FYI: WingedKatt here. Just to put this first scene in perspective, this is taking place about the time Judy makes it to her room and while Daisy is sleeping during the previous chapter. Judy had texted Ryan with her change of plans while Carol (Bobby's wife) drove her back to the Hopps' home, and it wasn't long after that, that Patty-Mae texted Ryan with her change in plans, as well, which is when Ryan went upstairs to call his sister back while making tea for him and Daisy.
On the other side of town, at the Hoppersan Farm, Joey Hoppersan took a deep breath as he paused to catch his breath. In his paw was a shovel and he was in the process of digging out a busted irrigation pipe that had broken and flooded one of their fields. Luckily, this wasn't one of the alfalfa fields or the crop would have been ruined. Instead, this was the apple and pear orchard so the trees and their plentiful fruit wouldn't be damaged. They might even have larger fruit this year.
But that was beside the point. Right now, Joey and several his siblings were stuck digging out the old pipe so they could lay down a fresh pipe so the other fields nearby could be watered. At the sound of soft paws on the ground, Joey looked over to see Patty-Mae coming over with a shovel in one paw and a bucket full of ice-cold water bottles in the other.
Walking up to Joey, Patty-Mae handed a water bottle over to him before setting the bucket on the ground. Flicking her tail in the air as she bent over (which had Joey freezing with the bottle halfway to his mouth, his eyes glued to her tail), she stood back up and grinned smuggly at her boyfriend (she caught him staring at her fluffy tail from the corner of her eye).
Joey cleared his throat and took a quick drink, the icy coolness feeling wonderful as it slid down his parched throat. Bringing the bottle back down, he met his girlfriend's smug grin and asked, "Did you get a hold of Ryan?"
Patty-Mae had been helping him and his family dig out the pipe a few minutes ago but had taken a break to fetch some water for them and Joey's siblings, and to text Ryan about the delay they'd found themselves with. Joey and his family had been notified of the flooded field and broken pipe about 30 minutes after dinner was finished (about the time Joey and Patty-Mae were getting ready to head to her brother's new house) and then it was all paws on deck to fix the problem. The adults had struggled with the rusted water valve, but eventually got the water turned off. Joey and several of his siblings, along with Patty-Mae, then got to work shoveling the broken pipe out so it could be replaced.
With a nod at Joey's question, Patty-Mae said, "Yes, I texted him and he called me back, saying Judy was also going to be late." With a bright smile, she added, "Apparently, Nick is actually here in town and was looking for her. Judy saw him before she ate dinner with Bobby and his family, then returned home to spend time with Nick." With her tail flicking in excitement, Patty-Mae added, "Nick helped her family get the bleachers up at the Rodeo grounds and was invited to have dinner with them as a big 'thank you' for all his hard work!"
With a happy flick of her tail and twitch of her nose, Patty-Mae added, "He's even going to be playing the guitar and singing for the kerfluffle later tonight, so I'd say he made a huge splash with the Hopps' clan."
Joey stood stunned, his shovel frozen in one paw and his water bottle in the other. The Hopps' clan was a pretty cliquish, specist family of rabbits—even by Bunnyburrow standards—that didn't take kindly to most predators being on their property, let alone within the burrow itself where the young kits were kept safe, so hearing how Nick—a fox—had won a spot at their table and was even allowed to sing to the youngest kits was truly astonishing. How did he do it?
Patty-Mae was beaming with happiness for Judy. She couldn't forget how much Judy had missed Nick and how much she wished she could make things right with him—and now she could! Or more like, she already had if she was hanging out with him at her family's burrow. With her tail practically vibrating with excitement, she added, "Do you want to hear the best part?" Joey hardly flicked his ear before Patty-Mae answered the question, exclaiming excitedly, "Nick's coming over to Ryan's tonight so he can join us on our trip to the mountains tomorrow! I bet Judy is over the moon to have Nick join us tonight and tomorrow! I can't wait to see them both!"
Standing there with the shovel still in one paw, Joey wasn't sure what to say at first. Taking another gulp of ice-cold water, he thought about Patty-Mae had told him about Judy's foxy flame. From what his girlfriend had said earlier today, Nick wasn't likely to show up anytime soon, and yet here he was. Furthermore, the fox actually came looking for Judy. Although he hadn't ever met the red fox before, the fact Nick came all the way out her to Bunnyburrow looking for Judy made him look more favorably towards the fox.
After hearing everything he'd done for Judy, Joey had already been willing to give Judy's foxy flame a chance should he ever meet the fox, but now, he was looking forward to spending a few days up in the mountains with the unlikely friends this weekend. The fact he stuck it out with Zootopia's first rabbit cop and helped Judy solve her first big case showed Joey that Nick had a real strength of character. But the fox went above and beyond that, seeing as Nick had made the decision to seek out Judy and make things right with her. This told Joey the fox was worth keeping—just like Judy had claimed.
With a smile crossing his black muzzle, Joey was looking forward to meeting the fox. While thinking of the trip tomorrow and hoping they had everything in order, he asked, "Will we need to load up another bird for him to ride?"
Patty-Mae shook her head. "No, Judy is going to let Daisy or Ryan ride Toot-toot, while she rides double with Nick on JD."
This latest news came as another surprise to Joey, but a good one. If they made up enough that Nick, a fox, was comfortable being that close to Judy, rabbit—they would be hugging during the whole ride!—then Judy just might get her wish to date Nick. Here in Bunnyburrow, there had been many a romance that had developed from the back of a bird (guys and gals riding double when someone didn't have a bird of their own to ride was a common practice), so it wouldn't be strange to Joey if Nick decided he liked having Judy in his arms.
As there were several fox families who had moved into town over the several years (plus Gideon's family who had been here for forever it seemed like), Joey had observed how most foxes were picky about who touched them. You had to gain their trust and friendship before they were comfortable being close enough to touch, and even then, they still maintained a little distance—except with those they were dating or thinking of dating (or mated to). So, if Nick was comfortable hugging Judy on a two-hour bird-back ride, there was a strong possibility he would want to date Judy sooner or later…probably sooner.
With a wide smile that mirrored his girlfriend's, Joey said, "I'm glad he's joining us, and I can't wait to meet him later." Wondering what the fox was like, he took a long swig from his water bottle and enjoyed the way the ice-cold water slid down his throat and cooled and wetted his parched core—digging up a huge pipe was hard work! Capping the bottle afterwards, he tossed it back in the bucket of ice to keep it cold, then went back to shoveling as he continued the conversation with his girlfriend.
Patty-Mae nodded as her tail continued flicking excitedly. She couldn't forget how Judy had said she wanted to kiss Nick, to feel his sharp teeth and experience that long vulpine tongue of his in more ways than one. Patty-Mae still wasn't sure how everything would work, what with Judy being a rabbit and Nick a fox, but she had faith that they could make it work. After all, when had Judy ever faced a mountain she was too scared to climb? After working her tail off to become the first rabbit officer in Zootopian history, how could Judy shy away from the love of her life? The fact Nick was a fox, and thus vastly different from her own familiar species, probably appealed to Judy who loved adventure and trying new things—breaking the mold of what a bunny could and couldn't do.
As Patty-Mae drove her own shovel in the muddy ground next to Joey's, she used her foot to push it deeper into the muck and lift a shovel-full out. Dumping it off to the side of the pipe, Patty-Mae couldn't stop thinking of Judy and Nick momentous reunion, even as she was super happy for them both. At the same time, she wondered just how long it would take Judy to worm her way into Nick's heart.
While Patty-Mae was thinking of her friend and her foxy new flame, Joey was thinking about his own relationship with Patty-Mae. They had been dating for nigh on 7 months now and Joey was dying to ask her to marry him. Most rabbits knew by the three-month mark whether the relationship was a good one worth pursuing, and thus they began thinking of marriage, and if it wasn't, then it was time to break up. Those that made it past the three-month mark were usually engaged by the fourth month and married within three months after that.
Joey was no exception. He knew Patty-Mae was the one for him a little into their third month of dating and he had bought an engagement ring on their fourth month anniversary. But Patty-Mae was a jackrabbit—a hare—and they didn't usually rush into a romantic relationship like rabbits did. They took a little more time to be sure of their choice, so Joey wasn't sure how soon he should ask Patty to marry him. Was now a good time, or did she still need a little more time to know for sure?
He and Patty-Mae got along so well together, and they were able to make the other smile and laugh so easily, he couldn't see himself with anyone else—not now, not ever. Being with Patty-Mae always lifted his spirits and made him want to be better, and Joey knew no other girl would do for him. She was the one. And seeing how her brother Ryan had finally gathered the courage to ask Daisy out on a date, Joey figured he should just come out and ask Patty-Mae to marry him. He had waited long enough.
Perhaps he could propose up in the mountains? Maybe go stargazing, just the two of them, and he could ask her then? If Patty-Mae wanted a longer engagement, that was fine by him, too, just so long as she knew his heart belonged to her and her alone, and that his wandering days were over. He had found the home of his heart in her and he intended to spend the rest of his life showing her just how much he loved her.
As the two continued shoveling more mud to expose the broken pipe, along with the rest of the Hoppersan family, Joey was thinking of the best way to propose to his dream girl, while Patty-Mae was wondering how Judy and Nick's reunion went, along with how well Nick seemed to be getting along with Judy's family. It was still shocking for her to think that the Hopps clan had actually invited a red fox into their family burrow and allowed him to sit at their table and play for their kits.
This had to be a monumental event for the Hopps clan and Bunnyburrow in general—a large red fox eating with a bunch of bunnies deep within their burrow. It was unheard of! And yet Nick had accomplished it in just a day or two of arriving here! Patty-Mae couldn't wait to meet the city fox and see how well Nick interacted with Judy, and hear of the fox's interactions with her family. Would he really date Judy? And would he really do that thing with his tongue Judy wanted to experience? This thought had her inner ears turning a dark shade of pink, but she couldn't stop her curiosity. Predators really were different from bunnies, but she was sure it kept the relationship interesting.
This thought, of course, made her wonder about her brother Ryan and his date with Daisy. He hadn't said anything about it on the phone when he called back a short while ago, so she was curious about how it went. Knowing they were already great friends, Patty-Mae had no doubt the date would be a huge success.
Furthermore, the happiness she heard in Ryan's voice told her the date went better than 'great' and she was eager to hear all about it once they finished here and arrived at Ryan's new place. Humming a happy, little tune as she continued shoveling, Patty-Mae was highly curious about Ryan's new home. How could her brother build a cabin and keep it from the family!? Before learning of Ryan's cabin, she had considered a secret of this magnitude to be impossible to keep in a bunny family. Someone was sure to hear something and then everyone would know. And yet Ryan had been able to keep his cabin a complete secret!
Patty-Mae couldn't wait to see Ryan's cabin, but at the same time, she wondered how soon she and Joey could move into their own place? How long was Joey going to take to ask her to marry him!? She had been waiting for months now for him to 'pop' the question and she was running out of patience! She already had her wedding planned out and her dress picked out (she wasn't buying one but had found the pattern for the dress she wanted so her mom could help her make it). All she needed was the engagement ring on her finger and a date set and she was ready to get married.
With a heavy sigh, she focused back on digging out the pipe. With everyone working together, they nearly had the pipe free so it was just a matter of time before they could pull it out and replace it with the new pipe that was laying off to the side. Once that was done, she and Joey could wash the mud off themselves, then head over to Ryan's place and see how everyone was doing. With a happy flick of her tail (which momentarily distracted Joey—he loved staring at her tail and it certainly strengthened his desire to pop the question so he could do more than run a casual paw over the fluffy appendage!), Patty-Mae couldn't wait to meet everyone at Ryan's new place.
-/-/-
Walking through the burrow, Stu was on the lookout for Judy. It was late enough now that he expected her to have returned from dinner with her predator friends. So far, no one had seen her in the burrow, but it just a matter of time until his little trier wandered back home. With a flick of his ear, he eventually found his wife taking a short break in their study and finishing up a cup of calming tea.
As Bonnie looked up as he walked through the open door of the room, Stu asked, "Has Judy shown up yet?"
With a shake of her head, Bonnie set her cup down and said, "Not that I've heard. Why, is something wrong?"
With a shrug, Stu answered, "Nothing really. I just figured she'd want to get home and meet Nick as soon as possible, so I'm kind of surprised she isn't home yet."
Bonnie was quiet a moment, then said, "Well, Bobby was one of her best friends growing up, and with their three kits getting so big, I'm sure she just lost track of time talking to them. They must have a lot of things to catch up on."
With a nod and a flick of his bushy light-brown and white tail, Stu said, "You're probably right." Scratching his head for a moment, he added, "I guess I just really want to see bun-bun interacting with Nick. With how much he said about her, and with how well he understands her personality, I figure they're pretty close…so I was just wondering how they act around each other."
Bonnie took a sip of her tea, then said, "You're right, dear, Nick did seem awfully close to Judy—and that has me worried."
Stu cocked his head in confusion and scratched between his ears, only to rush to grab his hat as it began sliding backwards off his head. Pulling his baseball cap back on his head, he asked, "You're actually worried that Judy is too close to Nick?"
"Well, yes," Bonnie said. Crossing her legs as she sat at the little table she was drinking tea at, Bonnie explained, "Nick is a large red fox—and a city fox, at that—so if he starts hanging around bun-bun all the time, he might scare off any potential bucks who want to date her. You know she's not getting any younger, dear, so I'm worried."
Stu's jaw dropped, then he rolled his eyes. "Bon-bon, this is Judy we're talking about. She doesn't need a fox of any kind hanging around her to scare off any bucks too timid to ask her out—she does an excellent job of scaring them off all by herself!"
Bonnie rolled her eyes and swatted at her husband's arm. With a huff of irritation (Stu was right, of course, which simply vexed her further), she then said, "And that's what I'm talking about. Judy already scares off anyone wanting to date her, so if she meets that lucky guy who isn't scared off by her usual attitude towards dating and marraige, then having Nick hanging around her certainly will." Picking up her cup again, she added, "You know most rabbits aren't comfortable around a fox's sharp claws. Look what Gideon did to Judy all those years ago." Taking another sip of tea, she didn't have to wait long for Stu's response.
With a heavy sigh, Stu said, "Bonnie, if some guy has the courage to ask Judy out, then I can guarantee he won't be scared off by a fox." Stu personally thought Judy was far scarier than any fox when she was hopping mad. She had this glare that made you wonder if she was going to bite your head off. With a slight shake of his head, Stu added, "Besides, Judy will find love in her own time and in her own way and I'm sure her choice is going to surprise us." Waving his paw, he said, "I mean, that is why you moved her into that bigger room when she left for college, isn't it?"
Bonnie didn't look at her husband, but pointedly looked at a photo of her grandparents hanging on the wall. Taking a bigger drink of her tea, she then grumbled, "Fat lot of good it's done her!"
"Now, Bon-bon…" Stu called her up, though he was a little surprised. Bonnie didn't usually let her irritation get to her like this. And then getting caught between the two hot-headed Hopps' girls was a nightmare and a headache he very much wished to avoid.
Setting her cup down, Bonnie threw her paws up in the air, "What, Stu!? Judy is still single, she still swears off dating and marriage, and she still won't adopt Jenny's girls! If she waits any longer, the girls will be too big to adopt, and she'll be too old to have kits!" With her nose twitching in her agitation, she added, "She refuses to even meet anyone who shows the slightest interest in her!"
Grabbing his wife's paws, Stu said, "Now, Bon-bon, no need to exaggerate. Judy will marry when the time is right, you just have to have a little more faith and patience."
"But how is she supposed to fall in love with anyone when she won't even meet them!?" Bonnie cried. With a heavy huff—she had been more than patient and had lost faith that Judy would ever marry—Bonnie looked back towards her grandparent's black and white photo. It was in one of those old, antique oval frames and Bonnie missed them dearly. They would know how to handle Judy if they were still around. They would have found the perfect buck for Judy ages ago and made sure her bun-bun married.
Stu's ears drooped as he sighed again. "Are you talking about Jazzy?"
With a shrug, Bonnie murmured, "Jazzy is a nice buck and he shares a lot of the same interests as bun-bun. Furthermore, he's already working in her chosen career. There's no reason why they can't at least meet. That's all I asked—just meet." Looking up to meet her husband's brown eyes, she exclaimed, "But what does bun-bun do instead? She throws a fit! So how am I supposed to be patient and have faith when Judy gives me nothing to have faith in?"
Leaning down, Stu wrapped his wife in a hug. "Bonnie, sweetheart, Judy is stubborn just like you. The harder you push, the harder she digs her heels in. The more she digs her heels in, the harder you push. Judy takes too much after you in this respect." Rubbing her back, Stu then said, "Judy just had her dreams blow up in her face and is just now finding the drive to stand back up again. Give her some room to breathe and gather her bearings, and if you do, I promise—love will come naturally."
"I hope you're right," Bonnie mumbled into his shoulder as she hugged Stu back. She really hated seeing her little trier being alone. Especially when her dreams just died a horrible, agonizing death. It was times like this that her little bun-bun needed someone in her life more than ever. If she had a boyfriend or a husband she could turn to when the world crumbled around her, then maybe Judy wouldn't have fallen into such a deep depression. She would have had a pair of strong arms to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right—just like she did with Stu.
Stu was always there to hold her whenever Bonnie was feeling down, or it seemed like nothing was going right. Just talking to him always seemed to make the problems seem not so bad anymore—and she wanted her little trier to have someone whom she could also turn to and rely on…Was that too much to ask?
Rubbing his wife's back a moment longer, Stu pulled back to meet Bonnie's amethyst gaze, saying, "Trust me, Judy will find love, probably sooner than we know," Stu was thinking of a particular orange and cream todd with bright, green eyes, "but right now, we need to go check on the kits and make sure everything is going right for this 'Ugly Bug Ball' we're putting on for the kerfluffle." Bonnie nodded as she sat up straighter. "Great!" Stu said with a bright smile. "Now how about you head downstairs and check on the younger kits? We don't want any fights breaking out over costumes or anything, do we?"
With a shake of her head, Bonnie said, "No, we don't." With a light laugh, Bonnie stood up and hooked her arm through her husband's. "What about you? Are you heading outside to check on the kits setting up the bandstand?" At Stu's proud, fatherly nod, Bonnie added, "Make sure the older kits bring out the kerfluffle's bedtime snack. The little ones can eat their snacks out on the lawn while the band gets set up."
Stu agreed with his wife's suggestion, and then the two left the study and headed down the hall to their various endeavors.
-/-/-
Back in Judy's room, the song, Can I Have This Dance by PMC All-Stars was playing from Judy's phone. Nick and Judy lay on their backs on Judy's bed staring up at the ceiling while trying to catch their breaths. Judy couldn't believe the ten-minute marathon of earthly pleasures that Nick had just put her through! Closing her eyes and curling her toes, Judy could still feel every unbelievable, extraordinary, heart-stopping moment with crystal clarity.
She had no complaints. Absolutely. None. Nick had more than fulfilled the challenge, though she honestly lost count after the fourth time she climaxed. Why waste time and breath counting when Nick was showing her just how incredible it was to be a female—to be a rabbit doe—in her fox's loving, hungry embrace. She had heard her sisters bragging on a number of occasions about some amazing night they had, and how their husband or mate had been able to get them off 'so many' times…
Some of their reported numbers had been quite high, like in the forties and fifties over the course of the night, and Judy had always thought they had been exaggerating—unbelievably so—but now, she was starting to think they were only mildly exaggerating. But even if they had been speaking the truth, that was nothing—nothing—to what Nick had just done to her and for her, his incredible bunny angel (she loved it whenever he called her 'his angel')!
He had easily—easily—made her climax over twenty times in just 10 minutes. Not over the course of a day. Not over the course of a night. Ten. Minutes. Well, okay, it might not have been quite that high, and it was probably a bit more than ten minutes, but still…it had certainly been a ridiculously high number for just 10 or so minutes they stolen away together here in her room.
With a wide, contented, lazy smile curling her small muzzle, Judy sighed happily. Her time with Nick had been amazing, incredible, out of this world…there wasn't a word to adequately describe how she was feeling right now. It was just, mm-mm, mind-blowing! Her hot fox had started and ended with that incredibly big, hard, foxy cock of his, which he was able to get her off 3 or 4 times each before releasing himself. The time in-between, Nick had used that amazingly flexible, exceptionally talented, criminal tongue of his. She still couldn't decide which she liked better, his hard cock or flexible, roguish tongue, but whichever one he used on her, Judy was in absolute bunny heaven.
Now when Judy rolled her eyes after listening to her sisters bragging about their bucks and the 'amazing' night they had, it wouldn't be because she didn't believe them or thought they were exaggerating too much, no, she knew her sisters were bragging only because they had no clue what paradise truly felt like. They were frogs looking up at the sky from the bottom of a well and thinking that's all there was to it.
As her breathing calmed to a more normal rate, Judy looked over at Nick who was staring at her with a satisfied smile on his face. She was sure he was smiling in response to her own buck-toothed, extremely satisfied smile on her own face.
Meeting Judy's glowing gaze, Nick reached over and caressed her beautiful cheek, clearly just as love-drunk and lost in the heavenly afterglow of their lovemaking as she was. Although he had expected to get Judy off a good number of times, he had greatly underestimated his ability to arouse his bunny. Teasing his angel was like lighting a string of black cat firecrackers! Talk about experiencing the 4th of July on the tip of his tongue!
With all the savage attacks going on in Zootopia, the 4th of July had come and gone this year without anyone hardly noticing in the city, but Nick just experienced the greatest firework show of his life! The tastiest one of his life, too! And if it was this amazing now, with just a few stolen moments with his devilish little angel, what kind of firework show would they experience up at her cabin after everyone else returned to town for the rodeo? And how thrilling would it be if he and Judy could have their own little 'rodeo' there at the secluded cabin, just the two of them, with no one else around to hear them having fun!? With his tail wagging beside him, Nick couldn't wait enjoy it!
Rubbing his thumb across Judy's luscious lips, Nick murmured softly, "I love you, Judy. I honestly don't know how I survived the past 30 years of my life without you." Having slept-walked through most of his life, feeling alone and angry at most of the mammals he passed by or was forced to deal with, and at the same time, wondering why he was even born—what purpose and meaning did his life actually have?—Nick felt so incredibly grateful that Judy hopped into his life and woke him up to what was truly important in life, but even more than that—she showed him the reason for his existence. He was born to love her, to protect her, and to spend the left of his life making her happy. Oh, lordy, did he love her smile!
With a soft, happy giggle, Judy rolled over and snuggled into his warm, fluffy side. Resting her cheek and paw over his chest, she draped her leg over his, then looked up at his warm gaze. "Is that your ego talking after the mind-blowing time we just shared, or is it your heart speaking?"
Nick grinned down at her, saying, "Mostly my heart speaking, but it would be a lie to say my ego wasn't feeling especially pleased with itself."
Judy giggled again as she rubbed her cheek against his warm, fluffy chest. Lightly running her paw and dull claws back and forth across his chest, she relaxed while simply enjoying Nick's presence—her new mate! Her new husband!
With a silly grin on her face, Judy licked her lips. She just loved the way the words 'husband' and 'mate' felt on her tongue. She liked the feel of them on her tongue almost as much as she liked the feel of Nick on her tongue. This thought had her nose and inner ears turning bright red again as she wasn't used to having such naughty thoughts running through her mind, let alone taking up residence in it.
Turning her face, Judy buried her nose in Nick's thick chest fur and breathed deeply of his heady scent with its strong scent of violets. Taking another deep breath, she could feel herself calming down. It was strange… Nick's strong scent earlier had excited her to no end, but now, she found it extremely relaxing. Judy chalked it up to the many inconsistencies of life. As Nick's new wife and mate, she hoped to discover many more of these interesting and wonderful little contradictions that life was full of, especially being a rabbit mated to her large and loving, predatory fox.
Seeing Judy's bashful expression before she buried her face in his fluffy white chest fur, Nick smiled warmly down at her while running his claws up and down her arm. His angel was so cute! She was still wearing the amethyst lingerie he had come to love so much. Since it parted in the middle, and thus didn't get in the way of his fun, Nick never saw the need to remove it. Besides, his angel looked hot and sexy in it and looking at her as she wore it was the best eye candy he had ever experienced. He could watch her tight, little body moving around in it all day long and never get bored!
As much as he enjoyed seeing her in that mouth-watering outfit, Nick knew their time was about up and they needed to get dressed before someone came looking for him. But they did have a few more minutes, he was sure, and he needed to shift their focus from each other and back onto the bunnies beyond this room…even though, after the firework show they just shared, Nick really didn't want to think of anyone but her. It was a shame they couldn't just hide out in Judy's room the rest of the night…and all day tomorrow…
After another moment of peaceful silence as Nick enjoyed the feel of Judy curled up against him, he took a deep breath of her delectable scent and said, "I met your sister's girls this evening."
Judy's eyes widened as she glanced up at her mate. The way Nicks said 'sister's girls' made her think of only one person out of her many sisters—her littermate who had passed away just three short years ago. "Jenny's girls?" Tasha, Cotton, and Sable were the only girls in the whole burrow who anyone mentioned with such a sad, soft voice. The fatal accident that took Jenny and her loving husband Tim had left a permanent mark on their hearts that continued to bleed to this day.
Although she was quite close to the girls having helped out when they were infants, and again after the fatal car accident (she had thought on more than one occasion about adopting them if her circumstances were different), Judy was ashamed to realize she hadn't given the girls the time of day since coming back from the city. Other than an occasional 'hello' and some half-hearted story reading to the twins, Judy had been too depressed to do much of anything with them. With drooping ears, Judy wondered how the three were getting on…And what did they think of Nick?
Still running his claws up and down his wife's arm, Nick said, "Tasha was a bit scared of me at first, but the twins—the twins were something else." With a wide smile at the memory of the two adorable balls of fluff, Nick added, "They wormed their way into my heart even quicker than you did." Bringing his free paw up, he began lightly scratching Judy between the ears and the back of her head as he added, "They are quite possessive of me, and you might have to fight them over the pleasure of my claws."
Judy's eyes widened again, even as her tail began flicking at the pleasurable sensation Nick's claws felt on her scalp. "Huh?" she murmured in confusion. What did he mean, she would need to fight the twins over his claws?
With a wide grin, Nick chuckled. Pulling Judy over so she was laying across his chest (he wanted to make it easier to look into her stunning amethyst eyes), Nick told his angel about his meeting with the two black and white ninjas who stealthily snuck into the clinic before Marty could lock the doors, and how they fell over from the pleasure overload whenever he lightly scratched their heads.
Judy was surprised to hear how the twins knew of her impromptu marriage to Nick, but was grateful they had taken an immediate shine to her foxy new mate and absolutely adored him now. Knowing Nick was so well liked by a couple of her favorite nieces put a wide smile on her lips. She had always wanted to adopt Jenny's girls, but never felt the timing was right. But now, watching the warm light in Nick's brilliant emerald eyes as he spoke about the little bunnies who stole his heart, Judy wondered if now might be the right time?
Folding her paws across Nick's warm chest, Judy rested her chin on them while watching Nick talk. She enjoyed seeing the animated way in which her mate described her nieces and their wild imagination, and even claimed they could hide from him all they wanted, and he'd find them every time (he was tapping his nose while saying this). A warm smile made its way across her lips as she could just imagine the epic game of hide-and-go-seek that was sure to follow. It would be epic because once the rest of the kerfluffle found out about it, they'd all join in to try and find the perfect spot where the 'big bad fox' couldn't find them.
As Nick's story continued, Judy giggled at how the twins claimed Nick as their 'noble dragon steed.' She really wanted to see the three of them playing together. Seeing how precocious her nieces were, they took someone special to entertain them and hold their interest. Someone just like Nick—her new mate and husband!
Meeting Judy's warm, loving gaze, Nick suddenly said he could see Judy in the twins and watching them made him wonder if he wasn't seeing a glimpse into her own kithood. Judy blushed slightly at his point-on deduction. She then admitted that the twins took more after her, while their sister Tasha took after their mother, Jenny. The twins were absolute mischievous tomboys while Tasha was all 'girl' who loved dolls, princess dresses, and ballerina dancing. Nick said he could see that and admitted to wanting to spend much more time with the twins for sure, and Tasha, too, if she could ever overcome her fear of foxes.
Seeing the wide smile on Nick's face and the warm glow in his eyes as he mentioned his desire to spend more time with her nieces, put a soft smile back on Judy's lips. Turning her head to rest her cheek on her crossed paws, Judy watched the underside of Nick's white muzzle. With a flick of her cottony tail that was poking up from the bottom of her purple lingerie, Judy suddenly asked, "Nick, would you…would you ever consider adopting the girls? With me, I mean?"
Nick met his angel's liquid pools of amethyst but didn't immediately answer. He had already wanted to take the twins home with him, and well, adoption really was the only way to go. But would anyone even let them adopt a couple of bunny kits when he—Judy's new husband—was a fox?
Of course, it's not like their marriage would be immediately recognized in Bunnyburrow so if Judy adopted them herself, then they'd automatically be his once their marriage was recognized. And even if it never was recognized, it's not like they wouldn't be living as a family anyways. The thought of being a loving father figure to those sweet little girls pulled at his heartstrings almost as much as the cautious, yet hopeful look in his wife's beautiful, purple eyes.
Moving his gaze from his angel's beautiful eyes, Nick focused on her long, soft ears as he reached up and started running his finger pads up and down their silky length. After a moment more of thought, he finally said, "I think I would like that…very much so." Judy absolutely beamed at him, but before she could say anything, he added, "But—I'll only agree to adopt them on one condition."
With Nick's magic fingers still caressing her ears (she absolutely loved it!), Judy tilted her head slightly as her nose started twitching with curiosity. "Oh? And what would that be?"
Smiling, Nick replied, "I'll agree to adopt your nieces if you…" he dropped his gaze to meet her stunning amethysts again, "agree to adopt a couple of fox kits I know who are stuck in a Zootopia orphanage."
Judy's eyes widened at Nick's unexpected condition. With a wider smile crossing her lips and her tail flicking excitedly, Judy pushed herself up into a sitting position that had her straddling her mate's stomach. "Really? You have two fox kits you want to adopt? Are they related to you or something?" she asked curiously.
Nick shook his head. "Jeremey is an 8-year-old gray fox kit and Riley is a 9-year-old red fox/coyote hybrid." Shaking his head again, he explained, "My meeting them was a stroke of divine intervention." Judy raised her brow and he chuckled, saying, "They had kicked their tatty old soccer ball over the fence and the ball smacked me upside the head." As Judy gasped and covered her mouth with her paws, Nick tapped the side of his head and said, "I got a nice goose egg and a headache for my troubles."
Reaching forward with one paw, while still covering her mouth with the other, Judy lightly fingered the spot where Nick said he'd been hit. "Are you…" she shook her head. "Were you okay?"
Nick nodded, then chuckle, saying, "Honestly, after seeing Riley, there's no way I could ignore them." Judy tilted her head as her nose started twitching with curiosity, so Nick explained, "Riley looks more like a red fox than a coyote but is big for his age due to his coyote blood, so he looks a bit older than he actually is." Running a paw through his head fur, Nick murmured, "Riley also has similar markings to my younger brother Landon, so seeing the young fox standing over me was quite the shock."
Rubbing his temple at the memories, Nick continued, saying, "Anyways, I haven't seen Landon since I was 16. Landon was small for his age—we didn't have a lot of food back then—so when I saw Riley," Nick tapped the side of his head, "you know, while my ears were ringing and my vision was all blurry, I swear I was seeing my little brother again. It gave me the shock of my life, let me tell you." With a flick of his ear, he added, "Once my vision cleared, though, it was obvious it wasn't my brother. I mean, Riley had similar markings, but even with his coyote blood, he was still too young to be my brother…but the resemblance was uncanny."
As Nick shook his head at the memory, Judy had another thought cross her mind. Almost afraid to hear the answer, she bit her lip, then asked softly, "Did Landon die?"
Nick's eyes widened and he waved his paws out in front of his face, saying, "No! No, he didn't…" Dropping his paws, Nick then dropped his head back against the bed and rubbed his paw through his head fur again, "I don't think he's dead, but I honestly don't know."
Taking a deep breath while staring sightlessly at the ceiling, Nick explained, "I had a big fight with my mom over my hustling to bring a little extra money into the house—she was a proud vixen and didn't want to live up to the 'thieving' fox stereotype. I was tired of starving, though, and watching Landon starve and listening to his pained whimpers just tore me up inside. I was the older brother, and with our dad gone, it was my responsibility to take care of him and our mom."
With a heavy sigh, Nick closed his eyes gripped the bridge of his nose. "Mom never saw it that way, though, and after a nasty fight over using my hustling money to pay the back rent on the house so we didn't lose it, I packed up and left home. Whenever I scraped up a little extra money, I'd send it home to Landon in a letter, letting him know how I was doing and where I was at."
Rubbing his paw down his muzzle, Nick then murmured in a pained voice, "But then one of my letters came back to me after a year. I went home, but my mom and brother were just…gone. Nobody knew anything about them, either. It's like my mom and brother just vanished into thin air." Covering his eyes with both arms as he crossed them over his face, Nick mumbled, "I never did find out what happened to them, no matter how long or hard I looked." With a heavy sigh, he whispered, "After a while, I convinced myself that they didn't want to be found…not by me, anyways."
Judy bit her lip again while remembering Nick bragging about how he started hustling when he was 12. With her ears drooping, she realized Nick was probably hustling, not by choice, but by necessity…and that 200 dollars a day he bragged about making, yeah, it was now obvious to her that it was just a big fat lie. This made Judy wonder: if she and her siblings were starving, what would she do to ensure they got something to eat?
With a shake of her head, Judy knew she'd make the same choice as Nick if that was the only way she could keep her siblings and herself from starving to death. And then, for Nick to lose his family like that, without any reason or explanation, Judy was sure Nick felt abandoned. No wonder he walked out on her back at the conference! He probably feared she'd abandon him just like his mom did! It also better explained why he was such a jerk when they first met. Being forced to live on the street from the time he was a teen would make anyone jaded after nearly 2 decades! It was a miracle Nick still had a heart, and more so, that he had entrusted that heart to her—a rabbit!
Seeing Nick hide the pain he was feeling behind his arms, Judy slid her paws up Nick's chest as she leaned forward to kiss him softly on the lips, then left a trail of soft kisses down his chin, murmuring, "So when you saw Riley…?" Judy hoped to get Nick's mind off the past and onto the present, though she did want to ask more about his parents—Where was his dad?—just not now, when Nick was feeling so vulnerable.
Lifting his arms to look at his sweet, little angel, a ghost of a smile touched Nick's lips. Reaching over to caress her ears again as Judy sat back up to look at him, her ears flopping forward to listen, Nick said, "I couldn't be there for my brother, but seeing Riley and Jeremy, it was like I was given a second chance to do things over and I swore those 2 boys wouldn't end up like me and Landon did. Even if I couldn't adopt them myself, I was going to make sure they had enough food to eat, decent clothes to wear, and an adult who cared about them."
With a bigger smile crossing his muzzle, Nick slid his paws down her shoulders, then slipped his paws up her palms before lacing his own fingers through hers. With a brighter smile, he told her about how he had been volunteering at the orphanage for the last 2 years and how most of his extra hustling money went to the kits. What he didn't spend directly on several of the predator kits that he had gotten close to (he bought them toys, clothes, and took them on short trips to the ice cream parlor or pizza joint with the ridiculously oversized mouse-mascot), Nick donated directly to the orphanage to use however they thought would best benefit the kits.
Judy's ears drooped as she realized, once again, how monumentally off her first impression of Nick had been. There was so much more to her handsome fox than she had ever imagined. His heart was so much bigger than she could ever have guessed when they first met, especially when he wore his 'jerk mask of indifference.' Leaning down, Judy pressed her lips to Nick's briefly, then parted her lips and kissed him deeply which had his tail thumping beside him.
Sitting back up, with her paws still clasped in Nick's, Judy moved one of their clasped paws up so she could caress his cheek with her finger.
Meeting her loving gaze with one of his own, Nick licked his lips and purred (her kisses were always so delicious!). "What was that for?"
With her smile still in place, she scratched him below the ear, saying, "For being you. For being the incredible, loving fox who stole my heart. I am very much looking forward to discovering all the many wonderful facets that make you—you."
Beside him, Nick's tail began wagging much faster now. Caressing Judy's cheek with the back of his fingers in much the same way she had caressed him, he murmured, "Thanks, Carrots. I'm looking forward to discovering all the many amazing things that make up you, as well."
As Nick kissed the back of her paw, Judy smiled, then tilted her head and leaned down to kiss him again which allowed Nick to catch the time glowing from her clock sitting on her nightstand. With his eyes widening as his ears disappeared against his skull, Nick released her paws and cried, "Just not right now!"
Jerking up straighter as her ears drooped, Judy murmured, "Huh?"
Nick sat up and pointed to her clock, saying, "Time's ticking and we're going to get caught if we sit here any longer." Pointing to the closed door on the opposite wall next to Judy's bunny-sized walk-in closet, he said, "Please tell me there's a bathroom hiding behind door number 2."
With a laugh, Judy hopped off Nick's lap and spun around while flicking her cottony tail at her mate. "As a matter of fact," she said over her shoulder, "there is, so we're in luck."
Getting up, Nick followed Judy as she sauntered towards the bathroom, his eyes following her silky, cotton ball tail the whole time. "Do all the adult rooms have their own bathrooms?" he asked curiously while walking past his clothes strewn across Judy's floor and making a path to her bedroom door.
Judy laughed as she reached the bathroom door. Opening it, she spun around and said, "Actually, no. Most of the rooms don't have their own bathrooms." With a smug smile, she added, "This is a couple's room with soundproof walls and a personal bathroom. These rooms are for those that get married but want to remain on the farm instead of moving out."
Nick's jaw dropped and his tail slumped to the floor. "Say what?" he murmured in astonishment as Judy was clearly not married. Well, she was now, but she wasn't married when she left the house a few hours ago.
Judy giggled at Nick's comical expression, then spun back around and walked in the bathroom, saying, "That's exactly what I said when my mother showed me this room on my first trip home from college."
With a flick of his dark, triangular ear and swish of his tail, Nick followed Judy into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Judy had pulled out a couple of washcloths from a drawer and wet one of them to wipe her fur down. Nick turned on the faucet and stuck his muzzle under the stream of warm water to wash off Judy's bunny juices…her 'bunny honey' Nick thought to himself, considering she tasted a lot like honeysuckle.
While they cleaned up, Judy explained how her mom thought a large bunny wedding was one of the reasons Judy had sworn off marriage, so Bonnie moved her in here after Judy left for college, just in case she decided to elope. Her mother really wanted to attend the wedding but figured if Judy actually did decide to get married, it would be on a whim. Being impatient and not liking the idea of a big, huge wedding, Bonnie figured Judy would decide on a quick wedding at some quaint, back-country chapel, in which case, Judy would surprise her parents with her new husband.
Hence the large couple's room. Bonnie didn't want to embarrass Judy and her new husband by coming home to a tiny single's room but would already have a couple's room to share. Not only did this room boast its own private bathroom and walk-in closet, but was much more spacious than the other adult rooms in the burrow, which allowed it to fit a bassinet in the corner for their little ones once they were born, at least until the babies were big enough to move to the nursery.
Nick was in the process of wiping Judy's juices off the inside of his legs with the second washcloth when Judy finished her explanation and he paused in his wiping. He had wondered why Judy's bed was so big for a single rabbit—he was almost comfortable on it—and if he were to lay on his side and curl up around Judy, it would be the perfect size. The room too, though still small for a fox, was on the 'cozy' side of small instead of 'cramped' side of small. But to hear how Bonnie expected Judy to show up one day with a husband in tow with no prior notice of her decision to marry, had Nick chuckling.
At Judy's cocked ear at his sudden laughter, Nick leaned over and rested his paws on his knees so they were eye-level. With a wide, smug grin, he explained, "Well, you did exactly what your mother thought you would do—you got married on a whim and didn't give any notice to anyone of your decision." With a mischievous light dancing in his bright, emerald gaze, Nick added, "When your mother finds out about me and about us," he leaned forward to boop her in the nose, "she has absolutely no reason to complain—even if I'm not the husband she envisioned for you."
Judy stared into Nick's startling green eyes for a moment, then started laughing herself. "You're right. My mom can't complain, now can she?"
With a shake of his head as he stood up straight, Nick grinned. "No, no she cannot." With a smug grin still in place, Nick returned to wiping down his legs with the wet, slightly soapy washcloth.
Judy was done cleaning herself and was drying her fur with a towel while adding, "There's actually a little chapel up near the ranger's station since there's a fair number of couples who like to get married in the mountains." With a smirk of her own, Judy added, "So when I return next week with my husband in tow, they might even think we eloped there." She wondered how it would be, to have an actual wedding, with Nick standing next to her as her groom. The mountain chapel would be nice, but would they allow a fox and bunny to get married in it?
As Nick took the towel from Judy so he could dry himself, he asked, "Is that something you would want? An actual wedding where you get to dress in white?"
Judy paused in brushing her fur, then looked up to meet Nick's warm, curious gaze. She pondered a moment, then said, "Yes. If it's you, then yes, I want an actual wedding where my friends and family can attend…if that's okay with—."
Nick stole the words right out of her mouth as he kissed her, then rested his forehead against hers, saying, "I would love to see you dressed in white and standing next to me as my bride."
With a bright, blinding, buck-toothed smile, Judy hugged him tightly, saying, "That's great! I already have an idea for our wedding, so we can discuss it up at the cabin."
Nick smiled warmly while hugging his angel, then released her. He needed to dry off, then they needed to dress. Since Judy was done, he suggested Judy call Shaylee and have her grab the musk-mask out of the jeep and bring it down to them…and his hat as he'd be needing it when he played.
Judy was glad to hear they had some musk mask already (there was no way she could hide Nick's scent on her otherwise). With her phone call made, Judy turned to getting dressed while Nick shamelessly watched her from the bathroom—he loved the purple lingerie as much as he liked seeing her in the fur. The lingerie made her look like a sexy ethereal fairy while she was just plain gorgeously hot while standing there wearing nothing but her white and silver-gray fur.
With a flick of her cotton ball tail as her ears and nose turned a dark shade of pink as Nick's appreciative gaze ate her up, Judy quickly dressed, then it was her turn to shamelessly watch her mate dress. But as Nick bent over to pull on his pants and underwear, Judy's eyes widened in concern. "Nick!" she cried while hopping off her bed. Nick glanced up at the worry in her voice, but she was already at his back and pawing at the bandage over his knife wound. "You're bleeding again!"
Nick paused for a moment with his pants half on as he remembered smelling a little blood when he took Judy against the wall the second time, but he had pointedly ignored it. He wasn't going to let a little blood get in the way of his enjoyment of his new mate and wife. But smelling the blood now that he was no longer ignoring it, he noticed there was a bit more than just 'spotting.' That last time on the bed must have pulled at his muscles more than he thought, though he'd take her again in a heartbeat if they had the time.
Trying to calm Judy down before she started to panic, Nick stood up and finished pulling on his pants, saying, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised it's bleeding again. We were going at it like…" Nick paused for a moment with a smug smirk on his muzzle, "rabbits."
Judy turned beet red at the reminder, but then rolled her eyes. Ignoring his snarky comment, she pulled out her phone and called Claire. Her sister answered right away (she had been looking at photos of Aiden on her phone) and when Judy asked where she was, Claire replied she was sitting in her office and then asked what difference it made? Feeling embarrassed at what she needed to ask, Judy took a deep breath and asked if Claire could bring another change of bandages for Nick.
"Those were fresh bandages!" Claire exclaimed. "What were you guys doing that he'd need a change them already!?"
Judy was quiet for several moments as her nose twitched relentlessly while she remembered exactly what she and Nick had been up to. With a soft murmur, she asked, "Do I really have to answer that?"
Claire was silent a moment as she realized she was talking to Judy—who had just recently taken Nick as her mate and husband. With her own ears and nose turning slightly red, she answered, "Uh, no, forget I even asked." Judy breathed a sigh of relief and then Claire said, "I'll be right there. Are you in your room?"
After Judy said 'yes', they ended their call and Claire started gathering up the supplies she needed. Remembering that Nick was heading to the mountains with Judy tomorrow morning, Claire decided she better pack them a weeks' worth of bandages and a first aid kit with hydrogen peroxide, Neosporin, and plenty of cotton balls, along with a few other necessities the newlyweds might need.
After putting everything in a nondescript, black bag with a drawstring tie, she slung it over her shoulder and made her way down to her younger sister's room with so many questions bouncing around in her head. Since she was also in love with a larger predator not so different from Judy's red fox—the first question she was going to ask was: Just how good was it being with a larger canid?
-/-/-
Down in the kits' large playroom, several adults were trying to manage the chaos of helping over 30 kits—8 years old and under—into their bug costumes for the Ugly Bug Ball which they were all attending (there were a few 9- and 10-year old's dressing up, too, but most thought they were too old for an 'Ugly Bug Ball'). The kits at first didn't know what to think when they were told a friend of Judy's from the city, who just happened to be a fox, would be singing for them tonight out on the lawn.
Of course, once they heard they could dress up for the 'Ball' everyone was excited. They couldn't remember the last time they were able to dress up for a party. Amidst the scuffles over who got to wear which costume or various bug wings, the adults got everyone sorted out—that is, until the trouble twins showed up to get their costumes on.
Cotton wanted to wear light blue butterfly wings and a light blue shimmering gown and cape (it was her Elsa costume from Floatzen she wore last Halloween) because she was going to be Elsa when they helped Nick sing 'Let It Go'. Sable, on the other paw, wanted to be a red ladybug, but she needed her light green hoody and leggings and a black skirt because she was going to be Penelope from Wreck-It-Rhino when they sang 'When Can I See You Again' at the end of the Ball.
The twins dressing up as a butterfly version of Elsa and a ladybug version of Penelope wasn't the problem. The problem arose from them bragging about their friendship with the fox and how they were his backup singers for some of the songs and a couple of the main female singers for others. This set the kits off about how unfair it was until the twins pointed out they had to sing next to a fox—a largeredfox that towered over them.
This quieted down the younger, more timid kits (and some of the older kits) as they didn't feel comfortable being that close to a fox and his sharp teeth and claws. He could gobble them up before anyone knew what was happening! A few of the older, more adventurous 7 and 8-year-old kits thought they should still be able to go on stage and sing with the others. They didn't like the troublesome twins getting the spotlight and were feeling quite jealous.
This turned into a huge argument as Cotton and Sable argued that since Nick was their bestest-best friend in the world, it was their right to sing on stage with him. The older kits argued that since they were older, they should have the chance to sing and not them. This turned into an even bigger scuffle between five of them where the fur started flying and the adults had to jump in to break up the kits fighting.
"Cotton and Sable, that's enough!" Bonnie said as she pulled them off one of the older girls and two of the boys. Marty's mom, Suzie, held the boys back while Suzie's older daughter, Lynette, held onto the girl, who happened to be her 7-year-old niece Brittany, a white bunny with light blue-gray eyes and pale gray ears, muzzle, and paws.
"They started it!" Cotton and Sable both yelled at the same time. Luckily, they hadn't put their costumes on yet, but that couldn't be said of the other three bunnies. Sable had broken one of the elastic shoulder straps for Brittany's wings when she pulled on it, while Cotton had bent one of the bee antennas her cousin Carlos was wearing and pulled one of the eyes off of his brother's caterpillar costume. She had also pulled a pawful of fur from the longer fur just to the side of Marlo's ear (he was the buck in the caterpillar costume).
"But we're older!" Carlos and Marlo, 8-year-old twins, yelled back. "We should be on stage, not them!" They were both dark chocolate bunnies (which gave them the nickname: chocolate twins) with a black muzzle and ears and were always clashing with the Warrens twins (Cotton and Sable as their daddy was a Warrens). As Cotton and Sable seemed to get into more trouble and fuss than the other kits, were frequently referred to as the trouble twins.
Since the girls were complete tomboys, they were always stealing their cousins' toys and wanting to get in the way of their playing which Carlos and Marlo always hated. The younger twins were so frustrating to be around! At least they were when Cotton and Sable weren't disappearing on everyone, making the adults ignore them and all the other kits in order to go on a burrow-wide rabbit hunt for the twins. They were so annoying for always stealing the spotlight for the adults' attention!
Trying to wiggle out of her grandma's grip, Cotton hollered, "What do you care!? You don't even like foxes. You always calling 'em names and saying how they shouldn't never been born!" Carlos and Marlo were two of their Pop-pop's favorite grandsons and they were always listening to him when Pop-pop told his horrible stories about how foxes were red 'cause they were made by the devil, and how they were all conniving, untrustworthy thieving varmints.
"Yeah," Sable piped in beside her sister as she, too, tried to wiggle out of her grandmother's grasp so she could hit the dumb boys. She wanted to pop them right in their stupid, twitching, black noses. Hers was a pretty, black nose, but theirs was just plain ugly. Their black noses were an eyesore to look at! "You pick on the fox kits at the park until they yell at you, just to get 'em in trouble claiming they was gonna attack you! You meanies! Dirty-rotten bullies! You's the one that shouldn't been born!" Kicking out her leg, she tried to reach Carlos's shin.
"That's enough!" Bonnie spoke loudly and sternly. "If you don't all want to end up in your rooms for timeout during the party, I suggest you quit fighting THIS INSTANT."
Cotton and Sable immediately went limp and acted as meek and quiet as a sleeping baby. There was no way they were going to miss the party and their chance to get on stage and sing with their Uncle Nick.
Carlos and Marlo were still fuming though, and Brittany wasn't too happy either. (She was bent over rubbing her leg calf where Sable had kicked her before pulling on her wing strap and breaking it.)
Seeing that Cotton and Sable were no longer fighting, Bonnie turned her attention to the other set of twins in the burrow who seemed to get into their fair share of trouble. "Is that true? Do you two pick on the predator kits at the park to get them in trouble?" Although she didn't want to believe it, when thinking back, she was aware that her two grandsons here had been 'threatened' by predator kits an unreasonable number of times. But if they were starting it with the intent to get the other kits in trouble, that had to come to a stop.
Remembering how the predator kits always claimed the bucks had started it and wouldn't leave them alone (when a predator and prey got in a confrontation, the predator was usually accused of being in the wrong), Bonnie now felt that the predators might have been in the right, after all. The fact she had to learn about this through Sable irritated her. What were her adult kits doing at the park when they were supposed to be watching the kits? Couldn't they see what was going on or did they simply not care because the other kits being pushed around were predators? Specifically, foxes?
If this was the case, Bonnie needed to have a serious talk with the older kits and adults who took the younger kits to the park because that is not how they treated other mammals in this family! She could also see that some of the younger kits were spending way too much time with her grandfather, Pop-pop, as that was the kind of attitude he always encouraged. Bonnie knew she was going to have to keep a sharper eye and ear on what stories he was telling the kits and limit how much time they spent with him.
"Of course, not!" Carlos and Marlo claimed in response to Grandma Bonnie's question. The fact that they refused to look her in the eyes, though, as their gazes traveled around the room behind her, told Bonnie the boys were probably lying.
Giving them another stern glare, Bonnie said, "Boys, that is NOT how we treat other mammals, no matter what species they are."
Carlos and Marlo were feeling miffed that they were now getting in trouble when Cotton and Sable started the fight. This wasn't fair! "But they were just dumb foxes and sniveling ferrets!" Carlos cried, followed by Marlo's question of, "Why should we be nice to a bunch of varmints like them!?"
"Boys!" Suzie exclaimed in a surprised hiss of disapproval, even as Bonnie raised a brow and asked in an icy tone that barely contained her anger, "Oh, and that makes it okay? That they were foxes and ferrets?"
Hearing the barely suppressed anger in their grandma's voice, the boys immediately closed their mouths and stared at the ground, even as their ears drooped. They knew they were in real trouble now.
"I don't think such behavior warrants attending a party, do you, Suzie?" Bonnie stated icily to the boys, then glanced up at her sister-in-law with a slightly warmer tone.
"Of course, not, Bonnie." Glaring down at the twins in her paws, Suzie said, "I think a night in their room is in order. Tomorrow we can decide on their punishment for their misconduct and willfully hurting others."
With a nod of approval, Bonnie turned her gaze back to the chocolate twins and said, "Go to your room." She pointed towards the doorway leading to the kits' rooms. "Now! MARCH!" For emphasis, she pointed to the door again.
"But Grandma!" Carlos and Marlo whined at the same time. "It's not fair! Cotton and Sable started the fight! Plus, we're older! We should be singing on stage—not them!"
Giving the boys a grim stare, Bonnie said, "This has nothing to do with your little squabble with your cousins. This is about lying with the intention of hurting others."
Speaking up from where she stood behind Brittany, Lynette said, "If Judy was here, she'd say you two were guilty of not only committing a crime, but of conspiracy to commit a crime. That's a lot worse than simply committing it."
Although she wasn't really close to her cousin Judy (Lynette was several years younger), she had always admired her cop cousin and her push to be more than your average bunny. The fact she was able to break the 'timid bunny' mold and pursue her dream, even if that dream was short lived, really impressed her and gave her courage to pursue her own dreams—now if she could just figure out what she wanted to do with her life, that would be great (she had just graduated high school this year and wasn't sure what she wanted to do now).
Hearing her niece's words, Bonnie nodded, then looked back at the boys. "Do you hear that? Not only are you guilty of lying and willfully hurting others, but you are also guilty of conspiracy. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Although most of the bunnies in the burrow hadn't thought Judy would ever be a cop, and terrified of the idea if she actually did, having her grow up in the burrow while pursuing her dream rubbed off on a lot of the adults and older kits—especially when it came to interrogating guilty offenders. It didn't matter whether they were the younger kits lying about something they did (or broke) or stealing toys, candy, and cookies they weren't supposed to have, or if they were the older kits sneaking out of the burrow when they should be in their room studying or sleeping, the adults had begun using some of the police jargon that Judy frequently spouted off when she was home and had been left in charge of a group of kits.
"But…but…Grandma…" the boys whined again. They knew they were caught, and they had nothing to say that could save them now.
With a shake of her head and twitch of her pink nose, Bonnie glared at them, saying, "No buts. To your room. NOW." She pointed back at the doorway.
Carlos and Marlo still wanted to argue, so Suzie grabbed one ear each and said, "I'll escort them to their room."
With a heavy sigh, Bonnie nodded as she replied, "Thanks, sister." Although they weren't sisters by blood, having married brothers and lived under the same roof for so many years, Bonnie and Suzie frequently referred to each other as 'sister' as that was how they saw each other after all this time.
As Suzie led the boys past Cotton and Sable, they glanced angrily at the younger twins. When their eyes met, the girls stuck their little, pink tongues out at them which made them even angrier. This wasn't fair! The trouble twins got to stay for the party and be up on stage and they had to go to their room! Unfair! Unfair! Unfair! And it was all the Warrens twins' fault! If not for them, they would still be going to the party. Not fair and it was all their fault!
Watching their Aunt Suzie leading the awful boys away, Cotton and Sable were feeling much better. Carlos and Marlo always had a rotten attitude around them and never let them play with them, so the twins had long since put them down on their list of kits they didn't like and would sometimes go out of their way just to get on their nerves, as the 'chocolate twins' frequently did to them.
With the commotion over, Bonnie sighed again and turned her attention to Brittany and her torn costume. "Shall we get your wings fixed?"
"Yeah," Brittany mumbled while watching her Grandma Suzie lead the boys from the room while giving them an earful. Standing up straighter, Brittany pulled her yellow butterfly wings off and handed them over to her Aunt Bonnie.
With the dumb boys gone, Cotton turned back to getting her own costume on, but Sable didn't immediately move. She was thinking of Uncle Nick and what he might say if he was here. She desperately wanted Nick and Judy to adopt them, so she didn't want to disappoint him anymore. Looking at her cousin limping after her grandma, Sable figured she shouldn't have kicked her cousin…or ripped her costume. Brittany wasn't a rotten meanie like the chocolate twins. She just wanted to be on stage and sing.
Biting her lip for a moment, Sable watched her cousin limping for a moment, then said, "Um, Brittany…"
As Brittany looked back at her younger, black cousin in irritation, she huffed, "What?"
Sable bit her lip again, then said, "I…I sorry I kicked you…and…I sorry I ripped your wings. I shouldn't have done that. I sorry."
Brittany was stunned at the apology (as were the adults and a fair number of the other kits). Cotton and Sable never apologized for anything unless the adults made them, and then it was said hurriedly without hardly a thought for what they were apologizing for. They said 'sorry' just to get it done and over with. But Sable wasn't being forced to apologize and even more shocking—she actually sounded like she meant it!
Being shocked to silence, it took Brittany several heartbeats to reply to Sable's apology. "Um, okay, I guess." Her brain was struggling to accept what was happening, so she wasn't even sure what she said.
Sable flashed her a bright smile, then said, "If you ask Uncle Nick nicely, he might let you sing with us."
Brittany blinked in surprise at Sable's suggestion, even as her nose started twitching.
"But only if you're not scared of him," Cotton said while adding a condition. "Uncle Nick probably won't let you sing with us if you're scared of him." Having heard her sister's apology, Cotton immediately thought of Uncle Nick and their conversation at dinner. Like Sable, she didn't want to disappoint him anymore. Seeing as her sister was trying to make things right with their cousin Brittany, Cotton felt she should speak up, too. She didn't mind Brittany singing with them, but only if she wasn't afraid of Uncle Nick and treated him like the good fox he was.
Brittany paused for a moment, then nodded her head. Even though Nick was a scary city fox, she was going to ask him to let her sing, too. If the trouble twins weren't afraid of him, then she wouldn't be either.
With the room still quiet in shock of Sable's apology, Brittany disappeared with Bonnie to fix her wings and Cotton and Sable were finally able to pull on their costumes. As they slipped into their Elsa and Penelope costumes before putting their wings and bug antenna's on, Sable whispered to Cotton, "Do you think we have to apologize to the dumb chocolate twins?"
Cotton paused at pulling on her wings, then shook her head. "Those boys are a bunch of meanies who like to hurt foxes. Uncle Nick won't want us to apologize to them." She hadn't forgotten how her new uncle said he'd been picked on and bullied himself, so she didn't want to apologize to anyone that would do that to him.
Sable immediately agreed with her logic. Furthermore, Sable thought she might just get a tummy ache if she had to apologize to those rotten boys with their ugly black noses.
The rest of the time went much calmer as the kits finished getting into their costumes and headed outside. They had only walked along one corridor when a large number of the youngest kits suddenly decided they all needed to use the bathroom (one kit mentioned they needed to go, and suddenly, a couple dozen needed to go). That took a while, but they were finally able to make it outside.
With their noses twitching and their ears perked forward in curiosity about the Ugly Bug Ball the fox was singing at, the young buns saw a bunch of the older kits standing in line with their bedtime snacks ready for them to eat. Taking their snacks, they were led to the blankets where they could sit and eat while they waited for the 'Ugly Bug Ball' to start. Once everything was set, it was time to bring up the band and the singers.
WingedKatt again. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next time will be the actual Ugly Bug Ball.
Ch. 40: The Ugly Bug Ball, will post in 2 weeks.
Have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.