Well, it was official: Nick's body hated him.
His muscles refused to move without lashing out in anger, his head throbbed in protest whenever the smallest of thoughts stirred it, and his neck fur had completely vacated the area, leaving only scarred, raw flesh behind.
Nick was not a "happy camper." Far from it, actually. He felt like a dead camper. Exactly like what he imagined a dead camper would feel like. The pain was unbearable, and during the first few seconds of his initial awakening, Nick had believed he was, indeed, dead.
Of course, one would hope that death wouldn't leave one in such tormenting sorrows, but Nick's mind was a muddled mess. His thoughts were not at all intelligent, and he refused to even glance at his surroundings, instead opting to just lie still and wait for the pain to wash over. As a result, he had no clue as to where he was or what was even occuring around him.
Admittedly, not much was happening. It was nighttime. He was alone, too, except for the sleeping form beside him. Nick was not even aware that someone else shared his bed. Then again, the mammal had decided not to touch the poor fox; he had been through enough. It was afraid that the smallest of touches would send a surge of pain throughout his body. So, it slept a little to the side, away from him.
It wouldn't be until a few more hours later for it to finally wake up.
Nick had yet to fall back to asleep, still reeling from his injuries. But by then, he was now a bit more aware of his surroundings. Soon enough, he felt the mattress slowly shift, causing him to yelp the smallest of yelps.
It would've required a mammal with exceptional hearing for the sound to be heard.
"Nick?!"
Nick recognized that voice.
"Ju…" he gasped. Apparently, talking was difficult.
The rabbit carefully caressed her lover's cheek. After a few minutes, some of the initial pain having subsided from the fox, Judy noticed one of his eyes had finally emerged from their hiding spot. With a surplus of grunts and whimpers, he turned over to face his rabbit.
Nothing was said. A moment was being shared, their gazes interlocking and their breathing soft. Judy softly grabbed Nick's paw with her free one and ran circles into his fur.
"Nick… I.. I'm so sorry…" she whispered.
"You… you know, you're cute when you feel guilty," he managed to say. It earned him a coughing fit, but he had to make the air lighter. He had to cheer up his girl.
She sniffed and giggled half-heartedly. "Why does this keep happening to you?"
"I'm just irresistible in more ways than one, apparently."
"You're impossible, you know that?" She sighed. "I… We need to get you up and moving again. How do you feel?"
As if on cue, his body was treated to a surge of pain. "N-never better, Carrots."
"Stay here, I'm getting some help." She crawled off of the bed slowly, but even the careful movements caused her fox to whimper in pain. She took one look back and exited the room, her eyes darting this way and that way for someone who could at least find some pain medicine for her Nick.
Said fox sunk further into the mattress and let two slits of darkness cover his vison. He wasn't about to sleep, but this was the most comfortable he could get.
His thoughts ultimately surrounded the dire situation the city found itself in. He vaguely remembered the mob outside of his and Judy's old home. He still didn't know how they got to where they were know. Of course, he knew he was in Mr. Big's mansion. No one could mistake it for some other wealthy mammal's home. It screamed 'Mr. Big.'
Not a moment longer, Judy slid into the room with a cup of iced water and some powerful pain medication. "Now… Nick, you will need to sit up."
He smirked a smirk that was ever so slightly twitched. Judy reached out her hand and pulled him up. Nick wheezed, "I feel like I'm a kit again."
"And I'm sure you feel like you've been hit by a truck as well."
"Well, more like mercilessly beaten and shocked." He expression became blank. "How are we even here? I passed out from all the 'fun' we were having."
Judy recounted what had happened. Nick remained motionless, his claws digging into the sheets of the bed. "How do you feel?"
"Really, Nick? Worrying about little 'ol me?" She handed him the medicine.
"Yes, I'm worried." His green eyes almost seemed to darken.
"Bruises, I'm used to. Watching my best friend nearly die… that's a scar that'll never heal."
The fox nodded and took the medicine. He managed to get it down but went into a coughing fit. Apparently swallowing was not going to be easy for a while.
"Yo-you okay?" the rabbit whispered as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"I'm used to it."
"You shouldn't ha-"
"I'm a fox, Judy. You learn to expect things. Although, I had hoped to never nearly die from such an encounter… Did I nearly die?" She looked away. "I see…" He fell back into the pillows.
"You still… Do you still want to go back out there? Make the world a better place?"
"What can we do? We are just two mammals. We cannot even walk the streets."
"I.. don't know."
"You know they adore him, right? Maybe, if we were fast enough, we could've found some dirt on him. But now, I doubt they'd care. They've already practically carried out his bidding."
"Surely some will listen to reason. I mean, look at us. We have helped so many people, Nick. We have shown to so many others others that we are trying to do the right thing. That you are trying to do the right thing. You are an example of what predators really are. Not savages, but upstanding citizens… and so much more." She looked at the ceiling. "We can change their minds. Please tell me you agree."
"I don't even know, Judy. I don't know." The rabbit beside him twitched and sighed after hearing that. "You know I'd follow you anywhere. We have to try. I'm not saying we shouldn't. There… may be a chance. How much of a chance is up for debate."
"I might know where you two can start," came the voice of a certain shrew as he was carried into the room by one of his many polar bears. "But you'll have to act fast. If you are willing to try, that is."
"And why is that? What more vould happen in the next day or so?" Nick remained sucked into the bed.
"There's a timer. A ticking inside your collar and every other one out there. Once the timer goes off, you're dead."
"How long?"
"Depends on your luck."
Nick sat up again, this time with little pain. That medication was rather powerful. "What's your idea?"
"Make your way to the Mayor's office. Secretly."
"You're insane, you know that?" Nick sat up and snarled. His collar started beeping, but he was careful to control his emotions. His rabbit turned to him and pulled him close to her."Yeah, let's grab our invisibility cloaks and waltz straight into the Mayor's office and look for the - likely not there - evidence of his corruption. Wonderful idea, I say."
"You underestimate me, son, and you have no choice in the matter if you care about your family." Mr. Big said rather calmly, looking at Judy.
"Is that a threat?" Mr. Big shook his head.
"There's something you need to know, Nick," Judy finally said. He needed to know and the shrew gave her no choice but to tell him. "Your mother was collared."
His pupils widened. "What?"
Judy rubbed her arm. "She… she doesn't have very long. Her collar has a short timer and… the only thing we can do to lengthen her time is by grabbing one of the remotes they are giving to politicians. They can reset the timer once." And there was likely to be at least one of those remotes in Keegan's office.
"There has to be a way to take it off her!" He didn't have faith. He didn't think they'd be able to grab a remote. Even if they did, it would only be a temporary fix. It can only be used once. "Or we could… I don't know. Put something in between the collar and her?"
Mr. Big was sat down beside Nick and spoke quietly. "Feel of your own collar, Nick." The fox did. The platinum device was cold to the touch, and he felt the teeth that were sticking out of the collar into his neck. "There are thirty-two teeth in that thing, effectively encircling your entire neck. The teeth also dig through your fur and are almost stabbing through your skin. We could not easily block even a few of them. Even if we could, the collar has sensors that can detect the wearer's heartbeat. If it loses the pulse for too long, it'll switch to kill mode. Blocking the teeth would block the pulse."
The fox shook his head. "It is controlled by a remote. It recieves code from a remote. A command. Can we give it a command of our own?"
"If we attempted to hack into one of the remotes they give politicians, it would instantly go into permanent lockdown. Even adding a single space in its code would result in the same outcome. Once it leaves the production facility, it will never again accept a change in its code. It would be little more than a paperweight."
"Then let's go pay a visit to our dear friend, the Mayor."
"Nick," Judy whined, "No, you're still hurt. You cannot go anywhere."
"I am not going to just sit here while my mother's life is literally ticking away!" Instantly, his ears flipped flat onto his head and he scowled at himself. He wasn't mad at Judy, though the beeping in his collar said otherwise. Still, it wasn't meant to come out like that. "I'm sorry Judy, I…"
"It's okay," she whispered, having noticed the sound coming from the chunk of metal around his neck. "We're all stressed here, stressed and anxious. Just.. calm down, please. I'm worried."
The fox nodded. "Then what are we going to do?"
"Judy will go. You're staying here," Mr. Big said. Noticing Nick opening his mouth to speak, he hurried and added, "I will send two of my polar bears with her. She will be protected."
The fox attempted to protest once more, but a certain rabbit hushed him and spoke, "I've got this, Nick. Don't worry about me. I'm coming back home to you."
"Like I almost didn't?"
Judy could see the pain in his eyes; a distant memory that nearly tore them apart permanently - all because of what she accidently let slip out during her first press conference. Funny how a sentence or two can so easily hurt people. Words may not be sticks and stones, that is true, but they can do considerable damage. Often times, words can do more damage. That press conference stands as a fine example.
"I deserved it. It was an awful thing to say. And like you said; it was my first press conference. Is that any more than an excuse, though? I almost lost you. It was an awful mistake on my part. I still don't know if I have fully forgiven myself yet."
"Sometimes I think you bunnies are more than just "emotional." The rabbit rolled her eyes in response. "C'mon, Fluff, don't get down in the dumps. I shouldn't have walked out on you like that. We've been over this. We-"
"Both made mistakes," his girlfriend finished for him. "But I intend to not make anymore."
"Same here, Judy."
"I know, Nick." Judy walked to the doorway. "And Nick… get some sleep. I'll be back when you wake up."
"Get me some chocolate?"
She stared at him dumbfounded, but a smile finally worked its way onto her. "You scare me sometimes, going emotional and serious to silly and dumb in a split second. And wouldn't that hurt you?"
"Remember, Carrots, they make special chocolate for mammals like me." He smirked.
"Still, it's a no."
Mr. Big coughed to mask his giggling.
…
Judy had to do one last thing before she left on this, what some would consider, suicide mission. She had to get this over with. Judy couldn't even leave yet, anyway. Her protectors still had to get ready.
She needed to call her parents.
Despite everything, she still loved her parents, even as she stood in the hallway wishing she had more accepting parents. Still, they are good rabbits… just set in their ways. It was annoying beyond comprehension, but perhaps, she thought, she can push them towards acceptance. Hopefully more.
It's not like every fox, or every predator for that matter, is a criminal. In fact, there are studies out there that completely contradict that claim. While those studies have been wrongfully discredited by bigoted scientists that have far too much power and ignorance, the facts are still there; prey commit just as much crime as predators. They even commit the same general amount of murders as predators.
But her parents fail to realize this.
Her parents would accept a stranger in their home if they were in need - that is, if said stranger were prey. If the stranger happened to be a predator, then her father, Stuart, would shove the barrel of a shotgun into the predator's face and give them thirty seconds to scamper off their property before several pellets found their way into a vital organ or several.
Sometimes, Judy really wanted to hit her father. Same for her mother, for that matter. Their behavior was sometimes repulsive. It disgusted her. They disgusted her.
It's a miracle she did not turn out to be anything like her parents; in regards to their tendency to be prejudiced, at least. Kits are heavilt influenced by their parents. Morality especially.
Though, for a while, she did have some prejudiced beliefs, but they were mostly minor. Plus, those beliefs were quickly shot down by her boyfriend. Once Judy had finally gotten to know the fox, she realized just how awful and wrong her beliefs were. Predators are amazing animals, just like prey. Nick Wilde had opened her eyes, and oh boy, she loved him for that.
Would her parents ever love Nick?
That question had been itching her mind ever since they began to date. That's the reason Judy never told them. She wanted to make it right. She wanted to show them that Nick was the kindest and smartest mammal she had ever met. Judy was trying to create a plan that would put Nick in the best light possible.
Though, she had a lot of doubt. It was likely they wouldn't see him as anything more than a thief or something similar. Most animals didn't.
That very thought brought her mind flashing back into her investigation with Nick. Their very first investigation. At this time, the fox was not even a police officer and they had just met. But, for some reason, he stuck with Judy around and found his way into a government building and into Bellwether's office with the rabbit.
It was the first time Nick had ever been so close to a sheep. He got the biggest grin Judy had ever seen and began "covertly" touching Bellwether's wool.
He couldn't help it. He had never been so close to a sheep before. He even told her that "they" never let him get that close. Nick could not let the oppertunity escape.
While she did not show it, it was big eye opener for Judy. (Nick does this a lot to her.) From that quick interaction, Judy learned that her boyfriend - friend at the time - was often shunned by the prey community. A lot of predators are.
It just isn't right.
Unfortunately, her parents have done similar things. The rabbit could vividly recall times where her mother would steer her away from the "big, scary bear," or the "shifty fox."
Well, no more. It's time for her parents to learn a lesson. It's time for them to know just how much a so-called shifty fox means to her.
Judy whipped out her phone and swiped her paw over her father's name in her Phone app.
It rang twice before the bunny himself answered. "Oh," Judy thought, "you are going to get it. You and mother." After all, Judy would never let anyone get away with saying such awful comments about her fox. Not even her parents.
…..
NightWolf here!
It's been a long time… too long, I might add. I'm sorry. I can't really apologize enough. I never intended for the story to not be updated for so long. As you all know, though, things have not been easy on me.
There are a lot of things I've been keeping to myself, actually. I don't want to bother you all with my personal problems or make it seem like I'm making excuses… but please, do understand that a lot has been going on. Much more than I've told any of you. Please don't take on any burdens because of what I'm sharing with you… Life goes on no matter what. I am okay, hence why this chapter is out. My grandfather is certainly a fighter… and the other things in my life have definitely gotten better. So please, do not worry about little ol' me.
Now, I won't make promises, but I am aiming to improve on my sporadic updating of this story. I want to keep it moving. After all, I am having a blast writing this story.
Also, I was wondering: Would anyone be willing to help me edit the next chapters of my story (when I get around to writing them) before I publish them? I'll only have you read over the chapter and pick out any issues such as grammer and spelling. Nothing too major, though, it would be very helpful.
If you want to help me out on that, just private message me. Just keep in mind that I haven't done any of this before. You may need to help me get the appropriate files to you. I am a tech enthusiast, but I do not know what you can or cannot do. Not everyone has access to the same programs or even the same devices. We'll have to work with each other. Also, do keep in mind that I will not bother you with anything. In fact, if you are done helping out and wish to stop helping me edit my chapters, that'll be perfectly fine with me. No commitments.
Well, that wraps up this update! Thank you all so much for reading! I wish I could make everything up to each and every one of you… I don't know if I'll be able to. But I will try. Thank you again. Have a wonderful day!