Dear Reader,
I would like to take a second to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my little story. It makes me very happy to see so many people legitimately interested in my work. I won't take any more of your time, so please;
-Enjoy
"Good morning!" cooed Bonnie as she entered the living room.
Nick sat up, stretched, and wiped the sleep from his eyes. The morning sun poured onto him through the giant window that backed Nick's bed-couch. Nick's nose prickled with the delicious smell of fresh blueberry scones.
"Judy told me you that you are a sucker for blueberries, Mr. Wilde" chimed bonnie as she set the breakfast tray in Nick's lap and handed him a glass of carrot juice. "How'd you sleep?"
"I'm pretty sure I woke up at least once with Stu's paw in my mouth" commented Nick, taking a bite of one of the scones. "Oh, my… God…" Nick's eyes rolled back in his head at the pure heaven that was Bonnie's baking. "You made this?"
Bonnie giggled politely, "Sure did, the berries even came from my personal garden. I probably should have told you that Stu's a cuddler… but I guess that's why it's called 'Cuddle-Bunny'" Bonnie went to exit the living room, but stopped to address Nick again. "Stu need's to pick up some last minute preparations… Judy and I thought that it might be good for the two of you to have some mammal-bonding, spend the day together."
Nick smiled politely as Bonnie nodded and left the room. As soon as the bunny was gone, nick sunk into the couch in frustration. Exhaling deeply, Nick elected to try his best to win over Stu, even if it killed him.
After combing his fur, brushing his teeth and changing into a new pair of khakis Nick dawned a blue flannel in an attempt to fit in with the local culture. Exiting through the back door of the burrow, Nick let out a nervous laugh.
"What do you think, Mr. Wilde?" bellowed Stu, dusting off his paws. "You think she'll do the trick?"
She, was a massive wood and metal ice-cream turn which looked to have had better days. "It's huge" remarked Nick as he paced around the massive tub, which more resembled a small bath-tub than an ice-cream mixer. "Why on earth would you need one that's so big?"
"When you have 275 Kits" replied Stu, giving Nick a genuine smile. "Everything you own has to fit an army."
Nick shared a nervous laugh with the rabbit, as the surveyed the old piece of diary machinery. "Mr. Hopps," addressed Nick. "Judy and Bonnie seem to think that we need to spend the day together. And while I know you have your apprehensions about me, being a fox and all. I think if we put our best paws forward, we may actually like each other." Nick turned to face the rabbit, whose emotions were impossible to read.
Stu shifted back and forth as he fought to maintain his steely barrier. "And besides," joked Nick. "We did just sleep together… at least let me buy you lunch." A chuckle escaped Stu's lungs as Nick continued. "That's the least I can do, I always buy Judy dinner before I sl…" Nick snapped his jaws shut as the magic moment disappeared and Stu's steel barrier returned.
"Take those baskets to the truck," usher Stu, pointing at a pile of empty vegetable baskets. "I'll go get the keys. We gotta get you some ice-cream ingredients. Stu turned to leave without saying another word. Nick exhaled long and hard at his unending stupidity, before fetching the baskets as he was asked.
The ride into the market was tense and quiet. Nick opened his mouth to try and start polite conversation several times, but each time was forced to close it again as the hostile atmosphere snuffed out his attempt at conversation.
The trip through the market was equally as tense and ultimately ended with the pare glaring at each other over lunch. It seemed that even the joyous atmosphere of the carrot festival could not shake Stu's apparent spite for Nick. The duo stonily finished their drinks and reached for the check at the same time. Their gaze met as Nick spoke up, attempting to diffuse the situation. "Mr. Hopps, I said I'd pay for your lunch. I've got this."
Stu was not swayed. "I don't need your hospitality Wilde, I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own food."
Nick's voice lost all tones of civility as he now glared at the rabbit. "Are you kidding me? I've been nothing but civil with you because you're Judy's father. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether you like me. What does matter is that we respect each other and that we're at least polite enough to be civil, if not for each other's sake, then for Judy's sake."
Stu's eyes narrowed at Nick's as he growled back, "If you want respect, you're going to have to earn it… the old fashioned way, fox." Stu grabbed a waiter, assured him they would be back for the tab and stormed into the thick of the festival.
Nick trailed behind the seething bunny as he tried not to trip on the army of small mammals that filled the festival. Skidding to a halt, Nick tried not to bowl over Stu who was now glaring excitedly at Nick and pointing to the center of the crowd. Turning his attention to Stu's target, Nicks shoulders dropped in disbelief.
At the center of the crowd was an old canvas boxing ring, where bunnies were cycling through to laughingly exchange blows in a smoker-style boxing match. Nick looked into Stu's eyes and knew that if they got in that ring, there would be no laughing.
"No." said Nick sternly, staring down the hostile rabbit.
"What's the matter, fox?" pried Stu, "Chicken?"
"You'd better watch it, bunny…" growled Nick losing his temper.
"You want my respect, you'd better earn it" chimed Stu, as he stared down the frustrated predator. "But be warned," Stu pulled Nick in close by the collar to hiss into his ear, "I may be 49, but I ain't ever met a city slicker I couldn't thump."
"Fine!" Barked Nick, pushing the Stu off of himself "I win, you back off me… And I pay the lunch-tab"
Stu smiled a sinister smile as he flagged down the ring attendant. "One five minute bout, last mammal standing pays the tab."
With a flurry of fur and pads, Nick found himself standing shirtless in the ring across from an overly excited Stu. Stu had removed his shirt and tied his overalls around his waist. His pot-belly hung over the rim of his tied-down suspenders, as he smiled at Nick from around his mouth-piece.
Nick chuckled at his own khakis as the ring attendant finished tightening Nick's boxing gloves. The attendant looked up at nick before remarking, "We don't have any fox mouth-guards, sir."
"I'm fine," growled Nick, entirely dismissing the potential ramifications of the looming grudge-match.
Nick could not wait to knock the smug smile from his future-father-in-law's face. "One round!" yelled the ring attendant. "Five minutes," the crowd shuffled and murmured in excitement. "I want a nice clean fight…" Stu and Nick squared up at the center of the ring. Nick smiled at his half a head height advantage. "Fight!" yelled the attendant as the bell sounded.
Before Nick could so much as blink, Stu peppered him with two left-jabs before following through with an over-paw right, knocking him to the canvas.
The ring rose up to meet Nick as he crashed down face-first. The crowd went wild, and the attendant began counting to ten. Nick heard Stu yell at the ring attendant to stop counting, as Nick shook the stars from his vision.
Staggering to his feet, Nick barked at the attendant, "You heard him, no count!" the attendant nodded and waved his paw starting back up the fight.
Nick re-sized up Stu who was absolutely dancing across the canvas. Nick set his jaw as he realized he may be in over his head.
Nick charged the bouncing-bunny only to have him slip his jab, duck under his punch and counter with a sharp hook to Nick's ribs, knocking the wind out of him and sending him staggering for the ropes. The crowd exploded again as Stu bounced back to allow the fox a recovery.
"Is that what they teach you at that fancy police academy," yelled Stu as Nick gasped for air. "Or are you still soft from the ice-cream parlor?"
Nicks blood boiled as the ever growing crowd broke out in laughs. Nick's lung's refilled with air and he sprung off the ropes to attack Judy's trash-talking father.
In a flash of red, Nick bolted across the ring and fired a perfect jab which squeezed past Stu's guard, and into his jaw. The crowd's breath caught at the quick attack, but Nick's eyes widened as he realized he hadn't even phased the iron-rabbit. Stu caught Nick's chin, jamming his unprotected teeth together painfully and knocking the fox flat-backed to the canvas. The crowd exploded in cheers and jeers as Nick tried to unscramble his brain.
Meanwhile, Bonnie and Judy wandered towards the food tents in the hopes of checking in on Nick and Stu. After questioning a waiter, Bonnie and Judy they were informed that the pair had left their tab, but were going to be right back. As soon as the waiter finished his explanation, the air was ignited by another bout of cheering.
"I'll bet Stu took Nick to watch a boxing match," chimed Bonnie to Judy. "You know how you're father loves his boxing."
The pair excitedly wove through the hoard of crowded mammals, all the while scanning for Nick and Stu. "I wonder who's fighting," Bonnie had to practically yell to be heard by Judy over the electric crowd "I've never seen it like thi…" Bonnie cut herself short as she caught Judy covering her mouth in horror, starring wide-eyed into the center of the ring. Bonnie's breath caught as she to covered her mouth in dismay.
"I didn't know they made foxes out of glass," boomed Stu over the cheer of the crowd. Nick spat blood onto the canvas floor of the ring as he wiggled a loose tooth with his tongue. He stood to face the iron-boxing-bunny, readied his guard, and inadvertently looked over Stu's shoulder. The look of shock and horror on Judy's face broke Nick's heart as he realized what he had done. Nick's guard inadvertently dropped as he opened his snout to call out to Judy whom was on the brink of tears. In a flash, Stu had capitalized upon Nick's moment of weakness and launched an earthshattering upper-cut that rocked the heavens and slammed Nick's unprotected jaws shut. Nick's head snapped back and time slowed to a crawl.
Nick saw Judy screaming in slow motion, tears in her violet eyes, pleading for them to stop. Nick saw the exact moment that Bonnie's heart shattered, as the bunny she so loved became a monster. Nick saw the excited, cheering faces of prey and the sad face of a fox bar-tender, who watched as species-tensions unfolded. Nick saw stars, which erupted from behind his eyes. Something snapped inside his battered brain, and Nick saw red.
Nick rebounded, digging the claws of his feet into the canvas of the ring and with bared teeth the fox launched forward, delivering a savage punch to the iron-bunny's unbreakable jaw.
The crowd went dead silent as Stu spun slowly on his heels before crashing to the bottom of the ring. Nick was brought back from his primal rage as his ear caught the soft sound of a single "no..." uttered by the broken love of his life, Judy.
Nick's mind raced as he realized what he had become. The fox looked in silent horror to the canvas floor behind him. A pair of predatory claw marks shredded the surface of the canvas ring and gouged the wood below, betraying the path of Nick's instantaneous-wild destruction.
The bell rung and the crowd exploded in cheers as Nick watched Judy and Bonnie disappear from ring side.
Nick knelt to cradled the fallen giant in his lap as the ring attendant tried to raze Nick's glove in victory. "Back off!" barked Nick in shame as he tried to awaken Judy's father.
Light flooded the elder rabbit's brain as he attempted to focus on the worried predator above him. "Stu! Stu, wake up" came Nick's distant voice as he patted the side of the bunny's face with a now gloveless paw.
Stu's brown eyes focused on Nick as the slain giant let out a chuckle "Good hit…" The rabbit smiled as he spat out his mouth-guard.
"They saw everything," whispered the predator in obvious pain. "Bonnie and Judy, they saw us…"
Stu's ears shot up in shock as he struggled his way out of Nick's lap, "Shoot! Ok, um… Y-you pay the tab… and I'll go get the truck." Stu shook the fog out of his brain before handing back his equipment and retrieving his shirt.
Nick followed suit, paid their tab and met Stu back at the Truck.
The ride back to the Hopps' family bunny-hill was quiet. However, the atmosphere was calm, as opposed to tense. Nick pushed a couple of loose teeth back into his jaw as Stu spoke up. "You know, you were licked the instant you stepped into that ring…" Nick raised an eyebrow at the curious comment. "I used to be a golden-glove, back in the day." Stu flicked an inconspicuous golden boxing-glove charm that had hung from the truck's rear-view mirror the whole time. "It's the reason Bonnie's father didn't want her to marry me. He saw a mammal who was only able to solve a problem with blows." Stu shook his head at himself. "It would appear he was right."
Nick was silent for a second as he processed what the older bunny had said. "We all slip up, Mr. Hopps. It's part of what makes us animals…"
Stu chuckled to himself, "Call me Stu, Nick. You earned that much… I really should have been nicer to you..." Stu looked at Nick who shifted under his surprisingly warm gaze. "Judy loves you, and you certainly seem to love her… otherwise you wouldn't have put up with me for so long. And that's what really matters…"
"*Loved*" Nick thought to himself in silent, as Stu continued on. "That was a really good hit by the way" joked Stu giving the fox beside him a playful nudge. "You should be proud." Stu smiled at Nick who wrung his paws.
"I'm not" replied Nick looking shamefully at his potential-future-father-in-law. "I watched Judy's heart break on the edge of that ring, and it was entirely my fault."
The car sat in sober silence for the remainder of the ride.
Oh hot-diggity!
Did you just read another whole chap... well that wasn't very funny. That... why that was kind of sad... oh dear, I hope they make up soon... Anyways, please be sure to write a review, leave a favorite, or make a suggestion. I do this for me, but also for you guy. So please, give me your thought.
-Enjoy the next chapter!