Pride and Carrots pt2

Judith returned to the burrow early that afternoon. Despite her attempts to focus on her novel she found that she was unusually distracted. A fox, of all mammals! She couldn’t get him out of her mind. A pleasant dinner, and a good night’s sleep would set her to rights. Calmed by the thought of returning to a comforting routine she opened the front door, prepared to greet her parents.


The fox was there. Standing not five feet from her.

Nothing could have shocked her more. Before she could even begin recovering her mother was at her side, urging her towards the smiling fox. “Oh Judith you’ve returned, And what perfect timing! We have a guest this evening. Meet Sir Nicholas Wilde. He’s here as an emissary from the Zootopian Parliament!”


With a slight bow, Sir Wilde offered his paw. “Judith? What a lovely name. I’m pleased that we have this opportunity to be formally introduced.” Catching her unresisting paw in his own, he raised it to his lips. Meeting her blank stare with his twinkling eyes, he winked.


Later, Bonnie was never sure why Judith fainted. She suspected it was too much time spent in the warm sun that afternoon.
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The feel of cool cloth against her forehead gradually brought Judith to wakefulness. Her mother sat beside her, a worried frown quickly replaced by a small smile upon seeing Judith stirring. “Oh my sweet child, how do you feel?” Judith sighed. Realizing that explaining the situation to her mother would only create a scene, she decided to bypass the issue. “Mother, I find myself exhausted. May I be excused to my room? I feel that retiring early is what I need after this days excitement.” Bonnie gently stroked her daughter’s ears, the familiar motion soothing Judith more than she expected. “Of course Judith, get your rest and don’t worry, You’ll have ample opportunity to speak with Sir Wilde.” Bonnie’s smile grew as she said continued. “He’ll be our guest this week while he meets with the local landowners. I know how much you love hearing about Zootopia. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to share his stories with you.” Judy made an effort to keep a smile on her face. Speaking to Sir Nicholas Wilde again was something she had hoped to avoid, but it seemed that the fates had other ideas. With any luck he would be too busy with his meetings to have time for her. Because luck had clearly been so kind to her lately.