-Camp WeWa Part 1-
Summer!
The mere mentioning of this word was enough to make most kits jump for joy, while some parents would groan with not so much joy.
No school for several weeks was something most kits looked forward too while most parents dreaded it.
Sure it was nice to spend time with family but some parents needed time away from their little monsters…. Or angels.
Little did Nick know as he hurried home from his last day of school that his mother had already taken it upon herself to fill part of Nick's summer with a unique adventure.
Nick opened the front door to their quaint apartment and was surprised when his nose picked up the familiar scent of his mother who was busy in the kitchen. Normally she would still be at work and he would be waiting for her to get home so they could have dinner together.
Vivienne being home early told Nick that something was up.
As the young tod came around the corner to the kitchen he saw his mother busy preparing a snack for her son.
The vixen's ears twitched and a pleased smile graced her lovely lips as she turned to welcome Nick home.
"Well hey, there my little camper," The vixen said as she picked up a towel from the counter and wiped her paws before opening her arms.
Nick hurried over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pressed his head against her chest.
"Hey Mom," Nick said happily as his tail swished back and forth. He suddenly tensed up as his mother's greeting played over in his head. The young fox looked up into his mother's warm gaze. "Camper?"
A few minutes later Nick was sitting at the kitchen table munching on a blueberry muffin his mother had baked fresh for him. His bright green eyes would occasionally go over to an open wooden box on the counter that read "Hopps family farms". Try as he might his tail would give away his emotions as it swished back and forth whenever he saw the name, Hopps.
"How is it? I tried a new recipe Judy's mother gave me," Vivienne said, trying her best not to laugh at how her son's ears went right up at the mention of a certain bunny.
"It's really good mom," Nick said, trying his best to hide his excitement. The fox stared at his mother, trying to be patient but the anticipation was starting to get to him.
He had started to learn how to read mammals. How they would act whenever they were keeping a secret or maybe hiding something. His mother had a few unique tells, slight as they were, that the young fox had started to learn about.
One of the main giveaways was how often she would blink. When she had something exciting she hadn't revealed yet the vixen would start to blink more.
The way her eyes kept fluttering closed told Nick that his mother was up to something. Add that to the fact she made one of his favorite snacks and the young tod could only guess something big was up. Sure it was the last day of classes before summer but Nick could tell there was something else going on.
"So," Vivienne began as she reached over and grabbed her purse, reaching in and digging around for something. "You remember how I said that my work would get a little hectic in a few months?"
"Yeaaaaah," Nick said hesitantly.
"And how I said you may not see me too often…"
"Yeah?"
"Well turns out that a few months was not right."
"Uh oh," Nick said as his ears drooped.
He had been hoping that over the summer he and his mother would get a chance to spend more time together. While his mother didn't have to work nearly as much as she used to she was still very busy. They got to see another on the weekends but Nick had been hoping for a chance to spend more than just dinner and breakfast with his mother. Maybe go on a weekend trip? A mini vacation? Or just a day where they stayed in and played board games.
Vivienne tried to make time for her son. Having to support the young tod on her own however meant she had to work a little extra to ensure they could both live comfortably and that money was saved for Nick's future.
For such a young fox Nick understood all this, for which his mother was grateful.
"I know sweetie," Vivienne said with a sigh before furrowing her brow. The vixen was still looking around her purse, apparently having trouble finding what she had been planning to show Nick.
"Could I maybe...you know…?" Nick began to try and find a way to bring up another option. His thoughts went to a coastal city not too far from Zootopia where some of his family resided.
"Your uncle and Aunt in Manta Bay are going to be out of town," Vivienne said quickly as she finally relented and simply picked up her bag and placed it on her lap, digging both paws inside as she continued to look for something. Her focus being on the bag meant she missed the disappointed look on Nick's young face. The look however quickly vanished as Vivienne continued. "Which is why...CAJ and I got together...and ...oh, where did it get to?"
Vivienne closed her bag and looked around with an annoyed look.
"Ah!" she said as she spotted a pamphlet on the counter nearby. Nick's mother stood up and walked over and scooped up the paper and brought it back to the table. She sat down gracefully in the seat next to her son and scooted closer so she could put an arm around his shoulder. She placed the pamphlet in front of Nick and simply watched her son's reaction.
Nick's bright green eyes widened as he read some of the words on the cover of the pamphlet.
Canoeing!
Archery!
Ropes course!
Summer fun!
All these words were written in a bright yellow and spread all over the cover which had the image of a large wooden sign that sat in front of a cabin.
"Camp WeWa?" Nick asked as he looked up at his mother, his tail giving away his excitement as it swished quickly.
"You leave in a few days my little camper," Vivienne said excitedly as she scrunched her nose at her little one. "The camp will finish by the time my project is coming to close at which point I will pick you and your cousin up and we can return to Manta Bay for a little family vacation. How does that sound?"
"Awesome!" Nick exclaimed as he hugged his mother. "Emily is coming?"
"Yes," Vivienne said happily as she stroked her son's ears. "Someone has to keep an eye on the pumpkin queen."
"Trisha too?"
Vivienne smirked and nodded.
"Anyone else?" Nick asked, trying and failing to hide who he was really asking about.
"About that sweetie…"
A few days later Nick found himself sitting on a worn cushioned seat as the dark green bus with the camps logo painted on the side bounced along a dirt road that weaved through the forest.
The forests outside were a serene atmosphere. The sounds of the wind blowing through the breeze only occasionally interrupted by the sputtering of the bus's engine.
The inside of the bus, however, was kind of controlled chaos. The bus driver would occasionally shout from his seat at the front, however, the old wolf had long given up on trying to keep everyone completely quiet. He simply asked them to keep it at least down to a low roar.
A sudden bump caused all the young mammals in the bus to fly a few inches off their seats before landing with a collective squeal of excitement.
Several of the girls let out screams while a group of rowdy boys in the back laughed.
Nick was suddenly squished by the large canine sitting next to him who was not as accustomed to bumpy driving as the others.
"Ack Cop you're squishing me," Nick let out with a laugh.
"Sorry Nick," the painted dog said as she tried to scoot away but the driver took a sudden turn which caused the female to lean against nick, the pair both began to laugh, Copper closing her dark green eyes as she let out a snort.
Once the road smoothed out the two canines began to discuss what they could only guess was in store for them at camp.
"Hope we get to go out on the water," Copper said as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Always wanted to go canoeing."
"Well they did tell us to pack our swimsuits so I bet we will at least get to play in the lake," Nick suggested as he looked out the dusty window.
"Maybe Judy will want to be in your canoe," Copper whispered as she leaned close to the fox who nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Cop!"
"What?" Copper asked with a chuckle as a pair of black and russet colored paws began to slap her on the arm.
The rest of the bus ride was more of the same. Nick would try and change subjects about all the camp activities they could look forward too. Copper would suggest that Judy would enjoy them too.
The thing is Nick's mother had been somewhat secretive when she came to talking about the camp. She had managed to let slip that Trisha and Emily would be going. Other than that though the vixen had kept her muzzle tight-lipped whenever Nick tried to pry out some kind of information.
Nick had been excited ever since he had heard about camp WeWa. Even more so when he found out he would be attending it with some friends.
He was eager to find out if a certain bunny, in particular, would be there with them.
"Alright Campers!" the driver at the front barked as he pulled the bus into a lazy turn. Ahead of them was a giant wooden archway with a sign in the center. "Welcome to Camp WeWa!"
Nick read the weathered wooden sign as they drove underneath. The letters WeWa sat on a giant board which had been painted green.
The mood in the bus had grown even more chaotic, if that was even possible, as the large vehicle lumbered into a dirt parking lot.
Several other buses sat spread throughout the lot. Campers of all species, shapes, and sizes busied themselves unloading buses or stretching after being cooped up during their travels to the camp.
Nick couldn't help himself as he pressed his nose against the glass. He was suddenly squished as his large seatmate stood upon the cushioned seat and put her paws on the fox's shoulders. Nick felt a head rest on top of his own but didn't mind. Over the course of the past few months, Copper and Nick had become rather good friends. He had learned that painted dogs were actually very pack oriented and if you were considered part of their pack they wouldn't hesitate to keep close to you.
Think Trisha is part painted dog.
Nick smirked at his own thoughts as he scanned the sea of young mammals. Trying to see if he could pick out his friends from the seaside city.
Their bus found an empty spot in the parking lot and came to a stop. The doors slid open with a series of creaks and groans, the gears having rusted many years ago.
It was like a flood gate had been opened up. Everyone on the bus scrambled to get out into the fresh it and our of the stuffy green box that had brought them there.
A few of the more eager mammals jumped over some of the smaller ones, only to end up tripping last second and landing in the dirt and pine needles that covered the old lot.
There was some laughter and the occasional groan but eventually, everyone was out of the bus.
Nick closed his eyes as he stretched his arms into the sky, feeling his sore legs fill with some relief.
As the fox stood in the warm sun that poked through the trees his ears shot up and twitched slightly.
Even through all the hustle and bustle, he could swear he heard something...familiar. Like a pair of large feet hurrying towards him.
Nick was about to write it off as his imagination when the pawsteps suddenly stopped nearby. It wasn't as if the mammal had stopped, no it was as if...their feet...had left...the ground
Oh no.
Nick didn't have time to do anything except brace himself as he felt a small ball of brown fur collide and wrap a pair of small arms around his body.
The fox seized up and tried to maintain his balance but he lost his footing and soon found himself on the ground, a certain bunny using him as a chair as she crawled on top of him and made herself comfortable.
"We really need to work on your reaction time," Trisha said smugly from atop her perch on the fox.
"We need to work on yours too," Nick said slyly.
Trisha's ears went up and her eyes widened as she realized what the fox meant. Nick had been preparing for this for months, knowing the bunny would most likely try something.
He used his strength and pushed himself off the ground. Before the small brown doe went tumbling however he managed to grab onto her and roll over.
"Bah! Nick no that tickles!" Trisha squealed as she tried to wriggle away.
Nick finally stood up, still holding the doe, squeezing her sides which caused her to wheeze with laughter.
"Minions!" Trisha shouted as she closed her eyes.
"Uh oh," Nick said as he looked ahead.
Emily suddenly appeared through the crowd of young mammals. A happy smile gracing her lips.
Copper was on the ground nearby, a pleased-looking Atom was holding onto his fellow painted mammal. Delta was on the other side of Copper, his arms around Copper's waist. The three painted dogs having dogpiled when no one was looking.
The three painted canines suddenly looked up towards Nick. All their eyes zeroing in on him.
"Free your queen!" Trisha barked as she squirmed in Nick's arms.
As one the four canines suddenly charged forward, all of them with mischievous smiles on their faces.
"That's right Nick," Trisha began as she looked over her shoulder up at the fox. "You're in trouble now. My minions will...wait...slow down! Wait!"
Trisha looked at the approaching pack of predators and her eyes widened when she realized they weren't slowing down.
Emily was the first to reach Nick and Trisha and she wrapped her arms around Nick, squishing Trisha in the process.
"Ack!" Trisha squealed from between the foxes.
Soon the others arrived and Nick felt himself pushed to the ground as his friends piled on top of him.
Trisha managed to wriggle free and clawed her way out of the pile. Only to feel Atom grab onto one of her ankles.
"Don't you dare," Trisha tried to growl but was dragged back into the pile of friends who all started to laugh.
Eventually, everyone got to their feet and greeted one another. Emily hugged her cousin and told him how her parents said hello.
Atom in his normal fashion hurried over and gave Nick a hug, the painted dog snorting with excitement.
Delta patted Nick on the back and gave the fox a smile.
Trisha was the final greeting. The doe waddling up to her friend and holding out her arms and wiggling her digits, expecting the fox to come to her level.
The height difference had really started to show between the two friends. Nick having hit a growth spurt while Trisha remained her normal fun sized self.
Nick took a knee and Trisha rested her head against the fox's shoulders as she wrapped her small arms around her friend's waist.
When the two parted Nick brushed the dirt from his knees and looked around at his friends.
"So whose bright idea was the camp?" Nick asked, having remembered last year's spring break and how Trisha had organized raising funds so everyone could go.
Everyone looked around at one another, wondering who would take credit. When no one volunteered Trisha took a step so she was in the middle of everyone.
"Wait wait wait," The doe said as she raised her paws. "You mean our parents actually arranged this? They never do something this cool."
"Sounds like they are learning," Emily suggested.
"Bout time," Delta chimed in.
"Yeah but they never organize anything fun," Trisha teased.
"Oh my gosh!" Copper suddenly blurted out before putting a paw to her mouth. Everyone looked at the painted dog in confusion. "I think this was me. I told them I never went camping with friends before "
"Aren't you from the forest?" Emily pointed out.
"Fairfax," Copper corrected. "That was where...I was...well, where I was dropped off."
Nick could feel his heart sink at Copper's words. The painted dog had been abandoned by her previous parents before being adopted and moved to Zootopia by Delta's uncle.
Trisha turned to look at Copper and began to wiggle her rear end which confused the painted dog who tilted her head as she stared at the odd bunny.
"Oh I know that dance," Emily giggled.
"Better prepare yourself Cuz," Delta said with a laugh.
"Why?" Copper began, taking her eyes off of Trisha for a second, which was a bit of a mistake on her part.
Nick watched as Trisha propelled herself at the painted dog, arms wide open which made latching onto the unaware Copper rather easy.
The gang laughed as Copper teetered in place, a certain brown nuisance climbing around so she could hold onto Copper's shoulders and rest on the painted dog's back.
Nick looked around at all the other mammals in the lot. The camp buses were still busy unloading the campers that had arrived from all over. Nick noticed that each bus came from different places. While some were from Zootopia others were from regions from around the city.
He looked from bus to bus, searching for a certain name.
His gaze didn't go unnoticed by the others who all looked at one another before Emily finally spoke up.
"Nick…" The young vixen began, catching her cousins attention.
Nick looked over and tilted his head. He could tell something was up from how his cousin spoke.
"About Judy and Sarah…"
Her tone said it all. They weren't here…
Nick tried his best to hide his disappointment but his ears gave him away as they drooped.
"Sorry bud," Delta said as he patted the fox on the shoulder.
"Yeah...sorry…" Trisha said as her own ears drooped.
It was a long shot I guess…
While it was awesome to see all his friends from Manta Bay Nick felt a slight pang of sadness knowing he wouldn't get to see a certain someone this summer.
His mother had been very cryptic about it all when she explained who would be going to camp. She had never mentioned Judy or Sarah but Nick had still held out hope he would see his friends from Bunnyburrow.
There was always-
A bus sounded its horn as it entered the lot which caught Nick's attention. It was another weather work green bus like all the others. This one, however, was a little longer. The sign just above the window read BunnyBurrow.
"Yeah sorry Nick," Emily said as her lips cracked into a smile. "Judy's bus was running late."
Nick ignored the shared laugh from his friends as he looked at the long bus from Judy's hometown come to a stop nearby.
When the doors opened up a Cascade of bunnies came pouring out. Rabbits of all shapes, sizes, and colors flooded out into the parking lot. Try as they might the camp counselors had trouble controlling the sudden kerfuffle that had invaded the forest.
Nick's brilliant green eyes darted about as he tried to see her.
Occasionally a black tip pair of ears would catch his eyes but he would quickly realize it wasn't the pair he was looking for.
Soon the swarm of bunnies surrounded Nick and his friends making it that much harder for the young fox to search for the one he was looking for.
She has t be here somewhere.
"Nick," Trisha said from behind the fox.
"What?" Asked as he continued scanning the crowd.
"Nick," Trisha said again, sounding annoyed.
"Hold on," Nick said as he waved his paw just behind him.
"Nick!" This time it wasn't Trisha.
No, that voice belonged to a different bunny.
The fox's ears raised up and his tail swished back and forth as he recognized the sweet sounding voice.
When he turned around he saw her.
Judy was standing right behind Nick, having snuck past the fox. A rather pleased smile on her lips as she rolled on the balls of her large feet. The bunny looked rather adorable in a blue checkered button up shirt and a pair of sun-bleached jeans with holes at the knees.
"Hey Nick," Judy began.
Nick couldn't think of anything to say. He was completely speechless.
That didn't stop him from greeting the bunny though. He took a few quick steps towards Judy who ran at the fox, meeting him halfway.
They didn't even try to hide how excited they were to see one another. Judy leaped into Nick's arms and the fox quickly wrapped her up in a hug, holding the small doe close.
"She was talking about him none stop on the bus ride over," Sarah said from her spot in Atom's arms as the painted dog squeezed the small multi-colored bunny close, snorting into the doe's fur. The small bunny having snuck past Nick as well and was busy being greeted by her painted friends.
As the others greeted one another and caught up Judy remained in Nick's arms. The doe rubbing the top of her head against the bottom of Nick's snout, letting out the softest of purrs.
Nick kept his eyes closed and swayed back and forth as he kept the bunny close.
It wasn't until one of the camp counselors began to corral all the young mammals out of the dusty parking lot that Nick and Judy let one another go.
Once out of Nick's grasp Judy skipped alongside the fox as they made their way towards a series of wooden signs.
Judy's paw remained in Nick's as they trotted along. Trisha joined in and held Judy's other paw, skipping along with her giddy friend.
Nick couldn't believe how much joy he was suddenly feeling. Sure he had been happy about the camp before. Now though he was so excited he could barely contain himself. His tail would swish back and forth, he couldn't stop smiling, the whole scene was rather amusing to Emily who was more than happy to point out the fox's mood to the others.
Copper, who had never seen Nick this way, was especially giddy about the tod's mood.
When they reached the edge of the parking lot they noticed a series of large wooden sign. Each of them had pieces of paper pinned to them. They had been separated into two lists.
One list had all the girls names in alphabetical order while the others had the boys.
Next to each name was a cabin number, telling each of the mammals where they would be bunking.
As luck would have it, they all seemed to be assigned to the same set of cabins. The boys would be in cabin 10 while the girls would be in cabin 7.
"10 and 7," Trisha began with a grin. "Has a nice ring to it."
The gang had to separate for a bit when it came to cabins. Boys weren't allowed near the girl cabins for reasons unbenonced to the group.
Nick overheard a rather preppy looking doe whispering to one of her friends as the campers separated.
"It's because all they do is jump around and mess things up, or they play too rough."
Nick looked over at Trisha and Judy who were carrying their own backpacks and sleeping bags and smiled, knowing full well that the boys weren't the only ones capable of cabin destruction.
When the boys finally arrived at their cabin they began to pick bunks. Atom and Delta, of course, we're sharing a bunk bed. The two painted dogs fighting over who got the top bunk. In the end, Atom prevailed and sat triumphantly on the top bunk, silently putting his paws together and shaking them together like a sports mammal that had just won a tournament.
Nick meanwhile was on the bottom bunk. His bed was next to Delta and Atom.
While some of the boys preferred the top part of the beds Nick actually liked the idea of sleeping closer to the floor in case he happened to roll out of bed.
As the boys all paired off and began to unpack Nick noticed a nervous looking skunk still lingering at the front door to the cabin. A hesitant look on the young mammals face as he looked around.
Nick and Delta made eye contact and both nodded in silent agreement.
"His name is Mat, goes to our school," Delta whispered as Nick trotted over.
"Hey Mat," Nick said in a friendly manner as he approached the skunk who looked right at Nick with a pair of light blue eyes. "I am Nick, want to share a bunk? You can have the top."
The skunk was somewhat silent at first but nodded, slowly following Nick over to the bunk bed.
"Hey Mat," Delta said as he busied himself with unrolling his sleeping bag.
"Hey Delta," Mat said hesitantly before looking up at Atom who hung over the side of the top bunk, upside down so his ears flopped oddly. "Hey, Atom."
Atom waved and signed a series of paw gestures. Delta tilted his head slightly as he tried to understand the upside down signals.
"Atom! Dude, we don't talk about that," Delta said as he seated at his friends simply snorted and turned to Nick, making a series of paw signs that Nick didn't understand.
Nick looked at Delta and then at Mat, "He wants to know if you and Trisha are talking again."
Mat's eyes went wide and Nick could tell the smaller mammal was embarrassed.
"Why wouldn't she be talking to you?" Nick asked with a smile. "I mean normally she won't stop talking."
Mat looked at Delta and then over at Nick before his eyes went to the floor.
"I scare easily," Mat admitted.
"So?" Nick began before it hit him.
His mind began to race as he realized how unwise it would be to scare a skunk.
"You want to tell him or should I?" Delta asked with a laugh.
"I didn't mean to!" Mat said as he gripped his sleeping bag closer and looked up at Nick s if the fox was berating him. "She just snuck up behind me and it startled me."
"No way," Nick began with a laugh. "did you spray her?"
"It was an accident!"
Nick roared with laughter and held onto his sides as he took a knee. The thought of Trisha being sprayed by the young skunk was just too funny to Nick.
"She had to miss school for like 3 days," Delta said with a chuckle. "Her mom had to go and buy all the tomato soup at the supermarket."
"Why?" Nick asked as he caught his breath and looked over at his painted friend.
Atom was now sitting on Delta's part of the bunk bed, silently wheezing and hitting his paws on the bed, obviously laughing at the memory.
"It helps...with the smell," Mat grumbled sounding completely mortified as he waddled towards the bunk bed.
"If it makes you feel any better Mat I think she actually enjoyed it," Delta said, trying to comfort the skunk. "Apparently she chased her brothers around the house trying to stink them up too."
Mat looked over his shoulder and Nick noticed the smallest of pleased grins on the smaller mammals mouth.
While the boys got unpacked in their cabin another set of mammals busied themselves with catching up on their own cabin.
"I don't think I have ever seen him smile so big," Copper teased as she put a bag of her clothes under her chosen bunk bed.
Try as Judy might she couldn't help but blush, a rosy color going up her ears.
This was actually the first time Copper and Judy had met face to face. They had immediately hit it off though and were soon chatting like they were old friends.
Judy was actually eager to talk to Copper, especially since the painted dog was one of Nick's classmates. It had hit Judy recently that their circle of friends were rather spread out so having a chance to talk to someone who saw Nick often was something she had looked forward to.
"Well I think I have seen him smile pretty big before," Emily chimed in as she busied herself with adjusting her sleeping bag on her bed. Both Copper and Judy looked over at Emily who grinned playfully. "Last Halloween."
Judy didn't realize she could be so embarrassed. The doe quickly looked away and tried to hide the goofy grin on her lips.
The memory of last Halloween played over in her mind. She had taken a leap and giving Nick a kiss on the cheek which had resulted with Nick falling over in shock. Even in his stunned state though he had looked rather pleased with the whole event.
"Oh?" Copper said with a smug tone. "Do go on."
"No do not," Judy said as she turned and gave Emily a look.
"Well we were at old wolf Johnson's and Sarah had just run the obstacle course when Judy decided-"
A pillow collided with the top of Emily's head. The vixen looked over at Judy who looked just as shocked, her own pillow still sitting neatly on top of her bed.
"Wait a sec…" Emily began as she inspected the smiling pumpkin covered pillow. "Oh no…"
From the top bunk came an odd war cry as two bunnies suddenly leaped from their hiding spot and landed on top of Emily who gave out a muffled "ooof."
Both Sarah and Trisha had landed on top of the vixen and were now holding on as Emily squirmed, trying to get up.
"All hail the Pumpkin Queen and Moon Princess," Trisha barked.
"Yeah! Hail us!" Sarah joined in.
"Oh great she is teaching Sarah to be weird," Emily groaned.
Judy and Copper meanwhile were busy laughing at the two doe's hijinks. Judy looked over at her sister and friend who were busy trying to pin Emily to the floor, to no avail thanks to the size difference mind you. When their eyes met Trisha gave Judy the most subtle of winks. The brown bunny had saved Judy from some embarrassment and Judy was grateful that the attention was now on Emily as she tried to stop Sarah from latching onto her head.
"So exactly did Judy decide to do during Halloween?" Copper asked, trying to return to the previous conversation.
She was cut off however as the pumpkin pillow hit her on the side of the head.
Since most of the campers hadn't arrived till the late afternoon there weren't any activities scheduled for the day. For the most part, the first day of camp was all about getting everyone settled in.
It didn't take long for the sun to start setting over the camp. The warm night air carried with it all the sounds of nature, only to be interrupted by a loud bell signaling dinner.
All the meals would take place in a large mess hall at the center of the camp. The campers all hurried over and quickly scrambled up the series of stone steps that led into the main building. The gang managed to gather at the bottom of the steps where they greeted one another once more.
Sarah was quickly scooped up by Atom, the painted bunny sitting on the canine's shoulders as he hurried up the steps.
Trisha hopped up on Delta's back and wrapped her arms around her painted dog's shoulders. The way his tail swished back and forth told everyone just how much he was enjoying himself.
Copper, Emily, Nick, and Judy brought up the rear. The female canine's walking on either side.
Nick smiled down at Judy who beamed back up at him, a bit of awkward happiness between them.
"Hold her paw," Copper whispered to Nick.
"What?" The oblivious tod asked as he looked over at his classmate.
"Hold her paw," Copper tried to whisper again so no one except Nick heard her.
"She said to hold my paw," Judy said with a laugh.
Copper winced and looked over at Judy who simply pointed up at her large ears.
"It's hard to keep secrets around a bunny," Judy said as she scrunched her nose as she reached out and took Nick by the paw.
Nick remained silent as a goofy grin crossed his muzzle.
"Oh gosh cuz," Emily snorted as she walked alongside Judy.
"This is going to be a fun camp," Copper teased as she nudged Nick.
Once inside the mess hall the gang found a table in the far corner and took their seats. Each table had already been set up with food. A large bowl of spaghetti sat in the center. Next to it was a bowl of beetle balls for the mammals needing protein and also a bowl of salad for the vegetarians.
Atom and Sarah, however, went right for the breadsticks that had been placed in small baskets around the table.
Before everyone dove into their meal, a hush came across the crowd of campers as an old yack wobbled up on stage. His walk seemed labored and he needed to lean on a cane. His fur was a mix of brown and white, his age having caught up to his fur.
"That's Ed," Trisha whispered to her table. "Mom told me about him, he was in charge when she came here as a doe."
Everyone sat in silence and watched as the elder mammal finally made it to the center of a raised platform where a microphone waited.
Nick held his breath and began to wonder what would happen next.
Someone this old would probably be rather stern, or maybe strict, or worse...
"What up my little dudes and dudettes," Ed asked as he raised a paw.
Or maybe he would be completely cool.
"Welcome to camp-" Ed began before a series of coughs caused him to stop. A lovely looking whitetail deer hurried up and tried to calm the yack who simply waved her aside. "I'm good Mary, must have been the joi-"
Ed stopped mid-sentence and gave a nervous smile to the sea of innocent faces.
"Must be all the excitement," The yack continued, "Welcome family to camp WeWa. I am Ed, owner, head mammal, and resident old dude."
The crowd of young campers let out a series of laughs at the last bit.
"I just wanted to take a moment to say Hi and greet you all."
Someone beside the stage cleared their throat causing Ed to look in their direction. A strong and serious looking cheetah nodded at Ed then held up a large binder.
"What?" Ed asked as he tilted his head.
"The rules sir," The cheetah said as she took a step forward, her stern voice echoing in the mess hall.
"Ah chill out Mel," Ed began.
"Melissa," The cheetah corrected.
"That's what I said dude," Ed said as he waved a hoof. The yack suddenly looked down at his stomach which had begun to grumble. "Oh wow, was hungrier than I thought. Alright, we will go over the rules tomorrow. Let's eat."
All the younger mammals in the hall cheered. From the looks of it, Melissa was not pleased. Mary however quickly hurried over to Ed and helped the older mammal off the stage and towards a table where the adults would be eating.
"Oh I like Ed," Trisha said as she scooped some salad on her plate.
"Dude me too," Sarah said before munching on a breadstick.
"Dude," Copper joined in.
"Dude," Delta followed.
Atom suddenly stood up in his seat and made a series of paw signals. Everyone looked over at Delta for the translation.
"He says, Dude."
As everyone tried to find ways to fit the word "Dude" into their sentences a certain bunny and fox sat happily on one end of the table.
"Dude," Nick whispered as he leaned close to Judy who looked up. "I am glad you're here."
"Me too dude," Judy whispered back, scooping Nick's paw up with her own and giving it a squeeze.
As the dinner carried on they both sat there with smiles on their faces, their paws never letting go for the rest of dinner.
Hey there Campers!
Welcome to Manta Bay's summer miniseries: Camp WeWa.
Gonna have a few chapters of the gang and all their summer hijinks at camp. Hope you enjoyed this little intro. Lots more fluff inbound.
Till next time,
Cya at Camp WeWa!
-Blue