Loves Bond
Chapter 07 - Mistaken Identity
Slightly north of Bunny Burrow a thick forest covered a long mountain range. In the side of the mountains, a deep valley cut it's way up the slopes like a giant farmer had attacked them with his hoe. On the floor of the valley a rushing stream continued to carve its way through the trees and dug the valley deeper over the endless centuries.
In years past, an enterprising group of mammals had built a narrow road through the valley. It followed the stream's gentle course as it zig-zagged back and forth across the valley floor. A variety of homes and small farms clung to the side of the road like birds cling to a wire.
A black, unmarked car wound its way up the heavily forested road. The car was built for small to medium sized mammals, yet it had a slightly menacing look about it. This particular model seemed to be a favorite among street gangs and federal agents alike.
Inside the car, two plain clothes cops sat discussing their current assignment while the driver remained silent. The first was a small gray rabbit who had changed out of her frilly outfit into something more professional. She wore a plain blue cotton shirt with buttons up the middle and comfortable gray leggings.
Sitting next to the rabbit with his paws tapping on his cell phone was a red fox tod. He still wore the same shirt and pants that he had since boarding the train to Bunny Burrow earlier this morning. The sun was high in the sky and the car's windows were not tinted so he chose to cover his eyes with a pair of dark, silver rimmed sunglasses.
"We are here," Byron announced as he pulled the car to a stop next to a large open meadow nestled in the middle of the deep, winding valley.
"Go ahead and pull up to the drive," Judy suggested to her cousin.
The driver pulled alongside a tall wooden fence that surrounded the meadow. He turned onto a narrow gravel road and through the open gate where he found a dry spot to park.
When Nick climbed out of the car he noticed that the meadow was actually full of water. It was a soggy marshland that was overgrown with cattails and a broadleaved plant that had a nasty looking ball of spikes growing out of the top. Surrounding the marsh was a dense wall of pine and birch trees.
In the distance he could hear the sound of water splashing over rocks, and his strong nose picked up the scent of small amphibians hiding among the reeds and nettles. The property seemed very peaceful and serene. Even though it was a soggy marsh, something about the place seemed to wash away all the day's stress.
"Don't touch the plants!" Judy warned, suddenly grabbing Nick's paw.
Looking down, the fox realised that the broad leafed plant that grew out of the muck had tiny sharp spines growing over every inch of its surface, even the leaves. The spines glistened in the midday sunlight giving the plant a rainbow like shimmer. Now why had he wanted to reach out and touch the spiky plant?
"They may look pretty, but if you touch those thistles, your paw will burn for hours."
Theirs was not the only car parked on the gravel drive. A much fancier sedan sat at the other end of the marsh where the gravel path met the line of trees. Even from this distance the two cops could easily recognise it as a late model limousine. Whomever the other car belonged to was definitely not a local.
"We must be in luck," Nick uttered cheerfully. "She might still be here."
"Remember what we talked about, Slick," Judy cautioned. "No badges or threatening moves, ok."
"Right, Carrots. Just normal citizens out for a stroll, in the mountains, in a remote part of the burrows." The sarcasm was thick on the fox's voice.
"Exactly," the rabbit declared with confidence.
As they approached the other car its rear passenger door opened and an overly fancy sow stepped out. She was dressed in a skin hugging lime dress that seemed to shimer in the light with a tasteful pink jacket that barely covered her shoulders. Covering her head was a broad brimmed hat that could have doubled as an umbrella. A thick string of pearls hung around her neck and a matching band circled her wrist.
The first thing Nick noticed about the rich pig was the expression on her muzzle. She was clearly not happy about something. Was she upset that a pair of strangers was trespassing on her land? No, she wasn't just upset. Her hooves were clenched and her eyes blazed with fury as she swiftly marched towards the two smaller mammals.
A second swine stepped from the limo. This was obviously the driver and was dressed in a formal black and white tuxedo with a red bow tie. He held out a hoof in his employer's direction as if to say, "Lady please wait."
"Lady Olivia Hogenshaw," Judy greeted the fancy sow with a nod as she approached, but the larger mammal completely ignored the friendly rabbit and stomped directly up to the fox instead.
"How dare you show your filthy, lying muzzle here, Fox!" the lady nearly shouted at Nick while poking him in the chest with a pointy hoof, causing him to stumble backwards towards the sticky muck. The rest of her words came out in a rage filled sputter, "This stinking swamp is nothing like the resort estate you promised me. If you don't give me back every cent I paid you then I am calling the sheriff to have your furry tail thrown in jail."
Backing away from the lady's sharp hoof, Nick put up his paws and shook his head, "I think you have me confused for someone else ma'am."
"Don't give me that line fox," the sow's voice seemed to raise an octave higher as she continued to pursue the retreating fox. "I knew I should have never trusted a swindling fox like you, and I am not about to start now."
Nick took another step back away as he tried to calm the angry pig, "Lady Hogenshaw. My name is Nicholas Wilde and I am not the same mammal that sold you this plot of land."
Again the pig stabbed her hoof at the fox, "I am not falling for any more smooth talking foxes whatever they claim their name is."
Judy tried to step between them and explain, "He is telling the truth ma'am." However the large pig did not pay any attention to the small rabbit. Giving up on the friendly citizen act, Judy instead switched to her much firmer cop mode. She pulled out her badge and shoved it as close to the sow's muzzle as she could reach, "ZPD ma'am. Now take your hooves off my partner before we call the sheriff and have you arrested for assaulting an officer."
Seeing Judy flash her badge, Nick promptly pulled his own and held it before the furious pig, "Officer Nicholas Wilde at your service, Lady Hogenshaw."
Taken aback suddenly, Olivia stepped back and her fury faded slightly, "And I am honestly supposed to believe that?" She looked back and forth between the duo before glaring down at the rabbit, "What did this sneak thief offer you, rabbit? Or are you actually working with him?"
"Officer Wilde really is my partner and we are both from the ZPD," Judy declared confidently, not giving an inch to this irate sow.
Before the pig could threaten the rabbit with a pointed hoof, her driver caught up to the small group and began to whisper quickly in her ear. Hearing the boar's words her eyes began to bulge and she turned to him in mild shock, "Really? Actual cops huh?" She did not seem entirely persuaded by his words but she turned back to the fox and bunny.
"So, Officer Wilde huh? And I guess you must be Hopps then." Her voice sounded doubtful as she looked at both of their badges, "These are very authentic looking badges. I am still not entirely convinced you two are actual officers of the law."
She placed one hoof on her hip and with the other she pointed to the fox then back to the rabbit in quick succession, "so tell me, if this is true, what are two ZPD officers doing this far out in the sticks, and where are your uniforms, hmm?"
Quickly the fox's wit returned and Nick replied smoothly, "I was ordered to leave my uniform behind. It is still hanging up in my locker back at the precinct. What about you, Hopps?"
"Still in the laundry machine back home," the rabbit said shyly as her eyes fell.
The limo driver finally spoke again with assurance in his voice, "No one lies about laundry, Ma'am."
"I know, Fredricks," Lady Olivia waved her hoof in a shooing motion and the driver once again stepped back silently. She then turned back to the plain clothes cops with a flourish of her extended hoof, "Ok, assuming that I believe this story of yours, what are you doing out here?"
"We drove all the way out here from Zootopia to speak with you ma'am," the rabbit said as she pocketed her badge.
Putting his own badge away, Nick seemed to almost finish the rabbit's sentence, "Your steward, Edmynd, told us we could find you here."
"You actually spoke to Edmynd? He never said the cops wished to speak with me."
"Maybe it slipped his mind," Judy added.
Nodding at the rabbit, Olivia agreed, "That old dotard. I have suggested more than once that he retire, but he insists that he would die before he ever leaves the service of the Hogenshaw family. Such a dedicated old boar."
The fox nodded with a grin, "He seemed like a very loyal mammal, ma'am."
"Alright, but you still haven't explained why both of you took such effort to speak with me."
Looking over at her partner, Judy gave the fox a nod, "Show her the shipping documents."
As if from thin air, Nick pulled out several large sheets of paper and pawed them to the well dressed sow, "What can you tell us about these, have you ever seen them before?"
Olivia flipped through the small stack of papers that the fox had given her, shaking her head with each page, "I have never seen these documents before in my life yet everyone of them has what looks like my signature, even the last page where it looks like I got bored of signing and just scrawled the last, 'w'. All of the initials look like my handwriting as well. Where did you get these?" She shoved the papers back in the fox's muzzle almost in disgust.
"From the Mole Harbor, Pier Three Port Authority Office," Judy stated firmly, assuming that the official sounding name would be enough. "The crate specified in those documents was loaded with illegal contraband and we are trying to find out who is behind it."
"Well I am sorry that you wasted all this time coming out here, but those documents are all fake, just like this resort and spa that I was obviously swindled into buying." Olivia turned around and began to walk back down the gravel path, "I am not, nor have I ever been involved in shipping any, what did you call it, contraband. Good day, Officers."
"We're not quite done here yet," Judy started to say, but her partner cut her off.
"Lady Hogenshaw," Nick addressed the pig. "Do you still have a copy of the Deed of Sale?"
"Of course, it's still in the car," She turned and looked back at the fox curiously. "What do you want with them?"
"I have a sneaky suspicion about your copy of that document."
"Sneaky," Olivia said with a snort. "I believe that's the first honest word that I have heard out of your mouth, Fox."
When the snobbish pig returned from her limo with the requested papers she pawed them over to the fox. Nick held them up to the light and then set them beside his own copy of the shipping documents.
Comparing the two sets of papers the fox made a loud gasp and almost choked, "Just as I suspected, it's plain as day. Come look at this, Carrots."
When Judy saw the two official looking documents side by side, she also gasped and held her paws over her muzzle, "Ugh, how could we have been so blind. These documents are obviously forged."
"Forged!" the sow cried.
"Yes, look at this," Nick explained. His paws ran down the shipping document, "See how each of the signatures and initials line up exactly with where they appear on the Deed of Sale?"
Placing a hoof on the end of her chin, Olivia shook her head, "But what does this mean?"
"It means that whoever got you to sign this deed either gave it to Gatolli, the mob boss, or maybe even sold it to him. But then the bobcat had his forger erase the original text and replaced it with the shipping form. In fact it was probably planned out well ahead of time. Who exactly sold you the property?"
The fancy sow let out a low growl, "It was the Burrows Agriculture and Realestate LLC, their office is over in the Meadowlands."
"The Meadowlands." Judy said with surprise.
"Was their office in the southern part of that district, near the foothills?" Nick asked with a glint in his eye.
"Why, yes, I think it was," the sow replied with a nod.
"Gatolli's territory alright," Nick frowned, shaking his head.
Throwing her hooves in the air, Olivia stomped away from the two smaller mammals, "Mob territory! What am I going to do now?" She waved her hooves around the swampy marshland, "I was sold a country resort with a fresh spring spa, not this disgusting mud puddle! There isn't even a tool shed here."
Judy's ears rose at the pig's tirade and her head slowly tilted to the side, "Nothing here? Have you been to the cabin yet?"
"What cabin?" the overly fancy sow asked with a glimmer of hope.
The rabbit pointed towards a dense thicket of trees, "There is, or there used to be a nice cabin back up there in the woods. It looks like the trees have grown up and blocked the view. Maybe we should go check it out."
"Are you sure?" Olivia seemed doubtful. "I have been all over this property and never saw any cabin."
"That's probably because it's on the other side of the stream," the rabbit replied.
Fredricks took the chance to speak up again, "We never crossed the stream ma'am."
"Yes, because there wasn't any bridge to cross it."
Pushing aside some of the thick underbrush Judy called with excitement, "I think I found the trail that should take us where we want to go."
The four mammals slowly worked their way along the overgrown path. Nick and Judy had no trouble navigating through the weeds and shrubbery, yet Fredricks had to hold back every branch and trample every weed so his lady could pass unimpeded. When they arrived at the stream, an old wooden bridge spanned the burbling waters. The bridge showed many years of disrepair yet it held the small group's combined weight without a single groan.
On the other side of the stream, the path wound its way through the trees until it ended in a single gigantic boulder. Perched atop the humongous block of weathered stone sat a large cabin that was at least 3 stories tall, at least for small mammals like foxes and bunnies. The pigs however would have to duck their heads to fit inside.
With a snap of her fingers, Judy exclaimed, "I knew it was still here, and the spring should be right over here on the other side of the rock." She led them around the boulder until they reached the far side where a small trickle of water seemed to flow directly from the rock itself. Once freed from the boulder it collected in a rock lined pool before it joined with the main stream in front of the house.
"We could still fix this place up real nice, Ma'am" the limo driver suggested to his patron.
Olivia splashed a hoof in the fresh, clear water, "Now that I see this cabin, the place does have some potential. But what to do about that swamp out by the road?"
Judy spoke up after dipping her own toe in the clear pool, "I have heard that at night that the sound of chirping of frogs is quite soothing."
"Or you could fry them up and sell them on the streets of Sahara Square," Nick stated with his cunning business mammal sense. The other three mammals gagged in disgust at his suggestion, and the smallest one once again punched him in the shoulder.
"But seriously," Judy replied while watching the fox rubbing at his bruised arm. "It is getting late and we should start heading back if you still want to see more of the town where I grew up."
The group slowly headed back to their cars while Olivia continued to make plans for how to turn the large cabin into an exclusive spa., "We will first need to clear these trees and bring the road up to the cabin. Then knock out a wall or two, add some bedrooms. Oh and put a heater next to the spring and pipe it all into a hot tub, but keep it all natural looking of course."
"Do you still intend to turn this into a resort, ma'am?" Judy asked politely. "Bunny Burrow is still a small town, we don't even have a proper hotel."
Taking a long look around before climbing into her expensive limo, Olivia gave the bunny one last thought, "There are certainly a lot of possibilities, but I will have to call my contractor first."
"I would call a lawyer before you start any work, just to make sure everything is all legal first," Nick started to caution the sow, but she slammed the door in his muzzle, cutting off his warning. The fox scowled at the limo and bit back a harsh remark.
Judy looped her small around the fox's larger one and led him back towards the car, "I am sure everything will be fine, Nick."
Climbing back into their own vehicle, Nick let out a deep breath, "Bogo is really not going to be happy with the evidence we found today."
"You're right," Judy slammed the door slightly too hard causing her cousin to wince. "I don't think there is any rush to let him know. We will just tell him about it when we go back to work after the weekend."
"Did you just suggest that we actually enjoy the time off?" the fox placed his paw over his heart in mock shock. "I never thought this workaholic bunny would ever take a day off."
"Har, har, very funny." She smirked and tilted her head against his shoulder, "We are here now so lets just enjoy the time we have, ok."
Bunny Burrow was a small town built in the middle of nowhere. At first the area was used as a hub for the surrounding farming community and everything that a farmer needed could be found there. As it grew, and more mammals moved into the area, various businesses began to spring up and it eventually became a thriving town.
With the encroach of the commercial businesses, more homes cropped up like weeds in an orchard and a mix of mammals, other than rabbits, began to call Bunny Burrow their home. The town still declared quite bluntly that it was a farming community, with its tall silos and giant warehouses, but the ring of houses had steadily grown larger.
Smack in the middle of town a double lane highway cut it in half and connected it with the big city two counties away. Most of the small businesses could be found nestled along this highway, or no less than a block away. Everything from local nicknacks and gift shops to high end clothing and jewelry stores could be found along that single strip. For travelers from the big city it felt similar to a large outdoor mall.
Driving into town, Nick noticed that all of the buildings seemed to be painted in bright pastel colors. Pinks and yellows dominated the curiously shaped roofs while orange made a bold appearance everywhere else. The fox shook his head and wondered if it was his imagination or did all the builds look like stylized rabbits.
Once they reached the downtown area he was convinced that the rabbit theme was deliberate. Every shop's sign had giant ears, or was shaped like an enormous carrot. A few even had the images of frolicking rabbits painted on them. The auto dealer had a swiftly running rabbit drawn in bright neon tubes that flickered occasionally. Looming above the other buildings, a large hospital was even vaguely shaped like a plump rabbit.
Near the end of the main strip, Byron pulled his car into a wide parking lot, "I told my dad that I would pick up some plumbing supplies after lunch today. He will probably be furious when he finds out how long we have been already."
The building where the black furred bunny parked looked like a long, squat warehouse. Over the door hung a sign that was shaped like a hammer with cute bunny ears growing out of the head. On the sign the words 'Lopps Hardware' were painted in a bold, western style font.
Not many cars were in the parking lot this afternoon and Byron easily found a spot by the door. He turned off the engine and opened the door to climb out.
"That's ok," Judy waved at her cousin from the backseat. "Nick and I can walk from here. Everything I wanted to show him today is only across the street."
"Ok, great," the taller rabbit exclaimed. "Text me when you're ready to go." Quickly shutting the door, he nearly leapt across the lot and into the store. Nick and Judy followed more slowly and locked up the car before they headed in the opposite direction.
As Byron passed through the store's automated doors, something caught the foxes attention. Standing outside the main entrance was a young skunk that appeared to be no older than Judy. She was wearing a long apron with the word 'Lopps' printed on the front. Next to the skunk was a slightly older opossum who appeared to be holding out his paws to her in apology.
The opossum was wearing nicer clothes than skunk and at first glance the fox thought he was a customer, but her skittish reactions told a different story. Nick could not hear what they were saying but their body language spoke volumes. The jack opossum seemed to be describing something to her but his own posture looked like he was actually asking a question. While he spoke the skunk would grind her hind paw into the pavement and fiddle with the fur on top of her head. Despite her nervous behavior, she had a glowing smile on her muzzle.
Before Nick could turn away and follow his bunny, the skunk nodded her head and spoke a few words. She looked at her watch before dashing inside the store. At first the opossum seemed to have a frown on his muzzle as he turned and walked away, but after a couple of steps the jack hopped like a rabbit and punched his fist in the air, his smile glowing as warmly as the midday sun. Nick wished him well on his date and chased after Judy.
Once the fox caught up to his rabbit, she quickly clasped his paw in her own and led him across the street to the main strip. The feel of her paw always brought a calm to him, and he could use as much calming as he could get wandering this strange town. Few animals wandered the streets in front of the various small shops, but it felt like every one of them was staring at him.
In the city he was used to being mistrusted by everyone, but there most mammals wouldn't even give him a second look. Here the glares seemed downright hateful. Nothing came of it, no one accidently bumped into him or stepped on his tail, but the fox felt oddly uneasy.
After about a block, Judy pulled her fox into a quaint little shop that was so tightly squashed between its neighbors that it reminded Nick of a walk-in closet. At first, Nick thought it was a country western store, but then he began to realize that the clothes on the racks were exactly what the rest of Judy's family had worn.
He quickly realized that out here in the country, this was nothing more than a normal clothing store. They sold thick cotton shirts, with the plaid designs he had seen Judy wear before. There were coveralls like what Stu and his sons had on at the train station. He even spotted a section for heavy duty paw coverings.
"Um Judy," Nick mumbled politely. "I wasn't planning on getting any new clothes today."
"Don't be silly," Judy chided. "I saw what you packed, Dumb Fox." She waved her paw across his chest with a hint of disgust. "If you want to stay out late at the Harvest Festival or go stargazing with me you are definitely going to need something warmer."
Looking around the small store slightly bewildered, Nick pulled at his short sleeves, "I guess it couldn't hurt, but no going crazy."
"Crazy? Who is going crazy?" The bunny asked.
"Crazy, like some females I know, who go completely nuts when they get inside a clothing store."
"Mr. Wilde," Judy scoffed with her paws on her hips. "You must have me mistaken for some other doe."
Nick smirked back at the rabbit, "I don't know carrots. My closet seems to be getting smaller and I have noticed that every payday it continues to shrink."
A fisted paw impacted the fox directly on his sore shoulder, "Dating a rabbit has obviously gone to your head. You must be losing your mind, Slick."
"Har, har," Nick laughed, imitating his girlfriend. "We can get one shirt, but I draw the line at plaid."
Holding up a long pair of overalls, Judy showed them off to her fox and declared, "What about these?"
The fox began to gag and choke, "Absolutely not!"
"Well I think you would look positively pawsome in these," she proclaimed.
"No way," Nick took a firm step forwards and drew an 'X' in the air with his paws. "I will not be caught dead wearing that thing."
"It is either this or a plaid shirt, your choice, Slick." Judy waived the hanger and the overalls that hung from it around in the air enticingly.
Groaning, Nick placed a paw across his muzzle, "Alright. I will let you buy me a plaid shirt." It wasn't a very hard choice to make. All of the male's shirt that this store had in his size were all plaid, except for a single orange one that blatantly clashed with his fir color. He had hoped that they had a plain green one but he was fresh out of luck. The only long sleeved green shirt was five sizes too large, and looked more like a dress, or a toga, on him than a shirt.
To compromise, Judy found a nice light blue shirt with thin green lines that almost matched his eyes. It was made from a thick and soft cotton material with a plaid pattern that wasn't too garish. The shirt would help him stay warm after the sunset and the temperature dropped drastically outside. She also found him a dark pair of jeans that reminded Nick of every western he had ever seen on the TV.
He tried to shake his head at the jeans, but his rabbit only glared back at him with her paw thumping on the floor.
She shoved both shirt and jeans into his paws, "Now go try them on. I want to see how they look." Reaching up, she began to undo his already loose tie.
Gasping, Nick tried to swat away her small paws, "What are you doing? Everyone will see." He looked around the store, but they were behind several clothes racks and none of the other mammals could see them. He clasped her paws in with his own and begged her to stop, "Not in public."
Judy easily pulled away from his grasp and slid the tie free from his neck and gave his chest a hard shove.
Stepping back, the fox bumped into a long curtain that rattled on its rod a few meters above his head. He hadn't realized that they were standing in front of the changing station.
"In the dressing booth, Dumb Fox. I will hold your tie while you change of course." She gave him a seductive wink while rolling his tie into a ball, "Unless you actually need me to help you change."
He shook his head and she gave him another shove towards the booth. Softly kissing the end of his black nose she said, "I will be waiting right out here."
Minutes passed while the fox changed into the new clothes. Outside, the rabbit stood guard, unmoving like a dutiful soldier before the queen's palace. When the fox finally finished and pushed aside the curtain, he had to place a paw on the bunny's shoulder to get her to move.
"Well, what do you think?" the fox asked with a groan.
Judy's eyes widened and her ears rose swiftly when she saw the fox's new clothes. "Turn around she pleaded," twirling her finger in the air.
"That bad huh?"
Rabbit's do salivate but never to the extent that canines will, but when Nick turned around he swore he saw something wet drip from the corner of her cheek. Her mouth was held wide open and he thought her lips formed the words, "My sexy fox."
"Do you really like it, Carrots?"
For the first time, Nick caught Judy staring at his rump. Looking at himself in the mirror he realized how very tight the jeans were. He was completely unprepared for the rabbit's reaction. Suddenly he realized how prey must feel when a predator looks at them. Since the beginning of his hustling career he had never worn jeans. They didn't suit him, he preferred plain brown or gray slacks. Something about seeing him in this pair of jeans caused his rabbit to snap. The way Judy was looking at him made the fox feel like he was a piece of meat on display. Her expression was positively hungry.
"Rawr," she growled fiercely before grabbing his muzzle and planting a heated kiss on the end of it.
The strong rabbit nearly pushed him back into the booth, but he quickly grabbed the curtain to keep them from falling inside. His rabbit had clearly gone off the deep end. Was she actually going to do this, right here, and in public. His mind raced. He had to act quickly before they did something they would both regret.
One second Judy was blissfully kissing her hunky fox and the next something green and gray covered her eyes. She had been struck blind! The childhood stories were true. You will go blind if you kiss a boy too much.
When she pulled back from the fox's lips and swiped a paw across her muzzle, she realized what was covering her eyes. It was Nick's clothes. The ones he had removed while in the changing booth.
"Opps. Sorry, Sweetheart." He apologized. They must have fallen when I bumped into the curtain.
Judy's heart still raced, and her nose twitched furiously stealing the quick retort that would have lashed out after the fox's dumb excuse. Hadn't he been holding his shirt and pants moments before she kissed him?
Wow, those jeans do look really tight on him. What was she thinking, and why could she not stop staring at his tail?
Instead of punching that dumb fox or telling him what she thought of those falling clothes, she simply nodded and mumbled something cute and agreeable.
Taking back his old clothes, Nick stepped back towards the booth, "Well it looks like they fit fine, so I will be changing back so we can go up to the counter."
"No!" Judy almost screamed. Her voice was back but her emotions were still a little out of control. "No," she said again with almost a whisper. "We can take the tags up to the counter, but I think you should walk around in these a bit first."
She tore the first tag off the shirt sleeve and asked him to turn around to reach the one for the jeans. When Nick's back was turned, Judy instinctively ran her fingers through his bushy tail before giving his butt a quick pinch with her sharp claws.
Nick let out a quick yip and swatted at his girlfriend, "Hey, I thought you were only going to grab the tag?"
"Oh, right, sorry," she giggled and pinched his butt a second time. Her other paw held tightly onto the tag and when the fox flinched forward the tag easily tore away from the cloth. "Got it," she exclaimed with a cheer.
With a curious scowl, Nick looked back at the rabbit, "Seriously, what has gotten into you today? Did you eat a whole box of chocolate cherries again?"
Giggling, Judy gave Nick a soft peck on the cheek, "Nope." Trying to calm her new emotions, she carried the tags towards the front of the store, but she continued to drool slightly whenever she looked back at the sexy fox that followed her.
Before she paid for Nick's new clothes and pulled a forest green hat off a rack and plopped it promptly on top of his head. It was a tuskball cap similar to the one her father wore, but on the front were three symbols. The symbols were the letter 'I' followed by a big red heart and lastly an image of a carrot.
"This is perfect," she said.
Her fox only rolled his eyes and flattened his ears like an embarrassed child, "You're really going to make me wear this?"
"Of course, Silly," the rabbit declared with confidence.
"The things I put up with for you, Sweetheart," Nick groaned again.
"Oh, don't be such an old stick in the mud," Judy flouted while she paid the small antelope at the register. "I am surprised you forgot my nickname already."
Pulling off the hat, Nick read the symbols again. He began to chuckle at the play on words and promptly placed it back on his head with a smile, "You're absolutely right, Carrots."
When they stepped back outside again, Nick slid his mask back on and prepared for all the unfriendly stares, but no one looked at him twice. Some of the same mammals were still on the street when they had passed earlier, yet the angry glares were gone. In their place were warm smiles and nods.
"What is going on with this town?" Nick wondered silently.
As the fox and rabbit moved on to their next destination they passed a pair of swine. The gentlemammal tipped his stetson at them as his lady friend greeted them warmly, "Afternoon folks."
Now Nick was convinced he had stepped out of that changing booth and into some kind of horror or thriller movie with blood thirsty rabbits and overly friendly swine. Judy quickly pulled the fox into another shop before he could comment on the odd changes to the world around him.
This new shop was much more quaint than the last. It was much more narrow, but the interior was built like a log cabin. Only a few paws past the front door the room descended with a small set of stairs into what looked like a bar. Instead of bottles and taps the first thing Nick spotted was a huge freezer with a glass sneeze guard on top of it.
Walking up to the glass window, the fox looked down into the freezer and saw a dozen large round tubs. Each tub was filled with a different color of ice cream. This was an ice cream bar. Unlike Jumbeaux's, this did not have anywhere to sit and only sold cones. They had several different kinds of cones from the standard yellow cones, to crispy waffle and even a crunchy toffee cone. However, once you ordered, you had to take the ice cream with you and let the next customer order.
Judy, of course, ordered a carrot cake cone. She had the nice old otter behind the counter cover hers with chocolate cookie crumbles. Nick chose the blueberry swirl in a waffle cone. Licking their frozen treats they both warmly thanked the otter and headed back out the front door.
The sun started its slow descent towards the horizon as the couple walked along down the sidewalk. They occasionally peaked their muzzles into one store or another, but nothing really struck their fancy. In one gift shop Nick considered buying a Bunny Burrow key chain, but later decided against it. He did buy a shot glass instead.
"It's for Finnick," he explained.
Once they reached the end of the line of shops, they crossed the street and started down the other side. The first shop they came to had a pink sign that read, Real Good Baked Stuff. It was also the only sign on the main Bunny Burrow strip that was not rabbit or carrot themed, but had a picture of a smiling pie with swirls coming out of the top. It was obviously a bakery.
Nick had expected them to walk right on by, since they had just finished their ice cream cones, but Judy yanked hard on his paw dragging him towards the door. "Come on, Slick," she called when she saw that the fox was stalling. "There is someone I would like you to meet."
A tiny bell tinkled when they stepped through the door. This shop was much broader than the others they had entered today. There was more than enough room to sit at fancy little bistro chairs and tables with checkered tablecloths. Big windows filled the dining area with warm afternoon light, and the entire shop was filled with the smell of baked fruits.
A large glass cabinet sitting against a windowless wall, glittering in the bright sunlight. Bent over in front of the cabinet was a medium sized orange mammal with a long and very fluffy black and orange tail. The bent over mammal spoke in a very country accent when the door closed with a second tinkle, "I will be right with you."
The baker, whom Nick could only assume was a rather plump fox, was carefully lifting steaming hot pies from a long flat tray into the glass case while humming some obscure tune. The bushy tail also swished slowly along with the humming.
"Ok," Nick replied as Judy waltzed up to the front counter and began to oogle the contents. The tall cabinet where the rotund fox was working and the front counter contained a variety of pastries and other bakery items. Inside the counter reminded Nick of almost every coffee shop in the city, with fruit filled danishes and nut covered muffins, while the large counter had a dozen pies with a cake or two near the top.
Watching his rabbit wipe more drool from her lips Nick asked, "I thought we just ate, Carrots?"
She only smiled back at him and giggled before returning to drool over the case full of sweet treats. It was obvious by her silence that she was waiting for the other fox to finish.
Other fox? A wave of jealousy hit him like being caught in a sudden thunder shower. Wait, was this the fox that Judy had told him about. Her friend from school, the one her parents were working with. Hadn't she told him that he was a baker or something? Now what was that name again?
"Gideon," Judy cried when the baker finally turned around and saw his newest customers. For a second she looked like she was about to jump in the air and give him a big hug but changed her mind before her paws left the ground.
"Judy," Gideon said warmly with a wave. "How are you doing these days?"
"Things are great. I am really enjoying living in the city and working for the ZPD," the rabbit explained as the large fox walked around the counter and placed his tray in an empty rolling rack.
Gideon wore a long white apron with the image of the same cartoon pie that was on the sign outside. Today his plaid shirt was brown with the occasional green stripe and his faded jeans were loose and rolled up at the cuffs. "Are you here for the Harvest Festival this year?"
"Yes, indeed. We got here on the early morning train so I could introduce Nick to the rest of the family."
The baker chuckled knowingly, "That was probably a good idea. Your family can be a bit overwhelming at times." He busied himself arranging the pastries inside the front cabinet.
Judy took Nick's paw, looked up at her fox and took a deep breath before she spoke again, "Gideon." She paused for a second not sure how best to phase her next sentence. Then her conviction returned and she nearly blurted out her words all at once, "I would like you to meet my boyfriend."
"Sure," Gideon agreed warmly. "The next time he comes by the store I would love to meet him. What is his name?"
Both Nick and Judy stared blankly at Gideon for several seconds before Nick coughed and raised the paw that Judy still held.
Again, the plump fox stared back at the couple puzzled. A light slowly dawned in the baker's eyes and his eyes shifted quickly back and forth between them. "What?" He blurted suddenly. "No. Wait. Judy, are you? Are you dating a fox?" Gideon stumbled over every word while he paced back and forth in behind his counter.
Watching the big fox struggle, Judy spoke up, "Gideon, this is Nick Wilde, my boyfriend. We also work together on the ZPD."
Gideon returned to face the counter again but his troubled expression remained, "Judy, what, why? Why are you dating a ... a ..." He waved his paw at Nick, "Why are you not dating a rabbit?"
"Why?" Judy asked herself. She looked deeply into her fox's eyes and squeezed his paw. "I am not really sure how to explain it." Taking a breath she clasped Nick's paw in of hers, "Well what I do know is that Nick has been my best friend for more than a year now. Slowly our friendship grew into something more and then one morning I woke up and I realized that I was in love with him. The very next day he was taken away from me and that's when I knew I just could not live without him."
Frowning, the fox baker shook his head, "Oh no, Judy. But he is a predator and you are prey. Isn't that wrong? What does your family think of this? Did you tell them?"
Nick remained silent. It wasn't his place to butt in with any random comments. He let his girlfriend explain their complicated relationship to her friend.
"What's wrong with it? If prey and pred can work together, if they can be friends, then why can't they be more than friends?" She tried to plant her hind paw into the fancy tiled floor, "How is any of this wrong? There is even proof in the history books of mixed couples going back thousands of years."
"Which history books? None of the history they taught us in school ever said anything about this."
Judy waved a paw towards one of the windows, "It's all over the internet, and in the library. The classics and ancients are full of art and writings about interspecies couples."
"Do you actually believe everything on the internet?" Gideon scoffed and put his nose in the air.
"It's not just on the internet Gideon," Judy argued. "I have met at least a dozen other mixed couples in the city."
"What about you parents," he challenged. "What do they think about you dating a predator?"
The thinner fox finally decided to speak up, "Mr. and Mrs. Hopps were very nice to me. Even after they found out that Judy and I are dating they seemed open to the idea." With a thoughtful look, Nick added, "Stu gave me the typical fatherly speech but he didn't run me off with a pitchfork."
"So that's what the two of you were talking about in the truck this morning," Judy cried softly.
"He did what?" Gideon seemed more shocked at Stu's reaction than at Judy's words. "So he treated you like every other buck who's dating one of his daughters."
"I guess you could say that," Nick replied.
A small glimmer lit the baker's eyes for a second before it quickly vanished, "So that means that I could... No, that's just your family and it would never work between..."
"What is it, Gideon," Judy asked curiously.
"Nothing, nothing," he waved his paws trying to brush away the rabbit's question. "Now did you two just come by to say hi or did you want to buy something?"
"Oh, I don't know, Gid," Judy tried to withdraw from the offer. "We were about to head back to the burrow for dinner."
"I just pulled some pies fresh out of the oven, you should bring one to Bonnie. With my compliments of course."
The rabbit seemed to deflate for a second, "Aww, well I guess we could do that, but only one though. Don't want to ruin our dinner ya know."
"What kind would you like?" Gideon asked with a smile as warm as his fresh baked pastries. "I just put the hot ones into the cabinet."
At the offer, Nick spoke up curiously, "Do you have any made from Hopps blueberries?"
Chuckling till his belly jiggled, Gideon responded cheerfully, "All my fruit pies are made with Hopps produce." His muzzle turned down a second later, "Sorry, but all the blueberry pies are for the festival tomorrow. You can buy one tomorrow, Nick, but the other pies you are welcome to take today."
"How about a peach one?" Judy asked.
"Yep, got a hot one right there in the corner," He pointed to the lower shelf where he had been placing the fresh pies only moments ago. "Let me box it up so you don't burn your paws."
"Thanks so much, Gideon," the gray rabbit said with a bright smile. "While you do that let me call Byron to come pick us up. He must be done with his supplies by now."
Once the plump fox stepped around the counter, Nick walked up to him and extended his paw with a friendly smile, "It has been a pleasure meeting you, Gideon."
Gideon clasped the other fox's paw in and shook it firmly, "Likewise, Nick. I am glad that Judy has such a good friend as yourself."
With the boxed peach pie in one paw, and her fox in the other, Judy walked out of the front door with the tinkle of a tiny bell ringing in her tall ears. A warm smile was painted across her muzzle and she was glad that the meeting between her childhood antagonist and her adult boyfriend went so well.
[A/N] Here is a short Thanksgiving special update. This was originally part of the previous chapter but it was getting to be very long so I had to break it up. I did not feel like forcing everyone to wait a whole month for part two so I thought I would post it now. The next chapter where we get to see the Harvest Festival will be coming out in 30 days.
I have been on a roll this month writing alot and adding tons of previous unplanned content so part two of this story may wind up being longer than the first. So far two new chapters have been added to Bunny Burrow alone and there will be more on the way.
Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter and I hope you enjoy the extra Wildehopps fluff.