While still at the festival, Judy took the time to introduce Nick to her old friends and neighbors. The people of Bunnyburrows seemed more relaxed now that they were actually acquanted with Nick. Some of the people asked questions that would've been otherwise somewhat offensive but Judy explained to Nick that they didn't mean any harm. The insensitivity of the questions were wholly due to inexperience. Eventually they did catch up with the Foxglove sisters and Gideon, who were surprisingly hanging around the same area. The girls had climbed up a tree while Gideon sat at the trunk of it. Cherry "fell out" right into Gideon's arms as he caught her instinctively.
"My hero," she flirted.
"B-be more careful if yer gonna' climb trees," he muttered, averting his gaze.
"Hi Nick! Hi Judy!" Nilla greeted.
"What's goin' on you two? Enjoyin' th' Carrot Festival, Nick?" Gideon asked.
"Yeah, Nick actually had a good idea about going to Oresoren's Creek," Judy explained.
"How about we make it into a camping trip?" he asked excitedly.
"Hey, we haven't been camping since papa took us last time," Angel pointed out.
"Yeah, sounds like fun!" Cherry exclaimed.
"I ain' been campin' in years! But th' last time I went was a hoot!" Gideon replied.
"Alright, but I think I'll buy some boxes just to play it safe. Don't need any of us girls gettin' knocked up or anything," Nilla commented.
That comment caused Judy's face to flush bright red.
"Jus' one thing I'm still wonderin' what in samhell's a papo-whachamawhosit?" Gideon asked.
"Papochka?" Cherry asked.
"Y-yeah, that," Gideon answered.
"It's Russian for daddy. Our papochka wasn't our birth-father," Cherry started explaining.
"We were too young to remember him," Angel continued.
"Our papylia was actually a big polar bear named Kaslov, he took us in, fed us, clothed us, and taught us to speak Russian," Nilla finished.
"Was?" Gideon asked.
"He died three years ago," Cherry replied.
To her surprise he hugged her, Cherry, the white vixen that Gideon had been running from for a while and here he was with his arms coiled around her. Camping trip later that day, they worked together to pitch their tents and gather firewood. Judy noticed that all of her camping companions were foxes but oddly enough that didn't make her nervous. Nick was her boyfriend, she loved him and trusted him with her life. She knew Gideon from childhood, though growing up you couldn't really call them friends. Then there was the Foxglove sisters, she barely knew them but Nick and Gideon trusted them. Them being cousins still took her by surprise. The six of them held wooden skewers with marshmellows on them over the fire wish chocolate bars and graham crackers ready.
"Nick, I think yours is on fire again," Nilla pointed out.
"I like 'em nice and toasty. Isn't that right, Carrots?" he replied and nuzzled the bunny sitting next to him.
"Nick stop!" she giggled.
Gideon and Angel averted their eyes, still trying to come to grips with the relationship but determined to be happy for their friends. Nick's teasing caused Judy to lose her marshmellow to the campfire.
"Nick! You jerk!" she cried and slugged him in the arm.
"Ow! Hey easy, Carrots! I was just messing around," he defended. He handed her his skewer. "Here little miss grumpy bunny, you can have mine," he replied as he handed it to her.
Once agin Nick nuzzled her but more gently. After dinner and dessert, they decided to go for a nighttime swim in the creek. They set the lanterns up and kept close to the bank that they entered from. Well, most of them. Cherry stopped nervously at the water's edge. Judy had entered the water tentatively but had still gotten in with Nick. Cherry was the only one who hadn't yet.
"What's wrong?" Gideon asked her
"I-I can't swim," she muttered sheepishly.
She expected him to start laughing but instead he put a paw on her shoulder.
"I'll teach ya' then. Once ya' start learnin' it'll be easy. You'll be swimmin' like a fish b'fore ya' know it!" he replied.
If it had been anyone else, Cherry was sure she'd have chickened out but Gideon had a way of making her feel special even among her sisters. Nilla and Angel watched their sister move in the water. They always enjoyed swimming but always wished their sister could join them in the water. At this point, Nick and Judy just cuddled and watched from the banks.
"G-Gideon!" Cherry whined in a panicked tone.
"Yer doin' jus' fine, Cherry, nothin' t' worry 'bout," he told her.
She rushed towards the bank, shouting something that caused her sisters to leave the water as well. In this dim light of the lanterns Nick and Gideon could see something moving on the opposite bank.
"Well, no more swimming I guess," Nick replied.
"I thought there weren't nothin' in this 'ere creek bigger'n one o' them little turtles," Gideon stated.
Both todds eyes as big as saucers when they realized what it was they saw. The group got back to their campsite and checked themselves and the girls over for any bite-marks. Thankfully none had been found.
"I'm gonna' have some words with th' Oresoren Family 'bout there bein' a 'gator in their creek," Gideon stated.
"Wait, this is private property?" Nick asked surprised.
"Don't worry, the Oresoren Family lets people swim and camp near their creek. They only call it trespassing if you litter or dump something into the creek," Judy explained.
As everyone started off to bed, Cherry stayed up and stared into the camprfire. Gideon stopped on his way into his tent.
"Cherry? You gonna' be ok?" he asked.
"I-I dunno," she replied.
"This ain' about th' 'gator is it?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"It's about me, ain' it?" he replied.
"I'm sorry, I realize that the reason you resist so strongly must be because there's someone else but I can't help myself," she explained, "It's just that being around you makes me feel special, even among my sisters."
"Well, that's 'cause ya' are special. An' ya' don' need me 'round t' know that!" he told her, "Yer a smart girl an' yer too good f'r a dummy like me."
"That doesn't mean I don't wanna' try!" she retorted.
He turned to face her, their blue eyes met. To her, it was the sweetest moment in her life and her heart pounded in her chest out of control. To him, it was terrifying especially as she leaned towards him. What he hadn't noticed is that his cousin, Nick, and his bunny girlfriend, Judy were standing behind him. Together the duo pushed Gideon into Cherry causing him to kiss her without actually wanting to. Not at first anyway, he gave in slowly. Nick and Judy on the other hand rolled out their sleeping bags in their tent.
"Yknow, we could leave them open or try to zip them together," he suggested.
"Dirty fox!" she laughed.
"What? I only wanna' cuddle," he defended, "You're the dirty one, bunny."
"We can cuddle from seperate bags," she pointed out.
"But then I don't get the wonderful feeling of having your fur against mine," he argued.
"You just wanna' have sex," she pointed out.
"Fuck already and get it over with!" Angel shouted from the next tent over.
Nick just laughed at Judy's expression from that.
"Why!? Why are all three of them so open about saying things like that!?" she half-shouted out of embarrassment.
Nick just kept laughing.
"Knock knock! You two aren't naked yet, are you?" Nilla asked from the entrance.
Judy opened the tent with a scowl.
"Here," Nilla stated hanging Judy a box, "Can't have you getting preggers from having too much fun."
"Thanks," Judy stated through gritted teeth.
Nick just laughed even harder.
"Get in bed, dickhead fox," she reprimanded lightly.
"Sexy bunny," he teased.
"No more flirting for you or no cuddles!" she continued.
"Yes ma'am," he laughed.
They cuddled up and went to sleep. Nilla after handing a box to Judy tapped her sister on the head until she finally grabbed it, all the while still making out with Gideon.
