Zootopia: Loss, Lies and Love

Chapter 10: Continuum Conundrum

The first week back on the grounds of the ZPD began with other officers helping Nick with some of his initial work. The first task back was to check through some fishy business practices going on at a comic store called Zoonomical. An issue in which Nick was easily able to find the embezzled money. It was being laundered at one of the places he once loved visiting when he was a kid.

The afternoon was caught up in a natural phenomenon in the Marshlands. A reservoir’s low wall had collapsed under the pressure after a long downfall during Judy and Nick’s time away and Judy was able to help guide several officers with the knowledge from her father on how to perform under their conditions.

With a handful of praise, Judy was able to say it wasn’t just her who did the work. A surprising humbleness that contrasted her usually hyperactive activity. A first for him that he noticed in the time he’d known her. Since their week off, he kept feeling an odd sensation in his chest. Something he hadn’t felt since the vixen that once caught his heart.

I’m not going to fall for those feelings again. He thought as he pushed the feeling away. I’m not going to have them ripped from me as easily as last time though, this one feels different. He added as an afterthought, once the sensation went away.

It was a quiet few days back on the streets as officers. Judy kept an eye on Nick as he used his collective knowledge of everyone he knows to help with situations. Some weren’t happy that he’d transitioned into the Zootopia Police Department. Some who he’d been helpful to were glad to see him turning over a new leaf as well, so not all hope was lost. Some mammals who even wanted an out had surprised not just the dynamic duo, but the chief as well.

‘The Private Mammalian and the news would hear no end of it if they learned what we discovered through Nick’s connections.’ Chief Bogo stated as he shut the door to his office, the unconventional duo sat together on the single, large seat. ‘The lioness from that restaurant in the Rainforest District had some news involving you two. Mainly you Nick. I’ve not heard it yet, but …’ Nick’s brow furrowed and rose when he heard his name mentioned and couldn’t help but interrupt.

‘That… That wouldn’t be Cammi Growler from the Cowlyle Grand Luxury Hotel, would it, Sir?’ Nick said, the lack of humour still present in his voice since his return.

‘Yes, Wilde.’ He said as he tried to not be interrupted by a species he himself once had prejudiced thoughts of, which left the moment Nick’s behaviour changed on his return. ‘She also asked Officer Snarlford to pass on a gift when he passed by, when missing items she discovered in a section. It appears to have your family surname in it too.’ He slid a small, golden object across his desk towards the mammal.

Without a word, and Judy keeping quiet for a rare moment, the experienced fox handled the object. He was shocked speechless as his eyes widened. Almost to the size of saucers. After pressing the spring-loaded clip, it opened to not only show a picture of him as a baby in his mother’s arms, but with an arctic fox by her side. On the other side, a picture of his mother in a wedding dress with the same fox beside her in a warm grey tuxedo.

‘Woah, Nick!’ Judy said, her voice low enough for just him to hear as she could no longer hold back her thoughts and her jaw dropped when he turned the pendant so she could see both images.

‘I… How…? When…?’ Nick was stunned silent, eyes wide and taking in every detail as she replied with single word questions that failed to flow from her snout.

It was the first proof of his father he’d ever seen. Not only that, after a few seconds of looking over the locket he discovered a pair of engraved initials, oddly abbreviated. Like how Nick would be “NiW”, he saw his mother's maiden initials below that of “MiB”, Miranda Bushers. He then noticed another set of initials, off-centred to his mothers; “AaW”.