Chapter 26: Snooping Around

Edited by KungFuFreak07

AN: Also, go check ^^ her out on DA as she draws amazing artworks, including a brand new picture for The Masked Fox! And I think it is a scene everyone will remember. :D

Judy ran back to the city with a renewed vigor, catching what must have been her fourth wind of the day during the rapid sprint down the hill, onto a dirt road and another mile into town. The thought of bringing justice to the entire city kept her sprinting as she blew through the outskirts of the town, arriving much faster back at where she left the cart.

At least I hope that Zorro isn't messing with me. He did seem pretty adamant about what he wanted though.

As she ran past startled mammals and dodging the random cart, either by sliding under or leaping over them, her brain worked to decide if what Zorro had said was true. On one paw, if it was...

"Sorry, excuse me, coming through!" Judy yelled at a group of wildebeest. The herd didn't even notice her so instead of trying to jump them, she bolted towards a nearby wall at an angle. Leaping up, she darted several steps against the adobe until she was past the group of complacent mammals before leaping back onto the ground, rolling to break her fall then was off again like an arrow.

...if it is true, then something seriously is wrong that needs to be brought to Bogo's attention. If Bellwether is behind the corrupt Capitáns of the past, then what else could she have done to make the world a worse place.

Though if what The Fox said was false, she could end up in quite a bit of trouble.

Gotta play this one out carefully Judy...the bunny told herself as she reached the square where she left the cart and...

Judy skid to a stop, her ears drooping behind her. "Oh no..."

In the middle of the square, outside the shop where she had raced after Zorro, was a very furious looking ewe. Bellwether's foot was thumping furiously as she glared daggers at the rabbit. Spotting the car nearby, Judy noticed that every package that had been inside the rickshaw, or strapped onto it, were now gone.

"Aw queso dulce y galletas saladas," Judy swore before trudging over to the angry magistrate.

"I leave my little servant bunny for a minute… a minute! And you run off without me, leaving me stranded here in the middle of podunk with nothing but ruffians around that have stolen ALL my precious belongings!" Her voice rose until she was screaming at the rabbit, causing Judy to wince as her ears folded down behind her.

"I don't see any ruffians or thugs," Judy responded. She only realized after that it was probably not the best thing to say, but the past hour had been physically and mentally draining on her so she gave herself a pass.

Though, Bellwether didn't seem all too forgiving.

"You don't see any ruffians, do you?" Bellwether snarled before pointing at a side street. Judy followed her outstretched hoof and saw a group of kits playing with marbles.

"You mean the kits?" Judy asked in wry amusement.

"Those little monsters aren't kits," Bellwether grimaced. "They're little disease ridden varmints that should be shooed away into some dirty corner where they can match the filth there." Giving another grimace at the innocent children playing nearby, Bellwether turned her gaze onto Judy. "And you... we're going to have a long talk about your punishment when you pull us back to the fort."

"I was chasing Zorro," Judy stated, pointing back the way she came.

"I was chasing Zorro," Bellwether said in a mocking, whiny voice. "Just pull me back to the Fort so I can decide what a dust bunny like you is good for. ."

Judy groaned in exasperation as the ewe heading toward the cart, hopping daintily inside while she glared at Judy.

"Well?" she snarled.

Sighing, Judy trudged over to the cart and began to turn it around, heading back towards Fort Zootopia, the ewe complaining loudly the entire way back.

After nearly an hour long lecture in the hot sun from the angry ewe, who was actually under a nice umbrella rather than standing on the baking dirt like Judy had been,

Judy watched Bellwether and her tiger entourage finally leave the fort. She gratefully sighed in relief as they disappeared down the street.

Now to actually get something done around here...she thought. With the ewe gone, Judy went to do what she had planned to do if given the chance; snoop around to see what exactly the Magistrate was up to.

Turning abruptly, the rabbit officer strolled to the building that used to be her chambers until the disgraceful ewe arrived. She was startled to see the torch key raccoon that had come in with Bellwether standing a few feet behind her, his bolero cupped in his paws.

"I apologize for your treatment."

Judy could feel the sorrow coming from the soldier. Walking up to him, she put a paw on his shoulder, causing his eyes to lift from staring at the hat he was clutching.

"Max, was it?" she asked, receiving a nod in response. "You don't need to apologize for anything. Only Bellwether can apologize for her own actions."

"I know," he replied, "but I can't stand how she treats everyone like this. First taking away your room, then having you live in the shack next to the outhouse..."

Both small mammals turned and shuddered as they looked at Judy's new abode. Especially as a rhino stepped out of the outhouse next to it, waving his hoof and gagging as he trudged out of the outbuilding.

"Does she treat everyone like this?" Judy asked, realizing that the raccoon soldier standing before her could be a wealth of information for her.

He nodded. "Sí, Capitán. Though she seems to have had it out for the capitanes here the most."

"What do you mean?" Judy pressed, her ears shooting up. Maybe he might know something...? "Who else did she do this to?"

The torch key raccoon's ears lowered dramatically. "It was about a year ago when Capitán Skye was here. It was like Magistrate Bellwether wanted to break her and break her quickly. At least after a correspondence she received a few days into our stay here."

"I thought those letters from headquarters were only supposed to be shared among officers," Judy started, noting the growing nervousness of the mammal before her. "Did you overhear her reading it?"

A very slow nod happened. "Forgive me, but I couldn't help myself. I had begun drumming for the raising of the flag, and apparently Bellwether had a massive hangover from the night before from Fangstooth bar. She… got mad at me for waking her. One of her tigers destroyed my drums and she ordered me to stand in the corner of the building with it over my head until her headache went away. I overheard bits of one of her tigers reading the letter to her when it came in several hours later."

Judy's jaw dropped slightly. Hours...? What is wrong with this ewe? Judy seriously began considering writing a letter to Bogo to inform him about the situation and the blatant abuse of authority the ewe had been practicing for so long. She could take it herself, but nobody should abuse those beneath them...

The image of a stunned rhino with a broken horn lying on the ground popped into her mind, and her righteous fury suddenly developed an ashen taste in her mouth.

Am I… no better than Bellwether?

The shock of the idea caused her nose to twitch sullenly. Was she any better than the ewe? Her record in this town was fairly split along what she had done, with her first acts being to abuse a child of his toy and then assault one of her soldiers. She could put both off as the disoriented actions stemming from extreme exhaustion but… in the end, that was simply an excuse. Like a thin blanket thrown over a fire to hide its presence, only for it to burst into flames moments later and allow all to see the inferno raging beneath.

"Capitán Hopps, are you alright?"

Startled from her thoughts, Judy cast her eyes over at the torch key raccoon, who was looking at her with concern. "Sorry," she began, rubbing her forehead. "Just lost in my thoughts."

"Didn't look like that fun of a place," the soldier replied. "Your nose was twitching kind of badly."

Judy's ears shot up in alarm, causing the drummer to step back. "Did I say something wrong? Am I not supposed to mention a bunny's nose? I'm sorry if I..."

"No, it's okay," Judy responded, placing both paws upon his shoulders, trying to calm the nervous mammal. "They were just some unpleasant comparisons which stung like a scorpion."

"Oh..." The raccoon shuffled his feet in apparent nervousness. "Would you want to talk about it?" he asked hopefully, a shy grin forming on his muzzle.

"Maybe another time, but thank you," Judy replied. Nodding in response, the other mammal's full smile returned. Seeing the hopefulness in that gaze brought a small grin back upon her own face. It might be good to have him around for a bit…

"You know," Judy hummed. "Bellwether probably won't be around here forever, and we need a decent drummer..."

"Really?" the private yelled, his paws clenching together, not in anger but in pure excitement. "I've been wanting to get away from the Magistrate since I first began working for her. Could you really do that for me?"

"I can't make any promises," the rabbit replied. Noticing an instant drop in the smile of her friend, she quickly added. "Though check with Private first class Ramic over in the quartermaster's store and he might have some forms that you could fill out for a transfer. Again," she saw a sparkle reappear in the raccoon's eyes, "...it's a long shot, but maybe I could get her or Commandante Bogo to approve it once he returns next."

Judy was shocked by how quickly the soldier jumped at her, catching in a rather massive hug that left her feet dangling in the air.

"Oh, thank you so much!" he stated, finally releasing her from the embrace. "I'll go find him right away!"

With that he turned and ran towards the nearest building.

"Wait!" Judy's yell stopped him immediately. She pointed towards the second building closest to the entrance of the fort on the opposite side he was running towards. Giving a sheepish nod, he turned and ran towards that building, skipping several times before disappearing inside the quartermaster's store.

Judy, once again making sure the coast was clear and noticing only the sentries on duty standing at their posts, started for her old quarters. Double checking again to make sure nobody was giving her a second look, she quietly slipped into the building, closing the door behind her.

Thank goodness they don't lock that door… Judy thought as she crept inside. To her surprise, quite a bit of the room had changed over the past few days. The luxurious couch that she had dragged back to the fort in a wagon on Monday was sitting off in one corner, while the elegant coffee table that she'd hauled in on Wednesday was situated in front of it, a pile of newspapers scattered atop it.

Beginning on one side of the room, Judy carefully made her way across, searching every nook and cranny for any sort of evidence linking the mysterious Capitán Skye's disappearance to Bellwether. At least I hope he isn't just pulling my ears… she thought wryly, wondering if the masked vigilante was indeed sending her on a wild goose chase for his own enjoyment.

Still… Judy thought. I didn't see her name in the fort's ledger when I arrived.

Judy stopped as a thought struck her. "Where is that ledger anyway?" Thinking back, she hadn't seen it since the day that Commandante Bogo had arrived in Zootopia. Hearing the sound of laugher outside the door, Judy darted behind the new couch Bellwether had brought in, thanking it for being as large as it was as she rolled underneath it. The tassels hanging low around the furniture hid her completely as the door creaked open.

"Can't believe that ewe forgot her wallet," a voice grumbled. Judy recognized it as one of Bellwether's loyal tiger guards and shuffled further under the sofa until her foot snagged onto something. Looking back, she noticed a bit of fabric hanging from the underside of the couch.

"I can," another voice grumbled. "If we didn't remind her, she'd forget about putting on her fake wool in the morning."

A loud cackling filled the air as the two tigers began laughing uproariously.

"Ah, it's just too good!" the louder voice gushed. "I don't know why she adds that little bob onto the top of her anyways. I mean, how often does Tony get away with grabbing that little ball of fluff and tussling it?"

"Hehe, that tiger's got issues," the other voice chuckled as their footfalls made their way across the room. Judy held in her breath, barely wanting to breath for fear it would give away her position. Though when she heard a sudden sniffing, she froze.

"Do you smell sum'thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I smell..." the sniffing grew louder as it neared the sofa. "...rabbit."

Judy heard a scoff com from across the room. "Of course you smell that dumb bunny, Jack. She lived here for weeks before she was shoved out. Should have made her dig her own burrow to live in as that's about all them rabbits are good for. That and farming carrots."

"Heh." The sniffing grew ever closer, the light in front of the sofa growing darker as the large mammal approached.

What do I do, what do I do...… Judy almost went into a panic. Here she was, trapped in a room with two tiger guards for a mammal that absolutely despised her. They can't find me here or else... Her eyes flickered around underneath the couch, when they stalled upon the fabric.

Jack continued sniffing as he crossed the room, heading towards the sofa. "Smell is coming from over here." Another huge sniff and he let out a grunt. "Definitely a rabbit."

The other tiger now unfolded his arms and walked across the room. "What, do you think she's in here right now? The little dirt digger is probably in her shack where she belongs. She doesn't want to play nicely with the Magistrate and Big Boss, then she deserves all the problemas she's given. Just like how we dealt with those two foxes the last time we were here. That Don Wilde and his fiancé that we got rid of..."

Judy was pushing herself backwards and towards the tear in the sofa when her blood ran cold. Don Wilde...was engaged? The gears in her head started turning faster and faster. How come he had never mentioned that to her before and who why would Bellwether go after Nick and her? Hearing the pawsteps coming closer, Judy swept her mind clear and focused on getting away from the two rather large tigers looking for her.

Jack paused as he knelt on the ground, turning his head to see the other tiger. "Wait, Rodriquez...you mean to tell me you know Big Boss? Does he really have foot long claws sharpened by a whetstone every day?"

"I haven't seen Big Boss ya simplón!" Rodriquez snarled. "I've only seen what's left of the ones who've crossed him...or her. Ripped to shreds with claw marks everywhere."

Jack shivered. "I wonder if that's what will happen to ole fluffbutt out there."

"Probably," Rodriquez said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Wouldn't mind seeing her turned to mincemeat and fed to the fishes. Now what are you doing?"

Jack pulled up the sofa, lifting it off the floor as he stuck his head beneath it. "Thought the smell was strongest here." Still holding up the sofa, the feline produced a small, at least to a tiger, sized knife from his belt.

"Get up from there!" Rodriquez growled. "There's nothing under there, see?" The tiger pointed underneath the sofa. "No bunnies there, got it?" Smashing his curled fist into the sofa, the added weight caused the furniture to drop onto Jack's head. The tiger hissed in pain, shooting out from under the sofa while rubbing his head.

"What did you do that for?" he grumbled, sheathing his knife.

"Did you forget? The Magistrate is waiting on us to get her this," he held up a small purse, "...so she can drink her tail off."

"Scat… forgot about that. She's going to be ticked."

"Ya think?"

The sound of claws clicking against wood retreated until the sound of a door slamming finally silenced them altogether. A gasped breath was heard from the sofa as the middle cushion began to move and shuffle. Finally, a grey bunny's head cautiously popped out from underneath the sofa cushion.

"That was close..." Judy whispered as she squirmed out from underneath the massive pillow. "Glad that hole was there or I'd have been burnt carrots!"

After setting the cushion back into position, Judy hopped to the floor and quickly bolted upstairs, eager to put as much distance as possible between her and the front door in case the tigers returned again.

Before Judy could do anything, the thoughts from before came back in a massive wave and she had to lean against the wall as the shock wore through her.

"Nick was engaged to a now missing mammal..." The thought tore through her, bringing a line of tears trickling down her cheeks. Poor Nick...how can he still be so upbeat and lively when he's suffered so much?

Judy allowed the feelings to flow over her for a few minutes until her tears ceased. She still had a job to do, and as Nick wasn't here for her to wrap her arms around and pour out her heart to, she had to pull herself together.

Now where should I search first...Judy thought as she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. Though the thoughts of Nick were pushed to the back of her mind, they were still there. Raw and open, waiting for another opportunity to strike.

Opening the door to her prior chambers, Judy noticed the drastic difference in how the room looked now, compared to just a week before when she last stepped foot inside of it. She instantly noticed all the bags and empty boxes which came from the assortment of items the ewe had bought over the last several days. The four corner bed now was covered with bright pink curtains, and the bed itself was covered with a goose down, silky white comforter. Mounds of pillows were piled around the room, and the smell of expensive, sickeningly sweet incense permeated the room.

She couldn't help her nose twitching at the disgusting medley of scents wafting through the air, assaulting her nostrils with each breath.

"Oh, cheese curds, what is that smell?!" Judy waved her paw in front of her nose as she crept further into the room. Spotting a pile of clothespins underneath a nearby chair, the rabbit quickly placed one over her nose to halt the foul odor. Walking over to her former desk, Judy jumped up onto it, noticing in quiet disgust how disheveled it appeared.

Reminds me of my father's study back home… the rabbit thought. Unopened letters lay scattered about the table, while piles of paperwork covered the ornately textured wood surface. Rifling through them, Judy noted names, addresses, and anything that could possibly relate to this mysterious Capitán Skye that Zorro had told her to search for.

This could also benefit Nicholas if Bellwether also kept notes on the two of them. It seems like Bellwether really hates foxes for some reason… she thought, though it pained her to think that particular thought. Whoever Skye was, as well as this mysterious fiancé of Nick's, she had to find out what happened to them, though a swelling, nagging feeling in her heart made her almost want to quit the search already for what the ramifications might bring if she found Don Wilde's betrothed...

Just when you thought things were going well and you liked him...a thought rang out in her mind. Will you still pursue him knowing you'd be only getting in the way of your best friend and his missing love.

You can't think like that Judy. You serve the people, including the fiancé to the fox you have growing feelings for...

Sighing heavily, she hadn't even realized she had paused in her search, her mind so focused upon the idea of what Nick might do if she indeed found what happened to his fiancé.

Would he want to know? She thought. Would he be angry that I'm doing all this without telling him? All thoughts of helping Zorro were quickly being wiped away, as thoughts of helping Nick grew to persistent in their badgerings.

"I must do this..." Judy scolded herself as the thoughts kept rolling on. Blinking her eyes several times, she refocused on the paperwork in front of her. "Nick needs closure and... even if it hurts me, I will find her for him."

After that, Judy dug into her search with a frenzy of a rabbit possessed, hoping it would stave off the hurt in her heart. The sun slowly crept below the skyline, dousing the room in an amber hue as the sun gave off its last rays of the day. Picking up her pace, she finished searching the last drawer, shutting it with an annoyed huff.

"Nothing. Not a single manuscript or clue in this entire carrot picking room." Judy rubbed at her temple before leaning back into a blanket that hung over a corner of the room. She moved back with a start when instead of a soft cushiony backrest, she felt some sort of metal instrument poking into her back.

"What's that?" she wondered. Pulling up the blanket, she finally allowed herself to smile. "Bingo." Behind the blanket was a chest sized for small mammals, and better yet… it was open.

With the last vestiges of light streaming through the window, Judy pushed the papers around on top, scanning their contents and noting nothing of interest. It wasn't until she spotted it, that she nearly giggled with glee. Pulling the pink toned book from the chest, Judy cracked it open and chuckled at the first page.

"She seriously called this her 'Journal of Wickedness?" She really is a ditz...

Flipping through the pages, Judy didn't spy anything too evil within its pages until about halfway through, when the mention of a certain Capitán Skye came up. Reading further, her mouth dropped open at the next passage.

"Just sent Capitán Foxface out to patrol el jardín de pigeon for the next two weeks. Oh, I'll be glad to be rid of her finally. Koslov has everything planned, and soon she'll no longer be a thorn in our side when she's in the El foso de la desesperación. Now, I just have to get rid of the tail-chasing Don Wilde and everything will fall into place."

"What happened to her and why was she also targeting Nick?" Judy turned the page, only to find the next several pages to be torn out and the back side of the current page covered with so many scribbles to make it unreadable. Cursing her luck, Judy went to read further when a horrific sound of drunken singing caused her ears to shoot up in alarm.

"They're back already?" she gasped as the singing grew louder. Eyeing the book in her paw, she was tempted to bring it with her but after a moment's hesitation placed it back inside the chest. Rearranging the papers so that they looked roughly the same as when she had looked inside, she ran towards the window as she heard the door below slam open. Jumping out the open window, she ran as quietly as she could across the roof, jumping onto the ramparts on the outside wall of the fort and proceeding to casually stroll down the wall as if she was enjoying the sunset.

Glancing back at her prior quarters, and noting that candlelight began to flicker on inside, she hurried towards the other side of the fort, crawled down the ladder and walked swiftly to her new abode. Wishing she had brought the clothespin that she had left behind in Bellwether's room, as the smell of the outhouse next to the shed was nigh overpowering at the moment, she crossed the tiny, cramped quarters and began organizing her gear to gather the troops for the retiring of the colors for the night. As she opened the door and walked out into the courtyard of the fort, spotting soldiers marching towards the flag, she couldn't help the frown that crossed her muzzle.

What have I gotten myself into?

AN: What have you gotten yourself into Judy. I think you might be a little over your ears in this one.

Credit again to DrummerMax64 for his OC Max Thrash. He'll be making continued appearances in this story, alongside several other OC's; Wedii from KungFuFreak07 and Sanchez Sandcat from Berserker88.

Also, for those who want the ball to happen, it is coming! It will begin in three chapters! Just a bit more so please hold on and...what? What are you doing with those pinecones... No...please...no please! *hit in the head with a pinecone* *and another*

Everyone: "I want to see Judy and Nick kiss now!"

I do too! *flees from pinecones*