WingedKatt here. If anyone was hoping for a longer chapter, this is it. It' over 4,800 words. The last 4 didn't even reach 3,500. ; )
…...
Sitting up, she carefully swung her legs over the lounge chair and scooted towards the edge. Nick, seeing her move, made to get up, but she motioned him to stay. "Don't move, Nick, I got this. It's only one short hop over to your chair."
"Are you sure?" Nick's face was a mask of concern.
With a grin, she pointed out, "I still have one good leg and two good arms, so stop worrying." Standing up on her good leg, she put a paw on the table and hopped the one step over to his chair, then rested her injured leg on the chair and lifted her good leg up and over Nick's legs. Settling down on his lap as she straddled his thighs, she smirked at Nick's shocked expression.
Nick didn't remain shocked for long, and as his smug smirk returned, he said, "I hope you haven't forgotten what I said the last time you sat on me like this. It hasn't changed and you're still begging to be squeezed."
Judy's ears immediately flushed red as they stood up straight and then fell down to hide behind her back. "Ni-ick!" She slugged his shoulder and Nick laughed as he reached up to rub the spot. "I . . . I can't help it . . ." her voice dropped to a whisper and she let her paw reach over and caress his chest. "I . . . this is becoming my favorite spot to sit." Looking up with shy eyes, she explained, "I like . . . being this close to you, and . . . when we sit this close . . . I don't have to crane my neck to see you and you don't have to hunch down to meet my gaze." Dropping her gaze back down to his chest, she ran her paw lightly across it again while feeling the muscles beneath his shirt and fur. "I can't help it . . ." she muttered again.
Nick's ears pricked forward, and his eyes burned with intensity. Watching her bashful expression for a moment longer, he then rested his large, dark paws on her shoulders and gently slid them down her arms. "You know I'm not complaining, right?" Judy glanced up with a small smile and nodded, so Nick continued as he slid his paws down her sides to her sculpted rump. "Just don't complain when I return the favor."
At Nick's light squeeze, Judy moaned and pressed into him slightly, even as her eyes dropped shut. Grinning at her response, he squeezed her one last time, then slid his paws up to her waist and began caressing her sides with his thumb pads and claws.
Judy opened her eyes and met his heated gaze. Opening her mouth, she licked her suddenly dry lips, her nose twitching, as she tried to collect her thoughts. This smug fox was awakening emotions and senses she'd never experienced before and put thoughts in her head that she always scoffed at when listening to her sisters ramble on.
Finally, she was able to gather her scattered thoughts enough to say, "Nick, I . . ." She glanced around while trying to find the exact words she wanted to convey. "I want this . . . I want . . ."—she met his burning emeralds—"you. I want to be with you and feel all these new feelings I've never felt before and to experience these thoughts and ideas being with you is putting in my head—thoughts I've never had about anyone else and wasn't sure I ever would."
Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment, she slid her paws down to rub Nick's arms as they continued to caress her sides. Opening her eyes again, she explained, "Nick, I want . . . I want everything with you. I want to . . . give you . . . everything."
Nick's eyes popped as it suddenly clicked what she'd been telling Cindy yesterday and then a predatory glint entered his already heated emeralds as he took a deep breath of her delectable scent. Letting his gaze drop to take in every inch of her lithe body, it lingered on her hips a moment longer than it probably should, then traveled back up to meet her slightly dazed amethysts. Licking his dark nose, he said, his voice a husky whisper, "I'm not opposed to trying any of those ideas that are currently running through your head."
Judy chuckled softly, but then said, "Nick, I really do want this . . . all of it . . . you . . . us . . ." she left the sentence hanging for a minute.
Nick could see she really meant what she said but could also see the hesitancy in her eyes. So when she paused, he continued her sentence and hoped she wouldn't flat out reject him. "But . . . ?"
"But . . ." With another deep breath, she continued, "I don't want to rush into things and possibly destroy what we already have. I've seen too many of my sisters jump into a relationship without giving it time to mature and then be left weeping because it fell apart before it really got started. And I don't want that for us."
Reaching up, she softly caressed the side of his muzzle. "You, our friendship, and our relationship are too important, too precious to rush." With a soft, loving smile she added, "I don't want to be with anyone else so I want to make sure our relationship will last." With a soft chuckle, she said, "I'm in this for the long haul, Slick, so I hope you meant it when you said you'll never leave me again." Leaning forward, she rested her twitching nose against his and murmured, "I'm holding you to that promise."
Nick grinned, his smug grin nowhere to be found as his heart swelled with love and happiness. The fact she wanted to take things slow (though he hoped not too slow, even if his instincts were complaining that they were already moving too fast) to ensure the relationship didn't fall apart later on meant some of the scars he'd carried for years due to the hate and prejudice society had been beating him down with since he was a small kit were starting to heal.
With a completely sincere, heart-warming smile, Nick reached up and cupped Judy's cheek and slid his large fingers behind her ear. "I have absolutely no problems with taking it slow, Judy. As it stands, we're already moving much faster than a normal fox relationship, so I really can't complain."
Sitting back a little so their noses were no longer touching, she asked curiously, "What do you mean? What are normal fox relationships like?"
"Well, for starters," he began, while gently massaging around the base of her ear, "foxes usually hang out for several months, casually, before deciding to date. And although the todd usually asks the vixen out, it's the vixen that calls the shots and sets the pace of the relationship—at least with red foxes. Each fox species has slightly different dating rituals." With a wide grin, he added, "So you're the boss." After flicking her nose and listening to her giggle, he continued, "Once the vixen has accepted the todds advances and they decide to date, they'll date for 8 months or more before deciding to marry. But once decided, fox engagements are extremely short—like a day short."
"Huh? What about planning the wedding and getting the wedding and bridesmaids' dresses ready? The invitations, the food, the seating. . . how can you do all that in a day? Or even 2?"
Nick cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Carrots, Judy, my Love, how many friends and family do I have that you know of?"
Her heart was squeezed at hearing his new term of endearment, and it took her a second to think about his question. "Um, well, there's your mom and sister, and, um, Finnick, I guess."
Nick nodded, saying, "And who else?"
Judy scrunched her nose up in thought, but then shook her head. "You haven't really mentioned anyone else. Flash, maybe."
"Exactly. I'm a fox and we don't usually have many close friends, and our families tend to be small. I can maybe think of a pawful of other people that would come to my wedding, but that's about it." With a harsh laugh, he added, "So, yeah, no reason to plan for a big get-together—not that anyone would host a fox wedding, anyways. Society doesn't really like finding out two foxes are planning to breed."
Judy's ears drooped and she whispered in concern, "Why? What happens?"
"Well, today the worse we get is that no wedding venue will host a fox wedding, even if they are small. And since we no longer advertise our desires for marriage, society largely leaves us alone." He paused a moment, then added, "At least, it's that way here in the city and other places where foxes are severely outnumbered. In small towns with a large fox population, they might hold a small garden ceremony."
Judy was crestfallen to hear the further mistreatment of her fox and his kin but didn't miss the fact that Nick kept hinting that things used to be different. With a sniffle, she asked, "And before?"
Folding his arms, he leaned back in his chair and looked up as he tried to remember the things he'd been taught as a young kit about fox culture, and why it developed the way it did. "Let's see, it must have been about 200 years ago, I think." Looking back into Judy's watery amethyst pools, he continued, "We used to have the big, grand weddings that took months to plan, with lots of family and friends coming for the event. But about that time there was a . . . very . . . dark movement among the prey populations that were extremely anti-predator. They harped on all predators but took it to the extreme with us smaller predators that couldn't fight back as easily."
Closing his eyes, Nick remembered the brutal stories his paternal grandparents had told him when he was very young. "Foxes used to live predominantly in large, rural communities with a few of the other small predators—raccoons, ferrets, and others like them—and we didn't have much contact with other populations—especially prey. We didn't see any reason to. We were self-contained and didn't need a lot of items we didn't catch, grow, or make ourselves. And with the mistrust prey usually showed us, we tried to avoid them. Maybe that was the problem—we stuck together too much, and it made other species paranoid that we were plotting something. I don't really know. I don't think anybody does."
Judy studied Nick's dark, brooding expression for a while, but when he didn't continue, she caressed his muzzle again and asked softly, "So what happened?"
Opening his eyes, Nick cocked his head again and asked, "Are you sure you want to know? It's another sob story. Those are the only kind I have."
Judy sniffled again but couldn't keep a tear from sliding down her cheek. Even without hearing about it, the pain she saw burning in Nick's emerald eyes tore at her heart. With ears erect so she didn't miss a thing, she said, "I want to know. I want to know more about you, about your culture and traditions, and about foxes in general. Even if it hurts, I want to know."
Nick nodded, impressed once again with his little honeybun. Reaching up, he rubbed and caressed her large ears, and once she'd relaxed a little, he slid his paws down and around to rest on her waist once more. Closing his eyes, he continued his story. "When I say prey, it was mostly the smaller and medium sized prey mammals—sheep, rabbits, prairie dogs, the smaller deer and antelope species—which congregated in large communities that were the worst instigators of the atrocities to come."
Taking a deep breath, Nick said, "They started an anti-predator movement that involved disrupting public events and crashing weddings. They didn't want the filthy pelts to breed, but it quickly escalated to involve murdering those that attended the weddings, butchering the groom and bride, before torching the towns." A scowl now covered Nick's muzzle, showing off his glistening, white fangs. "Anyone caught fleeing were locked in cages and beat, poked, and starved to death in public displays to show how worthless we were. Of course, foxes weren't the only ones they targeted, but we had the large communities, so we were the easiest to catch and make examples of."
Opening his eyes to see Judy's silent tears, he stated, "Foxes had to become sly, cowardly, untrustworthy thieves in order to survive—and society won't let us change even after all these years."
Seeing Nick's burning emeralds and hearing this last statement, Judy could no longer hold back her heart-wrenching sob and cried out as she buried her face in Nick's chest, then pushed her face up under his muzzle where she dug her nose into the thick, cream-colored fur. "Ni-ick, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," she sobbed into his fur. "I didn't know."
Rubbing her ears with one dark paw and her back with the other, he murmured, "How could you? The victors wrote the history books, glorifying their own villainous deeds and vilifying the losers' fight for survival. And although rabbits made up a large part of the mob, it was the sheep that started and led the movement as they spewed their lies and specist propaganda to incite hate in their followers. Not all that different from today with the anti-predator movements." With a soft, bitter snort, Nick observed, "I wouldn't be surprised if Bellwether descended from some those brutal sheep leaders."
Judy gave her own bitter laugh. "Yeah, you're probably right. If it took place a mere century or two ago, then I'm sure a lot of that hate was passed on and was taught to the children and grandchildren." Groaning, she rubbed her face into his neck. "And it wasn't just the sheep. We were taught the same hate and lies growing up. You should hear my Pop-pop yelling about the evils of foxes." Pushing up on Nick's chest, she raised her head to look at him.
"Foxes are red because they are spawned by the devil!" she quoted in a deep, gravelly voice, while shaking a small fist. "They'll sneak in your house at night, creep into your beds, and eat little bunnies, so you better watch out!"
Nick's ears tilted forward, and a heated, predatory gleam entered his eyes once again. "So are you going to hide under the covers, shaking and shivering, when this big bad fox creeps into your bed some night while you're sleeping?"
Judy's expression immediately brightened, then turned sultry as she ran her paws up and around his neck. "Hmm, I don't know. How hard are you planning to bite me?"
Nick's heated grin widened. "As hard as you want me to." He paused a moment and let his heated gaze slide down her sculpted body, then back up to meet her embarrassed, but happy gaze. "Wherever you want me to."
"Hmm," Judy purred as she leaned closer to Nick. "If that's the case, then you'll probably find me shivering, but I can assure you it won't be from fear."
A wide, predatory grin spread across Nick's face, showcasing all his sharp, pearly whites. Holding her gaze, he ran his long tongue over his sharp canines and took a deep breath of her mouth-watering scent. They held each other's gazes for several more moments, then Nick pulled back and coughed into his paw. "Okay, we better change the subject before we wake something up that I'd rather leave dormant for a bit longer."
Judy immediately released Nick's neck to grab her flaming ears and pulled them over her eyes as she just realized what they were doing. What was that? What did we do? What. Did. I. Just. Do!? Ahh! I'm as bad as my sisters. This kind of over-the-top flirting is something my boy-crazy sisters would do to hook up with whatever dumb buck caught their fancy. Of course, Nick was anything but dumb. He was thoughtful, intelligent, funny, cute, handsome, exciting, comfortable, and safe. Well, maybe not too safe. His magic paws and smug grin were criminal.
Sitting up straighter, she released her ears to catch the tail-end of Nick's blush seen from inside his ears—the only part of him that wasn't covered in thick fur. "So what are fox marriages like now? If you don't have time to plan out a wedding and you don't have many guests to invite—what do you do?"
"Let me ask you a question first," Nick said as he slid his paws back around her slender waist. "Do rabbits mark each other?"
Judy nodded. "Yeah, we do. Our scent glands are under our chin and have to be pressed fairly hard to stimulate them."
"That's good. Our scent glands are on the side of our muzzles. Next question: when does a couple decide to mark each other? What does it mean for you? For rabbits?"
"A rabbit couple will mark each other for the first time when they get engaged." With a curious tilt to her head, Judy asked, "What does it mean for foxes to mark each other?"
"Marking for foxes is done during the wedding ceremony. Although a couple will think long and hard about marriage, and will discuss the possibility several times, the actual wedding itself is more of a spur of the moment thing, when it just feels right."
"Wait, you'll just decide while walking down the street or something?"
Nick's ears flicked down to the side. "No. I told you, a lot of thought goes into the decision to marry. For a red fox, it's a lifelong commitment—we mate for life. There's no playing the field and no second chances. It's one and done, so the timing, the mood, and the circumstances all have to be right. For instance, the couple will need at least three days they can devote to each other without any outside obligations demanding their attention."
Judy was highly interested to learn that red foxes didn't play around and that when they committed, there was no going back, no 'Oops, I made a mistake. Sorry.' It gave her greater hope for her relationship with Nick. It meant he was in it for the long haul, too. As warmth spread through her, she felt curious about the condition Nick mentioned. "Why the three days?" They didn't do any wedding plans but then needed 3 days together afterwards . . . ?
Nick tilted his head and met her curious gaze with a smug one of his own. "For a bunny who bragged about how rabbits were so good at multiplying, I'd think that answer should be obvious." As he finished speaking, Nick's gaze glanced up to her ears. Bingo. Bright red. Aaah! I wish I could take a picture.
"Ah, right, haha, multiplying." Seeing where Nick's gaze was and knowing what color her ears were, she immediately dropped them behind her back, then glanced to the left as she grabbed one and pulled it over her shoulder. Fidgeting with the end of it, she could feel her whole face heating up as Nick's words put some very interesting ideas in her head—ideas she probably would have never considered if not for her loud-mouthed sisters. Thinking about them brought a slight scowl to her face.
Nick watched her shy antics, the scowl that touched her face, and then felt like he was dying. Cuteness overload! Call the paramedics, I'm having a heart attack!
Pushing the irritating thoughts aside, Judy glanced back at Nick and met his excited gaze. She knew he found her embarrassment funny but ignored it. "So what does a fox wedding actually involve?"
Nick raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Are you sure your tender rabbit ears can handle hearing about it? They're still red from the last time I mentioned multiplying."
"Ni-ick!" With a scowl, she slugged his shoulder again.
"What!? You asked!" Nick exclaimed while laughing and rubbing his bruise. "You know, as funny as it is when you hit me, you might want to consider hitting me somewhere else. My shoulder is seriously bruised now."
Ignoring his complaint, Judy folded her arms and glared at him. "I asked about the wedding itself, not . . . afterwards."
Nick's grin widened. "See, and that's where you'd be wrong, my cute, naïve, little bunny."
"Nicky," she said while shaking a fist under his nose.
Nick could only laugh, which made Judy lean in real close, and in a dangerous tone, repeat slowly, "Nicky."
"Okay, okay!" he laughed again while holding up his hands as if to ward her off. "I'm sorry! It's just . . . you're so freaking . . ." At Judy's death glare, he snapped his jaws shut. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he continued, "Anyways, about your question. Usually the couple will head out to the mountains for their 3-day retreat, but if that's not possible, they'll just hole up in their house for the 3 days and pretend they're not home if anyone stops by."
"And the wedding . . . ?" Judy asked again, not quite understanding why Nick was giving her the runaround.
"Okay, so after they've decided to take the plunge and they've cleared their schedules for the 3 days, they exchange vows—what they mean to each other and their promise to remain faithful—then they mark each other," Nick paused here as a flash of heat traveled up his ears. ". . . mate, and . . . the todd knots his vixen, followed by a mating screech we've never evolved out of, and then the todd bites her in the shoulder to finish the ceremony." Taking a deep breath, Nick finished his explanation. "After that they are considered truly married and after the 3 days are up, they'll stop in at the courthouse and register as official mates, legally husband and wife."
"You bite her!?"
Nick narrowed his eyes at her. "I can see what you're thinking and stop thinking it."
Judy's eyes shot up and she cocked her head in question.
"It's a love bite—no blood."
"But . . . how . . .?"
"Judy, my Love, how thick is my skin and the fur covering it?" he asked while tilting his head to the side and fully exposing his neck and shoulder to her.
Judy felt her heart squeeze again at hearing both her name and the new nickname. With warmth spreading through her, Judy reached up and felt the thick fur around his neck and shoulder, then dug her nails through it to feel the thick skin beneath. "Okay, I see what you mean."
"Like I said, it's a love bite. It's firm and meant to hold, not tear." Lifting his own paw, he slipped his rough finger pads under the collar of her shirt and over her shoulder, feeling the soft fur and skin beneath. "Of course, with your thin, silky fur and delicate skin, I'll have to be more careful than if you were a vixen."
Judy's ears perked up at hearing his comment. The thought of him with a vixen sent a slight wave of jealousy down her spine, but she stamped it down to focus on the fact that he was already considering biting her—a love bite only given during the marriage ceremony. With love for the handsome todd filling her heart, her face brightened and her smile was blinding.
Nick paused in his caress, then slid his hand around to cup the side of her neck while caressing the front of her throat with his thumb. A mischievous glint entered his eyes and he teased, "Is the fearless bunny fantasizing about my teeth pressing into her skin again?"
Judy laughed and shook her head. Leaning down, she pressed her face under his chin and hummed happily while wrapping her arms around his chest.
Nick raised an eyebrow but didn't complain as he wrapped his arms around her back. "What's this for?" he asked.
"I'm just happy. Happy to be with you. Happy to have you. Just . . . happy."
Nick's smug smirk vanished to be replaced with a sincere smile. Squeezing her tighter, he dropped his muzzle down to caress the back of her head. "Ditto."
Judy giggled at his reply and rubbed her face into his luxurious fur, then settled back down, content to just lay here with Nick.
They were content to stay like that, neither one moving or speaking, for some time when the sound of a vehicle pulling into the drive and rolling around to the garage broke up the peaceful moment. Both of their ears twitched and at Judy's curious gaze, Nick explained, "That'll be Finnick. I asked him to drop something off for you."
"You did? What is it?"
With a wide, teasing grin, Nick replied, "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you?"
"Ni-ick!"
With a chuckle, Nick sat up. "Come on, I need to talk to Finnick and you need to call your parents. I'm sure your dad is convinced I'm having my wicked way with you right now." He grinned as her ears turned red again, and then added, "One of your siblings will be by tomorrow afternoon with your wallet and a box of stuff, so be thinking of what you want in it."
Judy nodded, then asked with hope shining in her eyes, "And about this Sunday?"
"Your parents are set to come down with five of your siblings. Your mom wanted to bring over a dozen of them, but there's no way I could handle that." Seeing Judy's ears drop in concern and confusion, Nick took a deep breath and explained his reasoning. "Fluff, there's a reason we foxes avoid rabbits like they have the plague. I don't want any negative memories in this house, especially ones that concern your family. You're special and your mom is open-minded, but having met your dad, can you seriously say the rest of your siblings are going to be okay being in the same house as a fox? That they won't be just as prejudice as your dad, if not more so?"
Judy's shoulders slumped. "No, you're right. Some of them are open-minded like me and mom, but there are far more that are extremely specist, and quite a few of them won't keep their hateful opinions to themselves." At Nick's sad nod of understanding, she took a deep breath. "Okay, so just five of my siblings?"
Nick cocked his head in thought, then said, "Well, between us and your parents, that's 4, and 5 siblings will be 9. Okay, I'll let 6 come, that'll make it an even 10—but that's it." Judy nodded and Nick added, "And you choose who they are." Handing her the phone, he picked her up and moved her back to her own chair just as a van door closed and a deep voice bellowed up from below.
"Okay, Nick, I brought what you wanted and now you owe me. I need to use your garage and you better not argue, or I'll bite your face off!"
Nick and Judy's eyes met and then they laughed. "I need to help Finn while you placate your dad. Sorry again about the ear pawing. I hope it doesn't get us in too much trouble."
Judy nodded just as Finnick hollered again, "Nick, I can hear you. Get your red butt down here now!"
Nick shrugged with his hands up in a 'What can I say?' gesture, then turned and disappeared down the stairs while hollering back, "I'm coming! Don't have a cow—it'll kill you!"
"Nick!" Judy scolded. She heard Nick laugh again, then turned to the phone in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back and pasted on a smile as she hit send to her parent's number. She really hoped it was her mom who picked up.
….
WingedKatt here. We now know a thing or two about fox culture and Nick and Judy had another tender moment as their relationship continues to deepen. For those of you who think their relationship is moving a little too fast, there is method to my madness that will slowly be revealed. For now, just remember that their feelings began to develop 3 months ago (that's how long they've known each other in my story) and I have instances from the movie that I'm drawing this conclusion from if anyone wants to hear them. For now, just enjoy the story. Next chapter will show how close Nick and Finnick are, and Finnick's reaction to Nick's actions and responses to Judy. There'll be some surprises and laughter, along with another glimpse into the mind of Nick Wilde.
Chapter 15: Worth It, will post on Saturday.
Again, if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear from you. Have a great week.
