"Zootopia is a big place. Insanely huge. And not only is it huge but also dense, clocking in at a population of nearly fifty million mammals, big and small alike. It's ninety percent prey, and thanks to my grade school math class, I know that means there're five million predators present at any given time. Let that sink in, everybunny: you could be sharing any one of its three hundred square miles with at least sixteen thousand preds. Don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are preds… so you, too, had best make some friends before hopping that train. Check the link below for citybound bunnies and other prey; we've got plenty of pred allies who are looking out for us little guys. Also, be sure to watch my previous video on how not come across as a total country bumpkin (should pop up in one of these boxes), and don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. So stay lucky, everybunny, and I'll see you on the flip side."
Bo Briar closed the ZooTube app and unplugged his earbuds, carefully wrapping them around his paw for storage in a specified pouch of his backpack, and then tucking his phone into a jeans pocket. Luckily, he had plenty of friends awaiting him in the city, both predator and prey alike: Judy, Nick, Gideon, Graham, Lory… maybe he'll get a chance to see Simon again, and of course, when they rescue Esther, she'll also be there. Still, he couldn't quell his anxiety as he gazed out the window, the trees finally giving way to the grand, open area.
Glittering skyscrapers breeched the mountainside as the Bunnyburrow train rounded over the Zootopian Sound. It's said that the true origin of Zootopia was actually much farther inland and spread downriver as its mercantile presence grew; that when the first architects envisioned the skyline, they stood on that very same mountainside and said: "There, that's where she'll be." Bo spent hours training both his body and spirit to compete in the Mammalian Martial Arts circuit and when he rested, he honed his mind with Zootopian metropolitan history from college textbooks and ZooTube videos. There was no time to farm carrots or dig up rocks for Bo Briar, but more to the point… he didn't want his thoughts wandering…
Scorching sandstorms of Sahara Square billowed and bustled about on their scheduled shifting of the dunes. And Bo marveled at the shimmering Palm Casino & Hotel, built around a tree that stood before Zootopia's first cornerstone was ever laid, said to have been the home of an ancient healing house. He thought about all the celebrities and historical figures who passed through that very building, from tycoons to royalty, senators to dictators, movie stars and star athletes… instead of thinking about who waited for him at the train station.
Frigid ice walls of Tundratown stood in a deathly calm, the settled snow reflecting a sea of light from the overhead sun. And Bo marveled at the towering Matterhorn, a mountain both natural and constructed to reach the elevations needed for a yearly cold atmosphere. Gondolas streamed from one place to the next (all out of reach of the train) with countless establishments and dwellings checkered in between. He thought about the scientific advances made on the road to developing so large an area that could be kept cold in a less-than-optimal latitude, paving the way for cooling technologies and power preservation… instead of thinking about the side of his family already in the city.
One-thousand-foot falls of the Rainforest District, from the vernal canopy and endless network of interlocking branches to the winding river far below, broad and beautiful. And Bo marveled at the weeping Twin Falls, whence the train originated betwixt, fed from continuous snowmelt. Dirigibles buoyed along in the thick humidity, carrying precious parcels between the scattered treetop "buildings" integrated into the very plantlife. He thought about the infamous airship races (hosted by the long-since dead Corlione family, who once ruled the jungle like the kings of old) that were nowadays akin to soapbox-derbies for local Junior Ranger Scout troops… instead of thinking about an entirely different lineage that he never knew he was a part of.
"Wanna run through your drills?"
Naw, not on the train, Bo decided, donning his glow-in-the-dark sunglasses to protect against the suddenly sunny sky of Savannah Central. He then crossed his arms and buried his face into them to watch the passing buildings.
"Oh! There goes Grass Street, home of the Todderbon Mill Riots. Who knew that a matchstick factory could be such a political tinderbox?"
Bo gasped, ears springing as he pressed his face to the glass. They actually kept the gaping hole in the factory wall for posterity! And even fashioned it into a modern art sculpture of the building's very decorum, overseen by… He paused and sighed, propping up his cheeks in his palms.
"By… Franklin Llama Wright, right?"
The chocolate bunny snickered. Yeah, that's him. Llamas really are at the forefront of modern design, aren't they? There's him, Nathan DeCoyote… heck, Georgia O'Klefte was recognized as the 'Mother of Modernism'…
"Stop worrying."
I can't, okay? Bo huffed, flopping back onto the train seat, I was born in Knotash but I'll always be a farmbunny. The Briars of Deerbrooke are one thing but the Lapises? They still have a noble line in Liondon! How am I supposed to live up to that?
"…Well, how else are you supposed to face insurmountable odds?"
Except I can't 'try again until I can do no more and then try one last time' with citybunnies… If I mess this up - like I always do - how can I ever look the Felix in the eye?
"For starters, it's 'Uncle Ozzy', he said so himself. So long as you remember that, the rest should be easier than falling off a log."
Oh, yeah… I'm still wrapping my brain around the Felix being my uncle… and calling him 'Ozzy'. It just feels so disrespectful…
"And you'll have Judy to help you."
Bo blushed and smiled. Yeah… I will have Judy. And Nick and Gideon and Simon… Gosh, it feels funny to have so many mammals I can trust… and so many foxes, at that! He laughed and sat up as the Savannah Central Station was called for the next stop, We made a pact, after all… a sacred bond on that Night Howler in the whipped cream… It's just too bad I didn't also get a 'Dawson', but then, I didn't actually digest it, like what Dr. Honey said after I was tested, he recalled, having never reported seeing any "free-acting hallucinations" like Judy, Nick, or Simon did. He grabbed his bag to leave the solitude of the seating area above the main car.
Of all of the lines managed by the Zootopia Transit Authority, there is none as sparsely populated by stops as the one from Bunnyburrows, due largely to its purpose as - how its operators and passengers often refer to it - "a freight train with padded seats". While most routes - like the Animalia Line and the Inner Loop - frequent mammals and social hubs, it is produce and shipping depots that claim the Bunnyburrows train's fame. And though it does travel through the major ecosystems surrounding City Center, terminating at Savannah Central, a ride on the appropriately titled "Zootopia Loop" gives a proper city tour (something already on Bo's itinerary, at the earliest opportunity).
He joined other rabbits and similar small species exiting the train, ears up amidst the cacophony of thumping feet calling for their respective loved ones. His eyes brightened to find Judy, standing beside a familiar older buck and an… unfamiliar cat. It wasn't too long before Judy launched herself at him, arching high through the air to be caught as though she were no heavier than pillow but spun about with all the care of a porcelain vase. A kiss was shared as she was dipped, ear tips brushing the ground as her foot kicked high.
"For crying out loud, you saw each other a couple of days ago," Felix Oswald Lapis teased, laughing as he adjusted the dingy baseball cap on his head. Though an iconic rabbit throughout the city, he melded seamlessly into the long-eared crowds not only in demeanor but also attire, boasting a pair of blue weathered shorts and an everyday red button-up shirt.
"But I miss my Bobo~" Judy answered in her most saccharine baby voice and then proceeded to sit on his sturdy shoulders, for they had squared at attention.
"Blest be, Fe-!" the larger rabbit initiated, choked on it and the stern look he received, immediately correcting himself with a more casual slouch, "I mean… hi, Uncle Ozzy. Sorry."
Uncle Ozzy smiled, as an older relative might, and waved his paw to dismiss the concern. "Good to see you healthy and spry, Bo. If I may, let me introduce you to this lovely lady," he continued, gesturing to the dark-furred wildcat standing nearby.
"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
"The pleasure's mine, Bo, and please, call me 'Sadie'," she insisted, holding out a lighter-furred paw for further introductions, not needing to stoop too far as she was not especially tall for her species and Bo was rather large for a rabbit. Her floral-print pink dress matched a short-brimmed pink hat, which boasted a single flower sitting in its band. "Ozzy, how come I don't get to ride on your shoulders?"
"Maybe if I was younger," he mused as they meandered toward a nondescript family sedan of classic make, sized for the four of them to sit comfortably, "Oh! Bo, right," Uncle Ozzy then continued when they were all comfortably seated (and the traveler's pack under their feet in the back seat), "It slipped my mind that you wouldn't know this, but Sadie is my mate."
Brown ears sprung as he gasped. "I wish you'd told me sooner, I could've given her a proper hug! She is my Aunt Sadie, after all," he immediately said and then considered, glimpsing Judy's expectant arch of the eyebrows, "But you didn't because it's not… public?"
Sadie tittered some and then smiled at Oswald. "Not yet. He's still the Felix, I didn't want him to choose between me and his responsibilities," she explained over the back of the seat.
"But," he then interjected, "I'll be retiring after this whole… thing concludes," and gave both Judy and Bo significant glances while backing out of the train station parking lot, "which will free me up to make Sadie an official Lapis. This year will be an exciting time for the family, to say the least," and grinned at his nephew through the rearview mirror.
"And don't worry," Aunt Sadie tacked on, flicking her paw to the younger rabbits behind her, "I only know enough about this thing to help keep the secret. 'Partners in crime' and all that."
"So…" Judy energetically pressed, leaning forward on her seatbelt, "now that we're away from prying ears, how did you two meet?"
The older mammals in the front seat exchanged a patient but tender expression. "She's only going to keep asking," Aunt Sadie said.
Uncle Ozzy exaggerated a sigh as they slowed for a yellow light, even if the lilt in his voice was not entirely annoyed. "After losing my first wife, I was the ardent pillar of support for all of our children - biological and adopted - so I repressed my own grief for their benefit. The only way I knew how to deal with it was work, so I buried my head and didn't stop until it was up to my ankles; a classic case of self-destructive workaholism. Hexward grew by leaps and bounds and it was during that boom of 'medical miracles' that I apprenticed for and then assumed the role of Felix. And so my repressed grief was packed down even further.
"Cue Buckley Stagmire, my obnoxiously clever business partner, who deemed my catharsis a necessity but the only way he could accomplish it was if it also involved work. So, he dragged me along to a holiday party hosted by one of the most prominent bankers in the city, whereat I could network and find investors for Hexward," Uncle Ozzy said and then smiled up at Aunt Sadie, "Little did I know that the Stars Above would send that old miser's daughter to help me find love again."
Judy gushed and Bo chuckled bashfully, studying them as he was (and though it wasn't visible, they likely held paws in the front seat).
"He was clever, quick, polite…" Aunt Sadie reminisced, "Neither of us had any idea what would come of it, at first, until I came to know and love the true Oswald Lapis. When he lost Mary-Anne, he fully confided the depths of his grief in me, and not long after that we decided to spend the rest of our lives together…" She then sighed and rolled her eyes. "Which was around the time that my father stopped thinking the world of Ozzy."
Bo snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute, I read about one of the biggest bankers in the city… you're not Ortensia Whiskerski, are you? Daughter of J. P. Whiskerski?" he then gasped and then Judy gasped.
Aunt Sadie shied and nodded. "Oh dear, I've been found out…" she teased.
"Why didn't Mr. Whiskerski approve of the mateship?" Judy dared to ask.
"To be fair," Uncle Ozzy once more interjected, "whatever bias he might've had, he only wanted for Sadie's wellbeing. I needn't remind either of you that some bunnies can be vicious gossipers," he pointed out and both younger rabbits quietly concurred, "Besides… if it got out that his daughter was romanticly involved with a prestigious business partner - such as the Felix - it could jeopardize the integrity of us both, regardless of the facts."
"Then that means…" Judy reasoned.
"Yes, we've been affianced for over twenty years," Aunt Sadie confessed, "and I'll wait another twenty if that's what it takes to be with my Hunny Bunny."
Judy quietly gushed. "It's really the 'Felix' title that's between you two, right now, isn't it?"
"That's right," Uncle Ozzy said as he pulled into the unloading zone of the Underyard apartments, "but I think that's enough chatter for now. I was hoping for something a bit more lighthearted but we can cover that at dinner tonight."
She and Bo hopped out and he shrugged on his backpack. "Sounds great!" he immediately said.
"Spectacular. Be sure to get your suit ironed beforehand, we'll be dining with the Stagmires and Bucky Jr. is still trying to acclimate his father to 'civilized society'," Uncle Ozzy explained, "Sharp as a whip but I'm afraid he's gone a bit naturalist."
Bo choked back a snicker and Judy elbowed his side. "Don't worry, we'll be dressed up," she assured and then they both waved after the departing car. With a turn of the heel, either bunny traversed Underyard's lobby, signed him in (with the appropriate IDs and signatures for permanent residence, along with a spare key), and took a moment to marvel at the solar-panel tower at the very center.
"This place is amazing, especially seeing the real thing. Did you know that Graham designed it? I about fainted when I found out," he said, sneaking one last glimpse at the rotating panels before she closed the apartment door behind them, "But, umm… what did Uncle Ozzy mean by 'my suit'?"
"You know, your nice clothes," Judy assumed, "that I figured you sent ahead or… will pick up later today, along with the rest of your stuff. You said you had everything packed and handled for moving into the city," but then asked of his blanching grimace, "You don't have a suit?"
"No…" he confessed and shrugged off his bag, "this is all I brought."
"You had a suit for Grandpa Reggie's memorial," Judy recalled, "So I told Uncle Ozzy that you had one."
"That was borrowed; most of my stuff is," Bo said, jostling his meager luggage, "These are a few work clothes, my medical bracelet, a towel, and the Captain Warren comic books I bought at the TBR. I returned the Burrow Watch outfit and gear, the bedroll," he counted off on his fingers and then whispered, "I even borrow a phone charger, more often than not."
Judy hummed her recalculation but it didn't take much to grin a sly grin. "Well, looks like you need yourself some fancy duds in a hurry and I just so happen to know a guy who knows a guy," she said, cocking her hips to one side and slipping her phone from a pocket, tossing it once into the air (fumbling it, catching it, and barely recovering her confident stance), and dialed up someone important. "Hey Slick, how ya' doin'?" she asked, activating the speaker-phone.
"Doin' swell, Carrots," Nick answered around bites, "I almost beat your record for parking tickets in a single morning and just got home for lunch. Say 'Hi', Mom," he said.
"'Hi, Mom'," Jackie responded, her voice somewhat distant.
"Hi, Jackie," Judy greeted.
"Hi, Mrs. Wilde," Bo agreed, joining the conversation.
"Hello, sweeties." A door opened in the background. "Nicky, no phones at the table."
"Shame you didn't want a big welcome, Punch," Nick lamented, "So, what can I do for you lovebirds?"
"Well, I think I mistyped John's number into my phone, so I'll need to get it from you," Judy answered, "You see, Bo needs a nice suit and I know it's last-minute but-" she proceeded to explain, ears then springing at the sudden storm of footsteps, a surprised yelp, and a great clatter.
"'Bo needs a nice suit', you say? Tell me more," John Wilde suavely insisted.
"Mom! Dad's on the table," Nick griped.
"Honey, get off the table."
"And his tail's in my ravioli."
"Well, that's his ravioli, now; I'll get you a new plate," Jackie said.
"Dad's also home for lunch, apparently," Nick told the bunnies.
"Oh, the shop has a neighbor hanging pictures, so I decided to step out for a bit," John gleefully continued, more shuffling heard as he (probably) sat down like a civilized mammal, "and it's a lucky thing I did!"
"It is?" Bo asked.
"Of course! I've wanted to suit you up ever since you faced down my sworn nemesis," the tailor continued, "Singular is the mammal who's gone toe-to-toe with Magnus and lived to tell the tale."
Bo blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, so Judy leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Well… it wasn't just me…"
"Yes, I would have suited Judy but I'd rather not have Mr. Big be snippy at me. All the same, I need you in my parlor on the double, Mr. Briar, and I shan't accept 'No' as an answer. There is an opening… let's see, next week, perhaps, I can squeeze you in next week… How's next week for you?"
"Actually, we need the suit tonight," Judy awkwardly corrected.
"Tonight?" John exclaimed and then grumbled, "Okay… okay, what's the occasion? I have access to plenty of bunny-sized suits, there should be something in there that will suffice… for the time being."
"We're dining with Felix Lapis and Buckley Stagmire," she succinctly informed, to which the line went quiet.
"I think you stumped him, guys," Nick chuckled.
"No… no, I like a challenge," John eventually retorted, "Come by after closing, I'll get you battle-ready."
"Not everything is a metaphor for combat, John," Jackie said.
"Don't fill this boy's head with lies."
Nick laughed.
"Wow, thank you, Mr. Wilde!" Bo said.
"Please, call me 'John'."
"Thank you, John. Have a great day Nick, Jackie, thanks for your help," Judy followed-up and then ended the call, putting her phone on the kitchen counter, "That gives us a couple of hours, then."
Bo huffed and nodded, rolling his shoulder. "You said you still needed help settling in?" he asked and looked about, standing nearer the center of the living room to admire the homely decor, "But it looks like you already unpacked all your boxes."
"Oh…" Judy mused, "the apartment just needs christening~" Her eyes met Bo's as he pivoted to inquire but didn't give him a chance to ask, as she was already airborne to tackle him onto the couch.
True to his word, John Wilde stayed after hours to measure and fit Bo into a simple yet elegant two-piece suit, chestnut with subtle camo gradations and a smoky topaz shirt; the belt was made from the skin of a desert rattlesnake and the tie an off-kilter picnic blanket pattern. Apparently, it went well with the sleek, yellow dress hemmed in frills that Judy wore (as it accentuated the purple inner lining, teasing at the eyes depending on the angle it was viewed). Uncharacteristically, she also had a large, designer purse (that she borrowed from a friend).
"I could sense his movements, like he could've used that tape measure or those pins to subdue me in a split second," Bo recalled to Judy when the tailor stepped out of the room, "Jackie wasn't kidding, he is poised for combat. It's that same feeling as when I'm talking with Nick, and he's studying me, y'know?"
"John did teach his son everything he knows, and then some," Judy had concurred, "Now, I wouldn't say that you volunteered any information but I get the feeling that he pieced together everything about tonight's dinner from the few bits of info we told him. I must say," she then gleefully commended, "Phil really has honed your awareness to a razor's edge. Your muscles and ears twitched every time John shifted… I watched you two by the seat of my pants! (Well… dress, but you get the idea.)"
"It was so crazy!" Bo agreed, "Do you think he did that intentionally, triggered my reactions just to see what I'd do?"
"Is he the fox who raised Nick Wilde? Yes, without a doubt."
They thanked Mr. Wilde as he was locking up Suitopia (and opened up a tab for Bo, should he decide to keep the loaner) and weren't long waiting for a long, black car to pull up and receive them. Felix Oswald Lapis sat inside, at last recognizable in full professional attire and grooming; Ms. Sadie Whiskerski joined him, garbed in a conservatively flirtatious dress of turquoise, complete with a cardigan and a hat.
"I love your dress," Judy complimented as she stepped in.
"Oh, thank you~"
"Felix Lapis. Ma'am," John greeted as the door opened to permit the rabbits inside, donned his hat to tip it and minutely secured his coat before turning down the sidewalk, "Make sure those kits get home at a decent time," he then teased.
"Mr. Wilde," Felix Lapis replied, "you have a safe evening."
The fox chuckled as he moseyed off.
The rabbits and wildcat settled into their seats so that the car could continue along to Deciduousville (their phones stored inside a specialized box to share a private conversation in peace).
"Charming suit," Oswald remarked with an arch of his brow, stroking just under his grin, "Did you choose that color or did John? It's a bit… matchy-matchy."
"I know," Bo admitted but smiled all the same as he lauded, "but it's so comfortable! I could do jumping jacks, push-ups, and could probably hold my own in a fight without ever taking off the jacket. Mr. Wilde said it'd be the best choice for where we're going."
"Not that he said why," Judy added and then rubbed his arm, "but I have a hunch it's because of Mr. Stagmire and his… more recent naturalist tendencies. This suit is nearly similar to Bo's natural fur color, you see, and I gather that John made note of Bo's belly-fur when he chose the shirt," she explained, "It's quite clever, now that I think about it; Mr. Stagmire will likely double-take only to realize that, yes, he is wearing a suit."
Oswald threw his head back to laugh. "Foxes…" he sighed and wiped an eye, "Knowing Bucky, it might nudge some sense into him."
"Are you familiar with him, Uncle Ozzy?" Bo asked, "I got a definite vibe between the two of you just now."
"Well, John Wilde is not the most famous tailor in the city but his suits are prolific… More to the point, Bucky told me all about Jacky Savage," he chuckled, "and I shall assume that you are both familiar with the story, as well. Very good. So let's just say that I haven't delved too deeply into that whole affair, out of respect for those involved, but am aware of a few key aspects."
Sadie tittered as the conversation progressed to lighter topics, like Bo's upcoming qualification bout for the MMA and how his trainer, Phil Octaves, will make public his coming out of retirement for one last shot at the title. Bo also explained how the old goat's bar (in Preds' Corner) will be closed if they can't find someone else to run it long-term since he had no plans to return to the countryside, regardless of how the championship went.
"If he doesn't just outright sell it," Bo said.
"Why sell it?" Oswald asked.
"Because I still need a sponsor and I practically begged him not to but all the ones I called saw me as more of a… a novelty than a contender, y'know, because I'm a bunny diving head-first into the big leagues. I barely meet the weight qualifications," the prospective fighter lamented, "I have to be one-hundred-and-ten-percent dedicated to training just to keep up but I don't want to leech off Judy the whole time I'm in the Septagon."
"How thoughtful," Sadie commended.
"He really is," Judy agreed and hugged his arm, "I'm more than willing to tighten my belt to support the both of us but he'd have none of it."
"No flex on this one, ma'am," Bo affirmed.
Uncle Ozzy scoffed and snorted. "Bo, if you needed a sponsor, I'd be more than happy to slap the Hexward logo on you or even cover your living expenses myself," he said but then asked of his nephew's withered grimace, "Is that not allowed?"
"It was something I considered…" Bo replied, folding his paws and tapping his thumbs, "but Phil says that fighters who are sponsored by family or companies without a vested interest in the sport aren't taken seriously." To which the Felix scoffed and snorted again (but not so nearly as lighthearted). "According to him, big-league sponsors are cutthroat and they don't want 'rodeo clowns'."
"Believe you me," Judy cut in, "I was flabbergasted by all the politics, too, so I looked into MMA history. Turns out there've been some bad eggs that ruined it for everyone else, namely, fighters whose 'family' sponsors were really from organized crime syndicates. Let's just say it didn't end well…"
"I recall hearing about that, now that you mention it," Felix Lapis admitted but still wasn't satisfied, so he looked out the window and recognized the scenery change from Conifer to Deciduous, "Now that we're more on the open road… perhaps a change of subject."
Judy nodded and reached into the fancy purse she lugged around, and retrieved from it a white book secured inside of a protective plastic case. "Lovey's diary, as promised," she said, catching the wonder from Sadie and the weight of responsibility from the Felix, "Do you need me to make up a passcode for this one, too…?"
"Incredible…" he said and dared not open it, only removing a flap of its outer shell to show the clear box within, soon beaming to the younger rabbits, "And no, that won't be necessary. First thing in the morning, I'm entrusting this to McTwisp to have it digitized and reprinted, like what Graham did with Hector's journal. This is a history the world must know," the Felix decided with a bob of his head, patting the case before rising from his seat, pivoting, and throwing back the cushion as if the latch of a trunk. He reached inside, invoked a few beeping noises from whatever was within (probably a safe), enunciated "Felix Oswald Lapis" (was electronically greeted), and then locked the precious book away until such a time as it could be properly recorded.
"Passcode?" Bo asked behind a paw.
"He needed me to make up a passcode for… y'know," she heavily insinuated, drawing a line from her eye to her chest, as though to pantomime the namesake of Lovey's carcanet, to which he nodded with an understanding groan.
"Rest assured, like her diary is now, 'Tears for a Sunset' is also safe," Felix Lapis spoke up, smirking over his shoulder with a flick of his long ears, sitting back down on the safe bolted to the frame of the vehicle and hidden inside the chassis. The younger bunnies shyly snickered. "I do not know where it is hidden and those I've hidden it with don't know what they have; not that they or I could access it without Judy's passcode. In fact, as far as the underworld knows, it was stolen and replaced with a fake but the real carcanet couldn't be safer.
"Graham had the right idea fund and populate a museum exhibit, and with Hexward's backing, we can get as much of the truth to as much of the public as possible. As fortune would have it, there's a possibility to get it going sooner rather than later. On that note," he thoughtfully continued after a pause as Judy and Bo exchanged excitement, "you say that the MMA would look down on a sponsor that doesn't have a 'vested interest' in the sport but what if they did, namely, a fighter's cause?" he riddled, "I'm not ignorant to the record of Phil Octaves - I did a bit of my own research on him - so what if Hexward sponsored Bo Briar not because he is the Felix's nephew, but because of what he fights for?"
"Well, I did say I wanted to make Bertie… I mean, Dad proud," Bo answered, "To give him life, in a way."
"But what if…" Judy picked up, "you publicly fought to bring awareness to overcoming muscular hyperatrophy? You could do both!"
Uncle Ozzy grinned and snapped his fingers to concur with such a fine point. "If these 'serious' sponsors are as cutthroat as you say they are, you'll need every advantage against them that you can get," he said, "and we rabbits find strength in our numbers. You'll be hard-pressed to find a warren that hasn't lost someone to the 'bunny curse'."
"That will be great for the interviews," Sadie added, "you would hardly have a word against you for such a noble cause."
"I will need to run it by Junior first, of course," he added, "if this is to be an official sponsorship of someone whose ideals line up perfectly with Hexward's, it will require the official nod from one of my foremost branch managers. We'll even see about getting you an official pair of shorts," Uncle Ozzy said with a hearty chuckle.
The car ascended a hillside curve to enter Leeward Birch, the gated community wherein the Stagmire family was one of many well-to-do occupants. Well-appointed, beautifully-crafted, definitely a place where a mammal of means calls home, but not a truly rich mansion. The stone-and-iron perimeter fulfilled both a protective and aesthetic purpose, with the points on the main gate distinctly curving to mimic a set of virile antlers. Low lights filled the sweeping greens, bathing artfully constructed topiaries in dramatic glow, some "clothed" in minimalistic floral arrangements that grew along with the shrubbery, all posed as though to tell a story (any depictions of stags utilized the very branches as their prongs). Its sumptuousness (however subdued in comparison to their neighbors) was of no great surprise to Judy, having visited the Hopps Manor in Knotash, but to Bo it was like entering a new world.
"I'm afraid to touch anything," Bo whispered to Judy via the corner of his mouth.
"We just got out of the car," she comforted, "this is only the driveway."
"Their lawn could fit half of the Hopps's crops…" he worried, "maybe more…"
"Don't be ridic-" Judy argued but then reconsidered the grounds, "...okay, maybe."
Each bunny (and the accompanying wildcat) was returned their phones and from the looks of it, Felix Lapis had a few urgent text messages but he rolled his eyes with no more recognition than that they existed.
"Not going to read them?" Sadie asked.
"Later," he decided, wrapping a paw around her waist as she laid a paw on his shoulders, "whomever they're from and whatever they're for can wait; they should have known I would not be available during a scheduled dinner, after all." As was the custom for Knotash bunnies, the Felix arrived in the exact minute determined by his constantly updating itinerary and then, as was both polite and lucky, reached out to knock on the grand, wooden doors (on a spot that wasn't adorned with intricate carvings).
Buckley Stagmire, Jr. (or to his closest family members, "Bambi") greeted his guests not seconds after the courteous gesture, his face a mixture of delight and anxiety, even though he was dressed to host a fancy dinner (and even wore a flower-motif brooch in a cravat instead of a tie). "Hi everyone, come on in," he beckoned, ushering them through the threshold and then addressed Judy and Bo specifically, "It's great to finally meet the both of you, after everything I've heard; all good, of course."
"Likewise, Bucky," Judy beamed and would have continued had her ears not sprung to scan the house.
"Hi!" Bo greeted suddenly but cleared his throat before speaking again, if a bit faster than he'd wanted, "You have a nice home. Are those, umm, deep-root fledgling trees?"
Junior smiled up at one of the foyer's beeches beneath a currently dim skylight (after affirming Bo's attire with a blink and a smirk). "That's a keen eye, Bo. These trees are a special breed whose maturity isn't much larger than a sapling and takes root deep beneath the foundation of the grounds, that way they can remain their beautiful, natural selves without breaking the floor," he went on but then spun about when he quite clearly realized that what he forgot was direly important, "Uncle Ozzy! Did you get my text?"
Uncle Ozzy groaned over his shoulder. "Was it important…?" he dared ask but was answered when his ears joined Judy's (and then Bo's) in scanning the hallway beneath the high-arching stairs (the house boasted plentiful headspace). He and Sadie immediately detached and casually distanced as a familiar, paternal voice was soon joined by that of a familiar doe.
"I did try to warn you…" Junior mumbled.
Cleopatra Hopps entered alongside Buckley Stagmire, Sr., she in a simple professional, red-lined black pants-suit and he in comfortable yet unprofessional slacks and open shirt (standard dark gray and white, respectively) looking and acting as though he'd only just woken up. "Oh," Bucky, Sr. enunciated and rubbed the side of his face, "I didn't realize how late it was… and should perhaps get dressed for dinner," he reasoned, approaching of his guests while avoiding his son's withering glare, "A thousand apologies, my psyche session went long today. Oswald, Sadie, wonderful to see you both again. Along with Judy and Bo? The legends arrive, at long last," he mused, cordially smiling, (undeniably double-taking upon seeing the chocolate rabbit), and then cleared his throat as he fastened a button or two of his shirt, "If I might beg your patience longer, it won't take but a minute to reinstate my civility." Bucky proceeded to climb the stairs. "Do make yourselves comfortable, Bambi is an excellent host."
A grandfather clock counted off the seconds with immaculate accuracy.
"Ozzy," Clea swooned and threw her arms around her brother's neck, specifically to position herself between him and Sadie, "Lucky me to cross paths with you tonight."
"Hi, Patty," Oswald responded and hugged her in kind, "What are you doing here so late? I thought your session with Bucky ended an hour ago. You had an 'extraordinarily vital' client if memory serves."
"Oh, I know," she admitted and rubbed her cheek to his before holding his paw in hers while keeping a portfolio tucked under an arm, "but we were making such progress today, I simply couldn't cut it short. I already knew about the dinner and figured it best to scamper off - you know I never come between you and Bucky - but then I learned that an additional plate was prepared right next to you at the table," she tittered and released her older brother to calmly stand with the portfolio behind her, "How silly to think that it was for me. Well," Clea continued and sweetly bid a quiet farewell to Sadie (who reciprocated), "it really does smooth out my evening, doesn't it? No need to shuffle our schedules around at all."
"It is a shame you won't be able to stay for dinner, Dr. Hopps, another plate would be easy enough to add to the table," Junior added in, "but I know that whoever this mysterious client of yours is doesn't have the luxury to wait. You were quite adamant as to their importance."
A haughty hum seemed to agree with such an assessment, so Dr. Clea strut past her brother, "Quite right, Bambi; you always did have your mother's clear head. But what sort of auntie would I be if I didn't greet my niece and nephew?" she cooed, cupping their cheeks with one paw to kiss the other, each in turn, before tapping Judy's nose to coyly add, "By marriage, of course. And you look positively cute in that dress, Judy, I could eat you up. We should meet for lunch or tea soon, perhaps when you next visit Grav at the manor."
"Thank you, Aunt Clea," Judy forced out and then added under her breath, "he prefers 'Graham'," before responding aloud, "I love your… necklace. Is it new?"
"This old thing?" she jovially dismissed, "It was a gift from when Grav was born. I thought I'd lost it years ago but it turned up just last month. And Bo, bigger every time I see you," Dr. Clea endeared, tugging at his lapel before leaning up to whisper with all the discretion afford her, "You can't just pull the first suit you see off the rack, my dear, it's a bit tacky. Tell you what, I'll give you the name of the family tailor, we'll fix you up in no time. It simply wouldn't do to allow a Lapis to parade about with anything… subpar. And I mean that in the kindest way possible." She smiled and tapped his chin to depart for the door with a sweeping gesture and smile, "Ta~"
Both Judy and Bo presented their best, politest smiles until she disappeared but before they turned around to face the others… shared a dreadful glance. It didn't take a genius to figure out that everyone who knew about Oswald and Sadie - save for Mr. Whiskerski - had passed through the foyer that night… and of them, only one kept their heartstring wrapped around an iron grip. When they did return to the subject of dinner, for a fleeting second, they saw how the rabbit to whom all rabbits in Zootopia look for guidance and strength only brushed his mate's paw before traversing the hallway individually, and soon followed.
"So…" Judy kindly asked, "Dr. Clea is holding sessions here?"
"Dad's idea, to help with his recovery," Junior explained as he led them all to where they were to eat, "He also moved Mom to one of the spare rooms with dedicated care after he found out how Ron Ghannam was treating the nurses, especially after Simon was brave enough to speak up. The hospital's not at fault, of course, so he's keeping their fund going but he's had several long talks with the estate."
It was not a grand dining room (in fact, it seemed much more private), but the table did have a staired platform for which the smaller mammals could easily sit as equals with the larger. The taboo topic of Clea hung over the table as they nibbled on appetizers and talked about anything else (momentary sympathy provided by the younger rabbits) until their host could make his proper entrance; Buckley Stagmire, Sr., with trimmed mane and polished antlers, pressed suit and vivacious cravat with an austere clip.
"Now that we're all gathered, let's make up for my lost time," he regally announced, taking his seat as the dinner plates were already laid out, still steaming, and set his phone on the table to adjust an app, the outside world gradually muting, "Please, go ahead and eat, I shan't have my guests grow hungrier on my account.
"My mind is not yet at one-hundred-percent but it needn't be for our purposes. Surprisingly, the therapy sessions have given me ample opportunity to speculate on a level that - if I may be so bold as to hyperbolize - is darn near transcendent, all without the aid of such mind-rotting narcotics as Pollen. Questions clarified; answers multiplied; like ripe fruits hanging on the tree. It was absolutely mad, at first," Bucky petered off and paused to stroke his jaw, "I dreamt that Doana joined me in the safety of a glade but there was always this green-eyed fox at the tree-line, grinning and bounding off if ever I should look at him. Dr. Clea was quite enamored at such imagery. Perhaps only a gut feeling, but he resembled Leo's description of his fateful visitor, that night at The Palm twenty years ago… I searched high-and-low for any substantial 'Mr. Foxglove' until he plagued my thoughts. Leo was kind enough to reveal his… true identity after Simon King returned, swearing me to silence.
"Even so, that fox returns to my ephemeral glade, where I am safe with Doana, only to grin and bound off," Bucky continued, "I had long since given up chasing him for I could never catch him. That said, learning the truth of Jacky Savage reminded me of an old folktale that 'a fox is never caught unless they give themselves up', to protect something or someone else," he solemnly riddled, "So, instead… I followed him, to discover what he wanted to show me; what he was 'protecting'; what my own mind pieced together but dismissed as irredeemably crazy." The stag then leaned over his meal, elbows on the table to fold his hooves, and cast his face in the severe, branching shade of his antlers. "It's why I called this little 'meeting'. There are some… impossibilities to overcome but I might just have a solution to Reino del Sol."
It was late and all the good little bunnies were fast asleep. Dr. Clea was wide awake, traversing the Hopps Manor to where her "extraordinarily vital" client lay chained to a hospital bed. She nodded to the guards as they and their rifles stood at attention, toting a cooler that warranted no inspection. The room was comfortably furnished with casual reading material on one side and business affairs on the other, depending on which desk was swung around to who sat in the center.
Magnus flipped through the channels, ear tilting at his guest. He leered and muted the TV to sit up in address. "Clea, I was wondering when you'd show up."
"I almost got into the dinner," she lamented and set the cooler down to remove the nigh invisible brace from her ear to let it hang limp over her face, "until that hussy Sadie showed up."
"You wouldn't have gotten in anyway," he stated, "they don't trust you."
"Poppycock, I am nothing but-"
"Does Stagmire harp on about that fox in his dreams?"
"Oh, yes," she answered, shrugging off her pantsuit jacket and opening her shirt to reach behind her head and pull at the drying fur-dye, as though yanking off a mask to clatter onto the floor in a cloud, "it's just as I suspected, his mind interprets whoever this fox is as an answer to something-"
"Then he doesn't trust you," Magnus cut in, eying her scowl and the dark, black scar beneath her colorless fur, surrounding the lifeless ear, "All that talk about foxes is patronizing at best and works too well to divert you."
Clea scoffed. "Such wicked barbs, it almost sounds like you don't want this…" she cooed, caressing an edge of the cooler. His dark eyes glinted with hunger so she smirked and continued disrobing from the waist up, allowing her to brush off the fur-dye that covered her arms and shake the rest away. The television's glow reflected her albinism, a severity beyond any mammal, that glimpsed the veins pulsing just beneath her hollow fur.
"Don't tease," Magnus hoarsely demanded, gulping as the cooler was set on a bedside table. He then lifted his shackled paws as she presented the key, unlocking him from the bed. "I'm starving." He kicked the sheets from his legs, revealing his hospital gown and the tracker anklet, fastidiously blinking.
"In a bit, pet. How goes the search?" Clea asked, climbing onto the bed and tugging at an eyelid, practicing extraordinary care to remove the colored contact lenses, ocular blinds that not only hid her irises but the bloodshot orbs in which they rest (and securing them in the special solution to keep them clean and hydrated).
"Sluggish. I still say that Bo would be a golden asset, like his father before him, not only for his might but because of his connection to Judy. If we get her, it would make everything else so much easier… especially since she's protected by Mr. Big," he growled, flipping the muted television to two bloody mammals eviscerating each other inside a cage, "And tell MacGrim that they don't all need to be fights-to-the-death. Strength is worthless as a corpse."
"I'll pass on the message." Clea reached into her mouth with dainty claws to hook under her bucktooth dentures and dislodge them from her gums, huffing as strings of saliva connected the ivory covers and the sharpened teeth beneath. The cooler was opened to retrieve a sheet of wax paper that was spread on the bed between them, and then a bundle of something that was fresh but not raw was unwrapped to Magnus's ravenous eyes. She picked up a chunk and bit into it to make it more manageable for him. "What's the next step, then, since you are so very clever?"
Magnus chewed with an eager squelching, his flat teeth misused for such sustenance. The pitch dark is their gazes reflected off one another, from him to her and back in an abyssal reverberation. "Continue your research, get as much information as you can. I still need to recover from this stab wound," he said, "and when I do, I'll annihilate them all."
Author's Notes:
The 50 million population for Zootopia is a calculation I found on Quora. The creators of Zootopia said that the city's population is six times that of "San Fransokyo" (from Big Hero 6) which is based on the real San Francisco, and long story short, comes out to a population of 49.8 million mammals. For perspective, Tokyo is the most populated city on Earth with 38 million. Additionally, since New York City was another one of the major inspirations for Zootopia, that's the place I'm basing its land area on. It just so happens to also be one of the largest cities on Earth, ranked by land area.
Bo's mother is Mary-Ann, sister of Oswald Lapis, revealed in Loyal, chapter 27.
The tree that Bo is talking about is depicted in the official Zootopia artbook, in the Palm Hotel & Casino section, even though it doesn't specify as to what the tree's canon lore. Likewise, the mountain is depicted in the Tundratown section but unnamed, so it seemed appropriate to name it the Matterhorn, after the Disneyland ride. Furthermore, the Rainforest District section shows the "Twin Falls", even though those aren't named either; I originally thought of "Weeping Something" but decided to keep it simple, instead.
Bo's glow-in-the-dark sunglasses were introduced in Trustworthy and continued along in Brave, something that he considers his "initiation as an official fox".
"Todderbon Mill" is a made up name, any similarities to existing places or characters is purely coincidental.
"Franklin Llama Wright" is a Zootopian pun for Franklin Lloyd Wright and inspired by my fellow writer, NieveLion, in his story "To Mend a Broken Hart". "Nathan DeCoyote" came from Loyal and is John Wilde's old tailor. "Georgia O'Klefte" is Georgia O'Keeffe, a pun on the llama's cleft hoof.
The NH test that Bo mentioned, and the concern of a "free-acting hallucination" (i.e., a "Dawson") was brought up in Loyal, chapter 5, when Dr. Madge Honey-Badger was testing everyone.
["a pair of blue weathered shorts and an everyday red button-up shirt"] is a call back to an old Oswald the Lucky Rabbit comic.
"Ortensia Whiskerski" is based on Ortensia Whiskers, the canon (modern) girlfriend of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. His original love interest was "Francine Cottontail", last seen in the short All Wet, where she is saved from drowning (but for this story, she was not saved). Ortensia was also known as "Sadie" in other cartoons so I'm using that as a nickname of sorts, and her voice actress is Audrey Wasilewski, which plays into her surname.
Bo bought his Captain Warren comic books in Loyal, chapter 10.
["I would have suited Judy but then Mr. Big would be all snippy at me"] This was touched on back in Brave, about how Mr. Big calls on John to suit up the new recruits of his innermost circle (including Finnick and Judy, even if the latter politely declined).
In the world of Zootopia, "rodeos" are events that extol physical activity and entertainment, sometimes scripted but often improv. They began in rural areas as duels for honor or territory, developing into regularly scheduled competitions of nonlethal combat (regardless, there have been casualties). Nowadays, the term "rodeo" has come to mean anything that exhausts resources and time for absurd reasons; opinions vary depending on whom you ask, and some rural areas still hold "real rodeos" in high regard, as it lets mammals "work out their differences". While a "rodeo clown" was originally someone who fought with a script between sanctioned bouts, the term is widely used for anyone who enters competitive combat frivolously, thus, degrading it to a "rodeo".
"No flex on this one, ma'am" is said by Fix-It Felix Jr to Calhoun in the movie Wreck-It Ralph.
["Well-appointed, beautifully-crafted, definitely a place where a mammal of means calls home, but not a truly rich mansion."] Since NieveLion developed Buckley Stagmire beyond what I could have in his story, I asked his help on describing his home and this is quoted from him.
Recall Brave, when Judy bathed in Hopps Manor and the mention of "ear-braces" which prevented wet ears from falling down one's back. What Clea has is a similar medical device used to prop up damaged ears, - sometimes a plastic jointed braced - but in this case, a 3D-printed mesh that hides amidst the fur and allows for the full swivel. As for her scar, refer to Loyal, chapter 2.
The rivalry between Magnus and Mr. Big was detailed in Loyal, chapter 6.