Not so far from Elizabeth lake, a lone truck was running on the road between the village of Bunnyburrow and the Hopps family farm. The truck was your usual farmer car, except that instead of having two seats, it had four, which the owner of the truck utilized on almost every occasion. The occupants of the truck was not your everyday combination; two wolves and two bunnies. The two bunnies were Stu and Bonnie, who needed to do some business arrangements with Gideon Grey about expanding their partnership, but Gideon lived and worked in the village, so they had to drive there. They asked Judy, Charlie and Nick to take care of the family 'til they are away, and told them that once Aaron reappeared from wherever he was hiding at. Their drivers were the two timber wolves, Larry and Gary, who happily agreed on driving them to the bakery.
At the moment, Gary was telling his companions about what has transpired today.
''And then Aaron made a deal with me that he would turn a blind eye to our past if I helped him get his ring before Nick did. In the end, everything worked out as he wanted. I really wanted to see Nick's face when he read the note Aaron left for him, must have been hilarious." Told Gary with a proud smile. As a wolf, helping your king filled him with pride and honor, plus the fact that he could say that he was on the way of becoming friends with them was a huge bonus.
''Those two are definitely something." Chuckled Bonnie. She was quite surprised when she heard Nick's plan, and now hearing how slick the other part of the pair was just made it all the better. Even Stu had to admit, nothing is boring if those two are in it.
''When Gary told me what happened I could not believe my ears. One second Aaron was giving him a killing glare, in the next he even asked Gary to help in something so important… I was dumbfounded." Said Larry with a shake of his head. He still couldn't believe how easily the whole situation worked out.
''Hey babe, remember when you asked for my paw? In the Mystic Spring Oasis?" asked Gary while stealing a flirty glance at his husband.
''How could I forget that? You almost broke down crying in front of the whole club when I slipped the ring on your finger." Retorted Larry while wrapping his tail around Gary's waist.
''Oh hardy-har, that wasn't crying it was just… you caught me off guard, okay? Didn't think you would propose me in a naturalist club." Retorted Gary looking really embarrassed.
''Hold on for a moment, a naturalist club? You asked for his paw in a n-n-nu." Stuttered the bewildered Stu.
''Nudist club? Yes I did, but I had a pretty good reason for that." defended Larry with a confident smirk.
He saw how confused Bonnie and Stu were looking, so he looked at Gary who seemed to be on the same thought. Gary nodded, signaling to his husband that it's okay to tell them another piece of his past.
''It wasn't only me whose parents did not like the fact that… well, 'he was leaning towards the other team'. After Gary revealed this side of him to his parents and asked for their advice, he was continuously told that what he claimed to be was unnatural, and he should make sure to hide it from basically everybody. As a confused teenage pup, he of course took it to his heart, and continuously beat himself over it. The moment he admitted this part of his past to me, I decided two things at that moment; I will marry this poor wolf if that's the last thing I do, and to top it off, I will make sure that he won't ever think of himself as a weird freak again. And there is no better place for that, than somewhere, where the motto and the goal is to be natural." Reasoned Larry while rubbing the snout of the white timber wolf driving next to him.
Bonnie was really outraged now. Aaron getting the cold treatment for who he is was bad enough, but both Larry's and Gary's stories are just as horrible.
What's up with wolves nowadays? They treat their children like they are nothing but dirty rugs. Unbelievable.
She couldn't deny the fact that what Larry did was probably the weirdest, albeit most romantic story she has ever heard. That was probably why she decided to restrain a remark about she wolves and their need to be so cold-hearted.
''From that day, Gary was like a new mammal. He stopped getting nervous and embarrassed about himself, and even took pride on who he is." Said Larry while looking back at the bunnies on the back seat.
''Well, I'll be darned, that's one heck of a life story you have there. Is there any more of these rather happy and exciting tales of yours, or…?" said Stu, trying to lighten up the mood. He had to admit, the thought behind their proposing was pretty darn creative, but it did not help lowering his discomfort of the image of a naked Larry and Gary.
Thankfully, the wolves took it as a joke and chuckled.
''No Mr. Hopps, no more sad stories. I have funny ones though, wanna hear them?" asked Gary while looking at Stu from the rearview mirror. The older buck smiled, happy that there will be no other conversations, that would make his emotional bunny side come out, nor make him think about naked wolves.
So Gary started to tell stories to Stu, ranging from some of his mischiefs from his younger age, some ridiculous tales that him and Larry experienced and some gossip he recently heard from other parts of the Tri-burrows. Soon enough Bonnie joined in listening too, and soon they were holding their stomachs from laughter.
Larry of course heard these stories countless of times before, so he relaxed back in his seat and looked out of the window. He occasionally spoke up when Gary was exaggerating or missing out details of stories where the grey wolf was present, but most of the time he was admiring the outside word. He still couldn't believe it how well they chose their new home after leaving Zootopia. He always thought he was a city boy, and in his heart, he still is, but the farm life felt suited for him and Gary. At first it was hard of course, since most residents of Bunnyburrow seemed like they never saw a wolf before, but after showing everyone that they were not just a pair of two-legged beasts with sharp fangs and claws, but could do actual good and handy work, the residents became much more open, some even started to ask questions about their species, which they made sure to reply honestly. Soon they became quite the celebrity in the tri-burrows area.
There was one thing that he really liked; the fields, the forests, the whole conception of the suburban basically. It was so different from what he had known from his city life. The concrete jungle was completely gone, there was just fields of pure freedom where ever he looked.
They were currently driving next to the ironically named Wolf Forest. It was one of his and Gary's favourite place. When Mr. Or Mrs. Hopps gave them some free time, the timber wolves would always come here to have a romantic picnic, just the two of them, enjoying the peace of the place their ancestors once lived in.
The forest soon ended and gave place to the Elizabeth Lake. The road they were driving on went through the lake, so there was a pretty modest bridge that was just as sturdy as old-looking. Even though it was well-built, it did have its problems, like the slight bumps that back in day caused many headaches to the timber wolves figuratively and literally. Now, they were so used to it, that Larry automatically ducked, avoiding the hit of the ceiling of the truck when t hey bypassed one of those nasty bumps.
That was another of his favourite places (not the bridge, but the lake). They would sometimes sneak out in the middle of the night, and bath in the lake under the moon light, absolutely naked nonetheless. Their relationship with Gary turned really sappy in the last year or so, but after what happened in the city, they both thought that they could afford some romantic times.
Oh yeah, that beautiful lake. With its dazzling waterfall that supplies the lake with water, its shining surface that seems like it's inviting you, the reeds at the far back with birds and frogs living in them, the lifeless and bloodied body of Aaron lying on the shore of th-
Now hold on a second...
He shook his head and even rubbed his eyes, making sure that what he was seeing is not a mirage. Sure enough, his eyes were not deceiving him, the king of the wolves, Aaron Wildeford was lying on the bank of the lake, totally soaked, dried blood around his head, and he didn't seem to be alive at all.
''GARY, STOP THE CAR!" shouted the grey timber wolf, making the two bunnies and his husband jump in surprise. Gary wanted to ask what was the reason for Larry's sudden outburst, but the look of pure panic and horror on the grey timber wolf's face was enough for him to obey him wordlessly.
When the car came to a stop on the bridge, Larry bolted out of the car, slid down on the slope between the side of the road and the shore of the lake into a series of bushes, then run next to the body of his king. He didn't have much experience in first aid, but he knew how to determine whether someone is dead or not. So, he put his fingers onto the other wolf's wrist and much to his relief he felt a faint pulse.
That's when he heard the gasps coming from behind him.
''Is that…" asked the shocked Stu while running towards Larry.
''A-Aaron?!" blurted out Bonnie already getting misty eyed upon seeing this poor wolf in this state.
''Is he alive?" asked the panicked Gary. His answer was a sad nod, that did very little to calm everybody down.
There were so many questions in everybody's head.
How did he get here?
What happened to him?
How badly is he injured?
Bonnie knew that she could simply broke down here and there and already mourn Aaron…
...Or suck it up and take the matter into her own paws.
The last one seemed much more desirable, albeit harder, so with a sharp shaky breath she took up a determined face a straightened her posture.
''Okay, don't panic. Larry, bring the blanket from the truck and try to dry him. I will take care of him while you are getting the blanket." Commanded Bonnie. Larry did not protest and started to sprint back to the truck for that blanket.
''Gary, call the sheriff and the clinic, tell them that we have an emergency, and come as quickly as possible." The white timber wolf was already half-way in dialling the sheriff when she finished her sentence. Bonnie was nervous, because the clinic was 45 minutes by car, and Aaron might not have that much time.
''Stu, call Judy and tell her and the boys what is happening and to come here as soon as possible. Tell them to leave the kids to Bethany and Clara, I'm sure they can handle some young bunnies if they can handle flirting with multiple bucks at once." told Bonnie while looking at her husband sternly. Stu wanted to defend his daughters, but Bonnie was giving him that famous wife-stare that he knew he had no chance to fight against. So he took out his phone and dialed Judy's number.
In the mean time the Hopps family farm was in its everyday state. Every Hopps children was either learning for school or working on the fields, just like on every other noon.
The underground main living room where life usually happened, seemed to be frozen at the moment. Every bunny in the room was watching the nervous looking fox walking up and down the room, pulling his ears and tails. Judy and Charlie were sitting on the one of the sofas with small bunnies around them, in their laps, some even managed to climb on top of the painted dog's shoulders and head, but Charlie did not really care. He, aswell as Judy, was looking at their friend with sad and worried eyes.
''Ju-Ju, why is uncle Nick walking in circles?" asked one of the smaller sisters of Judy.
''He is waiting for somebody to come back." Assured Judy with a warm smile.
''Is it that wolf he is waiting for? Aajun?" questioned the small bunny. Judy wanted to reply but Nick beat her to it.
''I shouldn't even be waiting for him! He didn't tell me he would leave, and I know he would have told me, something happened to him, I just know it!" exclaimed the desperate looking fox, his green eyes seemingly became a shade darker.
Charlie and Judy was really taken aback from the behaviour of their friend. They knew that since he met Aaron, he slightly let his walls down, and started to show his emotional side more, but this was a level they had never seen. Nick Wildeford, once the slickest and sneakiest scam artist who roamed the streets of Zootopia, who could fool even the most influential mammals in the city (the mafia included), is now a huge emotional mess. Charlie observed the fox and sure enough, the mask was gone. He could clearly salvage every emotion the fox was dealing with from his body language, which I don't think I have to specify why was a huge deal.
Charlie was worried for other reasons aswell. He studied foxes just as much as wolves, and he knew that they don't get worked up on literally anything. They are the ever cool mammals, whose scale of emotions is narrower than average. Break downs, depression, excitement, etc. are very rare events in a fox's life, but they do happen.
In this case though, we are not talking about some other fox.
So why was Nick showing this unusual amount of sentimentality? You could say that it's because there is a possibility that something happened to his mate, so his animal instincts kicked in and influenced his emotional scale, which would make sense in some ways, but doesn't complete the full circle. The fox looked so… crestfallen… broken… shattered, and he doesn't even know for sure whether something really did happen to Aaron, or just something came up for the wolf, maybe a long phone call that he wanted to make in private.
Suddenly Charlie got a really wild hypotesis, that would probably make every scientist topple over in laughter.
The only species that reacts that badly to such situations are… wolves. Could it be that somehow Nick… took over some of the wolf primal part from Aaron?
Even he wanted to laugh at the incredibility of this thought, but so far he didn't find anything that would contradict this theory. As a cop he knew that the cliché 'Innocent until proven guilty' worked more ways than one could imagine. In this case, the theory is true, until proven false.
Suddenly Judy's phone started to ring. Nick didn't even acknowledge it, he just kept on mumbling incoherently under his breath, and making his 200th circle around the room.
''Hey dad! What's up?" asked Judy with her usually cheerfulness. She was not worried about Aaron, she knew that he is okay.
''Heeeey, Jude the dude… Listen, we kind of have a situation here." Said Stu sounding really uncertain. That was enough for Judy to lose her cheerfulness. With the exception of Nick, everyone snapped their attention to Judy.
''A situation? What's going on dad?" asked Judy worriedly, while stealing a glance at Charlie.
''Well, how do I put this… We managed to find Aaron-'' Stu could never finish his sentence, since the fox snatched the phone from Judy's paw in a blink of an eye.
''YOU FOUND HIM?! Where is he? Is he okay? Is the situation connected with him in any way?! ANSWER ME DAMNIT!" screamed the fox so loudly, that even Larry heard it from the truck with the blanket in his paws from the other side of the line.
''Nick! Calm down." Reasoned Charlie, but when he tried to get close to the fox, Nick started to growl threateningly. When Charlie met his eyes, it wasn't a dull dark green he had moments ago; it was light green full of fire. The intensity of it bore into the painted dog's soul and he could do nothing but take a step back.
''Erm, h-hi Nick, well you see… it's actually really bad. We found him on the shore of Elizabeth Lake, fully soaked and… heavily injured. Bonnie says that he has a pretty nasty wound on his head, but he is still alive. We already called the…" That was approximately where Nick zoned out. His vision started to blur, but it wasn't like what you get from diabetes. It didn't hurt, nor did it cause any emotional or physical discomfort or pain and it did not threaten with losing your consciousness. It was just his vision starting to… change.
He soon saw flashes of pictures in front of him. The first one was his beloved wolf sitting next to the blueberry bushes, surfing on his phone with a bored expression. The next picture was him running towards a river with a really high shore. Then he saw the unconscious body of Aaron being carried by the water until it fell down with the water fall.
Then his vision went full black. He couldn't see or hear anything, except a whisper. The whisper was neither feminine nor masculine, it was neutral. It kept saying one word continuously
Thompsen…
That's when he came back to reality.
''-So yeah, all in all, we should be okay, the ambulance is on its way, and the sheriff-''
''Who. Is. Thompsen." growled Nick slowly but sternly. Judy and Charlie was surprised. They have never mentioned Judy's clumsy brother to Nick, thinking that the fox would tease poor Thompsen endlessly if he got word of the bunny's failures.
''Thompsen? OH, you mean Thompsen Hopps. He is one of my sons, not the most handy one but he is my son nonetheless." Said Stu sounding less scared, almost proud. He was totally unaware of the change in Nick's behaviour on the other side of the line.
''Thank you Mister Hopps, Good day." And with that he hung up and threw the phone to Judy. Now even Charlie was a bit scared. The fox suddenly was back to his usually smug self, his goodbye was too sweet to make sense since a moment ago he was screaming with the older buck.
Something was really not okay.
''Nick, are you okay?" asked Judy warily. Nick didn't look at her. He squatted down to the small Hopps children who were looking at him with big scared eyes and twitching noses.
''Listen here little rascals, Uncle Nicky is going to say some really nasty words, so would you mind covering your ears?" asked Nick in a sweet tone and a warm smile. Least to say that the bunnies immediately obeyed him and put their paws into their ear holes.
Nick nodded in satisfaction and straightened out, still not looking back at Judy and Charlie.
''I'm going to kill that sack of sh#t." stated Nick in a calm voice, like what he was saying is the most everyday thing in the world.
''W-what?!" stuttered Judy.
''I said, I'm going to kill that worthless piece of garbage." his tone was getting suddenly really threatening. He made sure to emphasize his statement by unleashing his claws.
Charlie wanted to put an end to Nick's ridiculous behaviour before he does something stupid, but when he looked into his eyes, his own blood ran cold. The fox's eyes lost their color, his posture was relaxed and their arms were limp next to his body. The realization hit him like a truck.
The same reaction Aaron had back in the festival when Nick was kitnapped. Nick is going savage.
Suddenly his more than ridiculous theory was not as surreal as it was before.
And then there is the problem of a savage fox in the same room with at least 45 Bunnies.
''EVERYONE HIDE, FAST!" shouted Charlie while gathering some smaller Hopps children into his arms and hid behind the sofa. None of the bunnies had any idea of what was going on, but seeing Nick behaving so strangely, they were not about to question the painted dog; they would have hidden anyways.
Charlie saw Judy sending him a questioning gaze when she sat down next to him, but he signaled him to stay quiet.
Then they heard something they never thought would hear from a fox, much less from Nick; a high-pitched pierce howl. It was so loud and strong, that every bunny had to cover their ears, since it reached a level where it physically hurt their sensitive ears.
Because he studied wolves, Charlie was good at identifying which howl meant what, and he knew that it wasn't the „oh look, it's the moon! Let's howl at it, since it's so majestic'' howl, it was a howl of a wolf (well, in this case a fox), who was ready for battle.
Then they heard a growl, followed by fast steps going away from them, towards the elevators. Charlie took this as a sign, and after making sure the field was safe, he came out from hiding with the rest of the bunnies following him. He took out his phone and immediately rang Bonnie while running after Nick with Judy following close.
Judy really wanted to get some answers, but she saw that this was something she has to realize herself, and from the odd familiar feeling of the situation, she knew it is close. The last thing she managed to do was tell Bethany and Clara to take care of the farm until they are back. The two younger does witnessed everything and would have protested, if not for the fact that they were too scared to talk, or even move a muscle.
''Bonnie?" asked Charlie while running.
''Yes Charlie? Is there a problem sweetie?" asked the older doe.
''The situation just got way worse. We are on our way, hide quickly and don't make a sound." Said Charlie hastily.
''Why? What's going on Charlie?" asked Bonnie, her tone is full of worry.
''…It's a long story. Trust me on this one, please…" pleaded Charlie, making his best puppy eyes, even though they were not using muzzle time. He knew that if his theory was true, and Nick found them near Aaron, they would get mauled by him very quickly, and Nick could not do anything to stop himself.
There was a brief pause in the line, then he heard the older doe sigh.
''O-okay…" and with that Charlie hung up, mainly because when the elevator opened his and Judy's eyes widened. The interior part of the machine was full of scratches and bite marks.
''What happened to Nick?" asked Judy slowly, not removing her gaze from the basically destroyed lift.
''I don't know, but I will so study fox behaviour again after this."
''…It's a long story. Trust me on this one, please…" pleaded Charlie's voice through the phone. Bonnie, Stu and the timber wolves looked at each other hesitantly, not knowing what to do.
On one paw, they couldn't just leave Aaron here half-dead. They were still not sure how serious his injury was, and Bonnie was used to first aid her children, who were bunnies, and even then it was some minor bruises and scratches. This was a grown up wolf with a possible lethal head injury, and from the weak pulse he had, it was a matter of time before they lost him.
On the other paw, Charlie seemed really insistent, and Bonnie had a feeling that she should listen to him. She heard the whole conversation with Nick, and she noticed his strange behaviour aswell. She didn't know much about canines, but she guessed that Nick was on his way, and he would not be happy to see them for some reason.
''O-okay." And then Charlie hung up.
''You sure about that?" asked Gary uncertainly.
''No, I'm not, but I have a feeling that it is the right move." Said Bonnie while walking towards the bushes between the slope on the side of the road, and the shore. It seemed perfect, since they were close enough to see and hear everything while still being out of the danger zone.
When all four of them were seated comfortably in the bush, Larry had a sudden question.
''How do we know when can we leave this bush? I think a branch got stuck into my rump." Complained Gary while scratching his itching spot.
''I don't know, I guess we just have to wait and see." Sighed the older doe, keeping an eye on Aaron's body.
...
...
5 minutes have passed and nothing happened.
''Are you sure Charlie wasn't imagining things?" asked Stu a bit impatiently. Bonnie rolled her eyes and kept on looking out for trouble, and by trouble, he was searching for a particular fox.
Suddenly they heard the bushes at the entrance of the forest rattle, and all four of them looked at the moving plant. They did not have to wait for long to see who came out, but it was nothing they could ever imagine.
In the end, Bonnie was the one who almost screamed of the sight before her.
~3 minutes before, not far from the lake
Nick was in a situation that seriously scared him. One moment he was battling with his own raging emotions, trying to restrain as must as he could, and then in the next he felt himself losing control over his body, and he was basically seated in a spectator mode. He saw how he mauled the Elevator, and it impressed him at first actually, since his claws managed to rip through iron without pain, but soon realized that it was far from normal. Then he started to run on all four through doors and stairs until he was facing the final door. This new schizophrenia-like side seemed to get annoyed by all these obstacles between him and his goal. The next thing Nick knew is that his body was jumping at the front door with so much force that the door basically blown up and flew at least 10 meters outside, hitting the main fence, making that topple over aswell. He didn't feel any pain, but he knew that once he regains control (if he regains control) he will definitely feel it.
Then his body started to run with such speed that he was sure he could overtake their cruiser on its max speed. That might be exaggerating, but the point is; he was basically flying through a forest, not caring that one slip up could end up in a collision with a tree and a pretty badly broken snout. He managed to get a sniff of the lovely Wolf Musk he wanted to bath in everyday, and started following the trail into the forest, presumably towards the lake.
These were all the things he got scared from in the beginning. After a minute or so, there was this feeling that took over his rational mind, and soon he started to not only stop struggling against this schizophrenia, but support it. Somehow he started to have thoughts about how nice it felt to be back at his roots, and how righteous it felt. He couldn't deny it. This Thompsen dared to hurt his husband, and he was not about to let it go without a fight.
Spectating yourself without having any word was still scary and strange, but if it helped him reach his goal, it was a sacrifice he was willing to take.
Making sure his husband was safe was his mountain to die on in the end.
Suddenly he noticed the scent of Wolfie getting really strong at some point, so he slowed down, and took big sniffs in the air. He soon found the source of the scent… Aaron's T-shirt?!
He cornered the clothing, sniffing around it intensely.
He failed to notice the web he walked right onto.
SNAP!
Suddenly he found himself being lifted up in the air in a rope web, but his head was still poking out, which made it possible to the second trap to do its work. When the fox was slightly lifted up in the air, a muzzle has emerged from the ground, locking around his snout.
Before he could fight, this new side of him just… switched off, and pictures from the night of the ranger scout accident started to appear in front of him. He wanted to run, far away from these monsters, but he just couldn't. While he was having this attack to his mind, he did not hear 5 bunnies emerging from the trees behind him.
''Nice trap, Fred, didn't know you were an expert at that." complimented Thompsen while walking towards the whining vulpine.
''This is just a rookie trap, but since you told us not to go flashy, I decided to use an easier method." Said one of the bunnies, presumably 'Fred'.
''Good thinking." And with that, the 5 Hopps children were circling around the panicking Vulpine.
''Hey there, Little doggy, Missing your partner?" teased Thompsen while poking the helpless Nick.
''What? Bunny got your tongue in a twist?" continued teasing Thompsen. He felt a sense of accomplishment upon seeing his natural enemy suffering, and he wanted more.
''Thompsen, shouldn't we execute the plan before Ma and Pa notices that we and him are missing? I heard they are already searching for that wolf Suzy managed to get, so we should really hurry." Urged Fred.
''Yeah we should… but why don't we have a little fun before that?" said Thompsen with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
''Thompsen! You said that we have to make it look like it was accidents! We can't just play around, we might get discovered." Scolded Suzy, getting agreeing nods from her companions.
''Don't worry. I just happen to know that the body of this doggy's partner has been lying on the side of the lake for a good 1 and a half hour now. Why don't let him see it with his own eyes?" proposed Thompsen.
''You know it's too risky. What if somebody finds us?"
''Pfft, come on brother, at this time of the day? Everyone is either in school, on the fields or at home. Chances are pretty low that someone just happened to be in that what? 30 kilometers or so between home and town." Tried to reason Thompsen. He saw that his companions were hesitating hard, so he knew he had to play his last card.
''Have you ever wanted to show those predators that you are not just some harmless cute bunny? That you cannot be eaten so easily, because this bunny fights back? It's the perfect opportunity to finally feel in control. To see your natural predator beg to you to end it once and for all. Didn't you want to experience it at least once?"
The four other bunnies seemed to really muse about that for a minute or so, but soon they all sighed in resignation and smiled that wicked smile.
With that, the five bunnies went over to the half crying, half primal, muzzled and trapped fox still lying on the ground. With combined strength, they managed lift the fox from the ground and started to march towards the lake.
Soon enough, they exited the forest and the Elizabeth lake came into view. Thompsen was not lying about finding Aaron's body on the shore, but what caught the bunnies' attention was that it had a blanket over him.
''What's with the blanket?" asked Ted warily. Thompsen just shrugged it off.
''It's probably another thing that the lake drifted off to the side. Now, are you ready guys?"
After getting the affirmative nods, removed the web from Nick, and the fox did not need a lot of time to get ahold of Aaron's scent. The moment it happened, all those flashes from that night disappeared, his primal side switched back on, and he completely forgot he had a muzzle on. He quickly ran next to his unconscious love and first thing he did was to check if he was alive. Since he was still a savage, he had no idea about first aid, but somehow he remembered his dream with the wolf, and what he had done to check whether the wolf was alive. He copied the movement; put his ear to where the wolf's heart was.
Ba dump…..Ba dump…..Ba dump….
It was there, but it was really weak. Didn't matter. He was still alive, and that was all the information the savage fox needed.
Since their size difference was present, he coudln't curl around the wolf's entire body, but Nick managed. He extended his tail as much as he could, laid down next to him, and managed to make a circle around the wolf's upper body while giving out pleading whines and fox-like yips. It wasn't much, but it was enough for the fox.
Now that the fox got his mate shielded from harm, he started to lick the dried up blood in the wolf's T-shirt, head and neck. The blood tasted disgusting, which was kind of ironic, because way back in the day it was what their ancestors tasted daily. But this wasn't just any blood, it was his mate's blood, and if he have to do that in order for him to be better, than he will do it a thousand times and more.
He felt himself regaining a bit of control over his body. It wasn't enough for him to be able to stand on two legs, but he was sure he can talk again.
Loud snickering got his attention. He snapped his head towards the five bunnies. They all looked like they were posessed the devil, but Thompsen looked the most crazy.
''See guys? I told you, that it would be fun."
''Okay smartass, you were right, it does feel pretty good to see a fox beg and suffer." Said Fred.
''What should we do now?" asked one of the bunnies from the back.
That's when Thompsen reached into his leather jacket and took out three handguns.
''Well, considering that Suzy got her enjoyment by taking out this wolf and Fred got his own when he could make a trap for this fox, I think it would be Ted's and Jamie's privilage to have some fun this turn. When we continue removing that brown-black something, those two faggot wolves, and that other fatsy fox, we are going to take turns who will have fun with them." said Thompsen while he gave each of the bunnies in question one-one weapon. Jamie and Ted looked pretty eager upon gazing at the handgun in their paws.
''A quick question. Will we try to frame Judy now? And if so, how?" asked Suzy while leaning on a tree with her arms crossed.
''Nah, It seem too illogical for her to kill her partner. Gideon and the wolves though, we can easily make it look like Judy went crazy. We all know what happened between her and Gideon, and I heard that Judy got those two wolves arrested around 2 years ago, we can make a story out of those." Told Thompsen confidently. Suzy seemed to like this idea, as well as the others.
In the meantime, Nick slowly uncurled himself, stood up on all four, and growled threateningly towards the bunnies while they decided who to be the next one to have 'fun'.
''Go… Away..." Said Nick in a hoarse voice while still growling. He knew he got the attention of his enemies when five pairs of rabbit ears turned towards them.
''Oh, so you can talk in the end? Sorry doggy, it is too late to go back now." Said Jamie while stepping forward and aiming at the fox. Nick's eyes widened upon seeing the gun.
BANG!
The gun has fired and Nick felt an immense amount of pain and a burning sensation spread through his left leg. He looked down and saw his brown khakis getting soaked in blood dangerously fast. He immediately lost his balance on that leg.
He did not notice Ted step forward aswell.
BANG!
And an other shot, right into his left shoulder, making him collapse. His entire left side felt much weaker than the right one, it was basically burning. It seemed that both shots managed to hit important parts, maybe even an artery. He was losing blood in a steady tempo.
The five bunnies were holding each other in laughter. The sight of blood was pretty disgusting, but seeing how this fox was suffering was just too good. The fox could finally feel what every other rabbit felt when they hunted them down.
Nick's vision was already blurring, but he couldn't give up. If he gave up, both him and Wolfie would die. With the little strength he had, he somehow managed to sit up in a kneeling position. Every muscle in his body was protesting but he ignored it. He didn't know what he was going to do, but once he gets these bunnies into his claws, they will regret being born to this god forsaken world.
When the bunnies stopped laughing, they saw Nick slowly creeping towards them with a snarl on his face. They felt scared a bit upon seeing the bigger predator slowly coming towards them with a killer intent, but they quickly shook off. No, this time, they are in control.
So Thompsen took out the last gun and aimed right at Nick's head from a 10 meter distance.
''Any last words?"
The whole commotion was spectated by Larry, Gary, Stu and Bonnie. They wanted to put an end to this, and they would have done so, but upon seeing the guns, and that the bunnies were not on a hundred percent mental state, plus the fact that Charlie told them strictly not to come out, they could do nothing but to watch in horror.
It was too much to take in.
'…It does feel pretty good to see a fox beg and suffer.'
'…Suzy got her enjoyment by taking out this wolf.'
'…Fred got his own when he could make a trap for this fox.'
'…Removing that brown-black something, those two faggot wolves, and that other fatsy fox.'
'…Will we try to frame Judy now'
From these pieces of information, a pretty nasty picture was painted in front of all four of them.
Gary and Larry were really scared, since they just heard that someone is after them, and if they connected the dots correctly, it was because they were predators. Seeing how heartlessly they handled Nick and Aaron, gave them the thought that they will do the same to them aswell. None of the wolves could bear the idea of seeing the other in the same position as Aaron, while they are forced in the position of Nick now. The wolves quietly curled up together in a protective embrace, enjoying that this horrible thought was not reality and that the other won't get killed today. It was a bit selfish, seeing that their kings-slash-friends are getting killed right in front of them, but the protective urge was always, always stronger than the submissive one.
Bonnie and Stu were especially hit, seeing their own children planning to do something so serious as killing and they are planning to frame Judy aswell? That was definitely not what they taught them. They may have told them back in the day not to trust foxes, and that predators are very dangerous, but they have never told them anything that could make them into these… monsters.
Yes, monsters. These particular children were monsters. Bonnie was absolutely shattered, but Stu was having the moment.
The moment meant that he was rethinking his whole life; his decisions, why he had done and said, and whether they were justified or not. He was always told that predators are dangerous, and that he had to make sure neither him nor his future children and wife will get in contact with one for the safety of everyone.
But is that true? Were there any event in his life where a predator was dangerous, because he was a predator, and it was in his biology? No, there weren't.
The last two years, his life has expanded by a total of six predators, and all of them were alright fellas. Larry and Gary never shown any signs of aggressiveness, they were basically the main cause why the farm was living its golden age.
Larry and Gary were not dangerous at all.
Gideon was one of the most reliable business partners the older buck has ever had. He was always on time with the deliveries, the money, and he always helped the farm whenever he could whether it was baby sitting, field work (although he had some difficulties at this part), or just to have a fun friendly conversation when neither of them had work to do.
Gideon was not dangerous at all.
Then there were the city predators, which Stu initially despised more than the predators living in Bunnyburrow. City predators were especially sneaky and cruel, but it was just another thing his father kept on telling Stu when he was little, until it burned into his mind. But neither Nick, nor Aaron or Charlie were ,,especially sneaky and cruel", they were just as friendly and harmless as the folks from the village. Heck, now that he thinks about it, Larry and Gary were city folk aswell originally, but now they could proudly call themself one of the Hopps family if they wanted. Nick, Aaron and Charlie are the ones who always had his daughter's back, and if his hunch is good, Charlie and Judy might have more than a simple friendship.
Neither Nick, nor Aaron, nor Charlie were dangerous at all.
None of them are dangerous predators. They are mammals, just like Bonnie and himself.
Predators…
Right there Stu realized, that being a predator is only a scientific definition. They had the body parts and the needs that a predator had, but in society, the term 'predator' was relative.
Who was more of a predator in the end? The helpless fox who has two gunshot wounds, and is being aimed a third one right between his eyes, his soul is probably shattered to a million species, and he might be just living his final seconds…
…or the bunny, who shot the fox and now he had total power over the other mammal's life.
And now we are idly watching how our children become predators… I can't let that happen.
''Any last words?" asked Thompsen devilishly.
''Rot in hell." Growled Nick with a spit towards Thompsen.
''Why would I? I'm basically saving my entire family. I thought it was common knowledge that every prey goes to heaven, where they don't have to fear being eaten alive." Explained Thoompsen confidently.
Nick chuckled weekly.
''Amazing… Every word of what you just said was wrong… Was that something that good ol' Pop-pop told you?" smirked Nick. He knew he hit the prize when Thompsen's smile faded for a second.
''Maybe, but as old as he is, he sure as hell wise." Defended Thompsen while still aiming at Nick's head. Nick shook his head in amusement.
''That senile rusted clockwork…"
Thompsen ignored the remark and got ready to finish their second enemy. Nick when he saw that it was really the end of him, he closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.
But the bullet never came. Instead, something soft with long ears pushed him sideways to the ground.
BANG!
A loud grunt was heard and numerous amount of gasps. Nick opened his eyes, and saw Thompsen and the other bunnies looking at the place where he was sitting seconds ago in utter horror. Nick turned his head towards the place and immediately understood what happened.
There he was lying on the ground, non other than Stu Hopps, holding the place of his heart with both paws and grunting in pain. Soon the fox saw blood spreading through his farmer clothes.
But the series of twists didn't end.
''DAD?!" screamed a voice Nick knew so well. He soon found Judy and Charlie running out of the forest, not even stealing a glance at the frozen Hopps children. Nick wanted to go and help Mr. Hopps, but he used up all his strength and soon he could do nothing but lie motionless on the ground while his vision started to fade and his eyes closing. The last thing he saw was Larry and Gary kneeling next to him and talking to him, but he could not understand anything.
Thank you, Stu.
So a bit of apology for the unusual delay, but I got a very strong fever (39 Celsius). I still am not fully healthy, but I did not have the heart to leave you guys hanging.
