Nick Needs a Family

Chapter 7

Several Hopps rabbits pulled out folding knives and opened them as they advanced on Nick. The fox backed up, ears flat against his head and his paws raised placatingly. "There has got to be a better way to handle this."

Stu shook his head. "Sorry Nick. Just hold still so we can get this over with."

A few rabbits picked burrs off of Nick's shorts while the rest focused on different parts of his tail and legs. One young bunny said, "This is why Grampa Stu told us to stay on the trail," and a few rabbits snickered.

Stu tried to provide a distraction as the rabbits worked. "At least you managed to keep Peggy out of the stickers." Nick looked over to see Zeke carefully inspecting the little rabbit's legs and feet.

Ten minutes later they were walking again. Nick sighed after he examined what was left of his summer coat one last time and jogged to catch up. At least he'd only be a patchy mess until his new winter fur grew in.

Later, as they drew close to their destination, they passed by a camp where Nick saw a huge brown bear sitting in front of a fire. The bear waved, but Nick was the only one who seemed to notice, so the fox tentatively waved back.

Several minutes later, they stopped in a large clearing not far from a shimmering lake. The swarm of bunnies quickly raised eight tents, as well as gathered wood and water. Nick mostly felt superfluous, but he tried to lend a paw when he could. After dinner and a few rounds of roasted marshmallows, Peggy crawled up on the log next to Nick and insisted that he read to her. She gave him the first book, Goodnight Moon.

One nearby young bunny looked over and sneered, "That book is for babies."

Peggy pouted at the other kit and Nick examined the cover. "Huh, the author has the same name as you do, Peggy."

The small rabbit smiled and nodded. "Mama said this book is her favorite, so she named me Margaret."

"How about you read it to me, and I'll read the next one." The bunny nodded enthusiastically and began to quietly read aloud.

When Peggy finished reading, Nick stretched and said, "Whew, you did a great job. I'm ready for bed now."

Peggy pouted and said, "Aww, you promised you'd read to me."

Nick grinned and picked up the second book: Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Moose. As he read the tale of faraway Sala-ma-Sond aloud, a few other kits and even some of the older rabbits showed interest and moved closer to listen. By the time Nick made it to the tale of Gertrude McFuzz, he smiled inwardly at the number of bunnies that had gathered around. Finally, Nick's imitation of the worm as he spoke to the rabbit and the bear had most of the campsite in stitches.

Peggy yawned, and Nick tousled the fur between her ears. "Goodnight, squirt." Peggy hugged the fox and grabbed her books before she ran off to find her dad. Nick decided it was probably time for him to turn in too. He approached Stu and tentatively asked, "So uhh... where are the facilities?"

The buck looked confused for a moment before he realized what Nick was asking him. "Just head straight uphill thataway," Nick looked in the direction he pointed, "until you see the log with a shovel next to it. And if you want to wash up, the lake is the other way." Stu reached into a nearby backpack and handed Nick a roll of toilet paper. "Don't get lost."

Nick wandered off into the dark. A faint smell of something cooking carried on the breeze, and he realized what it was. He'd eaten fish a few times, but hadn't really been fond of the taste. Nick figured the smell was probably coming from the nearby bear camp.

The fox stepped into a clearing and gawked at the night sky for a few minutes before he continued up the hill.

The next morning, Nick woke up shivering. Last night he'd discovered that Judy's sleeping bag only came up to just above his waist, and even with his jacket wrapped around his torso it had been a cold and uncomfortable night. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and listened while two younger rabbits argued outside his tent.