Presage
This chapter originally was supposed to be part of the previous one with six mini chapters instead of four but these last two were so large it needed to be split. This consists of an always interesting call to their favorite legendary fox and finally an event signaling that times they are a changing. Things are starting to heat up in Z-Town.
Zoodate: 143-144 P.C.
Zoodate: 143 P.C.
Later that evening Nick left to go on a date with red tailed panda Charlotte. He would not say where he was going or how long he would be gone. He merely stated they were going out to do stuff. He was wearing a brand new tie and shirt. They looked virtually the same as his normal casual attire but to his two roommates the change was quite noticeable. With Nick out for the evening Judy and Drew decided it was a good time to call Nick's secret uncle. Judy had been a bit hesitant to talk about what had happened earlier in the day with Finley, but since that was all Nick was talking about, the buck was out of the bag so to speak and hopping around all over so that was pointless.
"I just didn't expect him to go so far." A despondent bunny admitted to her secret mate.
Drew sighed trying to her cheer her up, "It can't be as bad as you described."
"It's worse. Every officer in the precinct thinks either I am engaged or virtually married to him." She looked down in frustration.
He gently smiled at her rubbing her head and ears as she lay in his lap on the sofa looking up at him, "Well look at it this way, you don't need to worry about any of them thinking you and I are together."
"That's part of the problem. I had to go see Bogo afterwards and try and explain everything. It took quite a lot of convincing for him to understand and believe the truth." She explained describing her conversation with her boss shortly after the event with the buck.
The Chief had heard about what had occurred after he had left and knew the truth about her current living and love situation simply because it was regulations. Not that it was required for officers to divulge their love life normally, but if those relationships were with other government officials, anyone employed at ZPD in any capacity, or someone high profile or influential then it was his business. This was to prevent any conflicts of interest. In Judy's case she and Nick would never be assigned to any case investigating anything involving The Office of Human Affairs. Not that this represented many cases, but occasionally things came up involving human goods. Not that the presence of the human goods was the issue, but if they were stolen from Drew's office or suspected to have a connection to one of his employees, the pair of ZPD officers would pass the case off. Fortunately Drew ran a fairly tight ship and tried his best to make sure everything was always aboveboard at his office mainly due to Marvin's management. Just like Nick knew every con and scam, Marvin knew every trick about misappropriating goods. Yes it seemed specist to think that just because he was a raccoon, he was an expert at anything involving theft, but Marvin had a past when he hadn't always been so official the same as Nick, and he went where his talents lay. Drew never asked Marvin about his past, but the raccoon did hint a bit strongly about his checkered past especially after seeing how close his human friend and boss was to one sly former con artist Nick Wilde as well as his relationship with Finnick. Marvin and Nick had never crossed paths directly during their time on the streets, but they knew of each other by reputation as experts in their field would.
Once Nick had finally admitted to knowing of Marvin and his exploits, Drew had actually become more impressed with his assistant. Drew did explain that he knew Marvin was truthful and had left his past ways due to his initial emotional read on the friendly raccoon as he was far easier to read than his fox friend. Nick had spent his entire life hiding his true motivations from others, but the raccoon always avoided interacting with anyone so had never even trained in deception of his thoughts. But now having such a mind working for him, Drew took advantage of the raccoon's vast experience to make sure all the goods they managed got to where they were supposed to go.
Drew laughed thinking of the number of criminals or former criminals he was now associated with or good friends with while at the same time living with and loving a star ZPD officer. Not that his past was so clean and pure as a hacker breaking into company and government computer systems, an activist using nearly all illegal methods to gather information to prevent animal exploitation and abuse, and finally working for a secret military and spy organization hacking satellites and stealing data and resources. Judy knew all about his past as Drew had never kept any of this from her as it was all vital as part of their plan to escape those who had held and tortured her and finally return her home to Zootopia.
"Well you're in an awfully good mood considering what I told you." She stated to her love with a curious look.
He explained with a grin, "I was just imagining the look on your face as all this happened. This Finley is one surprising and amazing mammal. I will not underestimate him that is for sure. At one time I had wanted to just invite him over and admit everything to him to try and squash this whole thing, but with the Protectors now in power that could be an extremely dangerous thing. I don't see him as a vindictive sort, but it is too risky that he might try and use them to break us apart in order to have you all to himself."
Judy considered his words and sighed, "You are right. He is ambitious and most likely ruthless in many of the things he has done to get to where he is now. He has had to do that as a bunny. I had to do many of the same kinds of things to get to where I am now. It was not easy overcoming all the obstacles and prejudices along the way. Sometimes you had to do things that weren't pleasant and nice. If he wanted something bad enough as it appears he does, he may consider every option on the table in his pursuit of me."
"I had initially considered asking for Reynard's help, but was afraid of him doing something that might harm the buck and I would not want that at all. I have come to respect and admire Finley and can definitely see why he would go to such lengths to pursue you. He sees in you what I do. It is just his main flaw is not accepting you as you are now, but instead seeing what he could help you become. Not that his motives aren't pure, but I believe he is blinded by that future vision rather than considering only what you want and what would be best for you. I'm not saying he doesn't want to do and give you wonderful things. It's just I know you far better and hope I better understand what makes you truly happy. If I thought giving you prestige, money and power were what would make you happy, I would have adjusted my goals and plans accordingly. I realize I could easily use my knowledge of humanity to build great wealth and power here as there are so many untapped markets, but I know you would much prefer me spend my free time with you and helping the city and world you love." Her human love declared in a very frank and completely open admission.
She considered his words and looked at him curiously, "Are you only helping Zootopia for me?"
He smiled at her and gave her a brief kiss staring at his love in his lap, "No. I can see how you could get that from what I said. Initially it was mainly you who motivated me, but I quickly realized that I had spent my whole life loving other animals and wanting to help them enjoy living free and happy lives. Your land is my dream come true and I want to dedicate myself to doing the same here. Whether the potential dangers be humans, The Covenant, The Savage Moment, Bellwether's Night Howler Conspiracy or now The Protectors, I want to help fight for the freedom and well-being of the mammals here in the best way I can."
Judy thought about this all laying on her side and then looked up at him and asked, "What if I wanted you be a tycoon and shower me with diamonds and gold and parties for the super elite and powerful?"
Drew looked down at her considering her words, "If you did, then you wouldn't be the bunny who I have come to know and love. I would wonder what happened to her. I would worry you were possessed or hypnotized. I realize we all change with time. That is the reason most activists are young. But rarely do you change who you are that much. If I truly felt you were uncompromised and really needed those to be truly happy, I suppose I would make the effort to give them to you."
She sat up looking at him sadly thinking about all he said, "Sometimes I wonder myself what I really want. I know I want you as my friend and love. I know I want Nick as my friend and partner at the ZPD. I know I want my family to be happy and healthy. I know I want Zootopia to be the way it is now and not what these Protectors want it to be. I know I want all it's citizens to be free and happy. But I sometimes wonder about what that other life would be like. Both the one that Finley sees or the one many of my sisters see raising a large family of bunnies."
He smiled at her giving her a gentle hug as he sat looking at her, "I would have said that is just human nature. I will revise that to say that is just sentient mammal nature. We have a saying on human Earth that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It just means that we can't help but imagine that things could be better if only we were in someone else's position or if we possessed certain things or if certain circumstances were different. It is part of your wanting things to improve or not being just satisfied with the status quo. If everyone just was happy with whatever their situation was then civilization would never have advanced. It was that drive and desire to improve ones circumstances that pushed humanity and mammality forward."
She hugged him and looked at him curiously, "How did you get so wise and enlightened at such a young age?"
He pushed her down on the sofa and kissed her belly, "I suppose I had my fair share of demons at a young age. Through suffering and tragedy comes growth and life experience no matter your age. Some old people never obtain that while other youth have lived a lifetime of that experience in just a short number of years. For example I was denied that love and affection many others experienced and thus appreciate it far more now than if I had it all along. Speaking of that..."
Judy giggled as he began to kiss her more insistently and remove some of her impediments to his immediate goals eventually leaving a pile of those impediments on the floor next to her and thoroughly attempted to cheer her up the best way he knew how. Apparently she needed quite a lot of cheering up as he kept at it several times until she was quite contented and overjoyed.
After a brief rest and shower they ate dinner and dressed in their comfortable nightwear and grabbed some writing utensils and lay next to each other prone on the sofa in the living area and gave their friendly neighborhood legendary fox figure a call on speakerphone on Drew's secure phone he only used for Reynard. The call rang for several minutes and finally a voice answered, "Let me call you back in a short bit." The call abruptly ended.
They knew Reynard was a very busy figure and could only imagine what he might be up to currently. So they decided to watch a movie on the television while they waited fooling around a bit but mostly just cuddling as they had thoroughly worked the other out of their system previously. Two thirds of the way through the movie right at the climactic scene of course the phone rang and they paused the movie to answer the phone. It was the way things were and you had just better accept them as Reynard would often say.
As they pressed the answer on the phone, a voice cautiously asked, "And who might this be?"
Their fox friend was always cautious as one such as he would have to be and so the two of them answered, "Saphira and Lancelot… who might this be?"
In dramatic fashion they heard the voice answer, "It is I, come from legends of the past to grace you with my wisdom and guidance as I have a feeling you may need quite a lot of that in the days to come."
Drew answered him in a mischievous way, "We do have a friend that meets that description. But how can we be sure you are who you claim to be?"
The voice considered his words, "How can we truly know who any of us really are when it comes down to it. But I do believe you just delivered me six very large crates of golf equipment if memory serves me correctly which it usually does. I haven't gotten senile yet."
Drew laughed at that, "Are you free to talk now?"
Reynard responded for who else could it be, "Yes, I apologize for earlier, but I was not free to talk when you called as I was not alone."
Judy asked hopefully, "Were you with a lovely vixen or any fully grown kits by chance?"
The fox answered, "Ah my bunny friend you never cease in your persistence I see. I do admire your determination but you can't outfox a fox."
Drew countered, "We have heard that before from your nephew, and while quite challenging and many times true it is not always the case. We do manage to slip a few past him every once in awhile."
"Well then I should clarify your can't outfox this fox." The fox clarified.
A frustrated bunny responded, "It doesn't mean I won't keep trying. I can't believe you can be more frustrating than your nephew. I didn't think that was possible, but you manage it."
"But if I told you all my secrets, then I wouldn't get these lovely calls from you." The fox slyly answered.
Drew did have a response to this, "That is most certainly not true as you are our friend now and we would always welcome a chance to talk to you and see how you are doing regardless of the situation. We wouldn't just call when we wanted help."
They could hear the fox's sarcasm through the phone, "So I take it this is just a social call?"
Drew admitted, "Well… no… it doesn't mean we wouldn't just like to chat and all, but there are many pressing matters to discuss. We feel another in person meeting would be needed for this amount of discussion."
The fox seemed to understand immediately, "Ah you wish to continue the story I suspect. I figured it would become necessary as you treated my sister."
Judy answered, "Yes we need to know everything that happened with her and Nick. It is important to help treat her so we can reunite your family. There also are many other items we need to discuss."
Reynard responded cautiously, "You do seem quite determined that this somehow happen. I am not very optimistic about your chances of success, but I will not deny you the tools to try as long as you pay your fee of course."
Judy wondered, "What fee is that?"
The fox immediately answered, "Why your part of the story of course. I know that much media attention was given to what happened at the West Plant once you returned to Zootopia. But I want to know the story that only you know, not what the media has portrayed. I wish to know everything you know about what happened from yourselves and your friends that were there. Surely the media don't know the details of all that occurred."
Judy responded, "No… no they are missing quite a lot of the details. But I was… well not all there mentally for much of that. But I can tell Tala's part of the story as well as my part as she told me every tiny detail. Drew should know most of the other as he was there throughout, and Nick told us most of what happened to him. Will we find out about Aza and the kits in the story?"
"That would do nicely as payment. As far as the other… no you would need to hear my full story to find out about that. But I suppose if you were able to accomplish your mission with my sister, you might find those particular truths you seek earlier." Reynard admitted.
Judy was quite excited about this answer. However Drew did have a concern asking, "I suspect you have quite a lot more story to tell. However if we finish this part of our story that nearly tells everything about our lives as we have told you most everything that has happened up to date except for things we aren't permitted due to their classified nature or confidentiality agreements in the case of your sister's treatment. How do we hear the rest of your story?"
"Ah well, I am sure we can come up with some other payments. I am sure there are some quite interesting stories from before you two met you could share. For each of you to have gotten where you are now would require some unusual and quite extraordinary circumstances." The fox assured them.
Judy felt better about this as she was also very curious about all the things she had heard through stories told about the legends of Reynard, and how much was truth and how much fiction. But they had more pressing matters namely helping Marion, "Are you able to arrange a meeting soon?"
"Well truth be told, I was suspecting this call would be coming so I already took the steps to prepare everything in advance for just this eventuality. How does Sunday sound the day after tomorrow? We could plan to meet a bit earlier than last time if you are off work and are able. We could discuss other topics and your story, and then enjoy a nice meal and get to mine which may take awhile to get through this time. That is why I suggested that format and greater portion of time." The well-prepared fox proposed.
Drew accepted his proposal, "That sounds perfect as Judy is off this weekend and I should be free as I planned to do any pressing work from home to be with her. I suspect you want us to meet at one of your properties this time."
The fox responded, "You assume correctly my perceptive human friend. Plan to meet some associates of mine around 2 pm on Sunday, and they will escort you to my location. It is merely a precaution on my part to prevent you from knowing the location for several reasons, but namely one related to any attempt to find me without aid directly from my sister to fulfill my pact with her from long ago. I will send you the details earlier in the day. I would recommend taking a taxi or having a friend drop you off at the location rather than use your government motor pool as a precaution considering who is in charge now. All government vehicles are equipped with GPS tracking and the motor pool logs all that information. My associates will return you home once you are done."
"Ah more cloak and dagger I see. Your precautions are warranted though I am afraid to say." The human admitted, "However I did have one thing I wanted you to possibly look into before we meet. I was hoping you could find some kind of position for Mayor Le Pew while she decides what her plans are for the future. I am quite sure she would be a very valuable asset to your organization considering her knowledge of all aspects of how the government works. I told her that she would be contacted through an intermediary and to know it was from you by having them mention my name specifically. I have a feeling we are going to need her close in the coming days and having her in such a position could yield many benefits as I am sure you can see."
The fox paused for a moment thinking, "You are very correct in assuming she would be a highly valued asset to me. I would just have to be very careful how close I placed her as she is quite shrewd and brilliant and I would not want to tempt her with finding out more about who I am you understand. I believe this could be handled as long as it was very carefully managed, and I do agree she will need to be close, but I also suspect The Protectors will be keeping a close eye on her so you will need to be very careful about how you contact her in case they are watching or listening. Anyway I will get to work on that as well in the meantime. I look forward to seeing you two again on Sunday."
Drew and Judy answered enthusiastically, "And us as well. We have been hoping to continue your story for quite awhile. Til we meet then."
Reynard responded, "Excellent, oh by the way gifts are not necessary this time. But a couple bottles of alcohol for us to enjoy would be appreciated." With that the call was ended.
"I've had enough alcohol for a bit. I would hate to think what would happen if Bad Bunny came out in front of him." Judy shuddered thinking of that.
Drew consoled her, "It was only because you were very comfortable in your own home with two close friends that you felt you could be fully open with. I admit you did get quite a bit carried away towards the end, but I suspect with circumstances being different you would not act that way around Reynard. Also if you drank it with food or in moderation it would not be so bad."
"I think getting carried away is quite a pleasant way to put what I did." Judy responded still a good bit ashamed of what had happened, "I am just glad Brian dragged them upstairs during most of that and that I kept covered at least. But neither have said a word about it to me since. Only Nick has bugged me about what went on and hopefully we have been successful hiding that from him."
"Well just to be safe how about we get all that out of our system before we leave for the meeting?" The human said devilishly.
"You really are incorrigible." Judy accused her love with an exasperated look and voice.
The human grinned, "Only with respect to you my dear."
Zoodate: 144 P.C.
On Saturday Drew and Judy decided to take a break and actually see some of the culture offered downtown together. They finally justified it saying that with The Protector changes they wondered how many future opportunities they would have to wander around together. They would just have to remember to be careful. They enjoyed the food festival downtown and tried all the samples offered. Then they went to a concert by a new jazz band and a cappella group and then saw some of the new art exhibits. It was a lot of fun being out together and saying hi and talking to other mammals. Being together definitely made them stand out, but most mammals were very respectful of their privacy and they happily took pictures and chatted with those that approached them.
The city seemed to be the same old Zootopia and was a joy to experience in all its glory. Drew had wished they had taken advantage of being out and seeing what it had to offer more often. He dreamed of the day when he could hold his friend and love's paw, put his arm around her or kiss her without causing a major disaster. Such a time did not appear to be coming anytime soon at least for a few years. But so many fortunate events had come his way so he counted his blessings for what he had and didn't take his current circumstances for granted. If he needed to stay in hiding for the foreseeable future, so be it.
They were walking home when they saw a malt shop and Judy excitedly pointed it out grabbing his hand and dragging him toward it. He smiled loving her energy and enthusiasm. She was always like a breathe of fresh air no matter what disaster was happening at his office or in his life. He followed her in and they found an empty booth near the end where it was more private. They nodded to other patrons of the establishment smiling and giving them a slight wave as they walked past. Their waitress, a sheep named Flo, cheerfully took their order and left them alone.
Initially they were sitting across the booth from each other, but the table and chairs were designed for medium-large mammals and only Judy's ears could be seen sticking up over the table. She had to stand up on the seat on tiptoes to be seen. Unfortunately all the booster chairs for smaller mammals were in use so she decided to move over and sit next to the human so they could talk without her having to stand and yell across a long table. Judy ordered a strawberry and banana milk shake as she always like this combo even though it cost extra for the human world imported bananas. Hopefully eventually Reynard and their little side project would make that a lot more affordable bringing them in from the tropical Zootopian regions. The human got a chocolate malt, the classic. Both enjoyed their shakes and chatted happily about their day out. Drew absently put his left arm around his love, wiped his mouth off and gave her a kiss on her head and a slight squeeze.
They went back to drinking their malts and failed to notice a table of young mammals staring at them with frowns and disapproving looks talking amongst each other in hushed tones. In their defense Drew and Judy were quite used to having others stare at them mostly because of their notoriety but also because they were an unusual looking pair. So having other mammals staring at them, pointing at them and whispering together was never something they were alert for as it was what they saw constantly when they were out together.
Judy asked, "So did Nick say anything to you about his date last night?"
Drew responded, "The only thing he said was it went okay. I couldn't get a read on anything. I hope it went well as he could use someone like Charlotte in his life."
Judy noticed her fox friend's unusual actions, "He does seem to be defensive and protective about her anytime her name is mentioned so it seems he sees her in a special way certainly."
Judy absented put her right paw on Drew's thigh and he automatically gently clasped it out of instinct. They thought it felt so good to be out like a normal couple for one brief moment. The two were so engaged in their discussion of Nick they failed to notice the four standing in front of their table staring at the pair glaring at their hand and paw held together. In fact it was only visible from directly in front of the booth. The four currently glaring daggers at them was a sheep and ram that appeared to be in their early 20's, a male zebra and a male wildebeest around the same age as their other companions. The group continued to stare at the human and bunny who were smiling and chatting until the Ram cleared his throat noisily.
The ram interrupted loudly, "Ahem!"
The two looked up at the group and Judy instinctively put her right paw in her lap.
Drew looked at the group and gave them a smile, "Hi guys? Is there something we can do for you? Did you want a picture or autograph?" This was quite common of groups approaching them like this.
The sheep sneered at them in response, "Why would we want those from you?"
Judy looked at their expressions with curiosity, "We are just used to… what did you want then?"
The zebra asked them in a threatening voice, "Are you two together?"
Drew was thrown by the negative feeling he got from the group and answered cautiously, "We are very close friends, yes."
The wildebeest glared at them, "A little too close for our tastes it looks like."
Judy had enough of this rude behavior and defiantly answered, "What business is it of yours?"
"It is every bit of our business. You two being in here carrying on together like that. It makes me sick. It is unnatural." The ram taunted spitting on the ground.
Drew responded, "Is it against the law for two friends to enjoy an evening out together?"
The sheep replied, "It should be for the likes of you two." She turned to glare at Judy directly, "How could you be with this… this pred… of all things. Sick enough he is whatever he is, but a pred of all things… disgusting."
Judy began to get angry, "Drew is my friend. We have been through everything together. How dare you say I shouldn't be with him."
Drew tried to calm his love, "Guys, I think we should all take it down a notch. We just want to enjoy our shakes in peace. We even sat here out of the way so as not to be a distraction for any of the other patrons."
The zebra glared at them, "You mean so no one would see you two acting like deviants."
"A perversion… a blight on our society." The wildebeest added.
Judy answered, "No! Because we didn't want to have people bothering us the whole time."
"What, you two famous or something?" The ram asked in a disgusted sickened tone.
Drew answered calmly, "Something like that. But it doesn't matter. Anyone should be free to sit together no matter who they are, famous or not."
The ram responded with venom in his voice, "Sounds like something a stinking human pred would say. Bet you're looking at us right now thinking of how we would taste. Bet you are looking at this rabbit the same way."
Judy was disgusted by such comments especially knowing the predator they were being directed at like she did, "Now that is enough! He is my friend. That is insulting and slanderous. You should be ashamed of yourselves. What gives you the right to say such horrible things?"
"The Protectors do! They give us the right to stand up for what is pure and righteous." The sheep angrily answered.
"They stand for what is good and decent. They encourage us to always remain vigilant for this kind of filth." The zebra added.
Drew once again tried to diffuse the situation, "Guys, just because The Protectors are currently in power doesn't give you the right to treat others like that. They don't give you the right to ignore civility and act belligerent."
The ram attacked his comment with hostility and animosity, "Is that a fancy human word? I wouldn't touch a human product and certainly don't want to see one while I am eating. And you… a bunny… acting like some pred whore. You are a disgrace to your whole species."
Judy was now hopping mad, "You behavior and attitude are a disgrace to everything decent and beautiful in Zootopia."
The zebra taunted, "I don't want to be in a Zootopia that allows a predator and prey to be seen together or bunny and anything else but a bunny together for that matter. "
Drew was now getting upset. It was one thing to insult him and humans. But insulting Judy was another thing altogether, "You need to apologize to Judy immediately for calling her such disgusting names. No one deserves to be spoken to like that and least of all her. She is the sweetest and most virtuous adult mammal I know."
"I would never apologize if a human or pred asked me to. You humans are used to owning and using mammals. So you see her as your slave or something?" The hateful sheep threw at him.
"He's gonna eat her." The wildebeest exclaimed.
"Nah she's too scrawny, maybe a fur hat." The zebra added in a snarky tone.
Judy couldn't take this any more, "Enough! Where is all this hate and spite coming from? What would your parents say hearing you speak like this." She chastised them.
"Where do you think we hear it. They are just afraid to say it in public. But we aren't. We are the new generation and stand for a new Zootopia where this kind of shit doesn't happen." The ram admitted confirming their worst fears about the underlying prejudice and bigotry spreading through the homes.
"Why don't you go wherever you preds stay." The wildebeest added.
"Stick with your own kind." The zebra spat.
Drew tried to explain the beauty he saw in the concept of this new world he discovered, "The entire vision and idea of Zootopia is all mammals predator and prey working together in peace and harmony for the common good."
"Maybe it's time for a new vision." The sheep countered.
"Yeah where predators get the fuck out." The zebra said with loathing and venom.
"And prey stay with their own species instead of acting like some predator loving slut ho-bag." The ram proclaimed glaring at Judy.
Drew tried to calm the tensions of everyone mentally before it got out of hand, but it didn't appear to be effective and seemed to give him a headache. The extreme negativity surrounding him was making him nauseous. He had never felt such negativity directed directly at him before and realized it was currently crippling him. Normally he could count on positive energy from Judy, but at the moment her energy was just as black as that currently assaulting him. He clutched his head with both hands in pain. His head felt like it was in a vice and he realized quickly he had to just block all emotions of any kind. Judy immediately sensed Drew was in trouble and looked worriedly at him.
"What's wrong with him? Can't handle the truth?" The wildebeest taunted.
Judy defended her mate, "Leave him alone! Your actions are evil and cruel. How can you live with yourselves?"
"How can you live with yourself being with him." The ram spat.
"Stick to your own kind. If they'll have you now. You probably stink of him. No wonder no buck would touch your tainted carcass." The spiteful sheep bleated out in disgust.
The waitress Flo appeared next to them and tried to get their attention, "You need to go back to your seats and let this couple eat in peace."
The ram turned angrily to her shoving her backwards, "Mind your own business ewe cunt. You should be joined with us not defending these abominations."
The ram's sheep companion pointed at Flo threateningly, "Yeah, come back over here again and we'll sheer you as naked and hairless as this human pred."
Their sheep waitress Flo got a very frightened sick look on her face and left going into the back.
Judy had enough of all this. These scum were trying to destroy her beautiful Zootopia worse than even some of the worst she had stopped as a cop defending her city and it's citizens. Drew was still recovering from whatever they had done to him shaking his head as if to clear it of something.
She pointed angrily at these Protector zealots. Her patience was done, "You treat others, even your own species like trash. You hate for the sake of hating with no rhyme or reason. You are bullies of the worst kind. You don't believe in anything but your vile bigotry, specism and prejudice."
"Maybe we should show you what we do with prey trash like you." The wildebeest snarled making a threatening move suddenly jumping toward Judy.
Out of instinct Drew slid her behind him before she knew what was happening blocking her from the foursome.
The four yelled taunts at them fast and furiously.
"Oh look her predator boyfriend is trying to protect her now."
"I wonder why that is. I bet he has plans for her."
"Perhaps he wants to eat her and doesn't want the meat bruised."
"But how could he kill her? He has no sharp teeth or claws."
"I know, he can fuck her to death and then cook her dead carcass."
"It will even be flavored with his own juices."
"Enough!" Drew was now angry and his face was red. His eyes had that terrible fire as if possessed by demons. He was nearly as angry as when Judy saw him nearly strangle Finley. The human had more patience than nearly anyone alive, but he had his limits and these four had caused him to pass his, especially when it came to a certain bunny. He spat out with great menace, "I have tried to be patient, but you have tested the limits of all civility. Your behavior and attitude are atrocious and repugnant. Leave us now before I do something I am loathe to do. But if I have to listen to you speak this way about Judy anymore, I vow you will regret it." He let the threat drip off his tongue like acid. His intense stare showed malice and Judy knew what he could do if driven to it. She had no love for these scum, far from it, but she also knew what such an action would do to her love afterwards. She could feel him building up the emotional forces internally. With the amount of tremendous anger he had built she feared for their lives.
The four looked hesitant for a moment. They had not expected the quiet human to react this way and thought he was a punching bag they could continue to pound until they were exhausted. They realized whatever threat he spoke of, he truly meant. They didn't know enough about humans and what they were capable of and so were taken aback.
Then the ram looked at his fellows and decided the odds were in his favor regardless. He was only one human and the bunny didn't even really count for what could she really do so it was four on one. He sneered at the human, "You forget human, we have the numbers, the government, and righteousness on our side."
The zebra looked at the ram leader and decided to follow his lead, "Make a move on us. Regardless if we start it or not, you will be blamed. It will go bad for you no matter what."
The wildebeest followed his fellows, "I say we try that theory out and see whose side it comes down on. But first I want to grab that pred whore by the ears and teach her what happens to her kind."
The wildebeest made a move toward grabbing Judy, but when the human didn't flinch at all, but instead readied himself to grab the arm of the wildebeest and rip it off if it came anywhere near the bunny, he hesitated.
Judy pulled out her taser and tranquilizer preparing to use them. She had not wanted to have to use these as it would require a full police report which would be extremely unwanted considering their current circumstances, but things were escalating to a point where she may have no choice but to use them. She also didn't want Drew to have to harm them mainly because of what it would do to him mentally afterwards.
Fortunately at that moment the owner of the establishment, a large older elk named Dale Rutter who seemed quite perturbed by the scene that was disrupting his fine eatery, came rushing over. His panicked waitress had informed him of all that had occurred. He loudly made his presence known to all those involved, "Is there a problem here?"
The sheep immediately turned to him answering, "Yeah there's a problem. You're serving a predator in here with a rabbit."
Dale looked at the sheep with disgust, "So, there is no law against that."
The wildebeest countered, "How about the law of decency. Doesn't it make you sick?"
The elk now looked at his guests and realized immediately the famous personages patronizing his restaurant. He looked at the four in shock asking, "Do you guys have any idea who these two are?"
The ram immediately answered in disgust, "I don't care if they are the fucking founders themselves. They are scum. Carrying on touching each other."
Dale had a pretty good idea that his guests, who he knew as very close friends, were merely just acting familiar with each other as most very close friends do. Not that it mattered as any signs of affection that were not lewd were tolerated. His was a place frequently by couples and friends of all kinds for a friendly chance to chat free of such intolerance, "There is no law against any of that, and certainly not against these two mammals. I would like you to leave immediately."
The zebra smiled, "Ah good, get those scum out of here. Glad you see the light."
The elk frowned at the zebra, "No not them. You all. All four of you need to leave now."
The raw wondered, "For what?"
The sheep immediately added, "For speaking the truth?"
"For disrupting my customers and for reprehensible behavior. And for treating mammals who have done so much for Zootopia so inexcusably." Dale responded with growing anger. How dare these ruffians accost any of his customers, and certainly not these two of any!
The ram leader threatened the owner, "This is not over pred lover. You just made a mistake. The Protectors will shut you and your pred loving shop down!"
The wildebeest yes mammal echoed his leader, "You will regret this!"
The ram made sure the owner knew who he was dealing with, "We own this city now. Remember that!"
Dale had enough of this shit pointing toward the door and yelling, "Out!" He followed behind the four until they left.
He then returned to the table of his guests apologizing, "I am so sorry for all this. Everything is on the house. Please enjoy another shake free of charge."
Before the two could say anything he motioned for Flo to get them another of whatever they had ordered. She quickly came back giving them each the same shake they had enjoyed earlier. The four that had just accosted the couple earlier stood outside banging on the window and making faces and yelling threats. The owner went outside and chased them away.
Judy wondered, "If they are treating us like this, how are they treating everyone else?"
Drew had calmed down a bit and was no longer red but was still seething below the surface like a rumbling volcano, "I think we are seeing how they are treating everyone now. They didn't seem to have any idea who you were. And I guess they really didn't care who I was. We are fortunate we were able to experience this."
She was shocked by his statement, "What! How can your say that?"
Drew calmly explained, "Because we get to know how others are being treated now. These Protectors seemed to rile up hatred to gain power and now they are unleashing that hatred on innocent citizens. It starts with predators and prey, then same sex couples, then any species being with another species, then who knows what else is on their list of hate."
Judy accepted his explanation, but still could not get over what had happened, "I suppose from that standpoint it is good we saw that. But they called us terrible names, hateful horrible things!"
Drew shook his head looking very troubled, "Unfortunately this is only the first step. I fear it will only get much worse."
Judy couldn't imagine it worse, "How?"
Drew could, he had seen it in so many forms on his world, "From human history, I imagine we could see violence, out of control mobs loose in the streets, lynchings, massive destruction of property, boycotting businesses, segregation, and possibly much worse."
The owner Dale waved at them to get their attention and they motioned him over letting him know it was okay for him to come over. He had his mobile out and asked the couple, "Do you mind if I have a picture taken with you guys for the store. I am a big fan."
They easily answered him, "Of course, it is our pleasure."
He motioned Flo over who took a couple pictures of him with them as well as one of just the two of them in his establishment.
Dale smiled at them making sure they knew his stance, "You are welcome back anytime. I have no idea what this city is becoming. I have never seen such behavior."
Drew thought of something he would ask of the owner, "Well we can only ask that you help prevent any discrimination in your shop in your future. If things such as that are allowed to happen here, we begin to wonder what we were really fighting for."
The elk agreed with the human's sentiment, "I assure you it is only a few extremists full of themselves after gaining power. Hopefully they will all calm down in a week or so once they realize things are the same."
Judy responded, "I hope you are right." She really really really hoped he was right.
After they finished chatting for awhile about what had occurred and the behavior of their attackers, the got up to leave the store and noticed that the group of hate filled extremists numbered fourteen now and were all gathered near the entrance looking angry, some with sticks. When they started to open the door the mob began to yell and throw rocks at them. Judy was prepared to arrest them and had her tranquilizer gun out.
But Drew tried to calm her so she understood the situation explaining, "You would only hit a couple of them and it could cause them to attack."
Judy pulled her phone out and let him know she wanted to call in the ZPD.
Drew explained why that could be a bad idea, "I really don't want to have a report of this incident on the books with our names involved. It could also escalate things with this mob."
Judy proposed, "We could make a break for it. I know we could outrun them. You have been getting a lot better on that treadmill thing keeping pace with me."
The human was not so crazy about that idea, "I don't want to run from them. Besides it is too dangerous as we could trip at any point especially in the dark and be overrun. Not to mention it also sends a horrible message when you let bullies act this way and chase you."
The human thought of a solution, "I can order a car with security. I have had to do that before with unruly fans."
The bunny countered, "Wouldn't that generate a report as well?
"It will only show I requested a car to this location with security. It could be a mob of fans again for all they know. It's the only thing I can think of as a safe solution without a report." Drew explained after going through the possible solutions.
Judy thought of another solution, "Can you… you know... to them?"
Drew needed clarification, "What Judy?"
She was trying to describe what she was proposing in a nice way, "You know… calm them?"
"There are so many and they are highly agitated so it would be doubtful. That is very unpredictable in the best of circumstances and these are far from that. In order to work it may require something that could be highly dangerous to us or them neither of which is acceptable. It is an option I would attempt only in a case of imminent life threatening danger." Drew explained.
Besides he was still very upset he had been about to cause possible extreme harm to those attackers earlier if they had pushed any further and it made him sick. He also still had an intense migraine from the whole incident and was not at his best. He was very worried he could lose control and do something terrible or harm himself or Judy.
Judy wondered, "What is the security option?"
"In the past public officials have either had mobs of mammals or reporters who where overwhelming or threatening them and needed to have a normal safe exit made possible. Sometimes the officials are involved in a controversial news story or law, sometimes in a controversial judicial case, or in my case in the past, a celebrity type situation, and need that safe exit so no one on either side gets hurt."
She sighed resigned to that option, "I suppose we have no choice then. Order it. What has happened to this city?"
He admitted his true fear, "I am afraid it will only be getting much worse."
The owner offered to allow them to exit through the back, but they would have to come around the sides of the building to leave and be completely exposed in the dark as they would be easily spotted once they neared the front to leave. Drew and Judy determined this to be far too dangerous an option considering the current situation.
Drew called in a security pickup to his location. In a case such as this, it had to be physically called in because they need to know the exact spot to retrieve the passengers and the exact situation they are facing so they could arrive properly prepared and provide cover for the exit path to fend off whatever force it may be.
Other patrons of the establishment were afraid to leave as they feared they would be attacked as soon as they left. The owner locked the front door and prepared tables if it was necessary to barricade the doors to protect them from the mob outside. So far they were only staying near the entrance in a threatening manner. Drew informed them not worry, that they had a special vehicle coming to take the two of them away in a short while.
A little beaver girl around eight wearing a pink and white dress with a big bumblebee on the front looked up at them very worried, "What will we do if you leave? The mean mammals will attack us."
In response Drew got the phone number from her mom and crouched down to talk to her and promised her, "The crowd should leave shortly after we do. There should be no reason for them to remain here once we are gone. We have the number of your mom and if they haven't left, Officer Judy will call in the ZPD to protect you." He looked to Judy who nodded at the frightened little girl.
The other patrons around them nodded their heads as they did not want to admit it, but the little girl's concerns were their own.
Judy noticed this and decided to tell them all by addressing the little beaver girl standing before her smiling at her and assuring her, "It is my sworn duty to protect the citizens of Zootopia from exactly this kind of thing." It is what she had been working toward her whole life since she was a kid protecting others from bullies. It was why she had become a police officer in the first place. These new Protector zealots were the grown up version of the bullies she had faced as a child. She wished she could deal with them directly, but protecting the public was more important to her, and the best thing she could do to protect these citizens was to leave.
Drew noticed several more had collected outside the store, and the mob was becoming more agitated as they seemed to join all the hate, prejudice and spite together building it into something truly ugly and black as the night outside. Drew called in the changing situation to the security en route to inform them of the fluid situation they were facing. This was often the case in these types of situations and normally security was prepared for overkill so he hoped they had prepared for this possibility.
The mob was throwing some rocks and trash towards the entrance and shouts outside the door could be heard.
"Pred lovers go to hell!"
"Herd! Herd! Herd!"
"Stick with your own kind."
"Bunnies belong with bunnies."
"Eat this, human meat eating prick."
It was a nervous time waiting. Judy tried to calm the little beaver girl and the nervous patrons inside the best she could. She had her taser and tranquilizer gun out. But she knew against a mob like this they were useless. They would need large net guns, shields or some kind of wide dispersal mace. A small rabbit armed as she was stood no chance no matter her training. The owner wanted to call the ZPD, but Drew asked that he only call them if the crowd failed to disperse once they left. Drew was afraid the arrival of the ZPD may cause things to escalate and possibly become a riot, but if the cause of their anger left the premises, he believed it should diffuse everything. He thought well hopefully that was the case. Judy assured them she would never leave them normally and would have stayed to protect them. She explained in this unique situation the best way she could protect them was to leave.
An armored car pulled up outside onto the pavement in front of the mob so the SUV side doors would be as close to the entrance as possible, and a male rhino and large male lion got out of the side carrying protective shields and baton like clubs and closed the door. Another driver remained inside. It looked to be a wolf. The lion and rhino forced their way through the mob until they were in front of the entrance and shielded the door with the large riot shields facing the mob. The owner then unlocked the door and the human and bunny opened the door just enough to slip out.
The shields were large enough to cover the human's whole body. Drew picked Judy up so she wouldn't accidentally get trampled during their escape. It wasn't the best option as it looked bad, but they were hidden behind the shields and he felt the risk of injury to her was far too great to do otherwise. He or one of the security personnel could easily step on her accidentally if the mob rushed them. The results if that happened were too ghastly to imagine so caution won out and he held her tightly to his chest while she stayed armed and ready for action. So they exited the front shielded from view by the rhino and lion. The crowd had grown even more in size partially due to curious onlookers and reacted immediately increasing their angry shouts and throwing things at the security. The mob then began to push in towards the security and their protection detail. The rhino stood in front threatening to pound the crowd while the lion carefully stood behind the rhino further shielding the human and his rabbit passenger and carefully escorted them to the black armored SUV. The lion held a shield over them while opening the door and letting his passengers slip inside. The security were pelted with various debris and angry growls and grunts were directed against it keeping it at bay.
During the whole ordeal Drew could sense great fear in Judy. Her heart was beating so fast and her nose quivered. He himself was quite anxious and terrified, but he was thinking more about her at the moment. This was beneficial because he was so concerned about her, he didn't have to concern himself with his own fear and instead focused on calming her, slowing her heartbeat, relaxing her, giving her serene feelings. Once they were in the SUV and both the lion and rhino got inside, they finally felt a bit of a relief.
Judy looked out the window staring at the little beaver girl pressed up against the window of the malt shop looking so scared. She saw herself at that age and wondered what she would have thought being in this situation. Facing a single bully fox of the same age was one thing, but facing a large angry mob of adult mammals was quite another. All the patrons looked quite concerned as well. She hoped their leaving was the right thing to do and absolutely hated the thought of leaving innocent civilians behind. She had considered the idea of just sending Drew away, but she knew he would never have left without her. She may be able to convince him to do most things for her, but when it came to her well-being and safety, he was as stubborn as she was. She also realized that the ire of the crowd may just all switch to her without the human target to primary vent their anger at as they seemed to be nearly as angry at her. She couldn't understand why they would be angry at either of them. They were out of the way, hidden from view for the most part, and he barely touched her. It seemed just the thought of a bunny with another species especially a predator angered them. But Drew was far less aggressive and more loving and gentle to all other mammals than even most every male bunny she knew. It seemed to be an irrational prejudice just to have something to vent all their rage at.
The only thing the security asked them was if they were injured in any way. The driver already knew the destination. They let them know they were a bit shaken, but otherwise unharmed.
Once they had been gone about five minutes Judy called the beaver girl's mom and made sure the crowd had dispersed. The mom told Judy they milled around angrily for while with some looking inside the shop, but then they left. Judy apologized for the whole situation and asked the mom to call her if any threats remained to her, her daughter or any of the patrons or the establishment.
Normally Drew would never have him and Judy dropped off at the apartment complex together, but they were well known good friends and it would only make sense he would take her to the most secure place. To do anything else would seem much more suspicious. The security team drove them through the secure entrance to the building in the basement and escorted them all the way to the elevator. They took their job seriously remaining professional and alert with no unnecessary chit chat. Once they had secured their passengers they left. As Drew contacted the front security from inside the elevator to obtain a security code for access to their floor, he wondered if this was the future of the city. What about those that have no security? What about the innocents caught in the crossfire? He expressed his thoughts out loud to his anxious mate.
Judy responded, "I am going to have to talk to the Chief about this on Monday. We are going to be seeing a lot of this kind of thing if we haven't already. We are going to need a whole strategy for how to deal with situations like this."
Drew had concerns, "I know you are proud of being a rabbit officer, but I am afraid those kinds of situations are best suited toward large mammals like our security detail. Smaller nimble officers are much better than or the equal of any larger mammal for a great deal of police work. But when it comes to angry mobs, I want you to steer clear if at all possible. I know I have never wanted to interfere with how you do your job. But I want you to be safe."
Judy considered what he said, "I know you want to protect me, and I appreciate how you have never tried to interfere with what I did for the ZPD. But if Chief Bogo feels it is best for me to face the angry mobs, then I will do it as a sworn officer to do my duty. However I am quite certain the Chief shares your view. I will honor your request and certainly not volunteer for any such duty. I believe Nick and myself would be far better utilized in other ways in those kinds of situations."
The two arrived home to find that same Nick sitting in his normal recliner watching a movie. He paused it and looked up as the two came over to greet him. His normal casual grin turned into a slight frown and concerned look seeing the faces of his two roommates.
"What's up?" The fox casually asked but his voice was slightly cracked betraying his apprehension.
His bunny buddy and best friend looked at him mournfully, pronouncing the words they had all been dreading since the day they had heard about these so called Protectors, "It's begun."