Judy enjoyed her ride by moonlight. It was a beautiful, clear night with the nearly full moon highlighting the road she rode upon. Her Island emu, Billy-bob, was surefooted and his gait was fairly smooth as he trotted along the dim road. The silence of the night was soothing to her ears as the stars spread out above her, twinkling like bright, studded jewels in the fabric of space. The dark stillness of the night helped calm her agitated mind as it always did. She wasn't sure what the reason was, exactly, but riding always helped her clear her mind and put things in perspective.
And what she needed to put in perspective the most were her feelings for Nick. It still surprised her with the depth of her emotions for the sly todd. How could she fall for a male after only 3 days of knowing him? And a male who was so different from her own species? It wouldn't be so shocking if he were a hare (like her sister surmised) or even a prairie dog or a pica—but a fox? A predator? Although inter-species relationships were gaining ground with the rising generation—a relationship between pred and prey was completely unheard of.
With a shake of her head, Judy thought of her options here in town—the options her parents would approve of. Thinking of her parents had Judy rolling her eyes. They were from the older generation and still not sold on interspecies relationships, though they did finally stop complaining about her siblings dating hares and picas—both cousins to rabbits—and they only grumbled a little when one of her siblings brought home a prairie dog girlfriend or boyfriend. The only consolation her parents had was that it didn't happen very often (most rabbits still preferred other rabbits when it came to choosing a mate, and most of her siblings still felt the same way).
With a heavy sigh, Judy thought of the dates her parents (aka, her mom) had set her up on and knew exactly why she was never interested in males of her own species or any of the other small prey species—they were all too plain, too boring, too . . . too normal.
Nothing new or exciting ever happened with them. With them it was just the same, day in and day out, and they were fine with keeping it that way. The thought of trying new things or leaving the small town to explore bigger and better things never crossed their mind. And whenever she suggested they try something a little out of the ordinary (there were a couple of cave systems in the area she enjoyed exploring, but other than a few of her more daring siblings and cousins, the only mammals willing to go with her were her predator friends or a few of the larger prey mammals) or move their 'parties' to a different location (another part of the lake or further up or down river) they all looked at her like she'd grown a second head or something. It drove her crazy! Would it kill them to broaden their horizon just a little!?
And of course, she didn't want to think about their snide comments or put downs for her dream of becoming a big city cop. No one thought she could do it, but even if she had made it (which she did), several of the males she showed some slight interest in (her interest never went past a second glance due to their attitudes), they said that being tied to a cop would be too much—what with her long hours at work and dangerous work environment. And all those large predators she'd be working with and around—few of the smaller prey here in Bunnyburrow wanted to rub shoulders with lions, tigers, and bears (there were a few mountain lions and tigers here in Bunnyburrow, but they were few in number).
But then there was Nick. Not only was he a predator (and so wasn't frightened by other predators, no matter how much bigger), but he already lived in the city and had a wealth of information you couldn't find out here in the country. He knew things. He knew places. And he knew people. And if she ever found Nick again, and if they ever figured out the cause of the savage attacks and stopped them, then she would definitely hire Nick as her personal tour guide of Zootopia. She was sure he knew all the best, the most interesting, and all the little-known parts of the city that were hidden from view. And she would love to hear his stories as he showed them to her.
Besides being a walking database, Nick was also dependable. And although he might prefer running to sticking around during a fight, when the chips were down, he was there when no one else was. And he never once left her. Even when common sense said he should turn tail and run (she couldn't forget how he missed the gondola when Manchas attacked because he was worried about her)—he never abandoned her. And who else would stand up to her boss—a massive water buffalo who had her intimidated—just so she could have the chance to prove she had what it took to be a real cop? His courage, determination, and perseverance had grabbed her attention and, if she was being honest, was probably when he stole her heart. How could she not be impressed by a male of Nick's caliber?
But simply helping her on this one case wasn't enough for Nick. He took it a step further and was going to join her in her dream, to be her partner on the force. Nick hadn't been happy simply supporting her from the sidelines but had wanted to continue working with her on the frontlines. He wanted to help her prove to the world how strong a bunny could be. And to do so, he was willing to turn his whole life around—for her.
With everything he'd done for her, and was willing to do for her, how could she not love him? And she couldn't deny that his reddish-orange fur, triangular ears, and pointed snout had grown on her. And his fluffy tail—she couldn't forget his fluffy tail. She never thought much about his tail when she was with him before, but now she found herself fascinated with the furry appendage and wondered if it was as soft as it looked. She had a strong desire to bury her face in it just to find out. As her sister had said—what's there not to love?
But even if she had fallen for him in a short three days, could she say the same about Nick? Mandy said if he was as great as she said he was, then he would eventually forgive her, but was their time together long enough to form that strong of a bond on his part? And could he forgive her when she was just the last mammal on a long list of mammals who had betrayed him and stabbed him in the back? She was sure her betrayal was far worse than the muzzling incident when he was nine for the simple reason that he had trusted her more. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood up to Bogo for her, agreed to sneak into an abandoned asylum with her, nor would he have agreed to become a cop for her.
The muzzling incident when he was nine had taught him to give people what they expected to see—a sly, untrustworthy fox. And yet he trusted her enough to go against everything he'd been taught—everything he believed—and to join the police force, an institution which heavy discriminated against foxes. And yet he would do it . . . for her.
And how did she repay him? She turned around and said such specist things about him (not specifically, but in saying them about predators in general, she had said them about him). And then when he confronted her about them, how did she act? She completely disregarded his feelings and refused to listen to what he had to say as she was set in her own way of thinking and didn't want to see any other view. In her mind, she was right, and that's all there was to it.
Remembering what happened next had her ears drooping a second before she exclaimed, "Ahh! Why did I have to react like a stereotypical bunny!" Slappy a paw to her face, she rubbed her palm angrily against her forehead. Her sudden anguished yell broke the silence of the night and scared a pheasant sleeping in the grass who took off in a panicked flight.
Her sudden yell also startled Billy-bob who squawked loudly and ruffled his feathers. With a quick side-step, he turned his head around to glare at her for disturbing his peace of mind.
With the moonlight still shining brightly above her, Judy reached over and patted the bird's black, feathered blue head. "Sorry, Billy-bob," she murmured. She hadn't intended to startle him or the pheasant, but the look of betrayal on Nick's face when she reacted fearfully towards him ate at her heart. His anger she could deal with. As her sister pointed out earlier, Nick's anger would eventually cool down. No one stays angry forever, but the sense of betrayal he felt at her reaction—that was not something that could so easily be forgotten . . . or forgiven. What reason had she given him to forgive her? Or want to be friends with her again? Why would he even want to see her again? She had set herself up as just another hateful face in the crowd.
With her heart bleeding at the thought of never seeing his smug face again, Judy turned Billy-bob around and headed back to the house. She had been so lost in thought that she'd ridden much farther out than she'd anticipated and now had a long way still to go before she made it back home. With the moonlight high in the inky-black sky and just starting its downward trek towards its bed for the day, and with the stars still twinkling brightly above her, Judy took a deep breath of the cool night air and tried to bury the pain in her heart. But as the cool breeze ruffled her short, gray fur, she knew it was a losing battle.
….….
It didn't take long for Nick to pick up his convertible and pull into the parking spot at the back of the bakery. Gideon had turned on the backdoor light and so the parking spot was lit up, which contrasted starkly with the blackened alleyway of the surrounding street and buildings.
As Nick stepped out of his car, Gideon met him at the door with his jaw slack as he took in the fully restored 1970 Triumph TR6.
"That's . . . that's your car!" Gideon stammered while his eyes ate up the sight of the classic black sports car, with its soft, black top, round headlights, chrome bumper, hubcaps, and round sideview mirrors with their slight bullet shape. He also took notice of the slim crimson-orange stripe on the tires that circled the hubcaps.
Patting the hood, Nick said, "Yes, yes, it is." Glancing at the sleek, black body, he murmured, "1970 Triumph TR6. Isn't she a beauty?"
Gideon merely nodded, then exclaimed, "Where did ya find it!? And how could ya afford it!?"
Nick simply chuckled. "Buying her was easy since she was a bucket of rust when me and Finn stumbled across her. Now—fixing her up and restoring her—that was a challenge and a half."
Gideon could only nod as he stepped away from the back door and towards the car. Walking around the classic black sports car, he marveled at the sleek design and eye for detail in its restoration. Running a paw lightly over the slick black paint, he asked, "Have you entered it into any classic car shows?"
"Uh, no," Nick replied. At Gideon's questioning glance, he explained, "One, with a fox entering something like this," he motioned towards his car, "into a car show, some mammals are either going to claim I stole it or try to steal it themselves. And two, it's not a complete restoration. This is a foreign car, so finding some of the parts was impossible. I was able to have a friend of mine custom-make a few of the parts we needed, but the engine and fuel system we had to completely take out and replace with newer parts that don't match the car's make, model, or year."
"Oh," Gideon murmured in understanding. They had a classic car show every spring here in Bunnyburrow and they took full restoration of these classic cars deadly serious. If any parts weren't authentic to the make and model of the vehicle, they refused them entry into the contest. They could still be viewed, but not voted on. Now if the replacements were from the same model but a different year (provided there was only a year or two difference), then they'd let it slide as some of the parts just couldn't be found for these older cars. So, it was a shame that Nick had to do a complete overhaul on the engine and fuel system. He would have been real proud to have Nick enter the contest next spring and maybe show it off with him.
Nick waved it aside, saying, "The flip-side is, the car is a bit faster and extremely fuel efficient. The money I save on gas alone pays for itself."
Gideon nodded, saying, "She sure is pretty, though." He couldn't take his eyes off the slick machine as it almost glowed in the backdoor light, especially as the rest of the alley stood in complete darkness.
With another wide grin, Nick promised, "Maybe tomorrow we can take her out for a spin."
Gideon's countenance immediately brightened, his ears perked forward, and his tail began wagging. "You mean that?" Running his paw through his head fur, he turned his bright blue eyes on Nick, then the black classic sports car, then back at Nick. He'd always wanted to drive in something like this, but all the mammals he knew who owned one wouldn't let him even touch their cars, let alone climb inside and go for a spin.
"Help me find Judy and I'll do just about anything for you," Nick promised with a broad smile that showed off his white canines. At Gideon's return grin, Nick motioned towards the car then opened the driver's door and reached in the back to grab a couple of duffle bags.
Gideon's eyes shown with stars and his tail continued wagging as he opened the passenger side door to grab a couple of Nick's other bags. The inside had beautiful black ostrich-leather seats and a wooden dashboard. It was as beautifully restored on the inside as it was on the outside. As his grin broadened to show off his teeth, Gideon pulled his head out of the car to see Nick standing at the back of the sports car with the trunk opened. Watching Nick pull a black guitar case from within, he asked, "You play the guitar?"
Nick simply nodded, saying, "My dad played and was teaching me and my younger brother." After a short pause, Nick's voice dropped to a somber whisper as he added, "This guitar is the only thing I have left of my dad's."
Gideon's ears splayed back as he realized something bad must have happened to Nick's dad. Holding back his questions as he didn't want to bring up sad memories, he instead asked, "Do you have anything else in the trunk that needs brought up?"
Nick shook his head. "Just a few boxes but nothing I need tonight."
With a flick of his ear, Gideon led his new friend upstairs to the loft apartment. While leading Nick through his home, Gideon pointed out the kitchen/dining room, the cozy living room, the smaller, third bedroom he'd converted to his office and storage room, and then the bathroom that was situated between the two main bedrooms at the back of the apartment.
Walking into his room, Nick saw that it was a quaint little room with an antique bed and matching dresser with the fancy carvings and molding that most antique furniture had. Setting his bags on the bed (which sported a colorful, hand-sewn patchwork quilt), Nick moved over and ran his paws across the polished tiger wood and its decorative molding that was hand-carved. "Is this from the 1950's?"
Gideon shrugged. "That sounds about right." At Nick's curious gaze, Gideon explained, "My great-grandpappy bought it for my great-granny for their tenth-year anniversary present. It was used at the time and a bit scuffed, but great-grandpappy sanded it down and re-polished it till it shined like new."
Nick nodded as he turned his attention back to the bedpost. "It's beautiful."
Gideon puffed out his chest a bit in pride and said, "Yep. My ma wanted somethin' nice to sleep on when she came ta visit." Seeing the confusion written on Nick's face (his head was tilted slightly and one of his ears was half-cocked), Gideon explained, "My ma's health ain't the best, so she don't get out much." Nick nodded in understanding, and Gideon continued, "At first, she didn't want to bring up the family heirloom, for fear somethin' might happen to it."
Nick nodded again as he understood their thinking. It was the same thing with his convertible and why he rarely drove it around Zootopia and never took it to car shows. If other mammals realized a fox had such nice (expensive) things, they'd want to help themselves to it, vandalize it, or accuse the fox of stealing it. "So, what changed her mind?"
"Stu."
"Huh?"
"Stu offered to partner with me and supply all my fruit for the bakery. Once ma heard I'd have the Hopps' name as protection, she had me move the set over the next day." Nick tilted his head and flicked an ear, so Gideon explained further, "No one wants to mess with the Hopps clan. They have several members on the town council, and when it comes to rabbits, most bunnies here in town are related to them in some way."
Nick's ears disappeared as they flattened against his head. "Really? You don't say." Pulling on his ear while looking off to the left, he asked, "So, how . . . how big is . . . is Judy's family again." He'd been chased by a mob of small prey once before and it was truly terrifying.
He'd been passing by one of those small outdoor cafés that catered to small prey: rabbits, squirrels, gophers, along with a couple of pudús —the world's smallest deer species. Well, one of the pudús came up missing their wallet and since he was the only obvious thief in the area (Nick sneered at their bigoted assumption now—but at the time he was scared witless) they accused him of taking it. He hadn't, of course. He'd just been passing by and hadn't been anywhere near the victim. But that didn't stop the narrowed-minded, specist prey from accusing him. If any cops had been in the area, he certainly would have been arrested.
As it was, he turned tail and ran, with the whole lot of them ganging up to chase after him down a side street and up a burnt-out streetlamp when he'd mistakenly taken a wrong turn down a dead-end alley. He hadn't been on his own very long and so was still learning the back streets of Zootopia. The angry mob had kept him poled for almost an hour, with him arguing his innocence the whole time. He was losing strength in his arms and legs after gripping the pole for so long and hard and he feared he'd be torn apart when he finally fell. But low and behold, at his insistence that the pudú check his pockets again, the irate male found his wallet. He'd thoughtlessly put it in the wrong pocket of his coat and so hadn't thought to look for it in there when it first came up missing.
The mob had dispersed after that without so much as a, "I'm sorry." This incident had taught Nick a healthy respect (and fear) of the small prey species when a bunch of them banded together into an angry mob. The whole thing left him with nightmares for months and he still got apprehensive when he found himself in large groups of small prey. When dealing with them, he always found himself looking for an escape route should things go south.
Gideon tilted his head and looked at the ceiling in thought while moving his fingers as he estimated their numbers. "I think Stu and Bonnie have about 300 kits, and Stu has about 200 siblings and Bonnie has about 100 siblings." Dropping his head to see Nick's horrified expression, he added, "All their siblings are married with large families of their own, with most of the older kits already married with kits."
Nick turned around and plopped down on the bed, then leaned over and put his head in his paws. "How do rabbit does survive having that many kits!" Having such a huge, extended family boggled Nick's mind. Between Bonnie and Stu's siblings alone, there were well-over 300 rabbits, and when you add in all the kits of Stu, Bonnie, and all their siblings, that was well over 1,000 rabbits. And that's just two generations! That's not including all the grandkits!
Scratching his claws through the fur at the back of his head for a minute, Nick then stared at the hardwood floor. If her family didn't approve of his and Judy's friendship, he could see so many things going wrong. The locals didn't have swamps around here where they dumped bodies, did they? Most criminal gangs back in Zootopia had several dump sites for their victims. And, of course, he couldn't forget Mr. Big and his icy, watery tomb. Having to stare into the watery face of death twice in his life was twice too many. And he didn't relish the idea of facing his death a third time at the paws of Judy's family members. The thought alone had his heart rate kicking up.
Unaware of his friend's sudden panic attack, Gideon shrugged as he had grown up around a multitude of rabbits. "Rabbits are good at multiplying."
Nick could only nod as he took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. "I'd say," he muttered under his breath as his gaze traced the wood grains on the floor. Judy's comment to him all those months ago now made much more sense, as did her ability to calculate in her head such a huge number. Rabbits might be lacking in other smarts, but they certainly knew their numbers and their math. If he ever got a business going that brought in a lot of money (a dream of his he'd had for many years, but always lacked the funds), he would be sure to hire a rabbit accountant.
But still—over a thousand rabbits in Judy's immediate family! That was just too much, even for rabbits . . . right? Shaking his head, he muttered, "Now I know why you said not to drop in at her house unless first invited. I'm suddenly seeing my life flash before my eyes at the thought of knocking on her door unannounced."
Gideon nodded. "This area is called the tri-burrow area because there are 3 main families that make up the majority of the population. The Hopps clan, the Leapson clan, and the last family is actually a large clan of prairie dogs—the Diggersen's. The members of these three families actually make up the majority of the town council, with just a few other mammals involved: several sheep, a couple of deer, and then a cougar and a coyote."
Nick nodded but said nothing. Getting a hold of Judy was going to be a lot harder than he thought. With just two predators on the town council it was highly likely that a large portion of Judy's family would be against her being close friends with a fox, which meant he might just get axed—and he'd probably never even see the blow coming!
Seeing Nick's melancholy mood, Gideon decided to change the subject. Glancing around the room, his gaze fell across the ornate bedpost and then the matching chest of drawers. Looking back at his friend, he tilted his head and asked, "You could tell the year the bed was made just from lookin' at it?"
Nick nodded. Taking a deep breath, he wiped a paw down his face, then tugged on his ear. No matter how big Judy's family was or how difficult they made it for him to meet up with her, he wasn't giving up. Their friendship was worth more than that. She was worth more than that. She was worth everything to him.
With his mind made up, he stood and moved over to his new clothes while answering Gideon's question, "I dabbled in antique furniture a while back. The craftsmanship they had in the 1800's and early 1900's has always fascinated me."
Gideon nodded. "Yeah, they don't make things like they used to."
"That's for sure," Nick muttered as he pulled the clothes from the store bag. Turning to Gideon, he asked, "Do you have a washer and dryer I can use? I bought some new clothes and I need to wash them."
"Of course!" Waving his paw, Gideon said, "It's this way." He led Nick to the laundry room and helped him cut the tags on his new country clothes so they could be washed. As they made their way back into the living room, Gideon said, "You know Nick, you're going to fit right in at the rodeo. Those clothes you picked out are real winners."
"What can I say: I have a flair for style." Tenting the fingers of one paw over his chest, he threw the other up in the air and posed like he was in some Shakespearian play.
Gideon looked at his loud, blue Pawaiian shirt and mismatched red-and-blue striped tie, then started laughing. "Flair for style?" he choked out between laughs. "Is that what you call that?" He motioned to Nick's clothes and then gripped his stomach while laughing.
Nick put his paws on his hips and in outraged tone, said, "Well, excuse me for having a higher sense of fashion than you backwater hillbillies."
"Higher sense of fashion!?" Gideon exclaimed. "Hillbillies!?" Looking Nick over again, he then doubled over as he was now laughing even harder.
"Absolutely a higher sense of fashion," Nick said with his nose in the air. Lifting one of his paws, Nick jabbed his clawed finger at the laughing fox across from him and said, "I'll have you know these shirts are 100% silk and are at the height of Zootopian fashion." Nick maintained his snobbish, outraged stance a moment longer, but at Gideon's incredulous look, Nick doubled over laughing himself. It had been a long time since he'd laughed so hard, or even had a reason to laugh.
After several minutes of hardy laughter, both foxes got their laughing under control and moved over to the living room couch (this piece of furniture was a worn, brown hand-me-down). Even though the couch was worn, Nick was surprised how comfortable it was. Shifting into the soft cushions, he then turned to Gideon and said, "Seriously though, there was method to my madness in buying such loud shirts."
Gideon leaned up against the armrest at the opposite end of the couch and asked, "There was?" His whole focus was on his friend, as he was very interested in the red fox and what life was like in the big city. Especially since he never traveled beyond a few of the neighboring towns.
"For starters, they helped me blend into the backdrop of Zootopia when I was doing my hustles. Not many mammals remember your face when you're wearing such a loud, distracting shirt." Gideon nodded and wasn't surprised to learn his fellow fox was hustling to get by (he'd already admitted to hustling Judy). It was tough enough to find a decent job here in the country, and he'd heard it was doubly so in the city. Once the turkey, chicken, and bug farms opened up it became a bit easier for a fox to get a good job, but life was still difficult at times. He was just glad Stu decided to give him a chance and chose to partner with him. He still couldn't believe Stu had forgiven him for what he did to Judy all those years ago (though Stu had mentioned he had Judy to thank for that).
Taking a deep breath, Nick sat in silence a moment, then quietly said, "What actually grabbed my attention with the shirts, though, was their pattern." Looking down at his shirt, he ran a paw lightly over the leafy pattern.
"The pattern?" Gideon questioned with his ears perked forward.
Nick nodded as his ears dropped slightly towards each side of his head. "It's the same pattern as the wallpaper in my kithood home, back when Dad was still working, and we were still a family. I have several pale green ones that are the exact shade as the wallpaper."
"Oh," Gideon murmured softly as his tail and ears drooped.
With a nod, Nick ran his paw over the fabric again, and then explained, "My dad owned a tailor shop, a really good one, too, but then the recession hit and business moved to a newer part of the city. With mammals no longer coming around, Dad's business took a nose-dive and eventually went belly-up." Shaking his head, he leaned back a moment in thought, then said, "Dad tried to get another job, but all he could find at the time barely put food on the table, let alone paid the rent or utilities. He eventually got a job out of town and sent money home, and it paid the bills, but didn't leave much for food."
Absently rubbing his finger over the palm frond pattern, he murmured quietly, "I started hustling when I was 12 to help put food on the table. Mom didn't like it, though. She said we were above that, but I was tired of starving, so I ignored her." With a shake of his head, Nick leaned his head against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling a moment before closing his eyes. "Since she wouldn't accept my money, I spent it on me and my younger brother. It kept the two of us from going to bed on empty stomachs." Glancing over, he met Gideon's bright, blue eyes and said, "Well, you know how much young foxes eat."
Gideon nodded as his tail and ears drooped further. He remembered he had a voracious appetite when he was younger. But even when times were tight, they always had something to eat. His mom kept a small garden, and he was able to fish or gather wild fruit the few times they ran short of food. There was one harsh winter, though, that had lasted longer than the food they had stored up. He still remembered how his stomach gnawed on itself on more than one occasion when he'd been forced to go to bed hungry that snow-covered spring.
"Anyway," Nick continued as he stared absently at wood grains in the flour, "this went on for a few years, and although mom didn't approve, she didn't try to stop me from buying food for the two of us, even if she was too proud to accept the money or the food it provided." Leaning his head against the back of the couch again, Nick's ears flattened against his head as he added, "Then my dad got accused of theft at the place he was working at. He'd stumbled onto a burglary and when he tried to stop it, they blamed him for it!" This last was said resentfully as Nick sat forward and dropped his head in his paws. "You try to do a good deed as a fox and you get punished for it," he lamented bitterly as tears stung his eyes.
Gideon nodded in sympathy as his own eyes started to tear up, but he remained silent as he felt that Nick just needed to vent. It was obvious he'd been keeping the bitter emotions and memories bottled up inside, and he knew from personal experience the problems that arose from bottling up negative emotions. He'd gone through several years of therapy starting his senior year of high school just to work through his bottled-up emotions and self-doubt that manifested as uncontrolled rage.
After several minutes of silence, Gideon asked, "So what happened?" Remembering his own therapy sessions, Gideon knew that sometimes when you got stuck on a particularly bad memory, you just needed to be asked the right question to get past it.
Nick took in a deep shuddering breath and wiped at his eyes before glancing at Gideon. He wasn't sure why he was telling the other fox his life story. He'd never told anyone else all the crap that had happened to him, but there was something about the rotund fox that told him he'd been there before and that he actually understood. Nor was there any accusation in his steady, sad, but curious gaze. What he saw was someone who simply wanted to help, with no strings attached. That hit him like an anvil falling from the clear-blue sky but in a good way. Besides Judy, it had been a very long time since someone had cared about what happened to him. Finnick came close, but he had his own problems to deal with, nor was he very open about his emotions, either.
Taking a deep breath and wiping at his eyes again, he said, "Are you sure you want to listen to my sappy, sob-story of a life?"
Gideon simply shrugged. "I had a really good therapist who listened to me and helped me work through my anger and self-doubt. So, I, I figure it's the least I can do."
Nick nodded, then clasped his paws together and rested his chin on them as he leaned forward while staring across the room at a large family photo hanging on the wall. It looked to be a photo of three generations of Grays. There was Gideon and his little sister (Nick assumed it was his sister), then his parents, and then his grandparents. It wasn't often that there were three generations of foxes all above ground. Many foxes died young due to poor health caused by poor living conditions and insufficient medical care (medical care they needed but couldn't afford).
Nick really wished his grandparents were around when his dad lost his job and they struggled to make ends meet. Maybe then, his dad might not have had to leave the city to find work and they might still be a family.
With a heavy sigh, Nick continued his sad tale. "With Dad in jail and unable to help with the bills, I wanted to use my hustling money to at least pay the rent so we didn't lose the house—but Mom wouldn't hear of it. We had a lot of fights over that one. This went on for about a year when our landlord started threatening to kick us out if we didn't come up with all the back rent, so I gathered up all the money I'd been saving up—that Mom refused to touch—and went down to our landlord and paid everything we owed, plus several months in advance. I then went and bought Landon—he's my little brother—some new clothes with several pairs a couple of sizes too big so he could grow into them, then packed my own bag. I knew Mom would be furious with me when she got home and found out what I did, so I decided to just up and leave. I didn't even wait around to see her when she got home."
Nick rubbed his chin across his clasped paws for several moments, then said, "I was 16 at the time and Landon was 15." With a heavy sigh, he added, "I continued sending letters home to my brother, along with food money, for about a year. Landon would occasionally write back to me, letting me know what was going on, but after a year, one of my letters came back to me. That scared me." Running his claws through his head fur, Nick stared at the floor as he continued, "So I returned home to find out they'd moved several months back. Landon continued coming by to pick up my letters but didn't bother writing and saying they were moving or where to. The landlord sent my letter back when Landon failed to pick it up."
Gideon sat back and watched Nick rub his eyes with the palms of his paws. He couldn't even begin to understand how the other todd was feeling. He understood the feeling of losing his dad, for a similar thing had happened to him, but he never lost his home. And he still had his mom and sister, plus his grandparents to rely on. But losing his whole family isn't something Gideon could understand.
After a few moments, Gideon sniffled, then asked, "You never found them, did you?"
Nick shook his head. "No. I looked for them for about a year before I thought to look up my dad and see if he'd heard anything from them." Nick scratched his head again, then tugged on his ear. "When I left home, I dropped contact with him, too. I only communicated with Landon."
"So, what did he say?" Gideon asked quietly. What would his father have to say after several years of no contact with his son?
Nick shook his head again, saying, "Nothing. He wasn't there." Glancing at Gideon, Nick explained, "They said he was released early for good behavior. He didn't even leave a forwarding address." With a bitter laugh, he added, "A day late and a dollar short—the story of my life." Nick waved his paw through the air, then slumped back against the couch.
Gideon nodded, but didn't say anything. Looking at his own life, although hard, he realized he had it good compared to his fellow fox. As they both considered the past, and the vast difference the future now held, they fell into a sober silence.
After reflecting on his past, Gideon considered the opportunity he now had in regard to his bakery. With his partnership with Stu, Gideon knew his life was looking up and his future should be a lot better than his past. He also hoped to help Nick in anyway he could with fixing what he'd broke with Judy. With everything terrible that had happened in his friend's life, Nick deserved someone like Judy to brighten his day and give him a reason to get up in the morning.
Nick, on the other hand, was comparing his past with what he hoped would be a better future. Although he'd never found his family or was given the chance to make things right with them, he hoped things would be different with Judy. If he could make things right with her and repair their broken friendship, then maybe he could start his life over with a clean slate. Although he didn't fully understand it, when he was with Judy, she seemed to bring out the best in him. With her bright eyes, stunning smile, and positivity, along with her never ending enthusiasm and reliance on him, it made him want to try a little harder, to go a little farther, and to be more than the shifty lowlife society said he was—and he wanted to get that feeling back.
After a while of just sitting and thinking, they both decided to retire for the night. After going through their nightly routine (and putting Nick's new clothes in the dryer), they climbed into their respective beds (Nick was quite shocked at how comfortable his was, and now understood why Gideon's mom would insist on using it). As they snuggled under their own blankets and got comfortable, both todds hoped things would be better in the morning.
WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the glance into Judy's, Nick's, and Gideon's life. In the next chapter, Judy will make a decision about her future, Nick will decide to improve on one of his talents, he'll then meet a new friend, and finally meet one of Judy's siblings.
Chapter 5: A New Goal, will post on Friday, April 17th. If you have any thoughts or comments, let me know. Stay safe. I hope you have a great weekend.