Hello dear readers!
Thank you for your continuous support for this story, I'll do my best to keep it interesting right up to the end.
Just a few things before we go on:
SOUNDTRACK TIME! As I mentioned before, I sometimes write particular scenes thanks to inspiration that comes from songs and music. And in this chapter the description of Nick's training was created purely from the song "Can't be touched" by Roy Jones Jr. Please share your thoughts on this if you also find this fitting ;)
I'd also like to address few reviews:
Archangel12575 - I know it may look a bit like that, but trust me, Nick has his reasons for acting this way. We'll learn about it later ;)
Mr. Shortman92 - We-ll, I don't want to say too much, but they will have their confrontation about Judy and won't be friendly :D
And that would be it, please enjoy the chapter
Chapter 18
The party following the wedding ceremony was like all other rabbit parties: loud, cheerful, crowded and filled with music. Due to the number of guests, it was held outside, in the open air. Numerous long tables surrounded a vast dance-floor that was constantly occupied by more than many rabbits. Everyone laughed, danced and enjoyed themselves. Including Judy. She simply loved parties with good music and the last time she had this much fun was at the Gazelle's concert. The difference was that now she had a more able dance partner. William surprisingly opened up to the flow of the music and danced along the grey doe with matching enthusiasm. Still, Judy was in a totally different league when it came to stamina and after an hour William stumbled towards his seat, mumbling about something to drink. Judy joined him after another hour on the dance-floor, but not because of exhaustion, she simply wanted to grab a drink in this short brake. She stopped by her chair a snatched a glass from the table.
"You really are amazing." Will stated suddenly, glancing up at her from his seat.
Judy winced. "Because I can dance slightly longer than you?" She chuckled and gulped down the contents of her glass.
"Well, yes… but I also mean… in general." He played with his tie nervously, a colorful drink in his other paw.
Even with the excitement from the atmosphere of the whole party filling her entire body, the female bunny managed to squeeze in a bit of embarrassment and blushed lightly. She was about to open her mouth to respond when a friendly paw slapped her on the back.
"Hey, sister dear!" Abi chirped into Judy's ear, hugging her from behind.
Judy smiled from ear to ear at the sight of the bride clad in pure white dress. "Hey, Abi! Enjoying yourself?"
"You bet! And what about you two?" She placed her other paw on William's shoulder. "Having fun?"
The buck offered a gentle smile. "Oh yes, thank you very much for the invitation."
Abigail giggled. "You're welcome. But sis…" She nudged Judy with her elbow. "For you to bring home such a gentlerabbit, who would've thought…"
The grey bunny waved her paw dismissively. "Hush you, don't make me into some sort of a spinster."
One of her cousins joined the conversation from the other side of the table. "So can we take it that our new friend, Will here, is your boyfriend?"
"Has to be!" A merry voice appeared next to Judy's other shoulder in the form of Jessica, another one of her sisters.
To make matters worse for themselves, both bunnies in question failed to answer due to embarrassment and blushed instead.
Abi's brows shot up. "Oh my goodness! Judy's got a boyfriend!" And that rumor started spreading among the family faster than a hungry rabbit running after a bunch of carrots. William's blush deepened and Judy rolled her eyes with a sigh. The evening just got very troublesome.
Later that night both rabbits headed back to the house to get some sleep and also escape the overbearing attention the crazy rumor has got them.
"Sorry about my family, they tend to overreact when it comes to the topic of my marital status."
The brown buck just waved his paw. "No, no problem. I was just a bit surprised how quickly it escalated." He chuckled as they approached the door to his room.
She joined with her own laugh. "Yes, they can be a handful. It's not rare for them to come up with some silliness or absurd ideas." Judy quickly realized what she said and corrected herself. "Not that I think of you being my boyfriend as something absurd…" Her eyes widened and the doe put a paw over her mouth to stop her embarrassing babbling.
Will's eyes widened a little at what she just said. "Uhm, Judy…"
But before he could reply, she leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. "As thanks for today!" She said over her shoulder when she darted through the corridor towards her own room. "Goodnight!"
William put a paw to the spot she kissed. "Goodnight…"
.
.
The following day Nick made a decision to take the cure whenever it'll be ready and to hell with the consequences. *I'd rather spend the rest of my days on a wheelchair than being responsible for…* He didn't even want to think exactly what would happen, but it was clear that with how things were progressing right now, sooner or later he'd face criminal charges for ravaging a certain bunny.
.
.
Sunday morning was very quiet around the Hopps family house. It was caused by the mighty spirit of hangover floating around the area, knocking down the weak and causing insufferable pain in those slightly more resilient. And to avoid any unnecessary comments and embarrassing questions, Judy and William sneaked out the house early and headed towards the train station, both of them silent, not particularly eager to go over what happened last night. Only once safely in their seats and on the way back to the city, William decided to talk again.
"Ehm, Judy… about, you know…"
She blushed and dropped her ears, averting her gaze. "I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me at that time… Probably too much drinks, ahahah." She giggled nervously at the end.
The buck raised his brows. "You've been drinking only water."
"Oh, yes… right… water…" She mumbled still not able to look at him.
An awkward silence fell between them.
"Judy…" William decided to break it. She flinched. "If you don't mind… could I invite you to coffee sometime after work?" With her ears now perked up, Judy slowly turned to face him. He was smiling. "As thanks for the wedding party."
The warmth of his smile slowly melted her nervousness. She glanced sideways and bit her lip, as if considering his offer. And decided. "Sure, why not."
.
.
Nick grit his teeth, both from irritation and effort he put into the exercise he was concentrating at the moment. And someone would be surprised to see what he was doing in the middle of the night. Since normal push ups seemed to be not effective enough for him, Nick decided to take it up a notch.
He was doing vertical push ups.
He once went through a guide about various types of exercises and several caught his attention. Apparently this type of push ups was perfect for building up shoulder and upper body strength, plus it did wonders for practicing your balance. And the fox needed both. If he was to discard the savagery in him, he had to be fit enough himself to pull his weight. So for the moment he was using every tool at his disposal to improve. And right now Nick borrowed the muscle power of his savage side to steady himself on his only functional arm and push upwards again and again, despite the building up pain. Of course it took some time and many falls before he was able to do it properly Since he was constantly irritated with his mental condition, switching to the primal fox became rather easy and without much headaches. And he drew from the primal abilities on every other occasion.
One of them has proven to have potential to be extremely useful in the future. His arm healed in two weeks. Nick discovered it by accident, during one of the night training sessions, when with the lack of a punching bag outside he was throwing punches at an oak tree growing outside the campus. Of course, it has taken its toll on his knuckles, bits of bark digging into his skin and bruising appearing on his fingers, but that didn't slow him down. Nick tried to view the huge tree as a potential enemy, which he had a whole list of, and that allowed him to muster additional force into his arm. *But it would be good to train also the other arm, dammit. And it's still two more weeks in this blasted cast. If not for this embuggerance I could've throw punches like THIS!* And purely out of frustration he swung the broken arm as if he tried to attack the tree in the same manner like with the right arm. And to his shock he heard a crack. And another. A whole series of them, when the wounded arm flexed and straightened itself despite being immobilized, forcibly breaking free from the confinement, speeding towards the tree trunk, the fist hitting it with a crunch of smashed bark. Nick stared at his paw with wide open eyes. Slowly, not fully believing what he just witnessed, the fox moved the arm around, twisting it in various directions and moving his fingers. He felt all of his muscles to be in perfect working order. A fracture that normally required a full month to heal was completely melded after just two weeks. *The hell is this? Am I turning into some kind of a mutant?* But his shock didn't last long. He was focused on best possible results at the moment and he didn't care if he had to use the savage mode to achieve them.
Nick really pushed himself to break the limits of his own body during the following months. During evenings, when the gym was free to use for anyone and it was late enough for others to be at their rooms to study, Nick was beating the hell out of the punching bags. Punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes, all of the fighting moves Nick has observed on the streets, in JawTube, read in books or noticed in the training ring while others fought. He'd shower the bag with a torrent of strikes from all limbs and directions. He repeated them in dozens and hundreds, right until his body would alert him about the piled up exhaustion from the extended training. Reluctantly, he would take short brakes, just enough to recover. Which, thanks to the serum effects, took a ridiculously short amount of time. And as the days passed, he could feel the change within his body. His movements in general were gaining in speed and raw power, strikes were sharper and endurance went through the roof. Every night, without excuses, he'd run several times around the campus, his legs gaining more speed and strength with every day. Eventually he raced along the dirty road, his hindpaws a blur, leaving a dusty trail behind him as his, now fully adapted, lungs pumped enough oxygen for him to run almost without rest. And he didn't let up in different categories of training either. Grinding the whole obstacle course repeatedly during night time, Nick was able to do it with his eyes closed. Claws got him easily over the ice wall and his perfectly polished sense of balance allowed him to run over the top of the Rainforest District obstacle, instead of swinging beneath it. Everything the academy could throw at him, he'd conquered through stubbornness and training.
And the late night sparring sessions were one hell of a practice for him. Having to face to overbearing strength and skills of Marcus and Jackie's speed allowed him to climb to new heights of combat ability. Match after match, Nick learned through pain and exhaustion how to properly block or avoid various attacking patterns. More then once he had to pick himself up from the ground, being knocked down by a particularly strong jab from the tiger or not being fast enough to move himself out of the way of Jackie's kick. But he endured every failure and continued to learn from his mistakes. Months of being the feline duo punching bag also unlocked another one of his savage abilities - he became much sturdier. Quick jabs didn't sting as much as before and Marcus' devastating punches weren't able to make the fox's arms go numb from the impact anymore. It even came to a situation when Nick was purposefully blocking attacks instead of dodging them to test the limits of his new ability and to his surprise there didn't seem to be any. When he realized this during a particularly aggressive sparring against Marcus, Nick couldn't stop a smug grin forming on his face. And seeing this the tiger became really annoyed and added extra force to his incoming strike, fully intending to send the smiling fox flying. But Nick just leaned slightly forward and crossed arms before his face to block the jab. The punch connected straight on the block and pushed the smaller predator backwards, the fox's hindpaw claws digging into the dirt, leaving trails on the ground, but Nick held his ground. Marcus stared at him in disbelief and Nick replied with a grin full of teeth.
It was similar with Jackie, when at first her attacks were just blurry smudges in the air, impossible to counter or avoid. But his savage eyes traced every single movement of the cheetah and patiently adjusted. Sparring after sparring, her movements appeared to become slower, but in reality it was Nick's senses that finally caught up. It took him two months, but he eventually was able to follow her strikes not with just his eyes, but with his limbs as well. And he took full advantage of that and started blocking her barrage of attacks, throwing an occasional counter.
However, one night came, when nearly everything went down the drain, as Nick almost committed murder.
The evening began without anything out of ordinary, the three roommates exchanging their thoughts about upcoming training. After supper all cadets were dismissed to their rooms for the night and the rebellious trio snuck out as they always did, to do some late sparring matches.
Nick sat down on a fallen tree trunk while watching Marcus and Jackie dodge, punch or kick in attempts to bring down the other. The fox was pleased to see the results of their combined efforts. Marcus polished his street fighting technique to be a perfectly balanced way of doing paw to paw combat, not just a tool to kill the enemy at all costs. To know restraint when needed to and putting just enough strength into his attacks so they would be effective, but not lethal. Jackie lived up to her species reputation and she brought her speed to a new level. Sure, there still wasn't a shocking amount of power in her strikes and kicks, but her swiftness was unmatched. Her body moving fluidly like a whip and able to hit with blurring velocity and keen precision. Both felines continued their match, strength and experience versus agility and determination, when Nick's phone buzzed in his pocket.
He fished it out and answered the call, smiling when he saw the caller.
"Evening, Fluff. Calling uncle Nicky to hear a bedtime story?" He chuckled.
"Har, har, mister slick. You got a moment to talk?"
Nick glanced at the two felines. "Yup."
He heard a sound in the phone. *Did she just sigh with relief?* His ears perked up a little.
"I wanted to ask you something and please treat this seriously, it's important to me."
"More than your favorite carrot flavored coffee in the morning before work?"
"What? No! Wait… how do you know what kind of coffee I like?" She asked in confusion.
"Bunnies equals carrots, cops equals coffee. Doesn't even take a sly fox to figure it out." He mused, enjoying her reaction.
"Oh really?" Judy huffed at him. "So how come you know it?" She mocked in reply.
He laughed at her words. "My, my… Looks like someone's sharpening her tongue!"
"Ohh, seriously… Why did I even call you? You know what, forget it. I'll just…"
Nick's smile faded. "Ok, wait, wait! Sorry, I'll be serious."
Silence was his reply for a few seconds that seemed to last for hours.
"No jokes, no teasing, no laughing. I want a clear answer. Like from a true friend." Nick felt strange when she said that. He was happy that she had no reservations in calling him her friend. No one was this open with him before and it made him feel needed. But somewhere within his chest a tiny sting stabbed his insides, as if the word friend wasn't exactly the one he wanted to hear.
"Fair enough." The fox said with no audible sign of nervousness.
She took a deep breath. "Do you… do you think I'm attractive?"
The old Nick wanted to laugh, the savage Nick wanted to drool and the present Nick had a whirlwind of emotions surge through his brain, leaving a wrecked path.
"When you say attractive…" He licked his suddenly dry lips.
"Do you think any guys would like my look? I have some doubts if I'm not too… fit to be attractive."
Well, certainly. After all, we're talking about the black tips of your fabulous ears, covered with that beautiful grey fur that, with no doubt, would feel exquisite under a paw. Along with that ridiculously adorable nose of yours, that twitches so sweetly when you're irritated. Do I have to mention those gorgeous eyes that shine like finest amethysts? They'd be the death of any guy. Who wouldn't want to do your every bidding for a graceful glance of these stunning gems. Too fit? You mean that slender, mouth-watering frame of yours that was shaped by your own hard effort which is much more appealing than any naturally slim female, that didn't even have to lift a finger for her shape. Muscle? Everyone has some muscle and I don't see any over-sized parts of your body that would indicate you're some training freak. All I can perceive is an exquisite form of your arms and legs which can be as dangerous as they are elegant. Have you ever noticed how well your uniform fits you? It's hugging your body in a way that speeds up any male's heart rate tenfold. I'd imagine guys lining up just to feel your curvy hips through the fabric of your outfit. And those delightful, tiny lips you have. They feel so unapproachable, yet one can feel their alluring charm, that makes you want to kill just to have a taste of them. Have I said anything about your smile? No? I'm an idiot then, because one would have to be blind not to notice it, when it brightens the most hardened hearts and shines like a ray hope for those who thought that this world is already is a lost cause. It certainly worked for me…
You don't look good.
You look divine.
Nick swallowed hard and managed to find his voice and force it to sound naturally. It took him a few moments. "Well, I think you're fine. Why would anyone find you unattractive?"
The sound he heard now was like she let out a breath she was holding the entire time she waited for his answer. "Thanks Nick… I think I just… I just wanted to hear it from someone. Preferably from my best friend." Again, that sweet and sour feeling inside.
"Anytime, Carrots." His brain was now sounding off a red-code alarm, predicting what is this conversation about, but it didn't stop his mouth from forming the words and vocal chords from creating the sounds. "Why are you asking?"
"Umm, you see… William invited me for coffee several times and yesterday he asked me out for a real date. And I said yes. But I started to have doubts if I look the part of someone's date."
The universe froze for the tiniest fraction of a millisecond.
The next moment Nick faked a sniffle. "I'm so proud. My little Carrots has grown up so fast. Uncle Nick is so happy for you."
She giggled at his response. "Oh, stop it you!"
"At least you don't sound like being dragged under a lawnmower anymore."
"Okay, I'll grant you that. Thanks, Nick."
"The Fox Support Line, active 24/7. Call us if you're in trouble." That generated another short laughter from her.
"I will. Thank you." Her voice was filled with warmth and gratitude. "Ok, I need to grab some sleep and I bet you too. I'll call you soon."
"Okay, goodnight Carrots."
"Goodnight Nick."
The call ended and the fox slid the phone back into the pocket the little carrot trinket dangling on a tiny chain.
Nick sat in complete silence, like an ancient statue. His mind wasn't forming any particular thoughts and his body didn't feel any need to move any of its muscles. He barely noticed when the cheetah approached him and plopped down on the tree next to him. Jackie gulped down the rest of the water from the bottle she brought with her.
"Whew, that's a nice workout. Wanna' spar in a moment, just let me catch my breath?"
"Sure." Came a flat response. And after several moments they began, Marcus watching from the side.
During their duel, Nick's body was functioning on an autopilot, since his mind has somewhat awakened and was now very occupied with thought. He'd dodge, block or attack purely on reflex, not really paying attention to Jackie.
Straight jab, fast and accurate. Small sidestep to get out of its way. Counter with a jab. Deflected.
Judy is interested in dating.
A low kick to the knees to knock him down. Step forward to avoid it and counter. Both paws block the strike.
Of course. Bunnies are like that by nature.
Several lightning fast strikes at the head. Both arms raised in defense.
They tend to find a mate…
An attack from his side. Strong, fast. Would be trouble if not for the block.
...go into that heat of theirs…
Now fully on offensive. A high kick, followed by another, spin of the body and a roundhouse kick.
...and start multiplying…
Ducked below. A desperate counter. Pushed aside with one paw. Quick step in and shoulder strike to the chest.
…by the dozens…
"…ck!"
Opponent's loss of balance. Push forward. Deflect a hopeless swing. Open paw strike to the solar plexus.
…again and again…
"…ick!"
Feline falls to the ground. Head at the shoulder level. Perfect for a straight punch.
…without stopping…
Draw back the arm. Twist of the waist. Add extra force to the strike.
"NICK!"
The fox blinked, taking his fist slightly off course as it swished past the cheetah's face. There was a loud crack right in front and a rushing sound behind his back. In the next moment he felt being lifted from the ground by a pair of strong arms.
"SNAP OUT OF IT!" Roared the tiger. For the first time fear was present in his voice.
Nick blinked again, only now taking in the scene before his eyes. He was suspended in the air, held by Marcus in a firm grip. Jackie was slumped on the ground, with her back to a large rock and no traces of color on her pale face. Face frozen in terror. And just inches from her head a hole in the boulder with deep cracks surrounding it. *What? How? Who…* He felt a twinge of pain in his right arm. The fox raised his paw to see small traces of blood running down his fingers.
"What happened?" He said out loud, confused by the situation.
"You went crazy, that's what happened!" The tiger snapped at him. "Jack, you okay?"
The cheetah was still wheezing from the strike to her solar plexus but managed a weak nod.
Nick surveyed the rock and Jackie again. "I… I did this?"
Marcus initially ignored the question. "You sane again?" He asked with all seriousness. Nick gave him a nod. Only then the tiger put him down on the ground, but still eyed him suspiciously, like the fox could attack at any moment. "You went and tried to kill Jack from what I could see."
Nick felt a sudden chill in his gut. "Wait… what?!"
"And what the hell was with that punch?!" Marcus indicated the damaged rock. "He'd seriously die if you'd hit him with that! And how can you even have that amount of strength?!"
Nick stared at the, now shaking Jackie. She must've finally realized that she was a hair's breadth from certain death. On a brighter side, her breathing stabilized enough to be called normal. After few moments she managed to get up on her, slightly wobbly, feet. Her paw was rubbing the spot where Nick hit her chest. "Damn it, Nick! Hurts like hell…" She mumbled, staring at the fox with suspicion, just like Marcus did.
His ears dropped down, flat against the back of his head. "Sorry... I'm sorry, I just…" He didn't have any excuse. This situation was purely his fault; he was supposed to keep his instincts on a leash. And failed miserably.
"All right, you know what, I've had enough!" Marcus stated in an irritated voice as he raised both paws in the air. He sat on the grass right where he was standing and folded his arms. "I have enough of secrets, mysteries, blackmails and things done behind my back. So I want to hear it all, right now!"
With a reserved face Jackie also sat down. "Well, at this point it might be as good time as any…" She sighed.
Nick flinched, totally not prepared for such a course of action. *Tell everything? That'd be suicide for me…* He cast a glance at his roommates' expectant expressions. *But… they not going to let me off the hook, not this time… especially Marcus. And after what I almost did to Jackie… she deserves to know too…* So that meant only one thing and he had to be prepared to face the consequences. Slowly, like descending to his own doom, Nicholas Wilde sat on the grass.
He raised a finger. "One condition and it's not negotiable. Whatever we say here will not be shared outside this group, deal?" The felines exchanged short glances and nodded at him. Nick closed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak. "Tell me, what do you know about the savage animals?"