Day one …

The first thing Nick noticed as soon as they got closer was just how large this whole thing was. The two mammals were still quite the distance away and to the vulpine this gathering was easily three times larger than any street fair he had ever seen, or visited to hustle he mentally laughed to himself. What also surprised him greatly was the varying and diverse mammals already taking part of the fun. He gave his lapin mate a confused look when he noticed that there were so many predators here of all kinds meandering about chatting with almost equally impressive diversity of prey mammals.

Judy smiled warmly and shrugged, "What? This festival encompasses all the the triburrow areas; Bunnyburrow, Foxgrove and Deerbrooke, so there's probably going to be lots of mammals here. Should feel like Zootopia to a big city fox like yourself."

Nick chuckled, picking up a over the top cliché country drawl, "Why shucks missus Hopps, dunt think ya'd eva hold ma in such high regard."

Judy doubled over in laughter, not expecting her boyfriend to pull that out, she was about to mockingly scold him for making fun of her roots when a a feminine voice drew her thoughts away, "Wow, for a good moment I thought that was Gideon."

The two turned to find a black sheep standing there proudly, beaming a large smile at the bunny. Judy's face lit up and he jumped forward quickly, pulling the dark ewe into a tight hug, "Oh my god Sharla...its so good too see you again, its been to long."

"I know, look at you miss big shot officer. You look great," The sheep's eye glanced over to see Nick standing close, "Ooh and who's this handsome todd?"

Judy side hugged Nick as the fox offered the sheep his paw, shaking her hoof with a small grin, "Nick Wilde."

The sheep Judy called 'Sharla' earlier grinned in return, "Sharla Ewles, Judy's oldest friends."

"Yep we was besties all the way back to elementary school." Judy beamed as she reminisced.

"She even stood up to our old school bully when he tried stealing my tickets." It was at that comment Nick noticed Judy's face fell a bit, remembering what Judy had said about that day.

"Yea but he did apologize for that, and I cant fault him...we were kids and he had a tough life," Judy paused as she shook her head with a small smile, "Still glad to see you Sharla, how'd college go?"

"Great, changed majors though, now I'm a teacher here in the burrow." The ewe flashed a grin, "And loving it"

"That's great!" Judy explained, "So enjoying the fair so far?"

"Kinda, helping my boyfriend with his stall. First time for him this year and its the most stress he's ever had he says...but he loves it."

"Wow, look at you. So who's the lucky ram?"

Sharla looked uneasy for a second before giving a sly and, well, sheepish grin, "Oh he's not a ram...he's a ahhh..." She was startled and cut off as she was gently yet quickly picked up by her waist by a pair of brown paws. The sight even stunned Nick and Judy, as they noticed Gideon Grey was the 'culprit', the portly vulpine sporting a large smile plastered on his muzzle as she let out a quick 'eep' from being startled so quickly, before letting out a content hum of approval as Gideon picked the ewe up and planted a kiss on the side of her muzzle,

"There ya are darlin, was wondering where ya ran off ta." The phrase was caught by Judy, who looked stunned.

"Sharla?...You and Gideon... are dating?" Her question was genuine, although to her ears almost accusatory, but the two mammals currently still hugging were unfazed as they smiled at the other couple.

"Yep, was rocky at first when I came back home...but this big softy here...well when he apologized, and I started to see him as a honest kind mammal and not the former...jerk... that he was years ago, we started to hang out more until we just clicked, "She paused looking up at her boyfriend, "No offense Hun." Gideon just smiled warmly and waved it off as Sharla continued, "Garret was a little miffed for a bit but he quickly got over it."

Judy nodded and smiled in agreement, as did Nick and Gideon. The two couples talked for a bit longer, until Gideon and Sharla had to go finish getting the booth ready, leaving Judy and Nick to continue walking deeper into the growing crowds, the smells from the nearby vendors filling the air, making both hungry but holding off til closer to lunch, the sounds of the dull roar of conversations made the country feel like home to the fox, although he did appreciate the quietness of the Judy home. As they walked, taking in the sights, Nick noticed something very odd. Every so often a medium size flag or banner flew in the breeze with what appeared to be an odd symbol adorning it, and below it stood a very stoic rabbit buck, dressed in very tribal looking warrior outfit holding a bow, red warpaint on his muzzle. As they walked by, he saw a few more, albeit without the tribal garb and weapon, but vertical red paint on their faces. Judy noticed this and quickly pulled the fox aside to explain.

"Opps forgot to mention this, the festival takes place as a way to pay homage to our...well call them gods, and because of our beliefs, each day representing a different one."

"Makes sense...How many gods are there?" Nick asked, cocking his head as they started to walk again.

"Six, and the last day is a HUGE party at a bonfire to pay homage to them all at once, thank them for the previous year and prepare for the next year ya know?" Judy shrugged.

"Uh huh and today is to who?"

"Oh today is paying respect to Clacius, we honor him because according to legend he fought alone against a whole tribe of attacking predators to stall them to let the villagers flee to safety." Judy gave a soft yet sad smile, "And this may be awkward to hear but...the tribe was mostly Foxes."

Nick smiled at her, "Judy, that was ancient times right? Ya cant judge from something that happened ages ago."

"Yea true..but still...we don't bash foxes about it, just pay homage to a brave soul, so he worship him as the god of strength and honor, since he also refused to kill an enemy that wasn't armed."

"So each day there will be a different banner, symbol and representative to a different 'god' ?"

"Yep" Judy smiled. The rest of the day was spent stick to the main area, Nick learning about lapins and also enjoying each others company, that night Nick was able to sleep along side his lapin mate in her room, as per lapin custom. That night the two slept much easier, Nick spooning behind Judy, hugging her tightly into the night.

Day Two...

Sure enough, the next day Nick saw a completely different banner and bunny, this time a doe dressed in simple rags, a bundle of wheat tied to her back and various gourds attached to a simple rope belt. Judy explain this was for Janera, goddess of the Harvest, who it was said was a lone doe who managed to harvest nearly one thousand acres to feed her village after they all caught ill and threatened to lead to lost crops, the doe never stopping until it was all picked and stored, not even to eat or sleep. She died as she set the last basket of apples underground. They spent the day exploring one of the areas having almost nothing but food goods, Nick sampling nearly everything he could, from apple types he had never heard of, to complex dishes that sounded gross but tasted amazing. Judy was smiling the whole time, especially when Nick asked around the vendors for recipes for the dishes he really liked. They even stopped by Gideon's booth, Nick falling in love with the pudgy fox's pies, and Judy chatting with her ewe friend, both blushing as the conversation shifted to the more intimate features of their respective mates. The night found Judy moaning softly, huffing and gasping echoing through the room as Nick smugly smiled watching his bunny squirm about as he working his magic, surprising Judy that he was just THAT good at paw massages, the bunny practically melting as his firm pads worked over hers. It wasn't long before the more intimate type of moaning filled the room.

Day Three...

This day was devoted to Maria, the deity of the harmony. Judy explained that the doe ended a war between two lapin clans ages ago by opening her own home to shelter everyone during a massive invasion force, who then also sent her daughters to patch up the wounded warriors, predator and prey alike, resulting in the leader of the invasive force to leave the peace loving area be. Judy and Nick went around the food kiosks, instead spending time in the game area. Nick's skills in these 'common hustles' he called them fortunately let him win several prizes for Judy, or maybe it was unfortunate as he was stuck carrying around the massive collections like a plushy magnet. They shared in the fun later that night, swapping stories with Vivian who opted to take it slow and wander with Bonnie and Stu, enjoying the fresh air of the country side and sights the small town had to offer. That night after supper Judy was enjoying a nice walk through her home when she over heard a hushed conversation between Nick and his mother, her tall ears perked up.

"Nicholas Piberious Wilde, Are you going to tell me with a straight muzzle you haven't prayed in years?" Vivian's stern voice almost sent a chill up her spine, 'His full name?,' She thought, 'What did he do to deserve this?' She knew that tone, the one only an irritated mother can use, almost like a weapon. She remember cowering when her mother used that on her. The 'secret' talk continued as she listened in.

She could almost see the shame filled muzzle on Nick as his voice cracked up a bit, "Can you really blame me? After all the crap that happened in my life. I ran away from you just like dad, I was on the streets hungry and homeless sometimes, several attempts to better my life failed spectacularly, and to top it off I got on a mob bosses bad side. I didn't feel the need to pray to her anymore."

Vivian sighed, "Sweetie, you know how big this is to us, you cant just scorn her...or her gifts."

"I know mom, that's the other reason." He paused, the sound of a chair creaking told Judy he had sat down,"After all this time, I'm afraid of what could happen when I do do the ritual."

"Ill be right next to you Nicky...you know that." Her voice soft and soothing. Judy decided this didn't involve her...yet, so she quietly turned on her heel and tiptoed down the hallway to her room to get ready for bed, Nick slowing walking in not long after, looking saddened, she wanted to ask but didn't want to get him more upset than he already seemed to be. He hugged her almost extra tight that night as they let sleep consume them, as Judy and Nick both hoped...and prayed for a much better day tomorrow.

Day 4...

"I know you were listening in Judy." They were already walking around the stands, Nick silent for the most part until that point.

His statement cut into her, she lowered her head in regret, ears flopping forward to cover her face. She shuddered as he used her real name and not a nickname, "Sorry Sweetie, I really didn't mean to, I just walked by and heard your mom use your full name."

Nick sighed, his face showing discomfort. This was a topic he was hoping to avoid for little longer, "How much...?"

She gave him a soft smile, trying to put him at ease, "Not much actually, heard something about praying to her but that was it." She saw Nick nod and look uneasy, fiddling with his claws, "If you don't want to talk about it now we don't have to Hun"

"No no its fine...ya see its a..."He paused as he worked his jaw up and down to find the right wording, "Its a canine and red fox thing."

"OK...religious? I thought you weren't all that traditional." They stopped walking and sat on a bench so he could better explain.

"I'm not, but this isn't an option to ignore...all canines follow our deity's rites pretty closely. Not to go to far into this, there's a lot by the way, but basically all us canids worship the high goddess Cania, or great mother, who created the world we live in. Well using the elements around her she made herself several daughters, who's names became our species names. Over time, the daughters of Cania and their respective offspring, each changed appearene until they look like we do today."

Judy nodded, "Ok that's not so bad."

"No that's the dumbed down, uber condense version. Anyway, Vulpea, pronounced in the ancient tongue as Wolpi, is my deity, and every year red-foxes pay homage to her in a...well...very private and very old ritual." He suddenly looked shameful, "Something I hadn't done in a long time, and due to our rites, I've basically told her to fuck off by ignoring her."

Judy reached out and grabbed his paw, patting the top of it with her other one, looking him deep in his green eyes, "Nick, It'll be ok, you just tell me when this day is for you, and we will make it work. We are dating Nick, there's bound to be SOME cultural issue now and then."

Nick smiled at her warmly and stood, "Well then lets go enjoy the rest of the day, and Ill tell mom that for better or worse, Ill join her." He spun around quickly only to ran right into someone, who fell over with a loud ooph. Nick knelt down quickly to find a younger red fox vixen on the ground getting to her feet, "Oh my god miss I'm so sorry."

The vixen looked up with a smile, her light green eyes bright, "No problem,I wasn't watching where I was going Mr...?'

"Oh its Nick Wilde miss and this is Judy Hopps," He motioned to his girlfriend smiling nearby. Judy noticed as soon as Nick said his name, the vixen went from happy to down right scared. The other thing she noticed was that, she refused to look Nick in the eye after this. She vaguely remembered learning about this in the academy, that lower canines will do this to the perceived alpha, which was odd to Judy in that Nick up to now had shown no indicator of putting that out there.

The vixen suddenly looked very scared, her ear pining back and tail fell, "I'm Rose and um I uh uh.." She started to stammer only to look horrified when Nick's mother walked up smiling.

"There you are Nicky, been looking everywhere for you, oh," She noticed the now shaking vixen, "Is everything all right?"

Nick and Judy looked just as worried as Vivian. Rose stammered, "Oh god no no no this wasn't supposed to happen yet." She clutched the side of her head in panic, "Please please let me explain before you get mad."

Nick was about to ask what she meant when an echo from the past rang out behind him, a voice he hadn't heard in years, "Rose! There you are where'd you..." The voice trailed off as Nick and his mother shared a stunned look, turning around to see a older tod walking up before stopping mere feet from the four mammals. Judy looked him over and was stunned, a much older version of Nick, from his bright green eyes to the exact shade of orange fur stood before them. Judy glanced up and saw something that actually scared her, Nick was looking from Rose and back to his father, a snarl on his muzzle as his pupils shrunk, not unlike that day in the museum. Only this time, it was real anger, something she had never before seen on her fox, and from all that Nick had said about his father, the hurt on his muzzle was genuine. Both Vivian and Nick spoke at the same time.

"J..J..James?"

"Dad?"

The older tod's eyes flitted from his son to his wife, two mammal he craved to see for years, "Viv?" His voice cracked up, "Nicky?"

Before anyone could stop him Nick let out a yelping snarl and rushed forward, grabbing the older tod by the scruff of his shirt, his voice commanding and stern, "You have no idea to call me that anymore, bludtric." The word was unknown to Judy, she quickly assumed Nick must've used a word in the old tongue. Both Rose and James's ear fell back, the tod looking shameful as the vixen looked legitimately scared. Nick released his father and stormed off, his mother following quickly behind, Nick pausing only to glance at the shaking vixen, before scoffing and continuing on. Judy shook her head and ran after her pissed of boyfriend and mother as James merely stood there as the fair continued on around him. He sighed hard.

"Well Rose, let's go back to..." He stopped, not seeing his daughter in the crowd at all. He looked to the sky, and spoke out a clear plea, "Vulpea, if you can hear me...please, I'm trying to make up for my mistakes...don't let anger and hate ruin my son. I did enough of that." He sighed once more and sat on a bench lightly sobbing into his paws.

AAAANNNNDDDD here we are the ending of part one WHOOO. Came a long way since I first started this fic.

Don't worry, part two will pick up right away next weekend. HUGE thanks to everyone who read this, bookmarked it, and even commented on it. I loved hearing back from fans and reader and using the feedback to improve.

Between now and part two going up, ask away. Ask anything you want in either comment or pm and in the authors notes of Chapter one of part2 I will grab maybe...idk 10 or 12 at random and answer them (unless I get less than that then I will answer all.)

Yes Im aware I made a lot of goofs doing this, like somehow I changed Nicks (ex) girlfriends name early on from Erin to emily without knowing, so I had to changed the vixens name in this chapter to Rose casue rough drafts had her as Emily...ugh any way... Oh and early on I mentioned a previous ex of Nick being a Meadow Skyson...this was a play on her name, since the arctic fox character Sky is really popular in other fics...and yes, she will return, but nothing bad will happen I promise.

Look forward to seeing everyone in part 2