So here it is, the latest runaway idea that is delaying Broken Clockwork. I need to stop scrolling through the thousands of fics on here, ideas just seem to clump together when I do and turn into Across the Ages... or this. I must admit that I made myself sad writing this but perservere, I can never leave something without a happy ending :)
The year was 1927. The great war between the Predator Alliance and the Prey Collective had been dragging on for nearly five years now with massive casualties on both sides. True, predators had long since stopped eating other mammals, however that did not mean that all problems were solved. There was always lots of friction between the two types of mammal. Issues grow, feelings fester, opinions are hard to change. So, despite how some tried to shout that the world was civilised now, everything had simply kept devolving right to the point of war.
Trench warfare.
Historians would look back on this time as a period of disjunction where tactics could not keep up with advancing technology. The two forces dug in facing each other across a neutral ground several hundred meters across. Barbed wire, machineguns, artillery, and yet the main method of war was still for infantry to charge across this horrifically exposed space. Losses were enormous even for a successful attack.
"Get as much rest as you can kid"
The young fox turned to look at the timber wolf next to him who had spoken. They were sat in the trenches in a nameless part of the Northern Front. The wolf was about as much of a veteran as you could be with how much death happened every day. He had been out here for nearly a year and had watched countless mammals die around him in the mud.
"What's it like? Going over the top?" asked the fox, he was far too tense to rest like the wolf suggested.
"You've not gone over at all?" asked the wolf in surprise before sighing "it's hell, boy, you can't hear anything over the sound of rifles and machineguns and explosions. You can't look out for your friends, you are alone even while surrounded by comrades, and the only thing that will keep you alive is goddamn luck"
The fox stiffened up at his words which made the wolf chuckle.
"The sooner you realise that there's no trick to all this the sooner you'll relax. You have just as much chance of making it back from an attack as I do"
There was motion further down the trench to their right. A lion dressed in a more elaborate uniform than the wolf and fox, with several medals on his chest, was walking down the trench. All the soldiers stopped to salute as the lion passed by, as did the fox and wolf. The young fox followed the lion with eyes full of admiration, how he wanted to be an important officer like that. Then he saw something odd.
The lion walked past another fox but this mammal made no effort to move. The fox looked asleep though his eyes were half open and he clutched his rifle to his chest. The lion paused when someone did not show proper respect but only stopped for a moment to see who it was before moving on.
"Who is that?" asked the young fox in surprise.
"Hmm?" the wolf followed his gaze before his eyes narrowed "that's the Wildling, stay away from him"
"Wildling?" asked the fox curiously.
"Nick Wilde" said the wolf slowly "the luckiest and unluckiest mammal I've ever heard of. I've done pretty well to last about a year out here… but him? He was one of the soldiers who dug these trenches. Every other member of his company has been killed save for him" the young fox's mouth fell open slightly "and then they put him in another company and all of them died too. He's seen more mammals die than most of the rest of us put together"
"So why didn't he salute?"
"Ha" barked the wolf "it's all got to his head, he doesn't give a crap about this war, or our superiors, and he's more than willing to die. Probably has enough friends waiting for him. Dying on the battlefield, dying for insubordination… dying for killing a superior officer" the wolf grinned "It's all the same to him now. Everyone knows the Wildling and everyone just leaves him alone, besides, he's a damn good shot, probably has a higher kill count than some companies by this point"
The young fox turned to look at the Wildling once more except now his eyes were similar to how he'd looked at the lion officer earlier. Officers were generally pretty safe, sergeants were about the highest ranked soldiers that actively risked their lives. But that one fox had survived almost this entire war on his own?
"Admire him if you want" said the wolf with a grim smile as he shut his eyes "but don't get close, and I really would advise you to get some rest boy"
The young fox started slightly before leaning back against the wall of the trench and closing his eyes. In the distance gunfire and explosions could be heard, signs that another part of the Northern Front was making a push, every bit of noise made the young fox tremble. The wolf beside him did not react to the noises but even he found it difficult to truly relax in this environment. Further down the trenches, however, there was gentle snoring as the Wildling slept.
The next day, as many soldiers began to prepare themselves for the next assault, a rumour began to spread through the trenches.
"Did you hear? There's no fighting today"
"What? None? I thought we had an attack planned?"
"Apparently there's a truce on for today"
"A one-day truce? Yeah right"
"No, he's right, I heard it too"
Rumours always travel faster than official information, the soldiers had all been stewing in confusion for several hours by the time the officers arrived with the authorised reports.
The Predator Alliance and the Prey Collective were in fact meeting for a series of peace talks throughout the day. This was the first step for a possible end to this terrible war and as such both sides had agreed to a temporary ceasefire. For the duration of the negotiations the foot soldiers had free time.
The wolf had produced a pack of cards and was teaching the young fox how to play some basic games. Gambling was disapproved of by the higher ups but in reality it was a vital part of army life, a way for soldiers to get little luxuries. The sooner the young fox picked it up, the better his time on the front would be, or so the wolf told him.
It was part way through their third game when something moving in the corner of his eye caught the attention of the young fox. The Wildling had been taking another nap off in a corner, the young fox had taken to keeping an eye on the older fox, and now Nick Wilde had woken up.
Nick stretched as much as his uniform would allow and yawned. His rather blank face took in the scene around him, soldiers lazing around, the occasional officer coming or going. Off to his right some mammals were playing cards, he vaguely recognised the wolf, not that he had gotten close to other soldiers for years. The fox however caught his eye for a moment, young and fresh, Nick could instantly tell that the boy hadn't even gone over the top once. The youthful naiveite he could see on the boy's face struck a nerve, had he ever looked like that back at the start of the war?
It suddenly hit Nick just how long he had been out here, how much death he had witnessed over the years, how much he had lost. He raised his head to look up to the skies, his view boxed in by the edges of the trenches he had help dig, and he found that he wanted to see properly.
Nick walked off to his right, which caught some other mammal's attention, as he headed for the nearest ladder. Stopping by the bottom Nick tugged the rifle off his shoulder and laid it down at the bottom of the ladder. One paw at a time he began to climb up the side of the trench. Whispers started to spread through the watching soldiers.
"Wilde!" shouted a Tiger officer who just happened to be walking past "What are you doing?!"
Nick paused long enough to look back over his shoulder at the officer.
"Going for a walk sir" he said turning back to carry on up the ladder "they say there's a truce on, I'm gonna go see if it's true"
The officer and all the other soldiers stared at Nick blankly as he reached the top of the trench and clambered over the top. Nick stood on the edge of the trench and looked out over the battlefield and no mammal's land. It was a familiar landscape, the short rolling plain of mud, full of pits and craters, and the trenches of the Prey Collective in the distance. One thing that stuck out was a dull grey pill box built into part of the defences opposite him. Nick had watched that bunker for far too long over the last five years, there wasn't much else to focus on, the battlefield was rather monotonous.
Nick slowly made his way past the barbed wire that was the last defence for both sides before you reached the trenches proper. Behind him various eyes were focussed on his back as he walked out onto no mammal's land. There were probably just as many eyes watching from the trenches ahead as well.
He came to a halt half way between the two lines of trenches. There was no noise except for the wind whistling through his fur. Nick looked up at the sky once more, this time the clouds extended as far as he could see, and just for a moment he felt alone. A different sort of alone. He had been alone from the moment the last of his comrades had died, years ago, but right now it was almost as if there was no war, no trenches, like he was the only mammal in the world.
Nick closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, for the first time in years he felt at peace, he wouldn't even mind if those prey broke the truce and shot him down. They did not seem to want to oblige, however, and Nick stood there for several minutes soaking in the silence and the loneliness.
Thump
Nick's heart nearly jumped out of his throat when he felt something hit his chest. Trying not to swallow his tongue he opened his eyes and looked down. The first thing he saw were grey ears, longer than he was used to seeing, sticking out around a helmet. Next, he saw colour, a drab blue uniform that was a stark contrast to the dull browns of the Predator Alliance.
A rabbit? Nick thought bemusedly.
"What exactly are you doing?" he asked as he calmed down from thinking that he had, in fact, been shot.
The bunny looked up at this and focussed their, her, purple eyes on him. She looked back down again before hurriedly letting go and stepping back a bit.
"Sorry" she said a little embarrassed "you were standing there like that, it looked like you wanted a hug" she gestured holding her arms out like Nick had been.
Nick stared at the rabbit rather dazedly as he took in what she just said. He couldn't help it, he started to laugh, deep belly turning laughs. He rested his paws on his knees for a moment as he tried to regain control but couldn't. Eventually he gave up and flopped backwards to sit on the ground still sniggering uncontrollably. The bunny was frowning, she obviously didn't particularly like that he was laughing at her.
"What's your problem?" she asked crossing her arms in annoyance.
"Oh, just marvelling at how much of a dumb bunny you are" snorted Nick.
"I am not a dumb bunny!" said the rabbit, her frown moving up to a scowl as her left foot began to thump.
"You walked out onto no mammal's land completely alone to give a fox, your mortal enemy and ancient predator, a hug" giggled Nick "if that's not a dumb bunny then I don't know what is" he couldn't take it and devolved back into laughter again.
"You're an intelligent mammal just like me" the bunny said with a huff "What's wrong with giving you a hug?"
Her words struck a chord deep inside Nick and the laughter instantly stopped. He sat forwards and watched her intently, the rabbit squirmed a little under his gaze.
"Maybe you aren't such a dumb bunny after all Carrots" he said quietly.
"My name is Judy!" said the grey doe indignantly "Judy Hopps"
"… Nick Wilde, nice to meet you Carrots"
Judy was about to shout at him again when something beyond Nick caught her attention and her eyes widened. One or two at a time, but the numbers were increasing, mammals were starting to climb out of the trenches. Wolves, foxes, bears, lions, weasels, Judy watched as so many different kinds of predator walked out onto no mammal's land. Nick glanced back over his shoulder before looking back towards the Collective's trenches.
"I think we just set a trend" he said with a smirk as just as many prey soldiers followed in Judy's footsteps.
Judy turned back to look as well, then she planted herself on the floor next to Nick with a big smile on her face. Mostly the two sides kept to themselves but here and there a few mammals, predator and prey, walked forwards and began to interact. Nick watched this with a sad smile on his face, the sight was so different to what those mammals would normally be doing out here in no mammal's land.
"See? I knew predators and prey could get along" said Judy with a beaming smile.
"Of course we can get along" said Nick as Judy looked at him in surprise, it was hard to find others who considered peace "the only thing stopping that is war"
Nick looked over and saw the 'well that's pretty obvious' look on Judy's face and chuckled.
"Look around us and I'll explain Carrots" said Nick pointing at the mammals all around them "you can see war and how it changes you. Let's start with you"
"Me?"
"Yes you, and all the other young and fresh and new soldiers, you haven't even seen your first combat yet have you?"
"N-no, I arrived at the Front two days ago, how did you know?" asked Judy curiously.
"Because you don't see anything wrong with me as a predator" said Nick seriously "Look over there" he pointed at a group of predators and prey sat together talking perfectly happily "all of them are new recruits. Now let me ask you, are you pretty close with any other soldiers?"
"A few yes" answered Judy tucking her knees up to her chest as she listened to Nick interestedly.
"Now imagine that you saw them being killed right in front of your eyes by bunch of predators" Judy's ears drooped suddenly at the thought "eventually you won't have to imagine it" said Nick sadly "which leads us to the next stage, hatred" he pointed to the large crowds of predators and prey that were staying completely separate and just using the open space of no mammal's land to relax "if you see your friends and comrades be killed then you will hate the enemy. None of them want to consider peace when vengeance is on their minds."
"But…" Judy wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"That's war, Carrots"
There was silence save for the whistling of the wind and the faint mumbling of mammal's talking in the distance, Nick and Judy were still rather alone where they were.
"Is that it?" asked Judy, her ears perking up a bit "you aren't a new soldier and you don't seem to hate me"
"If you see enough mammals get killed in war, be they your allies or your enemies, then you will come to a realisation" said Nick staring off into the distance "it's not the prey who you should hate, nor should the prey hate the predators, because that's just completely meaningless. You have to look higher up than your common foot soldier. First, I hated the officers for giving the orders but I realised that even they are just doing what they were told. So then I hated the generals who were running this war but I realised that I was just shifting my blame up the ladder of command. Next I began to hate our factions, the Alliance and the Collective, if they didn't exist then we wouldn't be fighting. But that doesn't make any sense, conflict was what gave rise to the Alliance and Collective in the first place… in the end there was only one conclusion I could come to. I don't hate you Carrots, I don't hate any of your comrades, though I know I've done enough to earn your hatred a hundred times over in this war. And that's it, war, that's what I hate. I hate this bloody, vicious war that just kills and kills and never seems to stop…"
Nick had retreated in on himself as he spoke, ending up wrapped in his own tail, part of him wondered what it was that made him open up to this rabbit. Judy was watching him with wide eyes and her mouth slightly opened.
"How- how long have you been out here Nick?" Judy asked very quietly.
"How long have these trenches been around?" answered Nick with a barking laugh though his expression did not change "I've been here since the beginning Carrots, I've lost two entire companies worth of comrades, and I've killed enough for you to hate me until the day I die"
"… I don't hate you" said Judy, barely loud enough to hear over the wind "I- I mean, you said it yourself, you c-can't blame the soldiers" Nick could see the conflict in the bunny's eyes, he knew saying those words wasn't the same without experiencing war like he had, but in a way it was the thought that counted "Everyone out here is just trying to stay alive… so- so I don't think I can hold that against you"
Nick snorted and shook his head, the opinion of a complete stranger, and a prey at that, should not phase him. But there was something about this doe, she seemed to have a certain charisma, an infectious enthusiasm that even managed to touch the cynical fox.
"What are you doing here Carrots?" asked Nick absentmindedly.
"Well, there's a truce on and I saw you out here on no mammal's land and-"
"No, I mean" Nick gestured around vaguely "here, as a soldier, let's just say you don't come across as someone who belongs on the battlefield"
"Oh" Judy seemed to deflate slightly, something that did not go unnoticed by Nick "I- I chose to be here"
"Really?" asked Nick raising an eyebrow "somehow I doubt that, you're too much of a dumb bunny to go to war" he smirked as another frown appeared on Judy's face "Carrots, you shouldn't be out here so why are you?"
Judy blinked, she was surprised by just how easily the fox could see through her. She wrapped her arms around her knees as her ears flopped down her back. Nick was right, she really wasn't suited for the cruel reality of war, and this was the first time she had time to think about everything.
"I didn't have a choice" she whispered.
"Compulsory draft?" said Nick, his eyes widening "I thought only the Alliance did that"
"Not quite" Judy smiled sadly "It's a rabbit thing. We're farmers so rabbits are needed to feed the Collective. But there would be unrest if we were completely exempt from the war effort so the Collective put a compulsory draft in place just for us. Once a year, for as long as the war continues, each burrow has to provide one single recruit. That's very lenient to be honest and it's up to someone to volunteer, no one comes and just picks the recruit against their will. Four of my older siblings have joined up before me and none of them are going to be coming home again. I- I couldn't watch any of my other brothers and sisters do it, so I volunteered. To be honest, maybe I will fit in here, I certainly never did back on the farm"
"You won't Judy" said Nick seriously "you don't belong here. Sure you may not be a farmer but a kind mammal like you who would sacrifice herself for her family… well, you'd do a lot of good in the world, if you weren't out here on the front"
"Now aren't you just a real articulate fella" said Judy smiling shyly as she gently punched Nick's arm, she felt a bit better now that she had talked to someone "What about you? How did you join?"
Nick leant back and stared up at the cloudy sky as his mind ran back to before the war.
"The Alliance did not get the turnout it wanted in the beginning, there's a lot of hard labour at the start of a war and many mammals didn't want to take part. So they had to resort to compulsory drafting. Of course they had to be careful, didn't want upset the wrong mammals, so they targeted those species society found distasteful… like foxes" Judy's breath caught, this was a rare and worrying insight into the predators' world "the army visited my home town, Vulpenberg, and preached their propaganda. I, like many of my friends, came to see what was going on, only to be frogmarched into trucks and shipped off to the frontlines without even being able to say goodbye to our families"
"That's terrible" gasped Judy, Nick looked away, the concern he could see in her clear, amethyst eyes made him uncomfortable "How could they do that?"
"That's war, Carrots" was all Nick said for a while.
Nick was still very huddled up and lost inside himself and the past. Judy didn't like seeing this, especially when she was the reason he had brought all this stuff back up again, and wondered what she could do to distract him.
So she scooted a little closer to him and just started to talk. Judy wasn't expecting a reply, she just began to talk about her life, her home in Bunnyburrow. She talked about growing up with her brothers and sisters, Judy smiled when she said she had 275 siblings and got a jump out of Nick. She talked about going to school, she talked about working on a farm, she talked about… she talked about not fitting in at home. About never feeling like farming was meant for her. About watching all her family members settling and seeming so happy. And how she couldn't do it, she wanted more but Bunnyburrow could never offer what she wanted, she didn't even know what that something she desired was.
Talking to Nick, even though it was a rather one-sided conversation, had been very therapeutic for Judy. She found herself opening up again since she had signed up for the draft and locked her heart away and put on a mask. And as she talked she found herself realising things she had never noticed as her mouth seemed to run with a life of its own.
"And then… and then I remember climbing on the bus that would take me away" said Judy quietly as she curled up herself, her ears drooping "and everyone saw me off and I felt touched. But… but… when the doors closed and the bus started to move off I could still see everyone. They all started to go about the rest of their day and… and… I realised that…"
Judy's head ducked down as she started to cry, she felt stupid, she was supposed to be cheering Nick up, not getting herself down. Her ears shot straight up when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.
"You realised that everything was normal" said Nick slowly as he pulled the bunny into his side "that Bunnyburrow would continue on exactly like normal even though you weren't there anymore, that your presence made absolutely no difference to the place"
Judy listened to Nick speak the words she couldn't bring herself to say as she leant against him. She found herself nodding into his chest even as she kept crying. Nick hadn't been this close to another mammal in years and wasn't sure what to do so he just kept awkwardly holding Judy.
"I had a close friend who joined up with me" said Nick, now it was him trying to say something to distract her "he was called Finn and he was a fox shorter than you"
Judy was still shaking a bit but the crying paused and Nick thought he saw one of her ears tilt towards him a bit.
"He was a fennec fox so he barely reached your chest even fully grown" Nick's eyes misted slightly as he remembered his old friend "and he had a pair of ears that could rival yours" this got a little snort from Judy "no I'm serious, those things were at least as tall as the rest of him put together" this time Judy started laughing weakly.
Nick smiled a little as Judy sat up a bit to wipe her face.
"Okay, you bunnies, you're so emotional" he said patting her on the back gently.
Judy playfully punched him on the arm but she had to admit that she was feeling a bit better.
"What happened to your friend?" she asked curiously, the sudden sadness in Nick's eyes told her everything she needed to know and she raised a paw to her mouth "Oh, I'm so sorry Nick, I wasn't thinking and-"
"It's fine Carrots" said Nick, he wasn't smiling but he didn't seem sad apart from his eyes "I've long since come to terms with all this. Finn was in my original company."
I've been here since the beginning Carrots, I've lost two entire companies worth of comrades… Nick's words echoed in Judy's head as she listened, one of her paws gripping the side of his uniform.
"Finn was one of the last to fall. The attack was pointless, in the early days our superiors simply thought throwing more mammals at the problem was the way forward, we just marched out to our doom. Finn gave his life to protect me and I was the only one to make it back alive. Course I was noticed and the officers who found me wanted to execute me for cowardice, retreating from the enemy" there was a gasp from Judy "I guess there must have been something about my eyes back then because they faltered and backed down after I stared at them for long enough. I went to one of the marksman's nests and began to pick off the enemy like I was possessed, I guess they were happy with my performance because no one came to bother me again. It took me a long time but I did come to terms with losing Finn. He's just gone on ahead of me a bit, that's all, one of these days I'll end up falling face down in the mud and then I'll be off chasing after him."
Nick was jerked back to the present as he felt two small but powerful arms wrap around him. Judy was hugging him fiercely, Nick could almost hear his ribs creaking. It didn't really hurt, it was just a bit uncomfortable, not least because he was being hugged by a female he'd only just met. Judy didn't seem like she was going to let go anytime soon though and Nick gradually got used to the physical contact.
I guess it's not so bad he thought to himself with a smirk Rabbit's must be more touchy-feely than foxes.
"You're nice" said Judy, her words slightly muffled as she spoke into his chest "You're a fox, and you've gone through such horrible things, but you're nice and… and I think we could be friends… why do we have to fight? Why couldn't we have met without a war?"
Nick blinked a few times, friends? It had been a long time since he had any of them. But there was something about this doe, an enthusiasm, a will to help others. Whatever it was it was highly attractive to Nick who had been trapped in the horrific indifference of war for so long. A vision popped into his head briefly.
He was walking down a simple dirt road, to either side of him were fields, one of wheat and the other carrots. The sun was beating down but there was a cooling breeze that kept him comfortable. Ahead he could see a little stall built on the side of the road. As he got closer he could see that it was piled high with different varieties of vegetables. He walked up to the stand slowly and looked across at the mammal running it. Wearing simple country clothes, with a straw hat on her head, Judy smiled back at him.
Nick shook his head, Judy had certainly done a thorough job describing her hometown in detail. It was a wonderful dream but Nick knew that it would never come true.
Dreams… he thought, something had been niggling at the back of his head, it only seemed to get worse the more he came to like the bunny sat beside him.
Oh no… She won't last a month out here like that… someone as bright and wonderful as Judy shouldn't be out here…
Nick shuddered at the thought of Judy being lost out in the blood and metal and mud that made up this war. Judy would never survive out here, not with her outlook on life and lack of training or experience. As cruel as it was, Nick knew mercy was for the weak, he'd seen what mercy got you on the battlefield. Dead, that's what.
With a ferocious growl Nick threw Judy's arms off him and stood, looming over the rabbit. Judy squeaked in shock and backed up, her eyes full of confusion. Nick gave another growl, claws bared for good measure, before turning his back on Judy.
"I'm a fox!" he snarled not looking back "I'm not nice! I'm sly, I'm sneaky, I'm untrustworthy! I've killed more of your kind than I can count and you want to be friends? Ha! Come tomorrow and every predator out here will be trying to tear you to pieces"
"N-Nick" said Judy, her nose twitching frantically as she stood up "W-what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you're nothing but a naïve, dumb bunny who's only going to get herself killed!" shouted Nick angrily "I've killed more mammals like you than you could imagine! And you want to be friends? I wouldn't be caught dead being friends with some weak, cowardly little Prey!"
I'm sorry Carrots thought Nick with his eyes shut tight I would be your friend, I really would, but you need to hate me. Hate me, hate my kind, hate predators… and maybe you'll manage to last till the end of this crazy war.
Judy was frozen to the spot, her twitching nose was the only sign of movement, as Nick's words cut deep. The warmth inside that had grown spending time with Nick quickly died out. It wasn't Nick stood in front of her anymore, it was a fox, her ancient enemy. She shivered slightly and took a step back. Her instincts threatened to overwhelm her and make her run but something didn't add up in her head and she forced herself to stay put.
Why is Nick acting so different now? This is the complete opposite of everything he told me earlier Judy focused of Nick's back as her mind whirred What changed? Why is he… wait Judy caught a nervous twitch of Nick's tail before he forced it down something's not right, why would he pretend to…
Judy thought back over everything Nick had told her about war and her eyes widened as she came to a conclusion. She started to walk back towards Nick, something that did not go unnoticed.
"What are you doing!" Nick growled "you approach a predator like that then you're dead! Killing means nothing to me, one more bunny doesn't mean much!"
"Nick" Judy saw a shiver in his left ear "Nick, look at me"
Nick just growled again, flexing his claws, it sent goose bumps down Judy's arms but she stepped closer again.
"Nick, turn around and look at-"
Nick span around with a vicious snarl, claws bared, fangs wide, his maw just inches from Judy's face as he leant down. Judy had been raised on stories about the big bad fox and this scene would normally have left her completely terrified if her eyes hadn't been glued to Nick's the moment he turned. Green and purple stared at each other ignoring everything else.
"I know what you're doing Nick" said Judy gently reaching out to place her paws on his cheeks "and you don't need to"
Nick deflated the moment she said that, he stayed standing barely but all the energy seemed to drain out of him.
"You really shouldn't be here Carrots" said Nick sounding very tired "Have I told you that before?"
"Maybe once or twice" grinned Judy as she stepped back.
"You're pretty brave for a bunny too"
"Nah, your acting just sucks, Slick"
Nick jerked upright and stared at Judy blankly.
"Nick?" asked Judy concernedly.
"Ah" Nick shook his head to escape his memories again and smiled with a sigh "guess I can't escape that name, Finn and the guys called me Slick back in the day"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know, I wo-"
"It's fine Carrots, it's something for friends to call me"
Judy paused as she ran what Nick said through her head.
Friends she thought with an enormous smile plastered across her face never thought I'd end up being friends with a fox… then again, I never thought I'd end up fighting in a war…
Both of their stomachs started to growl at almost the same time which caused them both to laugh. Nick always carried his rations with him at all times but Judy had to rush back to the trenches to get her food. Though Nick had sort of guessed she would, he was still a little surprised to see her running back to re-join him a few minutes later. They didn't say much and just sat and ate quietly, other than curiously enquiring about their respective rations. All around them the other soldiers were also having their meals. Nick and Judy weren't the only prey and predators eating together, most of the other new recruits were, and Nick could spot some old veterans from both sides that had obviously reached the same enlightenment about war that he had.
After eating, some mammals managed to produce some footballs from somewhere and matches began to start up here and there. Some were just between predators and some were just between prey but Judy smiled to see just as many mixed groups playing as well.
Nick and Judy didn't join in, sport had never been Nick's thing and he wasn't particularly sociable, and Judy was quite happy sitting next to Nick watching everything. They just made small talk now as they watched all the other mammals, to Nick's astonishment there was still more stuff that Judy could talk about to do with her hometown, and he occasionally added in a story from back in Vulpenburg.
Nick felt relaxed. Talking to Judy just seemed to flow completely naturally, like they were made to get on with each other, and he felt very comfortable in her company. Judy took note that Nick had a genuine smile on his face now, not one of those smirks she had seen him wear so much earlier on.
Not for the first time Nick wished that this war was over, or never happened. The image of walking past fields in Bunnyburrow flashed through his mind once again.
Just what has that rabbit done to me? He pondered to himself.
"Hey Nick?"
"Yeah Carrots?" replied the fox turning to look to the rabbit sat beside him.
"Do you- do you think we'd be friends if there wasn't a war on and we met?"
Nick gazed down at the grey doe, taking in her amethyst eyes, her long ears, her twitchy nose. She was cute and, in a way Nick had never considered before, quite beautiful.
"If a gal like you even bothered to stop and give me the time of day" said Nick with a crafty grin "I'd be satisfied" he chuckled as Judy's ears flopped down over her face hiding her expression "but yes, I think we'd be great friends, we'd go on adventures and solve mysteries and fall off tall things a lot"
Judy started laughing as her ears perked up again, she seemed happy with the answer. She was about to say something else when suddenly there was a wailing noise that covered the entire battlefield. Two separate noises they noticed as Judy held her sensitive ears, two sirens, one from the predator's side and the other from the trenches of the prey.
The smile on Nick's face instantly dropped, that was obviously the call to return and he could already see mammals climbing back down into their respective trenches. With a deep sigh Nick clambered to his feet and Judy followed suit very quietly.
"I guess this is goodbye" said Judy staring at the floor.
"Yeah, you look after yourself Carrots" said Nick staring at the cloudy sky.
"Do- do you think we'll ever meet again?" asked Judy hopefully.
"It's highly unlikely" said Nick almost hesitantly, meeting Judy again was the last thing he wanted to do before the war finished.
Judy's mouth opened and closed like she wanted to say something but couldn't quite put it in words. Nick saw this and clenched his eyes shut for a moment before turning his back to Judy, it would be a lot easier on her if he just left. With a shuddering breath he started to walk without looking back.
"Nick!"
Nick paused, Judy had found her voice and broken his resolve in one foul swoop, he turned to look back over his shoulder
"Nick, please don't die" said Judy, her voice wavering as she looked back at the fox.
"Yeah, keep safe" replied Nick, his breath catching slightly "In the nicest possible way, I hope we never see each other again… at least, not while there's a war on"
And then he carried on walking, Judy did not say anything else, and he did not look back once. Only when he had returned to the edge of his trenches and was climbing down the ladder did he have to glance back across the battlefield. Judy was nowhere to be seen. And this left a dull weight pressing down on Nick's chest, a feeling of worry that he hadn't felt in many, many years.
The peace negotiations fell through spectacularly, they barely lasted half the estimated time for the talks. Any mammal with common sense could have predicted this for the first proper diplomatic contact between two factions long at bloody war. Death and smoke and blood have a habit of forging bad prejudices which showed themselves during the talks. Barbed comments and subtle insults were flung and nobody could come to any civil agreement.
Still, it was a start, just the fact that the peace negotiations had happened at all was a good step. It laid a foundation, a very rocky foundation but a foundation none the less and the talks that would follow would build on this. Maybe not the next negotiation but perhaps the one after would make some progress, or the one after that.
Either way this was the first step towards the ending of this terrible war. But that would happen somewhere in the future. For now… war continued as it always did.
Nick awoke with a ragged gasp. The steel grey sky was before his eyes, the colour of barbed wire and bullets, the empty expanse felt like it was pressing down on him. With a shudder he struggled to sit up, mud sucked at his body, and he found himself sitting on the edge of an old crater. His feet were trailing in the water that had partially filled the hole.
That explains the cold he thought to himself.
Rolling over, Nick began to crawl up the edge of the crater, the mud hindering his short journey to more solid ground. Slowly he pulled himself up over the lip of the crater and paused gasping for breath. A streak of crimson caught his eye amidst the browns and greys that made up the ground of no mammal's land.
Nick groaned as he got to his feet and turned to look back into the crater. A line of red ran all the way down the side and spilled into the water at the bottom like ink. Slowly his gaze dropped to his front, his uniform was rather tattered and most of it was matted with blood. He raised a paw and touched himself gingerly, blood was still warm and flowing, but he couldn't feel anything. Now that he noticed, Nick couldn't feel much at all at that moment.
Better than writhing in agony till I pass on he thought rather detachedly maybe it was the cold.
And that was when it hit him. The Wildling had run out of luck, sure he wasn't dead yet, but even if he managed to make it back across no mammal's land his wounds were definitely infected. He'd seen enough soldiers die in their own trenches from disease to know.
Nick's head tilted back and he couldn't help laughing, the only noise in the silence that covered the battlefield right now. Eventually he just stopped, he often thought about dying and meeting up with all his comrades once more, but now that he was at the door step so to speak he didn't know what to think and feel.
Nick opened his eyes again and looked ahead. There it was, that lone grey outline that he had so often stared at across no mammal's land. After the truce had fallen apart again Nick's section of the Northern Front was chosen to mount an offensive. Each side had multiple layers of trenches, each built far enough apart to have a no mammal's land between them, so even if either the Collective or the Alliance made a push it would just shift the location of the battlefield.
He, along with all the other soldiers he no longer took the time to get to know, had charged over the top and rushed across no mammal's land. He remembered bullets flying past, explosions off to his right, soldiers falling all around him. He saw flashes of combat, predator fighting prey, and then black and he woke up in the aftermath.
Nick slowly walked forwards, avoiding the barbed wire was fairly easy now that no one was shooting at him, till he was stood on the edge of the trench. It was completely empty, save for corpses of both predator and prey, the line had obviously been given up and the officers retreated since all nick saw were foot soldiers. And from what he'd seen so far both sides had lost, Nick was likely the sole survivor and even he wasn't going to last for long.
He didn't know what exactly it was that he was doing but Nick sat on the edge of the trench and then slid down. His legs buckled slightly as he landed leaving him in a pile, thankfully it was less muddy in the trench than it was out in no mammal's land, if only slightly. Nick dragged himself to his feet again using the side of the trench and set off stumbling towards the pill box to his left.
He wasn't sure what exactly it was that drove him to move, he was a dead mammal walking at this point, but Nick wanted to see inside the pill box. Maybe it was because it had been part of his view on the horizon for so long, or maybe he wanted to see just what this stupid assault that caused so many deaths had been for.
Ducking underground through a tunnel in the trench Nick entered the warrens dug out beneath the pill box. There was nothing but silence and bodies that greeted him even here. There was a larger area which seemed to be some sort of command room, Nick stared at a war map hung on one wall. It held troop movements and over information that the Predator Alliance would kill to get their hands on, the cowardly officers who had retreated had completely forgotten about it.
Nick snorted, he wouldn't bother reporting it even if he could, he had long since lost faith in the higher ups on both sides of the war. All this information would do was cause more deaths and prolong the war. Nick stumbled up to the map and, with claws bared, tore it to shreds till no one could recognise it anymore. Now anyone following after couldn't use it.
It was then that Nick heard something. His senses were running overtime, what with the stress and adrenaline filling him, and since everything was silent he heard it. It sounded like a whimper.
Nick's head flicked round to where he thought it came from, there was a set of stairs tucked into a corner, most likely to inside the pill box. The fox briefly weighed up his options before he took the stairs up. Even if there was another mammal up there what could they do? Nick was going to die anyway so he might as well see if someone else survived.
He had to pause to catch his breath part way up but eventually Nick clambered up into the pill box. The first thing he saw was the machinegun and its operator who lay dead beside it. As he then looked around he saw that the predators had even made it here, a few pairs of predators and prey lying on the ground almost as if they were just taking a nap together.
The whimper came again from off to one side. All Nick could see was a brown wolf but he moved over to check anyway. His arms felt useless as he tried to roll the wolf's body out of the way, it took him far too long and then he had to pause as his head swam.
As his eyes came back into focus, however, Nick really wished they hadn't.
He had tried to put it out of his mind. Tried to avoid thinking about it at all costs since there was no evidence. But there it was. Or rather, there she was.
Small and delicate, blood staining the chest of her ripped uniform and right leg, Judy Hopps lay on the ground. Nick had seen a lot over the last five years, thought he'd gotten used to it, but somehow the sight of her made him realise that he had never truly come to understand how fragile life was.
Nick reached out as gently as he could and gave her a shake, she was still breathing just about. With another whimper Judy's eyes fluttered as Nick rolled her onto her back. Orange filled Judy's blurry vision as she blinked, before it settled into the shape of a fox. Judy tried to flinch away on instinct but she could barely move and it sent pain searing through her side. The pain served to clear her mind a little however and her eyes had a bit more life in them when she opened them again.
"Nick?" she asked quietly now that she could actually recognise the particular fox in front of her.
"Heya Carrots"
"What are you doing here?" Judy tried to look around blurrily.
"It was our turn to mount an offensive" said Nick sadly "I woke up in a pit in no mammal's land, everyone else is dead from what I can see, we're the only survivors"
Judy's eyes went blank for just a little while as she took in the fact that everyone she knew, all her comrades, were gone. For a moment the bunny was filled with a terrible anger, a hatred for the predators who had killed her friends. Then she raised her eyes to look at Nick, saw the expression on his face, and remembered that it was the same for Nick. He had lost all his compatriots as well, and many times before.
"So, this is war huh" Judy whispered as a little light inside her went out.
Nick really didn't know what to say, he had come to this realisation a long time ago but he had always been isolated and alone. He didn't know how to help Judy at that moment.
"I prayed you know, first time for everything but I really prayed that you wouldn't be here" said Nick.
"Yeah, I kinda did the same when I saw those foxes coming towards us, that they wouldn't be you" Judy shuddered in pain for a moment "Get out of here Nick, survive like you told me you always do, I… I'm not going to last much longer like this."
Nick watched her silently for a moment before reaching down for her paw. Judy couldn't really move but she still had feeling in her limbs. So when Nick placed her paw on his chest and abdomen she could feel the heat, the stickiness, the flow of blood over her fingers.
"Looks like we're two peas in a pod huh" smirked Nick as he reached down to pick Judy up in his arms.
"Oh Nick" said Judy as her eyes welled up, tears began to fall onto Nick's chest as he sat down against the wall of the pill box and held her close "not you too"
"I've been waiting for everything to come to an end for a long time Carrots" said Nick looking out through the opening of the pill box onto no mammal's land "I've been too caught up in this war, this is what I deserve, but you… you never deserved this"
There was quiet in the pill box for a few moments, Nick looking out onto the battlefield that had taken so much from him while holding a comforting weight in his arms, Judy feeling the warmth of Nick's embrace and just listening to their breathing.
Her ears twitched slightly, her sensitive hearing was being irritated by something. The whining in her ear grew louder and she could feel Nick stiffen slightly as it grew bad enough for him to pick up too. She wasn't thinking particularly well and was about to ask what was happening when-
KABOOM!
Something exploded out in no mammal's land right where Nick had been looking. His eyes widened slightly before his brain caught up with what had happened. He blinked a few times as he realised what was going on and barked a laugh.
"Wh-what was that Nick?" asked Judy, she was lying towards Nick in his arms so could not see what had happened.
"It's artillery" said the fox quietly "Since everyone here died I expect that no one knows what happened. So those shells could be from either the Alliance or the Collective, your choice."
Another explosion happened, this one closer and the pill box shook around them, dust falling from the ceiling.
"They really are terrible shots" said Nick holding Judy closer to his chest and shivering slightly.
"Nick" whispered Judy, her paw clutching his uniform with as much strength as she could manage "I… I'm scared"
"I know, Judy, I know" said Nick taking as deep a breath as he could manage "I'm scared too"
And for once he found that was true. It must have been the truce, a hope this war would finish, or maybe just a certain grey doe, but Nick didn't want to die anymore. There was silence for a few minutes save for the occasional shell falling, Nick had a sinking feeling that they were getting closer as the artillerymen adjusted their aim.
"Hey Nick" said Judy breaking the quiet "Kiss me"
Nick blinked a few times as his brain, rather muddled from the blood loss, tried to comprehend what Judy had just said. Judy chuckled slightly as she watched the look of confusion on Nick's face.
"And here I thought you were supposed to be a real articulate fel-"
Judy stopped and closed her eyes when Nick leant down and gently kissed the bunny in his arms. For the first time in what felt like years, Judy felt safe, surrounded on all sides by the feel and scent of fox, her supposed mortal enemy.
"Not that I'm complaining when a beautiful female asks me to kiss her" said Nick smirking slightly as he pulled back "but what brought that on?"
"I… I didn't want to die never having kissed somebody" said Judy a little embarrassed as she avoided Nick's gaze.
"You've never kissed anyone?" asked Nick rather shocked, there was also a little warm glow inside him at her confession, he was her first.
"Well, I'm not really a stereotypical rabbit" sighed Judy "I mean look, I just kissed a fox and didn't find anything wrong with it"
"Well, if it makes you feel better" said Nick looking away now "that was my first kiss too"
"Really?" asked Judy in surprise, feeling the same warmth inside that she didn't know Nick had just felt "but you're… wonderful" Judy smirked almost as well as Nick could "and here I thought the vixens would have been falling all over you"
"Foxes are pretty selective when it comes to stuff like that" said Nick looking back at Judy "you should feel privileged"
"I do" said Judy happily which shut Nick up, he was suddenly very glad that his fur was red to hide his embarrassment.
Though with all this blood around I'd probably be fine even if I was shaved he thought ironically.
Judy suddenly stiffened in his arms, Nick cradled her closer as he looked down in concern, tears started to fall down her cheeks.
"Judy, what's wro-"
"I can hear it" she whispered "it's coming"
Nick wondered what she meant for a moment before it hit him, there was a dull whine in his ears and a cold shiver ran down his spine.
"Nick…" said Judy, her breath starting to come in shorter and shorter gasps.
"Don't worry Judy" said Nick as he reached out to cup her cheek "I'm here"
The fox sat there in the concrete pill box as he softly kissed the rabbit held in his arms.
High up above three artillery shells flew towards the ground. One landed a little ways off, the second hit right on the edge of the bunker, and the third was almost perfectly on target. The explosions seemed to merge together into a terrifying cloud of fire and smoke and ash and mud. And when the smog cleared… there was nothing left of that lonely pill box along the Northern Front.
The year was 2016. Officer Judy Hopps, first rabbit police officer of the ZPD, walked out of Jerry Jembeaux Jr's ice cream parlour holding the paw of a little fox in an elephant suit. Just behind her came the charming fox she had met, she still felt guilty for suspecting him, who was carrying an ice lolly bigger than he was.
"Officer I can't thank you enough" said the fox shifting the ice lolly on his shoulder "So kind, really. Can I pay you back?"
"Oh no, my treat. It just – you know, it burns me up to see folks with such backward attitudes toward foxes" part of this was aimed at herself, Judy didn't even know why she had suspected the fox in the first place, it just didn't seem right to her now "I just wanna say that you're a great dad and just a… a real articulate… fella"
Judy trailed off slightly and blinked a few times. She suddenly felt very odd and it seemed to be because of the words she had just spoken. They seemed… familiar but she'd never called someone articulate before in her life.
"Well that is high praise" said the fox slowly, the officer's words seemed to be echoing around his skull "It's rare that I find someone so non-patronising. Officer…"
"Judy Hopps" said Judy tipping her hat "Mr…"
The fox stared at her almost blankly for a long few moments as the name Judy Hopps seemed to thump inside his head.
"Wilde" said the fox shaking his head slightly and wondering what was going on, he held out a paw "Nick Wilde"
Judy took Nick's paw and shook hands while the name Nick Wilde in her head seemed to shake her just as much. They didn't let go for a long while, green eyes locked on purple, like everything else had faded away, and neither of them could understand why.
A drip fell from the side of the enormous ice lolly Nick was holding and nearly landed on the tiny fox in the elephant costume who tooted angrily. Nick and Judy jerked awake again and hurriedly separated.
"I'm really sorry but we have to move" said Nick apologetically "it is his birthday and all"
"Oh, no, I'm sorry I delayed you" said Judy quickly before turning to the little fox in the elephant costume "and you, little guy, you want to be an elephant when you grow up? You be an elephant. Because this is Zootopia" Judy took out a ZPD police sticker and stuck it to the elephant costume "Anyone can be anything."
"Aw now look at that" said Nick as they turned to go "That is a happy birthday smile, bye now"
"Goodbye" said Judy cheerfully as she watched the two foxes walk off down the street.
She turned back to head for where she had been doing parking duty. Something seemed to grate on Judy as she walked back towards the traffic vehicle she used. It was like something was wrong, or missing, or… or… she didn't know but something just didn't feel right now.
Nick walked along carrying the jumbopop while his head was a mess of thoughts. Normally a very calm and collected individual, now Nick couldn't seem to get any sort of control, purple eyes and Judy's voice just kept rushing around his mind. And every step he took only seemed to make his feelings stronger and his head hurt more.
"Oh screw it" groaned Nick as he wiped a paw down his face "Hold this for a second Finn" he passed the giant ice lolly to the fox in the elephant costume.
Judy had just climbed back into her three-wheeled joke mobile when her ears twitched, there was a series of running footsteps coming towards her from behind. She turned her head just in time to see Nick catch up and pause for a moment leaning on his knees to catch his breath. Judy raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to recover from his sprint while her heart fluttered worryingly.
"Are you busy this evening?" asked Nick after taking a deep breath, his shining emerald eyes met Judy's purple ones.
Judy froze, partly at his words, partly at the sincerity she could feel from him.
Is he? Is he asking me on a date? thought Judy tensely a fox is asking me out for the evening? I'm a rabbit! Does he not see that?! What even? Why?... why… why does that not seem like a bad thing to me at all?
Nick however was wondering what on earth had possessed him to approach a police officer on his accord. And to ask her out for the evening no less! And she's a bunny! Nick began to get a little worried when Judy's face stayed frozen for a long moment or so. And then she blinked a few times as her expression warmed.
"N-no, I'm not busy" said Judy bashfully, she struggled to maintain eye contact with Nick as her ears flushed pink "I mean, it's not like there's a war on or something"
See, I told you I can't have a sad ending, I just can't do it. And don't bother asking how this ties in to the rest of the canon plot cos I never thought any further ahead :P Hope you liked it, drop me a comment and stuff