Opening Author's Note: Today marks the fourth day since I took a break from writing angst and I'm beginning to have withdrawals.
…
The kits ran, skipped and hopped along the path as quickly as they could, zigzagging every which way in front of the fox as he walked, Mr. Hopp's arm securely wrapped around his shoulder. He almost took to wondering just why it was that Judy's parents were so keen on latching onto him, but the thought was quickly snuffed out by the sight of the sun setting in the distance.
Bunnyburrow could be the pits sometimes; but the sunsets here were never anything short of breathtaking. Out here, with hardly any artificial light around to pollute the atmosphere, the weary sun was allowed to ooze its orange swan song across the sky.
It was pretty neat, all things considered.
Judy used to tell him about nights like these; where her entire family would meet in the farm's pumpkin patch to carve jack-o'-lanterns. At first it seemed like a bizarre tradition to have. Growing up, he would crowd around the kitchen table with his father and mother once they got home from work, at which point they would frantically carve the obligatory pumpkin and then wash up so that they could catch the seasonal horror movie specials that would come on around that time of year.
After spending the entire day with the crazy rabbits, however, he realized that such an extravagant event might not be that bizarre after all.
As they neared the hill that overlooked the pumpkin patch, it became readily apparent that they were a bit late to the party. Frantic cries echoed throughout the air. Rabbits tittered to one another about the events of the day, the older folk tried to quell the rowdy youngsters, and – surprisingly enough – siblings bickered.
Was it weird that the fox almost felt at home here?
Atop the hill sat a table, and on that table sat a massive collection of pumpkins, all of them ranging in shape and size, weight and coloration.
"Alrighty, I reckon you all know the rules by now…" Stu began, drawing his arm from the fox's shoulders. "Pick whichever one you'd like, but you gotta carry it over to the table. I ain't hauling no more pumpkins 'round today." He explained begrudgingly, taking his hat off his head so as to smooth it out.
Nick took his time walking over to the table, letting the eager kits run out in front of him first. He smiled as they crawled over one another, trying their hardest to reach the pumpkins they each had their eyes on.
They'd point, and he'd pluck it off the table and lower it into their eagerly awaiting paws. Edmund had a little bit of trouble carrying his own at first, but he muscled through it. Nick himself ran his paw across several pumpkins, not in any rush to commit to a pumpkin just yet.
"Having trouble deciding there, slick?" Judy asked, bumping up against him, a pumpkin of her own clutched between her arms.
"Pssh" the fox spat with a wave of his paw, "I'm anything but indecisive. Just weighing my options, fluff."
"Well, mind if I add one more?" the doe asked.
"One more what?"
Ok, maybe being coy wasn't in her best interest.
"One more option." She clarified, bumping him with her hip, which certainly didn't count as hitting him.
"No? There are already plenty of fruits to choose from as it is."
"Can you help me carve this one?"
The fox paused for a moment.
"Why?"
"Because, I want to make your first pumpkin carving day a memorable one." She explained flippantly, her eyes half lidded.
"And you think that working with you would make it memorable?" he questioned, leaning against the table with a smug grin.
"Duh?"
The fox folded his arms.
"I'll have you know, I've been your partner for a cool year now and I don't remember what we did last week on the job."
"Will it make a difference if I told you that I'm terrible when it comes to anything that requires artistic talent and could really use your help?" she inquired quizzically.
The fox stood up straight and walked closer to her, leaning down so that their snouts were nearly touching.
"Oh, so you think that just because you butter me up, I'm going to do all the work for you?" he asked, pressing a paw onto her pumpkin so as to weigh it down. "I'm the only one who can shirk his work around here."
…
Hundreds of little bunnies scribbled on pumpkins with black markers, chatting amongst themselves as they did so. Nick sat next to Judy, his arm around her – for the sake of keeping warm – and his free paw etching his own design into his own pumpkin with an extended claw. His bushy tail wagged excitedly as he worked.
"You see, I use my claw so that when I go to carve later I already have a groove to fit the knife into." he explained, sketching a grimacing eye before starting on its mate.
"Yup, uh huh. I'm taking notes." Judy said with a nod of her head.
Stu sat across from them as he watched the fox's claw dig into the pumpkin, just a tad uncomfortable, not that he'd ever let Nick see that.
Bonnie turned around for a moment, seated at a table a few feet away. She gave the fox an energetic wave before turning back to the task at hand: making sure that the kits don't cut themselves as they sliced into the soon-to-be jack-o'-lanterns.
"So, anyone know any spooky stories?" Stu asked, watching Edmund scribble on the pumpkin sat in front of him.
"I know one!" Charlie exclaimed, setting his marker down.
"Alright! Let's hear it" Nick replied, pumping his paw in the air.
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.
.
"I forgot it."
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.
.
"We'll come back to you." Stu consoled.
"What about you, Mister Nick?" Claire asked. "Don't you know any spooky stories?"
The fox bit his lip and thought for a moment.
"I do, but I don't think you could handle them, let's let Judy try."
"Ah, c'mon!" Joey cried, "Judy's terrible at telling scary stories!"
"I'm gonna have Nick eat you tonight…" the doe threatened.
"He wouldn't" Joey insisted.
"Oh, well don't hedge your bets kid…" the fox warned.
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.
.
"Kidding!"
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.
"Done!"Nick cried triumphantly, slamming his knife back down onto the table. "Take a look at this guy!" he said, twisting his pumpkin around so that the other bunnies could observe his handiwork. Judy snickered at their reactions, almost as though she had expected them.
"It's…" Stu began.
"Scawey!" Edmund finished.
In stark contrast with the playful faces and cute designs on the other pumpkins of the night, the Jack-o'-lantern so finally crafted by the vulpine bore sharp fangs and a menacing scowl.
"Exactly, isn't that what Halloween is all about?"
There was a resounding pause at the table. The rabbits thought about it.
"So, scary is good?" Joey asked.
"Well, at least during this time of the year!"
"Then tell us your story." The soft-spoken rabbit requested.
Nick's eyes dropped. Hustled again by the little schemer.
"Fine, but don't come crying to me tonight if you end up with nightmares."
He paused.
"In fact, wake me up and I may just actually eat you."
Once upon a time a bunny dressed only in traditional red hood and cloak entered her grandmother's burrow to escape the dark and stormy night closing in on her.
"Good evening dearie!" a shrill, unwelcoming voice cried out to the rabbit as she walked further into the cozy home.
"Grand-mama? Is that you?" the doe asked, creeping into her grandmother's bedroom.
"Yes dearie, come closer!" the figure spoke, writhing in the bed.
"Oh my!" the rabbit cried upon closer examination. "I feared the worst when I got your letter, but I didn't know you were this sick!"
"Yes, yes dearie! I am so very sick, it's rather lame really!" the figure cried, poking its furry head out from under the covers.
"Oh dear, grand-mama! Your ears are short and pointy, just like a fox's ears are short and pointy!" she said.
"Indeed dearie, indeed! With them it is easy to hear your racing heart!" came the reply.
"And your nose, grand-mama! Your nose is wet and black, just like a fox's nose is wet and black!"
"It's true dearie, it's true! With it I can smell your mouthwatering scent!" the figure cried joyously.
"Oh no, but your muzzle grand-mama! Your muzzle is long and your teeth are sharp, just like a fox's muzzle is long and teeth are sharp!" the doe cried, realizing her mistake all too late.
"This is true!" the figure said, stepping out of bed, towering over the little bunny clad in red. "My muzzle is long and my teeth are sharp, just like a fox's muzzle is long and teeth are sharp! All the better to-"
"All the better to-"
"All the better to kiss you with!" the fox cried, taking the rabbit into his waiting paws and smooching her gently on the lips.
"And then they got married and then the end!" Claire cheered.
"No!" Nick cried, shaking his head. "There's a moral to the story, it goes to show that-"
"Foxes can marry bunnies!" Charlie exclaimed, demonstrating a clear understanding of the fable.
Nick rubbed his temples lightly with open paws, obviously distressed.
"It goes to show that you need to be observant in life, otherwise-"
"Ahm am dun!" Edmund cried triumphantly through plump cheeks, pulling his paw away from his father's, Stu just barely taking the knife away from the tyke before he managed to stick it into something other than a pumpkin.
"Are you now?" Nick asked, paws still firmly pressed to his forehead, let's have a look then, shall we?"
Edmund batted at the pumpkin with his paws, Stu placing his own in front of his sons.
"Alrighty, let pop pop turn it now…" he said, pivoting the fruit so as to reveal the masterful design engraved upon it.
It was a poorly drawn, poorly carved face of a rabbit, its tongue sticking out.
"Wow!" came the cries of adoration from everyone at the table.
"That's amazing!" Judy cheered.
"No kidding, its great!" Nick echoed, nodding in agreement with his partner.
Edmund bounced up and down on his father's lap, cheerfully biting at his own lip, unsure of what to do with all of the sudden praise. Maybe he'll have a career in art one day? Perhaps that is his calling in life. Being Superbunny may just need to be a side gig.
"So, let's see the rest of them then." Nick insisted, frantically waving his paws as if he were the conductor of the Bunnyburrow district symphony, queuing the pivoting of the remaining pumpkins.
Joey's pumpkin bore a well carved Zootopia Police Department Badge. The edges were delicately whittled down, perfectly mimicking the rounded shape of the standard issue crest.
Claire blushed through her soft white fur as she turned her pumpkin, revealing what looked to be the type of helmet a race car driver might wear. The lines were a tad shaky, but everyone loved it just the same.
Finally, eyebrows rose as Charlie turned his pumpkin to the rest of the group.
It was an apple.
"Charlie," Judy began softly, "You hate apples."
"Well, I gotta get used to them." he explained.
"Why's that?" Joey asked, his chin in his open paw.
"Because when I become a teacher that's what my students are going to give me!"
Nick nodded with a chuckle and a smile as he listened to the plump kit explain in detail about all the apples he would be receiving come the time he finally gets around to becoming a teacher.
"Well shoot, your jack-o'-lanterns blow mine out of the water!" The fox cried in defeat.
"Our-" the doe beside him corrected, "- they blow 'our' pumpkin out of the water."
"Pumpkin guts?" Bonnie cried out, "I need your pumpkin guts!"
Nick helped scoop the leftover pumpkin insides into the pot Bonnie was using to collect them.
"What do you need 'em for, bon?"
"Oh, you'll see, dearie."
…
Night fell in earnest; and had it not been for the hundreds of candles the rabbits brought with them, the march to reach the top of the burrow would have been nearly impossible. A swarm of bunnies stormed the bulbous mound, carrying pumpkins in one paw, open flames in the other.
Nick picked out the perfect spot, not too far down the hill but not so far up it that you can't see it. Judy handed him the candle; which he carefully placed inside, lighting up the orange interior.
Now that's a jack-o'-lantern.
He took a step back, joining his rabbit companion.
Shoot
It does kinda make for a pretty scene.
The burrow, which had been little more than a mound of dirt which housed hundreds of bunnies when the fox first got here, had inexplicably been transformed into a gorgeous candle lit show. The individual fires that burned orange in their pumpkins didn't look like much on their own; but now, now they burn brighter than a forest fire.
He looked to his side, taking the opportunity to stare at his precious partner as she looked over the precious scene, teary eyed.
Somehow it was clear to him now;
It was all worth it.
…
"Absolutely not!" Bonnie shouted at her husband, handing the fox his pumpkin pie, a mound of whipped cream placed gingerly atop the desert.
"C'mon Bon!" the patriarch of the family cried.
Nick sat down on the couch in front of the T.V, soon after joined by Judy and then twenty different rabbit kits, all trying everything within their power to squish the couple closer together. Edmund climbed up into Nick's lap.
"What do you think, NicK?" the matriarch asked, turning to the fox.
He took his fork from his mouth, clicking his tongue as he savored the sweet flavor of his treat.
"I'm gonna have to side with Mr. Hopps on this one, we should let them watch. It's only once a year that these programs air, so I'd say let them live a little." He explained before taking another bite of the pumpkin flavored dessert. "Really good pie though, thank you so much." He continued with his mouth full.
Bonnie took a bite of her own pie and rolled her eyes, thumping her foot against the carpet.
"Fine, just this once though…" she yielded. "And I knew you would like it. Made it extra special this year, just for you."
"Oh you're the best Bon!"
"Shhhh!" several rabbits sprayed, mimicking the sound of a garden hose.
The horror movie has begun.
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.
.
"This is so dumb." Nick whispered in the floppy ear of his partner, the doe snuggled up close to him. "The pig is going to die and she doesn't even see it coming."
"How do you know, have you seen this one before?" Judy asked, eyes glued to the screen.
"No, but I have eyes, don't I?"
"Suppose you do." The rabbit replied, taking a bite of her pie. "But I don't see what that has to do with anything."
"Look at the ground under her feet!" he shouted in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, I see some tracks-"
"You see tracks going into the cabin, but none coming out." He explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well, I know who I'm pairing up with should we ever get trapped in a horror movie."
The fox scoffed.
"As if you would even have a choice, I'd never let you off on your own. You'd be gobbled up in no time." He said, pressing his fangs close to her face.
…
"Ok, that was a whole lot better than I had thought it would be." Nick admitted to the bunny leaning against him. The rest of the family was saying their good nights and going off to bed. "Although I'm a sucker for any old monster movie, ya know?" he said, nudging her.
As the last of the rabbits – save for his own – cleared the room, the sound of snoring slowly crawled into an audible level. He lifted her face, and sure enough, she was out cold. In addition, it seems she drooled all over his shirt sleeve when he wasn't paying attention.
Great, now he's going to smell like bunny breath for the rest of the night.
"C'mon" he whispered, picking her up as gently as he could manage. "Tomorrows gonna be a long day, better get your rest on something a bit more comfy."
The second he lifted her off the couch she went into attack mode, kicking him in the stomach repeatedly. Reeling in pain, he held her close; close enough that she didn't have enough room to kick him again, and searched for a clock somewhere in the room, eventually settling on the little digital one right below the television, its green light shining dimly in the otherwise inky black room.
12:06
It's a new day, so technically she has every right to kick him again.
…
"I don't know Bon." Her mate told her, climbing into their shared bed.
"Oh, but I really do hope so Stu…" she cooed, turning her book over and over again in her paws.
"We've done everything we can, it's up to them to make the decision." The husband said, leaning over his wife to grab his reading glasses off of her night stand.
"Yes but, if it isn't him I don't know who! She turns down every buck we introduce to her." The mother said, placing a paw on the father's knee.
"Don't I know it, Honey Bunny." He mused wistfully, "But I also know that it's their decision."
"I just don't want her to be lonely Stu."
"I know Bon, neither do I."
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"Would you be ok with it?"
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"Had you of asked me a few years ago, I'd of told you no."
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"But he's a good mammal."
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"And he'd make a damn good son."
…
It's really quiet in this house once all the rabbits go to sleep. A little bit too quiet. Nick flopped down onto the couch, now his and his alone, at least for the night. Staring up at the dark ceiling, he realized that it seemed to span on and on forever.
What had he gotten himself into here?
Whatever it was, it was the best time he's had in recent memory
Yeah.
Perfect Enjoyment.
The skull sat in the palms of his paws, and when he looked down at it, it looked up at him.
He tapped it with an extended claw.
He asked it a question, saying, "So uh, love doctor, was it?"
"In the flesh!" the skull bellowed, cackling wildly.
The fox scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up."
Ignoring the rude remark, the fox skull asked the living fox a question of his own, saying, "What advice do you seek?"
"No advice," the fox explained, "but I do have another question."
"Speak up then, I haven't all night with you!"
Composing himself, the fox asked his next question.
"Did you, good doctor, fall to the temptations of love and wind up as you are now?"
"Yeah, should you listen to me tell you something about love?" the skull asked.
"I should." The fox replied.
The skull resumed speaking:
"In love, like many things, you'll find death eventually. Even if you aren't looking for it, you will find it."
The fox frowned.
"Also in love, you'll find that the seasons escape you and that your life has turned topsy turvy. You'll never find yourself quite the same again."
The fox spoke:
"What if I could have found you, and prevented you from ever loving in the first place, then you would have lived forever, right?"
The fox skull furrowed its brow – as skulls were known to do from time to time – and stared up at him.
"Yes, I believe I would. Though I don't know why I'd ever cast away the tranquility that comes with having the seasons escape me and my life turned topsy turvy. Love kills you only after giving you most everything you could ask for, at least most everything I had ever asked for. In the end I find that I've lost myself and that all good things come to an end one day. And that, scruff, seems to me a much better existence then continuing to undertake the toils of mammalkind for the rest of eternity."
The fox's tail twitched in his sleep, prompting him to stuff it back under his blanket.
…
Closing Author's Note: What an odd dream for a fox to have. Still a lot easier to understand then the time he dreamt he was a butterfly, but that's neither here nor there.
Thanks for reading, let me know what you liked and didn't like!
Oh, would you look at the time?
Are you guys ready to go trick or treating?