Yes, contrary to popular belief, I am alive and so is this story. I haven't forgotten about it, but I have to admit it's been on the back burner until recently. Thank you to all the longtime readers who waited so patiently for me to get it together and finish this. Thank you to the more recent readers who approached this story with so much enthusiasm. I don't know how keen everyone is on theme, but there are a lot of common themes between this story and its predecessor, Ode to Carrots. Themes revolving around love and healing. Please enjoy.

Chapter 17: Threaded Bonds

On foot, Judy and Nick continued their patrol down a few blocks of Mane Street, wondering to themselves how Lucas's date was going. He had texted Judy, letting her know that he would be out with Ashira after school. Not much else had occupied their minds during their shift. They had only issued one ticket that day, and it was to Spencer Dewclaw for parking in a no-parking zone. To Judy's relief and Nick's amusement, the volatile feline had not burst into a typhoon of unadulterated and somewhat cartoonish levels of destruction.

"Is it bad that I thought Spencer was going to kill us?" Judy sighed.

"Nah. The guy throws signs like javelins. Peeving him off is living on the edge," Nick replied nonchalantly. "I guess that explains Elias's trolling."

Judy's only response was silence. One moment. Another. Silence. Then, words found their way into the air. "Nick? You ever feel like we were in over our heads? You know…with adopting Lucas, and so soon after our wedding?"

It was Nick's turn to pause. He quietly pondered her inquiry. They had moved very quickly into the process.

"I think it's too late to ask that question. Besides, even if we were, we've been able to give him a better life. Isn't trying to make the world a better place your whole thing, Carrots?" Nick asked rhetorically. The rabbit beamed at him, her amethyst irises a blend of gratitude, hope and validation. He grinned at her. "He's come out of his shell a lot. I like to think we had something to do with that. You know, maybe a little."

"He's a sweet kid. I think his parents would be proud," Judy claimed as tears welled up in her eyes, hoping that the foxes could rest peacefully after their painful, unnecessary deaths.

"I don't know about you, but I am," Nick commented with a smirk as Judy lightly nudged him with her elbow. With a chuckle, he rubbed his side and remarked, "I'm sure they are. Bet they never thought he'd be a city-slicker though."

"My parents thought the same about me until I actually went to the academy," Judy laughed. Her smile wavered. "Still, to think one sheep's prejudice caused so much pain and suffering… And she made those guys make so many predator animals go savage. She even made them kill Lucas's parents…she orchestrated this whole mess of misery."

"But it's done now. Thanks to you, Carrots," Nick reminded her.

"You, too, slick," Judy retorted, restoring the life in her smile. Sadness lingered in her eyes.

Nick sighed. "Fluff, listen to me. He's gonna be fine, and we're going to do our best. We always do. If you can change my life for the better, you—you more than anyone—can do the same for our kid."

"Alright. As soon as we're off duty, I'm going to kiss you for that," Judy decided, beaming at the fox once more.

"Looking forward to it," Nick informed her.

Though they were husband and wife, they behaved as much like colleagues as could be while they were on duty. Judy even still answered to Hopps or Hopps-Wilde in part because of this. Chief Bogo himself thought they made too good a team to separate on a permanent basis. Of course, they were shuffled around with other officers from time to time. Beneath Bogo's rough, no-nonsense demeanor was the soul of a weathered veteran who believed one could never have too many contacts. Thus, he wanted his officers to be as sociable with the fellowship of their precincts as possible.

As they crossed onto the next block, none other than Lucas and Ashira sauntered out of the comic shop, each having a paw firmly locked with that of the other. Judy gasped and smiled when she saw them. Nick, eyes wide, couldn't stop himself from smirking at their display. He greeted the two teenagers, "Good afternoon, citizens."

"Hi, officers!" Ashira returned the greeting with a slight bow.

"Hey, Mom. Hi, Dad," Lucas said, his grin as wide as it was effortless. His blue eyes seemed to glisten as they took the older fox and bunny into their gaze. "Be safe, okay?"

"Yeah, you got it," Judy replied affirmatively. "See you at home."

"Yeah. I don't want to hold you guys up. See you at home," responded the teenage fox.

As the teenaged foxes departed from the police officers, Lucas realized aloud, "I'm not miserable."

"Uhh…congrats. You really haven't been for a while now," Ashira pointed out. "I mean, you've got me, Hunter, your parents who we just saw, Joey… I mean, sure, you've had a couple hiccups and that all-out panic attack that one time, but you never really seemed miserable to me. Just a little recluse at first."

"It's just…misery became my norm for six years, and I'm just realizing now how I don't feel. You know what I mean?" Lucas attempted to explain, unsure of how to precisely articulate his thoughts.

"Not really, but I'm happy for you. I'm happy with you. Most of all, I'm happy to see you happy," Ashira informed him, pressing herself against him as they walked down the sidewalk. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks when she hugged his arm, but he couldn't bear the thought of her pulling herself away.

"Why are you so perfect…?" he asked, the words escaping his lips without thought.

"Perfect? Nah. I just like you. A lot," the young vixen giggled. "And I'm here to help you heal. You'd do the same for me, right?"

"Without a second thought," he immediately replied. A bemused chuckle escaped her muzzle and she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"You're kind, Lucas. Remember when I said that you didn't hate fate?" she asked.

"Of course. That was just a few minutes ago, back at the comic book store," Lucas responded.

"This is exactly what I mean. Your kindness, it's…really amazing. I like how you don't use any of the stuff that happened to you as a pass to do something terrible," Ashira informed him.

Lucas shrugged with his free shoulder. "Just because I've had it rough doesn't give me the right to put other mammals through hell."

"And that," she replied, draping her tail over his, "is why I want to do things with you more often. Lucas Wilde, you'd make me the luckiest li'l vixen alive if you were my boyfriend."

"I-I'd like that," he stammered, hesitantly nuzzling her. Her scent was sweet, yet unintrusive. "So, uh…What comics did you buy?"

They walked and talked, musing to one another about their favorite works of fiction. Lucas was amazed and enamored by Ashira's love for character development and symbolism in media. She was very enthusiastic about how different series would allude to things like astrology, tarot cards or the language of flowers as storytelling devices.

Lucas walked Ashira home when the sun began to set. The skinny two-story house was unremarkable compared to the tall apartment buildings on either side, but it did have cute and quirky little features that made it stick out. The name 'Foxy' was printed in both eastern and western style writings underneath the address number on their mailbox. There were flower boxes in every window, naturally bold and bright colors spilling forth and adding to the character of the house.

Before she headed in, she gave him one more kiss on the lips. "See you tomorrow," she said.

"Looking forward to it," Lucas assured and watched her go inside.

As he walked home, the contact between his paw pads and the sidewalk didn't register to him. In his mind, he was walking on air. He almost didn't notice when he bumped into someone.

"Hey!" The other mammal bleated.

Lucas was pulled from his thoughts. It was a rather irate Jordan Ramsey. He mumbled, "Oh, sorry about that."

"I think Bellwether was right, you know. Carnivores and herbivores are too different to know peace. You preds…" Jordan asserted. Hate burned a cold flame in his eyes, edged with a hint of fear.

Lucas's gaze softened. He could only speculate how and why the ram came to those conclusions, but all of the possibilities led him to feel something between condolence and pity for his classmate. He'd only ever really known his own struggles. What were Jordan's?

"Take good care of our sister, okay? Ewelina's a good girl. She should be protected," Lucas replied, ignoring Jordan's vitriol.

"W-what's your deal with her? What is my sister to you? My parents…they don't agree about how we should be raised, but they adopted her so she could be brought up as part of the herd. What does that have to do with you?!" Jordan demanded, taken aback by the fox's temperance.

"For a long time, I was something of a hermit. She was my foster sister in my second foster home. It's…it's my fault she's bound to that wheelchair. Her back was injured when she stood up for me. She got us all out of that abusive household, got the guy arrested and even testified about the abuse in court. She's special and she'll always be my sister. Protect her," Lucas explained with a smile. Jordan's jaw gaped as Lucas walked past. It was no surprise that he was shocked. Any mammal would be by his and Ewelina's story.

"You… she…" Jordan muttered.

"She's stronger than anyone I know," Lucas informed him, taking one last glance back before he continued on home. He didn't know what Jordan's reaction was, which naturally led him to wonder if he would find out tomorrow.

Home… Had the adoption never happened, he wouldn't have believed he'd have another chance to live instead of just going through the motions. It was thanks to those two kind police officers, his new parents. He wanted to do right by them and their kindness and generosity. All the same, he wanted to do right by the memory of his birth parents. He wanted to do right by Ewelina, Ashira, Hunter, Joey and everyone else who would have an impact on his life.

"Ma, Pa… I doubt you would after six years, but don't wait up for me," he said under his breath, smiling as he thought about getting home to Nick and Judy.

Finally, when he made it home, he opened the door to find Nick and Judy cooking. The aromatic herbs that had wafted into the air descended upon his sense of smell en masse. Judy's ears turned toward the door, and the rest of her head followed. Her eyes lit up and she greeted, "Welcome home!"

"Hope you weren't up to any hustling," Nick added teasingly.

"I'm back…" Lucas announced, feeling his heart swell as his adoptive parents so openly welcomed him back. "I'm home." He closed the door behind him and approached the kitchen, wrapping an arm around each of them as soon as he could. "Thank you both…"

Judy embraced him and Nick wrapped an arm around his shoulder. An unspoken pact was made between the three of them, a vow to never abandon each other. Love and solidarity would fortify their hearts and stoke the flames of their hearth. Family and friends, dreams and goals; all was in reach.

Lucas would always be thankful for his new life.