Chapter Fifteen "A Better Mammal"
I was in trouble. Oh, so much trouble.
'Why don't you come along on my date, Judy? I'm sure Jeanette won't mind.' Who was this dumb fox and what did he do with Nick Wilde?
This was the most idiotic thing I had done since I tried to sell Mr. Big the skunk butt rug. Though stupid decisions had been par for the course with me on this trip.
I spent the remainder of the night questioning my sanity and keeping my mouth shut before I said something else that was completely stupid. Even if it had put me back into a good standing with Judy.
Judy…
Why was I continuing to let myself get my hopes up about that rabbit? I kept telling myself to abandon ever starting a relationship with her. Yet that night when she looked at me with those sad eyes...I was a toy. A rabbit's plaything. And she had no idea.
How was I supposed to explain it to Jeanette without her murdering me? That wasn't even chalking up my other big problem involving Rocky. But the heist had taken a backseat to the more pressing matter of Judy.
Sleep was strange that night, if I even slept at all.
It was one of those weird instances where you would lie in bed and glance at your clock—or cell phone in my case—to read the time. Then you'd close your eyes and open them. You'd look over again and it'd be an hour later than it was the last time you checked the clock. Rinse and repeat until daylight crept through the blinds.
I woke up dazed and confused, but in better shape than the day before.
After the water fight with Judy, I didn't think I needed a shower and I just swiped some Musk-Away along my pits. I'd have to remember to purchase more when this was all over.
I threw on the usual duds, green shirt and slacks, before stumbling into the kitchen.
To my surprise, the Hopps household was packed.
No less than fifty bunnies were hopping about the living room, breaking their fast with cereal and gathered around the television at the center. The kitchen was less crowded, with Bonnie sitting at the table sipping coffee and watching her kits like a hawk.
I had to admit, it was a little hard to face her with what I had planned with Rocky later that evening. Especially after her threat to watch my every move. But you didn't get to be a con artist without putting on an act every now and then. I offered her a fake smile.
"Morning," I said, helping myself to coffee and avoiding the rugrats dancing between my legs. "Where is everyone, eh?"
Bonnie missed my joke, as per usual.
"Stu is at the festival, getting things ready with most of the older kits. Judy and Jen are in their rooms."
"Jenny's back, huh?"
"Since yesterday afternoon," Bonnie turned to face me. Her eyes looked quite restless. "She and Judy have mended their bridges but she won't speak to me yet."
I shrugged in response.
Couldn't imagine why that was. If you burn enough bridges, eventually there's nowhere for you to walk. And from what I had been hearing through the walls of the burrow, Bonnie had taken a flamethrower to Jenny only for Jen to drop her like a rock into the river. That almost made me feel sorry for the bunny mom. I realized this was the first time Bonnie and I had spoken to each other since our confrontation on Saturday.
The con artist in my head told me to leave the conversation as it was. I was going to be involved in stealing from Bonnie. I was proving her right, in the end.
But, for some reason, I decided to continue talking.
"Jenny's been pretty friendly to me," I said with a smile. "From what I've seen, she's not one to hold a grudge. She'll come around. Take it from someone who knows about a rough relationship with his mom."
Bonnie looked sad for a moment.
"Why did you leave your mother, Mr. Wilde?"
That was one of the things that was painful to bring up in our talk, so I had skipped over it.
"I got caught stealing," I admitted. "It was just some rugs, old things from a factory that I thought no one would miss. But apparently someone did and sent the cops after me. When mom bailed me out of jail, we started fighting and didn't stop for days. I just got sick of it and left one night. Lived on the streets for awhile until I pulled myself together. Made a lot of mistakes along the way. But I never did steal anything big like that ever since."
Until today.
After a long minute of silence, Bonnie spoke again.
"I'm terrified Jenny might end up the same way. That, one day, I'm going to push too hard and send her away from the burrow. I've lost Jacky like that. But, at least, I know she'll be alright with Bart. Jenny has always been about her rebellions. Sometimes I feel like her choices have just been to spite me."
"Speaking from her side, Mrs. Hopps, not a day goes by that I don't regret leaving my mom like I did. Now that I'm older, and less reckless, I think about her all the time. I've often debated going up to her house and seeing her again."
"Why didn't you?"
"Pointless pride? Shame? Fear? Take your pick. After a while, it just felt like going back home would make me look stupid. Like it was all for nothing. Sometimes you just need a little motivation from an unlikely place to get you moving."
I winked at her, causing her to sigh. However, her tone was less somber when she spoke again.
"Have you ever thought about having children, Mr. Wilde?"
"Hah. When I was a hustler, having kits was the furthest thing from my mind."
"But what about now that you've gone straight?"
"Now?" The images of Judy and Jeanette flashed across my eyes. "I'm not so sure…"
Bonnie gave me a knowing smirk.
"If you do make that decision, expect a lot of headaches. But they'll be worth more to you than gold. Even when they're angry at you."
"More than gold, huh?"
I took a long sip of my coffee and gagged slightly. It tasted like mud in my mouth. I had been drinking way too much lately.
"I wanted to apologize, Mr. Wilde."
"That's really not necessary, ma'am."
My eyes pleaded with her. I'm going to be involved in stealing something from you today. Please don't make this harder for me than it already is.
"I think it is. I know I've given you a hard time this weekend. And, if I can't set things right with Jenny, I wanted to let you know I was wrong about you, at least. You handle a lot of unfair scrutiny being what you are. And what you were. But you're a better mammal than most that I know to step away from that life."
Ugh, don't say that. I'm a trash mammal and an idiot to boot.
"That's kind of you to say, ma'am. Thank you."
"I'm glad my daughter met you. Having you here has been good for my family. I'm trying to get over my inbred distrust of outsiders. But it's not easy, especially if you grew up with a father like mine."
"You do fine," I was fast growing uncomfortable with the praise and the coffee wasn't any good to drink for a distraction. "I, uh, I forgot something in my room. I'll be right back."
What was with that, Nick? Couldn't handle an apology and a compliment from one bunny?
Maybe because it was Bonnie, the rabbit who had given me the most grief when she had no reason to early on. But now that I was actively proving her accusations right from the start...What was I feeling? Guilt? Isn't that what they called it? Feelings and emotions? Those were dangerous for a con artist to have...
The little coffee I had drunk battled with my stomach as I lurched my way towards my bedroom.
I heard a squeak and the door slam from Jenny's room as I approached. My ears detected whispers from beyond the walls but I shrugged. There were other things on my mind.
Despite my body resisting, I chugged the entire mug of coffee before setting it down on my nightstand. The small closet I had been sleeping in that weekend had grown familiar and I was strangely comfortable there. I knew every inch of it, like a prisoner knew their cell.
Under the bed was my travel bag, with my dirty clothes thrown in a heap next to it.
Something called out to me and I reached down to sort through the contents. There was only a pair of clothes for tomorrow, when we'd head home on the train and go straight to work at the police station from there.
That was when I found my badge.
I had forgotten about my badge the whole weekend, buried at the bottom of all my clothes.
It's not like I needed it when off duty. It was just something I'd have to give up if I ran this heist with Rocky. The metal icon felt like a rock in my paw. But I couldn't put it down. Bonnie's silly words kept echoing in my head.
"You're a better mammal than most I know..."
A knock at my door snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Mr. Wilde?" said Jenny. "Jeanette just pulled into the driveway. Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," I replied, dropping my badge into my pocket. "Yeah, just a sec."
I grumbled a curse, having momentarily forgotten the impending confrontation with Jeanette about including Judy on our date.
You could do this, Nick. You just had to lay on the charm and sound convincing enough that Judy still didn't have your eye.
Jenny greeted me outside my bedroom.
The chubby rabbit had the look of someone who had just woken up, still standing in her pajamas and ears disheveled. Despite that, she had on a coy smirk that I had come to know well.
"Hang on," she said, stopping me before I could go out to greet Jeanette. "Let me get Judy."
Jenny knocked at her own bedroom door. That explained why I had heard whispering a minute ago…
"Come on, Jude. You gotta come out if you want to go to the faire."
I mulled over the irony that it was Judy holding us up instead of me. Usually, I was the one who had to be dragged out of bed, being nocturnal and prone to insomnia.
Judy finally opened the door before her sister could give another impatient knock.
My jaw dropped. It was never easy, was it?
It was the first time I had ever seen Judy wear a dress. She was the jock type, sticking to jogging clothes or jeans when off duty, at most.
But there she was, standing with ears tucked behind her head and a clear blush on her face. She was wearing a beautiful white sundress with thin straps. At her neck was a black choker with a gemmed carrot. Was she wearing makeup? She was. Most mammals with fur didn't bother with the heavy foundation in the way, say, a pig would. An expert paw had done Judy's eyeliner, making her purple eyes pop more. Her cheeks had been touched up, removing what few imperfections in her pattern there were. And there were her lips, which had just the slightest rosey color to them.
"You alright there, Mr. Wilde?" Jenny nudged me at the side.
Jenny snapped me back from gawking and I quickly closed my mouth in a gulp.
"Uh, yeah...You, uh, you look good, Carrots."
Something squeaked out of Judy's lips, but it was too soft to hear. She couldn't keep eye contact with me and her face was looking perpetually red with embarrassment. I would have recovered sooner, but her humiliation somehow made it more awkward. It was all I could do to turn away and make for the door.
"Let's, uh, let's get going then."
I went from one beauty to another.
Jeanette was waiting for us in the hall, sporting her black dress from the bar two nights ago. Given the mud around the faire, I wagered she was more prepared than Judy was to get dirty. As before, she had on a more goth persona, complete with black earrings and lipstick. Her brow furrowed at the sight of Judy coming behind me.
Already starting out with problems before I even explained the situation...
"Hey, Red," I waved and put on a nervous smile. "Uh, listen. I have a favor to ask."
"She's coming with us?"
There was an indignant emphasize on the word 'she' in Jean's sentence. I winced while Judy froze in terror behind me.
"Look," I said, trying to hide the discomfort in my voice. "I forgot to mention yesterday. When Judy asked me to come to the burrows, she had intended to show me the faire herself."
"So, you wanted to bring her along?"
I was not having luck with women on this trip. Jeanette was giving a look of disappointment I hadn't seen since I was a kit. I was reminded of my mom, for a moment.
"...Yes?"
The moment of silence while I waited for Jeanette to respond allowed me to give myself my last rites. I was fully prepared for the quiet vixen to instantly explode in a fireball of hate and rage. She had every reason to.
Instead, she glared at Judy behind me and sighed.
"It's okay with me…"
But you owe me big time, was what she wanted to add at the end of that sentence. I could feel it.
I kept tense even though I had passed through largely unscathed. It felt like if I took a breath of relief, I would implode from the pressure. Behind me, Judy was shivering under the hateful gaze of Jeanette. Not so innocent of a vixen, indeed.
"Great," I said, still holding my breath and speaking fast before I passed out. "Uh-then-shall-we-carry-on-to-the-faire? Let's-not-waste-the-day-away. While-we're-still-young. Please."
Jeanette let out a satisfied huff and turned for the door.
I took a deep breath with the room feeling less stuffy, despite it being filled with rabbits. Judy must have sensed my relief, or shared in it. She gave me a passing apologetic look as she joined Jeanette outside. Seeing her face at the end of my confrontation made it all worthwhile. Darn those purple eyes.
Alright, Nick. One problem down. Now, you just had to keep Judy busy and help hide a million dollars. Easy as pie...
The ride to the faire went beyond the normal boundaries of awkwardness.
If there was such a thing as entropy in the universe, it would have been there in that pie delivery truck. We took familiar seats, with me in the passenger seat, Jeanette driving, and Judy in the back. I glanced back at Judy to find her doing her best to keep her white dress from getting dirtied on a floor covered in pie crumbs and mud. The thought came to me several times to offer her my seat, but that would have left her at the mercy of Jeanette for a neighbor. The vixen glared at me every time my eyes wandered.
I passed the time wondering why Judy had gotten dressed up for this.
We had been on plenty of outings together before, going to movies or out to dinner on the weekend for some occasions. I quickly put together that this was Jenny's doing. It had to be. I mean, makeup? Come on now, Judy and makeup went together like Clawhauser and dieting. But she looked, well, gorgeous. If it was Jennifer's intent to make me speechless, she had done a good job.
But what was Jenny playing at? Was she just trying to get under my skin, knowing I had given up Judy for Jeanette? See what you're missing, Mr. Wilde?
The missing answers to the half-cocked questions would have to wait. I had a date to manage, followed by a hustle to run.
We arrived at the faire shortly after ten, only to find it filled with rabbits. The out-of-towners hadn't caught wind of the celebration yet.
I found myself taking the lead into the faire circle, while Judy and Jeanette lingering behind me over opposite shoulders.
"Alright, ladies. What do we want to do first?"
From the center of the faire, we could see everything.
Stu had managed to get all the rides working in time the previous night, much to his relief. I could hear the screams of excited bunny kits while they glided along the baby rollercoaster right at the front. I knew that would be popular when I had helped Judy put it together. The mud situation hadn't improved and there were puddles around us, sprinkled with hay to keep mammals from sinking in like dinosaurs to a tarpit. Most of all was the food. Even when we were a mile away during the drive, my nose could detect the deep fried goods and candied apples being served.
Both Judy and Jean remained silent, looking at me expectantly.
"What? I'm going to have to decide?"
It was almost like the two had traded places. Judy was the one being reserved and quiet, while Jeanette had on a determined expression.
"Oookay," I trailed off, looking at our options. "Well...Should we start with what's first in the lineup?"
That just so happened to be the Water Pistol Racer, one of my favorites.
It was a pretty basic setup, with a counter implanted by about twelve different water pistols. Targets were set up on the other end of the stall.
All you had to do was pull the trigger and drench the bullseye for as long as possible while it bounced around. Whoever topped the tracker off first won and got a small prize. The only problem was that it was mostly designed for someone the size of a rabbit.
I paid the worker for the three of us and we began the game.
As expected, the controls were a challenge for me with my large paws. I sat between Judy and Jeanette as they both focused on the race.
Not even fifteen seconds in and the buzzer rang.
"Winner!"
I looked over to Judy. She had beaten the game with near perfect accuracy.
It was a small wonder. I had learned in my days at the academy, her weapons training scores had been flawless. That wasn't even mentioning she was the only one out of us who wasn't squat over an uncomfortably small bench. A fact that Jeanette was quick to remind her.
"Seems a little unfair to me," Jeanette said, with her arms crossed. "The pistols were too small for Nick and I."
Judy looked as if she had something to say to Jeanette, but instead only returned the glare she was receiving. I was starting to feel a little nervous sitting between them until the worker for the game came up.
"Nice job, Jude," he looked like a distant cousin or sibling, but you could never tell with a Hopp. "Pick your prize."
The worker gestured to the row above the targets.
It was lined with stuffed toys, cheap but cute. There were animals of every kind, colorful characters ranging from everything between elephants to mice. Even rabbits and foxes.
Judy glanced to the prizes, then to Jeanette. She tucked in her lip before facing the worker again.
"I'll take a fox," Judy said, defiantly.
If that was a sleight at Jeanette, I didn't understand what it meant. But Jean took offense to it, by the way she huffed like an angry bull.
Judy collected her prize, a tiny red fox doll that she held between her arms, and we broke from the game to let the next group in. Jeanette was glaring daggers at the toy, like she was trying to set it on fire with her mind. As before, I had to stand between them to keep them from going at each other.
"Uh, what next?"
This time, Jeanette spoke up instantly. "Let's go to the Pumpkin Painting station."
I shrugged in agreement and let Jeanette guide me by the paw straight to the set up nearby. Judy tagged along close behind.
The Pumpkin Painting was a small fenced off area of the faire off to the side.
They charged a small fee for admission, supplied you a pumpkin and paints, and then let you get to work. They let you keep the pumpkin afterwards. They were tiny little things that could fit in the palm of your paw. An elder bunny managed the station, mostly dealing with kits. She seemed surprised to see an older group, like us, interested in painting.
"How many pumpkins?" I asked as I dug out the cash to pay. "Three?"
"Two," said Jeanette. "One for us, one for Judy."
Judy gave Jeanette a quizzical look, but didn't protest.
We took our respective pumpkins and huddled over the plastic tables and chairs set up for decorating. Jeanette pulled her seat up close to me and sorted through the supplies we were left with.
"So," I began. "How do you want to do this, or…?"
"Just sit back and watch me work."
By that she meant I was only going to get in her way.
Jeanette was like a machine, taking a nearby marker and sketching a design on the pumpkin with laser precision. She was outlining some sort of drawing, and a very intricate one at that. Even the rough sketch she was making outshined the other kit's finished products. As she slapped the cap back on, she grabbed the brush and began to paint.
Her intense focus drew attention from other mammals around the table.
Many kits stopped what they were doing and looked at her with awe. Paint mixed with brush in an artistic fashion and she used techniques well beyond anything I could hope to do on my own. I had heard of speed painters before, but never of Jean's skill level. It was like watching a magic trick.
After ten minutes, she put down her brush.
"Done."
The crowd around us gasped and applauded at the piece of art Jeanette had produced on the once simple pumpkin. On it was a homely scene of a fresh baked blueberry pie, resting on top of a plaid cloth. The painting looked so real I could almost smell the pie. She handed the pumpkin to me with a smile.
"For you, Nick."
"Oh, uh, thanks, Red. It's beautiful…I didn't realize you were a painter."
"I work with a lot of cakes. Sometimes we get a little fancy with the decoration."
"Huh...Next thing you're going to tell me is you keep pet mockingbirds and practice archery."
As charming of a creation was, I honestly had no idea what to do with it. A painting you could hang on the wall, but a pumpkin was so awkward to carry around. Still, the pie picture was very realistic and I found myself salivating a little bit at the thought of lunch.
While I held up the pumpkin in admiration, I caught a glance of Judy across the table.
Judy had been determined to not look over to Jeanette once they started. But upon seeing what Jean had created, Judy threw up her pumpkin and gave up. Her painting had been nothing more than a sloppy drawn, but admittedly adorable, bunny face.
Judy and Jeanette shared glares at each other with their arms crossed.
I could sense some underlying tension between the two, but I was missing most of the context. It was clear they were having some sort of falling out, but what was with the competitiveness?
"Well," I said, continually trying to delay an all out brawl between the two. "What next?"
I wish I could say that relationships between Judy and Jean improved over the day. But they only got worse as the two competed more and more heavily with each other.
Everything we did, everything, was a contest.
We ran the gamut of all the faire had to offer. From the Ball Pit, to the Merry-go-round, to the Ring-the-Bell, to the Batting Cages, and to the Balloon Darts. Somehow, the two managed to turn everything that was fun about the faire into a battle of wills against each other. Even the eating.
For lunch, we got pulled into the pie eating contest. Never before in my life have I ever not wanted to eat blueberry pie. I gave up after halfway through my third, which made me sick. Judy managed to win the entire contest, somehow eating twelve pies. By the end of it, her stomach had bloated and she had gotten blue stains all over her dress.
Jeanette got a victory in at the Ball Pit, where the challenge was to find the golden ball. Foxes have stronger noses than rabbits, even if Jean ended up losing an earring in the process.
Then was the Merry-go-round...How do you even turn a Merry-go-round into a competition? I still have no idea, but somehow they managed it. Neither girl won and we got thrown off the ride by a very bitter carnival worker.
While the girls were busy battling each other, they didn't notice the subtle change in atmosphere around the faire. But I sure did.
It was slow, at first.
Kits were being kits, getting hyper off of candy and sweets before crashing hard after lunch. Some of the older kits, the high schoolers, were carrying some brown bags hiding bottles inside them. Later in the day, I began to spot a few beer cans in some of the adult's paws. Rocky was getting to work.
By the time the day was winding to a close, most of the other mammals had a buzz to them. Not outright drunk, though I suspect those who were had already stumbled home.
It was the nice kind of tipsy, where mammals could enjoy themselves...And not notice if something went missing, by chance.
Almost game time. Unfortunately, my attention was still elsewhere.
It was around five and already the sun was starting to go down over the horizon, typical for a early fall day.
Tension was at an all time high between Judy and Jeanette.
Both looked haggard and exhausted. They had done most of the running around, while I was content to take it easy and not get involved.
"Alright then," I said, clapping my paws together. "Well, I had...Fun. Are we done for today?"
"No!" The both of them shouted at once.
"Oh, come on, girls. We did everything at the faire. What's even left?"
"The Love Wagon," said Jeanette.
I gulped and glanced between the two of them.
I had noticed the tractor going around in circles, following the circumference of the faire. It was a cheap little thing, nothing more than a caboose being pulled by an old piece of farm equipment. The only thing that made it romantic were the pink paper hearts stapled to the railings and the fact that there was only room for two mammals at a time. The line had been pretty long at the start of the faire.
But now that everyone was winding down, and slightly drunk, the wait was more reasonable.
"I figured we were going to skip that…"
"No," continued Jeanette as she crossed her arms. "All day I've put up with her. All. Day. This is supposed to be a date, Nick. We could at least do something that's date-like."
My ears drooped. Jeanette was completely right, of course. Even Judy sensed that.
"Look, Jean," Judy said. "If you want me to, I'd be happy to step aside…"
"I want to enjoy what's left of this date. Alone with Nick."
Judy winced. "O-Okay, that's more than fair…"
"I want to hear it from Nick," she turned her ire to me. "Nick, tell Judy to leave us alone. I'd like our privacy back."
"You can't be serious…" I muttered. "Come on, Red. Judy said she'd be fine with it."
"I'm serious. What's it going to be?"
There wasn't venom in her words, but there was a lot of frustration.
Jeanette had been more than fair with Judy and I.
She had let Judy come along and put up with their silly little competitions all day. And now, it felt she was giving me a choice to see where the line in the sand was drawn. What mattered more to me? A relationship with Jean? Or my friendship with Judy?
I was dating Jeanette, not Judy.
In fact, I was trying to forget about my feelings for Judy.
To top it all off, there was the matter of the golden carrot which I would be helping to steal from Judy's family at any moment. Everything pointed to me dropping ties with Judy and using Jeanette would be an easy out to that regard. Judy was even offering to step aside.
All I had to do was tell Judy to go and she'd be out of my life. Maybe forever when all of this was said and done.
But then I looked to Judy.
Her ears were droopy and she was staring at her feet. Upset and prepared to leave. She was waiting for me to give Jeanette the obvious answer.
I sighed and said the only thing reasonable thing I could think of in that situation.
"Red. Judy's my friend and she's non-negotiable in this relationship. She's part of the package for being with me. I won't ask her to go away. Not even for you."
The words left my mouth, but I didn't quite comprehend their meaning until I saw the expression of outrage on Jeanette's face. This was contrasted by the wide-eyed look of relief from Judy, who kept a paw at her heart.
"Nick…" said Judy.
Jeanette let out a huff of resentment before stomping away.
When she was a reasonable distance away, I caught her wiping her eyes some. Looked like that bridge had been burnt, and Judy and I both knew it.
"Nick," Judy repeated, paw still at her chest. "That was…"
"Stupid?" I asked, trying to give her a smile. I sighed when I saw she wasn't buying it. "Well, so much for that."
"I'm so sorry…"
I shrugged. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Carrots. You coming along was my offer, my choice, and my mistake."
I just wish I knew why I picked Judy.
Things would have been easier if I had just left well enough alone. Jeanette was a great vixen and would have been perfect for a relationship with me. She even accepted my past life and actually liked me. I could have helped her manage her bakery and she'd have never known about the thing with Rocky.
Yet, given the choice, I had picked Judy without a second thought.
Evidently, whatever I told myself, I hadn't gotten over Judy yet.
I sighed, troubled by my own decisions and unsure if I could even trust myself with important choices anymore. Judy seemed to sense my discontentment and looked up at me, with her little nose twitching.
"You're upset," she claimed.
"No…"
I was just frustrated with myself. But that wasn't Judy's interpretation.
"I'll go talk to her."
I couldn't collect my senses quickly enough to stop her.
Judy slipped off into the crowd which had formed around us to eavesdrop. Darn yokels and their gossiping.
I was too late. Judy was gone.
I was starting to get a headache as I replayed the events of the day over in my mind, capitalized with the moment I had to choose between Judy and Jean.
It was cringe-inducing at best, and depressing at its worst. I walked along the faire with my head hung low.
The moment away from the girls allowed me to think some.
What did I just do? What did it mean?
No matter what I had convinced myself of, Judy wasn't going away from my life any time soon. I didn't want her to. No matter how complicated she made things for me.
But if I didn't get her love, what did I want from her?
"You're a better mammal…"
Bonnie's words from this morning bounced around my head in the mix.
A better mammal?
I sure didn't feel like it. A better mammal wouldn't sacrifice the vixen he was trying to date to keep a friend, would he?
I shoved my paws into my pocket and hit something sharp.
I pulled out a metal shield. My ZPD police badge. I forgotten I had even brought the thing with me on accident. I stared down at the silly icon, my name etched into the bottom bar. Why was it so hard to throw away?
The start of a theory popped into my head.
I had worked so hard for the stupid piece of metal. Originally, I had thought I did it to please Judy. To be closer to her. And while that was certainly a part of it, there was something else to it.
Satisfaction. Maybe? Pride? No...But certainly closer…
I compared it to my desire to join the scouts when I was a kit.
I was proving that a fox could be something more than what the world saw him as. A better mammal.
It was childish and stupid. Like a bunny trying to become a cop. The innocence of the idea was something I thought I lost the day I got muzzled. But with Judy...She brought it back out of me, kicking and screaming. Even if I wasn't aware of it at the time. She had a subtle influence that had changed me the longer I was around her.
That was it.
I wanted to be with Judy, as a friend or a lover, because she brought the best out of me.
Judy made me want to be a better mammal.
I smiled at the badge. The thought was conclusive and I felt like I had resolved something deep inside me.
...Just in time to see a semi pull into the faire.
With my badge in paw, I watched as Rocky beeped at a group of bunnies standing in the road so he could park next to the box and the golden carrot. The raccoon had another cigarette at his fangs with his hood pulled up. As he had predicted, most folks were too tired or too tipsy to pay him much mind as he worked to open the crate for storage.
I looked to my badge. Then to Rocky.
I sighed and tucked away the shield in my pocket.
Rocky saw me approach. "Nick! We should be seen together..."
"Relax," I said with a low voice as I leaned on the box to watch him work. "Look, can we talk for a moment, Rocco?"
"Now's really not the time, Nick."
"Well, I'm having second thoughts...Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm literally in the middle of doing this," he replied, hoisting the golden carrot into the air. "Don't tell me you've got cold feet. Mice have more backbone than you."
"Just hear me out."
I was trying to end this without causing a scene. In a lot of ways, Rocky reminded me of myself. Lost. But he could be more if he wanted to. Anyone could.
"Think about it, Rocky. The Hopps are going to know you were the one who stole it. Bonnie is already against you."
"They can suspect all they want. But without proof, they can't do a thing. Not unless I'm stupid about it."
"And what about Jenny?"
Rocky paused for a moment before he dropped the gold into the box.
"A means to an end. She shouldn't have been so naive to trust me like she did. It was completely pointless to date her, anyway. And the whole marriage thing was just a smokescreen to try to get closer with the family. It didn't work though. So, once they start accusing me of stealing, which I know they will, I'll have an excuse to break things off with her. Easy peasy."
I guess Judy was right. Some mammals never changed.
I had given Rocky every chance to pull out of the heist without anyone knowing otherwise. But the raccoon was dead set on nothing but the money.
I didn't want to do what I had to next. But he was leaving me no choice. We were doing this the hard way.
"Alright," I said, reaching into my pocket again as he stepped up to his truck door. "No more games. You're under arrest for attempted thievery."
"Pfff. Nick, you ain't no cop."
"Then what's this?" I held up my badge. "Officer Nicholas P. Wilde, ZPD. Judy's partner. And you've just loaded a stolen family heirloom into your truck. I have more than enough evidence to detain you, even though I'm off duty."
The dumbfounded expression on Rocky's face made me think that he might come away quietly.
"So, are you going to come quietly or do I have to—"
But that was too much to hope for.
Hot ash sprayed across my face. The little weasel had spat his cigarette at me.
As I wiped my snout, a hard foot connected to my chest and sent me flying from the truck and into the mud.
I heard the engine roar to life as I struggled to stand. Rocky was going savage, tearing off in the night with his prize in tow.
"Rocky, stop," I managed to choke out as the rubber of the tire kicked up dirt.
Rocky was stuck enough in the mud that he couldn't make an instant getaway.
I grabbed hold of the handle on the side of the semi and held on as he yanked me forward, along with his truck. I hung on for dear life, dangling like a flag in the wind.
Then the screaming started.