Hi!
I apologize for this slightly longer release time. I was far away from any internet for a week.
Once again, thank you for all views, follows, favs and reviews. I'm glad that you can enjoy reading this story. :)
Here's chapter eight:
"This?" Said the doctor pointing at the three deep cuts in Finnick's leg. "Over a girl?"
They were in Zootopia's General Hospital, because it was the closest ER in the vicinity. Not to mention the hour the two foxes rolled in through the main door, one of them leaving a bloody trail on the floor.
"Yes." Nick and Finnick said in perfect sync.
The arctic fox in the doctor's coat gave them a look that said he'd sooner believe a story about a flying elephant. Nevertheless, he began cleaning the wound. Nick sat down in one of the chairs in the room, a pair of shades covering his eyes. Upon a question, as to why he was wearing them, the fox replied that it's to protect his sensitive eyes from the lights inside the building. It was of course a lie - Nick needed the glasses to hide his savage gaze.
The doctor finished his job and stood up. "Next time, at least refrain from using claws." He scolded Nick, waving a finger at him. "Though I can't imagine a lady worth this much blood…"
Finnick and Nick exchanged glances. The red fox grinned and fennec replied with a smirk. He reached to the pocket and took out his smartphone. "Doc." The little fox beckoned the doctor to come closer. When he did so, Finnick showed him a picture of Miss Shavala. The white fox's jaw dropped down.
"She worth it?" Nick asked innocently.
"Haa?" Was what their doctor was able to voice out.
"I have her phone number." The red fox added.
Finnick shot him a murderous look. "Since yer already in a hospital, wanna' stay longer?" He barked at his friend. Nick sniggered, both at doctor's and Fin's reactions.
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When they finally left the ER, Nick dropped Finnick off at the fennec's place.
"Fin, if you need something…"
The little fox waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, I got yer number, I know where ya live and I certainly don't need a nanny!"
"If you say so." The red fox watched as Finnick limped to his apartment building and disappeared behind the door. He then proceeded towards his own place. Nick didn't need his shades anymore, as his savage mode subsided. He could tell by the lack of constant tension throughout the whole body and lack of that itching feeling to bite or attack someone. Interestingly, although his senses gained an additional edge while in savage mode, they didn't exactly drop down to the levels from before the Nighthowler serum. Sight and hearing were still enhanced and this made Nick wonder what could be the cause of it, since he couldn't use his abnormal strength while not in the savage mode.
*What makes it different?* He thought.
When Nick got back home and took a shower, he lied on the bed surfing the internet, trying to find any relevant information regarding savagery, savage animals and their biology. As it turned out, the anatomy books weren't much of a help, since they dealt with modern day animals. Skimming through websites, he came across a name of a professor who gave a lecture about social behaviour of mammals in the pre-civilized era. Noting this information as important, Nick memorized the name of the scientist and his contact information. He'll have to pay the distinguished professor a visit in the near future. With that idea he went to sleep.
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The next day, since Finnick was grounded for the time being, Nick had to sell pawpsicles on his own again. It worked to his favour, because he had more time for himself and a certain sociologist to find. Having the address of Zootopia's University in his memory, Nick didn't have any trouble to find the place. Located in the heart of Tundratown, the building was soaring high in the frozen air.
The fox entered through the front door and headed for the reception. A young female lynx was sitting behind the counter.
*Now this will make it easier.* he thought with a sly grin, putting on fake reading glasses. He approached the receptionist with a warm and trustworthy smile.
"Good afternoon." He greeted her with a thick, perfect British accent.
"How can I help you?" The lynx said without looking up from her computer screen. She was chewing a gum.
"I am doctor Nicholas Wilde, from the University of Foxford." Nick introduced himself. "I would be very grateful if you could direct me to professor Moosejeng's office."
"Professor is busy with his studies and is not available right now." The receptionist replied automatically.
Nick grinned, as he knew that kind of answer very well. It meant 'I have no idea who you're talking about, so I'll give you a standard answer, for you to get off my sight' and was very often used by governmental clerks. But it wasn't an obstacle for Nick. He leaned on the counter.
"Are you sure? I came here specifically to meet him and discuss his latest lecture."
She finally looked up from her monitor and glanced at the visitor. The sight was a surprise for her. She expected to see some elderly, plain scholar and wasn't ready to meet, eye to eye, with a handsome, elegant fox that was smiling at her. Nick's attire was different today – he wore a light blue shirt with a navy jacket, plus matching trousers.
"Oh… um…" The lynx was a bit lost for words, eyeing Nick.
"Miss…" He said in a warm voice. "Could you please check again if he is not available?"
The girl blinked, drawn back to reality. "Oh… yes! Of course!" She quickly returned to her screen and started typing.
Two minutes later Nick was in an elevator, heading for the professor's office. He found it with ease and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Said a voice from inside.
The fox walked in and glanced around the room. It was very neatly organized, books and documents on the shelves along with boxes of unknown content. An elderly moose was sitting beside a huge desk covered in various papers.
"Hello." He said, standing up to greet his guest. He had old fashioned spectacles and a battered sweater. "Can I help you?"
"Doctor Nicholas Wilde, biologist." Nick said, still in his role and extended a paw. The moose responded with a hoof and shook it.
"What can I do for you doctor?" The professor gestured towards a chair on the opposite side of his desk; they both sat down.
Nick folded his paws. "I've read about your lecture on pre-civilized mammals and I immediately knew that I'll have to pay you a visit. I specialize in anatomic changes and mutations over the course of history, but recently we've all heard about the dreadful situation with mammals going savage. And I thought: here's a great opportunity. I came to Zootopia to offer my knowledge to the doctors taking care of the unfortunate victims and I hoped that there will be a chance to talk to them after an antidote will be devised."
"I understand, but I do not see what it has to do with my research." Said the moose.
"My personal interest, professor. I must confess, that I am fascinated by the savage side of us, mammals. And when I heard about your lecture I couldn't help myself from coming here. You see, I have observed during my research that social behaviour has a strong impact on the direction in which we evolve, therefore I simply had to consult this matter with such a renowned colleague."
The elderly scholar fidgeted a bit, flustered by the compliment. "Well, thank you, but I think you're giving me too much praise…"
"Not at all, professor." Nick interjected. "In your lecture you discussed topics, that were omitted by other researchers up to this point. Grizzolsky may have mentioned the importance of pack hierarchy, but didn't notice the crucial exceptions of interpersonal relation within the pack. Goatz did cover the topic of territorial fights, however he forgot to mention cases of packs occasionally sharing territories." He said smoothly.
Professor Moosejeng raised his brows. "I'm impressed; you've studied these works to this extent?"
Nick smiled. "As I said before, it's my passion." Which, of course, was a lie, but he did read all those research papers in the library, just few days before.
"Well, in that case I'll gladly share my knowledge." Said the moose, putting his hooves together.
Nick grinned inwardly. *Got you.*
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At the start of the next week, first sun rays of the day forced their way through the window of Judy's apartment, only to find an empty bed. The bunny was already getting ready to head to the ZPD station. She didn't use her crutches anymore – doctor permitted it over phone yesterday – but remembered not to run or put extra pressure on the freshly healed paw. Nevertheless, she could now walk without any discomfort. With a bright smile and determination to continue her duty, Judy Hopps left her apartment.
She got to the precinct by bus, occasionally approached by complete strangers that congratulated her on solving the case and with smiles of gratitude.
"I just did my job." Was her shy reply, the bunny not accustomed to such popularity, which she deemed not deserved.
"Miss," Said a tiger in a bit tarnished, but still elegant suit. "My wife was one of those missing mammals and I've even started wondering if I ever see her again. You found her and now we hear that an antidote is being developed. I thank you with all my heart."
"Keep up the good work!" A mongoose patted her friendly on the back.
Her cheeks were red, with all the praise she received. With that state of confused mixture of pride and embarrassment, Judy finally got to the precinct. But the compliments didn't end there. When she entered the building, Clawhauser spotted her immediately and yelled in his cheerful voice. "Judyyy! Judy is back!" Every officer in the entrance hall turned their heads to her. The bunny wished she could disappear, as she couldn't withstand all the sudden attention. How much she wanted for Nick to be here now and turn it all into a joke. It would be less embarrassing than this. Then even some whistles started and few officers started clapping their paws and yelling enthusiastically. With a weak smile Judy walked quickly towards Bogo's office and tapped on the door.
"In." Came a reply.
With a sigh of relief, Judy slipped inside and shut the door behind her, cutting off the loud welcome.
Bogo raised a puzzled brow. "Anything wrong?"
She saluted sharply. "No, sir! Just a bit… overwhelmed."
"Don't get used to it, Hopps." He grunted, turning his eyes back to the documents on his desk. "There ain't no place for celebrities in my force. Now sit down." Bogo indicated the chair with his hoof.
She hopped on it and sat to attention.
"How's the leg?" Came a formal question from the buffalo. Not, that she expected any empathy from the grumpy chief of police.
"All good, sir. Well… maybe not yet for any sprinting this week…" Judy admitted with some reluctance. Being slow meant that the only thing she could do right now was parking duty and that's something she'd really want to avoid.
Bogo stared at her in silence, long enough for her to shift uneasily.
"Sir?"
He snorted, picked a file from his drawer and threw it to her. "Someone reported weird activity during last few nights at the Junkyard. Take a look at the place, ask some questions. Also, since everyone at the precinct has already been paired up with a fellow officer, I have no one to babysit you. You'll have to wait for the next week and a new portion of recruits. We'll do some shuffling then." The buffalo leaned towards the little bunny. "And NO overdoing it, am I clear? If the thing gets crazy, report immediately."
Judy's eyes shined brightly and a wide smile decorated her furry face. "Thank you, sir!" The bunny knew it was chief's way of being considerate, since he knew she had a bad experience with being a meter maid and this seemed exactly like a way for letting her start anew with something fresh.
He went back to reading his documents and waved her off.
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Given keys to a patrol car, Judy was almost hopping from enthusiasm about a new case. She forced herself not to run to the parking lot. Once in the car, the bunny set up the GPS for the Junkyard and thought how long it will take her to memorize some parts of the complex map of Zootopia, so she could drive without electronic guidance. That thought let her to a certain someone who's bound to know more about the city's layout than her. Judy smiled, deciding to pick up a passenger for the ride.
She didn't find him at his usual spot, by the Lemming Brothers bank, nor at the place she managed to find him last week. From the places she knew, there was only one left where he could be.
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Midday's sun was shining down on a certain fox. Nick was lying on his folded chair, with arms behind his head and sunglasses to protect his sensitive eyes. He always found this place and position to be the best option for processing information. And he had a lot to digest. Yesterday's conversation in the Zootopian University provided him with a hefty amount of new knowledge about savage animals.
According to the professor, savage does not exactly equal aggressive. Considering this, he had another mystery to solve – if above mentioned was true, then why he went crazy every time the effects of the serum took over. Maybe it wasn't just turning savage, they could've add some other ingredient that caused the brain to go haywire. A drug? Some kind of preservative? This meant that his research had to take another turn. This time he needed to gather information about neurological consequences of the serum and this one could prove tricky to obtain.
But that was an issue to solve on a later hour. Right now he wanted to finish up analyzing all that he got from the moose. And what troubled him most was the part about… relationships. The scholar explained to him, that basic instincts of ancient predators were focused on survival and… mating, as a way of passing on the genetic material. Therefore, once in a while they fixated on finding a proper partner to mate. This meant a lot of attention from males towards females. And this was what worried him most. Since the museum, Nick felt that some part of his mind were sending signals of interest whenever Carrots was around. For obvious reasons it was a ridiculous thought. *A fox and bunny together, yeah right.* Not even for a second his closed up heart considered this a genuine feeling. Therefore, Nick cataloged this in his memory as another side effect of the serum, with a note: very dangerous.
His phone rang, disturbing his train of thought.
„Yes?" He picked up.
„Good afternoon Mr Wilde, Alexandra Shavala here, may I have a moment of your time?" Said a velvety voice.
"Of course, I'm very busy doing nothing at all, but I think I can spare a few minutes."
The vixen chuckled on the other end of the line. "Good to hear that you're in such high spirits. I am calling to confirm tomorrow's session."
"Ah yes, I'll be there."
"Excellent, and Mr Wilde… Just a quick question: how's the training going?"
An image of bleeding Finnick flew past his eyes. "It's fine. We're making progress." He said swiftly.
His therapist was silent for a second. "Yes, I can imagine that progress being paid by sweat, blood and tears." Nick didn't like how she emphasized the word 'blood'.
*Oh great, she must have talked to Fin… Now I'm not going to hear the end of it.*
"We'll discuss this on our meeting, tomorrow. Goodbye." Surprisingly, her tone of voice wasn't unpleasant. More like that of a teacher, that has to deal with two unruly kids and waits for their explanation about the mess they have cooked up.
*Sweet, just what I needed…* He groaned inwardly.
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At the same time Judy was almost at the stone bridge, when a sudden idea came to her mind. Since Nick was always such a wise guy, a Mr know-it-all, it was a good opportunity to pull one on him. She parked far outside a fox's hearing range and tip toed towards the place of their earlier reconciliation.
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What Judy didn't know is that Nick's enhanced senses already informed him about her approach. The fox wondered how he could turn this against her, but ultimately dropped the idea, as it would be difficult to explain how did he know. So when she jumped from the bridge and landed right in front of him he properly jolted upwards with a small yelp of faked surprise.
"What's up Nick?" She greeted the fox and laughed at his reaction.
Nick clutched his chest and exhaled to play an act of calming down. "Whaddya now, it's raining bunnies..." In reality, he was so calm it surprised himself. The ongoing training was really showing results, as he didn't feel any tension around the bunny anymore, at least not now.
"Heh, sorry Nick, I couldn't resist. Surely you can take a little joke?" Judy teased, punching him playfully on the arm. She was back in her uniform and even Nick had to admit, that it looked good on her. The blue material fitting her figure like a glove, black protective vest accentuating her slim waist... *Wait, WHAT?*in his mind, Nick immediately shook his head.
*It's just her work clothes, nothing to be excited about.* Seriously, that 'savage relationship' thing was extremely dangerous. Definitely an issue created by the serum, messing up his head.
"So, what do I own this honor, Officer Fluff?" He quickly changed the subject.
She smirked at him. "Actually, it's officer Hopps, and I'm here to ask you a question about a case." She said cheerfully.
Nick also smiled, recognizing this line. "What happened, did someone steal a traffic cone? Wasn't me." He went along with her game, using his usual grin with half lid eyes.
"I think your five minutes of sunbathing can wait. You know your way around the city, right?" Judy pulled out a folded map of Zootopia from her utility belt.
"I know every inch of this city. And I know that surely, a crime is being committed somewhere else, so hop along." Nick teased.
She replied with a mischievous smile. "Fine, we'll have to do it the hard way. Nicholas Wilde, as your senior officer, I order you to be my guide."
The fox raised his brows. "Excuse me? Since when I am a member of ZPD?"
"Since this morning, when I passed on your application form to our HR department and they said 'Yes'." The bunny said sweetly.
Nick's ears dropped and eyes went wide. "You didn't..."
"Of course, I could go there again and explain that it was a mistake on my side, so... can you be my guide or not?" The bunny returned a stare of half lid eyes and waved the map playfully, the other paw on her hip. Her voice teasing, almost flirtatious.
Nick swallowed, knowing full well that his friend was capable of such actions. He considered that this could only be a bluff, but she already hustled him once, did she not?
*If it is true, then it's still slightly too early for me to join. Bloody hell, this leaves me no choice...*
"Fine..." He said out loud. "I will be your damned guide."
Just when he said that Judy burst out laughing. "Got you again, slick!" She managed while clutching her sides and shaking from the spasms of laughter.
*She was bluffing* Nick groaned in his thoughts.
The bunny calmed down enough to pull out Nick's application form, obviously not on the desk of HR officers.
"Why you little..." The fox growled, but also was slightly amused with the situation. Not to mention that Judy's laughter was really contagious. He reached for the document, but she pulled her paw in time, preventing him from catching it. Nick tried again, and again and several more times but his friend always kept it away from his paws.
She stepped back and beckoned him with a finger and a playful smile.
"That's how you want to play?" The fox leapt forward and Judy dodged him with ease. Nick didn't let up, but she still managed to elude his efforts, even with only one fully functional leg. Her hard training at the ZPD academy gave her the advantage. However, Nick also had an ace in his sleeve. Just below the surface of his consciousness lied a savage fox with physique far superior to that of a regular modern mammal. And now some of its reflexes kicked in, allowing Nick to finally capture the agile bunny. They wrestled for another few moments, when they eventually fell on the grass, Nick pinning down his little friend. Both were panting slightly.
"Got you!" He exhaled, holding down her paws.
"Hmph, you wouldn't stand a chance if not for my leg." She chided in faked annoyance. But Nick wasn't listening. His hearing was dominated by the sound of blood rushing through his veins. His body realized that a defenseless bunny was lying right beneath him. So close, that their muzzles were almost touching. Her eyes were filling up his field of vision, the fox being drawn into their lavender charm. The two friends shared a moment of silence, the only sound being their breaths.
"Nick?" A shy voice broke the spell and Nick's mind returned to reality. "Could you, you know, get off me now?"
Judy's words had a sobering effect of a dozen very strong espressos. But he still couldn't resist the opportunity.
"Aww, is my wittle bunny scared of the big, bad fox?"
Judy frowned at those words. "For the record: as we are now, I could kick you so hard, that you'd see your breakfast again."
Nick laughed. "Point taken." He stood up and leaned down to offer his paw. "If I may, miss." She accepted it with a smile.
"Why thank you, sir."
When they were both standing again Judy handed him the application. "Here, I wouldn't force you to join, you know?"
*In a way you are forcing me Carrots.*
"But right now I couldn't imagine working with someone else. I mean, we've been through a lot together and it just... feels somewhat natural to me." The bunny confessed, looking directly at him.
"Now that's new, a bunny and a fox 'feel natural together'." He quipped with a snigger.
Judy waved her paw. "Oh come on, Nick. You know what I mean."
The fox gave up, raising his paws. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Carrots."
"Cheer up, slick. I'm not asking to help me for free. Yesterday I got a huge box of blueberries from my family's farm, so guess what I have tucked in my patrol car?"
Nick's ears perked up. "Seriously? A police officer is trying to bribe me?"
"Just a gift for a helpful friend." She shrugged.
"Then don't mind if I take up on your offer."
When they got into the car and Judy brought them on the road, Nick already had his jaw filled with blueberries.
"Sho wash the cashe?" He asked while chewing the sweet fruit.
"Fairly simple, a report of some incidents of disturbing peace at night."
"Then why scout me for the task? Shouldn't they assign you a partner?"
"Well... Bogo said that all other officers had been already paired up, so at the moment I'm on my own."
"Again, why pick me up?"
"Because you know your way around the city an-"
"You do have a GPS here." Nick interrupted her.
"And it's not working." She replied smoothly.
The fox's paw shot forward and pressed a button. The screen lit up, displaying the map of Zootopia and asking for a target.
Nick raised a brow. *This is getting interesting.* He grinned inwardly.
"Works good for me." The fox stated, shooting a side glance at the, now drooping, ears of his friend.
"I don't know how to use it yet." She mumbled into the wheel. A slight blush crept up her cheeks.
"Carrots..." Nick sighed.
"Sorry, it's just..."
The fox smiled at his bunny friend and her stubbornness or maybe pride, that refused to admit that she missed his company.
Nick reached out and gently ruffled the fur between her ears. Judy turned her head to scold him, but stopped, seeing his smile.
"Don't you worry, Fluff. I'll help you out." He said with sincerity that surprised even himself. "So, where to?"
She turned her gaze to the road again. "Junkyard. The disturbances were reported in its northern area."
Nick was glad that he didn't have any blueberries in his mouth right now, else he would choke with them.
*Northern area... Wait, it could be just a coincidence...* He tried to convince himself, but the tingling of little alarm bells in his head told him otherwise. In that case he had to think. And he had to think fast.
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In a completely different part of Zootopia a certain lamb was being guided through a dark corridor by a pair of uniformed grizzly bears. She walked slowly, a thin chain and shackles restraining her movements. Orange jumpsuit contrasting the white of her wool.
The three entered a small, well lit room with bare walls and a single steel table in the middle. Two chairs were placed on both sides of it. One of the was occupied by a hyena in a suit. Very expensive suit.
The bears sat the lamb at the empty chair and cuffed her chain to the table. After that they left the room.
"Am I supposed to know you?" She grumbled.
"No." Came a short reply as the hyena reached down for a briefcase.
"All right, then why are we talking?"
"We're not." The hyena unclasped the briefcases' locks.
She gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Right..."
"I'm only here to relay a message." The hyena took out a blank sheet of paper and a pair of spectacles. He put them on and stared at the paper.
"Congratulations on your imprisonment." He said, apparently reading from the empty paper. "You have served your purpose so our deal is over." The lamb clenched her hooves. "Still, even a tool, when it's useful, deserves a reward, so I will grant one of your wishes." The hyena took out a pen and handed it to the lamb. Then he moved the paper over the desk towards her. She glanced at the paper, the pen, the hyena and back at the paper. Then, with a vengeful expression, Dawn Bellwether wrote down just one word.