Around 9:30 in the morning, with the sun sitting cheerfully in the sky with a few puffy white clouds scuttling by and a light breeze making the grass and tree leaves gently sway, Judy finally rode Toot-toot back to the barn and dismounted. With a wide smile, she took a deep breath and patted her bird's fluffy neck. The well-trained bird had been a dream to ride, as she was quick on her feet and eager to go wherever Judy pointed her. This made Judy eager to help Patty-Mae train her other birds so she could learn how to do it right should she ever decide to raise an emu from a chick.
After wrapping the reins around the hitching post, she walked over and grabbed a pawful of prunes from the barrel and returned to feed them to Toot-toot as a treat. Once the bird had her snack, Judy stripped her of her gear and led her to one of the smaller pastures and let her out to graze on the wild grasses and fruits that had dropped from the various fruit trees planted around the paddock. Bugs were also on her bird's menu if she could catch them (emus supplemented their vegetarian diet with grasshoppers and other bugs they found, along with any of the small wild lizards they were able to catch).
As she walked back to the barn to switch her bridle for a slightly bigger one (JD was quite a bit bigger than Toot-toot), Judy couldn't help but think of how the morning had gone thus far. The ride had done wonders for her mood, and she felt like she might actually be able to start living again—which was a huge relief. Of course, being able to apologize to Nick last night, even if it was just in a video was probably the biggest factor to her much-improved mood. During her ride, she was even able to convince herself that Nick would actually come looking for her.
After talking to both Patty-Mae and Shaylee about Nick, and getting a fresh perspective on the slick todd, Judy had to agree that Nick would most likely come looking for her once his anger cooled down. After risking his neck several times to keep her alive, and with his natural curiosity as a fox, she doubted he would be able to brush their friendship aside just like that. Even if he wasn't thinking of fixing their friendship, he would at least want to know why she reacted so fearfully towards him. After everything he'd done for her, her terrified reaction didn't make any sense—even if she was a rabbit. And that's when Judy could properly apologize and give him the video she made.
At least, Judy hoped he wouldn't leave things as they were, that he would come for answers. Nick knew where to find her, she had told him where she was from when he was teasing her about her carrot farming roots by calling her Carrots, but she had no clue where or how to find him.
Taking a deep breath and trying to squash her pessimism (she still couldn't get Nick's look of betrayal out of her head), Judy walked resolutely into the corral to catch JD. He seemed bored in the pen and was eager to follow her through the gate and into the barn. After saddling him up, she gave the large, fluffy emu a handful of prunes to snack on. Giving him a pat on the neck (and immediately thinking of Nick's fluffy white neck and chest, which had her ears turning a darker shade of pink), Judy then made her way inside the house for a quick bathroom break and to refill her water bottles with some fresh water.
Judy also figured it might do her good to have an early lunch seeing as she was up before her parents this morning. After filling her water bottles and putting them back in the side pouches of her fanny pack, Judy remembered she didn't have her phone on her. While thinking of her phone, Judy wanted to kick herself in the tail for never asking Nick for his phone number. If she had his number, she could have called him a long time ago and then she wouldn't be stuck in this waiting game right now. Then again, Nick might have blocked her. But even if he had, he would still have her number should he ever want to call her.
With a heavy sigh while thinking of 'what if', Judy decided she better run down to her room and grab her phone before she sat down to eat. Walking across the kitchen, she was nearly to the door when it opened to reveal her mom.
"Oh, Judy, dearie, I'm so glad I caught you," Bonnie said in a sweet, yet no-nonsense voice that had Judy's fur standing on end. She had heard this voice far too many times in the last several years and it always led to one thing—with her running in fear of her life because her mom had found another nameless buck to marry her off to.
Completely oblivious to her daughter's sudden fear, Bonnie continued saying, "I'm really impressed with the emus you bought. That's good breeding there."
Judy pasted on her fake smile even as she said, "Yes, yes they are. My female was a dream to ride this morning and I'm just getting ready to ride the male."
"Well, that's good to hear," Bonnie said cheerfully, but made no move to let her daughter leave the kitchen. "So how long do you think it'll take you to train the birds before they're ready to be used in Search and Rescue?"
Judy flicked her ear as this wasn't the direction she thought her mom would be taking this conversation. Fulltime employees of Search and Rescue, (opposed to the volunteers who only got called in when someone actually went missing), lived in the mountains and were an auxiliary unit of the Forest Rangers. Although the Search and Rescue employees didn't have the authority to arrest anyone for breaking the laws set up to protect the forests and rivers that covered the mountains, they did help the Forest Rangers patrol the thousands of miles of wilderness that covered the mountains.
So once she turned in her application and it was approved, Judy would be moving up to the mountains and living in whatever little ranger cabin they assigned her, along with her partner (Search and Rescue members always worked in pairs as a safety measure). So why was her mom asking about how quickly the birds would be ready? Did she come up with some cockamamie excuse to keep her at home? Her mom seemed really excited about her joining when she brought it up the other night, though.
With her nose twitching lightly, Judy answered cautiously, "Um, well, Patty-Mae Leaps—she's the one who sold me the emus—has already trained the birds so I could probably sign up any day I wanted. I still need to take JD out, but I'm sure he'll be a dream to ride, too."
Bonnie clapped her paws together and cooed, "Oh, that's just wonderful!"
Judy blinked. She just said she would be leaving the burrow any day now, and yet her mom was excited about it!? Her mom was the worst worrywart ever and always talked about wanting to keep her home, safe and sound. So what gives? Taking a deep breath, Judy asked carefully, "You would be fine with me moving out again . . . so soon?"
"Well," Bonnie said excitedly, "I was just talking to my friend Mazy, and her son Jazzy works in the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol, and she said that Jazzy would be happy to show you the ropes. He could even request being your trainer once you sign up." With another clap and a soft 'squee' of happiness, Bonnie added, "Isn't this great! You won't have to go into Search and Rescue alone, you'll already have a friend there to help you out." With one paw clasped over her heart, Bonnie reached out and lightly rested her other paw on her daughter's shoulder, saying, "He's even home for the rodeo, so you can go over and meet him now if you want. You could even go to the rodeo together."
At first, Judy didn't know how to respond, especially as she could just hear her mom tack on 'boy' in front of 'friend' there in her head. Taking a deep breath, she rubbed one paw across her face while holding the other up to her mom. As her mom dropped her paw and stopped talking, Judy took another breath and then looked up to meet her mom's hopeful, yet concerned, gaze. "Mom, did you just hook me up on another blind date?"
"Of course not, Bun-bun. I promised I wouldn't do that." With a wave of her paw as she glanced around the kitchen, Bonnie then added, "Jazzy would just be a friend."
Judy's eyes narrowed. If she agreed to see this buck, then her mother would have her whole wedding planned by the end of the day. Trying to think of a way out of this stupid situation, she started grasping at straws, saying, "Well, today . . . today isn't really going to work. I'm super busy today . . . Uh, lots of things to do." Her voice wasn't very convincing there at the end, making her mom fold her arms over her chest and give her the 'Oh, really?' look.
As Judy's ears dropped against her back, Bonnie's foot started tapping as she asked, "Busy doing what?"
Judy's eyes darted around the kitchen as she tried to think of something when she suddenly remembered telling Ryan they had to do lunch together sometime. Now seemed like the perfect time. "Um, well, I met Patty-Mae's older brother Ryan yesterday when I went looking for her about buying the emus." Taking a deep breath while clasping her paws behind her back, Judy continued saying, "Ryan and I went to high school together and shared a lot of classes. And yesterday, his brothers informed me that he had a huge crush on me back then."
Bonnie's eyes lit up with stars as she saw her little Bun-bun finally getting a boyfriend. Seeing her mom's expression, Judy internally cringed at leading her mom on, but she ignored the faint niggling of guilt in favor of self-preservation. "Ryan is one of the few bucks I actually enjoyed spending time with back in high school, so if he had asked me out on a date, I wouldn't have turned him down."
Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise. She was sure no one had caught her daughter's eye in high school, so this revelation floored her. "So why didn't he ask you out!?" she exclaimed as her nose started twitching.
Judy hummed a moment, then answered, "Ryan was really shy and uncoordinated in high school, so he never found the courage to ask me out."
"Oh," Bonnie said. If Ryan had had the courage to ask her Bun-bun out in high school, her daughter might be married by now and settled with a kerfluffle of her own. She probably wouldn't have become a cop, either, and this whole mess with breaking the city (or so Judy keeps insisting) never would have happened. It just broke Bonnie's heart to see her little bun-bun beating herself up over the violence and chaos happening in Zootopia after her press conference 4 months ago.
"Yeah, so," Judy started, as she continued powering forward with (she hated to admit it) hustling her mom (she was sure Nick would be proud of her). "Anyway, I gave Ryan my number yesterday and we made plans for lunch today." Glancing at the clock and seeing how early it was, she amended quickly, "I mean brunch. We're meeting for brunch today. And then we were going shopping together." She was sure Ryan wouldn't have a problem going to the hardware store to get supplies for the fix up. He might even have a better idea of what they needed.
"Shopping!?" Bonnie said incredulously. Whenever any of her daughters dragged a buck to the store for shopping, it was always to buy clothes or jewelry (the bucks were either buying or carrying the purchases), but this never applied to Jude the Dude, as Stu frequently called Judy—and for good reason. Judy rarely took herself shopping (and never with a buck). And when she did go shopping, it was always for necessities. Once in a blue moon, Judy would buy something nice for herself, but she was never into the frivolous shopping most does did when they were trying to catch the eye of an eligible buck (does trying to snag a boyfriend or a husband always wanted to look their best—which meant shopping).
Judy rolled her eyes. "Not that kind of shopping." Bonnie raised her brow again and Judy explained, "I made plans with Ryan, Patty-Mae, and her boyfriend Joey to ride up to Grandma Cecelia's cabin and help me fix it up. I haven't been there in years, so I'm sure it's falling apart by now." With a shake of her head while waving her paws out in front of her to stave off anything her mom might say to the contrary, Judy added, "To that end, Ryan is going to the hardware store with me to help me pick out the supplies we'll need."
Bonnie stood in a daze staring at her daughter. This was above and beyond anything she could have hoped for her daughter just a few days ago. Not only was Judy going out to lunch with a buck, but she had also planned a trip into the mountains with four friends, one of which was the buck she was to have lunch with. Taking a deep breath to rain in her excitement (and confusion), Bonnie said, "The four of you are going to the mountains together?" This sounded an awful lot like a double date—a 3-day long double date!
Judy gave a nod, saying, "We made the plans yesterday afternoon and hope to leave at first light tomorrow morning. We'll be back Saturday afternoon in time for Ryan to enter the Barrel Racing Competition."
"The competition doesn't start until 2 in the afternoon," Bonnie pointed out.
With a shrug and flick of her ear, Judy added, "So, we'll be back by 2."
Bonnie studied her headstrong daughter, surprised at the plans she had so suddenly made. First, she buys two emus and then she goes and gets a group of friends together for a trip into the mountains? It was all so strange, considering Judy's depression of the last month and a half. But Bonnie wouldn't complain. Seeing her daughter making plans with friends and getting out of the burrow was a great thing. Especially since one of those friends was a buck who had a crush on Judy. Oh, this mountain trip was perfect for them to really discuss their feelings and make plans for the future.
"Well, okay," Bonnie finally said. With a smile, she added, "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you get ready." With an even brighter smile, she added, "Say 'hi' to Ryan for me." Waving her fingers towards Judy, she added, "And bring him by sometime, I'd love to meet him."
Judy had to forcibly stop her eyes from rolling (and possibly clue her mom in to the hustle she was pulling on her). "Mom, we're just friends. We're having lunch to catch up on old times, nothing more." She knew her mom's imagination was already running away with her, and the more Judy denied the relationship the more her mom would be convinced of it. It was crazy, but that was her mom.
"Well, that's how the best relationships start, honey," Bonnie said while completely ignoring her daughter's insistence that they were just friends. The buck had a crush on Judy in high school, Judy actually felt comfortable around him, they were going out to lunch, and they would be taking a trip to the mountains together—could Bonnie read anything else into this than her little Bun-bun was finally going to get herself a boyfriend?
Holding a paw up as she began backing up towards the back door, Judy hastily said, "Well, look, Mom, if I'm going to make it to that brunch with Ryan, I better get going. The Leaps' ranch is a good hour or more ride away." With a little wave as she stumbled back in her hurry to escape her mom and her machinations for her future, Judy said, "I'll see you later, Mom. Love ya."
"Love you, too, Bun-bun." Bonnie watched her daughter twirl around and practically sprint for the door, but she didn't mind. She had wedding plans to plan. Will Judy be willing to wear my wedding dress, Bonnie wondered. Most does worked on their wedding dresses in high school, but not all of them finished (some were more dedicated than others), in which case, they would usually borrow one of their sisters' finished dresses. Some of her other daughters had asked Bonnie if they could use her dress, and she was more than happy to oblige. But Judy was one of her few daughters who looked most like her, so Bonnie always secretly hoped Judy would wear her wedding dress, too. Judy wasn't thinking of marriage in high school, so of course, she didn't finish her dress.
Judy was halfway out the door when she remembered her other plans for tonight. Turning to look over her shoulder, she called back to her mom, saying, "I won't be home for dinner tonight." At Bonnie's curious glance, Judy explained, "I ran into Bobby Cutmaul yesterday while riding through town and he invited me to have dinner tonight with him and his family. I'm not sure when I'll be back."
Bonnie was again surprised. Judy's world was really opening up all of a sudden. She was getting out and making new friends, hanging out with old friends, and planning for the future. Her little girl must have finally gotten over her depressive funk and Bonnie wondered what gave her the push to get up and start living again. It had to be something big, but she couldn't think of anything that happened to her little Bun-bun recently. The only unusual thing she could think of is the long night ride Judy had gone on and all that thinking she had done two nights ago.
With her message given (and the excuse to hopefully avoid seeing her mom the rest of the day), Judy turned around and hopped off the back porch and sprinted for the barn. She couldn't believe her mom had actually set her up with another buck! It was outrageous! Why couldn't her mom just leave well enough alone!? She wasn't interested in any buck! All she wanted was her fox! And the thought of dragging poor Ryan into her mom's fruitless plans of getting her married off just rankled Judy. What would he think of her?
It wasn't till she was thirty minutes into her ride that Judy realized she had never made it down to her room to pick up her phone. With a scowl, she slapped the saddle-horn. "Mother, why can't you just leave me and my love-life alone!?" she cried out in frustration. JD squawked in reply as the wind blew by them while making the tall grass sway as they rode through it.
Although Judy couldn't think of anyone trying to get a hold of her besides Patty-Mae, or possibly Ryan, with her riding out alone in the countryside, having a phone on paw should an accident occur was a smart idea. But she wasn't going to ride all the way back home just to pick up her stupid phone. She was halfway to the Leap's ranch as it was, so she continued forward. As the Leap's ranch was on the outskirts of Bunnyburrow on the left side of the town, it meant she didn't have to ride through or around the town proper and could just cut through the fields and open countryside to reach it.
With a huff, she tried to push her mom's meddlesome actions aside and thought about what they might need to buy at the hardware store. In the back of her mind, though, she couldn't help but wonder if, and when, Nick might show up looking for her. With JD's ground eating gait, Judy looked out over the open grassy meadow while wondering what it would be like to see Nick again. She didn't dare hope for a kiss, but a hug would be nice. That wasn't too much to ask for . . . was it?
-/-/-
Nick and Gideon climbed back into the truck after delivering the last four pies to a prairie dog family. They seemed much nicer than the prairie dogs he'd met that first day in Bunnyburrow. With a wide grin spreading across his face, Nick was enjoying getting to know more of the locals. Looking up at the deep blue sky, Nick saw that it was another beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly in the late morning sky, big puffy clouds were scuttling across the sky and inspiring the imagination of every young kit who looked at them, while a warm summer breeze blew by and ruffled his fur.
"Ya ready to head back ta the bakery?" Gideon asked as he reached forward to start the delivery truck.
Nick held a finger up as he pulled out his phone, saying, "Just give me a sec." Calling Judy, he scowled when her phone went directly to voicemail again. Not bothering to leave another message, he texted Shaylee letting her know he was headed that way. Without looking up from his phone as he typed the message, he asked Gideon, "Do you think you can drop me off at the rodeo grounds? Since I can't get a hold of Judy I'm going to help set up. Maybe win some brownie points with her family."
Gideon's ears perked up and his tail began wagging. "That's a right smart idea, Nick. Meet her parents and a bunch of her family and then you won't have to worry about showing up at their burrow and getting arrested for tresspassin'."
Nick nodded as he sent the text, then put his phone away and looked up to meet Gideon's grinning face. "Yeah, Shaylee said she'd introduce me to everyone." With a shrug, he added, "I guess we'll see where we go from there." With a smug grin, he added, "Who knows, I might even be invited to dinner."
Gideon could only shake his head as he eased the truck back onto the road and headed for the rodeo grounds. With a tilt of his head while looking at his fellow fox from the corner of his eye, he said, "Well, if it was a few months ago, I, I, I'd say no way, but now . . . who knows? Ya might just get asked."
Nick nodded and they filled the drive to the rodeo grounds with easy talk as Gideon pointed out the different properties they passed, along with who owned them and some light story of the various mammals. It gave Nick a greater understanding—and appreciation—for Judy and her hometown.
Once Gideon dropped Nick off, it didn't take him long to spot Shaylee, but she wasn't alone. Five other rabbits were standing with her. Two more does and three bucks. With a raised brow, Nick walked over to them. Shaylee didn't wait for him to arrive, though, and sprinted over and gave him a big hug around his middle which nearly knocked him over with the force of it. Nick's eyes widened as he stepped back and braced himself. It took him a moment to respond with a paw loosely resting against the middle of her back as he patted her lightly with the other paw. Foxes weren't normally touchy-feely mammals outside their immediate family: parents, siblings, their mate, and kits. So, this was new. But Nick knew Shaylee was simply being nice to him (and possibly buttering him up for her sister), so he went along with it.
As Shaylee stepped back, she clasped her paws behind her back and rocked on her heels as she asked eagerly (but in a low voice to avoid being overheard), "How's my favorite brother-in-law this morning?"
Nick rolled his eyes while folding his arms across his chest. With a swish of his long, bushy tail, he replied, "We're not married yet." Pointing to her lightly twitching nose with a clawed finger, he added, "I said, I'm thinking about it, but I still need to see Judy first. There's a lot of things we need to discuss, both about the past and the future, as well as what we both want from the relationship. Nothing is set in stone until I see her."
Shaylee merely beamed at him with a bright, knowing smile. "I'm not worried. Judy said she wanted you, and since you're not opposed to the idea, then she won't stop until she has you."
Nick tilted his head curiously, even as one of his ears canted down. "That really doesn't bother you? The idea of me and Judy together?" Shaking his head a moment, he clarified, "The idea of me running my teeth and claws all over your sister's body doesn't . . . disturb you?"
Shaylee shook her head. "This is Judy we're talking about, so, no, it doesn't. She's always been the weird one interested in non-bunny activities, so her falling for you is just another item on the long list of odd things Judy has done in her life." With a shrug and a teasing grin, she added, "She became a big city cop, so why not fall for a city fox, as well. Especially since you fought for her dream and helped her become that big city cop." With a giggle, Shaylee whispered, "I can't fault her for falling for you. You're a keeper, Nick."
Nick was surprised for a moment, but then shook his head as his tail continued swishing gently behind him. He was beginning to think Shaylee was just as strange as her sister, but he would take strange over bigotry and specism any day.
Running a paw down his face, he met Shaylee's bright smile again and had to smile himself. Finding out about Judy's attraction to him (and his own attraction to her) was a bit intimidating, especially as most mammals didn't like foxes, nor would they quietly sit back while they saw a fox getting touchy-feely with a rabbit. So, to see Shaylee's happy and enthusiastic acceptance of him and his possible relationship with Judy was a breath of fresh air. Strange—but refreshing.
At the sound of soft paws on dirt and gravel, Nick glanced over Shaylee's head to see the five bunnies she had been with now headed their way. Shaylee heard the noise too and turned around to give the rabbits a bright smile. Motioning to the fox beside her, she introduced him to her family. "This is Nick Wilde." Glancing at Nick, Shaylee then introduced her siblings and cousins. "Nick, this is my sister Brandi, my cousin Melanie, and these two handsome bucks are my brothers, Ben and Aaron, and this young buck is my cousin Marty."
Stepping forward, Marty shook Nick's paw and said, "Judy can be a real handful sometimes, you sure you're up to it?"
Nick's eyes widened as his ears flicked back. Tensing at the implication of the buck's statement, his anxious emeralds quickly found Shaylee's confident brown gaze. "Shaylee," he asked carefully, "what . . .?"
With an apologetic shrug, Shaylee answered, "I was driving when your text came in, so I had Melanie check it." While rocking back on her heels again, she added, "I wasn't expecting a confession of marriage and kits from you so soon." As Nick's ears disappeared against his head, Shaylee giggled. "Don't worry, Nick, you're safe here." Nodding towards her siblings and cousins, she pointed out, "Aaron here is dating a pica, Brandi is dating a jackrabbit, Melanie once dated a prairie dog, Marty is over the moon at winning the bet he made that Judy would fall for a predator, and Ben here wants your help in restoring his classic mustang."
Marty and Aaron both nodded at Shaylee's words, Melanie gave him a shy smile, Brandi simply watched curiously and with a bit of reservation, even as Ben stepped up to shake his paw, asking, "Is it true you restored your 1971 Triumph TR6?"
Nick raised an eyebrow and glanced at Shaylee again. Just how much did she tell them about him!? Shaylee gave another shrug as if to say 'sorry'. "I didn't say where we hid your car, but it's a good thing we did hide it, considering Daryl, Roger, and Billy slipped out early this morning."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I saw them at the bakery." At Shaylee's expression of alarm, Nick waved a paw to placate her and said, "Don't worry. They haven't caused any trouble yet." With a flick of his ear and swish of his tail, he added, "I think they were just scoping out the place and trying to get a feel for me." With a smug look, he added, "Sucks to be them since I'm here now." Shaylee laughed, and Nick then turned back to Ben to answer his question. "Yes, I restored my 1971 Triumph, but I wasn't able to find all the parts I needed since it's a foreign car, so I had to swap some parts out for more modern ones." With a sad shake of his head, he added, "Needless to say, I'm pretty much barred from entering it into any Classic Car Show."
"Oh," Ben said a bit dejectedly. But after a moment of thought, he perked up, asking, "Do you think you'd know how to find parts for a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss?"
Nick's ears immediately perked up and his tail began wagging. "You have a '69 Ford Boss? Which model? A 302 or a 429?"
A wide grin spread across Ben's face. "A 429."
Nick's tail began wagging even more. The '69 Ford Boss 429 was even rarer than his British convertible. The engine the Boss used was originally built for Nascar but was pulled at the last minute and put in a mustang. The engine was so big, though, that they had to modify the mustang to fit the oversized engine, and they still had to put the battery in the trunk of the car because it no longer fit under the hood. The racing engine made the car a real beast on the open highway, but it also made it difficult to handle when taking corners. But on a straight course, few cars of its class could beat it.
As Nick, Ben, Aaron, and even Marty, started talking shop about Ben's car (Nick figured he could rope Finnick in to help in its restoration for no other reason than the crotchety little fennec loved working on these old cars), Melanie leaned over to whisper in Shaylee's ear. "You're right," she said in a low voice that didn't carry past her cousin. "He is a hot fox. I'm really interested in hearing him sing now." Looking the tall, lean fox over, Melanie was impressed, not just by his looks but by the fact he actually knew what her cousins were talking about when it came to Ben's old car.
Brandi, on the other paw, simply stood back and watched the slick todd work his magic. She had enough respect for Judy that she was willing to give the city fox the benefit of the doubt, and seeing how intelligent he was helped. She couldn't see Judy being with someone who couldn't keep up with her physically and intellectually. And by the looks of it, Nick could do both.
As the boys talked shop and the girls looked on with interest, an older brown rabbit wearing blue overalls and a green baseball cap with a carrot printed on the front, walked up to them. Hooking his thumbs behind the straps of his overalls, Stu Hopps looked over the group of rabbits and the tall red fox in a black Stetson talking animatedly with the boys in the group.
Turning to the girls, Stu nodded towards the todd wearing blue jeans and a sky-blue shirt with a slight V-neck and asked, "Who's the fox?"
Shaylee's ears perked as her face brightened. Stepping over to her father, she hooked her arm through his and said, "Hello, Dad, you're just the bunny I wanted to see."
"Oh," Stu said with a raised brow even as he watched the boys turn to greet him. The fox clasped his paws behind his back and nodded towards him respectfully. Stu nodded back, impressed with the fox's manners.
Shaylee nodded as she said with a smile, "Dad, this is Nick Wilde, he's from Zootopia and is a friend of Judy's."
Stu's eyes widened. Judy had never mentioned a city fox she had made friends with, nor did this fox dress like a city fox. "You're a friend of Judy's?" he asked before glancing back at Shaylee. She nodded, giving him a wide a smile, so he turned back to the tall red fox. Seeing as the fox was friends with Judy and that Shaylee vouched for him, most of his concerns for the larger predator disappeared. The way his boys were excitedly talking to Nick also helped. Aaron and Ben were a couple of his oldest sons and they were both a good judge of character.
Nick stepped forward and held out his paw. "That's right, Mr. Hopps. I helped Judy find all those missing mammals, but we had a falling out over her press conference. I'm here to make it right with Judy. I shouldn't have walked out on her like I did." Nick wanted to be up front with Judy's dad. Although being a conmammal made him an excellent liar, when dealing with Judy, and by association her family, he didn't want to build their relationship on lies. He had seen all too often what happens when lies are brought into a serious relationship, and he didn't want his and Judy's friendship to be a house of cards. And if he wanted her dad's approval—whatever his and Judy's relationship became—Nick knew he had to be honest with the old buck.
As Stu shook the todd's larger paw, he was impressed the fox was being so open with him and how he treated his daughter. Most mammals would try to hide or brush off their wrong doings, but this city fox came right out and admitted to his faults. And the fact he wanted to make things right by Judy gave him a better impression of the red todd.
"Well," Stu said as he lifted his paw to scratch his head. "I'm glad to meet you, Nick, and call me Stu." Straightening the cap on his head, he saidd, "I'm sorry to say that Judy isn't here right now." With a nod back towards the way the fox had come, he added, "You might find her at the house, though."
Shaylee shook her head. "I tried finding Judy when I got up this morning, but she left for an early morning ride and I can't get a hold of her now."
Taking his paw back, Nick nodded at Shaylee's words. "I tried calling Judy this morning too, but she didn't answer my call, either. Now her phone just goes to voicemail, so I think she forgot to charge it and it died."
Stu nodded as he put his cap back on his head. "Well, if you're not here for Judy, then what are you here for?"
"Well, I heard you were setting up for the rodeo, and since I have nothing better to do, I figured I'd offer my services while I'm waiting to see Judy."
Stu immediately perked up. "Really!?" With a light chuckle as he hooked his thumbs back through his overall straps, he said, "I was just telling Bonnie the other day that we needed more larger mammals to help out." Stepping up, he clapped Nick on the back, "Well, I won't turn down any help. The rodeo is just around the corner and we have tons left to do."
With perked ears, Nick spread his paws and said, "Well, I'm here so put me to work."
Stu waved his paw forward as he chuckled, saying, "Right this way, my boy."
Nick's tail was wagging as he followed Judy's father. He wasn't afraid of hard work and this was probably the most worthwhile work he'd done in a long time. Furthermore, being able to work with the older buck would give him a greater understanding of Judy and her family. And although he had no intention of hustling Judy's family, the basic principles of a good con would help him get in good with them. The first rule of a good con was to know your target, and what better way to get to know the targets than to get his paws dirty working alongside them?
As Stu led Nick into the hustle and bustle of putting up a rodeo, Ben stepped up next to him and said, "Nick, you have to come to the house afterwards and look at my car." With a wide grin, he added, "You'll have a better chance of meeting Judy, too, if you're there."
Nick's ears immediately perked towards the dark-gray and black buck walking beside him, even as his tail began wagging a little faster. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."
Ben beamed happily at his younger sister's love-interest and was really warming up to the tall todd. Furthermore, he was actually starting to see hope in actually getting his '69 Ford Boss up and running.
Melanie stepped up next to her uncle. "Uncle Stu," she said, "Do you think Nick could stay for dinner? Shaylee says he's a fantastic singer and an excellent guitarist. You know how much the kerfluffle loves music and singing." Glancing around Stu to meet Nick's stunned gaze, Melanie hastily added, "I mean, if that's okay with you, Nick."
Nick didn't immediately answer as he cocked his head, murmuring, "Kerfluffle?"
"Oh, that's all the kits ten years and younger," Stu explained proudly. "There's usually about fifty of them running through the burrow at any given time."
Nick's jaw went slack as he stared dumbfounded at the older buck. "Fifty!?" he squeaked out in a shocked whisper.
Stepping up behind the red todd, Shaylee poked him in the back, saying, "Don't worry, Nick, the kits will love you."
Looking over his shoulder at the gray rabbit who looked and acted so much like Judy, Nick met her gaze for several heartbeats, and then a wide smile spread across his face. Rule #2 of a good con: Make friends with the target's friends and/or family (his target being Judy's parents and the other adults in her family). Looking over at Melanie again, Nick replied, "I would love to come play and sing for your family."
Melanie clapped her paws together as a soft squeal escaped her lips. "Oh, I can't wait!" she said with a bright smile. Since Nick had won the approval of both her cousins, Judy and Shaylee, then Melanie was willing to help him out as much as she could. And if Nick could win the kerfluffle over, then Mandy's plans of driving the todd from town would crumble like a house of cards in a windstorm. The kits would stick to the todd like flies to a dung pile, leaving Daryl and the others unable to catch him alone to harass him.
With a snap of his fingers, Nick said, "I could play the Disney song, The Ugly Bug Ball." Waving his paw in the air, he added, "That was always one of my favorites when I was a kit."
"Really!?" Shaylee exclaimed excitedly. "Mine, too! And Judy's, too. She always started dancing whenever someone was playing this song. With how a lot of mammals treated her for wanting to be a cop, I think Judy sometimes felt like an ugly bug."
Nick's ears perked again as this gave him something more to think about. If Judy felt like she was some plain Jane or an ugly bug, he would be sure to shower Judy with compliments on how beautiful she was to him.
Tilting her head in thought, Brandi said, "You know, we have all those Halloween bug costumes for the kits—bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and grasshoppers. We could pull them out and let the kits dress up in them."
"Yeah!" Marty agreed. "We could have our own Ugly Bug Ball tonight." Marty immediately recognized what the girls were doing in giving Nick a chance to showcase his talents and win the family over through music. If Judy and Nick were to have a chance at a serious relationship, they needed most of the family to like him—starting with the kerfluffle. If Nick could win them over, most of their parents would follow suit.
"We could hold it outside close to sunset," Aaron suggested. "The fireflies will come out once the sun sets and then the kits can dance among them."
"That's a great idea!" Stu agreed. "I'll talk it over with Bonnie when she brings lunch." Rubbing his paws together, he added, "Oh, this is going to be great." While listening to the younger rabbits discuss the upcoming party with their fox friend, Stu glanced at the various bunnies they passed going about putting up food, craft, and game stalls, cleaning up the grounds of all the weeds that had grown up since the last event had been held here at the Rodeo Grounds, along with putting up rows and rows of bleachers for everyone watching the events to sit on.
This is where Stu was leading the crew. Since rabbits weren't the best climbers, especially when carrying heavy metal poles or wooden boards that made up the stands, they were finding it difficult to finish setting up the top rows of the bleachers.
Stopping in front of the half-assembled stands, Stu waved towards them and the rabbits painstakingly trying to haul the heavy poles and boards up to the upper stands. "Well, Nick, this is where we need the most help."
Nick looked up at the metal poles being assembled to house the steps and seats of the bleachers and a wide grin spread across his face. This was going to be a cake walk, seeing as this wasn't much different than what he did to haul all those jumbo pops up the drainpipe of a two-story building back in Sahara Square. "I got this," he told Stu. "Just tell me what you want me to haul up first, and I'll get started."
Rule #3 of a good con: Appear helpful, but harmless. If you make prey believe that all your foxy, predatory abilities (strength, stamina, and agility) are not actually threatening, but a useful asset to them, then they were more likely to fall for the con and buy whatever you were selling. Of course, in this instance, Nick was trying to sell himself to the Hopps family, but Judy and their friendship was well worth it.
Stu was a little surprised. He half expected the todd to ask for something easier. But not only did the red fox not try to wheedle out of the heavy labor, he seemed excited to be doing it. The old buck was starting to see why Judy made friends with the city fox. And since Nick was one of the predators Judy hurt with her specist speech, maybe it would help his little bun-bun if she could apologize to and make things right with the friendly todd. Stu could only hope.
After directing Nick and the others on what to do, Stu stood back and watched the talented todd climbing, hauling, and jumping from pole to pole as he helped step up the heavy (for rabbits) stands. Impressed again by the city fox whom his strong-willed daughter had befriended, Stu then headed off to check on the rest of the stuff being put up for the rodeo, all the while looking forward to the impromptu Ugly Bug Ball they would be having tonight at the burrow.
WingedKatt here. Is anyone else cursing Bonnie yet? Judy would have her phone by now if not for her meddling. Nick is doing well with her family at least, so there should be fewer bumps in the road when they finally do meet. Next chapter, Judy will have to explain how she used Ryan to hustle her mom. Ryan has an interesting proposition in response, then we'll see what Daryl and his cronies are up to. We'll also meet a few more Bunnyburrow bullies, so stay tuned.
Ch. 19: Scapegoat, will post in 2 weeks. Stay safe. If you have any thoughts or comments, let me know.