-A painted past-
-Day 40-
Nick looked out at the billowing smoke plumes to the south of his tower. He felt an anxiety deep down in his gut as he watched the black ash-filled air rise up to the sky. When he had left his tower to see Judy there had only been one now, however, thanks to a sudden shift in the wind there were two. Two very menacing looking fires. They were in the next region over so they were actually miles away but that didn't cause the fox to question his choice to stay in the tower every minute.
What made the situation worse was he couldn't talk to Judy. He had received a transmission from Delta earlier that morning over his ranger radio that Judy's equipment would be down for the day. Something about repairs needing to be made to the large piece of radio equipment she used to speak to all the different regions. She would apparently have her walkie-talkie available just in case but she needed to focus on getting her equipment up and running again. Nick was surprised to find out that the park service wouldn't be sending a tech out to help her. Apparently, that would take too long so Judy would have to tackle the repair herself. Delta reassured Nick though that Judy had a knack for this kind of thing and had on occasion given the painted ranger a quick fix on his own equipment when something happened out in the forest.
"You got yourself one talented bunny you know that?" Delta had asked during their conversation. The painted dog didn't have to remind Nick that, of course, the fox had a feeling he was being a little biased thanks to his feelings towards the doe in the other tower.
So Nick had spent a majority of the day just sitting around his tower and letting his thoughts roam around freely. While Judy was the main topic in his mind and the memories of their short time face to face continued to grace his daydreams it wasn't exactly enough. The forest wasn't silent. The wind would carry with it sounds of nature that the fox managed to pick up. He did, however, feel things had grown way to quiet without the use of his radio. He would find himself making noise for the sake of the sound. Tapping his claws on his desk or using a pencil as a drumstick.
The silence was finally broken when the black radio on Nick's desk came to life.
"Two Forks Tower this is Ranger Trisha, you there Nick?"
Nick dived for the radio, eager to speak to someone, even if it was the pinecone tossing Trisha.
"Hey Trisha," Nick said a little too eagerly.
The doe must have picked up on the frantic tone in Nick's voice and a soft giggling came from her end of the transmission. "How is my favorite fox holding up today?"
Nick smirked as he sat back in his chair and watched the fire off in the distance. "Well besides anxiously watching what appears to be world war 3 out in the distance…kinda bored.."
"Bawww, does someone miss a certain bunny from Thorofare?" Trisha asked with a chuckle.
"Is there any reason for this wonderful call or…?"
"Ouch, someone seems cranky," Trisha said, not sounding hurt at all.
"I'm not cranky!"
"Does the little fox need a nap?"
"Little fox needs a drink," Nick shot back.
"Oh gosh me too! Tell ya what next time I swing by while on patrol you and I are gonna break into more of that drink you got stored under your bed!"
"Yeah….about that.." Nick grumbled as he looked over at a now empty bottle sitting in his kitchen area.
"Bahahaha, a fast drinker, I like that," Trisha teased. "I will bring ya a fresh bottle of something nice then. I have to head back to base soon anyways and I bet I can scrounge up something for us."
"Think you could kitnap Judy and bring her over while you are at it?" Nick asked playfully.
"What? Aren't I enough doe for you?" Trisha said flirtatiously.
"Trisha you are enough doe for the whole damn forest!"
"Not sure how I should take that," Trisha shot back. There was a pause on her end before she came back with her bubbly attitude, "Gonna pretend it's a compliment!"
Nick snorted and shook his head as he imagined the bright blue-eyed ranger smirking at him.
"Oh almost forgot, got a call from the main office," Trisha began which caused Nick to sit up a little more in his chair. "Judy's walkie is now down since she needed to check a part inside it. So she can only be contacted via phone.."
"So no Judy? Not even in emergencies?" Nick asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry my sweet little firewatcher," Trisha said playfully. "Judy asked the main office to have me call you up and make sure you didn't get lonely."
"Did she really?"
"No, but when I heard the transmission over our frequency I thought I would give ya a shout and see how you were doing."
Nick was a little taken aback by this. Whether Trisha meant it or not this was actually rather sweet of her. Nick chuckled as he thought of all the strange things that had happened to him during his short time in the forest. He had befriended a painted dog, fallen for a bunny, and now it seemed was making a new best friend.
"Well that was…that was nice of you Trisha," Nick admitted over the radio.
"Don't mention it, I did a stint as a firewatcher for a bit and know how freaking boring it can get. I love Judy to death but how she does this year after year is beyond me.."
Nick chuckled and had to admit the ranger had a point. He had begun to wonder what he might do when the season was over. Of course, Judy was always at the front of these thoughts so he began to wonder what her plans were and if she took him into account.
"So you were a firewatcher before a ranger?" Nick asked curiously. Hoping that Trisha would want to talk for a bit so he could fight off the boredom.
"Not really. Its just one of the tasks we Rangers have to do from time to time. One of the firewatchers in a main region had a family emergency halfway through a season and we couldn't find anyone to cover fast enough so I volunteered. Of course, they had to pay me a little extra."
Nick thought this made sense. He had learned from Judy that certain towers had priority over others. Apparently, some of the towers weren't even inhabited during most of the year since their region could be monitored by another tower nearby. Turns out Two forks was not a priority tower. Nick, however, felt lucky that he had been given it. How else would he have met Judy?
"How does a fox get in on a sweet gig like that?" Nick teased.
Trisha let out a chuckle over the radio, "Gotta make that bank, right? Well, when Judy gets tired of dealing with you, which I know she never will, you give me a shout and I will put in a good word for you. We could always use more rangers. Don't tell Judy though, she gets annoyed when I steal her firewatchers for my division."
Nick smirked at the thought of Judy chasing Trisha around with a pinecone in paw.
"So you have always been a ranger then?" Nick asked as he strolled over to his kitchen area and filled a tin cup with water.
"Yessir," Trisha said proudly. "Graduated a year after Delta who convinced me to join…well he didn't really convince me since this was the plan all the time. He and I actually met at University before heading out here and getting a little wild in the woods."
"Thanks for that image," Nick grumbled.
"You are welcome," Trisha giggled. "Oh please, you have already walked in on us…plus you being the way you are with Judy."
"So you two were dating at college?"
"Yes and no, we didn't start dating seriously till we got out here," Trisha admitted. "We were very close in college. Super close actually."
"What does super close mean?" Nick asked hesitantly.
Trisha began to giggle mischievously over the radio. Nick cut her off.
"On second thought I don't need to know," The fox said quickly.
"Yeah well anyways," Trisha said, her voice sounding a little distant. "He and I knew each other for like two years in college. He was always really sweet to me. Not like the others though. Everyone always wanted a little cotton tail action so I kept my guard up most of the time. I mean don't get me wrong its fun to flirt and play around but I swear I couldn't be alone with most mammals without them trying to get a little action."
"Bunch of savages," Nick teased.
"Not Delta though," Trisha admitted. "He was a bit weird actually. Always happy go lucky and kind to me. Asked me how my day was and when I tried to say something to throw him off just to see if he was listening he would call me out! I mean he treated me like a friend and not just a challenge waiting to be conquered."
Nick smirked as he began to respect Delta a little more. He didn't know why but Trisha had really grown on him and hearing that someone treated her right made the fox happy. This fresh air must really be messing with his head.
"We went on a few dates here and there while at school." Trisha continued happily. "He even introduced me to his parents. Oh gosh, they are so super sweet. His mom is actually a little short for a painted dog but super adorable. His dad is very old school. Called me darling during our first meeting but the way he said it made me feel so welcome. I mean I got called all sorts of names in college.."
"Pinecone one of them?" Nick teased.
Trisha burst into laughter over the radio. "No, oddly enough there wasn't a lot of those around the forest district..which is kinda weird when you think about it."
"Wait…Forest district. You are from Zootopia?"
"Manta Bay actually," Trisha corrected. "But I went to school in Zootopia at the University of Central Forest."
"This is gonna sound weird," Nick warned, "But I have actually been to Manta Bay…does the sun ever shine there?"
"I think it did once…but just made the storm clouds jealous so now it rains all the time. What brought you to Manta Bay?"
"Had a short little gig there," Nick said hesitantly, hoping he was able to hide his tone of embarrassment. He had originally gone there as part of a scam. It had paid out in the end but he didn't like thinking about that part of his past anymore.
"Cool!" Trisha said excitedly.
"So you and Delta…" Nick reminded the doe. He had to admit he wasn't normally into gossip or others relationship stories but there wasn't exactly much else to do right now so he thought he might as well enjoy a little Trisha talk.
"Oh right. So met his parents at a painting ceremony. Ever been to one?" Trisha asked excitedly.
"Can't say I have.." Nick said as he searched his thoughts. "That's one of those right of passage kind of deals right?"
"Kind of," Trisha said softly. "It's hard to explain. You would have to go to one to understand. It is super fun though. I even got painted. When I told Judy she got so jealous. She has always wanted to go to one of those things."
"So you are an honorary painted dog then?" Nick teased.
"There goes the honor of the species," Trisha shot back with a chuckle. "Yeah. It was last minute though. Delta was being honored because of his graduation and the new job as a Ranger. He told some of the others I was just a year behind him so they invited me to be honored as well. Their whole community is really sweet. Super family oriented. Also, super into civil service. They have a motto…what was it again? Oh right! Service over Self!"
"I have heard that before actually," Nick said, having overheard a few painted dogs during his time in the city. He then realized that the few painted dogs he did know all worked in different fields of assistance or with goals focused on the greater good.
"Yeah well," Trisha said in a dreamlike state. "They accepted me and I was marked as a defender of the forest. I know it sounds super cheesy and kind of made up. But it was one of the proudest moments of my life. The matriarch who placed a mark on Delta and me was super sweet as well. She was like the definition of a sweet little old lady. Kept talking to me about school, family, my goals. She was like a grandmother to me…and I just realized I am ranting.."
"No no," Nick said quickly, "Please this is actually kind of neat."
"You sure? I mean I promised Judy I would pester you but I don't want to bore ya to death. She could kill me if I let anything happen to her fox."
Her fox…gods I love her.
"Trisha you are fine," Nick said honestly. To prove the point he pursued the subject they had been talking about, "So marked? Whats that mean for painted dogs? Because I feel its different for foxes.."
"Its different for every species. And marked may not have been the best term…Painted would be better. They dip their paws in this neat dye and then make a symbol on the mammal in question. Mine was on my cheeks and then one of their pups put a paw print on my ear which was super adorable I didn't wash it off for days. Delta and I had the same symbol on one cheek for a defender. Then you get one that represents your family…My family being bunnies don't have a particular emblem. Delta's family, however, insisted that I receive theirs. I tried my best not to cry the whole time but we bunnies get a little emotional from time to time. "
"You bunnies," Nick began, "So emotional."
"Hey, it was super sweet of all of them!" Trisha shouted over the radio. "Plus Delta and I weren't even dating. I mean how awesome is that? They knew we were just friends but they accepted me like that. We need more painted dogs out there."
"Well if that means more rangers to cover my tower then I agree," Nick joked.
"Oh gosh, what does my Judy see in you?"
"My charm and good looks," Nick suggested.
"Poor doe needs glasses."
The two shared a laugh over the frequency, Nick liking the doe a little more as time went on.
"So besides invading ancient family traditions what else did you two get up to while at school?" Nick asked as he finished the water in his cup and picked up a pair of binoculars to scan the region with.
"We actually played the same sport," Trisha exclaimed excitedly.
"UCF has pinecone team?" Nick asked playfully.
"Har har. If it did though you know who would be taking the gold!" Trisha said confidently. "But no pinecone team, no, we both played paintball. Delta was on the school team while I played with another group. Which made things a little awkward at some of the tournaments."
"How so?"
"Oh well, we creamed Deltas team. I mean don't get me wrong I love the big goofball but we just wiped the floor with him and his crew. Which stunk because they had this cute doe on their team. Wouldn't have minded playing a little one on one with her if ya know what I mean."
Nick snorted and rolled his eyes, "must you flirt with everyone?" Nick winced when he realized how this may be taken. Trisha, however, didn't operate like most mammals though.
"Oh hush you know you love me," Trisha cooed over the radio without missing a beat. "Part of my charm."
"So you play for both teams then?" Nick asked, wanting to get a better bead on the doe.
"No, I played for team Flirt'n…" Trisha said sweetly.
Nick waited for a few seconds to see if Trisha would figure out what he really meant.
"Oh wait! You mean? Ohhhhh!" Trisha laughed. "Why? You afraid I will run off to Judy's tower and steal your bunny?"
"I wasn't worried till just now," Nick said nervously.
Trisha's giggle was oddly reassuring. "Don't you worry none Nick, that ain't my style. Besides even if I wanted to I know I couldn't get between you two. She really likes you, Nick. Like a lot."
"The feeling is mutual," Nick said softly.
"I'm glad," Trisha said with a sigh. "Nick I am serious when I say I love Judy and would do anything for her. Just keep that in mind."
Nick understood where Trisha was going with this. He had to respect the doe for standing by Judy, even if it meant standing up against a predator. Of course, Trisha had nothing to worry about. As far as Nick was concerned Judy was the best thing to happen to him and he had no plan or messing that up.
"Anyways!" Trisha said excitedly. "If you must know I have had my fair share of interesting interactions with different mammals."
"Interesting interactions?" Nick laughed.
"It's a lot more interesting than saying I slept with a doe before"
"So playing both teams."
"I prefer saying I like to try everything." Trisha said with a giggle. "it was fun. And she was so very sweet. In the end, though we parted ways and I started to develop feelings towards a certain painted dog..again.."
"Again?"
"Ok, so I had a crush on Delta when we first met! So sue me!"
"Does Delta know about all this?"
"Of course," Trisha said confidently. "We talk about everything. You and Judy aren't the only ones filling up the radio waves with silly conversations."
"noted."
"We are all still friends. We actually all get together on occasion to catch up and share a drink or two."
"Whats this mystery doe do?"
"only one Hopps girl you should be worrying about and she is in the tower next door," Trisha pointed out.
"Wait! It was one of Judy's sisters?!" Nick nearly fell out of his seat.
"I have no comment," Trisha teased. "But yes, it was."
Nick was speechless as he sat back in his seat. "how did Judy take it?" Nick asked, wondering if his bun would be a protective sister type or not.
"Heartbroken because I wouldn't have her," Trisha teased. "Seriously though she was fine with it. When we drifted apart though I was a little nervous Judy was super understanding and even took me out for drinks to chat about it."
"So the break up was mutual?" Nick asked, having a hard time believing it.
"Somewhat. But we are all friends now which is important," Trisha said happily.
"You little heartbreaker," Nick teased.
"You know it!" Trisha shot back.
"What about Delta?"
"Is this all going to be about me and my painted dog?"
"Trisha I am currently sitting in a tower with a deck of playing cards and a Sudoku book that has been filled in twice…you are the most interesting thing in this world right now," Nick said playfully. "Until Judy comes back online."
"Judy was right, you do say the sweetest things."
"What can I say?"
"Something sweeter?"
"Something sweeter," Nick said jokingly.
"Ok so I walked right into that one," Trisha admitted. "Anyways what else are you wanting to hear you, big weirdo?"
"Were there problems? When mammals found out?"
"About us being a prey and pred couple you mean?" Trisha asked hesitantly.
"Exactly.."
"First off Nick, you have nothing to worry about. Anyone gives you trouble you know Judy will kick their asses, then she can call me to continue kicking their asses while she takes a break," Trisha said reassuringly. "there were some folks who didn't seem fond of the idea. We just ignored them though. Our first actual date was kind of awkward. Sure we had been friends for ages and we were comfortable being around one another. However, things changed a little when romance got thrown into the mix. Delta was a real trooper though and made me forget about the awkwardness of it all. Every time we noticed someone staring he would make a sweet little joke. Or when I heard a rather insensitive comment he would throw it right back at whoever was causing us trouble. This one time an older bunny couple were making some super rude comments about Delta. Saying how he must abuse me or be holding me hostage. He just leaned down and…mmm.." Trisha trailed off for a moment as she went into a dreamlike state. Nick hated being left on the hook like this but waited for Trisha to return to earth.
"Sorry..umm.. he gave me this kiss on the cheek. We had never kissed before and I didn't know how it might feel. I will admit I was a little hesitant because he was the first canine I had ever been close like this before. But his muzzle was so soft and even though he was bigger than me he was so gentle. I just lost myself. I still remember it all. My ears fell back, I closed my eyes, and I just wished it would never end.."
"Gosh and I thought Judy and I were bad," Nick chuckled.
"Shush…im remembering it all.." Trisha said softly. "So soft.."
There were a few more moments of silence before Trisha returned to her normal self.
"Needless to say he earned the kiss goodnight I gave him later. You canines sure know how to smooch!"
"I'm guessing Judy was grabbing about me?" Nick asked, secretly hoping for an answer.
"Oh gosh, I can't shut her up about you these days." Trisha groaned. "And yes Nick, at risk of making that ego any bigger, she said you are an amazing kisser."
Nick felt his tail sway slowly as a warm feeling filled him up.
"She did say I was better though," Trisha threw in which caused Nick's feeling to freeze.
"Wait what?'
"Oh gosh, Judy was right! You are so gullible it's almost no fun!"
Nick felt his eyelids drooped as he realized Trisha had just scored a point for the bunny team. If there was a scoreboard he could only imagine how one-sided the points would be. Judy seemed to love tricking the fox from time to time and it must have rubbed off in the brown bunny currently taking up the radio waves.
"Hate you.."
"No, you don't!"
"So much," Nick grumbled.
"Love you too Nick!"
The two parks employees continued their conversation. Nick actually being somewhat interested in Delta and Trisha's relationship. He had never really had a chance to talk to an interspecies couple like this before and now that he found himself in such a relationship he wanted to better understand how things went from time to time. Of course, he was also interested to hear about his friends past. Sure Nick had many friends back in Zootopia but none like this. There was something different about the mammals who worked in the forest. It was almost like they were in a world all their own. They focused on building one another up and taking care of each other. It seemed Nick was now part of this odd family as well, something he had to admit he thoroughly enjoyed.
As the conversation carried on Nick began to get a better understanding of the relationship between Delta and Trisha. They had gone on a pawful of dates while at school. They remained friends through it all. Even when Trisha had been dating one of Judy's sisters and Delta had a little fling with a member of his paintball team. Nick was surprised to hear that Trisha wasn't the first bunny Delta had dated.
"Delta you dog you," Nick chuckled to himself at this revelation.
Once Delta had finished school he had come to the forest to work as a ranger. Nick then learned that Delta and Trisha we're two different types of rangers. Trisha's overall job was the protection of the forest. Delta's was more in a law enforcement capacity. Which explained how he was armed to the teeth half the time. Trisha made a joke how she didn't need traditional weapons as the forest was her weapon. Nick had a bruise or two to prove it.
While Delta was working in the forest and Trisha finished up school they had kept in touch. Trisha had been pursued by one or two bucks during her last months at school but had shot them both down. Secretly hoping Delta would do the same with any female that got close. When Trisha graduated from UCF Delta had made a special trip to surprise her at home while she waited to hear about a job working for the forest service. He paw delivered a letter asking Trisha to join the department. That was the day when two things happen. Trisha accepted a job and her parents found out about her and Delta. Mainly because she leaped into his arms and kissed him when she heard she had her dream job.
To Nick's surprise, Trisha's parents had been very accepting of the whole situation. Though hesitant at first they came to treat Delta with respect. Of course apparently one of her brothers still needed to see the light but for the most part, everyone was very civil during family to get togethers.
The rest of the conversation was mainly about all the shenanigans that the two got into while patrolling the forest. Nick having to cover his ears on some of the more heated parts. As it turned out Trisha had very little shame and didn't mind going into detail how many towers she may have messed up thanks to some help of a certainly painted ranger.
"Still annoyed we didn't get to mess up your tower," Trisha teased. "the whole time Delta kept saying how it wasn't fair to you and how he wanted you to be comfortable. The guy must really like you because not to brag or nothing…but I looked especially good the other day."
"well, I will have to thank Delta for maintaining his willpower over you," Nick chuckled.
"I mean like super good. I took some time the other day to clean up and my fur looked especially on point. And I was standing there on your bed.." Trisha trailed off for a moment which allowed Nick to pipe in.
"Ok don't need that image," Nick groaned. "May have to burn my bed though…"
"I normally sleep naked too! But Delta made me get dressed and then let me get back to sleep when we heard you were on your way," Trisha added. "Had you played your cards right you would have seen two naked bunnies that weekend."
"I'm good!"
"Naked bunnies!"
Nick rolled his eyes buy chuckled none the less at the does comments.
After getting Trisha to focus on more PG related topics he learned a little more about the doe and painted dog.
As the sun began to set in the sky Nick realized the two had been talking for some time and smiled. It was nice having a friend like this. The type he could just chat to about nonsense. Trisha was no Judy but she was still incredibly friendly.
"I'm coming up on one of the work camps on the perimeter of your region, gonna have to go off the frequency for a bit," Trisha said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Delta is meeting me here and then it's off to assist with more evacuations."
"Should I be worried?" Nick asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry Nick, if it gets any worse I'll come get ya myself and then we can go party at Judy's tower."
"You bring the drinks?"
"As long as you bring some dance moves!"
Nick rolled his eyes once more as he took a moment to lay on his bed and drift into thoughts of Judy.
"It was good talking to ya Nick," Trisha piped up on the radio.
"Likewise Trisha," Nick admitted. "You stay safe now."
"You too.."
"Pinecone," Nick said playfully.
"Hahaha, Pinecone!"
With that, the Rangers radio fell silent. Nick closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the silence that now filled his tower. The silence didn't last long though.
"Two forks ya there?" came a familiar sweet voice from the walkie-talkie on Nick's desk.
The fox leaped across the tower and scooped up the walkie and keyed up. "Hey there stranger, how have you been?"
"Been better. Rewiring this dinosaur of a radio is a pain sometimes," Judy grumbled. "Plus I have been missing a certain someone.."
"Delta?" Nick asked playfully.
"Oh you know it, something about those spots on his fur drives the ladies wild," Judy teased.
"Drives Trisha wild that's for sure."
"She was already wild," Judy shot back.
"So she and I had a long and interesting talk," Nick said softly as he stretched in bed.
"Really now?"
"About her college life," Nick began. "And about your sister."
"Oh gosh…what did she say?!"
"Oh, what didn't she say?" Nick then began to go into detail about the brown bunny's story. Judy helping to fill in little gaps here and there.
Across the sea of trees at one of the hotshot camps, Trisha sat on a log that had been tooled into the camp. Several mammals milled about. Most of them in bright orange and covered in ash. The occasional parks employee or lost looking camper wandered by as they prepared to move to a safer location. Delta was busy chatting with the crew boss. A large and strong looking tigress with soft teal eyes. The two were talking about the crew's next site where they would meet up with additional units to fight the second fire. It felt like a scene from a war movie as the mammals prepared to battle nature itself.
Trisha took a sip from her canteen as she stared at Delta. The conversation with Nick still fresh in her mind. The brown bunny began to think about all the sweet things Delta had done for her and she felt her tail wiggle with excitement.
Delta gave the tigress he had been speaking to a friendly pat on the arm and excused himself. The canines eyes fell upon Trisha and a broad grin crossed his face which caused the does nose to twitch as she blushed. The painted dog wandered over and took a seat next to Trisha who insticevtly scooted over and rested her head on the canines arm.
"So we are bunking here for the night. Better than sleeping on a rock somewhere at least. After they pack up we are escorting the campers and the park teams farther north so they can take the main path out of the park." Delta explained the battle plan to the doe that was only half listening.
"So bunking.." Trisha said with a smug look on her face. "We sharing a tent…or…?"
"Or what?" Delta laughed, knowing what the bunny was getting at but wanting to hear her say it.
Trisha smirked as she reached up and grabbed the canine's collar, bringing him down to her level. "I don't feel like setting up my sleeping bag."
"Always room in mine," Delta said with a wink.
The wink was what finally did it. Trisha showed her strength as she dragged the surprised looking canine through the camp, several fire mammals having to jump out of the way. When they found a vacant tent Trisha closed the flap behind her and grinned wildly at her fellow ranger.
"Pinecone?" Delta asked with a look of hesitation on his face.
"Pinecone!" Trisha shouted as she leaped at the painted dog, pressing her lips to his as she wrapped arms around him.
Hey there Firewatchers!
So I know this a kind of break from the normal style of things. I wanted to keep this story focused mainly on our two Firewatchers and their relationship as it developed. However, I was recently given a reminder about my two favorite OCs and their relationship. So I decided to make sure it was understood where our two rangers stood when it came to their pasts and the relationship they have developed.
I hope you all don't mind a little break from the WildeHopps so we can get some Trelta..or whatever the ship is called.
Hope to have more Firewatch chapters done soon! Don't worry, the focus will be back on Judy and Nick...and Pinecones of course!
See ya all later!
-Blue