Chapter 4: The Grave Robber
"If you find yourself in a hole... the first thing you need to do is stop digging." ~Will Rodgers
Bull Run
Nicholas "Doc" Wilde woke up with a start, as chattering from the hallway interrupted his slumber. The fox groaned, rolled over to his side and reached down to the ground, feeling for an item. Wrapping his paw around the friendly metallic feel of his watch, Doc grabbed it and clicked it open.
6:37
The vulpine shut his pocket watch and placed it on top of his jacket, which he laid on the wooden floor. He slowly sat up in bed and shifted his body, until his feet was touching the dusty ground. The fox stood up and stretched, but as soon as he did, he started to cough. The hacking coughs caused him to double over, and scramble along the floor, searching for his jacket. Continuing to cough, Wilde grabbed his jacket, ignoring the clatter noise that the watch made when it fell. He reached into the jacket pocket and pulled out a white, smooth handkerchief. Placing it against his mouth and sitting back on the bed, Doc continued to cough. The bout lasted for few more seconds, and when it disappeared, the fox cleared his throat, clearing his airways of any phlegm. Wiping his mouth, Nick looked onto the handkerchief and his heart immediately dropped. Mixed with the spit and phlegm, was a spot of blood.
Not again. Doc thought, shaking his head. He folded the handkerchief and placed it back into his jacket.
The vulpine stood up again, and made his way to the door of the room. Nick grabbed the handle and pulled it open. He stuck his head out into the hallway, searching for the animals who were making the racket. The hallway was empty, and Doc shook his head again. He closed the door behind him, turned around and to the full sized mirror that was in the corner of his room. He reached down, grabbed his pair of brown boots, made his way back to the bed and slowly put them on. Once adjusting his feet to fit inside the boot, the fox stood back up, picked up his pocket watch and inserted it in the front pocket of his silky red brocade vest.
The nightstand stood before him, and the vulpine took one step towards it. Opening the dresser, he fished his .38 caliber Colt revolver and inserted it back into his holster. His .41 Colt revolver rested on the top of the nightstand where he had put before going to bed. Taking the gun, the fox put it in its rightful place in his second holster. The vulpine picked up his jacket and after putting it on, he grabbed his hat that was hanging on top of the mirror.
Doc left his room, but before going down the hallway, he turned around, and closed the door. Fishing into his jacket pocket, the fox pulled out the key and locked the door behind him. With that objective completed, Doc moved through the hallway, making his way to the saloon floor below.
Unlike the rowdy evening, the saloon was quiet. As Doc made his way down the stairs, he surveyed the semi-empty and dark room. Animals chattered quietly and milled around, although no one occupied the poker table. The piano in the corner of the room was missing its player and no animal was singing. The basset hound was behind the bar, serving two customers, and Doc walked over to the counter. Picking an empty stool, he sat down and waited for his turn.
He didn't have to wait long. After the basset hound was finished serving a customer, the dog immediately spotted the fox. He smiled and instead of walking up to his customer, the barkeep turned around and knelt down. He opened a cupboard door and grabbed a small stack of money. The dog stood back up, turned around, walked to the fox and dropped the money in front of him.
Nick looked up with surprise. With his southern drawl, he spoke, "What's this?"
"After the incident last night, you repaid me with half of your winnings. It didn't feel right to accept payment for the nights," the basset hound responded. "So this is every dollar you paid me, back in full."
Doc looked at the basset hound and saw that the dog showed a face of honesty. He nodded slowly and gave a half-smile. "My thanks to you." He grabbed the small stack and pocketed it immediately.
"Would you like to eat something?" the dog inquired. "I only got oatmeal, and it's on me."
Doc nodded gratefully. "I'll have some."
After the dog left the fox, Nick looked behind him towards the saloon doors, waiting for the strange bunny from the night before to show up. He shook his head. A bunny hunting down Bucky Callahan? Now I've seen everything
The fox scoffed to himself softly, amazed at the courage that was inside the petite little animal. The image of her standing in the street underneath the moonlight appeared in his mind. He then replayed her confrontation with the brigands that dared to challenge her. He remembered waiting to see what would happen, then being amazed at the fact that the criminals were dead immediately. He shook his head and smiled to himself. She's fast… a bit too fast for my taste. And if she was Hopps' wife, then she certainly knows how to take care of herself.
The dog appeared again, holding a bowl of oatmeal. The basset hound placed it before Nick and handed the fox a spoon. The fox nodded with thanks and started to eat, waiting for the lone bunny to reappear.
Today's going to be interesting.
/
Bull Run
The sun streamed through the tent flaps and within several seconds, Judy Hopps threw the blanket off her little body. She rubbed her eyes, urging the tiredness to disappear. The small bunny finally woke up, and from her position on the ground, stretched. Hopps sat up and looked next to her. She saw her boots, grabbed them and put them on her paws. She then grabbed with her left paw her rifle, and with her right paw, her holster with the revolver already in it. Within several seconds, the bunny was crawling outside of the tent. Judy had attempted to find a room at the several hotels in the town, to no avail. The bunny shrugged to herself. She liked sleeping outside anyways.
Once she was outside, she stood up and Judy groaned again. It was hot, but the heat wasn't unbearable. As she looked up at the sky, she simultaneously marked the sun's position and put on her gun belt. Once she saw what time it was, Judy cursed softly. It was later in the day than she wanted it to be. She slung the rifle onto her back and cupped her eyes, blocking the sun. In the distance, the town of Bull Run could be seen, as heat reverberated from the dirt.
A nickering noise was heard, and Judy turned around. After she met the fox, she had left the saloon in search for a place to stay. She found a giant lonesome tree and tied her horse to the lowest branch, before pitching her tent. The leaves from the tree made a perfect barrier, providing shade. Small grass grew around the tree, providing some food for the animal. Judy made her way to her horse, a dark brown palomino and once she got there, she reached out with her paw. The horse took a step forward and placed her muzzle against her soft paw. The bunny smiled and spoke, "Day one. You ready?"
The horse shook her mane and nickered softly. Day four
"Day four… Whatever."
Give me an apple, and I'll be ready.
Judy rolled her eyes. "You've already eaten enough. There's plenty of grass about."
Yes. But grass are not apples.
Hopps sighed and moved towards the saddle that was laying against the trunk of the tree. She fished inside a pouch, with her horse looking over her shoulder with excitement. Overcome with impatient, her horse nudged the bunny with her nose, nearly knocking her over. "Okay! I'm looking!" As her paw found the fruit, Judy stood up and looked at the horse. "Alright, Breeze. Here you go. You better watch what you're eating. You'll get fat."
How can I? Breeze seemed to say. You're the one feeding me.
Judy sighed. She hated losing an argument against her horse. She shook her head, and as she turned around to pick up the saddle, the horse emitted a nickering noise that sounded like laughter. The bunny picked up the saddle and put it on the back of her friend, and after tightening the straps, the bunny undid the rope from the branch. Holding it in her paw, Judy climbed back onto the horse. She gave the horse a small kick with her right boot, and Breeze started to trot. Once the plains of Bull Run approached, the horse started to canter.
The bunny closed the distance pretty quickly. Once she arrived to the border of Bull Run, animals were already milling. At the sound of hoof beats hitting the dirt, the citizens of Bull Run stopped what they were doing and looked up. When they saw the horse and the rider, they all looked at the petite bunny with awe. As Judy passed through the town, she became uncomfortable at the stares and the whispers.
"She killed three guys last night, I heard." A whisper to her right reached her ears.
"It's that bunny I was telling you about. The one who dropped three criminals within two seconds."
"Two seconds? That ain't right."
"Shut up! She's coming this way!"
At the sound of the chatting, Judy looked in the direction of the two strangers. She smiled softly and nodded her head in greeting. Immediately the two animals looked away, as they pretended to continue with their day. The bunny turned her attention back to her destination: the saloon. As Hopps rode towards the building, an image of the fox appeared in her mind. His emerald eyes and half-smile dominating the recesses of her mind. Immediately, she remembered his actions towards raccoon the night before and Judy smiled to herself.
That's a fox who could take care of himself.
But she was more amazed at how the fox portrayed himself. Unlike the other patrons at the bar, the vulpine was more sophisticated, gentlemanly… and dare she say it… handsome. But it was his accent that caught her by surprise. She had never met an animal with a drawl. He must be from the South.
Once she arrived to the hitching post in front of the saloon, the bunny noticed a black horse standing patiently underneath the shade of the roof. Navigating Breeze to stand next to the horse, she got off her saddle and tied the rope around the post. When she was done, she looked at her horse and spoke softly, "Let me know if there's any trouble."
Don't I always?
"No. No you don't" Judy spoke aloud. She put her rifle in a small slot that she made in her saddle. Stepping backwards, Judy watched Breeze. The horse had moved her attention to the black horse was neighing. After she was finished, the black horse responded in turn. Judy shook her head with amazement.
The bunny turned around and walked up the several steps. Once she got onto the porch, the bunny pushed the saloon doors open and stepped through. Once she did, her heart sank as there was not a sight of the fox. I guess it was wishful thinking, she thought to herself.
Her stomach rumbled with hunger and the bunny nodded to herself. As she walked through room, she nimbly dodged the patrons. Before she arrived to the bar, a figure caught her eye. It was the fox! He had taken his hat off and placed it on the counter next to him. She smiled to herself and noticed that there was an empty stool next to him.
After jumping up on the stool, she spoke, "Good morning, Mr. Wilde."
The vulpine put the spoon with oatmeal inside in his mouth when he heard his name. Nick looked to his left and saw a bunny wearing a white shirt, brown pants and boots. Around her neck was a blue scarf and on the top of her head was the cowboy hat. He placed it into the bowl and swallowed. The vulpine nodded his head in greeting, his emerald eyes glowing. "Miss Hopps," he spoke.
Judy shook her head. "Please call me Judy."
"If I'm going to do that, then I must insist you call me Doc or Nick." Nick spoke giving her a half-smile. He picked up the spoon and cleaned the remaining oatmeal out of the bowl.
The basset hound walked back to the two customers and placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of Judy. Judy looked at the dog, but the animal said nothing and moved away. "I took the liberty of ordering breakfast for you, Judy." Doc spoke up. "I thought you'd be here earlier anyhow."
After nodding her thanks, Judy started to eat. After swallowing a spoonful of oatmeal, she looked back at her compatriot. "I was. Time got away from me."
"One of the symptoms of living in the West."
Judy grunted with agreement, which caused Nick to raise an eyebrow. The bunny looked over at the fox and swallowed. "If you're going to be traveling with me, don't expect me to be ladylike."
Nick nodded, raising his paws with surrender. "I wouldn't dare dream that you were a lady, Judy."
The glanced at the fox suspiciously, afraid that he would never respect her. But the look of genuine care was written over the vulpine's face and the bunny relaxed. Before she took another spoonful of oatmeal, she spoke. "So, Nick… How did you get your nickname?"
Nick chuckled and the chuckle turned into a cough. Judy looked sideways at the fox with concern. But after a few minutes, Doc stopped coughing, cleared his voice and spoke as if nothing happened. "Your husband gave it to me." At Judy's surprised expression, the fox nodded. "I was in Deer Creek working as a dentist. Wyatt was one of my customers. After I helped him with a toothache, he started calling me 'Doc.'" Nick shrugged. "And the name just stuck."
Judy only nodded in response. She finished the last couple of spoonfuls of oatmeal in the bowl. Once she finished, the bunny turned until she was facing the fox. "So about last night, I know that you volunteered to help me." She paused. "But I understand if you don't want to, us being strangers and all."
Nick smiled. "And like I said, I'm bored and I have nothing better to do. So I guess you're stuck with me."
Judy's instinct told her that she could continue to trust the stranger. It was clear that the fox had been truthful with her so far. The bunny nodded, pleased that she met the dentist. "Alright." She spoke. "You talked about One Eyed-Jack. Where can we find him?"
Nick shrugged. "All I heard was that he's got a bounty on his head. So we need to find him first."
"Where do we start?"
A twinkle in Nick's eyes appeared. "Why Judy.. I'd think you know, being a bounty hunter and all… the sheriff's station!"
Judy rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd had more than that."
Doc shrugged and smiled again. "Well…" he gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"
At the fox's response, the bunny immediately turned around and jumped off the stool. As Nick watched her walk across the saloon, the vulpine chuckled to himself. He grabbed his hat off the counter, placed it on his head and followed her out.
Once the saloon doors swung shut, Nick found Judy standing near a brown palomino. He whistled appreciatively, marveling at the sight of the horse. Judy looked back and saw Nick nod his head. "Beautiful horse you've got there." He said.
Breeze shook her mane. Thank you.
"Thanks." Judy responded. "What about you. Do you ride?"
Nick nodded. He moved around the horse and stood next to the black one. "This one's called Midnight." Doc spoke, stroking his side. Midnight looked to his left and saw Judy. He nodded his head in greeting and nickered. Hello.
Hitching up his gun belt, Nick nodded towards the Sherriff's station in the distance. He spoke, "That's it right there. You ready?"
"Lead the way."
The bunny and the fox walked across the dirt road towards the building. As they did, Judy noticed the animals, once again, stopped and stared at the strange duo. After a couple of seconds, she cleared her throat and spoke with a low voice. "I hate the attention."
Nick waved at a passerby, who quickly scurried away. "Get used to it, Hopps. You're a bunny. I'm a fox. We're supposed to be enemies."
The farmer looked up at tall gambler walking in step with her. He was still smiling, yet she could tell that there was an aura of authority and mystery surrounding him. Feeling a pair of eyes upon him, Nick looked down and Judy quickly looked away. Chuckling on the inside, the fox continued to lead the two towards the Sherriff's building.
Upon arriving at the building, Judy opened the door. It swung inward, revealing four empty cells. They stepped inside and to her right, a sleeping antelope sat, holding his rifle. Clawhauser, the fat cheetah had taken an empty mattress in one of the cells and to her left, Judy heard movement.
Bogo stood up from his desk as he saw the door open. He smiled once he saw that it was the bunny, but then his smile immediately disappeared at the sight of the fox. As soon as Bogo stood up, Judy spoke, "We're looking for One-Eyed Jack. Do you have any information?"
Bogo looked away from the bunny and watched the fox. The vulpine had closed the door and was leaning against it, his left shoulder on the side of the door, his paw resting on the .41 caliber that he had holstered in front of him. The mischievous emerald eyes glowed underneath his hat, as the fox gave a small smile in greeting.
Directing his attention back to the bunny, Bogo spoke, his rumbling voice awakening both of his deputies. "Can we talk in private?"
Taken aback by the question, Judy nodded and turned around. Nick, already hearing the statement, stepped aside from the door and kept his eyes on the ground. As Judy walked past the fox, Nick looked up slightly and nodded, allowing the bunny to step outside. Bogo followed, but he stopped in his pathway and looked over the fox, a scowl appearing on his face. The Sherriff turned around and looked at Clawhauser, making sure that his giant body blocked the fox's view. Jutting a thumb towards Nick, Bogo mouthed, Keep an eye on him.
The fat cheetah nodded from his sitting position on the empty mattress. Satisfied with the answer, the cape buffalo turned around and followed the small bunny outside. Once they were under the hot sun, Bogo spoke, his voice filled with anger. "Who's that animal?"
Judy folded her arms she stared back at the Sherriff. "A friend." She responded, her voice steely.
"Are you out of your mind?" Bogo bellowed. "He's a fox!"
"A nice observation, Sherriff." Judy responded. "I'm glad to see that you're doing your job for once."
"I am doing my job, Hopps!"
"If you were, I wouldn't be here." Judy shot back.
The insult stung the giant buffalo and he took a deep breath, attempting to control his rage. "But you don't understand! He's a fox. They're scum!"
"Not this one."
Bogo scoffed. "And how would you know?"
"Wyatt vouched for him."
"Wyatt? He vouched for a fox?" Bogo chuckled. "And how do you know that?"
Judy hesitated. "Nick told me."
Bogo threw his hands up in the air with exasperation. "And you're going to trust him? A fox?"
Judy had enough. She looked up at the Sherriff, anger in her eyes. "Let me be clear, Sherriff" she spat the title out, with ice in her voice. "You came to me and I need all the help I can get."
"Take Clawhauser! Take…." Bogo protested. He stopped as a dangerous twinkle appeared in her eyes. It was not just a twinkle. It was the twinkle and it was the same twinkle that caused her to become perilous. The bunny raised her paw to stop the Sherriff and Bogo trailed off. "I am not going to take a fat cheetah, Bogo. I need to move quickly and Clawhauser'll only slow me down. Second of all, I've seen more honesty in this fox since I met him last night, than you ever would."
"Judy…" Bogo tried again. He stopped as the bunny shot him a look.
"Third of all. You're right. He's dangerous, but I'm good also. I think you forgot that. I can take care of myself. If he is scum like you said, then I will take care of him… myself. Is that clear?"
Bogo didn't answer, prompting Judy to speak. "I said. Is that clear?"
The disgraced Sherriff nodded his head. "Yes." He responded meekly.
"Good." Judy spoke. "Now about One-Eyed Jack. I hear you have a bounty for his head. Doc and I want it. Where's he?"
Unsure of whether to talk or not, Bogo finally reached a decision. "Hanging Rock. Day's ride from here."
"Why he wanted?"
"Grave robbing." Bogo answered. "He has an affinity for the dead."
Judy opened her mouth to say thanks, but immediately shut it when commotion erupted from the building. Bogo and the bunny looked at each other and rushed inside.
/
Bull Run – Sherriff Bogo's Office.
Nicholas "Doc" Wilde closed the door behind him as Judy and the buffalo walked outside. He leaned against the door, with his back against the wall and pulled out his pocket watch. After reading the time, the fox clicked it shut and placed it back inside his pocket. Once he did, the antelope from the chair spoke up. He had been examining the stranger and realized that he had seen him the previous night. "You're new in town."
Doc nodded. "That's right."
"And you're a fox."
As the antelope was speaking, Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. After lighting it, he put it in his mouth, inhaled and exhaled. Finally, he looked at himself. He checked his tail, and felt his ears. When he was done, the vulpine spoke with a smile. "Wow. I didn't know that! I've always thought that I was an uglier animal." His smile disappeared as he looked at the deputy, and blew out a smoke. "Like an antelope."
The animal stood up from his chair, stinging from the insult. He started to cock his rifle and when he did, he immediately changed his mind. "You ain't worth it."
He sat back down in his chair and after a couple of seconds of silence, he looked at Clawhauser. "What did we always say about foxes?"
"They're scum." Clawhauser chuckled, looking at Nick. "And we want to rid Zootopia of all foxes."
"That's right, Clawhauser." The antelope spoke. He looked back at the vulpine. "Do you want to leave Zootopia, fox?"
Doc said nothing, which caused the antelope to continue. "And those vixen!" The antelope moaned. "Those exquisite vixen. You know that you foxes like them dirty!"
Nick took a step forward, a scowl written on his face. That step caused the antelope to stand up. He smiled at the fox. "What's the matter, fox? Don't you want to hear how I treat your kind?"
The vulpine sighed and looked away to his right onto the ground. The antelope chuckled. "That's right, fox. You're not worthy enough to look at me. Soon, you and your kind will be back to their rightful place... underneath my boot."
Suddenly, pain flashed through the antelope's jaw as he felt his body reeling backwards. Nick had drawn his revolver, spun it around his finger and drove the butt of his gun into the side of the antelope's mouth. As the antelope was driven backwards, Nick drew his other gun and pointed it towards Clawhauser, training his first at the fallen animal. He winked at Clawhauser as he tsk-tsked. "Too slow, Clawsie."
The door opened behind him as Bogo and Judy rushed inside. At the sight of the antelope groaning with pain, Bogo immediately pulled out his revolver and trained it on Nick. The vulpine smiled again, dropped his cigarette out of his mouth and squished it underneath his boot. Finally, he flipped his gun until they were facing the ground. He slowly put it into his holsters and kept his paws up in the air.
"What's going on here?" Bogo demanded.
Nick shrugged. "Just a disagreement between myself and one of your deputies. Clawhauser saw the whole thing and can vouch for me."
Bogo glared at the fat cheetah and Clawhauser quickly became interested with the wooden floor, saying nothing.
"That doesn't matter." Bogo growled. "You attacked one of my deputies. You need to serve your time."
"That won't be necessary, Bogo." Judy spoke up. She folded her arms again. "I need him."
"Judy!" Bogo spat.
"I… Need… Him." Judy spoke, enunciating each word. Bogo sighed and holstered his revolver. He glared at the bunny and spoke, "You know where One-Eyed Jack is. Get out of here and I'd better not see him again."
The bunny nodded and grabbed the fox by the coat. Within a few seconds, both animals were outside, and walking towards their horses. Once they arrived to their animals, Judy turned around, her face a mask of fury. "What the hell was that back there?" she demanded.
Nick sighed and took off his hat, hitting it against his leg, causing dust to fly out. The sun caused his orange fur to glow as he spoke, "No one around here respect foxes." He spoke. Judy's anger softened and she nodded. Wordlessly she turned around and mounted Breeze. Within a few seconds, Nick did the same. Under the shade of his hat, the fox spoke, "Well, where are we going? Do you know where Jack is?"
"Hanging Rock."
At the name, Nick chuckled. "I know the place. I should have guessed that he would be there." He wheeled Midnight and started to trot out of town, with the bunny in tow. Within a few seconds, they cantered across the hot plains, heading east towards Hanging Rock.
/
Zootopia – Outside of Hanging Rock
The hot afternoon sun disappeared as the two animals raced across the plains. As they rode, they shared their provisions for dinner. Slowly the dirty ground gave way to grass and the plains into hills. As the sun disappeared over the horizon and the moon peeked its silvery face, both the bunny and fox stopped for the night.
They had found a small flat ledge on a hillside that allowed them easy view of the grassy plains below. After taking the saddles off their horses, feeding and brushing them, they immediately set about setting up camp. Since Judy left her things back near Bull Run, she was content to lay against a smooth stone she found on the hillside.
Nick gathered some dead shrubbery and some sticks that he found. Within a few minutes, he had a small fire going to combat the cold night. The fox took off his hat and laid it on the ground and placed his paws near the flames, feeling the heat. Finally, Nick stood up, grabbed his hat and moved to the other side of the fire, opposite from where the bunny laid. He took off his coat and bundled it up into a ball and placed it on the ground. Using it as a pillow, Nick laid down and pulled out his pocket watch. The glow from the fire told him the time, and the vulpine closed it with a click.
The reflection of light from the pocket watch caught Judy's attention. She watched the fox open it and saw him sigh. After a couple seconds passed, Nick put the pocket watch away. Summoning her courage, Judy spoke, "That's a nice pocket watch." She spoke. "Where did you get it?"
"It was a present." Nick answered, offering nothing more. He moved his hat until it was covering his face. Judy nodded to herself and laid back, watching the stars. As soon as she looked at the marvelous sky, the images of her sons popped in her mind
Morgan… Samuel… How I miss you guys. She thought. I'd give anything to hear you boys.
Caught up in her thought, the bunny started to sing, her beautiful and clear voice breaking the silence of the night.
Even though I always roam
I know that I have a home
Across the plains, there with you
So keep your eyes on the stars above
Know that I look back down with love
As I make my way home… to you.
When she was finished, all was silent save for the crackling of the fire. Nick grunted in the distance and the fox pulled his cowboy hat away. He sat up, glaring at the bunny and spoke, "I'm tryin to sleep here. Please stop with your warblin!"
"First of all. I wasn't warbling." Judy shot back, bristling at the insult. "Many animals like my singing!"
Nick scoffed. "Those animals must be tone-deaf!" The fox shook his head. "If you must screech, please do it quietly."
Judy rolled her eyes, but nodded. Nick laid back down on his back and looked up at the stars. After a few minutes passed, Judy's soft and beautiful voice broke the silence once more. Once she was done, Nick rolled over to his side, hiding his face from the bunny as a lone tear escaped and rolled down his cheek.
/
Zootopia – Outside of Hanging Rock
The morning sun greeted the compatriots and at the dawn's first light, the two animals woke up, shared breakfast and immediately broke camp. The horses were given some water from their rations, and after mounting their animals, both the bunny and the fox made their way up to the top of the hill, before heading down.
They rode for half a day across the rolling hills. Finally after arriving to the top of a hill, Nick pulled on Midnight, causing the horse to stop. The black horse neighed and shook his head. Can I please have food?
Nick rolled his eyes. "We just stopped an half an hour ago." He spoke softly. "You already ate."
Yeah. But I'm hungry now.
Judy pulled up next to the fox and with a questioning look on her face, the fox looked down. "That's Hanging Rock." Wilde spoke, pointing to the mound of rocks.
Judy squinted, attempting to block the sun out of her eyes and see clearly. Before she said anything, she surveyed the area and was disappointed with what she saw.
There were more plains, and the rocks did not seem to provide any cover. She knew that there were other bounty hunters looking for this wily rabbit, and she wanted to beat them. Finally, Judy nodded and spoke. "When we get down there, how are we going to do this?"
"I'll handle it." Nick spoke. After Judy looked at him, he responded, "Trust me. I've had dealings with him in the past."
Hopps nodded with consent and both animals trotted carefully down the hill. As they got closer, the cluster of rocks were exactly what it looked like in the distance, a cluster of rocks. A couple hundred feet away, Nick stopped his horse, turned and looked at Judy. "We get off here. Follow me and keep close. Jack doesn't like guests."
Judy nodded and followed Nick's bidding. She climbed off her horse and grabbed her rifle. As she did, she spoke "Why is Jack living around here?"
"He doesn't live here," Nick answered, digging in his pocket. He pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. The fox paused as he lit his cigarette and shook the flame away from the match. He inhaled, and then spoke, smoke exiting his mouth. "Behind those rocks are a grave site. This place was a popular lynching spot for criminals. But now a days, it's just a bunch of rocks. If I had to guess, I'd say Jack be in the graveyard."
Judy looked towards the rocks and started to follow the vulpine, following his bidding. As they got closer to the mound of giant boulders, Judy was pleased to see that there was a small pathway to the center of the rocks. The slanting boulders provided a better spot of cover than she originally thought.
The sound of digging caught her attention, and Judy nearly collided with Nick as the vulpine stopped immediately. He placed a finger against his mouth and Judy nodded in response. The two animals started to walk again and the digging noise got louder.
Once they got around the rocks, a scene caught the bunny by surprise. There were hundreds of tombstones littering the ground, and many of the graves had been freshly dug. Mounds of dirt laid next to each tombstone, save for one. A pile of dirt flew out of the hole, as Nick and Judy walked closer.
The fox took his cigarette out, cleared his voice and spoke, "Jack! One-Eyed Jack! Is that you?"
The digging noise stopped and the two animals were met with silence. The hot sun beat down on both of them, causing the bunny to grip her rifle even tighter. Suddenly, a head popped out of the hole.
"Who goes there?" He yelled. "I'm armed."
Nick extinguished his cigarette underneath his boot and spoke, "Jack… I'm in your blind side."
Jack moved his head in his direction and spoke. "I knew that. Now who are you?"
"Jack" Nick paused. "It's me."
The strange creature looked over the fox. After a couple of seconds, he screeched. "Well I'll be damned! Doc Wilde!"
Nick spread his arms apart. "In the flesh."
A raspy laugh was emitted from the strange animal, covered in dirt. With a mighty leap, the animal jumped outside of the grave and looked at the fox. "What are you doing here boy? What brings you to Jack?"
Nick gestured towards Judy with his head and spoke, "This lady and I need some information."
Jack peered around the fox and looked at the bunny. He ignored the vulpine and walked slowly to the bunny. As he got closer, Judy's stomach rolled. The stench was unbearable and as Jack stood before her, she finally realized that he was a jackrabbit. Patches of missing fur covered his face and his upper torso, as he did not have a shirt. Along with the patches, scars showed underneath the noonday sun. As he smiled, only few teeth were shown. But what caught Judy by surprise was his namesake as where his left eye was supposed to be, was a gaping hole. Judy slowly clutched her rifle, as Jack leaned in closer. He took a whiff and then shuddered. "You smell pretty." He cackled at the sight of Judy's expression. "Don't want to be with Jack eh?"
The jackrabbit turned around and walked past the vulpine. Within a few seconds, he was back in the grave. "If you want information, you need to pay."
Nick nodded with understanding. He held out a bottle of scotch that he had bought from the saloon in Bull Run. "I've got a bottle of scotch with your name on it!"
The vulpine dodged a pile of dirt. Jack had flung it out of the grave and it sailed through the air, nearly hitting the fox. His head popped out of the grave again. "Scotch? I don't need no scotch… least not now."
Nick sighed and placed the bottle down on the ground. "Then what do you want?"
Jack was silent, then he looked over at Judy. "I want her for a few hours."
Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Judy beat him. "Over my dead body!"
Jack cackled insanely and disappeared in the grave. Within a few seconds, an item sailed through the air and rolled to a stop in front of the bunny. Judy groaned with disgust as she saw that it was a skull of a bygone animal.
"It would be my pleasure!" Jack responded. "As you can see… I'm perfectly fine with the dead!" He cackled again.
Judy opened her mouth again, but Nick shot her a look. He turned back to the insane rabbit and spoke, "Jack… It's about Callahan."
The rabbit jumped out of the grave and looked at Nick. "Bucky Callahan?" he asked. After Nick nodded, Jack cackled again. "Why didn't you say so?" the rabbit turned around and stepped back into the grave. "Come on." He spoke.
Nick sighed and looked at Judy. The bunny shook her head, but when Nick shot her a second look, she sighed. Within a few seconds they were all sitting on the bottom of the grave, next to the bones of some poor animal.
"So… what do you want to know?" Jack looked between them insanely.
"Where is he?"
"He's here and he's there. He's everywhere." Jack cackled. "It's hard to keep track of him these days."
Judy sighed, but a second thought appeared in her mind. "How many men does he have?"
Jack looked at her with his one good eye and spoke, "Way more men than you two can handle, marm! The two of you can't handle him and his gang!" He cackled. "But if you decide you want to go yourselves, let me know." He looked at the bunny and licked his lips anxiously. "Cuz when you're dead, I'll take care of you."
Judy shuddered with disgust, causing Jack to cackle even more. He looked down and started to dig even more. "No… if you want to go and face him. You need a gang."
Nick groaned. "Great." He shook his head. "I don't even know where to start."
"I do!" Jack screeched. "There's an animal outside of Tulare! His name is… is…" Jack paused for a couple of seconds, then screeched loudly. "Cody! He doesn't like Callahan, that one! He'll help you and mebbe he knows others. He'd be a good addition! He's ex-soldier, a sniper and a good shot with that rifle of his!"
Nick stood up suddenly. "Tulare. Thanks Jack." He looked at Judy. "We should get going."
Both the fox and bunny climbed out of the grave site. Before they started walking, Jack popped his head up. Directing his attention towards the bunny, he spoke, "If you ever become lonely, you know where to find me." He cackled and disappeared again.
Judy shuddered again and unconsciously started to wipe her body as if trying to get rid of Jack. Doc chuckled at the sight and as they both climbed on their horses, the fox spoke,
"I guess One-Eyed Jacks are Wild."
