Trisha in Trouble

-Day 16-

"I am just saying, what's the harm that can come from it?" Nick said into his walkie as he strolled down the path from his tower in the direction of the comfort station.

"The parks department is not gonna send you beer on the next supply run." Judy said with a laugh. "Those drops are for essentials only. Sure sometimes they will throw in candy bars as a little treat but not beer!"

"Beer is important though," Nick said playfully.

"How is it important?"

Nick had to think about this for a second. "It just is!"

Judy filled the radio with her laughter once more and Nick smirked. The past few days had been somewhat odd. He felt tired, but in a good way. A few nights ago he had a bit of a scare. He dreamt that a certain someone had called his tower. All the memories he had tried to keep inside just came pouring out. He had shouted over the radio and cursed the one who had caused him so much pain.

As it turns out he had actually keyed up the mic on his walkie talkie and Judy had heard the whole imaginary exchange. Nick had been worried he may lose his friend after that. Who would want to deal with so much baggage? As it turned out, Judy would. She had managed to comfort the wounded fox that night and every day since.

They hadn't talked much about the event however. Nick was grateful that Judy didn't want to pursue the topic of that night and had acted like it never had happened. Focusing on just getting through the days together. Well, as together as they could be.

At least one good thing had come out of it though. Nick had been lucky enough to hear Judy's beautiful voice serenade him into a calm state. This seemed to have unlocked something between them. Judy would occasionally start to sing over the radio from time to time, picking different sweet songs that would fill Nick's world with both beautiful sounds and sights.

"Not to us badgers!" Judy announced. Today Judy was a badger, or at least that is what Nick had guessed. Nick chuckled at the thought of a drunk, purple eyed badger stumbling around the forest. He knew of a few badgers back in Zootopia that had gray fur, or at least a light black fur.

Sadly the parks department website was still loading new images into the gallery and the main page was down. Nick didn't mind though. He had actually just started checking it once a day instead of the original ten times an hour. If it did come up, then great! If not, well…He was okay with not knowing for another day.

Of course he did feel a little strained about it all. After the episode from a few nights before Nick had changed a little. He was no longer fighting what his mind and heart were telling him.

He had seriously fallen for Judy.

He gave up trying to hide this fact from himself. Part of him said he needed to slow down and be cautious. After all look what happened to his last relationship! Of course another part of him said he needed to take this risk. He needed to just take a chance. He needed Judy.

The sweet voice had done so much for him in such a short amount of time that he couldn't believe it. He wasn't the same fox that came into these woods a few weeks before. He was someone new, someone better. Or at least he thought he was. Judy thought he was…

"Let me guess, you are a straight liquor type," Nick guessed.

"Oh no," Judy laughed, "I mean not much of a choice out here. When I am back in town though I always prefer something sweet. Maybe a mix drink or two."

"Something sweet?" Nick asked, "Goes with your personality I guess."

"Awww," Judy gushed with her sweet voice. "I like woken up Nick. He is so nice to me!"

Judy had learned over the past few days that Nick wasn't much of a morning mammal. She would always be up before him no matter how hard he tried to beat her to it. Her voice was always the first one over the radio and she would eagerly wait to hear his response. Most of the time it would be some kind of grunt or annoyed yawning. Once the fox had his coffee though he was a different mammal. She liked him…She liked Nick when he was awake.

"That's because he has his caffeinated, non-carbonated, cup of bitter darkness," Nick teased as he reached the comfort station.

He had the facility all to himself again. Nick hadn't seen the ladies from the lake in a while. He had a feeling they had moved on from his region or returned back to the city. He kind of missed them. Though they had only spoken briefly he had to admit he kind of enjoyed having them around. Though they had met because of some awkward events he liked to think they were his type of mammals. Being naked certainly didn't hurt either.

Nick went about his morning ritual. Gathering some clothing from his bag and a towel, he strolled over to the cold shower that was waiting for him. He knew the cold was coming but he still jumped slightly at the water as it pelted his fur.

He took only a few moments to enjoy the brisk water before soaping up and cleaning himself off. Had the water been a little warmer he may have lingered but he decided it wasn't a good morning to get frostbite and kept the shower brief.

"Hey Nick," Judy came over the radio just as the fox finished drying his fur. He was just in a pair of shorts but decided if anyone did walk in on him he would be okay. The fox strolled out from the stall and scooped up the walkie.

"Go ahead Judy," He said as he turned on a faucet and started to prepare his tooth brush.

"Gonna be off the radio for a bit, got someone from the parks service here and I have to coordinate with them on the phone line repair," Judy explained.

"You tell them my theories on how it got cut?" Nick asked as he began to brush his teeth.

"Which one?" Judy asked plainly, "The one where a group of wander samurai attacked, the pinecone monster, or Atom?"

"Go with the Pinecone monster," Nick teased, "Sounds more believable than the others." Judy chuckled over the frequency before signing off for a bit, leaving Nick smiling at the radio before moving on to brush his teeth.

A few days before he would have felt a little saddened at the sudden silence, though lately he was actually okay with it, knowing that Judy would return eventually. He didn't feel lonely anymore. He had his radio to Judy and that was all that mattered.

A few minutes later, Nick had finished up at the comfort station and headed back towards his tower, using the weather path he had used every day since his arrival. Nick took a moment to reflect on the weeks he had been in Two Forks. His first days had been crazy and clumsy. Now though, he thought he was becoming rather accustomed to this kind of life.

Had he been approached a year ago and told him he was gonna be roughing it out in the wild, he probably would have responded with an odd look followed by a snide comment. Now though, Nick couldn't think of any place he would rather be.

Of course it's obvious wh-. A loud noise off the path cut off his train of thought. What was that? Nick froze mid step and crouched down cautiously as he heard more noises coming from the woods. These weren't the normal ambient noises he was used to. No, this was being made by someone…or something.

"Pinecone monster?" Nick whispered to himself.

He cursed when he remembered that Judy would be off the radio for a little bit. There went calling it in. Of course there was always the ranger radio. Which is back in my tower.Crap.Nick made a mental note to carry that thing around with him from now on, not that it did him much good right now.

There was another noise from off the path. This one made his blood go cold. It was a surprised yelp. A high pitched cry of a female being attacked.

Nick looked around anxiously. Had he been in the city, he was sure to see another mammal that he could probably convince to back him up. Now though, he was on his own, and would have to face whatever was on the other side of the trees by himself.

"Time to earn that hero badge," Nick muttered to himself as he cautiously moved into the brush just off the path. He moved as quietly as he could, staying low to the ground and keeping his eyes open for any signs of trouble.

What the hell are you doing?! He thought as he pushed some branches out of his way. You are a firewatcher! Get back to your tower!

There was a thud followed by a loud groan. Nick's ears twitched as he tried to triangulate the source of the sounds. He could tell that whatever was going on wasn't good. He finally managed to pick up more noises. Nick had been in the city his whole life and knew what certain things sounded like. He could always tell what was going on around any corner before he turned it. These sounds had all the signals of being a fight, and a rough one at that.

Crap. He realized he had just walked in on a fight out in the middle of the woods. With no witnesses, it could turn into something more than just a fight. Someone could get seriously hurt. Or worse, end up dead.

The sounds continued and Nick knew he had to do something to stop things from escalating any farther. From how the close the scuffle sounded, he figured there was just one more bush between the fox and the offenders. He took a deep breath and looked down at his walkie talkie. This was going to be a hard one to explain to Judy later. Nick took a chance to glance over the bushes from his hiding spot. His instincts had been right, someone was in trouble.

Nick watched in shock as Trisha was suddenly lifted up from the ground as a mammal clad in a dark green BDU outfit put a paw around the small doe's neck and another on her waist. Nick growled in anger as Trisha was lifted into the air and suddenly pressed against a tree, the doe letting out a surprised gasp.

The fox felt his blood boil as the larger mammal used their strength to take advantage of the smaller mammal. Watching the scene, Nick tried his best to judge the situation. He was at least a foot shorter than the other mammal that looked like he was dressed for war.

Who the hell is this guy and why is he wearing a duty belt? Wait…a belt like that normally has a gun.Oh great. Now Nick realized he had to contend with being out classed and out gunned.

Nick looked for something to help his chances in the fight he was about to get into. He spotted a rock near his feet. It wasn't much but it would have to do. If he timed it just right and snuck up on the other mammal, he may be able to knock out the unsuspecting attacker before he had a chance to hurt Nick or more importantly Trisha.

The fox scooped up the rock and gripped in his paws. He looked forward and took a deep breath.

What the hell are you doing? His instincts screamed.

Being the fox Judy would want me to be.

The unknown mammal leaned close to Trisha who had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily. It looked like the attacker was going to go for Trisha's neck. He would end up making short work of the small doe if he managed to get his maw around the poor bunny. It was now or never!

"Hey asshole! Back off the bunny!" Nick shouted as he charged from his hiding spot.

Trisha suddenly opened her eyes and looked around, her bright blues landing on Nick. She raised her paws in protest and began to shout, a look of surprised panic in her eyes. "Nick wait!" she screamed.

The mammal that was holding Trisha suddenly twitched and let go of the doe. Nick watched as the mammal reached for something on his hip. Shit, gotta get close. If I hurry, I can close the gap before he draws!

As the fox charged forward, rock drawn, the mystery mammal turned around and aimed a weapon at Nick. The fox was shocked at how fast attacker could move. He had drawn so quickly that Nick felt he was in a western. The only problem was he was now right in the enemy's sights. Oh shit...

The mammal, a canine with a series of different colors in his fur, took aim and fired, a small dart launching from his weapon and flying right at Nick. The fox felt the sting of the dart as it pierced his shirt. He knew it was a tranq dart though, mainly because a giant hole didn't burst through his back.

"Delta!" Trisha shouted.

"Delta?" Nick asked as he looked at the surprised face of the painted dog in front of him. Suddenly Nick realized he had heard that name before. Judy had made mention about a mammal that Trisha was seeing. Another ranger. A canine. This canine.

"He had a rock!" the painted dog said in his defense as he looked at Trisha. He was right. Nick did have a rock and he had just charged at them from behind.

Trisha and the canine looked over at Nick as the fox stopped mid step and dropped the rock. His momentum kept him going though and he continued forward. Landing on his knees and crawling a few feet

"He's Judy's firewatcher!" Trisha exclaimed.

"Oh shit. That's Nick?!" Delta blurted out as he holstered his tranq gun.

Trisha ran forward and caught Nick as the fox fell forward. She then gently laid him on the ground and began to run a paw over his head.

"Oh Nick. You big, goofy hero!" Trisha chuckled as the tranquilizer in the Fox's system took hold. Nick mumbled something as the world started to go black. Trisha's ears twitched and she shook her head and smiled.

"What did he say?" Delta asked, sounding nervous. "Nick bud! I am so sorry!"

"He said pinecone," Trisha said as she gently ran a paw over the fox as the world faded.

"He knows about pinecone?!"

Everything faded away as the tranquilizer in Nick's system took hold.

It seemed strange that the effects did not last long because as soon as shut his eyes, they snapped open once more to reveal himself in a very different place. The fox was sitting in the passenger seat of an open air Jeep that was bouncing down a dirt path through a field. He took a second to shake his head and rub his chest as he tried to remember how he had gotten here.

"Enjoy your nap Dr. Wilde?" asked a very excited armadillo in a white button up shirt and pants. He had a warm and friendly demeanor about him which showed in his smile.

"Sorry, what?" Nick asked as he rubbed his eyes and scanned his surroundings.

They were no longer in the forest, they were somewhere tropical. Nick jogged his memory and remembered where he was. He was on an island that he had been invited to in order to check up on a new park that was being constructed.

What about the job as a Firewatcher? What about Delta and Trisha? What about Judy? Was all that just a dream?

"I know the helicopter ride here was a bit long and boring," the armadillo explained cheerfully as he drove the new Jeep through the large open fields. "I promise you though Nick, it will all be worth it!"

"It better be, Dr. Hammond. I was right on the verge of a new break through." Nick explained as he remembered the work he had left behind to go on this wild adventure offered by the eccentric mammal in the driver seat.

"Oh it is! I promise you that! We spared no expense," the armadillo proclaimed as they came over a large hill overlooking a valley. Nick froze when he saw them. The massive creatures he had been studying for decades. Long thought to be extinct but now here they were, right in front of his eyes. It couldn't be!

The armadillo put the jeep in park and stepped out of the vehicle, using a small cane to help him walk through the wet grass all around them.

Nick nearly fell out of the Jeep as he looked on in pure astonishment. He felt like a kit witnessing a mesmerizing magic show. How could this all be?

"Welcome my friend," Dr. Hammond said proudly, "to Pinecone Park!"

Nick looked out at the valley and rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing things right. When he opened his eyes once more he saw them just as he had seconds ago.

Pinecones! Massive pinecones!

There was one at least two stories tall munching on some leaves from a tall tree. In the distance Nick saw a herd of smaller pinecones rolling through the plains. There was a loud screeching off in the distance which caught the Fox's attention. Up high in the sky was a pair of rare flightcones, Pinecones with wings which flapped furiously to keep them aloft.

"Dr. Hammond! This is amazing!" Nick said in surprise. "How did-… How did you accomplish this?"

"I'll show you," the armadillo said smugly.

The fox answered by running back to the Jeep and clambering into the passenger seat. His colleague laughed and joined the excited mammal.

Nick had lost track of time during his tour of the wonderful island. It was night now and a storm had blown in. Rain pelted the small tour vehicle the fox was currently occupying with a nervous looking weasel in an expensive looking business suit.

"They can't get in, right?" the weasel asked as a clap of lighting illuminated the area around them. The weasel's question was suddenly answered as a large pinecone fell on top of the vehicle. Using its brute strength the massive beast was able to…scratch the vibrant colored paint off the Jeep. This would surely ruin the vehicles overall value. Nick also noticed that the crack was cracked. Was it? Wait never mind, it was okay. The weasel screamed and before Nick could react, opened the passenger door and ran out into the rain.

"Wait! Its sight is based on movement!" Nick shouted.

It was too late though as the pinecone suddenly looked up and began to roll towards the frightened weasel. Nick could barely watch as it rolled right over the other mammal who let out a death cry. It was done though, there was nothing Nick could do except watch.

The pinecone rolled away and the weasel slowly stood up, covered in mud. He brushed off what he could but it was obvious that the predator's nice outfit was going to need to be washed. With no laundry mat on the island, this surely spelled the end for the weasel's outfit.

There was another flash of lighting and Nick suddenly found himself in the middle of the rainforest looking at a concrete bunker ahead of him. He didn't remember how he got here but knew he had to be careful. If he could just make it to the building, he would be all clear.

The fox stayed low as he moved through the brush. A noise beside him caused him to turn suddenly. Nick froze. It had been a trap all along. Right next to him sat a pile of pinecones looking down at him menacingly.

"Clever girls..." Nick mumbled before they attacked. The pinecones suddenly poured down and covered the fox. He winced as he was poked and prodded by the attack. Pinecones work quickly though and it was soon over.

Nick stood up and grumbled as he brushed his shirt and tried to get the dirt off. That was a very serious inconvenience. Nick walked up to the concrete structure and kicked a pinecone off his boot as he slowly pushed the door open.

The inside of the structure wasn't a dark and dreary bunker like he thought it would be. The exact opposite actually. The door opened up to a massive atrium that was inside the main visitor center of the park. Somehow Nick had been transported from one end of the island to the other.

He didn't have time to think about it though. Right in front of him stood the fiercest predator on the whole island. The deadly PINECONE!

Nick held his breath. He hadn't been spotted just yet. If he was careful and remained-

"Hey Nick!" came a female's voice. The giant Apex killer suddenly turned and faced Nick. At least he assumed it had turned to face him. It was kind of hard to tell.

It let out a loud roar which actually was undetectable to anyone who wasn't a pinecone so Nick heard nothing. The beast charged at Nick who stood in fear as he watched what would surely be his death lumber…or maybe scoot...yeah scoot was a better word...scooted towards the shocked fox.

"Nick!" came the voice again.

Nick closed his eyes as he fell into the pinecones shadow. This was it!

The last thing he heard was a sweet voice calling his name. Was it Judy? No…it couldn't be.

"Hey Nick…" The sweet voice didn't belong to Judy. No this belonged to a certain brown bunny.

Nick slowly opened his eyes and winced as the sun glared into his tower. Trisha was right over him, her bright blue eyes filling Nick's vision.

"Hey Trisha…" Nick grumbled.

Trisha giggled and smiled down at Nick, "You must have the coolest dreams!"

"What makes you say that?" Nick asked nervously.

"You talk in your sleep, mate," came a male's voice outside of his view.

Nick recognized it as belonging to the mammal that had shot him earlier. The fox started to sit up but felt Trisha put her paws on his shoulders and push him back down. The fox didn't put up a fight, still feeling the effects of the dart. He also felt heavier for some reason and as he glanced towards his stomach, he realized why. Trisha wasn't leaning from the side of him, or even above. She was right on top. Sitting cross legged on his stomach.

The fox felt nervous as he looked at the ranger, the doe looking right at home. She gave him a sweet smile and winked. "Knew you would get me in bed eventually," she teased which caused the fox to cough suddenly.

Nick felt a little awkward. Trisha was a rather pretty specimen and any mammal would feel lucky to have her. The fact that the mammal who she was involved with was currently standing in the room and heard that comment made the fox nervous he may get tranqed again.

"Telling Judy," Delta teased with a chuckle. Trisha's eyes went wide and she then turned to glare at her painted dog who raised his paws in defense, "Just a joke darling."

"What exactly were you gonna tell her?" Trisha asked with a wicked grin.

"Pine-"

"Don't you even try to talk you way out of this using that!" Trisha shouted.

"Umm…Trisha," Nick said nervously as he squirmed a little. The brown bunny turned her attention back to Nick and tilted her head. "You mind?" the fox asked nervously.

"No I don't," Trisha said, making no attempt to move from her current position on the fox's stomach. Suddenly, she was lifted up off the fox by two large paws, causing her to squeak happily. "Hey! I was comfortable there!" Trisha threw her arms around the painted dog currently holding her.

"How about we let the poor fox rest," Delta suggested.

"Yeah, need to recover from being shot," Nick joked but then realized he may have taken that one a little far. Delta set Trisha down and removed his hat. He took in a deep breath and looked at Trisha and then over at Nick.

"Yeah, about that…"

"You are a quick shot, bud," Nick said as he rubbed his chest, right where the tranq dart had hit him earlier.

"I watch a lot of westerns," The painted dog grinned for a moment before becoming contrite again. "However I can't tell you how sorry I am about that. I mean, I feel terrible!"

"Don't." Nick insisted as he waved his paw up in the air. "I may sorta, kinda, possibly have deserved it, charging at you two like that."

"Yeah, what gives? Why were you trying to peg Delta with a rock?" Trisha asked as she darted around her ranger partner and back towards Nick.

"I um…well... It looked like you were being attacked," Nick said hesitantly as he looked from Trisha and then to delta. Nick never knew a bunny could blush so much. Delta's eyes went wide and he suddenly couldn't make eye contact with the fox. Nick actually found the situation rather amusing.

"Oh gosh…I…okay I can explain!" Trisha said as she tried to find the right words.

"Oh please do!" Nick said as he put his feet on the floor and sat at the edge of his bed.

"Well when two mammals really like each other," Trisha began. Both canines roared with laughter as the doe smirked playfully.

"Seriously though Nick I still owe you an apology," Delta muttered as the laughter subsided. "If there is anything I can do to make it up to you…"

"You can tranq him if you want!" Trisha suggested as she raised a paw towards deltas belt. The painted dog suddenly grasped his side arm tightly and looked down at the mischievous doe who smirked.

"As much fun as that sounds, I think I will pass,' Nick said with a chuckle.

"Well, can I tranq you then?" Trisha asked as she widened her beautiful eyes and tried to use her cute looks on the painted dog

"That's a no," Delta said with a chuckle. Trisha however took a few steps closer to Delta till she was standing next to the canine who stood his ground.

"Awww come on, Delta," she pleaded with quivering lips.

"This right here," Delta said as he made circular motions above Trisha's head with his free paw, "this is why Flow took away your tranq privileges!"

"Oh that was just one time!" Trisha exclaimed as she put her paws against deltas chest and leaned close.

Nick felt a little awkward at the sudden displays of affection. He had nothing against pred and prey relationships, he even knew a few mammals back in the city who were in a similar situation. No, what was awkward was just how affectionate Trisha was being to the canine right in front of Nick.

"The rapids incident," Delta said plainly.

"One time!" Trisha said playfully.

"The Camp Santo incident."

"One time," Trisha teased as she ran a paw up Deltas chest and gently scratched the fur under his chin.

"Those are two times!" Delta pointed out.

"Correction, those are two separate incidents which means they count as different things!" Trisha said triumphantly.

"Nick help me out here!" Delta said with a laugh. Both rangers looked over at the fox still sitting in his bed. The rust colored predator shook his head with a sly smirk.

"Sorry Delta but I have seen what that doe of yours can do with a pinecone, I am not getting involved!"

Trisha giggled evilly as she looked back up at Delta as she turned around and leaned against the painted dog.

"I win," she said playfully as she looked up at her ranger.

"That's what you think!" Delta said as he suddenly wrapped his arms around Trisha's waist and began to lift her up. "Nick if you excuse me I have to go dunk this bunny in a lake!"

"Bah!" Trisha squealed as she flailed her arms around. "Nick quick grab a rock!"

Nick shook his head and just waved as the larger mammal carried the flailing bunny towards the door of the tower.

"Hey Delta," Nick had a sudden idea. The painted ranger turned to look at the fox as Trisha continued to try and escape. "When you're done dunking the bunny, I have an idea on how you can make us even." Delta tilted his head and gave the fox a look of curiosity. Nick remained silent and looked down at Trisha and then back at Delta. The painted dog picked up on the hint and nodded, figuring this was something that Nick wanted to keep between the two canines.

"I'll be back shortly, Nick. This ranger has a date with the lake," Delta said with a laugh as he carried the squeaking bunny out of the tower. Nick listened as Trisha let out a few giggles followed by a playful yelp.

The noises grew fainter as the two rangers left Nick to his thoughts. The fox slowly laid back in bed and stared at the ceiling. His mind working out a plan. Nick's thoughts went back to a conversation Judy and him had had a few days ago.

"So besides pinecone hurling what other tasks do the rangers do?" Nick asked Judy as he tilted back and forth in his chair.

"Lots of stuff actually. They patrol the forests, check in on campers, make sure any research teams in the area are safe, relieve firewatchers, drop off supplies, they are kind of the backbone to the parks service," Judy explained lazily.

"Wait, relieve firewatchers?" Nick asked, his interest peaked.

"Yeah occasionally they check in on our towers and see if we need a break from the boredom. Gives us a chance to stretch our legs. The towers closer to the edge of the park even get chances to go into town, no such luck for us though." Judy explained, not realizing exactly what she was now telling the fox.

Nick had been thinking about that ever since he found out. He had started to create a plan. If he could just get a ranger to watch his tower. Just for a day. He could head north. The only problem is the ranger that would most likely relieve him was Trisha. Who at the smallest hint would probably inform Judy of Nick's plans. Delta however... Delta was a different mammal. A fellow canine.

"This could work," Nick mumbled to himself as he turned on his side and looked out the window at Judy's tower.

Right on cue his walkie suddenly came to life. "So guess who has phone service again!" Judy's sweet voice was music to Nick's ears.

"Great! Can we start ordering pizzas again?" Nick asked slyly.

"After I call the fortune teller hotline. Got to ask what my future holds for this week," Judy teased.

"A surprise meeting from a fellow firewatcher," Nick mumbled to himself without keying the mic.

Hey Firewatchers!

So first off thank you Fox in a hen house for looking over this chapter and editing out all the many many many mistakes :P

I have received a lot of messages and reviews about the grammar in the story. I have heard you all and am trying to get it corrected. Fox really stepped up and helped me out so thanks again dude!

Speaking of messages. I have gotten tons of of them saying how much some folks love the story and wishing me luck in writing more. I love those! Like so much! The positive vibes I keep getting from so many people are amazing and I cant thank you all enough for the support. I hope I keep writing a story worthy of such wonderful fans.

Okay enough of that.

Announcements!

Who loves Trisha? Silly question you all do!

She is in a new amazing fanfic by Fox in the hen house. The story is called Sweet Treatment. It is a medical drama of sorts and stars one of the sweetest and kindness O/Cs I have ever seen: Sarah Hopps. I absolutely love this character and so does Trisha. Go read it. NOW!

Ok think we have covered almost everything. Hope to have more Firewatch for you all soon. Also working on a new Nighthowlers chapter as we speak!

Pinecone!

-Blue