What's worse than no internet?

-Day 4-

The sun was low in the sky when Nick opened his eyes. He scanned his surroundings and then let out a long yawn as he stretched his limbs. He still felt a bit groggy and licked his lips as his brain started to wake up along with him.

The fox slowly sat up in bed and looked down at the bed with no sheets. It wasn't necessarily the worst set up he had ever had. At least the mattress was in good condition and terribly lumpy. Still with no sheets he had had a rather odd night. The air in the tower started to warm up as the sign shined directly into the windows. Normally the warm air would have been trapped inside the tower. A recent burglar however had seen that Nick had plenty of ventilation in his tower.

There was a soft whistling noise coming from the door and the fox looked over. The window next to the door was still smashed open. A steady wind outside was getting caught through the large hole and making an actually rather calming sound.

"Well I guess I know what is on tap for today," Nick muttered as he slowly stood up. The fox wandered over to a small kitchenette set up. Nick reached over and flipped on a small hot plate. He then prepared some coffee mix in a small kettle. He had never had coffee this way but he didn't exactly have many options. The instructions said just pour in, mix well, and heat up. The mix would do the rest. He highly doubted it but he tried anyways.

Nick took in a deep breath as he looked up and out the large windows of his tower. He had to admit, though he had had a rough start of things, the views were totally worth it. The sun cast its bright light across the forest and Nick felt like he was in a sea of trees. The forest spread for as far as the eye could see in every direction.

Nick was lost in thought as he scanned his surroundings. He then heard a loud whistling noise coming from the small kettle on the hot plate. The fox strolled over and shut the plate down and grabbed a tin coffee mug. He slowly poured himself some coffee and examined the contents of his cup. He could see some clumps of the mix still floating around. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a small metal spoon and swirled the mix a little more. Satisfied with his work he took a swig.

Nick chocked on the coffee at first, it was strong, but not in the best of ways. "Oh gosh, what is this?" He asked himself as he looked at the can. A picture of a wolf sipping at a steaming cup of fresh coffee was on the label. The wolf had a pleasant look on his face as he drank in the coffee.

"Yeah right..." Nick muttered as he braved another swig. It still tasted just as bad but he could tell it would get him through the day. The fox started to contemplate asking a ranger for some proper coffee the next time he saw one. Of course he hadn't seen one yet but he was sure they were out there.

Nick began to chuckle when he realized he had actually seen more naked ladies than rangers.

The fox took another swig of the foul coffee and gagged. He then strolled over to his desk and plopped himself down. His eyes went right to the walkie talkie that was charging on the desk. Nick looked over his shoulder towards Judy's tower and began to wonder if she was up. He didn't want to wake her but the urge to talk to her was starting to overwhelm him.

"Couldn't hurt," He muttered as he picked up the walkie.

"Thorofare tower. This is Two Forks. Do you read?" He asked, unsure how to start a conversation with Judy so early in the morning.

"Good morning Two Forks! How are you doing Nick?" Came Judy's bubbly voice. Jut hearing Judy was better than any coffee. Nick suddenly felt energized as he listened to his supervisor say his name.

"Doing good, just woke up, thought I would beat you up today!" Nick said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Hahaha, not a chance foxy!" Judy came back with a competitive tone, "Gotta get up before sunrise if you wanna beat me!"

"Really? Thought otters slept in a lot?" Nick suggested. Grinning as he tried out a new identity for Judy today.

"Oh! So I am an otter now?" Judy asked playfully. "Didn't get the memo!"

"Well it was worth a shot!"

"I bet I would make a great otter!" Judy teased.

"Bet you would too!" Nick said as he closed his eyes and imagined an otter sitting in Judy's tower, her long tail laying on the floor as she sat at a desk much like his own. "So since you have already been up for a while today what have you been up to?"

Nick winced as he realized just how awkward the question was. She was his supervisor! He had to keep remembering that. She wasn't some crush he was talking to on the phone. Or was…

"Lots of stuff. Just took a shower under a waterfall, did a little trail check, and now I am heading back to my tower to check in on a few things." Judy listed off her day happily. Nick didn't notice any annoyance in the sweet sounding voice, she actually sounded happy to talk to the fox about her morning. "Let me guess what you have been up to! Dreaming about a lake filled with naked ladies?"

Nick keyed up the radio and laughed, "Har har boss, no but I did just get up and made some coffee." As Nick spoke he swirled the tin cup around and looked at the contents, "At least I think its coffee, taste more like dirt!"

"How would you know what dirt tastes like exactly?" Judy asked with a chuckle. She did have a point.

"Dirt is part of every growing fox's diet. Along with beetles, grubs, and other bugs."

"Oh gosh, sounds so appetizing when you say it like that!" Nick suddenly shot up in his seat as he realized something. He could get more info about Judy's species if he asked her what she ate!

"What? You aren't a fan of bugs? We preds need it for protein." Nick said slyly.

"Nice try!" Judy shot back quickly.

"What?" Nick asked innocently.

"I get up a lot earlier than you Nick! My brain is already working and it worked out what you are up to! I will give you an A for effort though!"

How did she see through that so quickly? Nick worried he had started to lose his edge.

"Can you blame a fox for trying?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I can, it's actually kinda easy!" Judy teased.

"So I guess you are just gonna be an otter today?"

"Yeah I guess so, can't wait to see what I am tomorrow!" Judy shot back.

Nick sighed as he leaned back in his chair and put a paw to his forehead.

"So you have a big day ahead of you!" Judy informed the fox. Nick looked up from his desk and over to Judy's tower.

"How so?" the fox asked in a concerned manner.

"Well you gotta board up that window, or at least close its shutter. Can't have the new toy they are sending to you get stolen in the night." Judy said casually.

"What are you on about?" Nick questioned as he stood from the desk and walked across his tower. As if walking closer to Judy's tower might get him more information.

There was a whole minute of silence before Judy responded. "Sorry, ran into a hiker who needed directions. So anyways where were we?"

"You were about to reveal your species!" Nick said quickly.

"Nice try buc- I mean Nick." Judy managed to catch herself that time.

"Were you about to call me bucko again?"

"No shut up!"

"Seriously though, you mentioned something is being sent to me!" Nick said, anxious to hear what was up.

"Oh that's right," Judy said happily, Nick shivered when he heard her tone change. The voice sounding so sweet to begin with but when she got happy…it was amazing. "Well I made a call this morning to the parks department and informed them what had happened. That computer was supposed to be replaced a few years ago but they kept pushing it off. Turns out they had a replacement already!" Judy explained.

"So I get one that is 10 years old instead of 15?" Nick asked playfully.

"Try last year's model!" Judy said playfully.

"Why would they put something like that in my tower?" Nick asked in a surprised voice.

"Well a few years ago we had a pretty nasty fire. The winds didn't help. They had a sudden change which caused the fire to jump to an area we hadn't prepped yet. Turns out a local meteorologist team said the wind change could have been tracked. A lot of forest could have been saved had we known where the fire would have gone."

As Judy explained the story Nick began to gather a change of clothes and some essentials. Deciding it would be best to head to the comfort station to get cleaned up soon.

"So the big wigs at the parks department started putting weather tracking equipment at a few towers. So I pulled a few strings and convinced them to bump Two Forks to the top of their list!" Judy said proudly.

"Great, so now I will know if it is raining outside," Nick teased as he looked around the tower. Every wall was just a giant window that looked out into the forest. He didn't see why this was a very big deal but he reminded himself that he was new here.

"Dumb fox," Judy shot back. Nick felt a little wounded but waited for Judy's explanation. "How do you think they send all that date to the main ranger stations?"

Nick froze and looked over to Judy's tower. "You don't mean!"

"Guess you will be able to answer those emails from all the ladies missing you back in Zootopia!" Judy teased.

Internet! He would actually have internet.

"Mind you the equipment is all heavily monitored. Down to the screen itself. So I wouldn't recommend visiting any of those late night fox sites!" Judy teased.

Nick sighed, not liking the fact that he would be limited in what he could see, but decided it was better than nothing.

"So how is it all gonna work?" Nick asked as he put the shirt he wore yesterday on and began to grab a pair of shorts.

"Well when they did my tower the put some kind small dish on the roof. Plugged right into the solar panels. The guy installing it said a lot of big words that went right over my otter head but when he was done I was able to check some emails and what not. Mind you the urge to go to the other sights was overwhelming at first!" Judy explained. "Oh and though you have internet it's the slowest kind imaginable. A lot of the processing power and speed is dedicated to the weather detection system."

"What's worse than no internet?" Nick asked.

"Slow internet!" Judy responded in the most positive grumble Nick had ever heard. He felt his heart skip a beat as the voice got what he was hinting at. Nick was finding he had more in common with this voice every day.

"So when do I get to start updating my Muzzlebook?"

Judy began to laugh over the radio which concerned Nick slightly.

"Yeah, sorry, but that stuff is blocked by the parks department. Most social media is!" Judy said with a giggle.

"What? So they block that but not porn?" The fox asked in an astonished tone as he exited his tower.

"That's government for ya!" Judy said playfully.

"Or tax dollars at work!"

"Which pays your salary!" Judy pointed out.

"So I pay your salary? Does that make me your boss?"

"Keep dreaming Nick!" Judy responded back with a playful sternness.

"Gonna institute that every tower has a mini bar! And super-fast internet! Big screen TVs!" Nick began to list off more and more extravagant things that would of course never happen.

"You can keep all that boss!" Judy said jokingly, "I am good with the way things are right now!"

"You don't miss the internet, TV, movies?" Nick asked as he reached the bottom of his tower and headed towards the path that led to the comfort station.

"No" Judy said simply.

"How is that even possible?" Nick asked as he shook his head.

The next words that came out of the walkie were some of the greatest words he had ever heard. He hoped she meant every bit of it because the conversation would remain in Nick's head for the rest of his days.

"Because I have you to talk to," Judy said sweetly.

Nick wasn't much of the romantic type. Always rolling his eyes when he say a trailer for a romantic comedy or when he heard a cheesy pick up line.

What Judy just said though made the whole world a lot brighter.

The fox remained silent for a moment and then keyed up his radio, "Guess I don't miss those things very much after all."

"I am glad" Judy responded softly.

There was a pleasant silence that filled the radio. Nick wondering what to say next. Judy however interrupted the fox's thoughts.

"Hey listen I have to go silent for a little bit. Still working out how to get all this equipment to your tower in a timely manner. Call if you have an emergency! I will listen for you!" Judy explained.

"Ok, I gotcha, just heading to the comfort station to clean up," Nick advised Judy.

"Sure you don't wanna just go skinny dipping in the lake?" Judy teased.

Nick remembered the conversation from yesterday and chuckled. "Maybe tomorrow!"

"I'll hold ya to that!" Judy shot back in a playful manner, "I'll talk to ya later Nick"

"Looking forward to it," Nick felt a little embarrassed when he said the words but decided it didn't matter. He was telling the truth and that's what mattered. He did look forward to their next conversation.

Nick reached the comfort station and placed his bag on the counter next to the sink. He then grabbed a towel and change of clothes and strolled into one of the large stalls. He stripped out of his clothes and placed them on the door to the stall. He then reached over and turned the water on. He remembered just as the water activated that there was no warm water during this time of year. He yelped in surprise as the cold water pelted his fur. It took him a minute to adjust but soon he felt quite comfortable in the refreshing water.

A few minutes passed as he became lost in thought as he stood under the cool stream of water.

Nick's ears twitched as he detected a noise coming from outside the comfort station. He froze as he heard voices approach.

"Oh well this just got awkward," He thought as he looked around. Glad he had his towel and a change of clothing already resting on the stall. He wasn't a stranger to being naked in a locker room. He felt quite comfortable in his own fur. Still though, he would rather avoid wandering around naked in the woods, even though it seemed like a very common occurrence.

As the voices grew closer Nick suddenly realized something. He had heard these voices before. Very recently in fact.

"Oh no! Please not them!" Nick thought in a mild panic.

"I like it, it's so rustic! So cozy!" Lylah's voice came from outside.

"I know! I just wish they had some warm water though! As much fun as it is getting an artic shower every day I would love to get some steam flowing around me!" Tammy groaned.

"I can help with making things steamy!" Lylah shot back.

"You girls need a minute alone? I can always just go clean up in the lake!" Emma suggested. There was a series of laughter from the three mammals as they strolled into the comfort station.

Nick suddenly realized his situation was rather dire. The comfort station had no male or female separation. It was a unisex facility. Most campers were lucky the comfort stations even existed and none of them complained over a lack of separation. If anything it kind of hinted back to a more modest time when mammals would be respectful of one another and give them the privacy they needed while still sharing a cleaning facility.

"Oh darn, someone is already here, so much for a steamy time," Lylah whispered playfully which got a giggle from Tammy.

"Who says we still can't?" The cheetah suggested which got a chuckle from the tigress.

"Don't mind them! They aren't very civilized" Emma announced loudly in the comfort station as Nick heard her stroll towards his stall. The walls on either side of each shower went right up to the ceiling so there would be no peeking into your neighbors shower. The doors however hung in the middle of the air, leaving a space open beneath the door and a space above. Nick had chosen a stall more his size. So though any passerby wouldn't see his goods, they would still see his head.

"Crap crap crap!" Nick thought as he heard the footsteps grow closer.

Nick heard the footsteps grow closer and closer. He began to weigh his options. If he shut the water off now and dried off he may have a chance to bolt out the door before the ladies realized it was him. However the chances of outrunning the cheetah was slim. No he would have to be patient. Once they were all showering in their own stalls he could make a run for it. They would most likely not notice him and he could escape.

The footsteps stopped just shy of his stall. Nick looked at the wall closest to the footsteps and felt himself begin to sweat. He let out a relieved sigh however when he heard the shower next to his own turn on.

If he had to guess it was most likely the fox Emma. She was roughly his size so that stall would work for her. The larger stalls were down a ways towards the entrance of the station.

Nick felt his heart rate begin to slow. This could work. He would just have to be careful. Dry off quick, get dressed and he would be back in his tower in no time.

There was a loud crash at the other end of the large room and Nick resisted the urge to stick his head out.

"Smooth tammy!" Came the tigress's voice as the cheetah cursed.

Nick heard something rolling his way and his eyes went wide.

"No no no!" He thought.

Sadly the universe did not hear his thoughts as a shampoo bottle rolled right in front of his stall.

Nick watched in horror as a cheetah pounced on the can and scooped it up before it rolled any farther. The cheetah was wrapped in just a towel which made things so much worse.

Tammy slowly stood up and her eyes flicked over in Nick's direction. Their eyes locked. His widening in horror as hers drooped in a suggestive manner.

The cheetah eyed the fox as a smug look came across her face.

"Well hey there firewatcher, nice to see you again"

Hey there!

I am so glad you are all enjoying this story so far! All the reviews and support have been amazing! So thank you!

As some of you familiar with the game can see we are now starting to break away from the original plot line. I have been getting alot of questions about this so I thought I would just answer it now. This story has started with the game and now will be going down its own path. I loved what developer Campo Santo did with the game and how things went. I just wanted so much more though! So thats what I am doing. We are going to have so much more in this Firewatch story!

Thanks again Fox in a hen house for the continued use of Lylah and Tammy!