"Try and fail, but do not fail to try." - John Quincy Adams
6:13 A.M
It wasn't very often that someone had the chance to relive their past mistakes. To make fresh amends on what they thought was forever lost.
Nick never liked thinking too much about what was, or what could have been. To him, that was just a waste of time. It slowed you down, and prevented you from focusing on more important matters, such as the present. The fox had re-entered the Zootopia Police Academy expecting to come face to face with things that he had seen before, such as boxing matches and old, sweaty locker rooms, but if there was one thing that stained his conscious a streak higher than the rest, it had to have been the obstacle course.
Back during his initiation through the ZPA, all those years ago, he had spent weeks attempting to master the course, all the while Judy coached him on the best ways to get past it. She reassured him that her own run through had been just as pitiful during her previous enrollment, but it still didn't make Nick feel that much better. He knew that the course had not been designed for mammals his size. It put him at a major disadvantage. He also didn't have Judy's strength, endurance, or speed: Another major disadvantage.
Like always, it seemed that the fox would have to rely on his very own wits, cunning, and intelligence to beat the course, and to win the day.
Scanning his environment, he would go for the quickest, easiest route. He would use his physical and mental strengths to his own personal advantage; Relying on his keen eyesight to spot cracks and fractures in the weak points of the frigid ice wall, allowing him to easily grip with his claws, and scale in due time. He relied on his quick wit to trick opponents in the fighting ring, and even managed to use his thick tail to protect his eyesight from the blasting hot sand on the desert section of the obstacle course.
Time and time again, the fox would repeat this suitable process until at last, he had mastered the obstacle course in full. That had been a proud time, for him.
On the other hand, Judy herself couldn't help but smile as she stared down at the obstacle course that had once terrorized her daily routine at the academy.
The rabbit officer had always found enjoyment in reminiscing over past novelties and memories alike, no matter how simple or complex. Her fervid desire to learn and to live only helped bolster the feelings that she felt looking over her old ZPA stomping grounds. To be able to relive some of the most impactful years of her life were like a dream come true, except this time, she would have Nick at her side. Despite being on her third deployment to the Zootopia Police Academy (The first time being her initial run through, and the second being when she assisted Nick in his run through), this was the first time that she actually had the privilege of helping to teach a class of recruits.
She was eager to learn all that she could about them, and to shape them up to be as good of cops as they possibly can be.
This first day was extra important, and according to Major Friedkin, it would all start with the obstacle course.
Following Major Friedkin along the back of the ZPA property, the large group of mammals eventually reached a grassy clearing behind the police academy's primary building complex. Spread throughout a square area of well over an eighth of a mile, various obstacle courses had been constructed to mimic conditions found throughout the districts of the city of Zootopia. Nick and Judy both immediately recognized the three largest ones built for the three largest districts: The fan-flanked sandpit that represented Sahara-Square, the bewildering jungle-gym of wooden rods staked over vats of mud that coincided with the treetops of the Rainforest-District, and finally, the frigid wall of ice and slick sleet that portrayed the bitter cold slopes and slants of Tundra-Town. The rabbit and fox alike had suffered many setbacks attempting to conquer those courses.
Yet, there were other obstacles that had been set up in previously vacant spaces in the grass yard; Ones that were completely new to Nick and Judy, respectively.
There was a long, pool-like river of dark, grungy water that lapped against the sides of barnacle-bitten pillars of wood that rose from the murky cesspool. The water was thick with kelp, driftwood, and even some traces of mammal-made garbage like plastic bags and old milk cartons. A strong and nauseating scent of seaweed and salt emanated from the area around that particular course. The whole thing reminded the fox officer all too well of his trip to The Docks, which he suspected this course was modeled after.
Beside the sandpit, a rocky trail led off into the nearby patch of woods that grew along the edge of the academy. Inside the tiny forest, Nick could see wooden steps bound by rope leading up into the trees like a hanging staircase. Boardwalks zigzagged in and around the canopy, with branches and bundles of ivy coating the course and providing challenging obstacles to avoid. On the ground below, gnarled roots snaked across the forest floor, creating natural tire-rims that needed to be hopped over, and treads to be crawled under. Fans hidden in the trees blew gusts of dead leaves and twigs around like a decomposed blizzard, which no doubt further added to the difficulty of the course.
The combination of temperate trees, wood, leaves, and roots gave off a clear message: This course was the ZPA's ambassador for the Deciduous-District. The most amazing thing about it was how some parts of the course were better fitted for mammals of varying sizes. Obviously, a tree wasn't going to be able to hold the weight of a large animal like an elephant, so the courses that snaked through the trees were definitely outfitted for the smaller side of the spectrum. Yet, larger mammals still had many other chances to prove themselves with the ground portion of the course, all the while their lighter and nimbler counterparts could make use of the trees above. It was a perfect fit, and Judy was positive that the training acquired here would work wonders in the real world, where the districts of the city held areas that were better accessible to certain mammals, like the wooden boardwalks that snaked throughout the treetops of the Deciduous-District, which couldn't support a rhino, but could support, say a squirrel, or fox.
Seeing that extra bit of consideration, and knowing that the ZPA and city-hall really were trying to look out for and utilize the talents of different mammals made Judy happy.
If the first two new courses weren't enough, a seemingly hidden additional course put the icing on the proverbial cake: Another rocky pathway lead to a large pile of cleaved boulders that housed the mouth of a cave big enough to stuff a full-sized rhino through. The path appeared to lead to some sort of underground, mammal-made cave. Nick and Judy both shared a distinct feeling that whatever construction was down there was supposed to simulate the environment of the Nocturnal-District. There was something about the course not being visible that made the idea of running it all the more terrifying. It was far from their favorite district, as neither of them enjoyed being underground and away from the sun very much, and although knowing that it now had its own course didn't exactly help ease their feelings of the place, Nick and Judy figured that if the two of them were going to have to earn the respect of Major Friedkin and all of the new recruits, they would likely have to suck up their hatred of the underground and run it.
A necessary evil, if there ever was one.
"So... That's what she meant by upgrades..." Judy muttered, which Nick found offensively obvious.
"As you can see," Major Friedkin bellowed, effectively earning everyone's attention. "Our old obstacle course has been outfitted with several new upgrades to play with."
There was a collective gulp of apprehension from the recruits. The polar bear continued;
"In light of the mayor's diversification program, the city council insisted that we at the ZPA, uh... Expanded our arsenal of obstacles, to better cope with the influx of new mammals, and to provide said mammals with some broader challenges. Alongside our infamous scorching sandpit, rainforest jungle-gym, and frigid ice wall, I am proud to introduce you newbloods to our brand new obstacle courses, which you will get to be the first to test out! Meet the salty dock-hopper, forest foot-race, and nocturnal maze!"
She let that sink in for a few short moments.
Nick took the time to digest that; Three new obstacle courses with an infinite number of new ways to fail miserably. This would definitely be something.
"So, who wants to go first?" Friedkin asked innocently, clasping her meaty paws together.
"Come on now... Anybody?" The bear coaxed. "Someone's gotta do it."
"I'll do it!" A voice piped out.
Turning to his left, Nick locked eyes with the source of the voice: Judy Hopps herself.
The fox watched intently as his partner proudly stepped up to the Major, and stood before the entire class of recruits with her paws planted firmly on her hips.
"This little bunny has more courage in her cotton tail than the lot of you squeezed together! Officer Hopps, feel free to show these wannabes how it's done." The bear said.
"With pleasure, ma'am." Judy replied. "This will be a good demonstration on how to properly run the course."
Nick didn't bother volunteering. He was much obliged to let Judy take the spotlight this time around. Instead, he simply admired the audacity of his wife, all the while watching as she led the class closer to the first part of the course: The scorching sandpit. Once all of the recruits were grouped up in a good place to see, Nick found himself elbowing his way past a few raccoons to get to the very front of the pack. There, he locked eyes with Judy as she stepped up to the edge of the sandpit and readied herself.
She smiled at him, and Nick just chuckled. He had a good feeling that once the recruits saw Judy breeze through the course, that they'd be lining up to try it for themselves. Perhaps that was her intention all long: To help coax the other guys into attempting it. Either that, or maybe she just wanted to prove herself. Both were reasonable guesses.
"This is the start of the course!" Friedkin exclaimed. "You're gonna have to master all of these before you hit the streets... Or guess what? You'll be dead!"
Judy winced, remembering her first time hearing that exact same statement all those years ago. Some things never changed.
"Right... So, be sure to watch." She added.
A wave of muttering approval laced with a few grumbles of disbelief rippled through the ranks of the recruits. Some likely couldn't imagine how Judy could have possibly succeeded on such a long and arduous obstacle course. Nick knew just how athletic Judy really was, and although he didn't have any doubts in her abilities, he still thought that it would have been pretty embarassing for her to mess up in some humiliating way. This was her first time running through the course in entire years on end, after all.
But it was too late for any afterthoughts. Judy had already volunteered, and Friedkin already had her whistle between her teeth.
TWEEEET!
The whistle's cry pierced the air around the grounds, filling the ears of every mammal in the vicinity. Judy rushed forward and fortified into a prone position as the fans started blowing sand across the pit. All of the recruits had wisely positioned themselves away from the path of the resulting sandstorm. Camouflaged blockades helped keep the sand swirling inside the pit, rather than blowing all over the place, yet Nick still had to occasionally blink his eyes to to keep the sand particles from getting into them.
Meanwhile, Judy had already made significant progress on the course; She was nearly a third of the way across the pit when a particularly powerful blast caused a small hill of sand to begin piling atop her. At the rate it was blowing, she would be completely covered in a matter of seconds. Yet with a sudden surge of strength, the rabbit pulled herself forward and out of the fan's reach just as the spot that she was in moments earlier was flurried away in a cloud of sand. Now, she was just over halfway across.
As he carefully watched over his partner's steady progress, Nick took into account just how effective Judy's endeavor has been so far. With the scorching sandpit nearly concluded, Judy would have little time to prepare herself before she was hurried off to the next course. Trying to use her ears as protection for her eyes against the blasting waves of sand, the rabbit continued to haul herself through the dunes and to her next objective. There was only a few feet left to go. In the blink of an eye, she was done!
Hoops and hollers erupted from the crowd of spectating recruits, who followed beside the rabbit as she made progress. She had aced the first course, but there was still much to do. Quickly rising to her feet and brushing herself off, Judy then ran over to the next course: The steaming structure of wood and vines that was the rainforest jungle-gym.
First, Judy clambered up the wooden logs that led to the hanging bars above. She made short work of the challenge with only a few strong hops. Next up, Judy faced the hanging bars. Sprinklers spewed streams of water up into the air, which came down as makeshift rainfall across the area of the rainforest jungle-gym. Steeling her resolve, Judy jumped off of the raised wooden platform and grabbed hold of one of the bars. It must have been slippery from the rain, as she nearly fell into one of the mud vats down below, but thankfully, regained her momentum as she reached out for the next bar and started to swing; Covering two with each swing forward. She was doing great!
Nick cheered along with a number of other mammals as Judy reached the halfway point of the jungle-gym, where a slew of slimy vines blocked her path. Maneuvering under, around, and over them as fast as she could, the bunny promptly arrived at the arguably most difficult part: Climbing the vines to the third and final platform, where the staircase to the next objective descended to ground level. Without a moment to waste, Judy jumped up with all of her might, easily reaching a third of the vine's length before grabbing hold of it with her paws. Wrapping her legs around it, she began to pull herself upwards and toward the next checkpoint. Within moments, she had made it.
On to the final course, Judy almost slipped as she hopped down the wooden staircase one log at a time, though managed to regain her stable footing before finally reaching the ground. More cheers from the spectators filled the air as the rabbit officer ran off towards the the final of the big three obstacles: The frigid ice wall. Nick recalled Judy telling stories to him in the past about how the wall was among the most frustrating of challenges to undertake at the police academy. It had taken her weeks to get the hang of it, much less actually make it over the wall. On her first time, she had accomplished it by bouncing off the head of a hippo. But now, there was no one else on the course to assist her.
Nick hoped that that wouldn't slow her down. He was happy to see that it didn't.
Racing across the sleeted pavement that introduced the ice wall, Judy's breaths steamed out from her nostrils like an old-fashioned train engine. At the very edge of the ground, she pushed on it with all of the might that her legs could muster, and leaped nearly two-thirds up the height of the wall. Once she touched down against it, what little grip she had was put to use as she pulled up with her arms while simultaneously pushing down once again with her legs. The toeholds that supported her gave way from the force of the jump as the bunny sailed right over the very tip-top of the ice wall, and landed with an impressive roll on the ground behind it. Judy had jumped clean over it.
A cheer, louder than ever before, rang out from the recruits. Even Major Friedkin tilted her cap back in approval as Judy's roll broke into a run, and at last, she slowed down to a stop, having reached the finish line. The pack of mammals continued shouting out in surprise and disbelief as they approached her. There was even some clapping, too.
However, Nick realized too late that it was only just the beginning.
The Major ran up to Judy and shouted loud enough for all to hear;
"You ain't done yet, Fuzzy-Bunny! You still got three more courses to run!"
The proud smile melted off of Judy's face as she turned around and eyed the next half of the obstacle course. Sure enough, where the finish line had once been now stretched out towards the edge of the nearby salty dock-hopper, as Major Friedkin had put it. Quickly recovering her sense of accomplishment, Judy rushed forward without a second thought. Nick, on the other hand, couldn't help but purse his lips as he weighed over the different scenarios in his head. Sure, he had underestimated the ice wall, but these three new courses were completely out of Judy's comfort zone. Tailing the crowd of mammals that followed Judy, Nick picked up his pace to get to the very front of the pack.
When he reached a good viewing spot, he could see that Judy was already almost halfway across the fourth course; Hopping one pole at a time across the sloshing pool of water. She nearly slipped on the last pole, but finally reached the end with a sturdy and satisfying leap of faith. Landing strong on her two feet, she raced forward, albeit at a slower pace than before. The fox figured that his rabbit counterpart must have been getting pretty tired from all of this rigorous physical activity. Yet still, she pressed on.
With the path of the course leading into the nearby patch of woods, the following pack of mammals had to take the time to spread out a bit as they pursued the bunny officer. A few even tried to jump in on the course that Judy had just completed, only to slip on the poles and tumble right into the disgusting drink. Laughs abounded, but Nick didn't take his eyes off of Judy, who was now climbing up the wooden staircase, all the while swatting at the flurry of dead leaves and twigs that the industrial-sized fans blew across her path. Not content to stop just yet, the rabbit powered on and across the wooden platforms, hopping one and running across another in a wondrous rhythm.
Soon enough, she reached the bottom, and just like she had with the vines over in the rainforest jungle-gym, she nimbly maneuvered her way in and around the roots that blocked her path. More leaves blew around her face, and just after reaching what looked like the halfway point of the forest course, she tripped over one of the roots and fell hard on her side, with the momentum that she had gained earlier causing her to slide a few short feet before coming to a halt. The crowd collectively gasped in sudden shock.
Judy attempted to stand, but must have still been somewhat disoriented from her considerably hard fall, and promptly fell over again. She landed easier this time, yet slumped over in defeat at having suffered such an untimely failure. Nick grimaced before jogging over to her. Ducking past a few wooden boards and ropes, he eventually made it to Judy's side, and helped her to her feet. The rabbit shook her head from side to side and blinked her eyes a few time, trying to clear out the dizziness that ailed her.
"You alright, there?" The fox asked.
"I-I'm fine, I think. Just a spill." She responded slowly.
"A pretty hard spill."
"Officer Hopps!" Friedkin called out from behind, causing the two tiny mammals to turn towards her voice. Farther down in the grassy clearing, she stood with all the recruits.
"We're alright!" Nick claimed, letting go of Judy and promptly leading her back to the others. The Major announced;
"That, ladies and gentlemammals, is how to run an obstacle course! Hopps probably would have beaten her previous record for the fastest run through, if it wasn't for that lil' choke! Now, don't be thinkin' that you can do what she just did anytime soon, but if you keep working at it, you'll get there. Take it slow, and try to avoid killing yourselves."
Many of the recruits nodded in agreement, yet Nick could tell that they were anxious to try their own at the obstacle course.
"Well? What are you standin' around for?" Friedkin roared. "Get to it!"
The recruits tripped over eachother as they rushed to be the first ones to the start of the course.
Once they had all dispatched, Friedkin walked up to Nick and Judy, and knelt down on one of her knees. "You all good, Fluff-Butt?"
Nick resisted the urge to say That's what I call her as Friedkin's words reached his ears. Instead, he decided to thank her for her consideration;
"I think she is. Just a spill."
Judy nodded in agreement. "I'm fine. Thank you both." She stated, at which the polar bear nodded before rising to her full height. Friedkin said;
"You two can take a back seat for now, though. Feel free to try the course again, if you want to, but be sure to get some rest first. That's an order."
"Will do, Major." The rabbit claimed with a salute.
Friedkin then turned towards Nick.
"We'll be out here 'till noontime, so ya best settle in. When you're ready, help show the new recruits how to run the course; Point out their mistakes. Stuff like that."
Nick nodded. "Got it." He said.
At that, the polar bear lumbered off towards the start of the course, all the while shouting at the recruits to line up and wait their turn.
"Ever the motivational speaker, that one is." The fox mumbled sarcastically.
"She does her job well." Judy added. She locked eyes with Nick. "You gonna try out the course?"
"Yeah, in a little bit." He claimed. "Once the others clear out and make some room for me, I'll have at it.
"Can't wait to see how that goes."
Ignoring her somewhat teasing comment, Nick gestured towards a nearby small hill that overlooked the obstacle course. He inquired;
"Wanna go and sit down for a sec? Friedkin was right. You could use some rest after all that."
Judy nodded. "I could." She agreed.
Leading Judy over to the hilltop, Nick joined his partner as they lounged in the grass, watching as the other recruits tried their own at the obstacle course. Screams of failure circled through the air as mammals fell into the mud, slipped down the ice wall, or got covered in a mound of baking hot sand. All the while, Friedkin ran around pointing at different mammals and yelling "Dead, dead, dead!" as they failed again and again. It was almost comical. Once Judy was well rested and recovered from her previous attempt at the obstacle course, they got to work. For another two hours, Nick and Judy helped their trainees through the obstacle course, gave them lectures on balance and speed, and taught them how to utilize their own unique abilities to further their chances of success against the obstacle course, and in turn, the real world that it simulated.
Eventually, Nick decided to try his own at the obstacle course. He could only hope that he'd do half as well as Judy had, yet he was willing to give it his all. He chose to start on the rainforest jungle-gym, as it was his personal favorite. Lining up at the edge of the mud pits, he took a moment to watch as the other recruits tried and failed to master the courses before them all; Raccoons fell into the mud, a zebra was slipping down the ice-wall, and there were even a few random screams from the depths of the nocturnal-maze here and there that definitely did not heighten Nick's desire to explore it. Zeroing in his focus to the course in front of him, he was about to start when Judy came up.
"Best of luck!" She exclaimed, patting him on the back a single time before stepping a respectful distance away.
"Well, who wants to live forever?" Nick muttered flatly.
Judy shrugged nonchalantly. "Gotta try everything." She replied.
The fox couldn't help but grin. "Sly bunny."
With that, he then faced his challenge, and jumped in headstrong.
He was nearly met with failure immediately: Underestimating the slipperiness of the wooden logs, he lept up and ascended to the first platform, almost missing the first jump by slightly overshooting his left foot due to the slickness of the water. Regaining his footing once he reached the top, the fox breathed in heavily before jumping out and grasping the handlebars that hung above the bubbling vats of mud. Trying not to look down, he steadily swung himself forward and grabbed hold on the next bar; Repeating the process over and over until he reached the second platform. Sparing a brief glance back at Judy, he stared at her as she jumped up and down in anticipation of his run.
Turning his head back towards the course, he continued his endeavor, and was met with his first major failure.
Ducking under some vines, he focused too much of his attention on dodging the flora that he slipped in a puddle of water on the smooth floorboards beneath his feet, causing him to lunge outward drastically before falling over on his rump. Grumbling from the pain in his aching tail, he was so intent on standing up and resuming his run through the course that as he rushed forward again, he lost his footing and slipped on yet another puddle; This time his extra momentum causing him to sail right off of the platform.
Judy winced as she watched her husband belly flop directly into a pile of cold rainforest mud, the resulting smack sound echoing throughout the vicinity like a cannon shot.
After a few seconds, the bunny noticed that Nick was moving, and she resisted the urge to run out to help him as he rose to his feet and stumbled around blindly; His fur and uniform caked with mud. The stuff stuck to his fur, which was much longer than Judy's, effectively matting it against his skin and eyes, blinding him from his surroundings.
"Nick!" Judy called out, but her cry of reassurance was met on deaf ears. The fox was simply too panicked to notice.
He unknowingly stumbled off of the course and walked right into the scorching sand pit. The gusts of wind from the fans caused a thick cloud of dust to coat him. What would otherwise have been easily removed with a simple brush of the wrist now stubbornly clung to his fur due to the stickiness of the mud. He almost looked like a big piece of chocolate covered in bread crumbs. Now having to deal with both the mud and the sand obscuring his vision and sticking to his fur, Nick screamed in terror as he tripped over his own tail and rolled down from the hill where the sandpit was positioned. Once he reached the bottom, he practically ran around haphazardly, all the while inching closer to the nearby frigid ice-wall, where a number of recruits were watching him squirm. Judy was about to call out to him, if only to tell him to stop freaking out, but it was too late.
She watched in horror as he pitched over right into the ice-cold moat that surrounded the frigid ice-wall.
Well, at least the water should help clean him off. The rabbit thought to herself.
Judy immediately ran up to the edge of the moat. "Nick, are you okay?" She nearly shouted, forgetting that he was entirely submerged.
The water parted as the soaking-wet fox breached, almost splashing Judy with chilled liquid. Gasping out, he lunged for the icy edge of the moat and dug his claws into it.
"W-What j-just happened?!" He sputtered before coughing out some droplets of water and a few ice cubes.
Judy helped him out of the freezing water. He was shivering from head to tail, and although most of the mud and sand was washed off, he still had some of the stuff caked between his fingers and ears. While some other recruits watched (and others laughed), Judy ran over to the nearby towel stand, which was always on the spot just in case a recruit got hypothermia, or something, and picked out a big towel for her husband. Wrapping him up in it and pulling him away from the obstacle course, she sighed aloud.
"That was some show that you put on back there, Slick." The bunny said.
"Let's j-just get b-back to t-teaching the recruits, okay?" Nick grumbled with chattering teeth.
Judy smiled humorously. "Come on, Slick, let's get you some rest, this time." She chided him.
Once Nick was properly dried and readied to resume work with the other new recruits (although he avoided the course itself), the rabbit and fox got right back into business. Speeches were submitted to the masses, and time itself flew by without a second to waste, and soon enough, the whole class had given their all at the obstacle course. No recruits had made it as far as Judy had on her first try, though there were plenty that started out their runs where Judy had ended hers, giving them plenty of time to get to know the course. By the highest hour, the class of recruits was a mixture of cold, muddied, salty, and sandy, yet each and every one was tired and weary from the workout.
Once the recruits had all regrouped in the grass, they stood silently as Major Friedkin sized them up and down with disappointment. She yelled;
"I would congratulate you all on a successful first day of training, but since the half of you are coated head to tail in mud, I'll save that compliment for when you earn it!"
No one in the regiment bothered to reply. Many faces simply stared down at the ground in weariness and disgust.
Friedkin crossed her arms disapprovingly. "You all get one hour to clean up and eat lunch before regrouping in the academy lecture hall for your next lesson. Chop-chop!"
The polar bear turned around and began to pace off, but promptly stopped herself before glaring back at the recruits, as though she had just remembered something new.
"Oh, and another thing!" She called out one final time. "There will be no species-oriented bigotry here! I do not look down on others, and I expect you all to do the same!"
A muddled conglomeration of agreement followed from the recruits. Apparently pleased, Major Friedkin nodded before finalizing;
"Understand that! Because here, you are all equally useless! Dismissed!"
As though a great weight were being lifted from the shoulders of each recruit, a nearly collective sigh of relief wafted through the air as postures slackened, throats cleared, and feet began to shuffle off, following Major Friedkin away from the course grounds. Following shortly behind the pack, Nick and Judy walked beside eachother leisurely. The former had spent the last thirty minutes cleaning out his fur and clothes, and although he had a somewhat messy look to him, Judy thought that he was still quite handsome.
"Some day, huh?" She started easily, at which the fox chuckled to himself.
"Yeah, some day." He replied.
"I'm going to have to work on finishing the whole course sometime soon."
"I had a feeling you weren't content with quitting ahead, eh?" Nick teased. "As for me, I think I'm gonna take it nice and easy."
Judy snickered. "Well, if your version of nice and easy is anything like your first attempt at the course-"
"Don't you start with the nitpicking, Carrots." Nick interrupted.
The bunny shrugged. "I'm just sayin', that was kinda funny."
"Maybe for you, it was." Nick grumbled, though not without a slight smile egging at the corner of his mouth. "I was too busy flailing around in abject terror."
"That's what made it funny."
The fox glanced over and locked eyes with the rabbit. There was a moment of silence between them.
"I'll race you on the course tomorrow." Nick stated.
"You're on, Scruffy."
The vulpine grinned. "It's a date, then." He said proudly.
At that, the two tiny officers rushed off to catch up with their new trainees, each one eager to see just what the day would bring next.
8:46 P.M ; Later That Day
Chief Bogo hated failure.
As much as he told himself that failure was among the greatest ways to learn and to adapt, deep down, he just couldn't stomach the idea of it. Failing. To lose, fall short, or just plain flop was simply never something he agreed with. To him, there was nothing more fulfilling than success, and in turn, more appalling than failure. Yet, as much as his officers have taught him over the years - Showing him that with failure always comes new opportunities and pathways - he still hated losing with every fiber of his being.
Going through the leftover wreckage of the burnt ZPD archive was like one big slap in the face: A purified, ash-stricken monument to his failures.
It had been over three months since the incident had first taken place, yet the weight of it all still lay heavy on the water-buffalo's heart. The very heart and center of the ZPD had been attacked, and although there we no casualties or even injuries, it was clear that the true purpose of this villainous attempt was just as sinister: To snuff out the physical information that the ZPD had gathered and stored in their archives at the head-quarters. A lot was lost, and although the vast majority of the physical archive made it through without any damage, the fact that any at all was destroyed made Bogo feel as though his authority was flawed. That his role as chief of Precinct One was marred.
Above all else, it made him feel guilty: Guilty that more efficient precautions could have been taken. Guilty that someone may have gotten hurt.
Guilty that he had let down his subordinates, and let such a disastrous attack occur under his watch. It wasn't something that he intended on letting happen ever again. Soon after the initial attack, more advanced security systems were set up, and the cause of the break-in was assessed; The entry-point was concluded to be the air ducts, and so, they were promptly bolted down with bars to help prevent any future entries. Unfortunately, the damage had been done. All that was left to do was to pick up the pieces.
Not long after the incident, the meeting between the police chiefs of the city was rescheduled, and in the weeks that followed the meeting, all the way until the present moment, Chief Bogo had spent mulling over the remnants of the archive. Much was lost, yes, but even what survived had to be re-cataloged and placed in some temporary place of storage while the room itself was repaired. Each day Bogo would try fit in some time to help organize what was left, yet it still took time. It took very much time. He had even devoted some extra effort into creating a search warrant for the primary suspect of the arson attack: That vampire bat that officer Hopps had fought with in the Beaverdam. She had claimed that the bat, who went by Lucy, had indirectly admitted to the crime via taunts throughout the tussle. Bogo took the rabbit officer's claims to heart.
She had rarely been wrong before, after all.
Now, as he sat alone in his office in the ever encroaching dead of night, Chief Bogo pondered over what he had learned. He sat quietly at his desk, with his elbows resting calmly on its surface. His hoofs were clasped together, and his forehead scrunched with deep thought. Before him, a few old files and several stacks of paper were piled up.
The evidence was in. Over the past few months, Bogo wasn't sure if it could truly be believed. With plenty of attention having been given to restoring the archive, it allowed for old files to be dug up, and second looks to be administered. What survived the incident, especially if it originated from Ratsputin's stash, was given prime treatment. New information was gathered; Some harmless and simple, some more dangerous and complex. It was all checked, double-checked, and reassessed again and again, and yet even past all of the speculation and confusion, past all of the disbelief and apprehension, the arrows still pointed to something... Something that just didn't add up right.
Letters that were taken from Ratsputin's personal archive seemed to suggest some sort of conspiracy aimed towards the ZPA and the Rainforest-District. Shelled addresses were used to help secure anonymity, and although they were near impossible to trace with the ZPD's on-hand technology, the letters were signed and dated by their creators making it much easier to identify their origin: Ratsputin was having some sort of secret discussion with the jaguar crime-lord of the Rainforest-District, Alphonse Catpone.
Most of it was simple: Small-talk, minor inquiries, and otherwise unimportant fluff. Yet there were strange words and phrases jotted here and there. The Zootopia Police Academy was brought up on multiple occasions, and through the thick of it all, Chief Bogo was lead to believe that Ratsputin was trying to convince Catpone to plant some sort of spy into the academy's then upcoming recruitment. If this hunch of his was true, then that would mean that there was a traitor in the ZPD that sought to make chaos.
Bogo wasn't one hundred percent certain, and although his advisers and associates thought that it was nothing, Chief Bogo thought otherwise. He wanted to be sure. He wanted to go the extra mile to ensure that this peculiar hunch of his was addressed properly, and without being ignored. Without failure. He owed it to himself, and his pride.
There were a slew of knocks on the door. It jarred Bogo from his thoughts. He wiped at his muzzle, looked up, and muttered aloud;
"Come in."
The door opened, and Benjamin Clawhauser stepped inside. Just as Bogo had expected, the cheetah had made the trip to his office.
"You called?" The cheetah clarified.
"Close the door, please." Bogo replied flatly.
Grinning nervously, Clawhauser slowly shut the door behind him and approached his superior's desk.
"You know, whatever you're about to say, you could have just told me through the inter-"
"I know, Clawhauser." The water-buffalo assured his subordinate, who quickly quieted down. "I just wanted to make this between us."
"Between us, sir?"
"Yes. There are still officers working downstairs, and I'd rather not have them hear this. I have a special task for you, just between us."
"What are you saying, sir?" The cheetah questioned slowly.
"Clawhauser..." Chief Bogo began with a grim tone of voice. "I want a full report on the backgrounds of every mammal enrolled in that academy by midnight."
"Every mamma-"
"Everything on every mammal!" The buffalo bellowed.
"Y-Yes sir!"
At that, the flabby cheetah turned tail and waddled out of Bogo's office as quickly as his stubby legs could carry him. The door slowly swung shut in his wake, until only a slight sliver of light peeked through the crack, illuminating the otherwise inky atmosphere of the buffalo's study. Farther down the hall, he could hear Clawhauser's footsteps as they echoed against the floor. Bogo grimaced: Perhaps he had been too harsh on the cheetah. Clawhauser didn't deserve to be yelled at like that. Not this time, anyway.
Sighing, Chief Bogo lowered his head. He was half tempted to slam it against the surface of the table in frustration. Not even a full day had passed since Nick and Judy had left before wind had reached Bogo bearing speculation of this nefarious plot. Whether it was real or not didn't matter: He had to take the proper precautions to ensure that the mammals at the ZPA were safe. Yet, simultaneously, he had to ensure that panic didn't break out. If too many mammals learned of this too quickly, strife would reign.
And that was, without a single doubt, the last thing that Chief Bogo needed.
Bogo didn't know what to believe from these letters. From this evidence, there was little to suggest, yet however small this lead might be, the buffalo had no intentions on taking any risks. He would not let another disaster happen under his watch. He would have to play this cautiously, and with the utmost amount of care. To be better safe than sorry, he would have to see it done that another mistake wasn't made on his watch. For all he knew, this might have been nothing, but he wasn't about to lose sleep over it.
The physical archive was an unfortunate loss, but a cause that came with a valuable lesson: Never again would Chief Bogo let the forces of evil tamper with the ZPD's work.
Recognizing that there was much to do, the buffalo lifted his head and proceeded to reach for the intercom at the front of his desk. Pressing down the button, he muttered;
"Get me Major Friedkin."
Hey Everyone!
Oh, now this was a fun chapter, eh? I had plenty of fun writing and, and hope that you all can say the same for reading it, of course. Sounds like Bogo has another mystery on his hands, too! You'll be learning more of it in the coming chapters as Bogo pieces together the puzzle, and whether or not there really is some sort of spy at the ZPA! Now, time for some announcements! As I'm sure you could tell, this chapter took quite a while to get be released. The answer as to why is simple, really: I've been a bit dismotivated, as of late, but I can assure you that what's to come will be worth sticking around for.
Whatever the case, I at least hope that you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless. Do feel free to leave a review on it, detailing your thoughts! I'd like that. I am quite proud of how this chapter turned out. You'll be seeing some more Nick and Judy shenanigans very soon, along with further sub-plots with Chief Bogo.
Also, if you haven't already, feel free to Favorite and/or Follow this story of ours. I appreciate all new readers, full and through.
You can expect the next upcoming chapter update to be arriving soon enough, of course. I already have quite a bit of it written up. Stay tuned, everyone!
That being said, I do think that it is wroth mentioning that a brand new poll has just gone up on my account here. It is one that I have wanted to try out for a while now, I admit, but am only just now getting around to. So, do feel free to vote on which WIF primary antagonist has been your favorite!
I'll be happy to review over the results in a little while. Always nice getting statistical feedback like that. Gotta love polls.
Last up for announcements, I'd just like to make mention of the fact that there's a big new trove of fan-art that can be viewed on my tumblr and DA accounts. Alongside that, if you're interested in the concept of contributing some fan-art to this story of ours, do feel free to contact me, and I can do what I can to help. It's always fun to receive art like that, and to see you guy's take on various settings, scenes, or characters that appear in this story.
Second to that, I'd like to apologize for how long this chapter took to reach you all. Not only have I been considerably busy, but my motivation has tanked in recent months. I think it can best be summarized by the Eminem song 'Run Rabbit Run'. Thankfully, it seems to be on the rise, and with more opportunities for free time in the near future, I reckon you lot will be seeing your next chapter quite quickly! Then again, I said that last time, didn't I? Point is, like I said above, I've been quite dismotivated as of late, but with this sudden surge in resolve, I can promise you that what's to come will be worth sticking around for. I already have a few thousand words written out, so you can expect your next chapter sooner rather than later, I'm sure.
Oh, and Happy New Year, of course! Can't forget that! Hope you all made it to 2018 in one piece.
Anyways, that's all that I've got to say for now, really. Again, thanks for reading this latest chapter update of ours, and do stay tuned for the next one!
'Till next time...
Peace!
PS: As I'm sure many of you have caught on to by now, I try to not only make each chapter canonically in tune with the last (As any good story should), but I also try my best to sprinkle in a little hidden meaning behind each chapter, as well. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it isn't. I just thought that this particular chapter was somewhat neat because the expression that we all should be familiar with (Try Everything, right?) made an appearance here. Be on the lookout for any reoccurring themes in future chapters!
PPS: Also, I did a bunch of edits throughout the first 40 chapters or so of the story. Man, looking back over my old writing is like watching paint dry. A few touch-ups here and there over time, as I have been doing and will continue to do, and those earlier chapters will flow better, look better, and be better! Thank you all for your patience as I go back and revise my old work, alongside create new work for us all to enjoy. I appreciate it very much.