Opening Statement: Okay, so I never really elaborated on the possible relationship between a deer and a certain hybrid we know... that's all I'm gonna say on the subject, and I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Zootopia is the property of Disney... I own nothing except for a few OC's. Oh, and the song featured is, aptly called "If Love is Blind" by the singer named Tiffany. and any reference to other fanfic's are solely as a cameo appearance, and the characters mentioned belong to their respective authors.

Clarification Notice: What's this? A new section? Well after chatting with a few nice fellows in regards to my stories, I have decided to make a point of what order to read this series, so if you're a new reader, then I suggest you go back and, first off, check out Sprinkah's comic "This is what True Love looks like". Then after that, head over to my profile page, and read the following stories in this exact order:

1. "Seeking Forgiveness"

2. "Nervous Nick"

3. "Of Predators and Prey"

4. "A Hybrid's Folly"

5. "A Trip to the City"

Okay, since that's out of the way, let's get to the story! Shall we?

Love is Blind.

Kendra didn't get it, he bullied her, picked on her- heck he even called her a "freak" at one point, but then something happened, Kendra had lashed out, leaving this bully with a distinctive claw mark on the left side of his face.

Nelson Bucksworth, a white-tailed deer who had been a victim of domestic abuse in Podunk, and verbal abuse with his foster family in Bunny Burrow, had grown since that day, and now ran a general store near the edge of town. Kendra had also done well for herself; the hybrid kit of Nick and Judy, now a grown woman, had made a living as a singer, nothing major or even remotely life changing mind you, but she wasn't needing for any funds that was for sure. So why was Kendra so conflicted about this?

She was scared. Plain and simple, Kendra Elizabeth Wilde, the rabbit/fox hybrid from a family with nine siblings, was scared of what might happen if she let Nelson into her life. Years before, in school, she'd told him that she had no desire for deer, that he was wasting his time in having a crush on her. But in the end, the deer had actually managed to squeeze himself into her heart, and whether through sheer stubbornness or a joint effort between Serendipity and Karma, Nelson Bucksworth was stuck in there like a tick!

"'Bucksworth General Goods', this ought to be good." Kendra said to herself, as she opened the door and stepped inside, the bell above the door ringing out and letting the deer at the counter know a customer had just entered, the buck looking up and smiling at the sight before him, there was Kendra Wilde, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a blue plaid t-shirt, making her way around his shop as if he hadn't noticed her entering.

"Good afternoon madam, anything I can help you with?" Nelson asked, playing dumb for the moment so as to cover up his excitement; he knew of Kendra's musical career, and despite himself he'd made an effort to buy her albums when they came out, even if he had to buy them on CD's.

Kendra's right ear flicked in his direction before the hybrid turned and offered a warm smile, the sight nearly making Nelson's heart melt in joy, "Hey, I was looking for someone, think you could point me in their direction?" Kendra asked, a smile forming on the buck's face before he nodded his head.

"Sure thing ma'am, who is it you're looking for?" Nelson asked, taking out his employee booklet and flipping through the pages a moment, as Kendra looked around and sighed.

"I'm looking for Mr. Nelson Bucksworth, the owner of this establishment I presume?" Kendra replied, causing Nelson to let out a laugh before wiping at his face, revealing the pink lines of claw scars on the left side of his face, Kendra's eyes widening at the sight before she let her ears drop behind her head; it may have been a while since she had done the deed, but the memory of the event itself was as clear as if it happened only yesterday.

"You're looking at him... and might I say, it's an honor to have a star like you in my shop... Kendra?" Nelson replied, the hybrid woman shifting her gaze away for a moment and then coughing into her fist, a slight pinkish glow visible in her ears as her tail puffed up slightly.

"Well... Nelson, you certainly grew up, didn't you? Last I remember you still had your fawn spots." Kendra said, Nelson wiping off the make-up he had on and letting his scars breathe freely; despite his having fur, he didn't have enough on his face to cover up his "war wounds" as the two had taken to calling them in their youth.

"Yeah well, seeing as I'm still working, I can't really show you that I grew out of those... but hey, my antlers grew in! So there's something, so what did you want to see me about Kenny?" Nelson asked, Kendra blushing from his nickname; at first having been a name to make her feel like the odd girl out, now it was a term of affection like when her father called her mother "Carrots".

"Well... I have some free time, and was wondering if you'd like to come over to visit... or maybe I can go to your place since my home may not be big enough to accommodate a mammal of your... stature..." Kendra offered, not noticing as she practically stripped the deer in front of her with her eyes; never had she known just how sturdy deer were, and had she known then what she now knew she'd have slapped her younger self in the face for that lapse in judgement.

Nelson seemed to notice the hybrid ogling him though, and despite his kind attitude couldn't help but feel proud; the girl of his dreams was checking him out, quite obviously in the middle of his shop, "Well, you're actually in my home... sort of, I live upstairs, be glad to take you up and show you around if you like... Kendra? My eyes are up here!" Nelson replied, snapping Kendra out of her thoughts and causing the hybrid to blush deeply before she shook her head and smiled, "Sure... like I said I have some free time before my next recording session, and I'd like to-"

"Kendra, you can ask me about them if you want... the scars and the make-up, I can tell you're nervous about something, so don't feel like you have to beat around the bush with that," Nelson explained, as he closed his shop and lead Kendra up the stairs to his home, it was a nice place, much like a modern log cabin, though the flat screen TV and leather couch definitely indicated that he wasn't wanting for cash himself. The only problem Kendra saw in this place was that everything was scaled for a deer to use, and despite her boost in size from her fox genes, Kendra still had to jump up onto the couch like her mother had to at home; one thing her dad had insisted on was a fox sized couch for their living room, if for nothing else than so that the whole family could sit together for movie night.

"Can I offer you a drink? You'll have to excuse the size difference, but I live alone and hardly have guests," Nelson explained, Kendra nodding and smiling as she settled herself on the couch.

"It's okay, and what's on offer? Coffee? Tea... beer?" Kendra asked, Nelson holding out a can of Buckweiser from the fridge.

"Only got deer sized... think you can handle it?" Nelson asked, as he cracked open a can for himself and took a sip. Kendra nodded and held a thumb up.

"Sweetie, I can handle myself just fine." Kendra replied, Nelson nodding his head and cracking another can open, then sticking a straw into it due to the weight compared to her body size. The deer then sat down and turned his TV on.

"So, Kendra Wilde... what brings you to my store? Surely not to shoot the shit with an old buck like me... right?" Nelson asked, as Kendra took a sip from her can and smiled.

"Well... I'll be honest, I've been thinking recently-"

"Careful, wouldn't want to hurt yourself," Nelson teased, earning himself a punch to his shoulder, causing the deer to laugh as he watched Kendra roll her eyes and chuckle with him.

"Seriously Nelson... I've thought about... well, us. And not in the friendly buddy-buddy sort of way either." Kendra replied, causing Nelson to freeze mid sip and shoot his eyes wide open. Kendra took the buck's frozen stance as a bad sign; somehow, Kendra had overstepped her bounds, despite Nelson knowing that she had no verbal filter to speak of.

But then the deer smiled around the can and swallowed his sip of brew, pulling the can away and setting it down on the coffee table, "You know how long I've wanted to hear those words Kendra? How much I pined away at the thought of you someday telling me you liked me, maybe even loved me?" Nelson asked, his casual tone catching Kendra slightly off guard; the deer had apparently been pondering his feelings for Kendra just the same as she had towards the buck.

"Uhh... a very long time? Probably since high school?" Kendra asked, Nelson sputtering into a laugh just as he was sipping his beer, Kendra quickly shutting herself up by sipping at her own drink.

"Yes... that kinda steals my thunder for what I going to say, but anyways... If you're willing to try this-" at this point, Nelson gestured between himself and Kendra, "- out, I'm willing to try too... though the relationship may be difficult, you know about my folks- biological, not foster- and their opinion on inter-species relationships... they weren't just against Pred/Prey couples, they were against any couple that was made up of two different mammals, whether they were both predators or prey... even if you were full rabbit, they'd be against us being together." Nelson explained, Kendra covering her mouth and letting out a soft burp, blushing slightly before she responded.

"Probably doesn't help my case if they knew that I'm the cause of... these," Kendra added, pointing to Nelson's scars before she looked away; even years later, Kendra still felt ashamed that she'd done that to Nelson, the deer noticing her shamed expression and deciding to man up and do what was right.

Kendra found herself being gently pulled into his arms, his left hoof lightly petting her drooped ears as he hushed her, "It's okay Kendra, no need to be ashamed... I earned these scars fair and square... I was a jerk to you, and deserved nothing less-"

"NO! You didn't deserve to have your face mangled up like a Freddy Cougar victim... I can say sorry all I want but the guilt is always there... as plain as the scars on your face." Kendra shouted, now noticing that she had actually started crying; damn her bunny heritage! Why did she have to be so fucking emotional!

"Kendra... I like to think these scars were your way of laying a claim... you know, like a prospector looking for gold." Nelson explained, gently wiping the hybrid's eyes with his thumb before he smiled down to her, "Sure you never did anything with that plot of land for a while, heck maybe you even left it to grow over, but in the end you came back... looked around and found your mark." Nelson explained, Kendra gazing up at the deer and slowly letting her soft sobs ebb away into a soft growling purr of affection, "And, when you did find the plot of land you marked, you dug around a bit, panned the dirt... until you found a few specks of gold among the dust... did any of that make sense to you-"

Nelson didn't get a chance to finish his statement, as Kendra had jumped up and wrapped her arms around the buck's neck, her lips pressed firmly to his for a few seconds before she pulled away, her sobs renewed though in joy rather than shame, "Nelson... you stupid fawn... why did I have to fall for you? I don't deserve someone like you-"

"Kendra, I have every one of your albums, and if I'm not mistaken, one of your songs is titled "Love is Blind"... oh how does that go again?" Nelson asked, though he knew the words off by heart, he wanted to hear his Kendra sing them for him.

"If love is blind,

I'll find my way with you,

'Cause I can't see myself,

Not in love with you." Kendra softly sang, Nelson smiling as he got to hear her voice first hand, albeit slightly choked from her crying, as the deer pet her ears and hummed with her.

"So, if you meant anything at all with that song Kendra... I think you have your answer. Though I have a quick question; how are we going to work when you have to go into the studio and record your songs?" Nelson asked, Kendra letting a soft laugh out as she placed a brief kiss to the buck's nose, "That's the thing... I was thinking I could move in with you- let me finish!- and convert one of the rooms here into a recording studio. I have friends in Zootopia that would be happy to do the work, I'd pay for everything needed, so that the room would be sound proof and not disturb business down stairs and-"

"WHOA! Kendra one thing at a time okay... yes I'd be happy to have you move in, and of course you can convert one of the rooms into a recording studio... just make sure I can fit inside, I'd like to see you work from time to time, if you don't mind... and as for sound proofing it's not a necessity, but if you can afford it then by all means go ahead... meanwhile I'm going to make some adjustments for you to live here, such as some stepping stools for you to reach the counter, shorty," Nelson replied, laughing when he heard Kendra growl and playfully punch him in the shoulder.

(three months later)

"Kendra! Dinner's ready!" Nelson shouted, as the hybrid stepped out of her studio and smiled, one of her agents, a portly otter in a suit, stepping out as well, "Thanks sweetie, George did you want to stay for dinner?" Kendra asked, the otter shaking his head with a smile.

"No thanks Kendra, as much as I love your man's cooking, I have my own man to get home to." George replied, making a light wave good bye before letting himself out, Nelson chuckling after the door shut.

"I'm sorry hon, I know he's your friend and agent, but I always find it funny how open he is with being gay... nothing wrong with that mind you, just-"

"Nelson, I get what you mean," Kendra explained, as she hopped up into the chair for her at Nelson's table; being considerably shorter than the deer, her chair resembled a child's high chair, and featured a set of steps built into the side so that she could easily get in and out of the seat, "But he's got it hard and you know it... it's hard enough to make a living when you're gay, let alone when your significant other is a beaver... though I have hope, I heard of this dance club in Zootopia where the DJ, an arctic hare going by the name "Skips" or something was in a relationship with a cheetah," Kendra explained, Nelson dishing up the food and then taking a seat himself.

"I heard of that, their names are Karen and Kaycee if I'm correct... maybe when we have time we can pop on over to that place... ahhm what is that place called? I know it I just can't remember-"

"'Different Tails', and sure we can go, my mom and dad knew Karen from when they first started going out together, after my siblings were born mind you, you can only imagine how weird it would be to have a pregnant bunny on the dance floor," Kendra replied, Nelson chuckling and taking a bite of his food.

After dinner, the two moved into the den to watch some TV, Kendra seated comfortably in Nelson's arms as he sat back along the couch itself, "So, Pawflix or regular TV? I think your sister's cooking show is on tonight, wanna see?" Nelson asked, Kendra nodding her head and snuggling into the deer's neck.

"Nelson, how would you feel if I came out as being with you? Not that I've been hiding our relationship or anything, but if I actually made it official... I have an interview this coming Saturday, and I wanted to make our relationship known to my fans, as well as my friends," Kendra explained, Nelson smiling and kissing the hybrid between her ears.

"I'm okay with the idea... just one question, does this have to do with that guy you told me about? The one who seems to believe he's destined to have you as his wife?" Nelson asked, Kendra smiling and letting out a light laugh, nodding her head and chuckling.

"Oh yeah... he's still sending me letters, and- what are you doing?" Kendra asked, as Nelson reached into his pocket and pulled out a black box, opening it to reveal a gold ring.

"Wear this, he'll think your married and give up... oh, and would you like to marry me? I mean I won't force you too, but it may just put a damper on your crazy fan, you know?" Nelson asked, grinning when he saw the look on Kendra's face, the hybrid's ears shot straight up and her eyes wide, a pair of amethyst pools that the buck found so easy to get lost in.

"Nelson, we've only been together for three months... don't you think it's a bit early to be asking this?" Kendra asked, before she took the ring and slipped it onto her finger, a smile on her face as she nuzzled the deer's neck more, "Not that I'm saying "no" or anything, just wondering is all," Kendra explained, before she leaned up and placed a kiss to her fiance's chin, Nelson grunting happily and shrugging his shoulders.

"Eh, my parents are starting to come around about inter-species couples, they actually want to meet their future daughter-in-law, if you can believe that... they figured I'd proposed to you months ago, so I figured I should get the big question out of the way and-"

at that moment, Nelson's phone went off, a call in muzzle-time coming through and the callers being Nelson's parents, "Huh, what are the odds... well don't just stare at the screen, answer the damned thing!" Kendra said playfully, Nelson chuckling and hitting the accept call button, the image coming through of two elderly deer, both with smiles on their faces, "Hey there Nelson, how's my boy doing- is that her!?" Nelson's mom asked, Kendra popping up and smiling.

"Hey Mrs. Bucksworth, I'm Kendra Wilde, your son's fiance..." Kendra slowly trailed off as she watched the buck on the screen walk away, the doe rolling her eyes and sighing, "Never mind him dear, my husband is still getting used to the idea of his son marrying a hybrid. And stop with this nonsense of "Mrs. Bucksworth" you can call me Gloria, or Mummy, that's what Nelson used to call me when he was still a faun-"

"MOM! Not in front of Kendra!" Nelson said, Kendra giggling like mad at the urgency of his tone, "Oh come on Nelly, that's no way to speak to your mummy, now is it?" Kendra asked, gaining a halfhearted glare from the buck, before Gloria laughed and took a seat at her table on her side of the call.

"So, Kendra is it? I heard you're a singer, do you do any spiritual songs? I ask because my husband is a devout Spiritualist, and anything to do with the good book will win his favor," Gloria explained, Kendra smiling and nodding her head.

"Well, don't tell anyone, but I'm currently working on an album for the church, I can send you a couple of the tracks for him if you like-"

"No need for that dear, he may be a crotchety old buck-"

"I HEARD THAT!" was heard in the background, causing Nelson to chuckle, which in turn earned himself a playful slap to the head, even as Gloria continued speaking.

"- but he'll come around in his own time... his name is Henry by the way and... I'm not sure if it's bad to call you "cute" seeing as your part fox... but I have to say you are simply adorable with my son... even if you did scratch his face up a bit," Gloria explained, Kendra's ears dropping back a moment before Gloria snickered, "Don't take it the wrong way, I heard how you two got along in school... my little faun had it coming to him, so you get a pass on his scars." Gloria explained, Nelson blushing a bit as his scar lines turned a bright red, the only way Kendra could tell he was blushing at all since his fur never grew there any more.

"Anyway, I gotta go Nelson, you know how your father is. And Kendra, don't feel like a stranger, if ever you're over here in Podunk, feel free to drop in... I'll make tea for us dear, okay?" Gloria asked, Kendra and Nelson nodding their heads, "Sure thing Mummy, if I find myself in Podunk at any point, I'll be sure to drop in... and maybe talk some sense into your husband," Kendra replied, Gloria laughing at the hybrid's words, "Oh, he'll just love you for that, talk to you two later, mama loves ya both, bye!" Gloria said, ending the call on her end and leaving Nelson and Kendra to themselves.

"Well, your mom seems nice... not sure about your dad, but eh, he could've been a lot worse than just walking away from the call," Kendra explained, Nelson sighing and resting his head back against the arm rest of the couch.

"Yeah... Dad always was stubborn, it was always his way or no way at all, you know? Guess that's where I get my own stubbornness from... I mean I fell for you, despite your saying I'd be wasting my time chasing your tail... now I can honestly say that you're all mine." Nelson replied, Kendra sighing happily and flopping onto her stomach on the buck's chest; even with her fox genetics, Kendra was tiny by deer standards, not including her ears, she only reached his knees when standing next to him.

"Yup... all yours- wait a second... I just thought of something." Kendra said, Nelson looking to his fiance and raising an eyebrow.

"And what would that be sweetheart?" Nelson asked, Kendra shifting her gaze and blushing slightly before she spoke.

"After we're married... how the heck are we going to consummate it?" Kendra asked, Nelson immediately bursting out laughing at his future wife's blunt words, oh how he loved this hybrid girl.

"You know... I hadn't really thought that far ahead... maybe we could practice later on tonight." Nelson replied, waggling his eyebrows and earning himself a slap to his chest.

"Stupid Fawn." Kendra playfully hissed, as Nelson reached up and patted her ears, a smile on his face.

"You know you love me." Nelson said, Kendra raising an eyebrow before rolling her eyes and giggling.

"Sure, let's go with that... I love my big stupid fawn." Kendra said, leaning down and placing a kiss to Nelson's lips, purring into it when the deer started lightly scratching behind her ears.

And that's all folks!

Yeah, I'm aware that most of these stories have been oneshots, but never fear! I have a plan to compile the "Seeking Forgiveness" series into a single post at some point in the future! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this story, leave your reviews in the box below, and I'll see you in the next update, PEACE!