Chapter Text
The door bell above him rang, heralding his entrance to the establishment. Orange and russet fur, warped in a gaudy green Pawaiian shirt, purple tie and slacks. Pulling the sunglasses off his head, a second slightly taller fox passed him by. His mother, Gloria Wilde, had intended on getting him a pet to help him with his 'loneliness.' Of course he didn't need it, but appreciated the gesture regardless.
Out in a Podunk town called Bunnyburrow, ironic considering bunnies weren't actual residents. Rather, they were known for their excessive breeding of rabbits and use of hares as pets and laborers respectively. It was pretty much the town's identity, complete with bunny ear motifs and carrot decor. It was an eyesore, but he'll live. And why did they travel several miles by train to get here for a pet? Because, as his mother put it, Bunnies make great beginner pets. Plus they're cute, usually.
"Alright Nicholas, find one you like." She said, stopping in front of a small cage. Since it was a rabbit breeder, it was full of bunnies. The front being packed with the teacup varieties and small kits. The three in there were bickering amongst one another in their own language, a mass of squeaks and shrieks that broke down into a brawl. Cocking a wide eyed look of admonishment, she watched the two biting each other stop and attacked the third laughing its tail off.
Nick walked through the isle, glancing into a mouse cage for a few moments before losing interest. In fact, not a lot of the animals there kept his attention for long. The teacups were too easy to lose, he hated kits, and lops would get ear infections too easily. And they chewed. A lot. As he rounded an Isle, the display before him was beyond garish, it was an eyesore of carrots and carrot themed products. Inspecting it closer, he found it to be its own section of the store. In its center, a small crate of bunny kits, barely larger than his paw. Looking around, there were a few other stands, holding food and supplies.
"Hello sir." Turning to his side, he could see a small racoon attendant. "Do you need help finding something?"
Nick thought for a moment, glanced above the raccoon to watch his mother talking with a cheetah. He considered just leaving for now, but his mother, ofcourse, would try again later if he didn't find something he liked. "Do you have anything I won't be spending cleaning up after?" The racoon nodded and began leading him to the back of the store. As they walked, the white and orange wall paper was replaced by flat brown walls. Turning the corner to see a few pens of bunnies. Mostly young kits, but significantly larger and older than what they had in the front.
The fox frowned, somewhat miffed by the raccoon's response, but went to examine the litter. "So, what are they doing back here?"
"These are the 'impure' litters if you'd call them that. They often have weird marks or blemishes no one wants. You'd be surprised by how often it happens." He answered, Nick nodding slowly as he inspected. The young bunny in front of him had a brown blot covering most of his cream fur and one eye, and an entirely brown left ear. The brown continued to the underbelly until suddenly disappearing, replaced but almost white fur. The bunny tried standing up to him, but a quick flash of his teeth sent the kit to the other end of the kennel.
"How long do they live for?"
"About 20, 40 years. I've heard of them getting' as old as sixty in some cases. But I don't believe it."
"And how old are they?"
"Oldest in this litter is 12, that one's 6, 4, 8." He pointed to several other litters as he spoke. Nick nodded, leaving the pen for a different one, but stopped at an almost empty one. Curled up in the far corner was a singular rabbit, light gray fur with black tipped ears and a lighter underbelly. She turned to glare at him, eyes a vibrant violet, a rare color for any mammal to have. The doe pulled her lips back, exposing many of her teeth.
"What's with this one?" He pointed at her, the doe seemed to take it as an insult and snapped at him. Creating a click that startled many of the other bunnies into burying themselves in both straw and ears. Nick was not scared.
"Huh?" The racoon approached, looking into the pen for a moment. "Oh, that's just Judy."
"She's already named?"
"Yeah, come back for behavioral issues. She's very smart, but also very insubordinate and aggressive. Which is strange ‘cause her litter was actually really tame and easily picked up commands." Looking back, the bunny had retreated back into herself, ears remaining flopped along her back. "Oldest one here. 24, I think."
"Hmm, interesting." He continued watching her, before taking notice of her posture exactly. She was shielding herself, but not for modesty. In that regard she was rather exposed, rather she had her paws cupped around her left breast, turned so it was parallel to his vision. "She has something in her paws." He said.
"Judy, what do you have?" The racoon asked, the bunny glared at the fox, but shook her head and curled into herself further. "Judith, if you don't hand it over I'm gonna have to buzz you."
"Ok fine!" She shouted, surprising the fox with her vocabulary. They removed her paws, turning so they could see a mark over the pectoral. It was a crudely scratched on police badge, another thing that added to her strangeness. "Happy?!"
"Judith, you need to stop maiming yourself or you won't be adopted." That seemed to set her off further.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE ADOPTED!" She screamed. "I want my brothers and sisters back." There was a slight crack in her voice, sounding as if she were on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry about her Mr. . ."
"Wilde." He responded.
"Wilde. If you want to look elsewhere-"
"I'll take her." He said, the bunny's ears suddenly perked up. He could almost hear the scowl etching itself onto her face. Like a chisel on a stone tablet. "How much?"
"400, 60% discount of course." The racoon approached the pen's barred door, unlocking it and beckoning the bunny over. She didn't budge, causing the racoon to reach into his pocket for a remote. He fiddled with it for a while, before pressing a button that caused the collar around her neck to emit a short but high pitched tone. She jerked, along with a few other kits, but stayed in place. Instead grabbing her ears and plugging them. Next he tried vibrating the collar, getting an even weaker response from her and resorting to an electric shock.
The bunny suddenly lurched, letting out a high pitched shriek before finally complying. Holding her upper arms as she exited. "Now Judy, I don't want to see you here again, ok?" She grimaced, but nodded. The group walked back to the store front, meeting back up with Nick's mother. Whilst she handled paying for Judy herself, Nick walked around to get a few other things. A T.A.M.E collar, a harness and leash, some food and treats, chew sticks and toys. Judy seemed especially appalled by the toy selection, but was forced to eat her own tongue.
"Bye, thank you!" His mother waved to the store clerk. Turning back around to watch where she was going. Now that they were outside, Nick thought Judy would have bitten him and run off, rather the bunny seemed to follow him without much struggle. Though, given the T.A.M.E collar around her neck and the nasty shock she'd just received, he surmised it as too much risk. At least from her point of view. "So, Nick, what are you gonna name her?"
"I'll stick with Judy. She's too old to be renamed anyways." Again, Judith seemed to be appalled by his remark. "Besides, it is a nice name." His mother hummed in acknowledgement, taking a seat on the train beside her son. Meanwhile Judy plopped down on the floor, looking none too happy but unwilling to make a scene. Yet. "You sure you don't want to sit next to me?" He asked, getting an odd look from the bunny. But she turned away, declining. As far as he could tell, she was the only pet in the coach. Which made him feel weird, especially with his mother continuing to ask him questions about Judy on the way back to the city. But finally, after the long ride home, he was in a cab, by himself, with his new pet.
Shoving the key into the deadbolt and twisting, the lock undid itself with a satisfying clack. Turning the knob, the fox reached inside and flicked the light switch. Giving more light to the apartment than the hallway could provide. Said apartment was. . . not big was an understatement. Two rooms, if the bathroom and bedroom could even be considered one combined. He walked inside, placing the bag full of stuff on the coffee table and began sorting through it. Placing the wet food into the minifridge and the dry food on top, leaving the toys and chew sticks out on the table for her to reach and hiding the things he didn't want chewed in his own room.
Returning to the main room, Judy was sat quietly in the corner. She was fiddling with the T.A.M.E collar, presumably trying to get it off. Unfortunately for her, the collar needed a special tool to be removed. And she simultaneously had a tiny neck and a giant head. There was nothing she could do to get it off. Still, Nick sharply pressed the audio button, forcing her to spasm from surprise and glare at him. "It's not coming off."
She pouted, looking at the ground through a squint. "Hungry?" He asked. "Thirsty?" She refrained from answering, instead going to scratch her neck and groom her ears. "I'll just leave a glass of water out, and please, don't spill it."
"Why not a bowl? I'm a pet right?" She asked.
"Yes, you are my pet." He returned with a glass of tap water, placing it on the coffee table for her. "But, you have a thumb, and I don't want to belittle you." He turned back to his room, leaving the light on so she could see. "I'm going to bed now, turn the light off when you go to bed. Ok?" Now alone, Judy set about inspecting her surroundings. As sparse as they were.
Of course there was the coffee table, made of cheap plywood and small for the fox. Then there was the minifridge, unlocked for the time being and jet black. Next to that, an office chair with a desk and a laptop. Beside that, a microwave and twelve packs of instant ramen just piled in the corner. She pursed her lips, the room had no windows and the door was too high for her to reach. She tried, jumping for the lock but found it too small to grasp. And the knob always rotated anytime she tried to grab hold. Groaning, she turned back to the glass of water, looking at it made her mouth dry.
Begrudgingly, she accepted it, taking a few sips before hopping to the other side of the room. She sat there huddled in the corner for a moment, her body slowly becoming more drowsy the longer she sat there. The doe glanced back up the wall, eyeing the light switch, stood up and reached for it. Giving a small hop to hit it, entrenching the room in darkness and heading to find a comfortable corner to sleep in.