"Get up, rabbit."
A wave of ice water washed over Judy, soaking her night clothes and her fur, forcing her into consciousness. She sputtered and coughed, shaking the water from her face. Her vision blurry, it was hard to make out her surroundings. She sat in an old wooden chair, her arms and legs tied to the chair accordingly with multiple zip ties that bit into her skin. A bright light above her illuminated a small circle around the chair, revealing the floor below her to be concrete, which was a depressing color of grey. The rest of the room was dark, and Judy couldn't make out any identifying details to her location, but she could make out the figure that stood in front of her.
It was like a scene taken straight out of a horror movie.
A female red fox stood before her, her paws on her hips and her head slightly tilted in curiosity. Dressed in a dark grey t-shirt that was tucked into navy-blue jeans, the fox's curves were immediately noticeable and clearly seductive. Her light blue eyes were sharp, focused on Judy's every movement. A smirk on her face, the fox let out a laugh that sounded like pure danger.
"Good morning, Sweetie," she purred in a silky voice.
"Valerie," Judy fixed the vixen with a deadly glare, despite being surprised at seeing her. "It's so good to see you again."
"Likewise," the fox smiled. "I've waited a long time for this, Darling."
Judy inhaled slowly, now feeling calm and almost secure. She relaxed her muscles and continued to stare the fox down with a hateful gaze.
Valerie, an ex-girlfriend and ex-partner of Nick's, didn't exactly pose a major threat to Judy. The last time Judy and Valerie had interacted, it had been almost three years prior, when Judy had been just about three months pregnant and her and Nick were still living in his first apartment. Long before Judy came into the picture, Valerie had been a scam artist with Nick for quite some time. The two had dated, a hot and heavy relationship for both of them, but Valerie proved she couldn't be trusted, lying to Nick and scamming him in the end – a story Judy still didn't know completely as it was a touchy subject for Nick. The two parted ways, resulting in Nick's scamming relationship with Finnick, a fennec fox and now long-term friend of Nick and Judy's. The rest was history – Judy and Nick met, saved the predator population, became partners, lived through a number of traumas, began living together, had children, and purchased a home together. However, Valerie had come back into the picture a few months after Judy and Nick had discovered they were expecting children. Valerie had been working for the ZPD for only a few months and was nothing more than a low-level officer, but when Judy was placed on desk-duty due to her progressing pregnancy for safety concerns, Nick was assigned a new field partner – Valerie. Valerie's reappearance drove a wedge between an anxious Nick and an emotional Judy, all while fueling her own ego. Judy and Nick's fighting (which used her to play sides) eventually resulted in Valerie quitting her short-lived career, thus bringing a quick and violent feud to an abrupt end. The couple hadn't heard anything of Valerie in years, and never gave her much of a second thought.
"I'm impressed, Valerie. I didn't think you were strong enough to kidnap me," Judy scoffed.
"Oh, I didn't," Valerie grinned. "He did."
A paw displaying sharp claws gripped Judy's throat from behind, causing her to gasp out for air in surprise. A low growl reached Judy's ears as the grip around her throat tightened.
"This is Culpeo. We'll call him an assistant of mine."
The purr with which Valerie stated "assistant" clearly showed that he was much more than that. Culpeo's grip on Judy loosened and he stepped out from behind the chair and into his rightful place next to Valerie. Culpeo was a fox of light sand color with distinct scars that marked his arms, neck, and face as if he had spent his whole life fighting. He looked reckless and vicious, a true force to be reckoned with. It was clear that this was the animal responsible for Judy's disappearance and bloodied face, which still stung.
"Without him, none of this would be possible," Valerie beamed.
"And what exactly would 'this' be?" Judy asked.
"Revenge," Valerie hissed vehemently, startling Judy slightly. "And a method to tie up loose ends."
Valerie glanced at Culpeo and nodded, at which Culpeo growled delightedly. Within seconds, he was in Judy's personal space. Without hesitation, he drew his claws, and slowly dug into Judy's right cheek, leaving long gashes across her face as he did so. Judy shrieked and attempted to pull back, but with no success. It wasn't until she could feel the blood trickling down her face that Culpeo retreated back to Valerie, who looked smugly satisfied.
"What do you want from me?" Judy gasped, choking back a sob.
"I want to hear you beg for your life," Valerie growled, as Culpeo began to circle Judy like a predator ready to finish its prey.
The bunny felt her heart skip with worry as she watched the situation play out before her. While Judy didn't view Valerie as a threat, Culpeo was a completely different story. His violent personality paired with Valerie's manipulation terrified Judy.
"You don't have to do this," Judy whimpered.
"Oh, I know, but I want to. All of this work will pay off when I get to see the look on that fox's face after he sees what I've done to you, Darling."
"Please, don't hurt him."
"How valiant of you, little bunny!" Culpeo mocked, confidence dripping from every word. "But we don't even have to touch him to inflict the amount of pain we wish to, we just need you, and once I'm done with you… well, let's just say you won't have to see his pain for very long, if you do at all."
Culpeo's threats sent shivers through Judy's small body.
"It's a shame, though," Valerie chimed in. "I must admit; I hate to leave four children without a mother and nothing but a shell of a father."
Judy let out as a sob and looked away, trying to maintain her feelings at an even level as much as possible, but the mention of her children left a gaping hole in her chest.
"Oh, did I hit a soft spot, Sweetie?" the vixen jeered. "I'm merely preparing you for the inevitable."
"Very noble of you," Judy shot back, but Valerie only smiled and Culpeo continued to laugh and circle her.
"You have a lot of fight in you, and I admire that, but the ability to fight only gets one so far," Valerie jeered.
With a snarl, the male fox struck again, slashing at Judy with deadly claws. Judy's shriek filled the room and fresh blood soaked her shirt on her left side, just above her hip. Her vision blurred with the pain, but she forced herself to remain conscious and face the situation once more.
"Judy, Darling, we're just getting started. I've waited years for this. I've watched your every move – watched you buy that ugly home of yours, watched you bring those abominations you call children into this world, I even watched Nicky drop down on one knee and pop the question."
With each insult, Valerie made her way closer to Judy until she had rested her paws on the arms of the chair and was only inches from Judy's face.
"You know," she drawled. "I still don't understand what he sees in you – a weak, frail bunny. You're just prey, nothing more, and when I'm finished, Nick will finally realize that. He'll finally understand that he should be marrying someone powerful and intimidating, someone who can provide for him."
The vixen swung her tail seductively, a smile forming on her lips.
"I think Nick is already doing that," Judy spat back.
"Oh, really? Do you think Nick is already on his way to save his damsel in distress, to be your knight in shining armor? Then, what? After he saves you, he's going to sweep you off your feet, marry you, and you two are going to live happily ever after?"
Judy only glared back in response, biting her tongue from spitting out all of the colorful things she really wanted to say. Valerie only continued to smile slyly, her expression angering every inch of Judy. Valerie leaned in closer until her muzzle was only centimeters from Judy's left ear.
"See, Sweetie, I don't think so. You want to know why?"
Judy grit her teeth and closed her eyes, struggling against her restraints as Valerie let out a laugh of pure silk.
"It's because he's not as loyal as you thought," Valerie toyed.
Judy's eyes flew open, and she continued to grit her teeth until her jaw ached. Valerie pulled back slightly to look into Judy's eyes once more.
"Oh, did he not tell you? That's too good!" the female laughed as she threw a seductive glance in Culpeo's direction, who stood silently nearby, ready to strike when ordered.
"Judy, Honey, he's been sleeping with me since the last time I saw you."
Her words hit Judy like a bullet to the heart. Judy wanted to scream at her, to call her a desperate liar, but she remained as still as stone. However, Valerie didn't need a reaction to satisfy her, she knew the damage had been done. Valerie then stepped away and sauntered out of the only illuminated part of the room.
"She's all yours," the vixen called to Culpeo as she swayed out of sight.
Judy barely had time to flinch as Culpeo descended upon her.