The Long Game

by Mikey2084

In Zootopia where anyone can be anything some things are still forbidden. Judy is confronted with a choice between suffering the consequences of protecting her family and being with her soulmate, she chooses to protect her family. As Nick tries to find a way for the two of them to be together our heroes find themselves once again protecting the city from a new threat. A Zootopia AU

36. Vixen to Vixen

Disclaimer: Zootopia and all related characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, copyrights, videos, music, and lyrics belong to their respective owners.

…..

A/N:

To set the mood for the music in this chapter, I used the three YouTube videos listed below. If you are unfamiliar with these songs, or the two movie clips, I'd encourage you to check them all out.

4 Non Blondes – 'What's Up' (Official Video – Vevo)

Anne Hathaway performs 'Somebody to Love' - Ella Enchanted (Movie Clip)

Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi perform 'I See the Light' – Tangled (Movie Clip)

…..

…..

"Ouch," called out Nick, in an exaggerated tone from the back seat of a small truck. "You don't have to hit every pothole, you know."

"Of course I do," replied Janae, "the first rule in driving a stick shift is to change gears when you hit a pothole, that way your passengers think it's the road and not your driving."

"You must have had old Mr. Walker for Driver's Ed. You know he just lost his license for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, backwards, right?" grumbled Lucas.

Straightening a flowered tie and brushing flat his loudest Pawaiian shirt, Nick added, "That explains it, I always figured rabbits had to take lessons on how to be bad drivers, no way does that level of awful come naturally."

"Oof. Ow!"

Swerving back onto the good part of the road, Janae asked, "What did you say, fox? Didn't catch it with your head slammed up against the roof."

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought. Now be quiet, we're almost there."

Nick wasn't sure how tonight had happened. He'd gotten all decked out and was walking through the kitchen when, being the foolish fox that he was, announced he was going to check out a live karaoke bar that he'd heard about while on his patrol in Predville.

"Sounds fun, I'll grab a truck, and we can go together," said Janae hopping up.

"Don't you have a fire inspection scheduled for tonight?" groaned Nick, "Besides, I heard this place is mostly predators, which means it's probably a little too rough and tumble for an innocent doe like you."

"Awe, come on, Dalton has to close tonight, and I'm bored."

"If you kits are talking about The Howling Wolf Tavern, Janae will be fine. It's quite the happening place," said Bonnie, grinning.

"Mom!"

"What, dear? It's been years, but when some of the girls I grew up with would come to visit, we used to go there and shake a little tail."

"Mom, please!" pleaded Lucas as he used his paws to block the sight of his mom wiggling her tail, "No upstanding bun in their right mind would go anywhere near that place, I heard they hired rats to run the kitchen."

Huffing, Bonnie shot back, "Yes, they did, and I hear Remy is quite the chef. You should broaden your horizons and try a new place. As a matter of fact…"

…..

Notebook in paw, Judy reached up to knock on Toni's door, when just as her knuckles met the wood, the door opened.

"Hi, Judy! Come in," said Toni as she ushered Judy into the small house and gave her a hug.

Judy nuzzled Toni back and followed her toward the living room.

"Where are Aidan and Tyler?"

Toni smiled, "I thought us vixens could use some alone time, so Walter's taken the boys out for pizza and a movie. It's just us tonight."

As Judy stepped into the living room, she went wide-eyed. Toni had gone all out; there were chips and dip, potato skins, deviled eggs, fried pickles, a bowl of mixed fruit, hush puppies, a cheese platter, and on the table next to the couch, a plate of grilled shrimp.

"Are there other people coming, it looks like you're expecting all the does in my family to be here?"

"No, I'm sorry, I was just so excited you were coming over to talk, I cooked everything I could think of. Growing up, it was just my four brothers and me, and then when Walter and I had kits, they were both boys, and with being so busy all the time, I've never really had a girlfriend that I could talk about this kind of stuff with."

Judy moved a tray of vegetarian sushi off the couch and sat down, leaving enough room for Toni to sit next to her.

Toni lifted a plate off the coffee table, "Stuffed celery?"

Judy shook her head, "I'm good, thanks."

"There's a cooler with some drinks on the floor there if you'd like something to drink."

"Thanks," said Judy as she reached down and pulled out a carrot juice, popped off the lid, and took a drink.

"You're welcome. And now that we're comfortable let's talk about you jumping Nick's bones."

Judy coughed and almost spat her drink out. And then, eyes bugged out, she coughed again, "W-what?"

Toni reached over and patted Judy on the back to help her with her coughing fit. "You know, the nasty, doing the deed, horizontal mambo, uh, sex."

Judy coughed again, "I'm a bunny, I know what it means, *cough* I just thought there was other stuff we'd be talking about before that."

"Oh."

Judy grabbed a napkin and wiping her muzzle, looked over at Toni, "You said you were the only girl in your family growing up, right?"

"Yeah."

"Your mom didn't talk to you about this stuff?"

"No, she was working that day, so my dad explained it all to me, and later I heard my older brothers talk a lot about it too."

"Okay, look, in my health class, they talked to us about all sorts of things, like how it's important to be in a serious relationship, and to talk with your future mate about having kits, and birth control, and STDs, and budgeting for your family, and being emotionally ready for such a big step, and how to care for multiple litters in diapers. You know, stuff like that."

"Oh."

Judy watched the wheels turn as Toni walked through everything she'd just said, and then after a few moments, Toni shrugged and asked, "So, are you good on all that stuff?"

Judy thought for a few seconds and then opened her notebook and grabbed her pen. She scanned down the first page of the notes she'd prepared, marked through a bullet point, and then tapped her pen on the page a few times before deciding to check something else off.

Toni grabbed some celery and slowly nibbled on it as she watched Judy flip through page after page in her notebook, stopping every now and then to add a note or mark through something.

Judy finally closed her notebook and said, "Yeah, I think so."

Toni raised an eyebrow, "You're sure?"

Judy nodded, "Yup, I think I'm ready to hear how I jump Nick's bones."

Toni clapped her paws together, "Oh goody, this is going to be so much fun."

…..

"I can't believe Mom's making me go to a bar," groused Lucas, "whose Mom does that anyway?"

"Oh, stop it. It'll be fun."

Janae's phone vibrated. Picking it up, she saw that Dalton had texted her.

"Hey, no texting and driving, eyes on the road, or I'll tell Mom," mock-warned Nick trying to keep a stern look on his muzzle.

"Thbpbpthpt."

"Nice, if you can see through all the spit on the windshield, The Howling Wolf is right over there."

Janae pulled the truck over, and as Nick and Lucas got out, she took another look at her phone. Reading the short message, Janae yelled out the open passenger side window, "Nick, Lucas, I gotta go!" And then smirking as both boys tried to put their muzzles back through the window, she yelled, "Dalton said he needs help with a broken fire extinguisher and he's all alone in the store, so I'll be back in a few hours. You kits have fun."

Nick stared at the receding truck and then turned to the last mammal on Earth he wanted to spend time in a bar with, and said, "After you."

…..

Toni picked up an old book from the table and handed it to Judy, "This should help. Flip to the pink tab."

Judy opened the book up and watched as Toni leaned over and pointed at the diagram displayed on the page. "Okay, here is a diagram that shows all the girl parts."

"Uh, Toni, I'm probably good on girl parts, if you want to skip ahead a little."

"Yeah, right, sorry. The last time I did this, it was with Aidan and Tyler." Toni reached over and opened the book to the blue tab. "Here are the boy parts."

Toni pointed, "Teeth, claws, tail, and right there is the important part. Here's the before, and," tapping another drawing, "this is the after."

Judy nodded, "Yeah, they showed us diagrams like that in health class, except… this looks, um, different than I remember?"

Toni hummed as she pointed to a third diagram, "Well, uh, that sort of happens, you know, just before, uh, the good part."

Judy lifted the book closer so she could see the diagram better, read the tiny text description, and then with a gulp, quickly set the book down.

"Um, Toni, about that," Judy said pointing to the diagram. "What's going on here?"

"Well, Judy, when a boy fox loves a girl fox, and they want to have baby foxes, the boy parts–"

"Toni, I'm a bunny, I may not have ever, you know, but I know how it works, or at least I thought I did. What I meant is," Judy said as she pointed to the drawing, "I uh, remember the diagrams of boy parts they showed us in health class, and they showed how, uh, tab A would fit into slot B, what I don't remember is anything about um, tab A having a… locking device."

Waving a paw at the boy diagram, Judy asked, "Are you sure this isn't some sort of EyeKEA assembly diagram? I mean, seriously, how does that work?"

Toni chuckled, "Don't worry, with practice, you'll be able to fit the tabs and slots together just fine. Later though, when you're done with the project assembly, it may take some time before the locking device, uh, let's you disassemble anything. You could try forcing it, but you might, um, damage the parts, so it's better to be patient because eventually everything comes apart on its own."

Judy chewed her lip, "Like a minute, eventually?"

"Maybe a little longer."

"So, like, five minutes, eventually?"

"Uh, closer to twenty or twenty-five minutes, eventually."

"Oh."

"And… it could be longer if you…" Toni turned the page so that Judy could see a paw drawn diagram in pencil with some notes on it, "…do that."

Judy's eyes went wide, and after a few moments, Toni turned to another drawing. Pointing to an even more elaborate diagram, she said, "Walter and I have assembled this a few times. Once, we ended up with everything, uh, locked together for almost forty minutes."

Judy put her paws up to her muzzle and started to blush.

Toni, seeing the shock on Judy's face, reached over to close the book on Judy's lap when Judy caught her paw mid-motion and said, "Wait."

Picking the book up again, Judy examined the color-coded diagram a little more closely and then turned the book sideways and furrowed her brow.

After another minute or so of watching Judy concentrate, Toni put her paw on Judy's arm and asked, "Everything okay?"

Judy nodded quickly and then closed the book and handed it back to Toni, "Yeah, I think I've got it."

Judy reached over to the table, picked up her still cold bottle of carrot juice and downed it in a single go.

Toni watched her friend set the empty down and asked, "Need something stronger?"

"No, no, I, uh, I'm good, I think, but maybe, if you don't mind, can I borrow that book for a little while?"

"Of course."

"You said almost forty minutes, right?"

…..

Following Lucas in, Nick grinned as memories of some entertaining bar hustles came rushing back. Stepping past the bouncer with a nod, Nick let his eyes adjust as he listened to a twentysomething red-furred jaguarundi queen, with a pretty decent voice, singing 'What's Up' from one of his favorite all-female bands. Letting his tail wag to the beat, he wished Carrots were here, she'd had to hip-bump him to get him to dance to Gazelle, but this, he'd dance to no problem.

Making his way over to where Lucas was sitting at the bar, Nick hopped up onto a stool and turned to watch the jaguarundi step back with the live band and belt out another verse.

"Welcome to the Howling Wolf Tavern…"

Turning around, Nick saw a blue-eyed, mottled black and light brown rabbit doe with a bandanna holding her left ear down, making eyes at Lucas.

"My name's Andie, what can I get you two?"

Nick glanced at Lucas, who had suddenly gone shy, and then back to the doe, and said, "Hi Andie, I'm Nick, and this is Lucas, how about a Herdinger for me and a Laughing Doe IPA for my good friend."

Andie, never taking her eyes off Lucas, said, "You got it," and went to fetch their drinks.

Nick watched Lucas watch Andie and listened with half an ear as the jaguarundi wrapped up her song to a room full of clapping mammals.

A moment later, Andie returned and setting two bottles down, she winked at Lucas and said, "A Doe for you, and a near-beer for your fox friend, wave me down if you want anything else."

Nick smirked as he turned away from the now blushing buck, and watched as another mammal stepped up on the stage and made ready to sing.

…..

Having finished her second carrot juice and cracked open a third, Judy took a deep breath to steady herself and said, "Alright, that's a lot different than anything I've ever heard any of my sisters talk about."

Toni patted Judy on the knee and asked, "I take it, you've never had a boyfriend before?"

Judy's ears fell as she shook her head and whispered, "No."

Toni looked Judy in the eyes and said, "Well, you have a boyfriend now, and as us vixens say, all you have to do is mark him, claim him and wrap your tail around him, and he's yours. So, why don't you tell me how rabbits do it and then we'll figure out a plan from there."

Judy chuckled as she wiggled her tail and said, "Well, for certain, I won't be able to do the tail part."

"I'm pretty sure from what I saw when you guys were over, that Nick likes your tail just the way it is. How about marking, how does that work for rabbits?"

Taking another swig of juice, Judy replied, "Once rabbits decide to become mates, they'll mark each other, usually on their mating night, but definitely while mating. A rabbit's scent glands are under our chins, so we mark the tops of each other's heads.

"Marking is what we do instead of exchanging rings, although, a few rabbits, mostly the city ones, do that sometimes too. Out in the Burrows, rabbits mark each other and save the money they'd spend on rings so they can have more kits sooner."

Toni hmm-ed and then asked, "Anything special about engagements?"

"Eh, there's nothing formal. Sometimes a doe will wear an ear bangle, but that's more of a dating thing. Right ear means you're not in a relationship, left ear means you're taken."

Nodding, Toni said, "Foxes don't have the ears for bangles, so we take our time dating and then mark each other as part of getting engaged. Our scent glands are in our cheeks, so we mark each other on the neck and muzzle, and," clearing her throat, "not that Walter and I didn't, but it's not required that a fox couple mark each other while mating."

"What's Claiming then?"

"Claiming is what foxes do on their mating night," and then smirked, "along with a lot of marking and making out."

Judy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, rabbits are pretty good at that part too."

"I bet, I heard that rabbits were experts at…"

"Hey, hey, no math jokes."

"Okay, Claiming. It would probably be easier if I showed you." Toni slid her tank top strap out of the way, giving Judy a clear view of her shoulder, and then separating her fur so Judy could see the barest outline of a U-shaped scar, she said, "This, right here, is from a claiming bite."

Judy's eyes went wide as she saw the faint scar on the fleshy part of Toni's exposed shoulder.

"You did that on your mating night?"

"Yup."

"Can I touch it?"

"Go ahead."

Judy felt along the edges of the claiming mark, and then separating through more of her friend's thick fur, she noticed that Toni had a newer bite mark healing very near the much older scar. "I thought you said that Claiming only happens on your mating night, this bite mark looks like it's only a few weeks old."

…..

Nick shook his head and leaned over to Lucas, "I don't know about that guy, he may not want to quit his day job."

Lucas downed the last of his beer, "Yeah, there are some days I wish these didn't work as well as they do," waggling his ears and chuckling.

Nick nudged Lucas with his elbow, "She's coming back…"

Lucas grunted, "Look fox, that may have worked on Janae, but you can leave me the hell alone. I'm out of here as soon as our ride comes back."

"Another round?"

Nick nodded, "Definitely, he is so sorely in need of a Doe."

Andie smirked, "Really, now? Not too many bucks would think to look for a doe in a predator bar."

"Oooo," Nick hummed.

Lucas glared at the smiling fox next to him for a moment, and then said, "Who says I'm not a predator?"

Andie laughed, "Here you go," sliding a bottle over to Lucas, "on the house, predator to predator."

Lucas took a drink, and then watching Andie hop away, he almost coughed his beer out when she looked back, winked, and gave him a little tail wiggle.

Quickly turning to face the stage, Lucas tried to wipe the grin off his face, and then hearing a familiar snicker, whispered out the side of his mouth, "One word from you fox, and no one will ever find the body."

Before Nick could do anything more than smirk in reply, the club's DJ, stepped out onto the stage with a microphone and said, "A certain doe just told me that we have some fresh meat at the Wolf." The DJ snapped his fingers, and a spotlight shone on Nick and Lucas, "Everybody, put your paws together, let's see if we can't get the town's newest pred to sing us a tune."

The club erupted with clapping as an old wolf walked over to the club's newest additions and looking at Nick, said, "How about it?"

Nick waved his paws, "No, no, no, you've got the wrong mammal here, no one wants to hear a fox sing. But if you're looking for a mammal who can sing, my friend here," pointing at Lucas, "he's your pred."

Lucas' eyes bulged, and he started to wave his paws too, "No, uhh…"

The wolf shook his head, "Boys, somebody's gotta sing, them's the rules."

Nick waved Lucas toward the stage, "For the honor of your family, take one for the bunny nation, and all that jazz."

"Come on, Lucas!" clapped Andie, bouncing behind the bar.

Lucas looked at the excited doe, slammed the rest of his beer, and stood up. A few whoops and hollers were added to the clapping as Lucas pointed two fingers at his eyes and then at Nick, saying, "You and me, fox…"

Once on the stage, the DJ started to help Lucas select a song when Andie leaned over the bar and yelled out, "You know what it's gotta be."

Lucas looked confused, but the DJ gave Andie a thumbs up, made a selection on the Karaoke machine, and then handing Lucas a microphone, stepped back with the band.

Andie started to laugh as Lucas looked at the screen to see which song the DJ had picked, and then seeing what it was, he put his paws on his hips and scowled at the laughing doe.

She screamed out, "Come on, Lucas, everyone has to sing it their first time."

Lucas took a deep breath and looking right at Andie; he started to sing a cappella, "Can anybun," Lucas cleared his throat, "find me… a mammal to…"

"…love," sang the backup singers from behind him.

Lucas looked over at the band's pianist as he played the beginning cords, and then he put the mic back up to his muzzle and sang out, "Each morning I wake up I die a little…"

Andie stopped laughing, and her jaw dropped open, "Whoa," slapping Nick in the arm, she yelled over the crowd noise, "he's good, really good."

Nick was too stunned to reply. He'd been kidding about Lucas being able to sing, or so he'd thought, the buck's voice was terrific.

As Lucas continued to sing, the backup singers added their voices to the stanzas, and then the crowd started getting into the music, swaying and dancing, and some even joined in as a chorus with the backup singers.

Once Lucas had reached the end of the second verse and paused, Andie, cupped her paws around her muzzle and screamed out, "Louder!"

Lucas, now focusing on Andie, moved around the small stage and started to get into the song. Andie was behind the bar, laughing and clapping. Nick was getting into the beat too, clapping and watching everyone in the bar as more and more joined in on the dancing.

"Aye, aye, aye, aye."

Andie watched with Nick until the song ended. As the final words rang out, and the band went quiet, Lucas pulled the microphone down and did a quick little hop and waved his free paw to all the mammals in the bar.

As he started to step down from the stage, the DJ halted him with a booming request, "Hey everybody, let's see if we can talk this buck into another song. Come on, everyone, make some noise."

The whole bar, including Nick, started clapping and cheering. Nick threw in a few fox whistles just to help. Of course, Lucas heard him and gave him another 'You and me, after this is over' gesture.

Shrugging his shoulders, Lucas stepped back on the stage, and covering the microphone, turned to the DJ, "What do you want me to sing?"

The DJ pointed at the screen as the new song's lyrics flashed up.

Lucas read the title and then shook his head, "I can't, that's a duet."

"I know," speaking into the microphone, the DJ looked at the doe behind the bar and yelled out to the crowd, "Come on, everyone, clap, we need Andie up here to help our boy out with this next song."

Andie's unbound ear shot up as she heard her name called out, and then she blushed as everyone clapped, hooted, and hollered for her to sing. Andie forced her ear to drop back down as the wolf owner came over and gently took her paw and led her up to the stage.

Standing facing Lucas, she picked up a microphone, and without taking her eyes off the buck, she waved for the band to start. As the first notes began to play, she smiled, they knew this was her favorite song.

Nick chuckled to himself as the band started up, they must have a thing for movie tunes because he'd just heard this song the other night when he'd watched the new Rabunzel movie with the kits.

Putting her paw on Lucas's chest, Andie started softly singing, "All those days watching from the window …"

As her part of the duet went on, Andie's voice grew louder to match the feeling of the song, and as Lucas's part neared, the buck stayed focused on the doe in front of him and the touch of her paw that warmed his heart.

Nick couldn't believe his ears or his eyes. Andie's voice was as sweet and powerful as Lucas' was amazing. Nick, along with the rest of the bar, was mesmerized by the doe's beautiful voice, and the wonder only increased as Lucas put a paw on Andie's cheek and sang, "All those days chasing down a daydream…"

Andie moved closer to Lucas, staring up at him as he finished his solo, and then they both looked deeply into each other's eyes and sang the final verse of the duet together. As the music faded and the two rabbits continued to look at each other in the eyes, the tavern erupted in applause. The DJ came up behind the couple and putting an arm around each of them, had them take a bow to the still roaring, and howling, crowd.

Nick was up on his feet clapping when Lucas slipped back on his stool, and Andie slid back behind the bar. Watching Lucas' tail vibrate as he kept watching Andie behind the bar, and seeing the doe keep an equally close eye on Lucas, Nick had to laugh, 'Another one bites the dust.'

Nick broke into Lucas's thoughts, "You two sounded terrific together, you should try out for 'Bunnyburrow's Got Talent' or whatever the local version of that show's called here."

Lucas, still lost in thought, answered, "Yeah…"

Nick looked over toward Andie again, and as he caught her brushing back her uncovered, red-tinged ear, he leaned close to Lucas and said, "You should ask her out."

"What…, no I don't think so, she's pretty cute, I'm, you know."

Nick leaned closer to Lucas so only he could hear him, "Buddy, the way she's undressing you with her eyes, I'm surprised you have a shred of clothing left on. Trust this former con-fox, she's into you."

Lucas mumbled a, "We'll see," and then played with the bottle of beer that had been waiting for him.

Taking a sip of his Herdinger, Nick turned to the fidgeting buck and said, "Thanks again for cleaning up my car, I still owe you a solid for that."

"Thank Sunni, I hated to see her that upset."

Nick chuckled, "But an upset fox is okay?"

Lucas lifted his beer and tapped Nick's bottle, "Goes without saying."

Nick saw the smirk on Lucas' face and asked, "How did you clean that mess off, I figured I'd have to have the whole car repainted."

Lucas shrugged, "My older brother David showed me. His litter had all gone in together when they turned sixteen and bought a car. It got tagged one night while he was out with a friend. I helped him clean the paint off with Carnauba wax, you have to use a lot of it, and it takes a little elbow grease, but it cleans the spray paint right off."

Nick did a double-take, "You said your older brother's car was tagged? I mean, I know why my car was targeted, but why your brother's?"

Lucas hesitated, but then decided to answer, "I'm not supposed to know what happened, but it was because of someone he was trying to date years ago, a few of the rabbits in town didn't approve and gave him a hard time." Lucas drew a circle in a small spill on the counter with his claw and then added, "He passed when I was barely fifteen, and his littermates all left a few years later.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Yeah, when they left, I suddenly became the oldest kit in the family."

Lucas fiddled with his beer as Nick tapped a claw on the counter. Finally, Nick spoke up, "Can I ask why you're so hard on Judy?"

Balling up his fist and shaking it in frustration, he replied, "Judy made it, she achieved her dream, she didn't let anyone stand in her way." Sighing, Lucas said a little softer, "I guess I'm a little jealous. Mom and Dad are getting older, and ever since Judy left, more of my siblings have been talking about following her. Not as cops, but they aren't planning on staying here on the farm either."

Nick nodded, "Are you worried you're going to be stuck here while everyone else leaves?"

"Something like that. Someone needs to stay and take care of the farm and the family, if I don't stay and watch out for everything when Mom and Dad can't, then the family will fall apart. It's all on me. When I was a kit, I had big dreams too, but ever since Judy left for school, I've had to give up on them and take care of the family.

"I envy her, she's free to do anything she wants, be anyone she wants, and she doesn't have to worry about what happens to the family back here in Bunnyburrow."

Nick sighed, put an arm on Lucas' shoulder, and said, "You and your sister are more alike than you can imagine. You both love your family and would do anything to protect them." Chuckling a little, Nick said, "I think you both would have made good foxes, we're very family-oriented too, you know."

Lucas chuckled, "Yeah, I've noticed, Sunni's got you wrapped around her finger like no one's business."

"Hey, you try saying 'no' to a Hopps doe…" Seeing Andie head their way, Nick motioned to Lucas and said, "Speaking of does a guy can't say no to, here comes yours."

Andie stopped in front of the blushing buck and asked, "Hi boys, am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope," both Nick and Lucas said in unison.

"Good, because the bands about to start playing again, and they asked if I could talk you into singing another couple of songs," and then putting her paw on Lucas', she gave him big eyes and asked, "another duet, maybe?"

Nick laughed as Lucas immediately hopped up and headed to the stage with Andie for another round of Karaoke.

…..

Toni pulled her strap back up and straightened her top while Judy waited. "Usually, but sometimes couples renew their claiming marks, um, not a big deal." Toni looked away and readjusted her top again for no reason.

Judy, seeing all the fidgeting, asked, "Toni, is something wrong?"

Toni shook her head and turned away.

Judy scooted closer and put a paw on her friend's leg, "Did something bad happen, something that has to do with your new claiming mark?"

Toni sniffed, "I'm sorry, tonight's about you and Nick, not me and my problems."

"Toni, you're my friend, please tell me what happened."

Taking a drink from her cup, Toni gathered herself and then replied, "Some young couples don't go through with Claiming, they think it's barbaric or all about dominance, but it's not, it's about being part of something more than just yourself, it's declaring you're mates, and you're family.

"Back before civilization, mates didn't wear rings, the claiming mark was the only way others knew that foxes were mates. And unlike marking, which fades, Claiming is permanent and instinctual, once done, no fox would dare touch another fox that's been Claimed or try to interfere with their relationship or their family."

Toni steadied herself and then looking down at her lap she spoke, "Judy, that day when we first met and Officer Garrison threatened to take my boys away, I was terrified. After you left, I hid with my boys in their bedroom, I was crying, and I know I scared them. I spent the rest of the day marking them every time I saw them. It got so bad, they started dodging me in the house.

"That night I couldn't sleep, I was still so upset that Walter spent most of the night consoling me. Nothing really worked until Walter pulled me up, held my paws, and gave me a kiss.

"I started to pull away from him, and I told him that a kiss wasn't going to help anything.

"Instead of letting me go, he looked me in the eyes and slowly recited the vows we said to each other at our mating ceremony. Then he told me that we were family, and no one could break us apart."

Rubbing the scar on her shoulder, Toni smiled as she said, "We Claimed each other again that night. I'd forgotten what it felt like, but as soon as the Claims were renewed, everything felt right, I was his, and he was mine, and together, as family, we'd always be strong enough to keep our boys safe, no matter the threat."

Judy was almost in tears at hearing what Toni went through, "I'm so sorry, I feel awful that I didn't stop Garrison from her rant. I should have done more to keep her from scaring you guys, she was so far out of line, it was all my fault."

Toni hushed Judy with a hug and then rocking back and forth holding her friend, said, "I didn't mean to tell you about that day because there was anything you could have done to stop that horrible female, I only told you because you need to know how some foxes feel about Claiming."

…..

"Hi boys, did you have fun? Mom's right, this place looks pretty cool," said Janae as she came up to Nick and Lucas sitting at the bar.

"Ugh, don't remind me about Mom, her tail wiggle is going to be in my nightmares for a week."

"Did I hear someone talking about tails?" broke in a voice from behind the bar.

"Please, no. Andie, this is my sister, Janae."

Nick watched as Andie instantly put out a paw for Janae, but Janae stood frozen, staring at Andie's ear cover.

"Uhhh," grunted Janae as she tried to recover and shake the doe's paw. Unfortunately, Andie's face fell, as did her paw, and then she looked at Lucas, mumbled something, and hurried away.

Lucas quickly leaned over the bar and yelling, "Andie," as he waved his paw, trying to get her to look his way. Failing, Lucas sighed, stood up, and pushed past his sister, "Come on, let's go."

Janae looked back toward the doe, sagged and plodded after her brother.

Nick, looked back and forth among all the rabbits, and not having any idea what just happened, followed Janae outside… into an argument.

"What the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry, she caught me off guard, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Well, you could've fooled me, how would you feel if I treated Dalton like that, huh? You'd be pretty pissed too."

"I said I'm sorry, I'll go in and apologize if you think it will help."

"No, that'll just make things worse," replied Lucas as he opened the truck door and got in.

Nick watched as Janae, ears droopy, slowly made her way around the truck and got in too. Standing alone for a few moments on the sidewalk, Nick finally shook his head and climbed in the back seat.

Janae hesitated to start the truck, looked at Lucas and said, "I can–"

"Just drive."

Starting the engine, Janae was about to put the truck in gear when everyone heard a knock on Lucas' window.

Lucas hurriedly opened the window and smiled as Andie stood waiting for him. "Lucas, sorry I ran away, it's just," looking at Janae, Andie nodded, "you know."

Lucas put a paw on Andie's cheek and said, "You're beautiful."

Andie smiled shyly, pulled out a piece of paper, and handing it to Lucas, said, "That's my number, give me a call," and then pulling Lucas' muzzle to hers, she gave him a quick kiss and bounced away."

Janae waited until Lucas had finished following Andie's tail all the way into the bar and then started the truck moving.

"Okay, confused fox here, what just happened?"

Janae smirked, "Well, when a girl bunny likes a boy bunny…"

"No, before that part, what were you two arguing about?"

Janae took a breath, "That was my fault, I was rude–"

"Yes, you were."

"Sorry already. I said I was caught off guard."

"About what?" asked Nick.

"Her ear–"

Lucas huffed, "She has an Auricula tear, said it happened in an accident."

Janae put a paw to her muzzle, "Oh, no, I didn't know it was something that bad."

"Yeah, it's why she's working at a predator bar," glaring at sister, "she doesn't want other rabbits looking down on her or pitying her. And she's tired of bucks thinking she's easy or desperate because of her injury."

Nick, totally confused, asked, "Why, just because her ear's hurt, that doesn't make any sense."

Janae retorted, "How would it be for a fox if your tail went lame or was accidentally cut off?"

Nick grabbed his tail protectively, "Oh."

"Yeah, ears are important in a lot of ways to rabbits, hearing obviously, but they're also super sensitive to touch."

"Janae, he's a fox."

Ignoring her brother, Janae continued, "Rabbits don't let just anyone touch their ears, that kind of petting is usually only between mates or someone we're very serious about. And when something happens to damage an ear, other rabbits think you're broken, or handicapped, or that you can never be cute."

"Andie's cuter than any doe I've ever seen before," growled Lucas, "even with a lame ear."

"So why doesn't she go see a doctor and get it fixed?" asked Nick.

Janae groaned as Lucas said, "Fixing damage like that on a rabbit takes a special kind of surgery, one that only a few of the best surgeons in the Commonwealth know how to perform. And even if she could find a doctor good enough, the procedure isn't covered by insurance because it's considered cosmetic."

Nick went silent for a moment and then tapped his muzzle a few times, "So, let me get this straight, all you need is a top-notch, Commonwealth certified, cosmetic surgeon willing to work on a mammal that isn't covered by insurance?"

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, I'd give anything to be able to help Andie, I'm just stuck in this–"

"Nick, what's so funny?" interrupted Janae, looking at a laughing fox in her rearview mirror.

Catching his breath, Nick leaned his muzzle in-between the two rabbits, slapped Lucas on the back, and said, "I know a guy."

…..

"So, is that it?"

"Yup, I mean, if you two weren't already practically mates, there would be a couple of dating things, but you guys are way past that."

Judy furrowed her brow, "Well, we've really only gone out on one official date. Nick cooked me a wonderful dinner at a restaurant a friend of his owns." Thinking back, Judy smiled, "Nick really went all out, I've never had such a delicious meal in my whole life and to think he cooked it all just for me."

Toni gushed, "You're so lucky, Nick sounds so wonderful and thoughtful." Smirking a little, Toni said, "I waited and waited for Walter to cook me a Courting meal, but he can be a little slow at times, so instead of smacking him in the back of the head, I went ahead and cooked one for him." Smiling as she thought about her and Walter's Courting meal, and especially about what happened afterward, Toni practically cooed.

Judy stared at her friend as a wistful look crept across her face. Judy could tell Toni was ears over tail in love with her mate. And as she continued to watch Toni, she started to blush as she thought about her and Nick and how wonderful a time they'd had after their Courting meal. He was such a great kisser and–

"Courting meal? Toni, what's a Courting meal?"

Toni broke out of her reverie and tried to shake her head clear. "What?"

"You said 'Courting meal,' what's a Courting meal?"

Looking a little confused, Toni replied, "It's what you said Nick cooked for you." Pausing, Toni saw the blank stare on Judy's face. "Okay, the Courting meal starts the courting process between foxes. It's our way of agreeing to be exclusive and start formal dating. Nick invited you to the dinner, cooked for you, and if you accept the meal and his invitation to date, then you've agreed to be exclusive and move to the next step in your relationship."

"How does someone accept the meal?"

Toni chuckled a little, "Well, besides the eating, usually there's a make-out session afterward, maybe more depending on how dense your boyfriend is and how much of a signal he needs to let him know that you're interested in being exclusive." Toni chewed her lip and added coyly, "Walter was kind of dense and needed a pretty strong signal."

Judy put her paws up to her muzzle, "Oh no, that was a Courting meal…" looking at Toni in horror, she said, "and afterward we made out." Judy covered her face, "I accepted the meal, I did everything you said. I'm the most horrible mammal in the world."

Judy started sobbing as Toni put an arm around her shoulders, "What's wrong, you did everything right, why are you so upset?"

"You don't understand, I accepted the meal…"

"Yeah."

"And then the next day, I broke up with him. I told him we couldn't be together, I broke his heart."

"Oh, Judy, you didn't."

"I didn't know that's what it was, I didn't know. I keep hurting him, every time he does something wonderful, I ruin it. How can he stand to be around me?"

Toni pulled the now crying bunny in for a hug. "Oh, Judy…"

Toni rocked a little on the couch as she continued to try and console her friend until a lightbulb went off. "Wait a second, you didn't know? He never told you it was a Courting meal?"

Sniffling, Judy shook her head against Toni's chest and said, "Uh-uh, he never said anything, I just thought it was a really nice date."

Toni pushed Judy back so she could look her in the eyes, "Judy, your boyfriend is an idiot."

"What?"

"I said, Nick is an idiot. He cooked you a Courting meal and didn't tell you what it was, how were you supposed to know?" Taking a deep breath, she huffed, "And I'll bet he's never told you what it means that you've been petting his tail the way you have been either, has he?"

Judy wiped her eyes and looking confused, shook her head.

"Males, I thought Walter was dense, but your fox takes the cake.

"Judy, it wasn't your fault, you didn't know," picking up Judy's paws Toni smiled, "Don't you worry about a thing, I've got a couple of ideas on how us vixens can teach your tod a lesson in how it's supposed to be done."

…..

DeannART, over on DeviantArt, created a fun piece of fanart for this chapter. If you'd like to see his work, it's located here: www{dot}deviantart{dot}com/mikey2084/art/Vixen-to-Vixen-856921424