Hello everyone!
Exceptionally happy to see you all following this story! Thank you so much for all reviews, follows and favs!
Special thanks to Thomas Linquist for pointing out a plot hole, I hope that I "patched it up" properly in this chapter.
PLUS Since we reached over 200 favorites, a bonus chapter is in order. What's left is to decide whether it should be extra fluffy or really mysterious. PM me or leave a review with your opinion on this.
Like I promised, a lot of stuff is going to happen in this chapter and that's why it's almost THREE times longer than usual ones (hope you don't mind).
MUSIC note: the barn scene was inspired by by the soundtrack from TV series "Magnificent Century", the track is named The War.
Enjoy!
Chapter 21
The cheetah gazed at the fox in silence. Eventually, he spoke again.
"What kind of bet?"
Nick folded his arms. "Simple. About Jack's future."
This actually forced a small smirk on the spotted predator's face. "Amusing, but do continue."
"Here's the thing, if he graduates the top of his class, then you'll let him live the life he wants."
"And if he doesn't?" Gregory Spotters asked with an almost bored tone of voice. Nick immediately caught the way this male said the word 'he'. His distaste for this mammal climbed up one more level.
"Then he'll do whatever you intend him to do." The fox shrugged. "Not that you have any chance of winning. You have a very talented son."
The feline raised a brow. "Interesting, but completely irrelevant. The agreement has already been broken. I am here merely to take a disobedient child home." He took a step forward to walk by the fox, but Nick spoke again. "Broken how? You have any proof for that?"
"I don't need any evidence." Stated the billionaire casually as he started to walk away.
"I'll make a note of that. But you know… the ZPD just lo-ves evidence." The way he said it made the cheetah stop. He turned around to face Nick again. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that they might be interested in who spies on their cadets."
Mr Spotters' eyes narrowed. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
The fox showed him a smug grin. "You don't need to. Just be aware that I'll personally pass on remains of a certain tooth to chief Bogo. And I'll bet he is going ask who is responsible for this. Oh!" He raised a paw as if he just remembered something. "As I recall he is impossible to bribe."
The expression on cheetah's face told him that he scored a point.
"Nick? Hey, Nick!" Called a voice from the crowd. Its owner approached quickly but her steps became slower as she recognized who the fox has been talking to.
"Oh, hey there, Jack. Just chattin' with your dad here." He grabbed the girl's arm and hauled her closer. Jackie stared at her father's face and swallowed nervously. "Why are you here?" She dared to ask.
Nick answered for him. "Oh, we were making a bet." And before she could reply he turned to the male cheetah. "So what it'll be?"
Gregory Spotters stared down at him and slowly switched his gaze to his daughter, eventually returning it to Nick. "Fine." With that one word he turned around and walked away, his bodyguards following him.
"What was that about?" Jackie asked the fox.
"We're going to set you free." He grinned at the girl. She looked back at him in puzzlement.
.
.
Later that day Nick was strolling back to their room after gym and he spotted Marcus in the corridor of the dormitory, leaning his back on the wall, arms folded.
"What's up, Stripes?"
"I… wanted to thank you…" He struggled to get the words out, something Nick was very familiar with.
The fox smiled at him. "I take it that the meeting went well."
The corners of Marcus' mouth turned slightly upwards. "Yeah… No magical revelation though, we still have a long way to go… But we talked a lot and I even had the chance to hold Felix for a moment." Nick saw how the tiger's usually rough face relaxed and a merry warmth enlightened it. "Not scared at all, the little guy. He pulled at my whiskers, you know?" He paused for a moment, relishing the memory. "And that's all thanks to you, you red furred bastard."
"Don't thank me, it was my mother that did all the talking."
"Your mother?"
"Yep, as I recall she visited your girl several times before she convinced her to come today."
Marcus raised his brows in surprise. "She did? But why would she-"
"Because she, above everyone else, knows what it's like to raise a kid without a father around." Nick stated, his voice suddenly dropping into a serious tone.
The tiger simply stared at him in silence, understanding the message and having enough sense not to comment.
A smile appeared again on the fox's face as he walked past. "Don't sweat it big guy. Just remember: don't screw it up." He turned around and for a moment walked backwards. "And don't you go all daddy-like on me, it gives me the creeps." He quipped with a wave of a paw and turned back.
Marcus snorted back and detached himself from the wall. "Nick!" He called out. The fox stopped and looked back. "If you ever need any help and I mean ANY kind of help, just give me a word." The tiger stated in all seriousness.
"Will do, Stripes."
.
.
Just before going to sleep, Nick explained his plan about Jackie to the rest of their team and both Rupert and Marcus happily agreed to help. The duties were divided so that everyone could participate in the future result, as well as have some time for their own training and studies. All three males would help Jackie hone her fighting skills, Marcus taught her about maintaining firearms and how to aim effectively, Rupert shared his knowledge about drugs and similar substances, which he possessed thanks to his parents, as they ran a pharmacy and organized awareness classes about the dangers of drug using and Nick was in charge of helping her learning the long list of laws, regulations and rules. With the schedule set, all of them went to sleep.
.
.
"I'm telling you chief, he's up to something! He must be cheating!"
"Then catch him red pawed and kick him out." Said an annoyed voice over the phone.
"That's the point, that fox is too smart to make a mistake. Forget about top five, we should make him go for the first place and see how he tries to do that."
"You're suggesting we change the rules on his terms?" She blinked with puzzlement. "Because if we do it, that means he managed to hustle us."
She heard an tired sigh.
Winters, are you trying to tell me that you were outsmarted by a mere cadet?"
The polar bears' features dropped down. "N-no, sir! It's just-"
"Then deal with it on your own!" Bogo roared and she heard that he slammed the phone on his desk.
At that moment, a red furred head peeked inside the office. "Knock, knock. Or is it a bad time?" Asked Nick with a smug grin on his muzzle.
Natasha growled. "What do you want, Wilde?"
He sauntered into the room, closing the door behind him. "Just to ease the nerves of my favorite instructor."
She slammed her fist on the desk. "Don't push your luck, fox! I will find what are you up to an-"
"What do you say for a match?" Nick cut in casually.
She stopped with her mouth open to form words, but suddenly lost them. "What?"
"A match, sparring, duel, name it however you want. Choose one of your staff to fight me in the ring, anyone will do." He examined his claws, still wearing the same smug expression. "If I win, I can graduate in a way I want, of course within the boundaries of what Bogo told me and you'll stop stalking me at nights, so I can visit the toilet in peace."
The polar bear's ears heated up from the remark about her screw up the other night. Nevertheless, she composed herself quickly and folded her white arms. "And when we win?"
Nick's smile remained the same when he answered. "If you win, then I will comply with your wishes and give my all in every field I can." He extended a paw. "Deal?"
She remained still. "First, we'll perform a drug test on you to rule out that you won't be cheating."
The fox didn't even flinch and his smile grew even bigger. "There's no need to."
"You got no say this!"
He leaned slightly forward. "I'll just say one word: discrimination."
She raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
"Well, how are you going to explain the fact that without any apparent reason you ordered a drug test for a cadet? And a fox at that. How suspicious. Could it be that the police academy has double standards?" He gasped and raised a paw to his cheek in a dramatic gesture. "Gosh, think of the headlines."
It was her turn to lean forward. "I'll give you a reason. There's no way you can be in that good condition without any chems. No fox can move like that."
"That judgment is based on profound knowledge about my species? Because if so, then it may need refreshing, as there are many very agile and tough of my brethren on the streets. Just because you've never met them doesn't give you the right to question all fox species."
She glared at him angrily, but had to swallow an irritated answer. Because the damn fox was right. If it would be run by the rule book, especially after the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, she had no legal basis for doing such a test. It would indeed be treated as discrimination.
"Fine." She hissed through gritted teeth. "But I can choose anyone from the academy's staff, right?"
He nodded. "Absolutely."
"Then be at the gym today, midnight." She leaned even closer. "Now get out of my office."
Nick saluted sharply with a mocking grin. "Yes, ma'am!" He was at the door when she called him. "Wilde!" The fox turned his head.
"Where the hell you have learned that nickname?" She inquired of him, obviously referring to that evening they sparred.
He replied with a smirk. "I know everyone." And he left.
.
.
The night came quickly and Nick sneaked out to the gym, telling others to train on their own tonight. He headed to the section of the building where the ring was placed. Natasha Winters was already waiting for him, just outside the ropes.
"Almost like a late hour date, right ma'am?" He greeted her cheerfully.
She threw a pair of gloves at him. "Shut it and get ready."
He grabbed the gear and looked around. "Okay, but where's that mysterious challenger, because I can't see anyone yet?"
The polar bear bent down and picked up another pair of gloves. "That's me." She secretly enjoyed the way his eyes widened.
"Now that's a low blow… I don't fight with females." He grumbled, surprise visible on his face.
"Tough luck, fur ball. You said it yourself: anyone." She smirked. "Get in the ring or I take it that you forfeit."
Nick gritted his teeth and started putting on the gloves.
When they were both ready and in the ring, Natasha explained one more thing. "This is an unofficial match, so official rules do not apply. We stop when someone – that being you – is knocked out or is unable to fight any more for different reasons, clear?"
"Clear." He muttered.
They both assumed fighting stances and began.
From outside it looked mostly like a game of cat and mouse. Natasha was constantly on offensive while Nick kept dodging and evading her attacks. And his eyes went wide for the second time this night when he was forced to quickly jump back to avoid a low kick from the polar bear, followed by a roundhouse kick that he ducked under but had to roll to the side when she continued with a fist smash from above. The fox jumped to his feet just to be hit by her shoulder and staggered backwards. Incoming right hook gave him a tiny opening and he leapt under it and ran to the other side of the ring to put some distance between them.
She grinned at him. "No official rules, remember?"
He had to hand it to her that when fighting without restraint, this woman was dangerous. Nick held the howling beast within at bay, forcing it not to intervene in this match. But he had to resort to something more than half-hearted dodging if he wanted to win.
She lunged forward with a front kick, which Nick blocked with both forearms. She followed with a punch he deflected to the side, but she spun around and he had to block an elbow strike from another side. He pushed back her arm only to duck another roundhouse kick. That was followed by a quick jab, that he escaped by jumping back and his rear hit the ring's corner. A glint in her eye betrayed satisfaction from cornering the fox. She threw another punch and Nick, without any other choice, had to copy the move he already did once – he grabbed the mitt covering the corner above his head and launched himself up. But this time she wasn't surprised by something like this. Her paw shot up and grabbed his tail in mid-air. Natasha pulled him over her shoulder and slammed his whole body to the canvas. A yelp escaped his throat, but he knew that he had to get to his hindpaws as soon as possible and he did so, albeit he staggered a bit. She made full use of that and kicked low from the side. Nick desperately tried to block it with his knee.
But he messed up. Wrong angle. Too late. Not enough stability in his legs.
The kick connected and a loud crack erupted from the fox's knee. Nick screamed as the impact threw him to the canvas again and clutched the spot she hit. "My leg!" He hissed through clenched teeth. He was clearly in much pain.
For a brief moment panic dominated Natasha's expression, but she immediately got rid of it. She threw away her gloves and crouched next to the wounded predator. After quickly examining the effects of her kick she clicked her tongue and picked up the fox from the ground. Cursing herself for this stupid idea, she ran to wake up the doctor.
.
.
The arctic hare that was the academy's doctor finished treating Nick's leg, gave him an array of rules for the healing process and handed him a small bottle with painkillers.
Natasha was sitting behind the doctor's desk, right under a huge board with a sea of notes and memos pinned to it, winked hearing the diagnosis.
"A month?!" She exclaimed. "You're telling me that a bruise will take that long to heal?!"
The tired hare waved a paw dismissively. "It's not a BRUISE, but a serious injury, Winters."
"But that means he won't be able to train for the rest of the course!"
The doctor yawned. "Yep. Doctor's orders."
"Nice! At least some compensation…" Said the fox from the edge of the bed he was sitting on. Natasha shot him a furious glare.
"What about the final exams, the general fitness disposition test, the combat exam?" She turned to the hare.
"Not my problem. You're lucky I won't inform Bogo how he got that injury."
"Gh…" She clenched her teeth.
As they were talking, Nick hobbled to the desk. "So what now, you're going to drop me because of this?" He tapped on his knee brace.
The polar bear bit her knuckle in deep thought. She couldn't postpone his graduation, else Bogo would find out and she didn't want that. Making him take the test after the graduation just as a formality also didn't have any sense. "No…" She said eventually. "But you'll have to pass all other exams. Your physical ability will be graded based on your performance up till now."
He breathed out with relief. "That's good to know. There is one fierce rabbit that would kick me to death if I'd fail the academy course." He chuckled at his own words.
"Is this all?" Asked the sleepy hare. "Or did you beat up any other mammals for fun?"
The polar bear shot to her feet and snatched the fox from the ground by the collar of his shirt. "'Night doc!" She said coldly and slammed the door as they went out of the room.
.
.
She carried Nick that way to the dormitory and put him down on the lobby's floor.
"Get to your room and not a word about this!" She warned him with a finger. "It was your idea!"
He sighed. "Yeah, it was. Not that I like this, but I'll have to comply. I'll do my best from now on, that was the deal." He held out a paw. She gave him a surprised look but accepted it.
"Fine." Natasha said and left.
Nick followed her with his eyes for a moment and then headed for his room, limping a bit. When inside, Marcus and Jackie were still awake. Rupert already turned into a sleeping, grey mountain.
"What took you so long?" Asked the tiger, looking over the edge of his book.
"Went for a little practice." Nick answered and turned to his bed, but his knee gave way and he would collapse to the floor if he hadn't grabbed the wall.
"Nick!" Jackie shot out of her bed and hurried to him. "What happened?!"
"Chill, Spots. I'm perfectly fine." The fox assured her.
"Uh-huh and you contort your face in pain as a hobby, right? Come on, sly fox, spit it out."
"Geez, I told you it's nothing serious." He stood up on the healthy, left leg and wanted to go to his bed but Jackie wouldn't have it. She narrowed her eyes and tapped him on the leg, right above the knee.
"OUCH!" This time he'd really fall down if not for the cheetah. She grabbed him by the shoulders and held him straight.
"Fine, my butt." The girl sighed as she helped him to the bed. As he sat down on the edge of it, Jackie nudged him in the chest. "Talk. Now."
He sighed and explained the situation to them. When he finished, Jackie put a paw over her eyes and shook her head. "I don't believe this…" Her paw shot forward and she caught one of Nick's ears by the base.
"OwowOW! That's my ear! They don't grow back, you know!" He cried out.
"How stupid do you have be to do such a thing?! And how the hell you even lost?! I know you're good enough to take on any instructor here, so what gives, Nick?"
He refused to meet her annoyed gaze. "I don't hit women…" He mumbled.
That actually surprised her. She expected a far more elaborate excuse, not a straight answer.
"Oh… wait, but you sparred with me."
He shrugged to her words. "Did I ever hit you? No, no I didn't."
"Um, that's true…" At that moment a small blush appeared on her cheeks. "But it still was reckless of you!" She pulled the ear in her paw.
"Ow! Stop that already!"
"Oi! Lover's quarrel on twelve o'clock! Pipe it down, will you? I can't focus." Marcus suddenly cut in a shadow of a smirk on his face.
It worked like a charm, as Jackie instantly released Nick's now sore ear and turned around. "Very funny, Stripes." She mumbled and returned to her bed. Not because she was sleepy, but to hide a huge blush that appeared on her face.
The fox massaged his ear and lied down on the bed. *This sucks…* He thought, running a finger over the knee brace. He took some of the painkillers and, making sure the other two won't notice, mixed in a pill from his stash.
.
.
That night the entire corridor heard a scream that tore the night's silence. Jackie and Marcus sat on their beds to see Nick furiously clawing at the back of his head. His breathing was rapid and shallow and eyes completely lacking focus.
They both jumped to his side.
"Hey, buddy!"
"Nick?!"
With combined effort they managed to pin him down to the bed, yet he was still thrashing around. He gradually calmed down and his breathing evened.
"Wha… Where…" He saw his friends above him and felt their paws on his arms. *Oh crap. Why now, why of all times now?!* He thought in panic and embarrassment. *That blasted painkillers! Must have weakened the effect of the sleeping pills.*
Jackie reached out and put a paw on his cheek to ease him. "It's okay Nick, it's us. Marcus and Jackie. It's all right, you just had a bad dream."
Nick groaned and averted his gaze. "Tell me about it…"
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Came a roar from the corridor that made the predators jump. Apart from Nick, who was pinned down to his bed.
Jackie got to her feet and put a finger to her mouth, showing them to be quiet. Then she opened the door a bit and popped her head out.
"Uh, evening, sir. Sorry about that." They couldn't see who she was talking with and kept silent. "I had a re-ally bad nightmare. Sorry, sorry everyone!"
She received several grumpy answers and comments, but it seemed to defuse situation. She closed the door and returned to Nick's side.
"You okay?" She asked in a soothing voice.
"More or less. Thanks for the, you know…" He mumbled and sat up, still embarrassed about the situation.
She waved her paw. "Don't sweat it. Now let us get a look of your head." She reached to touch him but he leaned back.
"That's not necessary, I'll be fine."
At that point Marcus joined the conversation. "Nick." He said and gave him and a stern look. The tiger shook his head, never breaking eye contact with the fox.
Nick sighed and moved back to his original position, but he hung his head in defeat.
"You're bleeding, Nick." Jackie informed him with a gasp.
"Anything I don't know about?" He replied a bit colder then he intended.
"No need to be so defensive, I just want to help you." If his tone of voice got to her, she didn't show it.
Nick's ears dropped down when he realized what he said. "Sorry…" He forced out the word.
"No need." Came her reply as she grabbed the lower part of her night t-shirt at the side and started tearing it horizontally, revealing her flat stomach. In an instant both males turned their heads away.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on! It's not like this is something you haven't seen before in the locker room."
"That's…" Marcus tried to come up with proper words.
"Different." Nick came to his rescue. "Not every day you get a girl tearing her pajamas in front of you-ow!" She flicked his ear. After that she managed to retrieve a long strip of material from her t-shirt and proceeded to wrap it over the bleeding part of Nick's head.
"Nick…" Marcus said quietly. "One of those nightmares?"
The fox recognized the tone in the tiger's voice when he emphasized that word. After all, Marcus also grew up on the streets. Who knows what demons haunted him in his slumber.
"Yeah…" He muttered a reply. "And they don't seem to get better."
Hearing that, Marcus gave him a long and thoughtful stare. "Nick." The feline's voice dropped even lower than before. "You ever killed anyone?" Jackie's hands froze.
"No." The fox lied with a straight face. The girl let out a barely audible sigh of relief and continued her task. "Why?"
"After I did my first job, the face of the guy haunted me for a decade in my nightmares. Eventually I had to ask a psychologist for help. With his guidance, I was finally able to block them away. Point is, find a professional and discuss this with him, trust me."
*Well, I am talking regularly with a specialist, so… but I never said anything about my nightmares…* He sighed internally. *Maybe it's the time I do that.*
"Okay, I will."
Marcus nodded. "That's good, it's a start."
"All done!" Jackie announced happily.
.
.
Since he was unable to participate in the physical training, Nick headed for the academy's library. It wasn't as big as the one in Zootopia, but it had a fair number of books. They were mostly connected with law, forensics, firearms, everything a future cop may require. It was a very nice place for him, as he always felt at home around books. He actually has been visiting this place since day one. The wolverine librarian was a bit skeptical around Nick at first, but seeing him around pretty often, surrounded by a handful of books did a pretty good job of breaking the ice. Since then, they always exchanged greetings and shared views about literature.
.
.
Despite Nick's condition, the following weeks were filled with activity connected to Judy's training. She was still a bit flustered about the fact that all her roommates were willing to sacrifice their free time to help her. But the guys simply laughed about her worries and reassured her that it's all right. Rupert and Marcus only wanted to graduate no matter the position and they still were in the best ten of all cadets. Nick had his own plan on graduation and sparing some time for helping her study didn't hinder him in the slightest.
But they still had to be cautious about Jackie's father. And they didn't have to wait long. They heard the news from Jackie, as she ran into the room one evening.
"Guys! This is terrible!" She yelled with panic in her eyes.
"Whoa, calm down. What's the rush?" Nick raised his paws to stop her.
"There's going to be a physical check-up!"
The males exchanged glances. "So? We knew that in advance." And they knew that the girl wrapped her chest with special bandages to hide the fact she was a female.
"They're changing doctors!" She dropped on her bed. "Last time I managed to convince the one who did the examination to… turn a blind eye to my gender."
Nick raised a curious brow. "Convince?"
She shrugged. "Bribed. With money."
Marcus folded his arms and snorted in amusement. "That's rich folks for you. So what about the changing of doctors?"
Jackie took a deep breath before she continued. "The old doc is supposedly "sick" and a replacement will arrive soon. The problem is, I know the guy, he works for my father…"
Nick giggled hearing this. "Ah! The madman strikes again!"
"Um… how did he make them change doctors?" Rupert posed a question.
The cheetah leaned back on the wall. "Because he's my father, because he can buy anything and anyone, because he's a generous sponsor of many social events hosted by the ZPD."
"Well, I'd like to see him try and buy us." The fox winked at the other guys. "But let's focus on this little issue for now…"
Jackie straightened up like a spring. "LITTLE?! If I go to this check-up I'm finished!" She exclaimed.
"Chill it, Spots." Nick raised a paw to quiet her down and picked up his phone with the other. "What's this guy's name?"
"Terrence Jawski."
"Ah, that one…" He muttered with a smirk, dialled a number and awaited the response.
"You know him?" The girl was curious.
"I know everyone." Nick winked at her and put a finger to his mouth. "Hey, what are your plans for this Friday?" The fox said to the phone and grinned like a maniac.
.
.
Later that day Nick gathered his courage and called miss Shavala when others had physical training.
"Hello, Mr. Wilde."
"Hello. Do you have a moment to talk?"
"I have about fifteen minutes before my next patient, why? Did something happen?"
Nick swallowed, his eyes closed. "Remember when you asked me about claw marks on my head?"
"Of course."
The fox tugged at the collar of his shirt, this will be harder than anything he discussed with her. Not like that incident with Irene. This was the very cause of sheltering his emotions behind steel walls. But he knew he had to do this. *Now or never…* With that thought, he started talking.
.
.
The next few days were rather busy for Nick. He wrote a very unique letter, arranged a few countermeasures and had several phone calls to various mammals. The fox also had a few words with his male roommates when Jackie was not present. He explained his plan to them and warned not to disclose anything to Jackie, as Gregory's cronies might be around her and pass on the information to him. With all set, they awaited the fated Friday.
.
.
Nick was right next to Jackie in the gathering for the physical check-up, repeatedly calming down the stressed out feline.
"Relax, I told you already, we got this." He patted her on the shoulder.
She bit her thumb. "Easy for you to say. My future is on the line here. And where's Marcus, or Rupert?" Jackie looked around. "Did they skip?"
"Hey!" Nick grabbed her shirt and pulled down to make her look into his eyes. "Calm down. I'm here and I won't let your father have his way. Trust me on this." He let go. The girl slowly straightened up, blinking at Nick with surprise.
"Thanks…" She mumbled, a small blush on her cheeks.
"Spotters!" A staff member called out. The feline flinched, but Nick patted her on the shoulder again. "Go on. It'll be fine."
She replied with a nervous nod and headed for the assigned examination room. The feline entered with a pounding heart and the moment she saw the doctor behind the desk her eyes shot wide open.
"Hello, sweetie. How you've been?" A red vixen greeted her with a warm smile.
"M-m-mrs. Wilde?!"
"Mhmm, come on, have a seat." She indicated a chair in front of the desk.
"But how… the other doctor…" Mumbled the confused feline as she collapsed to the offered seat.
"There was a last minute change of plans." The vixen chuckled. "Nick arranged a switch of duties." She was smiling at Jackie, her muzzle resting on joined paws.
"Nick did? How?! My fathe-"
Vivian raised a paw to cut her off. "Mister Spotters may be influential and smart, but he's nowhere near as sly as my son. But, that's enough of small talk. We're here to perform a check-up, so off with those clothes."
Jackie hesitated. "Um, is it necessary? I thought you would just sign the papers and that would be it…"
The vixen raised a brow. "I could, but I'm still a doctor and that means I will check if everything is fine." She stood up from her seat and approached the girl. "Come on, don't be shy. Or should I call Nicky for help?" The female said with a glint in her eye.
Jackie beat her own record in speedy undressing.
.
.
Nick was after his examination and had some new information to process. *148 pounds… That's almost twice my original weight! How could this happen? I haven't grown even an inch, apart from building up some muscle, but it doesn't explain such a big difference!* His thoughts were interrupted by his roommate, as he slapped him on the back.
"How's it going?" Asked Marcus with a smile
Nick sighed internally, but didn't show his distraction on the outside. "Good. Any activity?"
The tiger nodded. "Like you suspected, two pieces of trash right outside the campus." He said with a nasty grin on his face.
Nick also smiled. He knew it was the right decision to trust Marcus with this task. The fox predicted that by blackmailing dr. Jawski, with the letter he sent earlier, into not coming to the campus, he will force Mr. Crazy CEO to take a more direct approach. Nick timed everything in a way that left very little time for that guy to act. And that could only mean stopping Vivian from reaching the campus on her way here. Therefore, he asked Marcus to irritate Hartmammal for the purpose of being send outside of the campus for running. When sent on the track, the tiger checked the road that leads to the academy and apparently he found two pests, that were waiting to ambush Nick's mother. The fox almost felt sorry for them, as they had to face a trained killer, who had full knowledge that they wanted to harm the person who reunited him with his beloved girl and son. That meeting had to hurt. Still, Nick cautioned him not to cross the line. Meanwhile, Rupert was tasked with keeping a watchful eye over the whole check-up process, in case there were any other mammals waiting for an occasion to intervene with this plan. But the operation went smoothly and they could call it a success, when Vivian signed the proper documents and put her stamp on them.
Check-up completed.
.
.
This wasn't the last attempt of Jackie's crazy parent and they found about it, when one day in the locker room after training, one cadet walked by them and tripped right next to Jackie. Or rather pretended to trip, as Nick observed. The deer flailed his arms in an almost dramatic manner, probably to show that he tried to grab onto something to steady himself. And Jackie was perfectly in his way.
But Nick was faster and grabbed the guy by the arm and yanked him back to a straight position. "Watch your step, buddy." He said in a not so friendly manner.
"Uh, yeah… thanks…" The deer muttered and strolled away. At least he tried, but Nick nodded towards Marcus and the tiger blocked the prey's path.
"We have a few questions first." Said the fox as he placed a paw on the pale cadet's shoulder.
The guy quickly spilled the beans and they have learned that he was paid for trying to rip off Jackie's shirt. And that seemed to be it, so they let him go with a warning. But the situation meant that they had to be extra cautious from now on. There was only a week left before the final exams and Jackie's father seemed to get desperate. From that day they never left the cheetah alone. There was at least one of them by her side at all times. It was a smart move, as it turned out. Several times the three friends interrupted other cadets from 'accidentally' bumping into Jackie or spilling their drinks on her. The trio acted with full innocence and pretended to not notice what was happening as they tripped, shoved or punched away the intruders.
"Sorry. My paw slipped."
"Trunk? What trunk? Oh, this trunk!"
"My bad, I forgot my legs are so long."
This went on for the entire week, right up to the day of the exams. In the morning, they all got their trays with food when Nick's nose twitched as he smelled Jackie's food. *That bastard.* He thought and as they sat down, he distracted the feline with the help of others and switched her tray with his, since they had the same food. Marcus and Rupert eyed him curiously, but he only sent them a wink. Like usual, Jackie finished first and headed for the physical exams and combat evaluation, Rupert trailing after her.
"What was that about?" The tiger leaned over the table. Nick pointed at the food he didn't even touch. "Drugged." That was the only word that left his mouth. Marcus looked down at the tray and let out a low growl from his throat. "I swear, that guy asks for a good beat up!"
"Easy, big guy. Tomorrow he won't be able to do anything."
"Yeah, he'd better not even try." Marcus flexed his fingers, evidently itching to punch something or someone.
"Come on." Nick hopped off the bench. "We have our own exams to attend to."
.
.
Natasha Winters collapsed on the backrest of her office chair and covered her eyes with a paw.
"Say that again." She demanded in a tired voice.
The porcupine from the examination staff cleared her throat. "He placed fifth."
The polar bear made a circle in the air using her claw. "Not this, the other part."
Her guest looked at the notes she had with her. "Um, there was only one-point difference between him and the fourth place?"
The instructor still kept her eyes covered when she spoke again. "Thank you, that'd be all. Just leave me his theoretical test and answer sheet."
When she was alone again, Natasha reached for the phone and called the person who had to hear the news first.
"Chief, he did it… fifth place."
"I see." Came a grumpy reply. "That's that, it seems. He did what he was asked to do. Thank you for the information." He hung up.
She put the phone back on the desk. Two paws slowly went down her face. He bloody did it, he managed to earn fifth place in the year. She idly grabbed his theoretical test and skimmed through the answers. Most of them were correct, it was a bit surprising that not all of them, since he always knew the answers during classes. But she decided it was due to some sort of cheating she wasn't able to detect. "That's foxes for you…" She muttered to herself. Natasha was about to put the papers away when one thing caught her attention. The examiner encircled the last answer several times with a red pen and placed a question mark next to it. The question was for two points, meaning that if Nicholas Wilde would have got this right, he'd be in the fourth place. It was about police communication codes: What does 10-98 patrol code stand for? Then she read the answer and blinked. She read it again. And again.
"No way…" It was but a whisper. The polar bear stormed out of the office, gripping the documents in her paw. And in that red circle was one sentence, written by Nick.
It's called a hustle, sweetheart.
.
.
"Marcus! Rupert! Nick!" A happy shout made all three males turn their heads. They were sitting in the shade of an old oak, just by the edge of the academy's courtyard. The fox already got rid of the knee brace. A mix of creamy, light fur and spots beelined towards them in a blur. It hit Nick square in the chest and tackled him to the ground, knocking the air out of him.
"I did it! I'm first, I'm first, I'm FIRST!" Jackie kept repeating while squeezing the fox in a tight hug.
Both Marcus and Rupert burst with laughter at the sight of their red friend buried under an overjoyed cheetah.
.
.
At the same time Natasha Winters rushed through the corridors and into the room where the exam results were kept and analysed. The porcupine from earlier raised her head in surprise.
"Miss Winters, how can I-"
"Fourth! Who placed fourth?!"
The staff member was surprised with the sudden demand, but she reached for the folder with most recent exams and filtered through them. She picked one.
"Rupert Trussel." The porcupine read out loud.
"Let me see that." Natasha exclaimed and snatched the test, not waiting for permission. The polar bear quickly compared the two tests and let out an angry hiss.
They were almost identical.
Save for the last two questions. One, for which Nick gave a very detailed answer and earned an extra point and the second, where he wrote that message. Her first thought was: how? It should be impossible. As she recalled, those two sat pretty far from each other in the examination room. And there was no chance that they carried in some sort of communication devices or such. All examinees were under careful observation so cheating wouldn't happen. And yet… She gritted her teeth, knowing that without any proof there was no point in bringing this up. The polar bear sighed and collapsed on a free chair. She hated to admit it, but the furry bastard has won. Even with his knee busted, he managed to get through the course. In a way, the fox lucked out on that. Without that injury, he'd have to attend the combat test and that is no place for cheating or…
Luck…
Wait a minute…
A sudden realization made her recall the events from a month before and images and voices replayed themselves in her mind.
…what do you say for a match…
…deal?...
…at least some compensation…
… you're going to drop me because of this?…
No… no way… that's not possible… He couldn't have…
Once again she stormed out of the room, leaving the dumbfounded porcupine behind. Moments later, the hare doctor jumped in his chair when the female instructor slammed open the door to his office.
"What in the name of-"
"Can you intentionally injure a knee?!" She cut in with a loud voice.
"What?" That wasn't something he was prepared to hear.
"Can you predict how your knee is going to be injured in a fight?!" She specified.
The doctor scratched his chin. "Well, technically… if you were a really good fighter and know the flow of combat and you'd have to possess a very detailed knowledge of a mammal's body… If these conditions are met, then-" But he was speaking to an empty room as Natasha already left.
She raced into the only place in the academy she knew of, that offered anatomical knowledge. The polar bear ran into the library and hurried to the wolverine behind the main desk.
"Wilde, Nicholas. Was he here in the last two months?" She demanded of the mammal.
He gave her a surprised look. "The fox? He is a regular visitor from the first week he came to the academy."
She swallowed, already predicting the answer to her next question, but she had to hear it.
"What books did he read?"
The wolverine picked the register and placed it in front of the female so she could see herself. And her eyes widened at the sheer number of book titles that were written next to the fox's name. She quickly scanned the list and her eyes paused at one particular book.
Complete guide to vulpine anatomy, volume 2, Red Foxes.
Her legs gave out and she slouched onto a nearby chair. He got her. He crushed her completely. The sly bastard planned this from the second he entered her office one month ago. The fight… the injury… the recuperation…
She should have been angry. Part of her was, but it was in minority. Natasha Winters always did her best to pick up most reliable and skilled cadets to aid the main force in their efforts of keeping peace. And right before her she had a guy who played her by the nose, right in her own playing field. He was good. And all that mattered now was that he will join the ZPD and they will be able to put his skills to work. The polar bear managed a weak smile and let her head fall back to stare at the ceiling.
"You win, fox…"
.
.
Nick finally managed to wriggle himself out of Jackie's grateful embrace and sit back on the grass.
"Enough already! Geez, why so clingy?" He patted his shirt to neaten it up.
The girl was practically bouncing from joy. "You helped me achieve this! And I mean all of you!" She jumped to hug the surprised tiger and then proceeded to do the same with Rupert. "Thanks, guys!"
"Hey, we're a team. Remember, Spots?" Nick chuckled.
She nodded, still embracing the laughing elephant. They all managed very well. Marcus scored second, Rupert was fourth and Nick right behind him, in fifth place. He was wandering if that polar bear instructor already figured out that he hustled her, but it didn't matter right now. They all graduated and he was actually happy that he gets to start his new job with such good friends.
*Friends, huh? Never thought I'd ever had a chance to call that someone beside Finnick. Well, Carrots is a completely different matter… But still, three new friends is a nice result.* With that thought he joined the group laughter when Jackie climbed on Rupert's head and yelled at the top of her lungs that she's number one.
.
.
Later that evening, Nick was sitting alone in the lobby and gave a call to a certain police officer.
"Hey, Nick. What's up?" A merry voice called out.
"Hey, Carrots. Spare a moment for your favorite fox?" He grinned.
"Sure, what does my dumb fox want from me?" She quipped back.
He stifled a chuckle. "Just calling to say that you need to make your choice soon."
"Choice?" She was puzzled, but she immediately caught on. "Oh, Nick! You graduated!"
"Yep. Not officially, though. That's after the weekend."
"Great! I can't wait to actually see you in a uniform." He could hear her giggle.
"Aww, you have a thing for uniformed foxes, Fluff?" Nick teased the bunny.
"In your dreams, Slick." She huffed in faked irritation.
"Well, I'll make sure to take a picture of your face when you actually see me."
"Oh no you don't."
They laughed together and when they calmed down a little, Judy spoke first.
"Say, Nick. I just had an idea. Are you required to stay at the academy for the weekend?"
Nick stretched his arms and legs. "Nah, I don't think so, why?"
"I'm going to visit my parents and maybe you'd like to come with me?" She asked.
This surprised him. Enough to make him speechless for a second. Nick mentally told his tongue to cooperate again. "Me? Visit Bunny Burrow?"
"Mhm, why not?"
"Erm… because I'm a fox? And if I remember correctly, that place is filled with nothing but rabbits and carrots. Not sure if I fit in…" He said that, but omitted the part where he had doubts if his self-control was enough to face a legion of small and cute bunnies.
"Aw come on, don't be like that." She tried to sound convincing. "If you're scared of my family, don't worry, I'll protect you." Okay, now she was messing with him. "Besides, it would be a nice chance for you to meet Will."
Something in Nick's mind snapped. "Will?" He repeated in a husky voice.
"Yeah, he is going with me. I mean, you two are going to meet each other eventually, why not in Bunny Burrow?" Nick heard her words, but paid them little attention. His focus was on gritting his teeth in attempt to keep his inner beast in check. Something about that guy triggered a wave of rage, every time he heard his name. Would he be able to control himself if he met him in person? But another voice in his head said something that made his heart skip a beat.
You'll let this guy have two days of vacation next to her?
"Ok, why not give it a try?" His tongue communicated despite the heavy mental struggle.
"Great! I'm sure you'll have fun!" She said earnestly.
*Fantastic… she really believes that…*
"Our train leaves in two hours, will you be able to get to your station in about three hours?"
"Sure, I'll manage."
"Ok, see soon then!"
The joy in her voice was soothing his mind and heart, but also stirring up many dangerous emotions at the same time. *This is going to be the toughest two days in my life.* He sighed internally.
.
.
Nick packed his stuff into the bag and threw it on the bed.
Marcus was also leaving for the weekend and packed his own things.
"Going somewhere fun?" Nick asked of him.
"You could say so." The tiger said while throwing clothes into the suitcase. "I invited Icy for dinner in a restaurant and she said 'okay'."
"Wow, I hope you'll both enjoy it."
"Thanks."
"By the way… 'Icy'?"
Marcus waved a finger at him. "Watch it, Nick. That's private stuff."
They shared a laugh.
.
.
At the main gate of the academy Nick threw his bag into the cab's trunk. He was about to get in when a someone called him.
"Nick!" Jackie was running towards them.
"Heya, Spots. What's going on?"
She stopped right in front of him. "Why the hell you didn't say that you're going somewhere?"
The fox shrugged with a wide smile. "Okay, I'm going somewhere."
She rolled her eyes. "Should have said that earlier."
"Come on, it's not like I'm leaving forever. We'll be seeing each other on Monday, remember?"
"Yeah, but…" The girl glanced at her feet and rubbed her arm. "I just wanted to thank you… If not for your help, my father would have won." She said solemnly.
He reached out and lifted her chin with a finger. "You did it. We only helped you a little, but you passed every test on your own, never forget that." He offered her a kind smile. She stared directly into his eyes with her amber ones. And before Nick could say anything more, Jackie leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Nick." But as she straightened up, her gaze met a cold emerald stare.
"Don't do this, Spots." Nick said in a flat voice.
"What?" Her brows went up in response to his harsh reply.
"Just don't. See you on Monday." With that he got into the cab, leaving the puzzled cheetah at the gate.
The drive was rather short, as the train station was nearby, but for Nick it seemed far too long. He didn't like what Jackie did. He never asked for it and was certain, that he will avoid any similar situations in the future. But he didn't consider an overjoyed bunny that was already waiting at the station and jumped at him the moment she saw the fox. Apparently, their train arrived earlier. She wrapped her little arms around his waist and squealed happily. "Nick! You're here!"
Few things happened in an instant to Nicholas Wilde. His sense of smell was assaulted with the fleeting, yet very sweet fragrance of his bunny friend, blocking it from sensing anything different. The dark colored ears were ringing with the melody of her voice. His skin could feel the smooth, grey fur, rubbing against it, even through the layer of his own one. To top it all, Nick's sight was drinking in the form of the joyful doe, so close to him that if he leaned slightly, his mouth could place a small kiss on that delicate fur on top of her head, right between her ears. And he could feel the tension building in his neck, as the muscles tried to do so, but he kept them firmly at bay.
Why not? Asked a tiny voice in his mind, but Nick instantly shoved into an abyss, buried it under tons of concrete and covered it with steel plates to never let it speak again.
"Missed me that much?" He joked with his usual grin and half-lidded eyes.
"It's been NINE months, silly. Of course I've missed you!" She admitted with a merry voice, that he enjoyed so much. She pulled back and punched him playfully in the arm. In all honesty, he barely felt that and as Judy withdrew her paw, her ears perked up and she eyed him carefully.
"You've really been working out, eh? That's some muscle you got there." She said, taking a step back to look more carefully at her friend. And she couldn't hide her admiration for his new look, not that she tried. Judy glanced over Nick's new frame and his well-toned arms, at least those parts visible from under the Hawaiian shirt he had on. That was another thing. Before, his shirt was rather loosely hanging on him and now his trained body filled it in properly. Especially when he noticed her wandering gaze and folded his arms, muscles shifting under his skin. Her amethyst eyes followed every move.
"You're ogling me, Carrots." He quipped, his grin wider than before. "Anything I should be aware of, hm?"
She blinked, snapping back to reality. A slight blush managed to form on her cheeks as she flailed her arms nervously. "No! It's just that you look so good… I mean, so well built… that is, you had to put in a lot of effort, right? Ahahah."
He leaned down a bit to her. "Now that's a cute giggle if I ever heard one."
That made her brows furrow and she glared at him with irritation. "Don't you say that word in front of me!" She stomped her hindpaw.
"Sure, Fluff. Whatever you say." He laughed and picked up his bag. "Soo, where's that mysterious train that leads to the legendary land of carrots and long ears?"
She huffed at him, but recomposed herself quickly. Judy could never be angry at him for long. Something Nick knew and liked to take advantage of.
"It'll be here in a minute." She grabbed his free paw. "Come on, I'd like to introduce you to Will."
"Ah, yes… The enigmatic boyfriend." Nick managed to say, without lacing the 'b' word with venom.
"I'm sure you'll like him."
He sighed internally. *Don't be so sure, Carrots.*
.
.
Tundratown was bustling with activity, even with the freezing temperatures outside. But a certain apartment, high in of the tallest skyscrapers in Zootopia, was pretty warm. And not long ago things were really heated up. Now only the scent lingered in the dim room.
An elegant vixen flexed her body on the king-sized bed with a satisfied moan. She was completely naked. Her paw reached for a glass of wine that was prepared on a nightstand. Sipping the scarlet liquid, the vixen eyed the figure sitting behind a desk, reading some documents. The mammal didn't have any clothes on either.
"Hmmm, you prefer reading papers instead of having me?" She purred, teasing with her voice.
The figure she addressed shifted two documents to the side. The upper part of its torso was hidden in the shadow. "I believe I have had you for the past two hours?"
She giggled and lay on her stomach, supporting herself on elbows and tilting her head to the side. "Want if I want more?"
Another shuffle of papers. "Then you'll have to wait two minutes."
"Aww… What's so interesting there that you'd choose it over this." The last word she said as she shifted on the bed and lay on her side. The vixen slightly pulled up one knee and placed a paw on her hip.
"As much as I find you attractive, I have some matters to attend to." The speaker picked up another document.
She sighed and supported her cheek on a paw. "It's about that conmammal again, isn't it? I cannot comprehend what is so special about him to you."
The half-visible mammal adorned a smirk she couldn't see. "How about being the only person to remain sane after being hit with Night Howler serum? I'd say that's quite special."
That made the vixen to raise her brows. "Seriously? That is pretty amazing."
A hand reached out from the shadow and picked up a cigar and a match from the desk. There was a scratch and for a brief moment the flickering flame dispersed the shadows, revealing a face covered in red fur. The match was brought to lit the cigar and the mammal inhaled deeply. After a moment it let out a stream of smoke.
"Amazing, huh… Well, that trait runs in the family." Said the fox.
.
.
"Nick, I'd like you to meet William Twicks, my boyfriend. Will, this is Nicholas Wilde, my best friend." She introduced both mammals.
The buck offered a paw with a slightly nervous smile. "Nice to meet you, Judy has told me a lot about you."
Nick was amazed with himself, that he managed to keep the struggling beast on a chain. Never before had he felt such an overwhelming urge to rip something to shreds. Or in this case, someone. He accepted the paw and gave it a firm, but not very strong squeeze. All of the muscles in him arm screamed in protest as they wanted to crush these little bones.
"It's nice to meet you too." He was surprised that no thunder came down from the sky to punish him for a lie this big. "I've heard that you've been assisting Carrots for some time now."
William glanced at Judy. "'Carrots'?
Nick grinned and stepped closer to the doe. "Oh, that's just a small nickname I have for my friend here." He reached out and rustled the fur on Judy's head.
"Knock it off, Nick!" She raised her voice, but there was no anger in it.
"I see…" Said William, eyeing the pair. "Then can I call you that too, Judy?"
She was about to answer, when Nick cut in. "Sorry buddy, copyrights and all that." He smirked at the buck. And William chuckled hearing the fox's words. "Fine, fine. You're a funny guy…"
Nick folded his arms. "Am I? Yes, yes I am."
.
.
The three spend the rest of the way to Bunny Burrow on talking, exchanging jokes and playing cards. Although, after Nick's tenth consecutive win the two bunnies abandoned the idea. When the station finally came into view they got up to get their luggage ready.
"Oh, by the way, Nick. I just wanted you to know that I informed my family that you'll help them with working in the fields. You know, some good, healthy exercise with lots of fresh air."
"Har, har. Funny that I never agreed to help with anything." He replied calmly.
But Judy only smiled and held up a familiar looking device. She pressed the button on the carrot pen recorder and Nick's own voice played from the speaker.
Sure, Fluff. Whatever you say.
His ears dropped down. "No, you didn't…
She gave him a smug grin. "Yes, yes I did." Judy bolted into the corridor of the train, laughing on the way, just as Nick jumped at her to grab the pen.
"Get back here, you!" He ran after her. The fox managed to catch up with the doe at the door leading to the station. He reached out to grab her shoulder as she jumped down the steps, but a sudden scream made him flinch. A male rabbit in a green baseball cap, checked shirt and dungarees was running towards him. Nick stepped out the train and on to the platform with his bag in one paw. He wasn't sure what to expect, but when the buck pushed Judy to the side with one paw and aimed the other one at the fox his goal became crystal clear. The rabbit pushed the button and an electric arc spurred from the fox taser.
"Don't you touch my daughter!" He yelled, stabbing his weapon at Nick. The fox gracefully stepped to the side, letting the rabbit to run right next to him. But the rabbit wasn't finished and turned around to continue his assault, flailing his arm at the fox.
"Dad! Stop that!" Judy yelled at the buck in irritation.
"Stay back Jude, it's dangerous!" Her father yelled back and he proceeded to swing and stab at the fox, but Nick dodged every attack with ease. After months of sparring against Jackie, the buck's movements could have been compared to sloth's. So he had no trouble in avoiding another straight jab and wrenching the device from the rabbit's paw.
"For sure, it could be dangerous in wrong paws." In a blur he placed the tip of the taser an inch from the buck's face. The rabbit went pale and swallowed hard, frozen in place. But then Nick smiled and threw the device in the air and caught it as it came down, slipping it into the pocket the rabbit had on the front of his dungaree. "So better keep it safe."
Stu Hopps sat heavily on the platform, trying to comprehend what just happened. Judy dashed to his side. "Dad! What the hell was that about?!" Other rabbits that were around also dared to come closer.
"But… but he was chasing you…" Mumbled the shocked father.
She rolled her eyes. "He's my friend dad, we were just playing around. Nick would never hurt me." Judy folded her arms staring down at her father. The doe's words filled Nick with a warm feeling of gratitude for standing up for him and the trust she put in her friend.
"Judy? Everything's ok?" William walked out of the train with his luggage and tried to understand what just happened.
"I'm fine. I just learned that my own father likes to tase our guests."
Nick burst with laughter. His reaction surprised all the gathered bunnies, Judy included. "Seriously!" He gasped for air. "I knew that foxes aren't welcomed here, but this is way over-the-top." Nick wiped away a tear. And that seemed to break the tension.
Stu got up and slowly approached the fox. He cleared his throat. "I… I suppose that I jumped the gun here… I'm sorry, son. My kids are everything to me and seeing Judy being chased by a fox... I kinda' snapped." The buck explained himself, rubbing his neck.
Nick chuckled. "Don't sweat it, mister Hopps. I get that a lot."
"But you shouldn't!" Judy cut in with a huff. "I won't have my friend being treated like this just because he's a fox!"
Stu hanged down his arms in resignation. "Ok, ok, I get it already." He extended a paw towards the mammal he wanted to tase a moment ago. "Stu Hopps, I am Judy's father." He introduced himself formally.
Nick accepted it with a pawshake. "Nick Wilde, Judy's friend." He really liked the sound of that. "Call me Nick."
Judy let out a sigh of relief. "Ok, since we have this all cleared up, can we finally go home? We didn't come here to spend the weekend in the train station."
.
.
The ride to the Hopps farm was a really tight fit. This was caused by the fact that Stu, Will, Judy and Nick were stuffed in the cabin of the old pickup truck, not exactly designed for foxes or even this number of passengers. For Nick it was a nightmare came true – stuffed in the small space right next to the mammal his body desired the most in this world and with the mammal his inner beast was raging to rip apart. All of that bubbling under an indifferent mask of a fox staring out the window.
Therefore, he was beyond relieved when Stu pulled over next to a huge house and they could get out. Nick staggered out of the cabin and stood on the grassy ground, supporting himself with paws on his knees, taking in deep breaths of the countryside air.
"Nick? You okay?" Asked a concerned voice behind him. Judy approached him and placed her paw on his arm.
He eyed her with caution. There was no way he was telling her that he needs to breathe something else than the sweet scent of the doe. "Too much oxygen in the air, Carrots. I'm a city mammal, remember? I just need a moment to adapt."
She stared at him with suspicion, but didn't press the topic. And she didn't have the chance to, because a horde of her sibling rushed past her and surrounded the fox.
"You're tall!"
"How old are you?"
"Do you eat rabbits?"
"Grandpa said foxes are evil. Are you evil?"
"Judy already has a boyfriend, are you her secret lover?"
"Can I hug your tail?"
"Can foxes breathe underwater?"
"Do you have any siblings?"
"Are all foxes red?"
"ENOUGH!" The horde dispersed even faster than they appeared thanks to Judy's angry roar.
.
.
Since it was time for late supper, right after being showed their respective rooms for the stay (and Nick noticed that Will got a separate room, instead of sleeping in Judy's), everyone was herded to the main dining room to eat. On their way there, a picture picked Nick's curiosity. It was a really huge one, hanging on the main corridor's wall, with all the family member in it. Everyone with their names and family status. He glanced over the entire photo before heading to the dining room.
The fox was astonished at the size of the room. *Cheese and crackers! You could put several busses in here!*
Judy saw his expression and smiled knowingly. "I have 275 brothers and sisters. We need the space to have enough room for everyone."
"More like for an entire army." He muttered, still gazing around the enormous place.
She chuckled. "Yep! So watch yourself, Slick. Soon, the rabbits will take over Zootopia." Judy quipped and elbowed him.
"Judy! Over here!" William was already seated at one of the long tables and waved at his girlfriend to come over.
The doe waved back and started dragging Nick with her towards two empty seats next to the brown buck. Since she was going first, Judy didn't notice the scowl that appeared on the fox's face for a brief moment. They trotted over to the table and sat down, with Will on Judy's left and Nick on her right.
Nick cursed his enhanced senses as they allowed him to notice the short glances the two bunnies exchanged occasionally or quiet whispers between them. He tried to eat, but managed to swallow only several vegetables before losing his appetite completely
"Soo, Nick…" Stu's voice distracted him enough to stop paying attention to them. The head of the Hopps family sat on the opposite side of the table, right next to his wife. Nick met her just before supper and learned she's named Bonnie. For some reason he felt slightly relieved in her presence. She seemed to be radiating the same, motherly aura that his mother had. "Our little Jude told us you're becoming a police officer too."
"Yes, sir. Just passed my exams."
Judy clapped her little paws. "Right! I forgot to ask you, which place?"
"Fifth." He replied, biting on a carrot.
"Fifth?" She gave him something between a smirk and a look of disapproval. "You know, I thought you could do better than that."
Nick grinned back. "Oh really, miss top-of-the-class?"
"Hey, no shame in being fifth, Judy. I mean, I managed to get only seventh." William joined in.
The grey doe sighed, waving a finger at the fox. "That's true. Still, I bet you could've get a better result if you'd put proper effort in it."
Nick raised his brows in amusement. "Oh, you mean I was supposed to put any effort?" He chomped the rest of the vegetable in his paw.
"Veery funny, Slick."
William chuckled at their friendly banter, but to Nick it sounded like grating a steel plate.
"Nicholas…" This time a new voice joined the conversation. Nick turned his head to meet the warm gaze of Bonnie Hopps. "If you don't mind, I was curious what you were doing before the academy? What was your job?"
With the corner of his eye, Nick noticed how Judy's paw froze half way to her mouth, holding a spoonful of soup. And that sight made him grin internally, as he came up with something interesting. It would be a somewhat double edged blade, but definitely worth it just to see her reaction. He took a deep breath. *Here goes…*
"I was a criminal, Mrs. Hopps." Silence spread out from the spot he was seating at, just like a ripple on water's surface.
The middle aged doe blinked. "When you say 'criminal'…" She said slowly to the surrounding silence.
"A hustler, a conmammal, a cheat… I was making a living by cheating others or hustling them to gain profit." He noticed how Judy's eyes were growing wider with every word he said and had to force himself not to chuckle. "In fact, I even tricked my friend over here," He pointed at the young doe. "that my partner and me are father and son. That made her pay for our little scam right out of her pocket and we made a clean profit, without even a cent of personal investment."
The silence continued and Judy's cheeks were turning more red with every passing second. But before anyone could say even a word, Nick continued. "But she didn't leave it alone. She tracked me down in the big city and convinced to join her in solving a case she was assigned. We went through a lot of trouble together, hell she even saved my life at one point, but ultimately managed to track down the real culprit and put her behind bars. And then she pops up with the most absurd idea of a conmammal joining the ZPD! My first thought was that it's utterly ridiculous." He glanced at, now crimson red, Judy with an unreadable smile. "But then she looked at me with those big, honest eyes without a shred of distrust or distaste about me being a fox. And as she handed me the application form, I thought 'why not give it a try?'. It's not like hustling was my dream career path anyway. So here I am, first fox to be a police officer, a case very much similar to a certain first bunny cop that I know. Sure, at first it seemed impossible, but on my left sits a doe that managed to convince a seasoned hustler to join the ZPD, effectively turning his life around 180 degrees. Hey, if she could manage something like that, what isn't possible?" Judy stared at her friend with her mouth wide open, still unable to decipher that smile of his. Nick returned his glance to Bonnie. "I am grateful to your daughter for putting her trust in me, she is a wonderful mammal. Her enthusiasm is pretty much contagious, and her determination really impressed me. And that's something to say after seeing the weirdest things in the streets of Zootopia for over 20 years. Now I know, that when I'll be looking for a perfect mate for myself, I'll seek a girl that'll resemble her as much as possible. Bright, cheerful and never backing down." The silence was deafening, so when Nick pushed back his chair it echoed throughout the gargantuan dining room. "With that said, I shall excuse myself as speaking honestly makes me nauseated so I will go outside before I throw up." And he left the stupefied bunnies behind.
Finding the way outside was easy. Nick memorized the building's layout when they entered it before. Once he stepped out on the chilly grass under the starry night sky, Nick gasped for a portion of clean air. After walking for several meters, very slowly, the fox sat on the ground and gazed upwards. His head was killing him and all of his senses were oversensitive after visiting a burrow filled with hundreds of potential meals for a savage fox. And he really was on the verge of throwing up. It was a pretty reckless verbal stunt he did there. *Heh, but that look on her face… Priceless. Worth all these bloody side-effects."
"Nick?" Said a soft voice behind him. He'd recognize that smell anywhere.
"Hey, Carrots." He replied in a weak voice.
She approached him from the side and pointed at the grass next to him. "May I?" He didn't answer, but nodded his head. Judy's ears were drooping behind her head and she had a very solemn look on her face. She sat close to Nick and placed her arms on her pulled up knees.
"You were serious back there?" Her voice was so low it was almost a whisper.
Nick considered her words. "What makes you think I wasn't?"
"I didn't say that, it's just… you never said those things to me." She mumbled and her blush returned.
"Well, maybe I wanted to see that cute, flustered expression of yours." The fox showed her a smirk.
The doe groaned. "Jerk!"
"And you wouldn't want me any other way, Fluff."
Now it was her turn to tease him a bit. "I don't know… I mean, I still have to decide on a proper partner. And I'm not sure if a sarcastic, sly fox would be a good choice." She filled her voice with dramatic uncertainty.
"Ohh, playing hard to get now?" He mused.
She stuck her tongue out. "I'm already taken, in case you forgot."
That hit Nick harder than any other words, but he maintained his composure.
"But that's only regarding the 'bed area', we're talking about working hours here." The fox forced himself to tell a joke, despite the stinging pain in the chest. And he succeeded in making the bunny's cheeks even more crimson. He burst with his hustler's laugh. A one that was meant to fool everyone but him, that he was enjoying himself.
With an angry expression she lifted her leg and kicked him as hard as she could. "Major jerk!"
Nick got up to his feet, massaging the spot she hit. "Now that's police brutality Officer Hopps."
She also stood up and folded her arms. "It's called 'minimum force necessary' soon-to-be Officer Wilde."
"Whatever you say, ma'am." He slipped his paws into the pockets of his trousers.
Judy shot him a strange glance. "You know, if I didn't know you better, I would say that what you said back there was a very roundabout way of asking my parents for my hand." Her gaze never left his face, looking for a tiniest clue to his thought.
But his grinning mask was perfect. "Then it's good that you know me better." He stretched his arms over his head. "Soo, anything to drink in here or I'd have t-"
"FIRE!" Screamed a voice from the house. Both mammals spun around towards the building. They could see a light aura over the other side of the main house. Judy instantly jumped forward. "The barn!" She ran like grey bullet, Nick following her, barely keeping up, even with his savagely enhanced leg muscles.
When they circled the house, they could see a large wooden construction engulfed with flames. Dozens of rabbits were surrounding it with buckets of water and many others were quickly joining them. But the small amount of liquid they were pouring over the fire wasn't even nearly enough.
"Judy!" She recognized her father's voice. She darted to his side.
"Dad! Is everyone alright? Was there anyone inside?"
The buck showed her a pained expression. "We… we can't find Abi and two kids."
All color left Judy's face. "No… no, no, no… I'm sure they went for a walk or-" She was cut by a painful yelp from inside the barn.
"ABI!" Father and daughter screamed in unison.
Judy dashed forward, only to be caught by Will half way there. "Judy, don't! It's too dangerous!" He yelled to be heard over the roar of flames.
"Let me go!" She struggled furiously. "My sister's in there!"
"I know! We already called the firefighters, they'll be here any moment."
"A moment too late!" The doe screamed trying to kick herself free, but William's grip was strong. "Damn it, Will! Let go of me!" She demanded.
"No! You can hate me all you want later, but I'm not letting you get yourself killed!"
As they argued, a red furred mammal passed quickly by them. He pulled his shirt over his head and on his way to the burning building, he snatched a couple of buckets with water and poured all of it on him and the shirt in his paw. With that done, the fox jumped into the flames.
.
.
Nick wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. But seeing Judy in that state propelled his limbs into action. *This is one stupid thing to do.* He thought as he walked into the center of the building. It had another floor, right below the ceiling, accessed by a large wooden ladder. It didn't help that the ladder was on fire, just like the ceiling. Various farming equipment and machines were scattered around the ground floor, no doubt heated up nicely, so Nick avoided getting in contact with them. The temperature turned this building into a large scale oven. If he won't get out of here shortly, he'd surely melt. But he also had to worry about the smoke that was starting to fill up the air. Too much of it and you could choke. *The hell are you even doing here Wilde?* Part of his brain questioned his actions. *You expect to be thanked? You want to be a hero? You can die here.* He knew that. He knew that very well. But that didn't scare him as much as it pained him to see Judy's expression, when she heard her sister's voice. *There was no other choice, was it? What? Let her go in? No way.*
"ABI!" He called out the name he heard Judy was screaming.
"Here!" Replied a small voice from the floor above.
Nick leapt towards the ladder, but only to see it crack in half and collapse, part of it falling on the fox. He protected himself with his arms, the wood causing no real damage to his strong body. A piece of his fur ignited but he quickly patted it down. *That's going to make things harder…* But he noticed a pillar that was supporting part of the roof and provided access to the upper level. Without thinking much Nick jumped on it and climbed up using his claws. When he finally emerged on the floor above, three figures appeared before his eyes. There were two small bunnies and a doe. *Alexander, Olivia and Abigail.* His memory served him the names from the picture he saw before. She was lying down, her legs trapped under a large wooden beam Nick hurried to their side. The doe named Abi opened her eyes and coughed. "You're… a fox?" She didn't say it with disgust, just pure surprise.
"I'm afraid so." He ripped his shirt in two and gave one part to the adult bunny and he divided the second one into two more strips. He handed them to the little rabbits. "Breathe through this!" He ordered. The cloth wasn't going to last in this heat, it was more against the smoke in the air, but Nick didn't intend to stay in this place for long. Abi had problems with moving her weakened arms so he wrapped the cloth for her. Then his gaze went to the beam. 'Heavy' was the best fitting word for it. He gave a small try to lift the thing, but he failed. However, if he wanted to get her out of here alive this beam needed to be moved. He placed his hindpaws on both sides of it and grabbed with both paws. "Alex! Olivia! When I lift this, pull her out, got it? She must be moved from under this thing." He ordered the two small rabbits. They nodded quickly and grabbed Abi under her shoulders.
Nick took a deep breath and pulled up. It seemed impossible to move such a weight, but Nick wasn't interested in probability right now. He put all of his mind and body to muster as much strength as possible from his limbs and back. The steel muscles bulged under his skin. The wooden floor started cracking under his hindpaws and the heat was slowly getting to him. Yet, the fox refused to yield and with a feral snarl he tugged again, not caring if something in his body snaps from the effort. And his resolution was rewarded, as the huge bar slowly rose from the bunny's legs and high enough for the kids to pull the doe out. The moment they did, Nick slowly lowered the heavy weight down, careful not to drop it, as it could make the floor collapse entirely. With that done, the fox turned to the rabbits and was about to speak when he heard a series of cracks above them. Not even bothering with looking up, Nick scooped all three bunnies into his arms and dashed forward. He jumped from the floor right to the ground below and his powerful legs stomped heavily, but kept him standing. The main door was about ten meters from them.
They were two seconds late.
Weakened by the fire, the roof collapsed.