A little Holiday Special Sunderance Christmas.

 Kulkum wrote a cute sweet short for the season

We will be moving into Act 2 of the main story very soon.
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Happy Holidays everyone.
Fingers crossed 2021 will go a little more smoothly.

Here's the Short Kulkum wrote:

“So, what do you think?”

Judy stared for a moment with a slight smile on her muzzle, her arms folded over her chest as she tried to think of something to say. There was a little twinge in her chest, just a touch of tightness as she turned her gaze to the fox standing beside her. As oddly handsome as ever, she couldn’t see a difference in his demeanor or even the way he was dressed. His face was calm with the lines of his muzzle deceptively relaxed, his stance was at ease but with that ever present note of tension, and he was still dressed in what she now knew was an extremely expensive suit pants with a shirt and tie – sans the jacket. For anyone who hadn’t come to know him as well as she had, he would look… Emotionless.

For Judy? There was a shine in emerald green eyes when he looked down at her, a warmth and life in them that only seemed to be there when he was looking at her. It was no wonder her heart beat a little quicker and the insides of her raised ears heated when that gaze settled on her and the corners of his muzzle twitched. She knew that grin could get bigger and his sense of humor would shine through at the best of moments to help calm her nerves when the stress of the city became too much for her.

Or just when he wanted to flirt, which happened more and more often the longer she stayed.

“I have to ask where you got all this,” she said as she leaned her shoulder into him, turning her eyes to the small Christmas tree that was standing in one corner, undecorated. The decorations themselves were sitting beside the tree, still in their department store brand packaging, which was what had her grinning a bit considering that it was Christmas Eve. “And then I have to ask if you expect me to decorate the tree myself. I must admit, I don’t honestly see Mr. Wilde - bodyguard extraordinaire – digging into those boxes and hanging ornaments on a tree.”

Those emerald eyes turned to her, one brow lifted as he placed a hand over his chest in what must have been the worst impression of sincere hurt she had ever seen. Intentionally so.

“I will have you know, madam, that I have decorated my share of Christmas Trees,” he said, his tone as haughty as the expression on his face. And Judy, knowing the act very well already, reached up and lightly smacked him on the chest before sighing contentedly as he wrapped one arm around her shoulder. “But I wasn’t actually planning on decorating it myself.”

As if on cue, there came a knock on the door that Judy would have described as cautious. Her first instinct was concern, which had her nose twitching reflexively as she glanced in that direction. They almost never had visitors and the few that had come knocking had not been of the friendly sort. But a quick glance at Nick surprised her. Not only did he not look on guard, which she had determined was his default setting, but he look positively relaxed as he squeezed her shoulder for a moment. Then he stepped away and walked towards the door, leaving her to follow behind him curiously as he didn’t even bother to peek out a window before reaching out to pull the door open. For a moment, she couldn’t see who it was with the tall for in her way, but soon enough he spoke as he stepped aside and waved the visitors in.

“Come on in, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps.”

Judy froze when first her father, then her mother stepped into the office, both look a little uneasy for all of two seconds before they spotted her standing there with her mouth hanging open. A breath later, she was trying to blink away the tears that filled her eyes as she rushed forward into the already open arms of her parents. Smooshed between the two of them, rubbing her cheek against each as she breathed in their familiar, earthy scents, the warmth running through her was the sort of pleasure she’d only known when her family was gathered in their burrow around a glowing Christmas tree laden with presents that would take the kits the whole day to open. All of the trials she had faced, and the ones she knew were to come, melted away at least for a while as she drew back and was met with their smiling faces and all of the Holiday greetings that followed.

She looked at the fox still standing by the door, watching with a smile on his face and a bit of sadness in deep green eyes that she recognized. Unlike her, he couldn’t go home. His parents would never be waiting to surprise him behind a closed door, opening their arms to him to bring him back to what it meant to be young and hopeful again. Maybe that was why he had given her this gift and it was certainly why she stepped away from her parents to reach out and take his paw with hers gently, drawing him closer. Even if he looked surprised, his ears twitching back for a moment as her parents looked up at him gratefully, he did resist when she pulled him in, and all wrapped their arms around him. Maybe not a replacement for what he had lost, but a reminder that he wasn’t alone. Not anymore.
“Thank you, Nick,” she said, her face buried in his chest as she nuzzled in as close as possible until she felt him return the hug with a sigh. “Merry Christmas.”