Zootopia belongs to Disney. Spider-Man belongs to Sony.
The sound of vibrating polycarbonate against polished wood woke Judy from a peaceful sleep.
Looking up through one eye into the near-pitch darkness, she brushed an ear out of the way and saw the light reflecting off of the polished wood from the phone, face-down on the surface. Picking up the phone, she squinted at the screen to see the sliding button with a green phone symbol. Above it was a notification.
File #72. This was important.
Wishing she could go back to sleep, but knowing that a 10-38 was always a serious issue, she carefully climbed down off of Nick's chest and slid off the bed. Nick immediately curled into a ball and began to twitch and whimper, causing her to stifle a laugh. He really luvs me! she thought in a silly mental voice.
Grabbing her robe from the smaller closet built for her size, she slipped in on. She took her laptop and snuck into the living room to sit on the couch. Her new screensaver popped up - a selfie of a dismayed Nick after he'd gotten all wet from yesterday. The bright screen forced her to squint and blink the excess sleep from her eyes. Her thumb tapped the notification on the touchscreen, which opened up a private messaging app used only by Precinct 1 officers. On it was a list of her coworkers. And at the very top was a thumbnail that read, File #72, which was in itself a misnomer. This was a cryptic file used to send different coded messages to all of the officers when the need arose. Not necessary in Judy's opinion, but it served its purpose.
She opened the thumbnail and sent the message to her private email on her laptop, which she then opened. She opened the file to send it through a decrypting service website designed by a computer wiz at Precinct 6 she's never met. She clicked on the finished product.
"Warning: If you see two individuals wearing black body suits with black mask - one has light-blue eyes, between three and four feet tall; the other is about five feet; both are feline - do not, repeat, do not engage alone. Extremely dangerous. If anyone sees either of them, call for backup immediately. More detail will be provided upon further investigation."
"Two felines," she mouthed. "Two felines in black..." If that wasn't what she saw earlier, she was prepared to buy prescription glasses. That was what she'd seen! Oh she could hardly wait to get back to work and... wait, she was still on the NH-Plus case. Ok, she'd continue with this case, and do some research on this one as well. Hopefully Chief would allow her to do that, given she'd taken multiple cases before. Though Nick had to sit those side projects out; he could only do so much.
Ugh, she was so tired, she realized. Apparently that list of capabilities was beginning to shrink for her as well. She wasn't as young as she used to be. Thirty-three wasn't old by any stretch, but she felt herself beginning to roll over the peak of her prime.
She got up and headed back to hers and Nick's room. She honestly couldn't care less that she'd wake Nick by getting back into bed; she was cold. She disrobed and hopped right on up.
He yelped with a start when the bed shifted from the bunny's weight and he looked at her. He hummed before pulling the covers up to allow her to shimmy back onto his soft form. She was immediately back in her happy place, resting her cheek on such a soft, cream-colored pillow that moved up and down and vibrated periodically. Immediately following their marriage and once they began sharing their bed, she had discovered, to her delight, that red foxes purr. This prompted her to abandoned her pillow to climb up onto Nick's fluffy thorax. He gladly obliged and that's the way they've slept for the past five years. No complaining from either of them.
"Everything ok?" he whispered as he drew her up under his chin and massaged her back, drawing a moan from her.
She settled her head on his shoulder. Oh, she could not be more comfortable if she tried. "Mm-hm," she answered. "I was checking a 10-38."
"Oh, please don't tell me we're going back to work early," he whined.
"No, don't worry, Honey, we're not."
"Oh good," he exhaled. "You had me worried there."
"You know I wouldn't waste a perfectly good day off with my husband."
"Mm, sounds like a lucky guy. Be sure to tell him that when you see him."
She snickered. "Hush up, Nick!"
"So what did the message say? 'When nature calls, it calls'?"
This time she planted her face onto his chest and laughed, her ears splashing across his muzzle. He lifted it off and threw it aside so it swung around and landed on her shoulder. "I-I think you mean, 'When duty calls'!" she said, struggling to talk over her laughter.
"You know I don't," he answered.
Judy couldn't see it, but she knew he was wearing his half-lidded smirk. After calming down, they talked for a few more minutes while both of them simmered into sleep mode. She lifted her head to look at him. "Night, Sweetheart."
"Night, Hon."
He hopped off of the top of the truck he'd been riding for... how had he gotten to the other side of Sahara Square? Shaking his head in amazement, he started off in the direction of home. He didn't feel any urge to hurry. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he was even going to eat anything tonight before bed. He was still rattled from the day's events. Feeling the hot breeze in Sahara Square from atop a vehicle is always helpful to alleviate some of his stress. He didn't know why. Most of the animals he knew preferred cold temperatures. Or, well, cooler temperatures. He figured he's just hot-natured.
There was no one on the streets. He kept his head on a swivel to make sure no one would follow him. He hummed that song he liked to keep himself company.
Hands in his pockets, he again turned away the thought of the job he'd very nearly botched today. Self-attack was a rabbit hole he very easily fell into. Mostly because the place he called home was also his place of torment. His home, because he depended on it - and the mammals there - for survival, and his torment, because every day there could be his last. He was always one mistake away from exile. All because of his clumsiness.
Hmph. Good enforcer, right John? He'd been the one to vouch for him in the first place when he was brought to the compound at four years old; it wasn't hard to see that the boss didn't really care for him all that much. He felt like he had to pull himself up by his bootstraps while trying not to stomp on the eggshells under his feet to keep him happy. He had thought that with his strength, being a part of this business would be easy. So he took it in stride despite his apprehension. And look how well that went, at least up to now. He'd nearly gotten himself and John caught twice in a row. Then again, what should anyone expect from a kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet? He wished he could fast-forward to the teen phase rather than having to get through eleven, then twelve, THEN, finally, the big thirteen. Then he'd be only three years from legal working age. But still...
How much longer would he be aloud to stay there? Where would he go if... who was he kidding... once he was kicked out? He couldn't leave the city; Zootopia was his best bet, and even then... it didn't look too good. An orphan usually didn't do well in urban metropoles, especially in the criminal underbelly of Zootopia. But what other choice did he have? Predators didn't have anywhere else to turn. This place has gotten darker over the past few years. At least, he thought it had gotten darker. He couldn't remember a time when things hadn't been so bad. In fact, he couldn't remember not being with Angle in the first place. He knew he had been picked up by John and taken to the compound, that he was an orphan... but beyond that, he couldn't remember anything else. And when he tried, all he found was a grim darkness that filled him with anxiety, anxiety that strove to keep him far away from that void. Who knew what was in it? - rabbit hole, Danny! Stop falling into it! Ugh, that's why he needed this walk!
Suddenly, he realized he'd missed the turn. He'd meant to turn at the Dune Express back about thirty feet. He hadn't been here in forever, not since Sarah snuck him out here a while back. The bus always went around it. Man, it was a long walk home, like six or seven miles. He had to be back at the compound by 11:15 before anyone knew he was gone; now he figured it was around 11. He had to get home fast. Looking around to make sure there was no one to see him, he hurdled into a slight jog toward the sandy plain until his feet pattered on granite covered with a thin sandy layer.
Crossing this desert was no problem for him, especially at night. It was common knowledge that the desert was specially designed for all species, even if the district itself wasn't. Stretching across the sandy plain from one end to the other was a kind of stone bridge that allowed any mammal to cross. The rest of the plain was nothing but dunes. He started off with his regular pace, nothing more than a simple jog. The rock supported his footfalls perfectly despite the thin film of sand covering the bridge.
Slowly, he picked up speed. The balmy air tossed his fur around and blew stray sand particles into his eyes, irritating his tear ducts. He wiped his eyes to get rid of the sand and moisture. He needed to consider getting a pair of wind goggles or something, whatever they're called. Still, he continued pushing. His rapid footfalls pounded loudly on the bridge, kicking up sediment with every step.
He pushed harder and harder until he couldn't push any further. How fast he was going, he couldn't tell. Even though he wasn't one to show off, running as fast as the wind was too exhilarating for words.
He wondered if he could try something new for once. He focused on his legs' movement, one foot after another, the unstoppable feeling he had. He squinted his eyes, pursed his lips in focus, trying to sink more deeply into... there it is...
His muscles seemed to vibrate. His pace quickened exponentially. And the whole landscape around him effervesced with a soft, nearly imperceptible hue of sky blue, like the glow of a blue sun that was yet to rise over the morning horizon. He prepared himself, finding the right time. Then, he hopped forward off of one foot, surging forward a couple dozen meters ahead, and then leapt with all of his might into the air, upward and forward.
He closed his eyes and raised his arms as if he were flying. The wind softly breezed at a downward angle onto his forehead, caressing the back of his neck and the tops of his ears. Oh, he was flying. The sensation of reaching the peak of his arc passed by, followed by the beginning of his descent. The wind changed as gravity altered his angle's steep. He opened his eyes to make sure he didn't plow face-first into the dust. He pulled himself into a ball and flipped forward to orient himself for a smooth landing. He leapt again and performed the same stunt. How many seconds is he in freefall? Five? Six? He wasn't sure. He landed once more to see that he had reached the end of the desert. He pushed to a stop and bounced forward a bit to catch some of his lingering momentum. The faintly blueish hue faded, as well as his boost of speed. He'd run across the dune sea in... what, five minutes? Now he was only about a mile from home. Oh, he felt so much better! He needed that. He really did.
He jogged around the block leading to the entrance to the massive front yard behind the fence, making his way toward the warehouse that constituted his living space. With a sun-bleached concrete face and nothing but a pair of cracked windows on the front of the half-cylinder, it wasn't much. But he was glad to have a place to stay. Because who else would take him in?
His legs were feeling a little sore. He hadn't exercised that much in a while. He was ready for a good night's sleep. Walking into the warehouse, he took his jacket off to hang it up on the rack. He plodded up the stairs and opened the door to him room. Shutting it behind him, he hopped and latched onto the ceiling, using gravity to stretch.
His head shook before: "Tch," he sneezed. He must have gotten some sand up his nose. It twitched for a moment, and he grimaced "...TCH!" he sneezed again, this time harder. He shook his head again.
He dropped and began to undress before laying down on his cot. He was asleep seconds later.
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. Psalm 68:5,6
