Chapter Four
Attachment
There was the sound of gunfire again, distant yet close. It could always be heard during nighttime as then most mammals who'd seek to assert themselves or make some change, usually for the worse, would roam the streets in search of victims. There was police but they just never patrolled the region, they never did. Some said that the island was cursed, others that there was something below but it all came to the lack of control, or was it actually the opposite? And with that came constricted anarchy in the form of gangs who'd offer protection for fees while intimidating those who dare decline. Such was life in Happytown.
Nick was staring at the recently-painted ceiling of his room at his family home which was located close to the docks but not close enough for the sea to be heard. He was under a thick layer of blankets which were needed in order for him not to freeze to death as the central heating was again broken, thus the winter coldness roamed around the small house where he lived. He didn't like it but one just got used to such discomforts of life and he knew that as he had seen mammals who didn't even have a home, which had pushed him to accept how things were.
He was young, a few years off starting school, but that didn't mean that he wasn't starting to understand how the world worked, not at all. He could see the deception which his mind couldn't yet fully understand as he lacked a lot of experience, while his parents would try and keep him away from such activities and hardships as best they could. They were both young, father and mother, but they showed him a lot of love which was all what he wanted, what he needed.
But why did the world have to be in such a condition, a condition of crumble, a condition hate… Shouts came from behind his thin window, which's base was covered in snow, and the sounds of glass shattering against hard surface crashed on the street, which got Nick to groan and try and hide himself further into the blankets as he put them over his head but that made the lower end of the chilly sheets to touch his feet and he curled himself into a ball of fluff, his long but skinny tail going between his legs in an instinctive attempt to shield his body for warmth, yet it still lacked enough fur to do so. The ceiling creaked as steps became known from above, which was definitely the neighbor who wasn't a small mammal at all, and when walking was done, the feeling for those below was as if a large truck was moving around.
Nick sneezed as some hair got into his nose and the idea of sleep was now becoming distant, it was becoming impossible to achieve because his mind had entered the dimension of thinking. His dad had promised him to take him to his shop and teach him how to craft suits, it sounded so hard yet strangely attracting. Tailoring, the craft of sewing together pieces of fabric into one another until they take shape to accommodate a mammal, giving them looks, style and comfort. The coats, the pants, the ties… they all looked so sharp, so stylish and… grown-up. But that wasn't the only reason he wanted to go there, there was one more important one, one dominant and governing.
The want to be around his father, to share more time with him because there was always something new to learn about life, always another angle to deal with a presented issue or problem. Nevertheless, it was the attention, the care and interest. He always loved receiving attention and when he didn't, grumpiness and irritation would overtake him and get him distant. But that would easily be broken when his mother would get him to lean on her and start pampering him with her love, her affection and gentleness. There was just something special about her sharp claws when they would carefully trail lines around his head and neck, especially his neck. It was indescribably blissful, it was liquefying, it was absolutely essential.
Something crashed inside the house and made Nick's breath to stop, while he felt this twisting inside his stomach. His ears tried to catch any other sounds, while his mind generated ideas which consisted of him checking what had just happened. But there was it again, this time the crashes and clanks were followed by yelling of what sounded to be his mother.
In a flash, he removed the blankets from himself, the cold instantly entering and trying to dig through his warm pajamas, while he jumped off the bed and onto the planked floor with a creak. In front of him stood his desk which had lost its wooden color due to him having painted on it with all kinds of markers. Papers of words and letters were scattered around its surface with some child-like drawings being present here and there of clothes and bad-representations of mammals.
The wallpapers on the walls weren't in bad of a condition tho, they held textures of leaves in green with vertical thick lines in between divisions. He didn't have much more in his room as his parents didn't have much resources to do so, yet there was always food on the table, a fact that he couldn't understand its significance due to his early age.
He almost fell flat on his muzzle because of the basketball which rolled towards the drawer in a sluggishly-mocking fashion, while Nick sighed and carefully sneaked towards the old door from where he could still hear his mother arguing. Every step taken was making him wince because the floor was being pretentious in the forms of squeaks. Nonetheless, he got to the door and slowly twisted its knob so he was to be able to peek from the crack as well as hear better what was being said.
The tongue clicked and Nick's ears flattened to his skull with fear dripping into his mind that he was to be caught out of bed at such a late hour, not that he was ever severely reprimanded for not listening to his parents but he didn't like chores even one bit, no kit on Earth did, at least that's what he thought. Carefully, he pushed the door and light got him to squint his nocturnal eyes, yet it was at such an angle that it didn't pour into his room or expose him either.
"… after going through everything!? You can't do this, John… I don't agree with it!" What he was seeing in front of him, behind the kitchen table, was baffling for his innocent jades. Yea, his parents would argue from time to time but he had never seen his mother in tears like now, as she stood in front of his father with a slumped back and arms hugging her chest. His father's expression was hard to read from such a distance but there was sourness as well, yet he stood tall with confidence, and he was fully dressed with his light-grey coat and pants, his black tie and white shirt.
"I explained everything… I'm… sorry…" his father returned. Still, Nick couldn't understand anything from the exchange, yet there was this feeling that something big was going to happen, a feeling he couldn't put a word upon. It looked as his dad was heading somewhere because he was dressed officially, like always, yet his mother was just in her checked pajamas in blue.
"I won't let you, John!" she growled and took a defensive stance, while her claws, usually used for affection but now as a weapon, extended and her hackles went rigidly electrified. She was very skinny and half a head shorter than John but that even added to the effect of her ferociousness, which was followed by a loud snap of jaws in front of John's muzzle, which was pointed down but he didn't even flinch, just stood there motionlessly and stared at his mother whose lips were twitching in spasms to her resenting growls. She looked wild, she looked… desperate.
"I've… got to…" he said and, after a quick moment, turned around and headed towards the door to which his mother pounced, her claws digging into the back of his coat and ripping lines as she swished around and in front of him in an instant, which made Nick fearful that things would escalate, yet his father stopped and didn't do anything in return, just stood still. "Cath, don—"
"Shut up! S-shut up! You're not d-doing this to us… We can… we can g-go elsewhere… there is n—"
"This is my own weight to bare."
"Share it with me then!" she grit her teeth as she grabbed his lapels, her sharp claws digging in hard while her hardened façade was starting to crumble, her voice betraying its firmness as it broke. His paws reached for hers and for a moment her dark yellow eyes beamed with hope but it died when he removed her paws and skirted around her trembling frame.
She instantly got in front of him again and tried to push him back but he just kept pushing forward, his bigger frame and stronger physique overpowering her weakening attempts which started generating whimpers from her as she tried with all her strength to stop Nick's father, her husband, her mate. But then something unexpected happened to Nick and even his father who abruptly stopped when she collided into him and hugged him around his middle, her muzzle finding its way underneath his as she let the anxiety out with twitching lips and tears which fell around her cheeks in a streamy fashion.
Her tail was hanging low and she just looked so frail, so vulnerable, so hurt… Nick's own tears began forming on the corner of his inherited jades and he was even thinking of announcing himself but he remained in the shadows, he remained unnoticed, he remained observing. It seemed that the hug was very strong, it was showing his mother's devotion, love and affection but it wasn't being returned, it was being cast out as if it was an annoying itch, as if it was sickness, as if it was unwanted.
Until it wasn't.
John's tail went around her smaller frame and his paws at last embraced her tightly and lovingly to which she sniffled loudly with a barely-audible chuckle. His claws stroked her ears and that got her to nestle herself further into him, as if she were trying to dig a hole into his neck. Maybe everything was going to be alright after all, maybe there was just a disagreement… maybe…
John whispered something into her ear but even when Nick gave his best to overhear, he failed and it frustrated him but his mother's reaction told him a bit as she squeezed him even harder, while whimpers escaped in strain. "S-stay… s-s-stay…" Her head moved back and she mooned into him through teary yellow when at last she began licking the side of his muzzle with one paw cupping his cheek and the other trailing down his body. Her affection pulled his lips and exposed his teeth, while his demeanor was starting to crumble because his head began slightly to shake.
Nick felt a tinge of awkwardness from what he was seeing because he couldn't understand what they were doing very well and it was very… strange. But his contemplations broke when John spoke, "N-no, Cath… n-no…" However, she wasn't stopping and welded her body into his as she kissed him deeply as well as hard, yet the affection was broken harshly by him as he grabbed the side of her shoulders and yanked her away. It visibly wasn't hard for him as he was stronger and even as she tried to get close to him again, she just couldn't and at last stopped with limp arms and a lowered head.
Then he removed one of his paws and reached for the red pawkerchief which he usually carried in his front pocket of his elegant coat. It was neat and pristine and he folded it into a triangle, while his wife stood there in frustrated puzzlement. He took a step forward, now being very close to her moist muzzle and gently pushed it up a bit as to get her to expose her neck to him, which she did without any hesitation. The pawkerchief was nestled around her neck and it hugged her creamy fur, while John tied it above the small of her back.
Why was he doing that? Why would he do that? John reached for her paw slowly, where the evidence of their union stood firmly. Nick had seen it many times and even if it wasn't anything greatly extravagant, just a silver jewelry with John's name on it, there was this feeling that was carried with it in the form of preciousness and great personal value. It seemed priceless and beautiful, and now, now John had reached for that priceless token of devotion and he removed it from her paw which began shaking hard.
That same paw was turned around and he put the treasured piece of love in it after which he slowly closed it and put his paw on the region of her heart, while she shook even worse with strained whimpers and failed attempts of talking. His muzzle collided with her closed paw as he kissed it gently, after which he walked by her towards the door.
She stood there and didn't react, just stood and shivered with tears falling off her muzzle and onto the dark-brown floor but all of it crashed down when the door was unlocked. Catherine jumped on her spot and turned around so violently that she managed to overtake her tail. "J-john!" she yelled, apparently not caring anymore if she'd wake up Nick, and ran towards her husband who had now fully opened the door, yet he wasn't stopping.
"D-d-don't g-go!" she sobbed through and tried to turn him around as well as hug his back, yet he shrugged her off with pieces of his coat falling onto the floor from the visible last resort of her attempts of stopping him. "J-j-john… J-john!... J-jo…" Instead of going after him into the corridor, her steps became unstable and she lost her balance to which she tried grabbing onto the doorframe but as she failed in grabbing hold of it, her claws scraped the wooden surface and her back collided with the opened door behind her to which she slumped down as her knees gave out. She tried to get up but she just couldn't, thus she put her closed paw in front of her heart and hugged her knees, her cries starting to fill the room with grief and gloom.
Nick's mouth was trembling at what had just happened even if he still couldn't understand fully. All he could understand was that something bad had happened and that his father had left, which filled his legs with energy and even if he was fearful of his parents finding out that he had eavesdropped, he just didn't care anymore and pushed open his door hard to which his mother instantly zeroed onto him but he didn't care, he wanted to get to his father, he wanted to know what was going on.
"Pa! Wait, pa!" Nick was on full sprint, his small legs pushing him forward towards the exit of his humble home.
"N-nicky!" his mother shouted in panic and tried to get up on her wobbly legs while Nick was now just next to her. He could see his father down the corridor, he was right there but why wasn't he turning back? Just then, he felt two paws to go around him and pull him back into the house, the door shutting with a slam and his abruptly-stopped sprint hooking out all the air from his lugs which got him to feel dizzy for a second. The warmth and scent of his mother bathed him from behind and her tail went straight in front of him, which just got him perplexed to the bone.
He tried to look up but her muzzle situated itself on top his head and held him firmly, while her trembling resonated all around his small frame. "Ma… what's g-going on?... Why pa leave? Why you cry?" He felt more pressure around himself as her hug deepened but the answer took some time, which was greatly troubling him, it was getting him to conclusions which lacked sense and were extremely startling.
"He just… He had to do s-something, s-sweety… he needs to do something… don't w-worry…" she answered through choked sobs but her quivering died down considerably as if she was trying to hide her true feelings. But why would she lie to him? If he had to do something that meant that he would come back. But why did he feel as if he wasn't coming back, like this was the last time he would ever see him…
"When? Where he going?" But to his questions came no answers as if what she had told him was all he needed to know which was filling the tube of dismay slowly but surely.
"C'mon, honey… it's late…" she said and moved her paws away from him but grabbed one of his and both stood up slowly. He could now look at her and the sight was just painful to watch but when she turned slightly and noticed him staring with concern, she gave him a subtle and warm smile, which got him to remain quiet and not to further ask questions, while she reached for the old bolts on the door and closed them tightly as well as harshly.
Walking towards his dark room with his mother, he could see her great efforts of keeping herself standing as well as walking because her knees were just buckling from the weight of her manifesting sorrow which now even had a scent which could be tasted in the form of bitterness. She slightly closed his door but didn't get it to click and as they neared the bed, which now had disgruntled sheets from his escape of its warm confines, she reached for him and put him on its edge, the motion bringing up the feeling of falling. That was when he felt the chilly sensation as his bed seemed to have been robbed off its previous attributes, which was making him jittery.
His mother dusted off his feet and said, "In, in!" to which he huffed in dissatisfaction but did so, nevertheless. Yet the iciness was even worse and he just couldn't hold his opinion to himself.
"It's cold, ma!" he complained as he propped himself on his two paws before she was able to put the blankets over him. The complaint got her to stop midway and stare at him in quick shock while her claws tapped the cloth as she mused about. Yea, she had understood what he wanted and after a few more moments, she sighed and headed towards the door but without tucking him in which meant that it was going to happen. What he was seeing from behind her was troubling tho, her tail was brushing the floor, her shoulders were sagged and her gait was very unconfident.
She closed the door fully and stood there with one paw for support but when she turned around, her posture got straight and her tail went up, yet she just couldn't fix her gait… Why was she losing her balance? One of her paws went to her head and she slumped forwards with the fist against her knee which still carried the silver treasure. He was going to jump off and help her if she hadn't quickly recomposed herself and jogged to the bed where she stopped and stared with a smile at her kit, her gem, her life.
"Ma, are you ok?"
"Just… tired… scoot a bit so I can climb in!" she sang soothingly and he did as she had asked to which his mother carefully sat onto the bed that slightly sunk in from her weight, while bouncing Nick up and down, and she grabbed the blankets which were pulled over the both of them but not before getting close to her kit and pulling him close to her fluffy chest, her paws going around and behind him.
The warmth, the smell, the closeness of his mother filled the air underneath the blankets with love, it made them comfortable yet again like before he had gotten out to see what was happening, it even felt better, way better. He sensed something sticky to trail around his head and it didn't take him long to figure out that it was his mother's long tongue. She stopped after a bit and pulled him even closer to her, nestling her head just between his triangular ears which detected a happy sigh on her part.
"Nick… I'm sorry for not being… well the best mother… I'm still a kit myself and… it's hard… But whatever happens, I want you to know… no, I need you to know that… I'll love you… because you're the most important thing in my life…" She did something behind him as the cloth shuffled a bit but then her paws returned to him and he felt something solid on one of her fingers, as if it was her ring. She had put it on…. Or were that her claws?
"I love you so much…"
"Love you too, ma!" Nick returned with emotion and a racing heart, while he tried to get even closer to her, which was impossible, but that didn't get him to not try. His troubles: gone; his mind: relaxed; his core: fiery; his heart: fluttering. All it took was her affection to fill the cold room with warmth and tenderness, all it took was her presence to fill the empty void which was starting to spread all around him. But something seemed off, something was very off because even if her words came from the heart, something amidst was missing, something quintessential from what had happened just some minutes ago.
She hadn't mentioned his father even once…
Nick stirred out of sleep as glass again shattered outside on the street, thus his pumper went up a notch but when he tried to move, it was as if he was stuck, stuck to something warm and living. He remembered that his mother had fallen asleep with him and it seemed that they were in that same position from before he had dozed off.
But something was wrong because he could hear her lightly sniffling while her heart vibrated throughout her body. He gently tugged on her muzzle but she didn't react which meant that she was probably asleep and having a bad dream, yet he wasn't sure at all which of it it was. But instead of trying to wake her up and understanding, he licked her neck in affection and hugged her closer while one of his paws caressed the underside of her lips which managed to get them to stop twitching and her to readjust herself into a better position while her tail moved around his middle and served as another layer to the blankets.
That got him to yawn with a smile and even if the distant shouting from outside continued as well as with the evident distress that was plaguing his mother, he managed to calm himself down and hope for the best.
After all, optimism was something he was taught to be beneficial and right. It was what his dad had told him when he had borrowed money for his shop, it was what his mother had shown him even when things wouldn't work out. It was something that just felt good even in those moments of grief, moments of consternation and cheerlessness. Moments of pain and blackness.
But could it all have been a deception? A deception mighty high, a deception that makes you try, a deception to get you by, a deception in the form of a transparent white lie.
Maybe… maybe… But he was too tired to think about it and just snuggled into his mother who had at last stopped shaking with her breaths finally taking a normal and healthy rhythm, a rhythm of calmness.
A rhythm of serenity.
A rhythm of temporary peace.
"Thanks, Nick, it was fun. See you around sometime!" Judy shouted from atop the bridge and sped off towards the bus stop with a cloud of dust behind her.
"Yea… See you too…" Nick mumbled quietly, scratching the fur between his ears. She is one crazy rabbit alright.
He leaned back into his chair and watched the sun go up, enjoying the sight he rarely ever saw, as he never liked getting up early due to the fact that he was a nocturnal mammal and more importantly, he was Nick. He went through his bags, searching for his sunglasses, as his eyes were still a bit sensitive to the light. I don't remember the last time I woke up this early. And Fluff seemed to have woken up without any alarms present… like she was used to this. Heh, she is one ball of energy alright.
Nick stretched himself and grabbed the radio which was still between his thighs. She didn't stay for the fun stuff. Her loss. Now… which frequency was that channel…
"—ert to vegan! Stop chomping like fil—"
"—is shampoo will change your li—"
"—ere's been a malfunction in Tundra—"
"—est… I won't give up, no I won't give in," It was that song from Gazelle that had recently came out. "Till I reach the end and then I'll start again…" The tune was catchy and for a moment Nick's leg bounced with the rhythm while he shook his head with a subtle smile but then he frowned and changed the channel again…
Wishful thinking…
He played around, finding stations that didn't interest him when at last, at last he got to the one he was searching for. "Aha!" he shouted in excitement.
"—at but reports show that the substance is still on the market, and it seems to be only increasing in quantity. Stay tuned for an interview with Chief Bogo of Precinct One later today… Moving on to International news. Fabienne, what could you tell us about the situation in the Near West?" His ears perked up and eyebrows played around in confusion. What more was happening there?
"Hey Peter, it seems that the situation's becoming more and more severe with each passing day in the tropical country of Apennine. The explosion in its parliament that happened a month ago, which killed 132 government officials, is taking its toll. Martial law has been implemented as of yesterday. The extremists seem to be composed of ex-soldiers and civilian militia who're using guerilla warfare tactics… and from the reports… target peaceful citizens as well; bombing cities and villages. We received reports from our field reporters on scene that… w-what?"
It seemed that the situation there was brewing to extreme, not that he hadn't seen it, it was plainly obvious that a revolution was going to take place, it was just inevitable… but at what price… It sounded more like terrorism… "Ahmmm, it seems… are you sure?" -muffled talking could be heard for some moments- "… Reports came in, saying that poisonous gas was just used an hour ago…" Silence befell the radio for a bit, making Nick hit it several times, as he thought that it had broken down.
"You heard it here first folks, not only are tensions increasing but chemical warfare is being conducted even after its worldwide prohibition. Fabienne, do you have anything else to share with us?"
"Yes, Peter, we're currently working on finding out who is sponsoring these extremists. They seem to be using old weapons from the Great Conflict but there were reports of equipment that hasn't ever been seen till now. But the reports aren't enough to support the claim, as there isn't enough evidence on the matter as of right now. We're awaiting for a response from EUN (Earth's United Nations) on the matter as it—"
"I'm sorry for interrupting, Fabienne… but it seems that president Raghorn's about to make a statement live. We'll come back to you later." Now this was alarming and got Nick's full attention because the president never just made announcements out of the blue. He was a very powerful mammal in the country of Mammalia but that didn't mean that he could do as he pleased because things just didn't work like that. But because of Nick's past, he just knew that nothing good was going to be grasped, the news were going to be grave and sullen.
"Good morning to everyone. Today, more than a hundred mammals were killed and countless other injured in the country of Apennine by a vast chemical attack, done by those that call themselves 'freedom fighters', yet are nothing more than terrorists and criminals. Most of the casualties are civilians. They were predators and prey; big and small; soldiers and civilians; mothers and fathers; daughters and sons. Each of them didn't deserve such a cruel end, nobody does." And here it was, it didn't even surprise him even one bit…
"This morning, I want to talk with you all about this tragedy, the broader threat of terrorism, and how we can keep our country safe."
"In order to keep our citizens safe, we need to act. We've stood idle for far too long. The more we wait, the bigger this regional issue becomes, and it could spread even to our borders. So we'll take the fight to them and stop this endless bloodshed of innocents. I've allowed our carriers, with the approval of the parliament, to approach the warzone and conduct airstrikes against these so called 'rebels'."
"We've found out through our military intelligence that there are many who support these radicals. Selling illegal firearms, vehicles, chemicals and other weapons of war. We're still not sure which countries and influential mammals are funneling their resources, but we know this. We'll find out and when we do, there will be consequences for those of them. If we find supporters from our country, they 'will' be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, as they are no better than the terrorists themselves. There will be no mercy." Some light coughing came about from the speakers.
"So long as we stay true to our course, I have no doubt Mammalia will prevail. May the victims' souls of today's bloodshed rest in peace."
"There it is folks, it seems that we are entering another war. We'll be back shortly and we'll be taking some of your calls," added the host and then, just like that, the feed was changed to some random music, getting Nick to lean into the chair with a heavy sigh.
"Just great… pft…" he exhaled sharply, feeling exasperated as his mind was trying to tackle the issue so he could find an answer. This is going to be just great, entering another conflict like the Makalu Civil War… Nothing good ever comes out of this, never… Let's hope that none of those protests ever happen again…
Ten years ago, north of Mammalia, just over the mountains above the city of Zootopia where a big river flows, a civil war broke out in the country of Makalu, which used to be part of TUSR which after TGMC broke into two separate countries: Uyghur and the current Makalu. The division was essential to enforce control over the superpower which had sought to overtake Pangea under its iron fist but because of the union that created Mammalia and the bright minds of the company B.D-M, the war was stopped and its bloodshed in the end came to an end.
Uyghur was overseen for quite some time by occupational forces until it was deemed unnecessary to do so, while Makalu was made into a puppet state with the victors of the war having a say in its future as well as control over everything within the country. But because of the very visible intervention in the country's politics, decisions and enforced rules, a civil war broke out which ended in the decision, by EUN, to remove all military from its lands and to withdraw slowly away from the country, thus leaving it independent to head however the mammals residing there chose.
During the civil war, mammalians protested against the governing officials' decisions which left a dark mark in the country's history as in many major cities mammals rallied against those choices of occupations and brutalization of the country of Makalu. Most of those protests morphed into riots, supposedly done by provocateurs in search for anarchy and panic.
The news got Nick to remember the protests in Zootopia as he was 19 back then. He was in Savanna Central, more precisely: near the fountain where the old watering hole was. He recollected when the protesters, who had amassed in front of City Hall, demanded an end to the occupation and as no one confronted them, they started rioting and vandalizing everything in their reach and sight. He managed, back then, to run away, get into a nearby residential building and climb to the roof. From there he saw the whole thing, the riot police, which consisted mainly of big mammals: rhinos, hippos, bears, giraffes and so on, started beating the rioters and protesters as well without mercy on end.
The police didn't seem to care if there were small mammals in the crowds as well as innocent and peaceful ones as they just sprayed gas, hit anything they could with their hard batons and trampled those that couldn't move or were too slow to flee. It was a massacre, and he couldn't believe his own eyes at that time. The same thing had happened in all the other cities and after the day was over, the death toll was around 400 mammals. The accidents caused a shift in power and new elections were prompted up which got many government officials who were in power to back off from their seats in surrender.
After the problems in Mammalia were over, the decision by the EUN was made to withdraw the troops that were occupying Makalu and only leave the governing officials, for the time being, who would keep the chipped glass whole. Tensions died down, everything started becoming more peaceful until, well until today, when Mammalia agreed to enter yet another conflict which it shouldn't have poked its nose into.
Nick heard a quiet rumble from his stomach and reached over to the bags adjacent to him, searching for food to fill his empty cavern. He only found blueberries and spoiled-smelling fish. Wanting to eat meat but at the same time not daring to test the limits of his body, he chose the blueberries and grabbed a pawful, which he put into his red pawkerchief and then started popping them one after another into his salivating maw.
While doing that and listening to the calming music, he thought about Judy and the recent news. She missed it… If only she heard it right here and right now, I could've gotten her to understand. Or probably not, who knows… Why do I care so much?
You know why you do...
No?
Keep telling yourself that.
Tell myself what?
That you don't feel her hu— His train of thought was broken by the loud static that sprung from the radio, getting his ears to fold down as to protect themselves from the awful high-pitched noise and his paw to almost squeeze the berries which were peacefully laying on the old cloth.
"And we are back fellow listeners and watchers. Now let's move on and take some of your calls." Ringing could be heard from the other side and after a few seconds someone picked up. "Hello, you're live on MNN (Mammalia News Network). Please state your name and tell us how you feel about the morning's revelations," said the transmission host whose voice for a moment sounded like an automated message.
From the other end there was yelling that could be heard but Nick couldn't decipher what was being yelled, seemingly the mammal in question was blocking the microphone but that wasn't muffling the yells entirely, unsurprisingly. "Ey… can you hear me?" asked the caller at last.
"Yes, we can hear you,"
"Good, good. My name's Pronk, and I live in Zootopia with my crazy roommate Bucky." He paused for a moment. "Ay, Bucky, come over here and say hi," he yelled off the mic.
"… SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP," was the only response Nick managed to understand.
"Okay, let's tune down the yelling, shall we? Now, Pronk, tell us what you think on the matter."
"Alright, sorry. I think that this is a load of crap!" he exclaimed, sounding angry.
"Excuse me, sir, please watch the language, okay? Now, could you tell us why?" the host asked politely.
"Yea, yea. It's just that the same thing's happening like the intervention ten years ago. Oh, and those riots back then… And you're telling me that they don't know who's supporting these bast— I mean… bad mammals. If you look at some videos on the net you can see, the combatants have polar bears! That country is nothing but desert, and you're telling me the locals are polar bears? Even a mole could see that it's the country of Uyghur doing this," Pronk explained with noticeable breakings of his voice in the form of unchecked anger.
"Yes, there've been reports of some of the combatants being polar bears. That is correct. But to come all the way from Uyghur? The Balkan range is just too big, they just can't go over it. And the airspace is being monitored by the EUN."
"Ha! Over it? They are going through it! What, you think they can't have tunneled through all these years? I've heard that they are paying the Balkanians to create bunkers for some kind of doomsday scenario. Crazy stuff I say…" he stopped for a moment, muffled shouting starting again to take its roots around the speakers.
"EY SHUT UP! I'M TALKING TO THE NEWS," Pronk yelled and it seemed that he had forgotten to block the microphone this time. Nick put the radio near his ear canals, trying to hear what the other mammal was saying.
"YOU'VE BEEN TALKING FOR FAR TOO LONG, JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
"THIS IS IMPORTANT, SO DEAL WITH IT AND SHUT UP."
"NO, YOU SHUT UP!"
"YOU SHUT UP!"
"NO, YOU—" the yelling was cut midway and the line went dead.
"Sorry for that, seemed like things got a little heated up," apologized the host, sounding a bit amused by the silly situation.
Nick guffawed hard, hitting his knees and turned off the radio. No wonder why they put on mammals, these jewels just make you want more. He-he. He toned his laughing down and pulled the blanket up. Now where did I put those sunglasses…
He found them on the chair's handle and put them on his face, looking like a complete douchebag as his smirk was just too greasy. He wasn't willing to go on today and hustle, as he felt a bit tired and still very sleepy, thus agreement with himself was made to nap for the time being. Why did I even let her follow me here? Did I really believe she can see and understand… Jeez, what's making me feel this way…
Such feelings weren't common for him since quite some time and them appearing like this was greatly confusing and even a bit alarming because he just didn't want to think about them as feelings just made him soft, thus vulnerable. And he hated being vulnerable, yet at the same time his curiosity just needed to find the answer to what his heart was telling him in the forms of squeezes and lack of breath. Nevertheless, he forfeited and closed his stained eyes which were being hidden by the polarized sunglasses.
And with that, with that his worries dissipated into dust which was blown away by the soothing wind of time.
There were these shapes, they looked… familiar… they looked familiarly daunting. Yes, he knew to whom these shapes belonged to, he could remember the old basement, the suffocating air and the smell of mold. And there came that object which he despised and hated more than anything. That hard and rugged leather around his head, that cold and painful steel which clasped around his muzzle tightly like teeth in flesh, it got him to trash wildly on the floor as he tried to get it off himself but because of the panic he was in, failure was dominant.
"If you thought we'd ever trust a fox without a muzzle, you're even dumber than you look!"
He could feel his eyes stinging from the harsh words but he wasn't going to show them anything, he didn't want to show them anything.
"Aww, is he gonna cry now…"
Nick woke up with a sharp gasp and doubled heartrate, while he rapidly looked around, searching for threats around himself but in vain. After realizing that it was just a dream and that he only had napped for a small amount of time, he relaxed and tried to doze off again, trying to shrug the bad memory off. It was after all, just and simply a rough trace of the past but it did carry an amount of significance even if it was very small. It resurfacing into his mind again meant one thing, the bunny had managed to get to him and that was troubling because he still couldn't find the right word for how he felt.
It was irritating.
It was midday, the day seemed to be very promising, the temperatures being moderate and no dark clouds could be seen either. There was a loudly sleeping fox, still in his makeshift bed. He didn't seem to want to go anywhere today even if he had told somebody he would. The ambience around him was pretty calm, birds could be heard chirping from the nearby forest and the occasional buzzing of different insects as well. It was all good and calm until a very loud bang disturbed the silence from nearby, presumably from down the dirt road that lead to the bridge but that didn't wake Nick up, as he seemed dead asleep.
But there it was again, that loud bang which was this time accompanied by screeching which wobbled Nick's sleep and the serenity was starting to distort. He groaned and readjusted himself on the chair but the conflicting sound just kept on coming and coming as metal bashed against metal and grumbling could be heard from above.
"Are ya deaf? 'EY… don't play dead fox ya fuckin' loafer…" The voice was chillingly familiar, it was giving him this painful feeling right on the spot of his underbelly where he had experienced a hit yesterday but it wasn't enough for him to open his reluctant eyes. "Oh, ya'll fuckin' get it!"
There were these steps and the sounds of angry muttering but then came this weight that got on his legs with a very harsh voice following suit, "WAKE UP DUMBASS!" But it was ineffective because Nick thought that Judy was pranking him for not escorting her to the bus stop when darkness had come. She was in the right tho but because he thought that was the case, he played ignorant.
Not opening his eyes, he started with slurs and mumbles because there was something in his mouth, it felt like steel but very thin. "Judy, wat? Yu've cme fo mre… I kno yu wike tu howd it bu dat's jus not healty…" he managed to complete the sentence with the object between his teeth and tried to push the supposed Judy off of him but to no avail, as the mammal in question wasn't budging.
"DON'T JUDY ME, YA LAZY PIECE A SHIT!" the mammal yelled with his booming voice and just like that there was this push to the side which got Nick to feel as if he were falling which got him to open his eyes at long last and notice that he was heading towards the rocky surface of the river's bank.
Nick fell with a small thud on his muzzle, waking up fully as pain jolted throughout his whole body. He stood up slowly while groaning and noticed a fuming Finnick. "Halwo to yu two…" he yawned with a distorted voice, as the object inside his mouth was still there with saliva trailing down its lines. Realizing that there was still something between his teeth, he reached for it and pulled it out which earned him a great deal of shock as he saw that it was his sunglasses which were looking very sticky.
"Interesting…" he mumbled more to himself than anyone else as he rubbed them into his shirt and put them into his breast pocket while he stood up and sat on the log, facing the fennec after one last yawn. "To what do I own the pleasure, my dear good-mannered friend," he quipped, receiving a scowl from his unamused partner.
"Can smell ya've had yo fair share of pleasure, ya dirty fuckin' fox," boomed the sandy vulpine at Nick with an evil scowl which quickly morphed into a suggestive grin.
"W-what're you talking about?" Nick asked, stuttering slightly as the perplexity of the spoken words froze his brain from thinking.
"Don't play dumb, ass face. It's that rabbit copa, what was 'er name? Hundy, Muddy…"
That made Nick to roll his eyes and smirk. "Her name's Judy, Fin."
"Ya, ya! that's it. Hah! I see why ya told me to let 'er follow us. Ya sick fuck. How did ya even get 'er to fuck ya. Can't even understand," the fennec teased, laughing wholeheartedly as he sat next to Nick on the log.
But instead of getting on the joke, Nick slightly got hostile at the words used in his presence because she didn't deserve them, yet when was that a problem for him? "Nothing like that has happened… you little midget," Nick uttered the last part barely audible and darkly.
"WHAT DID YA SAY?" barked the fennec, readying himself to break some bones whilst his yellow teeth showed themselves from below his twitching lips.
"I said that nothing like that happened," Nick repeated a part from the sentence confidently, masking his nervousness, which managed to assure the sandy fox that nothing else was said. He was lucky at that moment because he wasn't in the mood for a fight with the smaller fox, yea he was small but that didn't meant he wasn't dangerous. He was extremely hostile and nasty when provoked, having learned that small detail when he had met him for the first time.
"Then why ya smell like 'er ya idiot. Ya think ya can fool me? Ya think I'm stupid?" the fennec asked.
Nick realized what his friend was talking about and just now, started registering Judy's scent, as his nose had gotten used to it during the night, unknowingly to him. Her scent wasn't like his, it was light and soothing. He liked it but wasn't going to say it in front of Finnick nor anyone else. He sniffed himself loudly and then just shrugged his shoulders in feigned disinterest of further talking about the subject. "Guess I do," Nick added blankly and just stood up as he closed in on his bags, grabbing a bottle of blueberry juice and quickly asking, "Want some, Fin?"
"Nah, if ya got some booze, sure. Nothin' else." The answer surprised Nick and got him to glance at the bridge where Finnick's orange van had been parked very sloppily, its art on the side of its wall being visible to his eyes, art which included a brown tod who was holding a snow vixen in his two paws. They were dressed medieval with the tod having a sword sheathed on his back and an intimidating helm as well as armor, while the vixen had a lot of sparkling jewelry, all of that in contrast with the background behind, which consisted of root-like lightning, bright stars, hard smoke, and blazing fires. It was a good piece of art but the rest of the van was slightly diminishing its magnificence due to the rustiness and state of disrepair.
However, he was driving and he wanted booze? That got Nick to wonder if the fennec's brain was the size of a peanut due to his own height in retrospect but maybe it was that he actually didn't give a crap about anything. Yea, the second one was more prominent. "Ahm, Fin? You didn't forget you came with the van, did you now?" There was some staring between the two foxes and Nick's eyebrows huddled together as his ears became slightly restless in the search for a spoken answer.
Finnick rolled his eyes and opened both his paws. "Ye, so what? Bring it 'ere ya crybaby." A defeated sigh chugged out of Nick's lips and his shoulders made a shrug as he got 2 bottles of beer with his own one of blueberry juice and returned to his spot, passing Finnick his forbidden beverage. Still, something got him to zone out as his mind was nagging at him that he had forgotten something incredibly essential, which managed to at last get him to shake his head.
"Oh, sorry… forgot the cap opener, heh… I'll go g—" but before Nick even tried to stand, he heard a hissing sound and looked at his friend. He had opened the metal cap using his teeth, which made Nick to frown at the sight. "Would you stop doing that! You'll break them someday if you keep on going like this," he berated, scowling at his friend's carelessness.
"Whatch'ya give a shit about," Finnick spat and started chugging from the bottle, making its contents disappear very fast which managed to make Nick smile. Finnick was a small mammal, Nick knew that, yet he could be intimidating if he wanted to and even when he didn't. He could always drink and eat a lot, even more than Nick which amazed the red fox every time. He was a very strange mammal, not in a bad way of course. He was the opposite of what he appeared to be, just like a certain rabbit Nick got to know just yesterday.
Nick put one of his paws on his heart and the other over his head and feigned that he was hurt by Finnick's comment. "Ahh, you wound me! How can we pull off hustles if you look like you've gone through 10 consecutive rounds of boxing? You could make them pity you but then they won't think that you're adorable… which is what we actually need, if you aren't forgetting," the red vulpine jabbed smugly, making Finnick growl because of the demeaning voice that had been used as well as a certain a-word.
The sandy fox managed to cool down visibly, with the help of the booze he downed in a single last gulping session of that said bottle. As he finished, he smirked, which got Nick's grin to fall in anticipation of what was to come as his friend didn't usually act this way if he didn't have something on his filthy tongue. "What 'bout that adorable cuty of yos? Ya treat 'er well? The red rocket fly?" Finnick teased with an evil grin but didn't get a reaction as Nick was just staring at nothing.
Why was he acting like such a douchebag and what was the insane reason that the words were actually getting to him. The fennec spoke again but this time with audible worry in his tone, "Ey bro, I don't mind… just fuckin' around. C'mon don't be a shy little bitch 'n' give me some material," he pressed on and nudged him on the arm as to get him started.
Nick groaned in annoyance, feeling slight discomfort at talking about that very subject even if it usually wouldn't be something that made him as such. "Nothing happened… for the I don't know what time… She just slept close to me. It got too cold during the night, nothing else!" Why was he even expecting for him to stop teasing, why did he even think that he would get away with it… Such opportunities were rare and that made Nick to grumble in slight exasperation.
"I know that's yo witty way to say ya've fucked 'er. Don't ya try to get clever on meh."
Nick didn't know any other way to explain his surprisingly annoying friend that nothing had happened. Is this how he feels when I do it to him? "No, I meant it in the normal context. Nothing happened, period," he huffed and drank a bit from his sweetness-filled bottle.
"Sure, keep it to yoself then, jackass," was the reply with feigned disappointment. "Say… why'd ya didn't come today, I phoned ya like 10 times. Thought ya were dead in some ditch."
The red tod smiled, finding the real meaning in his friend's words which managed to slightly warm his heart. "Awww, so you were worried about me? How sweet, little guy" –Finnick's mouth opened in anger and he growled- "I didn't know you were so caring deep inside," Nick managed to bring back his smugness and bombarded his aggressor with the power of his ability of annoyance which he had lost due to some still-unknown reason.
"Ughm… No, dip-shit. Came to collect yo wads as ya greedy flea-infested dead-ass wouldn't need it. Tis why I came with the van, I know yo hidin' those fat stacks somewhere."
"Hah, fat stacks… I wish that were true" -Nick adopted a dreamy look- "I was just exhausted. Didn't feel like hustling today. I was just… beat."
"No shit, heard what those rabbits can do. Surprised ya could even stand up," Finnick guffawed wholeheartedly, receiving a very dark look from Nick.
"Laugh it up, big guy" -the red vulpine began smirking- "tomorrow, you're getting back into that suit."
"Fuck ya. I'm doin' this only for the green. If I find a single picture of meh in that suit, I'll bloody kill ya! I swear on me van!" Finnick gripped his now-empty bottle and almost threw it at Nick from anger but managed to stop himself, luckily for the bug-eyed reynard. He got the other full bottle and popped it open with a loud hiss with his conditioned teeth.
His reaction managed to make Nick chuckle in nervousness because he had just managed to go around the drops. Tho the silence got him to think about what he had heard in the morning from the station and about the ongoing events which didn't speak anything good for the future. "Hey, you heard the news?"
"I don't care 'bout news, don't act like ya don't know that."
Nick wasn't surprised at the retort but knew deep down that Finnick cared about what was happening around them, he just never showed it. "Heh, but this is bad. We're entering another conflict like the one 10 years ago. They just sent carriers to bomb the rebels in Apennine. Who knows what they'll do next," Nick explained, turning gloomy because of what he was imagining of possibilities which could turn the world upside down.
"What, ya think they'll send in muscle? That could happen but 'ey, who gives a shit. Let 'em play their games, as long as they don't start playin' 'em here."
"It's not impossible…" Nick retorted, looking at the sandy fox dead serious and feeling a tingle of worry inside. "We have to have a plan if that happens someday, 'kay?"
"Whatch ya wan'me do, shoot the president?"
But it seemed that the sarcastic reply didn't have its desired effect as Nick was seriously thinking about his next words, not wanting to have his word games at that very moment. There was one mammal that came to his mind that could be of great help considering such planning for the future, the issue was that the mammal was missing. "I want you to be on the lookout for Uren. If you see or find her, I want you to tell me, got it?"
The fennec instantly dropped the bottle and its contents splashed against his sleeveless shirt to which he yelled in anger but managed to save the rest of his bitter beverage. "UREN? Ya nuts?! Last time I saw 'er, she tried to beat me with 'er stunstick 'n' stab me with 'er damn tusks! Remember 'er yellin' somethin' 'bout agent sheep or I dunno. She's gone haywire for all I know, 'n' lives off the grid. Don't even know where she be hidin'."
Yea, Nick knew about that because that was the last time anyone had actually seen her as she had just vanished from existence. Finnick being terrified from somebody was something extremely rare because the little guy was just a pure ball of spite, especially when someone tried to do him wrong. But Nick needed to hope that she was still alive and somewhere safe, hiding like she usually did. "I get it, she's a bit wacky but just do it for me, please? You don't need to interact with her, just tell me if you see her. Would you do that, Finnick?"
The full use of the small fox's name made his visible violence to tune down a lot as the words sank inside his head and after some moments of murmuring, he gave Nick his answer, "Just a bit… Fine… Uren… unbelievable." Finnick crossed his arms and became downcast as he continued mumbling something to himself angrily, his meaty ears having fallen against his head.
Silence prevailed and Nick closed his eyes when a wave of wind brushed against his fur gently but the peace was broken when something like a growl came from near him, accompanied by the hasty words of his friend, "Tell me ya have some food in those dirty bags of yos." He did have something to offer but knew that Finnick would never agree to it, not after he had left him down there alone. It was a memory that got him to smirk as that was a sight with a probability of being seen again being zero to none.
"Got blueberries, but nothing else. Gotta restock when I get to town," Nick answered which made the fennec frown and spit.
"Ya 'n' yo fuckin' blueberries. How can ya even eat those buggers." Nick considered going there to take some food for his buddy, but torturing him after all his mockery about Judy was too satisfying for his eyes and ears to do so. He could see him from the corner of his eyes eyeing the bags where the blueberries were and figured that it was just a matter of time before he surrendered and accepted the gifts that the Gods had provided to this Earth in the form of a rounded blue and sweet nectar. But then there was flapping of wings with cooing accompanying it from up the bridge's stone railing which got him to look up and see a small group of pigeons, two of which were biting each other in a very silly-looking fight for domination.
"'Ey, fat ass," Finnick muttered quietly which came as a surprise to Nick who moved his gaze down to meet the fennec's fiery-brown eyes which spoke mischievousness.
"What is it, big guy?" was the reply that served as a returned courtesy.
"Ya see 'em there? Imma catch one," declared the fennec with curled lips which exposed all his teeth and the predatory fire burned even harder within his small eyes. When Nick glanced again at the small group and noticed the circus which those same two were continuing, with Finnick saying that he was going primal, laughter squeezed his stomach and containment was just not an option as he let it all out in a burst. "Quiet, ya fuckin' dickhead!" Finnick tried to suppress his yell as best as he could.
"You want me to believe, aha!... that you can catch a wild animal… bare-pawed? Phah! Last time I gave you to cook my meal, you burned it, pftat…" Nick guffawed, almost falling of the log.
That got the fennec extremely agitated to which he groaned quietly as he headed up the slope and towards his target. "I'll show ya what a real fox can do, stupid bitch o—" he mumbled quietly as he was climbing the slope and Nick made a mocking salute as he followed his friend with his eyes, while trying to keep a straight-face. The small fox became obscured behind the stone railing and Nick moved his gaze at the pigeons which at last had stopped the ludicrous fight and one of them was now courting the supposable female. So that was what the fight was about…
The idea of his small buddy stalking those birds got Nick to laugh again and even get all the heads of the birds to aim at him but then came that rocky krak sound to which the birds instantly turned around. "FUCK," yelled Finnick from atop and all of the birds went flying to which Nick knew that it was game over but what he saw shocked him to the last nerve, the sandy fox had jumped over the bridge and even caught one of the in-flight pigeons, but the thing was, he wasn't flying like them but falling down, like a bag of rocks, quickly.
He fell on his backside and rolled on the uneven rocky ground to which Nick actually fell off the log and grabbed his belly from pain because, yet again, he had witnessed something mind-boggling from his friend. The sandy fox groaned in pain, as he had fallen on his back while holding the still-alive pigeon in his two paws. "Gotcha ya little flyin' ninja," he told the pigeon to which he received a bite on the paw but it didn't visibly phase him, as his skin was thick. He got up and headed towards the red vulpine who was rolling around in his own happy tears.
"He-hey, those were some killer instincts, ts-ts… Fin! I think you caught some rocks after you fell as well, pfaha," quipped Nick, getting the sandy fox to lose his cool.
"SHUT UP RETARD… caught it, didn't I? Do somethin' in yo pathetic life 'n' start the fire," commanded the fennec through grit teeth while the pigeon tried to wrestle its way to freedom but in vain.
"What, you going burn it alive? You sick in the head or something?" asked Nick, sounding genuinely concerned.
"No, don't have those likin's as ya do. I'll keep it fresh till I can cook 'em."
The answer managed to relax Nick, so he sat up and went to the barrel as to start the fire. He put some firewood inside it, not plastic trash as it would soak into the meat and make it toxic, not that it would be anything bad for Finnick. He poured some gasoline inside and blazed it very quickly. There was a cooking grid near the barrel which he used when he had to cook his own food when outside, thus he put it on top of the burning barrel but didn't bother to scrub the charcoal that had accumulated because it was Finnick's snack and if he wanted to, he could do it himself.
Getting back to his sitting spot on the log, he motioned to Finnick that the grill was ready. The pigeon had stopped squirming and now just stood quietly in Finnick's paws as if it had accepted its forced fate, while Finnick leaned towards the soon to be eaten snack and asked, "Any last words, punk?" To which he received a very hard bite on the nose which got him to hiss in pain, as the bird did bite him pretty hard. "Love ya too, Flappy," he returned with an angry grin and snapped its neck without hesitation.
"Whoaw, whoaw! Didn't know you were a cold-blooded killer... I don't think it's safe to be around you anymore" -the fennec growled in irritation but didn't even turn to face Nick- "who knows when you decide to snap my neck," Nick taunted his friend while he was readying his snack for the fire by removing its feathers.
"Won't be able to break yo neck. But yo fingers, I will," the smaller fox retorted evilly while opening the pigeon to remove its insides. After he was done, he left the bird to cook and went to sit near Nick. And Nick being Nick, flinched when Finnick sat near him. "If ya keep this freak show, I'll break all yo fingers like a snikers bar, ya fucker!" The tension in the air increased and that got Nick to gulp nervously while his eyes moved about because his mind had plenty of ideas of a comeback but his jaw was aching because of the force he was putting upon it due to dread of his unstable friend.
Because quietness again came about, Nick's thoughts again were aimed at a certain grey mammal who seemed to have taken a portion of his mind without his consent. While the fun with Finnick strayed his thoughts away from her, it seemed that it didn't matter as they would just come back until the matter was figured and closed, if closure was even possible…
"Yo, Nick. What's going on with ya today, ya don't seem yoself," the fennec probed carefully, audibly trying to control his booming voice as it always sounded as if he were yelling.
"It's… It's the rabbit…"
"Uhh… ya fucked 'er, so what?" the fennec asked, not understanding. But the hostile glare he received managed to make him visibly do. "Okay, 'kay! Lay off… So what 'bout 'er?"
"I just feel bad about her. She seems to be so motivated. Yet I know that she'll be brought down. It's just how the world works… I've been on that path" -Nick gazed into the distance dreamily and finally turned to face the fennec seriously - "so have you." But the sandy fox's surprise turned into a very hard scowl.
"Are ya stupid?" asked the fennec, sounding genuinely angrily-surprised while his eyes narrowed slowly onto Nick's widely-opened ones.
"W-w-wh-"
Finnick snarled and made a fist. "No, shut the fuck up. Ya tellin' me ya don't know when ya just told me?" -the fennec glanced away for a second- " havin' gone through what she's 'bout to go through… ya know... it's not like I don't see it too... just don't give a fuck... Nobody helped me back then. 'N' why do ya even give a fuck? Ya want some exotic cunty, that it? Wanna grease the reel? There're easier ways ya dumb fuck."
Nick groaned as his brain tried to figure out why his friend had adopted such an idea and why was he forcing him to talk about it. "Why you think always about fucking, Fin? And no. Nothing like that."
The fennec threw his paws in the air, creating a small wind wave that bashed itself against Nick's fur. "Then it's easy! Ya becomin' a pussy-ass bitch. An emotional little foxy that wanna help the poor wittle rabbit. Nothin' good'll come from that, don't bother… But ya get it? Damn ya fuckin' dumb as a damn rock," Finnick sassed the tod and headed to look at his snack because there was the possibility of it turning into a pile of flavourless ashes.
Nick on the other paw was frustrated from the words that were carried with harshness and realism. He actually understood what his friend had told him. No, he didn't tell him anything new actually, Nick very well knew all of it and it was just under his nose all along, yet he couldn't see it because he wasn't thinking outside the box due to his ignorance. But why had he developed such a feeling towards her and what was it, what was so special about her was the question. He avoided attaching himself to mammals, not wanting to get betrayed in the short or long run, as well as because of his past choices and mistakes which haunted him hard.
He did trust Finnick but the sandy fox never needed any help because he could deal with problems himself, being older and more experienced than the red fox. His past wasn't a shiny and beautiful one as well but the sandy fox had managed to cope up and survive and even to become Nick's friend, yet Nick never felt that feeling, the feeling which he had right now for Judy but never for Finnick, probably because the smaller fox had already gone through all the shit the world had to offer and was already awake. While Judy was just now stepping into the water which was just brushing her ankles, meaning that the more she moved forward, the deeper it would get and if she didn't find a way to stay afloat, she would drown.
It was her resolve, her determination, her honesty, her personality which had made an impression on him. She didn't really seem entirely innocent and he knew that she had probably met with some of life's shit but that was just the tip of the iceberg. She wouldn't have wanted to be a cop if she knew about the big picture or maybe she would've… Maybe she was trying to fix the broken and corrupted? Only time would tell and he hoped that she wouldn't end like most…
So Nick got to a conclusion. It was his past that was bringing him to think about this, it was the bunny's unbiased behavior, her moxie and seemingly overflowing optimism. The memory, the thoughts, the feeling…
It was undeniably and finally…
Compassion…
Author's notes:
Hesitance jumps around your mind,
Grooms decision thus chosen blind.
Your thoughts most succulent of snack,
All delivered by luscious feedback.
So don't hide like a tiny shrew,
Thus share that belovable review!
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