Welcome to Zootopia Chapter 35: Fishing with Nick and a Warning
The sun was shining brightly in the blue and cloudless sky above the city of Zootopia, I breathed in the city life air and I walked with Nick through a busy street filled with lots of pedestrians and cars.
By walking, I kinda feel like more of an escort, a bodyguard, since everyone we were walking by moved out of our way.
Then again, I'm actually a Dire Wolf but no one needs to know that, not yet at least.
Nick was still holding the blue plastic box he had from before which contained bait and other fishing supplies we would need like our fishing rods.
Me and Nick stood at a zebra crossing and we waited for the lights to go green for pedestrians to walk across the road.
I could feel myself getting some glances from curious onlookers, but they kept their distance since I was with Nick, the first Fox Officer and part of the Wilde/Hopps dynamic duo in the Zootopia Police Department.
I felt the gentle spring breeze rub against my smooth and soft fur, giving me goosebumps.
Wait, do animals actually get goosebumps? I guess they do in this world.
I even got glances from other Wolves who stared at me with fascination, thinking to themselves "I want to be like him!"
I was letting my thoughts take over since we were waiting a long time, I began to think about my future.
I'd probably have to start going to school some time soon, as much as I hate it, I have to, I could make new friends and learn more about Zootopia, the only things I know about Zootopia is that Humans don't exist.
Or do they?
Maybe they do, just in secret, or maybe they have an entire country to themselves in this world.
If I ever got an Atlas map book, I could take a look across this world and find out.
I also wondered, who is the main culprit behind the Wolf hate movement? In my free time, Judy told me that it started a day before I arrived in Zootopia.
Is that a coincidence? Maybe, or maybe not.
The lights turned green and soon everyone was walking across the road, keeping clear of me.
Jesus Christ, it's not like because I'm gargantuan means that I'm going to attack someone when they least expect it.
I had to be careful when walking since a lot of mammals were walking and talking on their phones, and I didn't want to bump into any of them, last time that happened, I was tased.
I know citizens have rights to defend themselves, but they shouldn't use public weaponry for intimidating others.
As I, quote on quote, escorted Nick through a busy street, Nick told me that we were close to our destination.
I saw a green sign that read "Savannah National Park" in bold white, he was taking me to a park so we could go fishing.
I had never gone fishing before, there's a first time for everything I suppose.
After walking past some houses in a clean neighbourhood, I saw where Nick was taking me.
And it gave me thoughts of Déjà vu.
Me and Nick now stood in front of a beautiful park, there were many tall, green and healthy trees standing tall and ancient in the park, their green leaves reflected the light of the sun and they shined bright green, the grass was recently cut and the morning dew was starting to become visible in the air, there were some Mammals out in the park, parents walking with their children and telling them stories about animals that lived in those forests long ago when they were still 'savage', there were some nice and lush green hills that had great views of the surrounding area of the park, there were also some ponds of nice clean water that shined sapphire blue from the cloudless sky above, some Mammals could be seen skipping stones and fishing aboard boats, heck, some were swimming in the water.
There was a stone people walkway that led throughout the entire park, partnered with wooden benches, bins and the occasional litter on the ground.
I swear to God, some people 'cough' Mammals have no respect for the environment.
"What do you think?" Nick asked as we walked onto the grass which tickled in between my toes.
"I wasn't expecting the place where we were going fishing was going to be like this! It actually reminds me of a place back when I was still a Human" I said as I observed by my surroundings.
The air was so clean, there was no hint of air pollution at all, it was just so perfect when you inhaled and exhaled.
"Really? What was that place called?" Nick asked curiously as we made our way to the stone walkway.
"It was called Glendalough, it is a Glacial carved Valley in a County called Wicklow, you'd call a County a State, or a County just by itself, depends on who you ask, and it is renowned for early Medieval Monastic settlement that dates as far as the 6th century" I said as Nick's face showed an intrigued look.
"The 6th century? That's pretty ancient" Nick said with surprise.
"Yeah, Ireland is known for its ancient and mysterious behaviour, but everyone else just assumes we're just a bunch of people who love potatoes and alcohol, and that's the general stereotype, but in reality, not every Irishman and women likes alcohol and potatoes were the only food the Irish had when the British ruled Ireland" I said, sounding a little angry.
"Yikes Aiden, calm down" Nick said as he placed his paws slightly in the air.
"Sorry, Ireland's past isn't a happy one, life for the old Irish known as the Celts was perfect, but then the British came in and ruined everything, they made plantations and forced the Irish people to move to the west to Connacht, they called it 'To hell or to Connacht", well, I call it forcing innocent people out of their homes" I said as I tried to remain calm.
"Wow, that's not fair" Nick said with a hint of sympathy.
"It's History, unfortunately, Ireland's as I said before, isn't a happy one" I said.
Me and Nick eventually made it to the stone walkway and we made our way to where we were going to do our fishing.
I spotted some butterflies flying around the park and children were chasing after them, some of them even caught them and let them go again.
I couldn't help but smile at the sight of happy children, it reminded me when I was a child, when I could be happy, when I was free.
Now, I'm a Dire Wolf, I mean, that's pretty cool and all, but it's also sad.
My mother lost her only child, and I'm worried she won't be able to live it down, knowing she failed to protect her son.
But she can at least live knowing I'm in a better place, which is not heaven since I've been given a second chance.
Anyways, enough talking, me and Nick walked on the stone walkway and we both felt the sun shining on our fur and we felt our fur bristle in the soft wind that blew in the air.
But there are some questions I do have.
Since I'm 2 years into the future of Zootopia, what has happened in that time period?
What events took place? What political matters took place? The list goes on and on but I'll find out in the future eventually.
I wonder how Honey is doing, I hope she's safe and enjoying herself.
We caught a few glances from curious onlookers in the park, I mean, I won't brag but I am taller compared to Nick.
Some kids that were playing around, which consisted of some bunnies and other prey animals like Deer stopped in their tracks just to look at the tall Wolf walking with his Daddy Fox in the park.
I swear I could hear one of them whisper "He's a walking tower!"
"Maybe he's a big friendly giant?" another voice whispered.
I ignored their comments and moved on.
Me and Nick were now walking through a forest path, I couldn't help but feel at home in the woods.
I guess it's because I'm an Animal that I get that feeling, and boy it felt strange.
I could smell the wooden scent off the trees and it was quite soothing.
I listened to the birds singing and watched the butterflies dancing through the air.
Our padded feet gently pounced against the stone path laid out in the forest, my claws along with Nick's tapped against the ground too.
"It's beautiful isn't it? I took Judy here and on that same day, I proposed to her" Nick said as a big happy smile formed on his muzzle.
"Really? Congrats" I said in a cheerful tone.
"Yeah, it was the best day of my life, the setting was perfect, and I executed it perfectly, me and Judy do plan on having kids soon but since we're working full time, it's not that easy, but then I found you" Nick said as he smiled up at me.
"And your wish came true" I said to finish the sentence.
"Exactly, actually, now that I think about it, these woods are infamous for strange occurrences" Nick said as he looked up into the sky.
"Really? Like what?" I asked curiously.
"UFO sightings and even Alien sightings, but I don't really believe in that kind of stuff" Nick said as he rubbed his neck as he had an itch.
"I'm not surprised, that coming from an ex-con Fox" I said as I bantered.
"And that coming from a Giant Wolf? Please!" Nick bantered back as we both started laughing.
I was actually having fun already, me and Nick were spending some father and son time together and it felt great.
"So, this is what having a Dad feels like" I thought to myself happily as we walked through the forest.
Me and Nick eventually arrived at a decently sized fresh water pond, I could already see some fish swimming in the water.
I could feel my hunting instincts starting to take control, it was tempting to go into savage mode and hunt the fish by waiting for them to swim close to me where I would launch my muzzle into the water and launch the fish out of the water.
But I couldn't go savage in a public area, everyone would freak out and scream like babies.
While there was no one else around the pond, I decided to play it safe.
There was a small pier nearby and Nick said that's where we were going to set up shop.
We walked alongside the rather large pond and I looked at my reflection in the water.
I saw a Dire Wolf in the reflection looking back right at me, the fur on his face and muzzle was black and white, tattoos could be seen at the bottom of his neck and his teeth glinted in the sunshine.
"Whoa, I never noticed until now since I never got a good look, but you have some sharp teeth" Nick said as he looked up at me.
He was right, my teeth were in fact very sharp, sharper than a sword nearly.
"Yeah, but you got a front row ticket of seeing me in action" I said as I pointed out the prank I pulled on Nick yesterday.
"Yeah, but jeez, I thought I was done for!" Nick said.
"You did ask to see my wolfliness, and you did, just you got a savage bonus" I said as I smirked at him.
"You're not wrong there, Dire Wolves must've meant a lot of business back then with teeth like that" Nick said to change the subject.
"Yeah, I honestly don't know much about Dire Wolves, other than the fact that they are the biggest canine Predators the world has ever known" I said pointing out a fact.
"Not wrong there, but, sigh" Nick said as he sighed at the end of his sentence.
"What's wrong Dad?" I asked as I put my paw on his shoulder.
"Sorry, it's just, you know the Wolf Discrimination act that's happening right now?" Nick asked in a serious tone like he meant it.
"Yeah, why?" I asked as I made full eye contact with him.
"Turns out, it's a setup, the culprit responsible was actually a Sheep dressed in a Wolf suit" Nick said which made my eyes open wide.
"Wait, hold up, someone actually dressed as a Wolf and attacked innocent kids? Just so society would start hating on Wolves in Zootopia?" I asked realising the revelation.
"That's just it, a Wolf in Sheep's clothing" Nick said as he faced foward.
"More like a Sheep in Wolves clothing" I said to make the statement make more sense.
"Ha, that's a good one" Nick said as we eventually arrived at the pier.
The wooden planks that made the pier were new and strong, I was a bit nervous knowing that I'm close to swimming in water if I fall off the pier but at least I know how to swim.
Me and Nick walked to the end of the pier and he set down the blue box that contained our fishing supplies.
I took one of the rods out of the box and stretched it out over the water, just to get used to holding it.
"Alright, you know how to fish?" Nick asked as he held his rod.
"No" I said with a hint of sadness.
"Don't be sad about it, first time for everything, first, you need some bait which will give you a better chance of catching something" Nick said as he took a glass jar full of worms and opened the jar full of worms.
"Ugh, that's disgusting" I said as I nearly gagged at the sight of all the worms wriggling around in the jar.
"It is, but if you want some fish, you gotta grab one" Nick said as he placed one at the end of his hook and set it into the water.
"Okay, it's just a worm, it's just a worm, it's just a worm" I kept thinking to myself over and over again to remain calm.
I grabbed one of the worms from the jar and I felt it wriggling around on my fingers.
It was disgusting, but I had to do it.
I placed it at the end of my hook and like Nick, I set it into the water.
Now all we had to do was wait.
Judy's point of view...
Judy returned back to her house after finally getting some supplies needed for the party after a long time searching many stores for the right products.
While she did get normal supplies like eggs, milk, some fruits and vegetables along with different kinds of meat made from bugs, she also got some birthday supplies as well.
She got the birthday cake candle which was number 14, she also got birthday cone hats, banners, confetti poppers and birthday kazoos.
She walked into the kitchen with 2 brown shopping bags and set them on the table.
She then took out her phone and decided to text Nick.
"Hey Nick! Finished getting the supplies for Aiden's birthday, where are you?" Judy texted onto her phone.
She sent the message and waited for a reply.
"I took Aiden fishing in the same park I proposed to you in" Nick texted back.
"You did? Aren't you a great Dad?" Judy texted back with happiness.
"I am, since it's a late night party, you should start setting up the party itself, get everyone there right now and I'll keep Aiden stalled until 8:00PM" Nick texted back.
"How are you going to keep him stalled for that long?" Judy texted.
"I have my ways, I'll make something work" Nick texted.
"Okay, I'll make some calls, bye!" Judy texted as she out her phone back in her pocket.
Judy was about to start taking out the birthday decorations but her ears then twitched a little at a sound behind her.
Something tapped on the window.
"I thought I told those kids to stop pranking me" Judy nearly said with frustration as she walked over to the window.
When she got to the window, she was met with an unfriendly sight.
There was a piece of paper attached to the window, and there were words written onto it in red pen and in block capitals.
It read "WE ARE WATCHING YOU, JUDITH LAVERNE HOPPS, WE KNOW YOUR SON'S SECRET, WE KNOW HIS ORIGINS, HE NEVER TOLD YOU, HUMANS HUNT ANIMALS FOR SPORT AND THEY EAT ANIMALS TOO, HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU CAN TRUST HIM? YOU MUST DUMP HIM, UNLESS YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH"
"What? Who's watching?" Judy said to herself as she backed away from the window.
"How do you know my son's secret? But, Humans hunt and eat animals? No, that's a lie, Aiden's honest with me, he wouldn't attack me when he went savage, you're a liar whoever you are!" Judy said confidently to herself as she opened the window and took the sheet of paper and crumpled it.
"I'm not going to let some jerk threaten me, no one will stand in the way of my motherhood" Judy said as she took out her phone and dialed in her Mothers phone number to invite her over to the house to help set up the decorations.
While she doesn't know who placed that letter there, she thought it was just some jerk playing with her.
My point of view...
As of now, me and Nick are still fishing, I don't know how long it has been, but I feel like it's been forever as I haven't caught anything, yet Nick was catching lots of small fish and putting them into a metal bucket next to him.
"You're pretty good at fishing huh?" I asked since I was getting really bored.
"Yup, I had to fish when I when I was a bad Fox, and I got so used to it that I mostly fished to get my protein" Nick said as he smiled at me.
"That makes sense, but I'm catching absolutely nothing" I said with disappointment as I brought my line back out of the water
"Take you time Aiden, God had all the time in the world" Nick said to give me some encouragement.
"Yeah, but I don't know if he had to fish" I said.
"Other than that, set your line back out and maybe you'll get lucky" Nick said as he set his line out after baiting it with a worm.
I put some bait on my hook and launched the line out into the pond.
I waited, and then I felt something.
"Oh! Looks like you got a bite!" Nick said, pointing at the line that was moving up and done.
I started to unwind the reel as fast as I could so I could catch the fish and bring it out of the water.
But it was putting up a fight.
"Oh! I think it's a big one!" I said as I nearly fell into the water and backed up just in time.
I kept unwinding the reel and I thought I was about to get the fish out of the water.
But it fought back, it gave one last powerful pull and it took me into the water.
I got an awful surprise when I felt myself falling through the air and into the water below, luckily I was close to the shore so it wasn't deep.
But that doesn't mean I'll get wet.
I fell heads first into the water, you know the strange feeling you get when your head is underwater? That's what I'm feeling right now, I could keep my eyes open underwater so that was good.
I launched out of the water as fast as I could and took a breath in of air, something that is not in water, well, for a mammal.
"Aiden?! Are you alright?" Nick asked as he tried to hold back his laughter.
I coughed and spluttered out "Yeah, I'm fine! It's not like I got pulled into the water by a fish!" as I made my way to the shore.
I could hear Nick laughing, but I didn't care.
I felt very embarrassed, me, as a Dire Wolf, was bested by a fish!
How am I going to live this down?
I felt my shirt beginning to stick to my wet fur underneath it, same with my trousers, I was shivering heavily since the water crawled underneath my fur.
I trudged my way to the shore and I shook my body of all the water that was trapped in my fur, stretching my fur outwards as if I was electrocuted.
Bad thing about having fur all over your body, it takes absolutely forever to dry when it's wet.
I saw Nick walking towards me from the pier, and he had a big smile on his muzzle.
"What's gotten you so happy?" I asked as I took off my shirt since it was really sticking to my body and it was getting annoying.
"I grabbed your rod when you fell in and I pulled the fish out of the water, and it was a big one" Nick said as he pointed up to the pier.
I wrapped up my shirt and carried it with me as Nick led me back onto the pier and I saw the fish that I was trying to catch on the pier, wriggling around, trying to get back into the water.
"Whoa, that fish is nearly bigger than you!" I said with surprise as I lightly shivered.
"It is, and did you have a nice swim?" Nick asked with a banterous tone.
"Real funny, I should've taken you with me" I bantered back.
We laughed with joy afterwards and we were just enjoying our time fishing.
While I was drenched, I didn't really care because I was too happy spending time with with Nick.
Guess I'm gone fishing.