Judy Hopps was a happy-go-lucky, energetic bunny filled with optimism and pride, so sure of herself and her abilities that she took on any challenge that came her way. No matter the problem, she met it head-on with no fear, and she had always come out on top. The training of the police academy was difficult, and the effort it took to even get them to accept her was ridiculous (they had laughed in her face the first time she tried to get in).
When she had been accepted, finally, she gave it her all at the academy. Late nights studying the written works she was given, accompanied with a surprising amount of physical training had led to her graduating as valedictorian of her class. And when she was assigned to the precinct she had desired so deeply, Precinct One at the heart of Zootopia, she could hardly contain her excitement. It was all she could do to keep from letting her emotions get the best of her, and jump with pure ecstasy on the stage. Her parents, however fearful they were of one of their oldest breaking the mold yet again and doing a job so dangerous, were nothing if not proud of her. The entirety of the Hopps family had seen her off to Zootopia, where she would live a grand life as a police officer, the very first rabbit cop the world had ever seen.
Her journey to the sprawling metropolis was filled with awe and wonder as she drank in the sights, ever amazed by the way snow shot from the ground in Tundratown, and heat bore down from the heaters of Sahara Square. Sand gave way to snow which gave way to water, and each inch of the city filled the rabbit with excitement she had never thought possible. Her first days in Zootopia had made her feel like she was capable of anything, to accompish all of her dreams. Life in the big city would just be amazing.
What a load of shit that turned out to be. Because, while they say 'anyone can be anything,' it's never mentioned how long they can be anything.
Judy Hopps was successful in becoming the first ever rabbit officer, yes. She had immediately broken the record for the most tickets in one day, true. And she had, in fact, stopped Duke Weaselton from stealing two dozen seeds of Midnicampum Holicithias. But that was all before she had risked her job on a missing mammal's case.
Clawhauser had been right about it being the smallest case file he had ever seen. A single page with next to no information, and the only available image held nothing of use to her. A single red pawpsicle, sold by a white fennec fox she had caught lying about his being left an orphan after a fire to be given a Jumbo Pop the day before. The fennec had been nigh impossible to track down, and when she had, he was far from helpful to her. She had, in the end, kept her word and brought him back to the Precinct for his tax evasion – but that was as far as she ever got with the case. Left with no other options, and the few leads she managed to dig up leading nowhere, she had been forced to keep her end of the deal.
Her career as a police officer had lasted a grand total of about 96 hours. Years of hard work and dedication, down the drain and washed away by her tears of sorrow.
It was three days later at a coffee shop in Tundratown as she was bawling her eyes out for the umpteenth time when a little shrew approached her. Through the tears, she recognized her as the little shrew she had saved from a massive donut less than a week ago. The shrew climbed up to her table and, surprisingly concerned, asked Judy what was wrong. The rabbit, through sobs and sniffles, retold her story to the shrew, and with each moment she looked more and more heartbroken.
At the end, the shrew, who Judy had found out was named Fru-Fru, insisted she come with her to talk to her father. Judy had been led to a large white limousine, several massive polar bears waiting inside and giving Judy threatening glares even after Fru-Fru explained that she was with her. The ride she was given to the massive house that was their destination was made in an uncomfortable silence, despite Fru-Fru's constant attempts at conversation. Judy would either let out a small, almost inaudible "Uh-huh" or "Mm-mm" in response.
Later on, the shrew had given up in her attempts, and the remainder of the ride was in silence. The journey inside her father's incredible house was in an equal lack of conversation. It wasn't until she had been brought into the study and confronted by a half dozen massive polar bears, the largest of which placing a small shrew in an ornate chair on the desk, that she realized she needed to open her mouth. The shrew was dressed in a way demanding respect – an expensive black suit, red boutonnière, a black bowtie, and a golden ring on his right paw, an emeral gleaming brightly in the dim light.
Fru-Fru had immediately dove into an exlpanation on how Judy was in a very bad spot, but was the same rabbit who had saved her from the giant donut, and how the shrew wanted to help her. Her father just sat and listened through the ordeal, occasionally looking to Judy for confirmation to his daughter's claims, and nodding at the appropriate times. When Fru-Fru was finished, the older shrew sat in silence, his tiny paw rubbing at his chin as he studied Judy carefully. The rabbit in question stood still, slumped in her now-usual silence, ears fallen against her back and slightly hunched over as she hugged herself lightly. She began to study the room, finding it to be an office of some sort. A dark wooden desk was underneath the shrews, a mat behind him with a fountain pen and ink bottle atop it. The desk itself was angled against a corner, a fireplace on its left, unlit. The top was covered in snow, two red candles burning at the edges and a large boquet of roses sitting at the base of a portrait depicting an old shrew with a wrinkled muzzle and white hair in a red dress.
"What is your name?" The older shrew asked. Judy looked up, blinking as she processed the question. It was simple, but caught her off guard.
"J-Judy," She said. When he seemed dissatisfied, she tried again. "Judith Laverne Hopps."
The shrew nodded again. "Do you know who I am?" He asked. Judy shook her head.
"Just... A rich shrew? I haven't been in Zootopia long, I don't know all that much," Judy admitted.
The shrew nodded slowly, before turning to his daughter. "If I let her stay, she is half your responsibility." Fru-Fru nodded to this, looking between Judy and her father excitedly. The older shrew turned to the rabbit again, sitting forward in his chair. "Judith, you may stay here with us, as a guest. We will do what we can to aid you in getting back on your own feet, as thanks for your saving my daughter. But we have rules you must abide by. The first, is to not interfere with my business, or our affairs. The second, if you leave, we must know where you are going – this is but a precaution, we won't stalk you. Third-"
The shrew was cut off by a knocking at the door. Judy turned, ears rising up in curiousity, as the older shrew said to enter. She doubted whoever was on the other side could hear, but they only opened the door after the command. A large polar bear in a white and gold track suit stepped in, Judy stepping aside as he walked to the center of the room. "He has returned," the bear rumbled. The older shrew nodded.
"Bring him in," he said. The polar bear nodded and walked out of the room, returning a minute later with a second mammal at his side.
This mammal caught Judy off guard. A fox, dressed in a clean suit, red fur smooth and glossy. His face was straight, but his brilliant green eyes held a clear mischief. The air around him was a dangerous one, yet it was offset by the feeling of safety he emitted. The irony struck Judy as strange, and she quickly averted her gaze when the fox looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, realizing that she had been staring.
The fox walked up to the shrew, paws clasped in front of him. "Nicky, you have returned. I assume, then, the work is done?"
"It is, sir," 'Nicky' replied. He freed his paws and turned one over, revealing three bullet casings. "All three sheep are down. Whoever was making the Night Howler serum that Otterton warned you about is going to have a much harder time making it now."
"Their lab?" The shrew asked.
"Things got a little... Heated," the fox replied, smirking ever-so-slightly.
"An unfortunate event, but one that I'm sure was for the best," the shrew replied. "Very well. You may return to your room; I will call for you when we have another assignment requiring your abilities."
The fox nodded. "Thank you, sir," he said, before turning for the door. As he passed by her, the fox winked at Judy – or was it a blink? She couldn't tell, but the way his smirk grew set a strange mixture of emotions within her.
"Judith," The shrew said. "I now have to attend some business. I will speak with you come morning – until then, Koslov will show you to your room."
"Thank you, sir," Judy said, bowing slightly.
"And, for your knowledge, call me Mr. Big," the shrew continued.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Big," Judy replied, bowing again. Mr. Big nodded and waved one of his paws, plucking out a small cigar and lighting it with a similarly small lighter. The grumble of a polar bear brought away Judy's attention, and a large polar bear she assumed was Koslov jerked his head for her to follow him, beginning to walk out of the room. Judy hastily followed, the polar bear silently leading her through the halls. Each one seemed vaguelly similar to the one they had just left – victorian carpeting, oak doors, warm brown walls with floral wallpaper, photographs of the manor's inhabitants, and a fair amount of windows to reveal that it was now some time after sunset, the last dregs of orange glow barely making it through the glass and into the hallway.
Finally, they stopped at a door that was smaller than the rest. Sized about right for a wolf, rather than a shrew or polar bear, Koslov opened it and flicked on the light. The door didn't even so much as creak as it was pushed open, but the room itself was covered in a fair amount of dust. The floor was hardwood, a rug with ornately designed golden flowers and blue leaves, bordered with burgundy vines, sat on the floor. The bed was large, far too large for a rabbit, but too small for a bear to use. The same could be said of the appliances – the desk in one corner of the room, the matching chair, the dresser, everything was too large for her.
Judy sneezed as she stepped into the room, kicking up dust. Koslov shut the door behind her, leaving Judy alone with her thoughts.
She was to stay here for the time being, in this room. She did still have her own place at the Grand Pangolin Arms, but the past few days had made her develop a distaste for the room. It reminded her of her 'career' as a police officer, and brought her painful memories that were still fresh in her mind. She would return at some point for her belongings, assuming she stayed with Mr. Big and Fru-Fru for more than a few days. In the meantime, she could get some sleep. Mr. Big would talk to her come morning, and she could decide what she would do; though, to be honest, she felt as though his decision would be life-altering.
The full weight of her emotional exhaustion began to creep onto Judy, making her suddenly feel totally exhausted as she walked to the bed. Hopping on top of it, she sneezed again as the dust was disturbed by her landing. Wiping her nose with a sleeve, she walked over to the pillows and crawled just under the blankets. Her eyes fell shut as she let the warmth of the cloth over her drew her into the void of sleep.
~ óÓÒò ~
When Judy opened her eyes again, it was still dark. She could tell a significant amount of time had passed, but it was unclear exactly how long it had been.
Slowly, the gray rabbit sat up and took off the covers, dropping to the ground a moment later. She narrowly avoided tripping over her own two feet as she made for the door, the fog of sleep still clouding her mind, and darkness of the windowless room rendering her nearly blind. She managed to jump to the door handle however, tugging it down and pulling it open to reveal the darkened doorway beyond. Judy poked her head out and looked around, finding it empty.
She quietly crept from the comfort of the bedroom she had been given, slowly walking down the hallway. She jumped as someone suddenly spoke from behind her, the rabbit spinning around. "Where ya going, Carrots?"
It was the fox from earlier. He was clearly getting ready for bed, suit discarded in exchange for some loose charcoal sweatpants and a white tank top. His green eyes shone mischeviously as he crossed his arms, smirking at having surprised the doe. Judy grit her teeth in an attempt to avoid feeling embarrassed at being startled, more annoyed at her not hearing his door open than his surprising her. "You're going to want to refrain from calling me 'Carrots'," she said, pointing a finger at him with indignation. "But, for the record, I'm looking for the bathroom."
"My bad," Nick replied, walking over to her. "I just naturally assumed you were from some carrot-choked podunk is all."
"Uh, no, I come from Bunnyburrow. Podunk is all the way out in Deerbrook county," Judy said, adding a glare.
"And I come from the land of Narnia, where I slayed the Jabberwocky and became a hero," the fox replied. "But oh, would you look at that?" he dug into his pockets, feigning surprise at finding them empty. "Looks like I left all the fucks I give back there."
Judy bit down on her tongue, trying to find a retort. When she found none, her ears drooped slightly. Nick took this as a clear sign of victory, leaning down to be eye level with her as he planted his paws on his knees. "Aww, what's the matter? Did I hurt your feewings?"
Judy began to shake, her paws balling into fists as she stared at the fox before her. In her hazy state, her emotions were harder to control, and she could feel her annoyance quickly turning into anger at the snide comments being told, quite literally, to her face. It took all of her restraint to not lash out and punch the fox in his muzzle right n-
"Is the cute wittle bunny getting mad?" he jabbed again.
That did it. Without thinking, Judy swung at the fox. His eyes went wide as he ducked down, Judy spinning around with the punch to kick his jaw as he came up. Her training at the police academy wouldn't be lost, at least not on this night.
Nick took the blow and landed on the ground, quickly standing as Judy stormed over and pulled back her fist for another blow. When she let loose, though, Nick caught it in his larger paw, pulling her towards him as he brought up his knee. Judy slammed into it with unexpected force, her breath being knocked from her lungs as he let go, allowing her to collapse to the floor.
Judy groaned and rolled to her back, holding her stomach. Nick stared down at her, his eyes showing a cross between anger and... Concern? That second emotion did nothing but make Judy angrier. How dare he feel concerned about having given her just one blow? It hurt, yes, but she was tough. She hadn't graduated as valedictorian of her class for no reason. She could take a few good blows from mammals four times her size. Determination set in as she rolled backwards, pushing off the ground to kick Nick in the stomach. The fox let out a grunt of surprise as he fought from doubling over, grabbing her feet to hold the rabbit in place. Reaching further up her legs, he took a firm hold, and lifted. Judy's legs screamed in pain at her being lifted from them, but this pain was quickly dwarfed by the feeling of her body slamming onto the floor as he threw her down. Before Judy could roll over, Nick was over her, his paws pinning down her arms, one of his knees on her back.
"Let me tell you something, Carrots," Nick grumbled, leaning down to mutter in her ears. "You've made three mistakes with this. Whoopsie number one? You tried fighting a fox in the dark. Whoopsie number two? Thinking you could beat a fox who's not only older than you, but has been fighting longer. And whoopsie number threesie?" He paused here, and Judy could feel his breath against her as he leaned even closer. "You didn't realize that there was no one to help you. Oh sure, I'm betting you used to have friends to spar with, or someone who could come to your aid, but here? You're the odd one out."
And with that, his weight vanished from her back. Judy spun around and scrambled to her feet in an instant, taking up a boxer's stance. She lowered it slightly at seeing Nick several feet away, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "Down the hall, third door to the right," he said. "Don't fall in." Before she could respond, the fox had returned to his room, leaving the rabbit alone.
It took a moment for Judy to stop staring at the door, letting out a sigh as she walked down the hallway. She stopped just outside the bathroom, briefly losing herself in thought. She hadn't been beaten in a fight in quite some time; how Nick had pinned her so quickly was beyond her. But she knew one thing was for sure: loathe as she was to admit it, she'd been excited to feel the fox pin her. Whether it was from realizing someone could actually give her a good fight, or if it was something else, was yet to be determined.