Immemorial (Indivisible)

Hey all. And so the story continues. Disclaimer: Zootopia and its characters are copyright, Disney. (I own none of the characters in the story aside from the O/C's.).

A huge thank you goes out to JKnight97 for reading and editing the final copy of the chapter and his overall inspiration to the story, and White-Rabbit-Art for the art that was commissioned and inspired me.

Picture here: 
. : R E M E M B E R : .  (Winter's DA)

Remembering at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (JKnight's DA)

Special thank you goes to: Sergeant Sargent II(FanFiction), senestran, JadeHopps, StarWisherMidnight, FROSTStudios45, and DrummerMax64 for allowing me to either use their characters or sharing a story in honour of Memorial Day.

Indivisible

Nick and Judy traveled along the path the moment Bogo had told them to go. It was quiet, somber... daunting as the cascade of strong oak trees passed them by.

While it was a simple task for the two rookie cops to follow the pig, their steps were ladened with grief, and their hearts sank below their badges.

Hearing the light click of Nick's foot-claws, Judy sighed. She was grateful that he had come here with her, and more than happy to have him still standing by her side after this whole ordeal. Yet... in her mind, she faulted herself for causing him to be there in the first place.

Again, she felt like she failed everyone.

Mulling over the severity of her actions (to her, lack thereof) something brushed against her tail. And knowing full well that Nick was a prankster - more so of a complete child with everything that he did - she scrunched up her face and stared at him, only to relax her features the moment she saw the pain held deep within his eyes.

"You okay, Carrots?" he asked quietly, playfully swishing his tail into her. Nervously he scratched at the nape of his neck as if he was dreading the answer he already knew she would say. "You haven't been yourself since... it happened."

Judy was sure it was just to ease her tension, but she was glad for the distraction on the path. In the short time that Nick had been there on the force with her, he made her job (and life) a little more difficult, but also a lot more exciting. Just about everything he did was frustrating and endearing to some degree, she couldn't imagine being there without him now.

But still, his words made her shudder. He didn't have to come here.

Before long, she stopped on the pathway. Her eyes veered off to the side where she saw the glimmer of orange sun reflecting off of a large lake, and Nick stopped just ahead of her.

Judy's paws started to tremble. "I should've acted, Nick." her voice was squeaky and her vision was blurred. "I-I just-"

She was silenced by the fox gently placing his paws on her shoulders, and bending down to her eye level.

The Nick's paw slowly wiped away at her chin, and her amethyst eyes stared deeply into his own. The tired expression he bore had long since left form that was full of compassion.

"Carrots," he whispered, drawing a slow breath. "You... I mean we-"

Being here somewhat upset him. The somber truth about one passing so close was something that Nick hadn't considered in a long while. And to think that it may have been Judy had he not acted instinctively in order to protect her? Still, though, the fox's head hung a little lower and his ears couldn't stand. If only I acted sooner...

A stern "Ahem," stopped Nick from expressing his thoughts. And though flustered more than anything that he didn't get a chance to speak to Judy about the issue, the fox's curiosity lead him to turn around.

Just a few meters away, a pig stood in the middle of the path; either side of her was lined with floral decorations of some kind. From that distance, they looked exactly like Swinton, but something was off about them.

For one she was clad in dress blues much like his and Judy's: badge proudly displayed, emblems of the ZPD on both shoulders, and immaculately maintained. The only real difference was the oversized hat that covered the small tuft of hair and flattened her ears. Her lime-green eyes stared at them, unmoving and as stalwart as the chief's themselves.

She huffed at them. "So you're Nick. Aren't you?" The flash of her hoof shot directly at him and he swallowed before nodding. It wasn't even a second before she shifted to his partner. "Then that makes you Judy."

The doe nodded and questioningly looked at Nick. It was clear that this wasn't Swinton. A guard of the park or officer on patrol maybe, but definitely not the Assistant Mayor of Zootopia.

Satisfied with her find, the pig did a heel-face turn and waved for them to follow. "C'mon. We've been expecting you two."

A bit taken aback from both her appearance and the fact that she said they were being expected, the partners cautiously followed.

Their short walk behind the swine lead them onto an open field with rolling hills. Amidst the waving sea of green grass was an array of large white stones that stretched out as far as one could see, and farther beyond that still.

Being near the crest of one of the hills and walking down cemented stairs, Judy could see numerous mammals gathered scattered about. It took her only a second to realize where they were and she instantly felt her heart shatter.

They were at the Meadowlands Memorial Gravesite.

As slowly as her feet let her, the doe tiptoed down each step. Going only at a snail's pace, she was surprised to see Nick beside her the whole time. Why's he doing this? she wondered. Is he trying to cheer me on? Does he feel responsible too?

It took them a full minute to reach the landing of the short flight of stairs, and had Friedkin been around she would have likely judged them on their timing.

When they had both finally set foot in front of a rather impatient looking porcine police officer, the sow sighed and shook her head. "I'm told to get you, and you drag your feet like they have anchors on them."

Judy barely managed to mumble a 'sorry' as that's how she felt: weighted down.

The pig dismissed their behavior and lead them to the first line of headstones off the path. Each of them were etched with names of those long since gone and every single one of them waved a small flag on its top.

What was curious to Judy was that they weren't all Animalia flags that were waving. No. Nearly all the countries that she had known of were represented to some degree.

As she pondered this, a familiar voice (strong and bold) picked her ear up; though only just a little. "About time you got here. I was wondering if you'd gotten lost." Judy looked around and caught sight of not one, but two other pigs quickly approaching them.

One of which she knew was Assistant Mayor Swinton from the uniform and decorations. The other, though similar in features - clearly female and clad in a floral designed business suit - was completely unfamiliar.

It wasn't until the two other pigs had joined their small group and casually spoke to one another that Judy fit the last piece of the puzzle. "There's three of you?"

Their small talk ceased and it was the one dressed in her military uniform that spoke. "Yes, dear. There are three of us."

"I'm Delilah, Assistant Mayor, and the smart one," she said, waving off the stares of her sisters nodding of her left. "I see you've met Maria. Corrections Officer, and the strict one," The sow in dress blues huffed and Delilah continued. "And this is Nora. Social Service Worker, and the one you don't want to cross." The only one among them not dressed in some form of service uniform gave them a quick nod of approval.

Unsure whether to wave or salute, Judy took the later option only to be stopped midway by the trio of pigs starting to walk away.

"Follow us," commanded Delilah, taking point in their group and heading down one of the aisles of graves. "Your chief told us you'd need someone to show you around."

Silently, Judy and Nick did so. They weaved and wove around headstones, mindful not to disturb the resting places just beneath. It was far quieter than either could have imagined and so much more peaceful despite the memories that every step brought.

Being so far in, both wanted to let their minds just wander and not think of the past, but the few others there drew their attention. They passed by numerous mammals, none of which Judy recognized, but Nick surely knew.

One of them, a Corsac Fox, knelt in front of a grave. He wore a multi-cam uniform with his sleeves rolled back. The silver tags that hung loosely around his neck swayed in rhythm to the slow brush of his tail. He spoke in a low tone that Judy couldn't pick up, and he eyed Delilah for no more than a second before turning back to the headstone.

Before long, they stopped; an immeasurable number of graves around them, but just one they came to see.

The Swinton sisters wordlessly surrounded the marker, each one of them at its feet as they as they stood to face the engraving above. And, in unison, they all saluted it as if they were graduating from the academy. Not the moment after, a deep bellowing sound resonated throughout the area.

Judy's ears lifted themselves halfway to pinpoint the source of the sound, and in doing so, she saw several tall poles bearing speakers atop them. The hum of a tune that played was familiar enough to her: a bugler sounding 'Taps'.

Not fully understanding who this mammal was, or their significance to the pigs, Judy followed suit- for once, Nick beat her to it, he snapped to attention the second they did.

For nearly a minute they held their pose as the music played. Deep breaths drawn, and the warm spring breeze lightly brushing through their fur, they paid their respects to one fallen in the field of many. And even when the music ceased, the few that stood around the grave held their salute for a moment longer before they finally came to ease.

A long beat of silence held them each. There was a curiosity about it all that drew Judy more and more into what was happening.

It was Nora who answered her unspoken inquiry. "This is our father, Guillen Swinton."

Sure enough, etched, embezzled, and embossed into the large white headstone was the pig's name. The two officers now knew why they were there: to gain perspective about their service.

Judy whispered a quick 'sorry for your loss' before Delilah stopped her.

"We all know what happened, and nobody blames you for it, either of you." The sow's tone was soft and almost motherly. "Did you know him?"

Nick scratched his chin and responded, "Not... not a lot."

As the two cops hung their heads in remorse, their memories overlapped one another.

It had been nearly two weeks since the day of that call that brought them here. A simple evening patrol turned into a tragic chase. It started off like the few others that she had experienced with Nick, but he was not a little more experienced.

And while he was still a rookie trying to fit his way in, one of their newest had been assigned to the beat from another precinct: a possum that went by the name Phillips (Phil for short), though Kyle was his first name.

Phil had come to their division and became instant friends with Nick. He had even given him his tacky 'Nick' names within ten seconds: 'Philosum-posum', 'Twitchy Tail', and (for whatever reason) 'Boomerang'. Oddly enough, Judy couldn't tell if he hated them or not.

He had only been there a few days when he was called in to assist their patrol. The three of them were in hot pursuit of several thieves, none of which were armed but they were undeniably cunning.

They had chased them into one of the busy parts of Savanna Central and nearly had them cornered down an alleyway. When their vehicle came to a stop and they had to chase on foot, Phil had taken point due to his better vision.

That's when things went horribly, completely wrong.

By the time Judy heard her name being called, a vehicle that had been hidden away had torn down the alleyway at incredible speed. In its blinding light that the three cops had to shield themselves from, not even excellent night vision would aid any of them in their cause.

Stunned, Judy felt herself being forced to the ground, a heavy force falling next to her. Blinking slowly from the ordeal, she managed to force her eyes open for a moment and saw that Nick was on the ground with her.

Mind a haze from the spots in her vision, she looked up to see the possum with paws stretched out and blinking, the car barreling towards him.

The hike of her breath as she reached out was cut short as the vehicle zoomed over them, her ears rung from the sound of the exhaust heading out of the alleyway.

By the time the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Nick and Judy could only look on in horror as their friend lay motionless a few feet away.

Try as they might they couldn't revive him.

The funeral had taken place a few days later and not in the city as he had requested to be buried back in his hometown of Podunk. Neither of them were the same since.

Maria stepped forward. "You two did what you could back then. Alright?" The two didn't say a word but looked her straight in the eye.

Judy started to mouth a few words. "I-"

But Delilah stopped her. "The city did well in planning this place."

The pig's voice was stern and she looked all around at the grave markers. "All the gravestones face west, always towards the setting sun. Ushering in a new tomorrow for every time the sun rises on the rest of the city."

Nick looked towards the ground and sure enough (being past high-noon) the shadows pointed east and the lettering faced west.

"We were all saddened at our father's passing, and yes it hurt our family tremendously. But it didn't stop us from being who we are today."

The slight shuffling of the three all looking at the grave made the moment tense.

"It was 32 years ago, we were barely teenagers," said Maria, holding her breath as she smoothed her hoof over the grave marker. "We remember the day that his superior stood at our door and handed our mother a letter. She held us and cried for hours as we were all told that his plane went down and he couldn't be recovered.

"This grave is actually empty, but we come here every year to remember at least some part of him. He meant so much to us, and his family in the Airforce was our family as well."

Judy couldn't look at the grave as she couldn't imagine the feeling. What about Phil's family? she wondered, not knowing if he had any outside of the city.

"But," Delilah spoke up, stopping the doe from further blaming herself. "His sacrifice drove us to find our lot in life. It would do him, and so many others a dishonour to give up."

The pig's hoof traced over her badges as she smiled warmly at the two cops. "I followed in his hoof-prints and joined the Airforce," She tilted her head to the other officer among them. "Maria joined the police to defend the city," Her hoof waved at the last one with them. "And Nora went into social services because our father always taught us to protect the lives of those less fortunate."

Judy and Nick were speechless. Neither of them could have fathomed the influence that one life had on so many others long after they departed.

Nora nodded. "I'm sure you-" Her eyes narrowed and she looked past the two cops. "You there!" she shouted, forcing all eyes to turn and see a deer twisting his hoof on the ground and quizzically staring back. "Pick that cigarette up! This is a grave site, NOT AN ASHTRAY!"

Instantly, the buck shrugged. Delilah grunted. "If you don't pick that up, I'll have you court martialed!"

Taken aback, the buck picked up the carelessly tossed cigarette but and walked away. He mumbled something that none of them cared to hear.

Judy raised a brow at the Assistant Mayor. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Pfft. No," She laughed, "I can't court martial them, but it's fun to say and it shows that he doesn't know exactly what it means. Honestly, I just said that to stop Nora from choking him."

As the aforementioned sister chuckled, they silently acknowledged that Delilah was right: Nora was the one you didn't mess with.

Still, Maria had more for them. "As I was saying. I'm sure that either of you has some story that someone in your family told you."

They stared at each other for a moment when the question came their way. But before either could speak out, Maria started waving by them.

"Heya!" she called, greeting a swiftly approaching wolverine.

The predator casually strode over to them, mindful of the grave markers as they did themselves. When he got to the group, Nick curiously looked at him as if had never seen him before.

In a deep grey shirt and blue jeans, the mustelid smiled at them. The fox raised a brow at the scar on his muzzle and wondered how it got there. Just above that, his left eye was almost bloodshot and below that he was missing a fang.

Maria cleared her throat. "This is Mr. d'EntreMonde. He assisted the city in Nighthowler research." The wolverine greeted them, shaking their paws and hooves all around. The porcine policemammal brightened her smile and continued. "Would you mind telling them about your Great Grandfather?"

The mustelid nodded and began, his accent heavily Furrench. "My Great Grandfather survived WWI. He was lucky to be alive as he was buried under a mound of dirt when the trenches were bombarded. When he was dug up, as well as a few others, they named it the 'Bayonet Trench' as many bayonets were sticking out. He may not have died like his brothers in arms in the trenches, but something died in him because he was never the same.

"So I'll forever honour the memory of his brothers for him, and always be thankful for the soldiers, police officers, firefighters and all those put their lives in danger for the others. Because they are the reason we can be proud to be mammals and not savage animals."

Nick and Judy stood still as the story was told. Now having the insight that such a life was nearly taken, but instead survived the horrors of war, they each had a story to tell.

And it was the fox who went first.

He chuckled and scratched at the nape of his neck. "'Ol Slick used to tell me a story or two."

Judy looked at him with an air of wonder. It wasn't often that he would tell anything about his family at all. "Your father served?"

His tail stopped swishing and he coughed into his paw. "No... no not him. He told me my grandfather was... enlisted," His ears fell and he looked towards the graves. "And he left the country after his brother died."

Much to Nick's surprise, the three pigs didn't scoff. Instead, he felt a hoof on his arm.

Delilah stared at him and warmly smiled. "Then I don't blame him, Nick." His head craned towards the field of graves and he couldn't help but feel distant. "When you have the kind of fear that grips you to desert, then you shouldn't be on the field. It does more harm to you and your fellows than good."

Giving her a smirk of his own, the pig clasped her hooves together. "I can only hope that he lived a life that exemplified the best of what he was capable."

Stunned by the fact that none of his family was berated for doing what was expected of their species, Nick replied, "Yeah, actually. Mom said he went into veterinary."

The sow acknowledged this with a quick 'mhm' before looking at her father's grave. "You see... not everyone has the heart to serve, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't work hard towards a goal that's suited to them. Carelessly throwing your life away as fodder isn't good at all.

"And we need mammals that can accept that. To acknowledge that one's fears would impede them and those around them. Not everyone's suited for the rage of war. Honour. Bravery. Integrity. It isn't just for those that fought in a war, but for those who serve others to the best of their abilities as well. So whether protecting and serving here or there, be true to yourself, and give it your all."

Judy didn't know what to say. Did I give it my best? she thought.

She had frozen in the middle of a chase, let her fear impede her, and failed one of her own. But... did she give it her best? Could her acting quickly have saved a life or made another grave?

Before she could answer herself, Maria asked her, "Do you have a story, Hopps?"

The spotlight falling on her, Judy mulled over anything she may have known and gave a little smile from what she had to share. "Grandpa did have a few," she began, tapping her foot and thinking to her own dilemma. "He told us about the good old days and how difficult it was on the field. How often he heard so many say 'if they had a second more', 'or if they moved then they would have been gone'."

The three pigs nodded, Nora was the one to tell her, "And what matters, Judy is that you learn from this and do your best. You weren't at fault for what happened, you weren't the one behind the wheel. We just hope that the short bond you all shared will bring fond memories and give you the strength to make this a better place."

Now encouraged that she did try and didn't know what could have happened if things went differently, Judy's ears stood up a little. Thought they were essentially still hanging on her shoulders, she could hear heavy footsteps approaching.

"Alright, Fluffbutts!" It was Friedkin who stood just on the other side of the graves, just outside of earshot. Though, to her, it was still in shouting distance. "We got places to go you two! So stop hangin' around the three little pigs and let's move."

The mustelid among them eyed the bear and she smiled.

As the fox and bunny made their way over and waved goodbyes to the Swinton sisters, both of them caught a little bit of their conversation.

"Honestly, when is she going to ask him out?" asked Delilah.

There was a little snicker of laughter before Maria replied, "The same day you ask yours."

The last thing they heard as they set foot back on the path was a gasp and a howl.

Neither cop knew where they'd be going next, but from the hasted pace of the polar bear, they could only assume it would be a learning experience.

Hey all, I hope you're enjoying the story so far.

Special thanks to all who shared their stories here, as well as two guest appearances. Thank you all for this, and I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day and got to thank a vet or remember a story about a loved one.

That being said, there are two more chapters and I hope to leave behind a little something for all of you ^_^

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Happy Memorial Day
-DLW