I have to extend thanks to the movie "Zootopia" for finally breaking down a very stubborn writer's block I've had for entirely too long.

This is the first part of a two part beginning chapter (have three other chapters in the works as well as the second part of this one) involving the Zootopia characters.

This is an alternate universe story set in our early 1940s where Judy is trying to follow in the "paw prints" of her fictional role model while Nick is in a rather different line of work but still in the hustling biz.

Characters Judy, Nick, Finnik, Mr. Big, Fru Fru, and Bogo property of Disney.


Story by me.




Detective Doe, Flyer Fox

Author's Note: I gave "Mr. Big" a formal name as I could not see Judy, and others, referring to him as "Mr. Big" all of the time.




“'Visit the tropics. Balmy trade winds, sparkling sapphire seas, beautiful scenery, lush tropical landscape, and stunning sunsets to behold',” the bunny parroted.

The nude doe sat on the room's single bed as she worked a fine toothed comb through her body fur.

“What they don't mention in their ads is the bugs, the snakes, and that from noon to about five the air is absolutely sweltering!” she groused. "And don't EVEN get me started on the tropical diseases I've been warned about!!"

In her mind's eye, the bunny visualized the advertising mammal or mammals bound up helpless and being slowly lowered, foot paws first, into a vat of heavy duty fur remover.

"'Enjoy your stay in paradise while we working stiffs slave away here!'" Judy quoted. "Bogo, I get back to Zootopia in relative good health I'm going to saw your horns off and stuff them up your posterior, sideways!"

* * * * * * *

Judith (she preferred Judy) Hopps was born in middle of the second decade of the century and enjoyed a kit's good times on her family's farm. Then, the "Crash" of ‘30 happened and the Great Recession (More honest folks called it a Depression) was on. On Hopps' Acres little changed but Judy noticed that a lot of people who had come from the city to their fruit and vegetable stand didn't show up anymore. And of those who did she saw, in most, a worn look about them that made her uncomfortable (over the years she had lost count of the times her dad and mom had "accidently" doubled up on someone's order). When she graduated from high school, a year early, she went into a school that trained nurses for about a year and half and then dropped out (much to her parents' disappointment) and began training for something else, forensics. The schooling involved a wide range of fields; medical (most of which she had covered during her nurse's training), chemistry, ballistics (which, also, involved arson/fire and explosives investigation), observation, psychology, and some law courses (as well as a couple of acting classes that included makeup and costuming). She threw herself into all of it with relish! What was normally a six year regiment she tore through in four and a half, ending up in the top five percent of her class. At the graduation ceremony, under her cap, she wore a deerslayer cap and an old style magnifying glass rode in one of the pockets of her robe and a much used paperback copy of "Hound of the Hinterlands" in the other pocket. Judy was a dedicated fan of Sherlocke Bones, the creation of one Arthur Conon Foyle from late in the previous century. From the time she had cracked open the first book of the series the lone detective/medical examiner had captivated her mind and imagination. The stories were excellent, the plots engaging with their share of unexpected twists and turns that, by the end of the story, were completely logical. By the time she was 15, Judy had decided that she would do her best to emulate her storybook role model in as many ways as possible, including taking up his occupation as a freelance detective. Hopes high, she rode the train into her area's biggest city, Zootopia, and applied for detective positions at a dozen of the private investigator agencies there...and ran into an invisible wall. While there were promises of "We will get back with you." and such, they didn't. She kept checking (metaphysically "nudging) them but that got no results, either. Then, while at one agency, a very good looking gazelle doe receptionist took Judy off to one side.

"Look, honey, your school record is great and your desire for this work admirable and sincere but, you have no experience and...there are a couple of other problems on top of that."

"Such as?" Judy queried.

The young fem, Judy guessed that she was just a year or two older than herself, sighed.

"You want the blunt truth?"

The bunny nodded.

"One, you're female, and field detective work is seen as a male prerogative. Two, you're a bunny...."

Fury boiled up in Judy and it was only her logical resolve in knowing that this doe was not responsible for the diminishing stereotypes that her species, and, to be honest, a number of others, had to contend with. After forcing her ears back up to a little over "half-mast", she said "Thanks." and left.

Not yet willing to acknowledge defeat, Judy went looking for a stopgap job to tide her over. She was staying with a cousin, Heather, in Zootopia and although that helped a lot in keeping expenses down, she still had to eat and insisted on paying her cousin something in rent for the room she occupied. Unfortunately, even in Zootopia, jobs that paid any decent wage were damned scarce!

"Judy, go to the Lapine Club and apply for a waitress job there," Heather suggested one day.

She sighed at the sour look Judy gave her.

"Look, I know you don't like the idea of doing that kind of menial work but it's either that or going back to the farm and...."

Grudgingly, Judy got an appointment for a job interview and was sitting at a table at the back wall of the voluminous main dining room waiting to be called in. While there, she took the time to look over the patrons near her and try to work out details about them. There was one person, a diminutive shrew girl, sitting at a little table set on top of a table sized for bunnies that claimed most of her attention. The girl, woman, really, was about 20 years old Judy guessed. Her clothing was top notch and her long very dark brown hair expertly styled. The two rabbit bucks that waited at her table were attentive to her every word and motion.

"Daughter of someone of means and importance," was her observation.

At that moment, a hare waitress, dressed in a daringly skimpy outfit, appeared at the doorway close by and beckoned Judy to come with her. Judy got up to follow and that's when things began to get...interesting. First, the great double doors that opened out to the main street that was at the front of the club came flying open and in that doorway stood four males, all weasels, wearing long trench coats. Cold eyes scanned the room and stopped at a table, the table of the shrew girl. Judy saw the two waiters drop to the floor and that was when she went into action! Adrenalin blasting through her bloodstream, Judy unthinkingly dashed to the table, grabbed up the girl with both of her hands, and then, body slamming the waitress out of harm's way, just made it through that doorway as the machine gun fire began. Heart racing and ears plastered down on the back of her head, Judy tucked the girl in close to her chest as wood splinters and bits of plaster from bullets coming through the wall flew all about her. She spotted a stairway and dashed up it to get above the gunfire. As she passed several doors Judy considered and then rejected the idea of trying to hide in one of the rooms they led into.

"They come hunting for us I don't intend to be trapped in a room that might not have a way out!" she thought.

Coming to a turn in the hall, she spotted a closed window on the outside wall. Using one hand, she pulled on the loop cord at the left side of the window to open it. Once all the way up, Judy hopped up onto the window sill, lashed out with one of her powerful legs, and kicked the outside screen away. Then, after a quick glance down to estimate the distance to the ground, she jumped. Upon landing, she did a double forward roll, with the shrew girl tucked into her lower midriff, and came up on her feet. In the distance, Judy heard the sound of police sirens approaching.

"Please, we must leave here!" the shrew girl said. "There's a taxi stand three blocks away! We can get a cab from there!"

It seemed as good an idea as any and the bunny doe followed her charge's directions to their destination. She was directed to walk, not run, as Judy was want to do.

"Running attracts attention and we don't want that!" the shrew fem told her.

In the process of getting there, they saw a goodly number of black and whites go by, all headed for the club. Picking a cab that had a fox squirrel driver, they got in the back seat. The shrew called out an address, in the Tundra district, to the driver and they got under way. Judy's heartbeat settled down to normal while, at the same time, a kind of weariness seeped into her body and she slouched back into the seat as a result. Looking to the shrew girl, Judy noticed something; in spite of all the activity and paw handling she'd had, the little fem's hairdo was in perfect order.

"Love your hair!" Judy said.

"Thank you," came the giggly reply.

"By the way, I'm Judy."

"Pleased, very pleased, to meet you, Judy. I'm Fru Fru."

* * * * * * *

The cab delivered them outside of an ornate iron double gate set in a very high and strong looking solid wall. A massive stone faced polar bear wearing a well-made suit appeared behind the gates and glowered and growled at Judy. Then, he noticed the shrew she carried in her hands and his attitude underwent a remarkable change. A kind of "Oh crud!" expression came to his face and an instant later one gate swung open and a big paw hand motioned her in.

"Judy, this is Bruno, Bruno, this is Judy," Fru Fru said as they entered. "Judy is my...escort and is to be afforded our hospitality."

Fru Fru directed Judy to the house, mansion, actually, where another suited polar bear opened the door for them to go inside. From there, Judy's fortunes took an interesting turn.

* * * * * * *

At a break in the conversation, Judy glanced down into her lap and just barely restrained herself from saying "Ahhhh, so cute!"

A soft towel was draped over her thighs and on it lie two small forms, smaller than Fru Fru. That was understandable as one was Fru Fru's 25 month old daughter, named after Judy, and the other was Fru Fru's 11 month old son, Corry. Both were peacefully dozing away in their godmother's lap.


Dante Russo, aka "Mr. Big", watched as Judy reached one hand down to the napping kids and ever so lightly brushed one finger over her namesake. Then, she did the same with Corry and he, in turn, burrowed a bit more into the towel. The expression on Judy's face was gentle and he saw something else in it.

"I wonder if she even knows that she is putting out signs of wanting kits of her own," he thought.

He had known this bunny doe for three years now, and had no reason to regret taking her into his family. At first, he was cautious and watchful, the whole thing might have been a setup to get her close to the family where she could do real harm, as a top level crime boss, he had to consider such things. But, over time, he found his fears on that account to be groundless. He held up the goblet of wine in his right paw in salute to her.


Glancing up, Judy saw Dante taking a sip of his wine. Though hardly bigger than his daughter, Fru Fru, he cut quite a figure seated in his comfortable chair, which sat atop a big desk, wearing his well-tailored suit. The head of a large extended family of arctic shrews, he was eternally calm, perceptive, and spoke with an Old Country accent.

"Of course, "Old Country' depends on who one is talking to, as that varies from mammal to mammal," she mused.

That was the thing about Zootopia, Besides the more native species for North Am-Air-Ika (North Am, for short) quite a number of peoples had, and still were, coming to the city to add their sweat and blood and energy in making city and country work. Of course, they brought with them much of their language, culture, and a nearly bewildering variety of foods and tastes.

"One hasn't lived until they have tried Medditain honey glazed apples with a clover and rose cheese sauce!" she thought.

Just the memory of that dish set her mouth to watering!

"So, what of this case that seems to have come to a dead end?" asked Dante.

With anyone else, Judy would have refused to discuss any real, or even vague, details of a case; it was part of her terms of employment agreement to keep such things confidential. But, Dante was the heart and soul of discretion and kept anything said between them to himself. And, there was the fact that he had set her up with the job of her heart's desire in the first place.

* * * * * * * *

After a short rest and then a light meal, Fru Fru took Judy to meet her father, the head of the Family.

"Don't worry about his eyes," the shrew told her. "They've always been like that ever since I can remember."

With that comment, she took Judy into the great study. The room was big enough to easily accommodate the bunny girl's whole family of 37. There was a polar bear guard standing behind a polished desk big enough the accommodate him and on top of that desk was a padded swivel chair in which Dante sat. It was now that Judy understood Fru Fru's statement about his eyes because they were very nearly closed. Fru Fru made the introductions and for a time he traded small talk with her. While the chat was mostly on common subjects, Judy noted that he asked questions about her family and her background, getting a bit or two of data at a time, but, when put together....
In the process, he learned of her desired career.

"My dear, I know of a detective agency where you can find employment," he told her.

Three days later, Judy was interviewed by a bookish looking otter named Salomon. At the beginning, she sensed a stiff reluctance in him but, as things progressed, that melted away and towards the end he was relaxed and nodding his head.

"We will be putting you in a six months long trial period," he told her. "Do well and stay within the rules of employment and you'll be in for long term hire."

The agency that Judy worked for was one she had never heard of. They weren't listed anywhere and there was no sign (shingle) displayed anywhere on the outside of the building nor inside either.

"We insist on discretion," she was told. "We work for a specific cliental and they insist upon our being, and remaining, 'unseen', as it were."

Their main client was the city government of Zootopia and a good deal of the outer districts as well.

"Due to the Crash, money for law enforcement is tight and someone saw the need for an agency to help investigate the virtual mountain of cases that were piling up. On top of that, there are...matters that the city pols prefer handled with the utmost discretion from beginning to end. A number of these do not result in arrests, they are handled in different ways; the main thing being the recovery of stolen money and/or property and the perp being, for all intents, ran out of town with the edict of never returning.
We work with the city police force and when an arrest is in the "offing" we hand it off to the cops.”

Her new boss looked at her pointedly.

“We stay, you stay, out of the public eye!” he stated. “As far as the general public is concerned, we do not exist!”

“'Look at me and you will not see me. Listen and I will not be heard. Touch me and you will feel nothing.',” she recited a line from one of the Sherlocke Bones stories.

“Live by those words while you work for us and you'll do fine,” he said.



Judy expected to be doing paper shuffling during her trial time and there was that, but, during those six months, she spent more and more of the time paired up with one investigator or another doing field work. In the beginning, she felt doubt, reluctance, even barely suppressed hostility from them but, as time passed and she proved herself able, the greatest amount of that melted away. The diversity of her work mates surprised Judy. Most of the species that lived in Zootopia and in the surrounding metro areas, were represented in the agency, and, to her amazement, considering what the gazelle woman had told her, several of them were female!

"There are times and places where a female is a more practical choice than a male. Also, people tend to underestimate various species of females, even other females," her boss explained.

Then, he grinned and added:

"Speaking of which, how good are you at acting the bubble headed dumb bunny?"

* * * * * * *

"And that 'dumb bunny' act has gotten me through several cases!" Judy thought as she came back to the here and now.

She returned her attention to the impeccably dressed Dante. In her mind's eye, Judy "saw" more than her host and patron for she knew him for the high level crime boss that he was. She had suspected there was something more to him and his family right off the bat. The attempt on his daughter's life was a classic mob hit and those happened to mobsters and, sometimes, members of their family. On the quiet, she investigated things and came up with the illegal activities he controlled. That information put Judy in a moral dilemma; one side of her mind called for her to do all she could to bring him and his down. The cautious, and more practical, side pointed out that others greater than she had tried and were trying to do that and, thus far had gotten nowhere.

"Add to that the fact that should he come to view you as a hazard he's likely not to hesitate to put you on ice. His gratitude will only go so far in protecting you, push past it and...."

Then, the recently married Fru Fru announced that she was pregnant and that she wanted Judy to be her child's godmother. Judy dearly loved the shrew and accepted the request.

"And thus do I become more entangled in Dante's family," she thought as she glanced down at the dozing pair in her lap.

To date, she had chosen to leave things be.

"Embezzlement of about $90,000.00 from several city funds. The suspect was smart enough to know that someone was going to notice at some time so he skipped town before that came about. Thing is, he didn't just leave Zootopia, he left the country. We traced him to New Caledonia so they sent a couple of our guys to find and 'recover' him. When they got there he was gone. As best they could find out, he took a private flight to the Salamam islands and that's all they could learn. As we have no idea which island he's on, and there are several dozen, the boss decided to call it quits and had them come back home," Judy said.

"But, there's something about this case that has you wanting to follow up on it," said Dante.

"The recovery of the money would be a bit of a feather in my cap but...."

"Yes?"

"It's the suspect's father. A little over a year ago he gave me a paw in digging up crucial evidence in a big case...."

"And you feel the need to repay the favor," Mr. Big finished.

Judy nodded.

"I understand, my dear," he said. "One repays favor debts when they can."

"I'd like to but...."

"You lack the resources to do so."

Another nod of the bunny's head.

"I know someone in that area who can be of help. A seaplane pilot who's operated in those islands and waters for some years. He's very knowledgeable of the islands and knows quite a number of people there that are likely to be of help in tracing this fellow down."

Judy gave him an inquisitive look.

"At one time I had some...interest in that part of the world and met him while I was there," he supplied. "He is quite skilled in his craft, though somewhat unorthodox in his manner."

"Hmmmmmm, sounds like the mammal I'd need but the boss has already written this case off so I doubt I can convince him to provide any funds to pursue it any further."

"He won't have to, I'll provide those resources. And, as I believe that you have quite a number of off days banked up, you have more than adequate time to do your follow-up," Dante said.

Judy considered things for a moment, then....

"Well, I've always wanted to visit the exotic tropics since I heard about them when I was a kit," she said.

"Very well, you arrange your time off with Salomon while I get things setup for your journey," Dante said.

With a nod of her head, Judy said she would put her two godchildren to their beds, gently picked them up so as not to awaken them, got up, and departed. The ghost of a smile graced Dante's face as he watched her leave.

"Yes, it will be interesting to see how she and Nick get along," he mused.

* * * * * * *

It took only a few days to get the trip set up, Judy had a passport and with Dante's connections the needed visas were stamped in it in record time. The train ride (in a private berth) to the west coast was more than comfortable and Judy used the time to review the case for any possible missed clues and to catch up on some reading. From the city of San Fran-seeco she rode an Orient clipper seaplane to New Caledonia, with a three day layover in Havahii during which she toured two of the biggest islands there. Judy found the naval base at Pearl Cove to be quite an impressive sight. During another three day stay at New Caledonia the bunny woman found the places she visited living up to the advertising posters and ads. Then, she took a small ship to an island about 300 miles to the north named Espiritu Santo.


Her contact, a red deer woman, Elizabeth ("Call me Liz."), met Judy at the dock and, after arranging for her baggage to be sent to the hostel, escorted her towards town. It was then that the bunny got a briefing on the hazards of the raw tropics. Liz could not help but notice the increasingly confused, and worried, look on her charge's face.

"We aren't on the tourist tract so they don't work at keeping down the myriad of insect pests here. And, as we are closer to the equator the temps are higher here, with all the discomforts that go with them," Liz provided. "The pilot you're to meet has been delayed for a couple of days. That's not all that unusual out here, all kinds of things happen to throw things off schedule. By the way, that's where he docks his plane."

Judy's eyes followed the pointed finger to see a concrete dock some 150 long and 20 feet wide sticking out into the bay. There were several other docks, a couple with planes moored to them, and they were all wood affairs set on pilings, most barely half as big as the concrete one.

"This guy must have some money to afford something that good," she commented.

"Nick would be happy with a wood dock but his partner, Finnik, insisted on something a lot more substantial, and, thus, requiring less maintenance. Had a big storm come through a couple of years back and that dock was the only one not in need of any repair when it was over."

Judy looked to the area upland from the dock and let out a whistle at the sight of the Quonset hut style building about 200 feet in from the shoreline.

"Cheese and crackers, that's big!" she exclaimed.

"Big enough to accommodate two planes the size of the one Nick flies plus the repair shop and other stuff," the deer fem said. "Made of reinforced concrete as well. Some folks say it's tough enough to shrug off a direct hit from a 2000 pound bomb."

Judy saw a look of concern come to her hostess's face.

"I hope that part isn't put to the test anytime soon," Liz said

"Me too, me too," Judy thought

They arrived at Liz's hostel, a surprisingly large place for such a small city.

"The front room takes up about a quarter of the building, has to be that big to allow the fans to circulate the air inside effectively. George, my mate, has a big air conditioning unit on the way that will make things more comfortable but, until then...."

Judy knew about the air conditioning; almost all of the movie theaters in Zootopia had them as well as some of the upper class hotels and clubs. The skyscrapers that were being built were to have AC, otherwise, it would be miserable working in them in the summer.

"Once that's in, we expect a lot more customer traffic coming through" said Liz.

"I wouldn't doubt that, all things considered!" Judy replied as she fanned herself with one hand.

Upon entry, Judy saw several people, all males, at tables in the main room. Her eyes picked out a couple of flight jackets draped over the backs of their chairs "announcing" that their occupants were air crew, likely pilots.

"Slow time of the day," Liz told Judy. "Morning and evening meals are our busy times."

As they walked through the room, Judy noticed that nearly all of the males were watching her. So did Liz.

"Get used to that," the deer doe said. "We don't get many new faces here, especially unattached females."

Judy was shown to her room, on the third floor and at the front of the building. She was amazed to see that her stuff was already waiting for her. After unpacking clothes and putting them away in drawers, she set out grooming and some other items that she wanted to have easily available. That done, she went back downstairs to meet with Liz to have a meal.

"So, is there anything in particular I should know about this pilot, Nick?" Judy asked.

"Nickolas P. Wilde is his full name though he prefers to go by Nick," Liz said. "Came here from your Zootopia..."

"He's from Zootopia?!" Judy interrupted in surprise.

"The old city area, from what I've been able to learn," Liz answered.

Judy grimaced, of all the areas of the city and metro, Old City was the toughest part for anyone to be in. In its heyday, some 60 odd years ago, it had been the place to be; now, it was dozens of blocks of old, mostly rundown, apartments and houses with just enough businesses to keep the present occupants served with their necessities. It hadn't had that much police attention before the "Crash" and got even less afterwards. To say that it was, these days, the rough part of town was an understatement!

"He got here in '34 'looking for some adventure' and one old seaplane jockey took him on to see what he was made of. Turned out he's something of a natural at flying."

Liz paused and Judy saw an amused expression come to the cervine woman's face.

"And flying isn't his only talent," she added.

"Oh?" prompted Judy.

"Nick's, also, a natural at hustling and, not all that surprisingly, he has a knack for getting into...'questionable' deals and situations from time to time."

"Smuggling?!"

"Let's say he, now and then, moves cargo that the government officials don't get to know about," Liz supplied.

She smiled at the shocked look on Judy's face.

"Don't be so surprised!" Liz said. "There isn't a pilot or ship's captain and crew in this area that hasn't done it. As far as anyone knows, Nick stays away from drug smuggling and the like. I think he does it not so much for the money as it tweaks the noses, as it were, of the authorities."

"Not one for...observing law and order," Judy ventured.

"Let's just say he's a real independent type and leave it at that."

"What about his partner, Finnik?"

"He's from Zootopia as well...."

"Don't tell me, he's from Old City too," Judy chimed in.

"Nope, uptown, from good family, business types, really well off," Liz said.

"Huh, then what's he doing here?!"

"He's the 'black sheep' of the family, very little interest in the business. Likes getting his paws dirty working on mechanical things..."

Liz grinned mightily.

"The kind of stuff that makes business suit types cringe in horror! Came here about two years after Nick showed up. The two of them met here and hit it off right away. Nick already had a shop set up to work on his plane and took Finnik on as mechanic. The rest, as they say, is history."

"Wait, you mean to tell me that this Nick had that monster of a building already?"

"Oh no, that got done later! Finnik designed it and had a concrete ship come and pour the stuff in for the building and that dock about two and a half years ago."

Judy thought on things for a moment.

"Is the flying business out here so good that they could afford all of that?" she asked.

"Oh good grief, no! Even with a lot more smuggling on the side they wouldn't be able to pay for that!" Liz said.

"Then how....?"

"Remember, I said Finnik was the black sheep of a rich family?"

"Yes."

"They're paying him an...'allowance' to stay away so he doesn't embarrass them."

Judy let out with a soft whistle.

"Must be one heck of an allowance!" she observed.

"Well, he didn't spend much of it the first few years he was here so I guess it piled up and he, finally, decided to put it to use," Liz said.

She saw the crease on Judy's brow.

"Honey, Nick's something of a scoundrel and, at times, as blunt as a lead pipe to the side of your head, but he's a damned good pilot, knows these islands and waters like the back of his paw, and if things go to hell in a hurry he's someone you'll want there when it does! Treat him right and you'll do fine."

"And keep in mind that he's a hustler," Judy self-cautioned.

"And an irreverent wise cracker as well," Liz added.



Her grooming done, Judy put aside the comb and then settled herself on the bed. Just before she turned out the light on the nightstand, she looked at the deerslayer cap and large magnifying glass she had set on it.

"This may turn out to be a more interesting trip than I thought, Mr. Bones!" she said as she shut off the light.