[Tags: Clean, Zootopia, Zistopia, Nick Wilde, Honey Badger, red fox (M), fennec fox/bobcat hybrid (F), honey badger (F), tame collar, shock collar]

Part 2: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/21975594/



Ugh.  Mornings.

Nick's thoughts were still a run-together string of mumbles as he sat on the edge of his bed, brushing his tail.  Getting up early on a weekend already sucked, even if it was by choice, but he didn't need a lack of sleep from a nocturnal predator protest the night before complicating things.  Yeah, how about that, a fox who used to run a predator amusement park complaining about losing sleep because of protests for a better life for him and the predators he used to help.

Old habits died hard, and cynicism was one of his.  Then again, he always had his own ways of handling his problems, and being noticed wasn't part of them, so maybe it was a habit, or maybe it was a coping mechanism.

Anyway, that was a bushy enough tail.  Time to go take care of business, or rather, see how business was being taken care of.  Standing in front of the mirror, he examined what he saw.  Same as usual: Green shirt, tan pants, blue necktie with pink stripes...

Collar...

Nick was finally able to think in words as he told his reflection the same thing he'd told himself every morning the last...what was the date...something like two hundred mornings: "Never forget, you didn't choose to put it on first, but you chose to put it back on."

His paws in his pockets, he headed outside, his gaze drifting towards where Wild Times used to be.  It didn't matter if someone caught him staring; if they raided the place again, there really was nothing to find this time.  Not [u]there[/u], anyway.

Once the building was out of sight, he tiredly stared straight ahead as he walked down the streets, occasionally zigzagging through memorized alleyways or parking decks to stay out of sight as much as possible.  Hm...so far, didn't seem like anyone was following him.  Good.

He slowed to a stop as he reached a newsstand, glancing over the headlines.  Some weren't encouraging at all: "Barns and No-Bull Books protest clashes with police."  Was that the one from last night?  Whatever.  Others were only a little better: "Downtown Preyda Store desegregating: To sort by size only."  Yeah, like there were a lot of prey around who could afford to shop there, let alone predators.  Still...under all the apathy that had kept him going in its own twisted way, he couldn't ignore the hope that had moved into his heart.  Hope [u]she[/u], of all people, gave him.

He turned to get back on his way as he wondered, [i]"I wonder what you'd think about this, Carrots?"[/i]

It had been six months since he could ask her himself, or since he had seen her, or since...anyone else had seen Judy Hopps.  For a couple months since their return to Zootopia and thwarting the plot against Gazelle, he'd seen her around, on better terms.  She'd lightened up a little, but he never forgot she was a cop and he was a predator.  Over time, though, he noticed she was more and more distracted, like something that she wouldn't talk about was eating at her.

Then, six months ago, she disappeared without a trace.

Nothing in the papers of where she'd gone.  No word on the street of what might have happened.  At first he wondered if all they'd gone through had caught up to her and she took some time off; he could never believe she would just quit, not Officer Fluff.  When she didn't come back, he got curious enough to ask her family about her.  What did they tell him?

"Don't [u]you[/u] know?"

They didn't know either.  They said that all she told them was that she had to go on a long trip.  She didn't know exactly where she was going, or when she'd be back, or if she'd be back, but there was something she had to know, and the only way she did was if she saw it for herself.

So...that was weird.

A little after that, word started getting around that she had, indeed, quit the force, emptied her apartment, and was just gone.  Wow...did he really do that much of a number on her?

Wherever she'd gone, Nick still had a life to carry on, even if it was more boring without her, and the first stop of the day was coming up.  Making another quick check for someone following him, he rounded the corner and...yep, there she was on a bench, hidden behind a newspaper.

Approaching the bench, he took a seat next to the heavyset woman, and she asked him, "Do you know what the worst kind of mammal is?"

A little grin crossed his muzzle as he asked back, "Do I really have to tell you?"  He hadn't forgotten the call sign; he just wanted to see how she'd react this time, and when she reached into her vest and drew out a pair of scissors, he felt a little disappointed.  He hoped to see that wool-stripping glove she'd been talking about.

"Are you asking for a trim?" she asked, twitching slightly.

"All right all right, a sheep in wolf's clothing," he answered.

She put the scissors away, letting out a quiet growl.  "You're lucky I trust you enough to give you two chances to answer," she grumbled, lowering the newspaper enough for them to see eye to eye.

"Good morning to you too, Honeybun," he remarked with a yawn.

"Just hurry up, I'm exposed out here."  The badger was already looking around, but not [u]too[/u] obviously, but also not looking like she was [u]too[/u] complacent.  At least that was how she'd describe herself, he knew.

[i]"It's this or you're on a corner handing out- excuse me, [u]throwing out[/u] doomsday conspiracy pamphlets where everyone for entire blocks can hear you,"[/i] Nick countered in his head.  "Okay, just relax," he said, knowing that was more of a dry joke than a suggestion, "and give me the weekly rundown."

"Fine.  Things are going all right at Wild Times: Under New Management.  So far everyone's followed the 'no starting Predator Rights Movement protest marches from here' rule.  Heheh, but some of the felines are drumming up cash for opening some fun for," she licked her lips, "grown ups.  Y'know what they wanna call it?"

Nick took a second to think of a sarcastic enough answer, coming up with, "The Scratching Post?"

Honey's eyes widened.  "Have you been spying on me?!" she demanded.

His smile faded as he asked, "I was right?"  He groaned.  "Ugh...that moment when sarcasm comes true...maybe it's just as well I don't come by..."

She didn't seem to notice his dulled spirits, just looking relaxed she wasn't losing her touch.  "Yeah, sure, if you say so.  I wish you'd find another go-between, though."

"Aw, don't cut me off, Honeybun," he muttered.  "Come on, working security there isn't that bad a job.  You're the least likely to talk if you got brought in."

"Hah, the cops know not to mess with Honey Madge Badger, cause they know I know they're part of the conspiracy!" she bragged.

"Of course they do," Nick agreed.  "So how about-"

"Mmph!" she grunted, covering her muzzle.  "They're watching me!  I said too much!"

"But they know you know-"

"I gotta get outta here!"  She hopped off the bench and ran a few steps before skidding to a halt.  "Oh yeah, I forgot, someone's looking for you."

He arched an eyebrow.  "What kinda someone?"

"Some hybrid lady."

A what?  His eyebrow rose more.  "Keep going."

"I dunno, some...fennec hybrid.  She just came up to me on the street the other day, said she wanted to talk to Nick Wilde alone."  She looked back at him, shrugging.  "I don't think she's a cop, I don't smell wool on her...but something's off about her anyway."

That was a good sign.  Honey may have been crazy as well as paranoid, but she had as good a nose for the fuzz as he did, wool thing aside.  "So where is she?"

"Uhh, she said she'd be waiting for you this afternoon by the bridge by the old factory, northeast Downtown."  Before Nick could ask anything else, she turned and started running again, calling to him, "Gotta go, and don't forget: How can we save the world?"

"By shaving the world," Nick called back, getting an approving thumb-up from her as she ran off.

Huh...this day got more interesting all of a sudden.  Didn't see a lot of hybrids, not even in Zootopia, and this one wanted to talk to him privately.  What for, he could only guess...probably either to meet the Nick "Wild Times" Wilde who'd been in the papers when he got busted, or to try to rope him into joining the Predator Rights Movement, if past experience was anything to go by.

Smirking, he stood up to go back on his way as he made a mental note to find out.

-----

Noon rolled around, and Nick headed to the promised meeting place.  A morning of building anticipation had left him a little high strung by now, but no sense getting excited if nothing important ended up happening.  Not that getting excited was really an option, of course, as the weight on his neck constantly reminded him.

Almost there...and his pace slowed when he rounded a corner and saw that there was, indeed, someone standing on the bridge next to what used to be a busy factory until a couple decades ago.

From this far away, if this was who he was meeting, he couldn't tell much about her.  She was a smaller mammal, the top of her head a little below his shoulders.  She was leaning against the railing and was only half facing him, so he couldn't see more than a short-for-her-size, sandy-furred muzzle, while the fur on her footpaws was closer to light gray.  That was all he could tell from here: She looked like she didn't want to be noticed or identified, if her paws stuffed in her jeans pockets and the dark sunglasses and drawn-up hoodie she wore were any indication.

It didn't look like she knew he was here, so he took the time to look around again for followers.  Seemed they were alone...hopefully it would stay that way.

[i]"Well, time to meet who I hope is a secret admirer."[/i]

Nick put a neutral face on as he approached the other mammal.  Letting his footpaws scrape the ground more than usual, he saw her turn her head his way.  Now that she noticed him, he gave her a nod as he kept walking.

"Are you my 12:00 appointment?" he asked dryly.

She shrugged a little, answering with, "Depends.  Who're you?"  Her voice sounded female; another encouraging sign.

"I was told by a friend that I had someone waiting for me.  A mysterious stranger, which could either be the start of a new chapter or a waste of time," he said, now standing beside her.

The hybrid turned to face him, paws still in her pockets as she looked up at him.  Now he could see she was wearing a collar, too.  "Just as pessimistic as they say," she remarked.

"You're not giving me any reason to be hopeful," he said, dry as before.

"...Hmph," she huffed.  "Then let's get to it.  I can already tell you're the Nick Wilde people talk about.  I'm Jenny."

"Jenny...?" he trailed off, asking for a last name.

"That's it.  You need to have a family to have a family name," she said.  "Not a lot of people want a fennec fox/bobcat hybrid, and whether my parents did or not, they didn't keep me.  Left me at an orphanage with just a note saying what I was."

He nodded slowly.  He was starting to see what Honey was talking about: Something about her wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  Not yet, anyway, but the more she talked...  "Are you, now?"  His gaze drifted to the bulges under her hood.  "That's not something you see every day.  So how about taking the hood off and giving me a better look?"

She cocked her head.  "Why, what're you worried about?"

"I'm either being curious or being smart.  I have bigger things to worry about than you really being a hybrid or not, but if you are, what's to hide?  It's just us preds here," he said with calm certainty.

Jenny paused, then must have seen she would need to let her guard down a little for this to continue.  She pulled her hood back, letting him see her oversized pointy ears, covered in the same sand-colored fur as the rest of her head.  "Well?"

Okay, that made her story a little more credible.  "Nice.  All right, you have my attention.  What brings us here?" Nick asked, relaxing enough to lean on the railing.

"I need a job."

"Get in line."

"I mean, I want to work for you."

"Heh.  I dunno what you heard, but I don't do that anymore."  There was that suspicious feeling again, and not just because she was already asking incriminating questions.

Jenny shook her head.  "I don't buy it.  You put too much into that place to just give up like that."

"Yes I can.  Kinda had to.  Getting a pardon by the new mayor for exposing the old mayor and saving Zootopia's diva-of-the-now is pretty nice, but it makes people watch you," he looked away from her, towards the old buildings, "and I don't need to give them something to see."

She sighed, her ears drooping.  "That's really disappointing.  I heard Nick Wilde had more heart than he let on.  More than that, anyway," she said softly.

"Oh yeah?  Who told you that?"

"Word...gets around," she said evasively.

"Well, word was wrong."  He kept a straight face, but he noticed the hesitation in her answer.  "I have things to do, so really tell me, what do you want?"

"You might say," she lowered her voice, "I wanna have a Wild Time."

There, she just gave him a peek at her true intentions.  Now that she was interested, he just had to leave out the bait to find out what her deal was.  "I told you, I'm out of that business.  Now I really am just a nobody who does whatever odd jobs he can find to get by," he insisted.

"You're not.  Not Nick Wilde.  Someone who runs a secret predator amusement park, escapes from prison, runs across the city and beyond from a cop with something to prove by catching him, and comes back willingly putting a collar on...is not a nobody," she said with a growl.

...Now this wasn't just weird, it was familiar, and he had an idea of how to call her out.

He gave her a nod, looking back at her.  "I'll admit...that's a nicer thing to be told than I'm used to hearing," he said softly.

The fennecat smiled at him, just a bit, the first smile she'd given him so far.  "So...maybe there's a job opening after all?" she asked.

He held up a paw.  "This just became an interview, at least.  But that means I ask the questions now."  Pushing off the railing to stand upright, he turned to face her.  "How long have you lived in Zootopia?"

"Never left."

"Where do you live?"

"With whatever friends I can make at any given time."

"And who's that now?"

"A mink couple who let me live with them in exchange for doing...whatever housework or errands they need done.  Which is fine but having a steady income is good for your self-esteem, you know?"

"I do know."  He drummed his fingers on his leg as he looked away in thought.  "So far, so good.  I only got a couple more questions, actually."

"Yeah?" Jenny asked, her smile widening a bit.

He smiled back.  "Question one: If I told you where to go and who to talk to, you get the idea that if you're caught and you talk, it won't just be the cops who want a piece of you?" he said very matter-of-factly.

"...Uh, you mean predators who'd be ticked their park is gone again?" she asked hopefully.

Nick stared at her for a few seconds to let the weight sink in, and when her ears drooped a little, he replied, "You could say that.  That wouldn't be the whole story, but you can say it."

She answered with a nod and, "I understand."

He nodded back.  "Last question," he began, taking his turn to smile a little wider when she perked back up.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Judy?"

"She's- what?"

His smile was instantly gone as he leaned forward, looking expectantly into her sunglasses-hidden eyes.  "Yeah.  'She's what?'  Or where?" he asked.

"Judy...H-Hopps?" the fennecat stuttered.

"The one.  You know, rabbit, gray fur, maybe 27 years old, about your height," he explained, seeing the hybrid's ears droop again even though he couldn't see her eyes.

"How would I know?  Nobody does," she insisted with fading confidence.

He cocked his head to emphasize a raised eyebrow.  "Then where'd you hear that, and don't 'hear what' me: The thing you said about not being a nobody.  That was a very specific choice of words.  Did someone tell you to say that?"  He mentally added, [i]"Word for word, that was something she said the last time we met, in fact."[/i]

Jenny took a nervous step back, holding her paws up.  "Look, I don't know anything about Judy Hopps, okay?  She could be in the city, she could have gone home to start a family, she could be on another planet for all I know."

"No, I'm not buying it.  Me and Honey, we're good at spotting the police, it's as much an instinct as it is a science.  But even though you can't be one, something about you," he stepped closer as she stepped away again, "is setting off this warning bell in my head.  Like you aren't a cop, but maybe...you work for one?"

"But I don't-"

"Or maybe," he interrupted, "I'm right and that's a pretty good costume, hmm?"  He looked back and forth between her ears.

She must have gotten the hint as she raised her paws to her ears and tugged on them hard enough for him to see the skin under her fur move.  "Rrf, see?!  Does that look fake to you?"

Nick shrugged.  "Okay, so you probably are a fennecat.  I still don't know what's up with you, but I can tell you're hiding something.  That's fine.  I like keeping secrets, too."  Before she could answer, he turned around.  "Thanks for the interview, but we're not hiring now."

"Wait!"

He started walking away.  "We'll consider you if there's an opening.  You tell me a secret, I'll tell you one," he said as he kept walking.

After a short silence, he heard her sigh.  Whatever.  That didn't even give him any satisfaction.

"You know..." she began.

[i]"Don't care."[/i]

"You really are a smart fox."

That voice made him stop mid-step.  He set his foot back on the ground and turned back to face her.  She hadn't moved, other than to turn away.

"Say that again...?" he asked.

At first, she didn't answer, just reaching up to her face.  "Smart fox."

His eyes widened as she turned around and took her sunglasses off.  "You..."

"Dumb bunny."

Yep.  Between his gut instinct, his brain, her voice, and now those purple eyes...

"[u]Carrots[/u]?"



[u]I Don't Know, But While I Think[/u]
Part 1
Wisdom and experience aren't free.  How I would have ended the tame collar/Zistopia story that could have been.

So Zootopia, right?  Right.  Part of me knows I don't really understand all the subtleties of the story and its message that seem so clear to everyone who's not me, and if I don't now then I probably never will, but it's still a great movie for many reasons.  I think maybe I like the characters and the setting more than the story.  Funny thing is, while I'm totally on board with the Judy/Nick ship, I really like how the movie ends with them: Still plenty of potential without forcing anything, and those are some of the best endings.

But sometimes I just get tired of things working out and everything being fine.  Sometimes I just want to say, "Screw that!" and look at a setting where everyone stopped denying anything was wrong (but that doesn't mean things suck forever).  Sometimes I want to be a little dark.  Or maybe it's just that sometimes I felt like being one of those douchebags who can't just shut up and be happy, not even when he ruins things for others.  Whatever.

You don't need to tell me the reasons why it's better the collars aren't in the final product, I've heard them and you can rest assured I agree you're probably right.  That doesn't mean we can't still indulge in it, when we want to.  While there would have been a lot of finishing work to be done to make the Zistopia setting usable and plausible, and it more than likely is for the best that it was abandoned, no sense letting that potential go to waste.  That's where this story came from: I had my own ideas for how I would have ended the movie as I knew it could have been.  Ironically, writing this probably made me a lot happier than I would have been if I had just let the idea die.

Believe it or not, I didn't know that in the original Zistopia ending, Judy quits the force and shows up outside Wild Times in a fennec disguise (costume, that is) until I got to that point in this story.  :iconflyingwolf: then told me I had accidentally written what they were going to do anyway.  Won't lie, I almost abandoned the story then because what was the point of writing it if its creators had already done it?  I think, or at least I hope, it was for the best that I went through with it.

I'd also just like to say, it really bugs me how it's spelled "Zistopia."  I don't want to use that because you don't spell it "distopia" so why do it now?  Sigh.

Written by me.
Zootopia and its characters (c) Disney.
Thanks to :iconflyingwolf: for his services as my creative consultant and test audience.
Thanks also to the many sources on the Internet for material on the Zistopia setting.
The story's title is taken from a line from the movie "Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix".
"Barns and No-Bull Books" and "Preyda" reference Barnes and Noble Books and Prada, which are also (c) themselves.

This story's copyright policy: "Sharing is caring."  Do what you like with this story, not like I can do anything to stop you, in fact I'd be flattered you'd want to share it or save it so you can read it whenever you want.  All I ask is that you link back to the original source.