(A/N) I have had some uh...complications with writing recently. Most of it was just me being lazy but I'm going to blame part of it on the disaster of a 'conversation' I had elsewhere on the internet a few weeks ago. For that reason, I want to thank all of my readers and reviewers again for being so helpful and supportive to me all this time. After being treated the way I was in that other interaction, I'm even more grateful for all of you. It's probably naive of me to expect not to run into toxic people sometimes, but I've really not had that many experiences like that on the internet so it took a lot out of me.

Anyway. Gonna shut up now so I don't rant about that too long. Time to see where the story goes next!

In the weeks following the last tutoring meetup, Judy had a lot on her mind.

For one thing, she was still baffled by Bonnie's concerns from earlier, and talking to others about her confusion only seemed to make it worse. Particularly Sharla, who still occasionally winked at her when she mentioned her studies with Nick.

And as if that wasn't enough, she was beginning to realize just how long the time between tutoring days was. They usually met every other week, unless there was more material than usual to go over, and then they might go week to week for a bit. But even then, only seeing Nick once every week or two didn't feel right anymore. When they first started and she still wasn't sure where their friendship stood, those spaced out meetups were more than enough. But now?

Worse, it was becoming more apparent that she and Nick still didn't get much time to talk, since they spent most of the visit time going over schoolwork. Judy still barely knew what the fox's life was like at the moment, much less how he felt about everything they'd clashed over in the last few years. Had he really changed from then? It didn't seem like he was antagonizing prey students anymore, but it was hard to say for sure since she rarely saw him at school.

And because of everything else, school was starting to stress her out as well. For the first time, she found herself genuinely worried that she wouldn't be able to keep her own grades from falling, much less help Nick with his. But the tutoring sessions were the only time she got to see him, so she pushed herself to keep doing well. She stayed up later to study, and sometimes went outside to do so a little before or after school. She had even taken to working on homework during lunch, though it didn't make Sharla talk any less.

Judy didn't mind the company, though. She found that it was actually easier for her to concentrate when Sharla was there, talking to her. Hearing about the drama in the sheep's life also distracted her from worrying about her own problems for a while each day.

"...so now she's telling Gareth he needs to come home from practice earlier or else the preds will come and ship him off to the slaughterhouse," she said. "And I offered to talk to her about it, but he says he'll just find another time to practice? Like...what? Please don't tell me you're believing this now!"

It was times like these Judy was thankful she didn't live at Sharla's house, though it still didn't provide much comfort about her own life.

"I guess you're just lucky you didn't end up believing any of it," Judy said, her eyes still fixed on the textbook in front of her.

"Black sheep, remember?" Sharla chuckled. "Hey, but you're not too different, right? I mean, not a lot of your family thought too much of preds—well, except Chloe—but you and Nick still became fast friends!"

"I guess so."

"But at least some of your siblings are really cool! Like Chloe and Mallory and Peter. I wish I had someone like them to talk to. Well, I mean, I have you, but I mean someone at home, you know?"

"I thought you and Gareth got along?"

"Well...we get along, but it's just that he's...not quite as much of a rebel as me," Sharla explained. "I think he might still think that Nick wants to eat you...but I don't wanna ask him."

Judy almost made a comment about how her mom thought she and Nick were going to do something else, but decided against it. Sharla would probably just wink at her again or something.

"So...your birthday's coming up..." Sharla continued.

"Wait, it is?" Judy exclaimed, suddenly looking up from her books.

Sharla laughed, rolling her eyes a bit.

"What is it with you lately?" she asked. "You forget your birthday, you've always got your head in those books…"

"I...I just…" Judy started. "I have to keep up with everything or else I won't be able to help Nick. I guess I just haven't had time to think about my birthday…"

Sharla paused for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"You've never had trouble keeping up with schoolwork before," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Judy replied. "But lately I just...don't know. I guess school isn't easy enough for me to just float by anymore."

"Pfft!" Sharla said. "You never floated by anyway; you used to help the rest of us with our homework, remember? Are you sure it's not because something else is distracting you lately?"

Judy didn't answer right away. Yes, something else was distracting her, but the last thing she wanted was for her friend to take it the wrong way. Then again, hiding things from Sharla never worked out anyway…

"Ok, fine, I'll tell you," she sighed. "It—"

"It's about Nick, right?" Sharla guessed.

"Sharla—"

"Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to interrupt! Continue, please."

"Well, you're not wrong," Judy said.

"Oh?"

Sharla's eyes widened and she leaned over towards Judy, resting her head on her hooves.

"I just feel like we don't get that much time to...hang out or anything anymore," she explained. "Whenever he's over there, we're doing schoolwork the whole time. And now I'm worried that if I can't do my own schoolwork…"

"I get it," Sharla said. "But if you really wanna hang out with Nick more...why don't you just ask him? You know, ask him to come over some time when you're not doing school?"

"I don't know. It's been a long time since we did that. I don't want to scare him off or anything. I don't even know if he has other friends he might be busy with…"

"Do you...want me to ask him for you?" Sharla suggested. "Or maybe just...casually ask him if he has anything else going on?"

"No, I'll...I'll do it," Judy said. "If you do it, he'll just think I'm too scared to talk to him."

"Good call," Sharla agreed. "Are...are you scared about talking to him?"

Judy buried her face in her paws. She didn't want to think she was still scared of him, after all this time. She didn't think it was because of him being a fox—or at least not completely—but it was hard to say.

"Judy…" Sharla said, rubbing the bunny's ears gently. "You don't need to worry about anything! I'm sure he wants to hang out with you too. Maybe he's just worried he'll frighten you off if he asks first."

"M-maybe…"

"Hey," Sharla continued. "Why don't you invite him over for your birthday?"

"I don't know…" Judy said uncertainly. "Rabbit birthday parties are kind of...a lot. You remember that one time you came over?"

"Oh, that was forever ago," Sharla said. "I don't know; all I remember is it took a long time to talk Mom into letting me go."

"The thing is," Judy explained, "it's not just my birthday; it's also fourteen of my siblings' birthday, too. And most of them are inviting their own friends over…"

"...Oh," Sharla said. "That, uh...complicates things a little. Is that why you never have any of us over? N-not that I'm upset about it or anything!"

"Yeah, sorry…" Judy said. "I mean, I would love to celebrate my birthday with my best friends, but honestly the whole thing just wears me out. Maybe having someone over to talk to would help, though… Would you want to come, Sharla?"

Sharla's eyes went wide again and she put a hoof to her mouth, as if to keep from spitting her food out. She took a moment to swallow, and then spoke again.

"Definitely, if you're sure you want me to!" she said. "If it's too much—"

"I don't know, I haven't had a friend over for my birthday in years," Judy said. "Maybe it would be more bearable that way, though. And...then maybe I could ask Nick, too…"

"Bearable?" Sharla repeated, giving her a confused look. "Judy, please don't tell me you've been miserable on your birthday for years now!"

"Well, miserable might be a strong word…" Judy said.

"Well, we need to fix that!" Sharla said. "If Nick and I come over, then maybe we can sneak away from all the chaos while everyone else is busy. You guys could have some quiet time together!"

It didn't escape Judy's notice that she'd said 'you guys' instead of 'us,' but she wasn't going to point that out now. She had to admit, she liked the sound of Sharla's plan. Especially since her mom would probably be a lot quicker to let Nick visit her when a lot of other mammals were already going to be there.

"I'll ask Mom to make sure," she decided. "I...can probably ask Nick the next time he comes over for tutoring."

Sharla grinned and bounced in her seat a little, clapping her hooves.

"Yes!" she said. "This is gonna be so much fun! I know you won't regret it!"

"At least I'll have someone to help fend off James and all of his minions," Judy said.

"Oh, they won't mess with us if Nick is there!" Sharla agreed. "I doubt most of them are going to get close to a predator, no matter how fearless they like to think they are… Too bad you don't share a birthday with Chloe or Peter...or Mallory, even."

"Yeah," Judy sighed.

Judy had intended on taking the very next opportunity she got to ask Bonnie about inviting Nick and Sharla to the party, but by the time she got home from school she was already tired, and her mom was busy with several of her siblings. So, she went to her room to do some more homework, and resolved to ask in the morning.

The next morning, however, Bonnie was busy making breakfast for several of the younger bunnies, so Judy again decided to wait. Truthfully, it wouldn't have been that difficult to ask her a brief question, and she doubted her mom would have a problem with it, but it just felt a little overwhelming this time. Talking to her mom reminded her of the shed discussion, and that memory was uncomfortable enough to discourage her from saying anything just yet.

Of course, that meant she had to disappoint Sharla who immediately asked if she'd presented the idea to Bonnie yet. Luckily, though, the sheep was understanding and just shrugged it off, which was a relief.

"I don't plan to ask my mom until the night before, anyway," Sharla said. "Usually then she doesn't have enough time to come up with reasons for me not to go. 'Course, she never really has a problem with me going over to your place anyway, but you know, best to be safe!"

Judy laughed in response but silently made herself swear she wouldn't wait that long to ask her own mother.

As the next few days went by, though, the bunny came up with more and more excuses to wait. Whether it was doing homework, or the fact that Bonnie was busy—which she more or less always was—Judy took every opportunity to put off the question. Her birthday was still several weeks away, so she'd have plenty of time, right?

Eventually, she waited long enough that the next tutoring day had arrived, and she realized she'd have to ask soon.

Sharla arrived a few minutes before Nick, as she usually did, and hesitantly asked Judy again if she'd talked to Bonnie.

"You know I haven't…" Judy sighed, looking down ashamedly.

"Look, just...if you would rather I ask her— Sharla suggested.

"No, I need to do it," Judy said. "Otherwise it won't look right. Look, I promise I'll ask soon, ok? I was thinking maybe I should ask Nick today to see if he even wants to come over in the first place…"

"With that attitude?" Sharla replied. "You almost sound like you don't even want him to say yes!"

"I'm just nervous about it," Judy explained. "I mean, how close are we, even? Does he really consider me a friend? It's not like it used to be…"

"Well, it's never going to be if you don't say anything!" Sharla said. "I bet he's probably feeling the same as you. You're both just too scared to say anything."

Judy nodded. They sat in silence for a little while, but before long another car came up the driveway and dropped Nick off, and suddenly Judy felt a weird sense of dread. She had thought it wouldn't be too hard to ask Nick, but now that he was here…

"Hey, Carrots," Nick said casually. "What's with the serious look? Don't tell me you're not happy to see me!"

"W-what? Huh?" Judy started. "Oh! Sorry. I just, um...I was up late, doing homework last night."

"Of course you were!" Nick laughed. "Always keeping up with school, aren't you?"

"Well, one of us has to," Judy replied.

"Fair enough," Nick agreed. "So. Back to the shed?"

"Where else?" Sharla said excitedly. "Come on, you two!"

She started towards the shed and the others followed, Judy quickly catching up to her. She wasn't sure what exactly the sheep was so excited about, but she was afraid to ask.

They reached the shed and Judy led Nick upstairs, while Sharla stayed downstairs like always. The whole time, Judy wondered if it was the right time to ask Nick.

"Will he think it's weird if I ask him now?" she wondered. "He'll probably just say something dumb like he always does...what am I worried about?"

When they got to the room at the top of the stairs, she was still going back and forth over whether or not she should ask now. Would it be better to wait until after they were done studying? But then, if she got too nervous again, she wouldn't have much time left…

"Carrots?" Nick said, looking mildly concerned. "You're doing it again. Are you sure you're not too tired to do this today?"

"No, I'm fine," Judy replied quickly. "Nick, um...there's...something I wanted to ask…"

"...Yes?" Nick said.

Judy took a deep breath. Why was this so hard? It was only one day; it wouldn't be the end of the world if he didn't come.

"Do you, um…" she started. "Do you maybe wanna come to...come over here on...well, Sharla's coming too and she thought we could all hang out…"

"And...what is it, again?" Nick asked.

"My...my birthday," Judy said, looking at the floor. "W-well, fourteen of my siblings' birthday, too. It's always really crazy but I thought it would be nice if I had some friends over, too… But you don't have to come if you don't want to!"

Judy wanted to slap herself for that last comment. Why did she have to make it sound like she didn't want him there, when she so clearly did?

"No, it sounds like fun," Nick said, a smile returning to his face. "If you're sure you want me to come over. Don't know how your siblings would feel about having a fox around on such an important day."

"Well, they can get over it!" Judy blurted out. "I...I would really like it if you came."

Slowly, she glanced back up and met his eyes again. Had they always been such a vibrant green?

"Of course I'd like to come, Carrots," Nick said. "How could I refuse such an invitation?"

Judy smiled, narrowing her eyes.

"You're just hoping there'll be blueberries, aren't you?" she asked.

"Hey, on the bright side," Nick said, "you don't have to worry about me trying to eat...you know."

He went quiet at the end, and glanced away for a moment. Judy was surprised; she'd fully expected him to finish that joke, but he seemed suddenly uncomfortable.

"Is he worried he'll upset me?" she thought.

"Well...don't let James know that," she said. "If he knows you won't eat him, who knows what he'll do?"

Nick chuckled, relaxing a little.

"And if Chloe knows, she won't like me anymore!" he added with a laugh.

Judy laughed too, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I don't know what that doe's deal is," she said. "But she'll definitely have blueberries for you! Now...should...should we get started?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Nick agreed, quickly flopping himself down on the floor and taking off his backpack. "I'm ready to learn, Carrots!"

After they were finished, Nick and Sharla talked about the possibilities of what they could get up to at the birthday party, and Judy mostly listened, relieved. Nick definitely seemed enthusiastic about spending more time at the Hopps farm, and she could only hope that meant they would start seeing each other more often.

When they got back to the house, Nick's mom was already there to pick him up, so Judy and Sharla said their goodbyes to him and then went to sit on the porch while they waited for Sharla's mom.

"So," Sharla said. "Ready to ask your mom now?"

"Oh, I forgot all about that!" Judy replied. "I sure hope she's fine with it, since I already told Nick he can come…"

"Pfft, it'll be fine," Sharla said confidently. "Just so long as you don't tell her we might slip away from the crowd."

"Yeah…"

A few minutes passed and Sharla's mom also arrived, taking Sharla with her and leaving Judy alone on the porch. She knew she should go inside and ask Bonnie about the party, but she still found herself trying to put it off. She still had a few weeks left before—

"No," she decided. "I'm not going to keep waiting. If it's not going to work out, there's no reason for me to get all excited about it, is there? I need to just get it over with…"

Taking another deep breath, she got up and turned around to open the door. When she opened it, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Bonnie was standing right behind the doorway.

"Mom!" Judy exclaimed. "W-what are you doing…?"

"I was coming to check on you," she answered, frowning. "Usually you don't stay out too long after Sharla leaves."

"Oh...I didn't realize it had been that long…" Judy said.

Her heart was still pounding and her mind felt frozen. Why did it have to be so hard to ask simple questions? Maybe if it hadn't been for that other conversation…

"H-hey, Mom?" Judy continued, almost forcing the words out.

"Yes?"

"Um...you know how I usually don't bring anyone over on my birthday?"

"Yes," Bonnie confirmed. "What about that?"

"W-well...I was wondering if...maybe Sharla and Nick could come over?" she said.

"That's fine," Bonnie said. "James has invited at least seven of his friends, so it'll be a relief to have a few better behaved mammals here."

"O-ok, thanks," Judy replied, still a little stunned. "I, um...I should probably go get started on homework now, so, um...thanks!"

She hurried inside and closed the door, and then headed down the hall towards her bedroom before Bonnie could say anything else.

Over the next few weeks, Judy tried her best not to think too much about the party, but it was hard to keep her mind off of it. She was tired of only talking to Sharla at lunch, and spending the rest of her time either in class or doing homework. She couldn't help but think of the times when she had all of her friends sitting together every day, when Nick still came over frequently just to hang out…

Recently, she had taken to doing her own homework inside the shed too. It was partially to get away from the noise of her siblings, who were spending more time outside than ever now that spring was here, but it was also for another reason. Being here reminded her that her studies with Nick depended on her ability to handle this work, and lately that was exactly what she needed.

One day, however, she was sitting by the foot of the bed, reading through her notes, when she thought she heard footsteps downstairs. At first, she shrugged it off, thinking it was just more creaking sounds, which this old building had a lot of...but then she distinctly heard someone walking up the stairs.

Judy stood up just as there was a knock on the door, and confusedly went to open it.

"Mallory?" she said, surprised. "What are you doing out here?"

"I need to talk to someone who actually has a brain," she said flatly, walking past her sister and into the room.

"Um...ok," Judy replied, carefully closing the door.

Mallory flopped herself down onto the bed, and immediately made a face of disgust.

"Ugh, what is this, a table with sheets on it?" she exclaimed.

Judy chuckled.

"Yeah, not the most comfortable spot," she agreed. "That's why I just sit on the floor. So...why exactly did you want to talk to me?"

"Because everyone else is annoying and stupid," Mallory answered, folding her arms.

"Is this about James?" Judy guessed.

"It's not just him!" Mallory replied. "It's Carl and Ben and Dylan and...ugh, everyone!"

"What is it they're doing?" Judy asked, although she was sure she knew the answer already.

"They keep saying that Brendan is going to try to eat me," Mallory said disgustedly.

"That's...what I thought," Judy said.

"I just don't get why they keep saying that because I've told them that we're friends!" she continued. "And then Tyler was saying something stupid about how predators always want to eat prey, and I told him that doesn't make any sense because Brendan is really nice and he doesn't want to hurt anyone—"

"Ok, ok, slow down!" Judy said, climbing up on the bed to sit next to her sister. "Listen, they always used to tell me the same stuff about Nick. Well...I guess they still do, but I think they've mostly learned that I don't listen."

"I don't get why it has to be so complicated," Mallory said.

"What?"

"Just...the whole...predator thing," Mallory answered.

"Oh. Yeah, I understand."

"Is...is that why you and Nick got in a fight?" Mallory asked, looking up at Judy with tears in her eyes.

"What? Me and Nick—oh, you mean a while ago?"

Mallory nodded, sniffling as she furiously tried to wipe her eyes. Judy pulled her into a hug.

"It just...happens sometimes," Judy said. "Sometimes mammals get in arguments. But it doesn't last forever. Nick is actually coming over for my birthday in a week or so."

"B-but…" Mallory started, her voice still a little choked up. "They said that all predators get mean when they grow up. I-is that going to happen to Brendan…?"

"No, of course not!" Judy said. "You've met his parents, right? They're grown up foxes, and they're really nice!"

"I guess so…" Mallory agreed. "But...didn't Nick...bite someone…?"

"Well, there was a rumor he did, at least," Judy replied. "How did you hear about that, anyway?"

"The Idiot Lord," Mallory said.

Judy laughed.

"Let me guess. James?"

"Yeah."

"I never actually asked Nick what happened," Judy admitted. "But he was friends with some foxes who were jerks, so he did a lot of things because it's what they were doing. But it's not just because he's a predator."

"I-it's just…" Mallory started.

"What?" Judy pressed. "Did something happen with Brendan?"

"He's just a little...different," Mallory explained. "I mean, it seems like he keeps getting bigger than me—"

"Well, foxes do grow bigger than rabbits," Judy said.

"I know that!" Mallory said. "But it's just weird to see it start to happen. And he also...he growls sometimes. N-not at me or anything, but just...like, when he gets excited or something. Plus he keeps scratching up the backs of all his school books. There are claw marks all over them!"

Judy had to hold back a giggle at the thought of Nick's younger brother testing out his claws. She wondered if Nick had done something like that when he was that age. That would have been...about the time he and Judy met, actually.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Judy said. "He's probably just fascinated by them, not going to hurt anyone. I bet you would do the same thing if you had really sharp claws."

Mallory looked at her own blunt claws and shrugged.

"I guess so," she admitted. "But I would find a better place than on my books! There are plenty of trees around!"

Judy chuckled.

"Brendan is a really good kit," she said. "Don't listen to anything James or the others say. And if you're still really worried about it, go and talk to Chloe. She understands predators better than I do...somehow."

"Thanks," Mallory said. "I'll, um...I'll just go so you can get back to your work. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, I didn't mind at all!" Judy replied. "You can come talk to me anytime you need to, ok?"

Mallory smiled.

"Thanks, Judy. Good luck with your homework."

Her younger sister left the room and Judy sat still for a moment, staring blankly at the door she had just exited through. Having always thought of Mallory as one of the younger kits, it was a little surreal to think she was the same age Judy was when she met Nick. Sure, it had been a while ago, but...she was that young?

And conversely, hearing Mallory talk about dealing with the differences between predators and prey made her seem so much older than Judy was used to. For so long now, the younger bunny seemed to just float along, barely aware what categories like 'predator' or 'prey' even meant, or at least that's how it appeared. But at her age, Judy was already starring in a play revolving around that very subject, not to mention emphasizing some of the more...violent parts.

Judy had always thought she would be proud to see one of her younger siblings taking after her so much, but for some reason it just made her feel weird.

Closing her books for a moment, she jumped off the bed and started to pace around the tiny room. There was a faint tightness in her chest, a mild sense of dread that she couldn't quite explain. It took several minutes of walking back and forth before she began to understand what was bothering her.

Brendan, seemingly, was starting to question what being a predator meant for him. Mallory was dealing with the fact that fur color and ear shape weren't the biggest differences between foxes and rabbits. And now Nick—who may have actually bitten someone a while ago and had been through a massive personality shift trying to be more like a predator—was coming over to spend more time with Judy.

Never again was it going to be as simple as a cute play about how the divide between predators and prey was part of ancient history. No matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise, they were still very different animals trying to fit into one society. And she had already seen what expecting a predator to act just like a prey could do to them…

Judy flopped back on the hard bed, closing her eyes and sighing heavily as if that would somehow release the anxiety.

"I'm not going to give up," she said, though her voice was tired and worn. "I know different mammals can be friends. I'm not going to let anyone or anything stop me from being just as much a friend to a predator as I am to other prey."

Her voice becoming louder and firmer with the last statement, she sighed again and lay still for a while. All she could do now was wait.

(A/N) I didn't plan that melodramatic introspection at the end, it just...happens sometimes. XD

It was fun to write more of Mallory, though! What is going to happen with her and Brendan...?