Finding your Wilde side
We get to find out what our fox buddies are up to. Nick tries a new look with some nostalgia of the darkest kind and they head off into the great unknown. Okay these foxes love to mess up all my plans again as Finnick finds love? and Nick finds… well you will just have to read and see I don't want to spoil it. Oh yeah and they find important stuff too as they are on a mission after all but they did seem to forget that for awhile.
Zoodate: 111-118 P.C.
Chills went down his back and his fur stood on end as he looked into the blackness seeing a light in the sky move down shining a beam on the forest floor moving around getting closer to their position. The two foxes dove for cover rolling down the hill and hiding in a hollow log. The greenish light which shone on the ground like a circle of brightness in the middle of the black moved around as if frantically searching for them. Nick and Finnick held their breath as if they could be heard and the buzzing from above seemed to sound like they were being hunted by a swarm of angry bees except if they were stung by these bees they may never be seen again.
After awhile the buzzing sound became one steady loud voice and turned into a loud humming and then the green light disappeared and the humming sound became quieter slowing diminishing. When they started on this mission Nick figured this would be a lot fun scamming the easy marks out in the wilderness easily getting to the bottom of this silly mess. He figured it was just a hermit or woodsman having a joke on the naive people in the city having a laugh at everyone freaking out. Well they had the scamming part down but the threat didn't seem to involve any creature to scam at least none they had found. They were con artists not secret agents. This was not exactly their forte.
When Finnick had shown up at their staging point and parked his van in the back lot of the government building, Nick had a special package for him.
Finnick: "What the fuck is this?"
Nick: grinning "Your new uniform."
Finnick: "I brought the shitty elephant costume and diaper in case you had nostalgia."
Nick: "Bring it, we may have a use for it."
Finnick went into the van to change and Nick stripped in the parking lot slipping on a costume he would never have expected to wear in his life. But when he had been flipping through hundreds of pictures of possibilities it just fit so perfectly. His life had come full circle and it was time to face his fears. When the little fennec came hopping out of the back of the van he thought he was looking at his eight year old self except with much bigger ears and an angry grimace on his face.
Finnick: angrily "What the fuck Nick?"
The little fennec was dressed in an olive green uniform with red kerchief and matching olive green hat. The hat had a large round orange and yellow patch with a pine tree in the middle and the words Zootopia Junior Rangers. On the left sleeve was a red patch that said 914. On the front were several patches on both sides. On the left pocket area were three squares standing on their vertices flush next to each other forming a 'V' pattern.
Finnick: annoyed "I thought you said these cocksuckers were fucking scum."
Nick: grinning "I am proving to myself they didn't get to me."
Finnick: "Hmm so I take it you are the dick scout master and I am the little shit scout?"
Nick: slyly "Yep I call this Undercover Scout. It gives us an excuse to pretty much wander anywhere without seeming a threat."
Finnick: "What are these fucking badges?"
Nick: "I set you up as rank three of four and the badges over on the right side are various events you have attended and extra merits you have achieved on top of your rank. You would need to appear to be an advanced scout to be going where we are going."
Finnick: "How do you know so much about these fuckers?"
Nick: "I looked them up. Had full access to all government archives."
Finnick: "When did you bother with fucking research?"
Nick: "Darn Furless rubbed off on me I guess. He was pretty freaked out by all this."
Finnick: "Still can't see him and the rabbit together like shit, my mind can't compute."
Nick: "Well I was really shocked how much they could do together."
Finnick: shocked "You fucking saw them doing it?"
Nick: "No, well yes and no. I really can't say because I promised Carrots I would never mention it to anyone including you. But yeah they surprisingly can do a lot. But no I have never seen Carrots like that. That would mess me up in the head like you seeing Tala."
Finnick: angrily "Nick you cocksucker! I had finally gotten that image out of my head. I am gonna fucking bite your face off if you keep that up!"
Nick: laughing "Sorry old friend, force of habit being around Carrots and Furless, I love to taunt them mercilessly."
Finnick: "Well fuck, they invited me over a few times but I am scared to see them together like that. I am afraid I may beat the human senseless if I see him all over Judy."
Nick: grinning "I would avoid that. Carrots will take you down without a seconds thought if you threaten her human."
Finnick: "Shit, he needs her to defend him? That is fucking messed up."
Nick: laughing "Tell me about it. Welcome to my life."
Finnick: "Fuck, I may have to go visit them then. I will just have to keep my paws off anything that will fucking damage the motherfucker."
Nick: "Don't let me hold you back. It would be interesting to see what you thought about the two of them together."
Finnick: "Well I woulda thought a fox and rabbit would have been fucking weird until I met Judy and Tala so who the fuck knows."
Nick: "It's Zootopia. Get used to weird."
Finnick: angrily "So what is the goddamn motherfucking excuse for us to be tromping through woods?"
Nick: "You are going for your Wilderness Badge."
Finnick: "That exists?"
Nick: grinning "Heck if I know."
Finnick: grinning "Fucking nice! My old buddy is still in there somewhere."
Nick laughs.
The two foxes had packed camping supplies including tent and backpack, food, money, Nick's special toolkit, Finnick's baseball bat 'Betty' and brass knuckles, spare uniforms and clothes, knives, compass, maps, cameras, digital recorder, phone, long range walkie talkie, writing materials, cooking and fire starting gear, water purification tablets, toiletries, first-aid kit, compact fishing set, several flashlights including ones with power beams and solar recharging packs and spare batteries, nylon ropes, sleeping bags with pillows and numerous items needed for a week long wilderness excursion. The government officials were very handy in preparing all the possibly items needed for this mission. They had the emergency code for the channel for the other two teams that had already been sent out into the wilderness. Carrots had called and reminded him to pack a ZPD Tranquilizer gun, a taser and some long range wasp spray which could be used as an effective mace. It is a good thing she is always thinking as he would have forgotten this arsenal. His mind had gone back into his old con patterns being with his old partner and he wasn't thinking in his new cop mind. To accomplish this mission he probably would need both those sets of skills.
They took the train to the closest exit point in The Burrows and they took a taxi to the farthest location on the South East edge of the vast forest that spread across the southern border to the east of Outback Island. There the foxes found the place they had been searching for… Pine Adventures Rentals. The city had already arranged for a vehicle they could use to hopefully get a lot farther into forest and much closer to the location of the sightings. They met the owner Mel who was a friendly older moose who already had the vehicle fulled charged.
Mel: "Got you the deluxe model as requested. This is the ZOORV model of the ORV Off-Road Vehicle. It is designed for longer-range use instead of just daily excursions. The battery should be equipped for quite a long range through this terrain although it all depends on how rough the path is as the more it has to climb the slower it travels and more power it will use."
Nick: "What is the range of a full charge?"
Mel: "It is equipped with triple the battery of the regular model but it will probably run out of charge in 120-150 kms in this terrain. Once this happens you will need to park it and setup the array of solar panels to recharge it."
Finnick: "Um can't it fuc…. I mean can't it be taken."
Mel: "It uses a RIFD card and code to operate. It will not operate without these. It also has a chip and tracker so if you need to leave it somewhere you can find it in the wilderness."
Nick: "That seems quite useful."
Mel: "Well you guys paid for the best. The deposit was brutal on this thing so I would recommend getting it back in one piece."
The foxes piled all their gear on the transport panel on the rear and wrapped it down with stretch cords. Because of the amount of equipment they were hauling for an extended tour hiking through the forest with that much gear would be impossible. They would have to go as far as the vehicle could travel and set up camp and recharging panels and then wander around and explore.
They had been given the eastern most section of the quadrant to explore with the other two groups exploring areas to the west and south. The ORV was designed for smaller medium to medium sized mammals with four large tires with large heavy duty tread and special shocks on all four wheels with the ability to independently control each wheel which would help in getting through any rough rocky terrain.
Nick wanted to get as much distance as they could while it was daylight and they immediately headed off with Finnick driving. Finnick had a whole lot more experience driving than Nick as it seems he was always the backup driver with regards to both his partners. It was no big deal to Nick as it gave him a chance to relax and enjoy the scenery just like when he rode with his bunny partner. Nick figured it was a whole lot easier for someone else to do the work while he wore his trademark reflective shades and looked cool. He grinned at the thought of that. It was nice to get out of the city for a change and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful wilderness. They were following the main southern dirt trail on their map which went for almost 200 kms. Nick hoped they had time to max out the range on the ZOORV and then setup camp. There was a site about the 135-145 km mark he was hoping to reach which was commonly used by those exploring this area. The road was fairly well traveled and they were making good time so he hoped they could make that range before running out of power.
It was quite a beautiful drive through the canopy and it definitely seemed relaxing. Nick could get used to life out here living like his ancestors. He then realized he would probably get bored quite quickly but it was a great opportunity to take a break from the normal ZPD grind and enjoy the company of his little buddy again. Nick and Finnick had known each other since childhood and Finnick was his only real friend from that time. Carrots and Furless were usually decent company but sometimes only a really old friend could really relate to everything he was going through. Once he had joined the ZPD most of his old buddies were very hesitant to hang out with him. They said it was just because they were busy, but they couldn't con him and he had no idea why they even tried. They were afraid that other associates of theirs would give them a hard time hanging out with a cop. Finnick was the only person who didn't give a fuck what other mammals thought. He never minded hanging out with Judy and he loved Tala like his sister so hanging out with his old fox friend who was a cop was nothing. Finnick figured it would be good to have some connections in the ZPD if things ever got hairy anyway. Besides Finnick knew that Judy and Nick would look the other way with regards to any of his or Mr. Big's questionable business methods. Carrots may say she was a stickler for the law but she bent that in many instances. She always found a way to justify it. Nick always just looked towards the spirit of the law rather than the fine details anyway. He left all that rules and regulation crap to Carrots.
They had been traveling for several hours and they were starting to lose some light. Finnick said they had been below 10% power for a fair bit and had no idea how much more they had left. Fortunately Nick saw the camp site and directed Finnick into the entrance where they found a good spot near a permanent fire pit. The duo began to unpack the gear and setup camp. As they began to lose light another vehicle showed up in the camping site parking nearby so they could also use the fire pit. Nick realized he should have tried to test the camping equipment before coming out as it took them quite awhile to figure out how to use it. Apparently the two others sharing the pit did not have this problem and they had their equipment up before Nick and Finnick even though they arrived much later. Nick thought he wasn't used to all the preparation work required for this secret agent stuff. He was thinking just give me a nice normal con as this special mission stuff had a lot of complex elements to juggle. Sometimes it was fun to just be lazy instead of worrying about a thousand things.
Their fellow campers appeared to be an elk couple who had been cautious when they saw Nick's red tail until they saw the Junior Ranger uniforms and had smiled seemingly at complete ease. Nick watched these kinds of things out of the corner of his eye and was pleased his con was working as he had expected. The elk couple had started the fire in the pit and Nick and Finnick had been going through the cooking gear and food to figure out the best way make something to eat. The male elk came and introduced himself shaking Nick's and Finnick's paws.
Phil: "Phil Nelson and that is my wife Bridget"
Bridget waved her hoof at the foxes.
Nick: "Nicky Softpaws and the little kit there is Finley Verda."
Phil: "Ah, I couldn't help but notice you are Junior Rangers. From Zootopia?"
Nick: "Yep, we are out exploring the great outdoors. I'm afraid all this outdoors stuff is quite new to the both of us but Finley there needs to be an expert in everything before we get back."
Phil: "Ah well we didn't do much of any real outdoors stuff until I was in older Ranger Scouts. Looks like they are starting the kids earlier now."
Nick thinks just great. He had to come across the one camper in the entire forest who was a former Junior Ranger Scout. Well he had been bored all day so it was always fun to live on the edge and keep sharp. He would just have to be careful what he said.
Phil: "What's he going for?"
Nick: "Tell the gentlebuck Finley."
Finnick: "Wilderness Badge."
Phil: "Hmm I hadn't heard of that."
Nick: "It's new. Finley was hoping to be the first in the troop to earn his and I had some free days and thought it would be great to get outdoors for awhile."
Phil: "You're not concerned with all the stuff about the lights?"
Nick: "Oh is that why we hadn't seen anyone else until now. I hadn't been watching the news lately. We had planned this trip awhile back and the rental was non-refundable."
Phil: "We were in a similar situation. So you don't know what is going on out here?"
Nick: grinning "How about we work together to cook some dinner and you can tell me about what is going on."
Ah it was good to run some cons again. Running a con wearing a police uniform did not work very well. It is good to get back to his roots again. It was also good he figured out how to find an excuse to explain why he had no clue how to use any of this camping crap. It was so nice to have someone teach them everything. Nick chuckled to himself while Phil and Bridget helped show them how to use the cooking gear and they cooked a meal together while Phil filled Nick in on essentially every detail he already knew. But it kept him busy and it was always good to see what the elk didn't know.
Nick: "How long you been out here?"
Phil: "Three days. We were planning on heading back in the morning."
Nick: "See anything?"
Phil: "Yeah, that is why we cut the trip short a few days. We heard a bunch of humming and buzzing in the air moving incredibly fast and later that night we saw two sets of lights in the sky less than a kilometer from where we were camping. Once we saw that we high tailed it out of there."
Nick: grinning "Can you show me on the map so I can make sure to avoid it."
Phil marked the area on the map where they had been camping when they saw the lights and approximately where they were when hearing the noises. It sure was nice for the elk to point out on the map where the scouts shouldn't go. Ah this was fun… he had missed it.
Phil: "Ah I see Finley there has achieved Turtle, Snake and Lizard. Finley how long until you achieve the final rank?"
The question caught Finnick off-guard but being a true professional he winged it.
Finnick: "I am hoping six months."
Phil: "Ah quite good. You'll be a chomper in no time."
Finnick: "Yes sir I hope to chomp with the best of them."
Phil: "I sure miss those days. I envy you… but I worry about you out here with all that stuff going on. I wouldn't want you guys to go missing."
Nick: "Is there any place out here that is safe where we can still camp?"
Phil: "Maybe on the outskirts of Outback Island to the Northeast. The UAVs have been fairly careful about avoiding populated areas."
Nick: "I had a few questions about some of this other equipment if you could help."
Phil: "Of course… I would be happy to help another Ranger Scout with anything you need."
Phil help to show Nick had to use the remaining equipment while Bridget doted over little Finley making a fuss over how handsome he looked and how brave he was being out in these woods. Phil and Nick both figured out how to get the solar panels setup and orientated to get maximum solar coverage based on where the sun was rising and available openings in the canopy. He had not expected to meet such nice mammals in these woods. He had expected maybe some hermits or crazy people howling at the moon. Well they had plenty of more time to find those kinds he imagined but it would be nice to get to the location with the sightings and get some good sound, video and photographic evidence, and get to the bottom of this whole thing. They were getting paid for a minimum seven days so if they finished it in two to three then they had some nice free vacation time.
Nick and Finnick got settled in their tent unrolling their sleeping gear. Nick decided to go commando which is how he usually slept.
Finnick: "Get that fucking thing out of my face!"
Nick: "Sorry Fin it's not out anyway."
Finnick: "Well fucking make sure it stays tucked in there if you don't want to lose it."
Nick: "Well I don't really have that much control over that… and you are looking cute."
Finnick: growling "You really don't value your health do you cocksucker."
Nick: imitating Bridget "Ahh little Finley you are so brave and handsome in your uniform. I'm sure you will be a heart-breaker when you get older."
Finnick punches Nick in the gut.
Nick: pained "Ummmph!"
Finnick: "You just had to push it you fucking shitbag."
Nick: laughing "It was worth it."
They got into their sleeping bags.
Finnick: curious "Chompers?"
Nick: "I think it is a crocodile."
Finnick: "Fuck, glad I didn't have to tell him what the motherfucker was."
Nick: "You played it just right as always."
Finnick: "Fuck you… you've still got cleanup duty no matter how much you compliment me."
Nick: grinning "Can't ever get one over on you."
Finnick: "Fucking right you can't."
Nick: "Making up for lost cursing time I see. It is amazing how you restrain yourself."
Finnick: "Well the key is to talk as little as fucking possible."
Nick: "Yep leaving all the heavy lifting to me I see."
Finnick: "It's always been your fucking job. You talk… I look pretty."
Nick laughs.
Nick woke up when he heard the elk couple packing up and there was a bit of an embarrassing moment when Nick forgot he was under-dressed and wandered out in that state giving poor Bridget an eyeful. Fortunately he was still tucked inside so it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been if he had woken up from one of his special dreams. Nick quickly apologized and dressed. Nick thought he was not used to waking up in the middle of the wilderness in mixed company. Fortunately Bridget didn't have Judy's sensibilities and laughed it off.
Phil and Nick made sure the solar panels on both their vehicles had maximum light and he finished eating breakfast with elks. He spent the rest of the morning chatting with Phil and Bridget and checking out all recording equipment, and then relaxed telling stories with the couple. They wondered why they hadn't seen little Finley but Nick told them Finley was getting over a cold and needed some extra rest.
Bridget: concerned "Oh, the poor dear."
When he saw the charge was 85% he woke Finnick and they started to pack up the camp. The elks followed their example and both groups were ready to put the panels away when the charge was near maximum.
Phil: "Good luck with your Wilderness Badge Finley."
Finnick: "Thanks sir."
Bridget went over and hugged Finnick.
Bridget: "You take care my brave dear."
Bridget leaned down and gave Finnick a kiss on the cheek.
Nick was amazing at how composed the fennec was as he didn't even flinch. Fortunately he had allowed Finnick a good night's rest so he was in a less cranky mood than normal or it might have gone a different way.
The two foxes were not used to being treated so nicely by prey. Maybe there really was something to these Junior Ranger Scout uniforms. Nick also just thought this couple was an extra nice one though. Maybe there was hope for the future with more couples like this one.
Phil stood in front of Finnick and put up his right hoof and split the hoof into two parts and Finnick mimicked the action and split his paw into a V.
Phil and Finnick: "I promise to do my best. To do my duty to Zootopia, To help other mammals, and. To obey the Law of the Lounge." (A lounge is a group of reptiles)
Finnick repeated this motto softly. Nick saw he actually did a good job mouthing and copying Phils words. It was nice working with a professional for a change. Carrots was sweet and all but she was about as subtle as a sledgehammer when it came to these kinds of nuances.
The foxes waved goodbye to the elk couple and headed south to the end of the highway. They headed out until the southern road ended after 60 kms and they made a direct route for the location where the elk couple had seen the lights and sounds. When the power was down to 10% after 60 miles south of the path they made camp in a clearing near maximum sunlight and put out the panels for recharging. They took a break eating some late lunch or early dinner depending on your perspective. They hoped to get fully charged and at least travel another 60-80 kms before they lost light.
They were both lying on their sleeping bags on the ground when Finnick's head shot up and he turned his ears to the east and stood still listening.
Finnick: whispering "I hear several creatures coming this way… large and small."
Both foxes sniffed the air but the breeze was traveling south and getting an early scent was not an option. Nick had Judy's weapon pack in the glove compartment of the ORV and put the tranq gun in the right pocket and the taser in the left and held the wasp spray which had the greatest range. He kept it behind his back so he could use it for surprise and utilize the other weapons in close combat. Finnick had put on his brass knuckles and had Betty in his hands ready for an ass whooping. They crouched behind the ORV on the western side peering over trying to get a look at what was heading their way. This may be the moment they were not heard from again as Nick had all those missing mammals on his mind.
Finnick: whispering "We should see them any second."
Nick had heard them coming for a few seconds and tightened his paw around the spray. The two foxes may have the surprise and be armed but against six opponents some that were large they really stood no chance. Nick thought to himself… we are con foxes not secret agents. Judy and him would have called for backup in a situation like this and waited until help arrived. Going in against these numbers was suicide. Well they didn't have much choice at the moment. All of a sudden they saw them…
A group of six mammals of different sizes came into the clearing. This didn't sound shocking at first… except all six didn't have a stitch of clothing on and didn't appear to be carrying a single thing. While Nick had no problems with nudity as he spent occasional time at Yax's Naturalist club, facing a group in the middle of the wilderness many hundreds of kilometers from any civilization was quite shocking. This group most likely were a group of savage animals possibly left over from The Savage Movement or possibly just a group of crazed mammals that decided to become cannibals. This would explain the disappearances of all the mammals and apparently foxes were considered prey to this group.
The group stopped in the middle of the clearing. The foxes hid behind the vehicle ready to pounce once the group moved on them. He and Finnick were breathing hard. Nick tried to do Nangi's trance exercises to calm himself down. He needed a cool head for this combat. Finnick had started growling and gripping his bat tightly.
They then heard a large voice say "Hello foxes… we mean you no harm. We were just hoping for some water or other liquids. We are quite parched."
Nick: calling back from behind the car chuckling "Ah we're not scared we are just relaxing back here enjoying the breeze. If you don't mind though could you back away and leave a spokesmammal to represent your party."
They listened and heard the large figure which they could now smell was a bear and some medium sized and small mammals back away. Nick looked around the corner and saw only a smallish medium form and casually walked out with his hand and wasp spray behind his back whistling as if he didn't have a care in the world.
A lone ocelot stood seated on all fours with his butt and front paws on the ground. About twenty meters behind him stood a medium large brown bear, raccoon, Tasmanian devil, lynx and a mink. He could smell and see that the lynx and mink were female and the rest male.
Nick: giving his perfect con smile with slightly open mouth "Nicky Softpaws… how may we help you?"
Charlie: slightly nervous "Hi Nicky, Charlie… my bear friend and leader is Arnold… my raccoon friend is Steven… my furious Tasmanian friend there is Vincent and then the lovely lynx is Fila and the gorgeous furred sleek little mink there is Shannon."
The other five mammals had been on all fours and sat like the ocelot… all five waved when Charlie introduced them."
Nick put the can in his back pocket and covered it with his shirt. He smelled no deception and sensed no deceit or aggression from this group. Spending your life on the street you learned to trust all your senses and this did not feel like a dangerous group. He called back to Finnick.
Nick: yelling behind him "Finley how about coming out here and showing them some hospitality."
Hospitality was one of several code words they had for "the coast is clear" and Finnick came out bat and brass knuckle free. He could see the slight outline in the fennec's front pocket as Finnick had these knuckle dusters handy just in case.
Nick: "This is obviously Finley. I have to admit meeting a group of naturalists in the middle of the wilderness is quite unexpected."
Nick covers Finnick's large ears with his paws.
Nick: softly "I have been known to engage in such activities from time to time."
Arnold: "We are not naturalists… we are primalists."
Nick: curious "Primalists?"
The bear came about halfway between the ocelot and his group and sat down. He did not act in a threatening way.
Arnold: "Yes we live as our ancestors and commune with nature. We walk on all fours, unclothed, and eat what we find. We are not savages. I know many who we have encountered have thought so. We simply enjoy the simplicity of life in the wilderness a few times a year and we bond as we enjoy nature. "
Nick noticed his friend was distracted for some reason. He glanced at the fennec and saw an unusual look on his face and followed his eyes to the sleek black figure of the lovely little mink.
Hmm thought Nick well this is certainly unexpected. He had never seen Finnick like this around any other females as he could hear his heartbeat slightly elevate and sense a bit more blood in the fennec's ears. Well now I suppose this was quite an unexpected surprise.
Nick had always dreamed of being a wing-man to his little buddy, and had been living his whole life hoping for such a chance.
Nick: smiling "Marvelous… I have never heard of you but it does sound like quite an interesting experience. No prey are allowed?"
Arnold: "Oh no it is not predator only but generally we have to live off some small reptiles, birds, eggs or fish that myself and Steven can catch for the group. We do find some edible plants but you have to be quite careful in the woods as many of them are poisonous. Because of this we have not had any prey join us but they are not prohibited but are highly encouraged."
Nick: "Where are you from?"
Arnold: "Well Vincent and Fila are from Outback Island so not terribly far away. Charlie is from Westville and the rest of us are from Zootopia."
Nick immediately sensed his little friends heartbeat increase and blood pressure rise.
Nick welcomed all of them over and shook each of their paws and greeted each one personally. Finnick did the same but he was quite nervous when greeting the mink. Shannon the little mink was quite cute he realized. She had very sleek dark brown fur with white fur around her nose and under her chin. Nick had to admit she was quite adorable but he had heard female minks could be quite aggressive but strangely the two of them seemed to be quite shy around each other. Nick decided to distract the other five inviting them to enjoy some of his water and refreshments. He grabbed a drink for Finnick and his female acquaintance and slyly slipped them into the fennec's paws who seamlessly handed one to the little mink. He immediately went back to distract the group and allow his little buddy to work his magic. Well he didn't even know if Finnick had any magic in this area as he had never seen him actually put any moves on a female that wasn't a con job. Interestingly he was quite shy and reserved around a female he really liked. How un-Finnick but thinking about it, Nick would not expect his friend to act the same around someone he actually had feelings for. He acted totally different around Tala… nothing like he was acting now but he was quite gentle and tender around the bunny.
Nick kept an eye on the pair and saw Finnick was whispering in her ear and he then pointed at Nick and she looked his way. Nick quickly turned away and glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw she had a shocked expression on her face and put her paws up to her muzzle. Then she got a very big smile. Hmm I think he might have just outed our con. He had never seen Finnick do that before but then again he had never seen him act this way around any female. Females could definitely get you in trouble but they really didn't need a con for this group anyway. He just hoped the damn little guy could keep his mind on the mission the rest of the time as this was life or death. Well he would never stand in the way of his old friends happiness as he definitely deserved it. He saw Finnick and Shannon sitting on a small log chatting away occasionally whispering in each others ears. He also strangely noticed that his friend avoiding looking at her naked lower body. Well he is nervous enough as it is he figured without getting distracted by something like that. The little fox was smart. The little guy seemed much more interested in something else with the adorable little mink besides common carnal pleasures.
Arnold: curiously "You seem to be quite deep into the woods for Junior Ranger Scouts."
Nick wasn't quite sure how to respond to this as he was quite sure Finnick outed their con and he didn't really have it in his to heart to push the scam on his fellow predators as it was mostly to help prey to feel at ease.
Nick: "Actually we are not really Junior Ranger Scouts. We are investigating the unusual lights and disappearances in the area."
Nick figured out as long as he didn't say who they were working for or any details he was fine. It was left up to his discretion how he approached situations this deep in the wilderness anyway.
Charlie: "Ah well that is a relief. I take it your little scout Finley is not so little… well let me rephrase that. He is not so young."
Nick: laughing "Yep he and I have a fair number of years on ourselves. We have known each other since we were kids."
Charlie: "Whew… well I was afraid our little Shannon there had lost her mind and had become a child molester. That explains a lot."
Fila: rubbing up against Nick sexily tickling him with her petite tail "Never seen her pay any attention to anyone before. It is certainly weird although I can't fault her falling for a fox."
Arnold: "I had never seen her act that way around anyone. Usually she is quite grouchy and aggressive. It is unnerving to see her that way."
Nick: laughing "The same for my little buddy there. Well I suppose they are the perfect pair then."
Vincent: laughing "She is usually more disagreeable than me the little sow. And that's saying something! They don't call us devils for nothing."
Nick: "Well I suggest we leave them alone. I'm Nick by the way. And the little guy over there is Finnick."
Arnold: chuckling "Nice to meet you again Nick. Well that does make a lot more sense. You seem to be equipped for a major expedition. Secret mission and all?"
Nick: sly grinning "Well I can neither confirm nor deny anything. I can just say we are trying to get to the bottom of this whole thing. Have you seen anything?"
Steven: "We had heard some noises coming from the south earlier. It was like a buzzing sound in the clouds."
Charlie: "And we saw the strange lights the other night."
Nick brought out the map and they searched for identifying marks to get a rough estimate where they had seen the sounds and lights. They recognized some of the hills and streams and Nick plotted a rough range with his pen. Apparently they didn't use any maps and compasses to navigate but instead used landmarks and the sun and stars. Nick supposed since they didn't have a single item on them this made sense. The sexy female lynx was distracting. Apparently she had a thing for sexy red foxes as well. He couldn't blame her. If they hadn't been on a mission of such importance and Nick and Finnick had run into her and the mink alone in the woods well who knows what might have happened. Nick had to get that thought out of his mind quickly as he had work to do.
Steven: pointing to a stream on the map "Arnold and I caught us quite a feast there."
Arnold: "We hadn't eaten in awhile. We were quite fortunate."
Steven: "I caught twelve. You were slacking big guy."
Arnold: "It is not about the number. It is about size. I caught two monsters."
Steven: "Well not my fault your paws are so much bigger. You can just swat the big ones right out of the water."
Arnold: "Well if I had those same sensitive paws and could just feel around the water, I could catch far more as well."
Nick: grinning "Guys it sounds like you were both are amazing providers for your group."
Steven: "He is right Arnold."
Arnold: "Sorry Nick we can get carried away sometimes with competition rather looking at the bigger picture."
Charlie: "And who got us all those eggs?"
Vincent: annoyed "Yes Charlie you can climb any tree with ease. You are a leopard after all albeit a small one."
Nick: "I see everyone gets in on the competition."
Fila: rubbing against Nick "I just like to be outside and feeling free. Clothes are so restrictive don't you think so Nicky? Care to join us for a bit?"
Nick thought he better keep his mind on the work at hand. But then he thought he was going to have to wait a bit for the recharge to finish and he hadn't explored his wild side in awhile. He might as well have some fun… he had to be himself sometimes… which did infuriate Carrots when they were working quite a lot but he knew she loved it. Well he thought she did. Well regardless if she did or not, he still had to be himself.
Nick: "Fil, I would love to but be careful where you rub my dear. I can't be held responsible if parts of me react a certain way. It has been awhile if you know what I mean."
Fila: "I would be insulted if they didn't."
Nick: "Whoa… is it getting hot out here?"
Fila: "Sounds like you need to become one with nature and cool off… I wouldn't mind seeing if you were red all over if you know what I mean."
Nick was pretty sure he did but it was quite uncomfortable with four other guys sitting there staring at him.
Arnold: "Don't mind us Nick. We are primalists… there are no judgments among our group no matter what happens. It is one of the statutes of our group. We can be who we were meant to be."
Nick: slyly grinning "Well then I apologize in advance just in case even though apparently I don't need to."
Nick had been quite stressed for quite awhile with the whole Carrots, Furless and secret mission thing and he needed to relieve some stress. He stripped off all his clothes and put them neatly on top of the ORV. Fila rubbed against him gently.
Fila: "Get on all fours Nicky… it is good to welcome the primalness into yourself."
Nick had been on all fours on occasion and he admitted it didn't feel all that bad. It had just been awhile since he had been in such a state unclothed. But it helped a bit in case certain parts of him decided to say hi to the world. Standing on two legs it is a bit harder to keep that under wraps.
Apparently Fila was not kidding about the being insulted part as she rubbed up against him and then invited him to run free in the woods with her to get his primal spirit out. He told Finnick he would be back in just a bit. Finnick barely acknowledged him. He offered to put down a tarp for the other members to relax on for awhile but they said they were fairly strict with their rules and needed to relax on the ground.
As he ran free with Fila on all fours he could now see the attractiveness of being a primalist. He felt wonderful chasing this sexy lynx. He hadn't seen such an attractive female so free with herself in such a long while. She was the opposite of Carrots in that respect. He loved the little tufts on her ears. They looked so adorable and gave her a bit of a whimsical look. After they had run for awhile she slowed and nudged him over to a spot under a tree on some leaves. She lay next to him purring and gently rubbing his side. Nick thought she wasn't exactly his type but she was absolutely gorgeous and so amazingly sexy and feminine. Part of it had to do with her species but the other part had to do with how much of a free spirit she was.
Before he knew it she had turned around with her slight tail wrapped around his muzzle and had begun to lick him downstairs. Apparently she was quite insistent about not being insulted and his body apparently did not wish to insult such an exquisite feline. As his crimson dagger made a complete appearance Fila wrapped her tongue completely around it and slid it up and down it's complete length several times causing it to actually knot and obtain its ultimate magnitude. He had never heard of this happening without full insertion into a female but apparently Fila knew some tricks about foxes no other girl did. She must have fooled his body into thinking he was locked inside. She seemed quite pleased with herself licking the knot and closing her mouth carefully over it keeping her tongued wrapped around its entire circumference snugly and gently stroking it as her head bobbed.
Nick's paws dug into the ground and his tongue hung out of his mouth panting. Apparently unlike most other females Fila liked to take her time and extend the length of this exercise. Normally something like this would be over quite quickly but he had never knotted so he was in uncharted territory. Fila seemed to know what she was doing and didn't try and rush. He hadn't done anything like this since before he had met Carrots and was surprised he could last so long but with the knot anything was possible. He might have done this and quite a lot more with Ffion if things had progressed and he had given in to her charms. Thankfully nothing had happened as the thought sickened him. Even though he was quite progressive he hadn't really done anything of any consequence except with vixens, but Fila was the perfect size just a bit smaller than himself and was quite attractive and incredibly sensual.
Why was Nick thinking of all these other things. Well to try and keep his mind off what was actually happening of course. But one could only do that so long and he felt the uncontrollable need rising inside him to howl. He was not a wolf but his primal side and current activity sure convinced him otherwise. Fila could sense he was reaching that point and had increased her pace. He grasped the ground tighter with his paws clasping his claws around some nearby roots. The impulse to howl rose with the urge to climax and the urge to do both had risen to extreme heights. Finally he couldn't resist the compulsion and howled at the top his lungs as he burst forth causing Fila to continue awhile and then begin to loudly purr as he felt the vibration all along his underside. She was quite insistent on making sure she cleaned him quite thoroughly snuggling on top of him gently licking slowly until his knot receded. Nick relaxed and felt all the pressures of the world, all the stresses he seemed to have building in life finally flow away like a damn that had been holding them back had finally broken and released the water in one torrent sweeping across the countryside. He wondered why he had not done this sooner. It wasn't like he didn't have the opportunity if he had decided to pursue such activities. He wondered if his relationship with Carrots had caused him to be so reticent, but it didn't make any sense. He never had any urges to pursue anything of a passionate nature with the bunny. He just enjoyed her company even if she could be quite annoying at times. He figured she could definitely say the same about himself. Fila seemed to settle down in a satisfied ball purring.
After several minutes of relaxation Nick realized the knot had released and he had receded back inside. Fila had her tail and hind quarters in his muzzle, and Nick smirked mischievously as certain other parts of her looked to be quite in need of attention. He didn't have any experience with the feline persuasion but he grinned realizing he knew how to make them howl as well. He stuck his nose and muzzle under her exposed rear and began nuzzling her causing her to wake looking a bit startled and then turned peering back at him giving him a big smile. Nick was always a trooper and definitely wanted to return the affections of this enchanting free spirit. In fact he was quite insistent about this and used his knowledge of feline female anatomy to make sure this sensual queen got her just desserts. Nick's tongue was quite well suited for this mission as he licked right around the inside of her lovely vent. He figured his insistent tongue was quite a lot more comfortable than the rough tongues or barbs of the males of her kind. She seemed to agree quite wholeheartedly as he continued until she filled the stillness with yowls of her own. Nick got a self-satisfied grin as Fila curled into a ball on top of him for a bit of a cat-nap as her slight tail absently swished around with a mind of its own.
As the pair headed back to the camp both quite a bit more relaxed Nick couldn't help but ask her.
Nick: "Not to be indelicate but how were you able to avoid harming me with that tongue of yours?"
Fila: "Ah wouldn't you like to know."
Nick: grinning "Well yes that is why I asked. I was always a bit cautious of those of your kind for that reason."
Fila: "The tongue is only rough in the middle. If you have proper control curling it you can avoid touching that part to certain sensitive parts. Also the back is nice and smooth."
Nick: grinning "You are quite full of surprises."
Fila: purring sexily ""You have no idea foxy."
Nick: chuckling "I'm betting not."
As they approached the camp everything seemed to be calm and at peace. Because they had the breeze blowing in their direction Nick could smell everyone and there was no smell of danger or fear. As he entered the camp he noticed the four male primalists had remained roughly where he had left them and Finnick and the mink were lying reclined facing each other where he had last seen them with the mink gently playing with the fennec's generous ears as he nuzzled her under her sleek neck. Apparently the little foxes negotiations had gone quite well. Most likely not as well as his had but hey it was not a contest. He was quite sure Finnick was going to get the far better end of this deal in the long term. Fila didn't strike him as the long-term kind of gal but he wouldn't mind attempting to get to know her better if the opportunity presented itself.
He noticed the batteries had finally been fully charged and he reluctantly realized he had a mission to get back to. He really enjoyed the company of his primalist predator friends. It gave him an opportunity to fully be himself and not to have to hide behind a scam or con or a mask disguising his emotions and true feelings. Even with Judy and Furless he always had to be careful to hide those emotions and be careful what he said. He was suspecting that the two of them would be understanding eventually if he had let down those guards. The human was quite forgiving and sympathetic but he wanted to avoid any uncomfortableness among the trio if he could help it. He may eventually confide in Furless but he wasn't ready to quite yet.
He redressed and again offered his new friends some food and refreshments for their journey. They did all make sure their thirst was quenched with the water and juice the foxes had on hand. He handed Finnick a pen and pad unbidden as he remembered it wasn't like the little mink or any of them could carry any information with them. It was up to the foxes to keep track of the group and Nick copied down all their information. Fila made sure to let Nick know that Outback Island didn't just have kangaroos and she did come into the city from time to time. The primalists apologized for not being able to help the foxes pack up their camp but they tried to stay strict to their rules when out on excursions and not touch anything that wasn't part of the wilderness. They made exceptions for drinks sometimes like this but that was the only time. Because they couldn't carry water with them when they were away from a water source it sometimes became necessary to rely on the help of other mammals. However most others they came across would usually run screaming. In those cases they would only take some water and be on their way without touching anything else.
Nick ended up packing the panels and had the vehicle ready to go. The rest of the primalists had moved off into the woods. He finally had to wander over to his little buddy and gently pull him away from his special new friend. The two held paws as long as possible looking longingly at each other as Fila had helped to pull the little mink away as well. Nick waved to Fila and the rest of the group and escorted Finnick to the front of the ORV. Nick pulled out the map and Finnick started the vehicle and drove south quite preoccupied.
They drove in silence for several minutes until Nick finally couldn't contain himself any longer.
Nick: "Alright out with it. What the heck happened with you two."
Finnick: "I don't want to talk about it."
Nick: "I always tell you all my details."
Finnick: "You haven't had details in eons and I never asked you. You just blab it cocksucker."
Nick saw he was even cursing quite halfheartedly as if it was forced.
Nick: "Well when are you gonna see her again?"
Finnick: sighing "The instant we are through with this fucking mission you shitbag!"
Nick: grinning "Well that sounds more like my old buddy."
Finnick: "I have no idea why I felt that way about her the instant I saw her."
Nick: "Who knows. It is one of the great mysteries. It happens differently for everyone."
Finnick: "I mean I have seen minks from time to time it had nothing to do with her species."
Nick: "You had seen tons of rabbits before Tala and instantly connected to her when you saw her as well."
Finnick: "True but it was definitely a different kind of feeling with Shan."
Nick: "Well little buddy how about we focus on finishing this mission so you can see her in a more private setting as soon as possible."
Finnick: "Fuck you. I am not gonna just jump her like you and miss sexy paws."
Nick: grinning "I didn't even think you noticed that. You seemed to be quite focused."
Finnick: "You didn't think I wouldn't hear all the fucking racket in the woods or smell it all over you. Everybody did but they all politely smiled and ignored it."
Nick: "I hope it didn't make things uncomfortable for you and the mink."
Finnick: "Her name is Shannon cocksucker not mink."
Nick: "Well forgive me. It wasn't like I even got to say a word to her."
Finnick: "I knew better than to let your sorry ass near her."
Nick: laughing "True… true… you don't think she has a thing for red foxes as well do you?"
Finnick growled quite loudly.
Finnick: "Oh keep that up motherfucker and see where that gets you."
Nick: laughing "Under the ground in a grave I imagine."
Finnick: laughing deep "Fucking A."
As they headed south he thought about Finnick and his new friend Shannon. He had to grudgingly admit they made quite a cute couple. Maybe all that anger just needed to find its perfect pair to cancel each side out leaving peace. Seeing the angry fennec so calm and quiet was shocking but after seeing him with Tala it seemed to make sense. The mink was the perfect size for him. He didn't expect his friend to find someone outside his species but he supposed becoming friends with a bunny helped to expand your mind a bit. Maybe it was rubbing off on Nick himself as he wouldn't have considered a dalliance like he had experienced this afternoon before either. Apparently these Hopps sisters were instrumental in expanding the imaginations of their fox friends.
Apparently everyone else was going to find love except him... Clawhauser, Carrots, Furless and now Finnick. He could be the third wheel in yet another relationship although thinking about it he highly doubted Finnick wanted Nick anywhere near him when he was with his little sow (a sow is a female mink… don't ask me… I thought that was just a female pig but apparently not but then again bunnies and deer have the same names as well… it is quite confusing).
As they setup camp for the night he noticed his little friend was much quieter than normal. Apparently he had the bug and Nick needed to get him to focus on the mission and leave all that thinking for after. He knew Finnick was a professional but he had been acting quite unusual since meeting Shannon so he did have some concerns. Hopefully he would be back to normal after a good night's sleep. They still had most of a charge and should have enough to get into range of some of the UAV sightings before they needed to recharge their batteries. They retired early after dinner so they could get an early start for the next day. The little fennec was not very talkative anyway and both of the foxes were a bit worn out from quite an eventful day.
It only took 90 minutes of daylight to fully charge the ORV so they spent the morning cooking some breakfast and plotting the best path to investigate the sightings. They had data from both the Nelsons and the primalists. The best target seemed to be the area where both sightings crossed which was an area of about 60 square kms. They decided they would head right for the heart of this area. Finnick was not as talkative as normal but he seemed to be quite a bit more focused. Apparently he wanted to get this job done and get back to Zootopia as soon as possible. Nick knew how he felt as he missed Carrots and even Furless. The guy had even grown on him even if he was weird looking. They had been checking the radio communications at the designated times, and still had not heard anything from the other teams. They had checked in the mornings and evenings for five minutes for the past two days and received no messages which was worrying. They debated breaking radio silence but decided against this. If they did not hear anything by tonight they decided they would transmit a message whether they found anything or not.
Once charged they headed toward the target area and which should be in range by the late afternoon if they didn't run into any issues. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating as a light rain had begun falling all day and they had to be a lot more careful on the path in order to avoid any potential areas where they could get stuck. As the droplets of rain continued to collect on his Fur, Nick realized that the woods themselves seemed to reflect his dour mood. Both he and Finnick shook their fur off and dressed in rain gear. Neither could afford to get sick at this juncture. The rain continued to get heavier and their progress became quite slowed. Nick had slipped the map into a plastic wrap and squinted to make out their progress estimating their position based on visible landmarks. They had about thirty kilometers to make the outer edge of their target. Over ninety minutes later they finally reached the edge of the zone and he shivered unconsciously as the foxes now were in the danger zone. The visibility was quite poor and even though Finnick had well above average eyesight for a mammal it was still difficult to maneuver the woods finding a safe path. They had to stop and reverse frequently taking a circuitous path to avoid debris, rocks, downed trees and heavy brush. They were ten kilometers into the target region with Nick keeping a sharp eye in the sky for any objects and focusing his hearing for any unusual sounds when he suddenly felt the entire ground below him give way and he felt weightless for a what felt like forever but was actually only a second and they suddenly came to halt crashing into something dark and hard being thrown forward.
Fortunately they had been wearing seat restraints as they had found early that hitting large roots and rocks could be hazardous as they nearly fell out of the vehicle a couple of times. After that it was decided that it was much safer buckling themselves in at all times. If they had not been restrained they might be badly hurt or unconscious right now face planting into the hard darkness in front of them. They unbuckled themselves and stood up looking around. They appeared to have fallen into a four meter deep trench which must have been covered by many years of undergrowth. The area appeared to be a large rectangle and definitely appeared to be mammal made. The walls were flat in front of them and on the sides covered in many years of dirt, fungus and plant growth. Cutting into the surface revealed a hard surface which appeared to be pitted in places and seemed to be concrete or stone. He chipped off a bit and put it into a plastic sample bag and labeled it. Finnick was looking back up the way they had come cursing quite a bit. It was good to have the old Finnick back.
Finnick: "…fucking came out of nowhere. I didn't see a fucking thing. The ground in front just gave way. This was the only way to go as there were mounds on both sides."
Nick: "Well let's just focus on getting out here."
Finnick: "How the fuck are we going to that? This motherfucker weighs a ton."
Nick: "I have an idea. It is a good thing I read the manual for this sucker before we came. Furless's idea to do research and preparation work is not useless."
Finnick: "I never fucking said it wasn't. I just said it wasn't like you cocksucker."
Nick: "Well just don't be pissed at my plan."
Nick handed Finnick some cord. He then stood on top of the vehicle and pulled Finnick up on top and picked his friends feet up as the fennec climbed the outside of the wall until he had pushed him up above him holding Finnick's back feet in his extended paws.
Nick: "Did you put on weight?"
Finnick: "Keep it up furbrains and I will drop some weight right all over your fucking face. And I am referring to shit since I doubt your pissant brain can figure that out."
Nick: "Fine… can you reach the top?"
Finnick: "Push me up a little and I can get hold of some of these roots."
Nick stood on the ends of his rear paws stretching as far as he could pushing the little fennec up and up. His arms and back were weakening as the fennec was still quite heavy holding him above his head in this awkward position. Finally he felt the weight above lightened and he saw his friend pull himself up and disappear over the edge above. A few seconds later an end of a rope landed next to him and he tied the one end around his waist. Finnick tossed the other edge down to him and he began climbing up the side of the wall. Finnick had tied the rope around a tree trunk and Nick was able to climb up the side with his feet against the wall pulling the end of the rope not tied around his waist. His friend helped pull on the rope and the two of them managed to finally get Nick over the edge where he lay panting for awhile from the effort. It was once he stood up he saw that the mounds surrounding the area looked quite strange. There were no hills in this area and these mounds appeared to rise out of the ground out of nowhere. However what was under these mounds appeared to have been covered by possibly centuries of dirt and brush. They did find one section under an overhang that was not completely covered by organic material and scraping the side with a knife it appeared there was an artificial material similar to that which they had found below which he promptly bagged and labeled.
Nick decided he needed to document this area but first they needed to figure out how to get the ORV out of this pit. The plan was to take some fallen trees and lay them down in the pit side by side behind the vehicle creating a ramp. This took quite some time as the trees were quite heavy to move as they slowly shifted them and rolled them into position.
Finnick: "This is something that Furless may have been useful for."
Nick: "He is limited in many physical ways but he is fairly strong. He has been using the gym whenever Carrots is not home. He said he wanted to be able to keep up with her. Like that could ever happen."
Finnick: "Well I guess I can't fault him for fucking trying. But he is never going to keep up with the bunny. She smokes your fucking ass every time I see you."
Nick: grinning "Well I have my own pace."
Finnick: "It's called lazy."
Nick: "I get there eventually. That should do it. Let me go down and setup the winch."
The ORV was setup for winching from the front and rear, and they connected the cable from the rear around a large tree directly behind pit and began to winch the vehicle up the makeshift ramp until it was out of the hole. While Finnick checked the vehicle over Nick climbed down into the hole taking photos and video of it and the surround mounds. He got on top of one of the mounds at the edge and took several pictures from an overhead angle. He then marked the location of the site on the map which he protected from the rain under his rain gear.
Nick: "Everything okay?"
Finnick: "Just some fucking equipment got shifted but doesn't seem anything was damaged. Good thing this fucker is tough."
Nick: "Well let's see if we can get to the middle of the target zone before it gets completely dark. We are going to be stuck there for awhile until the weather clears so we are going to be on foot awhile until we are able to charge this."
The duo finally got underway careful to look out for any suspicious mounds and finally made it to the center of the zone with under 10% power left. They setup camp and just grabbed some rations they didn't need to cook like bugjerky and some fruit and crackers. Both foxes were shivering and both took off all their clothes and tried dry their fur with some dry clothes they somehow found before trying to get into the sleeping bags. It was quite a cold miserable night and Nick wished Fila was there to distract him. She was quite warm and very fluffy and could definitely get his mind off their current situation. Apparently Finnick noticed he was distracted and grumbled looking like he wanted to yell as parts of Nick seemed to have awakened but he didn't say anything and instead just climbing into his sleeping bag turning his back to Nick and fell asleep exhausted.
They slept through most of the next day. Nick checked outside the tent until the rain finally let up and some sunshine started breaking through. He woke Finnick and they prepared the panels and searched for a long while to find enough dry wood and brush to make a small fire and cooked some food and dried out their clothes around the fire. It was good to get some warm food and hot chocolate into their systems. It felt amazing in their bellies and anything warm was a welcome change.
Once the panels were up, they prepared to explore the area with the remaining light. Finnick thought he heard noises from the southwest and they decided to investigate. They realized they had missed the last two communication windows due to their situation and would definitely have to send their signal at the evening communications window. They could both sense that a thunderstorm was coming and hoped they could get back to the camp before it hit. That was when they heard the sounds. It was a faint buzzing sound from the southwest getting louder and louder. The moved toward it keeping an eye in the air but could not see it as it must be above the clouds. Nick recorded video and sound of the area where the noise appeared to be coming from.
They continued moving quickly toward the area where the sound was coming from for an hour. Nick noticed that it was getting dark and the thunderstorm was slowly building. Well it could not be helped as they had finally found their quarry and this was their ticket to get out of this wilderness. Nick had quite had his fill of nature at this point. Give me some nice concrete and noise for a change he thought. It was now getting dark but Finnick's ears were quite accurate and both their eyes were well adapted for the lack of light. They were perfect night time predators and their prey was within earshot. The continued to follow the sound with Finnick leading them making slight adjustments as he heard subtle changes in direction. The sound had gotten much louder and they appear to be quite close. He hoped that they could get to it before the thunderstorm got worse as he could hear rumblings in the sky. Nick noticed that their communication window was just starting and he turned the communication device on and listened for several minutes to the static. They did not slow their pursuit and Nick finally decided to break radio silence and attempt contact pressing the transmit.
Nick: "Ground 3 reporting. Anyone out there. Over."
He paused a thirty seconds and repeated the message. He continued this for two minutes.
Then he heard a response on the radio.
Ground1: "Ground 1 we read you."
Nick felt elation… finally he heard something.
Nick: "Ground 3… we are in pursuit of target."
He waited a few seconds and heard.
Ground1: "Ground 1… do you have visual contact?"
He squinted toward the sound and Finnick had stopped dead in his tracks and Nick followed.
Nick: "What's wrong?"
Finnick: concerned "It's changed course. It is heading right for us!"
Sure enough they could see a light in the distance making a direct line toward them impossibly fast.
Nick: "Ground 3… affirmative we may been detected. Target is heading toward us."
Ground1: "Go to ground. Contact us at the top of next hour."
Nick: "Ground 3… messaged received. Going radio silent."
Nick turned off the radio just as a bright light appeared in front of them. Nick began video taping the light in the sky as the two foxes ran looking for any cover. Then they heard the bees. The angry bees looking to sting them into oblivion. It sounded like a giant swarm and they were very pissed. Then all of sudden a green beam emanated out of the light scanning along the ground near the foxes. It was as if they were famous stars and the lighting personel were desperately trying to get them in the spotlight.
And here they were hiding in a log waiting for angry bees to retreat. He could sense the electricity in the air as his fur began to stand on end. Nick had an interestingly foxy idea.
Nick: "I'm going to try and bring it back."
Finnick: yelling "What! Are you fucking crazy?"
Nick: "Well we need to figure out what it is don't we?"
Nick turned the radio on as he stared at the light videotaping it. He then broadcast a message.
Nick: "Ground3… testing… hope these are not my last words."
The light stopped and began to return to them.
Nick: "Ground3… tell my Mom I love her."
Nick had heard that in the human movies right before someone was about to die. He wondered if anyone would get the joke. Well he always wanted to go out with a joke. It was so him. He smiled to himself.
The green light and bees were back searching and he stepped out of the log videotaping closeup footage of the device. Finnick kept pulling on his shirt urgently, but Nick waved him off trying to get nearly point blank footage of the light almost directly overhead. Nick then saw a beam coming right at him and he dove into the log.
Nick: urgently "Turn off the radio!"
Finnick: panicked "Fuck!"
His friend reached along the ground grabbing the radio and flipping the power off.
The light hovered overhead and they could see the green light appear on one end of the log and continue to the other end. They waited for a minute as they heard the bees above them moving around and then heard them slowly move away. Nick stepped out of the log and began video taping the light.
"CRACK!"
Nick ducked and went flat as he heard an explosion nearby as apparently lightning struck some trees just ahead of them to the left. He then heard a rolling rumbling sound from across the sky. When he looked out he could see the light still looking slowly around making a wide circle.
"CRACK!"
Nick instantly crouched down as if pawball at been thrown at his head and the sky in front of Nick exploded and little pieces of light and fire seemed to explode from the air, and the UAV in front appeared to plummet directly to the ground about 200 meters in front of them.
Nick had been video taping the entire incident and stood in shock. Then he heard thunder roll across the sky and he ducked back into the log thinking better of it.
Finnick: "What the fuck happened?"
Nick paused several seconds.
Finnick: "Well?"
Nick: "I think the lightning got it."
Finnick: "What?"
Nick rewound the footage and showed it to his friend.
Finnick: "Fucking A! Let's check the motherfucker out."
The fennec pulled Betty out of his bag and got his ass whooping face on.
Nick: "Shouldn't we wait until the weather passes?"
Finnick: "You don't give your fucking opponent a chance to get back up once you have him down!"
Nick thought especially when you can't reach him if he does. He figured that was a damn good motto for a little guy. With regards to these UAVs they were all little guys like Finnick and they had better take advantage while they could.
The two foxes ignored the thunder and ran as fast as they could toward the point where Nick had seen the crash. As they approached the location they smelled it far before they saw it. The smell was like something electrical that had burned. They approached cautiously and heard some clicking and whirring. A faint light could be seen from the ground. Finnick readied his bat to strike the sounds but apparently this was unnecessary as the sounds were getting fainter and the light was diminishing. They waited nearby ready to strike if they heard or saw anything, but it appeared the strange mechanical flying creature was unconscious or dead.
They pulled out their flashlights and shone them on the large metal craft and saw what appeared to be metal wings and well as rotors and several protrusions which could be lights and cameras. The entire device appeared to covered in all kinds of electrical equipment the purpose of which the foxes had no clue.
Finnick: "What the fuck is this?"
Nick: "I wish Furless was here he might know. But it certainly is not this helicopter thing he mentioned. But it is also certainly nothing like anything I have ever heard of existing in Zootopia."
Finnick: "Well fuck what do we do with it?"
Nick: "Hmm we need to take it back."
Finnick: "How the fuck are we gonna do that. It is too big!"
Nick looked at this watch and turned on the radio.
Nick: "Ground3 here… Ground1 are you receiving?"
He repeated the message three times until he finally heard.
Ground1: "Ground1 here… Ground3 you guys okay?"
Nick: "Ground3... we survived but can't say the same about one of those lights."
Ground1: "Ground1… what?"
Nick: "Ground3… How soon can you guys get here?"