Hiya peoples! (Ooh, can't you just hear the Hick in that?) Anywho, I have no idea how all this works and am not terribly inclined with technology. This is a test run of sorts to see if I can figure out how everything works and start submitting other stories. I have hundreds of chapters and stories with just these characters. I have been writing for a very long time, but never had the urge or desire to share any of my work because…Hmmm, how would you put it?" Never let them see they get to you would be pretty good. No, insults, criticisms, flat out disgust would not bother me. I don't get my feeling hurt to easily. I believe the reason I am finally putting things out is because I have a story I have set everything else aside for and want to finish it. (Hopefully before I die!) This is a great place to get feedback on things I need to work on. There are Gods among the writers in this community, and I will happily listen to anything anyone who is reading my drabble will leave and try to respond to it. On that note- This was an unusual or dare I say was difficult to write story. Trying to have more than a dozen character talking at the same time is not an easy feat, hopefully the way I have it set up will work. But if it doesn't –DO TELL! And Hopefully, have fun reading! Sandsstill
Disclaimer; I do not own Zootopia or any of it's characters.
Two Minutes
In the early hours of the morning officers have gathered before their shift in the bullpen where a heated debate has been going on for several months. A debate that is becoming the most talked about issue in the halls and ranks of the ZPD's first shift. The question being pondered; Why?
"No it's not Pennington…" said Fangmeyer.
"Yes it is Fangmeyer, and stop calling me Pennington, my name is Francine. I'm one of the only female officers here on day shift besides Hopps and unlike her I have no desire to be clumped into the 'boys' club" Francine complained.
"If you really believe that then you are as crazy as the peanuts he filled your cruiser with" Wolford said.
"Come on, he never does anything that actually hurts anybody" Francine said.
"No- it's just really annoying, and tell that to Clawhauser" Fangmeyer stated flatly.
"He didn't hurt Clawhauser" Francine said.
"Do you really want me to explain what happens when you eat three doughnuts thinking they are some new kind of variety?" Fangmeyer argued.
"Only Clawhauser would think that and not realize they were sponges" said Higgins as he rolled his eyes.
"How on earth can that hurt someone?" Francine asked.
"I'm not explaining it Pen- Francine, boy you are a little gullible aren't you?" Fangmeyer stated.
"Hey! It couldn't have hurt him too badly. It sure didn't stop him from eating the extra doughnuts Wilde brought him for the next week after it happened" Francine said.
"Point taken" Fangmeyer replied.
"All I'm saying is that in its own way it's a little sweet" said Francine.
"Tell that to the Chief, I thought Carr- er, Hopps had it bad for a while. I thought she was going to kill him after the carrot sauce incident" said Snarlov.
"Yeah, now everybody calls her Carrots because her fur was brighter than Wilde's for a good two weeks" Francine said.
"I can't imagine how long he was in the dog house after that. No offence Wolford and Snarlof" said Grizzoli.
"None taken- hey, Snarlof? You, McHorn, and Swinton are the only ones he hasn't pranked yet. Any idea why?" asked Wolford.
"Maybe he doesn't like them?" Higgins asked.
"Snarlof- your ears are literally turning red- he did get you didn't he?!" Wolford asked again.
"Ugh…Gotta go guys, see you in ten when the Chief gets here! Bye!" said Snarloff as he rushed from the room.
"That bad?" Delgato asked.
"Or more likely that personal and embarrassing" Grizzoli piped in.
"Yeah, and that's creepy. How that little fox seems to know everything about us to fulfill these gags is disturbing on a level all its own" said Rhinowitz.
"You think he got McHorn?" asked Delgato.
"McHorn doesn't talk, so if he did we'll never know" Wolford said.
"I heard McHorn and Chief are best friends, they graduated the academy together" said Rhinowitz.
"That doesn't mean anything, just a rumor. The guy never talks, never smiles-nothing. And no one has ever seen them outside of work, together or alone" said Grizzoli.
"So what do you think was the funniest one?" Rhinowitz asked.
"Wolford-definitely Wolford" Delgato smiled.
"Oh yeah? It couldn't have been better than when he put catnip in the cruisers air conditioning system. Never saw you so happy. I might actually like working with you more often if you were like that every day. What? The stuffs not illegal and you were in a good mood all day" replied Wolford.
"That was not funny" said Delgato.
"C'mon! Admit it, you were in a good mood, and it was right after your apartment flooded too!" Wolford chuckled.
"All right, I'll give him that" said Delgato.
"That about killed you didn't it pal" asked Grizzoli.
"The coop prank was funnier though Wolford" said Delgato.
"No it wasn't" said Woldford.
"Have you ever seen a wolf yelp, whine, scream, fall backwards on their rump and curl into a ball at the same time? No your right it wasn't funny, it was a hilarious" laughed Delgato.
"There were 30 birds stuffed into my locker! They all flew out at me when I opened the door. I was surprised!" Wolford growled.
"Noooo- scared is a better word buddy" Delgato laughed again.
"Shutup!" Wolford barked.
"See there's my point! One was a canary and for some reason it liked you and you got a pet out of it" Francine said.
"You might think its sweet Francine, but how did Wilde know his childhood pet had died to begin with? And why did that bird come to him like it did, it was like the thing was trained or something. Landed right on his nose and let him pick it up too! It's not normal" said Higgins.
"Is anything that red fox does normal?" asked Trunkaby.
"Come on guys, we don't know for sure he's the one doing all of it" said Francine.
"Get real Francine, the pranks didn't start until after he got here, and there are a few other questions to answer too. How does he do it? The mess magically disappears after the prank is over, no one ever sees him pulling anything, or cleaning it up. I'm pretty sure the only reason he hasn't gotten fired yet is because the Chief can't prove it's him doing it. I mean where's he coming up with the time, not to mention the money to pull all this off" asked Swinton.
"Money?" asked Francine.
"Seriously? Have you been paying attention to the pranks on the Chief, not to mention the price of the birds, peanuts, and who knows what else" Delgato said.
"Truffles" said Swinton.
"What?" They all asked in unison.
"Truffles"- Swinton said out of the blue. "He filled my family pool with truffles. The wife was furious until she realized what they were."
"Wait, he got you at home?! You guys eat those things right- aren't those hard to come by? Your whole pool?" asked Wolford.
"Yea, sort of, and we are pigs; the pool isn't that big or deep" Swinton replied.
"Still… sooooo where's he getting the money and the resources for all this? Or the time?" asked Higgins.
"You really need to ask? The guy knows everybody" said Wolford.
"Everything he does is harmless though. Never hurts anybody, never leaves a mess, everyone seems to end up getting something out of it" said Francine.
"Tell that to the Chief Francine. Carro- Hopps wasn't too happy about the name sticking either" Delgato smirked.
"OK, so back to the original question at paw, why do you guys think he keeps going after the Chief?" asked Rhinowitz.
"Because he can get away with it" said Wolford.
"No, he might get caught eventually" said Grizzoli.
"Pfft- don't underestimate how devious and clever that little fox is" said Delgato.
"Hey! Don't talk like that!" yelled Francine.
"Relax Francine. It has nothing to do with him being a fox. I like the guy, I think everybody does. I'm just saying as laid back and goofy as he comes off, he's more intelligent than most mammals give him credit for" Delgato defended.
"So, you think he wants to get fired?" Francine asked.
"No, if that were the case he'd leave clues to get caught" said Wolford.
"I think he's lazy" said Higgins.
"Why? He seems to like the job and gets everything done up to standard, if not above it. I mean look at his academy record. He passed right up there with Carrots, I mean Hopps" asked Rhinowitz.
"Chief may not be able to actually catch him, but he knows it's him. He ends up getting parking duty after every prank. Parking duty is the easiest job there is" said Higgins.
"That can't sit well with the bunny, she hates parking duty and gets stuck with it the same as him just because there's no one else that size to partner her with" said Wolford.
"So what's his end game? He never seems to be around to watch the results. I guess he doesn't need to though. The guy is always happy" said Higgins.
"That's not true. He got pretty mad when Grizzoli and Rhinowitz were teasing him about his name" said Delgato.
"Wilde? Why?" asked Francine.
"No not Wilde, his middle name. It's Piberius" said Delgato.
"Weird name" said Grizzoli.
"Yeah he almost came unglued. Blew a gasket at both of us" said Rhinowitz.
"Hu, so why's he keep doing it?" asked Francine again.
"Got me- most of the time he's not even around to see the end results, so I can't imagine what he keeps doing it for" said Delgato.
"HAHAHAHAA- end results! Chief bubbalo butt" laughed Wolford.
"Bubbalo butt? Did I miss something?" asked Francine.
"Holy fangs, you weren't here yesterday" said Fangmeyer.
"It had to be the best one yet- or worst, depending on how you look at it" Wolford said.
"Couldn't have been worse than the paper clip pull… the coffee cup caper… bolt bonker…the buff bulk?" Francine asked.
"Better" Fangmeyer said.
"Seriously?" Francine asked. "You better not let the Chief hear you calling him that-he'll demote you."
"Oh please Francine- that bull knows everything that happens in the precinct, you have a terrible memory for an elephant" Higgins said.
"That is a stereo type and I resent it- and if he knew everything he would catch Wilde" Francine replied.
"Touché" said Higgins.
"I don't see how he didn't get hurt with the paperclips. He could have lost an eye on that one" said Wolford.
"Wolford- are you dense? He put that magnetizing agent in Chiefs soap. Do you wash the fur on your face and muzzle or around your eyes with the shampoo that has scent neutralizer in it? Ever get that stuff in your eyes?" asked Delgato.
"No I don't, yes, I have, but at least I do wash my fur, and how would you know? The only way I thought you took baths was with your tongue" said Wolford as he scowled at the large cat.
"HEY HEY HEY! Guys, off subject. Would you explain the bubbalo butt thing?" said Francine.
"Right" said Wolford.
"How could it be worse than the coffee caper? Chief was in a bad mood for days" Francine asked.
"You wouldn't be in a good mood either if someone had hidden a mechanical device in your desk and glued magnets to every coffee cup in the precinct that made them dance all over your work area. Ever seen Chief try to hold a Styrofoam cup? His hooves slice through them like butter" said Delgato.
"Why didn't he just go buy another cup?" Swinton asked.
"He did. But they were insulated under the plastic with some kind of metal. The magnet just picked those up too. He ended up just going without coffee for a few days" replied Higgins.
"No coffee? Yep, that would put any of us in a bad mood" Wolford replied dryly.
"Why didn't maintenance just come disable the thing?" asked Trunkaby.
"They tried, couldn't get to it without taking the whole desk apart. Scheduled to do it the first time Chief had a day off, but by then whatever was powering it had run out of juice and it quit" said Rhinowitz.
"You think he planned it that way on purpose?" asked Francine.
"Are you kitting? He made sure whatever was in that shampoo didn't soak through the skin and only stuck to fur. Of course he planned it" said Wolford.
"That wasn't as bad as the bolt bonker. Every piece of furniture in his office collapsed as soon as he sat in the chair, even the pictures on the walls fell off because of the vibrations" said Francine.
"No, Wilde actually removed all the nails, had them stuck up with sticky tape. It was like a chain reaction -the chair fell with the Chief in it, then the desk, the filing cabinet, then the pictures. The only thing that didn't fall apart was the chairs he keeps for mammals visiting his office" said Rhinowitz.
"How did he not get hurt?" asked Delgato.
"Wilde put braces under the desk so nothing fell far enough to hurt his legs, don't know about the rest of it" said Rhinowitz.
"I'd love to know how he does all that and seems to think of everything" said Francine.
"I still think the buff bulk was top of the list" said Higgins.
"Hahahhha! Covering your eyes isn't going to get that picture out of your head Francine!" laughed Delgato.
"SHUT. UP." Francine said.
"How'd he do that anyway?" asked Wolford.
"You don't know? Chief has it 'investigated' every time. Wilde tampered with the thermostat in his office. He couldn't get the heat to turn off that day. He couldn't open the window because of repairs on the exterior building. It pretty much turned his office into a hot box. He was sweating like a pig- ugh sorry Swinton" said Delgato.
"Whatever" the pig replied.
"Anyway, he came out to get some air and when he stretched all his clothes fell apart. Turns out all the stitches in his uniform had dissolved because he was sweating so much. I have no idea how Wilde replaced the stitching with that dissolvable thread" Delgato continued.
"I thought we were going to have to call the fire department that day as red as Francine and Hopps turned when they saw him!" Wolford laughed.
"SHUT. UP." Francine said again.
"Whew- Chief was mad that day" said Higgins.
"Yeah, but I think he was more upset because of how it affected the gals than himself. He screamed at Wilde for a good twenty minutes that day" said Delgato.
"Yeah yeah- what happened yesterday!" asked Francine again.
"Alright, hold your trunk and keep your britches on. There was a loud pop. Everybody in the bull pen heard it. Within a few minutes Chief was screaming and we all ran out to see why. He stomped out of his office, with his chair stuck to his butt. As it turns out the padded seat on the thing was replaced with one that looked identical, only when he sat on it, it exploded. Some kind of pink goo was stuck to him and the chair. When they finally managed to pull it off there was a stretch of the crud and it ended up blowing up like a balloon that stuck to his rear end. Hence-bubbalo butt" said Wolford.
"Aww- I missed it!" whined Francine.
"He's getting brazen about it too. The pranks are coming more often and seem to be scaling up each time" said Grizzoli.
"I don't understand why Chief hasn't outright strangled him yet. That makes two uniforms he has destroyed" said Trunkaby.
"Ugh Hello- does no one here pay attention? Chief had a new uniform, tailor made, delivered within an hour after each incident" said Grizzoli.
"You're kitting?!" asked Francine.
"Nope" Grizzoli replied.
"How did Wilde…" asked Francine.
"No one knows" Wolford shrugged.
"So, how long do you think it will be before the next one?" Delgato asked.
"At least a week after yesterday" said Higgins.
"I'll bet you fifty bucks its sooner than that" bet Wolford.
"Wolford, you always lose, why do you even bother?" asked Delgato.
"Scared?" asked Wolford.
"You're on buddy. Fifty bucks says it's at least a week against you thinking sooner" Delgato shook his paw on it.
"If there is another prank I am going to tan his hide" Judy said as she walked into the pen.
"Hopps! Your late today, where have you been?" asked Francine.
"Might as well call me Carrots Francine, everyone else does when they aren't talking directly to me. I don't mind, it's sort of a term of endearment now. I'm late because he's like living with a kit. We finally finished all the wedding planning last night and he was so excited I couldn't get him to go to bed, so I had a hard time getting him up this morning."
"Speak of the devil. There's the lazy cur now" Delgato said.
"Heyyyy- I resemble that remark" smirked the fox as he entered the room.
BOOM
"You owe me fifty bucks pal" said Wolford as he smirked at the tiger.
"I'll send the herd to your place after hours" Delgato stated as he folded his arms at the wolf.
"Jerk" Wolford said.
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Nicholas Wilde stuffed his paws in his pockets after he passed through the doors of Precinct one, staving off yet another yawn that tried to escape his muzzle. He watched with lazy interest as his bunny made her way to the bullpen, and kept a sliding stroll several paces behind her until Clawhauser beckoned him to his desk.
"What's up B.J.?" he quipped towards the chubby cheetah.
The rotund feline bore his teeth in an overly aggressive smile as he replied, "Got your coffee!"
This had become a regular routine between the pair every morning. The friendly cat would bring in a hot black coffee for Nick with two sugars and a carlotte for Judy in exchange for them bringing back a large bear claw on their morning break and check in. It had worked out well for both parties as it saved Judy from having to stop and get something she felt was cutting time away from their duties, and Clawhauser ended up getting a bear claw nearly as large as his face around nine am, which was quickly snatched from the bakery across the street, and brushed off the cats hunger until lunch.
"We'll grab it on the way back through, gotta catch Carrots in the bull pen" he said as he gave a half hearted salute and stuffed his paw back into his pocket. He drug his feet towards the waiting open door and heard Judy talking to Francine just as he leaned against the frame.
"Speak of the devil, there's the lazy cur now" Delgato teased.
"Heyyyy- I resemble that remark" he cooed in response.
BOOM
"You owe me fifty bucks pal" said Wolford as he smirked at the tiger.
"I'll send the herd to your place after hours" Delgato stated as he folded his arms at the wolf.
"Jerk" Wolford said.
A loud explosion sent a shock wave through the building. The doors jolted and desks in the bullpen jerked slightly as the glass in the windows rattled before all went silent again. The fox turned quickly as his paws flew from his pockets and suspended mid air. Looking back towards Bogo's office he saw a rush of yellow smoke, permeated by thicker more dense strands of bright pink.
"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no…." the fox muttered as he began to run through the open hall towards the stairs.
"Nick! What did you do?!" Judy screamed as she bolted from the bull pen after him. All the officers stood from their chairs and exited the room watching as he began to run.
The tod rushed up the stairs huffing, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that weasel! Too much combustion in the chamber. Please don't be hurt, please don't be hurt, please don't be hurt…."
Judy watched in horror as Nick ranted up the stairs and down the hallway towards Bogo's office. Upon reaching his door the fox stopped and threw it open. A thick plume of smoke rushed from the open room and Nick stuck his head in muttering again "Please don't be hurt." After taking a deep breath he raised the volume of his voice "Chief? Chief?" He looked around frantically through the haze and saw no movement. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- it was an accid-"
Nick took several tentative steps back as a massive shadow lumbered through the cloud. Bogo stood in the open door frame, a thick mist surrounding his body as he placed both paws on his eyes and ran his hooves over his eyelids, removing a thick pink and yellow splotched unknown substance away from his eyes. Nick looked up and seemed to be assessing the condition of the bull as his dark eyes opened and landed firmly on the fox in front of him. A quick cough from the bovine spilled a small cloud of purple dust from his mouth, followed by a snort that resulted in two vents of the same colored puffs of smoke from each of his nostrils.
Judy's mouth fell open when she heard the fox snort, trying to suffocate a laugh that was ultimately caught in his throat as he clamped both paws over his muzzle. The massive bull took a few more steps forward and seemed to shake himself more in the manner of a wet canine than any buffalo she had ever seen, before he dropped to all fours in front of the staggering Reynard. The bulls head shook several times and his hoof dug deep enough into the tiles that they were being rutted by the sheer force before he bellowed out a noise she could only imagine would have come from one of his ancestors who had been teased and taunted with a red swaying cape in front of them. The color of the fur that was currently bristling on the wide eyed tod in front of him.
Judy jumped as a red blur rushed past her; the only audible noises she caught were the mumblings of "Oh crap, Oh crap, Oh crap" trailing behind the fox just as the bull charged at full speed. Massive hoof falls left her bouncing in place each time Bogo slammed against the ground. She watched frozen as the tod slid, overcompensating a corner to turn, with the bull gaining ground with each furious stomp closer. The fox slammed into a wall and threw himself off in the opposite direction just before the bull slammed into it, crushing the drywall under his weight before his hooves caught the floor again and pulled him forward with enough force that he nearly slid on the polished tile towards the fox again.
"Chief! Please don't kill him!"Judy screamed as she rushed towards the direction they had fled. The fox ran down the stairs so fast he nearly fell several times before looking back to see the bull only a few paces behind. "I'm sorry! It was an accident! DAAAAAHH!" he screamed as he slammed through the precinct doors and rushed down the stairs outside. The bull seemed to have gained some semblance once he reached the doors, where he stood back up on his hind paws, shook himself again and seemed to fight against a foreign facial expression as his eyes squinted towards the direction the fox had fled in.
Clawhauser sat dumbfounded as the other officers stared in disbelief. Judy rushed down the stairs looking for Nick, only to be met with the cold glare of chestnut eyes that left her slinking back towards the other officers without saying a word as the phone on Clawhauser's desk began to ring. The large cat picked it up slowly and eeked out a 'hello' before his ears fell back and he handed the phone to Bogo with shaking paws. The bulls twitching lip stilled as he answered whoever was calling with a few curt yes' before he hung up and turned to Clawhauser. "I'm going home- get Sgt. Caine in here for the day Clawhauser, and you can hand out assignments." When the large cat gave him a questioning glance the bull simply lowered his head and grunted "Not today" he said. The cheetah nodded and gave a quick "yes sir" before he started dialing numbers and making calls as Bogo walked through the front doors and exited the precinct.
"Did you see that?" asked Francine to no one in particular.
"We all saw that Francine" replied Higgins.
"No, Chief was smiling when he was chasing Wilde, it was scary. I don't think I've ever seen him smiling before."
"Pennington, he was not smiling, if anything he was scowling" remarked Delgato.
"I don't know guys" said Wolford. "He may have been smiling. Wilde pretty much just admitted he did it, so Chief might be happy because he's pretty much caught now."
"I think the Chief was too mad to be thinking about consequences, if he was smiling, which I doubt, he was probably just happy he was going to kill that fox" said Delgato.
Clawhauser made his way to the bullpen with folders in paw. As he stood at the podium the familiar russet colored fur poked back through the door a few moments after they had all taken their seats again. The fox was met by some more than angry scowls and given the cold shoulder by nearly every mammal in the room as he made his way back to the chair he and Judy shared. He sat seemingly unfazed by the interaction, only side glancing at Judy a few times, who had given him the dead eye until Clawhauser handed out a specific assignment to Trunkaby and Higgins. The fox jumped forward snatching the envelope from Higgins who took up a defensive stance alongside his partner Trunkaby. "Wilde! Don't you think you have caused enough trouble today?" asked the hippo as he creased his brows.
The tod ignored the question as he flipped through the report searching and muttering to himself as Trunkaby reached to take it back. Both Hippo and elephant jolted when the fox snarled at them. "I'm sorry! I swear I'll give it back and fess up to everything, just give me a second!" the fox nearly shouted as he began searching the pages again. Judy stood beside the two officers with her paws on her hips. "Nick! What is wrong with you?" she asked as she gave a questioning glance to the other two officers. "Don't look at me- I have no idea. It's just a robbery at the Emerald Empire Jewelry store. Not enough stolen for it to be a federal case" replied Trunkaby.
All three mammals jumped when the fox slammed his fists into the desktop he was looking the file over on. "NO!" Nick screamed. He jumped up and grabbed Judy's paw "We got parking duty Carrots, gotta go now!" Nick said as he drug a squeaking Judy out of the precinct doors. The remaining officers stared in gawked as the fox pulled the bunny out of the room.
Judy had grown increasingly more concerned over the last hour. Nick had stayed away from her making feverish and secretive phone calls to only the great lion knows who. He had left the precinct without their coffee. Had neglected to write any tickets, wasn't paying attention and seemed to be trying to avoid her. After another half hour he came rushing to her with a pleading in his eyes that she rarely saw, but easily recognized. As he placed his paws on her shoulders she looked up at him shaking her head, "Go Nick, I don't know what this is about and you can explain it later. One of us has to stay on duty. But if it's that important just go take care of it."
The relief that washed over his face was almost immeasurable "You know you're a peach."
"No Nick, I am a Carrot. I think you have more than proven that point to everyone at the station by now."
The fox chuckled as he pulled her into one of the tightest embraces she could remember.
"Thank you Judy."
Judy- he called me Judy. Alarm bells started sounding in the bunnies mind as it echoed through her ears.
"Don't you do anything stupid you dumb fox, you already have a big enough mess to clean up as it is."
He leaned away from her and smiled nodding his head in confirmation just before he kissed her on the nose and took off down the road like a shot. Judy was caught up in the way he was moving, almost like he was flying. Not that it was comparable, just that the mood he was in seemed to be moving his feet higher and faster than she could recall him ever lifting them before. A screeching sound broke her reverie, where the tod jumped through the open window of a familiar brown van at the end of the street. Judy watched as he pulled off his shirt and tie, waving back at her in one of the biggest smiles she thought she had ever seen. It made her chest feel lighter for a moment, until she realized that she actually felt heavier, a weight pulling her down on one side. Reaching down into her vest pocket she pulled out the cell phone that he always carried, along with the badge he was so proud of wearing. Every floating emotion in the previous moment fell into darkness as she looked back to see the van had disappeared. "No" was all she could utter.
It wasn't even nine A.M. when he left. Their whole routine for the day had gone wrong from the beginning. Judy was alright with not having the coffee. Clawhauser was understanding about the bear claw, but by lunch time the worrying that had set in had taken over any ability to eat. She sat quietly and watched the mammals going about their day as she drank some cold water. The rest of day crawled by, and by the time it was over, all she wanted to do was go home and she avoided talking to anyone at the precinct when she left. It wasn't like she could really answer any questions. She had more of her own than anyone could have asked her for about her fox.
As the day slipped away Judy found herself pacing, wondering where he was and if he was safe. Wondering if he had left this life and returned to one she really didn't have any information on. She rolled it over in her mind repeatedly, but there was nowhere she could think of to look for him. Aside from Finnick she didn't know anyone else he had been friends with before they met, and he never talked about family. All she knew for sure was that his parents had passed away in a car accident just before he turned ten, and because of how long he had been hustling, she assumed he had no other family. As the night ticked by slower than any clock could count down seconds, Judy fell into a darkness that left her feeling and longing for more than she had ever felt she'd lost before. She eventually succumbed to the pangs of sleep, fearing there was no end to it in sight.
The most annoying sound on the planet pulled Judy from the restless slumber she had fallen into. A furry gray paw slammed the device as she groaned and slid out of the bed she had fallen asleep on top of. She wandered out to the living room and looked around. Sighing heavily when she saw there was no one there and she was still alone. The doe made her way to the refrigerator and opened the door to get a bottle of water when she heard a grumble that caused her to drop it to the floor. Nick.
She rushed into the living room and saw that the couch was still empty and nearly tripped over a large furry paw at the end of the sofa. "Why are you on the floor?! Where have you been you dumb fox!" She stumbled down to him struggling with shoving the coffee table out of the way as she leaned towards him and suddenly pulled away at the sight. "You're filthy! What happened to your fur, and your cla- Oh holy Carrots you stink! Nicholas Wilde- GET UP!"
The fox grumbled and moaned as she pulled and tugged on his clothing, barely able to move him due to the size difference "Caaarrrots just let me sleeeeep…."
"No, GET UP! You are taking a shower and going to work. There is no way you aren't showing up today after what happened yesterday. Get up you dumb fox!"
Judy Hopps was struggling through the doors of the ZPD, dragging a half conscious fox behind her by the tie. As she made her way into the bull pen she shoved him towards their usual chair. The fox leaned over it and was immoveable by the bunny as he slipped between realms again. "Fangmeyer, please get him in the chair for me?" she asked. The tiger shook his head and grabbed the fox by the shirt, lifting him into the seat as his head slipped onto the desktop. "Why'd you bring him in like that Hopps? How'd he get like…." the tiger gestured with waving paws towards the fox, "this?"
Francine walked over to the small group that had formed around their usual seat. "Hopps, what happened to you two, you look like something the cat dragged in." Several felines in the room let out a low growl before the pachyderm shrugged an apology "Sorry guys, slip of the tongue."
Judy was speculative about exactly how much she should reveal, but couldn't outright lie about it knowing her co workers and friends were already aware of the fact that Nick had taken a 'leave of absence' yesterday. "I didn't sleep much last night, and he slept even less, he's pretty much a living version of the walking dead right now." Judy pulled out her favorite carrot pen and a bottle of super glue. Her favorite pen had to be taken apart because evidence needed the recording element for Bellwethers trial, but it had become a sentimental item, and she often had to glue it back together every few weeks to keep it intact. Nick mumbled something and half leaned up, wrapping his arms around Judy.
The doe froze as he started nibbling on one of her ears and whispering sweet nothings to her, completely unaware that he was in a room filled with snickering coworkers as she blushed furiously. "Pawsy and chatty when he's sleeping isn't he?" asked Francine.
"Nick! Stop that- wake up" Judy let out a defeated sigh and groaned as the fox petted her ears.
"You have no idea Francine, and he talks in his sleep. He's like an open book. You could ask him about his sexual prowess right now and he'd tell you the truth. WOLFORD! NO! Stop looking at us like that. I was not giving you permission or consent to ask for permission. I'm just making a point."
The large timber wolf took a step away and placed his paws up in surrender, but Judy scowled at the little smirk he was trying to hide.
"So why did you bring him in like that?" asked Fangmeyer.
Judy sighed again and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "I didn't think it was a good idea for him not to show up to work today after what he did yesterday. I figured if he is going to get in trouble, suspended or fired he should be here to face it himself."
"Well, at least now we know why he's never around when one of his pranks goes off. The guy can't keep a straight face, no matter how bad the situation is" grumbled Delgato.
"Talk about dropping a dime" said Trunkaby.
"Yeah, you ever heard about someone dropping it on themself… themselves? How do you even say that?" remarked Higgins.
"Nope, this is a first" said Grizzoli.
"Come on guys you aren't helping here, she's already worried" said Francine.
A soft padding entered the room and all the officers turned to see Clawhauser ready to relay a message.
"Chief says the briefing this morning is going to run late because he's running behind. The night shift is staying an extra hour and he wants you guys to stay here until he comes in" he chirped.
"Really? Chief is never late. Why isn't he having you do the assignment Benji?" asked Delgato.
"Beats me, I'm just the messenger, though it's kinda weird he asked me to stay in the pen today too" answered Clawhauser.
"OK. Something's wrong... He's never late" said Fangmeyer.
"Yeah, well when's the last time you saw him leave during the day?" asked Wolford.
"Never. You're right something's wrong" said Delgato.
"Yeah, he's gonna fire Wilde in front of everyone and make an example out of him" said Higgins.
"HIGGINS! Look - you're making Judy cry- just stop talking!" shushed Francine.
"Sorry" whispered Higgins.
Every officer present made a mad scramble back to their desk as McHorn entered the room and took his usual post beside the podium. The usual ruckus ensued upon the Chief entering the room. Business went as usual with the exception of everyone being openly curious as to why the Buffalo hadn't yet addressed the half slumbering fox draped over a bunny, said bunny trying to maintain a professional decorum through sniffles. Chief Bogo stood a little taller as he addressed his troops after the usual garb and handing out assignments.
"Now, as to the reason we are running behind today. There was a robbery at the Emerald Empire Jewelry store the night before last." The buffalo sighed as several officers looked to Trunkaby and Higgins, who both turned their attention to Hopps and Wilde, more specifically, Wilde. All eyes turned back to their commanding officer as he cleared his throat to garner their full attention again. "A courier arrived this morning with an unmarked box. Inside the box was a simple typed piece of paper that read the name of that store. Every piece of jewelry that had been stolen was in that box. It contained more than 12,000.00 worth of merchandise. Every piece was accounted for… all but one" Bogo stated.
No officer present dared make a sound as the chief surveyed the room and took another deep breath. He kept his eyes unfocused on any specific individual, instead choosing to seem as if he were studying each individual separately. When he continued there was nearly a whispered crack in his voice that resonated through the room and every officer present. "I do not condone vigilantism. However, that one piece of missing jewelry was found early this morning before that courier box ever arrived. Yesterday morning my wife called me after the store had alerted her to the theft of a ring that has been handed down in my family for more than 13 generations. It was in the store for a repair to one of the prongs that held the stone in place. My dear wife cried all day yesterday in mourning for the ring that my grandmother gave me to ask her for her hand in marriage. This morning she cried again, the happiest tears I have seen from her in many years, when she opened a package that had been laid in our mail box and found her ring inside it." The old bull's eyes softened as he looked over the room, all eyes switching between him and the two smallest officers in Precinct One as he finished his speech and looked at the fox seated in front of him, now cradled by a sobbing bunny. "To whoever may have returned that piece of joy to my wife and family, thank you, and though I do not believe personal sentiment is appropriate in the workplace, in this instance, I must say that I am very proud of the fact that I can call you one of my own."
"How did he know?" whispered Wolford. "How the heck am I supposed to know you mangy cur, how did he find out about your bird?" Delgato spat back at him.
The room fell instantly silent as a sleepy voice pierced through the haze.
There is a place between the waking world, between where dreams begin, and between being fully asleep and having an addle mind, that is separate from the state where you fall into sleep. In the state where you fall into sleep one can sometimes lose track of their senses, or become confused upon trying to fall asleep or wake, and slip back into either place. The space between is often neglected to be mentioned, but the mind is completely open, one in this state often feels as if they are floating between nothing. That open mind can either be connected to all those places and become an open book, or shut down, depending on the individual in question. In this case, that individual is Nicholas Wilde. He does not know he is awake or asleep, for he is neither. He is essentially, as Judy put it, an open book connected to all the worlds of consciousness and those between in his own mind. One who also has a connection to a working mouth. And the two words he just spoke in absence of all logical thought were a simple and honest response to a statement, that are about to forever alter the course of his life. Two simple little words.
A collective gasp was heard through the room. Judy jerked away from her fox and stared at him in a state of utter shock, mouth barely split open as she tried to inhale more air than the jarring of those words in her ears would allow into her lings. All eyes present now trained on the canidae, waiting for a response from an individual who was nowhere near aware of the fact he had made one to begin with. A loud bang tore through his peaceful darkness, accompanied by the booming voice everyone in precinct one openly cowered from while in the owner's presence. "WILDE!"
The fox was jolted from his oasis in a sudden slam to the senses. As he shot up in the seat, he blinked several times and saw a large book that had been dropped to the floor. Why is that there? He thought.
Not an uncommon sight to anyone familiar with the bullpen, on the floor not far from the seat he and Judy sat in lye the textual manual for procedures Chief Bogo kept tucked under his podium. The book was massive, large enough for the bull to easily handle and read, but would have been a stretch even for one of the larger lions or tigers to pick up and handle. Blinking again his first thought went to Judy, who he turned to without thought. There she sat, scooted away from him with one leg hanging off the chair, clutching the top of the desk with a look of awe written all over her face, completely stunned and unmoving as violet eyes locked onto his.
"What? What'd I miss fluff?" the fox asked. She sat silently frozen as her mouth tried to work a few times only for her jaw to snap shut as her eyes bulged a little and he heard her gulp. The fox then donned a heavily confused brow and he looked out over the rest of the room to see his fellow officers gaping and gawking at him as if he were proof alien life actually existed. All he could do was shake his head in confusion and ask again "What?"
An almost feminine raspy laugh echoed through the room and all eyes turned to McHorn, whose chest was bouncing lightly and lips had curled up heavily. A sight and sound that was nearly as much a shock as the words that had left the fox's lips, as the massive Rhino had never been heard to utter more than a simple yes or no answer, and no one had ever seen the beast smile, let alone laugh. Just as imposing and intimidating as Bogo himself at times, the whole thing left shivers going down several officers' spines as the laugh grew louder and he trained his eyes on the fox in front of Bogo.
Nick turned and grabbed Judy by the shoulders, shaking her lightly, trying to wake her from her stumped state "Carrots! What did I do?!" Judy shivered for a second before regaining her thought process and leaned into his ear whispering. The fox's eyes grew wider with every passing second, his brows reaching a crest most wouldn't believe was possible before he let his grip on the bunny lighten, the two slowly separating from each other and sliding away from the embrace they had just been locked in by proxy as the fox's mouth fell open. The fox's eyes stared into hers for a moment in what could only be described as abject horror before they shifted to see McHorn chuckling again, before he slid them over to see one very large bull leaning against the podium looking directly at him.
The fox swallowed hard as he fought to pull back memories from some sort of realm between realities. Ring… stolen… cried…. Box….. Proud… of… you.
The massive bull leaned forward, his weight causing the wood of his podium to groan slightly, his glasses slid down his nose as he eyed the fox, a thin smile splayed on his lips that turned up into an overly energetic smirk.
I didn't say that! I can't have said that! Think you dumb fox!...…I said,…I… Oh shit - I said it!
Nick released his grip on Judy completely and ran both paws over his eyes groaning, leaning into himself before he muttered "Oh Crap."
"NICHOLAS PIBERIUS WILD!" the buffalo bellowed in all the authoritative voice anyone present thought he could muster.
"Yes Sir!"
The officers of Precinct One sat stunned with their maws hanging open, eyes ticking between the bull and fox. At the mention of his full name the fox had sat up at attention and faced the massive bovine in a manner of respect none had ever seen him display, nor believed him capable of having. Judy sat lightly swaying her head back and forth in disbelief at the events unfolding before her and the world she knew was wiped away as the bull spoke again.
"Language."
The fox sat in front of the bull, the bunny at his side. He had folded his paws in front of him and braced his back as straight as he could, looked directly into the bull's eyes when he responded the first time, but this time, the fox shifted his gaze to the floor, a clear show of shame on his face before he spoke again "Sorry Dad. Oh Gaaaaw!" the fox belted as he tucked his knees in close to his body, wrapped his tail around his legs and cupped his face in his paws with his jaw resting on his folded knees. "Me and my big…"
"Mouth" Bogo continued for him.
Chief Bogo made his way to the side of the podium he usually worked behind and leaned one arm into it heavily, causing the wood to creak again while he watched the fox in front of him with a growing sense of satisfaction and humor. "Nick" the bull said as he watched his ears perk towards him. "I don't think I've seen you this embarrassed since mom found those kitten magazines under your bed" he chuckled. "Then again, it might be as bad as when you got caught under the bleachers with Stacy and Hea-"
"DAD!" Nick screamed and then slapped his paws to his forehead after realizing he had sounded like a teen aged girl whose mother had spilled a secret to an unknown crush "I'm ruined" Nick whispered.
"Aye, that ye are laddie" piped in Mchorn.
All snickers and chuckles died at the sound of his voice, though Judy couldn't rip her eyes away from Nick because he was currently curled up in a ball next to her in the chair like a kit hiding under covers from imaginary monsters as he peeked through his fingers at a chuckling Bogo. She still couldn't help but wonder how such a massive and empowered mammal like McHorn could have a voice as sweet as butterflies with enough hiss behind it to also conjure the image of stinging bees. Maybe because of the gap between his teeth?
"Ye outed yurself pup, an ye owe me a bottle of scotch to boot." McHorn slapped Bogo on the back as he continued, both large mammals chuckling at the state of the fox in front of them. "I told ye he wouldn't make twelve months here with that secret!"
"Thanks Uncle Horny" Nick groaned with a slight smirk.
McHorn eyed the room full of gaping mouths and large eyes surveying him before he responded "Aye, that's what he's called me since they brought im home. Lad had a speech impediment an couldn't say me name right. An I don care if ye all know it. I can still put ye through a wall, an I'm takin early retirement next year so I can live with it. Yu pup, on the other paw, have the next 40 years here and I only wish I could be round to see the hell yur gonna catch fur this." The rhino openly laughed, causing everyone else to join the fray.
"Oopsie- you said it" said Bogo. "Oopsie number two, you said it twice, and Oopsie number threesie, you said it in front of every mammal here. That breaks our little bet, you know what happens now." Nick sighed as he braced himself for the oncoming storm and Judy stared at him wonder eyed.
"Alright mammals," Bogo said as he straightened himself. "Since the cats out of the bag, so to speak, and I am not apologizing for that because you all know what I mean. I'm going to give you a history lesson." With that statement all snickers, chuckles and whispering died and all eyes and ears were completely focused on the bull at the front of the room. Nick straightened himself in the chair. He sat tall with his tail swishing behind him, ears perked as Bogo began to speak.
"Twenty three years ago I was promoted to captain. Twenty two years ago my wife and I decided we wanted to have a child. To our heartbreak we discovered that would never happen. So we entered a program to help young mammals who didn't have homes of their own. But we had a few conditions. We understood that we wanted and needed a child to love, but we wanted a child who wanted and needed us just as much. When we went to a local orphanage there were many children, but my wife spotted one who didn't seem to fit. He hid from everyone, didn't play with the others, wouldn't speak and kept himself withdrawn from the group or anyone visiting. It took my wife several months to convince the place that he was the one we wanted to take home with us, because, as you can see- he is a fox. It took that little kit a while to accept that we really wanted him. He was 10 years old when we brought him home."
"My wife tried everything to draw him out of his shell. Eventually she found that he liked humor, and was very funny when he chose to be, but he had a hard time showing genuine emotions. So my wife taught him everything she knew about how to pull a prank on other mammals without hurting anyone, while also making sure the joke conveyed some form of caring in it so there wouldn't be any hard feelings while allowing him to express his own form of affection. If he pranks you, he likes you, the bigger the prank, the more he cares. You can thank my wife for that."
"I learned from the best" Nick touted.
"Yes you did, and she's expecting you for dinner tonight, wants to thank you personally, bring your Bunny, it's about time she met the family" Bogo smiled. "Now back to the story, two years after we all found each other, Nick decided he wanted to be part of our family. My wife and I never wanted to make him feel like we wanted to replace or make him forget his parents. They were good mammals, so we chose not to change his name, but, he wanted my name, so we made a compromise. My ancient family migrated from the distant land that was crossed through by the Tiber River. Long story short- Tiber became Tiberius, Tiberius became Piberius. My name is Augustus Piberius Bogo. The tod in front of you is Nicholas Piberius Wilde, my son. Also the bane of my existence for the last 22 years" he shot at Nick as he crossed his arms and smirked at the fox.
Judy watched as Nick's Chest puffed out and swelled with pride, Bogo returned the gesture and smiled in a way no one had ever seen, and both males had an unfamiliar twinkle in their eyes. There was obviously some form of communication between them that she might never understand. But there was one thing she couldn't understand, and it raced through her mind, clashing with all she had heard, and all she was currently seeing as her face scrunched in confusion while the other officers began to laugh at Bogo's comment. A soft paw came to rest on her shoulder and when she looked up Nick was staring back at her curiously.
Judy looked up to Bogo and he was grinning back, nodding his head in understanding. "Nicholas, explain to your mate and the other officers why I treated you the way I did when we met in the Rain Forrest District, short version." Nick rolled his eyes and let out a lamented groan before he looked back up and saw an eyebrow quirk in impatience towards him.
"Yes Sir" he replied, took a breath and blew it out, before he seemed to recite something a child had learned in school of a subject they particularly hated having to memorize to read in front of the entire class. "If you're going to act like the worst stereo type given to your species by the rest of the world… there is no reason to call or treat you by any other name."
Nick stuck his elbow up on the desk, and rested his chin in his paw with a huff in a mock pout before he turned his eyes to Judy and smirked. Bogo chuckled at the display as he leaned towards the gray doe. "Thank you for being the last light house beacon that brought him out of the darkness Hopps" the bull said as Judy fought the tears in her eyes.
Bogo turned back to Nick and stood in front of the fox. "One more thing, you made a mistake this time Nicholas" the bull chirped. The fox's eyes went wide again as Bogo pulled a small bag from his pocket. "In your hast to set everything right, your mother found something that could prove you were the one who took this into your own paws. So, for all officers in the room, this information was never known." Bogo pulled a small wooden looking object out of the bag. Judy thought it was almost funny how difficult it looked for the massive bull to hold the tiny object. But after placing it between his hooves he held it out in front of the fox. Nick clenched his fists together nervously as he pulled away, a guilty grimace on his face as he looked up at the bull. "Your mother cleaned up enough of these when you were younger to know exactly what it was, and who it belonged to, and figured she knew how it got in the box, so I have a few questions for you." In his large hoofed paws, Bogo held out the tiny fragment towards the fox. And Nick took a nervous glance at his paws.
A look of fear fell on him as he looked back to the massive bull again, and the bull bent his knees to be more level with the fox, holding out a single broken claw.
"I'm not going to ask what is obvious. So, I'll ask this… Property damage?"
"No sir."
"Injuries to any mammals?"
"No sir."
"Possibility of repercussions, recognition, or retaliation?"
"No sir."
"Good" The bull nodded his head.
"DON'T DO IT AGAIN!"
"Yes Sir!" the fox replied.
With that the bull stood again and Judy along with the other officers witnessed another event that would be forever locked into their minds. Massive hooves landed on the tods head where they gave several affectionate scratches. To the shock of everyone in the room, the Reynard momentarily closed his eyes and leaned into the motion, then let out a low purr. The fox's eyes shot open in realization before he swatted at the large paws and let out a whining "Dad!"
The bull chuckled as he crossed his arms, while Nick tried to regain a sense of dignified composure running his paws over the top of his head and straightening his shirt.
"What is it that you and your mother always say to each other when a joke gets the better of you?" The bull stood and tapped his chin as he looked back at the fox. "You know you love me, and now so does everybody else" he said as he looked around the room smiling.
Bogo and McHorn made their way to the exit door and Bogo turned back to look at the bunny.
"Hopps" Bogo said.
Nick realized where the bulls gaze had landed and frantically waved his paws.
"Please don't…" said Nick.
"Never" said the bull.
"Please don't…"
"Never…"
"Please don't!"
"Ever."
Nick flopped onto the desk with his paws in his lap, waiting for the inevitable.
"Leave superglue around that tod. Got his paws stuck to his fur when he was a kit, had to shave it off but couldn't get all the fur off his pads. They called him Flurry all through high school." The bull smiled large enough to show almost all his teeth as he opened the door. "I owed you that for yesterday son."
"Kill me. Just kill me now" the fox whined again.
"DISMISSED!" the bull screamed at the room, then stopped and held up a paw with one finger extended. "IN TWO MINUTES!"
Judy watched as Bogo and McHorn made their way out of the room, standing behind the glass of the closed door to the bullpen as she looked at the glue in her hand trying to figure out what that really meant and how someone could glue their paws to their own fur. Realization finally dawned on the bunny and her eyes grew wide as she tossed the tube to the floor, looking at her fox in shock, a deep blush coating every part of her ears before she fell out of the chair in a hysterical giggling fit that sent the entire room into an almost riot like frenzy of laughter. Hooves and paws slammed into the floor and desks rattling and vibrating everything in the room as the fox sat up to look down at his bunny.
"Laugh it up Fluff" he said as he looked down at her and cocked his head from the chair above. "He's going to be your father in law."
Judy froze, she looked at the door where the two massive senior officers were openly laughing outside the glass. Bogo lowered himself slightly and looked at the fox again. Judy lost any fear of future possible problems when she saw the bull stick his tongue out, cross his eyes and move his head in a manner that caused his ears to flop around towards the fox. The fox crossed his arms and returned the facial gesture as the barrage began.
"Uncle Horny!" Wolford Chirped
"Awww! The fox loves us!" said Clawhauser.
"Eh, how dare you" said Nick.
"I don't get it… what was he doing with the glue?"asked Francine.
"Come on Francine, the bunny got it before you did!" shouted Delgato.
"What?!"Francine asked.
"He mistook it for something else Pennington…" said Swinton.
"I'm marrying the Chiefs son!" chimed Judy.
"Call the fire department, I think she figured it out!" Wolford cried.
"Ewwww!" yelled Francine.
"McHorn is Irish! They are best friends!" exclaimed Trunkaby.
"We are never keeping glue at our house, or anything else for that matter!"said Judy.
"Now what would I need glue for Carrots? And I won't need anything else, not when I can just stick to you" Nick said as he smirked at her.
"Nick! You did not just say that!" Judy whisper yelled at Nick.
"Oh quit acting like you don't like it Hopps, we all know you want a Flurry fix" laughed Higgins.
"New Nick name alert- pun intended" shouted Wolford.
"Ha Ha- Flurry fix!" laughed Delgato.
"Seriously, someone call the fire department, two burning flames in here!" said Higgins.
"Think you miscounted buddy, definitely three, you just can't see it because of Wilde's fur color" Chirped Wolford.
"Ewwww!" Francine said again.
"That's not what I meant Francine" said Higgins.
"Carrots, just kill me, kill me now and put me out of my misery before my fur spontaneously combusts" Nick complained.
"Four, Clawhauser is changing colors too" Delgato pointed out.
"Geez is everyone here a pervert?" asked Swinton.
"Careful guys, some of this could be considered harassment" said Higgins.
"Pfft, not while the Chief is laughing like that it's not. He gave us two minutes" replied Trunkaby.
"What an old softie" said Clawhauser.
'"So that's why you went so nuts over the name!" said Rhinowitz.
"O. M. Goodness! Did any mammal here know foxes could purr?!" asked Clawhauser.
"CLAWHAUSER!" cried Nick
"Oh Nick! Why don't you want mammals to know you can purr? You purr for me all the time" said Judy.
"JUDY!" Nick Whined again.
"I'll bet he does" Snarlov smirked.
"Dang, I didn't think you could turn that red Wilde" Said Rhinowitz.
"Ha ha, check out the others" Wolford said.
"Think we got a back draft going now guys. All four of them are glowing" Delgato pointed at the blushing mammals.
"Not as bright as the Chiefs boy" Said Trunkaby.
"Awww- he's a Daddy's boy!" shouted Delgato in a cutesy voice.
"Alright, I know where this is going-and no mammal here better say it" Nick deadpanned them all.
"Hey Wilde!" Fangmeyer asked.
"DON'T. SAY. IT." Nick hollered at them as all his fellow officers looked at each other before returning their attention back to the tod as they all shouted;
"Who's your Daddy?!"
"AWWWW NO! You had to say that didn't you?! That's sooo wrong-"
Nick ran his paws over his head as his friends and fellow officers laughed at him.
"Hey Chief, what time is it? DAD! I know I've been in here longer than two minutes…." Nick muttered.
The fox sat taking it all in stride and smiling with every comment, embarrassment present but the pride of the truth made every jab worth the torture. He knew there would likely never be an end to it, and was ultimately happy with the fact that his family had just continued to grow, gaining him brothers and sisters within the ranks of Precinct One, and there would probably be no end to that fact either. But contrary to what most mammals believe. Two minutes can last a very long time. So the fox rolled his eyes and repeated the words he had so carelessly muttered in his sleepy stupor "Thanks Dad."
9/18/2017