Sustenance

15 years later…

"It gives me great honour and pleasure to present our first two fox officers to the public!" Mayor Dawn Bellwether announced, "These two young gentlemammals are the product of my assistant mayor's Mammal Inclusion Initiative Programme!"

The crowds were split. Half cheered for Nick Wilde and Finnick Shear. These were the predators. Another half jeered. These were the prey. The protesters were kept behind a stern and uncompromising wall of ZPD staff.

For the preds though, this day would go down in history as marking the start of a new era in Zootopia. An era where predators and prey had equal footing. An era where there were equal opportunities for every mammal, and anyone could be what they wanted to be.


Present. Happy. Ready.

These were the thoughts that flashed through Nick Wilde's mind as he made his way to the building of Zootopia's Main Police Department, Precinct One.

Today would be his and his friends' first days on their respective careers, and they were all fired up and raring to go. They had spent years planning and preparing for this moment.

Bradley and Finnick had trained to be highly excellent drivers for the force. Their teachers and friends could attest to how they made cruisers seem like jets on the road.

Harry and Kirby specialized in arresting and detainment. With their combined teamwork and body power, few animals could match them in close combat.

Clawhauser trained in the subjects of negotiation and "soft" interrogation. His charisma and compassion for any mammal he met was seen as a valuable asset for a future ZPD officer.

Madge had studied to the point where she became one of Zootopia's finest doctor apprentices after graduation. She and her friends unanimously agreed that having a first class doctor would prove invaluable for action-hungry cops.

Ollie became a detective. His analytical and observational skills were of the highest caliber.

Andy joined the SWAT division. His loyalty, bravery, determination and stoicness made him a shining candidate for the deployment in subtly game-changing environments, such as the outskirts of the Rainforest District, or in the heart of Tundratown.

Flash had taken the courses necessary to educate himself for his future career of DMV worker. He would be specialized for dealing with any number plate cases that the ZPD would present to him. Even as a slowcoach, he had found ways to help his friends. And make the world a better place.

Nick had spent every day studying up law, order, combat and justice. Every night he spent a significant amount praying to God for guidance and success – not for himself, but for the greater good of all mammals.

And so, whilst the others went to their respective career stations, Nick, Finnick, Ollie, Harry, Kirby, Benjamin and Bradley strolled past the opening sliding doors and walked in union towards the bullpen, where they knew their future roles awaited them. The older, seasoned officers looked appraisingly at the rookies, silently assessing their preliminary qualities with subtle shifts of their gazes.


There were already some officers dutifully sitting in the meeting room when Nick and the others arrived. They filed in and took their seats next to each other. When several older officers came in, the room got a bit more lively and its inhabitants slightly more rowdier. It wasn't until a big buffalo came in and yelled "ORDER!" that the room fell silent. Nick and his friends waited excitedly.

"Ladies and Gentlemammals, today we have with us some new recruits," the buffalo spoke, scanning through his documents for the day, "Who cares? Let's get down to business. First we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Officer Brie, Happy Birthday."

The seasoned mouse officer saluted gratefully back at her chief, while her junior partner Officer Francine elevated the rodent onto her raised trunk for everybody to see. Then the elephant gently placed the birthday recipient back down again, and all eyes shifted back to the Chief.

"We have 14 missing mammal cases, all ranging from a giant grizzly bear to a teensy little otter. And City Hall is right up my arse to find them. This affair is of the highest priority. Officers Fangmeyer, Brie and Delgato and Trunkaby, your teams take Sahara Square. Officers Higgins, Snarlof and Wolford, Tundratown. Officers Andersen, Grizzoli and Jackson, take your units Downtown," Bogo said, then he paused as he examined his newest recruits, "Officers Saurus and Powell, you will join Officer Krumpanski on a patrol through the Canal District. Officers Bray and Beatnik, you will be assisting the Downtown Team. Officer Shear, join the Tundratown investigation team." [1]

The aforementioned animals dutifully went to their assigned places. All that was left now was Nick and Ben.

"Finally, Officers Wilde and Clawhauser," Bogo spoke, looking up from his papers. Nick and Ben sat up straighter than ever.

"Parking Duty. Dismissed."

Benjamin saluted and eagerly made his way through the exit while Nick took longer to process his mandate. Bogo didn't see anything wrong as of the moment, so he got up and made his way over to the door.

"Chief!" he heard Wilde call to him. He turned and looked expressionlessly. "Wilde," he replied, acknowledging the fox and waiting for his answer. "You said there were 14 missing mammals. I can handle one," Nick offered fervently.

"Yeah, when my species can grow wings and fly," Bogo grunted.

"Sir, I have been training for this career for 15 years. This is just what I need to test my mettle," Nick continued to lightly protest and offer.

"Then writing out 20 tickets a day should be easy for a fox like you," Bogo replied before walking out and letting the door shut on its own accord.

Nick sighed and got out of his seat, following Clawhauser to the ZPD parking lot.

"You've gotta start somewhere," he told himself.


[1] Just so you don't get confused, here are the names and surnames of the main kids now grown up:
Madge Honey
Flash Slothmore
Benjamin Clawhauser
Nicholas Wilde
Bradley Beatnik
Ollie Powell
Andrew Slash
Harrison Bray
Kirby Saurus
Finnick Shear

This is because of the police protocol which requires formality, so officers are always referred to as "Officer [insert surname here]".

You don't know how much of a bother it was for me to remember and keep track of all those surnames.

Hopefully I can deliver another update before December!

Transformers 0 over the moon and out!