Always My Sly Bunny, Always My Dumb Fox Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - A Howling Good Time

Another peaceful day in Zootopia. It had been a rather uneventful summer for the city, a rare experience that its citizens were grateful for. The usual mid-summer crime wave that had hit the city in the previous year had not occurred, and most of the mammals knew the reason as to why.

Though that didn't mean that some animals at least tried to break the law...

"Stop, stop in the name of the law!" A familiar voice echoed over the otherwise peaceful park outside the tiny city of Little Rodentia. Mammals turned and looked up from their otherwise regular activities to spot two wolves bearing down the main thoroughfare of the park. One of them clutching a purse as he ran, the other knocking over trash cans to halt the progress of two mammals chasing after them; a small grey rabbit and a red fox.

"Catch me if you can, fluffbutt!

"I think he was talking to you, Carrots." Nick grinned at his partner. The rabbit reminded herself to give him a playful shove later. She shelved the thought as she leapt over an overturned trashcan rolling in the middle of the pathway, rolling as she hit the ground to rejoin the pursuit. Nick and Judy had spotted the pair of wolves snatching an armadillo's purse and when they approached, the wolves had decided to make a break for it.

Not the best of choices when the officers that are chasing you are a fox and a rabbit.

"Officers McHorn, Rhinovich! This is Officer Hopps! We are in pursuit of two wolves involved in a 211, robbery in Savannah Central Park, do you copy?"

"Copy that, Officer Hopps," came the rough reply over the radio. "Where do you want us to go?"

"Well, Carrots here will probably want an espresso and carrot donut so the coffee shop down the street would be a good place to start."

"NICK!"

The fox grinned at his partner, as the un-amused bunny offered him a silencing glare as they ran, though both could hear a slight snickering coming from her radio.

"Ignore my partner. We are near the center of the park heading east," she yelled into her radio. "Head towards the eastern entrance on Acacia Lane."

"Roger that, Officer Hopps. We'll meet you there."

"Had to say it Carrots, you like that shop's carrot cake muffins a bit too much." Nick caught his laugh and ducked, barely avoiding a tree limb that went whizzing over his head. Torn off a nearby willow by the lead suspect. "Guess these two want to branch out with their crime spree."

Judy rolled her eyes, offering s hint of a smile at the Fox's attempt of a pun. Usually she wouldn't mind them, but with how frantic this chase and how focused they needed to be, she really didn't feel like she could take her mind off of what was happening at the moment.

"Nick, we need a plan, do you have one?" Judy huffed as the pair rounded a corner, keeping the wolves barely in sight as they navigated the winding path. Ahead of the wolves, several bicycling gazelle's were out on a leisurely ride when the wolves sped past them, knocking them over into the bushes on either side of the path. Judy and Nick raced past the downed animals, wanting to stop and help but knew they needed to stop these wolves, and fast, or someone could really get hurt.

"I think I have an idea, Carrots," Nick puffed as he slid past one of the downed bicycles and nearly tripped over one of the gazelles. "Remember what we did at Cliffside?" His eyes took on a distinct twinkle."

For a moment, Judy was confused. Cliffside? The asylum where all the savage animals were hidden? Her mind wandered for a moment yet her pace didn't slow. I mean, we did so much there, and what would that have to do with...wolves! Judy's eyes gleamed as she remembered how they snuck past the guard at the asylum in the first place.

"Sly fox," Judy laughed as they rounded a corner. Even with all the obstacles the wolves had thrown in their way, the two were catching them quickly.

"You know it!" Both fox and bunny cupped their hands to their mouths and began howling as they ran. Nick felt like his lungs were on fire as he tried to run and howl at the same time, though he noticed Judy seemed barely strained at all.

Nick was glad when the plan worked.

One of the wolves jerked to a stop, his ears twitching as he raised his head to the sky and began howling in reply. It lasted only a second before he realized what he was doing and tried to sprint away again. It was the only second the pair of officers needed.

They both slammed into the wolf at full speed, knocking him head over tail and causing him to tumble into a nearby silverthorn bush. The wolf howled in pain as he tried frantically to escape the prickly shrub, all to no avail. The second wolf holding the purse skid to a stop, looking back frantically at his partner in crime who lay whimpering in pain, before bolting again down the path.

Judy and Nick stopped briefly in front of the cowering wolf, only long enough to whip out a pair of pawcuffs and cuff the lupine to the base of the large shrub. Then off they were again on their pursuit as the wolf whined pitifully in the depths of the thorny brush.

"I think he got the point, don't you agree, Fluff?"

"Less talking, more running," came the annoyed reply.

"All right, you're the boss."

The two continued the chase as their neared the east entrance of the park. Again they tried to howl to bring the other wolf to a stop, though this time he covered his ears with his paws to avoid the sound. His eyes squinting as if in pain from trying to ignore his natural instinct to howl back.

The pathway straightened out as they neared the entrance, allowing both fox and rabbit to put on an extra burst of speed, closing the distance by several yards in just a few moments.

"We're almost to the park exit Officer McHorn, block it with your vehicle so he can't escape," Judy hollered into her radio. She heard a slight grunt of acknowledgement over the radio and saw the distinct white and black top of a police cruiser speeding down the road towards the exit. They were now only 500 yards away from the exit when Nick felt a a soft tapping on his side.

"Nick, I have an idea. Slow down," Judy exclaimed, her eyes registering something that apparently Nick was missing.

"What? The rabbit telling the fox to slow down? We almost have them!"

"Just..trust me on this. I think you'll like it."

Nick looked at her, a puzzled expression on her face but nodded in assent. They were only about 25 yards behind the remaining thief and 200 yards from the exit, but Nick acquiesced and began slowing down. He finally realized what his partner had in store and grinned.

"I think I see what you are getting at now Hopps."

"I was hoping you would," she replied. "Act exhausted."

"No problem there," he huffed, quickly falling onto his back with a hand over his chest. Judy deftly clicked on the radio. "Officer McHorn, when I say now, block the entrance.

An 'ok' was heard over the intercom as Judy leaned over, feigning exhaustion, while cupping her paws to her mouth and yelling quite loudly.

"How on earth was a wolf able to outrun a bunny! This can't be!"

Both noticed the wolf unclench his ears and turn his head to face them while nearing the exit to the park. He saw the fox laying flat on the ground and the rabbit bent over, reaching out at him with one paw while breathing heavily.

The wolf grinned. "You see! Nobody can outrun Barry Wolfstein!" he cackled. What he didn't see, was the smile spreading across Judy's face.

You're right where we want you now, she thought, turning the radio on. "McHorn, block the exit."

The wolf turned his head back towards the exit as he passed under the large portcullis, marking the entrance to the city park. Just in time to see the police cruiser stop directly in front of him.

Nick and Judy heard the loud, thump, from their position as the wolf ran straight into the parked vehicle. The door to the cruiser slammed open, flinging the poor mammal straight back into the park as a massive rhino slid out of the car.

"I guess that sound means I can get up now, eh Carrots?" Nick was propped up on his elbows, chuckling softly while watching McHorn and Rhinovich slapping pawcuffs onto the dazed lupine.

"Yes, that's exactly what it means." The two smiled as the wolf was hauled into the back of the police vehicle and the two rhino officers approached them.

"Well, that's one way to end a chase, Officers Hopps and Wilde." McHorn offered his hands out to Nick, lifting him off the ground and back onto his feet. "Though didn't you say there were two of them?

"The other one's a little ways back," Nick replied, trying to control the grin he had. "But not to worry," he quickly added as McHorn's eyes widened a bit and a scowl crossed his face. "He's a bit bushed at the moment so he isn't going anywhere."

Judy snickered at the inside joke, though still rolled her eyes, as the rhino shook his head. Every mammal in the precinct knew Nick had a talent at making puns at all the wrong times and McHorn was sure this must be one of them.

It took about 15 minutes and several more officers to pull the wolf out of the thorn bush as nobody wanted to accidentally fall in with him. It finally took an angry call from Chief Bogo to convince Officers Griswald, a large bear, and Officer Snarloff, a lion, to extract the poor lupine from his thorny predicament. Judy and Nick managed to find the armadillo whose purse was snatched and took her statement, positively identifying the wolves as the ones who had stolen from her. As things wrapped up, Nick and Judy walked slowly back up the path leading the group of officers back towards the exit of the park.

"Why did you have to go and howl like that? That isn't right!" the wolf whined behind them as the park exit came into sight. "That was just a jerk move to do, impersonating a wolf like that. It shouldn't be allowed!" A growl from Snarloff silenced the wolf's whining instantly as Judy and Nick turned to face the wolf.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't of stolen that purse in the first place," Judy retorted. "Plus, it isn't called a 'jerk move'." She smiled as Nick knew exactly where this was going. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." A sly smile slid across her face as the wolf's face dropped. Snarloff loaded the stunned mammal into the patrol car, leaving Judy and Nick at the entrance of the park as the lion drove the thief back towards police headquarters for booking.

"Think we should have asked for a ride?" Nick asked, as the pair began walking back towards the main office of the ZPD. Judy halted for a moment, a paw coming up to her mouth.

"I hadn't even thought of that," she whispered, a slight pink hue settling on her cheeks.

"Aww, that blush is quite cute on you." Nick laid an arm around her shoulder as they walked, pulling her closer to him. She replied by poking him in the side with her elbow.

"You know you're not supposed to call a bunny cute, right?" She replied with a scowl, bumping him with her hip to throw him slightly off balance. He laughed good-naturedly.

"Do I know that?" he stated, repeating an oft stated line between them. "Yes, yes I do."

"Well, there is a punishment for it," Judy laughed as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"And what does my favorite partner have in mind?" He just noticed the glint in her eyes and was beginning to wonder if he had actually stepped over a boundary he shouldn't have crossed. They liked to jest quite a bit, all in good humor, of course, though sometimes he could take things a bit too far.

"The punishment, is...the last mammal to arrive at the ZPD has to fill out the paperwork." Judy pushed out from under Nick's arm and sprinted away down the street to a very shocked Nick. It took a few seconds for him to recover. He swore that he could hear her jovial voice saying a familiar line.

'Dumb fox,'

He had to laugh as he slowly began to jog after his partner, his head shaking at just how sneaky she had become. Maybe he was rubbing off on her a little too much? He pushed the thought aside as he started into a sprint, chasing after his partner who was now quite far ahead. He smiled.

Such a sly bunny.

"Welcome to the six o'clock news. I'm Peter Moosebridge. Today's top story, the crime which usually fills our city during the summer months is at an all time low. Most mammals give credit to the ZPD, and two of their newest recruis, Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde who seem to be at the forefront of crime fighting in the city. It would appear..."

The TV screen went blank as the animal watching threw the remote down in disgust. It was amazing how just two mammals, and such small ones at that, could turn the entire city upside down in less than a year. Bellwether had almost succeeded when those two miscreants had foiled her plot, and now, they were the darlings of the city. The envy of all and were responsible for bringing the different mammals of the city closer than ever before. The love between predator and prey was sickening. He had been one of the few who had hoped that Bellwether's plans would have succeeded in seperating predator and prey for good.

Then those two, especially that fox, had to come along and ruin everything.

They had to be stopped.

And if any mammal was in a position to do that, it was definitely him. He chuckled as a plan began to form in his mind.

If the heroes of the city, a prey and predator could be broken up, their friendship torn apart, then all the progress Zootopia had made in the past year would shatter with them.

He smiled as he pulled out his phone. He had a plan, and needed to make several phone calls to start putting it into effect.