Practically Poor

Chapter 1: Strays

A chilling, whispy wind blew by the two bunnies huddled together and padding their way down the cleared path on the sidewalk. Stuffed suitcases trailing them, their breaths, ragged from the long walk and misty from the bite of winter, were only mitigated by what little scraps they could call scarves; barely more than a pair of old dish towels for larger mammals, to be honest.

Despite this being apparent, it didn't stop them, nor did they allow it to humiliate them for their current status in life. It was, after all, their first day in the big city. It was cause for celebration.

Well, it would have been, if it weren't so cold. That made it cause to hustle.

So cold it was, in fact, that Judy had long since felt the warmth in her ears fade to numbness and the residual heat from those emergency heat packs had finally run out. She began to have second thoughts about leaving the burrows so early despite it being the end of winter, even with all the preparations they made. She could have sworn that the news channel said it'd be at least mildly sunny by this time of day.

Yet, when she peered up beyond her tattered scarf, all that she could see were darkening, grey clouds and the little speckles of snow falling from the sky.

That's what made their situation urgent.

If we don't find shelter soon... Her cold paws quivered, she couldn't finish the thought. Instead, she clutched her backpack tighter, forcing herself to focus. She hadn't come all this way to quit. They had to find a place to stay.

Going over all she learned from the city afar, there weren't many options for shelter, not ones that they could afford, anyway. Actual shelters were few and far between, most places weren't open 24/7, and even the cheapest motels were a bit too costly when you had roughly twenty dollars left between two mammals, bunnies or not.

Worry gripped her.

As worried as she was for her own safety, she was equally worried about Jack. Even though he was usually quiet and reserved, he'd still at least make conversation with her, if nobody else. She turned back to see how he was fairing and was met with his glossy, golden eyes staring out listlessly from beneath his warming beanie.

"Jack... you okay?" she said in a soft whisper, her voice echoing in the icy wind.

A puff of mist rose from his scarf. "It wasn't that bad back home," he muttered.

Hearing his words, her heart nearly broke. They'd come too far to quit like this. Too far from bad blood, too far from old anger, too far from a broken home to want to return to that mess.

Judy placed her paws on his shoulders, staring him down. "We can't go back to that, Jack," Judy pleaded, trying to talk sense into him. "They... they weren't our family anymore. They didn't want to be," her little voice trailed off, "they made that clear."

Momentarily lost and seeing his own reflection in her glossy eyes, he turned away and nodded silently.

Relieved, if only just then, Judy let go and tried to focus on where they could go. They were going to freeze at this rate, there had to be somewhere close by, even if only for the night.

Her attention landed on the iron bars of the fence on the street across them. If that was a park, then there would have to be shelter of some kind. A recreational area, playground, heck, even a table to huddle under would be nice if they could huddle together for warmth.

"Let's try this park," she insisted, turning to look both ways for any traffic before crossing. "There's gotta be a bridge or something."

As she padded her way across, she chuckled at the thought. How did her aunt put it? Living in squalor under a bridge in a box? Something like that, she cringed.

Her suitcase's roller hitting the curb and bouncing, she caught it before it spilled over, she couldn't afford mistakes; not in the cold, and certainly not when she couldn't replace anything currently, it was too valuable.

Jack closely behind her, she followed the pathway to hopefully find the entrance before long. She would have attempted jumping, but the sharp spikes adorning the fence, and all her luggage prevented her from making a rash decision. Though from what she could see from this side looked promising: several picnicking spots and what looked to be the beginnings of a small ravine.

Rounding the way to the main gates and spotting a sign reading "Happytown Wharf", Judy was elated. She may not have known what a 'wharf' was, but from the sheer space, it was as good of a place as any to stay the night.

Pressing her way and hearing the click of their luggage, Judy and Jack walked side by side in silence. She did often try to gauge how he was fairing as they were inseparable friends since childhood, and for now, he, much like her, was content just to be free from their mess in the burrows.

Though, after a solid minute of ever chilling cold and the crunch of ice under their hind paws, contentment lost its value and made way for despair.

I can't believe this. Judy griped, not a single place in this entire park? What are wharves for anyway?

Grumbling, she looked ahead to a hill, feeling her shoulders drop from the sheer height of it. Had they come here for nothing? Would they just freeze out here? Gritting her teeth, she did as she told herself to do for years: not know when to quit.

Not risking a glance back, she marched on, her lungs beginning to sting from the frigid air all while the frozen ground made it difficult for her to traverse the path with her suitcase in tow.

Though, when she did finally reach the top of the hill after slipping a few times and reserving herself to practically crawling up the last few feet, she was greeted with a pleasant sight.

"A bridge!" she nearly cried into the mist, elated until her eyes trailed the path further until her heart fluttered.

It wasn't what she was expecting, but she'd dare say it was far better. Just ahead of them and across the little bridge was a warehouse of sorts, and a factory-like building to boot.

Deciding on the two, she weighed their choices.

Factories meant cold metal, harder navigation and a much more difficult time in finding adequate space to set up camp. The warehouse, however, seemed a better fit for what they'd need: a place to rest and shield them from the elements. Both seemed abandoned, but the warehouse looked easier to get into.

She shrugged. "Jack, I think we found our place for the night," Judy announced, turning to him with a wide berth of a smile.

The buck stood there, astonished at the discovery. He didn't move a muscle despite the temperature, save for a slowly forming smile.

This was it. A place to stay to weather the storm - longer if they needed. If it was abandoned, they'd get a few days from it, at least. Weeks? Months perhaps? It didn't really matter, it was a roof over their heads.

In tandem, they began racing, feeling the slick, slippery cobblestone of the bridge beneath them give way to a dampened dirt path. The massive, looming door before them made them feel even smaller in comparison. Had Judy guessed, it was a space meant for elephants, at least.

When they reached the solid wooden structure, they weren't disappointed as the oversized door had a small patch to it. With nearly a tear in her eye, Judy pushed at and squirmed her way through, taking her luggage with her before Jack did the same.

Now inside, the air was slightly warmer, two or three degrees at most. That alone was comforting and allowed Judy to breathe deeply, knowing that the deeper they went in this place, it'd be a bit more insulated. All they had to do was look for an office or something.

Beneath the broken windows and seeing a little light cascade in, they got a better view of the place they'd be staying. It was no hotel like they had hoped to splurge on if they had the money or some homeless shelter that they desperately searched for months ago when they began planning, but it wasn't too bad.

Sturdy looking wooden pillars ran from the ground all the way up, the main two doors were latched shut from the inside, a pile of old debris layout in the middle of the area and beyond that were what looked like the offices and breakrooms and such.

Judy was thrilled by the find. "I'm gonna check out the rooms. See if there's anything there we can use," she informed, leaving her suitcase propped against one of the pillars and turning to Jack to see what he wanted to do. Though they were a team, she was usually the more exploratory one of the two while he was definitely the analytical kind.

He looked at the debris. "I'll check this stuff and see where we can set up."

Judy nodded and unshouldered her backpack. Rummaging through it, she found one of the few survival tools that she knew she needed for this kind of darkened place: a flashlight-lantern.

Clicking it on, she grasped it jubilantly in her paws before heading off. She could still hear Jack trying to move small bits of wood in the pile before she opened the door that lead deeper. Met with darkness, she was glad to have a little light with her as bunnies didn't have great night vision.

Opting to leave the door open behind her, she carefully padded inward. Empty fluorescent lighting fixtures ran across the ceiling while old paper scraps adorned the floor. It was a bit shabby, probably hadn't been used in a decade - which was good for them as the fewer mammals knew of their new spot, the better.

Down the dozen or so dusty, decrepit rooms where she figured were used as small offices no bigger than the rooms at her former home, she was glad to see nothing of significant value, but sad that they weren't 'room ready', so they'd have to sleep near the pile out front. The last room, however, was a break room with its door open a bit and... a dim light coming from it?

Immediately, Judy became a bit more cautious. Why's a light on? she wondered, muttering under her shallow breaths. Does that mean someone else is-

"You did patch that door, right?" a worrying voice whispered, causing the doe to cringe.

"Nicky... of course I patched it. Now where's dinner?" another called back.

Judy quivered. This place was supposed to be abandoned: nobody there but them. But now there were at least two other mammals there? This wasn't good.

She heard the first sigh along with clank of metal. "All right... if you patched it then we should be fine for the night. Now I just need something to open this can with so we-h-hey! Skye, that's for both of us!"

Before Judy could back away any further, the door to the break room burst open. By the time she cut off her flashlight, a flash of fur came running by.

The doe pressed herself against the wall as the other kept running, unaware of her presence. For a second, Judy was relieved. That was until she realized two things. One: that mammal would be heading towards Jack. And two: there was another mammal as she only heard one set of footsteps.

Trembling from this and not wanting any trouble, she cut the light back on, nearly dropping it when she saw red fur at the end of the hallway.

She flashed her light up, causing the mammal to bark and shield his eyes with his paw and what looked like a soup can.

Judy took a step back, however, when she saw that it was a fox that she had nearly blinded. And foxes, as she learned early, were bad news. Her natural predator, they scratched and bit, the list went on. So when this fox had gained his bearings and adjusted to the little light, Judy made her way to the door.

She had to get to Jack. As this was a fox, the odds that the other mammal that ran by her was a fox as well were too high. Two foxes meant nothing good for two bunnies.

Racing out and shutting the door behind her, she screamed his name. "JACK!" But what she saw ahead left her both confused and shocked.

Jack had taken to the pile of rubbish with gusto. Flashlight lantern out and sifting through to find anything they could use, he was content with his current state.

Despite it being dark and cold, he found renewed strength just from a little task. Though he found nothing of use or value - a few cardboard pieces, tattered plastic, and splintered wood - it was something to take his mind off of the early parts of the day.

It was hectic, to say the least. Waking up at nearly midnight, gathering their hidden belongings, quietly leaving the house with what little they could call their own, taking the only train that ran at two in the morning, and finally setting foot in the city.

In a way, it was a miracle that they escaped undetected.

Now, he was quietly reflecting on the few happy memories he had from the home he left behind, humming to himself and absentmindedly moving a piece of plywood.

At least we're together, Jack thought, thankful for the only mammal on earth that he could call his friend.

Shoving some of the debris aside, his ears perked up from the click of paws running towards him.

"Judy?" he questioned, breaking away from the pile and hopping down.

He expected her to be there, excitably relaying what she found, but instead, he was greeted with a completely different sight.

A tall figure came barreling towards him, flailing its limbs and alternating between trying to run on all fours and stand upright to shake their head.

He thought that he and Judy were the only ones there, but he was sadly mistaken. Startled as any would be, he stepped back, tripping as he tried to gain distance; his flashlight fell to the ground beside him as the figure began to take form.

Caught in the light, the dingy white fur of the mammal glistened with the few snowflakes falling through the window. They continued to stumble about, seemingly attempting to fight off an invisible creature from the way they moved.

It was then that Jack, still fearful, glanced at what was really going on and he raised a brow.

Whatever they were, they had a jar stuck on their head.

In their plight, they tripped, falling just at his feet and continuing their struggle with the offending piece.

He had to wonder what they were, but from the way they seemed to be out of breath, it couldn't be good to keep the container on - suffocating and all.

So, in his haste to remedy the situation as he never did like seeing anyone hurt, he placed his paws over the jar and tugged without a second thought.

A few twists later and an audible 'pop', Jack huffed in relief before his pupils contracted. He wasn't prepared for what he saw.

"A fox," Jack whispered, stunned at seeing her crystal blue eyes stare back at him.

He held her gaze as she huffed, smiling.

The buck trembled, but she gasped. "Wait! There's a little bit more in there!"

Quicker than he could react, the vixen grasped the jar and stuffed her muzzle back into it. Her smushed face seemed happy behind the plastic container while she greedily lapped up the remains of whatever leftover foodstuff she could.

With her back at it, Jack's jaw dropped. "Uh... what?" was all he could muster as foxes were never friendly, never. They and bunnies were enemies since time immemorial, the natural predator to their prey species.

He stared at her, enjoying her meal when he heard his name being called.

Looking up, he caught sight of Judy dashing to him, worry in all her features while a dark figure trailed behind, slowly.

When she reached him, Judy was stunned to see the fox struggling on the ground, flailing as they tried to get a jar off of their face. The other, however, stood at a distance between them, eyeing the flopping vulpine with both sympathy and frustration.

After a bit of a workout of attempting to get the jar off her head again, the vixen finally stopped. Her face still slightly visible through the plastic shield, she pleadingly tapped the jar for any kind of assistance.

Judy didn't know what to think, but when she saw Jack lean over and help her remove the jar from her head, she had more than a few questions.

"Thank you." the blue-eyed vixen said between breaths.

Letting her stand to her feet, the four mammals fell into a small silence. Foxes staring at rabbits and rabbits gazing at foxes. It was a standoff of sorts, one that should have been met with more hostility, but from the way the vixen smiled and the todd just looked annoyed, along with the confused features on the bunnies, all was not as it seemed.

The red fox spoke first. "I thought you said you patched the hole, Skye."

His accusatory tone was met with her peering around the bunnies. "But Nick I-I did? Well, at least I thought I did..."

Judy cringed. This is their shelter? "We... uh, may have... moved it?" she admitted, shyly.

The different responses of the foxes was telling. One shrugged and the other, well, if looks alone could kill.

It didn't take the tod long to cross his arms. "What do you want, rabbits?"

To be honest, they wanted a lot of things. But for right now, a place to sleep would suffice. And to be alive in the morning was a bonus.

Clutching her flashlight, Judy sought to reason with the foxes. Sure, they were mortal enemies, but the odds were that they wouldn't be eaten. Predators didn't do that anymore, right? They could be civil, even in a place like this, right?

Judy hoped. "We just want a place to stay. For the night at least."

Jack beside her nodded, wordlessly.

If they could just stay there, they could find an unoccupied place in the morning. However, the tod shook his head just as a squeal from the vixen halted his words.

"Nicky! They have a blanket!" Skye announced, interrupting the tense moment and holding up the old blanket that Judy had meticulously packed away.

The triumphant fox with clothes torn and ragged just like her own, the doe wondered how the vixen snuck past her without knowing. Not only that, how she managed to get the blanket out without a sound.

Still, Judy wasn't having any of it. "Hey," she jumped into action, grabbing a corner piece of the sheet and pointing at the rest in the vixen's paws. "That's ours!"

Though she was warned, Skye started to unroll the fabric, fascinated by its silky feel in her paws. "How'd you pack this whole thing in there?" she nearly shouted. "We had to leave a bunch of stuff behind. Right, Nicky?"

As Judy listened, her grip became lighter. they had to leave their home too, huh?

It wasn't like she wasn't sympathetic, she knew the feeling. But as obtrusive as this one was, it left her to wonder.

"You guys... don't have a blanket?" At her words, the tod looked away, almost shamefully.

His friend, however, unrolled cover and soaked in the little comfort, pouncing on it and rolling to her heart's content. "Nope. Couldn't pack one. And the junkyard's closed."

While Judy didn't know much about life in the city, she understood from the look of these two, that they were very likely in the same... financial, and likely holming situation that she and Jack were in. It pained her to say it, and when she came to the city earlier that day, she felt both hopeful and miserable.

Being a homeless mammal, technically, wasn't something she was too proud to admit.

Lifting her eyes, Judy held the gaze of the tod slowly approaching. His eyes now more lively and green than his faded Pawaiian shirt, he stood next to his vixen friend.

As if considering something and switching his focus between the bunnies and the blanket, he swished his tail.

"Tell you what," the red fox began. "You two can stay the night if we can have the blanket."

Both bunnies went slack-jawed at the proposition.

It was a hard choice to make for a bunny. Either face certain death outside - they didn't have the resources, warmth, or anywhere planned to run to - or give their blanket to a skulk of foxes for the night and leave in the morning.

But then again, assessing the situation, Judy had another idea. They had the upperpaw.

"Tell you what," she said, mimicking the fox's tone. "We can share what we have, if you share what you have."

No sooner had the words left her mouth did Skye raise her paw. "I vote yes!"

The tod, however, went slackjawed this time. He crossed his arms defiantly, making him seem more imposing. "And what makes you think we'll share the space with rabbits."

It was a bluff at best, and a minor inconvenience at worst. With the blanket on the table and a place to sleep, Judy just had to have enough leverage to win them over.

And remembering the fox's words earlier, she had a plan. Judy set her bag down and quickly went through its content. When she grasped what she wanted, she smiled. "Need a can-opener?" she singsonged, waving the tool at the red fox's paw.

Skye practically danced hopefully, but Nick wasn't having any of it.

"No thanks," he defended, nibbling on the can. "ah-cn-opnit-wif-mah-eef."

After a few tries, nearly biting his tongue, and a whimper from the vixen, Nick gave up. He cast a glare at the white-furred fox. "You just had to abandon your tools..."

She scoffed, padding her way to the back room. "I wasn't abandoning Mushy..."

Breathing deeply and letting loose a frustrated sigh, Nick huffed. The two bunnies standing there watched the red fox trail his eyes everywhere but at them. "I can't believe this, our kingdom for a can-opener..." he mumbled, shaking his head before finally staring dead center at Judy.

One sad look of the can in his paws and he shrugged, walking to the back. "Fine."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Judy was glad that she and Jack had a place for a while. Though the thought of having to stay with foxes scared her, they seemed... okay, despite the stereotypes of their species.

They'd still need to be cautious.

Setting her bag down as a makeshift cushion for her back and turning her flashlight to its lantern mode, Judy made herself comfortable, finally able to relax in the chaos of the day. The inside of the warehouse was dark and a bit cold, sure, but the sliver of moonlight cascading down onto the rubble made it hauntingly beautiful.

Jack had taken refuge next to her, admiring the scenery as well until the white fox had returned in a flash, a few water bottles toddling in her arms while she tried to balance a stuffed mammal atop her head. Though, failing miserably at both and dropping it all before the bunnies, she giggled like it was nothing.

"Here you go," she offered, handing each of them a small water bottle each and sitting next to them as if they weren't predator and prey. Idly, she held the stuffed doll tightly in her paws.

Before long, the tod returned, a few more cans balanced in his paw. He sat next to them and held out his paw. "Can-opener, please."

Nodding, Judy handed it to him, hoping that he'd keep his end of the deal and was glad that he started wrenching the cans off, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Not waiting, Skye took one, licking her lips and greedily stuffing her muzzle into the can, splashing a bit of potato soup everywhere.

Both Jack and Judy tried to stifle a laugh while the tod continued to pry the lids off. "I'm Nick, by the way," he informed, handing another can Judy's way before passing one to Jack. He waved off his friend when she tried to take the last can for herself. "And you've already met the bottomless pit known as Skye."

While a bit frustrated and hungry with all eyes on her, Skye did what she did best and held up her favourite possession, waving its arm. "And this is Mushy."

It was a rag doll of sorts. Disproportioned with buttons for eyes and odd deely-bobbers on its head.

Wiping her muzzle with the back of her paw and savoring the cream of mushroom soup, she waved back. "I'm Judy, and this is Jack."

The buck went wide-eyed a bit before meekly saying a hello.

They fell into a silence, making short work of their dinners; the tension in the atmosphere dissolving more than any of them had anticipated.

And while Judy never did imagine that she and Jack would be eating cold soup with the company homeless foxes, she couldn't say that it was all that bad. In fact, it reminded her of what her family used to be like.

She smiled. It felt a little like home.

[A/N]

Huge thank you to Qalcove, the artist behind the cover art. Check her out on Deviant Art!

And so it begins! November is here, folks! This is the first part (1/12) of Practically Poor! One of 5 stories that I have planned for the month and the one most voted for in the polls!

What will become of the crew? What's their past like? Why was Skye's head in a jar?! Well... she was hungry. XD

Anywho, this story is one of the 3 AU styles that I had in mind. The other four stories will be posted/started before the next chapter of "Practically Poor" is uploaded. With 11 chapters left, let's see if their world will become a better place.

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fanfiction:
~dancinglunarwolves

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archiveofourown:
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If you liked this story and have time please post a review, and if you would like to keep up with the story please fav or follow. Questions, comments, concerns, feel free to message me about anything. If you'd like updates, please check the profile page and or message me.

Till Next Time
-DLW