Hey everyone!
Real quick notification here: We best put this chapter in the history books, because for the first time ever, WIF has not one, but two music suggestions!
Such a special occasion, isn't it? All jokes aside, the two following music suggestions are pieces that I find particularly fitting for the two separate scenes that they correspond with in the chapter itself, of course. As our heroes finally arrive at the lovely Deciduous-District, I highly recommend this one music piece;
Grasslands, All the Way (Mix)
And as for the second one, of which fits with the very final scene, well, I won't spoil anything for any of you, of course, but let's just leave it at this;
Shamanic drum & Didgeridoo Hypnotic Meditation music
Don't worry: You'll recognize it when you get there, I'm sure! Regardless, that's pretty much all I got for now, so let's jump right into this, shall we?
Enjoy...
11:45 P.M
"You know, for a temporary dishonorable exile from the city, this isn't all that bad, really."
Judy rolled her eyes upon registering Nick's sarcastic comment. "And what makes you say that, huh?" She questioned.
"Well, for starters, I have you." He started, wiggling his eyebrows. "And secondly, I heard the Deciduous-District has some amazing maple syrup."
Smirking pleasantly, Judy tugged on the wheel of the cruiser, causing it to turn steadily as the vehicle glided along the northern mountain roads.
"Maple syrup, huh? Might go good with mom's blueberry pancakes, now that you bring it up." She mused, her amethyst-colored eyes trained on the road ahead of them.
"Ooo, now that's an idea! Besides, if it gets rid of that salty taste from our time at the Docks that's been stuck on my tongue this whole time, then I'm up for it."
The two mammals laughed with ease, their chortles reverberating around the inside of their police cruiser as it silently drove down the smooth surface of the road, save for a few occasional bumps in the asphalt here and there. Together, the two officers set off towards their next destination, and in turn, their next adventure: The dense woods of the Deciduous-District, a rural sub-district on the outskirts of the city, where they would spend the next few weeks of their lives in a temporary sort of exile while the ZPD works to clean up the mess left behind by Grygorri Ratsputin, whose untimely death seemed to have only made even more problems for them to deal with.
Throughout their lives together thus far, neither of the two mammals had ever been to the Deciduous-District before, save for a few police chases on the outskirts of the district itself, which connected to the northern border of Tundra-Town, lined along a ridge of towering mountains. Although neither were sure just what exactly awaited them there, from the few pictures that they had seen of the place to begin with, they expected a bright, colorful sort of mini-city sprouting from the ground right alongside the many trees.
And boy did it deliver.
Upon rearing over another mountainous ridge along the road, the lapin and vulpine's police cruiser leveled into sight with one of the most beautiful, vivid, and healthy-looking districts the two of them had ever had the pleasure of seeing. From the winding road atop the mountain pass, for as far as the eye could see, a massive valley of lush, colorful trees stretched onward, broken through only by the occasional building or rocky cliff structure, including the likes of towering boulder piles. In the eastern distance, a snaking river cut through the trees, flanked by a decently sized riverside town of wood and stone, with a massive dam on the river: Beaverdam, the source of the air-conditioned wall's power.
In the far distance, craggy, blue-ish mountains boxed in the Deciduous-District, creating a forested valley of trees, lakes, and various colorful villages amongst the flora. As their cruiser entered the forest itself, the two tiny mammals marveled at the sight of the sun's bright yellow beams as they dappled through the healthy green leaves above their heads, streaming across the forest floor with vivid patterns of light. Lush green grass sprouted from the forest floor, peeking out from between cracks of rocks and boulders, and gravel paths webbed throughout the thick of the woods.
Above their heads, smooth boardwalks of wood crisscrossed amongst the branches of the towering trees, creating a network of bridges and platforms, some few even lined with small-sized houses, almost all of which were also made of wood and planks. from the shingled rooftops, flowers and patches of grass sprouted alongside solar-panels. As their cruiser continued smoothly down the road, both of the two tiny officers were quick to spot various villages on the forest floor, some made from wood like the ones in the canopy, others structured more so like the buildings in the Rainforest-District.
Eventually, their car reached their intended destination: The head-quarters of Precinct Seven, the Deciduous-District's resident ZPD office, where the vulpine and lapin would be expected to work beneath their new and temporary superior, a grizzly bear known as Chief Tom Urzo. Back before they had left Precinct One, Bogo had informed them that he had previously notified the grizzly bear chief of their impending arrival, where they would be given a tour of the Precinct before being shown to their new and temporary home.
The lobby of Precinct Seven was laid with a smooth tile floor, much like that of Precinct One, though quite a bit smaller, and with much more plant life.
Down the center of the lobby, flanking lines of vertical pine trees jutted out from large glass boxes, clearly for decoration factors, though Nick personally thought that it must've been an unnecessary hassle to have to clean up after all of the fallen pine needles. Ever the pessimist, he was. Regardless, the sight was still quite unique, especially when paired with the glassy ceiling and the patches of grass and boulders laden throughout the main lobby of the building.
Soon enough, the pair reached the reception desk, of which was a large, oval shaped ring of gray-ish stone in the very center of the lobby, much like Clawhauser's desk back at Precinct One. The differences stopped there, however, as instead of being piled high with donuts and other high-caloric delicacies, the stone stable was lined with dozens of different stacks of papers and other miscellaneous objects, including multiple computer monitors of varying shape and size. In the middle of it all was an average sized female timber wolf, busily typing away at one of the various keyboards, her brown eyes intently trained upon the screen in front of her, so much so that she didn't even notice the first ring of the nearby office bell that Nick had flicked with his index finger in order to get her attention.
On the second time, the timber wolf looked up from her screen and eyed the empty space in front of her, only looking down and spotting the two smaller officers after Judy Hopps herself waved in an effort to acquire the lupine's gaze. Smiling, the timber wolf leaned forward on the surface of her desk, crossing her arms and smiling as she spoke;
"Well, you must be officers Hopps and Wilde! We've been expecting you!"
Her voice was friendly and very warm: It was clear that she must've been an admirer of their past achievements.
"Yeah, that's us alright." Nick replied back, stepping closer to the foot of the stone desk. "We're here to speak with Chief Urzo... Think that you could direct us to him?"
"Sure thing!" The wolf claimed as she leaned over to her right and pressed down upon one of the comms buttons. "Hey Tom! The new recruits are here!"
After a few brief seconds of static fuzz, a gruff sounding voice growled back through the intercom;
"Alright, send 'em in."
Nodding in approval, the she-wolf turned off the microphone before returning her attention to the fox and bunny before her.
"His office is straight that way, past the boulder, down the hall and to the right. You can't miss it!" She stated, pointing across the lobby.
Following the directions given to them earlier by the friendly receptionist, Nick and Judy immediately made-way towards the office of their new and temporary superior. Upon reaching his rather large and towering door, they knocked in a request for entry, effectively causing the occupant within the room itself to promptly invite them inside his office;
"Door's unlocked!"
Nick and Judy both glanced at each other quizzically before looking back at the door and shouting back in unison;
"Door's too heavy!"
Inside, a groan of discontent echoed, followed by several heavy footsteps, each one growing louder and more powerful up until the wooden door swung open, revealing the interior of the office, and the chief of Precinct Seven himself: Chief Tom Urzo was undoubtedly a grizzly bear, with his thick coat of dark-brown fur, and mitt-like paws tipped with thick claws. His massive body, coated in a beige ZPD uniform, and his collar was lined with a row of golden-colored stars. The grizzly bear's holster belt wrapped around the thick of his torso and over his shoulder, and he wore a large bowl-brim police hat with a metal badge in the shape of a pine tree pinned to the front of the cap.
His large blue eyes looked down at the two comparatively tiny officers from above.
"So these are the two officers that practically saved Zootopia, huh?" Chief Urzo grumbled with a distasteful expression. "Why Bogo sent you here for punishment is beyond me."
"Pretty sure he just wanted us to annoy you." Nick stated jokingly, to which the grizzly bear grunted.
"Joker, huh? When I'm through with you, there won't be an ounce of humor left to spare. One thing that never survives a round with me is a sense of it."
"We'll see about that." The fox mused.
"We best be off, now, I suppose. Precinct Seven isn't going to tour itself." The grizzly bear stated with a smug grin across his face. "Welcome to the Woodlands, officers."
Somewhere on Outback-Island...
2:54 P.M
The room was dark, lit only by the very dimmest of candles and lamplight.
A deep and soothing orange glow pooled within the dark recesses of the room, illuminating the interior like a peaceful sunset on the very edge of the Outback itself. Smooth wooden walls, like the inside of an old log cabin, were lined with dozens of ancient-looking relics and artifacts: Oval-shaped shields with crests of feathers, obsidian tipped spears, and traditional marsupial tribe quilts all adorned across the musty walls of the small, rectangular room.
Centered on the far side of the room, a large wooden work desk was shoved up against the edge of the corresponding wall which supported a thin shelf decorated with small stone idols, colorful and jagged crystals, and weathered gem-working tools. And above even that, a massive, brightly painted didgeridoo was propped up by numerous tiny pegs, proudly displaying the monstrous wooden instrument to the entire room, for all to see.
However, only one such mammal was able to see such a magnificent sight.
He sat quietly next to the old work desk, his stocky form deeply cloaked in shadows from the overlapping candle light. The mammal's rust-orange eyes intently gazed over a multitude of rocks and pebbles lain out before him across the smooth wooden surface of the table. As he eyed them over reverently, his large claws, of which were carved with traditional marsupial line art as a testament to his cultural heritage, delicately picked about the collection of stones and other trinkets, carefully brushing off bits of unwanted dust and decay from their statues.
There was nothing he loved more than the sweet, mahogany smell of his personal study, with the many hundreds of diverse relics and artifacts, each one telling an entire legacy to behold, each one filled with history and culture, each one serving as a testament to the handiwork of the past. This was his specialty: The handiwork of the past. There wasn't a single object nor item in the entire room that he didn't know and recognize like the back of one of his meaty paws.
Everything in the room had a story, and he knew every story. Everything had a purpose and a history, save for a single, unmarked, unopened letter.
Earlier that day, when the mammal had first received the letter from one of his comrades, he was admittedly quite flattered: He was used to obtaining his usual mail electronically, so to have someone take the time out of their day to write him a full-fledged letter was something that he found great appreciation from, especially given his more practical preferences. However, the new item stood in a stark contrast in comparison to the other objects throughout the room, for unlike them, the mammal knew nothing of its origin, purpose, or plan. Ever since he had first received the mysterious letter, nearly an hour ago at this point in time, he had cast it off and to the side, where it gathered dust amongst the musty room.
Nonetheless, he knew that waiting any longer would only draw more anticipation upon him.
Setting down the tiny chunk of orange-colored citrine crystal that he had been previously examining, the mammal leaned over to his left, careful not to scald himself on the nearby candle flame, and plucked the aforementioned letter from atop the pile of books that he had so carelessly placed it upon. Using his thick and chiseled claws, he then tore open the very top of the letter, cautious with his movements so as not to accidentally destroy whatever delicate communicative treasure was hidden within its papery contents.
Casting the shredded envelop over his burly shoulder and onto the floor behind him, the mammal then brought the wrinkled note to his face, and quietly begun to read;
To my dearest associates,
I am certain that by now you have heard word on the death of Grygorri Ratsputin, who took his own life upon being confronted by ZPD officers called onto the scene of his private estate. The details that the press have presented thus far are unsurprisingly limited, due to the current lack of an official report from the forces behind his arrest, but if there is one thing we know for certain, it's that the rat's personal extortion archive has been salvaged and taken into custody by the ZPD.
As I'm sure you may have reasoned, this is very grim news for the four of us and our respective lines of work. Ratsputin had information on all of us. With him out of the picture, and all of his evidence in the paws of the ZPD, this puts not only us, but our entire livelihoods on the line as well, for as long as they claim possession over the rat's recovered archive, none of us are safe. Even as early as today, here in Tundra-Town, I have received reports of other more minor criminal figureheads being arrested, the causing factor being the ZPD's latest stolen trove of knowledge, without a doubt. It is only a matter of time before they turn their attention towards us, and when they do, it will be a truly calamitous day indeed.
To combat this imminent predicament, I propose that we hold a meeting between ourselves and our highest ranking lieutenants, where we will discuss ideas and solutions so as to ensure the safety, security, and stability of our criminal empires. The incarceration and imprisonment of Shahaz Pholmok, and the predominant dissolution of his criminal syndicate has already left a terrible blemish upon all of our finances and hopes, but we simply cannot sit back and let the ZPD pick us off one by one. It is time to take a stand.
Tomorrow, at 10:00 P.M, we will meet in the Grand Palm Hotel, in a reserved conference room titled under the number 1348. I have personally gone forth and made the reservations for us all, using my own money. If you value your livelihood, liberty, and life itself, you will make an appearance along with your two highest ranking associates.
With sincerity,
~B
The mysterious mammal smiled darkly, his chapped pink lips unsealing themselves to reveal a set of large, sturdy white fangs.
"Heh heh... Ever the artisan, aren't you, Cristoforo?" He murmured quietly, his whittled claws gliding over the ink-wrought writing. "Such exquisite cursive, too."
Smiling all the while, the mammal brought the crinkled letter to his face, hovering it directly in front of his nose as he inhaled, the wafting and almost bitter fragrance from the material causing his prickly fur to stand on end. He then sighed in an almost pleasurable indulgence before setting the letter back down onto the smooth wooden surface of his desk.
With its true purpose having been gathered and achieved, the mammal saw the letter as no longer of any use to him. Reaching out across the table in front of him, he plucked one of the incense sticks from its holder before bringing it up to his face, analyzing the small tuft of smoldering material as it weakly emitted tendrils of light smoke. Without any further hesitation, the mammal then pressed the burning tip of the stick onto the crinkled surface of the letter, holding it firmly for a few brief seconds before the blaze at last managed to gain enough strength to burn on its own.
He dropped the smoking incense rod without a second thought, his full attention now focused onto the oil-black words of the letter as they vanished within the line of ash that crept along the length of the paper, continuing until there was nothing left but blackened dust and a few smoldering bits of leftover parchment. The mammal then carefully swept his palm across the surface of the table, his sculpted claws brushing away the remnants of the arctic shrew's letter off of the desk and onto the cold, hard floor.
"Hmm... I haven't left the Outback in ages." He muttered softly to himself. "I suppose I could use a vacation."
Rising from his chair, the mammal relished in the feeling of his muscles stretching. He set out for the room's exit, the lumbering sway of his strides causing the multicolored tribal beads braided within his dark-black fur to clatter against one another next to his ears, filling his sense of sound with soft noises like that of a wooden wind chime. It never failed to soothe his senses.
Continuing across the room, the mammal made sure to dust off his beige safari suit before wrapping his thick biceps with his favorite traditional marsupial line cloth, of which had been passed down through his family by generation upon generation - Relics of his family's history as native marsupials of Outback-Island.
But of course, the last two items that he selected for his journey were perhaps the most vital: One snaking whip curled and tucked away into his suit, and one sturdy boomerang strapped to his hip, fastened snugly in a sort of holster that wrapped itself around his waistline. The mammal was ready for his next endeavor, and now, all that he had left to do was ferry himself to the mainland, leaving behind his beloved Outback-Island, and all the precious treasures he had stolen over the years. The crime-lord of Outback-Island smiled, breathing out as he readied himself for the coming adventure.
"Zootopia, here I come."
Hey everyone!
Ooo, spooky ending, huh? Not to worry, though: The identity of this mysterious new mammal will be revealed within the next chapter! Though, I have a feeling that some of you more observant and mnemonic readers might already have at least an idea of just who exactly he is...
Regardless, I thank you all very much for reading, of course! Do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts over this particular chapter, from Nick and Judy's arrival at the Deciduous-District and their tour of the Precinct 7 headquarters, to the mysterious reveal of the mysterious mammal! In the end, I always appreciate some nice and positive feedback, so any and all reviews for this latest chapter will be welcomed wholeheartedly!
Lastly, although this chapter may be rather short compared to some of the others, the next chapter is a whopping 12K+ words!
Anyhow, that's pretty much it for now, my friends. Again, thanks for reading, of course, and do please stay tuned for the next chapter!
'Till next time...
Peace!