"Keep your ears up, Carrots. We've only got five more hours to go."
"Five more hours?" Judy's ears stayed down, her paws crossed. "I don't think I can stand this any longer. Even I had something to do when I did parking duty."
"And what was that?"
"Let's see…" The bunny unfolded her paws and jumped onto her feet. "After filing two hundred citations before noon-"
"Two hundred?!" Nick's ears folded back in astonishment. "On your first day?"
"Yes, I was determined to show Chief Bogo that I was more than just a bunny. Now as I was saying; after those citations, I ran into a fox who was trying to help his son get a jumbo pop from a café designed for elephants..."
"Was the fox charming?" He questioned, a smirk forming on his face.
"I wish." Judy retorted, a hand on her hip. Her lips portrayed a faint smug smile. The fox annoyingly thrusted his paw to his side, the rabbit's smile fading. "What?" She asked, noticing his action.
"Oh nothing." Nick replied. "I was going to record you admitting how amazing I am." Judy's eyes widened in surprise, her paws dropping but her ears perked up.
"You sly fox- "
"WE HAVE A TEN TWENTY-FOUR ON OXDALE AND LION-LARD STREET." The officers' heads flicked toward the traffic car's radio which was receiving a signal, a little startled from the sudden outburst of sound. Normally parking patrol cars wouldn't be called to a scene unless they were the closest unit to an emergency. Nick and Judy were in so much shock that they stood there for a few seconds contemplating why they were actually getting the call. The voice on the line came from none-other than a startled and panicking Benjamin Clawhauser. "UNIT WILDE-HOPPS, CAN YOU READ ME?" Nick, breaking out of his thoughts, dived for the microphone, his stomach laying against the base of the seats with his right paw up to the radio. The position looked very awkward and uncomfortable to be in.
"Ten four, this is Wilde-Hopps." He replied quickly. "What's the situation?"
"CODE TWENTY-ONE B AT WOOLTON'S JEWELS." Judy gasped a little.
"I know where that is!" She exclaimed loudly, jumping a little as she did so. "It's close to here. We can run and it'll take us less time than the car!"
"Burglary…Ten-four." Nick replied to Clawhauser. "We're on our way!"
"BE CAREFUL!" The cheetah said into the radio before breaking off with them.
Judy rushed into the car, grabbing a two tranquilisers and ammo. Handing one of the air-propelling guns to Nick and locking the car with her key's, she began to rush off without any explanation.
"Carrots!" The fox called out, just getting to his feet. Knowing that she wasn't going to slow down, he began to sprint after her. "Wait up!"
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Judy raced around yet another corner, leaving no time for her partner to catch up completely. He was only a few feet behind, which was good enough for her. The bunny had been cutting through side streets and alley ways to get through to her destination quicker, the energy and adrenaline she built up during the day from no action was paying off.
"Carrots!" Nick called again. "Slow down, you can't just run straight into this."
"I'm a cop, that's what I do-"
"I know you're a cop but this could potentially be dangerous! We have to be cautious. What about back up?" Judy turned her head a bit to look at the fox, but continued to run forward.
"I know what I'm doing." She said blankly. "Just follow me lead and you'll be fine!"
"Carrots- " The bunny sprinted ahead, getting further away from Nick who was very nervous about her enthusiasm during the situation. "JUDY!"
Luckily, right after heading out of the side street they were in, they ended up on Oxdale street, the same one Clawhauser told them the burglary was on. Judy slowed down a little, her right paw reaching back to grab her tranquilizer which she had slipped into her holster as she ran. Nick did the same, keeping his eyes peeled for any activity in the store. He was too far away to tell for sure.
Keeping low, the bunny slowed down completely, coming to a full stop when she reached the road side. She ducked behind a car, letting her partner catch up to her. The outside of the shop was smashed into, the display shelf teared to shreds. Glass covered the entire sidewalk outside of the store and the front door had been completely battered in, the wooden frame hanging off only one hinge. They were just lucky that the street was quiet that day. Hopefully Clawhauser had called a road blockage to be placed in addition.
"Can you see anything?" Judy whispered to Nick, flicking her head toward the broken-into store. He lifted up his head a little to look through the window, his ears bending back in case they attracted attention.
"N-" He paused, his ears tilting forward a little as they sensed movement. Inside the store were three figures, stashing jewels into bags. "Actually… two weasels, one wolf. The wolf is black with patches of white and they're carrying shopping bags… They don't look armed."
"Don't look? I need a full answer, Nick-"
"No, not armed."
"Okay…" Judy tried to keep her breathing steady. It had been a short while since she'd been in a situation such as this, but she was willing to going through with it if it resulted in an arrest of mammals who were potentially dangerous to Zootopia's citizens. It was also in these situations that she wished she had ear plugs. The sirens coming from the store were quite loud and obnoxious to listen to. She wondered how the burglars inside could even stand it.
"On the count of three, we get up. Be ready." Nick nodded in agreement, re-positioning his paws on the tranquilizer. "One, two… Three!" The last number was considerably louder than the rest, yet the pair stood up simultaneously, pointing their guns defensively in front of them toward the store windows. Being on parking duty, they weren't really equipped with all the tools they would have had while on patrol. A firearm would have definitely helped Nick's nerves settle down and stop his paws from slightly shaking. "Where'd they go?" Judy whispered in annoyance.
"They must have gone out to the back room." The fox suggested. Judy shook her head.
"No, I don't think so. They haven't been able to get in, look at the back door. It doesn't look like it's been forced open or anything. They must have gone upstairs or they're hiding down here."
"Upstairs?"
"Mrs Woolton lives above the store for extra security."
"How do you know this?"
"I stopped a shoplifter a few months back while you were still training." The bunny explained. "Now come on! I'll take the back; you take the front."
Nick didn't like the idea of two against three, especially when his partner was going into the back end of the store where she presumed the suspects were; but he trusted Judy with his life. This was not one of the times he was going to give up on her.
Leading the way, Judy kept low, her eyes scanning the room. She glanced back to Nick, signalling toward the front desk that was covered in glass. He nodded, leading to the right as Judy kept branching forward.
The fox crept over to the desk, careful not to step on anything that could cut himself. With a dash, he darted behind the piece of furniture and held up his tranquilizer in defence. To his surprise, he didn't see the mammals he saw in the shop before. Behind the desk was, who he assumed to be, Mrs Woolton, a sheep in her prime. A purple cardigan and white dress was scattered with small chips of glass from the window, the wool on her head slightly dampened with dark red.
"Are you okay?" He bent down, whispering toward the sheep. He flashed his badge that was still pinned on his chest to convey that he was with the law. Mrs Woolton's shoulders lowered as she relaxed and nodded in reply, realigning her cardigan into a more natural position. She slowly edged herself up and crawled toward the fox. Nick welcomed the frightened mammal with open arms, feeling her tremble as she clung onto him with a tight embrace. "Shhh…" He said calmly, patting her back. "Is there anyone else in here?" He questioned, afraid that this may become a hostage situation very quickly.
Mrs Woolton looked behind her, a young rabbit slowly made its way out from underneath the desk. It couldn't have been older than ten or twelve. Nick's ears bent back, his fur turning a crisp rose… it was so cute! It made him wonder whether Judy was this cute when she was younger.
"Is that all?" He pressed further, unable to take his eyes off the small bunny.
"Not that I am aware of."
"Alright, stay down. I'll come back for you-"
"Please, sir!" Mrs Woolton cried softly. "You must be careful."
"This is my job, ma'am." The sheep looked at him with frightened irises, her hooves still shaking. Nick raised an eyebrow, the emotion on her face suggesting there was more to the situation. "Is there something I need to know?"
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Judy continued forward, her ears on sharp alert for movement. Reaching the back door, she checked the handle. Firmly locked and no signs of breakage, just like she'd hoped. Quite curious considering this was reported as a burglary. The bunny then turned to another door to her left. A "staff only" sign was tossed aside next to the door which was now battered into. It wasn't exactly off its hinges, but it was in quite bad shape. Behind it showed a set of stairs that led up to what Judy suspected was Mrs Woolton's apartment.
The officer slowly made her way toward the stair case, her guard and nerves becoming alarmingly high.
"This is the police." She stated sternly up the stairs. "Come quietly and nobody will get hurt." Due to no response, the bunny continued. They couldn't have gone far. They had to be up there, they definitely weren't down stairs; Nick would have caught them already.
"Put your hands up, now!" Judy stated again, turning a sharp corner on the stair case. Her keen ears suddenly picked up a rustling from the room above her, feet shuffling about as if trying to hide. She was positive it would be them. Skipping a few steps, Judy ended up at the top of the stairs in front of a large glass window that looked out to the street outside. The bunny scanned the area with a flash before turning around in defence. She had to admit in the time she had scanned what was 180 degrees in front of her she could have been jumped, but luckily she hadn't. But once she turned around to defend herself… there was nothing.
No mammals.
Just an empty hall way with a perfectly clean apartment door to the right.
"Wh- that's impossible." Judy lowered her gun slightly, confused to how this was able to occur. Her hearing couldn't possibly be wrong! She definitely heard someone.
"JUDY!" Nick abruptly screamed from below. Judy's attention directed itself straight to the fox who had rushed to the bottom of the stair case. He looked alarmed… no… panic-stricken. "They've go- SHIT!" He looked directly behind the rabbit, his hand instinctively pointing. "LOOK OUT!"
Feeling the need to flee, the bunny rolled forward to avoid a possible threat, but it was too late.
Little did Judy know when she first climbed the stair case, the three intruders had jumped up the wall to cling to the high ceiling where they couldn't be seen directly. Noticing the fox's presence, the wolf in the group climbed down, lunging for the bunny. Having no time to consider what was actually going on, Judy rolled straight into him, making matters worse for herself. The two weasels on either side made quick progress to smash the glass window in front of the stair case and make a run for it; jewels in tow.
In an effort to help his partner, Nick began to race up the flight of stairs, only to be stopped by the figure of the large wolf and Judy who was limp in its large paws. The fox immediately held up his tranquilizer, the fur on his neck on edge as he growled. It was hard to aim or see properly due to the sun from the broken window shining into his eyes. Without moving his position, he wouldn't be able to pull off a safe shot. He could hit Judy!
"Aww, she's only knocked out you stupid fox." The wolf grumbled, an amused tone in its voice. "If I didn't have a job to do, I'd finish her off right now; but I gotta rush." The large paw gave way, Judy's unconscious body falling to the ground and tumbling down the stairs at a quick and injury-rate speed. Nick let go of his defence, rushing up to the bunny before she could fall any more.
He picked her up, Judy's ears slashed from the glass that had trickled down the stairs from the weasels' escape. She was breathing, thankfully. Nick only noticed when he looked up that the wolf had disappeared out into the city and probably long gone.
That son of a bull was going to have a very bad time if he was seen again.
Did I just name their unit "Wildehopps"? Yes, yes I did.
It fits so well that I just had to have it in there. So, you all have my permission to freak out and squeal to your heart's content.