As she plopped down onto the bed of her accommodation, Judy tried her darnedest to contain her enthusiasm. She still couldn't believe that she had done so well on her first racing events. And on the top of that luck, she also managed to find a new friend.

It appeared that fox she befriended was had a very positive attitude towards fellow competitors, despite the fact that they were all striving for the same prize.

It was as if he didn't have his mind and heart entirely set on scoring potential sponsorship deals that came with being a winner. It seemed like he was a part of this whole thing just because of his love for the sport and event itself.

Judy felt pretty much the same way at the current moment; sure, it would be quite a blessing to win, but she wasn't willing to let the sole thought of doing so overpower her. Being the first female rabbit competitor, creating a new milestone in the circuit's history, was great enough on its own.

"Too bad some mammals in the competition don't share the same mindset," she said to herself.

Skye, who was a definite example of letting the concept of being the best get to your head, came to mind when she thought it. Her and that seemingly-arrogant weasel that was in the competition as well.

A short humming sound came from the bedside, the tone indicating that she had received a message. Judy reached over and picked up her Z-Comm, the device's screen glowing as she held it in her grasp.

The Z-Comm had a considerable amount of significance around the mountain. Everyone that was in the circuit, as well as a good number of mammals that were residents in the area, had one on them at any given time. Those who talked on the radio station gave quick reminders every now and then about keeping up with announcements. As they always liked to say: "Remember that your board won't wax itself, and that your Z-Comm can't check your messages for you."

Judy flicked the device open and pressed the small circle button in the middle of it. The messages that she had received in the past started to appear on the screen. Not much was there to be looked at, except for the personal message from her parents and the one she received upon getting accepted into the circuit. The list refreshed not even a second later, revealing something new she had received.

She opened the message and started to read what she had been sent. It said that her and the remaining competitors were all invited to a little celebration that was happening at a place called Blizzard Bar and Grill. Arranged by event organizers, competitors would be able to join one another in a private area located directly above the establishment, where they could "enjoy downtime from shredding the slopes."

Based on what the bottom of the invitation had said, an hour had passed since things started. During that period, according to the message, competitors were meeting their fans and perhaps even signing autographs. She hadn't read the message until just now, so she was a wee bit behind, much to her dismay.

Now that she had finished looking at the invitation that she had received, the doe turned off her Z-Comm and placed it in her pocket. After reading what was taking place, she was definitely going to attend. There was no way she would pass up an opportunity to see some local fans of hers, as she was quite certain they would be running to her for potential autographs, even though that part of the event already took place.

It was also, she thought as she got up from her seat, a good opportunity to see the new friend that she had just made as well.

Some Time Later...

Just as she assumed, she had received a great deal of applause from the visitors present in the establishment. With the way the radio announcer was talking about her in his updates, continuously bringing up her great performance in the first two events, she knew she was bound to be met with fans the moment she appeared.

Judy smiled as they shared their uncontainable enthusiasm, and she waved back at them. She then made her way through the portion of the eatery she stood in.

Just then, she saw a brown-furred doe, presumably in her teen years, approaching her with the most excited expression on her face. She asked ecstatically, "Can I have an autograph?"

Judy was handed a permanent marker by the enthusiastic rabbit, and she quickly signed her name on her snowboard that she had with her. Once she handed the pen back to her fan, she heard her begin to squeal.

"I am such a big fan of yours!" the teen said. "You inspired me to pick up snowboarding."

"Thank you," Judy replied. "Keep practicing and one day you might be on the circuit too."

The giddiness from that fan of hers made Judy smile even wider. The first ever female rabbit snowboarder to compete in the circuit was certainly a groundbreaking title, and to know that she was inspiring others to follow her lead was an amazing thing to hear.

The doe made her way passed the main section of the establishment, waving to some other folks who were clapping at her as she walked by. She was unsure of where was supposed to go to get to where the competitors were hanging out, and she honestly was feeling a little bit embarrassed for not knowing. A slim snow leopardess came walking by, however, and answered her question.

"Judy Hopps?" the spotted feline said. And when she nodded to her, she added, "Follow me."

Judy followed as the leopard walked past where everybody was enjoying food prepared by the establishment, passed the bar area and over to where two closed doors were. On the doors was a sign that indicated that the section was closed off for a private event, and right in front of them was a burly-looking bear, who nodded at them and opened the door for them.

As soon as she walked in, the lagomorph saw all of the other snowboarders that she was competing with in the previous race events. The spot they were all gathered in wasn't exactly a large one, but was a nice size for anyone that wished to have a gathering in. She saw all of them talking with one another, laughing at some of the remarks made by each other, enjoying drinks that were complimentary of the bar and grille.

Judy looked to the left of the room and saw her friend. The fox could be seen in a nearby chair with both arms behind his shoulders, grinning as he listened to conversation. Naturally, she walked over to that spot of the private room and made her way over to talk with him.

"Hey," she said, walking up to chair that was right beside his and taking a seat.

"Hey," the vulpine said back, turning his attention away from the others in the room and towards her.

There was a momentary pause from Judy. Looking around the room she now occupied, she said, "This is actually quite a pleasant surprise. Seeing all of the peak's competitors talking together, I mean."

"What were you expecting?" said the polar bear snowboarder that was sitting on the opposite side of the room. "Did ya think we were all gonna be bitter towards our fellow circuit members?"

"I-I don't know," Judy admitted. "I mean, that vixen isn't really a good sport."

The ursid snickered from across the room. "No kiddin'," he replied. "Skye thinks she's Peak One's queen. She is quite a talented snowboarder, as we've seen during the races, and she's gotten first place numerous times. But her self-centeredness... that's why she isn't favored among the others."

"Yeah," the rabbit said in agreement, nodding her head.

Snarlov rescued into his pocket, pulling out his Z-Comm and tapping some buttons on it. "Just observe this video of her from a couple years ago."

Judy hopped up from the chair and walked over to where the bear was sitting. He turned on the video on the screen and watched as it began to play. It was one of Skye being interviewed by a reporter from a network that broadcasted sports news.

"So you've just been awarded first place for the third time consecutively," a reporter, not visible in the video, said. "What do you think of this?"

Once the microphone was placed in her front of her, Skye grinned and looked into the camera shot. "Winning this for the third time just confirms what I already know: No one can touch me."

Snarlov paused the video, sighing as he placed the Z-Comm back into his pocket. "That right there is a good example of how she's only hear to win and to win only. Some of us, on the other paw, are in this circuit for different reasons. It's not all about taking home the trophy."

"So what brought you into SSX, if you don't mind me asking?" Judy said.

The ursid chuckled, reclining his paws up on the nearby cushion in front of him. "I had a love for this sport since I was just a cub, but my father wasn't exactly the most supportive of my dream to become a snowboarder. I never gave up on the dream, though, and I would continue to practice every chance I could, coming up with tricks and the like. And once I got older and was pretty good at snowboarding, I would look for small competitions that were taking place and enter them. And at one of those events happened to be an organizer for this very league, who saw how I did and wanted to know if I wanted to be part of it. I happily accepted the offer and here I am. Even if I don't go home with any kind of award, just being here another year is enough of an achievement on its own."

Wolford, the timber wolf in the circuit that sat to the bear's right, joined in on the conversation. "I was pretty much discovered the same way," he said. "I was busting some new tricks I had learned one day on the slope when an event organizer saw me and said he wanted to talk. He complimented me on my talents and said he wanted to draft me into SSX. At first I thought, 'This can't be for real; it sounds too good to be true.' But the guy was serious 'cause, well, here I am. I'm always up for adventure, so being able to compete some of the greatest boarders I've ever seen is good enough for me."

Snarlov added, "It's not all about winning; it's about showing those that are rooting for you what you've got, and having fun doing the thing that brings you the most joy. It's just folks like Skye that let the drive to win take them over."

"I couldn't agree more," Judy agreed with a smile. "Just knowing that I was able to make SSX history is the greatest feeling in the world."

The ursid held up a paw. "I will say, though, that not everybody shares the same theory when it comes to the competition. While most have a similar viewpoint, that doesn't mean the folks you'll face on Peak Two will think the same. I'll tell ya from my experience in previous years that they're views are more like Skye's, bent on winning more than anything else. If you make it to Peak Two, heed my warning. They'll do anything in their power make sure you're not in the winner's circle, even if it means playing dirty."

"I will keep that in mind," the doe replied, making her way back over to where Nick was sitting.

"And the slopes there are a lot more complex than they are here," Snarlov added. "Last year, for instance, had a loop on one of their freestyle events."

"You're joking with me," Judy said, thinking that the bear was totally fooling with her right now.

"No, I'm serious," the polar bear said from the other side of the room. "If they kept on this year's course, you'll believe me when you see it for yourself."

Still pretty sure he's just joking, Judy thought. Never seen something like that on any snowboarding course before, not even on a track that is as crazy as SSX.

"So, Hopps," the fox said once she sat back down. "You got a Z-Comm number I can use? I forgot to ask you for it the other day, that way we can keep in touch."

"Oh, sure," Judy answered, proceeding to give him the information.

He plugged it into the contacts of his Z-Comm, nodding his head. "All done," he said. "Now to send you mine..."

There was a few second delay, but then her device lit up with a friend request. She immediately accepted it, smiling back at the fox. "Okay," she said, "we're both synced."

"Good deal," Nick replied.

"So how about you?" The lagomorph asked. "What brought you to the circuit?"

"Just like you," the vulpine replied, "I was another groundbreaker. I was the first fox to be drafted into the league, and in the beginning I actually dealt with a lot of speciesism. They first only saw as conniving or someone that would cheat their way to victory, and there was even a false news story about me that said I tricked an organizer into securing a spot for me in SSX."

"That's just wrong for them to say that about you," the doe said in response.

Judy was a mammal that never judged somebody based on their species, and to hear that her friend had to deal with those kind of remarks made her feel bad. She understood quite well that any species had the ability to do anything they put their mind to, whether predator or prey. It was that simple, but some folks didn't get that memo.

"But you know all of those things they said were all lies," Nick continued. "The truth is that I'm an honest mammal, and I'm kind to everyone I meet whether they're in the competition I'm in or not. When it comes to things that are said about me like that, I've just learned to not let them see that they get to me. That's the best thing I've learned throughout my journey."

Judy nodded her head, unsure of what to discuss with him next. "So..." she started to say. "First freestyle event of the year's in two days. Where was it happening again?"

"Crow's Nest," Nick replied informatively. "That's where they've always hosted the first one for awhile now. My personal favorite, however, is the superpipe at Dysfunction Junction. I got to that one in last year's circuit and it's pretty awesome. A lot of potential to try out new tricks and stuff."

"I remember watching footage of that one some time ago. That's the one that takes place at night, right?"

"Yep." Nick nodded. "Best track on Peak One, in my opinion."

With that, the conversation between the rabbit and her new vulpine friend continued.

Some Time Later...

Judy crunched through the thick snow, making her way to the bus stop so she could get a ride back to where she was staying. The temperature had dropped significantly since she had first arrived, and a flurry of snow came blowing passed her face as she made her way over to where she needed to go.

"Hey, Cottontail," someone said from behind, making her ears perk up.

It sounded like that weasel that she had talked about with some of the competitors a short time before she left. Speak of the devil, she thought.

She turned around and slowly made her way back. The weasel that said that was standing underneath the light of a nearby shop that had closed for the night, his arms crossed.

"Your name is Weaselton, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's it, Flopsy," he snapped back in reply.

"I didn't see you at the meetup," Judy said, remaining polite even though he wasn't exactly being that way.

Weaselton shook his head. "You just think you've got this whole competition in the bag, don't ya, rabbit?" he remarked, completely changing the subject. "Well, I'mma tell ya right now that you don't. You're lookin' at a champion!"

"Alright," Judy sighed quietly, a smile still remaining on her faces despite the fact that she was being taunted by the cocky snowboarder.

"I know the ins and outs of these peaks like the back of my paw, and you're nothin' but a rookie when it comes to these slopes." Weaselton pointed a finger towards the rabbit. "I'mma give ya one chance to personally show me what you're made of. Race me at Snow Jam tomorrow evening, and we'll find out who the real champion is."

"Very well," the bunny replied, outstretching her paw. "I accept your challenge."

"Get ready to lose, Cottontail," he taunted before walking away from underneath the glow of the shop's light.

For a few moments, Judy remained still where she was. In the heat of the moment, she had accepted the proposal from the mustelid. A side of her wondered what she was thinking by taking that challenge, but she quickly dismissed those thoughts.

Don't worry, Judy thought to herself. You've got this! Now let's get some shut-eye so we can be ready to do some practicing tomorrow...

Later...

The television continued to play in the room, but she didn't watch the show that was being displayed. Instead, she just laid in bed and looked up at the ceiling, contemplating about the race the weasel had spoken to her about, as well as the upcoming freestyle event.

Her Z-Comm buzzed beside her, and its screen started to light up. She wondered who would be sending her a message at this time of night, but she saw who it was as soon as she opened up her messages.

From: Nick Wilde - Testing, testing... Let me know if this message comes through.

She quietly laughed and started to type back. Got it! What are you doing? she replied.

Can't sleep, so I thought I'd send a quick message, was Nick's response.

Same, she messaged back. Was thinking about this race I got myself into.

Race? What are you talkin' about? Nick asked.

You know that weasel who's in the circuit? Judy asked back.

Duke Weaselton? Yeah, I know who you're talking about.

Well... when I was walking out of the meet-up, he called me over and challenged me to a race between just the two of us, and I accepted it.

He just got you into a good ol' rival race, Nick messaged back, repeating the obvious.

Rival race?

Those aren't uncommon around the mountain, especially when there's someone on the peak that has an ego like his. I remember the first time I was asked to race somebody personally. It was this young tiger who thought he was all that, and he was pretty angered that I kept passing him up in the races right before he was about to win. So one day after an event, he said he wanted me to race him, so I could show him what I was really made of.

That's pretty much what Weaselton said to me, Judy answered. Except he did a lot more taunting.

I can imagine he did. He pretty much was throwing taunts the whole way down the slope in that last race, and he still came up in last place.

That's true, Judy agreed.

Nick responded, Tell ya what: Meet me at the lodge near the Green Base Station tomorrow morning at seven.

What are we doing? the rabbit messaged back.

The answer she received was, There somewhere I want to show you. You'll just have to wait and see.

The Next Morning...

Judy arrived the lodge Nick told her to be at ten minutes before seven. She knew that she'd probably have to wait here for awhile, but that was quite alright. For the longest time, she had a reputation for always being at least a few minutes early to anything.

The lights were on inside of the lodge, and multiple locals passed it by as she stood outside of the building. Folks were inside of it at the moment, purchasing some new gear and equipping it before going back out to do some shredding.

Those ten minutes passed by rather quickly, and Judy saw her friend walking up towards her, a to-go cup of coffee in one paw and his snowboard being held tightly in the other. He took a sip from what coffee he had left, nodding his head at her with a smile.

"Hey there, Fluff," Nick said.

Judy couldn't help but laugh at the name he had just called her by. "Fluff?" she repeated.

The fox shrugged his shoulders. "It's my nickname for ya," he admitted.

"I'll admit," Judy replied, "I've never had a nickname given to me before."

"Well, there's a first for everything, isn't there?" Nick asked in reply.

"I guess so." After a brief pause, the doe inquired, "So where this place you wanted to show me, Slick?"

The vulpine snickered. "Slick?" he inquired.

"Yeah," Judy answered. "It's only fair that I have a nickname for you as well. Slick Nick, because slick is the word I'd use to describe some of those tricks you were pulling on the slopes the other day."

"I'm likin' it," Nick replied, complimenting her choice for a nickname. Pulling out his Z-Comm to check something on it, he added, "Anyway, the spot we're headin' is not to far away from here. The first stop is the next station, actually."

"How far's that?" the lagomorph asked.

The tod shook his head. "Not that far," he replied. "By snowboard, we'll get to that station pretty quick. All we gotta do is just follow the markers that point the way there. From there, the rest of the journey is by gondola lift. I know the guy who runs this one we're goin' to, and he'll be more than happy to help us out."

"You know someone who runs those, too?"

"When I said I knew everybody around the mountain, I meant it." Nick tossed the cup towards the nearby bin that stood by the lodge, and it landed right inside. He set his snowboard down and placed his paws in the straps. "How about we see who gets to the station first?"

"Might have to pass on that for right now," she said. "I've gotta get ready for a head-to-head race with that Weaselton guy."

"Well, consider this practice for when that time comes," Nick said as he started to snowboard ahead of her. "Come on, Hopps. I'm gettin' a head start!"

Judy laughed under her breath, quickly beginning to follow his lead on her own snowboard. "Not for long, Slick Nick," she remarked with a grin.

Some Time Later...

The gray rabbit passed up the nearby sign, indicating that the destination was only a short distance away. Just like her friend told her earlier, the ride to this spot wasn't that long.

Throughout the friendly little race that had been declared, the fox maintained the lead a majority of the way. However, Judy saw the perfect opportunity just now to pass him up and make it to where they were going first. A small incline, formed by nature, was coming up on her left. She immediately went in that direction and went up the little ascent. As she snowboarded forward, she saw a short blue rail that had been placed there. She grinned the rail with ease, jumping once the incline ended and performed an indy grab in the air.

She was slowed down for a moment when she landed, but her speed quickly picked back up to what it was before.

"Was that great or what?" she proclaimed out loud, pumping a fist in the air as she continued on.

Up ahead was the station that Nick was talking about, meaning that she had made it to the destination first. She was the winner of the little race between her and the fox.

She came to a stop and paused for a brief moment, and Nick stopped where she was only a few seconds after her.

"You beat me," the tod admitted, catching his breath.

Judy grinned, looking around at her surroundings. Just like the station the two of them first up at, there was a nearby lodge where visitors could purchase new gear or clothing. To the far right of that building, however, unlike where they started from, there was an aerial lift station that matched the fox's description. Unlike the traditional ski lifts she rode many times before, the passenger cabins looked a bit different. They were similar in appearance to a cable car that drove on the ground, and had windows that she could look out at the beautiful views of Peak One from.

"Come on," Nick said as he walked in the direction of the lift station. "This is how we get to our true destination."

Through the thick snow, Judy followed the vulpine as they both trekked over there. Once they made their way over to the station, a portly cheetah in a thick jacket could be seen. As soon as he saw the fox, he waved at him.

"Clawhauser, how's it going?" Nick asked him.

The feline replied, "Couldn't be better, Wilde. So, you come here for a trip on the gondola lift?"

"That's exactly what I'm here for," the fox answered. Looking over at Judy, he added, "Hopps and I are heading up to Happiness."

"Hold the phone," Clawhauser immediately replied, holding up a paw. "Do you say Hopps, as in the Judy Hopps?"

"That's me," Judy said with a smile.

The cheetah's mouth hung open in shock. "O...M...Goodness... You're, like, the greatest mammal that's ever been added to the league."

"Thank you," the rabbit replied.

As the next available gondola approached the station, its doors opened automatically, awaiting its next passengers. "Have a good trip, guys," the bubbly feline said to them as they stepped inside the passenger cabin.

"Just checked out what's happening on our mountain cams, and the weather up on Happiness is pure perfection! Crystal-clear conditions make this the perfect day for anyone lookin' to hit the slopes for some fun. It's almost like this mountain was designed to have such great weather! On another note, the first freestyle event of the circuit at Crow's Nest will be underway tomorrow. My word of advice is to get your tickets now if you want to see your favorite snowboarders in action, because every year they sell out as soon as they're available. Now for all you riders out there this morning, here's some tunes..."

As Nick played the music from his Z-Comm inside of the gondola, Judy kept looking out the window. Her paws pressed softly against the glass, she looked out at the snow-covered landscape in amazement.

"So why we are we heading to Happiness?" Judy said asked after a moment of silence. "You want a rematch?"

Nick chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm going to help you get ready for your match with Weaselton and the freestyle event. And what better place to do that then on Happiness? The spot where heading to there is the perfect place to practice."

"But aren't you trying to win this thing? Why are you helping me?"

"Winning ain't everything. It never really has been for me. Helping someone out gives me a better feeling than any trophy could. Besides, helping each other is what friends do, isn't it?"

"Thank you," was all Judy could say in reply. The friendliness of some of the folks she got to meet so far on the circuit was something that surprised her greatly.

"Don't mention it, Fluff," Nick said. "It's my pleasure."

Later...

"Here we are," the fox said once they reached their destination.

Judy gazed around at the sights of Happiness. The announcer on the radio was right; this portion of the peak truly had the best weather. Not only that, but it currently was the most secluded place on the peak. Only a few mammals, nothing but dots in the far distance, were around here at the moment. A helicopter came flying by, and she watched as it flew over them up in the sky.

"So what do we do now?" Judy asked, now curious to know what the fox was going to be showing her now that they were here.

"We're first going to focus on getting you prepared for Crow's Nest. Now the way they declare the winners in a freestyle is based on the score the SSX judges give you. That score is based on several things: The tricks you perform, which is obvious, the time it takes you to complete the course, as well as how many times you fall. As long as you don't do that, they won't deduct too many points from your score. However, they're here to see some cool tricks, so that really matters."

"Okay," Judy said, listening to every word she was told like a student in a classroom.

"Are you familiar with one-foot tricks?" Nick asked. "They call them uber tricks in freestyles, and they give you a different score based on what kind you do."

"I've heard of them and seen them performed," the rabbit admitted. "However, I've never really tried one out on these courses. Was worried that if I didn't land it properly, it would slow me down. Saw Weaselton perform one during the race the other day and he completely biffed it."

The tod nodded. "I saw him do that as well," he replied. "That's why we're going over how to execute them properly, so there's no need to worry about that scenario. The first one will be an easier one, one that I've gotten down pretty well."

"What do I do?" Judy inquired, eager to learn the trick he had mentioned.

"All you have to do," Nick informed, "is go to grab the front of the board, but as you're doing so take your one paw out of the bindings. You have to be quick about it, though, and make sure you both paws are back in the bindings before you touch the snow again. Watch how I do it..."

The fox made his descent down this portion of the mountain, coming up to a jump. He approached the jump and popped off it, ascending into the air as he performed the aforementioned trick. In midair, he grabbed the front of his snowboard while slipping his foot out of its binding. He held that position up until he was about to hit the ground again, and he quickly slipped his paw back into the board like it was nothing. He paused once he was back on the snow, and Judy saw him gesturing to come down and practice what he had just demonstrated.

That's easier said than done, she thought after seeing him perform that trick. Let's hope I don't mess it up on my first try.

She slowly prepared herself to try the one-foot trick she just watched. After a few seconds of stillness, she started to shred down and pick up speed. As she got to the jump, she bent her knees and popped off of it with a grin on her face. Once she was in the air, she performed the grab portion of the trick, taking her paw out of the board two seconds afterwards. As the snow got closer, she got concerned she would fail at properly executing the trick and quickly returned to her original snowboarding position.

Once her board hit the snow, she came to a s top and looked back at Nick. "How was that?" she said with a sigh. "I know that probably wasn't that good, huh?"

"I'm gonna be completely honest with you for a sec," Nick replied. "For your first time doing that trick, that was really good. If you wanna know the truth, I've failed it a countless amount of times before getting it right. And you got it down on the first try."

Judy was reassured by the fox's remark. "Thank you," she said in reply.

"However," the vulpine continued, "I did notice a slight hesitation when it came to taking your foot out and off the board."

"I was nervous about doing it, thinking I'd do it wrong and send myself tumbling face-first into the snow," Judy admitted.

"Which leads me to an important tip regarding these kinds of tricks: You have to try and release tension when you got to do one. The key is to do exactly that. It's worked for me in the past."

"I got you," the leporine said.

"Once you achieved that," Nick replied, "you can pretty much pull off anything. Like this..." He started to descend further down the range they were in.

"Hey, wait up!" Judy called out, proceeding to follow his lead.

She followed him on her snowboard as he directed himself over to where another jump in the area was located. It was just like the other one she had just practiced on, but was a bit higher. She went to the left, a good distance away from it a bit and paused.

Nick, meanwhile, ascended the jump and even higher into the air. He then did a trick that might have seemed impossible had someone not have seen it. It was beyond the one-foot tricks that she was being taught; this one was more like a two-feet trick.

The fox did a handstand on his board, flipping back upright and finishing with what looked like a kickflip in midair. Judy watched him with her mouth wide open in awe; it was going to take her quite awhile before she was able to do something like that.

Nick landed smoothly and whooped as he came to a halt. For a moment, the doe watching him just stared in utter amazement.

"That was amazing," she said to him.

"Just let all of your tension free and perform what comes to mind," the vulpine replied, repeating the point he had talked about just a moment ago.

Shaking her head, all that Judy could ask was, "How did you come up with that?"

"When it comes to these uber tricks," Nick answered, "everybody has their own special one. One'll come to you while you're riding; that's how I came up with that one I just did awhile back."

"Not sure I'd be able to do something quite like that yet."

"Never say never, Fluff. Follow me. There's another jump up ahead where you can practice that one you just did."

A Few Moments Later...

Alright, Judy, she told herself, talking a deep breath. You know what they say: Third time's the charm.

Her previous two attempts to perform that one-foot trick weren't exactly the best, she was determined to do better this time around and get it down right. Letting out a sigh, she made her way towards the nearby jump and smoothly ascended into the air.

The wind was picking up in this particular portion of Happiness, and she could feel hitting her directly in her face. She quickly performed the trick, holding her paw out of the snowboard for longe than she had done the first two times. She did exactly what Nick had instructed her to do; releasing the tension and worry that she would biff it worked like a charm.

As gravity did its job and she started to descend, the birds in the nearby tree took flight into the day. Judy landed, smiling as wide as a kit on Christmas morning. Her grin couldn't fade away now that she had performed that trick better than she had first did.

"Yes!" she proclaimed.

"I knew you could do it," Nick told her, clapping his paws together. "Now that you got that one down, you pretty much know what most of the basic one-foot tricks are like. I'd say it's time to take it up a notch and try some of the other ones out."

"Can't wait," Judy replied eagerly. Now that she had been successful in learning the first one, she was determined to learn more.

With that, the fox and rabbit made their way further down Happiness, over to where more trees were that acted as obstacles to snowboard around. More jumps for Judy to practice the other tricks on came into view not too far away. After some time of practicing went by, the rabbit managed to learn three others that Nick demonstrated to her.

Judy had never felt more alive performing these kinds of tricks. As she did so, however, what Nick had told her would occur at some point came to pass.

She discovered her special trick.

It happened when she was speeding passed some trees, zig-zagging to avoid hitting them. She did this with ease and approached a steep descending slope. More confident than ever, she boarded in the direction of it and jumped into the air once she reached it. It was the highest she had ever been on a snowboard so far, and she could pretty much see the very tops of the upcoming trees. And it was when she was at this height that she performed her special trick on a whim for the first time.

She released both of her paws from their bindings, holding her snowboard behind her back like it was a headrest for a brief moment. It was in those few seconds that she felt the freest she had ever felt.

When the time came for her to hit the snow again, she tapped her boots together, swiftly grabbed her board from behind her back, and clicked her paws back into the bindings. As soon as she was on the ground, she came to a stop, her heart beating faster than ever.

Just then, Nick started to appear. He came towards her before coming to a stop as well. "You did it, Hopps," he said to her. "You found your special trick."

"I did," Judy replied.

"I saw it and it was pretty awesome," the fox complimented. "What's it called?"

"What is the trick called?" the rabbit repeated. "To be honest, I didn't have a name for it. The trick just came to mind in that moment, honestly."

"Most of the folks on the circuit have a name for their special trick when they come up with it," Nick replied.

"Oh..." Judy said. "I guess I'd call it... Lounge?" Her answer came out more like another question.

"Lounge," the tod repeated, contemplating the name. He held a claw against his chin in thought.

"Yeah," the bunny said. "Whenever I don't have anything going on, I normally will just lounge and watch something. So I thought maybe that name'll work."

"And it looked like you were lounging in midair," Nick added. "I think that's a great name choice."

"So you think I'm ready for my first freestyle event, Nick?" Judy asked.

Nick smiled back at her and nodded his head. "Most certainly. I think you're gonna do great out there."

Author's Note: Whew! It's sure been awhile since I wrote a chapter for this, and a terrible case of writer's block regarding this story is to blame for that. But no worries because I'm back to work on this story of mine. :)

Wanted to focus a little more on what goes on around the mountain when there isn't an event in the competition, so no race sequence or anything this time around. In addition to this, I incorporated some of the elements from the game that this story is based upon, and if you've ever played it you'll probably be able to recognize them.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As always, your thoughts, whether good or bad, are gladly appreciated.

Also, always, I want to give my thanks to every one that has reading the other stories I've been writing. It means a lot to know y'all are enjoying them! :)

'Til next time, everyone! :D