Chapter 6: The Sniper
"My restless, roaming spirit would not allow me to remain at home very long." ~William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Unknown Location
Bucky Callahan stepped outside of the empty saloon and stretched. The morning sun peeked its face from beneath the horizon, casting an orange glow on the ghost town. Around him, snoring could be heard as lupines slept anywhere they wanted. The leader stepped off the rundown wooden porch and walked to the nearest lupine, who was fast asleep on the dirt road, his back to a fallen barrel. As Callahan stood over him, his arms folded, the lupine's ears twitched and drool started to fall out of his mouth.
The wolf rolled his eyes and kicked meanly at his minion. The lupine woke up with a start and stood up immediately. After adjusting his gun belt, the wolf looked around with confusion before resting upon his leader. At the sight of Callahan, the lupine relaxed and spoke, "Boss?"
Callahan pointed to his left at an old white church. "Go in there and go up to the bell tower. If you see Minho comin', send him to me quick."
The wolf nodded, turned around and started to do his leader's bidding. Callahan's voice stopped him in his tracks and the lupine turned around. "If you fall asleep at your post," Callahan snarled. "You'll have to worry about yer life."
The lupine swallowed and nodded. He turned around and started hurrying towards the church. Callahan watched him disappear into the building. After a couple of minutes, the familiar figure of the lupine appeared on top of the church, holding a wooden chair. Callahan rolled his eyes and walked up to the tower, until he was standing a few feet away.
His minion put down the chair on the wooden floor of the tower and sat down. Satisfied that he was comfortable and able to have a clear visibility, the wolf leaned back his chair until the furniture was touching the railing. He then raised his feet up and the lupine smiled to himself. He had a great view and the sun was coming up. What more could he ask for?
A gunshot was heard, followed by splintering, and the wolf found himself falling sideways. He sprawled on the ground, and instinctively grabbed his revolver out of the holster. After looking around, the wolf decided to do the next obvious thing, look down.
He sighed to himself with despair as he locked eyes with Bucky Callahan. The leader shook his head, and holstered his revolver. Calling up to the lupine, Callahan yelled "Did I say you could rest when on watch? Idiot!" The brown-furred wolf shook his head and gave himself a small smile as he saw his minion scrambling to stand up. The lupine immediately holstered his weapon and called back, "Sorry, Boss! Won't happen again!"
The gunshot noise alerted the other lupines, who woke up from their slumber. They ran out of various buildings: stores, hotels and banks. Callahan scoffed as he saw their state. Within a few seconds, his entire crew surrounded him, wondering what was happening.
The well-dressed wolf took off his hat and unconsciously touched his scar. He shook his head and spoke, "Look at yerselves! You're all in a sorry state! You've all gone soft!" Reaching a decision, the wolf bellowed, "Right! We're going to the next step of my plan!"
He pointed at his number-one lupine, Charlie Vane, and spoke, "Charlie! Grab Dagger, Shadowtooth, Vierra, Scorpion and…" he paused as he looked around his crew. "Blackjack! Go and hit Applehill and come back with the spoils!" After the wolves nodded and left the group to do their boss' bidding, Callahan turned around and spoke, "Seesaw, Snorklout, Desert and Yellowfang!" The four wolves stepped forward, and Callahan spoke, "Time for you to do your part."
They all looked at each other, then back onto their leader. Callahan nodded. "That's right. Go get them and bring them back to me." He put a paw on Seesaw's shoulder. "You're in charge…" Callahan smiled dangerously and pulled the wolf in closer, his voice lowering, "Which means that if you fail…" he let his voice trail off.
Seesaw swallowed nervously and nodded his head. He moved away from Callahan and started to head to his horse, with his partners in tow. Callahan turned around and faced the rest of his crew. "Right! I want y'all to stay sharp. Set up a watch rotation for Minho up there. Get us some food, weapons and dynamite…" he stopped and when his minions weren't moving, he yelled, "Well? Get moving!" He pulled out his revolver and fired it in the air, and his crew scattered.
Once the dust settled down, Callahan chuckled to himself. He turned around and walked back down the street, turned right and entered the saloon. Instead of making a beeline to the counter, the wolf opted to continue walking. Behind the saloon, was a short hallway and it ended in a closed door. Callahan opened it with a tug and he stepped inside. It was an office that was also converted to a private bedroom for the leader. To his right, against the wall a crude mattress on a metal bed frame rested. In the center of the room, a table with a stack of papers could be seen. A spilled bottle of an unidentified alcohol rested on the floor, yet Callahan ignored it. He moved quickly through the room and around to the desk. The wolf pulled the chair out, sat down and started to look through the documents.
The sound of furniture moving caused two she-wolves to waken from their slumber. They both turned and saw Callahan sitting on the chair. Waving their paws, they called out, "Come back to bed!" They begged. "It's early."
Callahan smiled and spoke, "I'll be there in a minute, ladies."
The wolves giggled and laid back down. Callahan turned his attention back to the documents. As he rifled through the stack of papers, he shook his head as each one was not the one he was looking for. Finally, his paw rested on an important paper that his crew had grabbed from the bank vaults of Antelope City. He smiled with victory as he read the title of the page. This will make me rich and powerful!
The wolf put the paper back on the desk, pushed his chair back and stood up. He took off his gun belt, and draped it over the back of his chair, turned around and smiled. The leader of the bloodhounds walked forwards, his arms spread apart and spoke, "Alright, ladies. Where were we?"
As he threw himself onto the bed, the morning sun crept higher into the sky, its golden rays sneakily penetrating the wooden boards that was nailed in front of the glass windows, resting upon the paper. Underneath the warming sun, the title of the paper glowed, as it read: ZOOTOPIA RAILROAD SHARES.
/
Bull Run
Judy Hopps rolled over in her sleep, her tired body grateful for a mattress that was not solid ground. As she slept, through the night, she did not hear the door open and close, as Nicholas "Doc" Wilde walked into the room, and after spending a few minutes of preparation underneath the help of the moonlight, lay on the floor and fall asleep, his cowboy hat covering his face. As the moon disappeared and as dawn approached, introducing a new day, Judy's ear twitched at the sound of animals waking up outside. At the sound of coughing, Judy's eyes shot open, and the bunny rolled over to her back. She gave a small groan, and stretched her body. The bunny laid on the bed, her eyes cast on the ceiling as she remembered the days past.
Her sons entered her mind and Judy felt her eyes misting up. Immediately she rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed. The sun peeked from behind the building that was in front of her room, and after measuring its position in the sky, Judy smiled. They'd be tending to the horses now. At that thought, pride and a sense of accomplishment filled her soul. They had been through a lot, starting with Virgil's death, then Wyatt's several months later. Her boys were kind, hardworking and smart, and Judy couldn't help but wonder how they turned out to be like those kind of animals.
Her mind moved from her sons and rested upon Henny, causing the bunny to nod to herself. She owed a lot to Henny, and it was under her stern, yet kind tutelage and keen eyes that her boys were molded into the animals that they were today. She glanced at the letter on the letter that rested on the nightstand and sighed, remembering that she had forgotten to mail it when she and her partner had arrived the night before.
A cough from the floor snapped the bunny from her thoughts, and Hopps looked to the end of her bed, where the light shone through the window. Her boots were still there and the bunny moved her attention from the area and towards the mirror in the corner of the room. She smiled to herself.
Doc Wilde was fast asleep, his head at the base of the mirror. He had borrowed a blanket from the barkeep and bundled it into a ball. It served as a pillow for the fox. His jacket was rolled up and tossed carelessly at the front of his feet. His boots, still on his feet were nearly underneath the light of the sun. Wilde subconsciously cleared his throat, his cowboy hat slightly tilting as it rested on his face. His paws were folded across his chest, as his dress pants slowly turned from black to dark brown as dirt and dust started to coat it.
But there's something missing… Judy thought. As she looked around, she realized that Nick had put his gun belt on top of the full size mirror, both .38 and .41 caliber revolvers still resting its holsters.
Judy sighed and sat back down, until her body was touching the wall. Her stomach rumbled quietly, and the bunny nodded to herself. She turned around, and quietly placed her paws on the floor, careful to not wake her partner up. The bunny looked at her clothes and groaned inwardly. After she made herself home in the room, she had immediately left and found a store that was still open. After buying a fresh set of clothes, she had meant to change into them when arriving back to the room. But once she arrived, she had placed the pile on the ground in front of the nightstand, as she turned around to go and attend to her horse.
The clothes were still there, and it was the same outfit that Judy had on, but with a different style. She quickly glanced at the sleeping vulpine and reached a decision. The bunny took a step forward and as she did, the floor creaked loudly, which caused her to stop. Judy looked back at her partner, and after being satisfied that he was still asleep, gave herself more confidence.
She picked up the pile of clothes, turned around and placed it on her bed, her back to the sleeping vulpine. With a small sigh, Judy untied her blue scarf that was around her neck and tossed it on the bed. Next, she unbuttoned her shirt, and slowly looked back and was assured the vulpine was still asleep as told by the snore that he emitted, took it off and laid it on top of the scarf. The bunny quickly grabbed the red buttoned shirt that she bought from the store, and threw her arms through the sleeves, and hastily buttoned it. Next, she undid her belt, put it on top of her discarded clothes, and pulled down her pants, revealing her bushy tail.
From the ground, Doc Wilde watched through half opened eyes, his cowboy hat covering any traces that he was watching. He smiled to himself as he watched his partner quickly change herself. His cough had woken himself up, and noticed that it also woke up Judy. He started to say hello, but immediately decided against it, and continued to pretend to be asleep. The vulpine watched as the bunny grabbed her clothes off the floor and with her back to him, started to change. Doc smiled to himself, but immediately it disappeared as Judy turned to look at him. He emitted a fake snore, which gave more confidence to the bunny. He whistled inwardly as the well-toned bunny revealed her body.
He was disappointed when Judy started to button her shirt, but his joy returned when he realized that she had yet to change out of her pants. But as the pants sank to the floor, Wilde immediately closed his eyes, as he realized that she wasn't wearing any undergarments, fitting for a lady. At that realization, Wilde smiled to himself again, as Judy's voice echoed through his mind, if you're going to be traveling with me, don't expect me to be ladylike.
She is no lady… Wilde thought. He was tempted to open his eyes, but decided against it. Instead, he yawned loudly and started to smack his lips. His paw reached upwards to grab his cowboy hat, as the vulpine acted as if he was waking up for the first time.
At the yawn, Judy spun around, quickly. Realizing she had nothing to cover her bottom half of her body, she quickly squeaked, "Wilde! Don't look! I'm changing!"
The fox froze in the middle of his rise. He slowly nodded his head, and keeping his cowboy hat in front of his face, stood up to his full height. "Good morning to you too, darling."
Judy giggled nervously. "Do you mind, steppin' out of the room for a minute?"
Doc nodded, and took a step forward. As he did, his feet came in contact with his jacket, causing himself to become tripped up. The fox fell forward, face first to the ground, and he hit the floor with a thud, and a small "ow."
Judy covered her mouth with shock, momentarily forgetting that she was half naked. Nick popped up, his eyes closed and smiling. He turned around, and spoke "Wrong direction." Raising his cowboy hat to his face, he slowly inched forwards, muttering "Alright… where's the door?"
As he took another step, his foot made contact with the leg of the bed, and the fox swore loudly as he hopped on one foot. His string of curses was interrupted when he started to cough. Keeping his eyes closed, the fox quickly searched for something. Understanding what he needed, Judy stepped forward, grabbed his paw and guided him to the bed.
Doc hacked and coughed, feeling phlegm escaping his throat. In between coughs, he spoke, "Jacket… handkerchief!"
Judy nodded and reached for the brown jacket. A couple of seconds later, she grabbed the handkerchief, and turned around. As she handed it to her partner, the bunny noticed that there were specks of blood. "Wilde?" She asked, "You okay?"
Doc nodded his head, his eyes still closed. "Just somthin' in the air, I reckoned." He answered. After his coughing subsided, the fox stood up and nodded in where he believed Judy was standing. He strode confidently across the room and with his left paw, searched for the door. Finally grabbing the handle, Nick quickly opened it and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Judy sighed and shook her head, feeling sorry for the unfortunate fox. At least he didn't see me… She reached down and grabbed a new pair of pants from the bed. As soon as her leg entered the pant leg, the bunny heard the door open behind her.
Nick's head popped into the room, his eyes closed. The fox gave a half-smile. "By the way," he spoke. "Your shirt's buttoned wrong. Might wanna fix that before you leave." With that word, he closed the door again.
Judy rolled her eyes and finished dressing herself. She turned around and faced the full size mirror, happy with her outfit choice. Nick's voice entered her mind, about her shirt being buttoned wrong. She stepped forward and her face immediately became red, as she realized that he was right.
That fox…
She smiled to herself as the sly fox appeared in her mind. The bunny shook her head and resumed her focus to the task. After fixing her mistake, the bunny grabbed the fox's gun belt, turned around and picked up her rifle. The bunny then grabbed Nick's jacket and slung it over her shoulder and before she left the room, grabbed the letter from the nightstand. She had left her gun belt with Breeze and after taking a couple of minutes looking around the room and making sure that her face was not flushed, she was satisfied that she had everything. With that assurance, Judy turned around and left the room, locking the door behind her.
The bunny made her way through the empty hallway, and when arriving at the railing, she looked down. Nick was at the counter of the bar, a fresh bowl of oatmeal with berries in front of him. A second bowl occupied the empty space next to him. After feeling a pair of eyes on him, the vulpine looked up, and upon seeing the bunny, gave his signature half-smile and then he winked.
Already, Judy could feel her face reddening, and she took a step backwards, out of sight. Get ahold of yourself, Judy! She scolded herself. The bunny took a deep breath, turned to her left and started to head down the stairs.
Instead of going to Nick, she made a beeline outside of the saloon doors. The bright sunlight and a cool breeze greeted her, and the bunny looked to her right and saw both Breeze and Midnight enjoying the morning sun. Judy approached her horse, and put her rifle in small slot of the saddle, and patted her animal. "Good morning!"
Breeze nodded her head. Morning. She seemed to pause. How was your first night?
Judy looked at her horse, confusion evident on her face. Realizing what the horse meant, Judy shook her head. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "We did nothing. I went to bed, he went to bed and we woke up this morning."
Breeze raised her eyebrow. Uh huh. Then why is your face red?
Not catching herself, Judy blurted out in a hushed voice, "I think Doc saw me changing this morning."
The horse nickered as if it was laughing. Hang on… I need to tell Midnight!
As Breeze moved her head, Judy smacked the horse. "What? No! Do not tell Midnight! My romance life is off hands from this… gossip circle you have!"
Breeze rolled her eyes and shook her main. Alright… You're no fun.
"Don't think about it." Judy growled, pointing her finger at the palomino. "You spill, and I'll sell you to the first circus I see that comes into town."
You wouldn't!
"Don't tempt me." Satisfied that she had the last word, the bunny spun around at her heels and marched into the saloon. After the doors swung shut, she made a beeline to the empty chair that was next to the fox. She tossed his jacket and gun belt on the counter and spoke, "These are yours… You forgot 'em when you were rushing out."
"Thanks, Judy." Doc responded. He stood up and put on his jacket then his belt. "You okay there?" He sat back down and ate another spoonful of oatmeal as he awaited for her answer.
Judy nodded her head. "I'm okay. What about, you?"
Doc looked back at her, his emerald eyes glowing. "Just fine…" he turned and resumed his focus on the bowl. "My mornin' just brightened."
Judy felt her face becoming flushed, and the bunny turned around. A few silent minutes passed, save for the sound of eating, as Judy went through her bowl with a hurry. When she was done, she put her spoon in her bowl, looked at Nick and spoke, "I'm going to buy some coffee from the store and mail somethin'." With that word, she spun around and hurried out of the saloon.
Doc watched her go with a half-smile. He turned around in his chair, and saw the basset hound reaching for her bowl. Before the dog left, he spoke "I heard that. I thought you said you weren't going to score with her last night?"
Doc shook his head. "I didn't."
The barkeep snorted as he looked at the swinging doors of the saloon. "A fox and a bunny? That'll never happen."
Doc's eyes twinkled. He placed his spoon back into the bowl, and reached into his pocket. The barkeep, curious at what the fox was doing, watched. Doc pulled out a stack of playing cards and placed them on the counter. He shuffled them around and as he did, the image of Judy flashed through his mind. It had only been three days, but already he knew that they complimented each other. He shook his head inwardly with amazement as he replayed Judy standing on the rock and yelling at Minho. She's got guts.
After shuffling his cards, Nick drew the top card and flipped it over. It revealed a Queen of Hearts, and the animal that served as the Queen was a bunny. The fox slyly looked up and spoke, "Well… It's in the cards."
The barkeep rolled his eyes, turned around and walked away with Judy's empty bowl. As the basset hound turned around, Nick immediately slid the card into the same position it was, several cards below from the top card.
The fox chuckled to himself and put the cards back into his jacket pocket. He finished his bowl, pulled out a dollar and slammed it on the counter. The fox spun around and walked across the saloon, until he was outside.
Doc turned to his right and walked on the wooden porch. Once he approached Midnight, he turned and stepped off. Reaching the saddle, Wilde pulled out several fruits and walked back to the horse, and after holding it in his palm, the horse gratefully munched on them.
"Don't worry." Doc spoke, his voice soothing. "We're headin' to Tulare today. There'll be plenty of grass about on the way."
Midnight nodded his head, but said nothing. Breeze looked over from her position and eyed the fox. Wilde chuckled again, and after feeding his horse a second apple, walked to the palomino. After placing an apple on his paw, Breeze grabbed it and munched on it noisily. He patted the horse and stepped aside, until he was standing in front of the palomino.
Several minutes later, the door to the store across the saloon opened. Judy stepped out holding several canisters of coffee beans, and she made a beeline to Breeze. Opening a knapsack that was tied to the saddle, Judy dumped the canisters inside. Once she was done, she tied them shut and turned around, and after placing her paw on her revolver, nodded in acknowledgement.
"What's the plan, Judy?"
"Jack said that we can find Cody in Tulare. Do you know who he is?"
Doc shook his head. "I've never met an animal named Cody." He paused and with as an afterthought, added, "Well, that's a lie. I killed an animal named Cody back in Cheetah Gorge. He thought I cheated, when I won fair and square. Had to defend meself." Nick shook his head, causing himself to get back on track. "Right, but Tulare is a three day and two night ride from here, in that direction." He pointed Southeast.
The bunny nodded again. "Let's get movin'. We're burning daylight." She moved and untied the horse from the post. Within a few seconds, she was already on the saddle. After adjusting her position, she watched as Doc swung himself on top of Midnight. With a paw, she spoke, "Lead the way, Doc."
"With pleasure." At that answer, Nick turned his horse to his left and urged the animal forward. Within a couple of minutes, they were trotting across the familiar plains of Zootopia.
/
Unknown Location
The moonlight seeped through the boarded window and shone upon a sleeping Bucky Callahan. He was wedged between two she-wolves, and after a time of play, they had fallen asleep exhausted. Approaching footsteps did nothing to disturb the leader of the Bloodhounds from his slumber, but the door opening and the knob smashing against the wall did.
As Senga stepped inside, he held a lamp in the air. As the glow of the light shone in the dark room, Callahan woke up, and along with him, his two mistresses. The she-wolf in front of the leader immediately pulled a blanket upwards, covering her naked body, and Senga looked away, knowing that he would be at the receiving end of his boss' wrath if he lingered with his gaze.
"Senga!" Callahan growled. "Why are you disturbing me?!"
"Boss. Minho has arrived."
"Grah! Out of my way!" Callahan growled gain, causing his mistress to sit up in bed, allowing the leader some room to wedge through. Senga respectfully kept his eyes on the ground, as the wolf pulled on his clothes. As he did, Callahan barked, "Why didn't you send him in here."
"Because I thought…" Senga gestured to the wolves on the bed. "You wouldn't want to be disturbed by him."
"You thought?" Callahan roared. "You're not paid to think! Otherwise you'd be the leader!" Callahan shook his head. "Why am I surrounded by idiots?" He muttered to himself.
"Boss?"
Callahan was upon him in a flash, his powerful paw around the unfortunate lupine's throate. "I said to send Minho to me and, where is he? Not here!" He yelled, spittle flying out of his mouth.
Senga turned around and fled the room, and as the lamp disappeared around the corner, Callahan rolled his eyes. He put on his boots and after looking at his mistresses, he blew them a kiss. They giggled, and Callahan turned and left the room.
It was quiet outside, save for the hoof beats from the horses a rapidly approaching. Callahan moved off the wooden porch until he was standing in the street. He placed both of his paws on his holstered guns. The lupine stood in that spot for several minutes until the horses screeched to a halt in front of him. The riders all climbed down and stood before their leader.
Callahan scanned the three wolves before him and sighed. The first wolf, Seaeyes was limping. The center wolf, Minho, had a swollen face, and the third wolf, Xavier had scratches across the side of his face.
Taking a deep breath to gather himself, trying to dispel of any rage that was building inside of him, Callahan smiled. At the sight of the leader's smile, Minho smiled back, relieved that his boss was in a good mood.
Pain flashed across his jaw, as Callahan pulled out his revolver and smashed its butt into the side of Minho's face. He started to fall backwards, but Callahan reached out, and grabbed the unfortunate wolf by his collar and steadied him. Putting his face close to his minion, Callahan growled. "Five of you rode off. Three of you returned…Without Jack."
Minho wisely didn't answer, knowing that whatever he said would further vex his boss. The wolf's logic immediately ran out, as Callahan yelled, spittle flying out of his face. "Where is Jack?!"
"Well… boss, it started out like this…" Seaeyes stammered. Callahan spun towards him and pushed the wolf. "Was I talking to you?"
Seaeyes casted his face down on the ground, and silently shook his head. Callahan turned back to Minho. "Explain, and you'd better hope your story is good!"
The leader stepped away from the wolf and started to casually walk around in circles, spinning his revolver around his finger. At the sight of his leader walking, Minho stammered, "Boss… We arrived at Hanging Rock and found Jack. But we were ambushed and they took Jack away. I swear!"
Callahan stopped and looked at the wolves. He calmly placed his gun back into its holster and spoke, "How many of them?"
"Boss?"
Callahan chuckled dangerously. He took one step closer and glared at his minion. "How many animals ambushed you?"
Minho hesitated. He looked sideways at Seaeyes and then at Xavier. Neither wolf offered any help. He swallowed nervously as he turned his attention back to his leader. "Two." He squeaked.
"Two…" Callahan shook his head. "Two animals ambushed five of my best fighting men and killed two of them." He walked back and chuckled. "Tell me they were lions, or tigers or even bears."
Minho was silent, causing his leader to turn around. He looked at Seaeyes and gave a small grin. "Comon, Seaeyes, my good friend. Tell ol' Callahan who ambushed you." He walked over and stood next to the wolf, throwing his left arm over his shoulder and embracing him in a side-hug. "Comon. You can whisper it in my ear."
Seaeyes looked at Minho, and the wolf could only shake his head. Callahan shook Seaeyes and whispered, "Who?"
Gulping nervously, Seaeyes responded. "A bunny" he paused, and continued, "and a fox."
Callahan inched closer, his paw cupping around his left ear. "I didn't catch that. Did you say a bunny and a fox?"
"Yes boss."
The leader of the Bloodhounds stepped away from his minion and slowly nodded his head. "A bunny and a fox…" he paused, his back to Seaeyes. Suddenly, he turned around and drove the toe of his boot against Seaeyes' wound. The wolf howled with pain and crumbled onto the ground. As he cowered in the dirt, Callahan stepped forward and screamed "A bunny and a fox?" He emitted a string of curses as he kicked Seaeyes in the side two times.
Controlling his rage, Callahan stepped backwards and started to walk away. Finally he stopped and turned around. "Do you know who they are?"
Hoping to get into his leader's good graces, Minho stepped forward and spoke boldly, "Boss. I heard Jack say that the bunny's name was Judy."
Shock appeared on Callahan's face. He stepped closer to Minho and spoke urgently. "Did she have a white buttoned shirt and a blue scarf? She carries a revolver and a rifle. Think!"
Several seconds passed, and Minho nodded. Callahan stepped away and chuckled to himself. "Judy Hopps…" he muttered. The insane wolf then looked up at the starry sky and screamed, "Judy Hopps!"
After he howled with rage, the leader turned around, growling. "I thought I had gotten rid of her after I killed Wyatt. She just couldn't stay away, could she?" The wolf shook his head. "Now she's going to ruin my plan and everything I've worked for!" In his rage, the wolf pulled out his revolver.
Minho was dead before he even hit the ground, the bullet smashing through his head. Callahan took a step forward and emptied the entire chamber into Minho's lifeless body. As blood poured out, seeping the dirty ground, Callahan screamed "You're useless! Useless!"
He took several steps back, breathing heavily and holstering his revolver. Seaeyes whimpered with fear from the ground, and Xavier had not moved from his standing position. "We still need Jack…" Callahan muttered. "He was at Hanging Rock, so the closest town is Bull Run…" Reaching a decision, he nodded to himself. Directing his words to both Seaeyes and Xavier, Callahan spoke with discontent. "Go throw this idiot in the ditch and let the ravens feast off him. When yore done, I have a job for the two of you."
With that statement, Callahan turned around and walked back to the saloon, the night becoming peaceful once again.
/
Somewhere in the Wilderness of Zootopia
They had ridden for two days and camped for one night. As they left the dry plains of Bull Run, Judy Hopps was pleased to see the dirt disappearing as green grass reappeared. Nicholas "Doc" Wilde had kept them on a Southeasterly course, and they rode in that direction until they reached a river. After spending two hours to rest and allow the horses to drink and regain their energy, the bunny and the fox remounted and instead of continuing their direction, they turned due south, following the river.
Judy had inquired as to why they were not heading in their original direction and was satisfied with Nick's answer. The fox had explained that Tulare was a river town, and that the river ran a North-South direction. It was easier to head South-East from Bull Run than a direct Easterly course, despite the fact that an Easterly course would have gotten them to the river a day shorter, but made the total travel time longer. Nick explained a Southeastern and then South course saved them a day and he had assumed that time was not on their side.
At first, Judy was upset, but when she mulled over Nick's explanation, she realized that the fox was right. They already had water rations for the horse, so there were no reason to get to the river and spend four days and three nights in the wilderness. As she listened to Breeze splash water on the banks of the river, Judy smiled to herself. She was happy that she made the decision in allowing the fox to tag along.
Both the bunny and fox rode alongside the river until the sun started to set. As soon as the sun reached the midway point beneath the horizon, Nick pulled Midnight to a stop. He looked around at his surroundings and was pleased with what he saw.
With the river behind him, there were smooth dirt, washed ashore by the river for eons. Beyond the dirt were grass and some bushes. Trees dominated the scene beyond the grass, and the leaves swayed with the wind. But unlike the dry patched grass of the plains, which served as kindling for the fire, the healthy grass controlled the area. But Nick knew he would find dead leaves, bark and branches from the small forest. Reaching a decision, he spoke, "We stop here."
"But why?" Judy protested. She measured the sun's position and spoke, "We still have an hour left."
Nick shook his head. "We're between Bull Run and Tulare. This is Redeye territory, a gang of sad weasels who bother travelers. They like to attack at night." He gestured towards the rushing river and continued, "And they can't approach us from behind. If they come from the trees, they'll have a long ways to run to reach us, and by then, they'll all be dead."
Nick dismounted and spoke, "The Redeyes are smarter than this. They won't attack us. It'll be their loss if they do." With that word, Nick took off Midnight's saddle and as he placed it on the ground, he continued, "And Midnight'll warn us if he hears any cause for trouble."
Judy nodded her head. "You're right, I suppose." She followed suit and within several minutes, Breeze walked several feet away and was gratefully munching the grass next to the black horse. As she got busy getting dinner ready, Nick disappeared into the forest. He emerged ten minutes later with a handful of branches, leaves and dead plants.
As the moon appeared, Nick already had a campfire going. Judy leaned against her saddle, warming her paws and grateful for the heat. Nick was on the other side of the fire, his back to the trees and after watching the bunny, stood up. He strode over to his partner and sat next to her. As Judy inquisitively looked at him, the fox reached into his pocket and pulled out playing cards and spoke, "Blackjack?"
Judy sighed and nodded her head. Nick shuffled the cards and after splitting the deck, dealt the cards. After he was done, he flipped over his card and spoke, "So… You asked me how I knew your husband, and I don't mean to intrude in your business…" He paused as Judy looked at her cards and requested for another one. Nick obliged, dealing a card and spoke, "How'd you meet him?"
"Well, that's a long story. "Judy spoke. "Short one bein' he fancied me with tales of adventure… Stay." At the sound of her command, Nick flipped over his own card and continued to play. "I traveled with him all over back east and he taught me how to use a gun, track and stuff like that. We hunted down gang members and generally protected towns."
Nick nodded his head, and requested her cards. Judy flipped over and showed that she had a total value of twenty, and Nick shook his head as the bunny beat him. He grabbed the cards and put them back into his deck, shuffled and re-dealt, all while Judy spoke, "Wyatt passed away, and after that, I decided I was done with the huntin' life and moved West with my two sons and Henny."
"Henny?"
"A maid…" Judy started. She stopped herself and spoke "Well… I'm not sure what she is. She was under Wyatt's employment and after he died, she stuck with us. She helps around the farm."
Nick nodded his head. "And your boys? How old are they?"
Judy looked at her cards and tapped on the ground. After Nick dealt a third card, she spoke, "Fifteen and seven." She smiled.
At the sight of her smile, Nick started to smile, but then his smile disappeared when Judy spoke, "You said that you used to have a kid. This may not help, but… I'm sorry."
Nick resumed his focus back on his hand and nodded. "Thanks."
Judy shrugged. "May I ask what happened?"
The vulpine looked up and gave a polite smile. "I'd rather I not talk about it."
"Nick…" Judy spoke. "Sometimes it helps to talk."
"No offense, darlin'." Nick snapped. "But I barely know you." He looked up and his anger seeped away at the sight of Judy's expression.
The fox sighed. After gathering his thoughts, he spoke, "I'm sorry."
"No." Judy shook her head. "It was my fault. It's not my business."
"Thanks Judy." Nick smiled. The bunny smiled back and returned playing the game. They were silent for several hands as the fire crackled in the background. Behind them, they could hear the river's current washing against the shore, and the two horses eating and communicating.
Finally, Doc broke the silence and spoke, "I screwed up and she died."
"She?" Judy paused, looking up from her cards. "What was her name?"
A couple of minutes of silence passed, and Doc spoke, standing up. "Right. I'm going to get some sleep." He grabbed the playing cards off the ground and after putting them in his jacket pocket, walked over to where he was planning on sleeping. Judy sighed as she watched Doc walk away. She watched as he stopped for several seconds, and pull out a pocket watch. After he clicked it open, Judy moved to attempt to see what he was looking at. The glow of the fire did not help, as Nick closed the watch and place it back into his pocket. He laid on the ground, took off his cowboy hat and placed it over his head.
Judy sighed and looked at the fire. A cool breeze brushed against her cheek, and with a soft and clear voice, her song carried over the wind.
I once had a daughter
She was aged two
With a twinkle in her eye
And a bow in her hair
She looked at me and said
'I love you.'
She'd play in the woods
She'd play near the sea
As she became older
And when she'd move away
I'd always know in my heart
She'd return to me
Judy held the last note longer than usual, her clear voice breaking the silence of the night. When she was done, she sighed, and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep, underneath the watchful eye of the sky.
As Nick listened to her song, his mind wandered elsewhere. He took a deep sigh and thought, I miss you…
The next morning, the fox and the bunny broke camp after the sun broke the horizon. As they were packing, Nick spoke, "If we keep this trail and we take one break, we'll reach Tulare by the afternoon." He stood up and nodded. "We'll make good time." He grabbed the saddle and swung around, walking to Midnight. As he did, something fell out of his vest pocket.
The light reflected off the item and it caught Judy's face. She moved away from her task and the bunny bent down and picked it up. It was Nick's pocket watch. She sighed and looked up at the vulpine, who was busy saddling his horse. Ignoring the temptation, the bunny walked forward and upon arriving at the vulpine's side, she spoke "You dropped this."
Nick fastened the last strap on Midnight and turned to look at her. Once he saw what she was holding, the fox immediately reached into his pocket. Once he felt an empty space, he grabbed the watch out of her paw and shoved it back in there. "Did you look into it?" Doc spoke, his voice full of pain.
Judy shook her head. "It's not my business."
Nick nodded slowly. "Thanks."
With that word, he swung himself up on the horse. After Judy jumped onto Breeze, Nick nodded again. "We should reach Tulare just after noon. Ready?"
The bunny nodded and within a couple of seconds, they were racing along the river towards Tulare.
/
Tulare
Tulare was nothing like Judy had experienced. As they rode through the town heading for a hotel, Judy observed the scene before her. She gathered that there was only one hotel, one store and one Sherriff's station. Few animals of varying species walked amongst the side of the road, all casting suspicious glances at the riders.
"What's going on?" Judy whispered to her partner. "Why's everyone looking at us?"
Doc shrugged. "They hate strangers. Tulare used to be a major town at the river. We'd have rafts and steamships come south from Bull Run and Antelope City. But with the railroad," Nick nodded in the direction. As he did, Judy followed his gaze and saw tracks behind some houses. "Business suffered and everyone moved out." The fox smiled to himself. "But I love Tulare. Animals really leave each other alone here."
They both rode in silence. After a couple of minutes passed, Nick spoke, "Come on. I know the owner of the hotel."
"You do?"
"Like I said. I spent quite some time here."
Judy nodded gratefully. She navigated Breeze through the empty street and within a couple of minutes, found herself in front of the hitching post at the hotel. Nick jumped off Midnight, tied the rope to the post and quickly walked inside the hotel.
The bunny followed suit. As soon as she tied the rope to the post, a cry of joy was heard from the inside. She quickly walked through the door, and saw Nick hugging a black furred fox. "Doc Wilde!" the fox spoke. "What brings you here?"
Stepping backwards, Nick took off his hat and using it, gestured towards Judy. "She does."
The fox looked at the petite bunny and gave a huge smile. "And who is this?"
"Judy Hopps, sir." The bunny answered, reaching out with a paw. The older fox smiled again and grabbed it. Instead of shaking it, he leaned down and kissed it. "And a beautiful bunny."
Nick rolled his eyes and the fox chuckled. "This is John Henry." Nick spoke. "We grew up together."
Henry smiled and nodded his head. He walked away from them and reached the counter. He grabbed three glasses and poured a liquid out of the bottle into each glass. The fox turned around and handed each glass to his guests and spoke, "To friends!"
"To friends." Nick responded. The two foxes took a swig and placed the glasses on the counter. They turned and looked at Judy, who was still holding her glass. She smiled weakly and sniffed it, the unfamiliar scent washing over her. Finally, she summoned her courage and took a drink.
It burned her throat and it was nothing she had ever tasted. Both foxes cheered as she swallowed and placed the glass on the counter. Judy coughed several times and after regaining her composure, she wheezed. "What was that?"
"Homemade moonshine!" John Henry spoke, gleefully. "And because you drank it and didn't puke, I can trust you."
Judy looked at Nick and the fox shrugged. "Oh good." She turned around and placed her paws on the counter, coughing.
John Henry chuckled and returned his attention back to Doc. "What can I do for you?"
The orange vulpine nodded his head. "We need a room."
"Two rooms," Judy emphasized holding up two fingers. "Two rooms please." At that response, John Henry looked at Nick and raised an eyebrow. Nick responded mouthing, "I'll tell you later."
After John Henry nodded, Nick spoke, "And we're looking for an animal named Cody. We were told to find him in Tulare. Do you know if he's hereabouts?"
The black furred fox thought for a couple of minutes. Slowly, he nodded, speaking. "I know who you're talking about. There's only one Cody here."
"Great!" Nick exclaimed. "Where can I find him?"
John Henry smiled. "He just walked in." He pointed at a corner, where a round table was. Sitting in two chairs was a giant buffalo, and a red furred vixen. "That's him."
Nick stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Cody? I'd guess it's the giant male buffalo huh?"
John Henry rolled his eyes and spoke, "Anything else?"
Doc looked at Judy and the bunny shook her head. "That's everything, Johnny. Thanks."
"Anytime."
With that statement, the black furred fox turned around and walked through a door, leading into a kitchen. Judy and Nick glanced at each other and the fox shrugged. The bunny sighed and walked forward. She moved around several tables and arriving at the buffalo and the fox's table, she pulled out a chair and spun it around, sitting on it backwards. Nick stood behind her, one paw on his revolver and with the other paw, took his hat off and held it at his side.
The giant buffalo, wearing a brown plaid shirt and a brown pair of pants which blended into his fur, glanced at the bunny suspiciously. "Whaddyer want?" he spoke with a heavy western accent.
"We're looking for an animal. Goes by Cody. You him?"
Cody grunted and looked at the fox. "Who's askin?"
"My name is Judy Hopps and this is my partner, Doc Wilde. We were told that we could find you here."
"And your travel is for naught." Cody grunted. "Whatever you have to say, I'm not interested."
"It's about Bucky Callahan."
Cody looked quickly at the bunny. "Callahan?" he growled. "Are you with him?" At that statement, the red furred fox pushed her chair backwards, and pulled out a revolver, leveling it at Judy's head. In response, Doc pulled out his own gun and took aim at the fox. He measured his target and spoke with a small smile. "Looks like you're outgunned, honey."
"Sit back down, Annie." After the vixen glared at Cody, he looked back. "Sit down." The vixen sighed and holstered her gun. She glanced at the vulpine, and he followed suit. Nodding her head, the vixen sat back down.
"My apologies, Miss Hopps." Cody spoke. "This is my colleague, Annie Oakley. Frontierswoman, scout and skilled with that revolver and rifle of hers." He paused and drummed his hands on the table. "Why're you talking about Callahan?" he mused.
"We're hunting him down. He hit several towns and robbed banks. Hurt innocent people. Doc and I are putting a little posse to stop him, and we heard that you're a good shot. You came with a glowing mark from One-Eyed Jack. Wanna join?"
Cody chuckled. "One-Eyed Jack, eh? What's that devil up to these days?"
Doc winked. "You know, just causin' general mischievousness."
"Aye… I bet he is." The giant buffalo nodded knowingly.
Silence passed between the three conversationalists, as Cody looked between Nick and Judy. After several minutes passed, he nodded his head and stroked his beard. "I have no love for Callahan and I hate him as much as the next animal. So… I'll join."
Judy smiled. "Great!" She stood up and looked at Nick. "Should we go back to Bull Run?"
Her question was interrupted when Cody raised his hand. "But it's not that easy, Miss Hopps. You see… I had a travelin' show and on the road here, my group and I were attacked by the Redeye Gang. They made off with my rifle."
Judy slowly sat back down. "So you can't help us?"
Cody smiled. "Oh I can help you… and I've been meaning to go after my rifle." The buffalo looked between the vulpine and the bunny. "And somthin' tells me that you can handle yourselves in a scrap… You help me find the rifle and I'll join you."
Judy looked at Doc and the fox shrugged again. She looked back at the buffalo and nodded her head. She stuck her paw out and shook it. "You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Cody."
The large buffalo smiled as he accepted it. "My name is William Cody, but folks round these parts call me Buffalo Bill."
