Despite the constant nagging in the back of his head, Nick was feeling really excited about tonight. He was glad to finally be able to do something else besides staying at the house being bored out of his mind. It was actually very uncharacteristic of him to stay at home very long. Back at his real home, in Zootopia, he'd be out with friends for a majority of the time; only coming home to sleep. Oh, how he's missed that. That was one of the major things why Nick hated the idea of coming to Bunnyburrow; he had a lot of plans to hang out over the summer with his actual friends. Of course, he's come to have a certain liking for the burrows, it's just that it can't compare to hanging out with his real friends that he's known for years.
He was excited to possibly befriend new people. That was one thing he did enjoy, and that's getting to know mammals. He was the go to fox if you needed to find someone; he made it his business to get to know just about everyone. So he figured this would be a great opportunity to do that. Also, he expected tonight to be different from what he's used to. First of all, they're in a place with not many places to go, and secondly he's never really hung out with a prey. Sure, he knew some back at school; hell, he runs track with a sloth. But he never hangs out with them outside of school. He assumed this would be an interesting night.
The only bad part about it was that Debra wouldn't leave him alone about it. They kept teasing him about how he said he planned on going home the same as when he got here. That ship sure sailed away, and with his thoughts it didn't show any signs of coming back. They were making him wish time would speed up so him and McCabe could leave already. Unfortunately for Nick, they still had an hour until they had to leave to get their on time.
Nick now was sat in the front room with Deb and Christy half watching the TV, half lost in his own thoughts. Deb was sat on the ground folding up cloths and doing laundry, while Christy was watching some show Nick didn't know. It was a rarity that Nick got to watch TV since he never had one; after his dad was taken away mom sold it for some extra cash.
But Nick's mind was more preoccupied with something else to pay attention to what she was watching. That nagging in the back of his head, that was the constant thought of all those animals him and Finnick scammed. He couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined Finnick knowing that he was thinking this. Nick knew that he'd just laugh in his face, and he might have to deal with that when he gets back. He feels like he won't even be able to attempt anything with Finnick when he gets back; he can't see himself doing it again. Of course, it may be easier said than done.
Nicks mind drifted to his mom, and immediately he became five times more ashamed of what he did. The memories of his mom looking stressed and defeated resonated in him, causing him to cringe. He can only imagine the smug look he'd get from her once she finds out of his change of heart. She probably won't be too pleased to hear what lead up to his change of heart, but overall Nick knew she'd be happy.
That's when a thought popped into his head. He hasn't spoken with his mom in about a month, and he was starting to miss her. Nick suddenly got the urge to call his mom. Especially after yesterday, he figured it would be good for the both of them to talk.
Nick got up and began walking out of the room. He was almost out when Deb asked him where he was going. Nick faced her and flashed his phone, telling her he had to make a call. He walked outside where he'd get the most privacy and best service. He dialed up his mom's number, but was hesitant to press call. They didn't necessarily leave on good terms, and it's kind of a stressful time for her. It's not like he thought his mom didn't want to speak with him, it's just that he didn't know what to say. The good news would probably be the best way to go was his thinking process, and he decided that was the best plan he could come up with. He pressed call and waited for her to pick up.
There were a few rings before the fox heard an answer from the other side. There was a happy 'hello' and instantly Nick knew his mom was not fairing well. Living with her during his dads reign of terror, Nick knew when she was acting fine.
"Hey, mom," Nick greeted. There was a pause for a few moments, and Nick could of sworn he heard her release a deep breath. Since she had an old flip phone, and has decided not to put his contact in, he knew this was going to be a surprise for her.
"Thank God, Nick!" She exclaimed happily. "Are you okay? Is everything alright? Why are you calling?" She started asking a mile a minute. I smiled and laughed, delighted to hear her voice. It felt more comforting than I could of imagined.
"Calm down mom, everything's alright," I assured her. "I just felt like I needed to call you and let you know what's been going on." There was another pause on her side of the call.
"Nick? Are you feeling alright," She tried to be serious, but she couldn't hold back some giggling. This was something she least expected; to speak with Nick today. Nick has never been one to keep in contact with her through phone.
"Yah, I'm fine. At least a lot better than I could be, considering the circumstances. I should be the one asking if you're okay? I hate that your alone during this," He told her. That's been a real fear for him of her being alone; he could still remember the last words his father told them before he was taken away.
"You don't need to worry about me, Nickolas. I'll be just fine," She assured him. Nick wasn't so sure about that, but he knows how strong of a vixen she is.
"Anyway, I wanted to tell you something that I thought you'd like to hear?" Nick said.
"Oh? And what would that be?" She wondered.
"First of all, you got to promise that you wont get angry," Vicki was skeptical, but decided to agree. "You might want to take a seat because this is going to take awhile." For the next little while, Vicki sat in silence as she listened to her son explain everything that happened in his time of being there. At first, she was a bit, and by I bit I mean extremely, livid from finding out that he did the one thing she told him not to do. He was lucky she had made a promise not to get mad with him, so she let him continue.
The farther Nick got into the story, the more his mom's heart softened. Then he got to the events from yesterday and today, and she had to fight to keep back the tears. This was exactly what she had been hoping for, to get her son to see the error of his ways. She knew she could count on Deb and Tim to get him to see the flaws in his life. Of course, it being this soon was something unexpected. It seems they must have really touched his heart was her thought on the situation.
"I'm actually going to hang out with that rabbit tonight," Nick stated.
Now that surprised Vicki a lot. Nicks never been too fond of any prey, not after that incident with the scouts. He'd never admitting it, but she knew he held a grudge against all prey for that night. She had tried to talk to him about it, but he'd always deny it to the point that she eventually just gave up.
"Really? Well good for you," She expressed happily. Her kit was growing up and finally maturing, and she was so proud of him. He's always been more mature than most animals his age in certain aspects, for obvious reasons. But everyone has their weaknesses, and Nick's is that he can't let that night go. Vicki saw this as a sign that he was finally beginning to let it go.
Suddenly, McCabe peaked his head out the front door and looked at Nick. "We're leaving here in a few minutes, just to let you know," he told him. Nick nodded and decided this had been a long enough conversation with his mom. He actually found that it was nice to talk to her again; it eased a bit of his stress.
"I've got to get going, mom. I'll talk to you later," he said.
"Make sure to call me more often," She demanded of him, "I want to hear how this rabbit thing plays out."
"Alright mom, I'll make sure to inform you," he chuckled.
"I love you Nickolas."
"Love you too, mom."
They ended the call and Nick let out a content sigh. That made Nick feel good, and he was definitely going to be calling his mom more. It felt nice to talk with her. He was definitely looking forward to telling her about how the night goes.
Nick walked back into the house, and followed the sound of McCabe's voice until he got back the room he was previously. Christy was still watching Tv, and it looked like Deb had just gotten done folding up laundry. Now McCabe was talking to her, telling her the plans for the night.
"Just remember to be safe, please," She asked of him.
"Aren't I always," he replied with a smug grin. Deb rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. 'Not always' she thought to herself, but all of that was in the past and it had no place here anymore.
"We're off, we'll be back later. I'll let you know if we'll be back after midnight," he told her on his way out the door. Nick couldn't help but laugh. His mom was lucky if she got a goodbye. He never realized how distant him and his mom actually were until he saw how close these animals are. It was only a short period of time he could remember that the two of them were even somewhat close; that was right after his father got arrested. It didn't last very long. He's pretty sure it was during middle school when his mom was forced to work two jobs, again. That was the fall of their relationship. Now looking back, he wishes he'd tried to be closer with her; he hoped he wasn't too late.
Driving there was actually quite enjoyable for the two. They talked with each other, joked, and had fun the whole way there. Nick was starting to make an effort to have fun. He wasn't moping around anymore, or even pretending to be happy. For the first time since being here, he was actually just letting lose.
As they say, having fun makes time fly, and the two were there in no time. They pulled up to a small building that looked like an oversized wooden shack, and immediately Nick could smell something good emanating from it. McCabe noticed this and clapped his paws together.
"Best food you'll ever have, for both preds and prey; all for a low price," He smiled. Nick chuckled at McCabe's attempt to impersonate a sales person.
They jumped out of the vehicle and made their way into the building. They entered the building and a wave of different smells crashed down on the two. It was a bit overwhelming for Nick, and he caught himself starting to drool a little. He wiped away the drool and composed himself. One thing was for sure, he couldn't wait to eat something from here.
"McCabe, my friend. Is very good to see you," an enthusiastic, obviously foreign, voice called from behind the counter. Nick looked in amazement at the size of the boar who had greeted McCabe. He was easily 5 feet tall, and he couldn't even begin to guess his weight. He's definitely the largest boar he had ever seen. Nick looked down to see him wearing an apron that read 'never trust a skinny cook' and he had to chuckle.
"Boris, it's been awhile," McCabe greeted back. Boris gave out a hearty laugh that Nick felt like it could shake down the building.
"Far too long, my friend, far too long." His gaze then went from McCabe over to the strange fox in his restaurant.
"And who would this be, McCabe?" He questioned with a raised brow. He was always suspicious of new animals in his shack.
"This is my cousin from the city, Nick," he introduced him. Nick gave a friendly nod to him and said hello.
"The city, huh? I used to live in a city myself; back in the motherland. It was wonderful until the war wiped out just about everyone and everything," he said gravely. Nick looked wide eyed at Boris not having anything to say. That was pretty dark, which is why he became confused when the boar started laughing.
"I only joke, I came here for big investment in city of Zootopia. Fortunately that went to shit, and now I'm in this great community," he boasted. Honestly, Nick had to admit he was a little lost in this conversation, so he decided to just smile and nod.
"It's been nice talking with you again, but I've got the usual crowd coming in, and I've got to save the booth," McCabe told him.
"Oh, I see. So I'm guessing you want usual then?" he asked.
"You know it!"
After that weird conversation, McCabe led Nick over to a large booth that looked like it could easily fit eight mammals around their size. Nick had to wonder who was all coming.
"You'll have to excuse old Boris. He's kind of weird," McCabe explained, noticing how lost Nick got while the boar talked. Nick just kind of brushed it off. He jokingly told McCabe it wasn't new to him, and how he'd ran into plenty of loons on the city streets.
"So where is everyone?" Nick asked, looking around and not seeing his new rabbit friend anywhere.
"They'll be here in a minute, you need to have patience." Nick rolled his eyes, he has plenty of patience.
Nick took a look around for a second and noticed that this place didn't look the greatest. He thought the inside would look a little better, but the interior walls resembled the exterior; same goes for the ceiling . The floor looked better, but that wasn't saying much; it was hard wood that looked hand made, and not by someone skilled. He felt like any kind of inspector would have a field day with this place. Hopefully it wasn't just the smell of the food that's good, and maybe that would take his mind off the fact this place seemed like it was going to collapse down around him any second.
The two predators knew that Judy and the others arrived before they even saw them, thanks to Boris's booming voice. He gave his newly arrived guests a warm welcome, as he did with Nick and McCabe. He told them that the two had already arrived and were saving their usual spot. Nick glanced at the group walking towards them, and he recognized a couple of them. There was Judy of course, which he's gotten quite familiar with, then there was that other rabbit and fox, Jack and Skye, he had met on his first outing with McCabe. When those two spotted Nick, they seemed a bit surprised.
"Seems that we'll be two short," Judy said, hopping up into the booth and moving over by McCabe. "Sharla said that she and Ben wouldn't be able to make it." Judy was a little down about it; she was hoping that they'd get the whole gang back together and have some fun like the good old times. It's been a couple years since they'd done that; not since McCabe graduated and left.
"Wait, so did they actually get together finally?" McCabe asked, intrigued. Judy nodded with a smile.
"Yah, it was last summer that Ben finally asked her on a date. Those two should have been together since middle school," She chuckled, getting everyone except for Nick to chuckle. He just sat there not knowing what they were talking about.
"Well, we filled one of their spots," McCabe pointed out, giving Nick a light pat on the back. There was no response, only awkward silence. Lucky for Nick, he'd learned not to let that kind of stuff bother him.
"Wow, such a warm welcome," he joked. He figured that was his best bet with breaking the awkwardness. Humor is always the best tool.
"Sorry, Nick," Judy apologized, "I'm still getting used to you, and those two aren't very happy with you," She stated shyly, feeling embarrassed for her, and her friends actions.
She did want to be friends with this fox, he had just made that hard for her. Nick understood this, and he didn't hold anything against her. As for the other two, he guessed Judy explained everything to them and they were angry about him being a jerk to their friend, and also for lying to them. Again, he didn't blame them. He'd be pretty angry if someone messed with one of his friends, and he knows that Finnick would be livid if someone messed with him; not that he'd ever admit it.
"I see, well I feel as though I'm not really wanted," Nick assumed, which was half right. Jack and Skye definitely wished he wasn't there, but McCabe wanted him there and Judy wanted to get to know him better so that she could trust him.
"No, Nick, your fine," Judy told him, as McCabe gave the others a death glare and mouthing to them to be nice. It was Skye that first gave into McCabe's demands, and in turn forced Jack to do the same; all unseen by Nick. Eventually, everything got fine and they started having normal conversation.
Nick was definitely excluded from the first conversation as they gossiped about their friends. He just sat back and browsed his phone until they decided to change the subject. It just so happened that the subject changed over to him.
"So Nick," Judy called over to him, getting him to glance up from his phone, "What's it like in the city?" She asked almost a little to enthusiastically. Nick didn't notice, but everyone else had knowing smiles on.
"I mean, I guess it's okay," he started, not really knowing what to say. "It does have its own beauty to it depending on where you are and when your there. Tundra Town during Christmas is definitely worth seeing, and Downtown during the night is just breathtaking," Nick explained. He never realized just how amazing the city he lived in actually is. He guesses living where he does just happens to put a little damper on his opinion of the place. That, and a few other reasons.
"How about the animals there?" she inquired. Nick wondered why she wanted to know all this, but guesses she was planning to go to college there or something.
"I'm not really the one you should be asking about the animals there fluff," he half-heartedly laughed. There were few he liked and could trust, then there were all the rest. Judy looked quizzically at him, wondering what it was that he meant.
"Most animals I meet are, for lack of a better word, jerks. You thought I was mean to you when we first met, just try being a fox living in Zootopia," he scoffed.
"What do you mean?" Skye asked, since she herself was a fox, and she was actually thinking of going to college in Zootopia.
"You guys must have it good here?" Nick wondered aloud, all but McCabe wondering what he was going on about. McCabe has been to the city, being there for college, and has experiences in what Nick is talking about. But he hasn't experienced it in the degree of Nick. Preds get treated unfairly all the time, then just add a fox in there and you give the perfect thing to hate.
"There's a clean line between prey and preds. The city loves to advertise that it's the best place to live for diversity, which is only half right. You'll definitely find a wide variety of mammals there's no doubt about that, but the tolerance level for everyone is usually pretty low," Nick chuckled. "Being a predator is bad enough, but being a fox is like frosting on a cake. I'm usually seen as a thief, liar, untrustworthy, and so many other things." Nick hadn't noticed, but he started going on a bit of a rant. This was everyday life for him that he'd gotten used to by now, but the others seemed to be shocked. Sure, preds and preys tend to have their differences around here, but they were mostly friendly with each other.
"Not to be rude, but isn't that exactly what you did to Judy?" Jack pointed out.
"Yah, and I've done it dozens of times before that," Nick admitted, "But I've been called these things way before I did those things. That's why I started in the first place. If that's how the world's going to view me, why not give them what they want?" He finished, taking a sip of the drink he'd gotten mid-rant from one of the servers.
"Well, aren't you just a downer," McCabe nervously chuckled after an awkward pause.
"She asked," he shrugged. Judy had on a blank expression, and none of her friends could really tell what she was thinking. They decided it be best to change the subject and get off the topic of 'that'. Nick saw that he was making them uncomfortable and decided to go along with the change.
"So McCabe, do you have anyone special in your life?" Skye asked. This snapped Judy back into reality as this was an interesting topic between the friends. All of them eyed the wolf expectantly. McCabe just gave off a frustrated sigh.
"I swear, I can't be held responsible for what I do to all of you if you keep this up," he told them threateningly. This had been going on since almost day one of their friendship. Of course, only knowing these animals for a very short time, Nick had no clue what they were talking about.
"Could someone please fill me in on what's up with McCabe and his love life?"
McCabe was about to answer that question, but before he could the booming voice of Boris rang in their ears and the boar walked up to their table and passed out their food. For the prey, it was a large plate of fruit salad, which the rabbits looked at hungrily. Then for the preds, it was a very delicious smelling bug burger. Nick awed at the size of the thing, never seen a burger that big before, and the smell was almost intoxicating to him. He saw the other two predators chomping down on their food, so he decided to join them. As he bit down into the burger, he felt himself get carried away in the flavor. Never had he tasted anything that good. Nothing in Zootopia, no matter how fancy, could compare to this.
"Aww, Boris knew you'd like it. I could see it moment you walk in. You are welcome here anytime," he smiled and walked away. Nick never knew he could meet someone who seemed so happy.
"Anyway," McCabe said with his mouthful. He swallowed down his food and continued, "What I was going to say before I WAS RUDELY INTERUPTED," he shouted over at Boris, who in return replied saying something in Russian that no one understood. "These morons, for whatever reason, seem to think that I'm gay," he revealed. Nick took a shard breath in and nearly chocked on his food because he was trying to laugh. McCabe growled softly and rolled his eyes.
"You never did date anyone in High School," Jack pointed out.
"I didn't have to, dating is pointless in High School," he defended himself.
"And your lack of talking to girls?" Skye prodded.
"I had a lack of talking to anyone, thank you very much," he crossed his arms, "I'm not gay, alright. Besides, my days of loneliness are over. I have a girlfriend." He grinned, causing all of their jaws to drop, except for Nick who was still trying to contain his laughter, and failing horribly.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Judy playfully mocked.
"So who's the unlucky girl?" Skye teased, getting a glare from the lupine.
"Her name is Abby, I met her up at college a few months ago. We went on a few dates and then we decided to make it a thing." McCabe explained with a soft smile. He didn't want to admit it to any of them, but this girl was o e of the best things to happen to him.
"So, what's she like?" Judy asked intrigued.
McCabe looked down at his phone for a second and saw the time. "How's about I tell you when we get to the fire, it's time to start heading over there," he pointed out.
Everyone let out a fake disappointed groan, wanting to hear more about McCabe's personal life. Nick looked at McCabe wondering if he had heard him right. Did he just say something about a fire? He shrugged and guessed it was something they did around here, considering there was barley anything else.
They all pages for their meals and got into their respective vehicles, then drove for about thirty minutes way into the backcountry miles away from anyone else. When they got to where they wanted to be, Nicks gaze fell on the giant stack of wood that was stacked about five feet into the air.
"Holy hell, what's with the huge stack?" Nick wondered aloud.
"What, never been to a bonfire before city boy?" Judy asked playfully, bounding up from behind him.
"The only fires I see are from homeless mammals trying to stay warm," he said, receiving unquestioning looks from the others. He wasn't to phased from their looks.
It was now dark with only the moon illuminating their surroundings. Nick, Judy, Skye, and Jack were all day down on logs as they watched McCabe dump gasoline all over the wood. Nick didn't think that was too safe, but none of the others seemed to be worried about it, so he assumed they've done this before. McCabe tossed aside the now empty gas can and held of a box of matches.
"Let there be fire," he shouted, striking a match and throwing it at the pile. Immediately, the wood became engulfed in flames and a wave of heat blasted from it.
"Finally, I've been looking forward to this all day," Judy sighed contently, getting a collective nod from the group.
"So, now that we're here, you mind telling us about your girley friend," Skye teased, as he walked and sat next to them.
"How about before that, we talk about your relationship?" McCabe averted to her. Skye tensed up and started looking nervous.
"I- I have n-no idea what you're t-talking about," she stuttered, only causing him to smile wider.
"Really? Well before I go on, I'll give you a lesson about wolves. We have a very acute sense of smell, and I'm able to smell individuals scents very clearly, and you have a certain someone's scent so over you," he lectured, getting Skye to tense up more and more. No one was paying attention to him, but Jack was also becoming increasingly stressed.
"So I ask, how long were you two going to keep your relationship a secret?" McCabe asked at Skye and Jack. Judy's eyes widened and looked at the two.
"Is he serious?" She asked.
The two looked at each other shyly and nodded their heads. "Yah, it's true," they said taking hold of each other's paws.
Judy squealed in delight and bounced over to the two. "I knew you'd two would make a good couple. When did this happen?"
"Remember when we stopped fighting?" Jack asked, "It was a little after that. When we actually started hanging out, we found that we had a lot more in common and we just got it off." Judy seemed to be very happy for the two, and McCabe was just happy with himself, but the couple didn't seemed nervous still.
"Please don't tell anyone," Jack pleaded to them. "You know how animals around here can be with stuff like this. The only reason we admitted it to you guys is because we know how you guys are."
Judy and McCabe nodded. "Of course you guys, we wouldn't want to put you in any trouble," Judy insisted.
"Thanks, we knew we could trust you guys. It's just terrifying, you know. Couples like us don't tend to get treated good." Everyone knew what they were talking about. There's a lot of things mammals find to hate.
"Now, back to you McCabe," Skye said, deflecting it back to him. McCabe said fine and was going to tell them, when his phone started to ring. He took it out and smiled at seeing who it was.
"Speak of the devil," he said, "I've got to take this." He stood up and walked back over to the truck and hopped in.
"So much for that," Skye sighed in disappointment. She really wanted to prod into his love life. It was a few minutes of nothing that got her to stand up. "I'm board," she stated, grabbing Jack by the arm and pulling him towards her car. "We'll be back," she said. Jack just looked back at them and gave a shrug. That just left Nick and Judy alone by the raging fire.
"Sooo , what do you think they're doing?" Nick asked with a little laugh. Judy looked a little disgusted, but ended up laughing too.
"Hopefully nothing they'll regret," Judy said.
"Hey, Carrots, can I ask you something?" Judy looked over at Nick wondering if he was talking to her.
"Did you just call me carrots?" she asked.
"Yah, I guess I did. I tend to give all my friends little Nick names. It's just a thing I do," he told her.
"Oh, so what's McCabe's, I've never hear you call him anything" she asked.
"Yah, I called him midnight once, and he got really pissed and said if I called him that again he'd rip my tail off. So I decided to stick with McCabe," he chuckled, also getting a laugh from Judy.
"Yah, McCabe can get a bit violent at times. His past can explain that," she said. Nick nodded knowingly.
"Anyway, I wanted to ask you why your so intrigued with Zootopia?"
"Oh, that," she said a little shyly. "Well, your probably going to laugh at me, but I really want to be a cop there," she said beaming with pride. To say Nick was surprised would be an understatement. His first natural reaction was wanting to laugh at such a silly thought. Come on, a bunny being a police officer is such a large city, shed get killed within a week. But just the look on her face told him how important it was to her. So he suppressed the laugh and decided to ask her about it.
"Well, it's actually been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I would wear around this police costume and pretend all the time. And I was harassed badly for it," she chuckled at the memories. "No one believes that I can do it, and I have to admit I do have my doubts at time, but I've always told myself I was going to make it no matter what." Still, this rabbit continued to amaze him. As she continued on telling him about her past troubles with her dream, Nick thought back to that one night that shaped his entire life. He'd given up hope that night, and this bunny had gone through a similar ordeal yet she managed to push through. This was some rabbit.
"So Yah, when I graduate I plan on going to the academy and hopefully make it through."
"I hope you do that," Nick told her, being one hundred percent sincere. Judy gave a look of joy hearing him say that. It was the first time she told someone that and they didn't immediately laugh in her face.
Nick felt something as he sat there with Judy, he pushed it aside as a feeling of admiration for her, considering everything she has done and what she plans to achieve; it's impressive. But deep down he could tell, it was something a little more than that.