Chapter 8
As I sat in the rear of the police car I couldn't help but admire the splendor and absolute beauty of the city and its buildings. Every single building that my leaf green eyes passed over seemed to be completely unique and different to every other building in the city. Every single one of the buildings that I passed was different in a certain way from size to color and even design. 'Man.' I thought as the police car kept speeding through the city as my eyes continued to scan the city and its buildings. 'These animals sure know how to build.' It seemed to me that no building in the city was the same…..that was until I spotted two identical flats that stood side by side. "Well." I muttered to myself as I watched the flats begin to disappear behind me as Judy put her hind legs on the vehicles throttle. "I guess I was wrong." "Hey Ben. Do you mind if I ask you something." I heard Nick call from the front of the vehicle as I brought my attention from the city and its streets to face Nick. "No. What is it?" I questioned Nick as Judy made a sharp turn causing myself and Nick to be thrown to the side of the car briefly before Nick was able to respond to my question. "Jeez carrots." I heard Nick say as I began to wheeze in pain whilst holding a paw to my stomach as my seat belt had just winded me due to Judy's sudden and surprising sharp turn. "What?" I heard Judy question smugly and sly as I looked up once again as I felt my stomach begin to ease in pain. "You and your driving seriously need some improving Judy. Am I right Ben?" Nick said as he turned to face me once again, a sly smile present on his face. "I'm sorry to say Judy but Nicks right." I said to which I heard Judy give a big huff of annoyance as she slowly brought the car to a stop at a set of traffic lights. "Well how come I passed my driving test on the first try then." Judy said as she folded her arms and glared at Nick with her deep purple eyes. "I don't know carrots." Nick said smiling slyly as he put a paw to his muzzle in mock thought.
"Well I'm surprised carrots. I'm sure you're driving instructor must have been hopping mad at your driving." Nick said as I watched Judy's face turn to furry as she reached over and punched Nick in the arm causing him to yelp before retracting said arm and smiling triumphantly to herself as Nick rubbed his arm to ease some of the pain. "Ow Judy you hurt Me." Nick said in mock hurt as Judy couldn't help herself as she smiled turning away from Nick in an attempt to hide her smile. "You're a cold sly Bunny you know." Nick said as Judy turned back around to face Nick a smile present on her grey furry face. "And you're a dumb fox." Judy said before smiling happily as the lights changed before she began to accelerate once again. "Wow." I said raising an eyebrow and folding my arms as Nick looked at me in curiosity as Judy began to focus on driving. "Are you two a couple?" As soon as I said this Judy slammed her hind legs onto the cars brakes causing myself and Nick to jerk forward in our seats whilst my seat belt once again winded me as the vehicle stopped dead in the middle of the road. "Ugh….my stomach." I groaned closing my eyes as I laid my head back on the seats head rest before letting out a slow and long pained sigh, whilst Nick and Judy on the other hand were looking at each other shyly. I cracked open an eye and viewed the two cops looking at each other in embarrassment before Judy spoke up. "Ben. Me and Nick are just good work friends." Judy said trying not to blush. "Isn't that right Nick?" I looked from Judy to Nick with my leaf green eyes as he stared at Judy briefly before bringing his gaze toward me. "Yeah that's right Ben. Me and carrots are just good friends. I mean I would never fall for a bunny who beats me up every day." I heard Nick coyly say before Judy punched him in the arm once again, scowling as she did so. "Ow carrots that hurt." Nick said in slight pain whilst Judy on the other hand smiled and nodded her head as if she was proud of her work. This all changed however when suddenly Judy's radio burst into life as a strong and very loud voice burst through the radios speaker.
"Hopps, Wilde. Are you there?" At the sound of the voice from the radio both Judy and Nicks faces went straight away from happy and joyful to serious and focused…..that was until I made a comment on the voice that had erupted from the radio. "Whoa. Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed today and it seemed they didn't get there morning coffee." I said smiling coyly which got a fit of laughter from Nick but a stern disapproving glare from Judy. The voice on the other hand didn't seem to enjoy my little comment as the radio blasted out the same voice once again. "Who is that? Is that Wilde laughing? I demand to know who is speaking to me." The voice yelled as Judy turned her disapproving and slightly angry gaze from me to Nick which immediately silenced Nick from his hysterical laughter as Judy then directed her attention to the radio. "Sorry chief." Judy said in an apologetic tone of voice as she let out a sigh of frustration. "Nick and I were just on our way back from checking on Jumbeauxs cafe, when we ran into a bit of a situation." Judy said glancing towards me as I waved back at her with a black paw smiling before she focused her attention once again on the radio. "I'm sure you handled the situation Hopps. But that's not why I'm calling you." The voice said as both Judy and Nick looked at each other. "What is it then chief?" Nick said in a cocky tone of voice as he slumped back in his seat. "Do you need us back on parking duty ASAP?" "Nick." Judy said in an almost whiny tone of voice whilst Nick just shrugged as the voice on the radio sighed. "Hopps if you please." The voice said almost tiredly before Judy abruptly punched Nick on the arm causing the fox to lose his laid back attitude and yelp slightly in pain.
"Thank you Hopps. Now that I have your attention Wilde there's been a recent report of a thief running a mock right near the ZPD headquarters and I want you and Hopps to take him down." The voice said whilst Nick and Judy smiled at each other before Nick replied to the radio. "You got it chief. Carrots and I will head over there now and well see what we can do." There was a brief moment of silence before the voice responded once again, the deep and loud voice resonating from the radio. "Good. If you catch them or find any information about them I want you to report back to me immediately. Is that clear." The voice said as Judy nodded her head towards Nick whilst Nick then gave a lazy wave with his paw. "Don't worry chief were on it." Judy said as she switched of the radio before a wide smile began to appear on her face. "I hope you don't get car sick Ben." Judy said as I watched Nick's eyes widen before he gulped whilst his previous lazy attitude had now turned into one of worry as he sat back firmly in his seat. "Because were about to catch a criminal." Judy said before I was slammed back into my seat due to the cars quick acceleration as Judy floored the cars throttle and sped off down the road dodging car after car as she focused on getting to the ZPD.
The journey to the ZPD was one the most if not the most hectic and terrifying car journey I had ever been on in my life. It only took two and a half minutes for Judy and her mad driving to get us all to the ZPD entrance, but in those two and a half minutes I had nearly throne up, prayed to god in hope that I wouldn't die in a car crash with two officers as well as having a flashback of my life so far. "Wow Judy. You're driving never ceases to amaze me." Nick said sarcastically as he pointed a paw towards me. "You even broke one of my family members." Nick said as Judy looked to where Nick was pointing whilst I looked at Nick with wide eyes that darted to him and Judy. "Is…..is the ride over?" I said as I looked out the cars window. "Be…..because I want off." I said shakily as Judy couldn't help but laugh at my shivering form as she took the keys out of the cars ignition. "I'm sorry Ben. I didn't mean to frighten you. It's just that when a call comes in on the radio about a criminal it just makes me so giddy to catch them you know." I looked blankly at Judy as my eye twitched, whilst Nick opened his car door before stepping out and stretching, Judy doing the same as she finished speaking to me. "Come on Ben." Nick said as he opened the door which I was practically lying against causing me to sit up straight. "You just need to get out and stretch Ben, take a deep breath of air to clear your mind. Then you'll be fine." Nick said as he smiled slyly at me as Judy joined his side. "I looked at Nick and then to the ground in quick succession before I slowly began to clamber out of the police car and onto the concrete pavement, my hind paws making a small clicking sound as my claws came into contact with the ground.
"You see Ben." Nick said turning around as I stared at the pavement whilst Judy watched me as I knelt down onto the concrete. "You'll be fine." Nick said but before he could begin to walk into the big towering building that was the ZPDs headquarters before Judy interrupted him. "Uh Nick." Judy said slowly with worry etched into in her voice. "Does Ben always kiss the ground after a car journey?" Nick immediately turned around to see my bent over form kissing the pavement in quick bursts whilst mumbling about being alive. "Wow carrots." Nick said as he watched me continue to kiss the ground. "You wheelie did mess up his mind." Judy frowned at Nick before she punched him lightly on the arm at his terrible pun, before she made her way over to me as I finally stopped kissing the ground. "Ben." Judy said as I looked up at her with my leaf green eyes. "Are you OK?" I sighed tiredly before I picked myself up of the ground and dusted of my black trousers and white top with my black paws. "Yeah I'm fine." I said as I smiled at Judy before giving Nick a small wave to which he smirked at me in return. "All right then. Seeing that Ben is now free from making out with the ground how about we go and get a snack." Nick said as he turned around before heading away from the ZPD headquarters much to Judy's dislike s she stormed off after Nick, myself casually following behind the pair. "Nick what are you doing?" Judy questioned in a slightly angry voice as she hopped in front of Nick, stopping him in his tracks. "What is it carrots?" Nick questioned whilst raising one of his eyebrows whilst I on the other hand had fallen behind a bit. "Can't I take a family member and a best friend to go and get a cup of coffee and something to eat?" Nick said as I finally caught up and walked up to the side of him. Before I could even ask why we had stopped Nick flung his right paw over my shoulder and pulled me into a sort of hug which caught me completely off guard as he smiled widely at Judy.
"Isn't that right Ben?" Nick said as he looked at me with an actual genuine smile. I had no idea what the previous question was about so my mind went into a panic as I did rock paper scissors in my mind to decide whether I should agree with Nick or not. Judy began to cross her arms, as she repeatedly tapped her foot on the pavement in annoyance as she stared at me with her deep purple eyes whilst I finally made up my mind. "Yes." I said as Judy stopped tapping her foot at my answer before she sighed in annoyance and defeat as her ears flattened down on her head. "Fine. Well go and get something to drink and eat" Judy said as she turned around sharply as Nick finally let go of me."But we had better be quick. Crime doesn't wait for anyone Nick." Judy said as she began to head down the pavement once again as Nick and I followed behind the fast walking bunny. "Crime might not wait for you officers." I said as I looked over at Nick to which he gave me a questioning glance. "And what's that supposed to mean then Ben?" Nick questioned me as I smiled slyly at him. "Oh I'm sure you know what I mean Nick." I said as I continued to smile slyly before he turned to face me with his emerald green eyes boring into my leaf green ones. "I hope you're not conning animals Ben." Nick said losing his happy attitude as I immediately felt my ears lower down to my head as he continued to stare at me. "No Nick I haven't." I said trying to sound confident in my answer as Nick turned his face away from me. "That's good." Nick said as his eyes drifted over to the fast paced rabbit that was still ahead of us both. "Because a friend of mine told me that you can be anything that you want to be. No matter what type of species or mammal you are." Nick said in quiet happy tone of voice as I looked from him to Judy. "She's a good friend Nick." I said punching Nick lightly in the shoulder as he nodded his head happily. "A good girlfriend." I said smugly as I quickened my pace to catch up with Judy whilst Nick stopped briefly before he began to open and close his mouth in shock as he tried to register what had just happened. "Well how about that." Nick said as he chuckled lightly to himself before he began to walk again. "I swear he's just as bad as I used to be."
It didn't take long before Judy stopped in front of a small cafe as she turned around to face Nick as I began to walk up to one of the cafes windows to take a look inside. As I looked inside the cafe, something didn't seem right. The interior of the cafe looked exactly the same as the cafe that I had gone in when I was selling MP3 players with Dave. Even the sign on the outside of the cafe was the same. "Well Nick. Is this cafe OK?" Judy said as she watched Nick glance at the sign before he himself peeked into the cafe as he came up next to me. "Cats Cafe. Well what do you think Ben?" Nick said in a questioning tone of voice as he looked over at me. I smiled as I turned away from the cafes window before heading over to the cafes pink door before letting a sigh escape from my lips. "Yeah I like it. This cafe seems perfect." I said before looking back towards Nick and Judy who nodded to each other, as I smiled and entered the cafe hearing a small bell chime as the door opened allowing me, Nick and Judy to enter the small cafe. "Well good afternoon sir, officers." A light female voice said from behind the cafes counter as I looked towards the sound of the voice. Behind the counter stood a tall female lion, with golden cream fur and blue eyes that looked at me, Judy and Nick, with a tired kind of gaze.
"Well hello their mademoiselle." I said bowing to the lioness, but as fortune has it my right hind paw slipped upon the white marble floor causing me to fall muzzle first onto said white marble floor. As soon as I hit the marble floor I heard Nick burst out in a fit of laughter which was soon followed by the lionesses laughter whilst it seemed Judy was the only one trying to hold in her laughter….which only lasted a couple of seconds before she too joined in. I let out a long pained sigh as I began to pick myself up of the floor with my black paws, my tail tucked under my legs as a thought made its way clear into my head. 'Why does this always happen to me?'