Chapter 9 - A Day On The Phone
The bright and brutal beam of light breaking through the curtains slowly crept across the bed. It started by simply leaping across the room to strike the far wall, but within a few moments, it grew brighter and crossed the room to climb up the foot of the bed. It charged viciously across the bed, like a wolf on the hunt, completely unimpeded by the sheets or the pillows strewn across the plush surface. Then it slunk up the larger, red-furred lumps that were desperately trying to hide from the stalking light. But the light would not be denied, and thusly, it hounded its way across a slightly rounded plateau, over a pair of red cliffs, and up a steep, furry mountain to find its sleeping prey.
A large pillow was brought forth to cover the mountain, but it would not stop the light. The light grew larger with each passing moment until it filled the room, and no meager pillow could prevent the inevitable.
Nick opened his eyes to stare at the burning light covering his bed. He pounded the pillow against his face to block out some of the pain, but it was useless. He futilely tried rolling over, and burrowing under the thin covers, and even turning around on the bed until he was facing the wrong way, but nothing could make the morning pain go away and he was already awake.
Giving up trying to fight it anymore, he sat up in the bed, stretched, and decided that now was when his morning would start. Because he had always planned to get up at exactly this moment, and he would bite anyone who disagreed. "Ah, who am I kidding," he thought crawling back under the covers for a few more minutes, while thoughts of a certain rabbit once again crept back into his brain.
"Maybe, I will feel a little better after a cup of coffee and a nice breakfast," he wasn't sure if he spoke the thought aloud or not. "Judy and I can head over to Jenny's again. That would be really nice," thoughts of her once again sitting in his lap, eating that giant salad, began to wake other parts of the fox's sleeping anatomy. Then his slow and sleepy fox mind began to stir as he remembered some of yesterday's events, "Darn it! We can't go out for breakfast. She's probably still mad at me." He covered his head with the pillow again, trying to hide from the offensive morning light.
It wasn't long before another internal force interrupted his nap and demanded that he get out of bed. The call of nature had crept up on him slowly while he was hiding under the covers, but now it was a full force gale. If he didn't get up and relieve himself there was going to be an even bigger mess to clean up when he finally did get out of bed.
The sheets were tossed aside with annoyance and the fox raced for the bathroom. While he was in there, he decided to take care of the rest of his morning grooming chores. About thirty minutes later, the fox exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His fur was also quite shiny, and very fluffy.
Back in the bedroom he donned his usual green flower print shirt and blue tie. Then headed out to the kitchen to find some morning sustenance.
Unfortunately, his fridge was empty, and the can of coffee grounds didn't have enough left to brew a pot for a mouse. "I wonder where it all went? It's not like I've been eating at home very much lately, so there should be some left somewhere. Oh, that's right, the bunny drank it all." Closing the fridge door, he said aloud to no one in particular, "Well, there is only one way to remedy this situation," as he promptly grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
Outside his apartment building, the painful sunlight was even brighter, so Nick had to put on his aviators to help relieve some of the stabbing pain in his sensitive eyes. He then headed in the direction of the nearest cup of coffee.
Honestly, the todd could have gone in almost any direction, at any hour, to find a decent cup of coffee, but even he could not tell you why he headed to Big Joe's Caffeine Shack today. It wasn't exactly one of his favorites, or had the best mocas in town, but it was quaint and quiet this time of day. This was due to it being located a fair bit from the normal business districts, so no one really stopped by on their way to work. The place usually drew more of an evening crowd, and a local poetry club had readings there on Thursday nights.
There was a single elk standing at the counter waiting on his order when the fox slid through the large door. Nick casually walked up to the counter as the elk grabbed a pair of steaming hot cups and left with not even so much as glancing at the fox.
"What can I get'cha," the young brown bear behind the counter asked. She was short for a bear, with long golden locks flowing down the side of her head that covered one eye. Her gruff voice was nothing like the one he wanted to hear this morning, like the small mammal who continued to fill his thoughts, awake or asleep.
Nick climbed onto an empty stool at the bar and ordered a large cup of the house blend, extra sweet, extra cream, and a blueberry muffin. He sat there quietly browsing the daily news on his phone and ate his muffin. Several more customers came and went, but they and the serving bear just ignored him.
One of the local channels had a video on their site covering the school bomb threat yesterday. Unfortunately, there was no mention of the two tiny heroes that defused the bomb. All the credit was given to the T.U.S.K. team sargent, who would be leading the investigation into who set the bombs, and wanted to threaten the school. The fox nearly coughed up his coffee when he saw the boar officer being interviewed. "I guess Buffalo Butt didn't want to show that we were involved since we're both suspended," Nick said into his cup.
"Did you need something," the bear was looking at him with a blank expression that clearly said she really didn't want him to order anything else.
"Oh, um, no. I think I'll just be going now," he said and climbed off the tall stool and waved his farewells. "Thanks for the coffee, and have a great day," he did his best to hide the sarcasm since he felt much better after the light breakfast. Still sipping the now lukewarm coffee he walked out the door.
He wandered around the streets for another hour before he found himself standing at one end of a wide alley overflowing with colorful stalls, each one covered with thousands of bright vegetables and produce. The air was filled with the sounds of every mammal imaginable, and many he really had no names for. This was the Central Zootopian Flea Market, where you could find everything you could ever want, and much more that you never knew you needed. In this brightly lit alley the haggling was fierce and gossip, about every mammal in the city, was nearly free. Mammals just loved to shop, and they especially loved to talk while they shopped.
The fox had pulled hundreds of scams here in the past, but he hadn't been here in years. His pawpsicle scam would have had too much competition in a place like this. Besides he wasn't here for scamming today, or talking, for once he was actually here to shop.
Winding his way through the stalls and between the other large mammals his mind wandered along with his feet. His partner was still mad at him, but he really could not understand why. He had done his best to protect her and those children. It was really Bogo's fault for suspending them, and the fox was not to blame.
Stopping at one food cart that smelled of rich spices, Nick looked over their supply of proteins for predators like himself. Instead of the usual small crickets that most of the other vendors had, this golden leopard had some large grasshoppers wrapped up in what looked like wheatgrass and balls of rice. "These look fascinating, what do you call them," he asked wiping a small drop of drool from his lips before it slipped away.
In a very strange accent the puma replied, "They are called sushi. Very popular where I come from."
"I think I've heard of this sew-she before. I'm told it's very good."
"Yes very good. Very good. You buy some yes?"
"Sure I'll take four," said the fox and handed over the money to the vendor.
Looking at his carefully packaged sushi he wondered if he could get his partner to try some after she had a chance to calm down. Maybe I should get her something while I am here, he thought. After looking around several more stalls he found exactly what he was looking for. It was a stall with a big sign on top that read, "Fresh Farm Produce," and he quickly walked over to see what they had to sell.
Upon approaching the stall he spotted exactly what he thought his fluffy rabbit partner would like most. Sitting right on the very edge of the stall was a large wooden crate filled with plump, fat, orange carrots. While trying to decide how best to deliver an armful of the sweet roots to his favorite Carrot, the fox's eyes glanced down to the side of the crate where he saw the words, "Hopps Family Farms," over a grassy field with happy rabbits dancing about the letters.
"Hopps Farms!" the fox exclaimed nearly jumping with joy. Turning to the plump older rabbit manning the stall he asked, "Do you know the Hopps's?"
The rabbit vendor was a round rabbit of average height, with rich cream colored fur and had the smell of fresh dirt on his cloths. He wore a pair of dark blue overalls covering a brown plaid shirt that had obviously seen many years in the fields. The farmer, who had been eyeing the fox warily since before he even approached his vegetable stand, looked up with a puzzled expression on his muzzle. "What's that?"
Pointing to the box of carrots, Nick asked again, "This says Hopps Family Farms, do you know them."
Scratching his chin the rabbit thought for a second, "No, can't rightly say that I do. All my produce comes from the tri-burrows, so they might'n 'ave a farm out there somewheres, but I've never been there meself." Nick noticed that a few other types of produce were also sitting in boxes with the Hopps Farm label on the side.
"Oh, I see," the sad expression on the todd's face was plain as day. "Would you happen to have any blueberries?"
"Sure'n I might, le'me look."
"Specifically, Hopps blueberries."
"A'right, don't git ur tail in a twist. Give me a second," the rabbit said before stepping around a corner and began rummaging through several crates.
He returned shortly with a large box overflowing with blueberries. "A'right, found 'em. Now 'ow many you be want'n?"
"How about a whole basket," Nick held up his hands about chest high to imitate about the size of a picnic basket.
The rabbit pulled out a small styrofoam box and filled it with berries before handing it to the fox in front of his stall.
"Um, do you have anything bigger?" the fox asked looking at the tiny paw sized box the vendor was holding in his direction.
"Are you serious?"
"Yup, one hundred percent. These are the best blueberries in town my friend," he nodded vigorously to emphasize his point.
Grabbing a slightly larger box the rabbit carefully poured the berries into it and grabbed another pawfull from the crate to top it off. "Whateva' ya say buddy," he said handing over the new box, "that'll be 4.50."
Nick pulled out his wallet and began to hand over the requested bills, but had a second thought, "Better make it two." Then he pulled a ten from his wallet and handed it to the rotund rabbit, who quickly filled a second box. "Thank you so much, and keep the change."
As the fox sauntered back into the crowd, a taller muscular rabbit with the same cream fur and similar dress stepped out from behind some nearby vegetable crates. The new rabbit was carrying a large red taser in one paw and a bottle of Fox Away in the other. Stepping up to the older lagomorph he asked "What was that all about Pah?"
"I don't know, t'was the strangest thing." The shorter rabbit gestured to the crate of blueberries, "that strange fox just bought two 'ole bunches of blueberries."
The younger rabbit turned his head to the side in puzzlement, "Ok?"
"He specifically asked fer' uncle Stu's berries too."
"Oh."
"He said they were the best in town."
"Well I could'na agree more," the younger one said popping a few of the berries into his mouth.
"Stop eat'in the produce son," he swatted the boy's paw when it reached for another berry, and then pointed at the Fox Away gear he was carrying. "And put those things away before someone gets hurt."
A various mix of other food items appeared in the foxes arms before he headed back home. It was still early when he reached the apartment so he had more than enough time to put away his groceries, and then maybe him and Finnick could go find some fun.
Unfortunately the little desert fox wasn't answering. At this early hour he was either still asleep, or working on a scam with his new partner. So Nick took another look at his contacts. Scrolling past Judy's number his eyes fell on one that he hadn't called in many months. Shaking his head he set the phone down and returned to putting away his groceries.
He set the large blue can of coffee grounds next to his brew pot, pancake batter went in the cabinet along with a bag of egg noodles. The blueberries, potatoes and other greens went into the fridge, along with the milk and butter. However when his paws reached for the plump carrots he bought from that strange farmer, they grabbed the cell phone instead and dialed.
Raising the speakers up to his pointy ears he listed to the ring tone nervously waiting for an answer. "What if she doesn't answer", he thought moments before there was a subtle click, and the tentative, "Hello," almost brought a tear to his eye.
"Hi mom."
"Oh, my goodness. Nicky! It's been over a year, are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine," the todd said with a sad expression in his voice while he pulled the thick orange roots out of the tall brown paper bag.
"You don't sound fine sweety, what going on?"
He put a big smile on his muzzle, "No, I'm really good right now."
The vixen didn't sound convinced, "I know better, you only ever call me anymore unless you're in trouble."
"Actually I did want to ask you something," his frown returned as he put the bunch of carrots on the top shelf of the fridge.
"A mother always knows," his mother chastised with a chuckle. "So tell me, son, what are you into now?"
"No, no, it's nothing like that mom," he said with a quiet sigh, and popped a few berries between his sharp teeth.
"Ok, if your not in trouble, why do you sound so sad."
"Um, this is seriously going to sound a little strange."
"You always were a strange little kit, Nicky. And I blame myself for that, trying to push all that love and equality on you at such a young age. Of course I don't blame you for what happened when you found out the world was a lot colder than my hippy flowers and music."
"Please don't be like that mom, I just need a recipe for carrot stew," his voice caught in his throat with a little hiccup, that almost sounded like a squeak.
The voice on the other end paused for a minute and Nick thought he could hear what sounded like a sneeze or coughing, but it quickly returned with more determination. "What's her name?" the vixen finally asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, who is the girl Nicky. Tell me what her name is?"
"This isn't about a girl at all, I just want to eat something healthy for once, mom," he said, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
"Don't lie to me Nicky."
"No, I'm not lying!"
"Dammit young mammal, I know you too well. You never cook anything, unless it's for a date. Plus I can hear you thinking about her right now. So once again, tell me the nice mammal's name, or so help me I'm hanging up right now!" the determination in his mom's voice filled the small one bedroom apartment and Nick began to cower at the memories that came with it.
"Yes, yes. Sorry, mom," he said, and folded the paper bag three times and placed it into a kitchen drawer that still held others of its kind. "Fine, fine, her name is Judy."
"Oh, that's pretty. Is she some kind of vegetarian or something, or why else would you be trying to make carrot stew?"
"Yes, she is a vegetarian," he unconsciously sighed again.
"Oh, that's interesting. So when did you two start dating?"
"No, mom, were not dating!" he waved his paws in front of the open fridge like she could somehow see him.
"Nick," she drew out his name as if to say, "You're already on thin ice."
"We're just really good friends, and we work together."
"Friends with benefits maybe?" it had been a long time since he had heard his mom's voice deliver such sweet sultry tones.
"Oh god no!" the sudden choking fit had him down on all fours, and he almost dropped the phone.
"So why then are you going out of your way to cook for this female, hmmm?" he thought he heard a giggle on the other end of the call.
"Because I messed up yesterday mom, I messed up real bad," he said, still sitting on his knees on the kitchen floor, with his tail trying to work its way between his legs shamefully. "I hurt her feelings, and now she is very mad at me, and I want to do something nice and thoughtful to make it up to her since we still have to work together."
"Well, it sounds like you really care about this mammal, so why don't you do something sweet and simple. Get her a bouquet of her favorite flowers instead."
"No mom, I really don't think flowers would be a good idea right now," he tried to explain as he got back up onto his hind paws, but his sore knees would not hold him so he stumbled and had to swiftly catch the counter. "We are not 'that kind' of friends."
"Aw, that's a shame. I think my little kit could use a good passionate female to hold onto right now," she made cute little smacking, smooching and cooing noises, that made Nick think she was imitating holding someone close on her couch. "So Nicky, you said you work with this girl. What kind of jobs are you pulling these days, and what happened to that little buddy of yours, the desert fox."
"Yes, we work together, and not jobs, mom, 'A Job.' It's a real job. I work at the ZPD," he tried to explain but she cut him off.
"Don't pull my tail," the vixen stated harshly. "You can't be seriously working with the police. What kind of scam are you pulling?"
"No, I'm serious," he puffed out his chest in pride. "I am a real cop now Mom. And if this is some kind of scam, it's the best one yet, because I've obviously fooled myself."
"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed in shock and promptly slid off the couch.
"Mom?" the todd started shaking the phone as he yelled into it again. "Are you ok? Mom!"
Nick barely heard her reply, "It's you."
"What happened, what was that thud?" he asked relieved that his mom was still speaking and didn't sound hurt.
"You're that fox I have been hearing about on the news. That fox cop. I had no idea it was you," her voice was completely out of breath, and after the shock of what her son had just told her she felt like she had just run a marathon.
"Yes, I'm that fox, you've heard about."
"I've always shut off the news whenever they started talking about that idiot. I just thought he was up to no good, and had somehow pulled the wool over their eyes. I had no idea, that my son was that idiot!"
"So now you know why I haven't called, and besides were not really allowed calls from the academy." This wasn't exactly true, but he had opted to spend all his phone credits calling Judy instead of his mom, or Finnick.
"How did you manage to get on the good side of all those gruff looking cops?" his mom asked, sounding much more enthusiastic about his new job, and sudden turning away from the dark side of Zootopia.
"Well I do have Judy to thank for that, which is why she means so much to me as a friend."
"Oh, I had no idea," the vixen stood up and headed into her own kitchen. "That's right, you still need that recipe! let me see if I can find a good one for my son's special friend."
"Moo'oom," the todd cried.
"Ok, sorry hun. I will try to be more careful talking about those feelings you pretend not to have," she rolled her eyes and let her son continue to play dumb while she browsed through her recipe drawer. "Ah, I think I found just the one," she exclaimed holding up an old recipe card, "Now are you ready to write all this down?"
"Why don't you send me a picture of it instead?"
"Really, that will work?"
"Of course mom. I do it all the time."
"What wonderful devices these things are," the vixen said delightfully kissing the phone. "It's written on both sides of the card so you will have to read carefully ok." She then snapped a couple of pictures and sent the attachments to her son.
"Thanks Mom. These look great," Nick commented as he zoomed into each picture and noted how clearly he could read his mom's handwriting.
"My pleasure dear. I always enjoy talking to my son. And please tell me how the date goes."
"It's not a date Mom."
"Whatever you say sweetie, just remember to have fun ok."
"I will Mom, and thanks again," he said and hung up.
Carefully looking over the image of the recipe on his phone he began to mumble off each ingredient as he read them, "Carrots, potatoes, celery, cucumbers, vegetable broth, flour, and spices. Most of this stuff I don't have, so it looks like it's back to the store for this fox" With an exuberant flair he picked up his keys, placed his phone into his pocket, and followed his happy feet out the door.
Damp blades of freshly cut grass sat waiting in the darkness while a small grey bird hopped about looking for its breakfast. In the distance the morning sun crept slowly over the snowy peaks of Tundra Town bringing light to the dark slopes. Warm yellow light showered down from the sky bathing the mountain until the whole thing glowed a brilliant white. Suddenly the hungry grass was crushed under a pair of large paws before they even had a chance to taste the first rays of the warm morning light.
The paws moved on swiftly to crush more grass in their wake. With a steady rhythm those large grey and white paws fiercely pounded each blade they passed into the soft turf. Every tenth step the running paws would skip a beat, taking a short leap into the air, only to come crashing down even harder on the poor unsuspecting grass.
With a loud flutter of wings the early bird frantically took to the air, seeking safer prospects, as the mammal attached to the furiously pounding paws approached. A pair of large fluffy ears flapped up and down on the mammal's back in time with their paws. The mammal ran on, giving no care to the crushed grass under her feet, or the small birds that fled at her approach.
A small white wire hung from under each ear and ran to a small box strapped to her swinging forearm, this caused the wires to swing wildly with each powerful of her strides. Loud popping sounds and rhythms seemed to emanate from each of the wire ends under her ears. Her feet pounded and leapt to the beat of the music as she half jogged, half hopped around the park.
The jogging rabbit seemed to be chasing the fleeting morning shadows through the grass and around the trees, but after a few laps the sun was full in the sky and the shadows had fled for the day. A few more laps around the park and her music suddenly stopped to be replaced by an almost pleasant beeping jingle. Without missing a step she answered the call and a familiar voice spoke through her tiny earbuds.
"Hi bun bun," and older female voice said.
"Hi Mom," Judy replied.
"What's all the noise in the background, and why are you breathing so hard? Are you chasing criminals?"
"No Mom, I'm just jogging in the park."
"Oh, that's nice. Is today your day off? Didn't you just have the weekend off? How many days off do you normally get there in the big city?" Bonnie's endless questions came swiftly one after another.
Judy stopped for a second to answer her mom's questions, "No Mom. I um, I got suspended!" Her head hung low and she tried to cover her face with her long ears.
"Oh no hun, what happened?" the other rabbit said with as much concern as was motherly possible.
With both paws balled into fists Judy replied keeping her small voice just below a scream, "It was all Nick's fault!"
"Nick? Oh you mean your boyfriend?"
"He is NOT my boyfriend! He is my partner at work, and partners share the blame. So his screw up yesterday got both of us suspended."
"Well that's not fair at all, ya know."
"Bogo wants to teach us a lesson about following protocols and all that." the younger bunny said with a huff and took off jogging again, hoping that the extra exercise would get rid of her frustrations.
"I'm sorry dear, what did he do that got you in trouble?"
Judy almost stumbled over a stray child's toy left in the grass, while she thought hard on how best to answer her mother's question. She had to avoid telling Bonnie how truly dangerous her job was, but she also had to explain how dumb Nick's actions were. These troubled thoughts rolled around in her brain and she failed to see what was laying in the grass ahead of her.
Catching herself she decided how best to answer without giving too much away, "That stupid dummy, ran off to handle a perp by himself, and left me to deal with the witnesses."
"Oh, that doesn't sound so bad," Bonnie replied shaking her head.
"It wouldn't have been, but I had to chase after him and cover his back."
"That seems reasonable to me."
"Well, I lost him in a maze of twisting alleys, and we ended up losing the perp all together. And on top of that the witnesses wandered off and we never got their statements." Judy sat down on a nearby bench and put her muzzle into her paws. "Bogo is mad at us, because we left the scene and never called for the backup like we're supposed to."
Her explanation wasn't exactly the truth, but it would satisfy her mom without scaring her too much. Bonnie already had nightmares about Judy being hurt in the big city, and working with such dangerous mammals.
"Oh, sweety. Your job is so dangerous, I just wouldn't know what to do with myself. And your boss sounds like a real hard apple." the older rabbit said and the shaking in her voice gave away the fear she held for her daughter. "I don't know how you do it every day."
"Yeah, it can be hard sometimes. I just keep my chin up and remember that I'm helping to protect all the mammals of this city." Judy leapt off the park bench with determination and continued to jog through the grass.
"That's good to hear bun bun. I am glad to hear that your happy being the big city cop you always wanted to be," the shaking in the older rabbit's voice did not subside. "I know you were always the toughest one in the burrow, but I still worry about you. I worry every single day, and I can't sleep at night when you forget to call me."
"I'm sorry Mom. I just get so busy with work sometimes, or I'm out with friends or something, and I just forget to call."
"And that makes me worry, even more, that you're out in that big city, and lost or hurt."
Judy giggled over the phone, "Aww Mom. You don't have to worry about me so much. I've always got Nick to watch out for me, and Fru-Fru, and the rest of the ZPD whom I can call on anytime."
"I know sweety," after a few moments her voice sounded slightly chipper. "It sounds like you have a good friend looking out for you."
"I really do Mom," the smile on her muzzle lit up the park.
"Remember not to stay mad a him too long, ok?"
"I'll try, Mom."
"It's not healthy to be mad a someone for such a long time."
"I know," she sighed slightly, but kept her pace around the park.
"Do you now? It's been two years and you still haven't called back poor Jenny," her mother chastised.
Judy came to a complete stop in the grass. She looked down and saw that her hind paws were completely soaked with the morning dew. "Please don't do this now Mom," the young bunny pleaded.
"No, this has gone on long enough! Judy, I know you blame her for stealing your boyfriend, but you need to forgive your sister."
"I did forgive her Mom."
"But you never told her that. You slapped her muzzle at their wedding, then left for the academy, and have not spoken to her since," the fury in her mother's voice made the small bunny start to shake, and a tear fell down her cheek. "I still catch her crying sometimes ya know."
"Mom, please stop."
"No, you need to hear this. Think of your nieces and nephews, if you can't make up with your sister you may never get to see any of them," Bonnie's determination was almost frightening.
"But they are his kits too," Judy cried.
"Yes, I know sweetie. And I understand how hard it is for you, but you need to stop being such a tough bun, and call Jenny," the older rabbit cajoled.
"Ok, Mom. I will think about it."
"Today, Judy, or so help me, your father and I are driving to the city and dragging your tail back here to apologize to her."
"Apologize, to her!" every other mammal in the park turned to look a the small rabbit screaming to herself, but she was too angry to notice the heavy stares. "I am not apologizing for what she did."
"Aww, bun bun. You've no idea how much you have hurt her," her mom chastised. "Besides you barely knew him a few months, and that can never compare to losing your sister and bestest friend in your whole life."
"She ripped out my heart!"
"And you had to tear it into pieces and throw it in her face, before walking out. Please call her today and tell her how you feel, before this anger destroys you," Bonnie said calmly. "Just think about it sweetie. I'm going to hang up now."
"By Mom," after hitting the cancel button, Judy could only stand in the middle of the grassy field and let the tears stream down her cheeks.
It felt like it had been an hour of crying in the grass, but she finally stood up in determination, her little paws balled into fists, and she slowly left the park. Only one thing would help calm her mood and prepare her for a conversation with Jenny, and that one thing was shopping. Still in her jogging outfit, she caught the next bus for the mall downtown.
The Zootopia City Mall was a large glass building nestled between the much taller glass and steel buildings on the edge of downtown. It's unique shape reminded Judy of one of those prehistoric watering holes that she had heard so much about at school.
A domed roof on top kept out all but the worst of the weather that nature could throw at it, and still let the mammals inside see the sky. Few mammals were moving in and out of the mall at this time of day, it had recently unlocked its doors, and most of the animals were on their way to work.
Today Judy noticed that almost all of the mammals that worked at this mall were medium or small prey animals, and every single one that walked through the those gigantic automated doors out front was female. Most were like her, either in their late teens or early twenties. She was relieved to see that not everyone was of the prey category. There was the nice oriental tigress from the hoof and claw salon where she liked to get her nails done, and an older otter, who was probably in her early thirties. She thought she had seen the otter before working a shellfish stand at the back of the food court.
Realizing that quite a few of the stores had yet to open their doors, the rabbit turned her music back on and strolled a few laps around the inside of the mall until the shop she was looking for opened.
Petite's was a clothing store for small mammals, that did not exactly discriminate, however most of their merchandise was fit to the typical lagomorph body types. The neon sign over the door even showed the outline of a rabbit next to the name. They did carry the occasional dresses and outfits for mustelids, felines, and large rodents as well, but those racks tended to be centered around a single corner in the back.
Unlike rabbit boutiques in Bunny Burrow, that carried a lot of blue jeans, plaid shirts and straw hats, this store kept up with some of the latest fashions for young Zootopian ladies. The summer fashions were in and Judy was looking forward to diving through the racks looking for something bright and cheerful. Light blues and greens were in this season, and she might have a hard time finding something that set off her eyes.
When she walked into the store there was an attractive young kit fox working the counter. She was the only mammal working in the store this early in the morning. Judy quickly walked past her to a rack of summer dresses, "Why did I just think she was attractive?" she thought, putting a palm to her forehead.
After Judy spent thirty minutes picking out various dresses, holding them up to a nearby mirror and promptly putting them back, the kit fox stopped by to see how she was doing.
"Is there anything I can help you with today ma'am," the tiny fox said.
"Oh, hey. Um yeah," the rabbit tried not to stutter, "I can't seem to find anything I like and actually fits."
The fox stood back to look a Judy's figure. She leaned to one side then the other, checking out the shape of the rabbit's hips, "I see what you mean. You don't have the typical rabbit figure huh?"
"Tell me about it."
"Hmmm," the attendant stepped around Judy and began flipping through the dresses on the rack. "No, no, maybe," she mumbled. She then stepped over to another rack and immediately pulled out a short, coral dress with a subtle lace trim and handed it to the curious rabbit. "Try this one, I think it might go well with your complexion."
"But it's so," Judy gestured with her paws held about hip height and the spread them apart.
"Oh right, I've got just the thing," the small colorful fox dashed around a few racks before coming back with a pretty black belt. "Give this a try."
"Well that's a great idea."
"Why don't you try them on," the young fox said gesturing to the changing rooms at the back of the store.
Minutes later, Judy came out wearing the pretty, short dress, with the belt tight around her waist and the skirt draped tastefully over her hips. Walking up to the attendant, she asked, "So what do you think?"
"Wow!" the fox lifted her paws to cover her muzzle, "That combination is really amazing on you, especially with the way you're blushing right now."
Ears immediately flopped down to cover the violet bunny eyes, and burning cheeks, "I'm serious, that look is good for you. Here take a look for yourself."
Looking into the mirror while the fox pointed out how well her natural colors matched and how the dress showed off the best parts of her figure, Judy could only stare blankly at the brown and white mammal beside her. The rabbit's mind wandered to thoughts of a certain other fox she knew and how he would look standing next to her in this dress. It sent shivers up her spine, and she decided in that moment that she had to have this outfit. The blush returned full force, and she didn't even care.
"See, what did I say, that look is super cute on you. I'm sure all the other bunnies will just die when they see you in it."
Judy coughed and started to make a snide comment, but suddenly realized where she was, and that the cute mammal next to her was only doing her job. She just could not get the image of Nick out of her mind every time she looked at the short and colorful desert fox. Along with the images were a flood of feelings, warmth, safety, and happiness. It would have been rude to chastise the attendant who was helping her out so much.
"Would you like to try out any other outfits today?"
"Sure, maybe something a bit more formal?"
"Formal huh? With your eyes and fur I suggest a rich blue."
"Yes, I do love to wear the blue," Judy snickered knowing that the fox would not catch the reference.
The attendant casually walked to the front of the store and picked up something long, dark blue, and pencil thin. Turning the dress around it almost glittered in the soft light of the store.
"Oh, my! Are you sure."
"Of course ma'am. Just try it on, I'm sure you won't regret it."
"Ok, I'll give it a try," the rabbit said with a stutter, not sure she could ever wear something so fancy. Grabbing the dress from the other mammal's hands, and looking into her dark eyes, she asked, "Can I ask you something?"
"Um, sure I guess," the fox said hesitantly but the bright smile never left her muzzle.
"I'm just curious what a sweet fox like yourself is doing in a place like this, working for these mean ole rabbits?"
The desert fox chuckled warmly, sat down on the nearby bench, shook her head, and scratched an ear. She lifted her head and looked up and Judy, "I've really been waiting for someone to ask me that, but everyone is just too polite to voice their suspicions. A fox, working for rabbits. Don't you find that strange?"
"Not really, no," Judy said smiling back at the young mammal.
"What, why?" puzzlement crossed the foxes muzzle.
Judy giggled and gave the fox a gentle shove, "My best friend is a fox."
"Seriously?"
"Yup, we've been friends since I came to the city."
The fox's eyes brightened, "That's really cool ya know," she stood and looked back at Judy with a streak of determination. "It was my girlfriend."
"Huh?" Judy asked confused.
"My girlfriend suggested I take this job."
"Your girlfriend, She knows the owner?"
"She thought it would help me relate better to her family"
"Her family?" Something clicked in the back of Judy's mind, but she wouldn't come to realize what it meant for several days.
"Yeah they are related or something," the tiny fox nodded.
The rabbit's large ears stood up straight as she remember that she promised to call her sister, so she decided to take only the one dress and come back for the second one another day.
Taking her leave Judy said, "This outfit is great and you have been such a wonderful help, I really hope to see you the next time I am looking for some new clothes."
"It's been my pleasure ma'am," the fox said waving as Judy walked through the large open door in the front of the store.
Walking out of the store Judy dialed her sister's number. Taking a deep breath she prepared herself for the conflict ahead. She sat on one of the smaller benches near a dried up fountain a few shops down from Petite's and listened to the sound of the ring back tone. After three rings she suddenly hung up, grabbed her new dress and started to walk away.
After three steps she grabbed the phone firmly in her paws, "No, I need to do this. Be brave." She looked up at the domed ceiling and the wispy clouds that flew by overhead. Sitting down she dialed again, and the answer was almost immediate.
"Hello," came the cautious voice on the other end of the line.
Judy nearly choked and hung up again. Hundreds of emotions flooded through her body and her vision blurred bringing tears to her eyes, love, hurt, anger, fear, and jealousy. She was drowning again, and couldn't breath. Her paws clawed in the air, desperately trying to reach the surface, but it was no use, she was going to pass out.
Suddenly a pair of green eyes grabbed her mind, pulling her free of the turbulent emotions, and held her close. One emotion rose to the top and slowly smothered the others leaving her mind clear. Held firmly by those green eyes she felt safe and strong, in a place where she could be the mammal she always wanted to be.
The voice on the phone came again, "Hello? Who is this?"
"Jenny," the rabbit exclaimed with tentative determination planted on her muzzle.
"Sweet cheese and moldy crackers, Judy!" joy and sorrow filled the voice of the other rabbit. "Oh, my, god I can't believe it's really you."
The violet eyed bunny sighed before replying, "Yeah, Jen-Jen, it's me."
"My god Judy, I have missed you so much, you don't even know," Jennifer started to cry. After a few moments of tears, a slightly deeper voice came over the phone and asked, "What's wrong dear?"
"It's Judy, and I'm just so happy to hear my dear sister's sweet voice again."
"Oh, good. Tell her I said hi," the disinterested male voice said before drifting off wandering into another room.
Judy's eyes darkened along with her tone, "Was that him?"
"Yeah, that was Alex. He has turned out to be a great rabbit, and a wonderful friend," Jenny said cheerfully. "But you know he could never replace you."
"Then why did you," anger and jealousy threatened to overwhelm Judy's senses again before the hint of green returned, and she calmly said, "I forgive you Jenny."
"I forgive you too sweetie," Jenny chuckled, "It is just so good to heard that from your own voice. Sure mom and the others can say that you forgave me all day long, but it just hurts to know it's not you standing there saying those words."
"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just things got so crazy at the academy and," Judy started to explain, but her sister cut her off.
"Don't! Just don't try to explain ok," her sister said. "I know how much you always wanted to be the big shot police bunny, in the big city, and once your opportunity came you had to grab it by the tail. But you were my bestest friend too."
"You were my friend too. I know we did everything together, shared everything, but Alex was the one thing I didn't want to share. He even tried to explain it to me once, but I just pushed him away."
"Yeah, because you were so angry at me that you didn't want to listen. And thanks for slapping my muzzle at our wedding by the way. That little fiasco only caused the biggest rumor mill in the try-burrows in the last 20 years."
"Oh, um, sorry about that," Judy's chin almost touched her chest in shame.
"It's ok sis, like I said, I do forgive you. I just wish we could be together again, like we were before, a big warm happy family."
"Im sorry Jenny, but I can't live like that," tears started to well up in Judy's eyes, and she quickly wiped them away before they could race down her cheeks.
"Yeah, I get it. You just have to be your own mammal, don't you?" Jenny's voice was disheartened, "You couldn't be the sweet little girl that mom and dad wanted, and you couldn't be the the friend that I needed either. Your just a dissa.."
"Jenny!" Judy exclaimed feeling more embarrassed at her sister's words.
"Fine. I thought I could try and convince you to come back to us, but you seem more stubborn now than you ever were. And I still don't understand why I always liked that part of you," the other rabbit said with a warm giggle.
"I never knew why you liked me so much either, sis, and I thank you for that. Everyone else in the burrow just thought I was weird."
"Yeah, no idea why that would be, hmm," the sarcasm in Jenny's voice was thick as week old carrot pie.
"What do you mean?"
"You should know. It's cuz you weren't just our average tomboy, you had to go out of your way to 'Save The World,'" Judy could hear the air quotes her sister made across all 211 miles.
Judy's warm giggle leapt across the phone and gave her sister pleasant goosebumps, "Yeah, you're right there. Together we did 'Save the Day' on more than one occasion."
"It was all you Jude's"
"But you were …"
"Just standing by cheering you on, cuz your tough police costume always made me feel so safe."
"Really, I made you feel safe?" a tear streaked down Judy's face, and she let it fall to the tiled floor. At the word safe she could barely picture the fuzzy image of a dark blue uniform covering a bright orange mammal. The orange mammal was standing in the distance, and she knew that if she ran to him now that she would feel safer than she ever could anywhere else in the city.
She held onto the image as long as she could while her sister prattled on about their childhood adventures. But slowly the image faded until it was nothing but a blue and orange speck on the horizon.
"So tell me about this rumor I've been hearing about you sissy," Jenny's voice distracting her pleasant daydream.
"What rumor?" Judy asked nervously.
"The rumor that's been all over the burrow for the least a month now. The one about your new boyfriend."
Suddenly the image of the comfortable orange mammal, in the dark blue uniform, snapped back into her mind as clear as day.
"Nick is not my boyfriend!"
"Aww, but the way you're denying it makes it sounds like the rumors are true," her sister said slyly.
"No, no, we're just friends. And besides he's not even attracted to me," the gray rabbit said sadly.
"What!" the other rabbit cried with shock.
"Yeah, I've actually tried a few things to get his attention, but he just completely ignores me."
"He ignores you, how?"
"Well, he'll get this blank stare and won't say anything for long periods. Sometimes I have to go give him a good slap or yank on his tie. I swear it's like his brain falls asleep."
"Aww, honey," Jenny sighed, "Maybe you should try a little harder."
"There is really nothing going on between us, we're just friends, and I'm not even sure we're that anymore," Judy's ears drooped down her back and a frown slowly crossed her muzzle.
"What do you mean, 'anymore?'"
"I mean, I'm still mad at him for running into that dangerous building yesterday," Judy huffed in exasperation.
"He did what?"
"Were both officers in the ZPD, and while I was questioning one of the witnesses, he takes off into the building without any warning whatsoever to try and disarm this bomb by himself."
"Oh my god, Judy. Don't tell Mom, or she is going to freak out."
"I already gave her the 'Safe' version of this story."
"Ok, that's good. It's already bad enough everytime she see you on the news. She stays up all night pacing the halls and fretting about you, and keeping the rest of us up."
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok hun. Let us deal with mother, you just worry about keeping those streets clean."
"Alright, it's a deal," Judy jumped up from the bench with her paws balled into fists.
"So why don't you finish telling me about why your not friends with your not-boyfriend"
"Because his brash and careless actions got both of us suspended for the rest of the week!"
"Oh, no," Jenny exclaimed and a male rabbit voice could be heard in the background. "Well it looks like you have some things to work out with your friend, so you might want to talk to him about it sooner rather than later."
"Yeah, Mom said the same thing too."
"Well she is right ya know," she said, and the male voice coming from somewhere behind Jenny sounded urgent. "Ok, I've got to run, so take care. And make sure to call me again soon, especially if you ever decide that you might have feelings for this not-boyfriend of yours. Ok, love ya, bye."
"Love you too, bye," Judy slowly hit the cancel button and looked down at her toes feeling emotionally drained. She really should have called her sister back sooner.
A burnished light shone on the back wall of the open kitchen, shedding its warm light around the fake marble counters and the stovetop. The redish orange fox stood in the soft orange glow, swiftly chopping long orange vegetables while another, angrier orange glow came from the spirals on top of the stove. To offset the overdose of orange in the room, the fox was wearing a green flowery apron over a blue Pawaiian button up shirt. The setting sun did not care much for these contrasts to it's carefully orchestrated light show, and began to drown out the blues and greens where ever it could find them.
On the stove a large pan sat heating over the burner. Inside was a thin layer of oil that was already so hot that small wisps of smoke rose from the surface. Suddenly a pawfull of flat square white vegetables fell into the pan. As soon as the veggies hit the hot oil they immediately began to sizzle and pop, splashing the oil around the pan. Once the splashing settled down, two more pawfulls of onions hit the pan, sputtering and popping and a dark paw grabbed the handle to vigorously shake the pan, thoroughly mixing the oil and onions together.
With the chopped onions cooking, Nick turned to several potatoes he had peeled earlier, and began cutting them into neat little cubes, roughly 1 centimeter on each side. As he was starting on the second potato the cell phone rang. "Oh, darn it," he cried rushing to wash his paws in the sink before answering the phone.
Judy was sitting on her tiny bed bathed in the warm orange sunset. She was holding her newest plush doll in her lap, a tiny orange fox with a smug smile on its muzzle and a pair of derpy looking eyes. Her large feet swung back and forth in the air while she casually dialed a familiar number on her phone. Fiercely she squeezed the fox doll letting go of some her anger while the phone rang. With each passing ring she squeezed the doll tighter and tighter.
After three rings she had to let out a deep breath, and let go of the doll now squeezed flat under her paws. The doll slowly slide sideways and fell onto its side in her lap. And after the fifth ring she threw it across the room to hit the far wall where the warm light of the setting sun had shone only moments before.
His paws still wet Nick stumbled with his phone while trying to lift it to his ear. "Hello," he said
curiously.
"Nick," the rabbit accidentally cried, her voice too loud for the tiny room. With the source of the day's frustrations finally on the other end of the line she needed something to squeeze and strangle, so she promptly ran across the room to pick up the orange fox doll again.
"Hi, Judy. How are you doing today?"
"I'm good Nick. How are," Judy began to ask as she once again sat her fluffy tail down on the edge of the bed. However something distracted her original thought and she quickly changed what she was going to say, "What are those sounds in the background? Nick are you cooking?"
"No, no. Just some running water," he lied while pouring a bottle of fresh spring water into the hot pan. He was always very careful when cooking, yet still managed to splash a few drops of hot oil onto a paw and his flower patterned shirt. "Ouch," the fox cried sucking on a finger and trying to juggle the phone and the water bottle at the same time.
"I knew it, you are cooking!"
"Mmmhmmh," Nick just mumbled with a finger stuck deep in his muzzle.
"You know, I don't think I have ever seen you cook before."
"There is always a first time for everything sweetheart," he replied pulling the still sore finger out of his mouth.
"So tell me, Slick, what exactly are you cooking," Judy asked with the most charming, and seductive voice she could make, as she flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her charms never seemed to work on the sly fox, but it was always fun to try.
Completely unprepared for the cute, sultry bunny voice that came over the line, Nick was stunned for several seconds before he could recover from the sweet assault, "Oh, not much. Just an old recipe I thought I would try out."
"And what kind of recipe caused my slick partner to burn his fingers hmmm?"
"How did you know I burnt a finger?"
"These ears aren't just for show, ya know."
"Well, unfortunately I am strictly forbidden from sharing this ancient fox type recipe with any rabbits," Nick asserted slyly while dumping all of the fresh sliced carrots into the now boiling pot. "However, you my dear, are more than welcome to come see what the fox is cooking."
The rabbit giggled sweetly before a scowl crossed her brow, "Very tempting, very tempting, but I am still mad a you, ya know."
"I am sorry," he paused with his hands on a small jar of wild spices and held his breath.
"For what?" she asked.
"You know what."
"Do I know that?" a gleam of mischief filled her purple eyes. "No I don't know what your sorry for," she finished their little word game drowned with sarcasm.
The silence was deafening, and the stew continued bubbling merrily along, "I know that your sorry for what Nick?" After another long pause she added, "Go on, say it."
Taking a deep breath Nick set down the spice shaker, "I'm sorry for..."
"Yes?" the plush doll's head was now twisted around backwards as Judy's partner continued to infuriate her.
Two green eyes stared deeply into the dark boiling pit that would soon become a delectable carrot stew. Moments before his nose plunged below the churning water he finally spoke, "I, I am sorry I rushed into things yesterday without thinking about how you felt."
A soft tear fell from a violet eye to glide down a gray cheek, "I forgive you Nick."
The fox stood up suddenly, his back straight and ears pointed at the short ceiling, "You do?"
"Of course I do," the rabbit exclaimed into her cell phone. "I can't stay mad at you forever. Just promise me that you will NEVER try to get yourself killed like that again!"
"Ok Carrots."
"Or so help me, you dumb fox, I will shoot you myself," Nick could feel the serious tone in her voice from halfway across the city.
"I will."
"Cross your heart."
"What?"
"I need you to cross your heart and promise to me right now," Judy was glaring into the derpy eyes of the doll in her paws, desperately waiting for his answer.
"Ok, sweetheart. This is for you," the fox drew and 'X' on his chest and held his paw in the air, a perfect replica of the Junior Ranger Scout salute. "I Nicholas Wilde hereby promise to my partner, that I will not take anymore unnecessary, and dangerous risks, without her permission of course," he said solemnly.
The gray rabbit lifted her red fox doll and planted a quiet kiss on it's nose.
After a few quiet moments the seriousness was broken by a sudden exclamation, "Oh, no the stew!"
"The what?"
"Oh, nothing, it's nothing, just give me a second ok," the todd said setting the phone on the counter and grabbed a small bowl filled with a thick flour paste. He slowly stirred the rue into the boiling pot of vegetables and watched it thicken into a pale stew. It would darken as the flour cooked but for now it was still pretty light.
Once the stew was set to simmer on low heat, the fox picked up the phone again, "Still there partner?"
"Yes, I'm still here," she giggled, "What happened?"
"Nothing, just a little cooking emergency, but it's fine now," he said wiping his paws carelessly on his apron.
"So are you going to tell what it is that your making?"
"Nope," the fox smirked, "but I do have a better idea."
"Oh really?"
"Tomorrow is our regular movie night, and..."
"Since when?" the rabbit's ears perked up.
"Well, since you have come over to my apartment every week since I became your partner. And we sit here and watch old movies together."
Cuddling the plush fox close to her chest Judy replied, "It has been nice seeing all those old classics with such a good friend, but I wouldn't call it 'Our Movie Night.'"
"Maybe we should make it a thing."
"You really think so?"
"Yes of course," he said pulling off the apron and nodding vigorously, "and since tomorrow would technically be movie night, you should come over and see what film I have picked out."
"You picked last week, so I get to pick this time."
"Great, then that means I get to bring dinner."
"And this time, don't try to slip me any of that nasty sausage."
"I've already made one promise today sweetheart."
"Fine, I'll try not to push your sly sensibilities too far in one day," she said sarcastically.
Nick chuckled warmly into the microphone, and the rabbit added, "Oh, that reminds me. I have to finish my shopping tomorrow, so I won't be able to make it early."
"What are you shopping for that takes all day."
"It's a secret."
"Oh, the big city bunny is keeping secrets now," the fox chided.
"Well, I might show you someday," luckily he could not see her wink over the phone.
"Alright, someday it is then," he said smirking. "I guess we can finish this conversation tomorrow."
"Sounds good Slick."
"Have a good night Judy."
"Good night Nick," the called ended and Judy lay on her bed staring at the phone holding the plush fox, and wondered how that dumb fox could always turn her mood around. Only a few minutes ago she was so angry at him that she could spit nails, and now should could not wait to see him again, snuggle up on the couch and make fun of old movies together. "Stupid fox," she thought fondly, turning off her bedside light and closing her eyes.
Nick hung up the phone, turned off the stove and began to clean up the vegetable mess scattered about the kitchen counters. It was fully dark in his apartment now, but his sensitive eyes hardly noticed the lack of light, and he continued to clean, with thoughts of warm gray paws wrapped around him.
The stew found its way into the fridge, and the fox was soon found laying on his couch staring up at the ceiling where images of rabbits danced across his vision. Hours later he was asleep still fully dressed.
[AN] That was a really long an unplanned chapter, so it took me longer to get it all put together, and even more time to edit, so I hope you liked it. While working on this one I also went back and cleaned up a few of the earlier chapters. And as a request from my family I also added some more content to chapter one. So if you have not looked at it recently I suggest going back and reading what I've added.
I also borrowed another character from VarriableMammal. The kit fox in the mall is very loosely related to Terra from Vixen's Mark. If you haven't had to read their stories, I strongly recommend reading through all of them. VarriableMammal, has such a wonderful version of Zootopia, and all the characters in the Hopps family are really amazing. Varriable's vivid details is actually one of the reasons I started writing this story.
Thanks for everyone's patience and all the wonderful comments, and thanks to my family for helping me edit this chapter.
OneWolfe-