6Peter Moosebridge hurriedly walked into his office. He had just come from the executive briefing where he had just received the amazing news that the hottest couple in Zootopia wanted to have him interview them. He normally would have passed on doing it as it seemed more the stuff for the entertainment channel but the pair had been very adamant that they would only grant the interview if he was the moderator. Peter didn't mind as he had interviewed celebrities like Gazelle, Mayor Lionheart, and that young beaver, Justin, before on his program, Chatting with Peter Moosebridge, which had boosted the ratings for ZNN. He hated to admit it but the year-end bonus from the Board was nice, too.
The word came from the chairman that the couple would be on their way to the network's main office after the end of their shift and he only had a few hours to prepare his team. He buzzed his secretary. "Darlene, can you come inside to my office, please?"
Darlene, a zebra, entered and he instructed her as she entered, "Close the door and grab a seat."
As Darlene took the chair across from his desk, Peter leaned back and continued, "By now, I'm sure the office grapevine has alerted you to my latest assignment seeing as you're close friends with the Chairman's Executive Secretary." Darlene quietly nodded. "Good, did you alert the team?"
"Yes, Peter. They are on their way over now."
"I knew there was a reason why I hired you," smiled Peter. "I'd like to see if we can have the episode in the can ready for tonight's show. That way, no one can scoop us. It seems the pair wants their side of their story to come out rather than what's being dished out in the tabloids. Given what they've done for the city, I'd like to do them this service."
Peter heard someone knocking on his door. "Door's open," he yelled.
Peter's team entered. They were composed of his two staff writers and producers, Byron and Rich, the otter twins, his video mammals, Jeremy, a wolf and Fabienne, a giraffe. "Come on in, team! We've got our work cut out for us. Our guests will be arriving in a few hours and here's what we need to do. Byron and Rich, we three need to prepare a list of questions that I'll be asking them during the interview. See what kind of background research you can do on them. Jeremy and Fabienne, we need a three-camera setup, as I'd like to be able to film them from different angles. Third, the Chairman wants this out for tonight's show at 10 p.m. EST so we won't have much time right after the interview to edit the raw footage. Darlene, inform Rex that I'd like to speak to him about doing a social commentary at the end the show. And we're going to need you to make our celebrity couple as comfortable as possible. Seems that they've been hounded all week by the paparazzi because of that one photo that appeared in the newspapers and they'll be harassed by the time they arrive. See what you can do to make them at ease before we start taping. I don't want them stressed out before the cameras. Ok, you've got your assignments mammals. Let's make this our best show ever!"
Peter shook their hands at the end of the interview. They had come to him in their hour of need so that they could explain their side. They had nothing to hide and chose not to but at the same time, this made them vulnerable to Zootopia's bigotry and hatred towards mammals deemed stepping outside of the set social boundaries. He saw their weariness and the toll it put upon their budding relationship. Yet, despite all that, they did not waiver in their trust and love for each other. With these thoughts running through his mind, he bid them a fond farewell, wished them luck and stepped into the editing room where the rest of his team was.
"Alright mammals! Listen up! First of all, thanks to everyone for all your hard work. Unfortunately, we aren't done yet. Those two out there have made many sacrifices for this city and I won't sit idly by seeing them torn apart by the very mammals they serve and protect. We heard their story. Now, let's make sure the rest of Zootopia hears it, too."
"Good evening! Welcome to tonight's show of Chatting With Peter Moosebridge. The young couple we're interviewing tonight is well known to all the citizens of Zootopia. She was the first rabbit to join the ZPD and he the first fox all through the help of the Mammal Inclusion Program. When she first came to Zootopia, over a year ago, she, with his help, managed to solve the Missing Mammals case all within the span of forty-eight hours, a case that had dogged and befuddled the ZPD for close to two weeks, and jailed former Mayor Lionheart. Then, three months later, they cracked what is now known as the Night Howler Case where they managed to stop the worst mammal in the history of Zootopia, former Mayor Bellweather, from carrying out her evil plan to divide predators and prey by forcibly inducing predators to go savage. A week ago, a rogue photographer unceremoniously caught this lovely young couple kissing right outside the stadium where Gazelle had held her concert celebrating the diversity and harmony of Zootopia. Since then, these two have been held in contempt and ridicule by the very citizenry they have sworn to serve and protect. Here is my interview with Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde of the ZPD."
(The camera zooms out from Peter and the viewer takes in the scene. Peter is seated across from a couch where a rabbit and a fox are seen sitting side-by-side, holding paws.)
P: Judy, Nick, it's a pleasure and an honour to meet Zootopia's heroes.
J: Thank you Peter. We're not heroes. We were simply doing our job.
N: Speak for yourself, Carrots! I'd like to think that they're lined up outside the door just for our autographs right now. Do these glasses make me look dashing or what?
(There is a motion and the viewer sees the fox rubbing his arm after being punched by the rabbit.)
J: Nick! Seriously! Behave!
N: C'mon Judy. I was just having a little fun.
J: Dumb fox.
N: Well, you chose me so I'm your dumb fox.
J: Do I know that? Yes, yes, I do.
N: Sly bunny.
(The viewer hears off-camera, barely suppressed chortles and guffaws from the camera crew while the two mammals exchange banters. All this time, they can see Peter with a slight smile while waiting for the two to finish.)
P: So, tell me, how did you two meet?
J: I met Nick on my first day at ZPD. I was on parking duty and I noticed him hanging around an elephant ice cream shop. I saw him go in and I decided to follow him, suspecting he was up to no good.
N: Carrots! You wound me. I was merely in the process of procuring a frozen treat for my little boy who so dearly wanted to partake of that scrumptious delight.
P: Is that true?
J: The part about buying the jumbo pop is. The part about the little boy isn't. That was his partner, Finnick, dressed in a baby elephant costume. That was where he scammed me out of twenty dollars.
N: Scam is an ugly word. Let's just say I managed to convince Officer Hopps here to willingly donate a small amount to help the growth of entrepreneurship.
(The viewer sees the rabbit roll her eyes at the fox but they see her smile at him.)
J: As I was saying, later on the day, I managed to catch the pair melting down the jumbo pop and converting them into pawpsicles that they then sold to the workers of the Lemming Brothers bank as they left for the day. They also managed to recycle the wooden sticks that they then sold to the construction workers in Little Rodentia as redwood lumber.
N: Red wood. With a space in the middle.
J: Anyway, I confronted Nick about these illegal activities and he managed to refute every one of my charges. He then proceeded to tear up my cherished dreams of being a police officer and left me standing in wet concrete that day.
P: Wow, pretty harsh. What happened next?
N: Apparently, I didn't break her spirit. Judy's been a fighter from day one. She managed to finagle a deal with Chief Buffalo Butt that she would solve the case of the missing Mr. Emmitt Otterton within forty-eight hours or else resign from the force. She tracked me down the very next day as a possible lead based on a street camera photo showing me selling him a pawpsicle right outside the Naturalist Club where Emmitt Otterton had last been seen. She threatened me with felony tax evasion charges unless I helped her with her case. By the way, in my defense, ever since I've joined the ZPD, I've managed to pay all of my back taxes.
J: It was a hustle, sweetheart. You know that I could never have made that charge stick.
N: Now I do, after taking law classes in the Police Academy.
J: Silly fox.
N: Mean bunny.
(More chortling off-camera is heard. Peter is seen shaking his head at their exchange.)
P: So, what happened next?
N: We managed to track down the driver of the vehicle that drove Emmitt Otterton with the help of my friend, Flash, over at the Zootopia DMV.
J: Why he even has that name, Flash, is beyond me. Do you know that the entire DMV is run by sloths?
N: Hey, no need to be specist here.
J: Nick, if it wasn't for your interference, we would have been out of there in an hour. Instead, it was close to nightfall by the time we left.
N: What can I say? I hadn't seen Flash in a while and I wanted to catch up with him. Anyway, we managed to track down the driver and just as we were about to interview him, he went savage on us. Nearly killed the both of us in the process. As we were running away from him, he managed to trap me at the edge of the Tujunga Rainforest near the skytram. Judy managed to save me not once but twice. She prevented the driver from tearing me to bits by shackling his leg to a lamppost. Then, as I tried to pass the deranged mammal, he swiped at me which caused me to lose my balance and I thought I was going to fall to my death in the Rainforest District till Judy came swooping out of nowhere on a vine and caught my paw. Did I ever tell you she is one freaking strong bunny? Owww!
(The viewer is treated to the fox rubbing his arm again as the rabbit sits smouldering to his right, arms crossed.)
J: I can be as ladylike as anyone else, thank you very much.
N: This from the bunny who knocked out a rhino in the boxing ring.
J: Nick, that was during my police training days! I had to show them that I could take whatever they dished out to me.
N: I know, sweetheart. But you didn't let me finish. Anyway, as we lay there in the vines above the Rainforest District, I couldn't help at wonder why this cute little bunny…owww! Ok, I deserved that (more laughter can be heard off-camera). Anyway, why would someone like her go out of her way to save someone like me. I had done nothing to help her and had deliberately gone out of my way to sabotage her case. Yet, she had not hesitated in risking her own neck in order to save mine.
J: Then, Chief Bogo came over and demanded for my badge saying that I had wasted his time since the driver, who had gone savage, had disappeared and there was no trace of him at all. I felt crushed and was about to hand over my badge when Nick stepped in like my knight in shining armor.
N: Honestly, Peter, it just pissed me off the way Chief Bogo was talking to her. Despite her lack of resources, Judy had managed to do more in less than two days than what the entire ZPD had done in the last two weeks yet he was bullying her into resigning. I gave him a piece of my mind and told him that we were holding him to his word of forty-eight hours and we still had a good ten more to go. I couldn't stand her being put down just because she was a bunny.
J: It was at that moment that I saw Nick for what he truly is and not what others thought of him. He's a mammal with a golden heart who truly cares for others and that, if given the chance, he would make a fine police officer.
P: Wasn't it at this point that you turned to former Assistant Mayor Bellweather for help?
J: Yes, since I didn't have the resources of the ZPD at my disposal, we used her access to the traffic cameras where we were able to track down a couple of wolves who had kidnapped the savage jaguar and brought him to a sanitarium outside of the city limits.
N: We broke into it where we found all the missing mammals and contacted Chief Bogo to let him know we had found them and which then led to the subsequent arrest of former Mayor Lionheart.
P: Now, Judy, this is the part of the story which makes most mammals think that you and Nick being a couple is just one big publicity stunt concocted by the ZPD and City Hall.
(The camera zooms on Judy Hopp's face where they see her biting her lip and tears forming in the corner of her eyes. They also see Nick placing a comforting paw on her shoulder.)
J: I…I committed a grave error in judgment that almost caused a civil war in Zootopia, yes. It was during the press conference that I foolishly speculated that the cause of the predators going savage was because of their DNA. I caused more damage in that one sentence than Bellweather had managed with her attacks. And, I almost lost the best friend I ever had because of that!
(The viewers see Judy turning to Nick, burying her face in his chest while clutching at him, sobbing uncontrollably. They see Nick holding her to him while his tail wraps around her waist, silently consoling her while rubbing her back tenderly. The camera zooms in on Nick and the viewers see moistness in his eyes as well.)
N: You see, Peter, no one knew that we had feelings for one another back then. She had convinced me to give up my hustling ways and I was about to submit my application to the ZPD right after the press conference because of what she saw in me. But her words had hurt me. She had not said it maliciously or deliberately. But it felt like a betrayal because for all her words that anyone could be better than what others saw them to be, she had shown that she herself had been prejudiced. And when I had confronted her with it, she threatened me with fox repellant. My heart broke and I walked away from her.
P: Let's take a short break for now and we'll come back right after these messages.
(The camera pans out leaving the fox and the rabbit holding one another in a tight embrace as Judy continues to sob.)
(The camera pans back to Peter Moosbridge, Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde and the viewers can see that the young couple have managed to collect themselves and are now sitting much closer, with Nick's paw around her waist and his tail in her paws.)
P: And we're back with Nick and Judy from the ZPD. You can imagine, Judy, that because of what you had said at the press conference, predators and prey were practically at each other's throats.
J: Yes, Peter. And even though Nick and I managed to stop the fiendish scheme of former Mayor Bellweather, I continue to see the effect my statements have on the citizens of Zootopia.
P: So, you can see why there is speculation that this is just a ploy by the current mayor and the ZPD to calm down the hostilities between predator and prey. Some are even saying that Nick has forced you into this relationship.
J: That's an unfair accusation, Peter! (The camera focuses on a visibly agitated Judy) Nick has been perceived of being lazy, sneaky, and untrustworthy all his life only because he's a fox! If there's a victim here, it's Nick, not me!
N: It's okay, Carrots. Let me handle this.
J: But Nick…
N: Thanks sweetheart. But you bunnies are too emotional. (This earns Nick a glare from Judy but then the viewer sees her take a deep breath, and exhales.)
J: Okay, Nick. But I'll never stop defending you especially if you're being unjustly accused. (The viewer sees Judy quickly grabbing Nick's tie to pull him to her so that she can kiss his cheek.) My foxy fox.
(The viewers see Nick smiling and kisses Judy on her forehead in return.)
N: That's my sweet bunny. Peter, we're not asking the citizens to accept our relationship. We're asking the citizens of Zootopia to forgive the hurt and the pain, to move on. Just like I did when Judy came back to me three months after the press conference. I was hurt, yes, but I was hurting even more because I missed her. I had let my pride and anger get the better of me. Judy came back to me to ask for forgiveness not knowing that I had forgiven her right after but I was too stupid and stubborn to admit that I, too, had hurt her by walking out without giving her a chance to explain herself.
J: Peter, what mattered was that we forgave each other because in the end, we are not the sum of our errors. We are not defined by the mistakes we make but what we do with the rest of our lives. Both Nick and I have dedicated our lives to serving the citizens of Zootopia. We support each other and have each other's backs as police partners. We are two different jigsaw puzzle pieces that fit perfectly. Together, we are stronger as a team. We just now have the added bonus of exploring a relationship that we were initially hesitant to admit to one another mainly because we were afraid of what society would say. However, if I had continued to let my fears hold me prisoner, I would never have discovered the sweet, wonderful, gentle mammal that my Nick is. His ability to care gives me the hope that we can make Zootopia a better place for every mammal, one day at a time.
N: The same can be said of me. My Judy gives me the strength each day to face my fears. Her boundless energy, her optimism, her drive to see the good in all mammals is what makes each day worth getting up for. I would not be the fox that I am today if not for her.
P: Last question. Have your respective families said anything about your relationship?
N: Mama Wilde was livid for a while. She was mad, not because of our being a predator-prey couple, but because she thought Judy would hurt me again. However, she is reconciled to the fact that I am not able to live without Judy by my side and is now very supportive of our relationship.
J: My parents are still trying to get used to the concept of me being in love with a predator especially because of my history with a classmate of mine back when I was nine years old. Gideon Grey, also a fox, was the class bully and one day, while I was protecting my friends from him, he slashed my left cheek with his claws. Ever since that day, my parents have stockpiled all sorts of anti-fox devices. However, Gideon is a classic example of one becoming better than what others think you are. During my leave of absence from ZPD, I met Gideon again. He was a changed fox and sincerely apologized for the slashing incident. He also started a successful business venture with my parents. It was only then that I realized the biases I had formed where because of the fears my parents had instilled in me. Nick and I will be taking a week off beginning tomorrow where I plan to take him back to Bunnyburrows to meet them. I'm sure once they see how charming and sweet my fox is, they, too, will come around.
P: Thank you both for coming to the studio. We, here, at ZNN, would like to wish you good luck in all your endeavors. We now would like to turn you over to Rex Worthy for a final word.
(The camera pans out from Peter and the young couple. It then fades out and fades in to a badger in a tweed suit seated at another news desk.)
Good evening, Zootopia. The question in every mammals mind is: are these two for real or is this just a publicity stunt? Many mammals would prefer that this is just a publicity stunt because they cannot conceive that love can blossom between a predator and a prey. Others see it as unnatural especially since their inter-species relationship begs the question, "Can they even have kids? If they could, would they be called boxes or funnies?"
In our society, we question the validity of mammals crossing species lines in order to become mates. Why do we find it hard to accept that two mammals being different species are able to find love yet we do not question mammals being of the same species yet from different backgrounds able to do so? What would the difference be? Would it be it their physical attributes? Their anatomy? That they eat food based on the fact that one may be an herbivore and the other a carnivore? Could it be that prey continue to have an instinctual fear of predators despite the fact that we have been a civilized society for thousands of years and predators no longer see prey as food? That predators no longer hunt prey since it is easier and far more convenient to walk into a grocery store, restaurant or order online for their meals?
Here we have a classic example of two historical natural enemies: a rabbit and a fox. As we were taught in our history lessons, many eons ago, foxes hunted rabbits for food while maintaining their population so that they would not overrun the earth. One a predator, the other, prey. Let us now fast-forward to today and let me show you a few clips taken before and during the interview.
(Over the badger's shoulder, we see a scene where Judy and Nick are struggling to walk into the ZNN studio while surrounded by a crowd of photographers and a mob of angry anti-interspecies protestors composed mostly of prey animals. We see a llama throwing what appears to be a tomato at Nick. Suddenly, there is a blur of grey and we next see Judy taking down the llama in a classic police maneuver. As the camera zooms in on her, the viewer can hear her on top of the llama, growling at him as if she had fangs and claws. She is suddenly picked up by Nick who carries her into the studio while the other ZPD officers swoop down and arrest the llama. The next scene cuts to the portion of the interview where Judy is crying her heart out while being embraced by Nick. The view is from a different angle and the focus is on Nick's tail, which is protectively wrapped around Judy.)
Prey. Predator. We bandy these titles about as if to determine what our status in society should be. We automatically limit each other, accusingly saying you cannot be more than what I've said you are. You are this therefore you cannot be that. Yet, here we see a rabbit acting like a predator, protecting her mate. And a fox, avoiding conflict and using his tail, to tenderly comfort his mate, as if he were prey.
Good mammals of Zootopia, instead of classifying and reviling these two for being in a predator-prey relationship, why can we not see beyond that? Why can't we see that there are two mammals who are deeply in love with one another despite knowing that at any time in their careers, one of them could be suddenly taken away? These two mammals have proven their worth and dedication to the citizens of Zootopia and put their lives on the line daily to protect and serve us. Surely, we, as decent and civilized mammals, can allow them to live their lives free from scorn and hatred? Till next time, this is Rex Worthy.