The new tales from Zootopia

by Vindictive456

This story is a well thought out work of fan-fiction that will cover in moderate pace how Judy came back to the force and convinced Nick to be her partner, Nick's training to become an officer and his days at the academy, a weird new case involving corrupt mammals and a new dangerous drug, all of that sprinkled with the growing love between Zootopia's favorite pair of officers.

11. Episode 11: Academy days ahead

Author's note: Hello everyone, things have been a little crazy around here, the entire family has been hogging the computer for work related obligations leaving me with too little of a time on a daily basis to work on my own projects. But never fear, the story is still going strong, the progress is slow but it is progress nontheless. Anyway, this chapter is long, and i do mean long, there was just so much about Nick taking on the academy that i wanted to put on the story and his new friends also get plenty of time to shine. I am hoping to get more of the story done on the following days and the next chapter is already on the works. On a side note: Your support has been phenomenal and i wish you all nothing more than the best, my days have been moving slow and i do hope you all are doing okay during the isolation. I have high hopes for the future, stay awesome and on with the story.

Episode 11: Academy days ahead

After a few days of getting up late to run drills, attend classes and have just a few seconds of personal time set-up for uneventful activities, Nick and his two colleagues managed to get better accustomed with the time spent at the academy. The three mammals conversed, practiced and studied together whenever they could and they developed a comprehensive system on the prospect of sharing responsibilities like doing laundry or helping to clean the room of trash or unused study material, after three weeks it looked like they were like a group of friends who had been sharing an apartment in the city together for quite a while solely based on the way they were getting along.

A big part of the reason why they were living so peacefully together was thanks to Nick who placed his ideas and opinions in the open when the time called for it, he was able to lighten the mood during undesirably tense situations amongst his friends and managed to suggest a flawless method to divide their living obligations equally, he decided to do that mostly because of the fact that Samuel's initial "Rock-Paper-Scissors" methodology was nothing short of a disastrous ploy that did little to either equally allow them to share responsibilities or prevent scenarios of fighting among them.

The days at the academy passed by with a routine that would be rather tedious for most mammals, for Nick, not so much. Every day he would wake up and get ready with his friends to start training, it was always a morning race to see which one of the three would wake up first to get to the bathroom, then they would throw themselves on the track and on a few calisthenic exercises before going out to lunch and proceeding to the classrooms, after their classes were done, the trio returned to their shared living space to get some personal affairs done before heading to bed. Samuel did a few sit-ups or push-ups to burn down his excess energy, Alfred placed himself over the bed and got lost in the pages of another book and Nick took the time to enter in contact with Judy and tell her about his daily progress.

Every day they were presented with some new challenge and a new chance to become better and more capable when it came time to dispense law enforcement at the streets of Zootopia. Just as Major Grover promised the cadets on the first day of the course, whenever he was charged with taking care of the recruit's training regiment, he always presented them with a question or task to make them think of clever ways to surpass their limits and act outside their comfort zones, always being followed around by his aardvark assistant, the dog in charge was increasingly satisfied with the progress of the mammals under his active and strict tutelage.

During a particularly sunny Tuesday morning, the major gave each recruit the time to train as they saw fit, Nick and his friends took the opportunity to strengthen themselves. Laying over the grass, the three mammals began doing sit-up with Samuel guiding the way, the deer was managing the effort without any issue as the other two tried to keep up wit him. They were positioned side by side with Nick being at the left, Samuel in the middle and Alfred on the right, as they raised and laid their bodies over the grass of the training field with repetitive motions, Samuel spoke up:

- C'mon you guys, try to keep up. I'm barely breaking a sweat over here.

Nick smiled to that but simply kept doing the exercise at his own pace, Alfred responded to that with an annoyed tone and gasping for some air:

- Shut up! This is harder than it looks!

After a couple of minutes locked in that same exercise, Nick heard the sound of a set of steps running towards them, he raised from the grass and saw Helen heading in their direction, waving her paw in the air to call their attention:

- Guys!

She shouted as she ran closer to them, Helen halted her dash after getting close to Nick and the others, she leaned forward placing her paws over her chest and taking deep breaths, she had raced from quite a long distance to get there and she was received by Nick who cumprimented her:

- Hey Helen. What took you so long?

The tiger took a long sniff of air through her nose before answering that:

- Sorry for my delay. I got hold up this morning, but I'm here now.

Her happy arrival was cut short after she heard the Major approaching and calling her name:

- Cadet Clawshmit!

He did not sound happy, then again, he rarely did. The dog in charge of that morning's training walked close to Helen who immediately placed herself with a straight posture of attention after hearing his voice coming from just a few steps behind her. Grover looked at her and spoke:

- So glad you could finally join us this fine morning. Want to share with the rest of the class what were you doing to make you so late for today's training? For what is already the fifth time this month?!

Helen was absolutely embarrassed at that moment, her paws came together and her fingers fidgeted on top of each other as she looked at the intimidating figure now placed in front of her and answered:

- Well… sir… I got hold up cleaning the chemical flasks and tubes from the science lab. Yesterday's demonstration took longer than anticipated and I volunteered to help clean it all up, my delay was because I had to take the proper precautions to not let any harmful substances spill around during the process.

The major's expression changed as he heard that explanation, it looked like he was trying to get a clear read on her tone of voice and bodily language to see if that was just an excuse, he called out to his assistant shortly after:

- Mr. Stevens!

- Y-yes, sir?

The aardvark came closer holding the clipboard tightly in his paws, the major proceeded to ask:

- Check the schedule for the science lab. See if her story checks out.

Stevens went ahead and flipped the papers placed on the small board, looking for the mentioned time slot. After finding what he was looking for, he spoke out:

- According to this, the demonstration of different chemical compounds that took place on lab 2-B, took quite a lot of time and resources yesterday, sir. And cadet Clawshmit's request to volunteer and assist with the organization and clean-up of the equipment is listed right here as well.

Nick's ears raised up after hearing that and he thought:

"Does he keep tabs on the entire academy with that thing?!"

Grover returned his eyes to Helen and gestured with his right paw, pointing her to go and join Nick and the other cadets on the morning drills:

- Your story checks out, but your fellow recruits got a massive head start on you so you better go get started and do take care to not be late next time!

- Yes sir! I'll be more attentive. I promise.

Helen went on to run for a few laps around a sand and dirt track, free of any obstacles that was set up for beginners, she was only seeking to develop stamina and endurance for the time being, Nick, Alfred and Samuel followed after her to get a little talk done while they finished their physical exercising for that morning. Alfred leaned closer and asked her:

- So… do you… volunteer to help at the cleaning of lab supplies often?

Nick gave a little chuckle after hearing that, he and Samuel were following close behind to give their wolf companion a small chance to talk with Helen. At that point it was no longer a secret that Alfred had a clear admiration for her and that he wished to become closer friends with her during his time in the academy, but that feeble attempt at flirting from his part was nothing short of humorous, luckily, Helen didn't manage to pick up on the flirty side of that question and simply answered while keeping her body on the move along the track:

- I try to keep myself busy with a few menial tasks during my free time. You guys have been giving your all these past weeks but, honestly, I think I have been spreading myself a bit thin. Most of my time is spent with organization charts and maintenance so I'm always way too tired or just late, I don't think I'll ever get enough done like that.

Helen was starting to slow her run down for a bit, the other diminished their speed as well to keep talking with her but Alfred didn't know how to continue the conversation past that. Nick decided to give it a try by extending an invitation for Helen:

- Samuel is going to help me get a few minutes of sparring in the training court inside the main gym. You two are welcome to join and get a few more training hours done if you want to.

Helen turned her head to project her voice to Nick and answer with enthusiasm:

- Wow! That would be great! Thanks a lot!

Nick turned his attention to Alfred to ask of him:

- What about you Alfred? Care to join in too?

The wolf was at a small impasse inside of his head, on one side, he was really looking forward to a calm afternoon since he had nothing schedule so he could get more studies out of the way; On the other side of things, it was a welcome chance to spend more time with Helen and the others. Alfred decided to go along with it, he calmly delivered his answer:

- Sure. I don't… have any major plans for today.

Helen smiled and picked up the pace on her run, Nick and Samuel were keeping up no problem but Alfred still had a few ways to go to develop his body's endurance. After getting their fill of physical exercise on the track, Nick and his two friends walked to the inside gym located at the left building to the main courtyard, a long and tall structure with a tall ceiling and that resembled a warehouse from the outside. From the inside, it sort of looked like the fighting gym where Nick practiced with Judy during his starter course with her, he could still feel some vestiges of the hits she inflicted over him and that made a little smile appear on his face. After the trio entered the indoors gymnasium, Alfred flipped a couple of switches located by the wall and the environment received better illumination.

The place was very well equipped with a variety of exercising equipment and it all appeared to be fairly used, dumbbells, tread mills, there was even a big fighting ring with some equipment for sparring and combat practicing placed over it. As the trio walked together to the interior of the gymnasium, they sat at a bench to wait for Helen who had agreed to meet them there after getting the requisition for gear meant for each of them in order. The white tiger came walking though the front door of the gym moments later carrying a bag on her left paw that had the ZPA stamp placed on its side, she proceeded to distribute the gear for Nick and Samuel, they actually needed the gear for them with special modifications for their sizes and features and Helen had volunteered to pick those up for them.

Right out of the gate, Nick had figured that Helen was a very helpful mammal, she had the very ins and outs of the academy, its rules, regulations and protocols memorized so it was easy for her to get over the equipment deposit at the main academy building and place the precise requirements for what they needed. After Nick and Samuel were geared up, they both thanked Helen and climbed on the ring to begin their training, the two mammals were outfitted with protective gears for their heads and fighting gloves. Helen decided to merely watch the training session for the time being and seated herself by Alfred's side over the bench.

As Nick walked a few steps to the center of the ring, Samuel halted him by asking:

- So, just remind me, why are we doing this again?

Nick prepped his gloves for the simulated scuffle and decided to explain himself:

- Back when I began my own training, I got around pretty good when it came to most of the practice and theory, but I am still struggling when it comes to self-defense. That is why I need this, so I can hone my battle instinct. Think you can help me out?

After hearing that Samuel was totally psyched to play a part in that lesson of improvement that Nick was willing to undertake for himself. The deer approached the fox over the fighting ring and said:

- If you really want to be a better fighter then I've already got just the ticket for it. Show me what you can do first.

Samuel walked forward and extended the palm of his right hoof, which being protected by the padded exterior of a boxing glove, towards Nick who was a bit confused with that at first. After locking his feet down over the ring mat, Samuel gestured to Nick as he spoke:

- Before we get on with this bit of training I have to see how big of a punch you pack. So, step forward, aim for the back my glove and let it rip!

Nick nodded his head to that and got into position, he placed his right foot forward, raised both of his paws to lock them as fists inside their gloves and aimed right for the center of his opponent's glove displayed right in front of him, Nick set-up his punch and shot it ahead with all of his strength resulting on a loud sound as a result of the impact. Samuel's hoof felt the intensity behind that hit as his shoulder tucked back and the loud 'Thwap!' of the two gloves colliding echoed around the gym, the deer showed off a satisfied smile, he launched a little laugh and spoke out:

- Not bad! You definitely got some power behind your punch, but you're need much more than that to get a leg up on an opponent. You need focus, control. Know when to throw the punch and when to back it up.

Samuel placed his body in a combat stance and told Nick to do the same, guiding the fox step by step:

- Let's take this into consideration: You're way smaller than me, but that only makes you a tougher target for me to hit, so tuck your shoulders backwards, put your paws up and let your body know just the right time when you need to dodge my attacks, don't dive recklessly into the fight, flow through it. Get ready!

Samuel started to step from side to side giving small skips that propelled his body back and forth before he launched a jab over Nick, the improvised blow was not meant to hurt the fox only make him more alert to the nature of the exercise, so it did not came for him at full speed. Nick dodged the jab by retracting his body and leaning it backwards to avoid the impact, he repeated this action as more hits were starting to fly his way, Nick bounced back and forth over the ring trying to find an opening that would give him an edge, after a full minute of searching he found it.

Nick ducked under a long left punch delivered by Samuel and hopped closer to get himself into a spot where his adversary's reach wouldn't make much of a difference, delivering a sudden touch to his torso, Nick extended his gloved right fist to the base of the deer's chest and retreated immediately after the soft blow connected back into his original fighting stance just a few steps further off. They kept doing similar moves like those for a few more minutes, after witnessing that Nick seemed well versed in the basics of combat, Samuel said:

- See? You've already got it down, but most bad guys will not fight fair, so you need to be ready for everything. Try to catch a different read on me as I change my tactics.

That is when Samuel decided to see if Nick's instincts were accurate when it came down to fighting someone unpredictable, he decided to throw Nick off his trail by demonstrating fake wind-ups for his attacks, throwing himself ahead and just as fast to the side to make him move into an unfavorable position, Samuel would deal a couple of fast hits before throwing a side of his own body back to make it look like he was going to throw a punch from one side when, in fact, he was doing so by attacking from a completely different angle. That new strategy confused Nick at first, he dodged to the left but Samuel bopped the side of his head by striking over a blind spot on the right, after successfully dishing out the hit, Samuel spoke:

- Look straight at your enemy and do your absolute best to not leave any blind spots during the fight, keep both of your arms focused on defending and attacking simultaneously, if you can figure out the way your opponent fights and get the best way to counter it, you will be all set.

The two of them continued like that for a few more minutes, Nick continued to improve his speed as Samuel's new fighting style became increasingly easier for the fox to get a read on, they were dishing out fast and solid hits and letting their minds seek even deeper into a setting of pure combat adding even more feeling to that training session, Meanwhile, on the outside of the ring, Alfred and Helen were just watching them with expectation to get more information about how to fight better, Alfred took a moment to scooch closer to Helen and ask:

- So… have you been able to get on the track yet?

Helen's ears twitched after hearing that, she turned her attention to the one sitting next to her and answered with a bashful tone of voice:

- Not yet. I'm still so scared to step on the obstacle course and embarrass myself, I haven't even tried to hop on the track. All of the obstacles seem so intimidating.

Alfred showed a little smile that looked a little forced, he was also unable to get past most of the barriers that were placed on that track, but he was still determined to surpass them all in order to become an officer of the ZPD. He gestured with his paw and spoke to that:

- I know what you mean. I'm still getting clobbered by the ice wall every time I try to get over it. Did Nick already tell you about the method he used to get up the wall.

Helen gestured her paws over her own head as she asked Alfred:

- That thing to "Envision the path up inside your head before starting to climb."?

- Yeah, that.

- I tried thinking about that, but I don't think I got that down just yet.

The two of them shared a little awkward laugh and turned their eyes back towards the ring in the center of the gym where Nick and Samuel were still occupied with their match, Helen decided to turn her eyes back to Alfred and ask him:

- You guys have been training very hard these last couple of days, aren't you getting tired?

Alfred answered her with confidence:

- A little, but I don't mind it too much. We have agreed on sharing the organization of every prospect when it comes to the training, Nick already showed us a few tricks on the track and Samuel was put in charge of self-defense.

Helen was rightfully impressed with the way the three friends were able to handle all of the things being required of them to continue improving themselves, she wanted to feel just as confident as Alfred seemed to be. Helen was placed in a room of the dormitory where she spent most of the time alone, her roommate was always off doing something else around the academy, either socializing or practicing someplace else on her own, so that didn't leave her with a lot of close support to get training going since they hardly talked with one another.

The white tiger passed her right paw along her left arm and spoke out in a shy tone of voice:

- I'm sorry I have always been coming to join you guys on the training field late, I keep getting side tracked with other things and keep loosing the notion of time. I don't want you guys to think that I am ignoring you or finding new excuses to skip out on what we agreed on a few weeks ago.

She looked to be frustrated by her inability to attend all of the tasks that she set for herself, Alfred gestured with his paws to ease her feelings:

- Hey, is no problem at all. It's easy to see that you're kind of overloaded with all of the things you're setting out to do, there is nothing wrong with taking it easy every once in a while. If you can't make the time to train with us then I don't mind.

- But I want to train with you guys. When you get together to get anything done you always look like you're having a good time.

As she said that, Helen got really close to Alfred, she leaned his way to make her point more convictive and that made his tail wag around over the bench uncontrollably. Nick couldn't help but hear the two of them talking outside the ring and spoke out:

- We are planning on setting a few hours of the day to get more studying done, we're going to start next week when the schedule gets a little more open for us all, you are welcome to join us if you feel like it.

Helen turned to Nick and answered him, projecting her voice ahead and making it echo around the gym for a while:

- I would like that. Don't worry. I promise to not be late for that.

Samuel took that chance as they exchanged words to get in close to Nick and deliver a jab to the side of his head, the blow wasn't very strong but Nick was a bit startled after feeling the impact of the hit, the fox retreated a couple of steps and asked with an infuriated volume to his voice:

- What the hell?! What was that for?!

Samuel answered soon enough:

- You lose your focus, you lose the fight. Keep your eyes on me and keep dodging.

Samuel was clearly taking that training lesson very seriously and it was clearly showing as he stepped back and forth over the ring keeping Nick on his toes even more than at the start of the match. After spending quite the deal of time in the ring, both mammals were tired, Samuel halted the lesson to get some water and Nick just walked out of the ring, removing his gloves before whipping the sweat that was running down on his forehead. After Nick was out of the ring, Samuel yelled out to Alfred and Helen:

- Alright, it's your turn to climb up here.

The mammals seated at the bench weren't really expecting that but they hesitantly agreed on participating during the exercise, after all, they could only learn so much by watching the simulated combat from a distance. Helen placed her gloves and her protective headgear and Alfred did the same, they approached the center of the ring and Samuel placed himself on the upper right corner to guide the two of them, Nick remained outside the ring to watch and get some rest while he was at it. After Helen and Alfred positioned themselves, she turned to Samuel in the corner and asked:

- What do we do now?

- Isn't it obvious? Punch each other.

Alfred was startled after hearing that, he pointed a glove to Helen and protested against that course of action:

- What?! I don't want to punch Helen!

Helen protested as well:

- I don't want to punch… anyone!

Samuel decided to give the two of them some incentive. The deer walked closer to give them the proper orientation by placing his hooves over each of them and guide each of their body parts into respective fighting stances. Samuel pushed Alfred making him walk a few steps closer to Helen, after the two were facing each other in acceptable proximity, he also took some time as he explained:

- If the two of you truly wish to be a part of the ZPD you're going to have to earn it by proving you can handle anything, including battle. So, suck it up and get it started because you won't be always able to talk your way out of every situation. Plus, I've heard you can discover a lot about a mammal by observing the way they fight, it's a chance to learn a whole lot more about each other.

Understanding the point he was making and getting that this was a necessary part of the experience, Alfred and Helen agreed to put on the effort and spar against one another. Helen was the one to go first, she tried to deal out a soft, slow moving blow at Alfred's torso, after seeing the speed her glove moved at him, the wolf didn't even bother to dodge it as he felt a subtle bump touching the base of his shoulder, that even made him laugh a little bit which only made Helen embarrassed. Seeking to coerce them into putting more effort into it, Nick shouted:

- Booooo! Lame!

Samuel added to that by shouting with enthusiasm:

- C'mon guys! This is a sparring match, not a tea party! Get to fighting!

Helen looked at her own paws and at Alfred soon after, she was a tad apprehensive about having to technically throw a well-produced punch against him, he didn't seem worried at the same level at her and granted the courtesy of letting her throw the first attack:

- Go right ahead.

- A… are you sure? I wouldn't want to hurt you.

- Of course I'm sure. I don't mind it. We're only practicing after all.

- Well… if you say so.

- I'll get ready, so Just take the time to…

*THUD!*

Before Alfred could finish his own line of thought, Helen placed herself in the position to throw a fast and devastating right hook against him. The harsh and sudden amount of pressure thrown against the side of his head was enough to catch him completely off guard and, in no time at all, Alfred was wobbling off balance, seeing stars and on the floor, having his mind completely shaken by what just happened to him. Helen gasped and was shocked with the fact that she could unintentionally muster the necessary strength to take him down just like that, she turned at Nick and Samuel to ask them both with worry, as the two other mammals had their faces plastered with utter astonishment after seeing that:

- Oh, my God! Did I kill him?!

Nick climbed on the ring and Samuel dashed forward to get a closer look on their fallen friend, the two of them hovered over the wolf's body and watched as he tried to regain the lost bits of his awareness. After opening his eyes, Alfred raised from the mat, sitting himself over it and looking around to get reacquainted with his surroundings, he rubbed the palm of his right paw over the spot on his head where the punch from Helen had hit him just in time to hear her voice speaking to him:

- I. Am. So sorry!

Sitting on the surface of the ring, Alfred looked at Helen and spoke up trying to reassure her:

- It's… alright. Just let me… Ouch.

Convinced that she had done some serious damage, Helen decided to apologize again:

- Please don't be mad at me. I swear, I had no idea I could punch that hard!

Samuel and Nick could not hold their laughter, as Alfred struggled to restore his balance and get back on his feet, Samuel congratulated Helen:

- Damn, Helen! You got yourself one hell of a right hook!

Nick complemented to that as he joked:

- Either that or our wolf here just has one hell of a glass jaw.

- Screw you guys!

Alfred yelled out as he raised from the floor earning him a few laughs as his friends helped to get him back on his feet. The rest of that training session was rather slow, but well spent, the four mammals enjoyed some refreshing cold drinks after giving their all in the gym and returning the gear that they had requested, Helen returned to her room to get some minor studying done for the day and the guys did the same. Samuel climbed on his bunk and began fiddling with his cellphone, Nick placed himself on the bottom bunk and opened the plastic container that still had a couple of the treats Judy had made for him and Alfred sat on his bed to toss himself into another book containing status and theories about crime scene analysis and interrogation.

The three of them were looking forward to some relaxation for the rest of the day so that they could get a whole lot more training done on the following morning. Nick delighted himself with the remainder of the mochi he was packing, he offered some of it to his comrades but Alfred merely answered he was not hungry and Samuel said that he didn't like strawberries, which Nick found an atrocious fact. After emptying out the plastic box of treats, Nick placed the lid back on it as he thought:

"Well… that was the last of it."

He grabbed his cellphone from his pocket and opened the messaging app so that he could contact Judy, just as he did every day. He sent her a message and waited for her reply:

Nick: Hey, carrots. How's it going?

Judy: Hey, Nick. I'm just heading out of the ZPD for the day. Not too much happening around here during these last few days except for a few traffic violations. What about you?

Nick: Just came back from a full day at the gym. Got a few rounds of sparring with a few of my new friends.

Judy: I'm glad to hear that you have been making allies at the academy. What are they like?

Nick took a little time to think of an answer for that question, he returned his eyes to the little screen in his paws and typed:

Nick: They're… interesting. A nerdy wolf named Alfred and a crazy buff deer named Samuel, they're my roommates and they are pretty chill. They are a little weird but fun to hang out with. They have been helping a lot.

Judy: Glad to hear it. At the very least you are in good company. Any remarkable events on your side?

Nick: A few jogs, a couple of climbs up the ice wall, some difficulty dealing with the rain forest, just a few things to keep us occupied during most of our time. Nothing particularly exciting. How about you?

Judy: Fru-Fru invited me to a fun hangout in the city. She brought little Judy with her and we had a blast. I'll send you a picture.

After a few seconds, an image materialized itself on the screen, a selfie of Judy placing her face right besides Fru-Fru, the two were smiling with great delight to the camera and seeing the face of the bunny like that made Nick smile as well. He sent a retort after taking enough time to study the picture:

Nick: You two look like you're having fun.

Judy: Maybe. I didn't have as much fun as it may seem. Fru-Fru dragged me around the central shopping district by the savanna with the intent of making me try every single article of clothing that she saw along the way. Good thing I convinced her to stop on the fourth store we visited or we might have spent an entire day on that.

Nick laughed for a bit after reading that, he launched a response after that:

Nick: Well, you had a busier week than I had. I finished those little sweets you prepared for me. Thanks again, BTW.

Judy: You're welcome. Hope you liked them, I might make a few to celebrate you graduating. :-)

Nick: *If* I graduate. Every day that goes we run more difficult drills and it makes the evaluations and classes look more intimidating. /:-(.

Judy: You got this Nick. I know you do.

Nick: I hope you're right carrots. I'm gonna turn it in for the day, talk to you later.

Judy: Sure. Until next time.

Nick turned the screen of his phone off and looked around the room, he found Albert staring blankly at a page of the book he had in his paws. Nick didn't think it was a big deal but he felt the need to call to his attention and ask:

- So… what's on your mind?

Alfred lowered the book to look at Nick and ask him with confusion:

- What? What do you mean?

Nick explained:

- I spent a few minutes sitting here and I haven't been hearing you turning the page on that book. Either you have something nagging at you or that one page in particular must be really interesting.

Alfred just closed the book and set it aside over his own mattress, before turning to Nick and answering:

- I'm not sure what to do. Every time she comes close to me I struggle to get the words out, it always feels like my mind is going into overdrive and overheating, like my chest is going to explode and, worst of it all, I can't control my tail. It's awful!

Nick smiled and shook his head slowly from side to side as he had already deduced the condition his canine friend found himself in:

- Sounds like you got it bad for her. You should just go for it and talk to her.

Alfred looked down to the floor and spoke without a lot of fervor in his tone of voice:

- I don't know about that. I just can't figure it out. I'm afraid to trip and mess it up.

Samuel jumped into the conversation speaking from his elevated position over the top bunk:

- Just like the obstacle course.

Alfred released an annoyed grunt after hearing that comment, he wanted to do nothing more than stay on that bed and wallow in self-pity for as long as he could, Nick knew that expression and that particular aura of negative energy and he wasn't going to let the wolf stay like that for much longer. The fox gestured with his paw in the air and spoke up:

- Samuel is sort of right, this is like facing down the obstacle course. If you keep on thinking like you can't do something that has a hold over your thoughts and continue being afraid you will never get the opportunity to experience what might happen when you succeed at it and with the decent occasions in your life.

Alfred took no time at all launching his protest against that trail of thought:

- The regulations clearly forbid the romantic involvement among students from the academy, plus she is just the coolest mammal around, while I'm no big deal at all and that is not to mention the most important fact of it all.

Samuel and Nick were left to wonder what that might be in silence. Already having his suspicions but wanting to make sure to hear it straight from the source, Nick asked:

- And… what would that be?

- She is a tiger, I am a wolf! We aren't even the same species.

Nick raised from the bed and walked around the room to have that conversation a little closer to Alfred, Samuel sat himself closer to the edge of his bunk to get a better look and a much detailed listen on the talking. As Nick approached the edge of the bed on the right side of the room, he asked:

- So what? You're not even going to try because of something like that?

Alfred looked right at him with surprise in his eyes, he didn't understand how Nick could take that matter so lightly, but, after the fox opened his mouth to talk once more, it was apparent that he was putting a lot of consideration into that subject. Nick explained with certainty:

- Helen actually seems like an excellent mammal to hang around and she genuinely cares about what we are trying to accomplish as a group. She might be a bit absent minded from time to time, but I really don't think that to be much of an issue. Since you two are grown mammals and if it turns out you two have strong feelings for each other, what does it matter if you are of different species?

Alfred's ears twitched from side to side as he heard every word Nick was saying and all of the good points being raised by him. The wolf had no counter argument to debate against that logic, he believed that his feelings might not be answered in the same way and that doubt still lingered in his head for a while. He turned to Nick to face him once more and ask:

- Do you really think I should just go for it? Don't you think she might find that to be… weird?

- There is nothing "weird" about it. Besides, I'm not saying to just go for it without a plan of action. Take your time, talk it out with her and then, if it looks like she wants to get any further with you, go for it. It's either that or risk having another guy swooping in on her before you do.

Alfred took a while to think on that, he turned his sight over to Nick once more to ask with a touch of worry in his voice:

- What if she laughs at me?

- Do you really think she is the kind of mammal who would do that?

Alfred returned to burry himself in thought, after taking some time to organize his own ideas, he turned his attention to Samuel as to make sure account of all of the opinions present inside the room:

- What do you think Samuel?

The deer looked at the two mammals placed beneath his seat, he turned his body and positioned himself by the edge of the top bunk before speaking:

- Dude, she is not my type, she is not my species and even I think she is hot as hell! Plus, she is really nice and has a really strong right hook. You should just do it.

Nick gestured his paw towards Samuel and emphasized his opinion to be made clear:

- See? Samuel also agrees with me. Just try to play it cool and act natural near her. Furthermore, she is going to be a regular part of our study group so it is best if you figure out how to act around her sooner rather than later.

Filled with a new degree of certainty by the talk with the other two mammals, Alfred decided to put himself into giving it a honest try for himself, he placed that top priority on his mind before burying himself back in his reading, this time with a more relaxed posture and better focus on the subject contained in the pages. Time seemed to fly by the academy, the recruits had their routine on lock after just a few weeks of training and it was good for them since the tasks ahead were only going to get more difficult.

---

It was a Tuesday afternoon at the academy grounds and the cadets were assigned gear maintenance courses for the day, the usual things like familiarizing themselves with the different types of gear that are employed when patrolling around the city's districts and learning how to fix small issues that may appear during the use of a specific type of tool from the police force. Helen managed to join her friends for their following gatherings just as she promised, she managed to diminish the weight of her usual obligations and they were having a lot of fun by figuring out the uses of the equipment and the advances that were made with utility and accessibility for all of the gear that would be used for law enforcing and rescue personal.

Samuel really got a kick from studying the material employed by S.W.A.T. teams during assignments, the riot shields and the protective vests really caught his eye and his curiosity, Alfred kept on analyzing the various tools of research and compiling on display, as for Helen, she was fascinated with the new attires that regulated body temperature for officers who frequently ventured back and forth between districts on a daily basis in order to prevent thermal shock. After an entire month of practicing and studying had passed and the four friends that started out as unlikely acquaintances were now more like a fully-fledged team.

After lunch, Nick, Samuel and Alfred, along with a sizable fraction of the cadets, were lead to one of the classroom where they were presented with a simple task, the cadets were split into groups and positioned by desks scattered in the room and they were to work to assemble a small model of tranquilizer gun that was to be used as the official side arm for the force, every group received a box of parts that were meant to combine into the aforementioned weapon and told to work on it. After the trio sat side by side, Samuel took one good look at all the pieces sprinkled over the table in front of them and was totally unsure if they even fit together at all, Nick wasn't having much luck on that either, after a few moments of inaction, Alfred was the first to take the initiative by grabbing the pieces and compiling them into different categories ordered by size. After he was done with his organization task he began to assemble the gun.

In a couple of minutes the wolf gathered all of the pieces with a methodical and suitable order, he started to outfit them all into a single item, flipping bolts, spinning the chamber into position and sliding the cartridge in its proper place. In no time at all, it was done, the gun was an impressive model of engineering and was neatly put together, ready for action. The weapon in itself had a nice dark green finish with a short air pressurized chamber to disperse darts at high velocity in addition with being equipped with a cartridge in its handle that could hold up to four medium sized projectiles to be fired in optimal succession. Nick was impressed with that, watching as his friend coupled small bolts and parts together with unmatched efficiency, after double-checking his work, Alfred put the tranquilizer gun over the table and simply said:

- Done.

The other mammals stared in awe as the wolf assembled the weapon with great ease, almost as if the object was little more than a humble toy. Nick picked up the item from the table and began to fondle his paws over it with extreme care as to certify that every bit was placed in its correct spot, he turned his attention to Alfred a little while after and spoke up:

- Amazing! Every part seems to be just right. Although, this thing is a little… heavier than I thought it would be.

Samuel came in close to request a closer look at the weapon, he held the item firmly in his right hoof and moved around for a bit in the air as he got a legitimate feel for it. He asked to his friends while admiring the item:

- Wow! Can you imagine when the time comes and we actually have to use one of these?

Helen was placed on a table just a little further ahead of them in the classroom, she decided to sneak a look in their direction leaving her roommate, an agile female cheetah named Sandra, in charge of figuring out the pieces of their own assignment. Helen turned around over her chair and looked over at the table right behind them where the trio of mammals were showing off that they had assembled the tranquilizer gun given to them in a minimal amount of time. She waved her paw to call their attention and ask:

- Hey guys. How are you doing with your task over there?

Nick pointed a claw at Alfred and spoke out:

- Alfred here put the whole thing together like a pro in no time at all!

Helen directed her eyes exclusively at the wolf, she asked:

- Really? That was fast! We're still trying to figure it out. You did it all on your own?

Alfred played it cool, he fiddled the fingers of his right paw over the upper frame of the table and talked with a degree of assurance in his voice:

- It was easy. I review plenty of… protocols and schematics every night after training. There are plenty of paragraphs about gear assembly and regulation on the ZPD manuals.

Helen listened to that and was marveled with Alfred's dedication, she also took a quick understanding to the fact of how he came to understand so much about the inner works of the academy in such a broad way with the little time he was given, apparently he was taken every bit of free time he could find for himself to learn and memorize something new that would be of use to him in most cases. Samuel was still holding the newly constructed item in his hoof as he showed it to Helen, he waved the pistol in the direction of the other two as he asked:

- Pretty neat, right? I cannot wait to have one of my own.

In doing so, Samuel caused Nick and Alfred, sitting right beside him, to retreat and place their paws in front of their bodies for protection, clearly afraid that the deer's hoof might slip and fire an unintentional shot at them. Samuel extended his paw and retrieved the tranquilizer gun before placing it over the table once more and warning his friend about the risks of its improper use:

- Be careful! There is enough tranquilizer inside one of these darts to put an elephant to sleep!

Samuel simply let the item be taken away, Alfred held it firmly in his right paw as he searched for a small switch near the trigger mechanism to lock it down:

- Let me just engage the safety.

As Alfred flipped the switch on the side of the weapon, only by doing so, a loud 'THWIP' sound was heard as a pressurized pocket of air was suddenly released from the gun's chamber and, as such, one of the darts was fired into the air with great velocity. That subtle but substantially audible noise, took the entire class by surprise, many of the mammals who were focused on their own assignments ducked down and flinched away out of instinct, but, it would appear that no one had been hit by the misfired projectile.

Upon following the perspective of the gun's aim after the shock caused by the sudden noise had ceased, it was discovered that the dart had hit an unsuspecting target. Samuel looked down to find a small metallic dart with a set of green feathery strains at its base to be sticking right out of his chest, everyone looked at the deer as he realized the situation he found himself in, brandishing a few words that came out very slowly and aggravated as he was falling down to the ground:

- What… theeeee… Heeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllll…

Samuel fell down stiff as a board with his back against the floor as the substance in the dart penetrated his blood stream and quickly took effect, Nick could not believe what just happened, he let his jaw hanging as he watched the deer go down while Alfred was throwing himself into a panic for the fact that he had just shot someone. The wolf kneeled on the floor to get closer to his unconscious friend, Helen raised from her chair as well to dash in their direction and see if she could help with anything, as for the rest of the class, half of the mammals raised from their chairs to watch the scene from up close.

Major Grover was close by and heard all of the commotion, Stevens followed the commanding officer as he made into the classroom and asked with a loud howl:

- WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!

The cadets opened way for the dog and his assistant to pass and catch a glimpse of the scene that called all that attention, the body of the deer resting on the floor as a wolf and a fox struggled to get him to wake up. The dart that was on Samuel's chest had already been removed and was placed nearby, the major came a little closer and asked:

- Did this cadet just get tranquilized?! Who is responsible for this?!

Alfred assumed responsibility for what had just transpired, he looked straight at the dog's judging eyes and began to explain what had occurred:

- Sir, it was an accident, I swear! I tried to engage the safety on the tranquilizer as per protocol but the gun fired a dart out of nowhere! I am really sorry.

Grover walked closer to Alfred and tried to reassure him by saying:

- Calm down, cadet! You probably just forgot to flush out the air in the chamber before flipping the safety on, it happens. Besides, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Cadet Balckner here is just sleeping, he will wake up in a few…

Before the major could finish his line of thought, Samuel's body rose from the ground, lifting the entire upper half of his bulk and sitting straight almost as if he was a creature suddenly raising from a coffin in an old horror movie. That surprised everyone who was positioned around Samuel, the major gasped and retreated abruptly almost causing Stevens, who was standing right behind him, to drop his clipboard. Nick came a bit closer to see if his friend was okay, having a bit of concern for what was clearly an abrupt awakening by Samuel's part, Nick pointed a claw at him and directed a question at the major:

- Is… that supposed to happen?

Just as confused as the fox, Major Grover answered:

- Hell if I know! A single dart has enough juice in it to take down a large mammal for several minutes, I have never seen anyone get up right after just being shot.

Helen was the one mammal with the most curious mindset directed at that situation, she was set to look for an explanation as she located the dart that had been fired at Samuel and began to study it by attempting to read the minuscular letters stamped on the side label of its casing. Nick rapidly waved the palm of his paw in front of Samuel's face to look for a response but the deer's eyes didn't even deviated off, he appeared to be placed in some sort of mind freeze, he didn't even blinked for the longest time after he woke up. Alfred decided to call his name to check if he could get a response from him:

- Samuel? Are you… feeling okay?

The deer looked in the general direction of the wolf and delivered an answer spouting words with tumbling tongue, a slow paced deliverance and a swaying volume that didn't want to remain in a single setting:

- Oh! Hey there… Alfred. I'm feeling… great. Just great! What about you?

Not sure how to take that, Alfred decided to answer to that with a hesitant tone of voice:

- I'm good. You… seem to be doing alright, considering I just shot you.

- You… shot me?! No way. When did that happen?!

No one could make sense of what was going on, Nick was the first one to inquire:

- This is so fucking weird! What is happening to him?

Helen raised her paw and showed the hollowed dart held between two of her fingers to Nick:

- I think I have an answer to that. The tranquilizer in the dart that hit him expired two months ago, according to the information on the label. It has lost most of its potency so it wasn't enough to put Samuel asleep for too long, but I think there is still plenty of it left in his system to induce the loss of some bodily and cognitive functions for a short period of time.

Samuel was demonstrating that as he oved his paws in the air and spoke:

- Guys! Is the room spinning? Because that is kind of freaky! Can someone make the room stop spinning?!

Nick looked at Helen and asked with a little side smile on his muzzle:

- So… you're saying that Samuel here is…

Helen completed that thought in a humorous way:

- "High as a kite". Yup.

Major Grover placed the palm of his paw in front of his eyes and ordered that Samuel was taken care of before his condition became a much larger issue:

- Oh, good God. Can someone get him to the infirmary before this gets out of control?

Nick and Helen decided to help get Samuel off the floor and guide him to the academy infirmary, after Samuel raised from the ground he wobbled around for a few seconds before he started to walk out of the classroom, being supported by Helen on his left and Alfred on his right with Nick leading the group as they awkwardly made their way across the academy grounds, the four of them walked together leaving a room full of mammals with different expressions behind. Samuel, still dazed by the tranquilizer, looked around until his eyes stopped over Helen and he asked of her:

- Helen, where are your… ears?

She found that question really strange, but she answered it anyway:

- They're on my head Samuel.

- Oh, that's nice.

After a little while of walking, Samuel returned to ask:

- What about my ears? Where are my ears? Has anyone seen my ears?

Nick was just a few steps ahead of them and he released hearty laugh after hearing that, he turned around to face the three mammals awkwardly moving behind him and said:

- We better get him to the infirmary quick before he complains about the ground swallowing him whole.

Alfred felt really bad about Samuel's condition because of his blunder with the tranquilizer gun, he placed his own body in a way that would better support Samuel as they moved and decided to apologize right there:

- Samuel, I am really sorry for doing this to you. I had no idea that there was already compressed air inside the pistol's chamber.

Samuel only caught about half of that apology, in his dazed mindset he just let those words get lost in the wind as he gestured with a hoof over Alfred and said something completely unrelated to the current state of affairs:

- You… got a piece of food stuck in your teeth. Someone had to say it.

Helen giggled at that and they continued on their way to the infirmary. Following the end of the afternoon drills, the cadets returned to their dorms, it took quite a few hours for Samuel to have the tranquilizer run its course through his system, he was feeling more alert but it looked like he was still moving a little sluggish. After returning to their room at the end of the day, the deer didn't exchange any words with the wolf, Nick just remained sitting on his own bunk and being increasingly unnerved about the silent atmosphere taking its hold within the room, that was when Alfred decided to speak:

- Samuel, I am so sorry for what I did to you. I cannot believe I forgot to check if there was already air inside the gun's chamber. That was such a rookie mistake.

Samuel was sitting on the top bunk as per usual and his ears twitched to the side as he heard the wolf's apology, he turned to Alfred and spoke with a calm tone to his voice:

- You don't need to apologize dude, I feel fine. On a related topic, I got to ask: I didn't say anything too weird while I was tripping out, did I?

Nick smiled and answered to his question from the bottom bunk:

- No, although I'm pretty sure you thought Helen's ears had melted away.

Samuel rubbed the top of his forehead as he recalled that particular bit of his previous condition, he looked to the ceiling as he said:

- Oh, I think I remember that part. That was freaky!

Nick smiled and closed the notebook he had with him as he finished reviewing the safety protocols that the major had instructed them to study. Nick decided to look for something else to do while he waited for the time to go to sleep, he grabbed his duffle bag and searched for something that would distract him for an extended period of time, after reaching his paw deep into the bag he felt the frame of a familiar plastic item, he pulled out a deck of cards being firmly held together by a rubber band. After retrieving his lucky deck, Nick began to shuffle the cards aimlessly, the process began with simple motions, Nick would separate the deck in two and then smoosh the cards into a new formation one time after the other, however, in no time at all his shuffling act became more elaborate.

He began to fluently move the cards around his fingers with incredible coordination, they spun and flipped around like they were one single object as well as a mere extension of Nick's body, the entire technique looked rehearsed as the fox quickly passed his eyes over a few of the cards that danced in his paws. After stopping his wrists and placing the deck down, Nick grabbed the one card that was placed at the top of the stack and spoke in his mind:

"Seven of spades."

Sure enough, as he turned the card around, it was exactly the one he though about, demonstrating to himself that he still had mastery over the game and of the cards. Nick pumped his fist in the air and placed the card back to reshuffle the deck and try again, just as his paws were getting into the groove once more, Alfred's voice came to him with a question:

- Is that a card deck?

Nick was a bit startled by that and he let one of the cards fall down on the ground, as he was stretching his arm to reach for it he heard Samuel's voice joining in:

- Cards?! Where?!

Nick retrieved the misplaced card on the floor to add it to the stack once more and turned around to answer to the two of them:

- Yeah, it's my lucky deck of cards, full fifty-two. You guys play?

Samuel hopped down from the top bunk to look at Nick and answer with enthusiasm:

- Only at every chance I get! Deal me in!

Samuel came closer to sit at Nick's bottom bunk and get into a comfortable position to play, unfortunately, as soon as he lowered his head to sit down, Samuel's antlers hit the frame of the bunk above him releasing a loud knock, the deer retreated in pain placing his hooves on the bases of his antlers and sounding out a sharp inhale with his mouth due to the unexpected impact. Nick gritted his teeth as he watched that and everyone in the room heard it loud and clear as Samuel whispered with a tone remarkably close to a shout:

- OUCH! DAMN IT! This is why I picked the top bunk!

He grabbed a seat, this time making sure to not hit the adornments on top of his head on the bed again, but it was still apparent that it was still stinging. Nick asked while doing his best to hold off a laugh:

- Are you alright?

- Yes. Just… give me a sec.

Nick started to shuffle the cards as he waited for Samuel to become better prepared, the fox grabbed the deck in one paw and extended a finger to point at Samuel's antlers and ask of him:

- Have you ever thought about… trimming those down.

Samuel directed his eyes filled with dismay at Nick and answered:

- No way! It took an eternity for these to grow, I am not "trimming" them down. Plus, that would put one serious hamper on the ladies factor. The first thing they check for is the top of the head.

Nick chuckled and started to deal out the cards in Samuel's direction, he turned over to Alfred, still sitting on his own bed, watching that scene unveil, and gestured with the rest of the deck inviting him to join them:

- What about you Alfred? Care to play one paw?

Alfred pointed to the deck and was immediately concerned about what his companions were doing, he started to speak:

- Are you guys nuts? The rules of the academy clearly say that any gambling activity within academy grounds is punishable by detention and/or suspension! I already got us in trouble today by misuse of academy gear and you guys want to get us into even more trouble?!

Nick shook his head and decided to drop his opinion over Alfred's worries. The fox gestured with his paws as he shuffled the remainder cards in his possession with unmatched style and spoke up:

- First of: It can only be technically considered as "gambling" if we bet real money on it. Second: You need to learn how to relax more. We are just a bunch of guys enjoying a game, no one can reprimand us for that. Just loosen up and come join us.

Alfred's eyes moved around as he laid his options in perspective, not wanting to step over the others' fun, he decided to close the book he had in his paws and join them. The wolf raised from the bed and sat on the floor close to the bunk-bed, he pointed at the fox with the cards in his grip and a smug smile and his muzzle before saying:

- Fine, I will join in, but only to show you two how bad of an idea this is.

Nick delivered a share of the cards to Alfred and delivered a retort to him:

- I can live with that.

Nick set his own paw full of cards and explained the terms of the game:

- The game is claw-seven poker. We play our paws and the one left with seven cards or more in his possession loses. Since we're playing in alphabetical order, you get things started Alfred.

The trio spent a great deal of time playing and talking, Nick took the time to study how they played their own paws and took risks during every round, surprisingly, Alfred was the one to take more risks during some of the later rounds. The wolf quickly picked up on Nick's stratagems after a single win and was well aware of how Nick was setting the cards up so that his adversaries would reveal their own cards without realizing it. Samuel wasn't too worried about winning, only having a good time, he played recklessly in the hopes of merely striking luck as the cards were placed one after the other. By the time they went to sleep the final score of their game was as such: Nick- 7, Alfred- 5 and Samuel- 2.

They had plenty of fun before it was time to turn the lights off and go to sleep, however, that night wasn't very peaceful for Nick. During his sleep, he started having an intriguing dream, it was very different in the sense that he felt a deep sense of desolation as he moved through it. In this particular dream, Nick was walking through the streets of Zootopia just like he had done on many other times, he had his usual hustling attire and felt ready and confident to work through the day, but he had a sinking felling inside his chest, the feeling that something very important was missing. A few steps on his way revealed that there was, in fact, something amiss in that scenario, his steps felt heavy almost like he was sinking into the sidewalk and there appeared to be no other mammal around other than him, Zootopia was resembling something closer to a ghost town. After walking a few more steps he turned a corner and found a familiar image, the sight of a bunny dressed in a blue uniform and writing down tickets with her note pad held firmly in her paws, Judy, she was there. He walked with a faster pace to get closer to her and cumpriment her properly.

It took some time to get near her, his steps were slow and methodical, something was holding him back, but he finally got just close enough to say hello, or so he thought. Nick opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out, he kept trying to speak until the bunny turned around and saw him, looming large over her like a wild predator stalking its prey, her eyes glimmered, her ears dropped, her nose twitched and she decided to just walk away like she didn't even know him. Nick continued to call out to her but there was still no voice coming from his throat as she just disappeared into the distance without giving him a second thought, after she was gone for good, only then his voice came out to call her:

"JUDY!"

Nick woke up with a jump and found himself back at his bunk at the academy, relieved that what he just experienced was nothing more than a dream, he placed the palm of his paw over his eyes to give them a little rub as a thought crossed his mind:

"That was messed up!"

Suddenly, a light came at his face making his eyes hurt with the unexpected hit of illumination, Nick squinted his eyes and placed his paw between his face and the source of the light to try and better identify it. After a few seconds he saw Samuel's eyes popping from the bunk above his and holding a cellphone in his right hoof to provide some light, the deer saw the image of the fox, now awake and spoke up:

- You were mumbling something in your sleep.

Nick saw as his friend directed the light of the small screen away from his face before asking:

- Was I?

- Yes. I couldn't make out what you were saying, but it sounded important. Bad dream?

Nick adjusted his pillow before placing his head on top of it once more and answering with a vague affirmation:

- Something like that.

Samuel saw as Nick laid completely and covered most of his body with the sheet near him, the deer decided to live him be and just go back to sleep. After getting the confirmation that his friend had let him be, Nick grabbed his phone and quickly turned the screen on before he scrolled around to find the picture Judy had sent him, the one she had taken alongside Fru-Fru and was showing off her smile. Nick smiled and placed the cellphone away after calming his mind down, he returned to sleep as he repeated in his mind:

"I will graduate and I will be her partner."

---

Sunday morning at the academy, most recruits chose that day to be off somewhere, go into the town nearby to get into a restaurant or maybe go to the movie theater or even just hang out in some place where they could unwind for a day. Even so, a few mammals decided to stay by the academy grounds and get some more work done, four among them who were just taking it all by the training course.

- Guys, are you sure about this?

Helen was staying by the very beginning of the tundra track, being faced and intimidated by the imposing ice wall, she was awkwardly standing and looking at the three mammals seated away from the track. Nick, Alfred and Samuel were close by trying to motivate her into taking the first go into the training course for herself. The trio decided to give her some incentive to get going already, Nick spoke first:

- We had a deal Helen, if you want to get your turn leading our next study session for the day you will have to pull your own weight on the track. Each of us already had our own turns so now it's your time to shine. So just get going already, there is no reason to be afraid.

- I'm not afraid! I'm just… mentally preparing myself.

Nick could see right through her excuses, she had been "mentally preparing" for five minutes or so, Samuel was already getting impatient about all of that wait so he employed a flawless way to get her to move, he bumped the palm of his hoof against Alfred's back and said:

- Alfred, go talk to her.

- Excuse me?!

The wolf was very unsure of what to do after hearing that command, Samuel took some time to explain it with simplify terms:

- She is your love interest, get over there and talk with her so she can get going.

Samuel's attitude was not appreciated, Alfred responded to him by speaking in an infuriated tone of voice being projected outward between his teeth pressing together:

- She is not my love interest!

Nick calmed the two of them down and spoke with Alfred:

- If you go and talk to her you might get her mind in the right set to brave the track. Unless you would want to see her struggle like that for the rest of the day.

The wolf thought about that for a little while, it was a little hard for him seeing Helen paralyzed with uncertainty right in front of him like that, he decided to give it a shot and go talk to her, Nick and Samuel remained on the outskirts of the track just watching. Alfred entered the perimeter of the track and got closer to her and before asking:

- Hey, are you okay?

After getting her attention, Alfred heard as she answered to his question with shaken confidence in her voice:

- Yes.

Only to seconds later hear her change her answer:

- No…

Helen dropped her posture in defeat, having struggled to go a single step forward she was already thinking about admitting her failure, Alfred understood what she might be feeling and wanted to cheer her up. He poked her shoulder and inquired:

- Tell me what is wrong.

Helen looked away from him and said timidly:

- You promise you won't laugh?

- I promise. You can tell me.

Helen drew in a deep breath and answered:

- When I saw the track for the first time I was very intimidated by it, I saw the first group of mammals who volunteered to test it out dropping to the ground like swatted flies, one after the other. That got me thinking how much I may be out of my depth.

Alfred looked around as she gestured her paw pointing at the training course in its entirety, the wolf planted his foot down and launched a retort at her that made it sound like he was deeply annoyed with her attitude, but he also lighten up the mood by making a witty comment at the end:

- That is the highest level of nonsense I have ever heard and that is coming from someone who has to deal with those two over there.

Nick yelled out after hearing that:

- Hey! That's harsh.

Samuel complemented that idea:

- Also accurate.

Alfred turned back to Helen so that he could convey his opinions more clearly, he gestured with both of his paws pointing to the obstacle course and spoke up:

- When you stand here you don't need to focus on what you see or what you think it might happen, you need to focus on what you feel. What are you feeling right now?

Helen placed the palm of her right paw over her chest and answered:

- Like my heart is going to jump out of my throat.

Alfred walked a couple of steps to position himself right in front of her and say:

- Normally I would say that you should take a minute to calm down, but Nick already told me that is horrible advice.

Helen directed her eyes right at Alfred trying to understand what he was saying, he continued shortly:

- When Nick convinced me to get my turn on the training track for the first time I was beyond anxious, afraid that I was going to embarrass myself, but it all came down to that same feeling you are experiencing right now. That strong beat inside of you, that is your wild side trying to get free, but if you keep suppressing it during the times you really need to let lose then you will never get the chance to learn more about it.

Alfred walked so that he could position his body right besides Helen and point at the wall so that he could better illustrate his line of thought:

- After you get the path you need to take engraved in your mind let yourself be guided by that feeling inside you, that is what will get you up the wall.

Helen nodded her head and returned her body into a position that would facilitate her movement, she decided to quit stalling and get started with her run, Alfred gave her the space she needed to prepare. Helen breathed with a slow rhythm and the beating of her heart intensified, only now, she was more in control of the moment, she felt that unusual surge of energy taking a hold of her limbs and propelling her to move forward. The white tiger dashed in the direction of the wall after having the path she considered the safest option over it inside her mind, she tossed her body over the moat filled with freezing water and grappled to the wall releasing a loud grunt after making contact with the icy surface.

Nick and the others were astonished by the level of initiative that she took, but her task wasn't complete, Helen took the time to slowly climb up the wall but her body was starting to lose momentum, the machines spewing synthetic snow on the side of the field were bombarding her sides with cold air and her claws weren't getting enough hold over the ice making her slid down for half a second. That little scare made her halt her movement but she still had a good portion of a way to go, she heard Alfred's voice calling to her and telling her to keep it up:

- C'mon Helen, you are almost there! Dig deep! You got this!

Helen directed her eyes to the top of the wall and repeated those words to herself as she reached her right paw up with the full intent to climb straight to the top:

- Dig deep! Dig deep! I got this!

Before she could realize how tired she actually was from putting her body through so much unanticipated effort, Helen reached the top of the wall and she stood strong atop the icy monument. She sat down and caught a sight of the entire track from her elevated position, her eyes moved all around before she heard the cheers of the others:

- You did it Helen! Great job!

After her heart calm down, it dawned on her that she had achieved her goal:

- I did it! I am on top of the… Whoops!

As she raised her arms in celebration, Helen's rushed motion caused her to slip up as her back carried a lot of the force of her gesture and caused her to lose a great deal of balance, she tried placing her paws down and hanging on to something so that she wouldn't fall and get hurt, she managed to bend down and clamp the claws of her left paw on one side of the wall but the weight of her body leaned too much to the side and she began to slide down on the opposite side of the barrier, yelling out as she descended with uncontrollable speed:

- WHOA!

Helen's sudden drop backwards filled the others with worry, Alfred was the first one to notice her fall and was the first to respond to it as he raced towards the wall to check on her by the other side, Helen had slid down over the side of the wall where there was no moat of icy water so she was in no danger of frostbite, but it looked like she was in quite a deal of pain. Alfred came close and extended his paw to help her up:

- Helen, are you alright?

She raised from the ground and spoke up:

- Alright? I am BEYOND alright! Did you see me? I climbed the ice wall! That was amazing!

Alfred gave a little chuckle and said:

- I knew you could do it.

Helen passed the palms of her paws over her bottom and sounded a little moan of discomfort, she rotated her body around to get a good feel for it and see if she had some serious injury developed from her fall. She turned her back towards Alfred and he asked her:

- Are you hurt?

- I think I twisted the base of my tail on the way down. Does it look okay?

Helen's long tail swayed fluidly from side to side compelling Alfred's eyes to follow its movement until its base with a hypnotized glare, he forcibly pulled the answer she was seeking out of his throat and spoke up:

- It… looks… great. It… *ahem*… looks great!

Helen gave short bounces in the air while keeping to the same spot showing that she was excited but she stopped shortly after realizing that her body was still a tad bruised in a few places due to the fall. She walked away from the ice wall and gestured to Alfred to follow her, he walked near her so they could exit the track and they found Samuel and Nick on the way as they awaited for the two of them to come back, Nick extended his paw in the direction of Helen and asked of her:

- So… how was it?

The tiger gestured pumping her right fist into the air and answered him:

- Exhilarating! I made it up the wall! I wasn't sure I could do it, but I felt this… thing inside my heart and I just let it guide me to the top. What a rush! I haven't felt like this in ages!

Helen laughed after saying that, she was so joyous for finally taking the chance to traverse through the track even if it was just by a single obstacle, she felt like she could take the whole world, but that feeling was slowly subsiding. Nick came close to her and asked:

- I guess that means you will be in charge of our studying session today.

Helen nodded her head to Nick, she already had a more tranquil session of studies in mind for everyone else as her plan for that afternoon, since most of the class was away from the academy doing something relaxing, the library was free of any mammals so they could do as much studying as they could together without interruptions. Fair enough, that wasn't how Nick and Samuel wished to spend that day but they had agreed to let Helen take the lead if she actually got past the stretch of the course chosen by her. Helen had to return to her room to pick up a few materials she might need to take notes, she told that she would meet the guys at the library shortly after returning, Nick, Samuel and Alfred walked on their way but Nick halted midway to the library as something very important struck him:

- Oh, wait! I forgot to pick up our washed uniforms at the laundry mat. Today was my turn to do it.

Nick dashed in the direction of the room where the always serviceable washing machines laid in line to wash all of the dirty garments of the academy cadets, he assured he would meet the others as soon as he returned. Unbeknownst to him, however, major Grover's eyes were inspecting him from afar, the dog turned to his aardvark assistant, still following him around, and asked of him:

- Mr. Stevens.

- Yes, sir?

- Have a quick assessment of a few of the cadets for me.

- Which ones, sir?

- Give me a quick sit rep on cadets Lupus, Balcknert and Clawshmit.

Just as the dog in charged asked, Stevens pulled out from his back pocket a small device with a touchscreen, he turned the screen on a searched for the correct folders in the memory referring to the names mentioned by the major, he soon compared the information in the screen with the papers placed on the clipboard that he always carried with him before delivering a concrete answer:

- According to this data, those cadets have been getting exponentially better results during studies and exercises as a group, their scores on evaluations during the two months they have been here has been kept with great average and no signs of lacking in any subject.

Grover released a loud sigh and complained to the nerdy aardvark:

- I said a "quick" sit rep Stevens! Emphasis on Quick!

Stevens recoiled for a short while before delivering a resumed retort:

- According to this, they are all improving. It is slow, but they are improving.

- That is all I wanted to hear. It might be because of our resident fox has been quite the team player as of late.

Stevens returned to look for something specific on his clipboard before delivering the hard data on that new subject:

- According to this, cadet Wilde's prospects have been keeping on a steady rise since he arrived here. If not for some of his antics on the training grounds, he might have the best average recorded on the academy track.

Grover released another sigh as he recalled what his assistant meant by the word "antics", he turned around as he reminisced about a recent stunt pulled by Nick during a training routine by the tundra track:

- Ah, yes. His Jokey nature really gets on my nerves sometimes.

- Sir… you are not still mad at him for the snow ball fight, are you?

Grover turned to Stevens with an angry scowl on his face and launched a retort:

- It is a matter of principle, Mr. Stevens. Cadet Wilde assaulted me in the face with an unauthorized sphere of compacted crystallized water. In addition to that, I am fairly certain a good portion of it went up my nose and you know how sensitive to the cold my nose is.

Stevens recoiled his body back once more after being faced with the major's unquestionable tone of voice and promptly agreed with his previous statement:

- Y-yes sir. I understand, sir.

Major Grover went on his way and signaled with his right paw so that Stevens would follow close, they still had a lot of paperwork to be done. Nick was already passing by the front desk of the academy with an enormous bundle of washed clothes being balanced in his arms when he heard a voice calling out to him:

- Hi, Nick.

- Hey Saby. What's shaking?

- Not much. Didn't you came to get the clothes last time? I thought you and the guys had a "special system" to handle the chores.

Nick looked to the side and found the image of the lynx by the front desk, leaning over the wooden frame to get a better look at him, the fox smooshed the bundle of folded clothes closer together to get a more sustainable hold over it before answering her:

- Samuel and I played rock-paper-scissors to see who would get the turn this time, he picked rock, I chose scissors.

Nicole giggled and decided to ask of Nick while he was already there:

- Heard quite the buzz about you since you came by the academy, you haven't been causing any trouble while you're here, have you?

- Trouble?! Me? No way. Why would you even ask such a thing?

The lynx looked into the air as she recalled something that was said about Nick:

- Rumor has been going around about a… "snow ball fight", most of it seem to be directed at you.

Nick walked a few steps on his way before delivering a decisive answer to that:

- Baseless slander and accusations. That was totally not my fault, Samuel was the one who started by insulting my snow traversing skills.

Nicole showed a little smile as she witnessed Nick making his way back to the main building of the academy, she wondered how the fox managed to balance all of the obligations that were being required for him to live alongside other mammals. Nick merely kept walking on his way util a familiar voice being projected out from right around the corner called to his attention, his left ear twitched to the side as he heard:

- I have already told you this Duncan, my answer is 'No' and that is final.

Nick peeked around the corner and found Helen, she was holding a couple of books and notepads in a tight hug while being stopped in her tracks by the imposing figure of a huge brown bear who continued to nag at her to help him with something. Their conversation continued without either of them realizing that Nick was listening close by, the bear pleated with her:

- C'mon Helen, all I am asking is a tiny bit of help with the upcoming evaluations, have you seen the questionnaires that they have been throwing at us? They are brutal! What's the harm of offering me some assistance?

The bear came closer to her face and Helen turned her head away from him with an expression that looked like something close to disgust, she launched her answer a few seconds after:

- I am very much aware of the type of "assistance" you wish to have from me Duncan, I saw you copying the answers from my paper during the last exam. You are lucky I didn't report you to the classroom surveyor at the time or you would've been in serious trouble. Now you keep coming at me and asking that I willingly help you cheat and I keep giving you the same answer.

The bear raised his paw and tried defending his questionable standing on the matter:

- It is true that I fished a few pointers from you, but I also tried to sweeten the deal by offering you to join me and the others in our study group. We would be getting so much stuff done with you in our team.

- Your "team" consists basically of you and your crew of goons taking the easy way while others do the job for you, Sandra already told me all about it.

The bear shrugged that off like it was nothing and continued to try and coerce his point over her:

- And you believed that?! Listen, how about I sweeten the deal even more? If you join up and help me get a great score on the following academy exams I will help you out with the obstacle course, no problem at all. You did came to me for help when training started just a month ago.

Helen turned around and placed her final reply to him:

- That was then, now I have a study group that has been helping me quite a lot. If you really wish to get a good score by the end of the track, then I suggest you try studying for yourself.

Helen walked away and left the bear behind with an enraged look on his face, Nick already knew the type of mammal that guy was, he dealt with those on plenty of occasions out in the city. Helen walked a few more steps before meeting eyes with Nick, she released a little gasp before asking of him:

- Hi. How… much of that did you hear?

Nick adjusted the cargo being held in his arms and delivered his answer:

- Just enough to get the gist of the moment. Who was that tool?

Helen released a sigh and began to walk slowly in the general direction of the library, Nick followed closely, matching his pacing with hers so that he could hear her explanation:

- That was Duncan, he was chosen from a studies program just like me, except he was chosen for his athletic skills rather than overall test scores. He is a big meat head who is used to get whatever he wants in life. He's been like this ever since we were little.

Nick nodded his head showing that he understood Helen's frustrated tone directed at the bear, he looked in Helen's direction and spoke in agreement to her:

- I get it. I have met dozens of mammals like that, they think that only because of their size and status they can acquire what they want and walk over everyone else. Mammals like that guy deserve either a slap to the face or a kick in the nuts.

Helen smiled after hearing Nick's stand on that, she walked closer to him as he decided to ask of her:

- So… which one were you going to resort to before walking out on him?

She didn't have to think for too long before delivering him an answer:

- The second one.

Nick released a single loud laughter into the air as he turned to Helen once again to say:

- You're quite the spitfire Helen. That Duncan guy may not be too smart to do things on his own, but he is definitely smart to want you on his team.

Helen gave a little awkward smile to that, she knew that she was capable of doing great things and she was very much determined to prove herself as a great police officer that is why she was very satisfied with having a group of mammals that could assist her in discovering the true reach of herself in such a way. After Nick went to store the pile of clothes back in his room, he accompanied Helen to the library where they found Alfred and Samuel both seated on chairs placed close to a long wooden table and waiting for them to arrive. Helen was quick to search through the bookshelves and retrieve a huge stack of books, she distributed every book on the stack she had with her amongst herself and the others so that they could study the contents in its pages.

They placed themselves at different sights of the table and opened their books to begin researching, Alfred and Helen sat in one side of the table while Nick and Samuel sat on the other, As the mammals began to study together, Samuel released a long sigh, he then proceeded to clop his feet on the floor, the repetitive sound gave Alfred, sitting right across from him, a nervous twitch. The wolf lowered the book he was holding to look right at Samuel and ask of him:

- Could you stop that? It's hard for me to concentrate.

Samuel looked at Alfred, the deer closed the book he had with him and leaned his back hard on the chair he was sitting upon, it was very clear to see that Alfred was not entertained. He cast a glance over at Helen, sitting right next to Alfred, and said:

- This is not exactly the training regimen that I had in mind for today. Are you sure you wouldn't rather take another go at the track?

Helen's ears twitched after noticing the voice directing a question at her, without taking her eyes off the page, she answered with clarity:

- You guys have been hitting the track and the gym for three straight weeks, you will end up too tired to do anything else if you keep at this pace. Theory on crime solving will be on the next written exam and we all need to go prepared.

Samuel released an annoyed sigh from his mouth, he knew that Helen was right but his body knew only one way to get prepared and that way was to train. He turned his head around looking for something to distract himself with to pass the time but his attention was immediately called back to Helen as she pointed an interesting chart on the tome she had with her:

- Right now I am reviewing different scenarios made in note by forensic scientists and it is all so fascinating.

Alfred decided to take a look in what she was so interested, while still remaining seated on his chair, he leaned his upper body closer to her to catch a glimpse of the text mentioned by her. He asked:

- What case are you reviewing right now?

Helen brought her left paw to her chin to give it a little scratch before giving a spoken summary of her reading material:

- Case-086: The body of a female leopard was found on the floor of her apartment; there are no visible blood spots on the carpet and there is clear signs of a struggle.

Alfred placed a good fraction of his inquisitive mind on that task, he proceeded to ask:

- Are there any signs of blood or tissue on the victims paws?

Helen was quick to answer:

- Not at all.

- Are there any visible blemishes, claw marks or bruises on the victim's skin?

She looked for the information by quick scanning across the text and reporting:

- Three bruises on the lower abdomen, but they present an inconsistent coloration to them.

Alfred and Helen were almost thinking like one, they started to place their analytic points of view on that simulated scenario of crime and intrigue. Alfred started on it by speaking:

- There is the possibility the struggle took place before the crime itself… a fight that got out of control, maybe.

Helen followed with her own thought:

- She was taken out right after and didn't even see it coming.

Alfred proceeded by saying:

- And the curios discoloration on the bruises usually signify one thing…

Helen completed that thought:

- They were inflicted after her alleged death. The culprit kicked her while she was already down, whoever it was, made it personal.

Helen and looked at each other, having all of the pieces of the puzzle like that made it all feel so thrilling for the two of them, they smiled and seemed to be in great harmony, but that moment was cut short as they heard Samuel's voice speaking to them:

- Geez! You two are way into this stuff!

Nick turned his eyes to Samuel while still having a book held in his paws and spoke up:

- Way to step on the moment Samuel.

The deer answered in a bragging tone of voice:

- It's what I'm here for.

Nick raised from the chair he was previously seated on and went to look for a new subject to study among the book shelves closest to them, he projected his voice towards Samuel and said while his paw slid over the book covers:

- You know? Helen does have a point. We do need to study this stuff if we're going to get good answers on future evaluations. Do you have some sort of problem with studying like this?

Samuel gestured with his hooves in the air while he leaned his back on the chair's repost some more, he answered to Nick's question after getting into a more comfortable position:

- It's not that I have a problem with it. I just spent most of my life training and studying on a track so that is my way of assimilating information.

Everyone looked over at Samuel, there was a piece of information in his sentence that called to their attention and they were very much intrigued by it. Nick walked closer to him with a new book being held in his right paw before asking:

- You have trained on a track for most of your life?! How so?

Samuel gestured with both his hooves in the air and waited for Nick to grab a seat once more before revealing a huge spec of truth about his own life:

- My family is full of heroes, my father and his father before him were both proud members of the Zootopia fire fighters. They stopped huge fires during their times and saved a lot of lives, my dad was even called once to help put a stop to the Okinara fire in the southwest.

Helen pointed a claw to ask about an important fact:

- The big forest fire ten years ago that burned through almost thirty-one and a half acres of wild forest?! Your father was there?

Samuel nodded his head to confirm that and answered:

- Yes. He lead the charge against that blaze and spent almost an entire week out of town, fighting in the middle of that flame, he came back home with a broken antler and his eyebrows cinched.

Samuel released a laugh before continuing:

- I thought he was the coolest guy in the world, but that whole thing about fighting fires, didn't seem like the sort of thing I would enjoy doing for a living. I have oodles of respect for my family and everything that they have done, that is why I spent a good deal of my life training on the track at the fire station during every opportunity I had. The thing is… Taking down crooks sounded way more interesting than putting out fires.

The other mammals sitting close to Samuel listened carefully to his tale, his voice made him sound sure and well versed in that subject, but Helen still had a nagging doubt about his perspective in all of that:

- Is that what being a police officer boils down to you? Being strong and beating up perps on the street?

Samuel turned to face her and give his true standing about it:

- No. Being strong enough to stop the violence before it gets out of control. That is what I truly think about it. That is why I practice on the track every day and that is why I want to be an officer of the ZPD. So I can be strong enough for it.

Getting a better understanding of Samuel was very intriguing for Nick and the others, the deer returned to his repost over the chair before he decided to say while gesturing a paw towards Helen:

- Anyway, that is my story. What about you?

Helen placed a paw over her chest, not really sure how to answer to that, she thought a little about that question and chose to ask:

- W… what do you want to know?

Samuel stopped leaning against the chair and pointed both of his hooves at her in an unobtrusive manner and asked it more clearly:

- Anything. Why are you here Helen? Why do you want to be a cop?

Helen took a short breath before she got around on answering that:

- Back when I was younger I dreamed about having a life full of excitement, I had the spirit of an adventurer, an explorer, I remember hopping on my bike and getting around town whenever I felt like it. I pedaled all over our neighborhood in search of anything that could be considered an adventure, but… I rode across the street when this car came at me and… this happened:

Surprising everyone around her, Helen elevated her right foot and placed it over the table, she grabbed the portion of fabric from her pants that was covering the right side of her leg and removed it out of the way in order to reveal a massive scar that rose almost all the way up to her knee. Nick and Samuel smiled with incredulity with such a sight, the two leaned closer to see the spot of her leg that was marked with a long mark, nearly devoid of fur, all Alfred could do in face of that was stare with wide eyes and his jaw hanging half open. Helen smiled after witnessing the other's reaction to that, she covered the scar once more and lowered her leg before saying:

- I almost lost my leg that day, my parents freaked out and decided to keep me on a short leash after that, with time passing by I became less accustomed with the taste of adventure, years passed and most of my afternoons were spent studying. That is… until one day, when a producer saw me walking on the street and offered me a carrier as a model.

Nick pointed at her and ask to get a sure confirmation on that:

- You were a model?!

Helen sighed as she reminisced about that particular phase I her life, she resumed speaking after a short while:

- Yup. I spent a few photo shoots and a few walks down the walkway for a few months and it was really exciting, my parents were okay with it and it was kinda fun for a little while. One of the editors even asked for me to step nude in front of the camera.

Helen giggled after sharing that last bit of information with a whisper, clearly no one was in the library besides them but she still felt the need to disclose that part in a more inconspicuous way. That left every single one of the others gob smacked, Alfred felt a shockwave rush into his body, his tail was wagging so much that he felt the need to reach his left paw back and hold his tail in place to not give her the wrong idea about what he was clearly thinking at the time. Nick noticed that and opted to take the attention back to Helen as he asked:

- You were asked to pose naked in front of a camera?!

Helen covered her face and her bashful smile with both of her paws, they slid up to the top of her head before she drew a deep dash of air through her nose and spoke again:

- I couldn't do it! That was it for me. I decided to leave the model thing behind and put all of my earning into my studies to see if a new opportunity would pent out from it somewhere down the line. Sure enough, my thesis was published and I was spotted by the higher ups from the academy. The rest is history. My parents respected my choice to come here but I know they still have their doubts about me becoming a police officer. It's always the same excuse with them: I'm a white tiger, I am basically an endangered species, there are not many like me.

After hearing that, Alfred spoke in a soft and sincere tone of voice:

- There is no one like you.

She turned her head to look at him, it took a second before he had realized that he had spoken out loud, earning the eyes of everyone on that table, Alfred turned to her with a noticeable blush on his cheeks and complemented his previous statement trying to remedy it:

- Ahm… I mean… there is really no one like anyone. We all do what makes us unique. Right?

Helen thought for a moment on that rushed piece of wisdom and agreed with a smile and a nice answer:

- I guess you're right Alfred. I chose to improve myself, so did the rest of us. I figured that would take me on the right path and it hasn't let me down so far.

Samuel and Nick looked at each other and shared a little laugh after witnessing that, by all accounts Alfred was getting much more confident when it came down to interacting with Helen. After Nick returned his eyes to the pile of books that Helen had left over the table in search of one that would peak his interest, Samuel's voice was heard as he pointed his hoof at Alfred and asked:

- What about you wolf boy? What turn of events brought you into the academy life?

Alfred looked to the sides, he didn't really want to answer that question, he placed the book he had in his paws in front of his face in order to avoid eye contact as he had done a few times before and delivered an awkward response to his friends:

- I… don't wish to talk about it. The tale of how I got into the academy is not very nice.

Samuel released a puff of air from his mouth in a dismissive act towards Alfred's words, he returned to ask with a more intrusive tone:

- C'mon. It couldn't be that bad. What did you do? Made a bet to get in?

Alfred didn't answer to that with words, he released a loud groan while keeping his mouth closed, almost as if he was suffering from a sudden sharp dose of pain from inside his stomach, he closed the book he was holding and placed it over the table to reveal his face to the others, he had his eyes squinting close, a big frown on his lips and his ears were drooping down over his head. Samuel understood his expression right then and there, apparently his humored guess hit much closer to home than he expected, Samuel's eyes shot open as he asked for confirmation with a stupefied tone in his voice:

- Wait a second! Did you really made a bet to get into the academy?!

Alfred tried to explain himself but he stumbled over his own answer:

- No… yes… I don't… It's complicated. Ugh!

Nick's was interested in what could be behind that inarticulate response, he left the pile of books untouched and turned his attention to the wolf sitting right across from him. Alfred felt all the eyes and ears over him and decided to give it up, he leaned his upper body forward and placed both of his elbows over the table, he directed his eyes to everyone before answering with a little more eloquence:

- The reason why I enrolled in the academy is… because of my father. My dad… is Jeremiah Snarlveck.

It took a few seconds for Nick to search in his memory for that reference, that name sounded so familiar and he definitely knew why. He pointed a claw to Alfred as he asked:

- Wait! Jeremiah D. Snarlveck? From the Frankfort Banks Inc.?! The same guy who tried to *buy* the Palm Tree Hotel and Casino?!

Alfred released a sigh before answering to that without changing his facial expression:

- That's him.

Nick thought for a little while before asking:

- I though you said your last name was Lupus.

- Lupus was my mother's maiden name, I decided to take it just before joining the academy.

Samuel was dumbfounded, he had already seen the Palm Tree up close and all of its luxurious commodities, he didn't think there was enough money to literally buy such a place but apparently Alfred's father had that kind of money and then some to attempt such a feat. He pointed a hoof at the wolf as he spoke up:

- Whoa! Whoa! Hang on! Let me get this straight! You're rich?!

Alfred released a sigh before answering with an indifferent tone:

- I am not rich. My father is rich.

Alfred pressed the matter further by asking with no reluctancy at all:

- Is there a difference?

After hearing that, Alfred clutched both of his paws into fists, his ears rose up and he slammed his paws over the table, snarling a sudden response to that question:

- THERE IS A HUGE DIFFE…

He stopped himself before finishing, he noticed that he had snapped for a second and calmed down, he closed his eyes and took a breath before apologizing to the others who were left in quite a state of shock after his overreaction:

- I'm… sorry. Look, it is not that I don't like my dad, I just cannot stand how he goes by life and most of the things he does while at it.

That last bit of dialogue left quite a bit of confusion among the others, Alfred took one deep breath before explaining himself:

- For as long as I can remember, my father has been a harsh meddler when it comes to my life. Every time that I wish to try for something, at any moment when I wish to give anything a chance and encounter a difficulty along the way, he intrudes in an effort to help me. The only thing he manages to do is make everything worse.

Alfred passed the palm of his right paw on the top of his head, he gave himself a little scratch to the back of the neck before continuing with his explanation:

- Whenever I get into a class or any type of competition with other mammals, my dad comes along and uses whatever means he can afford to make things "easier" for me. I am sick and tired of him interfering with my life, never allowing me to make mistakes or learn for myself, forcing others to give me his own brand of "special treatment". It is very annoying and it is not what I want for myself, especially if it comes paired with that unbearable, condescending attitude that he wears wherever he goes, like a damn badge of honor.

Alfred took another breath before continuing:

- That is why I decided to make an arrangement with him: I assembled all of the funds I managed to gather by myself to enroll in the ZPD academy, I am going to graduate by my own merits, without his assistance, so that I can get on with my life the way I want to live. This is the last chance I got to teach my father a lesson about earning my own keep, if I fail he has arranged to put me at a desk-job in one of his firms for the rest of my life.

Nick gasped, it was a moderately dramatic gasp to better support his friend's perspective on the matter. In addition to that, Nick also whispered in clear dismay:

- That is awful!

To which Alfred concurred:

- Right?! I don't want to become another mindless drone in my dad's business! It is the absolute last possible outcome that I want in my life! That is why I need to pass the exams and graduate in the finals. Maybe I can also find my true purpose by the end of it all.

There was so much drive in Alfred's voice, the nerdy, awkward wolf talked in a way that made him sound like a completely different mammal. Nick, Samuel and Hellen all looked at him with complete awe as he placed his paws together and apologized for his stand in that discussion:

- I'm sorry if my reasons seem a bit foolish.

Helen placed her right paw over his left shoulder and gave the wolf a little shake as she gently grasped him and spoke:

- You're fighting for your own ideals, you don't need to apologize for that.

Everyone shared a little smile with that, everyone shared quite a lot about themselves and what made them want to enter through the academy gates, everyone except Nick. After every eye was set over the fox for a few seconds, he placed the book he had with him aside and spoke up:

- I'm guessing you all expect me to tell my story as well.

Samuel, Alfred and Helen each agreed respectively:

- You got that right.

- Spill it.

- It's only fair.

Nick shook his head slowly from side to side and adjusted his body over the chair he was sitting on and decided to tell his own story:

- Before coming to the academy I lived a life that was not very remarkable, not like your stories, I moved stuff around, I sold paw shaped popsicles, most of the time I just hung around in the search of something significant to do. When the mammals disappearances begun to happen I didn't give it a lot of thought, until I met someone that made me change my mind.

Nick took a breath through his nose before continuing:

- One day I was approached by one of the ZPD finest officers, she… persuaded me into helping with her investigation, next thing I know I am being dragged up and down across Zootopia and almost dying twice on the same day, one of which was almost getting mauled by a wild panther, I might add.

Nick placed himself on a more relaxed position over his seat, Helen leaned over the table to get a more coherent answer out of him as she ask with a voice close to a whisper:

- You actually saw a mammal turning savage?

Nick still had his relaxed posture over the seat but his mouth was turning into a very perceptible frown as he recalled the events of his encounter with Mr. Manchas as the panther suddenly turned savage and chased both him and Judy at the heart of the rainforest. Nick answered with certainty and concision in his tone as if two words were enough to close all doubts on that subject:

- I did.

Helen and the others looked at Nick as his somber expression communicated how that particular experience hit him, he turned his eyes to the empty air, almost as if the story was unveiling into a tapestry above his head, and continued to talk to clarify any other inquiry his friends might have:

- On that day it hit me how dire the situation really was, not just for me, but for the entire city, and, as I was running for my life, it also daunted on me how I had someone by my side through that entire experience to keep me going, keep me safe. She was so brave, she kept her cool even during that insane situation. By the end of it all, she asked me to be an officer, to be her partner. So much happened to us both in such a short period of time, I trust her, she trusts me, she put out a good word to get me enrolled and… that is the whole story.

Helen was making a delightful face after hearing all of that, she thought that story, combined with the way Nick referred to that mammal in particular, made listening to it all that much enjoyable. She just had to know more about that. Helen placed her paws over the table and rose from her chair as her arms supported most of her weight over the wooden frame to ask one crucial question:

- What's her name?!

Nick smiled and sighed after hearing that inevitable inquiry coming from the white tiger on the other side of the table. He felt that the tie was just right to reveal and adjusted his body over the chair one more time before answering:

- Her name is… Judy. Judy Hopps.

All of the jaws hit the floor after hearing that. Nick looked to the faces of his friends around him and was unsure about their reactions. He looked at them and asked:

- What? Why are you making those faces?

The first one to speak was Alfred, he placed his left paw over the table as je asked:

- Judy Hopps?! The bunny that found the missing mammals and the Night-howler flowers?!

Nick smiled, still not sure what that was all about, and answered:

- Yes, that is her. Is this really that big of a deal? I know that she is quite famous but there is nothing too great about that.

Helen, Samuel and Alfred exchanged looks and Helen was the one to ask:

- You… really don't know?

Nick raised a brow and inquired with hesitation:

- Know about what?

Seconds later, Nick was following the others as they asked him to keep close, they walked across the academy with a rushed pace as there was something they absolutely needed to show Nick. The fox raised his paw to call the attention of the three mammals walking ahead of him with long steps, he wanted to know what was that all about, but he was just about to get his answer. A few more steps and the four mammals arrived at the back lawn of the main building, after catching up with the others, Nick was faced with a huge wall of red bricks that was engraved and nearly filled out by a myriad of golden plated plaques, some of which appeared to be placed on the wall a long time ago. He walked slowly to a spot right in front of the wall where his friends chose to halt and group up to show that to him. Having his mind brimming with interest, Nick asked:

- What the hell is this?

Helen gestured with her paw, she drew a big circle I the air right in front of her as she answered:

- These are the ZPA top graduates, each plaque represents the names of the law enforcers that scored the highest points in the history of the academy. Only the top five graduates from each class get to be placed in here. I'm not sure why or how this even started, but the administration of the academy keeps adding these plaques after every class graduates. I think is to incite competition and betterment overall.

Nick walked slowly, his eyes dashed across the engraving placed on the wall, but his wandering was interrupted as Alfred's voice sounded out loud calling out for his attention once more:

- Getting your name on this wall is basically a guaranteed entry ticket into precinct one. It is quite an honor to achieve such a feat. Most of the mammals in this wall went down in history and even got to be chiefs at their own assigned precincts, like this one.

The wolf's claw pointed at one of the plaques, more specifically, to a name placed as the second highest score from a crew of cadets of two decades prier, the name that read in big letters engraved on the metal, 'Antoine J. Bogo', made Nick's mind ask to himself:

"Wait. Is that… the same Bogo as Judy's boss?!"

But the biggest surprise was yet to come, Helen dashed to one of the very last plaques attached to the wall and shouted:

- This is why we brought you here.

Nick walked closer to her and saw the name on the plaque she was pointing over, it was a fairly recent addition to the wall and, placed on the very top of the five names listed on that plaque, was the very name that was so familiar to Nick:

'Judy L. Hopps'

Samuel and Alfred followed after Nick to catch a glimpse of the name engraved on the plaque as well, Nick already knew how much Judy had to struggle to get past the academy, but apparently she earned her fame as an officer even before entering the doors of the ZPD. Samuel spoke up after positioning himself right alongside Nick:

- Everyone in the academy knows about Judy Hopps. Her reputation in the academy course is legendary. She graduated top of her class and passed every obstacle on the original track despite being only a small bunny, some say she even managed to knock a rhinoceros out cold during a sparring session!

Alfred protested to that last bit of information considering it very dubious at best:

- That's just a rumor.

Nick shook his head with a side smile after hearing that, knowing all too well that when it came to that bunny such a feat was not impossible. He looked to the others as he finally understood why they acted like that when he revealed Judy's name, at the same time when it occurred to him the true meaning of what Judy said to him right before his training, the speech about leaving a mark on the academy by one's own way. That sight filled Nick with a new form of vigor that encouraged him to keep getting better while his training proceeded, as the others started to leave returning to their previously scheduled study session at the library, Nick was left standing looking at that fixed point on the wall with a very clear goal in his mind:

"I will graduate and I will become her partner."

Author's note: I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it took a whole lot more out of me than i had planned, i also hope the story and the charachters i decided to place in it don't feel too forced, i am doing my best to build the world above an already solid foundation. Stay tuned for the next chapter because i guarantee it is going to be a doozy. See you all next time.