Chapter 6

Carnival of Tears

Judy had noticed that it didn't take long for Alex to warm up to them, but he was still terrible at first impressions. In public, Alex maintained a grim expression and didn't say a word unless he was spoken to. But talk about the right subject and he would get quite talkative, as she and Nick found out.

I guess that's how they became friends so fast.

Some of the smaller prey continued to shoot her odd looks – some fellow rabbits even viewing her group with contempt or disgust. Judy had learned to ignore such gazes, as simply hanging out with Nick as friends years ago had apparently been too much for such mammals. Even after what the city went through three years ago, some mammals would never change.

So, instead of feeling angry or ashamed as she once did, she could only feel sad for such mammals. If they never got over their fear of predators, for they would never get to know mammals like Alex and Bertha. Or Nick and Mary, for that matter.

While she had the momentary urge to snuggle against Nick's side in view of the rabbits on the train, she didn't want to unnecessarily antagonise them, no matter how much she disagreed with them. Nick had also spotted said rabbits, but easily maintained his casual demeanour, having learned to ignore such gazes his whole life.

After a quick SMS confirmation, the group met Mary at Canopy station on Savannah Central's border; the closest station with a Gondola line down into the basin. The old vixen and Bertha immediately started gossiping to each other as they all squeezed into the next cabin, to the point where Nick, Judy and Alex had to keep silent for their own sanity.

After a ten-minute ride down to the bottom, the weather was pleasantly clear, with plenty of sunlight still shining down into the grassy path at the cabin exit. They immediately spotted a large colourful sign pointing them in the right direction, emphasizing various shades of blue and green with a freshwater theme.

Their path was marked with small vertical fountains shooting a gentle stream up in the air at an angle away from the path. At one point, there were enough visible rainbows that Mary stopped them for a group photo.

Over the tree canopy, they could already see a Ferris wheel, and a blue ring with a face-off train moving in a loop, seemingly powered by pressurised water in the rim.

Bertha pointed up at the ring and nudged her husband. 'Ooh! That looks fun, doesn't it dear?'

'…Meh.'

Mary snorted as she picked up the pace. 'Well I certainly don't want to be the last on that!'

Judy checked her watch. 'We've still got three hours until Water tag starts. I'm sure we'll have time for all of them if we really want.'

The path soon expanded as they saw the entrance, with two reception stalls and turnstile gates, along with green rope barriers. The queue was thankfully not too long, and they only had to wait five minutes before paying for their entrance tickets and receiving maps as well.

Nick and Alex quickly spotted the Water Tag registration table on their left, while Mary and Bertha studied the map and planned a route around the venue.

Judy, after getting a quick glimpse of the route with Mary and Bertha, joined Nick and Alex at the registration table. Nick grinned at her as she joined him, picking out a form on the left side of the long, covered table.

'Oh! Do you want to get shot up by water after all?'

Judy gave an overly prolonged shrug, earning a chuckle from Nick.

'Yeah, I can't let you boys have all the fun.'

Alex's ears flicked to her along with a quick glance. 'We'll see how fun it is to be hunted and slaughtered.'

'Jeez, old man, you'll scare the pups away,' Nick said, tipping his head to their left – where they were, indeed, several children of all kinds filling out forms with their parents' help. Thankfully, they hadn't heard them.

Judy studied the group, which was a mix of predator and prey seemingly in the first or second grade. One of them was particularly loud; a jittery squirrel who seemed to have finished faster than the rest and complaining about them being slow.

She returned her attention to her form.

Age? 25-34. She ticked a box. Species…? Rabbit. Wow, that is quite a list they included…

Her eyes widened in surprise as she continued down the questionnaire.

Preferred weapon class?! Pistol, assault rifle, shotgun… these mammals are nuts!

Nick was looking over her shoulder and smirking at her expression. 'I see you're up to the fun part of the form.'

'Since when do water guns have such classes?! I didn't think there was that much to be made in the toy industry.'

Nick raised a finger matter-of-factly. 'I guess it would depend on the demographic. The Rainforest district just can't get enough of it, since wasting water is not an issue here.'

'Huh.' Judy frowned thoughtfully as she looked over her options before she looked to her husband. 'What'd you pick?'

'Sniper rifle.'

Judy did a double take, and indeed, the option was there.

'How'd you figure? You've never used a real sniper rifle.'

The fox folded his arms in mock offense. 'I'll have you know I've used long-range tranq rifles! Besides…' Nick shot a thumb over his shoulder. 'The gun expert over there thought it was a good fit.'

The tod lowered his head so Judy could look up at Alex.

'So what did you… Hm. I guess you picked the assault rifle?'

The pale wolf nodded. 'Yes – choosing the right weapon can mean the difference between life and death.'

After a quick roll of the eyes, Judy continued. 'What do you think I should pick?'

The old wolf turned to her and studied her.

'I'll pose the same question that I did to Nicholas. Since you're a police officer, if you had to deal with a violent criminal about your size with force, how would you do it?'

'I'd get up close and knock him out, then cuff him.'

Alex nodded as if confirming his suspicion. 'Then I would say the pistol or shotgun. You're not going to be punching anyone, but both could work well for you. You'll have to pick one over the other, though.'

After handing in their own forms, Judy decided that she couldn't choose between the two unless she could actually get a feel for both. The shotgun could have been built for a mammal much larger than her, but then again, so could the pistol. The organisers agreed to her request and added an addendum to her form, ticking both boxes, and that she would try both just before the Water tag started.

The group moved on to the rides, following Mary and Bertha's route, with Alex following begrudgingly after he spotted the walled field where Water Tag would take place. After going around the smaller rides, they arrived at the large blue ring they spotted at the entrance –called the "Crescent Moon".

What surprised Judy the most was the height check. It was a large rectangular sign, but… so ridiculously messy, as if the owners had repeatedly added more and more lines for each species that they eventually gave up, and just had a maximum and minimum line. It seemed the beaver operating the ride judged each guest for himself. Waiting in line, they saw a tall giraffe had to leave as it would not be safe for him. The last mammals were a pair of adult porcupines, which the beaver directed to the second-most front seat in one car. They seemed to have the most space in the back for larger mammals while the front was tiny enough for rodents.

'Try to smooth out your spines before you sit down!' The attendant was wearing a blue hat and a waterproof outfit with a polo shirt and trousers. He blanched as he looked up at the next pair of visitors, seeing Alex scowling with irritation, along with Bertha studying the ride with child-like glee.

'Uh… Hi! Are… you two next?' His gaze lingered on Alex for a moment. 'Are you… sure you're in the right place?'

The old wolf folded his arms gruffly. 'Well… I don't think so.'

Bertha scoffed and tugged at her husband's arm. 'Come on, dear. Doesn't it look like fun?'

'Not much is that thrilling in comparison when you've nearly bled out from a stomach shot.'

Several nearby mammals stared at the wolf in shock, including the attendant.

'We did not come through the whole queue just to back out now!' Bertha insisted without batting an eye.

'And I told you I'd rather go to the shooting arena! This thing looks boring.'

'Hey! You're holding up the line!' Mary cupped her paws and called out. 'Just suck it up, you old codger.'

Alex reluctantly unfolded his arms and stepped forward. 'Urrrgh…'

After squeezing into the third seat of the next car and leaving their luggage in the temporary storage bins, it was Mary, Judy and Nick's turn. The beaver's eyes lit up as he spotted them, seemingly recognising them, but he smoothly directed them into the second seat just in front of the old wolves, with Judy in between the two foxes.

They got a pleasant light spray of the water pistons through each loop, with quite an interesting view from the top as the ride paused for a second with them upside-down. Unfortunately for Mary and Judy, the ride didn't last more than three loops, though Nick seemed shaky and relieved when it was over. However…

'Alexander, wake up this instant!'

Judy grinned as she heard loud familiar snoring when she bothered to focus, and they saw Bertha trying to physically drag the snoring wolf out of the car. The attendant did not look happy.

'Well, he wasn't kidding… I guess this really is boring for him.'

'That's still a bit crazy, don't you think?' Mary whispered. 'I think something's wrong with his brain.'

'Well, he's getting on in years,' Nick remarked smugly, before approaching the distressed attendant.

'You guys carry any water guns?' He suggested. 'That'd probably be the best way, though I doubt he'd be happy about it.'

The beaver nodded. 'I do have one, yes, but we shouldn't use it on guests… they're more for the water systems.'

Nick paused thoughtfully. 'No problem,' he said as he strode up to Bertha, tapping her on the leg and pointing at Alex's backpack in a blue cargo tub. 'Alex would've packed some sort of backup water gun, right?'

'Oh!' Bertha's ears perked up. 'Yes, in the left side pocket.'

'Can I do it?' The fox asked with an anticipatory grin.

'Alright, but keep out of reach! He can bite.'

Nick felt a momentary pang of nervousness as he found the plastic squirt bottle, but couldn't help grinning evilly as he sprayed the snoring wolf in the face, instantly leaping back as Alex woke up with an incongruent combination of growling and snorting.

'Grr...! I'll have your head!'

Nick answered through a smirk. 'Right now, the only thing you have is delicious ridicule.'

Alex blinked a few times, and seeing the impatient glares from several new guests, he frowned and hurried to join the others as they grabbed their bags.

After a couple more rides, Bertha finally relented and allowed Alex to go off and study the area where the water tournament would take place. As such, they got to experience every ride at least once. First was the Helter Skelter slide, which was modified so that the external spiral slide used water to propel participants down to the bottom, and they had to dodge random water jets on the way up. Next was a rotating Evolution disc that also functioned as a massive circular sprinkler, and the classic Ferris wheel. Third was a high striker operated under water pressure, which only Bertha was able to get anywhere with, despite Mary's earnest attempts. Finally, they stopped at the Ferris wheel before the Water tag event. Given the enclosed nature of the individual pods, the fox and rabbit took the opportunity to share a private, heated moment – leaving them somewhat breathless and flustered once they rejoined Mary and Bertha. After grabbing a few snacks and having their lunch in the public dining area, they made their way to the Water Tag arena, though not without some teasing from Mary at the pair's expense.

By the look of the wide open area, the large ringed wall that none of them could see over was very sturdy and old enough to have been built not long after the whole district had been established. As they circled around, they saw clear glass windows built into the side, and they spotted some internal stands looking over a wide field – meaning the place could have hosted other sport events in the past. The Cascade Carnival was merely the most recent occupant. They could also see other mammals gradually gathering, including several that Judy recognised from that morning.

They found Alex staring through the nearest glass opening, but stood up as they approached him.

'Uh… Alex?' Judy called out, pointing to his right. 'The entrance is that way.'

'Huh? Is it time already?'

Judy checked her watch. 'We've got ten minutes. But since I haven't chosen my gun yet, I figure it'd pay to go in early.'

Alex pouted as he glanced back at the window. 'I still feel like I'm missing something…'

Nick scoffed. 'Jeez, we're here to have fun, old man. You can't do that always wondering if you could've done better; just go with it.'

'So you're saying go in with a handicap?'

'Are you kidding? Do you see any other mammals scoping out the place? I think it's you giving a handicap to everyone else.'

Alex smiled deviously. 'Indeed – including you.'

Nick's smirk dropped slightly. 'Only because I wanted to enjoy myself.'

'Well, don't come crying to me when you lose for lack of preparation.'

Nick threw his paws up with frustration. Judy sighed and tugged at his arm gently.

'Come on, slick. You can scope out the place while I'm choosing my weapon.'

The tod sighed and lowered his arms. 'Yeah…'

As they waited in line, the group filed into one of the three queues by the large reception table. Judy studied the baseball stands, feeling conflicted – the view would be interesting, to say the least, though either way she would be missing out on something. Nick and Alex had pushed ahead, but she hung back for a moment.

'Psst! Mary!'

The old vixen raised a brow. 'Hm? Yes, Judy?'

'Would you be able to take a video? Or just the good parts.' She studied the stands again. 'It just occurred to me that I might be getting the short end of the carrot stick.'

The vixen glanced at the stands as well, and her smile brightened, as she fished out her phone and fiddled with the settings. 'I didn't think of that! Well, I may not be an expert, but I'll do what I can.'

Bertha, who was right next to them, leaned down and whispered. 'I'll be focusing on my husband, so if you can focus on Nick and Judy we might get a good show recorded between us.'

Judy smiled at them both appreciatively. 'It's a good thing you two know how to use smartphones, despite your… um…'

The older mammals giggled as the rabbit tapped her foot uncomfortably.

'Oh, we're under no illusions about our age, Judith.'

Mary gave her a gentle push on the back. 'You might want to hurry, though. You still need to choose your weapon.'

Though Judy had a hard time seeing through some of the larger adult mammals in front of her, momentary panic set in as she saw Alex with a camo-coloured water gun already heading to the arena from behind the table.

Thankfully, by the time she was directed to a series of tubs filled with water soakers of all kinds, her prediction had been correct; all the shotguns were too unwieldy, and she settled for a sleek cyan pistol that had decent kick despite its small size. She was also given a conspicuous yellow vest that fit her pretty well, with a large circular tag on her shoulder with the number "4". She also left her backpack next to Nick and Alex's – the wolf's being massive in comparison.

She was then directed to the field, and she squeezed between Nick and the squirrel kid she had seen at the registration table. The boy was less than half her size. The rodent glanced at her weapon, and she saw he had the same type of gun, only smaller and grey.

'So you chose the pistol too?' The kid asked as he studied her, but didn't wait for an answer. 'Aren't you a bit old to be playing this?'

Judy leaned forward, her eyes immediately drawn to Alex and Nick, but she was surprised at how many other adults were mixed in with the children. She shrugged.

'Not really.'

The squirrel tilted his head and followed her gaze. 'Huh. They are more grown-ups than last year.'

'So you've done this before?'

'Yep!' The squirrel smiled proudly and puffed up his chest. 'They're gonna do a free-for-all first… I think. I'm Benny, by the way.'

'Judy.'

For a moment Benny looked intimidated. 'You're the bunny cop?'

Judy grimaced, as the squirrel's voice was getting gratingly loud.

'I'd rather not answer that right now.' She stood straight as she saw a Grizzly bear with a Cascade uniform open a distant wooden gate, wearing an official-looking cap. The grim frown he was wearing reminded her of her polar bear trainer. 'We should get ready.'

'Oh yeah! That's Commander Borris. He likes yelling!'

He's not the only one…

She studied the grizzly as he studied each of the twenty-or-so contestants with a grim, discerning eye, as if drafting the most fitting candidates for a battle. Apart from Benny, the ten kids looked scared or uncomfortable, and the adults looked confused. Alex stood straight and at attention, same as her.

Commander Borris glanced at the nearest attendant with the spare guns. 'Is this everyone, officer?'

'Yes, Boris, sir! All contestants have been accounted for, and the audience is secured in the stands.'

What, did they have to chain the audience up there? These guys really are nuts.

She glanced up at the stands for a moment, and while there was nothing as extreme as handcuffs on the seats, there were quite a few attendants positioned at the exits.

'Why are they suddenly talking like that?' Nick wondered out loud.

'I dunno. Maybe Commander Borris commands that much respect?' Judy muttered back.

'Quiet!' Alex growled. 'The Commander is about to speak.'

The imposing bear folded his arms behind his back and began pacing in front of the line.

'Welcome to the Cascade Tournament. Now, while most of you signed up hoping for a good time, maybe to hang out with your friends, or other such drivel… You are in for a rude awakening.'

He paused, and the kids were paying rapt attention. Many of the adults were staring at him in confusion.

'I'm not going to mince words; this is war. You will have to fight to survive. Every breath you take in this arena could be your last. This is what it means to play Water Tag.'

Nick's jaw dropped as his gaze shifted between Borris and Alex, and Judy couldn't help grinning.

'This is some kind of joke, right?'

'No talkbacks, soldier!'

Nick flinched, but Borris zeroed in on the tod and leaned down towards him, almost nose-to-nose. The red fox managed to maintain eye contact as the bear slowly reached forward and jabbed him in the centre of his yellow vest.

'This… is your lifeblood.' He stood up and continued pacing. 'Each of you is equipped with the latest in Water Tagging uniforms. Due to the – ' he scoffed ' – necessity of Zootopia's safety standards, only shots that hit these vests will count. So headshots, while ideal, will not help you much here – such as it pains me to say.' He whirled on Nick again, pointing closely at the vertical meter. 'Your vest has a water meter. When it fills up fully you are – guess what? Dead! And we'll know, because we track each vest wirelessly. If you don't surrender yourself to the "dead" row,' he pointed at a row of empty seats down the front of the stands, 'we'll call you out and stop the whole event!'

Judy couldn't help but grin nostalgically. He has to know Major Friedkin. He might have even been in her class at some point.

'Permission to speak, sir!' Alex barked officially.

Borris glanced at the grey wolf in surprise for a moment, before nodding his approval. 'Granted!'

'How do the differing sizes of vests factor into this, sir?'

'Good question!' Borris scanned the myriad variety of mammals on display. His gaze lingered on the largest, an adult hippo, and Benny, who was the smallest. 'We here at the Cascade carnival are all for fair and balanced play, especially when so much is riding on your skills. But attaining a perfect balance whilst allowing all mammals being allowed to participate is a pipe dream.

'In the end, we can only outline the advantages and disadvantages of your size. There's a reason we asked your species on your registration form – larger guns means more ammo, as well as increased firepower. It also means your vest takes more water to fill up. But it also means you're a bigger target.' He shot the hippo a menacing glare. 'So don't get cocky!

'For our smaller soldiers, your guns have less ammo, and unless you picked up a shotgun, you need to be precise. You also can't afford to expose yourself, as a direct hit from our…' He paused and studied the adult male hippo wielding a large shotgun. 'What's your name, heavy?'

'Ralph, uh… sir.'

'A shot from our heavy Ralph here could mean instant death! Be wary!'

Nick couldn't help but facepalm with embarrassment as Alex spoke up again.

'Permission to speak, sir!'

'Granted!'

'Are there any provisions for rationing our ammo and water?'

'Indeed!' Borris waved to his right, and everyone's eyes were drawn to a pair of long vertical tubes drilled into the wooden palisade. 'This here is our supply chain. The tube on the left has the green ammo indicator, meaning you can refill your gun by connecting the connecting tubes. However, you will be fully exposed as you are filling up, so listen and watch for nearby enemies!' He waved again, and the group focused on the rightmost tube, which was empty. 'This is our equivalent of a medical station. You can empty any water you've accumulated after being wounded with the tube we've attached on your right hip. Don't try and empty your water onto the field, as only the medical station creates enough suction.'

He strode over to face the entire line with his head raised. 'Your goal is to survive. The last one standing wins! And if time permits, we can use those results for a team-based exercise afterwards… but, that will likely be a pipe dream too.'

One of the smaller mammals, a woodchuck girl in a pink dress and the around the fifth grade, raised her hand.

'Yes, soldier?'

'Can we practice using these station things first?'

Borris deflated somewhat. 'I personally believe a sink-or-swim teaching method is most effective, but we do make some concessions due to our inclusion of underage soldiers. Yes, you can take turns using this one I've pointed out.' His eyes flashed dangerously. 'But only this one! You need to find the rest on your own.'

Alex's muzzle twisted into a small smile, leading Judy to believe he had already found some during his recon of the place.

The contestants lined up and took turns with the tubes, shooting some water out of their gun and inserting another thin tube from the ammo station. They also practised holding down a decompression switch at the bottom, the contraption hissing as the ammo refilled. Commander Borris had the pleasure of shooting each of them with a water pistol before they emptied their water into the medical station. The bear smiled mischievously as Nick came up, and the fox got a little more water than he was expecting.

As they were doing this, Judy noticed several guards keeping watch, probably to make sure no one wandered off during this preliminary round.

She also studied the battlefield beyond. While the base was mostly flat grass, many large props and fake rock formations gave the area a sense of verticality. The central rock prop had many holes and a couple of paths at the bottom large enough for adult elephants, along with many smaller holes that she could fit into comfortably. There were other scattered props like fake termite mounds, stone walls and sandbag piles, along with a couple of large trees at the edge that seemed real enough. The area they were standing in was a no-man's land; but from what she'd seen, even Nick's black sniper gun probably couldn't reach more than a dozen metres. If she was fast enough, she could dash in and use it before anyone could get in range; at least not without exposing themselves first.

Once they were done, Borris pinched digits into his mouth and let out a loud whistle, and all the nearby attendants filed in, except for those watching over the audience.

'We will escort you to predetermined points now. Soldiers one through ten!' He waved towards the attendants, who approached one participant each while peering at their number tags. Judy was quickly approached by a marmot, and she followed him to the other edge of the arena. He pointed down into a triangular rock with sandbags creating a two-way cover position, with a subtle "4" tagged onto the rock above. She thanked him and hunkered down and waited for the attendants to get the other half to their positions. Inwardly, she hoped she wouldn't run into Nick and Alex – knowing them, they would show no mercy in a game like this.

A couple of minutes later, she heard Borris' loud voice one final time.

'Ready?! No? TOO BAD!'

There was a loud CRACK and smoke flared from a signal gun in the distance.

At first, it was eerily silent, but as Judy focused, she heard scuffling of paws and claws on the grass and several water shots going off. She focused and studied the sounds; some were heavier than others, and she was able to get an idea of who her opponents were within a few seconds.

The bunny started moving cover towards one of the heavier targets, as she could hear several different water guns shooting nearby. She drew up against a hollowed-out mound, and tried to triangulate the closest, smallest target.

Judy heard spines scraping against a hard surface, and peeked out to see a small rock ahead. She spotted water spurting out of an embrasure opening towards a hippo out of the corner of her eye.

The rabbit silently dashed towards the nearest tree, and could see a young porcupine aiming forward through the gunhole. She waited patiently and heard large blasts of water coinciding with the porcupine taking cover. After some careful movement, she managed to get into an ideal position when the teenager was preoccupied, crouching against a small wall on the right side of the termite mound.

As soon as the porcupine started shooting again, Judy leaned out and unloading a steady stream of water into the large yellow backplate. The teenager yelled in surprise, but had no cover against her. He wasn't able to retreat around the opposite side before his water metre filled completely, capping off with a sharp "ding" from the vest.

'Boom! Dead!'

'Soldier number eight!' Borris roared in the distance. 'Stay at the wooden edge of the arena and surrender immediately!'

'Aw man…' He lowered his gun, which now had a solid red light on the top of his assault rifle. Judy grinned apologetically.

'Sorry, but that's war.'

The porcupine grumbled as he retreated to the edge and made his way around the arena, while Judy took a quick look through the embrasure the teenager had just been manning.

Ralph, the hippo, was doing surprisingly well. He had naturally taken cover in the central rock, keeping his head and one arm fully exposed while concealing his vest area. His shotgun blasts had volume, and Judy saw an unfortunate moose get eliminated trying to ambush him from behind, only to get a face and vest full of water.

She heard shuffling to her left, and seeing no good cover in the termite mound, she retreated back to her previous position only for Benny the squirrel to pop up for a split second and shoot at her. She dodged and leapt back to the tree as he continued firing.

'Not bad, Judy! But I've had practice! And you're low on ammo!'

She quickly checked her ammo case, visible from one side by clear plastic, and found the squirrel was right. She had one shot at most.

She started to retreat, but the squirrel followed her relentlessly. He was fast enough that she doubted she'd hit him with the one shot.

Once she'd almost gotten back to her starting position, Benny dashed over the open grass in an attempt to flank her, but jumped in surprise as a burst of water splashed the ground in front of him, and he retreated back to the nearest tree.

Judy peeked over her rock for a moment, catching a glimpse of red fur and a black scope on top of a rock before another water blast shot at her, catching her ear as she ducked.

Okay, scratch the no-man's land idea. That thing has range.

She heard Nick give a short chuckle.

'Just because we're married, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!'

You dumb fox; you just gave away your position.

She took advantage of Nick's attention to retreat away from Benny and from any other shots in the distance while keeping out of his line of fire. It wasn't long before another shot sounded and Nick yelped, causing him to scramble down and abandon his sniper position.

As she took shelter in a metal box, her ears were drawn to a familiar hissing of a pump, and peered around the corner to see a smooth round rock. She stayed put until she heard the unknown mammal leave, but the footsteps were not too loud or soft. It could have been Alex, she thought with momentary dread, and waited until the footsteps faded far away.

When the coast was clear, Judy dashed in through a small hole her size, and she smiled at the supply station hidden in the rock. She checked her vest; it was partially filled about one-quarter. She kept her ears open while she refilled her ammo and emptied her vest's water.

During this process, she heard at least three contestants get eliminated, and judging by the direction, it was the same mammal who was just here, reinforcing her assumption that it was Alex.

Maybe I should just stay on his trail while he ploughs through everyone else. I doubt I could survive a minute against that crazy wolf.

Once again, the rabbit heard the approaching footsteps of an unknown mammal, so she hurriedly retreated to the nearest tree – which was thankfully an oak with a thick gnarly trunk. She spotted the approaching stag out of the corner of her eye. He didn't seem aware of her presence, and she was able to get two direct hits on him before he crouched against some sandbags facing her. Two seconds later, a distant shot hit him in his exposed back with another "ding".

'Contestant eleven! You are dead!'

Judy glared at the shooter's direction, as the wet moose reluctantly made his way around the arena, though she couldn't spot her husband.

'Kill stealer!'

Nick stayed silent this time, but she swore she saw him stick his tongue out. Judy quickly moved cover, realising her mistake. Thankfully, she heard no pursuers.

She began to count the number of "ding"s she had heard throughout the match. There had been several distant ones she detected, along with several close ones, presumably from Alex and the hippo, while Nick probably picked off anyone he could flank. There were only six, including herself, left.

That was quickly reduced to five as she heard another ding, with Alex's low voice grunting close to the no-man's land.

'You're dead now, so give me your gun! Why are you crying?'

It was a giraffe girl, and Judy couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. Judy thought for a moment, and smacked herself in the head.

Taking other mammals' ammo! Why didn't I think of that?

Then she heard heavy footsteps nearby, and hunkered closer to the ground, knowing Ralph was on the move. If he was still "alive" by now, there must have been a supply station inside that giant rock. Judging from the direction, he was charging Alex's position.

Is he relying on his health to overpower Alex? Hm…

If Alex could be eliminated, she would at least have a decent chance against Nick and whoever else was left. She guessed it was Benny, from the shuffling she occasionally heard.

She cautiously followed the hippo's path from afar while keeping an ear out for anyone following her. However, they seemed to have a similar idea to her, as she occasionally heard Benny's shuffling in the distance in between Ralph's footsteps. She barely heard Alex at all; the one time she did, the hippo blasted water in the wolf's direction.

When Ralph stopped at a line of large, jagged rocks, another of Nick's shots narrowly hit the wall just before the hippo crouched behind it. Judy traced the path and found the next rock was only a metre away. She grinned evilly, knowing that her husband was likely preoccupied up above.

This is my chance!

Keeping her eyes trained on the rock's flat top, she snuck up and around the rock until she found a good angle that protected her from Alex and Ralph. She crouched before leaping up to the top in one jump with her gun trained forward.

'Boom!' She lowered her gun. 'Huh?'

Nick was gone, and she looked around in disbelief for a few seconds before she spotted a smug smirk on the rock where she'd just been, followed by a swift blast that she only just avoided by dropping on her stomach. The tod shot again, pushing her back before she rolled down to land on the ground behind the rock. She heard Nick's infuriating chuckle.

'You can't touch me, Carrots – I've been playing with water guns since before you were born!'

It was Judy's turn to smirk, muttering under breath. '…Aaaand you just gave your position away again.'

A shotgun blast from Ralph below prompted Nick to duck and scramble away with that adorable terror on his face.

With Nick out of the way for the moment, Judy focused on the hippo and Alex ahead. While she hadn't yet been shot at by Alex – between the two, there was no doubt in her mind that she'd rather deal with the hippo than the old wolf. After all, she had experience dealing with very large mammals in her training, but not someone like Alex – who she was pretty sure had extensive combat training.

The wolf quickly shot Ralph in the back the moment he had turned towards Nick's position, and he broke cover to flee in an anti-clockwise direction to the hippo. The canine got several good shots in before the hippo was able to properly shoot back. Judy rushed forward and followed him while keeping her footsteps light; if the hippo fell, she would probably be at Alex's mercy.

She managed to stay out of Ralph's sight while trailing the grey wolf's long flowing tail. It seemed he hadn't seen her yet, and he had taken cover in a curved rock wall. She edged along her own straight wooden barrier, and was in range of flanking him as she reached the end.

Judy kept her head down and waited until she heard Ralph's shotgun blast, and pre-emptively leaned out as she predicted Alex firing straight back at the hippo. The moment she did, however, Alex's ears tipped in her direction, and he immediately spotted her, even as he was priming to fire at Ralph like she thought. She didn't hesitate, but he swiftly raised his rifle to block her shot, her blast dissipating in a wide fan away from his body.

Judy snapped back to her cover with her back against the wall, but heard Alex fire in her direction anyway. She heard the shot fly vertically – which for a moment, confused her – until she felt water spray her ears and vest from above.

She gasped and immediately broke cover to retreat away from both Ralph and Alex, who thankfully didn't pursue her. However, the moment she was exposed to her right, she heard Nick's gun fire off, and she was only able to avoid it by going for a jump over a bush formation ahead.

And Benny was waiting behind it.

The squirrel grinned evilly and fired up at her, and she heard a dreadful ding as her own vest filled up before she landed.

Sopping wet, she stared down at her yellow vest in disbelief. She bunched up her fists for a moment and stamped her foot in frustration.

'Ooooh, cheese and crackers! … I was doing so well too.'

'Soldier number four! You did well to get this far, but the jig is up!'

Benny, still grinning with satisfaction, held out a small paw. Judy sighed and dropped her cyan pistol into it.

'You served me well, little pistol.'

She made her way to the palisade wall. Once the audience and Borris were in sight, her disappointment was allayed somewhat as she saw some of the earlier contestants seated among the audience.

Huh. Maybe I can still get a good view of the action.

Judy quickly spotted Mary and Bertha, hopping up to sit next to the vixen. She squinted as she looked over the battlefield; Nick and Ralph were easy to spot, but Alex and Benny remained hidden in the cover objects.

She glanced at Mary, who had her phone out, seeing Nick perched in an excellent cover position on top of the central rock with sandbags forming a small wall. Judy immediately asked the vixen something on her mind.

'Has Nick really been playing with water guns since he was seven?'

Mary blinked thoughtfully as she counted in her head. 'Six… seven… sounds about right. His style didn't necessarily make him popular at parties, mind you.'

'The taunting and kill stealing? Yeah, I experienced that first hand.'

Mary winked at her mischievously. 'Oh, don't worry. He only taunts mammals he really likes. Why, I remember there was one cute vixen…'

Judy sighed with a small smile, before she fished her phone out and zoomed in for a better look. She could see and hear Alex still shooting at Ralph, who was having a hard time avoiding him since Alex was employing the gun-rain technique he'd used against her. Eventually, Ralph charged, prompting repeated shots from both Nick and Alex simultaneously until another ding rang out.

'Heavy! A valiant last stand, but you are out!'

Ralph roared in frustration and stomped the ground once that the entire audience shuddered from, but did as he was told. Judy watched him join what she guessed were his wife and child.

The air around her grew tense; the audience, silent. They were paying rapt attention to the proceedings in the arena, like a finals match in a tennis tournament.

She was able to spot Benny zipping around in the distance, if only barely, with the intention of ambushing Nick from behind. However, the tod always seemed to spot him in advance, and slipped off his high cover just in time, leaving Benny to climb back down more carefully. Alex seemed content to leave them to this chase for the moment.

Nick soon had to abandon his pattern of cover after a sudden ambush from Alex, as the fox dropped down from a tree. The fox, squirrel and wolf began circling around the battlefield, taking and receiving equal shots from each other – none of which looked like they would back down. From the now-serious frowns on all their faces, Judy knew none of them wanted to lose.

'Wow. This really does feel like war.'

After another twenty minutes, Nick looked more exhausted than the other two. The size of his gun meant lugging it everywhere took its toll. He was still able to keep in cover, but Alex soon charged him just as Ralph did to him. The grey wolf flanked him around a rock wall at close range, and they both fired at each other, but Nick's gun clicked empty. The fox ended up on his back, dripping and gasping heavily.

'Soldier number five! It seems you took this more seriously than I thought! Too bad!'

Alex had no time to take Nick's gun, as Benny immediately shot at the wolf before disappearing into the central rock formation. The wolf growled as he retreated back to the nearest supply station, leaving Nick to get up and make his way back up to sit next to Judy.

Despite being eliminated, the red fox seemed upbeat as he sighed with satisfaction while sitting down, letting himself sink into the chair a little.

'Not too disappointed that you lost?' Judy asked.

'Nah. I never believed I could outlast the old man. That squirrel kid, though…' Nick was still able to trace the zips of the speedy squirrel. 'He might go places.'

'Maybe we should mention him to Bogo as a possible candidate… In another ten years.'

Judy took another moment to look her husband up and down, and the lingering dampness of his fur left a scent that drove some not-so-innocent thoughts through her head – which wasn't helped by his shirt stuck tight to his chiselled torso. Nick gave her a lecherous grin as he picked up on her lingering gaze.

'Wow, you are hungry, rabbit. It's only been a couple of days and you're already starving. Might have to find you some bigger carrots.'

She smacked his arm lightly. 'Oh, hush.'

She decided to lean her head down on his lap even as they continued to watch Alex and Benny strafing around, and he tucked a paw under her arm to stroke her side gently. She and Nick immediately felt some dirty looks shot their way, the closest being a woodchuck and her daughter – who was one of the first eliminated from the event. Nick ignored them, and Judy did her best to do the same.

Instead, she directed her thoughts back to the future. Ten years… Lately, she began to think about where her life was going. Her mother back in Bunnyburrow made sure to remind her of this seemingly every Muzzletime she had with her family.

'What's on your mind, fluff?' Nick asked, keeping his voice low.

'Ten years… I was just thinking what our lives would be like then.'

Nick looked up at the clear sky in contemplation.

'Does it have to be any different? Things are pretty good now, right?' She felt his ears droop for a moment, but he remained tongue-tied.

She patted his arm. 'Come on, slick. Talk to me.'

'Well… Our place is pretty big. There's space for…' He scratched his muzzle self-consciously. '...You know.'

Judy instantly knew what he was talking about. He was only masking his words because they were in public, but they had discussed children a couple of times before. It was a touchy subject, especially for Nick, though she wasn't exactly sure why. The way they had left their last discussion was that adoption was probably their only option. But considering how they weren't legally recognised as a married couple, any orphanage they applied to would give them a headache about their relationship. At least, judging by their initial enquiries.

She placed a paw on his gently. 'I do know. We can talk about it when we get home, alright? I'm not ready to finish our carnival bout just yet.'

Nick smiled down at her slowly. 'Yeah… I guess part of me knows I'm getting on in years, despite my "young at heart" claims.'

Judy smiled back, pushing herself up once more. She got her phone out again, while Nick seemed satisfied just looking down at the battlefield unaided.

It seemed like the match had come to a halt. Alex and Benny both had quick access to a supply station not too far from their cover positions, and the wolf's gun-rain didn't work on Benny since he immediately zipped to another part of cover. Any time Alex tried this for too long, the squirrel would punish him with a quick shot to the face, which did prompt the wolf to retreat to the supply station a few times.

Borris seemed to be of the same mind, as after another minute of this same rally, he fired his signal gun again.

'I'm calling this match now!'

'Huh!?' Benny cried out, with both he and Alex staring at the bear. 'But we're not finished!'

'I know a stalemate when I see one!'

Alex regarded the bear suspiciously, and Judy guessed that wasn't the only reason he stopped the match. She could see a few squirrels down closer to the front getting quite agitated – no doubt a squirrel boy alone with a scary predator in a combat situation would make any family of his uncomfortable.

'Who is the winner, then?' Alex asked gruffly, lowering his gun as he returned to the same position he was when they were all lined up. Benny stood next to him, following his example.

'There was one thing I… neglected to mention,' Borris folded his arms, facing them. 'If it came down to it, your kill score would determine the winner in the case of a stalemate.'

At this revelation, Alex smiled confidently, while Benny pouted.

'Soldier two!' He opened a palm down at Benny. 'How many enemies did you destroy? Be honest. You have done very well to survive against such opponents.'

'T-two, sir.'

Borris nodded. 'Very good.' He turned to the wolf. 'And number six? What say you?'

'Five.'

Judy stared down at the wolf for a moment.

'That doesn't sound right… I'm sure I heard a lot of kills from his direction…'

Nick leaned over and whispered. 'I got six. Guess I did beat him in something.'

She turned to grin at him mockingly. 'Oh really? You're that proud of beating an old wolf at a children's gun game?'

'And what cute rabbit stamped her foot at losing this "children's gun game"?'

Judy shrugged with her paws in the air. 'Why do I even bother?'

Nick smirked as she couldn't get the smile off her face.

Benny seemed crestfallen as he looked at the ground, and Borris studied him for several seconds.

'Well… you both succeeded at what I told you to do. And given the excellent performance you two provided,' he scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, 'I'll allow both of you to claim the winning prize.'

Nick placed his paws together as if in prayer.

'... Please don't howl. I beg you.'

Thankfully, Alex just raised a confused brow. 'Huh?'

Benny, on the other paw, beamed as he jumped with a fist in the air.

Silence passed as they all stood there for several seconds, with both Alex and Benny looking around for some sign of a prize arriving.

'So… what is it?' Benny finally asked as his patience ended.

'You're holding it, soldier.'

Both combatants immediately dropped their gazes and stared at their weapon. Benny smiled and felt the water pistol's rear hammer – that in this case, was fake.

'Cool! I'll have something else to play with at Samson's house!'

Alex, meanwhile, remained where he was, gawking at the black water soaker. The silence ran for long enough that even Borris began to fidget.

'Is the quality insufficient? Well, I'm sure that…'

'…Thank you!'

Nick flinched in his seat as if being attacked, and Alex was shaking Borris' paw in flash.

'This is such an honour sir! I can't thank you enough for this gift! This rifle is reliable as hell, and…'

Judy watched Nick with a grin as the tod covered his face, while everyone else in the audience stared down at the old wolf suddenly running his mouth.

'He's said more in the last few seconds than he's said to me the past two years,' Mary observed with amazement.

Bertha simply shrugged and sighed. 'It's like being around guns flips a switch. Especially a new type of gun.'

'Like a kid's gun?' Judy asked, grinning at her antsy husband.

'Yep.'

A couple of the surrounding onlookers began to glance at Nick with concern, who had completely sunk into his chair.

'If anyone asks, I'm not affiliated with him.'

Judy punched his shoulder lightly. 'Too late, slick. Your poker face right now isn't helping your case.'

'Uggggh…'

'Jeez, it's not like it'd kill you,' Mary chastised.

'If Finnick were here, it might,' Nick whimpered. 'At this point he'd be long gone. And I'm tempted to join him.'

'Oh come on, Alex is still our next door neighbour,' Judy said gently, 'no matter how embarrassing he can be.'

Alex was still talking by the time Benny and most of the attendees had cleared out, with some still waiting in queue to file out and return their equipment. Judy's group remained where they were as Alex was still talking to Borris, though the conversation thankfully became a bit less one-sided as the commander talked about the water gun designs in relation to other types of events. Any attendants who weren't overseeing the procession were starting to move the cover objects to the side and clean up the arena.

After about ten minutes, Mary decided to get up and prompt the rest to follow her. Nick followed eagerly, and Judy and Bertha followed, though they noticed a few mammals in the stands still content to sit there for a while longer.

They made sure to stay in full view of Alex, with Bertha waving at him as they were about to join the queue.

'Alexander, dear... It's about time we got going, don't you think? You've taken too much of that poor bear's time already.'

'I don't have to return my gun! Just five more minutes!'

Nick smirked up at the she-wolf, recalling their meeting earlier that morning. 'Oh, so it's only fine when he does it, huh?'

Judy slapped his arm lightly but Bertha simply smiled.

'He waited for me, so I'll wait for him.'

As they waited, the queue ahead filed out and emptied. However, Judy and Nick spotted the woodchuck woman and her daughter coming up behind them, with flowing dresses. However, the rodent woman was gazing right at them with an air of hostility, and Judy's nose couldn't help but twitch as the groundhog strode over to them. Nick watched the rodent with a neutral expression, stepping towards Judy protectively.

'Excuse me! Are you Judy Hopps?'

Judy forced an awkward smile. She had been used to others approaching because of career in the public eye, but something about this felt very wrong – if the surge of alarm through her stomach was any indication.

'Yes, I am, miss. Can I help you?'

The woman's gaze flicked up to Nick for a moment. 'Are you… involved with him?'

Nick and Judy shared a glance, and after a moment, Judy took his paw in hers. 'He's my husband.'

Whether it was being confronted by something she could not process, or the wary displeasure clear in her frown as she examined Nick, it was clear the groundhog woman was displeased. Her daughter, on the other hand, studied them with intrigue, before her mother's guiding hand pushed her behind to stop her looking at them.

'… Are you sure this is appropriate? Especially with so many children present – my daughter included.'

'I'm sorry… I don't understand what you mean by that.'

Nick subtly shook his head at her, and Judy knew in her head it was better not to continue this conversation, but part of her wanted to know exactly what this woodchuck's problem with them was.

By now, the tension in the air was clear, with Bertha and Mary looking on uncertainly, and Judy could no longer hear Borris or Alex's voices.

'Just think about what kind of example you are setting for these children! What if they grow up and become so grossly involved with predators, like you have?'

Judy swallowed her rising ire, maintaining a calm tone. 'All we were doing was enjoying ourselves at a carnival – there's nothing wrong with that.'

'It is wrong! You'll end up dead because of it! And if my daughter follows your example, I'll hold you responsible!'

Judy couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'Wh-what?' She sputtered. 'He… he would never hurt me.'

Nick retained his muted expression, but Judy felt his grip in her paw tighten.

'I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding here,' he began coolly, 'but it's time we were leaving.'

'And you!' She turned her attention to him, following even as they attempted to leave the conversation, her voice breaking at her increasingly frenzied accusations. 'How could you take advantage of her like this? She was a good officer until you got involved with her! I should have known an honest fox officer was too good to be true!'

It took all of Judy's willpower to avoid turning around and yelling at her, and by Nick's flat ears and tight jaw, he was on the edge too. The woman continued to hound them even as her daughter started crying while being dragged along. Some of the previous audience started to look on uncomfortably, though some also either were nodding with approval, or were as appalled as Judy was.

'You'll regret this – you shouldn't trust predators! You can't–'

Just as Judy was ready to let the woodchuck have it, the rodent was cut off by a beam of water hitting her in the side of the head, and she let out a distressed squeal as she fell to her side. The woodchuck wiped her head with dismay as it seeped into the grey fabric, sitting up and glaring around for a moment.

'Who did that? Show yourself!'

She quickly fell silent, as out of nowhere, Alex now stood over her. Everyone but Bertha leapt back from him, as he emitted a low, constant growl with the right side of his jaw – baring his huge teeth. His light fur spiked aggressively over his hunched neck. His left paw was outstretched, and Judy spotted the long claws protruding out, with his left still gripping his gun. The woman stared up at him, petrified with terror, and her daughter squealed quietly and covered her eyes, with them both huddling silently to the ground for several seconds.

Bertha finally intervened, gently but firmly gripping her husband's shoulder.

'… Enough.'

The two woodchucks took the opportunity to high-tail it out of there, running through the scattered mammals returning to the carnival venue, the girl still crying. Alex was staring at the ground, his expression unchanged.

'Uh… Alex?' Nick said cautiously as he approached. 'Buddy? You… okay?'

Judy was still watching the wolf warily, her breathing becoming more rapid, and her throat felt dry. Even having spent so much time around the couple, she hadn't seen Alex like this.

The old wolf eventually shoved Bertha's arm off with a growl, and strode away without another word, and all mammals, even Ralph, kept well clear of him. Judy and the others followed, keeping their heads down uncomfortably, with Nick maintaining his paw in Judy's.

Alex headed straight for the gondolas, and no-one was willing to contest the point. Bertha paid for their tickets, and the old alpha wolf kept to his corner, gripping the edge and staring down at the dark canopy, with his wife only able to watch him sadly.

Once the shock had worn off, Judy sniffled and wiped away involuntary tears as she sat on the opposite side with Nick and Mary. The vixen rubbed her shoulder gently, and after an exchanged, miserable gaze with the tod, Nick hugged her, pressing her head to his chest.

None of them said a word, with the shadows cast by the setting sun lengthening over their trip home.