Zootopia Police Department, Bogo's Office: Nick's Point of View
"Well Carrots, here goes nothing," I muttered to Judy.
Before making a move to confront the Buffalo in his lair, I made sure to fix up my tie; tightening it up to its fullest 'straight and proper as a respectable fox should be' my mother would say. Making a final check on my uniform, I let out a breath in anticipation.
I gave Judy a smirk and a look which asked 'ready fluff?' as she finished up her own uniform inspection.
Returning the gesture, she replied a silent 'ready'. Lifting my paw, I gave a series of knocks on the Chief's door, three knocks for the busy buffalo as I waited for an answer.
"Come in" came a reply.
Reaching forth, I grasped the door's handle and pushed it open. As the door slowly swung open, Judy was the first to step into the room; I followed behind her taking in the Chief's office. Although I've seen it countless times, on the account of receiving a heavy berating by the Chief for various 'unimportant' reasons. It was still a room which filled any mammal with dread, no matter how familiar they seemed to be with it.
Closing the office door as quietly as I could, I stepped over to Judy, standing next to her in what quietness the Bogo's office could offer. The Chief was still hunched over, absorbed in whatever paperwork on his desk, barely taking any notice of us until Judy broke the silence.
"You wanted to see us Chief?" she asked carefully, uncertain to the nature of this meeting.
Taking his attention from his work, Bogo took off his reading specs and assumed a more receiving posture.
"Yes, Wilde, Hopps, take a seat" he gestured towards the chair opposite to him. I clambered up onto the seat designed for larger mammals. Judy however, just leapt into it 'perks of being a Bunny' I thought to myself.
"Now then, Wilde, Hopps, I would like to congratulate you two on last week's Night Howler bust"
'Thank goodness' I thought to myself, so it's nothing too serious.
"Now, you know as well as I, that since Bellwether, Night Howlers have started becoming more of a problem, now it's our job to…"
The Chief's voice started to fade away as I quickly lost interest, my thoughts started to shift towards Nicole again. I thought about what could have happened to her in the seven years after our breakup 'I wonder if she moved on' the thought of her with some other Tod else was heart retching. 'Why? Why can't I let her go? Why does it hurt so much?' And then it struck me, a memory long ago that now makes sense.
25 years ago. 1992.
"Dad, I don't understand why foxes have to mate for life, what if I change my mind?" I asked, unsure why we foxes held this rule.
"Well son, that's why you need to choose carefully when you find a nice vixen of your own, you'll understand why you would never feel for another" dad explained, as he busied himself with fitting a dress on mom.
"Vixens are icky, I'm not going to go near one ever" I revealed, only to have both mom and dad laughing.
"Nicky hon, I'm a vixen, does that mean I'm icky too? Oh, woe is me, my son finds me a disgust" she declared, a paw on her chest and head, pretending to be hurt.
"Moooom, you're not icky, you're my mom," I remarked, giving her a roll of my eyes.
"Oh dear Marian, is our son fated to be a bachelor? Are we never getting grandkits?" said dad, trying his best to put on a dramatic act.
"I just want to know why we have this stupid tradition" I mumbled, ignoring the antics by both my parents.
Mom let out a sigh before continuing "It's not only tradition Nicky, but also a part of our belief" she revealed. "John, let's take a break, I'm tired of standing" she continued, as she stepped off a stool.
"Alright dear, though I have to say, you're simply stunning in that dress"
"Oh hush you rogue" she replied, batting her paw against him in a playful manner.
"Come here you" returned dad, paw around mom's waist as he pulled her in. She let out a little yip before giggling in his paws, tail wagging in excitement.
"Yuck," I muttered, showing off my tongue in disgust.
Both mom and dad turned their attention to me, a smile on both their faces. Mom whispered something in dad's ear, as a sly smile began to grow on his muzzle. "Still want to know about fox tradition?" asked dad.
"Yes...unless there's icky stuff in it" I answered.
"Well, It isn't too icky...I think. Anyways come here son, and I'll tell you a story that my grandfather told me" as he sat down in a chair with mom, waiting for me to climb into his lap "ready?" he asked. I simply nodded my head.
"Long ago, in the skies above, the vulpine goddess Cadmean was said to have grown a yearning desire in the sky. A desire that was so great, it could not be sated by anything offered by the heavenly paradise. Filled with such need, she took to the night sky, travelling under the guise of a shooting star. Hoping to find an answer to her needs, but in her haste, she tripped and fell unto the mortal realm below.
So great was her fall, that she became injured and lost from the sight of the gods above. It was greatly feared that she would soon perish when the sun rose, for being a child of the stars, the sun would end any who thrived under the cover of the night.
But her fears were soon brandished aside when she met a Reynard of unknown name and colour. Sensing her fears, the Reynard whisked her away to his den, protecting her from the rays of the sun as it rose.
With naught a word, the Reynard nursed her back to health with the prizes of his diligent hunts. And all the while, Cadmean felt indebted to her saviour as well as feeling sated in her desires.
Many seasons passed, and love began to bloom and blossom between Cadmean and the mortal fox. The love was so great that Cadmean soon gave birth to a litter of kits, all of which were unique foxes. From the white-furred to the black pawed the red-tailed to the grey snout, and the brown belly to the gold ears. All foxes are said to be children of Cadmean and her mortal lover.
But soon, she was discovered by her kindred in the sky, who grew concerned with her whereabouts. But upon hearing of Cadmean's love for a mortal being, Astraeus the god who controlled the other immortals was furious at this union between goddess and mortal. Astraeus created and shaped a being known as a hound, with one purpose, to rid the world of Cadmean's children and her lover, and to return Cadmean herself to the stars, so that she may be judged.
Upon hearing of Astraeus' plans, Cadmean's father, Vulpecula, fearing for his daughter's safety, warned her of Astraeus' hound and helped her hide her children and the Reynard from the wrath of the gods. Vulpecula knowing that his daughter was not one to hide blessed his daughter with such speed so that she may never be caught.
But Astraeus was old and wise, and he knew of foxes' treachery, and to punish Vulpecula for his betrayal, he too gave to his devilish hound the power so that it may never fail to catch whatever it sought to hunt.
The god of the night sky Vulpecula, knowing that his daughter Cadmean was eternally cursed to be ever hunted by a monstrous corrupted abomination of his distant cousin Lupus, was forced to plead to Astraeus for forgiveness and mercy on Cadmean's behalf. Astraeus appeared to be moved by Vulpecula's words and agreed for leniency, but only on the condition that the Reynard were to be killed, and Cadmean exiled to a mortal life forever alone, never to return to the stars.
Vulpecula agreed to such terms, but he was a fox of cunningness and devised a plan in secrecy, he travelled to across the stars, carrying with him a goose and approached his cousin Lupus. Vulpecula offered his cousin the goose for his aide, and discussed his plan. The plan was for Lupus to disguise himself as the Reynard, so that he may escape his fate of death.
Lupus, being an immortal would not die, so the punishment of death would do him no harm. And when the deed is done, and Astraeus tricked into believing of the Reynard's demise, Vulpecula would then use his powers to connect the fate of Cadmean and the unknown Reynard eternally, so that even through death, they would always find each other again, from one life to the next.
Lupus, who upon hearing it, was moved by such love, that he too made it so that all wolves and their packs should follow this eternal bond. Because of this bond of eternal love, the tradition of a mate for life was born."
"There's a lot more to that old story, but I simplified it for you. Remember this Nick, just like Cadmean and the Reynard, when you pick a mate, they will always be with you. A mate for life is eternal"
Present day
I buried the memory away, from what mom and dad told me, and what I learned throughout my teenage years, the bond between mates is a special connection that is built on trust, love, and desire.
There wasn't some magical spell that bounded you together like with Cadmean and the Reynard, but instead it is how much your mate means to you, that keeps you with them.
The status of mates is a special title, which is why most mate for life, because the chances of being able to find someone just as special, is almost impossible.
And this bond wasn't just between foxes, but a majority of all species of Caninae also share this bond of mating, although it was quite rare and generally frowned upon for Canines to pick a new mate, there were still rare instances of couples who end up splitting and finding a new one.
And perhaps, that is what Nicole did; she had a new mate, a new life, a new Kit. 'But if she did...why did her kit call me dad. It doesn't make any sense' I wondered. As my thoughts circled this little conundrum, I heard a muffled voice, calling my name.
"Wilde", the voice kept repeating my last name, each call becoming clearer and clearer. The voice started to change in tone, becoming louder with each call. Then it came to me, I realized that I was still in Bogo's office which meant…
"WILDE!" Shouted Bogo, I jumped as I heard the deafening roar of the Chief's voice. "Are you listening to me?"
"Y-yes Sir" I stuttered, trying to recover from the shock of being yelled at. Both Bogo and Judy stared at me, the look of annoyance plastered on their faces.
"Now, about that little display in the lobby," he continued, upon hearing those words, I froze. This was what I was afraid of, having to explain to my superior about my past. I still remembered that the Chief is still in the dark about my Hustles.
"Whatever happened in the Lobby, I don't care. But, I can see that this is affecting the performance of my officers, now I want you, Wilde, to take the next two weeks off to sort it out, in the meantime…"
The Chief turned his attention from myself to Judy. "Hopps, I believe you have some reports to write up, make sure that they're on my desk by the end of the week, is that clear?" he asked, giving us both what is known in the Precinct as the Bogo stare.
"Yes sir" we answered back in unison.
Appearing to be seemingly satisfied, Bogo faced Judy, he looked to be in deep thought before issuing an order "Hopps, you are dismissed" he ordered.
"Yes sir" she replied, as she gave me a look, probably wondering why I was to stay. Seeing as there was nothing she could do, she hopped off the chair and made her way to the exit in a seemingly calm and normal fashion.
As soon as Judy left the room, the Chief turned his attention back on me. "Now then Wilde" he muttered, staring at me with a smirk on his face. I felt my heart quicken in preparation for any berating to come, I held my breath waiting on what the Chief has to say "See to it that Family business stays at home and away from the Precinct. It's bad for discipline and publicity" I was confused, 'family business? What did he mean by family business?' I thought to myself.
"Now then, I've got a lot of work to do, dismissed Wilde" announced the Chief, as he turned his attention onto some files.
Making my exit from the Chief's office, I decided to scrounge up any information about that mysterious Kit. I had to be careful as to not bump into Judy otherwise, she'll just pester me about Nicole, and I did not want Judy to know about my past relationship with her.
I made my way towards the office 'The database should have plenty of information about the Kit' I thought. Unfortunately, my desk was right next to Judy's, so I had to pray and hope that she wasn't there.
I peered into the office, the room was filled with an array of cubicles, each one purposed to aid officers in their field of work, I remembered one of the retiree inspectors gave some 'inspirational' words to the recruits "Your best weapon on the force is not your Taser or your Tranq-pistol, but your Stapler" truth be told, I'm still not sure if she was joking or not.
Once I was confident that the office was destitute of a pair of certain grey Bunny ears, I casually walked towards my private cubicle, passing by many familiar faces. Some officers were busy with case files, reports, e-mails and even a game of Solitaire.
Eventually, I arrived at my little booth, walls stickered with memos and posters, shelves lined with files and mementos. Plopping down on my office chair, I quickly loosened my tie, feeling relief as my unrestricted neck was at last free. Giving off a couple of stretches, I quickly focused myself on my task at hand.
Opening the ZPD Database I entered my password and login "Now let's see" I whispered. I entered the name, Nicole White, into the database, a couple of results appeared, each showing a different mammal, I scanned the page until I found the Nicole I knew. I clicked on her file,
Zootopia Police Department
Criminal Record Sheet
Name: Nicole White
Aliases: None
Sex: Female
Species: Arctic Fox (Vulpes Lagopus)
Type: Predator
Date of Birth: 15th April 1987
Height: 3'4" (103.92cm)
Weight: 70lb (31.7Kg)
Build: Slender
Criminal Offenses: Assault/attempted Battery
Disorderly Conduct
Address:120 Floe Lane, Building F, Apartment 4/Tundra Town
1840 Elm Drive, Building E, Apartment 16/Tundra Town
1623 Spring Haven Trail, Building J, Apartment 2/ Savannah Central
1722 Bushwillow Court, Building A, Apartment 29/ Savannah Central
222 Acacia St, Building G, Apartment 5/Savannah Central
Occupation: NA
Relations: Paul White (Sibling)
Nathan White (Child)
Last known whereabouts: Unknown
'Nikki seems to be moving a lot, I wonder what happened' going through her file, I stopped at the relations section. 'So the kid's name is Nathan' I thought to myself, as I clicked on his file.
Zootopia Police Department
Criminal Record Sheet
Name: Nathan White
Aliases: None
Sex: Male
Species: Red-Arctic Fox Hybrid (Vulpes Vulpes/Vulpes Lagopus)
Type: Predator
Date of Birth: 30th September 2010
Height: NA
Weight: NA
Build: NA
Criminal Offenses: None
Address:NA
Occupation: NA
Relatives: Nicole White (Parent)
'That's strange, there's no record of the kit's father' I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to notice a certain grey Bunny sneaking up behind me.
"Hey Nick!" yelled Judy, upon hearing her voice I panicked, I couldn't let her know that I was searching up Nicole on the database; I spun around on my office chair, blocking my computer screen with my back.
"Uh, hi, Carrots" I replied calmly.
"How's the face?" she asked.
The scratch, she was asking about the scratch. Which, I had forgotten about it myself "it's fine" I answered truthfully.
"What do you have there, Slick?" she asked, trying to peer behind by back; a curious look on her face.
"Oh, nothing interesting, just paperwork" I answered, hoping that she would lose interest.
After a few failed tries to peer behind my back, Judy replied with a simple "Uh-huh," fortunately, she stopped glancing at my computer, instead she looked at me with sincerity "Listen Nick, about before…"
'Oh boy' I thought to myself 'here we go again'
"I'm sorry if it felt like I was prying" she confessed. Now, this I wasn't expecting, Judy's usually so stubborn, 'I wonder what's gotten her to apologize.'
"It's alright Fluff, it's my fault for not telling you more of my past" I replied truthfully, the blame was kind of on me. Judy seemed at ease, as soon as I said those words; she was back to her old self again.
"How about Coffee? I'm buying" she offered.
Free Coffee? How could I say no to that? "Sure Fluff" I replied, smiling at the thought of free food and drink.
With that we left the office, walking towards the exit, bound for a break at the Café, leaving the office felt like I was leaving all my worries as well, it was as if the entire confrontation with Nicole and her son never happened like life was continuing as normal. I don't know why, but I can't help but feel guilty, maybe it's the guilt for pretending that the whole thing never happened? Or maybe it's the guilt of leaving her, all those years ago.
My guilty conscience was interrupted by a beckoning.
"Hey Nick!" yelled Clawhauser, one paw in the air gesturing us over.
At this point, it started to feel like Déjà vu. Judy and I walking towards Clawhauser, everyone just the same as they were before, smiles plastered on their faces, carefree looks. 'Was meeting Nicole just a dream?' I raised my paw to touch my left cheek, wincing at the pain of the scratch 'Nope, definitely not a dream'
Once we reached Clawhauser, I leaned on his desk, wondering what he called us over for. While Judy was left out of sight, "So what's up Benji?" I asked.
Clawhauser began looking around his desk, shifting papers in all directions, before finally producing a photo from the pile of complaint forms. "Here," he handed me the photo, smiling "your kit left this behind" I took the photo,
'Kit? What kit?' I thought to myself, I carefully examined the photo. I recognized the picture instantly and thought back to that night.
Flashback 7 years ago, Zootopia, Downtown Fair
"Come on Nick, let's take a picture" begged Nicole, she said she wanted a keepsake, something to remember tonight by.
"Alright" I rolled my eyes, sometimes she was a bit childish, and I love her for it.
We entered the Photobooth provided by the fair, she sat in the booth and signalled me over, squeezing into the tight booth I took my seat next to her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, our muzzles squashed against each other.
"Smile!" I said as the camera flashed a few times, taking snapshots of me and Nicole. The booth began to produce the pictures we took, spitting out a few freshly printed photos. We looked over each one; a majority of the pictures were either blurred or printed out with smudges. Finally, we decided that only one was worth keeping.
After a brief walk, we eventually made our way to the crown jewel of the Savannah Docks Fair, the Ferris wheel, and an idea popped into mind.
"Hey, how about a ride on the Ferris?" I asked her, only to realize that she was already one step ahead of me, signalling me to follow her towards the Ferris wheel.
I looked over to Nicole, her face full of excitement as we got into a Ferris wheel cabin. I loved everything about her, her smile, her eyes, her personality, everything.
I decided that this was it; I'm going to tell her how I feel and how much she meant to me. Our cabin started its ascent, not many mammals rode the Ferris wheel, and so it was just me and Nicole in this cabin. Our cabin started to near the top of the wheel, I looked over to her, nervous as to how she'll react.
I lift my paw, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly "Hey Nikki, I uh...wanted to tell you something" she turned around, her blue eyes staring into my soul.
"Yes Nick?" she asked, her eyes shimmering with trust and excitement.
"I...n-never mind" I quickly turned my head away in embarrassment; I mentally cursed myself for not being able to confess to her.
"Oh, okay" she replied, disappointment evident in her voice.
"Hey Nick" I turned my head around to face her, only to find my lips touching hers, she pulled me in for a kiss, a deep and passionate kiss that told us how we truly felt about each other.
After a brief moment our lips separated, she leaned her head on my shoulder, as we watched the spectacular night lights of the city, twinkling away like stars in the night sky.
"I love you Nikki" I whispered into her ear.
She kept her head on my shoulder, smiling as she heard those words, a moment of silence was given before she confessed "I love you too Nick"
Flashback end
That night on the Ferris wheel was worth more than all the money I've ever hustled, and that is the truth. I thought about the night which followed, the night which started like any normal day but ended with two love-struck Foxes in bed. I smiled at the distant memory; strangely enough the following days afterwards, Nicole did nothing but vomit, have mood swings and eat more food than the usual. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong but instead assured me that it was fine, 'thinking back though, she had all the signs of a pregnant Vixen' I chuckle at the thought.
'Wait a second… Pregnant' the words were like a slap on the snout 'pregnant, she was… after we…' my mind started to stumble at the thought. It would explain everything that happened today, she was pregnant, that Kit at reception… that Kit…, I froze at the sudden realization, the photo falling from my grasp.
"Uh Nick, you alright? You've been staring into space for quite a while" asked Judy.
I could only stand there, mixed feelings of confusion, joy, regret, and fear came into mind. "I have a son" I slowly replied, still in shock.
"What?" asked Judy, confusion as to what I had just said.
"I, Nicholas Piberius Wilde, have a son"
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