[A/N] This will be the last reposted chapter. There are small changes scattered all across the text so if you have read this one already it may be worth a reread.
Loves Bond
Chapter 19 - Tears For Judith
A cold autumn breeze blew briskly through the partly open window of the apartment. It ruffled the lacy curtains as it swirled and swept into the tiny room. With nowhere else to go, the cold breeze flitted around the closet-sized apartment before it tried to leave the same way that it had come.
The brisk wind wrestled with the soft tufts of fur that were stuck to the sides of the sleeping rabbit's long ears. It then tickled her twitching pink nose and pulled at her tiny whiskers. The breeze even tugged at the wooly blanket that covered the cuddly, grey bunny ball.
Judy moaned in her sleep as she tried to snuggle deeper under the blanket, but the cold air tickled her nose and made her ears shudder. She slowly and gently kicked one hind paw with each soft groan, causing the sheets to slide lower down her head. Tossing her head, she pulled the covers back up to start the process over again. Moaning, kicking, tossing and snuggling, the bunny slept fitfully through the brisk night.
Before the sun was more than a tiny sliver on the horizon, a shrill klaxon broke the empty silence of the small room. The softly snoring bunny rolled over and tried to bury her plush, grey head under the thick, wool blankets to hide from the awful sound. The alarm would not relent and continued to sing its harsh song despite the rabbit's need for sleep.
Mid-snore, the rabbit coughed and pushed the covers away from her head. She sat up in the bed slightly, reaching for the alarm clock on her windowsill. Frantically swatting towards the angry device, she slapped the sill multiple times before finally extinguishing the horrid noise.
"It's my day off," she groaned softly while rolling over and sliding back under the warm covers.
Less than a minute passed as the bunny soon realized that something was wrong. It started with a slight sour taste in her tummy, but it quickly grew into a demanding ache. The queasy sensation would not be ignored, like an ill-tempered inmate rattling their tin cup at the back of her throat.
Suddenly sitting up in bed, she threw back the covers and groaned, "Oh no. Not again!"
Clutching her sullen belly with both paws, she flew across the dark room. Unable to see in the dim, morning light, she tripped over a small fox plushie and nearly planted her muzzle into the hard, wooden floor. Kicking the green and orange doll into the far corner, she picked herself up and raced for the bathroom as quickly as a rabbit could go.
Flicking the light on, Judy charged for the toilet, lifted the porcelain lid and shoved her entire head into the wide bowl. Moments before her head had crossed the polished, white threshold, a dark green liquid spewed from her mouth, nearly missing the open bowl.
Again and again, she retched and tried to empty the contents of her stomach. Even after nothing else came up, she continued to heave violently until she could only cough weakly. Gripping the side of the toilet, she fell to her rump and sat, staring into the distance.
When she once again felt strong enough to stand, she pulled the lever to flush the toilet and slowly rose up on her hind paws. However, her bathroom had other ideas as it began to spin and sway, causing the small rabbit to land back on her tail. Luckily she was directly next to the toilet as her stomach once again complained at the sudden motion.
This time, she succeeded in fighting back the strong urge to give up her lunch by taking several slow and deep breaths. When the room, and her guts, had stopped moving around, she once again tried standing.
Heading to the small sink, she turned on the water and ran her paws under the stream until it was comfortably warm. Grasping two pawfuls of warm water, she splashed them across her muzzle to wipe away the remnants of bile that stuck to her fur. Looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes could barely focus as the two purple orbs seemed to each have a mind of their own and wandered to and fro inside her skull.
When her eyes finally focused on the rabbit who stood on the other side of the mirror, she gasped in shock. Her entire head was covered in a reddish glitter like a kit would use in art class. Trying to wipe the glitter from her head and muzzle, she realized that it also covered her paws and went all the way down her neck. It was going to require an entire shower to remove.
Walking back into the tiny bedroom, she switched on the light and noticed that her bed was also covered in the tiny, sparkly red flakes. "Where did all of this come from?" She groaned, putting her paw to her pounding forehead. "Now I am going to have to wash my sheets as well."
Judy sat down on the edge of her bed and put her muzzle into both paws and sniffled. This was the third morning in a row that she had woken with a hangover. It was also the third time she had thrown up first thing after waking. Coincidentally, it was also the third morning where she could not remember anything that had happened the night before.
Sniffling again, she tried to think back to everything that had happened yesterday. She remembered the jewelry store heist and arresting that jealous goat. Fangmeyer and Judy had spent the rest of the day in the interrogation room, but had been unable to get the goat to roll on her fellow vandals. What had happened after that? The rest of the day was a blur, like a foggy windshield in Tundratown.
"Fangmeyer," the rabbit said into her fluffy white paws. "It had something to do with Fangmeyer." Slowly, the fog began to clear, and she remembered being invited to a karaoke club on the other side of town. She remembered coming home to put on a new fall outfit that Tabby had helped her pick out a few weeks ago. Then there was the Zuber ride to the Rainforest District.
Wolfard and Fangmeyer were snuggled together and very flirty when she arrived at the club, which was quite odd since they were usually never so open with their relationship in public. After watching them take the stage together, everything after that became one big blur.
She remembered falling out of her chair and trying to pee on Wolfard for some reason. A smug red fox seemed to also invade her fuzzy memories, along with another rabbit. Nick would not have joined them at the bar, and she hadn't really made any rabbit friends in the city, so she realized that she must have been imagining things.
Shaking her head, she stood up, but grabbed the edge of the bed and waited for the room to stop spinning before proceeding. She pulled the glitter covered sheets off the bed, along with the pillowcase. Removing the outfit she still wore from last night, she threw it into the hamper along with the sparkly sheets. It was a good idea to take her shower first before washing the sheets and clothes, in order to save the warm water for herself.
After the quick shower was complete, and the wash was started, Judy put on a pair of grey sweatpants with a matching hoodie. Pulling the hood over her long ears, she headed out into the cool, autumn sunrise. Her stomach had calmed down and she had enough time for a quick jog while the wash ran. Clicking the start button on her fitness watch, she ran down the front steps and out onto the street.
Today, her run would take her past the local market, then down to a nearby park. After circling the park twice, she would take a different route back to her apartment. The way home was along the street that was lined with small shops and diners, where she had taken her parents to lunch all those months ago. It wasn't a very long jogging route, but if she ran three laps, she could be back home before the wash was finished.
Briskly jogging down the street, she headed towards the market at the end of her block. Before her soft paw straps passed the second building, her mind was filled with green and orange visions. The fox snuck up on her slowly this time, but by the time she reached the park, her paws were dragging through the grass and tears ran freely from her large eyes.
It had started with a few flashes of green and orange. Possibly a car had driven by or a pot of autumn flowers in front of the market had reminded her of the fox. Next, a smile crept up her muzzle as she remembered the fox's gleeful smirk.
Her mind drifted back to their first case together as she jogged. She giggled at how she had hustled him into helping her find that missing otter. The warm smile even remained when she remembered how he dragged her through that naturalist club.
Since they had become mates, she thought it might even be fun to go there together, like a shared spa day. With his help, she had grown more comfortable around at least one other nude mammal, and with a smirk she had even considered broadening her horizons. She had also heard, from a certain otter, that the Mystic Springs club gave some pretty amazing massages.
After the nudist club, Judy's mind wandered to the Department of Mammal Vehicles. She wondered how Flash Slothmore was doing these days. Had he paid off that speeding ticket? Curiously, she hoped that those correctional driving courses helped him to curb his excessive speeding. Nick had mentioned that they had gone to school together, and she speculated what the sloth had done to get the nickname, "Hundred-Yard Dash."
The next image that flashed across her vision while she quickly jogged across the street, was how the soaking wet fox looked when he first stood up to their boss. He seemed so brave and courageous in front of such a large buffalo. They had only met two days before, yet she felt so proud of him for saving her job. Skipping ahead in her memories, she pictured wrapping her arms around him after he told her about his tragic encounter with the Junior Ranger Scouts.
For the thousandth time, she remembered the time when they had fallen into that museum display. A savage fox crept through the tall grass to pounce and bit her on the neck. She no longer had to fantasize about what it would feel like if he really bit her. Even after two whole weeks, the scars of his love bite still itched slightly, and she gently rubbed at her chest.
With a sniffle, she realized that she had never asked him what the marks meant to foxes. In some species' culture, the marks of mating were akin to a permanent bond. She read that the mating ceremony could be stronger than a wedding, especially for canids, but she had no idea if that held true for red foxes.
Remembering that their relationship had abruptly ended less than a week after they had mated for the first time, brought a tear to her large eyes. By the time she had reached the park, she was a blubbering mess. It took all of her remaining willpower to not fall to the cold, brown grass and start bawling like a kit, so she stumbled through the quiet field of grass by putting one paw in front of the other.
Trying to summon the anger that had been her only defense against the encroaching sorrows, she clenched her fists and squinted her eyes. After barely getting any sleep for three nights and being violently sick this morning, her body did not have any energy left to be angry. Instead, the sorrow washed over her like a cloudburst from a clear sky.
Tears rained down her cheeks as she dragged her paws through the crunchy, brown grass. Lifting her head to look at the rising sun, she stubbed her toe on a hidden rock and nearly tripped. She sat down and rubbed the offended paw until the pain slowly subsided.
While sitting in the drying grass, nursing her sore toe, she made a decision. Judy was not about to let that stupid fox win. She was not going to let him turn her into a blubbering kit. Resolving herself, she would show him by taking control of her own emotions and not letting that sly smirk rule her life anymore.
Standing again, she clenched her fists in determination and let her long ears fall behind her head. Lifting one hind paw, she threw it forward and into the grass, to be quickly followed by the other. She started jogging around the park like it was nothing more than the track back at the academy. She wouldn't let that polar bear drill sergeant bring her down, and sure as cabbages she wasn't going to let that stupid fox she used to love, beat her either.
Returning to her run, she finished the three laps before the timer on the community laundry machine, in the apartment's basement, had reached zero. Once complete, she pulled everything out of the machine and returned to her tiny room.
With her bed made once again and her clean clothes folded and put back in her dresser drawer, she picked up her phone and quickly dialed a number. "Fru Fru," she spoke into the device. "Are you free to talk today?"
A large polar bear stoically followed Judy through the streets of downtown Zootopia. He maintained a respectful distance while still keeping his mistress within reach of his long arms. Covering the bear's pure white fur, he wore a formal tuxedo that would not have been out of place at a wedding or even a funeral.
Sitting on Judy's shoulder was a small, round shrew with the dark fur on her head worn up in a large pouf. She wore a gingerbread brown dress with white carnations printed across the fabric like she had been showered in the brilliant petals. A single, tiny carnation was also stuck in the side of the black pouf. From the shrews' ears hung two large, gold hoops.
Three blocks from the financial center of the city was a small district simply known as Uptown. Here was where some of the most exclusive shops in the city could be found. Everything that the rich and famous could want or need, was found in those few, short blocks. Those eclectic shops sold everything from enormous yachts anchored in the bay, to one of a kind art. The small rabbit in her country outfit felt completely out of place as the stylish shrew guided her from one shop to the next.
Many of the store's attendants would stick up their noses as the rabbit walked into the elegant shops. Once they saw the huge polar bear in his expensive tux and noticed the shrew on her shoulder, their attitudes suddenly became very warm and friendly. This was nothing like the shops at the mall, where everyone treated her pleasantly regardless of her dress or species.
The first little shop that Fru Fru led her to was exclusively filled with pawbags. There were bags large enough to stuff her entire wardrobe inside, and tiny bags that she could barely fit her phone into. Some bags were round and some were square. Some had long straps to sling over the shoulder, and others had none at all. One bag was plaid, while another had a big, glittery beetle covering the latch.
Judy's glum sorrows vanished as she walked through the crystal doors and witnessed all the amazing pawbags hanging on their elegant hooks and racks. Her ears stood up straight while her nose twitched curiously and the expression on her muzzle was brighter than if she had walked into a candy store. She skipped and twirled like a schoolgirl on her very first day as she strolled through the wide aisles.
They did not have a huge selection of purses and pawbags like the smaller mall stores or the big department stores, but each and every item was unique. The places that the rabbit often shopped all had many copies of each item hanging from the same rack. Here, everything was slightly different from the next. Some even used the same materials but combined in different patterns to create a distinctly individual feel to each bag.
After what felt like an hour of browsing through the store and chatting with the shrew on her shoulder, Judy stumbled across a pretty little purse near the back corner. It was a sparkly purple color with a print that reminded her of the fresh sea foam she had seen on the beach. In the center of the flap, it looked like the material had been pinched into a tight bow that was clasped by a large, silver carrot. It hung from an oak hook by a long, silver strap that seemed to be the perfect length to reach from her shoulder to her well-rounded hip. When she lifted the pawbag from its hook, the colors morphed and changed in the light.
"This is perfect," the grey rabbit cried with happy tears forming under her eyes as she slung the bag over her shoulder and adjusted the strap. She opened the flap and felt around inside the bag. To her surprise, the inside was lined with a soft and warm, silver faux fur that made her giggle in delight.
"I have never seen anything like this before," she told the little shrew as she bounced on her heels in excitement.
"It's yours if you want it," Fru Fru told her warmly, holding onto the rabbit's bouncing shoulder with her tiny claws.
Clutching the shimmery purse to her chest, Judy tried to beam down at the tiny mammal perched on her shoulder. "Are you serious?" she gasped.
"Of course," the fancy soricidae replied cheerfully.
Judy's frown returned as she shook her head and placed the silver strap back on its wooden hook. "On my salary, there is no way I could ever hope to pay for this." With a deep sigh, she turned away from the glamorous purse and took a step towards the door.
Fru Fru tugged on the rabbit's collar and tried to drag her back. "Please, don't worry about it, Ju Ju," the shrew declared loudly.
"But, but," the rabbit mumbled as she lifted the purse again with a soft sniffle. After a few seconds of thought, she lifted her tiny friend off her shoulder and placed her on top of a nearby display case. At that level, she didn't have to bend over to look the shrew directly in the eyes.
"Fru Fru," Judy said sincerely. "Why are you doing this?" She waved the elegant purse in front of her tiny friend.
Looking back at the towering rabbit, the tiny mammal put both paws on her wide hips as she replied, "I am only helping a friend in need, and you..." She pointed a teensy, yet sharp, claw at her friend's pink nose while explaining, "You, my dear Ju Ju, are in serious need of a friend."
"When you said you wanted to take me shopping, I thought you meant the mall or something," the rabbit sniffled her reply. "The price of a unique purse like this could be considered bribery, you know."
"Oh, pish," Fru Fru scoffed with a sharp snap of her hips. "They probably made twenty of those things, and besides it's all last season anyway. Please, don't think twice about it. Just consider it a belated birthday, or early holiday gift, ok."
"But you are not getting anything for yourself," Judy countered.
"Ju Ju dear," the shrew patted the rabbit's paw with her tiny one. "You need this more than I do."
"I guess," the rabbit shrugged and sighed.
Fru Fru shook her head and put her paw down. "When I picked you up this morning, you were crying a river that not even an entire box of tissues could wipe away. You, dear friend, are in urgent need of some shopping therapy."
"Shopping?" Judy asked with her head tilted and her nose twitching in confusion. "Therapy?"
"Yes, it works every time!" The tiny mammal explained with an upturned wave of her paw. "Whenever I have a bad day or get into a fight with the hubby, buying a few things for myself can really improve my mood."
"Yeah," the rabbit nodded thoughtfully. "I never thought of it that way. Buying a new shirt or pawstraps really does make me feel a lot better." She looked down at the very pretty purse clutched in her paws and shook her head. "I am still not sure that I should get this because I just don't have anything to go with it."
"Aww, hun," Fru Fru said with a voice that was full of warmth and kindness. "Go on, treat yourself and let me worry about the rest for today."
"Thank you so much," Judy cried in glee as she reached up and tried to give the tiny mammal a big, warm hug.
When Judy stepped up to the counter and placed down the shimmery purse, Fru Fru snapped her tiny fingers. At the minute signal, the stoic bear, who had been looming in a quiet corner, walked over and pawed a credit card to the attendant. Even though the card fit comfortably in the giant bear's paw, it was still not so large that it would not slide easily through the much smaller card reader.
At the next destination along their shopping route, Judy practically rushed inside, with the shrew desperately clutching at her collar to keep from falling off. A single beep could be heard from the back of the store as the rabbit threw open the glass door and uncouthly barreled through the entrance like some country hick.
Inside, were dozens of small and large tubes designed to fit over the hind paws of small and medium mammals. Each family of species had differently shaped paws, so the straps in this store were grouped by family or sometimes by species. In the mall and department stores, Judy was often stuck with the one-size-fits-all style of straps, but here, there was a section specifically for rabbits.
The front door to the store was only tall enough to fit a large wolf or a short cheetah, so their polar bear escort was required to wait outside while the females shopped. This was not uncommon for the very large mammal, since many of the places his mistress traveled in the city were too small for his enormous girth. Without complaint, he soberly waited on the side of the street, while also trying to not loom over the short door.
From the rabbit's shoulder, Fru Fru smiled warmly at the bunny as the color returned to her muzzle and her eyes began to sparkle. Earlier this week, the shrew had witnessed the depths of her friend's despair, tears had fallen like rain down the rabbit's fuzzy cheeks, but now, almost all the signs of her sorrows had flown away. There was still a little puffiness and hints of red around the bunny's eyes, but the larger mammal's bright smile warmed the shrew's tiny heart.
"See what I mean, Ju Ju," Fru Fru explained. "After simply walking in here, I can already tell that you are feeling ten times better."
Thoughtfully, the rabbit looked down at the tiny mammal perched on her shoulder. "I guess you might be right," Judy replied with a slight chuckle.
Carrying her friend to the side of the store where the rabbit sized straps sat on display, Judy's muzzle seemed to glow brighter and brighter with each step. As they approached the bunny racks, her ears lifted into their fully upright and forward position and her nose quivered in anticipation.
There were only twenty styles of pawstraps for lagomorphs in this eclectic store, but each one looked amazing to the bunny from the burrows. She quickly ruled out the pairs that wouldn't go with her new purse, yet it still took her a long time to finally select two pairs. Deciding between the two brought the frown back to her cheerful muzzle.
"I can't decide, Fru Fru," Judy cried in anguish. Tears began to form under her eyes as the anguish and frustration of the last week slowly returned.
She lifted one of each pair in her paws and held them out to her tiny friend to inspect. "Do I choose the silky, jewel-studded, black straps, with the pretty flower over the forepaw, or these sparkly, lilac ones with the crisscrossing, silver bands and the cute bow above the ankle?"
Both pairs of fancy straps were made from an intertwining series of delicate cloth bands, instead of the sturdy tubes that she was used to wearing. These thin and revealing straps were not designed to provide comfort or traction to her padless paws, but instead, were meant to alluringly show off the tops of her hind paws and her ankles. Her paws shook hesitantly as she held up the fragile, and very expensive, pawwear towards her friend. She wasn't even sure how she was supposed to put them on.
Seeing the tearful distress in the bunny's eyes, Fru Fru almost blindly reached out and pointed towards one at random, but she held back her snap decision and rubbed her long snout instead. Tapping at her chin, she looked back and forth between each pair of pawstraps as the rabbit's ears slowly sank.
"Black straps do go with everything, dear," the shrew began to explain. "And the amethysts set off your lovely eyes." The compliment caused a slight blush to rise up the bunny's tall ears.
"But?" Judy asked shyly as she gently raised the delicate straps.
Fru Fru took a step towards the paw that held the lilac straps before speaking, "These match the bag you picked, and the silver bands really show off your ankles. And yes I know that ankles went out of style over a hundred years ago, but trust me dear, with the right pair of straps, your ankles could be very attractive."
The grey rabbit blinked in confusion at the tiny fashionista. "So which pair?" She raised one pawstrap then the other. "Black or lilac?"
Giggling, the shrew shrugged and spread her arms wide, "I thought the answer was obvious."
"So the black ones then?"
"No," Fru Fru scoffed loudly and shook her head. "The light-purple ones, of course."
"Oh, right," Judy replied like that was the only choice all along. She hung the black straps back on their hook before carrying her friend and the purple straps up to the counter.
When the attendant rang up the purchase, Judy had to step outside to retrieve the huge credit card while Fru Fru waited on top of the counter. The stoic polar bear pawed the card to the small rabbit, who had to hold it with both paws.
After the sales mammal swiped the card, the shrew had to jump up and down on the keypad that was attached to the register by a long, curly cord, and entered her pin number. She then used her tiny claws to draw her signature across a screen that was larger than her bed back home.
The next store they found was on the third floor of a giant tower and was exclusive to rabbits and hares. Unlike Petite's, which was rabbit owned but catered to many small species like beavers and capybara, this one only served the long-eared lagomorphs. However, like the other stores that the trio had visited today, this store sold only one type of merchandise, elegant evening wear.
Looking around the sales floor, Judy noticed that this dress store only seemed to carry three different sizes. They had gowns and dresses for tall rabbits as well as short and petite. She also saw that all the outfits were meant for a single feminine figure, one that had a narrow waist, small breasts and fairly wide hips. It was quite obvious that only starved or athletic rabbits could wear anything they sold, which left out her mother, her sister, and more than half of her family.
Many of the dresses she spotted had skirts that were short in the front and long in the back and made the wearer look like a pretty, blooming flower. A few also had split skirts, which revealed far too much leg for the prudish rabbit. There were very few poofy skirts on display, and nearly all the dresses were very tight and form fitting.
Near the center of the store, she spotted the one style of dress that she feared above all else. The curve hugging dress had such a tight skirt that Judy was afraid her legs would get trapped in the long, constricting folds. She actually had nightmares about getting caught in a dress like that and tripping due to the skirt. The rabbit rarely liked wearing long skirts in the first place, and this style of evening gown sent shivers up her short tail.
As Judy walked past one of the racks near the wall, Fru Fru pointed with her tiny claw and asked, "What about this shiny blue one?"
With a shaky paw, Judy picked up a long blue dress that glimmered in the overhead lights. It seemed to sparkle, shimmer and had a faint pearlescent effect as the cloth rustled and moved. She inhaled deeply and held her breath while looking over the beautiful and soft silk.
A floor length mirror hung from the wall next to the clothes rack, and Judy walked up to it with the shimmery blue dress in paw. Still holding her breath, she lifted the dress up to her chest to see how the shifting colors would play with her grey and white complexion. She liked blue and owned several blue outfits, she even spent most of her day wearing a blue uniform, so the color was a good choice.
Staring at herself in the mirror, a dreamy smile spread across her lips as she watched a pawsome red fox approach from across the room. He placed his dark paws around her in a heartfelt hug and rested his long muzzle between her tall ears. Lifting her paw, he gave her a twirl, and her sapphire dress sparkled in the light of the dance floor.
Somewhere in the distance, she could hear soft music playing as she slowly danced with the gorgeous fox. They swayed and swirled together around the dance floor, and she even felt him lift her into the air a few times. When the music slowed, she clutched to his firm, bare chest and twirled her claws through his soft, creamy fur. Somehow this fox was completely naked, and she could admire all of his strong muscles.
When the music began to slow, and he held her close, she lifted her chin and puckered her lips. With her eyes wide open, she watched his long muzzle lower to meet her own. She could feel his hot breath on her lips and the fur around her nose. Leaning forward and standing up on the tips of her toes, she pushed her anxious lips towards his, but she only kissed thin air.
She grasped for the fox's long muzzle, but it was already out of reach. Tears began to flow from her eyes as the tod slowly drifted across the dance floor. She tried to chase after him, but a herd of mammals crossed between them, and he disappeared from sight. When she looked again, she stood alone in the middle of the floor, holding the sparkly dress.
Back in the store, Judy crumpled to the floor, nearly knocking the shrew from her shoulder when her tail hit the plush carpet. Shimmery dress still in paw, tears rained from the rabbit's cheeks like the summer monsoons. Her loud sobs echoed around the store, disturbing the only other guest, a fancy, middle-aged rabbit who looked like a retired runway model or a high level executive manager. No one bothered the wailing rabbit while the giant polar bear hovered nearby.
Climbing back onto Judy's shoulder, Fru Fru yanked at the rabbit's collar before giving her a strong, but tiny slap. "Ju Ju, what's wrong?" She called to the sobbing bunny. "Do you not like the dress? Is it the wrong size?"
Shaking her head, the tears continued to flow while the grey rabbit cried. "The dress is fine," she said between sniffles and loud sobs. "It-It just reminds me of our very first date."
"Aw, honey," the shrew soothed like a mother to a child while she hugged the larger mammal around the neck. "I understand, but don't you think it would be a good idea to put the dress back before you stain it with your tears?"
Sobbing, Judy stood up and wiped the back of her paw across her nose. With several loud sniffles, she walked back to the rack and returned the dress to its original location. She then turned to lean against the wall and covered her teary eyes with both paws.
Fru Fru continued to hug the crying rabbit around the neck while she hummed a soothing tune. "There there, Ju Ju. Everything is going to be fine. Just let it all out."
Between sobs and sniffles, Judy kept muttering three words angrily, "Dumb, Stupid Fox."
When the sobs began to slow and were eventually replaced by hiccups, the shrew spoke again, "I know, hun, he is a very stupid fox, just ask daddy."
With a hiccup followed by a snarl, the rabbit replied, "I don't even know why I am still crying over his dumb tail."
Looking up at the much larger mammal, Fru Fru explained, "Wounds take time to heal, deary. It has barely been a week and everything is still fresh."
"I know," hiccuped the rabbit. "But I still miss him."
"Maybe you should give him a call and tell him how you feel."
"No," Judy said with a fresh sob. "I am not ready to talk to that stupid tod right now. Besides, I would only give him a sharp and very pointed piece of my mind." She lifted a sharp claw and pointed it across the room like the fox was standing in front of her.
"That sounds like a lovely idea!" the shrew exclaimed. "You march right up there and tell him how it is, and don't let him push you away this time. You deserve some respect, honey, and don't let him treat you otherwise."
"I don't know," the sad rabbit said as she slumped against the wall again. "This is all his fault. He already had those transfer papers in paw for a reason. I just don't know why he would do something like that to me. It was like he didn't even care how I felt at all."
"Do you want me to send Raymond over to straighten him out?"
"No," she sniffled and shook her head, but her ears perked up and her nose vibrated. "What if he found someone else? What if it was me? Was I too pushy? Is this his way of letting me know he wanted some more space?" Judy's mind continued to race while more tears welled up under her eyes.
Another slap from the tiny shrew. "Judy!" Fru Fru yelled. "Stop this right now. You are only making things worse. We came here to shop, hun. If you want to have a pity party, we can have one back at your place over ice cream and beer while watching Our Nine Lives or something."
"You are right, Fru Fru. Sorry," she sniffled again and wiped the tears from her cheeks with one paw then the other. Once the dampness had been wiped clear, she waved a paw around the store. "Did you see anything good while I was being such a hot mess?"
"Naw," the shrew shook her little head. "I was too worried about you, but I may have spotted something earlier when we came in."
"Ok," the rabbit said, standing up from the wall with a final sniffle. "Where to?"
"It was on the other side of the store," Fru Fru said while pointing forward and hanging onto Judy's collar like she was riding the prow of an ancient sailing ship.
Fru Fru steered Judy across the store to a very different rack of dresses. Her tiny and very sharp finger finally led to a dark purple dress with silver trim and a tight, silver collar. There was also no back on the dress, and it left her shoulders bare. The skirt was pencil thin and stopped slightly past her knees.
Trying on the dress, Judy found that it almost fit perfectly. A slight alteration around the waist and it would have been more than suitable. It was a little tight in the belly, but there was room to let it out for a better fit.
Turning in the mirror, Judy saw that the open back went down to her tail, and she wondered if such a low cut was even considered decent. She would have never been caught dead before in such revealing clothing, but with Fru Fru's encouragement, she was feeling adventurous. Seeing herself in the mirror actually caused her heart to skip a few beats, and she let out a soft whistle.
With the way the dress hugged all of her curves and showed a lot of fur in all the right places, Judy began to suspect that she might actually be a beautiful bunny. The feeling quickly diminished when she realized that she had to remove the elegant dress and put her loose, plaid shirt and faded jeans back on. She sighed loudly when she clipped the silky dress back on its hanger and exited the dressing booth.
"Alright," Fru Fru clapped her tiny paws together as the odd trio walked out of the store with one more bag in their paws. "One more item to get and no matter what, you can't say no."
Holding up the bags in her arms, Judy asked, "I already have a full outfit. What else could I need?" When they approached the elevator, she also asked, "And where are we going?"
Pointing up, the shrew declared, "The fifth floor."
"What is on the fifth floor?"
"You will see," the tiny mammal said gleefully. "And since I am buying, I get to pick this time. You need something tight fitting to go under that new dress. Plus if nothing else works, hun, then I guarantee this will have that fox of yours crawling back on all fours."
Pressing the button for the fifth floor, Judy felt a pit of dread open in the bottom of her stomach. Despite her friend's promise, she feared whatever the next item might be that could cause a fox to beg like a savage. When they stepped out onto the fifth floor and the shrew flatly ordered their escort to wait by the elevator, that feeling only grew worse.
Judy covered her eyes with her long ears and groaned into her paws when the shrew led her through the front entrance of the next store. The sign over the wide doorway read, "Vixen's Secret," and every single silky or lacy item made the rabbit blush furiously.
"No, no, no!" she cried as she turned and marched straight back into the hallway with her eyes still covered.
"Yes," the shrew returned, deliberately digging her tiny claws into the rabbit's shoulder. "You need this. I can tell by the way that you are acting, that you don't own a single piece of sexy nightwear."
"Mhmm," the rabbit mumbled squeamishly between her paws, while her muzzle remained firmly pointed away from the entrance.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you that every girl needs at least one pair of sexy lingerie?"
Shaking her head, Judy mumbled her disagreement, "Hmm'mm." Still hiding behind her ears, she explained, "My mother doesn't even own anything like, like, that." She waved her paw back towards the store without looking.
Smiling, with a twinkle in her eye, Fru Fru asked, "Then how do you explain all of your siblings?"
The ears lifted as the rabbit tried to explain, but her nose started twitching curiously, "It's not that, I mean, it's just, well." Frustrated, she stomped one paw on the polished floor as she continued to convince herself that she didn't need the overly revealing under clothes, "You don't need any of that to, well, you know. Besides, they would just come right off anyway."
"Of course, dear," the shrew said with a nod. "But where would be the fun in that? Trust me, hun, adding a little spice to the bedroom can make a big difference sometimes. If you don't believe me, then call your mother. I am sure she has a few sets of silky nightwear stashed somewhere."
"Are you serious?" Judy nearly choked at the thought. She had seen her parents' closet and knew for a fact that there wasn't a single piece of playful lingerie to be found, not that she had ever gone looking for any. She simply knew her parents.
"Yes, definitely," Fru Fru nodded adamantly. "Call her right now and ask. If she honestly confirms that she doesn't own a single thing, then we can walk away, and I will buy you lunch, but ..." The shrew left the last bit hanging as she waved her paw towards the naughty clothing store.
"Fine," Judy huffed as she pulled out her phone.
She pressed the button to dial her mother's phone before holding it up to her ear, but the shrew pinched her shoulder and said, "Speaker, please, so I can hear her answer."
When Bonnie picked up the phone, she greeted her daughter warmly, "Hey, Bun Bun. How are you doing today?"
A bright smile filled the younger bunny's muzzle as she replied, "I am doing great, mom. Been out shopping with a friend."
"That is good to hear, sweetie," Bonnie said with joy and delight. "Is it your day off, then?"
"Yes I am off today," Judy said smiling. A frown crept across her muzzle and her tone turned serious, "Mom, can I ask you something."
"Of course, honey. You can always ask me anything," the older rabbit answered cheerfully. "What is on your mind?"
Judy took a deep breath and coughed as she looked over her shoulder at the frilly nightwear in the display window. "Mom?" She paused for a second before blurting out her question quickly, "What kind of lingerie do you have?"
"Oh, my, word!" Bonnie exclaimed, and both Judy and Fru Fru could almost hear the blush in the older rabbit's shocked voice. After a long pause she replied hastily, "I am sorry dear, but I am really busy and can't talk about that right now. Call me back later, this evening, after dinner, and we can have a nice long chat, ok?" The phone suddenly disconnected with an audible click.
"She hung up on me," Judy said with a tear in her eye while looking down at the phone held in her outstretched paw. With a sniffle, she added, "She has never hung up on me like that before."
"See, what did I tell you," Fru Fru cried, hopping up and down cheering. "She does own some."
"I don't think that proves anything," the rabbit said, unconvinced. "She never actually admitted to having any."
"But she didn't deny it either," the shrew explained. "And she also said to call her later this evening. That clearly means that she does have some, like I knew she would."
Gritting her teeth, Judy forced herself to turn around as she spoke with determination, "Fine. We will go in here, and you can pick something out, but I can't promise that I will put it on." Her ears stood up straight, but her nose twitched in fright.
"You are going to at least have to try it on before we buy it, Ju Ju," the shrew stated calmly.
Despite the determination in her eyes, the rabbit's hind paws did not move, but were firmly planted one meter outside the lingerie store. Her fore paws began to quiver as she tried to take a single step.
"Oh, come now, silly," the tiny mammal cried. She stomped her paw on the rabbit's shoulder and pointed towards the front door and demanded, "Now march!"
Taking one step after another, Judy held her breath as she crossed the threshold into a land that was filled with sensual nightwear and other unmentionables. She had always thought that her first venture into this land of satin and lace would be paw in paw with a male. More recently she was convinced that male would have been Nick, but he was not here, and she tried very hard to picture him standing confidently beside her.
Judy tried to keep her eyes open as her ears turned bright red while she wandered through this intimate wonderland. These were not the typical cotton undergarments that she owned, but all the soft fabric either shimmered or was very revealing. Some of the garments that she saw had so much see-through fabric that they left nothing to the imagination. Standing in front of a mannequin clothed in one such item, caused Judy's ears to fall over her eyes to hide her shame.
Remembering why she was here, she parted her ears like a thick curtain and forced them to stand back up, showing her deep red blush to the entire world. No one else in the store looked in her direction or commented on her obvious embarrassment as she headed towards the small mammal section.
Unlike dresses and pawstraps, sexy nightwear was not very species specific. A lady's size, figure and tail location were often the determining factors for most undergarments, even the generic brands. A skinny beaver or muskrat could often wear the same underclothes as a rabbit or hare. While Judy tried not to look at any of the models they passed, Fru Fru guided her towards the small mammal section.
When they arrived, she immediately spotted a species generic mannequin, wearing a red satin slip with matching lace panties. The slip had a cute, little bow in the space between the cleavage, while the panties had a larger one above the tail.
"What about this one?" Judy asked, brushing her paw against the soft, smooth fabric.
"Naw," the shrew replied, shaking her head. "Not red, or anything cut so mundane."
"But, it is so pretty," the rabbit said a little too loudly.
"And plain, and red is so last season," Fru Fru retorted without hiding her disgust. "Ah! Here we go," she said, pointing towards a freestanding rack of darkly colored, one-piece garments.
Walking up to the rack, Judy's blush returned full force when she saw how much sheer fabric each item had. "No, no, no," the flushed rabbit mumbled as she thumbed through the hangers.
"Yes, definitely," the elated shrew insisted. "That one," she squeaked when Judy slid one black item aside to reveal a deep purple teddy.
"Are you sure?" Judy asked.
"Yes, hold it up, so I can see better."
Judy pulled the garment free of the rack and held it up. The sheer purple cloth formed a large 'V' shape in the front, and the flower patterned cloth left very little to the imagination. In the back, were a few bands of cloth that crisscrossed below the shoulder blades and a single loop that she guessed was for her tail.
With the insistence from the shrew, Judy set the purple teddy aside and pulled out two more dark and very revealing items. The next was black and had some very interesting bunny themed patterns. Lastly, Fru Fru had the rabbit select a navy blue one, with frilly ruffles along the edges.
"And now to try them on," Fru Fru declared, guiding the rabbit towards the private changing rooms in the back.
A discrete hallway, that was expertly hidden behind a deceptive partition, led to six changing rooms for small mammals. In the hallway were a few chairs for waiting and a couple of racks for hanging spare garments. All the rooms were currently empty, so Judy chose the first one while the shrew waited in a chair that was far too large for her tiny body.
Once the privacy curtain was closed, Judy removed her plaid top and jeans before trying on the frilly, blue teddy. But as she tightened the back straps into place, she realized that her own undergarments were getting in the way of the tight-fitting fabric. With a loud sigh, she disrobed down to her bare fur before climbing back into the lacy lingerie.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed that her blush was gone, and she began to feel a sense of confidence. She turned around to look at her tail, and noticed how the shimmering, blue ruffles accentuated her curves. Wiggling her fluffy tail, she nearly giggled at the pretty rabbit in the mirror before calling through the curtain, "The blue one seems to fit perfectly."
"May I see?" The shrew asked in a motherly tone.
"Why?" Judy called back as she instinctively tried to cover herself with her paws.
"So I can decide which one is best, hun," the shrew declared flatly. "It was part of the agreement, remember. I can't pick one if I don't know how it looks on you."
Taking another deep breath, Judy tried to push back the blush she felt rising again before pulling aside the curtains. When she stepped out of the booth, she quickly placed her arms across her chest and waist regions.
Before she knew what was happening, she heard the sound of a shutter click from the direction of the chair. Her arms flew wide, and the embarrassment was quickly replaced with anger. "Did you just take a picture of me?" She nearly screamed at the tiny mammal.
"Of course," Fru Fru said, holding her phone up with the tiny lens pointed towards a furious Judy. Another click, and the shrew frowned at the image on her screen.
"Why would you do that?" Judy asked as she took a step forward with her paws outstretched in aggravation.
"Oh, don't worry, Ju Ju. These aren't for me. These are exclusively for a certain, stupid fox," the shrew explained.
Judy rushed forward and frantically waved her paws in the air, as her small friend quickly took another photo. "No! Please don't send those to Nick."
Confused, the shrew looked up at the scantily clad rabbit while she asked, "You do want him back, don't you? If we send him a picture of you like this, give it a day or three, and I promise he will come crawling to your doorstep, begging for you to forgive him."
Judy knelt down until she was almost eye level with the tiny mammal. Her head tilted in slight puzzlement as she asked, "Fru Fru, why are you doing this?" When the shrew gave her a confused stare, she expounded, "Why are you going out of your way to get me and Nick back together?"
"Because I know how good you are for each other."
The rabbit's jaw dropped like she had been splashed by a bucket of cold water. "Good? For each other? You really think that?"
"Of course, Ju Ju," the tiny mammal explained. "Your eyes always light up when you talk about him, and he has seriously cleaned up since the two of you met. And besides, you make such a lovely couple."
The shock had not yet worn off her muzzle, but the rabbit continued to ask, "So you have no problem with us being inters?"
"Inters!" Fru Fru exclaimed with a wave of her paw. "That is such a crude term." She reached out to pat Judy on the shoulder. "All I see is a pair of mammals who are clearly in love. That fox obviously made a big mistake and you should think about forgiving him."
"I don't know, Fru Fru," Judy said softly, placing her paws on her bare hips. "I am still very mad at him."
"You have been crying over him for a week straight," Fru Fru huffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't you dare tell me you are not hurting at his absence."
"I know," Judy sighed, as a small tear formed under her eye. "But please let me decide when to send him those pictures."
"Ok, dear," the shrew agreed. "Now, can you give your dumb fox a sweet, seductive pose that will make his eyes bleed?"
A snicker escaped her muzzle as Judy turned and wagged her tail. She stepped up to the edge of the booth and pushed aside one curtain. With one paw on the booth's trim, she cocked her head and snapped out her hips, trying to give the camera a sexy smile.
"Wow," Fru Fru said, as the camera phone clicked again. "Where did you learn to do that?" With a quick flick of her paw, the shrew sent the sexy photo to Judy's phone.
"Oh, nowhere," the rabbit replied with a wink as she stepped into the booth and pulled the privacy curtain back into place.
A warm giggle sprang up from deep in her chest as she thought about eventually showing these pictures to Nick, but first she needed to make him apologize and quit that evil T.U.S.K. team.
Judy confidently slipped on the black teddy and once again smiled warmly at that very pretty bunny that smiled back from the mirror. Unlike the flowery pattern of the blue one, this had a distinctly carroty print. She easily recognized the unique shape of carrot leaves that were woven directly into the fabric. It made her giggle and somehow reminded her of home.
What else reminded her of home was the stylized rabbit silhouette that was cut from the space between the breasts to reveal the soft fur beneath. Another cutout below her navel was curiously shaped like the root of a fully grown carrot. As a rabbit, she found the entire outfit quite alluring, but was not sure that a fox would feel the same.
Stepping through the curtain, Judy made a few quick poses while the shrew continued with the encouraging words. Picturing the fox sitting across the narrow hall, instead of her tiny friend, she was almost beginning to enjoy this.
The rabbit's warm giggles suddenly stopped when a marmot attendant strolled down the hall and glared at the two. She took one look at the camera phone and Judy's pose before coldly asking, "What do you two think you are doing?"
"Nothing," Judy squeaked and suddenly disappeared behind the curtains.
Confidently, the shrew looked up at the marmot, "We are trying to decide which item to purchase." Smirking, she held up the phone, "And teasing her boyfriend at the same time."
"Oh, that is quite alright then, if you intend to make a purchase," the attendant stated as she walked down the hall. "Know that illicit photography is highly frowned upon here, so don't go casually posting anything from inside this store."
Back inside the booth, Judy was slowly changing into the last piece of nightwear, while Fru Fru was conversing with the marmot. The deep purple, 'V' shaped teddy had far more sheer fabric than the previous two, and she liked how the rose blooms wound a narrow path down her belly. She did cringe slightly, when she realized that this item did nothing to hide her intimate parts above or below.
Turning around, she liked how a line of rose petals reached across her back and around her tail. The sheer, purple fabric really brought her amethyst eyes to life and made them pop. It also fit her figure perfectly and accentuated her feminine curves.
She hesitated several breaths, before opening the curtains again. The fear had returned, as she realized that her tiny friend would be able to see everything, and so would the camera. Gritting her teeth, she told herself that this would be no different than taking a shower back home in the Hopps burrow, or strutting naked in front of her boyfriend.
Pulling back the privacy curtain, she stepped out of the booth. This time, she kept her poses modest while the shrew silently snapped the photos, before sending them to the bunny's phone.
Flipping through the pics on her phone, Fru Fru hummed thoughtfully. "That should be enough to work with. Go ahead and get back into your farm girl suit, and then we can decide which one to get."
Putting her paws on her bare hips, Judy scowled down at the tiny mammal. "What is wrong with my normal clothes?"
"Nothing, dear," the shrew replied without looking up from her phone. "They are cute, in an innocent sort of way. I am sure all the bucks back in the burrows love that look." She lifted her long nose with a warm glint in her eye, "I wonder if my husband would be interested in seeing me wear something like that. Might have to check out that country store on Chesé Street someday."
"That reminds me, Fru Fru," Judy replied, as she walked back into the changing booth. From behind the curtain, she asked the shrew, "How come you haven't gotten anything for yourself today?"
Snickering, Fru Fru snorted and replied while laughing like a silver bell, "Because you could never fit inside any of the stores I shop at. And, unlike the day we met, Little Rodentia does not allow oversized mammals to wander their streets. Please believe me, that simply seeing you smile, dear Ju Ju, is all the reward I need for helping you through these troubles."
When Judy had put her casual clothes back on, she joined the shrew on the chair. Holding up her phone for the shrew on her shoulder to see, she flipped through the sexy poses. They all seemed to be embarrassingly revealing to the prudish rabbit, but they also looked very pretty. She had no idea how the fox would react to seeing her wearing this seductive nightwear, so she had a very hard time picking one.
"I think you should get the purple one," Fru Fru finally said after several minutes of flipping between photos.
"No!" Judy exclaimed, definitively.
"Ah," the shrew nodded in understanding. "Too revealing for a first time?"
"Yes," Judy nodded with a sigh. "How about the blue one?"
"Too tame," Fru Fru said with a shrug. "Like the slip on the display outside, it is good for a stable relationship or a quick tease. We want your dumb fox crawling on all fours and begging, not just drooling at the end of the bed. So that leaves the flirtatious and inviting, black rabbit teddy that doesn't shout too loudly. I still think the purple one will really get him to stand up and take notice, but if you think it is right out, then I will respect your decision."
"Ok," Judy also nodded in relief. "I will go ahead and hang these others back on the rack, so we can buy the black one."
"Great," the shrew cheered and clapped her paws. "Then we can get lunch and talk about your plan to catch a dumb fox."
Judy pushed a tall, wire and metal cart through the long isles of the large supermarket. The handle bars of this shopping cart were slightly taller than she was, and that was one of the reasons she avoided these big chain stores. The other reason was their produce.
Many corner markets in the city only sold local produce from the nearby, rural towns. While the big supermarkets and chain stores had a wider selection, they usually bought their produce from further away, and it was often imported from overseas. Having grown up on a farm, Judy could easily tell the difference between what was fresh, local produce and what had been imported. She always claimed it was the smell. The big stores did have some things that small, family owned ones did not, so when she did come here, she always tried to spend as little time inside as possible.
Despite it being her day off, Judy was worn out from all the shopping with Fru Fru and the emotional rollercoaster that she had been riding on for free this week. Once the tiny shrew had dropped her off at her tiny closet of an apartment, the rabbit noticed that her fridge was completely empty. She had not prepared any food at her place for over a month, and the fridge was in dire need of a refill.
Pushing the cart with both paws above her head, she first stopped at the bakery and bought a fresh loaf of bread. The loaf was squat and round and was cut into thick slices, great for making rustic sandwiches. Next, she passed through the deli and picked up a few ounces of sliced yellow cheese.
After the deli department, she grabbed a small carton of milk and a box of cereal with whole grains, dried fruit and berries mixed together. Further down the same aisle, she added a box of sun-baked crackers to the cart. When she got to the canned food aisle, she grabbed a few cans of green vegetables, like beans and artichoke hearts.
Next, she strolled down the frozen food aisle. She had been disappointed with the Carrots-for-one brand, but had instead found a vegetarian meal kit, called Stirring Steams, that had a fairly healthy amount of veggies, with a small bit of pasta. Taking a few different varieties, she tossed them into the large cart and moved towards the next aisle.
Skipping the sodas and bottled water, she headed into the pharmacy and toiletries section next. With the constant swings in her moods lately, she bought three boxes of tissue with fruit and veggie printed covers. She also added some feminine musk mask sticks and new bottles of shampoo and conditioner. A new toothbrush also found its way into her cart.
The large cart was starting to get a little heavy, but she had a pawful of items left to get, and they could all be found on the next aisle over. Even if she could have easily pushed the too-tall cart around the store, she still had to carry the bags more than a kilometer to reach her apartment.
She turned the corner and grabbed a shiny bag of spicy seasoned popcorn that sat on the flashy display case at the end of the aisle. Finishing the turn, she entered the next aisle, where feminine hygiene products sat alongside diapers and other baby care items.
As soon as she started down the next aisle, her ears stood up straight. A loud wail could be heard from a few meters in front of the bunny. She peeked around her cart and saw a very top-heavy beaver, who was holding a can of baby wipes, while a river of tears streamed down her cheeks.
Crying her eyes out halfway down the aisle, was the skinniest beaver that Judy had ever seen. Her waist was thinner than her flat tail, and her breasts were almost unbelievably large. Despite her middle years, she wore a skimpy outfit, similar to what high school girls were wearing these days.
Judy had never seen a beaver with so much cosmetic surgery, that her figure almost looked disgusting to a bunny raised in a pure and natural country setting. She wondered how much money it had cost to have that much cosmetic work done. Cautiously stepping closer to the distraught castoridae, Judy realized that she had seen a beaver exactly like this before.
Thinking back, Judy stumbled across a memory of one of the first cases she worked on with Nick. It was back in the spring, right after Nick had graduated from the academy. Nick and her had been called to a break-in, where a very distraught, mixed-species couple was explaining what had happened to their home to Sergeant Higgins.
Nick and Judy had investigated the damaged home, as well as helped to calm the frantic beaver and her bobcat husband. Inside, the home had been trashed and food was deliberately dumped in piles around the floor. Furniture had been ruined, and the entire place looked like a wild college party had been held there.
Taking another step closer, she was certain that this was the same beaver, but she could not quite remember the name. It wasn't a typical beaver family name, since she had married a bobcat and took his name instead. Twitching her nose, she tried to dig through the cloud of fog in her memory to recall the details from nearly five months past.
"Mrs, Fisher?" Judy asked politely, stepping up to the tearful beaver.
Standing only a few pawsteps away, Judy noticed that a few random patches of the beaver's fur were a couple of shades lighter than any beaver she had seen before. It almost looked like the lighter, golden tan fur was growing to replace the darker, chocolate brown. Judy had heard of mammals' fur turning white after a terrible shock, but nothing like the small splotches on this crying beaver.
"What? Who?" the beaver responded mid-sob. When she saw the grey rabbit in a pink, plaid shirt standing next to her, she tried to choke back her tears and asked, "Who-who are y-you?"
"Hi," the rabbit waved confidently. "It's Judy. Judy Hopps."
"Oh, wait," Mrs. Fisher said as recognition lit her big, brown eyes. "You're that really nice police bunny. I remember you now."
"Is everything alright, ma'am?" Judy asked the distraught beaver.
"Oh, it's nothing," the beaver said, trying to shrug off the issue as she tossed the can of sanitized wipes into her own cart. Unceremoniously, the plastic container landed next to a couple of boxes of fur dye that were labeled Colour Royal by Schwarzhoof.
"No," Judy said with a calm but firm tone. "There is clearly something wrong. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"It really is nothing to worry yourself about," Mrs. Fisher explained with a loud sniffle. "I know it has only been a few weeks since the incident, but I always get so broken up when I come down here." She waved her paw along the aisle that held all the baby products.
"Wait? You come in here often?" The rabbit asked. "I thought you lived on the other side of Savanna Central, over by the Meadowlands."
Mrs. Fisher shook her head and leaned against her cart. "Not anymore. Rodgier and I separated after the incident a few weeks ago. I have been taking care of my mother lately."
Curiously, Judy stepped forwards holding out her paws in front of her belly, like she was presenting a precious gift. "That is twice now, that you have mentioned an incident? What happened?"
The beaver shook her head and turned away from the rabbit. She pushed her cart for a couple of steps before she turned around with apprehension painted all over her artificially stretched muzzle. "Since you are a police officer, then I guess it is safe to tell you."
"Tell me what?" Judy asked keenly, before the beaver held a finger to her mouth and tried to shush the loud rabbit.
Stepping closer to the rabbit, Mrs. Fisher leaned over and whispered, "Pembroch Family Planning Clinic is evil. Don't go anywhere near that place."
Judy stepped back, aghast. "How do you know this?"
Again, Mrs Fisher stepped closer and began to whisper in Judy's ear, but her eyes were filled with tears, and she had to cough to finish her explanation, "They stole my babies."
Cop mode suddenly switched on, and Judy's paws itched for her notepad and carrot pen. "Do you have any proof?" She asked professionally.
"No," the beaver cried, shaking her head. "But I know it was them."
"How?" Judy asked softly.
"Because I just know that evil doctor switched them," Mrs. Fisher declared in a tone that sent a shiver up Judy's spine and made her ears twitch.
Judy's eyes opened wide in shock as she looked back at the terrified beaver. "Switched them? What do you mean, they switched them."
Sighing, the beaver began to explain, "Well, I guess I should start from the beginning."
"Yes, please do," Judy nodded.
"You see, my husband is a bobcat," Mrs. Fisher explained. When Judy nodded and replied that she knew, the beaver continued, "We have been trying to have a child of our own for nearly ten years without any luck. Then we heard about this miracle treatment that was being offered at a very high cost by that clinic I mentioned earlier."
"I think I have heard about that," the rabbit replied and made a subconscious motion like she was taking notes with her carrot pen before she realized she didn't have it on her.
"So," the beaver continued quietly. "We started taking this treatment last year, and after several false alarms, we finally got pregnant. I was so overjoyed that we were going to finally have a baby of our own, that I ran around telling everyone. Most of my friends were jubilant at the great news, but a lot of mammals thought I was crazy."
"I can understand that," Judy replied. "I only recently found out that cross species kits were even possible."
"Yes, it takes a little work and a lot of prayer, but they are definitely possible," Mrs. Fisher beamed behind her teary eyes. "My two little babies were going to be so beautiful."
"Ok," the rabbit said with a smile. "So what happened? You were telling me about this evil doctor."
"Shush, not so loud," the beaver said while pushing both paws down in front of her to quiet the rabbit. "When I went into labor, I naturally went to the same hospital that had helped me get pregnant."
"Of course," Judy agreed.
"But my regular doctor wasn't there when it came time for the delivery. The nurse said that she had stepped out or something. I don't understand why, since she already knew that I was in labor."
"So who delivered the babies, Mrs. Fisher?"
"It was this weird looking goat with a broken horn." The beaver leaned over and softly whispered into the rabbit's tall ears, "That is the evil one I told you about."
"I see," replied the rabbit, who was fully engrossed in the sad beaver's tale.
"Everything was going fine. Even the nurses told me that my two cubs were perfectly healthy and ready to come into this world. But once they popped out, that was the last time I saw them," Mrs Fisher finished the last word with a loud wail.
Judy stepped in and gave the crying beaver a tight hug and began to pat her back gently. "There, there," she murmured tenderly.
After about a minute of sobbing, the beaver continued with a loud sniffle, "My newborn cubs were taken to be cleaned and washed before being brought back to me, but after several minutes the evil doctor walked in with a deep frown on her muzzle."
More sobs wracked the beaver's skinny body before she could continue, "The-the doctor said that there were some sudden complications, and they had to operate, but in the end they lost my babies. Later, they even let me see their tiny little bodies."
Another sorrowful wail echoed across the huge grocery store. "When I looked down at the tiny forms curled up in that clear tray, I knew that those dead husks were not mine. They just looked all wrong. A mother knows these things, and I knew my babies were not dead."
Pulling away from Judy's hug, Mrs. Fisher clenched her fists into tight balls, "I screamed and yelled to everyone in that horrid place to bring me back my babies, but they all looked down at me with pity. Then they brought in a pair of deer in long white coats, and then the next thing I knew I was waking up in my own bed with Rodgier patting my paw."
Mrs. Fisher swung her fists down beside her hips in anger. "That sack of shit bought into the whole still born story they had told him and refused to believe a word I said. He said I was distraught and hysterical over the loss of our cubs. That was why I had to leave him. I just could not take the lies and crap anymore!"
Putting her muzzle in her paws, the beaver cried even louder. "I know what I saw. My cubs were still alive until that dam goat got her filthy paws on them! She did something to them and no one believes me."
With solid determination, Judy puffed out her chests and resolutely declared, "I will find your cubs, Mrs. Fisher."
Shock crossed the beaver's muzzle as she asked, "Wait, you believe me?"
"Yes," the rabbit nodded. "I am just another mammal wandering through the supermarket, you have no reason to lie to me. Plus, there have been a lot of strange things going on around here with hybrid kits and cubs, so this feels like it is only one piece in a much larger puzzle."
It was dark in the apartment when Judy stepped out of her bathroom. The only light was from the lamp sitting on her desk. A tentative smile, stuck to her small, white muzzle, was barely visible in the dim light.
The grey and white rabbit was clothed only in a sheer, silk teddy that hugged her fur and showed off her best feminine features. The see-through fabric had patterns of carrot leaves that ran down the sides and across her belly, like vines caressing her soft fur. Between her small breasts, was a cut-out silhouette of a rabbit head that gave any observer a clear view of her narrow cleavage. Below the navel was another cut out in the shape of a carrot root.
Her naked hips swayed seductively as she carefully strolled towards her simple, rickety bed. The delicate fabric made a swishing sound with each movement as it brushed the softest, lightest parts of her fur. The smile on her muzzle brightened as she enjoyed the way the alluring night clothing moved and rubbed with each step.
She had never worn anything like this black teddy before. It was quite distracting how it hugged and caressed her fur. The intimate feeling was like she was actually wearing her own personal mate, and the feeling made her giddy. Taking a deep breath, she tried to push away the thought that this new lingerie was somehow teasing her.
A sultry squeak escaped her lips as she sat on the bed, and the straps that held up the lower half of the teddy pulled at her tail sharply. She had to scoot back and tug at the straps until the pain subsided. Breathing deeply, she rubbed the base of her tail to calm the sensitive nerves.
Reaching across the gap to her desk, she picked up the phone and turned it over in her paws. She really enjoyed this new model of iCarrot. It had an orange cover and an aftermarket scratch protector. The upgraded features included a faster charge time, a longer lasting battery and improved processor speed. It could also connect to this new high speed data network that had been popping up all over town.
Judy turned on the phone and browsed through her apps until she found the one labeled MuzzleTime. Opening the video calling program, she took another deep breath as she hovered her finger over the icon of a smirking red fox.
Her mind filled with thoughts of the tod as her heart ached with his absence. This break-up had gone on too long, and she was ready to end it. She was going to give him a piece of her mind and hoped that this seductive, new outfit would be enough to convince him to come back to her.
This entire week, she had been a complete wreck without him. She wondered if she had somehow become physically addicted to the fox. Her emotions had gone completely out of control the day he had left, and the alcohol had not helped to ease the pain. The only cure was to force him back into her life, and no time was better than right now.
She told her paw to press down on the smirking icon and dial his number, but it refused. Again, she forced it to hit the fox's speed dial, but her paw began to shake violently. Closing her eyes, she sighed with a very long, slow breath.
Despite being dark outside, the hour was not very late. He was probably still working. Bogo had put them on evening shifts lately so she doubted that his new job would be any different. She also did not want his new coworkers to see her like this.
Another thought crossed her mind and prevented her from dialing his number. What if he was mad at her and didn't answer. Judy wanted to give the incorrigible fox a piece of her mind, but in her heart, she knew that Fru Fru was right. She needed to forgive him if they were going to move forward.
Several doubts and fears raced through her mind and stayed her paw. Maybe she should send a text, or even write him a letter. Shaking her head, she realized that Fru Fru had given her an answer to her dilemma. The shrew had offered to contact the fox to help mend their tattered relationship, but it would have to wait.
Tomorrow was another day, and she decided to press the icon next to the fox instead. When the other end picked up, she lifted the phone to clearly display her muzzle without revealing any of the sheer undergarments and spoke shyly, "Hi, mom. I wanted to explain why I called you earlier."
[A/N] So close! Judy almost called her fox back, but something stayed her paw. Check back in three weeks to find out what happens next.
The phone call between mother and daughter will be posted next Friday in my Extra Fluffy story, so if you want to see what happens, head over there for the details.
In real life, rabbits cannot throw up. Since mammal anatomy has changed in Zootopia to allow them to walk on two legs, they might have other physical differences as well.
This chapter was originally written more than a year ago, Fru Fru's "Retail Therapy" comment was not influenced by Zootopia+. Those who read this chapter back in the summer can vouch for me on that point. I was pleasantly shocked when she brought it up in the show since it seems like something Fru Fru would definitely do.
Hint: There are a lot of important clues in this chapter for what is coming. At this point a lot of people have submitted guesses. Some have even been close. Since this is a mystery, can anyone guess what is going on with the beaver, the missing kits, or Judy? This is the last chance to submit guesses. Answers will be revealed in the next chapter coming out February 17th.
PS: I do appreciate all of the criticism in the last four chapters. Rethinking those chapters has helped me to become a better writer and I hope the changes have improved the story. From the beginning, I wanted Nick and Judy to have a rocky relationship as they figure out what it means to be inters living and working together in Zootopia. Yes, Judy's reaction in chapter 40 was too harsh. I got stuck on her act first ask questions later attitude. It took some time and support from my beta readers to help me find a different route for that chapter and I hope everyone can enjoy the changes.
Thank you for all the support,
OneWolfe-