Skye woke up with a scream. She bolted straight up in her bed and scanned her surroundings in a desperate attempt to figure out where she was. The last thing she remembered was being discovered in Zootopia and dragged back to Marble Jade. Her breathing turned shallow as panic rose in her chest. All of her running, all her years of trying to get away, and it was all for nothing…
Slowly, however, her senses came to her. No, she was not in Marble Jade. She was in a room filled with beds for many animals of all sizes. She had been sleeping in one of them. The sun was pouring in through the window on the wall. Marble Jade did not have beds for animals other than foxes, and the sun rarely shined there as brightly as it did right now.
Her memory began to return. Her encounter with the red fox—Nick Wilde—and how he had caught her breaking into a car. His car. He was a cop. He had brought her here. He had given her a place to sleep. She had not been found and taken away; that was just a dream. A very realistic, very lifelike dream, but still, just a dream.
She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. Her heart rate started to slow back down. She took another breath. She concentrated on the muscles in her body, willing them to relax. Another breath. She created a picture in her mind: herself, on a tropical island somewhere, basking in the warm sun, far away from the cold northern town she had grown up in. On this island, she was alone. On this island, she was taken care of. On this island, she was safe.
She opened her eyes back up, and finally, she felt calm. She glanced at the clock on one of the walls. It was after noon. She could not remember a time she had ever slept in so late. But her body felt rejuvenated and her thoughts were crystal clear, even so soon after waking up. Clearly, she had needed it.
And right now, she wanted to find the one responsible so she could thank him.
Skye crawled out of the bed and stood up. She took a moment to examine her outfit, and once she was satisfied that none of her clothes were missing, she exited the room. She had a vague recollection of walking down this hallway the night before, but she had been so sleepy then, she didn't recognize any of her surroundings now. The sound of distant voices down one end of the hallway caught her immediate attention, and she guessed that that was the direction of the main lobby. She started walking in that direction, but before long, she found herself distracted by something she realized was even more important: the public restrooms.
A few minutes later, she was standing in front of the sink. She had already washed and dried her paws, and now she leaned against the counter, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The face that gazed back at her was much more weary than it looked just a few years ago. The creamy-white fur on one side of her face was bunched together from where she had slept the night before. Her cool blue eyes peered back underneath darkened eyelids. Even in her disheveled state, most animals—foxes or otherwise—would call her pretty. Many might even consider her attractive. But Skye did not see herself that way. All she saw was an arctic fox, struggling simply to survive from one day to the next, and running away from a past that refused to leave her alone.
She had been through a lot—far more than most vixens her age. She did not want to spend too much time thinking about it. It just hurt too much to remember.
She ran the water again and splashed some into her face. She ran her claws through her fur, trying to make herself look as presentable as she could, and then stared at her reflection once more. She drooped her eyelids slightly and flashed a sly smile, very similar to the one that Wilde had on his face during the whole time he was talking with her last night. It was a good look, she had to admit, and it would make for an excellent mask.
At least if she was smiling, nobody would ask her what was wrong.
Finally, Skye was satisfied with her appearance. She took one last moment to smooth out the front of her clothes with a few strokes of her paws, then left the restroom and returned to the hallway outside. The faraway voices were fainter now, but she could still hear them coming from the same direction, so she decided to keep walking that way. Her intuition was rewarded a minute later, when she emerged from the hallway and into the ginormous lobby.
The wide-open chamber could have easily fit half a hundred elephants, though right now there were just a few wandering police officers and none of them were larger than a tiger. The whole front of the room was lined with windows and two sliding glass doors, which allowed an unexpected amount of natural sunlight to filter in. There were two stairs that led to upstairs walkways close to where Skye was right now, but otherwise, the only feature worth noting was the big, circular reception desk in the middle of the room. A portly cheetah was on duty right now, happily munching on a slice of cheese pizza.
Wilde was nowhere to be seen, but that did not surprise her; after all, he was an officer, and she did not expect for him to hang around all day, waiting on her to wake up from a well-deserved rest. With him gone, she was slightly disheartened to realize that, right now, she did not have the first clue of what to do or where to go. Her plan had been to go out and start applying for jobs wherever she could, and then once all the businesses closed for the day, find a homeless shelter where she could stay for the foreseeable future. But now that she thought about it, she was not so sure it would be a good idea to go outside without a more solid idea of keeping herself safe. She had been paranoid enough the night before—when it was the middle of the night, most of the city asleep, and the streets completely deserted. She was not sure how she would handle walking around in broad daylight, stumbling around in an unfamiliar city, surrounded by an uncountable number of strangers, and with no idea of where her next meal would come from.
Before she could think of any other options, however, the cheetah at the desk spotted her. His eyes widened and he nearly choked on his pizza in his rush to wave at her. "Hey! Skye! Over here!" he called, though there was really no need for him to be so loud with how empty the lobby was and how close she was currently standing.
She was mildly embarrassed at being called out like that, but none of the officers walking around seemed to pay any attention, so she pushed her unease aside and approached the desk. She tried adopting the sly smile that she had practiced in the restroom. "Hey there." She came to a stop in front of the desk and glanced at the giant name plate sitting prominently in front of the cheetah. "Officer Clawhauser?"
He responded with a giant smile and an eager nod. "Yep! Benjamin Clawhauser, at your service." He appeared to give a small bow, but after a second, Skye realized he was just bending over so he could grab another slice of pizza from a box hiding out of view. "You want one?" he cheerfully asked.
Skye started to politely decline, but a growl in her stomach stopped her before she could. Her mouth began to salivate uncontrollably as she realized that she had not eaten anything at all in more than three days—even longer than the last time she had slept before the previous night. She stared at the pizza that Clawhauser was currently offering her. It was still steaming hot, and the cheese was so melted it was starting to droop off the edges. Right now, it looked like the most beautiful food in the world.
"Can I really?" she asked.
"Of course!" Clawhauser stretched his free paw out, snatched one of hers, and placed the pizza firmly inside. He gave it a satisfactory pat. "And there's plenty more where that came from!" Then, faster than she thought he was capable, he grabbed another piece of his own from behind the desk and began to chew on it, humming a merry melody as he ate.
Skye turned her attention to the pizza wedge in her paw. She could not remember the last time she had something warm to eat, and now here she was, given pizza, for free. The warmth seeped into her paw pads, and the smell of the cheese and sauce overwhelmed her sensitive vulpine nose. She wasted no time in bringing it up to her mouth and taking a small nibble off the very corner. The flavor was even more overpowering than the smell, and for a second she wondered if this was the single best thing she had ever eaten her life. Before she could stop herself, she shoved half of the slice in her mouth, her taste buds craving satisfaction and her empty stomach begging for sustenance.
Her eyes closed, and she let out an involuntary moan of satisfaction. Normally, she would have been embarrassed by her excessive reaction, but right now she did not care. Clawhauser did not seem to mind, either, because she heard him chuckle in amusement. "I'm telling you: Pizza Palace! You can't go wrong with them!"
Skye opened her eyes back up to find Clawhauser proudly presenting a pizza box to her. This one was empty, which probably meant that he had finished this one off all on his own before she showed up. The picture on the top of the box was a mouse, dressed up like a king, sitting on top of a castle shaped like a slice of pizza. The logo underneath read "Pizza Palace", and a smaller blurb near the bottom read "Cheese Pizza – Cheese, It's Good!"
She swallowed her current mouthful. "I'll remember them," she promised. Clawhauser happily dropped the empty box back behind the desk, and grabbed a fresh slice from somewhere else and took another big bite out of it. Skye allowed herself another bite from her own slice, though this one was much smaller than the previous one, and this time she only needed a few seconds to chew and swallow. "I see Officer Wilde told you my name already," she said.
Clawhauser's current wedge had already completely disappeared by now, and he was feeling around for a new one underneath the desk. Upon hearing Skye mention Wilde's name, his smile returned in full force. "Oh, yes! Nick told me all about you!"
"I doubt that," Skye mumbled.
"Well, okay, maybe not all about you," Clawhauser admitted. His paw emerged, once again holding yet another piece of pizza. He held off devouring this one, however, until after he finished his thought. "But he did mention that there was an arctic fox here, that her name is Skye Frost, that she was sleeping in the back room and not to disturb her, and that she is a guest of the ZPD until further notice." He took a bite and motioned at Skye with what remained of his pizza. "I knew it was you as soon as you walked in. We don't see many arctic foxes here in Zootopia."
As Skye finished off her single slice of pizza, she suddenly realized that she had lost count of how many Clawhauser had gobbled down in the same amount of time. He did not come across as a glutton, but he certainly had a much larger stomach than any other mammal she had ever come across. After seeing him down more than half a pizza all on his own in such a short amount of time, she made a quick decision that her one piece was enough for now.
Besides, she had wasted enough time today as it was, and she had a whole mental checklist of things she still needed to do. The very first thing was to thank Wilde for giving her a place to sleep last night. "Officer Clawhauser?" she asked, stopping the cheetah mid-bite. "Can you please give Officer Wilde a message for me?"
Clawhauser blinked in confusion. "I suppose I could," he replied slowly, "but why don't you tell him yourself?" His eyes looked over Skye's shoulder and he waved his paw, still holding what was left of the pizza. "Hey, Nick!"
Skye whirled around. Sure enough, Wilde was walking in through the front entrance. He was wearing a proper police officer's uniform now: a long-sleeved dark blue shirt, matching slacks, and a sharp black necktie to complete the ensemble. It perfectly complimented his orange fur, which seemed to radiate now with the sunlight illuminating him. He was just lifting his sunglasses off of his snout and sticking them in place on his forehead, and just like last night, a smug smile was fixed on his face.
He waved in return, and walked up to the two of them. "Hey, Ben." He locked eyes with Skye, and his smile turned a bit more sincere. "Skye! Did you get enough rest?"
Wilde's eyes were just as vibrant as they were last night. They appeared as brilliant as emeralds, and watched her with a warmth and friendliness she had never seen from any other fox before. Almost immediately, she forgot whatever it was that he had just said to her; instead, her mind went almost completely blank, as she found herself lost in his gaze. She was only able to look into them for a few seconds before she had to look away. Her cheeks grew warm, her ears flattened against her skull, and she nervously clasped her paws together behind her back. Her heart suddenly pounded inside of her chest, but unlike the night before, this time it was not from fear, but from excitement.
Ever since she had woken up, she had planned on talking to Wilde, but now that he was here in front of her, she suddenly had a hard time finding the right words to say. The fox that stood in front of her might have been the exact same fox as the one who brought her in last night, but now, she saw him in a completely different way. Now, she was indebted to him—and, if she was honest with herself, she was even charmed by him. And when she tried to look back at him, she could only look at his eyes again for a split second before once more turning away.
"Um…" Her voice was much quieter than usual, and also pitched a little higher, though neither were intentional. "I did, thank you," she finally managed to reply.
"Great!" Wilde turned his attention to Clawhauser, either completely oblivious to Skye's infatuation with him or completely ignoring it. "Got any left for me, Ben?" Clawhauser nodded enthusiastically and reached down to try and grab yet another slice from behind the desk.
Skye suddenly found the words she wanted to say, and she quickly blurted them out before she could forget them again. "Officer Wilde!" she cried, far louder than necessary. The abruptness caused Wilde to jump in surprise, and for Clawhauser to nearly lose his grip on the pizza wedge he was just about to present to the fox. "I wanted to say thank you!" The words flew out of her mouth at a speed and intensity far faster than she had meant.
Wilde and Clawhauser looked at Skye and stared at her.
Skye's embarrassment doubled down, and she sheepishly cleared her throat and tried again. This time, she spoke in a much more normal tone of voice. "I mean…" She grasped her paws together in front of her waist. She stared at her feet, unable to bring herself to look him in the eye as she talked. "Thank you, Officer Wilde, for giving me a place to sleep last night."
Wilde waved a paw dismissively. "Don't mention it." He swiped the pizza slice from Clawhauser in the same motion. "All in the line of duty."
His nonchalance at her words may as well have been a complete dismissal of them—and she needed him to know just how serious she was. She managed to bring her eyes back up to his face, and at the same time, she brought her paws up to his, stopping him before he could take a bite from his pizza. "No, you don't understand!" She tried her best to keep her voice calm, but her emotions from the past few days still weighed heavily on her, and before she could stop herself, she started to rattle away. "You have no idea how much it means to me! I've never had anyone who treated me like you did. I don't deserve your kindness, especially after what I tried to do last night! You may have only given me a bed to sleep in, but to me, it was so much more than that, and I can never thank you enough, Officer Wilde!"
The red fox stood still for a second or two in stunned silence. Then, just as Skye worried she had rambled on for too long, he finally cracked a smile. This one was a warm, friendly smile, and his voice was soft and gentle when he responded. "Call me Nick."
Skye managed to find a smile of her own. "Okay. Nick." Her heart fluttered as she said his first name out loud.
Nick tugged against her paws. "Can I please eat my pizza now?" he asked.
She had completely forgotten she was still holding him. "Oh!" She let go of his arm and folded her paws back in front of her in embarrassment. "Sorry."
Nick finally bit down into his slice of pizza. He closed his eyes in satisfaction and chewed extra slowly, savoring all of the flavor in the piece. Behind him, Clawhauser was leaning down to grab more, but after a few seconds, his smile disappeared and he brought his paws back up empty. "That was the last one," he sadly proclaimed.
Nick quickly finished off his wedge, as if he was worried Clawhauser might steal it from him if he did not eat it fast enough. "Well, to be fair, Ben…" He shot Clawhauser a mischievous smile and pointed at the cheetah's bulging belly. "I think you've had enough for one day, anyway."
Clawhauser looked down, stared at his burly stomach, and let out a sigh. "Yeah, you're right." His infectious smile quickly returned, however, and he turned his attention back to Nick. "But I can see my toes today! That's an improvement!"
The red fox's eyes widened in an exaggerated surprise. "No!" He leaned over the counter and took a look at the cheetah's feet. "Wow! Would you look at that!" He returned to a standing position and glanced over at Skye. "This guy has feet! I never knew that!" His voice reeked of sarcasm, and when he addressed Clawhauser again, the smile returned to his face. "When did you get those, anyway?" His smile disappeared from his face in an instant. "Wait. When did I get mine?"
Skye had to stifle a laugh as Nick dramatically lifted one of his own feet off the floor and stared at it with incredulity. Then she completely lost it when Nick then pinched one of his toes between two fingers, wiggled it around, and gasped in faux shock at the very fact that it was real.
Clawhauser seemed equally amused. He laughed along with Skye for a few seconds, before a very loud growl emerged from his midsection, causing all three of them to stop and stare in bewilderment that he was still hungry, even after eating all that pizza. He forced an embarrassed smile, shrugged, and sat back down in his chair. "I guess that's the end of lunch, then."
Nick, however, seemed to have other plans. He raised a finger and wagged it. "Not so fast, my dear Benjamin." He gestured to the pile of empty pizza boxes. "It would appear that you have forgotten the most important part of a healthy meal."
The cheetah's eyes widened. "Dessert?"
"Dessert." The mischievous smile once again spread across Nick's face. "And I just so happen to know that there is a box of Dunkit Donuts, with your name all over it." Clawhauser's face lit up in excitement. Nick turned on his heel and started walking back to the front entrance. He called behind his shoulder, "Just wait here for a little while and I'll be back with a dozen cream-filled glazed rings with double sprinkles before you know it. Skye, you coming?"
The sudden invitation caught Skye off-guard; it had been so long since either officer had acknowledged her, she had begun to wonder if they had forgotten she was still there. While she stood still, however, Nick continued to walk, and it dawned on her that he would leave her behind if she didn't catch up. "Oh! Sure!" She quickly ran up to him and matched his stride.
A second later, they exited the building. Skye squinted as they emerged in the bright, sunlit city center. It was her first time seeing Zootopia during the daytime, and she took a moment to take it all in.
It was warmer now, and she was glad about that, but the thing she noticed most was that there were a lot more animals walking around now than there had been the night before. Even though it was the middle of the day on a weekday, the street was still packed with lots of busy mammals, moving every which way, as far as she could see in all directions. Hippos wearing business suits, a herd of zebras wearing matching winter coats, some camels jogging around in circles around a frozen pond, a lion yelling into his cell phone, a deer leading a group of children into a store as part of a field trip…
She found herself walking closer to Nick. It was impossible to take a good look at every single animal at a glance, and she worried that someone might spot her and recognize her, even with so many countless animals surrounding her. With Nick, she felt at least a little bit safer—and if anything else, he was a cop, which had to mean that he was capable of protecting her if it came to that.
Nick did not seem to mind. He kept strolling down the sidewalk, paws in his pockets, smile still on his face. He waved at a few friendly faces as they made their way to the shop he had mentioned to Clawhauser, but for the first few minutes, he seemed perfectly content to walk in silence.
Eventually, however, he opened his mouth and finally asked her what she knew was coming. "So. What brings you to Zootopia, anyway?"
Skye had been dreading the question, but she could not blame Nick for his curiosity. She even had a rehearsed answer ready. She recited it as naturally as she could. "Work ran out in the last town I lived in, so I decided to come here to find something better."
Nick nodded knowingly. "Ah, yes. The classic." He brought a paw to the knot in his tie and fiddled with it theatrically. "Coming to Zootopia, where anyone can be anything!" He looked at her with a half-lidded smile. "And what is it you want to be?"
Skye had planned for dozens of questions. This was not one of them. Nick had asked the question with such sincerity—like he actually cared about knowing the answer, rather than just being polite for the sake of conversation. She considered for a second replying with some generic non-committal answer, but one more look at Nick's beautiful green eyes, and she gave an honest answer before she could stop herself.
"I want to open a garage." One of Nick's eyebrows raised in interest, and she continued. "I love working on cars. I've always loved cars, ever since I was a little girl, and it's always been my dream to come to Zootopia and open up a garage. A big garage! Able to fit cars for all kinds of animals." Her paws moved around animatedly as she went into detail. "I want to work for everyone! Elephants, giraffes, rhinos, weasels, tigers, rabbits, skunks, even mice! Anyone who has a vehicle that needs fixed can come to Skye's Garage and know that they are in good paws! That is what I want, more than anything else in the world!"
It was only when she finished talking that she realized she had been smiling the whole time. Her excitement had seeped into her voice, and she had said far more than she had meant to. She quickly wiped the smile off her face and lowered her gaze to the ground apologetically, clasping her paws behind her tail and kicking away a small pebble that got in her way. "Sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to ramble."
Nick waved a paw dismissively. "Ramble? Hardly!" She managed to bring herself to look back at his face, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "I can tell, you're very enthusiastic about this. That's great. It means you know what you want and you'll work hard to make it happen."
Nobody had ever reacted so positively to Skye's dream before. In fact, she was used to other people scoffing at her and telling her that she was crazy. Nick's reaction caught her off-guard, and she wondered if she had heard him correctly. "You really think so?"
"I know so!"
Skye found herself staring at her feet again as they kept walking. "That's very kind of you, but…" She let out a defeated sigh. "Everyone knows that foxes can't make it in Zootopia." She realized she had said it out loud a second too late, and she quickly looked at Nick again and threw her paws up in defense. "Oh! I didn't mean—"
The officer, however, was chuckling, and did not at all seem offended by her statement. He waited for her to lower her paws before he replied. "You know, I used to think that as well. I spent most of my life thinking that." He met her gaze again, and his chuckle disappeared, though his genuine smile remained. "I know what it's like to think you can't be any better than a simple hustler. But I assure you, you can."
Nick's words left more of an impact on her than he probably realized. Skye once again felt her cheeks start to burn, and she tore her blue eyes away from his once again before he could see the blush forming on her face. "I appreciate that," she managed to respond in a quiet voice.
"And speaking of hustling…" Nick pulled his cell phone out of one of his pockets and glanced at the screen. "It's getting kind of late." He turned back to Skye, whose attention was still fixed on the sidewalk in front of them. "I take it you still don't have a job lined up?"
She shook her head. "I was going to start applying for one, but…" She forced a chuckle. "I guess I overslept."
"You sure needed it." Nick shoved his phone back in his pocket. "You know what, Skye? I might be able to hook you up with something."
Skye's ears perked at Nick's words. She whirled at him and stared at his face to make sure he wasn't kidding. "Really?"
"Yeah, I have a friend who needs some seasonal help at the mall." His smile scrunched up as a mischievous thought entered his mind. "And I think you'll be a perfect fit."
She dared not believe him. Her walk slowed to a stop, and it took a few extra steps for Nick to realize that she was completely flabbergasted. "You're serious?" she asked, her voice reduced to a whisper.
Nick turned around and walked back up to her. His smile was reduced now, but still remained on his face. "Well, like I said, it's only seasonal. And it doesn't pay much. But it's something." He shrugged. "I just thought I'd offer. You don't have to—"
His words got caught in his throat as Skye threw her arms around him in a giant, full-body hug. She couldn't help herself. All of her emotions came bubbling to the surface as she embraced the red fox, and she had to fight off a sudden onslaught of tears that threatened to flood her eyes.
"I'll take that as a yes, then." Nick graciously returned the hug just as strongly, and seemed content to hold Skye for as long as she needed.
After just a few seconds, however, her embarrassment got the better of her, and she pulled away. She quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes and offered an awkward smile. "Thank you." She smirked. "Again," she added.
"Hey, don't thank me yet. I still have to follow through." Nick glanced over at the sun, currently hanging in the eastern sky. "Way too late today for me to get you set up, but first thing in the morning should work."
"That's fine," Skye replied. "I don't have anything else to do anyway."
The look on Nick's face changed. "And nowhere else to go, either?" Even though he said it like a question, Skye knew that it was more of a statement of fact. She shook her head, and he paused for a few seconds, his expression deep in thought. "You really don't have anywhere else to go, do you?" he asked again.
"Else?" Skye glanced over her shoulder, her eyes landing on the precinct building now far in the distance behind them. "Oh, don't worry. I wasn't planning on spending the night there again. I wouldn't want to impose, and besides, I think it would be for the best if I found a homeless shelter to—"
"You should spend the night with me."
Nick's proposal caught Skye so off-guard she nearly choked. Her eyes widened and she stared at Nick in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
Nick, however, seemed to be completely serious. "Yeah, why not?"
Skye was sure now that the tips of her ears were as red as Nick's fur, but for the first time today, she was unable to look away in embarrassment. Instead, she continued to stare at Nick, struggling to fully process what he was saying. Her jaw was dropped open, her eyes were as big as golf balls, and her heart pounded so hard and fast in her chest she felt like it was about to leap out of her mouth.
She was so caught by surprise, she completely missed most of what Nick was saying. "…just put a new bed in the guest room, and it could use at least one night's sleep for a proper review." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "It's fox-sized, too."
Much like most of their talks since she first met him, Skye had a hard time finding the words to respond. She tried to say something, but all that emerged from her mouth was some sort of nonsensical noise.
Nick chuckled. "Don't worry, there's plenty of space." He perked up. "Oh, and food! Plenty of food, too. And the shower. And the big TV I just got for Skunk Friday. You can make yourself right at—"
"No!" Skye had forced out the word much more harshly than she had meant. Nick blinked in surprise, and she managed to continue in a more calm voice, "Nick, you've already given me a place to sleep last night and offered me a job. I couldn't possibly—"
Nick raised a paw, trying to stop her. "It's really not a big deal," he insisted.
"But to offer me your home is just too much for me to—"
"Skye." Nick leaned forward and locked his eyes firmly onto hers. "I won't take no for an answer." He rested his paw on her shoulder. "It's my job to be helpful to others, and right now I see a vixen who needs a lot of help, and I want to help her." He grinned once again. "And, I can tell, she is having a very hard time finding an excuse to get out of it."
His eyes twinkled as he looked at her, and she knew her entire face right now was flushed in red underneath her sandy fur. But it seemed Nick did not care about that. He just kept smiling at her, and she was sure she was going to melt under that smile. His kind expression warmed her up inside so much that she completely forgot that the air temperature was close to freezing. And he was right: she did struggle to find an excuse to turn him down—and if she was honest with herself, she didn't want to turn him down anyway.
"Okay," she finally agreed.
"Okay!" With that settled, Nick turned on his heel and started walking down the sidewalk again. "Come on! Dunkit Donuts is just a block away!"
Skye watched him as he walked away. Her mind was overwhelmed trying to process all that had happened in just the past twenty-four hours. She had arrived in Zootopia with the clothes on her back and not a penny to her name, and now she had a place to sleep and even a new job to look forward to.
All because of Nick Wilde.
A new smile spread across her face—the biggest smile in her life. Her mind filled with respect and appreciation for the tod who had come into her life. She would have to properly thank Nick for all of his generosity later—when she was more capable, when they were in a more private setting.
She quickly began to run after him. Her heart pounded in her chest the entire time, and the blush still heated up her face, but she didn't care. Skye had found a fox she was falling in love with.