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There was a certain tension in the air, city wide. A sort of buzzing excitement about the days to come. Winter was ending. The first day of spring was almost universally celebrated and second in importance only to the New Year. It was also one of the busiest nights of the year for the ZPD.
Judy pushed that thought aside as the Police Cruiser’s radio squawked, heralding the familiar voice of Dispatch. Clawhauser really did try to maintain a certain semblance of professionalism over the radio, but his enthusiasm had a way of distracting him at times. “Patrol car 28, your shift is up for today. The Chief is giving anyone working tomorrow night some extra time off today to get some rest. Return to the precinct, we’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” Nick had the mic to his muzzle before Judy even shifted her paw off the gearshift. “Copy Dispatch, we’re on our way back now. Can’t say either of us are looking forward to tomorrow night, but somebody’s got to do it.” He hung up the microphone back next to the receiver and Judy watched her fox check his seatbelt as she shifted into gear.
There was a small grocery store, not too far off their usual route home. Small referred to more than just the number of items in this case. The aisles and shelves were scaled appropriately for mammals their size. Well, her size at least. Nick seemed just slightly too tall for everything, not enough to keep him from browsing the shelves but enough to make everything awkward. He didn’t seem to mind, if his tail and body language to be believed. They were preparing for a small celebration on March 21st. Although the 20th was the actual first day of spring, their plans had to be adapted to their job.
Nick selected a four pack of hard cider, the glass bottles clinking together slightly as he placed in the basket he carried. It was a brand Judy had bought before, and it found itself joined by a bottle of single-batch whiskey he always kept in the kitchen cabinet. Several root vegetables sat alongside a single butternut squash as they reached the checkout line. Suddenly, Nick stiffened and pawed around inside the basket before holding it out to Judy. “Here, could you hold this for a second? I have to get something I just remembered.” Judy nodded and took the handles as her mate hurried off. She tried to figure out what he was looking for as the line moved forward and she advanced with it. Her mate returned as she was placing their items on the counter. In his paws was a bag with two dark-red wax candles. The cashier’s annoyed sigh was just caught by Judy’s ears, but she did her best to ignore it.
In their apartment Nick was quick to put away most of their newly acquired goods. The remainder was left out as he began cooking. It was a habit Judy knew was deeply ingrained in most predators, purchasing the food needed for only the next few days. Sure, living on a farm had exposed her to constant fresh produce but in the city that was often hard to find. Many times they had to substitute frozen vegetables, which just didn’t have the same texture and taste. Nick added spices and stock while Judy worked to finalize their plans.
“So you’re sure Finnick won’t come?” Nick nodded as she crossed the small fox off her mental guest list. “That just leaves your mother; she’ll be fine with waiting until the day after to celebrate?” Nick’s small smile brought his face away from the food for just a moment as he had something to say. “Judy, the Matron adores you. Both as the daughter she never had and for saving my life. She would love to celebrate with us, even if it was weeks late.”
Dinner was early that night, as was the time they both climbed into bed. Shortly after dusk wasn’t an easy time for either foxes or rabbits to try falling asleep, but they did it regardless. Crepuscular and nocturnal instincts fought them the whole way and Nick found sleep first. The sleep-aid the vet had prescribed worked fast. His steady breaths and far slower heartbeat helped lull her to sleep, along with the warmth of his embrace.
It was the third cycle of the alarm’s snooze button before either of them actually got out of bed. Judy had pressed snooze on the first alarm, the angry, dull tone cutting through a particularly good dream. Nick got the second alarm, jostling her about as he muttered an indistinct vulpine phrase. He buried his muzzle against her throat as he squeezed her slightly before his breathing steadied again. The 8:15 finally forced them awake, its insistent buzz seeming to drive itself into Judy’s skull. It was times like this that make her curse her lapine ears. Lying against her fox was just too comfortable to want to move.
The morning passed quickly, once they were up. Nick made to call his mother as Judy left for a specialty foods store. Or at least she tried to; the shelves were being quickly emptied as mammals made their final preparations for the evening. By the time she left the third store, both patience and time were running out. There was one last option she had, and she began looking through her phone’s contacts. Tapping one, she put the device to her ear and placed an order.
As expected, the Bullpen was busy when Judy dragged Nick bodily through the door. He was such a drama king, but the looks on both his muzzle and the other officers were worth it as she hauled him to his seat. The properly scaled seats may have had long legs, but everything else was the right size. As the commotion died down, Officer Higgins delegated assignments to the gathered mammals. There was a good reason why Chief Bogo assigned him as the precinct’s lieutenant. Patrol routes for the evening were distributed quickly and efficiently, sending everyone across the precinct’s jurisdiction. Tonight was going to be a long night.
Rush-hour traffic ended and revelers took to the streets. Fireworks could be heard across the city even before the sun had set. The two officers were mostly there to keep the celebrations from getting too out of control, but they still found themselves in the thick of things. Several times they had to remove clearly drunk mammals from major thoroughfares. All of this was before the public lupine status challenge that had to be defused, or at least deferred.
Night wore on and mammals only seemed to lose more of their inhibitions. By the time Nick and Judy were recalled to the precinct, she could have sworn almost half the city had lost their shirts. There were more in the streetlights as they drove past. When she made the comment to Nick, he just laughed. “Fluff, we visited a naturalist club and you think that this is a lot of fur showing?” Judy sighed with a huff, “Quality and quantity are two different things Slick. At Mystic Springs there were only a few mammals with one handsome fox. Tonight however, we dealt with far too many half-naked drunks.” A red light gave her an opportunity to steal a glance at the cruiser’s dashboard clock. 2:30 was far later than she had wanted to be out on patrol most nights.
A late night led to a late morning. It was hours after her alarm would have gone off on any other day and the bed felt colder than usual. Judy rolled over to check on Nick only to find him missing. From outside the bedroom, the small noises of trimmed claws on plastic tile flooring accompanied the clattering of closing cupboards. Her fox was getting an early start on the day by the sounds of things. She slipped on one of Nick’s oversized shirts and opened the bedroom door.
The thick blinds that protected her mate’s eyes also blocked a majority of the late morning sun. Judy stood blinking for a moment to clear her eyes in the bright main room of the apartment. The open kitchen was already starting to get filled with dishes and ingredients as her half-dressed fox prepared the evening’s meal. “Mornin’ Niii-” The rest of what she had wanted to say was stolen by the wide yawn that split her muzzle.
Nick’s body half-turned towards her as soon as she started speaking and his head went the rest of the way. The look on his face was one she knew well, “Have I ever told you just how much I love you, Fluff?” Nick asked as he dropped a thick slice of bread onto a skillet on the stovetop. When the sizzling died down she was able to respond. “You only tell me every day we wake-up together.” The smile on her muzzle didn’t stop her question. “So, you working on dinner already? It isn’t even lunch yet.” The fox shook his head slightly, “Somewhat, this is mostly breakfast for you but once that is done with I was about to start on it.” He flipped the piece of bread with a Teflon spatula and it sizzled again as the other side started cooking.
Toast was simple to make and something that even she could cook, but when Nick made it everything was just so much better. He never used their toaster. As comfortable as the loose fitting shirt was, along with the way Nick’s eyes wandered towards where the hem caught on her small tail, there was something she needed to pick up. The call she placed yesterday had to be addressed before dinner, but she really did enjoy the suddenly extremely interested fox she had in her apartment. There would be time for indulging both of them later, Judy was certain of that. For now she had an errand to run.
Scent was one of the more basic and primal senses in all mammals; no matter how much some species tried to deny it. Her first steps into the small shop in Savanah Central brought a host of memories from the depths of Judy’s mind. Springtime in some of the meadows around her family farm mixed with more recent, intimate times with her mate. The jingle of the closing door brought a familiar voice from behind the counter. “Welcome to LuLu’s Flowers, we’ll be with you in just a moment.” The feminine voice was soon matched with a whiskered face.
Mrs. Otterton rose from where she had been hidden behind the solid wooden counter. Judy had not spoken with the otter since the Nighthowler case over two years ago, but it seemed she hadn’t been forgotten. The middle-aged otter’s face was split with a large smile as recognition dawned on her. “Officer Hopps! It’s great to see you again. Emmitt had said you had placed an order yesterday, but hadn’t said anything about who these flowers were for. Anyone special?” The rabbit smiled back, “Just for the table, violets are a tradition for rabbits during springtime. My mother-in-law is visiting tonight, so while my husband is cooking I’m out getting this last thing.” Mrs. Otterton’s curiosity got the better of her and she had one last question. “So, who is the lucky buck?” Collecting her purchase Judy’s smile gained a mischievous twist, “Hadn’t you heard? He’s Nick Wilde!” The expression on the otter’s muzzle was priceless as Judy left the store.
Every so often, Nick would have the strangest look after closing the fridge. The same one as when he was trying to hide a smile during morning briefing. Finally, he seemed ready to ask a question. From her seat doing bills on their dining table, Judy heard him clear his throat slight. “Yes?” She asked, her tongue defaulting to the first language that came to mind. Her mate made a small amused sound before speaking. “So, why are we leaving a perfectly good bouquet of violets in the fridge again? I know you mentioned something about them last night, but with how much we had on our plates we’re lucky we can still remember our own names.”
A few keystrokes brought their bank accounts to balance and Judy pushed the pile of receipts together to stall for time. “Remember how we decided to try and mix customs for the spring celebrations tonight? Having violets is an old lapine tradition; at one time it was also a necessity as well. Violets are some of the earliest blooming flowers and if there was a bad harvest they could sometimes save a family. Now, they are more of a traditional food but they don’t taste too bad on their own.” Nick nodded, “I’ll take your word for now, but this is also related to Vulpine somehow?” Her fox was extremely perceptive, oftentimes having a better grasp of the situation around him than anyone else Judy had ever met. This was seemingly an exception. “It’s a scent thing.”
Her answer made Nick’s eyebrows rise. “Really? I know some mammals have made comments about how we foxes smell, but I haven’t noticed anything.” He sniffed his shoulder as he stirred a small saucepan with a short wooden spoon. “It isn’t a bad scent,” Judy began, “Just distinct. It smells like you for lack of a better term.” She made her way behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Not that I mind or anything. It’s kinda like that Rabbit Sauce but with more greens.” She could feel Nick’s chuckle just as well as she could hear it. “Well fluff, I guess I have something new to try. If you’re done with the bills however, I do have something you can help with.” Judy’s nose twitched slightly in worry. “You shouldn’t be able to burn down the apartment with this one. Besides, your mother gave us the recipe for this one. What could possibly go wrong? But first, pour each of us a glass of that Malbec. We just might need it.”
Marie Ann Wilde arrived just after 6:00, and Judy met her at the door. The Matron smiled warmly as they embraced over the threshold, “It is good to see you again daughter, may I enter?” The Matron’s question was driven by tradition but everything else was heartfelt. “Why would I ever refuse you? Come in, we made something special for this evening and found some of that excellent Chardonnay you spoke of last month.” The vixen stepped into the apartment and eyed the preparations they had made with approval. The scent of exotic spices mixed with the savory tones of a vegetable soup. A thick red candle sat unlit on the table, surrounded by various dishes. A small bowl however held the violets Judy had taken such pains to acquire.
All three of them took a seat and the Matron lit the candle in the twilight of the semi-drawn shades. “In the names and memories of those that have gone before.” It was a somber benediction; the specter of Mange may have been banished with the introduction of proper sanitation and drugs, but its legacy lived on. There was a moment of silence and Judy glanced over at the fourth place setting. With a small selection of food, it was a potent reminder. With those formalities completed however, they began to eat.
Nick had made an observation last year, and now Judy couldn’t help but notice how true it was. Rabbits didn’t need much of an excuse to celebrate. The meal was the same without the horde of siblings and relatives or cacophony of voices all trying to be heard, but the foxes did their best all the same. Nick talked about Finnick’s new restoration project and Marie shared some of her stories of her son’s childhood, much to his embarrassment. It was shortly after one of these stories and most of the other food had been finished, when they tried the violets.
Unlike the small salads, the salmon, or even the butternut squash soup, the flowers were not served as a dish. Instead, they each took several blossoms and bit into them. Judy first, the foxes after a moment of hesitation. The flowers themselves were slightly sweet, both the nectar and plant working together to create their distinct taste. The stalks and leaves on the other paw were slightly bitter. There was surprise on the foxes muzzles as they explored the flavors of this new food, seemingly enjoying it. With only this small taste Judy could see Nick’s mind at work, already thinking about some new kind of dish to make.
Marie Ann Wilde left after the wine bottle was emptied and the candle had burned out. It was late, the sun had set and as the final dishes were placed in the sink Judy bumped her mate’s hip. He looked over and there was a certain look in her eyes and a tingle in her belly as she pulled his shoulder down. “You know, there is one more Lapine portion to the spring celebrations.” She whispered into his ear before dragging him away. The bedroom was calling. Her dress was half off when Nick made a breathless comment. “So, do all Lapine celebrations end with sex, or am I missing something?” “No,” she replied as the fabric fell off her, “Just the good ones. Besides, I’m not hearing you complain.”