Judy Hopps had expected many things of her very first audition: cameras flashing, a large crowd, or at least at least fifteen people eagerly waiting in a comfortable environment with at least a couple security people making sure that nothing would go wrong. After all, there was a chance that the stars of the future would be there. And yet, nothing that had greeted her when she finally reached the rundown, odd area was like what she had imagined it to be. There was no long line, no staff serving refreshments. It was almost as if she was back at the dentist's in her old little town. A couple oddly placed chairs behind the large door and two other girls sitting on them, staring ahead expectantly. What had thrown her off mostly, however, was the fox standing just a few meters from her, right on the opposite side of the hall.
He wasn't tall, but he looked dangerous, deadly even with green eyes that glinted with false glee. Somehow, she could just tell that the grin plastered on his muzzle was not genuine either. She had seen many foxes back around Bunnyburrows and well, none of them had been friendly. Of course, Zootopia was different. Each and every animal was supposed to live freely there, following their dreams.
And yet, Judy could not fight the scream that escaped her when she finally realized that she was staring down a predator that could easily snap her neck. It couldn't even have been more than a few moments since she had spotted him, too. Merely, it had been her natural reaction. To danger, to something...someone lethal.
Judy could not help but regret leaving her safe home already. And yet, she finally stopped as the fox stepped back a few feet, a sigh escaping him. He seemed to truly be concerned about her as he murmured a few sentences, none of which registered in the poor rabbit's long ears that stood high, clearly alert. She was not shaking, but her right leg was tapping the floor in a nearly angry manner: she was ready to flee if needed.
Of course, a few minutes later once her ever-so-quick heart calmed a little, she had apologized softly, hating how judgemental she had been, relaying on the instincts she should have forgotten long ago. It wasn't as if the fox meant harm, really. Judy was just... still quite afraid of his kin.
Given that she had gotten there last, it had been her who had to wait until the other two girls were done singing their songs. When the horse-girl went in with the fox who was apparently called Nick, Judy had tried to strike up a friendly conversation with the otter.. Only to be glared at. She just looked away and tried to count the cracks on the wall, clutching onto her purse. It held every bit of the money she would have to hand in: the application fee of the audition. It was a lot, more than a month-worth of her rent. She knew that this was her one and only hope. She did not want to blow it.
By the time it was her turn, the other girls had left, chortling loudly to themselves. Apparently, Nick had told them that he would contact them soon, were they chosen for another round. Judy could not help but think that something was a little fishy about the whole process. Then again, she was no city-rabbit. How could she know how things were there? It was her first time ever out of the little town she had grown up in, after all.
As she took small, hesitant steps to the other room, her blood ran cold. What if the fox was going to hurt her? What if all of this was..just a game? What if he was like the predators she had heard of when she had been little. The ones that still lurked around, ready to jump when needed, to kill. Against her fears, Judy finally reached the room and stood in the middle, staring into the old little camera that was set up just in front of her. There was no microphone, no nothing. She wondered why.
"Just sing your song, sweetheart!" Nick said with a low chuckle, a smug look in his green orbs just for a moment. It was almost as if he was enjoying the bunny's torment. Then again, maybe he was. And yet, Judy took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she started singing quietly at first, allowing her voice to gently fill the silence of the room.
She did not see the fox's eyes widen, nor did she see how he just stared with newfound respect and something else. She lost herself in her singing, swaying just a bit from left to right. Before she had gotten there, she had wondered if she would have to act, too. After all, this was for a musical and not a talent show or a choir. She had also could not help but ponder on what the critics - apparently only one, how odd - would tell her. But as she started singing.. she forgot about it all.
She forgot about her stupid fears, her weird reactions to the predator, the smelly and still not quite tidy room that was waiting for her, her family... She focused only on note after note, hands by her sides, resting on her little white dress comfortably.
In those few, short minutes, many things happened at once. Judy Hopps sang, for the first time, in front of someone who was not related to her. She radiated hope and something else, causing pain to well up in her sole viewer's side.
Judy Hopp, the small-town bunny seemed to suddenly morph from a naive little girl into a confident woman with a voice and passion like no other.
However, on the opposite side of the room, something else happened, too. Nick Wild, the fox who lived solely on the ideas his witty brain crafted, felt like a kit again. He had never seen such a performance, not even from singers who had been on stage since they were little. Judy Hopps was truly spectacular.