"Judy!" he called out.
"Stay where you are!" she ordered while being stuck in sticky webbing.
"Well, how am I supposed to get you out?!"
"Use your claws to cut the web! And hurry! Judging from how sticky this web is, the spider will be back soon!"
"Spiders…" Nick muttered as he carefully walked around the hole and reached down with his sharp claws to start cutting, "Why did it have to be spiders…?"
Judy questioned as she heard his mutters, "Don't predators eat bugs? And a spider is an insect…"
"First off, they're arachnids, and second, predators don't eat bugs that are bigger than them!"
With each cut, the web loosened. When Judy nearly fell out, Nick caught her paw and hoisted her up. They didn't waste a second to get away. Once they were sure they were a distance from the spider's web, they decided to stop to rest and to eat the food Gideon gave them. When they felt refreshed, they set out again.
"Think Jack and Skye are ahead of us?" Judy asked.
"I don't know. We did run a couple of miles just to get away from that spider. We could have run past them and not even noticed."
She giggled. That did seem pretty likely.
They kept pacing side-by-side when suddenly, Nick fell into quicksand!
"Carrots!"
She gasped and quickly grabbed for a vine to wrap around herself. Just as Nick was swallowed up, she dived right in. In mere seconds, they emerged, gasping for air.
They lied on the hard ground to catch their breath.
Judy coughed, "I guess this makes us even."
Nick turned his head to face her, stating, "We've always been even, Judy."
She looked back at him with intrigue, asking softly, "What do you mean?"
He slowly sat up and she followed. He stared intensely at her, which caused a shiver down her spine, "Isn't it obvious? We managed to top each other ever since we met, we think alike, and don't tell anybody else this, but you could easily rival me with your swordfighting skills."
She covered her mouth in shock before she uttered, "Are you serious?"
He nodded his head before getting up completely and holding out his paw for her. She took it as he helped her up, but then in a sudden move, he swept her off her feet. Her heart leapt at the feeling of being closer to him than ever.
"Nick… why…?"
"You seemed tired and it's payment for saving my life just now. Besides, it'll help us go faster." he smirked.
She couldn't help but smirk back and didn't put up a fight as she wrapped her paws around his neck for support.
Nick was enjoying the touch as he moved forward. Judy hardly weighed anything at all, but he knew better than to judge her size, given she was able to bring down mammals that weighed tons more.
It felt so right to be in his arms that she couldn't get enough of it. Nick had walked for some time when Judy picked up the sound of stampeding coming from behind them. She tuned her ears to the sound and it sounded like it was getting closer. She jumped out of Nick's arms and moved him into some bushes. They had ducked in time before a patrol rushed past them.
Nick wiped his brow, "Whew, that was close."
She smiled, "Well, these ears aren't just accessories, you know." She started to crawl out when Nick pulled her back in.
"Wait." He sniffed the air and sure enough, a pig sentry with food stains on his uniform lagged behind the pack. Once he was out of sight, the duo came out of their hiding place.
Judy smirked straight at her partner, "Clever fox."
He touched the tip of his nose, "I think you mean 'clever nose'."
She shook her head in amusement as they kept going.
It was almost nightfall when they had reached the base, and once they climbed up the ladder, there was Jack and Skye already there talking to Big and Bogo.
Nick frowned, "Guess this means we lost…"
Judy muttered, "Yeah…"
Fin and Clawhauser rushed to the pair.
Ben said, "What happened to you two? Jack and Skye came back, like, an hour ago!"
Judy replied, "We… ran into some obstacles."
Nick clarified, "And by obstacles, we mean a giant spider's web, quicksand, and a patrol that was in the forest!"
Finnick nodded, "There was a reason for that. We received word while you were gone that Princess Fru-Fru is going to marry the Mouse King within two days!"
Judy gasped, "Oh, no!"
Nick shook his head.
Skye then came up to them, "There you two are. We were starting to worry!"
Big stated, "I feared that something happened just as horribly as my daughter's engagement to my enemy."
Bogo said, "There's going to be an engagement ball tomorrow night. Our plan is to intercept then before the wedding."
Nick said in a detached voice, "Well, now that you have your prophesized rabbit and fox, that shouldn't be hard for you…" He started going and was walking on the rope bridge before Judy caught up to him.
"Nick, wait! Just because we weren't the ones the prophecy spoke about that doesn't mean we can't still fight! The Mouse King still needs to be overthrown and the resistance needs all the help it can get!"
Nick faced away from her, "Carrots…all my life, I was told what I can and cannot be. When I thought the prophecy was talking about us, I thought maybe… just maybe we could be heroes because we wanted to be… but then… it tells us we were nothing but a mistake…"
Her eyes widened at that last word and her heart felt like it was breaking into two.
"We had a good run, but it just wasn't meant to be…" He kept going without looking back while Judy stood there.
She leaned against the bridge as tears threatened to spill until she felt the bridge wiggling. She had a moment of hope when she thought it was Nick coming back, but when she turned her head, she saw a weasel next to her.
"Hello?" she said in confusion.
"We haven't met, but I'm Duke Weaselton."
"You were a duke before the Mouse King took over?"
"Nah, that's just my name. I was actually a servant in the castle when that terrible mouse took over."
"Well, my name is Judy Hopps."
"I know who you are. In fact, the whole entire base knows who you are, given how you defeated the captain in that duel."
She tittered in embarrassment, "Well, I don't exactly relish in his defeat."
"Ah, the big blowhard had it coming to him, but anyway, is it true you're part of a prophecy that could defeat the Mouse King?"
"I was, but it turns out that it was a…mistake…" She faltered with that last word.
"Hmm… but do you know that for sure?"
"We had a race to determine who the true fox and rabbit was and Jack and Skye got back here first, proving they were the ones the prophecy foretold."
"I take it, though, you want to offer assistance in any way you can at this point since you're not what the prophecy spoke about. Maybe you could help by finding a way into the castle so they can rescue the princess!"
"How? I've never been to the castle."
"But I have. I know for a fact there are secret passages that not even the royal family and the court knew about!"
"Then why haven't you said anything? It could have been a huge help before."
"Because I'm just a lowly servant and a weasel. Nobody would take my word seriously, but… you could. You've earned the captain's respect, so he's bound to listen to you. But may I suggest doing a trial run in order to know where you're going?"
She pondered on that, "That would be a good idea… And I do want to help, even if I was just a mistake to the prophecy. Alright, show me where the castle is."
Jack and Skye sat at a table as Gideon poured soup for them.
"I hear congratulations are in order. Turns out you were the ones the prophecy wanted."
Jack said, "Not that I'm not for defeating the Mouse King and all, but it does feel a bit sudden."
Skye pointed, "It's true. One moment, we were sitting peacefully around our village and helping the orphans, and the next minute, we're in a race to prove who the fox and rabbit are in the prophecy. It's hard to believe we were the chosen ones all along."
Jack nodded, "Judy and Nick had time to embrace it, but for us, it's overwhelming."
Gideon asked, "So because you two knew each other for a long time, have you ever been a couple?"
The two blushed while shouting, "NO!"
Skye stammered, "We're just friends, nothing more."
Jack motioned, "Right. Besides, it would be awkward."
Skye pointed, "We're able to work together because we have to."
"Our friendship means a great deal and we don't want it to change."
Gideon stated, "Understood." Then he went to the table where Clawhauser, Finnick, Nick, and Judy sat, but he noticed the rabbit was missing. He questioned, "Where's Judy?"
Clawhauser answered, "I'm not sure. I haven't seen her since she and Nick came back."
Nick gave a concerned look. He knew it was unlike Judy to miss a meal, but then he remembered what he told her and figured he must have upset her. He sighed, "I think I know what happened. Think you can save a bowl so I can give it to her after dinner?"
Gideon smiled, "Of course."
Judy and Duke hid in some bushes that was some distance from the castle, which was heavily guarded.
Duke pointed to his left, "The passage to the cellar should be right here." He opened a hidden trap door that was covered in grass. He went down and she followed after him.