"Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read." - Athenaeus
Every new day is another chance to forget what the past has wrought.
Some live by this ideology almost daily: Mindlessly moving on from one day to the next, completely oblivious to the powers that be.
It is only the few who take the time to remember their past, whether it be of grievance or joy, and reignite a sense of appreciation that can stand a chance in this world.
Nick and Judy had been through hell and high water throughout their time together, but neither has ever left the other hanging in any situation without reassurance or comfort. They've supported each-other day in and day out, no matter what the cause, or the effects it had. The ugly truth was that Judy would never forget what took place that morning: It was simply an unforgettable experience, but far from being such in a good way.
But in the end, Nick's consistent heartening and ever-so warm embrace carried away her grievances and her sorrows, leaving nothing but new ground to tap, and new opportunities to nature and grow, until full and pleasant memories blossom up, completely blocking out the horrors of the past.
Ignorance is bliss, and for as much as Judy wished that she could forever erase those horrible nightmares, she knew deep down that they were lessons to be learnt and to be cherished. Thus, she chiseled these dark moments of hers in the stone of her mind, making them law; Forever to be remembered for the threat they posed and the lesson they taught.
After the tears had been dried and the heart had returned once again, Nick and Judy settled down for the day, intent on keeping to no one but themselves: They clung to one another for hours on end, thinking, talking, remembering, laughing, and yes, even crying.
Hours had passed since the two mammals arrived back in the first place. Eventually, a whole new evening came to be, in which they spent sleeping away their troubles, perhaps snuggling closer than ever before in a reassurance of their sympathy and understanding. Nick dreamt of Judy, and Judy dreamt of Nick; Both contexts only further strengthening their trust in themselves and one another.
More time passed, morning came and went as it always did, and now; Noontime the next day, the two tiny officers were at last ready to make the trip to the ZPD, where they will confront Bogo with the reasoning behind their temporary absence, and perhaps even learn more about what happened to Jack Savage and Shahaz.
As much as it pained her to come to terms with it, Judy knew that she'd have to face Jack again in the future, whether it be at an interrogation at head-quarters, or to provide witness testimony at his inevitable court trial.
Jack never did get away with his crimes, but his attempt would forever leave a mark on Judy that would heal in the end, but never truly be anything less than a scar.
The water-buffalo's face was nothing short of astonishment personified ever since the start of the rabbit's story.
Her words were bitter but true, and as Judy explained her predicament from the previous night, she noticed Bogo's expression change multiple times throughout the ordeal, ranging from bewilderment, anger, disgust, and empathy above all else. Nick stood right next to her the entire way through, his paw on her shoulder every step of the way.
The two mammals, after taking the time to arrive at the ZPD head-quarters, had immediately went to the chief so as to explain the reasons behind their absence and their sudden reappearance. They had entered his office and jumped up onto his guest chair, and promptly began telling their story, each from the perspectives of both mammals involved, fox and bunny alike.
When the tale had been concluded, Bogo was speechless: His muzzle hanging slightly agape in awe and trepidation, though no words came forth from within.
Finally, he gathered his bearings and spoke his mind out to Nick and Judy, who stood quiet and patient as they awaited their response.
"You're too good for us, Hopps. I truly don't understand what that must have been like, though I will give you my earnest support and condolences as needed." He muttered.
"Thank you, Chief." The bunny paused to sniff. "Thank you so much."
"That being said, I think it's safe to say that you two have certainly earned your keep," Bogo rose from his chair. "One week, paid vacation. Dismissed."
The bunny momentarily blinked her eyes a single time in apprehension. Her head stayed still and simply listened as chief Bogo made his way across the length of his office, and open the door, preparing to leave.
"W-wait, Chief Bogo!" Judy called out, causing the buffalo to turn slowly and eye her with disinterest. "What do you mean?" She asked with a quizzical expression.
"Exactly what I said, officer. One week; paid vacation. You both have earned it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some questioning to accomplish for our one, Jack Savage."
With an audible and breathy grunt, chief Bogo nodded to the fox and bunny before turning tail and exiting the room, his fists balled, pacing in the direction of the ZPD jailhouse.
The fox and bunny jumped down from the too-large chair that they were standing in, landing on the carpet floor with audible pattering noises. They too then exited the chief's office, both glass-eyed and wondering what they'd just gotten themselves in to.
"Did Chief Buffalo-Butt just say... Paid vacation?" Nick asked with arched eyebrows and a growing grin.
"That's what I heard." Judy mumbled before turning to Nick with a confused look on her white-colored face. "What's a vacation?"
The fox simply rolled his eyes and huffed out of his mouth before responding.
"Yeah, and you call me the joker, huh?" Nick listened to Judy's snickers as he ruffled the fur on her head. "So... What now, then?"
Judy seemed to take a moment to ponder the thought. After a few short seconds, she looked up to the fox with an excited sort of smile and gave him her answer.
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting kind of tired of having white fur..." She said rubbing her paws together. "Let's go get stylized, shall we?"
Her last comment was laced with a flamboyant undertone to provide a sense of emphasis and color, and to which Nick donned his favored half-lidded smirk in response.
"I dunno, I'm starting to like being gray! And you don't look half-bad in white, yourself!" The fox stated teasingly.
"Save the jokes for another time, slick... After all, we've got the entire week to ourselves! I say we start by getting our old fur color back!" The bunny retorted with vigor.
"Alright, alright, you got me, fluff butt." Nick claimed. "I agree with ya, because as much as I like you in white, It'll never beat your old gray fur, cotton-tail."
"Great! You ready to go get stylized?" Judy repeated with that same sense of glamour.
"Why yes... Yes I am..." Nick said with a coyish wink.
The two mammals then made their way back to the very same room that they had started their undercover mission in, all those weeks ago. But only this time, they were intent on reverting back to the past, as often as it should be done.
1:22 P.M
"Oh man, feel that Judy?" The fox asked the bunny while breathing in deeply through his nostrils. "Now this is natural! No more dyes, no more contacts, no more nothin'!"
After going through a painstakingly boring and long wash of dye-remover gel in the undercover-stylist room, the efforts of fox and bunny alike concluded with their indigenous fur colors returning once again; With Nick now back to his russet orange tinge, and Judy reverting to her own gray-colored hue. It was a nostalgic experience, especially after having their entire identities changed and altered over the course of their mission.
The stress had been real and unrelenting, but now; It was time for rest and rejoice, for their operation was over, and Jack Savage was rightfully behind bars.
After having their dye washed away, and all the horrors that came with their operation right along with it, both mammals excused themselves from the ZPD head-quarters, making sure to briefly stop by Clawhauser's receptions desk to say hello. While they were there, he informed the two of them about the ZPD's most recent information regarding the Savage case. Apparently, Jack was still being held somewhere in the head-quarters jail-house, and was currently awaiting trial. The Sahara-Square Sundries was overturned for what it really was, Jack's company was still running smoothly, even without it's fair leader, and Shahaz had even been offered a reduced sentence for providing an accomplice testimony, and informing the ZPD of his work and actions alongside Jack and Vladzotz. Nick was pleased to hear that last fact, as even though the titular pangolin wasn't exactly on his 'buddy list' or anything like that, he still had some shred of respect for him one way or another, and knowing that his cooperation didn't go without reward was a pleasant and reassuring fact to hear.
Upon leaving the ZPD head-quarters, (And changing into their casual attire) the two mammals found themselves pacing towards the Zootopian transit station. Judy herself had rather found memories of the place, as it was the location of her first and perhaps most awe-inspiring moment in the city, when she had rode the train all the way from Bunny-Burrow, taking in the sights along the way.
Nick wasn't a very avid or frequent traveler, despite the fact that his new career as a police officer often led him to far off and backwater places that even he had never been to. His time on the streets throughout the many years of his life had led him to many places around the city and it's districts, but in truth, he only went where the money was: The down-town area, along with Savannah-Central was the highest potential host of profits, given the massive amount of foot-traffic that both areas had, thus, it was the area where he spent the most time in.
So in the end, whenever Nick traveled, it wasn't with the intent on exploration or the endeavor of learning: It was always about the money. He rarely used the monorail or transit system that the city had in place, as in the past, he had most frequently gotten around by either walking or hitching a ride in his buddy Finnick's van. He never took the time to sit back and truly appreciate the brilliant world that he lived in.
Judy's arrival changed that, along with pretty much everything else about him.
Now that he had the time, energy, and effort to do so, he gladly took to accompanying Judy as they made their way towards the transit station, both wondering what they intended on doing for the next week. Both had the idea and intent on doing at least some exploring, so now the only question left was where: In a vibrant city with many unique and diverse locations, where should one go to enjoy themselves?
That was the question on both of their minds, but Nick believed that he had the answer to it.
"Oh gosh, so many things to see... Where do we wanna go, Nick?" Judy murmured before turning around and facing Nick, who was eyeing the map-board in front of him.
The fox and bunny, upon arriving at the grand central station, had decided to take the time to look over one of the large-scale maps that were posted around the area. They scanned over it, wondering what their chosen destination would be. After a brief time looking over it, Nick spotted one little spot on the far north-east corner of the map, nearly in the very vertex of the corner: The large body of water that bordered Tundra-Town, the Polar Strait, and inside of it, the large white dot that represented the Morzh-Iceblock.
Suddenly, a very expansive and intricate idea came to the fox: He knew where he wanted to go.
"Carrots, check this place out over here!" He said to her as he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto his shoulders.
"Oh!" Judy squeaked at Nick's sudden action, but soon relaxed when she had settled herself atop his shoulders.
"Alright shorty, look at this!" Nick requested, jutting his index finger out towards the Morzh-Iceblock. "We should go there... Seems like a pretty cool place to visit, no?"
The bunny squinted her eyes and leaned her head forward to get a better look at Nick's presented location.
"The... Morzh Ice-block?" She read aloud. "What's so special about there, huh?" She asked, looking down at the fox whom carried her.
"Well, I've never been there, so I couldn't exactly tell you, but I've heard of it before... It's this big iceberg out in the Polar Strait, and from what I hear, it's a pretty neat thing to sight-see at. Besides, I think we could spare a visit to Tundra-Town: It's the most refreshing place around in comparison to all these other summer-soaked districts. Wouldn't hurt to cool off a bit, would it?"
Judy seemed to ponder that idea for a short while. Soon enough, she looked down once more and gave him her answer.
"No..." She smirked, watching Nick's smile vanish before she finished her reply. "It certainly wouldn't hurt to visit... Let's go!"
She then lept from Nick's shoulders and landed a few feet away, grabbing him by the paw and beginning to pull him away from the sign. He hesitated and called out to her;
"Hey fluff-butt, aren't you forgetting something?"
"What am I forgetting, hmm?" Judy briefly halted and almost caused Nick to plow into her from behind.
"Oh, you bunnies... Always so forgetful. As if being dumb wasn't enough..."
"Hey now, don't make me change my mind about going anywhere with you, slick!" She placed her paws on her hips. "So what'd I forget, hmm?"
"First rule of Tundra-Town, Judy: Always bring coats!" Nick stated.
"But we have our own natural fur coats, Nick... Besides, it's summer! I doubt it'll be too chilly..."
"Good point, but it doesn't matter if it's summer or not... Not if we plan on staying overnight..." The fox retorted.
"Overnight?" Judy repeated, her words laced with apprehension and curiosity.
"Yeah, overnight." Nick confirmed. "There's somethin' I wanna show you while we're there... It only happens at night, and can only be seen from Tundra-Town, really."
"Oh, that's cool! What is it you wanna show me?" The bunny questioned, her curiosity suddenly piqued. In response, the fox only shook his head in disapproval.
"Ah ah ah, whiskers! I ain't gonna tell ya just yet, and I promise that it's for your own good. Besides, you'll see when we get there! And as for the overnight part, trust me: It doesn't matter if it's summer or not, when night falls, Tundra-Town becomes even more of an ice-box, and I didn't even think it was possible! So yeah, we're gonna need coats."
'Alright, fine..." The bunny grumbled, disappointed that she would have to wait to find out about the thing Nick wanted to show her. "It better be worth the wait, though..."
"Don't worry, it really is, I promise!" The fox reassured her, rubbing her shoulder in a tender gesture. He thought that it was just the cutest thing whenever she pouted.
"Now, I think we should have enough time to run back home and get some more winter-formal clothes... The next tram doesn't leave for another twenty minutes!" He added.
2:03 P.M
The main and centralized township in the center of the district was the frigid maw of Tundra-Town; The place where all visitors went through if they wanted to further explore the district. After barely making it back to the grand central station in time to catch their train, the bunny and fox promptly boarded and made their way to the sight-seeing deck, where passengers could stare out the domed windows as the train traveled across the city. Judy remembered her first time riding in the train, and how she had spent the entire ride to the city listening to Gazelle, watching with awe as the landscape roll by.
This ride was much shorter than the one that Judy had been through all those years ago, but no less enjoyable: She and Nick stood inside the domed compartment, eyeing the ever-changing landscape as it whirred by at top speed. They pointed out structures to one another, ranging from the Natural-History Museum where they had had their first true case solved (with the help of some blueberries, of course), to the towering heights of the Sahara-Square's Grand Palm Hotel. As the giant metal tree faded into the background as the train continued onward into the Canyon-Lands, Nick watched it as it disappeared behind a sand dune. He considered the idea of perhaps taking Judy to the hotel sometime soon on their paid-vacation, and getting themselves a nice room where they could relax and indulge themselves in each-other's company.
That thought put a smile on the fox's russet-colored muzzle.
He then looked over to Judy, who was still staring outside the window, eyeing the rolling dunes and rock formations as the train whizzed past. His emerald eyes traced her form, starting from the bunny's padded feet, which connected to her cotton-Lycra wrapped legs. He smiled at the sight of her fluffy tail, which twitched slightly as the bunny continued to stare out the window. Raising his line of sight, Nick noted how her denim jacket cut off around her naval, giving it that 'too-short' sort of look. Beneath her jacket, she wore a purple and skin-tight sweater, which clung tight against her breast and stomach. Overall, the fox thought that it was a very cute look for her.
Nick looked down at his own outfit, which was virtually the same as usual, with the exception being that he had quickly thrown on an orange-checkered sweater over his floral shirt.
Eventually, the train slipped into one of the tunnels inside the giant wall of the air-conditioning unit; Darkness overtaking the train momentarily, the light at the end of the tunnel growing ever wider. Soon enough, a blinding flash of light accompanied the train's entrance into Tundra-Town, where the sudden flash of the sun caused both mammals to briefly shut their eyes.
When they reopened, they were met with the site of the frosty outskirts of Tundra-Town, where vast, rolling fields of snow and sleet stretched for what seemed like miles in all directions. The occasional cottage, and even some of those strangely shaped blizzard-pods were all passed by the train, which plowed head-on into a clump of snow that had gathered on the tracks, sending ice spraying across the windows. Looking out to the right, the bunny could see the Verglas Taiga; An expansive and snowy alpine forest, with hundreds of snow-glazed trees dotting the sloping landscape.
Using her paws to rub away at the slick condensation that had been accumulating inside the train's windows, Judy noticed that the train was now passing over the simply-named Icy Lake, which itself connected to the much larger Polar Strait. Looking out of the windows, Nick smirked at the idea of such a poorly named body of water.
"Gee, ya think that they could've put a little more effort into the name, huh?" He asked the bunny, who shrugged before refocusing her attention to the landscape outside.
Nick decided to follow in Judy's footsteps, and thus spared another drawn-out glance outside himself. The train had apparently passed over the Icy Lake, and was now following continuing to follow the elevated monorail tracks, which were now situated above a large town, where the glowing-blue and ice-capped buildings were crowned with swirling and glassy domes. Nick couldn't help but think that they looked almost like swirled ice-cream, and decided to point it out to his mate.
"What is it with Tundra-Town and the onion-domes? What's so special about having spiral rooftops?" His more cynical side led him to identify.
"You know, now that you mention it..." Judy stared, her paw rubbing at her chin and her eyes flicking to the ground. "I really don't know. That's weird."
Pursing his lips, Nick looked back outside and watching as the train took a sudden turn to the left, continuing down a round-about that slowly lowered them closer to the ground. Sparing a glance at the direction that the train didn't take, Nick could see that it continued for a ways before vanishing inside the opposing air-conditioned wall that they had entered through, no doubt exiting into the Rainforest-District.
Soon enough, the train came to a stop at the Tundra-Town central station, where the fox and bunny disembarked from the tram and took their first few steps in Tundra-Town.
"Welcome to Tundra-Town!" The fox loudly said as he threw his arms to the air, earning the attention of a few pedestrians. "Best place to be during summer, if you ask me!"
"It's not like we haven't been here before, Nick..." She said rolling her eyes and grinning. "And I don't think anyone was asking you, really."
Nick feigned utter disbelief as he positioned his paw over his heart, as if he were going through cardiac arrest.
"You wound me, Whiskers! That's no way to treat your favorite fox!"
"It is if you're being stupid." The bunny mumbled, lightly elbowing Nick in the sternum at the same time.
"I'm the sentient embodiment of all things stupid, you know." Nick joked.
"Don't remind me." Judy mumbled teasingly, grabbing Nick by one of his paws and pulling him along through the station.
Both mammals took the time to observe their new surroundings. Most of they're adventures into Tundra-Town had been done via road, so neither of them could safely say that they've ever set foot in this particular station. It wasn't quite as large as the Grand-Central station back in Savannah-Central, and it wasn't quite as adapted to suite the varying sizes of incoming mammals: Most of the stuff around was caribou and polar-bear sized, as they were among the largest percentage of mammals that lived in the snowy district.
The two mammals exited the station through a large, oval-shaped opening at the front of the station, which emptied out into the town that they had driven over earlier in the monorail. Nick and Judy descended the steps and gazed around at the buildings that surrounded them.
Many of the buildings were connected at the sides, with sloping staircases raised to the front entrances. They were all blue-white in coloration, with the bricks and plaster shining in their frosted coatings. Some of the buildings were cathedral-like in structure, with thin stained-glass windows lining the bricks, and intricate designs carved into the walls and painted on the doors. The domed roof-tops were all caked with powdery snow, and long, pointed icicles sprouted from whatever edge they could find hold on. The few buildings and roof-tops that weren't capped with onion-shaped spirals were pointy and elongated, often crowned with glowing stars or snow-flake shaped caps of cold ice.
Running through the center of the street was a large stream, where pedestrians stood atop ice-floe as they drifted down the rivulet, no doubt for a faster travel experience. Plenty of mammals were trudging through the snow-lain sidewalks as they went about their day, ranging from tiny arctic-hares to over-sized and brooding white polar-bears.
Upon reaching the bottom step, Judy promptly lept forward, thinking that she would land easily on the snow-covered side-walk, but instead sank up to her waist in the snow. She scrunched up her shoulders and stifled a groan as the cold and wet snow caused her body to go stiff and rigid.
"C-C-Cold!" The bunny muttered through chattering teeth. "N-Nick! Help me out!"
Chuckling lowly to himself as he did, Nick planted his feet on the ground and grabbed Judy's paw, pulling her out of the snow. He lifted her up and held her in his arms, classic bridal-style. The bunny squirmed in his grasp and gave him a pouting glare.
"I can handle myself, fox! You don't have to carry me around like some kit, you know!"
Nick just smirked at her, relishing in the amusement of having to drag his mate along through the snow.
"You sure about that, short-stuff" He teased with a crooked grin. "Because last I checked, you didn't even make it two feet before you sank up to your waist in the snow."
"Oh just put me down, you jerk! I can handle the side-walk. It's wasn't even that deep anyway, mind you!"
Snickering to himself, the fox decided against dropping the bunny into the freezing stream, and instead set her on her feet against the sleet-coated sidewalk. Thanks to their padded and claws feet, the majority of the mammals that lived in Tundra-Town had little to no trouble gripping the oftentimes slick surface of the sidewalk. Neither fox nor bunny had such troubles, and soon enough they were on their way.
They didn't exactly have any major plans in mind for their current moment, as they both knew that they had the rest of the day to check out the Morzh Ice-block, so they simply took to strolling around the town, taking in the many things to see and do. For some time, they stopped at a large pond, and using some fishing-poles that they had rented, decided to try out ice-fishing. Neither of them were very good at it, and after a full half-hour, the only thing they ended up catching was one tiny fish, no bigger than one of Judy's fingers. Thankfully for the fish, they ended up throwing it back into the water.
"Live another day, my child." Nick added as he watched the thing swim away and disappear into the frigid, watery depths of the pond.
Soon enough, they returned their borrowed fishing poles and continued walking around the area. Being the fact that it was summer-time in Zootopia, the beaming rays of the sun provided an ample amount of visage and warmth to both mammals, who enjoyed themselves despite the still-freezing climate of Tundra-Town. It was certainly a refreshing experience to be able to get away from the heat of the Savannah-Central and Sahara-Square, which happened to be where both mammals spent most of their time both on the job and by themselves.
Eventually, the two mammals left the urbanized area and entered a sort of park, almost. Soft fields of snow stretched out in all directions, and the side-walk that they strolled on was flanked by the occasional light-post and bench. Still, they continued walking for some time, eventually coming across a direction-sign that pointed in multiple directions. One of the arrows jutted out slightly to the right, and from where they were standing, was pointing toward the distance at an approximate two o'clock angle.
Morzh Ice-block
"Nick, look at the sign!" The bunny called out to the fox, earning his attention. "That's the direction we need to go!"
"Gee, I can't believe we've walked all this way already... My feet are cold and aching!" Nick complained.
"Oh, quit your whining, slick. We've came this far already, so we might as well finish strong, right?"
"You and your determination... Fine, let's finish strong, shall we?" The fox said with a smirk and half-lidded eyes.
Fox and bunny continued down the path in the direction of the Iceberg, which went on for a fair amount of time. As they went, they discussed idle and minor things, paw-in-paw as they approached a small forest. The side-walk winded down in between the many trees, which towered over the two mammals like sky-scrapers. After spending all that time back in Tundra-Town's central township, and walking down through the Arctic Fields to get to where they were now, Nick was starting to notice that the sun was sinking ever lower over the sky-line, causing the landscape to dim slightly, and exposing the darkness of the opposing horizon.
"We should probably pick up the pace, fluff... We don't wanna be caught out here when night falls, especially since there's still a few more places we have to visit here."
"Right, and you need to-" Judy trailed off when her ears suddenly shot up, her nose twitching slightly and her arms being raised to her sides in prey-based response.
"Uh, somethin' wrong, carrots?" The fox questioned quizzically.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing's wrong!" The bunny claimed in her defense before raising her paw and pointing into the distance. "I just think that I see our destination!"
Raising his line of sight to where Judy was pointing to, Nick could see the snow-covered ground lower in elevation and slope, eventually coming to the brink of a watery basin, which was no doubt the edge of the Polar Strait. The frosty waters were clouded in thin and cold mist, which also blanketed in patches around the icy beach that the fox and bunny were now walking across.
"There it is!" Nick pointed out. "I guess that's the Ice-block..."
A few dozen yards out, floating buoyant on the surface of the Polar Strait was a massive iceberg, with thick and towering walls of ice that rose high into the air. It was almost blue in coloration, which meant that the ice was really dense. From the sides of the berg and even from beneath the water rose thick and shining splinters of ice; Large spikes that jutted out in every direction, gleaming almost menacingly in the sunlight as it streamed through and around the ice.
"Wow... It's beautiful." Judy murmured with widened eyes, taking in the sight of the shining iceberg all the while.
"Yep. Beautiful in an 'Impale you and sink your ship' sort of way." The fox added, causing both mammals to snicker at the snide but honest remark.
They spent the next hour or so leisurely walking around the perimeter of the basin, watching the iceberg and the sky as they did. In due course, the two mammals soon made their way back in the direction that they had came from, eventually coming across a small Tundra-Town village, much like the first one that they had set foot in earlier that day, with the exception being that it wasn't quite as large or diverse. This new one was adorned with similar buildings and structures, but with just less quantitative amounts of pedestrians roaming about, and fewer buildings in the first place.
"Nick, do we really know where we're going?" Judy inquired, her concern growing.
"Of course we do! In fact, I should've told you earlier, so I'm sorry about that, but it doesn't matter now. You see, I have an old friend that lives around here. She owns a bar, and would always give me complimentary drinks whenever I stopped by. She serves dinner stuff and has hot-chocolate there, too! I haven't seen her in years, but I reckon that it wouldn't hurt to stop by, say hello, and maybe grab a drink or two while we're at it. Sound good?"
Judy took a moment to think about it. She figured that it certainly wouldn't hurt to make a brief visit And besides: It was starting to get colder outside, and Judy could have gotten used to the idea of some hot-chocolate right about then.
"Sure! I could use some food, to be honest... And it wouldn't hurt to get out of the cold, would it?" The bunny agreed, clutching at her sweater-lined stomach.
"Agreed. Now, be on the lookout for a place called Honey's Tavern. It should be coming up here soon..." The fox stated as he craned his head, looking around the area.
After a few short minutes of pacing around, the duo eventually came across the aptly named Honey's Tavern, which stood as a small brick-lain structure that connected to a larger, more sophisticated building. Going in through the front entrance, which was big enough to accommodate even the largest of polar-bears,Nick and Judy stepped inside and took in the surroundings of a rather cozy bar, with rows of stools flanking the side. Behind the bar counter, a heavy-set female badger was washing out a glass mug as she dealt with a few other mammals at the bar, including a polar-bear and what looked like some sort of deer.
"Honey, I'm home!" Nick called out with his paws shooting double finger-guns at the titular badger, who turned and eyed him with a wide smile.
"Nicky! It's been forever!" She claimed as her paw met with Nick's half-way, who shook back with just as much vigor. "How long has it been? Three, four years?"
"Eh, give or take a few... Here, I want ya to meet someone very dear to me!"
The fox then whirled around and gripped Judy's denim covered shoulders before maneuvering her directly into the badger's line of sight. Now that she was closer, the bunny was better able to take in Honey's appearance. Her fur was almost purple in coloration, and her clipped ears were dangling with ear-rings. The female badger wore a green tank-top and cargo shorts.
The bunny stuck out her paw, which the badger firmly grasped and shook before following up with a wink.
"Nice to meet ya darlin'! The name's Honey, and I welcome you to my humble abode!" She said, spreading her arms around and looking to the ceiling.
Before Judy could say anything, Nick piped up from behind, his paw squeezing her shoulder as he spoke aloud;
"This is my wife, Judy! She and I are both police officers at the ZPD... So yeah, I've been pretty busy as of late, obviously..."
"Busy? Nicky, you've been out down-right life-changing for all this time!" The badger cried. "I-I mean look at you! You actually have a job! A-And even pulled yourself a wife!"
"Oh, you flatter me, Honey... But yeah, you're right: I have been pretty situated as of late. I wish I could've gotten around to contacting you earlier, but I just never got around to it. Real sorry about that."
"Oh, don't fuss over that, especially since your here rig'now!" Honey beckoned them forward to the bar. "Do come and sit! Drinks on the house, just for you two!"
The fox and bunny seated themselves at the bar; Sitting down right next to the deer. They watched as Honey pulled out two glasses and placed them on the counter in front of them.
"Alright, so what can I get you both? Would you like anything in particular, Nicky?"
"Eh, surprise me!" He ordered before turning to Judy. "Knock yourself out, Carrots."
The bunny stifled a nervous laugh as she spared a glance at Honey, who was eyeing her in wait for her answer.
"Uhh... Oh! Nick said that you have hot-chocolate on the way here... Can I have some of that?"
"Course we got hot-cocoa! Every self-respecting restaurant and pub in the whole of Tundra-town should be able to offer their guests that at the very least!" Honey beamed.
The female badger then turned around and prepared their drinks, occasionally turning her head over her shoulder and asking a question.
"So, how long have you two lovers been hitched, huh?"
The question momentarily faltered Nick, who had to take a moment to think back on his answer. Rolling her eyes and smiling, Judy decided to answer for him.
"About six months, at this point... But from the way Nick tries to remember stuff, you'd think it'd be sixty years!"
The two females had a good laugh while the fox sat there, his arms crossed and his ears lowered against the back of his head.
"I'm right here, ya know." He mumbled.
"Aw, you know we're just playin', Nicky!" Honey teased. "Ain't no need to be givin' nobody the ol' sour-face 'cause of it!"
Soon enough, the badger clattered two mugs filled with two types of liquid. Judy's was obviously hot-chocolate with the sweet smell of cocoa floating off of the fumes it emitted. Nick's however was a briny and bubbly liquid, orange in coloration. While Judy was sipping away at her beverage, Nick took careful gulps of his, swallowing hard to get past the rancid taste.
"So, what brings ya'll here, anyways?" Honey asked out of the blue.
The fox and bunny looked to each-other and smiled.
"Oh, we're just on a lil' date, thas' all." Nick answered, taking another sip from his drink before resuming. "We figured Tundra-Town would be nice because of the heat, ya know?"
"Yeah, I hear ya... Savanna-Central can be pretty sweltering during the summer-time, and don't even get me started about the Sahara-Square!"
Honey's eyes suddenly flicked between the two of them, looking past the heads of the fox and bunny at something behind them. Judy noticed that from her expression, it looked like she was about to call out to someone, but her face winced, and was shortly followed by a thud, a loud crashing sound and a thickly-slurred curse, all of which caused the many mammals in the bar to turn towards.
Apparently someone must have knocked a mug off of a table or something, as the previous crash had sounded very fragmented and glass-like. Not only that, but a pile of shards littered themselves across the floor. Judy remembered that another noise had accompanied the crash: A heavy-sounding thump of something falling to the floor. Now, Judy realized that someone had fallen over from one of the booths, taking their glass mug with them.
The mammal that had fallen over slowly rose to his feet, and Judy's eyes narrowed in trepidation as she stared up at the mammal.
For starters, he was huge: Both tall and wide, with a barrel-chest and arms as thick as Bogo's. His skin was all purple muscle, with relatively few fur patches. His body was wrapped in a tight-fitting and short-cut green overcoat, with the sleeves stretched out over his biceps. The coat was only buttoned up half-way, as his chest prevented it from being buttoned up past the base of his sternum. The creature's hands and bare feet were webbed together with flaps of skin that stretched across his fingers. Wispy eyebrows covered a pair of hazy yellow eyes, and the mammal had a thick and flabby muzzle, with a bushy mustache sprouting from the upper part his short snout.
He was a very intimidating looking creature, due to his size and overall appearance, but what really caught Judy's attention were his teeth: Two large and thick tusks jutted out from his mouth, sharpened like ice-picks and pointing downwards. Each tusk was engraved with swirling designs and markings, like waves, almost.
He stumbled to his feet and placed his paw on a nearby table, of which he heavily leaned on to keep balance. "Uh...?" He sputtered lowly through his bushy mustache.
"IVAR!" Honey roared. "I told you that you'd had enough, but no, you had to get yourself drunk again! Remember that bar-fight you caused last week?"
The creature blinked and belched a single time, and his eyes focused on the frustrated badger for a count of five before he bothered to say anything.
"Ivar does not remember any bar fight... He only remembers victory over trash-talking polar-bear!" The mammal, apparently named Ivar, claimed with a triumphant smile.
He straightened himself out and flexed his arms as he finished that statement, only to bend over and throw up on the floor seconds before collapsing in his own puke puddle.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ivar... You're gonna kill yourself one day." Honey mumbled to herself as she lept over the bar-counter and trudged over to the passed-out mammal.
She checked his pulse and then whistled loudly in an attempt to gain the bar's attention.
"Anyone able to take him home?" She asked loudly, to which nobody answered. "Anyone?"
The bar remained silent.
Sighing to herself, Honey tried lifting him up, but she might as well have been trying to lift a boulder. Soon giving up, she made her way back behind the bar and walked over to Nick and Judy, who were both still staring at Ivar, whom was now snoring loudly in his sleep.
"Um, who was that?" Judy squeaked, slightly raising her paw and pointing to the snoring mammal.
"Him? That's Ivar Obdenberg. Walrus. Regular here at the bar, but as much as I appreciate his company, he has a tendency to get a little tipsy, so to speak."
"A walrus? What's that?" The bunny found herself asking, to which Nick laughed out loud and added his own snide remark.
"First it was bats, and now walruses, huh? You got a lot to learn, you dumb little bunny, you!" The fox teased. "But yeah, he's one of those guys..."
Judy scowled at him, but even she couldn't deny the fact that she was rather naive at times: Nick didn't blame her, thankfully, as she did have somewhat of an excuse, as she had grown up living a relatively sheltered life-style back in Bunny-Burrow, where the only thing that mattered was what happened in Bunny-Burrow.
"Mmm-hmm. He's the only walrus I know." Honey claimed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're a rare species to come across."
"You're just gonna leave him there?" The bunny suddenly asked the badger, who snorted at the notion of her question.
"Oh, don't worry 'bout him, darlin'... This ain't the first time this has happened. He'll sleep 'till morning then wake up and leave like he always does. Ain't nobody 'round these parts got the guts to mess with him, so he'll be fine. Besides, he sleeps like a rock: Once he's out, he's out. Feel free to try and pick him up, if you'd like."
Judy stole one last glance at the snoring walrus, who was now slurring half-formed words in his sleep. Pursing her lips and turning back around to face Honey, she saw the badger pluck her now empty hot-cocoa mug and begin to wash it out, soon tossing it in a dish-rack on the other side of the counter.
Judy saw Nick steal a glance at a nearby clock.
9:04 P.M
"Well, thanks so much for the occasion, Honey, it really was great to see you again." Nick started. "But we gotta scram: We'll miss the dead-line if we don't leave now, so..."
"Oh really, now? Where you going at this time o' night, huh Nicky?" The badger asked.
"I wanted to take Judy to the Aurora-Alp!" The fox replied, his sharp teeth brimming within his proud smile.
"Ooo, the tallest peak in all of Tundra-Town? Yeah, you'll need to get a ski-lift for that one, buddy. But yeah, it was nice seein' you again, Nicky... And don't hesitate to come back whenever you like, cuz I always appreciate the company."
"Right! I love ya, I owe ya!" Nick called out one last time as he and Judy exited the bar, stepping into the frigid air, of which caused Judy to snuggle up closer to Nick.
"Aw, is Carrots feelin' cold?" Nick asked in a teasing sort of tone that made Judy frown at him.
"Of course I am! Let's just got to this place you wanted to show me before my tail freezes off!" The bunny replied.
9:38 P.M
It took nearly a quarter of an hour to get to the ski-lift area, and when they finally did, they both promptly boarded their given lift and began the ascension of the Aurora-Alp.
The ascent was slow and peaceful as it was, with the two of them eventually reaching a little outpost near the top. They followed a winding and icy sidewalk for a short while, climbing little by little up the mountain until they eventually reached it's peak.
When Judy reared around the icy corner and set foot on the very top, her jaw dropped, her eyes widened, and her mind was utterly blown away.
Swirling across the sky-line directly above them was a miasma of rainbow-like ribbons of light, each-one constantly flowing and changing colors, from red to yellow to green and even blue. For the longest time, both mammals sat down in the snow and simply stared up at the sky, watching the prismatic colors as they floated by and by. Judy didn't utter a single word or even look down until her neck started aching from the way she was staring upwards.
Rubbing at her neck as she did, the bunny glanced over at Nick, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder in a tender gesture, his eyes already staring at her when she glanced over to him.
"W-what are they?" She asked timidly, training her gaze back up to the horizon, where her eyes widened once again at the sight of the colors.
"They're called Aurora Borealis, whiskers... I take it you don't see this kinda stuff very often back at the Burrows, huh?"
The bunny simply shook her head from side to side in response to Nick's question. The fox smirked and continued to stare up at the sky alongside her.
"Nick... They're so beautiful..." Judy said softly.
The fox momentarily considered saying something cheesy, like 'but not as beautiful as you,' but instead decided against it...
This was a moment of peace and tranquility not to be spoiled by some half-assed comment.
For the next hour, they simply sat there staring at the sky, watching the Aurora Borealis glow and shine with renewed color, only for the lights to eventually fade and vanish from the night sky, which darkened in their absence.
Judy slowly turned her head and looked at Nick. She eyed his russet face as he continued to stare into the dark sky, his emerald eyes opened wide and full, taking in all the sights that they could see. Judy couldn't help but think that he had looked so serene, and so handsome in the prismatic light of the auroras; Taking in the sight of how the miasma of colors folded around his fur and how the shadows pooled against his face.
Now, all that was left was darkness, and two small mammals, sitting by themselves in the cold.
The fox looked over to Judy, and was surprised to find her already staring at him. He smiled warmly at her, and she returned it gladly. The two then shared a drawn-out kiss, of which caused both of their bodies to heat up tremendously despite the cold environment with which they resided. Judy's lips smacked tenderly against Nick's, and the chorus of moans and the sound of the snow crunching beneath Nick's back as they fell to the ground filed the ears of both mammals.
Soon enough, their muzzles parted, and both mammals soon found themselves gasping for much needed breath.
"This has been amazing, Nick... Thank you so much for all of this..." The bunny stated
"Honestly, It's the very least I could do for my favorite dumb bunny." The fox said with a smirk and a coyish wink.
Judy rolled her eyes and planted another kiss on Nick's nose, albeit much shorter than their last one. She snuggled up closer against Nick, relishing in the warmth of their combined body heat.
In that moment, there was nothing either creature would have preferred more.
Hey Everyone!
Welcome to arc 5, everybody! I certainly hope that you all are as excited about this new adventure as I am! I got plenty more in store for the future, and I'll be sharing it all with you here soon enough!
But until then, I'd adore knowing your thoughts on this latest chapter of mine: Feel free to drop a review explaining your thoughts and opinions regarding Borealis, which is probably one of my more personally favorite chapters thus far! Be sure to tell me how I did with the banter, and the scene descriptions of Tundra-Town and the auroras especially! Also, be sure to tell me your thoughts on Ivar, too! I sorta imagine him talking with the stereotypical Russian strongman accent, with lack of conjunctions, always refers to himself in the third person, etc.
That's all I got for you lot as of now, so I'll bid you all adieu for the moment. Stay tuned for chapter 42, comin' your way soon! :)
Peace!
PS: For those of you wondering about my description of Ivar, do keep in mind the fact that Walrus are the 4th heaviest (land) mammals in the world, with 4000+ pounds of fat and raw muscle. Now, imagine that mammal upright. Walruses as we know them just flop around on their bellies, and grow quite long. Up to 15+ feet in length, actually.
Imagine that walking around on two legs!
PPS: Be sure to check out my tumblr and DA accounts to get a first-hand look at some awesome fan art for the story!