It had taken a considerable amount of time for Judy to be found by Veronica that afternoon. The doe's older sister had been playing hide-and-seek with some of the younger kits across the Main Hall's living quarters. Even after having the kits spread out to alert others that there was an emergency concerning the fox todd that she had brought along. Once Judy had made it to the main dining hall, she found that Bonnie was in an emotional uproar about Nick's decision to go beyond the grounds of the warren on paw and Stu was trying to soothe her while working with Robby to organize an armed group to stand guard outside. Beyond the windows, the todd had made it to a large oak tree beyond the country road in front of the residence and was thoroughly engaged in digging out the snow in front of the tree by paw. Judy's fear and confusion was answered with the explanation of what had occurred in the East Hill. It sent the poor doe's heart plummeting into her stomach.
There was no denying the conflict within her mother despite the demands that Judy stay within the safety of the warren. Robby did his best to mediate the various shouting matches that threatened to arise over the individual desires, and it was settled that he would take a pawful of volunteers out to guard Nick while the todd did what he needed to do in his state of mourning. Judy could not ignore the weeping from her mother as she was held tight. The matriarch did not want Nicholas Wilde out in the blustering snow and would not accept her own daughter's presence beyond the door of the kitchens. Bonnie did not understand what the fox was doing, even though she knew that there was a reason why he was out there.
Stewart stood by as resolutely as he able to, fighting back his own tears while watching what the overcast weather illuminated near the oak tree. It was dark enough to show that the fox was committed to some sort of vulpine vigil to the deceased. A steady, but low flame illuminated the front of the tree. Judy could see Nick's darker form in front of it, within the dug-out shelter. By that time, much of the family had heard of the incident and some of her family had quietly congregated within the primary kitchen. The does, who had been in the nursery, quietly began to light candles and place them in the surrounding windowsills after Betty approached Judy and Veronica. Judy's older sister had Nick's phone in her paw.
"Officer Wilde, we found your phone number through the city's employee database. My name is Doctor Harrison Fredricks, and I am the Chief Medical Examiner of Zootopia… Mister Wilde… We regret to inform you that your mother, Vivian Wilde, passed away on the eve of the Twenty-Third of this month. Your mother passed peacefully in her sleep and the autopsy revealed multiple tumors in several critical organs. We are currently awaiting the results of our tests and her prior medical records to make the final confirmations regarding the cause-of-death. My sincerest condolences for your loss, Sir…"
Judy had not experienced such a depth of sadness and anger in years. As the tears overwhelmed her eyes, the doe slammed a balled paw down on the table that she was at: nearly cursing Karma out loud in the process. Regardless of her held tongue, there was no escaping the fact that she had done so mentally. The fact that Judy had never even met the vixen did nothing to stop the tears that fell for Nick's loss. There was so much to be said for how much a good mammal that he was, thanks to Vivian's raising, no matter how short of a time that might have been. Veronica had stayed close to her, after that, while Betty had stepped away. The older doe had one of her brothers take the phone out to Robby so that it would make it back into Nick's paws. Nothing had come of the attempt from what the family could tell.
The longer that time wore on, the more distraught Bonnie became. She watched as the light was being blotted out, by the darkening clouds above, and how the snows were coming in thicker. The flakes were rather puffy and being blown gently at an angle. Each hour that passed resulted in their vision being further and further diminished.
With concern fractured her voice, Bonnie finally spoke up. "Stu! We need to bring them all in! Now!" She demanded.
"Bon…" Stu said, hugging his wife close. "I don't know what he's doing. It looks important… To interrupt it—"
"He's getting up!" Andrew bellowed from across the kitchen. The report nearly made his poor mother faint.
Judy launched herself out of her seat towards the window in time to catch a seeming glimpse of the todd shaking the accumulated snow from his clothes and fur. Nearly forty members of her family crowded around all of the windows with bated breaths as they watched Robby's inky form urgently barking out orders to the small team that he had gone out with. After a moment, Nick's form took something up from off the ground prior to beginning the trek towards the warren. Judy could not stop the relieved sob that poured out from behind her paws, nearly jumping out of her fur when Bonnie engaged her motherly tendencies.
"Betty, take Veronica and bring back towels and blankets! Judy, go get Nick some spare clothes! We'll dry him off quickly before taking him to a fur-dryer!" Their mother barked her orders. "Andrew, that chowder better be ready! I want them fed as soon as they're dry!"
Judy was gone as soon as she had her task. The doe ran through the warren and launched herself down the stairs. Upon making it to her room, she unlocked the door with the key and darted into Nick's. Spotting the todd's duffle right off, Judy quickly took out a matching set of dark blue utility pants, a ZPD t-shirt and a pair of boxer-briefs. Her powerful legs propelled her back out, relocking the door behind her. Judy made it up in time to hear the door open. The sight of Nick, as he was ushered through the door, was damned grim.
The todd's natural winter coat had kept him so warm that the snow had melted and frozen to portions of his jacket, as well as much of his muzzle. Condensation had accumulated and frozen to his long whiskers as well as around his nose. Nick's tail was thoroughly soaked from rest under the snow. Both his ears and his tail were the only external indicators that he was freezing. The look in his eyes was one of a distant nature and there was no way to even tell if he had been weeping due to all of the ice.
The first thing that Stu did was set aside the whiskey bottle that Nick had brought back, only one shot glass to accompany it, and then the buck stepped back up to Nick.
"Let's get that jacket off you, Son." Stu said, smiling weakly.
After flexing his paws, Nick grasped the zipper and pulled it down through the layers of snow. He had to snap the rigid garment open just to get out of it: sending shards of ice skittering across the floor. Stu took the jacket from the todd before he began helping Nick remove his soaked shirt. Once that was clear, everyone could see how badly the muscles in his torso were twitching and trembling. Immediately, Bonnie threw a towel around the todd.
"Get him to a dryer now!" She barked again.
Robby rushed over and took the clothing from Judy's paws before ushering Nick out of the kitchen. The pawful of brothers that had gone out with Robby were dusting off the snow that had accumulated on their clothing. Several of Judy's sisters weren't sure what to do beyond that moment and every rabbit in the guest dining area was solemn within in. Bonnie had taken a seat at the short table within and folded her paws, quietly praying in her own way because there was nothing more for her to organize. Without knowing more about the ways that foxes mourned for the dead, there was nothing more any of them could do.
Dinner preparations were made in silence. The kits picked up on the lack of excitement in the air. They did not need to know the why to know that things were not well within the warren. It was not until well after seven that the bucks reappeared with an unkempt Nick at their side. The todd took a seat at a small table in the corner. Nick's back faced the rest of the room while his shoulders held his weight upright forcefully. There was no movement to even acknowledge the fact that Andrew had placed a large bowl of chowder in front of him.
Just stood up on shaky knees… Walking over to drop herself on the bench next to Nick. Her mind was numb with the fact that there was no response. No flick of those darkened, crimson-tinted ear-tips. No curl in the tip of the todd's tangled tail. No twitch of his nose to address to the brain that there was a proximity of his friend's nearby scent. With a twitch of Judy's ear, she noticed the approach of her brother, Robby. The buck held a brush in his paws tentatively. The sadness etched along his muzzle said everything as he offered the brush to Judy.
He wouldn't even groom himself after we dried him off…
There was no real comprehension of Nick's loss to the Hopps Family. Judy was the only one who knew that Nick's mother was the last real family that the todd had. Family was everything to a rabbit. But, what is everything to a group of mammals who had family by the several dozens or hundreds? Nick had only had his father and mother, and now… They were both gone from the world. His father on the best of terms, cut short, and his mother on the worst of terms, for the longest of time. He had no siblings. He had spoken of no aunts or uncles. And, Nick's grandparents had died long before his time, from what Judy had gathered.
Judy took the brush in her paw, noticing that it was the exact one that Nick had brought along on the trip. She, then, reached up and hugged his elongated head before whispering.
"We need you to eat some food. Please, Nick… It will warm you up. I know I'm breaking the rules… But, I'm going to help you with your tail, OK?"
At first, there was only a slow move of Nick's eyes towards the table. A single twitch of the nose followed. The todd's tail did not jerk away from its resting spot on the bench between them. After several more moments, Nick slowly reached for the spoon on the table so that he could take in a tasting of the meal. Judy carefully scooted closer and very gently gathered Nick's tail into her lap. There was none of the usual responses as her paws found the fluffy appendage. No happy purr or affronted growl. It was nearly unnerving for Judy to deal with. She would have preferred trying to explain her actions around an angered Nicholas Wilde, but there still wasn't even a twitch in his tail.
Judy waited until Nick finally picked up the spoon from the tabletop before beginning to brush the todd's tail. She was extremely careful not to distract him by accidently pulling any of several knots of fur that were present. Nick's consumption was awfully close to being able to be described as mechanical, but after several minutes he picked up the bowl to drink the remaining stew within. Once the todd comprehended that there was nothing left in the bowl, his muscles rippled to swing his leg out and over the bench. Judy's paw on his shoulder was the only thing to stop him.
"It's alright, Slick. Do you want more?" She asked hopefully.
As if on cue, Bonnie stepped over with another bowl.
"Please, eat some more, Nick. I don't want you to get sick." She said firmly before taking a seat across from them.
"Thank you, Ma'am." Nick replied softly.
Stu led Robby and Vera over to sit down next to his wife. The younger buck was still drying his ears and head with a towel and his father set down the bottle of whiskey, that Nick had asked to borrow earlier, along with several fresh glasses. Quietly, Stu took off his hat and began pouring measured shots into them after pushing one over to the todd.
"Nick, I cannot express how sorry that we are for your loss. If there's anything that you need, please tell us." Stu expressed quietly.
With a tip of his muzzle, Nick nodded before taking to the second bowl of food. Judy continued to brush down the errant tufts of fur along his tail while regarding his face carefully. As soon as he finished the second bowl, Nick took up the small shot glass and downed it. A roll of his wrist caught some of the whiskey from spilling down his fur aborning his lower lip. There was a pull at his jaw due to the taste, causing his teeth to show along the right side of his muzzle. Judy's eyes widened at that. In all her time knowing him, never once had she seen him touch alcohol so willingly.
"I… I'll need to make some calls in the morning." Nick finally admitted, keeping his paws busy with organizing the dishes that he had created. He winced when Bonnie rested her paw on his, staying it from doing anything else.
"Absolutely!" Stu said firmly. "I'll let you use my office and the landline if you can't get service on the cell."
"Thank you, Sir." Nick said, the whisper soft on the air.
"Don't worry about any of these. We'll take care of it." Bonnie said, indicating to the dishes and the mess. "Judy, make sure Nick gets to bed. Make sure he stays warm and if you even think he's coming down with something, you come get me immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, mom." Judy confirmed, carefully draping Nick's tail on his lap so that he could adjust it, as necessary.
"And, take some water with you." Bonnie ordered.
Judy stood up and put the brush into her pocket before gathering up two bottles of water, placing one of them in her back pocket while reapproaching Nick. Just as he had gotten to his feet, Judy slipped her paw into his and led him through the warren as quickly as the todd would allow her to. Once the door of the room was shut and locked appropriately, Judy brought Nick over to her bed and made him take a seat on the edge of the mattress.
"Strip down." Judy told him with a gentle voice.
Any other time, the doe would have expected a kittish shot of humor to slip off of Nick's tongue… The lack of it pierced every bit of his muzzle as he simply began to slip out of the shirt that she had brought. The todd hesitated long enough to see the expectant look on Judy's face before he began to remove his trousers, as well. There was no denying that it was far from the romantic way that Judy had wanted to see Nick disrobe, but it was not the time to be considering those things. Nick sat on the edge of the bed in nothing more than the black, form-fitting boxer briefs while staring at his paws. The long, russet tail wrapped around his right side and did not move in the slightest. Not a single twitch or a flicker of the tip.
"Nick… I need to know that it's safe to give you your medication." Judy said softly.
It was clear that Nick understood exactly what she was getting at. "The whiskey wasn't for me… I only had the one." He rasped, sounding like he had swallowed a mile of the county road's crushed quarry stone.
"Alright," Judy nodded, gently pushing on his shoulder to get him to lay down. "You're sleeping here. Just give me a minute."
It took a few minutes to gather all of the plushies that she had left Nick. As she had done the morning before, several trips had to be made to finish the task. Nick had not budged from his sitting position all the while. After finding his medication, Judy hopped up on the bed and eased him down onto her pillow. She offered him the pill and carefully gave him a drink before setting the water aside so that she could pull a blanket over his body. Then, she began to spread all the plushies out around him.
Once that was accomplished, the doe hopped out of the bed to strip down to her usual work undergarments. The issued t-back bra and workout panties contrasted her grey fur in matching black. Once Judy made it back into the bed, she dutifully burrowed under Nick's arm and neck, carefully rolling onto her left side in the process. Her ears popped out from behind Nick's head as she wiggled out, but now she was situated comfortably so that she could brush her paw over his head and ears.
"Judy."
"Yeah?"
"You marked all these stuffed bunnies." The tone of his voice was so deeply tinged with exhaustion.
With an explanation taking up too much time, Judy simply hummed her confirmation as she wrapped her arms around Nick's neck, snuggling her nose into his jaw underneath his ear. If he inquired further about it later, she would tell him.
...
The night had been merciless to Judy and rounded out an already distressing day. Sleep had been fleeting, waking immediately when Nick unearthed himself from the pile of plushies that he had been under. The todd had not moved or made a sound the whole night, but he had slept and that in and of itself was a relief. Judy very nearly did not release Nick's tail when he stood up, rolling his shoulders all the while, but she let it slip through her fingers. He stepped into his room so that they had their own privacy while dressing for the day. Judy waited patiently until Nick returned: wearing a black button-down that was tucked into a dark pair of jeans. He said nothing to anybody that they passed, rolling up his sleeves to the elbows as Judy followed hm upstairs.
The thing about Nick was that he hated wearing darker colors because of the fur that was usually shed. He had said once that it always stuck to some of the nicest things he wore unless it was right after his winter coat came in. It was actually one of the other major reasons why he wore bright clothing when he had been hustling. Over the past couple of years, he had kept to a rather strict routine of wearing ZPD training garbs when he was not working. Sometimes, the old Hawaiian print shirts came out. Those days were few and far between, and the blacks only came out between mid-November through late-February. Right now, not much fur would fall away to stick on it.
As soon as they made it to the kitchens, her mother rushed over to see if Nick wanted anything to eat. The todd shook his head, though.
"I need to make my calls, Ma'am. They're time sensitive and should have been made last night." Nick said firmly, speaking the first words of the new day.
There was no waiting for a rebuttal from Bonnie. As soon as Nick spotted Stu, he moved away to talk to him about using the office for the morning. Judy sat down with her mother after Bonnie had dropped herself into a seat. It looked as if she had exhausted herself by staying up all night out of fretting concern.
"I know it's early, mom… But, I don't think that Nick's come down with anything." Judy offered.
"It doesn't even feel like a silver lining, though." Her mother said sadly.
Judy had no response for that truth.
The does' conversation was interrupted when Vera strode over to with little Marcy on her hip. The relatively new mother looked extremely concerned and even more tired than she had when she first met Nick as she took a seat at the table with them. Marcy was too busy being focused on the general direction of the burrow entryway where Nick would eventually appear through at some point later on.
That brought a gentle smile to their mother's muzzle. "How are you, sweetheart?" Bonnie inquired.
"Concerned… The little one's fussy." Vera explained. "She's too young to understand what's happened."
"And, all she wants to do is play with the todd's ears and sleep on his shoulder now, huh?" Bonnie asked with a sad chuckle.
Derek snuck up on the group to sit down next to his wife, a plate of breakfast in paw as he chewed on a piece of carrot with a gentle smile on his face.
"Unfortunately for her pa, Marcy has taken an immeasurable liking to the big orange lug. Subsequently, she has not been able to sleep without the prospect of having first harassed him." Derek said with a chuckle.
That brought warm, but gentle smiles to all of their muzzles as they turned their attentions to the drinks or food. After a while, the group broke up silently to attend to chores or rest while they all waited.
...
Nick Wilde exited Stewart's office well after noon in the day. All of the notifications had been made to various skulks and arrangements had been made for his mother's body until he could make it back to the city. Nothing would come of returning from their holiday early. All of the information remained heavy on Nick's mind as he quietly made his way to the main laundry facilities. After searching around, the todd found the jacket that he had been wearing yesterday. It had been diligently washed and dried by the night crew and he would have to return to collect his other clothes later on. Outside the windows, the snow continued to layer on the ground. Drains had been applied all around the three domes to allow for the melted snow to drain off of the glass so that outside viewing was capable at all times.
Because all of the Hills were topped with a clear composite, they were heated through a combination of the elevated internal temperature and an integrated heating element within the window-frames themselves. Nick made his way through the hill in an effort to find Stu in solitude and did so after several minutes. The buck was sitting in a small living room at the front of the Main Hill, ever-watchful of the events playing out beyond the surrounding windows.
"I'd like to thank you, Mister Hopps, for the hospitality." Nick said sincerely.
The ferocity with which Stu brought himself out of his chair caused Nick's ears to pin back and his spine straighten. The buck's muzzle held both anger and confliction, and that damn near unnerved Nick. Stu stepped up and grabbed the todd by the shoulder firmly.
"Gods dammit, Nick, do not now feel as if you're a stranger among us!" Stu whispered urgently, wrapping Nick in a tight hug.
"I apologize… I feel as if I have slighted your family." The todd admitted solemnly.
"Well…" Stu began. "I do hope to bring some kind of explanation that will be placating."
Nick released Stu and raised a paw towards a chair. A continuance of rude gestures that Nick felt he was imposing on them, but it was the best way to explain. There was no politeness in stating how poorly the todd considered himself in all these regards and he would not allow the crudeness to slip here.
"It's a… developed custom with red foxes, Stu. In my time, I've seen daughters and sons and mates hit their knees to pray and to mourn in some of the most impromptu of places." Nick explained tentatively, taking a seat across from the elder buck.
"Enough so to risk victimization by the BOP in the area?" Stu said evenly, trying not to be too rude.
"Better in such a place of beauty – with a threat – than randomly timed in a store, or an alley, or across the globe in one of the Old World nations." Nick admitted with a nod. "I just wish that those sons of yours hadn't been sent out to stand under threat on my behalf."
"That decision rested not on the one holding the ire…" Stu said with a chuckle.
Nick's ear flicked fiercely. "Are we to expect a firing squad, Sir?" He asked weakly.
That brought out another steely glare out of Stu.
"I might eat a night or two in the chicken coop." Stu shrugged. "You might simply have to go without blueberry pie for a week or so."
Nick leaned out on his knees and hung his head while wiping his paws down his snout, but found Stu placing his paw on Nick's knee.
"Son, Bonnie's not angry. You simply scared her half to death." Stu explained.
"That wasn't my intention, Stu." Nick said urgently, looking up at the patriarchal rabbit.
"I know you would do no such thing on purpose." Stu said with a nod before grinning widely. "But… if you address Bonnie as 'ma'am' any further, I will not presume to intercept the frying pan that flies across the kitchen's thoroughfare, for you, on your behalf. Presently, you have only fear of being cuffed upside the noggin."
Nick's lips peeled back with an unrestrained laugh, feeling the amusement overtake his whole body for the first time in many hours. The visual of such an event did not dissuade Nick from wanting to see it come to pass despite the harm that would inevitably befall him. The thought only made him laugh harder and Nick was incredibly happy to hear Stu as the buck laughed with him.
"Though…" Stu began again.
That brought a slow punctuation to Nick's laughter as he wiped his eyes and reassessed Stewart accordingly.
"I sense that there's something else you need, Son."
"Something that I'd like to ask of you, yes." Nick admitted, noting that the buck was waiting. "I'd like to borrow a truck with a plow to work the country road for the remainder of the day."
"Nick. I hope to Serendipity that I'm not downrange of that frying pan when it's slung at you." Stu shook his head in a joking and solemn manner. "I assume this is a solo venture."
"I need the time of my own, without a second truck, to clear and make it to Bunnyburrow proper so that I can replenish your stocks of whiskey." Nick said, expanding on the request. He was once again unable to keep a smile off his muzzle.
Stewart drew a terse breath before removing a set out keys from his pocket, passing them over to the todd. He was going to have a Hell of a lot of explaining to do with at least one doe in the warren with that decision.
"There's only a couple of trucks out yonder. Grab the blue. And, for carrot's plucking sake, bring back some petunias. You oughta know the color." Stu explained.
"You'll forgive me one last 'yes, Sir,' I hope." Nick replied.
...
Beyond the window and flickering windshield wipers, the snows billowed across the rolling hills and through the trees around the edges of the farmland. As soon as flakes struck the glass, they had enough time to melt before being wiped away. Nick was following the reflective markers on each side of the road, nine-foot poles set alongside the edge of the normally dirt road, while keeping a steady speed that would keep him from slipping on the ice below the snow. The winds higher up were whipping the electrical lines between the pole tops due to the particular tensioning methods that were used in the area.
Snow roiled off of the plow while Nick pushed on. There was a serenity in the long stretches of white. The view was almost purer white than the newest of sheets laid on the beds of the warren itself. It allowed for Nick to put his mind into neutral while cranking up the volume of the Bluetooth radio over the static of the CB radio. Stu had demanded that Nick remain in contact with Robby via the bidirectional radio waves designated for each warren or burrow in the area. There was already a CB radio channel designation list taped on the passenger side of the dashboard for emergencies.
The engine roared under paw, falling further to the floor as Nick began to drum out the beat of the music itself, becoming engulfed in it and feeling the growl pour forth from his chest.
"GOOO!" Nick snarled at the windshield, wrapping his paws painfully tight around the steering wheel. His head bobbed with the sound of the electric guitar's blistering wail in his eardrums.
"In your life, you'll be amazed at all the love you lose! You can never live that life again… The one thing you will never lose is the singing in your head! That, will still be with you until the end!" The speakers wailed out the Motörhead (Youtube: watch?v=I4qHmryJYs0) lyrics moments later.
Nick quickly flicked the wipers up to a faster speed, though only being able to hear the sound they made in his head while he waited for the song to end. The road would be properly plowed past the twenty or so residences between the Hopps Farm and the town of Bunnyburrow. He would see to the other side on the way back. He had even considered doing the whole other side of the county road until he had made it to the Deerbrook-Podunk intersection, but the primary focus now was on the seat of the Bunnyburrow township. Once the dirt turned to pavement, Nick withdrew the blade's edge from the driving path. The snows had been cleared to the edge of the town.
Eventually, the truck was steered up to the front of the General Store's parking lot and put into park before Nick stepped out to survey the area. Several mammals were out and about in groups, mostly rabbits or hares, and most toted around various long-guns while being on their ways. What caught Nick's ear was the music pouring out of the bar next door to the General Store and his paws carried him over the ice towards the sound first.
There were no signs precluding the idea of a fox entering the two establishments, fortunately. Nick need not enter the premise to see the band playing their music within the bar. Nick drew his jacket up higher on his shoulders while watching as the lead singer sang through the lyrics, aided by the backup vocals from several pretty does hitting that gospel sound. Nick knew the original song (Youtube: watch?v=HOIMXT7Aqe4) well; from friends who had joined the Self-Defense Forces prior to eminent deployments.
"Yeah,
If I die young, write my mother,
Tell her that I love her, but my soul's gone home!
And, take me back to Bunnyburrow County,
Drive real slow and take the long way home!
And, tell my kin to pick up a shovel!
Wrestle that sugar sand and bury my bones,
Bury my bones beneath these pines,
When it comes time,
Yeah! If I die young!"
The drums took over for the ukulele as the last verse was sung through. The electric took over from the midway while the buck bellowed the last of it. The buck, behind the electric guitar, played with all the heartfelt sentiments that he mustered, bending the strings to their screaming ends as Nick felt tears streaming down his face.
None of the todds, of which he had been friends with at the time, had come back from their deployments alive. Several of them, the todd himself had to address personally, after the fact, due to there being no other next-of-kin to notify. Seven of his friends' ashes had to be buried or spread over all points of Zootopia per their final written wishes. Eight more, and not all foxes, he had attended the proper funerals of. And, now, he had to find an appropriate resting place for his parents. Nick's mother had kept John's ashes after he had passed, not knowing where to properly lay or spread him. Nick would eventually have both of theirs. They were not of Zootopia originally, but of nowhere else at the same time.
Well after his father's passing, there had been a close friend who had passed in the service, and Nick had absolutely gone ballistic in the company of Finnick one evening. A friend from both ends of grade school was lost and Nick had railed on Karma: screaming of how he seemed to only be a recorder of their histories while he remained alive. It was a over a decade past and probably the only time where Finnick had been fearful of the red fox's next actions from the fact that the temper was lost without the assistance of alcohol. The diminutive fox had barely stymied Nick's unaimable wrath in the process and was even fearful of Nick's verbal dragging of Karma: despite Karma not being Finnick's immediate deity, by raising.
Nick quietly wiped his eyes before turning away from the bar's entrance so that he could get to work on what he had come to do.
The General Store was resonated a peaceful nature as Nick meandered through the aisles. Quickly, the todd selected the largest bottle of appropriately branded whiskey before moving off towards the deli and arrangements portion of the store, ignoring the curious onlookers who did not recognize this particular fox in their town. Nick grabbed several other items along the way. As quickly as the florist could arrange them for the todd, the doe brought together a rather amazing bouquet of purple flowers that Nick had no familiarity with. The flowers were all in a proper glass vase with a little bit of water to keep them. Nick quickly paid what was owed and walked back to the truck. As soon as the cab door was closed and the vehicle was started up, Nick turned the CB back on.
"Robby, I'm headed back." Nick spoke into the corded microphone.
"I hear ya, Nick! Be careful coming back. The snows are coming in heavy and the winds are picking up. Copy?" Robby radioed back.
"I copy. Headed back now. Out."
Nick hung the microphone on the clip of the radio before throwing the truck in drive and cranking the music back up. The drive back held considerations that needed to be made while Nick dropped the blade back on the dirt road outside of town, setting forth to complete the task.
The sun had set fully while Nick had been in the General Store. He would have foregone the headlights, in favor of his night-vision, if it had not been for the fact that another vehicle fell in line behind the loaner vehicle that he was driving. Whoever they were, they were re-plowing the oncoming lane until several miles beyond the town. The unknown driver flashed their high-beams before steering off towards one of the nearby residences and Nick hit the hazards a couple of times to indicate a thank-you to them for the assistance. Truth be told, Nick was entirely ready to plow the road all night if it had been his vehicle and fuel. The mammals within Bunnyburrow might have been nervous of the newcomer, but they had been kind and polite enough.
It brought a gentle smile to Nick's muzzle as he tooled forth against the rising snows: heading back towards the Hopp's Farm.
The headlights were brutal in their glare against the oppressing snowfall and the turbulence from what was plowed out in front of the newer Furd. It made Nick focus on the reflective banding at the marker tops out beyond the shine of the lights themselves. The eerie snowfall against far-out pole lamps made Nick chuckle at the thoughts of the tales that Randy had told him about Weredeer and Jackalopes and mutant Snowy Owls. The bobcat had been raised in a far-off place where there were allegedly creatures that spooked even the hardiest classes of predators. Allegedly, they had been summoned by the original Native Americans that had lived the lands long before and were products of witchcraft. Nick would not argue monstrous birds-of-prey from those areas of the previous Territories, but he was skeptical of prey-borne mutants-of-the-deceased to ward away groups of incoming predators off of native lands.
Of course, if they were to come out and kill our collective ass here and now while simply plowing the road, it wouldn't make a difference, the Cynic muttered.
It was a pleasant sight to see that the moon was just beginning to peer through the far out trees as Nick made the final turn into the Hopps Farm driveway. The todd had refrained from shutting off the headlights until he was well within the warren's grounds. Once Nick had parked, the Furd was left running while he took up the paw-set to the radio.
"How are we looking, Robby?" Nick said softly.
"The main corridor is laced with double the normal amount of explosives." Robby came back over radio officially. "I hope you brought the necessary tools for the appropriate disarmament."
"And, the General?" Nick inquired, raising a brow.
"Captured and previously under interrogation. His condition is currently unknown. You have five-minutes before I initiate Operation Cyclone. Over and out!" Robby stated urgently.
After shutting off the vehicle and staying the power to the CB, Nick clambered out of the lifted Furd. In truth, it was not made to fight a fox by this particular design, but there were no complaints to be had with the vehicle's dedication to the task that he had asked of it.
"The warren is made up of a group of the most upstanding bucks that I've ever met in my lifetime. Here's to you, Robby." Nick muttered to himself, grinning at his own plans of repayment.
Once Nick had pocketed his phone, he checked his watch. If he was painfully slow crossing the yard, he could gather the last three-minutes in his favor. Maybe even another minute to dust himself off of the accumulation of snow that would occur in the process. With that thought, Nick gathered the groceries and made his way inside appropriately. Every light to the outside had been left on to show the awaiting of his return to the warren.
After he dusted and removed his jacket, Nick arranged removed and set the groceries before arranging the bouquet at the center of the main serving table. Stu was sitting in the corner of the room, sipping a drink, while looking no worse for the wear. The buck studiously ignored the todd: as was anticipated. Several does within the kitchen observed him with a keen eye and made no comment while all parties listened to the whoops and hollers from the dining hall. Nick plucked out two of the prettiest purple flowers from the arrangement, while ignoring their looks, before walking out to join the others in observance of the disruption.
Nick strode out into the entryway, taking Bonnie's side at the right, but still behind while looking up at the nearest ceiling fan. Judy was separated on her left side. Nick, most assuredly, was not stupid enough to position himself between the two at the moment. A young grandkit, Charlie Hopps II, was tied to one of the fan-blades shortly after the power had been disrupted and the fan began to slow. Nick adopted an air of contemplative intrigue while trying not to grin in the slightest, his paws clasped behind his back with the flowers in paw and his left brow raised in "utter surprise". After a mere moment, Bonnie noticed the new presence from the twitch of her own nose and looked back in surprise. Nick's brow was cocked up at the sight dutifully.
"I assume this is preliminary training for one of the space programs?" Nick asked, feigning awe and hopefulness in his voice.
The look that Bonnie adopted nearly made Nick balk, but the matriarch whipped her head back towards the dining area.
"Robby! Get him off that fan, right now!" She shouted.
While Bonnie had turned away, and while Judy was tennis'ing between the three points, Nick brought his paws around to the front and quickly separated the flowers that he wished to present. When they turned around, the two does were halfway to becoming bottle-rockets from their visual dismays. Nick held a flower out to Bonnie until she took it before offering Judy the other flower. With a confused consideration, Bonnie released a huff and hooked Nick by the crook of his arm to drag him back into the kitchen area before depositing him at the table where Stewart was sitting at. After the older doe had turned away, and in front of Judy – who had sat down next to him, Nick revealed the bottle of whiskey from his jacket that had been left on the back of the chair and slid it across to Stu in earnest. The buck shook his head with his own huff, grinning at the same time.
"How's the town looking, Nick?" Stu asked from behind his cup.
"Like a scattergun, embedded in the earth, with its barrel pointed up to the heaven's above." Nick said, giving his best musician's assessment of what he had seen. "It was calm out there."
Bonnie returned to the table as she rolled water bottles in her apron with one paw, trying to warm them up so that it would not shock the system, before taking a seat next to Stu. The buck had dutifully diverted his attention deeper into his cup to avoid his wife's ire. His wife was still grasping the flower in her paw. Fortunately for him, her entire attention – as was his daughter's – was on the todd. Once the bottle was offered to Nick, he politely accepted it.
"I ask that you hold nothing back, Bonnie." He mediated for Bonnie.
That brought Bonnie's paw down on the table with an angry thump. It didn't sound as menacing as others that Nick had heard, but the message was well received. She, then, pointed at the flower arrangement at the center of the table.
"You sly fox!" She belted out, drawing the kitchen to a standstill. Not exactly the beginning that Nick had hoped for. Bonnie's eyes were brimming with tears at the same time. "You are sweeter than any male, since Stu, that I have met! I need an explanation to why you would so blatantly risk your life, though!"
"Regarding my absence from the grounds last night." Nick clarified, feeling his ears fold back.
"Yes! You are under my care here at this warren! You explain to me why I shouldn't attempt to ensure that you won't leave the warren in such a reckless fashion again!" Bonnie requested urgently.
Judy sat by quietly, knowing better than to interject anything that she may have known into the conversation. Her mother was not playing around with this issue.
Nick pursed his lips with concern for a moment. "May I assume that bunnies… rabbits… mark their kits at some point: to emphasize who the parents are?" He inquired gently.
"Yes."
"Red foxes do the same…" Nick began, looking nervously at his paws. "It's a naturally ingrained requirement of us. Just as my parents marked me when I was a kit. On the other paw. That… procedure… is ingrained in the progeny when their parents die. We seek the most convenient place to may our immediate respects and commit to our prayers for their safe passage beyond this world. My requirement was that it would be a place of beauty for my mother. There's no deeper way to explain the need to do what I did."
Bonnie stood up sternly, forcing the bench backwards with her movements and nearly causing Stu to spill his drink in the process, before she walked around the table to stand next to Nick. Judy had been the most fearful of the four at the table, but it was a debate if she won the title for the whole kitchen. Several onlookers were bolted to the floor as they watched the conversation's turn. Nick was immediately blinded in one eye as Bonnie took him in for a tight hug, weeping over the top of his head.
"You scared your mother as much as you scared me, Nicholas. Don't you ever do that again. Do you understand me?" Bonnie choked out.
Despite her tight grasp on his neck, Nick nodded sincerely. "Should I assume that any more shenanigans will result in me being tied to the ceiling fan?" He sassed with a chuckle.
Nick felt several hard kicks under the table from Judy while Stu burst out laughing, certainly spilling his drink in the process. The todd returned the hug for a moment before letting Bonnie go. The doe quickly fussed over the fur on his head and muzzle while trying to blink her tears away.
"I don't know how I would haul you up a ladder, but I'd damn sure figure it out." Bonnie finally promised.
Nick smiled. "I have no doubt about it, Bonnie."
"Judy. You come help me with the chowder." Bonnie ordered.
"Of course, mom." Judy replied.
The does made their way into the kitchen so that Bonnie could sort things out with the crew. Stu leaned forward to wipe down the table, trying to stifle a smile while looking Nick over. The todd seemed alright from his trip.
"I hope the booze will offset the usage of the fuel, but if not, I'll leave you some money." Nick said, dragging his chair closer to the table so that he could sit up.
"Don't worry about that, Son. You practically brought a drum of whiskey back. And, the right flowers." Stu said, pointing at the vase.
"So… The proverbial doghouse then?" Nick chuckled.
Stu shot him a reproachful look. "That's not the phrase that I would have used, and that remains to be seen." The buck said. "On the other paw, you have another doe to eventually have to calm. Anyway, how'd the drive go?"
"It helped clear my head. Thank you." Nick replied sincerely.
"Of course." Stu said shortly, leaning in a little more. "Now, before you do anything else foolhardy, you are to come find me. We've all lost family here. I expect you to talk to me if it gets bad. Do you understand me?"
Nick nodded curtly to keep from addressing Stu in the frowned upon fashion. They both noticed Judy reapproaching with some plates and almost fell out laughing when a baby bunny nearly bowled her over with squealing laughter. Nick quickly dropped a paw and Marcy ran up his arm quickly, making no effort to be gentle on his fur as she crawled into the sleeve of his shirt to hide on his shoulder. Vera rounded the corner swiftly while looking around for her daughter and, upon seeing Nick, made a beeline straight for him. The little lump on his shoulder would not stay still or halt the giggling.
"I'm so sorry, Nick." Vera said urgently. "I told her that it wasn't a good time to play."
"It's fine, Vera. Marcy's fine right here. Does she need to be fed?" Nick reassured the mother, deflecting as he noticed the bottle in her paw.
"I went to grab her bottle and the little one bolted. Would you like to feed her?" Vera asked, offering it to the todd.
Nick took it politely before poking the squirming lump on his shoulder gently. The little doe gabbed at him in gibberish before poking her head out. "Come on, little one. I'll feed you, but you have to come out here and eat with everyone." Nick urged her out with his free paw.
Meanwhile, Judy had set down the bowls for everyone while watching Nick with the utmost intrigue. Vera took the seat next to her father while Bonnie sat on his opposite side when Judy took her seat next to Nick, observing how well Marcy behaved for him while laying back in his crooked arm. The todd brought the bottle up to her grabby paws and let the kit have at the bottle. He would eat once Marcy was settled back on his shoulder, no doubt.
"When do you two have to head back, Judy?" Bonnie asked offhandedly.
"We have a train to catch tomorrow night at eight." Judy replied sadly, wishing that they had had more time.
"Why not leave Sunday morning?" Her mother inquired.
"We need to rest up for work on Monday. The train ride is quite long as it is." The doe responded.
"Will you be able to finalize some of the affairs on Sunday, Nicholas?" Bonnie's attention turned to the fox.
"I will, yes." Nick replied, watching as Marcy finished her formula before allowing her to climb back on his shoulder. As soon as she was happy with playing with his fur, Nick began to feed himself.
Once dinner was over, Nick relinquished Marcy to Vera and said his goodnites. Despite having accomplished extraordinarily little for the day, he was pushing himself past the point of exhaustion. Judy ended up following him downstairs at a close pace, no doubt concerned about where the todd was going to begin with. Probably under orders not to allow him to slip off for any more random errands. Once they made it to the room, Judy quickly shut the door and locked it.
"Will you shower tonight?" She asked abruptly.
"In the morning. Tomorrow will be a day for lounging around, I think." Nick replied shortly.
The look on the doe's muzzle was clear enough. She was going to drop the other hindpaw as her paws fiddled with the flower that she still held, so he took a seat on Judy's bed. He very nearly dropped himself backwards to lay down, but the looming riot act kept him upright.
Judy looked down at the flower in her paws before sighing. "You shouldn't have gone out today, Nick. Mom almost threw dad out into a snowbank when she heard that he had helped you sneak out." She explained.
"The request for his help rests entirely on me." Nick said honestly.
"I hear some of my stupid brothers are referring to him as 'the General' now." Judy complained.
"That was not my doing." Nick chuckled, his words sharp.
"I know whose doing it was, Nick!" Judy snapped, slinging her shirt off angrily.
Nick diverted his line-of-sight, feeling the fur on his neck bristle as he naturally raised his chin to expose his neck. The mammal that he cared about was hurt and she was pissed because he had worried her nearly beyond words. When Judy turned back around, she strode up to the todd and grabbed him by the collar roughly.
"You look at me right now! You explain today to me!" She said urgently.
Nick swallowed a lump hard. "I needed to clear my head, Carrots." The simplest answer was all he had.
"What if something had happened to you, Nick!" Judy shouted, searching his face with her amethyst eyes.
That brought his muzzle up a little higher, as much as the doe would allow for. There was nothing that could be said that would satisfy Judy and that kept his muzzle welded shut. Judy released his shirt and took a seat on the bed next to Nick.
"You're staying here again." The doe said definitively.
"Alright."
This time, Nick felt every move that he made. Pulling off his shirt, he slipped out of his pants before returning to the bed. The sheets were drawn back swiftly, and he climbed in. Nick found Judy still sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out and grabbed her by the waist to drag her back against him, listening to the doe yelp at his attention. Nick wrapped her against his chest before curling up around her. A thrown back paw brought the covers over the two. He pressed his nose against behind one of her ears, watching them stand on end in front of his snout.
"I'm sorry that I worried you, Judy." Nick whispered. "I always take time like that and I couldn't take a walk."
Judy's ears fell to the front of her face as her body began to shake and curl in on herself. He heard her gasp, desperately grabbing at one of his paws as she began to cry in earnest.
"I'm so, so sorry, Nick!" Judy exclaimed. "I can't even imagine…"
The doe's cries and anguished keens hammered Nick in the chest as if he had been hit with a sledgehammer. He could hear her heartbeat racing faster and faster at the thought of his losing such a close family member as suddenly as he had. Nick closed his eyes before taking a breath to collect himself.
"Judy." He whispered. "Sweetheart. I need you to breathe for me."
Small, fuzzy paws kneaded his larger one as Judy's breathing hitched. He could feel each exhale against his black pads. There was no way that he would allow the poor female to have a panic attack. Nick squeezed his eyes closed tightly and pressed his lips against the back of her head. Once he was certain that he had Judy's attention, he continued speaking.
"I'm sorry that I didn't take the time to introduce the two of you. My mother would have adored you because you're such a kind doe. You let me bear that mistake."
Judy stilled in his grasp for a moment before the wiggling began and she turned around on him. The only sound in the room was the brushing of fur against the rustling of the sheets that they were under. Nick's heart damn near stopped when he felt Judy's paw brush against his jaw before she pressed her lips against his. Time, on the other paw, did stop as the two stayed that way for a couple of moments. It was not the way that he had hoped he would earn her first kiss, but he was not going to complain. Nick could feel Judy trembling even harder, if that was even possible. When Judy eased back, she had kept her eyes closed while under Nick's gaze.
"Don't you dare try to bear it alone, Nick. Not when I'm right here with you." She whispered back.
Nick waited for her to look up at him before trying to find his voice. "There are a couple of things that I have to take care of when we get back. Those things involve reporting to the skulk within the city." He explained, brushing her ears with a careful paw. "It all should be complete no later than midnight, Sunday evening, but I am not allowed to bring you."
"Why not?" Judy hissed.
"I have to meet the skulk, Carrots," Nick said, having trouble finding an explanation as he looked at the ceiling. "It's for Reds only… To put it into perspective, Finnick wouldn't even be allowed to just show up for a meeting. I don't even know more than a half a dozen mammals, who aren't red foxes, who had been allowed to meet with the Elders."
"And, you're not allowed to talk about it." Judy said sadly.
"No." Nick replied, though it was not the complete truth. There had been exceptions.
"So, what…? Does the skulk sit around in a basement or something?" Judy inquired.
Nick chuckled deeply. "I don't know. I've never been there before."
Amethyst eyes regarded Nick carefully before the doe gave off a weak smile and turned back around, scooting back up against the todd's body as politely as possible. As quickly as Judy had turned her anger on him, the doe had fallen asleep in his arms. She was as exhausted as Nick was and he was to blame for it.
Distraction came for just a moment. His innermost voices were silent in the din of the room. He replayed the kiss once in his mind before curling up around the doe tighter to fall asleep.