Chapter 35:

.

"Good morning Zootopia, this is Peter Moosebridge with the 9 O'clock news. Our top story today…"

As the news anchor began playing on the TV, Nick shuffled under the covers of his bed, rolling about on his spine and fussing up the pillow under his head. After impatiently shifting his body around, still trying to get used to sleeping on a proper full sized bed, he let out a huff of defeat before diving under the covers. Wrapping in on himself and pulling the sheet on him tight, he poked his head out meekly from under his cover and relaxed as he settled into the much more comfortable position. As he mentally made a note to buy a decent quality basket of some kind soon, ignoring all of Judy's chides about how cute but immature it was, he looked up at the TV and raised his ears as he listened on.

"… Mayor Swinton's resignation has officially become permanent. While still relatively popular, although notably divisive after her recent policies and reforms, most commentators have been expecting it. Swinton, who has largely removed herself from public life after being turned savage on live TV, has refused to comment on…"

Nick gave a quick chuckle as he saw a shaky recording of the former mayor running down a street, a magazine and thick black glasses shielding her from the prying eyes of the paparazzi who were flashing away mercilessly before she disappeared into a nearby building. He didn't expect to think this way, but some part of him would miss 'Premier Trotterski.' Sure, in his view she was a spineless career politician, but there were many of her kind who were far worse. Besides, he had to admit that she did do some good in this world before she left office.

"Meanwhile at the ZPD central district and Cliffside Asylum, the last victims of induced savagery, as well as several others imprisoned for collar related crimes, are being released. One of Swinton's first reforms after her recovery, Predators formerly kept in permanent quarantine after turning savage are being granted their freedom now that it is know that they weren't victims of an unknown disease that could spread…"

The image on the TV switched to the outside of the ZPD central precinct where several mammals were filling out. Nick couldn't help smiling when he saw Jorge among them, the large bear evidently tired from his experience (and a fair bit thinner to boot) but otherwise looking fine. Thinking back to the events of that fateful night, it was a strange thought that the Bear had probably felt even more helpless and confused than Nick did himself over the course of those few weeks. Whatever the case, Nick made a mental note to visit his old landlord sometime in the future, before turning back to watch the headline he'd been waiting for in the first place.

"Another key reform of course was the collar free trial period, put in place after the revelations at the Animalia concert. The last, and by far the most controversial bill the former mayor passed, it permitted the removal of Tame collars for one year before their future would be decided by a city wide vote. Although polls a year ago, before all the recent events started, suggested an 80% vote against such a move, it had fallen to 50% in the days after the release of censored documents and other studies…"

Nick took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, the tension killing him. His paw reached up to feel around his bare neck as time seemed to slow, his paw pads fussing through the thinned fur and rubbing his sensitive skin as they tried to unknot the hard muscles beneath. The last few months had seemed like a dream, he just hoped that he wasn't about to wake up to a nightmare again.

"…the collar ban has also seen the sales of personal safety devices soar, with brand leader Fox-Away alone reporting a tripling of sales and a major shor… Oh… hang on," the reporter continued, holding his hoof to his ear as he listened closely to the message, all while Nick opened his eyes and looked on. "Well, it seems like the collars may be gone for good, with 60% for continuing the ban and 40% against…"

Nick breathed a sigh of relief, his entire body slumping down as the nervous tension that had built up in it released. Things were moving forward… it wasn't just a wonderful dream. This could be real life. Nick smiled and relaxed, looking up and taking in the news as it came.

"In any case, many Zootopians are embracing the new order. While the hashtag, me and my Pred friend, is still trending at the top of social media sites, many companies have pledged to take in more Predators at various roles, including our own! Which I think is an opportune time to introduce my new co-host, Fabienne Growly…"

The camera pivoted to the right, revealing a stunning Snow Leopard sitting by his side. Well-groomed and dressed, she smiled to the camera and stood up tall as if she'd been born for the job. And then she spoke, her firm voice flicking Nick's ears back and sending a shiver down his spine, and he knew that she had been.

"Hello Zootopia, I am Mrs Growly and I must say it is a privilege to be given this position. While I've worked for ZNN for many years in the offices, I've always wished to be on the front desk. Now, thanks to some in-house auditions, I'm here ready to help keep all citizens of our fair city well informed…"

"Yes, I'm looking forwards to working with my new colleague for the foreseeable future… In other news… Kuh… KUH!"

Nick pulled back, flinching as the newsreader let out a set of hacking coughs as something caught in his throat, his body loudly tried to expel it. After a few coughs, whatever it was that had been irritating him was out on the floor, although his mouth still looked strained. Thankfully, though, he had a co-host nearby who effortlessly took over from him.

"In other news, many pro Predator groups are calling for the referendum scheduled to take place in ten months' time to be cancelled, citing the rising opposition to collar reintroduction. While backed by many high profile figures, led by pop singer Gazelle, the notion has faced stiff resistance by many Prey-safety groups who cite the rising predator crime rate as a key reason for reintroducing the collars. Opposing sources have, however, criticised this seeing as the rate is still slightly lower than the Prey average, while at the same time anti-Pred hate crimes have doubled. Talking about averages, I believe our wind speed average is set to increase with the coming gales. Over to our…"

Nick phased out as the weather report begin to flick by, before stretching an arm out to his bedside table and picking up his phone, scrolling through the contacts list before dialling a number.

.

-At the ZPD-

.

Down at the ZPC precinct, Judy was walking past the holding cells, looking inside and making sure that each and every prisoner who had just returned from their meal was safely detained. Her walking paused, however, when her phone rang and, fishing it out her pocket, she looked at the number on display and smiled before answering.

"Nick…" she chided, rolling her eyes as she spoke. "What did I say about calling me when I'm still on my shift?"

"Seeing as your shift finished five minutes ago, I don't see the relevance of that."

Judy chuckled slightly, before giving an irritated grunt as she began to vent her frustrations from the night shift. "We had a load of problems after someone decided to let a mouse sit next to a certain elephant at dinner. Half the shift was spent cleaning up the mess and… ugh, it all overran… OK? And please don't be sarcastic with me from your bed when I've been working all night!"

"… for your information, I was up and active ages ago."

"So, have you found the package?"

"Package…?"

"I'll take that as a no then…"

"I haven't had time to check my mail, I've been watching the news… The poll was good by the way; I'm beginning to think we've actually turned a corner or… well…"

"Well what…?"

"I'm a bit annoyed that they chose not to include one very, very important news article in their headlines…"

"Oh stop complaining," Judy chided back. "I'll be there soon, and I think I know something that will cheer you up…"

Hanging the phone up, Judy wandered over to one of the cells and looked in. Through the tough, bullet proof perspex she saw Lenora, the half mad rhino inmate who was considered the forces most powerful coercion device. Sitting next to her, as he'd been for the last two months, was Woolly. The master criminal who had deceived and alluded her, and the rest of the force, for two years just stood their silently. His head held down, eyes fixed on the floor, he just grumbled as the wool was slowly unpicked from him as Lenora practiced her knitting, numerous jumpers and scarfs lying about evidence enough of her work (along with the fact the sheep was practically bald at this point). Well, at least it was better obsession than her pets, that was one thing. Flicking out her phone and taking a quick picture, Judy turned to head back to Nick's place, her shift for the day complete.

.

- Nick's place -

.

Walking out of the elevator, stifling a snicker as he slipped his phone back into his pockets, Nick wandered over to his mailbox with his key twirling in his hands and opened it up, his eyes fixing on the large brown package within. As he slowly pulled it out, his ears immediately flicked up with curiosity when they heard the strange ticking coming from it, before he eagerly extended a claw and tore it open. Folding up the top of the package and peeking in, his eyes widened with shock when he saw what was inside.

Clothes…

Freshly cleaned, ironed and folded, treated with all the proper care and respect. His clothes, the ones he'd been arrested in, his…

As soon as the sudden realisation flashed through his mind, Nick dove his hand in and immediately felt a familiar, smoothing, velvety strip of fabric nestled deep inside. Pulling it out, he felt his heart race as he was reunited with his precious tie. Through all the excitement and energy of the last few months, Nick hadn't had time to think about the stuff he'd been stripped of when he was arrested. But now, as he carefully wrapped the precious item around his shirt collar and knotted it up, he realised how much he missed it. Pulling the knot tight so that it cuddled his neck in a good way; running his paws methodically and repeatedly along it so that his pads felt each and every little weave, bump and divot; smelling the fresh yet still cosily old fabric while his ears drooped down… Nick closed his eyes and remembered… He remembered the love, the care, the loss… He remembered the last words and the hug… and the promise. A stray paw reached up to his bare neck and slowly ran along it… he'd never stopped dreaming, hadn't he? And look at the silly thing he'd gone and done. Nick just let his breath and heartrate slow, steadying them out as he mellowed. He let his mind empty of thoughts and worries and, smiling as he did, slowly pulled up the end of the tie and gently kissed the golden initials embroided into the fabric.

"Nick!"

He jolted awake again, glancing around before his eyes dropped, fixing themselves on Judy before he spoke out surprised. "That was quick!"

"No… usual time…"

Pausing, Nick fished into the bag and brought out his watch, his face tuckering up as he did so. "Yup. usual time… and Judy…" Turning to face her, Nick gave a quick smile before bending down and gently hugging her, his muzzle resting over her shoulder and their chins gently rubbing.

"… Thankyou…"

.

.

A dozen or so minutes later, Nick's red sports car roared along the road, turning left as it made its way onto the long bay bridge before picking up speed. As Nick drove along, Judy in the car seat and four pairs of ears flapping in the wind, his head turned slightly as it made out the shape of a familiar warehouse down on the shorefront down below. Its roof was now filled with multiple windows to let in natural light, new attractions and buildings stood in the empty space that lay outside which was once used for loading goods in and out, while the speedy care on top had been done up as a proper entrance rather than the fake front it had been. Never the less, the place down below was still Wild Times. His Wild Times. Or rather, Wilder times, as it was now called. The place where Predators had come to have fun without the fear of their collars going off, now ready to reopen once more.

"Glad to be back?"

Nick's ears pricked as he turned to face Judy, before shrugging and looking forwards. "Yeh…" he replied quietly, as he mused over everything. Seeing as everyone knew about it now, and the whole no collar thing was entirely legal, Nick had made it a legitimate business. But that had been a lot harder than it sounded and cost huge amounts of money. First off, at Judy's behest they'd had to pay all the back taxes and business rates they'd previously avoided, which ate up a big chunk of their savings. Then there was the issue of building and safety codes, which had meant rebuilding or changing many of the rides. Thankfully there was nothing that needed to be removed, but some of the required safety upgrades, especially for the Cat-A-Pult, had still taken a long, long time. Clawhauser, Honey and Nick himself had all designed and built a few new rides as well, and that had thinned down their savings further. They were still well off, no doubt about it, but Nick silently thanked himself for paying off Kozlov quickly and easily, getting himself a place forever on the mobster's good side.

"Nick, it'll be fine!"

Turning around to face her, Nick gave a small smile that faded as he turned back to face the road ahead.

"I'm serious…" Judy continued, "half the force was asking me for opening night tickets."

Nick coughed in surprise, his eyes widening as he turned to face Judy again. "I… I… but they're all Prey…"

"So?" Judy said before scowling, "you're not..."

"NO, NO… not that! I mean, I was worried about pulling in enough of the Pred crowd now that our service is no longer unique… but a load of Prey right off the bat as well?"

"I guess they want to live a little on the wild side…"

Nick chuckled slightly and smiled back, his grin wide and firm this time as he relaxed, before relaxing further as Judy spoke some more.

"I mean… you've been building some Prey themed rides haven't you?"

"Well, Clawhauser and Honey mostly," Nick replied as he turned off the main road, making his way towards the entrance. "We've got some bucking Bronco's that mammals can hold onto for as long as they can. We've used some fans to make skydiving simulators for smaller mammals, I think that flying squirrels will really love those. And for you, I designed something called the warren weave."

"Warren weave…?" Judy asked curiously, as they turned into the car park and slotted into the nearest bay.

"Oh, it's this big 3D maze for rabbit sized mammals that shifts and tilts and switches about, and there's all kinds of things like air blasts and little attractions inside... Finnick says it's great!"

"Sounds fun," Judy chuckled, unbuckling her belt and getting out as Nick did the same. "What about stuff for your regular crowd?"

"Well, I was lacking something specifically for fellow vulpines, so I've set up this multi-level snow diving thing. Do you know hard it…" Nick's eager voice suddenly trailed off to a whisper as he stood and froze still, his body shifting around to face the former Speedy Care. Judy, looking up at him as he did so, stepped back cautiously as she realised that something was very wrong. The confident fox she knew now seemed very weak and helpless, his mouth and eyes trembling and one of his paw's clutching his tie tight, fussing with it furiously as he tried to calm himself down. His tail was hanging limp and his ears pulled back, while he blinked furiously as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. Judy began to rush around the car to see what was wrong before stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes fixed on the two figures by the entrance to the former Speedycare. Sitting together, eyes closed as they hugged each other in a tender embrace, were a pair of foxes. For a moment, the world seemed to pause before the darker of the pair happened to glance up, before standing up with his companion in tow as he spotted them, both their reactions just the same as Nick's. While she'd read up about Nick's personal life when she'd been tracking him, her mind seemed to freeze until Nick, chocking with shock and cocking his head sharply to his side out of confusion, managed to utter out two quiet words.

"Mum…. Paps…."

.

Nick just stood there, looking over at the strangers in front of him, his head still fixed in a confused tilt. Deep down, he realized who they were but… it just seemed impossible. For every year he'd spent with them, he'd spent three alone. For every time he'd wished they'd been beside him, he'd told himself a thousand times that they might as well be dead. Even after the changes, the news report, everything… He'd hammered out the notion that he'd ever see them again for so long that the idea things might change…

But here they were… They looked like strangers, their once fine clothes seemed so pale and worn while their once vivid fur seemed so dull and grey, all patchy and riven with silver hairs. But looking past their now gaunt figures and tired eyes… it was them. It truly, deep down was them.

For their part, they looked equally confused as well, their heads tilting sharply too as they looked back. The last time they'd seen their little boy in person was when he was still a kit, no more than eight. And then, after twenty-four years separated from him and each other, he's all over the news on the little TV's in their cells. After crying for him, then cheering for him, then holding their breath for weeks as they hope nothing else comes up… he pops out in the middle of a stadium full of mammals, gets his collar removed and everyone cheers. Then their collars come off too, then they're release into the open world after so, so long. There's only one place they can think to go after so long, the place they knew their son might turn up at and here they meet each other, reuniting after so much time apart, crying into their lover's arms for hours until a car with a familiar Fox turns up. Some part of them couldn't believe that he was who they knew he was too, some part still hoped that they would see their little Kit as if the misery of the last two decades and a half had never happened, but deep down they knew too. It was him. Truly, deep down they knew. It was their son, all grown up, brave, tall and handsome.

.

Back by the car, Judy discretely pulled back as she watched the reunion unfold. It seemed so quiet, so still, until the Fox that must have been Nick's father righted his head, took a few tentative steps forward and weakly spoke out.

"Nick…."

Nick too brought his head back onto the level, his ears flopping slightly as they returned to their upright standing, and he took a few steps forward, slowly as he did it before replying, his voice beginning to waver slightly, cut off by a sniff or two, as he broke down. "Dad…."

There was a pause, and then they all ran at each other. Three Foxes… three members of a once happy family that had been cruelly torn apart… three mammals who loved each other… racing out to meet each other after so long adrift.

As he slammed into them, Nick held his arms out wide and took both his parents into a wide hug, clinging to them tightly as if he never planned to let go again. Two pairs of arms wrapped around him in return, two heads straining up to reach over his tall shoulders and pull in close, their furry cheeks rubbing and fussing against his as they embraced. Nick had been breaking down before, but now he was bawling and crying out loud, Judy's ears picking up each and every one of the tear strained sobs that racked his body.

"I… I missed you…" he wailed, "I missed you every single day and… and… I never… I never thought… that… that… I love you! I've always loved you…! Please never go away again… please…"

As Nick cried, the tears pouring freely out of his closed eyes and dripping down his fur, his mother cried too, just sobbing silently into his neck as she held her precious Kit tighter and tighter. Judy could see his father's eyes water up too as he spoke out, his proud voice wavering as he went.

"I… I missed you too son… you… you didn't stop dreaming… you never stopped, didn't you…?"

"No…" Nick tried to reply, his response coming out as more of a wail as he tugged his parents in even tighter, "I didn't and… did I make you proud… did I make you proud Paps…"

"You… you did son… you really did but please stop crying… cause… if you cry and mum cries then I…" he paused slightly, letting one paws rise up and brush the side of his neck, before he nestled into his son some more. "I LOVE YOU….!." he screamed, before he too broke down into tears.

.

As Judy looked on at the three, each one holding each other with their arms and tails embracing as they shed tear after tear, their voices replaced by tragic, heartfelt wails, she sniffed slightly as she felt herself begin to tear up, turning and walking away as she did so.

"Foxes…" she managed to say through a stifled sob as she rubbed under her nose, before tears began to flow from her sad, sad eyes as she too broke down and cried. "So emotional….."