Disclaimer: All properties, plots, characters, and settings created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, belong to Disney. All original plots, characters, and settings created by myself, belong to me.
Notes: Can you believe it!? Another chapter within 6 months! Nice.
Chapter 9: The Forgotten Memories
6:33 am, October 18, 2006
The Hopps Family Farm, County Route 1, Bunnyburrow, ZT.
The sun had barely risen, yet the Hopps homestead was already bustling. Waves of rabbits pressed through the tight, underground hallways, making their way to the kitchen. Older rabbits wandered mundanely, while younger bunnies raced each other to see who could make it to breakfast first.
A small, gray rabbit pulled the door open of her bedroom and leaned into the busy hallway. She rubbed her eyes drowsily and sighed. She looked both ways before leaving her doorway, almost with as much caution as one would have trying to cross a highway, trying not to step on the stampede of her younger siblings on the way to the kitchen.
She eventually took a risk and fell into a gap between the many bunnies bouncing off the walls. She walked at about the same pace as those in front of her, in spite of the children whining behind her about how slowly everyone was moving. Go with the flow, she thought.
She stopped at a bathroom briefly to comb her fur and wash her face. She had already gotten dressed in her room. She rejoined the hallways-which by now were less crowded-, and navigated through the curving hallways. Going on ramps, around corners, and up some stairs, she finally made it to the kitchen. It was on the ground floor, making it a long trek from where most of the bedrooms were located underground. Breakfast, as usual for weekdays, was buffet style. She waited in line behind one of her littermates.
The brown rabbit in front of her gazed around the cafeteria cheerfully. He caught sight of his sister from the corner of his eye.
"Hey Judy! How're you doing?" he beamed happily.
"Morning, Jack," Judy gleamed, trying to top her brother's energy. Because rabbits had so many siblings, it was not necessarily uncommon for them to not speak with any given rabbit for extended lengths of time. Luckily, Judy was fairly close with most of her littermates.
"Did you study for your biology test?" Judy asked, starting conversation.
Jack tilted his head comedically. "If you call remembering it existed at eleven o'clock last night and cramming for two hours studying, then yes. Yes, I did study for it." He grinned.
"What's the mitochondria's main function in the cell?" Judy quizzed him. The pair took a few steps forward in the line.
Jack stared at her blankly. "I remember, I'm just saving it for the test," he assured her. He squinted smugly and chuckled.
"Sure you are. That'll work," Judy chided sarcastically.
"Besides, it's not like I spent all afternoon worrying about a silly biology test." He looked at Judy a little more seriously now. "At least not with you stirring up trouble on a weekly basis."
"Oh, not this again." Judy rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. Mom already gave me the WHOLE spiel yesterday. I'm gonna be careful. I'm not being gullible. Yadda, yadda," she elaborated grimly.
The brown rabbit chuckled again. "Well, I for one am kinda impressed, Judy," he posed. "Mom can say all she wants, but she'll never admit that you have some guts." By now, they'd made it to the front of the buffet line and were grabbing trays. Jack leaned against the counter and added, "you know, I'm starting to think you might actually survive more than a week in Zootopia."
"Wow. Such high praise." Her voice reeked of sarcasm. "C'mon, Jack. It's not like I slayed a monster or something. I just sat next to a classmate." She was embarrassed that her family was making such a big deal of a minor decision of hers.
"A fox though! After Gideon Grey mauled you when we were kits, I don't think any of us thought you'd ever see a fox cordially ever again." He glanced away. "Not that many of us would regardless."
"Jeez, maybe you just need to be more open minded, Jack." The pair moved along the line. Judy scooped some fruit salad from a bowl and onto her tray, before buttering a slice of toast. She suggested, "I can introduce you to Nick if you want…"
"No, no! That won't be necessary," Jack said abruptly. His eyes shivered slightly at the thought of talking to the fox.
Judy moved down the buffet line, grabbing some orange juice. She nervously thought of Nick, wondering how he would treat other rabbits. Would he act like he did around her? Polite? Quiet? Or would he behave completely differently? Maybe his aggressive side would show. Judy wasn't sure.
Jack was pulled away by some of Judy's older brothers, carrying his tray full of food. At the same moment, Judy felt a small paw tugging on a leg of her jeans.
"Hiiiii Juuuuudy" a small voice squeaked next to her.
"Oh, hi Samantha," Judy greeted her with a quiet, sweet voice. She patted her little sister's head cheerfully. "Do you want to sit with me?"
"Yes pwease," the six year-old squeaked.
Judy took her paw and they padded to one of the nearby tables, balancing her tray of food with the other paw. When she sat down, Samantha crawled up on the chair next to hers and prodded at Judy's tray, reaching for a strawberry. Judy passed one to her delicately, as the younger rabbit stared at Judy with her huge, gleaming, green eyes. Judy couldn't help but be amused with how cute her sister was as she took a bite of the strawberry clumsily. Some juice dripped down onto her paw as she took small bites.
Samantha looked back at Judy when she finished her berry. She looked innocent and harmless. At least ONE of her siblings trusted her.
"Mommy says that you're crazy," she squeaked, grinning. Not so harmless anymore.
Judy sighed and let her face fall into her palms, her ears drooping. "Y'know, Sammy, don't have to tell me EVERYTHING Mom says, okay." Judy wasn't really in the mood to hear about how little her parents trusted her. Not this early in the morning at least.
"Oh, but Mommy says that you made a scawy fwiend, and that he's gonna eat you," she quoted her mother quite eagerly.
Judy covered her sister's mouth with a paw, annoyed. "Stop, stop, stop. That's enough. You can't just, say stuff like that!" She looked directly into Sammy's childish gaze. "Some of the things Mom tells you, you shouldn't repeat."
Samantha levered Judy's hand off. "But Mommy says foxies awe mean."
"No. Not all of them Sammy." She looked grim. "Nick is a nice fox. We help each other, and he's nice. You don't have to be afraid," she whispered firmly.
In a moment of silence, Samantha glanced at her feet, thinking for a second. She looked back at Judy, smiling again. "Can I meet Mistow Foxie fwiend?" She bounced on her chair.
"Maybe one day, Sammy. I'm sure he'll like you," she assumed. She inwardly wondered if Nick would even tolerate a hyper rabbit kit. Maybe he WOULD want to eat her, she half joked and half worried. She was glad that her sister had stopped parroting her mother though. She didn't want to think about her anymore.
Her mother's stubbornness against her own decisions was truly starting to get on her nerves, but worse of all was that her mother's beliefs held a runoff effect for the rest of her family. Being the most important rabbit in the burrow, Judy was sure that most of her family shared her mother's wildly disproportionate fear of foxes.
She watched little innocent Samantha reach for another strawberry. Hopefully not all of them will end up that way, she thought.
9:17 am, October 19, 2006
Bunnyburrow Senior High School, 4 Main Street, Bunnyburrow, ZT.
Judy padded into the history classroom, glancing around. She was a little bit early, so there were only a few mammals dotted around the room. Some of them were in conversation, while a few immersed themselves with books or other papers. Evidently, Mrs. Moosburg was not in the classroom either; her large, empty seat sat quietly in the corner of the room. Judy walked down one of the rows of desks towards the windows where she and Nick usually sat. In fact, the fox was already there.
Nick was typically at the history class before her, already with his textbook opened and reading its pages. However, today he stood quietly facing away from the doorway. He leaned almost motionlessly towards the windowsill, his arms resting upon a rickety shelf that held more textbooks. His long tail waved slowly back and forth, brushing against the leg of a chair at the desk behind him.
"How're you doing?" Judy greeted Nick before putting her bag down underneath her own chair. She almost hopped onto the seat before registering that Nick hadn't responded at all, usually he was decently social. She gazed at him oddly for a few moments. As per usual, he was dressed with a button-up shirt and a tie. She noticed the hand that wasn't propping him up on the shelf was fidgeting with the tie, folding it and gripping it tactfully. His green eyes fixed resolutely on the weather outside.
Judy suddenly noticed the view outside of the window. "Oh, hey! The first snowfall of the year!" She bounded over to the window eagerly, and stood on the lower shelf of the cabinet to get a better look outside. It wasn't much, just a few flurries blowing around. Each delicate flake melted instantly as it came into contact with the ground. The sight was almost serene after a long summer in Bunnyburrow.
She turned back towards the fox, confused that he STILL hadn't acknowledged her. "Are you okay?" she said cautiously.
"Hm, what? Oh sorry, I zoned out there," Nick finally responded after a few silent moments. He turned to Judy, flustered. He scratched the top of his head with the paw that had been fidgeting with his tie and smiled weakly.
"The snow is mesmerizing, isn't it? I always loved seeing the late fall weather." She wasn't surprised that she'd caught him off guard watching the weather. "It's soothing," she added.
"Sure, I guess," he said indifferently. He shrugged and gazed back outside.
Judy gave him a funny look. She had figured he would be a little more observant like he usually was. She elaborated. "I dunno. Everything feels crisp and fresh at this time of year. Winter's only a couple months away."
The fox looked back at her with a little eyebrow raise, his face in a distinctly neutral position.
Judy gave up, waving a paw in the air. "Maybe I'm just nostalgic. It reminds me of being a kid."
Nick sighed. "Yeah, maybe that's what it is." FINALLY he smiled at her, as though it was forced. Judy bit her lip nervously, not sure what to make of her classmates' sudden awkwardness. It was clear that for whatever reason he seemed dazed, it wasn't because of the weather. She stepped back around to sit down on her chair, while Nick looked back outside. Maybe he's reminiscing? That wouldn't be so unusual. After knowing him for several weeks now, she felt like she understood all of his behavior now, but perhaps not.
The quiet fox was almost comforting to watch. He was far calmer than any rabbit she had ever known, and even though she still felt a shudder of worry around him, it was clear that this Zootopian fox was nothing like Gideon Grey. He was always well mannered, and even if he had weird habits, Judy was getting used to being around him.
Instinctively, her gaze shifted down to his neck, where his TAME collar was latched. She had to do a double-take when she saw it looked different than usual. There was no green light today. Only an unsettling yellow warning.
3:02 pm, October 19, 2006
"Carrots 'n More", 5 First Avenue, Bunnyburrow, ZT.
The fox stood out like a sore thumb standing in the grocery line. She was carrying a plastic basket of groceries, ignoring the violent stares from the rabbits standing in line behind her. She scratched the fur bothering her from underneath her collar, looking outside of the market at the cars passing by the windows. A gust of chilly air blew into the store as the sliding doors opened briefly for a leaving customer. She took a step forward as the rabbit at the front of the line finally made it to the cash register.
Mrs. Wilde happened to have the morning shift at work that day, and she had decided to take a walk to the local food mart in town to pick up some groceries. It wasn't typical of Mrs. Wilde to go to "Carrots 'n More," the most popular market in town, noting that it was always packed with bunnies. She knew from experience that she was almost always the only non-rabbit in that store at any given time.
She had found the store that predators frequented soon after she had moved to Bunnyburrow; a small, ramshackle basement tucked underneath a brick apartment building. "Gary's Market"-as the grocery was affectionately known as by predators-was small and dusty, but usually had a good offering of seafoods and poultry. Regardless, Mrs. Wilde knew that the rabbits' store on First Avenue always had far superior fruits and vegetables. She frowned at the bag of apples that she had gathered from the produce aisle of the grocery store.
"Hey, shove it, fox!" demanded the impatient rabbit standing in line behind her. With a scowl, Mrs. Wilde looked up and noticed that the line had moved another foot forward. She took a single stride to fill the gap, not looking at the rabbit that had provoked her from behind. She was now queued next in line behind the groundhog currently at the cash register. Almost outta here, Mrs. Wilde thought.
She heard the same mammal that had yelled at her a second ago chatting with who she assumed was his wife. "How much you wanna bet this fox'll pay in quarters!?" he snickered ignorantly. Mrs. Wilde considered "accidentally" nudging the shelf that they were standing next to so it would fall on his smug, smartass face. It would be SO unfortunate, she thought, grinning.
Still, the voice of her husband invaded her thoughts. 'That's not the solution!' she heard him say. 'Don't confirm what they think! Fight it!' She rubbed her muzzle with a paw, annoyed that her husband-even in death-always spoke the voice of reason.
She made it to the front of the checkout line, and filed her groceries onto the conveyor, not making eye contact with the shaking teenage hare at the cash register. The cashier floundered with the containers of berries and some cans that Mrs. Wilde had purchased, before finally weighing the bulky bag of apples.
"T-That'll be 24 dollars and 17 cents," the hare shivered. He cautiously reached towards the three tens that the adult fox waved in his direction. He snatched the bills and escaped back to his computer to fumble with the cash register and the change.
Mrs. Wilde glanced back at the clueless rabbit couple that had mocked her seconds before. She'd gotten used to the little harmless quips and reactions that prey mammals usually gave her, whether they intended for her to hear or not. In fact, she'd always been used to their insults. Every now and then though, she couldn't help but feel an urge to retaliate. She stared at the couple's grocery cart of food.
"Would you like your change, m-m'am?" the hare stumbled over his own words when the fox turned her piercing gaze back upon him. He held a few bills and some coins out in front of him, anticipating the fox to take it.
Mrs. Wilde narrowed her eyes at the change, looked back at the rude rabbits, and smirked slyly. "Give it to the next ones in line," she concluded, jerking her head in their direction. Without any more words, the generous fox grabbed her flimsy plastic bags and headed towards the sliding doors. She took a moment to capture a glimpse of satisfaction from the lagomorphs' appalled faces.
3:02 pm, October 19, 2006
Railroad Street, Bunnyburrow, ZT.
The snow had already stopped by the afternoon, leaving only a gloomy layer of clouds and a sharp, chilling breeze. The air ruffled the fur of a fox trudging home from school upon the damp sidewalks. Nick's feet padded uncomfortably on the new feeling of the chilly sidewalk after months of heat. He left his thumbs on the underside of his backpack's straps, trying to ease the troublesome weight of his bag off of his shoulders.
The fox's ear angled backwards at the noise of someone walking some distance behind him. His ears twitched as they studied the noise emanating from the approaching mammal. Approaching quickly, he noted. Despite their speed, the footsteps seemed gentle, as if they hardly had to make contact with the ground. Yet at the same time, the feet moved with passion; no dilly-dallying existed within those footsteps. He did notice the soft rustle of what he guessed was some bags of groceries being carried by the mammal. He stared straight ahead as he continued moving forward.
"Boo!" the mammal yelled suddenly, after the footsteps had finally caught up with him. "Did I scare you?" she pried humorously.
"Aww. You can't even wait for Halloween, can you, Mom?" Nick mocked her, not turning to face her. He let a brief grin show on his otherwise gloomy face.
"Who gives a crap? They market everything months early anyway," Nick's mother added. The older fox slowed her stride to match her son's, studying his appearance.
Nick finally turned and locked eyes with his mother. He raised an eyebrow. "You have no class, do you, Mom?"
"It's not like you inherited any of it," she retorted sharply, smiling. She couldn't help but poke fun at her son.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Ouch, point taken," the younger fox sighed, annoyed with his mother's antics.
The pair of vulpines walked around the corner of the block, and started heading down Creek Avenue. Mrs. Wilde turned to match her son and face straight ahead, using a free paw to adjust a can that had shifted in one of the bags as she had sped down the sidewalk. Their tails swayed gently above the concrete, which was steadily becoming filthier as they got further from downtown.
"Anyway, how's 'rabbit school' been?" she queried.
"Oh, just swell," Nick mumbled. He wasn't enthusiastic, though he did add that "Judy's been fine."
His mother chuckled. "I'm glad you started with the status update about Judy. That's not something you would have done a month ago."
Nick frowned at his mother. "Jeez, you act like I'm a narcissist." He opened his paws at his sides to prove his innocence.
The vixen put her free paw on her chin curiously and squinted, pretending to contemplate. "Hmmmmm, Maybe you are one," she wagged a finger conclusively.
At this comment, Nick turned and gave his mother a deadpan look. He raised his eyebrows as if he wasn't sure if his mother was just trying to bug him or not.
Now it was Mrs. Wilde's turn to roll her eyes at her son's seriousness. "I'm only joking, Nicky." After walking for a few moments, she sighed, and added, "You're too much like your father, y'know: distinctly humble." She smiled, studying her son's face, trying to read it.
Nick looked up at the cloudy sky for a moment, thinking of what to say. "I hope that's a good thing," he noted distantly. He spoke as if his mind was occupied with a memory.
"Of course it is. You know that," she said with certainty. "John was perfect," now it was her turn to gaze at the clouds dreamily. She couldn't resist a pleasant smile from coming to her face.
"Did you see the snow today?" Nick added abruptly, looking at his mother more seriously now.
Her attention shifted back onto her son, away from the aloof memories that she apparently had seen in the clouds. "Yeah, I did. It was pretty, wasn't it?" When she saw his serious eyes, her smile faded as she tried to figure out what her son was feeling.
"I remember that's exactly what the weather was like when we got the letter from prison."
Nick's comment drove a stake through Mrs. Wilde's peaceful mind. She stared at the ground, stepping over an obnoxious crack in the sidewalk, before turning her attention-and concern-back onto her mourning son. Her eyes clouded in memory as she sighed. "He'd be proud of you, Nick."
Nick shook his head in disbelief. "For what? Running off like an idiot in Zootopia? Getting myself arrested? Moving to Bunnytown?" he spat.
"Don't look at what success looks like in your eyes!" his mother demanded. Your young, immature eyes, she retorted internally. "Your father wasn't so materially focused. You know that!"
He paused, trying not to have a mental breakdown, or get shocked by his touchy TAME collar. He resisted thinking of his father, not wanting to undo the years of suppression that he'd forced upon himself. "He'd be glad that I'm back in school," he decided.
"Yes, perfect, and...?" his mother leaned towards him expectantly.
Nick looked off in the opposite direction,not wanting to make eye contact. "I don't do drugs, or anything…" he shrugged.
"Of course not," his mother said matter-of-factly. "Think a little deeper than that!"
What the heck do you want me to say, Nick grumbled internally. Suddenly, an image of Judy appeared in his mind. "I'm friends with a rabbit?" he suggested quietly.
"Yeah, stuff like that. Don't be so hard on yourself, Nick," his mother said in a way that was less demanding. She gave him a light shove. "At least you don't have a job cleaning hotel rooms."
As the pair walked up to their driveway and onto the front steps, Mrs. Wilde flicked a keyring out of her pockets to unlock the door. She fought with the lock, and then, using some pressure from her shoulder, she forced the sticky door of their condominium open. She stepped into the foyer and laid the bags on the counter as Nick trudged in, still silent. He reached to shut the door on the nippy October air, but paused to look out at the quiet street.
Almost a whisper, he spoke sadly. "I miss him Mom."
She stared at Nick's yellow collar, dreading the moment when it would turn red and shock him. She rushed to hug her son. "I miss him too. I miss him too." She permitted a tear to form on her eyes as she felt small jolts of electricity pulse through her son.
Author's Notes: What's the deal with Nick's father? And when can Judy get her family to stop annoying her? We'll see.
Well, I hope you don't mind the slightly different tone that this chapter had. A little darker maybe? I just feel like I should start throwing in some more of Nick's backstory. You'll just have to sit tight! He's kinda uncomfortable talking about it…
Anyway, I'm glad I was able to publish a new chapter far less than six months after the previous one. I've been busy working and doing all kinds of stuff, but now that it's summer, it's been a little easier to find time to write. I'm hoping I can squeeze in another chapter or two before I go back to studying in the fall.
Ooooh! Also, this is the first chapter I've published since the 1 year anniversary of my first chapter! Pretty cool, right? ...right?
I hope y'all have been having a fantastic summer so far. Or having fun watching the Olympics at least. Stay safe!
-Wonks
This chapter was originally published on August 1, 2021.