Hey all, DLW here with a new chapter. I'd like to thank all the readers (4k views on FF, 800+ on DA and 700+ on AO3), follows, fav's and reviews and for your feedback, you guys are amazing. This arc... has to be my favorite thus far for this volume, and you'll now get to see why. Disclaimer: Zootopia and its characters are copyright Disney. (I own none of the characters in the story aside from the O/C's.).
The Dystopian Society
Chapter Four: Bite Sized
'Fresh not Frozen'
"When I sat next to you, you whispered and I asked 'What were you trying to say?'"
[February 4, 'Outside Cuerñorayas Restaurant' 7:50 PM]
Nick continued down the alleyway, tightly cradling the frightened possum in his arms as he did so. He didn't know who it was that screamed or what danger lay ahead, but so long as the child was safe and his parole officer was unharmed, then he would be okay as well.
He had his guesses, but didn't bare to try and make assumptions on any of them. He didn't like any of the many branches his mind drifted to form the nature of the scream. Still, he couldn't shake the unmistakable scent of blood that hit him with every breath.
Barely even a sound echoed as he lightly stepped towards the rabbit facing away from him. Even at a distance he could tell that she was tense, though from previous experiences that was nothing new. Somehow, something seemed drastically different about her now.
He could vividly remember how her being tense lead to her making brash decisions. He shivered from several times only today that it nearly cost him his life, surely he could try to avoid such a dire state again.
"Augh." He grunted, feeling a sudden jabbing pain shot through the pads of his feet causing him to reel back and nearly trip.
His collar beeped as he awkwardly held onto Cinnamon while trying to shift his balance to his untroubled foot. Barely able to do so and forcing himself to ease the possum down despite her near clinging to him, he looked down to see what it was that caused him to stumble.
On the ground before him, barely noticeable from its surroundings was a ring of sorts. He bent down to examine it and found it to be rather large, larger than he could fit on his digits. It was of a tarnished silver color and was adorned with small bluish stones. Set on its face was the image of what appeared to be a mountain, and when he looked inside of it he could see worn engravings that were no longer able to be read.
"Huh?" He huffed.
Not sure as to who would leave even decent jewelry around, Nick felt a tug at his coat. He looked down to see Cinnamon casting a curious, albeit scared glance at him.
Nick smiled, he didn't like the kid to be worried. He hurriedly placed the ring in a pocket on the inside of his coat and nodded towards Judy, he could always turn it in later.
"Come on Cinnamon." He chuckled, hobbling now to relieve some of the pressure from his feet.
With the possum's paw tightly held in his, he lurched forward. He could feel the child shake so he wrapped his tail around her to comfort her.
"Hey, carrots, what happened here?" He grimaced, his nose scrunching from the scent of blood.
Finally catching her attention, Judy glared back. Though she didn't mean to glare so fiercely at the two and inadvertently cause the possum to scurry behind Nick again, her demeanor hadn't changed for the current situation.
"That gazelle you know was attacked." She said flatly, turning her gaze back to the restaurant.
It took a moment for the words to fully register in Nick's mind. He felt the possum tremble and grip him tighter as his thoughts raced from one to another. His collar beeped during his panic, there was no way that this was happening.
He shook his head in disbelief "W-what? By who?"
Judy continued to look forward, clenching her paw and looking towards the door. She would have to move quickly to make even the slightest attempt at saving the gazelles life, but she couldn't very well endanger the two behind her in the process.
"Some tigers," She huffed, glaring back at them to get her point across. "Stay here with her, I have to stall them till backup arrives."
Hearing the culprits and now more confused than he had been before, Nick watched Judy adjust her coat and begin to walk towards the restaurant.
'Tigers?' He whispered.
He had known of quite a few tigers, and the most common ones that he had come to know were Gazelles crew. With them being across the street, surely they couldn't-
"Wait, Judy," He stopped mid thought, scooping up Cinnamon in one arm and racing towards the rabbit. "I think I know-"
He was stopped at the mouth of the alleyway by a cold and piercing glare from Judy. Her lavender eyes had locked onto his, but he couldn't bring himself to form a single word
"I said stay here, I can't have you interfering." She ordered, ruffling her various equipment.
Nick was taken aback by this, he couldn't just allow Judy to take charge without telling her. She had turned back to gaze over the restaurant before huffing and stepping forward.
"You don't understand," He shook his head, inching closer to her. "That's-"
In the moment he said that, he could feel the possum shift uncomfortably. The rabbit spun herself, now furious that the fox couldn't follow a simple order.
"No, you don't understand!" She shouted, not loud enough to attract further attention, but just enough to cause the fox to flinch. "There's a civilian in trouble and they need help!"
Knowing that this wouldn't be as easy as she hoped, she reached into her coat pocket and took a step towards the restaurant. There was only one way that she could keep Nick here without causing too much of a fuss.
Though still feeling frustrated from the rabbit's stubborn attitude, Nick attempted to follow her. He walked up to the corner of the building that she stood at and sighed.
"Look, Carrots, would you listen for a moment?"
He gestured towards the restaurant with his free paw and tried to find the words to explain the situation better. The moment he did so, he felt his arm move on its own, followed by a swift 'click' of something metallic now encumbering him.
He looked down to his arm and saw that he had been somehow handcuffed to the nearby railing of one of the buildings. Both shocked and surprised, he turned his focus to Judy.
"W-what?" He questioned.
He didn't know how, in one swift motion, the rabbit had managed to cuff him, but nonetheless, he was now tethered there for the time being.
"This is for your own good," Judy said with a sharp tone "I'll be back once this is over."
With that done, she turned to face the restaurant once more, completely ignoring Nick's protesting and the rattling of the chain that held him. She was now free to assist the gazelle until her help arrived.
Noticing that the tigers were hovering around the wounded mammal, possibly arguing with one another through the glass window, she took a deep breath, steeled herself and dashed across the street. The absence of other mammals in the immediate area made the transition smooth for her, she seemingly got by unnoticed.
She ran until she made it the side of the restaurant, now making it easier for her to hide from any prying eyes. Her ears raised and her paw over her weapon, she crept towards the door. From the etched brick to the smoothed carved wood she paced until she could see over the edge. The door itself had been glass, making the atmosphere of the place a little more welcoming as well as allowing her to easily see inside.
From her initial scouting, she could see what appeared to be a clash of cultures in a small area. While there were bright overhead lights, there were a few of different colors. The floor had been a mix of wood in the welcome area and linoleum or tile for most of the seating. Simple booths and tables were set in many areas, but all had similar etchings and colorful displays of menu items.
She could see the main bar set in the center of the room, surrounded by stools of varying size. While wooden like most, the table had a certain sheen and style to it that made it stand out as well as tie the whole place together.
In the corner, just beyond the bar, she caught sight of a small stage with several instruments and seats arrayed around a piano. She may have enjoyed the view if it wasn't for the tigers standing there as well.
Thinking that this would be her best chance as their backs were turned away from her, Judy pushed against the door. Being a smaller mammal it took a significant amount of force to do so, but still with her size she barely made even the slightest sound when she entered.
Now inside, she quietly dashed behind one of the booths that could hide her from the tiger's view. She peeked around the corner, perking up her ears to listen to any tell tale signs of their plans and how to better gain the advantage over them.
She watched as they crowded around the gazelle in one of the booths, somewhat puzzled albeit menacing in their stance.
'Should we call the hospital?' The green-shirted one whisper while the others scratched their heads.
With their backs to her, she moved slightly from one booth to another, closing the gap second by second.
'It's not that bad... right?' Asked the tiger in a yellow shirt, placing his paw on the gazelle's forehead and reeling back as if terrified.
Another distraction, a few feet gained.
'You think anyone heard it?' Came the hushed whisper of the blue-shirted one, seemingly more panicked than the others.
She ducked into the seat of a booth when she heard this, now just behind the tigers and able to see them clearly.
'Did one of you put up the 'closed' sign?' The last tiger, wearing a red shirt pointed towards the door accusingly.
The three other tigers looked at each other quizzically. Clearly, neither of them could remember if they had or not. This opportunity allowed Judy to scramble onto the table of the booth and ready her weapon, she had the upper paw, she could possibly hold them off.
"ZPD Freeze!" She shouted, drawing her taser and taking a stance against the four now nervous and chattering goliath's of mammals before her.
A simultaneous beep resounded as they each turned around to the small rabbit aiming at them. They chuckled nervously in unison, each focusing intently on the taser that, despite its size, could easily subdue them.
"Uh..." One of them fumbled, searching for words as he nudged another tiger.
Judy remained stalwart in her stance, never breaking eye contact and allowing any tiger to make a move.
"H-hello, officer?" The red-shirted tiger was the first to speak.
He turned to the others with a shattering grin, looking down to the gazelle nervously and then back to the officer. It was then that the reality hit him.
He waved his paws in front of him. "T-this... isn't what it looks like..."
Judy sneered at the gesture, she was no was clearly guilty, they all were.
She stood and clicked her weapon, flashing it at each of them. "Back away, all of you!"
He voice, loud enough to reach them and still not overbearing, caused them to flinch a little. She knew her intimidation wouldn't have worked at all without the taser, but with each of them wearing a tame collar, it was more than enough to work.
The red-shirted tiger took a half step forward, paw outstretched.
"But-"
Even through his protest, Judy shifted her stance, aiming squarely at his chest. He froze immediately and placed his paws in front of him to shield himself.
"I've got enough rounds to incapacitate you all," She bluffed, jittering the taser for good measure. "So unless you want to be fried before more police arrive, I suggest you all get down over there in the corner."
She motioned towards the edge of the bar near a set of bathrooms. Her focus didn't leave them just in case she needed to react quickly.
The four looked at her for a moment, and then towards each other. Grimacing at the prospect of being fired upon, they slowly and reluctantly backed away from the gazelle. Each had remorseful and yet upset look about them, but each complied, staring intently at the mammal resting in the booth they stood by moments ago.
Finally gaining control of the situation, Judy took a deep breath of relief. Though her backup wasn't there, she was still able to fend off the threat without having too much trouble.
Keeping her gun out, her next order of business was to check on the wounded mammal and ensure that medical attention wasn't of dire need. She hopped across the booths, landing next to the gazelle and keeping her eyes on the tigers. Only able to take a quick glance for any sign of injury, Judy did so.
"Miss, are you okay?" She asked, shifting her eyes between her and the four several times in a few seconds.
On first glance, the gazelle was still unresponsive, lying her head on the table while a small trickle of blood was seen on a patch of her golden hair. Her long curved horns tapped against the glass on the wall ever so often as she struggled to regain consciousness.
She wore a red shirt and skirt that fit the style of her restaurant perfectly. Adorned on her were various bracelets. Aside from the one around her neck, each had been engraved with a name or phrase. She was eccentric as Nick had said of her to be.
Tearing her gaze away, she looked to see the four tigers, never having moved from their place. Suddenly, believing something was off about gazelle's state, she darted her eyes away from them and back to her.
Upon second glance and going over her features once more, an odd object stood out. As she looked down to the wounded gazelle, her eyes shot open in horror.
"What?" She asked, reaching out towards her with her free paw.
The sole band fixed to the gazelle's neck wasn't like any of the others she wore. It was solid black with a small box that had a yellow glowing light upon it. Judy couldn't believe her eyes at what she had seen.
Fury burned in her eyes when she realized what had happened to her. She turned her gaze, filled with anger towards the tigers.
"YOU PUT A TAME COLLAR ON HER?!" She yelled, breathing heavily as the shock set in.
She didn't know how they managed to obtain one, but it was clear that the gazelle needed to be taken to a hospital to have it removed asap.
A momentary silence passed by them, neither of the tigers knew how to respond. As before, the red-shirted one was the only one bold enough to answer.
"No, she-"
"Shut it!" Judy shouted back, shakily aiming at the tiger and causing him stay quiet in defeat.
Not out of hot water yet, Judy heard two distinct sounds. The first disturbed her as she heard voices from behind the counter, likely from the restaurant's kitchen. The second was the faint beginning of police sirens echoing off the face of the building, help was on the way.
As she heard this and began to breathe lightly, the door of the kitchen suddenly creaked open and she could see a figure facing away from her. They idly chatted with someone behind the door but still were unaware of Judy's presence.
'I knew we didn't have any good stuff in the freezer stock.' A voice called from behind the door.
Taking advantage her not being seen, she nimbly made her way from the gazelle and up onto the bar as quickly as she could. Having the upper paw on both the tigers and the mysterious other, she switched back and forth from aiming her weapon at them and the door.
Seconds later, a large cheetah pushed the kitchen door open, swinging it out as he carried several kitchen tools. In his arm was a bowl and whisk, and curled in his tail was a dish rag.
He wore a green shirt with a floral pattern and contrasting black pants. Atop this, he adorned a chef apron that read 'Purrfect Chef'. Though not typical for his species, he was unusually overweight, even his spots appeared to be larger.
"I told you Finn, fresher ingredients are always better." He continued without noticing Judy standing just in front of him.
He had begun to mix whatever ingredients he had, turning his head slowly to the scene before him.
"Maybe we should call... Lionheart foods... and-" He stuttered, now face to face with Judy and her weapon.
Judy motioned with her weapon "Drop it!"
With the beep of his collar, he let the bowl fall to the ground and raised his paws above his head. While he could have simply placed it on the counter, any sudden movements may have cost him.
"Those were gonna be some good doughnuts too." He huffed
Again, Judy motioned with her weapon drawn, forcing the cat to awkwardly hug the wall and ease his way over to the other side of the bar. He didn't know what was happening, but he took a chance and glanced around.
"Gazelle? Guys?" He shouted in panic upon seeing them, netting him a jolt from his collar.
Still in panic, made an attempt to reach the others, stopping once he realized the bunny was still aiming at him. He instantly froze, nearly catatonic as he patiently awaited what may come next.
'It tastes funny cause you ruined it!' Another, far deeper voice echoed past the door.
Judy could hear the sound of the sirens as though they were down the street from her. A wide grin crept on her muzzle as the door opened once more.
"I told you to get the right cuts and put em' in the pot!" A tiny yellow fox with large ears shouted.
The small mammal had a scowl like she hadn't seen before, as if it were permanently affixed to him by nature. He wore a green and black bowling shirt and carried a large wooden spoon in his paws.
He looked up, scanning the area, searching for the cheetah. "Where'd you-"
Instead of finding him, the fox saw Judy as she pointed her weapon solely at him. His ears stood on end and his scowl was replaced with a gasp of surprise.
"Drop it!" She ordered.
The blare of sirens had fully reached the building, it brought a little piece of mind to Judy though she could see each of the preds cowering now. The screech of vehicles and flashing lights bathed them all in a mix of blue and red hues, her backup was finally here.
The little fox, after seeing this, took a step back in shock. Though Judy still had her weapon drawn and aimed at him, he didn't release the spoon he clutched in his paws.
"I ain't goin to prison!" He shouted, panicked and shaking in fear.
As he did so, his collar chirped loudly, causing him to react and find the strength to throw the spoon at the cop on the counter.
Judy easily dodged the attack, making a mental note on the list of offenses he now had as she watched him scurry towards the kitchen. She grit her teeth as he eluded her with the momentary distraction.
Before she could even attempt to tell him to stay put, the loud sound of the door creaking open followed by a stampede of footsteps flooded the room. Instinctively, she reached for her badge and pocketed her weapon, she'd be ready at a moments notice.
"ZPD, on the ground, NOW!" A deep voice bellowed.
Judy raised her arms, and quickly turned around. Though she herself was a cop in uniform, risking looking like a common criminal would have been a rookie mistake.
She looked around, seeing a few of the officers dispersing across the room. There were several sheep, deer, and llamas in the lobby, while she could clearly see rhinos and elephants waiting outside. One llama in particular, a tall, lanky, and somehow familiar, approached her. His weapon drawn and ready to fire, he intimidatingly stood over her.
"Who are you?" He commanded.
"I'm Lieutenant Hopps, ZPD Precinct One," She waved her badge above her head, sternly looking at the llama. "I've managed to get the situation under control."
As she said this, the llama grasped her badge in his hooves. His demeanor dropped when he read it.
"L-lieutenant Hopps?" He chattered, fully aware of who he was now dealing with.
He snapped a crisp salute, returning the badge hastily. "It's me, Officer DelCorre, Precinct Two."
The name familiar to her, she pocketed her badge and redrew her weapon. She studied him for a brief moment before remembering who he was, one of the cops that aided her when she put Nick away before. She returned the salute and pointed towards the corner.
"Secure these preds and attend to the gazelle, they put a tame collar on her." She ordered, eyeing the tigers who looked up to a sheep and deer officer aiming at them. "Last one's in the back, I've got him."
Orders complete and hearing a gruff yes from the llama, Judy hopped down from the table and ran towards the kitchen door.
"You guys again?" She heard the llama shout.
Taking a deep breath, Judy shoved the door open, welcoming the strong aromas of everyday cooking. She stepped inward, fully prepared to capture the small predator, surely he couldn't hide forever.
The kitchen was tiled with a slip resistant material, its metal counters were lined with every manner of cookware possible. The shelves had been stocked with various vegetables and fruits, some of which were being chopped on board just in the corner.
The whir of a fan above was slightly distracting on the stove range but was something that couldn't be avoided. She saw a pot on the stove, fire burning under it as it gave off a pleasant aroma.
As the door swung behind her, she heard a voice shout. "Wait, lieutenant!"
She shook off the noise, she had to focus if she wanted to find the small fox.
Carefully she padded her way inside, now feeling hungrier as she was surrounded by copious amounts of food. She even caught a glimpse of carrots in a bag that sat by the side of a refrigerator but had to cast her gaze away to avoid the temptation.
"Where are you?" She called, creeping carefully around.
With the foxes size, he could be literally anywhere in the kitchen. This made the situation less desirable as he had already attacked her with a spoon, who knows what he'd try to do with a knife.
Not a sound of the mammal was made that she could catch onto, shifting her eyes from appliance to shelf and more. He was too small to have opened the freezer on his own, but that wouldn't stop him from taking refuge almost anywhere else.
"You can make this easier on yourself you know?" She called to him again, frustrated that he wouldn't just give up.
At the sound of the first noise she heard, she aimed her weapon and waited. To her dismay, it was the sound of the kitchen door opening with the llama standing at its face.
"Lieutenant!" He huffed, having dashed back to the room as quickly as he could.
Judy eyed him angrily, why had he not followed her orders as his superior? There were dangerous preds out there, they needed to be in cuffs by every available officer.
As she lowered her weapon, ready to dismiss the officer, the rumble of the pot on the stove caught her attention. At first, it was slow, but within seconds, the pot lid fell off and onto the floor.
"Hot soup, hot soup, hot soup!" The little fox yelled, emerging from the pot and falling down to the floor.
Judy awkwardly watched as the fox hit the ground, writhing as soon as his collar turned red and grunting in pain as it did so. She had no clue as to why he tried to hide in the pot, but her eyes traced to the equally confused llama and back.
As soon as he could, the fox sat up, falling to his side and resigning himself to stare at the ceiling.
"I... ain't... goin... to prison." He panted, soaked in soup and trying to recover.
Judy shook her head, clipped her weapon to her belt, and walked forward. With the foxes size, the shock from his collar, and the other officer behind her, she wouldn't need her taser to subdue him.
"Assaulting an officer and resisting arrest, that's under Violent Actions, fox." She read off his list of sins and stopped just above him, though there was something odd about the small fox that she just now realized. "Wait, are you that Finnick fox that Nick was talking about?"
Before she could try to pick him up and somehow get him out of the room, the llama stood over the two and knelt down. He eyed Judy awkwardly, nervously rubbing the back of his long neck.
"Actually... We need to see you out front," He informed, reaching down to the fox and easily picking him up by the back of his shirt. "I'll handle him."
He grabbed the fox and cupped him in his hooves before standing tall again. Though Judy was furious as he didn't follow orders, she was at least glad to have the officer take him into custody, she didn't know whether or not the little fox would try to escape her grasp.
The llama marched forward, opening the kitchen door for the both of them and nodded for her to come with him. Judy sighed and walked out, eagerly awaiting the news that the gazelle was safe. At least for now, she had peace of mind that she did her part of the job, she could get Nick when she was done.
"Slowly I looked down at my hands and mumbled. 'I wanted to keep you away from my fears.'"
Hello there, and welcome to the end notes! Hopefully you're all as excited as I am, and this is why I loved this part of the plot (17k+ words just for the detail before I started and this is what it gave me!)
A new Nick n' Finnick should be out this coming weekend, so stay tuned
And I hope you get a chance to read this and the other at your leisure. Also, these stories can be found here as well:
fanfiction:
~dancinglunarwolves
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archiveofourown:
users/DancingLunarWolves/works
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Also, I'm placing my other stories (non zootopia) on hold (just on hold) until I'm done with a good chunk of these. More info on my profile page.
I hope you all enjoy.
Till Next Time
-DLW