The Fallen Chronicles Chapter 1: Book 1: The Lost Story of Zootopia, a zootopia fanfic

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey there! I had to convince myself to make this. It is currently 1:11 am and I am about to throw my computer out the window. Nevertheless, I knew I had to make this. This has been an idea of mine since the movie first came out (Which I fucking love btw). This story is set in a completely new and unique world, where predators are treated harshly and recognized as second-class citizens. This universe has an entirely different history and background, so it's not quite in the whole 'Zistopia" world we've all come to know. Nevertheless, many of the events in this story were inspired by many of the concepts of the original motion picture. There will be similarities, and there will be differences.

For those who are concerned... Yes, there will be Judy in this story... eventually. For now though, the story will primarily focus on Nick, it being told from his point of view.

But enough of me talking. You've got a story to read!

Nick was only a kid.

The world was an unknown realm, a vast and mysterious wonderland that he was eager to explore. He was a curious cub. Eagerness seemed to pour out of his mind, filling his body with unchecked enthusiasm. Life was a new adventure, and to him, nothing would stop him from becoming a prosperous adult like his father…

Not even the collar around his neck.

He ventured the rooms from left to right, running around with friends and looking through display cases. The exhibit was packed with students. The laughter of children bounced off the concrete walls of the open area. Jubilant conversations rang out from every direction. Today was the first day of school, and the large classes of predators were on a field trip at the history museum.

There wasn't a single prey mammal there, but the children thought nothing of it. It was an exciting experience; many of them had never been to the downtown part of the capital. Nick used to spend his days in the city slums, playing with predators and enjoying a youthful life. Now however, he was becoming an adult. He got his collar at the age of seven, and was now attending a local primary school. While others dreaded it, Nick was completely enthusiastic about getting an education. If he was going to be like his father, he knew he had to try and learn a little. Besides, discovering things was something he loved dearly.

The fox continued to look around. It was an age of technological advancement for Zootopia. Nick was overwhelmed by the gadgets and gizmos that surrounded him. He wandered over to the back of the room, making his way over to a large display case. A few students surrounded the container with their paws pressed against the glass.

"Hey guys!"

Nick's voice was light and cheerful, however, none of the students responded. They were all completely transfixed on the item in front of them. The fox glanced over their shoulders.

"Whatcha looking at?"

The electronical device sat on small stand. The object was big and bulky, and had a fairly large antenna protruding from the top. One of the students answered.

"—It's called a… ce-wul-ar telephone… You can talk to mammals by speaking into this little box…"

Nick inspected the device, amazed by what he saw.

"But wait— where are the wires?"

"It doesn't have any! —That's what cewular means!"

"Wow…"

The small group stood around the display for several moments. The government was always coming up with new technology, and the wireless communication device was one of their latest inventions. Nick was always curious about them. He would watch helicopters and planes fly through the sky, utterly unsure about how they worked. Although the public was limited to typewriters and landline telephones, the government-funded military was constantly upgrading and advancing. The striking difference in technological abilities always interested Nick. He sometimes wished that he was allowed to join the military whenever he grew up. They always had the coolest things…

…

"Class!"

The fox turned around. A leopard stood across the room, waving a clipboard and gathering everybody's attention. She called out with a friendly voice.

"It's time for today's lesson!"

The teacher motioned for everyone to come over. Students began to peel away from the display cases and make their way towards the front of the room. Nick and the other predators followed them, slightly upset about not being able to look at the objects around them.

The children began to sit down on the floor. Predators of all shapes and sizes huddled around the teacher, excitedly talking about the museum's many technological artifacts. The leopard sat on a stool, quietly checking off the attendance of all students. When she was finally sure all predators were accounted for, she put away her clipboard.

Resting her paws on her lap, she cleared her throat and started the lesson.

"Good morning everyone! —Did you enjoy looking at all the cool things!?"

The accumulated crowd bursted out with cheers and joyful claps. It was clear that the predators were happy about the field trip.

The teacher continued.

"Well… Now that we're here today— we'll be talking about a very important subject…"

The students quieted down, now interested in what the teacher had to say. They had already looked over the entire building, and they weren't sure about what the teacher was referring to now.

The leopard raised her paw and lifted the device on her neck.

"Can anybody tell me what this is?"

The predators' eyes lit up, instantly recognizing what she said as pointing at. Many of them grabbed their own accessories, raising their paws up to answer the question.

"Hmm… Yes Derek?"

The bear cub lowered his paw, answering with a confident tone.

"A collar!"

"Yes! —Very good! Now… Could anyone tell me why we wear these collars?"

The children piped up with another round of enthusiastic paw-raises. The leopard scanned the anxious crowd, raising her finger and selecting another student.

"Nicholas?"

"So we don't misbehave!"

"Great!"

The predators returned to a talkative murmur. The teacher glanced down at her clipboard, swiftly starting her next statement and silencing the students.

"You see— hundreds of years ago, when the city-state was first founded, mammals were divided into to two groups… Prey lived in the houses, while predators worked in the fields…"

Nick and his classmates paid full attention to the leopard's words. She continued after pausing momentarily.

"... But thanks to the kindness of the government, Predators have been welcomed into our society! —As long as we put these collars on everyday, we can walk the streets as free and happy mammals!"

The predators shifted excitedly where they sat, their eyes glowing with the excitement of growing up. Almost all of them had child locks on their collars, but that didn't matter. The collars were their ticket to a new and adventurous life. None of them had even the slightest desire to take them off.

"Now… The collars we're wearing were made to make sure that us predators don't do anything bad to our fellow Zootopians… If an officer sees you misbehaving, he'll give you a little shock and tell you to stop… —So make sure you're well behaved! The adults are always watching!"

The children nodded, promising themselves that they'll be good mammals when they grew up. Only criminals were shocked, and as long they were nice, they could live normal lives. They could be like everyone else… They could be like prey.

"Together… Us predators can come together and help this nation become greater! —Does anyone know the city motto?"

Only a few students raised their paws, but someone among them decided to yell the answer out loud.

"For the good of the the city-state! For the good of all!"

"Yes! Very Good! —Come on everyone! Together!"

The children spoke in a united chant.

"For the good of the city-state! For the good of all!"

"Excellent! Again!"

The juvenile voices became louder, their expressions filled with patriotism.

"For the good of the city-state! For the good of all!"

They became more enthusiastic. Their words were marked with joy.

"For the good of the city-state! For the good of all!"

They began to yell it. The chant was like an energetic chorus, like a rejoiceful praise.

"For the good of the city-state! For the good of all!"

*BEEP *BEEP *BEEP *BEEP

"Ugh…"

…

*BEEP *BEEP *BEEP *BEEP

"Ughhh…"

…

*BEEP *BEEP *BEEP *BEEP

"UGHHH."

…

*BEEP—

…

15 Years Later

The silence was sudden and soothing.

My body was submerged in drowsiness. My arms and legs were sprawled out across the mattress, and my mind was still a muddled blur. The darkness of the room told me that it was still pitch black outside. The cool, passing breeze told me that I had kicked my blankets off, and the sudden wave of negative thoughts reminded me that I absolutely abhorred mornings. I had to muster up the strength to look at the quiet clock sitting my nightstand.

5:20

The dreaded number. It seemed that no matter how soon I fell asleep in the evening, the mornings were always the same. Painful. I had woken up at this time before, but only on occasion. Dreariness wasn't familiar enough to get used to, but accustomed enough to despise. However, how I felt really didn't matter. Complaining wouldn't make things easier, and with that in mind, I eventually made the conscious effort to get up.

I threw my legs over the side of the bed and used the momentum to sit upright. My surroundings started to creep into my head. The sounds of dripping rainwater, the smell of mold and damp tree bark, the creaking of the floorboards; everything slowly became more evident as my senses slowly resurfaced. Standing up, I outstretched my paws and pushed off of the low hanging ceiling. Boarding in an attic addition, my room had three ceilings. One was parallel to the ground while the other two were unevenly slanted downward toward the floor. It was mold-ridden and nearly about to fall on me. Honey once jokingly told me that if the roof collapsed one day, she would just buy me a tent.

It was still dark out. I began to feel my way through the room and toward my bedroom door. Even with a fox's vision, I still had the habit of tripping over random objects. It was as if the piles of clothes and miscellaneous objects moved around as I slept. I turned back when I got to the door, looking over the cluttered mess that enveloped me. My ripped bed sheets were over halfway off of my bed. To the left, my small and unstable desk sat crookedly against the wall. On the ground were piles of clothing. Some of the newer, clean stacks stood tall and orderly, while older ones became slumped and untidy mounds. I turned back and grabbed my collar from off the doorknob.

Even if I wasn't necessarily prepared to take on the day, the world didn't give a shit, and therefore, neither could I.

"NICK! WE GOT A LEAD!"

Honey bursted through the door with a small piece of paper in her paws. Before I had the chance to swallow my coffee, she slammed the paper down, shaking the table violently.

"Nick, tell me what you see!"

She was in one of those moods.

It was a mix of excitement and anxiety. She's had moments like these ever since I moved in with her. We met at a bar last year after I was kicked out of my apartment in the Rainforest Bureau. I was hammered that night; the events were like a blur to me. We sat by each other at the counter, and after a few beers, we got to know each other a little better. Our conversation stumbled from one subject to another, and eventually, my housing situation was vaguely brought up. She was more than happy to invite me to stay at her place. I agreed, thinking it would be a one-or-two-night thing, a place to stay until I got back on my feet…

Almost a year later, I'm still living in her attic.

Honey was a rather large badger. She took up most of the doorway while walking from room to room in the house. (Then again, the house was originally built by ferrets. Everything was a little too small.) She wasn't fat. No, just stocky. Her stature was matched by her unpretentious attitude. Honey had always been a nice house-mate. She was caring and exceedingly protective. Although it was never quite necessary, her guidance was comforting. It was always good knowing that she had your back.

When I first met Honey, moving in with her didn't seem all too bad. I packed all of my belongings and moved into the small attic space, thinking everything was going to be somewhat normal again.

Well, that was until I found… The bunker.

It was the third day after I moved in. Honey was at the grocery store and I got back from work early. With almost nothing to eat and plenty of time to waste, I decided to reheat a slice of pizza that had been in the fridge overnight.

I sat down and watched a documentary on T.V., and after I was done, I got up to wash the plate. However, when I got to the sink, I couldn't find any dish soap. I checked high and low, scanning across the counter and looking through cabinets. Eventually, I got down to the curtained space beneath the sink. I moved the draped towel, not expecting to find anything out of the ordinary…

I was wrong.

A large, metal trapdoor was bolted to the wooden floor. Beside me, a winding wire ran beneath the hatch, leading down into the mysterious space below. I sat back and contemplated, baffled by what I was looking at. I was horrified yet intrigued. I didn't want to invade my roommate's privacy and risk being kicked out of my new house, but the question burned through my head.

Why on earth would she have a bunker underneath the sink?

It could be nothing. I thought. It's probably a storm shelter or something. I draped the towel back over the empty space and headed back to the couch, having completely forgotten to wash my dirty plate. I tried to distract myself from whatever was in that hole. I flipped through the channels, trying to find something else to focus on. It was to no avail. Every single show seemed to be on commercial break. I threw the remote down and closed my eyes.

Don't be irrational. It's probably nothing…

I looked back. I could see the wire split off from the wall and go down beneath the sink. It appeared to be the same cable that connected to the landline telephone on the wall. I pondered at the sight.

A telephone wire? Why would someone need to have a phone down there?

Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I got up and marched over to the sink, bending down and unveiling the trapdoor from behind the curtain. I opened the door with a shove, revealing a small, dark hole. I wasn't sure how deep it was.

You're not going down there.

A weird smell radiated from the bottom of the pit. The bunker's purpose remained a frightening mystery. I started to have my doubts.

There's no way you're going down there.

I took a deep breath and leaned back. No. I shouldn't be going down there. All I had to do was ask Honey about it. It could've been nothing. It could've just been my imagination getting the best of me…

…

Fuck it.

I turned around and dropped my legs into the tunnel. After a few pushes back, my foot made contact with the cold, metal rung of the ladder. I crawled down, squeezing my shoulders together and placing my paws on the top rung. After a few, hesitant breaths, I made my way down.

The hole was about two feet in diameter. The damp, dirt walls on either side of me brushed up against my fur. I was amazed by the fact that Honey could fit in here. I couldn't help but feel claustrophobic, and I was fairly underweight for a fox. I continued to climb down, waiting for my feet to touch the unseen basement floor. I began to think about what I was getting myself into.

What if there are dead bodies down there? What if you're her next victim?

Don't be ridiculous! It's probably just extra storage or something.

Really? Then why hasn't she told you about it? Why is it hidden underneath the kitchen sink!? And why on earth is it connected with a telephone line!?

I paused and looked up. I was about 10 feet beneath the hole entrance. I took a deep, drawn-out sigh. I could feel the moisture radiate from the walls of the vertical tunnel. The noises of the city were muffled by the thick layer of earth now separating us. I thought about going back up. I thought about going back to the couch and minding my own business…

I breathed another sigh and restarted my descent.

The claustrophobic hole now seemed to open up. I realized that I was beginning to get close to whatever I waited below. My trip down became a constant rhythm. My feet clanked against every step, and my paws followed at an even pace. Thoughts continued to roll through my head. The deeper I got, the more anxious I became. I started to consider stopping…

But suddenly, the rhythm stopped.

My foot failed to connect to a rung. The ladder ended abruptly far above the ground. The sudden fright made me slip, and I started to plummet to the ground.

"Oh fuuuuuuuUUUUCK!"

*THUD

I hit the damp floor with enough force to knock the wind out of me. A bolt of pain shot up my spine. Dizziness crept into my head. I gasped for air. I laid there, blankly staring up at the open hatch beneath the sink. I was at least 20 feet below street level now.

I was slow to get up. My entire body felt sore. I balanced myself onto my feet and looked around. The room was pitch black. The sounds of my howl were now a faint, resonating echo. The room was definitely bigger than I had first imagined.

My vision became more and more clear. I could start seeing the outlines of what looked to be shelves. I glanced around and was able to find a small box in the wall. A light switch. I walked over to it and confirmed my suspicions. I flicked the switch and sure enough, the lights turned on.

I looked up to see the hole I fell through. The ladder abruptly stopped at the tunnel's bottom end. The ceiling was about 10 feet above my head, and reaching the ladder was a complete impossibility. I was going to have to find someway to get back up there.

I looked back down. The room around me was littered with supplies and equipment. Shelves were stacked high with food, medicine, and other essential items. A stack of glass jars sat in the corner, each of them being filled with an unknown yellow liquid. I averted my attention elsewhere. I didn't even want to know what was in those.

There were many random objects strewn about the bunker. Golf clubs, fire extinguishers, a large box of fireworks, hundreds of forks and spoons, lots of miscellaneous stuff. On one end of the room, there was a rather large map of the city-state. Red tipped push pins were dotted around the map, all connected by a single red string. Below the map was a desk cluttered with papers and news articles. Compared to the rest of the room, it was fairly tidy.

The other end of the room shocked me. I just about pissed in my pants. The wall was stocked with guns. Real guns. From pistols to assault rifles, there was an uncomfortably high amount of weaponry. I swallowed. I haven't actually handled a real gun before. Part of me wanted to go over and check them out, the other part of me wanted to get the hell out of here.

It made sense. The weapons, the food supplies, the phone line… Honey was a prepper…

A doomsday bunker, your new roommate has a hideout for when the apocalypse happens. Way to pick them, Nick.

Oddly, part of me was comforted, knowing that if the world was ending, I could be like the crazy idiots on TV who spent thousands on military-grade bunkers to ride out the apocalypse. That was it. An apocalypse bunker. Nothing else.

I began to laugh at the situation I was in.

I thought that Honey was a serial killer or deranged psycho. I mean, yeah, it was weird to have a fallout shelter underneath your sink, but that was a lot better than what I originally had in mind. Honey could've been crazy, but she wasn't deranged. Yes. A fallout shelter. Nothing else. My wild and irrational fears were disproven…

But then, as I began to look for a way out, something strange caught my eye.

Although the objects that were littered around the basement were pretty random, they mostly had a common theme. There a was an oversized wool shearer on the top of one of the shelves. Beside me was a cage, that was roughly the size of a sheep.

I looked around more, and found more sheep related items. There was a wall mounted clock that had the outline of a sheep. On the desk, there was a book about the biology of sheep. Alongside the book were newspaper articles of sheep-related crimes and incidents. Mounted on the wall was a poster with three sheep jumping over the moon. However, in red marker, the top middle sheep had '666' written on it. Below it said 'Stay Awake!'

At that, I was out of there. I found a folding ladder near the back corner of the room. The smell of piss began to fill my nostrils. I set the ladder up underneath the hole and quickly climbed out…

…

Honey was a psychotic conspiracy theorist.

I eventually brought it up later that night. While eating dinner, Honey educated me on the "Infamous Sheep Conspiracy." Her knowledge of sheep both impressed and scared me. She went on about how sheep have been responsible for most of the world's corruptness. She told me all the signs, the crop circles, the secret sheep establishment, she even went in depth about the ancient bloodline of sheep. I went to bed that night thinking she was crazy. I had planned on moving out, but when I woke up the next morning, she was back to her normal self.

This would be a common occurrence. She would be her usual self, and then she would see something on the news about sheep and she would get into one of her moods. She's a nice mammal, but she has her moments.

"WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE TO YOU?"

I snapped out of my stupor. The freshly-printed paper now waved sporadically in front of my face. I grabbed the sheet, straightening it out and holding it away from my face. The paper had a color coordinated chart of the sheep population in the city-state from the past 50 years.

I scoffed.

"Looks to me like a waste of colored ink."

She snatched the paper from my paw and headed toward the sink.

"I'm telling ya! —The woolskins are behind everything!"

I looked out the window. The curtains began to glow as the sun started to dimly light up the sky outside. By the sound of her scratchy voice, the badger had probably been up all night doing research on sheep.

I heard the squeak of the trapdoor opening.

"This is CRUCIAL evidence!"

I smirked at the thought of her squeezing down the hole and into the bunker. She would probably spend most of the day in there.

"CRUCIAL!"

Her voice was now muffled below the surface. I finished my breakfast and headed out the door.

Today was just another Monday.

I hope you enjoyed my first ever fanfic! Please review!