Chapter 27 A Shattered Heart and Dream
Edited by Euphonemes
After the retirement of the colors, Judy walked back to her bunk in a state of fitful unease. She had learned so much through her prying into Bellwether's office, and nearly all of it was completely shocking to her. The revelations she gathered about the illicit affairs of the sheep, as well as the plots against Nick, his fiancée, and Capitán Skye, were all things that would bring about the highest charges in the courts of the land.
And then there was Nick's fiancée...
As Judy walked into her outbuilding and shut the door, she slumped against it, slowly thumping her head against the cold wood.
"How could I have been so estupido."
After several slow bangs, she allowed her head to fall forward into her awaiting paws, settling just above her knees. She already felt the tears coming. The burning sensation was settling in the corner of her eyes, yet she had made a vow to her grandfather that had helped her through the harsh and belittling environment of the military academy.
"Never let them see that they get to you, Judy," he had told her the day she had left. "Else they'll chew you up and spit you out to make next week's rabbit stew for all the foxes in the world!" Thinking back onto her Pop-Pop's words, she decided that there were times the advice was good, and times it was bad.
This was a moment when it would be terrible to take that advice.
Nearly a week's worth of bullying, tormenting from the dastardly ewe, ridicule and belittlement raced through her mind and showed itself in the beginnings of tears in the corners of her eyes. Trying her best to keep them at bay, her memories shoved one last, cruel, thought that broke through Judy's resolve as easily as lightning could split a tree in half.
Homewrecker...you've been flirting with a betrothed mammal.
The tears finally burst forth, breaking that dam of her resolve and flooding her body through throaty sniffles and body-shaking sobs. Families had always been the foundation of rabbit society, even back to the days when rabbits were at the lowest end of the food chain. There were few rabbits today that would dare to break those standards, even after thousands of years. The rule being if a bunny was eligible, any doe could chase them as much as they want, and vice versa, but the moment they were engaged...
I didn't know...Judy sobbed, clutching her head in her paws. How was I supposed to know?
You could have asked...the taunting voice replied, seeming to relish in the bunny's torment. Besides, why are you flirting with a fox anyways. He probably was leading you on from the beginning...
"No..." Judy groaned aloud, shaking her head back and forth. "Nick wouldn't do that to me...I know he wouldn't."
Just like you 'knew' he was single...the voice mocked again, seeming to cackle in glee at Judy's emotional despair. Stumbling to her feet, Judy leapt to her makeshift bed, a large canvas sack filled with straw, and pulled her pillow atop her ears, trying to drown out the taunting voice.
"I'm not a homewrecker," she sniffled. "I'm not a homewrecker...I'm not a homewrecker..."
With the pillow over her ears and her repeated mantra filling her mind, Judy didn't notice the door to her shack opening, or the five sets of eyes glaring down at her.
"Oh look what we have here..." Judy was so startled to hear another voice besides her own that she flipped over instantly, her pillow landing in the dirt next to her rucksack as her eyes widened in surprise. Before her stood a swaying Bellwether and her four tigers. The ewe cackled in drunken laughter before settling her glazed eyes upon the doe. "A...w-rrabbit that can't keep her paws on her own sw-tuff."
Before Judy could react, one of the tigers reached into the shack and ensnared the rabbit doe in his massive paw, only her head, ears and feet sticking out from his grasp. Judy gasped in shock and pain at the crushing pressure as the tiger held her in front of Bellwether. A sneer graced the magistrate's face as she raised her hoof, smacking it across Judy's face, striking her cheek and whipping her face to the side.
Judy's nose began twitching. It was not fear, as she had been in far worse situations than this and come out on top. Nor was it the pain of the blow, as it was rather a sad attempt at a slap. It was the pure shock of her sudden treatment that riled her nose.
"Did...did you think we wouldn't *burb* find out?" Bellwether slurred, raising her hoof to strike the rabbit again, but this time hitting one of the tiger's fingers instead. The tiger released the finger from his clutch around Judy's chest, allowing her to take in a large breath of air before his hold once again tightened. The ewe raised her hoof to point at the rabbit. "You've..you've been a very naughty rabbit...slearching through...m-my things."
It was at that point that the ewe stumbled and nearly fell backwards, but was caught by one of her tigers. Giggling madly, she motioned with a paw to head out into the center of the fort. "Come...come, come-come-come-come on guys...let's make us an ex-sample of this wabbit. Joaquim, get the rest of our soldiers from the tavern. We...we might need them for crowd control."
The five mammals, and one squirming prisoner, sauntered out to the center of the parade grounds in the fort as the last sliver of the setting sun bathed the area in a orange-red glow. The fourth tiger jogged out of the fort and caught a few stares...though most were directed elsewhere. Several soldiers wandering about stopped to look in pleasure at the odd sight of a drunk Bellwether, but their amusement turned to indignation when they saw their Capitán clutched in the paw of one of the largest of the tigers.
"Soldiers of Fort...Zootopia," Bellwether crooned out as loud as possible. "We have some...entertainment for you tonight!"
Several more soldiers appeared from inside buildings and the barracks, some in half dress while others still in their full uniforms. Though one thing was similar on all their faces when they saw Judy struggling in the tiger's paw.
Anger.
Bellwether seemed oblivious to it all she let out a drunken giggle. "This wabbit, thought she could try and steal from me...and steal from me she tried." Turning to face the doe, Bellwether snarled out the next sentence. "And what was it you tried to take from me, you little dirt digger?"
Judy's eyes widened as the sheep produced a journal from her jacket's pocket. How did she know? She's drunk off her-
"You think we wouldn't notice your stink in my special place? The only place you hadn't been before I moved in?"
Judy paled underneath her fur. She had been so careful to put everything back exactly how it was before she had touched them, but had completely failed to remember the lessons taught at the academy about scent masking: you can never fully mask a scent.
Pulling several matches from her pocket, Bellwether placed the book upon the ground, opening it up to a blank page. She flicked a match against her hoof, and the matchhead ignited, lighting the ewe's face while darkening everything around her. Grinning, she dropped the match upon the open book. The worn and dry paper quickly lit, consuming the book in an eruption of flames.
"Oopsie, clumsy me, hehe. Guess we'll never know what you were searching for, will we, hmm?"
Judy watched in horror as the only evidence she had against the ewe's blatant crimes burned to cinders, her desires and hopes to bring justice to Capitán Skye and Nick's fiancée disappearing in the ash from the book that fluttered away in the light breeze.
"Rodriguez!" Bellwether suddenly snapped, drunkenly sloshing around the still-burning book.
The tiger holding Judy in his paw looked down at the sheep. "Yes ma'am?"
The sheep's glare deepened as she settled her eyes upon Judy's own. "It's time we taught this former Capitán her place."
"Former?" shouted several voices from the growing angry chorus. Surprising even Judy herself, one of the loudest came from Rhinovitch, who glared down over his broken horn at the four tigers and sheep.
"She's still our Capitán," the rhino spoke in a deep baritone.
"Yeah!" several other voices yelled out as the troops rabbled in disgust.
"Ain't no way we'd let you dismiss our bunny!" another shouted. Judy noticed Clawhauser joining the group, tucking in his uniform as he made his way to the front of the crowd.
"Silence!" Magistrate Bellwether screamed. Several canines whimpered in pain at her high-pitched wail. "I have the authority from Commandante Bogo himself! Jack, the paper please!" she shouted, wobbling a little as she put her hoof out.
The tiger named Jack reached into his silken vest and produced a rather ornate letter. Slicing the wax seal open with his claw, he handed it off to Bellwether, who, in her drunken stupor, actually held onto it. Bellwether smiled as she sauntered over to Clawhauser, apparently trying, and failing spectacularly, at sashaying towards him although her swaying hips were thrown off by the way she stumbled about drunkenly. The cheetah grimaced as she managed to finally shuffle to him, falling head first onto his gut.
"Oh you pretty kitty, why don't you-hurk- read this for me?" she cooed as the feline took a step back, causing the sheep to faceplant into the dirt. Sergeant Clawhauser grimaced and snatched the paper away as Bellwether placed a hoof over her mouth to stem the trickle of vomit falling into the dirt.
"Be it the order of Commandante Bogo del Gran Consejo de los Militares," Clawhauser began, squinting to read the fine print in the fading light. "...henceforth all administrative duties of Fort Zootopia are hereby given over to Magistrate Dawn de las Ovejas Bellwether with all actions decreed by Magistrate Dawn de las Ovejas Bellwether as having the full force of the council..."
Clawhauser leveled off, his mouth drooping into a frown as the paper slid from his paws.
"Oh, such a smart kitty!" Bellwether laughed, stumbling to her feet. "I might just keep you around. Now...where were we?" Stumbling around, Bellwether focused on the rabbit in the tiger's paw. "Rodriguez? Shake and break."
The tiger grinned. "Yes ma'am!" With a sudden fury, the tiger began shaking his paw in every random direction. An outraged cry of panic and anger swelled among the troops.
Just as the crowd of mammals was about to surge forth, a shout from Judy halted them.
"Don't move!" she shouted, still being tossed about while now becoming quite nauseous. Just when she felt like she was going to hurl, the pressure and violent movement overwhelming her, the tiger released his grip. Flying head over heels, Judy didn't know which way she was headed until she landed on something soft and fluffy.
Something that also made a slight 'oof' as she landed.
Staring up groggily, she noticed the worried face of Corporal Wolford looking down at the bunny he had caught. "Are you alright Capitán Hopps?"
Nodding once, Wolford let her down to the ground. The rabbit stumbled to her feet as she heard the sounds of swords scraping against scabbards.
"We will not let you get away with disrespecting our Capitán like this!"
"Put those away!" Judy shouted. Turning around to stare down her troops, she saw the puzzlement in their eyes.
"But Capitán Hopps...she-"
"I know what they did," she stated harshly. "...and I know what I've done as well. There is no need for you to lose your careers or face reproach and punishment over this issue."
"But..."
"But nothing!" Judy shouted. "As the leader of this fort, I have to set the example." Her voice lowered as she realized what was about to happen. Her lifelong goal of becoming a soldier and helping to make a difference in the world would soon be over. She couldn't even attempt to prove Bellwether's wrongdoings, as the evidence was now a smoldering pile of ash and char a few feet away. Turning to face the ewe, Judy marched forward, hardening her heart to what was about to commence. "We all have to take responsibility for our actions. Even when we don't like what the ramifications are."
"Such a smart, dumb bunny," Bellwether giggled as Judy marched in front of her. Forcing herself into a salute, she prepared herself for what would happen.
She still wasn't prepared for it.
Bellwether snapped her hooves and the tiger nearest Judy bent down and with both paws, ripped the epaulets signifying her rank right off her uniform, leaving nothing but torn fabric, white undershirt and grey fur visible. Judy shook at the violence of the act, but kept a straight face as she stared ahead at the Magistrate. The tiger looked at the two golden tasseled pads in his paws. Grinning, he let them fall to the dirt, then stomped on them, grinding them into the dirt.
"Oh this is so exciting!" Bellwether giggled. "I mean, I don't get to do much of this anymore, so I'm glad to have crushed another do-gooder's soul. Now...let's sweep the trash out of the fort, shall we?"
The same tiger who had just finished destroying her dream roughly shoved her forward. Rolling her shoulders, Judy began walking towards the doors of the fort, just as the other tiger from Bellwether's entourage arrived with the several dozen troops she had brought along with her on her stay. Most of the soldiers looked on in confusion at the bunny walking towards them, torn uniform and tightened frown upon her usual cheerful face.
A drumming sound began and Judy halted halfway to the doors of the fort.
"Atten'hut!"
Turning her ears, she heard the sound of many paws and hooves marching in step. As her eyes followed her ears, she watched as her troops marched past her, led by none other than Sergeant Clawhauser and Private Thrash. The raccoon was drumming out a constant beat and smiled weakly at the rabbit while he passed. She watched as the two lines of troops marched to the entrance of the fort, Bellwether's troops making way for them or being roughly pushed aside. Then, at the sound of the drum, the two lines stopped, turned, and faced each other.
"Saaaalute!" the cheetah yelled. Instantly, several dozen soldiers offered their own crisp salutes, forming a most impressive display, even if half the soldiers were in only partial uniform.
Still stunned by the sudden display, Judy was rooted to her spot as Clawhauser marched towards her, his eyes filled with sorrow.
"You said we shouldn't stand up for you," he began, his voice warbling. "...so we will respect that wish, as we respect you, Capitán Judy Hopps."
Hearing the cheetah's voice cracking nearly broke Judy's resolve for a second time that night, as she felt a surge of pride at the cheetah's words. Each and every face gazing at her held the same look of respect, honor, and sorrow that Clawhauser's held.
"Capitán Hopps?" Judy was broken from the spell as Sergeant Clawhauser stood by her side. "Would you allow me the honor of escorting you, one last time?"
Looking up into the cheetah's eyes, Judy nodded, knowing if she spoke she would lose her composure instantly. Together, the bunny and spotted feline marched in step with each other through the two lines of soldiers. The moment passed all too soon, however, as they reached the gates to the fort.
"Thank you, for the honor of serving with you, sir," Clawhauser sniffled, wiping at a stray tear trickling down his cheek. "Sorry, I think someone brought an onion out here or something," he tried to joke, but only succeeded in spawning new tears.
Judy couldn't contain herself anymore. To carrot sticks with decorum! she thought. Sprinting forward, she wrapped her arms around the plump cheetah's legs.
"Thank you," she whispered.
She felt a paw gently patting her back.
"Aww, wasn't that just boring," an annoyed-sounding Bellwether rasped from across the parade grounds. "Now boot her out on her bunny butt, and let's get rid of that mangy fur bag."
Pulling away from the feline's legs, Judy turned, noticing that Corporal Wolford had somehow snuck off to her shack and gathered her belongings. "Thank you," she whispered as she collected her rucksack and hat. The wolf nodded solemnly, bowing his head as he took a step back. It was with a great reluctance that Judy took the several last steps out of the fort. Turning around one last time, she went to give a final salute to her troops, only to see Bellwether's tigers slamming the fort's doors in her face. The wood creaked and groaned at the force, sending a plume of dust up from the ground, caking the bunny in the dirt cloud.
As the dust settled, Judy finally let her shoulders sag and a loud sigh to escape her lips. Looking up the road, then up at the moon now rising in the night sky, she shook her head, wondering where to go.
"Could always go to Don Wilde's," a side of her brain told her. Though that part shuddered when a picture of some vixen appeared next to Nick in her mind, the two foxes staring longingly into each other's eyes.
I can't do that to him...she thought. Banishing the idea from her mind —and while her heart began aching once more— Judy looked down the road in the opposite direction. There was only one other place that she felt she might be able to stay for the night, to rest before taking the long journey back to Bunnyburrow, returning as a disgraced officer of the army. Setting her paws in motion, Judy trudged off to the docks.
It wasn't long until a familiar sign of a smirking cat stared down at her. Her paw rapped on the door several times, then she stood back and waited. It was several moments until Judy saw a light from a candle flicker into life through a window. The steady soft thumping of fur-covered paws reached her ears. The door in front of her creaked open as a sleepy-looking margay peered out into the street. When her eyes caught hold of the pathetic-looking grey doe with eyes glossed over and cheeks ravaged by twin lines of darkened fur, Weidii set the candle upon the floor, kneeled, and offered out her arms to the sorrow-stricken doe.
The dams burst for the rabbit. Judy rushed into the cat's arms, allowing the flood of emotions to finally overcome her. She felt the cat's arms surround her, patting her gently on the back as Judy slumped into her arms, bitter tears of a shattered heart and a broken dream drowning her in sorrow.
AN: A bit of an emotional chapter huh? Yeah, this one hurt to write and I swear that there must be ninjas slicing onions somewhere in my room when I was writing this.
So, in other, happier news, Always reached all three goals for reviews, so in celebration, you all will be getting the three bonus chapters coming soon. Fox Joe was the lucky winner of the Random Raffle and asked for the final Bonus Chapter to be about the last day on the force for Judy and Nick right before they retire. So the three Bonus chapters will be, "Home Sweet Home", "First Words", and "Finally!".
With that, I hope you enjoy them as they come out, and also enjoyed this chapter. I promise things will pick up from here...please, not again with the pinecones! *flees*