Nothing to fear

Chapter 10

Nick looked out over the rolling hills of the Bunnyburrow countryside with the same sort of grin he'd had going through the forests outside Zootopia. The landscape was divided into huge squares of green and gold from the different crops while thick hedgerows separated the various fields. Every so often the roof of a barn or the white tower of a grain silo only accentuated the view. The sun was a bit lower on the western horizon than Judy had anticipated, but the two stops that she' needed for special time with her husband had completely shot the travel schedule all to hell. She was starting to become a little concerned at the way her desires were manifesting and planned on speaking to her mother.

At least Judy would if she didn't die from embarrassment first.

If trying to keep up with her rampant libido was taking its toll on her husband, Nick wasn't showing it. He looked out over the few farms that were visible, what they could see comprising only a fraction of what was actually around them. "Carrots," he said, his voice low as if to speak any louder would ruin the moment. "It's beautiful out here!"

I suppose," Judy said. "At times it can be a little quiet and a lot boring."

"I don't know," the fox replied. "I could see retiring out here."

"You'd go nuts within a week!" the bunny teased as she pinched the base of his tail. "Let's go let everyone know we're here. We can get the bags later."

"I can grab them now," Nick said as he popped the small trunk of the convertible. "It's not like they're all that heavy."

The fox slung his over his shoulder and reached in for Judy's as the bunny went to the front door of the house she grew up in. The term house really didn't apply, at least not for rabbit families in Bunnyburrow. The tendency for rabbits to have large families meant that there was more to many of the houses than met the eye. While not small, the house the Hopps family occupied was essentially the entry room for the actual living space with several levels built underground that included a kitchen that would be the envy of most restaurants in the city, a dining hall that could seat all of the Hopps' children and several dozen grandkits at any given time. Below that were multiple living rooms, bedrooms for both individual bunnies and other rooms that had multiple bunk beds and play rooms. In between all of them were thick walls that were blessedly sound proofed.

Judy opened the door and paused for a moment as all of the familiar scents she grew up with wafted over her giving her a sense of nostalgia. With a smile she called out. "Mom? I'm home!"

A series of excited exclamations came from the upstairs portion of the kitchen that could have looked like one from any other home in the world save for the size. It was where Bonnie Hopps liked to do most of the prep work for meals or spend time making a variety of baked goods because she could enjoy the day while working and the average sized TV let her keep up on some of the shows she enjoyed, mostly different soap operas or talk shows. Dusting her paws off on her apron, Bonnie came out of the kitchen at almost a run and caught her daughter in a tight hug.

"Oh, Judy! It's so good to see you!" the older bunny exclaimed before switching over to complete 'Mom­mode'. "You feel skinny," she observed, turning the hug into almost a police style pat down. "You aren't eating enough! Are they keeping you from getting a lunch while you're on duty? Why the nerve of some mammals!"

"Mom!" Judy said in a plaintive tone."I'm getting enough to eat. Really."

"Well, you still feel too skinny," Bonnie commented. Then she leaned closer, her pink nose wiggling and twitching as she sniffed at one of her oldest children. "What's that smell? Did you switch shampoos? Oh, well. No matter. We've got plenty of your favorite here."

"Jeez, Mom," another bunny said as she also joined the greeting. "Let her get in the door!"

"Mari!" Judy exclaimed in genuine surprise as she disentangled from her mother and latched onto her sister for a warm hug. "I thought you were on the west coast!"