Chapter 21 The Rise of Zorro
Edited by R3D Fawkes
Finnick staring wide eyed at nothing with a cup of coffee in his paws, undrunk, with a blanket around him.
"Think he'll come out of it?" Judy asked, worry etching her words. Nick looked over at his friend and shrugged.
"Well, he hasn't said anything about it, so he probably will." Nick grinned as his comment earned a slight twitch from the smaller fox's ears, as well as a punch in his arm from Judy.
"Nick! That was rude! He can't speak so why would you say such a thing!"
"We're like brothers," Nick calmly replied. "He doesn't mind at all, do you buddy?"
A soulless stare into oblivion greeted Nick.
"See?" Nick said, pointing towards the smaller fox. "He doesn't mind at all."
"That's because I don't think his mind is working right now..." Judy grumbled. "I can't imagine what he must be thinking of right now."
"It wasn't like we were doing anything bad," Nick replied with a shrug. "A curtain came loose, enveloped us and we were trying to escape."
"I know, but..." Judy's words tapered off as a frown cased her lips. "I just don't want anyone thinking untoward thoughts about… us."
Ah… I see. Nick thought with a frown. For part of his life, Nick hadn't needed to care what other mammals thought of him. He was a Don, in one of the more powerful and affluent families in Califurnia. His lineage had power, wealth, and a good deal of respect in the more well-to-do circles around.
What more could a mammal want? he had thought at the time.
A lot… he had come to learn.
"Respect is a hard provision to come by, no?" he said quietly. Looking down at the bunny by his side, their eyes met in a mutual understanding. Without a word being said, Nick walked towards the door, not needing to beckon Judy to follow as the rabbit was already by his side. As soon as they were out of the door, with it shut firmly behind them, Nick sat upon the dusty porch. At the moment he didn't mind the dirt that he knew would stain his otherwise spotless clothing.
He had more important topics on his mind.
Should she know? He wondered. If she wants to help Zootopia like I believe she does, then she has to know the truth.
Nick sighed heavily, the debate raging in his mind on whether he should let her in on why Zootopia was the way it was.
It couldn't hurt… he finally decided.
Patting the spot next to him, Judy joined him and soon the two fell into a tepid silence. One in which the bunny didn't know how to break, and the fox didn't know how to begin.
"A few years ago," Nick finally began. Judy listened eagerly to him, pulling her legs up while wrapping her arms around them. Nick noticed the movement and smiled. Shaking his head, then wrapping his arm around Judy, pulling her into his right side, he continued.
"Probably around five to six years or so, Zootopia was a much different place. The city was prospering, the soldiers were kind, and everyone respected one another. It was a peaceful, harmonious city. A jewel of Califurnia," Nick said while waving his paw in front of him as if the motion laid out his vision of the city of the past. Judy smiled and leaned into his side as the thinnest hints of a smile crossed her muzzle.
"Back then," Nick stated. "Nobody thought about banditos or desperados. The biggest crime that occurred was petty theft, which usually only happened after a family lost everything in a fire or had a bad harvest. 'Life is good', was the term we used to describe it. Una utopia de mamiferos."
Nick let out a huge sigh. "But, sadly, not all things could last. It was then, that Capitán Snarlo, the butcher of happiness, arrived."
Judy thought for a moment to see if she recognized the name. She was glad for the pause that Nick had taken, as it allowed her to organize her own thought.
"What does this have to do with Finnick?" she asked, worried about the tone of her statement.
Nick turned his head to gaze down at her with sorrow. "You'll see."
The gaze he held her with caused a slight tremble through her, as if the air around her had grown cold. Nodding to the fox, Nick continued.
"When Capitán Koslov arrived, nobody thought anything of it at first. Just another rotation of the capitáns through Zootopia. That all changed after what happened in Foxton Glen."
Nick snuck a glance at Judy, only to see her raise an eyebrow in a questioning motion. "What's Foxton Glen?"
"Exactly," Nick chuckled sadly, shaking his head. "That is how totally he destroyed it."
The look of horror on Judy's face gave away her thoughts all too well. Nick's mind went back to that day of horror. The sights… the smells… it all washed over him like the oncoming tide...
"Get them out of here!" Nick roared at the panic stricken foxes that were cowering in front of their burning homes. Pointing towards a huddled and frightened gathering of children, the other male foxes finally ran towards them, scooping them up in their arms before rushing down the road, dodging flaming debris and scorched homes.
Nick frantically ran through the neighborhood by the bay, watching as mammals of all types tried in vain to put out the firestorm raging throughout Foxton Glen. It had started without warning, a simple brush fire at the edge of town. Nothing that the neighborhood couldn't deal with as they were commonplace in the summer months.
But then a second started, followed swiftly by a third and a fourth. Soon, dozens of fires had appeared surrounding the community in a blaze of flames and heat. The breeze blowing down from the mountains towards the sea only encouraged the flames as they sped towards the town.
The padding of feet came from behind him. Nick turned to see a soot-covered fox panting and gasping, a dirty rag covering his face.
"Don Wilde, the pathway out of the village has been blocked."
"What do you mean, blocked?" Nick yelled, eyes widening in panic. He had just come through that path a half hour before as there was no foliage along the seaside path for the greedy fire to consume. It was simply a skinny road between the cliff and the sea, nothing should have been able to block it.
"There is an overturned cart in flames blocking the path," the panting fox stated. "We're trapped in here."
This isn't happening… Nick thought as he turned to view the town he was in, or what currently remained of it. They can't go through this again.
The community of Foxton had been originally set up as a refugee camp, where foxes of all kinds could come to live, sheltered by the citizens of Zootopia as no other town wanted the 'sly and dirty tricksters' around. Instead of ostracizing them, Zootopia had welcomed them with open arms and even gave them their own community where they could finally enjoy peace and harmony by the seashore. For decades the community had grown into a quaint fishing village, supplying the nearby city with most of their seafood. The steep hill surrounding the community on three sides offered protection from most weather.
Now, it was sealing the hamlet's fate.
"Get to the docks!" Nick shouted, coughing into his arm as the smoke and haze from the burning buildings began settling upon them. The arctic fox nodded, then ran towards a nearby bucket line and gave the order to flee towards the only avenue of escape left before the fire completely surrounded them.
Nick ran through the streets, jumping past burning debris and dodging buildings that collapsed into the street in an effort to make sure everyone was out of the small fishing village. A wail from his left jolted his attention towards a house that had not yet been touched by the flames, but the straw roofed structure soon would be added as another victim to the scorching inferno as the house next to it caught fire.
Rushing into the building, Nick found the source of the cry. A small fox kit lay on the floor next to a collapsed crib, screaming in fright. Hurrying to pick up the kit, Nick dashed out the door as the furthest wall of the house began smoldering, smoke building inside the building.
As soon as he was out into the middle of the wide street, Nick undid his own pawkerchief and gently wrapped it around the crying babe's mouth and noise. Hearing the now familiar groaning of wood behind him, he dashed away towards the harbor as the flames claimed yet another home.
All he could do was run, joining the frantic masses of mammals from Zootopia that had rushed to save the community, only to find themselves now trapped within the inferno. The screams and cries of children and women tore the air as children cried for missing parents and women searched for their children. A fierce wind from the mountains caught them all, sending a wall of sparks and burning debris upon the crowd, further causing panic to control them as structures that had up until then been untouched, now burst into flames.
The rush of mammals now turned into a violent stampede for their lives.
"Stay calm!" Nick yelled, trying to assuage the panicking mammals. "Please, don't panic!"
His words went unheeded as the mass of mammals trampled their way through the main street. Several gnu's and antelopes that had sprinted to help were shoved aside by an elephant. The mammals were thrown into a nearby wall of a food stand, the awning covering it collapsing atop them.
A fox priest to Nick's right was counting rosary beads over the still form of a marmot while across from him another priest tried in vain to comfort what must have been the late mammal's wife.
Another scorching blast of superheated air tore through the group, catching even more buildings on fire around them. The antelopes struggling out of the awning screamed in fright as the fabric caught fire above them. In a bout of fear induced panic, the group struggled into the crowd, dragging the burning awning atop them while their panicked cries filled the air.
What caused all this...Nick wondered as he was jostled off into a side alley where smoke lay heavy in the air like a mist. The screaming horde of mammaldom ran past him unabated as he ducked down the alleyway, holding the whimpering kit in his arms. Fleeing down side alleys, he finally made it to the dock where mammals were fighting over positions in the remaining boats. He watched in horror as the same panicked elephant from before leapt onto a boat made for medium-sized mammals in a desperate attempt at fleeing the flames behind him.
All Nick heard was the screams as the boat was crushed beneath him, sending the occupants of it into the murky depths of the water below. Knowing it was foolhardy to continue towards those boats as more and more mammals crowded around them, Nick rushed down the road that curved around the bay, waves lapping at his feet as he left pawprints in the sand behind him. Spotting a boat in the distance, he made for it, bolting forward as he saw flames descending upon the houses nearest to the shore.
He could only pray that the mammals behind him had managed to make it out as well.
Upon reaching the boat, he heard a sound behind him. A vixen stumbled blindly onto the beach, gasping for air as she retched onto the sand. Pausing with the kit in his arms, he gently laid the baby fox inside the small boat before darting back to the vixen.
"Are you okay?" he questioned. Nick was relieved when the vixen nodded before he wrapped one of her arms around her shoulder and scooped her up in his arms. The frail, shaking mammal curled into him, sobbing as Nick ran again for the boat. When Nick arrived at the craft, he was surprised to see that a small tan fox had crawled inside. The poor creature was bleeding badly from his mouth, yet without any bandages, Nick had nothing to stem the flow without blocking the fennec fox's breathing.
Shoving the boat into the water, thanking whatever Celestial was watching over them for the rather benign waves that hit the boat as he jumped inside. Rowing out into the bay, he was finally able to glimpse wholly the destruction of the town.
Most of the village was now engulfed by flames which reached nearly a hundred feet into the air in places. The docks were the only place left that had not yet been consumed and he could see the silhouettes of mammals tossing themselves off the docks and into the briny deep, preferring to risk the sharks or whatever other demons lurked below, to being torched alive on land.
Nick couldn't help but feel the tears trickling down his face as he rowed away from the destruction of a town he had played in often when he was a kit. As he rowed towards Zootopia, he could only pray and hope that all those he knew had made it out alive.
"That desert fox that I found in the boat that night was Finnick," Nick solemnly stated. "I only found out later after that he had been up on the ridge above town collecting boysenberries when he saw a group of soldiers with torches spreading out along the ridge. He tried to hide, but was caught by one of them and brought in front of Capitán Koslov."
At the name of the polar bear, Nick couldn't help the sneer that crossed his face. "He...he ordered Finnick's tongue cut out so that he couldn't tell anyone what was about to occur, then was forced to watch as the soldiers began lighting tumbleweeds aflame along the ridge before pushing them into the town below. As the soldiers laughed, he managed to escape and made his way to that boat right before the whole town was destroyed. 95 mammals lost their lives that day, including 47 foxes. Several including friends I had grown up with while my father was away on tours."
Judy had tried to remain as emotionless as she could throughout his story, trying to be strong for her friend as she saw how taxing it was on him to retell this tale. Her resolve finally broke at hearing how one of her own, a capitán no less, had been in charge of the destruction of an entire community.
With tears streaming freely down her cheeks, Judy wrapped her arms around Nick's chest.
"You did everything you could do, Nick," she whispered, hiccuping slightly. She felt a tiny drip of water fall upon her nose, causing it to twitch. Wiping away the tear that had fallen on her, she moved to grip Nick's muzzle in both her paws, staring straight into his tear-filled eyes.
"I will make things right in Zootopia, Nick," she whispered, placing her nose against his as she breathed in deeply, trying to both calm herself, and the crying fox. "Thank you for telling me this Nick. I had no idea this had happened."
"Nobody outside Zootopia really does," Nick replied. "Once Finnick was about to write what had happened it was already too late to try and force Koslov out. He had already called in extra soldiers and the mob that had formed to oust him was put down with extreme prejudice."
"Oh Nick..."
The fox shook his head, breaking the muzzle to muzzle contact they had as he turned away from the rabbit. Placing his paws in his arms, he readied himself for the bombshell that was about to fall upon his friend.
"The night the rally to avenge Foxton Glen was crushed, was the day that Zorro was born."
He could tell that Judy's ears had instantly flipped up from their mournful place behind her.
"What?" she asked with surprise.
Nick nodded. "They say that one of the surviving foxes that lost everything pulled himself from the rubble and vowed to avenge his fallen family and friends. With his fur and clothes dyed a permanent black in remembrance of those who died, he swore to protect Zootopia against all corruption and villainy."
Turning to face Judy again, he was met with a gaze of overwhelming sadness and grief. "While I may not agree with his methods, and despise the violence he has resolved to use, you now understand while all mammals in Zootopia respect The Fox and hate the army that has basically been occupying the city since."
The silence that fell between them was long and excruciating. Nick just wanted it to end, but had no idea what to say until Capitán Hopps had time to understand everything and..
"Except for one."
Nick's ears flicked up. "What did you say, Capitán?"
His gaze caught the rabbit's amethyst eyes in his own. "Except for one. Capitán Skye. You mentioned her before. The, 'one good capitán', right?"
Nick blinked. Then blinked again. Before he could even form a sentence, Judy continued.
"What happened to her?"
Four words. Those four words that sent a shiver of panic and sorrow to fill his heart.
Not now… I can't handle it now.
"That's a story for another day," Nick said, standing up abruptly and taking a step off the porch. Nick refused to meet her gaze, still facing towards the main gate of his compound. "You should probably head back into town to see what the Magistrate wants."
He felt a paw rest on his shoulder, gently tugging him until he turned around. With the height difference from the porch to the ground below, Judy was staring directly into his eyes.
"Thank you for telling me Nick," she supplied before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss upon the side of his muzzle. He saw a light blush creeping upon her features as a soft smile formed upon her lips.
"And for the record," she stated nervously. "I don't mind what people think of foxes. I… I found that I kind of like one myself."
Judy stepped off the porch, bowed deeply towards Nick before placing her bolero back upon her head, her ears settling down against her back. Casting one last shy smile towards Nick, she made one last comment that forever sealed Nick's fate, and his heart.
"I will make sure that those responsible for those heinous crimes are punished for what they did. And that whoever Zorro is...that he receives my thanks for what he has done for this town that my predecessors have declined to do."
AN: So now you know a bit of the backstory of Finnick and why Nick became The Fox. As well as why he is dyed black. ;) I hope you liked this chapter. It is a bit on the downer side, but it needed to be written at some point. But you also get that fluff in the end so that's good, right?