Crawling out of the unzipped entrance of the tent, Nick stepped outside into the cold air of the peaceful night. As the wind struck against the vulpine's fur, he looked around for where his leporine accompaniment was. The entryway to their compact tent was opened, but it was a slim possibility that she went anywhere that was too far away from their established campsite.
Passing the small section in the ground that served as their campfire (the flame had been extinguished quite some time ago), the fox found the doe laying on her back as she looked up at the sky. Judy cocked her head over as she saw Nick walk by, a smile creeping cheerfully over her muzzle.
The day had been an eventful one for the two of them, and basically everything on Judy's itinerary for their camping excursion had been happily completed. However, what was presumably going to be one of the best parts of their day of fun was yet to come. Prior to nightfall, Judy informed Nick that there would be a good chance that they would be able to see some of the upcoming meteor shower she read about online. Putting the overall outdoor conditions into consideration, it was without doubt going to be an enjoyable experience for both of them.
Nick ran back to retrieve his sleeping bag and set only a few inches away from where Judy's was on the ground. Now completely cozy, the fox brought his attention solely towards the vast number of stars scattered around the sky. After an undoubtedly fun day, this would most definitely be the way to conclude things before they both got some rest back in the tent.
Judy delicately giggled, turning her head to meet her partner's gaze. She went to start talking to him, but the sudden sound of rustling bushes reverberated on the opposite side of them. The abrupt noise caused Nick to unexpectedly jolt and make his companion wonder why he was so startled. The vulpine's ears perked up and his tail stood on end, partially anticipating something frightful to jump out at them from the corner.
"Calm down," Judy said, comfortingly placing a gentle paw on his shoulder.
The fox deeply exhaled. "Sorry, just caught me off guard. After all, deep woods in the middle of the night is basically where every horror movie takes place."
"And what would you know about surviving horror movies, Nick? You're always hiding your eyes behind my ears when things get scary, and don't try to deny that either."
"I know, but just think about it for a quick minute. We're camping, it's the dark of night and there's sounds comin' from the other side. Pretty sure that's when the mammal with the hockey mask on jumps out and scares you."
"You're being ridiculous, Slick. Even if there was some crazed mammal back there, you've got me to protect you."
"Yeah, you're right. Besides, my night vision would've spotted someone anyway."
"Not sure if that night vision's a saving grace. Even with it, you still run into stuff at night all the time."
"Good point, Carrots."
Judy laughed then grabbed her iPaw out of her coat pocket. She quickly got a glance at what time it was before turning her head over to Nick. "Alright," she said delicately, "this is right around when they said the meteor shower's gonna happen."
Nick simply nodded his head, turned his head over to his side, and piqued his attention back up at the sky. "The sky," he murmured, "it's so beautiful."
"I agree," Judy replied. "reminds me of when I was younger. Back then the nighttime sky always-"
Something zipped by within the sky, interrupting the rabbit and catching her attention. Almost in sync, they dotted their eyes to look up at the shooting star that was speeding passed them in the atmosphere.
"Make a wish, Carrots," Nick said.
Judy simply giggled and paused for a short moment. "Alright, I made a wish."
"And what was that?"
The doe shook her head at her companion's eager question. "You know you're not supposed to say what you wished for, 'cause then it won't come true."
"You can't?"
"Yeah, that's shooting star physics."
"Well, that's something I didn't know until now."
Judy simply laughed and stretched her neck for a quick moment. "You know," she continued, "that reminds me of another time I made a wish. One that gave me a lot more than I bargained for." She paused a short moment. "You don't mind if I tell you about that, do you?"
"Go right ahead, Fluff,"
"Okay," she began, "I was around nine years old, and I was walking back home when it happened."
Nick listened attentively, and Judy proceeded to tell him the tale that made her reminisce about a happy yet considerably pivotal moment of her childhood…
Judy found herself looking up at the nighttime sky. The sun had set over the Hopps family farm a few moments ago, and the young bunny was making her trek back home. As she casually strolled along the acreage of crops they were growing, she found her pace gradually slowing down.
Her attention peaked upward, becoming fully focused upon the stars that lit up the sky like miniature diamonds. As she continued to gaze at the luminous sky, Judy's eyes lit up and her mouth opened in awe. The stars were always pretty to see, but that night seemed different. Whether it was all in her head or not, the sky just seemed to be a lot brighter than it normally was.
She studied the firmament above her, finally placing her attention upon a scintillating star that was right in the middle of the sky. As she continued to gaze up at it, she placed the thought of the wish inside of her head. Deep in her heart, Judy knew that she wanted to eventually grow up and make the world a better place.
Despite how distant the goal seemed, and whatever the bullying Gideon Gray had to say, she knew on the inside that anything was possible. Focusing harder and harder on that ambition, she closed her eyes and brought herself to silently mouthing it out loud.
"I wish to make the world a better place..."
Opening her eyes once again, she progressed onward to make her way back home before it got any later. As she got closer and closer towards home, it seemed as if that specific star was starting to glow a little bit brighter than it just was. Even it was just her overactive imagination, it felt like it was saying that it heard her wish and that it would eventually be granted.
"Sure, I know it was the dedication that got me where I am. But I think a little bit of it had to do with wishing on that star. After all, I never would've expected a partner like you to come so naturally."
Nick gently clapped his round of applause. "That was a wonderful story, Carrots," he said.
"Glad you think so," she replied. "After all, true stories are the best stories."
Nick smirked at the wisdom of his bunny. "Well, aren't you the philosopher, Fluff?"
After the witty remark, the two of them stayed silent for quite some time. Paws intertwined, the fox and rabbit both continued to merrily look up at the beautiful stars. The specks of light illuminated the darkness, and every now and then one or two shooting stars could be spotted. Occasionally the cold breeze would sway around them, the small finishing touch to the almost picturesque nature scene that the two of them currently occupied.
For Nick, it was quite obvious that camping and had its ups and downs. But despite the disadvantages of seemingly treacherous hiking trails and out-of-control mosquitos, the fox came to the conclusion that being out in nature like they currently were was not as terrible as he originally thought. And it was moments like these that truly proved that; he could literally spend a lifetime just gazing up at the stars with his bunny by his side.
A smile started to take form upon his muzzle, seeming as if it were unbreakable at this point in time. You know, he mentally observed to himself, maybe the whole camping thing is not so bad after all.
Author's Note: Hey there! First off, want to give a quick "thank you" to everyone who's been giving my stories a read. Glad to know some of y'all are enjoying these silly little stories of mine! :)
Anyhow, this story is actually a slight continuation of my previous story, which also involved Nick and Judy on a little camping expedition. So I came up with the idea here that could possibly have connection and thought I'd just write it out.
This was also to test how well I could do dialogue back and forth (which happens to be something I still need to practice in my writing abilities), so let me know if I did a fair job at that. Your feedback, good and bad, is gladly appreciated.
'Til next time! :)