A/N: Hey, reader! I am very happy to see how well received the 5th chapter was. Got hit with a double edged sword by getting a new job taking up a lot of my time. Between that and writer's block I just couldn't bring myself to get any meaningful work done on this story. Ideas for this story have just been flooding my mind lately. I cant guarantee that I will start to consistently update, but I will try my best to stay on it. Sorry!
Anyway I hope that you enjoy the newest addition!
Now I present Chapter 6:
Staying in the embrace of one another, Nick finally fell asleep with dampened fur beneath his eyes. Abigale still hugging him while caressing his head, sat in silence for a while longer before lifting the now asleep fox from her. She placed Nick into his bed and placed a kiss between his ears. The bunny left the room wiping her eyes trying not to break down at the scene she had just experienced.
"It's pretty early for him to fall asleep, but maybe a nap is what he needs now," She thought to herself. Remembering her mother's warning of Nick's eventual realization, Abigale set out to find her once again, but first… She needed something to drink.
On her way to the kitchen she oddly didn't run into anyone but didn't realize it herself with how backed up her mind was already. As she got closer to the kitchen she could hear the voices of her family getting louder along with the sounds of water running and silverware poking and scraping on plates. Upon entering the kitchen, Abby made a b-line for the cupboard with the glasses, grabbed one of the taller glasses and filled it at the sink, and downed the contents immediately as if she'd been without water for days.
Abby proceeded to fill her glass two more times until something tapped on her shoulder. She snapped out of her stupor and acknowledged what tapped her.
"Huh, what?" she said as if she was in a panic.
"Whoa, calm down there, Ab!" It was Abraham, "I was just gonna ask if you were gonna help or create more dishes?"
Abigale turned to face him ready to apologize, "Oh, sorry. Forgot it was our turn…"
"Awfully convenient memory if you ask me," he teased, "but if you're looking to apologize you can take care of the rest. There isn't much to do so workload should be about the same." he finished with a smile.
Those last few words hung in the air as she nodded her head, "Yeah, sure. The same…" she trailed off as she approached the sink. She didn't even notice when her siblings left the kitchen as she started. Being in a state of trance she hardly noticed the chore go by. Taking sips of water and scrubbing pans flew by with Abby hardly noticing. As soon as she finished, Abby grabbed a water bottle and left the kitchen in search of her mother once again. She desperately needed some motherly advice.
"Should have asked Abe!" mentally kicking herself. "No time for regrets!" She then pulled her phone out and proceeded to text her mother. Texting someone else in the house just to find them was strangely looked down on, but Abby couldn't care less about being considered lazy, especially in her current situation. She got a text back from her mother sighing with relief as she made her way.
…
Nick stood in an empty room with the only source of light coming from the bottom of the door. Nick approached the door and raised his paw to the knob only to pause and hear muffled laughter from the other side. He lowered his paw and pressed his ear to the door to try and hear the conversation better. Henry and Harrison's voices could be heard within the group, Nick figured the littermates were together. Somewhat timid Nick reached for the doorknob again until the laughter died down and a conversation began.
"Can you believe it? Nick's a FOX!" It was Henry.
Harrison joined in, "I knew there was something about him I didn't like…"
"I bet he thinks about eating us," another voice chimed in.
"Yeah, what a jerk! He didn't even try to stay with me at school," Henry continued.
More voices all collected into one at Nick's ears were assaulted with: "What a loser!" Nick crouched down and began to sob again until he felt a poke on his palm. He lifted his paw and with wet eyes examined his palm only to see a streak of blood coming from a small hole in his paw pad. Nick clenched his paws hard enough to prick himself. Nick recoiled in horror as he examined his paw, but instead of crying more he shut his eyes tightly and stood to open the door and approach his siblings.
Nick rubbed at his eyes with his forearm to hide that he had been crying and grabbed the knob with his free paw. Opening the door Nick lowered his arm and opened his eyes to look directly at his siblings. The bunnies froze when the door opened leaving a red fox in the doorway looking directly at them with eyes full of raw emotion. Nick locked eyes with Henry and approached the group and with every step, Nick could feel one of his fingers flex until he was right in front of the stunned bunny. Both of Nick's paws were flexed to their limits, showing their glimmering claws as he raised his right above his head. At this point, Henry began to sob loudly and uncontrollably. Nick looked down at him and saw the sheer terror in his face bringing his paw down to look at it himself. Nick relaxed his paw and lowered it to apologize.
The anger that filled Nick's expression disappeared as he prepared his apology only to find Henry was no longer in front of him. Nick looked around hoping that Henry didn't run away to tell on him, but Nick wasn't even in the hallway where he approached him. He was in the bathroom with the shower running. The steam was strangely thick and hard to see through. Nick thought he was intruding on someone's shower and tried for the door.
"Where are you going, Nicky?" A familiar voice came from the shower.
"Uhh, sorry! I didn't mean to…" Nick began to excuse himself.
A low chuckle echoed in the room as the water shut off and the shower curtain could be heard being pulled back. The mist from the hot water had lifted and Nick noticed he was alone in the bathroom, the source of the voice nowhere to be seen. He went for the door once again until the low chuckle stopped and descended into a low growl from the sink. Against Nick's instinct to avoid this voice he approached the sink as if controlled by something, or someone, else. He examined the sink and mirror right above it. He could see his silhouette in the mirror, his image obscured by the fog. Nick began to wipe away the fog and once finished saw a horrific image of a large freakish fox. Fangs exposed from a foaming mouth, black slits in the murderous emerald gaze, wild unkempt fur, and long twisted claws coming from torn paws that have been flexed past their limit.
Nick wanted to vomit from the sight but was so scared he couldn't do anything under the paralyzing gaze from the figure in the mirror and just fell onto his back scrambling to the opposite wall as the figure grabbed each side of the mirror, bending it to be large enough for it to walk out of. It slowly approached the petrified vulpine and stopped right before him and raised its freakish claw. Nick shut his eyes, squeezing them tight enough to hurt, but a strike never came. Nick slowly opened his eyes, but he was no longer on his back. Instead, Nick was standing and the monster was no longer in front of him. In its place was a terrified bunny. Recognizing who it was he thought to himself, "Momma!" Abigale, looking up at him with fear in her eyes, seemed to be pleading for her life. Nick had taken the place of the monster, but unlike his interaction with Henry, Nick's claw came down violently and quickly. Nick cringed as he felt something tearing along his claw
"NO!" Nick screamed in his mind.
As the terrifyingly twisted claw finished ripping through Abigale, Nick's eyes shot open and he let out a scream and began to sob. A nightmare. Nick sat up still sobbing from his dream with his face and fur drenched in tears with a long tear going down the center of his pillow. "No no no no…" He repeated between sniffles.
…
Abigale finally made it to her mother, who was dealing with a lot of the younger siblings. Patiently waiting for Bonnie to finish, she leaned against the doorway and began picking her nails. Small arguments and fights between the younger siblings happened all too often and usually ended in a child getting bit. Abigale laughed to herself on how factions would form in the younger litters. Fights over sweets, toys and a lot of stealing from one another. Lots of bad habits that need to be dealt with before they grow up. "Like mom always said: Easier to raise a child than fix an adult." Abigale thought to herself. "Luckily mom's got a little do-gooder to help her sort everyone out." She continued sarcastically. Looking around the room she actually spotted the kit right by Bonnie's side "enforcing" the house rules and telling the whole story of what just happened.
Abigale took another look and rolled her eyes, "she's even wearing that sewn officer's uniform, hat and all. Surprised mom even made that for the little brown-nose."
The younger siblings finally calmed down, all either laughing, making faces or sticking their tongues at one another as they separated to opposite sides of the room. The little "police officer" however stuck near Bonnie's side as both groups made faces at her. Bonnie's shoulders sagged as she pat Judy, the aforementioned officer, on the head. Turning around Bonnie and Abigale's eyes met. It was clear Bonnie didn't want to spend any more time in that room, so Abigale waved her to the door.
"Hey, mom," Abigale jokingly beamed, "having fun yet?"
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "as always, Abby. Dealing with the kits' 'litter raids' has always been my favorite passtime. Thanks to Judy it's over and done with."
Abigale cringed as Judy spoke up, "It's your favorite, ma? I'm sorry!"
Bonnie pinched the bridge of her nose, "that was a joke, Judith."
"Oh, okay! Hah!" Judy smiled, letting out a fake laugh.
Abigale gave out an annoyed breath, "Mom? Can I talk to you?"
Abigale, Bonnie and Judy all began walking down the hall, relatively aimlessly. She hoped to end the walk and talk somewhere around Nick's room so she could use the advice immediately, knowing Nick needed it sooner rather than later. Abigale could have done without Judy, but who is she gonna tell? "I don't spend too much time around her, but I know she doesn't gossip," Abigale laughed to herself, "she only ever tells mom and dad anything."
Bonnie began questioning what Abigale had sought after her, but before Abigale could answer Bonnie made a guess, "It's about Nick isn't it?" Her ears dropped. "Well then, Judy? Why don't you go and make sure everyone is still behaving?" Judy only nodded and she trot off. "So!" Bonnie turned back to Abigale, "what seems to be the issue?"
"Well mom, I kick myself for not asking you sooner, but things just don't seem to happen on my time. You said that Nick would eventually find out he is a fox and not a bunny, well…" Abigale paused.
The matron bunny put a reassuring paw on her shoulder, "so he found out?"
Abigale nodded with her head low facing the floor, "He did and he is not taking it well. Just listening to the way he paused while telling me about school. When I found him crying in his room and the way he said he was a fox! I don't want him to feel different!"
Abigale's emotions began to pour out as she struggled to stop. Eventually composing herself, wiping her eyes and sniffling. Speaking out an apology between sniffles. Bonnie shrugged the apology and brought Abigale into a warm embrace.
"While this is a new experience for me, honey, you are going to have to accept he is different," Bonnie admitted, "you have to show him the good of being different and not the bad of what he will never be. Do you understand? The worst thing you could do is apologize to him about what he thinks is bad. It is your job as a mother to be as supportive as you can!"
"My job as a mother," Abigale whispered, "he avoided calling me 'mom' a few times."
…
Skipping swiftly through the halls as her older sister's and mother's voices became distanced and indecipherable. Even with the enhanced hearing of her rabbit ears she couldn't make out a word of their conversation. Other than leaving her mother's side after settling a disagreement with her siblings, she had no issue with letting Abigale talk to mom for a second. She could find something else to do before returning to mom, and skipping around the halls looking for some "cases" to solve seemed like a perfect passtime. After all, she was still wearing her homemade police officer outfit.
Judy lifted her paw to her sewn cap and traced the brim with her forefinger and thumb, smirking, "no crime will happen while officer Judy is in town!" She began quickly moving between intersecting hallways, swiftly looking around the corners as if she was tailing an imaginary criminal. It wasn't until she peaked her head around the third corner where she actually saw movement. A long, white blanket zipping around the corner further down the hall.
She instinctually began following it, "but the laundry room is the other way? Officer Judy is on the case!" She excitedly thought to herself as she quickened her pace trying not to lose the mammal. The mammal in question had a quickened pace but even so, every corner turned she was getting closer to her suspect. Noting that the sheet was covering the entire mammal they must have been guiding themselves by looking at their feet. Judy confirmed this suspicion as the sheeted mammal bumped into the wall with a frustrated grunt. Judy let out a giggle at the bedding's frustration although a bit too loud. A light gasp was heard as the sheet on the side opposite of Judy flew up and tightened around the mammal's head. Without turning around, the sheet started to fly down the hall and made a quick turn in the next intersection. Almost as soon as the sheet disappeared around the corner a slam of a door could be heard. Judy soon turned the corner and was met with a door easily recognized by any Hopps. She caught herself reaching for the door handle, quickly pulling her paw away. Letting out a breath she started down the hallway to give her "report."
…
Nick didn't want to fall back asleep after the nightmare, but afterwards didn't have much of a choice considering how exhausted he was. He woke up shortly after falling back asleep, not long enough to dream again, and examined his palm. The small hole he saw in his dream was there, although there was no blood coming out as it had mostly dried and scabbed. He lowered his paw quickly and tightly shut his eyes, wanting to avoid crying again. Nick had a blistering headache and his paws were sore. He figured he needed to leave his room and get something to drink.
Nick got up from his bed rubbing his face to attempt and fix the matted fur under his eyes, now wanting to show that he had been crying. Being somewhat satisfied with his fur he lowered his arm. He was still in his room with very little light coming from under the door. He didn't know it at the time, but thanks to being a fox he could navigate his room easily. Nick walked over to the desk opposite of his bed and grabbed the small clock sitting on the corner.
"Just before. . . nine?" Nick asked quietly while remembering how to properly read an analog clock. "No food in the kitchen now," Nick huffed to himself as his stomach groaned as if agreeing with him. Nick sat at his desk resting his head on his arms as he began to think of what he should do until he heard footsteps outside in the hall. His heart rate spiked as he remembered what happened in the nightmare, but against his better judgment he walked over to the door and put his ear up to it. He wasn't able to make out much, but pressed up closer to the door. From what Nick could tell there were about three or four. The group got closer and Nick could hear a little of what they were saying.
"This mor *murmuring* not eat!" laughter ensued as the group got even closer, "I was kinda nervous, thanks Nick."
Nick gagged as he recognized the voice. It was Henry! Nick fell back into his desk, which knocked the wind out of him. Nick rolled on the floor trying to get a breath, but every attempt at a breath just ended with wheezing followed by a coughing fit. The group outside heard this and hurried to the door, knocking loudly.
"Are you alright in there?" the first asked worriedly
Nick kept gasping on the floor, "I'm *kaff* fine *aacukt*"
"Uhmm? Okay, but we are still coming in!"
Nick panicked as he reached up to grab something. "I can't let them see me!" he thought as his paw clenched around the bed sheet. He quickly pulled at it, ripping it off of his bed as the door opened. The light in the room was still off giving Nick the perfect amount of time to throw the sheet over his head and push past the bunnies into the hallway. Nick could hear pleas for him to stop, but he ignored them as he kept coughing. Luckily Nick composed himself enough to lower the volume of his cough and continued to run down the halls aimlessly. Lungs on fire from the coughing fit he just suffered so he pushed on until he knew he lost the group.
With one paw on his chest and the other holding himself up on the wall, Nick caught his breath. "In through the nose, out through the mouth," reminding himself of a breathing technique he learned from his older siblings. Following nothing but his feet Nick questioned himself, "where do I go now?" While thinking of his next move he bumped into the wall. He gave out a frustrated grunt, but he wasn't alone! Nick panicked as he heard a giggle behind him, did one of them follow him this far? He didn't care to figure out if it was one from the group, instead he threw the sheet over his head to see and began to run in the opposite direction of where he heard the giggle. Turning every corner he could to put some space between them was fruitless as the footsteps behind him were getting closer. Nick turned another corner, panicked and looked down the short hallway seeing it ending in a door. Quickly entering the room, Nick slammed the door behind him.
Nick turned around to look for an escape route or a place to hide even, but as he recognized the room he had entered all other thoughts washed from his mind. "Oh no."
Huge apology to the readers and especially my editors. I appreciate everything that you've done for me. Dont even know if you'll see this, but I feel the need to say it regardless.
