"Yet, taught by time, my heart has learned to glow for other's good, and melt at other's woe." - Homer
2:16 A.M
The bunny was the first to rise from the folds of sleep and the layers of blankets, her form squirming slowly away from Nick so as to not wake him up. Soon enough, Judy had pulled away from the still dozing fox, and was now standing at the edge of the bed, watching him as he slept.
Honey's attic was quiet and peaceful, with the only sounds being the breathing of the two mammals, and the occasional creaking floor-board. Both fox and bunny were unclothed, since the aforementioned honey badger had decided to spend the night downstairs, and it was usually how they slept with one another.
Gazing at Nick, Judy smiled softly as she watched him whimper and twitch in an unconscious response to her absence. The sight made her grateful for having him, and almost made her retreat back to bed and join him once again in blissful sleep. Sadly, she doubted that she would be able to, as her mind was both addled and incredibly alert; Understandably so, since her prey-based instincts had been activated during her time sleeping, causing her to awake shivering and fearful, her body shaking and nose twitching.
She had had another nightmare. It was always dark. She couldn't move. It was just get colder and heavier, as though she were sinking to the bottom of the ocean...
And then, just as it became unbearable, she would wake.
Every time she awoke from one of these peculiar night terrors, she would immediately head to the nearest restroom to wash her paws and face in warm water. During those moments, Judy would often reminisce over a lesson she had learned in her criminology course back at the academy: How mammals who were guilty of wrongdoing would often clean themselves in a subconscious attempt to wash away their discomfort. It was another story for those who were more callous to regret or guilt. Judy imagined that criminals such as Vladzotz Fangpyre or Al Catpone wouldn't display that trait, since death and destruction was just another part of the job to mammals like them.
That thought halted the bunny's train of thought. She raised her head and locked eyes with those of her reflection, which mirrored her own agitated expression.
Was she guilty of what had happened? Did she blame herself for it? Not entirely. She just wished that she had seen through Jack's motive faster than she had.
She then turned on the faucet, making sure that the water was dialed to a warmer temperature before plunging her paws into the stream of liquid. She kneaded her fingers through one another and rubbed carefully at her palms before cupping them and throwing a splash of warm water directly into her face, which instantly energized the bunny and activated her senses.
The bunny turned the dial on the faucet, blocking the stream of warm water and shutting it off for good. She heard a mellow row of knocks emanate from the closed bathroom door. With raised ears and accentuated senses, Judy heard the voice of Nick call out softly from the other side.
"Carrots? Are you doing alright in there?" The fox questioned, slight concern audibly lacing the roots of his words.
Oh, Nick... You dumb fox... The bunny thought to herself. Of course you would wake up just to make sure I was alright...
Judy opened the door and locked eyes with Nick, who was standing just beyond the door-frame. Upon seeing him, the bunny instantly leaned forward and grasped him in a hug. The fox blinked a single time in apprehension before he smiled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, where he draped his paws across her lower back, which he caressed lovingly and with careful intent.
"What, did you miss me or something?" He asked jokingly, his green and half-lidded eyes soon locking with Judy's amethyst ones.
The bunny sniffed once and looked to her left, her long and floppy ears lowering against the back of her neck as she did. Nick could easily tell that she was distressed from the way that her ears and eyelids drooped, and from the rather sullen expression that had forced its way upon her countenance.
"Judy, you're shivering..." Nick started, using her true name for emphasis. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh! Uh, yes, everything's fine. I'm just... Cold..." The bunny replied hastily.
Although she wasn't being completely open to him, Judy certainly wasn't lying: The current temperature in the room was causing her fur to stand on end, and the fact that she was naked certainly didn't help either, for that matter.
"Well, I believe that I may be of assistance, madam." The fox claimed easily. "Let's get you warmed up, shall we?"
At that, the fox let himself into the bathroom, closing the door behind him as he did. Much to the bunny's surprise, he picked Judy up before laying her out on the large fuzzy floor-mat, making sure that her ears were spread across the floor and that her body was facing the ceiling. Nick then maneuvered himself to the side of the horizontal bunny.
"Nick? What're you doing?" Judy found herself asking him.
"Relax, fluff. I'm just going to give you a massage, that's all. You seem more than just cold, though... You seem stressed: This should help with both of those problems..."
The bunny was about to pipe up in protest of his actions, but instantly trailed off as the fox pressed his padded finger-tips into her belly. She felt her stomach muscles tighten in a stimulus response, but soon found herself relaxing into his advances, her eyes drooping as she stifled a slight moan to his gentle touch.
"That's what I thought..." Nick stated as he continued his work, kneading his thumbs around her chest and stomach region. "You're so predictable, ya know that, right?"
"Oh shut up... Just keep, ah, going... Please..."
The fox smirked at her response, since he had just positioned his massage very close to her intimate region, and was now pressing his fingers into the region just below her navel. Eventually, Nick had the bunny flip over onto her belly, giving the fox access to her back and shoulder-region. He kept going as expected; Rubbing away at the curve of her back until he began to slowly descend to her waist-line, where he caressed her hips lovingly. Judy giggled as she felt Nick gift her rump and fluffy tail with a slight squeeze, causing a chill to find it's way along the length of her spine. When the shiver had subsided, Judy felt pleasantly warm and comfortable... She was completely relaxed.
Soon enough, Nick repositioned his massage to her feet, which he gently rubbed and soothed using his paws. Although ticklish at first, the bunny gladly accepted the new and adventurous act. After taking care of her feet, the fox then moved to her ears. However, the instant he placed his fingers upon them, Judy gasped, pulled away in fear and sat up.
Nick looked confused, and even slightly hurt.
"What was that? D-did I do something wrong?" He asked cautiously.
"No no, you didn't! I-I just... I..." Judy sniffed audibly, wiping at her nose as she did. "That's exactly what Jack did when he..."
That was as far as the bunny could manage before she trailed off.
Nick carefully crawled over to her side and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her head closer until it met with his furry orange chest. For some time, the two simply sat there as they embraced one another in peaceful silence. Soon, Nick gently placed one of his paws beneath Judy's chin, which he raised until her eyes met with his.
"Judy... I'm not Jack. I'd never hurt you."
The bunny gazed into his green eyes, hoping to grasp some shred of reassurance or comfort: Instead, he completely pulled her in, enveloping her entire being in a blanket of trust and empathy: Nick cared for, appreciated, and loved her beyond belief. That much was apparent.
Her tears were gone, and in their place was a sense of longing and desire that remained, and was now burning uncontrollably: She let that fire burn.
Judy wasn't quite so sure what led her to do so, but the next thing she knew, she had leaned forward and captured the fox's lips within her own.
He was quite surprised at first, but soon enough Nick eagerly submitted to each and every tug and pull of her loving lips and returned just as much as he took, and perhaps more, even as she danced him back towards the bed, still embraced. They caressed one another lovingly, beneath more of those very same kisses, until all that existed in their minds and memory were of each-other's scent and being and desire: All of the bunny's previous worries had been melted away and carried off.
What followed was more kisses and nuzzles, breaths and pecks and peace itself. She relaxed beside him, pulled close, eyes blinking slowly; Opening just a little less each time.
Sleep soon found Judy once again, and she was more than willing to give in to whatever came with it.
Back at Precinct One, in Savanna-Central...
The water-buffalo had not obtained a wink of sleep that night.
Ever since that deceitful rat had left him, Bogo had spent the remaining hours of the early morning alone in his office. He did paperwork, filed new documents, organized old cases, and even took some time to simply relax and unwind.
But Ratsputin's threat still hung heavy over his head.
Occasionally, the thought would pop up again in his head, thus causing him to lose focus from his work and and begin stressing over the facts: He had been blackmailed, there was no denying that, at the very least. But there was something gnawing in the back of his mind; Something telling him that the rat's threat was empty and untruthful.
Bogo considered what Ratsputin had said: That he'd report him to city-hall for abuse of power, and for the admittedly careless termination of Judy Hopp's career.
It was certainly an unfavorable scenario as it was, but Bogo highly doubted that it was enough to truly end his career, or even do any substantial damage.
So was Ratsputin's blackmail attempt flawed?
He didn't know for sure, but there was definitely something off about it: Something that plagued him with paranoid thoughts and ideas.
Ratsputin is a master con-artist. A professional hustler, and the king of blackmail: Why would he try to blackmail me with a faulty threat? The water-buffalo thought carefully.
The question was; That if the rat intentionally left a hole in his work, then what would he have to gain from it? Why would he do it on purpose?
Bogo was at a loss for an answer, and thus pulled his mind away from the storm of thoughts that was brewing in his head, and focused intently on the work in front of him.
Hours passed, and soon enough, morning had risen with glorious beams of sun streaming through the many windows of the ZPD. Sluggish and tired from a lack of rest, Bogo steeled himself in preparation for the coming work-day, knowing that it would not be easy in the slightest: There was much work to do, especially involving the fall-out of the Savage case.
Stepping outside of his office, of which he made sure to lock securely behind him, the water-buffalo lumbered off towards the holding cells, intent on acquiring answers.
He continued his descent into the deepest holds of the ZPD head-quarters, eventually reaching his destination: Cell-Block A.
The water-buffalo made his way past the rows of empty cells until he stopped at the one in the very back. It was smaller than most of the other cells, but no less capable in holding it's contents in custody: Inside, Bogo spotted the dozing form of Jack Savage, who had his back turned to him, and was facing the wall as he slept in the too-large bed.
Bogo's face hardened at the sight of the male rabbit, and he then raised his hoof and knocked hard on the cell door, causing it to rattle harshly and the reverberating sound to awaken the rabbit, who spasmed fitfully before falling off of the bed and face-planting into the floor. Bogo almost would have thought of the sight as humorous, but upon remembering the cruelty of the rabbit's actions against Judy Hopps, the water-buffalo's face stayed stony.
Rolling onto his back and clutching his paws to his nose, Jack groaned aloud and writhed in pain for some time before finally noticing Bogo, who was standing just outside of his cell. The rabbit hauled himself to his feet and dusted off his white-button up shirt, all the while eyeing Bogo with a look of loathing and contempt.
"Mind you, chief, but I was having quite the pleasant dream until your rude awakening!" Jack grumbled, his eyes looking Bogo up and down as the words left his mouth.
"You're welcome." Bogo said flatly. "Now listen here, Savage: I have a few questions for you, and you're going to answer them... Got it?"
"What, was it too much of a hassle to bring me to the interrogation room?" The male rabbit retorted with a bored expression.
"This is between you and me... Nobody else!" Bogo nearly shouted. "This is my house, and I don't care where I get my answers, because you're going to talk either way!"
The rabbit sighed deeply and pinched his brow before settling back in the bed that he had just fallen out of. Putting his paws behind his head and crossing his ankles as he reclined, his facial features pulled back in a confident and snarky smile. He briefly chuckled to himself, shaking his head before locking eyes with Bogo once again.
"Alright then... Entertain me, chief. This is the most interesting thing that's happened to me since I got thrown in here in the first place! What are your questions?"
Bogo felt his fists begin to clench tighter as they balled up: Jack just had a face that Bogo would love to cave in with his fists. Regardless, he closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly in an effort to calm himself, and soon enough reconnected his gaze with the sleazy rabbit, who had one eye-brow raised in anticipation of Bogo's inquiries.
"Tell me: Does the name Ratsputin ring any bells in that thick head of yours?" The water-buffalo questioned with a hard glare directed at the rabbit, who's eyes flicked open.
"What'd you say?" Jack asked quickly, his piercing blue eyes trained directly at Bogo. "Repeat that name, would you?"
The water-buffalo smiled: He'd hooked Jack, and now it was time to reel him in like the floundering bottom-feeder that he truly was.
"Grygorri Ratsputin." Bogo repeated slowly. "Do you know him?"
The male rabbit cocked his head to the side; His eyes darting to the left as he donned a sheepish grin to hide his nervous expression.
"Well, I-I've heard of him before... Do you mean personally? No! I mean, no... I don't know him personally."
"You're a terrible liar, Savage."
Jack's ears drooped and his expression slacked to frustration as he shifted his weight in the bed, soon looking back at Bogo, who had asked him another question;
"I found out that, apparently, he's a large share-holder of your bank's finances. Is that correct?" The water-buffalo inquired of the rabbit, whose nose twitched at the statement.
"Aye. He's, uh... He's a stock-holder, yeah. What about it?" Jack asked cautiously.
"Is it not even slightly suspicious that one of your organization's largest investors is a bloody shadow-broker?"
"Hey, it doesn't matter who does business, o-or invests in my company, for that matter! It's not my fault that he's a blackmailing scammer!" The rabbit stated loudly.
"I'm not accusing you of affiliating yourself with his extortion schemes... I'm just trying to connect the dots. Work with me here, Savage. I know that you and the rat have a personal relationship one way or another, so there's no point in lying about it, at this point. Just come clean. If you have anything to say, rabbit, now's the time to say it."
Jack seemed to consider that thought, as his eyes flicked to the ground and he pursed his lips in apprehension.
"I'm not chummy with that lying rat: Our partnership only extends into financial agreements, honestly! I-It's not like I was a part of his scams! Er, I mean accusations! Nobody's for certain on whether or not that rat actually did blackmail Gazelle, or any of his other supposed victims, for that matter. They're just rumors! Nobody's got any proof, with the slightest hint of it being his fault coming from the fact that Ratsputin owns the newspaper businesses that published the whole scandal!
The water-buffalo sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't believe a word out of Jack's mouth. Bogo had a sinking feeling that Jack wasn't being one hundred percent truthful with him. But it mattered not, for he was right about one thing: As of now, there was no way to prove anything. Deciding that he had heard enough from the rabbit, the water-buffalo turned tail and began to walk away.
"Alright. That'll be all, rabbit. You can go back to sleep now." The water-buffalo mumbled as he lumbered off, soon exiting the cell-block and reentering the lobby once more.
Bogo knew that there was more work to be done involving the Savage case: He still had questions for Jack, and even for Shahaz Pholmok, who had already been shipped off to the county jail-house. Yet at the same time, he couldn't shake the thought of Ratsputin's threat, which continued to cloud his mind and interrupt his train of thought. Considering his options, Bogo decided that his paperwork could wait: He needed more info on Ratsputin, especially if he intended on finalizing his suspicions of the rat and his work.
Thankfully, Bogo knew just the place to look for such information, and had already begun heading in the direction of the ZPD archives, intent on learning all that he could.
Hey everyone!
I know it's rather subdued this time around, but I just wanted to take the time to congratulate you all on helping When Instinct Falls reach over 600,000+ views!
I would throw some confetti in the air (If I had any), and would also give each and every one of you a reaffirming handshake and pat on the back, but since this is an automated message made of millions of pixels, I'll just have to settle for a thank you.
I thank you all for being so darn supportive of my work. Truly.
Peace!
PS: In the next chapter, we'll see nick and Judy get out and enjoy themselves some more on their vacation, including one particular scene I have planned out that I bet you all will enjoy very much! Also, you all will be learning more about Ratsputin, his work, and even his motives as Bogo explores the archives and pieces together the puzzle.