Hello everyone.

First, an apology.

I'm sorry that it took so long to update. At the moment, my life resembles some smoldering ashes of some old ruin...

Still, I plan on finishing this story, along with the others.

*bows* Thank you very much for making time to read them. I truly hope that you are enjoying the time spent with them.

If you would like to have some more frequent information on my writing progress, you can visit my P.a.t.r.e.o.n. I am there as Libious, same as here.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: GINORMOUS thanks to TheoreticallyEva for her continuous support and her help in editing this chapter. She is the best friend in existence! Please visit her stories and you definitely won't be disappointed. :)

Without any more intermissions...

Chapter 4

"You heard me. Go on." He invited her with a wave of a paw.

Judy eyed his face with a mixture of disbelief and caution. "Are you-"

"What's the matter? All bark and no bite?" He mocked her, again folding his arms on his chest.

Judy's face scrunched in annoyance, and she didn't need any more reason to jump at the irritating fox. She lunged forward, itching to teach this arrogant jerk not to mess with a bunn-

His paw moved in a blur and threw a pawful of sand into her face.

Judy yelped, the tiny grains burning her eyes, and she raised her arms to wipe the sand that blinded her. Right then, she felt her hindpaws being kicked out from under her, and the doe landed heavily on her back. Before she could react in any way, the fox was on her, fingers clenched around her throat.

"You're dead," he announced casually.

"You- You cheated!" She growled while trying to wriggle her arms from under his knees. She tried to open her eyes, but the burning sensation prevented her from doing so.

"Thing to remember, Carrots. There are no rules in the Wasteland. This isn't a playground, and the smallest mistake can get you killed." He released his grip and started to get up. "Now stop moving so I can clea-" The fox stopped abruptly and jerked his arms up in a makeshift block when Judy coiled her legs under him and kicked. Her trained muscles provided enough force to push the fox back, and his hindpaws scratched the dirt.

Even with the sand in her eyes, the doe's anger fueled her will to fight, regardless if she could see him or not. She sprung up to her hindpaws and assumed a fighting stance while her ears twitched continuously to track any sound made by the mercenary.

"You're a feisty one, I'll give you that." She heard his voice, now laced with amusement.

"I haven't even started." Judy shot back and turned directly towards the source of the sound.

"All right, time out." He replied, this time in a more serious manner. "How about this, I'll pass you a can with water so you can clear the sand and then we can continue, deal?"

She snorted with disbelief. "Yeah, right."

But then she heard a rustle, and a second later, something landed on the dirt by her legs.

"Water." He told her. "Just like I said. Now, I'm going to sit down and wait till you're done." And his words were followed by a shuffling sound on the dirt where he stood. No other sounds followed it.

Judy was highly skeptical but ultimately decided to crouch down and feel around for whatever object he tossed towards her. Her fingers didn't take long to find it. Touching it cautiously with the tip of one of them, Judy managed to establish that it was an oval shape, made of metal.

A voice reached her ears. "Water. Just like I promised."

Not hearing any sign of movement from his side, Judy touched the object with more certainty, and her fingers found the screw cap. Still listening cautiously, the bunny opened the flask and, being careful about trusting a mammal like him, she let a drop fall on her finger before gingerly tasting it with the tip of her tongue.

It was water.

Unless, of course, he laced it with some drug earlier. However, that thought dispersed rather quickly. She had no time to delve into a detailed thought process regarding such suspicions. Her final decision formed into splashing her face with the liquid and doing her best to use it to clean her eyes. After a few moments, even with the undeniable discomfort in her eyes, the pain subsided significantly, and she was able to see again.

"Ready?" The fox in front of her stood up, patting the dust off his coat.

Judy didn't wait for him to make the first move. The doe launched herself at the vulpine, yet with a more tactical approach.

.

.

Corporal Judy Hopps blinked, looking at the vast sky above her. She tried to focus on what exactly she did wrong. Trouble was, she couldn't think of anything. Her attacks were perfectly timed, the execution near flawless, and she made sure that they packed enough punch. And yet…

She forced her upper body to rise and rest on both elbows. The fox was standing not far away, looking disarmingly relaxed.

He folded his paws on his chest and sighed. "We done?"

Those two words were enough to burn away the confusion, replacing it with surging determination. She sprang to her feet, swiftly assuming a fighting stance. Judy had to accept that she underestimated the fox mercenary and suffered the consequences of her mistake. Therefore, her next approach had to be more cautious. The doe got closer but kept a safe distance. Her goal was to keep on the side of the fox's left eye, where his vision was limited.

He let his arms drop and hang freely by his sides, but didn't make any more moves.

The way he approached this fight was both infuriating and humiliating to Judy. His… fighting stance, if you could even call it that, was annoyingly deceptive. The vulpine looked rather laid back, unimpressed by his opponent. She considered that it could just be part of his strategy, to disrupt her thoughts and take advantage of her dishevelled mind. But she wasn't going to fall for that. He could taunt her all he wants, but she-

"You coming or what, cute bun? I don't have all day."

Judy seriously had to bite her lip, as well as clench her fists, to keep her anger from taking over. Instead, she struggled to divert that vengeful energy to add an additional edge to her moves.

Deciding on her tactic and holding in mind the earlier experience, Judy advanced toward the fox mercenary. This time, she made use of what she learned from him.

Getting close enough, the doe soldier inched her foot forward. Judy kicked up, throwing the sand and dirt straight at the vulpine's face.

Seeing it land, the doe smirked and launched herself at him once more. With her speed, she could-

Judy received a harsh lesson when the fox swiftly sidestepped and his clawed paw landed on her throat.

"I've killed you three times."

Before she even had an instant to react, her legs were kicked from under her, making her land heavily on the ground. Grunting, the doe forced her eyes to open, only to see a barrel of a pistol aiming at her.

"Four times."

Judy felt a wave of shame and helplessness washing over her. After all, how could this be? She was always doing exceedingly well in sparring matches, against all kinds of mammals. Why was it that this fox…

Forgetting technique and finesse, Judy snatched the knife she kept strapped to her ankle and atta-

His paw was already moving and yanked her wrist, pulling her forward. The doe tripped on the trash under her feet, almost smashing her face against a flag post. It once held the country's flag up in the air, but now the only thing it held was rust and a length of rope.

Still, just a second after her rough landing on the dirt, she felt a grip on her ankle, then was yanked backwards and up.

The vulpine mercenary needed only a moment to tie the end of the rope around her leg and hoist her up on the mast. He hauled her high enough that she was above him, and smiled.

"Comfy?"

"You- Let me down!" Judy hollered at the infuriating fox, flailing her arms.

But he only folded his arms, unfazed by her outburst. "I don't think so. Now, as long as you're hanging there, pay attention." He pointed at the doe with her own knife. "I could leave your sweet little ass here for the ghouls to munch on." The mercenary shrugged. "Or maybe some bandits would find you here and let you down, at the price of some fun." At that point, he let go of the rope, just enough for her to fall down to the level of his eye. "Females are quite the entertainment for those hungry types."

The way he spoke, how he squinted his eyes… Forcing herself not to swallow, she practically believed him that he could do exactly that. Judy had met some rough types during her time at the boot camp, but this mammal was on a whole different level. The fox suddenly seemed much more menacing to the doe.

"However," he went on in a softer voice, "you are my client. Therefore, I'll do my best to keep you safe, as long as you'll let me. So..."

He let go of the rope.

Judy landed on the ground with a surprised grunt. As she untangled herself from the rope, Nick pointed her own knife at her face. The doe froze.

"Can you travel in the company of a fox?" With a flick of the wrist, he flipped the weapon around, now holding it by the blade and the grip pointing towards her. "Or can you not?"

The doe let out a huff and grabbed her knife while getting to her hindpaws. Then she looked him straight in the eye and took a step forward, closing the small distance between them. "Under one condition."

In response, he showed her a smirk. "Which is?"

Without warning, her arm moved in a blur, and the tip of the blade stroke at the vulpine's waist.

A fraction of a second later, it was stopped by Nick's fingers wrapping around the doe's wrist.

The fox looked down with a smile that could have been an approving one. "Nice try, but-" He paused when Judy replied with a smirk of her own and let go of the knife. She instantly snatched it with her other paw and pushed it towards his crotch, a move that certainly would make breeding impossible for him. At that moment, Nick twisted the arm he was holding, and Judy let out a yelp when her body instinctively turned to avoid hurting the shoulder or the joint.

Following up, the fox swiftly pried the blade from her paw. He then pushed Judy back while releasing her arm.

"I think that's enough," he announced as he held up a paw.

"You're not licking the dirt, which means it's not." She growled at him, massaging her wrist. Her amethyst eyes were set firmly on him, sparks of anger shining strong within them.

The fox let out a sigh and whipped his arm, throwing the knife. The blade dug into the dirt right before her feet. "Listen, Fluff, this not about ass-kicking, all right? At least not entirely." He caught her gaze, which caused him to put a paw to his forehead. "Look, my intention with this was to gauge your strength and skill in paw-to-paw combat. If I am to guide you properly, then I need to know to what extent you can handle yourself."

He peeked at her, and she wasn't charging at him. It was some progress.

"You could've asked for a spar," she huffed at him with her paws still up in a fighting stance.

Those words made him sigh once more. "Why, I'm sorry," he replied with a truckload of sarcasm. "Next time, I will just ask, 'Scuse me, may I attack you by surprise?'"

Despite her annoyance, those words drew up a little smile on her face. Her anger managed to simmer down enough for the doe to make decisions based on logic, instead of emotions. As a bunny, her inherent tendency to get emotional was a hindrance in battle. It was one of the biggest obstacles in becoming a soldier. Still, she trained diligently and eventually managed to overcome her nature.

Right now, Judy had to reluctantly admit that this fox was a better fighter than her, so continuing the spar would be pointless. Still, it didn't mean that she couldn't get back at him in other ways. She just needed to be patient.

The doe lowered her paws. "So? Did you make your evaluation?" She asked nonchalantly, as if they were chatting over a drink.

He observed her for a few moments, before taking a more relaxed posture. However, he was not completely relaxed, as Judy has noticed. She had spent enough time among soldiers to know the difference between someone letting their defenses down and a cautious mammal. And the fox before her seemed like he was constantly on edge.

Now he shrugged. "Six-and-a-half out of ten."

Judy's eyebrows ventured up. "Wow, how generous. I already feel better."

The fox narrowed his eye at her comment. "You seem to be misunderstanding something. I am marking your overall performance, not your strength. You're smart, adapt quickly, and have good physique." He pointed a clawed finger at her. "You have a lot of potential and can grow into a fierce fighter, remember that."

Her jaw dropped.

When was the last time- This year? Last year? Year before last? She didn't count the words of her commanding officer after graduation - that was just a routine speech. Her siblings? Parents? How many years had it been since she heard genuine praise? She was mocked and ridiculed for so long, and now… A fox, a frigging fox who annoyed her so much, turned out to be the one to give her some actual praise for her efforts. In the harsh world, filled with so much difficulty and unfairness, she had found understanding.

The fox mercenary didn't miss the mess of emotions on her face. His own expression was quite unreadable for a moment before he let out a sigh and headed towards his bike again.

Judy was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice when he got closer. Then she felt a paw on the top of her head.

"I'll guide you, Fluff. Focus on what you gotta do." The fox ruffled her fur a bit before walking away.

She stood in place, far too surprised to react, even to the fact that he just touched her. It also compounded her state of shock.. She never would've thought that such words or behavior were possible from this person. He certainly was full of surprises…

"You coming or what, sweetie bun?" His voice broke the freeze and made her blink back to reality.

The doe shook her head, grunting again at the way he called her, but followed in his footsteps, nevertheless.

"Ouch!" She suddenly jerked her leg up after feeling a sting. Nick spun around the instant she exclaimed, his paw on the gun in the holster. He saw only a bunny standing on one leg, lifting her other leg to inspect its sole.

"Uh! Just my luck!" She hopped on one leg to a nearby rusty crate to sit on it. After that she clicked her tongue at the sight of a small piece of junk that pierced her foot. "Seriously, we just had a fight, and only now I hurt myself?!"

The fox let go of the gun and approached the sitting doe. "Show me."

Judy only snorted at his words. "What? Suddenly worried about me?"

He crouched on the ground in front of her, reaching for her foot. "I'm your-"

"Guide. Yes, I believe I've heard that before." She cut him off, shifting the leg out of his reach. "Don't worry your fluffy tail. I'm a big girl and can handle a small cut."

This caused him to narrow his eye by a small margin. "Carrots, I'm serious here."

"You think I'm not?" Judy replied with a glare.

They remained like that for few seconds, locked in a match of stares. Eventually, Nick closed his eye and let out a sigh of defeat, which surprised the bunny a bit - it didn't match his behavior so far. He then opened it and looked at her with a much softer gaze.

"Please let me look at your foot?"

Judy blinked, taken off guard by this sudden change. So far, he had provided very little evidence to consider him kind, even given the recent events. Therefore, she narrowed her eyes with suspicion.

Noticing her reservation, Nick rested his arms on his knees. "Listen, I need to look at that wound to make sure if it isn't something that could poison you or start an infection. That's all!"

"Says a guy who threw a knife at me."

"I threw it at the ground, not at you!"

"And you tried to dislocate my shoulder, Mr. Guide."

"What?! You were the one who wanted-" He stopped and his eye widened in understanding. "You… you're just messing with me!"

Judy finally stopped suppressing her satisfaction and showed him a smirk. "Aww, is the big bad fox angwy at the wittle bunny?" She leaned forward and reached out to flick his nose, but at that point, he caught her paw.

"Just show me the wound."

Smiling mostly to herself with satisfaction from dealing with the annoying fox, Judy ultimately decided to stop playing around and shifted the leg towards him.

The fox surveyed her sole with a solemn expression. "Nothing in your foot. Most likely, it was just a sharp piece of junk. You need to get better protectors. These are pure trash." He tapped her foot wrappings with a claw.

She sighed. "Right, let me run to the store around the corner."

The fox actually chuckled at her reply but didn't comment. Instead, he narrowed his eye and took a closer look at the little wound.

"Seems like nothing serious, but we should disinfect it as much as possible and wrap it." His paw went to one of the inside pockets of his coat and returned with a bundle of cloth. Compared to the rest of his clothing, it looked relatively clear.

A sudden thought struck the doe. "Hold on, how do you plan on disinfecting it?" It was actually something that started to make her worry.

The fox looked up at her, which allowed her to see a playful glint in his eye. "See, foxes possess saliva that is rather unfriendly to germs."

"Wait... What are you- Ah!" A gasp escaped her lips when Nick's tongue brushed the fur on her foot. She immediately slapped both paws over her mouth, embarrassed and angry at herself for showing such a display.

The fox mercenary noticed this, and a wide grin formed on his face.

"Well, well, well. That fond of a fox's tongue, Corporal Hopps?" Those words, plus the wink he sent her as he said them, were responsible for Judy's cheeks turning red.

"Sh-shut u-Aaahh!" He got another gasp out of her when he gave her foot a quick lick while keeping an eye on her face.

"Very interesting."

He kept at this little game for a short time while Judy cursed her own body for betraying her like this. The feeling of the warmth of his tongue was something between ticklish and, however surprised or ashamed she felt to admit it, somewhat pleasant. Still, she did not get to ponder about it any longer, as he suddenly stopped and swiftly wrapped her foot with the piece of cloth. After that, the fox simply smiled at her and stood up to leave.

"Let's go. We shouldn't delay, or we'll find ourselves camping in the open tonight." With these words, he headed towards his motorcycle, not sparing her any more glances or smirks.

Initially, Judy felt like lashing out at the vulpine mercenary, but after shaking her head furiously, the doe reigned in the anger. Swallowing her pride as a female, Judy Hopps focused on her mission.

Swiftly getting off the ground, she headed after him, the wounded foot not giving her any issues, beside some discomfort.

He was already waiting for her, patting the seat in front of him. This time, she didn't wait for any comment or a mocking line. Instead, she hopped onto the spot and fixed her gaze ahead.

His eye widened for a moment as she did that, though he quickly recollected himself. "So what now? Can I touch you or-"

The answer was served immediately as Judy silently grabbed his wrist, pulling it to hold her stomach.

"There, now drive." She used a rather indifferent tone, while the fox fell silent for a moment. After a quick, quiet debate in his skull, he decided to not push the topic further.

In mutual silence, Nick ignited the engine, and they were on the move again.