Sorry for not updating yesterday guys, got insanely busy :') Hope you all enjoy this chapter, its the longest one I've done so far:) thank you again for all the follows, favourites and reviews, keep em' coming you lovely people!
The following day, Judy was walking to the office, alone and completely minding her own business. She was scribbling some notes down with her favourite carrot pen, nibbling it in concentration every now and then while she plotted her next move. Nick had gone to do some research on animal attacks that had happened many, many years before, in an attempt to specify what kind of species was responsible and see if there were any explicit characteristics to help them find the culprits. They could have been dealing with anything from a fox like Finnick to a jaguar with a thirst for blood.
Before she could react, something hit the front of Judy's ankle, sending her flying. Her notes scattered ahead of her, hitting the ground is a whish of paper and the hard clatter of her pen, while she herself let out a cry of surprise before she winced in pain. She half expected it to be Nick sneaking up on her, but his playfulness was never quite so cruel these days.
As she struggled to her knees, trying to gather her thoughts back together, she was met by an exaggerated gasp of surprise.
"Oh my, I am so sorry, Flopps!" Ffion cried in mock apology. Judy looked behind her and glared furiously, at both the fake apology and the incorrect pronouncement of her name.
"It's Hopps." She snapped, brushing herself off.
The vixen looked at her thoughtfully, teasing her fang with a long, pampered claw. She was dressed in simple pale jeans and a cream blouse, and her yellow eyes looked Judy up and down in her officer uniform. It was unnerving, like being sized up by a snake, but Judy stood her ground stubbornly.
"My bad," Ffion said in relation to her name, smirking mockingly.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm busy." Judy replied, gathering her notes, which she noticed Ffion had no interest in helping with. Having collected both herself and her work the rabbit stormed off, all too aware of Ffion following her.
"I was wondering if you could tell me where Nick was?" she said, sounding pleasant yet she had a teasing undertone in her voice. Judy rolled her eyes.
"He's also busy."
"You're very rude for a bunny; did he teach you that?" she said, remaining behind her and out of view. Judy refused to look back but kept out a sharp ear, weaving between fellow citizens of the city and crossing roads hastily, almost hoping she could shake off her unwanted company. "He really was the rude kind when we were young."
"A shame," Judy replied, "because you appear to have picked up that trait and kept it with you."
It was incredibly faint, but Judy heard the snarl rumble in Ffion's throat behind her, making her fur stand on end. "Watch your tongue, Whiskers."
Judy flipped herself around; proceeding to walk backwards while letting her ears guide her. The vixen was glaring furiously, clearing not liking being spoken down to by a rabbit such as herself. Judy mimicked the smirk she had received earlier, irately not in the mood for predator insults and mocking playfulness today. She had far more important things to be thinking about that a dumb vixen that had made her feelings clear, and she was not going to let her intimidate her now or ever, especially if she insisted on being a part of Nick's life. She wanted to be mean? Judy would be nasty.
She pointed the tip of her pen at the vixen. "Firstly, call me any nickname under the sun, sweetheart, but I've heard every single one; it wont make a difference in how I feel. Secondly, I know you don't like me, and even better, I don't care. Three, if you try and intimidate me one more time I'll have you reported for harassment."
"Intimidate?" Ffion said in mock upset, placing a paw on her chest as if she had been hurt. "I never had intention to intimidate you."
"You're talking to a rabbit." Judy said in annoyance. "If you think I didn't hear you snarl, you're dumber than you look."
The pair stopped, now glaring at one another wrathfully on the side of the road. The tension was so thick you would struggle to even cut it with a knife. The smell of sour fruit was strong, unrelenting, making Judy feel violated. She froze for the briefest of seconds, thinking back to the night Ffion had made herself known, and how she had smelled the same scent that night when she had gotten home. She eyed Ffion suspiciously, but said nothing.
"Careful, bunny, or we're going to have a problem." Ffion warned, almost baring her teeth at her.
"We already do, vixen, but I'm not interested in a conflict." Judy retorted without missing a beat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm incredibly busy. Why don't you go and bully a rabbit that cares, huh? You're talking to the wrong gal."
Judy wasn't afraid. Maybe that would get her into trouble; maybe it would save her life. She couldn't tell. She'd dealt with foxes who thought they were better than her before (first Gideon, then Nick) so why should this be any different? Ffion was just an outsider who was trying to fit in by making herself look big against those who were small. Judy had been there before. She had no intention on being pushed down again, not when she had come this far. She knew she was more than that.
"Oh!" Judy cried, lifting a paw up in declaration to Ffion. "Word of advice. If you insist on getting close to a potential mate, it's best to earn the friendship of their best friend. Just a thought." And with that the rabbit went on her way, marching in triumph whilst she blatantly ignored the daggers being sent into her back from Ffion's vengeful eyes.
"Nick!"
Nick started, lifting up his head from the books he had to hand.
The History of Predators and their Prey: Never to Resurface. That was the title of the book aiding his research. It was a brutal reminder of the Animal history, where predators used to hunt and kill rather than work and play with prey. In truth, it wasn't his favourite topic. Seeing the harsh, historically accurate illustrations of a cheetah attacking and killing a gazelle was enough to make his stomach churn. It was far from a happy topic, even for a predator like himself.
He was in the city library, alone and nursing a coffee that was truthfully too bitter for his taste. He was staring but not focussing on a panther with its jaws locked around the neck of a warthog, a murderous blow. The book was about the times before evolution, back when animals were still on all fours and unable to speak, as well as wearing no clothes whatsoever. He would have smirked if Judy were there, for she wouldn't have dared to look at the images purely for the nakedness.
When he looked up, it was Ffion striding towards him, her face none to happy. In fact she looked positively furious, and for a second Nick raced through all of the things he could have possibly done wrong to upset her. It was like her raging yellow eyes were boring into him, drilling holes with her anger.
"What's wrong?" he asked, carefully closing the book in front of him.
"You need to keep that little rabbit of yours under control."
"Carrots?" he asked, confused. What on earth had she done? "What happened?"
"Just because she's a cop does not mean she has the right to call me dumb."
Nick couldn't help but feel amused. He touched his chin thoughtfully, raising a brow. "She said that? You must have upset her."
"I accidentally tripped her up."
"Carrots can be a little angry if she's focussed or having a bad day." He waved her off. "Don't take it personally."
The dumbfounded expression on Ffion's face was almost priceless. Her jaw hung open, like she couldn't comprehend what he had just said, or that he was making no effort to support her side of the story. He stared at her lazily, smiling uncontrollably as he watched the many emotions cross her face, from and surprise and shock, to mild annoyance, to finally embarrassment. There was something a little off about her, though, almost like the expressions weren't true, though he had a feeling that tiredness was weighing him down. This was his second day without sleep, which meant tomorrow was an entire day of sleeping. He couldn't wait; anything to make his head stop hurting and keep his eyes from playing tricks on him.
"You even have a pet name for her," Ffion rolled her eyes, finally settling in the seat opposite him. "I never thought I'd see the day where you mingled with prey. She even called you her best friend."
He didn't even blink. "Well, we are, to put it bluntly."
Ffion's eyed widened. "I thought you were just work partners?"
"I pretended to try and eat her for the sake of a case, a case I didn't even want to be involved in and would have rather continue living the life of hustling in popsicles. A few months later I became a cop instead. What does that tell you?"
"You should have eaten her tongue." She muttered angrily. Nick pretended he hadn't heard her say that.
"What can I help you with today, then, Ffion?"
"I wanted to see you." She replied, batting her lashes at him. "The other night was fun, and when you weren't answering your phone and your little friend wouldn't tell me where you were, I went to the basics. I remembered how much you liked books, and, well…"
"So you were stalking me." he finished for her, grinning.
"If you insist on putting it bluntly, then yes, yes I was." She looked down at her paws, evidently feeling nervous and embarrassed. He found it almost flattering, and chuckled at her delightfully.
"Give me half an hour and I take you for some lunch." He said, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms above his head, pulling every muscle in his back and arms for an incredibly satisfying and well-needed sensation. "I need a break anyway."
"What are you doing?" she asked curiously, gazing at the book in front of him on the table. He had the sudden impulse to shield her eyes, but not for her own protection. He felt conflicted, knowing that he shouldn't really tell her what he was up to, yet what would the harm be in doing so? He didn't have to tell her everything. He could give her clues, an idea, something to keep her interested in his daily activities. Frankly, he wanted to keep her around for a while.
He remembered the fun he had had with her as kits. The year he'd spent with her had involved getting into so much trouble that he slowly learned how to defy the law. Of course back then he refused to let anything get to him, so mimicking her was what he knew. Picking on the young, the weak, the prey, had been his way of getting through life and forgetting his ordeal three years earlier. He had to make himself look big and brave, and Ffion had been his key in doing so. She'd made him feel worthy again, like someone wanted to be his friend. He wasn't prepared to lose that feeling again, among the other emotions she brought along with her here, now.
Beautiful, cunning: a creature beyond comfortable in her own skin. There was nothing else in the world more attractive than that.
"Just some research on a case," he said, staring goofily at her, his chin in his paw. Her ears pricked forward with inquisitiveness, those beautiful eyes scanning the title. She repeated it back to him, but he barely heard her, and simply nodded.
"Why are you researching that?" she asked, attempting to grab the book.
Finally, Nick was yanked out of his reverie with a gasp. He snatched the book back before she could get a hold of it, his eyes wide in his own surprise. No. No, she couldn't know anything. It was a confidential case. Bogo would never let him work on a case like this again if information slipped. He didn't even want him working on this one!
No. Ffion was staying, but not under the jeopardy of his job. He'd have to find other ways to keep her interest.
Instead he worked a sly grin onto his mouth, tucking the book under the table and lodged between his knees. "How about that bite to eat?"
He didn't miss the annoyed look she provided, her eyes flicking in the direction in which he hid the book, before she nodded reluctantly. He stood, gesturing for her to lead the way. While her back was turned, he hastily shoved the book into the hands of a passing librarian, who so happened to be a giraffe with the nametag identifying him as Mark.
"Put this on the highest shelf you can find, and do not rent it out to anyone." Nick ordered hastily.
Mark looked confused but nodded, watching the fox run after the vixen with the shake of his head, and went on his way.
Let me know what you guys think, thank you for reading :)