-Patch-

Everything was dark.

A chilled wind flowed over Nick and gave him a shock, causing the fox's eyes to open suddenly.

"Oh good, your awake," Came a gruff voice with a slight Nordic accent.

"About time," came another voice, the cold air nearly muffling the words.

Nick's head was spinning as he slowly opened his eyes, immediately blinded by the bright white snow that swirled all around the wooden cart he was currently occupying.

The fox tried to move his paws but realized they had been bound behind his back with some rope. His mind began to race as he tried to remember how exactly he had come into this situation.

"So were you caught trying to cross the border as well?" The accented voice asked.

Nick looked over to see a timber wolf in a pair of old brown pants and a torn shirt that looked like it had been fashioned from a sack of potatoes.

"You kidding? He is a fox. Must be a thief," came a snide remark from a bunny sitting next to Nick.

The lagamor0h was in similar apparel to the timber wolf and looked a little worse for wear.

Nick tried to speak but the words couldn't come. He then realized he had been bound and gagged with some kind of cloth.

The fox let out a low growl as he tried to get his paws undone to free himself.

Before he got very far though someone came trotting up alongside the cart and smacked it with a sword, causing a clang that nearly made Nick jump.

"You! No fidgeting…don't even try to escape."

Nick looked over at a painted dog in what could easily be described as a centurion uniform.

"Lousy Imperials," the wolf growled.

"Such your mouth Nord!" The painted dog barked before something echoed through the mountain pass. Something…unnatural…

The small caravan of carts halted as several armored mammals suddenly spread out.

"What was that?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Could it be?" The wolf asked in a hushed tone.

"No, not possible. They haven't been seen for thousands of years," the bunny responded as he lowered his head.

"Formations! Protective formations!" Someone shouted as the guards all drew their weapons.

Another loud screech mixed with a roar echoed through the snowy air.

"By the gods…." The timber wolf said as a shadow flew over the caravan.

There was a loud crunching noise as a massive creature landed just before the cart Nick was sitting in.

"The legends! They are true….it is-"

A pinecone of enormous proportions sat just before the cart and shook wildly.

Several guards tried to charge the beast but it fell on its side and rolled around them.

Nick watched in stunned fascination as the pinecone hopped over the cart and landed on several Imperials who had been taking cover nearby.

"Ah!"

"It's so prickly!"

"My uniform! I just cleaned it!"

The pinecone rolled away and Nick looked over at the Imperials who were all pressed into the snow looking very annoyed as they tried to get up.

The guards were too busy contending with the new pinecone threat that they didn't pay much attention to the prisoners in the cart.

The timber wolf saw his opportunity and took it, he hurried over to the other side of the cart and began to undo the rope tied around the fox's wrists. When he was free Nick returned the favor without a moment of hesitation, untying the thick rope that bound the timber wolf.

Once the timber wolf was freed Nick turned in time to see the pinecone rumbling toward them. Imperials and trees were either crushed or tossed aside with ease as the beast tumbled toward the prisoners.

Nick reached up and in one swift movement yanked the cloth that had been keeping his mouth muzzled.

The pinecone was just moments away from colliding with their cart when Nick did the only thing he could think of.

"STOP!" The fox barked as he put a paw out in front of him.

His voice boomed through the mountain pass and the snow itself seemed to be blown away by the power of his voice.

The pinecone came to a sudden stop, just an inch from Nick's outstretched paw, it seemed to calm and looked as if it was waiting for a new command.

"By the gods," The timberwolf muttered as he helped the bunny prisoner up. Both of them were looking at Nick with both shock and admiration. "He…he is.."

"No... it's not possible," The bunny gasped.

"He stopped it dead in its tracks. He is one of them…he is the Pineconekin!"

"Pineconekin?" Nick asked as he looked to the wolf.

"Yes, legends foretold of a mammal who could commune with the Pinecone beasts of old, having been born under the same star as them," The wolf began as the snow around them seemed to grow brighter.

"He's coming round," A female voice echoed through the mountain pass.

"You are the one who will save our realm, to unite us against a greater threat," The bunny joined in, staring at the large pinecone standing before Nick.

"Gotta say I feel better knowing I am not the only one that shot him," Came a familiar voice that echoed around Nick.

The snow grew brighter and soon the wind died down. Everything in the mountain pass melted into the bright light and then…


"Nick?" Judy whispered sweetly as the fox began to stir.

"Pineconekin…" Nick mumbled before letting out a groan from the soreness in his leg where the tranq dart had landed.

Judy and Delta both exchanged confused looks before Judy returned to gently stroking the side of her fox's head.

"Nick can you hear me?" The doe asked softly.

The fox's eyes finally opened, blinking a few times as he tried to get the world in focus.

"Those dreams are getting weirder and weirder," Nick mumbled as he sat up in the hospital bed.

"I'll say," Delta said which got the fox's attention. "You talk in your sleep partner."

Nick groaned as he placed a paw to his forehead, he then looked over at Judy who was leaning against the side of the bed, a look of concern and slight guilt in her eyes.

"Nice shot Carrots," Nick teased which made the bunny's ears fall to the back of her head.

"I feel terrible Nick, it was just so chaotic and we had to find a way to stop Trisha from injuring herself and others," Judy tried to explain before Nick put a digit to his mate's lips.

"It's ok Carrots," Nick said softly before adding. "Just gave me another thing to hold over you for a while."

Judy gasped and swatted Nick's paw away.

"Delta tranqed you too!"

"Yeah but then he covered my Firewatch Tower so I could visit you," Nick pointed out as he glanced over at Delta who smirked.

"So what do I have to do then?" Judy groaned.

"Cover his Firewatch Tower so he can come visit me?" Delta suggested which earned a laugh from the other two.

After the laughs faded though Nick looked over at Judy with some concern, "How is she?"

Judy let out a sigh as she rested her paws on top of Nick's.

"They sedated her and have been running some tests but…from what I hear this is out of their depth…"

"While there have been similar cases to this one they say they were different mammals and each of them reacted differently," Delta added.

"Is it that Forest Fever that Chris mentioned?" Nick asked as he looked from Judy to Delta.

Both of them shrugged before the painted ranger spoke up, "That's a name for it, but they also used that term for a lot of different things back then so it doesn't mean it's an exact diagnosis.."

Nick noticed how Delta's tone seemed to change and the fox felt a little bad for prodding the canine for answers.

Here they were, finally able to find Trisha and she wasn't really Trisha. She had turned into something else, something feral, and the cure was nowhere to be found.

The door to Nick's hospital room opened and all eyes went to Dr. Salt who entered with Peggy.

"Oh, Nick are you feeling alright?" Peggy cooed as she hurried over to the side of the fox's bed.

"Yeah but at this point, I am filing a hostile workplace grievance," Nick said as he winked at the bunny who smiled.

"Go right ahead," Judy joined in before looking at Delta. "Did you see anything Ranger?"

"Nope, Ranger Wilde just slipped and fell on that dart, your honor."

Nick's mouth hung open as he looked back at his mate and then at Delta, "See I knew there was a plan to get rid of me. You hearing this doc?"

Dr. Salt looked up from his chart and looked as if he wanted to say something but then locked gazes with Judy, "Oh well…it was so chaotic that I didn't see the actual event."

Nick let out an exasperated groan as he fell back on the bed, "Might as well just finish me off now and collect the life insurance I guess."

Dr. Salt chuckled but then cleared his throat, "Mrs. Rose here requested that I give you all an update on Ranger Rose."

All eyes went to the porcupine, all of them except Peggy who simply stared out the window to the hospital room, a sad expression on her muzzle.

"We currently have Ranger Rose sedated and have begun to mend her fractures and broken bones as best we can. We have her scheduled for a procedure for tomorrow," Dr. Salt explained as he looked through his charts. "As for her current state of mind…well…we believe we have linked that to a unique infection of some kind in her lungs."

Nick, Judy, and Delta all perked up as they looked at the doctor.

"Well that's good, if you identified it then you can fight it," Delta said cheerfully.

Nick however could tell something was up, why else would Peggy have a tear rolling down her cheek?

"While we identified it as a foreign infection we have no way of treating it at this time. It is fighting off the antibiotics we tried using for it and after a quick x-ray, we found it completely coated her insides almost as if it's grown there. We believe it's fungal in nature but other than that it's just guesswork. We have managed to get samples and sent them off to a lab in Zootopia but until further notice Ranger Rose is in quarantine."

The news hung in the air and the mammals of the parks department remained silent before Nick broke the silence.

"So what's next?"

Everyone looked at the fox with quizzical looks.

"You honestly think Trisha would accept that diagnosis if it was one of us?" The fox continued. "No, she would move the mountains themselves to help find a cure."

"Maybe…" Dr. Salt muttered to himself. He then noticed all eyes were back on him. "If we could identify what she had been infected with or ingested while out there we could narrow down a solution. We would need to know how she came to be infected and with what."

"The forest is a big place doc and last time I checked they are still discovering new types of plants every year," Delta pointed out. "We don't even know where to begin."

The gears in Nick's head were slowly kicking into gear but as he went over the facts of Trisha's rescue something stuck out.

"The uniform," Nick muttered.

Judy and Delta looked at Nick before they glanced at each other.

"Doc where did you put the clothes we found Trisha in?" Delta asked as he stood up a little taller.

"We had to cut some of it off her but we sent them for special disposal," Dr. Salt said.

"Please tell me they haven't been disposed of yet," Nick said as he suddenly hopped off the hospital bed.

With the help of Dr. Salt, they managed to track down the bag that had the clothing Trisha had been found in. While they wanted to tear into the bag immediately Dr. Salt insisted they treat it as if it too was infected with the problem that plagued Trisha.

So they had to wait for it to be treated and checked.

After a quick sterilization process which Nick swore was just the hospital running the uniform through a very special clothes dryer, they were given the uniform.

"I am sorry it's not in the best shape," A bunny nurse said as she handed the folded blue uniform top to them. "I am sure it can get stitched up in some parts."

"It's just the patch we are concerned with," Delta said as he gave the nurse a nod in thanks.

Judy took the uniform in her paws and began to unfold it, her brilliant purple eyes scanning the clothing before she spoke, "It's a ranger uniform…"

"What?" Nick asked as he raised a brow, looking at his own uniform and then at the navy blue top.

"Back when the parks were first founded, the army guarded the forests, some of them became rangers and they just kept the same uniforms for a couple of years. The gray ones you all wear are just over a decade old, before that though we had lots of different types."

As Judy explained all this she turned the uniform over until she found one of the arms and unrolled it until they saw a patch.

Nick recognized the patch as a variant of the old Frontier Flag that flew over the top of the lodge. It was a black and white stripe flag with the park's shield in the center. There was one difference though. This patch had an eagle in the middle of the pine tree instead of the star.

"An eagle?" Nick asked as he looked at Delta.

The painted dog shrugged, "I'll be honest Trisha was more of the Ranger Historian."

"Would Chris know?" Judy asked as she gave the painted dog a questioning look.

Delta shook his head, "I mean he is old but he ain't that old."

They stood there studying the odd patch for another moment or two before Delta broke the silence.

The taller canine suddenly snapped his digits together, "You know who might? The historical society."

Judy blinked a few times and smirked, "Don't know why I didn't think of that." She looked at the patch and then a mischievous smile graced her lips, "And I think I may know the exact historian buff that would know."


The three park employees filled Dr. Salt and Peggy in about their findings. It was decided that Delta would stay at the hospital with Peggy and wait for the rest of the Rose family to arrive.

Nick and Judy meanwhile would head to the historical society museum in Fairfax to see if they could get anywhere with the recent discovery.

Judy had asked if Nick needed to rest before they headed to the museum, pointing out how just that morning the fox had been deep in the forest tracking their missing ranger.

The fox however just shot back how he had a restful nap thanks to someone shooting him with a tranquilizer dart.

This earned him a slug on the arm but a smile from his mate nonetheless.

The Fairfax Historical society had made its home in a museum on the outskirts of the main town of Fairfax. The museum itself was housed in a series of barns and farm storage units that had been refitted to make room for all the artifacts and models of the town. The outside of the museum meanwhile looked a little bit like a junkyard, a well-maintained junkyard though. Mining equipment and old wagons littered the area, each of them with a plaque explaining its historical importance.

Nick had only been to the museum once before when showing the VIMs around before the Wewa incident.

At the time his ex-bond mate had been torturing him with her presence though so he didn;t exactly get a chance to enjoy the museum and all it had to offer.

When they arrived Nick pulled into an old dirt parking lot, several other cars scattered about the lot.

"Busy day," Nick chuckled.

"For Fairfax?" Judy began as she looked around the lot. "This is a packed museum."

The two chuckled as they exited Nick's truck and made their way across the lot to a large barn that sat in the center of the complex.

A giant wooden sign hung over the entrance that read "Fairfax Historical Museum."

The letters were painted white and faded in time but added to the overall rustic vibe.

Nick held the door for his bunny who smiled at him as they entered.

The inside of the museum actually surprised Nick. The barn had been segmented off into several rooms filled with pictures and artifacts on display.

A welcome desk sat in the middle of the entry room, an older-looking beaver in reading glasses occupied a chair as she read a newspaper.

When the beaver detected Nick and Judy she folded the newspaper and looked up from her seat.

"Welcome to the- oh Judy is that you?"

"Hey Mauve," Judy said with a smile that brightened the room.

"Well well welcome Supervisor Judy," The beaver said as she stood up. She then looked over at Nick and a smug smile graced her lips. "And is this the ranger who stole your heart?"

Both Judy and Nick blinked before the beaver raised the newspaper, "Gossip column."

Judy blushed while Nick smirked. The fox leaned against the welcome desk and turned to give Judy a sly smile.

"What can I say-?" Nick began but the look Judy was giving him told the ranger it was in his best interest to not finish that sentence.

"We have something for Puzzle to look at," Judy said, returning to the task at paw.

While the beaver had been very sweet in her welcome she immediately changed when Judy mentioned why they were there.

"Oh…the troublemaker? She is in the library I think…probably stealing someone else's sudoku book and filling it out with permission."

"Oh," Judy said as her ears went up. "Did she…?"

Mauve slowly raised a sudoku book and flipped it open on the welcome desk. The book had been filled with the answers but not only that, some of them had been corrected with a bright orange pen with little notes written on the side.

"She also has a habit of finding a different way than I do and enjoys pointing it out," The beaver explained before slamming the book close. "You tell her I still expect a replacement."

"On it," Nick said as he patted the welcome desk and stood up straighter. He gave the beaver a salute before looking at Judy. "Lead the way Carrots."

"Oh now that is adorable," Mauve gushed as the two park employees strolled

The fox and bunny duo had to exit the main building and head to one of the smaller wooden structures.

Once inside the library part of the museum, Nick was instantly hit with a wave of different odors that could simply be described as "Old bookstore."

The fox coughed at the sudden overload of scents before following Judy down the rows of books.

Somewhere in the library, someone was playing music. Not just any music though. While one would expect to hear some kind of classical or calming song playing in a library this was a pop playlist. The bubbly and upbeat tunes wafting through the books and seemed to be out of place in such an old building.

Judy and Nick came around the corner and found the source of the music.

A BlueTooth speaker was sitting on a large wooden table in the center of what looked to be a model train yard.

Part of the trainyard was obstructed by a painted dog who had its back to the new arrivals. The female was in a pair of jeans covered in different patches and an orange/white checkered button-up shirt.

As the beat continued to play from the speaker the painted dog began to shake her hips as she mumbled along to the song. She lifted up a small model train and turned slightly so she could get a better look at it in the light.

A pair of dark orange glasses sat on the end of the painted dog's muzzle and as she studied the train she caught movement out of the corner of her eyes.

"Ah!" The canine let out as she nearly leaped when she noticed Judy and Nick standing there.

The painted female tossed the train in the air by accident and gasped as she reached up, desperately trying to catch it but failing.

Judy however leaped forward and slid on her stomach, catching the model train at the last second.

The doe looked up at the painted dog, their eyes meeting before the canine let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Judy," The painted dog said as she reached down and scooped up the model train and inspected it. "But also….don't sneak up on me when I'm in the zone!"

Judy laughed as she stood up and brushed some dust from her park's uniform.

"Maybe don't listen to music so loud Puzzle, We are in a library after all," Judy said as she stuck her tongue out.

"Oh please, I am just trying to bring some life into this place," the painted dog said as she reached for her phone and paused the music. She then turned and eyed Nick. "Oh, so this is the famous Ranger Wilde?"

"Can't get anything by you," Nick said as he pointed at the patch on Nick's uniform with his last name written in black.

Puzzle scrunched her nose and then looked at Judy, "Trisha approved of him?"

Nick's ears fell to the back of his head as he gave the painted dog a deadpan look.

"Yeah, temporary lack of judgment I guess," Judy teased, giving her mate a wink. She then looked back at Puzzle. "We have a favor to ask."

"Oh you better have brought snacks if you are asking favors," Puzzle said as she sauntered around the table and gently placed the model train she had been inspecting at the center of the model.

"Well that's the thing, I have a feeling you will actually enjoy helping us with this," Judy said as she nodded to Nick who was holding the tattered uniform they had found on Trisha that morning.

Puzzle watched as Nick walked over and spread the uniform out on a free section of the table, he then took a step back and gave the painted dog a smug smile.

"Oh? And what is it I would enjoy about old clothes-" The painted dog began as she came around but her amber eyes fell on the patch. "OH M GOODNESS!"

Puzzle darted over when she saw the patch and immediately scooped it up.

"You found one!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, now what is it we found?" Judy chuckled as she looked around the sea of books that surrounded them.

"Everyone thought I was just grasping at conspiracy theories," Puzzle began as she took a closer look at the patch. Nick was about to speak up when he noticed how Puzzle even sniffed the uniform but remained silent. "You have been watching too many tv shows Puzzle. There wasn't a secret society in the woods Puzzle."

"Stop stealing our Sudoku books Puzzle," Nick added.

The painted dog's oval ears flicked and she looked over at the fox with a nervous smile, "Mauve still mad?"

Nick nodded.

Puzzle winced and looked at Judy, "Tell ya what, you smooth it over with the boss and I will be your best friend for a month."

"Think Trisha would have something to say about that," Judy said with a smile.

Puzzle's eyes suddenly went wide, "Wait..did…did you all find her?"

Judy nodded.

Puzzle set the uniform down and looked eagerly at Judy.

"And?"

"She is alive but something is wrong with her and the only clue we have is currently sitting on your table," Nick said softly.

Puzzle put her paws to her muzzle and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, Judy!" The painted dog squealed. She then rushed over and scooped the bunny up. "I was praying to the painted ones every night that you would find her."

Judy laughed but gave the eager-painted dog a pat on the back.

"I know, we just found her this morning and I am so relieved but…we need your help Puzzle."

Puzzle set Judy down and looked at Nick, adjusting her glasses before looking back at the clothing on her model table.

"Yes, of course," Puzzle said as she suddenly hurried away, disappearing behind a bookshelf. When she returned she had several books in her paws, "Anything for Ranger Trisha."

Puzzle flipped through a series of old books and even a photo album, its pictures faded and worn from time.

"What you have found here is what some call the Eagle Patch, Eagle Ranger, or…" The painted dog flipped through the photo album until she came across an old black-and-white picture that took up the whole page. "The Presidential Patch."

Standing in the black and white picture were four mammals. Three of them sported a uniform that was a perfect match to the one they found Trisha wearing. One was a wolf, another was a fox, and finally, a bunny who Nick would swear was a distant relation to Trisha. The three uniformed mammals stood on either side of a bull moose in a worn set of explorer pants and jacket a pair of glasses sitting on the edge of his snout, and a triumphant grin on his face.

"Oh my goodness…" Judy whispered as she examined the old photo.

"See some folks thought it was the picture being faded or that I was seeing things but look at those patches. That's not a star in the center, that's an eagle!" Puzzle said with giddy as she flipped through several other books. "Do you all realize what you have stumbled on?"

"I have a feeling something very elaborate," Nick mumbled.

"You have no idea," Puzzle said excitedly. "The Eagle Patch was only given to a few of the original rangers. It was said they were the first long-range rangers. The ones who would go the farthest into the woods. It was also rumored they were the only ones entrusted with one of the forest's best-kept secrets."

"Which would be?" Nick asked as he looked up from the picture and over at puzzle who was pulling several letters from an old book.

The painted dog grinned excitedly as she placed a single hoove written note on top of the uniform resting on the table.

Judy and Nick glanced at one another and then back at the letter:

Charles,

I understand that as President I have certain obligations but the forest is calling me and even a thick-headed mammal like me needs time to reflect.

If it is really that important then give a letter to one of the Eagles, they know where to find me.

-T.R.

Judy and Nick remained silent as they exchanged shocked looks.

They then looked at Puzzle who had a smug smile that could rival Nick's.

"Tell me, Judy. Did the Parks Department ever really figure out where Teddy would disappear to when he visited the parks?"


Hey there Rangers

So a pinceone-filled dream and a presidential conspiracy all rolled into one chapter? Do I still got it or what? xP

Lots of stuff has been happening IRL but I am doing my best to stay positive and keep on writing.

Nick and Judy are about to have quite the adventure.

Pinecone!

-Blue