Zootopia: The Visitor

Now You... Still See Me

I was having vivid flashbacks as I stood in the same place I had been nearly a week earlier. The place was called Antarivo park, as I had read on the way in, and it was packed with mammals, same as it had been the last time. I kept expecting them to stare, look at me like I was a strange freak of nature, to at least give me a glance, but nobody did. Not one. I was suddenly the least interesting thing on the street. It was kind of nice, since I wasn't one to petition for people's attention, much less in Zootopia, but it was also creating a resounding voice in my head telling me over and over again that this was my new home, and that there was no hope of ever going back. I passed all kinds of animals, practically disappearing into the crowd, blending in completely. There was nothing attesting to the fact that I wasn't from or a part of this world.

As I pressed further through the dense commotion, I began to see the other side of the park. It wasn't long before I found myself walking onto a small road that led further into the city. I stayed my course as I passed through the flow of the masses of mammals. When I emerged from the park area, the city opened up, and I was staring up at the tall buildings and skyscrapers looming over me.

Being somewhat overwhelmed, I swept the area for points of interest. There were tons of things going on, and I didn't know where to start. As I continued walking, I passed a couple of photo booths, teenage animals laughing and telling jokes to each other, groups of mammals on their phones, all sorts of food stands, including one for hot dogs. My stomach grumbled. I had the money. Why not use it?

I approached the hot dog stand pulling the bills out of my gym-shorts pocket. "One hot dog please," I asked politely.

It was a racoon running the stand. "You want ketchup or mustard with that?"

"No relish?" I didn't hide my disappointment.

He raised an eyebrow. "Relish is pickles."

"So?"

"...Like, the vegetable kind."

"I don't care."

He squinted at me suspiciously. "Okay, hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and... relish coming right up. That'll be three dollars."

"Now your talking," I said with a smile on my face, handing him the money.

Moments later, I had my hot dog in hand. When I took the first bite, however, I immediately noticed that now-familiar bug meat flavor that was so commonly found in the predator food here. Oh, how I miss real meat, I thought in sadness as I took a few more bites. Even though the taste was inarguably inferior to what I knew back home, I was still enjoying it. I hadn't been eating it for very long though before somebody small bumped into me, making me nearly drop the entire thing on the ground. I had to fumble to catch it again.

"Hey, watch it," I growled before turning to see who it was.

"I'm sorry, sir! I'm just really late for my pack meeting. I didn't mean to run into you, I promise!" to my surprise, it was a little fox dressed up in a green scout uniform with his paws out apologetically.
I paused before examining him. "No problem. So, are you a cub scout or something?"

He put on a confused look. "You mean a Junior Ranger Scout? Yes. Yes I am," he broadened his chest and saluted proudly.

I smiled. "That's good, kiddo. Just keep it up," I encouraged.

"Thank you, sir!" he ran past me hurriedly. "Have a good day!"

"Thanks. I will," I said in quiet reply, remembering when I had been a young scout myself. I had never finished out, but looking back, I wished I had. It was interesting that there was a counterpart or similarity for literally everything I knew in this world. A parallel universe, only it wasn't exactly parallel, more like... intersecting.