What does interesting mean?!
"Come on Nick!" Judy begged as she hopped in front of her partner during their stroll to work. "Just tell me," Judy began to walk backwards so she could keep her bright purple eyes on Nick.
"Nope," The fox said as he took a swig of his coffee.
"Please, I need to know. Did I do anything else? Anything dumb?" Judy asked, sounding a little nervous.
Judy had awoken that morning in a rather good mood. She didn't have a very nasty hangover fortunately as she had drunken her body weight in water before going to bed. A little trick Trisha had told her ages ago. Judy took the does advice gladly, especially when she was the one making drinks. Of course some nights she forgot and woke up with a bit of a nasty hangover. Today though Judy was pleased to wake up with only a slight throbbing. What had thrown her through a loop was a text from Trisha that had been sent after the brown bunny had gotten off work.
"So last night sure was interesting. Hope you are still game for Thursday!" The text was enough to cause Judy to jump from her bed and began to rack her brain as to what "Interesting" meant. She thought to the night before. She remembered asking Trisha out, she still couldn't get over that. She also couldn't get over the fact Trisha had said yes.
Judy wanted to text Trisha back but suddenly every word she put into a message didn't seem good enough. She found herself second guessing even the smallest of texts. In the end she decided to just go with: "Good interesting?" She felt it was enough to lead the conversation to something positive while also getting an answer from Trisha.
The only problem was Trisha normally slept in after work. The brown bunny wouldn't be up for a few more hours and the anticipation was killing Judy. She needed to know what she had done. That meant getting certain information from a rather mischievous fox who loved tormenting her when it came to this sort of stuff.
"Oh you did something that's for sure," Nick said teasingly as they waited at a cross walk for the signal for pedestrians.
"Ah! Don't say that," Judy said as she pulled on her ears. The anticipation was killing her. "Please Nick."
"Geeze Carrots, never seen you this worked up," Nick pointed out. He was right. Judy wasn't exactly acting like herself and she couldn't explain why.
"Shut up!" Judy barked as the signal turned green for the cross walk. Judy and Nick maneuvered through a herd of wildebeests which were heading the other way. Once safely on the sidewalk once more Judy continued her interrogation. "Nick this is serious what did I do?"
"Why is this so serious?" Nick asked as he raised a brow at his partner. "You have never been this worked up before about a date."
"It's not just the date," Judy pointed out as she opened her phone and handed it to Nick so he could see the text.
"Interesting good?" Nick read Judy's response to Trisha's text, "Smooth Carrots."
"I know I know," Judy said as she put a paw to her head, smacking herself at the lame text.
"You two sure text a lot," Nick pointed out. To Judy's horror Nick began to scroll through the conversation she had with Trisha. The gray doe snatched the phone away, but not before Nick came across a picture. "Woah!"
"SHUT UP!" She snapped as she closed the messenger app and locked her screen.
"Just wow."
"I said shut up," Judy said as she turned a bright red. "You can't tell her you saw that."
"Geeze Trisha, could you make it any more obvious?" Nick muttered before taking a sip of coffee.
"What was that?" Judy asked, her large ears picking up the fox's comment.
"What?"
"What did you just say?" Judy asked quickly.
"Nothing," Nick said as he looked straight ahead.
Judy was done with this cat and mouse game. The questions were piling up and she intended to get answers from the fox, even if it meant getting to work late. The gray bunny jumped in front of Nick and held up her paw.
"Nicholas Wilde! What are you hiding?" Judy demanded, a sudden fire in those bright purple eyes.
The fox froze and looked down at his partner. His shoulders raised as he took in a deep breath. Judy could tell from the look on Nicks face that the fox was deep in thought. A whole minute passed before the fox said anything.
"Okay, so promise not to tell Trisha this?" Nick asked cautiously.
Judy nodded which caused her ears to flop around slightly.
"Seriously Carrots. Scouts honor," Nick said as he raised his paw. Judy did the same and nodded once more.
"Alright," Nick looked around as if Trisha was about to come jumping out of the bushes. He then leaned close to his partner who took a step closer, her ears raising up to listen. "You are an adult so you should just ask her yourself."
It took a minute for this to process with Judy. By the time she understood she had been hustled the fox had walked around her and down the side walk.
"Okay that wasn't fair!" Judy shouted as she chased after her partner.
"Carrots your acting ridiculous," Nick pointed out. "We all had fun last night, end of story."
"But I can barely remember anything after I asked Trisha out on a date," Judy groaned loudly.
"You asked Trisha out?" Came a female voice.
Judy winced and cursed as she realized she may have been a little too loud on the last part. She slowly looked over to the owner of the voice and felt herself go pale.
Tammy was standing on the side walk accompanied by a very strong looking tigress.
"Nooooo…"Judy tried to lie but it was so obvious.
Tammy slowly pulled out her phone, a rather mischievous look on her face.
"Tammy don't," Judy begged.
"Don't what?" The cheetah asked as she began to run her claws over the phone and type out a message.
"Don't you dare."
"Dare what?" Tammy asked innocently.
Nick took a step back and watched the scene play out.
"Morning Whiskers," The fox greeted the tigress who strolled over to the fox and stood next to him.
"Foxy," Lylah said calmly as she turned to look at the cheetah and bunny.
"Tammy I swear if you send that out!" Judy began to change tactics. Going for a more aggressive stance.
It didn't work. The cheetah finished typing out the message and looked down at the doe.
"I swear if you do-" Judy said, her finger pointing right at the cheetah.
Tammy pressed the send button and locked her phone. She then gave Judy a gentle pat on the head, "Don't worry Hopps, was just texting a friend about something." The cheetah then strolled over to Lylah with a wicked grin.
"What did you do?" Lylah asked her partner.
"Noooooothing," Tammy muttered innocently.
It didn't fool anyone.
Suddenly Lylah and Nick's phones both chirped. Judy's ears shot up and she watched as both mammals pulled out their phones. A series of other chirps rang out across the entrance to the ZPD and Judy watched in horror as several more officers checked their phones.
Judy looked back at Nick and dove for the fox. Before he could react she scooped up his phone and looked at the screen.
There was a group message that had been sent to over 20 numbers.
"So who is gray, has purple eyes, big bunny ears, and totally asked Trisha from the 10-7 out on a date last night?"
Judy felt her ears droop as her eyes went wide.
"TAMMY!" She shouted as she looked up from her phone to the last spot she had seen the cheetah. The predator was absent and Judy began to look around quickly. Spotting the feline trying to sneak up the side of the stairs to the ZPD. Judy threw Nick's phone at the fox who missed. Fortunately for him Lylah had very quick reflexes and saved the phone from crashing to the floor.
"She is very pretty. I am sure you two will have fun," Tammy said playfully as she continued to trot up the stairs, increasing her speed once Judy had her in her sights.
"Tammy! Get back here!" Judy shouted as she started to run up the steps. The cheetah squealed excitedly and bolted for the front doors of the building.
"Hey Hopps way to go!"
"Trisha is gonna wear you out Hopps!"
"Never thought Judy swung that way!"
Judy did her best to ignore the teasing and cat calls as she focused on catching up with Tammy.
What saved the cheetah in the end was a sudden chirp from Judy's pocket.
The doe reached down as she continued to hop up the steps. Before she reached the main entrance doors she looked down at her phones screen. The message had her stop dead in her tracks.
"Good interesting ;P" the message from Trisha read. Judy blushed as she looked at the text. Strange feelings began to wash over the bunny as she looked at the text. The fact that Trisha was up this early and texting her was strange, but in a good way.
Another message popped up on the screen and Judy became a little anxious.
"What flavor chap stick were you wearing last night?" The message read.
Judy remained standing by the front doors. Unaware she was blocking the entrance. A few mammals strolled up and around the doe. Some made a playful comment or two about her being a doorstop. Judy ignored them though.
"Strawberry. Why?" Judy sent the response and waited nervously. Luckily she didn't have to wait long.
"It tasted good! ;)"
Judy's purple eyes widened as she processed the text. It only took her a moment to realize what it meant.
Judy suddenly turned around to look for Nick. The fox was climbing the steps with Lylah as the two joked about their partners.
"Nick!" Judy shouted, causing the fox and tigress to stop and look at the doe. "Did I kiss Trisha?!"
Lylah roared with laughter and soon several other officers joined in. Nick had a shock look on his face which answered Judy's question. She put a paw to her mouth as her cheeks turned a bright red.
"Oh my gosh I kissed Trisha," Judy blurted out in disbelief.
Judy felt like she would die from embarrassment. Not only had she just revealed this rather risqué news to half of her team, but she had totally just messed things up with Trisha. Even though the brown bunny hadn't said it Judy felt that she had just shot herself in the foot when it came to their date.
"Stupid bunny..." Judy grumbled as she put her cellphone to her forehead.
Nick came up and patted Judy on the back, "Hey now Carrots. It's not all bad, I mean-"
Another chirp from Judy's phone signaled a new message. Judy looked at her phone hesitantly as she saw she had a new message from Trisha.
"You should wear it on our date on Thursday. Which we are totally still going on! Right?"
Suddenly Judy didn't feel so embarrassed. The world was actually starting to get brighter.
"Of course we are still on! I am so sorry if I crossed the line last night. You know how your drinks get me! ." Judy typed out the response and sent it away. She then walked into the atrium of the ZPD. Her partner resting a paw on her shoulders as he guided her through the lobby.
Another message came in and Judy reached for her phone like it was some kind of contest.
"Don't be sorry, just next time warn me ok!" Judy felt a little nervous at the message. She felt it was a mix of saying don't do it again and take it easy.
The next message from Trisha though changed Judy's whole view of the last text. "So I can enjoy it more ;)"
The biggest of grins crossed Judy's lips after reading the last message. She then began to type out a message to Trisha, her paws moving rapidly over the screen.
"Gotcha, would you like a banner? A signal flare? Or should I just tell you?"
"Look at you," Nick said as he caught a glance of Judy's message.
Judy beamed up at her partner and then returned to the text conversation.
"All three should do it! I like a show! xD"
"Bullpen," Nick muttered. Judy looked up and realized Nick had led her through the ZPD right up to the bullpen. She would probably have time for one last message.
"Well then, prepare for an awesome show on Thursday!" Judy typed out and sent before realizing what the text could mean. She began to second guess herself. Was that too forward? Would it scare Trisha off? Was this even happening?
Judy wanted to read the message she heard come in so badly. Unfortunately for her they had run a little late. Judy and Nick had to rush to their seats as the door to the side of the bullpen flew open and Bogo strutted in. The other mammals began their morning ritual of greeting the chief by pounding on the desks.
Once Bogo had arrived at his podium he managed to get the officers to calm down.
"Alright alright! Calm down!" The Buffalo ordered. The room fell silent as the officers sat in their seats and waited for their assignments for the day.
"I have 3 things on the docket today!" Bogo announced. "Turns out the experts at City Works aren't really experts. For those of you who aren't aware the controlled blasting yesterday in Tundra town was a disaster. The EOD unit advised the engineers they were using too much explosives, the engineers didn't listen, and now we have 3 blocks of the district buried in ice!"
There was a collective gasp in the room. Bogo raised his arms to calm the room down. "Fortunately our team actually knew what they were doing and had closed and cleared those blocks in the first place. Just in case something like this happened. Only problem is the city works team managed to get their vehicle covered in snow. So we now have a truck buried in 3 blocks of snow loaded with extra explosives. Gonna need crowd control and traffic detail."
There was a collective groan from the officers but Bogo gave them a look which silenced any further discontent.
"Fangmeyer and McHorn," Bogo began and the two mammals rose. "You will be returning to assist on this. We will also be sending Wilde, Hopps, Grizzoli, Thompson, and Forrest to assist. There is a detection team already on sight and EOD should be with them as well."
Judy and Nick both stood up and headed to the front of the room. Bogo handed a folder over to McHorn who nodded and proceeded to lead the group out of the bullpen as Bogo read off the next assignment.
Judy slowed down a little as she remembered whose names had been called. She turned to look over at Tammy who also froze and suddenly hid behind Lylah. The cheetah put her paws on the tigresses back and began to push the larger predator towards Judy, using the striped mammal as a shield.
Judy held up a paw and waved Tammy closer. A wicked smile on her face.
Tammy giggled and shook her head as she tried to avoid the bunny's wrath.
Judy walked backwards out into the hall and grinned. Waiting for the cheetah to be out of Bogo's gaze before she attacked.
The whole time Lylah was shaking her head. "You gotta fight your own battles Tams," Lylah muttered as she looked over her shoulder.
"Shush and protect me my striped champion," Tammy pleaded as the door to the bullpen closed behind them.
As soon as the door clicked shut Judy attacked. Lylah froze in fear, realizing she was still stuck in the middle of the two mammals. Tammy let out a surprised squeak as Judy jumped up and pushed herself off the side of the wall to the hallway. Her strong legs propelling her into the air and over Lylah.
"Wow," The tigress muttered as she watched the fit doe fly through the air with ease.
"Oh no..." Tammy whispered as she turned to run. Unfortunately for the predator Judy was too quick. The gray bunny landed on the cheetahs back and wrapped an arm around Tammy's neck. She then balled her paw into a fist and began to rub her knuckles on Tammy's head.
"AH! Uncle! Uncle!" Tammy said as she tried to swat Judy away.
The rest of the mammals stared in mild amusement as Judy continued to get her revenge on the cheetah, who was laughing so hard she had to cover her mouth.
"Judy I just did my fur, stop," Tammy pleaded. Judy decided the cheetah had had enough and released her prey. The gray bunny hopped down and strolled towards the others as if nothing had ever happened.
"Anyone else?" Judy asked as she looked at the group. All the mammals gave Judy nervous looks, none of them wanting to incur the wrath of the doe. That was until Fangmeyer opened their mouth.
"So when's the date?" The tiger asked. They quickly took a few steps down the hall as Judy started to dart towards the large predator. She was stopped however when Nick grabbed her collar and held her back.
"Easy now, gonna need them for later! You can bury the tiger in the snow when we get on scene!" Nick teased. Fangmeyer looked at Judy and gave her a playful wink. Signaling that they had just been messing with Judy.
Judy grinned evilly and made a hand gesture for the tiger to come closer. Fangmeyer laughed and shook her head, obviously knowing better.
"If you are all done," McHorn interrupted and looked at the group. He didn't seemed annoyed but obviously wanted to focus on the task at paw. "I suggest those of you with light coats go and get some jackets. Yesterday we were out for almost an hour straight before we got a break. I don't know about you but Tundra town isn't exactly my kind of place!"
The others agreed and decided to go get light jackets from their lockers. Grizolli claiming he would be fine since he actually lived in the district. Nick was also somewhat accustomed to the cold climate. Judy on the other hand wasn't the biggest fan.
The mammals all separated and agreed to meet in the motor pool area in 10 minutes. This would give the teams enough time to gear up for their assignment. Nick headed to the motor pool with Grizolli to start securing some vehicles for the teams. They would most likely need three vehicles prepared for cold weather conditions and that would take a minute or two. So the sooner the order went in the better.
Judy went with the ladies to the female locker room to get a spare coat for the cold weather of Tundra Town. She had a feeling that the walk to the locker room would involve one subject in particular. Tammy didn't disappoint.
"So Trisha?" The cheetah asked as the ladies strolled down the hall.
Judy took in a deep breath and decided there was no point in hiding it.
"Yeah, we have a date on Thursday," She said casually.
Lylah and Tammy looked at one another and then back at the gray doe. "So don't take this the wrong way but. How long have you been into does?" Tammy asked nervously. The subject was a little touchy but the feline's curiosity was killing them.
"Since last night apparently," Judy said with a chuckle. Tammy and Lylah began to join in, making Judy feel a little more at ease. "I don't know what happened. One minute Nick and I are talking about my dating life and how hard it's been. The next thing I know I am asking Trisha out on a date."
"You like her?" Lylah asked suddenly. Judy actually paused as she thought the question over. "Well of course I like her."
"Do you like like her though?" Tammy asked quickly.
"What are we in high-" Lylah began but was shushed by Tammy.
Judy blushed at the question. Her thoughts wandering to images of Trisha. She hadn't realized it but some signs had always been there. The way she would get upset if Trisha wasn't working. How excited she would be when she saw the doe. How they would text or talk for hours about complete nonsense sometimes. She had just jotted it up to being very close friends.
Other images invaded Judy's thoughts though. Some of them rather frightening and eye opening to her. Trisha with a seductive smile as she leaned close to Judy. The way her fur was exposed in all the right ways. How cute those bright blue eyes were when they stared right at Judy.
The bunny felt another shiver climb her spine as her brain started to work things out. Had she been developing these feelings with Trisha and not even noticed? Judy hadn't exactly had many long term relationships. She had dated once or twice while in high school but that was only for a week or two. She was young and everyone seemed to be hooking up so she tried it out, the farthest anything went was a little make out session in the buck's room. She had had a little fun but also felt a little disappointed in the end.
Judy had just focused on her studies not long after and decided she would date when she was older and done with the academy. Since she hadn't been focused on finding a relationship she had never really experienced feelings like this before. So when they had shown up Judy had just notched them up to wanting to be close friends or just a love of the bunny like you would with your best friends.
She did love Nick dearly and was happy to have the fox in her life. She thought that was the same with Trisha, just a little stronger.
"Door!" Tammy shouted which caused Judy to stop. The bunny had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed they reached the locker room. She was mere inches from the very solid door that lead to the female changing area.
"You feeling okay Hopps?" Lylah asked as Judy stepped aside and allowed the tigress to open the large door.
"Oh I think she is just smitten is all," Tammy said as she made a kissy face in Judy's direction.
Judy blushed and looked at the floor. Tammy stopped and looked at Lylah and then back at Judy. The cheetah then took a knee and put a paw on the bunny's shoulder.
"Judy," The cheetah whispered softly.
Judy felt her ears go up and so did her gaze.
"You know I am just teasing right?" The predator asked kindly, a look of concern in her eyes.
Judy nodded and smirked. "Sorry, just getting lost in thought."
"You are an awesome mammal and Trisha is lucky to have a date with you, remember that okay?" Tammy said as she gave the bunny a quick pep talk, "Sorry if the teasing is getting out of hand. Just something like this is too fun."
"Just getting used to it is all. I have never dated a doe before," Judy admitted.
"It's just like dating a male," Lylah pointed out, "Only more fun!"
"Oh like you would know about dating males," Tammy said, shooting a playful look at the tigress.
"I only date what's fun," Lylah said. "And I am having a lot of fun right now."
The ladies all laughed at the tigresses comment and entered the locker room. It didn't take long for them to retrieve some cold weather gear and soon they were all walking back down the halls towards the motor pool.
By the time they reached the large underground garage of the ZPD the rest of the team was gathered and waiting. Two vehicles were idling nearby while a third was being prepped.
McHorn had taken the lead on organizing the group and nodded at the females as they approached.
"Alright, now that we are all here let's get organized," The large rhino said confidently. "Grizolli will be riding with me and Fangmeyer. Hopps and Wilde we have your cruiser getting loaded up now for the weather conditions, Nick you sure you won't need anything for the cold?"
"I'll be fine. Worse comes to worse I can just cuddle up with you right Mikey?" Nick suggested and gave the rhino a quick wink. McHorn rolled his eyes.
"How do you get through these shifts Hopps?"
Judy beamed, "He isn't so bad once you get used to him." The bunny pointed out as she gave her partner a playful nudge.
"Tammy we are gonna need you to drive the truck over there. It has extra cones and supplies for perimeter work and the teams on sight have requested we bring it. You okay going with something big on this route? I would do it myself but…you know…the seat broke last time." The rhino was a little embarrassed. The truck he referred to was a cold weather vehicle that was loaded down with extra equipment. Traffic cones, shovels, signs, and a few emergency med kits. The truck normally just saw action when a major traffic incident occurred or they had to block off roads for some kind of event. The last time McHorn had tried to drive the vehicle he had accidently crushed the seat. He still got a few dirty looks from the mechanics on that one.
"Sure Mickey," Tammy said happily.
"Hey, how come I don't get to drive?!" Lylah asked in a playfully annoyed tone.
"Because you are my copilot," Tammy said as she turned to look at the tigress. "Tell ya what, I'll let you pick the radio station this time."
The tigress chuckled as she looked at her partner and then back to the rest of the mammals.
"Alright, looks like we are all set," McHorn announced as a smaller squad car pulled up. An antelope leaped from the vehicle, his jumpsuit covered in oil stains.
"Engines running for ya!" The mammal announced as he strolled away.
"Thanks Tom," McHorn said to the antelope and then looked to the rest of the group. "Alright, let's head out, got a long day ahead of us."
McHorn wasn't lying. The day was a long one. When the team arrived on the scene they were all shocked to see the destruction that had been caused the day before. Three whole city blocks were buried in snow from the mountain they were next to. A lot of mammals had been displaced from their homes and the cleanup would take a while but at least no one had been killed.
The group met up with a ZPD team that had already been on site. A painted dog named Delta was their contact. Judy had heard about the officer in passing but was pleased when she noticed Nick and the canine were familiar with one another.
"Nick! How ya been?" The canine asked, his voice muffled through a scarf.
"Doing good, almost didn't recognize you in all that cold gear, you feeling chilly Delta?" Nick asked in a teasing tone.
"We aren't all built like you weirdos," Delta nodded at Grizolli and Nick. His eyes full of jealousy, "The Savanna doesn't get many snowfalls."
"Aw, the cold is good for ya. You should maybe lose a layer or two," Nick suggested as he tugged at the thick jacket the canine had sought shelter in.
"Hate you so much sometimes Wilde!" The painted dog had to shout as a heavy wind rolled through the area. The Savanna mammals all cursed at the sudden temperature drop. Judy had to giggle a little bit at the sight. She was a little chilly herself but a windbreaker was enough to keep her warm. Tammy however was shivering constantly, even when wrapped in her heavy duty weather gear. Lylah put an arm around the cheetah and began to rub her arms quickly, trying to warm up her partner. It was a sweet gesture and Tammy began to nuzzle into the tigress for warmth.
McHorn had a look of pure unhappiness as he too began to shiver. Judy realized that the savanna mammals hadn't necessarily been built for exposure to these conditions for very long. She felt kinda bad.
Nick and Grizolli however looked right at home. The fox and polar bears fur keeping them nice and warm as the wind whipped across the street.
"Pardon the language but for fucks sake," Delta cursed as he rubbed his paws together. "Okay quick brief on what's going on so I can retreat to my truck."
The group gathered closer and listened to the painted dog. "City works managed to screw this one up pretty big. We can't move all this snow very quickly because their truck is still stuck somewhere inside. The damn thing is loaded with blasting gear and explosives. Though light compared to what we deal with, it's still explosive material so we have to go slow." The painted dog said as he nodded over to the large mountain of snow in the street. "Good news is we have narrowed it down to just two streets so we are focused there. Bad news is the work is slow, odors work differently here in the cold plus the wind is messing with our detectors."
"How many of you are there?" Lylah asked as she rubbed her cheetah close.
"Me? One and only there darling," Delta teased which got a chuckle from the group. Lylah just shook her head and smiled. "Oh you mean detectors? Well I have 2. My partner Atom and our friend Sonya. They are currently warming up for another run. My job is to coordinate them and keep an eye on their six so they can focus on finding the bad stuff."
The group gave the painted dog a concerned look.
"We expecting trouble?" Fangmeyer asked, the tiger looking around the street nervous, their paw reaching for the weapon on their belt.
"No, but it's just procedure!" Delta said as he waved his arms about. "We do everything by the book here. We aren't taking any chances as silly as it may sound. I mean the truck that is missing isn't actually a big deal. None of the explosives inside are active and we know exactly what it contains. This is really just a precaution on our part. You could probably smash into the truck and not worry about a thing. But why risk it?"
All the mammals felt a little more at ease but then felt incredibly cold as another wave of freezing air swept over them.
"That's it! I am heading to my truck!" Delta barked as he raised his paws. "EOD is here as well but the bums get to sit and wait till we find the damn truck!" Delta shouted as he jogged towards his truck.
"You all need anything I will be trying to get the feeling back into my paws," With that the painted dog opened his truck door and jumped in, retreating into the relatively warm SUV.
"Alright, well unlike him we can't just hide from this weather," McHorn announced as he turned to the group. "We have to assist in crowd control and perimeter. Take it in shifts though everyone."
"We got the first watch. We can handle things till the winds die down for you more light skinned mammals," Nick volunteered and nodded to Grizolli. The polar bear grinned and nodded in return. The large pred ready to take on the wind which actually felt quite pleasant to him.
"I'm good to go too," Judy said as she raised her paw.
"Someone tell Trisha," Tammy teased. Judy glared at the cheetah who gave Judy a weak and shaky smile.
"Okay, that was a good one," Judy admitted and shook her head. "Get inside before your tail freezes."
Tammy didn't have to be told twice as she darted to the large truck she had driven here. Lylah laughing as she strolled casually back to the truck.
Judy and Nick headed to the truck as well but that was to retrieve more traffic cones and spread them out across the street. The road had already been blocked off but more cones would strengthen the point. Judy was always amazed at how thick some mammals could be. Occasionally just ignoring traffic cones to get to their destination. Once the wall of bright orange cones at been strengthened Judy and Nick chatted as they watched traffic role by outside the perimeter.
Judy took a moment to check her phone as Nick eyed a pair of arctic wolves passing by on the other side of the cone. The pair nodded in Nick's direction and asked what was going on.
"ZPD annual snowball fight," He said jokingly which earned a laugh from the wolfs.
Judy suddenly felt very warm as she noticed she had a text from Trisha waiting for her. This was a strange new feeling. Normally a message from Trisha made her happy. This new feeling though was something else entirely.
"Got a hole in my favorite work shirt :( " The message read.
"Aww, which one? The blue one with the 10-7 logo?"
"Yeah, just found it, gonna have to make another..."
"I have a spare ZPD shirt from the academy if you want," Judy texted back. Not realizing what she was doing till the message was sent.
"Really?! I don't have any ZPD gear! Got lots of firehouse shirts though."
"I can't let my girl be seen in firehouse shirts!" Judy texted back.
"Oh crud," She cursed as she read the message she sent.
"What's up?" Nick asked nervously as he looked back at the large mountain of snow in the street.
"Nothing, I may have just called Trisha…umm...my girl..." Judy admitted and winced.
"You bunny's move fast," Nick teased.
"Shut up..."
"Hey ask your girl if she would do a coffee run," Nick suggested and nudged Judy.
"You have two perfectly working legs, you go get some coffee yourself," Judy said as she looked up at Nick. She felt her phone buzz and she looked down at the screen.
"You always know the right things to say cutie ;)"
Judy blushed as she read the message over and over again.
"Plus I think I would look good in ZPD blue!" Another message from the brown bunny appeared.
"Yes you would!" Judy responded.
"Also look good in nothing at all." The message was followed by a picture of Trisha lying in bed. The brown bunny was laying on her stomach but she had angled her phone so Judy could see down the doe's bare back. The exposed brown fur made Judy's heart skip a beat. Judy's eyes scanned the picture and she noticed Trisha was wearing a pair of shorts. Her tail sticking out for Judy to see.
"Cheese and crackers," Judy whispered as she looked at the picture, feeling very warm all over.
"Even in Tundra town you know how to keep me warm! :D" Judy responded playfully.
"What are you doing in Tundra town?" The next message read.
"Nick and I are stuck on perimeter detail for an avalanche. Gonna be a long day…" Judy responded.
"Texting on the clock? Trisha has truly corrupted you," Nick muttered as he waved to a few mammals passing by. Judy realized what she was doing and quickly put the phone away. Cursing herself for behaving so unprofessionally.
"Sorry Nick," Judy muttered as she looked at her partner.
"I'm just messing with you carrots. Everyone does it," Nick pointed out.
There was a series of curse words suddenly behind them and the two mammals turned to see Delta coming out of his truck. The painted dog rubbed his paws together and looked over at the two mammals.
"Why couldn't this be at the beach?!" The canine shouted.
"Next time bud! Maybe next time!" Nick shouted in return. The painted dog shook his head and began to walk towards the snow mounds. Another painted dog jumped from the truck. This one seemed a lot more excited and started to jump through the snow. At one point rolling around before being berated by Delta to get to work.
Judy felt her phone buzz suddenly as she received another text. She knew it was from Trisha but she resisted the urge to check. Reminding herself she was still on duty. "I'll check it when we get in the car," Judy thought to herself.
The teams started working in 30 minute sets. Allowing each team plenty of warm up time in-between walks through the snow. Tammy and Lylah took over for Nick and Judy at the main perimeter point. Tammy looking very miserable as she started to shake. Lylah enjoying the brisk air.
Nick and Judy headed to their squad car and hopped in. Judy warming her paws near the heater for a second. She then remembered she had a text waiting for her. She opened her phone and read the message eagerly.
"Sounds like someone could use some hot chocolate." The first message read. Another text had been sent not long after it. "Maybe a warm drink too ;P "
Judy blushed as she started to understand what Trisha meant.
"That would definitely warm things up here!" Judy responded.
Judy put her phone down and rested her head against the seat. She then looked over at Nick and sighed, "What am I doing Wilde?"
Nick looked over at his partner and smirked, "Trying everything?"
"Oh good use of Gazelle," Judy beamed.
"You okay fluff?" Nick asked as he put his own phone down.
Judy took in a breath and nodded, "I just haven't been in a situation like this before, I am a little nervous and now I am worried I might say something wrong."
"Okay first off you always find a way to say the wrong things, it's just who you are," Nick teased.
"That is not-" Judy began.
"Missing mammals!" Nick shouted. Judy's thoughts went back to the missing mammal's case and the famous press conference where she may have caused a bit of a city wide panic.
"Oh yeah..." She grumbled.
"Trisha already knows your faults Carrots, few that they are," Nick said as she reached over and brushed one of Judy's ears to the side. "She still said yes to the date, she actually leapt at the chance, so just be yourself."
Judy closed her eyes and nuzzled against Nick's paw. "How is it again we didn't work out?" She asked playfully.
"Because you are into girls," Nick shot back and laughed at his own comment.
Judy opened her eyes and glared, giving Nick a slap on the arm.
"You know you love me," Nick said happily.
"Do I know that?" Judy asked, "Yes, yes I do."
The morning continued in a rather slow pattern of hop out of the car, watch traffic, jump back into the car. The whole while the detection teams continued their slow work of sweeping the area. Once one pile of snow was considered clear a large plow would be brought in to carefully clear the snow. Once it had finished the teams would check another section of snow and start the process all over again.
Nick and Judy were about to start their third shift at the perimeter when Judy spotted something that made her heart not only skip a beat but fall to the pit of her stomach.
There at the large line of cones stood Trisha. The brown bunny was bundled up in a bright purple jacket and blue snow pants. A green scarf wrapped around her neck just below her mouth so Judy could see that beautiful smile. Her ears were up and she was smiling as she spoke to Tammy and Lylah who were currently watching the cones.
"Oh no..." Judy thought as she realized Tammy was laughing as Trisha spoke about something Judy couldn't exactly hear.
Judy began to jog over, eager to stop Tammy from getting anymore ammo against the gray bunny.
"Trisha!" Judy said happily, cutting into the conversation.
Trisha beamed at Judy and her eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of the officer.
"Well if it isn't my favorite member of the ZPD," She said happily as she held up a tray of hot drink cups.
"I know I know, I am awesome," Nick said as he strolled up. Trisha rolled her eyes and shook her head at the fox.
"Brought you all some hot chocolate," Trisha said as she offered the drinks to the two new mammals.
"Trisha, at risk of being beaten up by your date, I love you so much right now. This hit the spot," Tammy said as she held a cup of the hot chocolate I her paws. Breathing in the warm steam emanating from the drink.
"Yeah, Thanks Trisha," Lylah said as she took a sip. She winced as the hot liquid burned her tongue slightly but was still pleased as it warmed her insides.
"Oh so word is out then?" Trisha asked as she looked over at Judy.
"I am so sorry," Judy said as she raised her paws in defense.
"Good, so everyone understands to back off of my date," Trisha said playfully. "That goes double for you Tammy!"
"Yeah Tammy," Lylah teased and gave her partner a shove.
Trisha giggled and raised an eye brow at the two felines. Lylah caught on and shook her head. The brown bunny just nodded, keeping the couples secret a little while longer. Even though half the ZPD already knew something was up between the two predators both Tammy and Lylah wanted to keep things on the down low.
"Well as much fun as it is freezing to death," Tammy said as she began to slowly back away towards her car. "Thanks again Trish. Love ya."
"You better," Trisha said playfully and waved to the two felines as they retreated to the safety of their truck.
"This is pretty good stuff Blueberry," Nick said as he took a sip.
"Blueberry?" Judy asked and then remembered from the night before, "Oh gosh…did I make that a thing?"
Trisha beamed and nodded. "Oh yeah, gonna get it tattooed up one of my ears," Trisha teased.
"Which side?" Nick asked as he examined the doe's large brown ears.
"The right side," Trisha said and gave Judy a wink, "So mammals know I am into does."
Judy turned bright red as she took a cup of hot chocolate from Trisha.
"Is that really a thing?" Nick asked as he looked from Trisha to Judy.
"No Nick, it's not," Trisha grumbled as she took the last cup from the tray for herself. She took a swig of hot chocolate and grinned. "Came out better than I thought."
"Did you make this?" Judy asked in surprise as she sipped at the warm and sweet drink. Letting her eyes flutter at the pleasure the drink brought.
Trisha nodded, "You like?"
Judy let out a soft sigh and breathed in the sweet aroma, "It's amazing!"
"Like a certain doe I know," Trisha teased.
"Oh gosh, that was lame," Nick said. Trisha kept her eyes on Judy as she tossed the now empty tray at Nick, the cardboard landing perfectly on the fox's head. "How are you this good at that?"
"Ancient bunny secret," Trisha said as she made a series of slowly movements with her paws.
"I can't believe you are here," Judy said, finally finding the words to say to her brown doe.
"Is that a good can't believe?" Trisha asked, mimicking the text Judy had sent earlier.
Judy just nodded happily. "I was kinda hoping to talk about last night…"
"Oh, better check the cones, make sure none have wandered off," Nick said, taking the hint that the two does needed a moment. The fox excused himself and trotted down the line of bright orange cones. Adjusting one or two as he passed.
"So, what's up?" Trisha asked, the hesitation in her voice obvious.
"It's not like that," Judy said and reached a paw out to Trisha, gently grabbing the does arm and rubbing. Trisha let out a happy gasp and smiled.
"I just, may have been a little too forward, and wanted to-" Judy didn't get a chance to finish. Trisha being on one side of the cones and Judy the other didn't exactly allow for them to hug or anything. Trisha though still managed to lean over rather quickly and place a paw under Judy's chin. She pulled the surprised officer closer and pressed her lips gently against Judy's giving the gray bunny the lightest of kisses.
Trisha pulled away and smiled. "I like forward," She said and then took another sip of her hot chocolate as if nothing had happened.
Judy remained leaning forward over the cones, her eyes closed as her brain processed what had just happened.
"I like forward too," She muttered. She then shook her head and blushed. Her eyes darting from side to side to see if anyone noticed that. Unfortunately they did. Judy began to panic as she noticed several drivers giving her teasing looks and kissy faces from their vehicles. Trisha turned around and waved at the drivers playfully and then looked back at Judy. "Sorry if that got you in trouble, I just didn't want you to think I didn't like the kiss last night."
Judy was breathing heavily. Slightly worried about what had just transpired. She couldn't think of a policy that would get her in trouble, it was Trisha after all that kissed her. It did though didn't look very good.
"Trisha, I'm at work, I gotta…be professional..." Judy grumbled.
"Last time I checked you kissed me at my job," Trisha pointed out.
"That's different," Judy said with a laugh.
"How?" Trisha asked as she tilted her head. Those beautiful ears of hers flopping to one side. It made Judy feel a rather warm feeling inside.
"It just is," Judy said, unable to think of a reason. The two does began to laugh at Judy's terrible argument. "Things are different here. What would happen if I came behind the bar huh?"
"Don't know," Trisha said with a shrug. The brown bunny looked down at the cones and then grinned evilly, "What would happen if I came across the cones?"
"Well technically that is breaking into a perimeter and can lead to being escorted out or cuffed and pla-"Judy began to explain. At the word cuff however Trisha grinned and jumped over the cones and landed an inch away from Judy.
"So after I am cuffed do I get searched?" She asked as she bit her lower lip, her bright blue eyes staring right into Judy's.
"I….I…I" Judy said, her paws shaking as she couldn't think of the words.
"Awfully lonely in the back of those squad cars, think I could get some company?" Trisha whispered as she leaned a little closer.
"I can't wait for Thursday," Judy thought as she remained still, letting the brown doe get a little closer.
Trisha froze and looked over Judy's shoulder. "Uh oh, busted," She grumbled bit smirked none the less.
Judy heard a set of paws running up behind her. She began to panic a little, knowing she was about to get an earful. Trisha took a step to the side and beamed at the approaching noise and held her arms open. Judy was a little confused at the action but soon understood why the doe did what she had.
Trisha was suddenly picked up and squeezed by one of the detector K-9s. A light colored painted dog with bright yellow eyes. A broad smile on his face as he scooped Trisha up in a warm hug. He lifted the doe off the ground and began to swing her back and forth.
"Ah Atom!" Trisha squealed happily as she nuzzled into the painted dog. Judy watched and began to giggle at the sight. She then felt something else boil down inside her, jealousy. She watched carefully, making sure the canines paws remained in friendly spots. The first sight of movement and she would pin the canine to the snow.
"Atom for the love of…oh you have got to be kidding me," Came Delta's voice from behind. Judy turned and watched as the other painted dog came strolling up. "You here causing trouble?"
"Trouble? Me?" Trisha asked as Atom nuzzled into the bunny, earning him another playful squeak. Judy was starting to get a little itchy watching the scene play out. She wasn't exactly a fan of all the attention Trisha was suddenly receiving.
Atom finally released Trisha who trotted up to Delta who opened his arms. She wrapped her paws around the canine's waist and gave him a gentle squeeze. "How ya been Trish?" Delta asked as he gave the small bunny a pat on the back.
"Good Delt! Why haven't you two come to visit me in the bar huh? Too good for me now?" Trisha said as she pulled away and gave the painted dog a playful slug on the arm.
"Girl you know they have been working us around the clock lately. I got three other ops going on right now," Delta said as he waved his arms about, "What are you doing here anyways?"
"Came to see my favorite officer in the ZPD," Trisha said and looked over at Judy with a smile. Judy blushed slightly, all the negative feelings vanishing.
"I am right here," Nick said as he strolled back up.
"Every time!" Trisha shouted as she threw her arms in the air, "At this rate people are gonna actually think I like you or something Wilde!"
"What's not to like," Nick asked. He stopped and glared at Trisha, "Don't answer that." The fox then looked at Judy, "That goes double for you."
The two does began to giggle at the fox and then looked at one another.
"Also wanted to talk to Judy about our date on Thursday," Trisha said softly.
Delta let out a surprised laugh as he looked from Trisha and then over to Judy. He shook his head and patted Judy on the shoulder, "Gonna have your hands full with this one Judy."
"Oh hush," Trisha said and stuck out her tongue.
Delta grinned and then looked over at Atom who was currently beaming at everyone, just happy to be near others. "What about poor Atom here?"
"Oh Atom is always gonna have a place in my heart," Trisha said as she waddled over to the canine and reached up. Atom looked slightly confused as Trisha pulled the dog down to her level and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. The dog's eyes went wide as he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, making a gagging noise. "What's wrong Atom? Don't want smooches?"
The canine began to sneeze rapidly as he struggled to get away. Pushing the doe away gently and shaking his head.
"You goof balls," Delta said and shook his head. "Come on Atom, let's go warm up before the next sweep. Trish it was good seeing ya. Have fun on your date."
With that the two painted dogs trotted back to the warmth of their own truck.
Trisha looked over at Judy. She was smiling at first but as she examined the expression on Judy's face she became hesitant. "Judy?"
Judy realized she may have been scowling and shook her head, trying to put on a happy face. "Sorry, how do you know those two?" She asked, a rather jealous tone coming with her words.
"Oh someone is in trouble," Nick said as he took a step back.
Trisha smiled and walked right up to Judy, a warm smile on her face. "First off those two nut cases are old friends." Trisha began to explain as she ran a paw up Judy's drooped ear. "Second I love teasing Atom because he loves hugs but hates everything else." Trisha reached the base of Judy's ear and rubbed gently. Judy wanted to stop the doe, not because she was mad but because this looked very unprofessional. She decided to let Trisha finish though. The brown doe's voice lowering in a whisper. "Three…." She trailed off which caused Judy to give her a rather questioning look. "I have had a crush on you for ages. So I am not about to mess things up now."
Judy's mouth fell open as she stared at the doe. Suddenly a series of chimes went off in Trisha's jacket and she pulled out her phone. She let out a soft sigh, "I gotta go, still got lots to do before work tonight."
Judy felt her ears droop with a slight disappointment as she knew this meant her and Trisha would have to part for a bit.
"Awww," Trisha said as she looked at Judy, "Don't worry cutie, Thursday is right around the corner."
"Yeah, your right," Judy agreed and her ears shot up.
Trisha beamed and leaned close to Judy, giving the doe a gentle kiss on the cheek. The brown does lips lingering for an extra second or two. Judy couldn't help but close her eyes and lean against Trisha's lips.
The brown bunny pulled away and suddenly began to laugh. Judy opened her eyes and looked at Trisha and then the direction in which the brown bunny was looking. Nick was standing at a distance with his phone out, aimed right at the two.
"WILDE!" Judy barked, knowing full well what her partner had been doing.
"You have fun with him," Trisha said as she gave Judy's paw a squeeze, "Text me later?"
"Of course, thanks for coming by and bringing the hot chocolate," Judy said gratefully as she nodded to Trisha.
The brown doe smiled and then hopped back on the other side of the cones. She waved to Nick who gave her a lazy salute. With that Trisha was gone and Judy felt a little sad she was left alone. Well she wasn't really alone. She had a fox to skin.
This chapter just came tumbling out!
Credit time:
Thanks to Fox in the hen house for not only the use of Lylah but also helping me come up with this amazing title! Took him like 5 seconds to think up a whole mess of amazing titles but this one just stuck out to me!
Updated 4/7/2019
Editing continues smooth like. Sometimes its nice to reread ones own work to see where they have come from...mine is just measuring the amount of craziness i have written through the ages..but hey its something!