The Waters of Atlantea Ch. 23

Author's Notes: I thought I'd close out the last weekend in August with a third installment this month. There's not much to add from my last chapter, other than to say as reality closes in, the tough parts of this chapter were bound to happen sometime.

...Still in Nick and Judy's room, about 16 minutes ago...

Nick laughed and replied, "It's only fitting that you get to take us to the bungalow. You did so well getting us to the resort from the airport. Not that we really have anything valuable that we couldn't have lugged ourselves."

Judy added, "And we feel like we have our own personal valet with you here."

Little did they know Milo made sure that he was taking them to the private bungalow section of the resort. The pony smiled at the young couple knowing that he was building the trust he wanted to establish, "It's nice to serve you again. I wish other families were so easy to help."

The pony started grabbing luggage and put it on the back of his EV cargo cart.

Nick and Judy wasn't sure what to do, feeling a little helpless, not used to having other mammals doting on them, so he stammered, "Uhh... Milo… is there anything we can do to help?"

The horse responded instantly, hoisting another bag on the back of the EV with a whinny, "Nope. You guys just let me do the work and just enjoy the ride. It's my job to lug all this stuff. You might show me up and there goes my job!"

Both laughed with him and Judy replied, "Thanks Milo. The whole staff is spoiling us."

"That's what we're supposed to do here at Resort Altantis," he smiled broadly.

Both knew their friends and benefactors had paid for them to have the right for this deluxe service, but nice nonetheless.

Their room was empty but Judy, ever the stickler for detail and thoroughness, delayed their departure, "I want to inspect the room one more time. I don't want anything left behind."

Subconsciously, she felt the Key under her dress nestled in her subtle cleavage.

Everything was to her satisfaction, and they were ready and anxious to go, both exchanging a longing glance and tender paw hold. Milo noticed.

"Off we go," Nick said softly to his love.

Milo invited, "OK, guys. Hop in. We're all loaded up. We'll get you there in just a little while - probably about 15 minutes. Enjoy your ride through the rain forest. The bungalows are very isolated on purpose. We'll go off the main resort grounds in a few minutes and into the private native village retreat area. We've tried to recreate the conditions that the pinniped ancestors lived in. Archaeological digs prove this area was the site of an ancient dwelling site that you can go hike to see, so we honor the area with our pristine bungalows. We want to keep it much like the original village."

He expanded on the history of the area, more than the brief visuals that the emcee gave, and more detail than Judy had researched when she booked their stay here.

"How exciting! We're walking back into history," Judy exclaimed, bounced on the seat with anticipation, and grabbed Nick's paw tighter. Her right hind paw thumped the shuttle floorboard rapidly. It made Nick grin with the way simple things excited her. He couldn't think of one single instance where Judy had ever been high maintenance in their relationship, unlike many of his early dates.

The Chincoteague pony mused, "I like to call it for guests that take this option, 'roughing it in style'."

"We can't wait Milo," Judy praised.

They liked this pony. He was part steward and part tour guide, especially since he was born and raised here.

They made great progress crossing the grounds, but as they rounded a turn, Milo saw 'him' and suppressed a gasp: The Walrus. The lumbering beast may have forgotten about Milo because of the head trauma wounds he suffered in the battle long ago, but Milo would never forget what The Walrus and his thugs did to his herd when he was a yearling, and what those scientists did to him and some of his less fortunate siblings afterwards. The flanks of his neck ached again.

"Shit!" Milo thought and acted fast, quickly steering the EV to a new pathway away from the imposing figure.

Judy noticed the sudden jerk of the EV to the right and the shocked expression on Milo's muzzle. Something had surprised him and she scanned around quickly. She saw a very large pinniped in some kind of Atlantean work uniform with a city crest on a shoulder. It was a hulking, scarred up walrus with a metal tusk, who waddled with a slight limp and hunched shoulder.

"Sorry folks," Milo apologized, touching his hotel radio earpiece for emphasis, and lied, "I got a report from the groundskeeper that the sprinklers are on up ahead so, I'm going a different way and going to put the top up right now."

"Whatever you think best Milo. We don't have our beachwear on," Nick replied, clueless as to what just happened.

Judy whispered, "Nick, when we're alone… we have to talk."

"What?" he asked.

She waved him off subtly with paw, and whispered, "Not now. Check out that guy over there. Don't turn your head. Just glance."

Judy pointed her index finger of one paw, hiding below any view by Milo from the EV front seat so only Nick would see. Nick barely moved, but finally noticed the walrus also whose image was rapidly passing by.

"Dang. That's one tough lookin' hombre," Nick whispered.

"Shhhhh," Judy scolded.

Distracted by suddenly rerouting and unaware of the exchange between fox and rabbit, Milo pushed a button on the console of the EV. Its plastic and metal convertible top deployed to cover them from the sprinklers that would get them soaking wet as any passing jungle rain storm. By deploying the top, it obscured Nick and Judy from the walrus' eyes. The plastic insert windows were small and somewhat cloudy which would unfortunately limit their view of him, too. Milo decided they didn't need to know of this danger.

The EV careened away from Bartholomew, and the pony floored the vehicle. It sped past the pinniped on the other side of a large fountain further blocking his view of the EV, and Milo steered toward the path with the sprinklers, so he wouldn't be caught lying. It would be an extra 5 minutes using this trail, but they wouldn't know the difference or care. Milo was soaked, but not his precious vulpine/lagomorph cargo.

Coming through the sprinklers on the other side of the resort grounds to the replica village, Nick noted, "You were right, Milo. Thanks."

The pony dripped, wiped his forehead, and squeezed out his soaking mane.

"It looks like you took one for the team," Judy commented, sorry that Milo had taken the brunt of the water.

He joked, "Well folks, remember I'm a 'sea horse'."

They laughed, but they could never know the actual truth.

Milo was worried that the sudden disappearance of Bartholomew's henchman the other night might bring the big guns out, and he'd warned Kida about his concern again last night. He was right. The Walrus was The Movement's ultimate 'dirty jobs' mammal and investigative sleuth. Mammals disappeared whenever he was around.

Milo noted thanked nature that this pair would be completely isolated in the private huts more than a klick way from the main resort complex for next few days. Access to this private area was highly controlled by the Resort Atlantis security because it was so open inside the bungalow village.

If the overly curious eyes of The Walrus and any of his henchmen saw nothing amiss at the resort, they'd move on. Milo would have to see if he could persuade Kida to get them more bonus nights as 'honorary pinniped' beyond what the award already provided them that they didn't even know about yet. He was sure they wouldn't mind another night or two as alone as anyone could get in the Resort. They would still have access to their entire activity itinerary from their isolated hut. Surely they'd welcome the trade off of greater privacy and more intimacy against the boring high rise tent tower with its crowds and noisy kits.

With The Walrus avoided, Milo went back to business. He pulled up and parked at a small gravel parking lot that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

"We have to walk a bit here. Grab your personal items, and let's go," the pony instructed.

Mil loaded all their bigger belongings on his back. It was an impressive load.

"Are you sure you don't need any help Milo?" asked Nick with a bit of uncertainty, worried their stuff might hurt his back.

"Nah. I'm good. Just enjoy the walk."

The threesome followed a pea gravel natural trail through the rain forest that felt good on the pads of their paws. It as very rustic, though Nick and Judy could see modern pathway lighting that was disguised as rocks and ferns. They felt totally immersed in the pristine natural environment. As the trio took progressed, they could hear the sounds of bugs and exotic birds in multitude of iridescent colors chirping. It was fascinating to the fox and rabbit because there were virtually no birds in Zootopia. Birds were rare enough worldwide, but the highly controlled micro-climates of Zootopia largely excluded them.

"Here we are! Bungalow #4," Milo announced.

They stopped in their paw tracks. It was like the clock was turned back centuries.

"Isn't this amazing?" Judy exclaimed and smiled broadly.

Their hut was completely round. They could see that it featured the classic parabolic roof design made of real thatch and had a bamboo frame and siding, with weaved grass and twigs creating the walls between the bamboo poles. Nick and Judy now understood clearly how the heritage of this ancient hut design was reflected everywhere in modern Atlantean tent building architecture. It was striking.

Nick touched the structure of their hut. Up close he could see the fireproof coating on the natural fibers. Some of the hut was made of modern composites made to look like authentic bamboo. The materials substitution was clearly done for safety of the customers.

Judy could also see that, "Wow. It's historic and modern at the same time. Incredible."

They walked inside their bungalow hut, and saw how truly intimate and cozy it was for a couple. The circular room design focused their eyes on a sleeping mat in the center of the room. They exchanged glances and Judy's ears blushed. She touched the mat with her forepaw, and it was actually much softer than it looked. The pad was on top of a hidden sunken mattress, not the hard ground. That gave them luxury and historical simplicity and accuracy at the same time.

"Comfy!" she beamed at her husband invitingly as she squished the soft pad.

"I'll bet," Nick added, but suppressed a snarky innuendo comment in the presence of Milo.

The pony put their luggage in the closet. She could, to her relief, see the small security safe for valuables above the clothes rack and hangars. The Key would be secure.

Milo commented, "We've spared no expense to recreate the past for you, but if you need a dose of reality, let me show you. Our interior designers are very clever."

Although the bungalow looked like a real pinniped hut, modern amenities were very carefully concealed. In addition to the closet, there was real bathroom with a shower stall and toiler carefully hidden by a bamboo door that looked like the wall. Otherwise, there was not much room in the hut itself except for sleeping, dressing, eating, and hygiene. A few meters beyond the foot of the bed there was an authentic traditional pinniped cooking pot, indoor cooking fire, and wooden food prep table with a couple of wicker chairs for them. Even more cleverly hidden behind another door, there was also a modern microwave, small pantry, two burner propane stove, and a mini-frig, stocked with all sorts of yummy things they could munch on or prepare themselves.

"Sweet," Nick remarked, opening the mini-frig door.

Judy warned her husband, "Don't get too excited about that gourmet stuff. They'll charge us a paw and a flank for that stuff."

"Oh… right," he conceded.

Judy gave him a doubtful. Only food could get his attention more than her.

Having given them the entire tour of their hut, Milo concluded, "So that's it. You folks have a nice time together," and then looked at his work order and their reservation, adding, "It says here that you're here 7 days according to this reservation"

Judy looked surprised, examined the paper copy Milo was holding, and compared it with their own itinerary. She stated, "I thought it was just 4 days. That's practically the rest of our time here. How did it change?"

Milo grinned with the surprise, "That's on us, folks. It's another perk of the honorary pinniped grand prize, so you get a few more days here and a few less in the big tower with all the other 'riff raff'. As long as you like living like pinnipeds."

Nick smiled broadly and spoke for both of them, "Wow. Awesome, Milo! We do like the outdoors."

They immediately thought of their wonderful times at the mountain lake park… in the tent and only one sleeping bag.

"But how do we get to our activities?" Judy fretted a little, "Not that we don't mind walking, but it seems like a long walk to anywhere from here."

Milo explained, "That's easy Judy. You can get around with our electric shuttles from the 'long house', which operate every half hour back to the main resort. Or you do it yourself with complimentary mopeds or cross country bikes."

He showed them how to do that on the map, pointing to the location of their hut to the "long house", a building central to the pinniped village that was directly modeled on ancient communal village pinniped long houses. Long houses were centrally located in a village, surrounded by individual huts. Families gathered at the long house to socialize, cook, take care of and teach their calves, do crafts and chores, and where the males planned fishing hunts or food gathering. Sometimes they used the long house as a base to defend the village from land-dwelling intruders. This modern long house served much the same purpose. It was filled with modern amenities and built to serve any resort guest who was tired of the simplicity of living in the bungalows. There was a game room, TV, tropical bar, souvenir shop with a small selection of toiletries, a small food court, a hotel ticket office to book activities while at the resort. It was also where the catered meals were prepared and taken out to the bungalows by food servers. It was quite a complex of activities.

"Cool," noted Nick.

Milo presented them another surprise, "Or if you really want – here's your own EV. Don't forget to plug it in every night. This is part of your special public servants bungalow package."

"Whoa, Carrots!" Nick exclaimed as his eyes lit up and examined the ATV, "This is the deluxe version of back home!"

"Can I book a reservation or what, fox?" she remarked proudly at the surprise she had been saving, and stared at her nails nonchalantly. Nick pecked her cheek, and she winked at him.

Adding to their fun, Milo further explained, "You're actually closer to the scuba tour of Cetacea and the Marine Institute from your bungalow. The pathway directly to those places - only for hotel guests - is on the map app. You can use the EV or walk. And for your 5 star dinner - whenever you want to take it - just call and arrange a personal chauffeur with the valet."

Nick was really amazed with all the special features of the bungalow village portion of the honeymoon. He let Judy mostly plan the whole thing, "Sweet, Milo. Thanks."

They were already thinking of doing the deluxe dinner date on their last day at the resort – just before disappearing under cover for their more important task of rescue and liberation of Michael and his friends.

It was so convenient to be next to the jungle, and they knew they should enjoy the luxury while they could. Most likely, they'd have to infiltrate and live in the jungle like survivalists while they sought the location and entry point of The Laboratory.

Milo wrapped up his orientation, "Well folks, it's about time to leave you. Here's your schedule for tonight to the luau. It's more like a celebration might be centuries ago in a little village like we've recreated here for you guests. It's much quieter than the extravaganza. You'll be dining with only 8-12 other mammals. We guarantee that we'll entertain and relax you, then we let you go back to the bar or the long house entertainment center or just go back to your hut."

"Great, Milo. Many thanks," Judy noted.

This was a paradise within a paradise for them.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here's the menu for the catered meals for the week," he noted.

Judy asked, "Can we cook the meals instead of having them cooked and delivered? The brochure said we could."

"We love cooking together, almost as much as…" Nick was quick to add and then he caught himself. Judy gave him that look.

Milo ignored Nick's slip, and addressed the rabbit's question, "Yes, Judy, you just have to call the longhouse meal service. They'll bring the raw ingredients, spices, sauces and everything else you need, and you can cook on the indoor or outdoor fires. The kitchen has just about any utensil you'll need, and it's wok cooking mostly. Any more questions?"

"Nope. We're done," Nick said.

They gave Milo a generous tip, and watched him depart from the entrance to their hut. He zoomed off in his EV.

Alone in the doorway, the pair turned to each other, smiled. Judy reached up and put her paws around Nick's neck, closed her eyes, and kissed him a long time. He returned the embrace.

She broke her kiss, and exclaimed, "Oh Nickie, I'm more excited about this than anything else. We have seven whole days here and all the tours. We could have never afforded this without my prize."

"Good thing you're a great dancer, huh?" he praised his bride.

"Seriously. Maybe we should quit ZPD and I'll open a dance studio," she speculated.

Nick added, "I can be the janitor."

She rolled her eyes and stated, "Nick, dear, you can't even keep the dishes clean at home."

The couple laughed.

It sunk into to their senses that over the next few days, they would like much like one of Judy's favorite old time, late night, black and white movies – "South Pawcific". They would be totally immersed in the pinniped environment and culture. Their complementary outfits for the luau were waiting for them on simple dresser. There was a modest maro wrap for him that matched her dance outfit that she would wear again. In the closet were a couple of colorful long muu muu's for more formal affairs, along with several modest tops to go with the grass skirts for Judy if she didn't want to use the coconut bra.

Everything was absolutely perfect, but Judy pursed her lips, slipped out of their embrace, taking both of his paws into hers and stated very seriously, "Nick before we get all settled in here, I have to tell you something."

"Go ahead, Judy. I know you wanted to tell me something important."

She sighed, looked into his green eyes, "Milo deliberately avoided having us be seen by that walrus with the silver tusk."

Nick recollected, "I just barely saw that guy. Are you sure? Maybe he just didn't want to run him down. We were going pretty fast."

Judy was clear, "I'm sure of it."

Nick knew her female rabbit hunches were rarely wrong. He didn't challenge her, so he asked, "OK. So what does it mean, Carrots?"

Nick was in a real quandary. He wanted to be responsive and sympathetic to Judy's concerns, but didn't want to kill their romantic mood either.

The fox tried to keep the discussion rational yet be supportive, "Why would a hotel porter want to avoid a grizzled old walrus? Maybe he wanted to take us the scenic way through the sprinklers. He knows we love nature."

Judy more insistent and conviction, "Be serious, Nick. I looked at the hotel app. We went 5 minutes out of way longer to this place. And doesn't it strike you as odd that Milo is always showing up in the nick of time to help us with everything?"

He grinned at the use of 'nick', and realizing what she said, she added, "I'm serious. No pun intended, fox."

The point and counter point continued, "Like you said, Carrots, we're spending a lot of money even with our friends' gifts and our discount. Maybe having Milo's undivided services is another 'Adeline surprise' and she probably paid him specifically to take care of us deluxe. She's got connections everywhere. And you have to admit he does a first class job as a porter."

Judy considered his logic, but remained unconvinced, "True, but he still is making me nervous. I want to find out if he was the room service guy the other night," then added with her eyes narrowed, "he never said a word about that today. Covering that intrusion up would make me very angry."

Nick shrugged, "I'm not sure if you'll ever find that out, but yeah it would be kind of awkward if he did. But if I was Milo I wouldn't want to admit barging in on someone he knows. Besides, there wasn't anything to see. We were completely under the covers."

Judy gave Nick an annoyed look, "Yeah, but we were really loud that night, lover. I'm still going to look at the receipt."

"Now you are getting paranoid," Nick replied with impatient tone. That was exactly the wrong thing for Nick to say. It triggered her.

Judy's voice became more strained with worry and scolded her spouse more angrily than she wanted, "We have to be paranoid. Don't forget where we are, fox, and who we are. 'They' live here somewhere. Hidden. And probably hidden in plain sight. What if Milo is one of 'them' sent to spy on us?"

Nick sighed in frustration, gesturing, "Slow down, Carrots. You're jumping to a lot of conclusions. He's been nothing but nice to us. I'm very aware of our situation Carrots. I'm a cop too. I just don't want to be a cop right now. It's our honeymoon. I want to be your husband, your best friend, and your lover."

Feeling an angry catch form in her voice, "You're all of those things, Nick, and I want all those things too. But we can't let our guard down one single minute. We've been exposed to the public too many times already, Nickie. Someone is going to see us and tip 'them' off. Maybe 'they' have already. Maybe that's why the walrus was here. Friend or not, Milo wanted us away from that mammal in a big hurry."

Judy started to tear up despite herself, truly not wanting to fight, but she definitely wanted Nick to understand the gravity of her mounting concerns. These were much stronger concerns than they discussed before they left Zootopia. Nick wasn't sure what to do, and even though they'd had an extremely serious discussion about remaining incognito before they got here, the current situation with the walrus and Milo had suddenly become a very real threat to their safety.

He stammered, "But Carrots…"

She interrupted him with her anger building, "But nothing, Nick. If we're going to save Michael, we have to survive our honeymoon. I don't think 'they' will give us time off to enjoy vacation or honeymoon if they figure out we're here. What better time to catch us with our guard down? 'They'd' want to be nice to lull us into a false sense of security. Then: Wham! Dead rabbit and fox."

The lagomorph pounded the mini kitchen table with her paw for emphasis with her exclamation. Nick jumped at the sound, and tried to slow her racing mind, desperately not wanting a fight, "Judy that's just crazy talk."

He instantly regretted his choice of words that belittled her concerns again. He could see her mind racing and her upset feelings rising further. She pursed her lips and corrected him, "No Nick. It's smart talk. The next time we see Milo, we have to confront him."

Nick was trying to get Judy to be less emotional, yet be helpful, and not belittle her real concerns. He reached down deep and tried to act more like her police partner when they were on a tough case and dealing with some difficult or elusive clues.

He suggested firmly, "Judy, maybe there's another way to do this. I think it would be better if we wait for him to show his paw about whose side he's on, instead of suddenly confronting him. Who knows what he'll do if we confront him? He's at least 10 times our size. Ponies are very strong, especially him. He could attack us. Or maybe he'd bolt and run if we confront him, and whatever protection he's providing - like today - vanishes. Or he might clam up and never tell us whose side he's on. Or worse, he could bring more vicious reinforcements - like that walrus. You know that we have a bad record of not figuring out who the bad guys are until it's almost too late."

Judy thought about this for a moment, sighed, and reluctantly agreed, "Nick, you might be right, as long as we don't wait until it's too late for us to find out he's really a bad mammal."

Nick assured her sincerely, "I'll watch for any sign of trouble Judy, just like you will."

With some relief, Judy pondered, "So…what do you think, Nick? Is Milo a friend or foe?"

The fox rubbed his chin fur and twizzled it in deep thought, "I'm not 100% sure, Carrots. But like I said earlier, I think he's a friend - based on behaviors, especially if you're right about him avoiding some kind of really bad guy. That grizzled old walrus was nasty enough to be a bad guy."

Judy corrected him and then peppered her husband with what if questions, "Don't forget: appearances are deceiving. We know that as cops. Looks alone don't make a god or bad guy. Nature knows we need more friends here. But if he is a friend, who is he? Who does he work for? What are his motives? Why does he want to help us so much? Is he protecting us from something terrible already that we haven't noticed? It's just so confusing, fox. Mr. Big said nothing about help from any other mammals here other than the orcas."

He reinforced his wife's observations, "And yet, other mammals here have helped us. Look at Noocvaeb…"

Judy countered, "But he also said nothing about anyone else we could rely on."

Nick answered, "True, but don't forget he didn't really know about anything about The Movement or Atlantea outside The Lab. He was completely lost on the beach after he escaped, and somehow he fled for months across thousands of klicks north to Zootopia."

She contended, "Nick, that's why I am so suspicious of a Chincoteague pony helping us."

The fox rolled his eyes, frustrated that their 'discussion' was going in circles again, "How could Milo possibly be a bad guy? C'mon Carrots, I mean, he's a horse. Everyone loves horses. How can a horse be bad?"

She chided him strongly, "We don't know who our enemies are. Like you said, we often haven't. We were duped completely by Joe Camel about how horrible he really was. Colleagues at work turned on us. Rachel started out hating us. She's a fox just like you, dear. Hatred runs deep. It's not a species-specific thing, Nick."

Nick speculated, still grasping at straws to calm her, "Well… maybe they won't bother us way out here. We are really isolated. That's a good thing."

That thought caused her to panic despite her desire not to, showing desperation in her wild, purple eyes, thinking of everything that could be a conspiracy against them, "But being alone is a bad thing too. What better place to do something to us? Maybe that's why someone wants us to be here alone all those extra days. If we're isolated for a week, they won't find the bodies until the next couple arrives."

"Carrots…" he tried to slow her racing mind, but was running out of ideas. He'd never seen her so upset, but this encounter with Milo and an unknown Walrus was truly unsettling. He understood her being uncharacteristically upset. It was all he could do to not feel the same way.

She just kept talking, "Maybe we should insist on moving back to the tower with the crowds. That would make an attack on us harder if we were with all the other mammals at the resort."

Firmly grasped Judy by her shoulders, which were shaking with worry, "Easy there, Carrots. Calm down. It's not that bad. Danger isn't around every palm tree."

Nick's word choices remained were still aggravating the situation. Judy resisted his calming hug and pushed him away, stamped a hind paw, balled her fists, paced and asserted, "I don't want to calm down, Nick. How do we really know, lover? Danger could be all around us. Just like you, I didn't want to think about it for the past 3 days, and maybe we shouldn't have come here. Nature help us, Nickie, somewhere around us is the heart of 'their' home lair. I should have listened to you a long time ago. We should have gone to Bunny Burrow. Mom and Dad would have given us our private time out at the guest cottage in the back 40 acres."

Nick felt helpless, frozen in place, not knowing if he should try to comfort her or not. That 'discussion' on whether to go to Atlantea or not should have been over a long time ago.

She buried her muzzle in her forepaws, fought back her tears unsuccessfully, lifted her muzzle, and stared up at him with her bloodshot eyes, "Just look at us Nick. We're fighting on our honeymoon. I let my dream of perfect honeymoon here ruin everything. And now we're in terrible danger every day we're here. Because of me, Nickie."

Judy was shaking in a mix of anger, fear, upset, trepidation, and guilt. He'd rarely seen her this upset. He'd seen enough.

Nick took her into his arms, hugged her tightly and wouldn't let her resist or pull way this time. He wasn't going to let Judy mentally tear herself up over their situation. In a calming voice he looked directly into her worried visage, "You're right, Carrots. We have to be on our paws. I understand the danger we are facing. It's OK to be worried. But we can face it and defeat it like we do everything together. You and I need to be here. This is our dream honeymoon. You have worked so hard on making it perfect for us. It will be. We're great cops. We've got each other's backs now like we always do. Right?"

"Umm… right, Nickie," Judy had to admit. Nick's heartfelt words began to make her surer of herself.

Nick continued, "This won't ruin our fun as long as were' always aware of what's happening – just like today. Besides, my dear, sweet little gray bunny rabbit," he smiled, tapping a finger on her temple gently, "you have some kind of rabbit 'radar' in there that keeps us out of trouble. It just worked again today."

She managed to laugh a little, and nodded. He could feel the knots in her muscles relax a little.

He added, "We have to trust that our unknown new friends are protecting us somehow, so we can enjoy ourselves."

Nick was closer to being right than he knew.

There was something about Nick's embrace, his soothing tone, and his reassurance about getting through any threats together like they always did, finally calmed Judy, "OK fox. I… I do believe you. You're right. We went into Atlantea knowing to be really careful. I know you'll stay always stay on guard with me. And… I'll try to be a little less paranoid…"

He grinned, "That's my lagomorph lover."

The alliteration of that phrase sounded nice to her, so she challenged him with a wry grin, wagging a finger as if scolding a 4 year old, "If we get ourselves killed Nicholas P. Wilde, don't blame me!"

Nick opened his snout and attempted to respond, but realized she was yanking his chain.

She teased and beeped his nose, "Gotcha, fox."

Nick rolled his eyes, and smiled back, "So… You're OK now, Carrots?"

She conceded, "I'm still worried fox, and will be every day, but yeah. I'm OK. 'You?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Forepawed is forewarned, right?"

"Something like that, fox," she snickered.

They didn't know that they had wandered around the bungalow grounds as they argued, and as they calmed, they were surprised that they were standing in the middle of the bungalow lot that reached from the forest all the way to the surf. They could see the waterfall behind the bungalow streaming from a rocky outcropping behind the hut. Both knew that waterfall would be a special place to them soon.

Looking around in awe at the expanse, Nick commented, "Wow this is quite a place, Carrots."

"Yeah. It's like having our own private island. This is better than the brochure," she observed.

"That's for sure. Let's check it out," Nick agreed.

"OK, lover," Judy replied, took his hand, and smiled tenderly.

Looking the other direction from the hut toward the ocean, they could see the lot on which their hut was located. It was a very big lot, and was over 30 meters from where they stood over to the next door guest property. There was a privacy wall of palms and palmettos so they could not see the lot next door, which also gave them plenty of privacy. It was another 50 meters from where they stood to the surf, and about 75 meters back to the hut and the waterfall behind it. The boundary between lots was marked by a little red flag with the Resort Atlantis crest on it, warning them to honor other guests' privacy, and not venture into the next door neighbor guest bungalow lot. The ocean beyond the beach was completely open though, so any 'suits optional' swimming would definitely not be private to any other guests swimming next door.

The pair faced a real surprise. There wasn't another bungalow property or floral privacy wall on the other side of their lot. There was only pure white beach as far as the eye could see – all the way to the cloud covered mountains miles away. There some vague giant tent and other kinds of towers outlines along the coast that they presumed were part of the Institute.

Judy, amazed, could only state the obvious, "We're the last private bungalow, Nick."

"We are really truly alone," was all that Nick could say, and for a moment thought of Judy's concerns.

"I know, right?" she agreed without reentering into an argument, and pointed, "There should have been another lot over there with a palm and rock wall. Not uninterrupted beach."

"Wait… what's that, Carrots?" Nick squinted his eyes into the distance.

They saw something with a metallic shimmer rising above the beach. More than 150 meters away, there was 5 meter high barbed wire and chain link fence with vicious razor-sharp coils of concertina wire lining the top. The fence resembled the Zootopia Penitentiary perimeter fence. They walked to the fence line to observe it more closely. The only thing missing was guard house and although it didn't look electrified, neither wanted to take a chance touching it. The fence went all the way to the coastline and extended a very long way into the rain forest.

"No one's getting over that fence," Nick commented.

Wandering a little closer to the fence, they read a sign:

Atlantea Wildlife Refuge

No trespassing. No camping. No swimming. No nudity. No boating.

No unlawful entry from the beach.

Nick was intimidated, "Jeez… aren't the owners a big stick in the mud. They don't want you in there."

Judy's mind was somewhere else, "How did we rate the most private bungalow with the biggest grounds to play in?"

It was obvious.

The pair turned to each other and chuckled together, "Adeline!"

"I guess this means you can scream as loud as you want to, Carrots," Nick kidded and grinned evilly.

"Shut up, you big creep," snapped Judy, with narrowed eyes but totally in jest.

The rabbit knew she got very vocal during most of her climaxes, and probably would be more inclined to do so now, totally free to let go for him in their privacy. She knew Nick took great pride in putting her in a completely boundless state of ecstasy. He'd once called her cries of delight his ultimate 'payoff' and admitted his own peaks were more intense because of her satisfaction. She vowed not to disappoint him.

Standing alone together by the fence, Nick looked at his sports watch, seeing the time slip away, "It's getting late. Unless we get back to the hut soon, Carrots, we can't have an 'afternoon delight' if it's evening!"

"So let's get moving fast, fox," she laughed. She wanted him more than ever after reconciling.

"My pleasure, kiddo," Nick replied, and she yelped in surprise as he unexpectedly scooped her up in his paws and strode back to the hut with her firmly in his arms.

Being cradled in his arms, her dress shifted in the strong offshore ocean breeze. She wiggled her legs happily exposing her panties underneath her sun dress to his delight. He was captivated with the full view of her beautiful long legs and paws, with the bottom of her skirt now bunched up above her panties as he carried her. Her undergarments were sheerer than he expected, and her darkest gray fur was tantalizingly revealed. He nearly stumbled in the sand with excitement.

She laughed at his stumble, "Don't drop me lover! Slow down just a minute fox, if you insist in carrying me back, let's enjoy the scenery."

"I am! I am!" he blurted.

Judy saw where her husband's eyes were riveted, and she scolded, "I meant the bungalow, sex maniac."

"Oh… sorry, Carrots," Nick mumbled in a false apology. She giggled and kissed him.

They walked slowly past the outdoor fire ring surrounded by lawn chairs and table to enjoy their catered meals, or just enjoy a romantic fire together. Parting the authentic strands of beads that covered the back entrance, Nick walked with his prize possession back into the circular room dominated by the sleeping mat.

He stood above it with her in his arms, both anxious for what came next but thoroughly enjoying their banter and return to their happy mood.

She wiggled her legs and paws anxiously, drawing more attention to her lower body from Nick, and she teased "And… so… what are you waiting for, fox? Put me down."

Her desire was growing. He could see the telltale bright pink flush in her ears and felt her tail twitch. Other places would be just as suffused.

Nick hesitated and toyed with her, "Well… hang on a just a minute Carrots. I was thinking. Is this 'late afternoon delight' going to be 'sympathy' sex? Or 'make up' sex?"

Judy was willing to play this little word game. Nick's comment was supposed to be rhetorical, but after her surprised amusement, she laughed, gave him a inquisitive look, caressed his cheek with her paw, and answered his question with another question.

In as sultry voice as Nick had ever heard from his wife, "Aaaand… there's a difference, stud?"

Nick thought about here answer a moment, and was at a complete loss for words, "I… uh… well…"

Seeing she had him stumped, Judy interrupted as she reached hungrily for him, "It's still sex with me, lover."

He nodded in total agreement, and with a tweaked smile, he quipped, "Well then - what more could I ever want?"

"You'd better say that, husband," she snickered.

His grin said it all, "Every once and I while I get it right. How about this: 'sympathetic make up sex'?"

"Now that's a first for us," she laughed, "sure, why not, Nicholas P Wilde?"

Carefully, Nick placed his bride directly on the mat while making beeping sounds like a big tow truck backing up.

"Goof ball," she snickered.

Once placed on the mat, Judy sat, positioned herself with her legs loosely together and tucked under her, showing them to her husband completely. She leaned her body slightly to one side, supporting herself on one a forepaw, casually tossed an ear over her shoulder, and tilted her head invitingly. She batted her half-lidded eyes wantonly toward Nick. Her pose absolutely screamed: 'come hither' to Nick.

Nick stared and nearly drooled, "You're killin' me, Carrots."

She blew a kiss at him and quipped, "Oh? So that's enough sympathy for you, fox?"

Nick's brain was completely on overload viewing his bride, "Uhhh…"

Judy interrupted, knowing he'd walk off into volcano crater for her right now, and cooed, "Hey handsome; how about making it a little more private in here?"

She motioned to the wide open windows. He winked, turned, dropped the rattan blinds and flowered curtains to add to their privacy, but otherwise the hut had authentic openings rather than windows and were completely open to the ocean breezes. Nick's actions made it more private, but there was much less security in the mostly open bungalow than in the hotel room. But it was still safe, and the village perimeter was patrolled to ensure guest security and privacy.

It was a perfect love nest for a fox and rabbit.

While turned lowered the blinds, he took the time to quickly skim off his shirt and shorts and tossed them aside. Being one again with his bride could not happen fast enough for Nick.

When he turned back to gaze at Judy, he was stunned that she was already undressed as well, with her sundress, bra, and panties tossed over the chair. Judy greeted his pleasantly shocked stare with her broad, loving smile and with outstretched paws.

She couldn't be any more ready for him, and her eyes widened at the sight of her husband, pleasing him. She'd rarely seen him in a greater state of preparedness for her. Maybe it was because this was something new that was different and fun, or maybe it was because they were having special time together a romantic place they were anxious to experience. Or maybe it was because they were doing something exciting to them because it just a little bit forbidden and naughty, since they normally worked afternoons.

Nick stood right next to the mat, and tried to look aloof while he took his eyes from her only a moment to look at his watch. It was actually about 5:30.

"Does this still qualify as afternoon?" he continued his running joke.

She had enough of his teasing. She reached up, made him put his arms down, grasped both of his paws, pulled him anxiously down on the mat to his knees, and whispered her very carefully chosen words, "It's afternoon somewhere, fox."

From his kneeling position Nick crept upon her. The bamboo mat and thin mattress were a perfect cushion. Judy gathered him fully into her embrace with anxious paws, and they entered comfortably into their happy union without hesitation. Their quickly escalating meter complemented the choir of birds and sound of the ocean breeze through the palms. Their impassioned sounds blended with the natural harmony around them.

Completely caught up in their rapturous moment, they didn't care who heard their exclamations. Moments later after the initial pinnacle moment had passed, they cuddled as closely as possible, recovering their breaths. Surprisingly, it wasn't over yet, as their bodies continued to respond to each other.

Nick reflected between gasps, taking an extra long time to finish, "Wow, Carrots. Seven days of this?"

"Yeahhh… I know," savoring being totally in his arms and joined. She was still being racked with spasms he was causing by his continuing smaller peaks.

"That good, huh?" he noticed, feeling her responses intensely.

She added humorously, "Yep. And we still have the beach and the waterfall and anywhere else we want, too. You know what they say about variety being the spice of life?"

After their feelings had subsided, ending with a long embrace and kiss, they were totally relaxed from the tension and worry. They still had over an hour before the dinner party.

They were completely enjoying the hormonal buzz of their afterglow for some time when a knock came on the bamboo door jam.

"Gahhh!" Judy shrieked.

They both jumped nearly out of their fur and out of each other. This was very untimely, given their state of complete relaxation so soon after their draining argument. They were subconsciously on edge and mentally prepared for anything after their conversation. But they certainly hadn't expected this.

From their bed mat through the bead and shell curtain, Nick shouted, "Just a minute!"

Whoever it was honored not passing through the open entrance. They heard a soft female voice say, a little embarrassed, "Take your time."

To the visitor at the hut entrance, it was just another young couple responding to the introduction to their idyllic surroundings by taking an 'afternoon delight'. She suppressed a snicker. It was the tenth time this week.

Nick and Judy jumped up from the mattress and immediately wrapped hotel-monogrammed robes around them, and went to the front 'door'.

Two snouts peered through beads on above the other, and saw that the female visitor was clad in a brightly colored muu muu. She was a puma with a beautiful smile and a big shoulder bag.

"Can we help you?"Judy asked tentatively. Robed and partially shielded by the beads, she still felt naked.

The puma cheerfully introduced herself, "Hi! I'm Penny, and I'm here to give you temporary henna tattoos for the evening luau. You two want to be as authentic as possible, right?"

"Well… yeah. But how much does it cost?" Nick asked skeptically.

"It's all part of the package you paid for," she explained.

"We did?" asked a puzzled Judy. She looked at her itinerary on the table, examined it, and laughed, "I guess we did."

The puma continued her cheery tone, realizing just how much she'd interrupted them, "Well then, let's get started."

Doubting there were ever foxes and rabbits in the ancient pinniped tribal cultures other than as intruders, they still wanted the full experience of it all. Based on the written proof on their activities schedule, neither thought this was a trick.

"Sure why not? Come in!" Judy invited and Nick pulled back the beaded door curtain.

Feeling undressed in the presences of a strange female, Nick noted, "We're a little indisposed. How do you want us to dress for this?"

She chuckled, "All I need for the application is for you to be in swim suits. Or nothing. However you feel more comfortable."

"Which is easier?" Judy asked. That surprised Nick. Normally, Judy was the most modest of the pair. She'd come a long way since the shock of that nudist club investigation.

She shrugged, "Well, wearing nothing, actually. I am a licensed practitioner of henna arts, and I'm a certified nurse at Atlantea General Veterinary Hospital in my regular job. I've kinda seen it all. But it's up to you. Whatever is more comfortable to you."

It only took was a look between them to decide, "Sure. OK. Nothing it is. Give us a minute."

They disappeared into their bathroom to quickly clean up from their time together.

The couple came out refreshed, but still in their robes, and Nick asked, "Where do you want us to sit?"

"Wherever you're most comfortable. I can work anywhere," was the answer.

They removed their robes, and sat patiently in the outdoor chairs outside on their private porch while the henna artist did her craft. It was beautiful, and as they gazed into the beauty of the rain forest, they also watched each other's fur and skin come alive with pictures, many telling ancient stories.

Nick was amazed at the designs, examining each as they were applied, even the ones hard to see. But he asked a little skeptically, "Penny, you're sure these will come off?"

Nonchalantly, just finishing painting a blue whale leaping out of the ocean on Judy's back, she stated, "Oh, usually 3 to 6 months."

"What?" asked Nick in shock.

"'Kidding… A good long shower or a day at the beach and they'll be gone. But you guys look very handsome with them. You should show them to your fellow guests awhile."

Both knew she wanted to help promote sales by Nick and Judy being her 'billboard', but that was OK.

As the henna scenes on their fur became more complete, Judy complimented, "These are amazing, Penny. You do look absolutely handsome, 'pinniped' fox!"

"You too, Carrots," came the only possible reply from Nick.

"I'm handsome?" she smirked.

"You know what I mean. Don't be difficult, rabbit," he quipped.

She stuck her tongue at him and snickered.

The henna artist thought this couple was delightful, but continued her work until she was done,
"There you go! All done. You're both living works of art. You guys were great customers."

Penny Puma handed them a mirror to inspect her work on their backsides and blind spots.

"Look what she did, Nick!" Judy replied happily.

In addition to the traditional pinniped histogram designs, complete with scenes of the legends of the pinniped/cetacean alliance, she'd inserted imaginary tribal scenes of foxes and rabbits living together that matched the same ancient artistic style, including the two of them hugging as the chieftain and queen of one of those fictitious vulpine/lagomorph tribes.

"I have the same thing too," Nick discovered.

"Aww, that's nice. Thank you, Penny."

"It's my 'newlyweds special'. But it looks like we're all done here. I hope you enjoy the night together."

She didn't say to the cute pair: 'as if you two obvious lovebirds wouldn't'.

Nick and Judy tipped Penny, took her business card for future work, and she left for the next customer a few huts down on her moped.

Both hugged and kissed Judy scolded, "Careful, fox, or you'll smear our brand new tats."

"Later tonight neither of us will care."

"You crazy fox," she replied but thought that he was probably right.

"Want some pictures?" Nick suggested.

"Sure," she agreed without hesitation, "It would be a shame to not have records of these. just make sure you're on 'airplane mode'. We don't want share any of these!"

"Right, rabbit!" he snorted.

Each took turns posing for the other, and they weren't modest. Most of the close ups of their extremities, backs, and bellies didn't really show anything, but a number of the best tattoos were in the most revealing of private places. Inside each's uppermost thighs against their most intimate areas were matching vulpine/lagomorph lovemaking scenes.

"Interesting, now I know why she called it the 'honeymoon special'," Nick observed.

"Another set of photos we can't ever show the kits," Judy snickered.

Nick offered, "Well I'll get a few presentable shots with our native wear on too."

"OK," she agreed.

Both dressed in their native wear to prepare for dinner. She put on her crown, and her coconut shell top once again impressed Nick how much it highlighted Judy's perfect shape.

She'd never seen Nick in a maro before. The proper way for males was to not wear anything underneath, and carefully lifting one side of it, she commented, "I see you are wearing it authentically, fox."

"Of course, Carrots, just for you."

She laughed, "Be careful if you cross your legs, fox. It might be just be a show for everyone at the luau."

They were ready to go and stood together holding hands. They took a couple of nice selfies to share long after they returned home.

Nick suggested, "Let's go see the sunset, Carrots. We have enough time to get some shots and head over to the longhouse. Sundown is about twenty minutes before dinner starts."

They stood on the edge of the surf and line, and were amused by the sandpipers poking holes in the sand digging for clams, while dodging the surf coming up the beach to high tide.

Judy noted, "How cute!"

She chased one, and it chirped angrily at her, warning her not to steal his clams.

Both laughed.

Nick and Judy silently watched the sun set a few minutes later, with Judy firmly with his arms around her tight, thin waist, in a standing spoon position. They got some great sundown photos and took some selfies against the waning sun. The sky was filled with a pallet of oranges and blues and grays and reds and pinks. Layered clouds were hanging in the darkening skies behind them, framing the volcanic mountains in the distance.

When it was over, Judy observed, "That was beautiful, fox."

"'Sure was Carrots."

This was really the first time they slowed their pace long enough to just enjoy the natural beauty of the tropical paradise.

They heard the drums and the haunting sound of a conch shell horn calling the couples to the luau as it would have been in the most ancient of days, and so they started on their way.

The pair was close enough they didn't want to use the EV, and so they followed the signs and torches placed out for this event. On the way, they walked past the center of the bungalow village with the long house. They noticed its features as Milo had described. They followed the path toward the private luau area that was carved out of the palms. The way was lined and ringed with tiki torches and drummers.

Their attention turned to the luau ring with one long table set for about a dozen guests. A giant council fire roared next to the stage, just as it might have been at the village nearby centuries ago.

Never one to leave a serious moment untouched, Nick teased his bride, "So… is this where they sacrificed their virgins?"

"Shut up fox," scolded Judy.

Nick retorted back immediately and smugly, "Not to worry, since you don't qualify anymore."

Her jaw dropped and she nearly yelled at him, "You big creep. I sacrificed my virginity to you for your insults?

She tried to look hurt and angry but it wasn't working.

"Willingly," he answered, "and besides, I did too."

"That seems like a pretty good trade, fox," she laughed.

Judy already knew the truth that Nick had his 'first time' with her too. Given his shady background, it was a pretty amazing admission and discipline for Nick to keep.

The luau was very private, as Milo said, with only dozen or so guests. The hostess gave them name tags with first names only. The luau with the others was meant to be a special first night time at the bungalows before the couples retired to their huts for whatever fun each couple planned. Nick and Judy shook paws with a few of the diners they'd met at the extravaganza, and introduced themselves to new mammals.

The emcee walked on stage and cheerfully started the evening, "Good evening folks, let's have everyone take a seat, and let's get stated, shall we?"

The emcee was Stitch, but dressed differently, in more natural materials than at the big opening show. He was still resplendent, wearing his authentic costume of subdued tans and browns, accented by fresh green leaves and other natural materials. His body tattoos were that much more noticeable, since Nick and Judy's bodies were so adorned, and many of their henna tattoos matched his. They compared and pointed to their own tattoos that he had as well, guessing the significance.

Stitch gave a rousing opening speech, "If you nice mammals remember me, I'm Stitch, and we have the lovely Lilo back to dance for us tonight, plus some of our friends. Tonight you'll see more authentic dances, done at a little slower pace as it was more done then. Tonight's show is a little more like the very beginning of the settlements here in Atlantea. So… sit back, get acquainted or reacquainted with your table mates, and have some fun with us. It's all supposed to be a quieter, more intimate setting for you, that matches your experience with us in the bungalows - our most special guests."

Nick placed his arm around Judy in her chair, leaned over to his mate, and whispered, "Atlantean culture 'unplugged'."

She giggled and replied, "Nick, I don't think you could have described it better."

She snuggled deeper into that hollow place in his arm meant for her, happy to be entertained and to dine, but she looked forward to what would happen afterwards in the privacy of their own hut. He gave her the same look, and a happy shiver ran up her spine.

"How about a little dinner music?" Stitch noted cheerfully, and with that, the traditional instrumentalists started. Lilo came on stage, and in a beautiful fluid motion, her body and flippers telling an ancient story as she danced. Judy noted that one ankle was wrapped in a bandage from her fall the other night, but otherwise, she danced beautifully.

As Lilo danced, waiters placed the first course in front of them and served festive colorful tropical drinks.

Nick and Judy gaped at the food and at each other an laughed.

It was the blue gray stuff again.