I'M ALIVE!
Okay, we have that sorted out...
Welcome, everyone. Welcome after 151 days of break.
This AN will be a bit long, so bear with me as it explains WHY such a long delay in update, or if you don't feel like reading it, just go for the story.
So, going back a few months, I have faced a serious crisis. Things happened and it made me question if I want to write any more Zootopia stuff or to even write in general. I seriously considered leaving Zootopia fandom for good. I was in that state for about a month.
What helped me in that time of despair was a group of people hell bent on shipping a certain ship and refusing to let the bleak reality stopping them from enjoying their time with this. Amazing folks and I feel truly indebted to them. Thank you so much! I am getting back to my usual writing mode and I promise that new updates won't be so late.
But I wanted to give my special thanks to those particular few that I had the pleasure of interacting with the most. Midnightopheliac, Cimar, Fox in the henhouse, Bluelighthouse, Anheledir, Starfang's Secrets, Zanrok, Uomo, The Winter Bunny... Guys, thank you so, so much. I am grateful beyond words.
With all this said, let's move one to the story.
BIG thanks to Cimar and BCRE8TVE for helping me with editing this chapter! And additional thanks to Uomo for inspiring an idea for this chapter, he knows which one. ;)
We will meet new faces and some of them might sound familiar to you. ;) (see the note at the bottom) A handful of others will appear in the future chapters.
To answer some of your reviews:
Be-wildery: Ah, truth... More slippery than a bar of soap in a bath.
Shiimy: Intense? Well, then I suggest some anesthetics before future chapters.
Bukoya: siiiigh ;D
ATGPillzheer: Ah, um... Thank you, I am flattered that you think this way.
Ommallaredpanda: Like Nick stated himself, he would never hurt Judy so there's no way he'd ever fight her seriously.
Guest: Thank you for pointing out those mistakes, I will fix them. Also, no, no Alex x Jackie ship.
Also thank you all so much for your reviews and favs/follows! And of course for your patience! Now we can move on!
Chapter 38
The officers whose favorite duties included evening patrols were few and far in between, but, still, it was duty nonetheless and nobody complained openly about it. Well, at least seriously. There were dozens of jokes and funny anecdotes flying around the precinct about this particular type of duty. But when it came to the actual thing, every ZPD member treated it with all the seriousness it deserved.
This evening the Tundra Town patrol belonged to Fangmeyer and Twicks, the bunny still considered a rookie, so Bogo paired him with the far more experienced tigress. As of now, they had pulled over a sedan for medium sized mammals, due to a non functional brake light. Twicks hopped to the driver's door, Fangmeyer following right behind him. When the duo approached the side of the car, the tigress grabbed the surprised buck by the back of his shirt to lift him up.
"Hey!" He protested, only to be placed on the feline officer's forearm.
"You'll see better." She said with a brief grin.
"It's not necessary, Fangmeyer and rather embarrassing."
She nodded with a dramatically serious expression. "You're right. This is far more embarrassing than smooching with Hopps on the precinct's parking lot."
Twicks' ears fell and he opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped by the sound of the window scrolling down. He immediately cleared his throat and assumed a more professional expression.
He was met with the sight of a red fox driver wearing black shirt, who didn't seem too happy to see the brown buck. In fact, his gaze was downright hostile. A paw suddenly grabbed the driver's shoulder and squeezed. "Easy now, Foxy. Don't make a scene." A female voice rose from the passenger's seat, the paw retaining a firm grip on the male fox.
A little surprised by the unfriendly welcome, but not discouraged, Will gave the fox a small nod. "Good morning, sir." He leaned a bit to the side to take a look at the passenger. Will saw a black and white furred bunny,her blue eyes showing a touch of grey in the middle. The tips of her paws and ears were covered in black fur. What fur that wasn't concealed by the yellow T-shirt she wore also revealed random spots of black around her eyes, neck and presumably the rest of her body. In one of her paws she was holding a rather large taco. "Ma'am." Will greeted her also.
"Officer Martha Fangmeyer." The tigress introduced herself, then pointed a paw at her partner.
"And Officer William Twicks, ZPD." The buck added.
At this point the fox's eye twitched. Both officers noticed how his fingers clenched on the steering wheel and Will could swear that his ears picked up a creaking sound.
"No. Stay!" The female ordered him, but even she saw that her efforts weren't going anywhere. She shot the policemammals a smile. "Excuse me, officers." She carefully placed the taco down on the dashboard. " I need to make a quick call." And without waiting for their answer, she fished out a phone from her pocket and dialed a number. "Heey, Conny here!" She chirped into the device after a few signals. " Sorry for the late call, but would you mind defusing your husband? I'd really appreciate it right now." With that said she put the phone to the fox's ear.
Both Officers exchanged glances, not certain what was going on here. But so far the situation looked more comical than potentially dangerous so, after exchanging brief glances, they decided to wait and see how it plays out.
"Hello?" The vulpine mumbled to the phone, still glaring at the rabbit from the corner of his eye. "Yes, I- Wait, I'm not- I AM CALM!" He suddenly raised his voice, before blinking and taking a deep breath. He visibly relaxed his grip a bit. "Sorry, I'm sorry, honey, I was being rude, I'm sorry." He paused while listening to the person on the other end of the call. "Yes, I am perfectly calm right now." His ears drooped a bit.
Twicks and Fangmeyer kept silent as they observed how the fox gradually calmed down during the phone call.
"Of course, I remember about eggs and veggies for the kids, don't worry. I love you too, bye." He returned the phone to the doe and closed his eyes. He took a deep intake of air through his nose before breathing out with his mouth. Then he faced the police duo with a smile that was so fake that even a blind mole could see its dishonesty.
"Sorry about that. How can we help you officers?" He stated with such forced friendliness, that it was a surprise he didn't accidentally choke on his own words.
"Um, sir…" William was starting to feel an urge to shuffle on the tigress' arm, the stare of the fox was making him very uncomfortable. Something in this gaze gave him a tingling sensation around his neck, as if some invisible paw was trying to strangle him. "Is everything alright?"
The multi-colored doe hopped onto her friend's knees, beaming with a smile. "All's well! Fit as a fiddle, he is!" She slapped the fox's back. "It's just his character flaw."
"Conny…" The fox muttered through his gritted teeth, which were forming a smile.
"Character flaw?" Fangmeyer repeated while cautiously eyeing the vulpine driver.
"Yep, he gets edgy around rabbits," she nodded towards Twicks, shrugging her arms, "sorry."
William raised a confused brow as his partner pointed a paw at the rabbit on her arm and then at the girl. "Ma'am, you're a rabbit too."
"Oh, no, no!" The girl waved a finger cheerfully. "I'm a doe," she pointed at Will, "he's a buck. Big difference. Me yes," she pointed at herself before pointing at the rabbit Officer again, "you no."
"Riight…" Fangmeyer analysed this concept in her mind, before slipping into a more formal attitude. "Anyway, we'd like to see your driver's license, insurance policy and car's registration documents, please."
The rest of the conversation went without any incidents or bad atmosphere, if not counting the forced smile on the vulpine's face. The fox-doe duo apologized for the broken light and promised to deal with it first thing in the morning. With the situation clear, the ZPD officers let them go and they drove off deeper into Tundra Town.
When they were driving away the doe picked up her taco and licked her lips. "Seriously, Foxy, you need to work on that issue."
"I have no issues," he replied while glancing at the taco from the corner of his eye, "I just don't like brown bucks."
"Hah! You hate them!"
"Whatever…" He kept shooting glances at the food in her paws.
And she noticed it, as she moved her snack away from the fox. "Don't even think about it!"
"Oh come on, just a bite." The fox said in a light manner while reaching out with one paw. In the next moment he felt a prickle of metal on his paw pad. The doe was now holding a slim dagger with a wooden handle and the initials T.D. carved into the wood. And it was pressing against his paw with a slowly increasing pressure.
"My taco!" She warned him with a glare.
He backed away with a grumble. "Geez… Other mammals need to eat too, you know?"
"Oh no you don't! Not after getting us into that mess!" She pointed behind them with the dagger. "We're lucky they didn't open the trunk!" She put down her snack again and with one swift jump she moved to the back seat and lifted the shelf that separated the trunk space and the car's interior. "Right, buddy?" She chirped at the figure inside. It was a goat, duct-taped from head to toe with even his muzzle taped shut. "Ah, forgot you were tranqed, sorry."
Then her ears flung up and she snapped her head around towards the front of the car. Her fox companion was taking advantage of her leave and was leaning towards the taco. His fingers almost reached their target when a flying dagger dug into the dashboard a fraction of an inch from them with a vibrating sching.
"Oops!" She exclaimed with fake worry. "Sorry 'bout that, my paw slipped."
Foxy slowly backed his paw away. He stared at the road ahead and slumped his shoulders a bit. "Mumble, mumble, youngstersthesedays, mumble, mumble…"
.
.
It was a chilly evening in the district when a doe and a vixen walked down the street in Savanna Central.
"Um, Vivian?" Judy asked the vixen by her side, trying to think of a way to somehow weave in her worry about the assassin's true intentions. "If you don't mind me asking, do you know how that wolf got that horrible wound on his face?"
Vivian gave her a thoughtful look. "His scar? Why would you ask about that?" she replied with a question of her own.
The doe raised her ears at this, troubled how to phrase this and not be perceived as intrusive. On the other paw, she was more concerned about the vixen's safety. Therefore, Judy steeled her resolve and looked the vixen firmly in the eye. "Vivian, in all honesty, I don't trust that wolf."
Nick's mother frowned in surprise. "What are you saying?"
"Look, I may not have been a police officer for too long, but this mammal gives me the creeps. He's exactly the type to hide something or to fool others, I can feel it in my ears." She pointed at them and made them twitch twice.
"Well, it's true that his appearance might not be the most welcomed sight in a dark alley." The vixen chuckled.
"Vivian!" The doe stepped right in front of her, blocking the female's path. "I'm serious here!"
The vixen stopped and put a paw on her muzzle while closing her eyes. "Look, Judy…" She lowered her arm and let out a sigh. "It's not my first meeting with him. I know that his looks may be deceiving, but I've learnt to know that he's a real gentlemammal."
"But I can feel that he's hiding something!" Judy pressed on, but was careful to not step over the line with what she knew already. Telling Vivian about Volkov's true nature could cause a rift between her and Nick, which was something Judy wanted to avoid.
Vivian gave her a doubtful look. "Judy…" she narrowed her eyes slightly, "does it bother you that a wolf asked me, a fox, out?"
The doe blinked, taken completely by surprise at the question. "Sorry?"
Nick's mother stared directly in her eyes. "Let me rephrase that, are you against interspecies relationships? Because I know that Alexander appreciates me and I like him." Her gaze escaped to the side. "Maybe even more than like…"
Judy shook her head instantly. "No! That's not what I meant! I am not against interspecies couples, I mean," she paused briefly, "it's great that love can overcome boundaries like this, even if I personally don't know what it's like to be attracted to someone of a different species." She spilled the answer in a hurried fashion, so only after she finished, the meaning of her own words hit her. Hard. The doe briefly lost contact with reality when her mind suddenly got attacked by the vision of Nick's smiling face.
"You're not?" Vivian focused on the bunny again, turning her head a fraction of a second too late to see Judy's flustered expression as the doe recomposed herself immediately. "Then why are you against me and Alexander getting closer?"
Judy shook her head. "Vivian, it's got nothing to do with interspecies or not."
"Then with what?" The vixen shot her a look that, combined with how she asked this question, made the doe instantly remember that she was dealing with a female that has raised her sly partner.
"He's suspicious." Judy replied with the first thing that came to her mind, apart from telling Vivian the truth. Under any other circumstances she would be completely honest, but right now Judy knew that this was something only Nick could tell her. She was afraid that spilling everything here could ruin the renewed relationship between Vivian and Nick. Not to mention that Nick might hate her for it and that, somehow, felt really dreadful for the doe. "I just would feel better if I knew more about him." She mumbled the last part.
The vixen's features softened and she looked at the concerned bunny with care. "Judy…"
"I'm sorry, Vivian." The doe interrupted her. "I didn't want to spoil your mood, I was just being cautious."
Nick's mother stepped closer to Judy and crouched down while pulling the doe into a hug. "I am not angry, sweetie. Quite the contrary, I'm glad that my son has such a sweet, caring bunny for a partner." Vivian placed her paws on Judy's shoulders and held her at arm's length. "I am sure that one day you will be a perfect daughter-in-law." The vulpine female showed her a broad smile.
"W-What?"The vixen's words caused Judy to raise her own paws in front of her. "N-Nick and I aren't- We are not-" She stuttered her answer with growing panic.
Vivian adorned a very Wilde-like smirk. "Did I say 'my daughter-in-law'? No, I did not."
Judy's ears flopped down as if the muscles holding them up suddenly disappeared. "Vivian…" She muttered with a blush filling up her cheeks. "I have a boyfriend…"
The vixen chuckled merrily. "Oh, you! Let this vixen dream a bit!" She patted the doe's shoulders and stood up while correcting the strap of her purse on her shoulder. Actually, there was nothing else that Vivian would want to do more than opening this girl's eyes to the fact that Nick loves her. But she couldn't do that. Not after what happened with Irene. She wanted her son to be happy, but couldn't impose anything on him. He would have to come clean with his feelings on his own. Still, she could at least give this girl a small nudge.
"In any case," Vivian gave Judy a warm smile, "I really wouldn't mind to have you as one, because, and I will keep telling you this over and over, you are definitely the best thing that ever happened to him."
"Um… I… Well…" Judy was at a loss, a bit confused by the vixen's words and left unsure how to reply. After all, it wasn't every day the mother of your friend declares that she 'wouldn't mind' you marrying her son. "It's… very nice of you to say that, but…" she looked Vivian in the eye, "I wouldn't want you to get your hopes up about it." She gave her an apologetic smile. "Nick and I are just friends." It was the safest thing she could say right now, as it was 100% true and didn't have the capacity to create any misunderstandings.
Hearing such an answer Vivian let out a sigh, but smiled the second later. Then she leaned down and raised a paw to the side of her muzzle to speak as if they were sharing a secret. "Well, if you ever change your mind you can come to me and I'll soften him up for you."
She gave the bunny a playful nudge with her elbow and started walking again.
Judy let out a quiet chuckle and shook her head before catching up to the vixen. "Might be too late for that," she said in a joking manner, "Nick told me that he already has someone he loves."
Vivian masked her surprise with a smirk, but couldn't perfectly hide it in her voice. "Did he now?" The vixen said this in a slightly shaken way.
Judy's ears rose up as she noticed the emotion in the female's voice. "Wait… He didn't tell you?!"
Vivian stared straight ahead while thinking about a possible answer. Nick told her that he loves Judy and since the doe was clueless about it, then it meant that the fox was playing some kind of a game since he was too afraid to confess. The vixen couldn't stop a sigh leaving her mouth. "Judy, it's Nick we're talking about. He barely tells anything to anyone, which means you must be really important to him if he divulged something so intimate."
Judy shook her head. "Really, I don't know what goes through his head to share information in such a picky manner…"
Vivian shrugged in a way only a mother could. "It's not a matter-"
"-of trust. Yes, he said something like that." Judy finished the sentence for her. "But it's no excuse for him to behave like that towards you." The doe huffed at her partner's actions.
"Judy," Vivian spoke softly and she placed a paw on the bunny's shoulder, "I understand your frustration and my guess is that it comes mostly from living in a big family, but remember that Nick is a rather solitary mammal."
Judy's ears flopped down when she realized that the vixen was right and how short sighted her own views were.
"There was always only the two of us and for a long period of time he was all alone, without anyone to trust or lean on. Of course, there was Finnick, but I don't get the feeling that they were that close for Nick to open up to him to such a degree as with you."
"Well," Judy smoothed her ears with a paw, again slightly baffled with how much praise Nick's mother was giving her, "he did agree to talk with me about something important."
Vivian's ears flickered. "Oh? What could that be?" She asked out loud while suppressing an urge to jump from joy. Life has taught her that premature declarations of victory could end up in disaster.
"I only know that it's a matter that he kept very close to his heart, something that bothers him greatly. But once I know what's going on maybe I'll be able to help him. No, I am certain that I can help him." She declared strongly while looking up at the vixen with determination so clear in her eyes that Vivian was taken aback by it. She had no words that could express the emotional state right now, no way of conveying the mixture of joy, relief, but also anxiety and hope that surged through her in this moment. Still, she wanted, needed, to say something to the bright bunny that managed to change her own son so much.
Judy felt a familiar paw on her shoulder again, but Vivian wasn't saying anything, so the doe looked up at the vixen's face. What she saw made her own eyes widen from surprise.
Vivian was wearing a small smile, that spoke both of joy and fragility, at the same time looking at the doe with slightly damp eyes. She wasn't crying, but rather her own soul had no other way to contain the emotions bubbling inside and found a silent method of expressing its emotional state.
"Thank you." She said in a throaty voice.
.
.
The rest of the walk to Vivian's home was spend in a rather quiet atmosphere after the vixen's emotional reaction, and left Judy with many things to ponder as she headed to her own home. She returned to the lousy excuse of an apartment, of which she was probably the only tenant ever. She has learned about it, as even with her time away during the Nighthowler case the landlady couldn't find anyone willing to share a wall with Bucky and Pronk. After closing the door Judy changed into her casual clothes. She liked her uniform, to the point she wished for someone to invent a more flexible and comfortable protective vest, so she could wear it round the clock. Being a small mammal, she needed to rely on as much protection as she could get, so discarding the vest after few hours, as it started to get uncomfortable, would be highly irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
The young doe had a lot on her mind regarding Bellweather, the current case and Nick's strange behavior. The last one in particular was emphasized by the talk she had with Vivian, but right now she wanted to focus on something else. And for that she could use some friendly advice from someone more experienced than her. Therefore, she took her phone and tapped the frequently used contact icon.
"Judy, hon, how are you doing?"a cheerful sounding female voice answered after few seconds.
"Hey, mom. I'm fine, just a bit busy with work." Judy smiled, hearing Bonnie's voice. She always enjoyed talking with her mother, whenever she wasn't talking to herself in the apartment. It was something that had stuck with her since the academy and she sometimes would circle around her apartment while reciting parts of the laws of Zootopia. On other occasions she would think out loud about other issues, but never about cases to not risk leaking information with how thin the walls here were.
"I hope you're not overworking yourself?"
"Noooo, mom. I'm not." Judy let out a quiet chuckle. She may have be an independent bunny, living in the big city, but she would always miss her family and their time spent together. "Actually, I called you because I could use some advice." The young doe dropped on her bed.
"Of course." Bonnie said happily. "What can I help you with?"
"It's… about Will."
"Oh, is something wrong?"
"No!" Judy sat up on the old mattress. "Nonono, just…" She sighed, deciding that straightforwardness will be the best course of action. "How do you tell if it's the right moment to move in together with a boy?"
"Oh my, has William decided to ask you about living together? Well, considering your determined character that's rather bold of him," she hummed playfully.
"Mom!" Judy's ears straightened up at her parent's comment.
"Sorry, dear. I know it's a big deal, I still remember how it was with your father and I."
Judy relaxed and giggled as she remembered the stories her mother had told her about that event. They both stayed silent for a few moments before Judy decided to talk again.
"I, uh, just want to be sure that I will choose the right mammal…"
Judy bit her lower lip as her thoughts escaped again, images of Nick coming unbidden to her mind. Even despite the troubles they were going through lately, she couldn't deny that, recently, she was thinking about her friend almost as often as about Will. If not more. Which wasn't right, as she was a bunny and he was a fox! Something like this shouldn't even occur!
"Judy? There is something more to this, isn't there?" Her mother's voice broke through her train of thought with an effect similar to an ice cold bucket of water.
"S-Sorry?" The young doe stuttered, completely taken off guard by Bonnie.
She got a very motherly sounding sigh in return. "Sweetie, the way you said this… Is there someone else on your mind?" Bonnie asked this without any judgement in her voice, just pure care.
"What?!" Judy's mind got pushed into disarray, when her mother asked something like that it felt as though she was reading her mind. "No, there is not!"
"You said 'choose the right mammal', which tells me that there is more than one," Bonnie continued in her calm and patient voice.
Judy gripped the phone with both paws. "I never said anything about him!"
"Alright, so it's him we are talking about." This time a hint of satisfaction sneaked into Bonnie's words.
The young doe groaned and pulled both ears over her blushing face.
Oh sweet cheese and crackers!
"Judy, I won't push you into saying something you don't feel like talking about, " her mother assured the bunny officer. "But if you'd like someone to listen to your thoughts, then I'm all ears!" The Hopps matron allowed herself a small chuckle.
Judy let go of her ears and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Mooom, that joke is older than all my siblings combined."
"I know, I know, just wanted to lighten up the mood a little."
"Yeah, thank you… It's just…" Judy paused, not certain how to properly convey her thoughts. Bonnie remained silent, having learned when not to interrupt someone during such a meaningful conversation. Being a mother of almost 300 kids will do that to you. Judy let out a strained sigh as she fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "Mom, I have a boyfriend and everything is fine between us. Then…" She paused again. "Then why am I thinking about another male from... time to time?" She almost said 'often' but corrected herself at the last moment. She forgot, however, that it wasn't her father she had inherited her wits from.
"From 'time to time', I see." That was a very characteristic 'I see'.
Judy surrendered. "Okay, maybe a bit more often…" She mumbled to the phone.
She heard a hearty chuckle from her mother. "Now that's my Judith! Honest and forward."
"Moom…" Judy groaned to the phone.
"Sorry, dear. Back to the topic, I don't think it's something you should feel worried or guilty about." Her parent voice sounded perfectly calm now.
"What? But- This is wrong! I have-"
"A boyfriend, yes I am aware of that." Bonnie cut in swiftly into her words. "Had you paid more attention during lessons about rabbit biology, then you wouldn't be so panicked right now." Hearing confused silence from her daughter, Bonnie let out a sigh. "Sweetie, you need to know this, no matter how far we have progressed, we are still rabbits and our mating instincts are far stronger than most of other mammals. Just because we've managed to suppress them to an extent, it doesn't mean that they have disappeared. Now, remember that horrible joke about rabbits and multiplying? It's actually not so far from the truth. Members of our species are very vulnerable to the needs of our bodies. And by needs I mean mating."
"Mating…" Judy repeated automatically, staring ahead with a blank gaze.
"That's right. Therefore, even if we consciously don't imagine that, before we found ourselves a mate our bodies are constantly on alert, searching for more partners-"
At this point Judy's ears sprung up. "W-Wait a moment! I would never-"
"I know you wouldn't, bun bun." Bonnie stopped her reply in a soothing fashion. "But it has nothing to do with your will. It's in your genes and until you connect yourself with your true soulmate, your subconsciousness will continue to pay attention to males it deems compatiable with you as potential mates."
Her mother's words filled her with both dread and unfamiliar tingling in her stomach. "Compatible? Mate?"
"Like I've just said. We may be not fully aware how this works, but our bodies seem to feel who would be a good partner for us. Look, I've experienced the very same feeling before I married your father and all my sisters went through the same thing. So you don't need to worry about anything, it'll pass." Bonnie finished her lecture on rabbit biology and couldn't help but to smile a little mischievously. "Still, I wouldn't mind to hear about this buck that managed to catch the eye of my brave little Ju."
Judy's mind was still processing the words 'potential mates' and it took her few seconds before the last sentence hit her. "W-What?"
"I mean, I know that it doesn't have to lead to anything, but I'm just curious who is the rabbit your determined and just heart has deemed worthy of at least some interest."
Hearing this, the young doe seriously considered if jumping out of the window wouldn't be a better solution than admitting the truth. Then again, being Judy Hopps, she couldn't bring herself to openly lie to her own mother. Taking a deep breath to prepare for whatever storm could come afterwards, Judy revealed the embarrassing truth.
"He… He isn't a buck."
First thing she heard was the obvious silence, but what came after would've knocked her over if she hasn't been laying already.
"Are you talking about Nicholas?"
Judy's body tensed as if an electric current passed through every fiber of it. No taser or tranq gun could've incapacitated her to this extend like her mother just did with that one sentence.
HOW?!
The question echoed in her mind as a panicked scream. Nobody could know that, she never talked about this to anyone, not Jackie, Fru Fru or anyone! How on Earth-
"Oh my!" A gasp from the phone made her snap back to reality, apparently the silence after that question was enough of an answer for her mother. "It really is Nicholas, isn't it?"
Judy opened her mouth and couldn't let out anything. She shook her head frantically at her loss for words in such a moment and tried again. "Mom…" It was a strained gasp, but it was a start.
"Um, well, I mean, well... I'm really surprised that it's someone from different species." She sounded very hesitant, like someone who realized they were walking on thin ice during the conversation, and wanted to be as diplomatic as possible. And as if one surprising blow wasn't enough, Judy just received another of her mother's knockout strikes. "Still, I shouldn't be surprised it's him of all mammals."
"What?" The young doe's lips mumbled without any help of the frozen brain.
"I mean, aside from William, he's the only male you listen to in such a way." Bonnie replied like was explaining the 2+2 equation to a kid. Her argument was strictly tied with a doe's biology. It was a scientifically proven fact that when does reach the age when they start taking interest in boys, their ears act a little bit differently around bucks they find attractive. In a normal state a rabbit twists their ears towards sources of sudden sounds or towards a mammal they are listening to. However, when does find a male attractive, they seem to lose some control over their ears. They start to involuntarily follow said male, trying to pick up the sounds made by them, to catch every word they say… It is a genetically inbuilt reaction that followed bunnies since the ancient times and there was no denying it.
The weight of her mother's last sentence fell on Judy like an avalanche, leaving her completely speechless and blushing enough for someone else to think that her fur changed color.
"Mom," she mumbled with eyes squeezed shut, "you can't mean-"
"Oh, I thought that your ears would try to split your head in two when you tracked both Nicholas and William when you were in Bunny Burrow." The older doe chuckled, albeit a bit nervously, into the phone.
Judy slapped her paw on her eyes while letting out a groan. "Sweet cheese and crackers!"
Bonnie must've felt the ice beneath her begin to crack so she withdrew from her teasing. "Oh bun bun, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I've told you already, it's perfectly normal for does your age."
"But-"
"It's NORMAL, Judy." Her mother emphasized the word to help her daughter calm down. "Look, don't overthink this, don't try to analyze it, it's in our NATURE. You can't change it nor avoid it, so stop worrying, alright?"
"Um, okay…" The grey doe muttered, now fidgeting a bit with the black tip of one of her ears. "Soo… It'll stop when I-" She froze, suddenly realizing what the follow up would require of her to say. Even with her time with Will, Judy was still a pure soul and couldn't even think about these kinds of things without blushing. Sure, she could take a joke or two from Nick, but that was just putting up a front to not give him the satisfaction.
But she certainly could count on her mother in this area of expertise. "-mate, yes. Mind you, I'm not talking about some casual sex, this has to be almost like a ritual. An act that will bind you together through your feelings and souls. It's not something that happens during just fooling arou-"
"MOM!" Judy's yell drowned whatever her mother wanted to say more. And if that wasn't enough for the beaming red doe, new voices joined the conversation.
"Hey! Pipe it down, rabbit! Trying to sleep here!" Called a loud voice from behind the thin wall.
"No, you're not! You're just watching TV!" Replied an equally loud one from the same apartment.
"Oh shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
Judy snapped.
"SHUT THE HELL UP, BOTH OF YOU!" She roared from her spot on the bed, loud enough for all parties to fall silent. The young doe panted for a few seconds, before realizing she just screamed that with the phone still in her paw. "Oh! Sorry, mom, it wasn't meant for you!" She apologized sincerely.
"Oh, right. Is it always this way with your neighbors?"
The grey doe let out a tired sigh, letting her ears fall to her shoulders. "No, only when I'm home."
"Bun bun, you really should consider changing apartments. How can you rest in such conditions?" Bonnie switched to her motherly caring mode.
"It's not as bad as it sounds, I normally ignore them. Well, for the most part."
"Still, it won't do you any good in the long run."
"Mom, right now I can't exactly afford a new-" Judy stopped, noticing what she just was about to say. It wasn't really that she didn't have other options. It was only a question if she was prepared to accept William's offer. And her mother's words might have been the spark that she needed to move forward to make a decision, to see the whole matter in a new perspective. Viewing her recent interest in Nick as a biological reaction, purely biological reaction, she leaned towards the other possibility and while there was still a bit of doubt in her mind, Judy was anything but a trier.
"You were about to say, dear?"
"S-sorry, mom. I just remembered something." Judy stuttered slightly before continuing. "Anyway, thank your concern, but I'm fine. I promise that I'll find a way to have a better apartment so don't worry about that, okay?"
"Well, if you say so, bun bun. Just remember that you'll always have home here, in Bunny Burrow."
At this point Judy face-pawed and smiled. "Mom, you do realize you sound like dad right now?"
Bonnie laughed openly. "Right, right, that would be him! Still, it's something we agree on, sweetie."
Judy let out a theatrical sigh. "Fine, if I won't be able to find a better place to live, then I will move back to Bunny Burrow and commute to work from there every day."
This time both does chuckled.
"I can't promise a free room for you, though. Not with the number of your siblings in the waiting line for a separate one."
"I know, I know. I'll figure something out, don't worry."
"Oh I am going to worry. I am a mother and mothers always worry about their kits."
"Mom, correct me if I'm wrong, but I've stopped being a kid quite long ago."
Bonnie shook her head with a smile. "Bun bun, you'll always be my little girl, remember that."
Judy also smiled.
"I love you, mom."
"I love you too, sweetie. Oh! Jonas!" Her mother raised her voice suddenly. "Stop right there! Sorry, Judy, duty calls."
"Of course, take care, mom." Judy chuckled at the elder doe's motherly troubles.
"You too, bun bun." Bonnie said hurriedly before raising her voice again. "Jonas!"
The call ended.
The bunny officer let the phone slip from her paw and fall on the bed. She folded her arms under her head and stared at the ceiling. She was grateful to her mother for bringing a new perspective and her thoughts on her relationship with both Will and Nick. With that, she now knew what kind of decision to make.
.
.
When Bonnie finally dealt with the mischief that one of her youngest sons was up to, the doe sat in the armchair in the living room next to the main kitchen. It was a seat reserved solely for her and everyone in the family knew that, respecting Bonnie's right to a seat where she was not to be bothered unless it was an emergency or the smallest ones ventured here. Usually the older kids helped with their youngest siblings, doing their best to not disturb their mother's rest, but given the sheer number of the little furballs, sometimes one or two would slip by to tug at their mother's legs, but Bonnie was never bothered by it. After all, mothers never have vacation, only short rests.
Though, now she was facing an entirely different problem. And one of her eldest daughters, who was on her way to the kitchen, noticed the troubled expression on her parent's face.
"Mom? You okay?" She asked from the doorway to the kitchen.
"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just…" She let out a sigh. "Seems that if my suspicion is correct, then pretty soon we might have to deal with something completely new in our family…"
The young doe raised a brow. "Huh?"
Bonnie chuckled with a tired voice. "Let's just say that your sister is very smart, but sometimes she can be very silly."
.
.
The tied up bobcat landed on the padded surface of the coffin and winced from the impact, letting out a muffled squeal. Her mouth was taped shut so she couldn't scream. When she managed to look up, the female could only stare with terror at the two mammals standing a few feet above her in the rectangular shaped piece of the night sky.
They looked down at the feline they had thrown into the freshly dug grave, right into the coffin at the bottom. The hare in a t-shirt crouched down by the edge of the hole and placed his forearms on his knees.
"Now we will kill you, Mrs. Tailee." He announced with a straight face, looking the female right in the eye.
The tiger that accompanied him put a paw over his eyes. "No shit, Alan. Who would've thought…"
"Maybe she needed an explanation." The hare shrugged off the striped feline's comment.
The tiger tightened his grip on the shovel in his paw while leaning towards the lagomorph. "We just threw her to a friggin grave in the middle of the night!" Her gestured towards the terrified feline in the coffin with one paw. "I bet she's thinking that we just invited her for tea and biscuits!" He exclaimed with an annoyed frown.
The hare called Alan gave this a thought as he rubbed his chin with a finger. "No, I don't think so."
His companion groaned and rubbed a paw down his face. "Just shut up and grab the shovel, will you?"
"Right, right…" Alan waved his paw and stood up to walk out of the bobcat's sight. He returned shortly after with a purse and a small mammal sized shovel. "Tora, want to see if there's anything interesting?" The hare threw the purse to the tiger over the hole. The feline caught it swiftly with one paw.
"Whatever. Just get to work." He busied himself with checking the contains of the female's personal bag while the hare started to throw soil over the bobcat's legs. She wriggled in the bindings, trying to scream through the tape over her mouth. Tears of terror began flowing down her cheeks as she watched how the long eared mammal continued to cover her body more and more with every move of the shovel.
Then came a whistle from the tiger. He dropped the purse into the hole but kept a rectangular piece of plastic in his paw. "Look at this." The large feline threw the object to his companion, which the hare caught and brought to his eyes.
"Oh, what a coincidence." Alan quirked a brow before crouching again by the hole and presenting the piece of plastic in his paw to her. "According to your ID it's your birthday today."
"Bad luck, huh?" The tiger crouched on his side. "Or you could call it Karma."
Mrs. Tailee froze, her night vision allowing her to see the faces of her future killers. All the expressions from moments ago were gone completely. Now they were focused and cold.
"Say, Tora…" the hare began with a voice like steel, so different from his earlier one. "Maybe we should celebrate this with her?"
"I don't see why not." The tiger nodded with a similar sounding voice.
They stared down at the bobcat tied up in the coffin at the bottom of the grave. And they started singing with low voices.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"
.
.
After the talk with her mother Judy was about to go and take a shower when her phone rang. She looked at the screen, surprised with the caller's name. Nevertheless she tapped the icon to answer the call. "Hi, Jackie."
"Hey, Hoppsy! Got a minute?" Beamed a friendly voice in the speaker.
Judy rolled her eyes at the name the cheetah used, but decided to let it go, maybe somehow she'd become more resistant to such things due to Nick's constant company. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"I'll be quick," Judy rolled her eyes again, "remember the weasel from the hospital?"
The doe frowned. "Weasel?"
"You know, The Bride?"
"Ah, that one. What about her?"
"See, I got a friend who works in the Zootopia Central Jail and by 'friend' I mean ex boyfriend, whose certain cute pics are my in possession, so… I could convince him to let us go and have a chat with that lady. Maybe try and squeeze something out about the organization when Nick is not around?"
"That's…" Judy was actually astonished by the cheetah's suggestion at first. It was quite a bold idea, to just directly question a member of the organization they've been trying to track down. Even if the chances of getting some information were rather slim, it was still worth a try. "...a rather interesting idea. But what did you mean by 'when Nick's not around'?"
"Well, we could go at a very early hour tomorrow, before my shift, if that's okay with you? You're suspended either way, right?"
The doe blinked, remembering about her current 'semi-undercover' situation. "Ah, right, that. Yeah, I'm free." She would have to wrap it up before meeting up with Nick. "So, how early we can go there?"
.
.
The antelope waiter approached the round table in the corner of the restaurant where three mammals were seated.
"Madam, gentlemammals, is everything to your liking?"
The feline on his left gave him a broad smile. "Oh yes, quite so. I find this wine most satisfying." She rolled the glass with red liquid between her furry fingers.
She was a snow leopard with a golden colored fur decorated with black rosettes. Despite the thick, winter season fur, one could see her curvaceous figure under the blue dress she was donning, and very elegant one at that. It was floor length, with a knee split that allowed a view of her shapely leg. There was also a silvery waist ornament on the dress and the sleeveless top had a lace decoration around the modest, yet tempting cleavage. The antelope would be a liar if he'd say that he didn't peek once or twice. Well, no more than three times…
"Then it's good that I'm the one driving tonight." Came a comment from the other side of the table. Given the shape of the ears, as well as the muzzle's, one could recognize a certain kind of marsupial. The long tail behind the mammal was an important clue as well. The waiter turned his head to the red kangaroo in a tuxedo with a blue bow-tie that matched his sapphire eyes. The elegant guest put down the notebook and pen he had in his paws and smiled at the antelope. "If I may, please pass my compliments to your chef. Her grass salad was excellent!"
The antelope nodded with respect. "Thank you, sir. I will make sure that she hears it."
"Very nice watch you have there, dove." A third voice made him blink from surprise. He turned to the third guest sitting by the table, the one that was giving him strange looks since the beginning of their stay here. It was a raccoon in a black suit, along with a light grey shirt plus a tie. He was looking at him with his dark eyes. Or rather, to be more precise, he was now staring at the antelope's wrist, where a silver watch was barely visible from under the sleeve of his white shirt. "Very nice." The raccoon repeated in an almost dreamy voice. The way he acted made the waiter feel an urge to hide his watch, but his professional duties wouldn't let him. It could be considered speciesism and lack of respect for the guest.
"Is there anything else I could help you with?" The antelope addressed all mammals by the table, steering the conversation to a safer track.
The feline lady nodded, her finger playing with the silver chain of a delicate necklace around her neck. "Oh, since you're asking, would you be a dear and bring us another bottle of this marvelous wine?"
"Yes, ma'am. Right away." And with that he has withdrawn.
When he was out of earshot there was a light smacking sound when the kangaroo hit the raccoon on the head with his notebook.
"Oi! What gives, Ramic?!"
"I've told you before, no stealing on the job." The blue eyed kangaroo scolded him while waving a finger.
"Humph, stealing is my job so it's six o' one, half a dozen of the other." The smaller mammal replied while rubbing the hit spot.
"Quiet down, boys." The female leopard reprimanded them. She took another sip of the wine that left the edges of her mouth stained with red liquid. "We're here to celebrate after all." Her tongue licked off the crimson stain from her fur.
"Right, sorry, Midnight." The kangaroo straightened up in his seat. "Won't happen again."
She graced him with a smile. "Glad to hear that, hon."
Their raccoon companion still wasn't too happy. "No need to whack me on the noodle, though."
He got a smirk from the marsupial. "Be thankful that I didn't spray you, Jonathan."
"Oh yeah, Ramic? Why don't you take that spray and shove it-"
"Pocket." Midnight used a quiet, sweet voice, along with an even sweeter smile, but there was an edge hidden somewhere in that sweetness. "Stop whinging."
The raccoon rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, alright," he said as he eventually raised his paws to indicate that he gave up.
Ramic cleared his throat and raised a glass of water. "If I may." He nodded towards the snow leopardess. "To your twentieth successful task."
The raccoon called Pocket joined him with his own drink. "And that pretty face of yours, gal."
The kangaroo rolled his eyes with a smile. "As subtle as ever."
But the leopardess simply smiled at the raccoon and raised her glass of wine. "I don't mind simplicity, thank you Pocket. And you too, Ramic. So let us-"
Further conversation was cut off by a sudden commotion two tables away as a coyote stood up, knocking over his chair. His eyes were wide open with fear and he was making gurgling noises while grabbing his throat with one paw. The mammals accompanying him also got up from their seats and rushed to the canine's side.
Upon seeing this Ramic raised a brow and looked at Midnight. "Um, twenty one?"
The leopardess set the glass on the table with a shook of her head. "Nothing I would know about." She then let out a sigh and stood up. "Oh well, duty calls." She headed towards the clearly suffering mammal while politely making her way with elbows through the so far gathered mammals. "Excuse me, pardon me, I'm a doctor, excuse me."
.
.
There was a pesky noise that kept bothering the fox's keen hearing, even though he was still asleep. His ears were twitching ever so slightly to the sound of an incoming call made by his phone. It took several more seconds for Nick to pry open one eye and feel around the floor with one paw to find the irritating device. Once he grabbed it he brought it to his face, hitting the answer button.
"Yeh?" He mumbled without looking at the caller's number.
"Nick? Where are you?" Spoke a familiar, spotted voice.
"Clawhauser?"
"Wait, you're still asleep?!" The round cheetah sounded shocked. "It's about to start! How could you forget?!"
Nick rolled to his back and rubbed his eyes with the free paw. "Forget?" He grumbled, not being the nicest person in the mornings. "About what?"
There was a brief pause. "Are you kidding me?! Judy's wedding!"
The last two words had the fox shooting up to a sitting position at Mach speed, his eyes snapping open.
"Say WHAT?!"
"Oh, come on, you got the invitation too, didn't you?"
The sleepy gears of Nick's mind finally moved and his gaze went to the white envelope on the basin by the mirror. He had completely forgotten about it.
He forgot about it.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, something had slipped through his otherwise perfect memory. Or rather, it wasn't the memory's fault, as this was his subconscious decision to not think about it, to completely disregard that information as real.
Will and Judy's wedding.
.
.
From the moment he got the call and after he bolted out of his home, Nick didn't stop running. There were traffic jams everywhere since everyone was trying to get to work. But several officers, in addition to those who were off duty, were allowed to attend the ceremony today. Now that he thought about it, Bogo did mention this during the usual morning meeting. For a guy posing as someone very tough and strict, he did hide a soft spot for his officers.
So now he was on his way to the church on the other side of the city, as it was the only one in Zootopia that was able to prepare and house a rabbit wedding ceremony. Whether his body could withstand such a long strain was irrelevant as, at this point, the fox even forgot that he had something called lungs. All that mattered was to get there on time. And his frantic run finally brought him near his target – a tall, white building looming from behind trees of the park it was settled in.
The church was enormous, even by rabbit standards. It could seem strangely high for outsiders, considering the rabbits height, but it got clear when someone poked their head inside. The section for visitors was a raised loge, allowing for the more distant seated rabbits to see what's happening in the front. And now a fox practically ran inside before coming to a halt before a wall of rabbit guests.
One could think that the building was built to house armies, which wasn't exactly far from the truth. Bunnies occupied every single free spot on the seats and even on the floor. A sea of long ears in various colors and sizes, all directed towards the altar. Standing at the entrance Nick also turned his gaze in that direction. Just as he saw the pair there, his blood and heart froze.
Two rabbits were standing with their sides to the guests and facing each other. One was a buck in an impeccable black suit while the other was a doe in a fabulous white dress with a veil.
A wedding dress.
Nick's ears fell as far as they could. And before any coherent or logical thought could even start forming in his mind, the fox's body started to make its way towards the altar. Through the grunts and irritated 'hey's' Nick could hear the words of the rabbit priest
"...bride and groom, you have heard the words about love and marriage, have exchanged your vows and made your promises, and celebrated your union with the giving and receiving of rings. It is at this time that I now pronounce you hus-"
"NO!" Nick's half-enraged, half-heartbroken cry echoed within the walls of the building. He was making his way through the sea of bunnies, so focused on the couple at the altar that he completely ignored several angry comments as he pushed several rabbits aside to make a path.
"Wilde?" Will raised his brows from surprise.
Lifting her veil, Judy turned her head towards the fox who was getting closer to them. "Nick? What are you doing?" The vulpine finally managed to approach the altar and at that point his lungs reminded him that he ran the last few miles on credit. Right now, he was feeling the interest rates.
"I…" He wheezed, fighting both for breath and his self-clamming up system. "I don't… haah… You… You can't… haa… Marry him…"
The doe's eyes widened as far as they could. "Wha-" She stuttered. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Judy hissed at her friend. The gathered guests started whispering among themselves, shocked by the sudden interruption.
"Because..." A migraine of galactic proportions exploded in his head, but he managed to brush it aside. That's because he knew that this was it, no second chances, no more waiting. Either he confessed right now or would regret it for the rest of his life. How could a mere headache compare to that?
"Because I love you..." He whispered with difficulty, though he was certain that Judy would pick up the words thanks to her great hearing. And she did. The doe blinked several times when she heard his confession and, for a brief moment, Nick hoped that it would be the breaking point for them. That it would be still possible to mend things, that this ceremony didn't need to end as initially planned.
"It's a bit too late for this, Nick." With just one sentence she sliced his heart into pieces. With his hopes crushed in an instant, the fox stood there like a statue when Judy looked up at him with apology in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I already love Will." With that said, the bunny bride turned to her future husband and pressed their lips into a kiss that crushed Nick's patchwork of a heart.
The audience chose this moment to erupt into a choir of cheers, claps and various congratulations shouted over the heads of other guests.
With a blank stare and expression, Nicholas Wilde fell to his knees as if someone cut off the strings that were holding him up. The voices in the background became one mashed up noise that was of no importance to him. As a matter of fact, nothing was important right now. Not anymore, when the light of his life got snooped right under his very nose. His mind was gradually declining in processing speed and most likely heading towards complete shutdown. After all, how could he function knowing that the love of his life rejected his feelings and married someone else. A different male would become her mate, her soulmate and father of her children. Just imagining it caused his deteriorating mind to start having suicidal thoughts. Because, what life is worth living if there is no light to follow?
Meanwhile the bunnies ended the kiss and stared into each other's eyes.
"I love you, William." Judy whispered with a shy smile.
"I love you, Judy." Will replied with a smile of his own.
The fox's ears twitched.
The remaining sanity started prodding, nudging, shoving and kicking the rest of the brain to wake up and analyze this properly. Nick's mind slowly started reversing the degeneration of his consciousness when one crucial piece of information practically screamed for attention. His honed conmammal instincts kicked in like they did after the bank raid.
The blankness in his gaze started to melt as he lifted his head slowly.
"Lie…" It was a mere whisper, but it managed to get the married couple's attention.
"What did you say?" Will asked him.
"That's a lie." Nick repeated in a now stronger voice while getting up on one hindpaw. "You just told a lie!" He straightened up to his full height, feeling the confidence pouring into him with every second.
The buck frowned at the accusation thrown at him. "Excuse me?"
Judy stepped forward and glared at the fox. "What are you doing? First you barge in the rudest manner possible and now you're trying to brew up trouble?" She scolded him. "I'm married now, please get over i-"
Nick placed a finger on her mouth, not taking his gaze from the buck. "You just lied to her, but you can't lie to me. I will see through all your tricks and acts so don't you deny anything!" He moved towards Will and glared down at him. "For the last time, you just lied, didn't you?"
Initially, the buck looked like he was about to back away, but then his nervous expression shifted into a smug one. "What if did?"
At that moment, Nick didn't just jump at him. He launched himself at the male rabbit like a bullet from a rifle, turning into a blur. They crashed to the ground with Nick on top and his paws wrapped around William's neck. "You bastard!" He snarled. "If not for you… If not for you!" The fox strengthened his grip and the buck gurgled in his grasp, helpless against the savage muscles of the enraged predator. However, to Nick's great surprise, Will still managed to form a weak, nasty grin.
"So… what?" He wheezed. "She's… mine… now."
Nick's eyes opened wider at first and then narrowed. "You-" He tightened his fingers even more, to the point where he could feel pain in them. What's more, through the veil of rage he noticed thin traces of blood spilling from Will's neck. Not sure where they came from, Nick lifted one of his paw slightly to see bleeding wounds on his palms.
Blood.
The fox blinked several times, the rabbits and church completely forgotten. He blinked again and only then he noticed that he wasn't in a church.
He was sitting on his bed in the basement room he called his home.
*What? A… A dream?!* His heartrate was clearly above normal level and paws all sweaty. *It-It felt so real, so much more real than any other nightmares!* Nick ran a paw down his face, but halfway he jerked it back, feeling wetness on his facial fur.
His palms were smeared with blood.
*Wha- WHAT?!* He thought in the rising panic. *I couldn't have- This can't be-*
Before his thoughts spiralled out of control, Nick's eyes noticed something on his claws. More blood. That sight had him stop and look at his palms again, this time more carefully. When he did so, he now noticed several holes in his paw pads that were just the size of his own claws. When he put two and two together relief started growing in him. *I must have squeezed my fists so hard that I hurt myself with my own claws, how silly.* His bandaged paw took slightly less injured, the layers of material acting as a soft shield, but still was punctured as well.
But one thing worried him more than mere superficial wounds. His heart rate remained high, even though he should've calmed down after finding the source of the blood. WIth that thought in mind Nick got off from his bed, clicking his tongue at the bloodied bed sheet, and sauntered over to the sink. As soon as he looked in the mirror he let out a low hiss.
His eyes were bloodshot and pupils shrunk to savage slits.
"What the-" He said out loud while raising a paw to lift one of the eyelids to take a better look.
There was no mistake, increased heartbeat, the eyes… While he was asleep his savage mode triggered on without his knowledge. Nothing especially bad happened right now, but… what if he'd to take a nap and his partner would wake him up? Nick trembled at the thought. He was extra careful to not sleep in places he deemed unsafe and he meant that it wasn't safe for others. What if he'd grab someone in his sleep and squeezed with his savage strength? He swallowed, recalling how his mother surprised him here before. What if he couldn't control his body next time?
A sharp pain erupted in his skull, making him wince with a quiet groan. He could feel how blood was rushing through his veins and now a new sensation joined in - pulsing of his digits. The fox looked at his claws as if drawn to them and immediately understood what this feeling meant. He instinctively clenched his paws to hide the pointed tips, but only to yelp and curse his own stupidity when he jabbed his wounds. *Not good, I need to calm down!*
After delivering first aid to his paws, Nick sat down on the floor to meditate with the help of the mantra taught by his… The fox's thoughts paused for a moment when a memory hit him, but in the next second he shook his head. *Let's just stay with Pink Plushie...*
With now both paws bandaged , Nick closed his savage eyes and dived into a trance.
.
.
Nicholas Wilde supported himself on his paws to not fall to the floor and gasped for air. His paws were all sweaty and his heart rate even faster than before.
*How…* He thought between raspy breaths. *How did it not work?!* It didn't make any sense! The mantra should've reset his mind to a neutral state, so how could his savage side still be active? Then he felt his heart acting up a notch higher. "Uh! Ghah!" The fox groaned while clutching his chest with one paw. His vision blurred with red for a moment before getting back to normal.
"Shit!" Nick smashed his fist on the concrete.
It took him several seconds to struggle up to his hindpaws and another few to practically limp to his bed. The fox almost fell down to his knees when he tried to crouch, but managed to hold out and slowly descended to the floor. He reached under the bed to take out the last remaining syringe of haloperidol he had on him. *If nothing else works, then I need to resort to this.* He took the drug in the other paw and lifted his arm to inject himself when another impulse came, this time stronger than the last one.
Nick hissed through clenched teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut and heard a crunching sound. His eyes snapped open to the sight of a crushed syringe in his paw. His sudden attack must've caused his fingers to clench involuntarily. He stared in horror at the liquid seeping through his clenched digits.
"No…" He rasped, reluctant to believe his own eyes. "Nonono, NO!" Nick managed to unfold the clasped digits and see the remains of the syringe falling down to the floor, along with the last drops of haloperidol. The tiny ping of the needle hitting the concrete rang in his hears like a giant bell, announcing the upcoming tragedy. Nick dropped to his knees, hope draining from his mind.
"No…" He muttered again, now grabbing his head with both paws. His scattered thoughts desperately tried to come up with a solution but couldn't find any. Then, one random idea sparked brighter than the others - more haloperidol.
Nick quickly reached to the mattress of his bed and grabbed his phone. It took more than usual for his trembling finger to dial the correct number.
"Mister Wilde! What a pleasant surpri-" Announced a cheerful voice, only to be interrupted.
"I need more haloperidol!" Nick practically barked into the phone.
"What? Oh, I see. Well, unfortunately I have run out of my supplies. Is something wrong? Are you having an attack!?" The last sentence was said with clear excitement and creepy interest.
Nick could dwell more on the subject of seeing him as a scientific curiosity, but another pulse within his ribcage stopped that idea. "Yes!" He muttered through clenched teeth. "I'm having a bloody attack! Gah!" The fox groaned as he once more clutched the fur on his chest with his free paw.
"Oh! That's truly marvelous! I mean horrible, of course." Octavius corrected himself without an ounce of hesitation. "Would you mind describing your symptoms-"
"DOC!"
The angry shout managed to grab the badger's attention. "Ah, right. An attack, right. Hmm, my first guess would be that your savage instincts were suppressed for too long and now you're feeling the backlash." He stated thoughtfully while Nick desperately tried to focus on his breathing in an attempt to even it out. "From the top of my head I can think of two possible solutions. An easier and a harder one."
Meanwhile Nick managed to crawl to the sink and, using one paw, hauled himself up to look at his reflection if there has been any change in his appearance. He was welcomed by a savage stare from bloodshot eyes. "Give me the easier one."
"Er… that would be finding your partner and mat-"
A loud crash interrupted the doctor when Nick's smashed his fist into the mirror, sending dozens of sharp pieces flying across the room and making a shallow hole in the wall behind it. He ignored the cuts oh his fingers made by the glass or the impulse of pain that came from punching the hard wall. Then he snapped with a voice fiercer than ever before.
"NO! I WILL NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER!"
Octavius let out a sigh. "I had a feeling you'd say that. So we come to the option two, which you probably won't like either."
Doing his best to reign back the anger boiling in him, Nick gripped the phone tighter. "Nothing will be worse than the first one, spill it, doc."
"Alright," the badger took a deep breath, "go on a hunt."
One more thing about new characters in this chapter and that is the people who gave the ideas to create them.
Alan - suggested by RandomNobody37
Johnathan "Pocket" - suggested by a Guest
Tora - suggested by WarriorNinjaRed22
Conny, Ramic, Midnight, Foxy - well, I hope those that know these characters won't kill me XD