Sly as a Fox

"You honestly think you could outrun me, Wilde?" the cheetah laughed, straightening his shirt collar. "I know you foxes are fast, but…" he gestured to himself. "C'mon."

Nick grinned, flipping his sunglasses open and placing them over his eyes. "I wasn't suggesting I was faster than you, Lieutenant." He plucked his coffee up off the table and took a sip. Glancing around the outdoor café, he couldn't help the feeling of joy that bubbled up within him. Six month ago he would have been chased off the premises for simply being a fox. Now he was sitting at a table, enjoying a meal, and palling around with Chief Lieutenant Kalis of the Zootopia Police Academy.

So much had changed in such a short time and it was awesome.

The cheetah studied him. "Then what were you suggesting, cadet?"

Nick took another swig of his coffee. His ears flicked toward a sound coming from the park across the street and he looked up to see a little, grey rabbit on her afternoon jog.

"Well, sir, it's true that you have the advantage of speed over me, but when have you ever heard someone coin the phrase, sly as a cheetah? Can't say I've ever heard it, myself." He looked over the rim of his glasses with the haughtiest of gleams he could muster. "And when it comes to catching the bad guys, it's not so much speed as it is smarts that counts. Am I right? Yes. Yes I am."

Kalis snorted. "You think that just because you got dragged into a case that was none of your business to be a part of and, miraculously, helped to solve it, you are now the authority on the subject of criminology. Is that it?"

"If the shoe fits."

"You don't wear shoes, Wilde."

The two shared in a good laugh that lasted several minutes.

Kalis wiped tears from his eyes as one of the café's servers came by with their lunch. He quickly tore into his sandwich, still trying to stifle random giggles.

Nick followed suit, picking chips out of a bad and tossing them into his mouth. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and watched as the rabbit made another lap at the park.

Kalis followed his gaze, laughing quietly as he muttered, "That makes sense."

"Sorry. What?"

The cheetah smirked. "It's a nice little shop, Wilde," he gestured to the café. "But I couldn't figure out why you always chose to eat here. Or why you waited so late to eat lunch." He took another bite and tossed his head toward the park. "Now it makes sense."

Nick rolled his eyes. "She's my friend. What's the big deal?"

It was Kalis' turn to roll his eyes. "The big deal is that, if I didn't already know you, I'd assume you were some kind of stalker with how you follow her around."

"Aw, come on, Kalis. Since I was accepted into the academy I've barely seen her."

"Then why are you having lunch with me and not her?"

"This is the time of day she goes on her run. Have you seen how much energy that bunny has? She needs her run."

"You know her schedule?"

Nick blinked. "Maybe."

"Does she know that?"

"Oh, psh! I wouldn't tell her I have her life schedule memorized. I'd sound like some kind of obsessive creep."

"You are."

"Are what?"

"An obsessive creep." The cheetah let out another howl of laughter.

"Har har." Nick watched her make a third lap. "I'm going to precinct one, right?"

Kalis snatched Nick's sandwich off his plate. He clearly wasn't interested in eating it. "You'll go where you're assigned."

"But, come on, sir. I'm only doing this because bunny foo foo over there got me into it. And she been bugging Bogo for a partner. Who better than me?"

"You'll go where you're assigned." He sank his teeth into the sandwich and almost immediately started choking. "What! What did you put on this?"

"Habaneros, officer chuckles. I slipped 'em in there while you were having one of your giggle fits. Figured you'd go for my food eventually." He smirked.

Officer Kalis jumped out of his seat to get some water, only to trip over his own arm and meet the ground with his face. He flipped over, still panting from the heat on his tongue, and gawked at the pair of cuffs that held his paw to the table. "Wh-what?"
"And that happened while you were off on your stalker spiel." He removed his sunglasses and winked. "Officer Hopps will be finishing her run soon. She always treats herself to a skinny, soy latte and a slice of carrot cake after a hard workout, so I'd better skedaddle before she gets here. You don't mind picking up the tab, do you?"

"Wilde," the cheetah growled.

"Of course, that might be hard to do without your wallet." Nick pulled a large billfold from behind his back and tossed it in front of the downed officer. "You'll also need your keys, but," he stepped away and dropped the keys down at his feet. "Oh, golly gee, it looks like they're just out of your reach, sir. Don't worry. I'm sure some kind hearted citizen will see you in distress and offer you a helping paw." He laughed and turned on the balls of his feet, striding toward the street. "I told you I could catch you, Lieutenant. Who needs to run when you're, forgive the cliché, sly as a fox."

And with that, Nick disappeared into the flow of foot traffic.

Kalis laughed in spite of his situation. "You're gonna be one great cop, Wilde."

I'm obsessed with this movie and I want to write words about it.