Hey Everyone!
Quick author's note here with another music suggestion, this time for a rather tense scene involving Nick and Judy and the police chief of Precinct Three.
I believe this music empowers the theme and atmosphere perfectly: Cool Ranch Tense Theme [HD]
That's all that I have to say for now. Thank you all for your time, and without any further ado, let's jump right into chapter 89 of 'When Instinct Falls', the events of which take place directly after that of the previous chapter, which isn't something that happens very often in this story. Normally I supply plenty of exposition in a nice and wordy introduction, but this time around, you all will get to experience a completely clean scene transition in this latest chapter.
Enjoy...
"There is a law of retribution in all things, direct or indirect." - Miles Franklin
*BONUS QUOTE*
"The test of enjoyment is the remembrance that it leaves behind." - Logan Pearsall
10:57 A.M
Usually, Nick and Judy were the ones giving the interview to crime-scene witnesses, and not the other way around. Guess there was a first time for everything, after all.
After being pulled aside by a camel police officer - Undoubtedly a subordinate working under the Sahara-Square's Precinct Three - Nick and Judy were asked a big barrage of simple questions relating to their involvement with the chase and apprehension of Duke Weaselton, who by then had already been carted off the closest holding area. Though knowing him, the fox had a bad feeling that that weasel would be back out on the streets again within no more than a month or two. He seemed to have a bad habit of that.
Among the many diverse questions that were bestowed upon the two tiny mammals were those such as 'What is your relationship with one another?' and 'Are you aware of the perpetrator's criminal history?' to name a few. It was a rather tedious experience, since both Nick and Judy respectively knew the process of witness interviewing, as they had not only practiced it in the past, but had also performed it as well. It wasn't anything that they weren't familiar with, and that made their turn under the spotlight all the more unvaried and monotonous. Alas, there was nothing that they could do but sit back and comply, as the Precinct Three officers had complete control over the situation.
Eventually, after the standard cop procedure was concluded, the vulpine and lapin both gave their names and credentials to the camel officer, as instructed, and were at last relieved of their assignment. It may have been a rather repetitive process, especially since that camel had an irritatingly monotone and dull voice, but their work here was finished. Bidding their interviewer a personally well-desired farewell, the two of them turned tail and were prepared to leave the area, that was, when they heard a voice call;
"Officers Hopps, Wilde; I'd like to have word with you."
The bunny turned tail to take in the sight of a thin coyote, standing roughly a foot taller than Nick, due to the size of his species. The coyote was lean, with a bony physique and shadowy, somewhat sunken eyes, as though he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a while. His fur was dusty and coarse, colored the hue of dried grass. It stuck up around his cheeks and tail, making him look a bit bigger than he really was, judging by his lithe features. A pair of dark-yellow eyes stared out from the brim of a mud-brown cowboy hat with a flat brim and rounded corners. The coyote also brandished a standard beige-colored police uniform, the top of which was tucked beneath a thin bullet vest.
However, what personally caught Judy's attention the most weren't the clothes on his back or the hat on his head, but the pair of quadruple golden stars that were pinned to his collar, glittering in the beams of the afternoon sun; Reflecting rays of light directly into her eyes, which quivered and watered as the beams pierced her corneas. Whoever this coyote was, it was clear to the rabbit officer that he was one of the police chiefs of the city council, but just what was he doing here, and what did he want with them?
To her side, Nick seemed to have noticed the pair of stars on his collar as well, since he momentarily seized up in apprehension before straightening himself out. Judy chose to follow her husband's example, and swiftly brought up her right arm in a steadfast salute. She watched the coyote grin ever so slightly, but also noticed an underlying sense of arrogance to it; As if the smile wasn't a result of seeing Nick and Judy, but instead, a result of pride born from the conditioned respect that they both bestowed upon him.
That prospect worried Judy more than it should have.
"As you were, officers." The coyote stated aloud. "This shouldn't take very long."
Both Nick and Judy dropped their salutes and slackened their postures, but still kept a cautious demeanor to themselves, recognizing the raw authority of the mammal before them. Neither of the two tiny officers knew just what exactly this coyote wanted from them. It wasn't very often that a police chief came down to the scene of a crime on their own terms, oftentimes leaving the grunt-work to their subordinates in favor of more important tasks back in their precinct of influence, though, Judy recalled how Chief Bogo himself occasionally showed up at decently important crime scenes, like the capture of the savage jaguar, Manches, or the fall of Vladzotz's old manor, Castle Fangpyre.
But was Judy's excursion with Weaselton really that big of a deal to have attracted the attention of the chief of the Sahara-Square's ZPD establishment, Precinct Three?
"The name's Jesse Latran, chief of police 'round these here parts." The coyote stated firmly.
"Nice to meet you, sir!"
Nodding her head with a big smile on her face, Judy reached out with her left paw, hoping to shake her superior's hand. She was left hanging for several seconds, with the coyote instead choosing to narrow his eyes and blow a stream of air out through his nostrils. Pursing her lips in disappointment, but otherwise getting the message, Judy then relaxed her arm. She realized right then and there that Chief Latran wasn't here to make friends, or to meet Nick and Judy. He was here for something different; Something personal, and far from casual. The way that he looked down on her and Nick gave off a strong aura of displeasure. Whatever the reason behind his arrival, he wasn't happy.
"Let's skip the pleasantries, officer Hopps. I didn't come all this way to shake your hand, I'll have you know."
"So you're familiar with us, huh?" Nick interjected.
"I wasn't talking to you, officer Wilde." Chief Latran said sternly while glaring down at the fox. "This here rabbit is the one I came to see." He claimed, gesturing toward Judy.
"What is it that you need, sir?" She found herself asking.
"Retribution." The coyote replied simply, though with an undertone of apparent malice.
"Retribution?" Judy repeated. "What are you talking about?"
Chief Latran's brow furrowed in seeming anger, and his slowly lips started to curl back as he spit his coming words with harshness and disappointment;
"No more than a half an hour ago, I got word that two officers from Precinct One, both off-duty, engaged in a reckless foot-chase through public property, while out of their assigned jurisdiction lines. Sahara-Square is my turf, and its streets belong to my officers; Not a pair of wannabe heroes. You have better things to do than this kinda stuff."
Judy blinked a single time in apprehension. "Is that what this is about?" She found herself asking.
The rabbit recalled that although ZPD officers were allowed to perform work in districts that weren't of their own precinct jurisdiction, off-duty cops still had much higher standards to perform to, since their own objectives tended to come in unexpected ways and places, and as such, were subject to higher scrutiny. Admittedly, Judy hadn't considered the consequences of interfering with the work of Sahara-Square's Precinct Three, and now, she had to bear the brunt of her rashness. She listened in on Latran;
"Yes'am, it is indeed. I want to know exactly why you took off after that thieving weasel knowing full well that it wasn't your call to make, officer Hopps." Jesse confirmed.
"Not my call to make?" The rabbit repeated again. "Sir, with all due respect, I saw the perpetrator, and acted on my instincts as a cop. That's what we do at the ZPD, right?"
The coyote shook his head from side to side in disagreement.
"No. That's what heedless individuals do: Act without any forethought. You only gave chase after that weasel for your own selfish desires. Coming into my precinct's territory intending to start a scuffle to show up my subordinates is bad enough on its own, but your reckless actions also served to prove just how terribly impulsive you really are."
"What do you mean? I didn't come here to start a scuffle, much less show up your subordinates!" Judy retorted.
"And yet you did exactly that."
"I'm on break here with my husband! And when I saw Weaselton taking that jewelry, I acted under perfectly reasonable cause."
"So you say."
"Sir, is this really what you came here to talk to me about? This is just ridiculous!"
"I'd watch your mouth if I were you, Missy." Chief Latran warned before taking a large step forward, closing the distance between he and Judy. "I won't tolerate rudeness."
Must be easy to see from that glass house of yours. Nick thought silently to himself, having still not yet seized an opportunity to add his own two cents to the conversation.
Judy sighed. "Look, sir, I'm just trying to explain things to you. Why are you even here?" She stated.
Chief Latran straightened himself up before crossing his arms across his chest and explaining his motivations for showing up in the first place;
"I was told that two off-duty officers from Precinct One interfered in a police investigation being conducted by my officers here in The Canyonlands. You two fit the bill on that claim, and judging from what I've heard here, I'd say that that statement has a truth to it. The both of you are highly-respected public figures, and since you impeded the work of my officers by inciting a scuffle, I decided to come see things for myself. I've heard stories of your past accomplishments, officers, but also, of your past failures."
"Failures, sir?"
"Yes, failures. Retribution for your many reckless actions. Off the top of my head, I can recall reports of how a train cart, along with an entire trove of evidence relating to the Night-Howler case from three years past were destroyed in an explosion beneath the Natural History Museum, and how an entire mansion belonging to a criminal syndicate was burned to the ground, resulting in several unnecessary casualties, and even how Mister Wilde over here engaged in a sword fight with a suspect of political blackmail!"
"That was actually kind of fun." Nick added casually, though trailed off and silenced himself when Chief Latran administered a smoldering glare his way. He continued;
"So yes, perhaps I am being a little upfront with you, but when I received word that those very same mammals that had done all of those reckless and senseless things, had also incited a scurry in my jurisdiction of influence, well, I'm sure that you can understand my reasoning, officer Hopps. Standard protocol or not, this needed my attention."
"I see..." The bunny mumbled in a soft tone of voice. "But I can assure you, sir, that there wasn't any destruction of property, or unintended casualties, or anything like that!"
"Precisely." Nick interjected. "She was just doing her job. There's nothing to worry about."
"Perhaps not, but I can't take it from you, Wilde; You weren't the one who caught that weasel, nor the one who started this mess, either." Jesse claimed.
At that, the coyote chief of police then turned back towards Judy, staring her down from his eye level with a look of distrust on his face.
"Tell me everything that happened." He grumbled.
"Permission to speak freely, sir? I'm sure that with a little bit of elbow-room, we could-" Judy began easily, but was suddenly cut off before she could even finish her request.
"Permission denied, officer!" The coyote snarled loudly. "You ain't here to defend yourselves; You're here to explain yourselves! I work with answers, not excuses." He hissed.
"Y-Yes, sir." Judy stifled, clearly somewhat taken aback by Chief Latran's continuous hostility.
It was now clear that Chief Latran was getting very impatient. All that he wanted was a personal explanation from her on what happened. Judy mentally cursed herself for not providing it to him sooner; She was unintentionally making an enemy out of him, and that was the last thing that she wanted. She started to think up ways to explain herself.
Meanwhile, the fox that stood beside her, on the other hand, was far from lenient.
Nick felt his heartbeat accelerate in anger. Police chief or not, there was no one who spoke to Judy like that. No one at all. She may have been a strong-willed soul, but when it came to her choice of career, she was understandably sensitive. Anything that tarnished her reputation or shattered her hopes was something that she didn't take lightly. He remembered all too well how depressed she became when Chief Urzo had gotten on their tails back in the Deciduous-District: Even though he had turned out to be a nicer guy than they first thought, that grizzly bear had put a pretty big dent in Judy's motivation. If this condescending coyote wanted an answer, then that was exactly what he'd get.
"Alright, Chief, you want answers?" The fox began. "Then tell me if this story sounds familiar..."
Clearing his throat with an audible grunt, Nick took a moment to moisten his lips before continuing the likes of his rather sardonic explanation to the chief of Sahara-Square;
"Two innocent mammals with a biting hunger and a prestigious lawyer on speed dial, I might add, decide to stop by The Canyonlands to get some lunch, if only to shut up the growling of their stomachs for another few hours, when they suddenly spot a shifty-looking weasel stealing some very expensive-looking jewelry from a nearby gem stand."
"Officer Wilde, if you're even so much as-" Chief Latran started, but promptly cut himself off when Nick simply raised one of his paws in a gesture of silence.
"It's rude to interrupt. Please save all questions, comments, or concerns until the conclusion of the story, please. Now, where was I? Oh yes!"
The fox spread his paws out calmly so as to emphasize the openness of his actions as he continued his monologue;
"Seeing that there were no other officers in the area, one of the two innocent mammals that I mentioned earlier decided to take actions into her own paws, and went after the shifty-looking weasel on her own terms. However, unlike the last time that she took such a field trip, she made sure that her roundabout with the weasel was safely away from any public areas or bystanders, and managed to apprehend said shifty weasel without any injury or financial damage, all before your officers even made it to the scene."
An unnerving silence encompassed the three mammals for a few short seconds. Judy couldn't believe the fact that her husband had just chewed out Chief Latran like that, but, when she thought about it, Nick seemed to have a rather unorthodox talent of swiftly pointing out the flaws in others, even if they were higher up in the pecking order than he was. He teased Chief Bogo himself all the time, and the same went for the other officers, including Chief Urzo as well. This shouldn't have surprised the rabbit, but in the end, she thought that it was too sweet of Nick to come to her defense, even if it meant risking punishment by talking back to to one of the city's highest-ranking officers.
The gratitude at hand was so great, that it almost negated the chilling fear that Judy felt as Chief Latran grit his pointed teeth together and uttered a guttural, wolfish growl.
"Is this insubordination?" He snarled lowly. "You may not be under my jurisdiction, but I am still your superior."
Nick simply shook his head from side to side as he made tsk tsk sounds with his tongue.
"Don't blame me, I was just doing what you told us to, Chief: Explaining ourselves to you." The fox promptly told of his superior with an innocent tone to his words.
Chief Latran opened his maw once more as if he were about to retort, but as Nick's words sunk in and registered, the coyote seemed to realize that he was right. Nick wasn't in the wrong, for even though his previous explanation was a bit on the sarcastic side, least to say, he had still done what the chief had asked him to do. Jesse then rumbled;
"You're a real smartass, officer Wilde."
"Just doing my job, sir." Nick claimed.
"I can respect the courage, but the audacity best be left to the curb." The coyote warned.
"As you say, sir."
Jesse blew a stream of air out from his nostrils. "My business here is concluded... But don't think for one second that I'll be forgetting you two anytime soon." He muttered.
Niether Nick nor Judy replied, with both instead choosing to silently nod their heads in understanding, if only to avoid talking with the coyote for any longer than they had to. He had heard what he wanted, and if he was ready to leave, than Nick and Judy wouldn't stop him. For the moment, they both listened carefully to his departing monologue.
"The chief council meeting is just right around the corner, and I heard that you both will be attending. You had better hope that the other council members view you as less problematic than I do. The ZPD, and the city of Zootopia, for that matter, has no need for cops that don't set the cause above renown. Don't forget that. We will meet again."
At that, the coyote chief of police turned tail and begun to walk away. Judy noticed how he folded his paws behind his back as he paced about, and drew comparisons to Nick. The rabbit slightly shook her head. Chief Latran was nothing like Nick; Nick was calm, collected, and cool, while Chief Latran was temperamental and openly pessimistic. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to be a pretty rude mammal, too, though, Judy wasn't one to judge. Both Chief Bogo and Chief Urzo started out similarly when she first met them, and they both turned out all right over time, at least. If the coyote's words were true, and they really would meet again soon, Judy would be sure to eye him over.
She didn't want any enemies, but if that coyote had it out for her, she had no intention on backing down. But still, that whole experience with Chief Latran came with a great lesson: Chief Bogo wasn't the only one out there with the power to do real damage to her and Nick's career and reputations. She would have to tread carefully from now on.
Beside her, the fox exhaled heavily in a sigh of relief, all the while scratching at the back of his scruffy head.
"Glad that's over. Man, that coyote needs to lighten up. You successfully caught Weaselton, after all. If anything, that's worth some points."
"No kidding." The rabbit replied easily.
In that moment, her eyes narrowed, and her long ears twitched in suspicion.
"We have a prestigious lawyer on speed dial?" Judy found herself asking curiously.
"Beats me." Nick admitted. "I just said that to get Chief Latran off of our tails."
"You sly fox, you!" The bunny exclaimed, heaving a sigh of seeming disbelief. "You're terrible, sometimes."
"Like I said, I'm just doing my job."
Judy snickered as she wrapped her paws around her husband's torso, momentarily surprising him before he recomposed himself; Clearing his throat and patting her back.
"Thank you for defending me, Nick." The rabbit exclaimed graciously. "That was a... Frustrating experience."
"And exactly why we need to keep our eyes on ourselves, Carrots. Things from a long time ago are coming full circle, it looks like, and not in a good way." The fox told her.
"Agreed. We need to be smart about this. I'm sorry for chasing off after Weaselton earlier, but I promise that it won't happen again! Promise!"
"What, with Weaselton specifically, or just in general?" Nick quipped. "Big difference, you know."
Rolling her eyes in amusement, Judy released her hold on her partner's chest. "Both. No matter how tempting it is."
"I'll hold you to it. Sometimes, reasonable cause isn't enough for some mammals." The fox muttered, glancing off in the same direction that he had last seen Chief Latran.
"Sounds like a plan to me."
The moment that the words left her mouth, Judy's stomach rumbled aloud, catching the attention of the two mammals.
"I think I could do with some lunch, right about now." She said sheepishly.
"Sounds like a plan to me." The fox replied, intentionally repeating the use of his wife's previous statement.
Together, the two mammals excused themselves from the scene of Weaselton's capture, both all the more wise from their efforts, and intent on learning only more.
12:46 P.M ; The Following Day
Life was good.
If Nick himself had ever learned anything from all his years on this earth, it would be that enjoying the current moment was a critical experience. In such a day and age when phones and computers made life so much simpler, for example, there were those that would lose themselves in the ire and allure, and so too, themselves, in the process. But, there were also those that seized opportunity when they could, enjoyed the moment, and lived life to the fullest. Even when he was homeless, living on the streets of the city, scraping by on every last dime that he accumulated, Nick had managed to find pleasure in the little things, whenever they arrived, and even more so when he met Judy.
Living by a personal code such as that was what helped mold Nick into the mammal that he was today. Being careful-minded, not getting wrapped up too much in the many worries that came with life, and simply enjoying the moment, as it was, as he was, made every tick of the clock worthwhile, in his eyes. Granted, such beliefs could come off as self-centered, excessively carefree, or even ridiculous, to some, and those very beliefs also aided in the growth of cynicism and self-superiority in the fox's heart, but those were nothing more than the traits that came with the prospect of enjoying oneself to the fullest. Sometimes, morality could afford to be cast aside in favor of one's own path.
Those that tallied the days of their life were only serving to waste the very thing that they sought to preserve. Nick had no intention of falling into that terrible trap.
And so, the fox lived life day to day with as much enjoyment as he could, even despite the deep and buried burden of grief that he held in his heart for the crimes that he had committed in the past. He didn't allow those thoughts to obstruct with his current mindset, and because of that fact, his little weekend with Judy was all the more memorable.
After excusing themselves form the crime scene where Duke Weaselton had been apprehended, Nick and Judy then enjoyed the rest of their day exploring the wonders of the dusty Canyonlands, venturing through tunnels, meeting new mammals, and yes, satisfying their hunger by eating lunch out on a savory barbecue restaurant known as the 'Chappagrill.' Soon enough, though, they returned back to their hotel room in the Grand Palm, if only to get a good night's sleep before whatever the next day brought fourth.
Luckily for them, they knew exactly what: After two years of near-complete silence, they would visit Nick's mother, Olivia Wilde, in the neighborhood of Happy-Town.
The aforementioned community was located on the outskirts of Savannah-Central, and so, when the time came for the two tiny mammals to disembark from their grandiose hotel, checking out at last, though not without a good breakfast beforehand, they both promptly made way to Savannah-Central on foot, ultimately deciding that they could use the extra exercise, and might as well get out and enjoy what the day had to offer them. It took a few hours, what with squeezing through thick crowds of mammalian pedestrians and other passerby, and waiting at street corners for traffic lights to clear the way, but eventually, they reached their intended destination, and now stood ready.
Once they reached the border of the poverty-stricken neighborhood, the two wandering mammals were greeted with a large, peeling billboard that proudly stated the words;
WELCOME TO HAPPYTOWN!
The billboard was designed with appeal in mind, complete with cutout buildings and painted trees, but time had worn away the grandeur of the sign, and now it was just an old, peeling mess of splintering wood and dried-up paint. Although choosing to ignore the sign as he crossed its boundary, Nick still found the effort to lean out and spit at the grassy ground where the billboard was rooted. He had never liked that sign, nor what it stood for: Deception. It painted Happy-Town as a colorful and bright place, just like the very name, when in fact, it was nothing but a run-down ghetto. The very poorest neighborhood in all of the city of Zootopia, and the majority that lived in it were preds.
"What'd you do that for?" Judy found herself asking.
"Oh, that? Don't worry about it." Nick told her. "Just an old tradition that the kids around here used to do."
"I see."
The fox's words bore no falsehoods: As a child, he and his friends would often go on walks around the area, visiting nearby parks, checking out the highway that bordered the neighborhood, and sometimes even doing a bit of vandalizing. However, every single time that they went outside, they would always take the effort to pass by that deceitful sign if only to spit at the ground beneath it. Many adults that lived in the area had picked up on that habit, too, as Nick recalled: It was seen as a bid of defiance and protest against the city government that refused to scrounge up the funding to make Happy-Town anything more than a rotting ghetto.
Much like the Nocturnal-District, and even The Docks, too, Happy-Town was a place that wasn't prioritized by the city government when it came to funding, resources, and financial aid. Though, Nick himself was at least grateful that the government didn't let the place succumb to pure chaos, as the Nocturnal-District had several centuries ago, when it was first founded. The fox had heard stories about the vampire bat population taking on some major damage during those dark times, and although they were just rumors, Nick had no intention on asking old Flappy-Bat if they were true or not. In the end, Happy-Town got the short end of the stick from the city for just about everything.
That was, until Judy, along with Nick and Chief Bogo's help, managed to get the city government to divert more time and energy into helping out those hurting places, and rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure that plagued them. Looking around, though, little seemed to have changed since the fox's youth. He would have to remind Chief Bogo to further press the city council into keeping up with their promises, when he got the chance to. Until then, all he could do was look around and admire his old neighborhood.
Despite being one of the poorer regions of Savannah-Central, the interior of Happy-Town still had a decent amount of flora on display, mostly just savanna trees and bushes, though still more than the Sahara-Square, at least. Most of the buildings were built of colorful brick, painted so as to make the run-down area look less dull than it really was. As Nick and Judy both walked among the crackling concrete sidewalks, the blades of grass that poked out from the fractures tickled against the soles of their feet, and around them, the warm air smelled of a peculiar mix of garbage and wet fur. It was a stench that Nick had gotten used to in the distant past, though now, it terrorized his nostrils.
The fox began to remember just how dumpy this place could get. He thought back to nights where he would hear gunshots from his bedroom window, and be able to see the orange glow of fires, either from lighters or from mammals too poor to afford electricity for light and warmth. Nick then looked down to Judy. Grinning wide, he said out loud;
"Don't worry, this place isn't too shady during daylight hours, but come nightfall, don't be surprised if you see a trash fire or two."
Nick snickered to himself, as though the thought of encountering burning garbage was amusing, but the bunny that strolled beside him felt her ears droop in shame.
Judy thought back to her work on the Night-Howler case all those years ago, and just how ignorant she truly was. She had believed that the city of Zootopia was just this perfect, shining place where nothing could go wrong. As it turned out, it was far from perfect, just like her. Everyone made mistakes, and having a bit of pessimism in your life was no act of shame, the rabbit often told herself. Just like people, places could have darker spots to them as well, and the city of Zootopia was no such exception. It was no surprise that the locality of Happy-Town was one of those darker places. Many different predators, including families and children, lived in conditions like these, and worse.
Everyone was born in ignorance, and that ignorance could grow depending on one's lifestyle, but even now, as she recognized these prospects, Judy felt disappointed in herself. For so long, she had held on to a subconscious fear of predatory mammals. She simply couldn't help it. It was wired into her brain, deep down in a place where change was rare, and evolution ruled with an iron grip. Such fears rarely surfaced nowadays, but Judy had a sinking feeling that they were still there, somewhere. Hidden.
The bunny then briefly felt the need to apologize to Nick once again for how she had used to view predators, even though it had been entire years on end, since then. Soon enough, though, she shook those thoughts from her head: Nick wouldn't want her pity, nor her apology. Those times had passed, and now, they had nowhere to look but the future. That was what Nick would want, and that was what Judy wanted, right then and there. Exhaling a small sigh of relief, Judy turned towards her husband and inquired;
"So, where does your mom live, again? It's been a while since we last visited her... I kinda forgot." She admitted.
"No worries." The fox replied easily. "She isn't too far from here. Just a few more blocks. I'll lead the way."
Together, the two of them explored the expanses of Happy-Town as they made their way towards the address of Nick's old home, a nearby apartment complex in which his mother still resided to this very day. As they strolled, gusts of warm wind from the nearby Sahara-Square would find their way to Happy-Town, sending lightweight junk flying around through the air. The ground was littered, and the concrete was broken. It wasn't a total dump, but it certainly wasn't very high up in terms of quality. Whatever dilapidated brick buildings weren't covered in vines, were covered in graffiti. It gave some color and life to this sad section of the world, even though it was still vandalization.
Savannah trees sprouted up here and there, and passing mammals, all predators, would eye Nick and Judy as they walked by; Some with mistrust, as though the idea of a rabbit romping around the area was too suspiscious, and others with looks of surprised pleasantry, undoubtedly recognizing the two tiny mammals as the heroes of Zootopia, and champion fighters for predator rights. Aside form the occasional wave and stink-eyed glare, Nick and Judy were mostly left alone on their journey to the former's home.
Cramped brick buildings flanked the two of them for a few more blocks, that was, until they came across their first truly open space in all of Happy-Town: A tiny public park.
Nick never thought that he'd be back in this place again. Years of dusty memories buried beneath his time spent with Judy were beginning to resurface as he looked around.
The fox's old stomping grounds were just a few blocks from the park in the middle of the neighborhood, where the grass was dying and the playground was rusted. Fun place. His father, despite owning one of the only tailor shops in town, never made a very good income from it, but it was enough to keep himself and his family afloat, that was, until the day that he abandoned them, of course. Nick was just a cub, back then, and barely remembered any of it. Nowadays, he mostly thought of his father as a selfish animal, though past that, he knew deep down that he was a charitable and understanding individual. Losing his family after that one heated argument must have truly broken him.
Whatever the case, Nick wasn't here to think of the negative aspects; He was just here to stop by and say hello to one of the few positive aspects: His mother, Olivia Wilde.
Beyond every tear-soaked experience, waiting with warm and open arms for Nick to embrace within, had been Olivia Wilde. Every single time. Nick had heard the concept that nothing was as pure nor unrelenting as a mother's love, but he had never realized as a child just how true that statement was to that of his own mother. Unconditional and unwavering, her kindness and care helped him through many dark times, and had carried with him for years to come. Despite his father's absence, his mother made him feel whole. Feel appreciated. Loved. There was nothing that they couldn't discuss together, and there was nothing that they couldn't do together. Such was their relationship.
And it was a damn shame that Nick had taken advantage of it all.
Years ago, past all the love and care and attention that his mother had given him, a young Nick had ran away from home. Deep down, he knew that he had spat upon the privileges that had been bestowed upon him, but alas, there was no way to change what he had done. No way to rewind the clock, if only to enjoy those dwindling childhood years before they were gone. He had left his mother alone and abandoned for so long; And there wasn't a single day that went by where Nick didn't regret that very choice.
But of course, not all had gone completely south with his departure. He had met Finnick during those dark years, after all, and the small sand fox had taken him under his wing. Sure, he may have been a bit foul-tempered and somewhat disagreeable, but he still made a good associate, good friend and a good partner in such uncertain times. The two vulpines had worked together to achieve their own goals and personal satisfaction, even if it came at the expense of others; Swindling, hustling, and conning their way to success, though, they did still live in borderline poverty, despite the big fortunes that they had amassed over their years of working together on the streets of the city.
However, past every pretty penny and every merry memory that he made, Nick had always lived with the harrowing guilt of abandoning his dear mother, all those years ago.
"You're pretty lucky, you know, having a tight-knit family." The fox suddenly muttered to his wife, who donned a quizzical look across her muzzle, though she kept walking.
"I wouldn't completely agree to that, since dealing with two hundred and seventy five siblings can be a real pain in the butt." She responded.
"Haha, yeah, I guess that can have its ups and downs, huh?" Nick admitted. "But still... At least your family is together. It must be nice knowing that."
"Well, sometimes being one in a thousand isn't always a blessing. You were an only child, right? You got all the attention!"
The fox smiled to himself, thinking back to his youth. Those were much simpler times. He had many cherishable memories, such as the time that he and his mother had gone fishing in a nearby pond, or that time that he had helped his father out in his tailor shop. The little moments like those were always the ones that appeared to stick the most.
"You're right. Maybe being on the far side of the spectrum, compared to you, when it comes to family isn't all that bad."
"That's the spirit!" Judy stated proudly. "Bunny culture is all about family life! The home, the heart, and the hearth, all bound by the roots of the burrow."
"Well look at you, junior philosopher. And here I was thinking that bunny culture was all about carrots, carrots, and more carrots, right Carrots?"
"Oh, stop it, you." The rabbit chided her husband, though not without a cheerful smile tugging at the edge of her lips. "Bunny culture is so much more than that."
"Really now? How so?"
"We also have onions, blueberries, radishes, pumpkins-" Judy began, listing each additional statement on her fingers, that was, until Nick interjected with his own comment;
"You're hopeless." He teased.
"Am not!" She retorted.
"Are too."
"Am not!" The bunny repeated.
"Case in point: Hopeless."
Judy groaned aloud to herself. "You're such a jerk sometimes, you know that, right?" She told him with a smile across her face.
"You know you love me." The fox replied easily.
The two mammals momentarily stopped walking.
"Do I know that?" Judy feigned in question before locking eyes with Nick. "Yes; Yes I do."
From there, the both of them brought their lips together in a brief, but loving kiss. Once they had parted, Nick and Judy held paws all the way up to the address of Nick's old home, a dingy apartment complex not too far off from the center of town. His mother had lived in that same apartment complex ever since Nick had first been born. It looked just like Nick remembered it: A bit on the shabby side, but not too dilapidated. Small, but cozy. Perfect for a family of three medium-sized mammals. Inside, the fox knew that even though he had paid visits to his mother in the past, that she would likely still try to baby him, to an extent. He was prepared for that. It was the least he deserved.
"So, you ready to go visit her?" Judy asked him as she stared up at the apartment building.
Glancing down at his wife, the fox locked eyes with her and smiled coyly, happy to have her with him on this new endeavor of theirs. So much had transpired since they had last visited Olivia Wilde, and there was most likely going to be much conversation. Nick was ready to tell it all, though. Eventually, he spoke out, his words true to the core;
"Ready as I'll ever be."
At that, the two mammals nodded in unison before setting their sights forward and onto their final destination.
Hey Everyone!
Thanks for reading this latest chapter of ours. It was fun for me to write up, and I can only hope that you can say the same about your experience reading it. A lot took place, that's for sure, from the introduction of new characters, to the exploration of new settings, this chapter was certainly filled to the brim with plenty of content to enjoy. I for one have wanted our favorite duo to pay a visit to the poorly named Happy-Town for quite some time, by now, and so, it was all the more interesting for me to finally get around to writing about it, as it is a lesser-known concept that was abandoned from the plot of the original movie, much like The Docks, and the Nocturnal-District, but hey, at least that leaves us writers with all the more ideas to play around with, huh?
This is FanFiction, after all: What else does one do here?
For all those reviewers out there, tell me what you think of Chief Latran, and the scene that he took part in. Just for fun, I'll have you know that when I designed his character, I intended for him to fit into the "arrogant jerkass" archetype, least to say: Unlike both Chief Bogo and Chief Urzo, who are nice guys hidden behind gruff exteriors, Chief Latran isn't supposed to be like that. He's not exactly Mr. Nice Guy. He's volatile, very strong-willed and somewhat unforgiving. He's everything bad about Chief Bogo/Urzo without the good parts hidden deep down. Bogo is a gruff guy with a big heart, Urzo is a mammal just trying to follow orders and discipline his officers, but Chief Latran is, quite frankly, a true hardass. If you had those thoughts, then I did my job well.
So yeah, I hope you enjoyed that particular scene! It was fun for me to write up, and I'd love knowing all your thoughts on the chapter as a whole, along with the overall design and personality of Chief Latran. I can promise you that when the aforementioned police chief meeting that Nick and Judy will be attending comes around, you'll be meeting several more unique and interesting characters, each with their own traits and ideologies. Stay tuned to find out!
Next up, I'll have you know that much like this latest chapter of ours, the next chapter (90! Can you believe it?) will take place immediately afterwords.
Last up for announcements, I'd like to make mention of the fact that even more amazing fan-made art is available for viewing on my Tumblr and DeviantArt accounts. Feel free to check them out, if you'd like, and do know that if you ever consider the idea of contributing any fan art, you need only to contact me.
Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I got for you lot as of right now. Again, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave some reviews detailing your thoughts!
'Till next time...
Peace!