35 Life Goes On

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AN: I know it's been a looooooooong time coming, and it may be a bit of a short chapter (all things considered) but here's the latest chapter. To a guest who chided me for my lack of attention on this particular story while working on others, there are a number of reasons that I will not qualify to you, but I will offer a bit of advice – if you've never written, you'll never get it, therefore you have no reason to criticize anyone for lack of attention to a particular story.

More notes at the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

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0645 THE NEXT MORNING AT WILDE RIDE CUSTOMS:

Entering the shop and expecting to be earlier than most of the animals, Sabine is surprised to find Judy, Skye, Tiffany, an unknown squirrel hybrid and a rabbit buck (probably one of Judy's brothers?) are already in the office.

"Well," smirks Judy "look what the wind blowed in…"

"What?" answers a partially stumped leopard, although she's pretty sure what the subject is.

"Did you manage to get everything out of your system yesterday?" asks Judy, pretty sure that she still smells a lingering trace of Midnight under the lightly applied expensive perfume.

"We … managed to work things out … so we … understand each other …" admits the furiously blushing feline.

"Good, so that means we can all get to work … right?" asks Judy.

"Sure thing Mrs. Wilde."

"It's Judy, remember? Anyway, while Nick gives the rest of the shop their assignments for the day, those of us who don't do shop work have our little meeting here every day. While most of us have our little routines, I have an assignment for you and Sally … which reminds me, where are my manners?"

Turning to the small hybrid, Judy makes proper introductions "Sally, this is our newest hire, Sabine Growley. Yes, she's Fabine's twin sister. Sabine, this is Sally Acorn." as Judy motions between the shop's two newest members.

"Sally is going to be setting up and running the gift shop that we're opening in town, as well as the one in Zootopia when we get finished redoing the old building that was partially destroyed."

"I remember that!" remarks the feline "It was-"

"Several brothers of a buck that raped me in high school…" Judy finishes quietly.

"Judy, I-" begins a slightly horrified Sabine.

"It-it's ok. Thanks to Nick and the rest of the gang," admits the doe to both new females "I've pretty much put it all behind me. The buck that did it, and his brothers, is in prison, probably for the rest of his life … for not only my rape and gods know how many others, but mostly because of an attempted murder charge and a vehicular homicide charge. He won't be bothering anyone again…ever."

Seeing the horrified looks that she's getting from the newbies, Judy presses on: "Anyways … moving on, Josh here is going to be redoing the shop's website, and Nick and I thought that since you're an actual journalist, you can come up with some new stuff for the website. Cover the new store, maybe something on the shop, even do some mammal interest stories on some of the less well-known employees. Kinda like some PR stuff."

"I can do that!" admits a now enthusiastic Sabine. "Maybe interview some local mammals on the street, print up some posters and the like as well?"

"Sure, I don't see why not! So … if you don't mind giving Sally here a ride to the new store, we'll let you two have at it."

"No problem. C'mon Sally, let's go…"

"So … you and Midnight huh?" asks Sally casually as the two head into Bunnyburrow in Sabine's Challenger.

"Yeah. He and I go way back, and since he's divorced, I kinda figured 'what the hell'!"

"You actually make a nice couple, good luck."

"Thanks…"

"No beaus for you yet?" asks a curious leopard.

"Afraid not …" answers Sally sadly. "A terrible divorce and other … stuff … kinda takes the interest otta that kinda stuff for me…"

"Sorry?" quietly apologizes the feline.

"No problem, you didn't know … turn left at the corner here, then a quick right."

Pulling up to the newly refurbished building, the odd pair exit the vehicle and Sally requests a paw up so she can unlock the store.

"I told those clowns to put an electronic lock on this damned door so I wouldn't have this problem…" grumbles the diminutive squirrel/chipmunk hybrid.

Entering the store, Sabine notices that that the walls seem to be painted in a sort of prairie mural, and that there are a lot of display cases scattered around the room.

"It's kinda like the Lakota reservation that Nick and Judy were at!" remarks Sally as she correctly guesses where Sabine's mind was going.

"I was wondering…" admits the leopard.

"I figured that since we'll be selling pawmade items that are coming from two of the tribes on the Pines Ridge reservation, it would help with the presentation of the stuff."

"Good thinking … how about if I get a few pictures, sort of for a before and after set to put on the website when you finally get the store open?"

"Great … go ahead, I've still got a few things to organize in the office and make sure we've got what we need for when we get some stock in. You know, a change bag, credit card machine, a register and paper for printing receipts, that sort of stuff. It's all supposed to be in the back, so look around while I find it and get it all set up. I guess that Michael is supposed to be bringing a few things in when he shows up tomorrow …" and her words fade as she exits the sales area and enters the stock room.

"Sure … go ahead and do that, then I can get a pic or two of you with the store being empty and more when you stock it …" offers Sabine, not at all sure that Sally even hears her.

After making sure that everything is almost ready to go, merely needing stock and a few minor items (not counting stock that is supposed to be coming from the reservation) to open the store, Sally makes a call.

"Judy? Yeah, it's Sally … yeah, I need to have you get those guys back to the store and get that digital touchpad setup for the front door … no, they didn't get it installed the other day … right … right … ok, I'll hang here for a bit while Sabine gets a few more pics for the website."

Glancing at the leopard making pawsigns, Sally gets the idea. "I guess she's gonna drive around and get a few interviews from mammals on the street and their feelings about the business moving to town and try to get their thoughts on the store."

Getting a thumbs up from Sabine on her way out the door, Sally goes on to tell her lapine boss the rest of the shortages that will need to be taken care of before the store can open.

Parking the Challenger in the parking lot of the towns Piggy Wiggy grocery store, Sabine figures that this should give her a good read on the community's feelings about the car shop moving to town as well as the new store.

As the young leopard is suddenly quickly surrounded by local mammals (mostly bunnies, but with a smattering of white-tailed deer, and other prey, as well as a few smaller predators) she quickly realizes that this might have been a very bad idea!

With a multitude of mammals (mostly females) clamoring for her autograph, Sabine is quickly reaching her wits end until:

"Ok y'all … y'all need ta leave tha poor gal alone!" comes from an unexpected source – one that Sabine clearly doesn't know.

As the crowd parts, a multi-toned brown/tan bunny steps forward.

"This here be Sabine Growley, Fabine's sister. She NOT be the lady y'all seen on the tv." Sylvia informs the still gathering crowd "she be one 'a Judy's new mammals so back off an' leave her be."

"Actually …" begins the now slightly calmer and less off-put feline, "I would like to get some of your reactions to Judy and her husband opening their shop here in town and to the new store that'll be selling paw-made trinkets from one of the reservations that they visited earlier…"

While quite a few mammals returned to their shopping, slightly disappointed that they hadn't got to meet a famous mammal, several stayed for Sabine to get their views and take several pictures of the townsmammals.

"I think it's wonderful that they've brought another business to town" pipes up one older bunny doe "it should help the financial stability of the community!"

"It'll help keep the tax base lower as well!" admits an older rabbit buck.

"I don't know…" begins another older rabbit doe "all of those sharp claws and teeth-"

"Clara" interrupts the younger doe "when wuz the last time any of them predators did anything untoward to any of the townsmammals here?"

"There was that time that Gideon Grey clawed young Judy Hopps!" comes the indignant answer.

"Thet was over fifteen years ago!" retorts the other doe "And 'sides, Judy an Gideon done made up an' put the past behind 'em! Heck, she's even married ta a fox, 'member? An didn't that entire bunch a his come and hep out my mom and dad not once but twice?"

"Well … yeah, I guess so…"

"And don' Gideon and his wife, ma sister, the former Darlene Hopps, own the best bakery in the Tri-Burrows? Obviously the Hopps clan has no qualms about bein' 'round or being married ta predators, so what's yer problem?" asks an older white tailed deer buck.

"I don't know exactly, it just seems … against nature to have predators and prey dating and being married and mated!"

"Ya mean instead of lovin' each other, being happily married and having kits instead of huntin' us down and usin' us as a food source like 'afore the Great Agreement? Ya mean like thet?" asks the first doe hotly.

Suddenly blanching at being so publicly called out on her specism, the offending doe simply huffs and turns and walks away.

"Figeres," observes Sylvia "Clara's allay's been a bit hateful toards preds."

"I'm sorry" begins a grateful but curious Sabine "you are …?

"Names Sylvia … Sylvia Hopps, one a Judy's yunger sisters." greets the doe as she extends a paw.

"I'm Sabine Growley" replies the feline returning the gesture "but you obviously already knew that. And just how is it you know so much about …"

"Clara and her speciest butt? Not much goes on around here that ah don't know 'bout." admits the brown and white doe.

Seeing the slightly confused looks that she's getting from Sabine, Sylvia continues:

"It's kinda hard fer me ta hol' a job around here 'cause I talk funny," the doe admits "so I jus' make the most of bein' in mos folk's business."

Tapping a slightly extended claw against her chin in thought, Sabine comes up with a plan "How would you like to earn a bit of spending money?"

Cocking her head a bit, a curious but cautious Sylvia asks "Doin' whut … xactly?"

"Well, I'm kind of doing a bit of public relations stuff for the website that Judy's brother Josh is putting together for the shop, and truth be told I could really use a guide of sorts … a local someone to show me around town and give me a resident's perspective on how the shop is affecting the town and other surrounding communities."

"Well," begins Sylvia "ya know thet Josh is ma brother too, right?"

Rolling her eyes at the obvious oversight, a slightly flustered (and greatly embarrassed) Sabine meekly answers "Right, right, sorry."

"S' awright, no prob. Nuttin' hurt afer all. Anyways, ya still wanna have me show ya arown'?"

"Yes please, if you don't mind terribly." as Sabine struggles somewhat to decipher the odd accent of the young doe. "Sally gave me a quick tour, but I'd kind of like to get another mammal's perspective of the town, one of the local's if you get what I mean."

"Oh no, I gites it. Ya wanna be sure that no ever'budy is as hung up on preds as Clara."

"Yeaah, that's right. Anyway, if you're interested-"

"Don' see why not. A'hm ready when you is!"

As Sylvia directs Sabine around the quiet town, the feline notices that the talkative bunny seems to get a bit off put whenever they get anywhere close to the area hospital. However, not wanting to tread where she might strain the pairs new relationship, the feline chooses to remain quiet.

"So." She begins on another train of thought "What's your opinion of your sisters marrying Nick and Gideon? I know that you defended the two of them earlier, but I want your honest thoughts. And I promise that they'll go no further than right here and right now."

Giving the matter only a few seconds of thought, the doe answers "Jude's ala's been wun ta ne'er do thins the easy way. Furst she wanted ta be a cop, so when the inclusion thing fell thru, she took a job at wun a the fam'lies gas stations in Zootown. She hated it a course, but at least she wus otta the Burra.

"Ta hear her tell it, Nick an' a buddy a his stopped at the station on the way ta a car show and he grabbed her tail – accident er on purpose, depends on who ya lissen ta tell it – anyways, she slapped him an' he hired her ta werk at his shop. The rest is histery as they say.

"When a twister cum thru her a while back, Nick closed his shop an brung all his mammals here to help clean up an' rebuild everthin'. Later on, when a lot a the kits decided ta move on ta figger out whut they wanted ta do 'cept farm, one a Nicks mammals figered a way fer ma an' pa ta not have ta sell the farm.

After a couple a locals blew up Nicks Zootown shop, he moved the thin' her an' brung ala his mammals wit him. Even paid ta move 'em otta his own pocket frum whut I heard.

"No mammal, 'specially a buck, woulda ever dun whut Nick an' his bunch done ta help any of us in either a them situations. Jude's got a good mammal in that todd, an' as long as Jude's happy, I don' see nuthin wrong wit her bein' with Nick, even if he's a pred. An' before ya ask, I gots nuthin again any pred, 'cause none never done me no harm."

"That's … interesting!" finally proclaims Sabine after she processes all of what Sylvia has revealed.

"As far as Darlene, not much ta tell there. Gid needed hep an' Dar wusn't wurkin' at the time, so it werked our fer the best 'tween 'em. Wun thin' led ta 'nuther and there ya have it."

"Anyway's" comments the doe "thet's pretty much the Burra. Ya kin drop me off at thet new store if ya want. I kinda promised Sally thet I'd give her a paw if she needed it."

Sensing that the doe was needed an excuse to end the tour, Sabine agreed.

Pulling up to the store, Sabine observes that Sally is overseeing a couple of workmammals installing a couple of new locksets at different levels in the outside door.

Rolling down the passenger side window, the feline asks the hybrid "Are you going to need a ride back to the shop later?"

"Nope!" comes the reply. "One of my new helpers is gonna swing by in a bit, but thanks for the offer."

Giving a brief thumbs up, Sabine puts the Challenger in gear and heads back to Wilde Rides.

Entering the office, Sabine greets Judy, the two vixens and Judy's brother (Josh is it?).

"Umm, can I talk to you for a minute … privately?" asks the feline tentatively asks the doe.

"Sure, I guess…" answers Judy, totally unsure of the feline's intent.

As the pair enter Judy's private office, Sabine begins "Look, I know that his is probably none of my business, so if I'm off base or out of line, just say so."

"Oookaaaaaaay! …." Affirms Judy, motioning for Sabing to continue:

"After doing a short photo shoot at the store," begins Sabine "I left Sally and drove around for a bit and then stopped at the local Piggy Wiggy store to do a couple of on the street type interviews with some of the locals. When one of the locals became quite vocal against you and Nick, one of your sisters, Sylvia I think her name was, came to my rescue. After she got finished calling out the doe, I offered to pay her to be a sort of tour guide. She agreed, but every time we'd get close to the hospital, she got kind of skittish. I was kind of wondering if you might know why…"

After pondering the request for a few moments, Judy decides that it might be best to share a hunch with the leopard, to at least partially sate the female's curiosity.

"None of us know for sure, but … do you remember when I told you that I'd been date raped in high school?"

"Yes…"

"Well, the buck that did that to me seemingly raped dozens if not more of the local does. Every single time he dropped them off in front of the emergency entrance at Bunnyburrow General. Since the buck in question was a star athlete and the son of a prominent politician, none of the does in question, myself included, were taken seriously. Some handled the rejection better than others, even though we were all pretty much scarred for life. A few does committed suicide, while others became literal introverts. We all kind of figured that Sylvia was one of his victims after she had gotten home late one night and locked herself in her room for a couple of days doing nothing except watching TV 24/7. When she finally came out she was talking like you must've heard her, with a sort of a Cajun accent. I guess it's her way of coping."

"Oh my gods!" comments a thoroughly horrified Sabine, "I had no idea!"

"Most mammals don't," admits Judy quietly. "but then again, it's generally not something that you want out in public either."

"Judy, is there-"

"I know what you're going to ask, and so far nothing has helped." as Judy answers the partially asked question.

"I've tried to talk to Sylvie about it, but she just clams up and hides in her room for a few days, then comes out and acts like it never happened. And yes, she knows that I'm one of Johnny's victims, but she just stays lost in her own little world. I even asked her if she'd be willing to sit in on the lodge that we're having, but once she found out about the event sharing part, she shot that down in a hurry, even though I told her that sharing is strictly voluntary. I'm afraid that if we push too hard, she'll go off the deep end and join the few that have ended their own lives.

"I know you'd like to do something to help her, but please, just … let it go for now. There might be something in the future that will help bring her around. That's the best we can hope for at this point."

"I don't like it, but … fine. I'll respect your wishes and her privacy."

"Thank you. now, what 'cha got for your contribution to Josh's web site?"

"Well …" as the feline reluctantly shifts mental gears to the task at paw "I've got a few interviews with several of the locals, lots of pictures, and…."

Early the next day, Nick and Judy are just finishing breakfast when Nick's phone rings:

"Hello?" begins Nick, not really paying attention to the caller ID – he was busy ogling Judy's nearly naked backside. 'This doe's gonna be the death of me, running around the house in nothing but a skimpy bra and panties…' he thinks.

"Híŋhaŋni wašté Maza Ista (Good morning Iron Eyes)." comes the voice over the phone, immediately shaking Nick from his less that pure thoughts.

"Híŋhaŋni wašté Wayate Tehal." (Good Morning Sees Far) replies Nick, falling into the old tongue without even thinking about it.

"To what do I owe the honor of this call, Ciyewaye Ki?" (chee-yea-wah-yea kee - my younger brother) Nick asks, not expecting to hear from the burgeoning Lakota medicine mammal and spiritual leader at this time of day.

"Stands With A Fist and I shall be arriving at your home in a few minutes. I wanted to surprise you but my mate demanded that I call and give you some warning."

"We weren't expecting you until sometime tomorrow at the earliest!" admits a stunned Nick.

"We have a cargo with us that wanted to get there even sooner. However, with a great deal of persuasion we managed to convince them to wait this long."

"By saying them, I take it that you have at least three passengers?" inquires the todd.

"That would be correct, yes, along with items from both tribes for your store." informs the wolf.

"It's a good thing that the store was just completed and that we have a mammal to run it." pipes up Judy.

"Híŋhaŋni wašté Sumanitu Taka Wana Gi!" (Good morning Ghost Wolf) as Michael greets Judy.

"Híŋhaŋni wašté Wayate Tehal." replies the young doe, also falling into the old tongue.

"So, how long until you get here?" asks Nick.

"About fifteen minutes or so…" comes the answer from Yvonne. "We have the address to your shop and to the Hopps main burrow, but we figured we'd stop at the shop first so as to not inconvenience Judy's parents so early in the day."

"We'll notify a very interested Bolo and Lefty, so that you and your passengers get a proper welcome." Judy informs Michael.

"We have much to speak of and to accomplish in the next few days Iron Eyes. I look forward to seeing you all again. Until our paths cross … Mitakuye Oyasin." (We are all related) adds Michael as he severs the connection.

As Nick and Judy share a slightly shocked look, Nick finally gets the gears moving: "I'll call Bolo and Lefty, you call your folks and Sally to let her know that we've got some stuff for the store."

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AN: while this chapter is a lot shorter than most, I figured that I'd better post at least this much, since (thanks to an upset guest) I realized that it's been over a year since I've posted on this story. Finally getting retired from my job with the government took a lot more effort and time than I realized, along with writers block etc. anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.