The Florida Project Chapter 2-Wilde Expeditions-
Written by Bluelighthouse
Edited by Cimar
"Himalayan Escapes Travel Agency," Nick read aloud as he and Judy approached a worn down stone building at the edge of the village that was nestled at the base of one if the world's largest mountains.
"Sounds fun!" Judy exclaimed as she grabbed Nick's paw and led him into the building the light teal banner was attached to.
"Sounds like a some kind of prison jailbreak service.." Nick shot back as he was dragged inside by his rather excited doe.
"Oh come on, Slick! Where is your sense of adventure?"
"Back at the hotel room."
Judy snorted at Nick's comment. They hadn't actually stayed at a resort. They didn't need to. She had to admit it was kind of cute Nick would sometimes get lost in their little world though.
As the pair wandered through the travel agency they followed a small path that was carved into the different buildings. The first one was a small travel agency office. It was filled with papers, files, luggage, and various clutter one would find in a small travel agency. It looked like it was in need of a good cleaning as there was barely enough room for Nick and Judy to sneak by all the different bits of baggage.
Nick walked by one of the desks pushed against the walls and cleared his throat which caught Judy's attention.
The doe turned in time to see Nick lift up a flyer from the local government.
It was bright red and yellow and was written in some strange foreign language at the top. The bottom however had a translation she managed to read.
"Travel Warning! Tracks unsafe in some of the northern most regions! Unknown damage caused to rail line. Expect delays in shipping and travel. Be wary of damaged tracks!"
"Oh I am sure our trip won't go that way," Judy said casually. As she said the words left her lips, she just knew they were in for another thrilling adventure.
The previous day they had found themselves in the darken alleyways of an old Zootopia as gangsters fired at them. Only to turn a corner and find they were in the middle of a wild west shoot out. It would be hard to beat yesterday's adventure, but they had been promised today would be especially thrilling.
"And now that you said that, I am almost certain we are gonna be falling down a mountain crevice soon," Nick grumbled as he put the flyer down and continued through the travel agency.
They followed the small path on the floor and exited the cluttered agency office only to find themselves in a peaceful tea garden. Judy actually enjoyed how the farmers had designed the small farm to work round the buildings in the rustic village. Different plants grew in small crops the size of Nick's car. Some of the greenery was suspended in pots or crates filled with soil. Then there was the tea itself which was gathered in large sacks or wooden crates which were strewn around the farm.
Judy picked up a few of the tea leafs in her paw and took in a small whiff. She let out a pleased noise as her eyes fluttered closed. The lovely natural scent filled her nostrils and reminded her of some of the tea she would occasionally enjoy when visiting her family back in BunnyBurrow.
Judy raised her paws up so Nick could take a smell. The fox did so but made an odd face.
"What?" Judy asked as she put the leafs back.
"Prefer blueberries," Nick teased with a wink.
Judy chuckled as she rolled her eyes, "Should have known.."
The couple continued through the tea garden and made their way into another building. This structure had been turned into a makeshift museum of sorts. There were images of the mountain that loomed over the village. Several signs explaining fun facts about the mountain and it's surrounding lands. There was even a little model of the village that showed visitors how old the village was, and giving a brief history of it's founding.
Of course the mood changed rather quickly. As they turned a corner. Judy was the first one around the corner and she couldn't help but freeze as her bright purple eyes darted around the next exhibit.
Nick detected something was off and moved over to his bunny. Before he could speak though he saw what had caused the sudden change in the bunny's mood.
Right before them was a large orange tent. It was torn to ribbons and the metal beams used to support it were twisted and snapped. It looked like the tent had been through some kind of shredder. Upon closer inspection, however, it became apparent that the tent had been clawed. By what though they could only guess. From the size of the tears it was a mammal larger than anything that either Judy or Nick could think of.
Above the tent a blue banner clung to the wall.
"The Lost Expeditions."
As the two of them approached they began to notice different items were on the walls. Several backpacks that had been torn up hung around the room. Climbing equipment had been twisted and snapped in two as if they were kit play toys.
Then there were the pictures.
Smiling faces covered the spots not taken up by debris. Some in color while others were in black and white. All of them were of mammals in expedition gear from different eras. Several plaques hung underneath the pictures listing off the names of the mammals and when they disappeared.
There was one picture however that stood out.
It was obviously taken while in motion. The image was blurry and out of focus. Nick and Judy could make out the side of a rock formations in the distance. That wasn't what caused both of them to grow uneasy though.
In the corner of the image it looked like some kind of massive paw was reaching out towards the camera. Just behind it was a blurry black and gray head, a large glowing red eye glaring at them.
Beneath the picture was a small plaque that gave off some information about the image.
"Final picture that was taken by missing scientist. Camera was found at campsite which had been completely destroyed. Researchers have studied the image. They have been unable to identify the mammal that was captured in the picture."
Nick couldn't help but notice how Judy suddenly clung to him as they continued through the museum. The small doe did get some of her courage back but never wandered far from the fox in the room which suddenly seemed to be a little darker.
As they turned another corner Nick let out a groan. He now knew they would be having a great deal of trouble in this adventure of theirs.
"Guardian of Everest! The Yeti!" The bright red banner read as it hung over the archway that led to another part of the museum.
This particular part of the building was filled with different artifacts from all over the mountain. Apparently the mammals of the village were rather superstitious and believed that there was a large unknown mammal that hid high in the mountain peaks.
There were grainy pictures of some large creature that was just out of focus. Stories and first paw accounts from villagers who had sworn they had seen the beast. What was rather impressive was the large foot print made of plaster. While on an expedition a group of explorers came across the foot print. Several pictures of it were on the wall just about the plaster cast. Nick stared at it for sometime. It was easily the size of Nick which meant whatever mammal had made it was massive in size.
The walls were covered in a series of sketches and drawings. One whole wall had a kind of mural of the mountain. A large creature stood before the mountain ranges. It looked as if it were dancing but Nick and Judy guessed is was some kind of action pose.
A scroll had been hastily placed underneath the mural. It's black ink scribbled in a beautiful yet hurried paw.
"Respect the mountain or face it's wrath!"
"The mountains' wrath?" Judy asked as she looked at the note and then to Nick.
"Don't think they were referring to the mountain, Carrots…" Nick said with a gulp as he looked up at the large mural. The fox felt uneasy as he looked into the paintings eyes and had an unnerving feeling that it was starting back at him.
Once through the museum they finally made it back outside. Several weather worn signs pointed them towards the towns train station where their adventure would begin. The logo for the Himalaya Escape Travel Agency was on the bottom of most of the posters.
"Sure we can't just head back and take a walking tour or something?" Nick asked, sounding slightly hesitant as he looked at a large poster with the image of an odd looking train slowly ascending the mountains.
"Oh come on Nick, don't you wanna go on a fun little train ride?" Judy asked with a smirk as she flicked her tail at the fox, knowing the tease would hopefully help convince the vulpine that his fears weren't valid. The bunny regaining her normal courage now that they had left the somewhat foreboding museum and it's odd exhibits.
"You remember the last train ride we went on?" Nick asked as he tried to catch up to the doe.
"That was different," Judy pointed out. "We were trying to evade some criminals and bring the Nighthowlers to the ZPD…no one would have expected a crash."
"Followed by an explosion!" Nick barked as he waved his paws about.
"Oh come on. That was an old derelict train car. I am willing to bet that the train we are taking to the mountains will be in far…better...condition..." Judy trailed off as they turned a corner and saw their transportation.
The old rusted train cars were covered in travel stickers and prayer papers. Several ribbons could be seen wrapped around the paw bars that were suppose to keep Judy and Nick safe during their ascent. The engine, if you could call it that, was an odd looking box with a smokestack. The windows were pitch black so they couldn't see inside the cab to the animal operating the train. It was so small that Judy had to guess it was being operated by another rabbit or something.
A yak popped his head out of a small office next to the tracks and beamed at the couple.
"Welcome to the Himalayan Escapes Train Expedition! Course we prefer to just call it Expedition Everest," the mammal said as he approached. Judy noticed he was wrapped up in a teal set of robes that must be custom for the villagers to wear. Though the air was warm the yak looked right at home in the set of cloths that covered his unkempt fur. "You two ready for an adventure?"
"I think I am ready for a tetanus shot," Nick grumbled as he looked back at the rust covered train.
"Aw don't worry dude…I mean sir," The yak had to correct himself. "She may look a little old but that's because she has been on these tracks for a while. Best train we got, you can trust her to get ya up there."
"And getting back down?" Nick asked hesitantly.
"I mean yea of course.." The yak mumbled in an unconvincing manner. "Long as ya don't run into the yeti, am I right?"
At this both Nick and Judy tensed up. After having been through the museum filled with evidence of the creatures existence, they were somewhat on edge.
"Just pulling your legs," the yak shot back with a smile. "I mean what are the chances of something like that even existing. I mean hello! Wouldn't we have seen him again? Its been like 10 years since the last sighting."
There was a sudden roar of wind that came from the mountain. At least Nick and Judy thought it was wind. The way it ended though, the slight rise in tone followed by a sudden stop gave them the feeling it may not have been the wind.
"Wow…talk about timing, am I right?" The yak chuckled as he moved forward and ushered the now hesitant couple towards the train.
"Alright just take a seat, keep your paws and arms inside the train car and just enjoy the tour of the mountains," the yak explained as he helped Judy and Nick get settled in.
There was another gust of wind and this time Judy managed to raise her ears up in time to catch it all. She felt her body shake as some instinct inside her told her to run and burrow somewhere safe. That somewhere safe turned out to be Nick's side as she scooted closer over to the fox.
"Its just a ride….right?" Judy asked nervously.
"We should have just gone on the safari…"Nick mumbled as the train lumbered forward.
Nick and Judy took one last look at the yak who gave them a hooves up before another roar descended the mountain. The mammal in the teal robes looked up at the mountain, nervously shook his head as he hurried back inside the stations office.
As the fox and bunny looked forward they realized something. The train was going the wrong way. Or at least that's what it felt like at first. Judy looked over her shoulder at the train engine and realized it was pushing them along the track from the rear. Unlike most trains in Zootopia this one had the engine situated at the back. Whatever the reason was for this was unknown to the bunny.
As they turned around a bend they lost sight of the village and we're suddenly surrounded by a lush green forest. The trees here were thin, but still had a lush look about them. Boulders littered the side of the tracks and were covered in a thick moss. They began to hear the forest come to life. The wind blew through the woods and caused the trees to swing as the leaves danced amongst the breeze. A series of chirps and whistles could be heard as the birds of the forest sang out, almost as a greeting…or maybe a warning.
As the train continued along it's tracks Nick and Judy settled back in their seats and enjoyed the fresh open air. This was actually a somewhat pleasant ride as it turned out. Of course as the train continued along just couldn't help but notice how the tracks went through the woods. She wondered how many trees had to be cut down or how many boulders needed blasting to make this particular train line.
They passed a small damn in the side of a mountain and Judy stared at it for a moment or two. She wondered if it was her eyes playing tricks or if there really giant claw marks dug into the wood of the dam, as if some mammal had tried to tear it down.
"You okay, Carrots?" Nick asked as he put his arm around Judy's shoulder.
The doe shook her head for a second, not so much as an answer but more as a way to get herself focused once more.
"Just noticing what they did to the nature to just put some rusty tracks through here.."
"That's progress for ya," Nick said as he looked over the side of their train car as they went over a small bridge whose beams went right into a river, bits of trees and foliage building up and getting stuck by the bridges invasive legs.
Nick having grown up in the city was used to the sites they were seeing. Judy however had a hard time looking around and really enjoying the views when she knew just what nature had to go through for them to be there.
The forest began to thin out and soon the train entered a whole new ecosystem. Instead of trees and moss covered rocks they were surrounded by snow covered boulders. The track suddenly went up at an angle as they started to climb up the mountain.
Judy and Nick stared ahead and noticed they were being carried up towards an ancient looking temple.
"I'm surprised they let the tracks go right through a shrine like this," Judy muttered.
"Some folks need a drive thru confession," Nick joked, which got an eye roll from the doe next to him.
"Not my fault you aren't blessed with my sense of humor."
"Really?"
"Its almost a sin how easy these are," Nick continued with the puns as they entered the ancient building.
They both fell silent though at the sight awaiting them inside the temple.
Directly ahead of them was another mural like the one they had seen down in the village. The mountain was painted a light blue. Several mammals stood on either side of the mural, all holding tools and various objects. It almost looked like the Yeti was trying to fight them off as it stood in front of the mountain.
While the mural itself was beautiful the rest of the temple was in disrepair. Smashed pottery laid strewn about beside the track. Statues of the yeti all stood cracked and worn. The track itself had been secured to the floor by some rather crude methods and the floor looked cracked. When they built the train line the had obviously not taken their time to be respectful. Everything seemed to be hastily put together. They hadn't even taken the time to clean up the massive hole in the wall which the train went through as it followed it's track.
Once back outside the world around them had changed drastically. The air was far more brisk and snow swirled around them. Judy curled up next to Nick for warmth. She didn't actually need it since she was used to the cold but any excuse to nestle her body next to her fox's was a good excuse in Judy's book.
Nick wrapped his bunny up in a hug and rubbed the side of her arm as they continued their ascent.
To the couple's surprise they actually reached the peak of the mountain in almost no time at all. The train having moved quickly since the track had laid right up the side of the once beautiful mountain. They reached a small crest and the train picked up speed s it went over the top. The train kept it's speed as it went around a corner and began to rise up once more.
Judy felt Nick's grasp on her tighten and when she looked up at her fox, she saw he was looking straight ahead with a look of fear in his eyes.
Judy looked in the direction of Nick's gaze and felt her veins freeze in fear.
Before them was the mangled remains of the next set of tracks. Their path was completely blocked by the tangle of steel which looked like it had been pulled up and torn apart. The train gave out a loud whistle as the brakes screeched. With a gut wrenching slowness they finally came to a stop just inches from the destroyed tracks.
Nick and Judy took a moment to catch their breathes when they suddenly heard it. This time they both knew they weren't hearing the wind. No, this was something different. It was the battle cry of something large, angry, and close.
The train let out another blast of it's whistle as it lurched backwards. Nick and Judy wanted to turn around and see where they were going but the lap restraint kept them in place. The train shifted backwards and both mammals aboard prepared to go back over the crest they had gone over to get to the peak. To both their surprise they were suddenly surrounded by darkness as the train flew back into a cave.
"What?!" Nick asked as his eyes adjusted.
It took Judy's vision a second longer to adapt to the dark as she reached out and held onto Nick's paw.
"We didn't go through a cave!" Judy shouted over the roar of wind around them.
"Well we are now," Nick shot back.
The train whipped through the pitch black cave the occasional ray of light shining in through a hole in the wall.
They made a sudden sharp turn and came to a stop.
Before them was a wall with a series of shadows casted upon it. They could make out the shape of a bridge with a series of tracks that went over a ravine. The train let out a whistle at the image.
"That must be the way out," Nick announced as he looked ahead.
There was a red light just to the right of their track. They recognized it as a switch light, indicating that the track needed to switch over so they could go down a different path that would lead them to the bridge currently shown on the wall.
The red light began to blink and they could hear the switch begin to creak as the metal moved over.
There was an ear deafening roar which caused both Nick and Judy to jump. They looked ahead and both of let out surprise gasps as they watched a frightening scene play out.
A creature of immense size leapt onto the bridge. The shadows showed them the wrath of this creature as it let out another roar. The beast then reached down and yanked the track upward. The steel bent like it was a paperclip. Not satisfied the monster reached down and tore up more of the bridge.
The train let out another whistle which caused the creature to stop it's destruction and look off to the side of the track.
"Oh….dang it…" Nick muttered as the creature let out another roar and stormd off to the side of the shadow.
From the sounds coming from the darkness before them the creature was coming right for them.
"Backwards! Backwards would be a good idea right now!" Judy shouted at the train engine which let out a whistle in response.
The train suddenly shot backwards into the darkness. Neither Nick or Judy could see where they were going but that may have been a good thing. Their train ride took them through the inner spaces of the mountain. The wind whistling by them as they with the occasional mist from some unseen waterfall.
The whole while they would hear a roar or loud crashing. Sometimes it would be close other times it was off in the distance.
For once Judy was glad she didn't have the same night vision s Nick did. While it would be nice to see where they were going she was kinda glad she couldn't see what exactly was making all those loud and angry noises.
The train was picking up speed as it shot through the mountain. Judy had hated to see what the train track did to the mountain and the nature around it but was suddenly glad it was all there if it meant they could get away from that massive creature they had seen the shadow of.
At one point the train went up a part of the track that brought them upwards. Judy held on to Nick like her life depended on it as they ended at nearly a 90 degree angle going back down. The train hung there for a moment. Which was long enough for Nick to make a very nice comment.
"Someone dropped their Mickey ears down there."
With that the train lurched forward as gravity did the rest. They shot back down the track but Judy could tell from a sudden turn they were going down a different path.
The wind shot past them at such speed Judy couldn't only guess as to how fast they were going. Of course it wasn't the speed that was the problem. It was what happened when something jumped on the track in front of them and brought the train to a sudden and violent stop.
Both Nick and Judy we're glad they had the lap bar down as they were thrown forward. They probably would have been tossed out of the car if it hadn't been for the safety restraints. Of course the safety restraints didn't give them much peace of mind as they looked before them at the massive creature that had been chasing them through the mountain.
"Oh cheese and crackers…" Judy let out as her ears fell behind her head as she stared ahead of them at the guardian of the mountain who currently stood on the track before them.
"It..it..it's…its…" Nick began to stutter out.
"It's the yeti!" Judy said, thinking this finished Nick's sentence.
"Its naked!"
Even in a situation like this Judy couldn't help but let her eye lids droop as she gave her fox an annoyed look.
The yeti got their attention once more as it grabbed the sides of the train car and let out an earth shaking roar.
Both Nick and Judy winced as they felt spittle and hot air blow all around them.
"This is in a Disney ride?!" Nick shouted.
Both of them kept their eyes closed as they prepared to face the wrath of the mountain guardian.
The end never came though. After a few seconds Judy finally braved a glance ahead of them.
The yeti stood in front of the train still but was holding something towards Nick and Judy.
Judy opened both eyes and raised her ears as she tilted her head. She looked from the object in the yeti's gigantic paws and then to the yeti itself. The beast simply nodded and showed it's teeth to the tiny bunny.
"Um Nick…" Judy said softly.
Nick was still tensed up beside Judy, his eyes shut.
"Nick," Judy said again.
Nick finally peaked an eye open and looked at Judy and then ahead. His eyes both opened as he relaxed. The fox looked from the yeti's paws and then to the yeti who grinned again at the couple.
"Are these…?" Nick began.
"Snow cones?" Judy finished as she stared at the two icy treats in the monsters paws.
Both of them reached out and plucked the snow cones from the yeti's grasp.
Judy's was a bright orange while Nick's was…yellow.
Judy flicked her tongue across the colored ice and let out a satisfied purr.
"Orange!" she said as she looked over at Nick.
The fox hadn't tasted his yet but stared at the yellow colored snow and then looked at the yeti who made a licking motion and then nodded at Nick.
"Please be lemon…"
Nick sniffed the ice and then licked the yellow snow cone. He let out a relieved sigh and continued tasting the lemony flavor that covered the ice.
"Umm…thank you," Judy said as she looked back at the yeti who made a series of paw gestures. Both Nick and Judy froze as they stared at the yeti who smiled and then climbed up the side of the wall.
"Remind me to bring Delta on this ride so we know what the heck the yeti just said.." Nick whispered as they waved goodbye to the yeti as the train rumbled to life, moving slowly down the track.
The rest of the train ride was actually rather pleasant. Nick and Judy continued to enjoy their sweet cold treats as the train weaved lazily along the tracks.
When they came out a cave entrance they both squinted as this eyes adjusted to the bright sun that shined above them.
The train leisurely rolled towards the small village that had been the start of this adventure.
Nick and Judy continued to enjoy their tasty treats. Nick occasionally trying to force Judy to try some of the lemon flavor. The bunny eyed the yellow snow cone and turned the fox down once more before bursting into laughter.
As the train approached the train station Nick and Judy noticed an handsome looking lion waiting for them on the platform. As the train came to a stop it let out a plume of steam that filled the platform. As the air cleared both Nick and Judy we're greeted with a toothy grin from the large predator.
"Did you all have fun in the mountain?" The lion in bright orange and black robes asked.
"Tons!" Judy exclaimed happily. She had a feeling this new mammal was their tour guide for this park.
"Could have done without the high speed train chase," Nick grumbled.
"Sorry about that," the lion said with a shrug.
"No worries," Nick said with a sly smile which was met with a broad grin from the lion and an eye roll from Judy.
"You all ready for the Safari?" The lion asked as he held a paw out to Judy and helped the small bunny from the ride car.
"Cant wait!"
"Good! Because Timon and Pumba have been practicing their hula dancing, they have gotten quite good."
Nick and Judy shared another laugh with their guide as they proceeded to the gift shop. Both of them excited for the next magical adventure.