Hello everyone!

I know I missed last Friday, I am sorry about that. I knew that I would be away this past weekend, but after working late Thursday I fell asleep editing. Anyway, know that this delay will not interrupt the schedule of the next chapter. No reason to make you guys wait any longer because of my poor planning!

Any questions or comments are of course welcome. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

I don't own any Disney characters.

Breakfast had not gone well. The food was fine, of course, and there'd been no fighting, but the whole affair it had been tense. The shift in mood her father had displayed upon hearing the silly joke didn't last long, and he had barely said a word while the family ate in the expansive dining hall. Her mother had been little different, though because it was Judy's task to help serve, some communication was certainly required. It was kept strictly logistical however, and Judy found herself thankful that her parents were apparently content to save any more discussion about their new guest for another time.

Silence would have been been difficult to achieve even under normal circumstances in the Hopps burrow, but now that there was a fox there? If she were to be honest with herself, she knew she should have expected the uproar the fox's presence would cause. But she had hardly had any sort of respite from her questioning siblings in 3 days. At breakfast she always got the worst of it. It was the one meal no one ever missed.

Her parents had made everyone promise not to tell anyone outside of the burrow about their new tenant. Having such a character around would have had an impact on their reputation in those parts. Consorting with predators was considered a sign of degeneracy. The greater burrows community wouldn't have cared about the circumstances under which the fox had come to be in the burrow. That he was there at all, and in such a capacity, would have been reason enough to question their standing. And the Hopps family certainly had a reputation to uphold. Most rabbits were farmers, the lifestyle seemed to come naturally to them, but there was something special about the Hopps family. Her father had mentioned his sister Sylvia's green thumb, but truth be told his thumb was no less so. And the Hopps family produce was consistently considered amongst the best in the Tri-Burrows area. It wasn't for nothing that their stand was so famous that even high class restaurants in Zootopia and elsewhere sent buyers to peruse their goods and stock their kitchens.

Simply having dealings with predators was not a problem of course. Money was money, and few would take issue with arms length business transactions, but actually living with one was a different story.

So her parents had pried promises of secrecy out of each and every one of her siblings and cousins and in-laws and everyone else who lived there, hoping to keep this little scandal contained. But Judy knew it wouldn't last. About two dozen of her siblings had seen the fox in the entrance hall and less than 15 minutes after the whole burrow knew about what had transpired there, just like the whole burrow knew about all the fighting Judy had been doing with her parents. There was no real way to hide much of anything in a rabbit family. The dynamics just didn't allow it. Rumors spread like wildfire. And it really wouldn't be much different with the outside world. Bunnyburrows was a big place with a small town attitude. Neighbors kept tabs on each other and gossiped furiously about what they knew. It would only be a matter of time before someone slipped up. And it wouldn't take long for neighbors to notice the change in mood at the Hopps burrow, the moment that happened the whispers would begin.

And that wasn't the only risk. Judy knew her family really couldn't be trusted to hold on to this secret for long. Even those with the best intentions can slip up, and a number of her family certainly did not have those in mind. Her parents weren't the only source of resistance to allowing the fox to stay for the time being. Many of her siblings and in-laws were vehemently against allowing the fox anywhere near them or their kittens. And they had made their fears very clear to Judy's father over the last three days. Her younger brother Max had made his feelings abundantly clear that fateful afternoon in the entrance hall. And that sort of brazen contempt for the fox's wellbeing had been, much to Judy's horror, commonplace. Judy was honestly amazed that they had even allowed him to stay thus far, but she supposed that the fact that he had been totally unconscious had prevented anyone from doing anything rash. If he was out cold he couldn't hurt anyone after all. But now even that wasn't true, and Judy wondered how quickly things would deteriorate once the news spread beyond her parents and herself. And so, the promise wouldn't last long. Maybe another few days, perhaps a week, if it had even lasted at all. Soon all hell would break loose, and Judy would be at the epicenter.

And that poor fox. He had done nothing to deserve any of that. In her short interaction with him he had been nothing but a gentlemammal, and he was a police officer! Regardless of what most foxes were this one had managed to rise above that. Rise above any predatory tendencies and was actually doing something to help society. Yes, she decided, he was one of the good ones. Proof positive that not all foxes couldn't be trusted. That he… that... he...

Judy's train of thought ground slowly to a halt. What was she saying? Did she actually know any foxes besides him? Well, yes, the Greys, but besides their son being a bit of a bully when they were young they certainly didn't have a reputation for being aggressive, or cheats, or anything like that. They mostly kept to themselves of course but as far as she knew they were quite friendly. Certainly no less so than anyone else in the Burrows at least. And the one recuperating in one of their spare bedrooms was apparently no different. Maybe he wasn't one of the good ones, but instead one amongst many? What if foxes were like any other mammal? Friendly and kind and just trying to make their way in life? What would that mean then? And what did it say about her that even then she really didn't believe it?

She sighed. This wasn't helpful. She didn't completely trust the fox in her burrow just yet and she had good reason not to. She believed he was a police officer, or she desperately wanted to believe it, but even so, he was a fox and frankly the only fox she had ever interacted with that wasn't a total jerk. She would reserve her judgement of this one till she knew him better. And she definitely wanted to get to know him better, she admitted to herself. He was just so interesting. An undercover police officer investigating the mob? Yes, please! Come what may there was no way he was leaving here without finding out more about being an officer, and how he had done it. She suspected she would run into similar troubles in her efforts to join the force and she just had to know what she would face.

The fox would just have to stay. This was just too important, she was going to be a police officer and the bigotry of her family was not going to get in the way of that. If protecting the fox was the hill she had to die on then so be it. The fox would– she stopped, suddenly torn from her reverie, and blinked. The fox? She didn't need to keep calling him that, they had introduced themselves to each other. His name was… what was it? Oh, wait, no they hadn't. She had introduced herself to him but she hadn't even asked his name. She couldn't believe herself. She hadn't even asked his name. There was nothing so basic as that and she couldn't even be bothered. It was the very basis of common decency. The least you could do for someone was ask their name. What must he think now? That she was no different than the rest of her bigoted family? Intent on keeping their relationship at arms length as she possibly could? That she was intentionally demammalizing him?

She looked down at the plate she had been scrubbing dry for the last five minutes. She was lucky her mother hadn't noticed. It was Judy's responsibility to help with breakfast on the weekends and that involved cleaning up afterwards. But her mother was all about efficiency and if she had noticed Judy wasting so much time she would not have been happy. Instead she was on the other side of the large kitchen scrubbing down the stove and oven.

"Mother?"

Mother. The very word said so much about the mood between them.

"Hmm?"

It was all Judy received in reply to her question. To be fair, that type of response wasn't unusual when her mother was concentrating on something, but given the circumstances it felt like a slight. As if her mother was annoyed that Judy had spoken to her. She had been giving Judy the silent treatment ever since their argument above the wounded fox.

"I'll be right back."

Bonnie stopped scrubbing but didn't look at her daughter. She seemed to consider the request, if it could be called that. But after barely a moment more she replied, "Ok, hurry back."

"Thank you."

And with that Judy grabbed the plate of food she had prepared and hurried from the room.

Moving about the burrow as of late had been a chore. It was impossible to avoid everyone when in a rabbit burrow, and the general feeling towards Judy at the moment was such that she couldn't go anywhere without someone saying something. At first it had been nothing but whispers, but her family had grown bolder in expressing their displeasure over the past three days. She had heard it all, or so she thought, and that sort of treatment was beginning to wear upon her. She had begun to take less direct routes to things unless she couldn't avoid it.

And she did that now, taking a side passage away from the kitchen in which she had never seen another soul. It was strange to her that places like that existed in her burrow. Forgotten hallways and corners collecting dust. But she was thankful for it, if only because it saved her from being called a predophile for the umpteenth time. She had responded vehemently against that particular accusation at first, but now she did her best to ignore it just like the rest. Reacting only seemed to embolden her tormentors. Taking the road less travelled meant she got less of that.

She arrived at the end of the passage and peeked out into the space beyond. The large hallway was thankfully empty, and it wasn't far to the fox's room. She still couldn't believe she hadn't asked his name. She was almost offended for him. Hopefully the offer of food would smooth over any resentment he might hold about it. Yes, she smiled as she walked down the empty hallway, she had no doubt that everything would be fine.

"Where're you going Judy?"

Judy practically jumped out of her fur. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't even noticed anyone behind her. She whipped around, and much to her relief, saw Martha, the one member of her family who seemed to be genuinely happy to have their unusual visitor.

"Oh my god Martha! Don't do that, you almost gave me a heart attack."

Martha shot her a wry smile and said, "I think Judy, that you might just need to pay better attention."

Judy let out an amused and breathy chuckle, "Yes, perhaps that's true."

"So where are you going with all that food? To see the fox?" She gave her a significant look, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Judy was a little taken aback by her tone and was momentarily afraid that even Martha would join in with the chorus of sneers and jeers Judy had withstood over the past few days. "Can I come?"

Oh, that's what she wanted. Judy scolded herself for having so little faith in her sister. Martha had always been a bit of a rebel. At 13 she had run away and had been gone for a whole week. Her disappearance had sent the local community into a frenzy and left her parents despondent. She showed up a week later and the only explanation she would give for her absence was that she had wanted to see the world. And she apparently had, or the local world at least. She was certainly the youngest Hopps to leave the Burrow in more than a generation. That had been three years ago, and not much had changed. She seemed to enjoy upsetting the peace and quiet of the Hopps home. Judy knew that the chaos the fox was causing was probably a big part of the reason why she seemed so happy to have him there. Nevertheless. tt made Judy feel as though she had an ally – not her only one, but certainly the most vocal, and that made her happy.

"Uh, why?" She gave her sister an sceptical look. Ally or not, this could only spell trouble, and Judy didn't need any more of that.

Martha shrugged innocently, "I don't know, I just want to meet him. It's not every day we have a fox living in our home. I think he could be fun!"

Fun? No, that wasn't how Judy would have described him. Interesting, she felt, was a better descriptor. But, no. There was no way Judy was going to bring Martha with her. She could of course meet him whenever she wished without her. Martha was no stranger to ignoring their parent's demands, and they had been unequivocal about forbidding anyone from visiting him. Judy suspected however that even Martha didn't have quite the courage to go see the fox by herself. For now at least.

"Yeah, Martha, I really don't think–"

"Dad was really curious about where you keep disappearing to right after your shifts at the stand. He said you usually stick around to help clean up. But now? I am sure you wouldn't mind they know exactly what you were getting up to" A devious grin spread across Martha's face. Judy was right where she wanted her, or so she thought.

To be honest, the prospect of her parents finding out about her boyfriend, Jeremy, didn't excite her. The talk of marriage would begin immediately, and while she really liked Jeremy, it was much too early to get hitched. She hadn't even told him that she wanted to be a cop. But all things considered, diverting her parent's attention from the fox in the house would be excellent, even if it would be an embarrassing diversion. Judy enjoyed wiping the smug look from her sister's face.

"Go right ahead, I am sure they would be very excited to hear it."

Boom.

Her sister was clearly reeling, she had not expected Judy to react that way, and she floundered for another route of attack,

"I'll tell them–"

Judy held up her paw, "Martha, stop trying to blackmail me, you can come." It just wasn't worth it, Martha would tag along no matter what she said, and frankly Judy had no idea what other dirt her sister might have had on her. It was better to just let it happen.

"Ohmygod, thank you! You are the best!" Then she stopped, and gave Judy a sidelong glance, "wait a minute, he isn't even awake is he?"

"Martha, why do you think I have all this food? If he is out he can't eat."

Martha considered this for a moment, and then, seemingly satisfied at her explanation, turned on her heel and walked down the hall towards the fox's room.

She looked over her shoulder back at Judy as she turned the corner and said, "Well? You coming?"

Judy momentarily stared after her, and then nodded.

They didn't have far to go. The fox's room was just around the corner and perhaps another 15 meters down the next passage. But as she came around the corner she hesitated. Martha was pressed against the wall next to the doorway, peeking into the room. The door was ajar, which was not how she had left it, and Judy was suddenly afraid that the fox was gone. Somehow able to hobble off into some dark corner of the burrow to hide, or even crawling away through one of their numerous fields. She approached carefully, fearful of what she would find.

"Martha, what's u–"

"Shhhh" Martha motioned for her to stand next to her against the wall.

"Be quiet, Dad's in there."

"What?" Judy was truly alarmed now. She had somehow managed to maintain control of her family's access to the fox, and that had seemed like the best way to ensure that the he was allowed to stay for the time being. Him waking when he did had been unexpected, and she honestly wished that her father had been left ignorant as long as he could be. She certainly hadn't expected him to go speak with the fox on his own however, and it threw all sorts of wrenches into how she planned this would go. And what she heard inside only made the pit in her stomach grow deeper.

"Do you understand me fox? You put even one toe out of line, and you are out of here. I don't care if you have to crawl back to where ever you came from."

A mix of emotions swept over Judy. Her heart went out to the poor creature laid up in bed. Here again he was on the receiving end of her family's ire, which he in no way deserved. But… He could stay? She was elated, and she had to stop herself from bursting into the room to hug her father and then push him from the room. She leaned around her sister to get a better look. She had to see it to believe it.

Her father was practically leaning over the fox and was poking his finger into the fox's chest, who winced every time her father touched him. The fox had shrunk back deeply into the bed, clearly doing his very best to get as far from her father as possible, his eyes wide in what could only be fear. She couldn't believe it. Any good feeling towards her father were gone in an instant.

"Let me be clear, the only reason you are still here at all is become some members of this family, and they shall remain nameless, believe that we should extend the same courtesy we would to our neighbors to someone like you. Remember that fox, you are on thin ice, and–"

"Dad stop! You're hurting him!" Judy just couldn't hold herself back anymore.

Her father, who had continued to poke the fox harder and harder as his monologue continued, jumped, startled by the interruption. He looked back towards the door, catching Judy's glare. "I was not Judy, I just–" He had turned back to the fox who recoiled as his gaze once again fell upom him. The reaction stopped Stu in his tracks. He looked between the vulpine beneath him and his paw, uncomfortable realization quickly spreading across his features.

"Ah heh," he let out a guilty chuckle, "sorry about that mister fox, got a little– eh, carried away. Never one to hurt a fly myself– meant nothing by it of course. No harm done you see." The string of excuses came tumbling out, and he glanced at Judy as if looking for support. She wouldn't let him have it though, and she continued to give him the coldest glare she could manage. Finding no respite with his daughter, Stu glanced back at the fox, huffed, turned on his heel and walked from the room stopping in front of Judy who had just noticed that Martha was nowhere to be found.

His guilt and embarrassment seemingly forgotten for the moment, he fixed Judy with a glare of his own. "And just what do you think you are doing here young lady? You know this area if off limits."

It took Judy only a moment to recompose herself.

"I am bringing him food dad," she nodded down at the plate in her hands.

Her father looked at her skeptically, "well I don't want you hanging around here. You know there is a dangerous pred–"

Judy lost the thread then because at that moment she noticed that the fox was no longer watching them through the doorway, but was instead looking at something just to the left of the door wearing a look of rapidly increasing terror.

Suddenly, Martha's buck-toothed grin appeared in the half-open doorway. She winked at Judy, her dark eyes flashing, and disappeared from view.

Judy's attention snapped back to her father and she did her best to suppress her own horror at what she just saw. She wasn't worried for Martha's safety of course, the fox couldn't have done much even if he had wanted, and she sincerely believed that he wouldn't have even considered harming Martha. But this was the toe over the line that would send all her plans tumbling down, and put this police officer in danger.

"–and I had a cousin who got in a fight with a wolf once and lost half his left ear! You never know what can happen with predators Judy and I don't–"

"Yes Dad I will be careful, I promise. I am just bringing him food anyway, it's not like I am here to hang out with him."

Her father stumble over her interruption, "Well… but... yes of course, I know you will be Judy, but predators are unpredictable. It wasn't too long ago that fox in there would have tried to eat us Judy."

"Dad, that was thousands of years ago, we are all more civilized now."

"Well you wouldn't know it looking at him, scruffiest mammal I have ever seen." Stu gestured his thumb towards the door.

Judy let out an exasperated groan and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Dad, I am going to go in there now and make sure he gets fed."

"I think I should go in there with you and make sure he doesn't try anything."

There was no way in the gods' green earth she was going to let that happen.

"I think you have done more than enough, what with you trying to poke your finger through his ribcage." She pushed past her father towards the door.

"Judy! Now that's not fair, I didn't mean anything by that. I was hardly touching him Judes!"

Judy looked back at him then, and fixed him with another disapproving glare. "I will be fine Dad, go away."

And with that she slipped through the doorway and closed it behind her.

The scene she found upon entering the room nearly stopped her heart.

Martha was up on the bed kneeling next to the fox leaning her head into his wide open maw.

"Wow, they really are sharp."

"Martha!" Judy screamed and bolted towards her sister, dropping the plate of food in the process. She grabbed Martha by her collar and tore her from the bed, yelling "get away from her!"

She pulled Martha towards the door, her younger sister struggling the whole way.

"Let go of me Judy! I wanted to see his teeth!" She clawed at Judy's wrist, "Let goohff–" Judy had let go of her then, and suddenly off balance, she tumbled to the floor.

Judy glanced back at the fox, who looked thoroughly alarmed, and raised his paws as best he could, attempting to look as innocent possible. Judy's mind was going at a mile a minute. She struggled to reconcile what she had seen to what she just heard from her sister.

There was a knock at the door, and it began to open.

"Judy? Everything ok?"

Her senses returned to her then, and she rushed to intercept her father before he could enter the room.

"Yes Dad, yes, everything is fine. I just bumped my plate against the wall as I closed the door and dropped it. Everything is fine."

"Her father looked at her skeptically, "I could have sworn I heard you yell Martha's name." His eyes widened at the thought. "She isn't in there, is she!?" And he began to push his way into the room.

Judy resisted his efforts. "No Dad! I haven't seen Martha since breakfast. She is definitely not in here." And she clandestinely kicked her sister who was still sitting on the floor behind Judy.

Her father let out a dubious sigh. "Well... ok, but make sure she knows she isn't allowed in here either."

"Of course Dad, I will."

"Are you sure you don't need me?"

"Yes, Dad," she replied, her exasperation clear.

"Ok, but be careful."

"Dad, I am just giving him food. I will be fine." And with that she closed the door on her father for the second time.

With the door closed she leaned her back against it and glared at the room's two other occupants while she listened to her father slowly walk down the hall.

"I can't believe either of you."

"HA!" The fox let out a bark of a laugh that made both Judy and her sister jump.

"Hahaha hah heheh he" his laugher quickly devolved into giggling soon followed by a hacking series of coughs. "Oh god, *cough*, you- heheh, you can't make me laugh like that. *cough* *cough* Ohhh my ribs are killing me." He wiped a tear from his eye.

Both Judy and her sister stared at the fox, dumbfounded.

"That was impressive. You juggled that pretty well eh? Must admit that I don't think I have ever seen anyone move so fast, haha! And you can trust me when I say that, I meet a lot of fast movers in my line of work. Good thing you grabbed her though," he motioned towards Martha, "I almost had her! Back towards the drawing board I guess!"

He grinned broadly at her, his teeth glinting.

Then her sister started laughing too, and his grin grew broader.

"Hahah, oh my god Judy, you are so ridiculous. You can't really have thought he was gonna do anything. You just got done telling Dad how silly that was. Hahah"

Judy's ears turned a bright red and flopped behind her head.

"That's not what I–"

"No need to be bashful Judy," the fox said sarcastically, waggling his eyebrows as her, grin still plastered across his muzzle. "Perhaps you would feel safer though if I were lashed to these beds?" He playfully snapped his jaw at her.

Martha laughed again. "Yeah maybe you would like him to wear a muzzle? Those teeth are pretty sharp! You can't be too safe!"

Judy could feel her anger and embarrassment increasing by the second. She deserved the ribbing, and she knew it, which made it all the worse. She didn't think she was afraid of the fox, not really, or at least not simply because he was a fox. But seeing her sister basically stick her head in his mouth had uncovered a primal fear in her that she hadn't been prepared for.

"That... that isn't fair! I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it! I just–" she trailed off, unable to formulate a real excuse.

"Now you sound like Dad." Martha countered.

"I–" Martha was right, she did. Oh god, she was a terrible bunny. She looked pleadingly at the fox, who winked at her and said, "don't worry about it, it happens to the best of us."

"Yeah I guess…" She replied halfheartedly. Even if he excused her behavior she certainly hadn't.

"Though I'll be sure to keep my mouth closed as best I can when you are around. I wouldn't want to send you running with just a smile."

The expression he wore made it clear to her that he was toying with her now. His eyes flashed mischievously and his grin, which had yet to leave his face, threatened to spread from ear to ear.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe I am letting you stay here," she said as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Again, she knew she deserved it, but he didn't have to be such a jerk about it. Her sister giggling in the background only served to rub salt in the wound.

The fox's grin only grew wider still, "Yes, well, you have made your cake, now you must lie in it." He said matter-of-factly.

She blinked. "Wha– I don't think that's–"

The fox interrupted her, "now, did you come here just to make a mess of my room or was there another reason?" He eyed the food spread all over the floor.

Judy glared at him for a moment, huffed, and replied, "yes I came to bring you food," she gestured towards it, "but as you can see… I may have ruined it." The ruined meal simply served to remind her of what had just occurred and guilt welled up inside her again.

The fox eyed the food for a moment, then looked back at her expectantly. "So, are you just gonna leave it on the floor? Gimme."

"But it's been sitting on the floor…" She looked at the food apprehensively.

"I have eaten far worse, trust me." He reassured her, "C'mon, I'm starving!"

Judy looked between the food and the fox and then glanced at Martha who shrugged. "I mean, if you are alright with it…" And with that she collected the scattered meal and presented it to the infirm mammal who gobbled it up without compunction or complaint.

Martha looked on in amazement, "I thought you were a predator? Predators eat meat don't they?"

The fox stopped eating only long enough to respond, "Nope, we eat all sorts of things."

Judy watched as Martha considered this and threw her a conspiratorial glance.

"Have you… ever eaten another mammal?!" It was like she had tried to spring the question on him, it practically tumbled from her mouth.

"Martha!"Judy exclaimed, at a loss for why Martha suddenly wished to antagonize their guest. And when had she become so bloody minded?

The question didn't seem to phase him, and he answered simply, "Nope, never."

"But why not? Don't predators eat other mammals?"

The fox let out a low chuckle, "Of course not, never even thought of it. I prefer fish anyway." And he smiled at them both, the first, Judy suspected, genuine smile he had given them since they had entered the room.

"Oh fish? Well you can fish in the river! Our brother Steven loves to fish. I think he was even gonna go today."

The fox cocked an eyebrow at Martha. "Rabbits… Fish?"

Judy took the opportunity to answer. "Well, we don't eat them, so he just throws them back."

"Steven said he tried one!" Martha exclaimed.

Judy wretched, balking at the very idea. "Don't lie, that's disgusting!"

"No I am serious. He did! Said it wasn't that bad either. Looked up how to prepare it online."

Judy was dumbfounded. The idea that her brother would have done something like that had never even crossed her mind.

"Oh I have a great idea! I will tell Steven to save the fish this time and then we can make it for you."

"That would be great," the fox replied. "I have an even better idea though, I will share my fish with you. That way we can all be in on Steven's dirty little secret."

"I will not! Rabbits aren't carnivores, things like that are bad for us!"

"Neither are carrots and yet that is about half of what you gave me!" He retorted, gesturing to the mostly empty plate.

Judy opened her mouth to reply, but stopped herself. He wasn't wrong, carrots weren't really all that great for rabbits, they were just so good that many rabbits couldn't help themselves, including some of those in her family. Even so, she was left wondering why the heck a fox would even know something like that.

"I am not trying fish."

"Well," the fox shrugged, "you can't convert the converted, more for me I guess."

And from there the conversation moved elsewhere. As they talked, time passed by in the blink of an eye. Judy was beginning to get his number – or so she thought – understand him more. She and Martha had been chatting with him for far more than an hour, her duties in the kitchen long forgotten, and it had certainly been an interesting conversation.

He seemed to have been everywhere, and he told them about how different things were around the world – no two countries quite alike. And he told them about Zootopia, about all the mammals who lived there practically on top of each other, about the different districts, about all the different things to do.

Judy listened with rapt attention through each of his stories, hoping to glean as much information from them as possible. She knew quite a lot about the city already, spending long hours into the night reading about the metropolis, but this was a first hand account, and well told at that.

But she also learned things about the fox. He was sarcastic, a lot. It was as if it was his primary mode of communication. It wasn't mean spirited, though he seemed to delight in the occasional jab at her, it was just how he was. And she quickly began to believe that it was just his way of being friendly. But then, he was also controlled, and guarded, excessively so. He deftly deflected any inquiries into his past, and Judy began to wonder if their previous conversion about his career was to be the only glimpse into his personal life she would get.

She liked him, she realized. He was a bit rough around the edges, but he was funny, and intelligent, and very kind. Martha had taken to him immediately, and it was mostly her trying to pry her way into his innerworkings. But even all of her intrusive questions seem to have no effect on his mood, even if he declined to share, and he would simply grin pleasantly at her as he moved the conversation elsewhere.

That wasn't quite good enough for Judy though. She could respect not wishing to share one's life story with mammals that were essentially strangers. But he had told her that he was a police officer and she desperately wanted to know more.

"Can you tell me more about being a police officer?" She had interrupted Martha mid-question. They both blinked at her momentarily. Suddenly, understanding flooded across Martha's face and she turned, wide eyed, towards the fox.

"You are a cop?!"

The fox actually looked as though he had been taken off guard for once and he nodded dumbly.

"Oh my god! That is sooo cool! Did Judy tell you she wants to be a cop too?"

The fox stared blankly at Judy.

"You do?" he asked, a slight tinge of disbelief staining his words.

'You want to be a cop?' It was a question she had been asked more times than she could count over the last few years. And always in a similar tone, more or less.

She was offended, a little bit. Thought she didn't like to admit it to herself. It was the same story over and over, and here was another mammal writing her off before he knew anything about anything. She probably shouldn't have been surprised by it anymore, it had never been any different.

The two of them were looking at her now, awaiting a response. She practically spat it at him,

"Yeah, I do. There something wrong with that?"

The fox recoiled slightly, taken aback. But he recovered quickly and asked,

"You're old enough right?"

Now it was Judy's turn to be taken off guard.

"I think you only have to be 18 to join. You must be what… 21?"

"24" she responded without thinking. She didn't understand. Was he… No, that was impossible.

"Then why haven't you joined?"

It was a simple question, asked without malice or derision. But she didn't know how to answer it. Nor could she even believe it was being asked. He didn't laugh at her, call her foolish, sneer, anything. He simply asked her why she wasn't one already.

"I–"

She felt tears forcing their way into her eyes. She had never been asked that. Not by anyone. Not even her siblings, or her parents, or any of the rest of her family. She turned away, blinking back the tears. Embarrassed at her own lack of composure. He didn't laugh at her dream. The fox didn't laugh at her, like so many had before. He was being supportive. And she needed to give him an answer. She turned back towards him, tears still in her eyes, but determined to give him some sort of answer. It was the least she could do.

"Because of..." and she had to fight back a sob as she gestured around, "because of all of this."

He considered her a moment, "you know, I had this girlfriend once that was really into poetry. Like really into it."

Judy stared at him dumbfounded. He was launching into another personal anecdote. Deflecting again. Her anger flared. Was he so afraid of allowing the conversation straying anywhere but inane small talk that he would disregard her feelings like this?

"The only one I remember though, was called The Journey."

Judy shook her head in disbelief. Was he really going to deflect again? She was laying a part of herself bare before him, and he was just going to brush it off.

"I really think you will like it. It goes like this:

One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice–

Though the whole house began to tremble

and you felt the old tug at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

Each voice cried.

But you didn't didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried with its stiff fingers

At the very foundations,

though their melancholy was terrible.

It was already late enough,

And a wild night,

And the road full of fallen branches and stones.

But little by little, as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,

And there was a new voice

which you slowly recognized as your own,

That kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,

Determined to do the only thing you could do–

Determined to save the only life you could save."

Judy had nothing. No response to all of this. She understood though, exactly what he was saying. And her tears came, unrestrained. He understood... understood everything. Through the her sobs she asked him the question she had meant to ask the moment she entered the room. She wasn't afraid anymore.

"What is your name?"

"Hah," he grinned at her as leaned back into his pillow with an air of finality, "I was wondering when you were going to ask me."

So that's all for now! I hope you enjoyed it.

I wish I could say that that poem was my own, but it isn't. The poem Nick recites is The Journey by Mary Oliver.

Again, any questions or comments are welcome.