Hey everyone!
Sorry for the delay with the update but this chapter turned out to be very difficult to write and I also hit a wall at one moment, suffering from a writer's block. I had solved it by writing another story on the side (which you can check if you're interested) and it took me some time to get back to this one. It remains my main focus from now on and I can promise you some interesting things upcoming in the next chapter (SPOILER ALERT We'll be visiting Bunnyburrow)
To make it up to you, this chapter is longer than usual.
And once again, thank you so much for your support and interest in the story. It really drives me forward. Thank you!
On another note: a certain character that appears in this chapter is a bit shameless copy from a certain movie (for adults!) but I just couldn't resist putting it here ;P
Chapter 16
"I'm master sergeant Hartmammal and I'm your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be "Sir". Do you maggots understand that?" Said a harsh voice of a wildebeest in a uniform, walking along the line up of cadets.
"Sir, yes sir." An uneven choir of voices called out.
"Bullshit, sound off like you got some guts."
"Sir, yes sir!" This time it was much louder.
"If you kiddies leave my camp, if you survive cadet training, you will be a weapon. You will be a criminal chaser praying for hunt. But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even bloody animal beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit! Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no special bigotry here. I do not look down on kitties, puppies, hornies or fatsos. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved color. Do you maggots understand that?"
"Sir, yes sir!"
Nick's observational skill easily picked up several cadets that visibly flinched during the instructor's speech. *An attitude they'll have to quickly fix if they don't want this guy on their backs.* He thought to himself. *I wonder how my roommates will cope with…*
"You, scumbag!" A roar straight into his muzzle interrupted his thinking. The sergeant was standing right in front of him, glaring at the fox. "Not interested in the training, eh?"
Nick considered playing nicely and following the standard yelling-sergeant-obedient-cadet routine, that would be the proper way, that would be the police way. But it wouldn't be Nick's way.
A smirk crept on his face.
He saluted sharply. "Sir, just wondering when the actual training will start, sir!" He said, staring straight ahead.
Several cadets hissed or gasped.
The instructor narrowed his eyes and leaned closer.
"You think, you're funny, you fireplace rug?!" He yelled at the fox, mere inches from his face.
Nick didn't even blink. "Sir, I don't think I'm funny. I know I'm funny, sir!" His enhanced hearing picked up few quiet sniggers from the line-up. *See?* He grinned inwardly.
Veins stood out on the wildebeest's neck. "A WISE GUY, HUH? LET'S SEE HOW FUNNY YOU'LL BE AFTER TWENTY LAPS AROUND THE CAMPUS!" He bellowed.
The fox saluted again. "Sir, may I run thirty, since I like to keep myself fit, sir?" Amusement never left his voice.
The sergeant looked like he was about to explode.
.
.
Several minutes later Nick was running along a dirt road the encircled the entire campus of the ZPD Academy, no doubt placed there to test the limits of cadets' lungs and legs. And now it was taking its toll on the fox. He ran the first few laps without any problems, but from there it only got harder. He was short on breath and his legs ached like hell. Still, to his own surprise, while he felt like being on the verge of physical exhaustion he never actually crossed that border and collapse on the ground. As if some invisible force inside his body refused to submit to limitations of Nicholas Wilde and kept pushing him forward.
*The serum, eh? Fine, let's see how you deal with this.* And against the unilateral vote of his entire body, Nick accelerated.
Sometime later, Nick arrived again at the main gate of the campus, his lungs on fire, his legs a source of excruciating pain. Yet, a toothy grin was plastered on his face. He did all of the bloody 30 laps and was really looking forward to see the sergeant's face, teasing him was definitely worth it. He collapsed on the deliciously cold grass taking a few minutes to catch breath. He felt like he ran the last lap purely on stubbornness and total lack of oxygen.
His sweet rest was interrupted by nearby pawsteps. He shifted his head enough to notice a pair of white paws right in front of his nose.
"Had a nice warm up, fur-butt? " Said a loud, female voice above him.
Nick managed to heave himself up on his arms. He was rewarded with a sight of a polar bear in a ZPD training outfit and a blue baseball cap. She folded her arms and stared down at him.
"Nice job surviving pissing off sergeant Hartmammal. Better not try again though." She leaned down. "He'll swallow you whole." The bear grinned mischievously.
But wasn't one to be intimidated by words alone. He grinned back at her. "Well, he just might choke."
Her smile faded. "Don't push your luck, foxy lady. You ain't here for a picnic! Screw up and this little exercise will be just a walk in the park." She nudged his chest with a claw. "You'll. Be. Dead!" She accentuated every word.
Forgetting the stinging pain, Nick jumped to his feet and returned the glare. "I've survived over twenty years in the worst streets of Zootopia. Not exactly a comfy ride, I can tell you. So just two words for you, ma'am." His words had a certain coldness to them, but he adorned his usual smug smile. "Try me."
Having said that, he turned around and started heading for the cafeteria, leaving the bear instructor behind. The female not exactly sure whether she wanted to strangle or praise him. "Daamn I'm starving!" The fox said out loud, stretching his aching arms and followed the direction his nose was leading him – to food.
.
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The dinner was uneventful but by no means futile to Nick. After getting his food on a plastic tray, the fox scanned the place quickly and sat down at a table that offered the best spot for gathering other cadet's whispers, gossip and other similar stuff. It was a tactical decision based on a saying he once heard and pretty much stuck to it ever since: If you're not informed, get informed. So he sat alone at a table huge enough for a dozen of lion-sized mammals, eating his meal casually, but his senses were working like crazy. Ears twitched from time to time, trying to catch every minuscule detail of surrounding conversations.
"…he really said this to her…"
"…Jimmy ought to apologize to Fred after…"
"…I heard the test will be…"
"…really surprising that they accepted a fox into the force…"
The last bit didn't surprise him in the slightest. No one knew the reputation of his species more than him. Distrust was a perfectly natural reaction for everyone he met in his life, at least at the first meeting. On the second they were usually pissed about losing their money. Part of his mind smiled at the memories, but the majority kept its focus on the present, police reality.
His eyes darted from side to side, analyzing all mammals in view. A nudge here, friendly pat there, a laughter, gritted teeth or a nervous swing of a tail. To a normal animal those were just insignificant movements, but Nick didn't stay alive on the streets as a hustler by ignoring small details. Body language, especially that of the involuntary type, was a goldmine of information if you knew how to interpret it. And Nick knew that. *These guys really are too easy to read…* It was almost boring to decipher all the little signs his colleagues were exchanging during the meal. *Take that giraffe for example, she's sta-*
"Heya, roommate!" A cheerful voice called out to him. Nick turned his head to see the cheetah from yesterday. The feline quickly approached the fox's table and sat down with the tray.
"You had quite the morning with our sarge, eh?" The cheetah laughed and offered a paw. "My name is Jack. Jack Spotters." Inside his mind, the fox's eyes narrowed. *Yeah, right. And I'm Prince Charming.*
Still, Nick accepted it and gave it a firm pawshake. "Nick. Nick Wilde."
"So, still alive, I see…" Jack chuckled.
"Yeah, somehow. But I felt a drop of sweat during the last lap." Nick replied with a quip, ignoring the numbing pain in his limb
The cheetah laughed at his response. "Seriously, you don't know when to stop, do you?"
The fox shrugged. "Never found the 'off' button."
Several heads turned at the explosion of laughter from the feline.
.
.
The evening was busy with a basic health and safety training for the cadets, which was the most boring several hours in almost everyone's life. After barely mentally surviving that, the cadets got the standard ZPD rules and guidelines handbook plus a copy of Zootopia's criminal law compendium. Both books were thick bricks, which scared a bit some of the animals. Still, being a police officer, they had to know the rules.
*Rules…* Nick thought with a mixture of annoyance and acceptance. In his former line of work rules was something that didn't happen to you. Rules were for others and that made them predictable. And now the fox was willingly tying up his paws with regulations, the concept alone felt wrong, to put it mildly.
*Or maybe not…* A smug grin found its way to Nick's face, radiating that suspicious confidence that would make Judy twitch and question his motives.
After getting all the required literature cadets were dismissed to their rooms.
With everyone gathered, each on their own bed in their ZPD t-shirts with a set of books, Jack clapped his paws. "Listen guys, a suggestion here." Three heads turned toward him. "If we're to spent a whoole lot of time together here… Why don't we get to know each other better, hm?" With paws put together he looked at them with a genuine enthusiasm in his eyes.
The elephant studied the floor with his eyes. "W-well… maybe. I'm… I'm not too g-good with talking with o-others." He stuttered.
Nick noticed how the tiger folded his arms, a clear sign he was not a fan of this suggestion. The other thing he noticed was that the striped feline had a built like a tank. It wasn't something you get with morning jogging and cross fit sessions. This was street type of muscle.
"We need to study, not dawdle around." The tiger stated sharply.
*A dutiful one? I don't think so.* Nick scratched his muzzle thoughtfully.
"I say, why not? We have nine months of studying before us, one day won't matter. C'mon, grumpy Stripes." The red fox teased the tiger and send him a wink.
"Waste your time, not mine." The feline snapped back.
"Fine, Mr. Bookworm. But I bet you didn't get that scar of yours by cutting yourself with a page from a book, hm?"
The tiger glared at him. "None of your business." He stated coldly.
"What, can't stand a little drama?" Nick made a strong emphasize on that last word. And his action was rewarded by the tiniest flinch from the feline. *Got you!* His reaction spoke volumes to Nick, as someone who wasn't in jail wouldn't understand the slammer slang. *And since he knows that, why not bring it out to everyone.*
"So…" He began casually, far too casually to be nice. "What happened that you ended behind bars?" Both the cheetah's and elephant's jaws dropped down. The question had the same effect as if Nick punched the tiger in the face. He slowly turned to the fox, anger flaring in his eyes. His mouth opened, no doubt to snarl something at Nick, but the fox cut in before he could form a sound.
"Here's a thing, Stripes." Nick raised a finger. "I'm no saint myself and I hell ain't going to judge you for what you did, what would be the point? I'm not particularly interested in your private life, but it would be good to know at least a little about each other if we're going to work together, hm?"
The large predator was staring at him, apparently weighing his words. After few silent moments he relaxed a bit and let out an irritated sigh. "Whatever…" He then sat on the edge of the bed, facing his roommates.
With the atmosphere slightly less intimidating, Jack finally found his voice again. "Ehm, well… So maybe I'll start. My name is Jack Spotters and I'm 21 years old. I lived in Zootopia all my life and I joined the ZPD to prove myself and above all, my father, that I'm capable of handling such a tough job. I hope we'll all get along." His short speech gathered nods of approval and he motioned the elephant to speak next. Meanwhile Nick took a mental note about Jack's father and how the feline's cheek twitched a quarter of a millimeter when he mentioned him.
The huge mammal flinched slightly. "Oh… y-yes, sure… Um, hi." He was constantly fidgeting with his trunk. "I'm Rupert Trussel, 20 years old and I…I…" His voice faltered under their gazes.
Nick's eyes flickered with a bit of sympathy for the big grey roommate. *A really shy one, eh?* He thought and said: "Don't worry, you're doing great!" And gave him a thumbs up plus the most encouraging smile his conmammal skills could produce. That seemed to have some effect as Rupert returned Nick's gaze with less stressed eyes. He took a deep breath and continued. "I joined the ZPD to… become more confident a-and less shy. I mean… my friends kept t-telling me, that I'm so big and strong, so I'd be a good material for a c-cop. So… I don't know how it'll work out… B-but I want to try my best."
The other three exchanged glances and turned to the elephant.
"Nice."
"That's the spirit!"
"Good for you."
Rupert blinked and a shade of red appeared on his big cheeks.
After that it was the tiger's turn but Nick could see reluctance in his eyes. Uncertainty, maybe? So he decided to jump in. "Can I go? I'm Nick, Nick Wilde. Age around thirty, but don't quote me on that. I used to work as a conmammal and a hustler, a really good one I might add, but my friend convinced me to join the right side, so I abandoned the slightly less than legal lifestyle and now I'm here." He said all this with disarmingly cheerful voice. Jack and Rupert had dumbfounded looks on their faces, while the tiger looked at him with surprise, but Nick could see a glint of relief there. It was very a simple strategy – see that we are similar. And, to an extent, it seemed to work.
The feline huffed and slapped paws on his knees. "I am Marcus Strigg. My age is irrelevant and I too used to do… work, that wasn't fully legal. But I had my reasons to quit and join the police force."
Jack and Rupert gave their nodding approval of both introductions, even if they were slightly nervous about working with former criminals.
*Well, that's a start.* Nick thought to himself.
.
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"Well if it ain't the fox scumbag from yesterday? Enjoyed your stroll, you backstabbing bastard?" Sergeant Heartmammal boomed into Nick's face during the morning's drill. The fox wasn't in the finest mood as he was a nocturnal animal by nature, so the 6 a.m. wake up call was not on his list of most desired experiences. The insults themselves didn't impress Nick in the slightest, he heard far worse during his life on the streets. But there was one thing he wasn't willing to ignore.
He waved a paw in front of his muzzle. "Sir, may I compliment you on your impressive breath attack? It surely is a great tool to knocking out criminals, sir!" And he ripped off a sharp salute.
The entire line-up held their breaths while the drill instructor took a deep one to explode with a furious roar a moment later.
"50 LAPS, YOU DISGRACEFUL PILE OF TRASH!"
.
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"Okaay Judy, so how it went with Mr. Fox?"
The bunny coughed, barely managing not to choke with her drink.
"What?!" She wheezed, wide eyed.
Few girls from the ZPD decided to have a drink after duty and dragged Judy with them. They were mostly the ones from the drinking party after Gazelle's concert. And now they all sat in a pub near their precinct, apparently dead set on hearing how the bunny's evening went at that time.
Judy finally managed to breathe normally again. "What are you talking about?!"
"Oh come on!" Olga slapped her playfully on the back. "You were so eager to do it then. How did it go?" The other females leaned towards judy.
"How did what go?!" The bunny still couldn't follow the conversation.
The female wolf raised her brows in surprise. "No way… you don't remember?"
"Well, you drank quite a lot…" Francine joined in.
Ashera giggled. "Nothing we can do about it. But we were curious if you actually pulled it off." The tigress rested her chin on a paw.
"Pulled off WHAT?!" She demanded, raising her voice and slamming her paws on the table.
Olga winked at her and formed her lips into a kiss, making a 'smooching' sound.
The doe's eyes couldn't get any bigger at this moment. "I DID NOT!" She yelled.
"Hey, hey, easy. You want me to get deaf?" Ashera rubbed her ear.
"S-sorry…" Judy sank in her seat. "But what's all this about k-kissing Nick?"
"We played truth or dare and you got a challenge to give him a smooch. Judging by your reaction I'm guessing you really didn't?"
With arms folded, Judy hid her blushing ears behind her head. "Of course n…" The doe froze. She was going to say 'not' but would that be the truth? She had no recollection of the most part of that evening and she woke up in Nick's shirt the next morning. She couldn't say with full confidence that nothing happened. But the blank page in her memory will certainly need to be filled in. She made a note to grill Nick over this topic the next time they'll talk. As for the conversation, in the end, with a pang of guilt, she decided to say a lie.
"Of course not." She stated, trying to look as composed as possible, given the circumstances.
Noticing the slight pause in the doe's response, her colleagues exchanged glances, sharing the general 'uh, oh' message. And in unison decided that it would be safer not to push the little mammal too hard. At least not now.
.
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At the academy the following weeks consisted mostly of getting used to the training routine and studying the information required of every policemammal. The latter didn't pose any problem for Nick as he read through all the necessary books in one go during one of the evenings and threw them on the nightstand he had by his bed, where they spent the rest of the time he was at the academy. The training was a different matter. It meant learning the basics of police activities, building up physical strength and endurance plus shooting practice and learning how to maintain weapons. But there was one part of the training, that Nick was quite opposite to being happy about.
Paw to paw combat.
He had two major concerns connected to it. First was the fact, that he always avoided brawls or fights in any kind of situation. Violence was never an answer. Partially because of his small frame, he'd never considered going against larger and stronger predators. But now his bigger concern was the thought, that at this moment there was a high chance of winning. Because of the serum. Nick had no way of measuring what are the limits of his body right now, but the idea, that even right now, it would probably be enough to break bones in another mammal's body made him anxious. Plus, wouldn't a fight force his primal instincts into full swing, in consequence making him go savage?
So when the day of fight practice finally came, Nick was a bundle of nerves. Not a good state of mind for a predator under Nighthowler serum effects. This practice was under supervision of the polar bear instructor and she gave them a short lecture of the rules in the ring, but Nick didn't make out a word of whatever she was saying. Gears in his mind were spinning at blurring speeds, focusing all their attention at keeping the slumbering beast within him in that blissful state.
"WILDE!" An angry roar brought him back to reality.
The instructor was glaring at him with gritted teeth. "Too busy to pay attention?!"
He saluted, trying to defuse the situation. "No, ma'am. My apologies."
"We'll discuss your attitude later, now get your butt in the ring." She pointed a claw at the rectangle surrounded by ropes. Resigning himself to the unavoidable fate, Nick strode towards the ring with his ears drooping. A wolf instructor geared him up and pushed through the ropes, not even trying to be subtle. *History of my life – he's a fox, let's kick him."
The first step of the training meant sparring between cadets. It was devised this way so the recruits would experience the twinge of uncertainty when facing an enemy with unknown skill or tactics, the street wasn't nice enough to inform them of everything that could happen. Also, it was a perfect opportunity for the instructors to assess the potential of newcomers.
So right now Nick was forced to face someone in combat and the fact that he had protective gear and the opponent will be using boxing gloves didn't help much. He sighed inwardly and raised his paws.
"You?" Said a voice in front of him. A voice from the past. A voice he never wanted to hear again.
Nick slowly raised his eyes to see a male zebra in the same gear as him. A zebra from over 20 years back. His mind was suddenly flooded with images.
A cellar. Stairs leading down. A green banner on the wall, with number 914 on it. A group of kids, mammals, prey. Green uniforms, badges and fake smiles.
He could swear that the sides of his head felt the pressure of muzzle straps again.
A little fox curled up on the floor, hit, kicked and shoved in the darkness. Mocking laughs and vile sniggers.
Cold sweat ran down his spine and his breath accelerated rapidly. Nick suddenly felt very small and defenseless.
Even the ring of the bell couldn't snap him from this trance.
And when the first punch came right at him, the fox reacted purely on instinct and raised an arm to block it. The impact shook him whole and he could finally move again. But his movements were dull, he felt so tiny compared to the attacking zebra. And the next punch wrecked his footing and he stumbled backwards and fell on his butt.
"What's the matter fox, can't keep up?" Laughed his opponent. "Give it up and go home."
Nick managed to stand up but the moment he did it, he wasn't sure why in the first place. *Why would I? What for? What's the use of trying?*
The blank stare he was giving off only irritated the zebra. The striped prey lunged forward, launching a barrage of punches against the fox. Nick held up his paws to cover his head. Hit after hit landed on his guard, shaking the small predator to the core. And he was about to cave in under the pressure of the attacks and the overflowing self-doubt, when the beast within stirred angrily.
Practically outside of his consciousness, Nick's paw pushed away one of the upcoming punches. His muscles did it with such force that the zebra's arm flew aside. The black and white prey blinked in surprise, but that was quickly replaced with anger and he kept attacking with even greater force.
Nick had a brief moment of panic, as he never intended to switch into savage mode during a mock fight. He withheld his primal side within him, but that action alone required his full attention, so he had no mind to dodge or escape to flurry of strikes. He only kept his guard up, praying that the zebra would exhaust himself before Nick will go crazy. A zebra torn to shreds in a training ring would be very difficult to explain. And at that moment, everything went wrong.
One of the punches threw him off balance and Nick staggered, his guard down. The bullying prey grinned with satisfaction and attacked straight at his muzzle, putting all of his strength in that punch. Nick's savage side wanted to claw at the incoming arm. Nick's normal part wanted to avoid getting hit. With two contradictory orders from the brain, the fox's left arm rose up to protect the face. But it did it in the wrong way. Zebra's fist collided with Nick's arm, effecting in an audible crunch. Nick screamed, his limb now hanging down uselessly. The pain was so numbing that the fox almost wished to pass out, so that he didn't have to endure it any second longer.
But the savage predator wouldn't have any of that.
Adrenalin surged through his veins and a feral growl formed in his throat. The beast roared within him, demanding blood. And Nick's right fist was willing to comply. There was some screaming from around the ring, but it fell on deaf ears, as the fox had only one goal in mind.
Kill the zebra.
The paw shot forward, connecting with great force with the prey's solar plexus. The strength of the punch was enough to send the mammal staggering backwards. And after that his opponent fell to his knees, grasping his chest and wheezing weekly. His eyes were wide with surprise and colored with fear.
The beast howled triumphantly and Nick's muscles flexed, ready to jump at his victim. But then a pair of strong paws grabbed him from behind, lifting him in the air.
"I SAID ENOUGH!" The polar bear yelled at the top of her lungs. She held the struggling fox in a firm grip.
Nick's logical mind finally regained control over the body and his muscles relaxed. A tiger in instructor's shirt was kneeling beside the collapsed zebra. He immediately waved his paw, indicating a medic to come over. But that was a scene that started to escape his view, as he found himself being carried out of the ring and, eventually, the training hall. The female bear dropped him on a bench in the locker room and stared at him with a furious glare. "What the hell was that, Wilde?!"
Even with the pain radiating from his arm, Nick lowered his head in shame. *Crap… I should have stopped myself…*
"This may be a ring but why I'm getting the impression you wanted to rip open his throat?!" She demanded and the fox flinched at her words, but couldn't form any words for an answer. The bear sat on a bench opposite to him. "Listen here, I don't care what's between you and him, or anyone else for that matter. Right now you're all ZPD's cadets and playing for the same team, never forget that."
Nick felt a pang of guilt mixed with irritation. *I know I went too far, but why am I the only one getting yelled at?* He clenched his fists and his face contorted in pain from the agonizing feeling flowing from his left arm. His instructor noticed it instantly.
"How's the arm?" She asked, without any staggering amount of care in her voice.
"Probably broken. I heard a crunch." He muttered.
The female let out a sigh. "All right, move your butt. I'm taking you to the doc's office." She stood up and nodded at him to follow her.
"I know the way, I can go myse-"
She turned around and pointed an accusatory claw at Nick. "You're NOT. I've seen your behavior before and I'm sure you'd have a good mind to skip this visit."
Nick groaned inwardly and simply nodded in defeat.
.
.
Several hours later Nick was sitting in the cafeteria with a dinner on his tray. It was slightly more difficult to get it to the table, but he managed somehow. He had his entire left arm in a cast, resting on a simple, cloth sling. The doctor that examined him, gave Nick a month for his wound to heal. It was troublesome, since that meant no physical activity with that arm and it would end up in him falling behind the others in terms of skills that required using of both paws. But that still wasn't the worst. He would find a way to overcome the one-paw hindrance one way or the other. The main problem was the zebra. And as he found out, two others from the bullying group also were here as potential police officers. He noticed the woodchuck and the hippo in the line for the food. And it didn't take long before the couple of mammals approached the fox sitting alone at a table.
"Sup' Wilde?" Said the woodchuck as he stood beside Nick and the hippo took a spot right behind the fox.
Nick forced his body to stop a flinch at the sight of them. *You're a grown up. It was years ago. You're not a kid anymore…* He kept replaying in his mind.
"What do you want?" He stated flatly.
The bullies exchanged glances and the smaller one grinned at Nick. "We hear that you beat up our buddy, that's not nice. Not nice at all." The tone he used was contradictory to the smile on his face. And at that moment the hippo placed a heavy paw on the red furred predator's arm. His left arm. A quiet grunt escaped Nick's mouth, but his face remained unfazed. "So here's the thing: you'd better quit trying to join ZPD."
The fox narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
"Nope. Just bringing you down to earth." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "We both know that your species is nothing but a bunch of double-crossers. You're biologically not cut out to be a cop. So quit now befor-"
"Who said I can't be a cop?" Nick tried to sound casual, holding back the beast raging inside. His thoughts went out to Judy and the time she asked him to become her partner. It helped a lot to calm the surging anger.
Both mammals sniggered and this time the hippo leaned down to Nick's ear. "Everyone knows how you foxes really are."
The woodchuck showed another disgusting grin. "Look around you, see anyone at your table?" He pointed at the obvious lack of other mammals around Nick's sitting place. "That's because you're such a bag of filth that no one in their right mind would ever trust you enough to sit beside you."
Nick's heart ached at the word trust. His ears flattened against his head. It took him back to that evening in the cellar and that heartless sentence that almost broke his young heart. His mind in disarrange, Nick could barely even feel that the beast was starting to slip through his fingers and jumped to gain control again.
"Niiiiiick!"
All three animals flinched and turned their heads. A cheetah was speeding through the cafeteria, tray in paws and a broad smile on his face. He reached them in no time and plopped on the bench right next to the fox. "Hey buddy!"
The bullies stared at the feline with mouths agape.
"Your friends, Nick?" The cheetah asked cheerfully. "Hi, I'm Jack." He extended a paw towards the smaller mammal.
"No." The woodchuck replied, not accepting the paw. "Who would be a friend with a fox?" He practically spat out that word.
Jack didn't seem to be put off in the slightest. "I would." The fox's ears twitched and rose slowly as he stared at his roommate in surprise. *What?*
The hippo was about to say something but someone cut in. "You're in my way." The fat herbivore turned around to see a face he wouldn't want to meet in a shady alley. Marcus was standing right behind him with a rather unpleasant expression on his face. He walked past the stunned bullies and sat opposite to Nick. And at that moment Jack shot up from his place and waved a paw energetically. "Heey! Rupert! Over here!" He yelled, his voice filling the whole cafeteria.
Few seconds later an elephant, a big one even by his species standards, trudged over with his own tray. "S-sorry, there was a huge line and…" He sat down next to Marcus. "W-what?" He stuttered, seeing that all eyes were directed at him.
The woodchuck clicked his tongue in irritation and nodded at his companion. "See ya, Wilde." He said as they left.
The four roommates sat in silence for a few moments, until Nick finally managed to speak again. "Thanks…" It was almost a whisper.
Jack patted him on the back and smiled, while the tiger had his eyes focused on the meal and Rupert glanced at everyone, not exactly sure what happened.
This was the second time. The second time in Nick's life when someone stood up for him. He felt a pleasant, warm tingling in his chest. A feeling he would gladly keep forever. *Thanks, guys…*
.
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Shortly after dinner there was time for weapon maintenance training and since he had only one functional paw at the moment, Nick was just an observant, sitting beside Jack. But no more than 10 minutes have passed when one of the instructors walked into the room and yelled. "Wilde!" The wolf waved his paw, showing Nick to follow him. Jack looked at him with a questioning gaze and Nick only shrugged, not sure himself what is this about.
Few minutes later he was less than happy to learn the reason for calling him. He was sitting in the polar bear's office, right next to the zebra he fought with in the ring. They exchanged brief glances of distaste.
"Wilde, Savannski." Said the female instructor from her side of the desk, in front of which they were sitting. "As I said before, I don't give a damn about your reasons for what happened in the morning." She leaned forward. "But this is the academy! I will not tolerate any more behavior like that! Do I make myself clear?!"
"Yes ma'am." They both muttered.
"Consider this your one and only warning." She raised a finger. "One more situation like this and you're out! Understood?" She growled, glaring at both of them.
"Yes ma'am." Came the reply from both males.
"Good." She straightened up. "Savannski, get your butt out of here. Wilde, you stay."
Nick raised his brows in surprise. What else she would want of him? When the zebra left the office the polar bear stood from her chair and circled the desk to stand in front of the fox. She folded her arms and leaned back on the edge of her desk.
"I was instructed to report your progress to chief Bogo and let me tell you, he wasn't happy to hear of your attitude and this brawl."
*Bogo keeps tabs on me? Figures… never trust a fox, eh?* He thought gloomily.
"As a matter of fact, he told me that you are to call him as soon as possible. He has a few words for you." With that, she snatched a land line from behind her and slammed it in front of Nick. Next she produced a paper with a phone number on it.
"Do it now." And she left the room.
Nick sat in silence for several moments.
"Just freaking terrific…" He muttered to himself eventually. With a sigh, he glanced at the number and dialed it on the keypad. Several signals passed by and finally a grumpy voice answered. "Bogo."
"Uh… heya chief. Wilde here." Nick began a tad bit nervously. "You wanted to talk with me?"
A short silence.
"First, you will call me sir, as I am your superior, got that?" The buffalo huffed.
"Yes, sir." The fox replied, groaning inwardly.
"I've been hearing of your doings at the academy and I'm not pleased with it."
"Sorry to hear that… sir."
Another slight pause.
"You wanted to be Hopps' partner, am I correct?" He shot him a rhetorical question.
Nick closed his eyes, predicting where this conversation will lead. "Since she almost begged me to do it, I suppose I have no other option than to comply… sir."
What answered him was almost a snarl. "Listen and listen good, I will NOT pair Hopps with a lazy, undisciplined cadet, who cannot show some backbone! So here's the deal: if you want an even remote chance of me considering this partnership, then you must be one of the top five cadets in your year and that's final!" And he hung up.
Nick blinked and slowly put down the handset. Then he grabbed the back of his head with both paws. *What the hell I got myself into?!*
.
.
With 15 minutes left to the end of the weapon maintenance classes, the polar bear allowed the fox to retire for the day. Therefore, Nick was on his way to their room, while thinking of various possibilities regarding the whole one-of-the-best thing. This would require some careful planning on his side. He reached his room and dropped on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't worried about the theoretical tests, it was an easy thing for him. But he didn't want to gather too much attention. Being away from the spotlight was a habit he formed during his time on the streets. If you're too shiny or visible, you're an easy target. Plus, increased interest in his person carried a risk of someone discovering his savage state. But then an idea popped into his head. A way to both fulfill Bogo's requirement and have some fun at the same time. *And here I thought that being surrounded by regulations would be boring.*
With a plan in mind, Nick rummaged through a drawer of his nightstand and took out a colored ball. He laid back again and started throwing the ball in the air and catching it swiftly as it fell down. It was an exercise he did very often. Except before he was using several balls and both paws. Nick picked up juggling pretty early in his life as a way to distract himself from the harshness of reality. And once the fox read about benefits of this exercise he practiced it almost every day. Now he was using a billiard ball he snooped from the entertainment room on his way from the bear's office. It was heavier than the regular tennis balls he normally used, but it didn't hinder his movements.
His phone buzzed, playing his favorite song he set as the ringtone.
Nick threw the ball up, reached swiftly for the phone and answered the call, placing the phone next to his ear. His paw returned just in time to catch the ball.
"Yes?"
"Nick! It's so nice to hear you again!" A cheerful voice boomed into his ear.
"Hey Fluff, miss me already?" He grinned throwing the ball in the air again. He'd never admit it, but it was good to hear her voice.
"It's been two weeks already and haven't called even once, you dumb fox." Judy said in mocked irritation.
"Hey, it's not my fault. I'm so popular here, that I hardly even have the time to unlock my phone, not to mention calling someone."
"Har, har, nice try, but I'm not buying that one. You're slipping, Slick." She teased him, saying the last sentence with e very sweet voice.
He couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped his mouth. "Whatever you say, Officer Toot-toot." Nick once again felt that she rolled those amethyst eyes. He'd missed her irritated expression so much.
"Continue behaving like that and I'll ask Bogo to make my temporary partner stay for good."
Those words wrecked his train of thought and coordination, and he barely caught the heavy ball. Nick felt a sting in his chest that he couldn't identify. "Whoa, you have a partner already? You bunnies, so quick to jump in into action." He quipped with a mask of a cheerful friend. But beneath it he desperately tried to decipher what was wrong with him. They were only friends, different species at that and even fox and a bunny, there was absolutely no reason for him to react like that to such an information. *This blasted serum…* His grip on the ball tightened.
"Ooh, you have no idea, Nicky." She joked back.
He raised his brows in genuine surprise. "Whoa, where did miss I-am-so-shy went to?"
"You'd be surprised what kind of things you hear in the locker room. I just got used to it." The bunny explained plainly.
"Well, that's a bummer." He let out a dramatic sigh.
"Too bad for you, eh?" She chirped happily. "And that reminds me… Nick, about that night after the concert…"
Nick almost flinched hearing those words, but his body automatically blocked such a display of emotion. Being a former conmammal came in handy once again. "Don't tell me you lost my shirt?" He laughed, masking his nervousness again.
"Nick…" A serious note in her voice made him stop.
"All right, what's wrong Carrots?"
"Well… to be blunt… did... did we kiss?" Judy's voice was now barely audible in the speaker.
*Oh friggin' crap…* Was his first thought and the second was that Clawhauser probably let it slip, but he immediately regained his composure. If the cheetah would speak then she wouldn't be asking, she would just know. His silver tongue didn't let him down this time and took over the speaking part while Nick's mind could think freely.
"Ohh dear… and here I thought you wouldn't remember…" Said his mouth in a playful manner.
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Because I have carved deep in my memory the taste of those little, sweet lips." His auto speech mode continued to harass her. And his mind finally followed. *What better way to hide the truth, than posing the truth as a lie?* But several moments have passed and no answer came.
"Carrots, you there?" Nothing, no reply. *Oops, maybe that was a bit too much.*
Finally, there was some response. "N-nick… are y-you saying that I… that we…" Said a quivering voice.
"No, we didn't." He lied smoothly and went quiet to let that information sink in. "Listen, I was just joking…" But then he heard a sound, that a bunny makes when she's taking a really deep breath to scream really loud in a moment. Nick dropped the ball on the bed and snatched the phone away from his ear, just in time before it exploded with a supernova of unintelligible noises made by the furious doe. When it finally died down the fox put the phone back to the original position.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, Carrots."
"I can't believe you could be such a jerk!" She roared into the phone.
"I'm sorry. But it's true that were all clingy with me, I barely managed to keep you away from me. What's the big deal with trying to kiss me anyway? Could I at least know that?" He quickly cut in, trying to snatch back the initiative in the conversation. Apparently it worked, as Judy let out a huff, but stopped yelling.
"It was a game…" She grumbled, clearly embarrassed. "The girls at the party gave me a challenge to kiss you… and I drank a bit too much…"
"Well, let me note it down that no more alcohol for you." Nick tried to lighten up the mood.
"Well, yeah. We can agree on that."
"Peace?" He asked innocently.
She was silent for few seconds. "Fine. But I'll have to seriously reconsider having you as a partner." Irritation was still present in her voice.
"Oh, come on…"
"AND no more jokes about kissing, I'll have you know that the first kiss holds a very special meaning for bunnies, particularly for does."
Nick's heart sunk along with his ears. *Wait, waitwaitwait, did she gave me her first kiss?!* Heat began rising in his chest and heartbeat accelerated significantly. He shook his head to get any stupid thoughts out of it.
"Duly noted." He stated in a flat voice and reached for the ball to distract himself.
"We'll see about that. So better behave yourself or will just pick William."
"William?" The fox repeated automatically.
"Yes, he is a bunny like me and we've been partners for the last two weeks and it works just fine."
Nick swallowed hearing this. "So what am I doing here?" It slipped out of his mouth before he even noticed it. The moment he did, he wished he had bitten his tongue.
"To become a great police officer, of course." She replied, apparently not noticing the bitterness in his voice. *Yeah, fine. But without you it just wouldn't be the same…*
"Oh, don't be such a pessimist, Slick. Behave yourself and you still have a chance." The last line, said in a joking manner, managed to get him to show a small smile.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Ok, I'll be a good boy then."
"You do that. All in all, it was nice to talk with you, but I have to run. I'm taking Will to that great coffee shop in the Downtown. He'll need to know where the cops can get the best caffeine. I'll take you there too once you graduate."
"Great." He croaked.
"Ok, bye then. Call me some time." And she hung up.
Nick's grip tightened again.
*Will?* He snarled in his mind, logical thought not having much to do with it.
Will.
Going for coffee.
Coffee with a bunny.
Will is going for coffee with a bunny.
MY BUNNY!
The billiard ball cracked and crumbled in his paw.