The Long Recovery of Judy Hopps: A Visit From Mr. Big
The long white limousine came to a halt in on the gravel driveway in front of the farmhouse. Judy stood with Nick and her parents as Raymond, a seven foot tall polar dressed in a black limo driver suit, stepped out and opened the door, letting Kevin out. Kevin had his paws cupped carefully in front of him as he walked up to the porch, Mr. Big, Fru-Fru, and Little Judy standing in his palms.
“Mr. Big, Fru-Fru, it’s good to see you again,” Judy greeted cheerfully. Beside her Nick stood nearly frozen, a smile fixed on his face, not quite taking attention away from his panic floofed tail.
“Hello again, Judith,” Mr. Big rasped. “Thank you for letting me visit your lovely home.”
“Wouldn’t have dreamed of turning you away,” she admitted truthfully. Judy gestured to her mom and dad. “These are my parents, Bonnie and Stuart Hopps, and these are my sibs.” The four dozen or so of her brothers and sisters who had gathered on the porch to watch Mr. Big’s arrival all gave him little waves. “Mom, Dad, this is Mr. Big. He’s, ah, prominent business mammal in Zootopia, with interests in Little Rodentia and Tundra Town.”
“How do, Mr. Big?” her dad said, offering his finger for a shake. “Quite a surprise to hear about you coming out here.”
“Very well, thank you. It occurred to me that Little Judy hadn’t had a chance to see the countryside since she was born, and my daughter and I thought it would be nice visit Godmother Judy to see that she is well,” Mr. Big said politely. “Such a terrible mess with that awful Volkov and her people hurting Zootopia’s hero bunny, and of course what happened to you and your wife.”
“Yep, it was, um, quite an adventure,” Dad said carefully, probably mindful of all the younger kits listening in. “Why don’t we call come inside? Dinner is just about ready.”
Mom and Dad led their guests into, the two polar bear managing to just barely fit through the bunny sized front door. As they waited for the crowd of kits to clear, Judy gave Nick’s paw a squeeze. “Good so far,” she said with as much confidence as she could.
“The night is young,” Nick replied, blowing out his breath. They went in together to the farmhouse’s dining hall, to find Mr. Big and his family seated at the head of the table, at a little table made out of an upturned blueberry basket, one of Molly’s hand sewn doilies serving as a tablecloth, with jam jars serving as stools. Raymond and Kevin sat hunched over at one of the smaller side tables, heads brushing the ceiling, somehow having acquired about a half-dozen kits each, who were crawling over the two bears’ lap, back, and shoulders in curiosity.
“Where in Bunnyburrow did your mom and dad get a shrew sized tea set?”” Nick wondered sotto voce, as Bonnie carefully poured iced tea for Mr. Big and Fru-Fru.
“It’s from Jill’s dollhouse,” Judy told him.
“Ah.” Some of Nick’s usual humor returned as he asked, “You gonna tell Mr. Big and Fru-Fru that?”
“Heck no!”
Dinner was a carrot and spinach lasagna, which everyone dug into with gusto, Little Judy getting her muzzle cheerfully smeared with tomato sauce. Then the little toddler looked up at her bunny namesake in between bites to ask, “God’ma Judy okay?”
“Godmother Judy is doing fine,” Judy told her gently. This is seemed to satisfy the toddler, for she then began to alternate between taking bite of her food and trying to chew her own toes.
“It is good to see you well, Judith,” Mr. Big added. “We were all very worried about you.”
She shrugged, her injured shoulder clicking. “I survived. I just hope I can get back into shape to retake my physical.”
“You must. Zootopia, especially Little Rodentia, needs its bunny cop.” Mr. Big frowned slightly. “I’m told Chief Bogo is considering hiring mice to patrol Little Rodentia. I’m not sure how I feel about that. It would be good for our people, but…” He gave a little Gallic shrug. No, the de facto ruler of Little Rodentia in all but name wouldn’t be happy about cops finally patrolling his territory. Too bad, Judy thought quietly. Rule of law for the win.
“The ZPD’s main problem is that isn’t really setup to deal with smaller mammals in its ranks,” Judy admitted. “Before I came along, the smallest mammals on the force were wolves, and most of the others were megafauna like rhinos and elephants. That’s reflected in the training regime at the Academy. But if we’re to serve the whole community, we need officers who can literally fit in better. So we need training that can enhance their strengths, not point out their weaknesses.”
The debate was put on hold as the lasagna was cleared out, and warm blueberry pies were brought out to the tables to be cut up and consumed. Mr. Big, Fru-Fru, and Little Judy were provided with tiny, shrew sized blueberry tarts.
“Oh, this is delicious!” Fru-Fru gushed, while Little Judy smeared her entire face with her portion. “Who made it?”
“Gideon Grey, he’s the best pastry chef in the Tri-Burrow area,” Bonnie told her.
“He open a bakery in Little Rodentia,” Fru-Fru declared. “Daddy, can we make him move to Zootopia, please?”
Judy laughed. “I think his shop would take up too much real estate in Little Rodentia. He’s a fox, like Nick.”
Fru-Fru looked over at her father, eyes pleading, “Daddy, please? We could make room for him in Tundra Town!”
“No, sweetheart, Daddy can’t do that,” Mr. Big demurred. He licked his muzzle thoughtfully. “Tempting though.”
* * *
After dinner, as twilight began to settle and the fireflies began to come out, Judy sat with Nick and Mr. Big by a table on the back porch, sipping iced tea. Out in the yard, Raymond and Kevin were running around on the grass, their arms outstretched. Fru-Fru and Little Judy riding atop Kevin’s head, and each of the polar bears having a dozen bunny kits clinging to their arms, the bunnies laughing in delight, as the bears ran in circles making airplane noises.
“You have a lovely home, Judith,” Mr. Big said. He gave a little sigh, settling back on his jam jar stool to look out over the fields. “It reminds me of my family’s house in the old country. It was a farm such as this, with acres of olive trees. A very peaceful place.”
“Thank you,” Judy said. “I like coming back here, even if Zootopia is my home now.”
The shrew raised a bushy eyebrow. “So you will return? This is a good thing. I was wondering, after you suffered your injuries.”
“I want to.” She felt a cold chill run through her that had nothing to do with the fading light. “I… hope to. I don’t know if I’ll be able though. I have to pass the ZPD physical again.” She didn’t add, I barely made it the first time.
“You must, child. Zootopia needs its hero bunny cop.” Mr. Big glanced over at Nick, “And its hero fox cop as well.”
“I’m not a hero, I’m just a mammal doing his job,” Nick said, taking a sip of his iced tea, some of the tension that had been running through him seeming to have been dissipated with the uneventful conclusion of dinner.
“Hero,” Mr Big insisted, “Without you both, Belleweather and Volkov would have burned Zootopia to the ground. A hero deserves to be rewarded. You are making it very hard for me to reward you, Nicholas.”
He shrugged uncomfortably. “Like I said over the phone, it looks bad. I’m a fox, Mr. Big, the first fox cop. I have to be a good example, to make it easier for all the foxes that come after me. If I start looking like just another sly huckster, taking whatever he can get on the side, I might be the only fox cop in the ZPD for a very long time.”
Mr. Big nodded slowly. “That I can understand. You refuse not just for yourself, but for all your fellow foxes.”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Can you think of anything else that I might give you, that would not look so bad? I must give you something, Nicholas. You are owed.”
Nick frowned, running a fingerpad along the edge of his glass. “Well, there’s one thing....”
“Mmm?”
His frown deepened. “We never found Volkov’s body. Her organization is broken up, and the odds are that she died taking that header off the falls, but there’s always a chance she might still be out there and trying to get revenge.” He grimaced. “When she went after Judy, she also kidnapped Bonnie and Stu. Volkov likes to make things really personal like that.”
“You are worried for your mother?” Mr .Big asked gently.
‘Yeah,” Nick admitted. “If anything were to happen to her, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“You wish her protection? Like when I protected Judith after Volkov’s assassin attacked her?”
“Yeah,” Nick agreed. “That would ease my mind quite a bit, more so than any money you could give me.”
Mr. Big nodded. “I have some wolves, more discreet than my bears, who would be able to keep an eye on her. I will do this for you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Big, seriously,” Nick agreed, shaking the shrew’s paw very carefully, all of the worry running through him during this visit finally disappearing.
The shrew stood up from his seat, taking a walk around the perimeter of the table. “We need you both back in Zootopia. These Night Howler and Night Hunter drugs, they are not going to go away. Once something is made, it can never be unmade, it will always haunt the societies we build. The knowledge to make these drugs is out there, and we cannot hope to destroy every Night Howler plant in the world. Someone will make them again.
“But Zootopia is strong. For three months it held together, while Bellewether darted predators and made them savage. There were enough mammals, predators and prey, who believed in the dream of Zootopia, that were willing to fight for it, even as Bellewether tried to tear it apart. You two, fox and bunny, predator and prey, you also believe in what Zootopia can be, even when it does not live up to that dream. You must return, to help your fellow officers keep the dream alive as well.”
Judy and Nick both straightened up in their seats. ‘We’ll try, Mr . Big,” she said.
The old shrew smiled. “Good.”
“Mr. Big, Fru-Fru, it’s good to see you again,” Judy greeted cheerfully. Beside her Nick stood nearly frozen, a smile fixed on his face, not quite taking attention away from his panic floofed tail.
“Hello again, Judith,” Mr. Big rasped. “Thank you for letting me visit your lovely home.”
“Wouldn’t have dreamed of turning you away,” she admitted truthfully. Judy gestured to her mom and dad. “These are my parents, Bonnie and Stuart Hopps, and these are my sibs.” The four dozen or so of her brothers and sisters who had gathered on the porch to watch Mr. Big’s arrival all gave him little waves. “Mom, Dad, this is Mr. Big. He’s, ah, prominent business mammal in Zootopia, with interests in Little Rodentia and Tundra Town.”
“How do, Mr. Big?” her dad said, offering his finger for a shake. “Quite a surprise to hear about you coming out here.”
“Very well, thank you. It occurred to me that Little Judy hadn’t had a chance to see the countryside since she was born, and my daughter and I thought it would be nice visit Godmother Judy to see that she is well,” Mr. Big said politely. “Such a terrible mess with that awful Volkov and her people hurting Zootopia’s hero bunny, and of course what happened to you and your wife.”
“Yep, it was, um, quite an adventure,” Dad said carefully, probably mindful of all the younger kits listening in. “Why don’t we call come inside? Dinner is just about ready.”
Mom and Dad led their guests into, the two polar bear managing to just barely fit through the bunny sized front door. As they waited for the crowd of kits to clear, Judy gave Nick’s paw a squeeze. “Good so far,” she said with as much confidence as she could.
“The night is young,” Nick replied, blowing out his breath. They went in together to the farmhouse’s dining hall, to find Mr. Big and his family seated at the head of the table, at a little table made out of an upturned blueberry basket, one of Molly’s hand sewn doilies serving as a tablecloth, with jam jars serving as stools. Raymond and Kevin sat hunched over at one of the smaller side tables, heads brushing the ceiling, somehow having acquired about a half-dozen kits each, who were crawling over the two bears’ lap, back, and shoulders in curiosity.
“Where in Bunnyburrow did your mom and dad get a shrew sized tea set?”” Nick wondered sotto voce, as Bonnie carefully poured iced tea for Mr. Big and Fru-Fru.
“It’s from Jill’s dollhouse,” Judy told him.
“Ah.” Some of Nick’s usual humor returned as he asked, “You gonna tell Mr. Big and Fru-Fru that?”
“Heck no!”
Dinner was a carrot and spinach lasagna, which everyone dug into with gusto, Little Judy getting her muzzle cheerfully smeared with tomato sauce. Then the little toddler looked up at her bunny namesake in between bites to ask, “God’ma Judy okay?”
“Godmother Judy is doing fine,” Judy told her gently. This is seemed to satisfy the toddler, for she then began to alternate between taking bite of her food and trying to chew her own toes.
“It is good to see you well, Judith,” Mr. Big added. “We were all very worried about you.”
She shrugged, her injured shoulder clicking. “I survived. I just hope I can get back into shape to retake my physical.”
“You must. Zootopia, especially Little Rodentia, needs its bunny cop.” Mr. Big frowned slightly. “I’m told Chief Bogo is considering hiring mice to patrol Little Rodentia. I’m not sure how I feel about that. It would be good for our people, but…” He gave a little Gallic shrug. No, the de facto ruler of Little Rodentia in all but name wouldn’t be happy about cops finally patrolling his territory. Too bad, Judy thought quietly. Rule of law for the win.
“The ZPD’s main problem is that isn’t really setup to deal with smaller mammals in its ranks,” Judy admitted. “Before I came along, the smallest mammals on the force were wolves, and most of the others were megafauna like rhinos and elephants. That’s reflected in the training regime at the Academy. But if we’re to serve the whole community, we need officers who can literally fit in better. So we need training that can enhance their strengths, not point out their weaknesses.”
The debate was put on hold as the lasagna was cleared out, and warm blueberry pies were brought out to the tables to be cut up and consumed. Mr. Big, Fru-Fru, and Little Judy were provided with tiny, shrew sized blueberry tarts.
“Oh, this is delicious!” Fru-Fru gushed, while Little Judy smeared her entire face with her portion. “Who made it?”
“Gideon Grey, he’s the best pastry chef in the Tri-Burrow area,” Bonnie told her.
“He open a bakery in Little Rodentia,” Fru-Fru declared. “Daddy, can we make him move to Zootopia, please?”
Judy laughed. “I think his shop would take up too much real estate in Little Rodentia. He’s a fox, like Nick.”
Fru-Fru looked over at her father, eyes pleading, “Daddy, please? We could make room for him in Tundra Town!”
“No, sweetheart, Daddy can’t do that,” Mr. Big demurred. He licked his muzzle thoughtfully. “Tempting though.”
* * *
After dinner, as twilight began to settle and the fireflies began to come out, Judy sat with Nick and Mr. Big by a table on the back porch, sipping iced tea. Out in the yard, Raymond and Kevin were running around on the grass, their arms outstretched. Fru-Fru and Little Judy riding atop Kevin’s head, and each of the polar bears having a dozen bunny kits clinging to their arms, the bunnies laughing in delight, as the bears ran in circles making airplane noises.
“You have a lovely home, Judith,” Mr. Big said. He gave a little sigh, settling back on his jam jar stool to look out over the fields. “It reminds me of my family’s house in the old country. It was a farm such as this, with acres of olive trees. A very peaceful place.”
“Thank you,” Judy said. “I like coming back here, even if Zootopia is my home now.”
The shrew raised a bushy eyebrow. “So you will return? This is a good thing. I was wondering, after you suffered your injuries.”
“I want to.” She felt a cold chill run through her that had nothing to do with the fading light. “I… hope to. I don’t know if I’ll be able though. I have to pass the ZPD physical again.” She didn’t add, I barely made it the first time.
“You must, child. Zootopia needs its hero bunny cop.” Mr. Big glanced over at Nick, “And its hero fox cop as well.”
“I’m not a hero, I’m just a mammal doing his job,” Nick said, taking a sip of his iced tea, some of the tension that had been running through him seeming to have been dissipated with the uneventful conclusion of dinner.
“Hero,” Mr Big insisted, “Without you both, Belleweather and Volkov would have burned Zootopia to the ground. A hero deserves to be rewarded. You are making it very hard for me to reward you, Nicholas.”
He shrugged uncomfortably. “Like I said over the phone, it looks bad. I’m a fox, Mr. Big, the first fox cop. I have to be a good example, to make it easier for all the foxes that come after me. If I start looking like just another sly huckster, taking whatever he can get on the side, I might be the only fox cop in the ZPD for a very long time.”
Mr. Big nodded slowly. “That I can understand. You refuse not just for yourself, but for all your fellow foxes.”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Can you think of anything else that I might give you, that would not look so bad? I must give you something, Nicholas. You are owed.”
Nick frowned, running a fingerpad along the edge of his glass. “Well, there’s one thing....”
“Mmm?”
His frown deepened. “We never found Volkov’s body. Her organization is broken up, and the odds are that she died taking that header off the falls, but there’s always a chance she might still be out there and trying to get revenge.” He grimaced. “When she went after Judy, she also kidnapped Bonnie and Stu. Volkov likes to make things really personal like that.”
“You are worried for your mother?” Mr .Big asked gently.
‘Yeah,” Nick admitted. “If anything were to happen to her, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“You wish her protection? Like when I protected Judith after Volkov’s assassin attacked her?”
“Yeah,” Nick agreed. “That would ease my mind quite a bit, more so than any money you could give me.”
Mr. Big nodded. “I have some wolves, more discreet than my bears, who would be able to keep an eye on her. I will do this for you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Big, seriously,” Nick agreed, shaking the shrew’s paw very carefully, all of the worry running through him during this visit finally disappearing.
The shrew stood up from his seat, taking a walk around the perimeter of the table. “We need you both back in Zootopia. These Night Howler and Night Hunter drugs, they are not going to go away. Once something is made, it can never be unmade, it will always haunt the societies we build. The knowledge to make these drugs is out there, and we cannot hope to destroy every Night Howler plant in the world. Someone will make them again.
“But Zootopia is strong. For three months it held together, while Bellewether darted predators and made them savage. There were enough mammals, predators and prey, who believed in the dream of Zootopia, that were willing to fight for it, even as Bellewether tried to tear it apart. You two, fox and bunny, predator and prey, you also believe in what Zootopia can be, even when it does not live up to that dream. You must return, to help your fellow officers keep the dream alive as well.”
Judy and Nick both straightened up in their seats. ‘We’ll try, Mr . Big,” she said.
The old shrew smiled. “Good.”