Buck and Aiden entered the bullpen. There was officer Johnson arm wrestling with officer Andersen. Officer McHorn was talking with Officer Rhinowitz and Wolfard. Officer Fangmeyer and Delgato were laughing about something. Officer Grizzoli and Snarlov were showing each other something on their cell phones.
The horse and the hyena found a couple of empty seats at the front of the room and took a seat. Nick and Judy were sitting at a table next to them in the same seat.
"How soon do you think it will be when they'll both be Officer Wilde?" Aiden asked Buck.
"I'd give it a few months," Buck replied.
"Atten hut!" Officer Higgins called. Nick and Judy stood. Buck stood slamming his hooves on the table nickering. Aiden slammed his paws on the table making a hyena "laugh". The other officers were standing while slamming their paws on the tables and chanting. The officers that are wolves howled.
"Alright! Enough! Everyone sit." Chief Bogo said entering. The officers sat down.
"Assignments. Officers Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Delgato. TundraTown." Said the Chief. The polar bear, tiger, and lion get up leaving the bullpen.
"Officers Snarlov, Higgins, Wolfard. Undercover." Chief ordered. The polar bear, hippo, and wolf put on their disguises leaving the room.
"Hopps. Wilde. We have a report of an accident caused by street racing downtown. Look into it." Chief instructed.
"On it Chief!" Judy said leaving with Nick.
"Was someone trying to out-dash Flash the hundred-yard dash?" Nick said.
"Broncco. Cackle. We have a noise complaint coming from Foxfire Apartments. Find out who's causing the racket."
"Sounds like a teenager decided to have a party while the parents are on vacation," Aiden said leaving with Buck.
"Or a college student decided to have a house party," Buck said.
"But those would most likely be on campus making that a ZUPD problem." Aiden replied. The horse and the hyena got in one of the vans.
"He said Foxfire right?" Aiden asked.
"He did." Replied Buck. Aiden typed the address in the GPS.
"Let's go talk to this teenager and their friends I guess." Aiden starts the car.
"Or arrest them if alcohol is involved," Buck said.
"I hope not. But I wouldn't put it past them. Especially if there's still noise so early in the morning." Aiden drove through the city.
"I don't know why parents just don't take their kids with them on vacation," Buck said.
"It's a vacation. They want time away from their kid."
"Well if they're a teenager. Take them with you and let them do their own thing while on vacation. Simple solution." Buck said.
"Probably would also save money on their drinks as well thinking about it. Or better yet just don't buy drinks. I don't know why mammals act like alcohol is so good. It doesn't taste good to me."
"Exactly, it tastes so bitter and strong. It's supposed to be an acquired taste from what I heard."
"Yeah, not worth it." Aiden parked outside the apartments. The horse and hyena got out.
"Wait, what's the apartment number?" Asked Aiden. Buck pulled out his walkie.
"This is officer Broncco. I'm with officer Cackle at Foxfire Apartments. What's the apartment number that's been reported for noise?"
"It's apartment two twenty-four. Officer Broncco." Clawhauser answered.
Aiden and Buck nodded to each other and walked upstairs. They looked at the numbers on the door until they reached two twenty-four. There was faint music coming from it.
"This doesn't sound like the type of music you'd hear at a teen party. This sounds like nursing home music." Buck said.
"Maybe they're a bunch of outcasts because they like old music." Aiden knocked on the door. "ZPD." He said. There was no answer.
"ZPD." Buck said knocking on the door. There still wasn't a response.
Aiden turned the door handle. "It's unlocked…" The hyena cautiously opens the door to the apartment. When the two police officers entered they could not believe what they saw.
The apartment was a complete mess. There were empty chip bags, candy wrappers, popsicle sticks, plastic bowls, empty tv dinner boxes, and old blankets, scattered all over the floor. The furniture has been scratched. The music was coming from an old cd player that was stuck in a loop. The most horrifying thing was that there were six young opossums.
The horse and the hyena carefully walked around the stuff scattered everywhere. Aiden got on the opossum's level. Their fur looked sticky and dirty. One had watery eyes, one had a stuffy nose, one couldn't stop scratching their ears, and there was one was laying on one of the blankets. They all had sunken eyes and looked unhealthy.
Buck knelt down and touched the forehead of the one that was laying down. Then he picked it up and placed the opossum on his neck.
"This one has a fever Cackle." He said. Aiden looked at the joeys with concern.
"Where are your parents?" He asked. They didn't answer.
"What are your names?" Asked the hyena. The young opossums still did not answer. Aiden showed them his badge.
"I am officer Cackle. That horse you see is my partner, officer Broncco. We were called here to help you." Aiden said gently. One of the joeys pointed to the kitchen. Buck puts the opossum with the fever back down on the blanket carefully.
"I'll go look at it." He gets up.
"Alright, I'll stay with them," Aiden said to him. He turned to the opossums trying to comfort them. Buck walked into the kitchen and saw a female opossum sitting at the kitchen table.
"Ma'am?" The horse tapped on the jill's shoulder lightly. She didn't respond.
"Ma'am," Buck said a little louder shaking her. The opossum still didn't respond. Buck waved his hoof in front of her face but still didn't get a reaction. He picked up a medicine bottle on the table. It didn't have a label and there were only a few pills in it. Whatever this opossum took, it made her completely zoned out. He pulled out his walkie.
"This is officer Broncco. We have a ten-fifty. Requesting an eleven-forty-one. The subject also has young ones. I repeat. The subject has young ones."
"Ten-four officer Broncco." Clawhauser answered. Buck looked at the kitchen. It was also in terrible shape. There were broken plates on the floor, insects were crawling around the sink, and there were food stains on the walls. Buck went back to the living room. He tapped Aiden on the shoulder and motioned his head to the corner of the apartment. Aiden followed him.
"I do not know what their mother took, but she is out of it. She won't respond or anything." Buck said in a quiet tone.
"There wasn't a label?" Aiden asked in the same quiet tone.
"Nothing. Just a blank prescription bottle and I didn't see anything that looked like street drugs."
"Was it just the mother in there?"
"Yes, I have no idea where the father could be."
Aiden rubbed the back of his head and looked at the opossums for a brief moment.
"Did they tell you their names?" Buck asked.
"No, they've been really quiet. One of them played with my badge for a bit. I feel bad for them. Their life is going to get worse from here." Aiden replied.
"Why will it?" Asked Buck.
"You know how bad the foster system is, don't you? If they don't get adopted they're going to be practically raised by the system until they turn eighteen. After that, they're just thrown out into the streets. With them being opossums the chances of them being adopted are slim to none. Opossums have a stigma of them being vicious even though they'd rather play dead than fight." Aiden explained.
Buck looked at the opossums worried.
"They look so sweet. I would take them myself, but I live in a studio. My apartment doesn't have enough room for me. Six opossums? Forget that." Aiden said.
Even though his Becky days were over Buck knew that he didn't have enough room as well. His townhome only had two bedrooms. Even if he were to give up his room. Two rooms would not be enough for six opossums. The sound of ambulance sirens grew louder.
The first to enter was a cow wearing a gray blazer with a light green blouse underneath and a matching gray dress skirt. Around her neck appeared to be a badge. She carefully scooped up the sick opossum and had the rest get up. She was about to walk out of the apartment when Buck stopped her.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" He asked. The moose stopped and turned to him.
"Yes, officer?" She asked.
"Where are they going?" Buck asked.
"You mean what will happen to them? Well, the sick one needs to go to the hospital first. But afterward, if we can't locate the father, they'll be put in a home for orphaned mammals until they're adopted. If they don't find a home they'll stay there until they're eighteen. You know how the story goes." She said.
"What if someone wanted to adopt?" Buck asked.
"They'd have to fill out an application. Then we'd interview them, visit their home to see if it's stable and do a background check. It's a long process." She answered. Buck responds with a nod.
"Are you thinking about adopting officer?" She asked.
Buck quickly lashed his tail. "Oh. No. Just curious about the process." The moose reached into her skirt pocket and gave Buck a card.
"Well, if you do think about it, or if you just have more questions here's my number. There's also the option to foster." The cow leaves with the joeys.
Buck moved out of the way when a buck and a doe in paramedic uniforms came in with a stretcher. After a few minutes, they left with the mother laying on the stretcher. The buck was holding onto the prescription bottle.
"I was expecting a party going terribly wrong…I didn't think it would be this." Aiden said.
"You and me both Aiden," Buck said. He looked at the card the social worker gave him.
Social Worker
Marsha Mooseington
At the bottom was her phone number.
"Are you going to do it?" Aiden asked.
"Not sure. A part of me wants to, but a townhome is not big enough for six opossums. Plus I don't think I should be a dad." Buck answered. Buck didn't have a good father. His mother was good at times. But most of the time she was just as bad as his father. Buck doubted he would be a good father due to his bizarre upbringing.
"I think you would be a good dad," Aiden said. Buck simpered a bit at that.
"Well I don't know about you but a fish burger and fries sound good right now after seeing that depressing episode," Aiden said.
"It's not even lunch yet." Buck said.
"It still sounds good," Aiden said.
"I'll have a veggie burger and fries."
"Now we're getting it." Aiden leaves the apartment building with Buck.
I got the idea after I dreamed of seeing opossums in the house. For now, it's going to be a one shot until I get ideas for the story. If I do make it into a story it'll take place roughly a year after ABB. You're welcome to place your ideas in the comments!
I did not flip the browser name Firefox. Where I live there is an apartment complex named Foxfire Apartments and I thought it would be a good name for an apartment building in Zootopia. :3
I know in the movie Grizzoli is an Arctic wolf. But in Zootopia Crime Files he's a polar bear and Grizzoli sounds like a bear surname so I had him as a bear.
A female moose is called a cow. I didn't mean cow as in dairy cow.
Female opossums are called jills. Male opossums are called jacks. Young opossums are called joeys.
Codes:
Ten-fifty (10-50) - Subject is under the influence.
Eleven-forty-one (11-41) - Ambulance
Ten-four (10-4) - Affirmative