Ah... the time has come. The hour is at paw.
I do so hope you will all enjoy the final chapter of a tail that has been around for a little over a year now.
Silence and Valiance is officially ending with this chapter. I am relieved, ecstatic, and a bit saddened.
On the one paw, I'm able to give you readers the ending I've been so waiting to write out. On the other... well... let's just stick to the furst paw then, shall we? I can't say I'm too lamentful that this is ending. I'm glad to have finished it and given it what I wanted.
So in advance to anyone who doesn't like how I end this... It's my story. My ending. Didn't like it... well there IS a review button and I would have the most hearty laugh at a negatively insulting review. Just saying. XD
For those with neutral, constructive, or just plain bright and sunny things to say, thank you for your kindness of sticking with my spotty updates as of several chapters ago. I am glad that I was at least able to finish it instead of leaving it off with an unfinished and unsatisfying open ending.
so... as usual...
Read, Enjoy, Fav, Follow (well not anymore. haha) and grab that strange snack (not the last one, since i have more stories). Mine today is shortbread cookies i'm dipping in melted Andes mint chocolates. I love mint chocolate.
After a night of less than substantial rest, though far more substantial breakfast, the entire army of Zootopia stood ready to make their stand, last or not, in defiance of the Shire's forces.
Unlike those stories of a final battle where a leader takes the charge and leads by example, Lord Hopps seemed to make his involvement as administrative as he could. He commanded from afar, unable to redirect his troops in the moment and leaving field commanders inexperienced with dealing with such numbers to make the calls.
It might work in their favor, though the overwhelming numbers were no less daunting to face in light of that comfort.
The second gate was all but destroyed, with a patchwork job holding it together. In the night, a bunch of mammals took it upon themselves to add more bracing to the third tier gates as well, since it was clear that no one would be using them until the battle was resolved. The trebuchets and ballistas were positioned behind the third wall, well beyond the reach of any batteries from the other side.
With all the ranged means of defense properly mounted, all that they had to wait for was the attack.
A rushing slew of cries, yells, and other such roars of combat sounded from the bridge beyond. It would be a slow trudge beyond the gates, however, since their dead comrades were still strewn across the ground. It made movement difficult.
With spotters signalling positions and giving the order, ballistas and trebuchets fired away, slowing their advance even further.
Knowing they couldn't hold out forever and needing to focus all their effort on keeping the gate bottled up, the seven thousand and some odd mammals converged on the one way in. More than half of them were fully equipped for close quarters combat. The other half were functionally archers or ranged defenders and spotters. They formed two rings around the third gate, expecting the less sturdy structure to inevitably fail under the might of an army that was still fairly powerful by quantity alone. The first would keep them boxed in and fighting. The second ring would fire arrows into their ranks and dwindle their strength over time.
For minutes upon minutes they waited, nearly an hour passing as the troops broke through the improvised defenses and patchwork gate.
Finally, a resounding thud could be heard from a ram against the third gate.
Bogo took the chance to call out, "This is our stand. This is where they stop. To hold this position…. THAT is our final charge…. Now… let them know it."
Every mammal in attendance, the entire rebellion, began to howl, hoot, and grunt. Spear hilts thumped the ground and shields were slapped with paws and hooves. There was a resounding boom from the harmony of the sounds, carrying across the crowd, across the gates, and making every… single… being… hear them.
Silence could feel the resonance of the harmonic Thump within his core, jarring his heart, twitching his ears, and making the fur on his tail stand on end.
Thump
Thump
Thump
It was so overwhelming that the ram hitting the gate couldn't even be heard anymore, even as all could see it bow in and break apart from various points.
A few more strikes and it broke inward, the horde once more making their way in and trying to create a standard formation to charge forward.
The rebellion… the Zootopians, continued to make their resounding chant. The sheer power of its harmony, with all the mammals minds, hearts, and mouths following one goal, seemed to stay the Shire from attacking outright. They looked confused and frightened, standing as a grand force against a supposedly insignificant threat.
If ever there was a time for them to doubt that, it was then.
Officers shouted orders, attempting to get their troops back into line and focused on an attack. They formed a growing bubble of mammals, arrows now raining upon them, and readied to charge.
"For the might of the Shire!" a commander yelled out, beginning the charge.
The chanting stopped as the vanguard hunkered down. With Big's polar bears being the largest and most steadfast fighters, they were the line of heavy shield defenders that formed the front line of their ring. All manner of species lay behind them, bolstering the defensive line and making sure they wouldn't be pushed back.
"Brace!" Bogo shouted, readying himself for impact as well. The Zootopians closed ranks and pointed pikes forward, ready for the horde.
Unable to slow, due to the flood of troops behind them, many mammals were forced by the charge to become impaled on spears, swords, and other such pointed weaponry that would deter the charge. Nonetheless, the mass of mammals tested the might of their defense.
The vanguard was being pushed back slowly, inch by inch, with all bracing to keep them pinned in and unable to evade the volleys of arrows and spears from the archers and ballistas.
The greatest advantage they had, in that moment, was that the charge went up a small incline from a dipped recession where the third gate was. So, they had the high ground on their side.
Nicholas climbed up a tree nearby, as had many others, finding himself a vantage point and playing upon his archer skills to assist. In combat, he may be fierce, but the defensive move here was an indomitable shield wall. As a smaller mammal, neither he nor Judith could help as well as many other larger mammals.
He bided his time, nocking an arrow then waiting for a proper target. The fox could have just assisted the other many hundreds firing a simple barrage, but he wanted to cut away at the problem such shield wall defenses have.
Seeing a testament to his purpose, the tod loosed an arrow, striking a billy goat in the leg and keeping him from climbing atop one of his comrades to jump over one of the bears. The goat fell into the mass of Shire soldiers, likely being stomped on and trampled by his own.
His mate rested on a nearby branch, doing the same as he. She had grown rather expert at her skill with a bow, even greater than him. The doe quickly nocked three arrows in quick succession, firing them off and taking down as many would be trespassers of the line of defense.
"Leave some for me, will you, my lady?" he jibed.
"Well pick up the pace, Scruffy," the bunny fired back with a snarky grin that had a faded spirit of his own. "I'm just picking up your slack."
"My slack?" Silence voiced, giving off a tone of false hurt. "You wound me by expecting I can match your skill."
In response, he fired off another arrow, taking down another errant mammal.
"Aw… so the fox wouldn't be up for challenging me?"
The tod scoffed light-heartedly, rolling his eyes as he rebuked her, "It severely hurts my tremendous ego to say this, but I hardly believe I would have a chance at winning against you. Penny taught you well."
"You were my greatest inspiration," she mumbled, eyeing him with a sideways glance. Nicholas perked his ears and gave her a roguish grin.
Even in the heat of battle, the two could still heat things up between one another.
0000000
The day passed once more, the long trudge being one of great strife of a different sort than the previous day. The tide changed back and forth for both sides, with a drastic push making the Zootopians give ground, then fighting back to push the enemy towards the gates. The sun was receding towards the horizon, setting the landscape aglow.
Eventually, the bears needed to rest and cycle out from the forefront, letting other larger mammals take on the vanguard role. Lions, tigers, equines, moose, and buffalo, though less sizably imposing than polar bears, cycled out with them and stood firm in their place when they could.
Archers were running out of arrows and having to resort to other tactics to cause damage to the enemy. Many started picking up and throwing whatever stone or rubble they could find. Some ran around gathering used arrows to give out to others and renew their supply.
Suffice it to say that both sides were exceptionally exhausted in terms of energy and might of arms.
"Hold the line!" the commanding buffalo bellowed, having taken a vast shield from a fallen bear and become part of the breaking line.
Many of the bears had taken their positions at the frontline once more, trying to take back the ground they had lost.
"Hold!" more mammals yelled out, trying to keep their morale and unity as a force up.
Their formation was breaking, with troops crossing the fold and trying to strike from within or behind.
"Hold!" shouted the raspy voice of Lord Big, having taken up post upon one of his own troop's shoulder.
Silence and Valiance, now having taken up arms and clearing out errant runners, looked around, their eyes meeting in realization.
This was it…
The moment of tipping over the edge and falling so far.
Taking a moment to themselves, the two held one another's paw, facing each other and pressing their foreheads together.
If this was their final moments, the last thing he wanted her to hear, the last memory they should share of one another.
"I love you."
The words escaped them both in that exact moment, their voices in harmony for a single note.
Judith's ear twitched, her nose twitching a bit.
Nicholas wondered if the knick to her ear earlier was irritating her, but then her other ear did the same thing.
"Is everything…" he began, pausing when his own ear twitched.
He heard it too.
The fox and bunny looked to each other in confusion, taking off for a tree at a dead sprint. Climbing up as high as the branches and canopy of leaves would allow, the two looked out over the walls and across the expanse of water.
To the north of the forested area just across the bridge was a low rising bluff from what remained of the lesser mountains. It wasn't that steep and was wide.
On top of the bluff's peak were several wolves, howling for all their worth. The longer they looked, the more they saw.
Behind the wolves…
Amassed an entire unquantifiable army. It probably didn't compare in size or number to the Shire's own remaining forces, but it looked magnificent. Hundreds, if not thousands, of larger mammals were heavily armored.
Black bears, grizzly bears, more polar bears, mountain lions, panthers, moose, elk, deer, mountain goats, arctic foxes, snowshoe hares, and a plethora of many other mammals that the two couldn't even process it all in the moment.
Many of the larger mammals at the front were hunched over, ready to charge, but also sporting strange packs in their backs. A closer look told them that smaller mammals were riding on the backs of the larger, likely as ranged support or to throw spears at will
"They're here!" Judith screamed out. "They're here!"
None too soon, the clear tone of many horns echoed over the landscape. The doe had already leapt from the tree, repeatedly exclaiming the news. It seemed to give many new energy to pull upon, rebellion forces closing the line and letting none pass.
"You heard the lady!" the bull boomed over the din. "We aren't done yet!"
Their resonant chant began once more, like the initial contact of the morning.
Smaller horns could be heard, with more of them sounding closer and closer as others were blown, likely being a message to the frontline.
"Fall back!" one of the commanders of the Shire demanded. "Fall back to the camp!"
Confusion was spreading on both sides, but the Shire's forces relented en masse and began a steady retreat.
Still up high, the red fox could see the why of their retreat. With the coalition readying their force for a downhill charge, Lord Hopps must have known he would need a great many of his troops back to reinforce a line of defense.
The one mounted now looked formidable, but it comprised of what remained of his troops. Once the line broke, they would likely be overrun.
Tens of thousands of Shire soldiers poured back to the camp they came from, reinforcing the line and making ready for combat on a much larger front.
A final blast of a single horn signaled the charge, to which a mighty symphony of roars, bellows, and snarling growls could be heard as the army descended.
Slow at first, the army weaved between trees and over roots or rocks. As the terrain leveled out, their speed increased, with hundreds of such large mammals bursting forth, undaunted by incoming arrows and the mammals on their backs returning fire in kind.
It was a sight to see, with the tod looking down to see the last dregs of their enemy retreating or being slain. It gave them all a moment to breathe… as well as grieve.
Their numbers had greatly dwindled, with over an estimated thousand or so dead, hundreds wounded and many missing.
A few weren't at the battle at all, though Penny and a regiment lead by her were patrolling for others trying to sneak in or scout an opening. Otherwise, pretty much all of the mammals residing here were at the gates for its defense.
Looking back out over the expanse, and his mate climbing up to get a better look, as well as many climbing up the wall's steps to get a view from the ramparts, they all saw a defining moment for the ages.
The flood of mammals, small and large, weaved and bolted across the landscape. Horns sounded and roars echoed. The Shire's line faltered as a few mammals turned tail and ran in sheer terror. Many of the predators even went down on all fours to power onward.
Arrows were loosed in an every present salvo, the thick canopy of the trees providing too much cover to pierce. Few were effectively hit and even fewer were felled by injury.
Some of the rebellion mammals began to cheer them on, with their charge growing ever closer. Fur stood on end and eyes grew wide in exceptional interest.
Over the bluff, Nicholas could see the growing cloud of many flying creatures.
Birds? He questioned in thought.
It took a moment to comprehend it, seeing them flap and fly unlike any bird he had ever seen. There had to be over a thousand of them at least.
"Bats," he breathed in realization.
Looking back at the charging mass, he witnessed, hearing a cheer of the others around him, as hundreds of bears, lions, moose, and other such large mammals barreled right through the Shire's defenses. They tried to get spears and pikes out in front, but the armor they faced was too strong to pierce so easily.
A few were taken down upon breaking the line, but most powered through, trampling anything and everything in their wake. It took only seconds for hundreds of their defense to be overrun and maimed beyond all recovery. As those that charged passed, the oncoming force of every other mammal in the coalition flooded in, engaging that which remained of the standing army left in their wake.
It quickly became a massive engagement, with Shire forces pouring back towards their camp to reinforce their position.
A small snap of a branch made the fox snap his head upward and behind himself, catching a glimpse of a massive bat, whereas he jolted in surprise and nearly fell from the tree.
"Flying foxes actually," she corrected with a blank stare. Dressed warmly, the flying fox was hanging upside down from a branch behind the tod and furling her wings around her in an attempt at comfort.
"Right… my mistake," he tried to relay in apology. A thought occurred, making him continue, "Wait… are you the one who told us about the Coalition forces coming?"
"That I am," the mammal replied proudly. Most of her fur appeared to be a pink-white, with blotches of darker brown all over her wings. Her ears were differing colors as well, with one being cream and the other brown. A tuft of fur hung loose from her head and her claws appeared to be encased in metal coverings, likely for assault purposes. "I'm left as soon as I gave my message but I was sent back to tell you something else."
"And…?" Judith asked from below, interjecting.
"We will engage them from the North and West, but they will likely try to overrun you again to escape our assault," she explained. "My commanders asked me to tell you that you all will need to engage them from the bridge, should you have the will to continue."
At that, her wings spread wide, revealing the amount of blotchy brown patches in her mostly white wings.
"Wait," the grey doe entreated the flying fox. "What's your name?"
The mammal giggled, remarking, "Why does it matter?"
Without waiting this time, she flew off, making powerful flaps and gaining altitude.
Silence and Valiance wasted no time, leaping back down to relay her message to any and all who were listening.
0000000
Rushing forward with as many as were still able enough to fight, the entire rebellion stepped over and around the many corpses that lined the space in between each gate. It was a somber trudge to the forefront, whereas the fox contemplated why so much hate could warrant such death.
Like reaching the light at the end of a tunnel, the entire force made their way through the first gate and out upon the bridge….
To be greeted by the sight of a massive battle ensuing with all due volatility.
Though smaller in size and scope, the coalition had more than ample weapons and overwhelming power enough to push for a victorious finish to the battle. The boasted numbers of the Shire were dwindling fast, with what was told to them starting to come true. A large portion of the remaining desperate troops, entrapped by the encircling army, began to run across the bridge, ready to meet them once more.
In the distance, they could also see the flying foxes diving and picking off mammals, either by using their reinforced claws or picking smaller mammals up to drop them to their deaths.
"Alright soldiers!" the bull called out, "Let's get into formation and hold this position. We only need to…"
The massive polar bear with Lord Big residing on his shoulder tapped on Bogo's own shoulder, interrupting him and drawing the attention of many.
"If I may advise?" the shrew inquired softly and politely. The buffalo nodded and tilted his head to listen. Big nodded in kind. "My family will take lead. So I suggest you follow and assist. This may be our final charge as leaders." The smaller mammal then whispered something to his host, to which a somber nod was the only indication.
"Vanguard on me!" the bear spoke up, to which the remaining polar bears of the shrew lord's personal guard perked up and came front and center. "Let's drive this rabble back to whence they came!"
"Sir!" they all called out in unison.
"Follow close and be prepared to engage," Big told them all. Nicholas gripped his swords tighter. Judith raised her own weapon. Bogo huffed and rotated his axes in his hooves.
"Don't go anywhere without me, lovelies," a familiar voice sounded.
Everyone turned to see Penny and her regiment trail them, catching up and joining their ranks. Meeko and Honey could be seen as well. Nathan and Flora accompanied the snow leopard, having been a part of her unit.
"What's the plan?" the young wolf asked all.
"This…" the bear stated, turning and centering himself within the formed ranks of what remained of Big's vanguard.
"Ready." All the bears aligned their shields, layer upon layer, overlapping them in a weave that appeared unbreakable.
"Brace." Using some form of clasp that was unknown to most of the rest until that moment, the polar bears appeared to lock the shields together, their formation stretching from one side of the bridge to the other in the shape of an arrow.
"Charge!"
This was it. Everything they were. Everything they fought for. It was all down to what they could do now.
The vanguard moved as a single invincible unit, their shield arrow formation holding true as speed was gained. The entire rebellion let out shouts of encouragement and kept pace behind them.
The gap was closing and it was all or nothing.
A great many mammals charged to meet their wall, whether in blind desperation or false courage, the Shire's troops remained on course and leveled their weapons in defiance of their shield arrow.
With bellowing roars, the bears pushed through, the first mammal impacting it….
...and flying heavily to the side, the interlocked shields forming a perfect barrier for such a straight away. Instead of being cast aside, the mammal kept rolling along the shields until being pushed off the bridge's side entirely.
Dozens of other such mammals of all sizes began to become victim to the arrow, their weapons blunted by the overlapping barrier and bodies thrown aside. All the mammals behind them were in awe at the sheer power they had with such a move. It was very specific to a situation and prone to many weaknesses, but not from the front.
Anything forward of their barrier was getting forced to one side or the other and pushed off the road and into the water. Whether any survived the impact or subsequent fall, it didn't matter anymore. They were no longer charging the city once more and now the Shire was surrounded, set to either fight to the death or surrender.
As the road ran out and opened up into the camp on the side, the leading bear yelled out, "Break!"
Their shields broke apart, the clasps shattering and the vanguard charging out in an expanding ring, engaging in the battle. Everyone that ran behind them yelled out their own battle cries and bolted forward in dead sprints, summoning every last bit of essence they could to give the Shire it's dying day.
Everybody tried to stay fighting in small groups, covering one another from being cornered.
Engaging a pair of spear wielding rabbits, Silence used his swords to knock their spear tips up, allowing his mate to slide in and rake her curved blade through their thin cloth chest armor. They were fatally wounded in an instant, crumpling in heaps, with seconds to live as blood spilled into the soil beneath their paws.
"You think they will surrender quicker if we capture my father," Valiance called out to her fox. He simply shook his head in the negative.
"As you can probably see," he began, pointing out across the battlefield, "many have already surrendered or turned tail. We just have to hold out until it's a total surrender."
Her eyes flitted around in thought, the tod trying to get her moving to keep close to their comrades.
As she finally seemed to relent to him, her voice split in a painful screech. Nicholas's blood ran cold as he saw an arrow sticking out of her.
Where ever it may have come from, it appeared to pierce straight through her leg, thankfully going through the outermost flesh.
Going down to her knees, Judith grasped at her mate, whereas he dropped his swords to cradle her gently and position her on the ground for the time being.
"Just breathe… I'm going to pull it out so it doesn't do anymore damage," the red fox told her. She nodded reluctantly, clenching her teeth as he made to grab at the offending arrow.
"YOU!" a furious and hard to forget voice called out.
Nicholas reacted, turning and grasping his swords, ready for a fight and unfortunately leaving his bunny to suffer the wound for a bit longer.
Only a couple dozen feet away, Lord Hopps and a few of his private guard stood, itching for a fight.
"You cur!" he spat at the tod. "Do you know how much you have ruined?! You have taken EVERYTHING from me."
Keeping his gaze locked with deadly intent on Silence, he spoke to his subordinates, "Kill him."
Three rabbits, two sheep rams, and one tall deer buck made their advance.
"RUN NICHOLAS!" the injured doe begged of him, trying desperately to push herself up, but falling back down. Tears began to prick at her eyes as they fell upon her cheeks, knowing she was unable to help in her state.
The red fox tod looked upon her state and turned to examine his foes.
A small smile curved his muzzle, whereas he spoke in a calm manner, devoid of worry and strife.
"The moon could bring its might to bear upon you in full, and I would still remain at your side… fighting with the intent to win."
A watery laugh left her, eyes still begging him to leave her.
Two of the mammals dived in, trying to strike at him. He sidestepped and dragged both his swords through the armor of the ram that he circumvented. A third mammal, the deer buck, charged forward and made a low swipe of his greatsword. Nicholas leapt up above the sweeping blow and spun to kick the deer in the snout, breaking something in the process, as his head wasn't covered.
The fox planned to finish him off while stunned but was knocked aside by the other ram.
Rolling to a stop, he quickly got up and deflected a flurry of furious stabs and slashes by the three rabbits, to which he was able to slip under a stab and return his own jab, piercing mail armor and rending a bunny's heart unable to beat any longer.
He skipped and hopped back, hoping to keep whittling down their numbers. It was an outnumbered fight against him, but he had faced odds of these kind before. It wasn't a pretty fight and he's always been beaten up a bit before it ended, but he could and would prevail.
The deer buck, his snout bleeding profusely, stumbled forward to attack once more. The rabbits covered him low as he went high. The last ram came in from behind and tried to impale him with a long spear.
While not intended, Silence's resulting dodge ended up with the favorable outcome of having all the mammals cross each other. One of the rabbits suffered a flesh wound to an arm, while the sheep ram was impaled twice over by his comrades weapons.
"I would say you fight like my grandmother," the fox goaded in insult, "but that would be an improvement upon your skills."
The soldiers took the bait, charging him again. Nicholas did what they hadn't expected and made his own charge, snarling in the process. Their minor hesitation and forward momentum gave him enough of a gap to give the two remaining rabbits a few swift strikes, cutting them open and leaving him with one enemy left, aside from Lord Hopps that was.
Thankfully, the deer buck that was left looked quite woozy and unsteady.
The two faced each other ready to engage once more…
The deer then fell over in a fainting lump of flesh.
"Well that was anticlimactic," the fox remarked, turning to see how his mate was doing.
"Watch out!"
Lord Hopps took a cheap shot and struck the fox across the muzzle with his armored fist. The old bunny wasn't fast anymore, but he was resilient and had some fair force behind his attacks. Silence tumbled once more, losing both his swords in the process and rubbing his head as he regained his bearings.
Judith felt like she was watching the attempted execution on Nicholas all over again.
Her father was slowly approaching the still groggy and unbalanced fox, bringing a greatsword he wielded to bear.
The doe felt like she had no time. Her breathing became ragged and strained, knowing she couldn't simply do what she did before. They were too far away and her mate was without weapons.
Looking around urgently, she saw a bow of the right size for her to use. Looking around though, she noticed no quiver or stray arrows that she could reach.
Grasping the bow, Valiance searched in pure futility for something to make a threat with. She needed something to make her father see reason, at least enough to back down until her fox could find the will to turn the tables.
She looked down, seeing the arrow in her flesh, well made and undamaged, the only problem being that it was caked in her blood.
Taking in a breath and gritting her teeth, Judith pulled the arrow the rest of the way through, holding in a scream she so intensely wished to release.
After a short but agonizing couple of seconds frantically pulling the shaft through her leg, it came loose and she immediately nocked the arrow, lining it up at her own blood.
"Hopps, stop!" she demanded of him.
He didn't even flinch to look at her. The hate in his eyes, directed at the fox who had 'stolen' his daughter, was all too clear. He closed the distance, the tod looking up to see the pure and overwhelming distaste pouring forth from the twisted expression of Lord Hopps.
The older buck began to raise his blade, ready to strike.
"Father…" Judith whispered in a final plea. There was no reaction. He was long gone, consumed by his obsessions founded by abhorrence for predators.
Nicholas saw the glint of the blade, just then finally regaining his bearings and able to see straight, to which the old rabbit sneered at him in sheer revulsion of the fox and knowing he would be alive no longer.
It raised high above his head, the tod having no time to react…
Thwip
The buck's face twitched and contorted from one of loathe to one of confusion. The greatsword dropped from his paws with a clang upon the ground behind him, his and the fox's eyes gravitating to a bloody arrow that was now embedded into his side.
Lord Hopps then looked over to his daughter, her chest heaving and eyes foggy, a bow in one paw and the other hovering next to the recently released string.
The old rabbit buck's breathing became labored, with his lungs punctured and blood slowly filling them. He fell to his knees, taking what breaths he could and swallowing uselessly.
The red fox tod scrambled to his feet, darting over to his mate and grabbing a stray sword in the process.
He cradled the now crying doe in his arms, with the elder Hopps witness to his soothing care.
"I'm sorry…" she kept whimpering.
"Shush, my lady," he cooed to her, pulling her head to his chest, stroking the bunny's head.
Silence gave one last look at the dying buck, pity lining his features. Pity for a mammal who was so devoured by his own hate, that he couldn't see the capacity the world had for change.
Even in his dying breaths, Lord Hopps looked around and couldn't properly quell the rising feeling of infuriation at his failures. A failure to overcome the threat to his daughter, to his family, and to his land.
One last gasp escaped him as he slumped further down, falling on his side, his heart no longer beating.
Lord Hopps was dead…. Felled by his own daughter…. To protect her love.
0000000
With aid arriving swiftly after their injuries, the fox and bunny were able to allow themselves to take a long sigh of relief and nurse their wounds.
All around them, the army of the Shire was failing in its mission, as all the troops were either giving up or simply running.
Though some fighting was still happening, the battle was effectively over.
Now the question was how to attend to the wounded. It was a sensitive matter to move Judith, as she was in and out, her blood loss having stopped but still making her rather touch and go with consciousness.
To answer that call, the flying fox female from before landed next to the pair.
"I heard you needed a little help?" she offered with a smile that seemed lined with concern.
"Yeah… if you don't mind," Nicholas responded with a dead tone to his voice, exhaustion setting in. "But for her benefit later, tell me your name."
With a flicking gaze of surprise, she opened her maw to say, "I still don't see why you care, but it's Lucy."
At that, the flying mammal hovered above the grey doe, her form having been carefully wrapped in cloth, to which Lucy gripped with her claws and started to take off, carrying her across the former battlefield and back into the city, where they had beds and means of healing her.
The red fox trailed further behind on foot, following her back into the city.
Honey and Meeko were already there, with the former patching up the latter.
The badger slapped him upside the back of the head, scoffing at him on a chastising manner, "Why in the blazes would you do that?!"
"I thought I was protecting you," that raccoon mumbled, his voice like a groaning kit.
"What happened to him?" the fox inquired.
His mother ambled over to the tod and gave him a tight embrace.
"That dunce is quite alright," she replied, her sass still directed at her mate. "Idiot took an arrow for me in the back of his shoulder, but he failed to realize I wasn't even in the firing line."
"It's the thought that counts right?" Nicholas offered with a shrug, returning the hug to his mother.
"That's what I said!" Meeko defended.
The red fox shook his head, getting back to his original thoughts as he spoke, "Uh actually… have you seen Judith? She was injured."
"Over here," called out Gazelle, already at the need by which his mate laid. She was lying in a cot, her head elevated and sipping slowly from a cup that the larger mammal offered her.
"Good to see you are able to stay awake," he softly stated, as if his voice could break her.
"I think I was mostly in shock," she replied solemnly. "I actually don't feel like I lost that much blood."
"She's right," Gazelle remarked. "A medic said the arrow went through and through. Painful but she'll recover. She was warm and not breathing too hard when she came in."
Looking back to his gently smiling rabbit, the fox clasped her paw in his own.
"Did we win?" came her hopeful inquiry, purple eyes locked onto his own green eyes.
"We sure did," the tod confirmed for her. "You did well, Valiance."
"What was the name you used again?" the doe asked sarcastically, a sassy smirk on her face.
"Insufferable as always, my lady."
"You know you love me," Judith snarked to her mate.
Nicholas chuckled light heartedly, giving her a soft kiss and leaning back to say, "I sure do."
0000000
One week later.
The grunt of a mammal and the grind of a shovel digging into dirt could be heard. Panting rapidly in the effort of his labor, Nicholas squatted down to shift the dirt he dug up around.
"What in the blazes are you doing?" a snarky tone voiced from nearby. The mammal it originated from leaned against an open doorway to a house that was recently reconstructed.
"Oh… just trying to farm," he stated to his mate, Judith limping over to him. The fox gave her a look of admonishment. "Where is your crutch?"
"That infuriating thing isn't to my liking," she bluntly rebuked. Nearly falling, with her tod catching her, the grey bunny wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled herself against his chest. He cradled her princess style in his arms, her innocent smile not fooling the fox. "Now this… I could get used to."
With the events of the week past, it was clear that the Shire's forces would no longer be able to mount a counter attack. It was unclear as to how much of their original force was still alive or escaped from combat, but as much as fifteen thousand of them, if not more, were believed alive and running back to the homeland. It mattered not though. With such a crushing defeat, and such a large army as the one of a few different lands making the newly established Zootopia their temporary home, it was unlikely another such army could be amassed in any decent amount time to threaten them once more.
Unclear was the future for them, but a great many hopes and dreams lay ahead for them.
Honey and Meeko were all well and good, with the latter still getting grief about taking an arrow in the shoulder for her. As much as she complained, everyone knew she was overwhelmingly touched by the loyalty of the raccoon and often gave him quick signs of affection for every beratement he suffered. It was quite the odd relationship, but Meeko appeared rather happy with it.
Nathan and Flora finally found some form of solace in their respective emotional burdens, coming clean to all, though unsurprisingly to most, that they were taking each other as mates. The two suffered many small wounds in the battle, but seemed to like the oddity of matching scars.
Lord Big unfortunately died in that final charge, to which many respects were paid by his troops as well as all others that knew him. His army and kingdom would thusly be inherited by his only daughter, Fruitia, who would take his mantle and travel to Zootopia once word was delivered.
Penny, having not had enough of adventuring, signed on with a few other mammals, some being the previously isolated Remnant mammals, and took to exploring the surrounding regions for chartography purposes.
Judith's sister Heather and her mate Rose decided to take upon the task of farming the lands within Zootopia, helping a great many to grow, harvest, and feed the people's of the city.
Bogo and Gazelle settled themselves in a house near the center of the city, with the bull not wanting to be too far away from anyone, in case trouble ensued. The buffalo happened to suffer a potentially crippling injury during battle, to which one leg of his might have a substantial limp to it for the rest of his years. He got into a fight during the battle with one of the last rhinos in the Shire's ranks. Suffice it to say that he took as much as he gave.
Just as unfortunate, Wolfard and Philippe died in the assault, felled by foes that no one remembered. Phoebus, knowing their next of kin, made ready immediately after, venturing out to find them and give them the news.
With all they had done and all they had faced, especially with the grey bunny having to defy and take down her own father, it was a miracle… or many dozen, that they had made it this far and prevailed.
A paw thumped his chest, breaking the fox out of his reverie to stare into concerned eyes that melted when seeing his own focus on her.
"How about something to eat?" she offered, the tod's own stomach betraying him with a hearty growl.
He laughed nervously, saying, "Gladly. Anything in mind?"
"A few things," Judith said with a shrug, then splaying out a paw dramatically, resuming, "Onward, Silence! To the kitchen so that we may conquer it in the name of our hunger!"
"As you wish, my lady."
At that, the fox carried his bunny into the home of which they called their own, paws laced into one another, their cloth wristbands swaying in the light wind as the door closed with a small creak.
Upon the echo of the landscape, a voice, a whisper, a fading legend could be heard.
Forged of a union that was never expected, it is through Silence and Valiance that a beacon of hope can be seen by all.
I've had so much fun creating this story, though in all honesty... it was never intended to push past chapter 7 actually. XD
Upon Nicholas being released from captivity after chapter 6, my original plan was to end with the two venturing for lands unknown and having a happily ever after, but in correspondence with a revelation (And tons of people messaging me over other venues asking about updates) I choose to turn this into a Zootopia origin fic. I do hope it was quite the enjoyable ride, as I would love to make extra chapters and such... but i have other projects I wish to pursue and maybe someday i'll revisit this.
For now, this is the end of Silence and Valiance.
I do believe many of you might like the epilogue... for reasons I will explain in time.
Now sit back and relax for a short bit... since I'm currently finishing the touches to said epilogue and also hunting this annoying mosquito with a nerf gun. He wont stop trying to land on the "F" and "U" keys respectively... I think he keeps trying to send his own message but I won't let him finish before shooing him away and firing my automatic nerf rifle.
Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts.