A/N: Jeez Louise! Over 70k views, we're now at just over 470 followers, and it keeps on growing! The support has been amazing and I hope you guys like the newest chapter. Reviews!
Vellichor29: There was so many Gary's and John's that had to something different. Fred seemed to work :)
Starfang's Secrets: Hope it wasn't too sad. We'll see some more prejudice about inters later.
Selaxes: What's it for and where did you get it?
Dagonn: Needs his scent but doesn't need to be right next to him. It's just far better for her that way.
VVizrrd: Yeah, 6 months seems excessive to be honest in reality. Ive seen some stories have it at 9, others 3, but I wanted it to be a real test for the two of them and also allow Judy to learn how to deal with her savage instincts and felt that was a good time frame. As for the time away, I also wanted to focus on how Judy's condition can fluctuate so I made it a reverse that she gets to stay when she needs to.
A big admirer of time: I cannot confirm nor deny whether r not a certain idea may have been noticed in another story I have read probably 20 times at one point or another.
RandomNobody37: AHHHH! It was Rob. AHHHHHHH!
Libious: Thanks! I'm always thrilled to see a review from writers that I also enjoy reading.
Cemsay: Not going anywhere, just have trouble with inspiration and a compromised immune system.
akanomie1: You did this to me! Lol. Nah, I enjoy criticism although I hadn't expected 'boring' lol and yes, Jessica is a very bad bunny.
Tamiri-chan: *waves* Hi stalker! Why not both? I'm definitely feeling the both.
doncecxz: Hey, the story has to continue on. Academy can only be there for so long.
PixeLPaladin: Still a bit of a kit but yeah I try to write him as close to his age as possible.
Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps: Turned the sparring over to someone else this chapter. Nick can't have ALL the fun ;)
Disclaimer: Disney found my stories. My team of lawyers say I'll be fine but I don't trust them. I'm pretty sure they're spies. I heard them singing the other day "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to jail he goes."
Chapter 21 - Special guest
*1 month in, 5 Months until graduation*
One of the many benefits of being assigned a past instructor's room was that the window was not required to face the east side allowing the room to remain shrouded for several minutes longer than the tod was used to at home. Judy, his live-in girlfriend/something more eventually, insisted on sleeping with his custom light blocking blinds wide open so that she could wake up with the sun, something Nick, as a nocturnal mammal, despised greatly. While he hated hearing the shrill beeping of his morning alarm, it was far more effective at waking him peacefully than the overpowering light blinding him earlier than he preferred. Of course the past month had trained him to wake several minutes before the alarm, much to his chagrin, however due to the fabulous mattress his bunny lass surprised him with a few days into his training allowed him to get several hours of rest more than the lumpy piece of junk he had been given. Ursula had grudgingly allowed Judy to purchase the new one for her boyfriend with the promise that they would donate it to the Academy for a future instructor down the road, the previous mattress having been several years past it's prime already.
Roused from a very pleasant dream he had been having about the two of them being together by the shrill sound of his phone going off, Nick allowed himself a few more minutes of peace as he blindly slapped at the device next to him while he mentally prepped himself for the day ahead. He feared he had fallen back asleep when he felt silky paws stroke along his cheek and soft lips lightly kissing the tip of his nose. He could almost feel the weight of her pressing down on his chest. He was unwilling to give up his dream even as dream Judy began whispering to him that it was time to wake up. Sadly, he let it slip away from him, regretting that he had to leave her even in the dream world. Opening his eyes, he let the cobwebs clear while he let out a heavy sigh. Strangely, the feelings from his dream did not fade and, as his vision cleared, he realized why, a smile breaking over his muzzle as he took in the sight of his real bunny taking the place of the dream one.
"Good morning, sleepy fox. Sleep well?" she cooed, her twitchy nose meeting his and nuzzling cutely up against him. Smiling softly, the fox wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to his chest, the weighted feeling now making more sense.
"I slept just fine. Although I was having a wonderful dream about a pretty bunny coming to greet me before I woke up. I thought I couldn't get any luckier but then I opened my eyes and she was gone and an even more beautiful bunny had taken her place." Blushing lightly, the fair doe tried to keep a scowl on her face.
"Nicholas Wilde, you better not be dreaming of any other bunnies. You're my fox and I don't share, even if Jessica keeps asking me to." His smile turning into a wicked grin, Nick couldn't help but stir the pot even knowing what was to happen.
"You're sister wanted you to share, huh? Well you know what they say. 'Sharing is caring,' right Fluff? Ow!" Rubbing the now sore spot on his arm, he winked at her to reassure her he was simply joking. "You're the only one for me, bun bun." Judy groaned loudly before burying her face into his chest, her previously raised ears laying down her back in misery. He had been using that nickname off and on ever since he heard her mother over a muzzletime call. She didn't mind it so much from him, like she didn't really mind being called 'cute' by him either, but he tended to overdo it which would eventually set her teeth on edge. Lifting his head, he planted a kiss between her ears eliciting a pleased sigh from the small bunny. "So how come you're so early, Carrots?"
"Can't a girlfriend just want to visit her fox? Do I always have to have some ulterior motive, Slick?" He pressed a claw to his chin, pretending to muse for a few seconds before nodding his head dramatically. Sighing, she giggled before laying her head back down on his chest, listening to his beating heart. "Alright, you got me. I didn't sleep very well and ended up being awake even earlier than normal, if you can believe such a thing. So I came here instead. I was tempted to sleep with you but I only lasted five minutes laying down before you decided to get up."
"Well it's definitely a beautiful thing to wake up to." Raising up, Nick planted a light kiss on her lips before clutching her to his chest and rolling to the side, the two of them cuddling into one another. Feeling his bunny nuzzle into his chest as her paws grasped tufts of his fur, he stroked her ears while a deep rumbling came from within, a pleased smile across his muzzle. "I've missed this."
"We did this just two weeks ago," she giggled, digging her short claws into his side and giving him a good scratch, watching in delight as his leg started thumping up and down of it's own accord. She had discovered that spot during one of their heavy petting sessions and now used it regularly as a way to torture the poor Canid.
"Don't start a...battle...you can't win, Fluff," he said between barks of laughter. Seeing him raise his claws, moving his paw towards her lower back, she snatched her paw from his side and tried to scramble away only to find herself locked in her fox's arms.
"No, Nick! Not that! Anything but that!" Chuckling, Nick slowly brought the tips of his claws to right above the base of her fluffy tail, a look of glee across his face and a glint of mischief in his eyes. Lightly placing them on either side of her short tail, the tod began alternating between dragging his claws through and pinching the soft fur and smooth skin underneath. Judy burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, both hind legs thrashing and kicking out in futility. Only half focusing on the squeaks his bunny was making, Nick waited for a few seconds until the squeaks were replaced by moans, her toes now curling instead of thrashing. They had discovered quite by accident that constant attention to that area would change her mood rather quickly and they decided it would be better utilized once they were alone again in the apartment.
Lifting his paw away, Nick eyed the curve of her hindquarters, enjoying the view of her tight uniform over her rear. Raising one paw, he swiftly brought it down and slapped her on the rump causing Judy to yelp in protest, the feelings she had been enjoying vanishing rapidly. Turning to face what was now enemy number one, the gray doe launched herself at him, landing a few pummels to his shoulder before being caught and hauled into the air.
Nick quickly wrapped his arms around hers, trapping them to her sides to avoid the pain she could inflict upon him. In this position, it would appear to those outside that he was in control. That he held all of the power over her tiny form, though they both knew that with her legs still free it was Judy that controlled the field of play. However, she was never one to enforce that control. In fact, Judy enjoyed the feeling of this predator trapping her. It made her feel safe and protected, something that before she had begun to develop feelings for her fox she would never dream of happening. Letting out an unhappy sigh, Judy struggled against her captor, willing his arms to set her free.
"We have to get ready Nick. Ursula will be calling everyone out in a few minutes and I have a special project to do today." Squirming, she slowly worked her way out of his grasp as he laid there and groaned at the thought of the training that morning. Ursula had promised a grueling day ahead which had prompted every cadet in the yard to groan loudly, earning each of them an extra ten laps the past evening.
"I don't wanna!" he cried out, his tone like that of a spoiled kit. Throwing the covers back over his head, Nick curled up into a ball and pretended to go back to sleep. His facade lasted for only a few seconds as he became aware of a paw sliding under his blanket, questing around until it found it's target. The silky smooth fur that suddenly wrapped around his tail immediately caught his attention, the soft bristles being stroked with enthusiasm by the small paw.
"If you get up and don't complain," she whispered to her fox, "I'll convince Ursula to let me stay over tonight." With a speed that astounded even himself, Nick threw back the covers and bounded from the bed, his tongue dangling as he panted in excitement. Laughing, Judy stood on the bed to be at eye level with the handsome Vulpine. Giving him a quick kiss, she looked at him, a glint of merriment in her eyes, a small smile on her lips. "You know now you don't have an excuse for being lazy in the morning, don't you?"
His jaw falling open, Nick could only stare at his little bunny in bewilderment. "Damn," was all he could mutter. "Sly bunny."
"Dumb fox."
"So how's the Blueberry doing?" Nick inquired, shrugging on his ZPA t-shirt for the day, the material surprisingly comfortable compared to how it appeared.
"I told you, Nick. We are not calling her that. My car is not a blueberry."
"Looks like a blueberry." Grabbing his shorts, Nick struggled to hop into them, nearly falling over several times. "And I'm the blueberry aficionado." Judy shook her head as they rehashed the same old discussion they had every morning since she had bought the small car. It had not been all that hard to find a car dealer, there were several in Zootopia that sold to rabbits. However, it had been infinitely harder to find one that would modify the passenger seat to fit a fox, inevitably leading to several questions from the salesmammals, eventually annoying her to the point of screaming at one of the reps that she was sleeping with said fox. Her efforts were rewarded with a small four-door car that was rather rounded at the top making it look, though she hated to admit it, much like a blueberry.
"Okay, Mr. Aficionado, let's scent my uniform and then you head out onto the field. I expect you to go above and beyond today. I'll see you real soon, alright?" Leaning down to nuzzle their noses together, Judy leapt back with a surprised 'Eep' as Nick licked her nose.
"You got it, Carrots."
June had always been one of Nick's favorite months. Right on the cusp of the seasonal change, the weather was normally dry, unless one lived in the Rainforest District of course, and was favorable to many heavily furred mammals. The occasional breeze was always pleasant, bringing the sweet smell of blossoming wild flowers that would fill the parks. The warmth of summer mixing in made the day-to-day goings on enjoyable, and it was just enough of a temperature boost to make selling pawpsicles easier to those trying to combat the heat, not that he thought of such things anymore.
However, this year the situation had changed. This year June had become his Nemesis, much as May had become last month, and July was soon to follow. Gone were the pleasant breezes that were buffeted away by the surrounding trees and stone walls. No longer did the sweet smell of wild flowers flow along on the air as they were cut down by gardeners each morning. And the mild change in temperature became a raging inferno as the sun beat down on their exposed fur and skin.
Nick had become better conditioned over the last month, his muscles growing and his body strengthening under what he called 'grueling torture', but he had to admit the results were doing wonders for him. Last week had seen him actually completing the morning twenty laps without collapsing into the dirt, something he was immeasurably proud of. With the added heat however, he was finding it very difficult to not pass out. Panting heavily, Nick pushed himself harder, simply trying to complete the run at this point. Unsurprisingly, he saw both Lylah and Tom pass him, already one lap ahead. "Hurry up, Foxy! You're making us look bad," came the familiar greeting of the striped cadet. It was a morning ritual for the trio but it was all in good fun, the three having become relatively close over the weeks prior.
On the last lap, seeing many of his fellow cadets already finished, the red fox dug his claws in deeper, urging his body to make the last lap at a dead sprint, his pride being the only thing his body had left to use. Turning the last corner, the mocking cheers of some of the more arrogant classmates of his became audible, the cheetah, Chad, being among them. Since the first day, he and Chad had developed a large amount of animosity towards each other. Chad was one of the bigots that Nick had gotten used to growing up, ones that wouldn't give a fox the time of day because they were afraid they would steal their watch. Nick for his part, used all of the snark at his disposal to antagonize the feline, hoping to get enough of a rise out of him to let the spotted cat land himself in hot water. It took several disciplinary punishments for the cheetah to finally become wise to the fox's methods and had settled for trying to humiliate him in front of the class which met with roughly half of the class in agreement with him and the other half coming to the fox's defense, his own actions earning their respect over the last month.
Coming to a halt just outside the barracks, Nick doubled over, his paws on his knees barely keeping him standing. Struggling to catch his breath, he looked around at the others in the group, noticing that he had once again beaten both rhinos and the elephant, an accomplishment although not a very large one considering their speed was lacking to their substantial size. Chad and the other cheetah, a female named Zoe, had finished first unsurprisingly, but where Chad was a braggart, cocky, and arrogant, Zoe was rather soft spoken, usually preferring to let her accomplishments do the talking for her. He was unsure on where she stood on him as she had never said an unkind word towards him, but then again she had never complimented him either. In fact, she had never said a word to him at all.
Ursula, who had stepped away during their morning run, came back onto the field, her signature clipboard resting at her side. "Listen up, cadets. Today is going to go a little different. We have a special guest instructor with us. She holds the most records her at the Academy," Nick's ears perked up at that, feeling a small suspicion in the back of his mind, "the first member of her species to graduate Valedictorian," Nick straightened up as tall as he could, that small suspicion becoming a full fledged recognition, "and solved two of the biggest cases Zootopia has ever seen, as a rookie. Officer Judy Hopps." A small gray form pelted out of the Academy doors, heading straight next to Ursula. Most of the class was in awe, clapping and cheering on the first rabbit officer of the ZPD, all of them having heard of the Missing Mammals and Nighthowler cases. Judy Hopps had become a celebrity, especially in the police world. "Alright, settle down. Settle down! Ahem. As I was saying, Officer Hopps has graciously agreed to be our special instructor for the day. You need to pay attention to her because she will teach you what nobody else will have even thought of, including me."
There was a lot of murmuring at that last part, many of the larger mammals not agreeing with the polar bear that a rabbit stood to teach them anything, regardless of her reputation. Feeling a bit of anger overcoming him as he heard the whispering, Nick tried to stay calm by gripping his paws tight, feeling his claws digging into his own skin. The quiet conversations were not lost on the young doe, her sensitive ears picking up every sound the other mammals made. "Listen up!" Nick was a little shocked at the way Judy had yelled. He had never heard her be so powerful, her tone unforgiving and straight-forward. He watched as the other cadets immediately snapped to attention, the bunny's small frame no longer a factor in how she commanded their attention. "I'm here to train you. I will also be training with you. Cops don't have the option of being slow and lazy. You need to know right now that these drills? These experiences? Do. Not. End. None of you are even close to where you need to be to be police officers." A scoffing sound came from the side of the group. Her ears twitching violently, Judy headed towards the sound, the rest of the class now backing away from none other than Chad, the speciest cheetah looking down at the rabbit with a sneer on his face. "Did I say something funny, cadet?"
Chad simply rolled his eyes. "Look, officer, it's all well and good to try and sway us into believing you know what you're doing, but we both know that both of your 'big cases' were luck and really you were just some sort of publicity stunt." Several members of the class started to voice their objections to the arrogant cheetah. Lylah, who was currently standing next to Nick, growled loudly and crushed her paw into a giant fist. Starting to head towards Chad, she stopped at the feel of a small paw on her elbow, tugging her back.
"Don't give them a reason to discipline you. Don't worry, this will turn out alright," Nick said, his signature smirk wide on his face, this time genuine as he watched his girlfriend tear into the foolish feline.
"I'd ask for your name cadet but I'm not going to because I don't care. 20 laps around the outside of the facility. And your class participation for what you miss will be noted." There was a collective gasp from the cadets. The laps they had been doing was around the track, roughly half a mile per lap. The outside of the entire facility was roughly two miles. Regardless of how fast a cheetah could be, the arrogance and cockiness of the cadet would easily cost him half of the morning's training credits.
"You can't do tha-"
"Thirty laps."
"Now hold o-"
"FIFTY! You want to keep going cadet? Say one more word and I'll make it a hundred. Now get your tail out of my sight before I shove my foot under it." Gulping in fear, Chad gave the rabbit one last glare before heading to the outside of the entrance way. The cadets had been watching the exchange with baited breath, unsure what the officer was going to do the insubordinate cadet, but at the end of it all, they all were glad they had not been the one to make the mistake of voicing their opinion. "What you just witnessed is something I never want to see again. Insubordination is not something to take lightly."
"But ma'am, weren't you nearly fired for insubordination during the Missing Mammals case?" Judy inwardly groaned but managed to not let a flicker of annoyance pass across her face. She knew that voice, and indeed, when the crowd parted she was looking directly into the smug face of her fox.
"No cadet, I was not. I overstepped my boundaries by volunteering for a case but I did not defy orders or show any unruly behavior to my superior." Looking over the rest of the class, Judy chose to visibly avoid looking at the red Vulpine though her body yearned to clasp him and breathe in his musk. Luckily for her the scent on her uniform was diluted enough by the outdoor conditions that the wolves and other predators in the class were having a hard time determining where the scent of fox was coming from, and since there was a fox in the group they simply shrugged it off blaming it on the breeze. "Now, we're gonna stretch out and then go for another few laps around the track. Since you've already done twenty this morning I'll let you have a break and we'll only do 19 more. Let's move, cadets!"
Nick was still a little wobbly, but he wasn't going to let himself appear weak in front of Judy. Joining the other cadets, he jogged towards the track and as he passed by the ZPD's first bunny cop, he could have sworn she gave him a quick wink.
Maybe today won't be so bad after all.
Little by little the temporary cover erected in the field was being eroded, the small bits of plaster flying off in all directions as multiple rounds of ammunition struck. Two mammals sat square against the wall, each one taking note of their ammunition supply, waiting for the prime opportunity to strike back. Enemy fire never seemed to slow keeping the duo pinned, unable to peer out for a clear line of sight or an opening to move to a more manageable defensive point. Numerous members of their squad had already fallen leaving the two mammals practically alone on the battle field.
"Alright over there, Foxy?" The tod glanced over to his left, his eyes taking in the sight of a formidable tiger in ballistic glasses, her fangs bared in a toothy smile. He watched as she ran her paw over her weapon, checking for any irregularities that might cause it to jam when the shooting began. Her mouth moved while she silently counted her remaining rounds before dropping it back into her lap. "See Tom anywhere?"
He shook his head, the motion dislodging several chunks of drywall from the top of his head. "He got taken out. Took one in the leg before taking two to the chest." His heart pounding, Nick remembered vividly his friend hitting the ground, no longer moving. Half expecting him to raise himself back up, he was dismayed when he realized that he was out of the fight, his body made to lay there until the battle was over.
Letting out a stream of curses that made even the red fox blush, she slammed her fist into the wall behind them, the flimsy structure tipping dangerously nearly costing them the only protection they had. "Lylah! Calm down."
"Calm down? Calm down?! They took out Tom! How am I supposed to calm down?!" Her cries became frantic, her piercing amber eyes flashing around madly. Nick did the only thing he could think of and slapped his paw across her cheek. With the size difference, he surmised it would be barely noticeable to the large feline, but the intention was to shock her out of it, not to cause her any real pain. Nick could tell it worked but his instincts went haywire with the desire to hide as her angry gaze and bared fangs turned in his direction. Pushing through his own fear, he reached up and grabbed hold of her collar.
"Get a hold of yourself, Whiskers. We have a job to do. Tom knew that and he went down doing his duty. Now we need to get in there and take these guys down, but I can't do it solo. Now, can you handle this or do I need to call in a new partner?" His face had taken on a look of pure determination, his normal smirk gone, the playful glint in his eyes nonexistent. This was a Nick that was tempered on the streets, surviving against the hatred some mammals had for his kind. And now he was using that hardened part of his soul to do what must be done. To be a cop. His partner took a look at the seriousness of his expression and felt her nerves settle down. He may be a much smaller mammal but in that moment he seemed taller than a rhino. Nodding emphatically, she gripped her rifle tightly. Hearing a distant clack of the slide locking, Nick knew they had their window of opportunity. "Move!"
Turning the corner, the pair moved to the next piece of cover in front of them. To their right, their last surviving rhino squad member pushed himself to his feet and began lumbering towards the barricaded entrance, his mass eventually picking speed into a full charge. "Everybody move in!" Nick cried, his voice echoing across the field. From several other positions scattered around them, several mammals emerged, all of them decked out in protective gear, their rifles loaded and ready. Nick was quickly joined by Lylah, a wolf he hadn't had the opportunity to meet, and Zoe, the silent cheetah, all of them moving in swiftly behind the rampaging rhino. With a resounding crash, their squad mate plowed through the flimsy boards the enemy mammals were hiding behind.
Scattered, the enemy units were slow to recover, slightly dazed from the impact of the rhino's charge. Moving quickly from mammal to mammal, the squad made quick work of them, their bodies covered in blooming red as they were eliminated. "Front clear. Delorn!" The rhinoceros looked over at the fox leading the charge. "Take Lunaron and clear the other rooms. You find anything locked you bring it down." The rhino and wolf nodded before heading deeper into the building. "Spotters, head outside the building and scout the area. Anything you see through the windows, radio it in." Zoe took off, her form disappearing around the corner before Nick could even process her movement. He glanced at his partner who remained at his side. "Whiskers. We've got the hostages. Let's move."
Silently moving down the abandoned halls, Nick let his ears flick left and right attempting to pick up any stray sounds that would help them pinpoint the hostages. A quick motion of an orange paw halted his progress. Casting a sharp gaze to his partner, he watched while she let out a short shake of her head, her eyes narrowing dangerously thin. Raising her paw from his chest, she used it to point down the narrow corridor. Following the line of sight, Nick noticed an open doorway roughly 60 feet away. Lylah signaled him to wait and continue watching. After a few seconds, Nick saw a flicker of a shadow. Clicking his radio twice, he radioed the team. "Wilde here. Call in positions."
"Delorn here. Right side of building, 3rd room from the end."
"Lunaron. 2nd room from end."
"Spotters here. Outside left end of building. Rear windows."
"We have a potential suspect, left side of building. Preparing to mo-"
"Wilde, I have a view of the hostages. Left side of building. One suspect moving inside. Hostages are on their knees and bound."
The fox and tiger exchanged looks. "We're right outside the room. Alright everyone, let's remember. There are innocent mammals in there and our duty is to get them home. So no unnecessary risks." Getting an acknowledgment from his partner and a confirmation over the radio from his other 3 squad-members, Nick pressed his back against the outer wall. Breathing deep, he let it out in a slow and controlled motion, the tension leaving his body. "Moving in 3...2...1..." The duo turned the corner rapidly, rifles raised and poised to shoot. A lone gunman had paused at the commotion and was now turning to face them, his movements extremely fast but overly chaotic. Two rapid taps from his partner's rifle had the suspect hitting the ground, his own shot firing high and to the left.
Lylah hurried forward to secure the suspect while Nick moved swiftly to check on the hostages. Yanking down the first one's gag, he asked if they had seen anymore of them in the building, but before the mammal could respond, a yell came over his radio. "Wilde look out!" Nick saw Zoe's frantic image outside of the window in font of him, her gaze cast over his shoulder. A sharp pain splashed against the back of his skull, the sound of the firearm discharging only reaching him after his vision started to swim. He was vaguely aware of Lylah raising her rifle only to take two round to the shoulder and chest, her body falling backwards, her head slamming into the floor. Collapsing, Nick let out a final breath before slumping to the ground.
"TIME!" A deafening bellow rang out over the field, an enormous polar bear stomping her way through the makeshift obstacles. Her face tinged with a look of frustration, Major Friedkin pointed at the cadets littering the ground. "You're dead, you're dead," she faced the Vulpine rubbing the paint off the back of his head, "and you're dead, Slick Nick."
"Your team performed admirably." A gray bunny walked up alongside the polar bear. "You followed procedure well and even after your team leader fell," she indicated the white wolf, Tom with a wave of her paw, "another stepped in and filled the role quite well." The ghost of a smile played at her lips as she glanced at her fox before turning away. "But you failed at the end by not following one of the basic fundamentals when breaching a building. Anyone know what that is?" A low mumbling reached her sensitive ears, the long appendages turning towards the sound. Her head following, Officer Hopps addressed the quiet cheetah. "Cadet...Spotters, right?" Zoe nodded curtly. "Care to repeat that?"
"We didn't clear the room before tending to the hostages." Behind her, the tod smacked his paw to his face, the embarrassment evident to everyone around him.
"Exactly. Rescuing the hostages is priority number one. But you can't do that if you're dead," her gaze locking to her fox's brilliant green eyes.
"So how's my fox doing?" Picking at her salad, Judy raised a forkful of lettuce and spinach to her lips, the tangy vinaigrette dressing wafting to her nostrils. Taking a bite, she was dismayed at the poor quality of the vegetables, desperately trying to keep the look of disgust off her face. Tastes exactly the same as when I was here. Probably the same plants too. She had opted to join the instructors at their table for lunch in a side room off the cafeteria, keen to get some insight on how the cadets, and more importantly Nick, had been progressing.
The polar bear glanced up from her fish platter while scooping another helping into her maw. "Who, Red? He's improving. Nowhere near where he should be but at least he's getting better. I was fairly impressed at how he's been doing on the obstacle course."
Judy beamed with pride. "Really?"
"Yeah, he only died 12 times yesterday. First day it was 38." She started laughing hard. "Only record of yours to be beaten so far." She started to retort before the bear cut her off. "He's actually surprised me a lot this past month. His endurance sucks but it's getting better. I'd say another three or four months and he'll be keeping up with the best of em. Now the academics? That's an entirely different story. His test scores are off the charts. Probably in the top percentile that we've ever had here."
Feeling a warmth inside, the rabbit tried to hide her smile as best she could. "So how did you think the exercise went today?"
"Honestly it could have gone better. They lost too many because of sloppy movements. That wolf, Howlerson? He's going to be a problem. The kid has great test scores, handles the course well, but he's a loner. One of the few wolves I've seen come through here that doesn't fit in with the pack mentality. It's an odd thing to see but it does happen." Grabbing a glass, Ursula filled it to the brim with ice water and greedily gulped it down. Running her paw over her mouth, she let out a belch and dug back in to her fish. "Now that fox of yours. Very odd."
"How do you mean?" Her interest piqued as it always did when it regarded her fox.
"From what I've always heard, foxes are loners. Would that be accurate?" Judy nodded, curious where this was going.
"Nick's not great at making friends but with the few he has he's very loyal and relatively close. Other than relationships like that, foxes are very specific about who they let into their lives."
"Well, not only has befriended cadet Howlerson but he seems to have also developed a close bond with cadet Forrest, the tigress that was his partner today."
Feeling a sudden urge to bare her teeth, a snarl ready to rip from her throat, Judy forced the feelings down as best she could. Hiding her shaking paws under the table, she forced a smile onto her face in response to the questioning look the large bear gave her. "Sorry Ursula. It's a...side effect...I think I'll just head to Nick's room for now until the afternoon course." Not even waiting for a response, Judy quickly left the room and headed down the hall. She had been through the Academy so often the last month that she knew the layout by heart. Her mind was on autopilot as her thoughts raged within her.
Once she was safely behind the closed door of Nick's bedroom, Judy faced her building fury. Slamming her fists into the large bed, she let her paws rest on the soft material. Taking several deep breaths she tried to calm her mind. Clambering up, the bunny took a position in the center of the mattress and folded her legs. She had been taking meditation courses the last few weeks, trying to find a way to control the overwhelming instinctual impulses she had been experiencing. She was determined to take back some form of control over her life ever since the incident with the hare, although she still felt he had deserved it. But hearing about another female becoming close with her fox was more than enough to set her off. That's my fox. No one else is allowed to have him.
They are friends. He is allowed to make friends. You even wanted him to make friends here.
Yeah but not attractive female friends.
You know he'll never abandon you. He loves you.
I-...I know. I just-...Gah! I hate this! There's no reason for me to feel this way but I can't stop!
It's a territorial thing, remember? Sarah warned you about this. It's just another form of control you will need to learn.
Her ears, which had been folded down her back suddenly perked upright, the grating sound of an unoiled doorknob being turned catching her ear. Judy's eyes snapped open, her vision fixed on the door in front of her opening wide to reveal a tired, but happy looking fox. Opening his mouth, Nick was about to greet his bunny when she dashed across the room and grabbed his shirt causing his eyes to open wide. With surprising strength, the young doe dragged him to the edge of the bed and flipped him onto it, shocking the stammering tod into silence. Slightly afraid to move, he eyed the mammal as she circled him, crawling slowly on all fours across the bed. Lowering her head, she gave him uniform several sniffs before growling loudly.
"I can smell her on you." Nick was more than a little concerned at the actions of the gray rabbit.
"Who, Carrots?"
"That...that tigress. She's all over you. I can smell her everywhere!" Jumping onto his chest, she began rolling over him, digging her paws and head into every inch of his body. "Mine. You're mine, no one else's." Nuzzling her head into his neck, she breathed in the musk of her fox now mixed with her scent instead, the faint smell of the other female being overwhelmed by the purposeful spread of her own. Finally realizing what this was all about, Nick laid back and opened his arms, letting his bunny crawl all over him. This was an instinctual response that many predators learned about at a young age, but Judy, never having been exposed to such feelings, was finding herself incapable of not overreacting to these sudden urges. Once he felt her begin to calm down, her scent now strongly present on his clothes and fur, Nick wrapped his arms around her, drawing her to his chest.
"Carrots. You don't need to worry. Nothing will ever take me away from you. Lylah is just a friend." Stroking her ears slowly, Nick began rocking her back and forth, feeling the trembling start going through her tiny body.
Her voice harsh from trying to hold back her sobs, Judy spoke in almost a whisper. "I know Nick. I know. It's just...I don't know. This damn bond makes me so..."
"Emotional?" he offered, a smile on his lips. Feeling a slight tap to his chest, he let the smile linger while he held her tight.
"Shut up. Dumb fox." Sighing, she extricated herself from his arms and grasped his paw, dragging him towards the door. "C'mon, foxy. We have enough time to take a shower together before afternoon classes." A tinkling laugh left her mouth as he snapped to attention and gave her a crisp salute.
"Awareness. Being able to perceive if a situation is a threat to your well being or that of the mammals you are sworn to protect. It is one of the fundamental traits that we all possess. And it is one of the most important tools in your arsenal as an officer. Knowing when a situation will go from peaceful to horrible means a lot of the time you can stop it before it reaches that point. There are many cues to be learned about mammal behavior that will help you determine threat assessment but today we will be focusing on your personal awareness and how you handle those situations." Switching on a set of giant fans, Officer Hopps stood back as swirling sandstorms began pummeling the open air, daring the line of cadets to attempt the storm. "Now I know you've been running this course once or twice a week for the past month, so we're going to switch it up. Raise the stakes." Two more sets of giant fans were wheeled in by rhino instructors to the left and right sides. Throwing them a salute, Judy triggered both new pairs of fans, the crossing winds creating walls of flying sand.
"Spotters! Howlerson! Forrest! Mantle! Front and center!" Zoe, Tom, Lylah, and Chad all moved to stand in front of Judy. Chad's arrogant swagger was gone in the face of the surprisingly intimidating rabbit officer, his tail drooped low to avoid as much attention as possible. "You have sixty seconds. After that the suspect has escaped and you fail. Go."
The four mammals threw themselves at the course. Having been through it multiple times before, each of them felt confident in their ability to make it through once again. A little added wind would not deter them from their goal. However, it had not been a little added wind. It was a lot of it. Unable to see, the confused mammals became disoriented, none of them able to focus on their task. Several times one or more had fallen over another cadet, helplessly pinning them to the sand. The harsh winds sent what felt like thousands of glass shards into their faces and under their fur, the agony sending them scrambling in all different directions, desperate for cover.
One by one the four gave up and fell back outside of the range of the whirling sand and howling winds. Zoe had lasted the longest but even with her upbringing in Sahara Square she too was unable to conquer the storm. "This isn't a fair test," yelled Chad. The cheetah was feeling embarrassed and so went on the offensive, trying to reclaim a bit of his haughty attitude. "No one can get through that. Not to mention it would never happen in the real world so why bother training for something that doesn't exist?"
Before he had even stopped speaking, Officer Hopps had approached the sand pit. Cracking her neck and paws, she took a ready stance and dived in. The rest of the cadets watched as their instructor tackled the raging sandstorm. Nick stood helplessly by as his bunny forced herself through the course. Even though he knew for a fact that she was going to be fine, it was still difficult for him to watch.
Gaining her bearings, Judy flopped her ears over in front of her face covering her eyes, shielding them from the violence of the sand being blown into them. With both her sight and hearing removed from the equation, Judy focused instead on propelling herself forward. Utilizing an older method she had discovered when she was a cadet, the rabbit officer crouched down and dug her front paws into the sand. Dragging them back, she lightly packed a mound before bringing her rear paws forward and lodging them into the hole she had created. With a mighty thrust of her powerful legs, the end of her paws pushing off of the mound, she was propelled forward several feet, much to the astonishment of the other cadets. Landing further up the course, Judy repeated the action, flinging herself through the storm. After her third launch, she felt the change in the wind she had been waiting for. Angling her body to the left, she used her mode of movement twice more before clearing the stage through the avenue in the corner.
Shaking her paws across her body to clear off the sand that become lodged in her fur, Judy then carefully brushed her ears off, not wanting to damage the sensitive appendages. Turning, she spat to her side, clearing her mouth of the grit that had flown in as she had still needed to breathe during the course. Strutting up in front of the assembled class, her gaze was harsh and unforgiving, leading at least several of the cadets to avert their eyes. Flapping her ears back down to cover her eyes, she gestured to them. "The sand blocks my vision, so why should I use my eyes? The wind hinders my hearing, so why should I rely on my ears? I removed two of my major senses and the rest of them don't apply in this situation. So how did I do it?"
No one answered, more afraid of being made to do the course than they were of getting the wrong answer. "Dead wind." Heads turned towards the back row, their interest caught by the voice filled with confidence coming from behind them. Stepping forward, Nick elaborated on his answer. "When you moved forward, you were looking for a path of air that was less powerful than the rest. The closer you move to it, the less air is being disturbed until you have a dead zone." Taken aback by the stares of his classmates he shrugged. "I've had to use it to find shelter when I've been stranded in Sahara Square on occasion." By 'occasion' Judy knew he meant when he was homeless. Her heart ached for him and she wanted to run to him right then and there but it was necessary for her to remain professional and not let herself be biased towards any one cadet, even that one was her beloved fox. She silently vowed to postpone that affection for later that evening.
"Just so. You will never be able to anticipate everything in the field. Is it possible that this scenario will never occur? Yes, yes it is. However, it's still possible that it might. And if it does and you don't know how to handle it, you will be short one suspect when you finally get back to the cruiser." Pacing back and forth she made sure to look each and every mammal in their eye to emphasize her next point. "There are times when your senses are not enough. You need to rely on your instincts. Now everyone through that sand. Move it!"
After the sandstorm came the frigid ice wall, an obstacle that made Nick and the wolf cadets cringe. This had been their hardest challenge in the entire course, their bodies not made for climbing. The tod had spent many afternoons recuperating inside his dorm room with a warm blanket after failing the course. He was finding it difficult to get any sort of leverage in the wall to haul himself up, his claws just not long enough to dig in properly. "Delorn. Lunaron. Wilde. You're up first." Hearing his name called, Nick slowly made his way to the line, not looking forward to missing out on the rest of the afternoon because of the risk of hypothermia. As he passed by his bunny, he heard an extremely quiet whisper just loud enough for him to hear. "You'll do fine, sweetie. If you find yourself slipping, plant your rear paws up and push off. You'll clear the pond." Risking a glance her way, he gave her a wink to show he heard her, his smirk crossing his face for a moment. Resisting the urge to grin at him, Judy faced the three cadets on the line. "Go!"
Taking off across the frozen ground, the two canids were having difficulty finding any traction, their paws designed for rough terrain not slippery ice. Leaning forward, the two used their claws to grip into the smooth surface, stabilizing both mammals enough to keep their footing. Behind them, the rhino had very little difficulty traversing the terrain, his heavy weight pressing down enough to keep upright without any trouble. Though slow, his steady progress allowed him to easily catch his floundering classmates. Once at the wall, however, all three mammals were slowed considerably. Delorn, using his massive strength, worked at punching and kicking holes, using them to climb easier. Lunaron was leaping, using a scrabbling method of catching enough claw in the ice to move vertically several inches before frantically throwing the next paw and set of claws higher, his progress slow but still moving. Nick stood at the edge of the open water, unsure how to accomplish his goal. His claws weren't long or sharp enough to pierce the ice, nor was he strong enough to chip away at it like Delorn. He knew he must look like an idiot standing there, not moving to the wall but he also knew he couldn't accomplish the task the way it was set up.
The way it's set up. The Vulpine inwardly smiled as a thought came to him. Not for nothing had he been one of the best hustlers in Zootopia. Treat it like it's a hustle. There's always another angle. Hoping this didn't end up making him look like an utter fool, Nick shrugged off his ZPA shirt and tore it into four pieces. Loud cries from the group behind him went ignored and he wrapped the cloth around both his front and hind paws. Glancing behind him, he used the excuse of looking at the class to lock eyes with his confused instructor, her violet orbs silently questioning his actions. Letting out a quick wink, Nick walked up to the water and quickly plunged all four paws into the ice water. Both of his classmates already partway up the wall had stopped to look down at him, finding his actions peculiar, but his confidence in what he was doing was what reminded them that they were halfway to their goal.
Nick, his paws slowly freezing, leapt across the water and slapped his paws to the wall. Immediately the freezing cloth adhered itself to the wall, the water in the cloth bonding to the ice. Quickly pulling his paws free, Nick reached higher, hauling himself up the wall, using the nature of the freezing temperatures to scale the formidable mountain. One of the rags came undone, his right hindpaw suddenly scrabbling at the ice before reaching the top. Casting aside the now frozen wraps, Nick gave the class a lazy salute before leaping down the backside and running for the end of the course.
Inwardly shrieking and jumping for joy, Judy was surprised to find herself not mirroring her imagination. She was so thrilled for her fox and completely stupefied by how he had overcome the wall which she knew was his hardest challenge. She resigned herself to a moderate clap as he reappeared from around the backside of the obstacle and joined the now cheering class. A mild flare of jealousy and anger struck while she watched the tigress slap him on the back but she managed to force it down, her pride at her fox's accomplishment overriding any unreasonable urges.
"Cadet Wilde, step forward." Looking immensely proud of himself, Nick sauntered forward with his signature smirk plastered across his muzzle. "You scaled the wall. But you didn't do it according to the guidelines. It was reckless, it was unorthodox, and it went against recommended tactics." She watched as his smile began to droop before continuing. "Nice job." It took most of her concentration to hold back a giggle as he looked overly confused. "A guideline is a suggestion. It doesn't need to be followed to the letter. If you're stuck, find yourself a new angle. Find some way to turn your situation to your advantage."
"This isn't the school playground." Standing as tall as she had ever been, ZPD's first rabbit officer walked up and down the line of cadets now hanging on her every word. "The world is never the same way twice. You need to learn and adapt or guess what? You'll be dead."
Slipping the gloves on, Lylah pounded her fists together, dancing around the corner of the ring. Nick stretched up and secured her head padding, tapping it to make sure it was situated properly. "You're all set." Smirking at the tigress, he watched as she worked out her legs, getting her self loose for the upcoming bout. "For what good it's going to do you." Nick was more than aware of why Judy had chosen Lylah to spar with, but he wasn't going to tell the tigress that his girlfriend had become increasingly agitated because of their friendship, irrational as it was. He understood the strain she was under, these instincts wreaking havoc on her mental and physical state. Maybe getting out some of her frustration in the ring would help her mood.
Over in the opposite corner, his bunny was hopping up and down, her gloves and headgear already in place, her blue workout uniform stretched over her tight body catching Nick's attention. He felt a stirring in him, a strong desire to catch her up and take her back to his room but they had agreed at lunchtime that it might be a good idea to hide their relationship from the rest of the class, at least until after all of the training had finished. He found it difficult to keep his eyes from fixating for too long on her nubile form, his stares so obvious that he felt someone must have noticed them. But if anyone had, they didn't mention it.
"Go easy on her." The plea for mercy came from the red fox in the tigress's corner, a sly smile etched on his muzzle. Amused, Lylah turned back towards him and bared her fangs.
"Don't worry, foxy. I want be too hard on our cute little bunny teacher." Grimacing, Nick shook his head.
"I wasn't talking to you, Whiskers." The smile fading from Lylah's face, she turned to look at the rabbit in the corner who now had an evil grin stretched across her face. "Don't hurt her too bad, Carrots. I kinda like this one." Confusion mounting, the large feline was looking back and forth between the two mammals.
"No promises, sweetie. Not anymore." Judy's hopping stance had became less playful and more foreboding. Lylah continued turning her head back and forth rapidly, understanding dawning on her face slowly but surely.
"Carrots. Sweetie." She recalled his words from the very first day they met. 'I'm dating a bunny.' Elation suddenly filled her as she pieced it together. "She's your girlfriend? The rabbit officer who solved th-...Wait. Those 'tight jams' were the MM and Nighthowler cases? Holy hell. I've been friends with a celebrity's boyfriend for a month and never knew it!" Nick started to nod before stopping, his pleased smile melting off his face.
"Wait. I'm just the 'celebrity's boyfriend'?" The tigress laughed heartily.
"Pretty much, foxy."
"Don't worry, Slick. I still love you." Shooting his girlfriend an appreciative grin, Nick nodded towards the young doe.
"At least someone likes me. I'm going over to her corner." Strutting around the outside of the ring, Nick pulled up at the bunny's corner and climbed up. Reaching his paws through the ropes, he grabbed hold of her shoulders causing a small 'Eep' to escape in surprise. Calming her down by rubbing her shoulders, he started giving her a pep talk. "Okay Carrots. I've worked with this one for over a month. I could tell you all of her weaknesses but I won't for two reasons. One, I know you like a challenge and that you will beat her anyways. And two because I never bothered to look for any. You know how lazy I am out of bed." Leaning in very close to her ear, he whispered so that the sound of his voice would only be detected by her. "It's only when I'm in bed that I'm very...attentive." Laughing at the now blushing bunny, he avoided a sudden jab at his expense by jumping clear. "Be careful Whiskers. She's feeling a bit territorial right now."
"Terri-...territorial?" The large tigress was stunned before she started laughing, the overly loud guffaws echoing across the room. The fox and bunny exchanged glances, unsure what was happening. Wiping a tear from her eye, the feline snorted, the laughter still threatening to spill over. "I have no interest in your boy toy, Hopps."
"Why, because he's a fox?" The anger in Judy's voice was unmistakable and made Nick feel oddly moved by her seeming so protective of him.
"Let's just say I'd be more interested in you, Judy than in your boyfriend." She put a lot of emphasis on the word 'boy' causing Nick to suddenly slap his paw to his face in realization of where this was going.
Judy was confused. "You like rabbits?" Lylah couldn't hold it back any longer and laughed so hard she fell to the mat. Nick climbed back up next to her and whispered something in her ear. Judy blushed crimson, her face becoming rather sheepish as she let out a simple "oh" meekly.
Even with the confession of the tigress, Judy still found herself unable to shake off the feelings she was getting knowing there was an attractive female near her fox, regardless if she was interested in him or not. Growling, she pounded her gloves together, waiting for the moment where she could strike at the source of her anger. While she knew it was irrational, especially now that she knew where the tigress's preferences were, all she could think about was attacking her right then and there. Lylah, seeing Judy turn from meek to enraged in mere seconds was suddenly very apprehensive.
Hearing the bell, the overeager bunny and the somewhat hesitant tigress moved into the ring, both sizing up their opponent. While Judy could brag about beating a rhino in that very ring, larger opponents still held a difficult challenge for her, especially one that was as fast as the cadet she now faced. Tigers were large, strong, and agile. They may not have the same speed capabilities of a rabbit, but they had far more tools at their disposal. One thing that Judy could use to her advantage was her experience. The cadet was raw, barely a month into her training. And while it was clear she knew something about fighting, it was also clear that she had no formal training and was prone to mistakes.
Judy made the first move, dashing in a few steps towards the tigress's feet. Lylah's fist was already striking out only to meet air, the maneuver being a feint on the rabbit's part. Realizing her mistake, the feline tried to rear back and assume her normal stance when a sharp pain flashed across her forearm, the powerful legs of the Lagomorph striking just above her wrist. Angry at her mistake, Lylah pushed forward intent on making the rabbit pay for humiliating her like that. Striking out with a powerful kick, she attempted to strike the energetic gray mammal. In her haste, she overreached and left herself vulnerable for a counter which came in the form of a leg sweep to her rear supporting foot. Off balance, Lylah tumbled to the mat, landing hard on her side.
"Overreaching is one of the main mistakes a fighter can make." Judy spoke to the gathered cadets now surrounding the ring as she waited for the tigress to climb to her feet. "It sets you off balance and open to counter attacks." Hearing a motion behind her, Judy nimbly side stepped the furious punch and grabbed the orange and black wrist. Twisting, Judy put pressure on the arm, shoving it in the wrong direction of where it was supposed to go. Roaring in pain, Lylah tried to shake the young bunny loose only for the grip to become even stronger, forcing more pressure on the joint that was starting to become numb.
Her tolerance stretched well past it's breaking point, the large mammal raised her arm bringing the rabbit in direct line of sight with her. Placing her jaw squarely in front of the doe's face, she let out an ear splitting roar, fangs bared in intimidation. The look of pure satisfaction on Judy's face turned the savage roar into a pitiful mew. Realizing her serious mistake, Lylah could only shut her eyes tightly as two gray hindpaws struck out at her head, the muscular legs rippling with the energy they unleashed. Letting go of the now limp arm, Judy landed on the mat gracefully while the tall feline keeled over, out cold.
Casting her gaze over the stunned crowd, Judy raised her voice, making sure everyone present heard. "The single worst thing you can do in paw-to-paw combat is to let your emotions get the best of you. Anger can give you a lot of strength but it can also blind you, causing you to make rookie mistakes." Stepping over the large legs of the collapsed cadet on the mat, she looked down at the unconscious mammal. Unseen by everyone present except Nick who was looking for it, she let a ghost of a smile play on her lips while the embers of a dying flame burned in her eyes.
"Do you feel better now, Carrots?" Laying her head on Nick's chest, Judy breathed in the heavy musk of her fox, a feeling of bliss surrounding her. Wrapping her naked thigh around his, she snuggled as close as she could into his fur. She didn't really want to answer his question, knowing it would make her seem like a petulant child.
"I know it's the wrong thing to say or feel, but yes. I do." Intertwining her digits into his fur, she gave a short little tug, reveling in the sharp gasp of the Vulpine. "I just didn't like her encroaching on my m-" catching herself, Judy stopped talking knowing it was a dangerous path that she was traveling. Nick still was not in the right place for that discussion and she would not push him, no matter what her instincts were screaming at her. Seeking to change the subject, she brought up something she had been wondering for a while but never getting much time to talk to him about it.
Tracing circles on his stomach with her paw, Judy spoke softly. "Nick?"
"Yeah Carrots?"
"Where did you learn to play all those instruments like you did in Bunnyburrow?" A chuckle answered her, a short breathy laugh that sounded amused.
"That's a very complex story, Fluff. Tell you what, we'll tackle one now and the others at a later date. Does that work for you?"
"Piano!" Shocking herself at her own outburst, she blushed, the redness traveling up her suddenly erected ears. "I'd like to know about you learning the piano."
Sighing, Nick had a far off look come to his eye. "Ah. You would of course ask for that one first."
"I'm sorry Nick, we don't have to do that one right now."
"No, it's alright. We'd have to do it sometime, I already promised you we would take about all of them." He stroked her ears which were once again laying along her back. "Let's see. I probably started learning when I was about 8. It was a few months before the Ranger Scout incident. Mom had come home from another late shift, her paws too exhausted to even carry her up the stair to bed. She settled for the couch instead, falling asleep almost immediately. I had been in bed already. Putting myself to bed had become a nightly ritual since mom had taken up a third job to help us make ends meet. I wasn't too concerned with it. I was still naive to the world and figured this was simply how all families did things. Anyways, hearing mom come home but not make it up the stairs, I left my bed to check on her. It wasn't the first time she had slept downstairs but I knew I could at least make it a little better by bringing her a blanket to keep her warm."
Judy glanced into her fox's face to see him staring wistfully into some imagined distance, a warm smile gracing his muzzle. "I had left the radio on from earlier in the day and while the noise did not wake her up, it did have an unforeseen effect on her. At some point during the night, 'some point' I now know to be between 1-2am, the station had switched over to classical music. The harmony of harps and violins, cellos and flutes, they never really stirred in me anything. But my mother responded to the sound of the pianos." His eyes lighting up like a kit at Christmas, Nick became more energetic with each sentence. "Her paws had started moving on their own, moving back and forth as if being the paws behind the keys. I used to tell other kits she played a mean 'air piano'. I was so excited to finally find something that may make her happy that I kept it a secret that I knew while I came up with a plan."
"The school had recently decided to upgrade the music room. Now, since I had no love for anything to do with music bar the popular songs on the radio, I pretty much had ignored anything to do with the notice, but now I had a very good reason to be involved. I sought out the music teacher the very next day at school and asked what was being done with the old pianos. I was a little put out when he told me they weren't getting rid of the grand piano they had, but several of the keyboards were going to be donated to other schools in the area. I quickly asked the teacher how I could get my paws on one of the keyboards, but he was suspicious. Prejudices against foxes were a lot higher in those days than by even today's already low standards. Convinced I must be trying to scam the school or find a way to sell it, the teacher outright refused. It was only after I spent more than an hour telling the story of how sad my mom had seemed the last few months, how tired she was, and how I had caught her inadvertently mimicking the piano on the radio that his features softened. I guess he saw someone worth taking a chance on because he agreed to let me have one of the keyboards."
Judy was listening intently, every part of her rapt with attention to Nick's tale. "I can still remember her face when I showed up from school lugging in a keyboard taller than I was. The tears in her eyes as I told her about watching her paws when she was asleep, where I had finally convinced the music teacher to let me have that keyboard, it was all too much for her. She sat me down in her lap and hugged me for what felt like hours. I was thoroughly embarrassed but in the end it was worth it."
"Was she a teacher?"
"No, although she could have been. My mom was actually offered a spot at the Zootopia Music Academy for the Arts but she was unable to get the funds to go as a teen. She had such tremendous talent. She could have played at any music hall in the country. But life tends to happen when you're making other plans. She found a tod at the local high school, foolishly married him, and gave birth to a rascal that goes by the name of Edmund Humphrey Horncastle the third." He grinned down at the frowning bunny on his chest. "One of my favorite aliases, Carrots. One which I promise I am no longer using."
"Good, cause it's stupid." Clapping a paw to his chest, Nick gasped dramatically.
"You wound me, Carrots." Appearing a bit confused, Nick tapped his chin. "Where was I?"
"Horncastle the third."
"Ah yes. Right. Well my mom ended up starting a family and she put aside her ambitions of orchestras and concert halls. She told me she never regretted it for an instant but I still let it bother me for years that I may have been the reason she never got to live out her dream."
Raising her paw, Judy stroked his face softly. "She didn't feel that way, Nick. You know that."
His eyes a little downcast, Nick smiled at her, his emerald eyes crinkling at the corners. "I know Carrots. But as a kid it seems different from that perspective. Anyway, one of the first things she did was teach me how to play the piano. We did it every night after she would come home from work until I got good enough to keep learning on my own after school. Eventually I became good enough that I played for the same music teacher who had given us the keyboard." Judy wiped away a tear running down his cheek as he remembered the face of his mother being so proud of him. "I played during the winter recital that year. My mom had gotten a seat in the front row just to watch me play. And when I was done, her cheers and claps could be heard above everyone in that auditorium." He was now openly crying, the fur beneath his eyes darkening. Judy was having a hard time trying to stem her own tears as she gripped her fox tighter.
Wrapping his arms around his little bunny, Nick whispered the words he rarely let himself for the past three years. "I miss her."
Stretching herself up, Judy lightly pressed her lips to his. "I know you do, sweetie. I know you do." Curling up against him, Judy dragged his tail around them like a blanket and closed her eyes. Within moments, both were asleep.