GANG of HOPPERS
My brothers and I in the ZooKzin War
by Dori Hopps
Written by Dan Rush
(c) Zootopia 2016 Walt Disney Cooperation.
For fandom enjoyment only. No money to be earned nor desired. All rights of the creators respected.
Chapter 8
The last day of Peace, October 17, 2020
One of my young sons asked me that question..."So Dad? What was the last day of peace before the war like?"
Totally out of left field question I know right? Not..."Dad what was the war like?" or "Did you shoot anyone?" or "Were you scared?" no...""So? What was the last day of peace like?" Before I was trying to dig my way to the bottom of the world to keep from getting my fluffy tail blown off.
Let's start with?...a bizarre multiple date. It was Nick and Judy's idea, blame them. I thought we'd meet that morning for an introductory breakfast you know. "Linzi? This is my elder sister Judy and her husband Nick." "How do you you do, how do you do", giggles, breakfast, yum yum and then...shopping...
Ahhhhhhhh?...no. They invited us to the Mystic Springs health spa and emotional stimulation resort in South Sahara Square. Nick and Judy had been going to the resort for years, I never thought Judy would be caught dead in that place! Oh? Nothing bad to say about the Mystic, nothing at all, just that I knew my sister growing up as this bigger than life, upstanding, moral prude who lived by every word and belief she espoused. Of course you never know a mammal's private life unless they feel completely comfortable in exposing it...
And yeah...Judy "exposed" a lot. It took a little effort for Linzi to get me out of my shell...and out of my clothes. The first time Judy tried to touch me? I about set the world record for a urine assisted rabbit hop.
The reason why Judy and Nick frequented the Mystic of course was for Nick's ever declining back ,which by this time could no longer allow him to walk on two legs or trot on four in feral form. Yet Nick was ,as always, ever resolute . He took to his new mode of mobility, a two wheel "butt cart" as if it were a part of him. Judy and him were un-ashamed as they ran around the big garden room of the Mystic playing "Predator N Prey" and Nick whipped that cart around as if he were a ballet dancer! In the end trotting past us with his "catch of the day" dangling from his maw and my sister "hamming it up" having been slain by her "Big nasty Hombrah!"
Then there was this "intimacy" lesson with Nick, Judy, myself and Linzi sitting with five other couples. The instructor was a small milk white dwarf bunny called Haru who was a professional socialator. Now Socialators...most often female rabbits...are not prostitutes, that's what many mammals think of them.
"Now...turn and face each other." Haru said as she walked around each couple. "Now? Males?...And please be gentle? Rub your paws on the breasts of your partner..."
Boy...did I hesitate until Haru walked up..."I think she's signaling that it's just fine?" Haru said as she grabbed my paws. "And please? Don't mash them like your working on a car engine?" She placed my paws on Linzi's breasts and we giggled like kittens...
"Armature." Judy snickered as she sat on Nick's lap. "Get those paw fingers a walking there little brother!"
"Dori?" Linzi sneared at me. "How much you love me depends on how much you want to play with me."
"I want you to know how much I respect you." I replied.
Haru stood waving her paws around..."Everyone...Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths...in...out...in...out..." We did that for a bit. "Now?" Haru said..."Females? I want you to take some time to play with your partner. Sniff him, feel him, rub him, kiss him all over...and then some..."
Every one laughed.
"You all have three minutes. When the three minutes are up? I want you to look right into your partner's eyes and tell them your three deepest and earnest desires. Why do you love this other mammal in your life?...begin."
"Joy...that's what it felt like. I'm sure my brothers would be flipping rude, graphic comments about the whole experience. Linzi sniffed all over me, pulled on my pelt, nibbled over my ears...and then some, much as I kept looking over at Nick and Judy who giggled over my shows of embarrassment. I swear I was going to reach over and give my sister and her husband a good smack-a-round for all their "cheesy" comments...
"Hey Fluff? They must have gotten the manual out a cereal box. "More bite! Less paw there girl!"
"You two better shut up or so help me...YIPE! Linzi! Not there?...oh...snit."
"Yes...there too...little brother." Jusy snickered. "Stop resisting your passions Dori. She's getting to know you."
"Like she didn't know me enough?!" I yelped. The three minutes felt a little longer as I held Linzi to my chest with her back to me...
"Now?" Haru said. "Girls? Tell your partner your three most important desires."
Linzi looked back at me and smiled..."To be happy."
"What?!" Judy yelped. "Oh no girl! Things! Demand things!"
"Rape that bank account." Nick snickered.
"Do you guys want me to kill you?!" I snarled. "I'm a Marine, I'll make it merciful."
"Shhhh...eyes on me you bruiser." Linzi said as she turned herself around and sat on my lap..."Second? A nice simple house with maybe two broods of kittens."
"You don't want to try and break my mother's record?" I giggled.
"Do "you" want to die?" Linzi snickered back. "I'll make it merciful?"
Linzi rubbed her paw over my head..."Third? To make sure you're completely happy..." Then she kissed me...she kissed me for quite a while...quite...a...while."
I was about the same...happiness and a manageable house, with a garden...big must. And maybe try for an equal match? Five males and five females would have been nice...would have been because it didn't pan out that way...after all? We're rabbits, we're so good at multiplying and handling supply flow right?
So after the session...the girls went off and did their thing and we males sat together in a steam room shooting whatever snit came to mind, starting off with the obvious when some one saw my "dog tags"...
"Marine huh?" This reindeer asked. "My son's in the Navy aboard the Growler."
"The Growler?" Nick said. "My son Jackson's on the Growler too. Nick Wilde."
"Donner Dolf." The reindeer replied. "My son's Ensign Rudy Dolf."
"Oh no kidding." Nick replied. "My son talks about your son a lot. A real champ. Very well liked aboard ship."
"Well liked if the other mammal's not a reindeer. My son doesn't exactly..."Fit the mold". Donner sighed.
"Jackson told me about Rudy's nose." Nick said waving a paw. "So damn what. I don't understand all this Species superiority garbage. Just one little "thing" and they think they have the damn right to badger a mammal or isolate him or even beat the snot out of him. Well I am so glad we raised our son to see the good in every mammal and stick up for his principles."
Donner chuckled..."Yes...Rudy told me about "The stuffy" affair. Very cleaver of him. Pulled my boy's rump out of the fire. You raised a fine rabbit...I mean? What should I say?"
Nick waved his paw..."I'm not crazy about specific "pro-nouns". Hybrid works or Funnybox or Foxbun...what ever makes it sound cool."
A honeybadger named "Digger" which fit him pretty good as he sat scratching his long claws on the bench seat asked me..."So? What are you striking for in the Fleet Marines?"
"Corps-mammal" I replied. "I want to become a doctor after maybe eight years or twenty...whatever happens."
"I think we'll be going to war." Digger said. "It's been coming for a long time...just that no one has taken the option to jump off the cliff yet. I think fursonally that we're already trying to start it...if the rumors are correct."
"Rumors?" Nick asked.
"Well the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Intelligence resigned a few weeks ago." Digger said. "Most believe their reasons were piles of cat turds. There's rumors they were running secret spy operations across the demarkation line in the Great Eastern Sea against the Mayor's authority and the law. I heard through the "Deep Six Web" that a spy team was captured, tortured and broiled alive at a dinner for Kzinti Generals and Admirals...that's what "Shrew Anon" said anyway."
An antelope snorted..."What bull crap. Who the heck listens to that "Shrew Anon" garbage?
"Well?" I replied. "We don't know how long that Kzinti has been here in Zootopia nor what he's told the Mayor or anyone else do we?" I looked at Nick. "Judy met him...what did she think of him?"
"I dunno..." Nick replied shurging. "She didn't think there was anything about him...then again she came home smelling a little like piss so take that into consideration. All I know is? I do not want to come into contact with the business ends of that Tiger's fangs. I think we should be bending over backwards to avoid a war...unless the Kzinti start hitting Sahara Beach...then we open the whole 55 gallon drum of whoop ass."
A young lion named Simba raised his paw..."And just how will we open this drum of "whoop ass" when we have no idea what we're actually facing? All these "laws" designed to avoid conflict have actually "de-balled" us for over fifty years. No spying, no surveillance, no gathering intelligence...we're just passively picking up crumbs when we can...we don't know what the Kzinti have! I mean...no disrespect to you Dori but..."
"Believe me." I said. "It's mutual feeling...everyone is worried but what can the common mammal do? I support the whole peace movement that wolf is leading here in Zootopia, I don't want a war, I have four other brothers in the Corps too. But?...who knows."
Nick felt the atmosphere needed a change..."Seibu Lions kick tail!"
"Oh frick you and your pussy kickers!" Donner snapped. "The Savanna Tigers are going to cream them in the finals!"
"Yeah? They and what form of cheating?" Simba growled. "We all know the Tiger manager's been stealing signs and getting the refs to deflate the soccer balls!"
"More "Shrew Anon" bull crap?" I chirped.
"Cub Pizza Gate is not fake! Digger snapped.
"Oh come on!" I snapped. "There's no damn basement at Pastriano's Pizza shop! How many times do they have to put that on ZNN?!"
"ZNN is a tool of the Jaguar, Cheetah, Lynx Masonic nexus!" Digger growled!
It all devolved into a paw and tail chewing mess...which left Judy and the rest of the females almost puking themselves thinking their males were involved in some kind of "gay orgy" as we lay struggling with each other in a pile in the middle of the sauna.
Afternoon...
"You were looking at that honey badger really hard." Linzi said snickering at me as we walked through Sahara Square having parted from Nick and Judy.
"You're not going to let me escape that are you?" I snickered back.
We stopped for a while at a small park where Linzi jumped into a swing and I pushed her...
"So? Any ideas for the rest of the day?" I asked. "I have to be back by six because I promised Toshiro we'd go to a band concert on base at the Block Theater."
"You don't want to spend more time with me?" Linzi asked.
"Well...I have class tomorrow and Toshiro asked me if I wanted to go with him." I replied. "Well I burned my bridge didn't I?" I said smiling as I stopped Linzi and kissed her from behind.
"Oh...shut up." She said as she snatched my paw, pulled me behind her, threw me on the grass and flopped onto my stomach..."Oooff! I guess you're going to try and change my mind?"
Linzi kissed me softly..."We should go to a beach, lay in the sand and make out in the waves."
I chuckled..."Sounds like it should be a movie. We'll call it? From ear to fur-ternity. And it'll be about two star crossed lovers and their last night together before a big enemy attack on Zootopia. It'll be a blockbuster, we'll make a pile of money and I'll say..."Forget being a doctor!"...yeah...fat chance of that."
"Well?" Linzi said as she patted my chest. "Don't completely write it off." She rolled off onto the grass and snuggled against me as we looked up at the sky and pointed out how the clouds were shaped. Yeah...silly but you don't complain when the air is warm and the company is equally toasty...
"Teddy bear." I said of one cloud.
"Did you have one when you were a kitten?" She asked.
"Ummm..."We" had one and "we" fought over it all the time." I replied. We had a big brown and white teddy bear named "Scruffers" and we tore that thing up until mom couldn't stitch it any more."
"I had a stuffed "Little Pony"." Linzi replied. "It was "Light Bright" and when you squeezed it? It went all psychedelic and lit up my while bed room. Course I shared it with twelve of my sisters and it drove them crazy."
"Mmmm...We had interesting kitten hoods didn't we? Were some of your sisters as bad as my brothers?" I asked.
"Oh?...Miranda, Amanda, Cassandra, Amulthia. And I was the one who always got thrown to the wolves to protect the other four." Linzi said. "But we sure had a lot of fun adventures. Once when we were all toddlers? We took our tricycles and went three miles from the house and hid in a wood lot for a whole day. Drove our parents bat looney. The Police kept us all in a jail cell with a big tub of ice cream. Made ourselves absolutely sick!"
"And here I was daring to think you were a well behaved rabbit." I said smiling. We must have been in that park for two hours or so before we decided to go grab an early dinner together before I went back to base. I made Linzi miss three commute trains back home to Savanna, call that premonition perhaps. I didn't have an engagement ring, just a piece of string in my pocket. I just had the feeling of why wait any more? The train station seemed to be as good a place as ever.
I got on my knee, pulled out the string and said..."Linzi? Don't have a ring right now but screw it. Will you be my wife?" Not "Don Wan Wolfish" of me but hey...Marine, you improvise on the spot."
Linzi bounced around me screaming and crying like an Easter Bunny on crack! Then she bowled me over and kissed me like crazy! "YES! YES DORI HOPPS! MMMMMMM! YES!"
Mammals standing around us clapped and cheered as we sat up and I tied that piece of string around her paw finger. Then I took a few "selfees" for the family then finally I saw her onto the commuter train and watched it go down the track...
Beep! "YES YES YES! LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU! XXXXXXXXXX!"
I bounced all the way back to the main gate and all the way back to my room where I walked in and stood tall and proud...
"Toshi?! I'm getting married! I jumped off the cliff!" I said smiling.
Toshiro jumped up, scooped me up and spun me around the room! "GOOD FOR YOU! This calls for a bottle of "Shamp" at the concert tonight! So why isn't she here? Why didn't you bring her?"
"We have class tomorrow." I replied. "We have the weekend. Maybe we could have a study class party?"
"Can't see why not." Toshiro said as he patted my shoulder. "I am so happy for you Dori. She's a fine bunny. Hope the request chit gets processed soon. Any way...the shower's open, you should clean up before we go."
Evening
October 17, 2020
Sandy Point friendship park
The Block Theater "Round Robin Jam" concert
"Round Robin Jam" Was an open invitation concert where local bands came to entertain park gatherers and hopefully get noticed by a number of well respected Internet promoters. A band of otters were just starting up a song as me and Toshiro sat at a picnic bench with some other mammals.
"Chewing on a piece of grass
Walking down the road
Tell me, how long you gonna stay here Joe?
Some people say this town don't look good in snow
You don't care, I know
Ventura Highway, in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger
Than moonshine
You're gonna go, I know
'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair
And the days surround your daylight there
Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air, in the air..."
Toshiro pulled a big bottle of "Shamp" out of his carry bag and also a stack of plastic cups. "Excuse me everyone! Toshiro said as he stood up. "My fellow Marine and good friend Dori is getting married... hopefully soon. He proposed to his girl friend this afternoon. Any one care to partake in a good luck toast?"
"Toshi?" I said smiling.
"Shoosh! This is my "Shamp" and my invite." Toshiro said as he poured drinks and passed out the cups...
"To my friend Dori and his soon to be bride Linzi. May all your wishes for each other come true." Toshiro said.
"Here, Here!" all the mammals at the table yelped as they raised their cups and gulped down the "Shamp". I couldn't help by hug Toshi...
"My pleasure Dori." Toshiro said as he petted me. "You just treat her right ok? I want to be a Godfather." Toshiro said smiling.
We had a ball that evening. A lot of singing, a lot of dancing and just getting crazy. We ordered this massive multi-mammal pleasing pizza and shot all kinds of snit. Thoughts and talk of any potential war faded to distant worry as we enjoyed the music from the various bands, among them a group of gazelles from Sahara called "Ari Zoner's archers"
Who knew the whole band would be gone by noon the next day. All of them ended up dead when their apartment building took a direct hit. That's why I put one of the pictures I took into this book. The whole band happily playing away with mammals clapping, dancing and having fun. It would be some time before the "Round Robin Jam" returned again.
I sure got smashed that night...so much so that Toshi put me on his shoulders and walked back to the base with me cutting a fool...
"I'M GONNA BE MARRIED! I'M GONNA HAVE LIKE...LIKE A HUNDRED KITTENS! YUP!" I said as I held the "Shamp" bottle, which was long since empty. "You sure I'm not heavy Toshi?" I asked. "Mime...mine so dwunk. Sheesh...if my brothers ever saw me this dwunk?"
"I'm lucky I can walk strait." Toshiro said as he found a place to sit for a moment.
"I'm not heavy for you?" I asked.
"Nah! You're like a pillow." Toshiro replied.
"You know Toshi? For a fox? You're such an ok creature. " I was so out of my mind, I just blurted things. "I like you...I don't care what anyone says bout foxes..."hic"...Yer a sweet hombrah to me."
Toshi pulled me off his shoulders..."I think? I think you need to stand here for a moment."
"Yeah...I think you're right." I replied. Then I hurled my pizza and "Shamp". "Now? I'm not feeling too spiffy."
"Obviously." Toshiro said. "Lightweight rabbit." He scooped me up in his arms and carried me past the base gate to the barracks where he threw me into my bed.
"Now I'm going to just sit here and make sure you don't go messing things up." Toshiro said as he pulled my clothes off and tucked me in. "Sheesh...hope you make class tomorrow Dori? If you do? You're head is going to be hammering the hell out of you."
"It's your fault." I replied as I pointed into his snoot. "You foxes are responsible for every bad thing...so we rabbits say. Hell...you're to blame for us having so many kittens."
Toshiro giggled. "What are you going to name your first kitten?"
"Obviously Toshi." I replied. "Then again I better not because my Dad will bite my butt off." There was a trigger moment..."Say Dad, think Dad and ball..."
"Dori? Dori come on..." Toshi said as he cuddled me. You know we rabbits are such emotional creatures.
"I want to get married now!" I cried. "I want to have kittens now! I want my Dad to see it all Toshi! I don't want my Dad to die!" I was quite a drunk emotional wreck for hours...I "loved everybody", made a mile long list in my drunken mind..."Judy, Owen, Nori, Powen, Ori, Mom, Dad...who didn't I talk about before I finally fell asleep.
Well? Not exactly asleep...ok, weird moment but I had a stupor craving. I stumbled over to Toshi's bed and shook him awake...
"Dori? It's like 1am. You need to get back to sleep." Toshi said as he sat up.
"I um..." I stood there still somewhat unsteady on my feet..."I um...I heard rumors that...that you know? That fox tails are sort of you know? Soothing?" I reached out to grab Toshi's very thick red tail. "Could I? Could I snuggle your tail Toshi? Nothing weirdo ok? Nothing weird at all, this is nothing weird...I just thought maybe?"
Toshi pulled me onto the bed and offered his tail. "Sure Dori. Snuggle away."
"You sure?" I asked. "Just so you know honestly? This is not a weird "queer" thing ok? Nothing..."
Toshi stared at me..."Dori? Hug it...shut up...sleep."
And that's how the last day of peace went. I was wrapped around a fox tail with my drunk face buried in its soft soothing fur.
Meanwhile...at 1am on the 18th of October 2040. The Kzinti Mobile Imperial Fleet comprised of four major attack groups moved away from the home islands towards Madagascar, the Outback Islands, the Maloe Atolls and towards Zootopia. Her submarine forces also fanned out along with several groups of "special attack destroyers".
One two big islands in the Great Eastern Sea, Roya and Attu, Kzinti soldiers and technicians were completing their final checks and preparations on hundreds of what we later called "Buz Bombs", technically called "V-1" or Vengeance Rocket Bombs. All of Zootopia was marked for death. The cancer upon the ordained order of the universe was in the final stages of being brought under a huge gun sight.
Somewhere out at sea...my Nephew Jackson was himself sleeping in his coffin rack aboard the Destroyer Growler. Fifty miles North of the Growler was the Destroyer Gnu York...both were targeted for death.
Owen, Powen, Ori and Nori were on field maneuver training. Bivoac'd out in "Smithville" and they did the same thing me and Linzi had done earlier...only they are chatted about the stars over their heads. They worried about Dad, about Mom, About me but between them was no talk of war or future worries.
Zootopia sat in a last night of tranqulity...the day time mammals sleeping, the night time mammals going about their usual business. It would be a long time before the big city perched atop a hill would ever sparkle again...in lights or happiness.
Tomorrow...we would be at war.
End of Chapter 8