Disclaimer: Hummm... okay lets try this (puts down book labeled Hypnotism 101). Now focus on this watch I'm swinging back and forth, back and forth. *tick-tock* You are getting sleepy... *tick-tock* You are a WildeHopps fan... *tick-tock* That's right, You are a WolfEyer fan too... *tick-tock* You are not going to sue this grinch for stealing Disney's characters...
Approved and Edited by: Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps. (Admiral Cimar's Parrots: *Squawk* "WildeHopps Forever! WildeHopss Forever" *Squawk* "Wolfeyer too! Wolfeyer too!" *Squawk* "Sue the grinch! Sue the grinch!")
Chapter 6 – Game Day: Part 2
"See, what did I tell you, Ralph?" Nadine said smugly, leaning down to the wolf resting against her and almost purred in delight at his frustrated expression.
"The first half's not over!" Ralph said stubbornly, eye's glued to the TV with such an intent focus even his fluffy tail had stilled, "There's still fifty seconds left."
Nadine had a moment of indecision as she thought about how to tease him next. With a mental shrug though, she decided not to worry about it.
They're all wolves anyway, this level of contact is normal for them, being sociable pack mammals and all. And they won't see anything unusual or inappropriate about me purring… just a bit.
Mental debate resolved, Nadine grinned hugely and moved her head right over to Ralph's ear. With a slight thrill, she let out the full throaty purr she'd be holding back on.
"50 seconds or 50 minutes, it won't make a difference," Nadine said with a deep thrum in her voice while she watched Ralph's startled reaction in delight, "The Prowlers are ahead already and we'll only stretch that lead in the next half too. You should just give up now Ralph so we can get you a proper sized Prowlers jersey."
Nadine almost laughed watching her partner. He'd twitched at the sudden closeness and deep purr and his ears, almost flat back as he watched the game intently, had popped up so fast they'd almost flown off his head. But the best part had been his tail. She loved to tease Ralph about his seemingly inability to control his tail and her little surprise had shattered his concertation, sending it twitching sporadically as he tried to formulate some sort of response.
Nadine snickered as his head snapped around to look at her, his mouth open and then shutting. It wasn't like he hadn't heard her purr before but it wasn't something she did often in front of others, especially other felines, so she'd caught him completely off guard purring like that right in his ear.
There was a slight warming in her face but she ignored it. She was hanging out with Ralph right now and wolves didn't have the same social restrictions that cats did. Tradition bound or not they were surprisingly sociable and gregarious with each other. So what did it matter if she let herself loosen up a bit around him and his pack? She rather enjoyed the feeling of freedom it gave her and slight embarrassment or not, she felt perfectly fine being this intimate… Nadine flushed just a bit more; No, that was the wrong word, she decided, she felt perfectly fine being this open around her partner.
Shelving all her thoughts and determined to enjoy the moment while not overthinking it, Nadine capitalized on Ralph's temporary startled state.
"What did you say?" she said as he opened his mouth again, forestalling a response as she deepened the purr just a bit more, "Did I just hear you say you give up?"
His perked ears twitched and flattened as his tail went stiff.
"Never!" he finally got out.
"I'm pretty sure you said you'd given up," Nadine smiled gleefully at him, "There's no shame in doing so. You and your team don't have a chance at winning anyway, why just look at the score right now with only seconds left and-" Nadine was cut off as the room exploded in noise.
"SCOOORREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" trumpeted the elephant announcer from the television as all the wolves went wild, shouting and howling, their voices joining in with the faint howls that could be heard from up and down the street.
"What?!" Nadine shrieked, her purr coming to a screeching halt as she wiped her head around to the TV where they were showing a replay of the coyote on the Pack's team kicking a corner goal shot right as the half's time ran out.
Ralph was just about the only wolf that hadn't joined in on the howl as he was too busy laughing at her.
"What was that you were saying?" he hooted in delight, bumping her chin with his nose as his paws were still cuffed loosely, "Huh, what was that? I didn't quite hear you Nadine! Would you say that again? Something about my chances of winning being as good as the Pack's chances of scoring?" he bumped her chin again as she stared in disbelief as the replay showed again, the soccer ball sailing into the goal just a hairsbreadth away from the paws of the goalkeeper reaching to stop it.
"Where'd your pretty little purr go, kitty?" Ralph snickered and her whiskers twitched as his chin nudged her again.
"Oh, Shut it wolf!" Nadine snapped, thumping the top of his muzzle with her chin, her paws being occupied making sure he didn't try and make a break for it. The halftime break would be a perfect opportunity for him to try and get some booping revenge on her and she wasn't going to give him the chance. Not while he could call in reinforcements to help him. Reinforcements that she didn't have anything to bribe with right at the moment.
Ralph only laughed more as his tail thumped away in mirth but he at least stopped poking her.
She huffed but the wolves finally started to calm down as the channel finally cut to commercials.
"You sure you don't want to give up, Nadine?" Ralph asked now the one sounding smug, "You could save face by ceding our bet and joining the winning team before we utterly embarrass the Prowlers."
"Not on your life Ralph!" Nadine snapped, this time her response more of a growl than a purr. "You all have only just tied the game and if you've forgotten," she tightened her grip on him just a bit, pulling him close against her and raising a paw to tap his muzzle, emphasis her point, "I'm the one that has you trapped right now!"
Cindy got up from her spot with most of the other wolves that were sprawled over the sofa and floor in small groups and headed toward the kitchen, trailing a bit so she wouldn't have to deal with the mad scramble to get her part of the lunch they traded for as payment for helping the tiger.
A chicken lunch in exchange for a bit of fun rough housing around had certainly been a win-win deal. She looked back over at the tigress still with a tight grip on her hostage as they argued back and forth, not that Ralph seemed to mind his current position much. Or really at all. Actually, judging by how his tail was wagging he was rather enjoying himself. And while Cindy wasn't the best judge of tiger mannerisms the way the her tail was snapping playfully seemed to indicate that despite the scowl on her face, she was enjoying herself too. And then there was the way she was holding him in her lap.
Hummm… I didn't think tiger's were normally that sociable.
She was still getting used to this pack being a relative newcomer to the social circle, much like the tiger, but from what she could remember the two of them always did seem to be hanging out together. There wasn't necessarily anything odd about it,
Except for the fact that she's a tiger! Her mind added but she just shrugged. They seemed just as close as any two wolves that were close friends and pack mates.
But she's not, well… not a pack mate… officially at least, not least because she's not a wolf.
The thought rolled through her mind again, Cindy had had a few feline friends in school, and she never remembered them being comfortable with that level of physical contact, well not with their normal friends, their boyfriends had been a completely different matter.
Ralph said something to the tigress grinning widely, his tail thumping away on her leg and the tigress let out a snarl, eyes narrowed with her muzzle and teeth bared just inches away from Ralph. And he only grinned more, tail thumping even harder.
The tigress gave the tail whacking rhythmically against her leg a glare. That having no effect she slammedg a paw down on it to stop its movement (though the tip still wagged back and forth) before snarling something else back at Ralph to which he only shrugged with a sheepish grin.
Another glare at his tail which had slowed, though it still wagged a bit and she let it go, watching it like she was ready to pounce on it if it dared to thwack her again. Seeming satisfied at its now slower wag speed, she turned back to face Ralph and their back and forth bicker started up again, as they shot smirks and grins and scowls back and forth.
Gods, there like an old married couple, she couldn't help thinking and snickered as the vague feeling she'd been having started to form into a full blown suspicion. One that only solidified as she watched as the tigress, with her attention fully engaged on the Ralph and their argument, didn't even seem to notice that her tail had curled around Ralph's.
"You had the number 2 with extra toppings right?" Bill asked and handed over a sandwich box to Cindy as she nodded. He grinned, grabbing the last box out of the bag and a drink before heading back over to the living room, only to stop, noticing that Cindy hadn't gone back over to eat with Darrel.
"What's up?" he asked moving over to her and she nodded at the far end of the sofa.
"Is there something going on between Ralph and Nadine?" she asked.
"Ya, a bet. Remember? That's why she wanted our help." He said and grinned as he dodged her attempt to flick his ear for his snide remark.
"No doofus, I mean is there something going on between them?" she said with heavy emphasis.
Bill almost tripped, "Say what?"
She rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Bill, you're Ralph's brother and you live with him. You out of anyone should know if he's interested in anyone."
Bill blinked considering the odd idea before shaking his head, "Not that I know of; he certainly hasn't said anything, I mean I tease him all the time about it because, come on, his best friend is a freakin tiger!" He snickered and used his claw to pop the top of the soda he'd picked up.
"Wait, I thought you were his best friend?" Cindy asked, her brow furrowing a bit.
"I'm his brother," Bill said, smirking and sipped his drink, before saying in a humorous tone, "His best brother, his best buddy, his wingman, the guy that drives him nuts, eggs him on and then drags his tail out of trouble. I'm insulted you'd think I'd lower myself to the position of just 'best friend'!"
That got him another eye roll, "Okay, whatever. But what about your 'B.B.F .' " she made sarcastic air quotes, "and his B.F.F.? Is she maybe… a bit more to him than just his best friend forever?" she asked giving him a pointed look and then an even more pointed one back over at Ralph, who was sticking his tongue out at Nadine and making raspberry noises.
Bill laughed before answering, because Nadine looked like Ralph had just tied her whiskers in a knot.
"I doubt it, as far as I've seen, they're always like that. They apparently really bonded at the academy, sort of had a two wolf pack going there… er, wolf and tiger pack? Pride?" he scratched the back of his head before shrugging and continuing, "Whatever you'd call it, she's pretty much been like a pack mate to him since then. We've just been seeing her a lot more lately since I told him last year to forget about what all the complainers like that old crow that lives next to us where saying about his 'unusual' best friend."
"So, you're saying that's normal?" she asked disbelievingly, pointing at them.
Nadine had one paw holding Ralph's hugely grinning muzzle shut while the other gestured dangerously at him while she snarled something.
Bill shrugged. "She's acting like any other she-wolf packmate. What's so strange about some ear flicks or nudges and pokes? They act like anyone other two close pack mates, all just normal pack behavior. Why do you think there's something more there?"
"Well first she's a tigress not a she-wolf," Cindy said, "I kind of doubt 'normal pack behavior' is normal for a tiger."
That stopped Bill dead for a second. Sure, it was a little odd that Nadine got along so well with Ralph, felines and canines didn't really have the best track record of getting along, but he'd never thought why. Then again she got along with all of them pretty well. Maybe it just meant that she was just a little different.
He shook his head after considering it for a moment, "I'm not buying it. It might be a little strange but this is Zootopia and we don't live in the stone age anymore; we all have friends that aren't wolves, Nadine's just a really close friend of his. And anyway, she rough houses with all of us, not just with Ralph."
Bill gave Cindy a closer look. She seemed pretty stuck on this idea.
"What makes you think there's something more to it?" he narrowed his eyes as she smirked, then they widened and he whispered, "You didn't… well…" he glanced over at the two of them and tapped his nose, "catch any hints that something else was going on, did you?" It was considered fairly rude to use their better sense of smell to ferret out secrets from others through scent clues but it was also something that was just part of being a wolf.
Cindy shrugged noncommittally, "Not really… we're all excited and pumped up for the game anyway; so I'm not sure."
"What then? This is all a guess? Famous female intuition?" Bill asked, looking back over at his brother. Now though, he couldn't help but wonder, Ralph had always got along well with Nadine but they'd had seemed to only be getting closer, especially over the last year… and they spend a lot of time together, though they were work partners after all, so was it really that unusually?
Cindy only grinned at his doubting look though, "What, our female intuition isn't enough for you?"
"No, not really. Ralph would have said something; In fact he couldn't shut up about ever crush he had when we were growing up. He'd fall for a she-wolf one week and then be chasing another the next and talking about it non-stop. Total tail chaser." He answered and then yelped as she flicked his ear.
"From the stories Darrel has told me, you were just as bad and still are!" Cindy said in a stern scolding tone, which only made him grin. She huffed and continued, "And you should listen more to us girls, we're always the first ones to know about these things, I swear all you males can be blind as bats!" she poked him, "And there's something going on between them, and I don't mean just some momentary intrigue either like when you go chasing after a some girl! At the very least she certainly has some feelings for him."
"I thought you said you didn't smell anything?" Bill said frowning, and she rolled her eyes.
"I didn't…" she replied quickly, "Well… not for sure anyway, but as I said before that's not normal 'just friends' behavior." She pointed back at the two who were now almost nose to nose in a glaring contest with their ears pinned back, not saying a word.
"Still don't see how that's odd." Bill said trying to figure out what she was talking about. They were acting just like any other pack mates, okay… close packmates, like siblings in a way.
"Ughhh," Cindy said in disgust, before leaning over and rapping her knuckles on his head, "Look at their tails!"
Ralph rubbing the spot and shot her a short glare before looking over at Ralph and Nadine who were both still as statues, continuing their silent glaring contest.
"I don't-" Bill stopped talking abruptly, "Well… I've never seen that before…"
Ralph's tail was lying motionless besides where the two of them sat, not so much as flickering in the slightest, with Nadine's tail partially twined around it.
Cindy snickered, "Ya, feline tails are way more flexible than ours," she said and smirked, "I knew a Siberian tiger in highschool and she was always doing that… with her boyfriend."
Nadine glared, her body absolutely still as Ralph glared back, his posture matching hers and neither willing to back down.
She didn't care how long it took, she'd stay here all day and all night if that's what it took to beat Ralph at this little challenge he'd started. She glared hard right back into his eyes, his unblinking eyes, like two pools of molten gold with a fire reflecting her own. Ralph might be a goof most of the time but he had a deep hidden reserve of strength, a strength that she could always see through his eyes. His beautiful eyes…
The memory of those same gold flecked eyes from her dream last night surfaced, unbidden, into her mind followed by an ephemerally warm feeling.
One of her whiskers twitched and she mentally cursed, forcefully stuffing and locking that image away deep in the farthest corners of her mind as Ralph's eyes noticed her small misstep.
No! No! NO! He's NOT going to beat me!, Nadine thought and doubled down on her glare as the faintest curve of a smirking grin started forming in the corner of Ralph's muzzle.
Nadine was just regaining her equilibrium in their dual when, to her horror, a rumbling gurgling growl split the silence between them and her eyes went wide.
"Ha!" Ralph shouted victoriously, the grin he was holding back breaking across his face, "So you admit I'm right! That shot was not a fluke!"
"That's not fair! That was my stomach, not me!" Nadine snarled, her ears splaying back as her voice came out as more of a whine.
"Nope." Ralph said shaking his head once before looking right back at her grinning so much his teeth were showing just a bit. "You lost Nadine, and you know it." he said leaning in toward her with those eyes that seemed to glint with a mischievous delight. Her ears went flat against her skull and she could feel herself leaning back into the sofa as Ralph pressed her.
"Admit it Nadine," he said as she tried to hold up under his gaze… and failed.
"Fine…" she mumbled irately as she looked down away from those eyes, "That shot wasn't a fluke…" She looked back up as Ralph throw back his head and let out a victorious howl.
"Not that a sneak play is going to work a second time." She added, though it didn't diminish Ralph's delight in the slightest as he looked back at her, eyes sparkling happily.
Another warm feeling seemed to start in her chest at that look and Nadine huffed before grabbing him and pulling him back around so that his back was to her preventing him from starting another staring contest. She'd need at least a few minutes to mentally recoup after having lost that stare down before she'd be ready to try that again, even if his victory there had been a total fluke.
Her stomach chose that moment to give another grumbling growl and Ralph almost giggled as her stomach rumbled against him.
"Oh shut up," She muttered without much energy before looking around and noticing that Darrel, Cindy and Bill were having some sort of secret-ish conversation by the kitchen door. Her hold on Ralph tightened a bit more as she suddenly had the suspicion that they were conspiring about ways to free her hostage. There were too many grins and sly looks in their direction for it to be just some harmless conversation.
Nadine let out another huff at their machinations and resolved to herself that they would not get Ralph away from her. She readied a paw to boop Ralph just in case they tried anything.
Nothing happened though, except for a growl from her stomach which started Ralph laughing, only for his stomach to growl even louder.
"You," Nadine said in a delighted snicker, "need to work a little more on your roaring, that one sounding like you're a 5 year old cub."
"That's rich, coming from the tiger with the howling stomach," Ralph shot back as Nadine started to giggle.
"Oh Ralph," Nadine sighed, adopting an overly compassionate tone as if she was talking to a little kit and tried not to giggle, "It wasn't that bad for your first roar, Why you know you can always ask a big tiger like me to help you! Here, just remember to use your diaphragm, that's how all the big tigers roar so loud." She tapped his stomach which let out another loud growl.
"See!" Nadine said with a small delighted clap, "You're already doing better! You just keep practicing like that and one day you'll be able to roar just like me!"
"Har Har, very funny Nadine," Ralph flatly, before grinning and poking her belly with his cuffed paws, "Now, why don't uncuff me so that I get us some food. It'll be really hard to watch the second half of the game if we can't hear the TV over the sound of our stomachs."
"Uh-huh, I bet you'd try to bring me a 'boop sandwich' if I let you go," Nadine said sarcastically, before rolling her eyes, "I'm not that gullible Ralph."
"Hey, can't blame a wolf for trying." he said with a grin.
"And what makes you think I can't?" she replied, before patting his head smugly, "But if that's the best you've got I guess It's not worth the trouble."
Nadine turned back over to where the three wolves were still holding their not-so-secret rescue planning session by the kitchen door.
"Hey, Bill!" she called over, "I know you three are trying to figure out how to rescue Ralph from me, but since that isn't going to happen why don't you be a dear and grab my food from the kitchen for me?" she grinned and raised a paw making a tapping motion, "You wouldn't want him to get booped now would you?"
Bill gave a quick glance to the other two wolves before looking at Ralph and grinning.
"Sure thing," he said and disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before heading over to them with the food and some drinks from the cooler.
Nadine brought her paw back up close to Ralph's nose and he stilled against her as his eyes tracked her finger warily.
"Careful now Bill," Nadine warned as he approached and waggled her finger, "Any funny business and I boop him!"
Bill looked at Ralph and snickered before moving with exaggerated slowness carefully placing the food and drinks on the coffee table by the side of the sofa before backing up with both paws in the air.
The whole scene was so comical that Nadine had a hard time holding a straight face, though most of the other wolves in the room didn't seem to have that issue and broke out into raucous laughter.
Nadine smirked and grabbed the two sandwich boxes, before opening one up and taking a large bite out of the chicken sandwich inside, almost purring at the taste hit her tongue.
Ralph gave the sandwiches a baleful look before sighing and turning to Bill,
"Hey, you mind grabbing me some food too? What did you get out of the group fund for today anyway?"
"Ummm… actually," Bill started to say scratching the back of his neck in a rather sheepish manner, "I didn't really get much because of our deal with Nadine," he gave Ralph an apologetic smile, "Sorry bro, We got some chips and other snacks if that can hold you over."
Nadine considered waiting a little longer as she watched Ralph's expression with some amusement as it shifted through surprise, to a look of 'You dope!' but gave in as it started to settle into a forlorn expression as Bill turned back to the kitchen.
"Don't worry about that Bill," she called over, "I picked up an extra sandwich for Ralph. Thought it would be unfair for us all to get to eat chicken while he didn't."
She opened up the second box, grinning at Ralph's shocked expression.
"I'm not that mean Ralph," she said snickering, "Anyway I thought you'd need a pick-me-up after your crushing setback in our bet when I handed your tail to you."
"Um… Nadine, I… ah…" Ralph stammered, looking at the sandwich box with a conflicted, almost embarrassed expression. He swallowed and glanced away from the food, looking miserable as his ears drooped.
"I, ah… I can't Nadine…" he finally got out, "That's your food, I can't take that from you."
Nadine rolled her eyes in exasperation. She'd almost forgotten about wolves and their peculiarities about food and who's it was and she certainly hadn't been thinking about it when she'd put the extra two sandwiches in the order.
The whole thing was one of those complicated wolf tradition things with all sorts of complex rules that she'd never really gotten, not that Ralph had really tried to explain it. Some things just didn't bother him while others did. Usually they both pitched in for the cost of lunch when on patrol, but Ralph could get all reserved if she tried to pay or get him something, though oddly contrary to that, if she did something like pick up donuts for everyone at the precinct he'd eat those without a fuss. The whole thing baffled her.
"We're not going to have this fuss again are we?" Nadine asked Ralph, before gesturing around the room which had gone oddly quiet as all the other wolves stopped to watch them, "We're all eating the food I picked up Ralph, you can eat it too."
"Nadine," he nearly pleaded, "they had a deal, a trade, with you for the that food, I didn't. And that," Ralph nodded gloomily at the sandwich, "wasn't even part of the deal. It's yours."
Ralphs stomach chose just that moment to give its loudest growl yet, and Nadine's ear flicked in irritation.
"Fine." She snapped a bit sharply, "whatever. The sandwich is mine. And if it's mine, then I can say it's yours. It's not fair that we all get to have this kind of treat but you don't. Anyway that was a damned expensive sandwich and it had better get eaten."
"Exactly Nadine. That's only more reason I can't-" Ralph's dejected sounding rejection came to an end as Nadine picked up the sandwich and shoved it into his open mouth.
There room went completely silent as Ralph's jaws closed in a reflexive action and Nadine watched in satisfaction as his eyes went a little wide at that taste of the real chicken. She had a similar reaction every time she took a first bite of a real meat meal. As good as imitation bug-meat could be made, it simply could never match the real thing. Not even seafood could match chicken.
Nadine grinned at her shocked partner, "The smell is always enough to make me drool but it's that first bite that's always the best, isn't it?" she asked sweetly and then watched as multiple emotions seemed to wage a quick war across his face, but it only lasted a second before the temptation won out and Ralph's jaws finished closing, biting off a piece.
"See, that wasn't painful at all," Nadine said as Ralph chewed slowly, looking rather embarrassed.
He finally swallowed then looked at her almost shyly.
"Nadine, I should't-"
She shoved the sandhich back in before he could continue.
"Yes you should, Ralph," she said, "I'm not going to let you sit around here, hungry, while we all eat just because of some silly pack tradition that doesn't even apply to me. And…" she added seeing him hesitate from taking the bite, "If you won't eat then I won't either."
Ralph looked conflicted for another moment before his shoulders slumped slightly as the resistance and tension in them broke and he finished taking the second bite.
Nadine smiled happily and took a bite out of her own sandwich enjoying the flavor of the perfectly cooked chicken as Ralph chewed. She'd considered shifting the cuffs on him so that he could eat but decided against it, as he might try to pull something sneaky and instead lifted his sandwich up for him to take another bite. He hesitated, looking at her for a second and the inside of his ears turned a brighter pink before he took another bite without her prodding.
She spent the next minute happily destroying her sandwich one large bite at a time and holding Ralphs up for him to eat. After another minute juggling the rest of the food and drinks she finished by downing her can of soda. Giving a loud sigh at the good meal she stretched a bit in place before lounging back on the couch, feeling sated and comfortable.
Ralph tail twitched as if he was getting ready to move and she wrapped an arm around him, pulling him back to her.
"Uh-un, you're not going anywhere Ralph." she said, using his shoulder as a chin rest so that she could watch the tv while sprawled lazily along the end of the sofa. "I'm comfortable now and your shenanigans can wait until after the gameeee," She yawned widely stretching out the last word before snapping her muzzle back as her eyes went half lidded, watching as the commercial break came to an end and the teams headed back out onto the field.
Ralph's head turned to hers and he opened his mouth, then shut it and tried again as his ears, still a bright pink, twitched.
"Ralph," Nadine said with an indolent purr, "If the food is still bothering you that much, you can just buy me lunch on our next shift, okay? That'll make us even so you can stop worrying about it."
He gaped again and, feeling too comfortably lethargic at the moment to do much else, she rolled her eyes and nudged his muzzle with hers, "Or not, but you're blocking my view of the tv and they're about to kickoff."
Ralph's muzzle closed, a few more emotions flickering across it before he quickly turned back toward the tv. His body remained rigid for a few moments before he let out a long sigh and settled back against her causing her to purr just a bit, as she lounged languorously watching the game continue.
She couldn't really care about her purr and if it was not quite proper at the moment. She was pleasantly full, having splurged on a good meal and was comfortable relaxing with her best friend, who just happened to make an excellently warm and snuggly blanket with built in chin rest, watching what was shaping up to be a rather good game. Everything in the world seemed just about perfect right then and she let herself relax and bask in it.
"-but you're blocking my view of the TV and they're about to kickoff."
Ralph's jaw snapped shut as Nadine nudged his muzzle out of the way with hers, before giving a contented purr, her eyes half closed almost as if she was going to nap though she still managed to focus on the game. She was doing one of those inexplicable feline things he'd become accustomed to over the years. Half slumped, half sprawled on their part of the sofa without a seeming care in the world, like she was stretched out on the beach basking in the afternoon sun. He'd never quite figured out how she managed to just seemingly flip a switch and chill out wherever and whenever she wanted to, and she'd only ever shrugged when he'd asked about it saying it just came naturally to felines. He was used to it by now, except that he'd always seen her do it before, not been snuggled up to her while she did it.
His ears heated and he quickly turned away from her so she wouldn't see. After a moment's frantic thought, he gave out a long sigh and settled back against her, not knowing what else to do. Her purr picked back up at that and he flushed more as he not only heard but felt the humming thrum coming from her.
He'd just never been… so close to her when she got like this. It wasn't uncomfortable… (in fact it was very very much the opposite but he was trying not to think too much about that.) it was just that he felt so damned awkward after having accepted food from her, not that she had meant anything by it. She was simply being the stubbornly loyal friend that she was. She'd seen a situation that she'd thought was unfair to him and refused to let it stand. And trying to stop Nadine Fangmeyer when she got an idea like that in her head was more futile than trying to move a mountain, or trying to outprank Wilde.
Some things were just impossible to do...
The problem though, was that to wolves, sharing food wasn't just a friendly act, it was a statement that they were willing to care and provide for the other… in a very serious, not just as a 'friend' sort of way. And accepting such an offer…
Ralph looked over and saw all the other wolves subtle watching him just as much as they were watching the game. His ears felt like they'd suddenly just been torched and he snapped them back against his head as he slouched back more trying to hide from all the not well hidden curious and considering looks. That only caused Nadine to adjust the position of her chin resting on his shoulder and snuggle closer, as her purr thrummed a bit deeper.
His heart seemed to skip a few beats and his tail jerked only for him to realize that Nadine's tail had curled about it trapping it as well.
For the first time today, he felt like he was truly caught. Trapped, by the tigress that was holding him hostage. The warm, purring, comfortable tigress with her exotically pleasant feminine scent…
Ralph blushed hard, feeling the heat spread from his ears to his face, and tried to shake away his thoughts as his heart started pounding. He was suddenly, violently, aware of just how feminine Nadine was. It's not like he hadn't known before, nor that it made a difference now, or so he told himself, but he was acutely aware of it anyway. She might not be beautiful in the classic wolfish ways but she had an graceful exotic exquisiteness and beauty that he'd always admired. And she was strong, always fun to be around and… his mind suddenly fixated on the fact that Nadine was single. No boyfriend or even crush as far as he knew. That fact was abruptly, exceedingly important to him and filled him with an immeasurable relief.
Ralph noticed his brother glancing at him and then gaped as Bill winked and shot him a thumbs up. His ears snapped back, flat against his skull as he scowled, trying to fight his sudden raging blush before turning back to resolutely watch the game.
This whole situation was just a Big misunderstanding. Nadine hadn't meant anything by offering him food, and he'd only taken it because that was a fight he would have lost anyway. He'd fix any misunderstanding about the food with Bill and the rest of his pack mates afterwards, because that was all it was; a misunderstanding, plain and simple.
She didn't mean anything more by offering me food, Ralph repeatedly, adamantly reminded himself.
Expensive food, which she fed to you, his mind unhelpfully added feeding the fire he was trying to beat back on his face.
But she hadn't meant that. She'd only been being his friend because of how arm and leg being cuffed together, and it was because of stupid wolf traditions he was even having these sudden inappropriate thoughts and feelings. It wasn't like Nadine, the strong independent tigress would ever be interested in him, a wolf...
Would she?
The thought wiggled its way into his mind and Ralph was suddenly at a loss for what to think. It was a possibility he'd never thought about before. He was a wolf and she was a tiger, a canine and a feline, it was unheard of, why it would be more likely for a… for a…
For a fox and a bunny to get into a relationship? His mind helpfully provided.
"SCOOOOORRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
He was ripped out of his sudden flabbergasted mental state as Nadine groaned and the room erupted in cheers and howls.
It took him a few moments to piece his mind back together before he was able to comprehend that his team had scored.
In a quick panicked manner, Ralph shoved all the sudden thoughts and feelings back into the furthest recesses of his mind and hurriedly walled them up. He could examine how he felt about all this sudden new possibility later… maybe.
Whatever might happen though, Nadine hadn't meant anything by her actions here. He'd have to make sure the other wolves understood that, though he'd probably catch no end of ribbing about the incident. For now, though, those thoughts were a distraction, so he shoved them as far away as possible and focused on the game at hand. He was here to have a good time with his friends and pack mates, which he resolutely thought, included Nadine. She was just as close to him as any of his pack mates; she was his best friend, despite which team she supported, and nothing more than that… for right now… maybe.
Regardless, she needed to be shown which team she should be supporting and he had a bet to win, one in which his current position of being held prisoner, was not helping. With a final effort of will he finished bottling up all of his previous thoughts and joined in with the rest of the wolves as they cheered.
"No, No, NO!"
"AHGGGGG!"
"Yes, YES! Take that! "
"FOUL! That Was A Foul!"
"CARD HIM, THAT WAS CLEARLY ON PURPOSE!"
"Suck it losers!"
"NOOOOOOOoooo, Stop HIM!"
"HA! You'll never catch em'! Thought you had this game in the bag did you!"
"Doesn't mater he won't- OMG NOOOOO!
"YESSSSS!"
Mrs. Howlerson jerked, nearly stabbing her paw with her knitting needle as the house next to hers erupted into a cacophony of outraged and incredulous cries and howls punctuated by a triumphant roar. She considered going over and banging on the inconsiderate young hooligans door or calling the alpha to complain again but there was enough sound from the other homes in the neighborhood that it probably wouldn't have done any good.
"All that hullabaloo just over watching a game. If it's so important why can't they go to the game and make a ruckus there!" She grumbled to herself. She re-adjusted the blasted head phones that were supposed to be sound proof, not that the confounding new age gizmo's ever worked like they were supposed to.
"And if they tell me I put the batteries in wrong again…" she muttered darkly trying to regain her knitting rhythm only to lose it again at another roar.
"Blasted cat!" she glared over at the house, "Can't even howl properly! What is this neighborhood coming to, bringing cats into pack homes! Why in my day…"
"HA! See that?! SEE THAT you wolves! That's why the Prowlers are going to take the championship!" Nadine shouted gleefully, pointing emphatically at the TV as every other wolf in the room tried shouting her down.
Ralph, judged she was done roaring and thus it was safe for him to let his ears up (though they were still ringing), joined in with the other wolves.
"Oh come on Nadine, even you have to admit that should have been a foul!"
"How is it a foul? He tripped over his own feet!" Nadine responded vehemently, gesturing at the tv replay again, "See, right there!"
"He fell because your player tripped him! Look at where that hind paw is!" Ralph shot back and would have gestured too if his paws were free, though he was working on that; or trying to. He gotten sucked back into the game which had gone into overtime now, twice, and hadn't made much progress on unshackling himself, though he had managed to acquire the key to her cuffs.
"The referee obviously agrees with me." Nadine said smugly and Ralph's ears pinned back angrily.
"That zebra is dumb and blind! Anyone could see he was tripped!" Ralph said almost growling, as the clock ran out and the game headed into a tie breaker kickoff. They'd been so close to victory and then he would have had bragging rights over Nadine for weeks!
Ralph would have continued his argument but Nadine shushed him, and leaned forward, excitedly watching, only to groan as the Pack made the first of the five goal shots and the Prowlers missed theirs.
He snickered, and Nadine turned give him a quick glare, "Not a world Ralph! There's still four shots left-"
"Only three shots now," Ralph said grinning broadly as Nadine's head whipped back around and her face took on pained expression while her whiskers drooped as her team missed their second shot.
2-0, with three shots left. We have this and it's about time I started getting out of these cuffs, Ralph thought and started working the key around to fit it into the cuffs, which was far harder than any spy thriller made it out to be.
Ralph missed the next couple moments as he worked on the cuffs. He was able to tune out the cheers and groans, but he could feel Nadine's nervous excitement and rapid heartbeat as she leaned against him and that was distracting.
He just about had it when Ralph heard Bill's voice.
"One shot left Nadine!" He whooped, "and if we make it we win. Even if we don't all it will take is for you all to miss it again! Here, I think Ralph said you might need these because you're gonna be weeping!" His brother finished and tossed the tissue box he'd be fiddling with earlier toward her.
Nadine easily caught the box but only shouted back, "Keep dreaming Bill, all your team has managed to do is tie the game!" She said waved the box emphatically, only to stop as the motion caused all the tissues the fall out the hole in the bottom of the box.
"What the hell?" She said looking at the hole in the box in confusion only for Bill to start laughing.
"I told him!" Bill snickered, "I told Ralph that that would never work! Seriously trying to boop you while offering you tissues?" He laughed again only to be shushed by the other wolves before as the Pack team lined up for their final shot… and missed.
Ralph wanted to thump his brother a good one because Nadine had looked at the box and looked at him with a growing smile that had promised retribution before she to had gotten distracted by the final moments of the game, which had as it happened also now consumed his attention as it came down to the Prowlers last shot and chance to prevent the Pack from winning.
The lion stepped up to the ball, looking back and forth for a second before taking a quick step forward and to the side aiming his kick for the far corner of the goal, but then right as the goalie started to move to block the shot, the lion altered the angle of his hind paw and sent the shot arcing to the other end of the goal before the wolf had any tie to readjust.
Nadine gave a whooping shout thought she sounded more relieved than triumphant as the game ended in a tie.
There followed a solid minute of shouts back and forth across the room about what if's and might-have-been's and should-have-wons, before things finally started to settle down.
Nadine turned her attention back to back to Ralph and hefted the now empty tissue box and smiled.
"And what was this supposed to be?" she asked sticking her paw through the hole experimentally, looking at her finger poking through the top and waggled it before looking back at him with a predatory grin. Ralph gulped and scrambled to finish unlocking the cuffs.
Nadine leaned in close, and he tried to lean away not that he could get very far.
"Really Ralph?" she said before looking over at Bill who was snickering at his brother's plight.
"Did Ralph, really think this would work?" she asked and Bill broke out into laughter again.
"I told him it wouldn't…" the other wolf managed to say between laughs, "Told him that something that stupid would never work!
Nadine's grin turned into a sweet smile that had Ralph's ears angled back in alarm. "Well, I can't say it's the stupidest trick I've even seen," Nadine said turning back to Ralph with the box, "I mean it might not have worked on me but it that doesn't mean it won't work at all. Right Ralph?" she said as he felt the key slip into the lock on the cuffs as she brought the tissue box up to his nose.
"Nooo! Naidne, wait!" Ralph said franticly trying to buy just a second,
"Boop!"
Nadines finger tapped his nose and she grinned in delight.
"Arghhhh!" Ralph shouted as the cuff on his left paw released a second too late.
"Boop me with my own trick will you!" he shouted as Nadine's eyes went wide at his escape while he brought his paws around scrambling to boop her back. Surprised though she might have been, Nadine reacted fast, bringing her paw up to block his first strike.
Momentarily foiled, Ralph snapped the free cuff around her wrist and then threw himself backwards dragging a very surprised tiger with him.
"A Little HELP here?!" Ralph shouted as they fell in a disorderly heap onto the floor and he scrambled around onto Nadine's back like a wrestler, pulling her cuffed paw behind her. She reached around with her free paw grabbing the cuff and Ralph, with a sudden realization of horror, saw he hadn't removed the key. He jerked on the cuff trying to prevent her from getting a grip and turning it and there was a faint metallic *clink* as they struggled and the other wolves seeing their chance, decided to join in on the fun.
Ralph managed to wrap his legs around Nadine's waist so she couldn't shake him off her back and reached his paw around to boop her.
"Got you now Nadine, Bo- Ouch!" Ralph's victorious shout was cut off as instead of bopping Nadine's nose, Nadine snapped her maw over his wrist, clamping down hard enough to prevent him from pulling away. She rolled, barely avoiding the first of the other wolves that were coming her way and jumped to her feet and sprinted for the door with Ralph still latched onto her back like a limpet and now trying to figure out how to disengage from his suddenly less advantageous position.
"Head her off! Head her off!" Ralph shouted as the room descended into chaos again and Nadine reversed course, from the now blocked front door and bolting for the back door.
"Finally," Mrs. Howlerson said to herself, taking off the blasted headphones as the neighborhood quieted down long after the game should have been over, "Maybe now we can have some peace and-"
A slew of the young wolves came charging out the front door of the hooligans house shouting in excitement just as that tiger with one of Cassandra's boys came around the corner of the house. The wolf looked like he had tried and failed to tackle the cat from behind got half caught instead.
"Don't let her get to the car!" one of the wolves shouted as the youngsters split trying to circle the cat as she shifted directions and then shifted again finding her escape blocked.
"We'll maybe they're all coming to their senses and chasing that mangy feline out of here." She said to herself with a satisfied huff as the wolves started to close the in on the big cat who, for some reason only seemed to have one free paw. The cat looked around desperately, as the wolf on her back cackled delightedly.
"We got you now, Nadine! Give up, there's no getting away!" the wolf, who Mrs. Howlerson now recognized as Cassandra's boy Ralph, shouted in glee.
"Nottt YYettt," The cat snarled between her maws grip on his paw, before charging side of the closing circle at the edge of her property.
The wolves closed in but instead of trying to break past the wolves like it looked she'd been going to do the tiger leapt with claws out, onto the tree in her front yard and scrambled up it before settling onto the first large branch above all the wolves that were gathered below.
"Why those!… Those!... Those insolent!..." Mrs. Howlerson spluttered in outrage, watching the group of young wolves messing up her front yard and the tiger know perched taunting them in Her tree!
"Well," Ralph said as Nadine having found a stable spot to perch on the tree limb, removed his paw from her maw with her free hand, "We seem to have ourselves a bit of a Mexican standoff."
"I can always threaten to just boop you again," Nadine said, panting a bit.
"I don't think so," Ralph said tugging on her still cuffed paw he's managed to pin behind her back for emphasis. Instead of unlocking it in their earlier struggle she'd apparently jostled the key loose, not that mattered at the moment, "I've got one of your arms and if you let go of my free one I won't miss your nose again." He said grinning, "Plus we've got you treed. You're not going anywhere, Right?" he shouted that last bit and the wolves below who all call back excitedly.
"Ya, just try it!"
"Not going anywhere!"
"How long do you think you can stay up there!"
Nadine huffed, before shouting back at the group, "As long as I need too! Unless any of you want to come up here and try to get me out!" and apparently just for good measure she stuck her tongue out at them before turning back to face Ralph.
"And you Ralph, are treed up here with me as well, if you haven't forgotten." she said before adding smugly, "And if I recall the jungle portion of the obstacle course from the academy was always your weak spot.
"Hey!" Ralph said, a bit embarrassed at the memories; he might have failed if Nadine hadn't take the time to help him train on that particular course, "Wolves have never been great climbers!"
"Yep," Nadine said smugly looking down at the group of milling wolves, two of which were now headed back from the house with a ladder. "Wolves really aren't great climbers. Oh, and Ralph… you'd better hang on tight." She said smirking, as the wolves leaned the ladder up against the tree, the top of it coming just the branch she was on.
"What do-" Ralph started to say just as Nadine released his paw and then crouched. "Oh Karma! Nadine!" His eyes went wide and instead of trying to boop her, his freed paw latched onto her as tightly as he could, just as she sprang upwards to a higher limb, and then to another.
"Yes?" she asked sweetly, perching on her new spot as the wolf who's started climbing the ladder just gaped at her show of one pawed agility and aerobatics while weighed down with Ralph clinging to her.
"I don't think they're going to be able to help you Ralph," she said smugly, giving a casually taunting finger wave at the flummoxed wolves below, not even bothering to try restraining his free paw now, though she wouldn't even need to considering the death grip it and his legs wrapped around her waist currently had.
Ten feet up hadn't seemed like a lot but twenty had him feeling distinctly nervous and the way Nadine moved so freely at this height made his stomach jump up into his throat.
"O-okay, b-but you're s-still trapped up here!" Ralph said a bit shakily looking at the ground which seemed like a long long fall from here. "So w-we're still at a standoff. How do you propose we settle this?"
Nadine had settled onto the branch, which, Ralph noticed nervously, wasn't as wide or sturdy look as the lower one and was dangling her tail teasingly just a few feet above the wolf that was now nervously standing on the first branch and seemed to have no intention of trying to get any higher off the ground.
"Well," she said with a snicker, "How about you call off your pack and…" she paused for a second considering, "let me boop you five times before I head home. That seems fair."
"Unacceptable!" Ralph shot back angrily, "That's highway robbery! Blatant extortion!"
"Well we are friends so I'll cut you a deal, only three boops, " Nadine said snickering.
"How about I call off the wolves and I get to boop you three times, so you don't spend the entire night stuck up in a tree!"
"You know, I could always go higher…" Nadine said gleefully and Ralph's death grip on her tightened.
"And that's not going to do you any good, because there's not a chance in hell that I'm letting go until we're back on the ground. Here because I feel like being nice, I'll only charge you two boops for calling the wolves off-"
"WHAT do you all think you're doing on my lawn!" an ancient sounding but quite robust voice hollered, breaking into their haggling and Ralph cringed a bit recognizing it as Mrs. Howlerson's.
"Oh for Balto's sake, not her!" Ralph muttered as his ears flattened back, partly out of irritation and partly out of an automatic reaction to protect them in case she started in on another inevitable rant.
Nadine was looking down over at the old, now mostly gray furred she-wolf walking over to the group below the tree, all the while waving a pair of knitting needles threateningly.
"It's bad enough that you miscreants are always making trouble and noise! Bad enough you invite that… that cat," she all but spat that last bit waving the needles at Nadine, "Into pack grounds! But don't you DARE bring your shenanigans and that cat onto my properly!"
She stopped in front of Bill who attempted to placate her but only received a whack on the head for his troubles.
"You can be sure that the Alpha will be hearing about this! Now, get that cat out of my tree and off my property before I call the police!"
"Ummm…" Bill said below, now at a safe distance from the enraged old biddy as he rubbed his head with a paw, "They kind of are the police." He said gesturing up to where Nadine and Ralph were.
Ralph started snickering at the gob-smacked look on Mrs. Howlerson's face as she tried and failed to come up with a response, though he quickly stifled it before she might hear.
"Oh gods, I hope someone took a picture of her face," He muttered to Nadine as the old wolf turned red beneath her almost white furred cheeks and Bill retreated as she started shouting at him again and made another attempt to whack him, "I bet most of the pack would pay to see that old croon speechless for once!"
"Are you sure we shouldn't do something?" Nadine asked a bit uncertainly as they watched the tableau below them which was starting to look like something out of a slapstick comedy routine as the old wolf went about cursing and haranguing all the other wolves who scurried out of her way while trying to avoid getting clubbed by the thick ends of her knitting needles.
"Oh, no absolutely not." Ralph said delightedly, "Why miss a free show?" he snickered, "Plus she could probably use the exercise; nothing like running around hollering at us 'hooligans' to keep that old crow in shape."
Bill was now running around the tree paws on his head as the spritely old wolf chased him, seeming to have decided to focus her anger on him.
"Ya, but what if she does call the police?" Nadine asked still sounding a bit uncertain. "Because I don't think Bogo will find this nearly as amusing as you are. Especially after um… yesterday."
That thought killed all of Ralph's amusement.
Mrs. Howlerson would certainly go complaining to his parents, but she went complaining to the alpha pair at least once a day about one thing or another. The police though…
Ralph shuddered. She was exactly the type of old crone that had the copious amounts of free time and determination to complain that would have her seeking out the highest person in charge she could get ahold of and torture.
"… oh gods, she'd give Bogo a week long migraine and he'd give us a year on parking duty." Ralph whined, before turning to Nadine feeling slightly panicked. "Okay Nadine, how about a truce for the rest of the day? You get us down from here, I call off the other wolves, and we make some apologetic comments before retreating from the wrath of that cranky old dragon."
Nadine hesitated, before finally nodding her head.
"Fine, truce. No more Booping for today." She finally said.
"Okay good, now how are we going to get down?" Ralph asked before clinging desperately to Nadine as she stood up and smiled, "Wait! WAIT! Nadineeee!" his trailed off into a startled yelp as Nadine jumped off the branch only to land gracefully on the one below her were they'd started and making the whole tree shake. Darrel, the wolf who'd climbed up before the commotion on the ground had knocked over the ladder yipped and clutched the tree's trunk as the branch shook.
"Need a lift down?" Nadine asked smugly before scooping the other wolf up around the waist with her free arm and jumped off the lower branch.
"Nadine?!" Ralph shouted in alarm as she landed in a crouch with a bone shaking thump, "Are you crazy?! You could have hurt yourself!"
Nadine let go of Darrel who flopped to ground and rolled her shoulder with a slightly pained grunt, as she stood back up, "Ya… that might not have been the smartest idea, you guys are heavier than you look."
"Smart? That was dumber than my tissue box idea Nadine!" Ralph shouted, rather upset at her showing off with such a risky move and whacked her head with his free paw between the ears, "We might be smaller than you but we're not that much smaller! I weigh nearly two thirds what you do! Strong as you are you could have broken something if you landed wrong!" he whacked her head again just for good measure. "What would I have done if you were out for a few weeks with a broken leg, huh?"
"Jeeze! Stop that, I'm sorry alright?" Nadine said trying to cover her head. "Now can you get off and uncuff my arm? We've got to deal with the cranky-"
"MY LAWN!" screeched a voice behind Ralph as he got down of Nadine's back, right before he got thumped by the heavy ends of Mrs. Howlerson's knitting needles, "Look at the paw prints that cat just put in my lawn! Not enough that she has to go scratching up my tree but now she's putting holes in my lawn!"
Ralph turned just in time to have the two knobby ends of the needles shoved right into his muzzle.
"You. I demand you have her arrested! Trespassing! Vandalism! Destruction of Property! Disturbing the Peace!-"
Ralph raised his paws in a calming gesture as the old wolf started picking up steam, or tried to as his right paw was still cuffed to Nadine's left, "Mrs. Howlerson, please calm down. We're sorry for disturbing you and we'll-"
He was cut off as the old croon's eyes focus on the cuffs and she gave a harrumph.
"About time you finally did something useful, arresting that mangy mammal!" she said gesturing at the cuffs, "Now go take that cat out of here and lock her up!"
Ralph could feel his hackles rising and he was just about to snap back at the old she-wolf for her insults to Nadine, but the tiger gave him a nudge and with her eyes gestured back toward his house.
Ralph bit back what he was going to say and took a breath to calm himself, having gotten Nadine's silent message.
"Right, Mrs. Howlerson. I'll just go do that right now, okay?" he bit out before starting to back up with Nadine as the old croon alternately shot Nadine venomous looks and bemoaned the mostly imagined damage to her tree and lawn.
The last thing they heard before they escaped back to his house with the rest of the other wolves was her grumbling about how her yard was going to smell like 'mangy cat' for the next week.
"Sorry about that Nadine," Ralph said his ears a bit downcast, "She's a bit stuck in her ways. Thinks every other mammal, especially felines are out to get her and needs to be chased away."
Nadine snorted and shook her head, "Don't worry about it. She's not the first or last old prejudicial mammal out there and it's not like there aren't enough felines that would treat all you canines the same way."
She shrugged a final time before turning to him and raising her paw cuffed to his, "Now, since we have a truce for today, could you return my key that you stole, Mr. Smooth Paws. As much as I like hanging out with you, I think being cuffed to you might be a little much."
"Um… sure." Ralph said a little chagrined, "I think the key fell out over by the sofa," Ralph gesture to the other side of the couch where they'd rolled after the end of the soccer game. He started to head around to the left of the sofa while Nadine tried to head to the right only for their cuffed paws to jerk both of them to a stop.
It took several minutes and some help from the other wolves as well before Cindy finally found the key where it had been knocked under the sofa.
"This is what you guy's are looking for, right?" she asked straightening up and handing the key, handle end first, over to Nadine, much to the tigress relief. A good police team they might make, but that was actually working against them as they were both trying to work different areas of the scene and had ended up yanking each other all over the place as they searched for the key.
"Thanks, Cindy," she replied, "Five minutes cuffed to this knucklehead, and I might go nuts." She elbowed Ralph who huffed and tried to cross his arms before his cuffed paw was brought up short by her left.
She rolled her eyes, before inserting the key in a practiced motion to unlock the cuffs… or tried to. Frowning, she tried again, but the motion felt wrong. Nothing like it normally did.
"What the…" Nadine said puzzled and tried lifting her paw to get a better look only for it to be brought up short as it yanked on Ralph's arm. She growled in frustration before finally getting a look at better look at the small key hole, which seemed to the blocked.
Huh… maybe I got some dirt or bark from the tree in it?" she thought and tried to use the key to dislodge the detritus… and then saw that the end of the key was broken.
"Oh shit." Nadine groaned before taking a closer look and hoping not to see exactly what she was.
"What?" Ralph asked a bit impatiently with his paw held up so she could get a better look at the cuffs.
"Ralph!" Nadine said agitatedly turning to him, "You didn't drop the key, you snapped it!"
Boop Count
Ralph: 4
Nadine: 3
A/N
And a huge special thanks to Ziegelzeig & DrummerMax64 for a truly Epicly 'Daaaaawwwwwwww' picture of 'WolfEyer'! And another thanks to Otakurec37 for the colored version of the picture. Check it all out on Deviantart!
For all you adventures out there on FanFiction you can either try reconstruction the links below or if you're feeling a bit lazy simply google 'WolfEyer Deviantart'
ziegelzeig dot deviantart dot com /art/WolfEyer-675285697
otakurec37 dot deviantart dot com /art/Wolfeyer-Colorized-676310060