Integrity and Anarchy

chapter 01 - Birthday Blues

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0 0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

It had just been one of those days, where everything beats down on a mammal, where nothing goes right and makes a mammal re-think every decision they've made to try and figure out how they got to this point in their life. Today had been one of those days for Officer Nicholas P. Wilde of the Zootopia Police Department, and it had started out so simply.

First his toaster oven had just about caught fire when it shorted out, then his car wouldn't start, forcing him to take public transit. Even in uniform, he still got those nasty looks every fox did in public. To make matters worse, a bump on the train had caused him to spill his coffee all over his shirt. He was lucky he got an iced coffee this morning, otherwise he would have made a trip to Savannah General.

Things had started looking up when he made it to the precinct. The door hadn't closed on his tail, at least, and he'd only bumped into Officer McHorn, rather than getting stepped on by the rhino. McHorn had even apologized, unlike the guy on the train. Better yet, Nick had an extra uniform shirt in his locker. The white tank top he wore underneath was sadly ruined so he had to go without.

The fur on his chest and stomach was sticky and matted, luckily a wash rag and a quick brushing had fixed the problem for the most part. In truth, Nick should have taken a shower - but it was only minutes before roll call and Bogo hated the smell of wet fur, or at least wet fox. He had hoped Judy would make his day better. Thankfully, like always, the bunny did, but only for all of two minutes until Bogo gave them their assignment - Paw Patrol in Sahara Square.

To be honest, Paw Patrol wasn't all that bad - walk around, talk to shop owners, wave at children and just generally make the mammals of the city feel safe. The hardest part would be to keep an eye out for a drug dealer named Sweet Tooth. On their way to the Square, Nick and Judy joked about making some pawpsicles to lure out the hyena gang-banger.

It had seemed like Nick's day was turning around, until he stepped paw on the hot pavement. He swore he heard sizzling. In the first few hours of being there, he must have drank six bottles of water. Judy, as always, appeared completely unflappable when it came to police work, although she did agree that walking the beat alone would suck. They had to split up now and then because, oddly enough, seeing two police officers walking around made mammals nervous, while seeing a single cop didn't.

When the sun was at its highest and Nick was panting like a lonely dog, Judy radioed that she was in pursuit of Sweet Tooth. The fox decided to cut off the hyena by ducking through an alleyway. However Nick had forgotten his basic physics: when a hundred and sixty two pound object hits an eighty pound one, the smaller object gets knocked away.

The fox officer thought this must be what a soccer ball felt like when someone kicked it against a wall. Luckily, his grey bunny partner had been able to stop the hyena's escape while Nick picked himself up, and together they were able to take the gang-banger into custody.

While Judy called in their collar and asked for a paddy wagon, Nick gave Sweet Tooth a pat-down. That was when they learned the drug dealer's real name: Samantha Turin. The wrong officer, as it turned out, was giving the female hyena a pat-down. Unintentional sexual harassment aside, she was well hung for a girl - but that's a hyena for you.

The rest of the day had been filled with paperwork, but now the fox's shift was done, and he was sore. Very sore. Especially his paws and tail. Thankfully his old hustler friend, Finnick, had been uncharacteristically nice enough to pick him up after work, only because he had been nearby. They weren't as close as they used to be, but they were still what most would consider friends.

The pair of foxes had stopped at a convenience store to pick up snacks and gas, Nick was also doing something he hadn't done in a long time. He was buying cigarettes. The ZPD prided itself on policing the most diverse city in the world; however, policing the most diverse city in the world was stressful beyond belief. Its officers came across situations that no other cops would. So, where other cities forbid their officers from smoking, Zootopia simply had a 'no smoking on the clock' policy.

Nick asked for a carton of Zooport menthol 100s, just like the ones his mother had smoked at the end of a long day, the ones he used to snatch from her when he was a teen, that he'd given up three years ago. Which was exactly what Finnick asked about, when they were back in the van.

"Yeah", Nick replied, with a haggard look on his face as he smacked the top of the first pack against his palm. Finnick had to the admit the red was looking pretty bad today. Nick normally didn't show anything but an amused smile, though when he was alone with those close to him, he let his guard down some.

He wouldn't say anything - but that look on his face and the slump of his shoulders... the way he had undone his tie and most of the top buttons of his uniform shirt, which was even untucked from his belt, it all spoke louder than words. The red was worn out, and in more than a little pain.

"I just need to take the edge off, you know?" Nick said, as he slipped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. The van filled with the smell of the burning mint-flavored tobacco. He slumped back in the seat as he exhaled, flopping his arm out the van's open window. "At least I can enjoy this little rotten cherry on top my crappy day."

"Yah, goin' legit makes life hard," Finnick sipped his soda, the cup almost as big as him, started the van and headed toward Nick's apartment building. When Nick had quit hustling and become a cop, the smaller fox had gone straight as well, out of respect for his friend and to get with a special fox he had met.

Now the fennec was a handy-mammal of sorts: air conditioner repair, mechanic, general fix-it fox - repairing just about anything under the sun. He was even talking to an apartment building owner about being the superintendent. It was hard work, but he was making enough money now to rent an apartment - and even paint the door of his van. "But legit or not, getting old makes it harder."

"I'm not getting old," the red fox replied, smoke billowing from his mouth with each word.

"Nick, it's your birthday tomorrow, you're getting old," Finnick was never one to spare feelings, especially when it came to age concerns, being closer to forty than Nick was to thirty. He just had such a baby face that no one noticed.

With that thought, all the aches and pains of the day redoubled their efforts on Nick. He took another drag of his Zooport and watched the smoke get sucked out the window.

"When did we get so old, Finn?"

"Probably sometime during those twenty years of hustlin'."

"You know, when you're right you're right," Nick commented, still watching his smoke flutter away. A smile crossed his face, one of the few real ones of the day as the memories of the good, and bad, times over the years came flooding back. He and Finnick swapped some stories about their past together. It made the ten minute ride feel like two.

Nick popped his back after he stepped out of the van and waved to Fin as he drove off. It was just after sundown, but Nick could see how rundown his apartment building was. It was barely-up-to-code, built of red and grey brick that was probably three times his age. It wasn't the cleanest place in the world, either, but he had lived in worse.

The stained carpets were vacuumed once a month, and he was pretty sure the walls had been washed at least once since he'd moved in. But it was cheap, and when you owed as much in back taxes as he did, you kind of need a cheap place to live. Especially when all your savings had gone to the government you now work for. Finn was right, going straight could suck.

He walked into his apartment, said, "Honey, I'm home!", then laughed at his own dumb joke. He lived alone, except for a goldfish but that thing didn't do much talking. It just swam around in its bowl, sitting on the window sill. His apartment was small, but still bigger than Judy's. It even had a bathroom, little more than a tiny toilet-closet, and he actually had to take a couple of steps to touch the opposite living room walls.

Nicholas pulled off his uniform and plopped down on the bed, wearing only his blue and red boxers, speckled with police badges. He turned on his small TV as he gave a brief thought to having another smoke, or a drink, or maybe even both. But most of all, he thought about something that could shorten his life just as much as either of those. He thought about having someone here waiting for him to come home, because right now he could really use a back rub from a dainty-pawed sweetie, or one with small and surprisingly strong grey paws.

His cell phone beeped, signaling a text; Nick grabbed it, and with a glance knew who it was from the picture of an animated dancing carrot, and he smiled as he checked the message. His partner was bored, and he knew what he would be doing until he fell asleep in his lonely bed. He would be texting back and forth with a bunny. Just as any handsome, single, thirty-two, going on thirty-three-year-old fox would do.

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

The next morning, Nick awoke to the sharp screech of his alarm; he slammed his fist on the button hard enough to shake the nightstand, which was probably why it made such an awful noise in the first place. He groaned as he sat up and swung his legs out of bed. His powerful hearing picked up every pop his joints made when he stretched.

"Damn it all," he said, as the hard aches from yesterday became dull, throbbing pains that felt like they would never go away.

He limped over to his nightstand, he'd just started smoking again and he was already lighting up before breakfast. With a menthol burning in his mouth, Nick took the two steps from his bedroom to the kitchen, also known as a hotplate on top of a mini fridge. His toaster oven laid in the trash nearby, so he would have to do without toast with his eggs and bug sausage today. There were enough bits in the fridge to make do for a couple days.

After breakfast was his morning shower. Sadly, that failed to chase away his pain, especially in his tail. As he dried himself off he checked the movement of his fluffy appendage. It hurt and he could tell it was swollen.

"Damn it all, again."

The run-in with the wall must have jammed it pretty good. Thankfully, it wasn't broken, he wouldn't be able to walk if it were. Today was going to be another one of those days too it seemed, on his birthday, no less. Before he left for work he popped some painkillers. They dulled a mammal's mind, so most officers avoided them if they could. He couldn't today.

Another cigarette was reduced to ash before Nick even left his building, and the next one lasted until he was on the train. He got plenty of looks this day too, but they weren't the 'what's that fox up to' looks. They were the even more annoying 'what's with this asshole smoking so close to me' looks. At least his coffee survived the trip.

Despite the way it started, the day felt like it was going to be okay. He even got to the precinct before Judy somehow. A very rare thing, and something he always loved to tease her about, when it did happen. The lazy fox getting to work before the hard working bunny. Nick's first stop wasn't the front desk to talk to Clawhauser about the latest gossip around the office like normal, it was the locker room.

The place always smelt of wet fur and cheap soap. Nick tossed his open pack of Zooports on the top shelf of his locker next to his tranq-gun and a very special pen. He sipped his coffee as he stored the carton of nine remaining packs, as well, before retrieving the pen and his sidearm.

"Good Morning, Nick," Judy said as she almost skipped past him. Like always, her purple eyes were bright and that little tail was as bushy as could be. Instinctively, the fox moved his own injured tail away from the newcomer.

"Morning, Carrots."

The bunny's happy face fell into one of suspicion, her nose twitching as she sniffed out a new smell over that of the nearby showers.

"What is that?" she asked, eyeing him with violet orbs that sparkled like jewels

.

"Nothing?" Nick replied as he moved to close his locker. A blur of grey and blue stopped him. The quick little rabbit had jumped in, grabbed the whole carton of cigarettes, and jumped back out in the blink of an eye.

"Zooport Menthol 100s." she read, disgusted. "Nick, since when do you smoke?"

"Since last night," he answered, as he snatched it back and tossed it back in a single motion. "...and that's no way to treat someone on their birthday."

He smirked, closing his locker.

Judy was about to give him the familiar, practiced grade school lecture about the dangers of smoking when her train of thought was derailed completely.

"Really?" she spoke, in an excited squeal. "Oh! We have got to celebrate." She giggled, "We're so going out for drinks tonight."

"As long as they're on you, then sure," Nick replied, smiling. The day was looking up.

"Drinks on Hopps? Count me in," Peter Fangmeyer, the white wolf, called as he leaned around the door frame. "That includes off of you, right, Judy?"

The bunny stuttered, "Of - of course not, you damned horn dog."

She smirked her blush away as she looked up at Nick, who appeared to like the idea of bunny body shots a little too much for her liking. "Wipe that smirk off your face, we need to get to roll call." She smiled, as the two canines agreed and they all headed out.

The locker room was empty and quiet until the janitor, a ram, pushed his squeaky cart through the door. He started to mop the floor, slowly making his way down the line of lockers until he came to the one marked Nicholas P. Wilde. He paused, and his little round ears swiveled around in search of the sound of approaching paws. When he heard none, he pulled out his large ring of keys. The ram's eyes could see all around him as he slid a key into the keyhole, under the combination lock, and turned it.

He quickly found what was looking for - Nick's open pack of cigarettes. The ram reached into his cart and pulled out a can of WD-40 that had a long metal needle, instead of the normal red plastic one, attached to the spray head. He pushed the end into one of the bottom corners of the pack in his hoof, holding his breath as pressed the trigger on the can. He waited until a blue mist started to come out of the lid seam, then released the trigger and pulled out the needle, jumping as a blue drop fell onto the shelf.

The ram, very carefully, wiped up the bright blue liquid with a thick rag, before checking the pack he'd just sprayed. The mist had settled into the cigarettes and only slightly discolored them, only enough that someone would have to look closely to see it. Good. The plan should work, but just in case...

He did the same to every other pack in the carton. With that done, he put everything back where it was, then locked the locker and continued about his work. On his lunch break a few hours later, he made a quick call, and left a simple message.

"Tell Bellwether it's on."

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

The day had been pretty easy; Bogo had assigned officers Wilde and Hopps to traffic patrol. Nearly nine hours of looking out for speeders or other traffic violations was nothing special. Although, Nick couldn't hide his discomfort. It was hard to sit in the car with a jammed tail, made worse by the amount of time in that position. Judy fussing over his tail just made it worse, ego wise. Thankfully, it was an uneventful day. They only wrote about a dozen tickets and gave out the same number of warnings. Now that the shift was over, Hopps and some other officers were taking Nick out for drinks. This could be good.

Judy almost bounced into Hog Haven, a local cop bar owned by a retired warthog. The bunny, like her companions, was more or less out of uniform. She had left her Kevlar body armor in her locker with her badge, her neoprene, all weather, uniform was pulled down and tied around her waist. She wore a tight black tank top to hide anything that needed to be hidden. Fangmeyer followed behind the bunny with his arm around Nick's shoulders. The white wolf wore ZPD marked sweats, because Peter liked to change at the precinct after shift. Nick was still in uniform, minus his badge.

"We have a birthday boy in the house!" Judy announced to the bar, with her arms thrown wide.

"And who might that be?" the leopardess behind the bar asked, as she leaned forward to see Judy. The bartender wore a revealing red tank top and jeans shorts that left little of her lithe body to the imagination. Her tail swished behind her as two canines walked in behind the bunny.

Emmanuel 'Manny' Delgato, the tiger and Fangmeyer's partner, followed with his uniform shirt tossed over his shoulder. He had a tight white T-shirt over his broad chest. Both the larger predator officers pointed to Nick.

"Oh," the leopard giggled, with a flirtatious smile that begged for good tips, "...and how old are you today?"

The red fox smirked. "Oh, I'm just turning 29 for the 4th time."

The other police officers laughed as the leopard bartender pawed the air playfully saying, "Oh, stop."

The cops got the first round on the house thanks to her.

The officers of the ZPD knew how to have fun, and still keep their heads about them, just in case. The small party grew as nearly half of Precinct One stopped by to give the fox a birthday well-wish, and most stayed for a drink or two with their friends. Chief Bogo even came by to give Nick a card, like his wife always made him do, and to retrieve any of the cruiser keys the officers may still have on them. Most had walked, or rode with someone else who wasn't planning to drive their personal vehicle home, or was not drinking at all.

The bar provided Nick a cupcake sized Rum Cake, with a small green candle burning on top and 'Happy Birthday' written in green icing. Benjamin Clawhauser led the other officers in a rousing song of "Happy Birthday" before the fox blew out the candle.

Never one to turn down sweets, Nick chomped down on the cupcake. It was probably more rum than cake, but he enjoyed it, nonetheless. Once he was done with the treat, Peter and Manny snatched up the fox and plopped him down on a small stool. He did his best to hide just how much that actually hurt.

"Okay, guys, what you got up your sleeves?" Nick asked. He could read the two like a book and had a guess what they were planning. The same joke they did every time someone had a birthday.

"Oh, nothing," the tiger said, as he looked over at the wolf. Nick sighed. It was what he thought.

Peter laughed and added, "Just the customary coworker lap dance!" he howled a little as he called out, "So who's up to give the birthday boy a little show?"

The wolf looked around at his fellow officers, all of them larger than the fox, and most had a Y chromosome. All the better. No one actually gave anyone a lap dance, it was just a running joke of Peter's. The closest anyone got was when he'd blindfolded his partner, Manny, and got Snarlof, the undercover polar bear officer, to tickle the tiger's nose with his tail.

"Oh, OH, Hey! How about Judy?" Benjamin, the overweight cheetah, called out, with a big smile. Nick's eyes fell on the bunny, sitting on the bar with her legs crossed, gently bouncing her top hindpaw to the beat of the song playing over the radio, as she leaned back on one arm, with her lips still around the end of a long necked bottle of hard apple cider. Her ears shot up and her eyes widened, as she almost choked at the suggestion.

"Ooh, no, no!" she laughed, wiping her white chin. "I can't really dance." Her ears and face were on fire, though thankfully, her grey fur hid most of her blushing.

"Girl, it ain't about dancing," Officer Francine Pennington called out, as she stood up from her booth. The elephant had a pitcher of beer in her trunk. "It's all about the motion and the grind."

She spun gracefully on one foot, before poking out her substantial rump and bouncing it to the fast beat of the song, to the cheers of her fellow officers. She smirked as she looked back at the fox, and slowly started to back toward him, still bouncing her rump. Her husband was a lucky bull elephant…

"Nice knowing you," Peter said, as he and his tiger partner scampered away to safety.

"Oh, shit," Nick cursed, as he watched the undulating flesh slowly moving toward him.

Suddenly Francine spun on her heels and smiled, "Aw, hell no. I'd crush you flat!" She giggled as she returned to her seat, blushing.

Nick sighed and shook his head with his eyes closed, 'til he felt a weight landed in his lap. He looked down to see Judy standing there with her paw on her hip, out to one side like she ever so often - her cider held just under her lips.

"Didn't get enough of me in the car?" he asked, with his slick smirk. He reached up and popped his collar. "So, you gonna shake that little tail for me?"

"I was thinking about it," she replied, throwing a little twang in her voice. Everyone knew Judy wasn't that good of a dancer, but every one watched intently. The cops wondering if she was going to try; however, the two friends couldn't keep straight faces for long, before both started to laugh uncontrollably. Everyone at the party quickly joined in. The bunny soon returned to her place on the bar, the fox watching her leave. That tail was hypnotizing.

As much fun as they were all having, they were still cops, so no one could get falling down drunk and stumble home. What would the citizens think? Most barely got tipsy. After haveing a good time Nick and Judy, being the smallest of them all, had to call it first. As the pair walked out, Benjamin turned to Peter with a excited giggle and his spotted paws under his chin.

The white wolf just stared at the plump cheetah with his head tilted and an eyebrow raised, "What?"

"How long 'til it happens?" Clawhauser asked, dancing in place a little.

"Again, what?" Peter replied.

"Those two, when are they going to be a thing?" the cheetah said, starting to get annoyed.

The white wolf looked at the door, then back at Benjamin and shook his head. "It ain't, Ben."

"WHAT?" the cheetah gasped, "Why would you say that?"

Officer Fangmeyer sighed and drained his fourth beer of the night. "She's a bunny, and bunnies are wired to make more bunnies," he smiled. "And a bunny can't make a bunny with a fox."

"But..."

"Some things you just can't fight, Ben," the wolf looked at Benjamin Clawhauser and added, "Shouldn't you know that better than anyone?"

The overweight Cheetah nodded."I do love doughnuts."

The wolf shook his head and walked away to pay his tab, only to be reminded that Judy paid for everything.

Down the street, the two unlikely best friends talked about the night.

"That bartender was fishing for tips, wasn't she?" Judy said with a laugh.

"I think she may have been fishing for something else too," Nick replied, as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes.

Judy nodded, and was about to say something about him smoking again, 'til the tipsy bunny was distracted by how the fox flicked the bottom of the pack and a single cigarette popped up. She was mesmerized as he spun the menthol around his fingers, while he switched the pack for his lighter. With a twitch of his thumb, the lighter spit out a inch of flame. He touched the flame to the end of the cigarette and puffing gently to light the tobacco. Judy's sparkling eyes and her overwhelmingly cute smile caught Nick's eye. She was framed by a puddle on the ground behind her that reflected the many twinkling lights around them. He could only describe her in one word - gorgeous.

He gasped as he processed the thought, sucking in lungs full of mint flavored smoke. It felt wrong, and not just because of his burning lungs. Nick hunched over and coughed hard. His body needed to deal with the painful smoke before he could figure out his attraction to another species.

"Nick, are you okay?" Judy asked, concerned and patting him on the back. "These things are going to kill you."

Nick's eyes shot open, his pupils pinpricks, locked on the bunny next to him. Judy didn't notice, as she continued to pat his back and ask if he was okay. Nick heaved out a growl that made her jump, his back flexing up under her paw. The bunny was worried by each of his half growled coughs. Suddenly, he stood up, back straight again, and shook his head, looking at the half burnt cigarette.

"Wow, that's never happened before," he flicked the burnt ash of the menthol into a trash can a few feet away, before puffing on the remaining half.

Judy watched the ash fly into the trash and sighed, "I guess you're okay."

"You know me, Carrots," he said, as he headed to the subway tunnel. Whatever had just overcame him had passed, and had thankfully distracted him from his core-shaking realization about this bunny, for now. "Nothing ever gets to me." he popped his collar again to emphasize the point as he gave her that irresistible smile of his, It was only slightly marred by the burning cigarette.

"Ha ha," Judy fake laughed. "I know things get to you, but you just don't show it." She smiled, before adding his pet name, "Dumb fox."

"Nothing gets past you, sly bunny," he replied, as he began to descend into the subway entrance.

"'Night, Carrots!" he called, leaning forward a little more than normal to ease the stress on his aching tail. He waved the peace sign at her with one paw in his pocket, and a thin trail of smoke behind him.

Judy sighed and waved as she called goodbye to him, then continued on her way. Her apartment wasn't that far, so a cab would be about the same price as the train.

Once home and showered, she slipped into her her favorite nightshirt and nothing more. It hung down to mid-thigh, and since she lived alone in her little apartment, why should she dress more than needed? Especially when her window unit air conditioner barely worked, and it was summer. So, with some music playing to drown out the sound of her annoying neighbors, Judy did what every attractive, single, bunny in the prime of her life would do. She texted a fox just to say, "I'm home and bored, wish I had a TV."

Nick's reply was, "Still on the train. And why don't you just buy a little one like I got. It was cheap."

They went on like that. Talking about nothing and just laughing together, even though they were half a district apart. Judy found herself thinking that one random thought she always did after a few drinks. Why couldn't Nick have been a bunny? Sure, inter-species relationships weren't unheard of, but they never crossed predator and prey lines. Maybe a one night stand here or there across the world, but a real relationship? She had never heard of one, even in the movies.

Everything was just so different between predator and prey animals, other than the dietary needs. Right? Regardless of that, she and Nick were just friends. Best friends, and she loved him more than anyone else she knew. Besides, a fox and a bunny dating would work about as well as a bunny cop, and what were the odds of that happening?

Finally, Judy yawned and texted Nick good night. He made a dumb joke about foxes being nocturnal. She knew he was already in bed and only awake because she was texting him. The little bunny yawned as she set her phone on the charger, rolled over, and was whisked away to a dream about a tall red-furred something with a bushy tail, and strong arms that she just melted into after she returned home from saving the day, yet again.

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

Nick's alarm screeched, waking the fox. He slammed his fist on the clock, cracking the digital screen and knocking the last bits of its insides out of place, as the plastic casing caved in. The tattered machine died with a warbled whine and a few sparks. His green eyes glared at the annoyance from the shadows of his sheets and his tail. It wasn't uncommon for modern mammals to sleep curled up like their ancient ancestors, but Nick had never made a habit of it.

He uncurled onto his back and kicked off his sheets before stretching out, pawing at the air with a happy little whine. He felt great for some reason. After rolling onto all fours and hopping down to the floor, he finally stood to his full height stretching his arms over his head. There wasn't an ache, pop, or any of the normal pains he had come to expect. His tail didn't feel swollen anymore, and it had full range of motion; even that little twinge it had since he'd broken it as a kit wasn't bugging him.

The fox started his morning off with a shower. then while puffing on a Zooport, he brushed his coat, applied some deodorant, and clipped his claws. They seemed so much longer than they were yesterday. Dressing for work today was easy: just some dark blue jogging shorts and a light grey ZPD t-shirt.

Ever since the Mayor had launched his "keep Zootopia Fit" campaign, all government workers, including police and firefighters, were required to have twice-monthly fitness days to set a good example for the citizens. Chief Bogo had liked the idea, and quickly set up a schedule for his officers, and today was Nick and Judy's day.

But first, breakfast. The fox was ravenously hungry for some reason. After a dozen eggs and two rolls of bug sausage, and a cigarette, he was full and it was time to go. He was glad he remembered to get another toaster oven yesterday, but now he needed to get another alarm clock.

Puffing on another smoke, he walked out of his apartment and locked it. Nick cringed as his nose picked up something. After a few sniffs, the fox figured out what it was: just about everything in the building. He could smell that at least two different wildebeest had a little too much to drink last night, and had thrown up in the hall; one even revealed himself in the corner.

His next door neighbor was cooking those real-fruit toaster pastries that you squirt the icing pack on for her cubs; apple cinnamon, by the smell of them. Another was burning incense in an attempt to cover his catnip addiction. Nick shook his head and looked around; must be a good nose day, or maybe a good breeze just brought everything to him. There were more smells but he didn't take the time to analyze them.

The morning sun stung his eyes as he walked out the front door of his building, and he took a long puff of his cigarette as put on his sunglasses. More smells assaulted his nose as he turned to head for the subway. His car was still sitting broken in the parking lot and was now covered with eggs, not that he really cared.

He was planning on helping Finnick fix it in a couple of days, when he had a night shift. Nick put his cigarette out in an ashtray by the subway entrance. He didn't want to deal with the looks this morning. Then gagged as the air rushed up from below, his full stomach churning as thousands of smells hit him square in the nose. Most of them were bad or even disgusting, covering anything that may have been good.

Nick looked at the time on his phone, and decided to do something he never had before: jog all the way to work. He'd tried it once, but hadn't made it two blocks before having to call a cab. Now, being a smoker again, he doubted he would make it that far. He started off at a trot, then sped up to a jog, and finally made it all the way to a full, two-legged run.

Two blocks flew by in no time, and as the fourth block passed by, he showed no signs of slowing. The Precinct One building was six blocks from his apartment, and he made it all the way there. He was panting fairly heavily with his tongue hanging out of his jaws, but he was in one piece, and best of all, he didn't feel like he was about to die.

The precinct, like the rest of the city, was full of smells that attacked the fox's nose. It seemed a few mammals in the drunk tank smelt like they had stories to tell, as did most of the cops coming off shift. However, among all of the smells in the building, he honed in on one in particular. The sweet, earthy scent of a bunny raised on a farm. A smile tugged at his panting jaws when he saw Judy doing some cool down stretches by the front desk.

His eyes crawled over her for some reason today, probably for the same reason he'd choked yesterday. Judy used to work out on her own time before it became a requirement, and just like then, she wore some black ankle and wrist supports and a pair of tight black spandex that revealed most of her toned calves. The loose ZPD t-shirt she wore hung off one of her small shoulders, revealing the strap of her workout spandex. Everything that needed to be held in place was, but she could move freely. However, it also left little of her curves and contours to the imagination.

The bunny's ears popped up when she felt eyes on her, and she looked around to find who it was. Upon seeing Nick, Judy smiled and greeted her work out buddy. She walked over to him, confused to why he was panting so hard. Nick's mind was lost in the smell of Judy's honey dew shampoo, as it mixed with her own natural scent. It was almost as intoxicating as a tall glass of whiskey.

With a quick sniff, he knew she'd had toast with orange marmalade for breakfast, and that weird carrot cream coffee from her favorite coffee shop. She would be going into season soon and...Nick shook his head, confused why he was so intent on analyzing every detail of her aroma. Worst still was the effect it was having on him; his mouth watered and his shorts felt a little tight.

"Morning, Nick." the bunny greeted again. She paused, still waiting for a response. "You okay?"

The fox shook himself out of his stupor, "Yeah, I just jogged all the way here."

He chuckled a little, then started some cool-down stretches of his own. He made a conscious effort to breathe through his mouth.

What was going on today?

"No way!" the excitable bunny almost squealed. "Nick, I'm so proud of you!"

She giggled as she threw her arms around his midsection. Her ears tickled his nose, her smell now so close he could taste it, and it was so good!

Nick reluctantly pushed her off with a forced chuckle. "Hey, hey, it's no big deal," he smirked smugly, "Well, it may be a big deal for a bunny to jog six blocks to work, but we foxes are known for our athletic ability." He smiled, "I was a track star in high school, remember."

Judy rolled her eyes, "Sure, Nick," she gave him a playful jab to the ribs. Nick didn't even seem to notice it, but she sure did; it felt like she'd just punched a rock. The little bunny shoo out her paw. "Anyway, we should hit the gym before Bogo yells at us for slacking."

Nick agreed and the pair walked off. Judy rattled off a bunch of things the fox wasn't listening to. He was just trying not to smell her, or anything at all in fact. It didn't work. The hallway to the gym reeked of fresh paint, and the gym itself wasn't much better.

The blue and grey room was filled with white painted machines that circled a boxing ring with a thick padded floor, so the ZPD officers could practice takedowns and the like. To the right of the door were hundreds of free weights. The far wall was painted with a large mural, a stylistic silhouette of Zootopia with a large ZPD badge hovering over the city, as if it was attempting to shield it from anything that would harm it.

Sprouting from the sides and top of the badge were stylized representations of the mammals that worked in the police department. Recently a bunny and a fox had joined the silhouettes of tigers, bears, elephants, buffaloes, wolves, and many others. Nick liked how they were on top of the badge, but Judy thought it was a bit much. They were the only ones of their species on the force, after all.

There were a few other officers already in the gym working out. Nick knew who they were before he and Judy even walked through the door. To the fox, all the little scent markers mammals left behind were as good as them signing their names in the air. Deodorant seemed to have no effect. Why was his nose so good today? Although, he couldn't help but smile, noticing that Clawhauser still hadn't stepped paw in this room. The cheetah would run out of sick days sooner or later, and then he would have nowhere to hide.

Nick was thankful that the well air-conditioned room was intentionally breezy. When you're covered in fur, working out gets a little hot and a breeze is a welcome thing. It also had the added benefit of pulling Judy's scent away from him, so long as he stayed up wind. The fox sighed and let his mind wander as he picked up the ten-pound weights to do his arm workout, only to find they felt like feathers in his paws.

His arms were on auto-pilot as he tried to figure out what was going on today. Maybe the pain pills he took yesterday for his jammed tail just dulled everything so much that maybe - Damn, Judy has some nice legs. Of all the bunny's great features: from her adorable face, her toned body, too that lovable personality, her strong, muscular legs were a piece of art. Especially when they flexed as she did weighted lunges. The fox shook his head, hard. He was staring and he knew it. Thankfully, Judy was looking the other way and everyone else was too busy to notice.

Judy's mind was on her partner as well, she could tell there was something up with Nick today. She didn't want to pry, because sometimes it was best to leave things be until the other mammal was ready to talk about it. Especially with him. Even when talking to her, he tended to keep things to himself. She knew the most about the mystery mammal that was Nicholas P. Wilde, of all his friends, of which there were few. A metal clank perked the bunny's ears, and she turned from her own weight training to Nick. The fox had set his two dumbbells down, though he didn't look tired; he looked confused. "What's up?"

"I think these weights are mislabeled," he answered, moving down to the fifteen pound weights, which he lifted a little too easily, "Better, but they're still too light?"

"Well, they're the same ones you used last time," Judy said, looking at them. He passed one to Judy and it felt right to her. Then again, with her being about twenty-five pounds, a lot of things felt heavy.

"Well, they still feel too light to me," Nick sighed. What the hell is up with me today, he grumbled silently, as he moved down to the twenty-pound weights. That felt much better; heavy, but not painfully so. That didn't seem right, as he was lifting a total of half his body weight in each paw.

"Wow, Nick," Judy commented, looking him over as he did a couple reps. "When did you get so... big?"

Nick looked at himself in the wall mirror. He was about the same size as always, but his arms had definition like he had never seen before in his life. He flexed and lifted the weight, his hide almost felt tight over his bicep.

"I don't know, maybe all this police work and training is paying off," he smirked, hiding his confusion well. "Like I said, we foxes are great at whatever we do."

"Ha, ha," the bunny laughed with a knowing smirk, "I get it now." Nok matched her smirk to hide his worry, "You've been hitting the gym without me."

"Nuh uh," Nick replied. This felt like a normal day, "Me at the gym without my Carrots? Naaah." He shook his head playfully. Judy crossed her arms and gave him a sly smile.

"Well, let's test that out," she giggled and nodded to the boxing ring. "Grab your gloves, dumb fox."

In the back of Nick's mind, he thought this was a bad idea, but another part of him couldn't turn down a challenge like that.

"Ready to get your fluffy bunny butt kicked?"

Judy couldn't dance, but she could fight. She was unbelievably fast and surprisingly strong. Nick had never gotten close to beating her in a boxing match. Few actually had. Wrestling, she was much more vulnerable, if her opponent could catch her. That's where he stood a chance and both knew it. But he still wanted to beat her at her game.

Nick and Judy climbed into the ring wearing blue and grey boxing gloves and matching head gear.

"Ready?" the bunny asked, as she threw a few punches at the air to get the blood flowing. She hoped a good sparring match would help get Nick out of his funk. He was acting pretty confident, with that slick smile on his face, but it was hiding something today. She just knew it.

"I was born ready." Nick replied, and he watched as his partner bounced from her left paw to her right. His smirk hid his confusion well. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion to him; he could see every muscle in Judy's legs contracting and expanding as she bounced from side to side, the hypnotic motion of the bouncier parts of her body. The fox could see as her little claws gripped the mat of the ring as she changed directions.

"In that case, go, Slick!" Hopps replied. She waited a moment before rushing forward. She was a blur of motion, that Nick could see as easily as if she was simply walking toward him. The bunny had her right fist cocked back, ready for a powerful punch. Her legs were like little powerful springs as she ran only on her toes. Nick knew all the power of the coming blow would come from her legs, those perfect little legs. She jumped and swung for a good body blow, hoping to wake Nick up. His guard was completely down, with his gloves hanging at his waist.

Nick's eyes were shadowed as his sharp smile caught the light. He took a quick step back and Judy flew past her target. She was surprised, but in a good way. He had to have been practicing on his days off, but when? If they weren't hanging out, they were almost constantly texting each other. Her tiny claws cut into the mat as she spun around.

"Nice foot work, Slick," the rest of her taunt was briefly caught in her throat as she noted his lack of any kind of guard again, but also his almost savage grin and his shadowed eyes. It was like he was wearing a black mask. She spoke from behind her raised gloves. "Too bad I'm going to knock that smirk off your face."

A one, two, three combo was avoided by the fox with almost supernatural speed. The bunny couldn't believe it. She had lost these little sparring matches to her fellow police officers before, even to Nick in wrestling, but she had never failed to land a good hit before. Another punch combo with a couple of kicks got close, but never made contact. Nick was starting to make Judy mad. That good kind of mad that motivates a mammal to do better.

With each punch and kick, a grunt of exertion escaped past the bunny's large front teeth. Each strike was dodged effortlessly by her target. Even her favorite trick of jumping past her foe into the ropes and rebounding at them from an unexpected angle at high speed missed by so much she almost slid out of the ring. The other officers in the gym were drawn to the sound of Judy's grunts and growls. They gathered around the ring to watch as Nick Wilde seemed to be toying with the bunny. He was almost just dancing around her.

With her claws tearing into the mat, Judy threw a full body punch at Nick's belly. It would have actually hurt both of them, even with the glove, if the fox hadn't caught it with one paw. The bunny growled as she spun on her front paw and tried to hook Nick's hindpaw out from under him, planning to put him on his back.

Nick seemed to have seen it coming, that paw was now out of the way. She caught his other hindpaw, and Judy couldn't yank it out from under him with his full eighty-plus pounds balanced on it. Nick planted his other paw again and took two quick swipes, putting Judy on the retreat. Another couple of punches, and the bunny was reeling. Nick quickly pounced and the off-balance she was on her back.

Judy's arms were easily pinned straight out to her sides, while her legs were locked by the fox's own back paws. He panted slightly as he stared at the nape of her neck. Judy just stared at the ceiling, she still couldn't figure out how she got here.

"Mov...moving kinda slow today, hu...huh Carrots?" He sounded confused. He hopped off of her onto all fours like his ancestors so long ago. His mind was racing, too many thoughts were at war. He had to get out of here.

Now!

"Yeah, I guess," Judy said as she sat up, very confused. Nick hopped over the ropes of the ring, almost as easily as he would step over the threshold of a door. He stood up straight and smirked, acting like he'd meant to jump nearly ten feet away from the ring.

"Well I'm hitting the showers," his slick smile hiding the things going on in his head, his fast and agitated walk hiding something else.

"Woah! The great Judy Hopps is having a slow day? I call next!" Officer Dominic Wolford said. His words made Judy's fur stand on end and her face flush with an angry heat. She was up on her paws and in her corner waiting for the black and grey wolf in the blink of an eye. A few other officers started to bet on who would win, or if Dominic would even get in the ring.

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

Nick leaned his head on the tiled wall of the showers as the icy water rolled down his body, chilling his hide through his thick fur. He stared at the floor, his eyes shaking with fear. He was scared of himself. Many things played out in his mind, but two were most prominent. In both, Judy was screaming, one in agony the other in ecstasy. He shook his head to get them out, but they went nowhere.

He tried to focus on any thing else in his lost mind, but couldn't. The thoughts were like a cacophony of screaming voices. There was a war in his head. His claws slid across the tile of the wall, putting tiny scratches in them. There was something wrong. He should tell Judy, he should tell the chief, he should tell SOMEBODY. Tell them what though? He was going savage? He wanted to kill his best friend, or that he wanted to do things to the bunny the writers of the Camelsutra hadn't thought of?

What would other mammals say? The job was too tough for a fox? All the training he had done was worthless, all the good he had worked for would be undone. They'd say foxes couldn't do good work without it driving them savage. His kind would be hated more than ever before. Worst still, the backlash could affect Judy.

She was his partner and pulled for him to get the job, only for it to drive him nuts. She could even lose hers over all this! Mammals can be dumb sometimes, if he couldn't take the stress then a little bunny probably couldn't either - she quit before, after all. Just like that, his thoughts were back on the bunny and the wonderful or terrible things he wanted to do to her.

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

Judy had her legs almost casually crossed around Dominic's arms as she sat on his back, the two-tone wolf drooling on the mat of the boxing ring, ready to be cuffed. Chief Bogo didn't seem to care as he said, "Officer Hopps, it seems the gang banger, Sweet Tooth, that you and Wilde collared the other day, cut a deal with the DA and gave up her Howler supplier." He held a file out toward her.

"Oh, Good," Judy replied as she took it. Howler was probably the worst thing to come from the Bellweather case. Pure, concentrated Nighthowler overtook the victim's brain by supercharging their hormone production, and the sudden shock to the victim's central nervous system shattered their ability to think rationally, to reason or even recognize friend from foe, turning them into a savage beast. It also increased bone, muscle, claw, and even tooth density, and within days they became a nearly unstoppable force of destruction.

However, when the flowers' petals were dried and ingested, ether mixed into a drink or smoked, it had nearly instantaneous performance enhancement properties. The user became stronger, faster, and could think and even heal more quickly than ever before. Many users said they felt invincible, and craved that feeling. However, the continued use of Howler, as it was called on the street, led to erratic behavior due to the imbalance of hormones in the blood. Like a teenager, but with the strength of a bodybuilder, the grace of a gymnast, and the ability to heal like a comic book character.

Unfortunately, for a few months after the Bellweather case, doctors were prescribing Howler treatment to help with the healing process for extreme injuries, or to counter the effects of other treatments until the negative side effects had started to manifest, usually in the form of behavioral problems that could only be classified as antisocial or psychotic, and sometimes bordering on carnivorous.

Sadly, the damage was done. Howler was on the street and the ZPD was doing everything it could to get it off. Even with multiple news stories warning of the drug's effects, the citizens were still using and abusing it until they became Feral, as some newscasters had dubbed the condition.

Crazed, powerful, nearly unstoppable killing machines that could act faster than ever before. The difficulties of dealing with ferals were starting to show in the police department's equipment; the ZPD prided itself on a completely non-lethal arsenal, but a Feral could shake off a taser like it was an ant bite. Which was why all officers now carried a powerful tranq-gun or pepper ball gun. T.U.S.K. Officers had recently been issued shotguns with bean bag shells, which were also used during high-risk warrant serving.

Once the buffalo was sure that Judy had read the file, he continued, "Higgins and Snarlof are your UC's. Fangmeyer and Delgato are your seconds, it's yours and Wilde's collar. Get to it, Hopps."

"On it, sir," Judy jumped off Dominic's back, she and Nick needed to get ready to go. Luckily, he had showered already.

Nick stared at himself in the bathroom mirror; he needed a cigarette, but he was on duty and probably would be for the rest of the day. According to Judy had yelled to him on the way to her locker, they had to bring someone in.

Good, he had something to focus on. He had decided to work through this weird hangover. That was what it had to be. He drank yesterday and took some pretty strong painkillers over ten hours apart, but he was willfully neglecting that last part about the timing.

The fox flicked out his mirror shades and put them on, then donned his slick smirk, the same one he could use to hide anything. He slipped his paws in the pockets of his uniform pants and walked out of the males bathroom.

Nothing gets to you, not even you.

His mind was still a jumble of thoughts and instincts, but thankfully a ceasefire had been called. Everything knew it was time to work. He paused at a vending machine and flicked his credit card through the reader. He was going to deal with this nicotine craving the same way he had when he'd quit, with a pawpsicle.

Judy tightened the strap on her kevlar chest piece as she joined the fox in the hallway. "Feeling better?" the bunny asked, as the partners walked toward the car park.

"Me? I'm always better." Nick replied, with that same, self-assured smirk. He kept his mind focused on the job at hand, rather anything else, especially Judy's deliciously exciting scent. He hoped the real strawberries in his Pawpsicle would be enough to distract him from it.

Judy took the driver's seat like she always did. Nick hated driving, even if he thought he was better at it than his partner; he looked out the window as the rabbit pulled out of the parking lot. The drive was unusually quiet at first, the only sounds in the car typical road noise and Nick licking his treat.

"I think I know what's going on." Judy said, out of the blue.

"What?" the fox replied. He glanced at his lap and checked his mouth, there was no tent and his mouth was only watering from eating his pawpsicle. Or so he hoped.

"You've got the birthday blues," she pulled onto the highway. The fox looked at the bunny with a raised brow, and the thought that she was beautifully tasty only crossed his mind for a moment. He wanted to hear her out. "Hitting the gym, but denying it. Getting some extra paw to paw training..."

She tilted her head toward him. "Smoking like you did when you were younger. You're fighting the fact that you're getting older."

A real smile spread across Nick's face as stuck his pawpsicle in his mouth with its stick out to the side, then popped his collar, "I'm in the prime of my life, Carrots."

Judy gave a short giggle and said, "Sure you are, Slick, but...you're on duty, so fix your collar."

Nick sighed as he fixed his shirt again. The friendly banter made the red fox feel at ease. His best friend always seemed to have that effect on him.

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

Judy and Nick sat in their car, listening to Snarlof and Higgins report that they were in the target's area. The target was a pig by the name of Evan Marsistin, normally in the company of a large brown bear whose name their informant didn't know.

"We're moving in, no sign of the bear," Snarlof whispered into his hidden mike. The plan was, once the undercover officers confirmed that Evan was indeed dealing in Howler, Judy, Nick, Peter, and Manny would move in and make the arrest.

"Even the bad guys need a day off sometimes," Judy quipped.

"Not guys like these," Nick said, unusually serious. The fox's mind was laser focused on their quarry, like a hunter and his target. Judy felt like she was talking to a completely different mammal. She decided to not say or do anything about this on the job. Some mammals deal with the Birthday Blues differently.

UC's Snarlof and Higgins played their parts perfectly. Evan didn't know anything was amiss, and he thought he was about to make a sale of Howler to a pair of body builders. Finally, once Evan had openly named the drug, Higgins laughed and said, "So lets make a deal." That was the signal, time to move in.

Judy smirked and announced, "Let's do this!"

Nick's focused expression didn't change as he flipped on the sirens. Both he and the bunny could hear the sound of car thirty-six echo their siren from down the street. The eight mighty cylinders of each car roared as they spewed fire and noise out of the twin mufflers. Tires squealed as the two cars raced into place, blocking Evan's own sports car's escape.

Snarlof was already trying to pull the pig out of the convertible. Officers Fangmeyer and Delgato jumped out of their own vehicle to secure the scene, while officers Hopps and Wilde hurried over to the pig. He was yelling obscenities as Judy slapped cuffs on his wrists and began to read him his rights.

Nick would normally help with taking the suspect to their car, or at least he would have made a snarky comment about his rights. The fox, however, had his eyes on the few rubberneckers in the parking lot of the gas station across the street. His nose, his damn nose was leading him to something. Among the crowd was a young vixen probably just out of high school.

She wore tight jeans low on her hips, and a belly shirt with a large puffy jacket. Which was a strange combo for a day that honestly was kind of hot. Her attire was not what drew the fox officer's attention. It was the strange smell coming from her, and the fact that her scent was all over this alley. When she noticed Nick was looking her way she decided to make a exit. The cop in him was certain that wasn't a good sign.

"We got a runner," he called out, as he hurried across the street.

"What?" Judy yelled, as she closed the back door of their cruiser.

"Looks like Nick's on to something," Peter answered, as they started after the quick fox.

Emmanuel smirked, "Looks more like he's after some tail," he said when he noticed the young vixen Nick was chasing after. The three officers had to wait for some traffic to pass before crossing the street. When they got to the gas station, their fellow officer was gone, as was his quarry. Judy called for Nick over the radio but got no response.

Not good.

Nick was hot on the vixen's tail. He ordered her to halt, but that only made her run faster. She was quick and knew the back alleys they were running through well. Nick was faster, but he didn't want to risk losing her because she ducked into some shortcut he didn't see and then ran past.

The older officer followed the younger predator to the back door of a run-down duplex. She slammed her fist on the door and yelled for someone named Bruce as Nick approached, fur standing on end and his fangs half bared.

"Put your paws on your head and get on the ground," he pointed his sidearm at the other fox's back, at this range the semi-automatic tranq-dart gun would leave quite the bruise even with the thick jacket she wore.

The young fox looked back at Nick then the door again. Whoever she was calling for must not be home, so she complied. Nick slowly approached, mumbling about how he just had some questions for her but now after fleeing the police she was being detained and was probably under arrest.

"Come on, bro! One fox to another, if ya let me go I can make it worth your while?" the vixen offered, with a flick of her tail. "I got more than cash, you know."

She looked at Nick over her shoulder to let her batting eyelashes finish her statement. The copa half snarl turned to a confident, almost sleazy, smirk as he pulled out his cuffs.

"That's a tempting offer," he towered over her with that same smirk, slid his sidearm into its holster and reached out, taking her paw in his and brought it down to the small of her back. "But propositioning an Officer is a serious offense."

He slapped the cold iron cuffs around her wrist with an echoing snap of finality.

"How about I make you an offer." Nick said as he attached the cuff to the young vixen's other wrist.

The vixen whined. She always hated the offers cops gave her, "You tell me what I want to know and I'll think about letting you go." As Nick finished his offer the door to duplex opened.

A large brown bear stepped outside with a gruff snort. He wore loose jeans and a tight black cotton t-shirt with the words, 'Screw Off' written across the front in white letters.

"Is there a problem here, officer?" the bear said, stepping closer ominously.

"No," Nick replied, confident both outside and in. Save for something in the very back of his mind, but it was like the fear was being overshadowed by something else. "Just need to talk with the young lady here." Nick drew his sidearm again, and aimed at the bear.

"BRUCE, THEY GOT EVAN!" the vixen yelled, over Nick's order to stand back.

Nick watched calmly as the bear lifted his massive arm, with six inch claws on each digit. Bruce could easily kill both foxes in a single swipe. However, just like earlier that day, Nick could see each muscle in the bear's arm flex, his loose hide and fur shift and hang from his powerful frame. And, most importantly, Officer Wilde could read the murderous intent in Bruce's eyes.

'Why talk when he doesn't stand a chance?' echoed in the fox's mind.

Nick tossed the vixen to the side and stepped back to avoid the swipe of the bear's paw, his sidearm trained on the bear the whole time. The large mammal's claws caught the officer's weapon and broke it off at the base of the handle. The main action of Nick's weapon bounced across the concrete. The fox watched the broken tranq-gun come to rest against the wall of the building next door.

He raised his brows, more impressed then concerned, then casually dropped the handle and looked back at the bear. Nick jumped several feet back, out of the way of another swipe of Bruce's paw. A confident smile spread across Nick's face as he pulled out a pawpsicle stick and stuck it in his grin, then adjusted his mirror shades and slid his paws in his pockets.

"Okay, now it's a fair fight."

The bear stared at Nick and shrugged, "Your funeral."

Both ignored Judy's voice over the radio as she called for her partner's location once again. She was starting to sound worried. The bear brought his clawed paw around, trying to wipe the sharp smirk off Nick's face and take his head off with it. The fox easily stepped out of the way of the deadly swipe, and the next, and the next. Bruce was strong, but so slow Nick could just about take a nap between each of his attacks.

The vixen sat up and a multitude of little baggies of dried blue petals slipped out of her jacket. Bruce roared and tried to punch Nick in the gut. Even that could have killed the officer, if he hadn't jumped onto the bear's arm. Bruce stared into Nick's eyes, barely visible through his aviators as he leaned forward, his nose inches from Bruce's snout. The fox's smirk changed to a snarl as his fur bristled.

Nick stepped off the bear's arm and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling it back just as his hindpaws touched the ground. With surprising strength, the fox twisted Bruce's arm behind his back, then kicked the bear's legs out from under him, to throw him off balance and make him more manageable.

"You have the right to remain silent," Nick almost growled, "Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law."

The fox's claws dug into the bear's wrist the whole time, and Nick pulled a set of zip-cuffs from his belt with a low growl.

Still holding the bear's clawed paw up between his shoulder blades, Nick grabbed the suspect's other arm and added in a much lighter, sleazier voice, "If you say anything about a naked Gazelle I will slap you silly, cause I have heard that one way too many times."

Bruce slumped to the ground as the officer finished cuffing him; the fox jumped off the bear's back and stood at perfect parade rest. Legs parallel, feet straight out in front of him, arms cupped behind the small of his back. With a stoic expression more befitting of Chief Bogo than Officer Nicholas P. Wilde, he finished reading off his apprehended suspects' rights in a calm and respectfully reserved voice.

"NICK, TALK TO ME!" Judy yelled over the radio. She was definitely worried. Fangmeyer was a notoriously bad tracker, and Delgato wasn't much better.

Nick reached up and pressed the send button on his shoulder mounted mic, "This is Officer Wilde to Officer Hopps." The bunny was relieved to hear from him, but confused by his serious demeanor, "I have apprehended the bear associate of Evan Marsistin, as well as their unnamed drug mule."

The vixen cursed about how she wasn't a mule. Nick glared over at the other fox laying among the baggies, then told his partner his location. While he waited for the other cops, Nick looked at his arm and flexed it. He marveled at how the fabric of his shirt strained to contain him within it.

His chest was just as tight, he was sure if he tried he could pop the buttons on his uniform. He didn't know what was going on, but he liked it. He had always been able to talk circles around most other mammals. However, now he felt faster than a cheetah, stronger than a elephant, and tougher than a rhino.

He liked it. He liked feeling invincible.

It had taken a couple of minutes for Officers Hopps, Fangmeyer and Delgato to reach officer Wilde's location.

"Nice Job, Nick," Judy complimented him, as the four officers escorted the cuffed suspects back to their cars. "But Bogo's going to chew you up and spit you out for breaking procedure like that."

"Speaking from experience?" Nick asked, with his normal smirk. He was coming down from his adrenaline high, and now his mind seemed to be the clearest it had been all day. The only thing to make this better right now would be a kiss from his little bunny partner. Maybe his wasn't as clear minded as he thought…

Judy giggled and rolled her eyes, "More than I care too mention."

The bunny was right. In almost the same breath, Chief Bogo congratulated Nick on taking down the two suspects and berated the fox for such a reckless action. It was a good arrest, but it could get Nick slapped with another excessive force charge. The lawyers always tried to get their clients off when Nick and Judy were involved, by making allegations of entrapment, excessive force, and anything else under the sun that could void their clients' arrest.

That was normal with any cop, but some criminal defense lawyers were starting to say that Judy was trying so hard to be a hero again she would do anything to make an arrest. And that her partner would cover anything up for her. His shady past was even starting to catch up with him at times too. Thankfully, nothing the lawyers had tried had stuck, yet.

The rest of the day was nothing but paperwork. It went by without incident, although all of Nick's senses seemed to be on overdrive. Smells made his mind wander, especially the grassy scent of a certain bunny. Noises shattered his concentration. The light of his computer seemed to hurt his eyes more than usual, as well. However the fox wasn't really thinking his condition any more. He had reports to file.

The partners sustained themselves on candy and chips from the vending machine to make up for the lack of a lunch today. Boring paperwork and reports, it was almost torturous. Finally however, the day ended and the partners clocked out. They walked out the front exit, side by side, like most days. Nick smiled as he noticed the full moon, then threw his head back and howled like a beast. Judy stared at the fox with a confused smile. Nick smirked and winked at her before she heard another howl filling the air, followed by Fangmeyer yelling, "Asshole!" from across the parking lot.

"You're terrible", Judy said with a laugh.

Nick nodded then his belly rumbled as he looked down at the bunny and a thought tried to cross his mind, but he stopped it by asking, "Hey. Since we skipped lunch, you want to go grab a bite?"

"Um, sure," Judy replied, then slapped her flat stomach and added, "The ole belly's been kind of empty all day."

Both thought it would be nice to have dinner with someone for a change, especially with their best friend.

"Well, there's a place not far from here, so we can walk," Nick said with a smile. The place he was talking about was not close at all, he was just trying to avoid going on the subway. Judy didn't mind, she used to walk all over her hometown when she was a kid. She only noticed when her stomach started to rumble, along with Nick's. Though she never noticed that terrifying glint in his eyes when he glanced down at her. They talked about nothing in particular, as they walked.

The cafe food hit the spot. Judy had a nice, well seasoned salad. The paw-made vinaigrette and glazed chickpeas were especially delicious. They both had a spice in them that burned her tongue in just a delightful way. Thankfully, she had a nice glass of sweet tea to quench the fire in her mouth when it got too much for her.

Nick was enjoying some of the best chicken tenders he had ever had. Chunky breading, juicy meat, perfectly cooked with a variety of tasty sauces; and most of all, completely socially acceptable to eat. Chickens were still just animals after all, like all birds, fish and reptiles. Besides, even prey animals ate eggs, or cooked with them. Judy herself had raised chickens when she was younger and found them annoying little critters, barely capable of fending for themselves.

The only thing that may have turned anybody's head was that Nick had eaten at least four helpings. Fried chicken tasted so much better than rabbit, he told himself as he ordered a fifth helping. He may have been ravenously hungry again, however his mouth was never too occupied to talk to Judy.

It was a good time, a perfect way to spend the evening, just two friends having fun. Until a thought crossed Nick's mind as he noticed Judy drinking her tea.

'My lips should take the place of that glass,' as he tried to figure out where that thought came from, his eyes drifted down to that small neck of hers.

'DO IT!' echoed in the fox's mind.

Nick blinked, confused as the voice howled, 'Do it!' again. The fox refused to give in to that instinct as he unwittingly gave in to another. He tilted his head a little as he looked away, revealing his own vulnerable neck to the bunny.

"Birthday blues still got you down?" Judy asked after she drained her glass.

Her voice chased away the others in Nick's head, "Not really. After a day like this I'm on cloud nine."

"And alone."

"Huh?" the fox replied, looking at the bunny.

"Well," Judy said looking at the ice in her glass. Her thoughts had drifted to the fact they were different species. "You're here, hanging out with your best friend and not your girlfriend." She giggled, "Not that I can say much, I'm doing the same."

She laughed a little, and Nick joined her. Judy didn't know that he would rather be here with her than anywhere else, with anyone else. And if she really thought about it, she wanted the same.

"Look at us, just a couple of lonely folk."

"Your bumpkin is showing," Nick said, something in his head was very sad. The rest of his head agreed with it. A fox and a bunny... it just wouldn't work. Their waitress came by with refills for their drinks and his next helping of chicken.

"Yep, and proud of it," Judy replied. She held up her cup and Nick lifted his own glass to tap it against hers as they both said. "To us, a couple of lonely idiots."

The pair joked about their non-existent love lives for well over an hour, then shared a dessert of baked apples. Then they finally parted ways. It was at least a good twenty minutes before one got bored and texted the other. It was part of their nightly routine. They could almost time brushing their teeth by their text tones. Each went to sleep with their best friend on their minds. Judy even said, "Good night, Nick." aloud, before telling her loud neighbors good night.

0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0

Nick awoke from a deep sleep with a start. It wasn't the dream that woke him, he couldn't remember it, but it had been a good one. He awoke because he felt someone else in his room. Nick moved his tail out of his face and almost jumped out of his skin. Staring back at him was himself, only a wild and naked version. The green-eyed red fox tilted his head, his frayed fur rubbing against the bed sheets; Nick lifted himself into a primitive sitting position, just like the other fox that looked him over from the floor. The beast in the floor wasn't aggressive, he just watched Nick with a face that even he couldn't read.

Movement by the window caught the confused officer's eye. It was another fox, or better described as another Nick leaning on the wall. A cigarette burned in his jaws, his blue jeans were comfortably tight, a loose Hawaiian shirt buttoned halfway up, revealing a triangle of cream fur on his chest, it was like looking into a from 10 years years ago. The younger Nick lifted his mirror shades and winked at his current self, with that charming smirk they had perfected so well.

That wasn't the last of the new foxes in the room. Near the door there was a very young fox, the spitting image of Nicholas Wilde at the age of eight. The little kit stood at attention with a stoic expression, more befitting of a veteran cop or soldier than a child; he snapped a salute to his older self on the bed. He wore the same ranger scout uniform from Nick's youth, except instead of the multitude of badges he'd dreamed of earning, there was only one. A shiny gold police shield just like the one Nick wore everyday.

Nick rubbed his face and yawned, "Okay, this is a weird dream."

"You're not dreaming," they all said together.