Chapter 03 - Raining Ice Cream
A pair of amethyst jewels slowly sank below the surface of the bright, green emerald pools. Letting the cool waters wash over them, they barely even struggled for air. They were breathlessly headed straight to the bottom where the crushing depths would hold their poor souls trapped for the rest of eternity.
The small, grey rabbit's gaze explored every millimeter of the red fox's muzzle, from his pointy, black nose all the way to the tips of his fuzzy ears. Her own muzzle glowed like a morning sunrise while she soaked in all of his features. She dreamily took one slow breath and stared deep into his eyes and noticed how they sparkled in the sunrise. Watching, she saw his nose crinkle when he breathed and one ear flicked occasionally while the fox stared back at the bunny.
Her tiny, pink nose twitched as she sipped at the small paper cup in her paws. It was a slender cup made from a thick, white paper designed to keep the scalding hot liquid from burning her soft paws. On one side of the cup, was a dark, green emblem that read Snarlbucks Coffee while on the other side, the name, "Judy," was scrawled in a steady paw.
Deep red colored the inside of her tall ears while she continued to check out the fox sitting across the table, sipping at his own cup of coffee. Her heart beat a firm and steady rhythm, pumping blood through her tiny body, brightening the bare skin inside her ears. Today's early morning run had been fully invigorating and having her boyfriend join her was the best part. Sipping at the rich, steamy liquid while gazing into her handsome fox's eyes, Judy had never felt happier.
The sun was only a thin line on the distant horizon and thick clouds dotted the sky, yet the early autumn air was still warm enough that Judy wore a fur-hugging outfit while jogging before dawn. She had on a tight fitting, pink top that barely covered her small breasts but revealed a flat and very firm belly. Her gray shorts hugged her round hips showing off the rabbit's well toned muscles and her soft, fluffy scutt. Today's outfit revealed so much of her bare fur it left the fox literally drooling into his own coffee.
She enjoyed the fox's reaction to her new workout clothes. Seeing his eyes go wide this morning when she stepped out of the closet brought butterflies to her stomach. Everytime he stumbled or tripped as they ran made her want to plant her lips all over his orange fur. She never thought of herself as an attractive doe and rarely went out of her way to look pretty, but things were different now that she had a boyfriend. It was quite endearing how he could not take his eyes off her tail and she wiggled it at him every chance she got.
Long and furry, rabbit paws swung back and forth from the edge of her tall chair while Judy giggled at her last thought, taking another sip from her cup. She was going to add this to her ever growing list of new and exciting ways to tease the fox. With a soft wink followed by a slow blink she saw his eyes widen and both ears twitched back and forth several times, like they were playing a private game of table tennis.
This morning his emerald eyes were wide open as he stared dreamily back at her. He had barely taken more than a single sip of his own cup as they watched each other from across the round, bar-height table. Lifting the paper cup in his paw, he would take a deep sigh, lower his eyelids and then place the cup back on the table without drinking from it. He was so lost in the rabbit's glowing features that he simply forgot about the coffee in his paws.
Unlike Judy's outfit, Nick wore a loose fitting, light-green t-shirt that kept trying to slip from his shoulders and a baggy pair of blue shorts. They certainly weren't the most stylish thing in the fox's wardrobe, but they were comfortable. That easy going comfort made the fox seem even more attractive in a male sort of way.
The fox was becoming quite muscular these days. Their daily workouts and visits to the gym had flattened his belly and gave him a much more toned look. His strength was also improving and the muscles on his arms were starting to show.
Judy's gaze slowly fell down his broad shoulders and across the well-formed bulges on his long arms. Her dreamy grin warmed while she adored his new physique. This physical attraction to another mammal was new to her and it brought with it a warmth inside her chest that seemed to radiate through her entire body. It made her ears tingle and her toes wouldn't stop wiggling.
She wanted to whoop with joy at the newly risen sun outside the coffee shop's large windows. In her waking dreams, she wanted to twirl her fox around in a field of wildflowers and shout her feelings to the whole world. Instead, she breathed in a deep sigh and went back to drowning in those beautiful, green eyes.
Today, could not get any better, she could not remember ever feeling happier in her life, until she lifted the coffee cup to her lips and discovered that it was now completely empty.
A frown crossed her muzzle and the sparkle in her eyes dimmed but the pink glow in her cheeks and red of her ears did not diminish. She looked into the bottom of the cup and shook it to swirl the thick, creamy mud that remind there. Closing her eyes she let out a long breath before setting her cup on top of the round table.
Slowly, she reached out and grabbed Nick's free paw. She folded her soft, fluffy, gray digits between his coarse, black ones and began to rub the flesh on his palm with the claw of her thumb. Her purple eyes met his green ones again and held them in a long embrace before she spoke, "Nick, we have been together for a while now."
"Mmhmm," the fox nodded. Freed from the rabbit's heavy stare, he managed to take a sip of his now cold coffee while mumbling.
Gently pulling on his paw, she caught his gaze again with another sensual blink, "Then why haven't we actually gone on any dates?"
Stunned, the fox blinked and leaned back in his tall chair, "What do you mean? We've gone on many dates." He let go of the tall cup and waved his paw across the small table and towards the city outside the window, "What about that nice dinner with just the two of us and that time at the carnival?" He pointed the index finger of his free paw in her direction, "And don't forget movie nights, don't those count as dates?"
"Do movie nights count as dates?" Judy looked up at the ceiling pretending to think about the question for a few seconds. Then, looking directly at him, she shook her head and declared flatly, "No. No they don't. That was all before I could do this."
Climbing on top of her chair, she stood on the tips of her toes and leaned far across the table. She pulled hard on the fox's paw causing him to lean forward and planted her soft, red lips onto the end of his long muzzle.
The passionate kiss lasted for several seconds, yet, despite the shop being very busy this early in the morning, no one else paid any attention to the mixed couple's blatant show of affection. Most of the other tables were empty except for a single, old goat sitting in a corner booth reading the newspaper. All the other patrons were standing in a long line that stretched out the front door waiting to be served or they stood by the counter waiting for their orders to be filled.
Pulling away from her fox, the scantily-clad rabbit gave a warm, satisfied chirp, "Movies and takeout in your apartment are definitely not dates, Sweetheart."
Leaning forward with his paws on the table, Nick's sly smirk returned, "The reason we haven't been able to go out for the last month, Fluff, is because neither of us have had a day off together this whole time. Plus, only a few take out shops are even open when we get home."
Judy sat back down in her chair and let her hind paws swing in the air again while she lifted her cup to take another sip. As her lips touched the paper rim she remembered that it was empty and sighed, "I know." She set the cup down and squeezed her boyfriend's paw in comfort, "We only have this day off because you still smell like skunk and Bogo nearly threw you out of his office."
Taking another sip of his coffee, he winced at the bitter, cold broth, "So, you really want to go on a date with a mammal like me?"
"Of course I do, Dumb Fox," her ears fell and she rolled her eyes. Since his shoulder was out of reach across the table she gave his paw a quick punch instead.
Playfully aloof, he smirked back at his rabbit, "So, then, what kind of date would you like to go on, Carrots?"
With one paw on her chin, she leaned back in the high chair and looked around the coffee shop aimlessly. She waved one paw in the air in a very fox-like flourish, "You see, there is this certain sly fox who promised to show me around the city. He even promised to show me all the sights, from the highest towers to the lowest beaches."
"All the sights, you say?"
"Yes, Nick," she grabbed his paw in both of hers and roughly pulled it towards her while digging her shiny black claws into his skin. "All of the sights!"
Flinching slightly at the pain in his paw, Nick's smirk slowly warmed, "Then I know right where to start."
Judy's ears stood up and her nose began to twitch curiously, "And where might that be?"
"Why the best place to get tacos in the middle of the city of course." He threw both paws into the air like he had just discovered all the answers to the universe, "Tuesday's."
Tugging at her skimpy, little, pink top, she asked shyly, "Do I need to get dressed up then?"
"Naw, casual clothes should be fine. Tuesday's isn't that fancy."
"A taco truck!" the small rabbit bellowed. "You brought me to a taco truck, on a date?"
Judy had changed into a more comfortable shirt after they left the coffee shop. It was a warm, autumn brown that had the silhouette of a carrot sprig on the back. She also wore a pair of dark-purple pants that accentuated the curves of her broad hips while still letting her tail move freely.
The fox had also shed his loose, workout clothes for one of those green, flowery shirts that he always wore. How many of those things did he own? Since she was living in his apartment now, Judy already knew the answer to that question. Yet it still shocked her how much of a one outfit mammal Nick really was.
Nick slowly walked across the tall, bright green grass of the Savanna Central Park towards a lime-green truck that had a small crowd of mammals standing around it. On the side of the old truck the word "Tuesday's" was painted in a curly script next to the stenciled image of a young coues doe. The doe was wearing a large, sombrero and held a string of chilis in her hoof.
The sun had not quite reached its zenith above the city, yet there was already a healthy line outside the truck. Nick stepped up to the end of the line and motioned for Judy to join him, "Don't be too hasty, Carrots. It may not look like much, but they really do have some of the best food in the city."
Judy fell into line beside her fox and took a closer look at the truck. All of the mammals standing in line seemed to be eagerly waiting for their meals. Those that she saw walking away all seemed quite satisfied while happily munching on their own tacos.
Sniffing the air, she could smell the spicy aromas that came from the truck's portable kitchen and she could not help but begin to drool. Her stomach rumbled and she could not wait to find out why Nick had brought her here.
Taking a long walk through the park, paw in paw with her boyfriend was something Judy had wanted to do since she had first heard about dating from her older siblings. Dating was something she had given up on almost as soon as it became fascinating to her. Most bucks scoffed at her dreams of becoming a police officer and didn't want anything to do with a tough, crazy doe that was always going out of her way to save the world.
There had been one young ram who thought she was awesome, but it was more of a superhero sort of way but certainly not as dating material. She never saw him again after entering high school and the memory was soon forgotten.
After the incident with Jenny and Alex, she had resigned herself to being a loner and focused solely on her career. Falling in love and dating were simply beyond her reach. That is what she had always believed until she met a certain fox over a year ago. When he graduated from the police academy and became her partner, she did not dare to even consider that he might have feelings for her, so she kept her own feelings deeply hidden... even from herself.
Now, here she was, standing in the cool grass of the largest park in Zootopia, paw in paw with her boyfriend. That word sent tingles up her ears and she squeezed his paw in both of hers. This fox was now her boyfriend and they were actually going on a date. "My boyfriend," she wanted to hop for joy and scream that word for all the world to hear.
"What did you say, Fluff?" Nick asked while he took a step forward as the line moved.
Her besotted smile only grew brighter while she gazed up at her fox and hopped from one paw to the other, like a small child. Between one paw and the next, she leapt into the air and planted a soft peck on his cheek. "Nothing," she replied shyly.
Several of the mammals that were still waiting in line watched the smitten rabbit in disgust, but neither Judy nor Nick saw the angry glares or heard the hushed insults.
When they finally stepped up to the serving counter that was sticking out from the side of the green truck, Nick barely looked at the menu board and greeted the cook, "Hello Tuesday."
The southern deer behind the counter looked almost nothing like the young thing drawn on the side of the truck. She had aged a great deal since the sketch was made and had obviously put on a lot of weight in the intervening years. Her charming smile was also nowhere to be found as she leaned over to gruffly address the fox, "What can I get you?"
Holding up his index finger, Nick placed the order confidently, "I will have three of the Baja Tacos with extra cheese and for my girlfriend the Repollo y Zanahorias."
Judy had to let go of Nick's paw and cover her muzzle before a joyous squeal escaped her lips. Had she heard that correctly, he had just called her his girlfriend and in front of a crowd of strange mammals. Her heart fluttered and her nose twitched faster than a racing cheetah. If her Dumb Fox was going to keep surprising her like that, she was going to have to lie down for a minute and catch her breath.
Once their mid-day meals were ready, Nick led her to the foot of a large tree where they could sit together in the cool grass and enjoy their food. On Judy's plate were three tiny, round tortillas, each one was covered with a small pile of vegetables. She could make out roasted carrots along with a healthy dose of shredded cabbage and tiny bits of spinach and purple kale all mixed together. Drizzled across the top of each pile, was a thick red sauce that smelled delicious.
She wasn't entirely sure what to do with the small rounds, but Nick quickly lifted his own and folded the tortilla in half before biting into one end. The red juices dribbled down his cheek and she rolled her eyes. "He is such a messy eater," she thought while lifting her own open faced taco.
The blend of flavors exploded inside her mouth like a midsummer fireworks display. Cool, crisp cabbage was set off by the sweet, roasted carrots while the bitter kale bound it all together and brought the flavors back down to earth. To top it off, the red sauce added a tingling warmth and a unique, peppery flavor that she couldn't quite identify. She was surprised that these simple ingredients could bring out such exquisite sensations.
Ravenously, she devoured the three tiny tacos before she slowly began to realize that something was wrong. The heat from the sauce continued to grow with each and every bite. At first it only tingled her tongue, but it quickly began to make her nose itch. She even sneezed once as she bit into the second taco with gusto.
Not until she began licking the delicious juices from her fluffy fingers, did she realize that the heat was still getting stronger. Within moments her mouth was on fire and she began panting furiously. Panicking, she waved both of her paws in front of her muzzle in a feeble attempt to abate the flames. Later, while regaling the story to her grandkits, she would have sworn that smoke had been rolling from her mouth and nostrils.
"Nick!" she cried while furiously fanning her muzzle.
Lifting his eyes from his own plate, he grabbed a bottle of water and cracked the seal before tossing it to the rabbit in distress, "Oh, Carrots. I should have warned you about the habanero sauce."
"Yeah," Judy glared at him while chugging on the bottle. "You should have," she berated as she took a deep breath before downing more of the water.
"It's got such a great flavor," Nick explained while his date continued to drown herself, "but the slow burn can really sneak up on you if you're not careful."
With the bottle of water quickly emptied, Judy gasped and exclaimed, "It's not helping, Nick."
"Ok, Sweetheart," he said, standing up from his narrow, shaded spot under the tree. "I had wanted to save dessert for later but now seems like as good a time as any."
"Dessert?" She asked anxiously, "Where?"
Pointing across the wide expanse of grass Nick explained, "Do you see that push cart with the brightly colored parasol?"
Between a small herd of wildebeest, she could make out a colorful cart that looked like a chest freezer with brightly painted, wooden wheels. She nodded to the fox as she gasped for air with her tiny tongue hanging out.
"They sell ice cream. That should help reduce the fire in your mouth."
As soon as the words "ice cream" left the fox's lips she grabbed his paw and hauled him in the direction of the distant cart. She half hopped and half ran across the grassy field with Nick scrambling behind.
Holding his paw tightly in hers, she would not let him go. No matter how she wanted the fire to end, she was not about to lose her fox in the crowd of mammals that casually strolled around the park while she ran past and between them.
She dodged past a family of caracals who had a blanket set out for a picnic lunch. Past the family, she raced between a small group of antelope who were tossing a frisbee back and forth. She had to duck in order to miss the low-flying disk as it sailed directly in front of her. Two of the ungulates yelled at the couple as they raced past.
No line waited at the ice cream vendor's cart, but Judy still hopped anxiously while Nick placed their order.
The cart was little more than a large white box with a rich yellow and orange trim. An older okapi stood watching the couple rush up to his three-wheeled stand and immediately understood the situation when the bunny didn't stop panting. Sitting on top of the cart, was a stack of paper bowls and a napkin dispenser. Shading the cart from the harsh sun, was a large, multi-colored parasol that reminded Judy of a circus tent.
Once Nick pawed over the money to the vendor, he passed Judy a small, pink bowl that was filled with three scoops of thick orange-brown ice cream. White stripes swirled through the cold treat, along with small, dried raisins and cranberries. Nick's own bowl was filled with a single, large scoop of blue cream that was topped with tiny, colorful sprinkles.
As soon as the bowl reached her paws, Judy began shoveling spoonfuls of the carrot cake flavored treat into her muzzle. It only took a few seconds before the first scoop of ice cream disappeared and the rabbit began to smile warmly. "Mmmm. This is really good," she hummed, squishing the sweet frozen cream around inside her mouth. Pushing it around with her tiny tongue, she tried to quench the fire that still burned in every corner.
"Always the best for my date," the fox affirmed while he slowly enjoyed his own bowl of blue raspberry. "Is the ice cream helping?"
"Oh, yes, thank you," she mumbled while cautiously sucking on the next spoonful. Half the bowl was already gone and she wanted to take some time to enjoy what remained.
Thanking the old vendor, the couple casually strolled back across the grass in the direction that they had come. The sun had reached the point in the sky where it was directly overhead but thick, gray clouds blocked its light casting the park in muted shadows. Many mammals were in the park today on their brief lunch breaks or enjoying the cooler breezes after the long, sweltering summer. Even though the park was quite busy, the ice cream vendor had few customers this time of day.
Licking at his small, plastic spoon, Nick looked up at the dark clouds as they slowly crept across the sky. "It looks like we could have rain later, Carrots," he commented as he quickly pulled the spoon out of his muzzle with a swift flick.
"Hmmm," the rabbit mumbled with her mouth still full of the sweet, frozen treat. She swallowed and took a breath before replying again, "Naw. I don't really think so. Besides, Zoogle didn't show any precipitation on their app for at least the rest of the week." Taking another scoop of her ice cream she quickly skipped forward getting slightly ahead of the fox.
"Oh, I am certain that we could have rain any minute now," the fox added with a smirk that the rabbit never saw.
"And what makes you think that?" Judys words were cut off as something landed on her head with a sloppy, wet plop. The sweet, tangy scent of raspberries filled her nostrils and a drop of blue ran down her forehead and across her nose.
"Nick!" Judy wailed in anger. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," the fox uttered aghast. "It wasn't me."
Rage filled her muzzle as she turned on the fox and waved her spoon furiously, "Don't give me that line Mr. Wilde. I know it was you."
Sucking on the spoon, Nick spoke out of the corner of his mouth, "It was an accident. I swear."
"I don't believe that for one second!" Judy stomped closer to the fox, causing him to back up a step. "It breaks my heart to hear you lie to me, Nick." Her tone softened and her ears dropped as she spoke the last part.
The sadness in his rabbit's eyes caused his playful smirk to shatter like a broken teapot, "I am sorry, Judy."
"Clean it up," she demanded while pointing her spoon to the blob of blue ice cream on her head.
"Ok," he said with a nod. Gently grasping the side of her head with his paws, he leaned down towards her.
"N-Nick," the rabbit said with a stutter. "W-What are you doing?"
"Hold still, Carrots." Pulling her close to him, he puckered his lips and gave the top of her head a very sloppy kiss. After several seconds, he licked up the last few drops of ice cream that had pooled around her ears and ran down her nose. When he had finished, the fur on top of her head was matted and very damp.
Her nose tingled as his long, rough tongue ran over her muzzle to lick up the sticky drops. She closed her eyes and raised up on her toes as she tried to press her lips to his, but his tongue got in the way instead. Kissing his tongue, she let out a warm giggle, like the chiming of a bell and pulled back before trying to kiss him again.
Before she could continue with her affections, a rude voice interrupted them, "Hey fox. What are you doing to that rabbit?"
Judy barely had time to look around before she was forcefully pulled away from Nick by a tall antelope. A second buck shoved her fox to the ground and held him down with a sharp hoof.
"Nick," she cried trying to reach for him, but a strong hoof continued to pull her away painfully.
The other antelope continued to press Nick into the dry grass with his hoof while he spoke, "We don't take kindly to scumbags like you messing with our kind."
"Did he hurt you ma'am?" the large buck asked her as he pulled on her much smaller arm.
"You are hurting me," she said calmly but the taller mammal didn't seem to hear.
Once the buck had pulled her several meters away from Nick, he squatted down to look at her. This was the first chance she had to get a good look at her assailant. He was quite muscular and wore a black tank top shirt with a pair of bright, yellow gym shorts. In his other hoof, was a red frisbee. A sad expression filled his muzzle as he spoke, "You're safe now. That filthy fox can't hurt you anymore."
Judy struggled to pull away from him, but his firm grip pinched her arm even tighter, "Let me go, you're hurting me."
Nick scrambled to stand while the other mammal's hoof dug into his back. Before he could roll to the side and free himself, the buck pushed his head down into the dirt, "Don't even think of moving fox."
"Stop!" Judy cried, "What do you think you're doing?"
Looking into Judy's eyes, the buck that held her declared flatly, "We're not going to sit by and let this pred spoil a rabbit in our own park. The two of you are just too disgusting to watch, so were going to teach him to keep his filthy paws to himself."
A small crowd of mammals had started to form around them wanting to get a closer look at the scene. Judy could hear several of them cursing the disgusting fox and a few of them even mentioned the slutty rabbit.
The rabbit's eyes turned cold and her ears fell flat against the back of her head, "I told you to let me go!" She placed her free paw across the hoof that held onto her arm and squeezed his thumb.
In the blink of an eye, Judy squatted down until her tail touched the grass and then thrust with both powerful legs, launching herself into the air above the muscular antelope. Holding the hoof close to the center of her body she flipped over his shoulder to land on his back. The force of her impact threw him to the ground with a loud, "Oof."
With her assailant's hoof in paw, she twisted it behind his back until he screamed painfully, "Ok, I yield!"
Fury filled the rabbit as the blazing sun returned from behind the thick gray clouds. Despite the antelope's yelps and plees, she continued to twist his arm angrily, "I am not going to stop until your buddy releases my boyfriend and you both apologize to him."
"What is going on here?" a deep, gruff voice demanded.
A large, male rhinoceros stepped through the crowd who parted easily before the giant mammal. He wore a dark blue, ZPD uniform and kept his hooves on his hips while he surveyed the scene. "Oh, it's you two," McHorn declared when he spotted the fox and the rabbit.
"Nice to see you too, McHorn," Nick chidded with his muzzle full of months-old grass.
"What is going on?" the rhino repeated his question.
"Not much, Officer McHorn," Judy called over her shoulder. She could not see the large police officer since he was currently standing behind her position. Twisting the buck's arm again, she continued speaking, "These gentlemammals were just leaving, weren't you boys?"
"Yes," the prone antelope squeaked in pain.
"Fine then. Be on your way." McHorn waved a hoof away from the crowd. "And stop harassing mammals in the park."
Freed from the furious rabbit's grasp, the strong buck stood and wiped the grass from his muscle shirt, "We were just coming to the aid of a rabbit in distress."
The giant officer glared down his horn at the smaller mammal, "I said go, before I decide to press charges."
Holding up his hooves, the buck shook his head and turned away, "Come on Rob. Let's leave these depraved inters in their own manure."
Rob pushed Nick's head into the grass a final time before he stepped away from the fox, "Don't think we will forget this, prey-chaser!" He took a step back like he was about to give Nick a hard kick, but stopped when he remembered the rhino was still watching him.
"Are you two ok?" Officer McHorn asked as he watched the fox and rabbit climb back to their feet."
"Yes, were ok." Nick said with a paw rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks for the assist buddy."
Gruffly, the rhino glared down at the small fox, "I'm not your buddy, Wilde, but officers do need to stand up for each other, even out of the uniform." He looked back and forth between the two small mammals as they gave each other a quick hug, "Now are you sure you don't want to press any charges against those two hooligans?"
Holding back her anger, Judy shook her head, "Naw, we're fine. I think those two learned not to underestimate smaller mammals again."
"Good," the rhino nodded, "Because I don't need to fill out any more paperwork than I have to today." With a huff he turned away with a wave of his giant hoof, "Enjoy the rest of your day off then."
"Thanks, Big Guy," Nick said with a smirk.
"Will see you back in the Bullpen tomorrow," Judy added. She bent down into the grass as the crowd dispersed, "It looks like our ice cream is ruined now." Collecting both bowls and spoons she walked away and deposited them in a nearby trash can.
Once their desserts had been properly disposed of, she began to wander through the park aimlessly while clenching and unclenching her fists. The fox followed close behind, but kept a respectable distance. He knew that Judy needed to work through her own emotions for a bit before it was safe to interrupt her.
When he finally caught up to her, she was standing on the edge of the mammal made lake in the middle of the park. Tiny, toy boats could be seen sailing across the still waters and small kits splashed near the shore. She stared out across the lake without seeing either of them, her small fists were closed into tight balls.
Nick stepped up beside his bunny and watched the mid-day activity around the park for several minutes before he opened his jaws to speak, but the rabbit spoke first.
"Speciest jerks," the rabbit uttered spitefully, relaxing her paws.
Lifting his head, Nick watched the clouds pass over the city. "How do you ask a camel for tea?" he asked thoughtfully.
"W-What?" Judy asked looking at the fox with a stutter before she realized that he was trying to lighten the mood. Shaking her head, she returned to stare angrily across the lake, "Not now, Slick."
"One hump or two?" Nick answered, unphased by the rabbit's frustration.
"I said not now, Nick," she growled, clenching her fists again. Turning away from the lake, her gaze circled the park. She watched the various mammals coming and going, enjoying the sunshine. Her eyes fell on the couples strolling paw in paw through the warm grass, or the families and their picnic lunches. Narrowing her eyes, she ground her teeth together and one hind paw slammed into the cement that lined the mammal made lake.
"It's too hot here," she said with a lump in her throat. "Can we go somewhere to cool off?"
Snow drifts lined both sides of the narrow, Tundratown street and a fresh layer of newly fallen flakes covered everything in between. A single set of tire tracks ran down the center of the street since the lane markers had recently been obscured. The hoods of several smaller vehicles could be seen poking through some of the newer drifts.
Tiny tracks drew a winding trail through the pure white snow on the sidewalk. They scurried up one drift then down the other side and even circled a lamp post twice before they zipped back and forth across the icy path. The small mammal who had recently left those tracks seemed to have no purpose or destination in their frantic wandering. It felt like they were happily exploring a new world that had only recently been discovered.
The rabbit who trudged along the same sidewalk did not share in those same feelings of joy or excitement as she crushed the tiny tracks under her large, fluffy paws. Angrily, she kicked at a small, white lump sticking out of a drift to find that it was not quite as soft and fluffy as she had first guessed. While rubbing her stubbed toe, she slipped into a divot that had been made by a much larger mammal.
Pulling herself out of the rabbit sized hoofprint, Judy brushed the snow off her tail and stuffed her paws back into her thick, orange jacket. She scowled back at the fox who simply stood by with the charming smirk that he always wore. With the navy blue, wool muffler wrapped around her neck and muzzle she was sure that he could not see the snarl on her lips, but her eyes spoke volumes.
"Isn't the gentlefox going to help a lady in distress?" she asked coyly, but the strong hint of anger and frustration covered her words thickly.
Holding out his elbow to the well bundled rabbit, Nick replied, "I thought you wanted to cool off?"
Judy kept her paws inside her coat and shrugged, "I did." She returned to walking down the side of the snow covered street, expecting that the fox would follow. Shaking her head, she stammered out a correction, "I-I mean, I do." Kicking another clump of snow, she loosed some of her frustration into its cold, wet crystals, "I am still just so mad at those two jerks!"
"Who do they think they are?" She stomped on another set of tracks where a tiny mouse had inspected a toy bucket left out in the snow. "Should just fine the lot of them for harassment."
"It's best to not let it get to you, Carrots." His head was down with his paws in the folds of his dark jacket and his smirk was completely gone. "It's not uncommon for mammals to think I was harassing you."
With both her paws wrapped around his elbow, they stepped onto a narrow, ice-covered stone bridge that spanned a tiny, frozen stream, "They didn't do it because of you. They did it because of us." She pulled on his arm to emphasise their personal bond.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean he called me a disgusting inter to my face." Letting go of his arm, she gave it a soft shove. She turned away from him and walked to the edge of the bridge where she placed her paws onto the snow-covered railing.
"I never heard anyone say that about us," he said carefully strolling up behind her.
"Nick," a thick cloud of steam escaped her muzzle as she sighed, "Half the park was talking about us." The rabbit's voice trailed off as her eyes opened and she took in the sight in front of her.
Roughly half a block upstream from the bridge, where the stream began to widen, was a small waterfall. What was unique about this waterfall was that it was made entirely of ice as if each drop had been frozen in time. Hundreds of sharp icicles formed together to create the amazing sculpture. One large column in the center, seemed to be holding up the entire crystalline structure.
A few meters back from the first ice fall was a second, slightly larger one. This second sculpture was a sheer wall of ice that had formed into a crescent moon shape. Behind the second was a third with an icy stair step look to its flow.
Judy's gaze followed the ice falls up the side of the snow-covered hills and she soon realized that the falls extended much further back than she had first realized. As the falls stretched back into the mountains, they grew larger and larger until she could see a huge, glittering icewall in the distance.
Not only were the blue and white ice sculptures amazing to behold she could also hear them. Her large ears slowly raised and turned from side to side while her nose twitched curiously. To the rabbit's sensitive ears she could hear the sound of a thousand tiny, little bells chiming like a symphony orchestra tuning up before a big concert.
The surrounding snow-covered buildings seemed to funnel the sound directly to that one spot on the bridge where the rabbit stood. The longer she stood and listened, the more sounds she could hear, until it felt like the entire mountain was singing to her.
In that moment, all of her fears and concerns were washed away. The sky cleared for a brief instant and the sunlight made the crystal falls glow like a thousand silver ribbons spread across the landscape. Judy could only gape up at the glorious sight and stand awestruck by the sound of the giant wind chimes. Slowly, she felt her anger and frustration pulled away by the soft, wintery breeze.
Suddenly a voice whispered directly into her tall, fuzzy ear waking her from the calming reverie, "It's called Glacier Falls." She could feel his warm breath inside her ears and shuddered at the closeness.
"Really," Judy clapped her paws together in excitement. "Is that a restaurant? Can we go up there?" She pointed to what looked like a log cabin perched near the edge of the highest of the falls.
"Glacier Falls Pub?" Nick shook his head while glancing up the side of the mountain. "Not today, Sweetheart."
The rabbit was making several deep divots in the snow as she hopped excitedly, "Aww, but why not? It looks so cozy sitting up there all alone in the snow."
"Because it would take us all day to climb up there from here," he said matter of factly.
"Come on," Judy chided. "It doesn't really look all that far. Two miles at most."
"Trust me, Carrots. Those are some of the roughest, most dangerous two miles in this city," he explained with a tilt of his head. "You can't just sprint up those cliffs. It's all ice and snow. One misstep and you will find yourself back at the bottom with more bruises and broken bones than is necessarily healthy. No, it's best to make it into a day trip, if you want to hike up those cliffs."
Judy turned around and placed her paws back on the snowy railing again. She took a deep breath in the frozen air and held it for a long time, like she was trying to hold onto the image of these Glacier Falls for the rest of her wind had stopped but she could still make out a tiny tinkle in the distance. Closing her eyes she let out her breath, straining to hear nature's music.
Minutes passed while she listened to the chimes and her fox eventually wrapped his paws around her in a warm, comfortable hug. In the silence that followed, she could hear the steady beating of his heart and his soft breathing.
He opened his jaws to speak, "I." But she quickly grabbed them and held his mouth shut with both of her paws. They remained cuddled together on that cold bridge for some time as the sun began to fall through the afternoon sky. The feel of him simply holding her, brought warmth and comfort to the half frozen rabbit.
A loud, diesel truck rumbled by, kicking up snow and slush as it went, interrupting their quiet moment. With the silence broken and the cozy feeling gone, she gave Nick's arms a tight squeeze before climbing out of his embrace. Once free of the fox's long arms, she returned to strolling down the sidewalk. Watching his sad bun escape, Nick quickly caught up to her.
Matching her stride, he continued beside her along the street for several blocks without speaking. It wasn't unusual for them to spend hours together in silence. They would often spend quiet evenings curled up together on his couch after a long day's work. She liked to sit in his lap with one of her favorite bunny novels, the kind with the buff, shirtless buck and the innocent farmer doe on the cover. While checking up on the latest world news from his phone, he would wrap a paw around her waist, or run his claws through her ears while she read. As long as he was within paws reach, Judy could be quite content without saying anything at all.
She was definitely an outgoing bunny, who could spend hours on the phone with her family or texting hundreds of bunnies all at the same time, but she also knew how to slow down and just enjoy his company. Long days, and sleepless nights could really add up when they were on a tough case, and their last case had seemed to drag on all summer.
A few more blocks passed as the couple trudged through the snow and Nick was beginning to worry that Judy's dark mood had returned. He looked down at her as they passed under a street sign that read "Snowball Dr." and she looked up at him with a warm smile. An odd look crossed her muzzle but he ignored it and continued walking.
Taking several steps into the crosswalk he looked down at his rabbit, but she was not there by his side. He turned completely around expecting to see her still standing on the edge of the sidewalk, but she was nowhere to be found. All that remained was the large prints in the fresh snow under the street sign where she had been standing moments before.
Nick turned around in the intersection several times, scanning each of the crossing streets with his eyes and there was still no sign of his girlfriend. It was like she had suddenly disappeared.
"Judy," he called out, lifting his muzzle like a wolf's howl. When there was no response he began to sniff around the sidewalk with his long nose.
Oddly her scent seemed to be everywhere. It filled the air around him and went off in every direction.
A soft giggle pierced the frigid, arctic air, seconds before a wet splat hit him on the back of the head.
Swiftly, the fox spun around, rubbing the icy flakes from his fur as another giggle greeted him. This one seemed to be coming from behind a low pile of snow along the side of the road. A pair of plush, grey, rabbit ears seemed to have magically sprouted from the snowdrift like spring's first flowers. Turning towards the excitedly twitching ears, he crouched down and began to quietly sneak up on them.
Nick had only taken one cautious step before the ears suddenly disappeared. A heartbeat later Judy yelled, "Duck!" At the same instant another snowball struck him on the side of his muzzle with a slushy, wet splat.
"Don't look now, but you're surrounded, Slick," Judy suddenly leapt over the snow pile and began throwing pawfulls of snow and ice at Nick as she went. Voracious laughter filled the air as a rain of icy projectiles fell towards the fox.
Seeing the hasty assault, he quickly raised his arm to cover his muzzle. All of the snowballs splattered across his torso and harmlessly slid off his thick, winter jacket. As he lowered his arm again, he spotted Judy duck behind a deeply buried car, "You better take cover rabbit! This fox is about to charge your flanks."
Racing, Nick dodged around the car where his bunny had been moments before. A pair of snowballs in paw, he prepared to throw them at the first sight of her puffy, gray tail. Sneaking around the far side of the car, Nick failed to see a large clump of snow slowly slide off the roof.
A tiny avalanche crashed down on top of the fox, covering him from head to toe in frozen, white flakes. With his hind paws buried in the newly created snowdrift, he shook the snow from his fur and tail. His lips curled back in a snarl as he looked up at the rabbit fleeing across the roof of the car in a chorus of giggles.
"Get back here, Fluffbutt," he called, reaching for her quickly escaping tail.
"You have to catch me first, Slick," she challenged while jumping across the street and diving into another snowdrift. A shower of white flew behind her as she quickly dug into the mound of fresh powder.
When Nick finally arrived, there was a rabbit sized hole in the side of the pile that was filled with Judy's scent. Using his much larger paws, he began to clear the snow with broad sweeps of his arms.
He stuck his nose down the widening hole to follow the rabbit when she suddenly popped out from the top and doused his back in a second barrage of cold, white projectiles. As the rabbit's snowy assault continued, he leapt up and grabbed her with both paws.
Caught, both the rabbit and her fox tumbled down the side of the large snow drift and into the street below. Both mammals were giggling uproariously as they rolled through the snow.
Before the couple could come to a stop at the bottom, Judy grabbed two pawfulls of snow and clocked them over Nick's head. The cold attack did not phase the fox as he held his bunny close and planted a wet kiss on her lips.
Held firmly against the fox's muzzle, Judy grabbed another pawfull of snow and broke it onto the fox like cracking a fresh egg in the morning. She grabbed another clump of the dangerous white ammunition, but slowly fell from her paws and harmlessly into the street as the fox's warm lips continued to press against the struggling bunny.
An entire minute passed before Judy gave up the struggle and wrapped her arms around the fox. She pulled him closer into the kiss and a warm hum started to build in the back of her throat. Her toes began to wiggle as she eventually wrapped her legs around him in a full bunny hug.
Pulling back from her boyfriend with a wet smack, she stared lovingly into his eyes. Opening her muzzle she took a deep breath and began to speak, but was suddenly silenced when a large ball of snow crashed into her head, directly between her ears.
Shaking the snow out of her ears, she kissed the end of his nose, "Thank you. I think I kind of needed that."
Shivering, Nick stood up and declared, "I'm getting rather cold, maybe we should head back."
"Yeah, I'm getting a bit hungry too," she agreed as the fox helped her stand.
"Well there aren't any prey diners in these parts sweetheart." Holding her paw, he led her out of the middle of the street. "Not many plants grow in Tundratown so there are hardly any prey here."
"What about the snowshoes?" she asked hopping up onto the snow-covered sidewalk.
Puzzled, he looked at her, "I don't think the snow is that deep. We shouldn't need any special shoes to get through it."
A small gray paw slammed into the fox's shoulder, "I mean the snowshoe hares. What do they eat if this district is always covered in snow?"
Nick rubbed the end of his chin thoughtfully, "You know, I never really thought of that, Carrots."
Back on the other side of the climate wall, Nick found a quaint, little dive that doubled as an ethnic food mart. The owner, a plump, gray mongoose, spoke in very broken Zootopian so the couple found that it was easier to simply point at the items they wanted instead of trying to say the names.
It was a charming little shop tucked out of the way, near the edge between the more built up, Savanna Central and the bone-dry sands of the Sahara. A dry river bed ran by in front of the place and the road literally ran down the middle where water had once flowed millennia ago.
Judy admired the furnishings while they waited for their food. It reminded her a great deal of the lobby in the Mystic Springs Oasis. They had a similar wall of beads instead of a door and many oil lamps lit the shadowy corners. In one well-lit alcove, was a bronze statue of a seven-armed elephant that held a burning stick of incense in her trunk.
The curry that Judy ordered was spicy but not nearly as hot as the tacos they had for lunch. It was a mix of rice, chilis and some kind of pickled vegetables that she could not identify. Nodding her head in thanks to the server, she dug into the meal with gusto.
After dinner, the sun started to sink towards the horizon and they decided to take a quiet stroll around the block. Nick comfortably held her paw and his legs seemed to know the way as he dodged every crack and broken bit of the sidewalk.
Passing a tall, chain-link fence, Nick turned and entered where the gate had fallen away many years ago. He led his rabbit down a side alley that ran between two tall apartment buildings. She noticed that his gaze fell on one of the higher windows for a long time as they passed.
Placing a soft paw on his arm, she turned to ask him about it but decided to not break the silence. They passed the building quietly while simply enjoying the moment as the warm sun sank further below the clouds.
Around a corner, Judy spotted a fenced-in area between more shabby, brick apartments. Inside the fence, the ground was covered in rough, sandy pebbles that held hundreds of small and medium pawprints. Many pipes and bars were sticking up though the sand to form curious shapes, but she immediately recognized them.
Nick guided Judy into the old playground that had not been well maintained since the Projects were first built. She spotted a well-worn set of monkey bars, a spiral slide and even a pair of teeter-totters.
Clapping her paws together, she happily skipped through the sand like a child on her first day of school, "This is amazing, Nick. Why did you bring me here?" Before he could reply she pointed off to the far edge of the sandy playgrounds, "Oh, my. Would you look at that?"
Looking up at where the rabbit was pointing, the fox saw a curved and broken lamp post. It was broken in such a way that it leaned far over to the side making a half 'Y' shape. At the top, near where the lamp once hung, were tied two thick ropes. The ropes hung down until they nearly touched the loose sand. At the bottom of the ropes, a stiff, wooden plank was tied firmly between them.
"Oh, strawberries," Judy cried with her paws on her cheeks. "It's a rope swing! I haven't ridden one of these since I was a kit."
"Me either, Carrots," the fox said with a sad smile. "I can't believe this is still here." He flipped over the plank and found a faded set of initials, "XB" carved into the underside. "Yep, it's the same one all right."
"The same what?" the gray rabbit asked, but Nick placed his paws on her hips and lifted her into the air. She swung her feet up and over the plank as he placed her into the seat.
"When I was small," his voice was distant, like recalling a memory from long ago. "My mother used to push me on this very swing."
"Tell me about her," Judy asked, lifting her muzzle to look up at the fox standing directly behind her.
Instead of responding he gave the rabbit's rump a hard push causing her to swing forward with a loud creak. She sailed forward for about half a meter before swiftly swinging back into Nick's waiting paws.
He pushed her again and she sailed further forward before falling back. Stepping back, he gave her a hard push before setting up a smooth rhythm of pushes that kept her swinging back and forth slowly.
"Many years ago, we used to live around the corner," he eventually started speaking again while the rope swing creaked and swayed. "I would love to come here with my mom after school."
"That's very cool," she replied as the arc brought her near to the fox.
"I never really got into the climbing bars, or other toys, but I would always go straight for this swing." To the rabbit, his soft words were half broken as the back and forth rush of wind filled her ears. "Back then, I think I wanted to be a pilot or something and this was the closest I could get to flying short of jumping off a building. And my mom strictly forbade me from going anywhere near the roof."
Judy chuckled, "Probably a good idea then."
"Once, I came out here everyday for an entire summer." Nick said and Judy could not be sure if she heard his voice catch in his throat.
"Then what happened?" she asked softly.
"Before the end of that summer we moved away."
"Really. Why?"
"Now, years later. I can understand the reasons." He continued to push the rabbit back and forth while he spoke. "She got a better job, and could afford a much better apartment. She was trying to make a better life for us, but at the time, my kit self did not understand. I think I was so mad that I didn't speak to her for a week."
"Such a rebellious youth, you must have been," Judy declared with a warm chuckle, but the fox remained silent.
The small rabbit swung her hind paws in time with his pushes and she slowly rose higher and higher. For several swings, she felt like she could touch the sky. This was why the small, young fox wanted to be a pilot. Swinging like this, she almost felt like she was flying through the city.
Her ears flopped back and forth in the wind as she swung through the air. Nick had stopped pushing, but she had built up so much momentum, that she continued for nearly a minute. Dragging her large paws through the sand under the swing, she eventually came to a halt.
Clapping his paws, the fox cheered for the rabbit while she flew up and down on the rickety old rope swing. When she finally skidded to a stop, he rushed up to her and offered his paw. She took the paw, slipped out of the sturdy seat and thanked him with a hug.
While the rabbit was swinging, the sun had dipped below the horizon. It lit the undersides of the thick clouds with bright pinks and oranges. Excitedly looking around the rest of the playground, Judy failed to notice the fading light until something wet landed on her nose.
"Nick," she cried pointing to her nose.
Holding his paws in the air, he backed away from the small rabbit, "It wasn't me this time. I swear."
Judy leaned her head way back to look above the tall apartments and spotted the fat, puffy cloud sitting directly above them. It heaved and roiled like an angry swarm of black bees, threatening to dump on them at any moment.
Grabbing the fox's paw, she pulled him away from the playground that sat hidden in the middle of the city, "Let's go home."
"Home?" Nick asked curiously, while trying to not lose his arm to the swiftly retreating bunny.
"Yes, the place where we live," Judy shook her head at the dumb fox.
"You think my apartment is home?"
Stopping outside the rusty old fence, she turned to give him a curious look, "Of course silly. I live there don't I?"
Having caught up to her, he knelt down and looked her directly in the eyes, "I am serious, do you really think of it as 'home?'"
Her ears lifted and she placed a finger on the end of her nose, "Well, now that you put it that way, Bunny Burrow has always been home for me, and I think that it always will be, but." She paused and moved the finger from her nose over to his, "Whenever I am with you, everything just feels right."
Nick's eyes widened and his jaw slowly dropped, as the rabbit continued to explain her feelings to him.
"So I guess, wherever you are, is home to me," she declared with a bright, warm smile that filled her muzzle from cheek to cheek.
"Ok, then," he chuckled warmly. Taking her paw gently in his own, he led her back down the alley and away from the fenced-in playground, "Let's go home."
[A/N] So Nick and Judy finally get to go on a real date, well three dates. I hope everyone really enjoyed this over dose of fluff. It has been a long time coming and I think well deserved for our over worked couple.
The ice cream scene was actually inspired by a comic from Amand4 on deviant art and the fandub titled Ice Cream Break by Ouragann. I can't post direct links on here so you will have to find them on your own, but I think its worth digging for. Judy's running outfit was also inspired by a picture by miles-df so definitely check out their art.
I am trying to pace myself so that I can continue posting chapters even when I feel burnt out so the next chapter will be out near the end of may. If you can't wait for the next one feel free to check out my compilation of short stories called Extra Fluffy. There are a few chapters that I already have lined up to come out next month so you can look forward to a few bits of fluff from me real soon.
And thanks to everyone who left all those awesome comments. I try very hard to improve my writing with each chapter and the can only happen with your support and my super awesome proofreaders.