Chapter 2: First Steps

The day Judy had been waiting for since she was a little kit had finally arrived as she was now fourteen which meant that she was old enough to enroll for Z.A.'s prestigious Guardian Training Course. Judy's parents, of course, were against the idea of her going and once again tried to deter her from following her impossible dream, but she told them that her mind was already made up and there's nothing they can say or do to convince her otherwise. The gray doe's parents, seeing their daughter's resolve, hesitantly agreed to let her go as long as she promise to take good care of herself.

Judy's first few months of training were horrible to say the least since, no matter how hard she tried, she would always end up with the lowest score in every single practical exam that were given to her class. Her instructors, thinking about her safety, told her it would be best if she just drop out of the Guardian course and go back home to Bunnyburrow, but, being the stubborn doe that she was, she stayed.

In the next couple of months, Judy had surprised everyone when she suddenly overcame her disadvantage as a Primal-less bunny and slowly rose from being the holder of last place to becoming one of the three best students in her class. The other two mammals who shared the position with her were a silver furred hare named Jack Savage who had a speed enhancing Primal and a cream furred vixen named Skye Hunters who had a gravity manipulation Primal. The three of them quickly became close friends and grew to rely on each other for the entire duration of their Guardian course.

After ten long years of hard work and perseverance, Judy had ultimately graduated achieving her dream of becoming the first ever Primal-less Guardian. At the graduation ceremony, Leodore Lionheart, the mayor of Zootopia, personally came to congratulate her for a job well done before assigning her to Precinct 1-A, the Guardian agency located at the very heart of the city of Zootopia. The assistant mayor, a white sheep named Dawn Bellwether, had also came along to express her great admiration for the doe telling her that "It's truly a proud day for all of us who were born Primal-less.". As the ceremony concluded, Jack and Skye told Judy that they were both assigned to Precinct 5-E, a Guardian agency located near the edge of Savanna Central, which meant they won't be working together, but the three friends promised that they would visit each other's respective agencies when they get the chance.

The trio soon parted ways as Judy decided to spend one more day in Bunnyburrow to celebrate with her family and friends while Jack and Skye took the next train and left early for the city of Zootopia.

The following day,

All of Judy's relatives as well as her two childhood friends, Sharla and Gareth, came to see her off at Bunnyburrow's train station. They were all happy for her since she achieved her dream of becoming a Guardian, but they were also sad to see her leave. Both her parents hugged her tightly telling her to be careful before they let her go so she could board the train. She glanced back at all of them and waved good bye until the train's hydraulic door closed. The train soon began to move and slowly sped away from the station. She watched as her hometown gradually disappeared in the distance before pulling out her phone so she can entertain herself with some music while she waited for the train to arrive at her destination, Savanna Central Station in Zootopia.

After passing through Sahara Square, Tundratown, and the Rainforest District, Judy had finally reached her stop and departed the train and made her way out of the station. The moment she stepped out she immediately heard Z.P.D. sirens in the distance which meant that there's a crime in progress. Judy smiled and run towards the action as her curiosity got the best of her.

Judy blended into the crowd that gathered near the scene and saw what was happening. A gazelle in a red costume was fighting against a group of hyenas wearing matching black armors. "Whoa, that's the Singer Guardian: Pop Star." the doe exclaimed.

Gazelle Shakira

Guardian Name: Pop Star

Primal: Hyper Voice - She can manipulate her vocal chords to unleash a powerful sound wave from her mouth that can either disorient her opponents or destroy large structures depending on the pitch of her voice.

"Too slow, sweetheart" the gazelle said with a playful tone as she dodged one of the hyenas' attack. "As much as I enjoy this dance. I think it's time for me to wrap this concert up." she took a deep breath. "OHHH! YEEEEAAAAH!" she blasted the hyenas with her voice and sent them flying towards a nearby wall knocking them all out. she soon twirled around and did her signature pose. "Thanks for coming everyone." she said as she faced and winked at the crowd.

Most of the males in the crowd started cheering and whistling at the guardian gazelle while Judy, on the other hand, just stood there quietly in awe. "I can't believe Pop Star took them all out with one shot... She's so amazing." the doe slowly grinned. "I can't wait for my debut tomorrow and show everyone in Zootopia what I'm made of."

Moments later, the Z.P.D. took action and apprehended the group of hyenas that Pop Star had defeated. At this point, Judy had decided it was time for her to leave as she remembered that she still needed to look for a suitable apartment where she could move into.

After hours of endless searching, Judy had finally found a decent apartment complex to settle into called Grand Pangolin Arms. She walked through the front door and was greeted by the landlady, an elderly female armadillo, who was sitting at the counter. "Good evening miss, how may I help you?"

Judy made her way to the counter. "I was hoping to rent an apartment." Judy answered with a smile. "Do you have one available?"

"I certainly do. Please, wait for a moment." the elderly armadillo said as she turned away to retrieve a key from the key rack on the wall. "It's the ninth door on the third floor." she handed over the key to the doe. "Welcome to Grand Pangolin Arms." she beamed.

Judy thanked the landlady before heading up the stairs to get to the third floor. As she wandered through the hallways to look for her door, she accidentally bumped into someone causing both of them to fall on the floor.

"Ouch..." Judy said as she rubbed her head. The doe looked up to see who she knocked over and saw it was a lime furred female hare. "Sorry about that." she apologized as she stood up and offered a paw to the female hare so she could help her up. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"You don't need to apologize." the female hare assured, smiling, before she took hold of the doe's paw and was pulled back to her feet. "After all, I'm also guilty for not looking where I..." she paused as she recognized the doe in front of her. "Wait, aren't you Judy Hopps? The first Primal-less Guardian who graduated from Z.A.'s Guardian Training Course?"

Judy nodded in response.

"What of the odds that you'd end up at the same complex as me." the female hare exclaimed in glee. "Oh, I almost forgot, I'm Julia Sakura." she introduced herself.

Judy's eyes widen after hearing the female hare's name. "Ju... Julia Sa... Sakura?" she said while trembling. "You're... You're..."

The female hare giggled at the doe's reaction. "Yes, miss Hopps. I'm Archangel, the second ranking Guardian in the world."

Julia Sakura

Guardian Name: Archangel

Primal: Dazzling Flame - She can ignite her fur at will and use the flames to either attack or defend. She can also take control of any external flames as long as they're in close proximity to her.

Judy was finally able to compose herself. "I'm sorry that I freaked out." she rubbed the back of her head out of embarrassment. "It's just I never would've imagine to bump into one of my idols like this."

"Well, you better start getting used to it." Julia said, grinning, as she began to walk past the doe. "Cause starting tomorrow we'll be working together."

Judy froze as she remembered that Julia was also stationed at Precinct 1-A along with her other idol Archfiend, the first ranking Guardian.

"Oh, if you ever need anything." Julia glanced back at Judy. "My apartment is the first door near the stairs."

Judy turned and watched the female hare disappear down the hallway. The doe couldn't help, but scream in excitement as not only was she going to work alongside her idol tomorrow she was also living in the same building as her.

"This is the best day of my life."