Zootopia: ZPD Mysteries: Case #4: The Curse of The Pirate's Eye

Chapter 7: A Bunny's Courage

"Don't worry, Agent Winter," Chief Bogo assured the trembling white fox seated at one of the tables in the lunchroom. "We have an APB out on Shale and on that tugboat. We'll find Agent Savage before long."

Skye said nothing in response, only nodded slightly.

Sensing that he had said all he could say at that moment, Bogo shuffled away, not sure of how to process Skye's near-catatonic shock.

Since the attack on the dock about a half-hour earlier, Skye hadn't moved or spoken, apart from a low muttering statement..."this can't happen again." Her facial expression was blank, like an empty canvas, with only a pinprick of fear in her ice-blue eyes.

Actually, it was more like a railroad spike of fear—something that was so obvious, it wasn't even funny.

That was what was even scarier.

Skye wasn't panicking or crying or doing anything commonly associated with having a partner dragged away by criminals.

She was just sitting, stupefied, unmoving as she repeated over and over and over again, "This can't be happening; this can't be happening again."

If that wasn't enough to unnerve someone, then Judy didn't know what was.

But, the question was, Judy asked herself, why was Skye so afraid or upset?

This went through her little gray-furred head as she filled up a plastic cup full of nice, ice-cold water. It was still pretty hot outside, even though it was now about four in the afternoon. Plus, traveling to the various hot and/or muggy districts of Zootopia—the Marshlands, Sahara Square, and the non-climate controlled Forest Hills—made her feel that much more sweaty.

Sometimes working for the ZPD could be rough.

But it felt good to be doing something for the greater good.

Now that she had been through a day involving pirates, getting shot at, finding bags of drugs inside a shipping container, and getting one-upped by the stunning white vixen that had decided to be clingy, Judy just wanted to sit down with a couple of carrots and decompress before heading into the later hours of the day. She fully intended to get Jack back, and prove once and for all who was better at being a law enforcement official.

It would finally give her soul a bit of peace.

As she rounded the corner into the lunchroom, her sensitive ears picked up words from across the lunchroom. Skye was seated on one of the benches, talking with Nick at a very specific table...

Judy and Nick's table.

"We're going to find Jack, Skye," Nick said, tipping the vixen's chin up to look at him, "I promise."

And then, without warning, Skye wrapped her arms around Nick, burying her face in his chest.

Judy felt the wetness around her feet as her plastic cup fell to the floor and dumped its contents all over the floor.

That tore it. She had to settle this once and for all.

"Hold on just a second!" she exclaimed without even thinking.

Skye and Nick's faces both swung to meet Judy's gaze with blank expressions.

"What?" they both said at the same time.