[AWT-08] V: RRGP-01 The Grass is Greener

[Lord Pouchlaw]

Vagabonds - Runaway Rabbit, Gerard Prince

Tired of not being able to have a pet at his parental home, Gerard Prince runs away from his family to Kazma's LAW where he gets involved with an Acme transformation resulting in all new adventures.

[AWT-08] V: RRGP-01 The Grass is Greener.
By Darrel Vanwinkle (Lord Pouchlaw)
11/21/2018

Chapter One.

Kazma's LAW Transportal Park; Washington D.C.; Planet Earth

Gerard Klayton Prince was of average height with an athletic build and had blue eyes, short blond hair and fair skin. He currently wore a red headband, a white tee shirt, blue jeans and faded sneakers. Earlier he had given his family the slip as they proceeded to travel to the CAMP World transportal on yet another council job assignment for his father. He was tired of not being able to have a pet at home; so his plan was to strike out on his own in Kazma's LAW where he could hope to make a new life with whatever animals he wanted.

Sitting nearby to where he was waiting for his chance to make the crossing into Kazma's LAW reading a comic book was a Native American young man with a tanned complexion and shoulder-length black hair with piercing grey eyes; he was wearing Native American clothes and leather moccasin shoes; He also had a Shou Mokken eagle feather tied to a strand of his hair on the right side of his head. His luggage label read as Arnold Domingo. Next to him was a young man with short black hair, brown eyes and having an oriental complexion. He wore black cloth pants, a green silk kimono and leather sandals with hard wooden soles. His luggage label read as Rex Takatakashi. To his right was a young man with tanned skin from hard work in his father's corporate mining business. The label on his luggage read as Jameson "Jamie" Zamak. He had also medium-length reddish-brown hair and green eyes like a feline. He was currently wearing a dark shirt, blue jean shorts and leather work boots. He had an appointment with King Kazma in regards to a mining venture on planet some place.

The Zamak family were up in New York at the Mobile Yuskay Groomers getting professional help for Jamie's younger brother, Joachiem, whom preferred the much shortened nickname of Jawl. The youngster had been suffering from a nasty curse that made it so every time he ate anything with pure sugar, he nearly killed himself by running himself nearly to death from the energy overload. Their sister, Joannah "Joanie" Zamak was a couple of years younger than Jamie and had an intense interest in learning the medical trade. She was fortunate that the Yuskay Professionals were permitting her to assist in the making and application of Jawl's condition. Their father had Shadow Pony bodyguards assigned to him for his protection courtesy of Bronco Pony in Thunder Hills within the Cloud Lands near Care-a-lot.

Gerard had a plan for getting through the transportal; it often worked in the cartoons, so why shouldn't it work this time? He waited for the other three to walk through the transportal first and then he positioned himself for when the transportal Red Rabbit Soldier looked distracted as he walked backward through the transportal. And for some stupid reason, it worked. However, his arrival zone wasn't anywhere near where the others arrived.

Passing through the transportal was not the problem; the backwards fall into what looked and smelled like a garbage dump was. At least he didn't land in a pile of dirty plastic diapers; that would have made him angry for sure. Thankfully it wasn't like falling out of a second story landing of a house. Of course the roll down the refuse hill he had landed on top of only made his arrival worse since he wasn't sure where he had arrived. He had seen pictures of Kazma's LAW before and this didn't look anything like those pictures.

When Gerard finished rolling down the refuse hill, he landed on his back at the bottom where something pin-pricked the back of his neck as a metallic collar snapped closed around his neck from behind. Gerard's immediate response to this was to grab the item on his neck to get it off; but as he grabbed it, he was blasted with a shock of electronic energy which made him pass out instantly.

Gerard wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious when he began to come to his senses. But the overhead light in his eyes seemed to indicate that he was within someone's medical lab. He could still feel the metallic collar around his neck as well as that pain in the back of his neck. Whatever it was did not feel great at all.

Then he realized that his clothes were either in tatters or completely gone. He couldn't feel his shoes on his feet any more. Nor his socks. He could still feel his headband which was more important to him than his clothes. In an attempt to move his arms, he noted that he was strapped down to the examining table. "Hello? Why am I strapped to this table?"

A black clad anthropomorphic canine with a full muzzle mask and dark goggles walked over to the edge of the examining table and said, "I was trying to match the serial number of your collar shackle to the keys in my key cabinet. When you accidentally ended up getting that collar stuck on you, it knocked you unconscious and then it transported you back to my lab; In fact, you are wearing one of my security collars that I thought was no longer in operation. Where did you encounter this thing at?"

Gerard replied, "I was on my way to Kazma's LAW and after I accidentally dropped my ticket at the transportal, I bent down to pick it up and I fell through the transportal backward; I crash landed on top of a large refuse pile in what seemed like an animated junk yard. my momentum of my landing made me roll down the hill of garbage where I landed on my back at the bottom of the pile where this thing pricked my neck from behind and then it locked itself around my neck. I reached up out of instinct to get it off and it sent electricity through my body. Then I woke up here in your lab. Where is your lab anyway? Maybe being transported was not a bad thing after all."

The mystery canine said, "You did reach Kazma's LAW but rather than arrive in his home city, your arrival was in the Zootopia City Recycling Center. You said you were heading to Kazma's LAW; so that means you came from Earth. A human I am assuming; I say 'assuming' since you are not human at the moment. If my device caused this transformation to happen to you, I do apologize. Most of your clothes did not survive the initial transformation. You still have that nice headband. What was your favorite animal before this happened to you?"

Gerard sighed. "I wasn't allowed to have pets nor pen pals at home; but my favorite animals include anything with long ears or sexy fluffy tails. I could even go for a well endowed canine and I have seen my share of sexy canines back when I was human. Summing it all up: Dogs, Donkeys and mythical half-breeds of those types. What did I end up as?"

The mystery canine reached to one side as he turned on the main lab lights and then he switched off the examination spotlight before removing the focus goggles from Gerard's eyes and face. "I apologize for preventing you from seeing your muzzle. I was afraid you would freak out and try to do damage to yourself. Normally humans cannot visit Zootopia unless they are wearing an anti-radiation survival suit. Since you arrived by accident without such a suit, your body transformed into an anthropomorphic rabbit although you do have both canine as well as donkey parts. A true hybrid and since you like hybrids of those two species, I suppose to makes sense that you would become one. I am not sure where the rabbit came from, but overall, the hybrid portions do not make you ugly. Your package is by far the largest I have ever seen. I examined it earlier and you have the knot of a canine as well as the length of a donkey. Your tail is very fluffy, like a dog might have. Your ears are more donkey than rabbit. You are far larger than the standard rabbits, having the height and girth of the anthropomorphic donkey. Although unlike them, your body is athletically fit; you don't have the donkey bloat most of the species are born with."

Gerard could now see his canine-rabbit like muzzle extending out just under his eyes. The coloration was calico which didn't make a lot of sense for donkeys nor most canines.

End of Chapter One.

[Lord Pouchlaw]

Chapter Two.

His coloration must have been why this mystery canine thought he was a rabbit at first. "Where is your lab located within the city?"

The mystery canine reached for Gerard's neck with what looked like an electronic lock pick. "You are within the Zootopia Police Headquarters. A few recycling center employees found you unconscious after they heard what sounded like a clap of thunder within the junk yard. Now hold still while I get this blasted thing off of you. I am sure it is making it hard for you to breathe. I am sorry I cannot find the right key for this damned thing." He then began to scan the collar and work on deciphering the locking code.

At that moment, Nick Wilde entered the lab wearing his own Hazmat suit. "How is our patient, Cedric?"

The mystery canine whose name was apparently Cedric replied, "He woke up, Nick. Thanks for going over to the recycling center to bring this nice boy in. I've been chatting with him since he woke up. He used to be human before this happened to him. He is over the shock, I think. He just wants this stupid security collar removed from his neck. I don't know why my usual keys are not working on this damned thing."

Nick picked up a long metal needle and he dipped it into rubbing alcohol. "Turn your head to look at the far wall, kid. You can thank me later. I'll bet you were cute before this happened to you."

Gerard obeyed the request unsure what Nick was about to do. He remembered that Nick's methods were unorthodox when compared to the by-the-book methods the rest of the Zootopia police followed when doing things.

Nick then exclaimed, "Take a deep breath, hold it and grit your teeth!" Gerard just barely had time to do as requested when Nick stuck the wet metal needle directly into the electronic keyhole of the metal collar. There came a short-circuiting sound as well as another clap of thunder and the security collar popped open and fell off of Gerard's neck.

Gerard briefly resumed his human form for all of a few moments before he fully and fluidly changed into an anthropomorphic buck rabbit the size the hybrid had been before. His package was again non-Lapine having a knot and being as long as a donkey's penis. Thankfully it pulled itself back inside his new sheathe. Gerard's coloration was now a golden blond with a white patch down his chest. His eyes were still as blue as they had been in his human form. Aside from the red headband, he wore nothing at all. Yet this did not bother him much since these two canines were professionals. "Is it over with? I thought I had reverted for a moment and then I was back in this body again."

Nick grinned. "It is off of you, kid. If you need a spare bedroom to crash in, I have space at my place."

Cedric pulled off his own safety mask and goggles to reveal that he was a sexy coyote. "You mean you actually cleaned your place, Nick? Or did you trick Judy into doing it?"

Nick frowned, "I am not a total slob, Cedric. I may have coerced Judy into helping to clean up my place so as to make it acceptable for visitation."

Cedric then said, "Despite your wanting to bed this new kid, we have to conduct his processing by the book, Nick. We don't even know his name yet. Although that shouldn't be too hard to find out since he bought a ticket to travel to Kazma's LAW; his registration would be in the ticket purchase database."

Gerard was worried that he was about to be found out, so he came up with an excuse to get away from these canines as fast as possible. "Um, guys... I really need to use the bathroom. Will someone please let me up so I can do my business. I don't want to mess up Cedric's lab."

Nick said, "I'll take him to the bathroom while you dig up his ticket purchase information." He then unstrapped Gerard from the table and helped him up to his feet. After that, he escorted the new rabbit out of the lab and down the hall to the bathroom. At the bathroom door, he smiled at Gerard and said, "It's in there, but level with me... you didn't buy a ticket did you? That's why you needed to use the bathroom all of a sudden, isn't it?"

Gerard frowned and replied, "I was running away from home, Nick. My parents wouldn't let me have any pets nor pen pals. I was going out of my mind. When dad got a job offer on CAMP World, I chose to try to give my family the slip by entering Kazma's LAW by walking through the transportal backwards so the gate guard would think I was leaving instead of arriving. And it worked... until I crashed into the Zootopia Recycling Center Junk Yard. Please don't turn me in... I just wanted to have a little sanity in my life."

Nick chuckled for a moment before saying, "We are going to have to get you something to wear if you are going to escape from Zootopia. Cedric will definitely report your accident to King Kazma and then he would restore you and see about sending you back to Earth. He doesn't permit freebies gaining entry into his new animation world for free."

Gerard sighed. "How much does the entry ticket cost, Nick? If I purchased a ticket then I could be here legally. Please help me; if I get sent back, they will contact my parents. And I told you what kind of Hell living in their household is like. Name your price, Nick; I'll do anything to stay out of that Hell."

Nick thought about it for a moment before he said, "I can claim you as my charge; my rookie in training. I can explain to King Kazma that I intended to get a ticket to you but I had failed to get it for you before the day you accidentally entered the transportal. But you have to live at my place at first. As for clothes, there are some rookie uniforms in the cloak room that I think will fit your new body. But you should use the bathroom anyway since you may need to do it now. You are not used to this body yet and it is best if you are empty for what is to come. What is your favorite morning breakfast food?"

Gerard replied with a smile. "Chocobomb cereal; Its crunchy, chocolately and contains vitamins and minerals as well as sugar and caffeine. Perfect for a young growing boy like me."

Nick said, "You are going to have to tell me your full name, also."

End of Chapter Two.

[Lord Pouchlaw]

Chapter Three.

"My parents gave me a really crappy middle name that starts with a 'K'. But I will tell you my full name as long as I don't have to go back to the family that doesn't care. I am Gerard Klayton Prince. As a human I was 14 years old; well into my teen age years. But still not allowed to have a companion animal nor a pen pal. They were afraid that I would get in with the wrong crowd by associating with someone outside of the family."

Nick then said, "When we make your being my charge official, we can legally change any part of your name that you don't like so you end up with a name that you do like. How does that sound? Are we good with this idea?"

Gerard smiled as he gave Nick a hug and as kiss on his muzzle before heading into the bathroom to do his business. Using an anthropomorphic toilet was a new experience for him, but he managed to keep his fluffy canine like tail out of the commode. After he flushed and cleaned himself properly, he got a look at himself in the mirror for the first time. "Terrence Rabbit, formerly Gerard Prince. Now that I see what I look like as a rabbit, the name Terrence just seems right. Why do I feel so light weight all of a sudden?" And that was when he saw that he was floating in mid air as he was looking at himself in the mirror. "I have powers? But why? I gotta land. How does Superman do it?" And as he thought about it, he was able to make himself land on his feet. "Nick won't believe this. Time to return to my superior."

When the buck rabbit emerged from the bathroom, he saw Nick standing there with Officers Judy and Cedric as well as King Kazma himself. He let his head droop when he saw the master of the LAW standing with the group.

King Kazma said, "The transportal guard wasn't as distracted as you thought, Mr. Prince. And when Officer Cedric called the transportal station about a boy who had bought a ticket, we previewed the security tapes and saw what you had done to pass through the portal without a ticket. There is a bar code on the tickets that helps a visitor arrive at the correct location. When a person passes through without the proper LAW ID, they fall into the animated junk yard where guards are usually on paw for arresting the trespasser. But your arrival was thrown off when you went through backwards. That's why you landed in Zootopia. Your parents reported you as missing and then Nick told me what you had told him. No pets nor pen pals? I can understand your wanting to go off on your own to make new friends. But as for your signing on as Nick's newest recruit; just remember... you have to wear the uniform at all times. Humans are not allowed in Zootopia. So you have to stay in your current form while you are here. As for your name that you don't like. If you can come up with a new name right now, I can process your Big Brother adoption immediately. We can adopt Cheer Bear's Big Brother/Big Sister program for this situation. Nick has offered to be your Big Brother figure although he often bites off more than he can chew."

Gerard lifted his head and said, "Gerard Terrence Prince. The name came to me when I was cleaning up and I saw myself in the bathroom mirror. I've always hated the middle name of Klayton with a 'K'; if they had used a 'C', I could have dealt with that. I got teased in primary school for being Gerard K.P. or Gerard Kitchen Patrol. As I told Cedric, I liked Dogs and Donkeys when I was a human; I don't know why I became a rabbit when I transformed."

Cedric then said, "I figured out how you ended up with the species, Gerard. The last person to wear that collar before you was a Pirate Rabbit called Starpaws. Some of his genetic material got stuck to the species analyzer needle that is built into the back of the collar and when you slammed your neck into the device, the needle's pin-prick accidentally injected the rabbit's genetics into your body and when the Zootopian air worked its power on you, you became a rabbit hybrid at first. Afterwards, when Nick freed you from the collar, you reverted to human for a second before you changed into your current form. The collar was supposed to have been safely dismantled before its parts were to be sent to the recycling center. But someone failed to disassemble it before it got sent out as trash. I had it clearly marked for recycling. Therefore, we owe you one for your ending up like this."

Gerard then asked, "Was Starpaws originally from a world with heavier gravity?"

Cedric replied, "Yes, he was. Why do you ask?"

Gerard then permitted himself to float in mid air again as he had done in the bathroom. "I discovered that I could do this when I was in the bathroom. I was freaked at first, then I got it under control." he forced himself to land at that point. "I am not a super rabbit, but apparently Starpaws' genetics have given me extra powers. I couldn't do this stuff as a human boy. So now we have to work this into my Rookie Hero training."

King Kazma said, "Zootopia isn't equipped to deal with Super Powers, Gerard, but nearby Acmetropolis is. Nick can still be your contact and Big Brother once a week, but since you ended up with powers, you should train with Ace Bunny and Tech Coyote. You can migrate between Zootopia and Acmetropolis with my permission. I will inform your parents that you got adopted into the Big Brother program as Nick Wilde's charge. I will also have a lawyer look into the no-pets situation in your household because the whole thing seems and smells fishy to me."

Gerard said, "Thanks for letting me stay, King Kazma. I am sorry I didn't buy a ticket. But I didn't have any money when the family were making their move."

King Kazma said, "Nick footed the bill for getting you a legal ticket as per the agreement you made with him. Judy and Cedric will be checking on you from time to time to make sure things haven't gone South in the Wilde household. Perhaps you should think about a part-time job or do odd jobs around the police headquarters. Now lets see about getting you some new clothes and a uniform to wear. You will find that Anthropomorphic clothing isn't as hot and stuffy as Mascot Suits back on Earth. They are well ventilated."

Nick then said, "Kazma... my friend Cedric nailed it about my home apartment being a mess; I don't have a spare bedroom. Therefore, perhaps Cedric wouldn't mind having a house guest in his home which is a lot cleaner."

Gerard then said, "But Nick... my deal is with you! I guess you wanted a non-powered housemate... I'm sorry I ended up with more than we knew of. Maybe I should just run away again."

King Kazma looked at Nick for a moment and then he looked at Gerard again. "Nick is stuck with this deal he offered you, Gerard. He intended to have you sleep in the same bed with him, but perhaps we should just get you an apartment of your own in Zootopia and then I can have Ace Bunny come pick you up once a week for your empowered training sessions."

End of Chapter Three.

[Lord Pouchlaw]

Chapter Four.

Gerard said, "I might sleep with him once; but I remember an important rule of Cheer Bear's Big Brother program. Big Brothers and Big Sisters cannot mate with their charges. So if that was going through Nick's mind... just remember that I am still virgin despite how my body turned out after the transformation. What kind of apartment would I end up with, Kazma?"

King Kazma said, "It would have to be big enough for four people. I have three other students who are ready to strike out on their own. One is a human who can change into a rabbit. Another is a Planar Eagle who had been living in human form on Earth. And the third is a human mining expert who has an affinity for big game cats, preferrably the lion."

Gerard looked at Nick and Cedric. "Two Predators and two prey animals in one apartment. Sounds like the makings of a badly made sitcom. Maybe sleeping with Nick and Cedric wouldn't be that bad."

That was when Judy Hopps had to say something. "Nick Wilde is my partner, Mr. Prince. I love him despite our relationship a lot of the time. Chief Bogo will have to clear you if you are to be in our police force. And something tells me that he won't be as into this as the rest of you are right now. He almost didn't let me work on bigger cases. He assigned Nick as my partner. Despite Flash being a slow pain in the tail, Nick has some impressive skills. I am sorry if I am popping your balloon, Mr. Prince. But you are still human on the inside of that body of yours. Once you understand our laws a bit more you can patrol Zootopia, but until then, I suggest you live in Acmetropolis where humans are permitted to live."

Cedric then spoke out in defense of Gerard. "I outrank you, Judy. As head of the Forensics department, I am willing to have Gerard in my home here in Zootopia for the time being. As for learning our laws, how could he do that in Acmetropolis? He could only learn our laws by living here. You, Officer Hopps, are a prissy and selfish bitch. Unlike the other students under Kazma, Gerard is stuck in his new species identity. He is going to need help in learning how to cope with his new species."

King Kazma then raised his communicator and said, "Chief Bogo? You heard this little discussion just now, you can now come join us." He lowered his wrist communicator and said, "I was way ahead of you, Judy. I contacted Bogo before making this confrontation and I left the communications channel open. So everything you said was heard by him."

Chief Bogo, a water buffalo in a nice clean police suit, came out of the filing department and he stood there looking over the new over-sized rabbit buck. "Former human, you said. A teenager who got changed into one of our citizens before you knew about the rules here. As long as your mind is in the right place, you can stay. And if Officer Desertracer is giving you space, then I see no reason why you cannot stay. As for sharing an apartment with predators, I must veto that idea. We still have problems with various predators in Zootopia. Cedric Desertracer is friends with Tech Coyote of Acmetropolis, so there is the connection to the Loonatics for training. Cedric knows our laws and he can educate you in what they are. For the rest, Mr. Prince, as a teenager, you must attend high school locally. Nick is ten years older than you are, Mr. Prince. Cedric is closer to your age. But he is higher rank than Nick and Judy both. Your choice, of course. If you stay, I can permit you Zootopian access; if you choose to run away like a vagabond, we can attempt to keep track of your movements. But food doesn't pay for itself and you are a rabbit now. So consider Cedric's offer before you flee. Your deal is still with Nick because if he tries to back out of it now, I will have him chained to desk duty for the next ten years." He then looked at Judy. "Officer Hopps, you are supposed to be on a patrol right now or would you like to be demoted back to writing parking tickets? Officer Wilde, you are supposed to be working on several cases at the moment. Officer Desertracer, this young man was part of your examination and until you write out your report, he is still assigned to you. Now everyone get back to work. I have real work to do." And he walked off to resume his police day.

Nick chuckled. "Bogo is a lot nicer when he is off duty. But the Chief has spoken, King Kazma; your plan to shack the predators in with Gerard has been thwarted. Since your students can still resume their human forms, they should have apartments in Acmetropolis. You know what would happen if they visited Zootopia as a human without a safety suit... they wouldn't be able to be human afterward. That is what happened to Gerard Prince. Not to mention, his genetics are contaminated with Frontier Lapine DNA which is what is likely giving him his powers. And Gerard, I wasn't saying no to your deal with me; but Cedric knows me far too well; I have only one bedroom in my apartment. You would have been sharing the bed with me. Cedric's place is in the suburbs. And perhaps training to be a hero in the suburbs might be a better idea for now. You are not Superman after all. Despite having the ability to fly. Although I can see how those powers would be useful in our police force. And I am dating Judy off hours."

King Kazma then remarked, "I will authorize funds for the building of a training gym and sleeping quarters behind your suburb home so that Gerard and whomever else can work out at that location. Gerard, if you do end up in a team of heroes, please make sure Chief Bogo is kept up to date on your team's activities. Zootopia has never had Empowered Agents before."

Gerard then said, "Kazma, sir, I have dog and donkey genetics hybridized within this rabbit body. So I am not entirely a rabbit despite how I look currently. If you have trouble believing me, ask Cedric about my package; he said he examined it when I was brought in."

King Kazma looked at Cedric. "What of this, Cedric?"

Cedric replied, "The examination was part of the professional protocol, sir. He isn't kidding; he has a knot as well as a sausage the size and strength of a donkey's shlong. The last time I had seen anything like that was at a strip club I attended one night during my time off. In fact, I believe Starpaws works at one of those clubs these days."

King Kazma then looked to Gerard once again. "The three students are the three human teenagers who went through the transportal just before you did your trick, Mr. Prince. Since you had been sitting near their group before the trip, I simply thought you wouldn't mind seeing them again. Or was your statement about wanting to make friends a lie?"

Gerard felt that vice grip of being caught once again, as he lowered his head to look down his own body. "Their deal is with you, Kazma; my deal is with Nick and now Cedric. They cannot be in Zootopia as humans unless they wear safety suits. My arrival here was an accident that I am not sure if I want undone. I can learn to manage in this new form. I wouldn't mind teaming up with Ace Bunny; he is one hot lapine. I think he stands as tall as I currently do. Before my accident, I would have been shorter than he is."

King Kazma asked, "Have you been through puberty yet, Gerard?"

Gerard replied, "Only barely. That is why I am at that age where I think almost every male animal is hot and sexy. I don't think too much of the females yet. If they were nicer..."

End of Chapter Four.