-Hello Slick-
Never let them see that they get to you.
Nick kept repeating the mantra in his head.
Never let them see that they get to you.
"Good afternoon," Lily said with a smile as she gave a friendly nod towards the new arrival and she extended a small paw. "My name is Lily."
The raccoon glanced out of the corner of her eyes. She tried to do her best to hide it but Nick could tell, the fact that the ranger had stopped dead in his tracks had not gone unnoticed to Lily.
Never let her see that she gets to you…
"Well hello," The armadillo exclaimed as he lowered his camera and waddled over to meet Lily. "Call me Clive."
Deep breath. Let them finish introductions and then approach. Never let her see that she gets to you.
"Al," The koala said as he gave a wave to Lily.
"Debbie," The vixen said as she sauntered over and shook Lily's extended paw. She then looked over at Nick and gave him a wink.
She still gets to-
A chirp at Nick's side snapped the fox from his panicked stupor.
In all the hustle and bustle he had forgotten to replace the radio battery for his ranger radio.
The tone coming from the radio was not necessarily loud but it was just enough to get Nick's attention.
As he stared directly into the unblinking eyes of his ex bond mate he didn't see her.
The ranger radio on his side was strapped right next to the one Judy had given to him. The one she had spent a small fortune on so she could always talk to him. No matter where she was.
The sentiment alone kept Nick strong at this moment.
He wasn't alone.
He had Judy, even if she wasn't here.
"Ranger Nick Wilde," Nick said with such confidence that he surprised himself. "Call me Nick."
After introductions were made Clive and Al excused themselves to go drop their luggage off in their rooms. Lily offered to show everyone to their rooms and escorted the group towards the elevator bank on the far end of the lobby.
The lodge had spared no expense and had ensured each of their special guests would have their own suite. Which had been an idea both Lily and Judy had come up with.
Had Nick known Debbie was with this group he would have suggested a cardboard box by the dumpsters.
Nick smirked at the thought.
Guess Trisha has been rubbing off on me.
"So Ranger Nick Wilde," Came a smug voice from behind the fox.
From the moment he had laid eyes on her Nick knew that this was going to be a challenge. Hearing her voice though made a shiver go up to his spine. He had hoped to try and find a way to limit his time with this problem but apparently, that wasn't a certain vixens plan.
Just hearing her say my name...
"Yes," Nick said coldly as he turned to face Debbie who was giving the handsome fox in uniform a look that would make most males hot under the collar.
"Gotta say Slick, you look good in uniform," The vixen said as she took a step closer and reached out.
Nick wanted to growl, to snap, or maybe just take a step back.
Instead, though he remained still as a gentle paw gently pressed against his chest. Debbie had always been the type to push social boundaries. She didn't even hesitate to reach out and touch Nick as if they were still...
"Looks like someone has been working out too."
Don't give her any cards. Remain calm.
"Comes with the job."
"Job or con?" Debbie asked as she raised a brow.
"Job."
"And here I was thinking it as some elaborate con," the vixen said with a smirk.
"And what would give you that idea?"
"I mean it's why I am here," Debbie said with a wink.
Nick raised an eyebrow at the comment but remained silent, his green eyes looking right into the light blue ones before him.
"Well not so much a con," Debbie continued as she sauntered past Nick. "More like a vacation. I mean a few sweet words to the boss and I am on an all-expenses-paid vacation. And all I have to do is tell them if this place is really worthy of being a tourist attraction."
"It is," Nick said defensively which caused Debbie to give him a sidewards glance as her lips curled.
Nick mentally cursed himself for allowing that slip-up. If Debbie hadn't figured out how dedicated he was to all this she now had.
"Well we shall see," Debbie said with a sigh. "Course it all depends."
"On?"
"Well, I could go for one of those famous shoulder rubs you used to-"
Debbie stopped mid-sentence when she realized Nick had already walked away.
While some mammals may have been angry Debbie almost looked pleased. She studied the retreating ranger, a look of smug concentration on her lovely features. She lightly licked one of her canines before turning and heading towards the elevators that would take her to her suite.
As Nick made his way through the lobby he had to weave in and out between various groups of mammals. It felt like he was back in Zootopia with all the new visitors.
His mind wandered back to the busy streets of the faraway metropolis where it wasn't unheard of to find oneself surrounded by herds of mammals.
He remembered it had always been a little harder back then, mainly because he had another someone's paw in his own as they hurried off to their next con or tried to escape a mammal that had gotten wise to their little schemes.
Damnit.
Nick gritted his teeth as he banished those images from his mind.
He reached down and scooped up the walkie talkie from his belt, pressing the button down rather firmly as he sent out a transmission to Judy.
"Hey Carrots you there?"
Silence was all that met him on the other end.
He tried again, pressing the button on the side of the small device. This time however he couldn't think of what to say so he released the button.
Nick didn't blame Judy at that moment. How could he? They were both very busy with this project of Judy's.
He had a feeling his stormy gray bunny was probably hurrying around the camp frantically trying to get everything ready for their eventual arrival.
The thought suddenly crossed Nick's mind.
They are going to meet!
He knew he couldn't hide this from Judy, not that he had even thought of it. Now however he just didn't know how to explain all this to her.
Hey Carrots, so remember that vixen we don't talk about. The one I had scent bonded with? Well, guess who is coming home for dinner!
Nick could almost feel the inevitable pinecone smacking him on the side of the head.
That's when it hit him.
Well not the pinecone, but who would probably be the one tossing it at him.
Nick reached down and unclipped the ranger radio from his belt as he finally reached one of the many elaborately carved wooden doors that led to the side exterior of the lodge. He took a deep breath of the crisp forest air as he made it outside.
Nick stopped at one of the many small wooden tables that were scattered around the exterior deck of the lodge. He let out a deep sigh, closed his eyes, and pressed down on the button to his ranger radio.
*Beed doo boop*
His eyes snapped opened and he looked down at the radio. A small blinking red light indicated a problem with the radio. He looked down at the mini screen at the top of the device.
He could feel his eye twitching as he read a short message on the screen.
"Battery Low."
He didn't even have enough juice to make a transmission?!
The urge to send the radio flying over the deck and into the surrounding trees crossed Nick's mind
The fox let out a sigh before closing his eyes and taking a series of small breathes as he tried to focus his mind back on the task at paw. Of course, the task had just grown a great deal more difficult.
He detected movement behind him as the door to the lobby slowly swung open.
"Don't you have a mini-fridge to raid?" Nick grumbled.
"I think that is against Park policy," Lily said which caused Nick to turn around and stare down at the raccoon who had a concerned look on her face. "You alright Ranger Wilde?"
"Yeah," Nick lied, seeing that the simple response hadn't convinced the small mammal before him. "I am fine Lil."
The obvious look of disbelief on the lovely raccoon's face made Nick let out a deep sigh.
"You know we can always get Ranger Spil here to take over if you need?"
"No," Nick said firmly as he took a moment to straighten his collar.
The last thing I need to do is hide from her. She would find me anyways.
"I will be fine, just a little off my game I guess," Nick continued.
"I bet," Lily said as she walked over and took the ranger radio from Nick's paw and glanced down at the screen as it chirped once more. "I mean if I saw an ex I would probably be a bit flustered too."
Nick winced, "That obvious?"
"You put up a good front," Lily said kindly as she glanced up at the ranger. "But I haven't seen you that professional before."
"Maybe I am just trying to impress the new arrivals," Nick suggested. "I can be professional when I want to be."
"Nick," Lily said with a chuckle. "You were trained by Ranger Rose, I don't think professional is in that doe's vocabulary."
Nick and Lily made their way back into the lobby and managed to retrieve a new battery for Nick's ranger radio from behind the front desk. The park's department had purchased many of the same types of radios for their operations so it was pretty easy to find a charging station hidden away under the check-in desk with a freshly charged battery waiting for use.
There was a satisfying click as Nick slid the battery into the radio and turned it on. It took a moment or two but the radio made an almost happy sounding chirp as it turned back on and picked up a signal from a nearby tower.
Nick flipped the radio over and made sure he was on the Ranger channel Trisha would be on. Before he could depress the button on the side to send a transmission though a certain someone returned.
"I must say I am truly impressed with the rooms," Debbie said with a smirk as she and the others arrived back at the front desk as they had been instructed.
Nick did his best to hide his disappointment, telling himself he would contact one of the girls at the camp when he had a moment. Right in front of Debbie thought was not the right time.
"Took a ton of amazing pictures from my room," Clive said as he lifted up his camera and showed off a few of the shots on the small screen built into the camera.
"Impressive shots," Lily said as she tilted her head and examined the images. "I am sure our parks supervisor Judy Hopps would love to see some of these. She has plans to update our parks website and having such pictures would greatly improve our image."
"Speaking of Judy," Al said as he adjusted his tie. The koala glancing around the lobby. "Where is our hostess?"
"Yes," Debbie said with a smile. "I was looking forward to meeting her face to face, she seemed so sweet when we chatted on the phone."
Nick's ears fell back and his eyes widened, he was just lucky the others had been looking around the lobby to notice. Well most of them had. Debbie chanced a glance at Nick and caught the tail end of the surprised expression as the ranger adjusted himself.
She and Judy have spoken?! Why didn't she warn me?!
He quickly realized though that Judy would have had no way of actually knowing who Debbie was or how she sounded.
Nick could feel his stomach knot at the thought. How long had Judy and Debbie spoken? Had it all been about business or had Debbie pried? Were they now friends eager to meet?
What if Debbie told Judy more about their past?!
"I am afraid Judy is unavailable," Lily explained to the group. "She is currently preparing a bit of a surprise for you all."
"Oh how exciting," Debbie exclaimed as her tail swished back and forth.
All of this preparation, all this pampering, and it was going to be for the vixen that had caused Nick so much trouble in the past.
The irony was almost sickening to Nick.
It was almost like Judy had been working day and night just to please some kind of demon.
"Have a feeling it has something to do with the clothing requirement," Clive chuckled as he glanced over at Al.
While most of them were bare pawed the koala was sporting some paw wraps around his feet. They looked new and rather durable.
"You are just jealous," Al said as he showed off the wraps. The koala looked over at Lily with a smile, "Was warned to prepare for a long hike soon."
"Trying to figure out the surprise early sir?" Lily asked as she raised a brow.
"Not at all," Al said happily.
"I am though," Clive said with a chuckle as he raised his camera and took a picture of the beautiful lights that hung from the wooden ceiling high above their heads.
"I am always on board for an adventure," Debbie said.
Nick was looking straight ahead but could feel the vixens gaze on him, he didn't give her the satisfaction though of looking over, instead, he glanced over at Lily.
"We have a lot for them to see and do," Nick said with a smile. "Shall we?"
Lily smiled and simply nodded as she raised a paw in the direction of the lobby entrance, "We have transportation waiting, first on the list is a little drive into town and some lunch, I am sure you are all tired from your journey here so we thought it would be best to take it easy on the first day."
"Oh I don't know," Debbie began as the group headed towards the doors. "I have been known for my endurance."
Nick didn't dare look to his side as the vixen caught up and walked a little too close to the ranger.
There was a laugh from one of the others in the group but Nick wasn't really paying much attention, he remained focused on the doors ahead.
Judy give me strength and Trisha...prep the pinecones this is gonna be a long day.
Unfortunately, Nick was right, it was a long day thanks to a certain vixen.
Nick began to wonder if he was back in high school with how a certain clingy lady fox was. When they got to the SUV the parks department had set them up for the tour Debbie quickly climbed into the front passenger seat. While the rest of her fellow VIMs piled into the back Nick glanced over and noticed a somewhat shocked Lily who blinked a few times before shaking her head and hopping into the back area with Clive and Al.
The original plan had been for the guests to be in the back while Lily acted as a kind of navigator up front, guiding Nick through what she had felt would be the best route to showcase downtown Fairfax.
As Nick drove down the rustic road that led from the lodge to town he had to play a game of keep-away. Debbie had this habit of reaching across the center console and gently trying to pull at Nick's sleeve. It was a habit she had back in Zootopia and it seemed she still had it.
What was most annoying about this was how casually she returned to this habit, like what had happened almost a year ago simply hadn't.
Nick couldn't tell if he was more annoyed with the fact that Debbie seemed so casual about all this or that she was distracting him from the task at paw.
"Left...left...Ranger Wilde!" Lily managed to snap Nick back into reality as she reached up from the center row and patted Nick on the arm.
"What? Oh geeze," Nick let out as he slowed down and made a sharp left turn. He winced and looked up in the rearview mirror once he had straightened out the SUV, "Sorry all."
"No worries son, nothing compared to what we have back in Zootopia," Clive said from the backseat as he raised his camera and snapped a few shots.
"It's my bad Nick," Lily lied. "I should have told you we changed the route up a bit."
Nick instantly saw through his co-workers lie but appreciated how she was trying to save face. He glanced in the rearview at Lily and gave her a wink that was returned with a smile and the slightest of nods.
Nick chanced a glance over at a certain vixen and immediately wished he hadn't. A triumphant smirk graced the lovely lips that he had once found himself….
Stop!
Nick gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and focused on the road ahead. What was happening to him? He could normally handle whatever was thrown his way. Or least he used to.
Between Debbie's sweet scent that filled the car mixed with the fact he had once bonded to her poor Nick was going wild. His natural instinct was to try to be close to the one he had once bonded with.
Maybe if more time had passed things would be different, but the wounds were still fresh and the bond had only just been broken not even a year ago.
Focus, focus, focus, you got this Wilde. If you can survive ranger training with that blue-eyed monster then you can handle this no problem.
"Sorry if I am distracting Nick," Debbie said, not sounding sorry in the least bit. She then glanced over at the fox, an evil playfulness in her eyes.
What are you planning?
Nick's senses told him that the vixen next to him had something planned and he needed to get away immediately. Unfortunately, it's not like he could just pull over to the side of the road and dart out into the forest, though the thought had crossed his mind.
"I mean I was just as surprised to see you here as well," Debbie finished, licking her lips.
Oh my gosh, she wouldn't!
"You two know each other?" The koala sitting next to Lily asked, raising a brow.
Don't you dare! Don't you dare!
Before Nick could say anything Debbie looked over her shoulder at the mammals in the back rows of the SUV.
"We were bonded back in Zootopia," The vixen said as simply as if she were discussing the weather.
"Were?" Clive asked as he looked up from his camera, having been busy inspecting all the photos he had already taken.
"Debbie," Nick mumbled, trying to keep his composure but the grip on the steering wheel gave him away.
"Oh look, just to our left, you see that raised ground? That used to be a small track that led from Fairfax to the Thunder mining camp," Lily said as she hurriedly looked out the window, trying to save Nick from the current conversation. "We will be taking a tour of the camp tomorrow once you all are settled in."
"Wait," Al said as he gave Debbie a confused look. "My apologies, I don't mean to sound speciest but I only know so much about fox habits."
"Oh don't worry Al," Debbie said with a kind smile.
Why is she doing this?!
Nick's mind raced when he suddenly realized what was happening. Could she really be this cruel? Had she planned this all along or did it just pop into her head?
As the vixen proceeded to explain the odd habit of fox bonding Nick felt his heart race, only to stop, and then jump back up again.
Debbie was playing a game. She used to try and play mind games all the time, but much to her annoyance Nick had always managed to stay one step ahead. That, however, was back in Zootopia. Now though they were in a different setting and she seemed to have all the cards lined up in her favor.
Nick knew exactly what she was doing. By revealing to her fellow VIMs that Nick and Debbie had a past she was protecting herself from any recourse on Nick's part. If he so much as raised his voice he knew she would play the victim. All she needed to do was convince Al and Clive that she was some poor abused vixen and this whole plan of Judy's would go up in smoke.
Nick had only been half paying attention as Debbie explained everything. He snapped back to reality at the end of it though.
"Sometimes we foxes just drift apart though," Debbie said softly, letting out a sigh of regret as she glanced over at Nick. "I mean even with bonded pairs. It doesn't mean we hate each other, right Nick?"
Nick pulled up to a stop sign and was grateful to see the edge of Fairfax just ahead. He was tempted to put the SUV to its limits and see just how fast it could go if it meant getting out of this conversation. He knew though that the longer he sat in silence the more likely Debbie would use that against him.
The urge to vomit was almost too much as he looked over at Debbie, putting on a face that probably fooled Al and Clive.
"Right Debbie," It's all he could muster.
Nick lifted his paw off the brake and glanced back out the front window as he drove towards the town of Fairfax.
The others carried on conversations as they made their way through town.
Nick, however, didn't really hear much.
He didn't know what to feel at that moment.
Disgust? Anger? Sadness?
Each feeling was fighting for dominance inside the poor ranger who did his best to put on a strong front.
When they finally arrived at their destination Nick parked the SUV in front of the town's sandwich shop. Several mammals passed by the vehicle. One of two of them noticing Nick and giving him a friendly wave or greeting which he missed.
"Welcome to Boxcar sandwich shop," Lily announced as everyone piled out of the SUV. "I am sure you will notice a lot of our shops and restaurants still keep with the old mine town theme. Fairfax was founded thanks to the railroads and still embrace that part of our history with a passion."
"I'll say," Clive said as he raised his camera and snapped a picture of the old wooden sign that was in the shape of a train boxcar.
"Very quaint," Al commented as he looked up the street and took note of the different shops that Fairfax had to offer. "Would love to take a stroll after lunch if that is alright."
"Of course," Lily said as she beamed at the VIMs. "Now why don't you head inside, we will join you in a moment."
"See ya inside," Debbie said with a grin before glancing over at Nick and giving him a wink that made his blood go cold.
Once the others were inside Lily walked over towards the driver side of the SUV so she was out of eyesight of the main shop's windows.
"Ranger Wilde, a word?" The raccoon said in a hurried manner.
Nick let out a defeated sigh and trudged around the vehicle to chat with Lily.
He had a feeling he knew what she wanted to talk about but it was probably the last thing he wanted to discuss.
"Listen, Lil, I don't know what to say except-" Nick trailed off when he came face to face with the raccoon who had a kind of fire in her eyes.
She simply pointed to the ground which caused the fox to give pause and tilt his head.
Lily stood her ground, a serious look on her face as she pointed at the ground once more.
Nick finally got the hint and took a knee.
"I am sorry, it's just seeing her again like this-" Nick was cut off as Lily took two steps forward and placed a paw on Nick's cheek.
Lily's expression immediately softened as her eyes watered.
"We need to get you out of here Nick."
Nick suddenly realized that this had only been the second time Lily had used his first name. Both times had been today.
Lily was normally rather formal and collected in nature. To see her showing this kind of emotion for him was actually kind of heartwarming.
"We can't," Nick said with a sigh. "I need to see this through, for Judy."
Lily let out a sigh as she glanced to one side. She was obviously deep in thought. After a moment or two, she looked back at Nick and nodded. She then took one last step forward and wrapped her small arms around the fox.
The small gesture did wonders for Nick who gently patted the raccoon on the back.
"Thanks, Lil," Nick said in a whisper.
Lily slowly pulled away and took a moment to adjust her suit. She then reached over to Nick and fixed his collar.
"I will head inside and order some sandwiches," Lily explained, returning to her cool demeanor as she strolled past Nick. "You, however, are to call Judy and inform her of this situation."
Nick let out a sigh as he stood up and nodded, "Think you can keep them distracted?"
"Oh don't worry about me," Lily said with a smile as she glanced over her shoulder and looked up at Nick. "I would be more concerned with Ranger Rose when she finds out about all this."
With that Lily excused herself and headed into the sandwich shop, a light jingling coming from a bell that hung over the door.
Nick reached down and pulled the radio he and Judy shared from his belt. The fox closed his eyes as he leaned against the parks department SUV and pressed the small button on the side of his walkie talkie.
"Hey Carrots you there?"
He was only met with silence.
"Carrots I really need to talk to you."
Silence once more.
"Nick come in!" Came a frantic squawk on the fox's side.
Nick looked down and realized it was his ranger radio making all the racket. He recognized Trisha's voice.
He reached down and scooped up his ranger radio, pressing down on the transmit button.
"What trouble are you causing now?" Nick asked with a smirk, oddly happy to hear from a certain bubbly ranger.
"Keep transmitting on Judy's radio," Trisha instructed. "She has been in a real panic because someone thought her personal radio was supposed to be packed away for when the camp reopens. Thing is no one is fessing up and she has been looking for it this whole time."
"Why didn't she just call me on this radio?" Nick asked in mild confusion.
"Because she-" Trisha began but Judy could be heard in the background shouting.
"Don't tell him! Oh my gosh! Really?!" Judy could be heard, sounding amusingly frantic over the situation.
"She didn't want to admit she lost it," Trisha finished up with a chuckle.
Nick rolled his eyes and couldn't help but smirk. The thought of Judy hopping all over the camp, tossing things aside as she frantically tried to find her radio was actually rather amusing to Nick. Especially since Judy never misplaced things and liked to keep tidy.
He slowly raised his personal radio and pressed the button on its side once more.
"Marco."
He waited a few seconds before repeating.
"Marco."
"Keep transmitting Nick, think we are on the trail," Trisha said happily.
"Marco."
Roughly a minute went by as Nick continued to send out his transmissions. Eventually, a sweet-sounding voice came over his radio.
"Polo…" Judy sounded tired but pleased. "Sorry about that Two Forks, someone hid the radio."
"Any idea as to who?" Nick asked with a smirk.
"Well, normally this has Trisha written all over it."
"Hey!" Trisha's voice came over the ranger radio.
"But she has been by my side the whole day."
"Like glue," Trisha said happily over the other radio once more. "Think she scared everyone though, she can get a fire in her eyes sometimes."
"Oh don't I know it," Nick chuckled.
"Thank you, Ranger Rose," Judy said firmly over her radio.
There was a moment or two of silence as Nick began to wonder how to best explain the current situation he found himself in.
"So how are our VIMs?" Judy asked in her next transmission. "I can't wait to meet them muzzle to muzzle. Clive and Al seem like a goofy pair. Turns out they have known each other for a while. Did you meet Debbie? She seemed really nice when we chatted over the phone, really looking forward to seeing her."
Nick felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.
So Judy and Debbie had chatted, not only that but they seem to be on friendly terms. Nick began to wonder how to break the news. A thought crossed his mind though.
Should we even tell her?
That thought only lasted for a second as Nick glanced over his shoulder at the sandwich shop he was parked in front of. He could see Debbie through the window happily chatting with Al and Clive as they ordered their food.
No, he wasn't going to be like her. He would be honest, Judy had a right to know.
"Carrots…"Nick began, having no real plan his mind raced as it tried to think of the best way to break the news. "About that Debbie vixen.."
"Oh, she's a vixen?" Before Nick could transmit though Judy cut him off. "Wait….she is a vixen?!"
"Yes…"Nick transmitted.
"Named Debbie...from Zootopia…"Nick could hear the panic in Judy's voice.
-Firewatch Day 10-
"I used to date this vixen back in the city, her name was Debbie. I just called her Caboose…"
"Caboose?"
"We ran into each other at a train yard….she and I clicked….life was good till…"
"She did something stupid and lost you...which is why you are here…"
-Present-day-
"She isn't The Debbie...is she?"
"One and the same."
"Nick I...Nick...I mean…this can't be. I mean how does this even..." Judy was obviously searching for the words to say. Nick closed his eyes, preparing to apologize to Judy. To tell her everything was alright and how she shouldn't feel threatened.
Time and time again Judy found ways to simply stun Nick, once again the little gray bunny succeded.
"Are you ok Nick?"
The fox opened his eyes and blinked a few times, looking down at the walkie talkie in his paw.
"I won't lie Carrots...there is a slight stinging," Nick admitted, hiding the fact his whole body was at war with itself thanks to the stress of this situation.
"Nick we can have another Ranger there asap to take over. We can call Delta, I think he is still in the region," Judy suggested. "Oh my gosh, what are the odds?" The doe's voice went up in pitch and Nick could tell she was on the verge of losing it.
"Carrots you don't have to worry about her and I...and...well...," Nick said before taking a moment to think.
"I am not worried about her Nick," Judy said with a sigh. "I trust you. I know that is the last thing that will happen. I am more worried about you. You shouldn't have to go through this."
"I can handle it," Nick said confidently.
"I know you can," Judy shot back. "But should you have to? Just for some silly project of mine?"
"First off its not a silly project," Nick pointed out. "Secondly I would do anything for you. I mean I saved the forest from 3 fires for you."
"Technically only 2...the June one doesn't count," Judy said which caused Nick to smirk.
Here he was, not even 20ft away from the vixen that had broken him down, smiling. All thanks to the bunny from the Thorofare Tower he had met on a summer job.
"I also braved training by Trisha so I could be a ranger for you."
"For me?" Judy asked. Even though he couldn't see her he knew a rosy blush was rolling up her ears at that moment.
"How is that is more impressive than putting out 3 fires?"
"2 fires," Judy corrected once more. There was another moment of silence before Judy continued. "Nick you have to be one of the bravest mammals I know. If you feel that you have to see this through then I will support your decision."
"Thanks, Carrots."
"So what's the plan?"
"Well I plan to stroll into the Boxcar and get some lunch," Nick said proudly. "You keep enjoying your granola."
"I wonder if Trisha can get a pinecone high enough into the air to where it will hit you from here?"
Nick chuckled as he turned to look at the sandwich shop where he knew a certain someone was waiting.
He pressed the button on the side of his radio and let out a sigh.
"Hey, Carrots?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember when I first arrived at Two Forks? And you found out why I was here?"
"Yeah…?" The doe responded hesitantly.
"I am glad it happened to me too," Nick said as he took in a deep breath. "It brought me here...to you."
There were a few seconds of silence before Judy transmitted. The softness of her voice told him she had tears in her eyes, "Pinecone."
"Pinecone."
With that Nick clipped his radios onto his belt and strolled towards the Boxcar sandwich shop, a certain vixen glancing up from her meal and smiling as she watched the ranger enter.
Meanwhile over at Camp Wewa mammals of all shapes and sizes busied themselves as they darted around the camp, preparing it for the eventual arrival of the VIMs.
All of the park employees were to busy in their own duties to take notice of the scene currently playing out behind one of the cabins.
Two bunnies were sitting on the back porch.
A stormy gray one with her head in the other's lap, her legs curled up to her chest as she shook.
Trisha cooed and tried her best to comfort her distraught friend, running a paw over Judy's limp ears. The sobs though continued to come from Trisha's lap as tears began to drip onto her shorts.
As if answering Judy's wails, a loud crack of thunder echoed above them. The skies opened, and the rain fell.
Hey there Firewatchers.
First off sorry for the long gap between updates. The holidays are a super busy time for everyone.
I am also happy to announce that I have returned to school in order to get my master's degree. So it's super exciting, but also very time-consuming. Sadly this means that between my busy work schedule and now school schedule I haven't been able to put as much time into writing as I like. I will, however, continue writing when I can.
With that being said I am currently making a roadmap for myself when it comes to all my stories. The current plan is to focus on Firefalls and The 10-7. Once those are done I will wrap up Explosive Love and Bar, Bunny, Bond.
I will still try and get the occasional Manta Bay chapter out here and there.
In the meantime, I appreciate everyone's continued patience and support.
Special thanks for Fox and Gus for their continued help. Appreciate it guys!
Till next time.
Pinecone!
-Blue