A/N: Minor editing revisions on 07/10/2020. No plot changes from the original posting just trying clean it up a bit. Sorry about any of the updated story dings.

To those who are reading this for the first time, I hope you enjoy the coming chapters. Without going into too many details to avoid spoilers this story will be branching off of the canon set by the movie with quite a bit of AU and OC planned. It is going to be a slow burn with Judy and Nick starting off as kits roughly the same age.

I am cross posting in a few different places and will be updating tags as best I can as events happen in the story. Again trying to avoid spoilers by not adding them all at once.

I am self editing this so yeah...really sorry about some of the rough edges. I try the best I can to catch the errors but some are bound to slip though.

Distilled Dreams

Part One: Fermentation Chapter One

-Nick Age 9-

Nickolas Wilde felt the leather straps of the muzzle dig into his fur. Pulling out strands of his red fur while biting into the skin around the back of his head. A dozen paws and hoofs held him roughly to the floor while the muzzle is cinched tighter. Those paws and hoofs having already dealt several shoves and punches to knock him off of his feet and onto the ground. Those surrounding him had the same Junior Ranger Scout uniform on them as he did but it didn't seem to matter to the group of pray animals. He was not a part of them. He was not part of their pack. Tears welled in his eyes part from the pain but more from his shattered dreams of belonging as he struggled and cried out.

"If you ever thought we would trust a filthy pelt without a muzzle, you're even dumber then you look!" the woodchuck mocked tightening the straps even further before aiming a kick at the downed and restrained fox. Nick managed to squirm out the hold of the prey Junior Ranger Scouts but not before suffering a few more kicks, punches, and insults before running for the stairs to escape to the city outside. Cruel laughter following every step though no one bothered to chase after him. They had their fun and ran off a filthy pelt that had the audacity to try join their group.

Outside of the building Nick was quickly soaked in the cold rain that had started while he was inside the Junior Ranger Scout's meeting place in in his neighborhood. The cold helped ease the aches from the beating he took and washed away the tears streaking down his face. Though worst it made the cuttingly tight straps of the hated muzzle too slick for his trembling paws to loosen and throw away with the rest of the garbage littering the alleyway. Rolling around in the filth of the alleyway trying to rid himself of it for a few minutes, he even tried to use his claws to cut the straps, made Nick realize he would not be able to...he had to go home with this thing on his head.

He had to run through the neighborhood muzzled like a violent criminal mammal covered in garbage. Tears dripped freely mixing with rain water as he rushed home stubbing and tripping in his hast adding fresh bruised and cuts to his already battered body. Not a single mammal who saw the streak of red fur and muzzle bothered to stop and help. It was just a filthy fox after all probably running away after failing to pickpocket someone and getting what he deserved.


Vivian and Johnathan Wilde where settled down on the couch in the small home attached to the back of Wilde and Son's Suit-topia. The coffee table in front of them held a couple of empty plates from the small and simple but tasty dinner Nick had been too excited to wait for and eat before rushing off to the Junior Ranger Scouts meeting. A wine glass with a few sips taken from the blackberry wine inside and a whiskey tumbler with a single sip of its deep amber contents missing shared the space with the plates.

"Well," Vivian said stretching out her arms to gather her wine glass and handing the tumbler to Johnathan before taking a sip and settling back into her mate's embrace, "Nicky is off to Junior Ranger Scouts for the next couple of hours and we have a bit of time to ourselves..." She trailed off nuzzling into the ruff of fur of Johnathan's neck her subvocal's not so subtly announcing her desires.

"Hmmm..." Johnathan all but growled in pleasure from his mate's attention snagging a quick sip from his own glass before the nuzzling and her building scent distracted him too much. "Well without him under-paw I should be able to finish the last suit for Mr. Big's order. Those small stitches are much easier without any distrac.." his words where cut off by the quick nip of Vivian's teeth against his throat.

"I see how it is. You cannot wait to get back to work," Vivian playfully growled pulling away and moving to the other arm of the couch, "I suppose I should be less distracting then so you can focus on your work." She slowly opened the top few buttons of her dress displaying an increasing distracting about of chest fur. Vivian noticed that Johnathan hadn't moved from his spot but followed every move with his eyes a bit of hunger in his eyes. Vivian whispered, "Aww my Johnathan is something wrong? I thought you were going to get back to work." Another button opened showing the contrast of black lace against the soft white fur covering her chest. Johnathan, like coming out of a trance, moved himself closer to his mate burying his nose in her neck breathing her scent in deeply while his hand gently rubbed her hip.

Before they were able to do any more the door rattled open and they could hear their sons near inaudible and all but subconscious subvocal whine of sadness, fear, and pain. "What's wrong Son?" Johnathan moved from the living room to the entryway. That pain filled whine shifting his mind from his mate's playful desire to the need to protect his family like a light switch. He knew from past experience (and the quickly fading scent of arousal from her) that Vivian had too heard their son's subvocal cry, had likely already finished re-buttoning her dress, and was only a step or two behind him.

Johnathan froze when he saw his son. Fur soaked though and dripping onto the floor, his brand new Ranger Scout uniform ripped and stained with garbage, and a muzzle strapped tight to his face. "Johnathan? Nicky? What is wro..." Vivian took in the sight as well. Her only child, her baby boy, standing there. Emerald eyes filled with tears looking up at his parents behind the metal and leather of the muzzle. "I cannot get it off," Nick whined.

The room filled with twin growls of protective parents overwhelming the whine coming from their distressed kit as they moved quickly. Their growls promised safety for their kit and it warned anyone around that the next thing to come between them and their kit would be torn to shreds without a second thought. Vivian picked up her son and held him close to her soothing him while making the muzzle easier for Johnathan to get to. She could smell the salt in his tears soak into her fur, smell the slight tinge of iron from some blood, and feel the cold of the metal on the muzzle leaching away her body heat. Johnathan's nimble paws quickly worked the straps at the back of Nicks head that held that monstrosity on his son's head. It took only seconds to remove it but it felt like an eternity to him with his son's subvocal whine of distress so close to him.

Once the final strap fell away Johnathan gently removed it from his son noticing the small claw cuts on the straps and his son's flesh. The bits of fur stuck to it with his son's blood though caused him to roughly throw it to the corner of the room. 'Good riddance to such a cruel thing...though we may need it to prove what happened,' Johnathan thought before joining his wife in holding their son close.

They quickly took Nick to the bathroom for a hot though quick bath. Nick was silent save his subvocals. Tears still leaked occasionally from his eyes as his parents help bath him like he was much younger than is current age of nine. He winced as they carefully clean the cuts and bruises he had suffered. Dry and dressed in warm comfortable pajamas Johnathan and Vivian with Nick secured in their arms moved together to the couch. Nick curled into a tight ball as his parents curled themselves around him. Slowly Nick's subvocals began to shift from the whine of fear and pain to one of grateful love under the full force of his parent's body heat and their subvocals noises of unconditional love.

It took most of the evening of gently questioning to get the full story from Nick about what happened at the Scout meeting and running home. Finally, a bit after nine he was asleep. Deeply and surprisingly peacefully for what he went though. Johnathan and Vivian carefully unwound themselves from around Nick but left their tails wrapped around him and kept their subvocals soothing. Both of them grabbed the abandoned glasses of alcohol from their dinner and downed them in one long drink.

"Fuck," Johnathan whispered sitting the empty tumbler down.

Vivian's wine glass joined his, empty. "What are we going to do about this Johnathan?" Her voice was hard with a barely contained growl of rage, anger, he the promise of revenge coloring it before settling back into the comforting subvocal for their son.

"What can we do about it?" Rage and frustration barely contained in his own voice as he struggled to keep it from changing his subvocals too, "Even with the muzzle and the uniform the police will likely dismiss it as an untrustworthy fox trying to make trouble. Hell, they may even say we did it ourselves to con some money out of the kid's parents or sue the Scouts. It doesn't even sound like the adult leaders where there yet since Nick didn't say anything about them."

"Fuck," Vivian sighed, "That sounds exactly what would happen. Probably with a few filing false police report charges thrown in and a visit from child protective services by the end." Vivian chewed at the edge of her lip nervously, "What about the Family and Mr. Big? He would likely at least look into it without needing to calling in a favor and see if there was anything solid that we could use to prove what happened."

"Not much in way of surveillance this part of town. The cities or the Families. There is definitely a part of me that just wants to ask him to ice those who hurt our son but they are just kids themselves..." Johnathan stared off into the dark room. "Maybe..." Johnathan carefully extracted his tail from Nick and quietly moved across the room towards the work shop of their tailor ship. "I should be able to finish Mr. Big's order tonight and get an appointment to see him the next few days."

"What are you going to ask him for Johnathan?" Vivian asked gathering the still sleeping Nick in her arms. He would be sleeping in their bed tonight. Neither one of them want him waking up alone in case he had a nightmare tonight. "We don't have many favors owed to us. You may be his personal tailor and most of the inner circle buys from you as well we are not very high in the organization. I just work at one of the front businesses of his that makes the booze for his clubs and casinos."

"We should have enough my love," Johnathan said, "You've always talk about getting out of the city and getting a bit of land where you could grow your own ingredients to make beer and spirits you wanted to instead of the mass produced beer and blended spirits. This place is a good location for a lot of different business and is worth enough to set us up somewhere else outside of the city." Vivian crossed the room to her mate and kissed him deeply. Nick stirred in her arms pressed between his parents. "Now it's late my love get to bed. I'll join you when I am done."

Johnathan moved into the work shop while Vivian when to their bedroom. Dropping himself into the stool behind the work table he used when working on the micro mammal suit for Mr. Big and picked his tools. On the small mannequin behind the magnifying glass still rested the nearly finished suit in Mr. Big's exact measurements that Johnathan had been working on before Nick had left for the Scout meeting. Carefully once the last stitch was done Johnathan removed the suit piece by piece and placed in in a garment bag. Adding it to the rest of the order Mr. Big had placed for his polar bear guards and a few of his advisers he moved to his desk pulling a phone over. A quick glance at the clock showed him he had been working for less than an hour. It wasn't too late considering the hours kept by Mr. Big and his associates. Carefully Johnathan dialed a number he had long since memorized but had yet to ever need to use.


Koslov sat in his large chair watching over Mr. Big and Gran-mama as they gathered for some personal family time together on top of the polar bear sized desk before turning in for the night. Gran-mama had her own small heavily padded chair next to Mr. Big's rather ornate one.

"Yes Gran-mama," Mr. Big's voice carried though the room despite his small size, "Fru Fru has been doing very well with the tutors this year. She is ahead of the normal public curriculum."

"Good my boy," Gran-mama replied her voice carrying nearly as well though the room though weaker with age, "You must be proud of how hard she is working at school work."

Before Mr. Big could reply the phone near the corner of the desk rang. A brief shadow passed over head as Koslov reached over to answer the call putting it on speaker. Odd to get a call this late but this phone only rang for trusted associates with important business to discuss.

"Da?" Koslov's deep voice came as M. Big and Gran-mama remained silent.

"Mr. Koslov this is Johnathan Wilde, my apologies for calling so late. I had meant to call earlier to arrange a time to deliver the suit order through the normal channels but there was a family emergence with my son."

"...I see," Koslov said stoically. This line normally shouldn't be used for something so trivial as arranging a delivery but an emergency with a family member could perhaps warrant it. Glancing down at Mr. Big Koslov saw him make a gesture that said he wasn't concerned with the hour of the call and the worry about a family emergence was acceptable excuse to continue the call for the moment. Gran-mama's brows however drew together in concern. She liked the Wildes. They worked hard for what they had and hadn't once taken advantage of any privileges they had earned like the number to this phone line. Johnathan had a natural talent for his tailoring work that she herself occasionally made use of for her more formal attire. "Family is most important, if you need time to take care of thing Mr. Big will understand a delay in the order." Koslov continued.

"Thank you Mr. Koslov but the order was done in all but the final touches before this emergence happened and I have finished those just now," Johnathan's voice paused for a moment as if to gather his though or some courage, "I called this line instead of the normal one because I need to arrange a personal meeting with Mr. Big."

"Regarding," Koslov said curiously with a bit of worry as Mr. Big and Gran-mama stood and moved closer to the phone's receiver in case they needed to talk.

"The emergence involving my son..." a subvocal growl could just be heard though the call that caused a primal shiver of fear to sweep though the mammals in the room. That growl was like pure rage. A promise of pain to the one who brought it forth. Mr. Big could think of few things that could anger Johnathan like this and none of them where good.

"Johnathan my son," Mr. Big spoke into the receiver for the first time announcing his presence, "What happened to your son? Is he seriously injured?"

"...yes, but not seriously, physically at least, as far as we can tell. He was beaten and muzzled by the Junior Ranger Scout pack he was joining tonight just because he was a fox." Johnathan didn't elaborate further though the subvocals continued and only silence answered him from the shrews and polar bear. Koslov's paw clinched putting a furrow of claw marks into the top of the desk breaking the silence.

"Whenever you wish to come over, I will make time for you Johnathan," Mr. Big said finally finding his words. His own mind filled with fury thinking of what he would do if that happened to his daughter. Tundratown would be stained red for years before was finished with whoever would dare to hurt his child. "Bring your son and Vivian with you. I think whatever you wish to discuss would be best with both of you present. I can have the Family doctors check on Nicholas while we talk."

Johnathan sounded relieved, "Thank you Mr. Big. If it's not an inconvenience would tomorrow afternoon at two be alright? This is not something I would want to wait on."

"I understand my son. I will send a car over to pick you all up at one," said Mr. Big.

"Thank you again Mr. Big. I cannot express how much that would mean to us." Johnathan said before hanging up his subvocals shifting to deep graduate before the line cut out. Mr. Big and Gran-mama made their way back to their chairs the mood suddenly much darker than it had been before the call.

Koslov started to growl lowly no longer a to fully hold it in. "What type of child...no creature would that to another child?!"

"Not a good one," Gran-mama replied slowly thinking. She remembered the kit Nick running around his father shop one time when visiting to get a dress fitted. This trauma would likely change the caring fun-loving kit he had seen if not handled carefully. She turned to her own son, "What do you think he will ask for?"

"Blood is what I would seek if I was in his paws but we will see tomorrow," Mr. Big replied, "Koslov please take me to my daughter. I fell the sudden need to check on her."

"And take me to the kitchen. See if the chefs still awake afterwards. Wake him if you must," Gran-mama chimed in. "I need to get stared now if I am going to be able to make cannoli's before tomorrow for Nick."


Johnathan hung up the phone and ran his paw though the fur on his face. He did not expect to be able to get a meeting with Mr. Big so soon. Or that he would even speak with him tonight. Or that Mr. Big would care enough to send a car for the three of them. Slowly and quietly he made his way to his and Vivian's bedroom. He found his wife and son curled up together and carefully slipped into bed so he could join them without waking them. Tomorrow will come soon enough he though as he drifted off to sleep.