Eleven
Judy woke the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing.
She flailed for it, answering before her sleep-blurry eyes could even register the caller. "Nick? Hello?"
"Judy, this story is one for the books!" The excitement in Harper's voice vibrated over the line. Judy felt her hopes sink. She flopped back onto her pillow. "In a good way or a bad way?"
"In an epic way! All the news stations are talking about it. The other candidates are already giving statements about how deplorable the Mayor's actions are. Oh-hooo Lionheart's gotta be pulling out his mane right about now."
Judy could imagine. "Has there been any talk about repairing the Climate Wall?"
"The Climate Wall is definitely a hot topic right now. But so far it's mostly mammals going around blaming each other for it breaking; not so much how they're going to fix it."
"That was not the reason I gave you the interview."
"Hey, I'm just the messenger," Harper defended. "I collect the information and release it to the public. What they decide to do after that is out of my paws."
Great. So Judy had gone and caused an uproar and so far nothing productive had been achieved from it.
"Chin up, Hopps. That wall was going to break, and you and your team knew about it. At least this way, your tails are covered now that the manure has it the fan. Lionheart can't pin you as a scapegoat if you're already a whistle blower."
"I hadn't even thought of that." The idea was sobering. It hadn't occurred to Judy that Lionheart might have been planning something devious like that. But now that Harper said it, it certainly fit with how she knew the lion to operate politically.
Judy's phone buzzed with another incoming call. She quickly hung up with Harper to answer it, but this wasn't Nick either. It was her boss.
"It seems you've caused quite a stir this morning, officer Hopps."
"I'm so sorry, Commander."
"Are you really sorry, though?"
It was a fair question. Judy had done what she did last night in large part out of spite. She had been angry at Mayor Lionheart's refusal to face facts and hurt by Nick's disappearance, and together it had spurred her to call the one bunny reporter in the city who she knew would get the truth out there. But now it looked like all she had accomplished was creating more chaos. Stilll, it was a truth that needed to be out there, for the safety of the citizens of Zootopia. She couldn't regret that. Judy amended the apology to, "I'm sorry for the trouble it's causing you."
Commander Stelmaria huffed. "You should be. The Mayor has called no less than twelve times demanding that I fire you. I swear, every time he sees another news spot it's like they've stepped on his tail all over again and he calls me to roar at. You certainly don't like to make things easy for yourself, do you? I don't think I've ever seen any sabotage their career so many times in so many spectacular ways."
Judy had no response to that. A sigh gusted across the line. "I can't, however, fault your morals. I will do what I can to resolve this. In the meantime, stay home. It'll be more trouble than it's worth to have you around the station. And try not to stir up any more trouble if you can help it."
Judy laughed self-consiously. "Now you sound like Chief Bogo."
"Bite your tongue, rabbit." Another sigh. "At least officer Dill can be reinstated now."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
"Don't be too happy about it. All this fuss might have saved officer Dill his job, but it might have come at the cost of your own. I can't make you any promises with this one, Hopps."
"I understand," said Judy.
Even if she managed to keep her position, there was now zero chance of being re-partnered with Nick should Mayor Lionheart still somehow pull through with this election—a not totally impossible possibility. After all, before he had managed to turn his short stint in jail into a "reinvention" of himself that many had praised him for. Even if to Judy, the only thing that had seemed to her to have been reinvented was the size of the lion's ego.
Once she'd gotten off the phone with her boss Judy checked her call log, just in case. But no, Nick still hadn't tried to contact her. She dialed his number again. It went straight to voicemail. Most of her anger at him had abated with sleep, leaving room for her earlier worries to start creeping back in.
She called Clawhauser, but all he could tell her was that Nick hadn't come in yet and he hadn't called out again either.
"How did he sound when he called in sick yesterday?" asked Judy. "Did he sound ill? Or… upset?"
"Actually, Stella called in for him. Would you like her number?"
Judy did, in fact, want her number. The tiger answered on the second ring with a growled, "Who is this? If this is another spam call so help me—"
"It's Judy Hopps. Sorry to bother you. Do you have a minute to talk?"
"Oh, Hopps. Yeah, I got a minute. What's up?"
"I, um, I called to ask about Nick. Clawhauser said you called in sick for him yesterday?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Did you happen to see him? Was he actually sick? Or was it… something else?"
The cat made a derisive chuffing noise. "Depends on your definition of 'sick'. He was out of it, for sure. Why? Don't tell me that fox still hasn't gotten his head back on straight?"
"Actually, I haven't seen him," said Judy. It felt shameful to admit it. As if she had failed as a mate somehow. "I was hoping maybe you knew something."
"Like I have any way of figuring out what goes on in that fox's crazy brain," said Stella. "He's been all over the place lately. First he tells me he can't make it to the stakeout. Then he not only comes, he makes the bust all on his own! We didn't even know he was in the building until the flare went off."
"Nick went on a bust? I thought he was working on the missing mice case?"
"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. You know that Ortu jerk who's been buying his way out of the court system? Well he turned up dead in his house last night. Wilde found him, along with a bunch of other sketchy mammals we're still trying to dig up backgrounds on. He even bagged another fox—what was his name… Robin Swift, I think? Wasn't he involved in that fox family case with you guys a little while back?"
"He was," said Judy faintly. "So you're saying Robin was arrested too?"
"Yep. His lawyer's been pushing hard to get him released on bail, so he'll probably walk for now but—"
"I've got to go," said Judy. "Thanks for the info, Stella."
"Wait! Is something wrong?"
"I don't know yet. I'll call you later, okay?"
"You're as bad as Wilde. I expect an explanation from you later, Hopps. Don't make me hunt you down."
Judy wanted to tell Stella that she didn't know enough to explain anything, even to herself. But that worried feeling in her gut was starting to grow and writhe. She regretted not tracking Nick down last night. She only hoped she hadn't made a grave error by waiting.
It turned out Stella was right about Will rushing bail. Robin was already released and standing at the front desk with the caracal filling out paperwork when Judy arrived at the station.
"So it's true."
"Ah, Judy." The fox gave her a small nod of greeting. He looked exhausted; nothing like his usual, confident self. There was a defeated slump to his shoulders and a sadness in his eyes that concerned Judy. His voice had a forced light-heartedness as he said, "Heard about my little kurfuffle, did you? Not to worry. Will here is already on the case. I'll be cleared of charges in no time."
"For a murder investigation?" Judy shot the cat an impressed look. "You really must be the best in the business."
Will bowed his head in a modest acknowledgement. "It helps that my client has a certain amount of… diplomatic immunity, one could say."
"Immunity?" said Judy. This was the first time she had heard anything like that. Marian had never mentioned it. "How so?"
Will and Robin traded looks. Robin shrugged and waved for the caracal to go ahead. Will gave a discreet glance around, but no one was paying them any attention. "In a nutshell? Because his family's land is technically not part of Zootopia, which means that Robin is not technically a citizen. It makes enforcing any kind of law with him a messy business that the government would rather not bother with if they can help it." Will shot Robin a reproving glare. "Though Mr. Swift here has been pushing the limits of that particular loophole of late."
Robin gave a rueful shrug.
"I know better than to believe you could ever murder anyone," Judy assured him. "What happened?"
"Nick didn't tell you?"
It was the first time Judy had ever heard him say Nick's name with anything but good humor. He almost sounded accusing. It took Judy aback and made her words come out sharper than she meant them to. "Nick's missing. So no, he hasn't told me anything. He's been gone since whatever it was went down with the two of you back at Ortu's place. So I would appreciate an explanation. Quickly, if you don't mind. I have a missing mate out there who could be in trouble."
"He's gone?" Robin looked confused, and then a little ashamed. He dropped his head and rubbed at his bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't know where he went. The Jackal—that's the mammal that lured me to Ortu's place—he works for the Natural Order. He wanted me to go with him, but Nick didn't think it was safe, so he—" Robin stopped as anger started to choke his voice. He shook his head, saying more softly after a moment, "He alerted the police and had everyone arrested in order to stop it."
"Why did the Natural Order want you?" asked Judy.
"A good question I still don't know the answer to. But the Jackal said they had Craven. At the time that was all I cared I about."
The Natural Order again. And Nick had been upset enough afterwards to take off without telling anyone. Judy didn't want to think of where he might have gone, but it wasn't like he had a whole lot of options. If he was that determined to get answers…
She excused herself and went outside where she dialed Finnick. The fox admitted that Nick had gone to see him and taken a motorcycle, and that Nick had had, "that look on his face that said he was about to do something stupid."
"Then why didn't you stop him?" cried Judy, frustration making her voice rise.
"What am I, his mother?" snapped Finnick. "Wilde's not a kit. He can make as many stupid decisions as he wants. For all I knew he really just wanted to take a drive."
Yeah, thought Judy. A drive right out into the Wildlands.
There was a moment of angry silence as they both fumed at each other, and then Finnick asked gruffly, "He... really hasn't come back yet?"
Judy bit back the caustic response she wanted to give. Blaming Finnick wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault Nick had done what he did. He had been trying to be a good friend in his own way.
"No," she said. "He hasn't come back yet. And I'm worried."
Robin and Will exited the station. She expected them to go on their way, but when they spotted her they made their way over.
"Did you locate him?" asked Robin.
"No. Apparently he borrowed a bike and took off somewhere." She was proud of how level her voice sounded. She wasn't going to panic. Panic wouldn't help Nick. She needed a plan. No, first, she needed more information.
She contacted the ZPD technician's department and got the rhino's last known coordinates. When she explained her suspicions to Robin, he insisted on coming with her.
"It won't look good, you disappearing off the grid right after getting out on bail," Will warned him, but not like he really expected the fox to listen.
"I owe him a debt," said Robin simply, and Will sighed and said, "of course," and that seemed to be that.
Judy eyed the fox. "You're not coming just so you can take out some kind of petty revenge on him for getting you arrested, are you? Because I won't have you wasting time on any kind of nonsense like that when Nick could be in real trouble."
Robin pressed a paw to his heart. "On my honor, I will do everything in my power to bring your fox safely back to you." He flashed her a small, teasing smile that was much more like his usual self as he added, "Petty revenge comes after."
Judy was ok with that.
When she called to tell Finnick what they were doing, the small fox surprised her by announcing that he would also be joining them.
"Are you sure?" asked Judy, and then thought she probably deserved the curse-filled response Finnick gave her to that, which he finished with an order for her to wait for him. Then he hung up on her.
Stella called as they were finishing gathering supplies. "Word's already out that you were asking for the rhino's last known location. I can guess what you're about to do and why, and I'm coming with you."
"You don't have to do that," said Judy.
"Look, I agreed to be that pain-in-the-butt's partner until you crazy kits could get back together," said Stella. "And as his temporary partner it's my responsibility to help rescue Wilde from his own stupidity whenever it's required."
Judy was grateful that the cat couldn't see her tearing up over the phone. "Thank you, Stella."
"Don't mention it. I still owe Wilde a beating for stealing my food anyway. This will kill two birds with one stone."
"I think you'll have to get in line, but ok," said Judy. As far as she was concerned, she had first dibs on Nick for scaring her like this. Stella and Robin could do what they wanted to him afterward.
Finnick wanted to take his van, but Judy had her doubts about its reliability over Wildland terrain. It was an older vehicle. The last thing they needed was for something important to fail miles away from a decent mechanic.
Instead, Robin made a few calls and within the hour he had them an all terrain vehicle with an engine that he had been assured would make good time. There was room enough for everyone, including Little John, who picked the vehicle up and drove it over to them, and then insisted on playing chauffeur out to the Wildlands.
"Only a bear can handle the power this baby can dish out," he said, and though that statement was met with a lot of eye-rolling from everyone, no one argued with him joining them.
Food and water was hurriedly stuffed into the back, along with two first aid kits and a couple survival packs normally used for hikers or those planning on being out in the elements for extended periods. Judy hoped they wouldn't need any of it. She had this idea in her head that they were overreacting. That Nick was stranded somewhere not too far out—maybe with a flat tire or some other minor mechanical issue—and he'd be sheepish and properly remorseful for his actions when they found him, but also whole and without injury. That was the ending she wanted to all of this. Something that she could look back on one day and say, "Remember that one time you drove out into the Wildlands with no backup…" And Nick could duck his head and say, "You're never going to let that go are you?" And she would say, "No. No I am not."
Once they had gathered everything they thought would be necessary that they could fit into the ATV, they set out. Driving out into the Wildlands didn't feel the same to Judy as when she and Nick had walked along its edges. That sense of adventure and wonder was absent this time. All Judy felt now as the miles bled together and the open, barren land blurred around her was a sense of isolation, and a pervading sense of danger that came from being so far away from any kind of help, should one need it.
Nick had been out here for two days. That was two days in which he'd been alone, exposed to the elements, possibly hurt, lost, and scared. Judy wanted to be mad at him for pulling such a stupid stunt and yet there was so much fear mixed into it too that it just left her feeling jittery and slightly nauseous. It was a sensation that was not helped by the ATV's constant jostling. Their mode of transport might have been durable and speedy, but a smooth ride it was not. By the time Little John brought the vehicle to a stop with a cheesy, "You have now arrived at your destination," Judy wasn't the only one stumbling out looking a little green under the fur.
She spotted the motorcycle right away. It had been parked upright; not dumped or visibly broken. She looked over at Finnick for confirmation and the fox nodded. "Yeah. That's it."
"Nick!" Judy shouted his name across the open expanse. There was a pond a little ways ahead, along with the ravine they had followed nearly the whole way there. Neither were disturbed by her call. "Niiiiiiiiick! Nicholas Wilde, answer me!"
Finnick went to look the bike over more closely. "Keys are still in the ignition. I don't see anything wrong with the tires… or the engine…" He started the motorcycle. The growl of it echoed over the desert plain. "Gas is good. And it looks like there's extra back here. No warning lights are on…"
Nick's phone was still clipped to the dash. Judy took it and turned it on. The screen flashed a low battery warning, but it was enough time to recognize the wallpaper. It was a picture of Judy on a park bench, holding up a half-melted ice cream cone and laughing. Judy remembered that day. It had been on a weekend in the summer, before they had even been dating. They had stopped for something sweet and frozen to cool off, but it had been so hot out that Judy hadn't been able to eat her ice cream fast enough to keep it from melting all over her paw, and the bench, and everywhere else. And Nick had been making so many jokes about it that Judy had been laughing too hard to keep eating, which had only made the whole situation messier and more hilarious.
Robin was sniffing around the pond's edge. Little John sidled over to the ravine and poked his head over the side. He grimaced. "Yeesh. That's quite a drop."
"Do you see anything?" asked Robin.
"Nah," he said as Judy's heart skipped a beat. "Not from up here anyway."
Behind them, Stella made a startled noise then quickly cut it off. Everyone turned her way. Her eyes met Judy's, and Judy's stomach dropped at the apologetic look on her face. "I think… I found something," the tiger said.
Judy made her way over. She didn't run. She didn't want to see what had made the cat look at her like that. The others filed in behind her. No one else wanted to be the first to see what it was either.
There in the grass lay a blood-splattered rock the size of a baseball. And next to it, a tracker with a rhino's ear sill attached.
It was decided that Stella would take the ATV and head back to the ZPD to get a DNA test of the ear and the blood on the rock. There really wasn't a question of who the ear belonged to. It was the blood stains on the rock that were of most importance to Judy.
It was possible that the rhino had used the rock to severe his ear and the blood had nothing to do with what had befallen Nick at all. Granted, the rock was round with no particularly sharp points to it, but the edges of the ear were ragged enough that it wasn't too crazy to think the rhino had smashed it off. The animal had removed his own ear. He had clearly been desperate and out of his mind. Who knew how he might have decided to accomplish it.
This point did not make Judy feel any better about finding Nick's motorcycle in the same area as a crazy rhino, but attributing the rock to the rhino meant that Judy could imagine something less bloody—and therefore to her way of thinking, less dire—had happened to Nick. He might have wandered off and gotten lost or slipped away to take a nap somewhere less exposed. Any moment now he could come stumbling out of some hidden burrow, sleepy-eyed and embarrassed to find them all here to rescue him.
She held on to this possibility throughout the hours of searching with the others, even as the day lapsed into night and darkness dropped over them like a shroud.
When it was too dark to see their paws in front of their faces, they were forced to stop for the night. Robin started a small fire and they huddled around it. Everyone was subdued. There was very little talking. Instead they listened to the soft sounds of the Wildland insects and nodded off into fitful dozes. Even then, Judy told herself that Nick's continued absence made sense. He might had woken late and realized it was now too dark to head anywhere. He was smart enough to stay put until morning. In the morning, she told herself, they could still find each other.
Morning seeped over the horizon in ever-lightening shades of blue, until a flare of gold from the east announced the official arrival of dawn. Everyone was more or less awake and nibbling at the energy bars they had packed for breakfast without much enthusiasm. Judy was just about to announce her intention to resume searching when Robin spotted movement in the distance, coming from the direction of Zootopia. It was clouds of dust, kicked up by the tires of multiple vehicles. As they got closer, Judy could make out the ZPD logo on the sides of the vans. The sight made Judy's hopes shrivel like the grass that grew in this desolate wasteland.
Stella had returned with backup. Chief Bogo would not have approved such a thing. Not if the blood had only been the rhino's.
The vehicles pulled to a stop a few yards away from their campfire. McHorn, Francine, Clawhauser, and Howle got out of the vans, their expressions all equally grave and determined. The sight of the wolf there too was like a gust of wind to Judy's dried up hopes, blowing the few remaining bits away.
Stella approached her as if she were a skittish animal at risk of fleeing. Judy could have told her not to worry. She had never felt less able to run anywhere. She might still look made of fur and flesh, but her body had turned to stone. If she tried to move she would shatter.
Judy…"
"I know what you're going to say." She couldn't maintain eyes contact with the tiger and still hold herself together, so she looked away. Unfortunately, no matter where she turned her head there was someone else there, watching her, and the truth was just as visible on all of their faces: It was Nick's blood. The blood was Nick's. Nick was bleeding, and now he's missing and—
A warm paw dropped onto Judy's shoulder. She looked up into Howle's solemn face. "We'll find him, Judy. Nick will be okay."
He couldn't know that for sure. But he said it in such a calm, steady voice that Judy found the words bolstering her spirits anyway. She took a deep breath in and slowly released it. "You're right. We will. Thank you for coming to help. How are Pearl and the pups?"
"Doing wonderfully. You and Nick will have to stop by and see them. Pearl says they'll be trying to howl soon."
Judy somehow managed to laugh around the lump in her throat. "Nick wouldn't want to miss that."
Howle smiled and moved away to start pulling equipment from the van. That made everyone who had been watching recall themselves, and they rushed forward to help.
Stella stayed next to Judy. Judy had to take another deep breath before facing her. "Thank you for coming back with all this."
"Thank Chief Bogo. He's the one who cleared it. Unofficially, of course, since the ZPD has no authority to investigate anything in the Wildlands. If anyone asks, we're supposed to tell them we're out here as a team building exercise."
Judy didn't care what excuse they used so long as they helped her find Nick.
Clawhauser saw to the camp. Judy wouldn't have pegged him as a mammal who would be good out in nature but he knew how to set up the tents and played with Robin's tiny fire until it grew into something that could handle a pot and kettle.
The rest of them broke out into search teams: Stella and Howle got out rappelling equipment to search the ravine. Robin and Little John took a ZPD drone with heat-seeking radar to try and spot anomalies from above that might indicate where Nick was or what direction he might have gone in. Finnick and Judy took the ATV to do a ground search. They'd drive for a short distance, then stop and check the area, keeping an ear out for any telling sounds and a nose out for any strange smells. Francine and McHorn took turns playing sentry in case the rhino or anyone else decided to drop in, with the other doing a more detailed search of the area for overlooked clues, pawprints and the like.
The day went by in this way. At nightfall they were all forced once again back to camp. Clawhauser passed out water to everyone and had managed to make some kind of vegetable stew over the fire that wasn't half bad. That was the only positive achievement of the day, however. Stella and Howle had found no signs of life in the ravine. Robin and Little John had sent the drone as far out as they'd dared. The sharp winds, they said, made piloting it trickier than in Zootopia. Finnick and Judy had found nothing of interest besides a small ditch that could have been an ancient den that had collapsed or just an old sinkhole. Either way, there had been no one there. McHorn and Francine had done their best to look for tracks, but the ground was too hard and dry. Not even Francine's heavy step could put a dent in the parched earth. And there was no plant life to speak of that might point the way.
But everyone was quick to assure Judy that there were still many places left to search once the sun came back up. Robin and Little John rattled off plans to send the drone out over that dense canopy in the distance. Stella and Howle said they had also brought along diving equipment. Tomorrow they would search the pond for any evidence that the rhino might have tried to dispose of. It was worded carefully, but Judy knew what they weren't saying: That Nick's body might also be some of that evidence.
That was the point where Judy went and threw up her stew into the bushes.
Everyone was awake and up well before dawn the next day. Clawhauser made a savory oatmeal with eggs mixed into it. Judy didn't even try to eat. Finnick, she noticed, also gave up after a few bites.
Robin and Little John took the ATV to get as close to the tree line as they could from the other side of the ravine before sending up the drone. That left Judy and Finnick stuck at camp. Judy watched Stella and Howle check over their snorkeling gear before slipping into the water. Finnick stalked away then, muttering something about helping McHorn and Francine. Judy didn't blame him for not wanting to watch. She didn't know what she would do if they came up with Nick's body. That possibility couldn't penetrate the stone-like feeling that had returned to her in the night. So instead it hovered about her like the ghost as she stayed in her spot by the shoreline, watching the tiger and wolf explore the waters of the pond.
At one point Clawhauser came and sat down next to her. At first she was afraid he would try and make conversation, either to distract or console her, but he didn't. He was simply a reassuring presence by her side, and Judy closed her eyes and leaned against him. The cheetah always looked so soft and fluffy, but the fur against her cheek was actually pretty coarse. The arm he wrapped around her was gentle though, and his anxious purring had a nice, soothing effect.
Maybe, thought Judy, they hadn't found Nick yet because he had gone back. Maybe they had missed him somehow driving out. Maybe he had taken a different path back to the city, and any minute now Judy would get a call on the long-distance walkie Stella had given her telling her that Nick had made it back safe and sound, that even now he was in Zootopia, waiting for her. Maybe.
Maybe she was running out of ways to fool herself.
Robin and Little John returned in the early afternoon looking like kits who had gotten caught doing something naughty. Guiltily, they told Judy they had lost the drone while flying it over the trees.
"It's more of a jungle than a forest," said Little John. "When we tried to send the drone deeper in it got tangled on a vine or something and pfvoot, power out."
McHorn, Francine, and Finnick came back a short time after that, Francine supporting a limping McHorn who had taken a nasty tumble into a dried out creek bed.
"This place is the worst," grumbled McHorn as Francine set him down by the fire. "They should call it the Deadlands instead of the Wildlands since everything out here is—ow!" he exclaimed as Finnick smacked an icepack onto his leg.
"You should give that a rest," the fox told him in a warning voice. The rhino cast a guilty look Judy's way and fell silent.
Stella and Howle packed it in just as Clawhauser was finishing up with the evening meal. They sat as close to the fire as they could, shaking out their fur and shivering. Robin passed them both towels, which were accepted gratefully. No one was sad to hear that they hadn't found anything.
"I think it's time we reevaluated our strategy on this," said Little John as they ate. Well, everyone but Judy ate. She left her bowl untouched. She saw Finnick wasn't doing much better with his.
They discussed other possible plans. Judy wanted to take the ATV farther out, but that would require more gasoline than they could spare. Robin and Little John said they knew someone who could get them a sturdier and more high-tech drone to scan the jungle, but they would need to return to Zootopia in order to contact them. Stella and Howle said they might be able to find something on the other side of the ravine, but they would need additional equipment in order to get over there.
Every idea amounted to the same thing: they would need to leave.
They weren't giving up. No one was giving up on Nick. They reassured Judy of this dozens of times as they were packing up. Judy even agreed that they should go.
She still cried on the way back.
As they hit the city limits, everyone's phones started pinging with missed messages. Judy saw her parents had called, and Commander Stelmaria. She had several text messages from other officers in the ZPD, including her team over in Tundratown, saying they had heard about Nick and to let her know if there was anything they could do. Judy scrolled through, unable to replying to any of them. She didn't know what to say. Just looking at them made her feel like crying again.
Instead she called the hospitals. She asked if any foxes had been admitted in the past few days. She used her power as both an officer and as the famous Judy Hopps shamelessly in order to get them to release the information she needed. Unfortunately that turned up nothing. Only two foxes had been admitted in the correct timeframe, and one was an elderly arctic fox and one was a female who'd come in for an ultrasound for a pregnancy.
Dead ends. It felt like everywhere Judy turned these days, that's all she was met with. Dead ends.
It was early morning when Stella dropped her off outside her apartment. As Judy started to get out, the tiger put a paw on her arm. "Before you go, can I give you some straight talk for a second?"
When Judy nodded warily, the cat said, "I don't know how to be delicate about things like this, but I just wanted you to know that you shouldn't give up hope yet. And I don't mean that in a always-think-positive-even-when-life's-kicking-your-tail, your-fortune's-what-you-will-it-to-be type of nonsense kind of way. I mean that it's still very logical to believe that Nick's alive. Yes, the blood was his. And yes, we didn't find him. But if he was alone and hurt that badly, we would have found a blood trail. We would have found him, somewhere in the area. Which means that more than likely he was taken. And most bad guys don't take dead bodies, Judy. Not when they're stranded in the middle of nowhere with no destination and no law to hold them to. They would have left Nick where he fell, or hidden him, badly, and close to where the murder happened. I don't for a second believe the rhino or whoever else killed Nick and then carried off his corpse just because."
It was hard to think past all the awful images each of those scenarios was filling her mind with, but Judy thought she got what the cat was trying to tell her. "You think he was taken."
"It's the only thing that makes sense to me."
"Then the question becomes why. Why take him? Collateral? A trade? What?"
"Who knows? But it's a lot harder to barter with a dead fox than a live one, right?"
Judy's stomach flipped. She managed a queasy nod.
Stella wrinkled her nose. "Sorry. I could have worded that better."
"No, that makes sense. And you're right, if Nick's alive, that's all that matters right now." Judy smiled at the tiger. "Thank you."
"Sure thing. Now just make sure you keep taking care of yourself until we find him."
"Oh, well," said Judy. "I think I'm doing okay."
"You haven't been sleeping or eating," Stella said bluntly. "Don't think we all haven't noticed. I told Howle to have the same talk with Finnick."
Judy didn't envy Howle that job.
"I know it's hard," Stella went on, "but while we're back please take a few hours and try to rest. And eat something, will you? At this point I don't care if it's doughnuts."
Judy nodded obediently. "I will." She smiled at the tiger. "Thank you. For worrying about me. And Nick. It means a lot."
Stella coughed, suddenly awkward, and shooed Judy out. "Uh-huh, whatever, you can go now. I'll call you around noon and we'll make plans to meet back up with the others and see what our next move should be."
Judy got out. As she watched the cat drive away her phone dinged. It was Finnick. Howle had offered to drop him off at his van. Now knowing that he had probably received a similar lecture on taking care of himself, Judy could just imagine his current mood. He had promised Judy he would go check Nick's apartment again, just in case.
His text was short and to the point: NO NICK.
How was it possible to feel disappointed when she'd already known that would be the case? Getting teary over it was especially dumb. It was the exhaustion, Judy told herself. She would go inside, choke down some food—possibly with a couple sleeping pills—and rest. Her emotions might not feel so overloaded then and she'd be able to think more clearly. Stella was right. She needed to take care of herself if she wanted to be in shape to find Nick.
Judy turned to go in, and that's when she spotted the small figure dithering on the apartment's top step. She had two bags beside her, neither of them bigger than a brussel sprout. Both sported the shiny logo of Coco Camel on them.
Judy blinked. "Fru Fru? Is that you?"
"Judy!" squeaked the shrew. "I'm so sorry!" And then the shrew burst into tears and threw herself into Judy's paws.
Judy scooped her tiny friend up and cradled her close, feeling fresh tears filling her own eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Judy, Judy, I'm so sorry! I'm the worst friend in the world! You probably hate me now, don't you? But still, you have to listen to me, Judy, ok? You have to go."
"Go?" said Judy. "Go where? You mean away from my apartment?"
"Your apartment, the city. We need to get out of Zootopia." Fru Fru gripped Judy's furry paw tight. "Death is coming."
The first time Nick came to consciousness it was dark, and he was aware of nothing but a throbbing pain in his head that matched the sick sway of the floor he was lying on.
When he tried to sit up, the throbbing ricochet like a misfired flare inside his skull, sending white sparks through his vision and making the world tip sideways with a violent lurch, upending the contents of Nick's stomach if not his body.
Afterwards, he crawled as far away from the mess as he could manage before the pain forced him still again. Then he lay there and focused on his breathing as the throbbing in his head gradually slowed until it once again matched the constant tip-tip-tipping of the room.
He must have passed out again, because when Nick was next aware of his surroundings there was light, and his head only felt like it was out to cripple him instead of the full on murder attempt like before.
He rose in slow degrees: First by lifting his head just enough to get a look at the room he was in—small and empty with gray stone walls—and then by working his elbows back until he could crank himself up into a drunken slouch. The movement sent his stomach into another revolt, but there was nothing left to sacrifice and after a few minutes he lay back, the burn of stomach acid thick in his throat and the sensation of thirst a nearly painful thing. His mouth felt both dry and tacky, with a sour taste on his tongue he didn't want to think about too much or his stomach was going to find something to cast up just on principle.
Plink.
In the silence of the room, the quiet sound echoed off the stone like a hammer strike to Nick's poor abused noggin. But more than that, he recognized it as the sound of water dripping.
Plink.
There, a few feet behind him, was a ceramic bowl. As Nick watched, water beaded along the rim and then rolled down, falling onto the stone floor with a soft plink.
Nick twisted around and grabbed the bowl, bringing it to his lips before the strong scent of something earthy and rotten made him look down. Fuzzy green mold floated beneath the surface of the water, along with some white bits that might have been some type of larvae.
Nick flung the bowl away with a shout of disgust. The sharp movement sent bolts of pain through his skull and he pressed his paws to either side of his head, willing his brain to hold it together and not start leaking out his ears. He could feel an impressive lump behind his left ear. His fur there was matted with dried blood, a gross feeling that continued all the way down the back of his neck. When he tugged down the collar of his shirt, he saw more blood there too.
This is what happens when you get bludgeoned from behind. You ruin your wardrobe.
Something wet dripped onto his shoulder. Nick looked up gingerly. A deep crack ran through the ceiling, zigzagging nearly the length of the room. A tendril of what looked like a large tree root poked through, water beading at the tip.
So, the bowl of water had not been a peace offering left by his captors. They just had a bit of a leak.
Nick sat back, taking in the details. The room reeked of damp; a smell that did nothing to help his unsettled stomach. Black smears of mold decorated the walls. There was one window set too high up to reach, with twisted bars that were thicker than Nick's forearm set at oddly spaced intervals.
Nick squinted up at them. No, they weren't bars at all, but tree roots. Seriously, who planted trees on the roof like this? Whoever was in charge of landscaping this place needed to be fired immediately.
A grinding noise had Nick leaping to his feet, whirling around to face whatever it was. The sudden movement sent pain lancing through his head and he staggered back, throwing out an arm to catch himself against the wall before he crumpled.
A chunk of stone had been shoved back, revealing a hallway. A warthog stood in the doorway. His tusks were painted black and he had a scar in the shape of the letters N.O. on his upper arm, but otherwise he looked like any other warthog Nick might see in Zootopia. Normal jeans, t-shirt, even the ugly buzzcut that was so popular with wild hogs in the city.
"Ah. Is it check-out time already?" said Nick. He jerked a thumb at the ceramic bowl, which lay cracked and overturned behind him. "The amenities here are atrocious. I hope you're prepared to give me a discount."
The warthog grunted. "This way."
He walked off without seeing if Nick would follow. Nick was half-tempted to stay where he was, but then someone would probably just come and drag him out anyway, and if they didn't, he'd be stuck in this room without even answers to make things more bearable. So he trailed after the warthog, keeping a good amount fo distant between them. Ahead, weak sunlight poured down a set of cracked stone steps. Nick could smell damp earth, fresh and rotting plants. The warthog went up the steps, and after a moment Nick did too.
Green. For a minute that was all he saw. Trees and vines, flowers the size of Nick's head and leaves he could have made a bed on. It was so very much like being in the Rainforest District and yet not at all. There was no carefully hidden sprinkler system here, no practical design to the way the plants were laid out. No paths besides a dirt trail that was in imminent danger of being swallowed up by nature.
The warthog was still going, following the path, either unknowing or uncaring that Nick had stopped and was evaluating the jungle around him. Should he make a break for it? Granted, running away blindly had its cons. He had no idea how far away he was from Zootopia or in which direction he needed to go. There might be traps out there, or natural dangers like quicksand, poisonous plants, or some type of killer insect that would go after a fox on sight. But even with all that, Nick though it still might be better than sticking around animals who had smashed a rock over his head in order to bring him here.
Nick started for the nearest gap in the flora. He was close enough to reach out and touch the palm fronds when he saw it: Eyes, staring out of the gloom at him.
Nick choked back a yelp of surprise, feeling his heart rate triple as if the organ was trying to flee his chest. It made his head hurt and his vision swim, and he had to lean against a tree trunk until the feeling passed.
Okay, so maybe making a break for it right now wasn't the most feasible option. Running now would probably snap the last thread of whatever was holding his poor bruised brain together and that would be it. Not exactly e most dignified way to go.
Nick looked for the eyes again, but the place he'd seen them was dark now. The vegetation was so thick it look like night between the leaves. Nick wasn't dumb enough to think the animal wasn't still out there though, watching him. If he tried to run they would be there. He had no doubt.
So he continued to follow the warthog. Occasionally, he'd see more eyes through the trees, but they never got close enough for Nick to make out what kind of animal they were, or how many were out there. They passed by more buildings too. All the same gray stone in varying states of decay, half-swallowed by the jungle. Moss carpeted the stairways and ran like tears from dark, empty windows. Vines wrapped their choking tendrils around high-reaching spires and crumbled statuary. It was unfortunate, because here and there Nick could make out sections that revealed real artistry to the architecture. Delicate and complex carvings etched above collapsed doorways and into fallen pillars half-buried in the detritus of the forest floor. Most of the carvings were abstract and purely decorative, but some depicted stylized images of animals that looked like something Nick might find in the Natural History Museum, including scenes of many small animals bowed prostrate before a bunch of… squiggly lines?
This is where Nick's interest had always waned in his history classes at school. He had no interest in discussing the possible interpretations of such symbolism. Did the squiggly lines stand for heat? Light? Rain? Mammals made spent whole careers debating such things. Nick supposed, in this case, his silent tour guide might know the answer, but the warthog's dead expression didn't exactly invite questions.
The path gradually widened, the jungle retreating back further and further until it opened up into a roughly oval shape. At the top of this oval was another building. This one was in better shape than the rest. No moss obscured the architecture and no vines draped themselves from the pilars. It was as clean and solid as anything Nick had seen thus far.
He distrusted it immediately.
It was vaguely pyramid in shape, with distinctive tiers and rounded sides almost like a beehive turned upside down. Nick could still see where the walls had once been painted in blacks and golds, creating a striped sort of geometric pattern.
This wasn't just another building. It was a temple.
The warthog jerked his chin towards the dark entryway. "In."
He should have run, Nick realized. He should have booked it into the trees and taken his chances with the eyes and whatever else, because guaranteed it would be better than whatever he would face inside here.
"You know if this is some kind of surprise party, I've never been a fan," Nick told the warthog.
The warthog just looked at him. "In," he said again.
Nick glanced towards the tree line. He could still make a break for it. Dying with dignity was for chumps anyway. But even as he thought it, the bushes shook and jaguar stepped out of the foliage. Even for a big cat, he was huge, with a thick neck and muscles that bulged under his glossy coat. He folded his paws across his broad chest and stared down at Nick.
So, he had never stood a chance. Nice to know.
The warthog grunted and stepped towards him, thrusting his tusks up threateningly.
Nick leapt away and almost did a face-plant as the world went fuzzy for second. "All right! I'm going, I'm going."
The warthog followed him up to the entrance and waited for Nick to step inside. Once he was in, the hog reached into a dark recess and pulled on something. There was a clack, and then a stone wall came crashing down between them, locking Nick in darkness.
"Would it have killed you to leave me a flashlight?" Nick shouted.
No response. The door did not reopen.
Nick took a moment to prepare himself, then turned around to see exactly what kind of nightmare he had just walked into. From the outside it had looked like the temple was made up of many floors, but it turned out to be one giant room with a tall dome ceiling. At its pinnacle was a circular opening that let sunlight shine down sharp as a beam in the middle of the room. But the light didn't disperse well, and the edges of the room were still black as pitch. Nick waited for his vision to adjust, but the combo of the bright and dark was playing havoc on his senses. That, or his head injury was more serious than he'd thought.
Either way, the only way to see what was hidden in shadows would be to venture into them, and Nick found that he really wasn't that curious.
The part of the room he could see was empty. There were no other animals—or animal bones, which was more what he had been picturing, if he was being honest. No blood. No torture instruments. The floor was made up of a fine gold sand. Nick could even see the ripples where something had been used to rake it clean. It reminded him a little bit of those meditation gardens they had back at the Mystic Spring Oasis, though somehow he didn't think they had brought him here to do yoga.
Something blotted out the skylight, plunging Nick into darkness. His heart, which had already been pounding, redoubled it's efforts to escape his chest and flee. His head gave a warning throb. Nick could hear something scraping, sliding, shifting. Where they lowering something in? Or were they filling the temple with sand to bury him? Maybe he hadn't seen any bodies because they were several neatly kept layers below him.
The horror that he might be standing on some sort of mass grave was just setting in when the sound stopped and light returned. Nick snapped his head up, pain sloshing through his skull and threatening to overbalance him. Sunlight streamed down. There was no sign of anything having been dumped into the room. The sand in the center of the room looked undisturbed.
"So. I see we have a guest." The voice was soft and sibilant, floating from the darkness like a tune. Nick whipped around. The movement sent the world listing sideways and he threw out a paw to catch himself as the ground rushed up to meet him. Nick strained to see who had spoken to him, but it was impossible to make out anything but shadows.
"Nicholas Wilde."
Behind him again. Nick staggered to his feet as he tried to keep the animal in front of him. It was hard, not being able to see them. "Who are you? Do I know you?"
"Perhaps… I am known as Silos."
"Can't say it rings a bell."
"An understandable ignorance. We shall fix that."
Behind him again. Nick shifted accordingly. It was difficult. The acoustics of the room were as strange as the lighting. Sound bounced around him as if it came from everywhere. It sounded like this Silos was moving, circling Nick in the dark. Nick couldn't hear his footsteps, which made him think Silos must be a smaller creature, but the voice was strong and deep like a bovine or larger. It sounded like he was dragging something heavy along with him. It slid though the sand in a smooth and steady motion. Rope? Or a weapon of some kind?
"Speaking of fixing things," said Nick, "you might want to work on your host skills. Inviting animals to your place via a rock to the head is generally considered rude."
"One of my scouts spotted you out in the Empty Lands. His first instinct was to kill you, but then he recognized the famous police fox. He thought you might prove useful to me, so he brought you here." This explanation was given without shame or apology.
"Well it's always nice to feel wanted," quipped Nick.
"Yes. Being useful can hold more power than strength, if leveraged wisely."
Movement, there, out of the corner of Nick's eye. But when he turned to look at it straight on the glare from the sunlight shrouded it in silvery darkness. And then again, there, on the other side, more movement. Or was it just another trick of the light?
"If you're talking about power, you must be part of the Natural Order then."
"I am more than part of it. I am the head of it."
Nick had been afraid of that.
"And does the head also come with a body? Cause I gotta say, Silos, you're doing a great job with the whole cloak and dagger routine, but I'm working off a pretty wicked concussion here and I could use a break from all the spinning."
"You desire a proper introduction?"
Nick had never desired anything less. But better to know what kind of animal he was working with here. "If you wouldn't mind."
The dragging sound changed direction as Silos broke away from the edges of the room and cut a path towards Nick, sudden and swift. Nick had only a moment to feel alarm before something huge and long rose from the darkness. Up and up it stretched, nearly blotting out the light from the opening above, it's massive body undulating, furless, limbless, with black and gold patterning along it's scaly hide.
Silos looked down at Nick. A forked tongue flicked out to taste the air in front of the fox's nose before the snake lifted his wide, hooded head and smiled, revealing curved, needle-sharp fangs. "Hello, Nicholas Wilde. I am Silos. Welcome to the Natural Order."