Nicholas Wilde.

Four foot tall.

Eighty pounds.

Heart rate steady at hundred and seventy-four beats a minute when running.

Several months ago, he was nothing more than just the average fox. Soon, though, mammals young and old would know him as the one that brought Zootopia a gold medal. He hoped for that wish he made since high school would finally come true, and that eventually the other teams would see him as a force to be reckoned with in the sport of running.

He recalled distinctly those days when he said that he wanted to get into it and was ridiculed by those in his physical education classes. He also remembered just how much practice he had to undergo, as he used to, in the very beginning of his journey, get winded when he went a certain speed.

That point in his life, though, was water under the bridge, a distant memory to look back at someday and laugh. His running speed, from there on in, was the thing he focused most on, up until it was to what it was today.

He ran steadily inside the lines of the running field, paws trodding against the rubberized surface below him. The spotlights to the empty arena were casted down on him from either side, leading the way as he approached the bend.

The fox's breaths were stable and controlled, just as he had learned to properly keep them throughout his training. When he was in the middle of a run like this, it felt like the entire world just faded away.

All of the worries and cares he might have had prior dissipated like a cloud of vapor; all of it seemed to leave his body when he was in this zone like it was a departing spirit.

The only thought he had on his mind was keeping that nice pace. Not the scenery above or below him. Just what was ahead of him.

One paw in front of the other, Nick thought, internally coaching himself with all of the advice he had gotten. Don't forget to keep breathing.

He continued onward before reaching the marker that he started the previous laps from, coming to a stop as he reached it. He clapped his paws together as he exhaled a deep sigh. making his way over to the bench to the right of the field where a certain someone was waiting for him.

"So, how was time that time, Coach Hippity-Hop?" he asked with this trademark wittiness.

Standing next to the bench was his coach and also probably the kindest mammals he had the privilege of meeting. Her name was Judy Hopps, and not only was she the first of her species to be a coach for a team in the Mammalympics, but she had also gotten to work with some well-known runners that competed for the country in the event over time.

The gray doe in her red jacket looked at her stop watch, and Nick hoped that he was getting at least a little bit better than before. "Wilde," she answered with a serious tone, "you know when you said you couldn't do three laps any faster than you did yesterday?"

"Yeah?" responded Nick as he sat down on the bench, opening up the squeeze water bottle next to him and getting a quick drink as he stretched his legs.

The doe suddenly broke out into a smile before holding a paw out and showing the fox what time was on the watch. "Well, you just outdid your best time!" she said bubbly with her ears perking up.

The vulpine athlete also started to put on a smile once he heard this good news from her. "No way," he replied. "You serious, Fluff?"

"Congratulations," Judy said to him. "You've gotten even better."

"I did it," the fox remarked with pride. "I did it."

"Guess those blueberry-flavored energy bars I gave you to recover after workouts helped you out?" she inquired with a chuckle.

"Well, they were pretty darn amazing," Nick responded. "To be honest, though, I've gotten better and better thanks to all of your kind words."

The rabbit's smile grew wider. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm being honest here," insisted the fox. "Unlike a couple of the mammals I had try to train me in the past, you're the only one that's been this patient. You never got mad at me when I screwed something up, you were always here to give me advice, and, most of all, you didn't judge me 'cause I'm a fox."

That last point made by him tugged at the bunny, as she knew his past with others being more than judgmental to him regarding his species. "What kind of animal you are doesn't make any less of an athlete," she remarked, reciting the views she held greatly on such matters.

The tod chuckled and said, "Too bad mammals back in the day didn't wrap their heads around that. NBut I don't think I'd have been able to just run at the speed I did without your advice. I owe it all to you."

Judy held a paw to her chest, feeling touched by his honest yet sincere sentiment. "It's been an absolute pleasure. You're gonna be the best one out on the track field. I just know it."

"Couldn't ask for a better coach, Hopps," added Nick. "I don't know if I'd survive if I had that polar bear that's coaching my rival here instead. What was her name again?"

"Friedkin. And, yeah, she's pretty intense."

The fox impersonated, "'One little mistake and your done for good, Fluff-butt!'"

A chuckle came from the bunny at his impression. "That was pretty accurate."

"She always sounds like she's being a drill sergeant. And that grueling routine she has my competition doing on a daily basis doesn't look so fun either."

"Agreed," replied Judy as she slipped the stopwatch in her paw and back into her coat pocket. She broke out into a little run herself and made her way towards the track field by where Nick had started his prior laps. As she hopped up and down energetically, she said, "Come on. Off your paws."

"What?" Nick inquired quizzically, getting from his seat and setting the water he had been drinking from down on the bench.

Still jogging in place from where she was standing, Judy explained, "Another addition to today's training. Thought it'd be interesting to mix it up and see how fast you do alongside me."

The fox raised an eyebrow as he grinned back at her, walking over to the spot on the field one away from her position. "Is that your way of saying you wanna race, Coach?" he asked.

"Well," the doe replied, "I figured that if you can win in a race with a bunny, you're ready to take on the other runners. Also, it's been awhile since I've done this sort of thing, you know?"

"So, fastness in fox form and a rabbit," the vulpine remarked, getting into the position he always assumed before he ever started doing any running. "I wonder who'll be the victor of that little match."

Judy laughed as she did the same, also getting into a crouch start. "Guess we'll just have to see about that."

"Alright, Hopps. On your mark."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Go!" the two exclaimed at the same time before they took off out on the field, the speedy movements of the fox and his friendly coach illuminated against the night under the glow of the spotlights.

Author's Note: Hey there, readers! Back with another AU of sorts with our favorite fox and bunny. :)

I felt like getting something written about some kind of sporting event with the Olympics happening right now. Yeah, I know that running is technically a summer event and not part of the winter games, but there's a reason I didn't make this story about a sport that's part of those...

I originally had this written out much differently, where Judy was actually the athlete and was practicing for a competition in figure skating, but that was later changed after I started to brainstorm about that. Then the sport that was the subject of it changed a couple times, and I first was torn whether to make it about something like bobsledding or skiing.

But that was going to feel pretty redundant since I already got a story of that sort in progress that I'm writing called The Snowboarding Bunny, where Judy, Nick, and some other familiar faces are all in a high-action snowboarding competition. That one, though, is technically a crossover of sorts and the stuff these mammals pull off on the snow in that is far from what could be done in actual reality.

Anyway, let me know what your thoughts were on this. As always, your feedback, whether good or bad, is gladly appreciated.

'Til next time! :)