Hot Hiking (for combat engineer).

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AN: So, Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia Season 2 is OUT! In case you didn't notice. However, due to the fact I'm aiming to have all of it shared with a writers group I'm part of (in order to improve the quality) the updates will be going down to one every two weeks. So, in-between said weeks, I'll be posting regular updates here. Enjoy.

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Hehihehihehihehihehihehihehiehi…

"Nick…"

Hehihehihe… -"Yes Fluff?" -hehihehi…

"Please stop that."

The fox in question paused, pulling his tongue in and swallowing down, before speaking out. "Sure Fluff," he huffed. "Stop thermoregulating… Great plan." And with that, his jaw opened up again, his tongue rolled out, and the panting began once more. Hehihehihehihehihehihehihehiehihehihehihehihehi…

Meanwhile, by his side, a certain bunny, ears wilting like a crop that had gone a month without rain of water, trudged on. Stripped down to nothing but her shortest of shorts and the overflowing pack on her back, the bunny determinedly set the pace.

Shoulders slowly shrugging down as the continuous Hehihehihehihehi carried on next to her.

It didn't take long for a small grumble to escape her mouth, as she spoke again. "Could you please, at least, try."

Hehihehi… "-I'm guessing they didn't teach you this at school fluff, but overheating is bad."

"Fine," she grumbled.

Hehihehi "-No really, I know you like your toddy hot, but heat stroke and death isn't that fun."

…

Hehihehihehihehihehi

…

"It's not like you're not doing it too." Indeed, looking on, Nick had noticed how Judy was taking short and sharp breaths into and out of her mouth. In, out, in out, a more discrete version of his own, tongue lolling, method.

And he was pretty sure that it wasn't working as well.

Not that she'd admit it. She still wasn't admitting that this hike, that she'd looked up herself and planned for their holiday, was just maybe a bad move. Something that Nick, as he marched on, was getting ever more convinced of.

"Sweet mother Marian," he drawled. "There are places in Sahara Square…"

She gave him a look.

"Right up against the climate wall…"

She turned her eyes back to the track ahead.

"-That I know from experience are cooler than this."

"Come on," she moaned. "We need to get to the first camp site by tonight, and we're behind schedule. So, unless you have anything more to add… Let's just keep going."

….

Hehihehihehihehihehihehihehiehihehihehihehihehi…

"Surely there's a better way…" she complained, briefly eying the leaf of a pear cactus, judging up its potential as a fan. "-For mammals to keep cool."

"Ever heard of sweating?"

"Huh?"

"Horses do it," Nick carried on. "Water literally oozes out of their skin to cool them off."

Judy looked on perplexed, if a little disgusted, before blinking. "I once saw a horse that looked like he'd jumped in old washing water, all wet, and with soap scum on him or something…"

"Oh yeah," Nick muttered. "It's salt water."

"What happens when it meets their clothes."

"They get wet, I guess," Nick carried on. "And then the wetness dries out, leaving gunk… and bacteria… And stink."

Judy thought for a second. "Panting isn't that bad."

"Did you know that hippo's also sweat?"

"No."

"Their sweat is blood red."

"Panting is great. What could possibly be better than it?"

"Giant ears," he said, Judy turning to face him.

…

He pinched the ends of his and pulled them up, all while dropping his voice several octaves. "Hey, these ain't just for hearing people reporting a 'lost child' to the staff, y'know."

Judy turned around, pulling her own limp ears out and waving them about, trying to catch some air on them.

"Kangaroos just lick their arms."

Judy ignored him.

Hehihehihehihehihehi

Judy kept ignoring him.

Hehihehihehihehihehi

She froze as she felt one of her ear tips being grasped and pulled up, a long saliva covered tongue lapping up the thin inner skin layer, the sticky trail immediately catching the breeze and feeling blissfully… blissfully… cool…

…

"The other one. Please."

Nick took a break from fanning himself and looked down, opening his mouth. "Working up some saliva in here Fluff… Kind of rationed at the moment."

The bunny nodded, bringing out a bottle of water. "Here," she said. "Have some ration to help your ration."

Nick took a deep swig and relaxed, before heading over to an area of shade underneath a rocky overhand. The bunny followed and sat down, sighing.

Hehihehihehihehihehi…

Honestly, she didn't give a damson at this point, instead just getting out her map, looking on at it, and groaning. "We're still ages away, though… -If we turn up this way, we can walk along this road, cut across this path here, and cut the corner… And avoid the mountain. But that shortcut is almost too good. We get there mid-afternoon, and will just be sitting there… -Next to a watering hole."

Hehihehihehihehihehi…

"This is a great plan, what do you think Nick?"

She handed over her guidebook, the fox taking it and giving the map a glance.

He then turned it over and looked at the front. "Vulpine-ventures?"

"Yeah," she said. "I thought that a fox guidebook would be good, finding us some nice fox optimised hiking trails."

There was a pause, as Nick raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Fox optimised… Why not bunny optimised?"

"Because I didn't want you to get stuck in pipe or something," she said, smiling. "And it wasn't like I chose a hard one. Medium difficulty."

"Uh-hu," Nick said, scrolling back to it. "Medium difficulty for… -Ruppell's fox. Fluff?"

"Yeah," Judy asked, looking up.

"Have you ever met a Ruppells fox?"

"No," she said, looking over as she fanned herself with her paw.

Nick, looking back, let his tongue pant a few times. "When mammals mistook Finn for a kit, they were the ones they mistook him for a kit of."

Judy shrugged. "Oh."

"Which means they're foxes with big ears, the biggest ears, perfect for the desert."

Judy's ears lowered. "Oh…"

Nick, shrugging, put the book away. "Then again, it does say that it's fine for red foxes."

Up her ears perked once more.

"-As a nocturnal hike."

Judy looked over and grabbed the book, skimming back to the trail they were on. Fanning herself, scratching one ear, she shrugged. "So, plenty of time in the late morning and early morning while I can still see?"

"Yup," Nick said.

"With midday and midnight naps, right?"

"About right."

"-And I've heard the starts out here are wonderful."

The fox smiled. "As have I."

"Shall we take that shortcut, siesta, then carry on at the appropriate time?" she asked.

Nick, looking back, smiled too. "Si Senorita Zanahorias! Andale!"

"Andale," she agreed, the pair getting up and changing their direction, trudging through the sweltering daytime heat for what they hoped was the last time.