Disclaimer: Zootopia and all Canon characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, and copyrights belong to their respective owners.
…..
Nick sighed as he cuddled around his sleeping mate and focused on falling back asleep.
Saturdays were the best for sleeping in, well, next to Sundays, that is. Yeah, Wednesdays were up there somewhere too, but for sure Saturdays.
"Mommy, Daddy, wake up, wake up."
Okay, so not everyone in this house enjoyed sleeping in as much as he did.
whoomph* *whoomph* *oomph*
Nick caught the last of his leaping kits midair, keeping a now squirming, red-furred doe from landing on her sleeping mother.
"Careful Angel, you almost landed on your mom and woke her up."
" 's okay, I'm awake," came a sleepy voice from under the covers.
"Mom, can I rub your belly?" asked a gray-furred tod. "It's so big."
Judy groaned as she gently turned onto her back, "Yeah, and it's all your father's fault."
"I distinctly remember it being a joint project," replied Nick, kissing Judy and marking the top of her head.
"I suppose," said Judy, pulling up her sleeping t-shirt and guiding her son's paw to the side of her belly. "Gently now, Jonathan. You should be able to feel one of your new sisters right about… here."
"I want a new brother," said a tri-colored, gray, rust, and black-furred bunny doe as she roughly rubbed a different part of Judy's belly.
"Gently, Sarah, you don't want to wake your brothers… uuuhhh… up."
"You okay?" asked Nick.
"Yeah, I… oohhhhh, uhhhh," groaned Judy as her muzzle scrunched up in pain.
"Drive faster. Go through the lights if you have to," groaned Judy between panting breaths.
"Don't worry, Carrots, we're almost—"
rattle* *click* *squeeeeeak*
"Oh, no. What's wrong with the car!?"
…..
"Hey! What are you doing? You're not allowed in the teen section!" yelled Zach as Nick's bedroom door was cracked open, and a stream of light showed a young bunny doe's paw on the handle.
'I'm still in bed,' thought Nick, cuddled against his bunny.
"I am too allowed. I'm on a special mission for the Sheriff."
'Sunni.'
"Yeah, we're all wearing our badges 'cause it's police busyness," huffed another doe.
"Sasha," whispered Nick.
"So thhffft, you have to leave us alone, or the Sheriff will 'rest you."
"Tell Susan to be quiet. I'm asleep," grumbled Judy.
"Oh no," whisper-shouted Nick. "Wake-up call."
"Whaaat?" was all Judy got out before she was unceremoniously pushed to the backside of the bed and covered up with a blueberry-themed comforter.
All except her feet.
Door wide open now, Nick blinked out the sleep from his eyes and said, "Hi guys, kind of early, isn't it?"
"Nope," said Sunni, stepping forward and saluting. "I have an important message from the Sheriff. He said you are 'spossed to be in his office at twelve oh clock."
"Nuh-uh," said Susan. "He said noon, that's different."
"Twelve oh clock," countered Sunni.
Facing off now and totally missing a pair of bunny feet sliding out of sight under the bedcovers, Susan took a breath and—
"Guys, it's the same thing," interrupted Nick.
Sasha stepped forward, "The Sheriff said you and Judy are supposed to talk to him before you instigate anything."
"Investigate?" asked Nick.
"Yeah," said Sunni. "That too."
"Okay. Did he say why?"
"Nope," replied Sunni. "'xcept Raven's not home yet."
"She must be having some luck with the claw tip, and Hoofson doesn't want us talking to anyone until she's got something for him," said Nick.
"What?" asked Sunni.
"Nothing. Anything else?"
"Chores!" said all three does in unison.
Nick groaned a two-toned groan.
Checking her notepad, Sunni said, "First, the bathrooms…"
"Mom said no bubble fights this time," added Sasha to a combo groan and snicker from Nick.
"…and Mom has a special job for you before you go to work," finished Sunni.
"What about Judy?" griped Nick. "If I have to do chores, she should too.
"Ow."
"Yup," said Susan, "since Janae's gone helping Dalton, Judy has to help with the bathrooms."
"And Mom wants her to do the special job too," said Sasha.
Flipping her carrot-themed notebook closed and slipping it under her arm, Sunni saluted again and said, "We're waking her up next."
"No, no," said Nick sitting up, "I'll wake her up for you. I'm good at it. Ow, Ow. And I'll make sure she knows all about the chores."
Sunni's eyes narrowed, "And the Sheriff's message?"
"Yup, that too," said Nick, saluting. "You can count on me."
The does all huddled together, and after a few moments of intense discussion, Sunni broke the huddle and said, "Okay. Chores start right after breakfast, and breakfast is over in thirty minutes."
"Nu-uh, Mom said a half hour," huffed Susan.
"Thirty minutes, and then Mom makes the food into leftovers," countered Sunni.
"Unless they have to do paperwork, then Mom said an hour," added Sasha.
"Thirty minutes."
"A half hour!"
"Paperwork," said Nick. "Tell Mom I'll wake Judy up, and we'll be at breakfast as soon as we can. And I promise both of us will be ready to help with chores.
"Ow."
Nick waited until drill instructor Sunni and her team of enforcers left the bedroom before crawling back under his lumpy bedcovers.
"What are you doing?" asked a voice from under the covers.
"Paperwork?" replied Nick, rooting around for bunny lips but running into a soft paw.
"Nick, be serious. We should be working the case, not pretending to do paperwork or spending the whole morning doing dumb chores.
"I can't believe we have to do chores. We should be working the case."
"You heard the Sheriff, we have to wait, and your mom isn't one to let her kits waste their time. You know, idle paws are the devil's workshop."
Judy felt one 'idle' paw start brushing her tail while another guided her into a kiss.
"Hmmm," hummed Judy, breaking the kiss, "Okay, paperwork it is, so how about you show me exactly how devilish your paws can get in fifty-nine and a half minutes."
-/-/-
"Right, left. Right, left. Right, left."
With all the kit's bedrooms tidy and their dirty laundry in the laundry room, Judy marched a train of sullen kits through the warren hallways toward the south bathrooms.
"A left, a left, a left right left. A left, a left, a left right left." intoned Nick, last in the line of 'latrine queens' on their way to their final task of the morning.
"There they were just a-walkin' down the hall, singin'," sang Nick
"Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do," replied the conscript crew.
"Snappin' her gloves and draggin' her brushes, singin'"
"Nick."
"Do wah diddy diddy dum—"
Judy stopped the marching kits, turned around, and stared daggers at Nick.
"—diddy do?" said Nick.
All the kits giggled.
Judy huffed.
Nick gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.
Judy sighed, "Fine. From the top then…"
And Judy led the train of kits through the warren hallways for two full choruses of Nick's brain-worm of a jody call.
…..
"Niiiiick! Mom said no bubble— Aaargh, kits' hold him down, I'm gonna—"
…..
"Judith Laverne Hopps! That better not be the shower sprayer behind your back. My fur is very—"
…..
"NO, No, no, no no no nonononoooooooo… I am so going to get you for that!"
…..
"I thought Judy and Mr. Nick were supposed to be helping us clean, not—"
-/-/-
"Would you please stop with the picnic baskets," huffed Judy. "We're supposed to give those to the Sheriff."
"But I'm hungry, and whatever's in the carrot-themed one smells really good," replied Nick.
"Aaaaarrrgh—"
"Come here Judy, let me take a look at you," said Bonnie, straightening her daughter's uniform. "I can take the waist in a little if you'd like. And the shoulders look a little bulky."
"Mom, it's a uniform, not a modeling outfit. It's fine."
Bonnie huffed, "Just because it's a uniform doesn't mean it shouldn't look nice. Look at Nick's uniform. His is tailored very nicely, slim through the middle enough to show he's fit, but loose enough to chase down a miscreant.
"And…" motioning with her paw for Nick to do a 360, "look at the fit of the slacks and how they accentuate his legs and tail without binding. On the other paw, your slacks are a little wide at the cuffs, and I'm afraid your tail fur will get ruffled with how it fits through the tail hole."
"Mom, please."
Bonnie waved a paw at Nick, who smiled and struck an elegant pose.
Judy groaned. Well, first she stared, then she nibbled at her lower lip while having a naughty thought, which, after a few almost panting breaths, she pushed away. Then she sighed, which was Nick's sign to slowly swish his tail, which caused the naughty thought to sneak back in and demand attention, leading to a facepalm, a pawful of calming breaths, and, finally, the groan.
"How about tonight I start with your spare uniform, and we see how that looks on you? What do you think Nicholas?"
Nick tried not to drool as he nodded.
"Moooom,… Carrot Days is in a week, and after that, Nick and I won't need Bunnyburrow uniforms anymore, so why bother?"
"Don't be silly. I can fix you up so nice the Sheriff wouldn't dare let you leave without offering you both jobs here in Bunnyburrow. Wouldn't that be nice? The kits would love seeing you more."
"Mom."
Bonnie's muzzle formed into a slight pout, then her eyes moistened up, her ears drooped, and her lip quivered until—
"Fine. My spare uniform, but that's it."
"—they're both carrot-themed!"
"I think your mom's trying to bribe the Sheriff into offering you a job. How about we keep the baskets for ourselves and not have to arrest her for a Code 67 with an intent to distribute rhubarb pie."
Parking in front of the Sheriff's Department building, Judy shut off the truck and gave Nick a look.
"Fine," replied Nick, "but you're the one that's going to have to explain to all the little kits how visiting hours work at the jailhouse."
"Baskets. Now."
"Yes, ma'am."
…..
Stopping in the empty reception area, Nick set the picnic baskets on the side table next to a new coffeemaker and poured himself a cup of brew.
"Coffee for lunch?" said Judy.
"Yup. Come to Papa," said Nick, holding a strawberry cooler out for his partner. "This is what being a cop is all about."
Shaking her head, Judy turned Nick toward her and gave him a once-over. She brushed a few red furs off his shoulder, smoothed his shirt down, and then used her fingers to comb back the fur on his cheek going back to his ear. "You know, Mom was right, you look pretty good in that uniform."
Dropping his Styrofoam cup in the trash, Nick smiled and said, "She was totally wrong about you, though, I still think you look pretty hot in yours as-is."
Judy rolled her eyes, "Right. Come on, it's almost noon."
Turning to knock on the Sheriff's door, Judy felt her paw, knuckles almost touching the wood, suddenly encapsulated by a larger red-furred paw.
"Wha—" was all she got out before feeling lips on hers, wanting more than just a stealthy kiss. Feeling her fox pull her in close, Judy's arms, frozen in indecision for only a heartbeat, went around Nick's neck and pulled his muzzle in tight against hers. Tongues met and embraced, then explored fangs or buck teeth before dancing a playful tango to music only a couple totally in love could hear and then separated with a mutual sigh.
"Judy Hopps… Saying you're Cute doesn't begin to cover how I feel about you."
Leaning back in, Judy gave Nick a quick peck on the lips and whispered, "Ditto."
After thought-stuttering for a few breaths, Nick smiled and said, "What have I done?"
Giggling, Judy knocked on the Sheriff's door and said, "Yup, totally your fault. And remember, our shift starts in 40 seconds, so best behavior from here on out."
"Eeeeep!"
"20 seconds," replied Nick, pulling his paw back from its 8-6-0-0-7 slash B privilege.
"Come in."
"Good afternoon, Sheriff," said Nick, holding open the door for Judy.
"Afternoon. Is everything all right out there? I thought I heard something."
"Uhhhh," started Judy.
"Yes, sir. Just a spider. My partner here doesn't like spiders."
"You're the one that doesn't like spiders," huffed Judy.
"Right, that's what I meant," said Nick. "Little bugger caught me off guard, all those eyes."
"Sorry about that," said Hoofson as he quickly filled a box marked antiques with two mugs worth of pottery pieces and a tube of super glue.
Setting the box on the floor next to his desk, Hoofson wiped his hooves off on a handkerchief and said, "I'll have to have Wendy spray the office when she's back in tomorrow."
"By the way, Deputy Wilde, the Mayor wanted me to pass on her thanks for helping expedite the approval of Doc Stoan's hospital privileges yesterday. Much appreciated."
"Of course, sir," replied Nick.
"Very good," said Hoofson, brushing some pottery bits off his desk.
"As for you, Deputy Hopps, I took another gander at your report from yesterday. Very nice work, very thorough. A shame though that you couldn't find any evidence of an attack anywhere around the DIggar's Department store."
"Yes sir," said Judy, "but now that we know Dalton had to have been attacked late after he left work, Nick and I should reinvestigate around the Diggar's store before we talk with Courtney."
"It's okay," said Hoofson, putting up a hoof. "Doc Stoan and I took another look around the store and walked the path to the Diggar's house. Neither of us saw anything, although Derek thought he might have caught a whiff or two of cornstarch about a block out from the store. Reminded him a bit of the powder coating on his medical gloves. Unfortunately, it wasn't anything he could exactly put a claw on, and after the first breeze that kicked up, he lost it altogether.
"Which leads me to why I wanted you two to hold off on your chat with Miss Hayes."
"Yes sir," said Judy.
"Raven dropped off her preliminary report on the claw tip at first light this morning," said Hoofson, who, turning to Nick, added, "By the way Wilde, excellent recommendation on her. She's top-notch, and I've already got the CSI boys in Zootopia sniffing around after her."
"Yes sir, I'll warn the motorcycle division to purge their ranks of anything faux leather."
"Very good. As to her findings, Raven said that DNA analysis to find an exact species match usually takes three or four days. Because we needed results fast, she used an experimental technique the ZBI was developing and came up with a rough preliminary on the species family."
Looking again at Nick, Hoofson said, "You may also want to message the ZBI, they're planning on recruiting her too.
"Anyhoo, she confirmed the malnutrition and narrowed the DNA down to it being from a True Fox."
"A true fox," asked Judy, "what's that?"
"True foxes are a group of 12 out of the roughly 37 species of foxes; Arctic, Fennec, Pale, Canus, Cape, Corsac, Tibetan, Swift, Kit, Rueppellii Sand, Bengal, and of course, yours truly Red foxes."
"Yup, puts me in a bit of an awkward situation being as there's only a couple of Red foxes resident in town here."
Judy chuckled momentarily before saying, "Well, I know for certain that Gideon isn't anywhere near having a case of malnutrition, and when we backtracked the trail, we found a spot where it looked like Dalton was dropped. Gideon lugs around enough bags of flour that I don't think he'd have any trouble carrying a hare. I mean, Nick and I can talk with him, but I don't think so."
Nodding, Hoofson said, "That won't be necessary right away. I know for a fact that Gideon is in Burrow's Edge visiting his Uncle because he's picking my mate up a bushel of fresh celeriac knobs. I've also done called Sheriff Lycanfield, and he's verified that Gideon hasn't left his Uncle's place and won't be back here until Tuesday morning."
"Nick and I can talk to him when he gets back. Maybe he knows something about another fox that we don't know."
"And?" drawled Hoofson.
Judy's nose twitched for a moment before she said, "And what?"
"Me," replied Nick. "I think the Sheriff's curious as to my whereabouts when Dalton was being attacked."
"What!" yelled Judy, shooting out of her chair, "You think Nick attacked Dalton? Sweet Butter beans, do you have any idea what you're saying? Nick is a great cop, and he and Dalton are friends. How can you even think Nick could be involved in hurting Dalton or anyone else?"
"Everyone knows I'm strong enough to carry a couple of rabbits on my back for a few miles through the rough forest, so carrying Dalton a few hundred yards would be kit's play for me."
"But…"
"And it was on the news that I shot a ram at the drug lab bust."
"But you saved my life. You only shot that guy because you had to, and besides, it was Bogo that…"
Judy sat down, "How could anyone believe you'd have anything to do with attacking Dalton?"
Nick shrugged, "I'm a fox."
Judy shrank in on herself as she said, "That's not fair."
"So," said Hoofson after seeing the two partners had exhausted their arguments, "to put you being a suspect to rest, where were you thenight before last?"
Judy's head popped up, "He was at the warren, asleep."
"Not too hard to sneak out, I imagine. Can anyone corroborate you were there all night?"
"PAW Patrol," said Judy.
"What patrol?" asked Hoofson.
"No good Carrots. I checked. Zach's bedtime is an hour after curfew for everyone else. I could have waited, snuck out, and gotten to Dalton by the time he left work."
"I was always able to sleep and listen for violators at the same time," replied Judy.
"I bet."
"So…" said Hoofson.
Nick reached for his badge, "The most important thing is to find who attacked Dalton. If I'm on the suspect list in any way at all, then I'm not helping, so maybe it'd be best if I—"
"Wait!" said Judy, "Nick was with me all night."
"Carrots, Judy, stop. You don't need to do this."
"Of course I do," said Judy to Nick, taking his paw in hers.
"Sheriff, we sleep together. Every night. Nick and I. All night long."
Nick grimaced.
"You two? Every night, all night long? That's quite impressive."
"What?" said Judy. "No, no, sleep. Not that, no. We aren't doing that yet, I mean, not that I don't—"
"Carrots," said Nick, facepalming.
"Sorry… We're courting, that's all."
"Courting? You two?"
"Yes, sir," was the dual response.
"Okay then," said Hoofson, "I'll assume you two have filled out the proper forms with Chief Bogo, and I reckon we can move on to the investigation part of our day without any of this being talked about here again.
"Ever."
Nick nodded.
Judy, not so much, "Yes sir, thank you sir, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone else about us courting or the sleeping together part, especially my parents."
"I reckon that's a good idea."
"So…about Nick and I talking to Courtney Hayes."
"Yes, about that. In light of the fact that a fox is involved in the attack, and just in case your relationship status were to become known, I think it best for Deputy Buckstein to lead this investigation."
Judy was up on her feet again, "But sir!"
Motioning for Judy to sit, Hoofson said, "Judy, you're only a day with the Sheriff's Department, and your partner needs to avoid even the smallest appearance of bias in this case. With Buckstein as the public lead of the investigation, you and Wilde will have a freer paw to work behind the scenes. Gather evidence and ask questions without it looking so formal. And if nothing else, Buckstein will be responsible for all the case paperwork."
"I'm in," said Nick, raising a paw."
Judy grumbled until Nick grabbed her arm and held it up.
"Fine. Thank you, sir."
"Very good. Buckstein is finishing up with a pack 'o kits that think it's fun to annoy old bun Wilson's Rhea flocks. I radioed him, and he'll meet you at the Hayes place around two so y'all can talk to Emmett and, hopefully, Courtney."
"Emmett Hayes, too?" asked Judy.
"Yes, he was at Conclave Park, the same as Courtney. I saw him watching you two play basketball at the ribbon cutting, and he was none too happy about it, neither. Besides, if you want a useful talk with Courtney, you'll need to deal with Emmett."
"Okay," said Judy as Nick just nodded slowly.
"What are you thinking partner?"
Nick gave a last nod, then looked at Judy and said, "I think we have enough time for lunch before we have to meet up with Buckstein."
Chuckling as he walked his two Deputies, one of whom was holding his side, to the door, Hoofson said, "Yes, speaking of, your mother messaged me about a lunch basket."
Nick pointed at the baskets on the side table and then handed one to Hoofson, who opened it and pulled out a note.
Reading it, Hoofson passed the note to Judy, handed the basket back to Nick, and said, "This one's yours." Smiling as he grabbed the other basket, Hoofson said, just before closing his door, "Your report is due by the end of the day. Have a nice shift."
Shaking her head at the flowery note in her paw, Judy said, "We're supposed to eat this at the Plains Overlook picnic area."
"Where's that?" asked Nick.
Judy sighed, "Not too far from the Hayes place."
"How does your mom do that?"
"I seriously have no idea."
-/-/-
Looking out the front of the Department cruiser Judy was driving, Nick whistled. It was a nice day, no clouds in the sky, not too hot, and a gentle enough breeze that the grass and leaves barely swayed. Judy had just passed the Edwards warren. Nick recognized it from both the ravine going off in the distance and how neglected the warren house and outbuildings looked.
Nick's banter of 'Nice looking crops.' and 'What's that smell?' had been replaced by a recounting of his and Buckstein's last trip out here, followed by… silence.
A rehash of the Edwards-Hayes feud was met with the same response.
Not even a well thought out, technical briefing on the proper placement of an Ion Cannon for planetary defense generated a response.
"Are you okay?" asked Nick.
"Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out why my dad is still friends with a speciest old bun like Hayes."
"From what Buckstein told me, I wonder why anyone in town puts up with Hayes. He sounds like a real piece of work, and I have firstpaw experience with Courtney. She takes after her dad in a big way."
"There's Buckstein," said Judy. "I hate that he has to be lead on this just because a fox is involved in Dalton's attack."
"Protocol, my dear bunny. It's all about the process."
"How can you just sit there and take it? I'd be pounding my fists and demanding to be left in charge. It's so not fair what Hoofson is doing to you."
Nick smiled, "It's called picking your battles. No way in the world can I win this one, and so if you can't beat them, play them."
"What?"
Waiting until Judy pulled the cruiser in behind Buckstein's, Nick said, "Normally, we go for good cop bad cop, but given what Hoofson said, if you want to be able to have a doe to doe conversation without Daddy Dearest interfering, I think we'll be better off going with dumb fox and sly bunny."
Door open and about to get out, Nick said quietly to Judy, "Remember, Hayes doesn't think much of his daughters beyond mate bait, which I'm guessing, means a sly, eligible buck-hungry doe might have some maneuvering room in the threat expectation department."
Standing, Nick waved at his former mentor and partner, saying, "Hey Buckstein, you remember Judy Hopps."
"Oh yeah. Hi Judy, looks like you've done well since the Sheriff had you ticketing vendors in town."
Judy chuckled, "I guess so, except my boss in the City likes to put me on parking duty at least twice a month."
"That's because she has the Commonwealth record for giving out the most parking tickets in one shift," said Nick.
"No," said Judy, "It's because I'm partners with you, and you can't go more than a week without pulling a prank on someone or annoying Bogo."
"You say potato, I say Potatah…"
"Is Hayes home?" asked Judy.
"I don't rightly know. I was fixen' to find out when you pulled up."
"So," said Nick under his breath, "did the Sheriff fill you in on the investigation?"
"Some," said Buckstein, shrugging. "But enough that I'm guessing you two will be asking most of the questions."
"Yup," replied Judy with a wink in Nick's direction. "Just follow our lead, and we'll crack these guys open like ripe cantaloupe."
"I love it when you speak farmer," whispered Nick as Buckstein stepped up to the front door.
"Shush, I'm channeling my inner Amy."
Nick took a safety step back from that name just as the door opened.
Hoof poised to knock on the door, Buckstein stepped back instead.
"Good afternoon, Dwayne. How are you this afternoon?" said Emmett Hayes with a friendly smile on his muzzle and a mug in his paw.
"Afternoon, Mr. Hayes," replied Buckstein, "I'm very sorry to disturb you on such a fine afternoon, but my associates and I were hoping we might have a word with you and your daughter, Courtney."
"Associates?"
Turning, Buckstein said, "Yes, sir, Deputies Wilde and Hopps are helping me investigate."
"Investigate? Really? What are we investigating today? It can't be too serious if these two are the best you can scrounge up as help."
"We're investigating what happened to, uh…" Nick snapped his fingers a couple of times, saying, "…help me out. What's his name again?"
Judy grunted, "Diggar. Dalton Diggar, he's the hare buck taking advantage of my littermate."
"Right," said Nick, taking out a notepad and scribbling the name down. Thanks."
Looking up from his pad, Nick smiled.
Hayes looked back and forth between the three Deputies until he finally said, "What happened to this hare you mentioned, and what do you want from me?"
"Oh, yeah," said Nick, "He was attacked in a park in Predville."
Hayes waited.
Nick smiled again.
Judy stared at her toe.
Buckstein folded his arms.
"Dear lord, if these two are Deputies, I might need to talk with the Mayor about how far down she plans on scraping the barrel for staff going forward."
"Don't you agree, Missy?"
"That's Officer Hopps to you, Mr. Hayes," said Nick, stepping up. "First rabbit ZPD officer, number one in her graduating class, thrice decorated for valor and responsible for solving two major terror cases in her first six months on the job."
Hayes sipped his tea and nodded, "Nice, I suppose, but what has she done for her mate? And how many litters has she given him? That's what's really important, not gallivanting around bothering decent folks and flashing a cheap badge around like you think anyone cares."
Looking at Nick, Judy sighed. And then, ears droopy, she shuffled closer to Hayes and… sniffed a couple of times, wiped a tear out of her eye, and whispered, "I, uh… Sorry, I just…," sighing again, Judy gathered herself together and quietly said, "You're right, being a cop is hard for a doe and… and all the mammals I have to work with are so big and scary." Lip trembling, Judy slowly added, "A pawful of litters would be…really nice, but… I don't have a mate. No buck will, will… you know… with me." Sniffing again, Judy let out a deep breath before quietly saying, "I was… kind of at the hospital yesterday trying to talk to a doctor when I saw Courtney. I heard she's the kind of doe I need to be like if… I want to find a buck, and maybe she and I could talk, you know, just us, and… maybe she could help me with my… my problem. If that's okay. With you."
Smiling big, Hayes patted an obviously distraught Judy on the back and said, "Of course, dear. I'm so glad you're ready to put the evil ways of the City behind you and take up a proper future. I'm sure Courtney will be able to help you with some advice on how to find a buck somewhere who's willing to take such a woefully plain and inadequate doe like you off your father's paws. And if you listen carefully and work very, very hard, maybe you'll be able to find a buck willing to overlook enough of your faults to give you many times more than just a pawful of litters."
After a quick glance toward Nick, who was showing Buckstein something on his phone, Judy nodded to Hayes and whispered, "Thanks."
Stepping back, Judy visibly relaxed, her body language letting Hayes know that he, unlike Stu Hopps, was about to put Judy Hopps, Burrow laughing stock, on the path of happiness and fulfillment as only a compliant doe could know it.
Hayes, happy with his impending success, yelled over his shoulder, "Courtney, would you come here for a minute, please." and then, with a wink at Judy, said, "She's working in the kitchen as all good and proper does should."
Nick made sure to maintain a clueless stare while he extended his claws into the palm of his balled-up fist.
"Yeah, Dad?"
"Deputy Buckstein is here investigating a case, and while he and I talk, Miss Hopps has a few questions for you."
"Sure, what about?" asked Courtney drying her paws on an apron.
"It's about your visit to the hospital yesterday."
"What?" said Courtney as her ears shot up, and she glanced toward her dad before coughing and saying, "Pharmacy. Pills for Mom."
"I don't remember your mother saying anything about needing—"
"Actually," interrupted Judy, demurely, "I was hoping Courtney and I could talk in private…. You know…"
"Of course, of course, yes," said Hayes. "Courtney, please take Miss Hopps back to the kitchen and get her a glass of water. She looks flushed from trying to do a male's job. She has some very important questions for you, and I want you to answer every one as thoroughly and completely as you can, no matter how personal. Okay?"
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Hayes. I am feeling quite flushed running around in this drab, ill-fitting uniform, and a moment of rest while you males talk about important things would be nice."
Watching as Courtney put an arm around a now wobbly, slow-moving Judy, Nick said, "And while they're off, Deputy Buckstein was asking me about your visit to Conclave Park on Thursday. He wasn't sure if you had kits, or grandkits young enough to play in the soccer tournament, whereas I figured you were there for the basketball court ribbon cutting and couldn't tear yourself away from watching yours truly play the first game."
Hayes huffed, "I certainly have no interest in watching a pred like you play anything. And to your interest in my kits, they are all too old to play in such a tournament, and no, I don't have any grandkits, yet."
"Yet?" asked Nick.
"Yes, if you must know. I anticipate I'll be a grandfather to a litter by the end of the year, maybe even two. Courtney announced her good news to the family a few days ago and said she wants to get mated to her beloved as soon as possible. We haven't announced anything yet because I'm waiting for confirmation that we can hold the ceremony in Conclave Park."
"Ah," said Buckstein as Judy's ears swiveled away from the male's conversation. "Good choice if you can get the permit. Not too many mating ceremonies get approved there anymore due to how old the amphitheater is."
"Yes, that's why we were there. I expect most of the Burrow will want to attend the ceremony, and I need the largest venue in town so everyone can finally see my… my dear daughter's dreams come true."
"Uh-huh," grunted Nick. "So, you and Courtney were together the whole time you were checking out the park? I mean, Deputy Buckstein was thinking that despite your vision of becoming a grandfather, Courtney doesn't exactly seem the type that enjoys being around hordes of kits."
"Dwayne, bite your tongue. Of course, she loves kits. Of all my daughters, she's the one who wants to have the most kits as soon as possible. So much so that after I came back from my meeting with the Mayor about reserving the amphitheater, I had a terrible time pulling her away from all the ragamuffins she was playing with. I practically had to carry her to the parking lot and throw her in my car to be able to leave."
-/-/-
"Here you go," said Courtney, handing a glass of water to Judy and taking a seat across the corner from her at the table.
Taking the glass from Courtney, Judy remembered back to the last time she was here as a little kit. And that she'd just broken a promise to herself never to set foot inside this Warren again. Hayes and old bun Leapwell started off the little gathering with some of the most speciest things she'd ever heard about some of the nicest mammals in town. And her dad said nothing. Yes, he looked like he'd just downed a plate of spoiled beets, but he should have told Hayes and Leapwell off. Now here she was, years later, in the same undersized Warren, in the same small kitchen, with the same furniture, same peeling wallpaper, same everything except it was all so much worse for the wear.
"Thanks," said Judy, taking a sip and setting the glass down. "So, I guess I should be saying congratulations."
"What for?" asked Courtney, tracing a pattern in the old Formica tabletop.
"I overheard your dad saying you were checking out Conclave Park for your ceremony. So, who's the lucky buck?"
Courtney shrugged, "One of the Edwards."
"Oh. Which one."
"I don't want to talk about it. Are you feeling any better yet?"
"Almost," said Judy, holding the back of her paw to her forehead as if she were checking her temperature.
"I heard one of your sisters was almost mated to an Edwards buck. But she ran away instead. That must have been upsetting for you to lose a sister like that."
"Yeah, Caylee, she's a year older than I am, got pissed when Dad tried to mate her off. She always liked to do her own thing, and getting mated to an Edwards wasn't one of those things.
"I miss talking to her. She was pretty smart. I wish Dad hadn't… I guess I'd thought he'd changed."
"My Mom's always trying to fix me up, too," said Judy. And then chuckling, "I think she wants more grandkits to spoil, like the hundred she has isn't enough."
Courtney grimaced and said, "Your mom's crazy wanting that many kits. They're loud and smell bad, and they've got little grabby fingers, so gross. I don't know how you guys live in all that squaller without going insane."
"You don't want to have any kits?"
Courtney shook her head.
"Some of my sisters have moved out of our Warren with their mates, and they don't have any kits. A couple have even come out and said they aren't planning on any either."
"A mate, but no kits?" asked Courtney, still tracing cracks. "Your parents are okay with that?"
Judy shrugged, "Yeah."
"That'd be nice."
"So, I saw you at the hospital yesterday morning. You know the pharmacy is on the other side of the hospital from the main lobby reception area."
Courtney paused her claw in a small divot and looked up at Judy.
"I was dressed differently."
Courtney nodded, "Yeah, I remember now. You were showing a little more fur than you are now."
"Yeah, kind of working right now. So, why was a doe about to be mated to the boy of her dreams asking after a hare buck in the hospital?"
Courtney shrugged, "No reason."
"You sounded pretty upset. Remember what your dad told you, no matter how personal the questions…"
Sighing, Courtney asked, "How serious is Dalton about your littermate?"
"They're totally in love. They should have gotten mated a long time ago."
Nodding, Courtney seemed to sag, "My dad said a long time ago that rabbits can't have kits except with other rabbits. I figured, maybe…"
"Sorry, Dalton's off the market, and," patting Courtney's paw, Judy whispered, "I promise you that rabbits and hares can have kits together, and I'm pretty sure your dad knows it too."
Courtney's eyes went wide at that.
With her paw still on Courtney's, Judy leaned in and quietly asked, "Did you tell anyone about the phone call you overheard between Janae and Dalton while you were at Conclave Park?"
"Just my Dad, but he got all upset and— Wait," gasped Courtney, pulling her paw away from Judy's, "What phone call? I didn't hear anything about Dalton having to work late all by himself."
Judy raised a brow.
"Fine, I was going to take him some carrot cupcakes and maybe, you know, talk with him."
"Just talk?" asked Judy with a smile.
Courtney rolled her eyes, "I know I was being stupid, but it didn't matter. My dad caught me leaving and was so mad he drove me over to the Edwards place and yelled at me to give the cupcakes to Henry."
"Henry's the one that is your fiancé?"
Courtney scrunched up her muzzle as she said, "Yeah, but thankfully he wasn't there. Dad wanted me to kiss him too, which, no way, not happening. So, I just gave the cupcakes to his dad and got out of there as fast as I could. I don't like how he looks at me. It's like he thinks I'm property or something."
"Did the old bun say where Henry was?" asked Judy, tempted to pull out her notebook and take notes but not wanting to scare Courtney into silence.
"Out in the barn working on a tractor with his littermates," replied Courtney, and then making a face, added, " 'And they're almost done and ready for me to use it in the morning, so don't you dare bother them, or I'll give you a whipp'n you'll never forget.' "
"What time was it when you dropped off the cupcakes?"
"About ten. I was trying to leave our Warren around nine thirty, so I'd catch Dalton before he left work."
"Okay," said Judy. "So, it was late, and all three Edwards boys were working in the barn. Did you see any lights on in their barn? Or maybe someone headed into town?"
"No," grumbled Courtney. "I didn't see much of anything. Head down, stay quiet. That's how a good doe is supposed to act."
"How about your dad after you guys got home? Did he head back out or make any phone calls? Anything like that?"
"No," said Courtney. "He made me sit in the living room and watch dumb TV shows with him until about midnight when he fell asleep in his chair. He said if I ever try and sneak out again, he'd ground me until I was mated."
"But you snuck out the next morning anyway, right?" Judy asked with a smile on her muzzle.
Smiling now too, Courtney said, "Nope, he was still asleep in his chair, so technically, I was running an errand for my mom.
"That is, as long as you're not going to tell my dad about anything we talked about."
Judy held up a hooked pinky finger and said, "As long as we both promise not to tell your dad anything."
Hooking her pinky around Judy's, Courtney said, "Thanks, you're a lot different than my dad said."
Judy grinned as she said, "So are you."
-/-/-
"'No Filthy Preds Allowed!' Not exactly the most welcoming sign I've ever seen," said Nick, standing in front of a gate that looked much more solid up close than it did from the main road.
"Yeah," said Buckstein, waving a hoof at the small parking area nestled off to the side of the warren access road. "I don't think the Edwards exactly cotton to any visitors much."
"Fortunately for us, we aren't just one of those 'any visitors' that Edwards needs to cotton up to." Nick lifted a looped rope off a sturdy post set in concrete, swung the now 'unlocked' driveway gate open, and with a paw flourish, said, "Shall we?"
"Judy," said Buckstein, "are you sure you want to do this without talkin' to the Sheriff first? Questioning Courtney made a bit of sense, but I'm not so sure we've got cause enough to be accusing Old Bun Edwards and his boys of assaulting your friend Dalton."
"Now, now, Deputy," replied Nick, moving the small group up toward the warren house's front door, "we're not accusing anyone of anything. We're just asking around about where everyone was a couple of nights ago when Dalton was attacked, right Carrots?"
"Yup," replied Judy. "A quick peek inside their tractor barn would be nice too."
Looking over at the dilapidated structure in the distance, Nick asked, "Ever been here before?"
"No. Walking out on my dad that day at the Hayes place was one and done for me. He never asked me to go with him to one of his meet-ups again. Which means I don't want to be here one second longer than I absolutely have to be."
Nick slowed down and took another look around. Up close, most of the Warren looked worse than when he and Buckstein first surveyed the place over a month ago. The main house was old, and it looked it. Not being backed up to a hillside like the other Border Warren houses he'd seen meant the standalone building took the brunt of Mother Nature all by itself. It also meant there was a need for extra maintenance, which clearly wasn't happening, not on the main house and not on any of the outbuildings he could see, except one big one that looked like it received the bulk of what little repair largess the Edwards were willing to spread around.
Nick put up a paw to block the sun as he squinted, trying to get a better view. "Do you think that building over there, the one that looks like a crew of drunk pandas tried to repair it, is the tractor barn Courtney told you about?"
"Nick, be nice," huffed Judy.
"Just saying, if this Warren isn't already dead, it's real close."
"Yeah," said Buckstein, stepping up onto the porch and knocking on the door, "I'd be happy if this my first and last trip here."
"No trespassin', whoever the hell you are, go away."
"Sorry, Mr. Edwards, it's Sheriff's Deputy Buckstein. I'm here on official business."
Grumbling followed by a door lock unlatching, then a few coughs, a rattling handle, anda hinge squeak ended in the door being cracked open, barely.
"What do you want?"
"We have a few questions for you," replied Buckstein.
"We? Who's we?"
Buckstein stepped back to reveal his partners and said, "Deputies Hopps and Wilde."
Edwards opened the door a wider and, using his tongue to maneuver a bit of his chew, spit it out toward the old spittoon Nick was standing next to.
Toward-ish, that is.
"I ain't talking around no filthy pelt. Get it gone or all of you leave, ain't no nevermind to me which it is," spat Edwards, missing the spittoon again but getting closer to Nick's foot.
"Sir," said Nick, "I'll have you know I showered quite vigorously just this morning, and as you can see, this is a very fine-looking uniform that has garnered compliments from multiple well-respected mammals. So, aside from one small coffee stain on my tie, I don't think 'filthy' applies to me at all."
Caught debating between an eye roll and a huff, Judy stepped up and said, "We're here on official business. All of us."
Edwards' sneer toward Nick turned into a grin directed at Judy, a grin showing an over-long tooth in need of a chew stick and lips stained by chew. "Nice enough looking doe, a bit mouthy, but she can stay. The fox goes, or you can tell the Sheriff I'm too busy."
"You guys go ahead," said Nick, stepping around globs of chewing tobacco and off the porch, "I'll take a break and meet you back at the cars."
Judy watched with Edwards as Nick slowly made his way toward the cars before she turned back to the newest winner of 'The Worst Nightmare of a Mammal Ever' contest and, channeling her inner Amy again, said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Edwards, that was terribly rude of a doe to say, but Deputy Buckstein would appreciate it if he could chat with you and, if you don't mind, I feel heated and sitting for a moment would be wonderful."
"Suit yourself, girl. The kitchen's to the right." Then, to Buckstein, Edwards said, "You said Hopps, didn't you? She looks a little lean to be a Hopps doe, and how old is she, exactly?"
Judy groaned silently as she mentally counted how many times she would have to shampoo herself to get the stench of this disgusting Warren out of her fur.
-/-/-
Nick started by heading toward where the two cruisers were parked, but as soon as he heard Edwards let Judy and Buckstein in and close the door, Nick wandered around to the side of the warren building.
Stopping once he'd cleared the building, Nick took a deep breath and tried to survey the farm from his host's perspective.
"How the hell does this place survive as a farm?"
The fields on this side of the ravine were a mess. It looked like Edwards was trying to plant fields of beans and corn but didn't know what he was doing. The seeding wasn't properly spaced, and it, for sure, wasn't planted in any semblance of straight, easy to maintain lines.
But what really got under Nick's fur was the pest control. Any farmer worth a plumb nickel would have utilized intercropping to mix the crop distribution as a natural pest control mechanism. Or, at the very least, edged the plots with Midnicampum Holicithias or some other Class C Botanical to repel the worst of the crop-damaging insects. But not on this farm. Nick could see with his own eyes that the corn silk looked mite-infested, the bean crops were covered in spotted bean leaf beetles, and spying a plot of Sunflower plants, he groaned out, "Sunflower Moths."
Shaking his head, Nick wandered closer to what passed for an irrigation system. It looked, at best, third-rate. Tons of duct tape level repairs and dried mud under every joint screamed out that more repairs needed to be made. And then there was the windmill driving the pump. Well, supposed to be driving the pump, and that was because the windmill's tail was broken and a couple of blades were missing.
"Damn," spat Nick. Maybe some of the crops would make it to harvest, but not much, given what was going on here. Hell, Edwards will be lucky to harvest enough to feed his family, let alone enough to sell through the co-op.
Taking a couple of pictures, Nick figured he'd show Lucas what he'd found and ask him for his opinion on how close the farm was to going under. Slipping his phone back in his pocket, Nick glanced back at the house and not seeing anyone who seemed to care what he was doing, he headed toward the tractor barn to see what he could see there.
Walking past a rusty old swing set with only one swing still hanging and an old round metal above-ground pool, that no way was ever holding water again, Nick stopped at a weed-covered sand pit with a few broken kit toys in it.
Shaking his head, he remembered Buckstein saying Ruthie had younger siblings, and now he was wondering where they were and if they were okay since Ruthie had been banished.
"Unintended consequences, Wilde. You help Ruthie and her babies and some other kits suffer."
Sighing, Nick made it to the barn and walked around to the side facing the ravine and looked for a door, a window, or even a gap in the boards big enough to take a picture through.
A little more hunting and Nick spied a gap about a foot higher than he could reach, a problem he quickly solved with a wooden box. Stepping up on the box, Nick stretched and, holding his phone in the gap, took a picture and—
"Hey, Mister. Dad says we aren't supposed to go near the big barn."
"—Whooaaa, OW!"
"Do you think he has a boo-boo owie?" asked a young doe's voice.
"Maybe we should throw water on him. Ruthie said that worked on Henry when he fell down after thinking too hard," added a slightly older bucks' voice.
"Dad says to rub dirt on your owies to make them feel better," replied the doe.
"You do the dirt. I'll get some water, and we can squish mud on him."
"I think Wesley scared him dead," said the doe poking Nick with her finger.
"Becca, he's not dead. He's just knocked out," replied Wesley.
"Can we still rub mud on him?"
"I'm okay guys. I don't need any mud. Just give me a second."
"We're rabbits. What kind of mammal are you?" asked Becca.
"He's a raccoon."
"Price, he's not a raccoon," said Wesley, "He's a wolf, a big red one with super sharp teeth and poison-tipped claws."
Becca grabbed Nick's paw and, poking at his fingertips, said, "Nuh-uh," and then pushing his lips apart to see his fangs, she said, "His teeth aren't scary enough to be a big bad wolf. What else is there?"
"A hyena," said Price. "Tickle him and see if he laughs and his ghost goes to heaven."
"I'm not a hyena," said Nick, sitting up and holding Becca's tickle paws at a safe distance. "My name is Mr. Nick, and I'm a fox."
Becca shook her head, "Nuh-uh, you don't have devil horns. Dad says foxes all have pointy horns."
"Yeah," added Price, holding up Nick's tail. "You don't have a forked tail either."
Even Wesley came over to Nick and, looking carefully at his eyes, said, "Your eyes are green. Dad says all foxes have fire-red eyes from stealing kit's souls."
"I bet he's a skunk," said Price.
"Let's look him up in the cyclopeeduh Ruthie found for us," said Wesley
"Guys, I'm a fox. My mom was a fox, my dad was a fox, so I'm a fox. I'm just not a scary fox like your dad said.
"I'm actually a Sheriff's Deputy, and I work for the town. See this right here, it's a Deputy badge." And then, pulling his medallion out, he held it up and said, "And this is my Burrow Meister award. It says I'm an honorary rabbit."
"An ornery rabbit, you mean like my dad, he yells a lot."
"No, honorary, it means like, the Mayor said so."
"The Mayor said you're a rabbit?" said Becca. "Can you hop?"
"Do you like carrots?" asked Wesley.
"I don't hop, but I can leap. And I like a girl named Carrots."
"You like girl carrots?" asked Price. "Wesley, do we grow girl carrots?"
"No, we only grow boy carrots, 'cept the blight killed them all."
"Girl carrots are prettier than boy carrots," said Becca.
"I think so too," said Nick. "So, can I be a nice fox?"
Becca stood back up and, with a cute huff, said, "Open your mouth."
Nick opened his mouth a bit.
"Bigger."
Nick opened wider.
"More bigger."
Nick stretched his jaws open as far as he could until he felt paws on his muzzle, smelled a bunny doe's head close enough to be inside his maw, and heard…
"I don't see any fire, or munched up bones," said Becca.
Pulling her head out, Becca put a paw on Nick's shoulder and said, "Okay, you can be a fox. But don't tell Dad, he doesn't like foxes.
"I'm Becca. Do you want to see my teeth?"
Nick, maw still wide open, nodded.
"Okay, you can close your mouth now."
Nick's jaws clicked close.
"That's Wesley and Price," said Becca, sitting on one of Nick's legs and smiling big.
Nick nodded sagely at seeing the doe's healthy teeth, "You… have very nice teeth. Thank you for showing them to me."
"Uh-huh, my most favorite toothbrush has pink flowers on it, and I like peppermint chew sticks. Ruthie said we have to use our chew sticks else our teeth will grow too long."
"Oh, okay. I didn't know that."
"Wanna see mine," said Price, who took a seat on Nick's other leg, opened his mouth, and said, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."
"Yours are very nice too. I'll be sure to tell Ruthie that you guys are doing a good job taking care of your teeth."
"Do you know Ruthie?" asked Becca. "She's our sister."
"Yes, she's a friend of mine."
Becca leaned against Nick's chest and said, "I miss Ruthie. She sang songs so I would go to sleep."
"Yeah, she makes better dinner than Ethan," said Price.
"Is she coming back?" asked Wesley.
Nick shrugged, "I don't know, but she talks about you all the time, and I know she misses all of you a whole bunch."
"This much?" asked Becca, holding her arms wide."
"Way more than that, like all the way from here to those trees on the other side of the ravine."
"That's too far," said Wesley, "Besides, Dad said he'd use his belt on us if we walked on the bridge."
"Yeah, it's scary," said Becca.
"Smelly too," added Price, "'cause that's where Dad says all the trash goes."
"Well, okay," said Nick. How about if I go take a look at the bridge, and we see how far Ruthie misses you."
Standing, Nick looked at Wesley and, nodding toward the barn, said, "You guys surprised me. Were you playing in the barn?"
"Nope," said Wesley, pointing at a rabbit-sized door on the other side of a bush from where they were standing.
"Door's locked, and if Dad sees anyone touching it, he'll use his belt on them too."
Nick took a few steps toward the door but stopped when he felt small paws grab his, and Becca saying, "You have to know your numbers to open the door, and Ruthie said that mom said Dad doesn't know his bunny numbers past two and we're not allowed to know about bunny numbers until we're old like you. So, only Dad knows, and we're not allowed."
Nick stared down at Becca, who looked up and smiled, then looking over at the electronic push-button cipher lock on the solid-looking door, and knowing he wasn't going to be able to pick it with three kits underfoot, said, "Does your dad have number locks on his luggage?"
"Cabbage? I don't like cabbage," said Price.
"Never mind," said Nick, chuckling, "I don't like cabbage either. How about you guys show me the scary bridge."
Wesley led while Becca and Price kept a firm grip on their new fox friend's paws as they all followed Wesley to the edge of the ravine and the old bridge spanning it.
Well, not all the way to the edge. The ravine was a little scary.
Feeling the grip on his paws tighten a bit, along with a slight tremble, Nick stopped the group and said, "How about you guys wait for me here, and I go look by myself? I don't want you getting in trouble with your dad for getting too close to the edge."
Nodding, Becca let go of Nick's paw and said, "Be careful."
"Yeah, don't go splat," said Price.
Making his way toward the ravine, Nick looked past it to the mostly wild fields on the other side. At least wild to the bush-covered ridge line of a hill that blocked his view after a few hundred yards.
After taking pictures, Nick walked to the dilapidated bridge he'd seen from the main roadway, except with his paw on the rotten wood…
"Not entirely rotten after all."
The wood pickets and railings of the bridge were rotten and a lost cause, but the main bridge deck was solid and supported by thick glulam timber beams concreted into the ravine walls. Leaning to the side and making the kits nervous he would fall, Nick saw that the way the non-rotten wood planking and sides were attached, no one from the road or overhead could see the laminate beams at all.
"Interesting," mumbled Nick to himself, "Pretty solid piece of work for such a rundown farm."
Standing again at the mouth of the bridge, Nick could see what looked to be week-old tracks leading from the far side of the bridge, through fields that had been neglected for years, to the bush covered ridge. Not able to see past the bush and tree covered ridgeline from where he was, Nick reached for the rope tied across the bridge entrance—
"Mr. Nick, Dad will use his belt on you!" yelled Wesley.
Nick turned and waved to his guardians, then paws on his hips, his nose was hit with a waft of putrid garbage. Groaning, Nick exhaled out his nose, then waited until his senses had recovered before taking a careful sniff. Rolling the scents around in his nose as his eyes started to water, Nick said, "Garbage, kitchen waste, cooking oil, and decomposing vegetables. Seriously, wouldn't it be more useful to compost your waste into fertilizer instead of throwing it in the ravine?"
Pulling out his phone, Nick unlocked it and, about to take a few more 'souvenir' pictures, was interrupted by three young gasps and—
"Get away from there, fox," came a gruff adult shout from the house's back porch.
Stepping closer to the kits, Nick waved toward the small group on the porch that included a now fuming Edwards, and said, "Let's all wave to your dad. I think he wants you to come in."
"Would you carry me," asked Becca with her arms up.
"Me too, said Price," his arms up too.
Wesley didn't say anything, he just held his paw out.
"Of course," said Nick, putting Becca and Price on his shoulders and taking Wesley's paw in his. "Let's go say 'Hi' to your dad."
-/-/-
Judy started the cruiser and waited for Buckstein to pull out first, "The look on Edwards' muzzle when you handed his kits over was classic."
"I think it was them giving me a hug goodbye that really put him over the edge," chuckled Nick.
"Yeah," said Judy, pulling onto the road back to town, "Did you see anything interesting while Buckstein and I were getting the stiff arm from Edwards?"
"No, not really. Except that Edwards is a piss-poor farmer who doesn't know how to plant and that the far field access bridge over the ravine isn't in as terrible of shape as you'd think looking at it from the road."
"Anything else?"
"He could use a lesson in ecology, composting, and sanitary disposal of his household waste."
"Common decency, too. Wait until I tell you what he and Hayes are up to regarding Courtney."
-/-/-
"You wanted to see me?" said Courtney, ears drooped down her back, head down, and paws folded in front of her.
"Yes," said Hayes, rolling the newspaper he was reading into a twisted tube. "When the Hopps doe was here, she said she saw you at the hospital yesterday morning. Why?"
Courtney licked her lips before saying, "Getting a prescription for Mom, like I said."
Hayes pulled a slip of paper signed by a doctor from his shirt pocket, "You mean this prescription? The one that your mother gave me barely an hour ago."
Courtney didn't make a sound.
"WHY?!"
Courtney jumped at her dad's shout but didn't reply.
"Courtney Lynne Hayes, I asked you a question, and you will answer me now."
"I, ah… don't want to have any kits right now, or… maybe ever. And I don't want to be mated to any of those… to any of Mr. Edwards' sons. Or anyone else right now, either."
Like a wave, rage flowed across Hayes's muzzle as he growled, "How dare you defy me you… you little— "
Courtney whimpered and hugged herself.
Standing, Hayes slapped the paper against his thigh and glared at his now trembling daughter. Until…
Taking a deep breath, Hayes tossed the paper in his chair and, dawning what he thought would pass as a caring smile, said, "I'm sorry dear. I was being foolish. We're both getting worked up over nothing. Remember, I only need you to pretend to want to be mated to Henry and have as many litters as he wants until after I get the paperwork signed."
Looking up, Courtney asked, "What about reserving Conclave Park and inviting the whole town to the ceremony? That's a really big deal. So, are you sure my calling everything off in front of the entire town is going to work?
Pulling Courtney into a one-sided hug, Hayes said, "You know I'd never let anything bad happen to my little girl. Just do this for the family, and everything will be fine. Okay? Can I count on you? Can the whole Warren count on you?"
Courtney, muzzle pressed against her dad's shoulder, closed her eyes. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Not here, not now. If she did, she'd never get away. She didn't need any of her stuff that bad. Maybe her next shift at the gas station…
"Can we? Can the family count on you?"
She had only one choice, Courtney silently nodded into her dad's shoulder.
"Good girl, and since I know how upsetting this has all been for you, I'll have your brothers take your shifts at the motel and gas station so you can stay home, safe and sound, until we can pull off our plan with the Edwards.
"Isn't that a good idea?"
Courtney bit back a flood of tears as her dreams were shattered, and with a hole forming in her heart, she did the only thing left to her, she nodded again.