Chapter 4: Ring the Bell!

Written by Fox in the Henhouse

Edited by Cimar

Ever since her childhood Judy Hopps had been fascinated with her dreams. When she was five, where most children played with blocks, Judy raced around toy fire engines, putting out imaginary fires in the cardboard buildings she would build and decorate. Even cutting out tiny stick figures to 'rescue' from the flames. She would get so into it that she would research the proper guidelines and make sure they were adhered to, even going so far as to create a perimeter so her siblings wouldn't be in danger.

When she was six, after having watched footage of firefighters carrying large mammals and controlling the giant hoses and deciding her size may be an issue, she switched to the idea of becoming a doctor. Her size would not be an issue in that capacity, and in fact, she could be a very big help when dealing with smaller mammals. She pored over every medical textbook she could get her paws on. It was extremely challenging for her parents to understand why she was willing to read The Oxenford Textbook of Medicine but refused to even glance at the children books her siblings enjoyed.

Unfortunately for her, that particular dream had ground to a halt after her parents were called into the principal's office, accompanied by the school counselor. Apparently Judy had been using her knowledge of the medical text to tell her classmates what illnesses they had. When the fourth kit who she told had cancer started crying, it turned into a full on, school-wide panic. That night she officially stepped back from that dream and handed off her textbooks to her little sister.

When she had turned eight, she decided she would become a lawyer to defend innocent mammals after watching reruns of 'Paw & Order'. At first her parents had been rather supportive. Lawyers rarely got into any dangerous confrontations and the more successful ones usually lived quite comfortably. It was when she had pulled all of her siblings together to hold a trial for her brother over missing cookies, complete with a judge and jury, that Bonnie put her foot down.

Not surprising to anyone is what happened the very next day. Frustrated that her 'courtroom' was unable to seek out justice against the real cookie thief, Judy decided to investigate it on her own, becoming a self-taught detective. Following unseen trails of cookie crumbs through the house and out to one of the tool sheds, she discovered it was not just one, but six of her siblings that had been sneaking cookies and blaming it on their younger brother. Her parents couldn't help but be proud of her, though they were not very thrilled at how strongly she wanted to be a detective, eventually the idea morphing straight into becoming a police officer.

At nine years old, Judy discovered the downside to being an officer of the law. Rescuing her friends had earned their respect, which she greatly accepted since most mammals in Bunnyburrow thought the poor doe crazy, however it came at a cost. Scratched and left to bleed by a local fox, it scared her parents to no end, though it only stiffened her resolve to be the best cop she could be.

She memorized the laws and police codes, got up before dawn every morning to train. It seemed as if nothing was going to stop her from becoming a police officer and, just like every other dream she had, to make the world a better place. However, one fateful afternoon was all it took for that train to jump the tracks onto a completely different path.

11 years earlier...

Barely fifteen years old, young Judy was training behind the barn, using the mini-obstacle course she had built to enhance her reflex time and endurance when a small group of her much younger siblings came around the side. Though they had seen her train before, the small kits were still astounded by how she moved, the fluidity and speed she demonstrated. On her third pass she finally realized she had an audience and came to a halt. Slightly panting and out of breath, she drained her bottle of water before sitting down in front of them. "What's up, guys? And girls," she smiled, nodding to a few of the young does in the back.

"Judy, we need some help," came the first comment.

"Yeah, Ms. Woolstein is sick this week and-"

"And the su-sud-sub-the one taking her place isn't good."

"Yeah. She doesn't know that Ms. Woolstein is making us take a quiz on Monday and she won't listen when we tell her."

"Hmm...well that's not good. Does Ms. Woolstein still teach math?" Seeing the numerous nods from her younger brothers and sisters, Judy gave them a reassuring smile. "Well luckily for you all I aced fourth grade math. Joshua? Can you give me your textbook? Thank you. Okay everyone," opening the book, she gave them the indication to follow along. "Let's learn some math."

Present day...

"And that's what made me decide to be a teacher." Looking over to see her hero traveling along the backroads she normally took to head back to Bunnyburrow, she found the contemplative look on the other doe's face amusing. "I know, I know. Going from training to be a cop to having aspirations teaching fourth grade students. Quite a jump, huh?"

"Well, if I were honest, I would say yes. But if I was really honest I would tell you that I followed a similar path."

"Wait, you wanted to be a teacher too?!" Judy was beside herself with glee. Her favorite athlete wanted to be the same thing she had growing up? It was incredible hearing that from her own lips, especially as she had never seen it mentioned in any interview or articles she collected.

"Yeah. Although I was interested more in little kits. I loved helping my siblings during their kindergarten years. I used to play school with them and I was always the teacher. It wasn't until my teens that I found my passion for boxing after joining the local gym. That seems so long ago." Thankfully her wistful expression did not interfere with her driving for they were getting into the twisting roads through the forest. "Anyway, now I get to teach AND kick ass. At the same time even! Couldn't ask for better."

Yawning heavily, still tired from being up so early, Judy sat back and slipped an ear bud in and triggered her iPod. Knowing that Jade was a fan of rock and heavy metal, Judy attempted to keep the Gazelle song she was listening to as low as possible. While a fan of rock just as the gray doe beside her was, Judy always loved playing Gazelle when she needed to get pumped up. The positive messages in the music always had her feeling as if she could do anything.

She had nearly listened to the whole album when the large gates of the academy came into view. Though the car began slowing down, Judy's heart rate began to quicken. Suddenly for all of her confidence and bravado, she began to feel slightly overwhelmed. She wasn't scared as much as concerned she may embarrass herself. She hadn't trained to be a cop in over a decade and now she would be out on the course with those who had been doing it non-stop for months.

As she got out of the car, a massive shadow blotted out the sun that was just rising over the horizon. Gazing up at the mammal, taking in the white fur, sharp claws, and large teeth, Judy couldn't help but feel a bit excited. If what Jade told her was true, this was Major Friedkin, the one who oversaw the training of all the cadets. The fact that she had come to meet her felt like a great honor and she could not wait to introduce herself.

Staring down at the second gray bunny to ever step foot onto her grounds, Ursula sized her up. Jade had already informed her of their 'guest' for the day, explaining her aspirations for joining the ZPD but ultimately becoming a teacher. She gave the young rabbit credit, though, when she didn't even flinch at her massive paws or razor sharp smile. Perhaps this bunny may have some moxie after all. But first... "You're dead, farm girl!"

Taken aback, Judy reeled from the loud shout that threatened to give her a headache. "I'm sorry?"

"You think that you, a small, cute little bunny," amused by the way her nose twitched and the slight narrowing of her eyes, the Major continued, "has what it takes to just waltz in here and pass this course? Mammals spend years training in order to pass the fitness exams and months waiting to see if they get accepted. And now, just because my combat instructor decided to give you a pity pass, you expect to run with these cadets easy peasy? If you fail this course, you fail out in the real world. And guess what happens then. You'll be DEAD!" Staring down at the rabbit, the polar bear watched gleefully as the pale look on her face quickly turned to one that was red with frustration before morphing into something akin to anger.

"Look here miss North Pole! I didn't show up to just wash out for your amusement. And if you think Jade gave me some sort of 'pity pass' as you so called it, then I'll just have to make sure I whip all of your cadets' asses on this course. I may have become a teacher, but that doesn't mean I didn't train for this for years on my own. And just because I'm a teacher doesn't mean I just sit at a desk eight to five. Now, step aside before this cute bunny makes you!" Stomping forward, Judy walked right underneath the large mammal, heading for the locker room Jade had pointed to before they got out of the car.

The Major couldn't help but admire the little gray mammal as she walked away, her nose turned up in a haughty anger. Ursula turned back to the MMMA fighter and gave her a bold grin. "You may have picked a good one, Jade. I like her spirit. Nice and fiery. Of course now I'll have to break her."

Jade watched as Judy disappeared into the changing area with a lot more respect for the rabbit. "Honestly, Major? I don't know that you can with this one."

Though the academy had been accepting smaller mammals for several years, ever since the mayor's Mammal Inclusion Initiative, not a single rabbit had ever signed up. Even Jade had never gone through the cadet process, having instead been approached by the committee independently. As such, they had no gear fitted to her size. Instead, Judy was currently outfitted in one of Jade's spare neoprene uniforms.

She had to admit, as she gazed in the mirror, she looked rather good in it. The chest area was slightly loose and the hips and butt kind of tight, but luckily for her the fabric stretched and molded to each mammal's figure well. Taking a few mirror selfies, she picked the one she liked best and texted it to her husband as a wake-up present. While she couldn't take her phone out onto the course, she was sure at lunchtime she'd have a few replies with some choice words in them.

She was surprised how well it breathed. Even in the brightening and warming air she felt rather cool. Taking a few high leaps, she was pleased to see it moved smoothly and didn't cause any bunching that jeans or other pants would. She casually wondered if anyone would miss the suit at the end of the day.

Leaving the locker area, she came out to the field to see the cadets already lined up and getting a dressing-down by the Major. She hurriedly ran to take her place at the end of line, noting the tiny smirks from some of the other mammals or a glint of amusement in their eyes. Her movement did not go unnoticed by the Major, much to her chagrin. "Well nice of you to join us at last, bunny bumpkins. If you were one of my cadets you'd be doing a lap for each minute you were late. But since you aren't, I think two laps would be best. And since you were five minutes late, that's gonna be five miles. I'd start running."

The class started laughing at the bunny who muttered a few words not meant for delicate ears before glowering at the polar bear, heading off on her run. Turning back to her class, Major Friedkin bellowed at the laughing mammals. "I don't see what's so funny. You all are gonna take ten laps too, and whoever finished after the bunny will be doing the obstacle course through to completion, twice! Now move it!"

Suddenly it was a race against an imaginary clock, none of them wanting to be stuck on the field for double time. It would be especially damaging since the afternoon was written exams and missing those could cost placement points. Judy, who had been nearly halfway through her first lap, felt a trembling in the ground. Looking behind her and seeing a horde of massive mammals, she suddenly knew the real fear of being trampled. Unwilling to get crushed by the stampede, Judy leaped to the side, tumbling off the track into the grass.

Now on her paws and knees, she lifted her head to watch the cadets storm past her. Some of them looking triumphant, others smirked or sneered at her as they ran past. Seeing them made her blood boil. No way am I letting these grasshats beat me. Gaining her feet once more, Judy chased down the closest mammal to her, a coyote nearly twice the size of her husband. Leaping up, she let her large feet balance on his shoulders while the shocked canine attempted to throw her off.

Luckily, or unluckily as the case may be, she wasn't interested in sticking around. Springing off of his narrow shoulders, she made her way to a wolf who was currently stuck behind a few of the bigger mammals and unable to pass. His surprise was just as evident, obviously never having had experienced a smaller mammal jumping on them. From there she leapt to a tiger, than a rhino, and then the class's only elephant who stood head and shoulders above everyone else. This time, rather than aiming for another cadet's shoulders, she set her sights on the large patch of open field in front of them.

Taking a very risky move, Judy slid as far forward on the elephant's tusks as she could and jumped, pushing with every ounce of muscle she had in her legs. Soaring through the air, she easily cleared the mammals though she needed to tuck her legs somewhat to avoid a rhino's errant swing of her horn. Seeing the ground rushing up to meet her, the doe quickly braced herself, knowing that a roll would slow her down too much. Though she felt a slight jar traveling up through her long, powerful legs, it wasn't enough to slow her even for a moment.

Kicking up dust and with a mock salute to all of the cadets behind her, Judy took off, driven more than ever to cross the line first.