Chapter Nine,

Too Many Fox-Things

By the way/case you didn't know, a female deer is called a doe (pronounced like dough) :)

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"We know what's going on, Judy."

Mr. and Mrs. Hopps were standing together, locked in their "serious parenting posture". Judy was squatting in a crop field, tending to some carrots. She stood up reluctantly, nerves tingling.

"What exactly do you know that is going on?" She asked tentatively. There was a quick moment of silence, though to Judy it seemed like many, many moments. Her parents responded together, words flowing smoothly like a gentle stream.

"We know you're getting a bit friendly with that fox."

"Oh Stu."

What?"

"You could have worded it a little better."

"Well I mean, it's a much nicer way than I could say."

"Hm, I suppose it all means the same."

Judy's ears sank almost as low as her expectations.

"We just want you to know. . ."

"It's not exactly what we had in mind"

"I mean it's certainly unorthodox."

"But when you love someone, it doesn't matter what they look like."

A face twisted in confusion was quickly replaced by a splash of glee that washed over the bunny as she finally realized the truth of the situation. It was with an elated bounce in her step that she approached them. "Oh you guys" Judy exclaimed in happiness as she rapidly embraced them.

"Woah, easy there Judes" "Yeah, you're squeezing us"

She quickly stood back, a grateful smile shining on her face. "You know, I couldn't ask for better parents." Her father leaned in with a paw over his mouth. "And we couldn't ask for a better daughter - don't tell anyone!"

"Auh Stu!" Bonnie protested. "Well it's true," said Stu, with his paws tucked into his suspenders. "Just don't let the other 342 hear that." He added. Judy laughed, an irresistible splurge that her parents joined her in.

"So. . ." Her mother's face returned to a neutral expression. "Do you think he's the one?"

Judy watched a few lazy clouds rolling in the distance. "Yeah, he might be. I just can't believe. . . I thought it was going to be an uphill battle, telling you guys."
"Honey, as much as we've tried to raise you right and teach you the best, you've taught us more than you know." The rabbit father spoke with a sagely tone in his voice.

She shrugged her shoulders in an adorable fashion. "Well we never stop learning, right?"

Her mother nodded her head in agreement as the bunny-cop squatted and went back to farming.

Unbeknownst to her, Bonnie and Stu were revving up the parental dating advice machine.

"Well if he's the one or not, you'll find out soon enough."

"Take it nice and slow."

"Yes but not too slow. Not like a sloth. But also not like a cheetah."

"Just take your time. Enjoy all the little moments. And especially your freedom - enjoy your freedom. Before you get married." Stu warned as Bonnie rolled her eyes.

Judy, now desperate to be free from her parents, eagerly scanned the horizon, while her ears turned in every direction, searching for a distraction. It arrived, in the form of a huge meteorite that landed and killed them all. Just kidding.

"There goes that plane again, with that dang advertisement." Stu added a few more syllables than necessary to the last word in his statement.

"Yeah, hope they don't move over here, cause we might get some unwanted competition. " Said Bonnie. The two watched the plane fly overhead.

"Huh. Where'd she go?" Stu turned around to find Judy gone.

Mrs. Hopps watched a pair of black tipped ears enter a cornfield.

"Must've run off somewhere."

In the Nearby Britsburg

It was a Saturday morning in the fox-tree, meaning the home would be filled to the brim with idle foxes. Felicity was doing house work, silently observing the desolation around her. A pile of damp clothes was piled up on her paws, with her chin pressed firmly on top to keep it from piling over. She walked towards the kitchen door to open it, but her paws were full!

"Kristofferson, could you open this door for me?" The grey colored cub was sitting at a desk placed in the middle of the living room. Next to his homework, there were several neatly written papers, most with only a few red colored marks on them.

"Of course." He stood up in his chair and shuffled into the kitchen.

"Thank you dear."

She carefully walked through the door and into the breezy autumn air, heading for the clothes line strung up from the tree to a post. Kristofferson went back to studiously studying, bushy ears appreciating the relative peace and quiet around him.

A few hooves away, Ash sat in the arm chair reading a comic book as he often did, to the vexation of his father. Speaking of whom, Mr. Fox appeared in the fox-tree, idle paws dangling next to his finely woven tan jacket. Since his study was currently occupied by their fox-guest, the head of the house decided to reclaim his fox-seat.

"Hey Ash. Don't you have homework to do?" He nodded his head in the direction of Kristofferson.

Ash looked up, said nothing, and then went back to reading.

As Mr. Fox signed and scratched his floofy head, Nick walked in from the hallway, moving to where the lightly colored vulpine was sitting. He leaned over the silver fox with his arms resting casually in his pockets, watching curiously. Foxy walked over and also appeared on the other side of Kris, who was entirely engrossed in his work. There was a long pause of silence as the two observed the animal's patient scribbling.

"He's got quite a good head on his shoulders." said Mr. Fox.

"Yeah, sure does."

"They say foxes with blue eyes are less wild than those with green eyes." Foxy chuckled to himself. "Which is definitely not the case."

Nick mulled this over for a minute. "Really? Why do you think that?"

"My wife. . . " He cleared his throat. "I've known enough blue-eyed foxes to know that they can be just as unpredictable as the green ones."

"I thought it was a genetic thing." The cop said.

"So did I. Well, how many blue-eyed vulpines have you known?"

"Just a few. All Arctic. I also know a Fennec with brown eyes. I think he's the craziest one I've met." He laughed silently.

The conversation dimmed for a few moments as the two reflected, eyes wondering about the room. The sound of a pencil scratching paper was the only audible noise in the air.

Nick studied the benign expression on the older foxes face. "You seem. . . More jovial than usual."

Foxy dismissed him with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm getting out more. I'm seeing more of nature. That would make any mammal happy. Or content, at least. Have you, perchance, seen the news lately?"

"No. Why? Is there something I should know about?"

"Nah. Just wondering."

"Hm." The two looked back down at the young academic. There was a slight rustling noise in the background.

Foxy gazed around the room. "Where's Ash?"

Nick also looked up, noting the now empty armchair.

"He's outside." Said Kristofferson, who didn't look up from his work. Nick stared at him with his head cocked to the side and a single raised eyebrow. The taller vulpine turned and began happily strutting towards his beloved chair. Nick cleared his throat in a particularly obvious and deliberate way, causing Mr. Fox to glance back at him, one paw already reaching for the arm rest. The fox-cop nodded his head and jerked his nose in the direction of the door. The older relative's shoulders slumped, a slight expression of defeat as he remembered his obligations.

Foxy walked to the front door, a less joyful strut in his gait. Observing the disappearing fluffy-tail and closing door, Nicholas sauntered over to a wall opposite the fireplace.

The red fox stood crookedly, with his chin resting on a paw supported by another paw. Both of which were his paws, of course. Before him was a painting. It was a landscape, reminiscent of the surrounding countryside, with quaint rolling hills that were a delightful yellow. They were framed by a few smatterings of dark brown trees, with just a hint of orange-red autumn leaves. The sky was a dark contrast however, with blackish blue rolling clouds mirroring the earth below. A single bold strike of white lightning shot down the center of the canvas, dividing it almost in two. The brushwork was delicate and careful, blobs of oil paint only noticeable when inspected closely. Two small orange "F"s marked the corner. It was like every other painting in the house.

"Kristofferson…"

The silver fox turned his attention to Nick. "What do you think of this painting?" The cop pointed.

"Well. . ." The cub studied the artwork carefully. "It's definitely based on the view outside. I don't think I've seen a thunderstorm like that here though. It's a beautiful piece." There was a touch of admiration in his tone.

"Hm-mh. What about the painter?"

"Aunt Felicity?" He thought for a moment. "Well she has quite an eye for detail, that's for sure. But for some reason none of her works seem to be very. . . Well, bright."

"No, they don't." Nick spoke as if he knew exactly the reason why, which he apparently did.

"Nick. . ."

"Yes Kris?"

"Pardon me for saying this, but before you came, uncle Foxy told me you were 'different'. Like Ash, I think he meant."

"And?" Nick encouraged.

"Well it seems to me that you're not 'different' at all, other than being a fox-cop, if you don't mind my saying."

"Ha. Ha. Heh." Nick chortled. "Why thank you Kristofferson. I'd say, being the only fox on the force certainly qualifies me as being 'different', whatever that means." He said with an amused smile.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure what it means either." The silver athlete picked his pencil back up and continued writing.

"Well Kris, enjoy your homework, I've got some work of my own to do." Nick walked down the hallway, no doubt intending to pack his suitcase, which definitely did not contain a future plot device.

13297 Fox Seconds Later

Ash and Nick found themselves alone in the home once again, for some reason. The two were sitting at the dining room table, waiting for the rest of the family to come and eat. After checking the time on his phone, Nick eyed the animal sitting next to him. Ash sat slumped in his chair, nose buried in some small electronic device.

"Is that. . . Is that a calculator?"

"No! . . Yes."

"Hm." The older fox's smirk was replaced by a look of thoughtfulness. "Ah, I remember the days of wasting class time trying to make my calculator say funny things." His face lit up. "Just kidding! We couldn't afford a calculator."

A single raised eyebrow was the only response from Ash, whose furry fox-cheeks were somehow much more red than normal. Nick smiled again, eyes examining the rest of the table until they found a piece of tan straw, lying on a plate at the other end. He returned his attention to the little cub.

"Did your father talk to you?"

This time Ash did look up at him, mouth still staying shut. He nodded his head in an irritated fashion.

"Just wondering." His uncle said defensively. Ash continued to stare at him, unknown thoughts passing behind his green eyes. Nick watched him carefully.

"I don't like where this plotline is-"

"Don't do that." The cop interrupted.

". . . Why not?" The cub questioned.

"It's a bad habit."

Somewhere Else

Away, in a large archaic building, a meeting between three business mammals transpired. A hippo, a giraffe, and a raccoon sat causally, gathered to conspire.

"I told you, he'd cause trouble." Said Boggis, the enormous hippopotamus.

"Like cuss you did," said Bunce, the short raccoon. To be honest, he'd look rather cute in his tiny brown suit, were it not for his cruel shriveled face.

"Well that doesn't matter now." Spoke Bean, the mean and lean, though not green, giraffe. He stood too tall for most mammals to maintain eye contact, and it was a good thing too, for he had quite a vile stare.

"Now we have to deal with it." Bean's voice was thoughtful, if not harsh.

"We should just call the sheriff, and let them take care of it." Spake bloated Bunce.

"And take the fun out of a good fox chase? No, I've got something else in mind."

The towering mammal stood up, strutting over to a blank wall. He pulled down a projector screen with one long arm, while with his other hoof (finally, no more paws!) he whipped out a small mechanical device. It was oddly shaped, modeled like an old handgun, and the giraffe wielded it as if it were real. He aimed it at a projector high on the ceiling. Click. The screen blinked to life, revealing. . . Macrosoft Pawpoint!

"Ugh." Boggis and Bunce recoiled in disgust.

"I've prepared a uh, short" he grinned evilly "presentation on what I've discovered and what we're going to do." Click.

Macrosoft Windoes (pronounced like a female deer)

Pawpoint Presentation

By: Mr. Bean

Title: What I've Discovered and What We're Going to do

Subtitle: Now With too Many Puns

"Here is the fox, caught in the act by one of our surveillance cameras." Click.

Low quality black and white jpeg of an indiscernible creature with a bandit hat on

"And you can see here" click "a map I made in Photochop showing where this fox lives."

Crudely drawn map with squiggly lines

"You'd think a fox would be more sneaky." Bunce sneered.

"Yes, well it seems this fox thinks we're living in the previous century." Bean waved his outdated gun-remote in the air for additional emphasis. Click.

"As you can see here, this is the group I've hired to deal with our 'pest problem'."

Sepia colored slide with pixelated business card blown up

"Wolfy's Wild Animal Removal"

A group of smiling canines wearing strange attire

"They're foreigners?" Asked Boggis with a hint of outrage.

"Yes, from the east in fact. Completely reliable." Click.

Overly and needlessly complicated plan

"Right, here's the plan. We know when the thief is out of his house thieving, so the wolves are going to attack his family and take them hostage. That'll force him to attempt a rescue, which I've already set up to be a long and excruciating process. And at the end, he'll get see everything he loves, everything he's worked for, well, stolen. And by stolen I mean killed. Does that suit your fancies?"

"All this for one fox? We could just blow the house and be done with it." Suggested the malicious little raccoon.

"No, because then he won't know what hit him." Bean's voice was determined and cold as it usually was.

"Is this a note of respect for the fox that I detect?" Boggis raised one large questioning eyebrow.

"No. We didn't become successful robber barons by doing things half-cussedly." The ruthless giraffe returned to the presentation. Click.

Blank screen

"All done." The two shorter mammals sighed in relief. "Any questions?"

"You could have asked us if we were on board first." The smallest of the three spoke up.

Bean looked down at him with his arms crossed. "Are you on board?"

". . . Yes."

"Delightful. I've already given the word; now we get to just sit and wait." He lifted up a bottle.

"Care for some cider?"

At the Same Time

Somewhere else, in a much newer building, a different meeting was occurring. Seven mammals were gathered in a large warehouse like room, with only one part illuminated. There were several white boards, tables, and stacks of assorted tools and equipment, set up like a planning scene in a heist movie. The leader of the posse towered above the others, having dark grey fur, with one red tinted brown eye open and glaring, the other permanently shut by what seemed to be a previous injury. He wore black body armor, with a strange red mark on one shoulder pad, and had hair shaped to a point above his head, like a mohawk. Also he was a wolf.

The leader spoke gruffly. "So that's the job. Are there any questions?"

One raised a paw. The boss continued in his stern commanding voice.

"Comments?"

Another raised another paw. The commander droned on without pause.

"Concerns?"

And a third - well, you get the point.

"Anything else to add?" The tall wolf didn't seem to notice the gesturing, probably because it was all on the side of his closed eye, where he clearly couldn't see.

"Uh Boss, you're doing it again." The second tallest mammal, a lighter colored wolf, reminded his leader.

The Boss swung his head around. "Oh, right." He cleared his wolf-throat and pointed a paw. "Harry."

The wolf named Harry pulled down his arm as he spoke. "What do we do if the police get involved?" He tilted his head.

"Good question. All goes according to plan, they won't, but if they do…" He grinned wickedly "we'll give em the Plinkett treatment." There was a gentle murmur of laughter as a few returned his sinister smile. The Boss's posture was bold, with a dash of intimidating. Also, he was standing behind a podium, for some reason.

"I see. And should we try and take the whole family, if we can?" Spoke another who was also a wolf. Oh, and they were all wolves, actually.

"No." Wolf Boss shook his head. "We need to leave at least one behind, so the thief will know what happened. And we're to take them alive, and unspoiled. Got it?"

His pack nodded in agreement.

"Let's go get us some fox. I hear they make pretty nice rugs!" He laughed menacingly as he walked over to large door. A few pretended to laugh along with him, but then immediately stopped the moment his back was turned. Typical canines.

Wolf Boss punched a lightish-red button and the door screaked open, as he turned and faced the pack with his arms folded over his chest. The assorted wolves stood up from the various objects they were leaning and sitting on, mixing together by a rack of varied weaponry. "Tasers only?" A lanky brownish wolf called out.

"Yep." Replied the pack's second in command, Lieutenant Silva. His fur was a medium gray, with a lighter shade of almost white running from his muzzle down his chest. He also possessed unusually vibrant blue eyes that sparkled like the glistening sea, a pretty contrast to the danger underneath. The rest of the wolves donned their equipment, snapping buckles and tightening straps over their coarse fur. They looked like the Expendables, but less old and more wolfy.

"Alright Team," the lieutenant ordered "Let's move out!"

The wolves marched through the open door, a few whistling an odd tune. Silva fell in behind them, as Wolf Boss closed the building behind them. The silver wolf lagged behind to ask the tall canine a question.

"Oi Boss, what do we do if we find the crook?"

"Give him a good thrashing. . . Just enough so he can still see his family taken from him." His one piercing eye narrowed.

"Understood."

"Ready?"

"Always am."

"Good." Boss Wolf looked up to the orange-tipped gray sky.

"Let's do this."

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AN: Well this took longer than expected, oh well. It's important that the next two chapters are released near each other, so I'll have to work on them at the same time. Also, you can find a higher quality version of the cover and some related art that I've done on my DeviantArt page, under the username "Swiftadmiral117". Thanks for reading.