Hello everyone!
On a short note: sorry for the long update time, but life and so on. I'll try my best to keep up a nice pace, but no promises.
And that's it.
Chapter 17
That night the full moon was shining down on the red fur of a running predator. Nick panted heavily as he raced along the road around the campus that he already etched in his memory. He didn't even know why he was running, but the recent phone call left his body restless and without thinking much he sneaked out of the building to burn out whatever feeling that was causing this uneasiness. After three hours he stopped in front of the gate supporting himself on his knee. His lungs informed him of the critical state they were in. But apart from shortness of breath he felt, more or less, good. Two weeks ago he'd collapse after a marathon like this, but constant penalty training from sergeant Hardass did its job and his stamina exceeded any of Nick's expectations. His legs were only slightly aching, compared to a burning inferno of pain on the first day of training. Nick wasn't entirely sure if this was purely from regular runs or did the serum play some part in it. *Still…* He thought while straightening up. *Serum or not, this will be very useful.* And after some stretching, he headed back to their shared room with a much clearer head. Also, since night time activity was natural for all foxes, he could use this time for additional training in other areas. It was a perfect opportunity to strengthen the muscles with running and other basic exercises, going over the obstacle course Nick saw in the back courtyard or using the punching bag.
The name 'William' came back to his mind.
*Yeah, definitely a punching bag.*
He snuck back into their shared room and very quietly took out a small plastic bag he hid behind the books in the drawer of the nightstand. He dropped two white pills on a free paw and immediately swallowed them. Only after that and hiding the bag again, Nick lay down and went to sleep.
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Nick continued his night escapades to run around the campus and do several other exercises, like push-ups and crunches. After a few days something happened that totally wrecked his training plan and took it to a new level. It was dinner time, when Nick found himself sitting alone with Marcus. But the tiger didn't place his stare on the soup he had, but on the fox.
„What are you doing at nights?" He asked bluntly.
Nick's face didn't show any signs of surprise as he sipped his water.
"Not a one to beat around the bush, eh?"
"I don't want any of your games or jokes. Every night you sneak out for several hours. What are you doing in that time?" Marcus' gaze was fixed on Nick, a very intense gaze.
The fox matched the feline's stare and weighed his options. He took such a situation into consideration. It would be a surprise if his night trips stayed a secret for a longer period of time. It was to be expected that the street, tough guy would catch on first. You don't survive out there without being vigilant. *Basically, if I lie right now he'll easily see through it. Oh well…* Nick put down the cup. "And what will you do with that knowledge?" He leaned forward. folding his arms on the table.
Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Depending on your answer I might turn you in." He also leaned forward and lowered his tone of voice. "I'm here for a reason and I'm not letting some bloody fool ruining my chance."
Nick's gaze didn't falter. "I also have my reason and don't think for a second that I'll let you become an obstacle for my presence here." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Got it, Twice?"
That last word had a huge impact. The tiger's confident expression nearly shattered after hearing it. And then it swiftly shifted into an angry one, with tips of his fangs showing under the lifted upper lip. A growl started forming in Marcus' throat. Nick quickly lifted a finger.
"Pipe it down, Stripes. Let me finish." He cast a quick glance to the sides and made sure with his other senses that there is no one near enough to hear them. "Next time we will all go and I'll present you with an explanation that can benefit us all, deal?"
The feline glared at him with distrust. "And if I say no?"
Nick shrugged. "I can get myself out of practically any trouble, been doing it all my life, but you? If the push comes to shove you're more likely to get kicked out. But don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying any of this as a threat. I want everyone to gain benefit of what I have in mind." He took his tray and hopped off the seat. "Think about it." He said walking away.
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The night came really quick, as if someone was urging it to do so. And when Nick sat up on his bed after the main lights were turned off, he saw Marcus sitting on the edge of his bed with arms folded. The fox smiled at this sight, it meant he at least caught the large predator's attention.
"Okay." Marcus murmured slowly. "What now?"
Nick slipped on the floor. "Now, we wake them up." Which was much easier said than done. It took some effort to drag Jack out of his deep slumber and even after waking up he still needed some time to get his mental engine to start running again. But Rupert… if he wasn't breathing regularly they would have thought he is a corpse. NOTHING could wake him up, no amount of shoving, patting or even jumping on his head. So after various attempts they decided to abandon the great, grey and snoring lump of flesh and snuck out of the room. When they finally got outside, Nick led them outside the camp to avoid any chance of getting caught. They crossed the training road that surrounded the academy and went into the lush bushes on the other side of it. At that point Marcus grabbed Nick's arm and forcibly turned him around.
"This is far enough, now talk!"
Nick grinned and peeled of the feline's arm, while holding off an instinct to fight back at bay. "Easy, Twice. No need to get rough."
"Huh, twice what?" Jack mumbled, rubbing one of his eyes with a paw. But the two predators ignored him.
The fox raised his arms and folded them behind his head. "What we are doing here? Training."
Two felines graced him with glances of a mix of confusion and sleepy daze.
"But we traaaain during the day." Jack couldn't stop a yawn.
Marcus was clearly surprised. "You mean you're skipping sleep to train?" All irritation has vanished from his facial features, replaced with curiosity and… a hint of respect?
"Yep. I told you today, I have a reason to graduate from the academy and I will stop at nothing to achieve it." Now that he, more or less, explained the situation, Nick looked at his companions to gauge their reaction.
Jack laid it out straight. "We already train every day, why bother yourself with pushing your body to its limits. Thaaaaats not healthy, sorry."
"What kind of training?" Marcus was more interested than the cheetah and didn't even try to hide it.
Nick grinned seeing his reaction. "For now basic exercises to build up some muscle, but I was planning on using the obstacle course and since there is few of us now, why not some sparring?" His roommates eyes got automatically drawn to the fox's broken arm. "Hey, don't you pity me or try talking me out of this! My other arm is fully functional."
"Well…" Jack began.
"To be honest…" Marcus started.
Nick narrowed his eyes. *Ok, let's do this the hard way.* He extended a paw towards the tiger in a gesture of greeting. "Grab my paw." He ordered.
Marcus blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Try grabbing my paw. Come on, try it." The fox urged him.
The tiger glanced at him with suspicion, nevertheless he raised his own, much bigger paw. And then it shot towards Nick. But the fox was ready. His own paw went forward, only brushed with the tiger's fingers and caught the wrist in a specific spot, twisting it a little.
Marcus didn't fully comprehend what happened but in the next second he groaned and dropped to his knees. His paw was sending waves of pain up his arm, effectively pinning him in place. It was a weird sight, the tiger being roughly twice the size of the fox and practically three times the weight. Therefore, it was incomprehensible why with just one paw Nick was able to force him on his knees.
"Whoa!" Jack was finally awake and stared in amazement at the scene before his eyes. "How did you-"
Nick calmly cut in. "I once read in a book that there are certain joints and nerves in tiger's wrists. If pressured in the right way," He gently pressed his paw downwards, eliciting a hiss of pain from Marcus. "Even the heftiest client will go down." The fox smiled innocently at the kneeling feline. "Good enough for you? And let me just add that this is the first time I tried it. Imagine the effects with a lot of practice." He let go.
The tiger stood up, massaging the aching wrist. "Effective, I'll give you that." He muttered.
"Effective? That was awesome!" Jack was hopping up and down in excitement. "Nick, can you teach me that?"
The fox shrugged. "Why not? That's what training's for."
Marcus folded his arms and stared down at Nick. "Fine. This could work. But don't complain if I hit you too hard."
"Fair enough."
And they started with a couple of sparring matches, taking it slow at the beginning. Trying to measure their capabilities, reflexes and strength. A match lasted five minutes and then they would switch. Obviously, Jack and Marcus were on more equal footing, given their size and weight. Still, it was clear that, while the cheetah was much faster than his opponent, the tiger had the advantage of strength and experience in fighting. Their sparring ended when Marcus broke Jack's defense with a carefully timed punch and the slim feline fell down on his backside, rising a paw in defeat.
"I give up, I give up!" He said quickly and after that accepted a paw offered by the tiger and stood up. "Damn, you have one hell of a punch!" Jack shook his arms to bring some life back into them after blocking a series of heavy blows from Marcus.
Then it was Nick's turn and it wouldn't win the title of a match of the century. It mostly consisted of both predators slowly circling around and Marcus throwing an occasional punch at the fox. Nick was keeping his distance and taking this opportunity to measure his own limits and the tiger's reaction speed. He'd step in and quickly withdraw, throw a light jab Of course it was all based on theory, as he had no real experience in fighting and only read about it in books. *Or watching Finnick in his bad days, when he'd pick up fights with everyone. Oh wait, there was also Cripple Jawson…* He thought with an inward grim smile.
Cripple Jawson was an elderly grey wolf that visited Nick's favorite bar regularly and told stories, lots of them and they were all about fighting. About the fights he engaged in. And he had an impressive collection of scars to prove that. Buying him a drink usually resulted in a hearty laugh and a story about the ways of close combat and useful tricks he had come up in his brawling career. Dirty tricks, since he was a street fighter where nobody gives you points for playing nice. Oh yes, you could learn a lot from ole Jawson.
That's why after dodging a jab from Marcus, Nick quickly took a step forward and threw a punch at the tiger's liver. To the fox's satisfaction it connected successfully, but to his disappointment it didn't have enough force behind it and Marcus countered with a blow that send Nick flying. After a short air trip, the fox hit the ground with a loud groan and rolled twice from the impact. Jack immediately scurried to his side with a worried expression. "Nick! You ok?"
The fox sprung up to his feet so fast that it startled the cheetah.
Blood raging in his veins, a stifled growl trapped in his chest and every predator sense screaming to lunge forward in retaliation, Nick struggled to keep the savage side at bay. This was exactly what he wanted – an opportunity to practice his self-control in a fight. But his strong will overwrote every order of attack that came to his limbs and kept a leash on the raving beast within him. But he didn't put it down to sleep. He wanted to use it. *So far so good…* He thought and tried flexing his fingers. The digits obeyed his sane side and moved accordingly. Then clenched to form a fist. *Perfect.* With a wide grin in his face, Nick lunged forward.
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Judy's phone vibrated on the pillow, making the bunny open a tired eye. She was on her bed, reading the book from Nick when sleep caught her. She slept instinctively curled up on her side. The grey paw felt around the area she felt the vibration coming from, eventually finding the phone. Still in a sleepy daze she swiped the green icon to answer the call.
"Hello?" She half yawned.
"Judy?" Her mother's voice. The bunny rolled over to her back.
"Hey mum, what's up?" She rubbed her eyes in attempt to clear the daze away.
"Oh, sorry sweetie did I wake you up?"
"Don't worry, I needed to get up anyway."
"If you say so. Anyway, I'm calling because I have great news. Abi is finally getting married!" Bonnie Hopps chirped in excitement. That got Judy a bit more awake. Abigail, or Abi as her mother calls her, was her younger sister and for some time she's been engaged to a young buck from Tri-burrows. They were struggling to find a proper date for the wedding. Apparently, they found one. "It's going to be next weekend and I really hope that you could come for the ceremony and the party."
The younger bunny reached for her calendar and quickly shuffled the pages. "We're in luck, I don't have duty during that weekend." She smiled, happy for a chance to spend some time with her family and on such a joyful occasion.
"That's great! I'll tell Abi, but I'm sure she'll call you anyway to invite you personally. Oh, that reminds me, do you have someone to go with?"
The question caught Judy off guard and she flinched slightly. "Go… with…" She repeated her mother's words. Of she'd need a plus one for the wedding. Not surprisingly, the first animal that came to her mind was a certain grinning, sly fox. But she reminded herself instantly that he was in the academy and it's not likely that they would let him go for the weekend. Her second was that why would she first think of a fox when it was about a rabbit wedding. A small part of her mind rationalized that being her best friend is argument enough. Yes, that had to be it, her friend. Her best friend… She quickly shook her head. "Well, I'll try finding someone…" Judy mumbled to the phone.
"Okay hun. Um, well… what about… the fox you know?" Bonnie asked with a bit of uncertainty.
Judy's ears shot right up. "Nick? Why would you mention him?"
"Well, he is your friend and helped you solve your big case. I think that is enough to be at least considered. And yes, I know we're talking about inviting a fox to a party full of rabbits, but I don't see a reason to discriminate him. If you trust him then it is enough for me."
The young bunny was speechless for a moment after hearing her mother's words. "That's… very nice of you to say that." Her lips formed a smile, she was happy to know that her mother wasn't going to judge Nick based on his species. "But, Nick is training in the academy, so he wouldn't be able to come anyway. So I still need to find someone… Wait!" Judy snapped her fingers. "I know one mammal that could go!"
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Their match ended with, more or less, a tie. Nick and Marcus were still standing and panting slightly. Jack clapped enthusiastically. "That was a great! You two really know your stuff."
Both the tiger and fox spun their heads towards him and snapped. "Oh shut it!"
The cheetah went wide eyed before clutching his stomach and falling back with uncontrollable laughter.
Very slowly, Marcus shook his head. "What's wrong with that guy?"
Nick stretched his back. "Beats me." He was very pleased with the result of this sparring. He never intended to go all out and try striking with all his strength. The point was to test to what degree he can control himself in a fight while being in savage mode at the same time. It was a bit tricky at first, but he quickly caught on, eventually managing to swiftly use the potential of the feral strength and reflexes. This way, he was able to dodge the tiger's attacks, no matter how fast or surprising they were. Nick returned a few punches, but always remembering to tone down the strength of the attacks, to not reveal how much power his arms could produce. And Marcus was an ideal lab rat for this training. Having real life experience in fighting, with a few dirty tricks up his sleeve plus packing a mighty punch with decent speed behind it. *And talking about speed…* Nick glanced at the cheetah rolling on the ground. "Oi, Spots!" Want to give it a go?" He raised his voice to be heard over the bursts of laughter coming from the feline.
Jack gradually calmed down and stood up. "Sure, why not?" He said, while wiping tears from his face.
"Do what you want, I'm going back. Need to get some sleep." Marcus stated and started heading back for the campus. The other two predators shrugged.
After he left, Nick and Jack began their sparring, initiative being on the cheetah's side. Nick kept defending himself, which was difficult with just one arm, even given his savage mode. These felines weren't called the fastest animals on Earth for nothing. *Plus, how am I supposed to attack when…* A jab really close to his muzzle disrupted his thinking for a moment. But then a smile crept up his features. *Ah, screw it…*
Jack kept pressuring the fox with a flurry of punches. "What's wrong Nick? Can't keep up?" He mocked cheerfully. "Or maybe you forgot how to attack?"
Nick took a quick step back and his sharp eyes observed as the cheetah pulled back his arm to launch another strike. And then he dropped the bomb. "Well, my mother taught me not to hit girls…" The feline's punch was suddenly a bit off the mark. Nick instantly stepped in, allowing his opponent's fist to past right next to his head. His right arm launched upwards in an uppercut that headed straight for the spotted predator's jaw. And it stopped a mere inch from it. Both fighters froze for a moment. Nick grinned and raised a brow. "But I know how to throw a punch if I have to.
He received a shocked stare. "How… how did you…" The voice was suddenly half a tone higher.
Nick stepped back a bit and tapped his nose knowingly. "The smell."
"B-but… but I used-"
"I know, I know. Let me guess: you tried to mask it with some special deodorant?"
Jack's head sunk. "Yes…" Came a muttered answer.
The fox put a paw on his hip. "It worked with others, but it won't work on me. I have quite the exceptional nose." He chuckled. "So what am I supposed to call you now, Jack?"
The cheetah sighed in defeat. "It's Jackie." She rubbed her face with both paws. "Damn it! I really, really thought I got this!" The girl exclaimed.
Nick flinched seeing her emotional reaction. "Come on, it's not such a big deal. I mean, I know a lot of females and none complained about being one." He attempted to lighten the mood with a joke.
He got a nervous giggle from the feline. "You don't understand…" She dropped her paws and Nick saw a sad look in her eyes. "If the words get out that I posed as a male it's over for me. I'll be thrown out, the instructors will not let such a situation-"
Nick rolled his eyes. "Who said I'm going to tell anyone?" He cut in.
Jackie's jaw dropped down an inch. "You… you won't?" A glint of hope appeared in her eyes.
The fox shrugged with one arm. "I have no reason to. I'm only curious about one thing…" He slightly leaned towards her and raised a brow. "You want me to ask the obvious or you'd like to tell me on your own?"
She took a step back, as if Nick was threatening her. "I…" Her gaze dropped to the ground. "It's not…"
But the fox knew when not to pressure someone. "Fine." He told her. "I said I'm just curious, but you don't need to answer. Let's get back too, I'm getting sleepy." With that said, Nick walked past Jackie and headed towards the academy. The feline stood still for a moment gazing after the fox with a mixture of surprise and gratefulness before shaking her head and following him.
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The next weekend came and Judy was on her way home. And since Zootopia's trains were really fast it didn't take long before Bunnyburrow came into view, along with a huge welcoming board that had a wildly spinning counter of population on it.
And here was, for the lack of a better fitting word, a horde of Judy's siblings, waiting at the station to greet their eldest sister. Some of the hopped up and down from excitement and curiosity who she has brought along with her for the wedding. The answer came when Judy stepped out of the train with her luggage and happily jumped forward to snuggle as many of her brothers and sisters into a hug. There was a lot of cheerful laughter and shouting from the huge group of bunnies. And when her companion also walked out of the vehicle all heads turned in his direction.
Judy stood next to him and introduced him to her family. "Guys, this is William Twicks, my partner at the ZPD. I hope you'll like him."
The buck waved his paw in a shy manner and showed a nervous smile. "Um, hello… Nice to meet you all."
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That day instructors allowed them some free time so Nick used the opportunity to call Miss Shavala. Before he left for the academy, They agreed to continue their talks via phone once in a while, when Nick has a chance to talk.
"Hello?" Said a female voice in the phone.
"Afternoon, Miss Shavala. Nick here." He said while lying down on his bed. He was in the shared room, taking advantage of the fact that others decided on a study session somewhere else.
"Why hello Nick, good to hear from you. How are you doing there?"
"We-ll, I pissed off our senior instructor, got my arm broken and blackmailed my roommate into cooperation in an activity that is against the academy's rules."
His therapist replied without any hesitation or surprise in her voice. "Sounds like you were very busy. Can we discuss this in detail?"
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A rabbit wedding could be best described with the word 'humongous'. From the sheer number of guests to the amount of preparation it required. Starting with the fact that one bunny family consisted of roughly 200 to 300 members and most of them would bring an accompanying person. Add all the relatives, even those distant ones, friends and colleagues and you'll come up with a mind blowing number. That's why rabbits were considered to be best event organizers and catering service providers. If you can manage a wedding party for a small army, there's nothing you can't handle. And now Judy was preparing herself for the eventful evening, by putting on some light makeup and slipping into a lavender dress, that accentuated her figure, with a rather high cut at the thigh. When ready, she got out of her room to find how William was doing. At the moment he was in the lounge, surrounded by a flock of little rabbits that consisted of Judy's younger siblings and being subjected to a hailstorm of questions. He stood with his paws up in a defensive gesture and a face that betrayed a shy nature.
"How old are you?"
"Where you from?"
"You work with Judy?"
"Are you her boyfriend?"
"Have you kissed?"
Judy rolled her eyes and stepped in to disperse the crowd. "All right, that's enough, enough. What did I say about assaulting our guests? Come on, let him be."
There was a choir of disappointed groans, but the micro horde obeyed the eldest sister and spread to their rooms. William took a deep breath and pulled at his collar. "Thank you, I thought I was going to get crushed."
"Sorry, they're always like this. I should have warned you."
He rubbed the back of his head. "Hahah, I don't mind. But only if for a short while, few moments longer and I would be a goner." He chuckled quietly. She replied with a smile.
"Thank you again for coming here. I had no one else to ask."
William returned her smile with his own. "No problem." As he said that, his ears fell down. "But… you know, won't your family misinterpret me being here?" The buck mumbled.
She raised a puzzled brow. "Like what?"
"Um, like me… b-being your boyfriend or something…" He stuttered with trouble.
Judy felt a blush spreading across her cheeks, but quickly composed herself and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Let them think what they want. It's just some family gossip anyway. But why does it bother you?"
He turned his eyes away from her. "Well… it's just that I don't think a guy like me would ever deserve such a fine doe like you, Judy."
At that second she was glad he wasn't looking, because the red color returned tenfold to her face. The bunny felt a slight, warm tingle in her chest and desperately tried to think of a different subject. Luckily, she found one. Judy quickly took a few deep breaths. "It's very flattering, but I think you're overestimate me. Besides there's no time for this right now, let me take a look at you, we must have proper clothing!"
Judy finally got a chance to see how her partner dressed for the occasion. He was wearing the all-time standard for males attending official celebrations: a suit. It wasn't anything extravagant, rather the type you can get at the lower tiered tailors. But then again, what cop could afford an expensive piece of clothing like a first class suit. Still, it looked good on him, part of her could even state very good. She blushed slightly again and grabbed his arm to drag him outside. "Come on, it's going to start soon! We need to get to the chapel." Not being given choice in that matter, William followed Judy to the car.
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"Hmm, I did in fact say 'busy' before, but all of what you told me makes that a rather big understatement." The vixen summed up his story. "My question is why are you trying to irritate as many mammals as you can? Mocking, blackmail?
Nick lay down on his back. "I have my reasons."
"Would you explain them to me?"
The fox closed his eyes and shuffled his head to make himself more comfortable on the pillow. "Nope."
A slight pause. "I see. Then let's talk now about your savage 'mode', as you called it. Did you notice any changes?"
"Not really, just some minor boost in my reflexes and stamina, though I started using it for practice."
"Practice?"
"For sparring." Nick explained.
"And what were the results?"
"Actually, pretty good. I was able to maintain my sane side throughout the whole sparring session."
"That's good news. And what about outside of training?" Miss Shavala inquired.
He shifted uneasily on the bed. "What do you mean?"
"Did you notice any change in your behavior outside the savage mode?"
Nick groaned while covering his face with a paw. "You always have to ask the most unpleasant questions."
"That's what I'm hired for." The fox would bet any money that she smiled right now.
He sighed in resignation. "I heard that Officer Hopps got a partner."
"And how did this information make you feel?"
Nick thought about it for a second before replying. "I wanted to strangle the bastard, I still do. But the moment I heard that he's out there, close to her… I could see my claws on his face." His voice was soaked with bitterness and anger.
"You felt that your position is being threatened?"
He raised a brow. "Position?"
"As a friend, partner…" When she didn't continue the list, Nick was plain grateful for that.
"Maybe…" He stated with caution, having a rough idea where she was heading with this.
"That could mean that you're getting territorial. Protecting what is yours."
Once again, Nick let out a sigh. "She's not mine. We're friends and nothing more."
"Does she know it?"
"What? Of course!"
"So, since you're just friends, it is perfectly fine if she becomes William's girlfriend, right?" The vixen posed an innocent question.
Nick wanted to answer, but found his voice trapped in his throat, as if a hot ball was stuck in it, blocking any sound. He winced in surprise and fought the savage instincts, trying to suppress them with reason. But to no avail. Nick noticed the first symptoms of his blood boiling. *Shut it! Stay down!* He screamed inside his mind. And Shavala only added fuel to the fire. "If she does, one day she could become his fiance."
The beast howled with fury.
With enormous effort, Nick finally managed to speak, even if it was just a croak. "Don't…"
But the vixen didn't finish. "And eventually they would marry and have childre-"
"ENOUGH!" The fox roared, throwing the phone. It hit Jackie's nightstand and cracked open, the battery falling out. He sprung up to sit on the bed, right paw clutching his head. "It's not like this! You don't care about it!" He snarled at his savage side. "You don't love her! Remember? You threw away that… emotion. What's the matter Wilde? Where's 'don't let them see that they get to you', huh?" Nick slightly rocked back and forth. "I don't care. I don't care. I don't care…" He mumbled with a empty voice as his consciousness gradually took over, shutting back the beating heart in an impervious, cold metal shell. The raging emotions slowly died out in his eyes, returning them to their natural, unreadable state. "I don't care…"