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.

17. Episode 17: Back to the present

Author's note: Hi there eveyone. It is I, Valiant, and I am back with yet another chapter of Zootopia. Doesn't feel like that long ago since I started this project and I am still floored everytime I see the amount of support that I've been receiving from all of you. I do hope this story keeps going strong and I do hope you are all doing well wherever you might be. My projects are taking quite a lot from my time, but I do not mind it at all. There are a lot of distractions in my way like other projects that have been linguering outside of my regular schedule and a few series that I have left on the backburner, but I am still working strong in my stories. My Spyro Fan-fiction will have a brand new chapter very soon and both the stories will be taking more exciting paths as they progress, I am just having a little problem balancing the settings between the two, they are completly different genres after all and I need to try my best to keep both worlds as far apart as possible within my head, It is much harder than it sounds. At any case, I'll get back to work after a bit of a break, stay awesome and enjoy the reading.

Episode 17: Back to the present.

- Nick. Nick are you there?

- Hum…!

The fox woke up suddenly from his daydream, finding himself over a comfy seat by the outside eating area of the 'Fang and Incisor', with his bunny friend seated on a chair right across from the small wooden table that they had chosen to share during their lunch break. Nick rubbed his eyes for a moment and looked over at Judy once more before asking of her:

- Sorry about that, carrots. I must have been spacing out right there. Were you asking me something?

Judy's left ear flopped to the side as she leaned her head to take an analytic look at her partner, he had been acting strangely ever since they started out on their patrol shift. Judy decided to lean her body forward to reach her right paw further onto the table and call to Nick's attention more effectively, she tapped her fingers gently over the table and asked:

- I just asked if you would like something else to take home with you. What has got into you lately?

Nick looked at the bunny's concerned face and figured that his continuous reveries of the past during work hours were getting in the way of their dynamic and of their conversations. He did his best to disguise the true meaning of his thoughts and apologized t her while making an excuse:

- I'm really sorry, fluff. I feel really tired all of a sudden and that is causing me some distraction. Maybe I need more coffee.

Nick was just about to raise his arm and call to the waitress attention to ask for a hot mug of caffeine for himself, but Judy stopped him just in time by protesting against that course of action. She extended her right arm over the table to call to Nick and make him look over to her once more as she spoke up:

- The last thing you need right now is more coffee. Get yourself a nice cup of tea or juice like I did, it might get your thoughts to calm down a little bit more. I can tell from over here that your head is all over the place today.

Nick smiled and returned to his previous position over his seat, he turned over to the empty plate in front of him as he and Judy awaited calmly for their respective orders to arrive. Ten minutes passed by and a female koala with a dainty uniform bearing the eatery's emblem appeared carrying a platter with their meals. Judy was presented with a small bowl of salad having a wide selection of colorful vegetables and leaves, all of them very well organized making both the scent and the presentation very appealing to her. Nick opted to have himself a simple plate of grilled salmon and rice, it smelled so good that it nearly caused him to salivate over the plate, luckily he noticed that and inconspicuously covered his mouth with the palm of his left paw so Judy wouldn't notice it right away, it is not consider polite behavior for predators to salivate in front of other mammals and he knew that all too well.

After getting a few bites out of her lunch, Judy took some time to admire the environment around her, the imposing wall that separated the savanna and the tundra was quite the sight and sometimes she could hear the humming from the weather keeping system off in the distance. She could not imagine what would it be like to live near the wall, the temperature gaging would not sit well with her on a daily basis, but she also thought how some mammals would prefer to have the gradual change of temperature on regular time intervals. After turning her eyes back forward, Judy saw Nick taking slow and delighted bites of his meal, she waited for him to finish and they concurred to share a medium sized pitcher of juice together, a nice and tropical flavor of mango that invigorated both of them so they could continue their patrol shift together.

The rest of the day was calm in its majority, Judy thought she had seen one of the vehicles listed in the dossier that was given to her that morning by chief Bogo, she and Nick went to investigate but it turned out to be nothing more than a false alarm. After parking their cruiser in the precinct's carpool, the duo went to the breakroom and Judy tossed her body over the couch to take a breath while Nick went straight in the direction of the freezer to get himself a nice bottle of water to refresh, for some reason the heat of the Savanna was really getting to him. Judy released a little sigh after she saw her partner coming a little closer with the bottle on his lips and said:

- I can't believe we patrolled across the entire edge of the savanna and came back with nothing major to report. I was so sure that the car belonging to that bull was the one on the list.

Nick closed the freezer door right behind him, he finished taking the first sip from the recently opened bottle before he turned to Judy and said:

- Don't be like that, carrots. True enough, that car did not belong to our suspect at the end of it, but you could have probably ticketed him for something else.

Judy slightly raised her upper body from the slouching posture that she was taking over the couch seat and her left ear leaned to the side as she looked at Nick and asked of him:

- What do you mean by that?

The fox still had the bottle of water in his right paw as he leaned against the couch, positioning himself right beside where Judy was sitting and answered to her:

- After that bull arrived and turned his engine on, did you happen to notice the amount of exhaust that came out of his car?

- Not... really. Why?

Nick gestured with his left paw and proceeded with his answer:

- I took a little whiff of the air and figured that there was something wrong with his exhaust filter. Traffic laws of Zootopia clearly state that any driver has to change the filter in their cars on a regular basis to prevent smog around town. Excessive toxins in the air can leave a number of mammals with sensitive snouts sick.

Judy's ears darted up after hearing that. She leaned forward over her seat and asked of him:

- Really?

- Yeah, that's a fact. I love cars, I love the smell of a nice car and the humming feel of a nicely built engine, but even I can't take too much of the uncut exhaust smell, especially with my enhanced scent.

Nick finished saying so as he tapped his nose, Judy clutched both of her paws into fists and released an annoyed grunt as she spoke up:

- *Ugh!* I should have stopped that guy before he just up and left. I am going to give him a ticket for sure the next time I see him out on the street. Car or no car.

Nick placed the bottle of water away over the breakroom table and spoke up:

- Woah! Turn down the cop, carrots. There's no need to get like that.

Judy calmed down after hearing that, she got off the couch and back on the ground as she said:

- You're right. I'm just a little steamed that we didn't get anything on the case from this morning. When hard evidence slips through the cracks it gets increasingly harder to get a well-timed investigation on something noteworthy.

Nick's left ear twitched and he turned his body completely around to face the bunny as he asked with a jokey touch of concern in his voice:

- What are you trying to say there, carrots? Do you want to catch some bad guys? Are you that desperate for some action?

Judy had a little blush on her cheeks as she heard that, she didn't want her words to be understood in that manner. She gave a single step forward to approach Nick and dismiss his suspicions on that as she said:

- It's not that. I only want to make sure that, if whatever got snuck past the embargo officials, if anything at all, is nothing that could pose a danger to the rest of Zootopia.

Judy placed her explanation in a way that made her sound almost like she was a suspect, hastily accused of a crime and was trying hard to clear her name. Nick approached her and softly placed his right paw over her left shoulder as he spoke up with a laugh in his voice:

- Relax, fluff. I'm just pulling your leg. You don't have to explain yourself or anything like that. I know you just want to do your job the best you can. You just got to remember that if there is anything else that needs taken care of, you don't have to do it alone. That's why you got me around, right?

Judy released a little sigh, with a touch of relief, she smiled and nodded her head showing that she understood what Nick meant and that she also appreciated his light-hearted nature. Judy and Nick didn't do a whole lot after that, while the bunny headed straight for her cubicle in order to check on her computer and make sure that everything was in order before calling it a day, the fox decided to wander around as he reviewed a few more pointers in the ZPD pocketbook, Judy had given the little manual for him to review whenever he could so that he would always stay on point when it came down to the regular protocol involving the inner workings of the precinct. Judy was going over to the front desk to hand Benjamin all of the main points of the day and she casually bumped with Nick, he stored the little manual back in his front pocket and spoke up:

- Today was a good day.

Judy smiled and answered to that:

- It was a great day.

Nick pointed to the front door as he said something that he wanted to ask Judy since they got back:

- Carrots, I'm gonna take off in a few. I need to pass by the supermarket and buy a whole lot of things. I have been putting that off for quite a while since I came back in town. Is it okay if I just clock out early today?

Judy gave him a little wave with her left paw and spoke up with a reassuring tone:

- Nick, don't worry about that. You can go and buy the stuff you need. There is no issue with you leaving just a little early today.

Nick showed her a thumbs up and said:

- Great. Are you going home too? Maybe we can take off together.

Judy slowly shook her head to that and answered promptly:

- Can't. Chief Bogo asked me to accompany him as we make a few checks on some new equipment that will get delivered to the precinct later this month. It's nothing too complicated. I should only leave a little later than usual.

Nick figured that it would be fine if he just left to get all that he needed in order. He leaned a little closer and said:

- Alright, fluff. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye for now.

- Bye, Nick. Until tomorrow.

The fox began to head off on his way to the exit but, before he was too far away, he turned around while in place and called out to Judy so that he could thank her for keeping his mind on track during patrol. He waved his left paw in the air and called out to her:

- Yo, Carrots.

Judy turned around and heard what he had to say. Nick showed her a wave of his right paw and said:

- Thanks.

She wasn't sure what he was thanking her for so she decided to ask:

- For… what?

That sweet tone in her voice just caused Nick to smile as he answered to her:

- For telling me to "slow down and get my thoughts into place". I really needed that.

Judy was glad to hear that. She leaned her head to the left, making her ears flop to the side as she revealed a face that made it look like she was thinking very hard on the precise moment that she said that to Nick. She figured that it was how he had interpreted her words when they were out during their lunch break. Judy looked at him and asked before giving her own answer to that:

- Did I say that? I must be quite the clever bunny, don't I?

Nick made a dismissive gesture with his right paw and said:

- Yeah, yeah. Don't let it all go to your head. See you, fluff.

Nick turned around to get on his way and exited the ZPD building after seeing Judy giving him a quick wave of goodbye for the day. As the fox walked out the revolving doors of the precinct and made his way to the center of the savanna district to buy the groceries he needed. Half of the mammals that walked by Nick took notice of his uniform and were already aware of who he was, it still felt rather odd for a majority of them to see a fox as an officer of the ZPD but he hardly minded that, he still figured that someone would find it rather funny how a fox of his size was walking around with a market cart meant for a much larger mammal than him and pushing it around while filled with groceries like it was no big deal. After transporting his groceries home with the help of a Zuber driver that was passing nearby, Nick entered his apartment and started to unload all of the groceries while humming a nice tune to make time pass a little quicker and make his job less tedious.

Placing the sweets and the beer in the refrigerator, putting the fish meat and the pulps of juice inside the freezer, taking inventory of all the essential breakfast meals and hygiene products felt like it took no time at all. Nick was exhausted after fully restocking his house in such a precise and efficient manner, almost felt like he had finished stocking up a bunker for a major disaster. After finishing his task and taking a satisfied series of breaths, the fox walked through the kitchen and caught a glimpse of his own reflection at the window right by his side, he saw himself in his uniform and noticed how he looked tired but utterly satisfied. He took a whiff of the air and he noticed that there was a very pungent smell nearby, he grabbed the neckpiece of his shirt and took another quick whiff before he found that the scent he was tracking was his own.

- Uhf! Too much sweat! That is quite the male musk. I need to get a shower and then work at getting the stink out of my uniform.

He said out loud before grabbing his cellphone and turning off the music player for the time being. Nick went straight to his room so he could grab himself a new set of clothes and get in the bathroom for a nice shower, he entered the bathroom and placed the bundle of clothes he was going to wear a little later over the edge of the sink, he was just about to take off his clothes for the bath when his phone rang, it was Finnick calling him. Nick didn't stop what he was doing, he simply pressed the green icon on the screen and placed his friend on loud speaker as he took the call:

- Hey there, Finn. How's it going?

The little fox answered from the other side of the line:

- Terrible! Tried to make good time on the turn pike today at Tundra Town. There was an accident in the road and a bunch of vats of water got spilled on the asphalt.

Nick looked over the phone and asked:

- Are you alright? Did anyone get hurt?

- Nah, It's all good. Just an inattentive diver that didn't check the back of his pick-up truck to see if everything was nice and tight for transport. They had to block off the road until the ice was completely cleared out. I was stuck inside my van for almost two hours and I think the heater is on the fritz again.

Nick was listening to his every word as he calmly undid the tie on his uniform, unbuttoned his shirt and got more comfortable before getting into the shower box. Nick gave Finnick an answer right after his friend finished his story:

- Dude, that sucks.

- Yeah, but I got through it. How about you?

Nick stopped for a bit as he stared over himself in the mirror. He answered to Finnick as he placed both of his paws over the sink counter and recalled the major points on his day:

- Not much. Patrolled around, pretty boring assignment. Carrots and I got to stop on a nice restaurant for lunch. The food was great and the prices were a bargain. Maybe I'll go back there tomorrow.

Nick was surprised and nearly jumped away from his phone as he heard Finnick's voice in high volume saying:

- Cut the crap, Wilde. I'm talking about that hottie you hooked up with last night.

- Hottie?

- Yeah. That vixen that latched onto your arm at the bar. Give me details.

Nick smiled as he imagined that he should have seen a question like that coming from Finnick from a mile away, he also felt a little morose as he remembered the fiasco that he went through. Once again, heeding to Judy's advice, he opted for slowing his thoughts down and answered to Finnick's question with confidence but still getting across the main point of his answer:

- You know what? Nothing happened.

- What the fu…?! What do you mean "Nothing Happened"?!

Nick took a quick breath before better elaborating on his answer, but doing so in a way that would pin his confidence to his tone of voice, letting it off towards Finn like nothing bad had actually happened. Nick turned his face to the phone and spoke up:

- It's the old story: We met, we talked, we went out, I wanted one thing, she wanted another. Nothing happened.

- Damn! I blame myself. I'm an awful wing-mammal.

Nick released a laugh as he grabbed a bottle of liquid soap for himself and certified that he would have easy access to deodorant and to a fur-dryer as soon as he was out of the shower. He placed his paw back over the sink counter and turned to the phone to speak to Finnick once more:

- Don't talk like that, I just slip that up on my own. Next time we find a couple of cute girls at a bar, we tackle it as a team.

Nick heard the little snicker coming from the other side of the line before Finnick spoke up to that:

- Sure, cause that's gonna happen.

Nick kept his smile and shook his head slowly after hearing that from his friend. Finnick said farewell and turned the phone off and Nick took that time to finally get in the shower and take a long bath. After covering himself in soap and washing it off, the fox's entire fur looked heavy and soggy, but one quick towel and a meticulous use of his dryer and he was freshened and as clean as he could be. Nick walked out the bathroom after he was fully dried out and started to put a new set of clothes on, similar to his regular attire, he was now wearing a back buttoned shirt and a blue set of long pants that nearly covered the entire length of his legs. After getting dressed, he wandered around the living room, not very sure of what to do next, he thought about sitting down to watch whatever was on tv or just grab a book to read, he thought about grabbing his phone to look at meaningless pins on the internet and then he thought about tossing himself over the couch and not doing anything at all.

After getting comfortable on his couch, Nick looked at the ceiling of his apartment for an extended amount of time. The fox did feel a little bit better since this morning but he did not feel the enthusiasm to do anything else. He turned his head over the cushion he was resting and thought:

"I wonder what Judy is doing right now."

He raised from the couch and turned to wander around his apartment once more. He opened one of the cupboards in the kitchen and found the box that his mother had gifted him only a couple of days ago, placed right behind a few of the items he had recently organized. He stared at the box and then figured what to do next by grabbing his cellphone to contact Judy.

---

After Judy said goodbye to Nick for the day, she returned with great disposition to the rest of the tasks she had to complete. The bunny finished the report concerning their patrol shift before delivering it to chief Bogo, it didn't take too long considering there was not much worth reporting. After being done with the paperwork, she accompanied the chief to the lower levels of the precinct where they discussed the manufacturing of custom equipment for Nick including a protective vest and a tranquilizer gun specially designed for him, the fox would have to place a requisition form for the equipment to be properly assigned to him but she still felt like it would be nice to prepare everything in advance, Bogo agreed with her and decided to help out, the last thing he wanted was for trouble to come around and for one of his officers to not be prepared.

The sun was just about to set and Judy exited the ZPD building to head on home for the day. The bunny arrived at her building and entered her apartment feeling a little tired but very satisfied with another splendid day at work. Judy's place was very different from the time she had moved in and the line of thought reminiscing on how satisfied she was of making that space her own she had that morning still lingered in her mind as she gave a quick series of skips in the direction of her room to grab a new set of clothes, get in the bathroom and get a shower. Judy's bath didn't take too much time, she dried herself out and dressed herself in a pair of comfy woolen pants and a loose gray T-shirt with the words "bunny power" written on the front in big pink colors, she felt comfortable, refreshed and also like she had a little more energy that she needed to burn out.

Judy placed her cellphone on a little charger platform over the stand supporting a lamp near the couch and selected an app that would play some music for her, she selected a preset playlist that was filled to the brim with hardcore beats to help her work out her excess of energy, the bunny grabbed a small plastic weight in each paw and began lifting them in accordance with the rhythm of the song while joyfully humming in accordance to it. Judy delighted herself with the beat that seemed to get more or less intense during the song's natural progression, her body just wanted to move and she felt glad to do so but suddenly, her ears identified a small ring that didn't feel like part of the music, her left ear twitched and her moves were thrown off for a short second after noticing that. Judy picked the phone up and found a little notification on screen showing that Nick wanted to talk to her, she placed the two weights down over the carpet and unlocked the screen to open the messaging app:

Nick: Yo, carrots. You there? :-/

Judy: Yeah, I'm here. What's up?

Nick: Just checking up on you. I did all of the stuff I needed to do for today and it took some serious time. I've been thinking about some stuff and I wanted to ask you something. If is not too much trouble that is.

Judy found herself intrigued by the way Nick was typing. She responded to his text promptly:

Judy: Go ahead and ask me what's on your mind, slick. It's no trouble at all.

The texting stopped for a second. Nick didn't know precisely what to write next, he figured that he would like to hang out with Judy but he was also unsure if she would be up for it. Judy waited patiently on the other side of the line to receive a complete retort from Nick, the screen lit up with the next message:

Nick: Look. I actually wanted to ask if you would like to hang out.

Judy: Hang out? How so?

Nick: Nothing too much. I have just been thinking about some things now that I had the time to stop and relax for a bit. I just want to talk to you a little bit more and I think it would be best if I do it in the flesh. If you don't want to do it, I get it. We can leave it for another time.

Judy was quick to type her answer:

Judy: No, it's alright. I got nothing to do right now. We can hang out and talk if you like.

Nick: Really? Is it okay?

Judy: Sure. Whatever you need to talk you can always count on me. :-)

Nick: Thanks, fluff. I'm going to gather a few things and then I'll swing by your place. Is it cool?

Judy looked around before directing her eyes closely to the screen in her paws and typing in response:

Judy: Sure. I'll be waiting.

Nick: Cool. See you in a few.

Judy put her cellphone down and leapt off the couch with excitement, Nick was coming to visit her apartment for the first time in a very long while. The bunny gave a couple of bounces while still in place, shaking her paws in the air with excitement and then she looked at herself, placed in a set of clothes that felt crudely close to pajamas. She shook her paws and tuck her shoulders in with anxiety and thought to herself:

"I need to change and clean a few things up. Nick will be here any minute now."

She dashed straight to her room and opened her closet to search for a more presentable clothing set. Judy removed a big bundle of shirts from the hangers and tossed them over her bed to look for one that looked nice on her. Judy cycled through various shirts before finding a little baby blue with three buttons and short sleeves that was really appealing for her eyes, she then removed the cozy pair of pants she was wearing previously and put a nice pair of shorts that really brought her casual look together. Swiftly moving to get a few more things ready for her friend's arrival, Judy went to the bathroom and grabbed a fur brush with small and blunt metallic teeth that she used to give herself a quick once over and make sure that her appearance was in order by looking at her own reflection in the mirror.

As she was brushing her own fur with rushed and short brush strokes over her own head, the bunny suddenly stopped herself as she thought a little more carefully about the mammal that was soon coming over, after taking a good look over herself she thought:

"Why am I getting so worked up like this? Nick doesn't care how I look or how I dress."

Judy finished the brushing of her fur with slow and methodical strokes and then she put down the brush and returned to the living room to lay on the couch to relax and wait. She continued her line of thought as soon as she placed her head over one of the cushions near her and let her breathing slow down:

"Nick is just coming over so we can talk and hang out. It's no big deal."

Judy didn't have to wait for too long, she barely had time for another thought when she heard the buzzing sound of her doorbell. The bunny raised from the couch and walked over to the front door, the image she saw after the door was opened surprised and delighted her. Nick was right there dressed nice and elegantly in a black shirt the Judy had never seen him wearing before paired with a nice looking wine red tie around his neck and a slim pair of pants with a slightly clearer color that matched his shirt. Judy received Nick with a smile and a cheerful salutation as she also noticed that he was carrying something on his right arm. Suspended over a rigid strap by the fox's right arm, there was a big picnic basket and, judging by how it hindered some of his movements as he turned over to face her as soon as the door opened, Judy could see that it was sort of heavy. She made a gesture with her paw and moved slightly to the side to give him enough space to enter through the door, the fox nodded his head as he entered the apartment and spoke up:

- Thanks for having me by, carrots. I'm seeing that your place is looking spiffy.

Judy appreciated the complement for her place and said:

- It feels like home. I'm very glad you helped me find it when you did.

Nick walked more into the apartment without letting the smile fade from his face. The fox admired the new details that were present since his last visit many months ago by slowly moving his eyes around and taking every major detail of the apartment's interior. Judy's apartment had a pleasant feeling to it, it was a little smaller than his own place but it still looked like every inch of space was nicely used. There was now a book shelf and a file cabinet placed by the left corner, a working space equipped with a computer and a detailed map of Zootopia pinned over a mural on the far wall, a full setting of utensils neatly organized at the kitchen and a nice looing television bolted to the wall and placed in optimal distance from the couch. Nick's eyes deviated to the television right after he had inspected the rest of the apartment and he took notice of something unusual as he looked just below the screen.

- No way.

He said as he walked past the couch and closer to a little wooden stand placed bellow the tv. Judy's ears twitched as she heard him saying that and decided to ask:

- What is it?

He placed the basket he was carrying over a little coffee table nearby and got down in one knee as his paws reached over a familiar looking device shaped like a purple box. He spoke up as he asked Judy:

- Carrots, is this a Pawcube-2000? This is THE console to play games of all kinds and I thought it was completely off the market. Where did you dig up this relic?

Judy walked casually as she came closer to Nick, she had no idea that he like video-games. The bunny gestured with both of her paws in front of her as she pointed to the gaming platform and explained:

- This thing belonged to all of my brothers when we were little. I was never too much into electronic games but I did enjoy playing on weekends when I had nothing else to do. My family sent this over to me when they saw that I still had a few saved games stored inside the memory card. I still play it from time to time, just to relax.

She finished her explanation and decided to ask if Nick would want to play some game with her as they passed the time. She crouched down and picked two controllers from a cabinet beside the device as she asked him:

- Do you want to play a few rounds with me? I got this cool racing game and I unlocked everything, even the secret characters.

Nick elevated his right paw and fiddled his fingers as he was half tempted to just grab one of the controllers and let time slip away as he and Judy could just sit down and have some mindless fun, but he politely declined her offer as he raised from the floor and spoke up:

- As much as I would enjoy to leave you eating my digital dust, I have actually come here to do something a little more important.

Judy remained stationary as she watched Nick turn around and reach over the basket he had brought with him with both paws, he opened the latch that kept it closed and began to roam through its contents as he looked for something specific. Judy stored the gaming controllers back inside their previous spot and asked of Nick:

- Something more important like… what exactly?

Nick turned around with a big smile on his face as he raised his arms slightly into the air while holding a cup in each one of his paws. He answered Judy with an extravagant degree of enthusiasm:

- Like celebrating. Obviously.

Judy gave a step back as she looked over Nick in his entirety, the fox was holding a pair of ornated glasses like the fancy ones a bartender would offer at a classy bar to serve strong drinks, two hollow glass ornaments that he slowly placed over the coffee table before turning over to the opened basket to resume his preparations. A little confused by his words, Judy walked a little closer to him and asked:

- Celebrate? Celebrate… what?

Nick answered to her once more and he did so with less enthusiasm but with plenty of joy in his voice:

- Everything.

The fox turned around as he explained the true reason why he was there:

- I have been meaning to ask if you would like to hang out during these last few days but everything just happened so fast that I didn't had much time to think on it. I graduated, then my mom came by to visit, I had to organize some things at home and then Finnick came by and invited me for drinks…

Nick stopped his listing of occurrences as he turned all of his attention over to Judy and proceeded:

- I wanted to come by so we can talk, eat, enjoy ourselves, like we did before I went on to the academy. My graduation, these last few days at work, I know it all seems minor but it has all been coming around so fast, but it also has been really great. You know?

Judy smiled sweetly and answered him with a positive nod of her head as both of her paws rested together close to her chest. Nick came a little closer and also leaned his body down as he looked into Judy's eyes and said:

- The point is: I know we already spent a whole lot of time together at work, but that is work. I rather spend time with you as a friend without any rush to write a report or get on with an assignment. So let us celebrate the fact that I have been a cop for a full three days and I haven't set the city on fire.

Nick turned over to look out the window and Judy found that a little odd, but the confirmation that Nick was playing a joke came as he turned around and finished speaking to his previous point as he smiled and said:

- Yet.

Judy placed her left paw in front of her mouth to keep her laugh at bay, she then gestured dismissively with her left paw and politely asked Nick to not joke like that again, he simply shrugged that off and returned his attention to the basket nearby. Nick began to remove a plethora of food items from the basket as he began to list them:

- Look, I brought these little salted chips, some muffins, I also got one of those new bread bags, I think they use rice to make these instead of just wheat, I actually tried one, they are really soft to chew and go great with other ingredients to make sandwiches.

Judy could smell the different foods very clearer now that they were out of the container, she walked around Nick to get a better look at the repertoire of aliments and released a little hum as she saw her friend organizing each item in a presentable order and imagined herself and Nick delighting themselves with those. Nick grabbed a little plate from inside the basket that was carefully placed in its own little corner, the plate had some fresh slices of fruit that were covered by a thin plastic wrap. Judy pointed to the plate and asked:

- Are those orange slices?

Nick was quick to answer as he displayed the plate and its contents to her:

- Tangerine. Sweeter and easier to chew on with a whole lot of juice.

Judy gave a little bounce while still in place as the excitement for that moment continued to build up within her, she had no idea that she would be celebrating anything with Nick that night but she was very glad he came by. Nick showed a side smile as he retrieved the last and most important item that he was carrying over inside the basket:

- And, last but not least, the main piece of the night.

The fox reached inside the very bottom of the basket and hoisted a sealed bottle with both his paws as he showed it to Judy, she didn't have much time to identify the bottle itself or its contents before Nick carefully placed it over the coffee table and turned over to ask of her:

- Do you have any ice in here? It will be much better to scoff it down with some ice.

Judy pointed to the kitchen and delivered brief instruction of where to find some ice as an answer:

- Freezer, top drawer, there is a little cupboard by the left with ice in it.

Nick walked past her and went on to retrieve the ice tray, just as Judy had said he found a little recipient comporting at least a dozen small ice cubes. He gently twisted the plastic tray until a couple of the cubes popped out of their spots, he picked them up and carried them back on his paws to place two inside each cup. Judy took the time as Nick went to the kitchen and came back to take another look over the assortment of foods and drinks he had brought with him, her attention was once more called over towards the bottle that Nick had presented to her, she placed her right paw over the sealed lid and leaned her head to the right so she could get a look at the name of the drink.

As Nick returned with the ice, he caught Judy getting a peek over the bottle. The bunny saw the image and the name enameled and plastered in plastic over the glass as her fingers passed over the indentation on the lid shaped like a horseshoe, the bright yellow cover depicted a beautiful mare dressed in a provocative set of country clothes and posing alongside the symbol of three bright red apples alongside the name of the drink. Judy read it out loud while asking of Nick:

- "Applejack Whisky"?

- That's right. Best drink in the world, according to what I have heard.

Judy let her paw slide over the bottle outer coating and said:

- Never heard of it.

- You wouldn't. This whisky is one of the rarest blends in the whole world. Only a hundred bottles of it are made every twenty years or so. Most of them are bought by collectors as auction as soon as they hit the market.

Judy turned her eyes back over the bottle with some concern as she spoke up:

- Nick, that sounds awfully expensive. Where did you get this thing?

Nick showed her a smile as he walked around the couch before grabbing a seat for himself right next to her. As Nick placed his posterior over the seat on her right side while leaving some space between them, he released a relaxed grunt and said:

- I didn't. My father did.

Judy's ears twitched with surprise, that was the first time she heard Nick even giving a mention of his father. She leaned her head to get a better read on him and asked:

- Your father?

- Yup.

The fox didn't give too much of an answer just yet. He leaned his body and reached his left arm over the coffee table until his paw reached the bottle, he hoisted the bottle in the air and brought it closer as he went to undo the latch and open it up. Nick continued to speak ad he tried over and over again to unscrew the lid on the bottle:

- A long while ago, my dad got this bottle in a local lottery that the commerce association of Zootopia put together, he wasn't even married to my mom when that happened. He always kept this bottle locked away and bragged to everyone that he was saving it to open and share it with everyone when he got his big break in life.

Nick finished telling that and he still didn't manage to unscrew the lid on the bottle. Judy asked of him as the fox turned the bottle on another angle to try again:

- "Big break"?

Nick looked at her and spoke up:

- Yeah. Everyone in my old neighborhood knew my dad and all that he did for the community. The great Thaddeus Wilde couldn't help but stand out as the fox who went out of his way to help others. He was quite famous back in the day.

Nick switched the paw he was using to open the bottle to see if he would have better luck. He continued to talk as he grunted with effort to remove the lid:

- My dad had three different jobs. *Uhnf"! He fixed pipes and vents in other buildings… *Grunt*! He painted walls and fences around the neighborhood,… *Grrr*! And he was also a mechanic. He worked as much as he could to support his family. It didn't matter how tired he was after a day of work, he always had time for others.

With one last attempt and half convinced that there was some unknown secret to open the bottle, Nick yelped with short breath as he spoke:

- Damnit! This thing is screwed on tight.

Judy extended her paws and asked of him:

- Can I try?

- Knock yourself out, carrots.

Nick passed the bottle to Judy and the bunny held on tightly to it with both paws as she took note of how heavy the object actually was. Judy placed the bottle over the cushioned seat right next to her and prepared to give her best shot at opening the lid, she took her right paw next to her mouth and released a warm breath over her own palm, she placed her paw over the round outward shell shortly after and in one fell swoop she released the lid just enough so that it could be opened up all the way without any issue. Judy handed the opened bottle over to Nick who took the item and spoke up with a touch of annoyance in his voice:

- I obviously loosened it up for you.

Judy smiled and said to that:

- Sure you did, slick.

Nick didn't mind the quirky tone that Judy used to say that, he just smiled and began to pour the first batch of the drink in the glass near her, the liquid was calmly placed until it filled the glass halfway through and made the ice cubes clink at the sides of the new receptacle releasing a pleasant sound. Nick was just about to pour a dose of the drink for himself when he heard Judy calling to him and asking:

- Nick, what was your father like?

The brief but detailed mention of Nick's father got Judy very curious for more details but that question caught Nick a little off guard. He stopped himself from pouring even a single drop of whisky into his cup and hold the bottle tightly as he said to himself with a low volume in his voice:

- My dad…

Judy thought that asking such a thing might have touched a nerve unintentionally based on the way that Nick halted his actions and turned his attention to a meaningless corner of the apartment. The bunny tried to rectify that moment by assuring her friend that he did not need to feel obligated to answer her question:

- If… you don't want to talk about it you don't have to. I just thought…

- No. No. It's okay.

Nick interrupted her as he showed the palm of his left paw and said:

- I don't mind it. It's just been a long time since I talked to anyone about this.

Nick resumed what he was doing previous to her question, pouring his own portion of the drink in the glass closest to him until it was filled halfway. Nick set the bottle aside, still with plenty of the drink left inside, sealed it up and placed his back on the couch repost as he thought hard about what to say next, some of his thoughts made themselves audible as he spoke calmly:

- My father… my father…

Judy waited patiently as Nick thought where to begin. He turned his body over his seat on the couch, his eft leg tucked in and over the seat while his right leg was left hanging on the front edge of the couch, he looked over at Judy and spoke up:

- I guess the first thing that comes to mind about my dad is a smell. It sounds silly but that is how most canines get stuff through their memories. He had this smell… it was actually a mix of smells. Sometimes he smelled like off-brand paint or different cleaning products, most times he smelled like motor oil and rust, but my favorite smell was this old cologne that he liked to put on himself. I never learned the name of that perfume, I think it was some sort of after-shave, but it gave him a unique scent that fit perfectly with his posture, with his voice, with his smile. I miss his smile. Mom always said that I have a smile exactly like his.

Judy scooched a little closer to Nick over her seat, placing her legs together as she repositioned her body over the seat, she didn't want to miss any piece of that conversation. The bunny made her ears move around for a bit over her head as Nick's voice traveled across the apartment's atmosphere:

- He was a really special kind of guy. My mom always thought the world about him and so did I. My dad always walked around the house with a tie on, he thought it made him look fancy, he wanted to look his best for every conceivable situation. I remember one time I snuck in his room and grabbed one of his ties to wear for myself, I didn't know how to tie it around my neck so I ended up making a huge mess, tripping up all over the house.

Judy smiled and released a little laugh before Nick continued:

- I was so short back then and I had no idea how to tie a knot. When my father saw what I was doing he decided to make a little tie just for me. He taught me how to tie it perfectly and it took me a whole lot of time to get it right. I don't really know why he felt like he needed to wear a tie around the house but I do get it makes quite the distinguishing accessory of clothing.

Nick passed his right paw over the length of the tie he was wearing around his neck before continuing:

- He also told the best stories. I remember how he tucked me in at night and made time to tell me about tales of great heroes who lived and died helping others. Those were his favorites. I remember that he liked playing cards with his friends but he never bet real money. He told me that he played with real money once and was overconfident so he lost everything in a blink of an eye.

Judy was hanging on every word, focusing her eyes on Nick's expressions and the few gestures he made as he told all of that. He continued after drawing a long breath:

- We didn't have a tv back when I was still a kid. My dad had this big record player and this huge collection of cassette tapes that he kept in a box, every one of the tapes was a recording of some out-of-date band or a few old episodes of "The adventures of Green Hornet and Kano". It was an episodic radio series telling the adventures of a masked vigilante and his loyal confidante as the two of them drove around the city taking the law into their own paws. It had cheesy sound effects and everything and, for a kid without a television, I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. My dad would take time every Tuesday and Friday night to dust off the tapes and hear an episode with me, I think he got all of those tapes from my grandfather. I wonder if mom still have them.

Judy thought that Nick was purposely deviating from the main subject for a moment as his nostalgia began to hit his way of speaking but she enjoyed hearing about every detail regarding his father, nonetheless. The fox turned his mind to the main subject of the conversation soon after:

- My dad worked hard to support me and my mom. They were always taking their time to make sure they would never spent more than they had to. This was way back in the time when I thought that economy was boring. He loved to invite friends over to talk and share a drink, most of the weekends were like a party back at my old place. I liked to sit beside him when he invited friends over, he liked to tell me jokes while we shared some soda. One day, my dad came home with an amazing surprise, he bought us a television set.

Nick made a wide gesture with his paws and his voice intensified as he remembered that moment, however the enthusiasm lessened as he told the rest of the details regarding the moment in particular:

- He bought it at a flea market. It was one of those old models without a remote to activate it, you actually had to get off the couch to change the channel, but we didn't care. We all got together whenever we could to watch cool movies and follow on the news. Of course it was all "Super-heroes" and "Giant robots" for me back then.

Nick made a pause in his talk as he gestured with his right paw pointing to the side in a bunch of different ways, almost as if he was drawing a map in the air with his fingers, as he recalled a high point in the past:

- There was also this one time when my dad called me to come with him to work. We walked together across the savanna and that was the first time I ever walked past our neighborhood, it was very exhilarating. We reached the garage where my dad worked and made most of his money, did not care for the smell of the place but the things my dad showed me were very worth the trip and the smell of grease.

Nick continued as he made a wide arch in the air with his right paw:

- Right there, in front of us, parked inside the garage was a 1985-Duncan Dodger. My dad was in charge of restoring the engine and he showed me every single detail that went into it. I watched him assemble every axel and piston together until the engine was inside the machine and roaring like a lion, it was amazing, I think that is when I got my love for automobiles. After that, we walked back home and stopped on the way to get ice-cream. I loved when we got ice-cream.

Nick closed his eyes and he showed a wide smile, the tip of his tail moved slightly from side to side over his seat as he recalled the many times when he and his parents went out to get ice-cream or to just wander around to visit new places around Zootopia. Nick imagined how he became enthralled with exploring the city and its various pathways and the many ways his father taught him to enjoy life in the city. Nick's smile gradually degraded into a frown, Judy kept with her eyes focused on him and wondered what he was thinking as he slowly opened his eyes and revealed an apprehensive look, a spark of sadness that irradiated out of him as he sat there in silence, that made Judy worry a little bit. Nick finally opened his mouth to speak once more but he closed again as the right words struggled to come out, he tried it once more and he began to speak once more:

- Everything changed one day. I think I was ten or eleven when it happened, it's hard to remember it right. My dad complained that his chest was hurting, it was hard for him to breathe, my mom rushed him to the hospital and he was diagnosed with a dreadful case of coronary heart disease. It was… really advanced.

Judy leaned hear head back a little bit and silently gasped after hearing that. Nick became more saddened, his ears dropped back and he displayed a more defensive posture as he continued to tell the story of his younger days, the fox blinked slowly and his breath became deeper and more apparent as his chest expanded visibly before he kept talking:

- The doctor said that when smaller sized canines like foxes develop heart condition like that, seemingly out of nowhere, there is little chance to go through life normally. That wasn't easy to hear, for anyone. The treatment was slow and kind of spotty, not to mention expensive, but my dad just kept at it, living his life, it got a little hard to see him like that, always tired, always out of breath, it just looked like he was getting worse by the day and he was just too damn stubborn to admit that. I'm pretty sure I got that from him too.

Nick looked down to the floor as he said, trying to squeeze a laugh out of himself with that little joke but finding that a tad hard to accomplish, it was very obvious to Judy how it was hard for Nick to continue talking normally on that subject, she maintained her eyes and ears over him and noticed how everything in his speech and motion subtly began to change, it was a little disconcerting for her. The fox kept going either way as he raised his head and spoke up:

- Doctors said that he might have four months, my dad fought it off for more than eight. His heart kept beating and he kept doing what he loved in life. Until one day when… his heart couldn't take it anymore. We rushed him to the hospital but it didn't matter in the end. Two days after signing him in his heart just…. gave out. It was hard to believe, he was gone.

Nick closed his eyes again and slightly bit his lips together before he gathered the courage to continue, Judy tried to reach her paw to his shoulder and tell him to not overexert himself like that, trying to tell him that there was no need to keep going, but he continued after making sure that he would be holding his sadness back. Nick raised his head and spoke again:

- The entire neighborhood came by to mourn the departure of Thaddeus Wilde. My mom tried to show a brave face for everyone but I know she was devastated inside, I was too. I remember being so sad. When someone close to you dies, when they are no longer around, it feels so… strange to do something without them.

Nick turned his entire body over in Judy's direction as he tried to communicate exactly what he meant to her. He continued:

- When you try to do something, anything, and that someone you lost isn't around to enjoy that with you, it just feels… wrong somehow. It just doesn't make sense. You know?

Judy nodded her head affirmatively as a simple answer to him, now she had no intention of stepping over that moment in any way, she fought off on showing how hard to watch and hear that really was but she also figured that Nick had to get those feelings out somehow. The fox, satisfied with her silent answer, kept going:

- My life began to take a turn right after that. I kept thinking about the things that my dad still had to teach me, about the help he could have given to everyone else, it made no difference at all after I thought long and hard about it.

Nick assumed a more relaxed stance over his seat, his tone of voice also changed. Judy decided to finally reach for him and place her right paw over his left shoulder, Nick moved his eyes to the side and got a glance at her, seeing her little purple eyes and her ears drooping to the back of her head. Judy didn't really know how to answer to that so she just remained silent, looking for the words inside her head as she looked at the fox seated next to her. Nick pointed to the cups over the coffee table with a single pointing claw of his right paw and said:

- The ice is gonna melt, fluff.

- W… what?

Judy didn't get that at first, she searched the direction that Nick was pointing with his finger and found the two glasses of the drink that he had left there, she understood it and gently removed her paw from his shoulder. Nick understood what she was trying to do and figured what she wanted to say at that moment, it was Judy after all, he leaned forward and grabbed one glass in each paw, he gave Judy the one meant for her and turned his eyes to the other one he was still holding. Judy cordially accepted the drink as she reached and held steadily on to the glass with both of her paws, bringing it closer to her but not drinking of its content just yet. Nick held on to his glass in his left paw as he slouched a bit over his seat, keeping himself deep in thought for a short while, Judy looked into her glass, with the two small cubes of ice floating in the drink, and then she looked at Nick once more before saying:

- I'm… really sorry, Nick. I didn't think that…

- It's alright, carrots.

Nick cut in the middle of her words, his smile was back on his face as he said:

- It was actually nice to get this stuff out there. I didn't mind.

There was a moment of silence between the two, neither of them knew to take a swig of their glasses or say something else for about half a minute. Nick took another breath and decided to say one last thing, a thought that made its way out as he spoke softly:

- "The body remains, the soul moves on."

- What?

Judy asked of him after hearing that. Nick moved his glass further from his lips and spoke up to that:

- After my dad passed, a friend of mine said these words to me. I gave him a whole lot of anguish for that, but I was angry and didn't take it to heart. It took me a long time to make sense of those words. My dad may not be around anymore, but I know his spirit lives on, keeps growing, and the memories of him that still linger are more than enough to make me smile. I owe a lot to him and I am thankful for everything he taught me.

Nick posted his back on the couch repost as he relaxed his body and looked at his glass with a renewed and sincere smile on his muzzle, he turned his eyes and then his entire head towards Judy, she was still sitting right there with a perplexed look in her eyes, mostly trying to figure what would Nick convey to her next. The fox pointed her way with a supple gesture of his free left paw as he spoke up, meaning it as a complement with every word:

- You know? I think he would've liked to meet you. You two would have had a lot to talk about. He always had respect for mammals who went above and beyond to help others.

Judy smiled and felt as a little blush built up on her cheeks, she felt very flattered after hearing that from Nick but she also felt a little saddened after seeing Nick staring at his glass and wondering out loud, almost as if he was requiring a definitive answer:

- I do wonder what he would say if he saw the type of mammal that I became without his advice to keep me in check. A no good hustler that could only stir up trouble for himself and the ones around him.

Judy thought it to be absolutely uncalled for Nick to be putting himself down like that but the fox just had this little piece of himself deep down that tried to keep him grounded on his previous reality. Judy could not accept those words and decided to pull Nick back into the full focus of the moment by speaking up while reaching her left paw up to his shoulder and saying:

- That is not you. Not as I see it.

Nick shifted his eyes back to her and asked:

- And how do you see me, officer carrots?

Judy was put on the spot with that question but she didn't mind it. The bunny simply placed herself at a straight posture while looking at him and answered with the outmost sincerity:

- A sweet and cunning mammal that surpassed all expectations to help others. A fun loving individual that brings the best out of those around him, even if he doesn't see it at first. You have a good heart and a clever mind Nick, and you used both of them to reach out in life. You deserve nothing but respect.

Nick closed his eyes as Judy's words hit him rather deeply, the fox was ready to shed a tear but he held off on that. He turned to Judy and the bunny took her paw away from his shoulder as she saw the little spark present in his eyes, her little cotton tail twitched frantically from side to side and she implored that he didn't notice that at all. Nick smiled and spoke up as he slowly placed his left paw over her head making Judy lower her ears and give herself up entirely to that warm feeling that she longed for without even realizing it. The fox gave her a single pet and said:

- Thanks, Judy.

Judy raised her free paw up and tried to place it around his wrist, she released a giggle as she said:

- You're welcome.

The pair returned their attention to their drinks, the ice cubes floating inside the glasses were now reduced to about half their original sizes. Judy spoke up without taking her eyes away from the glass:

- Feels like we should toast to something. Seems like it would be a wasted opportunity to let a drink such as this pass up without a toast.

Nick showed off a thinking expression as he pondered in silently quantification what was the most important thing that they should toast for. Judy asked of him as she slightly raised her glass:

- To… the future?

Nick smiled and spoke up without looking her way at first:

- The future isn't here yet, fluff. Let's wait a little more on that one.

Judy found that humorous, hearing her friend speaking of something so immaterial and uncertain as the future like it was a material being on its way to meet up with them. Nick thought for a little while longer before an affirmation reached a consensus in his head, the fox raised his glass slightly in the air and spoke up:

- To Thaddeus Wilde. Gone for more than a decade and still got things to teach us all.

Judy repeated his gesture with her own cup but she didn't partake of the drink just yet, Nick could not wait any longer and finally took his first and long swig of the drink. Judy watched as Nick closed his eyes and took the glass up to his lips, giving one gulp after the other as the drink went down his throat, leaving nothing more that the remnants of the ice cubes inside the cup, the fox leaned his head back and rested tranquil and satisfied, it almost looked like the substance was caressing him from the inside as he was letting out a long audible sigh of pleasure followed by a few words that showed how satisfied he was:

- Oh, wow. This is really good!

Judy was very curious now, she wondered if the drink was as good as Nick made it out to be, the bunny held to her glass with both paws and slowly brought it up to her lips before taking a long sip of the drink. Judy could not take the entire contents of the glass like Nick had done, there wasn't enough volume within her mouth to consume the entire glass in one take, as the liquid touched the insides of her mouth she could taste something very different, the drink itself was unusual in a way to her. At first there was no discernible taste, the drink felt like a simple glass of cold water, then there was a spike of sweetness, the tip of her tongue tingled with the sudden change in flavor and the insides of her cheeks felt soft as the substance washed over her mouth. She enjoyed it, finally she swallowed the entire quantity of it and felt as the liquid gave out a relaxing stream that made its way through her esophagus to her stomach. Judy called up to Nick's attention and complemented the drink appropriately by saying:

- It is good. It's sweet and it goes down very smoothly.

After his ears took notice of her description, Nick showed her the pointing finger of his left paw without leaving his relaxed position over the couch and said:

- Wait for it…

Judy didn't get what he meant by that but her answer came out into the light soon enough. As the drink fully entered her system and hit her stomach, the bunny felt a sparking sensation that emanated from her very core, a sudden wave of numbness that traveled through her muscles and vanished as fast as it had appeared. Judy had her fur stand on end, even the fur at the tip of her ears sparked upwards, and she felt the need to get that new sensation out in the open as soon as the pleasant shiver dissipated and she spoke up:

- Cheese and crackers! That's strong!

- Yes. Yes, it is.

Nick said as such with a wide smile on his lips. The two friends went on with their nice night, Nick would continue to pour the drink in relative moderation and Judy occasionally nibbled on a few of the snacks, mostly the little tangerine slices placed in the bowl near her, Nick found it absolutely cute as she took small bites off the tangerine slices and sounded quick chewing sounds from her cheeks before swallowing it, he didn't say it out loud though. After taking a pause in the conversation for eating, the two returned to talking as Nick reveled in a story about him and Finnick and how they got into a messy situation involving a long-term con in a bar and a quick fling with a waitress, the fox was just about to conclude his story with Judy listening quite attentively to every detail:

- Even when I keep telling Finnick to not let his focus drift away it just seems like he can't help himself.

Judy laughed out loud and said:

- I still cannot believe he did that. If your story is accurate then I already counted, at least, five violations to civilized conduct.

Nick was just about to get a new swig of the drink when he heard that, his laugh was forced out of his chest and the sudden shaking of the glass in his paws nearly caused him to spill his drink. The fox placed his glass away for a quick minute as he contained the rest of his laugh and said:

- Well, you can rest easy. Finnick and I have learned our lesson: Never take a loan on a shady car parts dealer and never try to date the daughter of said shady dealer.

Judy laughed and said:

- Finnick is quite bold when it comes to females.

- You do not know the half of it. Finn may be daring on the love department but he is also known for not having the best luck on long term relationships.

Nick finished saying that and returned his attention to the glass in his right paw, the fox placed the edge of the glass on his lips and got himself another smooth hit of the whisky. Judy did the same thing, the sweet sensation, the gentle mixture of feelings erupting from within thanks to the liquid only seemed to get better after every gulp as the fur at the back of her neck stood on end and she released a blissful hum after enjoying the favor. Nick placed his emptied out glass over the coffee table and decided to pace himself a little better by opening a bag of salty chips and gradually snacking on the treats one after the other. Judy finished her own glass and stayed deep in thought for a moment, her ears moved from side to side before dropping to the back of her head as she thought about a few times in her past, moments when she could have been daring and unpredictable but she decided to stick to her main plan.

Nick chewed loudly on the crunchy snack and took little notice of the silence that befell Judy, the bunny kept thinking about a few key moments in her life when it felt like she might have found a special somebody for herself but it always turned out the same way, disappointment.

"Maybe if I had put a little more effort into it…"

She thought to herself as her mind continued to wonder what could have been or might have happened if her decisions swayed slightly more in another direction. Nick's ears twitched to the side as his teeth continued to crunch the salty chips, he turned over to Judy, swallowed the food he was having and asked of her:

- What's up, carrots? Something on your mind?

Judy turned to Nick and quickly dismissed any worries he might have in his question as she said:

- No, nothing much. Just… thinking for a bit.

Nick left Judy to her thoughts and continued chewing on the bag of chips he was holding on to, he even offered her some but Judy politely declined. A few minutes rolled by until Judy requested Nick to pour her another glass, the fox replied to her request and calmly brought the mouth of the bottle to the glass she was steadily holding on her right paw as he said:

- I'm quite impressed, carrots. Never pegged you for such a refined drinker.

Judy took the freshly poured glass in her paw and asked of him:

- How so, slick?

Nick placed the bottle down and answered:

- Well… most mammals of your… size are not really into drinking, you don't even strike me as a drinker at all. Always thought you were solely based on tea and fruit juice.

Judy sounded off a little snicker as she heard that, the bunny took a long sip from her glass before speaking up, strongly directing her words out with gusto thanks to the tingling feeling of the drink:

- Are you implying that I can't hold my alcohol solely based on the fact that I am a small sized mammal? You seldom know of my drinking score, Mr. Wilde. Do you really believe this to be the first time I ever shared a drink with someone else?

- I didn't say that. It was just of my belief that you were a more selective type of drinker. I honestly cannot picture you taking a swig at a bar.

Nick said that while his left paw showed a dismissive way, a small act of unrest as he believed he might had said something that struck Judy in the wrong way, the bunny directed a cheeky smile his way and didn't look too shaken by his comment. Judy took the other half of the drink in her and spoke up:

- It's true that I rarely partake in alcoholic drinks, I have to keep myself wide-eyed and alert for my job. However, on a few rare occasions, I have been known to… "let lose" and have some fun.

Nick scooched his body closer to her over his seat and leaned his body forward to try and get a better read on her as he asked, inquiring more details:

- Do tell, fluff. Have you ever gone wild at a party?

Judy shook her head and answered to him:

- Nothing like that. I did attend as a guest on a variety of parties back in Bunnyburrow. Plenty of them with more than enough drinks to go around.

Nick remained silent and placed in the same position over his seat, listening to Judy. She continued talking but she did so by launching a question at Nick that she did not intend on getting an answer:

- Nick, do you have any idea how many sisters I have?

- Uhm…

The fox didn't have a chance to formulate an answer as Judy shot another question at him:

- Do you know how many of them already got married?

- I don't…

Yet another question:

- Can you make a rough estimate of how many marriages, family reunions and parties in general that I got to attend back in the day?

Nick could already figure out where Judy was going with that but he kept his opinions to himself as he let her talking:

- I have gone to a lot of different parties and gatherings with my family. My brothers and my sisters always tried to include me when they went out to have fun, it has been like this for quite a long time since I was never an… approachable individual when I was younger.

Nick was already well accustomed with Judy's company so he could not imagine her as, in her own words, "unapproachable". The fox raised one of his brows and Judy took immediate note of that. She answered to his silent demonstration of doubt:

- I'm being serious. I mostly just kept to myself, my studies, my own goals when I was just a kid, I was always the "odd one out", but I didn't mind it. That's not to say I was a dull bunny all the time.

Judy gesture using both of her paws at the same time as she recalled out loud:

- My brothers liked to invite me to hang around town, my sisters invited me to parties and I really appreciated that, whenever I accepted the invite to come along it gave me a little more life experience that I couldn't have gotten on my own and it helped me feel included. I got out, I drank a little, I had fun. What I never appreciated were the many attempts to hook me up with someone else.

Nick's ears twitched in her direction after taking note of the tone she used to say that last part, unenthusiastic, somewhat annoyed as she said that. Nick was way more curious now and he didn't even have to ask anything to get an answer out of her. Judy placed the palms of both of her paws over her head and passed them slowly over her own scalp, that made her ears lower while her mouth released a loud sigh, the bunny spoke up but there was a small bit of hesitation in her voice, she wasn't sure why she was sharing that but she knew that she just had to do so:

- Life in Bunnyburrow was as simple as it could get. Any bunny knew about the whole "Big Picture" of living at the burrows. Study, grow up, work hard, get a mate and make life worth living. That was the whole deal and I sort of got all of that but I always believed there was more than just work in a farm for the rest of my life. I love my parents but their expectations were very grounded, they believed that I should be more realistic with my dreams and just stride to become a farmer like them and the rest of my siblings, I have nothing against farm work but I really wanted to become a police officer and that is what I set off to do, that didn't stop my mother and my sisters to continuously try and get me someone to settle down with.

Judy took in a little air before continuing, Nick remained silent as he placed his right paw under his jaw for support and comfort as he just kept listening:

- I know that they always had the best of intentions in mind though it did get annoying after a while. It always began in the same way, one of them would approach me with a talk like "Oh, I know this friend of a friend that would be just perfect for you." Or "There is this son of a good friend of mine and he is just dying to meet you.". I would get ready for a single date that, more often than not, would end in the very same way.

Judy took another breath as she listed the repetitive outcomes of her previous romantic gatherings that always appeared in a pattern before her:

- I'd get dressed nice, meet the guy, we would eat for a few minutes, talk a bunch and the same question would come up about what I wanted to be in the future. Every single time that I talked about my goal to become an officer of the ZPD they would look at me weird, there was this time when a buck thought I was joking and he straight up laughed at me.

Nick pressed his teeth and inhaled sharply as he imagined how furious Judy must have been in that particular occasion and how he wouldn't wish to be on the wrong side of her angry scorn. Judy calmed down after that, her ranting became more controlled as she leaned her body forward and directed her sight to the ground for little more than a couple of seconds, the bunny raised herself over her seat, placing herself in a straight posture, even her ears slowly raised up as she did so, and continued speaking:

- I know what everyone else in Bunnyburrow thought of me, what they said behind my back, all of those words meant to cut me down to size and get me to give it all up. I nearly did that. It was hard to keep pushing ahead when there weren't a whole lot of other mammals that would take me seriously.

Nick felt a little uncomfortable after she said that, it brought back the memory of the time they first met and he couldn't help himself but make fun of her. His heart felt a tad tight inside of his chest but Judy didn't take notice of that as she kept at it:

- I went along with some of the plans that my mom and my sisters had to get a boyfriend to not hurt their feelings, but truth be told, all of that small talk and agreeing with everything, that just wasn't… me. Also, it looked like every time I let my true self come to the surface it didn't do me any favors. It got me thinking that I may not be the best at socializing so I just kept most things to myself, figured I knew what I was doing if I just… kept to my own.

Judy tuckered herself over her seat, placing her feet up and bending her knees closer to her torso, her eyes didn't look at any particular direction as she spoke with a bashful tone of voice:

- I figured that what the bucks back in Bunnyburrow really wanted was a regular kind of bunny, someone that knows how to keep things to herself.

Nick just stayed silent but he didn't remain still as he tried to reach to her with his paw to see if he could offer her some comfort. Judy untucked from her position and sniffed some air through her nose to keep in all of the overwhelming feelings she was experiencing, her nose twitched after she was done suppressing herself and her breathing turned into a more calmed rhythm after she slowed her thoughts down. Nick could not figure out what was going through her mind but he did know that talking like that was not becoming of her, Nick came to envision the bunny sitting next to him as an unstoppable force and he did not wish to see her beating herself down, not even in thought. Nick leaned a little bit in her direction and placed his paw over her shoulder, she didn't look at him right away. Judy spoke up as her eyes passed over the room before she turned over to Nick:

- Sorry if I'm just blabbering on and on. I really don't know why I'm feeling like this all of a sudden.

Nick's paw retreated for a short second but he turned over to comfort her as he said with conviction:

- No. You're not blabbering. I don't mind listening to you.

Judy showed a little smile but her eyes turned away from Nick. The fox continued speaking to her in order to lift her spirits:

- I don't think that you should keep hiding your feelings or your opinions like that. You are not like anyone else and that is the most amazing thing about you.

- You… you really think so?

Nick smiled and answered:

- Sure I do. You're an amazing friend, carrots. You smashed through every barrier and accomplish what would be taken as impossible. You're smart, tough, kind and just plain fun to hang out with. If those halfwit bucks from the burrows couldn't see you for the great mammal that you are than that is their problem. They were holding you down and you don't need to care about what they had to say about you.

Judy's smile intensified with Nick's words. She raised her ears and clutched her paws over her knees before speaking out:

- Yeah. You're right. I'm great and I don't care if anyone else says otherwise.

- That's the stuff!

Judy and Nick released a collective laugh that slowly died down but remained well present in the room. The two of them exchanged a sweet set of looks until Judy scooched as close as possible to give Nick a nice hug, placing her arms around his torso and speaking up while her cheeks were smooshing against his chest:

- Thanks for that, Nick. I really appreciate that.

Nick didn't know what to make of that at first, he figured that Judy was fine even if the increasingly dosage of whisky in her system was causing her feelings to bounce all over the place. The two of them were more than contempt with that moment of sharing, Nick asked Judy to keep going and tell a little more about her family and about her life in Bunnyburrow, she proceeded with brief verbalizations about her parents and some of her siblings along with the impact she caused with her greater-than-life mentality. More than a whole hour had gone by and the two mammals had almost depleted themselves with talking. Almost all of the snacks had been consumed and the bottle was about four fifths of its way to being done. Nick and Judy were in unquestionably high spirits and the fox just kept thinking to himself how good of an idea that was, to just come around and unwind alongside her. Judy was sitting in silence over her side of the couch, her head was already buzzing due to the fun she was having with Nick and to the amounts of drink she had, she didn't care if it was getting late or if there was going to be more work at the precinct on the following day, she only cared about having good fun with her friend and enjoying his company for as long as possible.

Nick looked around, landing his eyes at the window and catching a glimpse of the outside world, with the minute of silence between him and Judy he could identify some of the sounds passing by the street just outside. He looked over at Judy and admired her for a little bit, seeing her lose smile was sort of a treat and he never figured that he could be having this much fun without heading off anywhere else with her, just talking about things, real, meaningful things that made the difference in both of their lives. It felt nice to him and she shared that feeling.

Nick thought incessantly more during that time of silence about one crucial moment in the past, he felt like asking her about that on many occasions but it never felt like the right time. After taking a breath and adding some courage to himself, Nick leaned to the left and poked Judy's shoulder before calling out to her:

- Hey, carrots.

- Yeah?

Judy raised her head from the couch repost and turned her attention back at Nick, she took in a hurried breath and placed her back straight over her seat, the bunny was in the middle of a relaxing line of meditation when he heard Nick calling out to her. Judy tried to make it look like she had been awake and alert for far longer than a few seconds, Nick didn't buy her stance for a second but he let that slide off to speak to her. The fox gestured with his right paw before talking:

- There's… something I've been meaning to ask you for a long time and I figured now it's as good a time as any to get it out of the way.

Judy wasn't sure what would be the inquiry to be thrown her way but her mind was sharp and she was up to answering to whatever he was about to ask:

- Well… go ahead, ask me whatever you want.

Nick's ears lowered and he directed an unsure gaze at her, the fox realigned himself over his seat and spoke up:

- Back during the whole Night-howler deal, I could see that I put you in the spot with that whole biology and predator nonsense, I'm glad we put all of that behind us but there is something from that time that is still nagging in my mind.

Judy kept her attention in the moment as her mind quickly traveled to the mentioned moment and back again. She leaned closer to Nick and said:

- Sure, Nick. What's wrong?

The fox pressed his lips together and clenched his teeth before finally asking it:

- I do get that Zootopia is a tough town, I probably can understand that better than anyone. But why were you carrying fox repellent throughout the first time we met?

Judy was definitely not ready to hear that question, the bunny felt a painful dose of embarrassment creeping in on her as her chest became short on air and her ears fell down on the back of her head. Judy placed her paws over her cheeks and began panicking a bit:

- Oh… Nick. Oh, my goodness. I…

- Look, fluff, I really don't mind it if you don't answer me. I just thought that…

Judy cut him off in the middle of his sentence. She was not expecting that question just out of nowhere like that but she wanted to make an effort to explain herself. The bunny tossed her upper body forward and gestured with her paws to jump back in the conversation and say:

- No, Nick, it's fine. If anyone is entitled to an explanation to that is you. I feel so silly for not coming to terms on this subject sooner.

- You don't need to go out of your way on this for an explanation, carrots. I don't even know why I decided to ask that. I don't need to know what was the real reason behind that.

- Yes, you do. You're my friend and I must tell you the truth.

Judy took a deep breath and placed her thoughts in order before answering him:

- Before coming over to Zootopia, my parents were a little worried that I might find myself pitted against… unreasonable mammals out on the streets. They have never been on a big city before and they were scared to see me just leaving. I think it was that, anyway.

Nick understood what she meant by that and he stayed quiet to hear more of her explanation, Judy showed that he was still a little bit frustrated with herself for having the fox repellant with her but she continued talking with no changes to her tone of voice:

- My mom and dad were trying to look out for me in their own overbearing way since it was the first time I would be going so far away from home on my own. The real reason why they insisted on me having the repellant had a name and his name was Gideon Gray.

Nick had pieced where that was going inside his mind, he placed his arm over the couch repost as he placed himself in a more relaxed position to continued listening to her. Judy continued:

- Gideon was a the bully that got up on everyone's case back when I was a kid, particularly mine. He was big, strong, not too smart and… he was a fox. There was one time in particular when there was this fair in Bunnyburrow. Stands with carnival games, foods and prizes, a lot of mammals came over to enjoy it after my school was done with a very special play about the founding of Zootopia.

Nick nodded his head as he recalled her mentioning that at one time. He let his ears raise over his head and said with a little smile on his lips:

- Sounds like fun.

Judy looked right at him and gave him a single positive nod before continuing:

- During the fair, I saw Gideon following a trio of smaller mammals and he demanded they gave him the prize tickets they had gathered. I tried to stop him, asked him to give the tickets back, but he teased me, shoved me to the ground.

There was a short pause in her story, Nick could not be sure what she would say next until he saw her smiling and saying with a mixture of bragging and unnerving:

- Then… I kicked him in the face.

Nick held back a guffaw after hearing that, he put his right paw in front of his mouth to prevent any sound from coming out as he realized that that may not be the best time to treat that tale like a joke. He didn't have any other intentions to let laughter out once he saw Judy's face downgrading into a frown, slowly raising her left paw up to her cheek and slightly turning her face so that Nick could see what she was about to show him. Judy's eyes looked away and gradually closed and opened once more as her sight seemed to deviate from the present and she gently brushed off the fur on her left cheek with the palm of her paw as she told the main point of her story, resuming in just a few words what had happened while she revealed a hidden set of scars:

- But Gideon… he… had really sharp claws.

Nick pressed his eyes to get a slightly enhanced look of Judy's cheek as he took notice of a detail he had never seen before and he saw it, small indentations in her fur that revealed three marks placed in almost perfect parallel over her skin. His eyes shot open in disbelief and his mouth froze open as he saw those marks on the side of her face for the very first time, those claw marks that were made by a fox just hidden there under the fur all this time. In that instance everything around Nick became silent and colorless as a blank void, his focus was solely on Judy and what she had just showed him. He was immediately overtaken by a spark of rage that grew into a full on flame from within his chest, he was short of breath for a moment as his throat closed in silence and he held the small dose of air he still had in his lungs with great pressure as it felt like he was about to explode, but all of those feelings faded away pretty soon once he heard her voice again:

- My parents were in a bit of a panic after seeing that, understandable, there was this huge mess when they tried to talk with Gideon's father about what happened and I think that was when this whole stupid deal started. I'm not even sure if…

Nick gave little attention to those words, the sight of the scar on her left cheek was still lingering in vivid detail inside his head. Nick's body moved on its own as both of his paws reached for Judy's head, placing his paws over each of her cheeks, and he gently but quickly turned her around while pulling her slightly closer and scooching his own body over his seat and getting very near her to get another look at the marks:

- Whoa! NICK! What are you doing?!

Judy was in awe after feeling the fox placing his paws over her without any sort of warning and she was even more surprised to notice that her face was now mere inches from his muzzle as his eyes were locked in an analytic setting, studying that single detail previously unseen on her face. Nick used the palm of his right paw to separate the fur on Judy's cheek once more and get another look at her scar, the bunny felt a sudden shiver that climbed through her entire body as she felt that gentle warm brush, a feeling that she was not ready for and caused her to blush violently. Judy bit down on her lower lip and released a little yelp from her throat as she noticed that Nick's breath was rushed and loud, there was a subtle growl that rushed out of his nostrils with every breath he took, she could feel the consecutive puffs of warm air over her, she knew how strong he actually was and having his face so close to hers was not something she actually envisioned happening at that time. Judy thought to herself how she should feel at that moment, she was being held by a fox, she was in the paws of a predator, claws and all, at one time she would have been scared, but she wasn't.

Having Nick placing his paws over her like that was a surprise that made the rest of Judy's body freeze up for a moment, but as soon as she took note of how he was touching her, with moderate strength, a nice degree of warmth and a gentle pet of his paws, she felt tranquil beyond anything she had ever experienced. Judy felt safe so close to Nick, she knew the mammal next to her very well and she told herself over and over that it was alright and he would never harm her in any way so, after the shock had subsided, she just let her body loosen up and she let a welcome wave of delight hit her and she relaxed under his careful hold.

That sensation was very different for Judy, having Nick's paws over her like that felt much more personal, much more intuitive than a simple hug. Nick held Judy like studying her marks was his top priority and she didn't seem to mind that too much so he just continued on his task. Judy closed her eyes as she released an inaudible sigh while feeling Nick's fingers slowly contracting over her, his paw pads brushing over her fur and gently pressing over her skin. Judy was not putting up any resistance against Nick, her body and mind could only focus on that sensation, on the energy that Nick was giving out with his touch. Judy was just about to get completely lost in the moment when she heard Nick's voice calling out to her:

- This Gideon guy really did this to you?!

Judy was called back to reality in a rush and her mind was still in a bit foggy as she reopened her eyes and was faced with Nick, staring at her with an inquisitive look and gradually letting go of her. Judy placed her paws over her chest as she quickly pieced together what had just happened, she looked away from Nick and tried to hide the look of utter embarrassment she now had stamped on her face. Nick was too dead centered on the scars and on the one that made them to notice anything else, he thought that the reason why Judy turned away from him and apparently refused to deliver a verbal confirmation was because she was too distraught to say anything else on that subject. With a rash assumption that the recently brought conversation had touched on Judy's nerves in a bad way, Nick clasped his paws into fists as he spoke up with a gruff and menacing tone of voice:

- This Gideon guy better pray that I don't meet him in the flesh, otherwise…

Judy caught just enough of that to know that Nick did not mean to end such a confrontation on friendly terms. The bunny leaned over in his direction and placed both her paws over his left arm, trying to defuse his temper:

- Nick, wait! Don't say stuff like that.

Nick looked over to Judy and she made sure to explain the rest of the things regarding Gideon and why Nick shouldn't be mad about something that happened so long ago:

- Gideon was just a kid when thins happened. It was nothing more than the foolish scorn of a bully.

She said so while pointing to her cheek, Nick was having none of that as he spoke up:

- Judy, I've seen what bully is like and that is a straight up act of interspecies aggression!

She tried to calm him down by placing her right paw over his shoulder and softly saying:

- Nick, I saw Gideon again and he grew up past all of those things. He even apologized to me for all of the grief he had caused and he was sincere about it. Everything is fine.

Nick remained silent as she continued:

- I think is really sweet that you would get protective like that just for me, but there is no need for that. Gideon is a really nice guy now, when I met him again he was the owner of a very prosperous bakery business and my parents even made it so they could work together with him. As a matter of fact, Gideon let it slip the whole deal about the night-howler being the nickname of the flowers. If it wasn't for him, I would have never come back to Zootopia and we wouldn't have been friends again.

Nick followed her line of thinking as he figured how improbable but fortunate all of those events really were and how they played together in such a perfect way that would lead Judy back to Zootopia and, eventually, back to him. Nick stopped his line of thought to not let his mind wander too far from the present once more, he turned over to Judy and said:

- If you say so. I just got a little heated back there. It gets me furious when I hear about a mammal picking off on someone smaller just because he can. It doesn't sit well with me.

Nick looked away with a very grumpy scowl on his face, Judy smiled and scooched a little closer to him, she leaned her body and placed her head closer to him as she petted his arm and said:

- You are a good friend, Nick. I'm such a lucky mammal to have found you.

Nick turned to face her once more, he began to smile as he saw the bunny so close to him. It was a nice moment and he definitely didn't mind being with her like that, Judy had her mind set on just enjoying Nick's company and let any unpleasant thought melt away to not spoil their time together. The two remained in silence for a little bit, Nick enjoyed that and he thanked in silence for having spent that time with Judy as the bunny just stayed by his side enjoying his natural warmth, they spoke about so many things, so many real things that stayed trapped for so long but that could also be good to get out in the open. Nick raised his head and was about to say something else as he took par on what he had just done, he raised both of his paws in front of him and twiddled his fingers as he said:

- Sorry for… grabbing you like that, out of nowhere. I don't even…

- No. It's fine. It's fine.

Judy's ears raised and twitched to the side as she caught a sound that was getting louder and more noticeable just outside the far off window, it was water. They didn't have to wait too long to hear more of it, the sound of water drops falling over just outside intensified until it was impossible to ignore. Judy felt like speaking up to that even if it was obvious what was happening:

- It's raining.

Nick was legitimately surprised to hear the rain just outside, he raised bis ears, directing them to the sound of the rain and took a quick sniff of the air before saying:

- Rain in the savanna? At this time of year? It's way too early for the rain season. Tonight must be quite special.

Nick and Judy were seated on the couch for a few more minutes but Nick realized that it was already quite late at the night and he figured that they might need to go to sleep so that they could get to work willing and alert at the morning. The fox raised from his seat and was already set on making preparations to leave for his home, he spoke up:

- Well… this was just a blast and a half, fluff. Thanks for having me by and I really appreciate all the talk we had, but I really better get going.

Judy didn't want Nick to go, specially with the enormous downpour still falling on just outside, she reached for his paw and said:

- Wait. Don't go just yet. You will get completely doused I this rain.

Nick tried to make it so like the rain would be no big deal for him but Judy still insisted that he remained:

- Please Nick, stay. I won't mind it. Stay just for a little bit longer.

The fox directed his hearing to the outside and figured that the rain was just going to get worse, he really didn't want to get wet and he figured that there would be no cabs circulating at that hour. He sat himself back on the couch and said:

- Very well, carrots. I'll stay. Just for a little bit longer.

Judy was very happy to hear that. She leaned her head over Nick once more and got comfortable, he didn't mind her doing that, it felt quite pleasant to have her that close by. Judy's ears continued to pick up on the sound of the rain just outside and the soothing tapping of the water drops caused her mind to wander off, she closed her eyes and before she could even notice it she was fast asleep. Nick waited for ten minutes or so as the rain showed no signs of slowing down, he looked over at Judy with her eyes closed and figured that she was already asleep, he didn't wish to wake her up or leave without giving her notice so he just waited a little more. Nick became a little more relaxed with the sound and the pleasant smell of the rainfall, he closed his eyes and leaned a little more to the side as he thought to himself that he should get a quick nap believing that the rain would be gone once he woke up, unexpectedly, he let his guard down for but a moment and he suddenly fell asleep as well.

Nick and Judy fell into blissful sleep while the rain kept falling for most of the night. Most of Zootopia was asleep at that point with the exception of a few nocturnal mammals that had their places of business opened at that hour and a few unpleasantly villainous individuals conducting an unsavory dealings by the cover of darkness.

Unbeknownst to any law enforcer or attentive eyes, a truck was stopping by a garage on the eastern edge of the rainforest district, parking under the dim light of a street lamp on a rarely traveled stretch of the road. Out from the driver's seat stepped a capibara dressed in a black jacket and taking one last drag of a cigarette he had in his mouth, the large rodent tossed the burnt out item on the ground and stepped on it to put it out but his quiet moment was disturbed by a gruff voice belonging to a mammal that manifested himself from the dark alley nearby:

- What the hell do you think you're doing?!

The capibara looked to the left and saw an ocelot emerging from the alleyway, the feline was the drawn image of intimidation with a brown over coat covering his bulky frame and a large scar by the right side of his face. The capibara didn't look intimidated in the least by the feline's presence, they clearly knew each other. The ocelot approached him with a wide set of steps as the rodent retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his left pocket and offered one to him:

- Just smoking one out to relax. Want one?

The ocelot had flames in his eyes and a vicious growl in his throat as he released his answer, speaking with an indiscreet amount of frustration but still being careful to not use his full volume as he did so:

- You idiot! Didn't you pay attention to what the boss said?!

The feline raised his right paw and pushed the small box back at the capibara in an aggressive manner before speaking again:

- We have to be careful to not leave a single trace of our presence. The ZPD have gotten smarter to the business at the docks and we can't leave any trails. Do not smoke!

The capibara retreated one step back as he put the cigarette pack back in his pocket, he showed the palm of his left paw and apologized:

- Sorry.

The ocelot wasn't done with him just yet as he pointed to the ground and spoke up:

- And pick up that blasted cigarette butt from the ground before I grab it myself and make you eat it.

The feline turned around and left his rodent associate to his predetermined task. The ocelot picked his phone from his back pocket and pressed a quick dial to call out to his employer, after two rings the other side of the line sounded a small bell and he got it as a signal that it was safe to talk:

- Sir, we have arrived at the drop off point. We did as you asked and contacted the doc before getting over here.

- …

- No, sir. We weren't followed, I'm sure of it. We're just waiting on the confirmation that those fools you spoke of will be arriving to help us.

- …

- Yes, sir. I'll brief them on the aspects of the plan. You can count on me.

There was a moment of silence before the ocelot asked:

- Anything else, sir?

- …

- Yes, I'll make sure that the bastard delivers on his promise later this week.

- …

- Tomorrow it is, sir.

*Click*

The ocelot turned the phone off and turned around to check on his associate, the capibara had already opened the back of the truck as he finally got a look on the cargo he was transporting throughout most of the day:

- That's it?! Two little gas canisters?

The ocelot pointed a claw at him and said:

- They're not gas canisters you dolt. They're just made to look like it.

The feline pointed at that cargo with both of his paws and continued:

- Inside these canisters is a dangerous substance that can freeze anything in less than a second. It was a real pai to get a hold of it and we had to get way more than we actually needed to not raise any more suspicions from the buyer.

The ocelot turned over to the capibara and finished speaking to him with a warning:

- So make absolute sure that it is secure and it doesn't have any leaks. If anything goes wrong it's gonna be your ass nailed to the wall, not mine.

The capibara nodded positively and got on his task but he wasn't intimidated or in any of a rush to get it done, it was little more than just another transporting job for him, working alongside a mammal that was well known for being quite the short fuse. The ocelot walked off to the front of the truck and took a look upwards, there were only a few stars adorning the sky that night and his eyes deviated to a point far off in the distance as he took notice of a large raincloud floating over the savanna. He adjusted his overcoat and thought out loud:

- Rain on the savanna, outside of raining season. Tonight must be quite special.