Author's Note:

How's the back seat, Judy? It was probably cooler in the fire. Anyway, at least Nick slept through that. Oh the teasing! I'm having a really nice time. I do not know how long I can keep up this level of productivity. I sacrificed a lot of sleep. I'm a lucid dreamer so it means I need less, and I can intentionally come up with new ideas while I AM sleeping so it helps. I have so many plans. So many places to go! I have had someone mention that my stories seem rushed, and I always feel like there is a very delicate balance to getting the pacing just right, so I apologize if the pages seem a little busy. I don't like feeling like there's dead time or down time in my story. I don't want to bore you guys.

Also, a side note, I have been sick the past week and that slowed me down, so might be a little slow on updates compared to usual until I catch up!

Zootopia and the characters within belong to Disney, unless I drop an OC here and there, and even then, Disney could offer me a couple Zootopia-related items and I'd likely just hand 'em over, I ain't hard. I write these stories because if I don't the darkness will get me. It waits in every unopened box and at the behest of a single touch of a light switch it darts out to greet me. I must appease the darkness. Or leave cookies for it. Wait, that's Santa. Isn't it? So complicated…

Guardian Blue: Season One

Episode 4: Hammock

"Nick? Nick wakey wakey." Judy flicked her partner's ear. He bared his teeth sleepily which didn't really faze her. She knew what he was like waking from an impromptu nap. He sucked in a deep breath and stretched a little, his nostrils flaring. She never asked what he was trying to sniff when he first woke up, but assumed it was no different than her ears perking as she woke to just reestablish where she was. She got out and went to the trunk to get the bags. Hers was light enough but she opted not to pick up Nick's. He used his good hand and sluggishly got it out. He then looked up at the three-story Hopps estate, suddenly very much more awake.

"Why do I buy your coffee every other day again?" he asked. "Fluff, you did not tell me you guys were loaded." He looked back at her, a little stunned.

"We get by, Nick." Stu was the one speaking, holding his suspenders in that proud father manner. "The house has been built up over generations, it's not like any generation put that much capital into it. It's just big, but it's been ours for a century. A lot of bunnies made it big. Come on, let's get those things into the den and you can have the tour." Judy felt a little better given her dad was treating Nick more like he always treated guests.

The next half hour or more was just Nick being shown around. There were so many small sleeping areas that were repurposed into other rooms, an office here, a craft room there, as they went, it was obvious to Judy that Nick was hopelessly lost and a bit overwhelmed, likely having no idea how many bunnies even lived there. He was shown the broken shower downstairs, the working one upstairs, the guest room he'd be sleeping in, and Judy's room which he was shown the door to but her parents kindly did not direct him into. The den was massive, having a circle of couches and a TV on a spindle that could be rotated to face whichever. Judy knew at one point there had even been two which connected to the same AV so that both sides of the circle would be watching. The family actively living in the house was small enough that when one of the TVs went out it didn't need to be replaced. There was art on the wall, paintings done by the more artistic Hopps bunnies, and there were photos everywhere in the Den, nearly all the wall space taken up by art and images. While much of the house was hardwood floor which made cleaning easier, her family had found, the den was lushly carpeted. Nick seemed very fond of that, even leaning down and pushing his hands into it, thick tail waving about. For a fox, Judy found her partner to be very tactile, he liked touching things.

The tour of the house done, mostly by Stu, they ended up in the dining room where they found Bonnie setting out a few bowls with fruit salad and warm rolls. They were honey glazed, something Judy always enjoyed. Nick sat down, rubbing his hands together. This reminded Judy of something. She cleared her throat.

"First aid is in the downstairs bathroom, Dad?" she asked.

"Oh! Yup! Go take care of that." He sat down to his food. Nick whined, making grabby paws at his bowl as Judy led him away.

"It's not bad, it's a scrape." He looked at his own hand.

"Nick, it's from who knows where, I want to clean it, I won't have you getting an arm amputated when we get back." She had Nick sit on the edge of the bath tub as she tended to it. He protested a bit, certain that he could take care of his own injury, but the bunny would not hear it. After a few moments he relented and she busied herself with that, eventually taping it up nicely as she'd been shown in her training.

"You came out of a really nice house, but I bet it felt kind of crowded, based on how the rooms are arranged and all. Where is everyone? I didn't see anyone but your parents and you since we got here." Nick stated.

"Well, of 18 brothers and sisters, only six still live at home, but you can bet you will see all of them now that my brother's found out I am home. Probably by dinner today. I am not sure why my parents had not already told them unless they were afraid they would overwhelm you since this is supposed to be about relaxation." Nick flicked his ear at that.

"Or they know your brothers will bury me out back." he chuckled.

"They won't, Nick. You're fine… However, that does bring up an issue I need to talk to you about." She put the first aid kit back in the cabinet under the sink.

"Oh? Someone doesn't want me staying here I take it?" he asked.

"My grandfather will be here Saturday for dinner." Judy answered with an anxious expression. Nick looked at her in near shock.

"Carrots, you could have left me in the house to burn to death, I could have been spared!" he huffed in exasperation. Judy waved her hand.

"He's only gonna be here like… four hours or so, we can find something for you to do, let you watch some movies, take a nap, you don't have to be subjected to him." Nick seemed to think about that a while and then shook his head.

"I want to have dinner with him. With the rest of you." Judy sucked in a deep breath through her teeth.

"Ooooh, I do not think that's a great idea. When I told you what he was like, I was really kind of glossing it over." Nick looked at his partner blankly so she continued. "… I know you, Nick, he will start making comments, you will start antagonizing him, he will lash out, you will prank him, and when all is said and done, the Hopps family is on the evening news." The fox laughed at Judy's description of that.

"Okay, Fluff, how about this…" he began, "… I promise that I will be on my best behavior, no pranks, no hassling the elderly, and whatever he throws my way, I will take it in stride." Judy crossed her arms as she regarded her partner.

"Okay, that sounds almost too good to be true, given you have at least some idea how my pop-pop is gonna be, what do you get out of this?" she asked.

"You allow me a favor. I can ask it at any point during the night." Nick stated this casually, but Judy had to fight back her blush. What in the world could he even ask for? She remembered his territorial behavior with Bo, and hoped it had nothing to do with that. Surely not, they bantered a bit, but nothing that could really be seen as actual flirting. She hesitated as she considered this. Nick raised an eyebrow and added, "… Nothing too personal or odd, I promise." She exhaled slowly.

"Deal, but if he freaks out too bad and it's a real painful thing to watch, I want the ability to go for a walk or something and get you out of that. He may be family but I really do not know how much I can stomach pop-pop abusing my partner. You know how I feel about that stuff." Judy said softly. Nick nodded a bit at that.

"Yes, I know. And I promise. Best behavior. You will be proud." He grinned a grin that sent a chill down her spine. She led him back to the dining hall; the huge, long table seated her dad and mom, both of whom were almost done with their food. Nick held up his hand, smiling. Judy sat down.

"All fixed up." The younger doe stated, "Nick, you get the shower first after we have a bit to eat, keep your hand out of it, I don't want to immediately have to re-tape it. Nick nodded and enjoyed the fruit salad and especially the rolls. There was butter which had not been expected and he used a generous amount of that. Judy made it a point to remember that Nick liked that on his bread. She was not as much for it as she was jams or preserves. Nick and Stu were the primary purveyors of conversation. Nick resorted to his con-artist experience and talked about the things her father would love talking about with as much interest as he could show. Judy had been more worried that her father would not get along with Nick, but it seemed that was a non-issue. Her mother however had been suspiciously quiet, and Judy inwardly dreaded the reason why. The food gone, Nick excused himself, and Stu offered to show Nick again where the bathroom he would be washing up in was. That left Judy alone with Bonnie with the conversation she knew was coming. A good five minutes or so elapsed before Bonnie began speaking.

"Your partner is very friendly. He tries very hard to make a good impression on your father." She nodded a bit, that wise motherly tone used in full. It was likely that she spotted Nick playing on Stu's self-image by focusing conversation on the buck's interests.

"He risked his life to save a bunch of bunny kits as a first impression, I don't think he needs to be worried." Judy chuckled. Of course, she had done it too, but she felt like maybe they were ignoring the fact that her partner had been there with her the whole time. In fact, between them he ws the only one with marks to show for it. Still, her parents were less afraid for the larger fox than their own daughter, that was to be expected.

"How long have you two been on the force together?" Bonnie asked, mindlessly polishing a dull lapine clawtip. Judy drew in a slow, steady breath. Oh yeah, the conversation was definitely going there.

"You guys met him the first time right after he graduated. It's been about half a year, a little more." She shrugged. Another four or five minutes passed quietly as Judy tended to the bowls and silverware. It would be easier if her mother just came out and asked these things, but she liked digging up more facts before she brought home the harvest, as it were.

"You hang out sometimes after work? You two are friends without the badge, right?" she asked. Judy rolled her eyes. The older bunny was trying to look casual and disinterested, making small talk as she put the pieces together. It was obvious what Bonnie was thinking, and Judy was a little irritated by that. After such a little thing, too! She intentionally delayed, not sure what to even say. The two spent time together outside of work, Nick was her only really close friend in Zootopia and most of the other officers had a size difference great enough that sharing activities would be much more difficult, so opportunities for hanging out were infrequent at best. But she knew that was not how her mom would see it. Judy prepared her answer when another voice cut in.

"Nick's brushing himself out, you're up, Jude!" Stu's timing interrupted the interrogation by the older doe, and Judy stood up and nodded to her mom again, then tilted her nose at her dad and nodded. The younger doe folded her black-tipped ears back, sighing with relief. That was not a conversation she looked forward to at all. Bonnie would understand better after Nick had been there a few days. It would provider Judy with more evidence to the contrary that she could defend herself with. She headed upstairs to take her shower.

As she arrived at the bathroom, she found Nick doing what she suspected he would be doing, brushing out his tail, but what she had not expected is that he would still be in a towel. She froze, and Nick pushed himself closer to the sink to let Judy pass, as if she'd just go ahead and get her shower started right behind him as he finished up his grooming. She gave him a curious look, and he backed up again, realizing she was not trying to get past. The russet fox was far more comfortable with himself than Judy was, and she suspected he could actually wander around in that Oasis place and not feel self-conscious. She was not sure if she should envy that kind of freedom. Still, it wasn't like seeing Nick shirtless was that new, he certainly didn't wear one during swim training and that wasn't odd to Judy. She didn't know why this was any more embarrassing.

"You have insane water pressure, Fluff. How are you not just mashed flat in there?" Nick said casually enough, looking over to the reflection of Judy in the mirror. The bunny's ears burned as she looked away, having been caught staring, she feared. She spoke up, trying to talk out of the awkward moment.

"You don't have water pressure in your apartment?" she asked.

"Goodness no, mine feels like I'm standing under Wolford's face at noon on Taco Tuesday." Judy snickered at that revelation and finally scooted by Nick, hanging up her towel as she spoke with him. The initial shock of finding him in a towel was quickly wearing off because of he did not seem to care at all about it. Nick was not the shy type, but he was even less guarded around her and that was easy for Judy to be less tense when subjected to his easy-going nature. It had always been like that. His care free attitude made her feel less attentive and cautious. His being relaxed all the time had a way of rubbing off on her if she was around it a lot.

"You didn't use all the hot water did you?" she asked seriously.

"Nope, pretty short shower since I was afraid of getting my mummified paw wet." The fox laughed. "What's up on the agenda after the showers are done?" he asked, brushing away with his neat silver comb.

"A short tour of the area around the house, some of my favorite spots maybe. We might take the truck into town if you are feeling up to it, but the offer still stands for you to get a little sleep since you were not feeling well earlier." She secretly hoped he was up for the larger tour to get her out of the house and let her mom perhaps get over what she was likely thinking. It was one little gesture, but Judy knew her parents when it came to their kits relationships. Always such busybodies!

"I feel much better after the shower, actually. Arms are a little sore, but that's to be expected." He laughed. He then made an odd distressed sound. Judy perked up.

"What's wrong?" she asked with concern.

"I have no idea what this is, but it's melted into my tail. My… My magnificent butt plume is ruined." Nick indicated some kind of black streak on his thick fox tail and held an arm in front of his eyes, head tilted back dramatically. Judy took the unimaginably soft appendage back into her hands for the second time in a single day. She looked at the streak a bit and then sighed.

"Melted plastic. Man, you really got close to an ugly injury there. I bet it dropped down on you from melting wiring in the ceiling." She explained. The fur was crimped and dead and damaged where the plastic had come in contact with it so just removing the plastic was not an option. She reached into the cabinet and took out a pair of grooming scissors.

"I hope you intend to just murder me with those." Nick stated, trying to take his tail back. Judy kept her grip.

"I can fix it, I promise. Trust me, I've had to deal with my brothers and sisters getting all kinds of goop in their fur the day before picture day, I can handle this. It'll even look professional." Nick peered into her eyes with his own showing a mix of worry and anxious hope. Judy would understand if he refused this offer of help. She was asking for a lot of trust where she knew it really mattered. Nick took in a slow, deep breath, releasing his tail and letting it go slack.

"I will trust you this once, but if you make me regret it, you are never allowed to talk to my tail again." Judy laughed a bit. The fact that it was rude to just grab a fox's tail had, over time, become something of a running gag of how protective Nick was over it. Judy noticed, however, that Nick had to look away as the sound of snipping from the grooming sheers rose from her agile little hands. The bunny staggered the deft little cuts so no two were in exactly the same line of his fur, some deeper, some more shallow, and with a bit of work, all the melted black plastic was gone. Judy then picked up Nick's silver comb and stroked it through the well-tended fur, smoothing it out. There was absolutely no obvious indentation where she had done her work, and Nick nodded at her with a very happy grin, leaning back over the sink and putting away his toothbrush from earlier in his little tote bag as Judy finished brushing out the affected area. A voice from outside the bathroom rose up as it approached.

"Oh Judy, good, caught you before the shower, I almost forgot to tell you, your father got the hammock up in the… In the orchard…" Judy froze. She turned to see her mother standing in the hall outside the bathroom. Nick's tail was pulled up against her daughter's front as she carefully brushed it like it belonged to her, the fox in nothing but a towel before her. Nick smiled at Bonnie, utterly shameless.

"Ooh! A hammock! I finally get to try one of those out!" he looked back at her. She smiled nervously as Judy's wide eyes looked back, trying not to look guilty and knowing she only looked guiltier for it.

"Yes, that was the idea." Bonnie said almost robotically. She turned and wandered down the hall. Judy put the comb down and rubbed her face. Really? Really? Nick took his tail up and inspected it, nodding again, not seeming to notice or care about what had just transpired between mother and daughter or the younger doe's easily readable distress. He was narrowly focused on the disaster that Judy had spared him from to notice one which did not include his marred fur.

"Lovely job, partner!" he barked. Judy smiled weakly at the praise. "I'd have only trusted that to my mom before, but you came through!" He then cheerfully vacated the bathroom, leaving it to Judy to get undressed and scrub away the soot, burned odors, and embarrassment. Judy looked at her hands. It didn't look that bad, did it? Surely she could just write that off after she got to know how relaxed Nick was, right? The bunny groaned, hastily got undressed and got into the shower.

The shower itself was kept short because she didn't want Nick to have to wander around and get lost or worse yet, endure sudden questioning from her mother concerning her mistaken interpretation. While Judy was the oldest of her siblings and several were already married or seriously dating, the fact that Nick was a fox would have been a real deal-breaker to her parents - she knew, and she could only imagine how bad her mom was freaking out about it if she really thought that was what was going on. It wasn't that cross-species relationships were that unusual. Sure they were not common, but Bunnyburrow was not very progressive in that area because it was not very diverse. It was much stranger there. She would talk to her mom later and get her off the train of thought she had to be on.

The doe got out of the shower, dried off quickly, and in her own fluffy white towel made a beeline for her room. She got in and looked about. It was small, and it still looked like a teenager's room. There were posters on the wall, books on the shelves, a few detective novels and the like, and little stuffed animals everywhere. The stuffed animals were bunnies, sheep, and a deer, all representing favorite family and friends. She rubbed her chin. The sentimental bunny felt maybe it would be necessary to add a fox. She then shook her head. If Nick saw that he'd have hours of fun with teasing her about it, so this room would be off limits. She then went back downstairs after putting on a blue button up shirt and jeans, feeling much more refreshed. Another family's tragedy did not a lovely perfume make.

"She didn't! In the cement?" Stu asked loudly. Nick laughed and nodded, the two males sitting across from eachother in the den.

"I remind you that we were not exactly friends at that time, but even I was surprised she did that. Those beavers must have wanted to tail-slap her into Tundra Town, and she was so mad at me." Judy gasped. They were talking about her! Having a right laugh about it! She would so get him back next time she talked to his mother.

"Ready for the outside tour, Nick?" Judy asked warmly. She wanted him to realize he had been caught. To her chagrin, he didn't even seem to care. He grinned over a very large glass mug in his hands. Cider. Her dad broke out the cider. She knew they got along, but not enough to get out the cider, surely!

"Sure Fluff!" Nick stated. Tilting the mug back. Judy considered warning Nick that it was homemade brew and pretty potent, but she decided to let him figure that out as he stumbled about the yard. She motioned him toward the sliding glass door that lead to the back, and Nick gasped as he exited. It was a lovely, well managed area, full of all the memories Judy had of playing tag, running around, being a kid. She felt very happy to add a memory of her partner to this place. He looked up at the tall deciduous trees, then down the hill to what looked like a soccer field though there were no physical goals. There was a jungle gym sort of play set that looked pretty new. It was better than Judy had when she was a kit, but the technology for making playsets had surely improved. Down the hill a way, where the larger trees gave way to some fruit trees Judy spotted the white mesh hammock. It was smaller than she remembered it, but still plenty big enough for Nick to lie in. Her partner followed her and then cried out suddenly and loudly, causing Judy to jump a little. He left her side, striding quickly toward the fence that surrounded the back yard.

"Nick, where are you – Oh. Of course." She laughed, jogging a bit to catch up to him as he stopped just short of the fence and put his hands over his ears, pulling them back in excitement as he looked at the bushes heavily dotted with blueberries. He held his hands out to them in indication of what he was seeing as he looked at Judy.

"I've never seen them in the wilderness!" he said excitedly.

"This is not the wild, this is a back yard." Judy smirked a bit as she crossed her arms.

"Well, they're gonna be going into the Wilde real shortly, I can tell you that! Can I eat these? Are they ripe? How would I figure that out?" he asked. Judy playfully winced at his pun, his excitement shaking her quickly from her pensive mood earlier.

"If they are blue, they should be fine. Worst you get is one that's a little more tart." Judy leaned on the fence a little as her partner looked all around the bush. He really was a city fox. There were a lot of things she took for granted that Nick might find exciting like this. Perhaps she had been a little off in saying there was not much to do in Bunnyburrow. He might enjoy himself more than she thought. She took her phone out and took a picture of his excitement as he tried to find a perfect blueberry. The photography had a purpose of course. She was doing a favor for Vivienne who she messaged to tell her that she was taking Nick out of the city. She told the bunny she wanted all sorts of pictures of her son. The vixen was really trying to catch up on time lost. That picture she immediately texted to Vivienne. The reply was texted laughter. Judy felt good letting Nick's mom enjoy the trip a little as well. Nick gathered a handful of blueberries over the course of several moments and they moved the rest of the way to the hammock. Nick munched his blueberries and swayed a bit as he walked to the stretched out mesh. Yeah, he was just a little bit tipsy.

"So, how do I do this without turning myself into a Saturday morning kit's cartoon?" he asked. Judy held one side.

"I help you this time. It can be a little harrowing on your own, but go ahead. Give it a try." She held the hammock carefully in place, finding it a bit more of a challenge than when it was for her little brothers and sisters since Nick was so much larger than them. He seemed a little concerned about it but eventually ended up on his back in the appropriate lounging position. Judy took a step back, letting it swing slightly, and he held both sides, tensing up anxiously before relaxing a bit and looking to Judy. He looked like a very comfortable fox.

"Okay, it's everything I ever dreamed and more." He gave his usual sly grin to the bunny, and then his expression softened as he looked up through the trees. "Wow… That's actually very pretty, just looking up through them. The shapes of light and leaves. I can see why my mom was happy to get out of the city." Nick crossed his hands over his tummy, interlocking his fingers. Judy murmured softly,

"I am gonna run inside and get a drink, I will be right back, you just relax in the hammock. It won't take long." She backed up a bit, and the fox nodded, smiling as he took his own phone out and took a picture up through the trees, perhaps to remember the view he seemed to enjoy. He then put the phone back in his pocket, put his hands back together over his tummy and closed his eyes, enjoying the very slight rocking motion caused by the gentle breeze. It was the perfect day for this sort of thing. Judy quietly took her phone out and snagged another picture of her partner for his mom. She then went inside and got some orange juice, sipping on it as she clandestinely sent a picture to Vivienne again. Instead of texting, she immediately called. The bunny was glad she went inside, she didn't want it known that she was harvesting images for the fox's mother! She answered as she sat up on the stool. The vixen spoke before Judy could even greet her.

"Judy! That's Nick sleeping in a hammock, are you tweaking his ears or something?" she asked. The doe tilted her head at that, phone to her ear.

"Tweaking his ears?" she asked. "No, he wasn't sleeping there, just relaxing." She was happy to hear from her as it had been a couple weeks since they talked.

"When he was a kit and would get fussy I'd take his ear between my thumb and fingers and just tweak it a while, he would go right out. He looks so peaceful there, and here you worried that Nick would not be able to relax!" Judy flattened her ears. She could put her partner to sleep by rubbing an ear? Oh his mother could not have meant to tell her that! She grinned at the information and filed it in her head for later.

"I didn't know about that, but thanks for the intel!" Judy laughed. Her partner's mom gasped.

"Don't' you dare tell him I told you!" she hissed. The doe laughed.

"No worries about that. But yes, he's relaxed. We helped drag some kids out of a burning house today." She wanted to give her that information up front so it did not seem like it was hidden. She would find out somehow.

"Is everyone okay?" his mom predictably asked.

"I had to trim some melted plastic out of Nick's tail, but no major injuries." She did not tell her about the little cut on his hand. It was not a serious enough injury to even mention that he had been injured to the immediately concerned older vixen.

"You trimmed Nick's tail?" Her question was not what Judy really expected her to immediately ask. Was he burned, did he fall, did he suck in too much smoke, those were all questions that seemed likely. Still, the tone was worried.

"It looks fine, I'm good at it. He's happy with it." She offered.

"You trimmed it?" she asked again. Judy flattened her ears.

"Yep. Looks the same as always though, you can't even tell." The doe felt a little odd that it was asked again.

"Nick willingly gave you his –" Judy laughed.

"Yes! It's fine, he was apprehensive but it turned out fine." The bunny laughed. Vivienne laughed as well, dispelling the feeling that Judy was tromping over boundaries again. The bunny cursed herself again for investing so little time in actually reading about foxes and finding out what things maybe had more meaning to Nick than they did to her. His mother spoke up with a light and friendly tone again.

"You keep sending me those pictures. Have some fun. I'm glad to see he's enjoying Bunnyburrow, it's a nice place." Judy graciously accepted his mother's thanks and hung up, finishing her orange juice. She went back outside and walked over to the hammock. She knew immediately that without someone to focus his attention on, Nick let himself go entirely and had dozed off, likely in greater part because of the cider. It was fine of course; Judy wanted him to get as much rest as he could. She was grateful that he was. The bunny pinned her ears back again. She looked at the photos on her phone. She had something of a theme going for her holiday photos as it was going. There were two selfies of Nick asleep in different places. She laughed a bit at that, and decided to snag another. She carefully crawled into the hammock. She was way more practiced at it than he was. She arched a bit, putting her head about level with his chest and grinning at the camera as she took the picture, Nick's passive, content face at the top of the frame. Judy then scrolled back through her pictures. She decided to put the sleepy Nick pictures in their own gallery so she didn't weird Nick out if he were to see them as she scrolled through pictures on her phone. She lay against the fox in the hammock and took care of that, then inhaled deeply.

After a moment, she became aware of that same strange wave of contentment settling over her like a heavy blanket, secure and warm. She had felt it before when she fell asleep against him during movie night. She still had no idea what that was about. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it wasn't what she would call an exciting one, so her mother had nothing to worry about, she felt. But it felt familiar somehow, and inviting. Was it his scent, she wondered? No, he had just showered, and if there was any lingering scent on him it was house fire.

As she thought about this, she became acutely aware that she moved when he breathed. Softly up, slowly down, the gentle rhythm of her partner's slumber partly under her, partly beside her where the natural curve of the hammock kind of pushed them together. She looked up at the pattern that Nick had been looking at. The leaves crossing and dancing in the sunlight casting their golden designs below, the ruffle of her fur, the scent of the farm, it was all so comforting. She looked at the pictures of Nick sleeping again. She felt good that he was not dealing with a life too hectic in their visit. He should feel like a new fox when all this was said and done, and that's what she was going for.

Her body rose and fell with the deep, slower fox breaths. How different the larger predator's physiology was, but it did not feel at all out of place to Judy. She crossed her arms over her chest, willing herself to get out of the hammock and let him nap. She would go and call her brother and arrange when everyone was coming over and see what was intended for dinner, get details like that out of the way as the fox napped. Yes, that is what she would do.

However, the early morning train ride defeated the bunny in a sound, very one-sided victory, Judy closing her eyes for but a moment, she promised! But in nearly an instant the drifted to sleep where she was without a single thought or care, comforted beyond words for a reason she still could not place.