest instincts need to be overcome by reason, lest we start devouring one another. As a wise man once said: luminous beings are we, not this crude matter!
In Zootopia, this is a great problem. Even acknowledging the fact that the predators there may still have some beast in them, threatens the very basis of its foundation. But their attempt to ignore that fact is, as I see it, purely hypocritical. After all, even in the movie, we still see weasels being shifty and wolves unable to do anything about their compulsive howling. And this is why Butcher's Den was created- as a sort of rebellion against the assumed politically correct social order. Now, after the hideous truth was exposed, the terrified populace needs another predator, a reformed one like Nick, to prove to them that not everyone is as corrupt.
Nick and Judy are greatly put to the test here. Especially the fox (the one of the duo on whom I deliberately focused most of the narration), who's obviously a predator, and has a lust for flesh imprinted in his DNA, even though it may be dormant most of the time. But, as you were able to see, both of the characters give in to their low instincts at some point. For Nick, it is obviously when he steals Kane's meat. True, he did that partially to get out of his cage... Does that fully remove his guilt, however? You be the judge. His conscience will deffinitely keep bugging him. As for Judy... Well, she is the voice of reason throughout most of the story, but when she sees the opportunity for revenge, she keeps her mouth shut when the sheriff basically shoots Fangley dead at a point-blank range. She also has no second thoughts about leading the cases of the individual carnivores, knowing full well that most of them will be put to sleep, i. e., executed. Unlikely for a cute little bunny? Think about it. Remember how Judy dealt with the parking tickets? Relentlessly. She's as lawful as it gets, but when it comes to getting the job done, she has no second thoughts about using all means necessary. It is possible, in my opinion, that in a case as serious as this one, she'd have been ruthless. Perhaps even merciless. Hell hath no fury like a woman (or female) scorned, no matter the species. Her name is Judith, after all. The guilt she herself feels may also fuel her zeal to eradicate every last flesh eater in Zootopia.
In case of Nick, the situation is different. He actually feels compassion toward his fellow predators, as he can understand what a temptation the natural hunger they feel is, even if he still condemns them for yielding to it. This compassion is especially extended toward a certain special carnivore- Scarlet Vixey. Nick knows the police didn't get to her yet, but he does not expose her. What will he do with her phone number later? I don't know. He may just throw it away, eventually. He may also call her, and maybe try to convince her to change her way of thinking. Perhaps, if he succeeds, they'll end up in a relationship? Maybe even take care of the poor orphan, Ezra Fangley? Or could something completely different happen, where Scarlet convinces Nick to return to eating meat?
Those are all speculations for another story, however. As is the fate of those carnivores who have not yet been apprehended.
So, in conclusion, Judy was right in her speech at the end of the movie- real life is messy, we all have limitations, we all make mistakes. But, all in all, each one of us is capable of choosing the right way instead of the wrong. We are not genetically predisposed to become beasts. Although Nick and Judy's scars will remain forever, their ultimate triumph is also rewarded- by a promotion, by the gratitude of the masses, by a new car... But, most importantly, by knowing that they, as police officers and sentient beings, have chosen the way of light when the path of darkness stood wide open before them. The hope for that to be attainable to anyone is what the verses of the song at the end are a symbol of.
Ok, enough of the philosophical gobbledygook XD Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, faving, and your continued support! Not all readers persevered to the very end of this weird story, but congratulations to those who did.
Check out the alternate ending, as well. Plus, if you liked this story, there's a sequel to it, called 'An Aftertaste of Blood', which follows this version of the final chapter. See you there! XD