Hey everyone welcome back. Took some time to do a little fixing on the chapters but now everything should ready to go either weekly or biweekly.
Now First off, time to answer some questions
AstoryTellerBook technically asked two questions;
-first was if I was going to pick up speed on this and... is yes I am going to pick up speed on this, both in uploads and in the pacing, I got more of the story fleshed out and a more consistant typing schedule.
-And he asked... who the daughters of Cania are...and this is a difficult question, originally I had it wrote that there was going to be one for every species of canine, cause I thought that there were so many and they were all different(wolf...fox...jackal,,,dhole...dingo...coyote...etc), but after doing some research and finding out there was only two (canis lupus and Canis Vulpes) with all foxes falling under the Vulpes (shocker lol) and jackals, dingo, painted dogs, coyotes were all under the Lupus line, so I had to redo the entire canine section of the theology I've written. SO...to answer your question is only two...Vulpea and Luperia...but they each have daughter for each sub species of fox...or wolf respectively.
Guest asked if the vixen from before changed her name from Erin to Emily. And this is referencing Nick's now ex that I wrote in earlier when Judy was dating Terry. For some reason, my spell check changed her name from Erin to Emily and I never caught it till way later...SO when It came time to write in the new vixen 'Rose'..I originally had her name as Emily...so I had to rewrite her in as Rose since I messed up. Gotta love spell check.
Lukasz0016...asked if I was going to write how each species dating/courtship works. And yes whether its in this story or in one of the many side tails (yes it took me a week for that pun title for my side stories) I will bring up most species dating habits.
Secondly, HUGE thanks for everyone who reviewed, liked, followed, and PM'd me about this story, too many to list from both and AO3. I usually don't care for stats or analytic but I was blown away by the numbers ( alone had 157 faves, 258 follows, 65k words and 235 reviews) damn. I gotta say I wasn't expecting nearly that. I know you all cant wait to see where this story will go, and neither do I, but I will do my best to keep up expectations.
Another huge thanks to BlueLightHouse for letting me use his AU version of Judy and Nick (renamed in mine).
With further ado...here's the first chapter of Part 2,
Judy followed the two foxes as best she could through the tightly packed fluid that was the fair goers. She got worried for a second or two when she lost sight of them, her panic spiked realizing that an angry Nick was actually a scary thought, not that he was a predator, but because he had never lost control before in front of her or as far as she knew since meeting him. Today though, she witnessed his well crafted mask not break, showing his pain and anger. She wasn't afraid of him though, she knew he would never harm her, but she was more afraid FOR him, one wrong move and he could've been suspended...or worse. That thought spurred her on she pushed her way into the crowd, sighing in relief when she noticed them both sitting on a bench, Vivian wiping her eyes dry as she patted Nick on the back, who was holding his head in his paws, elbows propped on his knees as he stared at the ground, his emerald eyes dull and misty from Judy's point of view. Her better hearing was no use trying to hear whatever it was that the two were talking about, their voices muffled by the chorus of the surrounding mammals. She slowed her approach, her ears flopped back as Nick glanced up at her, before avoiding her eyes as he looked away. Judy swallowed and steel her resolve as she walked up to them, and jumped up onto the bench next to her boyfriend. She placed a hesitant paw on his thigh and patted gently, silently telling him to talk when he was ready.
Nick sighed as he let one of his paws fall onto hers, his larger brown clad vulpine paw engulfing her much smaller grey one. He flexed his fingers, letting his claws extend for only a moment before retracting them in frustration, not wanting to scare Judy with his more predatory feature. Judy, however, didn't notice, or well maybe didn't care as she placed her other paw onto his, sandwiching his paw between her as she gave a comforting squeeze. He leaned back into the bench, sighing heavily as Judy saw a side of him she only saw once previously, and that was the first time they mated. The worried, panicked, unsure side, the side that he hid so well behind his confidence and smug nature.
"After all this time...he comes back. And with that...thing." Nick snarled and spat that last part.
Vivian patted Nick on the back, "I know Hun, I feel the same way. No contact all these years and he just suddenly pops in? And with a daughter?"
Judy wanted to hold her tongue, but her curiosity got the better of her, "Nick? Can I ask...why this is so big to you?" She almost shied back when Nick seemed to glare at her, "I mean, not to sound insensitive, I just want to understand why your so pissed."
Nick sighed hard through is teeth, "Foxes...well canines...we don't cheat, we don't have affairs. Mate for life means just that. Once we bare our soul to our mates, we are stuck together forever. The modern marriage is actually based on canines ancient traditions." He paused as he gave his girlfriend a soft look, "Even the word marriage has ancient Caniaran roots, Marr meaning spirit and Agien meaning all time."
Judy gave a soft smile, "So roughly translated to 'souls forever'."
Nick smiled a bit at that, "Yep..or 'soul mates'. Anyway, to us canines, we take that very seriously. Now don't get me wrong, physically we can get aroused and mate outside the relationship, but mentally and even spiritually, it destroys us. It breaks everything that it means to be one of us. Even the most unorthodox, liberal fox will never cheat."
It finally clicked with Judy, "So with him bringing a daughter...means he cheated."
Vivian chimed in, "Not only cheated, he got a vixen pregnant. Which is the ultimate in blasphemy to our deities. He basically committed a hell-worthy trespass." She gestured to Nick, "And according to traditions, Nick here could've struck his father...and her."
Judy's eyes went wide as she turned to Nick, who only shrugged and nodded. Judy suddenly had an image of Nick slashing at the older todd, spilling blood onto the ground in anger. She shook all those thoughts away, Nick wasn't THAT traditional. Besides, she didn't want to think about what the aftermath could've been, a fox attacking someone, at a nearly all bunny fair, DURING a lapin holy week. She shuddered at what the implications could have been. Judy looked at could see Nick was struggling with this and it dawned on her that even though Nick was fatherless for most of his life, he still clung to the hope he would see his father again. She remembered that when he would talk about his father, it was always s about how close they were and how much Nick wanted to be like him early on. And know his father did return, but only to have his father destroy that image of him by bringing the very proof of being unfaithful.
Judy squeezed his paws, causing him to look at her questioningly. She gave a soft smile, "Nick...your better than him. I know you would NEVER to anything like that to me...and you know yourself that you wouldn't. You're not your father sweetie, your better than him."
Nick smiled warmly at his bunny mate, twisted towards her to pull her into a tight hug. Vivienne sat beside them and hugged them as well. After several minutes they broke apart, Nick looking serious as he stood, "Now...I'm going to go find my father, and demand he tell us just why he left."
Judy stood on the bench to better look him in the eye, "But what about the vixen?"
"Ill figure that out later, but for now...Id rather not talk about ….her." Judy could tell that he was holding back from saying what he really wanted to. From what him and his mother hinted at, what he could call that younger vixen was anything but nice.
A soft sobbing voice behind them drew their attention, "No we are going to talk about...her...right now." They all turned to see the young vixen from before, although this time she was shaking, her muzzle showing clear signs of her sorrow.
Nick sighed, not wanting to deal with this right now. He motioned to the sad female fox, "Look, I..."
The vixen snapped and pointed at Nick with her own claw, "No you look, I have been constantly berated my ENTIRE life due to what I am. I have been hated, talked down to, bullied and beaten for a mistake my mother made. No one ever wanted to hear MY side, no one wanted to try to understand what was going on, no they would rather push me around, spray me gods know what, beat me up and muzzle me. All because of what I am." She fell onto her knees sobbing, covering her muzzle with her paws, "No one understands or wants to understand, they just want to judge me." Vivian, Nick and Judy were all taken aback by the vixens sobbing. Nick started walking forward towards the convulsing fox. He stopped right in front of her, Judy seeing that she stiffened, like she was expecting something.
Nick knelt down in front of her, and reached towards her. He placed a paw on her shoulder, his voice low and soft, "Then...why don't you help us understand."
Rose looked up in surprise at the older todd giving her a small smile. She took his paw as he helped her up. He guided her over to the bench and had her sit next his mother, who look just as shocked as Judy was that Nick had done that. Rose sighed as she looked down at the ground, trying to find the best way to start.
Dont forget to let me know your thoughts and ...Ill answer your question in the pre-story AN on each chapter
-Fyrewolf-