Primal.
Chapter 1 - Joke's on You.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except any OC's, the plot/storyline and maybe some other things I can't think of atm. Everything else belongs to the Mouse and other owners respectively.
~ ᴖᴥᴖ ~
"Goo~d Morning Zootopia!"
A cheery masculine voice cut through the early morning crisp, filling the small room with sound that seemed much louder than usual to the half-awake occupant, who blinked the sleep from their eyes tiredly.
"Here we are again!" the voice continued. "Another working day that starts even earlier for some of you workaholics, or else you wouldn't be listening to Early Bird; the radio channel airing from 5 till 7 in the morning, here to help you 'early birds' kick-start your day with a little more 'p-zazz!" He popped the 'p' for emphasis.
"Seeing as it's only just the beginning of the day, we're gonna start off pretty slow with a very fitting number.
Here it is; Frank 'Rat Pack' Sinatra's 'In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning."
A slow tune of blues music came across the radio, filling the room with soft ambience as a deep baritone voice began singing to the melody.
"In the wee small hours of the morning ~ While the whole wide world is fast asleep ~"
ZPD Officer Judy Hopps hummed contently and smiled, eyes half-lidded and she herself still half-asleep as she listened to the radio cast.
'A very fitting song,' she thought amusedly as she threw the bed covers off, shivering slightly as the cold morning made itself known. Shivering even more as she placed her feet on the frosty floorboards, she quickly made her way to the bathroom, proceeding to take a nice hot shower to wake her up.
Stepping into the rather small space, she sighed contently as the hot water dampened her fur, already feeling her body and mind perking up under the steady stream and readying her for the start of the day.
~ ᴖᴥᴖ ~
Judy bounced out of the bathroom, now fully refreshed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for work. Towelling her ears dry whilst humming a nonsensical yet rhythmic tune to herself, she turned to look at the clock, which read 6AM.
Grinning wickedly, she reached for her phone on the desk and dialled a number.
A groan was heard as the call was answered.
"Morning sunshine!" Judy chirped happily in response, her grin only growing wider as she heard a second groan.
"I swear you never sleep Carrots," yawned Nick over the phone, having just woken up. "How can you get up so early?"
"Comes with the job Nick. Something you should know, considering you signed up of your own free will," she teased, reaching for her badge on the bedside cabinet.
"More like pressured into it by a 'hopped-up' bunny."
"..."
"..."
"Your puns are terrible."
"It's still early; leave me be."
She laughed.
"Okay okay I'll give you that," she relented, using her cheek to hold her phone to her ear as she fastened on her badge. Once done, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, her chest puffing proudly as she polished the badge further with a paw.
"So you should. Meet you at the usual place?"
"You know it."
"You paying? Bring extra 'cause I think I'm gonna need an extra shot of caffeine."
She snorted. "Nice try wise guy. But thank you for reminding me of those $10 you owe me from last week."
She heard Nick click his tongue in mock annoyance. "Damn. Ah well, worth a 'shot' right?"
Judy rolled her eyes good-naturedly, the hints of a smile playing on her lips.
"Please don't. Like you said; it's too early."
A chuckle. "See you in a bit Carrots."
Shaking her head in amusement as she ended the call, Judy turned her radio off which had been droning quietly in the background, took one last look in the mirror as she grabbed her keys and headed out the door, excited to start a brand new day.
~ ᴖᴥᴖ ~
"...so he says; 'Uniform? More like a pig in a blanket!"
After meeting up with one another at Coco Coffee, their usual morning haunt, and ordering their regulars - (Judy's an iced coffee, and Nick's an Espresso-to-go) - both began walking down the street to work, casual talk between them along the way.
Officer Nick Wilde slapped his knee as he delivered the punchline, and wiping away the stray tears, he turned to his companion beside him with a large grin on his face, clearly expecting a familiar if not identical reaction.
Unfortunately, Lady Luck had apparently flown the coop.
"That's it? That's the joke you've apparently been dying to tell me since you thought of it this morning?"
Stood in front of him with her arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently with a single eyebrow raised in disbelief and a little bit of irritation, Judy was by no means impressed, let alone amused.
Nick faltered in disbelief.
"Oh c'mon Carrots!" he cried. I worked all morning on that! How can you not find that funny?"
Judy snorted. "Very easily." she replied dryly. "How can you find that funny?"
"Very easily," he mimicked. "The joke's about an actual pig wearing a police uniform; need I clarify?" Widening his stance and placing his paws on his hips, he arched an eyebrow, daring her to argue.
She huffed, turning her head to the side. "It's still not funny," she muttered. "I find it insulting to the uniform." Her paw subconsciously reached for the badge on her chest, which she thumbed half-heartedly.
Nick's sharp eyes caught the movement. He smirked.
"Aw," he cooed, bending down slightly so they were face to face. "Did the wittle joke hurt the bunny's feewings?"
One paw reached up and flicked her ear teasingly, the grin still plastered on his face. She swatted his paw away as she glared at him, both paws raising in mock surrender as he pretended to cower.
"Dumb fox," she retorted, eyes glimmering in amusement.
"Sly bunny," he hummed, his stance relaxing as he slipped a paw into his pockets. The pair continued their walk along the street, a companionable air surrounding them as they made their way to work.
"Still," Judy sighed as she clasped her paws behind her back, a small skip in her step. She turned to look at Nick mischievously. "That joke had terrible taste."
"You're just jealous Carrots," he said lazily as he took a casual sip of his coffee. "Jealous that you couldn't think of such a humdinger if given a hundred years."
"I can think of a hundred jokes right nowand all of them are better then the floozy one you just told," she shot back.
"Go on then; hit me," he taunted as he played with his sunglasses, his walk jaunty. "Let's see if your comedic calibre is up to scratch."
"Alright then; a hippo and moose walk into a ba-"
"...the recent increased string of kidnappings occurring in Zootopia over the past four months, citizens are advised and cautioned to be on the lookout and wary of any activity they deem suspicious."
Pausing mid-sentence, Judy came to a stop in front of an electrical goods shop, where multiple flat-screen televisions were playing the same live newscast. Hearing Nick come up behind her, she turned her full attention to the screen, jokes forgotten.
Peter Moosebridge, a well-known news anchor for the ZNN, currently filled each screen.
"ZPD's Chief of Police Bogo Cape issued this official warning during yesterdays press conference concerning said kidnappings, and asks anyone who is a witness to a kidnapping, older or more recent, to come forward."
Judy's nose twitched as she listened to the news with mounting gloom. She turned to look at Nick to gauge his reaction, and was unsurprised to see an unusually grim look on his face as he watched the report. Not needing to ask him on his thoughts, she turned back to the screen.
During the split second, the camera had snapped quickly to a recording of the press conference, where Chief Bogo stood at the podium, multiple microphones huddled in front of him.
He spoke.
"Over the span of four months, multiple mammals, numbering 12 total, have been kidnapped and disappeared without a trace. Aside from each victim fitting into a specific age-range, none of the victims have been noted to have anything in common in terms of their everyday lives. Nothing has shown an obvious link between each case or each individual themselves."
He paused for a moment, waiting for his words to sink in as he surveyed the crowd.
"However," he continued. "Whilst the evidence and clues are admittedly very low at this moment in time, the ZPD has not been and will not be deterred from this case; if anything, me and my officers are more determined every day to bring these kidnappings to a close."
He turned to face the camera directly, his glare and frown hardened by flinty eyes and widened nostrils.
"The ZPD will not rest until all of the missing mammals have been returned home safe to their families, and those responsible have been brought to justice by the law."
He waved his hoof over the crowd.
"No more questions."
Following multiple shouts and queries into the case by frazzled reporters, Bogo made his way off the stage, disappearing behind the curtain.
The feed then cut back to Moosebridge.
"For further detail on these kidnappings, or if you wish to report any information regarding the cases, you can visit the ZNN website at w.w. . /ZPDWatch, or you can report directly to the ZPD at the police station."
Shuffling his papers, Moosebridge then turned to the screen once more with a notably brighter look on his face.
"And now to the weather with Natalie Snowsford. Natalie?"
"Thank you Peter. Well so fa-"
Tap.
Judy jumped and turned sharply, having been completely absorbed in the newscast. She looked at Nick.
"C'mon Carrots," he said firmly as he flicked his sunglasses open. He turned to her, no smile on his face; just grim determination, setting his eyes to a cold tone of jade.
Placing his sunglasses over his eyes, he once again began walking to work, Judy beside him, her eyes bright with focus and concentration.
Their gaits were notably quicker than before. He threw his now cold beverage into a bin as they walked by.
"We've got work to do."
~ ᴖᴥᴖ ~
You will never hear the beginning or end of those jokes. Why? Because I'm lazy.
Btw, If anyone gets that 'pigs in blanket'/police reference, kudos to you *winks slyly*
Side-note: I read somewhere that the type of coffee you order tells someone of your personality.
Iced coffee (Judy): You're assertive and outspoken. You don't let season dictate how you live your life. Also, you like straws.
I like to think Judy likes straws :)
Espresso (Nick): You're clever, annoying, or both. You knowingly or unknowingly mispronounce eSpresso.
Nick to a T.
Also considering Bogo has no official last name and he's actually a Cape Buffalo, I thought the name fit pretty nicely.
See you next time!
-OSM.