"If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence." - Bayard Rustin

The fox awoke to the sweet sound of birds chirping from outside. Their peaceful whistles aroused him from slumber, and He groggily sat up in bed and glanced at the nearest clock, which happened to be positioned atop the nightstand to his right.

6:29 A.M

Thank goodness... More time to sleep. He thought to himself wearily.

Nick took great satisfaction in flopping his head back into the mess of pillows. If there's one thing he loved even more then blueberries, it was being able to sleep in. Once, back in his high school years, the young fox had slept for a full twenty hours straight; nearly an entire day claimed by the tides of sleep. And he didn't regret that day one bit.

Nick then took the moment to look over toward his mate, Judy, to see if she was still asleep. His eyes came to contact with her dozing body, which reclined itself against his side. Her eyes were closed, still asleep no doubt, but she had a small smile tugging at her lips, as if she were enjoying a pleasant dream. Nick smiled at the thought, and later raised his mouth towards her forehead, which he softly kissed before wrapping his arms around the bunny in a comforting gesture. He too soon fell into sleep once again.

8:37 A.M

Both animals had retreated from their bedroom and dropped themselves into the kitchen, where breakfast was being prepared and dozens of young bunnies were shuffling around impatiently as they awaited the prospect of food.

As Nick squeezed his way past crowds of rabbits (many of which poked and prodded him as he passed), he couldn't help but pick out a few choice words from some of them.

"Mom, when's breakfast gunna be ready!"

"I'm hungry!"

"Stop pulling my ears you twit!"

"Harold, don't call your little brother a twit, you hear?"

"Yes ma'am... twit..."

"Anyone else here those weird noises last night?"

"The lightening?"

"No, it didn't sound like thunder; sounded like it came from Nick and Judy's room!"

"Maybe they got in a fight?"

"Must've been a pretty rough fight..."

"We should ask them!"

So many words flooded Nick's head at once. He couldn't help but bite his cheeks down to suppress a laugh as he caught Judy's eye when that one bunny mentioned the 'mysterious noises.' She winked at him before taking her seat at the table, directly across from the fox, who was practically swimming in a sea of bunnies.

"Too many... Can't b-breath! Ack!" Nick sputtered aloud as various bunnies grabbed at his clothes and pulled at his fur. It started to get pretty uncomfortable for Nick, but after Bonnie shooed all the little ones away, it became quite peaceful.

After all the kits had gotten their food and dispersed, the only people at the table were Nick, Judy, and her own parents. It was silent for a while as the group ate their meals, but after most of the plates had been emptied of their contents, Stu took the chance to make an announcement.

"So, guess what?" He asked them. "The contest is back-up and runnin'! Starts at twelve O' clock and goes 'till she ends." He jovially explained the news to the group as they finished eating.

Judy was getting excited, as she had really been hoping for the contest to take place during Her and Nick's time there, and Her hopes were confirmed at the notion of her father's news.

"Hear that Nick? Oh, this is gonna be fun! I haven't been to the festival in ages!" Judy said to him ecstatically.

"Sounds interesting enough... Can't wait to pair up with O'l Gideon though! I can taste the pies already!" Nick replied easily, the thought of chowing down on Gideon's blueberry pies still fresh on his mind.

12:17 P.M

The festival had begun.

Crowds of various animals flocked in and around the field where the event was taking place. Still, the majority of the crowd's participants were bunnies, as their kind were the largest racial group in the Tri-Burrow area. Some sheep, pigs, and even a few deer roamed around the plain, checking out the presented stands and commodities.

The contest was the largest community outing in the entirety of Springtime, and it drew many diverse faces from around the vicinity, but there was no doubt about the fact that two animals in particular stuck out among the communal. The crowd involuntarily parted for them as if they were bathed in flames, the two animals strode hand-in-hand down the path as they admired the festivities and other events taking place.

Nick looked around, wide-eyed at the sheer size of the crowd and joyous nature of the contest. Multicolored tents were pitched parallel to a dusty dirt road, where patches of grass poked through the exterior, some brimming with blooming blossoms.

After some time exploring, Nick saw the last person he'd expect to be at a place like this. There, casually leaning up against the wall of a barn, was Finnick. At his feet was an ice chest choked full of Pawpsickles.

Nick laughed out loud. Of course you'd be here you sly shorty! He mentally said to Finnick from across the pasture. Nick knew that Finnick was still on his own, as it had been that way ever since the two had split up. It made perfect sense that the sand fox would take the opportunity to sell cold, refreshing treats on this warm spring afternoon, and what better place to sell them then at a large communal gathering such as this? Besides, no one from around here would recognize him, so he was bound to make some easy sells. Nick smiled, proud of the lil' guy for being so crafty and resourceful.

Nick turned away form his old friend and took a deep breath in. He couldn't see Gideon's pie stand yet, but he sure could smell it: The inviting aroma of baking bread and sugar filled the air. There wasn't exactly much contest for the scent. The many vegetables and fruits presented didn't exactly give off very noticeable odors, but the smell of Gideon's pies sure did.

Judy on the other hand, was taking in the sights of her old stomping-grounds. She tried to recognize the place as it would be without the cluster of the tents and the density of the crowd. The deformed-vegetable contest took place on the same ground where the Oktoberfest in celebration of autumn did. In fact, this was the very same place where Judy had performed that little play and revealed to the world her goals on becoming a police ffficer all those years ago.

She then looked to the side, where she spotted a mid-sized oak tree cropping up from behind several tents. That had been the very same place where she had gotten in that fight with Gideon...

All those years ago...

A movement caught her eye, and she scanned in its direction. Not too far off from the tree, she saw Gideon manning his pie stand, his pink truck parked not too far off. She couldn't help but smile. This was the same spot where years ago, she and her old enemy had clashed with one another. And now, it would be the spot where she would meet up with her old enemy on healthier terms.

As friends.

The pair strolled up to the stand, Nick nearly floating as he was hooked by the smell of baking pies like a fish on a lure. Judy hadn't seen Gideon in a little under a year, as her career in the city often took up the majority of her time, the remainder of which was spent with Nick, but she still grinned widely as she made eye-contact with the Fox.

"Well lookie who decided to show up! C'mere you two fuzzballs!" Gideon boomed before scooping up both Nick and Judy in a bone-crushing hug. After a few painful seconds had passed, Gideon released his hold on the couple and placed them back on the ground. Judy took the time to size-up her old rival with her new-found mate, a little game she played every time the two met.

Despite being the same species, Gideon was twice Nick's size, and a lot less suave. He was rather ungainly, a slight bit of weight accompanied his towering height. Though he had seemed to lose a few pounds and even put on some decent muscle since her last encounter with him. He wore the exact same outfit she had seem him in last time; blue jeans below an indigo plaid shirt, topped off with a pink apron that dangled low at his ankles. He had a big smile on his face, clearly pleased that the both of them had taken the time to show up. He clasped his hands together, and a small cloud of sugar blew off from between his sandwiched palms.

"Real glad ya'll two could make it! I-I was hoping that-that that big ol' storm wouldn't have scared you two off!" He admitted to the pair.

Judy spoke gleefully, "Ain't nothing' gonna scare us off big guy!" She glanced over to Nick. "Besides, I doubt slick-snout here would miss your pies for the world!"

The smaller fox just shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say?" He began. "Your pastries are the best thing since fried crickets, am I right?"

His comment earned a hearty chuckle from Gideon, who clapped Nick on the back of his shoulder, knocking him forward slightly. Nick just kept grinning, but didn't relent from rubbing his shoulder tenderly: Gideon didn't always know his own strength.

"Well is good to see ya'll here, ayup! I saved a pie j-just for you two." He muttered as he turned around and walked to the back of his truck, where he pulled out a steaming pie and two forks before handing them all to Nick.

"Her' ya go fellers, hope ya like it!" Gideon said matter-of-factly as he plopped the pie in Nick's waiting arms.

"I'm sure we will big guy, I'm sure we will!" Nick said to Gideon, though his eyes were focused on the pie he held in his hands. He began walking away in the direction of a picnic table on the other side of the pasture.

Judy leaned in for a quick hug. "Thanks Gideon!" She said before breaking the hug and running off to catch up with Nick, who was already digging in to the pie at the picnic table.

The bunny slid in beside Nick with a smirk on her face, "You jerk! Ya don't just take the pie and walk off, do you? You didn't even thank him!"

Nick, who had just shoved a forkful of blueberry pie into his maw, mumbled before replying; "Can't talk... Eating!"

Judy playfully punched him in the arm, making him drop his fork into the pie. The fox choked in protest. "Hrmph!"

Judy picked up her own fork and took a small bite of the pie before saying, "Come on you dumb fox, spit it out!"

Nick swallowed his mouthful of pie and sputtered, "You mean bunny, you!" To which she just waved off with her hand before setting down into the Pie once more.

They ate in silence until the entire pie was finished. Once they returned the pie-pan back to Gideon, they went about the festival, seeing what it had to offer. There were lots of vegetables, but the deformed ones were the real stars of the show. In the center of the entire field was a spherical stage, where the top finalists proudly displayed their terrifying veggies.

Judy recognized the Hareson family, who specialized in growing corn, but this time around had hauled in a hideously crooked squash. She also noticed the Orin family, whom were her own family's biggest rival in the carrot market. They three brothers of the family had brought a freakishly mutated carrot, which looked more like a tree-branch then a vegetable. There were several more competitors on the stage, including a kit who'd grown a strawberry shaped like a cube, and an old sheep who had somehow lugged a watermelon the size of Nick onto the stage. He sat on top of it, munching from a zip-lock bag filled with grass.

Judy was having a pleasant time viewing all the disgustingly deformed produce, but Nick decided to skulk off and find somewhere to use the bathroom. He didn't tell Judy, but figured she wouldn't mind: she seemed much more interested in those crooked carrots then anything else at the moment. Nick scoffed to himself,

Crazy bunnies and their crazy contests... I'd settle for a good old Pawpsickle right about now... Maybe I should go look for Finnick... He's got some!

After a few minutes of trudging around the complex, and cursing at nothing, Nick managed to spot a line of outhouses in the far corner of the field, shaded by several large trees. It was kind of obscure: stuffed away in the back corner of the wasn't anyone else in the vicinity, and the hidden location of the outhouses made it hard for anyone to spot them.

No wonder it took me so long to find it... He thought to himself.

As he approached the smelly plastic shacks, Nick felt a tap on his lower back, just above his tail. He turned around, preparing to face whoever had stirred him, but ended up facing downward as he stared down a group of bunnies. There were three of them, all pretty short compared to him, but one of them was large for a bunny. He had mud-brown fur and flat facial features, as if he spent his spare-time smashing his face into brick walls. His right ear had a few peppery holes in it, and he had a couple small scars below his left cheek. The fox recognized this group of bunnies as the trio of brothers from the big stage... The Orin family, Judy had called them out to him as, previously.

Nick couldn't help but think this guy looked like trouble. All his years on the streets had slowly taught him to recognize anyone who might be of any threat to him or his safety, but his time with Judy had forced him to change his ways: he couldn't judge a book by its cover.

But doubt tugged at Nick's conscience as the taller bunny smiled, showing off corroded teeth as brown as his fur.

"Well, looks like dis here Ol' foxy done slipped into the wrong part o' the fair, dontcha' think Ronny?" The large bunny asked as he glanced over to the rabbit on his right, who nodded stupidly, his long ears flopping haphazardly. Nick breathed in slowly, trying to keep his cool. He did not want to show this 'cutsie little wabbits' any weaknesses.

He planned to began cautiously, to emphasize peacefulness... Yet sardonically, to show that he wasn't in the mood for any tricks.

"So... You three here to use the outhouse, or what?" He asked easily, plastering on a facade smirk of confidence.

The middle bunny just chuckled softly; A humorless laugh that made Nick want to walk away without a word.

"Actually, we're 'ere tuh have a lil' talk with ya!" He flexed his fingers, cracking a few joints for effect. "You dat Big-City-Slick-Nick everyone an' their mother been talkin' about? Whatch yers name... Uh... Rick, 'aight?"

The fox had minor troubles even understanding what the rabbit had said, but he managed to find his words. "That's Nick, to you. Any more questions?" He asked flatly.

At that, the bunnies all looked at each other, grinning wide and toothy smiles that were just as creepy as they were disgusting.

"Naw, we's jus' wanted to talk to ya 'bout that rabbit squeeze you got yourself."

"Rabbit squeeze?" Nick questioned through grit teeth. "You mean Judy? Where you going with this, you little fur-ball?"

The bunny obviously didn't like being called fur-ball. His meaty little fists clenched into balls, and through scrunched jaws he spat his next words.

"We see you prancin' round wit yer lil' Judy like yous got just the greatest thang in the world... As if a fox could ever have anything right circlin' up here!"

The bunny reached up and flicked at Nick's forehead. He continued haughtily;

"To be rollin' with a piece a cotton as fine as her! Yous runnin' up in here, takin' our finest does, and leaving us with the leftovers, eh? I mean... C'mon!"

One of his cronies nodded in agreement. "Yeah! A doe like 'er should be wit' guys like us! Not some nasty ol' fox!" He hissed

The bunny spat that final word as if it left acid on his tongue. And for good measure, a little bit of spit actually landed on Nick's snout. But he didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.

So that's who these clowns are... Couple of thugs acting bad. They obviously don't seem to care for inter-species relationships either... Nick thought to himself.

"Now wait just a minute-" He began, but was cut off when the thug bunnies all spat at him, their disgusting globs of spit landing on his body, wetting his clothes and sticking his fur. Nick looked down, horrified at his favorite shirt dripping in bunny spit. The fox's anger began to rise, but still, he kept his emotions to himself every step of the way.

One of the bunnies continued;

"Now, if I had the chance to get me some a that fine Hopps girl," He cackled a hoarse laugh and whistled. "I'd treat her right good. You need a lesson, though!"

The trio of bunnies closed in like a pack of wolves. Nick would have found the irony amusing were he not the one being targeted. One of them stepped into his personal space and then grabbed at his arm, as though trying to pull him. The fox simply pushed the smaller rabbit away, the force of his shove causing him to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Oh, yer askin' for it, fox!" The bunny shouted as picked himself up and then charged at Nick. All of his cronies followed.

There was no time nor space to run away or call for help. Not this time. Nick knew that he would have to defend himself.

Despite the fact that Nick was bigger, there were three of them against only himself. As Nick wrestled with the trio of bunnies, he stole a glance at the small alleyway between the two shacks that he had squeezed through to get here. He momentarily saw a glimpse of Judy, and was about to call out for help, but a pair of mangy paws clamped around his windpipe, cutting him off from breathing, much less speaking. The bunnies were taking turns whaling on him, spitting on him, biting him, pulling at his clothes; pretty much anything anyone could think of. Nick tried swinging his own punches, using what little combat training he could remember from his days at the Zootopia Police Academy with Major Friedkin, but the bunnies grabbed his arms and restricted his throws. He wasn't doing very good, and Nick knew this wasn't going to end well.

In that moment of despair, a howl pierced his ears.

A single note of pure rage personified into a bone-shaking growl. All four animals looked over to the source of the terrifying noise.

Before them, a small sand fox, feet planted into the ground, stood menacingly just a few short yards away. He had a toothpick jutting from between his teeth, and a pair of shades rested on his muzzle, covering his eyes.

Nick tried to call out, but his voice was muffled from being choked. "Furnick! Ack!"

Nick heard the large bunny speak from behind him, hands still wrapped around his throat. "Furneck? That who this lil' cutie is?" Nick heard the bunny chuckle mockingly along with his cronies.

Bad idea... Nick thought to himself. Bad, BAD idea!

The sand fox bit down hard on the toothpick, snapping it in half: one piece fell to the ground, the other was promptly spat out from his mouth. He lifted his shades above his eye-level, showing a pair of burning brown eyes. He then threw the shades behind him and leaned his neck to the left, an audible cracking noise accompanied the action.

Then he spoke - spoke in that impossibly deep and resonating voice - a pair of words that Nick promised he would never forget for as long as he lived;

"It's Finnick."

Then the sand fox screamed loudly and charged at the bunnies, throwing a single punch that landed right between the eyes of the large one. Nick felt the grip on his throat release, and he breathed in deep, filling his lungs with much needed air. He scrambled away from the commotion before turning around and setting his eyes on the Fennec fox:

He thrashed around wildly at the trio of bunnies, punching, kicking, and even sinking his teeth into ones arm. The largest bunny grabbed Finnick by his polo shirt and tossed him toward Nick, who rolled out of the way as Finnick came soaring in, effectively face-planting into the dirt and sliding a good few feet before coming to a stop.

He's not gonna be happy when he gets up... Nick thought, but turned his attention back onto the Bunnies before him when one spoke.

"Ya'll are dead, ya hear!" The largest one shouted.

Nick briefly glanced to his right, where Finnick had pulled himself out of the mud and positioned himself aside Nick. The sand fox's shirt was streaked with a line of mud, and he had a few scratches on his face, but other than that, he looked fine.

Finnick spat out a glob of mud out from his mouth and then wiped his snout with his forearm.

"I'm gonna bite your face off!" He shouted

Nick couldn't help but smile. Here, facing down three thug-bunnies at this corny festival, Nick stood side-by-side with his old friend.

Just like old times, buddy. Nick mentally said to Finnick, who had locked eyes with him. Nick had a feeling he was thinking the exact same thing.

Finnick's deep voice broke the silence. "Whaddya say we show these hicks how we do it downtown, huh Nick?"

Nick felt a surge of adrenaline course through his veins.

"Consider it a guy's-day-out." The red fox panted.

Finnick scowled at him momentarily before smiling.

"Whatever. Let's just do this."

It was that moment that the trio of bunnies ran towards the two foxes for one final push.

Both Nick and Finnick fought together brilliantly, their punches and swipes being administered faster than the thugs could follow. Soon enough, all three bunnies lay in an unconscious heap, groaning as weariness overtook their bodies. The two foxes slumped against the nearest barn, leaning against it for support. They inhaled heavily, taking in copious amounts of oxygen before they slid down the wall and sat upon the dirt ground. Neither spoke for a few minutes: Both predators relishing their moment of rest.

Eventually, Nick broke that silence;

"Thanks Fin, I couldn't have done that... Without you." He heaved.

Finnick smirked and lazily lolled his head to face Nick.

"Any time, bro. Was the least I could do."

More silence ensued.

Finnick's deep voice broke it once more;

"So, uh, isn't this kinda stuff illegal?" He asked Nick.

The red fox thought for a second. "I wouldn't think so... We were being attacked, after all. Still, if these guys come calling, then we might have to testify."

Finnick groaned and slammed the back of his head into the barn with a painful sounding thud, but the sand fox didn't even look phased.

"I cannot go back to jail!" He looked over at Nick. "This never happened, right Wilde?"

Nick thought to himself for a minute. No one had witnessed it, sure. This was very much against the principles of all that paperwork he signed those many years ago, when he first joined the force. But the moment of fellowship he felt between him and Finnick was one he hadn't felt in a long time... He didn't want to ruin that. He'd long since forgotten the feeling of doing shady stuff with Finnick. Besides, he was pretty sure what had occurred qualified as self defense. Those bunnies were pretty touchy, after all.

He also did have a little fun beating the living carrots out of them, too. That counted for something.

"What never happened?" He asked Finnick innocently.

The sand fox's face morphed into a huge grin, and he promptly punched Nick in the shoulder. "Ow! Was the really necessary?" He complained.

"Yup. Now I say the two of us book it before these three cronies wake up, eh?" Finnick suggested. Nick shrugged. "Sure."

Admittedly, Judy had been slightly worried when Nick had vanished. She wasn't that worried, as she knew he could take care of himself, and she wasn't exactly a very clingy Bunny herself, but she couldn't help be a little but concerned.

So when she saw Nick casually strolling toward her with Finnick at his side, she felt relief wash over her. She ran up to them and enveloped both foxes in a hug.

"Don't you run off without telling me anymore, slick!" She said as she broke the hug.

Judy then eyed their conditions, which more or less looked pretty awful. Both foxes were caked in a fine layer of dirt from head to toe, and Finnick looked like he'd gone swimming in a mud-pile.

"What the heck happened to you two?" She asked them.

Nick and Finnick met eyes for a second, and they both snickered. Finnick decided to fill her in;

"Don't worry girl, we were just ova' there catching up and such."

He replied steadily while pointing his thumb to the corner of the pasture. The sand fox then continued;

"Took a spill in the mud when this clumsy dingbat tried pickin' me up. I don't do hugs, and he was askin' for it, so we both went down."

"Nothing to worry about!" Nick added cheerfully. "Now, I'm pretty beat. Whaddya say we go treat ourselves to some pie, no?" He asked the group.

Judy pursed her lips in distaste, but otherwise didn't question her partner's intentions. A few minutes later, the bunny and both foxes were enjoying an extra large blueberry pie, courtesy of Gideon Grey's greatest ingredients. But that day, Nick and Finnick learned valuable lessons: Never leave your friends hanging, no matter what the scenario.

Hey everyone!

Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Do feel free to keep reading and reviewing, of course.

'Till next time...

Peace!