Chapter 3: A Love Story
The little fox meets the girl of his dreams along the sand and surf of Zootopia's Gold Coast.
May I suggest the song, Beautiful Soul sung by Ari?
She paused while she glanced out of the hotel's large window, below her the beach was packed with all kinds of mammals and they all were looking seaward at the small surfers on their boards. "With a big snap off the top…" the announcer's voice blared over the speakers. "He draws out his second bottom turn and hooks the wave one more time!"
The grayish-brown sand cat in the white blouse and dark blue skirt gave a small sigh while she watched a sandy tan-furred fennec fox wade back onto the shoreline with his yellow surfboard tucked under his arm. The handsome fox's tail was happily wagging as he stared up at the scoreboard. "Stone Kole was holding nothing back again and this might have been one of the highest-scoring rides of the day…" the announcer called out.
"He is rather cute," a voice said, causing the cat's black-striped tail to bristle in surprise. She glanced up to see a white-tailed deer doe in a maid's uniform standing behind her. "Gee, Karen, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just saying that the little fox you were gawking at was cute."
"Mandy, I was just watching the surfers. You know that I like to surf too."
"Sure, darling, you weren't just watching the surfers but ogling at Stone Kole again!" the deer giggled. "Every time that I see you looking out of this window, he is somewhere on the beach and your tail is giving a little swish just like it is doing right now!"
Karen blushed when she realized that the end of her tail was indeed flicking back and forth almost as if she was on the hunt. "Mandy, don't you have a room or two to clean?" the embarrassed cat grumbled. "We both need to get back to work before the boss catches us loitering around."
"I was loitering, but you were lusting!" Mandy giggled before she went back and began pushing her laundry cart. "After we get off of work tonight, do you want to go get a drink or two at the bar on the pier? That's where the surfers hang out."
"Why would…?
"I'll bet Stone Kole will be there!"
The cat knew she should say no, but she couldn't help herself saying, "Sure, but only for a little while because we both have the early shift."
"I'll swing by your family's condo at seven and please wear something nice this time."
"So says the slutty doe who wore a pair of tight shorts that showed more than just her tail the last time we went out for drinks," the cat teased as she gave her larger friend a grin.
"And which of us now has a boyfriend?" Mandy laughed back while she continued to push her linen cart down the hallway toward the laundry.
The small cat couldn't help but smile at her larger friend's antics.
It was seven and Karen had set down the television's remote to answer the knocking on the door. Opening the front door she looked up to see Mandy standing there in a blue tee-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. The doe's right eyebrow lifted slightly when she saw that the cat was dressed in a pink and blue knit shirt and a pair of khaki cropped pants. "We are going to a bar and not to a church," the taller deer tusked while she shook her head.
"What's wrong with my clothes?"
"You look really nice, as in nice and not sexy!"
"You're not exactly dressed sexy," Karen objected when she felt her friend's hoofs pushing her down the hallway toward her bedroom.
"I can look nice because I already have a boyfriend," Mandy sighed. "We are going to a bar full of young hot surfers and you are dressed like the girl next door."
The deer began to yank the cat's dresser drawers open while she rummaged through the clothes. "Okay, where did you hide it?"
"Hide what?" Karen asked as she sat down on the bed.
"THIS!" the doe triumphantly proclaimed while she held up the garment in her hoofs.
"That sky blue bikini which you talked me into buying? There is no way that I am going to wear that, it barely covers my…"
"It sure would catch a certain fox's attention!"
"There is still no way that I am going to wear that in public!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No, I am not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No, I am not!"
Half an hour later Karen softly hissed at the larger doe while they stood at the entrance to the bar, "I am never going to go shopping with you again!" The small curvy cat fidgeted with the pink shirt she was wearing while she contemplated unknotting it so that it would cover the sky-blue bikini bottoms. "Everyone is looking at me!"
"Sure they are and, my dear little miss kitty, you have the body, so show it off! Stop messing with the shirt's knot, we want everyone to see that creamy fur covering your tight little midriff," Mandy tusked as she followed her smaller friend into the room. "Look, there are a couple of seats at the bar, let's go sit there."
Karen climbed up onto the barstool and wiggled around a bit before she finally settled down. "What's wrong?" Mandy whispered.
"My seat is cold! OMG!"
"What…now what's wrong?"
"Look over at that table! There is Gabriel de Gato, he was the 2014 and 2018 World Surf League World Champion for his size, isn't he handsome!"
"Which one is he?"
"The ocelot…Goddess above, he is looking this way!"
"Of course, he is, but isn't he much too large for you? I thought you were here looking for a certain fox?"
"I know, but still…and look next to him is Julian Windsong, he invented the sushi roll maneuver, and next to him is the King himself, Kelly Sla…."
"You're going all fangirl on me," the doe interrupted. "Get a grip on yourself!"
"Yo, dudes, there were some rad barrels out there today!" a voice called out and all eyes turned towards the small large-eared fox that had entered. The tan-furred fennec fox was shirtless and wearing only a pair of dark blue boardies, there was a huge grin on his muzzle while he approached the much larger surfers. Right behind him, a familiar-looking wallaby followed. "Are you shubies ready to party?"
"Shubies? You are calling us shubies?" the ocelot laughed before he flicked an empty shrimp shell at the small fox. "Hey, Cooper, remind that big-mouthed friend of yours about who outscored whom on the waves today?"
"Brah, that's only because the small board judges were like totally blind!" Stone scoffed, cutting off his best friend's reply, even as he climbed up onto a seat at the table.
"Now, mate, you bloody well know that you both averaged about the same number of points," the small wallaby finally answered in a thick Outback Island accent when he too found a seat at the table. "You only had a few points more than what Stoney finished within our category."
"He's here!" Karen nervously said to Mandy. The cat suddenly seized her drink and took a big gulp, fighting not to start coughing from the drink's burn. "What did you order us?" she finally wheezed out.
"A Dark and Stormy, with double the rum. Don't tell me it's too strong for you?"
There was laughter when the waitress brought another round of drinks to the table of surfers.
"Hey Stoney, check out the sand cat at the bar," Gabriel softly said while he wiped his whiskers, he gave the fox a grin. "That is one babelicious-looking kitty. Ah, it is just too bad that she is so small."
The fennec fox stopped talking and looked toward the bar, his mouth fell open when he saw her.
"Stoney!" Cooper called over at his now distracted friend, but Stone did not answer the wallaby while he kept staring at the pretty sand cat.
"He's looking at you," Mandy whispered as the doe tried to glance back without the fox noticing she was watching. "Only at you…wait, did you just finish your drink already?"
The nervous sand cat just waved for another drink, which the bartender quickly made and handed to her. "I can't believe I am doing this!" she sighed with false bravado.
"Doing what?"
Karen grabbed up her drink before she hopped off the stool and did her best to seductively walk towards the fennec fox. "So, Mister Kole, the small board champion, just what are you looking at?" she asked with a forced smile. Setting her drink on the table next to his, she reached around and pulled at her tail while looking at it. "Do I have something on my tail? You've been staring at it long enough."
The table full of males who were sitting with the fox went dead silent and slid out of his way when he stood up, jump from his chair, and walked closer to her. "It wasn't your tail I was looking at!" he replied while giving her a sly smirk.
"Oh my, Mister Kole!" she tried to give an innocent sigh. "It wasn't my tail?"
He shook his head no and she grinned while placing her paws on his chest. He slightly jumped at her touch and she tried not to give another sigh when she felt his surprisingly muscular chest under his fur. The fox definitely had a lean, but strong surfer's body. "My mother always warned me about you silver-tongued foxes!" she continued, her mind was a whirl of thoughts about what to say next, but finally she added. "So you got a good look at mine, I guess it's only fair that I get a good look at yours."
One of his companions choked on his beer and coughed. He heard Cooper loudly whisper, "Damn!"
His smirk turned to a grin when he turned around and bent over a little, his tail was furiously wagging. "Watch it, champ, that tail almost knocked over our drinks," she giggled. Stone almost jumped straight into the air when the cat's paw caught his tail.
The fox momentarily closed his eyes while the pretty cat held his tail, trying not to wag it and his eyes widen slightly when she didn't immediately let go but began to stroke it.
"Sorry!" she suddenly said when she released his tail. "I don't know what I was thinking?" He grinned when he saw that she was blushing.
"You were thinking that you wanted to meet me," Stone softly said as he reached for her paw. "I've seen you before, you work at one of the hotels."
For a few moments, they just stood there staring into each other's eyes, much to the amusement of the other surfers sitting at the table. "Hey, Kole, who is the babe?" one of the surfers finally called out.
"Karen!" she quickly answered as she shook the surprised fox's paw. "Karen Southpaw and it is nice to meet you, Mister Kole."
"S…S...Stone…" the fox suddenly said. For some reason, he had become a bit flustered when he looked into her mesmerizing green eyes. "My name is Stone." He was still holding her paw.
"I know that, Mister Kole," Karen giggled.
"She knows that, mate!" Cooper snickered.
"Oh sorry," the fox added before he released her paw. "Would you like…?"
"Sorry, Stoney, there is no room left at this table!" one of the surfers said with a grin while he put his footpaws on the empty seat even as he nodded towards someone outside on the patio.
The fox at first frowned at his larger friend for a moment before it dawned on him what was going on and then turning, he picked up both Karen's and his drinks. "There suddenly seems to be an empty table just outside, would you care to join me?"
"Sure!" Karen answered before she followed the fox toward the now-vacated table. The two surfers who were once sitting there had suddenly disappeared into the crowd, taking their dirty dishes and glasses with them. The only things left on the table were a flickering candle inside of an old jar and a single red carnation in a small vase. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw that Mandy was saluting her with her drink.
Stone quickly set their glasses on the table and pulled out a chair for Karen to sit upon. "Since you seem to know about me, why don't you tell me all about yourself?" the surfer said after he took a seat next to her. "Tell me, what's a pretty sand cat like you doing on the beach? I would have thought you would be living inshore like the rest of the desert-loving cats."
"So says the fennec fox who surfs," Karen giggled in reply.
An hour later, they strolled along the shoreline and Karen twirled the red carnation in her paws while she looked out towards the dark sea. The sand was cool and wet under her footpaws while she listened to the fox next to her enthusiastically talk about surfing.
Stone hesitated for a moment, he was torn about what he wanted to do. He knew it was the right time to make his move, to seduce the pretty cat next to him, but he also realized that he didn't want to do that for she seemed much more than just another evening's conquest and he really enjoyed her company. Finally, he decided to roll the dice and use his favorite pick-up line. He stepped closer to the water and when she joined him, he said, "Surfing is very much like making love. It always feels good, no matter how many times you've done it." The fox slipped his right arm over her shoulder before he continued. "Since it's too dark to surf, we can always go back to my place and..."
"Really, Mister Kole, is that the best you can come up with? That was said by the legendary Kalakimau years ago!" Karen interrupted with a giggle and then she couldn't help but laugh while she slipped free of his arm. "Does that line actually work for you?"
Stone was speechless with surprise for a moment and then his tail began to wag while he smiled at her. "Well, it has worked before," he sheepishly answered her question.
"Sorry, but it is not going to work tonight."
"Was it worth a try?"
"Not tonight, we just met and I have a strict policy of not making out with surfers on the first date."
"Just surfers?" he asked, trying not to laugh.
"Anyone," she quickly answered in a very embarrassed tone.
"So if this is our first date, I might have a chance on our second date?"
"Why, Mister Kole, are you asking me out?" she asked as she flirtatiously sniffed the red carnation in her paw.
"What about tomorrow night, where would you like to go on our second date?"
"That will actually be our first date, me picking you up at a bar is not a date."
"Wait, I picked you up…" the fox began to object and then he remembered that she came to him. "Never mind!"
"So you don't want to take me on a date?" Karen asked in surprise, her heart skipped a beat in fear when it occurred to her that she might have teased him too much.
"Not that, of course, I do! I was referring to who picked up whom, not about taking you out tomorrow night."
"I haven't said yes," she giggled in relief.
"You haven't said no," he quickly replied even as he grabbed her paw with his own and gently pulled her forward into his arms. Surprisingly, she twisted free of his embrace and instead slipped her right arm under his left arm. "Let me guess, you don't kiss on your first date either?"
Karen smiled while she moved back into his arms and threw her own arms around his neck, the two of them paused for a moment when their eyes met again and then Stone closed his eyes as he leaned forward for a kiss. He drew back in confusion when he felt her lips press against his cheek before she once again twisted free of his embrace. The sexy cat grinned when she saw the look of disappointment that the handsome fox was giving her. "This isn't our first date, remember?" she said while she coyly swished her tail even as she drew closer to him again. He jumped when he felt her paws grip the top of his shorts and pull them forward slightly.
"What…?" he muttered in surprise when he looked down to see that she had tucked the stem of the flower into the waistband.
"Sweet dreams, Mister Kole," she gaily called out while she stepped away from him. "I'll see you at seven outside of the hotel!"
"Sure…but?" he began to stutter somewhat in shock, but she had already turned and was walking across the beach towards the busy Boardwalk. "Call me Stone!" he yelled to her.
"I'll think about it, Mister Kole!" she laughed while she gave him a wave.
Stone Kole stood on the shore watching the waves while sniffing the red flower which he clutched in his paw and then with a shake of his head and a grin on his muzzle, he slowly walked back towards the bar.
"So what has that tail of yours wagging this morning?" the still petite sand cat asked while she pulled off her reading glasses and smiled over at the fennec fox sitting across the table. He was not quite as lean as he had been all those many years ago and there were now strands of gray upon his tan muzzle.
"I was just thinking about that night we first met," the fox answered before he picked up his mug of coffee and gave it a sip.
"Stoney, that was over thirty years ago," Karen giggled even as she reached over and took his paw in hers. All around them, the beachside restaurant was busy with seasonal tourists, and beyond the nearby wooden Boardwalk, the morning sun was shining down on the blue sea. "What brought that on?"
Her husband didn't answer her question but just grinned when he plucked a red carnation from the vase of flowers in front of them and handed it to his wife.
The surfers in his story are based on real champion surfers. Gabriel de Gato would be the talented Gabriel Medina from Brazil, Julian Windsong is the indomitable Aussie, Julian Wilson, and the "King" is the legendary Kelly Slater. Stone Kole's pickup line is a quote by the surfing icon Paul "Kalakimau" Strauch.