RaBunzel - Chapter Three
Written by Chatears
Cover art by Chatears
Edited by Cimar
"Will you two stop fooling around?!" The agitated rabbit's shout had both the large cape buffalo and lanky fox pausing in their tracks of harming one another. With almost kit like actions the two mammals lowered their arms to their own bodies and hung their head in shame, following behind the doe who ventured out into the city to explore the shops before they hit the kingdom later on in preparation for the festival.
It was easy to see that the doe was rather excited at getting to see the new sights and things that were laid out for the event and for some very odd reason Nicholas felt his heart skip a beat every time the bunny sent an excited smile his way. The buffalo by his side did not help matters as the bovine would occasionally send smirks at the fox, causing the tod to become flustered and nervous.
"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judith exclaimed upon finding the price of a rather pretty flower crown adorned with gems in the shape of carrots, matching the theme of the festival to be held a day later. The doe felt her ears droop in disappointment as she realized she couldn't possibly afford the item. Putting it back on the shelf, Judith wandered over to another display of festive decorations, unaware to the fact a certain fox had noticed her expression with the crown and was currently examining it for purchase.
"What? Look I'm just buying this because I'm trying to be nice," the fox muttered to Bogo, who snorted in amusement at seeing what Nicholas was purchasing, and knowing just whom he planned to give it to.
Judith whom had shuffled over to a cart of CD's was examining one of their newest, Gazelle Volume II, when a tap on her back had her turning sharply long hair whipping around and smacking, who the doe now recognized, as a nervous Nicholas Wilde.
Judith looked to see the fox opening his mouth to speak as he offered a paw to the doe, a very familiar crown in the padded palm of it. The doe squealed in adoration giving the fox a very huge hug as she adjusted it to her head, making sure to avoid her sensitive ears.
"Thank you so much, Nick!" the doe cheered, offering the tod another hug. She then proceeded to give one to the large cape buffalo, who accepted it whilst pretending to be annoyed, missing the look of pure admiration on a certain fox's face. The group then took off, Nicholas smiling gently as he watched the doe light up with excitement.
He happened to catch Bogo's eye, feeling his face flush when the bovine gave the fox another suggestive smile along with a wink. This caused the fox to speed up, and follow behind Judith,
blushing more at the sound of the mammal's loud huff of laughter behind him.
"Nicholas, oh my gosh, look! Look at what this mammal has! Isn't it so neat?!" the rabbit suddenly squealed, tapping the fox's arm multiple times as she pointed to a jackal whom held purple frosted cupcakes with carrot crown shaped candies on top.
The vulpine looked from the cupcakes to the bunny who so obviously wanted the treats, if her glowing purple eyes were anything to go by. Letting out a quiet sigh, the fox walked over to the fellow canine and handed over a couple of bills before taking two of the mini cakes and walking over to the now bouncing doe.
"At this rate, my wallet's going to be empty, Carrots," the fox joked, not expecting the rabbit doe to take him so seriously. Judith's eyes suddenly widened in worry and her ears drooped as she suddenly placed her uneaten cupcake back into the vulpine's paw.
"Nicholas, hurry! If you go and give this back to the jackal now, I'm sure you can get your money back!" she told him, pushing him gently in the direction of the still smiling Jackal.
The fox shook his head at the lapine's actions and held the rabbit's palms up, placing the sweet into them.
"I was joking, fluff. Don't worry about the money, I wanted to get it for you." With that, he took a bite of his own cupcake and walked off, his ears turning this way and that at the different sounds in the city.
The doe felt her cheeks heat up at the generous offer and she smiled softly, taking a bite into the treat. Part of her feeling that the cake tasted even more sweet due to who had given it to her.
"I will kill that fox!" Larry shouted as he lost sight of the tracks a certain fox had left.
He raised a paw in the air as if to make his point, before another paw tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around.
Doing so, caused the angry white wolf to face his husband Gary (a gray wolf) who looked equally angry.
"No, I'm going to kill the fox. You said you were going to kill his bunny friend," he argued, his brows furrowing.
"No, we agreed that I would kill the fox, and then if his bunny friend got in the way we'd kill her."
"No, I said I would kill the fox….!"
The pair continued to argue, their voices carrying over the forest. Neither realizing their supposed targets were getting even farther away.
Judith lit up in excitement at seeing many mammals preparing for the concert and lighting of the lanterns that was to happen the next night.
Her amethyst eyes reflected her excitement as she hopped about, looking along at all the different equipment and occasionally pulling at Nicholas' paw in the process.
Night fell quickly with all the excitement of the carnival being set up making the day whirl by, and the pair -or more importantly the doe-, had found herself on the brink of exhaustion, paws tired and ears drooping. The fox, of course, picked up on this and with a gentle and awkward fidgeting with his paws, he picked up the rabbit as if she were a bride and made his way back to the motel they were staying at. His ears pinning back against his head, with a blush when the doe murmured a, "Put me down.", quietly before giving up and latching onto his neck, resting her head onto his chest.
The fox felt his heartbeat pick up at the doe's complete trust in him, and he felt a smile paint his muzzle as he reached the motel, the doe continuing to sleep soundly in his arms.
"What are you doing to me, Carrots," the vulpine muttered softly, looking down at the doe that had him feeling things he hadn't felt since he was a young kit.
Judith awoke with a soft groan as she stretched her arms above her head. Her ears perked up high when she felt a warm weight on her lap and she looked, her nose twitching when she spotted a familiar fox. Coming to the conclusion that Nicholas had carried her back to the motel, while she was asleep had her smiling and after carefully removing the canine from his spot atop her she opened the door to the motel, heading down to the lobby for some complimentary breakfast.
Clad in just her pajamas the doe headed down the stairs, not realizing a certain cloaked ewe was following her.
"Finally, I thought I'd never get you alone." The familiar voice of her mother caused the doe to turn quickly, a gasp escaping her.
"Mother?" Judith questioned as the cloaked figure revealed herself to be, the sheep who raised her since she was a kit.
"Hello, Judith," Bellwether cooed, smiling at the doe. The bunny felt a sense of dread wash over her as the sheep looked at her with what could only be described as a sinister smile.
"I've been looking for you Judith, and I just don't understand how you could betray me like that. No matter, all is forgiven and now it's time for you to come home. C'mon, dear." The ewe didn't give the rabbit a chance to speak as she grabbed Judith's arm and began to head for the back exit of the motel.
Judith finally having caught her bearings yanked her arm from the sheep, looking at her with defiance in her amethyst eyes.
"No mother. I'm not going. You don't understand, I've learned so much being outside for once and, and I even met a mammal." Judith smiled to herself not realizing her cheeks had given off a vibrant blush that the sheep certainly caught onto.
"You mean that thieving little fox, oh my I'm so proud," the ewe spoke sarcastically adding an eye roll.
The doe felt anger course through her at the speciest comment and she glared at the sheep.
"He's not a thief, alright! He's been nothing but sweet and gentle. And, and I think he actually likes me," she told Bellwether, her smile bright and her eyes dazed.
The sheep laughed, causing humiliation to run up Judith's cheeks as Bellwether looked at her with sarcastic glee.
"Please, Judith. You think he's impressed. Don't be a dummy bunny, come home with mummy. Mother knows best." The sheep said raising her arms as if for a hug.
"No, mother. I told you, I'm not going back. And besides I know he likes me I-"
The rabbit was cut off as the sheep suddenly opened a hoof revealing a familiar carrot pen.
"No, darling. This is why he's here. And I know that as soon as you give him this, he'll be gone faster than you can blink."
Judith gaped at seeing the pen, thinking she had kept it well hidden and felt a large degree of sadness wash over her as the sheep gave her a knowing smirk before leaving, causing the bunny to make her way back to the pair's shared motel room with droopy ears. Asking herself one question.
Would he really leave me?
"Hey carrots, I was looking for-" The fox cut himself off as he spotted the bunny sitting on her bed, with her back towards him. Hair down and ears drooping.
Curie, her pet lizard, had too seen the results of the quiet bunny and climbed onto the doe's shoulders, hoping to cheer her up.
"Hey, you alright?" Nicholas asked, his tone concerned. Judith suddenly perked up turning to face the fox, with a large smile that definitely did not calm his suspicions.
"Yeah I'm fine. Was just waiting on you is all, Slick," Judith teased, sitting up from the bed once she noticed the fox was clean and ready to go.
If the fox didn't buy the story he didn't show it, as he simply shrugged it off and walked alongside the rabbit who did her best to not think about the earlier conversation with a certain sheep.
She noticed the sun was setting, and soon her dream of seeing the Carnival of Zootopia was to come true. Looking to Nicholas, she was surprised to see the fox talking with a person who was setting up the stage, handing him a few bills and then returning to her side.
When she sent him a questioning look, the vulpine just shrugged, sporting a smirk as he spoke to her.
"Just making sure, we get the best viewing Carrots." The doe blushed when he sent her a wink and dropped the subject, taking time to study the different mammals in the city and the decorations they carried.
They walked a bit further away before Nicholas suddenly pulled the rabbit to a stop, steering her over to where the boats sat at the dock.
"Wait here, Carrots," he told her before disappearing with a swish of his tail. Judith did as told, rubbing her ears nervously just as the fox came back into view with a large paw of mini-wheats. She watched with a quirked brow as the vulpine calmly walked over to Bogo whom was eying Nicholas' every move.
When it was clear the fox meant no harm, Bogo took a step forward all four hooves clipping softly against the cobblestone of the street as the large cape buffalo leant forward taking tentative sniffs at Nicholas' offered paw.
Judith felt a smile form as Bogo huffed before accepting the treat of wheat and munching on it softly. Nicholas gave the bovine a pat on his back as he moved towards Judith leading her away from the now calm buffalo and towards the boats.
Smiling shyly the rabbit gave Nicholas a smile as she held his paw, catching the fox by surprise. He tensed a for a few seconds, and the doe thought he was going to pull away when he suddenly adjusted his paw so that his fingers intertwined with hers, the rough pads of his paws caressing her fur and sending a chill up her spine.
Stepping into the boat, Judith made her way to the end to lean onto the bow. She felt her insides clench with nerves as she waited for the festival to begin, the first event of the night being the lanterns for the lost princess, and then ending with a tribute for said princess song by none other than popstar Gazelle.
The thought that in a little over an hour she'd been seeing the lights she'd dreamed of since she was a kit, and up close instead of from her tower, had the rabbit both excited, yet terrified. What if her dream wasn't what she thought it to be? What if it didn't go as planned? What if…. Her worries were interrupted by a soft brown dipped paw lying itself atop her own, the rough pads soothing her and letting her know the fox was there for her.
"What's on your mind, Judith?" Nicholas asked and hearing her name come from the fox's mouth. Not calling her, "fluff", "fluff butt" or "carrots", comforted her, letting her know the vulpine was completely serious and wanted to know what she was feeling. She felt her cheeks warm at the revelation.
"I-I'm terrified," the doe muttered, avoiding eye contact leaning forward to touch paws with the lukewarm water of the sea. A paw found itself beneath her chin forcing her violet eyes to rest on serious emerald ones.
"Don't hide from me, Judith. I want to understand, but I can't if you don't talk to me." He spoke and the doe felt herself melting at his words. Nodding her head against his palm she obliged.
"It's just all those years I've been in the tower, watching for the lanterns and not knowing what they were yet feeling they were meant for me...and hoping one day I'd be able to go out and see them. And now being here -with you, and getting to see them for the first time…. What if it's not what I dreamed it would be?"
The fox smiled softly understanding the rabbit's nervousness and he smiled.
"Well, that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream," Nicholas told her.
Judith smiled at this, her eyes holding contact with Nicholas' own, shining with an emotion she couldn't quite decipher. Her attention was caught by a golden glow in her peripheral view, causing her to turn. Gasping softly, the doe watched as single lantern floated through the sapphire sky, the patterns of the object blending in with the stars as it twinkled and danced about.
The rabbit found herself moving forward to get a better look, her violet eyes focused on the light. She felt her nose twitch in awe as it seemed as if thousands upon thousands of lanterns followed the first, painting the night sky with hues of yellow, pink, and purple.
Feeling eyes on her, the doe turned and her ears perked to see Nicholas smiling at her warmly, two lanterns nestled gently into his palms.
She hurriedly moved over to him sitting down across from him as he handed her a lantern. Smiling at him, she took his paw in her own before they lifted the lanterns into the sky, the two objects flowing together as one as they drifted off into the darkness. The doe felt her heart pump with joy at the fox by her side, and it was then that she decided he was more than just her guide. Grinning now, the doe suddenly turned to the fox with wide violet eyes.
"I have something for you as well, Nicholas." The eagerness in her tone did not go unnoticed by the fox whose tail wagged softly, ears perked high. She smiled reaching behind her to pull a satchel out, a familiar carrot pen on top of the bag. She looked up at it, before sighing and handing it to him with a shy smile.
"I know I should have given this to you before, but I was scared that you'd leave. And well, I'm not so scared anymore. You know what I mean?" she questioned softly.
Nicholas did, and wanted to show her that he didn't care about the pen nor the satchel anymore. Leaning forward he placed a paw on hers.
"I'm starting to."
Without thinking the pair started to lean close to one another, their eyes closing in bliss as the space between them grew shorter and shorter. Just as Nicholas placed a paw on Judith's face his nose touching hers, a smell caught his nose.
Opening his emerald green eyes Nicholas looked for the source of smell, his eyes catching sight of two familiar figures standing on the cobblestone pathway just outside the dock.
Frowning, he studied them closer. What? How did they find me?
"Nicholas?" The sweet voice pulled him out of his thoughts and the vulpine glanced down seeing the doe with her violet eyes now wide open his paw still on her cheek.
"What? Hmm?" he answered his thoughts now scattered.
"Is everything alright?" He found himself glancing at the satchel in his possession. No, but it would be.
"I'm sorry, Carrots. But uh, there's something I need to do." He explained, as he pulled their boat to the dock. Tying it up, he held out a paw for the now confused, and rather disappointed bunny, causing him to mentally kick himself as he realized he had unintentionally ruined the best night of her life. But this was something he couldn't put off.
"I'll be back, Carrots. I promise," he told Judith as he left her to wait by the dock, Bogo now standing close by and her lizard Curie now on her shoulders. Her violet eyes met his and she nodded, swallowing down the lump in her throat.
"Alright."
Minutes passed and the doe felt her anxiety increase each second as the fox did not enter in view.
What if he left? What if he doesn't come back? Was mother right all along?
Her worries were put aside when a figured entered the clearing walking toward her with swift steps and the doe felt her ears perk with relief.
"Oh, for a second there. I thought, I thought you left?" she laughed nervously.
She expected Nicholas' laugh to greet her, not two deep voices causing her heart to drop to her stomach.
Just as two wolves entered her vision, both standing taller than her with smirks painted on their muzzles.
"Oh, don't worry. He did."