Welcome, welcome, all fair peoples to the second installment of my AU fanfiction. Sorry for the late update. My focus was very much directed unto my primary project 'Dusted'. I can multitask but sometimes my focus gets to a point whereas its like a Sci-fi battleship. "All power to engines!" subsequently, all other systems become neglected for a while why I'm powering through on a single focus. So now I'm dialing back engine power and trying to allocate necessary power to vital systems and get back to a nominal status.
SO, without further stalling and delaying while my cohorts steal all your muffins (you didnt hear it from me by the way.), I present the second chapter to my Zootopia AU, set in the Middle Ages for those who are confused. Enjoy, review, and berate me with all your love.
Nicholas gave Judith a fleeting but gentle smile, his paws still resting on her shoulder. The rabbit seemed pleased with herself.
Suddenly her ears perked and turned to the entrance of the kitchen as another rabbit entered the room and gave a glare towards the fox.
"Heather!" Judith squeaked in a falsely excited tone. "What brings you back here?"
The new rabbit was a slightly taller, brown rabbit, much like the father, with blotches of white on her ears. She never broke her stare from Nicholas, seeming to size him up and determine what was going on.
The red fox dipped his muzzle down and kept his eyes on the floor, subsequently taking his paws off of the rabbit in front of him.
"I was told you suffered a minor injury," Heather softly stated with her chin lifted, as if making it easier to look down upon him. "I came to check on you. You always get yourself into things that seem…. Understated."
"Well I can assure you it was stated correctly, unless our brother decided to add his own details to the event…" the grey rabbit rolled her eyes.
"He merely said you hurt your foot when you did not look where you were going," Heather replied. "Since he came without your company, I assumed you were alright to a degree, seeing as he wasn't attending to your injury."
Judith straightened and tested her right foot on the ground, pretending it was a little tender.
"Still a little sore but I'm fine," she chirped. Nicholas kept his eyes low and made sure to keep out of the conversation for his and her sake, not that he was going to reveal he could speak to anyone else.
A thought struck him with a horridly icy stab to the chest. She knew he could speak… so that meant she might let it slip or even proclaim it like it was nothing. Regardless of her kindness, it could cause them both trouble if she released that fact.
"And what of this… filth?" came the bile tone of Heather, turning her fiery gaze back to the fox. "Why was he in such close proximity to you? No lying to your sister now." The kind smile at the end reeked of a poisonous tone that made Judith's tail shiver well within Nicholas's view, giving him comfort that he wasn't the only one jolted by the sudden change in manner.
Judith tensed up as the fox silently begged her to have a half believable explanation. It didn't take but a couple seconds before she seemed to force herself to relax and sighed heavily.
"I was unsteady on my feet, and this fox here caught me from falling seconds before you entered," Judith explained. "Which sight would you have rather walked in on? Me held up by him, or him lazily sitting around while I lay on the floor in pain?"
The red fox was sensing the sister was actually mulling over the thought in her head to a degree. So much for familial bonds. This family was looking more and more venomous with one another for no other reason than to have a paw up on the others. In a family this big, he supposed it was like a miniature hierarchy. The eldest or most useful family members gained the most status. The younger ones became either an extra workforce or supplemented the demands of the eldest. He couldn't figure out where Judith might lay yet. Heather seemed more competitive than dominant over the grey rabbit.
He would have to save the line of thought for later, since his gaze was becoming more inquisitive and likely to be noticed.
"Very well," came Heather's simple reply. "I shall take my leave then." She turned and headed back out the door. Nicholas leaned forward and caught sight of something he didn't before. A vixen had accompanied her and had remained by her side the whole time.
"Come, servant," she directed at the vixen, "I must attend to a few things."
There was almost silent but still polite, "Of course Mistress," as the vixen followed.
Nicholas followed for as long as he could before the vixen's tail flicked out of sight. His stare wandered back to Judith, who looked far more tired and frustrated than the spirited rabbit from before.
She caught onto his confused gaze and sighed.
"Don't worry about her…," she vented in a near quiet gasp. "She's only a year older but likes to play the chastising older sister, as if I were a kit."
The fox gestured lightly about the second individual accompanying her sister.
"The vixen?" Judith asked, her ears lowering quite a bit. Nicholas nodded.
"She's… Heather's personal servant. The eldest sons and daughters get the pick of new servants to have one for themselves. Some turn them down and others jump at the chance to… well you get the gist of it."
The fox solemnly nodded at her, understanding very well the nature of their supposed excitement at having another mammal to command.
Suddenly, Judith was smiling, as if realization of something dawned on her.
"You know," she started, looking directly at Nicholas now, who himself was a bit unnerved, "I am one of the eldest as well and certainly within my right to request a servant."
The red fox froze, unsure whether her thought process would spell doom for him or bring further prosperity, if the generosity of the blueberry tart was to be taken as example.
"I turned down the prospect before for obvious reasons saying I valued my privacy and deferred the decision until a later date. My mother has been pushing for me to find myself a servant for a couple months now."
And there it was. The fox felt he was going to get handed around like a dirty rag to everyone who wished to use him.
"Would you like to work with me?" she asked gently, her paw extended. The fox was a bit confused by the turn. She wasn't assuming she could take him as she wanted. She asked him. Not only that, but her wording said 'with' not 'for'.
"You wouldn't have to if you wish to continue as you have," her face looked thoughtful as her eyes averted for a second or two, "but I want to offer you a means to escape the direct cruelty of my family. I know they can be a bit much… so I want to help."
He wanted to scoff at her 'a bit much' comment but couldn't blame her for underselling. They were her family, even if she recognized their flaws. She couldn't outright direct hatred at them, and that probably made her kinder because of that knowledge.
He remembered a phrase spoken by his commander once…
The most torrential of sea storms can make the smoothest stones on the beach.
He could almost laugh at the sense it made now.
The grey doe waited patiently for his answer as the fox reached out to grip her paw, her smaller one greatly encompassed by his far larger one. He nodded with a slight smile that made her own wider.
"Great!" Judith squeaked. "You wait here, and I'll go confer with my mother. Alright?"
Nicholas nodded again.
Without another word, the rabbit took off out the door.
Nicholas sighed slightly as he looked around, a sense of apprehension slithering in to his mind. Would this go over well? Until she came back, could something else bad happen? What would this mean for him?
He took a deep breath and calmed himself as best he could, knowing the wait might be daunting but hopefully worth it.
Staring at the whatever he cared to in the room, with a surprising lack of resulting interference, for who knows how long. He was sure it was an hour, but time could be a deceptive thing indeed.
He heard the quick patter or feet on stone flooring as he turned to see Judith burst in. If there had been a door in her direct path, her enthusiastic entrance alone might have left it in splinters.
"Come with me," she spoke simply, a smile on her face. Barely waiting for the fox to get up, Judith grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the kitchen and through the mess of corridors.
As they passed by other rabbits and the fox had to deal with their hateful glares, he pinned his ears down and focused on following the grey rabbit dragging him along. It felt like several minutes before they reached a larger hallway with equally large doors at more distanced intervals than the other hallways they passed through.
"And here is my room," Judith said, gesturing to the ornate door behind her. She unlatched the old but sturdy looking door and swung it inside, to be greeted by a plethora of candles and mess of clothes laying everywhere.
Judith seemed to suddenly be aware of the mess and tried to back out of the room, seeing her siblings down the way. Groaning at the situation, she gave and stood aside to allow Nicholas in, whom was tentative to disturb the mood of the rabbit.
Inside was a larger room than he had previously assumed would be more fitting of a rabbit.
He supposed being among the elder siblings meant they got the rooms constructed first. Once the family grew past a certain point, he figured that meant the size and quality probably became more streamlined for efficiency.
In this room, the bed lay in the far corner, with a window nearby along that wall. Nicholas could see the last strands of light bleeding from the sky and figured she positioned her bed at the right angle for the dawning light to rake over her bed. The bed itself looked rather comfortable. Wide and longer than he would expect it would need to be considering a rabbit's lack of such height, the fox mentally calculated it could likely hold another half dozen rabbits comfortably.
Skewing his vision over the rest of the room, the fox could see a vanity display attached to a dresser, an expansive wardrobe cabinet, and something that looked like a… closet?
Judith followed his gaze to the supposed closet as she closed and latched her door for privacy.
"This here," she started, walking over to the strange looking closet and opening it to reveal it being used for storage, "is built as a sleeping arrangement for servants…"
Nicholas tensed slightly, upon seeing the space that looked like it could induce claustrophobia in an individual.
"Don't worry!" the rabbit nearly yelled. "I won't put you in here. It was made as a safety measure or something. My other siblings would lock their servants in that every night."
The red fox peeked inside it and saw a few things hiding in the back, barely hidden underneath clothing articles and other trinkets. He reached in, curiosity peaking as he saw the ribbing on it. Judith looked a little scared as her mouth worked open and close.
Nicholas grabbed the object and pulled it from its hiding place. It was a book. He read the cover. Homer's Odyssey. Quite the tale for a young rabbit. From what he could gather of her reaction and the fact it was hidden…
"They…" he strained, "don't let… females… read?"
Judith looked a bit nervous but nodded. "More like they heavily deter it but yes. I learned to read moderately well but it's… 'unladylike' of me to desire such leanings."
Looking quite morose at the memory of something the fox couldn't quite read from her, he chose to try picking her spirits up.
Handing the small rabbit the book gently, he pointed to himself and gestured to the book.
"I… c… could teach," he ground out, feeling his throat adapting to the more frequent use of his voice, but far from being able to keep it up.
Judith's eyes lit up at the prospect, her tail shivering and feet thumping happily.
"You would?!" she blurted a little loudly, shifting her tone a little lower. "I mean… you would? How extensive is your education?"
Nicholas was taken aback once more. Most prey around here assumed he was an illiterate and uncivilized skulking thief. In truth, in his nation of origin, he was taught quite extensively by a kind badger. Having basically raised him from a kit, Honey was basically a surrogate mother to him. She even started him off on his skill with knives and archery, allowing him quite the usefulness in his military service. He had read a great many books under her tutelage, including the rather ancient works of Homer. He was rather impressed she chose to read this.
In answer to her previous question, he held out his paws quite wide to convey he had much to contribute to her.
"That much huh?" she haphazardly inquired. "Not overselling yourself at all?"
The fox smirked roguishly for the first time since he came here, making the rabbit wiggle her nose a little. He wasn't sure what that reaction was and didn't want to become too inquisitive.
"I was… taught… much," Nicholas choked out. "Can… teach… you too." The fox started coughing a bit.
"Take it easy now," Judith chided him, placing a paw on his back and patting tenderly. "I can wait till you get your voice back. And I'll keep it secret… since it seems you don't want others to know I think." He nodded.
"For all… but you… I can't… read… either," the fox voiced softly, slowly losing his voice once more.
The rabbit looked contemplative for a second before nodding slowly in understanding.
"For now," she started, "how about some sleep?"
Nicholas grinned and looked around the room, shrugging to convey his confusion to where he would sleep.
The rabbit took his meaning and rushed around the room in a hurry, picking up her mess and clearing out space. Yanking open a chest at the foot of her bed, she pulled out a bundle of bedding and started laying them out on the floor. Using spare pillows for mattress like padding, she panted lightly and gestured to the finished product.
"Tada!" she said, much to the amusement of Nicholas.
"I'm sorry I can't give you better accommodations, but I'm sure you realize what it's like around here."
The fox nodded in silent understanding, passing her by and resting a paw upon her small shoulder as he slunk into the bed and let loose a ragged sigh at the relief he felt of being treated so pleasantly by this rabbit.
Sleep overtook him quite rapidly as the weight of the day crumbled off of him like flaking dirt.
Judith stared at him while his eyelids closed and her eyes were the final image he received in his repose state.
Violet. Like the flowers outside his childhood home.
Nicholas knew he was drifting through the realm of sleep. He had a few such dreams before where lucidity kept him aware but not awake. As long as it wasn't a twisted nightmare, he would enjoy the experience as long as he could hold on to the feeling.
It seemed that this time was influenced by those eyes. He was a kit viewing the violets outside a small cottage in the land of Animalia. Simply an outlying country to the larger nation of Savannah Shire, Animalia acted as a buffer between the Shire and other more hostile nations, as well as supplying the core nation with trade and troops when desired.
If Nicholas remembered correctly, this point in his life was when he was barely fifteen. Losing his parents at a young age that he couldn't recall, the fox hadn't felt the loss of his parents as other mammals had described during later years of their lives.
His youthful years were full of the one he referred to as 'Mother', in the form of a caring and skilled badger named Honey. She clothed him, fed him, taught him, in both blade and pen, and provided for his well-being. Their cottage may have been small, but their literary collection was quite expansive. Books overflowed from any space not used for food or drink. It was the only true obsession his mother had. Honey was wonderfully enamored with the art of a good story, always looking for the next thrilling adventure to delve into.
Such an obsession, his teenage self extrapolated, came from being injured in battle years before and having difficulty running or walking for long periods of time. Being the stubborn mammal she was, she refused to carry a cane or walking staff for her own benefit.
That didn't stop her from training him since his age could be counted on a single paw to hold a blade. Whilst his skills were vast by this tender age, he was still less skilled than Honey, and she was partially crippled with limited endurance. She taught him to wield daggers, short swords, hammers, shields, bow and arrow, rapiers, and even axes modified for his size. Suffice it to say, his knowledge wasn't only in combat when being trained by as determined a mother as Honey. She ground into him the skills and knowledge to survive in various situations.
"You are a fox," she once said to him, "to which most believe horrid and most untrue things about your species, but… it is because most fear and envy you." He had been quite skeptical to that ideal, seeing how others reacted to him just because he existed.
"Foxes are known to be intelligent, resourceful, adaptive, and someday you will be recognized for that."
It wasn't something he felt was reflected in the eyes other mammals as he would walk through town or see others on the road.
On this day in his life, his worth might have been recognized, seeing as a captain of the People's Army was coming up the road to speak with Honey. She fought with words against the captain's intrusion on her property, to which he produced an edict pulling in any mammals he saw fit to fulfill their duty to the land.
Accepting his fate with dignity, for being selected to fight for his country, Nicholas felt a swell of pride for being recognized. The captain remarked upon hearing that the once fierce badger had trained a protégé to take up her mantle. Apparently, Honey had made quite the reputation for herself before becoming his 'mother'. She didn't talk too much of her past concerning herself as a warrior.
She tried to play down his abilities, telling the captain that she trained him to defend himself. It was true. That was a point she drilled into him numerous times, sometimes getting her point across physically when he was overly aggressive with his thinking towards the use of such skills.
Nothing abusive was inflicted upon him, as she merely used his brief bouts of arrogance against him to humble him by defeating him in sparring using methods he refused to imagine and predict.
The captain would hear none of it and Honey had to acquiesce to the demands of the nation. Giving her last goodbyes, Honey vowed to remain and see him once more when all was done. He was to survive the war to come back to her.
"I promise… Mother," he voiced to her.
Thus, his dream began to spiral through the years.
Upon being inducted to the ranks of the People's Army, Nicholas became a recruit that basically catered to the whims of the higher ups. Proving his worth became a far more difficult game for him once others knew of his species.
Eventually, he was able to prove his worth, on a night with a new moon, the darkness permeating every corner of the camp that him and his fellow troops inhabited. Nearly a dozen soldiers were sent there to burn and pillage as much as they could before running away. Nicholas happened to be up attending to a request of the captain, much to his ire, when he was able to find and nearly single handedly defeat the interlopers without any real injury to himself. A couple night watchmammals joined the fray a bit late but still saw enough to know the fox knew his way around a variety of weapons.
While not made a full soldier, Nicholas was elevated to be the captain's private guard. Such a role seemed boring at first, until the captain gave him tasks to do outside of the scope of the frontlines. Much to the point, he was basically an assassin and saboteur. That did not sit well with some soldiers who only felt bolstered in their beliefs about the fox. To sway their opinion, he took up a skill he hadn't learned in Honey's tutelage.
Smithing. A reluctant rhino gave him the teachings to make weapons meant for smaller mammals, including himself. He later rescinded his distaste at having the fox help him. To such a large mammal, making smaller weapons became a daunting if not impossible chore. Having a mammal whose smaller paws could more expertly fine tune the functionality of a weapon or armor with great dexterity made for a useful assistant. He was by no means an expert in the art, but Nicholas could easily make and maintain new equipment for himself or others on certain scales with an above average skill.
Years of war and fighting alongside his brothers in arms earned him more respect than he ever dreamed. Both predator and prey alike could break through barriers when having to put their lives in another's paws on the battlefield.
It was nearly seven years later when Nicholas was able to return to the cottage he grew up in.
When he had returned though, the home… was decrepit. Abandoned for what had to be at least a couple years. He had frantically searched for any sign of what happened. The books that had remained, were ruined thanks to winters, storms, and exposure to the elements in general.
He did however find a note, locked away in an iron box under his old bed. His worst fears weren't realized but now he had no way to comprehend what to make of her note.
My dearest son,
I'm sorry that I could not remain here for you. I tried but the war took a dark turn I couldn't ignore. You were used to fight a war that made prey able to hold power over predators in a way that we will not see until it is too late. I seek out others who wish to find a way to stop this and hope you find this so that you can find me as well. You can find me to the south, for as long as my body is able, I will fight for the equality the nation we represented scoffs at. I can't tell you where I will be specifically, in case this falls into the paws of those that would harm this cause, but I know you can find me. Use what you learned.
Love, your Mother.
He remembered the pain and anguish of that moment. Betrayal and anger broiled to the surface as he read the letter over and over. He could remember every word the first time through, but he figured he missed something. She would never lie to him, so the betrayal he felt was directed towards the state that used him. He still felt anger towards her for leaving him to find his way himself.
He hadn't much left to him after being discharged from service, but traveled anyways, burning the letter at his first chance so no one could see it besides him. Over time, he lost the drive to keep searching but still wandered aimlessly south in search of… nothing in particular.
Nicholas drifted back to the present, now twenty-three and indentured to a family that so obviously reflected the ideals he thought he had fought against.
The red fox jolted awake, reaching up to gasp in a breath of air, as if he had been swimming in the deep. For all the memories he relived in one night, he might as well have been swimming.
As if his waking wasn't enough to labor his breathing, a soft paw pressed to his forehead, making him tense up.
"Quite the jittery one, aren't you?" Judith asked from the darkness. Nicholas's vision adjusted to the lack of light, with the time apparently being well before dawn.
He could see the worried expression of the rabbit, her own pupils wide as she tried to acclimate to the darkness as well. Her eyes darted around fruitlessly though, denoting that she could probably only see him as a silhouette in the near dim starlight.
"Dream," he croaked with a far less painful tinge to his vocal cords. He might be able to talk quicker than he thought.
"Oh? That explains a lot. You were tossing and turning. It woke me up."
The fox looked apologetic and tried to say something to that effect before she continued.
"Don't worry though. I'm just glad you're ok. Right?"
"Yes," Nicholas softly sighed, followed by a yawn.
"Um…" the rabbit hummed, fiddling with her paws on her nightgown, "About the thing with teaching me to read. Do you know any good books to recommend? A romance preferably. My family doesn't have many and most of them are a little… narrow in their scope."
Nicholas nodded and realized she might not see it.
Grasping her paw with a slight gasp from Judith, he put the paw to his head and nodded an affirmative.
The rabbit took the opportunity to turn around and grab a candle from the nightstand. She used a matchstick on a rough stone to spark a flame and light the candle before setting back on the nightstand.
"Sorry," she said with a small voice. "I can't see as well as you can in the dark."
Nicholas smiled warmly in the flickering light.
"I know… many… books…" he forced out. Judith bounced a bit on her knees with a giddy grin.
"I do hope we have them," she stated with a more sobering expression. "Like I said, our collection isn't large."
Nicholas pointed to his head and tapped lightly, drawing a rather confused expression from her. A few seconds passed before she started to cover her muzzle and giggle in a hushed tone.
"Are you saying you remember the whole story to a book or two?" came her curious inquiry. The fox shook his head in the negative.
"Everything… I… read," Nicholas croaked out. Whether from his rereading of everything he had ever laid his eyes upon or some innate ability to remember every word his eyes rake across, he could near perfectly remember most everything he had ever read before.
The dumbfounded expression on the rabbit's face was quite the adorable look for her.
In the light of the candle, Nicholas grabbed some parchment and a piece of charcoal, meant for drawing, and wrote down a full page of the first book he could draw upon from the library in his mind.
Hoping she would know the generic book that he had hoped she would likely have, the fox handed the page to Judith, who took it and looked it over.
"You went with Homer's Iliad?" she asked with a bit of disappointment. Nicholas shrugged and gestured to signify his point that he wanted to prove to her he could do what he was implying.
Understanding reached the features of her muzzle as her grin renewed itself.
"If this isn't word for word then it's pretty darn close," Judith mentioned with growing excitement. "You are far cleverer than my family gives you credit for. Are all foxes this clever?" The rabbit's eyes dripped with sarcasm, even if her voice didn't.
The fox held up a paw and teetered it as if to say, more or less.
"Har har. You're very funny," Judith replied to him with a rolling of her head, letting her ears sway over her.
The fox gave an affirmative shrug, playing along with her sense of humor. He couldn't lie, this turn of events seemed to be far better than he could have ever hoped for. He was wary of it all falling apart but at least he could take what solace he could in the fact that one soul reflected a desire to know him beyond the gruff exterior that prey had been indoctrinating all to believe on a certain level.
He hadn't even thought about something that he certainly should have thought. Did he have an escape plan? Waking from that dream reminded him that he still had to search for Honey, his mother, his teacher.
Maybe he could work enough trust in, or something similar to it by acting subservient, and get far enough away that the figurative leash would be useless. He wondered if the siblings with servants were took said servants into town or other places of consequence such that he could slip away. He felt a bit guilty for potentially using this kind rabbit as a means of slipping the leash but figured he didn't deserve this life as it was. He'd think more on it later.
Judith gave him a knowing look, seeing that he was deep in thought.
"It'll be okay," she comforted. "I'll keep you safe. You won't have to suffer what you did until now."
The fox turned on his side towards her and pulled his covers back over his shoulder. Judith took that as a sign he was happy to hear it. Climbing back into her own bed after blowing out the candle, Nicholas could hear the rustle of her sheets as she tried to find a most comfortable position. She tossed and turned for nearly a full minute before finally settling on splaying herself out on her belly in a most unladylike fashion. Her arm hung lazily over the edge and her ears flopped down her back in a smooth manner.
Nicholas couldn't help but be entertained by the very appealing site. None so improper in the sense of appealing that he would have tainted thoughts, but she was intriguing in her mannerisms and how curious her mind was. She was an adventurer at heart imprisoned within her own cage of tradition and familial expectations. He surmised that she was probably to be promised to some arrogant and traditional buck who would treat her like a means of social standing within this nation.
If he was stuck by her side long enough, he made his own personal vow to make sure she be treated with respect by himself and others so long as she showed this level of kindness.
His own thoughts cascading like lightning rolling through the clouds, they eventually reached a calm as his eyes closed and sleep invited him once more to the peaceful darkness that would rest his weary mind and body.
A tugging sensation woke the fox, whom kept his eyes shut and merely listened for whatever may lie beyond his realm of sleep.
He felt it once more, the tugging. It was on his ears. He focused a bit more and was able to feel what was going on. Someone was taking their paws and making brushing and tugging motions on his ears.
He let an eye slit open slightly to see Judith stroking his ears and looking him over with curiosity. Her nose twitched as she moved a paw over his mouth and ever so gently spread his lips to look at the fangs he had hidden behind those lips.
Her head tilted as she leaned in for a closer look. Nicholas would have liked to embarrass her a bit by letting her know of his wakefulness, but decided to allow her the explorative actions, provided she didn't go too far. She probably had little experience with close contact of predators, aside from those serving her siblings.
Thankfully, she didn't spend long looking over his fangs, seeing as he was having a hard time keeping his mouth slack enough for her to believe he was still asleep.
Next, she ran her stubby claws over his snout and head, apparently petting him to feel the fur. Her mouth parted in a small 'O' as she seemed interested in the softness of his fur she felt. Considering the last several days he suffered through, he figured he must not have been at his best in terms of softness or general fluffiness, but she seemed satisfied by his current state nonetheless.
Keeping his eye open barely as a slit, he was able to keep from being discovered as being awake as her eyes moved to his neck. Her head moved in closer as she appeared to be sniffing, if the twitching nose and sharp intakes of short sniffs were any indication.
Now she was starting to embarrass him. He had to well and truly lockdown his body's wish to react to this newest development. Her nose touched the scruff of his neck as she sniffed further.
Something must have tickled her nose, because out of his direct view, Judith reared back and sneezed quite adorably, having made a squeaking 'achoo' into her hands.
He took the opportunity to open his eyes slowly and rub at them as if he was just waking up.
The rabbit stiffened where she sat on the floor next to him, giving him a nervous smile that he assumed was from her fear of being discovered.
Now he faced a new conundrum. Should he tease her with her previous actions or ignore them and move on. A sly grin spread across his muzzle as Judith saw and her ears lay down against her back.
"Get your…," he coughed slightly before doing his best to continue, "fill of… examining… me?"
The rabbit blushed faster than an arrow leaving a highly-strung bow and redder than a cherry. That was saying something, because her grey fur made it hard to see in normal levels. This circumstance was anything but normal. The blush even spread to her pink nose as it darkened a shade or two.
"I was… that… I didn't…" she stammered helplessly. After several seconds of this, Judith settled for fiddling with her paws between her thighs and flicking her gaze up and down on occasion.
"I'm sorry," Judith breathed. "I was curious. I've never been this close to a predator before."
Nicholas waved her down, smiling kindly to convey he wasn't mad.
"So…" she started, trying to break her personal tension, "want some breakfast?"
As if to punctuate a point and convey an answer without his voice, Nicholas's stomach grumbled in a most irate fashion. It was his turn to blush slightly and nervously look away.
The bunny merely chuckled.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Speaking of fuud, yes I spell it with two u's, I'm going to find an elusive box of dill pickle hummus cookies.
I'll let you ponder whether or not their existence is real.
Anywho, I hope those of you who waited for this to be updated like it. Even if you don't, I'm still writing it how I want. XD
Isn't that the best way to do it? Catering to everyone's whims is much to me like mixing every soda you can and calling it delicious... bleh.
Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts.