A Rabbit becomes a Hare
Nick left Otto and headed for the kitchen, on a mission to bring back Bonnie's killer coffee and blueberries. Judy, Bonnie and Stu just looked at Nick.
"Hi all, Otto and me are taking you up on your badger killer coffee and blueberries"…laughing to himself, "turns out we both have the same taste in Hopps' family fruit"…'Nothing…sigh, this is going to be a looong ordeal.'
'Nothing', Nick thought, 'blank unhappy eyes, wonderful, my mate is unhappy, my bunny mom and dad are unhappy, I'm unhappy…Otto is happy…something's wrong here.'
"I know none of you are happy I promised not to say anything until Otto's story is over and he tells me I can…and Judy vowed not to ask me any questions."
Looking at all three Hopps, all Nick could think to say is, "You asked me to come, Otto asked you to ask me, wasn't this foxes idea…OK? So no bunny pouty faces or making my mate unhappy or we'll leave and you can face Pop Pop!"
"Let me have a cart, I've got an old rabbit to listen to and coffee and berries to bring along."
Back after 15 minutes of brewing coffee and getting a bunny hug and nuzzle, Nick pours both of them a cup of coffee. "Woowee! That is coffee…that would work on a badger Otto!"
"Nick, phewie, I think my spoon will stand up in that brew, dang son, don't know if my old rabbit heart will ever stop beating with that in me."
Sitting back, Otto had dug out several journals and was slowly opening his oldest book…"Nick, before I start, I know you're wondering why I wanted to talk with you," rubbing his ears and looking up at the ceiling, "You're a warrior"
Nick started to argue, Otto held up a paw…"Nick, you and Judy are both warriors. You fight against evil. You both fight against the tyrant for the mammals who depend on you. You both have been hurt, almost killed, and keep fighting." Otto looked at Nick and nodded his head. "Son, you and my grandkit Judy are warriors."
"I never considered myself a warrior" Nick explained, "I'm not being modest, I'm a fox who fights and am willing to run away." "Judy, that bunny is a warrior, she's the weakest one on the ZPD and that doe IS a warrior…much of what I do is protecting her and preventing Judy from killing herself."
Nick laughed, "I'm a fox, I'll try and talk my way out of things before I ever think of laying a paw on anyone…for my mate, my life is her's, to keep her alive and happy, to keep all the mammals who need her…she's my warrior, I'm her protector."
Otto just sat there, 'I don't believe Nick even knows what he truly is'. "Well Nick, we may both learn some things in our discussions, you're not here just to listen to an old Buck BS about his Army days…it's about you too."
"Oh hell, let me start at the beginning…sure sounds like a cheap movie Son…anyway, sorry if I have to look at my books, my memory isn't always the best, but I sure seem to remember 75 years ago better than yesterday…I'm old, I'm real old but I still remember what's important…give me some more coffee Son."
"Sorry, do you mind if I call you Son, I miss my foxes"
"Anyway, it was March of 1942 and I was a 21 year old Buck in Bunnyburrow and was talking to my father…"
"Dad, I want to join up, I need to fight and not just sit back on a farm, growing food 'for the war effort'. That's not the effort I wanna' do. I'm healthy, I'm a grown buck and nobody is going to tell this Buck I'm too weak to fight against evil."
"Dad just looked at me like I was an idiot without a brain in my head"…laughing to no one, "he may have been right."
"Nick, I couldn't just sit there protected, leaning on the claim that rabbits were too weak and useless for anything other than popping out bunnies and being farmers."
Looking in his book, Otto found the clipping about enlisting…"Look at this Nick, it had in capital letters…"No Rabbits Need Apply". "Now that was a real kick in the teeth. No rabbits!, as if we weren't even citizens and worth the Army's time to train us…"Just go away bunny boy, Your Momma's calling"…"I got in a lot of fights over that one…lost every one too, but I'd be damned if I'd let them taunt me like I was a coward who didn't care and was afraid to be a Buck with a backbone and balls."
Nick could see Otto was still mad over 75 years later…"Otto, I know what a hero and warrior Lance Corporal Ronald Hopps was, what a warrior Judith Laverne Hopps is too! They were all wrong as has been proven over and over, especially by your family."
"Nick, they didn't care back in 42'…being a bullheaded sort of rabbit, and being a big Buck at that and strong from farm work, I went to Zootopia and enlisted…as a Hare."
"See Son, they took Hares in the Army…Hares, we're famous for being tougher, bigger, and less social than rabbits. Hares have attitude and are ready to run when they're born and get tougher as they get older. Hell, the Hare does make the Bucks chase them for miles to make sure they really are tough enough to consider as mates." I was now a Hare in this mammal's Army, a lordly Buck Private…kind've appropriate don'tcha' think?" Otto laughed at his own joke.
Otto sat there for several minutes, drinking his coffee and eating blueberries..his eyes looking somewhere off in the distance looking back 75 years before…'Yep, a Buck Private, I was going to fight, I was going to show them all what a rabbit could do…I showed em' all right, I showed everyone'.
Nick watched Otto's face, 'He's got a bit of a pondering going on to himself, as if he's wondering did it actually happen to me?, was that me who did that? Did it matter?' Nick sat there quietly, just drinking his coffee and not wanting to break the spell.
"Oh hell boy, why'd you let an old Buck get stuck in the past like that…make a noise or something. Old soldiers get caught in our memories." "Anyway, where was I, Hmmm, there I was, a Buck Private, yep, that's right."
"Nick you know the saying about Army sizes, "Too Big or Too Small," Well, for Hares, there was only one size, WAY TOO BIG!" "So help me, I think those supply sergeants figured a Hare was just a bit smaller than a coyote, course, they were a mean lot of animals in supply…so help me, I never saw such an overfed bunch of malingerers as the mammals in supply."
"Lucky for me, I was used to getting up early, hated it then, hate it now…I can see you nodding Son, you hate morning too!"
"Gods honest truth, Judy loves to beat the alarm up in the morning," Nick laughed, "I'd prefer a clock that said, Five more minutes, you've got five more minutes, go back to sleep! I'd make a pile of money if I sold that clock." Nick thought for a second, "Heck, I'd save money just not replacing clocks I threw across the room."
Otto remembered, "You know, I never did tell my family I enlisted, just dropped off the face of the earth for a long time…they didn't support me, said I was stupid for considering enlisting, they didn't understand you have to fight for things, some things with everything you have to give…wasn't a common Rabbit belief back then…come to think of it, still not common now for Rabbits. It's what made Ronald Hopps and Judith Hopps so rare and special…they're warriors, they're noble mammals…not Rabbits, they're warriors and noble no matter who or what they are."
Looking at Nick, Otto just nods his head…"You are too Son, you just don't see it in yourself, I do, Judith does too!...now let an old Buck be upset with the world."
"Excuse me a second Son, older the Buck, smaller the bladder"
"Otto, I'm going to check on Judy, I'll meet you back in a few minutes…you want anything from the kitchen?"
Otto said, "Nope, just gotta' take care of this used coffee."
Once Nick was near the kitchen, life was going full tilt. Judy was helping Bonnie fix dinner, grilling some tofu burgers, which were actually pretty good. Judy's younger brother Bailey was mates with a lovely Vixen named Riina were visiting when they heard Judy and Nick were at the burrows. Riina's parents owned the apple orchard next door and the Hopps had discovered the wonders of cabbage rolls with an unpronounceable Finish name with lots of consonants and way too many 'A's in a row. Nick had time to wave, give a hug, a quick snuggle with his mate and took two tofu burgers down to share with Otto.
"Otto, try this burger, it's pretty good, no meat either to upset a Buck's stomach." Nick said plowing through his burger.
"Nick, I eat meat, ate it for a long time…doesn't bother this Buck's belly at all" he laughed at Nick's expression, "you think we got picky in combat and some of the bad places I've been?"
Nick looked at Otto…at the same time, they both said, "Hot Sauce!" and laughed. Covers up Mom's bad cooking and mystery meat/stew.
"Bonnie must think I bathe in it" Otto smirked, "I dearly love it"
Nick looked at Otto and his smirk, 'He's been around foxes, not just a little bit either…that's a professional grade smirk…hell, I'd be proud to call that my own.'
Nick told Otto, "Please let me know when you get tired, I'm just listening, you're doing all the heavy lifting."
Otto nodded, "Nick, how about we quit for tonight, I'll meet your for breakfast in the kitchen…nice thing about being old, you get a good table by yourself, I'd like some company if you would…please ask Judy to come too, she is my favorite grand-kit…she's my warrior"…he thought for a second, "Yes, you can tell her that, she might feel a bit happier that I truly love your mate, this is just our story, Hare to Fox."
"Goodnight Son".
Nick was amazed at the Otto he never knew, that none of the Hopps ever knew. Thinking of Bogo's warning, "don't judge, listen, he deserves it"…Otto did deserve it and he was going to know this Buck so he could share this warrior with his "families?"