Hey guys! I know it's been a pretty long time since I've uploaded anything here. Honestly, I feel like my past works were pretty unsatisfactory in retrospect. I tried to put too many ideas into one story due to my ambitions and it didn't really work out, as it killed my drive to continue writing for you guys. But here I am, ready to bring all of you guys something new! I really like the idea of Nick and Judy meeting very early on in their lives, so this story will explore this idea a little further. I'm not sure how long this entire thing will be, nor how often I'll be able to update. Regardless, I hope all of you enjoy The Thrill of It All and all of the comical drama that comes with it (as well as the truth that lurks underneath the surface of Camp Odayaka).

The Thrill of It All: a Zootopia Story

Nick was at wit's end. His mother and father had just broken the news to him: news that changed the course of the young fox's entire summer vacation. And that… well, that was painful.

Summer vacation was to a rising seventh grader as a long awaited weekend to a working adult, except it meant that much more. There were popsicles, swimming pools, trips to the fair. There were the outdoor movies that Nick had really come to love, and the trips down to the Zootopia docks with his father that he cherished above almost all else. Some days, Nick would help his father with his work around the house, and other days he would take time to be with his mother. Sometimes the two of them would go shopping at the mall, and other times they would go to see a scary movie, which was Nick's obvious preference.

Either way, Nick was happy with summertime. He loved every second of it, especially the greatest part of all: freedom. Being away from school was everything. Being a fox in a not-so-mature environment was a recipe for certain disaster, and it almost always turned out that way.

Nick didn't care that he was a fox; he deserved every bit of a chance as everyone else. His friends, which were far and few, preferred this mode of thinking as well. Perhaps that is what scared him most about going to summer camp for an entire month and a half — he would be without most of his friends from school. At least he still had Ray, his closest friend of all to protect… well, should we say try to protect him. See, Ray was a character of sorts… while he looked like a rather fearsome ocelot, he struggled to bring his intimidating side out more times than not.

There was one time that another kid at school had "accidentally" knocked Nick's tray out of his hands at a school lunch, and Nick decided that the conflict wasn't worth it this time around and walked to the back of the line to wait for another tray. However, Ray wasn't so willing to let it slide. He demanded the buffalo that knocked Nick's try to the floor to offer his own to Nick, and that it wasn't right to force the young fox to move to the back of the line. In response, the buffalo emptied his tray inside of Ray's shirt with a fake "oops", promptly moving to the back of the line with a mock shrug as everyone in the line wailed with laughter.

Still, Nick appreciated Ray and the rest of his friends more than anything. They had helped him through a lot of rocky times where he felt deeply discouraged — times he gave up on the world's perception of foxes ever changing. Recently, though, Nick had felt more determined than ever.

The sleepy kit rolled over and stared out the window of his bedroom, squinting his eyes as he tried to gain the motivation to rise out of his happy place. His room was his haven; it always had been. It wasn't the biggest or most spectacular by any means: it was a pretty small room with his bed on the right, a single window on the back wall, a TV beside the window with his favorite video games ready to be played, a shelf with a few books and the sort… and that was really it. There was also his closet full of clothes, but truth be told, his closet used to evoke a lot of fear. There's just something about it that always seemed ghostly. Anyways, Nick really did cherish the moments he was allowed to recoup in his cave.

It felt like poetic justice to sleep in an absurd amount the day after school is out for the summer. His clock read 1:33 PM, which didn't surprise him. Nick didn't set an alarm or anything of the sort, and his parents weren't home until three today, since they went to run errands.

Nick smiled to himself while he rubbed his eyes. It felt really good to not have any homework or anything of the sort to worry about. Not for two (and a half) whole months. It was almost too good to be true. Still, there was the knowledge of what was to come the next day he couldn't help but feel anxious and concerned about.

He just didn't know how to feel about summer camp. It could turn out to be one of the most fun months of his entire life, but it was the uncertainty that fried his nerves with worry. What if the kids there weren't cool with the idea of predators and prey being together for an entire month without any separation? He didn't know what he would do, stranded in an unfamiliar place with only one mammal that he knew. Plus he was losing the summertime he was all too familiar with.

There's no point in worrying, Nick thought to himself as he stretched, finally hopping out of his bed. He simply needed to be optimistic, and maybe, just maybe…

"Maybe this summer won't suck" Nick muttered aloud, severely doubting his words as he walked out of his bedroom.

He wandered into the kitchen, where his eyes shot up to face the calendar.

"June 6th through July 17th at Camp Odayaka" he said to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. That was basically his entire summer vacation. The kit sighed again as he ran his claws through the fur on his head, trying his best not to stress over it. "Cereal, Nick" he said to himself as he pulled a box of cereal from the pantry. "Focus on cereal".

Nick was truly a huge fan of camping and wilderness exploration, if he was being honest. He loved the idea of the scouts despite his horrible encounter with his old "troop" a few years ago. There was always something very intriguing about the primal, unexplored wild — something about the unknown. Maybe, just maybe, if he got anything out of this summer camp, it would be a chance to see what the natural world has to offer, and maybe something would surprise him.

He was a clever fox, and it was very rare that anything surprised him. But sometimes…

Brrr….brrr…..

Nick's phone vibrated suddenly with an incoming call, startling him. He quickly fumbled his phone in his paws, nearly dropping it as he accepted the call.

"Ray? What's up?" Nick asked, quickly recomposing himself.

"Dude, did you hear?" Ray asked his best friend with an excited tone. "Ven is going!"

Nick's eyes grew wider with surprise. Ven was a raccoon in Nick's class at school that he and Ray had become very good friends with. They were three peas in a pod, to put it very lightly. But Ven… well, let's just say he wasn't the most adventurous type.

"Really?" Nick asked in disbelief. "Why? The dude hates nature with all guts."

"Beats me," Ray stated plainly. "Maybe his mom is making him go. We both know how she can be."

Nick took a second to imagine Ven in the wilderness with amusement as he paced around the room, holding the phone to one of his somewhat oversized ears.

"This is either going to end in disaster or it's going to end in disaster" Nick concluded with a chuckle.

"You're not wrong," Ray commented. "But anyways, I just wanted to let you know so maybe you'll be slightly more excited about tomorrow. I'm out for lunch with my family right now so I gotta go."

"Okay, have a good lunch" Nick spoke, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he started to pour his bowl of cereal. "See you tomorrow… I guess" he added with uncertainty.

"See ya, dude."

Nick put his phone back in his pocket and took the carton of milk from the refrigerator. He set it down on the countertop and stared at the unopened cap with dread. He always sucked at opening stuff, especially cartons of milk.

"Alright milk," Nick said with a smirk. "Time to be opened".

Of course, the young fox failed horribly the first ten or so tries. He took a minute to catch his breath as he took a step back from the villainous carton of milk with a determined look on his face.

What was he if he couldn't even open a carton of milk? Some adventurer he would be one day. What was he going to do when he one day found himself stuck on the edge of a cliff, death trying their best to pull him down onto the ragged rocks below? If he couldn't even open a carton of milk, he was doomed to die for sure. It wasn't even close.

"Okay" Nick spoke calmly as he took one final breath, stepping back up to the countertop. "This is it."

He had to do it. He had to prove himself. If he couldn't do this, he couldn't ever be anything more.

He placed his paws firmly around the cap and clenched his jaw, focusing extra hard on doing what he needed to open the milk — in that moment, it was all he wanted.

Nick twisted with all his might, all of his power. He put his entire body into it, grunting and growling as he poured his soul into accomplishing the goal hand. Eventually, the young fox fell on the floor, yelping in pain as his paws burned from the friction.

The young fox sat up quickly, blowing air on to his palms as he grimaced. After a moment, the burning pain subsided, and he lifted his eyes back up to the carton.

The cap was still on.

Nick swiftly rose to his feet and yanked the carton from the countertop, aggressively sliding it back into the refrigerator with a displeased face. He halfway slammed the fridge door and turned back to his bowl of cereal with a scowl.

"Who needs milk anyways" he said aloud as a way of coping with his humiliating failure. "Cereal is just as good without milk," he lied.

He plopped down at the dining room table with his bowl of cereal, staring at the pieces of the food with dissatisfaction. He took a bite of the cereal and looked upwards at the light fixture above the table. As he chewed he started to frown, glaring back down at the bowl.

"Who am I kidding," Nick mumbled. "Cereal is nowhere near as good without milk."

Judy was so excited she could barely function. She was a mere twenty hours from waking up to leave for summer camp for a whole month and a half! She couldn't believe her parents agreed to let her attend, but she wasn't going to complain. She was going to do quite the opposite.

Since the camp buses the next day depart from Zootopia, Judy and her father, Stu, had spent the entire morning in the city. Like with most things, Judy had come to appreciate every second of being there, despite the fact that Judy had to be away from her Mother, Bonnie, and her 275 siblings (she had come to know all 275 quite well). She knew she would come to miss her home during the forty-one day journey to Camp Odayaka.

The camp was about thirty miles north of the big city, which Judy loved as well. She had never been north of Zootopia, so this was all the more new to her.

Stu cautiously boarded the Zootopia subway as Judy bounced in behind him, looking happier than ever just to be alive and in the city. The smell was rather musty, and almost every animal on board looked somewhat miserable. There were otters, weasels, tigers and deer, among many other animals as Judy scanned the subway.

There were other rabbits, but they didn't look as friendly as the rabbits from Bunnyburrow. They looked drowsy, grumpy and irritable. Judy wondered to herself how someone could be so down in the great metropolis of Zootopia — it just didn't make sense to her. Life could be anything that one wanted, right? Anyone could be anything — at least that's what the young bunny had heard her entire life.

"Judy, you need to be careful," Stu whispered, not daring to move his eyes from the rough-looking animals around them. "Just stay near me."

"Dad, don't worry," Judy said in response. "It's only a five minute ride to the restaurant anyways."

Stu nodded as if he understood his daughter's words, but he still felt the exact same.

At least there's not any foxes on board, Stu thought to himself as he brushed his fox repellent with his paw, making sure it was still attached to his belt and out of view.

Judy took notice of her father's uneasiness as they sat down on the subway in silence for several minutes, quickly approaching their lunchtime destination. She looked up at him with a knowing expression.

"I know you don't like the city," the rabbit stated simply. "But I'm still glad you're gonna let me see some of the city today."

"It's not that I don't like Zootopia honey, I just…"

Stu gestured discreetly to the mammals around him, all wrapped up in their various distractions. Whether it be their phone, a newspaper, a gaze out the window… everyone on board seemed to have their mind elsewhere, wishing that they were also.

"No one seems happy," he whispered even more quietly, paranoid that someone may take his words the wrong way.

"It's probably just how the subway is," Judy hypothesized. "Everyone is going somewhere and is so excited about where they're going that the journey there makes them… impatient, I guess. But I think deep down, everyone here is happier than you think. Trains can just be boring."

The other bunny to Judy and Stu's left had finally overheard part of their conversation, and turned towards them with dead eyes.

"I wish I was dead," he stated as plainly as possible before moving his face back to the newspaper in his paws.

Judy cringed to herself as Stu wore a look that screamed: "I told you so."

The train reached the stop before Judy and Stu's as the two began to ponder more and more about their meal that was approaching ever-so-quickly in their near future. The two studied the menu in Stu's cell phone for several minutes, trying to find the optimal combination for lunch. However, Stu's attention was quickly redirected as a rather large fox boarded the train and sat down directly across from the father and daughter. Judy noticed her father's attention shift and knew exactly why once she looked up.

"Dad, come on. Let's look at the menu," Judy suggested, not wanting to generalize foxes like her father always had.

"One second, honey."

"Dad, it's fine," Judy whispered, sounding rather exasperated. "We're fine, let's just look at the menu."

Stu's eyes shot back down and he took a deep breath, putting his arm around Judy to pull her a bit closer to him. He didn't want to believe that everyone in the world was bad… that every fox in the world was bad, but to him, he had his reasons to be suspicious. He just wanted to be as safe as possible.

"Okay, okay," Stu finally responded, looking back down on his phone. The rest of the train ride was rather uneventful.

The train arrived at Judy and Stu's stop a mere two minutes later, where the two of them swiftly removed themselves from the train, walking back outside into the blistering summer heat. Man, did it get hot in the city. It would have been a lot more tolerable if it wasn't so humid all the time.

"Well," Stu began as he took in his surroundings. "We made it, didn't we?"

"Yep, this is it!" Judy exclaimed, nearly jumping for joy.

The pair had arrived at the restaurant at last, prompting Stu to release a sigh of relief. They had managed to make it, well…. five minutes from the hotel. But by train! That's the important part. Stu had never been on a train before, much less a Zootopia train.

Stu crossed his arms with a grin, happy with himself for overcoming his anxieties revolving around the big city.

Judy had never understood this part of her father. Ever since she was a toddler, she had dreamed of one day moving to the big city. Now, she was finally getting a taste (quite literally) of what life would be like — what a Friday afternoon lunch would be like as well. And not only that, but the next day, she would get to embark on her perfect summer vacation to Camp Odayaka.

Sure, she'd be without all of her friends and family, but that was the thrill of it all! Sometimes life will push one out of their own comfort zone, and that was everything to Judy.

Judy thought back to the time she found herself alone on a blindside "date" with Kevin Benson, an elephant from her school with a severe hygiene issue.

Well, most of the time that is…

The day passed quickly for both Nick and Judy as they made their various preparations for camp. Nick's mother and father came home around three, exactly on schedule. There were some arguments here and there about what Nick could and couldn't bring (giant laser pointers were not allowed on camp premises) and various other things. Nick finally allowed himself to calm down and take a moment to consider the possibility that camp might end up being slightly fun. He ended up brushing it off and falling asleep a bit earlier than usual.

Judy and her father had a brilliant lunch and got to see parts of downtown Zootopia, including a look at the police station (which was Judy's favorite part of the day, and it wasn't even close). At the end of the evening, the two had another delicious meal in Zootopia before returning to the hotel, where Judy checked over her bag somewhere around twenty-five times to ensure she had everything she needed for the next day. She then fell asleep mere seconds after making contact with her pillow, which Stu found rather funny.

Both Nick and Judy had no idea what the next day had in store for them, as well as the next forty-one days. But when the sun rose in the morning, their lives would begin to change forever.

My computer has been really weird today so sorry if there were any typos! I plan to update this story ASAP, as this was more an introduction than anything. What will Camp Odayaka have in store for our two favorite mammals? I think we may suspect some of what may happen, but that's for all of you to find out. Anyways, please leave your thoughts in the reviews! I'm excited to be back supplying you guys with more Zootopia material — I'm hoping I can stick with this, because I'm really confident that this story is one to remember. Thanks for reading — until next time!