It is, of course, common knowledge that crickets are everywhere. They could be found in the most random of spots, keeping still and quiet until disturbed or ready for a mate. If disturbed, one frantic leap is usually all it takes for the insect to not only remove itself but frighten a few years off the life of a mammal not expecting it.
The crickets in Bunnyburrow enjoyed a much more calm life than their cousins in Zootopia and similar cities. Fewer predators meant less demand, and thus the cricket population was really only kept in check by the local birds that came every spring and summer. Not that these crickets were aware this luxury.
The cricket in the jar was, in fact, a bit peeved at his predicament. One moment, he had been happy, lazy in the sun, not even contemplating life. The next, some big, bulky mammal had snagged him in a flimsy net. Then tossed him in a jar! The nerve!
And this stupid creature wasn't even a cricket eater. Had he been able to, he would have sighed. But, alas, he was just a cricket. In a jar. Wondering what in the sweet dandelion was going on.
The mammal had left him in a jar in a dark area, the irate creature not wanting to give into his natural urge to chirp. These non cricket eating, cricket capturing, cricket-nappers didn't deserve to hear his song! And he didn't even get any type of foliage to make the jar seem less…..well, jar-like.
And what do you know! This little cricket sighed.
And would have groaned if he could (though he wasn't suppose to sigh, so you never know) when light finally came back to where he was being held. That big mammal had two smaller ones right next to it. And the one of them had definitely eaten his kind before.
Soon the three were hulking over the opening of the jar. The damned opening was too narrow to jump threw with the space he had been given. Damn and curse this jar! But the bigger mammal was talking now.
"I would like you to meet Henry!"
Henry. Seriously…..That mammal was calling him Henry? And that little one with the teeth? Definitely eats crickets. Are we sure crickets don't groan?
"Ummmm….Mr. Bogo?" The toothy one looked up at the big one. "Henry is a cricket. You know that, right?"
"I do indeed. I also know that Henry here is a friend of mine."
Henry disagreed. Give him some cover, then he might consider acquaintanceship.
"And your task is: Keep Henry alive while I speak to my team."
Please don't kill Henry, thought the cricket. The little one with the weird antenna seemed confused.
"That's it? We just have to make sure Henry stays alive? For how long?"
"I'll be about an hour. One whole hour to make sure Henry stays healthy, happy and alive."
Well, two out of three isn't bad. The big one started walking out the door before turning to Toothy and Weirdo. Weirdo had reached and picked up the jar. And though the cricket wasn't feeling nervous about them, this one's teeth were pretty noticeable too.
"And I expect him back. No getting attached to him now." The big mammal walked to the where the light came from and disappeared.
Why did Henry think he wasn't going to survive the next hour? Because Weirdo had tipped the jar. And he was now in the smallest mammals paw. At least it wasn't the jar, but he still couldn't get away. This one's paw closed gently around his back legs to keep him in place.
"I don't think Mr. Bogo is all there, Carrots. This little guy doesn't look like a Henry." Thank you, Toothy! "He looks more like Lunch!"
Well that was just rude!
"Nick! You can't eat him!"
Thank you….Carrots? Seriously?! First Henry, now Carrots? Mammals…
"Mr. Bogo want's us to take care of him!" The Carrots pointed the other paw at the Nick. "So don't even think about it, Slick!"
And then he was off! The Carrots had loosened it's grip on his legs and the cricket gave a one quick chirp before jumping…..right in between the non antenna of the Carrots.
The Nick seemed surprised. It cautiously prowled (yes, the cricket knew a prowl when he saw one, Toothy!) up to them with it's paws out stretched.
"Don't move, I'm going to try to grab Henry and then he goes back in the jar…. Ok, Henry?"
No, not ok, Henry! Sorry, little mammals. This cricket needs to bounce. Thank goodness the big mammal left the door open. The Nick's paws smacked the Carrots right where Henry had been, one giant leap sending the cricket over them to where the light was. Freedom!
"OWW! WAIT! HENRY!" The Carrots rubbed where the Nick's paws had struck it before taking off after the small creature. The Nick, stunned and remorseful at hurting it's companion, started to follow until something caught it's eye.
…..
Ian Wolford and Claudia Fangmeyer had been excused from the meeting Bogo had called. The official reason being they had not been on duty since yesterday morning; unofficial because they had spent a good portion of their night hunting for the missing Hopps doe.
Wolford would never admit it out loud, but he (like Bogo) had been thoroughly impressed with Judy Hopps' escape. It was clever and much more complex then he would have given the bunny credit for. That did not stop him from also being irritated at the lack of sleep. Which made watching her and the little fox she was with slam into the shed door very satisfying.
Fangmeyer felt more sympathy for the young bunny than her comrade. She herself had been raised in the upper crust of society. The feeling of having every move, breath, and gaze be monitored from sun up to sun down was akin to drowning most days. She had most likely been the only member of the detail that hoped Bogo would not be too hard on Miss Hopps.
But neither had prepared themselves for their boss to enter the shed that morning only to return with a butterfly net and a glass jar. The buffalo headed in the direction of the carrot fields and returned soon after, a small greenish black cricket butting against the glass. Even stranger was when the buffalo raised the glass to eye level and smiled happily at the insect. Back into the shed he went, returning without either his new friend, nor the net.
Door shut behind him, he turned to where the tigress and wolf stood. They had been raking the dirt of the grappling ring, pausing only to exchange curious looks at Bogo's behavior. His eyes narrowed at them, causing both mammals to draw themselves up to attention.
"No one goes in, door stays shut." Hoof pointed at the shed, Bogo's best scowl leveled down on the pair in clear warning.
"Yes, sir!" Fangmeyer and Wolford waited until their boss stomped away, before shrugging and continuing with their task.
They had gotten in a good half hour of their practice before Bogo returned, the run away bunny in tow. And the unfamiliar fox kit. It was the fox's presence that made them pause, each wondering if the lord and lady knew of this development. The kit's curious green eyes moved from the wolf to the tigress as he ran to keep up with the buffalo.
When he and Judy crashed into the door, only Fangmeyer kept her laughter in. Wolford, along with his fellow wolf Devin Howlstein and a large ram Julius Buttes, had nearly collapsed with mirth. Many felt satisfaction after having spent time and energy searching for the most wayward of bunnies the night before.
Soon after taking the kits in to the shed, Bogo returned. He called for Holstein and Buttes to follow while the wolf and tigress continued their practice for several moments until they heard the shouts.
"OWWW! WAIT! HENRY!"
The pair grappling immediately halted and took off towards the door. They had nearly reached it when a small, almost unnoticeable….thing…came hopping out.
And that's when Fangmeyer found out Wolford was afraid of crickets.
He had skidded to a halt when he realized what it was, and had started to back away when Henry landed on the tip of his nose. Brown wolf eyes met beady cricket eyes and a heartbeat later, he let out an undignified yelp. Wolford fell onto his back and started to scramble away, shaking his muzzle to dislodge Henry.
"ARRRGGGG! Claudia! Get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!" The tigress watched and processed her partner's behavior for only a moment when the hilarity of it hit her. Doubling over, Fangmeyer's laughter echoed across the small training grounds.
"Careful, Ian! Those things can smell fear!" She choked out, tears streaming down her muzzle. Henry the cricket bounced off Wolford's nose just as he found the courage to smack at it. A bit more force was used, judging by the way the wolf yelped again. Free from his tormentor, he flipped himself and darted on all fours away from his companion.
The cricket took off after him, chipping his delight at no longer being in his barren jar. Fangmeyer was still roaring with laughter and stood, unknowingly, in Judy's way.
"STOP THAT CRICKET!" Was the bunny's war call, her face once again set in a determined scowl, glass jar clutched to her small frame. Her sudden cry sobered Fangmeyer, who looked towards her voice and was treated to a blur of grey.
Judy jumped high with a yell, causing the tigress to shriek and drop to a crouch. The doe bounced off her head and landed neatly on her other side just as the fox kit came running out to join in the pursuit.
"Carrots! I got a net!" The kit wore a triumphant grin, the net Bogo had used nearly twice his size and awkward in his small paws. His face fell when he saw only the tigress. She pointed in the direction Judy, Henry, and Wolford had gone and the small kit's face once again lit up.
The fox took off as fast a he could, the overly large net he held throwing his balance off. Fangmeyer started to laugh again at the sight of his antics but was cut off when the net clipped her head as he waddled past.
"WAIT FOR ME! WAIT FOR ME! WAIT FOR ME…!"
Rubbing her now throbbing head, Claudia Fangmeyer stood and mentally debated following him. She snorted as she watched him run away, tripping over everything as he struggled to keep hold of the net. She winced as she heard crashing and shrieks, followed by the distant voice of Judy demanding Henry return to his jar.
Better go before they hurt themselves, she thought with a sigh.
…
Meeting was not an accurate word to use for the group running laps around the cabins. Of the ten mammals making up the security team, only half were running. These were the mammals who had been on duty the night before. Bogo had assigned them to night watch as a means to keep the grounds free of not only trespassers, but to keep little wandering bunnies from sneaking out at night.
After finding out his detail had been lax in their patrolling, grouping together instead of spreading out, playing cards, snacking and otherwise just goofing off, the buffalo radiated fury. Had they been doing their jobs, Judy may have never made it out the window. So running laps was only the tip of the iceberg for the slackers on his team.
"I'm giving you lot five seconds to start running. If I don't think you're running fast enough, I have a very good way of speeding you up." Their boss had not raised his voice, but merely paced in front of the five who had failed him. Stopping off just behind them, the guilty mammals held their breaths and gulped. His sudden shout had them all leaping into action. "FIVE SECONDS IS UP!"
They took off in a mad dash with a furious buffalo chasing them. Though he didn't chase them for long, none were brave enough to double check. Satisfied, Bogo straightened himself out before leaving them to their laps. Pretending not to see Wolford running, head craned to look behind him, full tilt towards his fellow guards.
The cricket was getting closer. Not purposely, though… Right?
"ARRRGGGGGG! The little beast CAN sense fear! HELPPPPP!"
Wolford had dove headlong into the path of the running mammals, being nearly trampled by them in his hast to escape Henry. His panic only increased theirs, a couple of whom were still not aware that Bogo had left.
Added to his shrieks of "A murderous devil after me to murder me!" was the sound of one of their young charges who had been dashing after the wolf's pursuer.
"Warrior Judy Hopps in pursuit!" The little bunny chased after the still fleeing cricket."Whoop, whoop!"
The group demonstrated an impressive herd like mentality of changing directions and stampeding away from the over enthusiastic kit. Henry bounced and leaped after them.
Following up as fast as he little legs could go, Nick still carried the large net. While he ran, he tried to reposition it and practice swinging. This just upset his balance even further. The net weighing him down, the little fox didn't see the slight dip in the path which caused him to trip.
And he would have landed face down if not for Fangmeyer. The tigress scooped him up before he landed, relieving him of his burden, and placed him on her shoulders as she joined the chase for Henry.
…..
The kits Francine had been teaching were divided into their litters again. Each given a separate task fitting of their age to complete, they talked and argued and laughed almost themselves to complete them. Walking between the groups, the vixen observed quietly and answered questions, barely noticing when Lady Hopps came to the doorway.
The doe watched happily as her kits went about their tasks for a few moments before crossing the room towards their governess.
"A good morning to you, Lady Hopps!" Francine smiled at her employer as they both walked amongst the kits hard at work. "Such diligent little bunnies you have raised. They all have been a delight."
"Bonnie, please, Francine. Indeed, it's almost too calm without Judith in the room. It makes me wonder how she and Nick are fairing with ."
With a sigh and glance upwards, Francine placed her hand over heart dramatically before replying, "No news is good news, Bonnie. The amount of mischief my Nicholas gets into here makes me happy we are away from Zootopia. It may have been ten fold there."
As if on cue, a loud crash sounded from just outside the window. Both females turned their heads to the sound and every small pair of ears stood ridged and honed to where it came from. Multiple eyes narrowed in curiosity as another crash followed. The sudden appearance of a group of frightened security guards, running as though they were on fire, startled those in the room.
Francine and Bonnie darted to the window for a better look, the kits shouting with excitement close behind them.
Covered in in dirt, looking as though they had been running through the compost pile, Bunnyburrow's finest and bravest were lead by a still terrified Wolford. The group scrambled by and were gone out of sight as quickly as they appeared. Followed by what looked to be a cricket.
Both mothers sighed and exchanged glances as the kits giggled and exploded questions at their mother and teacher. But all was interrupted as Judy came into view, still holding the jar and pausing to catch her breath. She wasn't stopped for long before Fangmeyer jogged past and scooped her up with her free paw and placed her on the shoulder opposite Nick. Every kit whooped in delight and cheered the tigress on as the trio continued after the group.
Francine buried her head in her paw and wished she could evaporate into thin air. The kits, all with exceptional hearing, chanted what they heard their sister cry out before she was swept away: "CATCH THE CRICKET! CATCH THE CRICKET!" And they all promptly darted for the door.
The two flabbergasted females, exchanged another glance at each other then towards where the kits had vanished through the door. Francine was sure her first day was her last. But a strange choking noise caught her attention.
Bonnie was laughing into her paws and obviously trying not to. Every time it seemed as though she would let up, the doe would once again dissolve into giggles. Finally, she composed herself, wiped her eyes, and gave the worried vixen her usual friendly smile.
"Tea?"
….
Lord Hopps sat in his study, gazing out the window at the peaceful grounds of his estate. He took much pride in this property. Though his title was inherited, the land he owned was cultivated by himself. And his hard work and solid judgment concerning the produce the estate grew showed in the form of a very, very handsome bank account.
He gave a soft sigh of contentment as he allowed himself to forget the ledgers and paperwork on the desk just behind him. He even allowed himself to forget about the family of foxes that had spent the evening in his home. Bad enough his small daughter sneaks out windows, now his wife is inviting a bunny's natural enemy to sleep a mere corridor away from his offspring.
But he didn't think of that now. For now he just enjoyed the warmth of the sun through the window. And appreciated the sight of humble bumble bees and butterflies kissing the flowers his wife had insisted on planting on the side of the house. As well as the view of rubbish covered wolves running for dear life before stumbling and being overwhelmed by a herd of other mammals….
Stewart Hopps jumped out of his chair as Wolford landed and winced as the security team tripped and fell upon him, one after another. Soon the grey wolf was out of view under the bodies of his comrades, though he fought to push his head from the pile. Just in time for what looked to be a bouncing black dot work it's way over the the groaning mammals.
It seemed to stop on Wolford's muzzle, his eyes going cross he tried to focus on it. And then he promptly fainted. Lord Hopps' own eyes went large at the scene, his ears up at their fullest and flushed red, with his jaw unhinged. A paw went to the pressure point at his neck and checked his pulse. Surely this is cause for a heart attack.
Childish shouts of glee brought his attention to the tigress who came into view, jogging and carrying a net. His kit jumped from Fangmeyer's shoulder as her new friend, Nathan or some other, pointed and shouted in excitement, sparking another pang in his blood pressure. He watched her follow the same route the dot had taken before throwing herself onto Wolford's head. It was done so quickly, that Fangmeyer had also dove onto the pile of mammals with the net swinging. The bunny kit, odd little dot, and the wolf's head were effectively captured.
The lord sat back into his chair, paw still at his throat. No heart attack. Yet.
He puzzled over the scene in front of him, vaguely aware of Marty setting a glass down next to him. The stopper of the whiskey decanter was removed and the impala poured a generous shot. Marty was just finishing the pour when Stewart's paw pushed the neck of the decanter back down.
The heavy single shot went more then double it's size before he allowed his valet to recap the whiskey. And with the same now trembling paw, the glass was brought up and it's contents thrown back in spite of the burning cough it produced.
We are going to need more whiskey, thought Marty. A lot more.
….
Judy was smooshed onto the head of Ian Wolford, paws firmly keeping Henry in place as she lay under the net. She was nervous about squishing him and had dropped the jar in her haste. She was also aware of the groans just behind her, each one sounding both pained and exhausted.
Her eyes moved from where she had the cricket trapped to between her arms at the unconscious wolf.
"Mr. Wolf? Are you all right?" She asked hesitantly. "Oh, ?"
"Judy! Judy! Is he dead?! Is he?" Nick had managed to cling to Fangmeyers shirt when she dove and now stood perched on her back. His ears upright and tail swishing nervously behind, little paws twisted with worry as he looked down at his friend tangled in the butterfly net.
His attention was soon captured by the jar laying off to the side of the mammal pile. With little regard to whose head or limb or stomach he used, the fox kit used the jumps he learned from Judy to reach the ground and retrieve it.
"All this for a cricket?" Asked Fangmeyer as she tried to slide off her fellow guards.
"It's not just A cricket. It's OUR cricket!" The tigress lifted the net cautiously, allowing Judy to raise her ears to show her indignation. "Mr. Bogo left us in charge of him. We have to keep him…..uuuhhhhhhhh…"
"Alive and heady and hermit!" Nick finished proudly as he held the jar up for Henry to return to. Fangmeyer laughed as she straightened herself out and began untangling the others.
"I said healthy, happy, and alive." The gruff voice brought everyone, with the exception of Wolford, to a rush to pull themselves together. The kits leapt for each other to avoid be crushed as the guards lined themselves up in front of their boss. Bits of vegetable waste and mud covered the exhausted five Bogo had set up for laps. The buffalo's eyes wandered over them, before settling on the wolf who remained prone on the ground.
"Fangmeyer, please escort him to his bunk." The tigress gave a short nod to her boss before reaching the wolf and throwing him over her shoulder. Catching the eyes of the kits, she smiled and nodded at them both as they waved and thanked her. One sharp turn of her heel had Fangmeyer heading back the way they all came, towards the dwellings.
"Miss Hopps and Mr. Wilde. Come forward please." Nick and Judy walked to stand in front of the line guards, any earlier enthusiasm all but vanished at the sight of Bogo staring down at them. "How's Henry?"
Nick held up the jar to show off one alive, healthy, though still slightly irritated cricket. Bogo accept the offering into his hoof, studying the insect inside longer than needed. Just to make the two little kits sweat. Bogo turned his impassive gaze back to them.
"He escaped." Bogo did not ask. One look at the estate grounds held the statement true. Judy and Nick opened their mouths to explain only to be silenced by the other hoof.
"He escaped and I'm glad to see you did all you could to bring him back. But it was nerve racking, yes?" Both nodded franticly. "Imagine. One move too slow, and he would have been lost forever. Maybe a bird would have gotten him. Maybe he would have jumped too high and landed wrong on one of his little legs. He could have broken one."
Dark eyes went to and from each kit. Judy's ears dropped back as she considered what could have happened to the cricket they were asked to care for. Stealing a glance at Nick, with his paws holding his tail and ears flat on his head as his eyes widened up at Bogo, she knew he was thinking the same.
"She could have been snatched by another mammal. Could have gotten turned around and fallen into the lake. I know she is not a very good swimmer. There is also a ravine. That would have been a nasty fall. Or perhaps she could have found her way to the marshlands. They are not far far from here. They start very suddenly. And claim a young life just as quickly."
Judy ducked her head as she felt herself tremble in shame.
"I want you to remember what you felt when you saw Henry get away from you. Because it's only a fraction of the panic and worry we felt last night when you snuck out. And, Mr. Wilde, I hear you found Miss Hopps on your own. Is that correct?"
Nick gave a small nod.
"Meaning you, too, snuck away?" Another small nod. "Need I go over this lesson again?" Two small heads gave two small shakes. "Very good." The jar was suddenly upended. The cricket fell to the ground, seemingly shocked for a brief moment, before frantically turning and jumping towards the flower bushes for cover.
The five mammals who had been on guard duty watched the scene unfold. They exchanged dark glances with each other and glared at the two kits in front of them. Each watched the cricket disappear with confusion before Bogo addressed them in clear sharp voice.
"And let this be a lesson to you lot." The buffalo's words brought them to attention. "Your job here is to keep this family safe. To keep all on these grounds secure. If I find out you have neglected your duties again, I will have you run out of this town. Or worse, " Bogo made eye contact with each one before allowing a small smile grace his face, "I'll give you babysitting duty."
Each mammal looked horrified as they glanced down at the bewildered faces of Nick and Judy then back to their boss.
"Now get this property back in order! Then clean and rest yourselves for guard duty tonight. Dismissed!"
Bogo watched his team frantically run to the farm sheds to grab what was needed to clean up the grounds. The chase had ran through training grounds, employee dwellings, three compost piles, over the herb garden (crushing a third of them), and into Fredrick's prized cucumber patch. The angry badger was at the moment packing his bags and seeking out Lord Hopps to tender his resignation.
But that is a concern for another time.
From under the hydrangea bush, two beady eyes watched the large mammal bend itself towards the two smaller ones before it turned to leave. The Nick and the Carrots raised their shoulders at each other before the Carrots mentioned something called t. The Nick seemed to agree, saying it was hungry.
And that caused Henry to groan.