Chapter 5: Fox on the Run

AudioLog

General Rory Kale, FEDRA

Three Hours after the Pandemic

"I did it. I fucking did it. I gave the order to blow them up. Every single one of them. The artillery is getting ready now. Some of them quit on the spot, not wanting to stain their hands in such a horrible action. I don't blame them. The rest of them were crying, vomiting, pissing their pants, but like any good soldier who follows orders, they got on their planes and flew, on their way to do their duty.

My hands are shaking, and my heart hasn't stopped beating. I keep telling myself I'm doing this for a good cause, but I keep seeing that it's inexcusable. It wasn't that long ago when I had to shoot down an entire household of bunnies. Some weren't even infected. Some were friends I shared beers with. Some were…some were children. Kits. I bet none of them got to ten years of age. And I just shot them, one by one *sobs*"

The General proceeds to cry for about five minutes, He calms down, and continues his confession.

"I don't expect to live past tomorrow. If this pandemic somehow doesn't take me, I got a bullet with my name right here. When they appointed me as general, no one told me of the weight I had to bear. I thought this was meant to save lives, not take them! So far, about three hundred million mammals have become savage. After this mission is done, there will be approximately four billion dead rabbits across the world. Four billion. It's a complete genocide. All because some asshole decided it would be best to eradicate the fastest- growing population so that they wouldn't turn savage.

But I'm not gonna try and blame someone else for what I did. I could've said no. There was a point where I would've said no. Why didn't I do it? I don't have an answer for that. Maybe it's just the innate desire of a mammal to just…kill. Maybe this Nighthowler thing just lets out what's already inside all of us. It doesn't turn us into monsters. We are the monsters. General Rory Kale signing out. May God have mercy on my soul."

All was quiet at the Hopps farm.

The entire world seemed to be quiet, and Judy didn't know why.

It's not like they had stopped working the fields collecting vegetables, or stopped selling their carrots in their stalls, but there was something strange in the air that Judy couldn't quite place.

"Mom, does today feel strange to you?" she asked her mom, Bonnie, as she was cutting a few carrots for lunch. Judy was helping in the kitchen as well, boiling some potatoes and cutting other vegetables for the salad.

"In what way, Hon?" Bonnie said, her focus still on cutting the carrots. They heard planes flying loudly above them.

"I'm not sure. It just feels weird somehow."

"It's not because you're getting cold feet, are you?" Bonnie asked. "You know you deserve being accepted to the police academy. Your dad and I are so proud. Terrified beyond belief, yes, but very proud as well."

"Of course not," she said. It had been a week since the 19-year old bunny had received her acceptance into the prestigious Zootopia Police Academy, located only a few miles from Bunnyburrow. "It just…feels heavy around here. Even the air smells funny."

"It's probably nothing, hon. You're just nervous, is all. Being the first bunny police trainee is a lot of pressure. Just don't get too stressed over it."

She was probably right. Judy didn't want to mess things up now that she had the opportunity of her life. Being a police officer was her dream for as long as she could remember.

A rowdy bunch was heard coming around the corner of the kitchen. It was a congregation of tiny fluffy tails and pointy ears combined with the cutest hungry faces they could muster, all looking towards a single point of the kitchen.

"Food! Food! Food!" The tiny bunnies began chanting, making the walls vibrate with their melody of starvation.

"It's not ready, yet, my darlings," Bonnie calmly stated. "Not until you all wash your hands with soap, form a single file line, and march three times around the house."

With the challenge set, the fifty or so bunnies began their adventure, all heading straight towards the bathroom to wash their hands.

"I love how you handled that," she said to her mother.

"Sometimes that's the only way to keep those kits in line."

"Please tell me I was never like that," she said, hoping she never gave that much grief to her mother.

"Ohh no of course not. You were the detective of your litter, always looking for some mystery to solve. Remember when you found where your dad's special tie went? It was a month-wide investigation. You even had a board set up with potential suspects and everything. You were five, hahahaha!" Bonnie began laughing, setting off chuckling from Judy as well.

"Policing really was on my mind at that young age, huh?"

"Yeah. You always had that itch to try and make things better. Not even when it seemed like it was impossible. No matter what, you kept going. So if it's really that academy that has you tensed up-"

"I already said it wasn't, mom."

"Either way, Judy, I want you to understand that you've never been an ordinary bunny. Heck, sometimes you're more like a predator than a prey." She stops cutting the carrots, filling it enough to start boiling it in the pot. "So a police academy will be a walk in the park to a bunny like you."

Judy felt warm inside after those few words from her mother. It wasn't that long ago that Bonnie was very against her becoming a cop, saying that something like that would end up killing her in such a big city. Since the Mammal Inclusion Initiative wasn't in effect at the time either, Bonnie feared that she might end up working too hard for nothing. When that policy went into effect, however, both her parents realized just how important that dream was for her, and stopped telling her what to do and embraced her dream.

"...millions in Bunnyburrow have been affected for days by a constant drought, leading to many people collapsing due to the heat…" reported the radio standing in one of the windows of the kitchen. Judy listened to the news attentively. "...It is recommended to stay indoors and drink lots of water to overcome this very serious event…"

"Bunnyburrow is pretty far, isn't it?" she asked. She was thankful they weren't there but she still feared for the poor bunnies that were living there. Her family had moved from Bunnyburrow a long time ago, having been able to buy prestigious land in the Zootopian Farmlands. There, the Hopps family thrived and now owned about 70 percent of farm commerce.

"A few hundred miles from us, yes," Bonnie responded. "Don't worry, that heat wave shouldn't reach us." She nodded, trusting her mom's judgment. She turned down the radio, not wanting to hear any more saddening news.

"Oops!" Suddenly, Bonnie dropped a carrot on the floor, followed by a cutting bo-

"AHHH"

When the cutting board hit the floor, Judy became rigid, as a scream and violent images of a fox's destroyed head flashed on her mind. She had never seen that face before. Why did she think of something so violent?

"Judy!" she got snapped back by her mother. "The cutting board and carrot, please?" she pointed at the two objects on the floor. She quickly gathered them and gave them to her, still shaken.

"You froze there for a second. Something the matter?"

"Uh no no it's fine," she said, still reeling from the sudden feeling. She was so distracted by the thought, that she never realized the sky changed its color from bright blue to dark red.

"Judy Judy Judy!" called a tiny little bunny from the kitchen door. It was Molly, one of Judy's youngest siblings.

"What's up, my little honeybun?" she dropped to Molly's level, ruffling the fur on her head. Molly was one of Judy's favorite younger siblings. Molly was also very attached to Judy, never leaving somewhere without her unless it was too late in the evening or too far.

"Can you play with me outside? There's a friend I made and I want you to meet her!" Molly said ecstatically.

"I wish I could, sweetie, but Big Sis Judy is helping mommy make lunch."

"Aww," Molly lamented, lowering her head.

"Nonsense, Judy, I'll be fine," commented Bonnie, watching over the boiling pot. "You go with your sister."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. The last thing I want is for you to spend your last week here just doing chores. Have fun with the family, and see what your father is doing."

"Yay! Come on, Judy!" Before Judy could thank her mother, she was already getting dragged outside by the eager bunny to meet Molly's new friend.

Right away she was met with a surprising sight. Right on the field she could see a male fox and a small young vixen, who was running around with some of Judy's other siblings. The male fox wore a brown jacket with black jeans. Right away, Judy approached the fox to introduce herself.

"Hi there!" she said. The fox tilted his head to the sound and greeted her.

"Well, I'll be damned. If it ain't Judy Hopps in the flesh." The fox went up to her and shook her paw.

"You know my name?"

"Course I do. Every bunny here can't stop talking about you. Congrats on going to the police academy."

"You're too kind, Mr…?"

"Gideon Grey, but ye can call me Gideon. That little bundle of joy running around is my niece, Abby."

The mention of that name brought goosebumps to the bunny. She didn't know why a little fox girl's name gave her that reaction. She felt dizzy.

"You alright, Ms. Hopps?"

"Y-yeah, of course," she said, unsure of herself. Gideon's face changed as she saw something run from his forehead.

It was blood. The forehead of the fox was being covered by blood, and the fox was not reacting to it whatsoever. Judy didn't know what to say or do. She froze once again. She looked elsewhere and saw the young fox kit running towards Gideon. There was something changed about the girl as well. Her green blouse was stained red. As she got closer, she saw the bullet holes, encased deep inside of the poor kit. She didn't know what was going on. She could hear her own heartbeat on her throat.

"What's wrong, Ms. Hopps?" Gideon's voice was distorted. It was then that she noticed the sky, dark red and filled with gloom, with many smoke trails from the airplanes passing by.

"What the hell's-" BOOOM. A loud sound was heard behind her, as the sky magically turned black. Gideon and the girl were not there anymore, but she could see an orange hue casting a shadow in front of her. She turned back, and saw the farmhouse completely on fire.

"Jude!" her father called from behind her. "Get in the car, we have to go!" It was clear he was crying. Her mother was already in the car, her paws covering her eyes. She was wailing. She didn't see any of her brothers and sisters around anymore. Where were they? They couldn't all have been inside the house, right? That's when she saw the other bodies.

It wasn't just her house, but the entire land could be seen shrouded in smoke and fire for miles and miles. Craters the size of cars filled the landmass. The question wasn't about where the bodies were, but where the bodies weren't. Anywhere Judy looked, she could see the charred remains of her brothers and sisters. She kneeled in despair, unmoving. She had just been talking to Molly, how could she be dead now?

"Judy! HELP ME!" She heard a scream coming from inside the burning house. It was impossible. There was no way someone was still alive there. She recognized it as the same sound she had heard this morning.

"Nick?" she said, confusing herself. Where did she know that name? She didn't know anyone named Nick. Yet it came out of her so naturally.

"Judy, please! Help!" The voice kept crying out, trying to get her inside the house.

She looked back at her parents, rushing her to please get in the truck with them. The voice kept reaching out to her, and she couldn't just run away without at least trying to save them. She went the opposite direction of her parents towards the burning house.

"Help meeee!" he kept screaming. She knew she was getting closer and closer, but she could not find him anywhere. All she could see were ashy remains of most of her siblings. Try as she might, she couldn't see him. Still crying from the shock of this event, she turned around once again, going for the door to the outside.

When she reached it, the door was closed. She tried to open it, but the knob was too hot, almost melting due to the heat.

"Save me," she heard a whisper behind her. Looking back, she saw a most concerning image. It was the grotesque shape of a fox, with his right ear gone and his right eye hanging from its socket. He was also completely burned, his skin only muscle and bones. Screaming didn't seem to be part of her vocal language today, as she could only look to it in disgust and sadness. It didn't take long for her to see it with pain as well.

The entity touched her face, which began burning her. She felt like she was melting on the floor, but no blood was coming out. She was melting like wax, stuck to the ground like a candlestick. The fox still screamed for her help, but she could not move. With the immense heat, she was now reduced to just a head. Her mouth was about to melt as well, but she couldn't give up. She had to save him. With all of the strength she could muster, she managed to scream.

…

"Nick!" Judy woke up with a cold sweat. The room was dark and empty, the only lights being the moon reflected on the window, as well as the night light and alarm clock that said it was three in the morning. She had been having these nightmares for the past few days. No matter how much she tried, she could not escape the terrible memory of Nick's face moments before he died.

Both her and Clementine had been found by Skye. "I'm sorry," Skye had said, waking both her and Judy up. One of those bastards had kicked both Clem and her in the face, leaving them both unconscious and with no way of knowing where they went. She still couldn't believe he was gone. She had the misfortune of seeing his lifeless face, mentally damaging her even more.

Vicky had asked her to move into her house for a while, but she refused. She had to be reminded of Nick. Just because he was dead didn't mean she stopped being his wife. The blanket brought her comfort. It was a huge gray blanket that covered their entire bed. Nick took most of it, being a taller mammal, but now it was all hers.

She moved the blanket towards her still-healing nose and sniffed it soundly, Nick's scent still plastered on it. She didn't think she would ever wash that blanket, as disgusting as that sounded. She needed to be reminded that Nick had once been there with her. She wouldn't allow herself to forget.

"Oh, Nick," she whispered to herself, a few tears escaping her wet eyes. Gideon had survived, with only minor injuries on his forehead. When he woke up and realized his brother had died, he was just as shocked and saddened as Judy and Clem. He didn't talk to them for a few days. Vicky said it hurt him too much, and Judy understood.

Clementine wasn't taking it well either, and Judy felt like a failure of a mother for being there, shut in her own home, while she could be comforting her. They could be comforting each other. Judy had asked Clementine if she wanted to come to her house to sleep, but she refused, saying she'd be okay alone. Judy didn't feel like arguing. She knew if they didn't have a heart to heart about what happened it would be worse for them in the long run, but she needed time. All three of them needed time to process this. She got up from her bed, and went straight to the bathroom, emptying her stomach on the toilet. Those dreams took a toll on her, not just mentally.

Why did she do it? She couldn't help thinking. Abby's choice of murder had been outright hateful and deranged. She knew Nick wasn't a saint and probably killed people in more horrible ways, but she had spent five years knowing his softer side. The side of him that had a joke for every situation. The side of him that loved and protected her and Clementine. His gentler side when they were alone. In other circumstances, she wouldn't have needed to go on a life-altering journey across the country with him for her to fall in love. With him, it was easy, and with easy love came harder grieving.

She inspected herself in the mirror, throwing some water on herself and drinking a bit of it with her paws. Judy didn't hate many people in her life. She hated the people that took the lives of her many brothers and sisters. She hated the Nighthowlers for destroying the world as she knew it, ruining her chances of accomplishing her dream, and now she hated Abby for ruining her life even more. But as she looked intensely at the mirror, she found the right person to hate. She was incapable of saving anyone. She was pathetic. Why did she even want to have her own child? She'd probably mess that up too and get them killed somehow. Despair filled her soul once again as the hateful thoughts got louder and louder. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep without the help of medication, so she took some sleeping pills, just enough to avoid overdosing.

Downstairs, she took a bottle of apple cider, filling herself a fox-sized glass. She gulped it all in one go and went back upstairs, falling instantly in a deep sleep.

Somehow, the nightmares still found their way inside.

Clementine sat at the edge of the bed, with a face that spelled hopelessness. The room was completely dark save for the blue hue of the night.

It had been about a week since the incident. She had lost her entire appetite and could care less about her own hygiene. Most of the week was spent in bed, pleading to Gideon that they should go hunt the ones who killed Nick. Gideon always dismissed her, telling him that he's gonna have to talk to Vicky about it. Clementine also wasn't sure about how Judy might take it. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to do that at all. Either way, she was afraid about asking her, which is the main reason why she refused her comfort.

The other reason was her overall scent. Having spent five years together, Judy now pretty much smelled like Nick, something the vixen didn't want on her nostrils for the time being. It hurts too much, thinking that the person you're smelling is alive and well, only to realize that isn't the case. While Gideon also had Nick's scent, it was much fainter.

She had also not been seeing Skye lately. The girl had only come to check on her once to tell her that she deserved some space and that she wouldn't be coming around for a few days.

"If you really feel like seeing me, just come to my house, okay?" Those were her last words. She craved for Skye, but she knew that she needed to get herself in check before seeing her again. She doesn't want to hurt Skye or rely on her too much. She had to get through this herself. It's how she's handled everything in her life. She still has Skye and Judy to protect, and there's no way she would fail to do so.

A loud knock was heard on her door, startling the vixen from her trance. Getting up from the bed, she turned on the lamp by her desk and approached the door to open it. It was Guideon, holding a container with food in it. He gave a little wave.

"Hey," he greeted drily, the cut on his forehead already healing.

"Hey," She greeted him the same way. An awkward silence filled both of them. He motioned towards the sofa in her room.

"Can I sit down, please?" Gideon said. Clementine nodded, moving out of the way for him to go in. He sat down slowly, with Clementine joining him at his side. He put the container on the table by the sofa.

"Vicky wants to make sure you're eating," he said.

"She can't stop us," she said, an angry expression on her face. Gideon sighed, nodding at Clem's resolve.

"They have the guys that we would need to do this smart," he reasoned. "We'd be leaving Bunnyburrow vulnerable."

He made sense. Clementine knew that. She couldn't refute that statement, and that's what hurt her. She looked at him with a disappointed expression. He looked the other way, uncomfortable of her piercing sight.

"So they just get to get away with this?" she said. Gideon scoffs.

"Nobody wants that."

"Yeah but that's what's happening."

Gideon sits down more uncomfortably, thinking of what to say to her.

"What if we get hit by hunters again?" Gideon asked.

"Is this you talking or is this her?" she said, referring to Vicky.

"It's a valid point, Clem!"

"If it had been you, me, or Judy, Nick would be halfway to Seaotter already." This time, Gideon shook his head, not believing her statement.

"No way he wouldn't."

"He absolutely fucking would!" she exclaimed in frustration. Gideon became more agitated, tears threatening to leak out.

"We don't even know if they're from Seaotter at all!"

"Washington Liberation Front, that's what you said was on those patches!"

"W-what if they stole those jackets? What if they WLF moved? There are many factors here we don't know for certain, Clem!"

"Just what the hell are you doing?" she asked him, now away from the sofa and facing Gideon. He was silent. Clem shook her head in disappointment. "You know what? I'm leaving tomorrow…and if you wanna come with me, great."

"You have no idea what you're walking into," Gideon said, still sitting on the couch. "You don't know how big their group is, you don't know how armed-"

"I don't care," she said, her arms crossed. Her mind was made up. "You can't talk me out of this."

"You're damn right about that," Gideon said, standing up from the couch, facing Clementine. "But I know someone who definitely can."

"I will not let Judy change my mind either. Besides, she's probably more hurt than I am…" she said, her eyes instinctively looking down. "If I asked her to come with me, she wouldn't say no. You know that."

Gideon couldn't retort her words any longer. He stood motionlessly, thinking. He couldn't let her do something reckless like that. What if she didn't actually tell Judy and just went off on her own? Judy would never let him hear the end of it.

"Just gimme a day, alright?" Gideon decided to say. "To talk to Vicky. There's gotta be some folks she can spare." Clementine looked at him worriedly.

"And if she won't budge?" she asked.

"Well…I'll figure something out. I'm just asking for one day," he got closer to her, with a pleading look. "Please."

Clementine looked downward, her ears and overall facial structure falling down. Her walls were bursting.

"Fine," she said defeatedly. Gideon, with a shaky breath, nodded at her gratefully. He broke the space between them and brought her in for a hug. One which Clementine accepted without any qualms. It was something they both needed. They were hurting, afraid, and useless. They both knew that's how they felt. Clem began wetting Gideon's jacket with her tears.

Slowly and with a bit of force, he pulled out of the hug, patting her shoulder in comfort and turning towards the front door, leaving the house. Clem caught a glance at him and saw him crying as well. There she was again, alone and afraid, with nothing else to do but stay and wait for Gideon to talk to Vicky. She was itching to go already, but he had a point. She knew nothing about the group, and going on that trip alone would be near suicidal.

She sighed, going towards the lamp by her desk to shut it down, shrouding her room and heart in darkness once more.

…

Nick's body lay at rest beside the Hoppses.

There were about four gravestones now that belonged to family members of the Hopps family in the graveyard. One of them, the biggest one, was an honorary gravestone that honored the lives lost of all the bunnies at the beginning of the pandemic. The epitaph stated: Gone, but not forgotten. May we join you one day as stars in the night sky. It was a beautiful memorial to have in Bunnyburrow, one that many mammals visited from time to time and gave flowers to. The blueberry seed she had on her hand was not for such a memorial today, however.

His epitaph read:

BROTHER

FATHER

SLICK

The last line was probably Judy's doing, and something that Nick would definitely approve if he was here. His sense of humor was always brightening their darkest days. She chuckled, relishing in the fact he was making her laugh, even as he lay two feet underground. A bundle of roses, lilies and carnations already resided at the foot of the grave, as well as more lilies on the sides of the grave, which probably came from other sympathizers.

Kneeling on the ground, Clementine was careful not to dig too far underground as she located the blueberry seed and covered it once again. Even if it didn't grow, Nick would probably be very happy to have some blueberries close to him. While quietly sobbing, Clementine buried both her paws in the dirt, only to instantly get them out as she slowly watched the dirt drip from them. She caressed the side of the grave and got back up, looking at it one last time before she went on her journey. She gave a big sigh and turned around to leave, hoping Nick was resting in the sky as an honorary rabbit.

Skye was waiting patiently at the entrance. In the end, it was her that decided she had to come see Clementine. When she appeared at her front door, Clementine didn't say anything. Not even a surprised expression about Skye being there. She just grabbed her paw and kissed her, hugging Skye's neck in the process. That morning was spent with Skye comforting her, letting her dry out all of her tears, or at least some of them.

"I'm gonna stop by his house before we leave," she said. "There's some stuff I need to get."

Skye nodded, accompanying her towards Nick and Judy's house. The walk towards it was peaceful, the sun showing itself quite proudly as the leaves of spring began to appear, the snow already receding from the trees. Clementine wasn't sure about going to the house, but she needed to confront it at some point, even if it would drown her with memories.

"I couldn't get the ostriches," Skye began saying. "Looks like Gideon took one. Now Vicky's got the stables locked down."

"Ugh, fucking Gideon…" she muttered. "We'll figure something else out on the way. A car or another ostrich or something."

"Okay."

There was silence once again, as Skye walked Clementine towards the house. She knew the way, but she was hanging back, taking a slower stroll to it.

"This makes getting to Seaotter a lot harder," she said. Skye looked at her sadly but with determination.

"Then it'll be harder," Skye said.

"You can still change your mind, you know?" She said, walking more weakly as they got closer to the house.

"I know."

"Just don't wanna make you feel like you have to-"

"Clem," Skye turned towards her and put one of her paws on her right shoulder, with the other paw on Clementine's left cheek, caressing her muzzle. "If you go, I go. You're not making me do anything. Understood?"

To this, Clem smiled and nodded, happy that his lover agreed to come with her. With better confidence, they kept walking.

"Do you need to get your backpack?" The red vixen asked.

"No. I hid it by the east gates. Figured that's where we'd want to slip out. Are you sure you wanna leave Judy in the dark on this? She's your mom and she has a reason to do this as well."

"I don't want to ask this of her. It already felt like a lot asking you to come."

"She's gonna want to come, Clem. When she finds out we left she'll just chase after us and it might be more dangerous for her in the long run. Just think about it, alright?"

She hated it, but Skye was completely right. Judy was reckless, and she wouldn't have any hesitation in following her. Clementine didn't want anyone that she cared for to be in any more danger, but if she wanted to do this, she knew Judy would want to share that danger. She didn't want to back down, but she also didn't want anyone else hurt. It was a terrible conundrum on her mind that seemed to have no right answer. She would figure it out on the way. For now, she had to focus on visiting the house.

Their house was way bigger than Clementine's for obvious reasons. Instead of being just a remodeled shed, theirs was a two-story house, courtesy of Gideon. On the porch of the house stood many more bouquets filled with all kinds of flowers. Clementine could count at least a hundred. It filled her heart with warmth that most of the people in Bunnyburrow had ended up respecting and even caring for the fox.

Clementine opened the small white fence and ventured to the front of the door.

"I'll wait here," said Skye, standing outside of the porch. "Figures you two might need some space."

Clementine nodded, and with trembling paws she gave two soft knocks on the wooden door. It didn't take long for her to hear an unlocking sound to the other side and a whine from the door as it opened. There she saw Judy. It had been about a week since they'd seen each other. She was wearing a black blouse, a jacket, and some dark jeans, still in a state of grieving. Her fur was unkempt and disheveled, as well as bags like mountains under her eyes.

"Hey, Clem." Judy said awkwardly. Clementine did not know what to really say. From Judy's eyes, it was clear she had been crying for a while. She couldn't handle it and just launched herself to the bunny, giving her a very tight hug. Judy accepted it instantly, burying herself in the folds of her neck, releasing more liquid from her lacrimal glands.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to visit. I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I still felt so horrible. Letting you go through this by yourself…" Judy said.

"It's okay. It's okay," Clem said, caressing her mother's head with love. Nick might be gone, but she was glad Judy was still here with her. Not even the scent of Nick on her fur made her want to separate herself from their hug. She was so stupid for being so afraid. She missed this bunny terribly. Clem could tell Judy had missed her as well.

Reluctantly, Clem finished the hug, kneeling to Judy's level and wiping some of her tears with her paws.

"I need to get some stuff," she said, getting up and beginning her walk in the living room.

"I can go get it if you want," Judy said worriedly.

"I can do it. I'll be fine."

Judy nodded, still uneasy.

The living room was the same as Clem remembered it, the light of the sun giving it a nostalgic yellow atmosphere. The 40-inch TV they used to watch movies in was still there. In a better life, she could've been watching Wolfis and Viper 2 with Nick by her side. Judy noticed her looking at it.

"Still cannot get into his style of movies," Judy said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"He never really enjoyed your cheese 70s romcoms either, so I guess you were even," Clem said, smiling.

"I suppose you're right. He did cry once though. Guess which movie."

"He cried? I would've loved seeing that. Hmm, was it Giraffic?"

"Worse. It was in The Curious Case of Benjamin Foxton." Clem exhaled at that.

"No way, hahahaha! What a sappy fox."

"He really was the sappiest," Judy said, looking at the floor, letting the memories in. Clementine kept exploring, remembering some memories of her own.

She saw a small frame on a table by the wall. It was Nick's portrait, drawn by Clementine years ago.

"I'm a genius painter. Made him so handsome here."

"The most handsome he's ever looked, perhaps. He told me that himself."

"For a fox as narcissistic as him, that is high praise." Clementine chuckled. She was enjoying this moment with Judy. After nearly a week of pain and sadness, it felt nice to turn it into something positive and share the good moments they had with Nick. She really should've done this sooner.

The next stop was the kitchen, which didn't have much when it came to memories for Clementine. The only highlight was Nick's coffee mug that had an owl design.

"Did Nick like owls?" she asked.

"His daughter did," Judy responded. "He said she always bugged him about getting a pet owl, but he never got around to buying it. He saw that mug at an abandoned shop somewhere and just got it for himself."

"Cute mug, except for all the coffee drinking. Puagh," she stuck out her tongue to show disgust. Judy just rolled her eyes.

Clementine then realized she had not yet told Judy about being Skye's girlfriend. Everything had happened so quickly that she never had time to say anything. Now that she was here, it was the best time to let it out in the open.

"Judy, ummm…I followed your advice by the way," she began saying. "Skye and I…we're together now."

"I know. She told me."

"Wait, what?" Clem asked in surprise.

"She didn't tell you? She came to me about two days ago asking for my blessing. It was really cute."

"I'm going to kill her for not telling me that." Clem put her paws on her cheeks, blushing.

"I told her she didn't need a blessing from me. As long as you're happy with her, I'm happy."

"Thanks, Judy."

Her next stop was upstairs. The walls of the stairs were filled with different paintings, some collected by Judy and Nick, or some that were already there when the house was vacated in the outbreak. With doubts, she entered his workshop, the place where his scent prevailed the most. In the corner of the room stood two guitar covers. A guitar was currently on the table, which was being worked on by Nick. The room had a few more trinkets that he made, like statuettes of certain birds, his last unfinished piece laying on a table. She could see it was of a fox riding an ostrich, probably representing himself.

"I never pegged Nick for the artistic one, so when he suddenly started making these, I really couldn't believe it. I thought he was hustling me or something," she said.

"He always had surprises up his sleeve," said Judy. "That's one of the reasons I loved him."

Clementine silently agreed. There was definitely a lot to love about the fox.

A few more rooms later she wandered into the wardrobe. If she thought his scent was too much in his workshop, it felt poisonous now. All of Nick's jackets and tacky shirts were hung there. Her eyes gravitated towards a specific shirt. One that he used constantly, to Judy's disgust. It was his green Pawaiian shirt. She just now realized her tattoo was similar to some of the ferns painted on that shirt. She grabbed the shirt and put it close to her muzzle, smelling it. Despite saying the smell would bring her terrible sadness, right now it gave her an insurmountable amount of comfort. She felt like she was hugging Nick again. With trembling breathing, she let go of it, remembering that it wasn't actually him.

Outside of the wardrobe, she saw a small altar for Abby and Cassie, Nick's previous daughter and wife. Now it would probably become an altar for him as well. In it was a picture of the once happy fox family. To the right of that picture stood a more recent one. It was a selfie with Nick, Judy, and her. She couldn't remember what that day had been about, but it ended with that wholesome picture. Judy just watched, lamenting the grief they were both going through.

She was now finally at Nick and Judy's bedroom. The bed hadn't been made on one side, a sign that Judy had been sleeping on it not too long ago. On the other side of the bed, she caught what she was looking for. It was a small red box containing some of Nick's most priced objects. One of them was his precious watch. Broken as it was, it was Nick's memento of his deceased wife and daughter. She put it in her pocket and went for the next object, his revolver. She analyzed it side to side, admiring how it looked. Without much else to do, she strapped it with her pants on her back.

"Clem?" Judy asked behind her. "Why are you taking his gun?"

It had come to this. She had to tell her. She couldn't lie to her mother at this point.

"Judy, I-"

"Uhh, Clem? Judy?" Skye interrupted, her voice being heard downstairs. "Can you come down here?"

"You didn't tell me Skye was here," Judy accused.

"Sorry, I was planning to," she told Judy. "Everything okay?" Clem called out to Skye.

"Yeah, it's just…just come on down."

"We'll talk about this later. Let's go," Judy said harshly. Clem sighed and followed her downstairs.

What awaited them at the dining table was none other than Vicky, Gideon's wife. Skye was sitting on one of the chairs as if she had been put on time out, sitting tightly with her arms locked and resting on her thighs. Vicky was currently holding some kind of paper on her paws.

"Vicky? What's going on?" Judy asked, confused. Vicky didn't respond, just opting to unfold the paper in her hands and start reading.

"Vicky, I'm headed to Seaotter," Vicky said angrily, reading the letter word for word. Clementine got it. It was Gideon's farewell letter. "I wish I could let it go but I can't. I have to bring these people to justice. Clem is gonna try to come after me but stop her. Take her guns, lock up the ostriches. Maybe lock her up." As she said this, she lifted her head from the paper, looking straight at Clementine. Judy still didn't know what to say, so she waited until the letter was read all the way through.

"Buy me some time so I can end this. Love you always, Gideon." After finishing the letter, she looked back at Clementine with a judged expression.

"Gideon went after them?" Judy asked.

"He's gonna get himself killed!" Vicky exclaimed, giving the table a light smack.

"He should've taken me with him," Clementine said. Judy looked at her shockingly.

"You were gonna go and not tell me about it? Both of you?" She looked at Skye, which made her lower her face in shame.

"I was going to tell you, Judy, it's not Skye's fault," Clementine jumped to her defense. "And Vicky should've given us a group to go after those fuckers!"

"I wish I could."

"You gonna try to lock me up?"

"Hey!" Judy said, scolding Clem.

"I'd prefer that you stayed-"

"Not gonna fucking happen," she said, interrupting Vicky. She started again from the beginning.

"I'd prefer that you stayed but I know you better. If you want to go, at least ask your poor mother for her opinion on the matter."

The three vixens looked at Judy expectantly. She had been put on the spot. All of this was coming at her like a hurricane. She could barely process what was happening or if anything made sense. It was clear that Clementine was adamant on going after them, and it's not like Judy wouldn't be happy seeing them pay for what they did. But then there was…her other predicament. The one thing she never got to tell Clem…or Nick. She pushed that thought away and made her decision.

"Wherever you're planning to go, Clementine, there's no way I'd let you go without me. From now on, please tell me everything. We can't keep secrets from each other anymore. Got it?"

Clementine gulped at that last statement, but for her sake, she nodded in agreement. Vicky just shook her head.

"And you?" Vicky looked at Skye. "You going with her too?"

"Yeah," she said, matter-of-factly. Vicky humphed.

"So you're just gonna sneak out of here? Hmm?"

Clementine crossed her arms, and looked at her back, with the same intensity as the older vixen's.

"Yeah."

"On foot?"

"Yeah."

Vicky sighed, leaning with both her paws on the table.

"I told the stable to let you out with your ostrich. I figured Judy would also go with you, so I told them to expect her as well."

Skye leaned in, paying more attention to what Vicky was saying. She looked back at Clementine and Judy, both with a pensive look.

"Thank you, Vicky," Skye said softly.

Vicky stopped leaning at the door, now walking towards the window behind her. Her eyes welled up with tears that threatened to fall.

"Just do me one favor," she looked at Clementine. "Bring my dumbass husband back in one piece, please?"

Clementine perceived the sadness in her voice. She felt bad for how she talked about Vicky behind her back some days ago. She was a wife who was fearful for her husband's life. If it had been Gideon instead of Nick, she was sure Judy would be acting just like her.

"Of course we will."

Vicky nodded.

"Alright then. Get going, you're…" she sighs. "You're losing light." With this, she quickly leaves towards the front door, leaving the three girls in an uncomfortable silence. Clem looked back at Judy, who was giving her a defeated look.

"I'll go get dressed," she said, going upstairs to get ready.

That was it. Gideon was going after the group, and it was up to Judy, Skye, and Clementine to get him back. This would be the most important crusade of their entire lives. While she looks at Skye with wary eyes, in the very depths of her mind, she was glad she had an excuse to get to Seaotter, and to confront all of the assholes who killed her father and disrupted her peace forever. They would pay with the heaviest of punishments. She will rain them down with suffering. After she's done, there will not be even a tiny trace of them. Abby will wish for hell. Abby. Will. PAY.

The hunt officially began, as the lilies, carnations and roses happily swayed with the wind, keeping Nick company.