Zootopia: The Visitor

Prints

  We pulled up to the scene in a park, bordering on the forest. The bear could've been anywhere in there. I hopped out after Judy as soon as we came to a halt and followed her into the area. I was really starting to wonder what exactly she wanted to show me that was so hard to explain in words. There were a few officers there talking. When they noticed we had arrived, they stared at us. I knew each of their names. Officer Heffalumps, an elephant. Kato, a tiger. And Ursus, a polar bear. I couldn't tell if they held Judy and me in high regard or not, but they didn't say anything. As Judy ducked under the border tape that read "POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS," I did the same, and we eventually came to a large tent that had been set up over something. Something they didn't want the snow to cover. We entered and what I saw next was somewhat discomforting.

  "Well, looks like a pretty sweet wrestling match happened here," I said, staring at the bear tracks and serious displacement of the snow on the ground. There were dabs of blood where somebody had been slashed. I looked at Judy. "This is all very interesting Carrots, but I know what happened. This only confirms what I've already heard."

  "Yes, but that's not what I wanted to show you," she said, turning in the other direction, and stopping in front of something in the snow. I came up beside her to see what she was talking about. She pointed to a set of footprints. I shook my head. "Really? This is what you wanted to show me? What's so hard to explain about a footprint, huh?" I complained, disappointed that I'd come all this way for a hole in the snow.

  Judy tapped her foot impatiently. "No, Nick. Look at the shape of it. Have you ever seen anything like that?"

  I studied it for a moment. The footprint was long, curvy, and rounded on both ends. "A rabbit, maybe?" I guessed half-heartedly.

  She looked at me like I was stupid. "You're kidding me, right? Nick, look at my foot. Look at it closely. Now, look at that print. Number one: it's too big to be a rabbit. Second of all: look at that thing. It doesn't have any toes!"

  My skepticism didn't diminish. "Alright, so we can't identify the print at the moment, but what does it have to do with the attack?"

  "It just doesn't fit, and not only is it out of place, but it followed the bear tracks into the woods."

  "Followed?" I asked, wondering why she had used the word in a past tense.

  "They were covered by the snow shortly after we found them, but they left a clue that might make our suspect easier to find. Look at that,"

  I came in closer and squatted to see that there was a pattern inside of the print. "What kind of animal has feet like that?" she asked, knowing I'd been stumped too.

  I stayed silent. There was no denying that there was something off here.

  "And that's not even the best part. Look right there," she pointed to a particular spot on the footprint. It was text, very small, and backward, so I had to squint to read it. "Convese- Converse... Air-Stacks? No, All-Stars. Converse All-Stars," I finished, intrigued over finding something like that in a footprint. Judy nodded, confirming what I had read. "What does that mean, 'Converse All-Stars?'"

  Judy stroked her chin, already deep in thought. "Well, unless these prints were made by some robot, which I think we can safely cut from the list of possibilities, then the animal that made these had to be wearing something over their feet."

  "You mean... like shoes? What kind of animal would wear shoes out here? Aren't those just some sort of fashion statement these days?" I asked, not able to piece the whole thing together.

  "Not necessarily. In the old days, many animals would wear shoes if their feet were tender enough. It's easy to cut yourself on something out in the woods, which is where we assume the animal went, not to mention the cold. Your feet wouldn't last if you walked around in the snow without anything on over them for a prolonged period of time, so who's to say this guy's would either?"