Chapter 11 – My Biggest Problem!

Gurē and Ai glanced around, his bunny wife sitting on his back again as he held her up, "This place seems familiar." she said to her fox husband in her native language.

"Agreed." he responded in using the same language.

"I don't need you two speaking sweet nothings to each other." Chief Bogo said to them, "Please refrain from speaking Pandanese until translation is necessary."

"Apologies Chief-e Bogo." Gurē said, responding for both himself and his wife. The four of them began to move forward, Gurē and Ai holding a small amount of nervous energy while Bogo walked forward with confidence and Wolford keeping his eyes and ears open.

Suddenly, the wolf began sniffing the air, "Hmm?" he asked himself, and then began looking around.

"What is it Wolford?" Bogo asked as he glanced back.

"There's no wind." the officer said.

Gurē and AI both looked at him in surprise, and then looked in opposite directions while glancing at the sky. "So?" Bogo asked, "How does that help us find Hopps and Wilde?"

"Chief, there's no wind!" Wolford repeated, "No air movement. But there's a sun."

"Exactly what are you saying?" Bogo asked.

"There's no air movement." Wolford repeated, hopping the buffalo would get it the third time around. When the chief looked at him with impatience, he knew it would take some more explaining, "Look, when wind blows it churns the air, keeping things fresh and replenishing the oxygen. The air here is still, nothing's moving. That means that the air here is just as limited as if it were in a sealed box."

"Are you saying…" Bogo asked as his look moved from frustrated to worry.

"That's right chief, there's no telling how much air is still here, we don't have that much time to find Hopps, Wilde, Bakeneko and Adrian."

Bogo grunted in frustration, "Hopefully Hopps and Wilde are on their way to Bakeneko."

"Chief?" Wolford asked.

"Adrian can wait, the lives of the innocent come first." the buffalo responded.

"Den, you two will let us lead." Ai suddenly said. Bogo and Wolford turned to them, seeing Ai on the ground next to her husband. Her left paw gripping his right sleeve while the fox had his paws hidden in his sleeves.

"Excuse me?" Bogo asked.

"We-e know dis place." AI responded before Bog could argue further.

"Hai!" Gurē said in response, "Dis is the capitol city of-e our time, our ancient Pandan." he said with focus, and then with a bit of longing, "Our home."

In response, Ai lifted her right paw, and wrapped it around his arm, hugging the appendage tightly, "We can-e lead you to de capitol. Dat is where I believe Bakeneko will be."

"What makes you think that?" Bogo asked.

"Nick-o-san got-e me thinking. What is de one thing she wants more den anything?" Gurē asked.

"I don't know, I don't speak Pandanese!" Bogo said with a huff.

"To be left alone?" Wolford asked.

Gurē shook his head, "Justice." he responded, "De things that happened to her, they were done by some-e one who didn't want to be caught. De Emperor is de judge in our world, so to his palace we go." With that, the black speckled fox turned and removed his paws from his sleeves, pointing straight at a large temple with bright red trim and what looked like gold accents and statues of ancient dragons. It sat atop a large hill, overlooking all of the land beneath it.

"We have to go there?" asked Bogo, and then gripped his belt, "Well, better get on it then!" he said, and the group heard the murmuring of a group approach them.

"I can't believe we lost them!" one of the villagers said as they approached the bend in the forested road.

"Hey, we were following you!" said another, just as they rounded the bend, "Hey, look!" said the monkey like creature, "More of them funny looking demons."

The pair, a monkey and a ram, approached with torches ready and a crowd behind them. They did not expect, however, for Bogo himself to stomp his way up to them, anger etched into his face as he clenched his hooves into fists and cracked his neck. The crowd slowed as he approached them, and he soon lifted his arms, slamming one fist into an open hoof, and cracked his knuckles, loudly. "RUN!" the monkey shouted, and the entire group turned to run away.

Bogo grunted, and turned back to the group, "Well come on!" he ordered as he passed them entirely.

"I knew he was good for something!" Gurē said in Pandanese.

"I said 'NO Pandanese'." Bogo called back.

Judy sat in the corner of the bath house, steam surrounding her as she watched some of the other girls, trying hard to mimic them as they sat there and bathed. She wanted not to draw attention to herself. She knew nothing of the culture here, but most of her worries dismissed themselves early on in her attempt to blend in. Soaking wet but warm, she had sat there for some time, mostly just listening. Nick had been quiet lately, no splash of water, no goofing around. Just quiet. She hadn't meant to get frustrated, ok angry beyond reason, at her fox. It just happened sometimes. She had kissed the mammal on the lips, she should know what that meant right? With a sigh, she patted herself down, and rose from her sitting position. Only now did she finally hear it, the silence. She turned, the other girls had gone, disappeared. 'When had they left?' she asked herself, and made her way to the exit. A towel, sitting in front of her, fresh and folded. She wondered a little until the curtain moved, and she caught the smallest of glimpses of a fluffy red tail disappear into the men's side. With a smile, and her anger nowhere in sight, she smiled, and grabbed the towel to wrap it around her waist.

"Are you ready?" he asked from inside the men's bathing room.

"Just about." he heard the doe bunny say. "Where did you get this?"

"Oh, turns out, they have fresh ones near the other side of the building, and some clean cloths."

Judy was surprised a little, and turned her eyes again to the cubby at her side. There, sitting inside, was a light blue kimono, a dragon design wrapping around the shoulder, across the back, and down to the base on the other side etched with exquisite workmanship. Another smile found her features, and she put it on. "Ok," she said, "I'm done!" She twirled a bit as she looked herself over, and didn't even notice when Nick came out from the bath.

"You look beautiful." he said, and she let a small, mischievous smile cross her lips.

She turned, and before she could say another word, she let her jaw drop. Nick stood there, a darker blue male kimono wrapped around him, and white hakama pants. She could tell that underneath it all, he still had his officer's uniform on underneath, but then, so did she. "Wow!" was all she said, her mind reeled with the image of him in this garb.

"I was trying to find a green one with banana trees on it, but this was all they had for me." he said slyly.

"No," she said, "You look great!"

"Thanks!" he said, and pushed his words as hard as he could, "You look beautiful in that!" he said. 'Dang it!' he thought, though his face never changed from that sly grin, "So close."

"Thank you!" she said, and watched as Nick lifted his arm to her.

"To the castle my lady?" he asked in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Why yes, my handsome fox!" she told him, and bowed. Now Nick was curious as to why she hadn't taken his arm, "It's tradition for the man to walk in front of the woman." she told him.

"You've been taking a lot with Ai, haven't you?" he asked and lead the way out of the bathhouse, turning towards the large building on top of the hill. "We've got some ways to go." he said, just as Judy tied her ears behind her head.

"Yah," she agreed as she glanced around him, "I just hope that we can fit in enough to get close."

"Yah." Nick said, "Because if we don't, I doubt we'd be able to leave this place. Something just doesn't feel right here!"