Loves Bond
Chapter 06 - Fox Among Rabbits
The sleek, yellow train flew at a breakneck speed through the heavily forested countryside. To the passengers inside, it felt like the train was barely moving. If it wasn't for the hills and trees flying past the car's windows, everyone inside would have thought it was only gently rocking back and forth. Even the clickity clack of the wheels was muffled into a soft murmur that belied the train's true speed.
Dense pine and leafy deciduous trees hugged both sides of the tracks in a thick wall of green. After merely seconds, the wall of vegetation seemed to recede and forested hills rose behind grassy meadows. From inside the train, the scene looked like a rolling quilt interspersed with sharp rocks, patches of gently flowing meadows and dark green clumps of thickly wooded slopes.
Breaking up the natural scenery, an old log cabin or a collapsed shack could be spotted in one of the many open meadows that flew past. Every once in a while, skinny, metal towers could be seen reaching high above the thick foliage covering the wildlands. If a mammal looked close enough they could also see long black wires strung from one tower to the next.
As the train climbed higher into the hills, some of the leafy trees even showed signs of the encroaching autumn. Mottled spots of red, brown and orange dotted a few of the bright green clumps near the crests of the taller slopes. To some of the passengers it appeared as if colorful highlights had been gently brushed across the landscape or splattered like paint from a stiff brush.
One of the smaller passengers held her head in her paws while she stared at the countryside as it quickly slipped past her window. Despite the cool breeze outside the train car, her smile was warm and pleasant. When a wall of thick pines gave way to a wide open meadow, she glanced back and forth between the scene and her traveling partner, noticing how the distant birch and maple leaves almost matched the color of his fur.
The train was built for much larger animals and this small rabbit had to literally stand in her seat to see out the windows. She could have gone to the observation deck where the giraffes would stretch their necks, but her companion had wanted to nap on the long benches of the main compartment instead.
"What's so interesting, Carrots?" the fox asked curiously. Today, the tod was dressed in a light green button up shirt that had a mix of leafy patterns printed in autumn colors across the fine material. Hanging loosely around his neck, was a blue striped tie that had obviously seen better days. Inside the shirt pocket was a pair of large, dark sunglasses with a silver trim. The interior of the train was not so bright that it hurt his sensitive eyes, yet he kept the glasses within easy reach until he had to exit the vehicle. In one paw he held a flat, wooden stick that was half covered in a red stain.
Nick lifted the pawpscicle stick and slowly sucked on one end while he curiously watched his rabbit's expression shift along with the swiftly changing scenery. He would have tossed out the stick half an hour ago after the last of the ice cream had gone, but there wasn't a nearby bin, and a snooty looking hippopotamus kept glaring at them from across the aisle. Thus he ended up having to hold the sticky stick for the remainder of the trip.
"Oh, it's nothing, Slick," the gray rabbit replied in a hushed whisper that did little to hide her feelings for the orange fox. A warm, pleasant smile was plastered across her muzzle causing her eyes to sparkle, while her nose quivered slightly. Her deep purple eyes were filled with anticipation as they glanced quickly in his direction before returning to the passing scenery.
"Don't try to pretend, Fluff," he advised her with a smirk. "I know something has got you worked up." He pointed a long, dark-furred finger at her and waved it around in the air, "Your ears are twitching, and I have never seen you actually wag your tail like that before. I am surprised that you're not hopping in that seat right now."
"Nick," Judy gasped loudly as a small paw covered her muzzle. Sharp wits were a necessary tool when dealing with a fox of any species, and this bunny's mind held an edge like an expertly crafted kitchen knife. Instinctively, she tried to change the subject and divert the tod's earlier question. With as much shock as she could muster, she turned her head and declared loudly, "Were you staring at my tail again?."
Falling for the rabbit's sudden diversion, Nick turned his lazy green eyes to the bright, gray and white ball of cotton that seemed to be glued to the back of her well toned butt. "It's not like you're hiding it, Sweetheart," he quipped with a wink. "Besides, you're practically waving it around in the air for all the world to see." His finger swished around in the air imitating a popular dance move.
Scowling, Judy put her paws on her hips and curled her fists into tight little balls. "I am not," she refuted sourly. Despite her words and the cold glare directed at him, she began to shake her hips and wiggled her puffy tail in the fox's direction.
The fox's eyes widened and his lips barely began to move. Only a rabbit's ears could have heard the words that came out of his mouth, "So fluffy." He repeated the sentence twice as his black paw slowly closed over the soft, bouncing skutt that held him entranced.
Swatting away her boyfriend's paw, the gray rabbit giggled fondly at him before she quickly turned away from the window and promptly sat down on the object of the red fox's attention. Even while sitting on her tail, she had to fight off a wandering paw that continued to pinch at her hind quarters. With unrestrained glee she giggled and laughed every time he came close.
In the midst of the two small mammal's play fighting, neither of them heard the loud huff that came from the giant, furless mammal sitting on the opposite bench. The hippo's expression was filled with contempt and she glared down at the mixed couple like they were a pair of unruly cubs who had just vandalized her car.
Nick's pinch attacks suddenly ceased and the softness in his muzzle took on a more serious tone, "No, really, Carrots. What is so fascinating outside? You have been staring out that window since we left the city." The seats and windows were designed for much larger mammals, so his short stature prevented him from clearly seeing what passed by outside without standing up first.
Judy hiccuped twice as her paws continued to swat at the air between them. "What?" she asked, slightly puzzled at the sudden change in the fox's voice. The excitable rabbit lived for the thrill that was life and would often start fights with her fox for the sheer pleasure it brought her. A random pillow would fly across the couch on uneventful evenings or a pawfull of freshly picked grass would find its way down the fox's collar. Picking on her boyfriend was all part of the romance for this bunny, and when the fight suddenly stopped it felt like a cold breeze had blown through her ears.
His question slowly sank in and she glanced across his shoulder and out the window behind him. More of the trees that blanketed the countryside were showing signs of the coming chill and a hint of bittersweet sadness filled her voice, "It has been over a year since I have returned to the burrows, yet so much has happened in the city since I joined the force, that it almost feels like a lifetime."
She placed a single paw gently across his own and gave it a fierce squeeze, "Seeing the seasons change here in the foothills reminds me of my family and working on the farm. There was always so much work to be done before the first frost set in. Not only did the crops have to be properly boxed up and shipped, but all the equipment brought in and stowed in the barn. A frozen irrigation pipe was something no one ever wanted to see."
"Always the farmgirl," Nick jested at the smaller mammal's nostalgia only to receive a swift punch in the shoulder for his comment.
"No," the rabbit shirked. Holding both of her upturned paws out in front of her, she explained, "Now that I have the job I always wanted, and I am helping make the world a better place, I would not give that up for anything." A hint of determination crossed her muzzle and she closed her paws into tiny fists.
"Not even a little?" he asked with his typical foxy smirk.
The rabbit shook her head and let her ears flop from side to side. "Sure, I miss my family," she said with a sigh, "and I had a lot of good memories growing up on the farm. But now I want to live my own life, and make new memories." She paused for a second, leaned her head on the fox's shoulder, wrapped her arm around his waist and whispered, "with you."
A slight shiver raced through the tod's body and he gave the bunny a warm hug which she returned with a happy chirp.
"That is just disgusting," an angry voice bellowed directly in front of them. The infuriated hippopotamus could no longer stand the sight of the flirty couple and decided that she would take immediate action. Standing up from her seat, she glared down at them with hooves clenched, "Depraved inters like the two of you should be gutted and thrown in the river like the rotten fish you are!" She then made a deep, raspy noise in the back of her throat and spat a bucket load of mucus on the floor in front of them, "Such perverted filth should not be allowed in public amongst decent, law abiding citizens."
Standing to her full height in the train's bench seat, with even her ears fully erect, the rabbit barely came to the top of the hippo's long skirt. Yet, the vicious snarl that leapt from between the angry rabbit's bucked teeth caused the huge, bald mammal to take a step back. Her partner had barely begun to react to the hippo's harsh words before Judy charged gallantly into action, like she was facing down a ruthless, horde of criminals, "If you can't stand a little PDA then maybe you should find somewhere else to sit."
A black furred finger was raised and a sharp remark crouched, ready to spring like an equine sprinter from the tip of Nick Wilde's long tongue, when suddenly, a gray and white form was firmly plastered to the end of his muzzle. He only had a moment to blink before small, soft paws yanked at the fur on his cheeks pulling him deeper into the bunny's hungry kiss while a tiny pink tongue pried open his jaws and began to fondle his sharp incisors.
Gagging, the disgruntled cow made a noise like she had stepped in a pile of fecal matter left behind by a lawless, savage animal, yet some of the other passengers cheered at the rabbit's steamy kiss. With a loud huff, the hippo looked around the car, "You're all filthy perverts." She grabbed her luggage and stalked down the aisle to one of the other cars while muttering, "Disgusting, depraved, filthy inters, all of you."
In the wake of the hippo's exit, an ibex in sharp business attire and a casually dressed zebra also got up and left, leaving only snorts of derision behind them. The other remaining passengers seemed pleased that the snobbish animals had left, and one badger even clapped slowly as the doors swished shut.
After the rude mammal left, Nick pointed to the wet mess on the floor, "Maybe we should find another seat." Judy, who was still peppering the fox in a shower of kisses, silently nodded before grabbing her own luggage.
Three seats further down the train, they stowed their carry-ons and tried to pick up their previous conversation. This time the bunny remained seated on the bench facing the interior of the train, but her eyes were lost in the distance. She stared dreamily out the opposite window at the passing countryside as it morphed from rocky cliffs and steep hills into wide, flat farmlands that stretched as far as her eyes could see.
After several minutes, the bunny finally spoke in a voice that seemed far away, "This weekend's festival is in celebration of the end of the harvest. All of the crops have been brought in and stored away before the first frost. When I was little, I used to feel that it was to celebrate when all the work was done, but now that I am grown I know that the work on a farm never really ends, not even in the winter."
Nick sat quietly with his paws in his lap, watching the rabbit as she spoke. He would nod occasionally as she described her childhood memories of past autumns. For a bunny child, the change of seasons brought an end to long summer days playing in the fields with her siblings and the return to school. The Harvest Festival always drove that feeling home for Judy, and this year was not different for the country bunny.
"Tell me what it's like, Carrots," the fox finally asked his rabbit after they had passed several more miles of open farmland. "I have never been to a Harvest Festival before."
Without thinking about it, one of her small gray paws found its way under one of the tod's larger, black ones while she continued her story. "It is only what everyone calls the county fair. Mammals from all over the area bring their best produce and put them on display. Then on Saturday, everything is judged, from the tastiest carrot to the best peach pie. Kits and pups show off the arts and crafts projects they made over the summer, and even the local mountain beavers put up their chewed art."
"Chewed art?" Nick asked curiously.
"Yep," she nodded and squeezed his paw. "There is this logging community in the northern corner of the county. Mostly all beavers, but they provide the majority of wood and lumber for the Tri-Burrows. Some of them are even sculptors." She shuddered at an old memory and placed her free paw over the one she already held creating a pawful sandwich.
"I remember that when I was younger, there was a sculpture of a full-grown, grizzly bear, with his arms and claws extended fiercely and roaring like a savage. The carving was so life-like that I was terrified at first." The rabbit giggled at her old fears, then patted Nick's paw to reassure herself. "It wasn't until much later that I learned that the bear statue had been carved from a single tree and the artist used only his teeth." She pointed at the large flat tooth that protruded from the top of her mouth.
Entwining her fingers with Nick's, she continued, "He has since passed away so we won't be seeing any of his work this year, but I hear his granddaughter has gotten pretty good. She only does fantasy and mythical animals, like single horned equines and winged reindeer. A few years ago, my mom even bought a life-sized, hare statue from her that has this gorgeous rack of antlers on his head. It's a pretty impressive statue and currently sits near the largest fireplace back in the warren."
Nick nodded knowingly, like keeping large statues of mythical creatures around your house was perfectly normal behavior for country mammals. The rabbit paid no attention to his expression and moved on to describe all the kits' games and rides she expected to find at the festival this year. There would not be anything as fancy, or dangerous as a rollercoaster or as large as a Ferris wheel but she did expect her new boyfriend to join her on them without question. She emphasized that last point by poking him in the ribs with each word.
"You know, Carrots," the red canid reminded her with a sharp black claw pointed into the air. "We are not here only for fun and games. There is still a mammal to track down."
Judy suddenly let go of the fox's paw, and her expression quickly shifted from dreamy anticipation to strictly business, "I know, Slick. We have to find out what this Hogenshaw knows about those shipping documents."
With his head tilted back, Nick stared at the ceiling, "I have a strong suspicion that she is just a patsy in all this, but we won't know that until we speak to her. It's a shame we can't bring her in for questioning."
The rabbit turned her whole body to face her partner, even her ears pointed at him, "You heard what Bogo said to us this morning, we were both in his office. Unless that was some other fox wearing your clothes." She lifted a tightly fisted paw ready to give him a good jab in the shoulder but decided against it. They had both gotten little sleep last night, and their boss had called them into his office extremely early that morning before they boarded the early train out to the burrows. No one would ever accuse Nick of being a morning mammal and she could forgive him for not remembering anything their boss had said prior to having any coffee.
She lowered her fist and recounted what the giant buffalo had explained to them while he had glared down at his two smallest officers. "Our suspect is currently in Bunny Burrow and way out of the jurisdiction of the ZPD. Without an official warrant, we can't even have the local Sheriff pick her up. Bogo said that everything about this investigation has been unconventional, but he is willing to let us talk to her, provided we leave our uniforms at home. We can't even bring our cruiser, so we will have to find other transportation for now."
Her partner groaned at that last statement. He would have preferred not to take public transportation all the way out to the country, or have to rely on a rental car once they got there. But since they were strictly ordered not to use ZPD property, and neither he nor the bunny owned a vehicle, they had little choice in the matter.
When she noticed that Nick's eyes had become slightly glazed as he stared up at the ceiling, Judy did not hesitate to give his shoulder a swift punch this time, "Hey, Slick, are you paying attention?"
Firmly rubbing the joint where the rabbit's strong fist had connected, the fox replied with a nod, "Yeah, I heard you, no uniform or car, Bogo's orders." After all the times she had punched him in that very spot, it was surprising that he had any feeling left in that arm.
With a snort she continued, "We can talk to her as regular civilians, but not as ZPD officers. If we suspect that there is any reason for an arrest, we will have to contact the local authorities." She thumped her hind paw on the seat of the chair and huffed, "Hogenshaw could be the ringleader behind this whole mammal trafficking case, but Bogo has our paws tied behind our backs." To emphasise her point she held both paws behind her body like they were bound tightly in pawcuffs.
Like a street mime, Nick reached over and took her paws in his own and pantomimed unlocking her invisible cuffs and then gently kissed each paw before throwing away the keys. "I know you are frustrated right now, Carrots, but I am sure that everything will become clear very soon." He dropped her paws and placed his own around her cheeks. Looking deep into her eyes he continued his encouragement, "In the year that you have been on the ZPD you have never failed to solve a case. While I was training at the academy I kept hearing about the amazing Officer Hopps who always got her mammal. Have a little faith, Fluff. Remember that I still have your back. Even with our paws tied, we will figure this out together."
Judy reached her paws up to where the fox gently held her muzzle and placed her paws against his own. Closing her eyes, she then rubbed one of her cheeks into his palm affectionately. Opening them again, a sharp determination filled her muzzle, "Your right, Slick." The rabbit squeezed his paws into tight balls and pulled them down from her head. "Together," she declared, "We can do this!"
Looking straight at his bunny, he spoke without any faux sincerity in his voice, "One hundred percent, Judy." The fox opened his jaws to say something more but was interrupted by the train's PA system, announcing that they would be arriving at the Bunny Burrow station in a few minutes.
The gray rabbit quickly let go of Nick's black paws and began to brush at the front of her shirt, trying to wipe away any dirt or unseen crumbs. She also licked her paws and ran them through her ears nervously. "Nick, how do I look? Am I presentable?"
Seeing her unexpected anxiety, he leaned back and gave her a full once over. One paw rested on the end of his chin, while his emerald green eyes passed twice over the full length of her body. He opened his mouth for a split second as if to say, "Wait a minute," but instead he licked his thumb and pretended to wipe a smudge from her cheek. Before his paw left her soft fur, he clasped her whiskers and leaned in to plant a sweet kiss on her tiny, pink nose, "You look absolutely beautiful, Darling." And the foxy smirk that she loved so much returned in an instant, like slamming shut a garage door over the red tod's muzzle.
Today, she had chosen not to wear any of the country outfits that she wore when growing up, but instead, wanted to show her family that she was indeed a successful city rabbit. She wore a lacy, blue, v-neck blouse that hung loosely over a tight, fur tight, white under shirt. A new pair of jeans with carrots stitched into pockets covered her legs and showed off her well toned rump along with highlighting the fluffy, white part of her cottony tail.
Her new friend Tabby had helped her put together the outfit when she explained that she wanted something modern and fashionable. Fashion was not something Judy had ever cared about before, utilitarian and functionality were more important when working on the farm than looking pretty. Things had changed over the last summer and she slowly began to care what other mammals thought of her looks, especially a certain fox. She wasn't a young party animal that hung out at all the hottest clubs, but something about wearing nice clothes made her feel good. Plus, the compliments she heard from other city rabbits about her new clothes helped to reinforce that feeling.
Nick caught a hint of the chill outside as the train's brakes began to screech, slowing the vehicle before it approached the platform on the outskirts of town. Reaching for his luggage, he realized that he should have packed something warmer. Zootopia's weather this time of year had been much warmer when they boarded the train. The city sat directly on the coast near the mouth of a large river, while Bunny Burrow was on the edge of a flat plain and the foot of a smallish mountain range. The burrows were also several degrees of latitude north of the big city and the fall chill came to the area much sooner.
The fox owned very few winter outfits since his own coat thickened significantly as the weather changed, but this felt like it was a month earlier than what he was accustomed to in the city. In his suitcase were only a few short sleeved, button-up shirts and a t-shirt or two. He was certain that Judy had not put any warm outfits in her own case either, nor a single jacket. Come to think of it, Nick was certain that she didn't even own a light jacket. She did however have one warm, wool coat that she wore the last time they were in Tundratown. With this knowledge, he had felt confident packing his own luggage. Now, as the train stopped with a ding, and the doors slid open with a swish, he groaned as a cool breeze filled the cabin and ruffled his fur.
Before heading towards the exits, Nick hopped up onto the seats to better see out the high windows and took his first look of the town his girlfriend called home. His jaw dropped when his gaze hit nothing but grass covered hills with a few trees dotted here and there. The area surrounding the train station was almost completely empty. Only a few trees shaded the station itself and a recently plowed field stretched from the platform out to the base of a distant hill, yet everything else was grass, grass and more grass.
"Where is the town?" the fox asked in confusion. Quickly looking around again he only saw a single, lonely building near the parked train. Did rabbit farmers actually live in houses like civilized mammals or did they hide amongst the tall grasses and weeds? He had heard of some wild mammals that still prefer to live out of doors, but Judy did not seem like that kind of rabbit.
"Hurry up slowpoke," Judy called back to him as she rushed for the open door. "Everyone is waiting for us."
Jumping down from the long, comfy bench, Nick hauled a pair of heavy bags down the dividing aisle towards where the rabbit had gone. Carried along by the cool breeze from outside, his strong nose could smell the chill in the air and the usual scent of fall. There was the smell of freshly lit fireplaces, dry grasses, and warm, spiced cider, but there was something else different floating on the Bunny Burrow air. After a few sniffs his senses realized that it was the smell of roasted food, it smelled so good that he subconsciously began to drool. It wasn't until hours later that he realized the new smell that seemed to surround Bunny Burrow was from roasted carrots.
When Nick finally stepped off the train and onto the flat, wooden platform, his girlfriend raised her paw and wiped several drops of drool from his mouth, "Stop that, you might scare everyone."
"Everyone?" he asked softly before turning to look at who was waiting for their arrival. What he saw made his eyes bulge and his knees began to buckle until he almost climbed back onto the train in fear. A soft, gray paw resting on his own helped strengthen his resolve and he was able to stand firm.
Waiting for them at the train stop were, of course, Bonnie and Stuart Hopps, along with a tiny rabbit kit who was hiding shyly behind Bonnie's leg. What filled the fox's knees with terror was what stood directly behind them, it was the rest of Judy's family. There seemed to be hundreds of rabbits and they almost filled every corner of the train station. The last time he had seen so many mammals packed together in the same place was at the Gazelle concert. What terrified him, was the image of that crowd of bunnies rushing at him armed with fox tasers or pitchforks and being stampeded to death by their strong, hind paws.
His long fox nose could have picked out each individual rabbit but his pointed ears failed to understand the whispers that started as soon as he stepped off the train. Like an ever spreading snake, the whispers wriggled their way through the crowd, twisting and morphing with each bunny they passed. To the fox's ears it only sounded like a muffled cacophony.
"Judy brought a fox friend from the city."
"Jude the Dude has a boyfriend?"
"I didn't know she even liked boys."
"Judy is dating a fox?"
"Doesn't she hate foxes?"
"Our little Miss Save the Day is finally married?"
And finally, way at the very back of the pack, a grizzled, old rabbit yelled as loud as he could, "Trudy got eaten by a fox!?"
Judy's parents seem to ignore the outburst and greeted the two travelers warmly. "So, how was the train ride?" Bonnie asked first while Stu added with an outstretched paw, "How are you enjoying the countryside Nick?"
Giving her mother a quick hug, Judy responded, "The ride was fine. Seeing the trees changing color as we got closer to the burrows really drove home the fact that fall is here."
Shaking the brown, country rabbit's paw, Nick glanced around the train station, "It's not what I expected at all. I thought there would be a town or a village when we got here." The fox waved a paw towards the endless grass and shrugged.
Stuart nodded thoughtfully for a second, "Oh, right, the town is right on the other side of that hill. When they first laid the tracks a hundred years ago, they didn't want to cut through the hill to town so they just plopped the station down right here, and it's been here ever since."
Looking in the direction that the buck had pointed, Nick saw a hazy wisp that seemed to float above the hill. At first he thought it might be some stray rain cloud, but then realized it was actually chimney smoke.
When Bonnie turned to give the fox a hug, he heard a small squeak from behind her leg. Looking down he spotted a tiny, young rabbit cautiously peaking at him. He carefully bent down and asked, "And who is this little one?"
The top of the tiny bunny's head was barely taller than Bonnie's knees. Her ears were standing straight up and turning quickly from side to side as her nose twitched skittishly. She had similar colors and markings as Stuart, but her eyes were an identical match for Judy's.
Stepping around the fox, Judy looked down and noticed the young rabbit cautiously hiding behind her mother. "This is my niece Violet," she said to Nick. Squatting down she spoke cautiously to the little one, "Hello Violet, would you like to meet my friend Nick?"
Still clinging to her grandmother's pants, Violet nodded slowly as she made an agreeable hum.
Also squatting, Nick extended his paw to the small rabbit in greeting, "Hello Violet. My name is Nick and I am a friend of your aunt Judy."
Violet did not take the proffered paw but pointed at his other one and asked, "Wha hap'n to your paw-sthicle." Her jaw turned down in a frown as she reached for the red dyed stick in the fox's paw.
"I am sorry, Little Puffball," Nick replied, letting her take the still sticky stick. "Did you want a pawpsicle?"
She sniffed at the now dry pawpsicle stick and nodded at the much larger mammal with determination and hummed, "Mmmhmm. Can I has paw-sthicle pwease?"
"Ok, sweety," Bonnie exclaimed as she lifted the small kit into her arms. "You can have a pawpsicle when we get back to the burrow." Violet let out a happy chirp at the older doe's words, but Bonnie stepped back explaining, "But we should let your Aunt Judy introduce her friend to the rest of the family." She also nodded at her husband.
"Oh, that's right," Stu uttered before he also stepped aside so the rest of the herd could see Nick and Judy.
What felt to the fox like hundreds of eyes and ears pointed directly at him as he stood up, caused Nick's fear of being trampled to return full force. His heart began to race while his ears laid flat on top of his head and his tail began to bristle like a pinecone. He almost took a step back to make a break for the train, but at that moment the doors hissed shut leaving him trapped. With a quick turn of his head, he watched his only escape begin to move inexorably away from the platform and towards its next destination. Returning to face the horde, he swallowed a huge gulp of air, straightened his tie and braced his hind paws, ready for a fluffy charge that never came.
Instead of being overrun by vicious bunnies, a cool paw wrapped its way around his arm and small fingers closed around his paw. At the touch of that soft paw, his fears were gently washed away. He looked down and saw Judy holding his paw as she stepped up to greet her larger family.
"Hello everyone," she announced with a wave. "My partner and I have taken some vacation time to come visit the burrows for this year's Harvest Festival." A few rabbits in the crowd cheered at the words, "Harvest Festival."
Watching his girlfriend, Nick noticed how proudly she stood before the large group of rabbits. Not a hint of the nervousness she had at their latest press conference showed on her muzzle. Why should she be nervous? This was her family, not a herd of blood thirsty reporters ready to twist and manipulate every word she said. Yet, a strong aura of confidence seemed to flow from her and every ear on the station's waiting platform was turned to hear what she had to say. Nick took a deep breath and listened to her speak.
"Everyone," as she continued to speak, she turned to face him still holding his paw and with the other, waved it in his direction as if showing off a fine piece of art. "I would like to introduce Nick Wilde, my boyfriend," she raised herself up on the tips of her toes and planted a warm kiss on his cheek to emphasize the last part. "I would like it if everyone could give him a very warm, Hopps family welcome."
That was when the floodgates broke and the fox's fears turned to reality. Every single rabbit that stood before him rushed forward, and his vision of pitchforks returned. He tried to step back from the onslaught, but Judy's paw held him firm as the endless waves of rabbits nearly crashed over him.
But the flood never came. He wasn't being trampled and overrun by a hundred lagomorph paws. Instead, somebunny was fiercely shaking his paw and giving him their name. It was a tall rabbit with tan fur who said his name was Jack, or was it John? Nick could not quite remember because another, almost identical buck took his place. This was Edward and he shook paws like a Mack truck and seemed to utter something about not hurting his sister. The fox only nodded and tried to rub his sore paw, but was quickly clasped in a hug by a thin, middle aged doe who seemed to be the spitting image of Bonnie, but with more curves.
As the sun continued to rise into the morning sky, a long stream of rabbits introduced themselves to Nick with hugs and pawshakes while Judy and her parents watched grinning. Most of the rabbits simply gave the fox their names and moved on but a few, like Judy's aunt, added their congratulations, and one uncle even whispered a warning to Nick, that Judy could be a tough bunny to handle.
The hustler's mask returned, covering the fox's muzzle almost as soon as the introductions started. He warmly returned every pawshake with thanks and brief pleasantries until Stu clapped his paws together calling attention to the crowd.
"Listen up everyone," Stu's voice seemed to carry like a rolling storm over the herd of rabbits. "I am certain that Judy and Nick are both tired from their long trip and would like a chance to rest. Besides, Trish has just informed me that lunch is waiting for us back at the warren." A wave of cheers rose from the crowd and they began to disperse even before Stu could finish, "So let's all head back to the burrow for some grub."
Placing a paw on Nick's shoulder, Stu offered, "Let me show you to the truck, Nick." The fox followed after the fatherly bunny as a few bucks grabbed the suitcases and trailed behind him.
Behind his impromptu entourage he heard Judy speaking to her mother about the kit she carried, "Where is Violet's mom? Where is Jennifer? I thought she would at least have been here to greet us."
Bonnie's voice seemed to carry a hint of sadness, "Sorry dear, Jenny said that she got caught up with some laundry over at the South Warren."
"I understand," Judy said with her ears laid flat against the back of her head. Nick on the other paw felt like both doe's were holding something back. Whatever the two rabbits were hiding, the fox guessed that it was somehow family related.
Bouncing the small kit in her arms, the matronly rabbit spoke again with feigned cheerfulness, "But this little one just could not stay away. As soon as she heard that her Auntie Jude was coming today, she rushed over to greet you."
"Auntie Jude, Auntie Jude," the small kit cried and nearly lept into her aunt's arms while Judy giggled at the tiny rabbit's antics.
Nick stopped and turned around in his tracks with his jaw hanging loosely, "Did you say South Warren? There are more than one Hopps Warrens?"
Tossing her niece into the air and catching her again, Judy replied to her fox's inquiry, "Of course. There are three of them actually"
Stepping up to the fox, Bonnie added more details, "While Stu and I are currently head of the Hopps farmstead, and we manage the Main Warren, the South Warren is where his aunt and uncle live. That warren was set up when Stu's grandfather decided to dig a new burrow after expanding the fields to the south."
"And the third one?" Nick asked cautiously.
"The Pine Warren?" Judy glanced askance at her mother, before she continued. "There is a long section of forest that runs along the eastern border of the farm. Many years ago, a group of Hopps' dug a warren there after my great grandfather took over the farm. I have only been there once or twice."
"Oh, kay," the fox replied hesitantly.
Bonnie shook her head, "There is nothing to worry about, Nick. Yes, they are an odd bunch, and they prefer to keep to themselves, but they are still family, even though distantly related. They prefer to stick to the old ways, no electricity, or phones, or any newfangled modern medicines." She shook her head and stuck out her tongue at the last part.
"Yeah," Judy nodded, "And they won't even use a tractor to plow the fields, or harvest the crops."
The fox chuckled warmly, "And I thought, Carrots here was a wild country bunny."
His flippant remark earned him a swift punch in the shoulder. Judy made sure to hit him in the same spot she had punched earlier, "And you are still just as dumb, City Fox."
Rubbing his shoulder painfully, the tod rushed ahead to catch up to Stuart who was waving for them at the edge of the train station's parking lot. His large, brown paw was also thumping softly in the dry dirt.
When they arrived at the truck, Nick noticed that it was the very same truck that Judy had driven in Zootopia while they had tracked down the Night Howler Serum together. Stu opened the passenger side door and motioned for the fox to climb inside, while the older rabbit climbed into the driver side and sat behind the wheel.
Once both males were inside the truck, one of the bucks who had been carrying Nick's luggage slammed the door shut, and Nick could hear Violet cry out, "But I wan ride wit Niky too."
Looking out the truck's open window, the fox saw that Bonnie was leading the group of does to another car while two pawfulls of bucks climbed into the bed of the rusty, blue truck where they had unceremoniously tossed his luggage. As he reached for the door handle to jump out and follow Judy and her mom, a firm paw rested on his arm and held him back.
"Nick," Stuart said in a stern fatherly tone that every child cannot ignore. "Let's talk."
At the sound of those two dreadful words, Nick's heart sank. One of the worst things that a girl's father could say to her new boyfriend was, "Let's talk." After they had gotten to know each other a bit when the Hopps parents had visited Zootopia in the summer, Nick had felt comfortable talking to the country rabbit. Now, the fur on the back of the fox's neck stood up and something didn't feel right about Stu's request. Nick feared that something even worse was soon to follow.
The red fox once again reached for the door handle ready to jump out of that vehicle and race to join his bunny and her siblings. More than anything he wanted to escape from the trap that was slowly closing around him.
What would Judy think? Him, a grown fox, running from a single rabbit from the country. The most fearless bunny he had ever met and his girlfriend, would never respect him again if he ran out on her father when the plump rabbit only wanted to talk.
"It's only just a talk," he thought to himself. Letting out his breath slowly, he let go of the door handle and turned back to face Stuart. "Ok," he said, putting his hustler's mask back on and preparing for what was to come.
The plump, brown rabbit, dressed in denim overalls on top of an orange work shirt, took off his green tuskball cap and threw it onto the truck's dash, where it sat in the groove under the window. He started the engine and put the old vehicle into gear.
Letting several of the other vehicles go ahead, Stuart finally pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Once they were driving along the smooth pavement, the rabbit turned to his passenger with an odd look that reminded the fox of his oversized boss whenever he was about to give out a tough assignment. "We never got much of a chance to talk the last time we met, with Judy getting sick and everything."
Looking through the dirty, front window, Nick watched the string of Hopps' vehicles rolling down the narrow highway ahead of them. "I thought we had a pretty good conversation in the diner."
"Sure, but at the time I was only talking to Judy's friend and co-worker," Stu reminded the fox sitting beside him.
"Oh, oh," Nick groaned inwardly, "Here comes the typical father's ultimatum." Most of his dating experience had been short flings or one night stands, none of them had ever progressed to the 'Meet the parents' level. However, he was not completely unprepared. He was well aware of all fathers' deeply seeded urge to threaten their precious daughters' boyfriends. And Stuart Hopps was clearly not immune to that very same affliction, so Nick bit his tongue and waited to see what the older rabbit had to say.
After passing a busy fruit stand perched on the side of the highway, Stuart turned the truck onto a less maintained, side road before his next words formed slowly on his lips, but when they came they struck the fox like a thunderbolt, "What exactly are your intentions towards my daughter, Fox."
Nick sucked in a huge gulp of air at the word, "Fox." He had thought that he and this rabbit were on a first name basis, but this blatantly speciest comment seemed to come out of nowhere. Nick rubbed his cheek as if the bunny had struck him a heavy blow. "Sir," he decided that a familiar tone was best left on the side of the road for this conversation, "I thought that was pretty obvious at this point."
"About as clear as a rain soaked compost pile," Stu replied. "This summer, Judy and yourself swore three ways from Sunday that you were only friends despite all the evidence to the contrary. I could tell back then that she cared a great deal for you, but I would never have guessed that her feelings were in any way romantic."
The truck wove and swerved down the small road that was more of a dirt trail than a road for modern cars. In fact, the fox was certain that this rabbit was deliberately hitting every single bump and pothole along the way. With each bump, Nick would hit his head on the roof of the truck before thumping back into the hard bucket seat.
"And now she shows up and announces to half of Bunny Burrow, that you are her boyfriend," his words, like an approaching storm cloud, grew darker with each passing moment. "You seem like a fine upstanding mammal, and I do not have any issues with you personally, but."
Almost putting his muzzle into his paws, Nick thought to himself, "And here it comes."
Stuart never noticed the fox's pale expression as he continued his speech, "So I ask you again, Nick." He actually used the fox's name this time instead of his species, "What are your intentions towards Judy? I want to hear the words from your own muzzle, but." He paused again as the truck hit a particularly deep rut sending the fox flying into the ceiling with a loud thunk.
"If me or any of my boys," he nodded to the group of bucks filling the truck bed who had obviously heard everything they said. "If we don't like what we hear, we are turning this truck around and going straight back to the train station where we will ensure that you never, ever, see my daughter again!"
And there it was. The absolute worst thing a father can say to his daughter's boyfriend, "You will never see/speak to my daughter again." Countless relationships had ended at those very words. A few limped on when the girl was determined to defy her parents and even less grew and prospered, but most died then and there.
Nick knew that Judy was just such a doe. Hadn't she told him how she had defied her parents by becoming a police officer and moving to the city? But what could even Superbun do against a thousand rabbits determined to keep her from returning to the city? Stu's threat was by no means hollow. He could easily keep Judy a prisoner in her own home, like a princess trapped in a tower. The thought of that dark outcome caused the fox to shudder violently.
Watching the myriad of expressions play across the fox's muzzle, Stuart gently hit the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road, "Well, don't you have anything to say?"
After his sudden display of emotion, the fox tried to put his mask back on, but his frantically shifting thoughts prevented him from finding even a false sense of calm. When the calm did return it was filled with conviction. He opened his muzzle and the words flowed forth unrestrained.
Not once had Nick ever spoken so freely or with such feelings. Not to Finnick, nor Mister Big, and certainly not to the cops. Not even when he was beaten and bleeding in a gutter with Kevin and Raymond standing over him, had he let so much emotion fill his words. But when he began to describe his feelings for Judy to her father, everything came rushing out like a tidal wave crashing into the boardwalk.
"I absolutely adore your daughter, Sir," the words almost caught in his throat, but he pushed down the lump and kept speaking. "I was living in a dark place when we first met, but this energetic doe helped lift me up and showed me that I could be more than just a sly and shifty fox."
Stuart gave the fox a puzzled look at his heartfelt admission. He was about to respond, but instead, he let the fox continue.
"Something I have always wanted since I was a small child was to be a valued and respected member of the community. I quickly learned that no one trusts a fox. Even at a young age, I could not get an honest job anywhere in the city. Foxes are mostly shunned and despised," Nick shook his head and looked like he wanted to say more on the subject but instead switched back to Judy.
"The first mammal who ever trusted me was your daughter, Sir. She let me into her life and helped me find an honest job. I have since earned the respect of my co-workers and it is all because of her. At the very least, I owe her a debt of gratitude."
"That still doesn't answer my brother's question," someone in the back of the truck yelled.
"Hush, Wil," Stuart called with a raised paw, "let Nick finish his tale."
With a light cough, Nick continued, "So I have a great deal of respect for Judy. In a way, she is my senior officer on the force. I am older but at times it seems like she has far more experience in police matters and can recite all the rules and regulations. When I graduated from the Police Academy, I was more than happy to be her partner and friend. But over the summer we have grown much closer, and not just as friends."
Stuart nodded and frowned at the fox's last words, "Were you the one behind this change of feelings?"
"What are you asking, Sir?" Nick asked, confused.
"Let me put it plainly then. Were you coming on to my daughter?"
Nick's paws swiftly raised and he waved them in the air like he would clean the dusty dashboard, "Not at all. It was Judy who insisted that we spend more time together outside of work. Even though we both refused to admit it at the time, I think that was when we actually started dating. She would often come up with elaborate excuses to be with me, and she would often want to cuddle when watching movies or just relaxing on the couch."
Another buck in the back of the truck yelled gruffly at the fox, "Are you saying that my little sister was actually flirting with you, a predator?"
"What are you accusing her of?" Someone else demanded.
Slightly ashamed, Nick responded softly, "At first I thought it was just a bunny thing. From what I have heard around the city, rabbits are quite affectionate and friendly. So I thought..." He stuttered for a second. "I thought it was just normal for her."
Stuart and the other bucks seemed to accept his explanation. He nodded and turned the truck back onto the road, giving Nick a chance to breathe for a minute while he collected his thoughts.
"I am not sure when the change happened. It must have been slowly, but this little, gray bunny burrowed her way into my heart. One day I was content working for the ZPD as a rookie cop, and the next, I couldn't stop thinking about her. For months, she filled my every thought, and that feeling has only grown. That was when I realized that I am in love with her." He could not believe that he had said such an honest thing to this fluffy, round rabbit and his tough looking kin.
Nick sat back in the seat and looked up at the roof where a shallow dent had formed in the shape of his head. "What do I want, Sir?" He asked himself out loud. "All I want, even if I don't stay with the ZPD, is to be by her side and help her achieve her dreams." He turned to face the rabbit at the wheel, with determination in his green eyes, "And why would a fox like me, say something like that? Because our dreams are not too dissimilar. I want to see her succeed, and I know that I could never succeed without her." Looking out the rear window at the crowd of bucks watching him, "Does that answer your question?"
"That works for me, Nick," Stuart said cheerfully. He looked in the rearview mirror, "And if the boys here disagree we can discuss that after we get back to the burrow. Oh, and you can call me Stu. The word 'Sir' makes my teeth itch terribly."
"Thanks, Stu," Nick said with relief. At that moment he realized that the road was even more broken and pitted now than it had been earlier, yet Stu drove the truck smoothly like they were on fresh pavement.
"So, what's it like, Judy?" A thin, gray rabbit with short ears asked. Her height and muzzle features were an identical match to Bonnie's, but she seemed to have a wild, untamed look in her eyes. She wore a striped, fur hugging, one-piece shirtdress that barely covered her knees and matching leggings. Painted across her muzzle, was a thick, red lipstick and she had a dark purple liner around her eyes.
When they left the train station, Judy had followed her mom to an ancient sedan that was so large, most city mammals referred to the style as a 'Boat'. The car had once matched her own fur color, but after decades under the burning sun and bitter winters, the paint had faded to more of an off-white. Climbing inside, she immediately recognized it as belonging to her aunt Sharleen.
The large car was packed to the windows with does, yet Judy had the unique privilege of sitting next to the driver where Sharleen could easily interrogate her the entire way home. The other passengers were a mix of siblings and cousins, with her mom and Violet sitting in the back directly behind the driver.
"What is life like in the City?" With a car load of curious does, Judy realized the questions were going to be tougher than a press conference so she hoped the tactic that Nick had taught her would work here as well. "City life is great. It's full of all kinds of mammals, and everything you could want is only a short walk away. There is practically a grocery store on every corner."
Sharleen only blinked and looked back at her niece. "That's not what I meant. What's it like being with a fox?" she asked again with a faint hint of spice in her voice.
"Yeah, aren't you the least bit scared?" Cara, one of her older sisters added.
"Yeah." Another sister said with a shiver.
"Nick?" Judy looked back and forth between them as she replied, "Despite what you may have heard, he is the greatest guy I know. He is honest and funny and really quite smart. On the beat, he is the best partner I could ask for. He knows the city like the back of his paw and his mind is always one step ahead of the criminals we deal with everyday."
Judy saw them pass by the Hopps Family Farms' fruit and vegetable stand before they turned onto the old dirt road that led to the main burrow. She continued to describe her boyfriend and even cut her sisters off when they tried to interrupt, "As a boyfriend, Nick is so sweet and charming. We both have cute little nicknames for each other. I call him Slick and he likes to call me Carrots. It's actually kind of endearing. I like it much better than if he were to call me something like Cupcake." Cara nodded with a sparkle in her eyes since that was the term her own mate used frequently. "He knows all the best places in town, and on our last date, he showed me this amazing treetop park where you can see the entire city."
The speed talking rabbit finally had to take a breath and that was when one of her cousins jumped in and helped elaborate on the original question, "She meant, what is your fox like in bed, Jude."
A crimson red blush filled Judy's ears and she struggled not to cover her eyes with them. Instead, she folded them behind her head so her sisters couldn't see how embarrassed she actually was. Her answer however, came almost too quickly, "He is so warm and fuzzy. It's like cuddling my own giant pillow and I like to wrap his long, fluffy tail around me when I sleep. It's like foxes come with their own built-in blankets. His strong, musky scent always makes me feel so safe and comfortable that I quickly fall asleep in his arms."
Almost every doe in the front seat giggled when she described her fox as a giant pillow, but Cara looked at her with a smirk, "It is true then. The two of you are doing more than dating."
In her sweet, spicy tone, Aunt Sharleen wasn't satisfied with Judy's meager details. Her next question almost sounded dirty, "But what about...?" She wiggled a finger in front of her niece and then made a quick thrusting motion.
This simple question left Judy covering her muzzle with her ears and wishing that she could fall through the seat. She shrank down and thought about hiding behind her older sister.
"Sharleen!" Bonnie exclaimed from the back seat. "Just because you have the number of every available buck in town doesn't mean you can corrupt my daughter like that."
Looking in the rearview mirror, Sharleen scoffed at her larger sister, "How am I corrupting your daughter? She is what, 24 years old now?"
Still hiding behind her bright pink ears, Judy mumbled, "25."
"Right. She is 25, and has been dating a boy for a year now."
Again the ears mumbled, "Two months."
Waving a paw through the air between them, she dismissed the younger rabbit's words, "Whatever. They are obviously living together. Besides, I am only curious." Her next words were dripping with lust, "So, Judy, what's it like sleeping with a mammal twice your size?"
Groaning, Bonnie wiped a paw down her muzzle at her sister's tawdry question.
Judy slowly began to peek from behind her ears. They still retained their bright red hue, but her nose had a slightly curious twitch, "Um, well, I don't really know."
"Aw come on Judes," her cousin urged.
"Yeah," one of her sisters added.
"You can tell us," Cara insisted.
"Did it hurt?" Sharleen asked without trying to hide the giggle that escaped her bright red lips.
"No!" Judy immediately exclaimed before her paws quickly covered her muzzle and her eyes bulged in embarrassment. Seconds later she tried to explain, "He has never. I mean we never."
If her paws had reached the floor, she would have put them down hard. Her expression instantly changed to a firm determination, "We have honestly never done it."
"I don't believe that," Sharleen said with a gasp.
"You're seriously living with this guy and have never been intimate?"
"Nope," Judy vigorously shook her head. "We haven't even talked about it. Every time I do, he either rolls over or changes the subject. I once heard him mention something about 'not the right time' but he would not elaborate." With a faint sigh, she tried to close the lid on this conversation, "It has never been that important to me, so I have never pushed him. All his other qualities more than make up for his lack of intimacy."
A snide remark drifted up from one of her sisters in the back seat, "Jude the Dude, always living in the dark when it comes to males."
"Heather!" Bonnie snapped.
"Yes, mother," the doe uttered, only half ashamed.
Bonnie sat up, reached over the seat and patted Judy on the head affectionately, "I, for one, am glad that Judy isn't blindly following her bunny instincts, like some others in this car." She gave her sister a dark look through the back of the seat.
"Ah, thanks mom," Judy replied, "I think."
By the time Stu Hopps had caught up to the rest of the caravan, they were pulling into a long drive that ended in a dusty cul de sac. Along one edge of the round, dirt lot, were three large, red and white barns, with several smaller, tin sheds clustered nearby like piglets huddled next to their mother.
Clockwise, from the cluster of barns, was a much larger building that appeared to be about three stories tall and wider than all of the other buildings combined. It sat a short way back from the dirt lot with a long, grassy field between them. A wide, covered porch surrounded the huge structure with dozens of rocking chairs and hanging bench swings.
Behind the main house, was a large, grassy hill, and the fox's first impression was that the tall house was actually leaning against the hill. It wasn't until he saw little windows dug out of the hill with chimneys and large, blocky HVAC units running across the top, that he realized that most of the Hopps warren was actually built inside of the hill. His jaw slowly dropped as he began to realize that the hill itself dwarfed what he thought was the main house. He shuddered visibly when he imagined millions of rabbits living inside that one hill.
The entourage of cars carrying all the bunnies that came to pick up Judy and her friend turned into the large, dirt lot. Instead of staying in a single line as they circled around towards the main house, they all spread out randomly and parked wherever they chose.
When they arrived, there were at least a dozen more cars parked in the lot at seemingly random intervals around the circle. Most were as old as Stu's truck or Sharleen's boat-like sedan, but the fox occasionally spotted one or two newer models and even a couple of classic sports cars. There were also several copies of the Hopps Family Farms's truck in various states of disrepair.
As Nick spotted several pawfulls of rabbits around the farm yard, he turned to Stu and asked, "But I thought Judy's entire family was waiting at the train station. How many more Hopps are there?" He saw a dozen small kits playing in the grass, a pawfull of elderly rabbits sitting on the porch and several bucks working around the barns. Even two bucks that Nick could only guess were more of Judy's brothers, were crawling under the hood of one shiny, black muscle car.
Chuckling warmly, Stu responded as if he was explaining how a tractor worked to a young child, "Not at all. That was only a small group, maybe around fifty of us. We don't have near enough cars to bring everyone along. We do have a bus for large events like tomorrow's festival, but my brother Brandon and his boys are still working on getting it ready for the big day." The round, fluffy rabbit pointed at one of the barns where the tod noticed a hint of something large and blue that might have been missing a tire.
After Stu put the truck in park, he took a breath, as if not entirely sure if he should mention what was on his mind, but decided the fox should know, "Besides we only brought those rabbits that wanted to meet Judy's new boyfriend." Nick turned his head to speak, but the fatherly rabbit continued, "I have to warn you that most of the Hopps's are not pro-predator, but they'll leave you alone if I tell them to. Just watch yourself around the older ones, and even a few of the unmarried bucks may also go out of their way to give you trouble if they catch you on your own."
Climbing out of the truck, Nick learned where the smell of food that permeated the Bunny Burrow air was coming from. On one side of the huge house, was a mixed group of rabbits standing around three open campfires. Hanging over each fire were large, round, wire cages resting on a roasting spit. Partially filling the cages were dozens of carrots. A teen-age buck would crank the handle on the spit for several seconds before running to the next one. He would spend several minutes running back and forth between each of the baskets while several middle-aged does were inspecting his work. The fresh smell of roasted vegetables filled the air and made the fox's stomach rumble loudly.
A small, gray paw swiftly jabed him in the ribs, "Hey there, hungry fox." Judy was bouncing on the balls of her paws as she looked up at Nick, "We got here just in time. Lunch is ready in the dining hall. But first, we have to get your room situated and get unpacked."
Grabbing his paw, she hauled him towards the main house, "Hurry up, lazy fox, I am hungry too."
With the red fox in tow, she raced up the stairs and through the front door. Several older rabbits sat on the porch in pawcarved rocking chairs sipping tea and watching the young ones play in the yard. Judy only waved at her relatives as she hurried past.
One old buck, with thick glasses mounted on his broad muzzle, commented at the young doe's passage, "I ain't never seen that color of fur on a buck before."
An ancient doe with more wrinkles than fur replied, "He must be one of them foriegn jackrabbits from the big city."
Inside the house, Judy led her fox down a couple of short steps and through a long hall that opened into a huge room that was filled with more rabbits sitting around on long couches or cushions scattered around the floor. Along one wall, were three different television sets. One set had the ZNN news channel running. Another, had a college tuskball game playing, while the last one, had a dozen kits sitting around it playing a video game. At each end of the great room, was a large fireplace where pine logs burned merrily.
The room was a bustle of activity and the rabbits seemed to be divided into various groups, playing, reading or engaged in conversation. As they entered the room, Nick asked his rabbit, "I thought it was lunch time. What is everyone waiting for?"
Judy looked up at him and tilted her head with a puzzled expression. After a few seconds her eyes lit up and she replied, "Oh, they already ate. The dining hall isn't large enough to hold everyone at once, so we serve lunch in shifts. Third shift is about to start, so we better hurry slowpoke." She yanked on his paw again.
At first, while Judy attempted to quietly lead her fox through the great hall filled with rabbits, no one seemed to notice them. But suddenly, as if a switch had been thrown, the entire room went silent. Even the small kits playing video games dropped their controllers to watch the red-furred predator pass by. As suddenly as it came, the silence was replaced by hushed whispers and curious stares.
Many of the smaller rabbits returned to their toys and games, but a few of the older ones continued to stare at the fox with warriness and even fear. Some who saw Judy smiling cheerfully while she held the paws of a fox, looked on in disgust. Once again Nick heard mutterings and whispers from the crowd of rabbits about the dangers of foxes in burrows.
Throwing caution to the wind, they swiftly ran past a group of does in well worn recliners who were knitting blankets or mending undergarments. One of the knitters had a pile of tiny, woolen socks in her lap. Each warm looking sock had a different pattern of interwoven colors. Another doe, who seemed ignorant to the fox's passage, was softly humming while she embroidered images of carrots and other vegetables onto a small towel or blanket.
Heading out of the room, they passed one of the great fireplaces. Sitting on its haunches next to the fireplace, Nick spotted a life sized rabbit statue carved out of a single piece of wood. It seemed to be some kind of primitive creature from native legends. The unclothed body and ears were clearly that of a rabbit, but the muzzle and antlers look more like they belonged on a deer or elk. As Nick approached, he could see that the lifelike fur covering the statue was actually from well placed teeth marks. Instead of using chisel and hammer, someone had actually chewed this statue with their bare teeth. Nick was thoroughly impressed.
Nick's room was quaint and only a few doors away from the main living room. Inside were a single dresser and a smallish bed that was not long enough for him to fully stretch out on. If he laid on his back, his hind paws and legs would surely stick out over the edge. Sitting next to the bed were both his and Judy's luggage.
"I hope they don't expect us to share this tiny room," Nick said when he saw all of their bags waiting for them.
"Don't be silly," Judy exclaimed cheerfully as she grabbed her suitcase and walked back into the long hall. "These are only the guest rooms. I will be staying in my old room downstairs."
"Down, stairs?" the fox mumbled quietly.
"Ok, Dumb Fox," the gray rabbit explained. "The wash rooms are down this hall to the left. There are not many guests staying with us this weekend so you will have a fair amount of privacy. Now get yourself unpacked and I will meet you back here in five minutes. Then we can go get lunch."
The Hopps dining hall reminded Nick of a school cafeteria. It was a long room with rows of tables with bench-like seats. More than half of the seats were filled with rabbits of all ages and colors. Most of the fur colors that Nick spotted at the long tables were a match for either Bonnie's gray or Stuart's brown. Occasionally he spotted a few dark grays as well as some chocolate black, along with a couple of pure white rabbits. No tri-colored rabbits sat in the dining hall, but Nick remembered seeing one in the main hall.
Unlike the other rooms in the huge Hopps burrow, this one actually had windows dotted along one wall. By the slightly musty smell, Nick could tell that the room was underground, but the random seeming windows said otherwise. Later he realized that the long hall was near one side of the great hill the burrow was built into. Despite the plaster walls, the dining room was still buried in several meters of dirt.
Looking around the room where everyone sat bunched together, the fox noticed that several of the rabbits were much taller than the pair that sat at the head of the table. He even noticed some had the chiseled features more akin to jackrabbits than Judy's softly rounded muzzle. The fox's muzzle remained shut, but he suspected that this family had much more of a mixed heritage than they let on.
At the far end of the room, a large section of the wall had been cut away and steaming trays of food were sunk into the stainless steel counter. A long line of rabbits spread along the wall as they waited their turn to approach the buffet. Nick and Judy quietly joined the long line. They each grabbed a plate, a cup and a set of eating utensils.
Standing in the food line, Nick could begin to make out some of the whispers that seemed to pervade every room of this huge burrow.
"Who let that fox in here?"
"Why is he being so friendly to Judy?"
"Maybe he brought pies."
"I heard Judy actually has a real boyfriend."
"If she has a boyfriend then where is he?"
"Mandy said she is dating that fox."
"Eww, that's disgusting."
"He will probably gobble up your sister and spit out the bones."
"Good riddance, I say. Never liked that little miss tattle tails anyway."
Despite the rude comments that seemed to echo from everywhere in this large room, Judy continued to bounce on her paws while her nose twitched hungrily. Looking up at her boyfriend she fiddled with her large, empty plate, "I told you we should have run faster. Now we are at the end of line, and all the best choices will be gone before we get there."
Nick flattened his ears against his head to try and block out the rude conversation to no avail. With plate in paw he finally spoke up, "I guess it makes a lot of sense to use a buffet line when you have hundreds of mammals to feed everyday."
"What's that?" Judy asked, trying not to nibble on her own plate.
"Remember Carrots, I grew up an only child," Nick explained to the ravished rabbit. "When my mom would cook dinner she only had to fill two plates. I never grew up with the option to help myself to what I wanted. She would place each item on the plate like they do in sit down restaurants, and there was never any chance for seconds. It wasn't until I was living on my own that I ever knew there was even such a thing as seconds. But by then I was paying for my own food so I could only eat as much as I could afford."
Quickly the line moved towards the serving table and it wasn't long before the fox and his rabbit were dishing up food onto their own plates. Nick could not help the flood of drool that rolled down his cheeks from the wonderful smells that filled his nostrils, but the drool suddenly dried up when he saw what was laid out in those trays.
"It's a salad buffet," he said quietly to himself, but Judy still heard him.
"Well, what did you expect, Slick?" She chuckled and layered her plate with three kinds of lettuce. "Try that one," she suggested, pointing to a colorful tray of mixed leaves that had nearly been emptied by the previous rabbits.
The first three trays in the buffet were a mix of different kinds of lettuce and leafy greens. Judy had pointed to a mix of red, purple and yellow leaves that seemed to be quite popular with her relatives. Other items she piled on top of the lettuce were a variety of raw and cooked vegetables, with a sprinkle of tiny nuts and legumes to add a little protein to her meal.
Nick followed suit, but only added a single thin layer of lettuce to line the bottom of his plate. Unlike Judy, he passed up the large, white mushrooms, but instead, added a heavy helping of roasted bell peppers. He skipped the steamed broccoli and cauliflower and went straight for the bean sprouts and a healthy dose of green olives.
Seeing his lack of variety, Judy also added a few crunchy baby carrots to his plate despite the indignant scowl he gave her. She simply stuck out her tongue at the fox's dark expression. However, when he neared the end of the counter, he dumped several scoops of blueberries on top of the pile.
Looking at Nick's skimpy salad, Judy shook her head and pointed at a small bowl that was filled to the brim with tiny white and black beads. "If you want a lot of protein, you should try the steamed quinoa. I have heard some predators say that it tastes like dried bugs." Judy scrunched up her muzzle in mock disgust, but Nick liberally dumped a large scoop on top of his salad.
Before heading to the drink stand, they both agreed that ranch was the best salad dressing, but Nick suggested that Thousand Island was a close second while Judy preferred the raspberry vinaigrette.
When they headed towards the table to find their seats, Stu suggested they sit at the near end next to himself and Bonnie. A couple of rabbits scooted down the bench to make room for the pair of latecomers. Nick found a spot next to Bonnie and Judy sat next to her father.
The light lunch conversation at the head of the long table was warm and pleasant despite the mutterings in the more distant corners of the room. Stuart and Judy compared life on the farm with her year in the city, while Bonnie asked the red tod about his family and what he knew about foxes' holiday traditions. Nick could not think of any traditions that were specific to only his species, yet he did describe life in the city. About once every month or so, the city would hold some kind of holiday. He and Finnick would often attend the more elaborate ones like the Mousey's Day Parade and the Dirty Dozen, a bar hopping challenge held on New Years eve. There were also the summer fishing trips around Tundratown's Icy Lake. And lastly, he told the doe about when he was younger, his mother used to take him to visit the Dr. Martin Lion memorial every year, but he hadn't been back since he moved out.
Bonnie seemed to be completely fascinated as the fox talked about the city life. She was entranced at his vivid descriptions of the holiday floats and marching mammal bands. Her chuckles filled the dining hall as Nick described how he and his buddies would stumble from bar to bar on New Years eve. Nick also noticed how she did not act at all squeamish when he talked about catching and eating cold water fish.
Her response when he asked about any Bunny Burrow traditions was that he would get to see one of them for himself tomorrow and that afterwards, he could participate in the Hopps family cookout. At the mention of the cookout all the nearby rabbits turned wide eyes at Bonnie with their ears raised in the air.
"Do we get to actually join the cookout this year," Judy asked excitedly.
"Of course," Stu exclaimed. "Why wouldn't you get to come?"
"Well I missed out last year since I was still in Zootopia. And the year before that, when I was taking classes. Are you going to make Nick help out?"
"What is this family cookout everyone seems so excited about?" Nick asked.
Judy tilted her head and looked at the fox for a second, "It's this huge barbeque and campout we have with the entire family on the last night of the Harvest Festival. Everyone gets to cook their own food on a stick. There will be all kinds of campfire food, like roasted carrots and smores and then we sing songs and tell stories around the fire."
Nick clapped his paws together, "I do love a good camping trip. Finnick and I used to camp out of his van in the summer. It's probably different out here in the country though."
"Well, for one thing," Judy said. "You can see a lot more stars at night than you can in the city, and I mean a lot of stars."
"You will have to show them to me sometime, Carrots," the fox returned with a smirk.
"I don't know, Slick," the younger rabbit said with her sly grin. "My parents might not want me wandering around in the dark with a 'Wilde' predator on the loose." Under the table, she stretched and placed her hind paw on his. Her parents may have deliberately separated them, but she could still hold his paw unbeknownst to anyone.
Stu failed to catch on to her jest. His ears suddenly flew forward and his heart rate doubled, "What do you mean Jude? The farm is perfectly safe, and if you're still afraid of the dark, you can always bring Hank along."
A paw rested on the round rabbit's arm as Bonnie tried to calm her husband, "Stu, let the kids have their fun."
Before Stu could respond again, Nick stood up from the table, "Yes it has been a lot of fun." He then turned to Bonnie with a slight bow, "And lunch has been absolutely delightful Mrs. Hopps."
"Why, thank you," the matronly rabbit replied with a blush as she pulled on one of her ears. "But you will have to thank my sister, she is the one who cooked today."
"I will certainly have to do that, but for now, Officer Hopps and I still have work to do."
"Work!" Stu exclaimed as he looked back and forth between his daughter and her partner. "I thought you two were on vacation."
"Our vacation actually starts tomorrow, dad. For now we have someone to find." She stood up from the table, walked around behind her parents and gave them both a tight hug. "Oh, and thanks for letting Nick stay with us."
"Sure thing sweetie," her mom said.
"What is this work you have to do here in Bunny Burrow?"
"Oh, it's nothing complicated. Just a quick errand for the ZPD is all." She gave her father a small kiss on the cheek before she walked around the table to join the fox. "Do you think we can borrow one of the trucks? And can we get directions to the old Frog Springs property? I haven't been up there in a long time."
"Frog Springs? What do you want with that place? No one has seen that family of opossums in several years." Stuart asked, slightly confused by his daughter's request.
"It is ZPD business, dad," Judy tried to explain. "But, we are trying to find the new owner."
"Oh, I thought I had heard the sheriff mention that the Pixel family finally sold the old place, but who would ever want to buy that frog swamp? The only thing that grows there are cattails and fire nettle."
"We have no idea why they bought the land, Stu," Nick interjected. "Maybe that's one thing we can ask when we catch up to them."
Stuart Hopps looked thoughtful for a few seconds while he nibbled on a stray carrot top that had remained on his plate, "I don't know about letting you borrow another truck again Judy, since the last time it took you over two weeks to bring it back. And even then your brothers had to take the train into the city to pick it up."
Judy's ears fell, "Sorry about that dad, but I told you already. I was laid up with a sore leg for half the time. The doctor had given me strict orders not to work or even drive."
"I know how to get to Frog Springs," a black-furred buck stood up from three tables away. He was one of Judy's tall and lanky cousins that looked like he was half jackrabbit. His long, broad ears and narrow, chiseled muzzle clearly announced his mixed heritage. Standing more than a head taller than Judy, he was one of the tallest rabbits Nick had ever seen.
"That's a great idea," Bonnie clapped her paws in agreement. "It's settled then. Byron can drive the two of you around wherever you need to go." The motherly rabbit smoothly avoided using the word escort, yet she felt much better knowing that someone was showing Judy and her new boyfriend around town. Yes, she knew they had been living together for months, but something about letting them loose on the town alone left her tail in knots.
Nick stepped over to the tall half-rabbit and extended a paw in greeting, "Nick Wilde, nice to meet you." When they shook, Judy's tall cousin stood almost at eye level with the fox.
The black-furred rabbit nodded as he shook Nick's paw, "Byron Haresmore. I have a few things to do in town, so I would be happy to drive you guys around. The Frog Springs ranch is all the way on the other side of town from here, so we should get going."
"Thanks a bunch, Bryon," Judy gave the buck a gentle tap on the shoulder as she passed. "Come on guys, let's go," she said, picking up speed. Nick and Byron slowly followed after the excitable rabbit, but as she neared the exit to the diner hall, she turned and waved back at her parents, "Mom, Dad, we should be back for dinner, but don't wait up for us."
"Alright, honey," Bonnie replied with a wave.
Under his breath, Stu added a tiny bit of fatherly wisdom, "Now, don't go falling into that pond or getting stung by nettles."
[A/N] And Nick finally meets the rest of the Hopps family. What is this family barbeque Stu mentioned and how is Nick going to help?
I have been waiting to write this chapter for years. Since I first started working on this story I knew I was going to write a chapter where Judy takes Nick to Bunny Burrow. Its absolutely required in any Wildehopps fanfic. Early on I decided than more than just her immediate family was living in the burrow, but the entire clan lived on the farm. And why not, the place is huge, they have an entire hill to live under. No they are not hobbits. There is a small desert hill behind where I work and the whole thing is covered in rabbit holes, so I pictured something similar happening with modern, evolved rabbits.
Originally the part where they go to the other farm/ranch was included in this chapter but the story was too long so I broke it into two pieces and now it will appear in the next update.
Yes I am still alive! My busy season is mostly over for now so I should be able to stick to a monthly schedule for a while. Summer and fall are tough for me so I don't know how late into 2022 I can last, but for now I am glad to be back in Zootopia :)
Thank you to all the amazing readers and commenters on this site!