Chapter Text
Koslov lets out another sour groan. “Hmm. My small friend… We may be evolved. But deep down, we are still animals .”
Nick’s entire face twitches slightly from those cryptic words. He then looks to Judy, who seems just as confused.
“If you wish to find Fauna… speak with driver of car. His name is Ramses. He lives in Tundratown, in far off glaciers. Only he knows more…”
It didn’t take long for Nick to track Ramses down with the help of Judy. The dim amber glow of a street lamp illuminates a pair of signs, “Ladoga,” and “Windrush.” Judy and Nick walk side-by-side past the dirty snow berms as they step onto a rickety plank bridge covered in fresh snow and icicles. Ahead of them, ominous mammal-made clouds flank an imposingly large glacier made home by Doug Ramses - their only lead to Paul Fauna.
Each slippery step felt more precarious than the last. Against her better judgement, Judy glances over the edge. Her eyes widen, and she averts her gaze back to the glacier. It’s easily a thousand foot drop. Nick, however, looks around with apprehensive wonder at the “natural” beauty of the district. He’s never seen so much snowfall given his humble background from the farmlands. But they weren’t there to combat their fear of heights, or see the sights. They had a ram to question.
Once they reach the door, Nick dusts off powdery snow to uncover Ramses’s corroded doorbell. Its melody is more that of a wind-chime than any traditional doorbell. Judy steps under a ridge of ice, shaking off the snow as best she can given the steady fall. “Mister Ramses?” Nick calls out with a polite but firm tone, “Nick Wilde, ZPD!”
He stares anxiously at the frosty door as Judy steps up next to him. “We just want to know what happened to Paul Fauna.” At first, no response. Before Nick could question whether Koslov lied to them, the doorknob twitches, followed by the sounds of a heavy latch being undone.
As the door creaks open, they hear an imposing, apathetic voice say, “You really should be asking…”
Judy and Nick’s eyes widen and they look up at the hoof grasping the edge of the door. They meet the leer of a singular yellow eye. “...what happened to me !”
With impressive speed, the ram moves his arm up the chain-locked door, revealing the bandages which poorly conceal a sizable divot in his scrawny frame.
Both jump back a pace, Nick more than Judy. “Woah!” Judy can hardly find the words. “A… Timid pig did… That?”
“What… Happened?” Nick gingerly asks.
Not missing a beat, Doug cries, “He was an
animal!
He was down on all fours… He... He was a
SAVAGE!
”
Doug’s apathy turns to outward paranoia. “There was no warning, either! He just kept yelling about ‘The Nighthowlers!’”
Judy looks up to Nick, hoping that Doug’s wild rant made more sense to him than it did to her. All he can do is shrug.
“Over and over again, ‘The Nighthowlers!’”
Then, Judy gets an idea. She carefully looks back over her shoulder and sticks her paws in her pockets before meeting Doug’s eye. “Oh, so… You know about the Nighthowlers, too?”
Nick is bewildered by the question, Doug even moreso.
“Good… Good, that’s good because the Nighthowlers are exactly what we wanted to talk about.” The wheels turn in his head as Nick quickly picks up what Judy put down. He nods along like this was the plan all along. “Right?” she asks with an inquisitive tone.
“Yup!” He perks up. “So if you just wanna open the door and tell us what you know, then we can tell you what we know. Ok?” His reassuring tone was the icing on the cake.
Doug looks frightened, but after carefully considering their words, he nods and replies, “Alright.”
With the door closed so Doug can undo the lock, Nick looks down to Judy with a smirk. “Sly bunny,” he compliments. Judy, egotistical as ever, only looks back up with a quirked eyebrow and a sizable smile.
Then, from behind the door, a heavy crash, followed by the sounds of breaking glass and Doug’s frightened bleat. Instantly, the smiles vanish from their faces as they look through the cracked-open door. Nick pushes it open. “Mister… Ramses?” He asks, apprehension in his voice as both Judy and Nick’s ears fall back behind their heads.
As the door creaks open, they see Doug struggling on the floor. He convulses and twitches while bleating and groaning unnaturally.
“Buddy?” Judy asks. Her ears pop right back up at the sight of the shuddering ram.
Instinctively, Nick puts a paw up in self-defense. “...Is everything… alright?” There’s no telling what’s going on with Doug. A medical episode? Nervous breakdown? Suddenly, he straightens up and arches his back. On all fours, he slowly turns to the fox and rabbit standing in the doorway.
At the sight of Judy and Nick, Doug grows visibly angry. He stares them both down menacingly. There’s cold, unfeeling rage in his eyes as he steps back a few paces; on all fours. The serious injury from his left arm seems to barely phase his stance.
Only one thought pops into Nick’s head at the sight of the savage-looking beast before them. “Run.”
Judy has time enough to steal one quick look at Nick before he screams, “RUN!”
In an instant, Judy and Nick yank themselves out of the doorway and towards the bridge in full sprint. Not a moment later, Doug charges and shatters the frame of his door. Shaking the disorientation out of his head, he quickly looks around and finds the frantic pair attempting to escape. Judy manages to pull slightly ahead of Nick despite the rocking bridge.
Through the now blinding snow, she shouts, “What is wrong with him?!”
“How should I know?!” Nick cries back.
Doug is quick to pursue them. In his frenzied haste, however, he slams down on the frost-covered bridge and it begins rocking in every direction. Momentum soon snakes the rope and board, rippling up to Judy and Nick. The sudden snap causes them both to violently ascend 20 feet in the air before crashing back down onto the uneven boards.
Nick realizes the futility of attempting to escape on the final stretch of the bridge. Just before crossing the threshold, they stop and grasp the rope for dear life. Not a second later, Nick hurls himself over the edge, shouting “JUMP!” as Judy does the same with great reluctance but little time for a second thought. It couldn’t have been a moment too soon, as Doug charges and sails past their tails, instead overshooting his mark and bringing down the Ladoga and Windrush street lamp with an audible TING .
Gracefully, Nick lands on the thin, icy ridge he aimed for below. Judy, less gracefully, slams into the snow face first which forces out a muffled grunt. She’s given hardly a moment to recover before Nick takes her by the arm and they shoot off down the treacherous ridge with Doug skirting quickly down the cliffside after them. He barely gets traction as he surges after them expounding an angry bleat like a battle cry.
Judy and Nick clamour across the cracking, icy precipice where hundreds of feet below rests jagged rocks covered in sparkling snow and illuminated only by the pale moonlight. Just ahead lay a dim ice cave, perfectly sized for the smaller mammals to squeeze into. Nick dives in headfirst with Judy right on his tail. Unfortunately for Doug, only his head fits, prompting him to pull back out and look for another way in.
As the two climb up the glassy cave, Nick turns and hollers “Head down!” A split second later, a hoof crashes through a crystallized wall. Judy cries out in fear as Nick pulls his radio from his belt and yells, “Officer Wilde to dispatch!”
“Are you familiar with Tigra, greatest singer of our lifetime, angel with stripes?” Back at Precinct 1 Officer Bogo looks expectantly at a poor, helpless, paw-cuffed polar bear being escorted by a wolf officer who chose to subject him to Bogo’s incessant droning.
At the question, the polar bear does little more than shrug his shoulders. Bogo, completely oblivious to the flashing microphone on his desk, excitedly presents his phone to the bear’s nose and chuckles. “Anyway, keep watching.” His finger eagerly points to a video of Tigra dancing in front of a flashing pink and purple backdrop to a repetitive, manufactured song. Soon, the shot of Tigra pulls out to reveal the head of Officer Bogo poorly superimposed onto the head of the gazelle dancer strutting his stuff alongside her. “Who’s that beside her? Who is it?”
‘Tigra,’ with a voice that matches the stiffness of the song,says, “Wow! You are one hot dancer… OFFICER. BO-GO.”
Bogo jumps up and down in his chair and cries out laughing at the forced compliment. He giggles, “IT’S ME! Did you think it was real?” he begs of the bear. He then stuffs the screen into his own face and expounds, “It looks so real!”
With disappointment Bogo admits, “It’s not, it’s just a new app...” It’s at that moment he notices the flashing button on his receiver. He motions a finger to the polar bear and asks, “Hold on just one second.” The polar bear nods in feigned understanding while Bogo cheerfully presses down on the receiver.
“BOGO!!!”
Officer Bogo jumps, and even the polar bear is taken by surprise. He briefly juggles with the microphone before bringing it to his ear to listen to Wilde’s frantic call for help.
“Bogo, listen to me! We have 19-01! Ram gone savage ! Windrush and Lagonda!”
As they both exit the other end of the cave, Judy cries out “It’s LADOGA! ” Given the situation, however, proper vernacular was the least of her concern. Doug, having snatched his head free of the ice’s hold, resumes pursuit and quickly closes the gap.
As they run along another snow pass, Nick stumbles and nearly falls over the side before Judy quickly catches his arm. What she could not save was Wilde’s radio, which slips from his grasp and flops down onto the snowy cliffside. Doug then tramples it, causing it to slide off. “We’re sending backup, Wilde! WILDE! ” echoes throughout the tundra as the radio plummets to its doom.
Rapid lefts and rights through snow dusted trees lead them to one of Tundratown’s many chairlift stations. “There!” Nick cries, “Head for the chairlift!”
As one empty chair leaves, another chair arrives descending from the left at the furthest point of the platform. Judy reaches it first as Nick ebbs and flows around Doug’s attempts to ram him into a pulp. His gymnastic prowess betrays him as he latches onto a street lamp to swing around Doug, only to launch himself down the slick platform. His momentum is enough to send him careening down the platform and over the edge. He narrowly avoids the same fate his radio suffered by grabbing the ledge just in time.
“Get on!” shouts Judy as she grabs on to an arriving chair. Expectantly, she looks back to where Nick should be. She rapidly darts her eyes all around and calls out, “Wilde?”
Her eyes widen as they find Nick pulling himself up from the platform’s edge. “ Wilde! ” she yells to him. He cries back, “GO!” Backing up, readying himself to charge stands Doug seething with rage. His menacing eyes freeze Judy in place. Her indecision and hesitation makes no difference to the chair, which continues on with no passengers.
“No, no, no!” she cries when her grip slips off the chair as her only means of safety proceeds downward. Doug slowly creeps forward. He stares her down, ready to charge through the helpless bunny. As Judy slowly backs towards the edge, she makes a last ditch effort to reason with the savage animal. “Hey, buddy… uh, let’s talk about this. Prey to prey?” Unfortunately, her plea falls on deaf ears; there’s no reasoning with Doug in his current state. He lets out a ferocious bleat and surges forward. Judy makes a fleeting attempt to shield herself from her certain doom…
THUD
Judy realizes she’s still standing on the platform. At first opening one eye, she sees that Doug fell flat on his face, his body limp on the wood. Upon fully opening both eyes, Judy sees why; Nick had cuffed Doug’s leg to a nearby lamp post, saving both her and the ram from a plunge into the snowy abyss. His ears are shot up like points, and there’s a mix of relief and worry flashing through her mind. She takes advantage of the situation to tip-toe away from the edge. “I can tell you’re a little tense,” she nervously quips with a buck-toothed grin, “so I’m just gonna give you a little… personal space... Alright?” Just as she passes his head, the ram suddenly regains his composure, jumps to his feet, and launches Judy into Nick. The fox extends his arms to catch Judy, but she’s thrown so fast that both of them are hurled into a bright orange snow-fence at the edge of the platform.
The plastic fencing holds its strength against the duo’s violent course. However, the flimsy wooden stakes holding the fence up easily buckle under the sudden pressure. Nick holds on to Judy tightly as they sail over the edge. Just before he loses the chance, he latches onto the final rungs of the dangling fence. In doing so they spin around, completing a 360 degree motion before Nick comes to a crashing halt, muzzle first into a massive icicle under the platform. Doug, meanwhile, can be heard violently thrashing about from above. Were it not for the restraint on his ankle, he would’ve gone tumbling down.
Nick groans as Judy swings helplessly back and forth from his paw. Her breathing quickens and her grip tightens around the only thing keeping her from dropping thousands of feet. The combined weight of Judy and Nick causes the rung of plastic to begin stretching further and further down. Nick looks in horror at the fencing, “Oh no. No, no no.” Then finally...
SNAP
A sudden, heartstopping drop makes both Judy and Nick cry out in fear. Their last chance comes from Nick quickly stabbing his claws into the icicle. He struggles to hang on, but sheer force of will drives his claws deeper into the ice. Though his grip mitigates their slippage, Judy continues to panic up until they stop at the very tip of the icicle, dangling above an icy demise.
Judy pleads, “Fox, please , do not let go!” A tall order for their situation.
Nick darts his eyes around quickly, looking for a means of escape. As snow continues to coat their fur, he sees it: On the rocky cliffside next to them, a patch of powdery snow sits untouched, and just deep enough that they should be able to land safely.
“Judy! I’m gonna let go!”
At first, Judy doesn’t comprehend what he said. “No you- WAIT, WHAT?!”
Nick is laser-focused on the snow-drift, “I’m gonna need your help to swing over to that patch of snow!”
“NO!” Judy cries, “No way! No how! Nu-uh! Not a chance!”
“Judy! We can’t get out of this any other way!”
Judy clutches Nick’s paw even tighter, “That’s insanity! We won’t make it!”
“JUDY!” She looks up at Nick with terror in her eyes. “
Trust me
.”
She wasn’t convinced. “But-”
There’s a spark of assurance laced in Nick’s equally fearful eyes. And as Judy looks back up at him, it’s that assurance which brings her to strengthen her resolve and nod her head.
“Alright. We’re gonna swing back and forth, now. Ready?” Nick starts counting down, “One!”
The two swing forward in tandem.
“Two!”
Judy closes her eyes tighter than she can clench her teeth.
“ Three! ”
The moment of truth came at the peak of their swing. Just as Nick makes the last motion to let go, the tip of the icicle snaps off, sending them both flailing through the air. “Oh, FOOOOOOX! ” screams Judy at the top of her lungs.
Against her belief, Nick’s plan works - although, less gracefully than he had planned. They safely land onto the snow mound, perilously perched on the ridge.
They both dart their heads back and forth while breathing heavily before an angry grunt from Doug demands their attention. He glares down at them both from above with murderous intent still bleating into the freezing air.
Judy shakes her head. In amazement she says, “Wilde… You saved my life!”
Feeling a little cocky, Nick gathers his bravado and says, “Well. That’s what we do…” but before he can finish bragging, Judy and Nick’s ears shoot up, “...at the ZPDeeeee EEEE !” The snow begins to give way under them, slow at first, until soon the duo are sent over the edge.
In a flurry of snow, Judy and Nick sail down the cliffside into a slope. As they tumble down, more and more snow begins to accumulate, until soon enough the two begin to form into a snowball. They gain speed, and the snowball grows bigger and bigger. Finally, the two are encased completely before rolling across a 3-way intersection at the bottom of the hill. Their momentum doesn’t stop until they crash into a glacial cliff on the other side. The once mighty snowball is destroyed, leaving the duo dazed, frozen, and confused while lying upside down against a snow berm.
With all the blood now rushing into her ears, Judy can’t help but chuckle slowly. She keeps up the chuckle as four police cruisers screech to a halt at the intersection with sirens blaring. The door of the largest cruiser flings open, erasing Judy’s smile.
Nick can’t help but make an innocent grimace while Judy’s eyes widen at the approaching Chief Clawhauser. There’s rage in his eyes and light reflecting off the stars on his collar as he waddles up to the duo. With a heavy sigh, he announces, “Well, this aughta be good.”