21 Copperhead Road

~0~

After arriving back at the motel, Nick opens his laptop, turns it on and takes a quick shower as he waits for it to load.

Returning to his laptop after a prolonged session with a vastly underpowered fur dryer, Nick starts perusing all of the local realtors.

Wanting to do business with realtors local to Aurora rather than ones located in Bunnyburrow, Podunk or even Deerbrook, Nick jots down the name, phone number and address of Native Realtors from their website on a notepad.

With pertinent information in paw, Nick heads to bed, wanting to be mentally sharp when he gets up in the morning.

First thing in the morning after his usual routine, Nick decides to pay a certain café a visit since it's still too early to visit his chosen realtor.

As he enters the empty eatery, Sharla recognizes the todd from earlier and seats him in a booth close to the counter then quickly disappears into the kitchen area.

Moments later, Gideon comes out to greet the other todd fursonally.

"Muster Wald, is thur anythin' wrong?" he asks, more than a little concerned.

"Quite the opposite Gideon," comes the answer "I'm just very early heading to Aurora to visit with a realtor. I'm looking to get Judy and I a decent place to live before she graduates from the Academy. I figured that since I'm as early as I am, I'd stop and get some breakfast."

"Well, you is shore 'nuf welcome. I'd recommend the pred sample platter. Lots 'a dif'rent proteins."

"Then I guess that's what I'll have. And coffee, plenty of coffee."

"Comin' right up. Sharla, please git the mammal some coffee while I git ta cookin."

While Nick nurses his coffee, Sharla keeps busy by cleaning an already spotless counter area.

Several minutes later when Gideon brings out a platter loaded down with various items – hot buttered toast, turkey sausage and bacon, fried potatoes, fried eggs and pancakes, Nick can't help but ask "Gid, I know you serve both predators and prey mammals alike here, but … the café should be full of folks. What's up, if you don't mind my asking."

….. "Wull …. It weren't too bad when ah first started. Folks still 'memberd the tussle thet me 'n Judy got inta back in grade school. After a bit things picked up and got really good fer a spell, 'specially when Sharla started werkin' fer me. Things slowed down a bit when folks found out we wus datin' and even got werse when we wuz married."

"But … but the place is empty Gid, the food is top notch, so that can't be why you don't have any business!" Nick comments as he pushes just a bit.

"Ummm …"

"It's because of Judy and me isn't it?"

"Wull …"

"Straight up Gideon, Stu Hopps is behind all of this, isn't he?" Nick asks, struggling to keep a boiling anger at Judy's 'father' under control.

"Ah … ah cain't prove nuthin', but ah'm purty sure thet he's prolly behind it all, yeah …" admits a now despondent Gideon.

After a few moments thought, Nick asks "Gid … have you ever thought about moving to a more … socially acceptable location?"

"Whure? Ah ain't got a clue where thet might be! 'Sides, we ain't gots a lot 'a money ta move nowhere no way."

"I told you when I first got here that I was heading to Aurora to find a good place for Judy and I to live and to raise our kits." Nick explains "Why don't you come along and at least check out a few locations that might be a good place to relocate your business. I understand that Aurora is multi-species family friendly, that's why we're considering moving there!"

"I – I think he's right Gid!" interjects Sharla. "We're about broke staying open here, and we'll have to close eventually if business doesn't pick up. Go on, go to Aurora with Nick and at least check it out. With so few customers, I can more than manage the café until you get back."

"Ya sure? Ah mean … ummm,"

"Go Gid. At this point, what do we have to lose?" Sharla asks him.

"Ah guess yer right …darn …"

"It'll be okay Gideon. You just need to have a little faith." Nick tells his fellow todd.

Finishing his meal and coffee, Nick sets a $20 bill on the counter. "This is for the excellent food and my contribution towards your moving fund." Nick tells the couple.

"You is a lot more confident than ah is!" Gideon tells Nick.

"Sometimes, a little faith is all we have Gid." Nick admits "Sometimes a little faith is what it takes to get things rolling."

After removing his apron and putting it in the back, Gideon joins Nick as they head out.

"Ah'll folla you in mah old truck if'n ya don' mind." Gideon tells Nick.

Giving Gideon a thumbs up, Nick gets in the GTO and fires it up, then heads toward aurora.

The forty-five-minute trip was as uneventful as Nick hoped it would be, and the two vehicles pull into the realtor's parking lot.

Exiting their vehicles, Nick at least appreciates the unusual (for the area) décor of the building.

With the structure having a flavor of the old southwest region, the todd is a bit unsure about the trip.

Entering the building, Nick and Gideon are greeted by an attractive older female coyote.

"Hello, welcome to Native Realtors. Do either of you gentlemammals have an appointment?"

"I'm afraid not." Nick admits "Will this be a problem?"

"Of course not, we're quite used to mammals simply walking in. How may we help you today?"

"Well …" as Nick begins, the brief pause is all the hint that the coyote needs –

"I'm sorry, apologies. My name is Emma Leaphorn. Now, how may we help you today?"

Extending a paw, Nick tells her "I'm Nick Wilde, and this is my friend Gideon Gray."

After a short pawshake, Nick gets down to business - "I'm looking for a nice home either in or close to Aurora for myself and my mate. Judy is a rabbit, so I need to know right away if this is going to be an issue!"

"Of course not. In case you weren't aware, Aurora prides itself for its diversity of species."

"I actually was aware, that's why we were looking to settle here."

"And you mister Gray?" Emma asks Gideon.

"Wull, ah guess ah'm lookin' fer a vacant business place." Gideon tells her "Mah mate 'an' ah have a café in Bunnyburrah an' it ain't doin' too well so we thought thet meebe … meebe we needed ta change places … locations."

"I see," answers a thoughtful Emma. "So a location for a café … Aurora really needs a good café. And perhaps a place to stay as well?" she asks.

"Y-yeah, I recon thet'd be a good thin." Gideon admits.

"Just a moment if you don't mind …" Emma tells the pair as she steps back and has a word or two through an open doorway with an unknown and previously unseen mammal.

As a male coyote steps into the hallway, Emma introduces him to the two todds "Gentlemammals, this is my husband and business partner Joe Leaphorn. Now, mister Gray, if you'll have a seat we'll look into available properties for you while Joe attends to mister Wilde."

Following the elder coyote into his small office, Nick sits across from him.

"So mister Wilde, what can I do for you today?"

"I'm looking to purchase a home for myself and my mate. She'll be having kits in a few months and I'd like to find a good place for us to raise the kits."

"I see. If I may ask, what brings you to Aurora? I'm sure that there are plenty of places closer to a larger city to settle down, not that I'm trying to miss a sale but it seems a bit odd for a pair of foxes and their kits to come to this small town."

"Actually, as I told your wife earlier, my mate happens to be a rabbit, so Aurora is where my sister-in-law has recommended to buy. Judy and I will both be working for the Tri-Burrow sheriff's department until she gives birth to the kits, and I plan on staying with the department while she raises the kits until they get to be school-age."

"Please pardon me for asking, but ... just how is it possible for a fox to impregnate a rabbit?" asks the coyote.

Seeing the todd's hesitation, Joe apologizes "Forgive me, it's really none of my business."

"It – it's okay. I'm just surprised that considering everything that's happened that the news hasn't reached here."

"I … I don't understand."

"Let's take care of business, I can explain in a bit if need be."

"Okay. So, what kind of place are you looking for mister Wilde?"

"…. Normally, I'd tell you that mister Wilde was my father, but considering everything, I guess it really kinda fits now!" Nick says with a slight laugh.

"What we're looking for will be a place either in or near to Aurora, at least three bedrooms, plenty of space, like a large lot or possibly a small acreage."

"Any particular price range? I'd rather not suggest or show you something that you might not be able to afford, I'm sure you understand."

"Of course. I'm actually selling some property in Zootopia, so price won't be an issue. Let's see what you have and work from there."

"In that case, I have three properties that I think you might be interested in. Two are in town, and the third is about five or so miles out. All are three bedroom, although the two in town have rather small lots, comparatively speaking."

"And the one in the country?"

Looking at his notes, Leaphorn reads the particulars to Nick "Three bedrooms, two baths, split level with a full basement. It has an attached two car garage and a three-bay shop. It sits on seven and a half acres with just over one full acre being a fenced in and the rest is sown to bluegrass to my understanding."

"Sounds about perfect." Nick tells Joe. "And what size mammals was it built for? Rabbit sized might be kinda small for me to live in, even though it'd be okay for Judy and the kits."

"Ummm … wolf size according to my notes, so you should be fine."

"When can we go look at it? I'd like to have everything taken care of before Judy graduates from the ZPA academy."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until your mate can look at the property?"

"I'd like to at least look at it and get the process started. Judy has next weekend off from her training; I can bring her out and show her around and get her okay then."

"That sounds fine to me. Let me tell Emma that we'll be stepping out of the office for a bit and we can head out."

After Joe tells Emma that he and Nick will be out of the office, they take the coyote's older but well-maintained and slightly lifted Jimmy 4X4 out to look at the out-of-town property.

"So, you're in law enforcement then?" Joe asks rhetorically.

"Yeah. I spent more than a couple of years in the military. After I got out of the military I spent some time in the ZPD and made detective before I met Judy. I transferred to the Tri-Burrow sheriff's department rather than have to raise the kits in the city."

"Big city cop huh? Sounds stressful."

"It wasn't too bad," Nick admits "Like I said earlier, I actually spent a good deal of my adult life in the military. Got out after a career ending injury. I was more or less steered into the ZPD by my parents and a friend or two."

"And if you don't mind my asking, just how did you end up out here in the sticks with a rabbit, of all mammals, as a mate?"

"We met quite by accident!' Nick tells Joe with a short laugh.

Seeing the quizzical look he was getting, Nick expounds on his remark "About a month or so ago my parents passed. Dad from a form of canine cancer that's peculiar to red foxes, and mom … well, there's that life bond thing the we red foxes still have …"

"Sorry to hear about your folks, my condolences." Joe tells Nick.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. Anyways … after mom and dad passed, I lost my anchor. They grounded me, helping to keep the ghosts of my past life in the military away. I – I was actually on a walkabout in my grief. Then along came a tiny rabbit doe with her own life issues and she managed to run me down with one of her fath - family's pickups. We more or less took a liking to each other; we both had our issues and somehow managed to find the one mammal to help each other stay sane."

"I used to be in law enforcement myself, back in the day." comments Joe.

"Really?" says a slightly surprised Nick.

"Yeah, back on the rez. Emma and I are both Diné– Navajo, from the Southwest Region. I was an officer and later a lieutenant with the reservation police and retired out as a captain. After that I did a short stint as a PI (private investigator) but I finally had enough of that and moved here. It's a lot quieter and easier on the spirit."

"I can relate to that. One of the guys on one of my teams was a Lakota, so I understand a lot of what you must have gone through. Lawrence Grey Eyes … great guy, hell of a fighter. He actually honored me by allowing me to participate in an Inipi, a sweat lodge ceremony. Very spiritual."

"I guess we have a lot more in common that anyone might have guessed!" Joe admits.

"Seems like …"

"Anyway, we're here …" Joe tells Nick as they turn of the main road onto a short gravel driveway.

Nick has to smile as they pass the mailbox.

"What?" asks Joe.

"1313? Really?"

"Yeah, and the best part is that we're on Copperhead Road!" Joe admits with a smile and a short laugh of his own as a song by the same name plays on the radio.

"Judy's gonna love that!" admits Nick.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Nick is immediately impressed despite the slightly unkempt appearance of the snow-covered property.

"Sorry about the appearance of the place," apologizes Joe "but I haven't had time to come and spruce the place up because of the weather. If you decide to buy it I can promise it'll be up to my usual standards and hopefully yours and your mates as well before you move in."

Leading Nick to the front door of the house, Joe continues "The electricity and water have been kept on, so there's running water and heat so there's no chance that the pipes would freeze up."

Keying the property's lock box on the front door, Joe leads Nick into the living room.

"As I mentioned earlier, everything here is wolf sized, so you can get new appliances if they're too large for you." Joe tells Nick.

Moving through the house, the story was the same … bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room, then on to the basement, everything was in great shape, just a bit larger than fox and bunny sized.

"I have furniture in my place in Zootopia we can use until Judy can figure out what she really wants. We do have some time until she graduates from the ZPA and until the kits arrive." Nick tells Joe.

"That works. Shall we move on? There's still the basement, garage and the shop to check out."

As Nick and Joe inspect the basement, the space was fully open with only a thin layer of dust and a few cobwebs evident. Floor joists seem solid and there were no cracks in the walls of floor.

Exiting the basement and heading towards the garage, Nick notices a section of the kitchen wall paneling that seemed … off.

With Joe wondering what was happening, Nick patiently looked for … something?

Finally just pressing lightly on a far section of the panel, a soft 'click' was heard and the panel moved just a bit.

Catching a claw on one side edge of the panel, Nick simply pushed it sideways and it slid quietly into a what was a hollow space between the walls of the two rooms.

Stepping into a decent sized room, it was plain for anyone to see that this used to be a hidden and private office space. While there was no actual equipment of any kind present, the set-up of the room led Nick to believe that a lot of time was spent here by someone. The desks and chairs were in fair shape but well-worn.

Turning and seeing the astonished look on Joe's face, Nick can only ask "What?"

"I had no idea this was here …!" was all Joe could say.

"While I can't help but wonder why it's here, I'm actually glad it is." Nick admits. "With a few changes, it'll make a great private office for Judy and I."

"Changes such as …?" prompts Joe.

"A window or two, and take out the sliding wall panel and replace it with paned glass door or something a bit more transparent. I'd hate to lose a kit because we couldn't find it and having it locked inside that room."

"Let me talk to the current owners and see if we can get those changes worked into the price of the home." suggests Joe.

"That sounds good to me. Now, on to the garage?"

Stepping through a door on the far side of the kitchen, the garage was a typical two stall garage that has a mammal door between the two stalls and an extra deep set-up on the back wall for tools and the like.

Moving to the shop, again there was nothing remarkable. Three wide and extra deep bays, industrial grade air compressor with air lines and drop lines run to all three bays. A small enclosure housed a toilet and sink.

There was a floor drain in the far bay and when Nick noticed a small water heater that serviced another sink and a pair of faucets.

Something that Nick also noticed (and appreciated) was the variety of yard tools that was assembled in a corner of the shop – a small zero-turn mower, rakes, shovels, a gas-powered string trimmer and a few other odds and ends.

"Looks well equipped" suggests Nick.

"I'm sure it all goes with the property." Joe tells him.

"Probably." agrees Nick as the two pass through a door at the back of the shop that opens into the large fenced in back yard.

Walking slowly into the snow-covered yard, Nick has to smile. The peace that he finds by simply walking through this small bit of open space, with the clean, crisp air, the birds singing (as few as they are at this time of the year) and a general feeling of well-being that he had so infrequently enjoyed in decades, was immeasurable.

Reaching the edge of the fenced in section, Nick leans quietly on the top of the chain link horizontal bracing and looks at the remaining five or so acres that comprise the rest of the property.

"What about the woods that surround the house and field?" Nick asks, indicating some of the dense woods in a sweeping motion with one arm.

"What about it?"

"Would any of that be for sale as well?"

"As a matter of fact, the entirety of the woods is for sale." Joe tells him "Are you suggesting that you might be interested in purchasing that bit of property as well?"

"I guess I am. Even this far out in the country, urban sprawl can creep up on a mammal. It happened where I grew up in Happy Town in Zootopia. My parents bought their house for practically nothing because there was nothing around it for blocks. Within a few years more and more houses went up and it got more and more crowded and became less and less private.

"With the woods most likely not be suitable for farming, the next consideration would be to cut them down and put up condos for folks wanting to escape the city. I'd like to sort of head that off and buy the woods just to use them as a barrier against civilization for as long as possible."

"Unfortunately, that makes perfect sense." Joe tells him. "When we get back to my office, I'll look into a sort of a package deal for both properties if you're truly interested in both."

After heading back to the Jimmy and making sure that everything is locked up tight, the two head back into Aurora.

Partway into the short trip to town, Nick's cell phone pings. Taking a quick peek at the message, Nick can't help but smile.

Noticing the coyote's inquisitive glances, Nick fills him in "That was from my lawyer … the mammals that I have planned on selling my Zootopia property to have gotten a low interest loan approved for the entire asking price and closing is estimated to take place in around two or three weeks or so. It looks like I … that is we … will have more than enough money to purchase both properties if Judy finds the place attractive."

Pulling up to the front door of the realtor's office, Joe tells the todd "In that case, we'll start the paperwork on both of the properties. I'll give you a spare key for the lock box and you can show your mate the house and the rest of the buildings at your convienience."

"Good, let's get started then." agrees Nick.

As Nick and Joe enter the office, Gideon is on his way out, so the two todds hold a brief conversation.

"So, how'd it go Gid?" Nick asks.

"G-great Nick, thanks fer the su'gestion. Ah got's ta kum bak wuth Sharla 'an finish git'n sum papers dun, but it looks lak we'll be movin' ta here. Ah cain't thank ya 'nuf fer su'gestin' this."

"Don't mention it Gid, just doing my part of trying to make life better for whoever I can along the way."

Watching Gideon get in his old bakery's delivery truck, Nick can't help but be amazed at how far he's managed to come after his parent's passing. From a basically suicide walk, to finally having a real family of his own – mate, kits, a home with plenty of space and fresh air ….

"Nick, is everything all right?" he hears Joe ask him in the background.

Wearing a huge grin and not afraid to face to older coyote, Nick tells him "More alright than you can possible imagine!" is his only reply.

~0~

AN: Copperhead Road as performed by Steve Earle.
Joe and Emma Leaphorn were borrowed from the book series and Netflix series Dark Winds.