The Incredimammals

Chapter 1

Ord had waited a long time for this moment, and he wasn't about to let a room full of screaming brats dampen his mood.

The saiga antelope made his way through the clamorous herd of smaller mammals and stood before the ancient Akrotiri fresco, centerpiece of the newest exhibit at the Zootopia Museum of Art. He stared intently at the mural, dominated by the shadowy form of the mighty god Zoose towering over a smaller figure holding up the gem of Epithymoun, which glowed a bright orange in the light from a nearby window.

The antelope shivered in anticipation before he leaned over the rope barrier and tentatively reached for the shining gem, but he froze at the last second. He'd almost forgotten there were cameras everywhere, and getting thrown out of the museum right now would be a disaster. Ord hastily straightened up and was surprised to find a small fox standing next to him.

The newcomer scowled at the antelope and spoke in a deep baritone voice. "I'd be keepin' yo' hooves off the exhibits, if I'z you." Ord ignored him and the fox turned to mumble to himself as he read the plaque next to the fresco. When he was done, the smaller mammal made a rude noise. "Wishing stone? Mammals is so stupid."

Ord chuckled to himself before he cleared his throat and asked, "What would you wish for?" The fox gave him an odd look and he added, "If it were real, of course."

The smaller mammal shrugged. "A huge stack o' sweet simoleons maybe."

The antelope sighed and shook his head. Mammals never changed. Their basest short-sighted desires were always what they thought of first.

As if reading his mind, the fox stroked his chin thoughtfully and added, "Though... some kinda supery-powers would be nice. Like in da comics." The fennec fox glanced over as a russet fox and a grey rabbit stepped through the doorway.

Nick Wilde quickly scanned the room and nodded at Finnick when he noticed the small fox. "I can't believe you volunteered us for this again, Carrots."

Judy Hopps stopped straining on her tiptoes in a futile attempt to see over the other mammals in the crowded room and flopped down flat on her feet. She said in a teasing voice, "Oh come on, Nick. Worried about spending a few hours with some itty bitty orphaned mammals?" She raised an eyebrow. "Or are you allergic to art?"

Nick made a rude noise. "I'll have you know, my tastes are impeccable when it comes to the finer things in life." He glanced around the room again. "Speaking of orphans, where did the little anklebiters run off to already?"

They waded into the crowded room and Judy said, "I know you like spending time with Jack."

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Poor guy. What rabbit saddles their kid with a name like that?"

But Judy was barely listening as she stretched up on her tiptoes again. "Now where is Skye...."

Nick knew the young vixen hated that name, and he couldn't blame her. With a name like Skye Azure, she probably got teased even more than Jack did. "She likes to be called Violet, remember?"

Judy turned to elbow him and grin. "Don't change the subject. Come on, admit it. You like spending time with Jack."

Nick shrugged. "He's ok, even though like most bunnies he's dumb as a box of rocks."

Judy nodded solemnly. "Probably why you two get along so well."

Turning away to hide his smile, Nick's attention fell on Finnick again and the odd mammal next to him. He'd never seen this particular species of antelope before, and his unusual clothes looked out of place. Nick couldn't help but consider how old conmammal habits die hard, since Finnick had obviously intentionally zeroed in on this guy. Nick went back to searching the room, glad that Judy hadn't asked about the fennec fox. He didn't want to explain how he'd lied at the front door and claimed Finnick was one of the orphans so he could get in for free.

Several mammals exited the room, and among the remaining stragglers was an arctic fox with a streak of purple in her fur. Standing next to her was a small gray rabbit, his mouth agape as he stared up at one of the larger exhibits.

"Ahh, there the little savages are." Nick had barely finished speaking when the little rabbit saw them and bounded over. Nick grinned and said, "Hey squirt, whatcha wanna show me?" as Jack grabbed his paw and began pulling him across the room.

They'd only taken a few steps before Judy called after them. "Don't forget, I want to stop by the observatory later and see the eclipse."

Nick let Jack drag him over to a collection of statues that towered above them. He recognized several of the gods, including one giant statue of Hareacles wrestling a golden maned lion. Nick looked up at the statue and said, "I wouldn't mind being super strong." He glanced down at Jack and smiled. "That would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?"

The rabbit shook his head and pointed at another nearby statue. "Not as cool as zooming around like Hareames." With a wistful look on his face, he quietly added, "Then I could run faster than James."

"Who's that?"

"Just a cheetah at school." Jack looked sullen and added, "There's no way I could beat him."

Nick knelt down and looked the rabbit in the eye. "Look kid, there's always someone who is faster, or stronger, or smarter. You gotta learn to play to your strengths." He playfully tapped the little rabbits forehead. "And don't forget to use your noggin."

Jack frowned. "Yeah, but somebody has to be the fastest, right?"

Before Nick could reply, he was startled by a low pitched hum that filled the room. His ears swiveled and he turned towards the sound, which seemed to be coming from somewhere near Finnick. The small fox was still standing next to the antelope in front of the fresco, and Nick noted that Finnick's ears quivered.

Seconds later, Nick heard a scattering of pained grunts from other nearby mammals. He searched until he saw Judy across the room, her arm extended to grab Violet's shoulder. The young vixen was shrinking away, her annoyed look quickly changing to one of pain. Nick watched helplessly as both Judy and Violet clutched their ears and began to scream, and next to him Jack whimpered.

The sound grew louder and hammered into Nick. He let out an involuntary howl before he clamped his paws over his ears and crumpled to the floor in front of the Hareacles statue.

Ord ignored the groans of the mammals around him while he finished stuffing cotton into his ears. He stepped forward to raise his arms in supplication as the gem of Epithymoun pulsed brighter and the hum grew almost as loud as the confused babble of the other mammals. The sunlight coming through the window dimmed and more screams filled the air. The gem glowed blindingly bright and the air rippled.

The antelope closed his eyes and smiled as his stomach lurched and a familiar vibration coursed through his body. Seconds later, Ord's screams joined those of the other panicked mammals when his body burst into flames.