Well, great response from both of my posts on September 1. I hope you all thought they were worth the wait!
F***! I'm very sorry it took so long to get this out. I HATED the first draft of this (which was about 5700 words), so I deleted most of it. That was on the 14th, so I've been working hard these past few days to try and get this out as quick as possible. This won't happen again; I promise you that, even if it means that chapters will come out less frequently.
Here we go again. Thanks for all the support. I can never get enough of it.
Hope you enjoy chapter 8 of Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction.
She was back in the courtroom.
"We, the citizens of Zootopia, have decided in the case of the Grizzly Brother versus The city of Zootopia that the defendant is guilty of premeditated murder."
No, she wasn't in the courtroom. She was in her apartment, sitting at her worn desk and staring down at a closed, bright green binder.
"Being the judge of this case, I make the final decision for what the defendant's punishment will be. The jury has found you guilty, so I have no choice but to bow to their decision. I hereby sentence the defendant to Life in Prison for the murder of Nicholas P. Wilde. Court adjourned."
The sound of the gavel slamming against the wooden block rung in her ears. Her eyes blankly scanned the binder as her paw absent-mindedly drew it open.
"I bet you feel so good about this, rabbit! Seeing me in chains must fill your heart with joy. But I'll tell you this once; I'm glad I killed Wilde. I've purged that scum from the face of the Earth. I should be treated as a hero! Do you even know what he did? How many mammals he hurt? You know nothing, Hopps. You don't know the Wilde that I knew!"
She flicked through page after page of financial records until they turned blank.
"Love ain't somethin' you can turn on and off for a mammal. You gotta love their good side and their bad side. And you gotta forgive the mistakes they've made."
Her paw reached backwards into the knapsack hanging on her chair and pulled out the same black light pen Finnick had given her at Nick's warehouse. She flicked the lamp on her table off and turned on the pen's light, shining it down onto the blank page. Bright blue ink emerged a moment later.
"I don't deserve my sentence! Wilde was the murderer!"
She skipped through the blank pages. Each one was filled with hidden writing. As she scanned line after line of transactions her chest began to tighten and a disturbed feeling of dread pushed itself into the forefront of her thoughts.
"Wilde did things. He killed mammals! If you think I'm a monster then your partner was the embodiment of the devil!"
Her breaths became quicker and lighter as she shined the light on and read more and more of the pages. In two words, the actions recorded on them were simply unspeakable.
"Drugs, weapons, stolen goods; you name it, your 'oh-so-innocent' partner dealt it!"
Eventually, she turned off the pen's light and placed it on the desk, letting the yellow haze of the city's lights illuminate her room. It had been hours. Or minutes. Maybe even seconds. However long it had been, all she did was slowly close the binder and push it to the furthest reaches of her desk. Deep down, she had hoped that what the Grizzly Brother shouted as he was violently taken from the courtroom wasn't true. She wanted it all to be a lie. But based on what she had just seen, that was quite the opposite. With wide eyes she took a deep breath and pushed her chair out from her desk.
Her footsteps fell lightly on the creaking wooden floor as she made her way to the door to her apartment and pulled it open, her head hanging limply from her neck. She didn't know what to think anymore. How was she supposed to feel? Angry? Sad? Hateful? She didn't feel any of those things. She just felt disturbed and disappointed. Disturbed by the fact that Nick hadn't always been the funny and witty fox she knew, and disappointed in the fact that he had never shared his sketchy past with her. What was she supposed to do next?
Forgiveness. She grimly thought. This is what Finnick was talking about. If I love Nick, then I have to forgive his mistakes. And I do love Nick. I've already figured that out. But should I really forgive him after what he did to other mammals?
She didn't even wait a heartbeat to answer.
Yes. Yes I should.
She exhaled loudly and straightened herself.
But first, I need to know the extent of his crimes.
With a quick spin she slammed her apartment door shut, which made one of her neighbors yell in outrage, and strode staunchly down the hallway. She loved Nick. But she hated how he kept her in the dark for all these years. If he had just told her about himself when she had badgered him over the course of their partnership then she wouldn't be the one digging for information now! Because if she was going to forgive him, then she needed to know the criminal Nick Wilde as well as she knew Officer Wilde. And she knew just the mammal for that conversation.
As she descended down the stairs to the first floor of her apartment building her paw reached into her uniform's tight pocket and pulled out her phone. With a few quick taps she called a number she hadn't called in years and moved her phone up to her straightened ear.
"Hello?" A squeaky voice said after a few moments of ringing
"Hey Fru Fru!" She greeted as she pushed her way through the glass door to her apartment building and out into the cool night air. "It's Judy. Listen, this may seem sudden, but do you think I could meet with your dad tonight?"
The Big Estate was just as lavish as Judy remembered. The massive hallways, built to allow the family's polar bear guardmammals to stride comfortably, were lined with tables nearly filled to the brim with picture frames, pottery, and other valuables.
Some of which Nick may have sold to them. She sullenly thought as she walked past a lavish woolen pelt hanging from the wall. But that's what I'm here to find out.
Mr. Big was more than pleased to meet with her at such short notice, according to Fru Fru. She knew that he and Nick had worked together for several years before they had a falling out and that he'd know what Nick was like before he joined the force. Normally the crime lord was very quiet when it came to talking about his past dealings with other mammals. She had found that out the hard way when she was the godmother of Judy, Fru Fru's daughter. When she was visiting her after work one day once she had tried to ask about Mr. Big about he and Nick's history together, but all the he did was raise an eyebrow and glare at her.
But that was probably because he and Nick's relationship had never fully healed when Nick was still 'alive'. As far as she knew Nick had never talked to Mr. Big after the Night Howler Case, and apparently that did not sit well with him. Even with her being his goddaughter she had once overheard him saying that he could "barely tolerate that deceitful fox, regardless of his association with the saver of my daughter's life."
That all changed, though, when Nick 'died'. A few days after the dreadful news reached Zootopia's ears Mr. Big had come to her doorstep and offered his sincerest condolences. Even he seemed shaken at her partner's violent end. Besides his comfort he also excused her from being his goddaughter until she decided to return. Since then, she had only seen him one other time - at Nick's funeral. Underneath his bushy eyebrows she knew she had seen tears, or at the very least a tear. Perhaps he had finally forgiven him for the disrespect he had shown to his mother. She certainly hoped so, because if he hadn't then he'd probably still be silent about he and Nick's history together.
The hallway she was still walking down ended in a huge double doorway with two polar bears standing to the side of it. As the gap between her and the doors shrunk the two polar bears pushed open the entrance and stepped through to stand just inside the study. She did the same, and gave them a thankful nod as they closed the doors behind her. The room was a trapezoid, with the doors being on the larger of the non-slanted sides while the smaller non-slanted side was nothing but a pane of glass which looked out over the Tundratown downtown area.
Bookshelves and paintings lined the walls and a massive, 20th-century looking desk faced toward the doorway. She looked up at the desk and walked forward unwavering, observing the two mammals sitting by it. Koslov, Mr. Big's personal guard and assistant, was sitting behind it while the crime lord himself sat in a tiny chair on the desk.
"Judy," Mr. Big said delighted as he limply held out his paw, "My darling, It is good to see you again after so long."
Judy gave a small smile.
"It's good to see you too, Mr. Big," She replied in a formal tone. She stood up on her toes and barely managed to peck his outstretched paw over the height of the desk.
"Tell me, how is life treating you?" He asked as he drew his paw back to rest against the arm of the chair.
"Well enough," She somberly answered, giving a fake smile. Mr. Big leaned forward slightly in his chair.
"What troubles you, my dear?" He gently asked, "I can see your heart is heavy. Tell me."
Judy paused for a moment, trying to find a way to gently move the subject to her partner's criminal history. If she charged straight into it, then Mr. Big may lose his kindness he usually held for her. But if she didn't ask soon then the dark curiosity inside her would boil over.
"It's about the Grizzly Brother," She managed to say.
"Ahhhhh. I see," Mr. Big said, nodding and wagging his finger at her. "Your police discipline isn't as strong as it once was and you don't think the Brother's sentence is severe enough. If you wish to have him permanently erased, then I can have one of my informants slip something into his dr-"
"No!" She suddenly exclaimed, and Mr Big lowered his paw and fell silent. She wouldn't talk about murdering another mammal. She was an officer of the law - she had no choice but to accept the court's ruling. There was no way around that. And life in prison was a relatively harsh sentence for the Grizzly Brother's other crimes once the 'murder' charge was taken off his record, even though she knew that it never would be.
"I'm a policemammal, Mr. Big. I could never go behind the city's back and execute my own justice," She explained, rolling her paws in front of her and giving a nervous grin. "I haven't come here tonight to discuss ways around the law. I've come to you to talk about what the Grizzly Brother said in court earlier today."
Mr. Big raised one eyebrow and stared down at her, but she stood her ground with a respectful and serious gaze. She knew he'd be reluctant to talk, but she also knew that she was an honorary member of the Big family and wouldn't be subject to disappearing like other mammals who had tread her path before.
Their stare never broke as Mr. Big snapped his fingers, signalling for privacy. Behind her, the two polar bear guardmammals opened the doors and stepped out into the hallway before they quietly closed and locked the entrance shut. Koslov remained in the room, motionlessly looking down at her with a half-sad half-angry stare from behind his boss.
"Judy," Mr. Big cautiously began, "My darling, you are wading into very deep water. A crime boss does not speak about his past dealings with anyone, especially not a cop."
He paused for a moment and gave a drawn-out, defeated sigh.
"Yet you are an exception to the rules. You have grown on me as much as Nicky did. You saved my daughter's life all those years ago, and I have not forgotten that. All you wish to know is a chapter of your partner's life story, and that is harmless. But before I continue, I must know. Am I speaking to Judy Hopps, or am I speaking to Officer Hopps?"
"You're speaking to Judy Hopps," She firmly assured, although her police uniform she wore spoke differently. Mr. Big gave a slow nod.
"Right answer," He said and gave another snap of his fingers. At the signal Koslov slowly stood up and walked across the room to a small table with a bottle of wine and a dozen different sized cups sitting on it.
"Nicky's past is a touchy subject," He continued as Koslov poured two glasses of wine. "You must remember, he was a criminal himself. He worked with criminals, he lived with criminals, he was always around criminals."
Koslov returned carrying a rabbit-sized chair in one paw and two small glasses of wine in the other.
"Drink?" Mr. Big asked as he took a sip from his glass.
"No thanks," Judy answered, shaking her head and waving a paw as Koslov stared down at her. The polar bear just put the extra glass on the table and sat the rabbit-sized chair next to her.
"Take a seat, darling, and we shall begin," Mr. Big commanded. She obliged and lowered herself to sit on the edge of the comfortable red-padded chair.
"It all started 17 years ago," He recounted. "I was searching for a wedding present for my oldest son, and word reached my ears about a gold-and-emerald ring that was being sold by a typically trustworthy jeweler. I was curious, so I sent Koslov here to investigate the claims, and he returned with the ring. At best, I was reluctant to believe that a three century old ring could remain so perfect after so long."
He took a small sip from his glass.
"So I took it to an antiquities dealer, and what do you know? It was a fake, but a very good one at that. I was going to have the badger who sold it to me disappear forever, but she told me that it wasn't Her fault. She said that he purchased it from a rich fox who had just arrived in the city and that that was the mammal I should've been looking for. So I did , and who did I find but a low-class Fennec fox and his annoyingly sarcastic friend."
"Finnick's his name," Judy informed him.
"Yes, that's the one," He acknowledged as he rolled his wine glass. "At first I could be described as being less than pleased with him."
So he was furious. Judy thought as she crossed her legs to sit in a more comfortable position.
"But I was also curious," He continued. "Usually mammals don't have the guts to scam a crime lord out of a hundred grand. So I offered them a choice. Either pay back their dues or go on a very, very long vacation. It doesn't need to be said that they both happily accepted my offer of service."
Mr. Big shifted in his chair and sat up straighter, as if he couldn't get comfortable.
"I started them off at the bottom, doing laborious work unloading and organizing incoming shipments of goods. Once they showed me that they wouldn't bolt at a moments notice, I decided to put them in a more active position."
Judy's stare became hard and suspicion filled her thoughts. She didn't like the sound of "a more active position" for one moment.
"A more active position?" She forcefully inquired, wanting an informative explanation.
"Enforcers," Mr. Big clarified. "A fox may not have as much muscle power as a polar bear, but their psychological strength is very impressive. A snarling fox is typically more unsettling than a snarling lion."
He took another sip from his glass.
"They both worked for me for about a year, give or take a few months, and in that time I saw the potential businessmammals within them. So once their debts were paid I offered them another choice. They could either go back out on the streets and continue to swindle mammals out of a few bucks or work for me and become some of the richest mammals in the city. Finnick, that snappy fox, refused my offer. But Nicky knew better than to turn down a chance to disrupt the natural order of wealth."
"So he accepted?" Judy assumed.
"Of course," Mr. Big answered. "Why wouldn't he? Back then, there were no rich foxes, and nothing pleased Nicky more than money. He was obsessed with it, consumed by it, even more so than I was. He held it up to an almost religious reverence. He came to work for me not because of fear of me or love for the business but because of greed."
Mr. Big drunk the last of the wine and leaned forward to place his now empty glass on the desk below him.
"At first I gave him strict instructions. To monitor the transfer of goods and to secure agreements with suppliers-"
"What kind of suppliers?" She rudely and sharply interrupted, but regret filled her as Mr Big raised an eyebrow at her outburst and Koslov gave a toothy smile.
"Please refrain from interrupting me, darling," He told her. "I shall tell you my story and then you may ask your questions. But for your information, he acquainted himself with all kinds of mammals. They were suppliers of, how to say, missing goods. But that also included counterfeit cash, narcotics, and even some weapons. Over time, Nicky began to develop strong bonds with some of the dealers of these goods. He became especially fond of a fox by the name of Voltaire, who I'm sure you've met by now."
Judy gave a curt nod, her mouth clenched shut so she couldn't interrupt him again.
"Now back then, Voltaire was more than just a bartender. He was the mammal who seemed to know all the schedules of all the dealers in the city. If you wanted a meeting with someone, then he was the dog to talk to. Together he and Nicky earned millions, for both themselves and for me. That was the only reason why I let their business partnership flourish for as long as it did - because I was hungry for more wealth. But I soon noticed that Nicky was even hungrier, and that's when I began to worry."
Mr. Big gave an artificial sigh of anguish and collapsed into his chair, and Koslov looked down at him with a sincere expression.
"Nicky was my prodigy. No other mammal who has ever worked for me brought me more money than he did. But in the end, he had always been working for himself. At first, I didn't believe that he was making deals behind my back. I warned him that if I ever caught him doing as such, then he'd removed. Forever. He insisted that he wasn't betraying me, and I wanted to believe him. But you can never trust a fox."
Mr. Big turned his head ever so slightly away from her to stare off into space, as if he was watching a memory play out like a movie.
"He and Voltaire saw an opportunity to scam a foreign crime lord out of several million dollars, and they took it. But they messed up. Nicky didn't play his cards right, and as a result he lost everything. The fortune he had accumulated over his decade working for me was gone in a flash. His reputation was forever tarnished. When I saw him afterward, I was irate. I was going to make him disappear into the Tundratown harbor."
Mr. Big let his mouth hang open as his head remained still and his eyes darted back to Judy's.
"But then I saw his eyes. The eyes, Judy, are the portals to the soul. And his soul was vanquished. So I took mercy on him, and sent him out into the world without a penny or a second thought. The only thing I did give him was a final warning. If I ever saw him again, then he'd end up like the badger who sold me that fake ring all those years ago."
"So that story you told me about how he disrespected your mother-" Judy began, moving her paws to rest on top of one another in her lap.
"-nothing but a lie," Mr. Big finished, and she gave a curt nod.
"Can you tell me more about what he was like back then," She asked, but rephrased the question when Mr. Big gave a puzzled frown. "What his personality was like."
"Ahh," Mr. Big said, nodding. "Yes, I can tell you that. But you will not enjoy it for one moment."
"I'm not afraid of what you have to say," Judy reassured. Her partner was a criminal, a violator of the law, and a murderer. It couldn't get much worse than that, and all she asked Mr. Big to do was to put adjectives to his name.
"Your partner was not a nice mammal," Mr. Big gently informed. "His greed caused him to be cruel and unfeeling. He was so obsessed with sticking it to society, to show that a fox wouldn't be held down by the restraints put on him by others, that his sense of morality completely dissolved. Becoming as successful, or more so, than some of the non-predatory businessmammals was his goal, and to do that he'd do anything. He stepped on countless mammals. If slandering their reputation didn't work, then he'd attack their incoming shipments or send out hit men to strike at their distributors. And if that didn't work, then he'd take them off the grid. Permentantly."
Mr. Big's gaze became filled with compassion as he delivered what he thought to be devastating news.
"I'm sorry, Judy. Nicky was a murderer."
Judy nodded in understanding.
"I know," She said with a sad smile. And that's just something I'll have to forgive him for.
"You know?" Mr. Big asked with a puzzled frown.
"I have his financial records," She clarified. Mr. Big sat in silence for a moment, his eyes flicking over her with solemn regret and curiosity.
"I'm sorry you had to see those," Mr. Big apologized. "They aren't exactly the nicest way to be introduced to the real Nicky."
Judy smirked and huffed in laughter at his deliberate stress of the word.
"No," She commented and slowly shook her head back and forth as every illegal transaction from the binder slowly repeated itself in her mind. "No they were not."
"But you seem to be taking the news quite well," He commented, and she gave a small shrug.
"Well, I've always known that he was a criminal," She said, her voice progressively becoming more and more annoyed. "I just never knew the severity of it. Sometimes I thought that he was nothing more than a street scammer. Sometimes I became suspicious that he did kill mammals; his aim with a dart gun was too good to have been learned only from the academy. But whenever I asked him about his past he was a closed book to me."
"And you're angry at him for what he did?" Mr. Big questioned, but Judy shook her head.
"I'm not angry with him about what he did," She explained. "After years of being on the force, I've witnessed every kind of prejudice he had to face. I understand that he didn't have any other option than to turn to a life of crime. I'm mad at him because he never bothered telling me any of this."
"I see," Mr. Big said. "But there's no point in staying mad at him for that."
Judy exhaled loudly and looked down at the dark oak floorboards. Mr. Big was right. Staying mad at him would only further complicate the already complex situation she was stuck in.
"You're right," She accepted. "Staying mad at him won't bring him back."
Not from death, but from his primal instincts. She silently added.
"The only thing left I can do is forgive his mistakes," She finished, turning to look back up at Mr. Big again. To her surprise he had leaned forward in his chair to the point where he was about to fall off it and was staring straight at her with an outraged and curious frown. His beady eyes, which rarely came out from underneath his bushy eyebrows, flicked from one corner of her eyes to the other with such intensity that it made her wonder if he was searching for the lost city of Atratis[1]. When he finally found whatever he was searching for he leaned back in his chair with a dumbfounded and shocked expression.
"Love?" He silently whispered, but Judy's acute ears picked up the word and her eyes widened at it's mention.
"What did you say?" She asked disbelievingly. Mr. Big focused his eyes on her, his surprised expression still evident on his face.
"Love," He stated, raising his paw to limply point his finger at her. "You love Nicky."
A strained moment of silence took hold of the room as Judy thought about how the small mammal figured out her feelings for her partner.
"I do," Was all she said, answering his question with a twinge of suspicion. Mr. Big lowered his paw.
"How long?" He asked, his voice suddenly hard and serious.
"I don't know," She answered. "Probably ever since he died, but I only realized it this past weekend."
"It was the Fennec fox, wasn't it? Who told you you had to forgive Nicky if you truly loved him?"
"Yes," She answered. It was beginning to feel like their discussion was more like an interrogation, and she was the mammal being hammered by the interrogator.
"And do you forgive him?" He finished, propping himself up with one arm and leaning forward as much as physically possible. Judy stared straight into his concentrated and inquiring eyes.
"Without a doubt," She sincerely answered, and with those simple words all the guilt and anger which had plagued her since she learned about her partner's mistakes dissolved into a feeling of closure and forgiveness.
Mr. Big looked at her for several more quiet moments before he leaned back in his chair, a genuine smile emerging on his face.
"Right answer," He almost joyfully said. "It pleases me to know that even after such a difficult and... regretful life, Nicky finally had someone, or more correctly will have someone, who has feelings for him not rooted in business or hate."
Judy nodded with a frown on her face and opened her mouth, wanting to ask how he found out about her feelings for Nick, but at the same time she did Mr. Big also opened his mouth. She snapped hers shut first and motioned for him to talk. He returned the polite gesture with a downward wave of his paw.
"I have to ask, how'd you figure it out?" She inquired with suspicion, the frown still on her face. Mr. Big chuckled at her question.
"Darling," He explained. "I haven't gone behind your back to do my own detective work. I'm not that devious. It's your eyes which have betrayed you."
He raised one paw up to point at his own eye.
"They are the portals to the soul, and in your soul I see love and exoneration."
"Nick says that," Judy commented with a small grin, her frown lowered and the suspicion in her voice and mind gone. But it was replaced with a twinge of anxiety. She didn't know how she felt about Mr. Big knowing the feelings she had for her partner.
"He said that," Mr. Big corrected. "He isn't with us anymore."
You wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth. She wanted to respond, but in reality just gave a sad nod.
"I'm the one who told him that," Mr. Big revealed. "And I'm also the one who told him that if you truly love a mammal, then you must love their good side and their bad side, and forgive the mistakes they've made."
"Well I've done just that," She said, smiling. Mr. Big leaned forward in his chair again, peering into her eyes.
"Yes, you have," He acknowledged, raising a finger to point at accusingly her. "But something still troubles you. Not as much as before, but I see worry in your eyes none the less. Tell me, what continues to make you uneasy?"
"I'm just not sure how I feel about you knowing my feelings for Nick," She politely explained. "It's nothing to do with you; It's just that I need time to get used to the fact that he was, in all honesty, evil."
"I see," Mr. Big said, nodding in understanding and relaxing into his chair again. "I'll be silent for as long as you wish me to be so."
"Thank you," She said, giving the arctic shrew a formal smile. "I'll tell others, but It'll be in my own time."
"Take as long as you need," He said, and there was a moment of serene silence before he continued. Judy could feel their conversation coming to it's end.
"What will you do now, darling?" He asked. "It is very late; if you wish to spend the night, then there are many rooms to choose from."
"Thanks for the offer, Mr. Big, but tonight I need to sleep in my own bed," She said, sliding off her chair and lowering herself to the ground.
"If that is your decision, darling, then Manchas is waiting outside to take you home or wherever else you wish to go," Mr. Big responded, resting his head against one of his paws while snapping his fingers with the other. The two polar bears standing on the other side of the doorway unlocked the doors and held them open for Judy.
"I hope to see you again in the near future," Mr. Big said.
"So do I," She respectfully replied, smiling in farewell. She began to walk out of the study, but felt herself stop in the doorway. There was an unanswered question still stuck in her head.
"Mr. Big," She began, turning to look at him from across the room. "Do you think it'd be possible for me to see Judy sometime?"
Even though his smile was minuscule, she could still see it crystal-clear.
"Anything for my goddaughter," He answered. "Welcome back to the family, darling."
With a final grin she turned away from him, for good this time, and quickly made her way down the hallway. Even though the day had been long, stressful, and not too positive, she had learned everything about Nick's past that she needed to know in order to forgive him. And she had forgiven him; but the shock of what he had done was still with her. She suspected it would remain with her for a very long time. Maybe it would never go away. But she couldn't let that change who she was, how she acted, and how she felt about her partner. She loved him; that was certain.
Without looking down her paw brought up her phone from her pocket, swiped it open and tapped through her contact list until it found the mammal it was looking for. She held the phone up to her straightened ear as she nodded in thanks to a polar bear holding open one of the many 'front doors' scattered around the Big estate. As the phone rung Judy turned her attention up to the sky, hoping to see the stars. She loved them. Back in Bunnyburrow, whenever weather would permit it and her sibling's didn't catch her, she'd go outside in the middle of the night and stare up at the seemingly endless ocean above her. But here in Zootopia she didn't have that luxury. The only thing above her was the yellow haze of the city's lights reflecting off the thin layer of clouds.
Moving her gaze down, she smiled and gave a friendly nod at Manchas as he held the back door to the limousine open. He smiled back, but Judy could see that if she wasn't on the phone then he'd apologize for Nick's death or the Grizzly Brother's words or something along those lines.
Just as she was consumed by the warmth hanging in the air of the back seat of the limousine, someone finally picked up the other end of the line.
"So help me god," A deep, cranky voice said. "If you ever call me this early again, bunny, I'll choke you to death with your own damn ears."
"Are you threatening an officer, Finn?" She sarcastically asked as she struggled to put on her seat belt with a single paw. All Finnick did was grumble at her use of his nickname.
"It's two in the morning! What are you doing up this late?" He yelled at her in a half-tired half-serious rage.
"I'm heading home," She casually responded. "I've just finished learning about Nick's mistakes."
There was silence on the other line, and for a moment all Judy heard was the gentle rumble of the limousine's engine.
"Big?" Finnick eventually asked.
"Yep," She responded. Another moment of silence took hold of the conversation.
"And?"
"I've forgiven him," She informed.
"That's not a wise choice at all, bunny," Finnick said.
Judy chuckled at his sarcastic statement.
"Soooo..." She almost eagerly started once her laughter subsided. "When are we getting together for drinks?"
"You're actually gonna hold me to that?" Finnick responded in mock disbelief.
"Hey, you're the one who said we should meet up after I've sorted out my feelings!" She exclaimed. Finnick just grumbled.
"Well when do you wanna do it, bunny?" He asked in defeat.
"How's this Thursday sound?" She started. "I'm supposed to meet up with a co-worker who was also one of Nick's friends. We could all meet up at The Fox's Den and celebrate Nick's birthday."
"Thursday's Nick's birthday?" Finnick asked in confusion.
"Hell, he never told me 'bout it," He almost silently mumbled, but Judy's efficient hearing was able to pick up the words.
"How does that sound?" She asked, not bothering to press him about why he didn't know the date of his friend's birthday. From the other end of the line Judy heard Finnick inhale loudly and scramble around what sounded like his bed sheets.
"I'll mark it down," He said with a click of a pen.
The doors slammed shut, and Mr. Big released a heavy sigh as he rested his head against the back of his chair.
"That rabbit," He said, slowly shaking his head. "She's a very strange individual. Could you imagine what she and Nicky would've been like together?"
"No different than what they were before," Koslov responded in his heavy Tundran[2] accent.
"I suppose," Mr. Big exhaled with a shrug. "But imagine what it would've been like to see them walking down the street paw in paw. A fox and a rabbit! In simple words, outrageous."
"They wouldn't have made many friends either," Koslov added.
"No," Mr. Big agreed. "No they wouldn't have. But I don't think either would've cared."
"As long as they have each other," Koslov joked with a light chuckle.
"Don't start with that myth, Koslov," Mr. Big growled. "Delicate love wouldn't have gotten them anywhere. It would've been the fire in their hearts burning for one another which drove them on. Judy is smart and rational. Nicky was sly and calculating. Together, they could've overcome whatever society threw at them."
Mr. Big stood up from his chair and signaled for Koslov to pick him up. The polar bear obliged and gently let him walk into the palm of his hand.
"Maybe it is for the best that Judy has only now realized her love for Nicky," Mr. Big commented as he leaned onto his cane with both paws. "There are many powerful mammals who wouldn't have liked to see an inter-species couple on the streets."
"Mammals such as Bellwether," Koslov huffed in amusement as he stared straight ahead, making sure the impacts from his footsteps wouldn't shake his boss off his paw.
"We both know she isn't coming out of prison anytime soon," Mr. Big responded. "The real opponent to their relationship would've been her rabid dog."
Koslov gave a toothy snarl at the mention of the mammal and Mr. Big grumbled in discontent with him.
"I hate him as much as you do, Koslov," The arctic shrew assured, turning to face the massive polar bear. "But we are in no position to do anything about it. The only thing we can do now is breathe a sigh of relief that Prophit didn't get his barbaric claws on either of them."
Well, see you again in two weeks!
Primal: A Zootopia Fanfiction Chapter 9 - September 30
A Fox in Shining Armor: A Zootopian Fanfiction Chapter 1 - September 30
Fourty Thousand: A Zootopia Fanfiction Prologue - TBA
Guilt, that Monster: A Zootopia Short Story - TBA
Dire Situations: A Zootopia Short Story - TBA
This chapter was last edited September 18, 2016
Footnotes:
[1] - Atrantis, pun on Atlantis
[2] - Tundran, language of the tundra. Pun on, guess what? Russian.