Stay Tuned
It was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. The air was just right, not too warm but not too cold; practically perfect. And on this perfect day, Nick and Judy were getting ready to board a train to Judy's hometown of Bunnyburrow. This trip would be the first Judy had been back since she returned to the Zootopia Police Department and Nick's first time visiting.
The couple had been dating for a few months now, and Judy decided that it was the right time to tell her parents they were together. Chief Bogo had even graciously given them a week's paid vacation so they could enjoy their stay.
Now, interspecies and predator/prey relationships weren't unheard of in Zootopia. There wasn't an abundance of them, but still, there was a presence. And in the past year, that presence has increased. But in the rural town of Bunnyburrow, this concept was foreign. The town had its small share of predators, but in Bunnyburrow, foxes stayed with foxes, and rabbits stayed with rabbits. At least, that's how Judy remembered it.
"It's okay, Nick. Deep Breath."
"Are you sure your parents are going to be okay with it? With us?"
"Hey, they accepted you as my partner, didn't they? You're still my partner, just in more ways than one. I'm sure they'll accept you just the same."
"I hope you're right, Carrots."
While Judy meant what she said, even she was secretly a bit apprehensive. Not about her parents per se, but about a particular family member who had been less than tolerant of foxes.
One pleasant but uneventful train ride later, the two arrived at the Bunnyburrow train station where Judy's parents, Bonnie and Stew, were waiting for them, along with several of her siblings and extended family.
Now, given the number of family members Judy has, with 275 siblings alone, not counting extended family, it would stand to reason that listing them all would be a tad absurd. Here are the names of a few, for lack of a better word, important ones: Judy's two sisters, the older Jenny Hopps-Dae, the younger Julie Hopps, her younger identical twin teenage brothers Jackie and Jimmy Hopps, and Jenny's daughter, the adorable Cotton.
Each of Judy's siblings strongly resembled Judy in various ways. Jenny, like Judy, had their mother's purple eyes, while the color of her fur was closer to the brown of their father's. She was also one of the tallest members of the family, managing to beat their Stu in height by a solid five inches. Julie had brown eyes like their father, but her fur was gray like Judy and Bonnies. Julie stood a couple of inches shorter than Judy, a fact Judy was secretly happy about because she had always thought she'd end up as the shortest member of the family. Jackie and Jimmy's eyes were a bit unique. Their left eyes were purple while their right eyes were brown. They each had light brown fur and stood a few inches shorter than Julie, although they still had room to grow.
Judy and Nick barely had time to step off the train before her niece came charging at them with the brightest grin on her face as her bright green eyes sparkled in the afternoon light.
"Aunt Judy!" The little cream-colored rabbit happily exclaimed as she lept into her Aunt's arms.
"Hey there, scamp. How's my favorite niece doing?"
"I'm fine. I got all B's on my report card!"
"That's great. I think that deserves a reward." Nick replied as he reached into a small insulated luggage container and pulled out a shiny red paw-shaped popsicle. "Here, have a pawpsicle."
"Thanks, Nicky! You're the best!"
"Heeeey, I thought I was the best." Judy replied, feigning jealousy.
"You're the best too, Aunt Judy."
"Alright, Cotton. Come on back." Jenny said as she motioned for her daughter to return to her side.
"Okay, mama."
"Sorry about that, Judy."
"It's no biggie, Jenny. Where's Zack?"
"That husband of mine had to go into Zootopia on business. A shipment of seeds never arrived at the farm. He should be back tomorrow. So Nick, life been treatin' ya well?"
"It's been absolutely wonderful." Nick replied as his eyes darted briefly at Judy, but too brief for anyone to pick up on.
"So this is the infamous Nick Wilde I've heard so much about, eh." Judy's sister Julie spoke up.
She approached said fox and eyed him up and down and all around.
"Hmm...You know what? I like the cut of his jib."
"She likes the cut of his jib!" The twins excitedly exclaimed as the
"Wait, what's a jib?" Jackie wondered.
"Beats me." Jimmy shrugged.
"Alright, alright. We can all catch up later." Bonnie spoke up. "Let's let get home. I left a pie in the oven, and I don't want it to burn."
"Yes!" Judy yelled with glee. "Nick, you're in for a treat. Mom's pies are the best."
A short and very packed car ride later, Nick, Judy, and the rest of the Hopps clan arrived at the Hopp's residence.
"Here we are." Stu declared. "Burrow sweet burrow."
Nick was taken a bit back by the house in front of him, or rather the seeming lack of one. Where an ordinary place would typically be, there was, instead, a small rounded mound with a door on it.
"Are you sure we're at the right place?" Nick asked. "It seems a little...cramped.
"Just wait." Judy replied as she took out a key with a little carrot key chain on it.
Nick followed behind Judy with the rest of the family in tow. Inside of the mound was a staircase that led several feet down. Nick's eyes widened as they entered the Hopps family home, a massive and beautiful three-story pit with over a hundred rooms.
The bottom floor was a sizable dining area/living area and a smaller but still sizable kitchen area connected by a giant bunny-eared arch on the bottom floor.
"I'm afraid it's not much, but it's home." Stu said humbly.
"Not much!?" Nick exclaimed. "This place is the size of a mansion!"
"This is actually one of the smaller homes in Bunnyburrow." Judy replied.
"Yeah, you should see the Cottentail's place." said Jenny. "It makes this look like a shack."
"Your old room is just like you left it." Bonnie said to Judy. "And we have the guest room all set up for you, Nick. Once you've settled in, come down to the dining room, and I'll serve you some pie.
Judy made her way to her room and Nick to his, conveniently right next to Judy's.
After putting away her things, Judy eyed her bed. A little grin came over her face. She couldn't help but take a great big dive into it. She let out a contented sigh as the nostalgia of being back in the bed she's had since high school, and speaking of high school, it was then Judy noticed something that made her gasp, the large poster of her former favorite cheesy teen idol, Justin Beiver. But it wasn't the fact the poster was up there that gave her concern. Plenty of teen girls worshiped him. It was the fact that she had crudely pasted herself onto the poster, so it appeared as if he was holding her in his arms.
"Oh, no!" She silently yelled.
She knew if Nick saw that poster, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to tease her about it.
"I swear I took that thing down…" She muttered, "I need to take it down."
At that moment, she heard a knock on her door, followed by the sound of the doorknob turning. Judy quickly bounced her way off the bed and over to the door and tried to stop it from opening. The door had just cracked open by a few inches before Judy could stop it.
"Hey there, Carrots. Mind if I come in?"
"Geez, Nick. Don't you knock?"
"I did knock."
"Well, you could have asked to come in first."
"Since when do I need permission?"
"I...It's…" Judy stammered.
"What are you…" It was then Nick spotted it just out of the crack of the door. "Is that…"
"That's nothing!"
A tiny smirk formed on Nick's face and Judy knew the jig was up. There was no point in holding Nick back, so she relented and let him in, making sure to close the door behind him.
Nick didn't say a word. He simply stood there with a look of devilish delight.
"Nic…"
"Shh." Nick interrupted as he held up a finger. "This is just too precious. I need to savor it."
Nick took in a few more moments of silence before speaking up again.
"You look like quite the couple. When's the wedding?"
"Nick…"
"What? I'm just saying you're totally adorable. Ooh, I bet your kids will be absolutely precious."
Nick's amusement only grew as Judy grew visibly embarrassed.
"Are you done?" Judy asked as her she began tapping her left foot ever so slightly.
"No. I got plenty more, but I think I'll save them for later." Nick replied as he slowly came closer to her. "Has anyone ever told you you're cute when you're flustered?"
"You, all the time. And you're the only one who can." She said in a flirtatious tone before leaning her head in closer to share a short but sweet kiss with the teasing fox.
"We should probably get down there." Nick suggested. "The smell of that pie is calling to me."
"Dibs on the biggest piece!"
Judy and Nick made their way down to the dining area where an almost comically large pie had just finished cooling.
Now looking from the bottom up, Nick couldn't help but continue to marvel at the sheer scope of the Hopps residence. He thought the ornately carved wood railings on each floor were quite stunning as well.
"So, did ya settle in, alright?" Jackie asked Judy with a slight snicker before giving a darting look at Jimmy.
"Yeah, everything just as you left it?" Jimmy said with the same snicker as his twin.
Judy's eyes flickered with the realization of what the two had done.
"Did you two…"
"Do what? Jackie played dumb.
"Yeah, we got no idea what you're talking about." Jimmy shrugged with a mischievous smile.
"You two put that poster up, didn't you?"
The twin rabbits simply giggled and ran off.
But they didn't go far. Jackie and Jimmy approached Jenny, who not-so-subtly slipped them each some cash.
That's when Judy realized the real mastermind behind the prank.
"It was you!" Judy exclaimed as she walked over to her older sister.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Jenny replied in a tone and smirk that suggested she knew exactly what she meant.
"You paid them to put that poster in my room."
"Oh, so you're who I have to thank for that wonderful moment." Nick said as he approached the two rabbit sisters.
"You are most welcome." Jenny replied
"Oh, you're not even denying it anymore."
"Heh, why deny such a masterpiece?"
"Jenny and I have been in a prank war since we were kids." Judy said to Nick.
"And, I believe this puts me ahead."
"You'd think now that we're both adults, and one of us is a mother, we'd be able to put this behind but apparently not."
"Come on, you and I both know you're not planning on stopping our feud anytime soon."
"While that may be true, I still can't believe you dragged Jackie and Jimmy into this."
"Oh, please. The last time you were here, you bribed them to replace all my paw cream with mayonnaise."
"So, how much did you pay them?" Nick asked Jenny.
"Twenty bucks."
"Twenty!? I had to give them forty!"
"I got the older sister discount."
"But, I'm also their older sister."
"I got the OLDER older sister discount."
"It sounds like those two have quite the hustle going on." Nick said with a slight tone of admiration.
"Watch it there, slick." Judy playfully warned.
"Just admiring their work ethic." Nick assured her. "So, does Julie participate in this little prank war of yours?"
"Oh, no. I most certainly do not." The nearby Julie replied as she approached. "Not since the...color bomb incident."
Julie let out a slight shudder.
"The color bomb incident?" Nick asked.
"We don't like to talk about it." Judy replied.
"Okay, everyone, gather round." Mrs. Hopps said as she finished cutting the last slice of pie, prompting everyone over to the dinner table. "Everyone gets one piece now and one piece at supper."
"I call the first piece!" Jackie and Jimmy simultaneously exclaimed.
"Now, now. You can both wait your turn." Mrs. Hopps lightly scolded them. "The first piece goes to our guest of honor."
"Thanks, Mrs. H." Nick said graciously as she set a generous slice in front of him.
"It's my pleasure."
For the rest of the afternoon, Nick and Judy were constantly hounded with questions about their day-to-day activities on the force, an abundance of which came from a particularly chatty young rabbit.
"Who's the biggest criminal you've ever caught? Ooh, who's the smallest? Who's the…"
"The smallest…" Judy interrupted her niece. "Was a lemming, Arvi Mini."
"I didn't know you caught a lemming?" Nick said curiously.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you about that. It happened while you were at the academy. It was my last patrol downtown before being temporarily reassigned. A call came over dispatch that a lemming was in a low-speed pursuit with a group of squad cars. Apparently, he was some hotshot head of a business firm that was caught embezzling funds. The police came to arrest him in his office, but he managed to flee using the pneumatic tubing system."
Judy's last sentence caused Nick to snicker.
"Sorry, I was just picturing it. Please continue."
"Anyway, he made his way to his getaway car…"
"Aw, he had a wittle getaway car."
"Nick…"
"Sorry, sorry."
"He ended up leading the pursuing officers on a very low-speed pursuit on the I-27. They had to make sure not to run the car over. Eventually, the chase spilled into downtown. That's where yours truly comes into play. I had just heard the call when low and behold I see the perp coming in my side mirror. So, using my lightning-fast wit, I opened the driver's door to my squad car. This caused him to swerve straight into a fire hydrant. Then, I casually and calmly exited my squad car and apprehended the suspect."
Judy slightly underplayed that last part. This is how she really reacted.
"WOOOO! YEAH!" Judy cheered as she leaped from her vehicle and hopped over to the perp's crashed car. "Got you sucker! Come across the Hopps you're gonna get stopped!"
Judy then took a moment to compose herself as she peered into the driver's side window to see if the fraudster banker was alright.
The airbag had been correctly deployed and he was frantically trying to take off his seatbelt, which seemed to have jammed.
"Would you like some help with that?" Judy asked mockingly as the sound of the pursuing squad cars blared in the background.
"And so, after a very expletive-filled rant, he was freed from his seatbelt and taken into custody."
"What's an expletive?" Cotton asked innocently.
"It's something you don't need to worry about." Judy chuckled nervously as she playfully ruffled the top of Cotton's head.
"Okay!" The easily placated Cotton chirped.
"I'm surprised I didn't hear about your arrest sooner." Nick noted.
"Well, technically, I didn't get credit for the arrest."
"Why?" Jackie asked.
"Didn't want it. I didn't really do much. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and get lucky. So, I let the pursuing office take credit for the bust."
"That's quite noble of you." Stu said proudly.
"Yeah, very noble." Nick said with a hint of skepticism in his voice.
"Yep. Noble ol' me. It also would have meant having to do more paperwork, and there was a new episode of Game of Horns I was dying to watch on that night."
"There it is."
"Whaaat?"
"Ooh, ooh, ooh, do you get to carry a gun?" Jimmy asked excitedly.
"Yeah, like in the movies!?" Jackie followed up.
"No, ZPD Officers only carry lethal firearms during crisis times, but you are looking at the bunny with the highest marksmen exam score in ZPD history."
"We are allowed to carry stun and tranquilizer guns." Nick added.
"Cool!" Jackie and Jimmie, along with Cotton, exclaimed.
"Alright, I think that's enough questions for now." Bonnie spoke up. "I have to start preparations for dinner, and I'm sure Nick would like to rest up after the long train ride."
"Yeah." Nick yawned. "A little nap would be nice."
"I could go for one myself." Judy added.
"Oh no, dear. You have to help me with dinner." Mrs. Hopps replied.
"But…"
"No buts. Nick is our guest and I'm sure you'd want to help make dinner extra special for him." Mrs. Hopps winked.
Judy was taken a bit back by this. Was that wink meant to imply something? Nick didn't seem to notice the wink, as he had already turned around and was prepared to head to his room.
"Guess I'll see you later, Carrots."
Nick left for his room while the rest of the family spread out throughout the home, leaving Judy alone with her mother in the kitchen.
"So, uh, what's for dinner?" Judy asked, trying to hide her nervousness. She hoped her mother's wink didn't mean what she thought it meant. She even poured herself a tall drink of vegetable juice, thinking it might help calm her nerves.
"I was thinking of some nice mini-veggie pies. It's what I made for your father on our first date. Although, I suppose you and Nick have had quite a few dates by now."
Judy had the misfortune of taking a rather large swig of juice at that precise moment, but fortunately for Mrs. Hopps the spit take missed her by a few inches.
"How did you…"
"Please, I'm your mom. Moms know certain things, like when their daughter's head over heels."
"How long have you known?"
"Oh, I've had an inkling for a while, Nick always being over on 'case work' while we video chat, and the little touches that you'd give that you think I wouldn't notice, but I did. I may not have your sharp wit, but when it comes to matters of their daughter's hearts, mothers are experts."
"And you're okay with it?"
"I'll admit, it was shocking at first. I mean I never imagined my daughter with a fox. But, after how bad I felt not supporting your dreams the way I should have, I'm not going to stand in the way of who you choose to love."
"Thanks, mom. Does dad know?"
"No, but then again, your father doesn't have a woman's intuition."
"Do you he'll be okay with it? With us?"
"Your father felt just as bad. I'm sure he'll accept whoever you choose to be with, And if he doesn't I'll just have to knock some sense into him."
"Thanks, mom." Of course, there was one other member of the family Judy was still worried about. "What about Pop-Pop? He still thinks foxes are red because they were made by the devil."
"Pop-Pop can be a stubborn old coot, but you're his favorite grandchild. I'm sure that's worth something."
Judy and Bonnie went hard to work on the night's feast. Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was supper time.
Judy went to fetch Nick, expecting him to have fallen asleep, but to her surprise, he was wide awake, lying flat on his back, and staring up at the ceiling.
"Nick, wake up it's...Oh, you're already awake."
"Yep."
"Couldn't sleep, huh?"
"Nope."
"Still nervous?"
"Yep."
Judy couldn't help but smile a little, seeing her usually cool, and coy boyfriend nervous.
"Come on, slick. Let's do this."
Nick and Judy made their way down to the dining area where the rest of the family had already gathered at the dinner table. Nick and Judy were seated near the head of the table. That spot, in particular, was reserved for a specific member of the family, who had just emerged from his room, an elderly hunched-over rabbit with large, thick-lensed glasses in a fuzzy red coat, a tan button-up shirt, and green slacks. He made his way to the head of the table with a walking stick nearly as tall as himself.
"Here Pop-Pop, let me help you." Judy said as she sat up from her seat.
"No, no. I may be old, but the day I need help gettin' to the dinner table is the day I go to the shady oaks retirement home."
The first thing Pop-Pop did after taking his seat was something Nick had hoped wouldn't happen. Pop-Pop glared at Nick, his eyes squinting as far as they could squint.
"H...Hello, sir. Nice to meet you, I'm…"
"You that fox what been working with my granddaughter?"
"Yes, I'm…"
"I ain't never met a fox that wanted to work with the law and not break it."
"Pop-Pop, Nick's not like that." Judy gasped."
"So your name's Mick?"
"Nick, sir, Nick Wilde, and actually most foxes are law-abiding citizens."
"Mm-hm."
That was all that Pop-Pop responded with, then silence, a very long and uncomfortable silence.
"The plates are almost ready." Bonnie spoke up, trying to break the tension in the air.
Jackie and Jimmie were in charge of making and serving the plates, with Julie supervising them to make sure they didn't pull a fast one and contaminate the food with itching powder as they did at the community potluck last year.
However, before a single plate could be served, and before Nick and Judy could make their big announcement, the officer couple both received a string of rapid texts from Officer Clawhauser that all read.
"Turn on the news NOW!"
"Dad, can you bring out the TV? Something seems urgent."
"Oh, okay."
Stu went into a room in the back of the kitchen and rolled out an old Tube TV and plugged it in, and pressed the power button.
"If you're just joining us. We are still reeling from what can only be described as a freak act of nature. The story as we've been told is that a red mist of some sort caused several prey animals at the annual harvest festival in the Meadowlands to turn vicious and attack the predators attending the festival. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but there were several injuries, and at least one victim is in critical condition. Not since the scandal at Cliffside Asylum last year has the Meadowlands been involved in any sort of scandal or tragedy. That is all we have for now. We will bring you more details as the story…"
The news broadcast was then suddenly interrupted by a please stand-by signal before cutting to an image of an ohm symbol modified so that the endpoints looked like horns. Then, after a few seconds of silence, a digitally altered voice started speaking.
"We are the Protectors of the Animal the World. What has happened tonight was not of natural cause. It was a warning. We can make it happen again. We WILL make it happen again. If our demands are not met there will be consequences. We are P.A.W. We are everywhere. Stay Tuned."
"Nick…"
"Judy…"
Within moments after the broadcast ended, Judy's phone began to ring. Judy looked at her caller ID. It was Chief Bogo.
"Hello, Chief. Yes, Nick's right here with me. Yes, I understand. No, need to apologize."
"I take it our vacation is over?"
"Yes."
And just like that, Nick and Judy's vacation was vacated, and any joyous announcements would have to be postponed because, for Nick and Judy, the biggest and most life-threatening case of their careers had officially begun.
A/N
Hope you liked the first full chapter of Fog of Terror, make sure to follow if you did, and feel free to leave your thoughts with a review. Stay tuned for more. Cya.