Chapter 8
Author's Note: I lost all my notes. Yippee... So, sorry but the process might be slow. Thank you all for your patience, support, and encouragement.
"I can't feel a thing," Felicia complained, shivering in her thick coat. Yax was free to go after he failed the fly test, and the rest of them faced their next challenge the next morning.
"The key is teamwork," McHorn had instructed on the plane as they all suited up in provided sweatshirts, coats, pants, and boots. "And stamina. We're flying you to the coldest district in Zootopia, the third coldest place in the world: the Arctic District. Remember to stay together. This will not be any winter wonderland. That rare breed of fly was your first step."
Benny turned to Felicia with a perplexed look. "Aren't you polar bears used to these conditions?" The polar bear gave him her nastiest glare, effectively shutting him up.
The six of them trudged through the snow, most buried knee deep in it, for an hour or two at least. They were not permitted to bring watches, so they had no idea how much time had passed since they were dropped off. Then, Benny had to pause to catch his breath and collect himself, frustrating Leo and Felicia.
"Come on, you house cat!" Leo snarled, sharing an annoyed look with Felicia. "We have to stick together, remember?"
Gazelle gave the cheetah a pat on the back for encouragement, causing him to blush. "We can do this, Benny! Come on!"
Grinning dreamily as she walked ahead of him, Benny followed her like a tantalized puppy. Nick noticed his behavior and nudged Benny playfully.
"Keep your head in the game, Benny!"
They all endured the cold for another half hour until Gazelle suddenly spotted a remote cottage on a hill up ahead. Felicia was ready to barge into it, but Judy quickly protested.
"It may be a trap, another test -"
"I really don't care, Cottontail! I need some water, so shut your mouth!" Felicia led the others up the hill and to the doorstep. Leo banged on the door.
"Hello! We're Kingzoo agents and we -"
"Actually," Nick piped up. "We're not yet -" Leo growled at him, but Nick just shrugged.
"Just saying..."
The door opened, revealing, to their surprise, Yax. Only, he was not wrapped in a towel anymore. After one glance, they all wished he still was...
Judy squealed and averted her eyes, amusing her unfazed husband. "Oooh! You are naked!"
"Disgusting!" Leo groused, while Nick just smirked at Judy and the other three blushed and coughed violently.
Yax looked down at his exposed body and chuckled lightly. "Oh, for sure! This here's a naturalist spot, dudes! I returned to my old friends and hobbies after Kingzoo." Yax stepped aside, welcoming them inside. "Come in! Meet my friends. Meet Nangi."
Tempted by the warm, smoky fireplace and the lingering smells of hot cocoa and incense, all six animals removed their coats, rushed inside, and placed their coats on the huge coat hanger inside. The fireplace, with its embers glowing brightly, welcomed them. Three sleepy, nude, and presumably drunk cats greeted them, rocking to and for in rocking chairs in front of the fireplace. They passed the kitchenette, where naked rodents and turtles and snakes ate grapes and mingled. Naked wolves were meditating in the living room. Naked pigs were giving each other mud massages in the bathroom. In the bedrooms, nude animals of all sorts were either playing charades, talking, or, as Nick put it, "keeping doors shut for good reasons."
Well, one pair of squirrels did not.
"Oh..." Nick, still smirking amusedly, knelt to Judy's level. The poor rabbit froze, her mouth agape and her face flushed bright red. "Does this make you uncomfortable?"
Judy watched the group leave without them and scowled at Nick. "Well, honey, it's not everyday that you see two squirrels make out and act so... so... licentious!"
"No, it's not everyday that a prudish bunny from Bunnyburrow sees two squirrels make out."
"Nick, you are insufferable."
"I love you, too, Carrots."
"Let's just pretend we did not see that, okay?"
Nick, to her relief, agreed silently, and the pair quickly caught up with the group. They ventured outside. Naked giraffes were ice skating. Naked bears were playing volleyball. And lastly, a beautiful, nude elephant was stretching shamelessly with a familiar face.
"Agent McHorn?!" The rhino nodded to the shocked six and continued stretching. He was naked, too, and apparently unashamed.
"Yes, and congratulations for passing the test. You're all welcomed to have hot cocoa. There are also snacks in the kitchen."
"Hey, Nangi!" Yax shouted a greeting to the elephant, who just glanced at him irritably. "Remember when I signed up for Kingzoo?"
"What?"
"Kingzoo, the Secret Service?"
"I have no memory of this cult."
"It's an agency," McHorn corrected her.
"I bet I didn't get any farther because I don't have Nangi's memory." The yak sighed wistfully. "I can't even remember what I ate last month. Wait... It was a burrito with five, six clovers and tomato wrapped into a wheat tortilla. Mmm... Remember, Nangi? I ate in in the kitchen."
"No."
"Yeah, it was after I set those lovesick squirrels up. It was four o'clock. We had eleven guests, half as many as we do today." He gazed admirably at Nangi. "I wish I had the memory of an elephant..."
"Anyway," McHorn spoke up to the six. "We're onto your next test; tolerability." McHorn groaned and glanced at Yax almost bitterly. "This naturalist club has agreed to fund us generously if I ask you to strip."
Benny, Gazelle, and Judy gawked and blushed, while Nick just laughed smugly and Felicia and Leo rolled their eyes while blushing ever so slightly.
"We're on a low budget," McHorn explained, "and this is a test. So strip, or drop out."
Judy immediately sputtered excuses to Nick, while Felicia and Leo slowly and hesitantly stripped. "Nick I can't do this -"
Nick stopped smiling and gave her a comforting pat. "Carrots, don't worry about them. Don't be embarrassed. Just look at me. Just me."
Judy nodded shyly, ducked her head, and began removing her clothes. Gazelle, meanwhile, doffed her clothes quickly and decided to help Benny by shielding him with his sweatshirt.
"It's okay, Benny. I'll cover you." Noticing he was studying her intently, Gazelle bit her lip nervously. "What is it? What's on my face?"
"N-Nothing!" Benny squeaked. You're absolutely stunning, you angel with horns...
"It's my legs, isn't it?" She looked down at them and sighed. "Oh, they're so ashy!"
Grateful for the distraction, Judy tossed her a bottle she had stored in her fanny pack. "You can borrow my carrot scented lotion, if you like." Gazelle smiled and thanked her.
"Nick," Judy whispered, her paws clenching the material of her sweatshirt as she turned back to the fox. "I can't..." She shivered as she felt the nudists gaze at her. Nick glared at their audience and gently helped her out of the shirt.
"Then let me help." Still blushing, Judy slowly helped him help her doff her clothes. Nick was blushing himself by the time they were through, and Judy found herself grinning as her eyes met his.
There were no traces of lust, only love. He was just as shy and uncomfortable about this, about this whole mess.
This vulnerable side of Nick, these rare traces in his loving, humorous personality, made her love him even more.
Their noses touched in synch, and Judy's mind went blank as she lost herself in his green orbs. "Is it possible to love you even more?" She whispered longingly.
Shaken by her question, Nick shook his head, and the smug smirk returned to his face.
"Well, I am irresistibly handsome, Carrots. You know you agree." Judy just continued smiling and pecked his nose. He, in return, kissed her lips, causing Yax to whoop.
"Yeah, dudes! Make out! It's natural, baby!"
xxx
That evening, they all gathered in front of a small village of rodents, which was far from the mansion but not far from Nick and Judy's apartment in Zootopia.
"Your next mission: removing a dangerous threat among civilliians." McHorn set a timer as a helicopter hovered over the village, dropped a shopping bag, and flew away.
"Your time starts... now."
They all raced like mad animals to where the bag was dropped. Carefully avoiding the scrambling and panicking villagers, the six animals were head to head until Benny tripped on his tail and grabbed Felicia's shoulder to balance himself. They both tumbled and fell.
"You stupid overweight cheetah!" She howled as he accidentally stepped on her paw.
"Sorry! So sorry!"
Gazelle found the threat: a firecracker, which was a dud.
"Quite anticlimactic," Nick mused as they returned to the mansion.
xxx
The tests or "missions" became more competitive after that day. Days passed. Weeks passed. Eventually, two whole months flew by the training troop.
"Your next mission: fight until the fall." Leo won that one.
"Your next mission: Grace. Balance four plates while fighting an opponent." Benny won that one, to everyone else's surprise.
"Your next mission: five laps." Gazelle won that one.
Then one day, McHorn took them to a huge, gray aircraft. When he saw the plane and heard McHorn say the word "skydive", Nick almost urinated in his pants.
He was terrified of heights.
xxx
Bogo knocked on the door and entered the spacious classroom. A lone black panther dressed in a brown suit was glancing over some notes at his desk.
He was the one, the math professor.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Manchas."
"Good afternoon," the panther greeted warily, looking up from his papers. "Can I help you, sir?"
"No, but I need to help you."
Mr. Manchas looked puzzled, but then he chortled to himself. "My good fellow, I am the professor. Aren't I? But since you've piqued my interest..." He lazily stood from his desk and calmly approached Bogo. "...What do you need to help me with?"
His condescending attitude did not faze Bogo, but he still felt a little tense when Manchas stood. "Sir, I have evidence to believe that you are a member of a very intriguing, very elusive group. So I must -"
The panther pounced on him immediately, sending Bogo to the floor. The two struggled and tossed each other around. Bogo reached for his gun.
SPLAT!
Bogo paled. He had kept samples of Dawn's Blues on him. He bought them earlier for research. Now, they were painted on the panther's face.
What happened next truly shook the cape buffalo. The panther leapt off of Bogo, and clawed and scratched his face, desperately trying to remove the blueberry juice. Then, his bright green eyes narrowed to slits, and he released a ferocious, savage growl.
With one look at Bogo, Manchas attacked.
