Hello, my fellow Zootopians!
I have no idea why, but my plans for this story just keep shifting and changing …
I had originally planned for this "Bunnyburrow" angle to last at least five chapters, but this here actually is the penultimate one.
For days I have been pondering on what I can talk about here, only to find that everything I need for the story fits into just two more chapters. The whole "Visit the Parents" angle hasn't given me as many ideas as I had hoped anyway. Probably because there are so many "Nick in Bunnyburrow" stories out there, I get the feeling that everything that can be said has been said already. Since I don't want to copy anyone, I decided to cut the whole angle short. When we meet our heroes again, they'll be back in Zootopia.
Which also means that the point when this story will really take off if approaching fast. After this and the next one, I need two more chapters to unravel a few more knots in the story and to introduce our final missing main character, and then the mayhem can finally begin! To be honest, I can't wait! The chapters I'm writing right now seem cumbersome to me, and writing them is tedious business. I'm eagerly anticipating the moment the gruesome action will finally commence! (Edit: There have been quite a lot of changes, due to "Wound," so it'll take me a few more chapters to really be able to go into the thick of things. But we're getting there, don't worry.)
The stats so far are thus: More than 8,100 views, 89 reviews, 75 favorites, and 126 alerts. That's one favorite less than last time, no idea why. Doesn't matter, the numbers are still great! Thanks for that!
Still more thanks go out to the following members of the fanfiction community for sending me their reviews: Haradion, Galaxyexplorer74, HawkTooth, Rylovix, PointyHairedJedi, hpalex13, and Dirtkid123.
The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.
Chapter Ten
The Living Community
My head keeps spinning. I go to sleep and keep grinning. If this is just the beginning, my life is gonna be beautiful.
Dean Martin: "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" (Written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy van Heusen, never published on record, but performed in the movie "Ocean's 11," Warner Bros., 1960.)
Billy looked at the bunny standing in the doorway with a grin. "Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken, I see."
"Oh, shush!" Judy replied, then she yawned.
Billy's grin widened. "You're quite lethargic for a crepuscular mammal."
"Har har." Judy stretched. "What's the use of weekends when you're not allowed to sleep in?"
Billy pointed over his shoulder. "You should ask her. I don't get it either." He made a face. "At least she didn't pull you out of bed."
"I heard that!" Bonnie said calmly while filling a mug with tea.
"I know!" Billy said, sounding somewhat exasperated. "But seriously, what's the big deal? It's not that my presence is vital to how this farm works."
"That may be the case, young mammal, but you know the rules. You live under this roof, you do your part to make sure everything works smoothly. With the harvest around the corner, it's all hands on deck." Bonnie placed the mug on the table, right in front of Judy, who sat down with a smile and starting sipping the beverage, hissing silently as the scalding liquid touched her lips.
"So how comes she's allowed to sleep in and I'm not?"
"Because she's a guest."
"And I'm not?"
"No, you aren't. You spent most of the last six months here, and now that you've finished your dissertation, the time for lazing about is over."
Billy sputtered in indignation. "Lazing about? Mom, I've been the hardest working mammal this side of Tundratown!" Bonnie simply raised an eyebrow and continued cleaning the kitchen to make sure it was pristine before she needed to prepare today's lunch. Billy heaved a sigh, looking at Judy. "You hear that?"
Judy made no effort to hide her grin. "That's what you get for being a loafer."
"A loafer? Me?"
"Come on! You've always been a loafer. You basically blundered through high school, and college wasn't much better."
Billy made a face. "Don't compare yourself to me! I did what I had to do, and I guess it turned out pretty well in the long run. It's not my fault you turned into the role model for overambitious mammals!"
"What's wrong with being ambitious?"
"Not ambitious - overambitious! That's a difference."
Judy snorted. "I don't think I'd be at the place I am now without being ambitious."
"Yeah, but you missed out on a heck of a lot of fun along the way!"
Judy shrugged. "It has its dividends."
"Yeah, right." Billy sighed, emptying his mug and standing up. "Just so you know, your fox beat you to it."
Judy frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" She looked around. "Speaking of which, where is Nick?"
"Oh, he got up really early, he helped Mum prepare breakfast for the little ones, and when Dad asked him whether he wanted to help him at the fruit stand, he said, and I quote: 'Stu, it would be my genuine pleasure.' Quote end."
Judy stared at him, open-mouthed. "You're kidding!"
"I'm not. He said he needed to prepare for returning to duty anyway, so he had set his alarm clock for five-thirty."
"Wow! Never thought he'd do this! And Dad asked him for help?"
"He did."
Judy leaned back, pondering. "Surprising."
"You think so?"
Judy snorted. "Some four years ago, Dad couldn't stand the sight of foxes. And now he asked one of them for help."
Billy's face darkened. "You don't know half of it."
"What do you mean?"
"You remember Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?"
"Of course."
"Well, then you certainly remember their attitude towards all non-bunnies."
Judy sighed. "Don't remind me! They molested me for years, just because one of my friends in elementary school was a cougar."
"You mean Bobby Catmull? Nice chap. Did you know he's got his own recording studio now?"
"He has? Great! He always wanted to do his own music, independent from big labels and studios."
"Yup. Anyway, they came here for a visit, some, uhm, some four months ago. And someone, I guess it was Ginger, made the mistake of mentioning Nick."
Judy made a face. "Bet they didn't like it."
"Not. One. Bit. They told us in no uncertain terms that you were out of your mind, that Zootopia had somehow managed to brainwash you, that you had always been a weirdo, 'probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured,' to quote Uncle Vernon."
"Bet Dad didn't like that."
"Oh, he remained surprisingly calm. Until they pulled Nick into the mess, when they called him a bunny-killer in potentia. This was when he finally snapped."
"When they mentioned Nick? Not when they insulted me?"
Billy shrugged. "You know, you are a trailblazer. Nothing against you, but most bunnies consider you a weirdo."
Judy grinned. "I take that as a compliment."
"As you should. But seeing that so many here seem to think you're off your rocker, he probably somehow got used to hearing it. Not that he doesn't defend you, mind! But he usually just says that you're his daughter and that he's mighty proud of you. But when they called Nick a danger to all mammalkind, Dad became furious. 'Nick saved her life!,' he shouted. 'What have you ever done for her?'"
"Wow!"
"Dad called Nick one of the finest mammals he had ever come across, a pride for his species and far better than most bunnies he knows."
Bonnie stepped next to Billy, smiling. "And when Stu added that he liked Nick a hell of a lot more than his own sister and her husband, they left on the spot. Haven't seen them since."
"Golly! Never knew Dad had it in him!" Judy exclaimed. They all had to laugh at that.
Billy made a face. "Well, I'll see them tomorrow. And every day after that."
Judy frowned. "How comes? I always thought you didn't like them all that much."
"You know they moved to Zootopia six years ago, right?"
"Yup." She grinned. "And since getting there myself, I've actively tried to avoid them like the plague. Successful, I might add."
"Well, as you know, I'm going to Zootopia, too. Which presented me with a problem. The last six months, I tried my damndest to find myself an apartment, but I guess you know what the apartment market of Zootopia looks like. While there may be hundreds of empty apartments, I can afford none of them on my salary."
Judy's face fell. "Wait a second! You're not …"
"I called Aunt Petunia four weeks ago. I don't think you remember, but she's my godmother, and she promised to help me when need arises, so …"
"You're seriously planning to move in with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?" Judy was flabbergasted.
"Do I have a choice? I have no money, I can't afford most of the apartments in Zootopia, and those I can afford, they're so bad, they make your apartment look like a palace."
"My ex-apartment," Judy said slowly, an idea forming in her head. "Hey, why don't you move in with us?"
"Excuse me?"
"Nick's mother bought herself a house, several years ago. It's Nick's house now, and we actually started moving in two days ago. It's huge, there's plenty of room for another mammal or six."
"What happened to Nick's mother?" Bonnie asked with concern in her voice.
Judy shrugged. "She has cancer, She was first diagnosed with renal cancer some twelve years ago, then it was stomach cancer, then colon cancer. She fought all this down, but now she's suffering from some sort of brain tumor that is both inoperable and cannot be treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. She left the house to spend her final days in a hospice. They'll care for her until she dies. Which, given the fact that the doctors told her some eight months ago that she only has three months to live, can really happen any day now."
"Oh my!" gasped Bonnie. "That's awful!"
Judy sighed. "It is. She's such a nice woman, such a beautiful vixen, yet her days are numbered." She wiped a few tears from her eyes. "But it's the way it is, whether we like it or not." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Be that as it may, the house is Nick's now, and it has two bedrooms, one of which we don't need, and two guestrooms. There's plenty of space for a single bunny."
"Are you serious?" Billy asked.
"Of course I am." She made a pause. "I need to ask Nick, of course, but I guess he's okay with it. He likes you a lot, you know."
"He does?"
"As long as you bring your trumpet and your saxophone, he'll be happy. Hey, maybe the two of you can finally put your plan of forming your own jazz combo into action!"
"Wait a second! Who told you?"
"That you've been talking about forming a band together? Nick told me. All he needed, he said, was a bass player and a drummer, since he had a trumpet player at hand. When I asked him who this might be, he simply said: 'Your brother.'"
"My goodness!" Billy grinned. "Looks like my birthday came early! This is great! I love it!" Suddenly, a thought seemed to strike him. "Please, Judy, do ask him! I'd much rather move in with you than with the bunnies from hell."
Judy guffawed. "Bunnies from hell! That's a good one!"
"They are! They are so un-Hopps-ish, it's painful. Dad hates them!"
"Come on!" Bonnie said. "Stu doesn't hate his sister."
"He sure as hell doesn't like her."
"Yes, you're probably right, but the word hate isn't in his vocabulary."
"That it isn't," Judy said with a grin. "He wouldn't like Nick otherwise."
Billy raised an eyebrow. "Why, is it that easy to hate him?"
Judy gave an exaggerated groan. "Sometimes he drives me up the wall!"
"So what? Everybody drives you up the wall at one point or another."
"Yeah, you, now!"
Billy grinned. "Some things never change, eh?"
Judy stuck out her tongue. "I haven't asked Nick yet, so if you want me to do it, you better start being nice to me."
"Dammit! I knew there was a catch!"
The "Wilde Living Community" is starting to take shape. Just so you know, by the time I'm done with this story, it will have grown by four more mammals, three of whom you haven't even met yet …
The fact that Billy plays the trumpet and the saxophone is sort of a nutty bow towards my wife. She's a music teacher, among other things, and unlike me, she can play the piano, the trumpet, the saxophone, the flute, and several other musical instruments. (All I can do is sing, strum the guitar and play the cajon.) And she likes trumpet music a lot, which is why she asked me to incorporate a trumpet player into this story. Well, her wish is my command … (In case you're wondering, she's the boss in our marriage, and I'm fine with that. She's a natural leader, while I suck at being in charge, simple as that.)
Wild bunnies really are crepuscular, meaning they're most active in the morning and in the evening. (In one story I read that Nick surmised that this was a portmanteau, combining the words "creepy" and "muscular!" I couldn't stop laughing for hours! Sadly, I don't remember which story it was. So if somebody could tell me, I'd be eternally grateful!) Domesticated bunnies are a different matter though. Some get used to the human way of living quite easily, others tend to sleep for most of the day. Some are very active at night. It much depends on the way they're kept. When they spend most of their time in a cage, they tend to sleep a lot, usually cuddling very closely. And no, you should never keep one single rabbit. They need congeners, at least one. Two rabbits are fine, preferably one doe (female) and one buck (male). In case you don't want offspring, neuter both of them. Yes, the doe, too, because probability is high that an un-neutered doe who cannot become pregnant will develop ovary cancer at one point.
You see, keeping a bunny is serious business …
There's one tiny quote from the movie "The Avengers" hidden in here, which is probably easy to overlook. Plus, two characters from Harry Potter make an appearance (complete with a few quotes from the books), and I wager you'll find them with ease.
And that's it for the moment! Thanks for reading this story, and please send me your reviews!
Take care!
J.O. aka TheCatweazle