"Do we really have to visit them again? I mean, we just did the same thing days ago," Nick complained wryly, seated in his usual spot beside the driver's seat.

It was past their working hour and all he wanted was to be back home so that he could return to his couch to watch the late night TV programs. Nick groaned lazily. Yesterday had been his turn to take the wheel during their daily patrols around the city, so today the cruiser belonged to Judy. They had agreed on sharing the car between even and odd days. Since it was an odd day - and to spice things up, it was a Friday as well; she had decided to make another visit to her family back in Bunny Burrows.

"Come on Nick, don't be such a baby," Judy retorted back, stepping on the gas. "Besides, the kids are so eager for your return!"

Nick massaged his forehead. "Whiskers… you do know how many little brothers and sisters you have, right?"

"Sure do! Two hundred and ninety two!"

"See the problem? I could not possibly handle all of - did the numbers increase?" Nick asked in sudden shock, scratching the back of his ear. "Please tell me I had misheard."

"Nope, it is all true! There are 5 more of them – yet to be named!" Judy answered in excitement. She beamed at him jubilantly. "Actually, that is the reason why I wanted to pay them a quick visit when I come to think of it."

"You bunnies really are good at multiplying," Nick commented in disbelief.

Speaking of handling rabbit kits, he could feel a headache coming just by thinking about babysitting all two hundred and ninety two of her younger siblings again. The previous time was overwhelming and had left him exhausted from playing tag with them. His feet felt like he was walking on hot coal by the time he caught all of them. Even running a marathon was less intimidating. Chasing one or two of them was easy to cope, but multiplying that number by a hundred was deadly. Not to mention that they hopped around so erratically – making sharp turns out of the blue and halting in mid-hop that it was almost impossible to grab them. Nick gradually slid down the seat as he reimagined the scene play through his head.

"Don't worry, I was just messing with you! By the time we reach there, they would all be tucked in bed and sound asleep," Judy reassured Nick when she saw him looking pale.

"Well, Hallelujah," he exclaimed in relief. Nick repositioned himself and sat up straight, resting against the seat's backrest. After making himself comfortable, Nick then whipped out his phone and continued his usual fair of browsing through the web. A rather awkward moment of pure silence enveloped the car as they rode down the highway that led to the outskirts of Zootopia. It remained this way until Nick finally decided to break the stillness in the air.

"Say Carrots, a new restaurant has opened nearby our precinct. And apparently, it is one of those new hybrid catering outlets which serve both prey and predator alike. Care to join me for lunch tomorrow? I will drive," Nick said, switching his phone for the car radio. He did not feel right to stare at his smartphone right after he had promised Judy that he would refrain from doing so during the previous case. As much as he tried to avoid using such technology, all bad habits die hard and he would find himself repeating the same offense time to time.

Judy casted a quick glance at him before focusing back onto traffic ahead. "Sounds pretty good to me, what kind of food do they serve there, though?"

"Not the shadiest of clues – I am eager to find out as well," Nick replied as he gazed down the lengthy road. The highway extended outwards to the horizon, uniformly shrinking in width as it stretched far out. He watched as the luscious scenery of the modern city rushed past the sides of the car. "You know what? Perhaps this hometown of mine is getting closer to being the Utopia which many envisioned it to be."

"As long as we try out best to improve," Judy noted in optimism as she tapped on the steering wheel. "We will get there eventually."

"Zootopia. The city where prey and predator come together and live their lives in harmony; what a big white lie, huh?" Nick quoted.

Judy snickered. "If I had a dollar every time somebody believed in that."

"Ha, yeah… You will be the richest mammal in Zootopia," Nick answered.

No doubt every single young mammal would have undying faith in in such rumoured fallacies. But having Zootopia as his birthplace, Nick knew fully of what the cherished haven truly was. As Judy was going to add on to the casual banter, her phone started ringing in defiance.

"Give me a second, I'm guessing it's my parents who are calling," Judy exclaimed, pulling off to the roadside before picking up the receiving end. Nick took a peek at her mobile screen. It was not exactly a phone call; more of a video chat as he could make out both of her parents - Stu and Bonnie. He recalled the first time which he had met them. They were not very keen at the start knowing that Judy would have to be working alongside a fox, as rabbits and foxes were common enemies. But after knowing that Nick had cared for her and even stepped into save Judy from getting fired right on the spot during her first case, they had decided to look past their mild sense of distrust towards him and accepted him. Days passed by and eventually they have grown close enough to trust him entirely that they even have Nick added inside their family's mobile chat group.

"Hi Sweetie! Glad to see you after so long! Are you doing fine?" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Yeah, everything is swell!" Judy replied back in glee, a big smile plastered on her face.

"Are you on your way here?" Bonnie asked.

"Yep! I have brought Nick along as well!"

"Oh, Nick is coming with you? That's even better!" Stu cut in excitedly. "You two will be in for quite a treat!"

"I have to agree with your father on that," Bonnie laughed.

"What is it?" Judy inquired pleadingly, leaning closer to the screen.

"Cannot reveal it just yet! Do not want to ruin the surprise!" Stu noted, which in turn made Judy frown grumpily. She always hated surprises; but the good thing about it was that most of the times it was worth the wait.

"I hope there are blueberries to snack on, else I would be upset," Nick said, attempting to join the video call by leaning towards Judy from his seat.

"Do not worry about that, we never run out of those!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Oh, and may I know approximately when you would reach here? I might have to hurry up with the cooking if you are arriving soon,"

"Take your time, Mom! We are only halfway there, no need for hurrying," Judy reassured her.

"Alright, if that is the case, I will resume making dinner. Be sure to drive safely!"

"I will! You can count on me," Judy piped as she placed her paw on her police badge in pride. "As I am a police officer!"

"Swell! But always side the good cops, not the bad ones! Never liked those guys," Stu exclaimed before checking his wristwatch. "Would you look at the time – I have to go and settle the orders for tomorrow's produce! Well, see you later then, Judes!"

"Bye! I will make sure to be there on time for the meal!" Judy said as she bid farewell to her parents, ending the video call with a swipe of a finger. Slipping her phone into her pocket, Judy drove back into the highway, steering back to the fast lane; curiosity of the surprise being the main driving force.

Nick looked at her in discomfort. "The surprise better not be your siblings ready to pounce on me as we arrive at their doorstep as I would be a dead fox by dawn."

"Even if my parents allowed them to stay up late, they would be sleeping like logs by this time," Judy answered, eyes busy on the traffic ahead once again. "The young ones can never remain awake past their curfew – they need their hours for the next day to come anyway."

[Richard's Perspective]

I watched as Stu was doing the paperwork for his farm business. Surprisingly, the documents were of resemblance to our world; full of small prints, multiple accounts, names and signatures here and there, some even had the stamp of approval. But as far as I recognized the similarities, I did not take accounting in school – which resulted in me not understanding whatever Stu was scribbling on the papers. An avid adventurer like me would never go near anything related to business or cash management. It was too dull for me to take it seriously. I will just leave it to all my aspiring money making classmates for that baloney.

Stu kept his focus on the documents as he suddenly spoke. "Interested? Want to help fill some out?"

"No thanks, I will draw," I reeled back from his request. "I have zero experience dealing with accounts," I laughed raggedly.

"It isn't that hard, actually. See? Even an old carrot farmer like me is capable of it!" Stu chortled. He then changed the subject, which I was glad that he took notice. "It should be around time Judy arrives; in the meantime you could watch the television till she knocks on the front door if you are bored. The channels are local, so do not expect anything from the city area, hah!"

Leaving Stu to his work, I made my way towards the couches for a sit-down. Thinking back, most of the time I had inside the farmhouse was spent on this cotton covered two seater. I was either sleeping the hours off or staring at random objects around the house from my spot. Occasionally, I would check my phone to realize that it has nothing to offer. It was like how I would find myself checking the fridge without purpose when I had nothing else to do at home. Staying at a farm sure was certainly not my type of adventure. As much as I preferred going out of my comfort zone in exchange for an escapade outdoors, idling about without any hands on exploration was the dreariest. I flipped through the limited channels which were airing on the tele, but none of them caught my interest. Do not get me wrong; there were documentaries – but they were all centred on agriculture and vegetation, which I had watched these shows an ample amount of times already that I could practically recap every single detail about each specific farm crop. Seemingly, there were also no crops which I could see that does not already exist in our world. Carrots, potatoes, melons, berries, vegetables; you name it, we have it. Not to mention that since the cast featured mostly farmers, they did not touch on any of the exotic plants.

I was busy snacking on the remainders left of the bowl of blueberries when I heard persistent knocking on the door. Almost immediately, I could hear Stu's footsteps rapping hurriedly down the stairs from the second floor of the farmhouse.

"They are here!" Stu exclaimed eagerly, heading for the front door, one paw supporting his cap from falling off of his head as he sprinted across the guest room like a business man catching a train ride during rush hour.

Bonnie had finished placing the dining table with an assortment of vegetarian dishes. "Just in time for dinner! Open the door for them, Stu."

I remained seated on the couch as Stu hastily opened the front door.

"Hi Mom, Hi Dad!" Judy greeted them happily.

"Hi sweetie, and Nick as well," Bonnie acknowledged with a smile. The fox waved back courteously. At this moment in time, I was already feeling the anxiety hitting me like a truck. What was I going to say? I hope I looked presentable… as a fox. I swallowed hard when Judy turned, finally noticing me on the couch.

"Who is that? Do you know him Nick?" she asked, cocking a brow. Nick just stared at me.

"No idea Carrots, never met him before in my life."

Stu jumped in to break the ice. "That right there is the surprise!"