Nick shake paws. This gesture changed the atmosphere completely. Then Nana Bernardine gave Nick a hug. The silence was absolute.

Cletus, frowning, spoke up.

"I wouldn't have expected it from you, Shep."

"I am well aware, Cletus," said Sheriff Shepard, turning to him, "of your thoughts concerning certain folks in this community. What you do and say on your farm and in your home is your business. But when you're in town, were I am in charge, you will keep a civil tongue in your head, and you will refrain from hurling unwarranted insults at your neighbours. Otherwise, I will be forced to make use of the authority vested in me as sheriff of this county and lock you up for a night."

"Now see here, Shep," said Cletus, no longer shouting. "Your pa was a good sheriff, and so was his pa. I have mad respect for the Shepard family."

"And I appreciate it, don't think I don't. And to that I add the following: I would place my paws in the fire for Officer Nicholas Wilde," said Shepard. "He is an example of integrity, valour and honesty, everything a police officer must be."

"And I would jump into a lake in mid-January for Officer Wilde," said old Nana Bernardine. "If it hadn't been for his invaluable help in solving the case of the carnival hypnotist, which you are all here no doubt aware of, I would have been wrongfully imprisoned along with several other innocent folk, some of which are here present this morning."

She looked affectionately at Amber, whom she recognised from the papers.

"Officer Wilde is the most deserving of our trust in the whole wide world, and I want it understood in no uncertain terms that I would entrust my life into his paws."

Everyone was quiet as a tomb. They all respected and loved Nana Bernardine. She was the oldest member of the community and her opinion was treated with deference. Judy hugged Nick's arm tight as she felt everyone's eyes on her and Nick.

"Go ahead," she thought to herself, looking at Cletus. "Say something, you old windbag."

But he didn't. Not for a long while. Then finally…

"Alright," said Cletus. "I know when I'm beat. Out of respect to my oldest childhood friend, dear Nana Bernardine, I'll concede. I'll hold my tongue and let you whippersnappers do what you have to do."

"Much obliged," said Shepard.

The people waited in silence as Sheriff Shepard helped Nana Bernardine up onto the stage and pulled up a chair for her. Then Old Ben and Barkins sat at either side of Nana Bernardine, and Shepard took his place at the podium, and the meeting began.

Preston Keyes was lazing off on his sofa, looking out the window of his penthouse. He casually turned the pages of a magazine, looking at the pictures but not reading the actual articles. His phone rang suddenly, and he picked up.

"Are the arrangements done?" asked Preston.

"Yes, sir," said the voice of George Jenkins. "I've arranged everything. The mayor himself will be receiving you at his residence."

"Good," said Preston. "Have Jacques bring the car around. And prepare my luggage. We're leaving in an hour."

"An hour…sir?"

"That is correct," said Preston and hung up, reclining comfortably on his sofa and leaving his underlings to sort out the details.

"…which is why I implore all of you, my dear fellow townspeople, to put aside any petty prejudices and stand together in the face of this crisis," said Judy on the podium, giving a speech for her townspeople. "We were all affected, and it's time to stand together, like our foremothers and forefathers and several of the senior citizens here present did in 1967. My father told all of us how the town stood together during the black rot crisis of '67 and everyone helped each other. It was a historical milestone and showed that it doesn't matter who you are, what matters is what you do for those around you, for those who need you."

She finished. Everyone was silent as they listened to the words of Officer Judy Hopps, the star of the county, as Old Ben would put it.

Then, Nana Bernardine began clapping her paws, and immediately the whole room followed suit.

"Thank you, Officer Hopps," said Donovan Shepard and saluted her with reverence. Judy saluted him back, with a tiny tear of emotion in her eye.

As Judy walked off the stage and back to her seat, her neighbours congratulated her silently as she walked by.

"All of the here present will surely agree that the younger generations are our future," said Sheriff Shepard, once again taking the microphone. "We must set an example for them every day. And it pleases me to say that Officer Hopps and her family, one of the oldest and most upstanding families of Bunny Burrow, serve as a living example of her noble words."

Everyone looked at the Hoppses and their guests: bunnies, foxes, coyote and opossum, all together and united like a solid chain in the face of this crisis. It made everyone reflect upon the words that Judy had spoken earlier.

"I am proposing a committee," said Shepard. "An emergency committee which shall be formed by citizens of this town. Anyone who wishes to become a member shall step forward and present themselves, and the town shall vote. Among the responsibilities of this committee, the primary one shall be raising funds to help those most affected by the crisis, which shall be deposited in a bank account designated for that purpose and the number of which shall be of public knowledge. All essential resources to survive the winter shall be purchased with those funds. Any person who wishes to donate may do so to that account, and the breakdown of all expenses shall be published in the Bunny Burrow Journal at the end of every week."

Several nods of approval and some applause.

"Excuse me, Sheriff," said a lovely, feminine voice in the back.

Everyone looked around and saw the dazzling figure of Amber, standing in the aisle with her paw raised.

"May I please be granted permission to speak to the town?" asked Amber politely.

Shepard had to shake himself a little to snap out of the trance of seeing such a beautiful figure.

"Of course, dear lady," said Shepard. "By all means."

Amber moved gracefully along the aisle, with everyone looking at her as she walked. She walked up the steps of the stage and Shepard offered his paw and helped her onto the podium.

"Honoured citizens of this lovely town of Bunny Burrow," said Amber in a voice so enthralling that it made the whole room fall silent. So silent that they could hear the October wind swaying the branches of trees outside. "My name is Amber Beverly Latrans, and I work as a Forensic Specialist at the Zootopia Police Department, and I am proud and honoured to be the colleague of the distinguished Officers Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde."

Several people looked at Judy and Nick.

"Not very long ago," continued Amber. "I was wrongfully accused of a crime, in the exact same circumstances that our dear Nana Bernardine was," she looked affectionately at the old Nana, who smiled back, delighted by the sight of such a young and beautiful lassie, "and would have been sitting in a prison cell, were it not for the brave and cunning efforts of Officers Hopps and Wilde. That event was a life-changer for me, and I decided to become a police forensics specialist inspired by their courageous example. And now, I wish to pay my debt to them in some way, shape or form, by helping you kind townsfolk in this time of great crisis."

She paused, allowing the people to reflect on her words.

"Bunny Burrow is a wonderful community, and since my arrival here, I have been treated like a sister, daughter and friend," said Amber, looking lovingly at the Hoppses. "If a city girl and an outsider like me can feel welcome in the bosom of your lovely town, then surely you who have lived here all your lives can come together and help each other in this time of great need. We are all facing this crisis together. There is no us and them. It's just we, and we must stand united and leave behind the mistakes of our ancestors, complementing each other, being all members of the same RPG party and working together to defeat the evil and overcome the hardships ahead of us."

The townsfolk were touched by her words. Even Cletus was silent and brooding, listening without twitching a muscle.

"I have isolated the cause of your problems. For very important reasons, I cannot disclose the full details at this moment, but you have my word of honour that you shall all learn the whole story when the time is right. For now, what you must know is that your lands have been impoverished and devoid of essential nutrients for your crops to grow. Nitrogen, so important to the development of plants, has been almost completely depleted from your lands."

There were some murmurs, heads huddled together, but everyone went silent as Amber began to speak again.

"The solution to this crisis is a simple one, but it shall require all of your help. My assistant and I have successfully discovered how to stop any further damage to your soil," said Amber, and the Hoppses all smiled, knowing that she meant Penny. "We shall need to ask each and every one of you to help. In order to stop any further damage, salt water shall be required, and your irrigation systems. We must irrigate all your fields with a solution of salt in a specific concentration. I can personally oversee this operation if you will allow me to

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Next page