Chapter 3: It's Quiet Downtown


Nick stared up at the gaudy, pseudo welcoming sign that stretched from one pillar to another far above them. With a little more disbelief than he should have had, he scratched nervously behind his ear.

"And this is what you really wanted to do today?" A question for the ages, but one that was well deserved as he turned to the bunnies, glancing between them incredulously.

On one side, Jack shrugged, his only indication of enthusiasm was how quickly his amber eyes went from one desk to another behind the sheen of glass that Skye had practically glued herself to; her paws leaving small smudge marks on its almost flawless surface.

Judy, however, was her giddy self. Or what he could guess was what she was when excited. He couldn't really tell, knowing them for only three days and all.

"Of course, Nick." said the doe in an almost squeaky voice. "I mean, it's not like I had anywhere else to be, and I wanted to check a few things out."

To that, he hummed. He didn't have anywhere to be per se. Not today, anyway. But still, this was a bit awkward. "So you figured we'd all go to the library?"

She nodded in return, her ears flopping over as she smiled up at him.

When they had woken up and gotten a breakfast of oatmeal and mixed fruit, they discussed what they'd do and, much to Nick's amusement, it felt good to talk to someone that wasn't either Skye or that was just after their stuff.

Settling on a walk as stagnation wasn't good for them or their food supply – Skye would have tried to eat everything if she was left unwatched – it eventually turned into sightseeing that became a trip to the library.

Though he wondered if this was all in her plan all along, it was still an opportunity to check out a few things that he had a mounting suspicion of.

He refused to let it show, though, opting to take a few careful steps up to the Zootopia Metro Library instead.

Hopefully it goes better than last time.

"What kind of books are you gonna check out?" he asked in general, walking up to the automatic door of their size and casting a quick glance to the check-out desk to ensure that certain faculty members weren't there.

"I'ma check out the comics and engine guides!" Skye yipped, dashing past him and bee-lining for the stairs leading up to the second floor. She nearly collided with a meerkat carrying a stack of books.

Judy was next. "I don't know just yet," she called back, admiring the interior.

Sepia lights complemented the dark, cherrywood stained bookshelves. The multi-leveled building was well kept and staffed. Little if any dust or stray fur floated around due to warmly ventilated air that carried the scent of books both new and old.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from the sheer feel of the place, she trotted off to find someone to help her find what she hoped was there.

Watching her disappear behind the bookshelves, Nick didn't know what it was about her that made him feel… better about his situation. Beside himself in curiosity as to where this was going, he gave the whole idea a quick chuckle.

And though he was left with her counterpart, Jack, it wasn't too bad being around the silent bunny as he had yet to really speak to him.

As Nick had seen, he was kind of shy around him – bunny, fox, it was a given – but less so around Skye. It meant that he had to try to figure out a way to know him a little more.

Heck, he didn't really know much about either bunny, they just kind of broke into his life. Quite literally, in fact.

"So, stripes, any books you're interested in?" he asked, heading past the reception desk and enjoying the nip of chilling air. He figured he'd get to know them a bit better as they'd probably be in for a long stay.

Soon, he heard the click of Jack's hind claws against the linoleum fade into the plush padding of the carpeted floor. "If they have any mystery books, then I'll read a few of those."

"Ah," exclaimed the fox, winding his way around the romance section, squeezing his way by a koala definitely not covering her current read of 'Fifty Sheds of Fur' by squeezing that book in between a thesaurus.

Brushing it off and sticking to his plans, he smirked. There was a lot to ask, and he just needed to get his foot in the door. "And what would you do if all the mystery books went missing?"

It wasn't until he was down the aisle that he turned back to a confused buck. Yellow eyes stuck somewhere between genuinely confused and pleading. "Why would the mystery books be missing?"

Nick blinked. Okay, not quick on the uptake. He turned back to the bunny with a laugh. "I dunno, but wouldn't that be a great case to solve?"

As if a light bulb had gone off, the bunny him a look of utter amusement that he didn't expect. "For Sam Hart, maybe?"

His voice was a bit more uppity than usual. It let Nick know he was on track.

"That's a name I hadn't heard in a long time. So you're into the classics, huh?" he replied, rounding the kiosk nearest the fiction section and making his way down the rows of books he hoped were in Jack's interests.

Quickly skimming the selection, Nick found exactly what he was looking for. He grabbed a book off the shelf and held it out, rocking it back and forth in his paws like a kit playing 'keep away'. "I wonder what Ol' Sammy would say about Sherlock Bones."

Again, the buck's eyes lit up. He grabbed the book so fast that Nick had to do a double-take only to find the rabbit's stubby nose deep in the pages already.

"I can't believe they have these!" Jack squeaked, elated from the text he had begun to read, flipping through page after page as he read at lightning speed. His striped ears swiveled a little under his beanie every time he skimmed over a line of text. "They're the best! I haven't read any of his stuff since high-school!"

Catching that little phrase, Nick crossed his arms to contemplate what was said. He often tried to get a better read on other mammals to know what to say more. So they're out of school too, hun?

It'd been a while since he thought about that, to be honest. But it did give him insight on their actual age which wasn't too far behind him and Skye, he guessed.

After a few pages had been read, Jack glanced up from the humorous lines of text to see the wry grin on Nick's muzzle. He turned away immediately. "T-thanks, Nick," he said, voice low but grateful. "I'll be over here for a bit."

The fox chuckled, "Anytime, Stripes."

Satisfied that one of his crew were okay with their activity, he sought to see what the others were up to before planning on what to do himself. Truth be told, he didn't really want to be in the library, but the fact still stood that it was a place of great opportunity.

Taking a few steps away from the section, he wanted to see where Judy and Skye were. More worried about the latter as she would constantly get in trouble, he sighed in advance to what he'd find this time.

She said she'd search comics, right? I really hope that she's not-

Just as he tried to finish his thought, he saw her on the second floor, a stack of comics comically clasped in her paws as she bore a bright smile. She teetered and toddled a bit as the thing was almost as tall as her, but she managed (barely) to hobble the thing to a standing table to which she set them all down with an audible thump.

Tail wagging at incredible speeds, she had her whole muzzle encased in one of what he could assume was one of her favourite superhero genres with what looked like a pig in a yellow outfit with red gloves and a white cape.

-Eh, she's fine...

With the vixen set to do her own thing, all Nick had to worry about now was Judy. She'd taken off somewhere, but he didn't know exactly where. Not by sight, anyway.

He chuckled, tilting his head to the ceiling while taking in a few deep sniffs. Amid the myriad of scents that he singled out – books, musk, his own included... he could use a shower – warm cedar and cherry wood furnishings, and finally, out of them all, their scents.

Having grown up with Skye, he was able to pick up hers first. It was an amalgam mix of her favourite raspberry pastries and grease from whatever she had been tinkering with over the past few days out of boredom.

While some would find it offending to their olfactory senses, Nick found it comforting. Having seen mammals come and go, it was nice to have one constant amidst the ever-growing struggles of city life.

Jack's was next as he had just left the buck to do his various readings; he was a bit more difficult to place. It was far more mellow and laced with those parsnips that he liked.

And while he could smell a twinge of fear from the bunny, that wasn't all. Much like him, it was a... reservation. Nick couldn't exactly say that Jack was terrified of him – he was fine at breakfast and Skye liked him as well – but it was more of a hesitation, a testing of the waters between them.

Nick glanced over his shoulder, fiddling with a button that he knew needed fixing, Can't blame him.

Fox, bunny, it was a given.

Nearing the reference section, he sniffed a little more, finally picking up her scent among them. A slow smile crept up on his muzzle as he could smell Judy somewhere nearby.

Her scent was different from most mammals that he had known. It was earthy, crisp, faint traces of lavender... carroty? It didn't smell at all of how the city saw them: filthy, less than secondary... tertiary perhaps.

While he couldn't place his paw on its familiarity, it wasn't what he expected from a bunny.

Pacing briskly around the few shelves of books, he spotted her about midway down the aisle. The bunny moved almost automatedly, certain of what she was looking for. With a few books at her feet and one currently held tightly in her paw as she skimmed and flipped a few pages.

She was as organized as Nick had seen her when they came back grocery shopping. He had never seen anyone pack and compact things so efficiently.

Content to see her work and having nothing to do himself, he strode closer, slowly swishing his tail with every step.

It'd been a long time since he had been to the library and wasn't recognized. Now, he was just happy to share the space with someone new.

He hadn't realized that he was practically over her shoulder until the bunny's ears swiveled towards him. She soon turned to gaze at him, smiling when she realized that it was Nick sneaking up behind her.

Caught in her sight, Nick caught himself and casually leaned against the table.

"Oh, hey Carrots." he jibed, nonchalantly watching everyone around him.

She couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Slick."

He kept in his snicker, opting instead to raise a brow. "Name-calling now, are we?"

Flipping a few pages of her book, she raised her brow back in smug defiance. "Would you rather me call you 'Blueberries'?"

He remembered the berries from yesterday. He hated to say it, but the Hopps' were still better.

He didn't linger on it, though. "Depends on if any are around."

Not missing a beat, the doe hopped down from her chair, one book in her arm and the other akimbo.

"Just one," was her jest. "A bit on the green side, though."

Nick couldn't help but laugh at that.

Seeing him laugh made her smile. He wasn't hard to get along with.

Though, she did need a favour.

"Would you happen to have a library card here?" she asked, gesturing to the row of monitors just a few bookshelves across. "I can't get access to any of the computers without one."

He tried to hide the little twitch he gave in response.

That stung a little.

Contemplating what he should do, when he saw her just idly rocking on her heels, he relented. "Uh... sure, gimme a sec."

Making his way over to an open desk, he gazed around for anyone that may have an issue with them being there. Seeing none, he quickly typed in the information as if by second nature instead of reading off numbers.

Logged in, he offered the bunny the chair.

Her eyes lit up. "Thanks! I'll be really quick."

Hopping in the seat, Judy opened Zoogle and searched around while Nick stayed close by. He carefully watched the bunny's face light up in excitement for whatever it was that she was looking for.

"Perfect!" she squealed, closing the browser and hopping off. "Thanks, Nick! Be right back!"

Wide-eyed as she dashed off again, he could only ponder on what Judy was doing. Whatever it was, it couldn't cause too much trouble.

Shrugging it off, he stared at the open seat and still logged into computer.

For a moment, he just considered logging out and leaving, but, within a few blinks, he sat back down.

Paws hovering over the keyboard as the light of the monitor held his gaze, he took a deep breath.

He logged into his old Zoogle account, one that hadn't been accessed in months.

Unsurprisingly, his account was never full of mail, he didn't expect it to be. Well, save for a few messages that he won the lottery or some all expenses paid cruise or a prize for a downpayment.

Nick gave a wearied chuckle. Helena Troy wants to send me on vacation, huh?

Just as he was about to open the drive, he froze. It was something that he wanted to see, but didn't really want to do. He wanted a little more time.

Claws rapping against the desk, he thought, What to do… what to-

His ears stood on end when he mulled over the last few days. The days spent with rabbits.

He opened a new tab. Now what was she doing again? Rabbit... dancing?

Besides when they left the store, Judy had done that at least two other times. Jack looked like he was about to, but Skye just hopped along with the doe. To her, it was fun.

He had no clue as to what it was called, but he'd seen bunnies do that a few times. Soon, his search popped up with one result: Binkying.

He clicked around, finally getting it. "Ooohh! That thing."

Sure enough, it seemed to fit the bill.

Nick couldn't help but laugh. "I can't believe Warren was paid to do that every concert…"

Every image gave off the same vibe. Some bunnies cheered, others hopped around. When he looked up the definition, it all made sense and led to one conclusion: she was happy.

He gave a forlorn smile. To be happy living like this?

His dreary smile betrayed his understanding of this. It was the little things that counted, after all.

He shrugged, eyes glancing on the first tab he made. He couldn't click it just yet.

While he could have quickly gone to see what he logged in for, there was one last thing on his mind.

He started typing: Hopps Family Farm.

It wasn't like he didn't notice how distraught she was when shopping the other day. She seemed acutely spiteful of his favourite brand of berry.

So, to defend his preferred produce, he wanted to understand why.

When the info for the Hopps' came up, Nick wasn't all too surprised at what their site said.

Deep heritage, pillar of the community, new management from years back, large family, that down-home 'everybody's family' attitude.

It was everything he thought the rabbit family was like, and then some.

Nutritional facts about their produce, a puzzle game, word cross, the works.

Yet, he couldn't see anything wrong with them.

Tapping his foot deep in thought, he questioned what was at the root of this. So, he tried one more place.

Bunnyburrow, News, Hopps Family Farm.

Just as he did, the first thing to pop up for his inquiry was the local news.

BUNNYBURROW BEACON, he read, eyeing the columns and seeing all that went on.

And, as he thought, it didn't surprise him.

Desperate times, power struggles, the elder Hopps' legal battles, sudden and inexplicable illness, a fire a few years ago.

He expected this from any company, but he sighed that it had to be his favourite one.

Staring at them a bit longer, he shrugged. I hope they're at least working things out.

Now left with nothing but the sole tab, he finally decided that he waited long enough.

Opening his drive, he went through the few files he had stored long ago. Not many, just a few folders.

Eyeing the first one that he had labeled "family", he took a deep breath and – feeling his paw quiver – double-clicked it.

It took its sweet time loading as he remembered. Libraries weren't known for top of the line internet.

When it was opened, he was welcomed to an album of a dozen photos; memories that he cherished from what felt like ages.

It started out with six figures in one picture, and ended with just two. Wearied eyes scanned the first photo, a time he couldn't remember. They all looked like they were having the time of their lives as two little bundles – one red and the other white – were held proudly.

Not two frames later, only four figures remained.

Tilting his eyes up towards the balcony, Nick watched as Skye continued to read her books in relative silence. He did have to laugh as she had started to build a fort with them.

Refocusing on the pictures, he went further down the line. The little red and white dots had grown, but, only a few pictures later, only three faces were left.

Out of them all, he really, really stared at the transition. It was then that, with half of the figures were left, that he felt it the most.

Huffing and moving forward, he saw the last remaining images. Near the end, it was just down to two, a selfie he took not too long ago.

Just me and Skye, he thought a bit more bitterly than he had wanted.

Though that was the last photo, he opted to click on the last one just before it was the two of them.

In it, two little fox kits – one red and the other white – smiled brightly on either side of a taller, elder red vixen. While still carrying that lovely, hopeful smile, he knew that she only did that for them.

The irony was never wasted on him. Every time the little foxes got bigger, there were fewer faces, fewer family… fewer pictures.

Funny how things worked out like that, huh? he mused, claws clicking, tail idled, and eyes taking in every detail.

He was so fixated in ingraining every detail into his memory, that he didn't feel the little brush on his shoulder followed by a quizzical voice?

"Who's that?"

He just about jumped out of his fur when he heard Judy next to him. Nick met her puzzled, violet eyes and turned to the screen. His paws moved before he could think.

"Nothing." he hastily replied, closing the image and browser with rehearsed speed.

With the astonished look on her face, Nick knew he had been caught. He gave her a nervous smile, but, to his amazement, Judy didn't further inquire.

He cleared his throat. "You uh… you got what you needed?"

Bunny bounding in place-

Ah, binkying.

- Judy picked up the books she had rested against the desk.

One by one, she offered the books to the tod. "Yeah, see?"

And, one by one, Nick read them off, his tone laced with disbelief. "Law enforcement? Criminal Justice? ZPD guidebook?"

When he was done, he carefully looked at her.

Her paws smoothed over the binding of the last book. "This may sound dumb, but I… I've always wanted to be a cop."

He nearly hissed. A bitter taste filled his mouth with an equally bitter memory.

"Hate to break it to you, fluff," he tutted, opting not to look her directly in the eye, but stare out the window, coldly. "but cops aren't the best."

Just before he could delve into why he said that, a half-whisper caught his ear.

"What are those foxes doing here?"

He looked from behind the screen towards the other library patrons. A few of them had begun to stare at him and towards the balcony.

It was then that he knew it was time to leave.

"If you have what you need, Carrots, then you may want to check out."

Not hearing her protest, he logged out and started on his way to the checkout desk.

Though he heard more of the whispers, he didn't see that Judy's ears waved to and fro at them as well.

"I pay good money for mammals like that to go away." one said, their nose buried in a magazine.

It never felt good to listen, but not hearing what they were saying could be worse; he wouldn't have time to plan an escape route.

"Ugh... they stink. Come along, Jr." Okay, maybe that one was a bit true. It's not like he didn't want to keep clean clothes, but when you only had two sets of them and no real income, it was difficult to keep them always washed.

And Skye's soup stain didn't help.

Judy couldn't believe what she was hearing.

More and more bombarded her ears, and every new word felt like a punch to the stomach. This was supposed to be a library. A place of knowledge and understanding. Not some political debate platform.

Just as they broke the line of bookshelves and saw the front desk, Nick froze.

His escape plan was to simply leave and wait outside, but with the burly figure in a blue uniform standing next to the attending librarian, he panicked.

Not in their line of sight, he thought of any backup plan.

He had to get out, but with that officer in the way, he'd have a better chance of that email from "Helena Troy" being an actual sweepstakes win.

Just as the towering behemoth of a buffalo looked around, Nick dashed into the nearby bathroom.

Heart racing and already envisioning what would happen, he stepped up to the countertop to catch his breath. Thankfully nobody else was there.

Splashing water on his muzzle to calm himself down, he took a hard look at the figure staring at him in the mirror.

Scraggly, tattered clothes, and alone, the fox in the mirror wasn't who he wanted to be.

He had to go back out sometime, confrontation or not. Besides, he couldn't leave Skye with… that.

Standing up and fixing his shirt, Nick composed himself. Poised and ready he made his way out, only pausing to sigh and grip the door handle.

The moment he left the bathroom, he knew that this wasn't going to go well.

It wasn't from the look that Judy gave him, Jack carrying a few novels, or Skye trying to balance a book pile in her paws.

No.

It was her.

"There he is, officer." came a shrill, accusatory voice.

The librarian, a woodchuck with a name tag reading "Charlene", marched her way towards him, wagging her finger all while shouting towards the buffalo cop.

The bovid huffed. If the dark circles under his eyes were any indication of his state, then annoying him wasn't something that anyone wanted to do.

Yet, the look that he gave his query wasn't harsh. Merely upset.

"Nicholas." came his gruff voice.

"Lieutenant Bogo." the fox called back.

Strolling by towards the vixen, Nick grabbed a few of her books, earning a quick thanks.

The buffalo crossed his arms. "What were you doing?"

Trying to ignore him, he looked at the selection of stuff Skye picked out. The one thing that made him grimace was the cookbook.

Shrugging at the question, he answered. "Well, you know us. We were just-"

"You were just leaving, " the woodchuck interrupted. Her glare boring into the two foxes with intense distrust.

Lips pursed to say something but thinking it over, Nick relented. He only gripped the books tighter before deflating. "Let's go, Skye."

He carried the heavy stack to the counter with her trailing behind.

"B-but I didn't get to check these out." she complained, never getting Nick to turn around.

"And you won't." the librarian added with a huff.

Paw clenched as he took a step forward, Nick wanted to just get out of there. At least Judy and Jack will be able to come here without being bothered.

However, just before he made it past the counter, he stopped when he heard someone shouting in the library.

"Wait!" Judy commanded, racing between the two foxes and the buffalo.

The bunny, now staring down the imposing cop, stood her ground as the buffalo loomed over her.

He raised a brow. "And you are?"

"Judy," the doe stated, adamantly. "Judy Hopps."

Just behind her, Judy didn't see Nick tilt his head slightly.

Not wavering, the towering bovid hummed in acknowledgment. "An acquaintance of his?"

Judy didn't like the tone, but this was an officer. She had to settle this the right way.

"No," she began, padding her way over to the two vulpines with Jack trailing behind her. Now next to them, she smiled.

"They're our friends," she stated matter-of-factly before taking a glance down to the guidebook she carried in her paws. "We were just here to check out a few books and read for the afternoon."

Seeming to process the words of the little rabbit, the buffalo stared between her and Nick. He took a long moment to assess the problem, and, when he made his judgment, he sighed.

"And why are they not allowed to check out the books here?" was his sharp reprimand, his stalwart gaze now boring into the librarian with repressed anger.

Charlene, now quickly losing control of the situation, took a step back.

She curled her paws in anger. "Well, officer. We only allow mammals with addresses to check out our books!"

Nick felt his muzzle twitch. He had to place his paw there to physically stop himself from growling. Not only at the offending mammal, but the buffalo as well.

Whether or not he noticed, Nick couldn't tell. But from the sneer that he gave, someone was in trouble.

Taken aback at the response, Charlene rebutted. "I-... J-just look at them! They don't belong in the library!"

All it took was one look between the group of small mammals and the librarian for the buffalo to pass his judgment.

He leaned down, fury in his eyes. "Ma'am. Are you harassing the citizens or making discriminatory actions due to species or livelihood?"

It didn't take her long to relent, even with how she stared at them. She sighed, returning to her desk, but, in one last act of defiance, she spat out, "You still need an address, and it's a four book limit per card."

Momentarily contemplating what he was being told, the bovid stepped forward. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and laid two cards in front of the woodchuck.

With a somber tone and plastered smile, he chided her, "I believe that these four have books that they'd like to borrow."


As they traveled down the street, fresh books in tow, Judy couldn't believe what just happened.

"I got to speak to a lieutenant! And he got us books! " she shouted, joyously carrying the three books in her paws that she really wanted to get.

While she protested that Nick should get something, he opted to give his share to split between them. And since Jack only wanted the two novels, Skye was able to keep the cookbook.

Her elation there, he just shrugged.

Noticing his somber mood, Judy huffed and moved a little closer. Practically at his shoulder, she spoke out. "You shouldn't have to be treated like that. Either of you."

He looked down at her, bewildered at what she did earlier.

This bunny...

He sighed. "Yeah, well, it comes with the territory."

She stopped in front of him, staring him down despite her smaller size.

Jack and skye passed by, enjoying their talk of mystery, cars, and food.

Tracing his features, Judy asked him. "Because you're foxes?"

He chuckled. She was half right. "Because we're poor, and foxes."

Raising a brow, she informed him, "Well, we're technically poor too, Nick."

Rolling his eyes, he kept walking. "Yeah, but you're poor bunnies. Therefore you are cu-"

He didn't get far when he felt a paw on his side. He turned to see the fury in all the rabbit's features. He quickly relented.

"currently... less poor by default."

Staring at him a moment longer, Judy smiled. She took off bouncing to catch up to the others.

Watching her go made him laugh. One thought lingered in the back of Nick's mind. She's still cute.

He shuddered when she looked back at him.


[A/N]

Huge thank you to Qalcove, the artist behind the cover art. Check her out on Deviant Art!

So now, it continues.

HUGE update for the 5 NaZoWriMo stories is that each of them will now be 17 chapters instead of 12. I felt as though 12 just wasn't enough and in the 20's was a bit too far. So each one got 5 more chapters for either hilarity, or endearing storyline. I hope you all enjoy it. ^^

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Till Next Time
-DLW