The new tales from Zootopia

by Vindictive456

This story is a well thought out work of fan-fiction that will cover in moderate pace how Judy came back to the force and convinced Nick to be her partner, Nick's training to become an officer and his days at the academy, a weird new case involving corrupt mammals and a new dangerous drug, all of that sprinkled with the growing love between Zootopia's favorite pair of officers.

30. Episode 30: Body and mind

Author's note: Salutations everyone, it is I, Valiant and I have returned with another Zootopia fanfic chapter fresh from the presses. On my last notes pre-chapter I placed a fun little pool asking all of you to give me your oppinions on what sort of story I could place our favorite police duo if they were misplaced in time and space, a fun little AU outting, I might just have fun with your oppinions on the matter or I might get around to doing it after this story is completed, only time will tell. At any case, this chapter is fairly long in contrast with the shorter chapter i published last but many great things happen on this part of the story and there is even a little surprise for you all right by the end, at any case, I hope you all enjoy it and if turns out to not be a satisfactory turn for your story pallets, then let me know, I am still striving to produce the best stories I can come up with and I sincerily hope you ill all stick around for more. Have a great reading. On ith the show,

Episode 30: Body and mind.

In no time at all, half of the police force heard of Nick's awakening, the fox was confirmed to have been healing nicely since his admittance to the hospital and no other nasty surprises were reported across the city, all of that filled chief Bogo with equal doses of relief and worry. Judy spread the news to the officers of precinct one and everyone either rejoiced or released a well-earned sigh of relief, Nick would be back under the precinct roof in no time, or so she let it be known.

The doctors of Zootopia general still wished to keep Nick under observation for a whole week, the fox was very much against it once he learned he had to remain in there, feeling cooped up inside that room and being constantly overwhelmed by the sterilized scent of the hospital every time he took a long whiff of air through his nose. On the day following his awakening, Nick received a collective visit from a lot of different mammals, Alfred was the one who organized the group of mammals coming into the fox's hospital room to visit and he thought it would be alright even if it still went far beyond police and hospital protocols, everyone who came along was just so excited to talk with Nick, his mother was the first to enter the room followed by Judy along with her parents, Finnick was the first one to get a word in as he came along to visit, scolding Nick for giving everyone such a scare but doing so in his own caring way, Nick spoke up to his friend with a genuine tone of voice:

- I'm sorry Finn. I didn't mean to worry anyone.

The little fox pointed a finger at his friend and spoke with loud volume:

- Yeah, you ought to be sorry. Never do that again.

The talk continued until there was a knock on the door, Alfred was placed leaned against a wall only a few steps away from the door when he heard it, he opened it slowly and chief Bogo who was the one who walked into the room with a nice gift for the fox in his arms. Nick waved as soon as the buffalo entered the hospital room and the chief was genuinely surprised with the fact that there were so many different mammals inside that room just to see Nick, all eyes turned to the chief as he said:

- Ahm… good day, everyone.

Nick spoke up in response to the chief, trying to act as a cordial host, signaling with his left arm in the air while saying:

- Chief, so nice to see you. Pull up a chair and come hang out with us.

Bogo appreciated the brief invitation from the fox but that did not change the stoic expression he always put on when around others as he said:

- I'll have to take a pass on that Wilde. While you have been here lounging, the rest of us have been out there preventing the city from tumbling down on itself.

Nick released a sarcastic gasp after hearing that, the fox pointed his left paw to himself as he countered the chief's comment by saying:

- I'll have you know, chief, lounging is one of the last things I have been doing in here. Since I woke up I had doctors and nurses coming about on the hour to poke, prod and nudge me in all sorts of places… and not in a fun way.

That last remark got an annoyed sigh out of Bog and a little laugh out of the crowd gathered around Nick, Bonnie leaned next to Judy and whispered to her:

- Now I get when you told us your friend was a little silly.

Nick heard Bonnie's voice without any issue, the mostly empty hospital room did not hide any sounds but then again Bonnie did not care if Nick could hear her thrown snippet at all. Nick turned to look at Judy and asked her:

- Really, fluff? You told your folks that I was 'silly'?

To which Judy replied while showing the palms of both her paws:

- Silly in the best way possible.

Nick smiled and turned his sight back at chief Bogo, the buffalo walked closer to the foot of the hospital bed and said:

- At any case, I am only here to deliver this little care package assembled by the other officers from precinct one. Clawhouser convinced me that I should be the one to deliver it.

Nick was a little curious with the tone that the chief used to say the word 'convinced' when he referred to the cheetah officer and the allegedly underhanded means he might have used to convince the chief to travel to the hospital personally and deliver the gift. Bogo placed a big straw basket over the bed at a nice enough distance from Nick's reach so that he could grab whatever peaked his interest from the basket later. After Bogo carefully left the present in clear view, Nick asked:

- Did Benjamin beat you in 'rock, paper, scissors' or something like that?

Bogo made a slow dismissive gesture with his right paw before he said:

- No. None of that nonsense. Don't be ridiculous.

However the buffalo finished his thought soon after as he admitted out loud:

- We all drew straws. I picked the longest one. That is how we do things in precinct one.

That comment from chief Bog and the tone of voice he used to address it, so calm and collected, managed to draw a smile from every other mammal in the room. Nick was actually a little flattered that the chief himself decided on coming to deliver the gift and chief Bogo finished his thought by speaking as such:

- However, I do not mind taking a short recess on my busy schedule to visit one of my officers I the hospital, make sure that he will back on his feet in no time at all. Because that is how 'I' do things.

After asserting himself in a way, chief Bogo placed himself in a stand of attention causing Nick to release a little laugh and say:

- Aw, I knew you cared. Bring it here you big lug.

Nick said so as he extended his left arm and expected a similar friendly gesture from the chief. Bogo's answer to that was a scowl and the following words spoken out fast and succinctly:

- Don't push it, Wilde.

After that, Bogo turned around and walked out of the room, leaving behind the gift he was set to deliver and a strong enough impression of the kind of mammal he was resonating to all the others in the room. After Bogo exited the room and closed the door behind him, Nick looked around to his other guests and said:

- He pretends that he is all anger and business but he is actually just a big softie.

After that short pleasantry was exchanged, Nick wasted no time reaching for the basket of goodies, he stretched his left arm forward without putting a lot of effort into it and grabbing the handle of the basket, he only needed his left paw and a move of his claws before undoing the little red ribbon on the top and roaming around for something sweet to eat. Judy was glad to see that everyone in precinct one cared for Nick so much that they would send such a thoughtful gift, she was sur that something like that went far beyond protocol as she saw that the first thing Nick retrieved from the basket was a card wishing the best of luck with the signature of many officers crammed into the folded paper, Nick hoisted the little card up and smiled after reading the thoughtful message inside and checking for every signature, including the one belonging to the chief, he closed the card with a quick flip of his left paw fingers and stored it away, the fox returned to rummaging through the basket and listing what he found so that others could hear it:

- Let's see here… apple, mangoes, hey, bonbons! Sweet!

Nick unwrapped the little candy and gobbled it up right away before turning over to Judy and asking her while he pointed at the basket:

- Do you want one?

Judy quickly dismissed that by speaking up:

- No thanks, Nick. We all came to see how you are doing today.

Nick swallowed the candy before answering the bunny's question:

- I'm doing fine, Judy. I would be doing better if the food they served around here wasn't so awful. Cookies without filling, warm soup without any real kick to it, juice with nowhere near enough sugar in it and they won't even let me cut my own fruit snacks.

Judy could not believe how Nick was just complaining on and on so she just shook her head slowly from side to side and quiet disapproval while Finnick was the one to jump in the conversation by airing out a sarcastic comment:

- Figures you would find something to complain even while lying flat on your tail, Wilde.

Nick simply fetched another treat for himself inside the basket before he spoke up:

- Meh, it's a gift.

Finnick could not resist giving out a single loud laughter, he was very glad that his friend was out making bad jokes once more, that was the defining characteristic that he certainly did not want Nick to lose up after getting back up once more. The gathering inside the hospital room may have appeared bleak at first but everyone was having a great time, just conversing and giving Nick their best wishes, the fox would silence himself from time to time, just let the words fly around as he just enjoyed the company, his mother and sometimes Judy would ask him if he needed anything else but the fox would dismiss it shortly after and tell them that he was alright for the time being, it was about midday when a sudden shock invaded the room and a loud knock was heard on the door, Alfred went to check out and, to everyone's surprise, a huge polar bear was placed right outside the hospital room.

Bonnie released a gasp and Stu nearly jumped out of his seat in a panic after seeing the nicely dressed white bear leaning down and struggling to put his whole figure through the threshold, it was a little difficult for him to get through but he did it so without any assistance and with the outmost care as to not cause any grievances to the two little mammals he was carrying on his paws. Finnick stepped back as soon as he identified the sound of the heavy steps entering the room, Maria gasped and placed the fingers of her right paw over her lips, Alfred was in a tizzy after seeing the huge mammal trying to get entrance to the room, asking for identification and prepared to have him escorted out if need be but he was promptly halted by Nick as the fox leaned forward over his bed and stretched out his left paw to call to the attention of his wolf comrade:

- Wait, Alfred, it's okay. I think they're here for me.

Stu and Bonnie were not sure why Nick referred to the new presence in the room as a plural pronoun but their answer to that was revealed soon enough. The bear placed his paws together, his palms pointing upwards as if it was serving as a platform and he regulated the elevation of said platform until it was positioned just below his chest area, Stu and Bonnie raised their eyes just in time to see the reveal of the bear's small passengers so nicely placed over his careful hold, an old male shrew, well dressed and seated on a firm chair while being accompanied closely by a beautiful female shrew that appeared much younger than him, it was Mr. Big and his daughter coming to give Nick their best wishes as well. Stu and Bonnie came closer as their daughter reached over to greet the new arrivals in the room, their daughter looked so happy to greet the young shrew as the little mammal leaped out of the arms of the bear over onto Judy's hold to give her a jubilant hug, as best as she could anyway. That really impressed Bonnie.

Judy turned over to introduce the two shrews to her parents but she felt a small hitch in her brain as she did not know how to introduce Mr. Big, one of the most famous organized crime leaders, to her parents in any way that would be satisfactory, as far as the bunny was concerned she did not even know the elder shrew's full name. Judy introduced them right away, hoping that something would drop along to help her out as she said:

- Ahm… mom, dad, this is Fru-fru, she is one of the friends I made here in Zootopia.

Bonie leaned closer to look right at the female shrew on Judy's careful hold, she extended a single finger of her paw so that Fru-fru could reach for it and shake it slightly as a cordial greeting and just as Bonnie spoke up:

- Oh, so you are the famous Fru-fru. Judy has told us so many good things about you. You are by far one of the most supportive friends she has ever met.

Fru-fru was so flattered after hearing that, she made a dismissive gesture with her left paw waving vertically before saying:

- Oh, that's sweet. Judy here is the one that provides me with the support. This girl right here is the greatest.

Judy raised her shoulders and leaned her head to the right, showing that she was a little embarrassed with the compliment coming from her friend, after that brief exchanged of words was finished Judy turned her body slightly to the left and tried introducing her parents to Mr. Big, completely unsure of how that was going to go:

- And, guys, this is Fru-fru's father. He's…

Mr. Big cut into the conversation, raising his right arm and then placing it over his chest as he said in his customary raspy but very distinct voice:

- Girard, Girard Corleone, business mammal and entrepreneur from the Tundra Town district. Your daughter saved my daughter's life and I am forever grateful for it. As far as I am concerned, Judy is part of my family as well. This here is Gale, he is our chauffeur.

The polar bear bowed his head and raised it again in a polite manner to greet his new acquaintances, Stu and Bonnie's answer to that was a simple wave of their paws. Big turned his full attention to the fox over the bed, it was the only reason he made a case to show up personally at that hospital, so that he could check on the fox himself and say a few words to him. Big pointed at Nick who was still comfortably laying on the hospital bed and spoke up:

- Wilde, I heard that you were awake and I just had to come myself, deliver you this message personally so that none of my words may be misinterpreted.

The shrew took one long breath, pressing his eyes shut almost as if he was swallowing up an immense amount of pride before opening his mouth to speak again, he looked at Nick once more and continued:

- You saved Judy's life, you put yourself at risk just to save her and thus I admit to have made an error in judging your character. As such, I offer you a favor of any measure to reward you, just name it here and now and I will see to it.

Everyone in the room was static after hearing that, Nick was then and there receiving a free pass from one of the most important mammals in all of the city, Finnick for once could not wait to hear what his friend would have asked for but he also braced himself internally just in case the favor Nick was about to ask was to be something stupid, just in case. Nick looked at the shrew and his expression did not change, an almost blank mix of shock and minor disbelief, Nick took a breath to speak, he addressed Mr. Big with low volume but it was more than enough to make himself heard:

- With all due respect, Sir.

Nick lowered his left arm, placing it over the mattress and readjusting his angle of rest over it, Nick propelled his upper body higher and made it so that he was now seated over the hospital bed, the fox was under medication that would ease his pain so it was still a little difficult for him to move, he winced as he made an effort to align his shoulders as he rose up before speaking, following up on his thoughts from before:

- I did not do any of this to gain any favors from you, I did it to save my partner and to help take a bunch of goons that were endangering the city. So, no offense, but accepting any sort of favor from you because of this wouldn't feel… right.

Finnick raised his ears high, opened his eyes wide in disbelief of what he just heard and pressed his teeth together, grinding his fangs up with unrest, he looked side to side as his eyes landed on both Nick and Mr. Big, the fox showing an honest and unshakable stare while the shrew was left with his back against the chair's repost, dumbfounded and intrigued. Big cleared his throat and adjusted his tie after letting out an intimidating sound that hit every mammal in that room differently, the shrew looked straight at Nick and gestured with a slow wave of his right paw aimed at him as he said:

- Every time I think I have you pegged as one type of mammal, Wilde, you surprise me with something completely new. Do as you wish. I'm sure you will have other chances to surprise everyone from now on. Without having to almost die, mind you.

As if on cue, the door to the room opened up and revealed the visage of a familiar wolf, perambulating about with his trusty cane and a neat suit and he barged into the room without knocking and brandishing his voice proudly:

- Believe it or not, he nearly did die.

All of the eyes turned over to the sound of the new voice in the room, Judy was the most surprised one of them all as she asked:

- Agent Howlbert?

The wolf demonstrated a salute with his left paw over his head before speaking up once more as he took note of the number of mammals inside that room:

- Goodness me. This here is quite the full party. You are one phenomenally popular mammal, master Wilde.

Everyone was in awe, not knowing who the mammal who just walked in was, except maybe for Maria, Judy and Nick, they were already familiar with the wolf, his voice, his way of moving, his way to address others, he exuded a sunny aura even to those that did not know him at all, he was happy to be there and he let it show very clearly. Donovan moved closer to the hospital bed and he approached just in time to hear Judy introducing him to all of the other mammals in the room who were not aware of the wolf's identity thus far, he gestured towards him with both of her paws as she called to the attention of the others and said:

- Everyone, this is agent Donovan Howlbert of the ZBI. He is the one that has been aiding Nick and I during the most recent investigations at the precinct. He is a nice guy.

Donovan bobbed his head to the sides as he admitted to that:

- Indeed I am.

The pleasantries were rashly interrupted as Nick raised his left paw and asked:

- Hey, excuse me. Can you go back to the whole… 'nearly died' thing? What did you mean by that?

Donovan gave a step forward, he was now standing only a few inches close to the bed and in clear view of the fox as he said:

- You see, master Wilde, right after the surgery that removed the projectile lodged inside you, it was reported that your heart came very close to flat lining, the doctors were just about to grab the defibrillators when your heart went back to working properly.

Surprised with hearing that bit of news, Nick placed his left paw over his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart put him at ease and the soon followed praise from Donovan did so as well as the wolf pointed a finger of his left paw at the fox and said:

- It would appear that you have one titan of a ticker beating in there, master Wilde.

Nick smiled as he pressed the palm of his paw against his chest, the fox was ultimately relieved to still be amongst the living and he was more than glad to return to work as soon as he was given the leave from the hospital. Donovan walked a few steps to the right and that is when he took an extended notice of the shrew being escorted by the large polar bear, the well-dressed mammal in the bear's hold and care accompanied the wolf's stroll across the room, convinced that there was definitely an air of intrigue surrounding him, Donovan kept on his path and not aware that he was now exchanging stares with 'The' Mr. Big himself, the top crime boss he had only heard stories of. Donovan clacked his cane against the ground bellow and shot a quick compliment to the shrew as he said:

- Nice suit.

To which Big replied promptly:

- What? This old thing. It's nothing much.

Nick and Judy immediately exchanged a look, a look that communicated how they were astonished on how the two mammals just met and exchanged words like it was no big deal at all, a top marks titan of criminal enterprises and an undaunted symbol of order, two opposing forces meeting one another and no huge impression was felt though it seemed like it was there just waiting to happen like the sudden impact of a comet breaking through the atmosphere. Donovan placed his left paw over Judy's right shoulder, he told her that they needed to talk and that it could not wait any longer, he had to tell something to her and to Nick and it had to be in private but a new voice was heard entering the room, Nick immediately wondered if he was going to have any more visitors but it was actually a doctor just coming in to check on him, a very familiar looking beaver dressed in a regular attire covered by an immaculate white coat, he had his eyes on a clipboard that he was carrying along but his eyes soon turned to the room and to the absolute crowd of mammals gathered around the hospital bed.

Two shrews, three bunnies, two foxes, two wolves and a polar bear, all of them just waiting around the hospitalized fox in different angles and it was enough to give the doctor quite a shock. The beaver placed the clipboard over his chest as he was lightly startled by all of that and asked out loud:

- What in heaven's name is all of this?!

Judy leaned her head to the left so she could get a look at the doctor and it took her a little bit before she asked fr confirmation on his identity, he was the same doctor that tended to her when she came into that hospital with her leg injury all those months ago:

- Doctor Carvorten?

The beaver stepped forth and was greeted by the wolf agent as he opened his arms and called the doctor out by his first name, saying:

- Steven. It has been only five days but it feel like an age. How are you?

The beaver released a sigh of annoyance and pointed a finger of his right paw at the wolf, speaking up and emphasizing how displeased he was with walking on that scene:

- Of course. I should have guessed you would be here, Donovan. I bet that this gathering here is somehow your fault.

Nick leaned forward and asked out loud:

- You guys know each other?

And that was when it suddenly daunted on Judy as she recalled what Donovan told her on the day Nick was placed under the hospital's care, she walked next to Donovan and pointed a finger of her right paw forward as she gestured towards the wolf and the beaver before asking:

- Wait, doctor Carvoten is the doctor that gave you the information of Nick's condition? He is your 'in' into the hospital?

Carvorten turned to look at Judy and answered her question with an unenthusiastic tone of voice as he said:

- Really wish I wasn't. This wolf has been nothing but trouble since I met him.

Donovan countered that answer as he turned to Judy and told her:

- I don't 'want' to be trouble but… you know… stuff happens.

With that, Donovan managed to get a new set of smiles from everyone but the doctor who spoke out:

- Alright, everyone needs to leave, right now. Mister Wilde is in recovery and needs to continue resting otherwise his healing might be disturbed.

The others complied with the doctor's words, Mr. Big, Fru-fru and their chauffer left the room without any complaining and Fru-fru waved a long goodbye for Judy before leaving, Stu and Bonnie took off as well, they told their daughter that they would be waiting just outside for her and they were followed close by Alfred who returned to his guarding post just outside the door, the last ones to leave the room for the time were Maria and Finnick, Nick's mother gave him a kiss on the cheek and spoke to him in a whisper:

- See you later, Nicholas.

Finnick came close to the bedside and pointed a finger of his right paw up before saying:

- You get well soon. You hear me?

Making it sound as if what he said was more of an order than an actual wish for healing, Nick did not mind it, he knew his friend and what he meant by that. As Maria was leaving the bedroom side by side with Finnick, she turned her head while still walking towards the exit and said:

- We'll be back to visit you soon, Nicholas.

And Nick answered to that by whispering loudly so that the two of them could hear him ask:

- Bring snacks.

Bringing outside food of any kind was against hospital policy but Maria let Nick know with a discrete nod of her head that she was going to arrange something of the sort for her son. Donovan, Judy and doctor Carvorten were now the last mammals standing in that room but there were still things to be discussed and the agent appealed to the doctor to let them stay a little while longer so that they could talk in private on a matter most urgent, Steven shook his head slowly from side to side before ultimately caving in and telling Donovan that they could stay for ten minutes longer, Donovan thanked him and the beaver walked out so that he could attend to a few other things before returning to the room. Donovan and Judy walked back to Nick's side, Judy hopped up and climbed on the bed, sitting herself alongside Nick so that they could see and hear Donovan while positioned at the same angle, the wolf followed her and stood at the right side of the bed before saying:

- I cannot tell how glad I am that you are actually awake, master Wilde. You gave everyone quite a scare.

- Yeah, I know.

The fox answered to him, still feeling a little sorry for all of that. Donovan got right up to business, placing his cane aside and leaning it against an armchair next to him which was previously occupied by Judy's father, he went on for reaching into a pocket in his coat and retrieving a small plastic box with a latch that he was hiding away, he undid the latch with a loud clicking noise before revealing its contents but he did not show them right away, he turned to look at the two officers with the box held tightly in his paws and saying:

- The criminals that you two captured were transferred and processed quite fast, each one of them is now enjoying an extended stay in the local penitentiary. Some of our negotiators have been grilling them for days but nothing was gained from it, they either refuse to talk of don't have a clue on who the real boss of this operation is. Our best option is to wait and see if there is a chance to catch any more mistakes made by his subordinates.

Judy hopped in the conversation as she raised her right paw and spoke up, calling out to Donovan's attention as if she was posting her opinion during a lengthy lecture:

- Actually, doctor Pura back at the ZPD has discovered some foreign substances in the Sulphur trail left by the projectile, it appeared on the report but it was shown only in small doses. She is following a thin trail but is yet to report any significant findings.

Donovan answered to that new bit of information with an affirmative nod of his head and a brief comment:

- Good. I'll have to make a note of that for later.

The wolf agent proceeded to reveal the contents of the box, within the plastic container there was a plastic bag to collect evidence containing a bloody and deformed shard of metal, the strange shape and coloration of the metallic piece called to the attention of the two officers as their eyes opened wide with surprise but they did not have to wait long for Donovan to explain what that was as the wolf said:

- We were able to get this out from the hospital storage after your surgery, master Wilde. Quite a find indeed.

Nick felt the fur on the back of his neck frizzle up, the projectile was an eerie sight to him and he still could hardly believe that some doctor put him under the knife and tweezer in order to remove that from him, it did not feel pleasant in the least as the image of his own unconscious body going through surgery popped into his mind. Donovan sealed the sack containing the substantial evidence inside the little plastic box once more, he hid the box back inside his coat and grabbed his cane, the wolf was about to turn around and exit the room even if the margin of time given to him by doctor Carvorten to discuss the private subject was still far from expiring. Just before walking on his way, Donovan turned to Judy and told her:

- Thanks to all of your efforts, the ZBI has sent more agents to help out in the investigation, there will soon be no hiding for the criminals responsible for all of this. I hope that I will join the two of you back on the streets later, but, for now, I have a feeling that you have a few more things to catch up on.

With one final clack of his cane before leaving through the door, Donovan wished farewell for the two officers and began heading out of the hospital, his ride was already waiting for him and he still had to debrief the other agents and officers who would be cooperating in the investigation going forward. Judy and Nick were left alone in the hospital room, Judy directed her eyes and a smile at Nick as the fox returned to making adjustments to his resting spot over the bed, it was still hard to move around or place his back over a repost with the pain of his wound still somewhat present, he could still feel it jabbing at his right shoulder and it may have been a sign that the medicine that the doctors had prescribed to him earlier that day was starting to lose effect. Judy wanted to talk a little more with Nick, maybe tell him a little more about what was going on in the city but that did not feel like the appropriate time, the fox had to rest up and heal and there was little time for her to summarize everything so, she decided to get one small thing out of the way first:

- There you go, Nick.

Judy reached inside the lapel pocket of her jean jacket, an old article of clothing that she only wore during special occasions and that she kept along with her since she was still living back on Bunnyburrow. Judy reached her left paw into the pocket and retrieved a cellphone with a large touchscreen that bared a few scratches on the sides but it was still functioning and had its back port protected by a lime green plastic cover, Nick recognized the device right away as he extended his left paw to grab it:

- Hey, that's my phone.

The fox spoke up with a glad tone of voice proceeding then to grab the item and tap over the screen with his left thumb to unlock it, Judy placed her paws together and lowered them as she said:

- The investigation team took it from you after they put you in the ambulance. It helped me a lot when I needed to find my way back to the cruiser.

Nick scrolled across the screen, only using one of his paws to check the many lines of information that made it past his eyes but he placed his thumb over the screen and paused for a moment after hearing what she had told him. Nick lowered the phone and looked straight at Judy as he asked her:

- How did you guess the pin code on my phone.

Judy leaned ahead and reached for the phone with her right paw, she tapped her pointing finger on top of the device two times before she answered:

- I didn't have to. The emergency password was way easier.

Nick lowered his head and looked at the phone once more, recalling long ago how he placed the second identification in the memory of his phone as an emergency resort and being glad that he did so. Nick looked at Judy with a renewed smile on his face only this time it did not appear to be too exaggerated or snarky, it was a soft smile directed at her and that made her feel warm inside, she placed her left paw over her chest and looked to the wall on the left before turning her sight back on Nick once more and telling him:

- I guess I should be glad you are so open in trusting me when talking about some of the most important parts of your life.

Nick clasped the phone softly with his left paw and told Judy:

- We're friends and partners, I trust you with every aspect of myself, carrots. Even the pieces I don't normally share with other mammals.

Judy smiled shyly, she turned around, lowered her ears and placed the palms of her paws over her cheeks, fearing that Nick would be able to tell from a glance that her face was burning up due to his flattering directed at her, Nick smiled as he already knew that the bunny was not too keen on being showered with compliments but not aware that there might have been something more behind her reaction than just bashfulness and humility. Judy turned back to Nick, she raised her ears and thanked him for telling her that, Judy looked around and shot him a quick excuse, telling him that she should really go and see her parents out, they were already planning their return to Bunnyburrow and she still wanted to carve out some time for that day in order to organize a few more things at work, Nick did not pry into her reasons for wanting to leave, he could do with some quiet contemplation after the gathering in the room and after having so much information dropped on him by Donovan, the fox waved at his partner and wished her a farewell but, just as Judy was about to leave the room, she turned back to him and said:

- I'll be back to see you tomorrow during the lunch break at the precinct. I'm sure we can talk more then.

Nick signaled to Judy with a wave of his left paw before telling her:

- Bring my deck when you come back here, Finn knows where I keep it. We'll play a few quick rounds as we talk.

Judy nodded her head once and answered to that proposal as she said:

- Definitely.

Judy exited the room and closed the door behind her, Nick was left alone in the room and he turned his attention over to the cellphone as he opened the internet application and searched around for the main news feed on what had been going on in the city in the last few days. Nick was shocked to see his name mentioned over and over again in the news that scrolled by the screen, some of the oldest fees reported how he had been taken to the hospital in a hurry and how the ZPD only had speculations about the whereabouts of the criminal in charge of the operation, there were not even any details about the huge piece of tech that was recovered from the basement of the abandoned clinic where he and Judy were taken captive.

Nick placed the cellphone with its screen down over his chest as he put his head down over the pillow to think for a moment, his eyes closed for a long interlude as he thought things over. Nick recalled how amazing it was when he and Judy took down the criminals one by one, he felt a rush like no other as he was battling the wolf and the dash of adrenaline he felt when that day came to a definitive peak and he smashed the console of the jamming device to bits, unfortunately, that all changed when he heard the sound of the fired weapon. Nick recalled how the ecstasy of victory was quickly erased by the exploding sound of gunfire and how he was afraid something happened to Judy, he thanked heavens for being able to come to her aid in time and although the discomfort of the wound was still present, his own well-being was second place compared to Judy's, his last thought on that subject was on how he would gladly do it all over again if it meant Judy and others would be safe. Nick turned over the bed, placing himself over his left shoulder to see if he could rest a bit more comfortably, he picked the cellphone once more and continued scrolling around for any relevant information, just waiting to be interrupted by a doctor or nurse who would come to check on him.

Four more days went by, Nick went through a line-up of exams and tests to confirm that he would heal up without a hitch. After eating a quick breakfast and receiving a small dose of medications, Nick would have to report to the leading doctor on shift and confirm how he was feeling, the exams that followed consisted of Nick moving his arm around to check if his range of movement was still intact. Judy returned to visit Nick, talk to him and play a few rounds of cards just as she said she would, Judy was always happy to talk to Nick once more and she always would tell him that everyone in the precinct was waiting stirringly for his return, Judy's visits would always run short and she apologized for it incessantly but she had to return to her patrol route, Nick did not mind her leave and assured her that he would be out of that hospital sooner than she thought.

Morning came to Zootopia once again on the fifth day since Nick's awakening and Judy raised from her bed without complain just as she heard the sound of her alarm clock, Judy got through her usual morning preparations and took off to the ZPD, she knew that just as soon as her tasks were completed she could go and visit Nick at the hospital once more. Judy arrived at the ZPD and was received by Benjamin, the cheery cheetah saluted her as soon as she came through the door and was quick to lay down some soft gossip that he heard through the precinct, apparently some officers from other precincts around the city had requested transference to precinct one, Judy was about to get brand new co-workers and to her that was one more reason to be glad on that day. Judy stopped by the breakroom to get herself a refreshing cup of water before heading off to her cubicle, Judy arrived at her working area, crushed the empty plastic cup in the right paw and tossed it into the closest trash bin, she sat down on her chair and took a deep breath before turning her computer on and getting to work, so focused on the screen and on the details she was typing on to it that she did not even noticed the approaching presence of a fox. Judy kept clicking and typing away and did not even realized that Nick had entered the cubicle:

- Good morning, carrots.

- Oh. Good morn…

Judy's first reaction was to answer to the greeting in a sort of automatic manner, she only realized who was the owner of the voice that came from behind her a couple of seconds later. Judy turned around and her chair spun at an angle to follow her motion, her nose twitched and her eyes were open wide with shock as she saw the fox all dressed in the regular ZPD uniform but his right arm was in a medical sling while his left paw was carrying a cardboard tray with drinks and snacks, recently purchased from snarlbucks. Judy raised from her chair and gestured at Nick with both of her paws but she did not spoke too loudly as she called out to him and asked:

- Nick! What in heaven's name are you doing here?

Nick looked around the cubicle and answered:

- That's an odd question seeing as I work here.

Nick went on to sit on his designated chair, he placed the tray of treats and drinks he had brought along with him over at a free space on the work desk, Nick found it strange that his seat was lowered as he did not remember leaving it like that so he readjusted the height of his seat by reaching over to a little lever and letting go of it not too long after he pulled on it, making so that the seat would be slightly elevated, the fox released a sigh as he placed his back on the revolving chair repost and thought how that position was much more manageable for him. Judy walked closer to Nick, she was not subtle in asking him why he decided to just go back to work, the bunny was not even aware that her partner had left the hospital but Nick's answer to that was posted as a sort of bragging flare as he told her:

- I went back home not that long ago, right after your visit yesterday, the doctors were always going one exam after the other but doctor Carvorten told me that I was free to leave the hospital as long as I remember to take this medication after meals.

The fox proceeded to take a small plastic bottle from his left front pocket and shake it once in the air with a tap of his pointing finger over the sealed cap, almost as if it was a simple box of mints in his paw, he put it back inside his pocket and continued with his explanation:

- I arrived at home and I was a little bored. I decided to come to work and I bought some food for us on the way.

Judy shook her head slowly before telling her partner:

- Chief Bogo is not going to like that you have come back to work without being fully healed.

Nick dismissed Judy's comment with a slow wave of his left paw before saying:

- Nah, the chief will be delighted that I am back, so will everyone else.

Judy could not understand how Nick was acting so relaxed, the fox could not be fully healed in so little time, it was unfeasible, it all pointed out that he was, in fact, going against medical recommendation and putting out physical effort before the appointed time, it would not matter if he was taking his medication just to be reckless a moment later and not rest as he was supposed to. Judy showed a frown of concern as her eyes drifted away from her partner, Nick leaned forward and poked Judy on the shoulder before being sincere and letting her know how he was feeling:

- Look, Judy, my arm is not hurting that bad and I may not be able to go out on police patrol just yet, but I can still move around. I can still come to work, I can still help out with the typing and filing, I can still be nearby if anyone needs me.

Judy turned her eyes over to Nick as soon as she felt the soft touch of his paw over her right shoulder, his words were sweet and his honesty was undoubtedly shining through more distinguishable than his occasional snark, Nick really wanted to be there and he really wanted to help out as he could, his presence in the precinct went far beyond mere boredom like his initial answer. Judy let Nick be as he was, the fox accompanied the bunny's movements with his eyes as she walked slowly to her chair and hopped over to place her behind on the seat, there was a squeaking noise of metal settling in due to the sudden pressure but it was brief and nearly unheard, Judy turned her eyes over to Nick and told him while showing a soft smile on her face:

- Fine, I won't bug you about staying, but you will have to deal with Bogo yourself.

Nick showed Judy a thumbs up and told her:

- Alright, got it.

Judy turned around to look at her computer but her sight quickly turned over to a previously free spot over her side of the work desk, Nick had set aside her portion of the meal which he had purchased, a sandwich with wheat bread, tomatoes and lettuce cut in half in the shape of two nearly identical triangles and a cup of orange juice. Judy gave her work a pause and thanked Nick for the meal, she assured him that she would gorge herself on it at a later time. Nick nodded after hearing her reply and then turned his sight to his meal, he picked from the tray a sealed plastic recipient containing a chicken meat sandwich that still steamed with flavor and a large cup that contained a nice warm drink, the cup was sealed with an easily removable plastic lid, Nick unsealed the cup and Judy immediately noticed by the smell of the drink that it was not the usual serving of caffeine that Nick brought over with him for work, she inquired:

- Tea? No coffee for you today, slick.

Nick reached for a side compartment on the tray to retrieve two sugar packets, he ripped the two paper sacks at once by using his right paw to hold them in place as his left pointing claw cut their tops with ease, he dumped the sugary contents into the drink before turning to Judy and answering her question:

- Sadly, no, carrots. The doctor was very specific with me on this one: Until I finish with my medicine I cannot drink caffeine or anything containing alcohol. I'm gonna have to deal with it until I am fully healed.

Nick fetched a little plastic spoon and began to mix the sugar into the drink, he took an unenthusiastic first sip of the drink and grumbled before going for his sandwich. The two officers turned their attention over to their respective computer screens and got to work. It was still early in the day but chief Bog had already sent a note to the rest of the precinct that told every officer present at that shift to be present at a gathering in the bull-pen, there were new assignments and other subjects to be discussed, half an hour went by while Nick and Judy were still working at a moderate pace but it was a little tricky for the fox to operating the computer without having the full mobility of his right arm to help out. Nick could still use the mouse to click on the icons in front of him and type away with relative ease but the constant discomfort of having to lean over his seat to reach for different letters on the keypad became a little monotonous after a short while, he still kept at it while letting out a little grumble from time to time. The time to gather as instructed by the chief drew near, no other officer aside from Judy and Benjamin knew that Nick was back at work already but the two officers would soon have company inside their shared work space as a set of swift feet was heard approaching their cubicle.

Judy's ears twitched as she identified the sound as it was coming closer and turned around towards the entrance of the cubicle just in time to see doctor Pura as the panther was carrying a slew of files in her arms and calling the bunny's name:

- Judy. I found it. I finally got through the information you asked me to go through.

The panther looked through the cubicle and the first thought in her mind was to deliver the information destined for Judy but her mind wandered off to a new thought as soon as she saw Nick seated nearby:

- Oh, Nick, you have returned.

The fox turned his chair around to look at Pura and greet her right away, waving his left paw in the air with a friendly salute and saying:

- That's right. How's it going, doc?

Pura lowered her head as she noticed that some of the papers that she was carrying along were starting to slip from her reach, she leaned forward and readjusted herself at some different angles until she was safely holding on to all of the files once more, only then she turned her attention over to Nick once more so that she could answer to his question with a brief recount of her undertakings thus far:

- Oh, well… I managed to finish the notations I had laying around since last week, I got a new safe server space set for the ZPD to save my notations and schematics which did not take too long and I also came by to let Judy know about this new set of data that I was able to crunch on my spare time. It's about a strange find that we spotted when studying the shell compound of the weapon the criminal used.

Nick listened to all of those words and he was glad to see that Pura did not falter since his admittance to the hospital, the fox nodded his head and spoke out:

- Nifty.

Pura answered to him with a little smile before turning to Judy and delivering her a piece of paper as she set out of her lab to do. Judy opened the folded piece of paper and took a look at the data printed over the sheet, a detailed chart of the substances contained within the bullet shell as well as a small map on the following page that showed a picture of the entire Zootopia area taken from a satellite camera, something which was not so easily attainable without a lot of precise calibrations from the local computer system. Judy took notice on how some of the areas outside of the city map had been circumvented with small red circles, areas of clear interest that Pura told her as the most likely spots where the foreign explosive material found inside the bullet casing could be found and processed if their suspicions about the substance being locally sourced was correct. Judy thanked Pura and the panther saw herself out, wishing farewell and good luck for the two officers, she returned to deliver the rest of her analytic sheets to the chief and other officers who had requested her scientific edge.

Judy made a note of the areas emphasized by the map, the important data was compiled in one of her little notepads before she stored both the freshly delivered file and the paper pad away inside the closest drawer. Judy turned over to look at the clock at the right side base of her computer screen and she saw that it was already time for the gathering set by chief Bogo, she called to Nick's attention and the fox promptly raised from his seat in order to follow her to the bull-pen. Nick followed Judy and they entered the bull-pen only to be received by every single officer, greeting the fox with merriment and accolades.

Francine, Fangmeyer, Wolford, Higgins, Grizzoli, Delgato and all the others yelled Nick's name collectively and swarmed over him to greet him and cheer for his return to the precinct, the fox did not know how to react to that at first, he was surrounded by his colleagues all of a sudden and all of them were greeting him with smiles and friendly gestures, their voices trampling over one another as they all threw question after question over him about how he was feeling and how they would proceed with the investigation out of concern for him and Judy. Nick greeted everyone with his trademark smile, showing without any doubt that he was glad to be back and that his injury did not shake his resolve, the fox walked ahead and continued greeting every officer on his path as he followed Judy and the two of them eventually made their way over to their shared seat, Judy occupied the left side of the seat and Nick the right side, as they usually did so.

The bull-pen became less rowdy after Nick and Judy sat down but the minds of the officers were predominantly set on the fox and the bunny, every thought was still focusing on the two officers involved on the most unexpected case in the docket and no one could help but turn some thought towards the bet that was set not that long ago, a few risk takers were even bold enough to go to Benjamin while no one else was around and increase their betting pool considerably, but this was not the time to think about such things. Nick and Judy sat in silence for a while, chief Bogo seemed to be running a little late and that was definitely out of character for him, Judy turned her eyes over to Nick, she eyed him up and down and she noticed how he fidgeted over his side of the seat, trying to find the best angle to sit so that he would not perturb his own wound, she even saw as he winced a bit as soon as he leaned his back side over the repost for a second. Judy leaned closer and asked her partner with a whisper:

- How are you feeling, slick?

Nick turned his eyes over to Judy and showed a side smile to her before answering her with the same tone of voice:

- I'm aces, fluff.

The two officers returned to silence, Judy pressed her lips together as she felt like there was something else left to be said but thinking that the timing may not be adequate. Judy felt a small bump to her left, Nick's elbow pushed softly against her as she heard the fox whispering:

- You ready to make the world a better place?

Judy almost laughed after hearing that, she was flattered that Nick would remember such a simple quote from her, something she had in mind and that abbreviated all of the hopes she had about making a difference, even if it was in small ways. Judy leaned to the left and bumped Nick's side as softly as she could before answering him with a sweet smile on her face:

- You know I am.

After that lovely exchange, the side door of the bull-pen opened and chief Bogo made his way inside, the stack of files he was carrying with him was thinner than any other day, it would appear that the to-do-list for that shift was not as full as the other officers imagined but there was still lots to be talked about so he got things started right away. Chief Bogo got the routine started, telling every officer in the room to settle down and pay attention as he made his way to the podium:

- Alright everyone, quiet up and buckle down. We all have our own assignments for the day and I would like to go back to my own before…

The chief reached the podium and that was when he got a good look at his audience, specifically at the front row where he noticed a unexpected presence that caused him to cut his introduction talk short and ask right away:

- Wilde, what are you doing here?

Nick nudged is head forward and spoke up in response to that:

- Good morning to you too, chief.

Bogo walked away from his podium, carefully placing the files he was carrying along over it and moving towards Nick, the buffalo did not have to take too many steps to reach the table on the left side front row and ask for clarification on the fox's presence one more time:

- Seriously, Wilde. Shouldn't you be at your home, resting and healing? I did not receive any paperwork that clarified you for active duty.

Before Nick could air any excuse about why that was the case, Bogo turned his eyes over to Judy and told her:

- Did you know about this, Hopps? Why is he here?

Judy showed the palms of her paws to chief Bogo, signaling to him that she was exempt from guilt as she answered:

- I swear, sir, I tried making him leave. He just wouldn't have it.

Nick shrugged that comment off by simply saying:

- Hey, I was bored at home. What else was I supposed to do?

Bogo placed his right paw over the right side of his head, almost as if his initial intention was face palming in response to the fox's words, the buffalo was clearly having none of it as he gestured to Nick and spoke up:

- Wilde, the ZPD is not a place to get your thrills off whenever you just feel like it. Go home and… I don't know. Read a book, watch a movie, collect stamps. Whatever you do, just get out of here.

Chief Bogo placed a pin of finality in that conversation as he turned around and walked back to his podium with heavy steps, Nick, however, did not let it go so easily. The fox raised his left arm and asked of the chief:

- C'mon, chief, I just want to be here and help out wherever I can. Put me on filing, desk duty, maintenance, hell, I'll even take parking duty.

A collective gasp was heard from the entire bull-pen after hearing those words coming from Nick. No one, absolutely no one, has ever volunteered to take on parking duty, it was the dullest type of assignment in the entire ZPD line-up but Nick was actually willing to take on it if it meant he would be at the ZPD working. Mouths were left hanging open in a state of utter disbelief and all eyes were directed at Nick who was also surprised to look at the chief's face and find the buffalo pleasantly shocked, Nick turned his head to look around at the other officer and found that even his partner was dumbfounded to hear that Nick of all mammals was willing to take on 'parking duty' for the day. Nick nodded his head and spoke loud and clear:

- Yeah, that is how bored I am.

Bogo nodded his head, grabbed his red pen from the lapel pocket of his uniform, he reached forward and opened the yellow file folder over his podium before asking:

- Are you sure about this, Wilde? There is no turning back after I sign your name in here.

A friendly warning coming from the chief, giving the fox one last chance to change his mind before any major decision was made, Nick confirmed with and and no jokes that he really wished to be there, doing whatever he could to be active and present, Bogo took the confirmation and signed the fox's name down on the paper, filling in a blank space and speaking up as soon as he was done:

- Congratulation, officer Wilde, you are our new meter maid for the day.

Bogo closed the file and stored the pen back in his lapel pocket, Nick also thought that he saw the buffalo showing off a little smile before closing the yellow file an setting it aside near the right side edge of the podium before reaching for the red one. Chief Bogo cleared his throat, grabbed his reading glasses and spoke up:

- As you all know, the mayor is continuously up in our grills about how we shall resolve the newest crisis to hit Zootopia. This new blend of criminal, smarter, bolder, along with the resurgence of lead-spewers, could be the deciding straw that breaks the backbone of our city, the ZPD needs to remain strong now more than ever before.

Chief Bogo looked up, directing his sharp stare over to his officers but there was no movement and only silence was heard in the room followed by an exchange of looks between cohorts, every one of the officers in the bull-pen was aware that the crisis would not diminish in intensity straight away, they would have to remain vigilant and on point. Bogo turned his eyes back to the opened folder, he placed his left hoof over the page and slid it over the smooth sheet until he found the one line that contained the most important piece of information to be openly discussed on that gathering. Bogo took a breath before continuing:

- With the ZBI already doing their best to help out and our most brilliant minds devoted on finding a solution for how to counter act in the face of such odds, our clearest next step would be to strengthen our ranks. From now on we are clear to engage in conjoint patrol routes with the other precincts, with the city still leering in high alert, it is the responsible and most viable action for the time being.

Chief Bogo turned the page of the file and placed his eyes over a clipping of three police files with pictures and serial numbers attached to each of them, he went on to call out the names of the mammals shown in the files starting up with a promising young officer from another precinct:

- I would like to introduce to all of you some of the new officers that will be starting out with us here at precinct one, first of there is Odalia Pardsney, from precinct eight all the way from Sahara Square.

After giving the cue by calling out the name of the mammal, she entered the room, a slim looking leopard sporting the ZPD uniform but somehow it looked far more ornate that the uniform that Judy or any other officer from precinct one would wear. Odalia placed herself next to Bogo's podium and put herself at a stand of attention, puffing up her chest with the excitement that she was trying her best to contain and putting both of her paws behind her back and awaiting in silence for any further cues to greet the other officers present in the room. Bogo continued introducing their new officer, reading up on the memo that was right below her name on the file sheet:

- Odalia here has received a few commendations for her arrest mark and for her efficient modus of work. She has top marks from several academy courses and she is a skilled fighter according to her old chief. She has signed up on a transferring program that was suggested many years ago by the board of directors in charge of the police conducts committee.

The feline raised her right paw and waved it to the audience twice before putting it back behind her back in its original position, she did not wish to call too much attention for herself or give the other officers some wrong first impression that she was seeking to be in the center of the spotlight. Bogo waited for the newest officer to finish with her brief gesture before he continued to introduce the others who would be joining in, the next one entered the bull-pen before Bogo could even call his name, a muscular male horse with a short mane and a smooth coat of black fur entered the room, his hooves sounded loudly against the floor as he walked slowly and placed himself right next to Odalia before he turned to the left and stood in a similar stance to hers as he stopped his movement, the chief went ahead and introduced the equine for the other officers:

- This here is Adonis T. Salder, he has come highly recommended as a tactical advisor from precinct seven, all the way from the Rainforest. Salder here has his transfer approved by city hall after taking a long winded aptitude exam, he has proven time and again to be a great officer with twelve confirmed arrests ever since he began his employment under the ZPD.

The horse showed a nod of his head before saying:

- It is a great privilege to be working with you all. You can call me Donny.

Already making a great first impression with the other officers and letting himself know with his deep voice which called the attention of the others quite well. Bogo had one final mammal to introduce to the others and this one presented a long list of talents even before joining the ZPD, Bogo flipped through the last page in the folder and pointed out to the side door as he spoke up:

- Finally, we have us a brilliant analyst who has requested a quick stay with us, she is also from the Rainforest but her time under the precinct one roof will be short due to specific instructions from her petition. Her time as a student of psychoanalysis and great marks in the academy course speak for themselves.

With that cue, a white tiger came though the side door of the bull-pen, she was not dressed in the standard ZPD attire and she looked far more suited for lab and forensics duty than to an actual patrol shift, her movement was slow as she crossed the door's threshold and her presence in the room was enough to alert Nick as he recognized her immediately. The fox leaned forward over his seat and asked out loud:

- Helen?!

The tigress turned to the left with a smile on her face, she had a feeling that she would see her fox friend from the academy once more and she was looking forward to it, instead of joining the other officers in the line-up next to the podium, she moved towards the front row of seats and came to Nick's encounter before saying:

- Hi, Nick. It's good to see you again.

Nick raised from the chair with a short hop to the ground and raised his left paw so that he could greet his old friend. Helen shook Nick's paw and leaned closer so that she could talk to him:

- Alfred told me what happened to you. I was so worried but I am glad that you are alright.

Nick made a jest as he pointed to his right arm in the sling and said:

- Well, more or less an arm but I am feeling much better. How are things going with you and Alfred?

That was a bit of a personal question to be posted for most of the bull-pen to hear but Helen did not mind it that much, the tigress was very happy to be dating the wolf from the academy and their relationship as officers and coworkers had only blossomed further from that point, she raised her shoulders in a bashful way and showed a little smile before answering Nick with as vague of an answer as she could come up with:

- Well, you know, they are… 'going'.

The expression and tone that Helen used to answer Nick were more than enough to get a laugh out of the fox but their interactions were cut short as chief Bogo made a loud throat sound to call out to their attention, Helen turned around to look straight at the police chief as Nick pointed to her and said:

- Sorry there, chief, old academy friend.

Helen stood up straight and took her place at the end of the three mammal line-up, Bogo followed her short walk with his eyes before saying with his regular stoic face and low tone:

- Delightful.

Bogo continued to speak as he pointed his left hoof to the three officers just after Nick took his seat alongside Judy once more:

- These three will be operating around the precinct and helping out on the investigation, it will be a minor adjustment to our regular work shift to have them around but we are all a team here and we shall operate flawlessly as such. Hopps, I'll be counting on you to show these three the ropes, you know the drill.

Judy nodded her head and agreed to the chief's brief directorial without any gripes:

- Yes, sir.

Bogo finished the gathering by assigning the duties of the other officers present in there, he sent Fangmeyer and Wolford out on a long patrol through the Savanna and they would be joined by patrols from precincts one and two along their way; Delgato and Grizzolli would be sent over to Sahara Square and join an already undergoing investigation about signs of unrest along the desert district; Higgins along with Francine and Andersen would be sent to the rainforest to supervise a quick resource transference that would take them on a set course through four other precincts and Mchorn would be the only officer left behind to survey the proximities of the precinct along with Judy and the new officers. With the tasks set and the information passed down, every officer exited the bull-pen prepared for a full day of work. Nick and Judy walked out of the bull-pen together, Judy sent out Adonis and Odalia to wait for her as she talked with Nick for a second, Helen followed up to review the archived details of the ZPD and what their most recent findings could tell her about the present investigation.

As the two new officers walked towards the front desk to await patiently for their orientation, Judy turned to Nick and said:

- Quite the eventful morning so far.

Nick looked over at her and agreed with her comment as he said:

- You're telling me. I guess we will both be plenty busy until the shift is over.

Judy looked around for a second, her eyes traveled around the hallway she and Nick were standing together and a few thoughts crossed her mind, she was not exactly sure why but she was glad that the fox was back on active duty, mostly so, and she wanted to be around him a little more, however, she had an important task set out in front of her and Nick had his monotonous task to get over for the day. Judy lowered her head and then looked at Nick once more and the fox had no idea what was going on in her mind as her sight traveled such a considerable distance around their surroundings before landing on him once more, she spoke up as she pointed her right paw to the left and began moving in the direction she was set to go:

- Well, I need to head out, lots to see, lots to do… you know.

Judy felt incredibly silly after saying those words, she felt a strange rush in her head almost as if she was becoming dizzy, but she did not move fast anywhere, she did not spin around, why was she dizzy all of a sudden?

Nick let that comment pass by, answering to her with one little laugh before he said:

- Yeah, I know. Better go put my silly vest and get on the 'joke-mobile'. I got a full day of parking duty to look forward to.

Nick began to walk in the direction of the locker room, he would have a short preparation time before heading out, Judy thought about making a provocative joke, telling Nick that the parking duty assignment was nothing more than a boring hole and the fox dug it all by himself when he volunteered to go for it in front of the chief, but she did not do that. Instead Judy simply waved her left paw and said to him:

- Good luck out there, slick.

Nick's left ear twitched after hearing Judy's voice coming from behind him, he turned his head to the left to look at her and repay her words by telling her:

- Good luck for you as well, carrots. See you later.

The bunny and the fox parted ways for the day and headed out for their assignments, not knowing that the end of the day reserved a surprise for the both of them.

---

Nick returned to the ZPD by the end of the afternoon, the sun was just about to set over the horizon and he was tired, really tired, he was not sure why. Nick had taken the medicine pointed out by the doctor right after his lunch break but he did not pay much mind when the doctor warned him about the possible side effects of the medicine, the fox felt so sleepy upon his return to precinct one that he could not keep his eyes open for a moment more and he could not drink any caffeine to give himself a boost, he took a hold of his thoughts and pushed onwards as he parked the traffic safety vehicle back in the car pool and climbed the stairs back to the lobby. As he stepped closer to the entrance, Nick thought:

"Ugh! I feel so raggedy! What is up with me? Am I suffering from coffee withdraw?! Is that a thing?"

Posting the question to himself as more of a joke than anything else, Nick kept going, he did not even say hello to Benjamin as he passed by the front desk, leaving the cheetah to fiddle around in his computer as he passed by and moved sluggishly in the direction of the lavatory. Nick arrived in the bathroom and placed himself close to the sink, he splashed his face with some water and went on to dry himself out but there were no paper towels left in the dispenser immediately to his left:

- Oh, I have got to be kidding me.

The fox said out loud though there was no one in the lavatory to hear that except for him. Nick looked around and thought about shaking the water loose from his fur but a new idea popped into his head, he saw the automatic dryer on the wall as well and thought about using that to do the job, the device was big and the crocked activation button set on it showed quite the sign of over use, apparently it was the go to preference for every officer to dry his or her paws out after washing them, Nick was convinced that was a viable option for him. Nick grabbed a little stool with a step ladder and positioned it and himself right under the device, he reached his left paw over and pushed the activation button down, unfortunately there was a problem with his plan, the device was much more potent that it needed to be, it was used for mammals much bigger than the fox. After Nick pressed the button and caused the dryer to whoosh into life, the gust of warm air spewed by the machine did much more than drying his fur out, Nick was blasted off the step ladder and on to the ground bellow, landing over his left side with a shock and a wince of pain, the fox picked himself up, placed his left paw on the back of his head to get a better feeling of his own condition and groaned with discomfort before saying:

- Yup, alright. Now I'm awake.

Nick raised from the ground and looked at himself in the mirror, the fur on his face was messy thanks to the drier's blowout, he adjusted his fur with a few brushes of his left palm over his face and then made his way out of the bathroom, he did not have to walk too far through the west side hallway to catch a glimpse of Judy moving about as well, the bunny was heading in the direction of the breakroom so that she could get a drink of water and sit down to relax for a minute, Nick saw the way she was moving and how her ears were placed lower over her head, she was looking almost as tired as he felt only a few minutes before. Nick decided to follow her path and meet up with her once they were at her intended location, the fox did not rush over, he walked casually until he was inside the breakroom and waved a little greeting to his partner:

- Hey there, carrots. How's it going?

Judy was holding a bottle of cold tea in her right paw when she heard Nick's voice, she was half-way through a gulp of the drink when the fox entered the breakroom and spoke to her. Judy cut the delightful and refreshing taste of the bottled tea short so that she could talk to her friend, she set the bottle down over a tall table and walked ahead to ask him:

- Nick, you're back. How was your day?

Nick reached for the divide of the safety vest he was wearing before he answered the question, the thin and bright vest issued for traffic patrol was easy enough to put on but he was finding some difficult in taking it off, especially with the small impediment of his medical sling in the way. Nick began taking the vest off as he said:

- The day was long but it was not all that boring. I only dispensed three tickets today, two were concerning irregular parking. I was passing through the street in front of Little Rodentia when I heard an accident.

Judy had her ears twitching to the sides with surprise after hearing those words, she asked for further clarification:

- An accident?!

- Yup.

Nick removed his left arm from the hold of the safety vest before beginning to gesture around with his left paw as he tried to explain how the situation unfolded a little better:

- A squirrel came by in a convertible while a gerbil passed by on a scooter. The scooter collided with the side of the car and bashed the front wheel against the door of the convertible. I only heard the crashing sound and the yells from a far when I was driving by.

Judy placed both of her paws in front of her mouth and spoke out:

- Oh, my gosh!

Nick made a quick dismissive gesture with his left paw directed at her and assured her that everything was okay:

- Calm down, fluff. No one got hurt, it was just a big scare. Although, some stern words were exchanged and insurance companies will definitely be involved.

Judy released a sigh, she was relieved to know that no one actually got harmed during the accident, she returned her attention back to her bottle of tea, reaching for it over the table with both of her paws and having another sip of the drink before she heard as Nick asked her:

- How about you? How did orientation go?

Judy took the bottle away from her lips and swallowed some tea before answering:

- It went along nicely. Odalia and Donny are already experienced officers in their precinct so it did not take that long for them to get situated around here. Odalia is a little shy but she is nice to be around, Donny seemed a little distracted as we moved about the building, I think he was trying to draw some comparisons between his precinct and ours.

Judy took a moment to take a breath before she continued:

- Odalia spent most of her day organizing a few things in the new cubicle while Donny went straight to the gym, Fangmeyer found him earlier and challenged him to an arm wrestling match, she said it was her way to welcome him to the team.

Nick showed a little smile as he heard that, he did not know that there could be those kinds of competition among officers. Nick was still struggling a bit in getting out of the orange vest but he paused his efforts as he asked:

- Who won?

Judy answered nonchalantly:

- She did.

Nick clasped his left paw and said:

- Oh, I wish I could have been here. I could have picked up some bets on who was gonna win.

The fox turned his sight over to Judy and found it rather chilling when he noticed the stoic although piercing stare that she was giving him. Nick tried to remedy his statement from before as he spoke again with measured enthusiasm that could be compared to a bad bit of acting:

- I mean… oh, no. I wish I was here so I could have… stopped them.

Judy's stare remained unchanged as she looked at Nick, the fox asked her:

- You're not buying that, are you?

To which she answered:

- Not for a second.

Nick's answer to that was a little smile as he returned his attention to trying to get the safety vest off of him, his shoulder was still a bother and he found some difficult in moving his right arm at an angle that would make it easier for the vest to just slip and fall off without feeling the pain of the wound flaring up again. Judy noticed that and decided to just offer a helping paw to her partner as she pointed her right paw at him and asked:

- Want some help?

- I wouldn't object.

Judy placed the tea bottle that was half empty over the spot on the tall table once more, she reached for Nick with both of her paws and helped him get the medical sling out of the way before removing the safety vest, Nick thanked Judy for the assistance and the two officers decided to walk together so that they could check if there was anything else to be done for the day. Nick and Judy walked out of the breakroom, the bunny had just finished her drink and tossed the bottle away in the nearest recycling bin, the ZPD seemed to be bustling even more than usual on that particular afternoon, the shift was about to be over but there was still a lot of movement. Nick pointed a claw to the lab on the western wing, he said that he wanted to ask her for a second opinion on the medicine he was taking to ease the discomfort of his wound, something that doctor Pura did not brag often was that she had plenty of knowledge about medicine and how it could be applicable to different mammals with variant degrees of injury. Judy decided to accompany Nick, just in case.

Nick and Judy arrived at the lab and Judy was the one to knock on the door, the doctor allowed them both entry not that long after. As soon as the two officers entered the lab and saw the panther typing away on her work desk, Nick explained the reason for the visit to the lab and Pura was glad to help out in any way she could, she asked for Nick to take off his shirt and sit down so that Pura could take a look at him. With some further assistance from Judy, Nick took off his tie and his shirt and seated himself over the tall chair pointed out by Pura, the panther went on to retrieve a magnifying glass and a few other items she might need for her examination while Nick simply waited, normally he felt nervous when visiting doctors of any kind but he felt far more at ease inside the ZPD lab, he trusted Pura and he was also glad that Judy was around that time. With the most care she could muster, Pura leaned closer to Nick's back and removed the adhesive patch of gauze that he had on the back of his shoulder, the panther was astonished for a moment after seeing the wound up close and she asked:

- Does it hurt?

Nick kept his right arm relaxed only gesticulating with his left arm as he answered her:

- Not right now. It only hurts when I try to move my right arm around a lot. I did all the tests and the doctors back at the hospital confirmed that there is no nerve damage, at least that is what they said.

Pura leaned closer to her desk right next to her and grabbed the magnifying glass that she had set aside, she grabbed the tool and hoisted it over her right eye while saying:

- Good, very good.

Pura looked closer, holding her breath as her eye traveled over the fur on Nick's back, there was still some sign of blood still coagulating and the panther scoffed at the sloppy service provided by the medical officials that shaved the area around the wound before patching it up, she would have to work on a replacement patch for Nick while also providing him with an addition to ease up the consistent pain that the fox reported when he tried to move his right arm. Pura noticed that Judy was coming closer, walking slowly and dragging her feet near the examination chair being occupied by Nick, maybe curiosity or just concern, Pura did not let that distract her and asked Nick for additional information:

- Have you been taking the prescribed medication regularly?

Nick fetched the medicine from his side pocket and showed it to Pura, the panther grabbed the orange container from Nick's paw and read the information on the label before she said:

- Oh, yes. I am familiar with this kind of medicine. It is often prescribed to mammals that sustained deep wounds. The manufacturer didn't exactly made it while having smaller mammals like foxes in mind so the side effects may vary.

Pura gave the medicine bottle back to Nick and the fox asked her while clasping the item in his left paw:

- Is it true that I can't drink coffee while taking the medicine?

Pura walked around the chair until she was right in front of Nick and said:

- I am afraid so. You might give yourself a stomach ache or negate the medicine's effect if you don't follow that one instruction.

Nick stored the bottle back in his pocket while grumbling about that, he really wanted to drink coffee again. Pura was quick to deliver her prognosis and told Nick that his healing was staying its course nicely and that any residual pain would eventually subside. Pura excused herself so that she could look for a medical kit that she kept around for emergencies, Nick and Judy were left in the middle of the lab as the panther took off on her search:

- You are an amazing fox.

Nick heard the unmistakable sound of Judy's voice, he turned his ears and eyes in her direction and found her standing just a few steps away from where he was seating. Nick smiled and said:

- Such praise for me and out of nowhere. What is up, carrots?

Judy pressed her teeth together before she decided to ease up on her jaw and answer him:

- You just have so much determination in you. Even if you're hurting, you still grit down and do so much. I think it's amazing.

Judy showed Nick a sweet smile and he was really moved by her words, telling her in response:

- I think you're really amazing yourself, Judy.

Pura returned to Nick's side, now having with her a few things that she had to look around and fetch, a sealed plastic pot that appeared to contain some sort of gel and a rolled up patch of gauze. Pura set the sterilized cloth aside before opening the lid of the pot and telling Nick:

- This healing salve is nice and it will help with the healing of deep wounds, I purchased and researched its composition myself. I never thought I would have much use for it seeing as not a lot of officers come to the infirmary with serious injuries. I really hope it will help.

Nick gave Pura permission to proceed and the panther did so, collecting a small portion of the salve on her fingers before applying it over the wound. Nick winced as soon as he felt the touch that Pura was placing over his back, the fox bared his teeth as he inhaled a sharp dose of air and spoke up:

- Yah! Easy there. That's cold!

- Stay still!

Pura told him as she continued on her task. Nick tried staying as still as he could over the seat, the fox felt ticklish as the substance was applied over that small area on his shoulder and he started feeling a little better once it was all done. After the salve was applied, Pura placed a brand new patch over the wound and told Nick about the brand of the product so he could apply it once it came the time to change the patch once more, the fox put his uniform back on as well as the sling on his right arm and called Judy out so that they could get going. Nick went ahead and reported to the chief, delivering him the ticket maker that the fox picked up for his parking duty, Nick actually surprised the chief when he said that it was not all bad with his day assignment, it was actually very relaxing. Nick and Judy went to their respective lockers and changed their clothes, Nick did not wish to bother Judy again but he actually needed some help putting his buttoned up shirt on, she gladly helped him and the fox put on his tie without any further assistance, thanking her for putting up with that right after he was all dressed up and ready to leave. Judy said that she did not mind landing a helping paw and Nick simply took that as the bunny being polite.

Nick and Judy walked together towards the front doors of the precinct, they slowed their walk momentarily when they got by the front desk and they heard Benjamin wishing them farewell for the day. They exited the precinct, their shift was over and they were both looking forward to a good and calm night of relaxation, they decided to stop for a moment and sit down at the park bench that had already become somewhat familiar to them, Nick placed his behind over the hard seat of the bench first and he offered his left paw in helping Judy reach herself up, she predicted he would do that, even if he knew she was capable of hopping over the seat for herself. Judy and Nick sat together and watched the movement on the street gradually diminish, the two mammals came to appreciate the movement in the streets and the different lives that passed them by, Judy thought it meant that she would always play a part in the grand scheme of things while Nick merely let his thoughts wander until he was a little more aware of how much time he let slip by with no actual consequence.

Judy had gone through most of the work shift without seeing Nick, she was glad to see him active again and she was more so to be of help to him with little things here and there as he got better accustomed with taking things slower until he was fully healed, she turned her eyes away from the street and spent a considerable time looking at Nick, being next to him like that felt so good, she scooched a little closer while keeping her eyes locked on him. Nick turned to look at Judy and found that the bunny was nearer and staring over in his direction, he was not really sure why, he looked at her with a smile on his face and decided to ask:

- Hey, you wanna go grab some ice cream? My treat.

Judy wished to talk more with Nick about different things, she stared over to him and watched as the fox became distant in thought, just seeing his smile once more was more than enough to stir many variant emotions inside her, all of them pointing out that conversing with her partner and telling him just how much of a difference he actually made was the most desirable course of action. Judy heard Nick's question, she was a bit surprised as she saw the fox's face suddenly turning to the left and looking straight at her, worried that he might ask what was she doing or what exactly she was thinking when she decided to nudge herself closer to him. Judy thought it over for a couple of seconds before she decided to take Nick up on his offer, the two mammals raised from their seat and went in search of a cart that patrolled that block occasionally and distributed frozen treats at a reasonable price.

After spotting the cart and calling the mongoose who operated it so that they could purchase their preferred flavors of ice cream, Nick and Judy stood nearby, the fox opted for getting a strawberry ice pop while Judy was delighting herself with a single scoop of mint rush. Nick was eating bite after bite of his ice pop, not even caring for potential brain-freeze, he told Judy that he would return to the cart and ask for a few more pops that he could take home, Judy said that she would wait right there and Nick went on his way, unfortunately, after the short while since the purchase of the frozen treats, a line had already formed by the cart, Nick had to wait for his turn right behind four other costumers before returning to Judy, she did not mind it.

Judy stood still as she waiting for Nick, taking periodical licks from her ice cream and taking in the nice air of the city, the sun had almost disappeared over the horizon, soon most mammals would set off for their homes for the evening and the night life would begin. Judy turned around and was surprised to see the memorable sight of a colorful van parked nearby, Finnick was there and the little fox was just relaxing under the far projecting shade of a building, Judy came closer and tapped the glass of the driver's side, Finnick was there, taking a nap with shades over his eyes and a nice song blasting through the interior speakers, the little fox was briskly awakened and he looked outside to see a small paw and a pair of long ears peeking through the window, he already guessed who it could be. Finnick lowered the window glass and placed his arms over the opened crevasse on the door before greeting the bunny:

- Hey there, it's the fuzz. I'm not… parked in the wrong spot again, am I?

Judy released a little laugh and answered him

- No, Finnick. Nothing like that. Nick and I just stopped nearby to get some ice cream and I decided to say 'hello'.

Finnick popped his head out the window and looked around until he spotted Nick waiting in line for a new batch of treats, the little fox spoke up as soon as he saw his friend:

- Darn. I could go for a triple flavor scrambler right now. Today has been a scorcher.

- What are you doing around here, Finnick?

Judy asked and the little fox was quick to answer:

- Just a side gig I have been doing so far, I have been delivering parts and services from an old acquaintance of mine. Air conditioner pieces, refrigerator motors, computer accessories, the works. It's been kind of hard since the transit around the savanna has been so crazy lately, but I'm making it work.

Finnick went right ahead and unlocked the door, he stepped outside and locked the van behind him before he turned over to Judy and asked her:

- I'm betting Wilde is gonna go and buy himself a bunch of different flavors. He sure has a lot coming for him tomorrow right?

Judy turned to Finnick and asked him in return:

- Why? What's tomorrow?

Finnick leaned back after hearing that, he gave the answer to Judy in the shape of a different question as he said:

- Tomorrow is his birthday. You didn't know?

Judy gasped, placed her left paw in front of her mouth as she thought she was about to sound off a loud yelp of surprise. Judy leaned closer to Finnick and placed her left hand parallel to her left cheek in an effort to hide the movement of her lips, making it so Nick would not see them talking from a distance in case he looked in their direction, Judy asked with a whisper:

- Tomorrow is Nick's birthday?! I had no idea.

Finnick spoke much louder than her as he said:

- Yeah, he barely left the hospital and he is gonna have a birthday. That's some luck on him.

Judy placed her right pointing finger in front of her lips, asking for Finnick to be a little quieter, she leaned closer to the little fox once more as soon as she certified herself that Nick could not hear them, she wanted to ask what would be done for the celebration of Nick's birthday:

- What then? Are we going to make a surprise party for him? Should I tell the other officers? I need to go buy him a good gift!

Judy's frantic whisper airing a mix of questions and speculations on what should be done to put up an elaborate celebration for her friend, Finnick intervened as he showed the palms of his paws and said:

- Woah! Hey, slow your roll there, fuzz. You don't need to do any of that, Wilde doesn't really gets a kick out of surprise parties or anything like that. You might just bother him if you overdo it.

Judy's left ear fell to the side at a small angle before stopping, she was confused by Finnick's words, she did not understand what could be the reason behind that. Why would she not want to make a big deal about such an occasion? It was the birthday celebration of her best friend, it caused Judy to question it right away as she asked:

- Nick… doesn't like his own birthday?

Finnick released aloud guffaw after hearing that, the little fox placed both of his paws over his belly before saying:

- You kidding me? Wilde loves his birthday. It's all fun, games, drinks and sweets whenever his birthday rolls around, he usually keeps the guest list pretty small though. Nick loves his birthday, he just doesn't like other mammals making a big deal about it, so I come by for a visit, some beers, a quick game of cards and I'm on my way again. That's all.

- Oh.

Judy said as such but she still did not know how to proceed after hearing that, she still wanted to do something special to surprise Nick on his birthday but she had nothing definitive in mind aside from a celebration. Judy had been to countless birthdays and she shared many celebrations with some of her brothers and sisters, she understood that catering to a day of the year for one specific mammal could be difficult but she knew Nick and she was grateful to meet him and she wanted to let it show. Judy asked for advice, she gestured towards Finnick with her left paw as she asked him:

- So… should I not buy him a gift? What should I do?

Finnick shrugged that off once more, simply telling her:

- If you want to buy him a gift then by all means buy him a gift. Just make sure it's something small. Wilde is an easy enough guy to understand but he is not the easiest mammal to buy gifts for.

Judy smiled and nodded her head, now having in mind what exactly to search for when she decided to buy a gift for her partner. Nick appeared shortly after and he was surprised to see Finnick around there, he did not even noticed the van parked nearby when he and Judy walked by to get ice cream, the fox now had a small plastic bag held in his left paw containing at least five different flavors of ice pop that he had to get home before it melted, Nick greeted Finnick and told Judy that he was going to head on home, Judy asked if Nick would want her to come along, just in case the fox were to need any more help, Finnick jumped in, raising his right paw and telling her that he was going to give Nick a ride home. Nick thanked his friend for the lift and walked to the van, in truth, Finnick was using that chance as a pretense to give Judy some time to head off and buy Nick a gift while maybe also scoring an ice pop for himself for free. Judy waved goodbye for her friends, finished her ice cream with nibble after nibble and then headed out to find the best gift for her partner.

Judy set off for the nearest store, she picked her phone and called for an Zuber, she had to hurry before night settled in. Between the call time for the transportation service and its arrival, Judy had more than enough time to check the GPS in her phone so that she could locate the closest market where she could get a gift for Nick, as luck would have it, the closest location was the marketplace in the savanna district she and Nick had visited once before during their first investigation, the Savanna's Bazar.

It has been a while since Judy was there, she still had the lovely glass figurine that she purchased when she was sidetracked during the investigation, Judy looked around and spotted the lights and the signs shinning everywhere, the differences between the marketplace's appearance during the night and during the day were amazing. Judy set ahead, passing other mammals who were there to enjoy the first traces of the night life while she looked for the right gift, there were different smells of food in the air, it felt distance to her but she still could make it out as she passed by the fronts of eateries and cafes strewn on varied spots from either side of the street. Judy saw many stores that sold trinkets and baubles of different sizes and uses, plastic figures, books and novels, commemorative mugs and shirts, she had walked nearly halfway to the end of the bazar but no particular store felt as the right stop for her, at last, she decided to stop being so picky and chose to enter a store with a big display window on the side:

- Metrozoland's Market.

Judy read the name of the place as shown on the sign, simple and not as flashy as some of the other stores around, still quite busy on that day as she saw others coming in and out of the front door. After entering the store and having her presence noted by a pair of sensors posted on the threshold, Judy went through the first corridor of the store an scoured for any eye catching product that would make a modest but significant gift. Judy's search took her up and down the aisles, she saw many of the same things already being sold on the other stores and no single item… 'clicked' for her, in a manner of speak. The very last isle she visited had an assortment of toys of various brands, she smiled as she entered that big aisle, figuring that she may appeal to the child inside Nick as she bought him a gift, that was one good thought that she took well enough into consideration. At the center of the aisle, there were a selection of big cylindrical displays, metallic hangers with dull hooks that rotated and showed small models of little soldiers, mythical creatures and other interesting bits, the last one of those really caught her eye.

The last rotating display case in the aisle showed a wide selection of model cars, plastic and metal made into miniatures of famous vehicles from around the world but the little models were not categorized by date of manufacturing or brand and Judy did not know the first thing about fancy cars, so she guided herself in her decision based solely on aesthetics. Judy picked the most charming little model that she could find, removing it from the third metal hanger from ground level while passing by several other packs and not even trying to understand the strange names displayed in the plastic labels, she had made her choice and she was sticking with it, the bunny went to the cashier and asked that the selected item was gift wrapped, the elk by the front desk obliged and fetched a small piece of gift paper, the model was wrapped up and ready to be gifted in no time with an appealing blue paper that had small colorful stars as a pattern printed over it, finishing by sticking a charming red bow on top of it, that would serve nicely.

Judy payed for the gift and requested the same service to transport her home as before, she arrived at her apartment and set the little gift aside over the desk by the front door where she usually set down her keys, that way she would not forget to pick the gift for Nick before heading out to work and she really hoped that she would get to see her partner again on the upcoming shift, Judy took a shower, changed into her pajamas and went straight to bed, imagining how her partner would react to the gift once it was delivered before closing her eyes and drifting to sleep. As morning arrived on the next day, Judy did not even had to hear the sound of her alarm clock to wake up and jump out of bed, she was really excited, Judy ate breakfast with no rush, just toast and a bowl of cereal, brushed her teeth, changed back into her uniform and headed off to work, making sure that she had all that she needed for the day before going out the door.

Judy made her way to the ZPD, she had made it through the doors just in time to see Benjamin by his post, reorganizing a few things on the front desk. Judy walked near to call out to Benjamin, she made her way to the front desk with short hops while keeping the present for Nick well hidden behind her back, Judy called out to the cheetah's name:

- Good morning, Benjamin.

He looked in the direction of the voice and spoke up:

- Oh, Judy. Thank goodness you are here.

Immediately, Judy was concerned that something crucial had taken place in the precinct and she was not there to help but the tone that Benjamin used did not communicate any grand emergency and the lobby itself did not look to be a busy zone during that morning. Benjamin fetched two images that he had with him, both of them would fit in a portrait that he kept next to his computer and the two depicted none other than his favorite pop singer, Gazelle, the cheetah turned to Judy to ask or her opinion as he explained:

- I'm looking to give my little work zone some small renovation but I cannot for the life of me decide on what pic to put in here. The one on the right is all: 'I know how to get stuff done' and the one on the left is all: 'I am the life of the party'.

Judy shook her head slowly while letting out a little laugh, she pointed a finger of her right paw to one of the pictures before returning it to behind her back to carefully hold on to Nick's gift as she said:

- Go for the left one.

Benjamin took another look at the charismatic picture of the singer, posing for the cameras with a look of determination in her eyes and dressed in a magnificent gala dress that could make any jaw drop to the floor. The cheetah nodded his head and ultimately agreed with Judy's opinion as he said:

- Great choice.

Benjamin removed the back lid of the portrait and carefully fitted the chosen picture inside the frame, he placed the new addition to his work place in its proper spot and then stored the other picture away inside his upper drawer, just in case he changed his mind at a later time. Benjamin took a step back and looked at his renewed workspace for five seconds in total before he spoke out:

- Perfect.

Judy saw the satisfied look on the cheetah's face and was quick to ask him:

- Hey, now that it's all in order here, do you mind telling me if you have seen Nick anywhere?

Benjamin sat down on his chair and then pointed a claw of his left paw over his right shoulder as he turned to Judy and answered:

- Oh, he came in not that long ago, I saw him heading to the cubicles.

Judy leaned her head to look beyond the front desk and asked:

- Nick's already here.

- Yup.

Benjamin confirmed it straight away but the further request for clarification from the bunny had him moderately intrigued. Benjamin leaned over the desk to look at Judy and the way she had her paws behind her back with her shoulders so relaxed had him curious enough to ask right out:

- What do you have there?

Judy turned her head quickly to look at Benjamin's puffy and smug grin, she moved her eyes quickly from side to side before answering as fast as she could, stuttering unintentionally on her words:

- Oh… ahm… this is nothing. Nothing much. Just… nothing. At all.

Judy moved away from the front desk, stepping lightly to the left and making sure that Benjamin would not get a clear look at the item in her paws, that only encouraged him to silently speculate more and more about what Judy may have been hiding from him. Judy rushed over to the cubicle she shared with Nick but he was not there, the cubicle was empty and his computer was not even turned on. Judy went to look around, keeping the gift still hidden behind her as she looked for any sign of Nick's presence, starting with the break room but as she got there and found the door was not closed on its latch, Judy entered the room and found Higgins in front of the fridge and searching for a refreshing drink. Judy raised her right paw and called to the lieutenant's attention:

- Good morning, Higgins.

The hippo stood up straight and looked in the direction of the voice that called out to his name, he looked down and saw the bunny looking directly at him while also searching around for something or someone in particular. Higgins closed the fridge and saluted the bunny officer as he said:

- Why, good morning there, Hopps. What can I do for you?

- I'm looking for Nick. I have something to tell him. Have you seen him anywhere?

Higgins did not have to search too long in his memory to recall that he saw the fox climbing the stairs to the second floor earlier that morning. Higgins pointed up and said that Nick was most likely in the second floor gym with Fangmeyer and the new officers, 'working out some kinks' as the tigress liked to say, Judy showed a face of shock and took off in the direction of the nearest staircase, she rushed over and left Higgins wonder what subject could have been so urgent that Nick had to hear right away. Judy reached the gym on the second floor as she was worried that Nick may have been pushing himself hard to regain the stamina he lost after his injury, she did not want him to beat himself up over being wounded or to push himself too hard before the right time, however, Judy stopped as she saw her partner standing next to most of the gym equipment and simply lifting a weight up and down slowly with his left arm.

Judy slowed her rush as she watched Nick from a distance, the fox was looking down and controlling his breathing as he moved the weight held firmly in his left paw. Judy as glad to see that Nick was alright and more so that he was not overexerting himself in any conceivable way, she believed that as the best time to give him the gift so she returned to the stance she had before. Judy took a deep breath, held the gifting wrap nicely and safely behind her back and walked slowly to the gym entrance, hoping the fox would notice her as soon as she entered the room, Nick turned his eyes to the right as soon as his nose detected a familiar scent approaching his position, it definitely was hard for Judy to get a drop on him at that point since he already had memorized the smells that correlated most to her presence, he turned his entire body to the right so that he would be facing his partner completely and greet her for the start of their shift.

Judy stopped her walk at the very entrance to the gym as she noticed that Nick had halted his exercising to come talk to her although he forgot to let go of the weight and he was bringing it along with him as he approached the bunny:

- Yo, carrots, you're here finally.

Judy greeted her partner as she said:

- Good morning, Nick. You're here awfully early. Did you have trouble sleeping?

Nick turned his eyes to the left and noticed only then that he still had the weight in his paw, the moderately heavy gym item was not too cumbersome so he decided to resume the movement he had going before with it as he answered to Judy's question:

- Not at all. I slept great last night after going to bed, but after breakfast this morning I felt so full of energy. I felt so wired after leaving my house so I decided to burn some of it off right here in the gym. I wanted to join Fangmeyer and the newbies right over there but she was having none of it.

Judy raised her ears and placed them parallel to one another as she took a quick dash of air and said:

- Nick! Don't call them 'newbies'. That's not nice.

The fox gave a little step back after hearing the reprimanding voice of his partner and tried to remedy his comments from before by gesturing in the direction Fangmeyer and the others were located and saying:

- Sorry. I heard Fangmeyer over there calling them that earlier and thought that was a little funny.

Nick nudged his head to the right and Judy leaned in the direction to see Fangmeyer supervising the ongoing training of Donny and Odalia, the feline as struggling to keep up with gasps for air as she kept the regiment going while the equine looked completely unaffected by the extended period of training. Fangmeyer heard the mention of her name by Nick and turned her head in the direction of the fox, showing with her sharp stare that she stood by her decisions to both leave the fox out of the more grueling training, ordering him to stick with the most simplistic routine she could come up with, and calling the two new officers at the precinct a demeaning name so that would motivate them to work harder. Nick turned his mind to another subject as soon as he took his eyes away from Fangmeyer and on to his previous task, he wondered if the sudden jolt of stamina he felt after taking the medicine was a result of the wavering side effects connected to it and that it might as well vary from time to time, he figured in silence that it might get annoying if he was not careful with it as well as why drinking coffee along with such an unpredictable medication was unadvised.

Nick turned his head back to Judy, he halted the lifting of the weight and noticed the bunny's giddy expression and the way she was standing, clearly hiding something behind her, he wondered if it was a surprise or a little treat that she wanted to give to him. Nick leaned down, setting the weight gently down on the floor as he looked at Jud and asked her:

- What do you got right there, carrots?

Nick raised up to a straight standing position once more and leaned forward so he could get a glimpse at whatever Judy was trying to hide from him, she tired her best to keep the gift a surprise. Judy saw as Nick was leaning closer so she gave a step back, she saw as he was leaning to the right so she turned slightly to the left, Nick thought that was funny and he could not wait to see what it was, Judy hesitated for a moment, Finnick had warned the bunny officer to keep the present simple but she precipitously felt unsure if such a small present would have any significance to Nick. Judy halted Nick's snooping by showing the palm of her right paw and telling him:

- So… a little bird told me that today happens to be your birthday.

Nick had his ears perked up after hearing that and his grin quickly disappeared, now replaced with an annoyed pout as he mumbled:

- Finnick.

The fox looked over to Judy once more and told her:

- Listen, fluff, I really don't want you or anyone else to make a big deal about this, there is no need for it. I'm serious.

Nick sounded very adamant in keeping the celebration of his own anniversary as covert as possible, but Judy stepped forth and assured him that she had no intention in making him uncomfortable or letting the information out to anyone else, even though Fangmeyer had her ears up and she could hear everything even from a distance and having the sound of the electronic gym equipment muffling a good portion of the conversation. Judy took the little gift out of hiding and gave it to Nick, he wavered in reaching for it, raising his left paw but keeping it close to the side of his torso as he looked at the bright paper used to wrap the item, Judy took a deep breath and said:

- Even if you don't want to make a big deal about your birthday, I still want to give you this. You are a great partner and a precious friend, I couldn't do half of what I do every day if it wasn't for you, Nick. Happy birthday.

The fox was moved by the nice words from his partner so he reached for the gift without complaining or protesting. Nick found it a little difficult to open the gift at first, thinking that it would be necessary to rip the wrapping open to gain access to it, but it turns out he only needed to rip a single piece of sticky tape and unfold the top of the wrapping to see what was inside, Nick took off the pack containing the little model car and he was pleasantly surprised to find out what it was. Nick read the small description on the back of the cardboard pack and said:

- I don't believe it. This is a Porsche nine-nine-five. This is the dream car right here.

Nick used the claw of his left paw to cut the back of the pack and gain unrestricted access to the little model, he could now see in great detail every last bit of effort that was put into manufacturing the toy, holding it with the tips of his finger and moving it at different angles to get a better look at it. Nick was very excited about his present, Judy pointed out to the little car as she saw the smile on Nick's face grow even more and told him:

- I know it isn't that big, but I do know you don't have that one in your collection. I hope you like it.

Nick got down on one knee and set the little car down over its tiny wheels, keeping it close by as he came close to thank Judy properly for the gift that he considered simply amazing. Nick reached out for Judy with his left arm, opening and closing the fingers of his left paw, telling her without words to come closer, Judy tended to that request and walked a single step closer to Nick. Judy almost yelped with surprise as she felt a little shock, Nick's pa touched right behind her neck as she got pulled towards him for a hug, Judy had experienced hugs coming from Nick before, she enjoyed the thoroughly, but that hug exerted a different pressure over her, she could not predict how truly impactful it would be. Judy sensed a growing spark from within as she felt Nick's touch over her, just the right amount of pressure over her shoulder and neck as she guided her, the warmth of his furry neck as her left cheek came in contact with it as well as the gentle bristle of his breath. Judy slowly repaid the hug by placing her arms around Nick's torso, being careful to not accidentally disrupt his wounded shoulder in the process, she was just getting comfortable in his hold as she heard:

- I love it, carrots. I'll treasure it forever.

Nick's soft tone of voice as he whispered his thanks to Judy caused every fur on her to stand on end, it suddenly felt like the recently found spark was grinding against the inside of her chest. Judy swallowed some saliva and held down a little laugh as she felt Nick's left paw moving slowly on her back, the palm of his paw moving up and down with a gentle motion, it tickled her in a most wonderful way. Judy felt Nick easing his hold on her, she stepped back and watched as Nick reached for the little model from the ground and walked out of the gym, he wished to stash the little car away in a safe place before he could take it home and give it a prestige spot among his other vehicles in his collection, he also grabbed the disposable wrapping and torn packaging so that he could toss it in the trash later. Judy was left behind for a moment, clasping her paws and having her tail waggling feverously from side to side, she exited the gym, following Nick from a nice distance and did not even gave any mind to the fact that Fangmeyer was watching the whole thing, the tigress felt far more confident on the bet she had made with the other officers and on the high monetary stakes that where on the line due to it.

Adonis leaned forward, leaving his previous gymnastics appointment behind as he poked the left shoulder of the tigress and asked her:

- Hey… is there… something happening right there… between those two?

The horse pointed in the general direction of the door where the two officers who walked out were located previously, his suggestive tone alerted Fangmeyer that he was definitely in the know on a possible romantic involvement between Nick and Judy, putting little importance on its unlikelihood. Fangmeyer pointed a claw of her right paw back to the gym equipment behind him and said:

- Never you mind that, you will probably come to know more about such things later. Just get back to what you were doing before and focus on it, we still got plenty of time on us before we all head out for the patrol shift.

The equine shrugged that off and obliged to the tigress' orders, returning his attention to the gym equipment and some aerobic exercises for the time being.

Judy returned to the joint cubicle, Nick was right there next to her and she could still sense the enticing spark that she felt before, it worried her. Judy suddenly recalled the strange new thoughts that rushed through her mind when she experienced her heat cycle, the thoughts of Nick so close to her, caressing her beyond a simple embrace and how her body clamored for more, that day was not even close to her regular cycle of estrus and yet, it popped into her mind in such a vivid manner. Judy turned her sight to the screen of her computer, going through time tables and other digital sundries that had to be organized for the day as an effort to avert her mind away from such thoughts. As Judy followed on her tasks, she kept telling herself that feeling in such a way, feeling trapped and flustered thanks to these new feelings, did not make any sense, she continued trying to focus her mind on the tasks she had set for herself but there were still many times during the work shift when she could not help herself, stealing glances from Nick and wondering why her mind insisted on thinking about the fox in such ways.

By the end of the shift, the sun was nearly gone over the horizon and Nick was set to head on home, Judy followed him to the exit and asked if he would like to eat something before going back to his apartment, Nick thanked Judy but said that it would be alright, the fox told her that he would pass by a bakery on his way back and buy a cake, assuring her right after saying as such that he would save her a slice so she could eat later. Judy thanked Nick for the thought and wished him farewell for the day, Judy darted back to her apartment and thanked the heavens that she was now alone back at her place, she wanted to figure things out for herself. Judy took a long shower and changed out of her uniform, she went to the kitchen and set aside the ingredients for a nice salad, her dinner of choice for that evening, Judy prepared the dish without any rush and sat down to eat, as she chewed on every bite, she began to think avidly about her feelings earlier that day:

"Why did it suddenly happened?! I thought I had left all of those thoughts behind. It's almost like I am effectively trying to delude myself at this point."

Judy reached for the bowl in front of her with another drive of her fork and took another bite of the dish, her trail of thought continued as she began to chew once more:

"Nick's hug felt so amazing and I couldn't stop thinking about for most of the day. If I'm nowhere close to my estrus for now why am I suddenly feeling like this?! Is it possible that there might be something wrong with me?"

Judy set the fork down and leaned her head to the right, she used her right paw to provide her head with some support while placing her elbow over the table and continuing to think more furiously:

"What should I do? There is no way I could talk to anyone else about this. My mother will freak, any of my sisters would just make fun of me and I don't even know where Fru-fru is or if she would be willing to talk to me about something like this. I feel so lost all of a sudden. Is this what is like to go crazy over something?"

Judy was just awakening more concerning thoughts within her with those thoughts, she placed her left paw in front of her lips as she thought:

"Nick is the most amazing guy I have ever met but that is probably just because he is so different from any other guy I have ever encountered. He is a fox, he is strong and clever and he is so unlike me or any other bunny. He is a completely different species. There is just no way…"

Judy stopped her thoughts all of a sudden, she tried to get her mind back in order by lowering her ears and placing both of her paws on the top of her head, physically trying to suppress her urges or any other contemplation relating to them, she could not follow such thoughts anymore. Judy finished her dinner after she calmed down a little more, there were traces of the feelings she experienced on the back of her mind, there was still a trail connecting all of those instincts together that she could not erase no matter how hard she tried. Judy was growing so frustrated with herself that she decided to call it a day and go to sleep, she turned the lights off, walked to her room and laid on the bed, she wanted to erase all of those incoherent thoughts and believed that a good night of sleep would help her do just that.

Judy was spent, she did not have a lot of work that day, most of her working shift alongside Nick was reserved for desk duty and maintenance of equipment, there was no patrol or heavy lifting, she placed her head over the pillow and closed her eyes, it was time to sleep. Judy told herself over and over again as she drifted slowly into slumber that there was no reason that she should think about Nick in a romantic way, it was becoming maddening to her, Judy turned over her bed and laid on her left side, she was staring at the empty space on a wall closest to her as she pressed her eyes shut and went to sleep.

Time passed through the night, sound out on the street lessened and a soft wind blew past the savanna, it was so peaceful, Judy breathed slowly as the calm settled in but there was something unpredictable on its way. Judy's mind roused into activity as a series of pictures made themselves seen, new sounds were heard, the bunny felt as her very sense of self was taken and fitted into a brand new mold, it was a new world of dream and unlikely outcomes. Judy was having a lucid dream and she instinctively had to know where it might take her.

---

It was a rainy afternoon at the Overburrow county, the smell of wet grass was sensed more than any other scent in the air, the roads looked desolate and mammals were staying inside their homes until the weather improved, as advised by the local marshal, but the return of sunny skies at that season might take quite a long wait. Under that dreadful weather that only threatened to get worse throughout the week according to the local newspaper, a lonely figure walked with a very important destination in mind, she was present there, she had walked a long distance while hoping that no one else was around to notice her presence and she was not going to let rain slow her down, she just had to go see him. Lady Judy Lafern Hopps was not easily deterred.

Lady Hopps was held in the highest regard by other mammals of the Overburrow county, her family was made rich since they supplied most of the consumable resources for the county and their claim over most of the farming areas in the region was well-known by every market and road merchant, she was not inside the confines of her family's estate now however. She had braved a long stretch of road, from her lavish home at the top of the hill to the simple and humble road on the outskirts of town, she just kept moving forward, telling herself that she needed to be there, she had spent so much time gathering courage and now she was putting it to use. Judy passed in front of the pub, the inn, the local printing press, her destination was dead ahead, her feet splashed down on a puddle of mud by the side of the road, she was protected by some of the rain water thanks to her umbrella but she had to wonder if her favorite dress would just end up being ruined after taking such a long walk. Judy stumbled forward after removing her right foot from the grimy puddle, she shook it in the air along with the area of her skirt that had been dowsed by the mud, it did very little to improve anything at all, she just kept going forward.

At last she had arrived, the sign hanging up above told her as much, the symbol of the hammer and anvil stamped on the wooden board hanging and swinging in the wind, she could finally take a moment to rest. The blacksmith workshop was open and its entrance was very wide, left as such in case any traveler came by with a carriage or wagon that needed any last minute repairs, Judy was thankful that she could finally place herself under a roof and get out of the rain so she wasted little time stepping inside. Judy hopped to the first dry patch of land she had seen in what felt a long time as soon as she potted it, she breathed deeply and steadily as soon as she was out of the rain, the bunny lowered her umbrella and shook it for a few seconds so that she could let some of the water accumulated over it fall down and leave the tool proper for use once more, she closed the umbrella and set it down leaned over the right side wall, she began to look around.

It took lady Hopps a few seconds to realize how the inside of the workshop was made to be, there was no flooring underneath her, just more dirt and some of the mud from the outside trailing into the area below the roof, her feet were soaked and dirty but there was no place nearby where she could possibly clean her feet. As her eyes traveled around the walls of the workshop, Judy noticed that only a select few objects were left out in the open for other costumers to see, all of the lanterns were unlit and it was dark but she could still make things out, no weapon or sharp item of any kind was left around, only schematics and patterns that were used by iron masons to give shape and purpose to the metal entrusted to them, there were pictures of lances, hatchets, shields and adornments scattered on the left side wall and there were stands where armor of different qualities was placed on display for costumers to see, currently empty. Judy recalled the first time she came to visit that place followed by the many subsequent visits alongside her parents and other members of the ministry, the shop was coveted by many others as a top marks establishment for quality iron workmanship, the main reason for her being there was to talk to the owner.

Judy stepped deeper into the workshop but she could see no sign of any presence in there, she began to worry that she might be the only one in there, the one she had come to find may be gone and her trip had amounted to nothing, she did not let that thought linger for too long, calling out to the master of that forge as soon as she was situated a little better:

- Master Wilde? Are you in here? Master Wilde?

She called the name out twice but no answer came in her direction, her ears moved about to pick up any sound but she could only hear the incessant patter of the rain outside, it was getting stronger and the wind was not letting up. Judy stepped further and saw a portion of floor in front of her, a new section of the workshop where a counter for attending costumers, fetching smaller tools and settling up on prices was placed, no occupant behind it, it felt as desolate as the rest of the town, she continued to move forward, prattling and nervous as she slowly placed one foot in front of the other, until her ears detected a new sound masked beyond the descending water, it was the sound of a hammer. Judy moved ahead with a tighter set of steps, pass the counter and a narrow hallway, there was a large door, the inner most part of the workshop where no costumer was allowed entry, she dared to go forward.

Judy reached the end of the narrow dim hallway, she reached her right arm immediately ahead of her and felt the rough wooden frame of a door, she pushed with moderate strength until it began to open, light came through the growing crevice and the sound of the hammer coming down repeatedly over a sheet of metal became louder and more intense. Judy entered the room and the first thing she saw was a short path that lead into the main workshop, she had seen that place only once from a distance at a time when the door was left carelessly opened but she was now taking in every last detail she could find. The first thing that called to her attention were the barrels and chests straight ahead, piled on the far corner of the room and filled with finished projects of expert metal crafting; next there was the stone furnace, its small metal door opened wide as it spitting embers to keep the metal hot and prepped for molding along with a small pile of scrap metal left unattended on the floor right next to it; She turned her head to the left and saw high shelves with books about metallurgy, an assortment of various tools for smelting iron over a tall table, hammers hooked to the wall and categorized from smallest to biggest, although one seemed to be missing from the line-up, and then finally the anvil and utilizing it at that very moment, the master of that forge.

Judy released a little gasp as she finally saw the mammal she had been looking for, master Nicholas Peter Wilde, the fox dressed in a pair of woolen pants and wearing his thick ironsmith apron to cover the front of his body against the heat and any stray sparks, he was wearing protective goggles as he looked directly into the flashing core of the searing metal, in one paw he had a firm grip on a hammer and in the other an even firmer grip on a long set of clippers used to hold the metal in place. There he was, Nicholas Wilde, the master of the forge hard at work in his newest project. Judy thought about raising a paw and calling out to the fox once more but he looked so engrossed in his work, hammering the thin sheet of metal that was still bright red with heat in order to give it the final touches, Judy could not make out exactly what the item being forged was, her eyes could not stand looking directly at it without any protective gear, she squinted her eyes as she walked a single step ahead just in time to hear as another pounding came straight down and startled her thoroughly.

Master Wilde was incredibly focused on his work, he did not even hear the bunny coming into his most secretive working station, kept as such so no competitor would learn the secret methods of his forge, his work was top of the mark and he wished to remain so. As the fox pounded the metal over and over again, flashes flew and filled the room with incandescent light as he made the anvil sing with a steady rhythm and loud acoustics, that was his favorite sound in the whole world. The fox took a long breath as he raised his hammer once more, the scent of the burnt coal from the furnace and hot iron filled his nostrils but he was already used to it, his hammer came down again and he spoke loudly, talking to the metal itself so it would now have the raw nature of his feelings embedded into its form:

- You make such a beautiful sound. Many days of gathering scraps and forging in order to make you, something so simple, but it will all pay off at last. You will have a place of prestige in my gallery, dangerous and beautiful like the smile of a saucy dame.

The pounds of the hammer came down faster though less intense than before, the metal pincers guided by the flicking of his left wrist let his eyes know precisely where to strike next, the work was nearing completion, at that point Judy did not even want to interrupt the smithy, he was in a world all of his own and it was simply beautiful to watch in a sense. Master Nicholas hoisted the hot sheet of metal in the air, he moved his left wrist from left to right as his eyes traveled over the piece, looking for any more imperfections, the time had come to quell the metal, he introduced the searing piece into a troth of cold water besides the anvil and caused a big cloud of mist to rise up along with a long and satisfying hiss, he smiled for his chest was filled with contentment, that violent yet soothing sound just felt right to him. Nicholas hoisted the piece up once more, now he could see its form without the aid of the protective goggles or the handling of the long pincers, it was the double-edged blade of a dagger and he could now hold the piece in his bare paws and look at it in utter awe as he whispered:

- You still look so rough and uneven but you shall soon glisten with polish and reverence. You shall piece many a heart and no warrior shall even need to wield you expertly to do so.

Master Wilde set the blade down over the anvil, now his mind was being put to work figuring the last few details to the work like the shape of a handle, its guard and the name to give such a fine piece. As his eyes turned slightly to the left, the fox finally noticed the presence of another being inside that room, a female bunny dressed in a silky bright blue dress and staring right at him in silence, he was startled, thinking initially to be a spy who infiltrated his home, yelling out in surprise:

- YIKES!

- EEP

Judy was startled as well, jumping back as the fox looked straight at her before asking at her by name:

- Madam Hopps? Is that you?

Judy was so shaken, she could not even answer to the question right away, all that was heard was the fox speaking up once more and scolding her for coming into that place unannounced:

- Good Heavens. Don't you know that it is foolish to sneak up on an iron mason who has a hammer and a blade in paw.

Judy bowed down and apologized thoroughly after it was certified that her presence in the room was verily noticed, the bunny pointed to the door she had just come from and explained herself to the master of the forge, directing sad eye at him as she said:

- I am so sorry, Master Wilde. I called out to you from the front desk but there was no answer, I had no intent of intruding on your work or scaring you.

Nicholas walked towards the uninvited guest and her explanation ringed in his head, he did not hear any voice calling to his name at any time since he began working and he certainly did not heard the voice of the lady calling out to him before, but then again he knew how much he could become lost in his work if no one came along to stop him. Nicholas placed his paws together and his eyes traveled around the room, he only then realized that it was very late in the afternoon and he had forgotten to close up shop for the day, he took a long breath before saying:

- If that is the case then I am the one who should apologize. I was so preoccupied with this new piece that I tuned out everything else. I hope you were not left waiting for too long.

Judy became relieved that the fox was not irritated with her presence in there and actually seemed to be much more receptive to it over all. Judy made a waving dismissive gesture with her left paw and said:

- No. Not at all. I just arrived here so I could talk to you.

Nicholas' mind immediately flashed to a subject of not too long ago, a paid request made by one of the representatives of overhill who asked him to make an ornate piece of metal for the Hopps estate. Nicholas leaned back and asked:

- Oh, are you here about the new candle branch that was requested by your father?

Nicholas did not even give the bunny time to answer, heading out to the back of the workshop so that he could open up a chest and search for a specific piece that was carefully stored in there somewhere, Judy raised her paw in vain to call out to him and tell the ironsmith that her reasons for being there were unrelated to his craft:

- Wait, I'm not…

He was already distracted with something else when the words came out of her mouth. Judy heard the clanking of metal on metal as the fox reached into the chest and set aside many other items before he grabbed the one he deemed necessary for that meeting, he picked up with both of his paws a magnificent three piece candle stick, it was a beautifully sculptured piece of metal. The candle stick had a straight handle with a perfectly square base and three spaces on top to house candles that would be left to burn and illuminate any corridor or room, the mouths of the spaces reserved for the candles were undulated at its edges, made so to resemble the blooming petals of flower from spring time. Nicholas gave the candle branch to the bunny, kneeling down and gently handing it out to her like it was a sacred object that had to be treated with the outmost care, she took it into her grasp and noticed that it was much lighter than it seemed, he was prompt to explain:

- I made the interior of the handle hollow so it would be much lighter, it took me a long time to weld the base since I messed up on my first attempt.

The fox stood up once more after delivering the item to the lady, all of the material and forging cost was paid up front so there was no need to discuss money any further. Judy held on to the object and felt the smooth and cold touch of the iron on her paws, she turned her eyes to the fox and said:

- It is marvelous. Simply marvelous.

Master Wilde smiled and felt his pride swelling, after receiving soft and gentle praise from the bunny, but, as he stood up once more and looked over her once more, he took notice of the dirty edges of her dress, the bottom of her skirt was obscured by many traces of mud and that was definitely not common for a lady from high class, same thing for her feet, there was too much wet soil on her feet. Nicholas looked over Judy, she was still entranced by the subtle details on the piece in her paws, he raised his right paw and asked of her:

- Did you… walked all the way here?

Judy awakened from her trance and looked in his direction, only to soon after look down on the ground and see what was he referring to. Judy moved her toes and felt the thick crust of dirt that was now surrounding her feet but she did not let that bother her one bit, she released a sigh and did not even took too harshly when master Wilde asked further of her:

- Should you not have called a charioteer to transport you? It is a long way from the top of the hill to here.

Judy turned her head to the left and saw a wooden table where many pieces of paper were laid to rest, blank pages that were just waiting to be filled with designs for new pieces of metal to be planned out and forged, she walked towards it and placed the candle branch over its surface, she did not say any words as she did so. Judy turned around, facing Nicholas once more, only then she decided to speak and give the fox an answer:

- I did not mind the rain or the mud. No one else knows that I am here. I had to come and I had to talk to you about a most important matter.

The master of the forge showed a concerned face, worried that he might have done something wrong, Judy's solemn stare in his direction told him right away that whatever she had to discuss with him would not be a subject favorable to his stand or profession, he was mistaken but his worries spoke louder than anything else as he asked:

- Have I… done something wrong? Was anyone dissatisfied with my work?

Judy was momentarily startled by the questions coming from the fox, that was certainly not the tone she wished to communicate to him or the impression that he might be getting. Judy shook her head and clarified thing briefly as she said:

- No! Absolutely not. Your work is always amazing, master Wilde. The reason I came here is far more personal than tools or metal adorns for a living room.

Nicholas released a sigh of relief, he was very glad to know that his integrity as a master forger was not in question, he felt like he could relax a little more, with no further projects planned for the rest of the day and a prestigious guest intending to stay for a little while longer, the fox decided to set his tools aside and relax. Nicholas stored his forger's hammer back on its spot by the wall along with all the others, he grabbed a small shovel so that he could close the furnace hatch leaving it to burn hot and settle down over the nigh, finally, he removed his thick worker's apron, reaching behind his back with both of his paws to unmake the elaborate knot, then reaching for his neck and hoisting the apron off of his body before placing it on a hook by the left side wall, he was much more at ease now and could openly talk with the lady.

Judy watched as Nicholas made preparations to close down his workshop for the day, she did not see it fit to interrupt him as he was organizing his belongings before taking the time to converse with her without any more delaying concerns. As Nick went on to remove his protective apron, Judy only then realized that the fox was not wearing a shirt underneath the forging accessory, as he hung the apron on its hook and turned around to meet eyes with her once more, Judy was now able to see the fox's bare chest. The nice pattern of orange and cream colors decorating his fur was mesmerizing, the limited lighting in the room provided by the still lit furnace gave him an air of mystery and his chiseled physique left the bunny stunned, she took in a long dose of air through her nose and thought as she saw the full image of the fox turning and moving towards her:

"Dear Gods above! I can't believe this is happening!"

She was excited, shocked, glad, scared, all of those emotions mixed together in discord within her chest, she did not know which one of them she should pay more mind to but a choice needed to be made soon, master Wilde was right in front of her, just a couple of steps away as he leaned forward and asked her:

- What is it that you wish to talk about, madam Hopps?

Judy placed both of her paws over her chest and took in another dash of air so that she could gather up just enough courage in order to speak to the fox, the air she had breathed in was warm and she could clearly detect the mixturesque scent of the hot forge and the fox in front of her, it almost overwhelmed her. Judy gave a single short step forward as she began saying:

- Master Wilde, for a long time now I have been admiring you, not just your work with metals which is absolutely phenomenal, but also the way you carry yourself as a mammal. You are strong and gentle and devoted to helping others, you make such a positive difference on the lives of others and you do so in ways I could not ever hope to do.

Nicholas lowered his ears and his tail tapped against the ground, he did not understand what lady Judy was trying to say, it almost sounded like she was putting herself down, placing herself below him when actually her status far surpassed his own. Nicholas reached forward with his left paw and said:

- Your ladyship is really kind but I am not as grandiose of a mammal as you make me sound like. I am only a humble smithy and, though I pride myself in my work, it is a function that can be filled by any other.

Judy stepped forth another step and reached for his right paw, holding it softly in her reach. Judy tugged his right paw and pulled it closer to her proceeding to then have her right paw hold on to it while her left paw stroked his knuckles softly, Nicholas shuttered with pleasure after feeling her touch over him, it was simple and gentle but he could feel it vibrantly through his calloused paw. Throughout his life, Nicholas had only grasped rigid materials that he used for building structures or crafting objects, every paw he touched to greet was as hardened as his due to battle or hard labor like his, he did not recall ever feeling such a soft touch as the lady's paws over his own. Judy continued to speak as she grasped his paw in her own as best as she could:

- There is so much more to you than just a simple smithy. Conversations are heard around the town on how you volunteered to build habitations and fortify defenses. I am a humble servant of the people, I struggle to make so that every mouth would be fed and every stretch of land is tended but you, master Wilde, you accomplish much more than I could with a single day of work and dedication. Thus, I admire you so and have come to confess my feelings for you.

Nicholas kneeled down and asked, stupefied by her words, stunned by her soft touch:

- Your… feelings?

Judy hoisted his paw up and confessed:

- Master Wilde, I am deeply in love with you. I can hardly recall a moment when my thoughts were not directed at you and I just had to tell you in the flesh.

The fox's tail raised from the ground and began to shake from side to side, his eyes opened wide with incredulity, one of the wealthiest and most respected members of the city's elite just confessed having strong feelings for him and he was not ready for that. Nicholas, still on his knees, looked forth and saw the bunny smiling sweetly and waiting for him to say anything in response to her, it was just so much for the fox to take all at once, he recalled how he had sculpted slabs of iron that did not take all that much out of him. Judy had her smiled melt away as she saw the fox's expression directed at her, a blank thousand yards stare that felt cold and distant for some reason, she could not guess what would happen next but her main objective had been complete, she said what she had to say. Nicholas retreated but only slightly, leaning his upper body back as he remembered to breathe and took the time to ask:

- My lady… why would you say such a thing? What reason could there be for you to make me the mark of your affections?! I am not a lord or the owner of vast lands. I am no one.

Judy stepped in to stop his words as she said with louder volume than before:

- No! Do not talk in such a manner. You are a dedicated mammal and loyal to your friends, you have great character and you have my appreciation for everything that you made possible with you support towards others. I have 'this' as evidence.

Judy said such while putting emphasis on a certain word, she reached for her own neck and revealed an item that had been concealed for quite a while, a beautiful round pendant pinned to a chain, the metal was glistening and it was kept in a near immaculate state, Judy held the chain in her left paw as the pendant dangled in the air right in front of the fox's eyes and he was able to realize the familiarity of the object straight away. The pendant's design was intricate, most pendants were made to be as lockets, having a miniscule compartment that can be accessed by undoing a simple latch on the side, often used to keep photos of loved ones for sentimental incentive, that was not the case for that particular pendant. The item was as simple as it could be, a single round piece of metal on a chain without any jewels adorning its frame like most pieces worn by ladies and lords, the back of the pendant was lustrous and smooth and its front was marked with a careful indentation that formed the drawing of a wild carnation, a flower that symbolizes deep appreciation for another. With the pendant in clear view, Judy spoke:

- You gifted this to me during a celebration, your friend Finnick was the one that made the deliver but I know it was a gift from you. Your signature lies at the very bottom of the metal and it shows the distinct drawing of my favorite type of flower. Do you remember this?

Nick reached for the pendant, grabbing the round metal piece with both of his paws and passing his right thumb claw over the traces of the drawing, a charming and simple indentation over the metal meant to be a gesture of pure and simple generosity embedded into the gift but it turned out to be so much more. Nicholas answered to her question after only a few seconds of silent stare over the item:

- I remember every single piece that made out of this forge, this one was special indeed.

Nick raised to his feet as he continued to speak:

- There was… a sword, a huge broadsword, brought into my possession by a rambling merchant of the south. The weapon was dull and shattered at the tip, deemed unusable but the metal itself was a magnificent material to be worked. I kept the blade even if it was too massive for me to use, it rested inside my shop without purpose as I pondered what to do with it. After months with no clear answer… you show up.

Judy was silent and faintly surprised to hear mention of her in the story, could the forge master really have destroyed the rare weapon in order to make the pendant? She did not interrupt or aired speculations, simply allowed him to continue:

- You came into my shop and your very sight moved me, your sweet voice and deep gentle eyes, I could not talk to you so I decided to do what I do best, make something that would express how I felt. I melted the blade off of his hilt and hammered away, weeks drawing the patterns on the metal and making it compact enough to be wearable by you, the most beautiful most refined creature I had ever seen.

Nicholas finished his narration as he returned the pendant to Judy, placing it on the palm of her right paw as the chain dangled around to follow the movement of the pendant being passed on, he took some air and spoke:

- I recalled my frustrations when the pendant did not turned out as I wanted it to be, the many times I reformed the metal until it was just right and how my fingers hurt after this work was finished, but it was worth it. I could not deliver the gift myself so I delegated the task to my most trusted friend. I did not think you would be wearing it.

Judy clasped the pendant and placed it over her chest as she confessed:

- I never take it off.

She spoke out after that brief confession:

- And I have felt the love you put into it, more love than any other piece you made since then. I spent a long time working up the courage to come here and see you so that I could thank you and confess how my heart has been enthused by your actions. I escaped my estate without any of my family or the house staff finding out, so that I could be here and speak to you.

Nicholas was utterly moved, his paws reached for the bunny, his rough palms were placed over her cheeks as he kneeled once more and lured closer to tell her:

- My lady's words and actions hath moved my heart in wonderfully unexpected ways, but what you say, what you feel, can be construed as absolute folly.

His paws lowered, sliding over her fur, to her neck, to her shoulders, as he continued to say solemnly:

- We are two drastically different individuals, not even of the same species, of two separate worlds. Although my feelings and yours are genuine, harsh tempers would be ignited in those who saw us together. A lady who is only steps away from the supreme court as a trusted consultant romantically involved with a provincial worker, it might be seen as scandalous. You might be ostracized by other members of the overhill.

Judy lowered her head, she had already thought of the risks of becoming entangled in such a ploy for what could be considered a passing fad of the heart, she did not see it in such a way. Clasping the pendant in both of her paws, the bunny looked straight into the fox's eyes and said:

- Then we shall abscond together.

The fox was alarmed by such a suggestion, he removed his paws from Judy's shoulders and asked in alarm:

- What?!

- If no one, not even my own family, agrees with my feelings for you, I say we escape, run away together to somewhere we will not be bothered by such things. Somewhere far, at a place where no one can protest or bother us.

Nicholas could see clearer than before that the desire of the bunny to be with him was strong, she was willing to go against her parent's wishes and elope with him, at that moment it became apparent how determination she carried within and how it may have been impeding her judgment. Nick protested, leaning back once more and speaking up to her:

- No. I cannot let you do this.

Judy felt her heart clenching after hearing that, scared that the fox may have spurned her affections, come to his senses in a manner of speak, but it was not like that. Judy felt her worries melt once Nicholas gestured with his right paw, pointing to a spot far away from their current location as he said:

- Running off to anywhere would mean having you give up your life and goals, you have come so far and prepared so much in order to become a member of the provincial parliament, you can make the difference for the lives of countless others with your efforts. I might be able to begin a new life elsewhere, anywhere, with my laboring attributes but I cannot let you toss all of your efforts away on a whim as such. I could never live with myself if I burdened you to the point of letting your aspirations die out.

Judy was moved, fighting against the flow of tears she was about to let out, tears of happiness for what she had just heard, the bunny had studied hard and offered her merits in order to improve the lives of others, she was doing what she dreamt of for so long, making a difference. Judy opened her arms and tossed herself forward, she was caught by Nicholas who embraced her avidly as she began kissing him, smooching the area beneath his jaw as she could not resist it anymore, she had to be with him and she could not care less about any consequences. Nicholas felt a pleasant shock travel along his spine, she felt as the bunny held on to him with both of her paws, their chests pressing against one another and the warm touch of her lips on the sides of his neck, he could not hide how happy he was and how enticed he as becoming to repay her advances in full.

Judy took a pause to breathe, Nicholas let sequential puffs of warm air escape his mouth as he held on to her, his paws resting right beneath her shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes, the touch of a female as something the forge master had not experienced for quite a while, he thought about how foolish it would be for him to let his instincts take over completely and how it would have been even more foolish for him to let that opportunity go to waste. Nicholas leaned forward, slowly and steadily approaching the facade of the female in his hold, he opened up his lips and made a soft pucker as he got just close enough to press his lips over hers. Success. Ecstasy. There was no other feeling that could remotely compare and both of them wished incessantly for more.

Judy could feel her chest melting with delight while Nicholas only felt the fire in his belly growing stronger and more unwieldy, there was nothing else to be said or dissents to be aired, there was only that moment and how amazing it felt to let it unravel flawlessly from that kiss onwards. Judy placed her paws on the back of the fox's head petting and caressing his fur as the pressure of the kiss increased, both of their mouths delighting one another with a slow but comprehensive set of motions that would not cease until that sensation had been thoroughly seared into their minds, Judy's right paw trailed off and slipped over his body leaving a small trace over his orange fur that lead on to his chest, between pleasurable moans and brief pauses to brief, the kissing became more intense until it ceased abruptly, leaving the two mammals with their very cores shaken.

Judy looked at Nicholas, his stare towards her seemed to be sharp and steely, almost as if he as prepared to snag something away from her and keep it for himself. Judy inquired of him if something was amiss but his expression did not change, no verbal answer came straight away, instead, the fox readjusted his hold and hoisted the bunny in the air, carrying her off to parts unknown:

- Goodness! Master Wilde, what is this?

He turned his body off in another direction, they were now facing an unlit corner wall of the workshop as he carried her off, three steps ahead the fox decided to address her in a less formal way as he told her:

- You can feel free to call me Nicholas.

After saying that, the fox walked a little further and revealed a secret that the bunny was definitely not prepared for, there was a secret chamber within the workshop disguised as an unassuming wall, all that Nicholas had to do was insert his left paw into a small breach by the wall and a passage opened revealing a bedroom where the two of them could enjoy their moment of intimacy with warm and comfort. Judy looked around as they entered, the room was poorly lit so she could only make out the single mammal bed placed by the far wall to the right, Nicholas set her down over the edge of the bed and went on to light a lantern by the night stand, igniting the oil soaked fuse to provide that room with some much needed light. After the lantern was lit, Judy could see the room she was in so clearly, four walls and a slant roof, only a single small window next to the bed, a hard wood floor, a carpet by the bed side and a water pump next to a mirror resting by the wall furthest from the bed, possibly used by the fox for cleaning up and quenching his thirst during the longest days of work.

Judy was frankly astonished by what she was seeing, the secret bed chamber had been there all this time but how could it be so? The bunny leaned over her seat on the bed to ask the fox about that place and how it came to be and he was all too glad to entrust her with the specifics of that secret place as he said:

- Most days I get so wrapped up in my work that I forget to go home. Eat, drink, sleep, it all falls to the wayside as I manage my forge. I decided to build this room in secret so that I could have moments of respite for myself during the most strenuous work days. To the outside viewer it looks as nothing more than a storage shed.

Judy tried sitting still over the bed but it proved very hard to her, the bunny could not stop bouncing over the mattress and the sheets as she thought over to what was happening, she was secluded alongside the target of her affections in a secretive nook for them alone, it was overwhelming. Nick roamed around the room and grabbed an empty wooden bucket from the corner, he walked to the water pump and filled the bucket with water until its half-mark, he fetched a clean towel that was placed at a hanger next to the mirror and then moved towards Judy, she was very uncertain about what might happen next. Nick set the bucket down as he flung the towel over his left shoulder and the put himself down on one knee, he was at the foot of the bed, only inches away from Judy as he directed his glistening eyes in her direction, he picked the towel from his shoulder with his right paw and dipped it into the water bucket, he rung the towel a few times before looking back over to her and asking vaguely:

- May I?

- Mas… Nicholas, what are you…?

Judy was not sure what that was all about but she got an answer right away as she felt his left paw grabbing her right heel and bringing her foot closer so that he could clean it up. Judy had completely forgotten that he feet were still muddy but Nicholas offered her a thorough and loving cleaning service that she could not refuse, the fingers of his left paw grasped her right foot as he guided the towel over her toes with his right paw, Judy moaned as she felt the refreshing touch of the wet towel over her. Nicholas was predetermined to wipe off every trace of mud from her and he did so with expert movements, almost as if she was carefully polishing a piece that just left the furnace, although he knew her flesh and fur were far more subtle than metal, he passed the towel with circular movements and carefully calculated pressure as he cleaned her off. Nicholas moved the towel over the knuckles of his right paw as he cleaned the top of her feet, then he placed it over the palm of his paw with a calm rotation of his wrist to carefully caress her soles, Judy thought about stopping him, trying to tell him that going through that effort for her was unnecessary, but the fox's gentle touch over her feet was taking hold of her prevalent thoughts and the only sounds that left her mouth were pleasant moans, sometimes she would release a laugh when he decided to clean between her toes, she was specially ticklish there, she let him work in peace at his leisure.

Nicholas went a little beyond her feet, occasionally dipping the towel back on the water only enough so that the cleaning motions he had set for himself would continue briefly after, the most stubborn traces of mud were gone and he was now focused on cleaning the rest of her legs, spreading his touch over her in a sensual way with the pretense that there were still smidgeons of grime over her legs that she did not detect before. With the damp towel on the palm of his right paw as his left paw served as a support for her right heel, Nicholas slid his touch over her as slowly as he could, over her ankles, the front of her knees and then on to her lower thigh and back, he proceeded to repeat the same gestures and motion on her left leg. Judy's lower half was now spotless but she did not even care, she tossed her backside over the mattress with a silly smile on her face as her mind was driven beyond its common boundaries thanks to the fox's expert touch. Nicholas' job was concluded and to tell her that he was done, he delivered a little kiss to her right foot, causing her to raise her head promptly and gasp with surprise.

After her feet were clean, Judy tucked her legs over the mattress and thanked Nicholas, she watched as the fox grabbed the items he had brought over for the bodily cleaning service so that he could place them back on their regular spots in the room, she took that time to move her feet around over the bed, wiggling her toes and feeling much more at ease, she adjusted her dress by patting over the fabric of the skirt with both of her paws as Nicholas set the bucket and the used towel aside. Finishing that, he walked back and climbed over the bed walking over the mattress on all fours as he approached the bunny with a slick smile on his muzzle, he appeared daring, wicked in a way, he had her and was not about to let her go so soon. Judy and Nicholas were now laying side by side and she could feel growing palpitations from her chest as the fox crawled over the mattress until they were now laying together over the cozy hidden nest. The bed itself was hard and lumpy but it was still soft enough to provide adequate comfort for the pair, they embraced over the sheets and continued their affectionate interactions where they had left it on previously, kissing, hugging, moaning with undiscerning passion.

Nicholas placed himself over Judy's body, using his legs and forearms as supports so that he would not place the entirety of his bodily weight over her, Judy had her back against the mattress and reached out to grasp the sides of his face with her paws, guiding him back to a soft kiss that lasted only a few seconds before she diverted her attention to something else. Judy's paws slid over his chest, the sides of his torso, their movement was sporadic and asymmetrical, her eyes were directed at his face, staring into his piercing eyes while her paws got busy with his raw form, during her caressing motion which was very much appreciated, Nicholas leaned his head forward as he planted his muzzle on the side of her neck, his sense of smell gorging itself in her scent, he could not get enough of it. Judy released a yelp of delight and the fingers of her paws clenched the fur on his back as she felt his nostrils pressing against her and taking long sniffs, the warm air they let out tickled her fur and gave her added incentive to keep that motion going. Nick took a second to breathe, removing his muzzle from her neck as he spoke out between gasps of air:

- My lady… I have never experienced something so fantastical than this moment with you.

Judy placed her right paw over his lips as she intervened in his words by saying with clear poise of control:

- You will call me Judy from now on. Understand?

To which he replied after a brief moment of thought:

- Certainly… Judy.

They continued, their kisses were now more intense as their bodies rolled over the sheets but that pleasant moment would be harshly interrupted by an upsetting revelation. Judy followed the natural flow of a spin and was alarmed when her body fell off the bed, she hit the ground with a loud thud and the thumping pain on her shoulder caused her to wake up from her loving daze. Judy looked around and her surroundings had changed, she had changed, the factorials of her mind had returned her to the present, to her bedroom, to her apartment in the city of Zootopia, she woke up from her dream and she was not happy about that. Judy was seated on the floor, a thick cotton sheet wrapped around her and the pillow she embraced fervently by her side, the bunny grabbed the cushion next to her and sunk her face into the soft cover before releasing a muffled squeal of displeasure, she removed her head from her pillow as soon as she had emptied the contents of her lungs onto it.

Judy now had no way of denying it to herself, her mind and her very subconscious were telling her the undeniable truth, she was in love with her friend, the fox that changed her life was the indivisible mark of her affections. Judy grabbed the pillow and the sheet beneath her right arm and tossed herself back on the bed, she tried to get back to sleep while surrendering herself to her feelings and hoping that the following morning would bring her more manageable answers for her emotional state.