Judy woke up, feeling a slight weight on her stomach. She lifted her head and checked what it was, only to see the head of a fox, lying calmly, oscillating as she breathed. It was soothing to her, relaxing one could say as well. "I was terrible, and I'm sorry, I'm just struggling, a lot right now. Thank you for sticking by me Nick, it means the world to me." She rubbed the tip of the head delicately, wishing not to wake up the fox, but that was when she heard a large rush from beyond the door. "Oh no." She whispered, knowing what lied beyond that glorified wooden panel with a handle. Nick heard that and instantly shifted his head to look at the door. He was about to growl but quickly stopped when Judy grabbed his head and made him look at her. "I promise you, it is safe here. No-one here wants to hurt you. I promise." Nick softened his facial features, looking less aggressive and much more approachable, ignoring the whole savage aspect. Then Judy said one more thing, "Oh and could you please get off me? It would be great if I could get up from the bed." Nick instantly jumped back, landing between the wall and the foot of the bed. Judy chuckled at that, then struggled to bring herself up onto her feet. She seemingly limped to the door, even though she had no injury on her legs.
She straightened her posture, taking a single breath then opened the door. There she saw a group of little kits all excited to see their big sister, or was it aunt, it depended on the rabbit. "Hey guys, what's up?" She asked as nicely as she could muster up, fearing what would happen if they saw the fox that was behind her. Nick slowly crept towards the door, curious of who was standing there. He peaked from behind Judy and that was when they made eye contact. Judy quickly noticed this and panicked. "Hehe, this is my friend from the ZPD, his name is Nick and he doesn't like being pestered, so be careful or he will eat you." She commented playfully, causing all the little rabbits to scatter. She then quickly turned to him with a stern look. "Don't do that." She whispered aggressively. Once they all left, she noticed that the fox was cowering away in the corner. "Riiighht, foxes are solitary mammals, this will be fun to try figure out." She groaned quietly, thinking of how the next few days will look. She scratched Nick under his chin, "I promise it will be fine. No-one will hurt you."
"HEY, BREAKFAST. KITS, COME EAT." Bonnie yelled out, into this particular corridor. Then a stampede emerged of little rabbits, charging and racing to get their portion of food first. Nick saw this and panicked a little, clearly fearing going the same way they did.
Judy then sighed. That was when she thought of a temporary solution. "If he's a solitary mammal, let him be solitary. Judy, you're a genius." She then chuckled. "Not really, but Nick, you will have to learn to live with the rest of the rabbits." She then thought about it for a few seconds. "And they'll have to adjust to living with you for a while." She started to worry about how that would end up looking. Nick noticed this and then curled around the worried bunny. Judy just hugged the fox in return and then the two waited in her room.
Thirty minutes later, Mrs. Hopps walked into the room, scaring Judy and startling the fox, causing him to coil into a defensive position. "Young lady, breakfast has been ready for half an hour at this point and you are still here, get going before it's all gone."
"Right, I would but about that." She then nodded towards Nick.
"They can adjust."
"But he can't. He's a fox, not a bunny, he's not used to large groups like that."
"He's from the city though. He's been in large crowds."
"Mum, foxes are solitary mammals, they like to be alone and have very few mammals around them."
"Oh, I-I didn't think about that. We'll have to figure something out."
"I was thinking, what if he ate outside, you don't let the kits eat outside and it would let him also stretch his legs while he's out there." Judy suggested proudly.
"And if he runs off, again?"
"I don't think he will this time." Judy retorted, partially avoiding the question. "But, if he wanted to, he would at any moment, considering he did when he was inside, right next to us. And being next to a lot of loud kits would probably agitate him, looking at how he was worried when he saw all of them crowd the door."
"That was just negligence on our part, not that he could do it again." The elder doe tried to defend herself, hoping she wouldn't be called out on it. "I'll bring a few things to let him eat outside then. What do you think he could eat?"
"He can eat plant based food, just he will need some protein at some point." Judy pointed out, suggesting that he could eat the same thing that they ate for breakfast. "I don't know how we would get some protein though, I mean I do, just not here, you don't know how many weird looks I got when buying insect or chicken meat." Judy then chuckled.
"Don't worry about that, I have an idea of how to find out." Mrs. Hopps answers. She then started humming to herself and left the room.
Judy looked at the resting fox, and couldn't help but release a content sigh at the vulpine. "Well, no time like the present." She commented to herself. "Hey, Nick, we gotta get going, there's food to eat." Nick opened his eyes slowly then picked himself up carefully, as to not hurt the rabbit he encircled. "So, Nick, you know that we will have to introduce you to all the kits at least, right?"
The fox instantly flinched, his entire body went stiff. He nearly recoiled in fear when he heard that sentence be stated from Judy's mouth. Judy noticed this and sighed, she knew this wasn't gonna be an easy task. "Nick, they're all my brothers and sisters, they'll be nice to you, at least the small ones will be, I don't know about the bigger ones though, so don't ask me about them." She raised her paws by her head defensive, as if she was about to be arrested. "But, it shouldn't be too bad."
The two left and that was when she saw the one rabbit she was worried about. Shawn. She wanted to see anyone but Shawn first. Right outside her bedroom as well? This really wasn't good. She feigned a light smile. "Hey Shawn, how are ya?"
The white rabbit with black spots dotted around his body looked at the fox beside Judy with disgust. "What is that?" Judy looked stunned when she heard that. She wanted to act, but there was a part of her that kept her back. "Judith, can you tell me what that fox is doing here?" He clicked his fingers in front of her face, waking her up from the daydream. "Hello? Dispatch to officer Hopps? I thought that would've worked."
Judy quickly lost her smile and started shaking her head. "This is Nick, he would prefer to be called that, and well, he staying here with us for a while."
"You vouch for a predator? Especially one that is off the same species that clawed your cheek? Didn't you learn that they can't be trusted? What makes you think he's different?" Shawn started to shout. Nick reacted to comment, he clearly knew what that meant. The tension was rising between the two, and it was beginning to be palpable. Nick felt the tension so much that he started to growl and then bark, trying to scare the rabbit away, but he didn't move from where he was standing. "Primitive, can't even talk normally."
"How dare you, he took a nighthowler pellet and is now struggling and you can't think of ways to help the situation only worsen them? You can't even be helpful, can you?"
That was when Bonnie returned, causing Nick to sit down, trying to seem more friendly. "Seems the pelt has some understanding of what is happening here. Good boy." Shawn mocked, showing his disdain for the poor fox.
"What is going on here? We can all hear you shouting in the atrium."
"Mother, she brought a fox into the burrow, and it's not even capable of speech. If what she says is true, then that is a savage beast, we can't let it in here, we have to kick-"
"Enough Shawn, that is not how we treat our guests, even if what you say is true. He is safe for us, and we shall treat him with at least the respect he deserves."
"Which is none." Judy started to be fuming when she heard that comment.
Before she could respond, the elder rabbit looked at her son disapprovingly. "I think you would like to change your stance on this situation very quickly, young mammal. Otherwise, so help me lord, you will be in a worse state than he is."
The buck started to chuckle nervously and then leave, trying to avoid the situation entirely. "Hehe, I'm sorry, I'll treat him nicely." He then fled the scene, not wanting to worsen the situation that was unfolding.
"Good." She then turned to Judy, "I was going to come here anyway to say that the place in the garden is set."
"Thanks mum." Judy responded gratefully. "I don't know what I would do without you."
Bonnie then looked at the fox. "He won't bite will he? Since you know, you said that..."
"Not unless he feels threatened. We need to ease him into the whole bunny lifestyle, since it could be threatening to a mammal like him. Please be careful with the kits."
"I could say the same to you dear. Keep him in your sights and don't let him out of them for a second."
"I completely understand, and will make sure he is constantly under my supervision." Judy answered confidently, falling back on all the police cases she accepted.
"Good, good." With that, Mrs. Hopps left, leaving the vulpine and Judy alone.
Judy sighed with relief. "At least she is considerate enough." Nick quietly growled. "You must be hungry. Well, let's go eat, coz I'm hungry too." She smiled radiantly and motioned her paw towards the exit gently
The two walked outside, sneaking past the horde of little kits eating breakfast. "Now, don't run off, since, well, that will be difficult to explain and, no offence Nick but, I don't fully trust you on your own in public yet." Nick whimpered quietly. "I'm sorry but I can't let you leave." She then rubbed the vulpine's ears. "Not on your own at least." She then smiled mischievously. Nick turned his head curiously. "First, food." Judy brought Nick to a bench, where they saw there was some food for the two of them. There were waffles, pancakes, eggs, cereal and other miscellaneous food items that would appease the taste buds of the two mammals present. Judy saw this and sat down on a chair to start eating the food. She collected a selection of food and ate it slowly, savouring every bite.
Nick on the other paw, grabbed a bunch of food in his mouth and ate it quickly, showing that he was starving. His motions were manic and rapid but also contained and clean. None of his food was wasted and all entered his stomach. He was satisfied with the meal he has received.
The two sat quietly and let the tranquil area calm them. They may not have been overjoyed but they were atleast content with where they were now. That was when Judy started to think back, she thought upon all the events that led them here. The fact that she didn't follow Nick then. She thought back to it, feeling that she could've prevented the terrible sight that she saw before her. It pained her deeply to see what her friend has become and that the cure had no effect on him. "It's all my fault, isn't it?" She started to tear up, the more she looked at him, the more she started to cry. She tried to hold it in but let it all out eventually, sobbing quietly into her arm. Nick turned to look at the weeping doe.
His muzzle quickly crumbled and crimpled. It hurt him to see Judy hurt like that. He trotted over to her and rubbed his cheek against her. He hated this feeling of powerlessness. He wanted her to feel better but didn't know how to help, atleast not in this state. He gently rubbed against her cheek sorrowfully and morosely. Judy felt his emotion. Because of that, she forced a chuckle and cracked a smile. She then tightly hugged the fox and refused to let go, releasing all her emotions into the environment.
"Hey, there's nothing to be upset about, it's my fault after all." Judy croaked, feeling as if she was guilty for every event that has happened so far. "I should've stuck with you that day." She whimpered. She tried to keep herself entirely together. I'm so sorry Nick." She started to shake. "I could've saved you from this, I really could've but, but," That was when Nick threw his paw out and clumsily covered Judy's mouth. She was stunned when she saw this. She grabbed the paw and stared at it intently. "You... you covered my mouth with your paw?" She looked in shock and awe. She chuckled and shook her head, "Even like this, you don't want to hear me rambling."
After a few minutes of Judy quietening down and the two finishing their breakfast, Judy started to tidy up the bench. She piled up all the plates and then put all the cutlery on top of the stack of plates. She was satisfied from the meal she had, and the vulpine was definitely pleased by the feast. She turned to look back at the front door and groaned. She saw two rabbits heading outside, one was a black buck with grey fur on certain spots and the other was a grey doe with black spots littered around her body. "Hey, Sam and Sam, the fact that you two still stick together is funny and annoying. What're you two doing here?"
"We take care of the kits when they're outside." Samantha answered.
"And they're coming out now." Samuel added.
"That's what I was worried about. Can one of you help with the dishes? We ate outside for his sake."
Samantha opened her eyes. "His?" She asked in a very specific way, suggesting something.
Samuel turned to the doe. "Sam, have you looked at 'him'? Also do you have to do this every time? You're like a mother in that sense, I swear."
"Oh, come on, you don't know, don't be such a downer Sam."
That was when Judy realised what was being discussed. "Wait, me and him? No, no way." She stumbled over her words and barely blurted out.
Samuel turned to Judy. "You know, you may be right this time."
"Shoot." Judy responded, annoyed at her siblings reaction.
"Anyways sis, I'll help you with the dishes, and you can tell me all about him." Samantha smiled sweetly.
"Sis, you won't get anything I don't want you to know out of me."
"Aww, that's a shame." She retorted with mock disappointment. She then giggled lightly as Judy started to blush. Samuel just sighed heavily as he saw the events unfold. "Come on Judy, lets just get them back."
"Yeah, you're right." Judy smirked then grabbed a pile of plates. Sam followed and grabbed the other pile.
"Hey, wait, what am I supposed to do with him?" Samuel asked almost entirely worried. He stared at the fox that was sitting on the ground. The two does stared at the buck and shrugged before going inside. He groaned and headed towards the gates to make sure they were closed, hoping the kits didn't run out yet.
He returned back to the bench, which was near the large entrance/exit. It depended on how you looked at it. There the fox sat, staring at the rabbit, licking its teeth, squinting its eyes menacingly. "Hey, I'm a friend, not food." Sam croaked out worryingly. Samuel walked away, and Nick followed the rabbit with his eyes. "Seriously, please stop, I'm scared now." He started to feel a little paranoid and kept looking over his shoulder routinely and cautiously.
All of a sudden, Nick sprung to life and jumped towards Samuel, stopping right before him and smelling the rabbit's body. Samuel fell to the ground in a panic, losing his balance entirely. He threw his arms in front of his face, trying to attempt to block whatever the large vulpine would do to him.
Nick gently looked over the body then lightly bit the rabbit in the arm, gripping him hard enough to be able to move him, and lifted him up. That was when a light smile presented itself on Nick's face. "Y-you, you were messing with me?!" He yelled and asked in a state of anger and confusion. Nick recoiled from the outburst and took a defensive stance, once again scaring the rabbit that was left to 'supervise' him. "Please don't hurt me." He whimpered out weakly, praying that that little plea would work.
That was when Nick noticed he had the power and control. He slowly walked towards the rabbit, keeping an aggressive stance. That was when he noticed something else, he was hungry, craving for meat. He pounced, landing on the rabbit, licking his lips. Samuel panicked, he didn't know what to do in this situation. He looked around, hoping to see something that could help him fight off this beast. His eyes searched wildly and head spun crazily. Nothing, not a single thing was present to aid him in his time of need. "HELP!" He screamed out as loud as he could. No-one heard his cries for help, and no-one came to investigate. He decided to kick as hard as he could, pushing the fox away a little bit and buying Sam a little bit of time.
Nick growled a bit then launched himself again, extending his claws. "NICK!" was then called out from behind him. He quickly moved his paws away from the rabbit's face and landed safely on top of him, without touching the poor bunny. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The fox stepped away and seated himself on the ground, showing a morose face. He acted regretful but he wasn't truly regretful. Deeply, he was still craving some form of meat but had to quell the urge. He looked at the mammal that yelled at him, who he recognised as Judy, with eyes filled with sorrow. "No, I told you you can't eat anyone." She declared aggressively. She ignored the eyes and made sure that Nick knew he was in the wrong. "Don't look at me with those eyes. You can't just eat other mammals like that." He whimpered gently then reluctantly walked back to the rabbit he nearly ate and licked his cheek. She then smiled. She turned to Samuel, "That's his apology."
"HE HE NEARLY ATE ME!"
"I was hoping he wouldn't." Judy retorted meekly, ashamed of what just happened. "Besides, I came back to save you soon enough, right?" She then smiled. "Some would say 'In the Nick of time.'" Sam just looked unamused by that joke that she just made. She then quickly broke down and quietly explained herself, trying to hold back the tears. "Sorry, it's just that he would probably say something like that." She walked over to the fox and hugged him tightly. That was when she let her tears out. "He wasn't like this before." She cried between sentences. "He was so annoying but in a good way." She looked at Nick once. "I want him back." She sobbed a bit more and gasped for air. "Back to what he was before." She calmed down a bit. "Before he was this." She stood back up and dried her eyes.
"Who was he?" Samuel asked genuinely curious about his past.
"He's an ex-con and now a police officer. He's my partner in the force. I didn't help him when he was checking something out." She then pointed at the fox. "This was the result." She weakly smiled. The smile quickly fractured and turned into her weeping again. "It's my fault. All of it is my fault!"
Sam felt bad, not only for his sister but also for the fox that nearly ate him. "He seems dormant now. I'd love to see him when he is 'sober'."
Judy chuckled at that. "I don't think you will."
"If you like him, I don't see why I can't." Sam quickly retorted.
"I grew to like him. I hated him at first."
Just then Samantha walked out of the house. "You snuggled your emotional support fox enough?" Samuel's eyes shot wide open.
Judy looked at Samuel for a split second. "He isn't the only one with a drug issue turns out." She smiled innocently while also starting to sweat bullets. Samuel raised a brow. "I was kitnapped and forced a unique mix that was referred to as 'UberDread' or something like that."
Samuel sighed. "So you have a neurological chemical shifting your emotional stability and causing paranoia and existential dread, fear and anxiety?" Samantha looked at him for a couple seconds in shock about what was just said. Her jaw opened up wide as she didn't know her brother knew about such topics.
Before he could be questioned, the horde was released. "Uh oh." Judy quickly blurted out worried about what this could entail. They didn't have enough time to hide Nick, or atleast close him indoors to ensure he wouldn't panic. Before she could even react, everyone surrounded the two, pushing past both Sams that were there.
"Who's this?"
"Why is his tail so bushy?"
"Is that a fox?"
Judy grabbed her ears then used them to cover her eyes as she tried to hide from the crowd that has gathered. They kits proceeded to get closer out of curiosity, but were rapidly halted by the growling of the mammal in question. Every kit was now terrified but still had that morbid curiosity that pushed them closer to the fox.
That's when Samantha jumped in. "Hey, don't fret the fox, he doesn't like it. He isn't safe so don't do anything to agitate him."
Nick looked around and observed the sheer number of rabbits that surrounded him. He wasn't going to eat any of them, he couldn't after all. Instead, he found that he was scared by the sheer amount of rabbits beside him. He took a few steps back, lowering his head and cowering. "Judy, what's wrong with the fox?"
Judy turned and looked at Nick. "Oh no." She then quickly turned back to Sam, who called her. "Foxes are naturally solitary creatures, he can't handle the large number of mammals with him right now."
Samuel groaned then whistled loudly. Everyone froze and looked at him. "Everyone line up, over here."
Every kit groaned as they heard that, then reluctantly lined up in a single file.
"We all want to see the fox, right? Well, foxes use their noses to traverse through the world, like all other canids."
"Umm, Samuel, how do foxes use their nose to traverse, and what does traverse mean?"
Samuel clicked his fingers then pointed at the kit that asked the question. "Good question Katey, to traverse means to go through or go by. Foxes have a keen sense of smell and so they use it to differentiate everything in the world around them, food, danger, friend." That was when there was a cacophony of 'OOOOOh.'s from the crowd. "So, considering that, how about you all great the fox one by one, with Judy next to him." The last part of the sentence was slightly more aggressive than he wanted it to be. She just smiled shyly in response.
They all went in order of how they lined up currently. Nick meticulously smelled every kit, acquainting himself with every one of them until one little rabbit walked up, barely. She was scared of doing this, and only did it because she saw everyone else did. "Cotton, it's okay, he won't hurt you, he's a friend." Judy encouraged, trying to rationalise to herself the unhealthy addiction she had of her fox and his presence.
Cotton slowly tread towards the fox, covering her muzzle with her paws. Nick did his routine of sniffing the rabbit all over. But then the scent he found was faintly familiar. He turned to Judy in a slight confusion and smelled her once again, making sure he wasn't losing his mind. After that, he returned to taking Cotton's scent. It was almost the same to him, sure there were a few differences but otherwise they weren't too different. He proceeded to instinctively lick the face of the small bunny in front of him, scaring her away.
Judy saw all this unfold, and felt it to a certain degree, and was unsure what to gather from this. She raised her paw and sniffed it subtly. "Is there something wrong with my smell? Is there something wrong with hers?" She thought to herself. Her thoughts were quickly broken by the crying of a young kit, forcing Nick to cover his ears to protect himself from the loudish noise.
Samuel then walked over to Judy, who was currently trying to comfort Nick with her paws. "Why do you think she smells like you?"
"What?" The two looked at Cotton, cradled in the arms of Samantha, who was sitting on the ground.
"Oh come on, he sniffed you and her then treated her like that. The only logical conclusion is that you two smell similar." Sam explained briefly.
"We smell the same?"
"We can't tell, our noses are, well, nothing compared to his, now are they?"
"You're right." Judy chuckled when she realised.
Then the crying died down a bit, letting Nick calm down a bit. She noticed about half of the kits remained. That was when Samantha stepped in. "Hey, everyone, I think the kind fox has had enough, don't worry, you'll have time to greet him." Judy smiled and mouthed her gratitude. Samantha just smiled back and winked.
After an hour of near nothingness, Judy and Nick decided to take a walk around the farm. "So, what did you think of everyone you met so far?" She didn't expect a response but deep down really hoped for one. Any response would be fine. She forced a smile to try and keep herself happy. "You'll be better soon. I really hope you will be." Nick looked at her with a tear in his eye. "Why are you crying?" She tried to chuckle but it was empty and hollow, fooling no-one. "I'm tired, wanna go back to the house?" She asked, now trying to leave this situation that she has put herself in. Nick nodded slightly. Judy sat stunned, he, he responded and answered the question. She froze for a second then started to breathe a little heavier. "That, you, you understood and answered me." She looked into the eyes of the vulpine. "Nick, you're still in there." She was overcome by joy at this revelation.
A/N: And finally I can post these chapters again. I'm finishing up my exams and then I will have much more free time. Also this pc just hates me so yeah.
Otherwise, I'm still alive and still trying to write. The other story has a chapter already half written and don't fret, it won't take multiple months before it releases.
With all that being said, I bid you all farewell and have a good one.