Several requests for this to continue, hope it meets your hopes my Godly muses…
Here's a peek inside my twisted brain to see some of the weird things that inspire my stories like some recent review posts. I have been reviewing all kinds of music from different genres and generations for another tale I am writing. This song stuck out as odd and I actually liked it, but the lyrics are weird (he-he- imagine me liking that?)- I found them profound, this is where the idea for this 'tail' came from.
Hozier; Like Real People do.
Hmm… like rabbits. Yeeess… I can definitely relate. Hahahaha!
Mysteries suck if you know how they end before they begin- No spoilers!
Oh Gods forgive me, for all the inspiration I have been given recently have exhausted my brain…not in an I can't think way, more in an -I gotta get some things sorted way! I know where this tale will end, but have not decided how to get it there yet (Yes plot is in my head). Still learning how to write and trying to find a way to do things a little faster so it's not so looooong. Unlike my other stories that have already unfolded in my head, this one has not…if you are enjoying it be patient, and I'd love to hear about possible ways to improve things in writing or if there are miscommunications in how I relay words- I am trying! But I gotta give my brain and keyboard a rest for a few days.
Under Earth 2
After two days Judy was barely keeping herself on her feet. The red furred mammal had been a constant challenge, not only in regards to his size and caring for him, but due to the fact she had a small issue with another sibling. While the majority of the 'clan' Hopps kits were always in good behavior, there was one that no one could ever predict, and he had become fascinated with the odd mammals Judy was trying to care for. Or rather the odd noises he was making. Even Judy had been shocked by what or how he was creating them. Chirps, whines and something like a 'chick' sound each time he would suck on the side of his cheek would make odd beats and rhythms that often left her studying his muzzle in the moments he wasn't fighting shivering and writhing in a state he wasn't aware of. It was all centered around an odd clicking she still hadn't figured out how he was doing. The closest thing she could resemble it to was a dolphin.
Trying to shoo the small kit everyone affectionately called Addie out of the room while the mammal on the table was fighting a high fever and thrashing left her dead on her feet and patience worn thin, even with a kit who had been born Autistic and had significant social issues. The fact that he was enamored with the odd mammal was a curiosity in itself. By the time Judy finally figured out why he was so fascinated with the unidentified mammal still strapped to a gurney she was too tired to care. He had the ability to pick up patterns and see things others couldn't but also couldn't communicate his wants and needs clearly and had issues with emotional connections and being around others. Keeping him out of the room was almost secondary because of what was going on.
Several factors had played into how things had happened. Judy had to stuff pillows under his feet because his ankles were hanging off the end of the medical table and his thrashing had nearly worn off all the fur around his ankles off and his skin was raw around the back of his heels. Amber had set up an I.V to keep his fluids stable, but he had ripped it out so many times with his jerking movement that it wasn't an option anymore. Even keeping him strapped to the table for his own and others safety had caused issues when he still managed to wriggle enough to loosen them and after breaking the needle in his arm three times Judy had to get inventive about keeping him hydrated.
Before his fever finally broke she had been forced to replace the belt on his muzzle after he had snapped at her several times when she was attempting to clean his wound. Oddly enough it made getting fluids into him easier because though she had tried several times it became apparent he couldn't drink from a cup when he nearly choked on the water. That didn't make doing it the only way she had found was safe any less awkward or uncomfortable; especially when Amber strolled into the room.
Judy froze and narrowed her eyes on her sister who was wide eyed until a devious smile crawled up her muzzle. "Look at that, Jude is kissing someone like real people do."
Judy rolled her eyes as she pulled away from the long muzzle and wiped her mouth off. "Oh har har. This is the only way I've been able to get any water in him." As she filled her mouth again to the point her cheeks were puffing out and pressed her lips to his again she heard a giggle from the doorway and fought not to shake her head at Ruby while she was slowly using her teeth to control the flow of water into his mouth.
Amber was smirking watching her try to hold his muzzle still as he attempted to lick her through the jaw that was clamped almost completely shut. "You should be careful about how close you-"
Ruby gasped and clung to the wall and Amber jolted as a pair of eyes snapped open for the first time. Judy froze and her ears pinked over as a pair of green lanterns locked with hers. Brighter and sharper than any ever green or pine needle she had ever seen or felt, they bore into her like a drill bit. Her ears fell and fur stood at the back of her neck as a rumble echoed through his chest in a threatening growl. She couldn't move, and was sure she would have choked on the water in her mouth if she had been able to swallow just before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and closed again. For almost a minute no rabbit in the room dared to move before Judy finally pulled away and half sputtered on the water in her mouth before climbing down from the gurney he was on.
A racing heart and cluster of fear weighed into her chest as she shook her head. "I need some help. I have to find out something about him and get him out of here, he could hurt someone."
"Judy," Amber called and Judy turned seeing Ruby shaking before she rushed from the room. The gold eyed doe ticked her eyes between the door and her sister before she sighed. "We don't know anything about him. I know this seems bad and I'll talk to Ruby, but you have to remember he's not awake right now. His body is exhausted and his mind isn't really here. He may be wild, that doesn't mean he's not intelligent. He came from somewhere and from some form of society. They were poor excuses for clothing but he was wearing something and had that necklace on."
Judy raised her brow in surprise at her sister as Amber shrugged "I'm a doctor, and we are rabbits. Fear is ingrained into us as an instinct. You've spent more than two days getting him past the worst of it. I just think if you've already put in the effort you shouldn't quit, you wanted to save him. He's snapped at you several times and that didn't bother you when you knew the reason for it. Plus I know why you are freaking out right now."
Judy clutched her chest with one paw and her other went to her cheek as Amber gave her an understanding and warm smile. "He's not like the cheetah Judy. If that was the case he wouldn't have been making all those noises or even tried to drink anything as sick as he was. He would have been growling and trying to be aggressive. Just give him some time. Mom called and said they extended their stay after they secured two booths to get everything set up so you got a reprieve on that."
Judy blinked as she shook her head "You didn't tell them he was here?"
Amber laughed "What was I supposed to say? Hey Mom, there's some kind of wild mammal in the house, or he could be an alien of some kind because no one has ever seen anything like him before. They won't believe it until they see it and there's no reason to make them worry, at least not until they get home and you can figure out something about him." The doe looked back at the bed shaking her head again "I'm not sure how you're going to be able to figure out anything if he can't talk though."
"The Necklace," Judy mumbled to herself as she pulled it out of her pocket.
"Got an idea?" Amber asked as Judy looked it over and pulled out her phone snapping a few pictures of it.
"It looks kinda familiar for some reason. If I can do an image search maybe I can figure out what it is."
Both does watched her phone for several minutes while a search engine ran and Judy gasped as a picture popped on the screen. "That's why it looks so familiar." When Amber gave her a curious look Judy looked around in thought. "When I was in Zootopia I went to the Natural History Museum and this was one of their primary displays. It's the only one they have ever found anywhere and they aren't sure what it is. Look, they are almost identical."
"A lot of good that does then hu?" Amber asked as she curled her lip.
"Maybe, I can send a message to a few professors and the curator of the museum and see if they know anything." Judy frowned as she sat in a chair. "Then again, the name Judy Hopps isn't exactly a way to get anyone's attention."
Amber sat beside her wrapping an arm around her shoulder "Who said 'the only things to fear is fear itself'?" The tan doe turned and rolled her eyes as she spotted a small black furred bunny trying to sneak around the table. "Addie- out!"
Judy giggled at him when he ran out of the room as she leaned into her sister. "Thanks Amber. I'll send some messages out and hope someone will answer; maybe if I include a picture of it it will help."
"Good, for now I think you should take a shower and get some sleep." Judy looked at her with a curled lip as she laughed. "You smell like him and I'll stay with him for a while tonight while you take care of yourself. He's out of the woods but will probably sleep for a couple of days and you need to do the same. You can't take care of him if you aren't taking care of yourself." Judy sighed as she agreed and made her way to the bathroom after getting a fresh set of clothes. She had already sent a dozen texts to different mammals about the odd piece of jewelry on the off chance one might respond but didn't have high hopes. It wasn't like anyone didn't know her name. It was all over the news after the incident and she let the thought wash from her mind as the water washed away everything else.
By the time she got back to the med room Amber had just finished changing the bandages on his shoulder again as she crawled into the extra bed on the other side of the room. Judy looked over at the odd mammal as Amber slid next to her sitting on the bed. "He should be out of it for the night. He's still in pain and I finally figured out the correct dosage to give him so he will be comfortable tonight and sleep." When Judy gave her a funny look she shrugged "I used the calculations for wolves in their adolescence. It's the closest thing to his species I could think of that looked something like him. Apparently it was the right thing to do because he's comfortable." For the first time since he had arrived the mammal actually looked peaceful. There were no more fidgety movements, jerky motions or uncomfortable cringes on his face as his head rested to one side of the pillow he was on and his breathing was slow and without any strain.
Judy was grateful for it as she slept through the night. The next morning things took a turn when her inbox exploded with messages as she tried to figure out why every single professor she had sent a message to had replied to her. It was just past nine A.M. and the mammal was still sleeping soundly so much so that he hadn't even been interested in water, so Judy had let him be. Looking over her phone she couldn't help but look at the odd piece of primitive jewelry again before she nearly fell off the extra bed she was sitting on as her phone rang with an unknown number."Hello?"
"Ms. Hopps?"
"Yes?" Judy asked with hesitation as she looked over at the red furred mammal on the bed.
"This is Professor Jake Aldrigsteit." Why does that name sound familiar? "I am Animalia's foremost leading Archeologist and the head of the culture heritage division. Where did you get that particular piece you have?"
Judy kept staring at red fur as she ran her thumb over the odd piece in her paw. "I- it belongs to a friend. I'm just trying to find out what it is for him."
A silence on the line caused her to ask if he was still there before he finally responded again. "I need to see if that is genuine."
Judy curled her brow and puffed a breath. "I suppose I could meet with you in a few days."
"That won't do Ms. Hopps. I'll be at your home in less than half an hour."
"Half an hour?! Professor, we are rabbits, we don't accept guest without notice and there is no way I can get everyone here ready to receive someone in that-"
"Half an hour Ms. Hopps." ~click~
"What the?" Judy looked at her phone stewing. There was no time to think as she rushed through the house and found her two oldest sisters. Ruby took over caring for the kits and led them into another area so they wouldn't be alarmed by an unannounced visitor as Judy threw on some clean clothes and asked Amber about the rest of the family. All her older siblings were working the fields or making sure things were being bundled for the harvest. Some were working on the farm equipment while others were making sure everything was ready to be moved and making invoices. As she finally got finished straightening herself and the living room Amber had tea brewing and Judy jerked as the door flew open. "Mom? Dad? I thought you were staying for a few more days."Bonnie rolled her eyes as Stew stuck his arm out the door and pulled an older buck into the house. The old buck was chewing on his gums as he adjusted his glasses giving Stu a glare as his son shook his head and tossed his cap on a coat tree next to the door.
"We were going to. Luckily your older brother stayed because Pappy caused a scene and we didn't have a choice but to leave and bring him home." Bonnie gave the older buck a dirty look as he leaned into his cane.
"Dang predators were everywhere! Them things aint nothing but wild animals!" Bonnie sighed.
Amber came back in sitting a tray on the table with tea and biscuits on it and her and Judy cringed as their grandfather kept grumbling. Bonnie raised a brow seeing the tray and a knock on the door drew their attention back to the door. Judy sighed as she rubbed her forehead "I'll explain everything later I promise, just give me a few minutes."
Bonnie and Stu looked at each other as Pappy took a seat in an arm chair and Judy answered the door. The old buck was scowling as Judy invited a small cat into the house. He wasn't much larger than Judy's father and had a bright yellowish coat of fur with black spots and stripes through his fur. Judy had never met a rusty spotted cat before and the pattern on his fur that was showing had her blink a few times when she shook herself as he extended a paw. Introductions were made and the stiff collar of his suit made her wonder if he could sit down without choking himself. The guy looked like he might shatter if he moved wrong. It wasn't that he was old, he was just-stiff. It was unsettling how formal and professional he seemed to be as he finally sat down refusing the tea and passing over pleasantries when he asked if he could view the object Judy had.
Bonnie and Stu had taken seats on another section of the couch and watched as Judy pulled it from her pocket passing it to the cat. Amber left the room when she heard the back door open. Judy wanted to scream. Juno, Steven and Randal had come back from the field after seeing the cars pull up, and her brothers along with her parents were irritated at the company for several reasons. Unannounced for one, and the guy was bordering on downright rude, and his insistence and short pompous manner was off putting in itself. Until he pulled out some kind of eye piece and Judy saw him trying and failing at attempting to keep his paws from trembling as he examined the odd looking piece he was holding. "Where did you get this?"
Judy could feel her parents and families eyes on her as she shook her head. "I told you it's not mine. It belongs to a friend. I'm just trying to find out what it is."
"Ms. Hopps, I must insist on taking it back with me. It doesn't belong here or with you." He curled his fingers around it squaring his shoulders as he stood and Judy's brothers and father stood as she ground her teeth standing to match him.
"Well it doesn't belong to you and I told you it's not mine, give it back. What is wrong with you?!" Judy had the ends of the strings still attached to it trying to tug it from his paw as her brothers and father all started clenching teeth and tensing muscles.
Everyone was so focused on the cat that no one had noticed the old buck scowling as he shuffled out of the chair to the side and opened a cabinet where he pulled out a long rabbit sized shotgun and pointed it at the cat. "Git away from my granddaughter and give it back!" The cat turned his head raising a brow before he looked to the ceiling and huffed as Judy kept frowning and Bonnie slapped a paw to her forehead. Senile old buck.
Everyone, including the professor knew it was a relic. Something forgotten from an old war and calling it an antique would be a kind appraisal. Anyone who still had one of the old guns had legally had to have them registered and dismantled so they no longer functioned. Amber and Judy gave each other a glance as a loud crash followed by several more of metal hitting the floor and banging caught everyone's attention. It surprised the small cat enough that he let some of his grip on the piece go and Judy yanked it from his paw before she hopped onto the couch, jumped over the back and bound out the room into the left hallway to the second door leading into the medic room.
Amber was on her sisters heels as her brothers scrambled behind them both with Stu and Bonnie following."What is going on?!" The older doe asked as she watched Judy crack the door and peek into the room. Amber held them back shaking her head as Judy disappeared into the room.
The bed he had been strapped to was turned on its side with the mattress lying on the other side of the tilted steel. Judy could see the straps hanging loosely that looked like a razor had cut them clean through. Silver medical tables were scattered all over the floor and the supplies that had been on them thrown in every direction when they had been knocked over. As she looked around the room she nearly fell backwards as a blur of red flew in front of her. Even with all her training in the police academy nothing could prepare her for the eyes that were staring her down as the mammal in front of her stood half crouched with a lowered head and razor sharp claws extended in a defensive position with wild eyes and breathing heavily. She knew that look, knew how he felt because she had been there only six months earlier. He was terrified.
Judy dropped her ears and lowered bending her knees as she slowly reached a paw out towards him hoping he would see it as a friendly gesture. The belt that was still strapped to his muzzle had wound around the back of his head somehow and kept his mouth from opening completely as she tried to keep her eyes on his movements while keeping hers slow. He had torn part of the sheet he had been covered with covering his lower half and Judy lowered her eyes as he seemed to dip his head to the side looking her over. When he ticked his head rubbing his face over his shoulder and pawed at his face she reached up slowly and pulled the buckle loose understanding he hadn't been able to figure out how to get it off. She still wasn't close enough to remove it after undoing the dangling buckle as he kept his eyes on her shaking his head until it fell off his face. His ears tipped when she raised her brows with a small smile. "I won't hurt you."
Those bright green eyes looked her over again and stopped at her other paw. She hadn't even remembered she was holding the necklace he had been wearing until he reached up and pawed at his neck like he was trying to grab the string it had been tied around. As she slowly lifted it to him his ears tipped again when he reached for it….
Amber was trying to get her brothers and parents calmed as they all tried to explain everything and talk at the same time. Professor Aldrigsteit was curling one side of his lip as he grabbed both lapels of his suit jerking it down in aggravation as he watched the old buck slip past the commotion and to the door Judy had disappeared behind. The double wide door swung open and Judy turned her head as her grandfathers eyes went wide.
"DEMON! RED DEVIL! GIT AWAY FROM MY GRANDAUGHTER!" The old buck could barley hold himself up without his cane as he leaned into the doorway. The only thing he saw was a red furred monster with sharp teeth reaching for the granddaughter who had nearly been killed by a savage predator and razor sharp claws extended towards her as he raised the worthless weapon in his grasp leaning against the door frame.
"PAPPY NO!"
The cautious curiosity on the red furred mammals face disappeared and was replaced with morbid recognition as he stared at the metal extended into the room. A cringe of horror crossed his face just before it turned to a raging inferno of instinct that flashed his eyes wide into a will of determination with nothing else in mind other than survival as a hollow click sounded when the trigger was pulled. All the rabbits behind him had rushed into the room and Bonnie and Stu were wide eyed as it darted to the left, bounced off a wall and turned to spring back and grab Judy. The necklace in her paw dropped to the floor as her heart started racing. He backed himself into a corner with one arm wrapped around her waist lifting her on her toes as his other paw curled around her throat and jaw.
"WHAT IS IT?"
Bonnie had screamed and Stu lost all the color under his fur when Amber rushed past them holding her paws to both sides of the standoff. "Stop! You're scaring him and her!"
Juno had taken a step forward and stopped as the mammal dipped his head threateningly, tightening his paw around Judy's jaw. The purple eyed doe's nose was racing as fast as her heart when he made a sound that seemed more like thunder than a growl and it rolled through the room as his lips threatened to pull from his teeth. "Nobody move," Amber said in a low voice as she held her paws out. The wound and covering on his shoulder was dripping as she tried to let Judy know what she was doing, but the doe was breathing just as heavily and panicked as the mammal holding her. Randal and Steven were standing with open mouths on each side of Pappy as she slowly reached for the gun. Another rumble left the mammal as she made several slow movements taking it from his old shaking paws and lying it on the floor before she shoved it with her foot, sliding it across the floor under a cabinet.
Professor Aldrigsteit couldn't care less about whatever family squabble was going on with the rabbits at the moment. He had one thing on his mind as he shoved past half a dozen rabbits whose ears he couldn't see over. "Ms. Hopps! I must insist you give me that artifact so I….can…"
The cat stared as he breached the little blockade and his tirade of stomps set off the mammal again. Only this time red fur bristled around his neck as his tail puffed out with the cat coming closer than all the others had. His jaw curled up and muzzle scrunched into a snarl as white fangs showed openly and a ferocious sound that resembled a cut off tiger roar snapped from his mouth as his jaw snapped with it. Judy had clutched his paw on instinct when the tips of his claws had pressed into the side of her cheek. On some level she knew as she dug her claws into his paw he didn't want to hurt her because his claws had released some of the pressure against her skin when she grabbed him.
It didn't stop her from squeaking in fear as she tried to stand on her toes to match how he was holding her against his chest, or stop the tear from trailing down her cheek as his white teeth glistened next to her face while his tongue kept licking at his front teeth as if he were trying to hold in saliva that wasn't there. Whatever it was it set all the rabbit in a state of shock, all of their ears falling and noses freezing as Professor Aldrigsteit looked on in awe as the red furred mammal kept a constant growl going towards the other side of the room. The stiff suited mammal looked him over thoroughly noting his tail and ears, the shape of his teeth and muzzle, the color of his fur and curve of his semi retractable claws, and the way his tail had curled around the front of him and the doe he was holding as it the tip twitched like he was an angry cat with a back that was arched slightly at his shoulders in a similar way to his own species. "Merciful Gods…" he whispered watching as green eyes landed on him briefly and his heart started to race as quickly as all the rabbits' were.
The red furred mammal pulled his black lips up over his teeth showing his gums as his green eyes kept ticking between every other living creature. His muzzle stayed turned towards the cat who stood the closest and posed the largest threat to him. His ferocious snarl still bore with trembling lips around his scrunched and curled up snout. Repetitive motions of some kind of threat with his tongue and licking his front teeth continued while his ears stayed tipped and twitching at every sound he picked up while Professor Aldrigsteit blinked…
"A Living… Breathing… Fox…"
