It was a lousy beginning of the day for Harry Carrotson. He barely got any sleep the night before, as his neighbors were arguing endlessly, more so than usual. Then he found himself missing public transit to Precinct 1, and had to run all the way in just to get to work on time.
"Officer Carrotson... would I be correct in assuming you're having one of those mornings?" Chief Bogo asked.
"Oh don't get me started, I was up all night listening to my neighbor's rant about somethin' stupid." Harry began... and then it donned on him. He shrieked in surprise when he realized that he was in his underwear.
The entire room burst into laughter, save for Bogo, Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, Harry's partner Sawa who had a considerably better morning than her partner and roommate. "Harry I'm so sorry-"
"Just... just don't say anythin'," Harry said dejectedly. Thankfully there was a spare uniform that he could use... but it was a hand-me-down from Judy that was filled with holes.
Then Harry and Sawa got underway for their day on the town... and for Harry, it was just one embarrassing incident after another. Pretty much exclusively at Harry's expense, regardless of any sort of logic. "Mommy, why did that sewage only fall on the bunny?" A chipmunk boy asked his mother.
"I don't know Johnathan, just don't look at him. Because I think he's having a REALLY bad day." Incidents like this kept repeating for Harry, ranging from small injuries and inconveniences to laughably over-the-top acts that could only happen in a bad comedy movie or a legitimately funny cartoon.
By the end of the day, Harry's uniform was torn apart, he was exhausted in a way that even the hardest day of farm work never wore at him, and he looked as if he was one small nudge away from going savage and mauling someones face off. "Sawa... I'm goin' for a walk tonight. I don't know when I'll be back. But after today... I REALLY need to clear my head."
"Could... could you at least get dressed?" Sawa asked. Harry said nothing as he hastily got dressed, and left the apartment.
Surprising his evening went by better, in that he wasn't the victim of slapstick comedy every fifteen minutes. Though he didn't de-stress on his walk any better than he thought it would. Seeing as how he grew up in the countryside of Bunny Burrow, and cities are pretty much built on noise in one way or another.
So by the time he crossed an alleyway, hearing a scream. Harry's spirits soared as he ran down the alley. "FREEZE DIRTBAG!" He shouted... a declaration he quickly regretted when he saw the perp in question.
An abnormally large vampire bat. While aside from their need to consume blood, the average vampire bat is relatively harmless. This one however was at least twice the size of a normal vampire bat, had menacing red eyes that glowed in the dark. And, in Harry's terrified stupor, he didn't notice that this bat was wearing a tattered loincloth.
"Ah... Officer Carrotson. You actually arrived sooner than I anticipated." The bat spoke with a deep demonic voice, Harry felt chills go up and down his spine, realizing that this bat was the only person in this alley, as there was no sign as far as Harry could tell that anyone else was there recently. "Don't worry little one... our time together will be brief." The vampire bat then leaped at Harry.
"FREEZE CREEP!" Sawa said, drawing her gun on the vampire bat. "Stay away from him!"
The vampire bat completely ignored her as he lunged at Harry. "A rabbit... and a fox. Two new acolytes, and it's not even my birthday." The vampire bat then knocked Harry unconscious, he then dragged Sawa into the alley, completely ignoring her gunshots.
XXXX
Eventually, the two officers stirred awake. "Nick! Let them know that there waking up!" Judy said to her husband.
Nick ran out of the hospital room. "What... what happened?" Harry said. "Last thing I remember is stumbling on a literal bat out of-"
"Harry, you and Sawa need to know. You've both been out for an entire week. And... well there are some people here who are interested in what happened." Judy said, then Nick came back into the room.
"Nobody freak out, these guys are just weird!" Nick said as robbed figures entered the hospital room.
"What... what is the meaning of this?" Sawa demanded. "And why do I feel so famished?"
"All will be revealed shortly." Said a nasally sounding voice, as even with a hood over his head. This was clearly a giant anteater. "My name is Consumir Insetos. I am the Grand Apothecary of the Cabal of the Unseen Eye." He said as he removed his hood.
"What? You're with those Vampire weirdos?" Harry said dismissively.
Then the largest of these robed figures knelt beside Consumir. "How bad is it?"
"Looks like a pretty standard case. They don't remember a thing. Think I should... you know?" Consumir whispered.
"Not all at once like the last time." The large robbed figure whispered.
"It was Josephus! How was I supposed to know that- you know what never mind. Let's just get this started." Consumir then raised his clawed hands at both Harry and Sawa. Then he started chanting in Latin. "Everyone join in. This is a group effort!"
Then all of the robed figures raised their respective arms and started chanting with Consumir. As this happened, the beds that Harry and Sawa were in started levitating. "So... should we be present for this?" Judy asked.
"Normally I'd ignore your concern." Her husband said. "But considering our past experiences with Vampires and Vampire magic, I'm going to say. 'Let's sit this one out'... so let's sit this one out." The inter-species couple left the room.
This is ritual continued, Harry and Sawa saw visions of that night. "In the name of my blood... RISE." Said the voice of the giant vampire bat as he looked over the blood drained remains of the rabbit and fox cops. Placing a single drop of his blood into each of their mouths.
"We rise for your glory, oh Ancient One." They said in unison as they rose, levitating to their feet.
"Excellent, now go forth and bring me a feast of blood!" The vampire bat commanded. Harry Sawa walked out of the alley. Only to be hit by a police cruiser, and knocked out. "OH COME ON!"
Then Nick and Judy jumped out of the cruiser and quickly realized what was happening. They opened fire on the 'Ancient One', harming him with silver bullets and holy water. "Oh, my- Judy! We hit Harry and Sawa and- oh no. I think that creep already got to them!"
"Then we get them to the hospital immediately!" Judy said, then she and her husband got them inside of their cruiser and drove off.
The chanting stopped, and Harry and Sawa were fully aware of what happened to them. "So in a nutshell... you were Changed non-consensually." The First Among Equals removed his hood. "I cannot say how sorry I am that you were forced into this."
Before anyone could say anything more. Harry and Sawa reacted with panic and disbelief. Running around the room, yelling.
"This isn't happening... THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!" Harry yelled franticly.
"This is all a dream. This is all a dream." Sawa said as she pinched herself.
"Oh for the love of..." Consumir said in disbelief. "My Lord, would you please calm them down? I'd do it myself, but that ritual took it out of me."
"CALM. DOWN." The First Among Equals said in his commanding voice, causing both Harry and Sawa to stop. "Look. Whether you two like it or not. You're Vampires now, and apparently, you were Changed by the Ancient One himself. All without you're permission." The First Among Equals said solemnly.
Then something occurred to the Vampire cops. "Wait... ain't Davies fiance a Vampire no more?" Harry asked.
"I'm not even going to correct your grammar!" Sawa said in relief. "How was Anna Blackpaw cured of Vampirism?!"
"It was a contrivance," Consumir said. "Apparently a time-traveling spider robot from twenty years in the future just gave the vaccine to her. And I feel like I just became dumber just by saying that."
"Oh..." Sawa said in disappointment. "Could we get one?"
Then Clancy, the aforementioned time traveling spider robot appeared through a time portal. "Don't hold you're breath. Maybe the Plot will permit you to regain your mortality. Maybe the Plot will condemn you both for now and for always... either way. Not my problem." Clancy then left the room through another time portal.
"Yeah, he does that sometimes." The First Among Equals said. "We're pretty sure he's insane from seeing entities beyond mortal comprehension. But back to the point... you're as dead as the rest of us. But this doesn't have to be the end of you're lives, so to speak. You can still lead you're lives... again so to speak."
The two police officers looked at each other in disbelief over the entire situation they found themselves in. Sawa fell to her knees, sobbing without crying. "Okay... even for a generally lousy day, becoming a Vampire was NOT what I was expecting to happen at the end of that day."
"Nobody could've seen that one coming." The First Among Equals then took out a pair of pamphlets from his robes. "These are for a support group for Vampires that have been changed without consent. They'll help you better transition into your new... states of existence."
"You know you could just say lives. It's an oxymoron I know, but still, it's annoying hearin' all them corrections and euphemisms." Harry said.
"I can't believe this," Sawa said, still in disbelief about the entire ordeal. "I'm... I'm a Vampire?"
"Yes. Now comes the part you'll definitely hate." Consumir said, putting on a pair of rubber gloves. "As a bit of advice. Close you're eyes, and think of whatever you love the most."
XXXX
A week followed since Harry Carrotson and Sawa Otocyon were turned into Vampires. Harry was slowly adjusting to the need to suck blood to survive. While Sawa on the other hand wallowed in self-pitying through the entire ordeal. Not speaking, not drinking blood, just doing her day-to-day duties, with the most amount of self-care she provided herself with was applying Vampiric sunscreen every morning.
That night one week after their transformation, Harry and Sawa arrived for their first weakly meeting with their Vampiric support group. "Good evening, children of the night." Said a water deer woman in a robe with the symbol of the Cabal of the Unseen Eye on it. "I am Wilo Chingu. Many of you already know me as the Heirophant of the Cabal of the Unseen Eye. I am responsible for the spiritual well-being of the Cabal as a whole, and in recent nights that also includes psychological aid. So I've had to keep up to date with psychological education."
"So how long have you been with these guys?" Harry asked.
"About fifty years or so," Wilo said. "I used to be a member of a Vampiric Gang in Seoul until Ms. Blackpaw showed me the light, and brought me into the fold. I first served as a Questor, then rose in the ranks until I was appointed as Heirophant. But enough about me. Let's get to know our newest arrivals. Please state your names."
"I'm Officer Harry Carrotson, ZPD," Harry said.
"Hello, Harry." Everyone else said.
"Well, last week I had an especially bad day. Neighbors kept up all night, I ran into work in only my underwear, and the rest of the day showed me the worst luck I ever saw that didn't involve being trampled by wild turkeys. Then after work, I tried to clear my head. TRIED, being the operative word. Then I heard a scream down the alleyway... then one thing led to another. And now my partner and I are Vampires." Harry explained. "I've been hangin' in there, keepin' a steady diet of blood from my neighbors." The rest of the group looked in disgust. "Hey! If you met my neighbors you'd know! They could stand to lose a pint or two for all of the argument they get into in a day!"
"What about you're partner? She's to be... quiet." Wilo noted.
"Yeah... Sawa took it especially hard. Hasn't eaten, hasn't slept properly, and hasn't spoken a word since we learned what happened to us." Harry said.
"I see." Wilo stood up and walked to Sawa. "Ms. Otocyon, I know that you're scared. That you hate this to the very core of you're being. I did myself when I was changed. We've all been through what you've been-"
"I WANTED TO START A FAMILY!" Sawa blurted out. "I... I wanted to get married, have... have cubs of my own. I thought I had more time... but... but..." She then fell off of her chair and wailed.
Wilo looked with concern at the bat-eared fox. "As did I, when I was you're age. I was young, I thought I had the world in the palm of my hoof. The next thing I know, some freak turned me into a blood-sucking creature of the night. We've been there in some way or another. Our life-long dreams were denied by a stupid fluke of fate, by some careless monster that cared nothing for the consequences of their actions. But know this my dear... we're all here for you."
Sawa looked up, her face contorting as she hugged the saber-toothed deer. "Thank you..."
XXXX
The following afternoon, Harry and Sawa were meeting with Consumir. "Well, it's nice to see that you're not wallowing in sullenness Ms. Otocyon. Now I've gone over the test results and... well I'm certain neither of you have any frame of reference for this." He said, giving the results to the two of them.
The results were covered in archaic runes, written in blood. "Should I be worried that this sorta thing don't bother me no-more?" Harry asked.
"That's just a natural thing with Vampires. But as for what these mean... these mean that you're both First Born." Consumir said with a consternated look on his face.
"That doesn't sound... good," Harry said.
"It's more confusing than anything, but First Born were the original Vampire progenitors, said to have been Changed by the Ancient One himself, and the most powerful and dangerous kinds one can encounter... and up until I met you, and learned of the circumstances regarding you're Change. I thought he was just a myth. A boogeyman of sorts." Consumir said in disbelief.
"Yes... yes, I remember." Sawa said. "When he... when he Changed us. I saw a glimpse of his memories. They felt ancient. Like... before the pyramids even."
"Which raises the obvious question. Why did he Change you two in particular?" Consumir said. "And why has he returned now?"
XXXX
At the International Defence League headquarters. The Nick and Judy from the alternate future timeline we're looking over their reports. "Well, the good news is that Harry and Sawa are alive... well not dead-"
"But they've been turned into Vampires by the Ancient One." Future Judy seethed to her husband. "They're not in his thrall. But still, in our timeline, all the Ancient One did was make Demirurge invasion worse for us."
"Well with any luck, he'll target the same people he did in our timeline. Although... I don't the Ancient One returned until a few years AFTER Harry and Sawa turned up dead." Future Nick said as he looked over some papers.
"Perhaps, I want boots on the ground to figure this one out." Future Judy said. "I want to know how and why the Ancient One is active over a decade early."
XXXX
Deep within the sewers of Zootopia. The Ancient One had finished recovering from his wounds from his encounter with Nick and Judy. "I had them... two new minions to aid in the defense of Earth, and those... FOOLS! HAD THE GAUL TO COME BETWEEN ME AND MY PREY!?" The Ancient One ranted to his caretaker.
It was Delphine, the Vampire fox that once served Draco Long-Fang. Since his defeat, she had been building a new Cabal in the depths of the Zootopian sewers. "I'm so sorry to hear that mon cheri. That Nicholas and Judith ruin everything. Those mortals even managed to remove my former master from power." She said as she looked over the Ancient One's bandages.
"Then he was a weakling, as well as a fool to let mortals dethrone him!" The Ancient One said scornfully. "No matter... there is still much to do before Demirurge returns"
"Oui... though I don't believe you've told me much of this 'Demirurge'," Delphine said.
"That I haven't... and for providing me with sanctuary, you are owed that much at least." The Ancient One said. "Long ago, a strange warlord from beyond the sky took me from my tribe. He did... something to me that made me stronger, at the cost of making me a blood thirsting creature, scorned by the sun, and forever dead." The Ancient One explained. "He did this to create warriors to fulfill his twisted desires of conquest. But I defied him, I escaped and built an army, and drove him back to the sky. But afterward... my children betrayed me, sealed me away beneath the Earth. Cursed to remain buried until a time when Demirurge would return."
"And this time is soon, non?" Delphine asked.
"Yes. I could feel it when I awoke... a dreamless thing I experienced. But I could feel every single MOMENT OF TIME PASS! I tell you, it's a maddening experience." The Ancient One ranted.
"Oh, I know that feeling. Shortly after my own Change, my Sire threw me into the Mississippi River. It took me weeks to get out and find help." Delphine said, she then took off the bandages. "And now... another day of removing bits of silver from you're flesh, L'Ancien," Delphine said as she took out a pair of tweezers and began rooting through the Ancient One's bullet wounds.
"Hmm... that word. L'Ancien. It has a ring to it that I like. It could work in the coming days-OW!" The Ancient One yelped as Delphine removed a sliver of silver from a wound.
"Don't fidget. It'll make removing the silver more difficult." Delphine said as she put the sliver into a baggie. "One down... hundreds more to go." She said as she looked through the wound, seeing more slivers for her to dig out. Cursing in French under her breath as she did so.