With as late as Judy had been up, she awoke late the next morning—and for once no one interrupted her beauty sleep. Which she was grateful for as her dream of Nick last night had taken a strange turn. It was a good dream—a really good dream—but it was strange, none the less. Although, with what she discovered about her true feelings for Nick, she probably shouldn't be surprised.
Raising her paw, she lightly touched her lips as she remembered the last part of the dream with crystal clarity. It was the first time Nick had kissed her after accepting her apology under that stone bridge he seemed to always be under in her dreams (she still wasn't sure what that was all about). She had never kissed anyone before, so she had no idea what it would feel like, but she suddenly found herself wondering what it would feel like to kiss a fox.
With a loud groan as she realized where her thoughts were taking her, Judy rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. "Mandy," she mumbled into the pillow, "you ruined me!" She had only ever looked (or thought) of Nick as a friend—a really good friend—but just a friend. But now, her thoughts and dreams had turned traitor on her, as they suddenly saw Nick in a completely different light—a light she had never pictured any male in before. The idea of being with a male had always been foreign to her as she had never met one that really appealed to her on an emotional or physical level, but now, she was already wondering what it would feel like to have Nick press his lips to hers.
Moving her face to rest her cheek on her pillow, Judy bit her bottom lip as she suddenly wondered about another part of his anatomy—a part she'd been taught to fear her whole life. While thinking of Nick, she found his teeth suddenly fascinating. What would his sharp predatory teeth feel like when they kissed? Although sharp, she knew Nick's teeth weren't as slender and pointed as a feline's teeth (a few of her childhood friends were in the cat family), so she wasn't worried about accidently cutting herself on them, but she was still curious. Very curious.
Rolling over, she threw the blankets off her and sat up. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she said, "Stop it, Judy. He's a fox and you're a bunny! He'll probably never see you as anything more than a friend, so stop thinking about kissing him!" But no matter what she told herself, she couldn't stop her nose from twitching slightly in curiosity and—if she wasn't lying to herself—anticipation. With her ears perked forward, her mind returned to her dream and the kiss Nick had given her.
With a slight growl at her traitorous thoughts, she stood up, then hissed in pain and plopped back on the bed as her thighs and backside suddenly screamed at her for the abuse she'd given them last night. "Saddle-sores," she mumbled. "Should have seen those coming." As it had been years since the last time she rode, and seeing how long she'd been in the saddle last night, her muscles were no longer used to the pounding her legs received while riding in a saddle and she was feeling it this morning.
Scooting back further on the bed, she pulled her legs up and began stretching her tight, aching leg muscles. She started by putting her feet together and pulling them towards her waist while leaning forward and immediately felt her thigh and butt muscles stretching. She had taken gymnastics when she was younger, and her coach had stressed the need for stretching her muscles before and after exercise. It didn't take her long to figure out the stretches worked great for birdriding, too. These stretches also saved her while she was at the ZPA, as she had to work five times as hard as everyone else which meant her muscles took five times the beating with how hard she pushed herself.
If not for these stretches, and a few other ones for her upper body, she wouldn't have been able to move after those first few days at the Academy as her muscles would have tightened up and left her little more than a cripple—at least that's how it would have felt, she was sure. And seeing how stiff a few of her bunk mates were in the morning who had failed to stretch properly the day before further pushed her to properly stretch before and after each of their exercises.
After stretching her legs like this for a few minutes, she switched to extending one leg out in front of her and reaching down to touch her toes with her fingers, then switching legs. She went back and forth a few times, then stood up. Although still sore, it wasn't as bad, nor were her legs as tight. Taking a deep breath, she set about getting dressed.
After pulling on some comfortable jeans and an old, faded lavender button-up shirt (never wear something nice when riding out in the boondocks or they might get snagged on a tree branch or bush as you ride by), Judy grabbed the fanny pack she used when riding, then dropped her wallet and phone inside before digging her lavender cowboy hat with its dark, amethyst hat band out of her closet. Plopping it on her head and then adjusting it slightly so her ears fit through the ear holes properly, she then turned and slowly opened her bedroom door and peeked out into the hall.
Sticking her head out a moment later, she listened intently before slipping out of her room. Using her excellent hearing, she made her way silently through the burrow while avoiding the kerfluffle (she would never make it outside if any of her young nieces and nephews saw her). Although she loved the little bunnies, right now she was on a mission—a mission to make it to the kitchen, pack a quick brunch, then make it out to the barn without being seen. Since she was going emu hunting, she was going to ride out to pick hers up (provided George had one worth buying).
Slinking through the burrow like a ninja, she was nearly caught several times as some of the little bunnies in the burrow came running down the hallway she was sneaking down, but as her young nieces and nephews hadn't yet developed the art of silence (their yells and giggles were quite loud, as was the thumping of their soft, little feet), she heard them a mile away and was able to duck down an adjoining hallway until the little bundles of noisy energy ran past.
After what felt like hours (but was probably only 10 minutes), she made her way to the kitchen. Slipping in, she quietly shut the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly moving to the cupboard, she grabbed a Ziplock bag and stepped into their large walk-in fridge. Going to her favorite vegetables, she grabbed a bunch of carrots, some broccoli, then finished with some cauliflower and celery sticks. Zipping the bag shut, she stuffed it in her fanny pack (she'll eat once she was in the saddle) and pulled out the two water bottles from the holders at either side of the pack. She had just finished filling the second bottle with water and was putting the cap back on when a couple of her brothers walked into the room.
"Hey, Judy. You finally decided to get up?" her light-tan brother with chocolate ears asked. He was wearing a blue and black cowboy shirt and dark blue jeans with a black belt that had a silver belt buckle he'd won at the rodeo a few years back. He was the Barrel Racing Regional Champion and had even beaten a few of the larger mammals in his size class.
"Hi, Randy, Lucas." Nodding to her tan brother first, Judy then nodded to her light gray brother who was wearing a dark yellow shirt and light blue coveralls. With a cheerful voice that neither buck had heard in months, Judy then said, "I was up late last night, so I slept in late this morning."
Lucas raised his eyebrow as he stepped farther into the kitchen and went the cupboards with cups. After grabbing two and pawing one to Randy, he turned around and asked, "You stayed up late?" Everyone in the burrow knew Judy went to bed early and got up late ever since she returned from Zootopia. So, hearing that his sister had stayed up late was hard to believe, especially when coupled with that eerily cheerful voice she was using. Not that Judy being cheerful was eerie in itself, but she had been so depressed these last few months that it was creepy to see her cheerful now. It made him wonder if an alien had snatched her body and was pretending to be her. Body Snatchers had been one of his favorite movies in high school and that's how Judy was acting now.
With a nod (and completely oblivious to her brother's strange thoughts), Judy put her water bottles back in their place on her fanny back and snapped the straps down to hold them in place (she bought this pack specifically so she wouldn't lose her water bottles on a long bird ride). Glancing at her brother who was standing there gaping at her, she asked, "Didn't Mark tell you?"
"Tell us what?" Randy asked with a raised eyebrow. His thoughts mirrored Lucas's in thinking Judy might have been snatched by aliens (he'd watched the movie, too). This just wasn't the Judy they had gotten used to seeing these last couple of months. The vibrant, gung-ho sister who left for the city had returned a sad shell of herself—not this cheerful bunny who was dressed to spend the day outside in the sunshine. Now, if she actually smiled, Randy would know for sure that she had been snatched by aliens.
Judy tilted her head. "I went night riding last night." With a small grin and shrug of her shoulders, she explained, "It had been a long time since I'd last ridden, and since the night was calm and the moon bright, I rode for several hours."
Both her brothers' jaws went slack as this was the last thing they had expected to hear from their depressed sister (She actually smiled! This wasn't their sister, but an alien look-alike!). The fact Judy had gone riding last night added to their belief that she was body-snatched, as their sister had all but given up on riding in her quest to get into the police academy, and when she returned from the city with broken dreams, she hadn't even looked at the birds or given them a second thought. So, what made her go riding last night? (Although neither buck really believed in aliens, the idea of their possible existence was growing on them).
"Why?" Randy finally asked as he fiddled with the empty cup in his paw. Judy had derailed his train of thought with her cheerful attitude and he hadn't yet remembered to fill it with the homemade lemonade he and Lucas had come in for.
"Just because I felt like it," Judy answered with a bright smile. (Both Randy and Lucas were now 100% positive their sister had been snatched by aliens). With a slight tilt of her head, she asked, "Do I need another reason?" Judy knew that her cheerful attitude and vague answer was confusing her brothers, but there was no way she was going to tell them that she had fallen for a city fox and that she needed to come to terms with her romantic feelings for him. She was just now pulling herself together and she didn't feel like dealing with her brothers teasing her for falling for a predator, especially if they were against the idea—which she was sure they would be.
Judy watched her brothers glance at each other, but before they could say anything, she grabbed a pawful of grapes from a bowl on the counter and said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going riding again and will be gone most of the day." Escaping out the back door, she didn't wait for a reply.
As the door swung shut behind her, Judy took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She was going to be okay. Although she looked and sounded cheerful in front of her brothers, it was merely a sad façade. Although she felt better this morning than she had in months, the sad truth was that her heart still ached at her monumental bungle four months ago and the clouds of depression still hung about her—she was simply ignoring them today. But although she wasn't sure how long it would take to fully overcome her depression, she wasn't one to give up.
Today was the first day of the rest of her life. When she was younger, she knew exactly what she wanted from her life and planned accordingly—but her dreams went up in smoke along with half the city of Zootopia, along with the betrayal she'd seen on the face of the best friend she'd ever had.
She was devastated after the conference when she lost Nick, and then, as the city fell apart around her with all the protests, and then predators started losing their jobs and then their homes, and then some prey started picking on (attacking) predators and then claiming they were savage when they turned to defend themselves—it was awful. But now she finally had a new goal. First, she was going to get her life back. And then, one way or another, she was going to track Nick down and apologize, and then she would do whatever it took to convince him to let her stay with him.
First things first . . . she had to move past her moping and get a life. She really hoped George had a good Island emu she could buy. The Dwarf emus from King Island were just too small for her taste, and the Tasmanian and Mainland emus were way too big. But the Island emus that originated from Kangaroo Island were just the right size. And training her own bird would help her move past the disastrous press conference and closer to her goal of finding Nick.
With a broad smile, she jogged to the barn and slipped in. Picking up a bridle, she walked out to the pasture where the birds grazed during the day. Skipping past the dodos and rheas that were milling around the yard, she made her way to one of the light-brown feathered female emus.
"Hey, Pebbles," she said while lightly scratching the bird's head. While feeding her the grapes, Pebbles chirped at her happily. After the bird finished her snack, Judy slipped the bridle onto her head and led the light brown emu back to the barn. She quickly saddled the large emu (large compared to a rabbit, but still much smaller than a Mainland or Tasmanian emu), grabbed an extra halter and lead rope, and then led the animal outside. Once in the saddle, Judy turned Pebble's head and headed towards town, even as she wondered what Nick was up to at this very moment.
With all the savage attacks, she doubted he was still hustling. Obtaining the supplies would be nearly impossible now, and as for a predatory fox selling anything—forget it. So, what would her fox do with all his free time? Was he hunkering down in some hidey-hole in Zootopia, or had he fled like so many other predators had? But where would he go? Did he perhaps have family somewhere? Or was he in one of the predator refugees' camps that had popped up to give temporary relief to the fleeing predators? A lot of the locals farmers (her family included) donated some of their surplus crops, as well as clothes and hygiene kits, to the refugees, along with the predators in town, who would then drive the supplies out to the camp and distribute them.
With a deep breath (and wishing Nick was here in Bunnyburrow with her), she turned her attention back to the road and her current destination.
….….
Nick and Gideon spent the next hour driving down the dusty country lanes, stopping at a booth here and one there, and even a few farmhouses. At each stop, Gideon would introduce Nick as a visiting friend so that the town (and neighboring farms) wouldn't see Nick as a stranger, but (hopefully) a friend). And although most of those they saw were prey, with a fair number being rabbits, prairie dogs, and sheep, Nick did get to meet a nice family of red squirrels, a porcupine couple, an elderly coyote couple, and then a mother cougar.
Meeting the female cougar put a surprised smile on his face, for as they walked up to the front porch, Nick caught two young kits, a boy and girl, in the back who were up to some interesting fun. They were both riding on the back of a large tortoise. The male kit in front was holding a long stick with a head of lettuce attached to it on a string. The kit was dangling the lettuce in front of the tortoise's head to get him moving. Whichever direction the kit pointed the stick, the tortoise chased after the lettuce held just out of reach. Nick chuckled at the young cougars' antics.
When Nick asked about the giant tortoise, the mother, Mrs. Pamela Cattersen, explained, "Oh, that's our pet, Tommy. He's been in the family going on four generations, now." Glancing around, she added, "His mate, Gladys, is around here somewhere." With a shrug and a smile, she said, "The kits just love them."
Motioning towards the kits, Pamela continued, "I used to do that when I was a kit, too. It was always a fun way to get around." Grinning, she added, "Slow—but fun." With a light chuckle, she then said, "Sometimes, we'd even have a race between Tommy and Gladys. Sometimes it was to see who was the fastest, and at other times we'd place bets on who was the slowest." With a tilt of her tan-colored head and flick of her tan tail, she explained, "Tommy is actually faster than Gladys, but it always depends on their mood as to which one wins."
Nick's tail was wagging excitedly to hear about this local tradition and wondered what other fun traditions he might find here in Bunnyburrow. On this thought, he immediately thought of Judy and wondered what interesting traditions her family might participate in.
After a few more words and a hello from Nick to the two kits, Mike and Michelle, he and Gideon climbed back in the delivery truck and headed to their last destination. Surprisingly enough, it was a family of tigers. This really surprised him as he didn't think the large (and timid) rabbit population would tolerate one of the big cats (bigger than a mountain lion) here in Bunnyburrow. Especially such large predators known historically as fierce fighters. Whenever a war broke out in the past, the tiger and lion divisions always fought with deadly ferocity and caused the highest number of casualties in the opposing army.
When he asked Gideon about the family, he informed Nick that the wife, a Mrs. Jasmine Tiggersen, and her older brother, Tony Tigre, were really close friends with Judy when they were younger, and that Judy still kept in touch with them when she was in town. With a chuckle, Gideon said, "In fact, Judy did this silly little play when she was younger that she got Tony ta play in with her, along with her friend Sharla Whitecoat—she's a black sheep, and Bobby Cutmaul—he's a bobcat." With a shake of his head while remembering that day (and again regretting what he did to Judy after the play), he flicked his tail and looked off down the road. "That was first time she said she wanted ta be a cop."
Nick perked his ears forward. "Really? She said she wanted to be a cop during a play? A play that she . . . what? She wrote?"
Gideon nodded. "That's right. And she was just a tiny little thing, too." Putting his paw down near the truck seat they were sitting on, Gideon indicated how small she was back then. With a chuckle, he added, "But boy, did she have a lotta spunk."
Nick nodded while trying to picture a young Judy in a play with her friends. Turning back to Gideon (he'd been staring out the window at the fields of crops they passed), he asked, "And she did this play with two of her feline friends and a sheep friend?" The idea that Judy was in a play surprised him. But after a moment's thought, he realized Judy was a pretty good actress considering how she played him like a fool after he first refused to help her.
Gideon flicked his ear and explained, "The four of them were pretty tight in elementary school, but then Sharla's family moved away during the summer before they started middle school. Judy started hanging out a lot more with Tony and Bobby and their sisters after that."
At first, Nick felt a bit surprised that Judy had spent a lot of time with a bunch of felines when she was growing up, but after a moment's thought, he realized it made sense. Judy didn't have a problem working with larger mammals at the ZPD (many of whom were very large predators) and she wasn't scared at all of Manchas when they first spoke to him, nor did she freeze up after he went savage on them—and even stayed focused enough to save his life . . . twice! And then she had no problems sneaking past a pack of wolves at the asylum where they found the missing mammals.
Knowing this, several more puzzling pieces fell into place regarding the rabbit known as Judy Hopps and painted a clearer picture of the ball of energetic fluff he'd come to see as a friend. A very dear friend he hoped still was and that she could still forgive him after how he treated her at the press conference.
After making the last delivery, Nick and Gideon returned to the bakery to see how Travis was doing. With it being summer, they had a lot more sales in the late morning and early afternoon than they did when school was in session, and there were now several tables in use as prey and predator alike came to enjoy Gideon's masterpieces as a late morning snack or early lunch (not necessarily the healthiest meal, but they were made with fresh fruit and other natural ingredients).
Seeing as Travis had the front covered, Nick joined Gideon in the back to help him bake replacements for the best sellers that had already sold out. After getting several pies in the oven, Nick decided to bake Judy a carrot cake and Gideon agreed to teach him the art of cake making.
….….
As Judy neared the town, she slowed down and studied the layout. She didn't want to ride through the middle of town (even though it was common practice, Judy didn't feel like talking to anyone who would recognize her—which, due to the news coverage, was just about everyone at this point). But at the same time, she didn't want to take the time to ride clear around the town, either. Although she wasn't on a set time schedule, she just wanted to pick up her emu and return home.
After a moment's thought, Judy finally decided to take the back streets through town. She shouldn't run into too many mammals that way, nor would she be wasting a bunch of time by riding around the sprawling town of Bunnyburrow.
While navigating through the side and backstreets of the town, Judy was considering herself lucky not to have run into anyone just before the back door to Mike's Hardware Store opened and a bobcat stepped out to throw a bag of trash in the dumpster.
Judy froze to see the familiar cat, even as the bobcat froze upon seeing Judy. Her sudden appearance startled him, but he quickly relaxed, saying, "Hey Judy, I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Hey, Bobby, how have you been?" Judy asked. Bobby Cutmaul was a childhood friend of hers. He had been in charge of the music during the play she put on when she was nine, and they did a lot of study groups together in middle school and high school. They also did a lot of birdback riding together, along with his two younger sisters and couple of their tiger friends. His sisters, Brianna and Brittany, were in gymnastics with her, too, but she hadn't seen much of Bobby (or any of her friends, really) after she left for college. They all went their separate ways and just kind of drifted apart.
A grin spread across Bobby's dark brown face, with its black markings, as he replied, "I'm doing fine, Judy. I can't complain about much."
She nodded, then had to think of something else to say. Since she hadn't seen Bobby in so long, she didn't want to just cut and run. Leaning forward to pat Pebbles' neck, she asked, "So is anything new happening with you? It's been a couple of years since I last saw you. How's Carol and the kits?"
Bobby's grin widened. "They're doing great. The kits are getting so big now. Jacob and Daniel are both in baseball this year and Deedee is raising a takahē and riding a dodo in 4-H. She's hoping to enter them in the fair next month."
Judy's face brightened and she actually felt happy for someone else, for a change. Ever since Nick walked out and the city fell apart around her, Judy found it difficult to feel happy about anyone or anything—though waking up this morning with a goal to work towards was a good start. "Wow, Bobby. The last time I saw your kits, Deedee wanted to be a ballerina and the boys just wanted to sit around the house playing video games. It makes me realize how much I've missed."
Bobby chuckled with a flick of his black ear, then explained, "Deedee had wanted to be a ballerina only until she realized how much practice it involved and how she no longer had time to ride or play with her friends. She much prefers being outside with the birds." Scratching the back of his ear, he continued, saying, "And the boys still like their video games, but several of their friends are in baseball, so they joined the team to hang out with them."
Judy sat in the saddle and grinned. "I'm really glad to hear how well your kits are doing." After a moment, her ears drooped and she murmured, "I've been so focused on becoming a cop that I forgot there are other important things in life. I've really missed out on a lot of things, haven't I, Bobby?"
Bobby's ears perked up to hear Judy admit to missing out on their friendship along with everything else she pushed aside in her quest to become a big city cop. With a flick of his short, stub of a tail, he said, "Well, why don't you come over for dinner one of these nights. I know Carol will be happy to see you. And then you can meet the kits again and they can tell you all about their new hobbies."
A small smile spread across Judy's face as she said, "You know what, Bobby? I think I will. How does tomorrow night sound?"
Bobby brightened at Judy's acceptance of his invitation, and after setting up a time, they said their goodbyes. But as Judy turned Pebbles' head to continue her ride through town, Bobby spoke up again. "Oh, Judy, just a heads up."
Judy turned in the saddle to look back over at Bobby with a questioning look.
"There's a new red fox in town." At Judy's surprise, the helpful bobcat said, "He's a friend of Gideon's and is staying with him at the bakery." There was a slight pause as Bobby tilted his head in thought, then mumbled, "Or was it his cousin?" With a shrug of his shoulders and a flick of his ear, her friend continued, "Anyways, if you run into another red fox in town, you don't need to worry. He seems like a nice enough fellow."
Judy nodded, then asked, "Did you catch his name by any chance?" Although she knew it was a far-fetched idea, hearing that a red fox had come to town made her immediately think of Nick. Which in turn made her heart ache knowing it couldn't possibly be him. He had no earthly reason to come to Bunnyburrow. And he certainly wasn't friends with Gideon. But still, she couldn't stop her heart from hoping against hope that he had come for her.
"Nah, sorry, Judy, I only overheard a couple of customers talking about it in the store. Apparently, he rode out with Gideon earlier this morning to help him deliver his pies."
"Oh, okay." Judy's ears drooped, even as her heart ached. Without a name, she felt sure it couldn't be Nick. After how she treated him at the press conference, what would posses him to come looking for her? With a heavy sigh, she said, "Well, thanks for the heads up. I better get going. I'm emu hunting today."
Bobby raised his eyebrow. "Emu hunting?"
Judy beamed at him. "Yep, I'm buying me an emu and training it so I can join the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol."
Bobby grinned. "Wow, Judy, that's sounds like a great idea. And you were always such a great rider—I know you'll fit right in with them."
"Thanks," Judy replied. "Well, I better get going before all the good emus are taken. I'll see you tomorrow night, Bobby."
"See you, Judy." After watching Judy ride off, Bobby shook his head while still grinning, then turned and finished making his way to the dumpster so he could finally get rid of the bag of trash he'd been holding.
While thinking back, Bobby remembered the harsh words Judy had said at the press conference four months ago, words that had shocked him and his family and left him in a muddled mess for weeks as he felt torn about what she said.
Being out here in the country, her little speech didn't affect them too much personally, but there had still been quite a bit of resentment from the predator population—especially once the predators fleeing the city came through town and finally settled in the refugee camp outside of Elk Meadow. But although her words had hurt him, Bobby had still defended Judy whenever he could. After knowing her for so long, he couldn't believe she actually believed all that nonsense she had spouted. He felt sure someone had put her up to it. And after meeting her today, he felt even more sure about it, for it was obvious that Judy was still the same rabbit he grew up with—and he intended to ask her why she said what she said at dinner tomorrow night.
As Judy continued on her way, she couldn't get the thought of this other red todd out of her head. The idea that it might be Nick tugged at her heart, and she tried not to get her hopes up. It would hurt too much when she found out it wasn't him.
While being lost in thought, Judy didn't pay attention to where she was riding until the back door of a familiar bakery came into view. Pulling back on the reigns, Judy blinked and her ears perked forward as she realized she'd ridden right up to Gideon's back door while thinking of Nick.
Chewing on her lip, she debated on whether or not she should go in and see who this new todd was. Before she came to a decision, though, the classic, black sports car parked next to Gideon's delivery truck caught her attention. Although she wasn't much into cars, she always appreciated the classics. And the shiny, restored black one in front of her was no exception—especially since this one also happened to be a convertible.
Nudging Pebbles lightly with her hindpaws, Judy looked the black sports car over as Pebbles stepped up to it. It was a beautiful car, and Judy wondered what it would be like to ride in the convertible down the open highway with the top down. She was given the opportunity to ride in one when she was younger but had been too busy studying to accept her friends' offer. But now she was curious about what it would be like. And if Nick was the one driving, the experience would be perfect.
"Wait," she murmured under her breath. "Can Nick even drive?" She had only ever seen him walking or riding passenger in his partner's van. And with such a large, busy city perhaps he walked or took the train and subway everywhere. Would Nick even have a need to drive?
While she was trying to figure out the probability of Nick being a good driver or not (she knew he at least had to have a license—you can't do anything in the city without a driver's license), she heard a crash come from inside the bakery followed by a loud yip, then coughing and sneezing.
Startled out of her existential debate, Judy stared at the back door. Then panicked when the back door was flung open. Turning Pebbles' head, she sprinted around the corner of the neighboring building.
Peeking around the building, Judy watched Gideon and another fox stumble out the door coughing. They were both hunched over, covered in flour, and sneezing their heads off while trying to clear their airway and nose of the fine powdery white stuff that had turned both foxes white with only a little bit of their orangey-red coats showing through.
Ignoring Gideon, Judy studied the new fox. He was tall and lean like Nick, but was clearly wearing blue jeans and what looked to be a green cowboy shirt (it was hard to tell with all the flour covering it)—two things she didn't think Nick would be caught dead in, not with how he teased her about being 'a small town hick from some bunny-choked Podunk who would be forced to come home with her cute fuzzy-wuzzy tail between her legs' to become a 'carrot farmer.'
Pulling her head back from the edge of the building, Judy rubbed her paws down her face and lamented softly to herself, "Nick was soo right about me." With a long groan, she muttered, "About everything." She really was just a small-town hick with big dreams, and when her dreams went up in smoke, she had scurried home with her tail between her legs. And although she wasn't living in literal squalor, it wasn't a far stretch of the imagination to say she'd been living in emotional squalor for the past several months.
Taking a deep breath, Judy sat up straighter in the saddle. Squaring her shoulders, she reminded herself that it was all behind her now. No more moping around or living in emotional squalor. She had a new goal and she wasn't going to stop until she accomplished it.
Glancing back at the corner of the building where she could still hear the two foxes coughing and sneezing, Judy took a deep breath. Not wanting to get caught up in whatever had happened (and her heart hurting as her hopes were indeed dashed about the new todd being Nick), Judy turned Pebbles around and wound her way through the backstreets until she passed the last building. Having left the town behind, Judy tried to focus on her current goal while repeatedly telling herself that she would find Nick. She didn't care how long it took—she would find Nick again.
WingedKatt here. I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Next chapter we'll see more of Nick's past, Judy will be sent on a wild-emu chase, and we'll discover the fate of the note Nick handed over to Judy's sister.
FYI: Giant Tortoises are just that—GIANT! There are 2 main breeds of giant tortoises: the largest is the Galapagos giant tortoise which lives on the Galapagos Islands off the mainland of Ecuador, and the Aldabra giant tortoise from the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Tanzania. It takes the giant tortoise about 20 years to reach breeding size. Although slow, they can still cover 3-4 miles in a day traveling over rugged terrain. And with their size and strength, they can easily plow over small trees, people, and fences. The males are generally bigger than the females, too, weighing up to 919 lbs (417 kgs).
Takahē is a flightless bird of New Zealand. They are about 25 inches in length and stand about 20 inches tall. They are a strong, stocky bird, with a large bill that can deliver a painful bite. But although strong, these birds are fairly sedentary. They are a uniquely colored bird, with a bright red beak and legs, a dark/navy blue head, peacock-blue wings, and teal/green and brown back feathers, with an olive-green tail and a white underside.
Ch. 7: Yet So Close, will post in 2 weeks, but will probably be sometime Saturday afternoon. So whatever time this posts your time, add about 12 hours to it, and the chapter should be posted. For those of you reading my other story, Z:AtB, it will also post 12 hours later than usual next week. Take care and be safe.
I hope you have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them.