A Son of his own Chapter 31: Improve and Travel
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Let's go over the timeline of Nick in the Academy shall we?
Nick never thought the Academy would be this difficult, Scorching Sandstorms, 1000 foot falls, Ice Walls and other dangerous obstacle courses.
Despite being shunned upon by the other Cadets, one of them was not as selfish as the rest.
Raymond Wolfkins, despite him being a Wolf, he was actually very nice to Nick and supported him the most when he needed it.
Nick really wanted to pass the Academy, he really wanted to become a cop.
But he was the clumsiest out of all the cadets, he could hardly get past any of the courses, no matter which course he was in, he would always be the last one to make it to the end, he kept falling through the tires, he kept slipping of the Ice Wall and into the icy water below, he kept almost getting stepped on by the other Cadets and he just done horribly at every course.
After his first day, he began to think a lot when he was in bed.
"I never thought this would be so difficult! I mean, I knew it wouldn't be easy but this is just so hard! At this point, I'm not going to be a Cop, I have 4 months, I can't let Judy and Nathan down!'
For the next month, Nick was starting to improve, he could now easily move through the tyres thanks to Raymond showing him how it's done, and he wasn't as clumsy as he was in his first month but he was still the last one to make it after every course but at least he was improving.
Today was when everyone got their written tests back, and Nick, to his surprise had a big circled B+, he thought he was going to get an F but somehow he didn't.
Nick looked at Raymond who sat at the table next to him and Raymond threw a little wink at him.
"You fixed my answers didn't you?" Nick thought to himself with surprise.
"All of you done well, even Firefox did well" Major Friedkin said with a hint of sarcasm as everyone looked over their tests and laughed at that comment.
Nick ignored that remark and looked at the work he didn't do to pass the test.
"Alright, turn it in for today! 3 months to go!" Major Friedkin yelled as everyone stood up from their seats.
Nick laid in his bed and kept his eyes shut tight as his thoughts took over.
"What am I going to do?! I need to study a lot harder! I mean, Raymond manipulated my answers thankfully but I need to achieve this myself! I can't be the worst Mammal here! I might not even graduate! That would break Judy's and Nathan's hearts!
In the next month, Nick was steadily getting better, his grades were improving and he was no longer the last Mammal to finish the obstacle courses, much to Raymond's delight who was happy to see his only friend in the Academy succeeding.
After hitting the showers, Nick lay in his bed and slept more peacefully than usual.
He was confused when he slept, Raymond wasn't snoring, he never snored at all which confused Nick, he has slept in the same room with a Wolf before who howled in their sleep but Raymond didn't snore or howl much to Nick's relief.
"If I can keep this up, everything will go smoothly, heck, I might even be valedictorian of my class if I work harder! I hope Raymond gets assigned to Precinct 1, he deserves to be there, he's a great guy, I know Judy and Nathan will like him"
It was the last month, and Nick was more determined than ever.
Raymond was always there to motivate him which Nick really needed, everyone else was against him and he couldn't go through all of this alone.
Everyone lined up at the running track, and Nick was determined to come in first place this time.
The whistle blew and everyone took off, Nick kept his pace steady as he did not want to become exhausted so quickly unlike the vast majority of the Cadets who took off like rockets when the whistle was blown, despite nearly slipping a few times, Nick kept going and he managed to pass out 3 Cadets who stopped to take a breather.
After passing out more Cadets, Nick failed to notice he was in first place and crossed the finish line first which surprised Major Friedkin.
"Well, I underestimated you Todd, but I'll admit it, I'm impressed, keep this up and you'll do perfectly" Major Friedkin as Nick slumped onto the ground and held his breath.
Nick didn't respond to his coach's comments and just breathed in and out slowly.
He then felt something nudge at his side while he continued catching his breath.
"You look like you could use a drink" a familiar voice said as Nick rolled over and saw Raymond holding a bottle of water.
"Thanks" Nick said as his voice broke from exhaustion and took the bottle of water and greedily drank from it.
It was now the final day, and it would be the last time everyone ran the course, and Nick was the first one to cross the finish line again.
And when Nick took his final exam, he had aced it completely which made him so happy.
"Judy, Nathan, I hope you're proud of me, it's been a long 4 months, but I'm ready to become a Cop" Nick thought to himself proudly.
All he had to do was wait for tomorrow to come and it would be his Graduation day...
Hours before Nick's Graduation, Judy's apartment, 9:00AM
It was time.
After waiting for 4 months, the time had finally come.
Nick's Graduation day.
Judy hoped that Nick did well to pass, even to be valedictorian of his class but she decided not to get too excited about that.
Chief Bogo had selected Judy to be the presenter of the new Academy graduates since Mayor Lionheart was still in jail due to him holding Mammals against their will during the Missing Mammals case.
Over the 4 months, she was mainly assigned to office work in Precinct 1 since she was taking care of a child, she did get the papers for Nathan to go to school but each and every school she had enrolled Nathan to go to refused to accept him as a student, all because he was a Fox.
Judy was angered for that reason, just because of someone's species, he or she is not allowed an education? It made Judy feel sorry for any Fox in Zootopia who couldn't go to a school.
But today, she awoke with Nathan gently cuddling at her side and she had the day off, she had planned on going to Bunnyburrow a few days ago but her train was cancelled due to high demand.
But today she was able to get the train to Bunnyburrow, and Nathan was coming with her.
"Hey Nathan, wake up" Judy whispered as she gently shook Nathan who immediately woke up from Judy nudging him.
"Hmm?" Nathan mumbled as he slowly opened his eyes, annoyed to have been woken up.
"Today's a special day, do you know why?" Judy asked as she sat up and Nathan stretched, hearing a few joints pop.
"No, why?" Nathan asked curiously as he and Judy hopped out of bed.
"Today is Nick's Graduation day! And we're going to Bunnyburrow to see him graduate!" Judy said excitedly as Nathan showed a look of pure happiness.
He was going to see his Dad again.
"We are?!" Nathan asked with excitement as his tail wagged with happiness.
"Yep! He's coming back home after his Graduation and you get to see him again!" Judy said happily.
"Thank you Mom!" Nathan said as he unexpectedly hugged Judy which caught her by surprise but she returned the hug back but she was very surprised by Nathan calling her Mom.
"Uh, did you just call me Mom?" Judy asked with surprise as she lightly broke the hug and looked down at Nathan.
"Yeah, you've been so kind to me over the 4 months and, well, I consider you a mother" Nathan said nervously as Judy just smiled at him.
"It's okay, I don't mind, and I've missed Nick too" Judy said as she gently rocked Nathan back and forth.
After putting on her ZPD Uniform while Nathan put on a new red and yellow shirt Judy bought him with a pair of ocean blue shorts, they made their way to the kitchen where they themselves some nicely microwaved porridge oats cereal with honey and after that they brushed their teeth and Judy, locking the door on their way out, led Nathan to the elevator where they went down to the lobby and left the apartment building.
Zootopia Central Station wasn't far from where Judy lived, it was actually at the same watering hole as Precinct 1 so they didn't have far to travel.
The streets were rather more busy this morning than usual along with lots of pedestrians walking to and fro, Predators and Prey alike, cars and other vehicles waited at junctions, waiting for the traffic lights to turn green so they could keep moving to their destination.
Judy, holding onto Nathan's paw tightly, walked through the streets while catching a few glances since she was a Bunny walking with a Fox child but she paid no attention to them as did Nathan.
It wasn't long until they both reached the entrance of Zootopia Central Station as Mammals of all kinds walked in and out of the massive multi-architectural building that shined like a jewel in the sunlight.
Once they entered the massive building, it was its usual buzzing routine with commuters in all shapes and sizes, Nathan looked all around him to see everything he could, but he couldn't because he was too small.
"Need some help?" Judy asked as she noticed Nathan looking around but couldn't see much due to his height.
"Yes please" Nathan said as Judy hoisted him off the floor and started giving him a piggyback ride which made him lightly giggle.
Judy had no need for a suitcase since she and Nathan were going to be in Bunnyburrow for less than a day so less weight means easier travel.
He now had a better point of view while riding on Judy's shoulders, everything seemed normal for the busy work day today, but Nathan noticed the glares both he and Judy were getting from onlookers, discreet, normal, confused and borderline glaring looks.
"Uh Mom? Can I get down please?" Nathan asked nervously as he started shaking with fear.
"Hm? Oh, I see why, okay, down you go!" Judy said as she gently set Nathan back onto the stone floor of the train station.
"And don't worry, I got us tickets for our train and our train should arrive in, 10 minutes so do you have to go to the bathroom or something else?" Judy said as she looked up at the arrivals and departures board which showed the Bunnyburrow train arriving at 9:20AM.
"No, I'm okay" Nathan said as he huddled close to Judy's leg to avoid being stepped on by the other big mammals.
Judy also noticed the significant amount of Police Officers in the train station, probably searching arriving and leaving Mammals for Nighthowlers as Zootopia does not want to go through that situation again.
The duo took an escalator down to the main platform where their train would arrive and they both sat down on a green wooden bench by themselves.
They were quite a sight, a Bunny Officer walking with a little innocent Fox kit, who would've thunk?
"I've been with him for 4 months and he's calling me Mom, to be honest, I actually like that, but when he gets reunited with Nick, I can already imagine the moment" Judy thought to herself as she kept Nathan close to her due to the stares they were getting from the general onlookers.
Judy hoped Nick done well in the academy and she also looked forward to meeting Nick's new friend Raymond.
Waiting for what seemed like forever, the Bunnyburrow train arrived on time in Zootopia Central Station with the generic female voice announcing its arrival.
The doors opened on each carriage and Mammals of all kinds flooded out from the train, minding the gap as they got out and made sure they and everything and everyone with them.
"That's our train Nathan, let's get moving" Judy said happily as she and Nathan stood up from the wooden bench and made their way to their train.
Each carriage had 3 sections sized for rodents like mice, medium sized animals like Bunny's and larger mammals like Deer and so on so forth.
Nathan and Judy walked through the medium sized mammal door on the carriage as did other passengers and they found themselves a seat about a metre away from the door.
"Mom?" Nathan asked as he cuddled beside Judy on her chair which she didn't mind.
"Yeah Nathan?" Judy asked as she gently rubbed Nathan's head.
"I'm still tired" Nathan said as he gently yawned and cuddled his head under Judy's arm.
"Sleep then, I'll wake you up when we reach our destination" Judy said happily as she made sure Nathan was cosy where he was and soon he fell into a deep sleep.
Judy slightly rocked foward as she felt the train beginning to move, leaving the train station all together.
"Kinda like déjà vu, only I have a cute and cuddly little Fox with me this time" Judy said as she looked out the window and saw the beautiful view she saw when she arrived in Zootopia for the first time.
"I wonder how Nick is doing..." Judy thought to herself as she kept a close eye on Nathan who slept peacefully.
Nick's point of view...
Nick decided to get an early start and wake up earlier than everyone else in the academy.
Even though the ceremony was at 12:00PM, Nick just wanted to get up early.
He put on his new ZPD Uniform and a pair of reflective aviators, the uniform smelled like blueberries, wait, blueberries?
"Someone must've told the Academy officials, I wonder who that was..." Nick thought to himself as he looked at Raymond who was still fast asleep in his bed.
After buttoning up his uniform shirt and zipping up his trousers, Nick looked at himself in the mirror and he admired the look of his uniform.
A dark navy buttoned shirt with plenty of pockets, a black tie with a copper band in the middle of it, a yellow rope that slung over his left shoulder, a utility belt with all the gear and gizmos he needed as an Officer, he looked handsome according to himself.
He had failed to notice, but he now noticed he was more broad shouldered and buff looking, he had lost a significant amount of weight over the past 4 months, while he did look foward to the moment of his graduation, he looked forward to something more.
Reuniting with his son.
Nick left the Cadets quarters building and made his way to where the ceremony was taking place.
He kept walking until he reached a large open space of grass where the ceremony always took place, the sun was shining and the birds were tweeting as they flew through the sky.
There were white wooden seats for everyone who was attending the ceremony, a large stage stood out at the top of the field, 4 flagpoles with the blue ZPD flag stood beside the large stage, a big blue curtain with "Zootopia Police Academy" printed onto it in yellow gold with 3 stars in the middle of it and loudspeakers were held on the metal frame behind the stage.
A podium sat at the top of the stage where Judy would present a speech to the graduated Cadets, Nick could already imagine the scene in front of him.
He was the first one to arrive, but he didn't care, he preferred being early at events like this, makes things easy for him.
As he walked around and studied the place, he heard something he had waited such a long time to hear again.
"Dad!"
The voice of his son.
Sorry to leave on a cliffhanger but this is as much as I can do today I'm afraid, make any complaints and I won't upload this story for a while! You won't want that will you? So don't you f***ing complain in your reviews! I've a life outside FanFiction and you have to respect that.
Sincerely, your beloved author.
S47.