Ch. 25:

Judy picked up Fru Fru and placed her on her shoulder as the two girls headed out of the cafeteria and outside to where the haunted trail began. It was a dusty path; a fog machine was hiding behind some bushes somewhere so the trail and the woods before them were thick with fog. Judy heard there would be animals dressed as zombies and other such monsters lurking the woods to both scare the St. Zoo students and to make sure no one got lost.

The two had invited Clawhauser but the cheetah had decided to stay behind and enjoy some more candy, Fru Fru warned him not to eat too much. However the girls did get did get some company who had followed them out to the trail.

That some company was Percy who didn't want to hang out with Lionheart and Bellwether when the latter was acting as weird as she was, "If I didn't know any better," Percy said as he walked beside Judy. "I would've sworn she was tipsy."

Judy sent him a droll look, "Dawn Bellwether getting tipsy on school property? She didn't even drink at Bogo's party."

"Hey, Carrots, over here!"

Nick was waving her over to him, his brother and friends standing close by. "Come walk with us!"
"Sure," Fru called out to him before Judy could reply. The rabbit sighed and walked over to the fox, Percy following after her.

Nick grinned down at her, "Feel free to hold my paw if you get scared."

She smirked up at him, "And if you run back to the school screaming I won't hold it against you…too much."

Rick and Finnick snorted in amusement and Nick sent the two an irritated look before the group started on their way down the trail. Percy walking close to Judy as she was the only one he really knew of the group, (though mainly because Honey was sniffing around for ghosts and it was mildly disturbing the freshman).

"Have you ever been on a haunted trail?" he asked Judy as they walked through the fog.

"I went to a couple back in Bunnyburrow," Judy replied, "Though I feel like more effort has been put into this one." She looked over to Finnick, "Have you been on one of these before?"

"Nope," the fennec fox replied bluntly, "And neither did Nick in case he tries to lie to get a chance to talk to you."

Nick glared at his friend from over his shoulder, "I don't need to take lip from a guy who has to jump to give me a high four."

If looks could kill Finnick would have murdered Nick then and there.

"The haunted trails are pretty fun," Rick spoke up, looking to Judy. "As long as Nick and Finnick behave we should have a good time."

Judy looked away from the older fox, she still felt awkward around him. But if anyone noticed they didn't speak up about it.

"I make no promises," Nick informed his brother instead.

Finnick glanced at Honey who was stalking around the trees, her eyes narrowed and roaming. "Should we be worried? I mean, she's attacked animals before."

Judy and Fru's eyes widened and Percy stepped closer to his fellow bunny (an action that didn't go unnoticed by Nick's narrowed eyes).

"Not on purpose," Finnick quickly assured them as they continued to walk. "The last animal she attacked was last Halloween and he was dressed as this monster from a horror movie we watched the night before."

"In hindsight that was technically our fault," Nick spoke up, "Letting her watch a scary movie based off true events. She did do a number on that poor rhino though."

Rick and Percy sent cautious looks to the honey badger that appeared to not have heard a word her friends had said.

"Can you put me down, Juju," Fru Fru requested of her friend and the rabbit complied. Fru Fru scampered over to Finnick's side and walked with him, the fennec fox slowing his pace so the shrew wouldn't have to run after him.

"I like your costume," she told Finnick, smiling up at him.

"Thanks," he replied quietly as the trees started to thin out and the group were walking into a fog slathered field.

Fru started to twirl around and hold her dress between her paws as she walked, obviously trying to get Finnick to notice her own costume.

Finally the fennec fox glanced back down at her, "Your dress is nice."

Fru Fru's smile grew and Judy bit her lip to keep from giggling. She imagined the senior had a soft spot for her friend, Judy had noticed how he didn't hang out with animals smaller than himself so it was probably a nice change of pace.

Nick suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking around the foggy clearing with his nose twitching. "Did you guys see that?"

Rick glanced around, "See what?"

"I thought I saw something…" Nick's eyes narrowed as he tried to see through the fog. "Didn't they say this was a zombie-" Nick suddenly let out a yelp, jumping in the air and startling the others. "Something grabbed my tail!"

Judy's ears pricked up as she heard rustling surrounding them along with ghostly moaning and groaning.

Honey suddenly dashed into the middle of the group, her shoulders stiff and her hackles rose, "It's the undead come to eat the flesh off our bones!"
"Honey I want to remind you that these zombies are actors in costumes," Finnick quickly told his friend while Fru Fru held the edge of his shirt in her paw.

"But here's the game," Nick spoke up, he was talking to everyone but his eyes were on Judy. "A zombie gets you and you lose."

Catching the challenging gleam in his emerald gaze Judy straightened up with determination. She really did enjoy a good competition.

A second later fingers brushed across her ear and Judy jumped forward, out of the fingers grasp, nearly knocking down Percy as she did so.

"Head to the trees!" Honey ordered the group as the moaning and groaning grew louder in volume.

Judy heard the running footsteps of the others and looked through the fog, trying to find her friend. "Fru Fru?"

"I got her!" Finnick called out from somewhere. "If I were you rabbit I'd run!"

Judy obeyed because she knew what the fennec fox meant; if she lost this easily Nick wouldn't let her live it down. She jogged through the fog, brushing past bodies but she didn't know if they were a friend or the undead. Judy made it to the trees and kept running until the fog finally cleared. But before she could skid to a halt a shape jumped out of the bushes, nearly colliding into her. Suddenly she was nose to nose with Nick.

"Carrots," he greeted in delight, his breath that carried the scent of blueberries and chocolate wafted over her mouth and she quickly took several steps back. "Did you get bit?" he asked, looking her over, "I can give you a physical exam if you're not sure, my brother is a junior doctor."

"I made it out unscathed," she replied, ignoring his joke. "What about you?"

He turned in a full circle as if the zombies would've actually left a bite mark before turning back around to face her, "I made it out easy enough. I am Ham Solo after all."

Judy rolled her eyes before looking over his shoulder, "Did you see anyone else?"
"No," he replied, burying his paws in his pockets. "As far as I know we're the only ones that survived the zombie attack. Do you know what that means?"

"What?" Judy indulged him, her ears stood erect as she listened for any other animals that could be near, so far all she heard was the wind and Nick's obnoxious voice.

He looked at her very seriously, "If we're the only survivors that means we'll have to repopulate the earth."

Judy looked at him, silent, until the fox's lips pulled up into a grin and he laughed.

"Are you done now, joker?" she asked.

"For now," he replied after his bout of laughing ended. He looked around the forest then, his smirk disappearing, "I think we're lost."

"We're not lost," Judy tried for optimism as she started to walk in a random direction, "We've just misplaced the trail."

"I guess that is how an optimist would word it," he replied, following after her.

.

Meanwhile the others had ended up farther down the trail, the zombies having ceased chasing after them (they were instructed not to chase any students past the clearing). Rick leaned against a tree as he caught his breath, Finnick was standing beside him; his ears twitching as he looked behind him at the fog-covered trail that hid the clearing and zombies. Fru was sitting atop his head, Finnick having placed her there when the attack began. Honey was climbing up a tree, for what purpose Rick didn't know.

"Did you see Nick or Judy?" he asked Finnick.

Fru Fru answered, "I saw them run away into the trees."
"At least someone listened to my advice!" Honey called down from the branch she was crouching on.
"You didn't even listen to your advice!" Finnick yelled up to her.

"So my brother is alone with Judy in the woods," Rick clarified and then buried his face in his paws. "He's going to do something stupid, isn't he?"
"Yes," Finnick exhaled a suffering sigh.

"I think they'll be fine," Fru spoke up sanguinely. "A romantic walk through the woods is just what they need to get along."

Rick gave her a weird look, "Sure, Fru, whatever you say-Honey get off that tree before you fall! What are you even doing!?"

"I can see the field from up here," she called down to them. "I'm looking for Percy."

"Oh right," Finnick spoke up, "He was with us."

"I see him!" Honey declared. "A zombie otter has him and is…tickling him…he's laughing…such savagery. It's too late to stage a rescue mission."
"Get down here, Honey," Finnick ordered. "We need to find Nick before he does something stupid."
Honey slid down the tree with practiced ease, "Aye, aye."

.

"Really guys I'm fine," Charlie insisted to Sven and Winter. The reindeer and arctic fox were walking with her as they entered the school's haunted house. It started with a dark web-infested hallway, lit only by faint red light bulbs hanging from the ceiling that barely did anything to break the darkness. But being a feline the dimness hardly bothered her.

"You are not fine," Winter replied as Charlie stumbled slightly. "We're telling you that punch was spiked. Aren't we, Sven?"

"Yes," the reindeer answered in his slimy and creepy wendigo voice.

"I only had three cups," Charlie tried to assure them as the two each held one of her arms, leading her further into the hallway. Eerie sound effects suddenly blasted from the ceiling, screeching and pleading that made Winter yelp, her fur standing on end.

"I hate haunted houses," the fox moaned, stepping closer to her friends.

Charlie gave her a sympathetic look, "Do you want us to go back?"

"I don't want to keep you two from having a good time," Winter replied in an apologetic tone.

"We'll be fine on our own, won't we Sven?" Charlie asked the reindeer.

He was silent for a moment, and if Charlie hadn't had three cups of punch she would've realized she just agreed to spend time with the reindeer.

"Yeah," Sven replied, momentarily dropping his wendigo voice, "Sure. No problem."
Hiding a small smile Winter turned around and dashed back down the hall before Charlie got wise.

The cheetah, feeling slightly unbalanced, grabbed onto Sven's shoulder noticing that he tensed under her grip, she chuckled, assuming his rigid posture was because of his fear of the haunted house. "Don't be scared, you're the freakiest thing in The Zoo."

Sven made an incoherent noise and kept walking, Charlie's paw remaining on his shoulder as they went.

The hall led them to the nurse's office and Charlie saw someone sitting in the nurse's chair, she recognized it as St. Zoo's actual eccentric hippo nurse, Miss Bubbleworth (the counselor's single sister). Bubbleworth was wearing a blood-stained nurse's outfit and scribbling messily on a clipboard, a canine skull on her desk. On the simple cot across from her was a jackal that was tied to the cot by leather restraints, he was struggling in a desperate attempt to free himself, his clothes splattered with blood.

"Help me!" he begged Charlie and Sven in a high pitched screech. "Help me!"
Charlie shuddered as they kept walking, "Creepy."

"But not as creepy as me, right?" Sven asked; his spine-chilling wendigo voice was back.

"Of course," she replied, and then let out a breathy laugh as he leaned forward and nuzzled the mask against her neck.

They continued on their way to the gym, stepping inside she saw there was a crowd of strangers all dressed in tattered and torn dresses and tuxes. Charlie released Sven's shoulder and stepped forward, curious, she realized the crowd was a bunch of dressed up mamequins. Studying the face of an antelope she couldn't help being a little unnerved by the blank, marble eyes and took a step back, only to bump into Sven who was just behind her.

"Sorry," the reindeer murmured but didn't move away.

Charlie felt his heartbeat pounding against her back, "No problem."

They stayed still for a moment, enjoying each other's warmth before Charlie pulled away and grabbed his arm, "Let's go check out the locker rooms."
She led him toward the boys' locker room, sensing the reindeer's confusion she explained: "This is my only chance to check it out."
Stepping inside the corners of the locker room were covered in cobwebs, the sinks and showers running, the water murky and unclean, and the walls looked to be molding.

"Aw, darn," Charlie pouted, releasing Sven to place her paws on her hips. "They didn't decorate it."

Sven let out a sarcastic laugh, "You're hilarious."

.

Back in the cafeteria Gazelle and Wade sat across from each other in a booth, sharing a small bowl of candy. They sat in silence, Wade shifting through the bowl to find his favorite types of candy while Gazelle simply picked up whatever her hoof first touched, keeping her eyes on the rest of the students that were still in the room. Mainly Lionheart and Bellwether who were having a quiet conversation, Dawn was waving her arms around as she spoke in what appeared to be an eccentric manner. The lion was watching her with an openly tender look that Gazelle knew he could get away with what with Dawn being too tipsy to notice.

Lionheart leaned forward and whispered something into the sheep's ear and she laughed loudly, causing him to grin triumphantly.

During her shameless gawking Gazelle reached out to grab another sweet only to brush against Wade's paw as he reached for the same one. She turned to the wolf just as he rapidly pulled his paw back.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's fine," he mumbled quickly. He picked up the candy they had both been reaching for, a round sphere of butterscotch, and offered it to her. "You can have it."

Instead of taking the treat Gazelle reached out and grabbed Wade's paw, as expected the wolf tried to pull away but her grip tightened and his ears pressed flat against his skull.

"Gazelle…" his voice was a soft growl but she took note that he had stopped struggling.

"I'm just trying to figure out how you plan to go out in the world and get a job if you can't even shake paws," she said, keeping her eyes on his paw that still held the butterscotch.

"I'll get hired by someone with a crippling fear of germs," he half-joked.

Gazelle met his eyes, "Do you have a crippling fear of germs?"

"No," Wade shook his head in an almost sad way. "Not of germs. Do you want the candy or not, otherwise I'm going to eat it."

"Go ahead," Gazelle said, releasing his paw.

She watched Wade slowly chew the butterscotch before she spoke again, "Have you listened to that CD I gave you?"

Wade knit his brow, "No, your music isn't really…my thing."

"What's your thing?" she asked, ignoring the disappointment she felt that he hadn't listened to any of her songs. It made her feel arrogant, like he needed to like her songs just because everyone else did, or maybe she just wanted to have Wade like something about her.

"I listen to indie music," Wade replied. "I don't think you'd know any of it."
"Maybe I could-"

"Gazelle!" Winter suddenly rushed into the cafeteria and hurried over to the singer with a big smile on her face.

"What's up?" Gazelle asked as the fox stopped before the booth.

"Our reindeer's luck has finally started to turn!" Winter gushed.

.

"How are we still lost?" Judy demanded, turning a full circle, trees surrounding her on all sides. "I've seen this forest every day since I got here this forest is not that big!"

Nick stood a few feet away, not nearly as perturbed as the rabbit. "Maybe we're walking in circles?"

"Wouldn't that be my luck," she muttered before choosing yet another random direction and started walking, Nick following after her.

"Now, now," he said. "It's like you said, we're not lost. We just misplaced the trail."

Judy didn't comment, she was wondering if she should be worried that he wasn't bothered by the fact that they were in the woods alone.

They pushed through bushes and overlapping branches as they followed Judy's makeshift path, feelings branches and twigs scrap against her fur and costume. The silence was starting to drive her crazy so, once they cleared the thick bushes, she tried for small talk: "Is your tail okay?"

Nick blinked then glanced behind at the fluffy appendage, "Shouldn't it be?"

"One of the zombies grabbed your tail," she reminded him then smirked. "You screamed like a little girl."

Nick snorted and rolled his eyes, "To answer your question Carrots, my tail's fine." As if to prove it he lifted said tail and dragged it across her muzzle, making Judy jump back and nearly stumble. Nick's humor left and he pulled his tail back to himself, holding it between his paws and studying it. Judy was thrown off by how soft Nick's fur was and the weird tingle that went up her spine every time he touched her.

"Rick's more dedicated to grooming," Nick said out of the blue, still examining his tail, picking a leaf out of the black fur at the tip.

She furrowed her brow at him, "Okay?"

He looked at her, "So his tail is softer than mine."

That wasn't true but Judy definitely wasn't going to tell him that. "Your tail could be as soft as clouds and I still wouldn't want you to flick it in my face."

"Hm," he hummed, releasing his tail and walking ahead of her.

Judy frowned at his back, his relaxed and smug attitude having suddenly vanished. How was she supposed to know that he was sensitive about his tail?

She followed after Nick as the fox started to push his way through another set of bushes with her right behind. Her ears pricked up when an unfamiliar sound split through the air and a second later wind rushed through her ears as she was suddenly shot up into the air. She and Nick let out surprised shouts before they realized what had happened.

They were in a net that was hanging off a thick branch from a tree.

Judy was sprawled over Nick's stomach, her eyes wide as she took in what had just happened.

"Carrots…" Nick finally spoke from under her. "Did we just get captured in a net?"
"Yes," Judy nearly growled, trying to sit up but not being able to find her balance in the net. "And since you're a junior I'm waiting for you to give me an answer."

"Okay, just because I'm the attractive older guy doesn't mean I'm full of unfathomable wis-" Nick's sarcastic sentence came to a stop and his eyes widened before narrowing in anger. "Those annoying, untalented, little…" his voice turned to incoherent angry mumbling.

"What is it?"

"Last year our football team got into a huge prank war with a school not too far from here, turns out those guys like to take their pranks to the next level and booby-trapped these woods with nets and water balloon pranks, obviously we didn't find them all."

Judy huffed and tried to sit up once again only to accidentally elbow Nick in the ribs. "Sorry," she mumbled as he grunted in pain. She looked above their heads to the branch where the rope was thrown across it, following it she saw it ending toward the ground where it was tied around the base of the tree. She had an idea.

"Stay still," Judy ordered Nick. "I got an idea."

"What's your plan?" he asked. His eyes widened ever so slightly when Judy moved herself so she was facing him, her legs caging his hips.

She sighed resignedly, "I'm going to try and bite through the net."

He smirked, "Seriously?"

"Well I'd make you do it but you probably can't move; you're almost as big as the net."

He shrugged agreeably and Judy stretched up to reach the top of the net, in doing so her chest hovered incredibly close to Nick's face.

"What are you doing," the fox asked, his tone would've sounded flustered if he was capable of being so embarrassed.

"I just told you," her voice came out in an annoyed snap. "I'm gonna try to bite through the net." She grabbed the edge of the net and pulled it toward her; she used her buck teeth to bite into the rope and nearly gagged at the taste of dirt and dust. "It might take me a minute, just hold on."

"No it's okay," the fox said, she couldn't see his expression but his voice was starting to sound a little breathless. "Take your time."

Judy tried to bite through the rope but no matter how much pressure she used the rope was too stiff and thick.

And then a new voice spoke up: "Hey…guys…"

Judy and Nick looked down to the ground to see Flash dressed up as the superhero Flash, down on the ground, smiling lazily up at them.

"Flash, buddy," Nick greeted in relief.

"What…are…you…"

"We got stuck up here," Judy quickly explained, "Can you get us down?"

"Here…?"

"Can you untie the rope, pal?" Nick asked, indicated to the base of the tree.

"All…alone…?"

"We got separated from our friends," Judy said, her voice getting tight in annoyance.

"Do…you…want…me to…get you…down?"

"Yes, please," Nick and Judy answered in unison.

As Flash headed to the base of the tree at a slug's pace Judy met Nick's eye. "I'm starting to think he has a very large sense of sarcasm," Judy told him. "Larger than yours even."

Nick snickered, looking down at the sloth, "I think he just has selective hearing. As long as he's talking no one else is saying a word."

Flash apparently knew his knots because as soon as he made it to the tree he pulled the knot loose and despite the time that took it wasn't until it was too late that Nick and Judy realized their mistake.

The net started to lower as the knot was being untied and the two waved theirs paws frantically, "FLASH WAIT!"

The knot was undone and once again wind rushed through Judy's ears as they fell to the ground in a painful heap.

"Ow…ow…" Judy moaned, crawling out of the net. "That smarts. Nick?"

"You know what I think you guys?" Nick said as he forced himself to his feet. "I think I offended gravity in another life and now it's out to make my life miserable."

"Stop being so dramatic," she lightly scolded him and turned to Flash, "Where'd you even come from?"

"Priscilla….and I…we're walking…the…trail…when I…heard you…talk…" Flash answered.

Judy beamed, "You know where the trail is?"

"Yes…follow…me…if you…want…to…that…is."

The two let the sloth lead them back to the trail where Priscilla (dressed as Anna from the movie Floatzen) was waiting for them. She smiled tenderly at Flash and took his paw as they continued down the trail, Nick and Judy following behind them.

"Well, that was fun," Nick tried for a conversation as they walked.

Judy glanced up at him, "Which part? Where we got chased by zombies, or when we got separated from the others, or when we got trapped in a net?"

"I found it all incredibly enjoyable," Nick replied with a smile that showed off his white teeth.

Judy rolled her eyes but her lips turned up into a smirk. Nick's smile only grew upon noticing this.

The four made it to side of the school, finding a door that led into the gym that was mercifully unlocked. Nick opened it up only to find pitch blackness, being a fox this didn't bother him and he recognized the pool room. Judy stepped up to his side, pulling her phone out of her purse to use a flashlight. The pool room had its own little fog machine and Nick noticed the water in the pool looked suspiciously dark.

Nick glanced over to Flash and Priscilla, "You two coming?"

Priscilla shook her head, "We are…not big…fans…of…haunted…houses…we will…go…around…"
Flash waved them goodbye, "Have…fun…you…two…"

The two closed behind Nick and Judy and they stepped forward, in the darkness Nick noticed how Judy's ears were pricked up and she looked a little on edge.

He chuckled softly, "Feeling nervous, Fluff?"

"I don't exactly trust you to be a gentlefox when you got me alone in a dark room," she replied.

Nick placed a paw over his chest, "You really have so little faith in me, Carrots?"
She didn't answer and Nick tried not to let the silence sting so much.

"Haven't you been in haunted houses before?" Nick asked her.

"Since Bunnyburrow has a lot of open country land we usually just stick to the trails," she replied, shining her phone's light over the pool. The water was red.

"Nice," Nick grinned appreciatively as he leered over the water.

"If you like it so much then why don't you take a dip?" Judy suggested.

"It's just food dye," Nick pointed out. "It's harmless." He smirked at her; the phone's light casting an eerie glow over his face. "Wanna go swimming in the dark, we could skinny dip yet still keep our modesty."

"You're a fox," Judy pointed out, "You can see in the dark."

He snickered, "Aw, come on, Bun Bun. Have some 'fun'."

Judy pushed him, and despite her intention for it to only be a nudge Nick lost his balance and with flailing arms, stumbled into the pool. But not before grabbing Judy's arm and dragging her down with him, her phone and purse falling to the floor as the room echoed with their loud splashes.

Judy came up spluttering, glancing at her paw she saw the fur was red from the dye. Nick swam up to the surface, having a momentary coughing fit before giving Judy an affronted look. "You pushed me!"

"I didn't mean to push you into the pool," Judy began but then, quite suddenly, a bubble of mirth climbed up her throat and she giggled and the giggle turned into a loud laughter.

Nick's eyes widened as he watched the rabbit continue to chortle uncontrollably as they climbed out of the pool.

"S-sorry," she apologized between the fits of amusement, unable to stand up from it. "I just…gravity really does hate you!" She clutched her stomach while Nick continued to stare at her like she had grown another head.

"I really am stronger than I look too!" Judy pointed out, her lips hurting from smiling. "I could toss you over my shoulder and carry you out of here if I wanted to!"

Nick smirked at her, his green eyes staring to glow with amusement. "Maybe I should throw you back into the pool to calm you down?"
"Oh don't you dare," Judy warned, still chuckling as she picked up her phone and purse and stood up. "I'll push you back in."

Nick jumped to his feet and smiled at her, "You don't laugh nearly enough, Bun Bun."

"Quit calling me that," she ordered but her smile took the bite out of her words.

"I don't think I will," he replied, cupping his chin in thought. "In fact, I want to see you laugh more, and since you have proved resistance to my marvelous sense of humor I'll have to use a more direct method." He held up his paws and waved his fingers threateningly.

"Don't you even think about it," Judy warned but when the fox took a step forward she hurried and dashed out of the gym (blind in doing so since she had placed her phone in her purse), Nick chasing after her.

The crowd in the cafeteria jumped up in surprise when Judy and Nick, both covered in what appeared to be dried blood, burst into the room laughing like a couple of lunatics.