"The sun shines everywhere, not just at the beach." - Brande Roderick
8:02 A.M
The blanketing folds of sleep that had encompassed the fox and the rabbit had been nothing short of blissful, peaceful, and relaxing above all else.
Way for one cantankerous narwhal to ruin it.
"WHERE THE DEVIL IS IT?" John Haddock screamed as he kicked down the door to the ship cabin.
Both Nick and Judy instantly awoke from their slumber, the bunny screaming as Haddock pushed his way past the two mammals, who had jumped off of the couch as the narwhal busted down the door. Nick had scrambled away in fear, tripping over his own two feet and falling to the ground, hitting his head on a nearby table as he went down.
"Need... Nicotine!"
Haddock wheezed as he ripped open one of the cupboards that was attached to a cabin wall, flinging the little doors to the sides and stuffing his flippers into the cupboard, rummaging around for a few short seconds before pulling out a cigar that was half the size of Judy. The narwhal bit down on one end of the tobacco stick before igniting the other with a lighter. He inhaled slowly and deeply through his mouth before spewing out a cloud of smog from his blow-hole that filled the entire cabin with smoke.
Meanwhile, both Nick and Judy had fled the cabin. The fox had a paw clutched to his head, which was slightly bleeding from his unfortunate connection with the dining table.
A few seconds after exiting the cabin, the fox and bunny alike donned looks of apprehension and horror as they watched Haddock emerge from the smoggy cabin and glare at the two of them with beady black eyes. He inhaled deeply through his mouth before removing the cigar from between his teeth, and instead of exhaling the smoke through his blowhole, blew the cloud of smog directly into the faces of Nick and Judy, who coughed and gagged upon breathing in the vile and gassy substance.
"By all the fires a' the black pit, ye two scoundrels best be grateful that I don't maroon ye here on Outback-Island fer breakin' me precious pipe!"
"What the heck is wrong with you?" Nick questioned as he swatted away at the smoke with his arms. "You nearly gave us a heart attack!"
"And ye actually gave me one when I woke up and saw me pipe split in two!" John retorted with narrowed eyes.
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry about breaking your pipe, but did you really have to do all that just now?" The fox cried out, pointing to the smoke filled cabin.
"A' course I did! I needed to reach me emergency cigar-" Haddock patted the cigar in his mouth. "-Before it was too late!"
"Before what was too late?" Nick repeated, a scowl stretched across his face.
The narwhal grinned in response before chuckling and turning back around, vanishing into the cabin. From within, Nick and Judy heard the Trafalgar's engine whir to life, causing the boat to groan and stir. A few seconds later, the narwhal emerged with his cigar still fuming, and positioned himself directly in front of the fox.
"Withdrawal." John claimed flatly. "How'd ye end up breakin' it, anyway?"
"I accidentally stepped on it when we boarded after getting back from our tour of Outback-Island."
Turning back around and staring behind him, Nick noted that the boat was still in the same place as it was the previous night, as The Trafalgar was still anchored in the public docking zone of Outback-Island. He could still see the orange-tinted mesa in the distance, it's massive and towering height dwarfing nearly every other building in the region.
"Well, it's good to see that ye two are back, but I'm afraid that I won't be takin' ye to Pawaii no more."
"What?!" Nick and Judy cried out in unison.
"Ye heard me loud and clear, boyo!" John spat mockingly. "I'm leavin' ye both here, and if ye want to get back to the mainland, you'll have to use the public ferries."
"Why not?" Judy asked, concern lacing her words.
"Ye broke me pipe, obviously!" Haddock replied.
"That's it? Seriously? We broke your two dollar wooden pipe, and you won't finish the trip to Pawaii because of it?" Nick growled angrily.
"Aye."
"That's ludicrous!" The fox exclaimed.
"It twas' very dear to me, boyo! You wouldn't understand!"
"Oh I understand alright... I understand just how much of a nut-job you are!"
"Nick!" The bunny hissed from behind, earning the attention of all the mammals on the boat.
"Come on Carrots, you gotta agree with me this time! The unicorn is being completely childish!" He barked, pointing to the narwhal as he did.
"Unicorn?!" Haddock bellowed, his blow-hole harshly spewing out a jet of water, along with wispy and snaking tendrils of smoke that he had inhaled from his cigar.
"Both of you, just shut up!" Judy shouted loudly, causing both the narwhal and the fox alike to quiet down.
"You're both being childish! Both acting like complete kits!" She exclaimed. "Can we please settle this like adults?"
"Good idea, lass." Haddock agreed, rolling up his sleeves before bringing his flippers up to his jawline in a pugilistic pose.
"Not like that, John!" The bunny cried out.
The fox grit his teeth in frustration, but willingly backed away from the bunny and narwhal. For a moment there, he was actually worried that he'd have to fight John, and took the chance to examine his opponent as best he could. Nick highly doubted that he'd be able to win in a fight against the narwhal, even with his police training and fighting skills: Haddock was simply too large, standing from head to toe at an intimidating seven feet tall, not even counting his tusk, which was equally as long; Jutting out straight from the narwhal's face and spiraling into a sharp and pointed tip.
Instead, Nick chose to swiftly calm himself down: He didn't want to disappoint his mate, and he certainly didn't want to fight John over a two dollar pipe that he had broken.
"Alright, I'm sure that we can settle a way to make this work for the both of us." Judy claimed. "Nick, I think you know what to do."
Locking eyes with his mate, the fox sighed deeply before turning to Haddock and looking up at his own eyes.
"I'm sorry for breaking your pipe, John... I really am." He muttered lowly, but with truthful words.
"Apology accepted, boyo. Perhaps I did overreact a little bit there." The narwhal grumbled in response.
"See? Isn't that better?" Judy soothed from beside Nick. "Now, John, do you still want to take us to Paw-"
"Nay, me dear. I still ain't takin' ye to Pawaii." Haddock interrupted, his words bitter as they were. " I think it'd be best if you two found yerselves another ship."
Out of the blue, an idea suddenly came to Nick. it was clear that Haddock had no intention of taking them, and that his stubborn nature wouldn't make the narwhal change his mind. Being the clever fox that he was at heart, Nick devised a plan that would get all three of them to Pawaii without paying a single cent.
"Ship? You call this rusty tub a ship? Hate to break it to ya captain, but this rust-bucket isn't a ship."
Before Judy could protest his actions, Nick shot her with an expression that said something along the lines of 'trust me, I know what I'm doing.' Thankfully, the bunny seemed to understand, and kept her mouth shut before hurriedly positioning herself behind the fox and away from the irate narwhal, who was steaming at the blow-hole.
"Excuse me?" The narwhal rumbled lowly. "Ye best hold yer tongue, fox!"
"No no, here's the thing, captain... I don't think you refuse to take us Pawaii because you don't want to... I think you refuse to do it because you can't." Nick stated carefully.
"What? A' course I can!" Haddock growled. "Who're you to tell me that I can't?"
"Can you, though? I doubt that, friend. You see, this rusty tub of yours that you call a ship just isn't up to the task! Simple as that!"
"What do you mean? The Trafalgar is the mightiest ship that's ever sailed these waters, boyo! She can easily get us to Pawaii!"
Nick smiled, knowing that Haddock's pride and stubbornness would soon be played to his own advantage, by tricking Haddock into wanting to take them to Pawaii to prove that his boat could actually make the journey effectively.
And all it would take was two simple words;
"Prove it."
At the notion of the fox's last comment, the narwhal spewed a jet of water from his blow-hole more powerful than anything Nick had witnessed before then. The narwhal bit down so hard on his cigar that it split in half, sending burning bits of paper, dried grass, and nicotine haphazardly across the smooth wooden deck of the Trafalgar.
"How dare ye!" Haddock roared loudly.
Turning around and spitting out the other half of the cigar from his mouth, Haddock stomped his way over to the ship's cabin, which by now had been cleared out of smoke, and grabbed the wheel of the ship, snarling his coming words with such intensity that fumes of smoke billowed from his mouth and blow-hole at the same time.
"I will not be doubted by some pip-squeak tuft of ginger and his irritating rabbit!"
He pushed a few buttons on the ship's control board, causing the boat to let out another rumble of awakening.
"I'm the master and commander of these seas, and I know these waters better than the barnacles on me mother's back!'
Haddocks blow-hole sprayed another misty cloud of water droplets as the narwhal fiercely whirled the ship's wheel in the direction of the rising sun.
"I'll get the Trafalgar to Pawaii in no time at all, just ye watch, boyo!"
And at that, he pushed the ship into full throttle, causing the boat to lurch forward and take to the wine-dark waters of the open ocean a lot faster than Nick had expected: The Trafalgar was already sailing even faster than it had for entire journey to Outback-Island. The fox looked over to the bunny by his side, who had her mouth hanging ajar in awe.
Nick smiled as he watched the rabbit turn her head and lock eyes with him, her own expression soon morphing into that of admiration and impression.
"You sly fox, you!" She proclaimed, crossing her arms and throwing her hip out to the side as a grin spread it's way across her lips.
The fox simply shrugged and donned his favorite half-lidded smirk.
"Hey now, I was just giving captain unicorn the motivation that he needed! But I'll accept the compliment!" He crooned. "Let's go sit down, shall we?"
"Good idea." Judy murmured with wide eyes staring down the horizon, which was approaching a lot faster than she had expected.
She heard Haddock let out a crazed laugh from within the cabin. Gulping down hard, she turned tail and made her way to the stern of the boat, where there were handle-bars located for maintaining grip in a situation identical to the one that she was experiencing right now. Standing right beside Nick, she decided to initiate some shred of conversation.
"How did you know it would work?" She questioned.
"Hm? You mean me hustlin' captain unicorn?" Nick asked, causing Judy to nod in confirmation, all while stealing glances at the cabin to make sure Haddock hadn't heard him.
The fox chuckled to himself. "I didn't. Worse case scenario, he was probably gonna impale me with his tooth and then chuck me overboard. Just old, rotten luck, I guess?"
The bunny rolled her eyes and smiled, administering a playful shove to the fox, who stumbled momentarily before regaining his balance.
"Careful Whiskers, you don't wanna knock me overboard, now do you?" The fox quipped.
"Dumb fox." She mumbled.
"Hey now, I thought you said that I was a sly fox just a few seconds ago!"
"Yeah, but you talk so much that you simply can't avoid saying something dumb for more than a few minutes at a time, honestly."
"Mean bunny!" Nick cried out as he feigned utter disbelief and horror.
"You got that right, slick." She confirmed, pulling on his tie.
Nick let out a sigh before leaning in and planting a quick kiss on the tip of Judy's nose, which caught the rabbit by surprise; Her ears flinging themselves skyward and a blush suddenly flooding her cheeks and face with warmth. When Nick pulled away from Judy's face, he laughed when he saw her pupils, which were now dilated to the size of quarters within the purple pools that were her irises. Her pink nose twitched a single time before she shook her head and looked away, pulling at her ears in embarrassment.
"Aw, fluffy feeling flustered?" Nick asked teasingly. "How adorable!"
Judy rolled her eyes before planting a light punch into the fox's gut, of which slightly knocked the wind out of him. Upon recomposing himself, Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rubbed at her opposing side in a reassuring gesture. The two of them looked to each-other just as Nick voiced his own personal thoughts on their current situation.
"I reckon that we'll be in Pawaii here soon enough... Whaddya wanna do when we first get there" he asked.
The bunny took a moment to think over that question, which was definitely one that had been on her mind ever since she first heard of Pawaii back in Tundra-Town.
"Well, I suppose we should do what Ivar suggested, and talk to one of the hotel's right on the beach, and see if we can rent one of those beach-side huts for a few days."
"Sounds good to me. I just wonder how long we'll be afloat befo-"
"Land-ho, land-lubbers!" Haddock cried aloud from the cabin. "Pawaii be in me sights! Dead ahead!" He claimed.
Fox and bunny alike rose to their feet and looked out through one of the windows in the cabin, and in the distance, both of them could see the dark shape of some land-mass on the horizon, just below where the sun had risen up from the waves earlier that morning.
"Well... Hallelujah!"
7:36 P.M
Ugh... Get on with it.
His thoughts were as parched as his voice, with seemingly neither of which having been used in days on end.
The delirious cries of his fellow inmates plagued his sensitive ears day-in and day-out, and he knew from the get-go that this was not the place for him.
But that was nearly seven days ago: Now, Jack Savage was soon to celebrate the one-week anniversary of his world falling apart.
The first thing that went through his mind upon being tossed into a jail cell was how he had no intention on staying here forever: He'd heard of other offenders for the same things that he had done getting life in prison, and some even being punished with sentences that exceeded centuries, well beyond the possible and realistic life-span of any mammal.
His failed attempt to enact a Ponzi-Scheme on the good citizens of Zootopia wouldn't fly well with the jury, he was near certain on that: Some of them were probably even investors of his bank, and could have been affected by his actions in one way or another. He only hoped that the judge, alongside whoever his lawyer would be, would be able to assemble an unbiased jury for his upcoming trial.
Sadly, Jack Savage knew how twisted the system was... That bloody mayor and her conspirators... His chances of getting a fair trial were quite against him.
In the end, Jack Savage knew that his only hope for staying out of prison, or at least getting a reduced sentence, lay in the filthy-clawed hands of Grygorri Ratsputin.
That scheming rat... He and his bloody extortions. If he can't do it, then no one can.
Thinking back on it all, Jack Savage then remembered an old quote that Ratsputin had once told him in response to one of Jack's failed deals.
'Some might say villainy is nothing more than a point of view.' The rat's croaky, knife-like voice would tell him. 'The point of view of fools too mindless to seize opportunity.'
Jack easily remembered the moment: It was when he had first met Grygorri Ratsputin, who had come to him after Jack's bank had failed yet another executive financial deal. Ratsputin had been an early shareholder of the rabbit's company, and had scheduled a meeting with him to discuss the various problems that faced the enterprise in its entirety. The rat told him that there was always an easier way to handle any given situation, be it a fight in the streets or an official business deal for a company. Ratsputin explained to Jack what he already knew: That his business was going through some very hard times. What he didn't expect was for Ratsputin to suggest that Jack simulate a Ponzi-Scheme.
He remembered calling Ratsputin a villain: Saying that anyone who would do such a fraudulent scam was nothing more than a villainous liar. He then remembered watching Ratsputin smile, his face almost sympathetic, as if he were feeling pity for Jack and all his troubles. But at the same time, his lips were contorted into a disturbing half-smirk, as if he was amused by Jack's sense of valor and righteousness.
That was a smile that could give anyone some pause.
'I'm no villain, Jack...' Ratsputin claimed. 'I'm a businessmammal, acquiring assets! You happen to be one of them!'
The rat had claimed that villain was a peculiar word in his eyes: That it was used to describe someone who broke the rules, that took what they wanted, and that didn't care for anyone hurt along the way. Those were his exact words, the rabbit recalled. Ratsputin had calmly stated that everyone was a villain one way or another, but that only the most successful mammals were the ones who accepted their villainy, and embraced the attributes that made them who they were. Because of that fact, Ratsputin explained to Jack that in the end, there was no such thing as a villain: Only the difference between those who seized opportunity, and those who did not. The rat explained to Jack that if he was to get himself and his company out of squalor, he would have to take risks, and perform questionable actions. That he would have to cheat the system, and commit fraud.
Most disturbing of all of Ratsputin's lecturing was without a doubt the way that the rat had called committing crime, 'Seizing an opportunity.'
Jack remembered pointing that fact out to the rat, who had simply laughed off the comment before adding on to it with his own.
'You're a fool if you don't grasp at an opportunity when you see it. I offer you an escape, rabbit, but only if you return the favor on my behalf.'
Ratsputin had left him soon after, leaving Jack alone in his office with nothing but the single bottle of scotch that the rat had given him upon his arrival. Jack had declined the gift at first, for during that time of his life, he didn't consider himself a mammal who enjoyed drinking alcohol.
Jack recalled how Grygorri had left him with one final piece of advice just before his departure.
'Think on that while you sit here with your new friend,' He had stated, pointing to the scotch bottle. 'Drink slowly... It'll only be a matter of time before you're choking it down.'
Ratsputin had been right on that account, in the end: Jack had been an alcoholic ever since.
Not only that, but he took the rat's advice to heart, and began working with rather questionable assets, including the likes of Vladzotz Fangpyre and Shahaz the Stinger.
"And look where it got me." The rabbit said aloud to himself, his eyes trained on the dull concrete ceiling above him.
His cell was clean and spacious, but far from comfortable or entertaining: Jack spent most of his time lying atop his rickety bed, thinking back on old memories from his past. It was really just about all that he could do in his tiny cell, aside from perhaps initiating conversation with the other inmates that were brought in and carted out on a near-daily basis. This jail-house had been his temporary home for nearly seven days at this point, and he'd gotten quite used to it as it was. Most of the other inmates that came through were petty criminals who were being temporarily stored until they were released the following day.
Then, there was Jack, who was still awaiting word from the chief of police about his trial, which was apparently still being scheduled by city-hall and the council. Jack reckoned that as soon as an official date was registered, he'd be taken from this jail-house and shipped off to the county prison, where he'd be forced to wait until his trial was enacted. He knew that he would be face to face with other, even more unsavory inmates who had killed, raped, assaulted, and performed other unforgivable crimes. White-collar criminals were in a different category compared to mammals of that caliber, and Jack had a feeling that prison wouldn't exactly bode well for him and his health.
"Then again, I suppose I belong with them, don't I?" He quietly asked himself.
Jack didn't consider himself a criminal: He considered himself as a mammal that searched for and seized any given opportunities. Just like Ratsputin had told him.
The rabbit believed that he didn't belong in jail, but he also didn't consider himself as innocent: Thus, his mind sought to tear itself apart by going back and forth between one prospect and another, over and over and over again until his head hurt just from thinking about it. He would do anything to get out of this blasted cell! He sighed aloud; bored.
There was a harsh knocking at his cell door that jarred him from his restless thoughts. Jack looked over and locked eyes with chief Bogo, who's lumbering form had apparently decided to make the visit all the way from his precious office just to see Jack squirming in his cage.
"Ah, now do you need something, dear chief?" Jack questioned with a smug grin across his muzzle. "Our last conversation didn't go very well, now did it?
"I need you to be quiet and listen carefully, Savage!" The water-buffalo grumbled lowly before looking around cautiously. "I have an opportunity for you to consider."
That notion had sent a light-bulb off in the rabbit's head.
Such an interesting choice of words... Opportunity... Jack reasoned that chief Bogo must have been recently visited by Jack's ratty friend, who likely tried to convince Bogo to give him a lighter sentence. The thought brought a smile to his face, and Jack realized from that moment forward that perhaps not all hope was lost, as of yet.
"An opportunity?" Jack repeated, rising from his bed and pacing over to the cell doors. "What kind of opportunity?"
The water buffalo grit his teeth and briefly looked to the left, away from Jack and towards the ground. The rabbit noticed that his fists were balled tightly, whitening his knuckles.
"I've been thinking... And I believe that you could be of assistance to us here at the ZPD, one way or another, at least." Bogo explained.
"You still haven't answered my question, chief!" Jack grabbed the bars of his cell door and gripped them hard. "What-Kind-Of-Opportunity?" He repeated slowly.
"An opportunity that might get you a reduced sentence." The water-buffalo finally exclaimed.
Jack blinked a single time, his piercing blue eyes glazed over with bewilderment. A smile soon parted his lips, displaying his bone-white teeth.
"Oh, now that's an opportunity I could work with, my friend." His eyes narrowed in anticipation. "You and I are going to do such good business, aren't we?"
Hello everyone!
I'm very much pleased to announce that our heroes have finally made it to the lovely Pawaiian-Islands at last! It'll be a fun experience, I'm sure.
Anyhow, in all seriousness, I hope you lot enjoyed this latest chapter of mine, and everything that it had to bring to the table. Be sure to leave a review laying out your own personal thoughts and opinions in regards to the new chapter!
I greatly appreciate such and all consideration on your parts! :D
Also, on my Tumblr account, upplet, you'll be able to find some new art pieces that people have been sending in, of characters and scenes. It's cool stuff!
'Till next time...
Peace!