"Island days and island ways, surf and sand and sunny rays." - Anonymous
10:43 A.M
Sweet, sweet land.
Judy always thought that the ocean was beautiful as it was, especially accompanied by the likes of the setting sun. However, the island of Pawaii was truly something else.
Once the Trafalgar was close enough to the island to begin making out the more intricate details of it, all three mammals aboard the ship took to staring out at the tropical paradise that awaited them once they reached the public docks.
The clean, sandy beaches that ringed themselves around the circumference of the island were unquestionably a sore sight for any travel-weary mammal; With fresh, foamy tides lapping at the golden sand again and again in peaceful, watery repetition. Bordering the beach, a picturesque and bright-colored town was sprung up from neatly packed buildings and wooden sheds, with a smooth-paved street running right down the middle, leading farther down the beach for roughly half a mile before connecting with a pair of towering hotels, and a number of other resort-like get-aways from the every-day life.
Compared to the modern sprawl of the mainland city, this little town was quite tame, but it was still packed with mammals, and choked full of shops, restaurants, and even the occasional public market; With canopies of tents lined together to create one large roof that blocked the ruthless heat of the sun's rays.
Further beyond the town was a thick, flourishing jungle, with tropical birds flying in and around the sky-scraping treetops. Lush jungle plants and flowers bloomed among other vegetation, and of course, towering palm-trees were adorned with bundles of fuzzy brown coconuts.
In the distance, Judy could make out the large, curvaceous hills and mountains that were situated closer to the center of the island, where everything seemed to slant more upwards as it followed the sloping sides of the island's terrifying crowning feature: One mountain, with rocks as bare as bone and hills as treacherous as knives, rose higher than all the others. From its peak, smoke fumed out in thick and coal-black clouds, raining ash upon the land below it.
Staring up at the intimidating mountain from the deck of the Trafalgar, which was now safely anchored in the public docking area, the bunny heard Haddock grunt aloud;
"Oglin' the likes of the volcano, aye lass?" Judy turned around to see the narwhal staring up at the mountain as well. "Quite the looker, ain't she?"
"Volcano?" She found herself asking John, who snorted from his blow-hole at the notion of the question.
"Don't mind her, she's just a dumb-bunny!" Nick called out from the nearby dock as he tied the boat's rigging to a sturdy post, ensuring that the Trafalgar didn't float away.
Ignoring Nick's teasingly annoying comment, Judy rolled her eyes once before looking back to the old narwhal, whose gaze was still trained on the mountain's rigid peak.
"Aye, volcano. Mountains that spew fire n' ash. This one here-" He pointed to the mountain. "-Be asleep fer the most part, but it still coughs and gags every once an' a while."
"So, it won't be of any danger?" The bunny asked, nervously eyeing the smoke that emanated from the peak.
"Nay, lass. Ye should be fine. Heck, I think ye can even get tours a' the volcano, and of the devastation it hath since wrought to the other side of the island..." John trailed off.
"What do you mean?" Judy questioned, cocking her head to the side. "What happened to the other side of the island?"
The narwhal shook his head in denial.
"Oh, belay that thought, lass... I ain't the one ye should be askin' over that. Talk to one o' them tour-guides, er somethin'... Ye can ask them."
And at that, Haddock began making his way back to the ship cabin, lumbering through the door before planting himself down in one of the nearby chairs.
"Wait, aren't you gonna come with us, John? Don't you want to see Pawaii, especially after coming all of this way?" The bunny inquired of the narwhal.
"I think I'd rather stay aboard the Trafalgar, lass... Besides, I don't really do too well on dry land." He replied.
"We're gonna be gone for two days, maybe even three!" Judy told him. "You're just gonna sit here the entire time?"
"Ayup. I got everything I need right here."
Haddock claimed as he leaned over to the side and opened a small compartment on the wall that was choked full of tobacco, and piled high with alcoholic drinks.
"Just the necessities, o' course." The narwhal winked one of his shiny black eyes a single time before closing the door to the compartment. "I'll be alright, lass."
"Well, if you say so." She muttered.
Judy looked behind her briefly and eyed Nick as he stood aboard the nearby dock, putting the finishing touches down on the rope that secured the Trafalgar to the dock. Turning back and facing the old narwhal once again, Judy reached out and put one of her paws upon one of his flippers. The narwhal's skin was thick and slick to the touch; Cold as ice, but incredibly smooth. Haddock momentarily retracted his flipper, but relaxed when he locked eyes with the bunny, who had a warm smile across her face.
"Thank you for everything, John... Nick may not seem very appreciative, but both him and I are very thankful for your hospitality."
Haddock stared down at Judy for a few seconds before blinking a single time and pulling his flipper away cautiously.
"I appreciate the consideration, lass... But if this be yer plan to try an' get me to come with you, then ye best run along. Don' keep yer fox waitin' on ye." He claimed slowly.
Nodding her head in understanding, the bunny stepped back and exited the cabin, sparing one last glance at the narwhal before waving at him and leaping off of the ship, joining her mate on the wooden surface of the dock. Landing easily on her two feet, she recomposed herself before pacing over to Nick and joining him in the walk to the beach.
11:03 A.M
The first few steps off of the grimy wooden dock and onto the smooth, warm sand felt like heaven on earth for Nick and Judy's toes.
Planting her feet into cakey, golden sand, Judy felt her toes curl up in a stimulus response; Sand granules sifting around her soles and in between her toes. It was wonderful.
"Oh... This is great." She muttered slowly, her eyes closing over in relaxation.
As they continued down the sandy path, the fox and bunny eventually entered the tiny beach-side town, and promptly took to exploring the place like they would anywhere else.
The smooth stone that made up many of the town's buildings was colored yellow, with a pink-ish trim on the borders and edges. The two of them strolled past packs of other mammals, ranging from tiny mice to lumbering hippos. However, one thing that both Nick and Judy did notice in particular about the merchants, shop-keepers, and restaurant owners was that most of them comprised of boars and mongoose.
"I'm guessing those are the locals." Nick proclaimed, all the while doing a 360 degree turn. "I wonder what they think of us tourists."
"They probably think we all smell like sewage." Judy replied easily. "We should go and find us our hotel, right?"
"Slow and steady wins the race, Whiskers: We're in Pawaii! Let's take things nice and slow, savor the moment, and enjoy ourselves!"
"Coming from the fox who chokes down every meal that gets put in front of him."
"Oh, now you're just being mean!" He poked Judy on the nose. "Quit being mean, fluff-butt."
Rolling her eyes and smiling all the while, the bunny released her hold on the fox's tie, and watched him as he readjusted it carefully. Meanwhile, the two of them crossed over a simple wooden bridge, putting them across a snaking stream that emptied out into the nearby ocean. Stepping back down in the sand, Nick voiced his thoughts with a smirk.
"Well, I'm glad that we're finally here, at least." He stepped forward and spread his arms out as if he were announcer "Pawaii - Home of the ugly floral shirt!"
"You'll fit right in!" Judy called out from behind.
"Yeah, no kidding. Maybe I'll be able to find me a brand new one o' these!" Nick claimed as he perked up the collar of his floral shirt.
"As if you need any more tacky Pawaiian shirts." The bunny mumbled teasingly. "You have enough already."
"My my, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous of my outstanding sense of fashion."
"Okay, no need to over-inflate that ego of yours, Slick."
"And they're not tacky, by the way - They're stylish!"
Judy rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."
The fox's words sputtered to a quiet silence as his voice trailed off, and his feet halted in their tracks. He stared off into the distance with a vacant expression on his face; Glazed over eye-balls and a slightly ajar mouth. Following Nick's starry-eyed gaze, the bunny's line of sight settled upon the likes of another fox, standing directly in front of one of those open-air tourist shops: A vixen, to be precise. She was unquestionably female, with her robust curves and glossy orange fur. Her thin and sleek body was wrapped in a flowery patterned sun-dress, and the very top of her long and lustrous tail was strangely crooked, as if it had been stepped on or run over by a car.
"Beautiful." Judy heard Nick mutter quietly before he began stepping forward, eventually breaking into a sprint as he ran straight towards the vixen.
"Wha...?"
The bunny trailed off as she saw Nick run straight past the vixen, nearly pushing her out of the way as he entered the tourist shop directly behind her. A few seconds later, he came into view holding a yellow patterned floral shirt, with sea-shell designs printed into the fabric. Judy walked over and saw him examining the shirt like it was the most precious thing he had ever seen. Upon noticing the bewildered bunny, Nick strutted over to her and displayed the piece of clothing that he had found.
"Wow, look at this one, Carrots! It's beautiful!" He chuckled. "Course, not as beautiful as you, but it'll do nicely. Really brings out the green of my eyes, don't ya think?"
Judy blinked a single time before doubling over breaking into a fit of laughter. After her moment had passed, she wiped away the tears of amusement that had started to well up in the corners of her eyes, and locked her gaze upon Nick, who was looking at her strangely.
"Uh, what's so funny?" The fox questioned.
"Oh nothing... Don't worry about it, slick." Judy turned her head and looked around for the vixen, soon spotting her some distance off, walking away from the tourist shop.
Yeah, that's right. Run along now, foxy. The bunny mentally chided.
Meanwhile, Nick had purchased the floral shirt from the shop vendor, and had slung his new prize over his left shoulder as if he was carrying a towel.
"Maybe you're right, Whiskers..." Nick started coolly. "We should probably get a hotel, or somethin' here soon."
"Or we could do what Ivar suggested, and get one of those teeny huts by the beach!" Judy added.
"Aren't those like, super expensive?"
"Ivar said that we'd be able to afford one even with our current salaries. I hope he isn't wrong!"
"I hope so too, fluff. Whaddya say we go and find out, huh?"
11:34 A.M
"Five hundred bucks a night?!"
"I'm sorry if the price upsets you sir, but that's just the way it is."
"Well the way it is is outrageous!"
"I apologize sir, but there are other mammals waiting in line behind you. If you don't wish to purchase a beach-side cabana, then you can always get a room. If not, then leave!"
"Fine. We'll take a room."
"Excellent choice, mister...?"
"Wilde. Nick Wilde. And Judy Hopps."
"Alright then, here are the keys to your room, sir. Enjoy your stay at the Pawaiian Paradise Inn and Resort."
Grumbling to himself as he snatched the keys away from the boar lobby-receptionist, Nick took Judy by the paw and pulled her along in the direction of their room. The hotel was nice as it was: With clean, glossy tile floors and gold-colored columns supporting the weight of a pair of spiral staircases that led to the second floor, where their room was located. As they entered the room, a sweet smell filled their nostrils, and the plush interior brought a smile to Judy's face. She looked up at Nick, who was still frowning irritably.
"Aw, don't be like that!" Judy teased the fox with a smirk of her own. "We may not have been able to get a cabana, but hey, glass half full; This hotel is gorgeous!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Whiskers... I was just really lookin' forward to livin' right on the beach." Nick replied.
"The hotel is practically on the beach, Nick." The bunny proclaimed, pointing out through one of the nearby windows to the sandy beach, which was some 20 feet away.
"Okay, I get it, I get it." The fox mused as he ruffled Judy's head. "No need to spell it out for me, cotton-tail."
"Well, you are a dumb fox, so I can understand you needing some help with spelling every once and a while."
"Heh... Sly bunny."
"You know what you are already." The bunny stated with a smirk before she stuck their room key into the lock on the door, swinging it open and stepping inside after Nick.
12:07 P.M
After settling down in their new hotel room; Which itself was small, but nice as it was, the fox and bunny set out for the beach right outside of their hotel complex.
Although it lacked the sheer magnitude of pleasure that the first time had, both Nick and Judy were quite content with sticking their feet in the sand once again, and feeling the warm granules as they sifted between and around their sensitive toes. Eyeing his mate up and down, Nick smiled at the sight of her fluffy bunny tail, which wiggled tenaciously in the breezy wind. She was wearing a purple-colored, two piece swimsuit that Nick thought complimented her eyes very well.
The two of them swam in the cool waters of the ocean, went cliff diving off of some nearby rock structures, chased each other across the beach, and even joined in on a volley-ball game with a pack of other beach-goers. It was a fun experience overall, especially the volley-ball match; Mostly because they had a giraffe on their team, which had helped.
After romping around on the beach for roughly another half an hour, Nick heard a name that he never thought he'd hear again.
"Mr. Leyfur?"
The voice that asked was male, unmistakably. Whirling around and scanning for the source of the noise, Nick locked eyes with a white rabbit, standing some 30 feet away.
"Dyvim!"
"Felix!"
Both the fox and rabbit ran up to each other and grasped their paws together in a firm hand-shake.
"What in the world are you doing here?" Nick asked
"Why is your fur orange?" Dyvim questioned
"Okay okay, one at a time, ladies." A female voice jokingly called out from behind Dyvim.
Breaking their hand-shake, Nick watched as Dyvim stepped away to reveal Natalia Blackthorne, who must've been traveling with him, no doubt.
"Nat! You're here too! Oh, man, this is such a coincidence!" The fox managed through wheezing chuckles. "You two were the last mammals I'd expect to run into here!"
"Well, we're just here on vacation, that's all." The male rabbit replied.
"Wait, have you two finally...?" Nick pointed to them both before overlapping his arms.
"Oh, yeah! We're dating, as a matter of fact!" Dyvim stated as he wrapped his arm around Natalia's shoulder and pulled her to his side.
"Ah, so the chase is finally over, eh?"
"Heh, I guess you could say that." Dyvim said, scratching at the back of his head.
"Hey Nick!" Judy called as she ran over to the scene. "Friends of yours?" She asked, gesturing to the black and white rabbit.
"Yep, good friends back from Sector-A, actually! This is Dyvim Whitetail, and that's Natalia Blackthorne. Remember how I told you about them? The pride of Sector-A!"
"I remember, yeah. Nice to meet you!" Judy stuck out her paw and shook with Dyvim and Natalia. "I'm Judy Hopps!"
"The Judy Hopps? Well, it's our pleasure, ma'am!" Natalia exclaimed. "You're kind of a hero in bunny culture, you know."
Judy giggled as she rubbed at the back of her neck. Nick smiled at the sight of the flustered bunny, but soon diverted his attention back to Dyvim, who had cleared his throat.
"So Felix..." The male rabbit started almost mockingly. "I think you have a lot of explaining to do."
"No kidding." Natalia added, crossing her arms as she glared at Nick.
"Yeah, I guess I owe you two an explanation, don't I?" He asked, to which the black and white rabbits nodded in agreement. "Well, for starters, I'm not really a gray fox."
"Obviously." Dyvim stated. "So you're really a red fox?"
"Yeah, I was actually undercover in Jack's company with a completely new identity. I'm afraid Felix Leyfur doesn't, and never has existed. I'm Nick Wilde."
"The first fox cop?" Natalia questioned, causing Nick to nod his head in confirmation.
"Yup. Zootopia's first fox cop. Like I said, I was undercover, and was really working for the ZPD, trying to collect Intel on Jack Savage and his business practices."
"Oh, so you must've been behind his arrest!" Dyvim cried out. "The entire building has been gossiping about it ever since!"
"Yeah, my wife and I, Judy here," Nick patted Judy on the head. "Hauled in Savage on account of fraud, aggravated assault, and..." He trailed off, locking eyes with Judy.
"And resisting arrest." She finished for him, smiling when she felt the fox give her paw a reassuring squeeze. "He's in jail now, where he can't hurt anyone anymore."
"Well, I guess that makes sense. I had my suspicions from the beginning, honestly: No office-coordinator would ever be that determined!" Dyvim stated with a toothy grin.
"What can I say? I had to get a job done." Nick said with a shrug. "Least we're here on vacation now, I suppose."
"That's respectable Fel-I mean, Nick." Natalia started before chuckling. "I'm gonna have to get used to that!"
"Oh, I'm sure that you will eventually, Nat." The fox claimed before clasping his hands together. "So what brings you two here to Pawaii, anyhow?"
"Same as you: We're on vacation, of course! We came here to get away from the crowd of the city, so we could relax and unwind in tropical paradise!"
"Ain't that what everyone comes here for?" Nick asked, causing the crowd of mammals to snicker in response.
"You got that right, slick." Judy added before facing the other two rabbits. "So you two are a couple, I'm guessing?"
"We sure are!" Natalia responded as she nuzzled noses with Dyvim.
"Good on that, I say. I was shippin' you two ever since I first set foot in Sector-A," Nick commented.
"I hope that you didn't start some betting pool with the other office workers like Clawhauser did with us back when we were first dating." Judy started.
"Uh, no comment."
Rolling her eyes, Judy placed her paws on her hips as she looked back to Dyvim and Natalia before asking them yet another question of her own.
"Say, are you two staying in that hotel over there?" She pointed out to the rabbit couple, who nodded in confirmation. "Oh, cool! Nick and I are staying there too!"
"Hmm, that gives me an idea, actually!" Dyvim proclaimed, earning the attention of all the other mammals.
"Let's hear it, Divvy." Nick said. "Suggestions are always appreciated."
"Well, Natalia and I were planning to visit The Crags tomorrow... Would you two like to join us?"
Nick and Judy looked to each other momentarily before they both nodded in agreement.
"I don't see why not! It'll be fun!" Judy stated. "Though, what're The Crags?"
"Oh, you don't know? The other side of the island... It's completely destroyed!" Dyvim claimed.
"What?" Judy found herself asking.
"Yeah! The other side of Pawaii is a barren wasteland that all the locals call The Crags: That part of the island is completely encrusted with dried lava!"
"Ooo, sounds cool... And kinda dangerous."
"Nah, it isn't dangerous unless you get too close to the lava flows... Or the volcanic gas... Or all the sharp rocks..." Dyvim trailed off slowly, looking nervously into the distance.
Judy recalled how their narwhal friend, John Haddock, had been about to tell her something about the volcano before he had trailed off and forced Judy to vacate his old boat.
"Yeah, our ship captain told me about that.. Well, sort of. Point is, it sounds like a cool place. We should go there sometime!"
"I'm up for it." Nick added lazily.
"Well, I guess it's settled! We'll find you tomorrow, and we can discuss things from there. Until then, I say that the four of us enjoy the beach life!" Natalia vocalized happily.
And at that, the four mammals set out back to the beach, enjoying the rest of their day with idle talk, volley-ball, and sweet shaved-ice cream.
It was lovely.
8:01 P.M
"That's all? Really?"
"Yes, that's it. Of course, I could always retract the offer if you're not willing to comply..."
"No no! It's fine! I'm willing to comply! I'm willing!"
"Good. It should be another two days or so before they get back, so go ahead and get nice and comfy here in your cell while you wait for me to summon you to my office."
"Just two more days?"
"Give or take."
"Ah, good business, good business... I'll be waiting... Run along now, chief."
The water-buffalo snorted harshly from his nostrils, giving the rabbit one last stink-eye before he backed away and left the cell block.
Jack Savage allowed himself a triumphant laugh as he gripped the cell bars and shook the cage door in excitement.
"Yes!"
Sighing heavily and pacing backwards, he fell over onto his bed, facing the ceiling as his lips parted in an exultant grin. He couldn't believe it: He would be able to walk free once again, even if it wasn't for very long. Jack felt as though all his prayers had finally been answered. The only thing that could make any of this better was if he could get out of jail for good, but sadly, he'd have to leave that fact for Ratsputin to deal with, one way or another... Assuming that the rat would forgive him for what he was about to do...
I don't want to end up like that pathetic sheep. What was her name... Smellwhether, I think it was? Imbecilic little lamb, trying to play her piece of the game too early.
He shook his head from side to side, ridding his mind of those vile thoughts.
Instead, he took to focusing on something else: Something that would keep his mind away from the thoughts of what Ratsputin might do to him if he took it all the wrong way.
As he usually did whenever he was stressed, he calmed himself with deep breaths in through the nose and out from the mouth. Jack's mind pondered back to just a few weeks ago, back before he was arrested and his world went to shit. He reminisced on feeling so much power, looking out through the windows in his office as if he owned the city. He remembered how picturesque Alaina had looked when he had walked in on her staring out the windows; The way the sun-light bent around her well-sculpted body, casting an equally curvaceous shadow across the walls of his office. She had been beautiful, and deep down, Jack regretted having tried to manipulate her into mating with him. At the time, he had been hoping to acquire one last moment of intimate recollection before he fled the city of Zootopia for good. Alas, all that had gone down the drain with his hubris.
He lightly banged his head on the cell bars a single time, causing them to rattle metallically.
But for now, he was still locked up in this blasted cell, with nothing substantial to do to pass the hours aside from staring at the ceiling or sleeping. Reasoning that he'd stared at the ceiling for long enough already, Jack turned over on his side and faced the wall, closing his eyes and beckoning forth the dark folds of sleep to envelop him. He hated the limited amount of activities that were available in the jail-house, and he knew for a fact that he wouldn't just sit back and let his body and mind waste away in this wretched cell.
He grit his teeth hard, his ears detecting the sound of his incisors grinding against one another.
I will not die here.
Sleep came soon after, and he welcomed it with wide open arms. His subconscious mind gifted him with bright, vivid dreams of freedom, causing him to smile in his sleep.
Hey everyone!
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