Fur
-Day 35-
Nick leaned against the railing of his tower in the morning sun, coffee mug in one paw and radio in other. The fox had a calm expression on his face which could be considered odd if someone took a moment to look in the direction of Nick's gaze. Ahead of him, an inferno raged in the distance as plumes of black smoke ascended to the heavens.
The June fire had grown in size before the fire service was able to muster a response. This was common though. It wasn't like Zootopia where a firetruck could race through the streets and plug into a fire hydrant. Judy had given Nick a play by play as the events unfolded.
First, a small orange and red plane had flown over the region and began to circle the fire. Nick had noticed through his binoculars that it had a series of Forest Firefighter logos on the side. Judy explained this was their version of a forward scout plane. The mammal flying it was tasked with evaluating the threat and severity of the fire. They could then coordinate local resources to the scene and figure out what tactics would be needed to contain and, hopefully, stop the fire. Judy explained that sometimes it was too much of a task to completely extinguish the blaze so they would occasionally just let it burn and starve itself as it ran out of fuel.
That's where the Hotshot teams came in. When Nick heard the name of the group coming he instantly made a comment about changing his career. The thought of introducing himself as a 'Hot Shot' was just too much. Judy of course brought the fox back down and focused his attention on the task at hand.
A large cargo aircraft lumbered into the region and Nick watched in astonishment as a series of parachutes appeared just beneath the plane as a group of very brave mammals jumped from the rear doors.
"So these guys are the ones to put out the fire?" Nick asked as he watched them through his binoculars.
"Nope. Their job is to contain and route the fire. They will be busy cutting down trees, clearing brush, trying to create a kind of natural barrier against the fire. Their job is to slow the thing down, not put it out?"
"Then who puts it out?" Nick asked. Judy didn't answer right away and the reason became clear all too soon.
"Nick just east of your tower!"
Nick had scrambled over quickly and saw several small specs in the distance grow steadily larger. Nick looked through his binoculars and let out a low whistle. Several large orange planes headed in the direction of the fire. Nick could tell they were modified and looked a little bulbous. Just behind the large planes, two large helicopters lumbered through the air.
"That would be the spray team!" Judy exclaimed excitedly.
Nick watched as the planes flew towards the billowing smoke trail. They lazily flew around the smoke a few times before releasing their payloads. Nick had expected to see water cascade down but was surprised to see an orange powder.
"Think someone filled the tanks up with Gatorade by accident," Nick commented as he watched the orange clouds settle on the tree tops.
"Correction, that is a fire retardant. It will help create a perimeter around the fire for containment. From there the helicopters will take water from Jonesy Lake and continue to attack the June fire till they run out of fuel." Judy having been a parks employee for a while knew all the inner workings of this. Nick listened to her explain certain tactics used to combat fires. He got lost in her voice as he listened to her passion pour out on the radio.
The arrival of all the firefighting assets had been several days ago. Now the hum of the helicopters as they flew around the smoke plume became white noise to Nick. He took another sip of his coffee as he watched one of the helicopters break away and head out from the region. This happened a lot actually. The choppers didn't have much when it came to fuel tanks. Everything had been stripped so more water and equipment could be stored. Which meant the helicopter could only stay on site for a while before needing to head back and refuel.
"Looks like another fueling run," Nick muttered into his radio.
"Yeah gonna be a lot of that," Judy said lazily. Nick assumed the whole process was somewhat boring to Judy, having worked at the parks department for as long as she did she must have seen it all. However Nick was guessing something else was up. Judy had been a little cold to him lately. He wondered what had happened. Just a few nights ago they had been discussing…well some rather fun topics about if she was at his tower. Now though it almost sounded like a chore to her to respond to his hails.
Nick began to wrack his brain as he tried to think of what he could have done. Like a boyfriend forgetting…like a friend forgetting a birthday or something.
"Maybe we can call them to make a beer run? I'll stand on the roof of my tower with a net!" Nick suggested.
"Mmmm…could work," Judy mumbled over the radio.
That was the final straw. "Alright my little lioness, what has got you bugged today?"
"What are you talking about?" Judy asked hesitantly.
"You run out of Judy energy or something? You're normally the morning mammal."
"I'm fine..."
"Ah ha!" Nick shot back over the radio. "Now I know something is up!"
"Nothing is up!"
"Don't lie!"
"It's stupid!"
"See! You just fibbed. Now, I think you owe me something. Like maybe a hint as to what I did," Nick said quickly as he looked over his shoulder to Judy's tower.
"It's just…" Judy began but trailed off. "Did you forget something?"
Nick racked his brain as he tried to remember everything he could about Judy. About his time here. About...well everything he could think of. Nothing came to mind except a set of beautiful purple eyes.
"Did I miss pinecone day?" Nick asked when nothing came to mind.
"No...But...Nick..." There was a sigh over the radio. "I am not a lioness."
"Ok," Nick responded nervously.
"I am not a panther..." Judy added.
"Alright," Nick muttered, having a feeling something was up.
"I am none of the mammals you have guessed. And I am starting to get worried..."
"Why would you be worried?"
"You remember my fur color?"
"A beautiful calm gray like a fog hugging the woods," Nick said slyly.
"Why do you do that?" Judy groaned. "Why do you make me like you when I should be mad?"
"Why should you be mad?" Nick asked, his mind now kicking into over drive as he tried to figure out what he had done.
"Nick I told you my fur color…for a while you seemed to be on the right track. Then you changed and went back to guessing every other mammal under the sun."
Nick tried to respond but Judy was still keyed up so he had to sit and wait.
"Plus the parks website is back up. With new pictures actually! Flow had some lying around in his camera and I am in several. Plain as day with my gray fur and purple eyes and who knows what else you have figured out about me. And yet you haven't guessed what I am yet and I am getting scared. That you really know what I am and you don't want to admit it…"
She finally allowed him to key up. Nick took in a deep breath and strolled over to the other side of his tower so he could look right at her tower.
"I know the website is working again Judy," Nick said calmly. He smiled as he now knew what was wrong with Judy. He was actually pleased with himself as he began to explain. "I use to check every day. When it finally came back I sat and looked at that dumb screen for what must have been 10 minutes. I knew your image was just a few clicks away."
"You knew the site was up…then you should have figured it out by now Nick..."
"I figured out something alright. But not your species. I figured out something even more important." Nick said, his paw shook a little and his heart races. He was anxious and rightly so because he was about to take quite the leap. "I figured I didn't care what species you are."
"Why?" Judy asked nervously.
"Because I didn't fall for what species you are..." Nick paused and took a deep breath. He felt as if he was about to throw up but he had gone this far. She had to know. She had to hear it from him. "I fell for you."
The seconds just dragged by as Nick stared at Judy's tower. The radio fell silent as Nick waited for some kind of response.
Judy finally came back over the radio. Her voice shaking as if she had been crying. "You stupid fox…you stupid…" Nick winced as he prepared for the end. He had taken the chance and he was beginning to wonder if he should have just kept his mouth shut. "…sweet…caring…wonderful fox."
Nick let out a sigh of relief as Judy let out a gasp. He could tell she was getting a little teary eyed from all this but in a good way.
"That's why I keep guessing different species. That's why they are all different shapes, sizes, and furs. Because as long as they are you that's all that matters."
"Stop please…" Judy pleaded with a giggle. "I am not supposed to have so much sugar in one day. It's a lioness thing."
"No," Nick said softly. "It's a Judy thing."
The rest of the day flowed by as Nick watched the brave forest fighters attempt to contain the fire. Judy would occasionally remind him that fighting a forest fire was a monumental task and that the June fire wouldn't go out so easily. Of course it was hard for her to explain all this but from time to time she would just answer Nick's questions in what could best be described as a dream like state.
"Judy?"
"Mmmm…" Judy began as if she had just tasted a sweet candy, "Yes Nick?"
"You said something about the lake?" Nick reminded her to the sentence she had drifted out on. He had a feeling what had changed her mood and felt warm on the inside. What he had said before was still fresh in Judy's mind apparently.
"Oh yeah...umm..." Judy would start over again. Explaining how the fire teams would most likely try to move the fire towards Jonesy Lake so they had a large natural barrier on one side. With only having to worry about three sides the teams would have a better chance of containing the blaze. Of course, this explanation still took a while since Judy seemed to go in and out of reality.
"You ok?" Nick asked softly as he strolled inside his tower to get some water.
Their conversations had taken them through the day and now they found themselves talking in the fading light as the sun dipped beyond the horizon.
"I'm just...I'm just really happy today." Judy answered sweetly.
"Any reason why?" Nick asked as he filled a tin cup with water and took a sip. The water was refreshing but it didn't quite satisfy his thirst. A thought popped into his mind and the fox strolled over to the bed where he kept the confiscated alcohol from when he first arrived in Two Forks. Nick reached underneath his bed and produced the bottle and stared at its contents. He had drained nearly half the brown liquid inside during his time here. Of course a big part of that was thanks to Delta and Trisha. The revelation of what they did at his comfort station had required some liquid relaxation.
Nick's thoughts went back to Delta for a moment. The ranger had contacted Nick via the ranger radio and informed the fox that coverage of his tower had been approved but it would take him time to get to Nick since there was still many things that needed to get done right now. Nick hadn't had a chance to talk to the painted dog since the start of the June fire but he was hopping that this wouldn't affect his plans.
Nick poured himself a cup from the bottle and took a sip. The contents burned slightly but left him with a warm feeling that began to take hold.
"I think you know why," Judy whispered softly. Something in her words caught Nick's attention though.
"Maybe it's the radio or maybe it's just me, but did you have some trouble on that last set of words?" Nick asked with a chuckle.
"Mmmm….maybe…" Judy said smugly.
Nick chuckled as he put two and two together.
"How many drinks?"
"Well…I had something to celebrate today so I went and got a bottle from my stream." Judy admitted.
"What are you celebrating?" Nick asked as he sat down in bed and rested his back against the metal headboard. He had to put a pillow between him and the bed but it actually helped him sit up a little more. Once comfortable he looked out of his tower and off at the small light that was Judy's.
"Just stuff," Judy slurred as she let out a soft giggle.
"Any particular stuff?"
"Don't make me say it…" Judy groaned.
"I wanna hear it."
"You," Judy admitted in a sweet tone as she let out a satisfied sigh, "I am sitting here. Drunk as can be. Looking at that tower of yours and…well..."
"Funny," Nick mused over the radio.
"What is?" Judy asked happily.
"I am doing the same exact thing," Nick admitted as he took a sip from his cup.
"How are you looking at your tower?" Judy teased.
Nick rolled his eyes, "Not like that, you goof!"
"Sorry, couldn't help it."
"You're actually kind of cute when you're drunk."
"Don't call me cute!"
"Adorable?"
"Better, but not quite there," Judy giggled.
"Hot?"
"I prefer foxy!" Judy teased and began to laugh at her own joke.
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long have you been waiting to use that one?" Nick asked as he shook his head.
"Oh gosh…umm...when did you admit you were a fox again?"
"When I first got here."
"Yeah, since then," Judy admitted. Nick had a feeling if Judy had been sitting next to him she would be sticking out her tongue. However other thoughts creeped into Nicks mind about what would happen if Judy was there right now. "What are you wearing?"
Nick snorted into his cup and took a second to gain his composure. "A tux."
"Bet you look great," Judy giggled as she slurred her words.
"I do think I look rather dashing," Nick said, throwing a flair at the end of the sentence. "What about you?"
There was a series of giggles and snorts over the radio before Judy answered. "It's hot..."
"Yes it is," Nick said with a chuckle. "Now quit changing the subject"
"How is that changing the subject?" Judy asked with a bashful giggle.
"I asked you what you are wearing. Some nice evening dress? A parka? Captain Panther pajamas?"
"And I answered your question," Judy said slyly. "It's hot…"
"So?"
"Well…you know…"
Nick's eyes widened as he looked at the tower as a smirk crossed his muzzle. "So you're cooling off?"
"Well I managed to repair one of my windows screens so I have it open but you know that only does so much," Judy explained as Nick hear the sound of a glass being set on a table on Judy's end of the radio. "And we are in the middle of nowhere so…umm..."
"Your nakie!" Nick said with a laugh.
"Yes I am, let that image burn into your mind!" Judy teased.
"Oh I am letting it!" Nick said with a laugh as some rather fun images popped into the fox's head. All of them involved a certain mammal laying on her stomach as her gray fur was exposed for him to enjoy.
"Mmmm…" Judy let out in a rather longing tone. "Do you like what you see?"
"Very much," Nick said as he felt the liquor he had been nursing warm his body and dull his senses. He didn't mind though and closed his eyes as he let the images of the one he longed for fill his mind. Her shape changed once or twice. One moment he was looking at a gray wolf and the next a leopard. All of them with purple eyes and all of them with nothing on but a seductive smile.
"You sure you're still wearing that tux?" Judy asked in almost a whisper. Nick thought he picked up something up else over the radio but shook the thought from his mind.
"We really doing this over the radio?"
"Shut up and just say that tux is on the floor," Judy responded with an impatient gasp.
"It's on the floor..."
"And where are we?" Judy asked in an almost begging tone.
"….on the floor..."
-Day 36-
Nick's head was throbbing as he heard someone say his name. He swatted his paw through the air and tried to shoo the voice away as he let out a pained groan. The voice said something Nick didn't quiet catch but he began to realize this wasn't a dream. No someone was in his tower with him.
Nick began to shake the cobwebs from his brain as his eyes opened. The fox rubbed his head as he felt it throb, protesting the earlier than normal wake up.
"No it's fine, not like I trekked all the way over here or anything, take your time, it is after all your time," Delta said firmly.
Nick's eyes shot open as he sat up in his bed. He looked around the tower and saw the ranger leaning against the desk near the door, a rather smug smirk on the painted dogs face.
"Good morning sunshine," Delta said with a wink.
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Chapter edited by: Fox in the hen house. Thanks dude!
Till next time firewatchers.
Pinecone!
-Blue