Hey all, DLW here with a new chapter. Thank you to all my readers, follows, fav's and reviews and for your feedback it makes writing all the more fun. And time for a little action in the story, more to come and more at the bottom. Disclaimer: Zootopia and its characters are copyright Disney. (I own none of the characters in the story aside from the O/C's.).
I'm going to keep doing response reviews for the FF account:
Combat Engineer: As promised (tried to get this out two days ago, but felt it wasn't ready) here you go! Also, this Judy is still... this Judy?
Sergeant Sargent II: It gets a bit more odd until Volume 2 where a lot will be explained. And yes, there are some that wear tame collars and are completely sadistic with no empathy. Then there's characters like Salt... which will be explained.
The Dystopian Society
Chapter Five: Endeavor
'Fimbulvetr'
"I stand before you and ask. 'When facing our mountain, what is the most important thing to remember?'"
[February 5, 'Tundra Town' 8:17 AM]
A darkened flash under dimmed light blurred what remained of her vision. She could see fine strands of unkempt fur hurtling towards her at an unimaginable speed while she herself could barely scramble backward. Sickening crunches and blood-curdling screams that echoed to her frail form moments ago were silenced in an instant by the deep growling and guttural raving that only grew louder.
'Carrots.'
The obscure and grotesque features of the mammal before her left her without breath as she finally found the corner which she knew would be her last. Odd that such... imaginative thoughts come at such a time when one has no full concept of death. Still, though, she was consumed by fear and paralyzed by terror far deeper than she had ever known. Then, with teary eyes, she shielded herself in hopes that this would but momentarily pass.
'Carrots...'
No sooner had her sole defense protected her, her own voice rang out. Her glossy gaze drifted towards the glistening white wall that clasped deep onto her ear, her horrors soon to be realized with the silent others. A sting started a scream, a snarl made into a shout, a growl became a gurgle. Dark specks flooded her view, a thick cloud of red before her, and a single spot of grey-
'Carrots!'
The voice - both strong and somehow concerned - startled her. The doe's seses came back in slow ripples as the limelight faded; the world around her began to make sense again. She felt an awkward heaviness atop her head both dull and grasping while a gentle force rested about her neck. The steady click of toes and jingle of metal amidst the bitter cold vaguely reminded her where she was. Just in the corner of her vision, she saw a tint of red. Her instincts kicking in, she shuffled a step backward. She could not... no... would not be a victim of this attack. However, the sudden taught of chain tugged and the greater part of her vision was restored. She looked ahead to see two figures looking back at her; one red and one white.
In her primal state of alarm she tried to walk further back, but the cuffs securely around her wrist refused to let her go. A simple clicking of claws scraping the ground and a tug at her arm allowed her to focus more, revealing both a worried looking red fox, and cackling white one. It took her a moment to process who the figures were; the red fox she knew as Nick, the other-
"Aww, how cute. He calls you Carrots."
-the other was Snow...
This, Judy utterly detested. The fact that this... vixen... this... fox of all creatures had the nerve, the audacity to call her cute twice. That word being a common faux-pas among many species for them to use against rabbits, was used in such a demeaning way that Judy wanted nothing more than to see her muzzled and in cuffs asap. She knew, however - with the way things went last time - she couldn't even come close to Snow without a weapon. She had no means of taking down the fox with ease. Hopefully, the opportunity would arise soon.
The vixen had one of her paws lazily clasped to her hip, while the other clutched to her shovel loosely. The blue shimmer of her eyes twinkled with a mix of mischief and confidence that she had come to know their kind had. Her neck craned comically towards Nick. Amidst her bout of laugher, she gave a simper grin. "How did you two get here anyways?"
Taking account to the question, Nick focused instead on Judy. With his paw outstretched towards her, he waved her forward. Though he only saw a flash of anger in her eyes as he did so, but he could see it wasn't directed towards him. Even though that was a hairsbreadth of progress, he still couldn't understand why the doe was increasingly hostile. Then again... there was Snow to consider.
Pulling his paw back and smirking at the vixen he replied, "Gotta hand it to you Snow, I didn't expect you of all mammals to sic wolves on us."
From what she could gather, Judy understood that Nick and Snow had some kind of history together. From the way they talked, and from the signature page that Jack gave her, she could say that they may be... friends? Still, though, it didn't make sense for Snow to kidnap the two of them. A punishable offense with at least ten years in prison tied to it.
"Yes, from the Borscht room," the vixen deadpanned.
It wasn't just the tone that irritated Judy to no end - with an almost saccharine hitch of condescension - but the way she was actively denying her part in what was almost murder minutes ago. However, before even able to voice her opinion, Judy was tugged forward.
"No, Snow." It was Nick that spoke up first. His paws and pose - in a gesture of accusation - were fixed towards the long hallway they had paced down from. "We were attacked by your wolves in Savannah Central."
In her deepened and unfocused mental panic, Judy hadn't taken notice of it until just then. She was far too gone to see the whitewashed walls and frosted windowpanes that broke with cascading sunlight. It would have been a little less chilly had she not seen the sky so overcast now. Subconsciously, she tugged a little on her scarf; not that it did her feet any good, though. Then again... when did she get a scarf? And a... a hat?
Reaching up to the top of her head, she affirmed that she indeed did have a hat on. Plush and padded with her ears tucked firmly under it, she made to question how it appeared there when Snow grinned at her. "Complementary guest warmers from us," She then focused her attention towards Nick. "But why do you think my wolves kidnapped you?"
Nick, then in the spotlight, narrowed his eyes at the vixen. Though she bore a victorious visage about her, Nick's was equally as smug. He wasted no time by reaching into his coat pocket and fumbling around for something.
"You see. I found this ring in the Nocturnal District," just as he said, he removed a small silver circlet from his coat and held it for them both to see. "I've seen some of the wolves here wearing them." He paced forward, dragging the doe willingly with him. Though he didn't see the quizzical look of her face, the confounded stare that Snow gave him was priceless when he dropped the odd piece of jewelry into her paw. "Gazelle was attacked by wolves too."
Finishing his statement - adding a small but obnoxious salute to the dumbfounded vixen - Judy eyed him in astonishment. It wasn't just from the fact that he somehow silenced Snow in a single motion (she enjoyed the look on her face) but the fact that Nick withheld information from her. Then again, she guessed, with the panic at the diner and Nick not truly showing hostility, she could let it slide. She'd talk to him later should they leave alive.
Snow, upon taking the ring in paw and quietly observing it with all the intricate detail of a jeweler, sighed and looked back up to them. "This is Terry's ring..." she began, her voice somber and almost silent. "You shouldn't have this..."
"Why?" was Nick's immediate response.
Judy would have been the one asking questions, but it seemed that the renard was easily able to get the upper paw in the situation. At least one fox seemed cooperative in the investigation.
Tilting her head down the hallway, Snow ushered for them to follow. After she took a few steps away, they quickly followed suit.
The vixen's pace was urgent when she called back, "Terry's been dead since yesterday, and his ring's been missing for month since the day he got sick." While it didn't come as a surprise to Judy - the mentioning of the dead wolf as she remembered hearing of a funeral earlier - it still struck her as odd that the ring was somehow found districts away and on the day they were kidnapped. "I need to check the security cams."
It hadn't taken them long to reach the end of yet another corridor; passing by dozens of doors and frosted windows that was more akin to a maze than any place of residence. Down towards the end was a large double door guarded by wolves on either side. The face of the doors door were lavishly designed with white marble and bore the etchings of a mountain on its surface. White light from glistening chandeliers gave it a regal look for its pristine condition. The sounds of commotion were apparent fro a few doors down, but not a mammal save for the guards was around.
Before they could even reach the doors, the two wolf guards gave them a nod of acknowledgment and worked in tandem to pry the massive structure open. As they did so, various voices - some filled with boisterous laughter and others shouting or gleefully cheering - crossed the way to their ears in an instant.
Being welcomed in with the wolves waving their paws at Snow and the two guests, their small party graciously entered into what appeared to be a party of sorts. A large reception hall was opened to them; easily captivating their senses with colourful streamers, the spicy smell of fresh foods being served, and softly paced music to soothe them. What looked like the star attraction of the room was a small stage across the way with a polar bear cub sharply dressed with a vest and black tie. Though the room was cold - the blue hue of the lighting and ice sculptures set amidst a myriad of tables doing nothing to sate the mental need for warmth - it was surprisingly inviting. Groups of guests ranging from: packs of wolves, sleuths of bears, and leaps of leopard's, were all encompassed about large tables. Kits and cubs were running around, shouting as much as they could before either their parents called them, or were delivered a warning from their tame collars to calm themselves down.
While still in awe at the spectacle, Judy still couldn't help but raise a brow at the festivities. From what she had gleaned earlier, she could assume that this was the birthday party for Kozlov's cub, but something was a bit off to her. As she was a lieutenant - spending years knowing the law and all of the bylaws and subtexts - she could see that the gathering was anything but legal. From the Predation Clause's own text it stated that-
[Any and all forms of unsanctioned gathering (of predatory citizens) by parties of three or more (without informing proper law enforcement and city legislation) for the intent of occupying a formal or informal establishment for any period of time will be apprehended and charged with breaking the major clause of: Conspiracy.
For more information, please refer to subclauses PC 1-1a(Predatory Citizenship), PC-C.18-4a(Gathering), and PC-C.22-9b(Enforcement and Legislation for Gathering)]
She couldn't help but almost gnaw on her teeth at how - knowing that this was Kozlov's place of residence and that there was no way any of this was legal - she was here and able to do nothing but gawk and keep her thoughts to herself lest Snow take action against her (some guest she had to be). Still, though, through it all, the gathering wasn't exactly what she expected it to be in the slightest.
For whatever reason... there were prey attending the party as well. Though not as numerous as the predators there - if she'd have to say, there were about two dozen or so fauna of different varieties (mostly elk) - none of them were children. Even to that matter, she could clearly see that all of them wore tame collars; and, as much as she wanted nothing more than to shut down this illegal gathering, seeing them made her inwardly cringe and outwardly shudder.
Had she not learned of them being for prey by mere accident, and then being told that it was mandate of law by DelCorre and Jack, then she surely would have spoken up. Yet, assuredly, each one of them wearing a tame collar was proven to have been involved in criminal acti-
-'What about Gazelle?' A forethought pushed its way through.
Judy traced her eyes from an ice sculpture - possibly a bear, she couldn't tell but it seemed to be the theme - to Nick who casually took in the place with a cheerful smirk. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but could see that he had some reservation for being here. Had it not been for the simple twitch he had when glancing over at a few polar bears across the room, she would have never known.
"Ma'am!"
Taking her eyes off of him, her ears honed onto a squeaky set of voices that came out from just ahead. Judy witnessed something that she didn't think would happen quickly. Where Snow had been standing - waving towards a few party-goers and lazily twirling that accursed shovel around like it was a baton - there were now two equally white coated and smaller vixens at either side of her. Their diminutive tails swished and they clasped their paws to their knees to catch their respective breaths.
Snow gave a nod to them. "Articia," she said to one before turning to the other, "Frost." Judy was somewhat impressed as she was somehow able to distinguish the two apart despite their similar pink shimmering dress apparel.
Although Snow was clearly a giant compared to the two smaller vixens that were about Judy's height, they were all still 'Arctic Foxes'. Despite this, Snow seemed to have some degree of respect for them as she waited for them breathe and eyed them like a mother watching over her kits.
As soon as she caught her breath - the one Judy found to be called 'Articia' - spoke, "Ma'am, it's Morris. He-" she stopped, taking a moment to glance around Snow her bright blue eyes to see a familiar face. "Oh. Hello, Nick!" she said with a little wave.
As he waved back, the other fox 'Frost' did the same and asked, "Can we get you anything?"
Nick didn't even have the time to open his big maw before Snow gave a bark of laughter, "He doesn't eat meat, remember?" she answered the two back, getting playful giggles from them before she turned to the renard and whispered, 'Bunnyscout.'
The todd rolled his eyes at the remark before sighing. While this was more confirmation to Judy that he was indeed a vegetarian to some degree, he didn't want to fall for the vixens antics. So, instead, he came up with something to say or do to catch her off-guard. His ears perked up as he reached into his vest.
"Nah, it's alright, Snow," he spat out her name and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I've still got-"
His paws rummaged over the pastry that he had still with him - being in the cold temperatures helped preserve it and Nicholas Wilde would never throw away anything with blueberries in the name - but something was... different about it. While still being slightly smushed from their adventures, there was a much more rigid texture behind it. He went wide eyed at what it might be, and quickly rummaged around the pocket to confirm his suspicions. Grabbing hold of the object, he looked down and smiled excitedly; not even the faint beep stopped him from looking the rabbit's way cheerfully.
"Two words, Carrots. Pocket Tart," he said, bright-eyed while she looked at him almost worriedly.
"Pocket, tart?" the doe repeated.
It wasn't just the fact that his collar was yellow and he seemed a lot happier than normal. No. It was also her potentially recognizing lingering head trauma from their escapade earlier. He was, after all (hopefully), not after her like she previously assumed.
In her haste to figure out what was wrong and then possibly leave, Judy's mouth curled when she saw him clutch something in his paw. A small sheet of paper, folded and lightly stained blue from Nick's pastry from the diner. As she knew that there was nothing he could have had with him before - document or otherwise during their trip - the only thing she could think of was-
"THE LIST!"
Judy all but hopped up and grab it away from him, eyes shimmering and catching a few odd glances from the crowd around them. The doe hastily unfolded it - mindful of the small patch of blueberry paste plastered across the back - and read the contents. Her mind raced as quickly as her foot tapped in anticipation that the one thing they had tried to procure may just be okay. She was so excited that she had to pull her hat off her eyes several times to allow her to see. It was fully intact as she remembered it from the diner and only a little worse for wear. The names, being the most important feature, were still legible and no pastry stain enveloped them; it was perfectly fine, all she had to do was get it to the ZPD to start building the case.
With a breath of relief and a smile that traveled from one ear to the other, Judy looked up to Nick. She couldn't stop nearly shaking as the fox gave her a smug smile and mock salute before taking a bite of what was left of his pastry. Judy could truly say she was thankful at that moment that, despite Nick's shortcomings with criminal activity and his overall being a fox, he had come through in making a possible dent in the case.
"Then take Morris to his room. I'll get his father to speak with him in a moment. I'll keep you posted about Glacey."
Snow's voice called out, breaking Judy away from her moment with Nick. She witnessed the vixen giving a dismissive wave to the smaller Arctic Foxes. They both returned the gesture before dashing back off into the crowd, wary of the partygoers and nimbly avoiding a uniformed bear serving drinks.
Now with two foxes around, Snow shook her head and ushered them to follow her. With no choice but to comply, they steadily trailed behind her. Instead of taking a route which was clearly dangerous - being straightforward to the center of the room - they hugged the wall of the banquet hall. Judy found it a bit more... calming that there were prey mammals there, despite the nature of their status and predicament with tame collars. Still, though, it brought her peace of mind on different levels. Even when she was visiting Gazelle's diner, she felt more comforted knowing that she wasn't purely surrounded by predators (though she could figure Gazelle tolerated it by being adopted into the family of tigers).
Their stroll took a more casual pace as they passed by several seated mammals chatting about this and that on the outskirts of the room. While they weren't as boisterous as some of the other partygoers - mostly children happily munching on a decadent cake of some kind - they were, however, engaged in more enthralling conversations; Judy swore one of the kits said they planned on building an ice-cream shop that catered to predators and tamed prey only while another just wanted more ice-cream.
By the time they cleared the room and ventured through one of the back doors, the decor had changed from a practical stain glassed open-spaced welcome mat, to an almost claustrophobic series of windowless hallways. While it was warmer by only a degree or two, it was much different from what they experienced before. The passageways were wooden from floor to ceiling; each step they took creaked a little under them, even if there was carpet to pad their feet. Each wall - dimly lit with mounted lanterns, and lined with flowers - was lined by a portrait of some sort that had a polar bear looking towards the viewer, and every one of them had a single name under it: Rurik I, Vsevolod I, Vladamir III, Alexander II, Catherine II, Constantine, Elizabeth, Ivan V... The list went on.
So many names were plastered around that Judy had to do a double-take when she saw the name Nicholas, but was relieved when she realized that it was a polar bear and that 'Nicholas Wilde' wasn't of a long line of mobster bears. Still, though, through the long line of history, she had yet to see the name 'Kozlov' anywhere.
While she questioned this, they approached a single door at the end of the hall. Judy swallowed as they made their way over as two menacing looking polar bears were guarding it. Both were clad in black dress apparel; paws laced in front of them while they cast their deadened eyes towards the oncoming group. Unmoving in their stature, each was nearly the height of the door itself.
Now, mere meters away, Snow spoke, "We need to see Dimitri. Therapeutic session or not, this is urgent."
Both guards snorted, blowing a haze of icy mist from their nostrils before nodding in unison. Each of them grabbed a handle of the door and pulled it open. The door, even being pried ajar, gave off an ancient sounding groan; one would swear that it was akin to opening an old crypt, though from the sheer cold it felt like it.
Gaining passage to the room, Snow halted before the guards and turned to meet Judy eye to eye. The stern look of annoyance the vixen gave the doe made her both cringe and want to lash out in anger. "Remember, you are our guest. Act like one," she whispered in clear warning before treading on. "Don't make me regret assisting you, cute little bunny." She gave the rabbit a wink with the last few words.
Judy clenched her paw in heartfelt fury. Again, the vixen belittled her and she could do nothing about it... for now. So, took a deep breath - stuffy and inhibited by her scarf - and pressed forward.
The chamber they stepped into was strangely ominous to Judy's thoughts. It was darkened, save for a little candlelight in the back of the room; and it felt... colder than any other than the room they were locked in earlier, she had to hug her coat a little tighter. There were small drifts of snow and ice built up in corners of the room. A single empty desk with two chairs set before it sat in the center of the space illuminated by the faint light that gave it an eerie appearance. The chair that was placed at the desk was enormous, its form blocked much of the light that should have filled the room; in fact, the light began to diminish from the moment they entered and coincided with what sounded like a rush of wind. Further behind the desk and set on the wall was a single portrait whose face shone brilliantly in flickering candle light; much larger than the others scattered about the hall, it featured a large polar bear clad in a business suit and bearing with striking blue eyes with a stern, deadened stare. A massive plaque was etched under the frame in fine brass lettering with a single name: 'Dimitri Morozov'.
Shivering from the terrible feeling she got, Judy witnessed a little bit of the light fade from one of the candles. A misty vapor was left in the wake of one of them she knew she saw moments ago, it was replaced with an icy remnant that threatened the others and somehow the sound of... breathing?
Judy froze when she realized what the bellowing sound was, she noticed Nick hadn't moved either; in fact, his collar had turned yellow from the sheer sight of the figure she could now make out before them. Set behind the desk wasn't just the chair. No. Even that paled in comparison to the hulking figure behind it. It was then that, for just a moment, the colossal bear turned his head; blowing out another candle with ease and making the room dimmer.
"Sir! We need to speak with you for a moment, it's an emergency," Snow announced, both Nick and Judy quivered at the bear for varying reasons. "And, you have a few guests," she added, smiling back at the two mammals nearly backed into a corner.
No sooner had the bear heard this, did he turn to face them. With what little light was left, one could vaguely see his smart blue dress apparel. A shimmer of gold adorned each of his paws and he wore comically oversized sunglasses atop his head. His blue eyes - dimmed by the diminishing light that he so caused - held a tiredness to them that spoke of the pains of ages gone by and weariness of spirit; yet, they still carried with them a faint warm glimmer of hope and wisdom beyond his years.
Judy couldn't stop staring, her mouth agape behind the newly acquired scarf. While she had indeed seen many of this species in her years on the force (criminal or otherwise) she had never seen anyone as... gargantuan. He dwarfed every polar bear that she had seen in her life; in fact, they barely came up to his shoulders. Even the guards posted at the door seemed like cubs, and they were almost as tall as the ceiling itself. She couldn't imagine how this... thing could even make it down the hallway without destroying atriums and archways.
"Nikolai. Welcome." The bear's voice - even with his intimidating size - was calm and almost gentle even in his state of surprise. He even had the beginnings of a smile formed on his muzzle.
Despite this, however, his guests shuffled back; Nick more so than Judy. They didn't gain much distance as a light cough caught their attention, Snow motioned for them to take up the seats before them. As there was no way out, the two inched their ways forward; neither took their eyes off of him. What made matters worse was that - even though there were two chairs that were far too large for them - they had to hop into one seat due to the nature of their short tether. By the time they sat down with what little space they had between them, they could taste the nervous tension in the air.
"H-hey Kozlov." Nick said, his voice a trembling whisper.
Judy inhaled a sharp breath just from the mention of the name. This bear - with the striking resemblance to the picture - was Kozlov. Some time ago, she had figured that the name may just be a pseudonym, a ghost of a name given to one with so much influence; but now being able to associate the name 'Dimitri' to this would certainly help her crack this criminal underground.
"How are you, old friend?" The bear sauntered towards them, ignoring the table entirely and causing heavy creaks in the flooring with each step.
Given the clear that the bear wouldn't outright kill them was one thing to hear, but when you're face to face with said bear and they could breathe you out of existence, your mind takes a toll for the worse.
"Good, good," Nick answered, pushing himself further into the seat. Judy would have done the same, had she not already forced herself backwards into the fold.
The bear just smiled and crouched down to them. "Then why is collar yellow?" he added, pointing to the device.
Nick knew that he couldn't just hide away forever from his former business associate. Especially when only a foot or so away from his teeth and surrounded by his guards. So he did the only thing he could do to get out of a sticky situation, sly his way out.
He put on a nervous grin. "Oh, that," he said, shrugging and hoping Dimitri would buy his bluff. "That's because were in a bit of a... bind?" Gaining a questionable look from the bear and an icy blast from his nose, Nick raised his paw that was still cuffed to Judy.
Hoping to gain ground of some kind (more so that the bear backs off and gives them something to ride to the nearest ZPD outpost) the fox kept it right there, even as Judy glared at him sternly.
For a moment, the bear stared almost in wonder at the cuffs. From their eyes, he was deep in thought about something... then he leaned forward with his paws swiftly grasping the two.
Both gave sharp cries in protest as the bear held them aloft - Nick surprisingly screamed louder and was given a spiteful shock to boot - his maw opening and displaying massive rows of sharpened teeth. He pulled the two apart, allowing their wrists to stretch enough to give him even the tiniest amount of space before crunching down on the binding. It split in an instant with a resounding *clank* of metal against his teeth. Had it been many other mammals, they would have never had the ease that came with such powerful jaw strength; and as quickly as he had picked them up, he set them back down gently on the seat.
In sheer shock, they both rubbed their wrists furiously. They couldn't believe it (Judy was too confused). Their binding was broken, their shackles were loosened, and by a notorious mob boss no less.
The bear chuckled, "Still?"
It was silent for a long moment, save for various clicking sounds coming from behind them. Out of the corner of her eye, Judy could see that Snow had apparently been texting someone on her phone.
Soon enough, Nick was the first to answer, "Thanks." He was still nervous, scratching the nape of his neck and barely making eye contact.
Judy, however, remained silent throughout the whole endeavour. She didn't know what to think. On one paw, Kozlov was as dangerous as a predator as they come; and on the other paw, he set them free - still needed the metal cuff link removed - and didn't devour them.
"Is no problem. I owed you favor." the bear returned, hunching over them as Nick raised a brow at the mention of a debt being paid. Kozlov gently looked at him. "I never repaid you for helping Katchka bear Moris. She was grateful that you helped us have our cub."
Nick could only stifle a breath at the comment, he never expected this any of this.
Before long, Kozlov sighed, "He's a big bear now, Nikolai." His once proud smile had degenerated into a shadow of itself. He looked over his shoulder to the rows of candles that sat below his portrait and surrounded a picture of another bear, strikingly feminine. "Katcha would have been so happy to see him..." He turned to them again, his collar turning from a ghastly green to a sickening yellow. "I wish my little Morris stayed four forever."
Judy's ears hiked up under her hat. Again she heard that the collaring age was five from what she gleaned from the bear just then. She had - up unto the time she had gone to the academy until the day prior - always heard that the age was twelve years and older. Why had she never heard this before? Then again, when was the last she had worked with predator children? Her world was unravelling by the moment. She shuddered at what she might learn next.
Nick was taken aback by this, he spoke sheepishly, "Sorry about the whole... park... thing."
The bear shrugged. "Is okay, Nikolai. Nothing for predator lasts forever," he deadpanned before smiling and raising a paw to his collar. "Maybe not even this. No?"
They both laughed at that, which is something Judy couldn't fully understand. That perhaps collars couldn't last forever on predators? The idea alone was preposterous. On prey mammals that broke the law, sure; but on mammals that were biologically predisposition to-
"And who might you be?"
Judy looked up, her vision narrowed by the snug hat and scarf combo. While still genuinely scared, she couldn't exactly bring herself to answer for so many other reasons; namely that Kozlov was technically the enemy of the ZPD itself.
The bear must have noticed her hesitation. "No need to be afraid, little bunny," he said, chuckling and pointing at himself "Dimitri is, how you say... good guy."
It's not that she was too terrified to answer - she had taken down prey mammals larger than him on occasion when she had a weapon - but she both refused and couldn't answer with her reservations in place as well as the scarf stopping her.
Nick chuckled instead, "This is Officer Grumpy Carrots."
Judy clenched her paw and shot him a grave look. Well, it would have been grave if she didn't look so cute. He still smirked and shrugged all the same.
"Oh! She is bunny cop?" his voice, cheerful and boisterous, nearly pierced their eardrums. Still, he stretched out his paw and bowed his head. "Well, welcome to Morozov's Palace any friend of Nicholas' is friend of Kozlov."
Any reservation that Judy had that this was Kozlov had died immediately. This was absolutely the bear that was on the ZPD's most wanted. All she had to do was get back and inform them about the name and nickname. It wouldn't be that hard convincing them considering the circumstances.
Shortly after his introduction, Snow casually stepped up to him. "Sir, you need to go talk to your son. He's in his room and doesn't know what to do about being a... 'Big Bear'," she said the last part in loose air quotes, which was surprisingly easy for her despite lugging around a weapon. "He really needs you."
Pausing for a moment to take it all in, the bear nodded in agreement. "I'll go," he answered, rising to his full height that threatened the ceiling and eclipsed them. He sauntered forward towards the door, eliciting rumbles and quakes as he went. Before he reached the threshold, he turned to the vixen and asked, "Any word on Glacia?"
Snow shook her head in disgust. "We still can't find her, but we have all of Fimbulvetr looking for her," she said sternly, walking over to the chair behind the desk and hopping up. "Oh and I'll be heading out momentarily. I need to get these two back and fix a car coming in soon."
The bear laughed back, "Ah, crazy little one broke another car eh? Why you let him drive? Is costing you fortune. No?"
"Yep. And he had the nerve to get the car a paint job to cover it I heard."
Snow shrugged before expertly aiming towards the remaining lit candles and snuffing them out with her shovel one by one. The room grew both darker and colder with the exception of the hall light from just beyond.
Kozlov only waved back before heading down the hall.
Now, sitting in the darkened room with only the light of tame collars to guide her, Judy hopped down from the chair. She immediately felt something grab her arm and she started to panic. Before she could do so, however, she heard a whisper, "We're going to get you both out of here," came the voice of Snow. "But first, both of you cover your ears."
Judy clenched her teeth at this. How dare the vixen command her (a lieutenant) in a condescending way. She had no right to-
Snow casually paced over to the door and peered down the hallway. "I said cover your ears, bunny. It's eight twenty-nine."
Illuminated by the hallway light, Judy could see Nick doing so, followed quickly by Snow. She wondered what had caused thetodd to comply so quickly. Narrow eyed at the spectacle, Judy sighed and took a deep breath; playing along with the hope of getting out of there, she did so... and was glad that she did. For only seconds later, did she hear the muffled screech of Nick's kill-collar. She had forgotten - and somehow Snow knew - that their time was ticking by the moment...
It had only taken them a few minutes to reach an elevator from what Snow had told them was 'Dimitri's conference room' to where they were headed called 'The Base of the Mountain'. The silent hum of the machine was as soothing as it was nerve wrecking. Nick had taken to leaning in a corner and staring blankly into space, deep in thought while they descended. Snow had yet another pawpsicle - that she managed to grab on their way out - crammed in her muzzle and was happily tapping away at her phone. Judy, however, had her back against the wall, eyeing the vixen carefully and the todd sullenly. Not that she was wary of him for now, but the fact that he told Kozlov (her enemy) who she was - not that Snow wouldn't have - she had a little more to worry about now.
She tried to decompress her thoughts and debrief herself as to what was truly going on. They were: kidnapped, taken to Kozlov (of all mammals it had to be him), and... freed? It didn't make sense no matter how she tried to slice it, something was off.
Snow had promised them that they'd be okay and that she would personally drop them off home. All seemed good, but then again... was it? If Kozlov knew where Judy lived because Snow informed him, then she could be in danger. Also, Nick still had his kill collar on, and she had no ID, phone, or even the help of Jack to assist her. It could be disastrous if they went to the ZPD only to find that the vixens intentions were (and she knew they were) malicious. So somewhere, somehow in the crisscrossing maze of possibilities, Judy had to figure out how to keep the vixen from having too much knowledge, she'd have to-
"Et wafn't wolfes hat aacked you."
From the muffled words, Judy did a double take at Snows information, Nick merely glanced. Even when she could clearly see her in the well lit elevator, the doe refused to believe it. If it wasn't enough that she was insulted (several times), and almost eaten, this had to take the cake.
Snow took out what was left of the pawpsicle and waved Judy over. "Wolves didn't stuff you in the Borscht room. Take a look."
At first, Judy stared at her, disbelieving wholeheartedly that this was a genuine gesture (and the fact that she wasn't wrong was there as well). She wanted to go nowhere near Snow for what she did earlier; from the kidnapping to almost killing her, it wasn't good for Judy to be around her.
Noticing her reservation, the vixen sighed and moved closer. She pocketed the leftover pawpsicle and held out her phone, right in front of Judy. A video began to play.
In full colour, the image clearly showed what was a pair of wolves - shifty-eyed and wearing long billowing black coats - racing heir way towards what Judy could recognize was the hallways of the compound they were in; she could even remember some of the hallways they went down. They looked down corridor after corridor, carrying with them what looked to be... bags of some sort. The camera flickered and showed them heading towards an open space before they disappeared altogether. It skipped a little before showing them again, now bag-less and frantically trying to escape.
Once the video stopped playing, Judy raised a brow (still hidden under the hat) and tapped her foot; with her paw on her hip, she mimicked the stance Snow had.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, but Judy couldn't help but think that the vixen may have some form of brain damage if she couldn't clearly see that they were attacked by wolves. This video was infallible evidence of that fact.
Snow sighed, "No wolf moves that constricted," she deadpanned, Judy's stance faltered. "These 'wolves' look like they had their tails freeze-dried and nobody here wears a coat like that," Judy did see, in fact, that the wolves almost tripped over their tails at one point and even those seemed oddly rigid. "Besides, they don't have the same body shape of any wolf I know. It's disproportionate, and that's an impostor if I've ever seen one."
Judy held her breath now in further disbelief at what she heard. Sure, they weren't... traditional wolves? She had taken down plenty of them and had seen first hand at how animated they were. Their tails always told their emotion before their collars did. These wolves, however... showed no signs of anything like that, she could barely even see their tame collars for that matter.
'Maybe,' she thought. 'she's right?'
A shiver ran down her spine as she processed that. That Snow, a vixen, her enemy, could be right.
*ding*
The resounding noise and sudden stop informed them that they had finally reached their destination. Instead of hurrying to the door, Judy watched the two foxes (Nick being more reserved) approach slowly.
It opened quickly, letting in a rush of cool air and shone brilliantly despite the time of day. Judy had to cover her eyes with her hat and Nick shielded his own with his paw before walking out into a massive area whose floor was far too reflective to have been just another room. No. This was outside.
Stepping forward, Judy saw many wolves hurrying this way and that. Some of them, especially a rather tall one, she recognized immediately as some of the ones back on the balcony. Just how far they had travelled and where they were now was still a mystery to her.
While still having to shield her eyes from the elements, the texture of the floor was something that she couldn't quite place. It shone like the marble inside - leading her to believe it probably was - yet on it was etched the face of a large mountain with a snowy peak atop. The emblem stretched from where she stood to as far as she could see beyond an awning of sorts that shielded them from the greater parts of snow. In fact, there was no snow (save for the vixen) seen upon this pristine ground; and in her search to understand how that was possible, there were dozens of mammals working almost non-stop in brushing the surface to keep it clean and clear of all debris.
There were a few cars and limousines parked around - most of which were solid black - being tended to and cleaned by waiting staff. No two mammals were idle, and even a few approached them. One being a canid of some type from what Judy could see, and the other was a rather tall and sharply dressed moose carrying a briefcase in one hoof and a clear glass in the other.
"Hello Tundra." Came the cheery voice of Snow.
The grey wolf - clearly female and bounding towards them with a bright smile plastered across her muzzle - clad fully in silver-blue vest and skirt that clashed with her tame collar, held her hands aloft.
"Hey Snow," she greeted in a familiar sounding voice while holding a squirming figure above her. "Lookie what I got!"
As they approached closer and closer, Judy's eyes went wide and she felt her heart almost skip a beat. The little... thing that the wolf held above her head was another mammal entirely. Their form and attire was something Judy could recognize in her sleep. From the black ear tips and tiger-striped markings that made him famous throughout all off the city and beyond, there was no mistake to who this was.
The bunny - fur dishelved and ears drooping down as he was carried like a rag-doll - waved at them weakly. "Hey." He spoke in a manner that sounded both annoyed and tired.
His voice was easily recognizable. She couldn't help but step forward, he was her hero, and he needed help. Yet another step was taken out of worry, only for her to be halted by a paw on her shoulder. To her dismay, it was Snow that held her back.
"Jack?!" Judy shouted in sheer terror and Nick spoke in confusion.
The doe knew this was a setup from the beginning, the vixen was playing her along and now she somehow had captured Jack! How had he even gotten here in the first place? Was he trying to rescue them?
The grip on her shoulder tightened. "Ah, Jack. Just the bunny I wanted to see, bring him here." Snow ordered, her tone was that of excitable anger.
Judy clenched her paw. There was no way she was going to let the vixen flat out attack them both, but what could she do? They were surrounded by wolves, she couldn't call backup, she couldn't fight Snow without a proper weapon... they were dead in the water, in the bitter cold without a single shred of warmth. She had fallen for the vixen's trap!
The moment came when the grey wolf stood before them. She lowered the rabbit down and let him walk on his own as he eyed her. He smoothed his fur out, unwrinkled his suit, and adjusted his tie before locking eyes with the vixen.
He sighed, holding his paws up defensively. "Alright, Snow. Before you start..."
He didn't get a chance to finish his statement when the moose accompanying them stood a few feet away. "She's gonna kill you, Jack," he stated nonchalantly, raising his glass and practically inhaling what was left in it.
Judy had to do something. Maybe she could-
She felt the near death grip on her shoulder loosen a little. "Eighty-seven..."
The vixen stepped from around her, voice seething as she clutched the shovel and drew closer to the buck.
Jack shuffled back... right into the side of the grey wolf who smiled down in a 'you're in so much trouble' kind of way. With a simper smile he went on, "Snow, I know it sounds bad."
Judy didn't know what was happening, she lowered her stance in hopes to gain the upper hand on the Snow in a moments notice. Something that she saw the moose take notice of and shake his head. Out of all the mammals there, she couldn't quite judge him accordingly; it wasn't possible for her to figure out if he was friend or foe.
"Eighty... eight... vehicles... Totaled!" Snow spat out each word as if each was a bite of distasteful food.
Judy... stopped? Was she hearing correctly?
Jack shrugged and grinned all the more. "Um...I counted eighty?"
The vixen stood in front of him and leaned down to a point that their noses were almost touching; Jack's smile was nervous but without fear of Snow. The glare she gave him could melt steel. "And what of the bus you took to a demolition derby in the Marshlands?"
"...Eighty-one?"
Judy stood still, mouth agape and searching her memories for questions. She had been assigned to investigate something of the sorts a few years back with what appeared to be a demoed shuttle bus out in the Marshlands. The only reason Judy was even assigned it was that nobody else knew what to make of the phenomenon and no footage was available to the off-road incident. She had categorized it as 'vandalism and grand theft auto' but neither the driver or vehicle origin were ever found.
"Then there was the big rig I let you borrow because you, and I quote, 'Were on your way to deliver a haul but the urge to pop a wheelie came by'. Did you forget that one, Jack?"
"I did successfully pop said and quoted wheelie," Jack sternly replied wihout any hint of grief. "That's... still only eighty-two."
Judy's shoulders went slack. Again she remembered something about a truck on the highways of Sahara Square going at an absurd amount of speed that overturned and crashed somewhere near the dunes. She had been in that area and it was a night call, but the cargo was nothing but fabric. The footage she gained from the incident did show a truck practically snap in half from its cargo. No driver was found and the plates were all fake.
"How about the three motorcycles you hijacked?" Snow questioned, pointing at one of massive wolves standing by a car being looked at. "I don't know how you got Glade's. He's seven feet tall! How did you even start it?"
"Easy," replied the buck in a singsong voice. "Rabbit legs, a stick, and a dream."
Snow gave no immediate response, just the flickering of her ears and the swish of her tail.
"Still only eighty...five, right?"
"My two snowmobiles!"
"I came back with the handlebars once. You could have thanked me for that."
"And that's a grand total of eighty se-"
The vixen cut him off, "Plus the wreck waiting downstairs that I'll end up having to fix when I get back..."
"Ven... eighty-eight," "But I'm still here and that's a new record somewhere."
Judy was at a loss for words. She wanted to tackle the vixen and arrest her for... practically everything. Then again, there was Jack, her role model, her inspiration; and he was practically confessing to crimes? There was no way that he could be behind those devastating vehicular mishaps.
The moose chimed in, "This is why we keep you away from the helicopter at FERAL."
Jack's ears fell down, a sorrowful - almost pleading - look on his face. "Please," He raced over to the moose with his paws clasped together, completely ignorant of the vixen who was still scolding him. "Just once let me fly the thing! I'll never ask for anything again I swear!"
The moose shook his head. "I converted because of your driving," he reached into his vest and pulled out a small cross from around his neck Jack rolled his eyes. "You'd kill us all if we allowed you to fly that thing."
Jack sighed and sauntered back, a slight waddle to his step as if to make it seem more somber than it actually was. He bypassed the narrow-eyed vixen and jubilant wolf, walking straight towards Judy. He placed a paw on her shoulder leading her away from the small group of mammals and waving at a dumbfounded Nick.
Once a few feet away - and feeling much more comfortable - Judy peeled away her scarf and whispered, "Jack, you know her?" She tilted her head towards Snow who winked back. Surely they were out of earshot even for her species.
The buck snickered, "Yeah, Snow and I go way back." Judy's ears perked up at the mention of their possible friendship. She was about to protest when Jack stopped and stood in front of her, his amber eyes both concerned and upset. "She told me that she and the wolves found you and that you tried to shoot her when she asked you to go with her peacefully."
At first, the doe opened her mouth to shout something back at the vixen for her behaviour, but it didn't come. The way Jack worded it, however, was how things did transpire Snow waned her to come with her and they were treated as guests in their house. Reservations about foxes and all, both she and Nick were unharmed and no grudge was held against her for her outburst. Still, though, there was Kozlov to deal with.
"Jack," Judy whispered in urgency. "Are you aware that the criminal 'Kozlov' is behind this whole operation?" Her arms spread out in explanation to her situation. "He's here, he's behind this whole thing, he-"
She was stopped when Jack placed his paw up and looked at her without expression. Confused as to why he wasn't calling backup, her eyes traced over him as he spoke, "Look, Judy. We'll deal with one thing at a time. I've already made arrangements to get you both to a clinic soon for a look over." She understood that easily, a concussion wasn't something to be taken lightly. "Snow's going to take us there and- Shh..." He placed up his paw again at Judy's near protest before continuing, "Once we leave there, we'll talk more," he assured her. "but for right now, just know you're in good paws. Snow and Kozlov aren't our enemies. Okay?"
Judy had to consider her options. She was okay, they had the list, she knew where Kozlov was, Jack was back at her side, and she could get back home soon. With all of this that she was facing, she could only nod in confirmation.
Jack smiled, "Alright, lets go."
They turned back to the group, of awaiting mammals and padded their way over.
"Is everything alright, Jack? You ready to leave?" the moose asked, looking longingly at his cup and shouldering the briefcase.
"Yep. Everything's fine," the buck replied calmly and looked over to Nick. "You okay there, Slick?"
He had been mostly by himself, quizzically looking over at Snow and the others before even recognizing that Jack was questioning him. When he did acknowledge his own nickname, he shrugged and pointed to his collar. "A little tired, and wish my apartment was still standing, but I could be worse I guess."
Judy thought it a bit sad. Sure Nick was still a criminal in every sense of the word, but it'd be a bit harsh for anyone to wish that someone's house would collapse, especially knowing that their friends lived there as well.
Given the okay, Jack gave Snow a nod to which she shouted, "Fimbulvetr!"
While impossibly loud for her stature, the ambient sounds of working mammals came to a halt before being replaced by a stampede of steps racing towards them. In no less than a few seconds, nearly every mammal there stood before the diminutive vixen at full attention. Though there were more predators than prey, some of them saluted her as well.
She paced back and forth, eyeing them every now and again before coming to a halt; her shovel clicking against the ground as she poised herself and spoke, "Listen up! We've had a B&E in the Borscht room earlier today and nobody knew anything about it," From her tone and the whispers that crossed back and forth, it was clear that it was a surprise to many of them as well. "Our guests almost died there and that wouldn't look good for Morosov's Palace. So, while I'm gone, I want each and every one of you to be on full alert and report everything to Tundra," Her weapon scraped across the ground, eliciting a horrid noise as she hiked it at the oddly cheerful wolf behind her. "Do I make myself clear?"
As if in one voice, they replied, "Ma'am yes Ma'am!"
She gave them a nod. "Who are we?"
"We are Fimbulvetr! Guards of the Winter! Pillars of the Mountain!"
Satisfied, Snow shouted, "Dismissed."
As she waved Judy and Jack forward, she immediately took notice of the sly expression on the buck's face. She sighed, "Stop looking at them like that Jack. For the hundredth time, they don't-"
He chimed in, "You know the moment I turn my back they're gonna link together and form something." About the same time he said that, he dashed forward and became wide-eyed while standing beside the vixen. "Tell me they form a helicopter!"
She shook her head. "Get in the car, and sit in the back. I want you nowhere near the steering-wheel."
Judy, upon seeing that they were going to leave, followed suit with Nick almost at her heels. They approached a large solid black vehicle that almost resembled Jack's vehicle from earlier. Similar design and in pristine condition, it was far larger than any bunny needed to have, so the interior had to have been modified. This one, however, had a sleeker appearance and looked like it was built for more speed than safety.
The moose was the one to open the car door and usher both Nick and Jack in the back. Judy was about to hop in as well, but was stopped when the larger mammal held out his hoof and shook his head.
"Sorry bunny, but I gotta sit back here and watch him," He pointed back to the rabbit, who had his arms crossed and was huffing in frustration from his inability to have better seating. "You'll have to go shotgun."
Judy didn't see what the problem was, the car was big enough to fit a good deal of her family there.
Jack turned to face them, leaping out of his assigned post and pointing at the passenger seat. "I want shotgun!"
The drivers side door slammed and the engine came to life. Snow looked over the seat and scolded him, "I'll give you a shotgun to your tailbone if you ask again!"
He held up his paws in protest. "But I-"
Snow growled. "One more word and I'll anesthetize you with this shovel and leave you at the clinic." Sure enough, in her paw was still clutched that wretched thing.
Instead of arguing more, Jack hopped back into his seat and grumbled something that nobody could hear.
Judy, however, was left with the only option of riding in the passenger seat of the car, and next to the vixen who very well may try to eat her. Then, as she thought more and more, her head started to hurt. She was with Jack and the odd moose, Nick hadn't proven to be a threat, and surely she couldn't be devoured on the highway. So - if only to get her case solved after a quick check at some doctors office- she leapt into the car without a word as it began to slowly move.
She knew it wasn't over, she still had to report her findings. At least, for now, she had peace of mind that, in spite of all the odd happenings around her, she would live to see another day.
"With my breath failing and heart racing, I tell you, 'Never forget the warmth of others.'"
I hope you've all had an amazing New Year. Stay safe, on your way back.
"A Spring in our Step", will be updated within the next few days!
And I hope you get a chance to read this and the other stories at your leisure. All can be found here as well:
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Till Next Time
-DLW