Camp Wi-Hop

Camp Wi-Hop

Chapter One

Nick Wilde was really digging his gig as a scoutmaster for the Junior Ranger Scouts. It was a great way to blow off steam—to turn the nervous energy and frustration Bogo brought out in him into something better. But he didn’t have as much time to devote to it as he’d like. Soon, though, that would change.

Summer had arrived. With scores of young Zootopians out of school, JRS activities were in full swing. Just over a week ago, Nick had heard through the JRS grapevine that they were looking to reinstate a summer camp they’d started awhile back. Enrollment had been down in recent years, and only now did they see enough interest to revisit it. But there was a catch.

Most of the JRS programs were day camps, or one, maybe two, night trips with small groups. But this one was open to more—30 campers, max, for the whole month of August—and they would need counselors to keep them in line.

Nick had been the first to sign up, though it took him only a second to realize what a drag it would be if Judy wasn’t there with him. So he signed her name right next to his. (Married or not, they were still best friends—and, between the two reasons, together so often that it hadn’t taken him long to figure out how to forge her John Hamhock.) That afternoon during their lunch break, he confessed to the deed.

“So, Carrots.” He stood with his back to the break room counter, one paw splayed against it at a jaunty angle, the other holding his tofu wrap. “You know how I’ve been volunteering with the Junior Ranger Scouts?” She nodded, munching on a mouthful of salad, then swallowed.

“Yeah! That’s great, Slick. I’m really proud of you. How’s that going? From what you’ve told me so far, it sounds like it would be fun.”

“Well, it’s funny you should say that, Fluff, because...How would you like to find out?” Judy’s eyes lit up for a split second before the implication sank in.

“Nick—what did you do?”

“Nothing drastic. They needed counselors for an overnight camp; I wanted to do it, but I knew I’d be lonely without my favorite bunny around, so...I signed us both up.” Judy gave a long-suffering sigh. Then she smiled, shook her head, and stood to rinse her dishes at the sink.

“You’re crazy. But it sounds awesome, so I’m in.” She strode over, eyes glittering with mischief, and waited patiently for him to finish eating before she yanked him by his collar and kissed him on the cheek. Relief and anticipation flooded the fox. But then… “How long’s it for?” Nick swallowed hard.

“August.” Judy’s jaw dropped.

“All of August?! An entire month?!” Suddenly, she was eerily calm.

“So—what exactly did Bogo say when you told him about this?”

“I--haven’t told him yet.” The bunny’s breath came in an exasperated exhale.

“Of course you didn’t. To Bogo’s office, now.” She all but shoved him out the door, staying one step behind him the whole way.

Luck was on their side. A pair of newlywed officers from Tundratown, Jack and Skye Savage, were being temporarily assigned to Precinct One, and would take Nick and Judy’s place in the interim. The Savages were said to be amazing cops—when they weren’t canoodling on the job. Their chief figured Bogo could knock some sense into them...So to speak. And because Judy and Nick had been in that boat once, they hoped the buffalo didn’t take that directive literally.

Chapter Two

Bright and early on the morning of August 1^st, Nick and Judy found themselves on a bus out of the city. All thirty spots in the camp had filled up, which meant they had as many pairs of eyes watching them intermittently during the ride. There was also Elaine, a raccoon neighbor of the Hopps’ who often volunteered her time to transport for JRS events. Now and then she eyed them in the rear-view mirror and smiled.

“I think Elaine knows something we don’t,” Nick whispered to his wife. “Like maybe how these guys are well-behaved now, but as soon as we get off this bus, it’s...” He mimed dragging a claw across his throat. Judy laughed and rolled her eyes.

“You and your dramatics. I grew up with 275 siblings--stick with me, and you’ll be fine.” Nick smiled.

“I know. That’s why I forged your signature—which, by the way, I’m glad I did.” Judy smiled back at him.

“Me, too...Just don’t do it again.”

“So, Elaine,” Nick called out, trying to make sense of the map he’d stashed in his bag, “Where are we going, exactly…?”

“Deerbrook County Municipal Park,” replied the sow.

“Park?” Nick echoed indignant. “That’s it?”

“It’s not really a park,” Judy clarified. “It’s a Certified Flora Reserve.”

“Gotcha. Wait...Deerbrook County? Is this place in Podunk?” Fox and rabbit grinned at the memory.

“Nope, that’s the next town over. I forget the name; I’ve never been.”

“Then how’d you know it was a Certified Flora Reserve.”

“You see, I grew up in a family where plant husbandry is kind of a thing...”

“Shut your tiny mouth now.” Nick added the next words from Weaselton’s documentary. When Judy looked slightly startled, he sent her a smirk. “What? I meant so you’ll stop talking and kiss me.”

“Dumb fox.” And she did.

They arrived just before noon, when the newly-minted counselors decided they would lunch at the picnic area before setting off into the woods. That would give them all time for introductions and a rundown of the rules—not to mention bathroom breaks, if necessary. Elaine helped ensure that all scouts and luggage were loaded off the bus, then called, “See ya, kiddos. Have fun!” Everyone waved to her as she pulled out of the park. This was it; they were on their own.

“O-kay, picnic tables,” Nick murmured, his nose in his map. Meanwhile, he heard lots of giggling going on. ‘What the…?’ he thought, but only looked up when Judy called his name, adding,

“They’re right here,” while standing next to a sign that was a foot from his face. She was laughing, too.

Once the group had convened, happily munching their lunches, Nick started his spiel. “Hey, guys. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Nick Wilde. You can call me Scoutmaster Nick or Scoutmaster Wilde. Either one is fine; just don’t call me late for dinner!” Everyone laughed. “This lovely rabbit is my wife, Judy. This is her first time with the Junior Ranger Scouts, so I want you all to be really nice to her.”

“Hi, everyone! I’m Judy Hopps—Counselor Judy or Counselor Hopps are both fine by me. I grew up here in Bunnyburrow with 275 brothers and sisters, so I love being outdoors and going on adventures with friends; I’m really excited to be here!” That much went off without a hitch.

“Now,” Nick began, “we’d like each of you to tell everyone a little bit about yourselves. Who wants to go first?” A few paws and hooves shot up. But after they’d exhausted the eager ones, there were quite a few left yet to speak.

Halfway though another tofu wrap, Nick didn’t look up when he heard some whispering among the scouts. “Whoever’s whispering,” he said around a mouthful, “it’s your turn.”

“No problem!” came a familiar chipper voice. “We were just about to volunteer.” At this, both Judy and Nick looked up, smiling surreptitiously at one another. “I’m Molly. I like going on adventures, which is why I joined the Scouts. Me and Meghan...Psst!” she whispered to her sister, who peered out of the pouch behind her ear, “are sort of by ourselves, so we like to explore.”

“Hi, girls,” Judy waved, smiling at both of them. “Welcome.”

“Thanks, Ju—ooh,” Meghan nudged Molly’s arm, “Counselor Judy.”

“We know Counselor Nick, too,” Meghan piped up. “We’re friends with both of them. When they aren’t doing scout stuff, they’re police officers.”

A mix of expressions from amazement to fear flickered over the group’s faces. Then came the barrage of questions: Have you ever arrested anybody? Did you bring your tasers? Are you going to arrest us? It went on...and on...and on.

At long last a whistle sounded—then, silence. The instigator was Meghan, perched atop Molly’s head. “That stuff is only for bad guys—grown-up bad guys. Look at it this way—they’ll keep us safe. And they’re lots of fun when you get to know them.” With that, the group was falling all over themselves to share. Afterward, Nick said,

“Nicely done, everyone. Before we get going, any questions?”

A paw arose. “What’s this camp called?” Nick and Judy exchanged puzzled glances. They’d reviewed the rules, the guidebooks—every resource they had—and by all accounts this outing had never really had a name. It was only referred to as ‘the Junior Ranger Scouts Summer Camp’, or something equally lame.

“Okay, time out.” Some were startled by Nick’s pronouncement—that is, until he said, “You guys know the Jeopawrdy! theme song? Hum it.” They complied, and in the time it took for them to finish, Judy and Nick had conferred and come up with a solution.

“Alright, folks, step right up.” Nick became a canid carnie, and his ‘lovely assistant’ added,

“Counselor Nick and Counselor Judy proudly present...”

“Camp Wi-Hop!” they said in unison. Then came the flurry of feedback.

“It’s catchy.”

“It sounds like a breakfast place on my block.”

“Oh, like your two last names! I get it!”

“And, maybe, you know, ‘why hop’? Because you should ‘try everything’ and have fun?”

“‘Wi’ rhymes with ‘fi’, which is short for ‘faithful’ in Latin. And ‘semper’ means ‘always’. So maybe the camp motto should be ‘Semper Wi-Hop’. Every summer camp needs a motto.” The latter two observations came from Meghan and Molly, respectively, and caught the attention of campers and counselors alike.

“Those are some really cool thoughts, guys,” Nick told them. “Thanks for sharing.”

“Let’s take a vote,” Judy decided. “Who likes Molly’s idea?” The verdict was unanimous.

Nick grinned. “Awesome! We have a name, motto and all! Alrighty, Camp Wi-Hop huddle. ‘Wi-Hop’ on three: One, two, three...”

“WI-HOP!”

“Any more questions?” Judy asked. There was in fact a taker.

“Molly said you guys know Mayor Horse. Is that true?” Judy laughed.

“We’ll talk about that around the campfire tonight.” The scouts cheered.

Chapter Three

That night, long after the campers went to bed, Nick lay side-by-side with Judy in their tent, nuzzling her. “Whoa—if those motor mouths had kept that up, they would’ve kept us up all night!”

“Like you’re doing right now?” Judy murmured sleepily, but smiled. “What kind of friends would we be if we didn’t continue the Mayor’s tradition of telling stories?”

“Good point,” smiled Nick. “And it’s not our fault if he’s made it impossible to run out of good ones! They loved the one where he dropped his shoe in cake batter.” Nick started to laugh. “Remember the one where he dated a unicorn impostor?” Judy laughed a little, but then her expression hardened.

“If you try to tell the scouts that one ever again, I will slip a pine cone onto your seat when you’re not looking.” Nick chuckled.

“Oh, so now you and your army of plants are gonna drive me out of the woods? FYI, I’ve lived on the streets, Fluff. I’m not scared of a little dirt and leaves.”

“Nobody said anything about driving you away...But driving you crazy? That’s definitely happening.” She smiled up at him.

“Let’s keep that between us, okay, Carrots?”

“Keep what between us? You don’t want the scouts to know that their big, tough counselor is scared of a wittle wabbit?” In the dark, Judy could hear Nick’s smile.

“Someone has taught you well—which I know, because it was me.” He paused. “But I meant the ‘driving me crazy’ thing. We should be a united front for the scouts, you know?” Considering what this institution had put him through once upon a time, Judy was in awe.

“That’s really noble of you, Nick. I...” Cuddling up against him, she paused when her tail touched a stiff something. “Cheese and crackers!” Nick’s eyes laughed down at her.

“What’s the matter Carrots? Is there a stick in your sleeping bag? As I was saying, please do save the ‘driving me crazy’ part for the ‘night shift’, if you will. I’ve been looking forward to it.”

“So I gather,” answered Judy, slightly annoyed.

When all was said and done—for the night—Judy was in a considerably better mood. And Nick seemed to be feeling pensive. “I’m sorry for all the times I made fun of your plant husbandry. You’re very good at it, and you enjoy it. So I hope you know that you’re just as good—no, even better—at fox husbandry.”

“Har, har.” But he tipped her chin up to look at him, and she saw that despite the joke, sincerity sparkled in his eyes.

“Thanks, Nick,” she said softly, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Chapter Four

It was only three weeks into the camp session when Judy realized something was off. She’d bailed out of a hike that morning after waking up to a queasiness that wouldn’t quit. She wondered if some of the food they’d prepared had been iffy...but it couldn’t have been, because nobody else was sick. Judy spent the day bemoaning her predicament while bent over the bushes.

When two, then three, then four days passed like a case of deja-vu, Nick insisted she go back to the city to see her doctor. She really hated to leave him, even though they’d ended up with a good bunch. That made it worse, really...she’d miss them. But when Molly and Meghan both offered their services as ‘Junior Counselors’, Judy was out of excuses. After exchanging goodbyes with Nick and the scouts, she took the train out of Deerbrook and back to Zootopia, hoping she might see some of those scouts next year.

Roughly three weeks later, Judy had just come back from the doctor. It had taken awhile to secure an appointment, but she hadn’t been there two minutes before she was sent to her OBGYN. It was funny what medicos could do if they put their minds to it…!

And now, alone in the apartment she shared with Nick, Judy was staring at another stick; their exact uses were different, but their purposes interrelated. Through vision blurred by happy tears, Judy could see the impossible—a tiny blue plus sign.

“That’s crazy!” she shouted at no one but herself. “My doctor—both our doctors—said it could never…!” Yet hers had confirmed it earlier that day, and Judy had left the office in search of a stack of sticks to back it up. She’d been using them throughout the day, and they’d all said the same. She was down to this, the last one—and as she held it in her shaking paw, it, too, showed blue, same as it had five minutes ago.

She needed to call a specialist. She needed to call her parents, Nick’s mother—and Nick himself, who wouldn’t be home until tomorrow. After a quick clean-up, she headed to the bedroom and dialed his number. When he didn’t answer right away, she panicked. Then, finally...

“Talk to me.”

“Nick!”

“Carrots! I--ha!--didn’t check the Caller I.D. because...” A camper’s voice accused,

“Counselor Nick! You said no phones for an hour!”

“...of that. Hang on.” She heard him speaking softly to the group. “Sorry, guys, but it’s Judy. I gotta take this.” She heard excited whispering in the background, but couldn’t discern the words. “They want to know if you’re feeling better...and so do I. Are you?” Judy smiled a little, and it crept into her tone.

“Sort of...”

“Good, that’s something. You sound tired, Carrots. Go get some rest.”

“I can’t. I mean...I won’t be able to sleep until I tell you...I’m pregnant.” There was a long silence. “Nick?”

“Oh, you’re still there. The reception out here is a little spotty, and it sounded like you said...Never mind.”

“I did say it, Nick. I’m pregnant.”

“Re...ally.” He sighed the word, like he was trying to catch his breath. Judy wished she’d thought to use her cell instead of the landline so she could put on Muzzletime and see him. There was another—pregnant—pause.

“Are you okay, Nick?” she whispered.

“I’m fine.” There was a smile in his voice—a warm, genuine smile that suggested he wanted to say more, but was being watched by his charges. “You?”

“The best,” answered Judy with a smile of her own. “I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?! Oh-ho-ho no...I’m cutting camp short.”

“But, Nick...You can’t...” Even though she wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea, she felt bad for the scouts.

“Sorry, what I said was, ‘nooo’.” Leave it to Nick to quote the documentary at such a time! “It’s one day, Judy. It won’t make any difference to them, but it’ll make a heck of a lotta difference to me. I’ll see you in a few hours. I love you.” They hung up then; suddenly unwilling to continue her plans without Nick by her side, Judy settled in to wait.

Chapter Five

Nick was sitting on a blanket in the middle of an amazing meadow, but he could only see what was in his mind’s eye...a beautiful rabbit with amethyst eyes whom he cherished more than anything. As if reading his thoughts, the scouts descended once more. With them came a thousand questions that the fox felt powerless to satisfy. But suddenly mini-Scoutmaster Meghan gave a mighty whistle from atop her sister’s head, and...silence. Molly approached; concern was etched in each pair of eyes.

“What’s wrong, Nick?” She’d forgotten to call him ‘Counselor’, and nobody seemed to care, which was just as well, because…

“Judy needs me to come home, so I have to cut camp short.” At the mention of Judy’s name, nobody—not Molly, not Meghan, nor any of their friends--wanted to complain. “I’m gonna call Elaine and ask her to pick us up in an hour, so we need to head back to camp and pack.” He stood, beckoning to them. “Let’s move out, troops.”

The hike to camp, the packing, and the ride back to the city were all strangely silent--nobody knew what to say. But as they were pulling into JRS headquarters, Nick made an executive decision. These guys were model scouts—brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy—and they deserved better from him. As they all stood to leave, Nick said, “Hang on a sec, guys.” They all froze. “Can you keep a secret?” Excitement erupted, and Nick looked out into a sea of eager nods. “Remember when Judy and I told you that we’re married?” The nods continued, like so many bobbleheads in a shop window. “Well, when Judy called me this morning, it was to say that...” He broke into a grin. “We’re gonna have a baby.” Cheers burst through the bus, and only after they’d subsided did Elaine open the door; one didn’t work around youngsters this long without knowing how to keep secrets, too.

Molly and Meghan were the last scouts to leave. They hurried up to Nick and gave him the biggest hug, complete with words of encouragement. “Good luck,” Molly told him.

“You’ll be the best dad ever,” Meghan added.

“We’ve been thinking...” Molly went on. “Since you shared your secret with us, we’ll share ours with you.” With that, Meghan jumped from her sister’s head onto Nick’s nose, where she scrambled up to reach his ear. Delighted by her determination—and perhaps slightly ticklish—he laughed. But he sat in sedate silence as she whispered…

“We’re kitties.” Nick’s emerald eyes widened in surprise. “Kitties, eh?” he echoed, smiling. “Well, I beg to differ—You ladies aren’t just kitties, you are the cat’s pajamas.” They all laughed at that, and Meghan hopped back onto Molly’s head. “Semper Wi-Hop!” the sisters said, and Nick hugged them again, just because he could.

Chapter Six

Once Nick was back in the apartment, he abandoned his bags, letting the door ‘thud’ shut behind him. “Judy!” Beaming, she raced into the room and jumped into his open arms. In those waiting hours, it hadn’t quite sunk in, but the moment she made contact with him, everything made sense. She decided then and there to stop asking herself how or why it happened...The science didn’t matter. What mattered was the magic of being in Nick’s arms, and all the joy that seemed to surround them.

“We have calls to make! Who’s first—my mom or your mom?”

“Well, calling your mom involves enduring your dad’s editorializing, which I’d like to get over with, so...” She socked him in the arm.

“Ow! I’m right, and you know it.”

“Yeah...” Her foot was going a mile a minute as she brainstormed. “Got it! Rock, Paper, Scissors, best out of three. Winner chooses who to call first.” Judy won...but, then again, everybody won that day, because soon there would be (a) new little Wilde-Hopps(ses?) in the world.