Hey Everyone!
I have another music suggestion for you, this time around with one perfectly fitting of the scene where Nick and Judy explore the Canyonlands!
Here it is: Cool Ranch: Main Theme
And this second one fitting of the scene with Duke Weaselton. You'll know it when you see it: Cool Ranch Battle Music
That's all for now, everybody. I apologize for yet another sudden author's note, but I just thought I'd drop that here. Let's start reading, shall we?
Enjoy...
"No amount of thought can ever reveal what comes unexpectedly." - Arthur Erickson
9:23 A.M
Peeking delicately through the drawn-out curtains of the luxurious hotel room, the warm rays of the sun beamed down upon the eyes of those inside, causing them to open.
Through hazy retinas, Judy found herself staring out at the environment around her. She took in the sight of her private room in The Grand Palm Hotel with Nick, and all of the expensive glories that it had to offer within its residence. After a fun night of exploration throughout the luxurious town that had sprung up around the very base of the hotel, both Nick and Judy respectively were all too willing to give in to the desire to sleep when they had managed to make it back to their room. Now, it was time to awaken.
Stifling a brief yawn of her own, the bunny leaned over and lightly nudged her husband's shoulder in an effort to wake him from his slumber. Her sensitive ears detected a slight grumble from him in response. Rolling her eyes with a delicate smile, Judy then turned around and took a brief glance at the small digital alarm clock that was placed next to their bedside. It was nearly half-past nine in the morning, that day, and far beyond their usual waking hours, not that it bothered either of them though, of course.
If her and Nick were going to enjoy the day while it lasted, there was no better time than the present, as it was said.
"Hey, Nick, it's time to wake up." Judy murmured softly as she tapped the fox's forehead a few times.
"Urgh... Do we have to?" He replied groggily. "It's the weekend, isn't it?"
"It is; And we should enjoy it." The bunny stated as she gave him one last nudge before excusing herself from the bed and claiming;
"I'm going to go and take a quick shower. You're welcome to join me, if it'll wake you up, at least."
"Now that's more like it." Nick quipped wearily, effectively causing his wife to snicker with amusement.
"Dumb fox." She muttered under her breath, though not without a slight grin egging at the edge of her lips.
From there, Judy held firm on her earlier promise, and proceeded to take a nice warm shower in the nearby bathroom, filling it with humid clouds of steam. Nick soon joined her, perhaps having finally decided that seizing the day was an opportunity worthy of his time and energy, or perhaps he was simply inclined to be with his mate in the warm shower. Whatever the case, the two mammals were soon cleaned off, with Nick in particular taking advantage of the many complimentary soaps and shampoos that had been provided by the hotel, giving his bushy tail a new and glossy coat, and were ready to take on what the day had to offer, though not without a good breakfast first, of course.
While traveling down in one of the hotel's elevators, Judy caught sight of her husband's appearance and promptly commented upon it;
"Smooth sight, Slick." She claimed, emphasizing the alliteration with each word.
"Oh, you're too kind." The fox replied, clearly eating up her statement with pride.
At the ground floor, the two tiny mammals made their way to the primary restaurant that was available for hotel guests that morning, where a very wide selection of delicious foods and drinks were served for their enjoyment. Judy found herself a healthy plate of various fruits, including grapes and strawberries, alongside half a whole-wheat bagel, while Nick got his paws on a bowl of mealworm cereal, paired with a few small and juicy blueberries thrown in for added flavor. As they ate, the two of them idly chat about all manner of topics, from what their day plan was, to the current state of the Zootopian economy. With their great chemistry, no conversation was too boring to undertake.
Once they had had their fill, Nick and Judy decided that it was time to enjoy their weekend, and explore the Sahara-Square.
Promptly departing from the more luxurious part of the area that surrounded the base of the Grand Palm Hotel, Nick and Judy soon found themselves back into the somewhat dustier, less extravagant backdrop in the Sahara-Square, complete with sand-soaked buildings and an ever-present heat pressing down upon the backs of their necks. Here, the true face of the desert district was revealed: A far greater consistency of poverty, and not nearly as many flashy lights. However, there were still plenty of diverse colors abound for the watchful eye to catch sight of, with bristling, pink and green cacti blooming prominently on rusty street corners, and a crystal blue skyline hanging high above.
With the Grand Palm Hotel being located right in the middle of Sahara-Square, surrounded by delectable fountains and luminescent street lights, the thought of a day stroll throughout the desert district seemed quite convenient for the two tiny mammals; No matter where they went, the journey back to the hotel grounds would be roughly the same distance, for the most part, and that made their endeavors all the more conventional for them. Now that their day was set and ready, all that was left for the two them to do was to come up with a steady and reliable plan to fill the vacancy of their weekend adventure with activities abound, whatever those may be. Soon enough, they begun.
The only problem, though, was narrowing down their many compelling options to choose from.
The Sahara-Square offered much to see and do, ranging from exploration of the sandy desert hills of the district south, to the likes of the Naturalist Oasis and its body luxury. Despite Nick's pestering, Judy ultimately refused to return to the latter of those two places, though, as she never really forgave her husband for taking her there one time on her birthday, a few years past. That was an experience that she hoped to forget soon. Nonetheless, the fox eventually gave up on his suggestion, instead going for the more common, if not generic tourist route: Exploration. Having already gotten a pretty good view of the southern dunes on the monorail that took them to the district in the first place, they both promptly decided on checking out one particular area that held much interest to the both of them due to their lack of familiarity with it: The Canyonlands.
An aptly titled sub-district, The Canyonlands served as the largest semiarid-themed desert in the Sahara-Square, where unique animals such as coyotes, bobcats, bighorn sheep, and armadillo reigned as the population majority. It was similar to Outback-Island and The Docks, in that it housed a certain collective of mammal species that were found more prominently in that particular area than anywhere else in the district, giving it the title of a sub-district. Outback-Island, however, despite being similar in species demographical layout, was a fully fledged district of the city of Zootopia, unlike the Canyonlands, whose population had a stubborn reputation of wanting to apply for the title of a true city district, yet ultimately never achieved their goal, and oftentimes retaliated by threatening to secede from the city. They never managed to succeed in seceding.
Nick himself always found that a funny topic to think about. There was no way for The Canyonlands to be able to properly sustain itself as a fully-fledged district of its own. It simply wasn't large enough, and didn't have the resources nor the population size that made places like Tundra-Town and the Rainforest-District oh-so effective; Those places deserved their title of a true city district, so for now, those in The Canyonlands would just have to suck up their honorary sub-district dubbing and deal with it while they can.
Regardless of its history and population, however, The Canyonlands was a very beautiful terrain, and as such, rightfully earned Nick and Judy's desire to explore it that day.
Unlike the majority of the Sahara-Square, which was a hilly and true arid desert environment, The Canyonlands contained no sand dunes, with most of the structures being carved into and out of the rocky cliffsides that made up a large network of gorges, tunnels, and ravines, some so deep that the sky itself just barely peeked through! Even despite its name, this wasn't to say that the entire sub-district was nothing but canyons, of course: There were plenty of buildings, both tall and wide, that could be found throughout the territory of The Canyonlands, though admittedly, none were nearly as big as The Grand Palm Hotel. That was the largest structure in the entire desert district.
What wasn't built into the rock of The Canyonlands was made from other materials such as adobe, sandstone, and even the occasional wooden building, though those were more commonly found in other districts, as the heat in the Sahara-Square made certain building materials far less efficient than others in certain ways. As such, most of the many structures that could be found in the desert district were made from harder, stone-like materials, creating a much more effective environment for habitation and work.
Hidden within the twisting gorges were shops and small business carved out into the orange-ish-yellow colored rock. Some were fancy, and others could have used some big work, least to say, but all had their own unique theme and culture to them, creating a surprisingly neat and extravagant display of color and worth there in the middle of the rather bland desert. Alongside the roads that winded through the ravines of The Canyonlands, small shacks and bazaar-like markets had been set up, showing off tantalizing items ranging from juicy fruits such as iced mango and sliced banana, to little gemstones and other trinkets and charms, all offering much for the large crowds of consumers.
At the thought of the thick crowds around him, Nick eyed a few random passing mammals here and there, taking note of their clothing, species, and overall appearance. As expected, The Canyonlands really did have quite a lot of semiarid desert creatures; The fox counted at least half a dozen armadillos, and twice that many sand shrews all in the space of a few dozen yards! It didn't surprise him, though, as this part of the district was understandably a bit more tightly-packed than the expansive dunes of the far south. Here, everything was smaller, less dusty, and more crowded, but he reasoned that all of those traits simply came with the package of being within The Canyonlands.
Entranced by the shining beauty of an olive-colored peridot gem strung on a necklace, Judy decided to treat herself by forking over the money to the vendor of the small gem stand, though in the end, didn't regret her decision whatsoever, as she found the new piece of jewelry to be a fitting addition to her current wardrobe, despite its more casual nature. Turning towards Nick, she jumped up and down in excitement as she showed off her new purchase, to which Nick then gave her his approval with a solid thumbs-up.
"You look great!" He told her, earning himself a swift kiss on the cheek before she excused herself to go look for a nearby washroom.
Later on, hunger began to claw at Nick's being once again, having not been fully quelled by his earlier breakfast at The Grand Palm Hotel. Seeking himself a small snack for the road, he soon encountered a tiny little stand tucked away beneath an over-reach ledge of rock that jutted out from the side of the canyon wall, blocking out a vast portion of the sun's heated glare. The stand displayed a multitude of foodstuffs, but what caught Nick's eye in particular was the selection of insects and other bugs stuck upon sticks.
"Anything catch your eye?" The merchant behind the stand questioned curiously. He was a small sand-cat with the fur on his upper-lip curved into a swirly-black mustache.
"Yes, actually!" Nick claimed, pointing towards the fried scorpion impaled on a thin skewer. "I'll take that one."
"Coming right up. That'll cost ya two bucks."
Nodding his head in approval, the fox handed the merchant the proper amount of money before walking off and away form the stand, all the while admiring his new purchase with a look of hunger dancing within his eyes. The scorpion had been pierced through the abdomen, and was long since dead, of course, but it still glistened in the light from the sun, almost as though it were alive. Nick also noticed that it had a few grains of what looked like salt sprinkled here and there, probably for preservation, but no doubt of great aid towards the flavor and taste of the meal as well. Eyeing over the delectable-looking tail, he also took note of how the creature's deadly stinger had been removed.
In that moment, the fox momentarily recalled a memory from the past: His tussle with the criminal Shahaz 'The Stinger' Pholmok in his desert warehouse, here in this very district. He remembered how the sleazy pangolin had gotten his aforementioned street name; Many of the scales on his back and tail were sharpened like knives, turning him into a living weapon, though, Nick secretly wondered how uncomfortable that must have been. Nonetheless, Shahaz also had been noted in the past by the ZPD to use live scorpions in the interrogation of his captured enemies, with those two traits assisting in the dub that became his street name. Nick's fight with him had been a bit humiliating.
Not so tough now, are you? The fox thought to himself as he sunk his teeth into the scorpion's thick and juicy abdomen.
Soon enough, Nick met up with Judy once again on a small stone bench in the corner of one of the larger ravines that functioned almost like a public park. Here, the sky was highly visible, filling the sights above their heads, and the expansive desert market before them was as busy as ever, with large crowds of various mammals milling about as they inspected what the bazaar had to offer, mingled, explored, and rested in the cool spots of shade that were present here and there around the edges of the dusty gorge.
Having almost finished his scorpion, which was just a few bites away from being fully devoured, the fox took a brief moment to savor his current mouthful as he took another glance around at his surroundings, all the while his mate sat beside him, tapping away at her phone. Past the beautiful, rocky features of the ravines, the blooming bushels of cacti, and the thick crowds of mammal pedestrians and tourists, Nick singled out and spotted a lone homeless mammal sitting at the edge of boulder, far away from all of the activity in the market and the stores that seemed to take all the attention. He was a scruffy hyena with matted fur and torn-up clothing, easily identifiable as less fortunate.
Nick's ears sank down a bit in thought. There was a time when he had been like that too, albeit better dressed, as he still took care of his physical appearance in those dark and uncertain days. He could sympathize with the hyena in a multitude of ways; He understood the feeling of being a lost and pitied soul on the unforgiving streets of this city. It could be dangerous, sometimes. Ruthless. He was lucky to have found Finnick, who ended up being one of his best, if not only friend for entire years of his life on end.
The Sahara-Square was truly a district of many faces. Some parts of it were luxurious and expensive, while others were dilapidated and poverty-stricken. It served as a good, if not rather cynical reminder that for every pretty sight to see, there was an ugly one hiding right behind it. Back in his youth, Nick had grown up in one of the worst places in the city: A neighborhood ironically dubbed as Happy-Town. That area was the poorest neighborhood in Savannah-Central, if not the whole entire city of Zootopia, and had almost a one hundred percent predator population. Almost. It was where Nick had lived before his parents had divorced. Still, though, that place had its share of memories.
Above all else, Nick remembered the care of his very mother, whom still lived in the same house that she had raised him.
"Say, Carrots..." The fox began out of the blue, earning the bunny's attention.
"Yeah? What's up?" She asked.
"Think that you'd be up to stop by my mom's old place with me, sometime soon?"
"Of course! We can visit her tomorrow, if you want."
"Thanks, fluff-butt." Nick stated. "I appreciate that."
"No problem."
Smiling, the fox leaned forward and pecked his mate a single time on the cheek in a careful kiss as a gesture of his thanks. Judy smiled back at him warmly, but as Nick tilted his head back and a little bit to the side as they parted and stared past her, he caught the sudden glance of a sight that nearly caused him to throw up in his very own mouth.
"Ugh, him again." He muttered lowly with distaste.
"Huh?" Judy found herself piping out in question. "Who? What's wrong?"
"Four o' clock, by the gem stand."
Craning her head around so as to get a good look at just what Nick was truly referring to, Judy stared around for a bit before finally locking sight upon none other than Duke Weaselton, her least favorite petty criminal. She despised him above all others of his class simply because he never seemed to learn from his many mistakes, and was always winding up getting tossed in jail for his minor offenses, the list of which was likely so long by now that it must have stretched halfway around the circumference of the city. For as often as he wound up in jail, he always seemed to be back out and on the streets within a few months time, and that always managed to irritate Nick and Judy greatly.
Squinting her eyes in suspicion, Judy resisted the urge to gasp aloud as she watched the shifty-looking weasel swipe a few rings and necklaces from the counter of the gem stand while the owner wasn't looking, before slipping away and into the thick of the crowd, gone from sight and mind. That no good thief had just robbed in broad daylight!
Judy growled irritably. "You think he would have learnt his lesson by now." She grumbled.
"No kidding." Nick added.
"I'm going after him." The rabbit claimed. "That crook needs to be taught something for good this time!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she was already off of the bench and stepping forwards in the direction that she had last seen the weasel slink off in. Nick called out;
"Whoa, now hang on a sec there, Carrots! Is that really a good idea?"
"Absolutely." She stated firmly as she took a few more steps and stood on the end of her toes, eyeing over the crowd as best she could as she scanned for Weaselton.
"I dunno about that." Nick mumbled, staring at the ground as he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. "We're off duty, and this even isn't our assigned district."
When he turned around once again and tried looking at his wife, she was already gone.
"Oh come on, and we just got back from-" The fox cried, his voice cracking as he threw his arms in the air before recomposing himself. "That bunny is too dumb to believe."
Sighing out loud, Nick hopped off of the bench and set off in the direction that he had last seen Weaselton, hoping to catch sight of his wife as well, if he was lucky. He tried sniffing at the air, hoping to get a lock on her scent, but the aroma of the food stands, the dusty gusts of wind blowing throughout the sky, and the musk of a million other mammals filled his nostrils instead, rendering the concept of finding Judy through scent near useless. Growling in frustration, the fox shook his head and decided to use his sense of sight instead, relying on his own vision to find Judy as fast as he could manage; At least before trouble brewed. He could only hope that nothing too bad happened.
Meanwhile, up ahead and past the thick of the crowd, the off-duty rabbit officer had managed to corner Duke Weaselton, who hadn't noticed her just yet. Judy approached him cautiously from behind, despite knowing that he wasn't a truly dangerous individual. He was fast, though, and if he got out of range, he would get away with the gems that he stole, and perhaps even cause a scene, and that was the last thing that she wanted right now. The bunny had indeed learned her own lesson since her first showdown with Weaselton all those years ago, but she figured that it was about time that Weaselton himself learned his. The area that they were in now was less crowded, and didn't have any obstacles to damage or pedestrians to really interfere, though Duke did have a straight shot out. Once she was just a few yards behind him, she called out to him;
"Hey, Weaselton! You gonna give back that jewelry you just stole?"
Judy smiled proudly as she watched the weasel suddenly seize up in shock before whirling around and locking eyes with her. His expression was that of fear and frustration.
"Gah! You again?!" He sputtered.
"That's right. I saw you steal from that gemstand over there. You gonna do the right thing and return what you took, or do we have to do this the hard way?"
"Why do you always have to rain on my parade, Cottontail?" Weaselton growled.
"Just kindly return what you took, please, and we won't have any problems."
"Carrots!" Nick's voice called out from somewhere in the near distance, momentarily causing Judy to avert her gaze in the voice's direction.
She cursed herself, realizing too late how bad of an idea that it was to take her sight off of Weaselton while she had him cornered like this. Sure enough, when she looked back where she saw him last, he was gone. Steeling her resolve, the rabbit dashed forward and took off down a nearby alleyway built into the crevice of the big canyon walls, where she had just moments before spotted the weasel's spindly tail disappear behind a corner to her left. Once she reached and reared it, Judy came to the sight of another few branching tunnels that led into the inner rock of the cliffs, no doubt usually functioning as simple pathways for civilians, but also serving as an aid to Duke in his escape.
Sprinting faster and accelerating her current speed in an effort to close the decent amount of distance that the weasel had gained with his earlier head-start, Judy sucked in a big breath of air, fueling her muscles as they worked harder to speed her up and bring her closer to her goal of catching the fleeing weasel. As she chased after him, the tight little canyon tunnel that they had been running through opened up into another expansive space with a few small adobe households and brick structures. She then bellowed;
"Stop, you! Stop in the name of the law!"
In retort, Duke spat back;
"I need what I need! Now bug off, Flatfoot!"
Furrowing her brow in irritation, the rabbit lunged forward and nearly grabbed hold of his grimy white tank-top, but slipped and fell, sliding a few inches on the pavement before coming to a halt. She stood up as fast as she could manage, but when she did, Weaselton had already reared another corner and disappeared behind the canyon wall.
"Get back here!" Judy shouted as she took off.
Once she whirled around the corner herself, she came to the sight of an alley full of broken wooden boards and overflowing trash bags. Farther down, she could see Duke as he plowed into a garbage can while checking over his shoulder, causing him to trip and fall over much like Judy had just mere moments earlier. Smiling to herself, the rabbit closed the distance as fast as she could while avoiding the obstacles around her, and by the time that Weaselton had gotten himself to his feet, she was right on top of him.
Tackling into his side, both Judy and Duke tumbled over into a pile of smelly garbage bags. Being the stronger of the two, the bunny officer then grabbed his wrists and tried holding him down as best as she could, even despite not carrying any handcuffs or other restrictive gear to help in her arrest. She would have to manage with her own two paws. Growling in anger, the weasel squirmed and tried to wriggle away to freedom, but Judy grabbed his forearms and pulled them behind his shoulders, locking his arms in a rather discomforting position that proved all too effective and quelling his attempts at escape. Duke, no doubt tired out by now, sighed and ceased his stubborn struggling.
"This bites." He muttered to himself.
"You have the right to remain silent, Weselton." Judy told him.
"It's Weaselton!"
Eventually, the local police arrived, alongside Nick, who had called them in the first place, and had finally managed to catch up to Judy, albeit winded and weary. Taking note of the distinct uniform color - A light, sandy beige - of the other officers, Judy realized that these policemammals were from Precinct Three; The Sahara-Square's police head-quarters, and one of the various precincts dotted throughout the city districts. Once Weaselton was placed under custody and the damage had been assessed, Judy and Nick were informed that they were to be given a brief interview over the happenings with the weasel in a few minutes. While they waited, Judy heard the other officers mumbling;
"Hey, aren't those two the famous duo from Precinct One?"
"Yeah, but they're not wearing their uniforms."
"Off-duty officers from Precinct One catching a perpetrator in a different district?" One of them mumbled nervously. "Chief Latran isn't gonna like this."
Chief Latran. That was a name that Nick had heard before in the past, but he couldn't place a corresponding face to it; He had never met the mammal before, but with that aforementioned police chief meeting coming up quickly, he had a feeling that he would be soon enough. Not wanting to focus on work related duties while on break with Judy, especially after just performing a work related duty while on break with Judy, Nick decided to turn his attention towards his wife as he pat her reassuringly on the shoulder.
"You did a good job, Carrots."
"Thanks." The rabbit replied warmly. "You did too."
"However, next time, it might be better to leave the work to the officers here, don't ya think?" Nick pressed.
Judy cringed before taking another brief glance around at the scene. Officers from Precinct Three still milled about as they recorded the data about the offense and made sure that Duke was safe and secure for yet another trip back to jail. Noting the apparent sub-par expressions and moods of the other officers that were on duty at the scene, the bunny finally realized that perhaps some acts were better left to those that truly owned them. It wasn't her place to go after Duke. She didn't have to; It wasn't her job at all.
Yet she had gone after him anyways, despite the odds. Why?
"Perhaps." She finally responded. "But sometimes, justice can't wait."
The fox barked a laugh of amusement.
"And by that, you mean you just couldn't resist, I take it?" He teased.
"One or the other." Judy admitted rather sheepishly.
Nick pursed his lips. His voice took on a more serious tone. "We have got to be careful with this kind of stuff, you know." He explained to his partner.
The bunny shifted her weight around uncomfortably.
"I know, but... It's just that... I-" She started, but was cut off when Nick raised his paw in a gesture requesting for silence.
"Carrots, we know eachother too well by now." He claimed with a half-lidded grin. "It's okay; I understand."
Judy sighed in relief. "Thank you, Nick." She muttered aloud.
"No problem. But like I said, we do need to keep our limits in mind, Whiskers, and to know when the boundary isn't ours to overstep."
"Coming from the fox who can't go an hour without taunting Chief Bogo." The bunny quipped in addition.
Nick rolled his emerald-colored eyes. "You really do know me so well." He grumbled, though not without amusement. "I guess we both have things to work on, huh?"
"No kidding."
"Okay, look, the point is, there's nothing wrong with stepping back and giving the slack to others, agreed?" The fox finalized swiftly, after sensing a loss in pace.
"Right." Judy agreed, nodding her head.
Nick then smiled. "There we go, then." He concluded. "Let's not be forgetting that anytime soon."
"Right." The bunny repeated.
"Well, it's probably gonna take a bit for the other officers to interview us over what happened here with Duke, but you wanna find some lunch afterwords?" Nick suggested.
"Sounds like a plan."
"Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps?" A gruff voice called out from the behind of them, causing them both to turn around and lock eyes with a camel officer sporting a notepad and pen.
"That would be us." The fox confirmed before leaning down and quietly whispering into one of Judy large ears; "Try to give me more credit than I deserve."
Judy laughed, her visible amusement lifting the mood around them effectively.
"I'll see what I can do." She retorted with a smile.
"Come with me, please." The camel officer spoke out once more. "I have a few simple questions that I'd like to ask you both about what transpired with the offender."
Sharing one last reassuring glance of comradeship amongst themselves, Nick and Judy stepped forward proudly and followed their host with much productivity held in mind. Sometimes, accidents happened, but no matter the cause nor outcome, the two tiny officers had no intentions more greater than sticking by one another's side, near and far.
And that fact, if anything, was what made their work all the more meaningful.
Hey Everyone!
Thanks for checking out this latest chapter of ours. It was a fun one for me to write up, and I certainly hope that the same can be said for your viewing of it, as well. I would very much appreciate seeing some reviews from you all, delving into your thoughts on the chapter itself. I do like me my reviews, after all.
I know that this particular chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but it's been quite a while since the last update, so I wanted to get you all your latest chapter. Besides, I also wanted to put a particular focus on the events in this chapter: They are going to effect what happens to Nick and Judy in later chapters of the story that are coming your way soon. The events that took place in this one may have seen rather trivial, but you'll see what I'm planning soon enough.
The next chapter (89) will more than make up for it in terms of length. It will take place directly after the events of this latest chapter of ours, and should prove quite the insightful experience, least to say. You'll see it all soon! I can't wait to release it, but until then, I hope you enjoyed what this chapter gave.
If you haven't already, do feel free to favorite and/or follow this story of ours. I welcome all new readers accordingly, and appreciate the act in its entirety.
That being said, I'd like to personally extend a thanks to Berserker88, Mind Jack, Drummermax64, Cimar, and Bluelighthouse, all of whom have provided fresh and helpful ideas to me over the months, helping to fuel my writing resolve and ultimately keep the story going strong. I appreciate all of your help.
Last up for announcements, I'd like to make mention of the fact that you can find some new pieces of fan-art on display on my Tumblr account, if you'd like to take a look at them. If anyone out there is considering an artistic contribution to the story, feel free to let me know. I appreciate the interest regardless.
Whatever the matter, I thank you all for your time and interest in my work.
Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I have to say for now, really. Thanks for reading, and do be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter, coming soon! :)
'Till next time...
Peace!
PS: Just for clarification, The Canyonlands actually is canon, and is based on North American desert biomes. Cool stuff.