Loves Bond
Chapter 15 - Flying Circus
Judy felt invigorated. It was early morning and the sun was desperately trying to break through the bedroom curtains. Judy had gotten little sleep last night, but the rabbit was more energized than if she had a triple espresso macchiato from Snarlbucks. She had been completely exhausted when she finally crawled into bed with her mate last night, but now she felt like she was ready to run a marathon.
Stretching, she sat up in the bed that she shared with her foxy mate. Once again, they had drifted to the center of the bed with his large, orange body wrapped around her smaller grey one. While she sat there watching the sun illuminate the thick, dark curtains, she ran her short fingers through the tod's long, fluffy tail.
Today was their day off, but the energized bunny had to fight back the strong urge to return to work. After falling asleep at her desk, Bogo had ordered her not to show up for work today. Despite it being a regularly scheduled day off, Judy was a dedicated workaholic who was frequently known for showing up to work on tough cases. This weekend was no different. Crime didn't take days off, so why should she?
This current case was exceedingly tough, causing her nose to twitch and her fingers itched while she sat in the center of the sexy fox roll that surrounded her. With missing mammals, stolen SUVs, dead mob bosses and cross-dressing goats, this case was quickly becoming a tangled web of red yarn and newspaper clippings that she had no idea how to fit together. Regardless of her boss's orders, she wanted nothing more than to get back out there and look for more clues, or even catch a perp in action.
Feeling the soft, fluffy fur of her mate's tail running through her fingers was calming, to say the least, but it did not take away her morning enthusiasm and the drive to get something done. Watching the naked fox breathing slowly, a determination filled her muzzle, and she made a decision.
Leaning over, Judy kissed the top of her fox's head and climbed over his deliciously toned body to reach the edge of the bed. Inside the single drawer of the nightstand, she found a pad of paper and a pen to quickly scribble a note on the first sheet. Ripping the note from its binding, she placed it next to Nick's phone and shoved the pen and notepad back into the drawer.
Sliding her naked body off the edge of the bed, she began her morning workout while the fox continued to sleep. She stretched her arms and legs while performing a few simple warm-up exercises. Jumping jacks, squats, burpees and pushups helped get her blood flowing while she stretched and loosened her sleepy muscles. Even through all of the rabbit's strenuous activities, Nick continued to snore soundly on the wolf-sized futon.
In the closet, Judy quickly found a comfortable sweater and a matching pair of warm leggings. She slipped on her light paw straps, unplugged her phone from the charger, and attached her earbuds. Blowing a kiss to the lazy fox, she quietly closed the bedroom door and headed outside.
Her run through the park today was not record-breaking. She had a lot on her mind this morning and was simply trying to push all thoughts of the case into the background. A gentle, easy pace through the chilly autumn air helped the rabbit clear her mind. Taking her mind off the case, even for a few hours, was exactly what she needed right now, so she let her mind drift like the wooly clouds that dotted the sky.
When she let her mind drift, it always found its way towards two destinations. Work was the first place her mind often wandered and with a little effort, she tried pushing it in the other direction. With the cool, dew-covered grass tickling her toes as she ran, her mind was filled with the images of a red fox. She pictured his broad chest and that long, attractive tail. His strong, predatory muzzle made her smile and those sharp, pointy ears reignited the warm glow in her chest.
A cold breeze blew across the grassy park, causing her nose to twitch. The sensation reminded her of her mate's strong, musky scent. Many mammals, especially prey, found a fox's musk to be unpleasant, even offensive. Judy was not like other prey mammals and enjoyed his smell. For her, his strong musk was both comforting and invigorating. It brought her peace and made her heart beat faster. Whenever she pressed her nose into his bare chest and inhaled deeply, she felt like this is where she belonged, like she was home.
Half an hour later, Judy returned to the apartment she shared with Nick. She gathered her bath supplies, a clean towel, soap, furwash, and a brightly colored bath poof. Leaving the shower running to build up the hot water, she entered the bedroom where she removed her clothes and tossed them in the hamper near the corner.
A naked rabbit climbed over her fox and began peppering his head with a barrage of tiny kisses until he stirred and woke. When he finally rolled over, she grabbed his muzzle between her paws and planted more kisses under his long nose, "Morning darling."
"M-morning, Carrots," Nick stuttered and yawned. He blinked his eyes and gazed at the beautiful bunny holding him.
With a gentle smack to his long muzzle, Judy turned to climb off the bed, "I'm taking a shower."
"Ok," the fox yawned again while stretching his paws over his head. "Have fun."
Halfway through the bedroom door and into the short hallway, Judy stopped and looked back at the fox while wagging her tail. She gave him a slow wink, "Would you like to scrub my back?"
Missing the rabbit's seductive tones, Nick shook his head, "Naw, I think I could use another hour of shut-eye."
Judy's sweet expression suddenly turned cold, "You can either scrub this sopping wet rabbit in the shower or on the bed." With a curt flick of her tail, she turned and walked into the hall.
"She wouldn't," the fox mumbled under his breath.
"Don't count on it," came her voice from beyond the bedroom door.
The naked, and still very sleepy fox, leapt off the bed and ran after his bunny.
"Good choice," was the soft, sensual reply from the bathroom.
After a long and steamy adventure in the shower, both mammals were standing in front of the fur dryer. Judy was humming a happy tune that she had recently heard on the radio, while her fox was gently brushing the fur down her back and around her short, puffy tail.
"Nick," Judy said softly, her voice thick with emotion.
"Yes, honey?" Nick asked, carefully pulling the stiff paw brush through the rabbit's short tail. Somehow, her tail had recently collected numerous knots and snarls. Bunnies often had a hard time reaching their own short tails and required another mammal to properly brush it out.
"I love you, Nick," the gray rabbit declared with confidence as she also brushed the fox's tail that had casually wrapped around her waist.
Kissing the top of her head, Nick responded tenderly, "I love you too, Judy."
Humming, Judy leaned back into the fox's soothing brush strokes and tilted her head back slightly, "When I am with you I have never felt so wonderful."
"Me too, dear," the fox affirmed as he brushed the back of her head.
She leaned her head against the brush, "No, I mean when we mate, it feels like you are a part of me."
Nick nodded and softly whispered as his eyes dreamily drifted into the distance, "A part that you never knew you were missing your whole life."
"So, you felt it too?" Judy hopped with a happy little squeal, but the brush slipped in Nick's paws and scraped against her bare back.
"Oh. I'm sorry," he uttered urgently, wiping at her back with his bare paw.
"What's wrong, hun?" she asked, her voice still full of love and tenderness.
"Your scabs broke again."
"Is it bad?"
"No, just a little seepage is all," he shook his head, but she could not see the gesture.
Judy quickly grabbed a pawful of tissues off the bathroom counter and passed them to her fox, "It's ok dear. Just dab the spots with these. It should stop in a minute. I guess we should be more careful after a shower."
"I am sorry, Judy," Nick said with regret.
"What for?" She asked curiously.
"For biting you so hard."
The naked rabbit turned and gazed into her mate's emerald green eyes. She caressed his long muzzle before softly kissing his warm lips, "Honey. The bites you gave me make me very happy." Grabbing his large paws, she brushed the two dark holes on her chest with the pads on the tips of his fingers. "They are the marks of your love and I will cherish them for the rest of our lives."
A silly smile crossed the fox's muzzle, "Mom was right. You really are a vixen in disguise."
With a scowl, Judy pushed the fox away, "Thanks for ruining the mood, Slick. Now, I think we should get dressed. I have some plans for us today." She turned and shut off the hot furdryer.
Leaning against the bathroom wall, Nick gazed pleasantly at the shiny and clean fur of his beautiful bunny, "What kind of plans?"
Walking from the steam-filled bathroom towards the bedroom, she explained, "I left a list of sights I would like to see and places I want to visit in the city on the stand next to your phone. Take a look at them while you're getting dressed and let me know what you think."
Several minutes later, Judy stood in front of the closet trying to decide between an autumn appropriate, frilly, brown top or the blue one. She preferred the blue one but it was more of a summer style, than something does wear in the mid-fall months. The country rabbit was no fashion expert, but she had been getting tips from her kitfox friend that worked in the mall.
Despite the season, she grabbed the lighter blue one but decided to also wear a white tank top under it, to keep her still damp fur warm in the chilled air. She loosely buttoned the frilly, blue shirt and chose to not tuck it in, leaving the white undershirt exposed beneath. A simple, silver chain, with a small, carrot charm, hung around her neck, finishing the outfit.
As she finished dressing, she turned to Nick who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, struggling with the buttons on a new shirt she had bought him. A blush crept up her ears when she noticed that he had been watching her curiously. She stepped up to the fox and pecked his nose with a soft kiss and pushed his paws away from the buttons.
Shaking her head, she undid the sloppily buttoned shirt and began to rebutton it more carefully as she tilted her head up and asked, "So, about the list. What did you think?"
Nick lifted the note from the nightstand and glanced over it quickly before he smirked at the bunny, "I don't know about these last three."
Pulling on the crisp, blue cloth, Judy tried to straighten Nick's shirt, "Ok. What about them?"
"Well, for instance. The beach looks south towards the open ocean."
"That won't be a problem will it?" When she finished the last button, she firmly smacked his hip and cried, "Up!"
Standing before the bunny, he pointed a claw at an item near the bottom of the page, "Not really, but this next one. I don't know if I know any of the right kinds of mammals in the Canal District."
"I am sure you can figure something out, Slick," Judy affirmed while she unbuttoned his pants and began tucking in the long tails of his shirt.
Not paying any attention to the gray rabbit's small paws down his pants, the fox continued with a sly, foxy smirk, "Now this last one. I have it on good authority that they don't feed mammals like us."
"Really!?" She exclaimed, giving him an unconvinced look as she casually smacked the fox with his own tie before she reached up and wrapped it around his neck. "I am sure everything will be fine, dear."
The fox looked down towards his pretty mate and his expression dropped along with his ears. Even his tail fell to the floor when he spoke again, "What about this one? Why would anyone want to go shopping for fleas?" A slight hint of sarcasm dripped from his long fangs, but the rabbit did not seem to notice.
Judy slowly kissed her fox's lips with a warm, pleasant hum and she began to seductively twirl his tie around in her fingers, "We can always take another shower when we get home darling."
"Or we could take off all these clothes right now and climb back into bed for a few more hours."
"Nick," Judy sighed. "I really love you, but you are going to take me on a date today. And you are going to show me at least half of the places on that list before we come home." She pulled down hard on his tie, bringing his lips into contact with her own, "After that, we can cuddle in bed or chase each other around the apartment all you want."
Again, the fox smirked at his bunny, "Didn't Chief Buffalo Butt order you to stay home today?"
"No," the rabbit replied, rolling her eyes. "He told me to stay away from work and to not show up at the office." She pawed the fox his phone and pointed a sharp claw down the hall, "Now, move that tail mister!"
With a crisp salute, the fox held his chin level to the floor and marched like a toy soldier towards the bedroom door. He kept his knees straight while he kicked his paws in the air with each step. The rabbit only rolled her eyes, but at the last second she reached for his long, bushy tail with a sharp whistle.
The market was bustling in the middle of the day. Open stalls and tables filled the flat, gravel plaza that sat on the southern border of the Meadowlands. There were even a few vendors who were selling their wares directly out of the beds of their trucks. A small herd of different grazing mammals wandered through the flea market, like they were browsing only the finest of clothing stores or examining the rarest antiques.
Judy ran her paw across the bright, flowery pattern of a finely-woven, wool rug. She admired how the leafy vines twirled and twisted around the edges, creating a distinct border. In the center of the rug, she felt a distant kinship with the two, different blooms that were somehow entwined together, to form a unique and yet beautiful pattern.
"We should have a rug in the living room, hun," the rabbit said to the fox standing next to her.
Paw in paw, Nick and Judy had spent the morning touring the town. They had briefly visited some of the local sights from Downtown, Sahara Square and Savanna Central. Stopping for coffee in one eclectic shop, then traveling across town, they had a quick breakfast in another quaint, out-of-the-way shop. There were gargantuan cruise ships to watch sail out to sea and fascinating wall art painted on the sides of tall buildings. A huge, bronze statue of a zebra stood proudly on a plinth. He had an old-fashioned rifle slung over his shoulder and an army cap on his head. The zebra seemed to be surveying the small, quiet plaza on the edge of the savanna.
It was nearly the lunch hour when Nick and Judy stepped off the train at the Meadowlands station and walked the few blocks to the open-air market. When they arrived, Judy had been impressed by the sheer amount of junk that was up for trade by the hawkers. To her eyes it was like every yard sale in town had gathered together in one place.
"The apartment already has nice carpet," Nick replied. "Why would we need a rug too?"
"Because I think it looks pretty," Judy confessed. "And it would brighten up the room. Your apartment is pretty dull, dear."
Today, none of the vendors or browsers looked twice at the fox and rabbit couple. Judy stayed close to her mate and did not shy from his affections, yet she never once heard a harsh word or saw any dirty looks. For once, they were being treated like any normal couple and Judy almost felt apprehensive by the change.
"Instead of putting it on the floor we could even hang it behind the couch," she added.
Nick watched his date admire the rug and was fascinated by how rubbing her paws across the material made her eyes light up, "You are welcome to decorate our apartment however you like, darling, but I have one question for you. How are we going to get it home?"
The rabbit pulled her paw away from the rug quickly and looked up at the fox.
"It is longer than our couch and probably weighs just as much." Nick shook his head, "I am sure that not even Super Bun would be able to carry it home, let alone get it up the stairs in our place."
"We could call a Zuber," Judy suggested.
Stepping away from the rug dealer, the fox tugged at her paw. "Let's look around some more."
"Ok," she agreed solemnly.
Several tables away, Nick stumbled across one that was covered in refurbished electronics. Most of the gadgets were at least twenty years old. There were a couple of old tube televisions complete with rabbit ear antenna, and a large stereo that had been popular when he was born. A pair of original CarrotPads sat next to an ancient Crocodile 64 with a stack of game cartridges.
What fascinated the fox the most, was a purple, cube-shaped box, with four controller ports in the front and a hatch on top for inserting CD style game disks. The dealer didn't have any of the original controllers that came with the box, but he did have some aftermarket brands that worked, and the fox would have to purchase them separately.
"Wow, Carrots," the fox declared while practically drooling over the square game console. "I haven't seen one of these in, what has it been? Ten years?"
Judy barely glanced at it, "My brother has one that he keeps running for the kits. He had to install a new motor in it a few years ago, but, for the most part, it still plays fine."
"That is cool," Nick nodded while he turned the box over to look at the underside. "Finnick used to have one in the back of his van, where we would play Smash Mammals and Space Fox Adventures."
"The kits in the burrow still love playing Smash Mammals," she replied. "Really, any of the four-player games were always a hit, since more kits could play together at once."
"See, I was an only kit," the fox explained. "So, I was always more interested in the single-player, adventure games."
Squeezing his paw, Judy watched her mate reminisce about his kithood, "It's really neat how we grew up with very different backgrounds. I would love to hear more about yours."
"There isn't much to tell, Carrots," Nick dismissed. "I wasn't a special kit or anything. I had all the things that other kits had, except I never knew my father and my mother worked every day to provide for us. For the most part, my life was pretty normal."
Nick held out the purple box to the rabbit with a bright smile on his muzzle, "What do you say we get one of these?"
"We already have three other consoles hooked up to the TV," Judy reminded the eager fox. "There isn't any more space in the living room."
"How about we set it up in the bedroom?"
Judy gently grabbed the box from his paws and placed it firmly back on the table. "No, honey. There is already a brand new Snitch in the living room that plays all the modern versions of the same games. Plus, they started offering downloads of retro games on their network. So, unless we need a nostalgic paperweight, then no."
"Ok, spoilsport," the tod pouted like a lost kit, which caused Judy to chuckle at his antics and softly kiss his cheek.
"Where can we find some food in this place?" She asked, after they explored a few more vendor tables.
The fox tapped one claw to his lower lip, "Well, since you recently discovered that you like seafood, I know where we can get some pretty good fish tacos."
"Fish tacos?" the rabbit asked curiously. "Sure, I would like to try some. I do like the taste of seafood, but if I eat too much fish I get an upset stomach."
"Alright," Nick agreed. "We will get you a small plate with extra veggies."
"That would be delightful, dear," she said, squeezing his paw.
When they arrived at the taco truck down the street, a plump serval was working the window counter. As Judy approached the counter, he gruffly announced, "We don't serve her kind here."
Nick turned to Judy and held her gently by the shoulders, "Please, dear. Let's not irritate this nice mammal. So if you take a seat on that bench way over there I will get the food."
The anger that was slowly building in the rabbit's eyes began to fade as she nodded to her mate. She squeezed his paw and silently strolled to the aforementioned bench and sat down to watch and wait for the fox.
Walking up to the window, Nick placed his order. "I will have two of your Baja Tacos, one with extra veggies, please."
"Are you serious?" The spotted cook scowled down at the fox. "I said, we don't serve prey here."
"It's a bet," Nick declared as he set a fifty on the counter. "Keep the change."
Staring down at the excessively large bill in front of him, the serval shook his head and growled, "Fine. But she better not puke on any of my tables! Ya hear?"
A few minutes later, Nick returned to the rabbit carrying two plates of hot and fresh fish tacos. He pawed one to Judy that was overflowing with lettuce and diced mangos.
"What was that all about?" She asked while taking a bite of her taco.
"It seems he has had trouble in the past with prey wrecking his establishment."
"Don't you mean Freddy and his gang?"
"That is possible," Nick agreed. "Can you eat and walk?" When she stood and nodded with a mouthful of taco, he added, "We should probably head back to the market now."
Before they started walking, Judy turned back towards the grumpy cook. She smiled and raised a taco towards him while mouthing the words, "Thank you."
When they arrived back at the flea market, Judy searched for a bin to deposit the remains of their taco plates. The first bin she found was behind a large crowd of mammals. Most were young lambs and kits along with a few parents, but she spotted one or two cubs and a foal in the group.
"Come one, come all. To the sensational, the exquisite, the stupendous, Manny's Flying Circus," a booming voice cried over the crowd. "Step closer boys and girls, but not too close. We don't want any of the performers to get lost in your fur."
Judy had to stand on her toes and even then she could barely see past the larger, yet younger, mammals. In between the young sheep and goats, she could see a tall llama wearing a sparkling, black tophat and a long, red coat, with golden buttons. In his hoof, he held a short, black rod, with a glittering bauble on the end that seemed to change colors as he waved it emphatically through the air. The fancy-looking show mammal was standing in front of a table on which sat a very believable-looking miniature circus.
"And now, young ones," the llama, that Judy could only assume was named Manny, pronounced to the audience. "For the very first act, we have the Mighty Ezekiel, who will pull a train engine weighing ten thousand times his own weight."
Jumping, the rabbit could barely see a small, model train sitting on the edge of the stage, as the crowd began to clap.
"Watch as Ezekiel strains with all of his muscles to move this tremendous weight."
The train very slowly rolled forward mere millimeters at a time as if some small creature were tugging on a rope, desperately trying to get it to move.
"Go, Ezekiel. Go!" Manny cried. Then again to the crowd of young mammals, "Cheer him on folks, chanting and clapping makes him stronger." He raised his staff like a conductor's baton. "Go, Ezekiel. Go!" The group near the tiny stage chanted along.
Once the model train engine had moved a few paws length across the stage, Manny shouted to the crowd again, "It looks like that is as far as the Mighty Ezekiel can move the train today. Everyone, please give him a round of applause, so that he may be encouraged to try again tomorrow."
The crowd shouted and cheered, even the small bunny in the back did as well.
Manny raised both of his hooves and the crowd slowly hushed, "For the next act, I would like to introduce the Great Flying Bellini Twins, Raphello, and his sister Suzi."
Again, the crowd gave the performers a round of applause, but Manny held up his hooves, "Please, please, mammals. Suzi is a little shy. This is her first time performing in front of a crowd, so could everyone hold the applause until the end of the act."
Judy once again, had to jump to better see the stage. Up at the front of the table where the circus stage was set up, the rabbit saw a pair of tiny wires swinging back and forth between miniature posts. Manny loudly described each trick as the tiny performers executed them with precision.
"Can I have everyone's attention for this death-defying stunt?" The crowd hushed again, as Manny raised his baton. "Raphello will now attempt to perform the deadly quadruple somersault and twist. Only one other flea in the world has ever pulled this off, but Raphello has informed me that he is so confident that he can do this stunt, that he has agreed to remove the net."
With her large ears, the rabbit was able to hear a grinding noise over the sounds of the crowd and she saw a tiny net pull away from under the swinging wires.
A gasp echoed through the crowd as they feared for Raphello's life.
'Don't worry folks," Manny waved a hoof. "If Suzi fails to catch her brother, she still has five thousand other brothers to try the stunt again tomorrow." A chuckle rose through the crowd at the ringmaster's crude joke.
"Once again," the llama declared. "Please remain absolutely quiet during the performance so that the Flying Bellini Twins can concentrate."
As the group of young mammals went silent, the tiny wires began to swing back and forth again.
"Ok, there is the setup," Manny described. "He is building up momentum. A little higher … and there he goes! He is in the roll, and now the twist, and … the catch." At that moment, the llama's eye bulged and he covered his muzzle with a hoof.
"Oh no!" the llama cried. "He missed! The great Raphello has missed the catch, he has fallen to the floor. Oh, what a terrible tragedy." A tear fell from his eyes as the crowd gasped and rushed forward.
"Please, please. Everyone please back away for a moment." Manny leaned over the stage with a magnifying glass in his hoof as he also gasped. "What is this? He is alive? Raphello is actually standing up after that tremendous fall. I can't believe he is actually alive!"
The crowd of lambs and kids cheered and clapped for the fallen trapeze artist.
Manny gasped again with his hoof over his muzzle as he wiped away another tear, "Raphello is alive! Now-now, he is t-turning to the crowd and waving. Yes. Wave back, everyone." Every young mammal, along with Judy, waved at the tiny flea. "He is taking a bow and walking off the stage. There is a slight limp in his left leg but he is alive!"
The tears instantly vanished from the llama's muzzle as he raised the baton again, "For our next performance does anyone have a glass of milk? Anyone? Just a tall, frosty glass of milk." He pointed to a short kid in the crowd, "Excuse me, sir, can I borrow your glass of milk?"
A short goat kid in a plain, brown sweater and thick-rimmed glasses walked up to the stage and passed the llama a rather normal-looking glass of milk. Manny took the glass and politely thanked the rather nerdy-looking young mammal before placing the glass gently down in the center of the stage and then stuck a long, silly straw in it.
"And, now, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemammals, we have a new act in our show. He originally tried out as a clown car driver, but soon found that he had a talent for drinking. No, not a drinking problem, at least that's what we try to tell him." Again, the crowd chuckled. "He first started with entire dew drops. Then, he slowly worked his way up to thimbles of honey and then, shot glasses of chamomile tea. And, now, for the very first time, he will drink this entire glass of milk before a live audience. Please welcome, Samuel Soggybottom!"
Soft clapping spread across the crowd, along with a few, warm cheers.
"Please, everyone, we can do better than that! It's his first, live performance."
The crowd roared a loud cheer and one lamb yelled, "Go Soggybottom!"
"I like that one," Manny pointed his wand in the direction of the shout. "Alright, folks, Samuel has finished climbing the straw and is now ready to begin."
Judy watched in awe, as a white liquid slowly rose through the silly, twisty straw and she could clearly hear a slurping noise coming from the stage.
"There he goes. He is drinking the milk. It is a very heavy liquid to hold in such a tiny stomach, but I am sure Sammy can handle it. Let's help him along. Drink, drink, drink," the fancy llama began to chant softly.
Soon, the young crowd began to chant along with him, "Drink, drink, drink."
Even Judy, hopping at the back of the crowd, clapped her paws and chanted along, "Drink, drink, drink."
Standing beside the gray rabbit, Nick watched the spectacle and rolled his eyes with a loud sigh.
"What's wrong, Slick?" Judy asked, while she continued to bounce happily on her hind paws.
"I will tell you after the show, Carrots."
When the milk was only halfway down the glass, it paused for a few seconds as Manny explained, "Soggybottom has to catch his breath before continuing. He has promised me that he will finish the glass but it may be slow going from here."
The level of milk slowly began to sink in the glass again, only now, it was dropping in fits and starts, like the flea was having a hard time sucking up the rest. After several long pauses, the milk eventually reached the bottom of the glass. Once the glass was empty, the straw twitched and jumped across the glass before it spun around several times, like someone had flicked it with a finger.
"And, he has done it, folks!" Manny proclaimed, throwing his hooves into the air. "Samuel Soggybottom, once a lowly clown car driver, has drunk his first, full glass of milk. Give him a round of applause please?!" The llama clapped his hooves adamantly.
Manny picked the milk glass up off the stage, retrieved the silly straw, and gave the glass back to the nerdy, goat kid. He then pointed to a miniature cannon at one end of the stage. "And, now, I present for your eyes only, the world-famous Franky, The World's Smallest Cannonball."
After the cheers died down, Manny explained the stunt, "Franky will climb into this cannon here and when I pull the rope, he will be launched all the way over there, to that tiny saucer of water, where he will land safely, with a tiny splash."
The llama then reached down to a small string that was attached to the cannon and pulled out his magnifying glass, "Are you ready Franky?" He paused and waited for a moment, "Alright that wave means he is ready. Here we go, folks. Please, cover your ears! This could be a bit loud!"
Judy promptly covered her ears and pressed them down as the llama pulled forcefully on the string. The cannon gave a very loud pop and belched smoke like a firework.
The ringmaster's eyes followed a steep arc across the table, towards the pool of water at the other end. Every young mammal watched where he was looking, to see if they could spot the tiny, flying flea. When his vision fell down on the saucer and there was no splash, his eyes grew concerned.
"Uh oh," Manny gasped quietly and he started to look around frantically. "Franky? Where did you go, Franky?" He then turned to the crowd, "Everyone, look around for an older flea, wearing a bright red jumpsuit and a white helmet."
"Oh, gee," the ringmaster uttered softly as he searched around and under the table. "Please, be careful everyone. We don't want any trampling accidents. He was so close to retirement too." The young crowd began to frantically join in the search for the missing stunt flea and several even called his name.
After a minute or two of searching, the flashy, red llama stood up and patted his breast pocket. "Wait a second." He then pulled something very tiny from his pocket. "Franky, what are you doing in there?" Turning back to the crowd, he held up the tiny speck of something with a broad smile, "Hey everyone! We found him. Franky just landed in my pocket!"
Holding the speck up to his ear, Manny asked, "What's that Franky? You didn't land in the water because Soggybottom was still thirsty? What?" The crowd looked over at the dish where Franky was supposed to have landed and saw that indeed, all of the water was gone. "Good eye, Franky!" the llama said, as he put the speck back into his pocket.
Manny then looked at his wrist where a watch did not exist, "Ok boys and girls. I think we have time for one more act today. Are you ready to be amazed and mystified?"
"Yes!" Was the exuberant cheer from the crowd.
"Alright," Manny clenched his fist and made a swiping motion of encouragement. "For our final act of the evening, we have a flea who lives life on the edge!" The llama's voice was hushed as he introduced the last act. "This is a flea who is not afraid of fire, or shark-infested waters, or even pits filled with jungle vipers. He has jumped over twenty-seven mobile homes stretched end to end and scaled the world's highest mountains. Please give a warm round of applause for our one and only Itchy Pastrana!"
Clapping and cheering rose from the crowd and Judy could barely make out the sounds of a tiny motorbike driving onto the stage.
"Itchy will now perform the deadliest stunt of his entire career, by jumping his brand new Buffalo Chopper through," the llama paused to let the tension build. "A flea collar! Even the slightest touch from this collar, will instantly kill a thousand fleas! They can't even bear to get near it. And, today, Itchy is going to jump his chopper through one!"
The entire crowd held their paws to their muzzles and gasped. Even Nick had been caught up in the suspense.
Near the back of the tiny stage, Judy could barely make out a small bike that looked like it had been stretched and custom-built like the ones they made on the west coast of the continent. She thought it was pretty authentic looking for such a tiny model. And, it even sounded and moved like a miniature motorbike.
Manny raised the baton and called for silence from the crowd. Once the only sound that could be heard was the revving of the tiny engine, the llama suddenly lowered his glittery wand and cried, "Go!"
The sound of the tiny bike grew as it suddenly jumped forward with one wheel in the air. It roared its way down a slight incline before hitting a second ramp and picking up speed. Shooting up the ramp, the bike reached the edge and flew into the air in a graceful arc.
Ahead of the bike, suspended in the air, was a large, black ring with steel spikes around its perimeter. The ring hanging in the air before the bike looked exactly like a standard flea collar that you could buy in any drug store.
Before the bike neared the collar, Manny reached out and gave the collar a slight nudge, causing it to gently swing back and forth across Itchy's path. The crowd gasped and yelled, "What have you done?"
Heartbeats passed as the bike sailed through the air towards the giant, swinging ring of death. As the collar slowly swung back and forth, the bike slipped through the gap unscathed while Itchy revved the engine once again.
The bike came down hard on the other side with a loud thump, and the front tire began to wobble violently back and forth. As the bike seemed about to flip, the crowd all took a step forward at once, but Itchy revved the engine again and the bike straightened out.
Thunderous applause rose from the crowd as the bike came to a rest at the bottom of the final ramp. At the same time, Manny placed his tall hat upside down on the top of the table and waved to the crowd, "Ok folks. Shows over. Thank you all for coming. We will be here at the same time next week. Thank you, and thank you."
Many of the young mammals were tossing change into the llama's hat and one even put in a twenty. Eventually, the crowd dispersed and Nick and Judy were left watching the fancy mammal collect the props, the stage and the table it sat on.
"So what was that little bit earlier, Slick?" Judy asked as she turned and led the fox away.
Holding Judy's paw while they walked, Nick turned to whisper at the rabbit, "You know it's all a trick right? There aren't any real fleas in the act."
"Of course, dear. But it was certainly fun to watch. And I loved how he described what all the little fleas were doing," the rabbit looked down at her paws for a second. "Have you ever done anything like that before Nick?"
He pulled the rabbit to a stop and looked into her eyes, "Once, Carrots."
"Go on."
"Well, Finnick and I tried to set one up several years ago. It was a great deal of work and took a lot of time with a mouse mechanic to get everything finely tuned," he explained.
"Really? Was it fun?"
"No," he shook his head. "And in the end, it was not really worth the effort. That takes a lot of showmammalship and precise timing. Besides, I never really liked taking money from kits."
"Taking money from kits," Judy looked back at her fox with puzzlement.
"Did you see the crowd?" He waved his paw around the empty stage. "Not one mammal was over the age of 12. They were all young lambs or kids." Straightening up again, he turned away from the rabbit, "This kind of hustle doesn't attract a lot of adults. So Finnick and I decided to move on to something else and sold our stage to a hyena instead."
Walking back through the flea market, Judy spotted a pair of lynx strolling past some of the vendor stalls. She remembered seeing them during the llama's performance and thought they had been watching the flashy mammal a little too closely. The larger one, with chewed-off ears, looked very familiar.
"Hey, Slick," she pulled on the fox's shirt sleeve. "Do you see those two lynxes over there?"
Nick looked up from an old brass picture frame that was on the nearest table, "Yeah, what about them?"
"Do they look at all familiar to you?" Judy asked, the concern was thick in her voice.
"Nope, not really."
"Don't they look like a couple of goons that we ran into a couple of weeks ago?"
The fox squinted and took a closer look at the pair of felines, "They seem to be normal mammals enjoying a day at the market."
One of the lynx looked over his shoulder suspiciously and then grabbed his buddy's sleeve to pull him towards a side alley.
"We should follow them," Judy urged and she started to carefully head in the direction the felines had gone.
Quickly, Nick reached out and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back, "What are you doing?"
"They could be some of Gatolli's goons," the rabbit tried to pull away from the fox, but he held her firm.
"Oh, now I see what this is all about," Nick let go of her shoulders and threw his paws in the air. "Now that list makes complete sense."
Pouting, Judy crossed her paws over her chest, "I don't know what you mean." Her twitching nose belied her previous statement.
Turning away from the rabbit, the fox spoke to the air over his head, "Each item on your list this morning was near a crime scene. You're hunting for clues. And I honestly thought that you actually wanted to go on a date with me."
"I do, Nick," she cried and put both paws on his arm.
He glared down at her. "You just can't let it go. Not for one day. All you can think about is the job. Even when the chief gives you an order to take a day off." The fox threw his paws in the air and began to walk away from the pretty rabbit.
"No, Nick," she gently pulled on his arm trying to get him to turn towards her.
"What were you hoping to find here? Did you expect to witness a crime, or find a secret mob lair hiding among the stalls? Did you think you could stumble across a shakedown in progress?" His voice was not angry or hurt. He looked at the rabbit calmly. She was a workaholic and he would not begrudge her that.
"Judy," Nick turned and put his paws on her shoulders. "You don't have to hustle me to get me to help you hunt for bad guys."
"What?" The rabbit sniffled. She had expected him to be angry with her, to rant and yell at how stupid she had been. But he only gave her that sweet, foxy look that she loved so much.
"Now, can we ignore those two goon-looking mammals and get back to our date?" Nick asked, but Judy looked over her shoulder at the alley on the far side of the market. "I promise if we see anyone steal anything, we can call dispatch and report the theft, but I don't want you chasing after some strange mammals in your civvies, based only on a hunch. If you really want to catch a mobster, we can come back here later in an unmarked and I will show you what to look for. Does that sound like a deal?"
"It's a deal then, Slick," she held out her paw for him to shake.
Zootopia's shoreline was mostly covered in small, rounded rocks and boulders, but there was one long stretch of sandy beach south of Sahara Square. Tiny, brown silica crystals glittered and sparkled in the light that fell from the sky on the cusp between afternoon and evening. Large waves steadily crashed onto the shore in a regular pulse as the ocean slowly tried to devour the land.
A long dune wall created a thick border where the rising tides could reach no further. Behind the dunes, was the promenade where little shops and homes had sprouted up in the meager shelter from the sea. A long plaza stretched the entire length of the beach hosting ice cream and surf shops alike.
Most mammals came to the beach during the summer months when the bright sun kept the waters warm and the sands baked unprotected toes. In mid-autumn, the beach had few visitors except for those hardy mammals that preferred colder climes. A family of caribou was stretched out on the sand, while a lone moose stood up to his neck in the cold waters. Even a large elephant strolled the edge of where the water gently caressed the land.
Judy watched the caribou calves frolic and play in the sparkling sand as she strolled past paw in paw with her mate. Unlike the elephant, her hind paws were fully submerged in the chilled water that lapped gently at her ankles. Her fox stood in even deeper water and he had long ago given up trying to keep his floofy tail from getting wet.
They had spent more than an hour walking the entire length of the sandy beach looking for the perfect spot. Wherever they looked along the glittering sands, a hill or the city skyline blocked the western horizon. The southernmost tip of the beach was less sandy and mostly sharp rocks that were unsuitable for sitting on. On their third pass along the beach, Judy decided to explore the rocks and they found a second stretch of sand that led further west.
It was here that Judy dipped her toes into the water and began to wade along the shore, "You are right, Slick. The water isn't so bad once you get used to it."
"Of course, I am right, Carrots," the fox smirked. "This is still part of Sahara Square. It gets pretty hot here, even in the fall, and especially in the afternoon."
She squeezed the tod's paw and kicked at the salty foam trying to collect on the beach, "You know, Nick, I have never been to the beach before."
"What?" Nick stopped and stared at the rabbit with his jaw wide open. The rabbit kept walking and slowly pulled on his arm until she also stopped and turned back towards him. "Are you telling me that you have lived in this city for a year and a half and you have not once come to the beach?"
Nodding shyly, she looked up at him, "It's true. I have driven past on patrol a few times, but have never actually walked on the sand, or put my toes in the water."
Nick started wading again and Judy followed him, "So you're not much of a beach bunny then?"
"Har, har," the rabbit yanked on his paw. "I have never been. Even as a child, my parents never brought us to the beach. Sure, we had the stream by the house and a big lake near town, but they were nothing like this." She waved her paw out across the vast, blue ocean.
"Pretty impressive isn't it?"
"It's very different being down on the water than only catching a brief glimpse from our apartment or the window of a squad car."
"I am not a fan of this much water either, Fluff," Nick said as he lifted his soggy tail and tried to wring it out. "Finnick and I would come down here to sell pawpsicles in the summer but we rarely took a dip."
"And why is that, Slick?" Judy asked with a playful smirk slowly working its way across her muzzle.
He looked off into the distance with a slightly pained expression, "Because the salt and the sand does not agree with my fur. Afterward, I would have to spend twice as long in the shower and use extra ..." Nick never finished his sentence before a pawful of water splashed on his chest.
Swinging her long legs, Judy kicked at the ocean like she was about to take a penalty shot on the tuskball field. Another tiny splash of water fell across the fox's chest and he dropped the rabbit's paw with a snarl.
"So that is how it is huh?" The red tod extended his claws and bared his teeth to the gray bunny, but she only giggled in delight and kicked at the water a third time.
Nick bent down and put both paws under the water. When he stood up again he dumped what equated to a small bucket load of cold seawater all over the giggling rabbit.
Not discouraged by the cold water and her now damp fur, she leapt at the fox trying to glomp and press her lips all over his muzzle. Instead of hugging and kissing the fox, they both fell into the water. Waves crashed over the giggling couple submerging them until only a pair of tall gray ears stuck out of the churning water.
Judy rose from the water first and her fox slowly sat up, shaking saltwater from his ears. Like an old marble fountain, she spat a long stream of water all over his muzzle. She slapped the water with both paws, causing more water to splash across his head.
It was Nick's turn to pounce on the rabbit. With gleeful laughter, he pushed her into the shallows to plant kisses all over her muzzle while she wiggled and squirmed to escape.
Laying on her back, she was in no danger of being submerged since the tiny waves barely touched her shoulders. Escape from the foxy kisses was utterly futile, so instead, she leaned into them. She firmly pressed her own lips to his, slightly pushing him off of her until she rolled over.
Now the rabbit was on top, while the fox's head fell back into the slightly deeper area. A larger wave crashed into the entwined mammals, leaving only Nick's long nose sticking above the slowly rising water.
The two very different mammals rolled around on the beach at the edge of where the ocean lapped at the shore. They were both completely soaked and covered in wet sand as they giggled and smooched and splashed each other playfully.
After another large wave nearly drowned the couple, they lay in the wet sand gasping for breath. Nick lay on his back looking up at the darkening sky as Judy lounged on his chest and played with his tie. She gazed into his emerald eyes and leaned over to kiss the end of his muzzle.
One small, gray paw grasped the side of the fox's long snout while soft, pink lips pressed tenderly to his dark ones. She held him there for nearly a thousand beats of her heart as the tide slowly rose and the waves washed over them before receding again.
As the cold, briny water slid over their already soaked bodies, Nick raised his wet paws and gently placed them on the rabbit's broad hips. He held her between his paws in the long, extended kiss while the sky slowly changed from a bright blue to an autumn pink.
When the rabbit finally pulled away from his lips and took a deep breath, she smiled warmly at him and gently whispered, "I love you."
Nick glanced down at the completely soaked bunny and how her wet undershirt revealed her uniquely feminine features. Lifting his muzzle, he whispered into one of her long ears.
Judy's ears raised for a second and her nose twitched as the fox's breath tickled inside of her ears. No more than three rabbit heartbeats passed before she made a squeal of surprise and her ears turned pink. In embarrassment, she looked down at her wet chest and promptly turned away from the fox while she frantically tried to button up the blue top to cover her indecent exposure.
As the moon rose in the sky and the tide crept in, the fox and rabbit moved up the beach. They sat in the sand trying to let their clothes dry off while the encroaching waves tickled their toes. Pink clouds dotted the horizon while the sun neared the edge of the world.
Looking southwest, they had found a spot where they could see the setting sun as it sank along the edge of the city skyline. The city crept down a long slope until it nearly fell into the ocean by the main docks. Large ships could be seen berthed along the shoreline as the bright orange disk began to drop behind them.
"Wow, Nick. I have never seen a sunset like this before," Judy squeezed the fox's paw as she leaned against his shoulder. "The ocean is so flat and calm right now. In Bunny Burrow, the horizon is covered by hills and distant mountains, and in the middle of the city, it is blocked by all of the other buildings. So I have never seen anything like this. It is really amazing."
Nick leaned against his rabbit and never spoke. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close in a tight hug. When the orange disk touched the distant horizon, he planted a soft kiss on top of her head and between her tall ears.
Sighing, Judy continued, "It is a shame, those giant ships are almost blocking the view. They are so far away that they seem to blend with the edge of the horizon, but with the sun behind them, it's easy to make out each individual silhouette." She snuggled into the fox's embrace and watched the sun sink deeper into the ocean, slowly changing colors as it fell.
When overhead, the sun was a brilliant white, but as it neared the horizon it changed to yellow, then a blazing orange and finally a crisp red, before it disappeared behind the edge of the world.
As the nearest star to their planet flashed its last spark of light before vanishing for the next several hours, Judy lifted her muzzle and pressed her lips softly to the side of her fox's neck. She placed her head on his shoulder and leaned further into him, closed her eyes, while wrapping her paws around him tightly.
They remained clutched together in their quiet embrace until the slowly rising tide reached their knees. Judy stood and reached out her paw to help her mate stand before the water rose any further. She began to brush the dried, crusty sand from his clothes and tail while he returned the favor. His paws strayed a little too long on her tail, but instead of swatting them away, she wagged it as he gently fondled her fluffy scutt.
Thick, green moss clung to every surface of the boat dock as well as everything else in the area. Grey-brown clumps hung from every branch and tree like they had been tossed there by an angry kit. The swamp seemed to be closing in from all sides, with dark and deadly claws. A wet, musty, earthy smell, similar to fresh compost, filled the air along with the tangy scent of the sea.
Something dripped constantly like a leaky faucet that could not be fixed, while millions of tiny insects swarmed through the rotten air. Some of the insects were pretty, with broad, colorful wings while others' abdomens glowed a pale green or yellow. The croaking of frogs could be heard in the distance like a far away symphony, as they sang their evening chorus.
Despite the gloomy and oppressive surroundings, the Canal District was brightly lit with strings of cheery lights that stretched through the drooping trees. The numerous boats that floated across the water, creating dozens of makeshift barges, were also strung with bright and colorful lights. Lively music drifted across the water from one of the jumbles of bound together boats.
Judy could smell strong spices in the air, as she gratefully accepted Nick's paw while jumping out onto the boat seconds before it left the dock. Someone was preparing dinner and the scent had drifted across the slow-moving waters. She wondered what they were making and her stomach grumbled slightly while she wiped a spec of drool from the edge of her mouth.
The boat was long and flat and looked more like a barge made from logs tied together than the other houseboats that she saw dotted across the wide canal. It was driven by several river otters with very long poles that they would lower into the water to push the boat in the direction they wished it to go.
At the front of the boat, was a raised platform where a band was set up that consisted of a beaver, two otters, a small, black bear, and a large muskrat. Once the boat was drifting away from the dock, a skinny mink, wearing a frilly, black dress, stepped onto the stage and picked up the mic. She began to sing a few bars before the band picked up with a lively jazz tune.
"Well we made it in time, Carrots," Nick commented as he watched the boat dock as it seemed to shrink into the darkness as the boat drifted away. "What do you want to do now? It will be at least an hour before we return to the dock, unless you want to go for another swim."
"Only one thing we can do here, Slick," she grabbed his paw and led him towards the center of the boat and close to the stage.
The dance floor, which covered pretty much the entire boat, was completely crowded with large and small mammals of diverse species. Mammals that danced along the edges of the flat boat would often dive into the water from time to time. It wasn't uncommon to see an otter or muskrat couple continue dancing in the calm canal waters. There was little room for a fox and bunny to dance without bumping into the other dancers, and in the darkness, no one bothered to notice that they were a mixed species couple.
Shaking her tail vigorously, Judy danced around her fox. She strutted her stuff and did her best to tease the tod with her hips and paws. The bunny would frequently bump her hips against him or brush against his muzzle with her long ears. Her paws also swatted and tugged at his tie teasingly.
On the dance floor, Nick gave as good as he got and teased the rabbit right back. Having a mind of its own, his tail would brush against her legs and tickle her nose as she twirled past. He also playfully pawed at her ears as they bounced on top of her head. The teasing didn't stop there and he would frequently bend over to kiss her but pull away at the last second.
They danced together enthusiastically for four songs before they had to take a break. At the back of the boat, was a very small bar with few seats and even fewer drink options. The fox and his rabbit declined the drinks but fervently accepted the seats while they caught their breath.
While the couple sat watching the band play and chatted with each other, the mink sow in the frilly dress walked up and sat next to them. Without even a polite introduction she struck up a conversation, "It is pretty interesting to see a mixed couple like the two of you out here on the water."
"Um, thanks. I think," Judy replied.
"Don't try to hide it, dear," the vocalist nearly cut her off with a wave of her paw. "I saw the two of you out on the floor."
"Yes, we are dating," Nick replied casually, leaning over the rabbit to look towards the candid mink.
"See, I knew it," the mink said, raising a finger. It was then that Judy noticed this singer had a slight slur in her speech and she seemed to sway slightly in the chair even though the boat was barely moving. She looked between the fox and rabbit, "Isn't it pretty strange though, dating another species?"
"What do you mean?" Judy asked, puzzled.
"Well, how do you two get along and everything? Isn't it kind of awkward and everything?"
"Oh," the rabbit's ears rose and her eyes opened wider. She grabbed Nick's paw and placed it in her lap, "We both have a lot of the same interests and spent a lot of time together even before we started dating."
"But how did you finally start dating, I mean when did you know that he was the right mammal?" The mink kept glancing up at the stage while she asked her questions.
In the darkness enveloping the boat, Judy was unaware of the mink's gaze, "It kind of happened gradually, until one morning, I woke up and knew that I could not live without him." Nick lifted her paw to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. "So when I told him how I felt he said that he felt the same way."
"So just like that then?" The pretty singer leaned back in her chair and swung her hind paws and scraped her claws against the wet, wooden floor. "You just walked up to him and poured your heart out to him?"
"Well, not exactly," the rabbit replied shyly.
"What does that mean?"
"I kind of forced him to take me on a date the night before," Judy explained. "That was when I was certain that he felt the same way, and the next morning I took action and told him I wanted a serious relationship. Trust me, though. It didn't happen overnight." She pulled the fox's paw closer and rubbed it against her cheek, "We were friends for more than a year before we decided to take the next steps."
"Really?! That is kind of sweet!" The mink sighed. "But, how did you know?"
"Um," the rabbit replied awkwardly. She felt like the singer was repeating her questions, "As I said before. I let my heart decide. Nick and I were already best friends, and I think I already knew that he had feelings for me. So I took a chance and told him how I felt."
Without looking back at the rabbit, the mink replied, "By the way, my name is Amy, but Don is requesting my presence back on stage. I hope to see you two out on the dance floor again, we still have another 30 minutes before we head back to dock again."
Standing up, she waved at the fox and rabbit before walking around the edge of the dance floor towards the stage.
"What was that all about?" Judy asked her partner.
"I am not sure, but I think if we watch her for a bit we will find out," Nick suggested.
A few moments later, as the mink was approaching the standing mic, Nick squeezed Judy's paw, "Did you see how she looked at that otter drummer?"
"No, Slick. I didn't see a thing," she replied with a huff. "It is far too dark here for me to see very well."
"Oh, sorry," he apologized before he began to describe what he saw. "When she climbed up on the stage she gave the drummer a long hard look with a very sweet smile. I think she even winked at him before she stumbled slightly over one of the wires. He also clearly returned the smile, but I don't know if he winked back. The concern on his muzzle was genuine when she stumbled through. None of the other players even looked at her twice."
Together, they watched the mink sing a few more songs before they returned to the dance floor. They continued their flirtatious moves on each other and thoroughly enjoyed the music. Both Nick and Judy were breathing hard when the boat finally turned around and headed back to the dock.
One last song was played before they reached dry land and its tempo was much slower than the others. The fox and rabbit held each other tightly as they swung and twirled around the floating dance floor. With his arms wrapped around her, she had one paw placed over his heart while the other rested comfortably on his hip.
Later, if anyone asked, he would have said that he was only holding his tail off the floor so it would not get stepped on, but the rabbit knew otherwise. She enjoyed having the large, fluffy appendage wrapped around her waist while the mink on stage sang about love and longing.
A quiet table for two sat comfortably near a cobbled, brick fireplace. Even though the fire in the hearth was lit, a thin, white candle burned brightly in the center of the table while a pair of rose blooms rested comfortably against the brass candle holders. Two crystal wine glasses waited patiently as a rich, dark liquid was gently poured into each one by a steady paw.
Every seat in the restaurant was filled, but for those that occupied the seats by the fire, it felt like they were the only guests in attendance. An artistically carved wooden barrier partially blocked the secluded table from the rest of the dining room. It was not the only private table, as many of the others had similar barriers. One large, corner booth even had vines hanging from the ceiling to ensure the guest's privacy.
Decorative vases and potted flowers sat in the various nooks and crannies that were carved from the wooden divider. Some of the holes were even large enough for a rabbit to climb through, but the stylish and charming impression of seclusion was enough to satisfy most guests.
Two paws clasped each other under the light of the single candle. One was large and the red fur was so dark that it almost appeared black. The other was smaller with a pale gray color on top, but the fur on the palms was pure white, like freshly fallen snow. Both paws playfully folded their fingers together and the pads on the end of the black thumb gently rubbed the white fur of the smaller palm.
A viscacha waiter carefully poured the dark, red liquid into the two crystal glasses while the fox and rabbit couple exchanged pleasant conversation. The waiter looked nearly identical to a rabbit, but his long ears could not fold behind his head and his longer tail was rolled up, resembling a cinnamon bun. He wore a fashionable, black vest over a white shirt and a dark, bow tie around his neck. Once he had partially filled the two glasses, he left the open bottle sitting on the table.
The rabbit took a long sip from her glass before sighing in contentment. Even though the wine was from a Podunk vineyard it was still quite delicious and Judy thoroughly enjoyed every sip.
"Careful there, Carrots," Nick cautioned his date as she gulped at her wine. "We don't want a repeat of last time. I had to explain to a very irate landlord, why there was such a mess in the flower bushes out front."
"It's ok, Nick. I will be fine," Judy told the fox. "But this really does taste good."
"Yes, it was a good year, but I am also aware of exactly how well you can hold your liquor."
Squeezing the fox's paw in the middle of the table, the rabbit replied, "I'm not really that bad."
Smirking, Nick leaned back in his chair, still holding the rabbit's paw, "You probably never drank until you came to the city?"
"No," Judy scoffed. "I'd had a few beers every once in a while before moving here. Hanging out in bars was something I was never interested in."
"My point exactly. So take it easy on the wine, Fluff."
When the waiter returned, he placed a plate of fried eggplant chips between the couple. The eggplant had been dried into small disks and wrapped with nori before being deep-fried then covered in a peppery cheese.
Nick plucked one of the small chips off the plate and dipped it into the tiny cup of sauce that came with the appetizer plate, "Isn't this where we came for our first date?" He then popped the treat into his open mouth and chewed.
"So you do admit that it actually was a date?" Judy repeatedly dunked one of the fried eggplant chips in the sauce cup before taking a cautious bite.
"Wait. Why wouldn't I call it a date?" The fox dropped the fried chip on the table in surprise. "You practically begged me to take you out, and that blue dress you wore was utterly stunning."
Judy popped a second chip into her mouth without any sauce, "Because you were so adamant about reminding everyone that we were only friends."
"Me?" Nick asked, taking a sip of his wine to wash down the flavor of the spicy sauce. "I had this huge crush on you long before I even went to the academy. I thought that you were the one who wanted to be 'just friends.'" The fox made air quotes around the last two words.
The rabbit chewed on another sauce-covered, eggplant chip, "And I always thought that you could never have been interested in a rabbit like me." Judy frowned and lowered her eyes, "Well I mean as nothing more than friends." She leaned over the table and glared directly into his eyes as she spoke, "Why didn't you ever ask me out sooner?"
Casually taking the last eggplant chip off the plate, he swirled it around in the sauce without speaking or even looking up at his date. After several moments, he put the sauce covered chip in his mouth and slowly chewed.
Silence hovered between the couple like a specter. The only sounds were the crackle and pop from the fireplace and the hushed conversation that filled the rest of the restaurant.
Tearing a piece from the leaf of lettuce that lined the appetizer plate, she wiped the sauce cup clean. She then placed the sauce covered leaf into her mouth and chewed. After swallowing and washing it down with a sip of wine, she looked back at the fox softly. "Nick? Why didn't you ask me to go out with you before?"
Reaching across the table, she grasped his paw again and squeezed as she spoke urgently, "Please tell me."
"I was afraid," the fox nearly whispered, causing the rabbit's ears to leap forward and her nose to twitch curiously.
"What was that dear?" She asked, squeezing his paw even tighter. "Of what?"
Again, the fox remained silent while watching the rabbit nibble on more of the lettuce garnish.
Between bites, she looked up at her fox, "Ok, if you're going to be difficult then let me ask this another way."
"This isn't an interrogation, Carrots."
A loud huff escaped her small, pink lips, "Since this incorrigible fox won't tell me how he really feels, then I might as well get in some practice." She rolled up the last of the lettuce leaf and devoured it in three bites.
Letting go of his paw, she leaned back in her chair and let her ears fall, "So let me ask you, which Judy would prefer?"
"What do you mean?" The fox tilted his head curiously.
"Well let's suppose if you had to choose to only spend half of the day with me, which Judy would you choose to spend it with?" She leaned slightly forward and finished the last sip of her wine. "Would you prefer to spend the day with the friendly Judy? We would still hang out and flirt, of course, but no holding paws, kissing, or cuddling. And certainly not as mates."
"Or?" Nick asked smugly. "What is this other Judy you mentioned?"
"Would you mind?" Judy held out her empty glass to the fox as she eyed the open bottle still sitting on his side of the table.
"Of course, dear," he gently filled her glass half full as was proper.
Taking a sip, she continued, "Now I am sure you have already guessed what other Judy I am talking about, but for the sake of dumb foxes, I will elaborate." Under the table, she kicked at his paw, but her hind paw ran into his tail instead, "The other Judy would be the girlfriend whom you could kiss and cuddle among other things." She winked across the table at the pawsome fox, "The one who wants you to scrub her back in the shower and brush her tail afterward."
"Oh, my," Nick leaned back and brushed her long legs with his hind paw. He reached up and scratched at his chin for several seconds, "Those are some really tough choices, Carrots." Draining the last sip of wine from his own glass, he took a few moments to think, "Would I have preferred to remain just friends with you, or would I fight for something more?"
Looking into her amethyst eyes, he took a deep breath before answering, "Knowing what I know now, I think I would still choose you to be my girlfriend."
"Then why were you afraid to ask me out?" She threw her paws over her head exasperated.
A sly smirk crossed his muzzle and he winked back at the rabbit, "Would you have me any other way?"
Giggling, she shook her head, "No, dear. I love you just the way you are."
His warm smile returned, "But to answer your question. I was afraid of losing you. Don't ask me to explain. I just thought that if I told you how I felt about you that you would not want to be friends anymore."
"You know, that doesn't make any sense at all," the rabbit doe replied. "What would ever make me not want to be your friend?"
"Now don't tell me that you didn't feel exactly the same way," the tod chided. "Why didn't you ask me out?"
"I did ask you out," Judy gently poked him on the end of his nose. "I practically had to beg you to take me on a date, Silly Fox." She pulled gently on his tie until he leaned over the table where she gave him a warm kiss.
Judy only released her fox when the nicely-dressed viscacha arrived with their food. During the rest of the meal, the conversation was far less deep and mainly consisted of Hopps family gossip and how Nick and Judy planned to spend the rest of their time off.
When they had finished their main course, they shared a slice of chocolate cake while they smooched across the table. The waiter only left them with a single fork, so the couple took turns feeding bites of the cake to the other. Purely by accident, Judy deliberately smeared a forkful of chocolate onto the side of Nick's muzzle, then as an apology, she licked it clean.
After the giggles had subsided, the phone in Nick's pocket buzzed sharply. Placing it on top of the table, he groaned when he read the latest message.
"What is it, dear?" Judy asked with a chocolate covered fork still stuck in her mouth.
"Nothing good," the fox replied. "Bogo wants us both in his office first thing in the morning."
[A/N] I hope everyone caught all of the movie and television references hidden in this chapter. There really are quite a lot of them :) Here is a hint: The final restaurant at the end of the chapter was based on a place I like called Seasons 2. The design of the place is really neat and feels rustic yet modern.
I had a great deal of fun writing this chapter and hope that you enjoyed read it as well. When writing I like to watch and listen to a lot of Zootopia music videos that have fan art slide shows in the background. For this chapter, I spent most of the time listening to a single YouTube video titled "Zootopia Kiss the Girl" Google the name and you should be able to find the one by Begnsteal. There are several versions, but I like that one best.
If you have been following this story for any length of time, you should have noticed that I tend to take long breaks around the summer. I am not entirely sure why, but I always have a ton of writers block in the hot months of the year. However, you are in luck! Over the winter break I wrote a very large number of chapters and will continue to keep publishing them while I am unable to focus on this story. With some luck and some fresh inspiration I might be able to pick up the pen again once the weather begins to cool off, but for now, the chapters will keep flowing every three weeks.
I need to thank hmweasley for beta reading all those chapters. It has been a lot of work helping me go through all those words in such a short period of time.
Also thank you to everyone who has left a comment on the previous chapters. They mean a great deal to me and I love reading everyone. A few commenters are even very close to guessing the mystery, and I am certain they will have it solved before I can even publish the last chapter. You guys are definitely on the right track which means I need to work on my writing skills and improve how to hide the clues. I don't read much noir, but am a fan of several cop shows so I get a lot inspiration from there. Maybe I should take a course on how to write a mystery novel.
Until next time, thank you very much for reading.
OneWolfe-