Okay, this next chapter is a bit on the heavy side and not for the squeamish. I've drawn inspiration from stories of how blacks in the 60s were sometimes mistreated and tortured by the KKK. Thanks again to Uzrfrndly and EmberLarelle276 for the inspirational story and comic.
I do not own the characters of Zootopia. ©Disney does, however, John Wilde is a figment of my imagination and from other writers as well. Feedback is appreciated.
The song is The Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh
It was the day before the Graduation Ball and every mammal that was going was busy with last minute preparations. Nick's father had finished the dress for Judy and Nick had made arrangements with her to meet him at the school's gym after school where the ball was going to be held in order to give her the dress. Nick figured that they could get in a last minute walkthrough in the actual dance area so that Judy would feel less nervous on the day of the dance. Nick also had a selfish reason for doing so. Since he wouldn't be able to dance with her on the day itself, he wanted to capture their dance practice on an old video camera of his father's as a sort of memento. He had hidden it in a dark corner of the gym where there was a clear view of the dance floor.
Nick was tinkering around with the music console of the audio-visual system when Judy arrived. "Hi, Slick! Whatcha doin'?" she asked.
"Hey Carrots. Just preparing the music for our dance practice. Why don't you try on the dress that my dad made for you in the meantime?"
Judy went over to look at the dress and she could barely hold back a squeal of delight. "Nick!" she gushed, "it's beautiful!"
"It will look even nicer once you're in it," grinned Nick. "Hurry up and put it on so that we can practice for your dance with Robby."
As she hurried off to the girls' washroom to change, Nick couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness knowing that in twenty-four hours, she'd be in Robby's arms and not his. He shook his head to clear any negative thoughts, as he didn't want Judy seeing the inner turmoil he was undergoing.
He soon heard her coming back and as he turned and looked at her, his jaw dropped the length of the floor. She looked…pretty? Magnificent? Adorable? Beautiful? Stunning? All of the above? He stared at the sight of his best friend standing before him in a red strap-neck halter dress that hugged and lifted her small bosom. It had a small belt with some carrots innocuously sewn in at the border that accentuated her slim waist. The hem of the skirt just stopped above her knees, which showed off her lithe legs. As she twirled to show off the dress, he noticed that the back bared most of her saddle to him and then dipped down to lock in her fluffy tail in such a manner that it almost stood upright. He had to use all his willpower to stop his hand from reaching out to squeeze that bit of fluff.
"Hey, Nick? Earth to Nick! Do you need help picking your eyes and jaw off the floor?" Judy snickered.
Nick shook his head trying to clear it. He still had some trouble speaking after the visual impact of Judy's beauty had slapped him upside the head. He finally managed to gain some self-control, flashed her a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, Judy. Can't help it if I lost it there for a moment. I guess I'm going to need a very cold shower to counter all of this awesomeness," as he waved his paw in her direction.
Judy giggled at Nick's unguarded remarks and blushed at the compliment. She was aware that he had been staring at her and liked the fact that she had that effect on him. "So, Nick, are we just going to stand here all day or shall we start dancing?" she asked flirtatiously.
Nick swallowed hard and shakily reached out a paw to turn on the music. He adjusted his pants to accommodate the sudden tightness he was experiencing in his crotch area hopefully without betraying his actions to Judy. As he turned to face her, he could see that he had failed miserably. She was grinning at him from ear to ear, smug in the fact that she was turning him on.
"Whatcha doin'?" she drawled again as she seductively looked at him with half-lidded eyes.
Nick groaned as an overpowering scent of flowers in damp earth hit his delicate nose. For some reason, it aroused a primal urge in him. He soon realized that the delicious scent was emanating from Judy. He wondered why he had never noticed her perfume before. "If you don't cut that out," stammered Nick, "I'll never be able to walk out of here in a straight line much less dance with you."
"Cut what out, Nick?" she coyly asked as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Fine!" Nick grumbled impatiently. "If that's the way you want to play it." He put on some tango music, reached out to her and roughly pulled her close to him so that there was literally no space between them and very little to imagine as well. He put his right paw on her back and held her right paw in his left and started to lead her into the erotic dance. He normally was gentle with her but he felt the urge to be the aggressor, hoping to shock her in order to gain the upper hand in this new form of teasing.
Although Judy and Nick had only been practicing a few days, Judy possessed a natural rhythm that easily picked up the intricate movements of the dance that Nick had been teaching. Judy was competitive in nature and never shied away from any challenge. Despite the fact that the combination of Nick's natural musky odour and his manhood rubbing at her lower regions made her feel weak in her knees, she wouldn't give Nick the satisfaction of backing down. So, when she felt his hardness on her hips, instead of pulling away from it, she slowly and deliberately rubbed her leg against it at every opportunity as they gyrated around the gym floor. Nick shuddered every time she brushed against his member and it took all of his willpower not to make a mess in his pants.
After several minutes of this non-verbal physical sparring, Nick pulled back, stopped dancing, took a deep breath and shuddered. "Judy," Nick begged, "If we don't stop this, I may do something that I will regret later. I value our friendship too much and I don't want to lose you because of my raging hormones."
Judy, who was also feeling flushed, commented, "You're not the only one with raging hormones, Nick. I'm sorry for being a jerk to my best friend. All you've done is help me and here I am repaying your kindness by playing with your feelings. I don't know what came over me."
"Look," Nick said, "Can we start all over again? Truce for now? I'll place my paws on your shoulders and you can put yours on my hips with at least a foot of space between us. That way, I get to focus on your lovely face instead," he said shyly.
Judy nodded in agreement and Nick went back to the console and chose a slow dance number this time. He remembered this time to press the remote for the camera. After composing himself, he turned to Judy with a small smile and offered both of his paws to her. She willingly took them, placed them on her shoulders, and grasped both sides of his waist with her own. They started to sway from side to side, looking at each other's faces while listening to the strains of the song:
I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance
And I have never seen that dress you're wearing
Or the highlights in your fur that catch your eyes
I have been blind
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me
It's where I want to be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget the way you look tonight
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side
And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away
And I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
There's nobody here, it's just you and me
It's where I want to be
But I hardly know this beauty by my side
I'll never forget the way you look tonight
I never will forget the way you look tonight
The lady in red, the lady in red
The lady in red, my lady in red
I love you…
As the song came to an end, they stopped swaying but they continued to gaze at one another, not wanting to break the spell they were under. Judy could see the yearning in Nick's emerald eyes while Nick could see Judy's longing for him in her amethyst ones. They slowly leaned into each other, closing the gap until their lips connected in a chaste kiss.
Unfortunately, Nick saw stars not because of Judy's kiss but because Robby Peterson came out of nowhere and sucker-punched him in the head.
Robby was in a foul mood. He and the Pack Rats had been roaming the halls of Zootopia High looking for victims to bully. Robby was carrying in his back pocket a muzzle he had taken from the police friend of his father hoping to find a predator that his gang could rough up and muzzle just for fun. They normally would have been at Robby's house but since today was the last day before school ended, he figured they would prowl the halls one last time in order to terrorize the school population. They hadn't had much success so far as the school was practically empty at this time of the day since a lot of the mammals had left to get ready for the Ball the next day. Plus, the news that his father had given him earlier that day that the car for his graduation present was going to be delayed didn't sit well with him. He wanted to use the Mustang as a chick magnet because he was planning on dumping Judy once he had his way with her after the Ball. She was practically putty in his hands and she would have been the perfect sacrificial virgin to bless the new car with.
"Hey Robby!" said Dean, the capybara. "We're wasting time here. Why don't we go over to your place for a couple of beers?"
"Not yet, I still want to try to muzzle a predator today. Who knows? I might get lucky and chance upon that fox." Robby said still in a foul mood.
"But Robby," remarked Frank, the beaver, "even if he is here, he's surely with Judy and we can't do anything to him if she's around."
"Speaking of Judy," chimed in Sammy, the porcupine, "what are your plans for tomorrow evening? I hear that her dad isn't allowing her to go to the Ball. Who'll be your date?"
"Nah, I checked it with her. She'll be sneaking out to meet me there. Afterwards, who's to say we won't have a good time?" Robbie snickered as he looked at his gang with a leer.
They suddenly stopped in their tracks hearing music coming from the gym. Robby's eyes had a feral glint in them as he realized that his day just started to get better. "Will you listen to that sappy music? I betcha it's that fox all by his lonesome. No other loser would be here this late," growled Robby.
"So, what's the plan, Robby?" asked Frank.
"Let's sneak in and see if Judy's in there with him. If she is, I'll distract her and bring her to another room. You three gang up on the fox, beat him up a bit, and then muzzle him tightly with this. It's meant to be for a smaller predator so you may need to use some force to get it on the fox," he smiled maliciously.
They crept to the door of the gym and furtively opened it in order to get a better view. Robby got the shock of his life as he stared into the opening. There was his date, Judy, kissing a predator! He uttered a low growl and rushed into the gym and hit Nick on the back of his head knocking him unconscious.
"Robby!" screamed Judy. "What the hell are you doing? Why did you hit Nick?" Judy tried to rush to Nick's side but Robby grabbed her and pinned her arms to her side with his strong arms.
"What the fuck was that all about?" demanded Robby. "I saw you kissing him…a predator of all things! For fuck's sake, Judy! You're supposed to be my date for the Ball tomorrow and I find you in his arms? Are you crazy? Did he force you to kiss him? Tell me that he did and I'll forgive you."
Judy couldn't answer Robby. Her mind and emotions were trying to sort out all what had just happened. The gentle kiss that Nick and her had just shared and how she did not pull back from it but rather wanted more. The fact that Nick was unconscious before her and how she wanted to jump on top of him in order to protect him from Robby's wrath. Then, there was the social stigma of being in a predator/prey relationship and the implications it brought. And now, Robby was offering her an easy way out so that things could be the way they were before she had been caught kissing Nick.
She noticed the other gang members surrounding Nick's knocked out body. One of them held an evil looking device in his hands. "What are you going to do with Nick?" she asked, stalling for time.
Robby snarled, "We're going to teach that evil predator a lesson. No one forces himself on prey and gets away with it! Boys, hold him down while I put that muzzle on him," ordered Robby.
Judy began to panic. "Wait! Nick didn't force himself on me. It was just an innocent kiss!"
"Are you saying," as Robby turned a menacing glare at Judy, "that you allowed yourself to be sullied by this predator? Are you in love with him?" Robby demanded.
Judy still couldn't answer. All she could do was look at Robby pleadingly. Her silence was all that Robby needed. "Well, boys," he sneered, "looks like we got one of them pred/prey couples. Let's have some fun, shall we?" He grabbed one of Judy's arms and twisted it behind her back evoking a yelp of pain from her. "I'm going to have a piece of this prey and then you guys can take turns with her. In the meantime, muzzle that predator and take his pants off. Here." He tossed an illegal butterfly knife at Frank. "Castrate the bastard! Cut off his balls and then we'll parade them around town as a warning for any other pred/prey couples."
Frank looked worried. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Robby? I mean there's no need to go to such extremes. We can just muzzle him and…" Frank never got to finish his sentence as Robby knocked him down with his free paw. "Just do as I say!" yelled Robby angrily. He turned to look at the other two. "Hold that bastard fox down!" Dean and Sammy flinched at Robby's orders but obeyed him nonetheless. Robby let go of Judy and strode over to where Frank had dropped the muzzle. He picked it up and forcefully jammed it down over Nick's snout and tightly buckled it behind his head. The pain brought Nick unmercifully out of his stupor as the muzzle scratched the sides of his snout causing it to bleed. He tried to yelp but muzzle prevented him from doing so. "Nnggghhh!" Nick screamed. Judy looked on in horror as Robby picked up the butterfly knife, unfolded it and approached Nick. "So fox, you wanna dick around with prey, eh? Well guess what?" snickered Robby, "you won't have a dick to do that with soon," as he menacingly chuckled and reached down to undo Nick's belt.
Judy rushed over, unmindful of her safety, and grabbed the arm of Robby that was holding the knife. "Robby! Please! Stop this," she pleaded. "This isn't like you! Let Nick go! Don't hurt him!"
He pleas only served to fuel Robby's rage. He took his free paw and painfully twisted Judy's ears till she let go of his arm. "Owww, Robby! That hurts! Stop that!" Judy shrieked in pain. Robby only smiled, let go of her ears and hit her so hard in the face with the back of his paw that she flew into the wall, knocking her unconscious. "Don't worry little missy." Robby said with a leer as he grasped his own crotch. "I'll give you mine once I'm done with your boyfriend over here."
It was at this point that Nick went savage. All the rage that had been building up over the years whenever Robby and his gang had bullied him, the fact that Robby had hurt Judy and was threatening to rape her plus the scent of his own blood pushed him over the edge. His primal survival instincts kicked in and he took advantage of the distraction by grabbing onto the paws that held him down for leverage and swept Robby's feet from under him so hard that it caused Robby's body to involuntarily somersault where he landed on his head, stunning him. Nick then twisted his lower body so that his hind paws kicked the capybara away, freeing his one paw. He then slashed at the porcupine who immediately let Nick's other arm go and scampered away with the capybara. They picked up their beaver companion as they fled. They didn't want to be in the same room as a very angry fox.
Nick reached behind him and released the latch of the muzzle. He slowly took it off along with some fur and skin, which caused the bleeding to intensify. He slowly licked his muzzle tasting his own blood. His eyes were feral slits as he walked over to where Robby was beginning to regain consciousness and as Robby tried to grasp the butterfly knife in his paw, Nick coldly and calculatingly stomped on Robby's wrist, shattering it to pieces thus ending his future career as a professional Pawball player. Robby screamed in pain as he held his wrist in his other paw. Nick then grabbed both of Robby's arms and held them apart while he put his knees on Robby's shoulders effectively pinning down the rabbit. Since Nick was taller than Robby, he used his hind paws to also pin Robby's thighs down so he couldn't use his legs or knees to kick Nick in the back. Nick drew his paws back and started to slam his fists into Robby's face.
"You…hit…Judy…you…threatened…her…you…tried…to…cut…me…I'll…make…sure…you'll…never…do…that…ever…again!" Nick snarled each word punctuated with his fists as he pounded away at Robby. As the anger in him continued to build, Nick was about to deliver the coup de grâce as he unsheathed his claws and raised his right paw to slash at the exposed neck of Robby. As his right arm was coming down, a ball of grey fur came out of nowhere trying to stop him. Unfortunately, Judy missed his arm and Nick ended up slashing her across her right cheek instead.
Judy pulled back as she held her paw to her bleeding cheek and stared at Nick. Nick was shaken as he realized what he had done to Judy. The anger went away as if a balloon had burst. He turned to look at her, fearful of what she would say or do.
"She's never going to be able to trust me again! She's scared of me! I can see it in her eyes. Oh, sweet Fox Jesus! What have I done?" Nick thoughts raced in his mind like a thousand buzzing bees.
Judy suddenly turned and ran towards the gym door. Nick got off Robby, his spirit crushed and defeated. He howled out his frustrations and ran off in the opposite direction, his tail tucked between his legs.