Feathers

"Clawhauser…" Judy said sadly, as Clawhauser was tied to a pole inside his… his cage. Nick put an arm on her shoulder.

"We'll get him back, Carrots." He put his head on top of hers and his arms around her shoulders.

"Nick, we have got to stop this. The public is terrified." Judy muttered.

"So, they can just stop drinking soft drinks. Really, it's so simple." Nick said angrily.

"So then what, it'll be fast-food or hamburgers or whatever. The solution isn't to take soft drinks away. It's to connect these…" Judy pulled out a rainbow-coloured feather, "To… anything."

Nick let out a sigh and he retreated. "Let's go." The animals were kept in a highly-secure area at the ZPD. Should anyone wish to visit… well, they could. They arrived at the front lobby and looked sadly at Clawhauser's now empty desk.

"I just don't understand. What would they point of this be? What would anyone win from destroying Zootopia?" Judy's ears fell.

"Hate? Prejudice? World domination?" Nick nudged her side playfully.

She smiled at him, but it was still a sad smile. "We have to stop it. We can't let this terrorise and Zootopia. I don't even understand the purpose if they're targeting all animals."

Nick shrugged. "We'll figure it out, Carrots. We always do." Judy leaned her head next to Nick's shoulder. Chief Bogo appeared before them slowly, looking very sad.

"A special detective is going to be your partner on this case in a few weeks. He's currently away." Bogo informed them.

"What? No! This is our case." Judy said.

"And we're investigating it well enough on our own." Nick backed her up.

"You don't understand," Bogo went on. "This isn't just any normal mammal. He's brilliant, he was hired in another country to solve a big case. We didn't call him in before, but now Zootopia itself is threatened. He will take some time to arrive, though."

"How much?" Judy asked.

"A couple of weeks. Maybe more." Bogo informed.

"Then we'll crack the case before that." Judy told him. "It took us less than a week to do it last time, anyway."

"The sooner the better. You have to realise, Officer Hopps, this isn't about your personal pride. It's about the better of everyone in Zootopia." Bogo said and walked away.

Judy checked her phone for messages and after looking at it for a second closed it with disappointment. "Nothing new from the lab?" Nick asked.

"Nope. They can't find anything weird or abnormal in Clawhauser's drink. Not the canon, the drink itself. Nothing. Just an ordinary beverage." Judy sighed.

"Perhaps the beverages are like marks. And whoever is marked gets shot or something. You know, from a distance."

"It's just like every other can of soda." Judy murmured with sheer disappointment. "I just don't get it. There is no connection!"

"There has to be something we're missing. We'll find it." Nick said.

"I just… I don't know, Nick. I didn't want to show it before Bogo but… I'm pretty desperate about this. No matter how I look at it, there's just no connection!" Judy said exasperatedly.

"Look, why don't we go and rest somewhat."

"I'm afraid that cannot happen." Said a firm voice behind them. They both turned.

"Who are you?" They asked. A tall animal, more than likely pray, was looking down at them.

"I'm the new assistant. I have a shoplifted you two need to find." She told them, handing them the file.

"What? But we're already on a case!" Judy said angrily.

"Which has been put on hold until the new detective arrives." She informed, her tone very bored.

"No, he's just a partner! The Chief just told us." Judy told her, stomping her foot quickly in anger.

"This is a more pressing matter." The assistant insisted.

"So get somebody else to do it! This is our assigned mission! Screw you!" Judy said, and turned around.

Nick's ears lifted. "Um, excuse her." She told to the assistant and ran after Judy. "Carrots, what the hell was that?"

"I worked really hard Nick to become a police officer, even harder to get to this position. I won't have some annoying grass-eating antelope degrade that!" She said, still not turning around.

Nick smirked. "You eat carrots, she eats grass. You're practically family." Judy flashed him an angry look. Nick rushed to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Judy – relax. She was probably just doing her job."

"Did you just see the look on that – on that bitch's face? All I'm-so-much-better-than-you attitude. What has she ever done for this city? I saved it!" Judy insisted. Nick stopped, his hand dropping. Judy let out a breath, relaxing herself. "We saved it, Nick."

Nick forced himself to relax. "Look, nothing can be gained from being so angry at a lousy antelope. Let's just do something relaxing today and then tomorrow, we'll be back, acing our case and saving Zootopia in no time." Judy's ears lowered as she half-smiled. "Come in for a hug." Nick said, spreading his arms.

Judy chuckled as she walked to him slowly and put her short arms around him. "I've never heard you swear before."

Judy's eyebrows lit up as her face got a humorous expression of utter horror. "Crap! How could I? I – I'm a policewoman. I can't swear like a teenage boy. My mum would put spicy carrots in my mouth."

Nick chuckled. "Your mum's not around." Nick told her.

"Yeah… HEY!" Judy said, Nick almost jumping up from that.

"What?"

"Want to come to my farm tomorrow? You know, meet my family, all 275 of them!" Judy said smiling up.

And now she wants me to meet her family. Damn it, Carrots, think before you talk! "Sure." Nick said, putting on the best fake-smile he could. Judy smiled and hugged him, as Nick let out a happy sigh. "You're standing on my tail. Off, off, off, off!" He said.

"This is nice, innit?" Judy asked.

Nick rolled his eyes. They were slowly heading to Judy's farm-village. "Stop talking like a villager."

"I am a villager," Judy said, taking a bite of carrot in her mouth. "Ain't that right, partna?" She mused. Nick rolled his eyes again. "You know, that can cause damage eventually."

"No it can't." Nick told her.

"Sure it can. Your eyes are not spinning wills. Yet you roll them so often you might attract a hamster."

Nick groaned. "Do your jokes get even worse?"

"Yep. Check this one; Where's Heidi, Nick?" Judy asked.

Nick groaned to himself. "God, it's going to be so bad… where's Heidi?"

Judy chuckled. "She's… heiding." Then Judy burst laughing.

"Oh god stop the car, I'm going to jump out and hopefully die."

Judy laughed again. "You know, Nick, I really can't envision my life before you. You're seriously an amazing presence in my life."

Is she serious? Does she really not think how that might sound? "Same and more for you, Carrrots."

Judy smiled happily. "Do you have any idea what those feathers might be?"

"Probably some sort of signature… who knows." Nick had actually given it a lot of thought – well, whatever thought remained to him after thinking about Judy, anyway.

"I think it's time we talk to her." She said.

Of course, Nick knew who Judy was talking about. He gulped. "Bellwether."

Judy nodded. "She might have answers."

"What make you so inclined to think she has any intention of helping us?"

"She probably doesn't. But this really doesn't seem like something she knew or anticipated. If she learns she was played, perhaps she might try to take down her enemy too." Judy's paws gripped the steering wheel harder.

"She won't talk to me. She hates predators." Nick muttered.

"Then… you'll prove her wrong. Because there's no soul other there that will meet you and won't absolutely adore you."

Nick's eyes widened as he looked at her. "I'm sorry, have you met me?"

Judy rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Underneath all the tough-guy act."

"It's not a tough-guy act. I hate everyone – and it's not an act." Nick looked ahead.

"Whatever, same thing. Underneath all that you're a marshmallow."

"A poisonous and deadly one." Nick smirked.

"Nah. Maybe a little bit rotten. But still sweet all the same." She smiled at him for a second before looking at the road.

Ugh I can't stand her anymore. This is practically flirting for God's sake. He let out a long sigh.

"Mum, Dad, this is Nick. Nick, this is Bonnie and Stu Hopps." Judy said, introducing Nick to her parents. Nick held out his paw as the other two shook it.

"So, this is your best friend?" Her mother asked. There was plenty uncertainty in her voice. Nick tried to ignore it.

"Yeah, he helped me solve one of the greatest mysteries Zootopia has ever faced." She said excitedly.

"So you're the reason she's not a metre maid anymore, huh?" Stu said.

Nick raised an eyebrow. Who's putting a tough-guy act, now? "Sir, your daughter is an excellent policewoman. It would be a shame for her to remain a metre maid. That's a lesson I learned the hard way."

Stu growled. "But she's just a little bunny!"

"Dad-" Judy begun to complain.

"No, she's not. She's brilliant, initiative, spontaneous, creative, and with no doubt the nicest bunny that has ever existed. She single-handedly changed an ex-hassler into a policeman. That says a lot." Nick smiled at Judy, whose ears lowered in sweetness.

"Awh, Nick!" She hugged him.

"That sure was something." Nick muttered, as he was about to drop Judy off to her apartment.

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't think my siblings would be so scared of you. But my parents liked you! Deep down…"

"I'm sure they did, Carrots. Anyway, no offence but their opinion doesn't matter." Nick patted her head. "Only yours does."

Judy smiled. "Goodnight, Nick." No sooner had she closed the door than shouts echoed as Judy kicked the door open, one of her flatmates running behind her, the other one was on all fours, horns lifted aggressively, eyes primitive and green.

"RUN!" Judy screamed, grabbing Nick's hand and jolting him to life as they ran up a tree, Judy's other roommate long gone. The tree was shaking as her remaining savage roommate was aggressively hitting it.

"Damn, prey gone savage…" Nick muttered.

Judy gulped. "I don't understand! It's so random. This isn't a public area, why is this happening?"

"I don't know, but we better freaking call the ZPD or we won't live to tell the tale." Nick muttered and pulled out his phone.

"We both drunk from the same can!" Judy's normal roommate – Bucky – said. "I don't understand how he could've gone savage!"

Judy sighed. "We'll need to keep you under surveillance in case this happens again."

Bucky looked down sadly. He lifted his face up, looking at Judy with begging eyes. "Judy, is he going to be okay?"

Judy nodded. "Don't worry, Bucks. We'll get your husband fixed in no time." Bucky nodded at her and put his head into his arms sadly.

Judy left the interrogation room and closed the door behind it. Nick looked at her puzzlingly. "Nothing… we've got nothing new."

Nick nodded and hugged her. "It's okay, Carrots. We'll sort it out. We've done it before."

"Yeah…" Judy muttered, burying her face into Nick's chest. "We have. And we will."

=Author's Notes=

For anyone wondering, Judy's roommates are confirmed by the official Disney Wikipedia to be different animal species with the same united last name. Specifically; "Given that they're different species - a kudu and an oryx, and share the same hyphenated last name, it's very possible that they're a married same-sex couple." So, they're either married or step-siblings, I'll go with the scenario I like better and I think is more possible.

Anyway, if you liked the story follow and favourite it and review the chapter to let me know what you think about it! Au revoir.