It had been anything but a good night's rest, before Judy woke Nick up for their morning activities. After yesterday's events, the duo weren't ready for the arrival of a text from their chief. It wasn't much, but it was to catch them up to speed with what's been going on since they'd been off for the week and had to wait to send them the latest update.
There were a few other, more sentimental messages after 11 in the morning, that had come through from friends who couldn't make it to the funeral, but the friendly gestures are definitely there. A family away from home was the best way to describe it, but there were still some officers not ready to admit that having a bunny and a fox on the force was such a good thing.
Putting that aside, Nick and Judy spent the first half of the morning helping out Stu in the fields destroying the ground in straight, accurate lines for the younger kits to help out once the big machinery had left the field.
It was a good distraction for Nick. He knew deep down they were doing their best to look out for him. The kits from the days before were less clingy, but still came over when they saw him with a slightly open look of disappointment on his face. Bonny also kept an eye on Nick, then her husband and her kits with their friends as they tended to the new crops. She brought out cups and bottles of water almost exactly every hour, until the warm, spring sun started to feel rather stifling.
'You're a good plougher, Nicky-boy!' Stu complimented Nick, as they chugged their two, ice-cold drinks. 'I've never seen anybody perform this with such cleanliness and efficiency as you before. You sure you weren't brought up somewhere like BunnyBurrows when you were younger?' He jokingly added, getting a half-hearted chuckle in response.
'Heh, yeah, I wish! I just simply remembered something about driving and went with my instincts.' He replied with as much vigour as he could muster. 'Thanks for, well, keeping me distracted from the things from this past week. I don't know what I can do to make it up to you.' Nick added after calming a little, the last bit he mumbled mostly to himself.
'Well, if you want to make it up to me, take good care of Judy for me.' Stu replied gently, patting his paw on top of Nick's free paw. This did not go unnoticed by Nick. 'If not for me, then simply do it for her. I trust you. Son.' Nick had been taken aback by the sincere response to his mumbling, then immediately facepalms in his mind.
'Heh, you heard that, didn't you?' He replied with a little awkwardness.
'Yeah, sorry about that.' Stu chuckled, pointing at his ears. 'These are both a blessing and a curse in these parts, but they get the job done.' Patting Nick on his leg, the aging bunny started to walk back towards their burrows. 'If you ever feel like you need a fatherly figure, just know I'm here if you ever want to talk. Call or text when you're alone or just free, and I'll be there for you.'
Nick was taken aback by the sincere tones in his voice. Mulling it over for a few seconds, before letting a genuine smile grow across his muzzle. The rest of the day went by rather slowly, from Judy taking Nick to one of their monthly festivals that was starting that very evening, and then on a tour of the local area. It wasn't until lunchtime that the two mammals found themselves sitting outside a café, just taking in the scenery before them.
Judy had her usual "Fruity Fromenadé", a carrot and strawberry smoothie, whilst Nick had ordered a small platter of tofu sticks and a "Sonic Sourpot"; a blueberry, raspberry and lemon pie topped with a thin layer of whipped cream and an almost perfectly round ball of ice-cream in the middle. Nick used the small tip from the stick with a small flag, the three colours representing the fruits and berries in his snack, to pick at something irritating stuck between his teeth.
'You know something, Carrots?' He said, placing the drink down. 'I can see why your father enjoys working on your family farm, it's peaceful and can easily take your mind off of things...' Looking directly at her eyes unintentionally, he stopped talking.
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Zootopia: Loss, Lies and Love
FanfictionShawn Wilde is dead. Or at least he should be. He died whilst trying to be a part of something bigger. He was in a hurry to get to his long-lost cousin's home city of Zootopia, only to find that his one and only friend had ratted him out, quite lite...
