Zootopia Adventures

Doughnut Disaster XI

Judy and Nick exited the Black Sheep market in quick strides. They had to hurry as the time borrowed from the tranquilizer darts was nearly spent. If the hulking elephant regains consciousness, he would immediately sound the alarm. There is no doubt that the place would switch into full lockdown once it goes off. After all, they had blown their cover by assaulting the night guard. The pair scampered through the streets, avoided traversing through the snow covers which had carpeted the slippery ground in patches of white; So as to minimize the chances of the market's hired guns from tracking them down via their pawprints. It was not until they had turned past a corner, placing them behind a set of usual civilian buildings that Judy stopped holding her breath. Her mind was screaming in anxiety the whole time as she stuck extremely close to Nick, which did not help when she noticed that he was also not his usual laid-back self. Briskly walking down the scarcely populated street, Judy thanked the heavens when their police cruiser came into view. Nick let out a nervous soft chuckle as he slowed down his pace to a casual stroll, alleviating himself from the piling tension.

"That was way too close for comfort," Judy spoke in relief, unlocking the car doors with her keys.

"You can say that again," Nick agreed, entering the vehicle. "I for one did not expect the Elephant crime organization taking over the Black Market. It used to be under the Sheep faction... I guess they lost the animals' trust and had to step down. Some of their thugs namely the three we have encountered before were hired by Bellwether as her personal goons through unknown means of negotiation."

"Wait... You mean Doug, Woolter and Jesse were formerly from an illegal organization and not her assistants in crime?" Judy exclaimed in surprise; bewildered as she had not heard this information anywhere. "How did you know about this, Nick?"

"If you were not busy handling another petty case days after they were caught, you would not have missed out on all these tiny little details when Bogo was interrogating them; it was quite a show I must admit," Nick explained, shrugging his shoulders. He smirked as Judy blinked at him like a deer that was about to become roadkill. Why was she so excited to tackle another case mere days after the arrestment of the assistant mayor? Judy then proceeded to knock her forehead onto the steering wheel, dissatisfied that she was dumb enough to be absent during such an important event.

"I cannot believe that I missed such a crucial event! Ugh..." Judy grumbled in frustration.

"Careful now, do not want that car horn to start bleating away," Nick warned as Judy repeatedly hammered her forehead against the rim. He whipped out his smartphone. "Do not fret about it, Whiskers, I will notify you the next time something urgent happens," Nick waved the phone in his paw. Judy immediately turned to face him.

"You would do that for me?" Judy asked.

"Anything that keeps you happy, Carrots," Nick replied as he locked his phone screen.

"Thanks, Nick, I knew I could count on you," she smiled, hugging him around his waist. Nick's eyes widened as he attempted to gently push her off of himself, which did not happen as she had latched onto him in a tight embrace. Even as of now, Nick still could not stand the awkwardness. Throughout his past twenty years, nobody ever got that close to him except for his parents. But right now, he has a bunny partner as a companion. He could not recall the exact number of times she had wrapped herself around him like what she was doing currently; It was way too many times for him to remember. She had bombarded him even when he was taking a selfie to update his Furbook profile. "Now now, you are not a magnet. And besides, don't we have to update someone on the case?"

"Oh, sorry," Judy apologized with a smile and returned to the driver's seat.

It was almost noon. The afternoon sun was beaming in its prime, covering the entire city full of light and it's sundering heat. The pair had situated themselves in the fashion store opposite the cafe across the street. Judy observed the cafe through the clear glass windows of the store. She had spotted Nat who was seated at one of the far end tables, impatiently waiting for the giraffe to arrive with the cash. Judy glanced back at Nick, who was apparently browsing through a printed catalog loaded with heaps of fashionwear, hot deals, and attractive discounts.