Thursday morning was a testament to the apparently rough and eventful after party.
With Bellwether experiencing the brunt of her first hangover, she didn't have much of a choice other than to skip her classes for the entire day—all six of them. The nauseous lamb also canceled PL meetings for the rest of the week, probably to spare her from the embarrassment of facing Mabel and Ben after her not-so-friendly vocalizations over accidentally soiling an inflatable castle.
"So, uh, Judy…" Dawn's first words that day were anything but graceful. "…let's never talk about that bouncy house…again." The sheep groaned from beneath her blanket. "Ever."
Thankfully Judy didn't have an early class to attend to that morning. She rested in, properly made her bed with all her plush bunny toys sitting neatly ahead of her pillow, and got dressed into her casuals without any rush. She was in a decent mood, to boot.
As for the bunny toys on her bed, they served as a little reminder of home; where her old bedroom was once littered with paw-sewn toys that had been passed down by her parents and older siblings—most of which now belonged to the younger Hopps bunch when she outgrew them. But she managed to keep a few of her favorites as childhood memorabilia.
"If you need anything else just let me know, I should be getting out before four today," the bunny kindly implored as she placed a to-go cup of hot coffee, a fruit cup, and a veggie sandwich on the sheep's desk. Although she was usually frugal with it, she didn't mind spending a bit of her meal plan to help Dawn get back on her feet. Especially after getting her help when the roles were switched.
"Thanks, Judy. I really appreciate it."
Then it was Judy's turn to treat herself to a late brunch at the Crane café (a chamomile tea, cranberry muffin, and seasoned homes fries to be precise) before going to her Elementary Statistics course at noon. Although the potatoes weren't the same home-grown pickings she was used to, they were certainly delicious, and she enjoyed scarfing down the first well-seasoned bites as she scrolled through her phone. She had a considerable number of notifications throughout social media: a couple pictures she was tagged in from her random hang outs with new friends, some messages for more invites, even inclusion on private group chats she hardly would've ever imagined being included in.
It was an influx of attention she wasn't exactly used to yet, and was probably more overwhelming to upkeep than enjoyable to the bunny at this point.
It's kind of… a lot. It's fun, but it almost feels like… it's just as exhausting as being an academia-obsessed workaholic. But Judy figured she just had to get used to the swing of things; perhaps the newfound popularity just needed time to feel manageable. A bunny could at least hope.
Mid-munch into her last bite of sautéed potatoes and peppers, she eyed the last text message she had sent the previous night.
Hey Slick. I found out you walked me home Friday night. So I just wanted to say… thanks.
Judy tapped her foot beneath the café table as she read her message to herself. She wasn't sure what confused her more—the fact that he had walked her home without good reason, that she thanked him for doing so despite being at odds with him, or that he had replied kindly. A kind text—not some snarky remark or ignoring her like she would have otherwise assumed he'd do.
Judy swallowed down the over-chewed mash as she scrolled down the messages with a thumb.
You're welcome. Fluff. :)
"There's… definitely some animosity behind that smiley face." Judy whimsically murmured to herself, lifting the tea with a free paw to her lips. "Yup. It's totally sarcastic. Mhmm."
But she knew better. It was oddly genuine. Which was, for once, a refreshing change when it came to the fox. Albeit, kind of puzzling.
Hot chamomile drifted down her throat and warmed her chest, relaxing her for a moment before she slowly plowed through her muffin, violet eyes still lingering over the brief message-exchange on her phone screen. Why she would spend her entire brunch reading into three words and an emoticon was purely beyond the bunny.
Geez. Back to reality, Hopps.
So to move on from the subject, she ultimately convinced herself that her interpretations, her questions, her curiosity— they didn't matter in the long run because it was probably pointless to dwell on the mischievous fox. What mattered was that he'd uphold his half of the deal like he had promised, allowing her access to hang outs, parties, and the like.
Once in class (and early as usual) she found herself doodling along the margins of her paper images of ZPD badges until other mammals greeted her and made some conversation before the professor appeared and lecture began. The rabbit felt a distinct rumble coming from the book bag against her leg, a sensation that made her ears instinctively shoot upwards, but she smoothed them back down quickly before they could catch anyone's true attention. Swiftly she leaned under the desk to check her phone.
(12:42 pm) Yours truly: Frat party tomorrow night at the Alpha Preda house. You should really reconsider going.
Judy restrained the excitement from the official invite and looked up to assure that the instructor had their back turned. Not being much of an in-class texter was beginning to show, but she played it off well, staying aware of her surroundings as she hid the phone beneath her desk and replied.
(12:44 pm) J: Address please!
Just because Wilde had helped her that one time after The Jungle didn't prove with complete certainty that he'd do it again, and for all she knew the frat party could get busted by cops just like The Jungle did. That meant Judy had to keep herself from getting, well, totally trashed to the point of blacking out, if she could help it. And she certainly could.
My first fraternity party? Holy Mole, this is big! Wonder if I could bring anyone along for the ride?
So she sent another text.
(12:45 pm) J: Can I bring someone?
Double-texting never bothered the bunny. Although she was quite aware of the cultural phenomenon of 'don't double-text unless you want to come across as extremely desperate' she could care less about the societal rules surrounding digital communication at this point in time. Who was she trying to impress with tame texting criteria, anyway? Not some dumb fox.
As class continued she returned her focus to lecture, her phone on her lap as she jotted notes with pencil. Judy glanced at her phone screen once throughout the rest of the class period, seeing the 'read' signature underneath her text, indicating that Nick had seen it but hadn't replied. In anticipation of a text back she accidentally snapped the lead tip of her writing utensil, grumbled low beneath her breath, and ducked beneath the desk again to retrieve her pencil sharpener.
With every turn of the sharpener around the end of her pencil she thought to herself: What will I tell Bellwether for being out so late? Maybe that I'll be going out with some friends again? Oh, what should I wear?
Then mid-sharpening, her phone rang aloud in the midst of lecture, her ring tone "Try Everything" by Gazelle suddenly filling the classroom with optimistic song and directing all eyes to the bunny sitting in the front row, including the professor himself who gave her a displeased look over his shoulder.
Judy immediately scrambled for her phone and declined the call, cringing as she glanced apologetically towards the professor before he turned and continued his mumbled rant. She exhaled quietly, setting her ringer on silent as she scrutinized the source of the call. Why would Wilde randomly call me? We only ever text, so what the big deal?
But the caller ID was titled 'Unknown.'
The rabbit pursed her lips in bemusement and decided to altogether disregard the call, dismissing it as a 'you've got the wrong number' sort of deal. Stuffing the phone into a front jean pocket, Judy minded the new lecture material on the board and caught up on writing it down.
Once class was dismissed and her bag was mounted over the petite frame of her shoulders, she felt a rumble in her pocket on her way out of the building.
(1:33 pm) Unknown: Hello, Jack Savage here. Is this Judy Hopps?
.o0o.
Like he requested, Judy got up bright and early Friday morning, and arrived there at 7 am sharp.
She hadn't actually been to the ZU gymnasium before, not including her presence at Activities Night, so it only made sense for the athletically-able bunny to marvel at how she could even pass up the chance to explore it beforehand.
The bunny, dressed in a sports bra and shorts, brought a casual outfit within her book bag and some grapes, both of which she temporarily stowed away in a navy blue gym locker.
The girl's locker room was a decent, clean space filled with a few other morning workout-addicts, including a buff looking cheetah flexing in the mirror and an elephant performing body stretches across a yoga mat. Wrist bands on, the rabbit stepped out of the locker room into the atrium where the entrance to the building was, a doorway wide and round for all shapes and sizes to enter.
In front of it stood her reflection. Or so it seemed.
"Top of the morning, Hopps!" The striped rabbit ahead of her beamed, paws on his sides as he stood with long ears tall and his casual under armor hoodie, a thin breathable material the color of mauve, and black tights that sculpted the muscles over his thighs and calves. His icy blue eyes brimmed with excitement. "Are you ready for your first lesson?"
Judy approached his side in a skip, giving a nod. "Born ready!"
He smiled at her abundant enthusiasm. "Excellent. Let's get started then, shall we?" He noted her apparel for a moment before leading her towards the gym's main room; a space full of elliptical bikes, weight racks, treadmills, even an enclosed pool.
Even though she found herself admiring her surroundings, Judy hesitated slightly at Jack's advance. "Is there… no one else joining us today?" She just realized it was only them two, when she had thought this would be a group lesson like he mentioned at Activities Night.
Jack paused in his steps before the second smallest set of metal turnstiles. "The other invitees couldn't make it. Some still have classes to drop while others either cancelled or failed to respond to my calls," he admitted without any despondency, a brilliant spark in his eyes and calm smile never leaving his muzzle. "So yes. It's just you and I for today."
The doe contemplated it silently for a moment before following him, flashing her student ID into the sensor and pushing past the turnstile.
"Anyhow, this is the training area," the jackrabbit motioned to a small, lowered padded area surrounded by a circular padded wall, an isolated part of the gym from what she could tell. It looks like some kind of trampoline.
Jack stepped down onto the padded grounds, giving the floor a test bounce as he maintained eye contact with his new trainee. "This is where I'll be showing you the basics today, and every Friday morning as long as that works with our schedules. The lessons will usually be paws-on exercises, so I suggest that you brace yourself." He waved her down after him with a light grey paw.
Without reluctance Judy willingly joined him, stepping down into the arena with long feet now on the soft yet firm material. It was cold beneath her feet. She gave the floor a test nudge with the end of her heel—soft enough to fall onto at high speeds, for sure. "Hmm. Alright. Seems safe."
"You'd think I'd wrestle you on solid ground? I'm not an animal," he lightly teased, stretching out his arms and legs by turning his torso and leaning his body weight towards each extended limb. Judy mimicked him, the stretch loosening some previously unnoticed tension and giving her spine a much-needed crack.
"First and foremost, I want to make you familiar with my teaching style," he began, arms crossed over his broad chest. "I will explain to you the rules of the game and then I'll demonstrate. Please interrupt me with any questions you may have, or I'm afraid I'll ramble on forever." He grinned, inciting a genuine smile in the bunny standing opposite of him. "The goal of a tussle is to send your opponent into submission, usually by physically pinning them down in positions they cannot recover from easily. Now, there are several ways to do that. Come to the center of the ring." Jack motioned her towards him as he walked backwards until they stopped right on the bullseye—the ZU logo.
"We begin in what is called the neutral position," the lighter bunny crouched with shoulders forward, knees bent and paws open in front of him.
Judy copied his stance, facing him as she watched his frosty eyes.
"Good, good. Now, this is only for demonstration purposes, so don't be startled," he warned warmly, warmly enough that Judy didn't mentally prepare herself for what was to come within the next three seconds. The air was knocked out of her lungs as he charged into her, lifted her up from underneath her arms, and thrown Judy onto her side, tackled by the striped rabbit with alarming speed. She struggled slightly as he held her down by the legs, her right shoulder and hip digging into the padded flooring as his chin dug into her other hip.
"Whoa," she breathed out a laugh as she looked down at him, and he released her promptly.
"That," he cleared his throat as he brought himself up to his feet, offering a paw to assist her up. "Is called a takedown."
Judy accepted his paw and was pulled up onto her feet, amazed at the strength and speed the rabbit facing her possessed—and she could only imagine that the takedown she experienced was a more tamed, docile version of the actual move he was really capable of. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins now, now very aware of his every move.
Judy eyed the excited twitch in his striated ears, his calm and collected poise. Even tuned into the sound of his heightened breathing.
"I'd like to try it now," she said innocently, slowly taking the neutral position again. "On you, of course."
Jack laughed softly. "Well you're awfully—"
Without warning she ambitiously knocked into him, aiming at his legs in a rushed attempt to lift him. However she only managed to hook her arms around one of his legs and they both were sent tumbling backwards onto the mat. Jack, the more experienced rabbit, rolled them over so that Judy was beneath him, and pinned her down by the shoulders.
"Sneaky one, you are," he breathed, his eyes wide as he looked down over his rambunctious student. He was slightly impressed, more so at her daring nature than her current agility. There was a moment of silence, transient as they caught their breaths. "Well this leads us smoothly to the next basic move. The pin."
Judy panted softly, an amused grin on her muzzle as she laid flat against the force of his pin on her shoulders, her ears limp against the mat. She realized that the rush of wrestling was something she definitely could get used to. Who knew this could be so fun?
Jack anticipated this level of receptive energy in her, one that could perhaps rival his own eventually, with months of training. Maybe their internally programmed stamina was due to the nearly bottomless pit of energy bunnies had for, say, less appropriate purposes.
"The pin. Got it." Judy nodded.
The remainder of the lesson was spent simply talking about the nitty gritty details of a wrestling match—the timed and untimed formats, what was allowed and what wasn't, the freedom any participant had to wrestle another mammal of any gender or species as long as their respective coaches agreed, yada yada.
"I think I got it all down," she affirmed, sitting with her legs crossed beneath her and paws on her knees. "Any more moves you can show me before we're done for today?" She asked, almost in a pleading tone.
Jack shook his head as he stood from his sitting position, dusting off his calves and forearms. "That's all you get for now, we'll have to work on getting you more experienced on the basics. Getting your form just right. Which won't take long I'd say, with that eagerness you've got."
"Ha, thanks. I think this wrestling thing is right up my alley," she hummed as they walked off of the mat in unison and made their way through the turnstiles and into the atrium.
Once in front of the locker rooms, he extended a paw for a handshake, an awfully formal way to part in Judy's personal opinion. But she took his paw nonetheless, giving it a firm rattle as he politely smiled. "Until next Friday morning, Ms. Hopps," he dismissed himself smoothly with a wave, disappearing into the male's quarters before she stepped into its counterpart to change into her casual clothing.
For the remainder of her day she thought of her first lesson amicably. Who knew she'd actually be excited to join the wrestling team? It made sense, fulfilling some need in her to creatively expel her aggression and simultaneously give her some knowledge that could come in handy as a potential ZPD officer. Can't wait for next week.
Even the red fox noticed her giddy behavior that Friday morning during Criminal Justice 101. He saw little point in taunting her in class anymore, with the history of misfortune it often brought him in turn. So he let her be, for the most part.
"Psssst." Her tall ears were in the way of the board, anyway.
She turned to acknowledge him, their eyes meeting silently before she understood his gesture and lowered the furry appendages.
Her glare wasn't as potent as he'd imagine it would be.
"Thanks. It's appreciated."
And the glare melted with his whispered thanks, his emerald eyes returning to the board. Her eyes remained on him for just a second longer, noticing the lack of typical mirth in his features before returning her attention to lecture.
"You're welcome."
His eyes darted back down at her as she diligently took notes, his ears perking up from her quiet reply, before minding the board again.
"So now we will be moving onto new material, since we held a review last class. Chapter nine is a larger than usual chapter, it will take a week to get through it…"
A temporary truce: a metaphorical wrestle between bad blood and good will. One of those natures were bound to win.
.o0o.
Midnight. Walnut. You'll know.
Just three clues in an ambiguous text were all Nick seemed to think were necessary to navigate through Zootopia, the party going on tonight included. From her first two experiences off campus, to The Jungle and his messy apartment, Judy realized he was probably right. She knew the drill.
The clues were helpful because thankfully, no two places in the entire city were alike. So three clues proved to be plenty.
Unless the three clues were about one of the many, many Snarlbucks joints in the city. Really though, why were there so many? But anyhow, that was beside the point.
To top it off, she couldn't bring anyone else along to the frat party, so the bunny had to figure out how to get there and back on her own. It was a hassle trying to navigate through the bustling inner city streets, even with a GPS feature on her phone, when she was sober. Imagine trying to do it drunk out of my mind? Uh, no thanks.
So the bunny had to promise herself that, for her own safety, she would keep her alcohol consumption to a minimum. She did some brushing up on the internet for advice on responsible drinking, and solemnly swore to abide by it.
Judy currently faced the mirror in the communal bathroom of her hall, teasing the fur on either side of her ears and cheeks as she maintained eye contact with herself. "Maximum of five drinks tonight." She murmured sternly to her reflection. "Just five."
She turned to leave, walking through the carpeted hall back towards her dorm room. "Count my drinks. Drink water. Ask for water." Judy decided to forgo an excessively revealing outfit like the one she wore to The Jungle. This time around, she made sure to change into a pair of low-rise skinny jeans and a sleeveless red camisole, both in which she bought on a whim during one of her recent shopping sprees.
Shopping sprees that were uncalled for, last minute, and done more to bask in her new friendships than to avoid the responsibility of studying for her fast-approaching criminal justice exam. Was that on Monday? Well I understand the lecture material pretty well, so I think I'm in the clear to save the studying for Sunday.
Judy made sure to tell her wooly roommate that she' be off with some senior friends on another rendezvous with a few senior girls. The sheep responded to the lie with an apathetic hum, too occupied with her criminal justice textbook to give the rabbit her two-cents over her procrastination.
"Alright." The bunny exhaled excitedly to herself as she locked the dorm room door. "Let's go!"
On her way down the stairs she somehow managed to stuff her phone and lanyard into her skin-tight back pockets. A fraction of her phone still peeked out and the ZU lanyard dangled and swayed beside her tail poof despite her attempts to completely stuff the contents down. Geez, what's the deal with these little pockets? It's like they're made for mice.
More easily this time, she navigated from West Campus to East Campus, the sky at its darkest shade of magenta overhead.
Her mind went to Nick's warning:
Reconsider going.
"Fat chance," she shook her head with a soft laugh, practically skipping over the cobblestone paths until she made it onto the edge of campus. A deal's a deal.
What's to worry about a silly little frat party, anyway? The Jungle was a cake walk. Not counting the aftermath.
However, it was unknown to the confident rabbit that the city streets would be bustling with so much youthful life so late at night. Mid-street cross, she veered to the side to avoid getting trampled by pedestrian packs of wildebeest. She was so small, navigating through the tall crowds proved a challenge. Somehow she managed getting by without losing her sights on street signs. Looks like I'm going the right way.
When she finally arrived on Walnut Street it was ten past midnight, the moon shrouded behind dense fog overhead. The fog wasn't natural though, it seemed to be coming from a building down the street where a distant murmur and buzz of music could be heard. Along the poorly lit sidewalk Judy recognized rows of old two-story brick apartment complexes each separated by fenced alleys adorned with barbed wire.
The street darkened as she made her way down it, an unfortunate fact that made her squint to make out other forms along the sidewalk.
It seemed several others were also walking in the same direction as the curious rabbit. Lioness couples holding paws, a coyote leading a pack of guys in matching athletic uniform, a snickering panther holding two packs of beer in each paw with a concerning stagger in his step.
From the looks of it, all the mammals from this point on were predators. Only predators.
It was a realization that probably discomforted Judy more than she wanted to admit, and she did her best to ignore it.
The small doe strolled slowly past a circle of brown bears passing around a cigar, their eyes glowing eerily in the dark as they watched her make her way around them. She looked over her shoulder back at them only to see that they had yet to take their luminescent sights off of her. Turning forward quickly, she swallowed in apprehension, the blinding stares etched in her retinas. A shudder ran through her body in response, the rabbit almost forgetting how predator mammals' eyes worked in that peculiar way. Kind of creepy. Actually, really creepy.
The population of predator bystanders condensed along the sidewalk until the very crowd had led her to its focal point, the esteemed Alpha Preda house she had only heard of through gossip; the very gathering center for the fraternity now booming with instrumental music. Wolves, ferrets, jaguars, and plenty more predator species, gathered together while dripping in the scent of meat and alcohol, a mixture which sent the rabbit's stomach in a tizzy.
Hanging slightly crooked from two adjacent windows was the fraternity flag, a red cape marked with the famed horned symbol, the white Greek alpha letter turned on its side. Some preds sat on the flat roof of the building, their legs dangling off the side as they watched the horde of invitees swarm below.
Smoke poured out from the building's opened windows and front, a mixture of artificial fog and pungent steam from body heat and sweat, creating a symbolic smoke signal in the sky for all in Zootopia to know…
…that the Alphas were partying wild.
Judy squeezed through the groups of jocks and giggling sorority girls sipping cheap cans of beer, all of which glaring or flashing their sharp teeth in terrifying smiles towards the only apparent prey invitee as she snuck up the stoop of the apartment building.
Preds sat on the concrete balusters on either side of the steps, some amusingly admiring the bold rabbit timidly excusing herself through the crowd. Others were not as keen, shooting distasteful looks at the prey mammal seemingly intruding the party.
Judy avoided making direct eye contact if she could help it, her bare shoulders tensed and high standing ears on alert. Full primal instincts were taking a front seat in her mind.
Her logical and survival-based inner voice told her to leave this place in a mad dash like her very life depended on it.
The entire situation practically made her mind scream 'danger!' But stubbornly, Judy Hopps was not about to let her outdated primitive intuitions and ingrained prejudice govern her night. She had made a rather clever deal with a tricky fox and thus deserved access to the exclusive party.
I earned this.
So the bunny decided she wouldn't pass this opportunity up, even if she had to stare death in the eyes.
C'mon, they're not gonna hurt you.
Be positive. This'll be fun.
Once she made it past the front door, which she noted was broken down and ornamented with wood that looked more like a scratch post than a door frame, she questioned her previous determination to tough it out.
Inside was completely dark, save for a slow pulse of light that made the inhabitants look like they had been moving in an erratically jerk-like slow motion. A colorful strobe light's work.
Judy didn't budge as she stood practically paralyzed, watching the preds mosh recklessly to electronic dance tracks in flashes of red, then green, then yellow light; pushing and swinging each other around aggressively in a fit of wild laughs and growls. The bunny flinched as she watched two cougars engage in a brawl within the mosh pit, a brawl so belligerent they rammed against a wall to her left with their lips curled, exposing glinting incisors and snapping their jaws until one of the two eventually yielded.
In reaction to the frightening brawl, Judy backed slowly in the opposite direction.
Sweet cheese and—
In the corner directly right of the entrance she spot a gang of cheetahs, tigers, lions, and caracals each huddled, caressing and rubbing against one another in a dazed stupor.
A female caracal slowly grinded against the lap of a squatted lion, her claws combing through his thick mane while he tugged and stroked the short length of her tail. The very same lion was lip-locked with a crouched tiger, the two males fighting for dominance in their slovenly kiss, a sight that made Judy nervously drop her ears.
There was something smoking at the core of the sensual commotion—a small urn densely packed with slow-burning herbs. The effects of smoking catnip was evidently taking its toll, practically creating an orgy right in front of her eyes.
The large cats were greedily taking turns sniffing the urn on all fours, taking deep inhalations and then exhaling the excesses of smoke into each other's mouths, an exchange that made the bunny subconsciously cover her own mouth with her paws. Large tongues lapped aimlessly between the high felines, paws roaming over one another's bodies in drug-induced explorations. All of them were marking or dry-humping each other like they had complete disregard for their populated surroundings. It was as if they had lost their grip on reality altogether.
In full retreat mode, Judy turned on her heels to dart out of the exit, but faced something blocking her way out.
A familiar face grinned down at the fearful rabbit who made a startled jump at nearly colliding with him.
"Ayyye," slurred a shorter than average predator donning an Alpha Preda sweater.
A tipsy hyena to be exact, completely shirtless and wearing his alpha jacket tied by the sleeves around his neck like a cape, his eyes glowing yellow between flashes of the strobe light behind her.
He held nearly empty bottles of liquor in each paw, two tall polar bears standing side by side behind the fraternity leader. Fang closed his eyes and lifted one of the bottles he held, pouring the golden whiskey into his maw before wiping his damp muzzle with the fur of his wrist. Then he forcibly chucked the glass over her head, across the room where it violently shattered against the wall with a jolting crash.
Judy ducked and flinched at the sound before peering up at the intoxicated head Alpha, his array of misaligned teeth sparkling in colors behind wet, black lips.
"No one told me about our... special guest."
A/N:
Looks like our little bun-bun has some, ahem, Wilde times ahead.
