Nick was sitting at the table in the kitchen eating his failed attempt at a two-layered round cake. Although it tasted good (he did know how to follow a recipe), he had opened the oven too quickly and the cake had caved in a bit, so it wasn't flat like he wanted. And the frosting was a bit runny for some reason . . . and tasted more like powdered sugar and less like buttered frosting. Gideon had tried to encourage him by reminding him that it was just his first attempt. There was always tomorrow.
As it was, Gideon had given him the rest of the day off as he was only working part-time. Travis had suggested he see the sights of Bunnyburrow and get to know the town better. Nick couldn't refuse, especially since they both pointed out that he would have a greater chance of bumping into Judy if he was out and about—provided she actually came to town.
And he dearly hoped that she did. After a lifetime of being ignored or step-on by mammals of all sizes, pred and prey alike, Nick didn't have a lot of faith that Judy's sister would give her his message. Regardless of how hopeful Gideon was about Shaylee passing his message on, Nick would get quite the shock if Judy actually called him tonight. No matter how badly he wanted to see her right now, Nick feared he would have to wait for the rodeo to finally meet her. He hoped and prayed he was wrong and that he'd get to talk to her today or tomorrow, but life had taught him from an early age to be cynical and not to get his hopes up—about anything.
Nick was just washing his plate off when Travis walked through the kitchen door. He needed to grab more napkins to replace the ones used out on several of the tables. Turning around, Nick nodded to his new ferret friend, even as Travis grabbed the napkins from the storage room.
As he came back through the kitchen, Travis looked Nick over and took notice that the clothes the fox changed into after his shower were just as nice as the ones he'd been wearing earlier that day. Meeting Nick's dark green eyes, he made a suggestion. "You know, Nick," Travis began, "if you're going to be working in the kitchen, you might want to get some clothes you don't mind getting messy. Those are some pretty fancy shirts you got there and they ain't really meant to be worn when cooking." As Nick glanced over himself, Travis added, "I'd suggest getting some t-shirts or something."
Nick glanced down at the cowboy outfit he'd put on after his flour fiasco of a few hours ago. There were a few flour pawprints on this outfit from the cake he had made (and had just sampled) even though he had been wearing one of Gideon's pink aprons (he finally agreed to put one on after his last mess). But what if they had been making colored frosting instead white frosting and he'd gotten food coloring down the front of him? Or he got some kind of red or blue fruit juice on his clothes while helping Gideon with the fruit pastries this morning? Red and blue juices stained badly.
He had originally bought these clothes to impress Judy and her family—not to bake in. And after the flour mess earlier along with his fears of staining his clothes, Travis's suggestion of getting different clothes was a smart idea. Meeting Travis's helpful gaze, he replied, "Thanks, Travis, I'll do that."
Travis nodded with an appreciative smile. With his theft record and time in Juvie at the end of his second year of high school, not many mammals were willing to take his advice. It didn't help matters that after graduating high school, he had a serious lack of direction in his life. Coming from an alcoholic home with his dad constantly yelling at him that he would never amount to anything—that he was born a loser and would die a loser—Travis had never given his future a single thought.
And with no one to show him how to live his life differently, he had continued bullying some of the smaller mammals and kits in town. This added to the town's mistrust and dislike of him. But then Tiffany came into his life and she not only gave him a reason to change, but she showed him how to change. And then with Gideon moving back to town and offering him a job, he'd finally found the direction he'd been searching for.
So Nick's acceptance of him, along with the fox's willingness to listen to his advice and treat him as an equal, put a smile on Travis's face, even as he carried the napkins he'd come for back to the storefront of the bakery.
Putting his dish in the drainer, Nick walked over to the backdoor and grabbed his black Stetson from its hook on the wall and plopped it on his head as he walked out the door.
….….
Shaylee drove into town and then turned off on the side street where Gideon's Bakery was located. Seeing an open parking spot across the street from the bakery, she parked her jeep and looked down the road to make sure it was clear before jumping out. Looking back the other way, she saw a familiar fluffy tail and black Stetson disappearing into one of the clothing stores down the street.
With a grin, she hopped out of the jeep and skipped down the street. Shaylee wondered what Nick would be doing back in the clothing store. His clothes this morning looked pretty new and with him coming from the city, she assumed he'd bought them when he arrived, so she couldn't see why he'd need more clothes. As her grin widened, Shaylee thought, One way to find out.
Reaching Big Al's clothing store, she grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, then hopped inside. Looking around, she wondered where Judy's fox might be. Was he perhaps in here looking for something else to impress Judy? Not that he needed anything to impress her to begin with. The fact he traveled all the way out here just to make amends certainly impressed Shaylee, and made her wish she had a male who was willing to travel such a distance just to make it up to her.
While remembering how well Nick filled out his cowboy outfit he'd been wearing this morning, Shaylee wondered if he was planning to buy another outfit or if he'd come in for some country boy accessories. His black Stetson could definitely use a cooler looking hat band than the plain old silver one it came with. And she didn't know what Nick normally wore, seeing as he was a city fox and all, but with the outfit he was wearing this morning, Shaylee knew Judy was in for some sweet eye-candy once she saw Nick decked out in his cowboy best.
Wandering over to the fox section, a wide smile flashed across Shaylee's face as she spotted her target. With a happy twitch in her tail, she skipped lightly over to the oblivious fox.
….….
Nick had gone straight to the t-shirt section and started browsing. He found a few solid colored ones that would work at the bakery, and then moved on until he found the t-shirt section with pictures and logos on them. Some of them were just too dumb to consider and he wondered who would buy them. For instance, there was one that said: I have gas and I'm not afraid to use it. It was really dumb, but then again, he did know this Scottish highland bull that could definitely use it. His name was Jerry and he was always passing gas—the silent but deadly kind.
Still browsing, Nick found several with cool sayings. One said: Don't flatter yourself. I only look up to you because I'm short. This one had him snorting as it would be perfect to wear once he got back to the city . . . or wherever he went that had larger mammals towering over him. He also thought of grabbing a smaller one for Finnick but then figured he would probably be murdered the moment he showed it to the small fox with a Napoleon complex.
Another one said: bad decisions make the best stories. Nick shook his head at this one, thinking, Ain't that the truth? Of course, the stories were only funny when you were telling them about someone else or you were old with grey in your muzzle and were telling the stories to your grandkits. And speaking about the truth, here was one that said: The truth will set you FREE but first, it will piss you off. This one had Nick snickering while thinking how true it was. He almost bought it, but figured someone might decide to beat him up over it. A lot of mammals back in the city would take offense (a few violently) if they saw a fox wearing a shirt like this as society considered foxes to be sly, untrustworthy creatures.
Walking down the aisle, Nick found a shirt with a picture of a cassowary on it that said: Don't mess with me. Next to it was another shirt with a cassowary on it, but this one was saddled, and the saying went: Courage is being scared to death—and Saddling up anyway! Nick liked it, but then he saw one with a picture of a dodo, a rhea, and an emu standing together and said: Home is where my bird is. Thinking of Judy and picturing how she would look riding a bird, he picked it up and put it in his basket. The next shirt he saw had a cowboy on it spinning a lasso above his head that said: If it doesn't involve Ropin, Ridin, or Saddles count me out. This brought a smile to Nick's face as he thought of the rodeo starting this Friday. He really hoped he could see it with Judy.
He picked up the next shirt and immediately thought of Judy. It was a picture of a ram riding one of the larger emus in a rodeo. The shirt said: What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. Taking a deep breath, Nick immediately thought of his and Judy's ride on the gondola as she told him, "Nick, you are so much more than that." At that time, Judy wasn't looking at his past or where the future would lead, but what was always inside him—who he truly was. And then seeing Judy's hopeful smile when she asked him to be her partner at the ZPD reminded him just how badly he messed up with Judy back at the press conference, as well as how much he had to make up for.
Carefully setting the shirt in his basket, Nick's ears flicked back as he heard a smaller mammal skipping lightly behind him . . . was it a kit? Being a fox, he assumed the mammal would pass him by—so he about jumped out of his skin when the mammal popped up beside him with a bright smile and cheerful voice, saying, "Hi, handsome."
Jumping backwards, Nick barely stopped himself from crashing into one of the t-shirt displays behind him. With a paw over his pounding heart, he focused his shocked, green eyes on the gray bunny in front of him and said in surprise, "Shaylee!? What are doing here?" With a deep breath, he added, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
Shaylee tilted her head sideways a moment, then stepped back as her ears perked forward. With a teasing voice, she asked, "A bit jumpy, are we?"
Nick's ears flicked back as he folded his arms across his chest, then glared at the gray ball of fluff that looked so much like Judy, but at the same time, she didn't. Her brown eyes were the wrong color and she lacked Judy's white muzzle and neck. Focusing his attention back on Shaylee (and wishing it were her older sister instead), Nick answered, "Well, if you were a fox and someone snuck up on you, you'd jump, too."
With her ears still perked forward and her nose twitching slightly in curiosity, she asked, "Really? Why?"
Nick rolled his eyes and looked off towards the left. He had opened up to Gideon yesterday, but he wasn't sure he wanted to open up to Judy's sister. Then again, she was his link to Judy, and she wasn't calling him derogatory names or trying to run him out of town. And if he shared a little bit of his painful past with her, maybe she would be more receptive to help him reconnect with Judy.
Taking a deep breath, Nick turned back to Shaylee who was still looking at him with avid curiosity. With another deep breath, he finally said, "Foxes are usually targeted for gang bullying or beatings." With a sour face and downturned ears, Nick continued, "It took a long time for me to figure out which of the vast number of streets were safe to walk down and which ones would leave me a whimpering mess on the sidewalk. I also had to learn to recognize that look in a mammal's eyes that said he was going to have fun at my bloody expense."
Shaylee's ears thumped lightly against her back as they drooped and her nose started twitching a little faster. "Oh," she whispered. Tilting her head slightly, she tried to find a plausible reason for such repeated beatings but came up blank. They had bullying here in Bunnyburrow, but it rarely led to more than harsh words, being pushed around, and a few bruises (not that she was ever part of bullying or one of its victims). The worst she knew of was when Gideon clawed Judy when they were kits (Gideon was several years older than Shaylee, so she was never picked on by him or Travis). When Shaylee couldn't think of anything, she finally asked, "What was their reason?"
Nick threw his paws up in the air as his tail-tip twitched angrily at the memory. "Because I was born! Because society says we foxes are shifty lowlifes! Because I was there and they could!" Seeing Shaylee take a step back as her nose started twitching faster, Nick slapped a paw over his muzzle and took a step back himself. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Sorry. That question brings up a lot of bad memories for me." He forced his tail fur to lay back down after it puffed up in agitation.
Shaylee studied Nick while her nose slowed down its twitching, though it didn't fully quit its rapid movement. It was obvious that the red fox in front of her had some very bad things happen to him in the past and it made her realize how badly she misjudged him when they met earlier this morning.
When she first saw him, her initial response was to not trust him, but she now realized that it was she (and most other mammals) who were the ones not to be trusted. Not that she would ever do anything like that to a fox, but she remembered quite clearly during her middle and high school years of a couple of the foxes and ferrets in town, along with some of the rabbits and prairie dogs who came from the poorer families in the area, who were picked on and bullied. She never liked it, and stopped it when she saw it, but she wasn't always around.
Nick rubbed a paw over his face, then looked over at Judy's sister. "Why are you here, anyways?" Lightly waving his paw through the air, he added, "Not to be rude or anything, but I thought you were tending your family's vegetable stand."
Shaylee clasped her paws behind her back and gave a slight shrug. "My shift's over, so I came looking for you." With wide, bright eyes that most mammals found cute, and therefore irresistible, she gave Nick a hopeful smile.
Nick raised his eyebrow while hiding how hard he was struggling to resist her 'cute charm'. Remembering how Judy repeatedly told him not to call her cute, he had to bite his tongue to keep from making any cutesy comment about Shaylee. Taking a deep breath, he slowly asked, "Why?"
Shaylee glanced around the store and caught sight of a few more customers, then turned back to Nick. "Are you about done shopping? I figured we could go get an ice cream cone and take a walk down to the park."
Nick opened his mouth to press for more information, but then snapped it shut again. He had noticed how Shaylee was sizing up the other mammals in the store, which told him that whatever she wanted to talk about was best done in private. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, saying, "Yeah, I'm about done." Turning back to the shirt rack, he grabbed a shirt with a dwarf emu sprinting through a field with its bright, white feathery mane on full display. After putting it in his basket, he also grabbed a dark green shirt that said, 'I used to be a mammal person, then mammals ruined it.' Adding it to the rest of the shirts, he turned towards the checkout counter while being hyper aware of the gray rabbit following behind him.
He had the checkout counter in sight when he realized he still needed his country-tie equivalent. Stopping in the middle of the isle, Nick turned to Shaylee (who was looking at him curiously) and asked, "Do they have something around here that's equivalent to a tie? I'm used to wearing a tie, but none of my ties really go with any of my new outfits."
Shaylee grinned, then spun around and waved for Nick to follow her, saying, "Come, my confused fox." With her tail twitching happily to be able to help Judy's friend in his dire circumstance, Shaylee led him back towards the cowboy hats where she then presented him with the answer to his dilemma. Waving her paws out like she was showcasing a prize on the Price is Right (or one of the other game shows), she then said, "What you are seeking, my tall friend, is a bolo tie. They're very stylish and fit in with country life décor."
With a wide grin, she then turned towards the rack with all the ties hanging from it and reached over and grabbed a black one with a medium-dark amethyst gemstone set into the small silver buckle that held the two braided-leather sides of the bolo tie together. "This is perfect," she muttered to herself. Turning back to the curious fox behind her, she motioned for him to bend down so she could slip it around his neck.
Nick took his black hat off as he bent down to receive the bolo tie, then slipped the hat back atop his head as he stood up. Straightening the bolo tie around his neck and sliding the buckle a little higher up on the tie, he then raised his eyebrow again when he noticed the stone's color she picked out. It was the exact shade of purple as Judy's eyes. "Is there a reason you picked this one?"
Shaylee merely grinned again with her eyes widening in a killer cute expression that only rabbits could do. "It'll impress Judy." Tilting her head slightly and twitching her nose slowly, she added, "You do want to impress my sister, right?"
Nick's jaw dropped, then he snapped it shut, and looked off towards the left while straightening the tie a little tighter. "Yes. What about it?" Why was Judy's sister wanting to know if he was trying to impress her? Shaylee didn't seem too fond of him earlier, so why was she so eager to get close to him now? And what was with her question about him wanting to impress Judy? Whatever her reservations were before about him seeing Judy, she seemed to have gotten over them. Did that mean she would help him meet Judy? But then why was she here and not on her way home to deliver his message? Seeing Shaylee's eager, teasing smile, he asked, "Will this really impress Judy?"
Shaylee giggled (which brought a questioning gaze from Nick), then said, "Yes, and it's a start." If Nick was wanting to impress her sister, then there was definitely a chance for Judy to steal his heart. After so many years being alone, her sister deserved a male who thought highly of her, enjoyed spending time with her, and would travel over 300 miles just to find her. A male like Nick didn't come around very often. She just needed to lay the groundwork for Judy and get the fox thinking in that direction.
With perked ears and a raised eyebrow, Nick flicked his tail-tip as he asked, "A start for what?"
Ignoring his question, Shaylee spun around and headed back towards the checkout counter, saying, "Come on, let's get your things bought so we can get some ice cream. A walk in the park will do us both good." With a flick of her gray tail, she added, "There's this table under one of the trees that's just perfect for sitting and chatting."
Nick tilted his head slightly in confusion, but then shook his head and followed after the confusing rabbit. Her sudden change in demeanor from this morning had set off little warning bells inside his head—not that she was planning something nefarious against him, but it left him unsettled. He didn't like being left in the dark, especially since she didn't want to talk where anyone could overhear them. This wasn't looking good for him getting a hold of Judy any time soon—even if Shaylee was being helpful and friendly to him right now.
….….
Judy rode down one dusty road and then another while trying to track down Patty-Mae. At a couple of the junctions she had to stop and go back over the directions George had given her in order to choose the right turnoff. Her only consolation for traipsing all over the countryside was that the weather was nice and the scenery was beautiful.
She passed by several fields full of grass for grazing the birds or were full of alfalfa for cutting and sending to one of the alfalfa pellet companies for bird feed, along with several large orchards of various fruits. She also passed by furrowed fields full of food crops, with her favorite being the vast fields of sunflowers. Sunflower seeds and sunflower oil were some of Bunnyburrow's biggest exports. And the flowers certainly lived up to their name as their bright yellow and brown heads tracked the sun on its trek across the sky.
Occasionally a car or truck would pass by and Judy would have to ride down into the ditch beside the road until they passed, but she didn't mind. Emus were very agile and sure-footed birds, so riding down the slight embankment and back up didn't pose any problems for the smooth-gated Pebbles.
Following the road as it wound its way through a wooded area that hadn't been chopped down and ploughed into any fields yet, Judy enjoyed the cooler shadows of the trees. The ride became even more enjoyable as she listened to the various songbirds singing brightly as they flitted through the branches of the various trees. There were even some woodpeckers she heard hammering away at some of the trunks in their search for a tasty treat crawling within. Eventually she caught sight of a red-hooded woodpecker with its bright red head and black and white body.
As she continued riding through the woods, Judy caught sight of several white-throated swallows flying through the trees, then two black and yellowish-orange orioles having a noisy dispute over something. With a smile at the noisy birds, Judy continued on as she hummed a nameless little tune. After a while of humming and listening to the various bird songs, she eventually caught sight of the large pileated woodpecker that grew to a whopping 18 inches tall. That was half as tall as she was! Watching the large black-bodied bird with its red-crested head, Judy was impressed with its ability to hammer a small hole in the thick bark and pull out a wriggly bug for its dinner. Talk about using your head to get a meal!
With a smile on her face, Judy road out of the woods and found the large gate built of thick logs with the Lazy L Ranch sign hanging at the top. Finally! She was beginning to think she would never find it!
Riding down the long drive, Judy came upon the large, four-story farmhouse that sprawled across the yard (jackrabbits, like all hares, didn't burrow but built their homes above ground). Off to the left was a large, red barn and a corral where several jackrabbits were out working with some rheas and dodos. It looked like they might be practicing for the upcoming rodeo as the three bucks riding the rheas were practicing barrel racing while several of the younger jackrabbits were washing and polishing their dodos to a shine before decking them out in fancy saddles and bridles for the dressage competition. They had to make sure the dodos looked just right before the big day came, especially since each of the young jackrabbits were hoping to bring home a blue ribbon.
Watching them brought a light smile to Judy's mouth as she recalled the happy memories of her own time practicing for the rodeo when she was in middle school and high school. Although she loved working with the birds, once she got started on her studies or some school project, she became super focused and then someone would have to drag her away from the books and remind her there was more to life than what was on the papers she'd been staring at for hours. It's a good thing she had such a large family, since there was always someone around to pull her back into life.
Usually it was one of her sisters pulling her out to go shopping or out to eat, while her brothers were the ones pulling her out to work with the birds or go running or hiking. She always complained at first, but would then feel grateful once she got out of the house and got some fresh air. And of course, her younger siblings (and later, her nieces and nephews) were there to pull her into a kit's movie or building a pillow and blanket fort and acting out one of their favorite storybooks or some show they'd watched on tv.
Looking back now, she hadn't realized before how good she had it. Her smile slipped as she compared her past with her present. She really didn't have anything to show for all her hard work. Nothing positive, anyway. With Zootopia tearing itself apart as the prey population turned on the predator population as more and more predators went savage, and with Nick still missing she felt like a complete failure compared to her glorious dreams she had while growing up.
Feeling her eyes start to sting as her depression started weighing on her again, she brushed an arm across her eyes and reminded herself that she was here to find Patty-Mae so she could buy an emu and start working towards her goal of finding Nick again. She couldn't save the city, but she could at least save her friendship with Nick . . . if she could just find him.
"Hey, can we help you?" a tan buck with black ears and paws asked as he rode his rhea over towards the gray doe who had ridden up to the barn.
"Uh, yeah," Judy hastily said as she pulled her focus back to the jackrabbits in front of her. "I'm looking for Patty-Mae." Taking a deep breath while pushing her melancholy feelings back down, she added, "Is she around?"
"Sure," the buck said as he stopped his rhea just inside the corral's open gate. Turning around in the saddle, he called to one of the younger jackrabbits brushing down his dodo. "Hey, Alec, go get Patty, will you?"
"Okay, Dad," the 11 year-old, brindled tan and black jackrabbit said happily. He was tired of grooming his dodo and was waiting for an excuse to ride it. Since it was already saddled, he hopped on and turned the bird around, then rode off towards one of the fields behind the house.
"Judy? Judy Hopps?" another tan buck, with black down his muzzle and between his eyes, asked as he rode past his brother and through the corral gate where they'd been practicing their barrel racing.
Meeting his light brown eyes, Judy answered, "Yes, that's me."
Stopping his rhea in front of the Judy, the buck laughed and tipped his light gray cowboy hat at her as he said, "It's me, Ryan. I was in your history class all through high school."
Judy looked the buck over, then grinned. "Yeah! Ryan! I remember you. Didn't we also share English and math class together during 11th and 12th grade?"
Ryan gave a slight nod, then added, "And computer class and gym during 10th grade."
"Right," Judy replied while pointing at him. "You didn't have a lot of coordination in gym class, did you?"
Ryan's ears drooped a bit as he answered, "Yeah, I was pretty klutzy back then." With a grin, he added, "But you were always right on spot and never missed a step or a ball."
Judy gave him a strained smile while remembering all the balls he fumbled when the gym teacher split the class into teams to play basketball or the times he crashed into his teammates (including herself) when they had to play volleyball.
Seeing Judy's expression, Ryan waved his paws out in front of him and hurriedly said, "But I've grown out of that klutzy stage. I'm really good at basketball now and I'm more aware of my surroundings so no more crashing into mammals."
Judy's ears perked up a bit. "Oh? Well, I'm glad to hear that."
Ryan nodded, "Yeah, I always admired that about you. You were so agile and could easily adapt to whatever the teacher asked us to do. I worked really hard during the summer to improve my coordination so I wouldn't bring the team down if we ever got to play on a team again."
Judy nodded, then pointed out, "But we only shared gym class that one year."
Ryan nodded again, but then his brother (Alec's dad) rode up and slapped him on the back. With a smirk, he said, "Ryan, here," and he jabbed his brother in the ribs, "did a lot more than just admire you back in high school."
Judy's ears perked forward, "What do you mean?"
"Jeremy!" Ryan hissed at his brother while obviously trying to shush him with his paws.
"What!?" Jeremy exclaimed while pushing his brother's paw out of his face. "It's been over a decade! What's it going to hurt if she knows now?"
"Knows what?" Judy asked curiously, with her nose twitching lightly and her long ears perked forward.
Ryan looked off towards the barn as Jeremy said, "Ryan here," he slapped his brother on the back again, "had a huge crush on you in high school. He just never had the guts to tell you or ask you out."
Judy's eyes widened then her ears dropped to her back with a soft thud. "Oh," was the only response she could come up with. Back in high school, she didn't think anyone was serious about her or was interested in dating a doe who dreamed of being a big city cop. Most of her peers teased her about it. Her friends didn't, but none of them saw her as dating material. At least, no one ever asked her out. Her sisters set her up on a bunch of blind dates, but they never amounted to anything.
None of them were her type. They either dismissed her dreams or went on and on about themselves and how they could 'take care of her'. In their opinion, what doe needed to have such a scary job in the big city when she could be home barefoot in the kitchen and chasing a horde of little ones around the warren? . . . Well, they weren't all that bad, and some of them were actually nice, but they just never appealed to her. Her sisters, mom, and several aunts all complained her standards were too high and that she would never find a male that met all her requirements. Well, they were wrong. She found her male, now if she could just convince him to give her a chance.
But right now, hearing that Ryan had a crush on her back in high school left her mentally reeling. How did she respond to something like that? He didn't still have a crush on her, did he? She hoped not. If he had fessed up to her back in high school, she probably would have given him a chance. He was the quiet type, a bit shy, but nice enough and she enjoyed talking to him (the few times they actually had a conversation). But that was a long time ago. So much had happened since then, and now she had Nick. Although they weren't together and she wasn't sure they ever would or could be, that wasn't going to stop her from pursuing him. And, well, after having her heart stolen by a fox—how could a buck compare?
Turning back to Judy after hearing her response, Ryan's ears drooped further to see her dumbstruck expression. It was obvious dating him had never crossed her mind.
"You know, Judy," Jeremy continued while completely ignoring the uneasy feeling that had settled over the two other mammals with him, "if you're single, I highly recommend dating my brother. He's a vast improvement from the gangly youth you knew in high school."
"Jeremy!" Ryan cried as he shoved his brother and nearly knocked him out of the saddle.
"What!?" Jeremy cried again. "You liked her then, so what's the problem now? You're both single and much more mature than you were in high school, so why not give it a try?"
Shoving his brother again and forcing him to move his rhea out of arms reach, Ryan exclaimed, "Yeah, but you don't just come out and say that!" Waving his paws in the air as his nose twitched like crazy while fearing Judy's response (he never did get over his crush on her), he added, "We just met again! This is the first time I've even spoken to her since high school!"
There was a chuckle behind them and both Jeremy and Ryan looked over to see their other brother, Jarod, riding towards them from where he had been standing near the barrels they had been using to practice with. "Come on, Ryan, mammal up. You have to grab life by the saddle horn and take off running." Waving his free paw through the air (his other paw was holding his rhea's reins), he added, "A full-on sprint with no looking back." Stopping his rhea next to Ryan, Jarod clapped his brother on the back and pulled Ryan's head closer to his own as he leaned in next to his brother. Waving his other paw towards Judy, he continued, "The doe of your dreams is standing right here in front of you and now is your chance to declare your undying love to her."
Ryan's face and ears turned beet-red and he hastily pulled out of his brother's annoying embrace. Slugging his brother in the arm, he said, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
Jarod and Jeremy both snickered at their now highly embarrassed younger brother. Poking Ryan in the ribs again, Jeremy said, "You didn't have the guts to ask her out in high school, but life has given you a second chance." Poking him a third time as Ryan tried to ward him off, Jeremy added, "Are you going to let this chance slip through your fingers?"
Trying to push his brother out of the saddle again, Ryan was rewarded with a death glare and a hiss from Jeremy's rhea as it stepped sideways to keep its rider balanced atop its back. Ignoring the irritated bird, Ryan threw his paws up in the air and said, "Judy didn't ride all the way out here just to date me." Motioning towards Judy with both paws, he added, "You don't even know if she is single!"
As Ryan made his point, both Jeremy and Jarod looked over at Judy. Ignoring her own embarrassed and awkward look, Jarod asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Um, well, you see," Judy started while fiddling with Pebble's reins. With her ears a dark shade of pink and drooping down her back, she stammered out, "It's . . . it's complicated." Why did they have to ask this question of all questions? She was still trying to get used to the idea that she had fallen for a fox and didn't want anyone harassing her for it.
"See!" Ryan exclaimed nervously. He had been too shy in high school to ask her out and now his brothers were ruining everything now. Judy would probably never even talk to him again. "She's in a complicated relationship."
Jarod and Jeremy both glanced at each other, then nodded. Looking back at Judy, Jarod asked again, "Are in a relationship with anyone? A simple yes or no will do."
Judy's ears were flush against her back and her nose was twitching slightly. "Well, no," she finally answered, but then added, "But there is someone I'm highly interested in." At Jarod's raised eyebrow, she hurriedly said, "But he's in Zootopia, so it's a bit complicated."
Jarod and Jeremy immediately grinned, then turned their rheas around to block Judy as they both faced their brother Ryan. Leaning closer to him, Jeremy said in hushed whisper, "Okay, little brother, now's your chance. She's not in a relationship yet, so you still have a chance."
Ryan's jaw dropped, but Jarod ignored it as he picked up where Jeremy left off. "That's right. If this other male is stupid enough to let Judy slip away from him, then it's his loss and your gain. You," he jabbed Ryan in the shoulder, "just have to prove to her that you're the better choice."
Listening from the back of her emu, Judy slapped a paw over her face and shook her head. Did they really think she couldn't hear them? Ryan was a nice buck—one of the good ones she had been sure would be married by now. Unfortunately, though, she was no longer interested in a buck. He had waited too long and that ship had already sailed. What she wanted now was Nick—her fox. Just her fox.
While wondering how to escape the boys (she was sure Ryan felt like dying from embarrassment about now), they were both saved by the arrival of Patty-Mae who was a cream-colored doe with tan and black markings on her face and ears, then down her back and ending with a black tail.
Judy immediately noticed that she was riding an island emu, but it was a bit bigger than her own, making Judy wonder if Patty-Mae was breeding them to be a bit bigger than the average island emu.
"What are you two numbskulls plotting now?" Patty-Mae asked while staring at the three bucks. It was obvious Ryan wasn't enjoying whatever Jeremy and Jarod were plotting. His ears were beet-red and drooping, and he was constantly trying to shush them.
"We are trying to save our brother from a lifetime of loneliness," Jarod proudly declared as he sat up and turned his rhea around to face their sister.
"Jarod, shut up," Ryan hissed at him to which Jarod completely ignored him. Lifting his fist, Ryan took a swing at his brother, but Jarod had anticipated the punch and moved his rhea sideways out of harm's way—which nearly sent Ryan head first out of the saddle when his swing hit nothing be air. Grabbing the saddle horn with his other paw, he gracelessly kept himself from falling. That would have been the worse. He would have died of embarrassment if he'd fallen from the saddle in front of Judy, especially after boasting about outgrowing his high school klutziness.
Patty-Mae rolled her amber eyes and turned to the rabbit doe sitting astride an unfamiliar brown emu. Meeting the does' awkward, amethyst gaze, she did a double take as she recognized her, but never expected to see such a famous rabbit here at her family's ranch. "Judy? Judy Hopps? What are you doing here?"
Judy's ears perked up and she said, "Yes, it's me." Giving a little wave of greeting, she explained, "I heard you had some emus for sale. I'm interested in possibly buying one."
"Oh," Patty-Mae said in surprise. Seeing Judy here was a shock. Hearing she wanted to buy one of her emus was even more of a shock. Judy's family already had a good flock of emus, so why would Judy be looking to buy another one?
Meeting Judy's expectant gaze, Pattie-Mae remembered how excited her family had been—and terrified at the same time—when Judy had first left for the city. But she made a name for herself in a terribly negative way with her speech about predators reverting back to their ancestral, savage ways. Patty-Mae then remembered seeing Judy on the news trying to break up protests and riots between angry predators and terrified (and angry) prey, which sent her to the hospital at one point after getting punched in the head by an angry moose who didn't care that she was standing between him and the red wolf he was after.
That whole incident sent her poor parents into a panic attack. Bonnie and Stu hopped on the first train to Zootopia and spent several days at the hospital with Judy. Although her head injury didn't appear serious, the doctors wanted to keep her for observation. Due to a rabbit's smaller size, they wanted to insure she didn't have a concussion or develop swelling in her brain. After three days they discharged her with a clean bill of health, but that didn't stop her parents from trying to convince her to come home. Their pleas fell on deaf ears and they returned dejected and worried sick that the savage city would eat her alive (literally). But then a month and a half ago, Judy returned home but then spent most of her time at her burrow.
Patty-Mae had even heard whisperings that Judy was suffering from depression, which further worried her parents. For Bonnie, there was only one way to overcome depression and the whole town knew how she was trying to marry Judy off so she would settle down and start popping out kits. In Bonnie's opinion—who had time for depression when you had a bunch of tiny kits to care for?
Patty-Mae felt sorry for Judy. Although Bonnie might find having a hundred kits or more as the perfect anti-depressant, it was obvious to Patty-Mae that Judy would find it even more depressing. She was such a driven, independent, determined dreamer who took relationships very seriously. Patty-Mae understood this from Judy's lack of dating experience. Since Judy wasn't shy, nor did she have a timid bone in her body, her lack of experience wasn't due to shyness. Judy simply didn't want to date someone she didn't respect and who didn't respect her back. Patty-Mae was the same way, which is why her current boyfriend, Joey, was her first and only boyfriend (she hoped Joey would propose soon as they'd been dating for several months now).
Feeling a kinship with Judy in the dating department (she'd had her fair share of failed dates just as Judy had), Patty-Mae found it extremely sad to hear how Bonnie was trying to, essentially, sell her daughter off in a vain attempt to get Judy over her depression. Marrying Judy off to the first buck who would take her could never bring Judy happiness. She needed someone she could lean on, someone who understood her, and who she respected. But along with that, Judy also needed someone she was crazy about, who she couldn't wait to see, and who made everything look and feel better—no matter how bad or crazy the world got. Just like how Patty-Mae felt about Joey. Although Joey's family wasn't the richest in town, being with Joey made everything seem right, no matter how her day went—good or bad.
Then again, if Judy could give her brother Ryan a chance, she might just find that somebody that makes her smile just thinking about him. Judy knew Ryan from high school and he already felt immense respect for Judy (Patty-Mae knew Ryan was fond of Judy back in high school), so that part was taken care of. Now all they needed was time to get to know each other all over again. To have a fresh start. The key here was time. Time that Bonnie wasn't willing to give Judy. After such a huge setback with her life-long dream crashing down around her, Judy needed time to work through her failure—not jump into a lifelong career of raising kits!
What Judy needed now was a good friend to lean on, and if that friend was her brother Ryan, that might be the foundation they needed to move on to something more. Patty-Mae's mother always told her and her siblings that their mate should be their best friend, and if they were, then they could be sure to have a healthy, lasting relationship.
But seeing Judy now, Patty-Mae thought Judy might have walked through her depression on her own as she looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this afternoon. This made Patty-Mae wonder what had changed for the gray rabbit who had ridden all the way out to find her—for an emu, no less. Finally answering Judy's question about having emus for sale, she said, "Uh, yeah." With a slight shake of her head, Patty-Mae said, "Yeah, I have some ready for sale. But we'll have to go to my boyfriend's house to look at them."
Judy's ears dropped. "Your boyfriend's house?"
Patty-Mae nodded. "Yeah, that's where I'm training them so none of my dumb brothers"—she looked pointedly at Jarod and Jeremy—"don't teach them any stupid tricks I'll have to break them of before I can sell them."
Jarod put his paws up as he said, "Hey, we were teaching them to jump so we could hold a jumping competition. It's not our fault they decided to jump the fence that night."
Patty-Mae rolled her amber eyes again (it took them 2 days to round up the five emus who had made a jump for freedom). This happened over a year ago and involved their family emus (they were stronger jumpers than rheas), so when she decided to raise and train her own emus to sell, Patty-Mae knew she couldn't have them here at the ranch or her brothers would try teaching them stupid 'tricks' that would lower their selling-value. With a shake of her head at her unreliable brothers (Ryan was dependable enough), she turned her attention back to Judy.
"Your boyfriend's dad is George Hoppersan, correct?" Judy asked while feeling like smacking her head against the side of the barn.
"Yeah. How did you know?" Patty-Mae asked curiously.
Judy face-palmed. "I was just there. George said he didn't have any emus and that I had to talk you."
"Well, yeah, the birds are mine, so you would definitely have to talk to me first."
Judy rubbed her forehead, saying, "Yes, I understand that. But couldn't he have just called you and let you know I was there?"
Patty-Mae shrugged her shoulders. "If it was anyone else you talked to, they probably would have called. But George doesn't like using phones. Says it's too impersonal and the new cell phones just confuse him. Says he feels like he's going to break 'carrot-picking' things."
Judy's shoulders drooped along with her ears. Trying to brush off the melancholy mood that was threatening to swamp her for the second time this day, Judy squared her shoulders and asked, "Well, do you have time now that I could go look at them?"
With a bright smile, Patty-Mae answered, "Of course. Just let me refill my water-bottle, then we can be on our way."
"Thanks," Judy said and then watched Patty-Mae ride her emu over to the large ranch house (hares and jackrabbits didn't burrow, but built large, sprawling farm and ranch houses), then watched her dismount and disappear inside the white, tan, and dark-chocolate painted house.
While waiting for Patty-Mae to return, she looked at Ryan, who was still very red in the ears. "You know, Ryan, although I'm not in the market for a boyfriend right now, I wouldn't mind having lunch sometime. Maybe do some catching up." Seeing Ryan's happy expression as he quickly nodded in agreement, she hastily put out a paw and added, "But just as friends. I mean it when I said I'm really not in the mood for any kind of relationship right now."
Ryan nodded as his brothers slapped him on the back to congratulate him (they were positive Ryan could change her mind). With a smile, Ryan replied, "Friends is just fine. I'll be content with that."
Judy's smile slipped slightly and she wondered if this wasn't a mistake. Agreeing to spend time with him as a friend wouldn't be leading him on . . . would it? Before she could say any more (or change her mind), Patty-Mae returned with the water bottle.
"Okay, we can go." After climbing back in her saddle, she gave Judy a smile, then led her back down the dusty country lane.
Ryan watched them go with a small smile on his face. It had been a long time since he'd last seen Judy, but she was still as pretty as ever with her bright, shining, purple eyes and that winning smile of hers—which was a sight for sore eyes considering how bad things had been with her these past few months. He had watched her trying to break up protests and riots on the news, and then after she came home, the rumors had spread around town about her depression.
Ryan had wanted to visit her for some weeks now, but he hadn't been sure she even remembered him, let alone would welcome his company right now. He hadn't even known what he could say to her even if he had visited. But seeing her today, he knew she had gotten over the worst of it. He was glad for this, but it made him wonder if she had been serious about wanting him to look her up when he was in town.
Seeing Ryan gaze off down the road where their sister and Judy had disappeared, Jarod and Jeremy nodded to each other, then moved their rheas over to stand at either side of their younger brother. Slapping Ryan on the back hard enough to knock him forward in the saddle with a loud 'oof', Jarod and Jeremy grinned at their brother.
At a glare from Ryan as he straightened up in the saddle, Jarod said, "There goes the doe you dreamed about in high school." With a wave of his paw, he asked, "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Do about what?" Ryan asked as he shoved his brothers off again. They were being even more annoying than usual today. It was at times like these that he wished he was one of the older brothers—or an only child.
"What do you mean—about what?" Waving a paw down the road where the two does had disappeared, Jeremy said, "Winning Judy's affection, of course."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear her? She's not looking for a relationship and already has someone she likes."
Jarod leaned over in the saddle and wrapped a paw around his brother's shoulder and pulled him over in a side hug (and nearly pulled him from the saddle which had Ryan's rhea glaring at him). "Judy's in a vulnerable state right now. She just had her dreams blow up in her face and the guy she likes isn't even here to comfort her."
Poking Ryan in the shoulder from his other side, Jeremy said, "That's where you come in. Spend some time with her, be understanding—"
"Maybe offer her a shoulder to cry on," Jarod interrupted as he squeezed Ryan's shoulder for emphasis.
"And who knows," Jeremy continued, "she just might decide she likes you better than that jerk from Zootopia who took her heart and left her hanging."
Ryan couldn't argue with their plan, but it didn't sit right with him—being nice to Judy so he could get a girlfriend. What Judy needed was a friend—not a boyfriend. And with her personality, he didn't hold any high hopes that she would ever see him as more than a friend. He was just a hometown country boy and Judy was always looking to the next horizon . . . which was why he wasn't surprised to hear that Judy had fallen for a city boy.
With a heavy sigh, Ryan said, "Will you two cut it out? We're supposed to be practicing." Pushing Jarod off him, he turned his rhea around and headed back to the barrels they had been racing around when Judy first showed up.
"Oh, come on, Ryan!" Jeremy cried out as he threw his paws up in the air. "She even told you to look her up! She practically invited you on a date already!"
"Yeah!" Jarod agreed as he turned his own rhea around to follow after their dumb brother (if Ryan wanted the girl, he had to chase after her—not let her slip through his fingers a second time!). "You have to buck up and be a male." Jabbing a finger towards his brother's back, he added, "You didn't even get her number! How're you supposed to contact her when you're in town if you don't even have her number?"
Ryan turned around in the saddle to look at his older brothers trailing behind him. "Look, I had a crush on her in high school—that was a long time ago. I don't even know if I still like her, but I'm for sure not in love with her. So," he continued while pointing his finger down and waving it in a circle, "this whole skewed plan of yours is pointless."
Jarod and Jeremy gaped at Ryan for a minute, then Jeremy exclaimed, "Now who's spouting nonsense!? If you want the girl, you have to go after her!"
"That's right," Jarod cut in. "And how do you know if you still like her or not if you don't even spend time with her?"
Ryan shook his head and turned back around to continue towards the barrels. He did want to meet up with Judy again, but he wasn't about to let his brothers know that, otherwise there would be no end to their teasing. He'd have to see if Patty-Mae was able to get Judy's number when she returned, and maybe see if she found out why Judy was wanting to buy an emu when their family already had a dozen or more.
Stopping at the open corral gate, Ryan spoke over his shoulder, "The rodeo starts this Friday and I, for one, don't intend to lose this year. So you two can stand around yapping all you want, but I'm going to practice." And with that, he heeled his rhea into a canter and leaned forward in the saddle. Kicking up a cloud of dust and sand, he raced towards the barrels while leaving his brothers shaking their heads at his unwillingness to chase after Judy.
WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter, Nick will discover what Shaylee came to talk about. The conversation will shock Nick on several counts and give him much to think about.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, someone with a Napoleon complex is someone who is short and has an inferiority complex because of it or at least is overly sensitive about his height and gets angry easily whenever someone makes a joke about his shorter stature.
Chapter 9: An Open Mind, will post in 2 weeks. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them. Take care and stay safe.