Sir Khan: Thank you! And you may be correct!
Wolfx1120: Right! And thanks!
Fanficteller: They do wonder about who would fake such a photo, but they assume their motive is to keep them out of the woods/their business. They opted to stay out of it due to their fear. And yeah, that would be interesting for sure!
MapleHoneySyrup: Hmm, interesting thoughts! And yeah, definitely a sad scene! Ronnie and Luke's presence definitely won't leave Nick alone that easily, for better or for worse. And thank you again!
Zootopian Fulf: Don't count anything out yet!
—
Sorry for the super duper late update, but school has been pretty insane so far, lol. I'm gonna try to update the story weekly until things calm down — I'll shoot for every Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe earlier or later give or take. All that matters is that I'm gonna make sure I keep this thing going — there's still so much more story to go!
Enjoy the newest chapter of The Thrill of It All!
SIX DAYS LATER — June 19th, 2021
It had been nearly two weeks since all the campers arrived at Camp Odayaka, and things had certainly calmed down since the rather dreadful events of June 11th.
The investigation and search for Ronnie Moon's body in the river continued, but was fruitless to that point. The police presence had dwindled, and the fact that two children had likely died on the camp grounds seemed more and more distant in its effect on the psyche of Camp Odayaka. It was as though their tragic demise had become dust in the wind; there could be no room for such emotional weight in a place of bliss; that was the way it seemed to some, at least.
Time had passed on, and with it, new adventures came and went. The water balloon battle was a fantastic memory for all of the friends despite the fact that neither Cabin 19 nor 21 ended up reigning victorious; all of the friends had to swallow their pride and admit that their cabins were not the best at water balloon dodgeball. There had been a few more team games, which Nick and Judy continued to do rather well at, which raised their total points for the Top Camper award; the two were quite close now in the top ten.
The six friends had been to the pool at the activity center as well, which was fairly fun despite being rather crowded due to the lake still being closed. They hadn't skipped out on any of the cabin activities, and they had more fun than they expected to. There had been more arts and crafts, rock climbing, an obstacle course and more during that time, and the friends enjoyed pretty much all of it.
Some things had evolved; the bond of the six friends had grown incredibly strong as one may expect. Nick and Judy had grown all the more attached to each other, which was certainly no surprise. Neither of them ever thought in their life that they'd be able to feel so comfortable around someone in such a short time span, despite their occasional nervousness and sparse awkward moments. They still hadn't even gotten close to voicing how they felt about each other, though, despite the pleas of their friends that barraged them constantly.
Today was the day of white water rafting, which had Nick and Judy bursting at the seams with excitement. Neither of them had ever been on such an adventure before, and it seemed like non-stop thrills to the both of them. Being in a boat out in the open, wild waters would certainly get the adrenaline pumping; it would be a memory to hold on to.
Due to the ongoing search for Ronnie Moon's body, the campers were split into their usual groups (Cabins 17-21) and designated a specific time to ride the bus upstream a few miles so that there wasn't any chance of interference. It wouldn't change too much about the day's events, but the day had to get started much earlier than usual. On June 19th, the counsellors had to wake the first wave of kids at six o' clock in the morning to begin sending them on their journey.
Due to Nick's group being last, he and his friends had plenty of time to eat breakfast, have some free time, eat lunch and then partake in their cabin activities for the day, which all went rather quickly due to their anticipation for the main event.
The kids sat at the picnic table outside Cabin 19, which had become their spot of congregation over time. Nick sat between Judy and Ray on one side, while Ven sat in between Naiya and Carmen on the other. Their group was supposed to head to the bus around four o' clock, so they still had two hours to burn. While all of them did enjoy the woods as a haven, they were unable to venture into them due to the ongoing investigation, as well as the menacing presence that clearly wanted them to stay out.
"I've been looking forward to today for like… since I was four," Nick said, recalling the first time he had ever seen whitewater rafting on television. Right off the bat, it seemed rather enticing to him.
"Me too," Judy responded eagerly. "It's gonna be exciting, that's for sure."
"Let's hope Ray doesn't fall out," Carmen joked, patting the ocelot on the top of his head with a playful grin.
"That would be tragic," Ray declared as he propped his head up on his elbow with an unamused expression. "I'm sure I could count on my friends to jump in and help me, though."
"You'll have a life jacket," Naiya pointed out. "Besides, jumping in after someone ain't no good anyways. You'd just drown us both."
"She's right," Judy told Ray. "Saving your life is the lifejacket's job."
"Fair enough," Ray grumbled with tired eyes. "But it's the sentiment that matters."
It was easy to tell when Ray lacked energy, and today was one of those days. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before due to the amount of caffeine he consumed at dinner, which he knew was a risky game going into it. Still, Ray's newfound love for coffee had overpowered his logical thinking.
"Come on, wake up dude," Carmen said, nudging the ocelot with her shoulder. "It's like, the most exciting day of camp so far, and you seem like you're on another planet. Why're you so out of it?"
"Let's just say me and coffee have a dangerous relationship," Ray muttered, rubbing his eyes with his paws.
"That makes sense," Carmen replied, connecting the dots.
"But whitewater rafting… let's hope it lives up to the hype," Ray stated, twirling a piece of wood on one of his claws.
"Oh, it lives up to the hype," a voice said from behind them, and the six friends turned in unison to face a rabbit that was slightly taller than average with teal eyes and a relaxed expression. Beside him was a rather beautiful otter that was friendly looking, yet intimidating in demeanor. Nick knew pretty much instantly that these were the two that Naiya and the others described to Judy and him a while; he hadn't seen them around until now, and he instantly felt somewhat uncomfortable with the bunny's good looks.
"Oh! Romero and Natalia, right?" Ray asked the two of them.
"Yep! You can call me Nat, though," the otter told them in a sweet tone. "We're in Cabin 16, so we're headed out to the river soon."
"Oh, are you guys excited?" Judy asked them enthusiastically as Nick continued to eye Romero rigidly, crossing his arms as he did so.
"Yeah, for sure," Romero responded, taking a step closer to the friends. "I actually lived by the river for a lot of my life until I moved to Zootopia, so it's like a part of me at this point."
"Well, isn't that cool," Nick replied still with crossed arms, trying his best to hide his insecurity.
"Yeah, I guess so," Romero responded with a somewhat puzzled expression, taking notice of Nick's suppressed animosity. "That's how I met Nat here. We both lived on the river and we met out on the pier one day."
"So you two are together?" Nick asked with curious eyes somewhat abruptly, sounding somewhat hopeful in the question.
Romero exchanged a brief glance with Nat and chuckled loudly in response, turning back to face Nick and the others after a few moments of demonstrating their amusement at the thought of the idea.
"No, oh no!" Romero said through his fit of laughter.
"Romero and I together? That's a good one," Nat responded, giggling madly as well. "He's basically my brother at this point."
Nick frowned at this fact, knowing that at least some of his worries would have been out of the way if they had been dating. Still, he decided that his mindset at that point was anything but healthy. After all, he and Judy weren't even together; who was he to assume that she was his in that regard? It didn't make any sense, but his jealousy certainly had a tendency of seeping through in situations like this.
The way he felt towards the bunny was still so new and fresh, and there was a lot he had yet to figure out about it all. The way he handled his feelings of jealousy would have to be a steady process like anything else. Judy's end was the same; she realized that the way she felt towards Carmen when they first met wasn't all too healthy, even if she did have feelings for Nick.
"Gotcha," Nick replied once he understood they indeed were not together in that way. He took a glance at Judy to see her expression, and noticed she was already staring at him. Once she realized they had locked eyes, she looked away quickly and back at Romero and Nat, blushing beneath her fur. She found herself staring at the fox pretty often without even realizing it.
"That's a cool way to meet," Judy stated as she took a deep breath. "Very cool."
"And how did you two meet?" Nat asked, gesturing to Nick and Judy. Evidently, she had perceived their body language as the two of them being together, which took the both of them off guard.
"Us? We met on the bus on the way here," Judy replied as Nick remained quiet, looking as sheepish as a fox possibly could.
"Oh, I took you two for a couple too," Nat laughed as she shook her head at her incorrect assumptions. Nick and Judy looked over at each other again with a combination of embarrassment and amusement, chuckling about the idea. Neither of the two knew how to respond, however, as they didn't want to diss the idea as a whole.
"Uh, oh… yeah, a lot of people think that," Nick finally said awkwardly, trying not to appear too opposed to the idea. If he couldn't tell her directly, maybe she'd take an indirect hint…
"Yeah, we aren't dating," Judy added, feeling obligated to do so. She turned to look at Nick, who looked a bit downcast at her statement — or maybe she was simply looking too deep into it. She was beginning to get to the point where she had to tell him how she felt, even if it was a rather daunting prospect. There was just so much emotion she couldn't hold down forever; she wasn't always the best at hiding her feelings, and she was lucky to have done so for as long as she had.
"Not yet," Naiya chirped with a smirk, nudging the two closer together, and they could only giggle nervously in response, waiting for the torture to end.
"One day they'll actually get together," Ray whispered loudly with a sneaky expression, making it so that the two were able to hear his comment rather easily.
"Guys, come on!" Judy exclaimed in an exasperated voice, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, okay, we'll give you a break… for an hour," Ray joked, boasting a strong love for teasing the two of them. It had nearly been two weeks since the two recognized they had feelings for each other, and their infatuation with one another was rather transparent.
Nick's feelings for Judy (and vice versa) were at an all time high, and they didn't look to be trending downwards at any point soon. He had an idea of what he wanted to do, but it was incredibly intimidating to think about. The next day would be the second big bonfire of the summer, complete with music and a huge dinner. It would be an ideal setting to tell Judy, and whether it went perfectly or ended in outright disaster, at least it would be done. It would be a hefty load off of his shoulders, to say the very least.
"You guys are funny," Nat laughed with a friendly smile, placing her hands on her hips. "We'll definitely see you around!"
"Yeah, we better get going," Romero said as he and Nat slowly turned to head in the direction that the other campers from their cabin were headed. "We were just on the way to the bus."
"Good seeing you guys again!" Ray said to them as they waved goodbye.
"Don't be strangers!" Naiya told them with a cheery smile, always happy to make new friends.
"We won't, and you guys too!" Romero called over his shoulder as the two walked briskly to catch up with their group. Sure, Nick had discovered new insecurities due to his presence, but Romero and Nat both seemed to be rather harmless. They had to be popular for a reason, and maybe it was due to their charisma and genuine nature, but there was no telling. Although Nick had trusted Judy pretty much immediately, that was an anomaly of sorts. He wasn't typically one to trust so easily after his experiences in the past as a fox.
"They seem nice enough," Nick finally spoke in a more relaxed tone as Romero and Natalia walked with the crowd away from the friends and towards the bus. Various kids would walk up to them and casually begin a conversation with them as they walked. It was obvious to anyone that they were a presence that others felt perfectly comfortable in, and Nick respected that despite his own insecurities.
"They do," Judy responded with a nonchalant face. "I wonder if Romero has ever visited Bunnyburrow before."
"Pretty big place, right?" Nick asked her. "He probably has."
"The carrot capital of the world, that's what they say," Judy expressed with a face that pretended to be amazed. "We don't get as many tourists as you'd think, though."
"I wonder why not," Nick pondered aloud with a thoughtful look. "Carrots would definitely motivate me to travel large distances."
"Totally," Judy replied with a smirk that implied she knew fully well Nick was lying. "Because Nick Wilde has an untamed passion for carrots."
"Depends on the kind of carrots we're talking about," Nick clarified with a serious face.
"Pickled carrots?" Judy asked, trying to decipher Nick's statement.
"Nah," Nick replied with a warm smile, nudging Judy's shoulder with his own. "I'm just messing with you."
"Oh, I know," Judy spoke confidently, nudging him back playfully. "I know how you feel about carrots, you've made it pretty clear."
Ray, Ven, Naiya and Carmen looked at each other as they listened in on their favorite fox and bunny's conversation with faces that said: "if only she knew". They were still fairly certain that Nick and Judy would end up together, even if the two of them were hesitant to the highest extent. It might take a push from someone to get things rolling, despite the fact that they had tried to hold back from doing so for as long as they could. They liked seeing Nick and Judy figure things out on their own, but at this point, they were oblivious and it, to be blunt, hurt to watch.
As the silence continued for a moment, Nick looked at Judy with a bit of a conflicted expression, but hid his wild emotions for the bunny well despite the prolonged eye contact between the two. It happened a lot; they often didn't even realize they were staring at each other until a few seconds had passed, and then they would realize simultaneously that they had been gazing far too long. It was something that they had come to accept as normal, although they weren't sure why it happened so often. Occasionally, something would happen to make the other party wonder if perhaps there were mutual feelings, but it was never anything conclusive.
With his statement about "carrots", Nick didn't expect her to pick up on the double entendre, and it appeared as though she did not. He was somewhat thankful she didn't, as it may have turned into a bit of an unexpected situation, but one thing was very certain…
He sure did have a passion for Carrots.
No one had spoken of it in days, but the death of Luke and the assumed death of Ronnie hung over the camp like a dark canopy. Director Mato was visibly anxious at many points in the day despite his best efforts to assure himself that it wasn't his fault. Much of the staff felt rather bad for him, as he was normally a very carefree and optimistic fellow. Watching him unable to fully invest himself in his work and suffering because of it never got easier for any of his companions.
Most of the kids had moved on from the event; those who were allowed to stay, that is. Over ninety kids had gone home for the summer due to concerned or worried parents, but Mato and the rest of the staff were understanding and tried to embrace what they still had. The entire "time capsule hunt" was water under the bridge, and it was never discovered just who came up with the idea in the first place. Everyone was in a position to, once the investigation concluded, move on and learn from the events of June 10th.
As Nick, Judy, Ray, Ven, Naiya and Carmen walked to the bus at a casual but enthusiastic pace, they tried their very best not to look up and acknowledge the veil that entrapped Camp Odayaka. If they were to acknowledge the true nature of the veil, the questions would start to rise rather quickly, and with Judy's intense disposition when it came to justice, it would be very hard for the friends to remain a step back from it all. Deep in her heart, Judy and Nick both had a feeling that they'd eventually be forced to take a plunge back into the thick of it, but until that happened, they would try their best to turn a blind eye.
On the bus, Nick and Judy sat together, which was not a surprise in any way. Ray sat with Naiya as they discussed the new shopping mall that had opened up in the center-most area of Zootopia, Savanna Central. Ven sat quietly with Carmen, not knowing at all what to say. It was only a ten or fifteen minute bus ride to the area of the river they'd be boating in, so there wouldn't be all too much time for conversation, but the friends made the most of every moment they were able to spend together. They knew that the summer couldn't last forever and that they'd eventually return to their respective homes; obviously Nick, Ray and Ven would see each other again very often, and they'd see Naiya at school from time to time. Carmen would be moving a bit south from Zootopia rather soon, a little closer to Bunnyburrow than before, so maybe she'd be able to pay Judy a visit from time to time.
Part of the beauty of it all was the temporary nature; the adventures they had experienced at camp with each other would stick around as a warm memory for quite some time to come.
As the bus pulled out of the parking lot, Nick looked over at Judy as she stared out the window, her eyes full of awe. She truly had an appreciation for her surroundings that had not faded at all since she arrived at Camp Odayaka, even with the nightmarish night a little over a week back. The woodland that surrounded them day and night was a gentle cradle and was definitely not something Judy was close to being ready to let go.
"The woods here sure are pretty," Nick pointed out as he too looked out the window, scooting inwards so he could get a better view. "I know I've said that a thousand times already."
"I mean, you're right," Judy told him as she made room for him to scoot over a bit more. "Part of me wishes I could live in the woods like this, but I think I want to live in Zootopia a little bit more."
"Pshh! This is way better than Zootopia," Nick claimed without a shadow of a doubt. "I mean, there's some good things about Zootopia of course. I like how much there is to do, and I like that there's a really good bakery right down the street from my family's place. And I mean, there's the ice cream of course, but I think I'd trade all that for this."
"Easy to say for you," Judy said with a relaxed face. "You've had time to see what the city's all about."
"So, shouldn't you take my word for it?" Nick retorted, poking her shoulder sportively with his usual smirk.
"Experiences differ," Judy countered with a serious face that was very close to breaking into a smile. It was really hard for Judy to put on a stone cold face around Nick for multiple reasons; one being the obvious fact that she found him very attractive, and his smile was simply contagious. The other reason, equally as obvious, was that Nick was a complete and utter goofball. No one made her laugh the way Nick did, and she doubted anyone ever would.
"Oh true, I am a fox after all," Nick responded snarkily.
"That's not what I'm getting at," Judy spoke as she turned away from the window to face him, not wanting Nick to get the wrong idea. "I just mean that maybe there's some things about the big city that I'd love that you… don't love as much."
"I know, I know, but I'll tell you one thing…" Nick began, leaning a bit closer to her. "The train never gets better."
"It wasn't that bad," Judy stated plainly as she cycled through her memories of riding the train briefly during her very brief time in Zootopia. "I mean, there was one armadillo who was playing a guitar outside the train and he sounded pretty amazing.
"Judy, that's Dirty Donald, he's broke and homeless," Nick informed her in a gentle but blunt voice. "I don't like to call him that, that's just what people around the city named him."
"Oh… you know him?" Judy asked Nick with a soft laugh, not realizing the nature of the armadillo's concert.
"Yeah, I know a lot of people in the city. Are there not any homeless mammals in Bunnyburrow?" Nick asked her inquisitively. He had never been to Bunnyburrow himself, but he knew that the population there was always skyrocketing.
"Oh, well, no… not really," Judy said to him as she thought hard about it. "I don't know if any, at least."
"Yeah, singing and playing instruments is just something some folks do to get some sort of money when they're going through… tough times, I guess you could say," Nick explained, finding it rather odd that Judy had never seen such an exhibit before she visited the city.
"Well, that puts a damper on the whole train thing," Judy muttered, looking down at the bus floor as the vehicle continued to make its way down the gravel road.
"You know what we should do one day this week?" Nick asked the bunny with an expression that implied he just remembered something big.
"What?" Judy asked with curious eyes.
"You need to show me some of your music," Nick said excitedly. "You told me you'd show me like… months ago."
"We've only been here two weeks," Judy said with an amused smile.
"Feels like months doesn't it?" Nick questioned, tilting his head at the thought of the phenomenon. When so much happened within a short time span, time did seem to move rather quickly.
"It is weird to think I've only known you for two weeks," Judy replied, putting her paw on her chin as she looked back up at him. "Feels like we've always known each other."
"Right?" Nick asked her, lifting his paws to emphasize the surreal nature. "I could swear I've known you since… forever, like you said."
"But the music, we'll definitely have to do that sometime," Judy told him. "Tomorrow's the bonfire, right? That'll be awesome."
"For sure," Nick said with a bit of a nervous laugh, remembering his plans for that night. If all went well, at the end of the night, he and Judy may be together in a way that was more than just friendly. The idea sounded amazing to him, but daunting at the same time.
Little did he know that Judy had plans of her own for the next night, but they weren't exactly the same thing. She had convinced herself to ask Nick to the dance at the end of camp, assuming nothing came up before then. At this point, she was convinced that even if Nick wasn't interested in her in a romantic sense, he'd probably still agree to go to the dance with her. The whole idea would be infinitely better if there was a mutual interest between the two of them, though.
"Wonder who's gonna be playing music at the bonfire," Judy pondered aloud. "Aside from Carmen, I mean. I know she's gonna play guitar."
"Oh, yeah," Nick replied, looking back at Carmen as she tried her hardest to carry on a conversation with Ven. "She's pretty killer at guitar."
Judy thought silently for a moment as she watched Nick look back at Carmen, and decided to ask a question that she had been wondering for quite some time.
"Nick?"
The fox immediately turned away from the vixen and back to Judy with an inviting smile, his eyes fixated on her.
"Yeah?" he asked her earnestly.
"Can I ask you a weird question?"
"You do that all the time," Nick joked, readjusting himself in his seat. "So yeah, of course!"
"Don't act like you always ask million dollar questions either," Judy retaliated, tickling Nick gently on his side, eliciting a brief giggle from the kit. "But seriously, I have a question."
"Okay, ask away," Nick said, sitting up more straight in his seat again, not knowing what the bunny was about to ask him.
"So… I was wondering if you're, umm…" Judy struggled, her ears flat behind her head as she fought for the correct wording. She scooted very close to Nick, as what she was about to ask was sensitive information. "Well, I was wondering if you… like Carmen," Judy inquired in a whisper.
Nick was caught off guard by the question and almost choked on air, taking a second to recompose himself.
"Oh, uh… no, I don't," Nick said with a meek smile, trying his best to stay cool. "Not like that, I mean… that's what you're asking about, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Judy answered, beyond relieved to hear Nick confirm that he did not have feelings for their foxy friend. "I was just wondering."
"And why are you so curious?" Nick asked her with a smirk, bumping her with his shoulder. "Scared someone's gonna take me from you?"
"Are you implying something?" Judy asked with an equally mischievous expression.
"No, no, not like that," Nick said nervously, trying to navigate the conversation in a way that didn't end tragically. "Well, I mean… I, uh…"
"I was just wondering," Judy told him again as he struggled to put two words together, offering him a reassuring grin. "I really couldn't tell."
"Yeah, I don't feel that way about her, no worries," Nick persuaded her quietly so that no one else would hear. "She's cool, but she's not really my type, you know?"
"Type?" Judy asked him, continuing the intimate conversation.
"Well, I don't have a type really, it's just a nice way of saying I don't like Carmen that way," Nick chuckled as he looked out the window briefly.
"Sorry for all the questions," Judy started with a bashful look. "But if you did have a… you know, type…"
"Oh, don't ask me that," Nick laughed, covering his face with a paw. "I don't know what to say."
"I'm just kidding around," Judy told him, also giggling. Secretly, she was hoping that he'd answer the question though, wondering if his ideal girl sounded anything like her. "That's the kind of questions people always ask at school."
"Yeah, I know," Nick responded. "I'm used to it from Ray and Ven."
Judy became all the more interested once he said that.
"What do they say?" Judy asked him, sounding more and more intrigued every time Nick spoke, which was the opposite of the direction he wanted to move in.
"Gee, I don't know, they tease me about girls and stuff. Just typical middle school stuff, you know," Nick said quickly, wanting to move away from the topic.
"Oh, yeah, that's what my friends do too," Judy replied with a chuckle, still appearing perfectly comfortable with the discussion as the bus continued its drive through the woods and north of the camp. "Sorry for all the questions," she added after a second of silence, not wanting to weird Nick out.
The fox sat and stared down at the floor before he spoke again, looking back over at Judy.
"Don't worry about it, Judes. I do like being interviewed after all," he proclaimed proudly with a paw on his chest.
—-
The bus finally arrived at the raft site a few miles north of the camp; they'd be able to paddle down the river for quite some time without getting close to the river adjacent to the campground. Judy, Nick and the rest could hardly contain their excitement as they piled out of the bus and were told to start moving as a group over to where the life jackets were being supplied down by the river side. There was a gentle breeze as the six friends walked with the rest of the kids from cabins 17-21: there were two buses that carried them all the location.
There had only been one or two rainy days since they all arrived at Camp Odayaka, which was not taken for granted. The leaves of the cedar trees were vivid and alive as the sound of the rushing river accompanied the peace that only the wilderness could provide. Nick breathed in the fresh air as they walked over to the life jacket area, where an instructor began explaining the nature of whitewater rafting to the kids. To put it gently, Nick's attention was a bit scattered, as he couldn't stop sneaking glances at the boats down by the dock area, but he managed to hear most of the instructions. Luckily, Judy was there to back him up, as she was rather good at listening and remembering such things.
After the instructions were finally over about twenty minutes later, the instructors began boarding the boats, each with a group of campers with them. Essentially how it would work was groups of eight would board the boat with an instructor and paddle a mile and a half down the river until they reached the next dock. There were ten whitewater rafting instructors and over ten boats, so getting all of the campers in one trip would work out nicely.
Nick continued staring at the racing water with a glint of delight as he made sure his life jacket was tightly secured to his torso. He glanced over at Judy, who had a very similar look; a look that made him lose his train of thought and awareness once he found himself admiring just how beautiful Judy was even in such a small moment. She was just staring at the river, fascinated, but she looked as graceful as ever, and Nick couldn't seem to move his eyes back towards the boat.
"So we're at a scenic river about to go white water rafting and you still can't take your eyes off her," Ray said quietly in the fox's ear, and Nick suddenly fell back down to reality once again with an annoyed expression.
"You didn't see anything," Nick told him as if he were trying to hypnotize him, wide eyes, paw motions and all. "From this moment on, you'll forget you ever saw that!"
"What, you taking in the view? Cuteness aside, we're finally about to go white water rafting!" Ray said, trying to pump up his friend.
"We are!" Nick said excitedly, brushing off the fact that Ray had caught him staring with adoration at the bunny yet again. "Finally, after all these years!"
"Ven thinks we're gonna die, don't ya Ven?" Ray asked loudly, pulling his friend away from Naiya and Carmen and into the discussion by his life jacket.
"Maybe," Ven replied simply.
"Well, I'll tell you what, we're not going to die, and it's gonna be a great time. Agreed, Nick?" Ray asked his best friend.
"Agreed!" Nick declared, messing with the buckle on his life jacket. "This thing is so tight, if I do die it'll be from suffocation."
"That's what drowning is," Ven pointed out with a pessimistic expression, making the assumption that the events of June 10th weren't enough of a hot topic anymore to avoid discussions of drowning altogether.
"Suffocation by life jacket," Nick clarified with a grunt, finally managing to loosen the life jacket again. "Not a way I wanna go."
"Me neither," Ray laughed, loosening his life jacket a tiny bit as well. "All that matters is that we're gonna have fun."
The six friends boarded their boat a couple of minutes later along with two other kids and an instructor, which reminded them about all the safety measures again before offering them each an oar. There was little to no hesitation once the boat began to move; the friends all rowed intensely, wanting to reach a higher speed (aside from Ven, who remained wide eyed and stiff). After a few moments of gaining speed, the boat was finally out in the open water, but the waves and rapids weren't too drastic yet. It was a fairly tame river until they got a couple of minutes down the stream, and that's when the real white water rafting experience finally began.
Navigating around rocks and through the cascades was a thrilling experience and the kids couldn't stop laughing, taking in every moment as a memory they'd never want to let go of. Ven wasn't having the best time, but he found solace in an unconventional peace; seeing his friends in such a state of bliss. It made him happy despite the harrowing circumstances.
Judy had never seen Nick smiling so big as they paddled through the roaring waters, and it filled her with an incredible energy she had never known. To see him thrive made her feel like she was soaring high in the sky, which was something the young bunny never knew she could feel. Nick's happiness was her own, and it was the same way on the other side. Although seeing all of his best friends living life to the fullest made him filled to the brim with joy, Nick felt something unexplainable when Judy couldn't let go of her smile, so full of life.
"This is amazing!" Nick yelled to his friends
Then, everything changed in a single moment.
Nick's eyes wandered down to the surface of the water and his smile instantly vanished from his muzzle as he noticed a face beneath the waves. He slowly squinted his eyes as he struggled to make out the shape, but he eventually knew exactly what he was looking at…
As he stared blankly, his arms starting to shake, he leaned a bit over the side of the boat and studied the face while he could, beginning to whimper in a combination of fear and despair. His stomach instantly dropped as his eyes remained locked on it, and his eyes started to water as he remained frozen and unable to act. He couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing, but it was slowly but surely getting through to him. After a few moments, the face faded away, and Nick blinked multiple times, struggling to find his breath.
Nick gasped and dropped his oar into the water, stumbling out of his seat on the boat and on to the floor of the boat, wrapping his arms around himself as his friends watched with great concern. Judy immediately dropped her oar onto the floor of the boat and dropped to his side, making sure he was alright, but Nick was severely shaken. He still couldn't breathe properly as he hyperventilated, the tears beginning to cloud his vision.
He had seen the lifeless face of Luke in the dark waves, and it caused all of Nick's fears that had previously been stowed away to spill back into reality. All of the turmoil, emotional baggage and trauma had burst straight through his heart, surrounding the entire boat in an atmosphere of anguish and dread. The instructor didn't know what to do aside from telling the remaining kids how to paddle to the side of the shore, despite there being a good bit left in the whitewater rafting experience.
The remaining six kids helped the instructor to, once the rapids were calm enough, get the boat to the shore of the left side of the river. They swiftly pulled the boat out of the water as Nick sat on the ground, trying to calm down his breathing. It felt as though someone had gripped his chest and held it down to prevent normal breathing, and it felt like his blood was pumping twice as fast. His mind couldn't stop racing with thoughts he had tried so hard to escape; thoughts he never wanted to believe, but had finally found himself face to face with.
"Nick, Nick! Breathe!" Judy told him frantically, and he could hardly see her through his blurry vision. "Just breathe!"
"Honey, honey! Work with me!" the instructor, an older lady, said to him as his eyes moved from side to side, trying to make sense of the world as his hearing became fuzzy. He felt like he was going to fall unconscious at any moment, and that only caused his panic to intensify as he gritted his teeth together with eyes wide open with a terror like no one else had ever seen.
"I-I can't… I can't breathe," Nick gasped, recoiling against the ground desperately. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!" he added, tears falling from his eyes.
"Nick, Nick! Hey!" Judy tried her best to help in any way she should. "Look at me! Breathe with me, okay?"
All he could think to himself was "purple" at that moment; he had come to love that color so much the past few weeks. Man, he never knew he could love purple so much, but Judy had changed his mind on that. One hundred percent. She was magnificent in so many ways that she didn't even realize, and he was witnessing that now as her eyes filled his mind. He couldn't think about anything else except the way she was infiltrating his head; his eyes remained locked on her as his breathing steadily started to slow, and the tears in his eyes fell down his face and onto the ground. He kept his eyes on her even when his mind was back on planet earth as if she were his medicine in that moment; Judy had known exactly what to do, even if it was simple enough. He was back in reality, and he knew that what he had seen in the river was only a hallucination.
"I'm sorry," Nick spoke suddenly as he wiped his tears, embarrassed by his outburst. He tried to stand up, but his friends and the instructor ushered him back down. "I'm really sorry, I don't know what happened," he repeated again and again.
"It's okay, baby," the instructor assured him like a mother to a child. "I think you just had a panic attack, it happens sometimes and you're gonna be just fine."
"Panic attack?" Nick asked, struggling to accept that explanation. "I went berserk and ruined today for everyone. I'm really sorry," he said once again, burying his face in his knees. His friends said nothing aside from gathering around him and hugging him, having an idea of what may be haunting him — it wasn't the hardest guess. Even with Nick's best effort to let go of his worst fears, it had crept back at the worst time all the same. Nick felt as though Luke and possibly Ronnie's death was entirely his fault, and nothing would ever change that.
After the instructor showed the kids out of the woods and back to the road, the bus picked them up and brought them to the end of the normal ride; the dock about a mile and a half down the river. After collecting the rest of the kids and leaving the gear with the instructors, the bus headed back to camp.
The bus ride back to Camp Odayaka was rather quiet between the six friends. Nick, still confused and uneasy, barely said a word as he stared out the window, the trees passing in a blur. As Judy looked over at him, she knew it would be hard to remember the positives from that afternoon. Not only this, but she knew that some questions couldn't go unanswered forever, and Nick's peace of mind depended on it. Until there could be a solution there, though, she wanted him to feel secure right then and there.
As Nick's eyes remained locked on the trees outside the bus window, Judy scooted over closer to him and leaned her head on the fox's shoulder, snuggling up to him as he gazed down at her with a confused but amazed expression.
"J-Judy," Nick started, unable to properly process what was happening. "What're you doing?"
"Just want my favorite fox to feel a little better," Judy told him sweetly, rubbing his forearm with her paw. Nick was madly blushing at this point, but he definitely wasn't going to complain. He didn't care if any of his friends saw their current position, and he had no idea what to make of it. He wondered if maybe Judy did have romantic feelings for him, but decided now wasn't the time to act on his. That was for tomorrow night, and despite the hallucination and panic attack, he hadn't lost sight of that.
"Oh, well, thanks Carrots," Nick said gently with a huge smile creeping across his face. He made a bold move himself and put his arm around her to pull her closer. "You're… you're so great, you know that? I don't know what I'd do without you."
Nick's warmth against her side was like a drug as Judy embraced his scent; his arm around her was everything she had ever needed in her life before but had never known about. It just felt so perfect, and she cursed the fact that the bus ride would only be a few minutes long. Cuddling up to Nick was something she had dreamed about quite often leading up to this day, but she had no idea it would feel so incredible.
"Thank you," Judy finally responded. "You're pretty great yourself, Nick, but don't let that get to your head," she added teasingly with a poke to his chest.
"Will I let it get to my head? Maybe, maybe not," Nick said with a chuckle, his heart rate starting to pick up rapidly again, but this time for a very different reason. He had fallen hard for a certain bunny, and he knew that his feelings for her would only grow stronger as time went on. And if the bus ride were any indication, the next night seemed like it could go very, very well.
—
Dinner was rather delicious that night as Nick neglected talking more about his frightening experience on the river. Instead, he embraced every word he spoke to his friends and appreciated the life he had. Nick and Judy were being a bit more touchy than usual, and it was no mystery as to why. The friends had seen the two cuddled up to each other on the bus ride and thought it was the sweetest thing they'd ever seen. Judy throwing out any sort of embarrassment in favor of comforting Nick the only way she knew how was a cute gesture, to say the very least.
After a rather intimate goodnight between the six friends (especially Nick and Judy), they split up and headed back to their cabins. Nick and Judy still felt as though they were floating as they did so, and they decided they weren't nearly ready to say goodbye to that feeling. They had decided that tomorrow was the day.
The boys headed up to the bathhouse to shower and brush their teeth before bed, as they had been through a rather chaotic day together. The walk up to the bathhouse now seemed like a very small endeavor; it wasn't the nuisance it was before, especially for Nick. He had seen life in a brighter light ever since his panic attack, and he didn't entirely know why, but it wasn't an unwelcome change.
As they walked through the entrance to the bathhouse, Nick's eyes moved to the sink area of the bathroom; where Ronnie and Luke had cornered him and forced the information out of him. The memory was still so fresh in his mind, and the repressed thought of Luke and Ronnie almost crept into his mind again, but he quickly looked away and moved to the lockers with Ray and Ven.
After they showered, Nick, after taking a while to think about it, decided to tell Ray and Ven about his plans for the next day. The three stood in front of the bathroom mirror and brushed their teeth; Ray also applied various fur products on his face. The bathhouse was beginning to clear out and become a lot less congested, so Nick decided there was no harm in talking about his plans.
"Ray, Ven, there's something you should know," Nick started a little cautiously, but knew that there was no point in holding back the information.
Ray looked up from applying his fur products, and Ven stopped brushing his teeth to look over at Nick with undivided attention.
"Yeah?" they both asked, recognizing the seriousness in his voice.
Nick took a breath before he spilled the news, wanting to gather himself before he let loose such vulnerable information. These two, though… they were great friends. He didn't care what they knew, as he would trust them with anything; his life, even. They may be total goofballs, but they were trustworthy where it mattered, and he was forever grateful for that.
"So… I'm thinking of, uh… telling Judy tomorrow… at the bonfire," Nick told them, and both of the boys' eyes lit up.
"Yes!" Ven yelled, clearly ecstatic over the news. "Finally!
"Seriously?!" Ray questioned excitedly, putting his fur products down on the bathroom counter as he swiftly pulled his best friend into a hug, rubbing the top of his head affectionately. "That's what I'm talking about! You're gonna have a girlfriend! You're gonna fall in love… if you aren't already, I mean. You're gonna be a married fox!"
"Whoa, whoa," Nick said, pulling out of Ray's hug with a bittersweet smile. "I'm gonna tell her, but it's a little early to think about marriage, isn't it?"
Ray shrugged, looking as though he was weighing different answers.
"I'd say if you're old enough to see a PG-13 movie, you're old enough to get married. That's what I think, anyway," Ray established firmly.
"You're crazy, Ray," Nick told him playfully. "But hopefully tomorrow goes well and… and, well, hopefully we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend, but I don't know yet."
Abruptly, an unexpected presence entered the conversation from behind them at the urinals.
"You're gonna tell the bunny girl, huh?" Romero's voice rang from behind them, and Nick narrowed his eyes as he remained facing the other direction.
"Hey, Romeo," he grumbled, but was able to mask his aggression. "Yeah, I am actually."
Romero finished conducting his business at the urinal and walked over to the sinks, standing on Nick's left as he washed his paws.
"Listen, there's no shot she turns you down," Romero assured him, which shocked Nick a little. He wasn't one to always assume the worst, but he feared that the bunny may have had a bit of an interest in Judy.
"You think so?" Nick asked him, putting his toothbrush in his small bathroom pouch before zipping it up.
"One-hundred percent, compadre," Romero responded confidently. "From what I saw, she's just waiting on you to make the move. You know?"
Romero's accent had become more and more noticeable to Nick as he talked, which the fox found rather cool. Maybe Romero wasn't such a bad guy after all…
After a few moments of silence aside from the sink and other chatter in the bathhouse, Romero turned to face the exit with a friendly smile.
"Well, goodnight you guys! See you all around soon."
"Goodnight Romero!" Nick said, feeling more encouraged than ever about the next night.
"Goodnight!" Ray said energetically before returning to his fur products, insisting on applying everything perfectly before he would allow himself to head back to the cabin.
Nick was now entirely convinced that he was going to do it; it would be at the bonfire, and the time would be perfect. He pictured it in his head as he waited on his friends; the soft music filling the air, Judy standing in front of him, him smooth talking like he always did ever-so-so flawlessly…
What could go wrong?
The boys promptly left the bathhouse to return to Cabin 19. The walk back to the cabin was still unnerving despite the creature in the photos from the week before being proven as fake by Counsellor Gardner, who had turned out to be a rather good role model after all. They walked briskly to escape any potential monsters, and made it safely back to the cabin before hurrying inside.
After saying goodnight to his friends, Nick climbed up onto his bed and laid down. He heard a slight rustle under his pillow; it sounded like a snack food wrapper or something like that, which confused him, as he hadn't eaten any sort of snacks up on the top bunk. He stared with attentiveness at the pillow before quickly picking it up, revealing a small slip of paper that had been underneath.
Nick picked up the small slip of paper and unwrapped it, lifting it up to his eyes in order to read the small writing, which appeared to be in Ronnie's handwriting.
The paper, which must have been there since Ronnie left the note, only contained two words; two words Nick was rather unfamiliar with, but found them significant all the same:
William Rosenheim
William Rosenheim, huh? Who's that? And will Nick or Judy finally make a big move in progressing their relationship at the bonfire? I wonder how that'll go down. Guess we'll have to find out in the next chapter.
Like I said, I'm gonna try to keep this story updated weekly. I'm still enjoying writing this a lot, but schoolwork is exhausting…
Anyways, thanks for reading! Leave any thoughts in the reviews, and until next time!