Well, shit.
Eyes were definitely on him, he could just sense them. The fox fixed his own to the ground ahead of him as he walked, paws withdrawn into his pockets and tail hanging low. Internally, he urged his embarrassment away under a cool façade that was bound to crack. Nick was certain that the other Alpha predators' expressions were overflowing with either mirth or pity over the bunny-centered-debacle that transpired in the cafeteria just earlier this afternoon.
The great Nicholas Wilde, hustled by a freshman.
What's the worst that could possibly come out of it, anyway? So what if some lame freshies crash the party? After tonight this'll all just be water off a duck's back.
In all honesty, Nick was just grateful that no one had teased him further about getting conned into inviting his prank victims, but he knew it was only a matter of time until someone opened their muzzles and made some sneaky remarks.
The pack strolled off campus towards the frat house, definitely catching some stares from other students and pedestrians along the way, but the fox disregarded the attention for once to mentally wallow in his defeat against the rabbit. He could still envision the look of triumph that filled her features, the dancing glint in her eyes, that stupid little tail that mirrored her excitement when she sauntered off.
"You still butt-hurt, huh?" Came a husky murmur to his left, emitted from the beige fennec fox that walked beside him.
Nick only grunted.
"Hey now big guy, don't take it out on me. You dug your own grave." Finnick gave a low chuckle, a sound he was well aware stung his touchy friend, so he put his antics aside and regained some somber countenance. "Wonder how long this meeting is gonna take. Still gotta pick up some green before the party."
The scarlet fox sighed quietly, releasing a fraction of pent up emotion before acknowledging his flat mate. "Last year it took ten minutes. Can't imagine it'd be any different now." He arched a brow, a hint of his saucy nature resurrecting in both his face and tone. "Bro. Didn't we just pick up last weekend?"
Finnick shrugged with a smug you-got-me kind of grin. "All gone now."
Nick hacked a laugh. "You fuckin' stoner."
"Guilty as charged," laughed the smaller fox. They finally arrived to the front door of the grey-brick building, standing three stories tall with their Greek letter alpha fraternity symbol displayed on flags flanking the windows on all sides.
A building that Nick would probably be calling his home soon. No hard feelings, Fin.
Only the top members got to live in it with the head Alpha, and the fox was all but certain he was going to be invited to move in. He was the most accomplished prankster in the history of the fraternity, after all. Not to mention the most popular pred at ZU as of late. And quite the catch too, he noted cockily to himself.
Once the pack of preds, over four dozen in total, got inside the musty abode they lounged about in the suddenly crowded living room. With no sign of the head Alpha, the rowdy group jeered and clamored amongst themselves. A brazen few lower ranks even snuck off to one of the coolers and cracked open some beers without permission, and a gutsy cheetah began to puff on and pass around a cigarette indoors.
Nick was interrupted mid-conversation at the sound of heavy footfalls down the creaky staircase at the end of the room, a large white bear from the looks of it, although the smaller-than-average predator had to peek between taller members to catch sight of him. Griffin, the more massively built of the twin polar bears and basically the second in command, greeted the murmuring crowd with a casual glance.
From Nick's vantage point he spotted Griffin's brother not too far behind.
"Welcome ladies! Missed me?" Came the titillating, abrasive voice that filled the room. Nick recognized it was none other than Fang himself. The head Alpha.
Although Nick couldn't quite see him, he figured he was in between his two right-hand mammals, exposing his pretentious pointy grin to all those who gawked at him. Not a sight he necessarily wanted to see, per se, but the curious fox stood atop the sofa's armrest to get a good view of the action.
Fang inquisitively appraised his fraternity as he began a slow pace through the crowd, probably doing a headcount as mammals quieted. There was a murmur somewhere, one that the hyena addressed directly by snatching a stolen can of beer out of the paws of a weasel and chucking the half-full container at the head of an uttering wolf. The others with beers hid them immediately behind their backs, stifling nervous coughs as the struck wolf quit his muttering and whined quietly. Fang took any distraction in his presence personally.
"Shut up ya assholes, and it'd be much appreciated." His scathing hiss switched effortlessly into a sarcastically sweet hum; even Nick admired how it became the only audible source in the room. "Let's make this quick, yeah? Quick and painless." He paced further, looking predators in the eyes as he went, noticing who met his gaze head-on and who averted it. "We gather here like we do every start of a new year. We do it to remind ourselves why we wear these colors, why we call ourselves alphas."
The dark brown and black spotted hyena plucked a lit cigarette out of the mouth of a cheetah and crushed the ember beneath his foot, causing the larger mammal to slightly wince. The display of his power was evident, and Nick smirked to himself at how provoking it was. Inspiring.
"While the world may be afraid of us, we are proud of what makes us fearful, aren't we?" The head Alpha smirked over at his silent, watchful audience. "So we're gonna stay scary. We are gonna stay on top, rule the kingdom of ZU, like we always have." He turned on his heel and raised his paws high, waving on the crowd. "Are you proud to be what you are?"
The predators, probably unsure if they were allowed to utter a word in the case it was a rhetorical question, didn't speak. Fang's rather serious expression shifted into one of amusement, his arms dropping to his sides. "The answer should be a resounding hell yes. Or else I'll throw you all outta of this damn hell hole of a house myself." The room rumbled with low chuckles at the halfhearted threat.
His paws became fists, members stepping back to make way for him. "So gimme all ya bastards got, right now, right here. Gimme your best god damn roar, howl, or whatever fuckin' sound you make! Let me hear ya!"
His shout transformed into a callous growl as he rounded his back; the crowd's response to it was phenomenal. The house shook at the sheer sound of everyone's joined outcries, a cacophonous whirlwind that made Nick's heart skip as even he pitched in his best grungy, intimidating growl. A sweet release.
Once the sound faded, Fang nodded slowly at the gang, clearly impressed. "That's how it's done." He smoothed the aisle of black fur between his ears down to the back of his neck with a paw, taming his erected hackles. "Now, you sons of bitches should know by now, that I run this show. However, one of you gets to decide whether my reign ends here. Un-fucking-likely, if you ask me. So, anyone here want to challenge me for the title of head Alpha?" His dark eyes darted over the room, now abruptly silent.
Nick looked over the crowd slowly and noticed the complete silence but wasn't surprised by it. A part of him wanted to be a smart ass and accept the challenge as a joke, but he knew better than to take the chance with a ruthless guy like Fang. Especially not after witnessing what happened to the last poor asshole that challenged him.
Griffin exhaled low, but said nothing.
Fang laughed. "Great. No takers. Onto our next topic then." His paws came together in a clap and paced towards Nick's direction, towards the occupied sofas and standing wallflowers. "We got ourselves a party tonight fellas. And not just any shitty party. It's The Jungle baby, the one and only! And since I'm feelin' generous, I say everyone here gets to go."
Many surged aloud in excitement, initiating another general spell of chuckles.
"Yeah, yeah, settle down. Whether you go or not, I don't really give a damn. But all of ya are going to the frat party I'll be throwing next week, here in this very house. It's mandatory." A diabolical smile spread over his muzzle, eliciting more resounding hurrahs from the predators, Nick included.
Frat parties were the shit. Alpha Preda parties especially were a college predator's paradise since prey were not allowed. From the fox's previous two experiences, it either ended in a hot drunk hook-up or blacked-out in the frat house bath tub completely shit-faced. Ah, the memories.
"Next Wednesday's Activities Night. That means fresh meat joins us, you all know the drill. Get 'em fucked up at the frat party, see if the new recruits can hang." He made a jerk motion with his paw near his mouth that made the guys stir with laughter.
Oh yeah, the recruitment process. Frat guys and sorority girls making newbies guzzle alcohol and watching them drop like flies. Pretty thankful my alcohol tolerance is decent. Would'nt've been chosen to join the frat if not for that.
"Lastly," the Alpha purred, turning his head so that he met Nick's gaze. "Thanks to a special member of ours, we got to witness the best prank ever pulled in Alpha Preda history."
All eyes suddenly on Nick, everyone erupted into cheers and applause, which filled the fox's chest with a strange fuzzy feeling. At the unexpected commotion in his honor he bubbled a somewhat nervous laugh. He never felt so appreciated and welcomed into any group like this before. As his bravado swelled, he bowed before the crowd, tipping his well-known imaginary hat that caused even Finnick to sputter a laugh.
Fang made his way through the rowdy predators that celebrated the noble prankster, all whom parted like a sea partial to the hyena's whim, which was to approach the fox directly. He held up a paw, dangling something golden between his thumb and pointer fingers.
A key to the frat house.
A few top ranking mammals had surprised looks at the offer the hyena held, some not so surprised. Other members were envious, including Weasleton who brooded the event unfolding from the corner of the room. Finnick watched with a hardly noticeable droop in his large ears. Nick reached out to accept the offer with a grin.
Until the dumb look of pride vanished from Nick's face as Fang stashed the radiant metal away into a jacket pocket, his own smirk growing toothy over black lips.
"But Wilde got hustled somethin' bad by that freshman bunny today. A freshman. A fuckin' shame, really." He hummed almost satisfyingly. The statement alone earned the fox atop the sofa incredulous looks from those unaware of his being hustled, as well as some spurts of taunting laughter, plus a few heads shaking at him in disbelief. A minority even booed. Nick scowled lightly at the hyena that seemed all too delighted in their response. "I have no doubt in my mind, Wilde, that you'll continue proving yourself." Fang nonchalantly turned and paced to the other end of the room.
The fox was livid enough to pounce on him.
But he contained it, closed his eyes, mind-bleached the oppressive looks, deafened the lingering sounds of snickering replaying like a broken record, and inhaled sharply.
He couldn't let anyone see... that he got to him.
"Enough standing around like a buncha' shitheads. We've got a party to start pre-gaming for!" He hollered, jumping up onto Griffin's back and giving him a good shake by the shoulders as the frat hollered and pumped their arms up in reply. "Drinks on me!"
A mass of guys followed the hoisted-up hyena into the kitchen where sounds of shouting, snapped beer cans, and clicking lighters could be heard from where the fox stood paralyzed.
Fuck him. The hyena was a brutal creature, making it uncannily difficult for the fox to be a part of his inner circle almost like he had an unspoken grudge against him. But it had always been that way before, and at least Nick had come so much farther up the fraternity food chain since the days Fang normally made his life a living hell. He was so close to the top, overthrowing Fang just out of spite almost seemed tempting. Almost.
"So, uh," Finnick awkwardly approached the other fox, clearly solemn by the blank look on his face. "I still gotta make that pick up. You comin' with?"
After a few seconds of silent deliberation, Nick climbed off the furniture, exhaled his long-held breath, and gave the most enthusiastic nod he could conjure down at the fennec fox. "Sure thing buddy. But first…" He leaned down once the coast was clear and revealed something underneath the sofa by lifting its skirt: a cardboard box containing laid out glass bottles of alcohol. Fang's most expensive stash of liquor, stolen and hidden from his liquor cabinet the night they all came to the frat house to celebrate Nick's prank. Stolen and hidden by yours truly. "I'm gonna take these babies home with us. I'm sure our dearest head Alpha won't mind…" A wicked grin broke over his face.
Finnick's eyes widened and he looked around, panicked, before taking an aggressive hold of the front of Nick's shirt to pull him down at eye level. "You crazy man? He'll skin you."
"Fuck him." Nick shrugged softly, eyes gleaming with unbridled mischief. "Let's get cross-faded."
.o0o.
Bellwether did not take the news well.
The club president instinctively wanted nothing to do with the predator fraternity; to her the Alpha preds were nothing but a gang of intimidating tyrants that meant only trouble to any mammal they crossed paths with, especially prey.
"This is a bad idea, Judy." She recalled the wooly mammal had warned her hours ago with a patronizing shake of the head. "What if this is just one of his sick pranks again? What makes you think he'd honestly let us in on some ridiculously overrated party?" Despite her pessimistic opposition, Judy stood her ground in odds with her frustrated companion until the sheep stormed off to the library mid-tantrum.
Unbeknownst to Judy, a small but hardly negligible part of Dawn was envious that the bunny managed to gain campus-wide recognition from the renowned Hornstein Hall prank alone. Now she managed to somehow pull a fast one on Nicholas Wilde in the very same week. The sheep was beginning to admit to herself she couldn't stand her roommate's excessively received attention and publicity.
On the positive end of things, Clawhauser was pleasantly overwhelmed at the invitation. Emphasis on overwhelmed.
Immediately after he found out he had access to The Jungle he began to dry heave, folded over with his paws on his knees until he dug through his back pocket for an asthma pump. Once he composed himself he enthusiastically blurted something along the lines of: "YES! OHH, yes, yeeess! I'll go! I'm going! I'm there!"
Still, the hustling rabbit was kinda bummed her roommate acted so negatively. As Judy currently explored through her closet for clothes to wear, she immaturely mimicked her roommate's shrill and annoyed voice to herself. "Well count me out Judy! You're such a bad influence Judy! I want nothing to do with Alpha Preda, or partying, or- … that terrible fox! Bah bah bah," Judy tossed clothes into no, absolutely no, and maybe piles on the floor.
"You know what's at parties, Judy? Alcohol- looaaads of alcohol! And druuuugs, and-and…" The bunny went on until she bubbled in laughter at how absolutely spot-on her impression of Dawn was. The oh-so theatrical Benjamin would've been proud. With or without bellwether tonight was bound to be fun, unhinged, and hopefully the typical college experience she had been so desperately wishing for; to jive alongside the cooler mammals, be brave enough to be just a little out of her element, to explore.
Before her hunt for party clothes, the remaining three PL members managed to split up and knock on every door at Hornstein Hall to extend the thrilling news. They spread the word of how she struck a deal to let all the girls come to the exclusive senior party, which didn't take long to disperse beyond the dormitory with the help of social media in the paws of all the jubilant invitees.
Most of the girls were more than happy to join in on the fun, even the RAs were ecstatic to accept the invite. A small minority of girls, however, decided to turn down the invitation for their own respectable reasons, probably not as keen on the idea of a party hosted by the diabolical fraternity leader.
Either way Judy had other things to concern herself with at the moment, like: What does one wear to a college party, exactly?
Judy knew she definitely had to look the part if she wanted to fit in. The temperate in Savannah Central was hot, hotter than Bunnyburrow for sure, so something a little revealing? Nothing of hers was short, save for an unworn white crop top she bought once when her parents weren't looking.
At a dead end, Judy sought out none other than a witty skunk RA more than willing to help, dressed in sweat pants and a Smash Mouse T-shirt. Of course when she found out she was invited, she pulled Judy into a sudden embrace like the one Judy gave her in the bathroom several nights before. Being a sophomore herself, entry to the well-known party house was still an unlikely scenario as it was to the freshmen in the Hall.
"Wouldn't have been able to do it without you, really, since it was your info that helped me devise a way to get back at him."
"They'll know better than to mess with the great Judy Hopps, eh?" Pepper playfully elbowed the bunny, who laughed at the action. "I think this may go a lot smoother if I tell all the girls to meet at the 400 common room tonight. That way we'll head out together, the RAs get to monitor their floor groups, no one gets lost, and we'll all have a freakin' blast!"
"Good idea," the doe nodded. There was no doubt that the skunk was a talented organizer, probably why she was a dexterous resident assistant. "Alright, let's see what we have here... the white top you've got there is cute. Let's see if you got any slutty skirts." With Judy's permission, the skunk raided her clothing piles, pulling out a few items and observing them impeccably. She lifted a long jean pencil shirt, one that earned Judy a confused look from the skunk on account of her drab fashion sense. With just a few minutes of silent consideration she shook her head, grabbed a pair of scissors, and went ahead to alter the tacky skirt.
Judy almost protested, the skirt being a gift from an aunt from several years ago, but instead bit her lip and allowed the skunk to do her the favor. She hardly wore it anyway, if Judy was honest with herself, and kept it more as a kindness for her aunt. The snip sound of the scissors slowed once the skirt was much, much shorter. In just two minutes the skunk presented the manipulated skirt to its rightful owner: a now slightly torn, now scandalously tiny jean skirt. "Viola!"
Judy took it and inspected it, blinking as her fingers traced over the edges of clipped material. The modest side of her made her question it, but the dominating rebellious side of her internally celebrated over the improvement. "It's… lovely. Thanks, Pep."
"The getup is gonna be a stunner. How about you try it on so I can see?"
Judy accepted the clothing and realized Pepper meant to try it on right this moment. She wasn't exactly used to shedding her clothes comfortably around other mammals that weren't family. "Oh, uh, I'll try it in the bathroom? Be right back!" She nervously breathed a laugh.
Pepper cackled slightly. "No problem, farm girl."
After a walk of fame into the bathroom where several other girls thanked her for the invite and were starting to get ready themselves, Judy stepped into a stall and squeezed into the clothes.
The skirt was tighter than she would have liked, but still provided her with enough legroom to walk somewhat comfortably. The top fit better than she imagined it looked like on the store mannequin, exposing a bit of the milky fur on her stomach and chest as well as the dark arch of her back. She'd have to get used to showing so much of her legs; never had she gone out with anything above the knee before. Doubt filled her down to the gut. I…. I don't know if I can pull this off…
When she stepped out of the stall and stood before her reflection, the pupils within her violet irises widened.
The clothing accentuated her curves in ways Judy never really acknowledged. Curves typically hidden behind drab, loose clothing.
It was as if the sensual characteristics she naturally possessed were just waiting for her to flaunt them. Admiring herself in the mirror, she realized her ass looked undoubtedly great in the skirt; taut, plump. Her top finely complimented her collarbone and exposed shoulders, the slightest bit of chest scruff peeking through, although it was a bit daring for her tastes.
For the first time, Judy actually felt, well, sexy. She was used to just being cute, maybe occasionally beautiful, but never sexy. And it was so fulfilling, so amazingly powerful to finally feel that way. It was certain that if her parents could see her now, they'd shoo her into her old clothes and lecture her for hours.
But mom and dad are miles away, aren't they? I'm an adult, completely independent now—unstoppable even. She was evolving, slowly, and more smoothly than she had previously hoped.
Pepper poked a head into the bathroom and grinned at the suddenly sensuous bunny, walking inside with her paws on her hips to get a closer look at the assembled outfit. "Damn girl! Whaddaya think?"
"I… I'm speechless," Judy responded in a breathless laugh, giving a quick twirl before her reflection and looking at herself over her bare shoulder with her ears relaxed against her back, a dangerous spark in her eyes.
"You're a fucking jaw dropper, farm girl."
.o0o.
At 10 pm the invitees, all dressed up for a night of thrills, filled the 400 common room to the brim in preparation to head out. Nearly a hundred of them total waited on an update from the one and only, the deliverer of the great news, hustler Judy Hopps.
When the update would come, she didn't know.
The rabbit sat on a couch arm rest, her heels tapping restlessly against the side of the sturdy furniture on beat with the Hip-hop music playing from someone's Bluetooth speaker. It was only her optimistic tendencies that kept her from seriously considering that the fox wouldn't stay true to his promise.
Hopefully that wasn't the case, because if it were true, no one from Hornstein would get to party tonight, and her current social prestige would be injured.
Everyone was in an ecstatic frenzy since this experience would be the first college party for the most of them. And who could especially blame the farm-raised bunny whose overall party experiences only really included holiday celebrations at the Hopps farm or annual carnivals in the burrows? She was probably the most untried partier of them all, but not at all ignorant of what typical college parties entailed.
Smoothly, her fingers tapped over the screen of her phone as she texted her friends.
(10: 24 pm) J: Hey guys, still waiting on a text from Wilde. You both ready?
(10:33 pm) M: Yes!
(10:36 pm) B: YAAS!
In the digital exchange Judy learned that the two would meet the Hornstein crowd at some point along the walk to the party house. Judging from a glimpse out of the common room windows the skies were growing pretty dark. Impatient, she bit the inner flesh of her cheek and decided to text the fox.
(10:38 pm) J: Slick, I'm waiting on you. We're ready to go.
"Hey Hopps, can we head out soon, or…?" Pepper asked the smaller mammal.
"Uh," Judy fumbled with her phone. "Actually, I'm waiting on a text from Wilde. He said he'd meet us. Not sure if we can get in without him there, so we'll have to wait."
The skunk understood, nodding before returning to her spot with the other conversing resident assistants. Judy exhaled somewhat nervously and stared down at the time on her phone, gnawing her lower lip as anxiety filled the pit of her stomach. Already 10:46 pm. C'mon Wilde.
Then 10:50 pm.
10:57 pm.
11:00 pm.
Finally, five minutes after 11, her phone buzzed off her lap and she scooped it up before it hit the carpet.
(11:05 pm) Yours truly: South Street. Just follow the music. I'll be out front. As promised, sweetheart.
Adrenaline hit her like a train. In a split of a second she leapt up from her seat with her ears tall, inspired by the rush.
"South Street! C'mon girls, let's roll!" The giddy exclamation filled the room, an exclamation acknowledged by her colleagues whom erupted in cheers.
Judy led the pack downstairs as they laughed and howled in excitement, the lot of them running haphazardly down to the lobby exit. In the midst of her joy she had a strange déjà vu moment, suddenly reminded at how they all ran down the stairs in a less coordinated fashion just several days ago, for a less fortunate reason.
Outside of the hall Pepper took the lead to help Judy out, using her phone GPS to guide the mammals forward. As voices around her buzzed and whizzed like insects, Judy felt the cool night air blow over her fur and didn't shiver, her blood boiling too hot with all the excitement.
This isn't a dream. It's really happening! I-I … I pulled it off!
Feeling light on her feet despite the tightness of her skirt, Judy made sure to notify her friends of their departure with a swift text, and soon reunited with the two familiar faces. Clawhauser and Mabel spotted the horde of freshmen girls from afar and ran over a grassy lawn to join the front of the pack alongside Judy.
"Heyyy, who's ready to get into the friggin' jungle?!" Ben wiggled his eyebrows, teeth displayed in a goofily wide smile. The cheetah wore a graphic tee with the words 'born to party' and a ZU cap backwards on his head, a combo seemingly prepared solely for tonight's occasion. "Me! Uh huh, that's who! Born to party!"
"You guys look great!" Judy clapped her paws together as she admired the shimmering sleeveless dress on Mabel.
"Look who's talking little miss fashion sense!" Ben lifted a paw up to his ear, a thumb and pinky extended. "Hello? Who's this? Uh huh. Got it." He lowered his paw. "Oh that was Gazelle calling, she wants her clothes back! HAAH!" Clawhauser burst into a fit of giggles while Judy shook her head amusingly.
They all strode down a well-lit path along the breezy edge of campus. Being a weekend, more mammals were out late than usual and curiously peered over at the large group of mammals making their way onto the streets. The news definitely had spread from the looks of jealousy and scoffs they heard along the way. Judy would have invited the whole campus if she could, but even her generosity had its reasonable limits.
Harmonious laughter and prattle followed the group all the way to South Street, thanks to a particular cheetah with an apparent sugar-high. The group, led by the fashionable skunk, traveled through sleepless city streets until they entered a quiet city suburb a few blocks away from campus.
Along the poorly lit sidewalk were wooden houses surrounded by low hanging greenery and tall palm trees, most of the homes hedged off and distanced reasonably apart, but not far enough to spare them from the commotion further along the road.
At this point the pack of giddy mammals spilled onto the empty street once the sidewalk became too narrow for them to walk.
The wind whipped around Judy's newly exposed fur, parts of herself she began to proudly flaunt despite the persistent breeze making her whiskers rigid and nipples firm beneath her top. Eventually the curvaceous bunny could feel a rumble under her toes, a sensation she realized was a heavy bass that beckoned the young adults closer like moths to a flame.
A/N:
Hey, thanks again for the read! I have a lot in store for this fanfic, we are still in its early stages so if you're up for the ride stay tuned! I hope to continue posting weekly to get the ball rolling (reminder: this IS a WildeHopps story, but we're definitely riding the frenemy arc longer before any believable romance appears). The next chapter may actually come sooner than you think, and will be a little longer so I apologize in advance hah :D I appreciate any feedback at all, so please comment away!
