Nick comes home to find his parents have some surprising news.

"Nick dear, can you come here please, we need to talk to you."

I feel my tail stiffen in apprehension. My thoughts swirl as to what this could be about. The fights at school, my relative lack of friends or even to finally take a stand on the state of my room. A chill runs down my spine at the thought they might be approaching me about the bits of cash that had been trickling into the emergency fund jar. Smoothing my fur back down, I slowly dawdle into our tiny kitchen to find both my parents at the table. Dad looks serious, rubbing his glasses on his sweater vest, while Mom looks run down, even more so than usual, her wrinkled dress hanging loosely on her shoulders. My jaw clenches in worry. This can't be good.

They remain silent as I approach, putting my bags beside the table. I slowly seat myself, and it's not a moment after I've gotten comfy that Dad says the last thing I expect.

"Nick, we're moving back to Bunnyburrow."

After the initial wave of relief, I expect to feel a thousand things, frustration, anger, betrayal, but I mostly feel confused, a knot of questions forming in my brain. Narrowing my gaze, I ask, "I thought you said we'd never go back there?"

Dad sighs, reaching for Mom's hand and begins to rub it between his palms. An apologetic look spawns on his face as he speaks. "I know what I said. Bunnyburrow was not the best place to rear a young fox. But, Zootopia isn't all we expected it to be either. They share many of the same problems, just in different amounts. But that's not why we're going back."

He pauses, adjusting his glasses. He looks at Mom, smiling weakly, before turning back to me, looking almost guilty. "Son, we didn't want to say anything, as you'd only worry needlessly, but the rent has gone up. It went up months ago. We tried to keep up, your mother even took on double shifts at the diner-" He points to Mom, leaning on her other arm for support, looking more haggard than even a moment ago. "-To help pay. But it wasn't enough. We're months behind and we just don't have the money. We can't stay in the city."

I blink, shocked. A memory tickles at the back of my mind and I look at Dad, suspicious. "Is that why you sold Suitopia? Was the story of rising fabric prices a lie?"

His face hardens and his voice is pained as he speaks. "No, no. That part was true. That did kill Suitopia." His expression shifts and he looks at me with sadness in his eyes. "But it had been dying for a while. Mammals just didn't trust a fox to makes clothes. It would have never worked long term. And selling it helped, if only for a while." His voice trails off and he looks away, eyes darkened with sadness.

My heart breaks as I look at Dad. He dropped his own dream to keep mine alive. I think for a moment, then, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice, I ask, "What if I got a job?"

Dad snaps back to look at me incredulously, his eyes widening in shock. "Son, you know as well as I do, that the only places that would hire a teenage fox would not pay enough to help. Remember how much you got this summer at Bugaburger?"

I can't stop the grimace that springs up when I remember the size of my paycheck. Only $6 an hour, barely minimum wage. Some of the cons I had pulled with Finnick had earned me more than I got working there for a week. But there's no way I could invest more time in those without raising suspicion.

Dad smiles sadly, drawing back my attention. "Besides Nick, we want you to finish your education, unlike your old man. Can't do that if you drop out to get a job."

My grimace deepens. He's right of course, and I know it. If I'm to in any way beat the odds because fate decreed I should be a fox, I'm going to need to graduate. But frustration still seeps in as I feel helpless, unable to do anything inside or outside the system. Slowly, I take a deep breath, calming myself. My mind now clearer, I ask the next thing that bothers it. "Alright, but why are we going so far away? What about my friends?"

Mom straightens up, lifting her head from her palm. Slowly, she blinks, then sighs tiredly. "Bunnyburrow's the only place with cheap enough rent and enough certainty that we can get jobs to pay off our debts. We know people there, it'll be easier than moving to Podunk. And we're sorry about your friends. But, we're leaving behind some as well." A smile creeps onto her face. "But you could always write them. That's what you did with Judy when we left Bunnyburrow."

"Who?"

Her brow furrows. Her tone filled with confusion she says, "Judy Hopps? Your best friend for almost 6 years? You wrote each other for months after we moved here." Her voice shifts melancholily. "You were so distraught when she stopped writing."

I try and conjure up anything remotely related to what Mom is saying, but nothing comes up. A wall of pure nothingness blocks me from my own memories. I grip my head, the beginnings of a headache forming. "I don't remember any of this."

My parents share a look of concern. Wordlessly, they conduct a conversation of gestures and eye movements. Eventually, Dad sighs, placing his head in his hands and Mom turns to me, voice filled with worry. "You don't remember Judy Hopps? You went everywhere together, you stayed over at each other's houses, we couldn't keep you two apart! You were so mad when we moved to Zootopia, you refused to speak to us for weeks! Is none of this ringing a bell?" She says, looking at me expectantly.

Pulling on my ears, I try and think, recalling anything that I can. For a few moments, I get only more nothing, but as I try a little harder the most wonderful scent dances across my mind. One of flowers and blueberries and optimism. I feel myself relax as I recall it, a smile falling on my face.

It smells like happiness.

"Nick!"

How does that even work, smelling like an emotion?

"Nicholas!"

And why on earth does this feel so familiar?

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, snap out of it!"

I'm shocked out of my reverie and I tense up, my knees hitting the table. "Ahk!"

The pain blinds me for a moment, and I lose my fragile grasp on the beautiful scent. I try and call it back from the recesses of my mind, but it's like there's a brick wall in my head, blocking it from me and giving me only pain. Aches filling where I wished a scent would be, loss and longing settles in my heart and I sigh.

Feeling less than wonderful, I turn to face my parents, slowly easing back into a comfortable position.

"Welcome back, Son," Dad says, smiling. "Remember anything pleasant?"

I feel heat crawl up my face. No doubt the insides of my ears are beet red. When I talk, I have to stop myself from stammering. "Ah no, not really. Just a scent."

A grin spreads across Mom's face. "Must have been some scent, dear. You had the dopiest smile."

I blink surprised, "I… what?"

Somehow her grin gets even wider. Keeping her tone light, she continues, "I'm just glad that you remember something." Her expressions shifts melancholily, " Imagine how Judy would feel if you showed up one day with no memory of ever having been friends? She was so fond of you, you'd break her heart."

I feel my ears flatten against my head. Out of some sense of shame, I remain silent.

Dad clears his throat. "Now back to the topic at hand." He faces me, his expression determined. "Nick, you have one week to pack your things and say goodbye to your friends. By this time next Monday, we'll be in Bunnyburrow."

I was reading a lovely story, and the premise kind of stuck with me, like wouldn't get out of my head stuck. So much so I got inspired to write my own story based off of it. This is my first time attempting fanfiction, so I hope I do this justice.

Edit: Chapters one to three updated from initial posting.

Latest update, August 29, 2018. Thanks to jknight97 and Seaside Skies for their help.