Lost Stars*
Alesso; Heroes (We Could Be) Ft. Tove Lo
Nicholas was sitting with Rose the next morning after explaining everything that was happening with the Grid and Weaselton. The vixen was shaking her head at the floor when Nick and Finnick came downstairs for breakfast. She left the table and was grabbing things she'd cooked, laughing as Finnick started piling things on a plate as tall as he was. Nicholas chuckled as the smaller fox looked around, shrugged as he started stuffing things in his mouth. She sat a plate in front of Nick and he looked up grinning seeing the blueberries in his pancakes spell out happy birthday.
Rose sat back at the table as Nicholas looked between both boys. "I may not be here later. Do you have plans today?"
Nick and Finnick looked at each other and the young red fox sighed. "Dummy wants me to go with him to the Lunar's and Skye's coming over later. She's going with me to get the results from my test. He sent me a message last night. Either way we want to go to the den later tonight."
Nicholas looked at Rose and she shrugged as Nick looked at the floor. "I'll let you go both tonight since you postponed the party because of the test. You aren't doing the pawpsicles today?"
Finnick watched him chew his lip and Nick sighed. "Not today. I didn't think I'd hear back from him so soon. I thought it would take longer for him to grade. I figure good or bad, new age, new year, might as well do it all the same day."
He yawned as Rose raised her brow and paws. "Nicky? Did you sleep alright?"
Finnick laughed. "He was up writing early."
"Writing?" Nicholas asked. Nick shrugged as Finnick chuckled. Rose reached over and ran a paw along Nick's jaw as Nicholas chuckled. "Don't be too long Finnick. Mr. Big's taken some time out today to take you to the bank with Mom. He's been busy since Earl went missing."
Nick set his ears as his parents shifted nervously in their seats. "Are you running it now?" Nick asked and Nicholas looked back at him frowning as he shook his head.
"No, just helping Mr. Big make sure it stays in place. Duke is running it."
Nick and Finnick looked at each other and shook their heads. "Yeah that's gonna work real good, he'll be runnin his mouth to everyone about it."
Nick chuckled as Finnick jumped down from the chair, watching him trying to grab his plate as Rose stood up and grabbed it. She giggled as she stuck it in the sink. Nick stuck the last bite of pancakes in his mouth and handed her his plate. "I'll be home after I get the results. Skye should be here pretty soon but Finnick wants me to go with him to talk to the Lunar's first."
Nicholas stood up and watched them walking to the front door. "Nick?" Nick turned and raised a brow as his father stuck his paws on his hips. He held to front door open as Rose stepped from around the kitchen corner with a box. Finnick chuckled as they came into the living room sitting a large box on the coffee table. It was wrapped in bright red with green ribbons that had birthday motifs all over it. "Just in case I'm not here later. Me and your mother think it's about time you had this. Happy Birthday kitto."
Nick stepped around the couch and tore the paper off as Rose chewed her lip nervously. He sat on the couch staring at the box and back at his parents as Finnick started grinning. "You're giving me this?"
Rose took an uneasy breath as Nick ticked his eyes between his parents and raised her paws. "Nicky, there's something we want to tell you about it, but it might be easier if you found out through experience rather than us explaining the history behind it. It's been in our family for eight hundred years and we don't want people knowing about it, but it is yours. If it chooses you."
Nick curled his brow and opened the box, shaking his head at the swords and daggers. His father had made a new box for it, with their family crest burnt into the varnished wood. He opened the box running a paw along the blades that had been recently polished to a high sheen, sitting in compartments that held each piece. "Dad, did you make this box?" Nicholas shrugged as he smiled and Nick shook his head, looking at the craftmanship in the sections lined with red velvet and nooks that had been carved out and kept the pieces in place. Even the cape and what appeared to be rags had separate sections that held them in place and made them look as if they were something to behold. On the back of the top, the family crest was in bright colored fabric and the name Wilde was lovingly stitched into the fabric. "Mom? Did you sew all that?" Even though they didn't get along, he could see the time and attention they'd both put into what they'd given him. Rose giggled as she stepped closer nodding her head. "What do you mean if it chooses me?"
Nicholas folded his ears back as he stuck his paws in his pockets. "It's difficult to explain, we can all sit down and talk about it later, but right now I think you have something else to take care of." He smirked as he looked back at the open door. Nick turned, beaming as Skye stood there chewing her lip.
Finnick grinned and Rose curled into Nicholas watching Nick hop over the couch and wrap his arms around her. The young vixen shied her eyes as she pulled a small package from her purse and he chuckled as he took it and tore the paper off. Nick looked at the book and opened the cover, cocking his head to the side as he read all the names written in the front of the book. "This…is supposed to be yours Skye."
"It is mine."
"But it's been in your family since…" He smiled as she shied her eyes again.
Skye shrugged. "Dad said I could do whatever I wanted to with it. I asked. I've read it a million times. It's all the stories about the God of Separation."
Nicholas curled his brow and shook his head as Nick and Finnick watched their parents look between them shaking their heads. Nick flipped through the pages and was chuckling as everything got stuck in his head. "The God of Separation. That's what they call Heimdall in Pawlaska because of how day and Night works there. They have months that its completely dark. When the sun finally comes back it hits the snow and makes everything so bright they have a hard time seeing for a while. In their stories he's not just the God of Mind's Eye or the God of Lonely Hearts. He's actually the one who came to Earth after Odin threw the egg and destroyed the darkness growing in the world. Freya asked him to clear it away so it wouldn't take as long to start over. He blew away all the dust from the world so the sun could let things grow again and separated darkness from light. It was so cold that when the sunlight reflecting from his fur hit the egg, it cracked open and the water inside it flooded the world and started life all over again. The God of Mischief wanted to help, but him and all the other Gods were busy taking care of the treasures in Asgard, so Heimdall came alone. It says he's the reason there is day and night and the reason the Earth started turning again after Odin destroyed the darkness consuming the world."
Rose giggled as Nicholas perked a brow. "I might want to borrow that sometime kitto." Nick and Finnick laughed as Nicholas eyed the book.
Nick sat the book on the back of the couch and pulled Skye into his arms, rumbling against her chest. He stood there wide eyed and Finnick fell over laughing after she licked his nose. A slow smile started spreading over his face and Skye chirped as he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight enough to lift her feet from the floor. He pressed his head to hers as Finnick grabbed his pant leg. "Come on Nick, I gotta catch the Lunar's before they leave." They walked outside as Finnick jumped from the porch. "Hold up Nick." Nick and Skye were holding paws as she bit her lip and let Finnick get around them before they followed him out of the yard.
Nicholas looked at Rose after they walked to the door and watched them talking to Jimmy and Johnny. Nick and Skye were both leaning into each other, teasing each other by brushing their muzzles against each other, mimicking marking each other without actually putting the scent behind it. Nicholas sighed as he turned, and Rose lifted a brow. "Is it that bad? Has anyone heard anything?"
Nicholas shook his head. "Not a word about where he went or what he was doing. No one has seen him. Duke is…well he's just young. He just turned eighteen. Mr. Big is having a hard time because the bears aren't happy about having to put up with his attitude, but they're keeping everything in order. The Lunar's and the wolf council know what's going on and will step in if they need help. Duke does seem to know what he's doing. It's just bigger than he thought it would be. He's not dealing with his family as well as he is taking over what his father was running. He acts just like his Dad, just stands on a corner looking like he's selling crappy copies of movies when he's really keeping an eye on everything. Renee and Sabby are both pretty depressed, but Amelia is…." Nicholas shrugged. "She was a Daddy's girl and she's acting out pretty bad." Rose's ears flipped to her head as Nicholas looked at his watch and sighed. "I'm going to be late if I don't leave. Kevin should be here in about twenty minutes to pick you guys up. I'm taking care of all the Limo services until Mr. Big has everything settled again."
Rose dipped under his chin rumbling as he ran his muzzle along her head. She watched him drive away and turned her attention back to the Lunar's home as Finnick and Nick started bickering, rolling her eyes as she closed the door.
Nick stuck his paws on his hips with his tail swinging as he looked at the van and shook his head. "Why would you buy a car when you aren't even old enough to drive it and can take the bus? It's stupid to pay for a car when the bus is cheaper, even if you could drive! Skye doesn't even drive her car most of the time!"
Finnick curled his lips as Skye giggled. "It's stupid to have to wait around for the bus when ya can take your own car! Come on Nick! I ain't askin ya to pay for it, just to put it in your name until I can put it in mine! I can't get it licensed or anything like that and you can! You already got a permit, and it's big enough to move all our equipment around in for the band, so…"
Finnick held out a bundle of money and Nick looked at Skye as she smirked and tipped her head back to their house. Nick looked back and rolled his eyes catching her little white car sitting just before their yard and took the money from his brother as Jimmy and Johnny snickered. When Mrs. Lunar stepped out of the house she laughed as Nick held it up shaking his head. She signed the title and exchanged the money with Nick as Finnick started hopping all over the yard howling. "I GOT THE VAN! I GOT THE VAN! OOOOOW!" Nick shook his head grinning as Jimmy and Johnny doubled over laughing. Skye giggled as Finnick handed him another few bills and bounced in front of him.
"Yeah," he groaned as Finnick bit his lip. "I'll go get it insured and tagged after we get done at the college. Since Skye is with me I think we'll be able to do it even though I don't have a real 'license' yet."
Nick stuffed the bills in his pocket and Finnick jumped up screaming happily. "THANKS NICK!" He rushed back to the house as he caught a white limo pulling to the curb.
Nick grabbed Skye's paw and pulled her with him as she shook her head. "Nick, I brought my car so we could get there faster."
"I'd rather take the bus. I can't hold paws with you if they're on the wheel." Skye bit her lip and shied her eyes as Nick curled his fingers around hers and walked to the bus station. They slid to the back of the bus and curled into a corner cuddling as the streets started passing by, content in each other and not paying enough attention to see their stop was coming up. Nick jerked his head the front of the bus as the college was announced and pushed Skye from the seat chuckling as she clung to his arm. As he got to the doors the pig behind the wheel looked them over shaking his head as he stuck the bus passes in to be punched. Nick's ears pulled back as they stepped off the bus, watching the pig looking at Skye as she cuddled against his chest. The pig grabbed the handle before he slammed the doors closed and Nick sighed as they started walking to the doors.
After getting down a hallway, Nick looked into the room watching a large tiger riffle through some papers behind a desk. His shoulders scrunched up as Skye grabbed his paw and rushed her head under his chin rumbling. "He's a nice guy. I've talked to him a few times on the computer or the phone. I just…"
"Tigers make you nervous. I know why."
Nick sighed as he looked down at her and shrugged. "I'll be right back." She nodded and took a seat outside as the tiger stood up and extended a paw, watching Nick smile as the large feline chuckled and closed the door. She couldn't hear what was being said as the instructor retook his seat and shook his head as he handed Nick the paper. She frowned watching Nick's ears tip back and let her head fall as the young red fox pulled his shoulders into his cheeks when the tiger sat there shaking his head. It almost looked like the lager predator was chastising him before he chuckled and threw his paws up laughing. Nick's ears perked as he looked back at the instructor and he shook his paw before stepping out of the room and closing the door. He stayed silent as they walked back outside, and Skye kept ticking her eyes to the paper he'd shoved in his shirt pocket when she finally stepped in front of him with an understanding smile. "You still have all your credits Nick. Can you just take the capstone class again?"
Nick sighed as he pulled the paper from his pocket and shook his head. Her ears flipped back as he opened it. "I can't." He bit his lip frowning and flipped it over, chuckling as her jaw fell. "I passed."
"You passed!" She squealed and he chuckled as she jumped up wrapping her arms around his neck. "I thought you failed!"
Nick hugged her back, and pulled the paper from around her back letting her snatch it. "Well, it's a D -, the lowest passing grade I ever got. He said since I had such high grades and I tried a second time when he knew it bothered me so much he may have skipped a few points. He was griping it was sloppy like I was having a hard time with the subject again, but it was a good effort and I did all the things required, it just wasn't well written." Skye laughed as he curled around her rumbling. "I couldn't have done it without you."
Skye laughed as she hopped up and down still holding him. "I'm with a college grad!"
"Yeah." Nick chuckled as he stuffed it back in his pocket and sighed. "A bachelor's degree in business. It should help with the pawpsicle sales. We should go to the DMV before lunch. We're going to be there forever. I heard all of them are sloths."
"Ugh…" Skye groaned as he laughed and started back to the bus stop. "So how did you get to graduate in November when everyone else is doing it in May?"
"Oh," Nick snickered as they got on the bus and took seats. "The last semester most of the classes put all the assignments up at the beginning of the classes. I had them done in a week. They can't do that anymore because they said the students who could finish them wouldn't be interacting with the class through the other assignments. I sort of skipped them and Mom asked if I could go ahead and start the next ones so I wasn't bored." Skye giggled and rolled her eyes as Nick shrugged.
After making several transfers they found themselves cringing as they stood in a line behind mammals who were impatiently tapping their feet, groaning, and grumbling as they bit their tongues. Nick perked his ears as another window opened and nudged Skye. He stepped to the window as he was slowly waved over, ignoring the dirty looks he was getting from the people in the line in front of him. Nick smiled as Skye cocked her head, staring as the sloth spoke in a voice that would grind most people's last nerve. By the time he'd finished going over the papers and filling everything out for the van, Skye had to sign some things because she had a real license and Nick was still chatting with the sloth at the window. She tugged at his arm trying to get him to leave as he laughed. "Hang on Skye, this guy is hilarious! He let me call someone and told me how to set up the insurance on the van so we could get this done today! His name is Flash. Look, he's a million times faster than everyone else here! I think I'm gonna call him Flash the hundred Yard Dash!"
Skye looked back at the line they'd left and let her face fall watching the mammals that had been standing in front of them in the other line glaring at her and Nick as he laughed at another slow agonizing joke. "What…do...you…call…a… pig…in… dirty-
"Nick," Skye muttered as she tugged his arm and leaned closer watching several other customers fighting not to show their teeth at them. "We need to go meet Finnick."
Nick groaned as he looked back at Flash. "Hey Buddy, think I can come back and see you again so you can finish that joke? I bet I can pick up a few you'd like. Maybe exchange some next time?"
"Sure…Nick."
Nick chuckled as he looked at Skye and shrugged. "We have a date and she's in a hurry." Flash laughed slowly, bobbing his head and winking as Skye dragged him out the door. He groaned again as he frowned. "Why are you in such a hurry? The guy's funny and," Skye threw her paws out shaking her head and Nick looked around cringing. "It's after five? It's almost dark."
"I KNOW!" Skye screamed. "By the time we get back to your house with the buses and pick up my car, then get to the den to meet Finnick – it will be after ten!"
He chuckled as he wrapped his paws around her and leaned closer as her lips tried to pull over her teeth. "That just means I get to cuddle up with you longer on the trip." Skye's ears tipped back and flushed as Nick pulled her closer and wrapped his fingers around hers as they walked back to the bus station…
Nicholas picked up the phone in the office grabbing a pen again. "Arctic Tundra Limo services, how may help you?"
He'd stuck the pen on the paper expecting another order from a customer and looked up with his cheek curling uncomfortably as Renee screamed over the phone. "AMELIE IS MISSING! WE CAN'T FIND HER ANYWHERE! I'VE CALLED ALL HER FRIENDS AND NO ONE HAS SEEN HER!"
"Calm down, are you sure she isn't somewhere at the Bigs?"
"Nowhere, and we just finished looking around our house! I thought she may have come back looking for Earl. One of her bags is missing and a few of her clothes too!"
"I'll be there as soon as I have Kevin take over the phones. I can ask the Lunar's to come help. Have you talked to Duke or Mr. Big yet?"
"No! I couldn't find or get ahold of Mr. Big and Duke already has his paws full!"
Nicholas sighed as he laid the pen down and grabbed his jacket. "Mr. Big went out with Raymond to help Duke and Boris because he was having a problem in the Marshland District. I'll be there in twenty minutes." He hung up and looked across the room as Kevin dipped his head. Nicholas watched him grab the phone as it rang and walked out to a car, taking a seat as he typed a message to Rose. "Problems in Marshlands and Earl's daughter is missing. I'll let you know what's going on. Are the boys home yet?"
He watched the message flash about her typing and leaned back grinning as he read the text she'd sent.
"Skye said Nick passed his final paper! They just left the college and are coming to pick up her car, but the buses make a million stops. Finnick is still at the Lunar's. He came home for dinner and took off with his drums again. I don't expect to see them again tonight until they get back from the Den. How old is Amelia? Do they think something happened to her?"
Nicholas chuckled as he text back . "No, she's thirteen and has lot of friends. Renee's just freaked out because they can't find her. She probably just doesn't want to be found and needed some time to herself. Tell Nick I'm proud of him if you see him before I do."
He stuck his phone in his pocket letting his chest puff out as he passed a bus station in Tundra town, chuckling at the thought of his son being a college graduate. He stopped in a small lot and typed a message, waiting for Jasper to answer him as he pulled back to the entrance that led to Weaselton's district. "Think you can come help find a lost kit? Its Earl's daughter. Mr. Big and the bears are busy running the Grid with Duke. Kevin took over the Limo service and I could use a paw, maybe a better nose than mine will get her home faster?"
"Will be there. Need more than me?"
"No. I'm sure one good nose can find her. She's been upset since her father went missing and I suspect she's just hiding somewhere so she can be alone. Sending you the address." He typed in the address and pulled away from the lot, driving to Weaselton's house.
Well it wasn't after ten by the time Nick and Skye got to the den- It was after eleven. Getting to the Jungle took forever as everyone stopped and told him Happy Birthday. Skye was almost growling as Finnick stood in front of the metal doors that led to the area the younger foxes learned how to move around in the city. Nick shrugged as Finnick curled his lips over his gums. "Ya got any idea how hard it was to pull all this shit together without you helpin?!"
Nick leaned forward and plucked something from the back of his shirt, waving the papers for the title of the van in his face. "Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was having the tags to your van hidden under my shirt against my back, riding the busses all over Zootopia?" Finnick snatched them grinning as Nick stood up and chuckled. "They're in Skye's car, you can get them after we're done." He slid past the door and tipped his head at Berk before they were gone around the corners of makeshift buildings. The older multicolored fox narrowed his eyes and retook his stance after the doors closed, wondering what all the fuss had been about as several younger foxes pulled his attention away from his post earlier.
The vixen's of the council were talking to several foxes and everyone in the den stopped and perked their ears as a rhythmic pattern hit their ears, turning where they sat or stood to face the doors Berkley was now gaping at. He jarred the handles and growled as they refused to budge, stepping back scratching his head. Madge narrowed her eyes as she stepped down from the rounded section where they held conference and walked through the crowd with the other vixens from the council, shaking her head as Berkley tried to wrestle the doors open again. The older vixen squared her shoulders as she looked back and found Jared shaking his head. "Go get Andrew, Roland, and James. I want these doors open now." He dipped his head and disappeared through the crowd as Madge looked back at the doors and curled her lips.
Nicholas was pacing back and forth as Jasper turned his head. They'd found Earls daughter. Renee and Sabby were a wreck. After Duke had arrived he'd screamed at both of them for hours. "SHE WAS RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF YA'S AND YA'S DIDN'T SEE HER!? ALL YA'S HAD TO DO WAS LOOK IN THE ONE PLACE YA'S KNEW SHE WOULDA BEEN! RIGHT THERE IN DAD'S OFFICE! AN HOW THE HELL DID SHE GET AHOLD A THAT SHIT!"
Both females were bawling as Nicholas stepped in and grabbed his shoulder, watching a few bears that had come shake their heads. "Duke, you aren't helping." Duke simply took a seat and hung his head, burying his paws in his face as he sat in another area away from everyone else. Mr. Big kept the bears in place around the Grid as word spread the Weaselton family was falling apart. Nicholas approached Jasper and sighed as the wolf's phone went off. Jasper looked back at the silver fox and cringed as Nicholas looked over the video and shook his head. He tried to call Rose several times but her line was tied up, which he couldn't understand because she didn't actually speak to anyone on the phone.
That was because she was currently gaping at her phone. Each time one message stopped another would come in. Gluing her to the screen as another video from one of the vixens on the council took over. Her ears folded back as she managed to send one message. Nicholas' phone was busy, because he'd been trying to call her at the same time she was sending something to Jasper. The wolf leaned over whispering and Nicholas shot up with his lips pulling over his teeth as he shoved his phone in his pocket and left, with the wolf crawling in the limo beside him. He was white knuckling the steering wheel as they drove to the Den. Jasper watched curiously as Nicholas led him through the bowels of the restaurant, tipping his ears as the foxes running the place watched with their jaws hanging open. As he stepped to Berkley with a large wolf, the Sechuran fox looked up at Jasper and back to Nicholas curling his lip. Nicholas dropped his head and the smaller fox bowed his and turned his eyes as they walked into the Jungle. He shook his head as Madge turned where she stood, not giving the wolf a second glance as Nicholas walked through the crowd that had poured into the Jungle. Madge kept Jasper at her side already knowing who he was, but no one was paying attention to him as they couldn't believe what was going on in front of them. Nicholas glanced around, shaking his head at all the foxes who stood in shock.
While the younger foxes were amused by all this, the older foxes were horrified. It wasn't a massive thing that was happening, but in terms of foxes; It may as well have been like lightning hitting the same spot consecutively for a year. Nick was sitting on a stool in front of everyone plucking at a guitar. Finnick had perched behind a set of drums, and two hooded figures at the back of the gathering were keeping themselves covered while they screwed around with little synthesizers and smaller instruments. No one was playing at this point but Nick, so Nicholas had no idea what had happened already. But he ground his teeth together watching several younger vixen's backing away uncomfortably as the older foxes tried not to show their teeth. Skye was standing at the edge of the group, her jaw hanging as Nick sang the last of what he'd written the night before.
"I'm Skye diving. Falling into those blue eyes that leave me frozen when she gone. Skye diving, never feel alone when I fall into her arms. Skye diving-
He didn't get to finish the verse as she jumped forward grabbing him. He almost dropped his guitar and caught his footing laughing as she pressed her head under his chin rumbling. Nicholas growled as he stepped through the crowd shaking his head. Nick looked up at him smirking as he tried to control his breathing. He walked to the back and yanked the hoods down, all the foxes gasping and leaning away as two young wolves held up a paw and waved nervously. It was unheard of to bring another species into a fox den or allow others to know where it was located, regardless of anything else. Nicholas had made it clear when he'd taken over; only the council leaders were to know this information and those in the den who knew of all the facts were sworn to secrecy. Yet here his sons had brought two outsiders of a different species inside, somehow managing to do it right under their noses along with a bunch of instruments. He looked back at Berkley and the small fox shook his head and turned as Nicholas snapped his attention back to his oldest son and snarled. "What the HELL do you think you're doing!?"
Nick shrugged. "There's no rule about not bringing them in here. I didn't tell them where it was. I'm doing what you already should have done. You're the King. We're a pack. There's no reason for that to be a secret."
The younger foxes in the den perked their ears as Nicholas heaved and shook his head, pointing behind the vixens from the council. "Jimmy and Johnny- move your tails now." Both young wolves flipped their ears back and tried to grab their things as Nicholas snarled again. "LEAVE IT." Most of the foxes in the den gawked as they left their instruments and slid past the older fox with their tails tucked up, gaping as Jasper stood to his height, folding his arms over his chest. "Jasper, is it going to be a problem with them knowing where the den is?" Jasper looked at his sons and curled his lips over his teeth and they both shrank before he looked back shaking his head. Nicholas sighed as he stuck his paws on his hips and tipped his head back to the doors as his tail swished a few times. "Roland. Take them back out." Roland dipped his head as Madge and the vixen's from the council looked back at Nick frowning.
Finnick gave Nick a nasty glare as he smirked and sighed out; "What the fuck Nick? I thought this was just to impress her!"
"Two birds, one stone." Nick signed back and shrugged as Skye looked up at him blinking.
"Your dad is the king? You're a real… Prince?"
The young red fox smiled again as Skye's face fell. "I still hate being called that." He pressed his head to hers, watching Nicholas and the older vixens from the corner of his eye.
"What would you like us to do Nicholas?" Madge asked as Jasper bowed his head and turned, following Roland with both young wolf cubs cringing as their father growled.
Nicholas looked around shaking his head. "Nothing. Now that all the foxes know, you can explain how that works, it won't change anything else here and everything will stay the same. Since my son has pointed out there is no specific rule about bringing some other species down here - enact something. No one is to bring another animal of any species into a fox Den unless I have approved it for some reason."
Madge bowed and the foxes stared as the vixen's followed her lead. "Don't do that!" Nicholas sighed as the older vixen stood and smirked, before dipping her head as she turned leading the other council members from the Jungle. He turned looking back at Nick and Finnick, curling his lip as Nick smirked. Skye dipped her ears back and hid behind Nick's shoulder as Finnick looked away with his ears plastered to his head. "The rest of you find your parents if you're underage. The Jungle is closed until further notice."
The younger foxes found their way to their parents or the parents found them. As soon as Berkley closed the doors shaking his head, Nicholas turned back watching Finnick turn his eyes in shame as Nick stood there grinning. He sighed and shook his head, chewing his lip as Nick straightened his back. "I let you come here even though you're both grounded, just because you postponed your birthday party Nick. You don't advertise who you're with Boy, or tell everyone who you are. That's how you keep the people you love safe and how you stay safe. Are you happy now?"
"Yep!" Nick chirped as Nicholas stuck one paw on his hip and rubbed his forehead.
Skye dipped her head behind Nick's shoulder as their father glared between them. "Go home. We'll discuss this after I get everything else settled. You are not to leave the house once you get there. We need to have a long conversation. You're going to explain to me how you managed to get two wolves and everything else in here without anyone noticing. I'll figure out some way to get this stuff moved without it being seen through the diner. I still have to drop off the limo and pick up my car before I come home and I need to call your mother. You'll probably beat me there so you can tell her I'll just talk to her when I get home."
Nick shrugged as Nicholas walked to the door, watching him talking to Berkley as he kept rubbing his forehead. Finnick stepped closer to Nick growling and Skye cringed as Nick looked down at him shaking his head. "That was a dick move Nick."
"Come on Finnick! Everyone's gonna know anyway! I just don't get why he wants it to be a big secret! All the councils have to know if the Lunar's are involved, so why does it matter?"
Finnick scowled up at him as Skye chewed her cheek. "Hey stupid - maybe that's why. Maybe Mr. Big don't know. Ya got any brains in there? He wasn't even screamin and don't wanna talk to Mom yet. He was too upset to do that cause he's worried."
Nick curled his lip looking back at the doors as Berkley watched Nicholas walk away shaking his head. The multicolored fox looked back at the young red fox and shook his head as he retook his stance at the doors and fell back into an emotionless flat. He didn't even look at them as they passed him, and the foxes still in the den seemed to have forgotten about it as they left through the tunnel that would take them to a back entrance out of the diner. Skye was staying quiet as Nick let Finnick crawl into her back seat. Nick plopped in the passenger seat as she dug around in her purse searching for her keys. "Do you think I screwed up?" He asked Skye as she stuck the keys in the ignition.
She dipped her ears back and looked at him biting her lip. "How did you guys get them in there without anyone seeing?"
Nick sighed as he looked out the window. "We found a few other ways to get in no one else knows about. There's one that leads right to the doors. The walls around the Den are hollow. One comes out right above the Jungle and was big enough to move everything through. Finnick thinks there are others too."
Skye looked at him shaking her head as Nick shrugged. She glanced into the back seat watching the small fox sigh and shake his head. "I ain't lookin for anymore and I think I'm gonna tell Dad so they can be blocked off."
"How did you find them?"
Nick chuckled as he looked into the back seat. "Technically I did. He's fascinated with the doors. Swears up and down they're some kind of puzzle he hasn't figured out yet. He wouldn't shut up about it so I started looking around and crawled up the wall one day after everybody left. I found a small opening when one of the rocks I grabbed fell. After I looked in and saw how big it was I crawled in there and started walking around."
"Why do you think the doors are a puzzle? They're just …doors."
Nick snickered as Finnick folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Screw you Nick. I'm tellin you there's somethin else there."
"Yeah, an invisible picture you can't see." Nick laughed and Finnick growled. Skye shook her head looking back at the smaller fox and raised her brows. Finnick sighed. "Every time the pieces move and shift around I get this thing in my head. It's almost like I can see somethin that should be there but ain't. I don't know how to explain it. Its… I can almost see it, but as soon as the pieces stop movin and make a solid picture its gone again."
Skye sighed as she looked at Nick. "It's big enough to walk around in though?" She asked as Finnick started laughing.
"Yes." Nick chuckled as he looked into the back seat again. "It's weird though. Kind of like a maze of some kind. I think it was some kind of reinforcement for the den because it's made of solid stones. Not like the sandstone that's all around the place. I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to be used as anything other than some kind of reinforcement."
"Why?" Skye asked as she looked between them.
Finnick laughed as Nick rolled his eyes. "Finnick can walk around in there, I have to lean over. I'm too tall. The walls go up as high as the Den ceiling, but they're in layers. I don't think foxes would have built the place to be used as anything other than a reinforcement if it's not big enough for them to walk through."
"Maybe they were just shorter foxes."
Nick and Finnick laughed as Skye turned the key. "I'm not even sure you could walk through there Skye. A bunny wouldn't be able to do it without keeping their ears down."
Skye looked at them as the ignition clicked and Finnick leaned between the front seats raising a brow. "Turn it again." Skye turned the key and it clicked again before it rolled into a constant clicking and stopped. "Pop the hood." The vixen looked around with a frown as Finnick rolled his eyes. "You're dad works on planes and I've watched you pull them motors apart like they're Lego's, but ya don't know how to open the hood on your own car?"
"This isn't an airplane! Dad takes care of the cars." Skye folded her arms over her chest pouting as Nick chuckled.
"I don't know anything about them either Skye." She looked at Nick grinning as he scrunched his nose.
Finnick shook his head as he jumped between the seats and Nick was laughing as she started yelling at him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She grabbed her skirt and pulled it over her knees as he slid between the steering wheel under her feet. Finnick looked up at her and rolled his eyes. "Openin the hood. Sounds like the battery's dead but I gotta look. Hold still…." Skye growled as she pulled her feet up and Finnick looked up groaning. "No wonder ya don't know where it is. The lever for the hood's broken off, I gotta grab the wire with some pliers to get it open. Ya got jumper cables and pliers in here?"
"The jumper cables are in the trunk." Skye reached into the back seat and dug through the pocket on the back of Nick's seat before handing Finnick the pliers and jerked as he slammed back into the bottom of her seat, growling.
The hood popped and Nick was chuckling as Finnick looked up at him growling. "Shut up. Ya got any idea how much of a pain in the ass it is tryin to do any of this shit at my size?" Nick acted like he was pulling a zipper over his lips as Finnick popped Skye's door. "Grab the cables from the trunk. I'm gonna go ask Shirly if she can give us a jump." Nick and Skye gathered the jumper cables and walked around the car as a waitress with a long curly string of fur hanging from her head came out, followed by Finnick. He jumped on the bumper of Skye's car and wrestled with the lever that opened the hood, looking back at Nick narrowing his eyes as he snickered. "Get over here and lift this thing. Shirley's gonna pull up beside us. There's a bar in there that'll hold the hood open."
Nick stepped closer and pulled the hood open and Skye grabbed the support for the hood, placing it in the slot and sticking her tongue out at Finnick as he lifted a brow. He chuckled as Shirly parked her car next to Skye's and stepped out lifting her hood. The older vixen connected the cables and Skye got back in turning the car over as Finnick adjusted the teeth on the battery of her car. It started up on the first try, but as soon as he took the cables off it died again. The small fox curled his lip as Shirly looked at him and shrugged. He reattached the jumper cables and yelled at Skye, letting it sit for a few minutes before he unhooked them again. The car stayed running after he removed the cables again, but he was shaking his head as it started idling slower until it died again. Skye stepped out biting her claws as Nick looked at the motor like it was speaking Japanese. Finick repeated the process and removed the battery cables from the battery, shaking his head as the car died each time. "Your alternator's fried. It's just gonna pull all the juice from the battery when the cars runnin and keep dyin until ya get it replaced. It ain't gonna run for more than a minute or two at a time. Even if we could charge the battery back up here, there ain't no guarantee it would get any of us home."
"Great." Skye growled as she threw her paws up.
Shirly looked back at the diner as the lights started going out and sighed. "I can take one of you, but my car's not big enough for all of you."
Nick chuckled as he looked at the tiny car with two bucket seats. "We can take the bus Shirly. There's one running in about ten minutes. Thanks for helping anyway." The older vixen left them as Skye locked up her car and sent a message to her father, while Nick locked up her car. Finnick sent a message to Rose before they started walking to the bus station. They stood around talking until the bus pulled up and walked to the back after the doors swung open, still laughing as the last other person got off at the next stop. Skye looked up and grabbed Nicks paw, pulling his attention up as her face fell. "Nick…where are we?"
Nick looked around and shook his head as Finnick jumped on a seat curling his lip. The bus came to a sudden stop and they glanced at each other with their hearts pounding as the driver stood from his seat and turned, growling….
Notes; The gods were busy taking care of the 'treasure' in Asgard when Heimdall blew away all the dust from the world because they were caring for the thousands of children Loki had with the Lady of the Cliffs. (The Treasure; the angels; vampires; bats - they also started the wars in Asgard and may have accelerated their demise for giving them their time, energy, and life force)
Nick has a habit of giving people who make an impression on him something similar to a fox name. A nickname. (Vallerie and Maiden. Flash Flash Hundred Yard Dash.)
It's the year 2003/2004 at this point in Nick's life. The first photos and videos that were sent via cell phone came out in 2002. Not entirely sure when the first video was sent as it seems to be a blurry fact when searched for, but you get the point. Things are evolving – It's not always pretty and at times it can be very painful –
If you think some of the other things I've written were dark, you ain't seen nothin yet…. But you've been warned because this is about to become blacker than a million fathoms under the sea in my book. It will give an in-depth insight into how Nick thinks and leave a deep impression of how things that happens in the future, are infinitely linked to someone's past-
In most stories I've read, Nick is this perfect guy who doesn't have an issue about species crossing lines. He doesn't have a problem being with Judy even though they are what society considers polar opposites, even when a lot of the time they have to hide their relationship. He's not perfect, he's 'human' and at this point he's also very young and impressionable. What the world sees as blatant speciesism may not be what it seems and could stem from something much more traumatic. The way someone thinks and how they act about certain things are a direct result of their environments and personal experiences. The next chapter was harder than hell to write and I don't expect it to be any easier to read….