-Rivers-
To say the weather was perfect was almost an understatement.
The skies were a pure bright blue and the occasional cloud lazily hovered past.
The temperature was warm but a cool breeze kept the two mammals strolling down the river bank refreshed.
The wind wasn't the only thing keeping Nick cool though.
The fox chuckled as a few drops of river water somehow flew through the air and landed on his cheek.
Nick glanced over, a knowing smirk on his muzzle as he stared at a certain bubbly brown bunny who had a mischievous smile on her lovely lips.
"You looked warm," the doe in the ranger uniform said with a chuckle as she continued to stroll through the cool water on the river bank.
"Judy thinks I am actually pretty hot," Nick shot back.
"Poor girl needs glasses," The doe shot back before biting her lower lip. "Mmmm…Judy in glasses."
"Hey now get my bondmate out of your head," Nick laughed as he continued to walk next to his bunny friend.
The fox took a deep breath as he continued to walk, only for his ears to go up as he realized he no longer heard his friend walking next to him.
Nick turned and stared at the bunny standing on the water's edge, her back to him as she seemed to stare across the river.
"You ok?"
The doe remained silent, her head seemed to lower as she looked at her feet in the water.
"Hey, Tri-" Nick began but was cut off.
"You let me die…."
The doe's voice was no longer the bubbly tone he had missed so much. It had been replaced with something cold and heartless.
"I…I tried to save you though."
"Did you?" The doe asked, still not looking at the fox.
"The current...it was too strong and...You know I care about you. That's why I am trying-"
Nick's heart rate spiked as he took a few steps towards his friend.
He waded into the water of the river and as he did he noticed how cold it really was.
The wind began to pick up as the sun was blocked out by a series of storm clouds that had come to rest right over the river.
Nick finally reached his friend and extended a paw as he tried to grab the bunny by the shoulder.
As he did the bunny suddenly turned around, her bright blue eyes filled with the same terror and fear they had on the day Nick had lost her.
"Nick!" The doe screamed in fear as she fell backward and into a dark abyss.
Darkness enveloped the doe and quickly surrounded Nick who desperately tried to reach out to his friend but just as his paw was about to grab hers everything went black.
Nick sat up, his breathing labored as he felt a cold sweat on his fur.
The vulpine's eyes took a second to adjust to the low lighting under his tent but as he caught his breath he remembered where he was.
He was in the forests of the National Park, on a mission to find his friend, who had now been missing for several weeks.
Some grumbling next to the fox caught his attention and he glanced over and noticed a small lump in a sleeping bag next to his own.
A pair of tan pointed ears sticking out of the bag twitched and Nick suddenly worried he may have woken his friend.
His concern quickly dissipated though as a loud snore came from deep within the sleeping bag.
For someone so small he always did have a loud snore.
Nick remembered on several occasions back in Zootopia when he and his partner in crime Finnick would dress the small fennec fox up and try to pass him off as a child for some of their scams.
On one occasion he had almost been busted by a rather nosey meter maid thanks to Finnick whose snores could have set a car alarm off if it was just a little louder.
Nick blinked a few times before looking out at the entrance of the tent.
The sun was starting to rise, not that he could see it through the sea of trees though.
The light still found its way through the canopy of leaves and branches, however.
Nick took a second to let his heart rate go down before he slowly scooted out from under the tent and into the small campsite.
Another tent was set up next to his own and he did his best to stretch in silence as not to wake its occupant.
"That must have been quite the nightmare," Came a gruff voice from behind Nick.
The fox nearly jumped as he turned to see an older-looking wolf standing just at the edge of the campsite, a small metal pot in his paws.
"Oh hey Chris," Nick said with a sigh.
"Coffee will be ready in a minute, it will cost you this time," The wolf chuckled as he strolled over to a small makeshift ring of stones and started to stack some of the bits of old branches that had been gathered earlier.
"Oh really? Already spent your retirement funds so now selling coffee?" Nick smirked as he took a second to brush his wrinkled uniform.
"Well I do have expensive tastes," Chris chuckled as he got a fire going and set the old worn metal pot atop the flames. "But this won't cost you cash."
"I can already tell I won't like where this is going," Nick sighed as he took a seat on an old log they had managed to roll into their small campsite the night before.
"You are having nightmares about her aren't you," The old wolf pointed out as he took a moment to fix his sleeves on his old worn flannel shirt that looked to be older than Nick yet still well maintained.
Retirement had done little to change the old ranger currently standing before Nick.
Ranger Chris Wolfard had been a staple of the parks department for some time. Having patrolled the woods longer than some of his coworkers had been alive.
However, his tenure in the forests had come to an end last season when budget cuts had put Nick's job in jeopardy.
Without even hesitating Chris had announced he would be retiring and moving to Zootopia to live with his son who worked for the ZPD.
All that had changed though after the Wewa incident.
As soon as the incident had hit the news Chris had packed an overnight bag and booked the first train ticket he could back to Fairfax to assist in the search.
No one had dared stop the wolf when he arrived and immediately took to searching. He had even managed to help organize the initial rescue operation and had been an invaluable asset.
As time went on though fewer and fewer mammals showed up to help with the search for the missing Ranger Rose.
Not Chris though, as soon as he was done in one grid he would demand to be sent to another.
The old wolf, though retired, still seemed to have a bit of sway in the parks department, especially with the rangers.
It was that same sway that had led Nick and Finnick so deep in the woods.
While Nick had been trained and certified as a ranger he was still in need of his long-distance training. This would give him the skills necessary to go farther away from Fairfax and deeper into the forest.
Sadly though his trainer was…well…gone.
Chris however had the training necessary and after some stern negotiating with the head of the Ranger division, a stern but fair jackrabbit named Jack, Chris had managed to get the go-ahead to take Nick out and mentor him.
For the most part, it was really how to set up a smaller portable tent, how to ration and forage, and when to know it was time to resupply.
Nick constantly debated how in the world he would ever pay Chris back. Not only did he have a job because of the wolf but now he was able to do more in the search operation as well.
"You know no one blames you for what happened Nick," Chris said as he retrieved some instant coffee from his backpack and stirred it into the water which started to boil in the pot.
Nick had heard this time and time again and each time he did he still felt a pang of regret.
"Almost no one," Nick said with a sigh.
Chris glanced over and made eye contact with the fox and remained silent.
While everyone had been very supportive over the past few weeks there was one mammal in particular that had shut himself off from Nick.
Delta had gone from one of Nick's closest friends out in the forest to a total stranger.
They had even run into one another at Wewa during a supply run.
The painted dog looked to be a shell of himself. His fur was unkempt and had twigs sticking out of it. His eyes were sullen and the splots on his fur seemed almost dull in color.
He hadn't said a word to Nick but the look was all the fox needed.
When his eyes had met Delta's he saw a coldness he hadn't seen since his days in Zootopia.
It was a look of contempt.
"He will come around when we find her," Chris piped up. "Hell, I have a feeling she will have a lot to say to him when she finds out how he has been acting."
"She shouldn't," Nick sighed. "No one should…"
What made the whole situation worse with Delta was how Nick completely agreed with the painted dog.
If someone had lost Judy the way he had lost Delta's bunny.
Nick immediately banished such thoughts from his head, he reminded himself that thinking like this did no one any good.
Some rustling in Nick's tent caught both the canine's attention and they looked over as a small yet intimidating-looking fennec fox stumbled out of the tent.
Nick stifled a laugh as he watched his old friend stomp right to the edge of the fire before holding out a small tin cup he seemed to always be carrying.
Without saying a word Chris reached over and scooped the pot from the fire and poured the freshly brewed coffee into the smaller mammals mug.
Finnick sighed, took a sip of the almost black liquid, before clearing his throat.
"Thanks, old-timer," came a gruff voice that was easily as deep as the fox was small.
"No problem city slicker," Chris chuckled before glancing at Nick who retrieved a cup of his own.
Finnick was a little out of his element out here in the woods. He did however manage to make a friend or two.
Chris had immediately taken a shine to the smaller canine when he found out how he took his coffee. He even found it amusing how Finnick refused to even speak to anyone before he had a morning cup.
After enjoying some coffee and semi-stale ration bars the trio of canines began to break down their makeshift camp.
"Ranger Wilde…oh Two Forks, you there?" Came a soft voice over Nick's personal walkie-talkie that was currently clipped to his belt.
Both Chris and Finnick froze and gave the fox smug looks.
"You ever notice how she calls for her morning chat just as we are breaking down camp?" Chris asked as he rolled up his sleeping bag.
"Odd coincidence that's for sure," Finnick added as he helped with the camp break down.
"What can I say," Nick began as he unclipped the walkie. "Work smarter not harder."
Chris let out a laugh before waving a paw at the fox, signaling that he could finish with the quick breakdown.
It wasn't like they had set up a large camp. Only some simple canvas tents and sleeping bags. They had to travel light while on the search for their missing comrade.
Nick excused himself and strolled around a large tree before finally responding to Judy's call.
"Morning Supervisor Hopps," Nick said with a smirk, knowing full well he was getting an eye roll on the other end of the transmission. "What is on the docket for today?"
He knew all too well that if there had been any actual news that Judy would have called him immediately, which led to reason that this was just a morning wake-up call.
"Not too much. The Fairfax fire department volunteers are having to head back to Wewa for re-supply. Also, a nature photography class from the local college is visiting so we gave them fliers and suggested a few spots to maybe check out."
"Any of these spots on the search grid?" Nick asked with a sly smile.
"One or two of them may be in need of a check," Judy came back confidently.
"You would have made a great hustler ya know?"
"Please, I am a great hustler."
"A cute hustler maybe, but great? Bit of a stretch."
"Keep it up and your next grid will be over a waterfall," Judy said before an awkward silence came over the radio. "Nick..I…I'm sorry it just kind of slipped out.."
Nick let out a sad sigh before he composed himself once more, "It's ok Carrots…"
Another few seconds of silence were finally broken by Judy, "Delta is in the grid section next to you by the way…so…yeah."
"Has he said anything?"
"Not really…Just the occasional check-in. It's a miracle we even hear from him, to be honest. Think it's more for Peggy's sake. He cares about her. Think the only reason anyone has been able to keep him in line is that Peggy is in Fairfax. Otherwise, who knows…"
Peggy Rose was the mother of their missing ranger and had rushed to Fairfax the instant she had gotten the call about her daughter. While she wanted to play a bigger role in the search it had been decided she would be more valuable at Judy's side, helping with logistics and coordinating the search effort.
As it turned out she had been invaluable when it came to convincing Delta to return to Wewa for supplies and check-in with them from time to time. Nick had a feeling if Peggy hadn't stepped in none of them would have heard from Delta at all.
"I can understand where he is coming from though. If it was you lost out here I know I wouldn't have stopped looking…" Nick said solemnly.
"I know you wouldn't," Judy said sadly. "And we won't stop looking until we find her."
"Just can't believe she hasn't shown up yet…"
"The forest is a lot bigger than most folks believe. You know we are still discovering long-lost mine shafts in the mountains around Fairfax. One of them was in someone's backyard… The forest has lots of hidden spots."
"Lots of spots for her to end up in."
"She is tough Nick, and smart. Wherever she is I know she is surviving but she needs our help."
Nick detected some movement behind him and turned to see Chris giving him a signal that it was time to go.
"Well all the more reason to get back to searching," Nick said as he nodded at the old wolf. "What's our next grid?"
"T-107."
"Sounds like the perfect spot for an ambush by a certain pinecone-wielding ranger," Nick said, trying to lighten the mood.
"One can only hope."
Nick let out a deep sigh before giving his new sign-off to Judy, "Pinecone."
Seconds later Judy responded, a slight skip in her voice, "Pinecone."
Hey there Firewatchers.
It's been a while.
Well, we are finally here, the start to the last part of what is now the Zootopia: Firewatch Trilogy.
I will be honest I never thought it would turn into this but I am so glad it has.
We have quite the rollercoaster set up for you all and I can't wait to continue with this story!
Cover Pic time!
Now listen I love all the cover pics I have gotten over the years but this one is just so special to me! My friend The Winterbunny really knocked it out of the park and made what is a truly beautiful picture that I know you all will enjoy. To see a full version check out my Ao 3 account or Winter's deviant art where I am sure this will be posted soon.
Till next time!
Pinecone!
-Blue
