WingedKatt here. I hope you all have a bowl of popcorn and some insulin shots ready. You're going to need them. đ
Nick stepped out of the shower and dried off with the towel, then turned to look at his back in the mirror. With a frown, he wrapped his arm around himself so he could move the fur off his knife injury. Although it was healing fairly well considering he had never gotten proper medical attention for it (it had completely closed over earlier this week), all the heavy lifting and climbing today had reopened the wound. It wasn't a gaping wound or anything, but some blood had started spotting under his fur earlier. And the hot shower he just had made the blood start oozing a bit. If he saw Judy tonight at her family's burrow, would she be able to take care of it? With her being a cop and all, she must have had some sort of basic training, right?
With a shake of his head, Nick picked up a gauze pad and pressed it to the wound to apply pressure until the blood clotted. Then he picked up the furdrier and fluffed his fur dry before brushing it back down. With his fur now dry and manageable, he took out a fresh gauze roll to rebandage his injury. Awkwardly holding a thick gauze pad over the wound, Nick then tightly wrapped the roll of gauze around his stomach and lower back to hold the pad in place. With that done, he quickly dressed then returned to his bedroom to grab his bolo tie and black Stetson.
He had just plopped the hat on his head and was studying his looks in the mirror when he heard a knock at the front door. His ears perked at the sound, but as Shaylee answered the door and a male introduced himself as 'Ryan' and then asked to see 'Nick', Nick spun around and bolted for the living room (and completely ignored the pain that shot through his wound).
His instincts were still ruffled at the idea that this particular male might be trying to muscle in on his territory (which was ridiculous since Judy wasn't even his yet), so Nick was highly interested in meeting him. Ryan might also be able to help him get in touch with Judy.
Standing at the door, Ryan was surprised to see one of Judy's sisters answering the door (the resemblance was unmistakable), or that two more of her siblings were sitting on the couch behind her. The three rabbits were all younger than him and Judy by several years, so Ryan had yet to meet them, but he had seen them around town with a bunch of the other Hopps siblings he did know.
"Hi, Ryan," Shaylee replied. "I'm Judy's sister, Shaylee." Stepping back, she motioned to the bunnies behind her. "And this is my sister, Melanie, and my cousin, Marty." The two bunnies waved at Ryan, and then Nick entered the room. Turning to her foxy friend, she introduced him, saying, "And here is the fox in question, Nick Wilde."
Nick assessed the jackrabbit as he came down the hall. Ryan was tall and lean like most jackrabbits, but he also had some muscle which testified to how fit the jackrabbit kept himself. If Judy were to date a bunny, Nick had to admit that Ryan wasn't a bad find, especially if she already trusted him and was comfortable being with him. Realizing this reaffirmed the fact that he was a huge fool to let Judy slip through his fingers.
Ryan looked the fox over even as he held out his paw to the slightly larger predator. "Hi, I'm Ryan."
As Nick took his paw, he asked, "So you're the buck Judy had lunch with today?"
Ryan's ears drooped. "Please don't tell me Bonnie said we were dating." Judy using him as a scapegoat might have just backfired on her, Ryan thought morosely.
Nick gave a nod. "Oh, yes," he murmured while spreading his paws wide. "She had your whole wedding already planned out."
With a groan, Ryan slapped a paw over his face. Dropping it, he looked up at Nick and said, "Look, Judy and I are just old friends, nothing more. I already have someone I'm interested in and we're having our first date tonight, so you can rest assured that Judy and I will never be more than friends." Although he didn't know how Nick felt about Judy or if he could ever see her as more than a friend, Ryan didn't want to get in the way if there was even the smallest chance that the fox would return Judy's feelings.
Nick's ear flicked as it confirmed his suspicion that Ryan already had a girl, but it surprised him to learn they were having their first date. With his brows furrowing in confusion, he asked, "Haven't you already bought her a ring? Why are you just now going on your first date?"
Ryan's eyes widened as he couldn't figure out how Nick knew about Daisy's engagement ring. "How do you know about Daisy's ring?"
Nick shrugged with a flick of his long, bushy tail. "Travis saw you showing it to Judy earlier today."
With his ears dropping to his back, Ryan slapped his paw over his face again. "That's why Travis asked if I was dating Judy!" he muttered to himself. Running his blunt claws down the back of his neck, he met Nick's curious green gaze and said, "Daisy and I have been dancing around our relationship for years. We've been unofficially dating all this time and Judy made me realize how much time we've been wasting. Since I've been wanting to marry her for a while now, I asked her on a date tonight and I hope to propose later this week."
Nick nodded as he scratched his chin. After a moment of thought, he started chuckling. Slapping his leg, he exclaimed, "Poor Bonnie! I can only imagine her expression when she finds out all her machinations for you and Judy are nothing more than dust in the wind."
As the image formed in Ryan's mind, he started laughing, too, along with the rabbits sitting on the couch (Shaylee had joined her sister and cousin after Nick arrived). Shaking his head as another chuckle escaped him, Ryan then said, "Yeah, that would be funny, wouldn't it?" After a moment of thought, he shook his head again and his nose twitched, then he focused on Nick again. "Setting that all aside, I just stopped by to see what your intentions are in being here in Bunnyburrow." At Nick's raised eyebrow, he added, "Please tell me you came back for Judy."
Nick's ears perked forward, then relaxed. Nick had been wondering why the jackrabbit was here, but apparently Judy had told Ryan a lot about him which somewhat soothed his instincts' ruffled feathers. It also mollified his bruised ego at the thought of Judy running around with other males. They couldn't get too many ideas about her if all she did was talk about her foxy friend.
Scratching his chin, and then his neck, Nick didn't immediately answer. Finally, he replied, "Well, I wasn't sure what I wanted when I first arrived, but after talking to Gideon and learning more about Judy's childhood and how badly he had scarred her, I had a better idea of why I was here." Glancing at the couch, he smirked at Shaylee, saying, "And then by some divine intervention, I was forced to take a real deep look at myself and see what Judy really meant to me." Turning back to Ryan, Nick said, "So yeah, I want Judy back. I was a fool for walking out on her four months ago and I'm not going to make that mistake again."
Ryan's grin couldn't get any bigger. "Great! So, my next question is: Are you busy the next few days?"
Nick's ear flicked. "Um, no. I don't have any set plans anyways. The only set plan I have is spending time with Judy."
With a clap of his paws and twitch of his tail, Ryan said, "That's perfect. How are you at emu riding and camping in the mountains?"
Nick's ears flicked back. "Wait? What?" Waving his paws out in front of him, he clarified by saying, "I get the emu riding, but what do you mean camping? No one said anything about you guys going camping tomorrow. And what about the rodeo opening on Friday? I wanted to go with Judy."
Ryan looked between Nick and the other bunnies in confusion. "We'll miss the opening on Friday, but we'll be back early Saturday afternoon, in time the for the barrel racing competition. But setting that aside, the whole point of us riding up in the mountains is to go camping. Judy needs help fixing up her mountain cabin and my sister volunteered herself, me, and her boyfriend Joey."
"Cabin?" Nick, Shaylee, and Marty asked at the same time.
Ryan nodded, even as Melanie said, "That must be Grandma Cecilia's cabin."
Shaylee glanced at her sister (as did everybody else) and asked, "Grandma Cecilia? She had a mountain cabin?"
Melanie nodded. "You and Marty are too young to remember, but Grandma had a cabin and she left it to Judy when she died."
Shaylee's ears drooped as she exclaimed, "Judy had a cabin and never took me out there!?"
Melanie rolled her eyes. "Shaylee, Judy hasn't taken anyone to her cabin. She was really busy in high school and then she went off to college. Other than Dad, I think there's only a pawful of mammals who've been up there with her." With her nose twitching, Melanie added, "And if you think about it, of the mammals she's taking with her tomorrow, not one of them is family. They're all just friends."
Ryan nodded, then turned back to Nick. "Which is why I'm here." As the tall fox turned his green eyes on him, Ryan explained, "Judy told me just earlier today that if you were in town, she'd drag you on this trip in a heartbeat." Motioning towards Nick, he asked, "So are you up for it?"
"I'm definitely up for it," Nick replied, "but I've never been on a bird in my life." With a sly grin and cock of his head, he asked, "Do the quarter machines you can ride outside grocery stores count?"
Ryan laughed. "No, they don't, but I'm sure Judy won't have a problem showing you how it's done." Nick grinned at the idea and Ryan added, "Would it bother you to ride double with Judy tomorrow? Otherwise, we'll have to load up another bird."
Nick's grin got wider as his tail started wagging behind him. "I would love to ride double with Judy."
The bunnies behind him started snickering on the couch as they understood right away why Nick wanted to double with Judy. What could be more romantic than cuddling on a long birdback ride through the mountains?
Ryan glanced at the snickering bunnies, then shook his head. Turning back to Nick he asked what his plans were for the evening and explained how Judy was having dinner with her friend Bobby and his family, but they were all meeting back at his house at about 7 and having a sleepover in preparation for their trip tomorrow.
Nick and the other bunnies were surprised to hear Judy wasn't coming back to the burrow tonight. After explaining to Ryan about the Ugly Bug Ball he got roped into tonight, Nick asked if Judy ever retrieved her phone today and had charged it? Ryan was surprised to hear Judy had forgotten her phone this morning, but then admitted that he hadn't seen Judy with it at all today. Since Patty-Mae had already taken Judy over to pick up her things, he assumed she had it by now.
Nick nodded as he pulled out his phone. Since Judy wasn't planning on coming home later this evening, he hoped to see her now. As most mammals had dinner about 6 O'clock (that's when the Hopps were having theirs), he hoped to see Judy before dinner. Meeting her alone and not surrounded by her hundreds of siblings was an added perk to meeting her now. And by gollyâhe was tired of waiting around and just missing her!
As Nick unlocked his phone to call Judy, his phone lit up with an incoming call. Seeing the number, his eyes widened and his tail started wagging like crazy. Answering the call, he said, "Carrots!?" With a happy little laugh, he added, "Do you know how hard it is to get a hold of you!? I've been trying to meet with you since yesterday morning!"
There was a long pause on the other end where the only sound was music playing in the background. At Judy's continued silence, Nick's brows furrowed. "Carrots?" he asked again.
Nick heard Judy suck in a deep breath and then she practically sobbed, "Nick!?" Another deep breath and another sob. "Nick, is it really you?"
Nick's ears disappeared against his head. Turning around to walk back to his room, he answered softly, "Yeah, Fluff, it's really me. I came back for you." With a shrug she didn't see, he added, "What can I say? You're so mean, but I just can't let you go."
There was a surprised silence on the other end, then Judy gave a sobbing laugh before asking, "I'm mean!?" With a watery laugh, she asked, "How am I mean?"
Plopping down on the bed, Nick leaned back and grinned. With a flick of his tail, he said, "What do you mean, how? I admit I was a jerk when we first met, but you were the one that blackmailed me, nearly got me iced, nearly got me eaten by a savage jaguar, nearly got me caught by a nutty lion, and then flushed me down a megafauna toilet! How is all of that not mean?"
Judy was silent for another moment, then laughed again. Wiping her eyes, she gave a deeper, more heartfelt laugh. Nick was still Nick. He hadn't changed. And if he was joking with her, then he couldn't hate her. Just as his voicemail had said. Taking a deep, relieved breath, Judy said, "I want to see you, Nick." With a little hiccup, she added, "You have no idea how badly I want to see you."
Thinking of the video Shaylee had recorded for him, Nick replied, "I think I have a pretty good idea." With a flick of his ear, he added, "And that's why I'm callingâ"
"You're calling! I'm the one who called!" Judy said in an outraged tone. She was smiling, though. Tears were still leaking from her eyes, but she was smiling.
Nick relaxed further onto the bed with a huge grin on his face. He couldn't believe how good it felt to finally talk to Judy again. Shaylee had been a ray of sunshine in a gloomy, overcast sky, but Judy was the sun itself that chased all the dark clouds away. "I'll have you know that I had just unlocked my phone to call youâagainâwhen your call came in. So it's not completely wrong to say I called you."
Judy giggled even as she wiped at her eyes again. "Do you mean that, Nick? You were really trying to call me?"
"Yes, but only because I really wanted to see you. This whole phone thing isn't enough for me."
A happy sob broke from Judy at Nick's words. "Do you have time now?"
"Yes. I heard you were eating at a friend's house tonight while your dad invited me to your burrow for dinner, but I'm free at the moment."
Judy's nose began twitching. "My dad asked you over for dinner tonight!?"
Nick chuckled. "He certainly did." With another flick of his tail, he added, "I think he was impressed with my hard work in getting the bleachers set up for the rodeo on Friday."
"Wait! You helped my family at the rodeo ground!?"
"Well, how else was I going to meet you!? You wouldn't answer your phone and I was getting desperate." Raking his claws through his head fur, Nick continued, "Well, it worked out for the best. Not only did your dad invite me over for dinner, but I'm also the star guitarist and singer at a little party your family's going to put on for the kerfluffle tonight." With a head shake, he added, "Kerfluffle . . . how did you bunnies even come up with a name like that?"
Judy simply giggled. "So where do you want to meet?" She was curious about Nick's words and the party he was 'starring' in tonight, but she wanted to ask him in person.
"I don't know. You know Bunnyburrow better than I do." With a tilt of his head, Nick added, "I'm at Gideon's right now. Where are you?"
"At my friend Bobby's. Do you have a ride? Can you meet me over this way? There's a large tree down the road from Bobby's place. We can meet there."
"Shaylee's chauffeuring me around right now, so why don't I paw you over to her for a minute and you can talk to her about a meetup spot."
"Okay, Nick," Judy said softly, "I look forward to it." She was curious on how Nick had met and made friends with Shaylee (she was chauffeuring him around town!), but she didn't want to ask about it on the phone. She wanted to see him first and ask him in person all the questions that were bubbling up inside her.
"Yeah, me, too," Nick replied as he stood up and went in search of Shaylee. Handing the phone over to Judy's sister, he gave her a small explanation, then waited for them to come up with a plan. After Shaylee handed the phone back to him, Nick told Judy he had several videos she could watch while she waited for him to get there. Judy claimed she had a few for him, too, and then they hung up. Nick sent Judy the videos he had made and it wasn't long before he received Judy's videosâfour of them in total.
With a happy grin he followed Shaylee down to the jeep, with Ryan, Melanie, and Marty trailing behind. As Nick climbed in the passenger seat, he waved to Ryan with the promise he would see him later that night.
Ryan watched Nick and the rabbits leave and couldn't be happier knowing Nick hadn't given up on Judy, that he came back for her. Turning around, he made his way around the building towards his truck. Climbing in and turning it on, he glanced at the clock and freaked out. He was 8 minutes late picking up Daisy for their first date. With a scowl, he looked both ways, then pulled out on the street and headed for the hardware store.
Meanwhile, Nick was settled comfortably in the seat of Shaylee's jeep while looking at his phone. He was watching Judy explain why she acted the way she did and it made Nick's eyes smart. He had done a lot of dumb things in his life but turning his back on Judy had to be the dumbest of them all. When her heart-felt, tear-filled confession ended, Nick took a deep breath. And then another. Turning to Shaylee who was watching him from the corner of her eye, he said, "Walking out on your sister has to be the stupidest thing I've ever done."
Shaylee nodded in agreement, even as Marty leaned between the seats from where he sat in the back, saying, "At least you get a second chance. Not many mammals do."
Nick nodded. "Yes, and trust me, I'm not going to mess it up a second time."
The bunnies murmured their agreement and support and Nick moved on to the other 3 videos Judy had sent him. The first video was a music video with Judy singing alongside a young band. The members all looked to be in their early teens, but their youth didn't detract from their skill. Although they weren't perfect by any means, they were still surprisingly good for such a young group.
But the band wasn't Nick's focus right now. He was listening to Judy. And with every word she sang, Nick's heart was squeezed painfully tight.
Oh, he had been so stupid leaving Judy like he did. He should have gone back for her sooner. He should have made a stronger effort to see her. To give her a chance to explain herself. To say he had been a jerk to her was the understatement of the year. He totally agreed with the song Judy first sent him (If I Could Turn Back Time). And yes, he too, wished he could turn back time, that he had stayed. But the song was wrong on a few key points: He was the one who made Judy cry. And he was the one who said he didn't care. And he was the one who was too strong to say sorry. And he was the one too proud to admit he was wrong. He was the blind one here, not Judy.
Dropping his head back against the headrest, Nick closed his eyes as the song finished. Judy really had picked the perfect song for the two of them. Furthermore, it made Nick realize several things: One, he had definitely fallen for Judy 4 months ago, and he had fallen hard. But her speech at the conference and reaction to him afterwards had hurt too much for him to recognize what he had been feeling, nor to recognize why it felt like she had stuck a knife through his heart. Looking back, his actions over the past 4 months showed all the classic signs of guy going through a terrible breakup he hadn't been expecting or wanting. The moping, the depression broken up by bouts of anger, sleepless nights, the weird dreams, lack of appetite, feeling both pathetic and apathetic at the same time, and of course, he could not get Judy out of his head!
Nick was sure Finnick had recognized the signs and is why the Big Guy pushed his friend to seek the bunny cop out to find 'closure'. With a bitter snort, Nick considered that word. Closure. Talk about deluding himself about why he sought Judy out! You know you are a true Con Artist when you start believing your own lies. And Nick had definitely been lying to himself about why he came to Bunnyburrow. He was also sure that if Finnick hadn't all but ordered him to seek Judy out to find closure, then before long, he would have found another excuse to come to Bunnyburrow and look Judy up.
Taking a deep breath, Nick looked down and picked the third video Judy had sent him. It too was a song (Stand by You) and if the first song left him full of guilt, this song gave him a lot of hope. To be able to find someone so dedicated and committed to him left him emotionally and mentally reeling.
Most mammals searched a lifetime for someone like Judy and never found that special someone who would commit their whole lives to them, and yet Nick had stumbled onto that special someone without even tryingâand then walked away from her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Never mind that he was a complete jerk to her, Judy forgave him without a second thought and promised not only to go the second mile with him, but to go every mile with him. She promised to stand by himâalways. That he never had to be alone againâbecause she would be there. She was promising to walk through hell with him, if that's where he found himself (which, if he did take Judy as his mate, they would find themselves in hell once die-hard specist pricks found out about them).
But notwithstanding everything that had happened or might happen, Judy still promised to stand by himâright next to himâthe whole time and give him whatever support he needed. This idea blew his mind and left him dumbfounded. Who did that for a fox!? Judy wasn't a red vixen, so why would she be so committed to him? And why in the world would he be dumb enough to walk away from her?
Marty was rightâHeaven had given him a second chance and he would never forgive himself if he messed it up a second time. Right then and there, Nick promised himself that he would never disappoint Judy again. That he would stand by her and that he would never leave her alone again.
When the fourth and last video started, it was another song (My Life Would Suck Without You), but unlike the first two, this song made him laugh. Him and Judy really were messed up, and yes, his life really did suck these last four months since he turned his back on her. But were they really meant for each other? She was a rabbit and he was a fox. His ancestors once ate hers and so many rabbits still held it against foxes. Of course, that didn't seem to matter to Judy.
Judy never did act like your typical rabbit. And ever since Manchas chased them and Nick stood up to Buffalo-butt for her, Judy seemed to have forgotten he was a fox. But could they really make it as a couple? As mates? Would they even fit? That idea had his train of thought stopped in its track. A part of him wanted to pursue the thought, while the other part of him was shocked by it.
Yes, some of the songs Shaylee had made for him using Judy's pictures definitely had him thinking of Judy in a more physical way, but had Judy ever thought of him in that way? Although she wanted to be with him, was she at the point where she wanted a physical relationship with him? Or was she just wanting his company right now? Would she need to work up to her desire for more? How long would it be until Judy was ready for their first kiss? Was he ready?
Looking out the front window, Nick saw a four-wheeler resting next to an ancient, sprawling oak tree that was massive in size. It was an ancient, lone sentinel standing guard in a grassy field. And nestled among its twisted roots was a familiar gray figure. A familiar figure who squeezed his heart, even as he suddenly ached to look into her brilliant amethyst eyes, smell her sweet smell, and to touch her firm body and soft fur while wrapping her in a tight hug.
Thinking about his questions again, and wondering again what she wanted from him right now and how soon she would want a kiss, Nick drank in the sight of her. Even at this distance, his keen eyesight traveled over Judy's body as she sat beneath the colossal tree (he would have missed her if he hadn't known she was there, the tree was that big). With his heart warming at the sight of her, Nick figured he was about to find the answers to all his questions.
Shaylee pulled over on the side of the road across from the tree and let Nick out, saying "I'll drive down the road and wait for you by those mailboxes over there."
Nick looked down the road at where Shaylee was pointing and saw a row of colorful mailboxes (one was dark blue, one was light blue, there were a couple of green ones, and several gold and orange ones with either black spots or stripes) and then nodded to her.
As he stepped out and shut the door, Shaylee rolled the window down and leaned across the seat, saying, "Just so there's no confusion about what Judy wants from you, when I went to get her last night to bring her with me when we met up to hide your car, she was dreaming about you."
Nick's eyes widened, even as his tail started wagging. "She was?"
With a big grin, Shaylee nodded. "Yes, she was. Judy's a sleep-talker if you can catch her dreaming, so I asked her what she wanted to do when she finally saw you again. Guess what her answer was?"
Nick shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know. She wants to hug me, maybe?"
Shaylee's grin grew bigger. "She wants to kiss you." As Nick's jaw dropped and his ears canted to the side, Shaylee added, "And more to the point, she was wondering what your teeth would feel like when you two kiss. Judy's also interested in discovering what that long vulpine tongue of yours is good for." Shaylee couldn't forget Judy's mumbled curiosity and was dying to know what her sister meant. It hadn't seemed like Judy was talking about kissing anymore. So, what did her sister mean? Returning her attention to Nick, Shaylee added, "Judy is quite looking forward to the experiences so don't leave my sister wondering for long." With humor and curiosity dancing in her eyes, Shaylee waved to the stunned fox staring at her through the open window and then started driving down the road.
Nick continued staring at the spot in the road where the jeep had been when his brain finally rebooted and he exclaimed, "Hey, wait!" Looking down the road at Shaylee's taillights, Nick shook his head and ran a paw down his face. "Judy wants to kiss me?" he muttered under his breath. Running his tongue over his sharp canines, Nick suddenly wondered what it would feel like to have Judy running her tongue over them. This was a very tantalizing idea. But what did Shaylee mean about Judy wanting to know what his long vulpine tongue was good for?
Reaching up to scratch his head, Nick was left wondering. Since Judy had already mentioned wanting to wrap her tongue around his teeth, she probably wasn't referring to kissing, so what else would she be talking abouâ! "No," Nick whispered as a thought struck him. Spinning around, Nick's excellent eyesight zeroed in on the doe in question as he wondered if Judy was really interested in that. Something he had heard vixen's liked, but never expected to hear a rabbit asking forâat least not from a fox.
Licking his lips while wondering about the experience himself, Nick started walking towards the gnarly old tree and the gray figure sitting beneath its wide, overarching branches as she stared down at the phone in her lap. 'Was she really interested in that?' Nick wondered. 'What would Judy taste like? And would she like the taste of fox in return?' As he drew closer to the girl who held his heart, Nick was highly interested in discovering the answers to his many questions while wondering what other questions Judy might have for him.
Nick smelled the salty scent of her tears long before he got to her and hastened his pace, even as he heard an occasional sniffle mixed in with the song she was listening to (Nick's version of Something Wild).
The song ended about the time Nick reached the tree and Judy finally looked up to meet his concerned gaze. "Ni-ick!" Judy sobbed.
Scurrying over to her, Nick dropped down to his knees and reached forward to cup her face while wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Carrots, what's wrong!?"
With another sniffle, Judy asked, "Do you mean it? Do you mean what you said in the video? That I'm family to you?"
A soft smile crossed Nick's face. "Of course, I meant it." Softly caressing her cheeks with his thumbs while brushing her tears away, he murmured, "I meant everything I said."
With another sob, Judy dropped her phone and threw herself at Nick as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Burying her face in his shoulder, she continued sobbing, but her tears weren't sad tears this time, but tears of happiness and relief.
Taking a deep breath of her sweet scent, Nick wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her close, even as his own eyes smarted with tears. Leaving Judy had definitely been the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life.
As Judy's tears started to dry up, Nick pushed her back so he could meet her watery, amethyst gaze. Tears were still leaking softly from the corner of her eyes, and Nick brushed them away with his thumbs. Then, on impulse, he leaned down and licked up her tears, first from one cheek and then from the other. They were of course salty, but they also had the distinct taste of 'Judy'. It was a unique taste he wasn't expecting, a flavor that hinted at lavender, grassy fields, and a touch of nutmeg if that made any sense.
Judy gasped at the soft touch, but she didn't stop him. Once she realized what Nick was doing, she closed her eyes and gave in to the gentle ministrations. Feeling his soft paws and gentle licks on her face was extremely relaxing. As she hadn't expected to see Nick anytime in the near future, nor ever feel his gentle caresses, Judy felt like she was in a dream. A very vivid dream, a wonderful dream, but just a dream. This didn't feel like reality at all.
Nick recognized Judy's look as one of pure bliss and contentment. With a flick of an ear, he realized she looked just like an angel. As her lips parted in a sweet, joyful smile, Nick suddenly wondered what this sweet angel would taste like. With Shaylee's last words ringing in his ears, his instincts took over as he dragged his nose across her cheek and the edge of her lips.
Judy gasped softly, her mouth parting wider a moment before she felt Nick's lips flutter across hers like butterfly wings. Before she had a chance to process what he was doing, Nick tilted his head and locked muzzles with her, even as his warm tongue invaded her petite mouth. Judy's eyes popped open for only a heartbeat before they closed again. Gripping Nick's shirt, she pulled him deeper into the kiss.
As Judy's taste exploded across his tongue, Nick found himself immediately addicted to her taste. The flavor of lavender, grassy fields, and nutmeg were now mixed with the strong taste of sweet clover blossoms and honeysuckle. He knew what they tasted like because from the time he was about two up until the awful Junior Ranger Scouts incident, he used to pick the clover blossoms each spring and eat them, while he would pick the honeysuckle and suck the honey-flavored nectar from them. His brother was the only one who knew about his secret addiction to the flowers and always called him a weirdo whenever he caught Nick eating the clover blossoms or sucking on the honeysuckle. But now Nick knew why he liked the taste of the flowers so muchâthey were the flavor of his bunny, his future mate.
Feeling Nick's warm tongue briefly explore the inside of her mouth before twining around her small lapin tongue had Judy groaning. Who knew that kissing a fox could feel so good!? And if Nick's kisses were this good, what about the other thing her grandmother promised that a predator's tongue was good for? That thing which would give her heavenly bliss just before he claimed her as his own? Would this dream show her what her grandma had tried to explain to her all those years ago? Would this dream Nick want to share that with her? Judy truly hoped he would because she did not want this dream to end anytime soon.
Teasing her tongue for several delicious moments, Nick then guided her tongue into his own mouth and pressed it gently against one of his sharp incisors. The eagerness in which she wrapped her tiny tongue around it before switching over to his other incisor brought a pleased growl from deep within his chest. He had been half afraid that Judy was still fearful of him, but the sensual and demanding way in which she explored his sharp canines washed those fears away.
With a low groan, Judy pulled back from the delightful kiss and took a deep, gasping breath as her oxygen levels were alarmingly low. Meeting Nick's dark, emerald gaze, she was happy to see a hungry gleam now shining in them. No matter what Patty-Mae, Shaylee, or Ryan had said, Judy had been afraid Nick would never see her as more than a friend. That there was no way he could be attracted to a small, unimpressive looking rabbit. Especially not after the way she treated him.
But this passionate kiss Nick had just stolen from her swept all those doubts and fears away. And going by the hungry glint in his eyes, it looked like he wasn't satisfied yet. Which was good because neither was she.
As Nick sucked in another deep draught of oxygen, he grinned, then licked her taste off his lips before saying, "Now I know why my ancestors ate yours."
With a bright smile, Judy giggled. "Why?" Was this really a dream? It felt (and tasted!) way too real to be a dream. But why else would Nick suddenly kiss her like he did?
Nick rubbed his large, black nose against her small, pink one and said, "Because rabbit is delicious." Taking a deep whiff of her intoxicating scent, he added, "Smells delicious, too."
Judy giggled again. "I'm pretty sure they were after flesh and blood, not kisses."
Brushing his lips softly against hers, Nick murmured, "Maybe. But that's only because they had no idea what they were missing."
"Is that so?" she whispered with a wide grin. Nick nodded against her lips, then tilted his head again and once more captured her delectable mouth. Releasing his shirt, Judy slid her paws through the thick fur of his neck and up to the back of his head, even as she pushed herself against his chest and pressed deeper into the kiss. Judy was positive now that she was dreaming. She must have fallen asleep while listening to the teens practicing for the band competition and this was her mind's desperate attempt to will Nick into her life.
Well, whatever it was, she was going to get her money's worth from it. Dreams like this were too hard to come by, so she would get as much out of it as she could before she woke up to her lonely reality.
As Judy pressed into him, Nick ran his paws down her sculpted body, then under her thighs. Squeezing her briefly, he then picked her up and carried her around to the back of the large, sprawling oak tree. Plopping down amidst the large roots of the gnarled old tree, Nick figured that if he was going to be snacking on his angelic bunny, then he didn't want any busybody do-gooder interrupting them in a misguided attempt at rescuing Judy from a fox's 'evil' clutches.
As Nick settled against the rough bark of the tree, Judy felt him squeeze her thighs again before sliding them up her back. One paw slid under her shirt and the feel of his claws running through her short, gray fur brought a delighted moan from her throat as they left a track of fire across her skin. Nick's other paw slid up the back of her head and caressed her fur and skin there, which made the overly sensitive skin of her scalp start to tingle with unfamiliar pleasure.
For someone who never had time for bucks, and always scoffed at the idea of romantic involvements, Judy was feeling decidedly overwhelmedâbut in the best of ways. Nick was making her feel truly alive for the first time in months, and more alive than she could ever remember feeling before. Judy had heard many of her sisters trying to describe what it felt like the first time they had kissed or made-out with their boyfriends, but all their descriptions seemed so tame compared to how Nick was making her feel right now.
His fiery caresses and hungry kisses seemed to have awakened every one of her nerve endings and turned them into livewires. It was an electrifying experience, but instead of pain from the shock there was nothing but excitement and pleasure. Judy had spent her whole life trying to prove she was more than a cute, little bunny rabbit that belonged in a toy store window, but Nick was showing her how good it was to be a normal rabbit and to feel another's touch.
Feeling Nick's sharp claws combing through her fur and across her skin further convinced Judy that this was a dream. Feeling Nick's gentle, but sensual touch in her fur was a dream come true, and she just had to find out what it felt like to return the favor. Running her paws down his neck, she discovered the buttons of his shirt and began unbuttoning them, even as their heated kisses continued.
Judy had run her fingers through JD's fluffy, white chest feathers several times now, but they were a pale comparison to the real thing. And right now, she had the real thing right in front of her, so how could she pass up the perfect chance to run her fingers through Nick's fluffy, white fur?
As she continued sliding Nick's buttons free, Judy was sure this dream was going to end any minute now with a painful awakening (painful because she would wake up and realize the dream wasn't real), so she was in a hurry to get as far as she could before that happened. The fact Nick didn't try and stop her but growled in pleasure and eagerness further encouraged her in her wanton exploration of him. This dream was turning out to be the best one yet.
WingedKatt again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter with its very fluffy ending. I really wanted to post this as the second half of the previous chapter and have their meeting as a nice Christmas present, but I was so far behind on both stories that I had to chop the last chapter in half just to catch up and give myself a breather. But I hope the wait was well worth it. I never intended to take 24 chapters to get Nick and Judy together when I first started this story, but they're together now and we'll be seeing a lot more of them together from now on. You can expect the spice and fluff to continue too. Next chapter we'll see a little bit of Ryan and Daisy, and then we'll see whether or not Judy figures out she is NOT dreaming.
Ch. 25: Breathless, will post in 2 weeks. Have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.