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Chapter Text

Tails from the 10-7: Alert!

It was just another sunny day in the central district of Zootopia. 

The bright rays that shined down were a welcome warmth mixed with the recent cooler weather that had swept through the city. 

With the weather the way it was no one was surprised to see many of the public parks sprinkled across the city to be filled with mammals of all shapes and sizes milling about. 

Kits were laughing, couples were walking paw and paw, and even the ice cream vendor who had set up shop by one of the central district park fountains saw more business as usual. 

The okapi running the small ice cream stand stood up straight and beamed down at the small bunny to whom she had just given a large Mega Choco Sprinkle Blast Pop to. The small doe wiggled excitedly as she stared at the cold treat that was almost as big as her. 

“What do you say to the nice lady?” A buck standing next to the small bunny asked. 

Without any hesitation, the smaller doe looked right up at the okapi as if she were a goddess, “I love you!” 

The okapi and buck burst out laughing as the doe quickly scampered off to show her siblings the sweet treat she had gotten. 

“Oh gosh, sorry,” The buck chuckled as he paid for his family's many deserts. 

“Oh no don’t be, that was absolutely adorable!” The okapi said with a chuckle as she took the payment in her hooves and gave the buck his change. 

After exchanging a quick goodbye the okapi took a moment to fix her long sleeves, grateful she had gone for warmer apparel in the chilly air. 

“Slow day?” Came a familiar voice. 

The okapi blinked and turned, her surprised look changing into one of joy at the sight of a rhino in a ZPD uniform approaching. 

“Hey, Franky!” The okapi said with a broad smile. “Business has actually been booming.” 

“Really?” The rhino asked in surprise as he adjusted his vest and leaned against a railing next to the okapi’s cart. “Would think the cold kept folks wanting something warmer.” 

“Yeah well the occasional clearing in the clouds lets that warm sun shine down,” The okapi said as she took a moment to grab a sip of water from a bottle she kept in her apron. “Plus the new Mega Choco Sprinkle Blast Pop is a big seller.” 

“The Mega…Choco…Susie you sound like you are speaking in tongues,” The rhino teased which caused the okapi to let out a laugh. 

“It just came out, kind of hard to find a supplier with any stock right now so had to grab what I could when I was in Tundra Town earlier.” 

The two carried on their casual conversation. 

Occasionally another family would come to purchase a sweet treat from Susie, or a group of kits would come and gawk at Franky, asking him question after question of what it was like in the ZPD. 

It wasn’t until Franky had been leaning against the railing for another minute or two that he noticed something just around the edge of the fountain that Susie had set up at. 

“Hey, Suze?” Franky began which caught the younger mammal’s attention. “You know whose backpack that is?” 

The okapi blinked a few times before turning to look in the direction of Franky’s gaze. 

She had to lean over her stand to get a good look at it. 

Sitting next to the base of the fountain was a small black backpack. 

It looked just like any other backpack one would see slung over a mammal’s back only this one had black tape over the logos and looked like it was stuffed with something heavy. 

“I don’t know Franky,” Susie said with some hesitation. “I don’t think it was here when I showed up…someone may have forgotten it.” 

When she turned to look at the rhino she felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. 

Franky was staring at the bag with worry and had extended one of his hooves in her direction. 

“Do me a favor Suze…maybe step this way..” 

His words were calm but the rhino seemed to have tensed up. 

Susie simply nodded and quickly took a few steps towards her friend before being guided away from her stand and the backpack. 
Frankie meanwhile began to scan the area, noticing several families playing about, a few young couples here and there, but no one seemed to be paying any mind to the bag. 

That told the officer all he needed to know.

The owner of this bag wasn’t there…

Frankie gave the bag a wide berth as he strolled along the edge of the fine gravel walkway that surrounded the fountain. 

His eyes focused on the bag, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. 

That's when he saw it. 

A single red wire was protruding from the bag, it looked like it was attached to something inside and looped back into the depths of the bag. 

Franky felt his throat go dry and his heart rate spike. 

He then turned and looked at a small family of bunnies sitting in the grass nearby, a young doe happily munching on an ice cream roughly her size. 

“Hey there folks,” Franky said in a calm manner as he approached, “I need you to do me a favor..” 

“Central 1 this is Zulu 16,” A painted dog in a pair of BDUs spoke calmly into a radio clipped with his tactical vest as he drove his ZPD SUV towards a sea of flashing blue and red lights. 

“Central here, go ahead,” Came a female voice over the radio. 

“Show our team on scene to the suspicious bag call,” The painted dog said firmly as he approached the perimeter of vehicles. 

The canine in the driver seat glanced over at his partner, another painted dog who had a light tan shade to his fur pattern. 

A pair of bright yellow eyes glanced over at the driver and the two sat in silence before the lighter of the canines made a funny face. 

“Oh come on can you not be serious for a second?” The other canine asked with a chuckle. 

The lighter-painted dog shook his head rapidly before making a series of signals with his paws. 

“Oh har har, I am not a wet blanket,” The darker canine shot back. “Did she tell you to say that?” 

The other painted dog beamed and nodded before making more paw signs. 

“She promised you a whole pint? Really? Where is your loyalty to your pack? Your fellow canines-” 

The driver was “interrupted” by more paw signals. 

“Oh my gosh, where did you learn that language? It was from her, wasn’t it? I swear I am having a word with that blue-eyed bunny…” 

With that, the two canines exited their vehicles and approached a tigress in a shift supervisor’s uniform. 

The call was pretty straightforward. 

An unattended bag had been found in the park. 

The responding officer had set up a perimeter and calmly evacuated any civilians. 

A secondary officer confirmed the suspicious package. 

And now it was up to the goofy duo of Delta and Atom to see if explosive ordinance disposal would be needed. 

The officers on the perimeter watched as the two painted dogs slowly trudged down the walkway toward the fountain where the bag was located. 

Heart rates were running high…well…some were. 

“Seriously she acts all sweet and innocent but you and I both know not to trust that little monster,” Delta continued as he and his partner walked like they were just taking a stroll in the park, which they technically were. 

Atom snorted at his partner as his nose began to twitch, the detector taking in deep breaths as he tried to pick up anything he could in the air. 

As they cleared a large bush on the side of the path they both spotted the reason they had been called. 

The black backpack sat where it had been found before, undisturbed and waiting… menacingly!

The two stopped in their tracks and to the untrained eye one would think they had done it because they found something. 

No, there was another reason they had stopped but for the sake of time, we will just get to the good part. 

A sudden gust of wind blew across the park, coming in just the perfect direction for Atom to get a whiff of everything he needed to smell. 

The breeze was carried past the ice cream stand, over the backpack, and right to Atom who took in a deep breath before suddenly tensing up. 

That made Delta’s blood go cold as he glanced over at his partner's reaction. 

Atom had been trained on thousands of odors that dealt with explosives so if he tensed up it could only mean one thing….he found something. 

“Atom?” Delta asked with a calm hesitation. 

In his mind, however…

AHHHHHHHHHHHH! He found one! Oh crud! We have to get clear! Gotta get him to safety!

Atom however did something that caught Delta and the other officers watching completely off guard. 

The painted dog bolted towards the bag, waving his arms about, his tail wagging, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. 

“Atom?!” Delta blurted out as he tried to grab his partner but missed, falling forward and landing on his stomach. 

What in the world had gotten into Atom?! 

If he found something he was supposed to tell Delta, not go charging at the back-

Atom zoomed past the backpack, letting out a series of snorts as he did. 

The tanned painted dog came skidding to a halt in front of Susie’s ice cream cart, his tail wagging as he ripped open the cart and buried his head deep inside. 

“Atom,” Delta barked as he got up off the ground and brushed his vest and BDUs off. 

Atom poked his head up, an ice cream still in its wrapper gripped in his maw. 
“Really?!” Delta shouted as he waved his paws about. 

The painted dog’s ears twitched as he started to hear the familiar sound of laughter coming from the officers on the perimeter.

“Are you serious?!” 

“Are you serious?!” Trisha cackled as she tried her best not to roll off the bartop. 

The suspicious package call had been two days ago. 

Two very long days of remarks, teasing, and jokes that Delta did his best to ignore. 

Atom on the other paw didn’t really care, after all, he had managed to get his Mega Choco Sprinkle Blast Pop, and that is all that mattered to him. 

Trisha meanwhile had tears in her eyes as she tried to get the stitch in her side under control. 

“Yeah laugh it up…” Delta grumbled as he took a long sip from his beer. 

“Ok,” Trisha said as she wiped a tear from her eyes. “I will!” 

The doe then burst into laughter once more as she righted herself on the bartop, taking a seat between her two favorite painted dogs. 

After a few seconds, the bubbly brown bunny managed to calm down, taking a moment to straighten her signature ZPD blue 10-7 shirt. 

She then glanced from Delta and over to Atom who was happily scooping some ice cream from a freshly opened pint. 

“I am so proud of you,” The doe said as she scrunched her nose at Atom who let out a snort as his tail wagged rapidly. She then glanced at Delta who was glaring at his beer. 

"So what was in the bag anyways?" Trisha asked, raising a brow in curiosity. 

Delta let out a laugh into the beer he was sipping before speaking, "so get this, the gust of wind...yeah that was enough for captain Ice cream over there to know the bag was clear and just had clothing. That red wire was actually a phone charger...but when he realized the bag was ok but there was ice cream nearby..."

Delta trailed off as he glanced over at Atom who snorted happily. 

"Oh I am even more proud of you cutie," Trisha cackles as she glanced over at Atom whose tail wagged at the sound of his name. 

The bunny rolled her eyes and scooted a little closer to her painted plaything. 

“I am also glad it was just that and not the other stuff,” Trisha said in a low tone, her eyes filled with love as she rested one of her large bunny feet on the canine’s leg.

Delta glanced up from his beer, his bunny’s smile making his night a little better. 

“Thanks, darlin’,” The painted dog said as he placed a paw on top of Trisha’s foot before raising his glass in her direction. He then froze as he remembered something, “Also stop teaching Atom new words!” 

“What?” Trisha asked in an innocence that fooled no one. “I haven’t the slightest clue what you are talking about!” 

With that the bunny hopped up onto the bar and sauntered away, glancing over her shoulder so she could give Delta a wink as she ran a paw over Atom’s head as she passed by. 

Delta rolled his eyes before looking at his partner who had just put a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. 

The two stared at one another for a moment before Delta lunged over, trying to grab the spoon and pint of ice cream. 

“Give me some will ya?” Delta laughed as Atom snorted and did his best to keep all the ice cream to himself. 

Chapter Text

-Tails from the 10-7: Good old 88-

It may come as a surprise to some mammals that firefighters are sometimes not..well..paid. 

Such a noble calling would surely earn a mammal some level of compensation right? 

Well in the denser parts of Zootopia, sure. 

It was after all a full-time job. 

Not only that it was incredibly demanding and required mammals to be at their very best. 

But the hours many mammals put in would constitute a full-time status. 

In some cases though there are unique circumstances. 

It could be that some mammals are training, others are performing community service, or in even rare instances some folks just want to get involved with their community. 

In the case of Firehouse 88 in a district of the Meadowlands, the reason was simple enough. 

Townsize. 

That is if you could call a gas station, 3 houses, and a traffic light a town. 

The small Township was what some may call, a planning fluke. 

An accidental oversight from some bygone era. 

When the new lines of the county were drawn up there was the smallest bit of space between coverage when it came to services. 

Sure the ZPD, with its mobile patrols, could easily respond. 

When it came to Fire services however things got a little difficult which led to the establishment of Firehouse 88. 

Or Shack 88 as some of the other firehouses called it because in the end that's kind of what it was. 

A small shack that had been constructed on the side of the firehouse shaded Station 88’s single fire rig. 

If the “Firestation” was an odd sight it was nothing compared to Rig 88. 
When a local bank shut down they donated their armored truck to the city who immediately found a use for it. 

After some last-minute modifications and a fresh coat of paint, the old money-carrying tank was transformed into the most mishappened fire engine anyone had ever seen. 

It had massive water tanks installed on its insides, ladders strapped to the side, and what little space wasn't taken up by water tank and storage was left as a small crew area which meant most of the volunteers had to be of the smaller variety. 

Gazelles, rabbits, and even a badger had taken up the call and volunteered at good old 88. 

While it may sound like this would be the last place one would expect a heroic tale to come from there was a faint glow on the horizon one day that would change 88 from a silly afterthought to the heroes of the day. 

Lt. Hood watched as the inferno before him continued to engulf the sea of golden wheat. 

Normally the old wolf would be shouting orders and watching as a fleet of red trucks and rigs attacked the fire from both land and air. 

Sometimes though it was more important to protect the lives of his firefighters. 

They would instead be creating a series of burn lines and obstacles that would eventually cause the fire to simply burn away all its fuel and snuff itself out. 

This was a common practice in the farmlands that were sprinkled about the outer districts of the city. 

The winds were low and there was humidity in the air which meant the risk of the fire jumping from one spot to the other was minimal. 

“Real shame eh Lt.?” Came a grumble next to the wolf in the Lt. uniform. 

Hood’s ears went up and he glanced to his side where a painted dog in a fire mammal’s bunker gear stood. 

“What’s that? The loss of produce or you not getting to drag the hose out there?” Hood chuckled. 

“Eh just in general ya’ know, trust me boss I got no problem hanging out with the boys and watching this sucker glow all night,” The painted dog shot back as he adjusted the straps to his oxygen tank. “The farmer understand?” 

“Oh yeah, he actually told us not to bother, this was going to be a bum harvest apparently and that the ash might actually be worth more than the wheat,” The Lt. said as he took a moment to adjust his belt, his brown eyes staring out at the billowing smoke on the horizon. 

That was the thing about farm fires. 

Sure there was the loss of produce and product but sometimes the net worth of it wasn’t really enough. 

Fresh ash would actually help the nutrients in the soil regenerate so in some ways the fire itself was a welcomed blessing. 

“What's the status of our fire lines?” Hood asked casually. 

“Areotak says they are coming along nicely,” The painted dog said as he pointed a gloved paw out towards several blinking orange lights that sat atop a large plow vehicle. “The farm hands had most of the southern region plowed up before we even arrived. Our teams are just finishing-” 

Before the painted dog could finish though a large red armored truck came barreling past. 

It narrowly avoided one of the ZFD command trucks and several mammals in fire gear all shouted and cursed as the bulbous vehicle lumbered past. 

“What in the hell!?” Hood shouted as he took a step forward, watching in shock as the newly arrived truck flew headlong toward the burning fields. 

“Geeze who the heck was that?!” The painted dog asked as he tried to process what he had just witnessed. 

“It's that darn volunteer unit from 88!” Hood barked. 

To the untrained eye, the rig from Firehouse 88 looked like any other ZFD rig. 

The members of the fire service however knew exactly who the modified armored truck belonged to. 

Everyone watched in awe as the old tank-like vehicle bounced and bobbed along the dirt path, barreling across the field and right into the fire. 

“By the painted!” The painted dog let out. “They burst right through!” 

“They are fighting the fire from the center?!” Hood bellowed as he raised his binoculars. 
Sure enough, when he managed to get the old red truck from 88 into view he was met by an almost awe-inspiring sight. 

The old armored truck came to a slow halt before the doors on the side and back burst open. 

The volunteers then proceeded to drag their hoses out of the rig and attack the fire which now surrounded them. 

“Talk about guts!” The painted dog chuckled. 

“They honestly think they are going to outdo….oh not on my watch!” Hood barked as he stared through his binoculars. “Get in there! Now! I want a central attack pattern. Break the line into two segments and work from the center!” 

The painted dog gave a mock salute before rushing away, waving his paws and whistling for his crew to load up. 

Hood then reached down to his radio which was clipped near his collar. 

“Get me Areotak on the line, we are changing tactics!” 

While the ZFD had initially planned to just let the fire burn itself out the arrival of 88 had changed things. 

The last thing Hood or anyone on his squad wanted to hear was how a group of volunteers had fought the fire all on their own. 

The farmer who owned the land and had already written off the crops watched in shock as the ZFD charged at the fire like an attacking army. 

Helicopters soon filled the sky, coordinating an aerial assist as planes loaded down with water poured fire a dousing mist down onto the fields. 

Water tankers followed the fire trucks and soon attached their lines to the hose systems allowing for a constant flow of water to arch up into the sky only to come down on the flames. 

It took roughly 3 hours of coordinated assault before the final flickers of flames were doused. 

Smoke still rose over the now muddy field but for the most part, the fire was contained. 

Hood was now standing at the edge of where the fire had been stopped. 

A sea of bright red and white lights flashed here and there as fire mammals of all shapes and sizes hurried about, preparing to pack up and head back to their respective stations. 
“That was some impressive work there Hood,” Came a cough from behind the firefighting Lt. 

Hood blinked and glanced over his shoulder to see the old farmer who owned the land come trudging up, the buffalo’s hooves covered in a mix of mud and ash. 

“Hey Marcus,” Hood chuckled as he waded over and extended a paw. “I know we had discussed letting it burn itself out but we had a change in plans.”

“I saw!” The buffalo chuckled as he gave the wolf’s paw a firm shake. “Gotta say those boys of yours are mighty brave.” 

“Brave is one way of saying it,” Hood grumbled. 

He had mixed feelings about it all. 

Sure 88 had done something very stupid by breaking the line and heading straight into the fire. 

They had also led the attack which in the end spurred the ZFD to put out the raging inferno. 

Sometimes in the fire service, you had to take what you could get though and Hood had chalked this up as a win. 

There were several hoots and howls which caught Hood’s attention. 

The wolf turned and noticed several mammals in bunker gear, all of them covered in ash and looked to be soaked down to their fur. 

The brave mammals of Firehouse 88 slowly approached the line of fire rigs, their fellow firefighters welcoming them like conquering heroes. 

Hood smirked as he walked towards the champions of the hour and extended his paw to a surprised-looking gazelle. 

“I have to say that was some of the dumbest but bravest firefighting I have ever seen,” Hood said as he gave the gazelle’s hoof a firm shake. “You just had to show us all up didn’t ya?” 

The smaller mammal reached up and removed his face mask, a look of shock still on his muzzle. 

“Brakes went out…” The fire mammal croaked. 

Hood blinked and processed the words for a second. 

“What?!” 
The gazelle then nodded back to the old armored 88 rig. 

“Brakes went out as we came on the field, we couldn’t stop.” 

Hood stood there, slack-jawed as he realized what this all meant. 

“The brakes broke? So they weren’t charging at the fire to show you up…” Em asked, the otter staring at the chuckling wolf who simply smirked. 

“We thought they were fighting the fire to show off,” Hood laughed. “Instead they were actually fighting for their lives.” 

Em put a paw to her chest and shook her head, laughing softly as she processed the story she had just heard. 

The other mammals around the table with Hood however laughed loudly, each of them looking over at a gazelle who had an embarrassed smirk. 

“I would like to point out the brakes have since been inspected,” The mortified-looking gazelle grumbled. 

“Yeah but do they work?” Hood barked which brought on more laughter. 

Em let out a sigh as her beautiful green eyes met the gazelles. 

She gave him a caring smile which he returned with one of his own before several paws reached out and gave him a pat on the shoulder. 

At least he was a good sport about it. 

“So 88 is still active?” A cheetah in a firehouse shirt asked. 

“Oh yeah, you can’t just retire something like that just because it's old and falling apart,” The Gazelle began as he raised his glass. “I mean if they did then Hood should have been forced into retirement ages ago.” 

The laughter around the table began a new. 

Hood laughed the loudest as he raised a glass at his fellow fire mammal. 

Em simply shook her head as she sauntered away back behind the bar, preparing another round of drinks for her goofy hose draggers- HA! Knew I would get a jab in there somehow! 

Chapter Text

Tails from the 10-7: The Q word

While briefings would normally take place back at the bullpen it wasn’t uncommon for officers and other assets of the ZPD and emergency services to gather during a shift for a more impromptu chat. 

This would sometimes take place at restaurants, parking lots, or in this case a gas station just on the corner of Sahraha Square leading into the Tundra Town tunnel. 

The shift had been a smooth one so far for the squad of mammals currently gathered. 

A few verbal disturbances and a physical altercation between a lion and a mouse but other than that it was shaping up to be an evening with few reports. 

While Judy thoroughly enjoyed patrolling there was something to be said about these little moments where she got to spend time with her fellow officers and just have a quick chat. 

The bunny was sitting on the hood of her cruiser happily munching on an ice cream pop that her favorite painted dog had bought her. 

Atom was standing beside the bunny, happily licking and chomping at his own sweet treat, his tail wagging rapidly as he enjoyed the cool snack. 

Several other officers in various uniforms milled about. 

Delta was chatting with Nick and a wolf from the undercover unit. 

Judy’s cheetah friend Tammy was chuckling as she and a hippo egged on another painted dog from the tact unit who was currently chugging down a soda to see how big of a belch she could make. 

Sure this was the ZPD’s finest but that didn’t stop them from occasionally goofing and taking a moment to enjoy the little things. 

“Hey Hopps!” 

Judy’s ears perked up as she glanced over at Delta who had a sly grin on his muzzle. 

“Wolfard here said they might need a bunny for a sting coming up and Wilde volunteered you.”

Nick’s eyes widened as he was ratted out by his fellow canine, turning to give the larger predator a scowl before looking at Judy with an innocent smile. 

“Listen Nick if you don’t want to be my partner just say the word and I will request to patrol with Atom,” The bunny shot back as she gave her fox a wink. 

Atom immediately stood up straighter, his whole body wiggling happily at the prospect of patrolling with his ice cream buddy.

The larger mammal reached over and placed a paw on Judy’s shoulder before sticking out a tongue at Nick. 

Judy giggled as she leaned against her friend and joined in on sticking her tongue out at her foxy partner. 

“And get stuck with Delta?” Nick laughed as he pointed at the painted dog standing next to him. “No way.” 

“Hey, now I am an excellent patrol partner, right Atom?” 

All eyes went to Atom who immediately looked up at the sky, pretending to be more interested in the stars twinkling above. 

There was a roar of laughter from the officers gathered before someone's radio chirped.

A series of tones chimed out and all ears suddenly went up as they listened intently. 

“Attention all units, the 10-100 radio status on the Echo 2 frequency has been lifted, all units within Echo 2 coverage return to frequency and resume normal traffic.” 

Everyone let out a silent sigh of relief as the transmission ended on the radio. 

“Every time gets me every time I hear those chimes,” Delta grumbled as he reached over and lowered his radio’s volume slightly. 

“Yeah we have been pretty lucky, should be a quiet night,” Nick said before taking a sip from his coffee cup. 

The rowdy group of mammals suddenly fell silent and one would have been able to hear a pin drop. 

Nick took a sip before his eyes went wide, realizing what he had just said. 

He slowly looked over at Judy, his coffee cup still raised to his muzzle. 

Judy had a look of shock and annoyance on her face. 

Everyone knew you never tempted the Responder Gods by using the Q word. 

Even thinking it could result in an array of calls, last-minute extensions, or a wild police chase through 2 districts. 

Responders as a whole were rather superstitious and most knew to never utter the word but sometimes someone would slip up. 

The officers gathered in the parking lot remained still as if a single movement would trigger a chain reaction. 

Nick let out a sigh of relief before it happened… 

*Dee doo dee doo*

At once everyone's radios began to go off as a series of chimes blared from their speakers. 

“Attention all units this frequency attention all units this frequency. Saraha Square region is now in a 10-100 status reference traffic collision on the Dune Highway, multiple car pile up-” 

“Way to go Wilde!” Someone shouted from the crowd as the fox winced. 

“- hazardous material transport involved. Any available K-9 unit respond to-” 

Delta reached over and used his paw to tip Nick’s cup upwards so it almost spilled on the fox’s uniform. 

“Rounds on Wilde at the 10-7 later!” Delta shouted as he and Atom started to hurry over to their SUV. 

The painted dog took notice that both Nick and Judy remained still. 

“Wait…why aren’t you two-” 

“We are actually Tundra Town tonight, just came here because Atom texted me they had the new carrot pops,” Judy admitted, her ears lowering. 

Nothing was worse than someone angering the Responder Gods than someone who did not have to deal with the consequences. 

For as quick as Wilde liked to think he was though Delta always managed to find a way to show he could be equally devious and sharp. 

“Dispatch this is Whiskey 16,” Delta said as he activated his radio. 

“Go ahead K-9,” The dispatcher said quickly over the frequency. 

“Advise Tundra Town dispatch we are borrowing Hopps and Wilde to assist on traffic.” 

Judy looked over at Nick as Delta sent out the request, the fox’s ears lying flat on his head. 

“10-4, advising now,” The dispatcher responded. 

Delta gave Nick a smug smirk as a popsicle stick smacked him square between the eyes. 

Nick stared straight ahead, slowly sipping at his frosted beer mug. 

Several other officers from the ZPD stared back at him as they enjoyed their many drinks on the fox’s tab. 

The annoyed look on the vulpine’s face though wasn’t because of the bill, oh no he had ways of covering that. 

His disposition was because while the other officers drank and chuckled at Nick’s expense a certain blue-eyed troublemaker was invading his personal space. 

Trisha was standing on a stool she had pushed over to the group's table, the bunny leaned forward, her elbows on the table as her chin rested in her paws. 

The bunny batted her eyelashes once more as she stared at Nick who kept his focus on a picture hanging on the wall. 

“Tell me the story of how Nick messed up again cutie,” Trisha cooed sweetly. 

Nick broke his focus on the picture and glanced at his partner who was sitting across from Trisha. 

Judy, who had been happily sipping at a frozen orange drink, took a second to enjoy the sweet treat before smacking her lips and grinning at the fox. 

“So there we were, on a nice easy-going evening….”

“You mean quiet?” Nick asked smugly, chuckling to himself as Judy coughed on her drink and Delta nearly fell over in his chair. 

Chapter Text

Tails from the 10-7: Alarmed

While some officers seemed to overlook the many mammals that it took to ensure a smooth shift at the ZPD the importance of the administrative employees was not lost on Judy and Nick. 

The bunny was always very grateful to her friends in dispatch, admin, and of course the wrench jockeys of the fleet maintenance team; the garage for keeping her cruiser in tip-top shape. 

Nick being the sly fox that he was also understood the importance of keeping these mechanics happy as they would be the ones he and his partner would call on whenever their cruiser’s many warning lights came on. 

Thanks to some of Nick’s connections he had managed to snag several large boxes filled to bursting with freshly baked donuts. 

Sure it may have been a little stereotypical, police officers and donuts, but hey….donuts are tasty! 

After dropping off a box to the administration offices on the 3rd floor, the archives in the basement, the dispatch team on 2, and of course a certain tubby cheetah at the front desk, Judy and Nick hefted their collection of sweet treats down the halls and towards the garage built underneath the precinct. 

A series of signs hung on the walls leading to a set of large reinforced double doors. 

Warnings and safety regulations were listed on the posters. 

Several words written in a similar style to that of a certain bar were painted on the doors just above a series of black and yellow stripes 

Warning: Active Vehicle Maintenance 
Restricted Access. 

The words were there mainly to keep lost civilians out and the occasional rookie who may have gotten lost. 

As the duo approached Nick leaned towards one of the walls, elbowing a worn red button underneath one of the signs. 

A loud buzzing came from the doors before they slowly swung towards the approaching fox and bunny, granting them access to the main garage. 

Judy always had to prepare herself for the sudden rush of noise that would pour from the doors. 
The sounds of buzzing, clangs, and hammering normally filled the garage. 

Today though it was oddly quie-...silent. 

Nick and Judy exchanged concerned looks as they strolled into the garage only to be caught off guard by the sound of a loud horn and siren followed quickly by a series of cheers. 

“Ack! Cheese and crackers!” Judy let out as she nearly tossed the box of donuts she had been carrying into the air. 

The sound of the alarm ended but the laughter continued as Nick and Judy came around an armored truck that was currently missing its large wheels. 

The fox and bunny duo came upon a rather odd sight. 

Several mammals were standing in the center of a cleared space in the garage, all of them in navy blue coveralls and jumpsuits with various smudges and stains lingering on the fabric. 

A zebra at the back of the group noticed Nick and Judy approaching and smiled, waving one of his large hooves at the approaching officers. 

“Well well well, if it isn't the ZPD’s top cop,” The zebra said with a broad smile as he turned to greet Nick and Judy. 

“Please Ed, you're making me blush,” Nick cut Judy off, the doe giving her partner a half-lidded glare. 

Ed, along with the other mechanics burst into laughter once more as they gathered around to greet the new arrivals. 

“Oh, raided the break room I see,” A cute porcupine asked as she raised a pair of goggles up over her head. 

“Actually Cindy, Nick, and I brought you all a thank you for the help on our cruiser last week,” Judy said proudly. 

If the mechanics had looked happy to see Nick and Judy before it was nothing compared to their excited looks now. 

The odd assortment of mammals quickly surrounded the fox and bunny who happily pawed over the boxes filled with donuts. 

There were thanks and pats on the blacks by the grateful crew who immediately dug into the sweet treats. 
Nick and Judy were offered some of the haul but they both politely turned down the offers. 

“We have already sampled so many,” Judy admitted as she rubbed her stomach. “I am stuffed.” 

“We can tell Nick already had some,” Ed pointed out, giving Nick a smug smile. 

“Look who's talking, some of those stripes are looking pretty thick Ed,” Nick shot back which was met with more laughter. 

As the group snacked on their donuts and chatted they were suddenly interrupted by the familiar sound of a siren and horn. 

A squad car sitting in one of the maintenance bays right in front of the group came to life and started to blare its klaxon as its lights flashed. 

Judy nearly jumped out of her uniform in surprise, the bunny bringing her ears down and wincing.

“Ack! Sorry Judy!” A cheetah yelped as she hurried over to a rolling tool bin and plucked up a key fob. 

The cheetah fumbled at first but finally managed to aim the device at the car and silence its deafening alarm. 

Once the ringing in her ears had subsided Judy finally released her ears and blinked in annoyance at the squad car that had caused all the trouble. 

“So…is it haunted or something?” Nick asked as he studied the vehicle. 

“What? Oh No,” Ed chuckled as he finished a bite of his jelly-filled donut. “That's one of the new models but we just discovered that its sensors are incredibly sensitive.” 

“Yeah, you can set the security system off just by walking by it,” Cindy chuckled. 

As Ed and Cindy explained to Judy just how sensitive the new squad car’s alarm system was Nick noticed something on the ground in front of the annoying vehicle. 

A series of blue strips of tape had been stuck to the floor. 

Upon closer inspection, he realized that each one had a name on it. 

There was one for Ed, Cindy, and the other mechanics. 

“Uh oh,” Came a playful chuckle behind Nick. 

The fox glanced over his shoulder and raised a brow at Cindy who blushed. 

“Looks like Wilde found us out, gang.” 

Nick glanced back at the tape, then the squad car, and finally back at the mechanics, his signature smug smirk gracing his lips. 

The game was simple. 

Whoever could get closest to the squad car without setting off its many alarms would win. 

So far the one to beat had been Ed who explained that slow and steady would win the race. 

Cindy had piped up saying how slow was right, insisting that Ed had walked so slow up to the cruiser that he might as well have been going backward. 

Nick however had a different plan. 

The fox stared at the cruiser, studying it like he would a mark back when he was a con mammal. 

He looked at the ground, the cruiser, to Judy, the cruiser again, then back at the ground. 

“Oh my gosh! Go already!” Cindy groaned from her spot atop a stripped-down parking duty cart. 

Nick took in his surroundings, ignoring the porcupine before he had a brilliant idea. 

The fox turned to Judy, giving the bunny a wink, before turning around and walking down the aisle, away from the others and the cruiser. 

There were several confused looks as the mammals looked at one another before back to the fox who sauntered away. 

When Nick felt he was a safe distance her turned and hugged the wall, lining up so a pillar was in between the cruiser and him. 

“Oh, that's cheating!” The cheetah chuckled. 

Judy giggled as she watched Nick exaggerate his movements, the fox placing his paws against the wall as he slowly slid closer and closer to the cruiser. 

From the looks of it he planned to use the garage’s natural structuring to hide him from the sensor and so far it looked to be working as the fox got closer and clos- 

*Bwoop! Wee Woo!*

The cruiser came to life once more, its overheads flashing as its klaxon let out another deafening shriek. 

Nick froze, his ears falling to the top of his head, as a surprised look graced his muzzle. 

He had been so sure that a side attack would have done the trick. 

Sadly though the many sensors on the cruiser must have picked up his breathing or something. 

Ed walked over to where Nick had stopped and placed a bit of tape with the officer's name at the fox’s feet. 

Nick returned to the others who hooted and hollered, most of them pointing out how Nick was farther away than most of the others. 

The fox took it all in stride though and just smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“Alright Hopps,” Cindy cheered. “You’re up.” 

“What? Oh, I don’t think I could beat yours Cind…I mean Nick sure, but not yours.” 

There was another round of laughter as Nick rolled his eyes, glancing down at his bunny who gave him a very smug smile. 

“Oh come on Judy, show them how it's done,” Ed insisted. 

Judy pursed her lips together as she looked at the cruiser and then at the strips of tape on the floor. 

The bunny had a pensive look on her face before a look of revelation caused her ears to go up. 

Judy bounced on the balls of her feet before licking her buck teeth. 

Everyone began to clap as they watched Judy stroll out and face the cruiser. 

It was a rather amusing sight as Judy stared at the vehicle, trying to psych herself up while also intimidate the inanimate object. 

The bunny then did something that caught everyone off guard. 

She suddenly turned away from the cruiser and ran, only to turn back at her opponent and charge forward. 

Judy approached the cruiser at a full sprint, her eyes on the floor before her. 

As she reached the farthest strip of tape though she did something that had everyone gawking. 

She used her strong legs to suddenly propel herself forward. 

Judy threw her paws in the air and paddled, her ears flailing limply behind her as she flew several feet above the floor. 

The others were silent as they watched Judy fly right up to the cruiser and land just an inch away. 

When she landed Judy immediately pulled her ears down and gritted her teeth which was a good thing because right after she did… 

*Bwoop! Wee Woo!*

The lights on the cruiser flashed on and the garage was once again filled with the sound of horns and sirens. 

When the cruiser was finally silenced Judy opened her eyes and looked back at the mechanics and Nick who immediately burst into applause.

“Wow!” Taco exclaimed as she threw her paws in the air excitedly, the adorable barkeep nearly falling back onto the table she was currently sitting on. 

Judy’s eyes went wide as she reached out and quickly grabbed Taco by the wrist and pulled her lest the small bunny go cartwheeling backward. 

Taco giggled as she was pulled and then fell forward, Judy catching the white and black spotted bunny who immediately nuzzled against the gray doe. 

“You’re like a bunny ninja Judy,” Taco exclaimed as she rested her chin on Judy’s chest and looked up at the officer with her bright teal eyes. 

“I don’t know, haven’t seen a kung fu movie where the ninja flails her arms so much,” Nick chuckled as he took a swig of his beer. 

A coaster flew across the bar and smacked Nick in the side of the head. 

The fox coughed on his beer and glanced over only to see Trisha standing on the other side of the bar, a playful look on her face as she made a fist with her paw and put it to the other, closing her eyes and bowing her head. 
“Looks like you need to watch more kung fu there Slick,” Judy said as she helped Taco back on the table where the small bunny happily sat cross-legged, her ears erect as she waited for more tails from her favorite fox and ninja bunny duo. 

Chapter Text

-Several years before the Graindier Fire-

Echo was sitting in a brightly lit classroom, a low mumbling coming from the other students as they chatted about their weekend hijinks or eagerly gossiped about what their class would entail today.

The lovely painted dog stretched out in her seat, laying back slightly as she spread her legs, looking down and wiggling both paws before noticing that the pocket to her navy blue cadet bdus was undone. She tilted her head, her circular ears flopping slightly as she reached down and began to rescue the pocket. Some snickering to her right made her glance over to a pair of bright yellow eyes and a mischievous smile. 

A lovely panther sat facing forward, trying her best to look at the front of the class but the way her long black tail twitched gave her away as she tried to maintain her composure.

“You gonna be this much trouble when we finally get out in the field?” Echo chuckled as she reached out and gave her friend a playful shove. 

“Oh I intend to be even more trouble,” the panther admitted as she turned to face Echo, scrunching her nose and letting out the faintest of purrs. 

Echo rolled her brilliant teal eyes and was about to speak when the door at the front of the classroom opened. The students all repositioned in their seats and sat up a little straighter as one of their instructors strolled in. Like Echo he was a painted dog but was slightly taller and his years in the fire service had seriously toned his body to the point where certain lessons had been harder than others for Echo to pay attention to. 

“Good morning, cadets,” The instructor said with a smile as he lugged in a large plastic container. 

“Good morning, Instructor Granite,” The class said in unison, having practiced their greetings to the instructors over the course of the training. 

Granite smirked as he set the plastic container down and popped the lid, pulling out a stuffed folder and placing it on the long desk at the front of the class. He then proceeded to pull several pieces of equipment, which caused a stir in the classroom, mainly because the gear included a special rebreather mask. 

The students at the fire academy had been so focused on studying and testing that they had yet to do any paws-on training with equipment. This was normally done by the academy as a way of saving gear use time. The first few weeks would be intense “intellectual” training, which confused most members of the ZPD as intelligence and firefighter were not normally words used in the same sentence. This style of training, though, allowed the instructors to weed out anyone who may not be able to pass written evals, which would make the class smaller and, in turn, allow them to focus more on the cadets who put in the effort to be there. 

This also meant that for the first few weeks, the academy was also so….freaking….boring. 

Which made sense. While some folks believed the fire academy was all about running into fake burning buildings and practicing with all the fun tools on the rigs, it actually involved a great deal of studying, testing, and in-class drills before the cadets were even let near equipment. This was why when Granite pulled the face mask from the container, everyone was suddenly excited for what the day's class would entail. 

“Alright, class,” Granite began as he circled around the table at the front, vanilla folder in his painted paw. “Now, while Casi obliterated the curve and got a perfect score again..” All eyes went to the panther sitting next to Echo, who sat up straighter, her long black panther tail swaying on the floor. “The rest of the class still managed to pass, but I am seeing way too many scores getting close to the 90% mark. Remember, in this class, there is only 90% and above, ok?” 

The cadets all nodded in agreement as Granite looked around at his students, letting out a sigh before setting down the folder. His bright green eyes noticed another painted paw going up, and he folded his arms. 

“Cadet Echo?” 

Echo lowered her paw and sat up straighter, “Sir, is there a particular subject our class is struggling with? We have a study group, and I want to know where we should focus.” 

Granite gave Echo a smirk and try as the painted female might; she couldn’t help but blush. 

“Always helping others,” Granite chuckled. “Sadly, Echo its spread over three of the four chapters from this last week's studying, so I would advise ear-marking those for rereads.” 

Echo simply nodded before flipping open a binder in front of her and scribbling some notes. 

“But we will worry about that later,” Granite said with a sigh. “While yes, you all are getting close to 90’s I am still impressed with this class's initiative and focus. So we have moved up gear introduction to this week.” The cadets throughout the room all exchanged excited glances as Granite strolled back around the table at the front of the class and plucked up a small yellow device with a little flashing bulb on the side. “Let's talk about safety gear!” 

While some mammals and handsome lighthouses think that fire mammal gear is just a big trench coat, baggy pants with room for snacks, and a funky-looking helmet, it is actually an advanced life-saving composed of fire retardant material, crash-proof helmet material, and a series of small, simple computers that when combined allow hose drag-.... brave mammals like the ones in the ZFD to run into burning infernos to rescue those in need. 

With advances in modern technology the Bunker Gear worn by the ZFD was just that, a mobile bunker that allowed them to traverse even the most dangerous of hellscapes while also being in constant communication with command. 

Granite walked back around the front table and slowly strolled back and forth at the front of the class as he spoke. 

“Now I know many of you are excited to finally get fitted for your gear,” Granite began, which caused everyone in the class to shift excitedly in their seats. “Today, though, we will go over one of the most important pieces of gear you will ever put on your body.” Several of the students exchanged looks before their gazes went back to the small device held up in their instructor’s paw. “This right here is your life line, it will keep you safe, it will tell us where you are during a call, but it will also haunt your nightmares for the end of days.” 

The cadets all chuckled at the last part as Granite shook his head. 

“Oh, you think I am joking, but just wait,” The painted dog sighed but smirked all the same. He then turned the device and examined it before flipping a small switch on the side. “This unit of course, is meant for classroom instruction; the ones on your gear will vary in size but will have the same-” 

*Chirp Chirp Chirp*

The device in Granite’s paw began to chirp loudly, and the painted dog closed his eyes and sighed. Everyone watched in mild amusement as Granite then proceeded to wiggle in place, his circular ears lowering as he grumbled. He then shook the device which made it cease its chirping. When Granite opened his eyes, he shook his head. 

“This right here is a double-edged sword. The device is meant to detect if a firefighter has ceased moving, which means they may be in danger. It will send out an alarm to the command unit with your last known location, along with a loud siren to attract your fellow firefighters to help you if you have become stuck.” 

For some odd reason, right at that moment Echo’s left leg began to itch. The painted dog lowered her paw and gave her ankle a little scratch; her beautiful teal eyes still fixated on the device in Granite’s paw. 

“However, it also just likes to go off randomly at the worst times,” Granite admitted. “You have roughly 20 seconds after the chirp alarm to move, or it will then activate its full panic function. We have found that poking the device does not suffice, which is why today we will be teaching you the fire wiggle.”

-Two weeks later-

It had been a long time coming, but after several measurements, a few returns to the equipment team, and a whole lot of shaking and grunting, the cadets had finally managed to get their bunker gear on and, for the first time, were standing in a line in front of Granite and the other instructors, all of whom had proud smiles on their muzzles. 

“Well what do ya know, looks like there were some firefighters in that class after all,” A gruff grizzly bear chuckled as he flooded his arms and strolled in front of the cadets.

“Looking good recruits,” Granite said proudly. 

“Just wait for it,” A dhole in a similar uniform to Granite’s said as she put a paw on her hips and stared down the line. 

*Chirp*

As one, all eyes went to one of the taller bunker gear-clad cadets, who immediately hopped in place and wiggled. Granite and the other instructors chuckled as the other cadets did the same. 

*Chirp*

“Ah crud!” Came a muffled yelp down the line as another cadet wiggled in place. 

*Chirp*

“Are they doing this on purpose?!” Came another muffled shout. 

The grizzly couldn’t help himself as he began to chuckle, only to stop and approach a cadet and adjust a regulator on their kit. “Get used to it, firefighters,” The grizzly laughed before giving the cadet in front of him a pat on the helmet. “Now, let's run some smoke drills!” 

And so the brave recruits of the ZFD academy were introduced to the sound that would eventually haunt their dreams. Some would think it was the sound of fire, or maybe sirens, no….it was that darn-*Chirp*

-Present Day-

While Echo was the owner and manager of the 10-7 that didn’t mean she simply laid around the back offices and collected cash all day. She actually enjoyed being in the middle of things, and it wasn’t uncommon to find the painted owner behind the bar helping her barkeeps or chatting with patrons. Nights like tonight were especially important for Echo to lead by example as the 10-7 was packed. 

A new class of firefighters had just graduated, and thanks to how gossipy responders were, the new firemammals had learned about the 10-7 and had decided to celebrate at the watering hole. 

Echo smiled as she poured a dark amber beer into a frosted mug, her brilliant teal eyes scanning her bar, her mind somewhat conflicted. She missed the old days; there was no denying it, but she was also happy to be where she was. Sure, she would love to still be one of the brave mammals running head first into whatever the universe threw at her. The thing is, if she were still a fire mammal, then she would have never founded the 10-7. The painted dog was lost in thought but a familiar sound suddenly brought her back into reality. 

*Chirp!*

Without even thinking, Echo took a second to wiggle in place, as did several other mammals throughout the bar, before they all froze and started blinking in confusion. 

“Bahahahahaha!” 

Laughter from down the bar caught Echo’s attention, the painted dog’s ears twitching as she stared at what was causing the commotion. 

Trisha was standing atop the bar, an evil yet proud look on her face as she held up a small yellow device. Leaning against the bar was a familiar painted dog; the years had grayed the fur around his muzzle, but he still looked as handsome as the day Echo had walked into his class. 

“This was the best gift ever! Thanks, Granite,” Trisha cackled as several firefighters in the bar let out a collective groan, only for Trisha to press a button on the device. 

*Chirp*

Even though Echo knew what was going on, her training kicked in, and her tail flicked as she wiggled slightly in place. 

“Granite?!” Echo barked from the bar, waving her paws about. 

“Oh, gotta go,” The instructor laughed as he drained his drink before hurrying into the safety of the crowd of wiggling fire fighters. 

Echo groaned as she looked over at Trisha, the mischievous bunny grinning with glee as she pressed the button on the device once more, wiggling in place along with the hose draggers. 

Chapter Text

In every line of work, there are always traditions or rites of passage that newcomers have to go through. Some of these can be as simple as wearing an “I’m New” name tag or a silly hat that says “Trainee.” Others may be a little more difficult, such as the new recruits having to clean off a fire rig after a call in the muddy fields of the Meadowlands or staying late to empty the back of an ambulance after a long shift. 

Some traditions may be a little more silly or job-specific in nature. In the Zootopia Fire Department’s case there have been tales of the new recruits to a firehouse getting a bucket of water dumped on them when they least expect it. Or, on occasion, a false call is sent through the station, causing the recruit to slide down the fire pole into a pool of jello waiting for them at the bottom. 

The ZFD were not the only ones to get in on the fun, though. The ZPD had its own list of unique rites of passage that, while pranks, were still good-hearted fun. Some of them included wearing a junior sheriff badge one would find in a Halloween costume set made for kits. Or having to run obstacle courses in front of their squad even though they had already made it through the academy. 

One of the training officers at Precinct 3 in Sahraha Square though had devised a more exciting and entertaining ritual. One that would be both a learning experience for his new recruits but also an evening of entertainment for all that frequented a certain responder watering hole. 

The bar was packed with mammals from the various departments spread across the city. While this was not exactly out of place at the popular bar, it was apparent they had all gathered there for something in particular. An exciting energy filled the bar as the crowd formed around several embarrassed-looking mammals and a smug-looking panther who strolled back and forth before his new recruits, all of whom looked nervously about. 

When Nick and Judy arrived at the bar, the bunny is surprised to see the crowd gathering around. Nick as always though had a sly smile on his muzzle, the fox well aware of what the duo had stumbled upon. 

“Did we miss an email?” Judy giggled as she was guided through the crowd of on-lookers by her eager partner. 

“Not quite, but let's get a spot up front so we don’t miss the show,” Nick chuckled as he helped Judy navigate through the crowd. 

As the smaller pair managed to squeeze past some of the larger responders, they received a few quick welcomes and the occasional pat on the back. When they finally reached the edge of the crowd, Judy had a better view of what was going on, even if she didn’t quite know what was happening. 

Judy spotted a panther pacing back and forth on, giving some nervous-looking mammals a last-minute pep talk. The bunny then looked down the empty space the gathered mammals had made, which was a clear line to a segment of the bar which was currently empty. Judy began to wonder if this would be some kind of race to the bartop or maybe a competition where the mammals gathered by the panther had to throw something to make it land on the bar. To Judy’s surprise, though, the bar did not remain unoccupied for long. 

A familiar bubbly brown bunny and her favorite otter companion suddenly hopped up and landed on the smoothed wood counter from behind the bartop. Immediately, everyone began to cheer as Trisha and Em fixed their outfits before striking some rather seductive-looking poses. While Trisha was in her signature blue 10-7 shirt and Em looked gorgeous in her firehouse red, something seemed different about the pair. 

Em’s fur seemed to glisten in the low light as if she had put a special shampoo on, and Trisha’s outfit seemed to hug her body more than usual, accenting her heart-stopping figure. The way the barkeeps looked wasn’t the only reason for the sudden cat calls. Trisha sat with her legs crossed, puffing out her chest as she looked ahead at the mammals gathered across the bar. Em meanwhile laid lazily across the bar, resting one of her paws on her leg while leaning on the other, the otter using Trisha for support as she leaned against the doe and looked ahead at the panther, who continued pacing back and forth. 

Trisha blinked a few times before realizing Judy was staring, the brown bunny beaming at her fellow doe and giving Judy a waved which was quickly returned. Before Judy could speak though a silence came over the crowd. 

The panther across the bar was raising his paws high over his head and slowly circling around as he gazed at the gathered audience with his brilliant yellow eyes. 

“Welcome one and all to the 4th annual Public Pick Up! My name is Jack and I am one of the training officers at Precinct 3.”

There was a collective cheer from the gathered responders as the three mammals next to the panther all looked as if they were about to face a firing squad. 

“For those of you who have not attended this training event, allow me to explain,” The panther continued, his voice booming throughout the bar. “As members of Zootopia’s finest responder division-” 

A series of hisses and boos could be heard from the firefighters and medics throughout the bar, but it was quickly followed by laughter. Judy giggled as she looked up behind her at Nick, who gave his bunny a playful smirk before looking back at Jack. 

“As I was saying,” the panther continued. “As members of the ZPD, we are constantly called to make contact with members of the public who may be considered dangerous, combative, or argumentative.” 

There was a series of nods and words of agreement as the panther continued. 

“Which is why it's important for our recruits to show they are not afraid to approach anyone at any time and make contact,” The training officer chuckled before lowering a paw in the direction of Em and Trisha. “And if looks could kill, well then tonight, these two are the most dangerous mammals in the whole city.” 

There was a sudden explosion of cheers and whistles from the gathered crowd as Trisha and Em shifted in their spots. Neither of them looked embarrassed; in fact, they both had a kind of confident fire in their gazes. 

“Trisha is dangerous every night,” Nick added just loud enough for a few mammals to hear. 

Seconds later, a coaster zipped through the air and smacked the fox on the side of the head. Several eyes went back to Trisha, who was looking at the fox with a calculating gaze as if trying to figure out how deep of a hole she would have to dig to hide the fox’s body. 

“So tonight, my recruits,” The panther began with a mystic tone, putting on quite the show to those gathered around. The large feline turned to look at the three nervous-looking mammals and grinned. “You will banish those fears of public speaking. You shall walk confidently up to our lovely barmaids and use the cheesiest pick-up line you can think of for all of us to see and judge.” 

The bar broke out into wild cheers once more. 

“And know this!” The panther added, which caused the responders present to quite down. “If you can complete this task then I guarantee you will never fear approaching a crazed citizen ever again!” 

“Can we just go and approach a crazed citizen instead?” One of the recruits, a painted dog, asked as she eyed the bunny and otter across the bar. 

“Technically, by approaching Trisha, she is approaching-” Nick began before another coaster smacked him in the side of the head. 

Judy chuckled before glancing over at Trisha, who blew a kiss in Judy’s direction. 

Much to everyone's surprise, one of the recruits, a timber wolf, strolled straight ahead toward the two waiting barmaids. Immediately, the surrounding officers began to chant softly, hunching down as they quietly cheered the canine one. 

“Ahooa Ahooa Ahooa Ahooa,” They whispered. Even Judy got into the atmosphere as she leaned down slightly, clenching her paws and shaking them at her side as several others did in a kind of silent cheer for their fellow officer. 

As the canine approached, Em leaned up and whispered something into Trisha’s ears, which caused the doe’s lips to curl mischievously. The timber wolf faltered at the sight, taking a moment to gulp. 

“Oooooohhhhhh,” several other mammals mumbled. 

“Keep going! Don’t let them scare you!” The panther barked with a laugh. 

The timber wolf took in a deep breath before striding forward and stopping in front of the bar. The large canine remained silent for a moment as Trisha and Em stared up at him, both of them with smug smiles on their lips. 

“Can you pour me a drink as smooth as you poured yourself into those shorts?” 

Trisha and Em studied the wolf for a moment before Trisha looked over at Em, whispering something to the otter that made the timber wolf sway in place slightly. After a second or two, Em nodded before reaching over her shoulder and behind the bar. She produced a small shot glass filled with an amber liquid and pawed it over to the timber wolf. 

The bar erupted with cheers as several mammals rushed over and patted the timber wolf on the back, the canine blinking in shock before downing his drink and raising the empty glass. 

Judy beamed at the painted dog, raising her paws up and cheering as Nick clapped his paws. The timber Wolf looked as if he had won some kind of race as he looked around at his fellow officers, several of them poking fun at his cheesy line, but for the most part, everyone seemed impressed with his courage. 

Eventually, a hush came over the crowd, and the timber Wolf was pulled to the side to make way for his fellow recruits. The painted dog at the end of the crowd looked down at a beaver who had a hesitant look on his face. The two exchanged looks as if silently communicating with one another on who should go next. From the looks of it, neither of them was really ready, but the painted dog groaned as she let her head fall back only to stand up straight and confidently stroll over towards the two lovely barkeeps. 

“Ahooa ahooa ahooa ahooa,” the chanting began a new as everyone watched the painted dog approach before falling silent so they could hear the next pickup line. 

When the painted officer stopped, she put a little show on for the girls at the bar by placing a paw on her hip and tilting her head slightly as she gave the bunny and otter a sultry look. 

“Those are some cute outfits,” she began as she eyes Trisha and Em. “They are gonna look great on my bedroom floor.”

Immediately, the bar exploded into cheers and laughter as both Em and Trisha smirked at the painted dog, who gave them a wink just as before Em reached behind her and retrieved a shot from behind the bar, pawing it over to the painted recruit whose paw lingered in the glass as Em said something that Judy was unable to pick up. It must have been good because the painted dog blushed before retrieving her shot and downing it in one gulp. 

The crowd of responders surrounded the painted dog, giving her a few parts on the back along with a high five or two. 

Nick gave Judy's shoulder a squeeze which causes her to look up only to see Nick nodding in Trisha's direction. The two doe’s eyes met and Trisha fanned herself with her paw before mouth “oh my gosh.”

Soon, the crowd quieted down, and all eyes went to the beaver, who looked as if he would fall over from embarrassment. 

“Ahooa ahooa ahooa,” the crowd began to chant, giving the beaver some encouragement as he gulped before slowly walking towards the bar, where a pair of beautiful blue and a set of green eyes stared back at him. 

Judy almost felt bad for the beaver since now the whole bar was involved in this fun ritual, with so many eyes on him it was a miracle the beaver didn't just faint from the anxiety of what he had to do next. To his credit though the beaver stepped all the way to the bar before stopping, adjusting the collar of his shirt and then looking up at the lovely barkeeps who smiled down at him. 

“A…are you a camera?” The beaver began only to falter. Both Trisha and Em raised their brows before giving one another confused looks. When they looked back at the beaver, he gulped before finishing his line. “Because I can't help smiling when I see you.”

One could hear a pin drop with how silent the 10-7 became. All the responders held their breaths as they watched Trisha and Em. The silence must have felt like an eternity before the barkeeps finally made a sound. 

“Awwwwww!”

As one, both Trisha and Em put a paw to their chests as they looked down at the beaver with affection in their gaze. Em reached behind the bar and returned a shot but instead of pawing it over she hopped from the bar along with Trisha. They walked over to the blushing beaver who tried his best not to fall over. 

Em pawed over the glass of whiskey, but that's not where it ended. The bunny and otter stood on either side of the beaver before they leaned over and kissed the shocked mammal on the cheek. The beaver tensed up before a dreamlike state came over his face. 

The bar immediately erupted into cheers as the responders hurried over and scooped up the beaver. A tiger hefted him up, and the beaver blinked in shock before raising his glass and taking the shot. Claps, hoots, and hollers could be heard as everyone congratulated the beaver. 

Judy beamed at her fellow officer as she put her paws together. She felt proud of the beaver and was about to say something to Nick before realizing something…. The fox had gone missing. The doe’s ears went up as she looked around for her partner, only to hear a loud whistle break through the cheers. 

The crowd quieted down as all eyes went to Nick who was standing on the bar just behind Em and Trisha who had taken their seats back on the wooden bar too, striking their poses once again. Judy felt a pang of nervousness as she realized both the barkeeps had their eyes on her. 

“I have to say, Jack, I love this training,” Nick began. “I also remember what a certain bunny told me when I first got out of the academy.”

All eyes in the bar went to Judy, who gave her friends a hesitant wave, trying to figure out what her fox was up to. 

“You are never done training,” Nick continued as Judy began to realize what the sly fox was up to. “And seeing how Judy's public speaking can sometimes cause mass riots-”

There was a collective chuckle from the crowd of responders as Judy scowled at Nick. 

“I think this would be a great opportunity for Carrots to practice her public speaking.”

Judy's ears fell to the back of her head as her eyes widened. She didn't have a chance to respond as the responders suddenly formed a circle around her. Jack hurried over behind the bunny and gave her a gentle push. Judy gawked at Nick, but before she could speak… 

“Ahooa ahooa ahooa,” the chanting began once more, and Judy rolled her eyes before slowly walking towards the bar. Her mind was racing as she tried to think of something good to say, seeing as she had little choice at this point. 

Judy's large bunny feet managed to carry her to the barz her mind still blank before she looked at Trisha who gave her a sweet sultry smile followed by a wink. The gray bunny felt a sudden wave of courage through her and smiled back at Trisha. 

“No need for a dessert menu; I see something sweet already.” 

Trisha’s mouth opened, and her gaze softened as she put a paw on her chest. 

“Oh come on Carrots that one was so cheesy even for-” Nick began but Trisha simply raised a paw and snapped her fingers. 

A nerf dart flew through the air and narrowly missed Nick whose eyes went wide looking down the side of the bar only to see Taco running in his direction, a nerf gun trained in the fox. 

Several more darts whizzed through the air as Nick hurried down the bar, a cackling Taco chasing after him. 

“I'm in the chapter, too!” Taco shouted proudly, which caused Trisha to giggle at her little protege's first wall break. 

The bubbly brown bunny and the otter both hopped from the bar, Em holding out a shot for Judy before Trisha gave her bunny from the ZPD a kiss on the cheek. 

The crowd of responders broke out into cheers once more as they surrounded Judy, giving her pats on the back and high fives. Judy blushed from all the attention. Her ears went up as she felt a familiar set of paws on her shoulder. She looked up and beamed at Nick, a Nerf dart stuck to one of his ears. 

Chapter Text

The ZFD and ZPD have had a friendly rivalry since their original founding when Zootopia was still a dusty burg. This is partially thanks to many brothers and sisters joining the ranks of the different responder groups and having a little fun at their siblings' expense. Whether it is the occasional harmless prank or cheesy joke, the members of the ZPD and ZFD knew that when they had a free moment after a call, all bets were off and it was time to come up with a great one-liner teasing the other team. 

This could be a nickname, donut muncher, for example, was popular with the ZFD, who would occasionally set up “traps” with donuts as the bait. Even at some team briefings, the hose draggers would bring an array of sugary treats to tempt the officers. The heckling would be endless whenever some poor rookie tempted fate and snatched one of the sweet delights. 

Not to be outdone, the ZPD would normally drop off flyers for furniture stores at local firehouses, implying that the mammals in the fire gear needed new equipment for naps while the ZPD patrolled the streets. Occasionally, a cruiser would slowly roll by one of the fire stations blasting some kind of music from their speakers like “Feeling hot hot hot” or “Burning Love.” 

There was one joke that the ZFD was rarely ever able to avoid: Scene Safety.

Most responders at some point learned about one another's trainings, which was actually important, so that way they knew one another's scope of work or restrictions. Scene safety dealt with the fact that sometimes, when rolling up onto a scene, medics or firefighters may have to wait for the area to be secured by the ZPD. Occasionally, there may be a mammal who was combative and would be a threat to any responder trying to provide aid, which meant they had to be restrained by officers. Or there may be citizens nearby rioting or causing property damage, which meant the fire department would have to wait, or else they too could be targeted. 

While the ZPD completely understood this policy and even encouraged it that didn’t stop its officers from poking fun when the dust settled. The term “Second Responder” was sometimes dropped, or an officer may knock on the door to a fire rig and put on a baby voice, saying how it was safe for the firefighters to come out and play. 

For the most part, the ZFD took it in stride, embarrassed grins or eye rolls being the most they could do while they hurried off to provide aid or assist in any way they could on the scene. 

While this kind of joking was normally reserved for hosedraggers and medics, there was one occasion where a certain bunny in blue may have overstepped and learned the hard way that this type of joking was only meant to be focused on members of the ZFD and not… K-9.

While perimeter work was a necessary duty for officers of the ZPD, it didn’t stop it from being a little boring, which was amusing given the fact that they may be holding the perimeter for something big, like a traffic collision or, in tonight’s case, a bomb threat. 
While the movies painted bomb threats occurring only against politicians or major events, it would surprise many citizens of Zootopia that they happened almost every week. This was mainly due to the fact that every threat was treated seriously, so even a prank would warrant a response from the ZPD. 

Judy had been on several of these perimeter details by this point that she even knew which K-9 team was being dispatched, according to their unique call sign. Tonight, the doe was eager because Whiskey 16 was en route, which meant she would surely be getting a hug from her favorite detector, Atom. She was also excited because it would mean Nick would also have to get a hug from Atom, no matter how much he resisted. 

The bunny eyed the small shopping center behind her, due to the late hour in the evening, they only had to evacuate a pawful of mammals from a laundry mat and a very annoyed badger who was a janitor for a dental office. Some police tape had been set up around a van parked in the parking lot, several odd tools and pipes had been witnessed by a passerby, and out of an abundance of caution, the K-9 team had been called. 

While Judy was taking the call seriously, that didn’t stop her partner from leaning against their cruiser, his muzzle in his phone as he fidgeted with the screen, a series of beeps and noises coming from its speakers. 

“If Bogo catches you….” Judy said in a knowing tone. 

“He will understand I can’t let Trisha keep her high score,” Nick shot back as a chime came from the phone. “She may beat me at real mini golf, but virtual golf is my thing.” 

Judy snickered at her fox’s comment and looked back at the intersection where they were parked. For the most part, there was little traffic; occasionally, a mammal would slow down and stare at Nick and Judy, their curiosity getting the better of them. Judy would give these mammals a wave before doing her best to signal to them to keep their eyes on the road. 

Eventually, the truck they had been waiting for arrived on the scene. A large black SUV with the words “K-9” painted on the windows. 

The vehicle flashed its strobes before pulling up just behind Nick and Judy’s vehicle. Nick, who was too engrossed with his game, just gave the new arrivals a lazy salute before Judy hopped over to a pair of painted dogs who exited the vehicle. 

“Ah ah ah,” The darker of the two barked as he grabbed the other painted dog by the back of his uniform collar and tugged. “You two can cuddle after the call.” 

Judy giggled at the look of disappointment in the other painted dog’s face, his bright yellow eyes going to the other canine and making a series of paw symbols. 

“Because otherwise you two will just hug for like 10 minutes and get nothing done,” The other painted dog shot back before looking at Judy. “What have we got, Hopps?” 

“Well, I had plenty of time to survey the scene while we waited for you two. What took you so long, Delta?” Judy teased as she put a paw on her hip. 

“Blame that one,” Delta chuckled as he nodded to Atom, whose tail began to wag rapidly. 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know, but it's my go-to excuse,” Delta shot back with a laugh. 

Judy rolled her eyes before flipping open her notepad and going over the details of the call. Explaining how a concerned mammal called in the van that had been left there for days, how they followed proper procedure and evacuated all civilians, and how they had been waiting for a good 30 minutes for the K-9's arrival. 

“What? You don’t like holding perimeter?” Delta chuckled before nodding at Nick.” Wilde seems to enjoy it.” 

“Yo,” Nick said as he gave them a lazy wave, his bright green eyes still on his phone’s screen. 

“Well, some of us have patrolling to do,” Judy shot back, the doe scrunching her nose. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Delta chuckled, waving his paw to the side before letting out a sigh as he eyed the van. “Alright, Atom by the numbers, let's do the prep, then get this checked out so Hopps can get back to causing trouble.” 

Judy smirked before sauntering back to her partner. She didn’t know why she said what came next. Maybe it was the patrol jab, maybe it was the lateness of the hour, or the fact she had just held the perimeter while waiting for Delta and Atom to arrive. Whatever the reason, her lips wrote a check her brain immediately regretted. 

“Don’t worry, boys, the scene is safe.” 

The bunny stopped and her ears immediately went up when she heard Atom suddenly suck in a breath. Judy turned around to see how both Delta and Atoim had tensed up. She glanced back at Nick, whose eyes were now wide as he looked at his phone, the fox locking the screen before slowly turning to look at Judy, panic in his eyes. 

“What did you just say….Hopps?” Delta growled. 

“I….I…” Judy let out, realizing what she had just done. 

While not everyone in the ZPD was superstitious, Judy was well aware that the mammals of the K-9 teams followed old rules, such as not using the Q word or making assumptions on a call. The day one said a call was probably nothing would be the day it was actually something and Judy had just made that call for them. 

Judy slowly turned and gave Delta and Atom an apologetic look as the two canines towered over her and glared down. 

“Oooops…..” Judy said with her best innocent smile. 

“So that explains tonight’s tab,” Em said as her lips curled into one of her lovely smiles. Her bright green eyes surveyed the table, which was currently filled with empty bowls of ice cream, while Delta had a very nice bottle of whiskey all to himself. 

Judy’s ears drooped as she sat back in her chair in the 10-7 as Nick regailed the otter barkeep on the call they had all been on a few nights prior. 

“Yep, and keep them coming on Hopp’s tab will ya Em?” Delta chuckled as Atom slid another empty bowl of ice cream and sat up straight, his tail wagging as he eagerly waited for another round of his favorite treat. 

“Yeah…” Judy mumbled, still mortified she had almost jinxed her friend’s call. “Keep it coming, Em.” 

“Don’t worry, cutie, knowing these knuckleheads, they will do something you can tease them about soon,” Em said sweetly as she gave Judy an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder before sauntering away. “In the meantime, I can’t wait to see my tip on this one.” 

The table let out a laugh as Judy rolled her eyes, which eventually went to Delta, who raised a glass in Judy’s direction, giving the doe a wink before Atom suddenly scooped the bunny up and nuzzled his head against hers.