Hi guys, ytodd here. First chapter to ToaPMZ part 1.

This means several things !

- Firstly, reading and understanding this story shouldn't require reading part 0, even if I highly encourage it (simply because I love it when people read my stuff, deep need of recognition, freudian complex and shit).

- Secondly, this will be longer than the prologue, maybe not in term of chapter number, but clearly in term of word count.

- Thirdly, updates will be less frequent. I'm thinking around twice a week.

- Fourstly, this being part 1, there WILL be a part 2. Long running story gon' be long.

Buckle your seatbelt, the ride's about to get wild(e) !

The author decline every responsibility in case of exposure to bad puns.

"Where are we going Nick ?"

"It's a surprise"

They had just got down from the ZUG and were now walking side by side in the street of the Rainforest district. Judy had gotten used to see surprising things in the city. The infrastructure was a wonder to look at. Mammals of every size could find ways to get to every point with minimal risks. Of course the shortest ones had more chances to be crushed by the biggest ones, but everything was made in way that it could be prevented. Distinctive paths, underground passages, and even slides. In this part of the city, there were also waterways so that the marine mammals could use it as a mean of transportation, if they chose to do so. From an untrained eye, it could all look like utter chaos, but the rabbit could now discern the patterns in the crowd's movement. To her, it was a testimony to what unity could accomplish, even unconsciously.

"Are we there yet ?" asked Judy in an excited voice, mimicking a impatient kit. Nick had promised to make her officially meet Finnick, his only best friend beside her, and she was eager to talk with him for the first time.

"Yes, we are. Can you stop bouncing around, you're giving me a headache" Nick wasn't so sure he wanted his two friends to meet. They were polar opposits and he feared their personnalities would clash. Well he feared more coming from Finnick that Judy, the fennec wan't known for his calm temper.

"No can do. That's what we bunnies were made for." she said in a giggly tone, taking few exagerated jumping steps in front of him. He looked at her bouncing on the paving, glancing at her rump going up and down. He felt something inside him wake up. An incoherent primal deeply buried part. It scared him a little.

What the hell brain ? I'm not eating my friend.

They at last arrived before a little diner which could have known better days. The paint was chipping and the sign lacked a few letters. Its name could still be read though.

"Jack Rabbit Slim's ? Is that a joke ?"

"Nope, I don't know where the name comes from but they serve the best fried fish in the city. And they have a good carrot salad, if that's what you care for."

"You know, bunnies don't only eat carrots."

"I'm sure they don't."

They entered the diner, smell of cooking, frying and fresh vegetables filling their snouts.

"Over here Nick" shouted a deep voice. Finnick was sitting at a booth in a corner, a vixen waitress leaned toward him, an elbow on the table. The waitress took her tray, giving the newcomers a smile as she went back behind the bar.

"Who was your foxy friend ?" asked Nick, as he hopped on the benchseat.

"Rosie, the waitress, nice gal. She kept me company. Are you not introducing me to your date ?" he had said that while turning to face Judy, who had just seated next to Nick. She felt a warm sensation creeping on her face, trying to show none of it. If Nick had been fazed, his mask of coolness didn't chip a bit.

"Not my date. It's Judy, Judy Hopps. I think you already know about her."

"Shure I do, her face was all over the TV a few months ago. And ya told me lots about her. We also met once before remember ? Pawpsicle hustle and when she was looking for you. The name's Finnick, little miss. Nice to meet ya again."

"Nick told me a lot about you too, Finnick. Nice to meetcha again !"

They opened the menu. There wasn't a lot of choices. A half dozen fish-based and prey friendly burgers and the same number in salads. Judy feeled adventurous and chose a seitan burger with a side of carrot fries, Nick took a fish burger with fries, Finnick asked for the fish triple-bypass, no side dish.
They had all placed their order and Finnick asked Judy "So, how much does Slick Nick get on yo nerves ?"

"Once you learn how to cope with the bad puns, there is not much to it."

"You know you love my humour, little punny."

Finnick looked at Nick. "Tha'wos bad, dude. Honest work is doing a number on you."

"Keep your venom, my humour is as perfect as my looks" Nick had rested his elbows on the back of his seat, a look of total confidence on his face. "What do yo do those days ?"

"Oh you know, the usual."

Judy looked at the little fox with an inquisitive look on her face "and what is this 'usual' ?"

"Bit of this, bit of that. Carrying goods, selling stuff..." evaded the fennec, a mask of honesty on his face.

I see where Nick has learnt how to hide his emotions.

"And you Nick, what do you do those days ?"

"Whatever the cops do. Give tickets to the taxpayers, run after the hardworking criminals, waste the public's money, that kind of thing- ouch" Judy had given him a punch in the ribs, and gave him a disaproving glance. She didn't like when he joked like that, mainly because she knew he was only half-joking. "Sorry Carrots"

"Sheesh, the lady gotcha, you hafta walk straight now."

The waitress came back with their order and gave them a soda refill on the house. Looking at the bar, they saw the cook bear give them a wave. Judy didn't like to get free stuff from her celebrity, but she understood that most people liked showing gratitude.
She heard Nick make a strange noise.

"You're alright Nick ?"

"I just noticed. Um. I'm about to eat meat in front of you. Maybe I should have ordered something else."

"You won't make me incomfortable Nick, I've already seen your fangs. I even have had them around my neck."

"Wot ?" The fennec had his eyes wide open, looking alternatively to both of them.

That came out wrong.

Nick chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows. She could still see red creep on his face under his fur though. She herself suddenly felt warm at the idea, her own face slowly starting to burn.

"I-I mean, in the museum, when he had to fake killing me to trap Bellwether."

"Oh, that. Yeah Nick tol' me about it. A nice hustle tha' was."

The smell of the food was divine and they hungrily dug in. The seitan burger tasted weird but good, and the carrot fries had just the perfect crispy texture. The food price was ridiculous compared to the quality of the food and Judy promised herself to leave a huge tip. As they ate, they stayed mostly silent. Judy shot some glances at Nick, watching his fangs tear the fried fish, grease and sauce dripping down his muzzle. She felt weird feeling in her stomach again. There was fear. But there was something else also. More subtle but powerful, and at least as primal.

Everyone's plate was mostly empty. The little fennec had eaten up to every crumb of his meal and Judy wondered where he had put all of it.

"So Nick, now that we ate, I think I should tell you." Finnick had begun, a serious look on his face. Nick was waiting for him to continue, a happy sated looked on his snout. "your mother asked me for news about you. She didn't believe me when I told her you were a cop, but I ended up convincing her." Judy saw the slight shift on Nick's composure, his tail twitching behind him.

"You did good, buddy. Thanks." answered Nick.

"She's doin' fine by the way." the red fox didn't answer to that. Judy felt him stiffen on his seat. Still his expression didn't move."I think it's time ya went and talked ta her now." Finnick was looking at Nick straight in the eyes. The mood had totally shifted and everything in the primal side of Judy's brain screamed danger.

"That'd be good for both o' ya"

Nick had left his slumped posture, calmly taking a sip of his soda.

"Nah. I'm good." He had maintained eye contact with Finnick. The tension was still rising and Judy was looking for a way to defuse it. The silence between them was deafening, and the rabbit began to wonder if her heart would explode because of how much it pounded.

"Judy can you move ? I have to go take a leak." she got off the bench and he left the booth. All was left between her and Finnick was an awkward silence.

"What's this about his mother, Finnick ?" she finally asked.

"Not my place to tell kiddo." The little vulpine was looking at his drink.

"I know Nick's really private about his past, I'm sure there are reasons for it. But I'd like to help. He's my friend too." The fennec lifted his gaze from the table and looked at her, sadness in his eyes.

"It's a big messy pile of bullshit. I don't wanna lay that on ya."

"Let me be the judge of what I can handle, alright ?"

"Okay nosey little missy. Here is the deal" Began the fennec fox "Slick ran away from home after something that scarred him deeply, what it was I won't tell."

"The scout event." Finnick looked at her with a surprised look.

"He trusts ya more than I thought. Anyway, I found 'im two weeks after he ran from home, sleeping in a dumpster. I was kinda looking for him, I knew there was a new inexperienced pickpocket on mah turf. Wary people, they make for bad hustle victi-" he scoffed. "Anyway, I found him and he refused to tell me where he came from. Since I couldn't bring mahself to let the poor kid starve, I took him in an' taught him the only job I ever knew." If Judy had thought she would be happy to learn more about Nick's past, she was now realizing she had been wrong.

"I won't tell ya every detail, but as it happenned, the kid wos fucking talented. And being young and all, people tended to trust him mo-" he took another sip. He had to remember he was talking to a cop. "Two months in, he told me about his parents, asked me to give 'em part of his money and some letters. I told him he should go home, but he would have none of it, rambling about how it made no difference but that at least he wanted to help provide for them, that they deserved more than the poor lives they had and the worthless son they brought into the world.". Finnick felt he needed a stiffer drink. Too bad the most alcoholised thing sold here was light beer.

"I wos a coward and didn't insist. He wos the first friend I had in a long time. His parents wanted him back, but they said that if he was happy not seeing them a making a life fo' himself all was for the best." He scratched his eyes "If you want my opinion, the Wildes are a looney bunch wis' a twisted sense of logic. How can it be best for a kid to be raised by a hustling fennec and away from his parents". Judy thought Nick took his sweet time in the bathroom, but she wanted to know more.

"The kid wos making a haul everyday, and still sending most of it to his folks. And every two week I had to bring them the cashbag with a side of news and sometimes a letter from their kid. They didn't even touch the money. Well, his mother Vivienne didn't but-" He had stop in the middle of his sentence, looking at something behind Judy's seat. She turned around and saw a happily whistling Nick approach the booth. Judy noticed that a tear was about to drop from her right eye. She quickly smeared it.

"You guys having an interesting conversation ?"

"I wos telling her 'bout the pawmart hustle" Improvised the fennec fox.

"Hey, don't steal this one, I love to tell it !" Said Nick, a bit too enthusiastic.

"Well go ahead, I had just begun."

Nick put his paws on the table, striking a pose as was about to tell an epic tory.

"At the time, we were running with the Raving One"

"You partnered up with a rabbit ?" reacted Judy with a puzzled look on her face.

"What are you talking about Carrots, the Raving One was a fox like me."

"They totally looked alike" added Finnick "The other guy had a bit more of a squarish face and darker fur and couldn't give a straight smile to save his life".

"Yeah, I still remember his cackling laugh. Shivers down my spine, he gave me. What's he doing now ?"

"Oh you know, the usual." Fennec winked.

"Continuing. So we had this con, an idea of Finnick, where we would go and fill two enormous shopping cart with everything we could fit in it. The two had to have the exact same things inside it. The Raving One would go first, pay for everything, give me the receipt and get out. Five minutes later I would come to the same checkout with one more item and the receipt saying that I forgot a thing the first time around and that I didn't want to leave my cart unchecked. A charming smile, and it would work everytime."

"As long as we did not do it too often in the same place."

"That's clever" said Judy, with a disaproving but amused look.

"I thought so too" answered Nick, as if he was completely oblivious to the annoyed face of his partner.

They had left the restaurant and since it was a beautiful day, they decided to go home on foot. It took them about an hour, and they had to shelter themselves from the rain in an electronic shop. Nick browsed around for a new phone, but found nothing he liked.

As they were approaching Judy's place, she had slowly mustered the courage to talk to Nick about his parents. She knew he wouldn't say anything right now, but she had to tell him he could open up to her, even if it wasn't today. The fox looked up a the Grand Pangolin Arms building.

"Sheesh, Judy, this place is a dump."

"It's cheap."

"I hope so, or else you're getting ripped off. You want me to come renegotiate a better contract ?"

"Nope, I'm good, thanks"

An awkward silence slowly crept between them. She let it drag a bit and then sighed. "Nick, I'd like to say something."

"If it's about my parents, drop it Carrots. I don't feel like talking about it" The confident mask was up. No cracks. Just Nick.

"Nick, it's important" She protested.

"Carrooots" He cut, lifting a finger.

"Please Nick. It's not about them, it's about us !"

What about us ? What does it have to do with us Carrots ?

"Go ahead."

"I know you don't like talking about your past. I don't know much about it, but from I could gather, it wasn't pretty."

"Way to understate it. Are you finished ?" The confident grin was present on his face, but not in his voice.
She took his paw.

"I know you trust me, and I trust you. You're my partner and my friend. If you ever need to talk about it, know that I'm here for you. I want to be here for you. So please, don't shut me out of your problems. How you feel is important to me."

His eyes were trapped in the pool of amethyst that was her gaze. He felt something inside, something sad and happy at the same time. It felt like gratitude. It felt like longing. It felt like something long forgotten. The mask was at an inch to crack.

"Hey Carrots, I'm okay. I don't want you to worry about me." He made a pause. "Emotional bunnies..." he sighed. She lightly punched his shoulder. "See you tommorrow, slick." with a smile, she turned around and went inside the building.

"Not if I see you first, Judy" his voice was but a whisper.

A feeling ot unbearable loneliness washed down on him. He had turned his life around, become a cop, become someone he could at last be proud of.

Why don't I feel good know ? What is wrong with me ?

He began to make his way toward his own appartment building. The thirty minute walk felt like an eternity as he was lost in thoughts and feelings he had kept bottled up for years.

Hope you liked what you read !

There was a reference to a movie by a unknown director, making small independant movies, going by the name of Quentin Tarantino. Will you be able to find it ?