Undercurrents - a Zootopia FanFic by The Cubist
A/N - Things are going to be getting a little steamy up in this fic from here on in. For the squeamish, the goal is not to be explicit - but this story will be working for its M rating. If you'd be comfortable watching an R-rated movie, you'll find nothing offensive here.
Also, I'd like to make a small plea and thank you for reviews – I appreciate them greatly.
Thanks as always to fairlane302 for his advice and editing!
Feel free to ignore all {soundtrack suggestions}. All music can be found on YouTube, and a curated playlist can be found at
tinyurl com/undercurrentsmusic
Use a period rather than a space.
{Stone Temple Pilots - Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart}
Nick had met an awful lot of mammals in his life, and there weren't many who would've called him honest.
Still, he at least had the wherewithal to admit to himself when he'd gotten something wrong.
And good god had he been wrong about today being easier than yesterday.
It'd started out with a terrible night of sleep interspersed with the kinds of dreams Nick couldn't remember having since puberty - the sort of torrid, explicitly sexual stuff that could only be dreamed up by a brain positively drowning in hormones. Of course they'd all been about Judy - Judy dancing so close she was practically on him; Judy stripping off her clothes in front of him; Judy in heat, pouting; Judy teasing him to the point that he ached; Judy surrendering herself to him… on and on, waking up over and over: Judy, Judy, Judy. He'd even gotten out of bed that morning completely aroused - which hadn't happened to him (without a female to trigger it, at least) in almost 20 years.
And the mammal who had his libido so ratcheted up, his hormones so ragingly out of whack - was in the driver's seat of their cruiser, practically within arms reach. The tension between them had sprung up again as soon as they were in the same room at work, and had just gotten more unignorable. Her scent was strong in his sensitive nose - she smelled sort of nervous, he thought. Gosh, she was beautiful - warm grey fur, voluptuous hips; delicate, velvety ears… Nick had never been with a lapin lover, and he was eager - so eager - to try. He was so wrapped up in desire for her that he'd almost forgotten his fear of life bonding.
"Ummm, Nick…"
"Uhubbawha? Ahem. Yeah?"
"...You've been staring at me for the last 5 minutes."
"What? Me? No, no I wasn't. I was watching the scenery!"
"Out of my window?"
"Y-yeah…?" Nick said. 'That's a pathetically lame excuse for an amateur,' he thought, feeling embarrassed - but apparently not embarrassed enough to derail his addled brain from focusing completely on his object of desire.
Judy pulled up to a stop light and looked over at Nick. He was still staring at her, looking… hungry. His eyes seemed a little glassy, and there were circles under them - he looked exhausted. Which, if her frustrating night was anything to go on, meant he probably hadn't gotten much sleep, either. As she watched him, his tongue drooped down out the side of his slightly open jaws, wavering slightly as he panted.
"Nick!" Judy hissed at him. He blinked, his eyes focusing, and sucked his tongue back in.
"...Yeah?" he asked at length.
"Snap out of it! We're on patrol!"
Nick shook his head fiercely, ears flapping. "Yeah. Yeah, we are. Right," he said, and turned to look out his window on the passenger side, resting his head on his right paw.
Which of course gave Judy the perfect opportunity to stare at Nick. Her eyes traced the elegant curve where his jawline flowed into his neck. The pull of his uniform shirt around his lean, muscled shoulders. His tail, puffed and tense, twitching on the seat next to him. His spicy musk, swirling into her sinuses, tickling her arousal and spiking the sexual tension she could feel between them.
She saw his eyes flick forward, then over to glance at her.
"Uh. Carrots?"
"Yes?"
"It's green."
Judy jumped slightly, looked forward with a blush creeping up her ears, and took off from the light.
Judy wasn't bothered that the handsome, lean, strong fox tod she wanted to- that she liked, was looking at her. It gave her a thrill to be stared at so longingly, almost possessively - as if she was the only thing in the world he could see. And the way he looked at her was hungry in an almost… predatory sense. Which wasn't scary to Judy; it added to her excitement in a breathless sort of way. She trusted Nick, knew he would never hurt her. What she didn't trust was herself in this moment.
Unbeknownst to her, Judy's night had been just as bad, and her morning equally rough as Nick's - not that she'd admit it to him if she did know. She'd rushed out of the Precinct the day before because she'd found herself so physically wound up that she was worried she'd be unable to restrain herself if she saw Nick. Judy had spent about an hour "working" on herself that evening trying to burn off her excitement, and eventually, after turning herself into a hot mess, she'd succumbed to exhaustion. Her night after had been a sheet-knotting series of steamy dreams starring Nick, which had left her just as aroused when she woke up as she had been when she left for home the day before - a zero sum game.
Judy was at a loss - she couldn't remember her libido ever going this crazy without a partner present to cause it. And while Nick might have been here, now, it didn't explain the night before. In her current state she felt as if it would take but a touch from him to transform her absurd levels of mental arousal to physical.
Then Judy ran a red light. Nick noticed immediately - but Judy, lost in thought, seemed not to.
"Judy?"
"Huh?"
"You just blew through that red."
Judy blinked, trying to engage her brain. "I… did?"
"You're kidding me. You didn't see it?"
She shook her head, an extremely distressed expression on her face. "...I guess it was empty?"
Nick nodded. "We got lucky. Very lucky. Um… I think I should drive, maybe?"
"No, I'm good."
"...Are you?"
Judy was quiet for a moment, then made a distressed sound. "No… No I'm not. I think you should probably drive," she said, and pulled over. She and Nick switched seats; Judy hopped into the passenger side while Nick adjusted the driver's seat to 'medium size' before getting in. He put the cruiser in gear and pulled back into traffic, shoulders drawn tense from the field of attraction he could practically feel emanating from Judy.
A tense silence fell over them. Nick turned right onto Damcrest Drive, the street that marked the edge of their patrol area, so he could loop back north. They both jumped when the radio crackled to life:
"Dispatch to available R.D. units: Backup, 10-25. 12 vehicle 10-50 PD, PI Westbound Amazoon Expressway at Vine."
Judy had flipped on the siren and flashers before the dispatcher had even finished the call, and was reaching for the radio when Nick moved to intercept her paw with his own. Judy positively flinched away from the contact.
"Judy. That's halfway across the city and way out of our patrol."
Judy held her left paw in her right, as if it were stung. Nick turned off the lights and siren, and glanced over to Judy. "Did you even hear what broadcast was?"
She turned his question over in his head, and found she couldn't remember. All she could recall was wanting something - anything - to distract her from his presence in the cruiser. She buried her face in her paws.
Nick saw her embarrassment plainly. It was sort of early, but they weren't getting anything done in this state, so he asked: "How about we get some lunch?"
Judy nodded weakly, her ears drooping as their eyes briefly met and sparks shot between them. She grabbed the radio and keyed the mic:
"Dispatch, Car Zulu 240. Going 10-7."
"Car 240, Dispatch. 10-4."
"Where do you want to go?" Judy asked.
"I don't care. You pick."
Judy looked around outside the cruiser, barely noticing where they were at. "How about there?" she said, pointing at a sushi bar coming up on the right. Nick glanced over, following Judy's arm and carefully avoiding looking at her otherwise.
"You sure? It's going to be a disappointment…"
"I'm sure. And I'm buying. I still owe you for Saturday."
"Whatever you say, Carrots."
"What do you want?"
"Um… a poke bowl would be good."
"Po-kay bowl? What's that?"
"Like a… raw fish salad. Sort of. It's Pawaiian."
"Oh..."
Nick chuckled. "If you're not sure what you want, just get a bentō lunch box. They should offer a herbivore one if you want."
Judy nodded, which Nick did not see as he pulled into the alley nearest to the restaurant Judy had picked. He put the car in park as she jumped out.
As the door closed behind Judy, Nick let out a long, strained sigh.
Was it possible she just didn't know how much of a temptation she was, just sitting next to him? Thinking back to how effortlessly she'd beguiled him Saturday night at the bar when she switched their drinks, Nick was pretty sure she did. Not that that made it any easier. Judy wasn't doing anything intentional. His… hind brain just wanted her too much.
Before he could get a handle on it, Nick's train of thought fell over a precipice: he found himself consumed by thoughts of Judy in ever increasingly erotic states. Like being buried in an avalanche, the onslaught of lust-fueled images filled his senses with white noise. The real world fell behind a cottony blanket - the noise of a car door opening barely registered, until that voice cut into his lust addled brain and merged in with his fantasies.
With takeout in hand, Judy walked back to the cruiser. She was so frustrated by the morning - living her dream, working in the city at the job she wanted, and stupid Nick was all she could think about - like the moon eclipsing the sun of her life. She was shocked she hadn't felt her heat start yet, as twitterpated as she felt.
Judy pulled open the cruiser door and Nick's scent blasted out at her. Her response to it halted her in her tracks; she felt her heartbeat begin to speed as the tension in her shoulders melted away. She wrenched herself back into motion, climbing up and pulling the bag of take-out with her. She saw Nick tense slightly, but he didn't respond otherwise. Judy placed the take out bag to her right and opened it up, taking out Nick's order. She held it out to him.
"Nick. Here's your lunch."
He didn't respond. She turned to look at him.
"Nick! Your food."
{Gary Numan - I Am Dust}
As if he was in a trance, Nick slowly looked over to her, right into her eyes. She saw the pupils in his lovely green eyes dilate, his nostrils flare - and suddenly he was across the car, pinning her fore-paws against the window, kissing her as Judy moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Liquid heat poured into her belly as Nick pulled off her flack vest. She curled her paws into his chest fur as she undid his shirt buttons, their tongues and lips dancing in torrent of warmth and lust. Judy pulled herself harder against him, as if unable to be close enough. Nick's right paw, having finished opening Judy's vest, hooked into the upright collar of her bodysuit and yanked the neckline open. Where his claws trailed across her shoulder, they left behind fiery, tingling lines of sensation. Judy reflexively tilted her head to give Nick better access.
Releasing her mouth, Nick licked and kissed his way down her jawline to her neck. Then he growled, deep in his throat, and leaned back to look into Judy's eyes. She saw the ferocity in his eyes, the look of a hunter who had cornered his quarry; her eyes widened as she found she couldn't quite beat back the faintest tremble of fear. Then he snarled, and his snout snapped down, seizing Judy by her neck and left trapezius. She yelped in surprise, then positively melted and moaned out as the gentle pressure-almost-pain of Nick's teeth burned spots of intense pleasure into her brain. She could feel Nick growling - deep, and almost inaudible - when it suddenly transformed into a purr, almost like a feline. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, his tongue lapping at her neck inside his jaws, as she breathed in his scent. His paws moved, one gently stroking her ears, the other cupping her butt, supporting her weight. Judy shivered in pleasure. The warmth in her stomach began flowing lower to pool in her core and radiate out, suffusing her body in a languid heat. She moved her left paw further down Nick's body under his shirt, stroking his skin under the russet fur of his right side with her blunt claws.
It was just then that Judy happened to open her eyes and look left, catching a moose walking by the alley's opening behind the cruiser.
All of the burgeoning warmth inside her snap-froze into ice.
"Nick, stop," she said.
Nick growled subaudibly again, and tightened his jaws just a little. Judy shivered and let out a pleased gasp, and then hit him in the ribs.
"Nick, you have to stop. We're in public! We're in uniform and someone could see us!"
Nick's eyes finally focused as he snapped back to reality. He released his jaws and shook his head, drawing in a heaving breath, like a mammal coming up for air in the ocean. He sat back on his haunches in the too-large seat, creating some separation between them. He looked dazed to Judy, who was velcroing her vest back together.
"Hwooo…" Nick breathed out.
"Yeah," Judy agreed, then said, "Your shirt…" while pointing at the buttons she'd pulled apart.
Nick shook his head again, in a very canid manner, trying to get his mind put together. Then he started to button up his shirt.
"...Sorry."
Judy smiled. "It's ok."
"You're kidding."
"It's alright. Really."
"Um. I… bit you."
"And you didn't unbutton your own shirt. It's ok, Nick. I promise."
Nick continued to look abashed and a little mortified, as he found his take-out bowl on the center console behind him, then shifted his weight back. Judy stopped him before he could move back to the driver's seat.
"Come here," she said, and patted a spot in front of where she was crouched on the passenger seat, leaning against the passenger door. Nick gave her a questioning glance, and she smiled in response. Nick cautiously sat back down, legs forward and Judy plunked down onto her butt, throwing her legs over Nick's and scooting closer to his torso. Judy turned to find her miraculously undisturbed lunch and brought it to her lap.
"I'm sorry, Judy. I don't know what came over me."
Judy giggled. "I wouldn't mind if it came over you again, Slick. Y'know, somewhere more private."
Nick froze, his poke bowl in paw. "You… enjoyed that?"
Judy shivered a little against him, and said, "I did. This is totally the wrong time and place, but I probably would've had trouble wanting to stop you if it hadn't been."
A delighted grin slowly grew into place on Nick's muzzle.
"Well. Okay, then," he said, and pulled the top off of the takeout bowl in his paws. Judy spotted what looked like a mash of raw tuna, rice, and lettuce.
"Oh geez. I dropped that, sorry."
Nick laughed. "You didn't do anything; poke always looks like this." He glanced at Judy's lap, where she was opening up a flat box. It revealed a divided tray with a half dozen different, small dishes - including some raw fish. Judy tucked in.
"You were right. It's not as good," she said after a few bites.
"Told you."
"It's not bad, just not as good."
After a few companionable minutes of shared sushi consumption, Nick looked up and blinked in surprise.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"That… tension, is gone."
Judy cocked her head. "Huh. It is!"
"Of course, we are touching each other right now…"
"Oh, hush," Judy said, and batted him on the shoulder.
Frustratingly, it had turned out Nick was right - after they finished lunch and moved back to their respective seats in the car, the electricity between them sprung up almost as strong as before. The afternoon became a blur of simply driving around their patrol area, being visible, and doing their best to ignore the intense distraction they caused each other. It was a completely boring day - to the extent that they could concentrate on it. More than likely, a number of lucky mammals got away with moving violations that day.
Amazingly they made it to the end of their shift without any further incidents - and without anything to report, their desks would be miraculously clear of paperwork. Nick parked the car, and Judy, somewhat anxiously, moved quickly to leave. The feeling between them peaked and surged as she moved farther away from Nick. Running on a hunch, he spoke up:
"Judy?"
"Yeah?" she asked, sounding relieved, pausing with her paw on the open door.
"Would… would you like to come over tonight?" he asked her. "I could give you a ride," he said, and hooked a thumb at his car, which he had driven to work again that day.
Judy hesitated, a worried expression on her face. "Are you sure?"
"I…" Nick paused. He thought again about how his unknown physiology might lock them both into a situation they may have no escape from. Then he thought of nights he'd had in the past, vixens he'd satisfied, without putting himself - or them - into a difficult situation. He nodded.
"I'm sure."
Judy's face bloomed into a warm smile, dawn breaking after a gloomy night. "Okay," she said.
Nick smiled back, a genuine, relaxed grin of eager delight.
And like that, the anxious force pushing them towards each other was gone. Their attraction remained; but the physical need to get closer ebbed away as soon as they knew they'd have personal time together soon.
Judy giggled, and stepped down to the ground, closing the door behind her. Nick followed suit. Judy hesitated outside the cruiser, before abruptly turning and starting towards where Nick's car was parked. Nick stopped her with a question:
"Not even going to check your desk?"
Judy turned her head and gave him the most deliciously devilish grin. "It can wait. I'm… eager to leave today."
Nick's tail began churning the air behind him as his mouth lolled open in a canine grin. He darted ahead of her to reach his car first, and was inside and had it running before she reached the door handle.
Judy looked around the small garage/work area Nick parked his car in, making note of all the tools and equipment he had neatly tucked away in the space.
"All of this for one car?" she asked.
"Yup," he replied. "I've thought about getting another project to work on, but the timing was never right."
Nick circled around the car and wrapped his arms around Judy's shoulders. He kissed her head between her ears and said, "But that's not what's on my mind right now."
Judy turned inside his arms and kissed him on the lips, the kiss swiftly deepening until they were both out of breath and reaching to take off clothing. Judy broke away, chest heaving, and said, "Maybe we should get back to your apartment."
Nick's eyes took a moment too long to focus on her, his mind elsewhere with her in his arms and his nose full of her scent. "Uh, right. Yeah. I'm just down the street," he said, and stepped outside, waiting for Judy to exit to pull the steel roller door down and padlock it. Judy reached out to take his paw as they walked the few blocks to Nick's apartment building, digits intertwined.
As they walked, Judy tried to think of something to ask the newly-willing-to-disclose tod whose paw she held, but the butterflies of excitement in her stomach were far too distracting - as was the desire to pin him to the nearest available wall and kiss him silly. She giggled and skipped.
Nick looked down at her as she bounced, delight and restrained hunger in his eyes. He didn't think this was a mistake - more of an inevitability, given just how physically attracted to Judy he felt - but that didn't make it any less anxiety provoking. He tried to think of something to say to her, racking his mind for words that would fit the situation - but the walk was too brief and the sly fox's brain too addled by the bunny next to him to produce anything useful. All too soon the entrance to his building was in front of them, and Nick had to dig out his keys.
The stairs in his apartment building were worn, creaking wood, the varnish almost completely rubbed away in the middle of the treads, but they didn't shift around under footpaw like they did at Judy's place. They made the climb up to the sixth floor, around the corner, and to Nick's dark painted door. He unlocked it, stepped inside, and held the door for Judy. Once she stepped in he pushed the door closed, locked it, and turned to face his apartment.
That was when Judy launched herself at him. Nick's back and head hit his door with a thump, Judy's lips pressed against his in a heated kiss. Her paws were twisted into his collar, her knees against his chest, as Nick blinked in surprise at her sudden action. After a few moments he began kissing her back, his paws moving to support her weight. She wrapped her strong legs around his waist as he put his arms under her.
"Are bunnies- always this- forward?" Nick gasped out between kisses.
Judy leaned back, looking into his eyes. "Nick… I feel like I'm going crazy… I can't remember ever wanting any mammal as much as I want you right now," she said.
"I always knew I drove you nuts," Nick said as he staggered towards the bedroom. Once inside he turned around and sank down onto the bed. Judy leaned back, her weight falling more into his lap. Nick took the opportunity to pull off her flak vest as she untucked his shirt. He lifted his arms to pull it off, shaking his head, and she buried her face in his chest fur, breathing in his scent, scratching her blunt claws into his back and side. Nick could smell how aroused she was - the scent had just been growing stronger since she'd pounced on him at the door. He took one of her ears gently into his mouth, running his muzzle up and down it's length. Judy's breath caught, distracted, as she unbuckled his belt and worked on getting his pants off. Then she heard an uncharacteristically frustrated growl from Nick.
Judy leaned back again, Nick's teeth meeting with a soft snap as her ear was pulled from his mouth. Nick's paws were at the zipper fold of her one piece. He'd undone it, but found it only made a hole big enough to wriggle out of - not one suitable for another mammal to remove the thing from the wearer. She giggled and pushed off the bed, standing up so she could undress. Nick followed suit, stepping behind her to hang his service belt on a hook. He pulled off his pants and underwear, took a deep breath, and turned around.
{Hans Zimmer -Rain (Blade Runner 2049 OST)}
Judy was standing between him and the bed. She was nude, clasping her paws in front of her. She looked nervous, but Nick could easily see and scent how excited she really was - the flush of her upright ears, her fast beating heart, her twitching nose. The sight of the beautiful creature before him made his heart feel as if it were swelling - a choking, almost sad tightening of his throat. She was ethereal and brave, a vision too delicate for the world. He wanted to protect her, cherish her, show her how much her light filled his heart, pushing away shadows in the dark corners.
"Well…" she said, with a nervous little smile, "this is me."
She watched Nick look her over. The warmth he had been nibbling at, encouraging, the past few days had finally blossomed in Judy; a languid heat had suffused her body. A faint flow of air moved through her fur like a caress, so sensitive was her skin in that moment. He seemed so present, as if he glowed, stood out from reality. She knew he must be anxious. She could see Nick was as excited as she was - his shallow panting, his hackles raised, his tail puffed out and swaying behind him; and another, more obvious sign between his legs. He was big - possibly not for a fox; definitely compared to her - but not terrifyingly so. She could imagine how he would fill her and was taken slightly aback by just how strongly she suddenly wanted him to.
"You're beautiful," he said, sounding like he'd just discovered a secret treasure. A smile grew onto Judy's face.
Nick stepped closer to her, putting his paws on her shoulders. He drew them together and kissed her. His paws began exploring as hers came up to his chest. She let out a moan as one of his paws went back to her ever-sensitive ears, while the other trailed a claw slowly down her spine, ending the tingling line down her back by grasping the twitching tuft of her tail. Judy gasped against Nick's lips when she felt his digits grip her tightly.
"Good?" he asked.
"Very," she said, her paws trailing designs his chest.
Nick moved his snout across Judy's cheek and down her neck: kissing, nibbling, and licking his way to where it met her shoulder. He marveled at the feel of her velvety fur against his, the play of her muscles under his ministrations. Then for the second time that day, he leaned lower and gently bit the curve of Judy's neck. She let out a cry of pleasure, shivering against him as she felt the pressure of fox teeth against her skin.
Nick had almost forgotten his earlier worries about the night when he suddenly felt Judy's paw grasp him down below. With a renewed surge of anxiety, he used his grip on her neck and his greater size to maneuver them onto the bed, laying her down and pulling himself out of her reach. She let out a pitiful sounding moan as he released her neck. Inch by inch he trailed his snout down her body, kissing and licking as he went. In the face of her almost blinding physical need, Judy responded strongly to seemingly small touches.
His paws and claws stroked and held her as he drifted down her curvaceous, toned form, pausing on the swell of her bust, her flat tummy; before he finally knelt back between her legs. Paws on her knees, he gently pushed her thighs open. Her scent, strong and intoxicating, filled his nose, and he leaned down to give her a different kind of kiss.
Judy jumped slightly when his cold, wet nose bumped her, but it was quickly replaced by the warmth of his tongue. Judy had worried over what it would be like to be with Nick almost since she'd figured out she was interested in him - his anatomy was surely sized to fit his frame, not hers. But his tongue - oh his tongue! She'd never given much thought to the things one could do with a vulpine tongue, but Nick was giving her a most amazing introduction to the possibilities their size difference could create. She moaned in pleasure, writhing, her paws knotting into the blankets beneath her. After the past few days it took very little to push Judy to her peak, and she soon cried out, her body tensing and shivering in release.
"Ohhh, Nick…" she moaned, "Oh cheese and crackers… don't stop, please don't stop."
She could feel his breath against her as he chuckled. She didn't know how one mammal's tongue could be in so many places, doing so many things, but she did know she absolutely didn't want it to end.
With patience and gentleness, Nick eased her through the ecstasy of one free fall of pleasure and up the slopes of another, plunging Judy almost too soon back into the storm of euphoria. She gasped and cried out his name, breathless, her legs tensing, toes curling - and still he lapped and stroked her, building the tension immediately back up even as her last release was barely fading.
Her body tensed - it was too much, too fast - she tried, feebly and half-heartedly, to push Nick off. In response he pushed his advantage, delighting in her outsized response to him, how he responded to her pleasure. His paws snaked around her legs, grasping her hips from underneath, and he pulled her closer, his jaws opening wide. Judy felt his teeth on her lower belly; the points of pressure combining with the more intense sensation the closer position offered him to push her over the biggest cliff yet. Her whole body tensed, her legs shaking, and she curled up slightly, her paws seizing on Nick's ears as they came into reach. She felt more than heard a pleased growl from him - and still he did not let up. Again and again he brought her to her fall, vulpine tongue working magic on her. Eventually, in one final seizing, her voice weak from cries of delight, her body went limp.
Nick rose, asking "Judy?"
The only response he got was a whimpering and a listless shifting of weight. She seemed insensate.
Nick chuckled, and then found himself increasingly aware of his own problem. Still nervous about the potential consequences, he quietly stepped away to the bathroom, to take care of himself.
Judy drifted back into awareness as Nick picked her up, pulled back the bedding, set her down, and slipped into the bed behind her. She squeaked and yawned, feeling pleasantly rubbery and soft, completely relaxed, and let out a happy sigh as she scooted back to curl up against his chest. One of his paws came down to hold her, and the other circled up from beneath, pulling her close. Nick's tail curled up in front of her, which she happily took into her paws. She could hear and feel Nick purring against her back. He was right in the place he was supposed to be.
Judy's weight settled against him, and her breathing slowed and evened out in Nick's embrace. There was no hollow - she was present, bringing with her a sense of complete serenity in his mind. She slept in his arms, a potent soporific if there ever was one. Barely awake and swiftly drifting off, Nick nuzzled Judy between her ears and mumbled out, almost incoherently, "I think I might be in love with you, Carrots..."
In her sleep, Judy clutched his tail tighter.