I want to thank Blindstrike and Selaxes for agreeing to beta read for me; it means a lot to me, and I can already see the difference that these guys are making. They are both fantastic authors with stories that deserve a read.
Blindstrike's Sustained Injuries isn't for the faint of heart, but is totally worth the effort! He's got amazing ideas and, of course, an emotional story that's had me on the edge of my seat since the very first chapter!
Honestly, I can't recommend just one of Selaxes's stories, so I'll recommend them all! Just go to his profile and peruse his treasury of some of the best Zootopia stories out there!
Irony was a cruel thing. Some could say it was karma's way of setting the balance; others, that it was the most efficient way to make fair an unfair situation. Mr. Big saw it as a combination of both.
The crime boss had found it humorlessly ironic that his family name was Big, yet he and his kin were shrews. Smaller mammals were always looked down upon, figuratively and literally. Before the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, the smaller rodents of Zootopia were thought to never amount to anything of real importance in the big city; the only "importance" that could be received was found in the pseudo city of Little Rodentia. Mr. Big's family, however, was an exception.
Looking back at family history, the Bigs had befriended the Bratvas, a polar bear family, when first arriving into Zootopia; the shrews were in need of a place to stay, and the bears were more than willing to share their space. While the relationship between polar bear and shrew grew, the relationship between city and shrew could never gain a firm foothold. This fact pushed the sons of both families to begin to act very recklessly, and the legacy of crime attached to the Big name was born.
Mr. Big was born into the crime family, and though he wasn't immune to the disrespect placed on species of his size, he worked hard to earn his recognition in the world. And earn it he did, being Zootopia's most feared crime boss. Victor, however, was quickly gaining an infamous status among both the civilian and the criminal public. Most knew him as a lucky upstart, but Mr. Big knew better.
Victor had been a part of a gang that was rivals with Mr. Big; the leader was Al Capaw. When the lion was finally arrested, Mr. Big knew that the gang would start to fizzle out; when Capaw died, the gang had all but disappeared. Now, however, the shrew saw that it hadn't died out, but was only hiding away while Victor took the reins.
But why?' was the question that repeated itself in Mr. Big's head. To stay ahead of the game, the shrew made it his policy to know as much as possible about any and all contenders. Victor, however, was so shrouded in mystery that Mr. Big began to feel physically tired as he contemplated the fox.
Downing the last of his drink, Mr. Big leaned back in his small chair and sighed heavily, his eyes glancing around his office. Though his house was large enough for polar bears to move about freely, there was an entire wing refitted specifically for Mr. Big and his family. The office was a scaled replica of the one where he met his visitors, though it had no deathtrap beneath the floorboards.
The shrew's eyes returned to his desk, his gaze falling upon one framed photo of many. His wife happily beamed at the camera, holding one of her many children in her arm. Mr. Big stood beside his wife, the smile on his face so genuine that one wouldn't believe that the shrew was a cold-blooded crime boss.
Tears began to sting at Mr. Big's eyes as his thoughts turned to his deceased wife. Being a crime boss brought with it many enemies, and those enemies would do anything that they could to hurt you. Mr. Big was no exception to these enemies, and his wife was no exception to what would be done to get to the powerful shrew.
Mr. Big was drawn from his depressing train of thought as a bell attached above the door rang three times in quick succession; the shrew had a visitor. With a tired sigh, Mr. Big rose from his small chair and made his way to the exit.
His close friend Jim Bratva was waiting for him outside, the portable chair sitting comfortably in his massive paw. Nothing was said between the two mammals, but then again, there wasn't much that needed to be said as business was carried out as usual.
The walk through the halls to the large office wasn't very long, and Mr. Big was grateful; he wasn't ready to delve into his thoughts once more. However, he couldn't help but wonder who was visiting him at this late hour. His different partners who were nocturnal kept rushing through the shrew's mind, but one name was determined to take priority.
And unfortunately for Mr. Big, that name belonged to the fox that now stood before him, a mischievous gleam in his emerald eyes and a smarmy grin on his muzzle: Victor Wilde.
Mr. Big's bushy eyebrows slowly raised in surprise, but his perpetual scowl gave him the appearance of being annoyed more than anything else. An odd silence fell over the room as both mammals waited for the other to start; both were experienced with dealing with visitors, and both were trying to take control of the situation.
Luckily for Mr. Big, Victor decided to surrender control to the shrew as he opened his mouth to speak. "Good evening, Mr. Big," he said, his paws clasped behind his back and his tail gently swaying behind him. "I hope this isn't a bad time."
The sarcasm in the fox's voice immediately grated on Mr. Big's nerves; he sounded too much like Nick when he had sold the shrew the skunk-butt rug. "Meh, when you have my occupation, you find that any time is a good time, whether you want it to be or not," Mr. Big replied, creating an air of indifference about him.
Victor nodded. "There's a saying about wiser words, but I can't seem to remember it," he stated. Mr. Big could almost immediately see what the fox was trying to do; Victor was challenging the shrew, trying to get under his skin. The crime boss knew that if he let the fox slip past his emotional defenses, he would be done for.
"You must feel very disappointed in yourself, then," the shrew stated dryly. This earned an imperceptible chuckle from the polar bears that stood among the two crime lords.
"Well, you know, you learn to get over these kinds of things," Victor shrugged, the challenge still apparent in his voice. "I mean, if I let stuff easily get to me, I wouldn't be here, would I?"
The shrew merely nodded, and silence once again fell over the room. It was again broken, however, by Victor after a few moments. "I don't know about you, but I usually offer my guest a drink whenever they come to visit me."
"I'm afraid all I have is frozen water," Mr. Big said, a chilling smile growing over his muzzle as he gestured towards the floor. Victor's eyes followed and widened as he realized where he was standing. Before the fox could back away, however, two polar bears stepped together to create an immovable wall, keeping Victor in place. "and I'm sure you don't want that."
Victor regained his composure as quickly as he had lost it. "I didn't know you were so considerate, Mr. Big; your reputation does nothing for the true mammal behind the name."
"While I appreciate the compliments, I have this growing feeling that you're simply beating around the bush," Mr. Big said, his annoyance starting to seep through the cracks.
Victor gave an amused snort. "Considerate and perceptive!" he said with a fake sense of awe. "The truth is, I needed to talk to you about something."
Mr. Big raised one of his massive eyebrows in response.
Victor's smirk faded somewhat as his emerald eyes darkened. "I've come to talk about my son and the part he plays in my upcoming plans. Hell, as an added bonus, I may even tell you what your part in my plans is!"
Mr. Big's other eyebrow soon joined its counterpart. "And why would I even consider playing along?"
In all his years, Mr. Big had very little to fear. However, a shiver ran down the shrew's spine as a strikingly cold grin crawled over Victor's face.
"You'll find I'm rather persuasive, especially if I give the right proposition," the fox replied, his voice as cold as his glare. "And I'm positive that what I'm about to ask will be the just what I need to convince you to play nicely."
Silence fell over the room as the shrew and fox stared at each other. The polar bears fidgeted nervously as the tension surged through the air like electricity. And suddenly, the tension dissipated as Mr. Big gave a hearty laugh, though it sounded like squeaking to the fox.
"You've received my full attention, Victor," the shrew said, a broad smile on his muzzle; he couldn't help but notice the satisfied grin on Victor's face. "Alright, I'll listen. Just make it worth my while."
Nick's emerald eyes avidly followed the form of his wife pacing back and forth in the living room, the bunny's face set in a mask of thoughtful determination. While Nick was just as curious as Judy as to the meaning of the message on the strip of paper he had found in his wallet, he had decided that the carpet could only handle one pair of pacing feet at a time and opted to remain seated on the couch.
"What could it mean?" Judy repeatedly mumbled to herself, the piece of paper in question clenched tightly in her paws. For the umpteenth time that night, the bunny paused and scrutinized the message written and revealed within the folds.
"Are you asking me this time, Carrots, or is it still rhetorical?" Nick joked, amused with how seriously Judy was taking the random message.
Judy shot a glare at the fox, her frown clearly saying that she was in no mood for this right now. "If you happen to know the answer, then by all means, please share it!" she exclaimed as she resumed her march.
Nick snorted before throwing his paws up in a show of surrender. "I've gotta disappoint you there, Carrots, but unlike every other time in my life, I don't have the answer."
Judy paused in her pacing, turning towards the fox with a look of pure annoyance in her eyes that translated into her tone of voice. "Oh no! If you don't have the answer, then no one does!" She then crossed her arms and frowned at Nick, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground.
Nick gave the bunny a grin and shrugged. "Sorry to bring about the end of the world for you, Carrots, but fear not! I may not have the answer, but I have the means of finding it!" Without another word – though Judy shook her head in exasperation – Nick rose from the couch and made his way to the bedroom. A moment later, he returned with the couple's trusty laptop.
As Nick set the portable computer up on the coffee table, Judy took a seat on the couch next to her partner. A few seconds and a laptop boot-up later, the fox and bunny had Zoogle Chrome ready and waiting.
"Before we begin," Nick said, turning to the impatient bunny, "I am curious as to what your expectations are. Like, what do you think Wild Times is going to be?"
Judy opened her mouth to speak but closed it as she began to second-guess her original theory. Her eyebrows lowered in deep thought as she brought a paw up to her chin. "Well, if it's a name, then I think it's gonna be a restaurant or night club of some kind," she glanced at her partner with a light of curiosity in her gem-colored eyes. "What about you? What do you think?"
"Well," Nick said, and before Judy could stop him, he quickly typed Wild Times into the computer and the moment the web page loaded, he glanced at the top link. "I think that it's an amusement park."
Judy harrumphed and shot a glare at the fox before turning to the screen and clicking the link Nick had read. After the screen had loaded, Judy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Would you look at this; it's an amusement park that's more predator-friendly than most other places. In fact, it looks like most of the rides are based off of predatory instincts!"
Nick's ears perked toward the screen as he skimmed over the page. "Man, they've got roar-a-coasters, indoor 'fishing,' Nocturnal Hide N' Seek; why haven't I heard of this place!?"
After scrolling down the page, the answer to Nick's question was found: the place had opened very recently, and because of the heavily prey-based population, it wasn't very popular at first.
"Does the news have anything on this?" Judy asked after thoroughly scanning the web page and its contents.
After exiting the page and returning to the search results, Nick answered, "Yes, there is. Look here," he said as he clicked another link that led to a news thread. "'Wilde Times: Is Victor Running the Show? Apparently, rumors have been running around that my dad secretly owns the place."
"Why would that be?" Judy asked, and she received her answer when she scrolled down the page. "Oh, really? They think because the name Wild Times is similar to Wilde that Victor is pulling the strings? The place opened a year ago; way before he even surfaced!"
Nick nodded, though his expression was somewhat solemn. "Yeah, well, most mammals like to mindlessly jump to conclusions when it comes to scenarios like this. Not only is Victor making people scared, but the amusement park is predator-based; it's the perfect hate victim."
Judy harrumphed again. She couldn't get over the fact that there was still mindless hate against predators, but it wasn't something that would go away easily; deep-rooted instincts helped drive this hate, and instinct doesn't disappear overnight.
"Now the real question is," Nick began, pulling the bunny from her thoughts, "why did I suddenly have a piece of paper in my wallet that had me solve a puzzle to get 'Wild Times'?"
Judy paused for a moment, mulling over the thought. The obvious and easy route would be to blame it on Victor, but with the lack of concrete evidence, Judy refused to believe something that far-fetched. However, thanks to the train of thought that Victor Wilde brought along, something clicked in Judy's brain.
"Wait a minute, what about that wolf?" Judy asked, turning towards her partner. The expression of 'Eureka' on her face did nothing to help Nick understand where Judy was going with this.
"Okay?" Nick asked, shrugging in a show of 'I don't quite follow you.'
Judy rolled her eyes. "The wolf that stole your wallet yesterday? Remember?"
Nick's eyes widened as he began to realize what Judy was getting at, but he decided to mess with her a little more. "Okay, yeah, I remember. But what about him?"
Judy missed the sly grin on Nick's face as she gave an exasperated sigh and pulled the piece of paper out of her wallet. As she waved it in Nick's face, she continued, "The only person besides you or me that had your wallet long enough to put this in there was that wolf!"
Taking the paper from Judy's paw, Nick scrutinized the message again. "Now the only question is why he would do that," Judy added, her face once again set in thoughtful determination.
"There are a few guesses," Nick said, placing the paper in his pocket and turning his gaze towards the bunny. "One, he was paid to do it. Two, he thought it would be a hilarious prank. Three, it's both."
Judy gave an audible exhale, the annoyance with the mystery evident in her body language. "However, I think it deserves a visit," Nick said as he clicked back onto the main web page. "Don't you?"
Nick's suggestion had the desired effect on the bunny; her annoyance turned into happy determination as thoughts of figuring out this mystery rushed behind her eyes. "Sounds like a plan!" she chirped, hopping in her seat.
The fox smiled as he scanned the web page, looking for the location of the amusement park. After a moment, Judy joined in, her eyes quickly scanning through the paragraphs and pictures advertising the establishment.
"Ah ha!" Judy said, her outburst faintly startling Nick. "There! It's in the Meadowlands!"
Nick leaned in to get a better look at the address. "Wait a minute," he mumbled under his breath as his eyes widened in surprised realization. "I know that place!"
Judy snapped her head to her husband, her eyes scanning his face for any signs of a sarcastic joke; there were none. "Really?"
Nick nodded before turning to her, a faint smile on his face. "You're not gonna believe this, but –"
– A seemingly abandoned warehouse loomed ahead, the bright sunlight casting a cheery glow about the surrounding fields. The white convertible casually drove over the dirt road that would have been too small for Nick and Judy's large police cruiser. With the top down, the fox relished the feeling of the wind rustling through his fur as he fought the instinct to open his maw and allow his tongue to freely wag in the breeze. Judy was reminded of home; this was one of the many reasons why she adored the Meadowlands.
The car drove over a small bridge, and to any other mammal, the act would have been nothing at all. To Nick and Judy, it was much more; they were crossing the very same bridge under which Nick and Judy had mended their relationship after the press conference about three years ago.
"It still feels weird to think how long ago that was," Judy mumbled more to herself as the bridge disappeared around the bend behind them.
"I feel you Carrots, but anytime I think about that, I'm just reminded that I'm an old fox," Nick lamented with a snarky grin on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Judy rolling her eyes at him, though she shared a similar grin on her muzzle.
"You're not that old, Nick," Judy said in a reassuring tone; her grin wasn't. "You still have about five years before you're forty!"
"Thanks, Carrots," Nick halfheartedly grumbled as he kept his eyes on the road. He contemplated coming up with something to get back at the rabbit, but ultimately decided against it; Judy needed a few victories every now and then.
Before long, the white convertible circled around and drove up to the front of the warehouse. From this side, the building looked very lively. Colorful posters and streamers beckoned customers inside, promises of fun times and long-lasting memories radiating from the entrance. As Judy gazed at all the different mammals bustling about, she noticed something that – thought she was expecting it – she found rather odd: nearly every mammal she saw was a predator of some kind.
Young kits ran about in excitement while their parents tried to keep them in check; young couples strolled about, probably enjoying their first date; groups of students on field trips gleefully walked single-file towards the entrance.
As Nick parked the car, he couldn't help but notice the excited twitching of Judy's tail as the bunny drank in all of the sights, and a warm smile crept over his muzzle. "I know it shouldn't surprise me at this point, but the fact that you're so full of energy bewilders me, Carrots," Nick said, drawing Judy's attention. "When I told you where this place was, I was sure that you wouldn't get any sleep at all last night!"
"I didn't think so either," Judy said, her amethyst eyes sparkling. "But when you have such a warm, fluffy fox to cuddle with at night, it becomes hard to stay awake."
Nick chuckled. "Guilty as charged," he said as he and Judy exited the car and put the top up. The heat of the sun was balanced by a constant, cool breeze that gently ruffled the fur of every mammal present.
To keep the regular patrons of the park from worrying, Nick and Judy had opted to dress casually for the visit. Nick wore the blue shirt and red tie that Judy had gotten him along with his regular pair of khakis. His reflective sunglasses rested atop his snout, giving him the appearance of a stereotypical tourist. Judy wore a loose, gray T-shirt and denim jeans, putting her slightly out of place next to the fox. However, due to their comfortable clothing, the couple was hardly looked at twice and therefore casually walked up to the entrance of the park with no problems.
"Hello there!" said the arctic fox behind the ticket booth. He was dressed in a red T-shirt with the Wild Times logo imprinted on it, and a genuine smile made its home on the fox's muzzle. "Welcome to Wild Times! My name's Rick. How can I help you two today?"
Nick leaned forward after fishing his badge from his pocket and handing it to the fox. "Well, Rick, my partner and I are here to meet with the owner. We hope he'll be able to help us with the case we are currently working on."
Rick's smile never left his muzzle as he examined the badge, but his eyes did widen in happy surprise. "Wow! You're Officer Wilde! And that must make you Officer Hopps!" Rick turned from Nick to Judy; while the fox was clearly excited to see the two officers, he kept his voice down.
Judy gave the predator a shy wave. "Yep. That's me."
"Well, if you've got some business here, then go right ahead," Rick said with a wave towards the entrance. "Here, take these bands; it'll let you enjoy some of the rides if you have time left over from your visit!"
"Thanks, bud!" Nick said, his tail wagging excitedly behind him. With the neon-pink paper bands around their wrists, Nick and Judy entered the amusement park.
As the two cops rounded the corner, Rick discreetly brought a finger up to his ear, activating the earpiece hidden inside. "Victor? They're here."
Judy couldn't take in all the sights no matter how hard she tried, but what she did manage to see awed her. Different attractions of all shapes and colors lined the walls of the warehouse, creating a cheerful atmosphere and removing any reminders that the establishment was built inside what used to be an old, abandoned building.
"Carrots, if you keep rubbernecking like that, your head will fall off," Nick joked, an amused smile on his face.
"But don't you see everything?" Judy said with a tone of wonder. "It's so cool here! Look at everything there is to do!"
Nick did, in fact, look around the park. Hundreds of mammals went about their day, food in the paws of some, cameras in the paws of others. Glancing up, Nick noticed the balcony that wrapped around the perimeter of the warehouse, containing more mammals and attractions. Finally, Nick's gaze rested upon the large ride that demanded the attention of all the patrons: the Roar-a-coaster. The huge attraction sprawled across the entire park, and the rails were elevated to make room for everything else. Just looking at it made Nick's stomach flutter in excitement; roar-a-coasters were his favorite at any amusement park.
"Hey Nick, look at that!" Judy said as she gestured with her head. Nick's gaze turned where Judy pointed, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. Standing outside of the Fish-o-Rama was a jackrabbit wearing the red T-shirt of Wild Times employees. The buck constantly flashed toothy smiles at the patrons, his cheery attitude unfazed by the fact that he was surrounded by predators.
In fact, when Nick glanced around the park, he noticed that the employees were a mix of predator and prey. Each mammal had a cheerful attitude, physically declaring that they enjoyed being there. Nick couldn't help but break his practiced mask of pleasant indifference and grin at the sight.
"Hello!" a voice caught the fox and bunny's attention. Turning towards the source, Nick and Judy were met with the sight of a friendly-looking sheep striding towards them. He was a head taller than Nick, and his wool gave him a wide frame, giving the sheep the resemblance of a giant ball of fluff. The brown sweater-vest, white undershirt, and cotton slacks that he wore told the cops that this sheep was the manager of Wild Times, but also that he was of the cheery sort.
When the wooly mammal finally closed the distance, he promptly shook the paws of both Nick and Judy. A broad grin was plastered over his face. "My name is Edward Woolson," he said, his voice a rich tenor with a subdued British accent; Nick assumed that had his voice been a few octaves lower, the sheep would have had a hard time coming off as friendly, "though my friends call me Wooly. I'm the owner and founder of Wild Times. What can I do for you today?"
A small voice nagged at the back of Nick's head, but it was quickly overruled by the general, happy aura given off by the sheep; Nick found his grin widening as he shook Edward's hoof. "Well Wooly, my partner and I heard that some rumors have been going around about this place, but we would like to hear your side of the story. That, and maybe ride some of these rides; I swear that the Roar-a-coaster is calling to me!"
Edward's soft chuckle was still enough to make his thick coat of wool bounce around. "I see. If you would, I'll take you to my office; we can discuss matters there."
As the two cops followed the manager through the crowds toward the back of the room, Edward gave quick explanations of the different attractions and rides that they passed along the way. Judy's eyes whipped around as she stared in awe; Nick reigned in his excitement, though his tail wagged energetically behind him. At the entrance to the Roar-a-coaster, Edward led the cops to the right where a staircase awaited them. At the top was a door that led to the sheep's office.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable," Edward said, gesturing towards the small selection of comfortable seating in the room. Nick and Judy shared a small sofa, and Edward sat in the enormous chair across from them; it was the only chair that could fit his girth comfortably.
While the sheep got situated, the two cops found their gazes roaming around the office. It was modest; besides the seating, the only other furnishing was a desk located to the right. However, the main point of interest that Nick and Judy found themselves drawn to was the window directly across from them. The glass pane took up most of the wall, revealing a spectacular view of the rest of the park.
"Isn't it wonderful?" Edward asked with a smile on his face, glancing from the window to the two cops. "That's one of the reasons I decided to have the office up here. Other than that, I have plenty of peace and quiet to get my work done."
"It's really nice," Judy said, a somewhat dazed smile on her muzzle. "It all is."
"Thank you," Edward said, nodding in thanks. "I do enjoy it myself. Now, about your visit."
"Ah yes," Judy said, quickly retrieving her notebook and carrot pen from her back pocket. "We were wondering if you could tell us about this place and what you think of the rumors."
With a sigh, Edward leaned back in his chair. "I'll start from the beginning, then. After Bellwether's arrest, I began to feel sympathetic to the predators. Hundreds of innocent lives practically ruined because of the fear that was spread; I almost felt disgusted to be a sheep! So, I decided that I wanted to help the predator population, to give them a way to feel like themselves again. Prey mammals are the majority here; anything I may have wanted to do for them was already done! So, I realized that an amusement park that was based off of predators would be the best option.
"I got the help of some of my close friends – prey and predator – and finally found this place. Old, abandoned, and the perfect size for what I had planned. Purchasing it was easy; getting it cleaned was the hard part. Well, I say that, but then actually constructing the park was just as bad. Anyway, after two years, we finally got the place finished and were ready to officially open. And then the whole Hunter debacle cropped up. Luckily, you two nipped his plans in the bud before that crazy leopard could do some major damage, but the effects were there. Prey didn't trust predators again, and predators were starting to feel unsure of themselves; I mean, if I were suddenly targeted by my own kind, I would be a little rattled as well!
"Because of this, my friends and I strengthened our efforts to get Wild Times out to the public. The mayor, the ZPD, anyone who had a voice; we talked to them all. Lucky for us, most of those that we contacted were on board; in fact, I believe Chief Bogo would have had you two come down had you not been on vacation at the time, but after dealing with Hunter, I don't blame you.
"My friends and I officially opened this place, and the turnout was fantastic! Hundreds of mammals came to enjoy themselves, bringing enjoyment to me! We've been in happy business since, though these rumors certainly are trying to bring us down."
"Do your friends still help out?" Judy asked after writing key notes into her notebook.
Edward nodded. "Most of the employees are close friends of mine, and a few of them are mammals working summer or part-time jobs. It still surprises me that it's not only predators who appreciate what I'm doing here, but I'm not complaining; knowing how much good you're doing in the world is recompense enough."
Nick and Judy nodded, both of them sympathetic to the sheep's words. Being the faces of the ZPD and, to an extent, interspecies relationships, it was always helpful to the fox and bunny that their hard work wasn't all for naught.
"Now, about this rumor," Edward began, drawing Nick and Judy from their thoughts. "It may come as a surprise to you, Officer Wilde, but I once knew your father."
Nick, the master of don't let them see that they get to you, expertly suppressed his surprise into a simple raise of his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked, his calm, smooth voice giving no hint to the emotional state he was in.
Edward nodded. "Yes. He and I worked in his tailor shop. I think you can guess what I helped with," he said as he gestured towards his excess of wool. He then gave a hearty chuckle at his joke before continuing, "I kid. I kid. He and I worked closely on his different designs. Besides that, I was a very close friend, which most predators desperately needed at the time. I don't want to relive it, but I will say that predators had it very rough back then.
"When your father was forced out of the tailoring business, I was so distraught for him; all of his life's work, straight down the drain. He was never the same after that, though I was surprised that he was still compassionate to prey mammals after that; I heard many a story about predators completely leaving society and loathing prey after being hurt so badly. However, I could see the hurt in your father's eyes.
"Eventually, your father left, and I never saw him again. However, he never left my thoughts, even now. I think part of me built this place in honor of him, or, who he was; the news today isn't very reassuring, is it? So, to answer the first possible question: yes, Wild Times is a small nod to my old friend. However, that is as far as the truth to those rumors goes. I haven't had contact with Victor ever since his disappearance, and nothing else about this park has been inspired by his actions."
A few moments of silence filled the air as Judy scribbled the notes into the paper in her paws. Nick, however, was sorting through yet more information on his father. As he compared it to the story his mother gave him a few days ago, Nick couldn't help but feel that there was something that he was missing; something that both his mother and Edward were leaving out.
The gravel crunched under rubber tires as the light blue van drove through the parking lot of Wild Times. To most mammals, the colorful entrance would have been quite alluring, but the van's driver and passengers were immune. Being careful of the many pedestrians milling about, the van slowly made its way towards a small building situated to the main warehouse's right. The sun-baked double doors slowly opened to allow the vehicle passage and closed with the same speed once the van passed the threshold.
From the outside, the building was little more than a shack compared to the amusement park that stood near, but inside was a hidden treasure: an entrance to an underground bunker that was used back in the war against the Axis predators. Since then, however, the catacombs were collecting dust from years of lack of use; that is, until Victor had found it.
The van rolled through the tunnels as the cool, damp air began to seep into the vehicle. The smell of earth and concrete met the noses of the four mammals inside, the aroma oddly calming. Though there were lamps that hung from the ceiling at regular intervals, the van's headlights shone through the dusty corridors.
Within moments, the van pulled into a large clearing where dozens of mammals milled about; some carried supplies and ammunition, others carried large crates filled to the brim with foodstuffs. The vehicle was quickly pulled into its designated area and parked before the four mammals exited.
"Welcome back, boys!" Victor called as he walked towards the group. "I assume everything went well?"
Dallas ripped off his mask before turning to the fox. "Yeah, everything went fine. Nobody suspected a thing, and it'll be a few days before they realize we were even there!" While the fox talked, the three other criminals opened the back doors of the van and began unloading several duffel bags.
"Did you make the switch?" Victor asked as he watched the bags make their way into the paws of a few other mammals.
Dallas gave an affirmative grunt. "Thousands of counterfeit bills, right where the real deal was kept. Like I said, it'll be a while before anyone realizes what's going on."
A broad, toothy grin split over Victor's muzzle. "Very good. You guys earned some well-deserved rest! Go get something to eat; I'll have Tony let you know where your next mark is." With that, the older fox spun on his heel and walked away from the group.
The four convicts took the fox's offer, making their way to the mess hall after unloading the stolen money. Luckily, at this time of day, most of Victor's "employees" were busy with tasks of their own, meaning that the mess hall was relatively quiet.
Wolf, having been the last of the four to get his meal, plopped his tail down on the seat next to Chains with an audible 'thud' and a sigh. "Well, that was fun," he joked before digging into his food. If there was one pro to working with Victor, it was that the fox had access to plenty of chicken and fish for the predators to eat.
Dallas gave an amused snort. "Heh, yeah right. We're not even finished with our second day of work for that crazy fox, and he's got us on suicide missions!"
"Hey, at least it's something!" Hoofston interjected after swallowing a bite of his salad. "Ever since those two cops came around, Baine has been having trouble getting us any decent contracts. Most of the time, we're just barely scraping the bottom of the bucket!"
"Well, that's true," Dallas grumbled as he absentmindedly picked at his food with his fork. "But, Baine knew how to get us out of there when things got hairy; I bet that the moment the opportunity arrives, Victor's just gonna leave us hanging."
"Yeah, he's very inconsiderate, isn't he?" Wolf asked before becoming very interested in a piece of chicken on his plate. After attacking the morsel and tossing it into his muzzle, Wolf spoke up again, "You know, it's almost like he doesn't care about us at all!" Suddenly, the wolf's eyes darkened, and his paw clenched tightly around the fork. A low growl emanated from the canine before his demeanor changed back to normal just as suddenly as before.
The other three convicts were quite used to this behavior, but it didn't stop them from feeling sorry for their comrade. "Hey, as long as we stick together out there, we don't need to care about Victor," Hoofston said as he gently clapped Wolf on the shoulder. "This is just a job, and the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can get on with our normal lives."
Chains snorted as he placed his empty plate on the table. "When have any of our lives ever been normal, Hoofston?" the bear asked with a cold grin on his face. "We've all had it rough; ain't nothin' gonna change that."
Dallas gave the bear a thoughtful nod. "True, but we can change what happens to us afterward. I, for one, see myself retiring somewhere nice, quiet, and away from everyone else."
Hoofston chuckled. "Man, you're making it hard not to profile you, Dallas," he said with a knowing smirk.
"You're one to talk, He-Who-Only-Eats-Lettuce-And-Calls-It-A-Salad!" the fox retorted with a smirk of his own.
"Oh, get a room you two," Chains groaned and rolled his eyes. "You're gonna make me sick with all your brotherly love and crap!"
"Of course you wouldn't like it; you've been orphaned all your life!" Dallas challenged, a mischievous gleam in his sky-blue eyes.
Wolf couldn't help the dopey grin that crept over his muzzle as he excitedly glanced from fox to bear, waiting in gleeful apprehension as to what would happen next. Hoofston even sat back, a grin on his face as he prepared to watch the entertainment unfold.
"You really wanna go there?" Chains growled, his body already raising from his seat.
Dallas only grinned as his eyes traveled up the towering form of the bear. Before he could open his mouth to answer, however, a massive paw socked him across the muzzle and sent him sprawling onto the floor.
Wolf doubled over with laughter as Hoofston merely glanced over to Dallas's body. Chains dusted his paws off as he walked over to the incapacitated fox.
Dallas groaned as Chains lifted him off of the ground. "Come on, Chains. You used to be able to knock me out cold with one punch!"
"That was because I used to not like you," the massive bear joked as he plopped the fox onto his seat. "Besides, my angle was awkward; had I punched you harder, your snout would have been broken for sure."
Dallas tenderly rubbed his sore nose as the bear seated himself. "Huh. Thanks for being so considerate," the fox joked.
A conversation sounding from the front of the mess hall drew the attention of the four convicts. "They're really here?" said one of the two mammals; a zebra, by the looks of it.
"Yep," said the other; a horse about a head taller than the other mammal. "Rick called it in about an hour ago; Wooly's talking with them now."
The zebra placed her hooves on her hips as she glanced at the floor, seemingly unsure about something. "Is he really Victor's son?" she asked.
Even from a distance, the four criminals could see the eye roll from the horse. "Yes Corey, he's Victor's son. The very same son who 'saved all of Zootopia!'" he said with mock dramatic flair.
"I get it, but it's just kinda weird, Don," Corey said. "I mean, they're so similar, yet so different!"
"That's what Victor's whole plan is hinging upon, apparently. But as we've been going along, I've started to believe that Victor will actually pull this off," Don said. The rest of the conversation was forgotten as the four criminals turned to each other.
"Did you hear that?" Wolf said, his tail wagging behind him in excitement. "Those two cops are here!"
"Yeah, we heard 'em Wolf," Dallas said, though his expression was grim.
"Well, what we gonna do about it?" Chains asked as he glanced between the other mammals.
"What do you mean, Chains?" Dallas asked, turning towards the large bear.
"I mean, are we going to sit around and let them go, or are we going to show them that you don't mess with us and get away with it?"
Large grins split across the mouths of the other three mammals as the thought developed in their minds.
"I agree with Chains," Dallas said as he turned towards the rest of the small group. "It's about time someone taught those two a lesson."
"Again, thank you for your time," Judy said as Edward led them back into the park. "You've helped us a lot."
Edward chuckled. "It was my pleasure, Officer Hopps. Or should I call you Mrs. Wilde?"
"Only when I'm off-duty," Judy said with a wide grin on her face.
"Of course," Edward said before turning to Nick and offering his hoof. "I do hope to see you two here again soon; I'd love to hear what you think of my rides."
Nick shook the sheep's hoof with a smile of his own. "I think Carrots and I have some time before we need to head back to the station, and your buddy Rick was kind enough to give us these wristbands!" the fox held up his arm, revealing the neon pink paper strip.
Edward's smile widened. "Ah, good lad! So glad I hired him. In that case, feel free to ride! I'm sure your job is stressful as it is."
"Will do! See you around, Wooly!" Nick waved as he and Judy began walking back into the crowds.
Turning around to face where he was going, Nick couldn't stop the surge of excitement that rushed through him. "So Carrots, what do you want to try first?"
Judy looked around, placing a paw under her chin as she pondered the multiple options. "Why don't we try out the Roar-a-coaster; maybe then you'll stop talking about it!" she joked as she began striding off in the direction of the monstrous attraction.
"Oh trust me, Carrots; by the time you've ridden one of these bad boys, you'll be buzzing for days!" Nick called as he jogged after her.
Nick groaned as he leaned on Judy's small form, the lights and colors swimming around in his vision. "Carrots?" he asked groggily, his words slurring together as he swayed from side to side. "I dun feel so good."
"Maybe you shouldn't have ridden the Roar-a-coaster ten times in a row!" Judy chided through grit teeth as she slowly made her way to the exit; Nick was much heavier than he looked, especially when all his muscles were giving out.
"But – urk – it was so much fun," Nick mumbled, a dopey grin creeping over his muzzle. His eyebrows furrowed together as his head swiveled towards Judy. "Waitaminute. . . why aren't you all sick?"
Judy groaned as she adjusted her hold on Nick. "I didn't ride ten times like you did," she said, her voice less strained now that she had found an easy and comfortable way to transport her dizzy fox to the exit.
"Ah," Nick said, sounding like he had heard the answer to every question in the world.
It took a while, but Judy finally got Nick to their car without dropping him. However, there were plenty of times where she almost dropped him; whether out of the fox's sheer weight or the annoying factor of one of his wise-cracks, Judy wasn't sure.
"Alright, Slick Nick, I'm driving," Judy said as she gently sat Nick down in the passenger seat. By this time, the fox had regained some sense of normality and wrapped the seat belt around his waist and chest, and Judy sat herself in the driver's seat.
Unfortunately, Nick and Judy's visit had kept them well into the afternoon and the busiest time of the day. The parking lot was filled with pedestrians and cars looking for parking spots. It took another ten minutes to finally escape the cramped lot, and by that time, Nick was back to his normal self.
"Well, that was a fun day," Nick said as he placed his sunglasses on his snout and rolled down the window. Cool air began to flow through the car, much to the delight of both mammals. "Don't you think, Carrots?"
Judy gave an affirmative hum before her thoughts returned to the case. "But we didn't get any further in our case!" she groaned.
"Carrots, it's fine. We'll find another lead, and that will probably be a dead end. Then we'll find another lead, and the same thing will happen. That's how most of these investigations go until we finally find the breakthrough."
"I know, but with every passing day that we don't catch these guys, the greater the danger Zootopia could be in," Judy said as her ears folded against her head.
"Hey now, no need to be so dramatic," Nick grinned as he gently stroked Judy's ears. "They're not gonna tear the city apart or anything. If they're on the loose, I bet you that they're robbing banks again. That'll get out to the news, and then voila! A new lead has appeared!"
Judy sighed; the mixture of the cool, Meadowlands breeze and Nick's comforting petting was doing wonders for her stressed nerves. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Nick," she said, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "We just need to be patient, that's all."
Up ahead, a light blue van was driving down the road, heading in the opposite direction of Nick and Judy.
"So, what's the plan after this?" Judy asked, stealing a quick glance at the fox next to her.
Nick fell silent as he pondered, but his paw never left the bunny's ears. "We head back to the ZPD, fill in our reports for the day, then head home. Nothing much we can do now."
Judy nodded in agreement; a "chill" day sounded really good about now.
The van grew closer, and Judy began to pull over to make space on the small road. Her ears perked up, however, when the van kept heading straight for them.
Nick noticed the van too, and his heart skipped a beat as his arms stiffened, preparing to protectively wrap around Judy. The van charged head-on, not even slowing down as Judy swerved the car out of the way. It wasn't enough, and the van rammed hard into the side of the white convertible with a harsh, crunching sound. Glass flew through the air, cutting into the fur of both mammals as the van continued to barrel into the side of the car.
The deformed, white vehicle began to somersault over the grass, the van still pushing it forward. Nick tightly held Judy's small form to his chest as the centrifugal force of the tumbling car pulled at him from all directions.
The van rammed the convertible into a nearby tree, effectively sandwiching the white car and crushing it with a harsh, metallic sound.