A Different Path Chapter: 1

Story by Ulfserkr on SoFurry

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

#1 of A Different Path

Summary: It's been a year and a half since the incident with night howlers. Our well-matched partners, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, have since become a couple. Following a night of intimacy in the course of which they both reflect on their relationship and what their lives might have been without each other, they find themselves in an alternate universe where things have taken a much darker turn. Their first order of business to find each other and the next is to survive in their new environment--even more hostile to their relationship than their own world. Will their love be able to overcome the harsher prejudices here? (Yes, obviously!) And what will they do when they confront their alternate universe selves?

Authors Note: I welcome any and all criticism pertaining to the story. If I miss a bit of grammar here or there or wherever please, for Heaven's sake: let me know so I can fix it. Stylistically my wording may be a bit weird, but if there's something that strikes you a mistake or an error let me know so that I can fix that, too; and yes, I do fix mistakes that are pointed out to me. Speaking from personal experience, nothing can take me out of a story more than a misspelt word or a grammatical mistake--especially if they're too common. Any other comments, questions, or concerns? Feel free to PM me.

Disclaimer: At this point I suppose I ought to add that this is a work of fanfiction and, as such, has no claim whatsoever on the characters of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps who are the sole property of The Walt Disney Company. In no way have I sought money, monetary value, nor profit of any kind for the writing of this story.

Content Advisory: This first chapter couldn't be more citrusy if it were made from concentrated citric acid. In spite of that, this is to me primarily a Romantic love story with great deal of drama thrown in so if you're not as into it, rest assured that the story itself will pick up almost immediately after the first chapter. Just to be clear, though, this first chapter is Not Safe For Work.


After she finished popping the popcorn, Judy came in carrying the bowl and settled next to Nick who was already seated on the couch and opened some beers for the two of them. "What're we watching?" she asked as she pulled a blanket over her legs. "You wouldn't tell me over the phone."

"It's a surprise," he said as he clapped twice. The lights turned down in response.

"Ooh la la! You know it always impresses me when you harness the power of fire," she said dryly.

"Only the best for my girl," he replied, affecting an arrogant tone.

She rolled her eyes and smiled cheerfully. "Just start the damn thing." She saw the Barkbuster DVD case sitting on the coffee table in front of them and picked up casually, to inspect it. "'It Ate Everyone'?" she asked as she read the title. "Nick, did you rent another horror movie?" she asked in annoyance.

"Aww! It was supposed to be a surprise!" he said in mock disappointment.

"There's no surprise in this movie." She replied flatly. "The ending's given away in the title!"

"You can't know what's going to happen!"

"I do, Nick! I know exactly what's going to happen! It's just gonna be some stupid horror movie set in modern times featuring animals set upon by some unknown creature in the midst of some obscure jungle!"

"Oh, come on, Carrots! Horror's great, just give it a chance! Besides, you were working tonight which is why I got to pick the movie this time and you said it was fine. And anyway, you're wrong: I bet the movie's totally different!" he said as he fumbled for the remote, switched over to the DVD input channel, and hit play. Judy sighed in resignation and settled back against Nick to watch the show.

It turned out to be a horror movie set in modern times featuring prey animals being set upon by some unknown creature in the midst of some obscure jungle. Judy sat in rapt attention, in spite of herself, as the young heroine-rabbit ran across the screen, screaming as the shadowed creature in pursuit of her yowled loudly. As the tension mounted and the creature got closer Judy hid her face in Nick's shoulder and murmured, "Nick, just tell me when the scary part's over!"

"It's a horror movie, Carrots; the whole thing's supposed to be scary."

"But this part's really scary!"

"'Cause of the bunny?"

"Not that! I just hate the tension!"

"There's nothing to be scared of. Monsters aren't real. Animals don't murder each other--Oh, wait, yeah they do. But still, I mean, these movies are all alike, as you said. Just wait: when they get to the end it'll turn out the butler did it."

Judy cringed as she heard more screaming from the victim and hid her face more as she emphasised, "Nick, just tell me when it's over!"

Nick shrugged and continued watching for a few moments before smirking to himself, a devious plot forming in his mind. He sighed as the screams from the TV started to die down and said, casually, "The scary part's over, now; you can look."

Nick moved his arm away as Judy let out a sigh and turned to face the screen when the victim let out a horrified scream as creature suddenly set upon her and tore her apart. Judy brought her paws to her mouth as an actual terrified scream tore from her lips so loudly that it reverberated through Nick's whole apartment. Nick bent his ears back and covered them until her screaming stopped then reached forward with the remote and paused the movie.

"Nicholas P. Wilde!" Judy shouted as she lost her temper, "what on Earth is wrong with you?!" Her fury was wafting from her in potent waves to which, had Nick been a smarter fox, he might've paid more attention.

Instead, Judy's anger was met with howls of laughter on Nick's end as he clapped the lights back on. As irritated with him as she was she had to mentally applaud him for his clever prank. "I swear, Nick, I'm going to get you back for that!"

Nick's laughter came to an abrupt stop when a voice from the next apartment shouted through the walls. "Would the two of you shut up?! Some of us have to work in the morning!"

"Sorry!" Judy shouted through the wall, "That was me! We were watching a scary movie!"

"I don't care! Just please shut up or keep it down!" replied the neighbour.

"That sounds distinctively like something that isn't my problem," said Nick to Judy.

"What'd you say?!" came the rough voice again.

"I said . . . go to sleep . . . ." Nick pinned his ears back and hoped that his comments would be taken at face value. When no more was heard from the other side of the wall, he finally turned to Judy. "My neighbour's a rhino and you don't want to piss him off. But seriously, at least we don't have work in the morning."

Judy said nothing but gave Nick an annoyed look. In a huff she sat back down next to him on the couch, her arms folded tightly.

"So . . ." said Nick anxiously, "did you wanna finish the movie?"

Judy closed her eyes and sighed before breaking into a laugh. Nick knew how to make her smile, even and especially when he did something to annoy her. It was part of what'd kept their relationship going as long as it had. For as much Nick was able to drive her crazy, he was always able to charm his way out of trouble with her. Even so, when her laughter melted away she fell silent for a moment. "That was mean," she said as she turned to Nick.

"There's nothing to be afraid of when you have wild beast on your side . . ." Nick said playfully.

Judy rolled her eyes and giggled slightly. She allowed herself to melt into the soft cushions as she tried to voice her thoughts. "It's not that. I think stuff like that . . . it's . . . it reminds me too much of . . . . Well, of what we were facing before," she said quietly. "I can usually stand it and I like it, but there are good days and bad days and I guess today was worse than I thought, Nick. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spoil anything, it's just that lately I have been dreaming of that time with the night howlers. A lot of it about you and the other predators in the city." She sighed loudly as she turned to face Nick. "I've been dreaming, for some reason, that we were living in a world where evil won. A world where all the predators lost their minds."

"Why didn't you call?" asked Nick, now showing some concern.

"I just went back to bed. I was tired. Then after today and the mountain of paperwork I had to do, a few to do with some missing mammals, I just forgot. I didn't even remember it until we got around that part of the movie."

Nick switched off the TV and turned to face Judy after setting the remote back on the coffee table. "Hey, that's over now, though," he said softly as he put his paw on her shoulder.

"I know it's over," she said quietly yet firmly, as though to remind herself of that fact. After a pause she looked away and said "Do you remember what it was like seeing animals acting normal one minute and then changing? Being one way at one moment, then suddenly seeing that mammal totally lose their reason the next? Nick, good and innocent animals could have ended up dead-" Nick sighed as she spoke "-and they would have been forced into becoming murderers. I know we've hashed this through and talked about it but . . . ."

Nick nodded silently and stared off at nothing in particular. "It's not over," he finished for her.

It had been a year and a half since the incident with the night howlers. Judy and Nick had gone from friends and close partners to couple within that space. The fallout had taught the both of them a lesson: Zootopian society could easily be dismantled through fear spread by anyone immoral enough to do so. Together, though, Nick and Judy had striven to show by example that predator and prey could live side by side; not self-consciously, though: They aimed themselves toward simply doing it. Judy had long dreamt of the utopia the city could become and which she had naïvely imagined was already in existence when she arrove.

"I have dreams about those days too, Carrots," said Nick, breaking the brief silence they'd fallen into; "but being here and having you with me--I've become a different animal. I always thought I was going to be alone. I mean, I had my friends--hustlers too, of course--but I was lonely. I'd hide it, of course, with drinking and other . . . uh . . . less-legal pastimes," he said as he gave Judy a sidelong glance. "I never would've thought that I'd end up opening myself up to a bunny and I can't imagine what it'd be like for me to lose you. I'd probably just end up quitting."

"Quitting?" asked Judy.

"Quitting," he nodded gravely. He let out a sigh and wiped a paw over his face. "Giving up," he continued. "Maybe your life would've ended up a bit nicer than mine. I never thought I'd've ended up with anyone. So yeah, learning to be alone was easier when all I had to worry about was the next hustle."

"You never should've had to," she murmured. "What happened to you during your childhood was terrible."

He took her paw, the mask of confidence fallen from his face. "You changed my life," he said. "You were the first animal in a long time who thought I had more in me than what I was on the outside." Nick put his face in his paws as he remembered some of the dreams that had plagued his sleep before and after he joined the ZPD. "Judy, if I'd ended up killing you, if our plan had gone wrong--or something else had ended up happening you . . ." he trailed off as his voice became shaky. "Anyway . . . yeah, I have dreams. Nightmares where you're gone, I'm living the life of a huckster, where I'm learning to be alone and every day I get further and further away from being able to be happy in my own skin. Living a life where . . . where no one sees me. Where all I'm doing is forcing myself to accept that I'm just a shifty fox no one can trust or . . . or love . . . ." He glanced at her as he said this and her eyes met his.

She saw his distress and rubbed his back "Hey, Nick, you have me, now. I know it's hypocritical of me to say that some days I feel like things could go wrong, that it's not over, but those days for you are over. At least in those days you had your friends looking out for you."

"But no one like you, Carrots." He turned toward her, then, and tilted her head up as he kissed her. Judy reached for his face and caressed it. When they broke off the kiss, Judy leant against his shoulder and sighed comfortably as he put his arm around her.

"You don't have to be alone anymore. I'm not going anywhere."

"You mean it?" said Nick teasingly. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Just keep reminding me of that every five minutes, please," he finished dryly as he tried to break up the serious pall that had come over them.

Judy giggled and gave him a peck on the cheek before hopping into his lap and kissing him again. Nick tilted his ears back as the kiss deepened. When she broke off the kiss Nick looked at her longingly. "So in answer to your question, yes. I mean it."

"Why don't you try convincing me a bit more?" he replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"By hanging out with you more?" she smiled teasingly as she hopped off his lap. Nick's smile dropped in disappointment. "How about we just finish the movie?"

"You sure?" said Nick, surprised that she'd be willing to continue.

"Yeah. I'm good. It just makes me feel better to talk with you. About anything."

"I do too, Carrots," he smiled. "As long as it's not stuff from Open University: Seems like every time they explain a new scientific concept I have an existential crisis over my place in the universe."

"I know. Which reminds me, did you hear that there's a possibility that the whole universe is really just a hologram and that nothing is real?"

Nick's eyes narrowed in mock annoyance. "Thanks for telling me. Because I don't already have problems convincing myself that I've made it and that I really do have you in my life."

Judy let out another giggle and melted when Nick kissed her again. Judy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer and hopped back into his lap. They broke the kiss only to reignite it. Soon their kisses became more and more heated, lasting longer, an odd snowball effect as their touches became more daring--more possessive. They continued until Nick suddenly broke off. "Carrots, what . . . what do you want to do?"

By way of answer, Judy reached her paws forward and began slowly unfastening the buttons of his shirt. "Well . . ." she said "do you wanna mess around a little . . . ?" she trailed off timidly, never quite sure how to get things started in that regard. Her eyes flashed with desire, the warm flush Nick felt beneath her fur belying her timid nature.

"Are you sure? We could just finish the movie and go to bed, if you want."

"I know, and I am a little tired but . . . I do kinda wanna . . . well, you know . . ."

The fox chuckled at her embarrassment. "You just want me to show it to you again," he replied, teasing his little bunny.

She bit her lower lip and her ears reddened deeply as she pinned them back, but there was nevertheless a thrill about seeing him naked that she couldn't deny, and she gave a shallow nod.

"It's okay if you do," he murmured as he moved his muzzle from her neck to her ear and lightly kissed her there.

"But, do you think your neighbour'll hear us?" she asked, though her worries were quickly evaporating under his touch.

Nick pulled back and shook his head. "He never has before. Or if he has he hasn't said anything. I wouldn't worry." At this point, however, Nick really just wanted to keep going. He'd felt himself start to harden as she squirmed; the same tightening, gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach--the sense of raw desire--was a feeling he knew he was sharing with her as it started to light within them. Without waiting for an answer, while her head was turned away, he nuzzled her exposed neck while running his paws up her shirt.

"Now that you bring it up, though, I wouldn't mind seeing you naked, either . . . ." He growled and nipped lightly at joining of her ear and the side of her face.

Judy closed her eyes, letting out a gasp. "Nick!" she exclaimed quietly as he nibbled his way down to her neck again. He moved his paws lower causing Judy to let out a cry of surprised pleasure when his claws began to scratch the fabric of her jeans at the joining of her thighs, sending thrilling vibrations through her intimate areas.

In the time they'd been together as a couple, their relationship had progressed to the point where they had touched and thoroughly explored each other's bodies. While they'd always stopped short of coupling--neither of them certain of their compatibility in that regard--their physical intimacy had nevertheless progressed to where they'd been able to enjoy each other carnally, giving and taking as they shared in mutually pleasuring each other.

As Nick continued his ministration through her pants, Judy unwound her paws from Nick's neck and used them to pull off her shirt while leaning forward to keep herself balanced. Then, with quick dexterity, she finished unbuttoning Nick's shirt, exposing his furry torso. She took notice of the tent in his trousers beneath her and, while the fox remained focused on the massage of her lower body, she reached down between them and undid his pants finding, as usual, that he wore no underwear. For some reason she found this habit of his surprisingly erotic. She felt her chest tighten as desire overtook her. She looked down, unabashedly marvelling at the sight of him. His proud member popped up, red and swollen from need, and she unzipped his pants as far as she could to give it as much room as she could.

Gently she reached down again, carefully wrapped her paw around his erection, and ran her palm up and down his whole length. Nick paused what he was doing to Judy through the fabric of her jeans, raised his head, and let out a hum of pleasure. His paws dropped to his side as he simply revelled in her touch. Judy paused and spat in her paw before taking his member again, running it slowly up and down his length again, though now focusing her thumb on rubbing the underside of his cock. The fox flushed profusely beneath his fur. His eyes were squeezed shut in pleasure as she slowly and tauntingly touched him. Reaching down another paw she lightly cupped and massaged his balls. With his moans encouraging her, the look on his face begging her for more, she began to quicken her strokes.

After a few moments she looked up from his manhood and found him staring at her intensely as lust and desire filled the focus of his vision; his breath had quickened and there was a slight whine to every breath he took--a feature she found endearing and indicative of a certain loss of self-control. Seriously intending to make this a night to remember for the both of them, she removed her paws from him and hopped off his lap. She nimbly removed her jeans and was pleased to see Nick get up and finish removing his shirt and trousers, stepping out of them.

While taking the time to fold and move her clothes over to the side of the couch she was surprised when Nick hugged her from behind. "Gotcha!" he said loudly as Judy let out a suppressed scream.

Before she could say anything else, in one fluid movement, he'd swept her off her feet and laid her down on the large couch before quickly moving down her body, putting his head between her thighs. Before she could say anything to Nick for having frightened her, he gave a long, slow lick to her soft, intimate folds. The pleasure radiated through her body as though a hose of warm pleasure were dispersing from the centre of her thighs. She let out a moan of pleasure as she felt warmth spread throughout her being and gently raised her hips to his muzzle. He licked again, this time dipping the tip of his tongue into her hole, having learned over the course of their relationship what she liked. The bunny reached down and softly yet quickly gripped the fur on his head as she let out cry of pleasure. Nick smiled to himself, proud of the reaction he was eliciting in the bunny whom he considered his mate. He continued his work, feeling as he did her hips thrust upward against his maw at a faster and faster rhythm as she strove for completion. "N-Nick . . ." she gasped out, though for the most part keeping quiet with the odd cry or gasp emanating from her.

At last the dam of pleasure that had built in her core seemed to reach its peak, nearly breaking as she cried out, "God, Nick, don't stop . . . ! Don't . . . stop . . . !" Nick held her hips still and pushed his muzzle as deeply into her warm sex as he could while he continued licking and tenderly nipping the area, working his jaw quickly as he strove to finish her off. Suddenly, Judy's paws, which had up to that point been either gripping the couch or the fox's ears tightly, snapped to her mouth, muffling it as a cry of pleasure escaped her as the dam of pleasure welled within her and broke free.

The tension in her body snapped, bursting pleasure throughout her body with fast, jarringly pleasurable contractions that seemed to grow in magnitude and intensity before finally ebbing, Nick all the while prolonging her orgasm for as long as he could by continuing to work her nether regions with his mouth. At last she came down from the mountain, her mind in a daze as Nick stopped what he was doing, gently wiped his mouth on the back of his paw and looked down to take pride in his work: His mate was totally sedated, her muscles relaxed, appearing to have melted. The glassy expression on her face was everything he'd ever wanted to see. She looked at him, then, and her piercing gaze regarded him as her everything--looking at him as though he were the sun, moon, and stars rolled into one.

Her gaze stirred something primal in him. Something he had felt before, though now with redoubled intensity! If he were hard before, he positively throbbed, now. He instinctively moved over her and as he positioned himself at her entrance only to gently run his length against it. She looked up at him expectantly; a halo of pleasure engulfing her--and that was the moment when he snapped out of his reverie.

'We can't do this!' he thought. 'What if I hurt her?' With a nearly hidden growl of sexual frustration he dismounted and lay on his side next to her. She turned with him and stared at his chest. He relaxed after a moment and stroked her side. 'I really don't need anything else . . .' he thought as he moved his head to look at her. Tonight seemed different somehow, though. Having sex with her, or trying to at least, felt like the right move. Their physical contact up to that point had always been enough; but now it seemed as though something had changed in them--in him: He wanted more, and he was certain he had seen the same desire in his mate. But how could they . . . how could they . . . fit? It was this doubt that had stymied both of them for so long, neither willing to speak for fear of what the other might think.

Judy wordlessly looked up at him as a plan began to take shape in her head. She pushed herself up on one arm and sat up. Nick started to follow her up but she gently put a paw on his chest, keeping him in place. "Carrots, what're you . . . ?" he trailed off as she manoeuvred the both of them so that he was beneath her; she, straddling his hips. She ran her opening against his member as she built up the courage, her own doubts coming to the surface, now.

'Maybe he just doesn't want to . . . go all the way,' _she thought hesitantly. She was worried about what _he would think, what they would do, if they joined and it didn't work; but the temptation in her was strong. She cursed her cowardice and knew in reality he would probably welcome an attempt at full-on sex--but if their joining didn't work, she thought, her attempt would bring about an awkward halt to their proceedings. She just had to take a chance, no waiting, and perform the act quickly before she had a chance to second guess herself.

She grabbed his length softly as he watched her--his eyes darkening with lust as he felt himself warm in the palm of her paw--and began to stroke it, feeling how slick it was. She saw pearls of pre form at the tip of his cock and heard him begin to pant. He closed his eyes as longing and desire swept through his being. "God, Judy . . . please . . ." he murmured as she stroked him.

The bunny ran her thumb across the tip of his cock, earning a groan from him, and smeared the pre down the length of his erection, slicking it up even more. Playfully, she took one of her soft fingers and ran it down the side of his length, gently, till it met his sheath. She then, very carefully, dipped her finger inside his sheath and gently rubbed along the inside edge. Almost instantly, Nick uttered a loud, guttural shout of pleasure and bucked his hips upward, feeling his knot start to form almost instantly beneath his sheath. Judy smirked to herself and decided to keep that trick in mind for later.

Nick looked up at her in wonder but soon closed his eyes again as her touches resumed. He was close and getting closer every second. His eyes squeezed tightly as he began to grunt and gasp in pleasure. He had resigned himself already to simply coming in her paw which at this point was totally fine with him and he let himself go. Judy, on the other paw, longing to do what she had wanted to do for some time now was at war with her timidity. What would Nick think? What would he do? What would he say? Would he think less of her? At last her need overrode her rationality and, as though wanting to rip off a band-aid, in a matter of seconds, positioned herself over the fox's erection, put him at her waiting entrance, and sank down on him. Without missing a beat, she began rocking down on his member at the same pace with which she had been stroking him.

Nick's eyes flashed open and met hers in surprise, instinctively aware of what had just happened--sensing that they had just crossed the line together. He came nearly instantly a few strokes into the act, the strong pulses in his manhood shocking him. He closed his eyes as he lost his virginity to her again and again until the initial waves ebbed away. Judy had felt the sudden wetness and stopped her movements as the throbbing in his member subsided. She looked down at him as he groaned and closed his eyes, a blush tinting the inside of his ears. When it was over Nick sighed, opened his eyes, looked his mate right in the face and, in a haze of pleasure, roughly asked, "I-I'm i-in . . . aren't I . . . ?" He gulped and looked down at their joining as he realised the stupidity of his question.

Judy gave a slight nod as he looked back up at her. She blushed brightly enough that it could be glimpsed beneath her fur. Turning his eyes to the ceiling, his own blush deepening, he quietly said, "I . . . I came already, just so you know," his embarrassment palpable. Nick was still hard as a rock but at that moment all he could think of was what had passed for sexual advice in his teens: 'Girls will pass on guys that come too fast.'

"I-I know" she replied, timidly. "But it's fine! You were as fast as any rabbit." She felt and instinctively knew that she'd said the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time. She knew Nick would take it the wrong way--not that there were many complementary ways to take such a comment--and flinched when she saw Nick's eyes widen in embarrassment. "Which!" she hastily added as she tried to cover her mistake, "is good because I'm a rabbit! I mean, what I'm trying to say is that rabbits are fast and you weren't that much faster than a rabbit. Not faster than a rabbit at all, really, when you average everything out!" She placed a comforting paw on his chest and continued in what she hoped was a comforting tone. "The point is that you have nothing to be ashamed of because if I'd had a rabbit lover he would've finished in three seconds, too!"

Nick covered his face with his paws and groaned as a sense of inadequacy set in. "Why couldn't you have given me a warning!" he said, blushing in embarrassment.

Judy opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again. Nick peeked through his fingers. "Carrots? What's wrong?" he asked when he felt rather than saw her trepidation.

She was looking away, now, and after a moment of silence said, "Because . . . I was scared of what you'd think of me."

The fox uncovered his face and looked up at her, turning what she said over in his mind. When her words finally reached him, he sat up and put his arms around her. "For wanting to have sex with me?" he asked, genuinely bemused, his face reflecting this as he looked down at her quizzically. In an attempt to cover his confusion, he arched an eyebrow in amusement.

She leant in and continued. "I know it's silly but . . . but I really have no idea what I'm doing. And we're two different species and I didn't know if_ you_ wanted to have sex with me. And . . ."

"Wait, you didn't know if I would like or want to have sex with you, so you just did it?" he asked, a playful smile on his face.

"I had to take a chance . . ." she trailed off, suddenly feeling humiliated, his words clearly missing their mark. "Nick, I'm sorry, we can just pretend it never happened!" she said hurriedly as she made to get off of him. His paw suddenly reached up and stopped her.

"Well . . ." began Nick, cocking his head thoughtfully, "there's no need for anything drastic . . ."

Judy looked at him apprehensively, though admittedly her nervousness was dissipating, and waited for him to continue.

"It's possible that I was having . . . similar doubts," he confided. "Maybe we were both shy. I know I just didn't wanna look stupid--which, given all we've been through doesn't seem like something that should've mattered. Maybe I was too scared to tell you what I was feeling and . . . maybe I was worried that I'd hurt you. Like, physically." He arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Who knew you were loose enough?"

"Who knew you were small enough?" she returned, her brow arching as her playful side seemed to return.

Nick scowled. "Touché," he said flatly. "Or," he began, a devious smile forming "maybe I'm just that good . . ." he growled playfully.

Judy leaned in and gave him a long kiss before pulling back. "Maybe," she said, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that told her lover that she was definitely teasing him now.

Nick leant in and kissed her again. "Next time," began Nick as he pulled away, "let's just mention these things."

"Oh, you mean have an adult relationship rather than bottling up everything till the last minute and you find yourself having surprise sex?"

"Well, the surprise sex part is fine; it's the first clause I'm more worried abou-"

"Oh, thank God, because I've recently been reading the Camel Sutra and I-"

"Stop!" said Nick flatly. "Can we at least finish lesson one before moving on to lessons that'll break my back?"

Judy reached her paws out and ran her fingers through the fur on his chest and clenched her walls around his still-hard member at which Nick closed his eyes. "Do you think you could go on?" she asked with a mixture of sexiness and hesitancy. She was somewhat surprised that he was still hard, though she was definitely still in the mood. The fox opened his eyes again and placed his paws on his lover's hips and nodded. Smiling shyly, the rabbit slowly resumed riding him, biting her lower lip in pleasure as she did so, gasping every now and again. Moans of pleasure were drawn from the both of them at the repeated sensation of his filling her passage completely. As she moved up and down on him, her body relaxed to the point where she was able to take all of him. Nick fell back onto the couch as his cock rubbed against the sponge-like flesh in the depths of her womanhood, pleasuring him in a way he had never dreamt he would ever feel as her body worked to draw his seed from him. He was amazed that his cock seemed ready to come again so soon.

'It's because of her,' he thought in admiration.

Nick tilted his head and raised himself up on his elbows so that he could look down at the two of them and see the full joining of their bodies. At this, the longing and gnawing in his core seemed to increase. He wanted more than this! He was going to tie her, he decided. Or at least try to. The pleasure was washing out his reason and any protest suggesting that tying her might be a bad idea was swept away in wave after wave of want and desire. He growled as instinct, hunger, lust, and pleasure took over, becoming the only things that drove him. When he opened his eyes again to see Judy, her naked body arched--Beautiful!--, her head thrown back in pleasure as her cries of pleasure mounted--Gorgeous!--, the last of his will snapped. Without warning, Judy suddenly felt Nick's arms wrap around her and she let out a cry of surprise as in one fluid movement she suddenly found herself beneath the fox but started crying out in pleasure again as her lover began to pound himself into her with a speed born of sexual abandon. He held himself aloft, and she looked up to see him growling like a lion as he sought pleasure and completion within her. It was the most handsome way she'd ever seen him.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck and buried her paws in the fur there, merely wishing to see and feel her lover as he lost his composure. Instinctively, she drove her hips upward just as quickly, meeting each of his quick thrusts, moaning with pleasure as she felt herself reaching her peak a second time. Her movements as she matched his rhythm increased their pleasure monumentally. Nick grit his teeth as he groaned. "Oh, fuck! Judy! God! Yes!" he bit out, the last word a growl as he buried his muzzle in her neck, the claws on his feet gripping the sofa cushions for purchase as his body and mind insisted he drive himself into her as deeply he could. Desiring to be as close to her as possible, he clutched her to himself as though to never let go. His mind, heart, and core went blank, time seeming to slow down for him, as he reached his moment of truth, feeling his knot start swell as much as it could. It happened quickly, but to his fancied mind it was slow and deliberate: He felt the bulb slip from his sheath; felt it push against Judy's loosened womanhood. His ears pinned back, his mouth forming a perfect O, as it slipped past her folds and touched her core. It slipped in and out once . . . twice . . . thrice . . . . The fourth time it stuck. In the instant he felt his knot tie within her, the wave of pleasure that had been building within him burst free.

His cock spammed and pulsed deep within her folds as he let out a shout of triumph and pleasure. "Judy!" he shouted loudly as he came. "Judy . . . !" His climax radiated throughout his body, feeling a sense of completeness in his chest. He buried his face in her neck as the intense pleasure swept through him, his back feet gripping the couch as he tried to push himself in as far as he could as he came and came. And came. He growled and gasped as he felt his cock spasm, feeling a primal satisfaction as his essence spilled into her. It was unbelievable to him: Finally, he had her! Her love, her devotion, her body--and he had given himself to her! It was like a dream, and he held her tightly as his seed filled her. His soul touched hers and he felt hers reciprocate when her body seized in pleasure as well.

She threw her head back and shouted his name as the only thing that filled her senses was Nick: The way he smelled, the way he bit out her name as his orgasm overtook him like wave hitting him from behind, the way his fur felt--slightly dampened from perspiration--under her fingers, the way he filled her so completely and perfectly, the way the hot wetness spilling into her from him thrilled her: promising her something she couldn't name; the way his knot bound her to him--it was transcendent of the physical! She clutched him tightly, moaning and gasping into his shoulder.

At last, the initial waves passed but the pleasure remained vaguely in the back of his head as his cock continued to throb, his come continuing to fill her. He breathed heavily into her neck as he returned to himself. Suddenly the gravity of the situation seemed to settle on him as he pulled slightly away and looked down at her, his faced furrowed in worry which he found unwarranted when he looked into her face and saw how lazily her eyes regarded him. "Nick . . ." she whispered frailly as she reached a paw up to his cheek, "I . . . I love you." Words could not express the sheer ecstasy she'd experienced at his paws. She wanted to be with him like this forever.

Nick leaned down and kissed her tenderly at her words. "I love you too, Carrots," he murmured roughly. "If I'd known you were gonna make us mates tonight I'd've tried to do something special to . . ."

She brought up a finger to silence him. "You already have. This was perfect."

"So," began Nick, anxiously as his mind began to turn to other aspects of what they'd just done, "How was I?"

"Ten out of ten, I'd say. Though, I really have nothing to compare it to."

Nick raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Thought you said bunnies were good at multiplying."

"We are. So good at it, in fact, that if I had had prior experience I'd've been a mother a few times over by now."

Nick nodded and smiled down at her.

"And why're you so insecure, anyway. Those were some mighty fine skills you have. Have you not had any . . . uh . . . practice?"

Nick gently rolled them to their sides, facing each other, as he shook his head no. "I . . . well, until recently, that is," he began as he smirked at Judy, "I used to think that I'd always be alone. So, no; I never . . . had the chance or the opportunity for anything like this with the life I was living. I was alone and miserable for a long time. Being with you . . . it's been like a dream." He closed his eyes gently as another gentle wave of pleasure overtook him and she reached up and petted the top of his head.

Nick used his feet to pull the rumpled cover up so that he could reach it with his paw and then pulled it over them as Judy spoke. "You have the chance to make your dreams come true now, though."

Nick looked at her thankfully and murmured "I know. Thanks to you, I'm close to getting everything I ever wanted."

"What's left?" she sighed as she snuggled into the blanket.

As Nick regarded her she thought she could see a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "Kids," he said at last.

That brought another thought to Judy's mind. "You remember when we told my parents that we were together?" She winced at her change in topic and promised herself to bring up the subject of kids again, but she had to get this out.

"Yeah, that was a cock-up, wasn't it?" he said, sighing.

"They were okay with you saving my life and being my partner, but they were worried about us as a couple. I can see why. That knot of yours, for one thing, would be hard to take for something much smaller than me. Not that my parents would know about that aspect of your . . . anatomy."

Nick nodded. "I know. They might have a point there . . . Well, might've. You seem to've taken it just fine," he finished with a smile.

Judy smirked and kissed him under his jaw. "I just wish you'd had the decency to warn me about it the first time I pawed you off."

Nick grimaced at the memory. "I really can't say sorry enough about that. Boy, you really were worried, though."

Judy nodded. "Yeah, that was something I'll never forget. Like, how can something be so hot yet freak me out at the same time."

Nick raised his eyebrows and looked down at her.

Judy waved a paw in front of her face to clear her mind "But anyway, yes, as I was going to say: my parents, blah-blah-blah, the point is that everybody . . . most animals, anyway, have prejudices, Nick, and everybody's going to have an idea about us. In spite of everything, though, there's one thing I do know: I love you; and, well, this is what couples do when they love each other. By the way, were you really okay when I . . ."

"Surprised me with sex? If anybody were gonna pull something like that on our first time and have it work out it would have been you."

"Why?"

"I didn't wanna hurt you and was too unsure to make the first move. And I didn't know where you were in our relationship. I didn't know if you'd even wanna try to be with a fox--be with me--like this."

"Are you still scared you'd hurt me?"

"Maybe a little. This is just round one and there are so many ways this could go wrong and I mean more than just physically."

"We were okay tonight, though."

"But . . ."

"Shh!" she interrupted. "Don't think about it. This is just you and me. We'll figure it out. And if we try something and it turns out it doesn't work then it doesn't work." When Nick continued to look doubtful, Judy caressed his cheek with the back of her paw and said, "Look, there's nothing to worry about or be embarrassed. It's just us . . . it's just you and me. And as long as it's just the two of us under the covers, that's all that matters. I'll always love you Nick." She giggled slightly and said, "I can't wait till tomorrow when we can try this again."

At the thought, Nick felt a longing in the vicinity of his heart. "T-tomorrow, too?" he asked.

"As often as we want," she returned, sleepily. "Oh!" she shouted, and she artfully twisted her body round to snatch her phone off the coffee table. She turned on the camera, flipped the camera screen to take a selfie, and focused it on their faces. Though it didn't show anything private, it was implicit from the bareness of their shoulders that they were naked. She looked at him and smiled. "To tomorrow," she said before leaning in for a kiss. She took the picture then and then took another of the two of them looking at the camera. She turned it off, but kept it clutched tightly in her left paw.

'To tomorrow . . . as often as we want . . . .' The words resonated through Nick's mind. It were almost as though the thought hadn't occurred to him: Certainly the idea had been in the back of his mind; but now, giving it full attention and considering it, he realised that having her to himself--having her like this, simply being with her under the covers--was comforting in a way he couldn't express in words. He was hers, now. They had shared their bodies intimately in a way they never had before and they could enjoy each other, indulging in their mutual pleasures, as often as they pleased. He promised himself right then that as often as she wished he would worship her with his body and give himself to her as fully and completely as she wanted.

As these thoughts passed through Nick's mind he felt and heard his mate's breathing slow before evening out. He clapped his paws twice, turning off the lights in the living room and sighed contentedly, closing his eyes. Things could have worked out so, so differently. He might've ended up alone--and indeed he had been for so long. Judy on the other paw had grown up in a large family. She'd never known loneliness in the same way that he had, though certainly she had faced her own struggles. Her desire to be a police officer must have made her feel lonely, particularly when she stood out by defying her family's wishes. Being with him here like this, she was defying them again. While they'd come around to her choice in career eventually, her growing up must have been difficult. Meanwhile, Nick had been used to loneliness for some time. The world had treated him cruelly. Being on his own essentially since he was twelve had taught him how mean animals could be. But now he had someone: Someone who loved him, someone who was his friend, someone who got him out of himself. If he lost it all at this point he didn't think he'd be able to take it.

The thought resonated in his mind: Throughout his life whenever things seemed to be going well there was_ always_ a hammer. Something always ended up going wrong. He was terrified, in truth. Should he hope that things go well for him this time? The warmth of the bunny in his arms, the intimacy of having tied her, reminded him that, at least for now, life was fine--life was good. He would always treasure this moment. He could have this, he decided; he could allow himself this. As his mind calmed and his breathing evened out he closed his eyes. He smiled and snuggled into her, gently and peacefully falling asleep.