Thursday Morning

Otto was feeling his age this morning. It felt good to share with his Grandson-in-law? 'Oh hell, Judy's mate'….Grandson-in-law…that's terrible…bout' as bad as a southern mammal talking about his 3rd cousin twice removed." He laughed to himself, 'Removed from what, and just how much is a 3rd cousin a cousin anyway?...truly, these mammals don't' have enough to do or their family tree doesn't have enough branches to it'.

"Yep", Otto said out loud, "I do feel my age, but I don't feel old. It's been a long time that I haven't felt old. I didn't realize how much I missed my Foxes, my Fox family." 'Nick, Son, what have you done to me?' he smirked. "Feels darn good to smirk again, never really did get the eyes quite right for a true Fox Level II and above smirk,' Otto lamented, 'got darned close though!'

Letting out a big sigh, Otto looked over and was surprised to see his Grandkit Judy. "Yes, my little vixen…"

Judy's expression was of shock, mouth open and her paws starting to cover her muzzle, "Vixen?" "Pop Pop, are you OK this morning?"

Nick had walked up behind his mate and heard her shocked reply, "Judith, we have to talk, excuse us a second Otto." as he led her away.

"Judith!?"…'Nick's never called me Judith!" she started breathing more slowly…'OK, relax doe, this is important to him.'

Looking at her eyes, Nick saw his mate's confusion, "Nick, what is going on, vixen, really?!"

"Listen to me Judy, say nothing, don't ask me now…you promised Otto and me, you have my vow and I'm your mate", he kissed between her ears and held her tight, "Just wait till Otto's story is done, I'll be able to explain things to you…you are really going to want to hear his story. Remember, he calls me "Son" now, that is strange, but, well, I guess I see that as a honor…especially as I've gotten to know just a little bit of who Otto Hopps was and is."

"OK, I promised" and after elbowing Nick in the ribs, "guess I'd better go check for pellets in my pants."

Otto really looked worried, "Judy is fine Otto, she's checking her shorts for pellets!"

Otto and Nick were really laughing as Judy walked up.

Thumping her foot, "Had to tell him didn't you? Thanks Nick."

"Sniff", then wiping the tears from his eyes, "Really Fluff, that was a perfect response, 'checking for pellets!'"

All three were now laughing as Stu walked up…"Whats the joke?"

"Trudy and pellets in her pants" Otto responded, tears in his eyes.

"Yep, I know why Bonnie gave you your own table now Pop Pop…Trudy huh."

The three were back laughing again as Stu wandered away, confused as ever. Judy laughed so hard she got the hiccups, making them laugh even harder.

Nick was willing to risk a smack, "Oh that is so CUTE, those bunny hiccups and the way her ears flop forward when she "hics!"" SMACK! "Yep, it was so worth it Fluff….Owwww! I'm being oppressed!"

"Judy, we're going to Gideon's today, you want us to bring you anything?" Otto asked.

Hiccups stopped, Judy was shocked. "Grandpa, you've never asked me if I wanted anything!"

"You've never called me Grandpa either; I wish you would, I like that better than Pop Pop," Otto told the doe.

"This is way too much emotion going around this table before breakfast" Nick worked in a smile/smirk combination, looking at the two Rabbits, "I haven't even had my Badger coffee yet."

Otto, looked at Nick and Judy for a minute, he was just staring at them not saying anything, just considering the two mammals he cared about in front of him…both of their ears were reacting, Nick's ears sliding back, Judy's blushing and she was holding them on the left side of her muzzle…both looking like they expected to hear something very bad. Otto finally sighed, "You two, the hardest part of all this…is when you're old, especially as old as I am, young mammals forget I was once young. I wasn't always a crabby old Buck, just sitting around grumbling, not able to do a lot…I was young once." "Nick, you've given me a chance to be seen when I was very young, a Buck, not knowing where I was going, what I was doing…or if I'd even get a chance to grow old...much less really old. Thanks you two for seeing me…Oh hell" as the Buck started to tear up, sniffing.

Nick smirked, "Otto, you having hiccups won't be nearly as cute as Judy's."

"Judith, give the boy a smack for me, would you please"

SMACK!

"YIP! Ow! Where'd you get the wood spoon, that's cheating!" Nick whined

Nodding his head, Otto smiled broadly, "Thank you dear! As I was always taught, use an object to whack your opponent, you'll just hurt your paw otherwise." Otto sagely instructed his granddoe.

"Anyway, thanks for seeing me as not just an old Buck, going for Pizza with you kits was something I hadn't done for years, listening to you young mammals, acting silly, watching Bailey go green when Judy and I were eating that buffalo chicken pizza…I loved that. That's a great gift for an old Buck…and no more sniffling, can't do hiccups anyway, brings out rabbit farts something fierce."

"Nick, you ready to head to Gideon's OK Pastry or whatever he calls his bakery…I just remember it's something kinda' odd….and Judy, I'll pick you up some carrot something or other…something sweet, like Nick here."

"Ha, you'll walk back you keep that up!" Nick threatened.

Otto reached over, softly grabbed Nick's paw and did something funny with a finger while softly smiling.

"Ooooo, never mind Otto, I'll be good….where'd you learn to do that." Nick asked, rubbing his numb paw.

"A Badger showed me, wanna' see another trick?" Otto now had a fully polished Level III smirk and got the eyes right this time.

"Nope, nope, good to go here, nothing to see, ignore the Fox and the Bunny in the corner, move along,"

"Want me to set up cones Nick, I can probably find a flare or two?" Judy was doing a pretty credible Level II herself….impressing both Otto and Nick.

"There's way too much Fox at this table" and they all broke up laughing. "Otto, you have to teach me that trick" while Nick rubbed some feeling back into his paw..

"Time to go, blueberries a wasting, Nick, did you reserve us a truck?"

Nick was shaking his head no, "Oops, sorry, forgot all about it."

"Well, better steal one out of the garage, there's a beautiful restored one with a big engine in there, just getting dusty, these old bones can't walk into town…let's go in class…Stu will be dropping his own pellets when we 'borrow' it…Nick, you and Judy still know the Bunnyburrow sheriff in case we're stopped?"

Nick nodded, "Yep, he's a friend and Bailey works for him as a deputy too! May just give the buck a text so if he hears something from Stu about a stolen something or other he'll clarify "it's been borrowed"…pays to be a cop and be related to one too!"

Luckily, Nick knew how to hotwire a truck and he and Otto were waving to the Hopps boys in the garage as they rumbled away.

"See you mammals later, tell Stu thanks!" Nick smirked, 'Man, I'm really getting to polish my smirk this trip…I've gotten out of practice being on the force.'

"Otto! My long-eared foxy varmint, your smirks are becoming industrial grade this week, I'm impressed" as Nick bowed his head in praise.

Gideon's Good Food something or other was in the mirror, and the pair were heading down the road, no place to go, just looking for a good location to stop and talk.

"How about a hill, we can look at the fields and watch clouds," Nick asked, "you know a place?...and before you ask, yes, I found some chairs in the garage before we stole, uh, borrowed, Stu's blue baby here."

Turns out, Otto did know a good place, it overlooked the fairgrounds where Carrot Days was held, still a lovely view and quiet.

September 1942

V-mail arrived today from home. I didn't get any, didn't really have what I considered a family to send it. The posters always said, "Want to get a Letter, Write One".

Toddy got a pack of letters, some even addressed to: "Toddy and Otto Reynard".

Toddy was smiling as he handed over a letter from "our" vixens. "Dear Daddy and Uncle Otto, we are good, and Molly and me are sharing her bow. I hope my bow will keep you safe and helps keep Daddy safe too. I want to ask, how do you wrap anyone in your tail, it is too short. Do you use your ears, they are really soft, we checked when you were asleep one day. We know not to touch other mammals tails, they are private, ears are different. Mommy said Daddy is going to bring you home with him. Even though you are not a fox, Mommy says you are Daddy's brother and Mommy's brother too! Samantha is going to be your goddaughter, Molly and me are jealous, but we love our sister so I guess that is OK. Mommy says Samantha will be very happy to share you with us, so that is OK too!, Mommy says there is a lot of Hare to go around. Mommy helped me write this letter. Love, Victoria and Molly, your special Ladies."

"Well" I said, "So much for dry eyes."

Toddy watched me reading the vixens' letter while he was opening his letter from Abigail…he froze when he started reading, he started crying and then smiling…then with a choked voice, reading the letter out loud to me, "My Dear Mate and Warrior, You are the father of another lovely and healthy green eyed vixen, christened, Samantha Reynard. She is healthy, happy and Vicki and Molly are absolutely shameless in their love for their little sister. Yes, I am doing fine, no problems at all. Would you please ask Otto if he would be willing to be the godfather of Samantha, I hope your 'brother' would be acceptable to you to look after his niece. Give my warrior Hare my love. Please let me know if this is acceptable and Please, Come Home to us. Your loving mate, Abbie."

Toddy grabbed me and was swinging me in a circle…"Samantha! Bless my mate!" and then, he was crying again, but looking up and very proud.

"Toddy, who was Samantha?" I asked, almost afraid to inquire into such an emotional area.

Toddy sat down and patted for me to sit next to him. He gave a small whine, and put his muzzle in his paws…he looked out in the woods, not really at anyone… "She was my mother, she died protecting me from my uncle".

'I was guessing the Reynards were not all one happy family,' at least one part of them.

"I was my father's only kit, he died when I was only several months old…my mother was widowed very young when we lost him. I have no memory of my father, just pictures. I was partially named after him, He was Todd Reynard, my mother hated the Todd II or Todd Jr. naming conventions," he laughed, "Reynards are nothing if not traditional, so when you bowed and then kissed Lady Victoria's and Lady Molly's paws, you did absolutely the correct thing. It's why Abigail offered you her paw, it was an honor to be treated with such respect as you gave her vixens and then her. She considered you a Reynard from that point on. We're very very traditional foxes…well a Hare as my brother and godfather to Samantha, you will won't you? well, it's a new tradition. Anyway, I was christened Toddy Reynard. I had an uncle who wanted to be THE Reynard male, and not me. He came by the house and was going to kill me. My mother fought with him, she stopped him but was killed by this evil fox, but she didn't finally die before she'd killed him to protect her kit. All I really remember of my mother, is her warm hug and bright green eyes watching me, she smelled like violets I think, it's a feeling of a mothers' love when I smell violets…a feeling of safety. It means a lot to me Abigail named Samantha after my mother, the vixen who fought for me, who died for me. I know Abbie would do the same for our vixens."

I actually said to Toddy, "I would too! I make this vow to you!" I found out later vows mean a lot to foxes, especially the Reynard family.

"Would you really?" Toddy asked, eyes wide open and surprised…"you would do that for my vixens?"

"For all of them, Abigail, Samantha, Victoria and Molly" I said, "they're my family, I'm their warrior."

I said with my paw over my heart, "Yes, I so pledge", well, that sounded pretty official to me…."I actually got it right it turned out, surprise! Reading all that Shakesbear had to count for something, taught me how to be a serious Buck when the occasion called for it."

Toddy was amazed, I think he was used to being his family's protector, their champion…the one mammal who would protect his family. He was alone with his family, he was an only Todd. He now had a complete family, he had a brother…a brother who would protect those he loved with everything they had.

Toddy put his paw over his heart, he bowed his head and quietly repeated a very old vow, "This Todd has vowed his loyalty and life for the Reynard family, given freely as a noble Fox not born to the red, It is so accepted by this family member, Toddy Reynard, you are now and forever a Reynard and vowed to my family, to your family, one and the same!" he shook my paw and marked me as a brother.

"Yes, I was crying again…I'm a very teary warrior it seems…and I was now, a Reynard Fox!"

Carrot Hill, Bunnyburrow Fairgrounds, Present Day

Nick, once again was speechless. "Wait, you really are a Reynard?"

"Yes Nick, I am…an official Reynard" I said.

"You're Samantha Reynard's Godfather?...the actual Samantha Reynard, Daughter of Abigail and Toddy Reynard, sister of Victoria and Molly Reynard?"

"Yes, Sammy is my goddaughter, I'm her…well, I'm her godfather."

"How, you're a Hare, Um, Rabbit?" Nick asked.

"On the Reynard family history and rolls, I'm carried as a Todd, I'm an adopted Todd…Nick, I'm a Fox, Otto Hopps Reynard, Senior Todd of the Reynard family actually," Otto laughed, "Want to kiss my ring?"

"What, ring, Foxes don't do rings? Nick said.

Otto smiled at Nick…'So help me,' Nick thought, 'he managed a full Smirk Level III any fox would lay claim to'…"You really are a Reynard Fox!"

Otto sighed, "Yes, for good or bad, joy and heartache…yes, they're my family, I'm their todd…for over 75 years."

October 1942

It had been 3 weeks I think since we went into town and had our housecleaning of traitors. Toddy shot an arrow into the town center, black shaft with red fletching. Psywarops 101, make them scared, what they can't see will see and kill them, what they can't hear can hear and kill them. Things go by night with teeth and claw will rend them and kill them.

The black wolves were not happy.

I'll admit, I was stupid, truly truly idiotically stupid. I was by myself and very quietly skulking through the woods, Toddy was a few minutes behind me He was getting a debriefing, and me, being an impatient idiot, a Hare personality quirk I know, I'd headed out early and only carrying a pistol, no rifle or bow. Just a snoop and scoot, avoiding being seen, a small grey Hare moving carefuly. Yes, stupid I know, walking in the woods, looking at the farmhouse where we'd rescued the vixen several weeks before…the next thing I knew, I was in a net.

I didn't make any noise, but couldn't get to a knife to cut my way out and the trap had a little bell that kept ringing whenever I'd move. I heard feet coming through the brush, "Please be Toddy! Please be Toddy! Please be Toddy!' It wasn't. A black wolf was staring at me, a smile slowly growing on his muzzle.

"Kaninchenfleisch!" which I later found out meant "rabbit meat"! 'Oh hell', I thought, 'I was on their menu…if they murdered a bull and his family, a Hare would be nothing to them but an appetizer.'

I was kicked several times by the wolf, he seemed to enjoy the challenge of getting me to squeak, or maybe to soften me up. I'll never know, but he did seem to enjoy kicking this Hare's butt all the way back to their camp.

Back at their camp, I was unwrapped from the net, the kicking wolf grabbed me by my ears and had my fatigues cut off, dinner didn't need clothes, they were going dress me another way (making a bad pun, I really was getting to be a Reynard fox).

I was tied up and left on the ground, this way I would have to watch and wait while the cook was sharpening his knife. He stuck the point of the blade in my leg, to test it's sharpness or my tenderness I guess. "I'll admit, I squeeled like a scared rabbit when he stabbed me".

The cook stood up laughing and licked my blood off the knife. "THUNK!" an arrow appeared in his eye, he made a noisy gurgle reaching for the shaft of the arrow, trying to pull it out as he fell forward driving the arrow further into his head when the shaft hit the ground… the four remaining black wolves were growling and looking for something to kill.

The wolf who enjoyed kicking me and cutting off my uniform came over, he was was getting out his luger and was going to shoot me, all these black wolves really seemed to enjoy their cruelty, they were always smiling at their own evil private joke. "THUNK!" One more wolf down, an arrow was in the throat of this wolf …he screamed and went down twitching. Toddy was everywhere, two knives in his paws, the wolves couldn't get away from him. Knives stabbing and slashing, wolves howling and shots going off, all I could do is watch and struggle against the ropes.

I was grabbed off the ground by Toddy as he ran for the woods, red tail straight behind him, breathing heavy, I wasn't the lightest load and I was dead weight.

He carried me till he couldn't run any more, down to a stream and we covered ourselves in mud. I still was tied up, there hadn't been time to cut me loose, we had to get further away from the wolves and their sensitive noses.

Toddy was staring at me, I'd never seen him that scared, I really was his brother. His eyes were tearing up and he had his tail around me…my brother was protecting me.

'I wonder if Abigail asked him to bring me home too?' I thought. I was Finally cut loose,

Toddy looked at me and smiled, "Not your best look Otto, does this qualify as 'buck naked?" and he started laughing."

"Yep, puns and smirks go along with foxes, better get used to it, I'm a Reynard Fox now" I told myself as Toddy smirked and laughed

"Yeah, goes along with being a Fox, you don't have a chance Otto Hopps Reynard", Toddy said for the first time…"Yes, you are truly my brother now, that vow made it so…guess you're a grey Fox, not a beautiful and classy Red version'…he was laughing quietly, "Sounds good though…Abigail said it was cute, the vixens squeeled when we told them…you really caught their hearts when you called them "Ladys" and kissed their paws…Abigail told them stories of the first Reynard and of his lady, and Robin and Maid Marian…all the classic little vixen stories…you made them princesses and made them proud."

We stayed quiet for several hours, waiting for it to get darker. I noticed Toddy kept his bow and arrows too during his attack.

Once again, Toddy and I, now in uniform, were standing in front of "Wild Bull", the same quiet Wolf captain and the laughing SOE Leftenant Badger was snickering away, "Bloody Buck Naked!"

"Would you gentlemammals be so kind as to tell me what the Hell happened in the woods last night, please…before this badger chokes on his cigar" we were asked.

"Well" we both said in unison.

"We were going to talk" Toddy said.

"Yes, to the vixen, who was attacked, and then I, well, Otto."

"No wait, I went first, you were getting your debriefing" I said to Toddy.

"No, you wouldn't wait, always have to hurry," a Hare problem you said.

"No, you were taking too long, and I don't have your night vision so," I said.

"Not a good enough excuse, you should've waited…"

"SHUT UP!, Oh My Gawd, SHUT UP" the Bull said, "It's like listening to my parents argue!

The badger was on the ground laughing, the wolf captain was smirking and "Wild Bull" had taken off his glasses and was rubbing between his eyes.

Toddy was awarded a Silver Star for bravery, we both earned purple hearts for injuries suffered and had KP for a week for our stupidity in getting into the situation in the first place. But, it turned out the head black wolf we were supposed to eliminate, was the wolf who was so happy kicking my Hare butt who got to enjoy an arrow in his throat…"

"Fox Luck" Toddy called it. The Reynard brothers were getting a reputation, depending on who you talked to, a good or bad one.

"Wild Bull Donovan" just kept calling us into his tent to stare at us.

I'd say, "Sir?"

He'd just wave his hoof at us and continue staring, "Quiet sergeant, I'm thinking."

'I could hear Toddy's brain working in overdrive', a simple, 'yeah, that's what we're scared of, me and my brother.'

We'd be dismissed and our platoon mates would just gather around, asking, "What did he say?"

"Nothing, didn't say anything, just kept staring at us" Toddy said, "gets pretty creepy too!"

November 1942

We finally moved away from this village. Toddy and I had gone to visit the Vixen Miette who we rescued. No one knew what happened to her, she just disappeared one day.

"I hope she had family she could go move in with away from this area," I said, "I really hope she did, I'd like to think she survived, but I'd never know for sure."

Toddy was more honest, "We'll never know, I'm hoping for the poor vixen, but a lone female in this zone, with all these black wolves and evil mammals…I just don't know".

"Well, at least she knows a Fox and a Hare cared about her and tried to help stop the evil that was in her village" I wished, "Yeah, I know, but I can hope."

We did visit the village itself, we kept hearing how horrible it was those innocent mammals were killed, the mayor, the banker, the poor principle and worst of all, that noble priest. We just stared at these idiots.

"What about the black wolves?" we asked a few villagers,

"Oh, they weren't that bad, just to the wrong mammals, they were trouble makers anyway!"

"Just to the wrong mammals" Toddy and I said to each other…."I miss our family, I want to go home."

Carrot Hill, Bunnyburrow Fairgrounds, Present Day

Otto sighed and looked out over the hills, down to the fairgrounds and the fields further away. "Nick, I can see all the fields being worked, the kits coming home from school. I see the mammals in trucks heading to the stores to get dinner…I don't see any wrong mammals"

Nick looked at the view, looked at Otto and gave a small whine. Otto could hardly hear it, just a small feeling of something very sad getting a small voice…for the wrong mammals.

"Otto, I've been one of those "wrong mammals" my entire life. Foxes aren't welcome, we can't find apartments to rent, my father couldn't get a loan to start his business, I tried to start an amusement park, I couldn't get a loan. When Judy and I were trying to find a nice place where we could both live, I made a deal with her, after 15 tries, we'd give up and she'd move somewhere safe for herself. ..we kept trying, even after all those tries failed…Foxes are wrong mammals. Remember Bonnie and Stu pushing Fox tasers and Fox Away on Judy when she was going to Zootopia. Remember what it was like when I first came to the Hopps' burrow. The kits and the kerfluffle were wonderful, I love the kits…Judy's brothers and sisters, some were terrible to her. Judy got in fights on the train with specist animals. Remember when the Bellwether Night Howler attacks were stopped by Judy, when we taped that insane hateful sheep, I carried Judy out of the display, she was put in an ambulance to get her safely to the hospital so they could treat her cut leg. Chief Bogo told his officers to "bring me to the precinct"…they muzzled me, put me in pawcuffs and beat me up because I didn't want to wear the muzzle. I rescued Judy and they beat me up because I was the wrong mammal. Later I got an "Oops, honest mistake, we misunderstood". Really, I risked my life for their officer, but they only saw a fox, the wrong mammal."

Nick looked at Otto and sadly shook his head, "Otto Hopps Reynard", I grew up a wrong mammal, I've faced those same animals every day, my father faced those same evil animals, so did my mother, so does Judy now that she is the mate of a Fox, the wrong mammal." Abigail, Samantha, Victoria, Molly and Toddy were wrong mammals, hated by some, vilified by others…and yes, loved by many Foxes, they gave us hope, they were the best of us…but for too many, they were the wrong mammals.

Otto just kept his head down, his ears drooping behind him with his paws covering his eyes, now he was speechless, there really wasn't anything to say.

"Nick, can we please go home now…I feel very old."

"Naw, you're not old, you remember when dirt was clean!" He smirked, "Never let them see they get to you."

"Son, I've got bad news…we ate your mate's pastry, sure hope Gideon's still open or we'll both get the spoon."

"Now your talking like a true Reynard"…and yes, I want to finish your story, Chief Buffalo Butt gave us the time to do it, and I'm taking full advantage of his generosity."

Otto was a little worried, "Think Stu will notice that little dent in the bumper?"

"Dent, what dent, that was already there".