Chapter 19: A Numbers Game

I wanted to see if I could write something entertaining about Judy and Nick that was exactly 500 words without this introduction. Please let me know what you think.

Part 1: Playing Chopsticks


It sat there in the middle of the shallow non-descript white bowl in the center of the round dining room table, the yeast-leavened small steamed bun was stuffed with various delectable vegetables. Leaning back in his chair, the red fox set his wooden chopsticks in his empty soup bowl and said to the gray-furred rabbit sitting opposite of him, "Carrots, please help yourself."

"Why, Nick, you are such a kind and loving gentlefox," Judy replied. "No, I insist that you have the last one."

There was something in the bunny's overly sweet words that caused the fox to hesitate for a moment before he picked up his chopsticks and reached for the bun. Just as he lifted the morsel to his muzzle and prepared to pop it into his mouth, Judy's chopsticks shot out and knocked it away and it landed on the table. Startled, he began to protest, but the mischievous grin on the rabbit's face was an obvious clue to what she was up to. She pinched the bun with her own sticks and waved it towards him. "Oh, so we are going to do this again!" he cried out even as he struck out with his own chopsticks.

When Disney announced that they were building a Zootopia-themed section of the Disneyland Shanghai park, both Nick and Judy knew that they needed to learn to eat with chopsticks. Instead of learning from Mulan or someone at Disney, the fox insisted that they ask a large white panda named Po to be their teacher. The so-called Dragon Warrior not only instructed them on how to use chopsticks, but he also taught them the ancient art of Kung-fu style eating.

Back and forth their chopsticks whirrled, parrying and blocking as if they were involved in an intricate sword fight. Each time one of them would grasp the poor innocent bun with their utensils, the other would knock it free. Into the air the morsel of food would fly before being captured by either the fox or rabbit's wooden sticks until finally, with great dexterity, the fox snatched it and tried to bring it to his mouth. Before his teeth could close upon its prey, Judy lashed out again and swatted the bun loose. Nick struck at it, yanking the captured bun away from the bunny, but she swung her sticks upward as if they were small baseball bats. This time she hit too hard and it soared upward into the air.

Nick and Judy both grimaced when the airborne dumpling struck the spinning blades of the ceiling fan. There was a splattering thump, and the gooey remains of their very contested meal were sprayed across the room.

Nick said, "Why don't you go get the sponge while I find the mop and bucket?"

"We've got to stop doing this," Judy replied as she walked into the kitchen.

"Or else we need to buy tougher food!" the fox snickered.


Now 400 words:

Part 2: Run Rabbit Run!


"Listen, Slick, I am never going to another race track again!" Judy snapped as she slammed open their apartment door.

"How was I to know that those dogs were going to chase you?" Nick tried to defend himself while he followed the angry rabbit into the room.

"You took me to the Greyhound races. Why did you take me to a Greyhound track?"

"How was I supposed to know that the dogs were trained to chase rabbits? I thought it was going to be something like a horse race, they would trot around the track and then the winner would be the first one across the finish line."

"Nick, they started out down the track alright, and then the wind shifted and they all turned my direction with their noses sniffing. Next thing I know they have leapt into the stands and are chasing after me!"

"I never thought you could run that fast."

"It was a good thing that there was a taxi in the parking lot. Those dogs chased me and the car for more than half a mile down the road! Where were you?"

"I couldn't catch up with you, so when the dogs turned toward me I just got on all four paws and acted like I was one of them."

"Sometimes I wonder what you are thinking in that red-furred head of yours. That place was called the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club, not a stable club! Dogs are in kennels and horses are in stables."

"Oh come on, I heard that this was something you just had to do when you came to Florida. Go to the races and a Florida Gators football game."

"Yeah, the next Gators game we go to won't be against the University of Georgia. UGA's mascot Uga chased you around the infield until they could leash him."

"That bulldog was all teeth."

"At least he couldn't run like the greyhounds!"

"Let me make it up to you this weekend," Nick said as he pulled her into his arms.

"I'm listening," Judy replied. Her eyes closed and she slumped somewhat when the fox began to rub her ears.

"Bruce said that there was a really fun place to go diving off the coast of Riveria Beach."

"Nick, you are taking diving advice from a shark?"

"He seems like a nice shark, Dory vouches for him."


Now 300 words:

Part 3: A Pirate's Life for Me!


"The Gasparilla Pirate Fest in Tampa was fantastic!" Nick cried out before he leaped onto their bed and excitedly jumped up and down. He was wearing a black tricorn hat, a white shirt with billowing sleeves, a blood-red vest, and a pair of black breeches. He dramatically waved a gray plastic sword over his head.

"It was nice that Long John Silvers let us aboard the "Jose Gasparilla" when it sailed into Tampa Bay!" Judy agreed. She too wore a costume that looked like a pirate.

"The cannons were blazing and smoke wafted through the air when we entered the bay."

"And the crowd enthusiastically cheered."

"A far cry from the way that city's citizens would have acted hundreds of years ago."

"We were there for fun and not to pillage and plunder, like the villains of old."

The fox jumped off the bed and cried out "Defend thyself!" His plastic sword was menacingly raised over his head.

With a giggle, the rabbit drew her own sword. "You dare challenge me, fox!" she called out and their swords clunked against each other. "I am the Gray Ghost, the Scourge of the Coast...the Mistress of Mayhem..."

"Carrots, you are now milking it!" Nick snickered.

Back and forth, they battled. Thrusting and parring at the other's fake swords. Finally, with a mighty swing, the fox brought his blunt blade down against the smaller rabbit's sword and there was a cracking sound. Nick stared at his shattered blade. "Uh oh!" he uttered.

"Ha!" the rabbit cried out in triumph as she pointed her blade at the now kneeling fox.

"Now what?" he asked the victorious rabbit.

Tossing her sword aside, she lunged into his arms. "Now begins the pillaging and plundering," she huskily answered before she kissed him.


Now 200 words:

Part 4: Slightly Off Target


"Judy, pull back further on the bowstring," Robin Hood said. "Now steady your arm and let go!"

The arrow completely missed the circular bullseye target.

"You are getting better!" the fox joyfully exclaimed. "Very good! This time you only missed the target by less than two yards."

"Let me show you how it is done," Nick said to her as he notched an arrow onto his bowstring. "Archery is something which comes naturally to a fox."

He gave her a wink before he let the arrow fly. Across the grassy range, the arrow wobbled only to strike the very top of the target, causing it to ricochet upward into a nearby pine tree. There, it knocked free a pinecone that fell downward, hitting a lower branch and bouncing into the air. Both foxes and the rabbit watched when it fell onto the roof of a nearby shed. The pinecone stayed there for a moment, but then it began to roll downward faster and faster until it dropped off the roof. Unfortunately, Little John was walking around the corner, and the pinecone fell with a thud on his head.

"Is Wilde practicing again?" the bear asked as he rubbed his head.


Now 100 words:

Part 5: Heads or Tails


"Nick, what were you dreaming about last night?" the gray-furred rabbit asked as she yawned.

"Dreaming?" the fox answered before he turned on the coffee machine. For a moment he stood there and gave a deep sniff, Nick loved the scent of coffee brewing.

"You were tossing and turning all night."

"We watched that movie Sonic the Hedgehog 2 last night and I dreamt I was in the movie."

"Nick Wilde vs. Knuckles!"

"Actually, I was Tails," the fox admitted.

"Well, that explains things!" Judy laughed. "Your tail was whirling all night and kept slapping me across my face."