Chapter 11: A warrior Above Others
We don't see Leo again till we reach Bunnyburrow. And when we do, he looks like everything's been sucked out of him. Pale, eyes hallow and skin cold. He says nothing, leading us down to Judy's home as stealthily as we can go. Half way there, Karai slips her hand into Leo's and they run side by side. Raph is eyeing them but I can see he's focused on more than that.
We stop in front of Judy's home in the field of tall grass. We stand in two rows, shoulder to shoulder. Karai's hand does not leave Leonardo's. She turns to him and gives him the plea we all are thinking, "Leo, please don't do this."
"There's always another way," Raphael whispers.
Leonardo reaches up and grabs Raph's face, making him look at him. "Raph, you are everything to me," he looks at the rest of us with a sad smile, "you all are." Then he returns to Karai and says a few words in Japanese. I know these words because Leo's said them to his father and brothers many times and even once for me. I love you.
Karai barley sniffs and says she loves him back.
Leonardo takes a deep breath, exhales and says, "Let's go."
My steps are slow as I exit the field. I fear looking up to seeing the nightmare ahead. That feeling shatters when I see Judy so close to me, shaking. I reach down and take her paw. Judy looks up at me, tears in her eyes, then straight ahead. Her small paw in mine gives me the courage to look up. The minute I do, I feel sick.
Ninjas surround Judy's house completely. The house is barley visible. Half are holding weapons while the other half holds bunnies. Feet from us is the big, bad Shredder. He's holding Tara while the Tiger feet away from him is holding both of Judy's parents.
We stop and look at the war ahead of us till Leo slips his hand out of Karai's and marches halfway between our small group and the Foot.
Shredder joins him, Tara in the crook of his arm. Judy's hand tightens on mine. I squeeze hers, letting every emotion attacking me go into that small squeeze.
After a moment of silence, Shredder snorts, "You have a habit of bring civilians into your trouble, boy."
"Only cause you make me," Leo hisses.
"Yes, well, on my way out of Zootopia, I couldn't help but notice this sweet girl wearing a necklace that could only have belonged to you and you're rabbit friend."
"Let my sister go," Judy growls quite menacingly to my surprise.
The monster eyes narrow, "In due time."
Leo extends his arms," I'm here, Saki. We're here. Do as you may. Let them go. Or do you have no honor."
That touches a nerve in Saki. His eyes show fury, but he moves slowly, holding the struggling, gaged Tara out to him. "If you want here, take her."
Leo immediately snags Tara and she clings to him like he's her lifeline. After three attempts with the screaming gaged bunny, Leo is able to unhook her arms from around his neck and shove her over to Judy. Judy lets go of my paw to catch her.
This small second costs Leo greatly. While he's twisted around, the monster brings his knee up and nails Leo in the gut. The loudest crack pierces the air and Leo lets out an agonized scream.
"LEO!"
We rush forward, but Shredder stops us when he motions for the ninjas the put knives to the rest of the Hopps families throats.
I'm shaking like a leaf. Mike and Don are shoved up next to Usagii and Karai can't stop hissing. Judys hugs a crying Tara and Raph…he…he looks terrified. I think his knees are going to give out but he's hanging in.
Shredder eyes us, then laughs, "Look at your little army, Leonardo. They are willing to give your life up for a bunch of rabbits. It seems their love is false."
Leo gives no answer. His fingers are digging into the soil. It seems blood is rolling out of his mouth. Shredder kicks him onto his back. We all gasp. Raph immediately turns murderous and I think the rest of us are getting there. Leos' entire plastron is shattered, ripping open his shirt. Shredder smirks at the blood and cuts.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Raph howls.
But the mutant beast picks Leo up by his throat. My brother can't even struggle. He just goes limp. "Well, Raphael, your brother was always in pieces mentally, correct. Let's see what he looks like in pieces physically."
"NO!" We all scream, but Raph's the one who lets out the most agonized, blood-curdling shriek.
Shredder waves his hand and Foot soldier after Foot soldier surround us. The monster says, "Kill them all. I want no witnesses."
Judy's eyes bulge," You're willing to commit mass murder for this!"
Shredder looks at Judy with a look of blood lust. He may not answer verbally but his look gives it away.
"Kill them."
With that command, the ninja's expose their weapons and aim them at our chests. We don't even have time to grab our weapons before they lunge.
BAM!
Everyone, and I mean everyone, yowls and flinches as the brightest light appears above us. Then another and another till they surround this whole house.
"Took him long enough!" Judy yells over the roar of helicopter blades.
"HIM!?" I howl back. Then, from the sky, polar bears fall, guns in hand, Mr. Big's signee strapped to their backs.
I laugh as those bears knock ninja after ninja out, the weapons barley wounding them. Judy you sly rabbit! She called Mr. Big in! He's helping us against-
SHREDDER!
I turn back around right as I see Shredder bolt into the field, not only Leo but Judy in his grasp! And Raph is going after him.
I grab my gun from its holster and chase after them. No one takes my family. Not anymore.
Donatello yells after me, "Nick, what are you doing!? NICK!"
His voice disappears as soon as I enter the field. The stalks block my view from anything. I twitch my ears for Raph's rough breathing and Judy's struggling and even Shredders' heavy steps. I pick the noise up to my west, back toward where we first ran into the Foot.
I run, trying my best to be quiet, to be the silent, sly fox I am. The noise gets louder. There are grunts, which I know are Raph's.
Almost there. Almost there.
"NICK!"
Her agonized voice sends lightning through my heart. My feet send me propelling through stocks, screaming, "Judy! JUDY!"
I bust through into the clearing and stop, my gun slipping from my paws. Raph is under Shredders foot, the mutants claws aimed for his chest. Leo is unconscious, inches from Raph. Raph is gripping Leo's hand like it's his last act of love for his big brother.
And Judy- oh. My. I think I'm gonna die. Everything in me is screaming. The world is spinning. A ringing is sounding in my big ears.
Judy is curled in a ball next to Leo's back. From here I can see blood, blood, blood gushing from her stomach. No. Judy…dying…no…
Then it comes. The burning rage. The uncontrollable hunger for revenge. It boils in my veins till I burst forward, growling like the fox I am.
Shredders' arm barley moves before I kick him in his armored side. He hardly stumbles but it's enough for Raph to get out from under him and get to Leo and Judy. Before Shredder's recovered, I grab the object next to my foot which happens to be Leo's sword by miracle.
Shredder looks me over and laughs, "You really think you can take me on, Fox."
I grip the sword tighter. Leo taught me a few moves but that was almost two decades ago. Despite my lack of skill, I say what I know Leo, Judy, anybody who loves me will tell me to say. "I know I can."
Shredder takes is immediately as a threat. He lunges and I block like a champ! Slowly, Leo's lessons come back through muscle memory. I have never realized how often I've used those lessons, especially in the police academy.
I don't remember many offensive moves but I remember every defensive one I learned. And I use this to my advantage. Shredder is old. He's slowing down and fast. His moves become clumsy, and soon, I have the upper hand. With a strong swipe of my sword to his throat, he falls. I didn't hit him. He merely falls from jerking back.
Raph cheers feet away but I hear the fear in his voice. Judy. My mind whispers. Avenge Judy. Avenge your partner.
I raise the sword above my head, staring the villain right in the eye. Suddenly, I'm a kid again, playing heroes and villains, and I'm standing over the villain ready to kill him. It was always a small smack to the neck. Now, I could decapitate him.
And I almost do, but he opens his bloody, covered up mouth and gurgles, "You won't kill me."
I glower and spit out, "Why wouldn't I?"
"Because," he says so simply, "you're John Wilde's child."
John Wilde.
Everything in me freezes at that name, "Wh-what?"
Shredder kicks me in the gut sending me to my back. Then he retreats into the field with no one to chase after him.
I don't even get the chance to think when a roaring chopper comes over my head, lighting up our part of the field. Raph is holding Leo while trying to stop Judy's gushing wound. I can barely hear him cussing under his breath.
I sprint on all fours to them, then hold Judy till an ambulance and paramedics arrive. The next hour is full of screaming, crying and news cameras trying to get in our faces for good reports. Nobody talks normally. We're all so panicked we can't think.
That name never crosses my mind while I'm in the hospital, comforting Judy's parents and my brothers comforting each other. All I think is Judy "Carrots" Hopps and Hamato Leonardo.
Live. My heart pounds deep inside me as we all wait for news for villains and heroes. Live.
