Nick got to his room and tossed his bag on his bed and looked at the box. He had so many questions burning to be answered. He used a claw to open it but hesitated upon opening the lid. Would he like what was inside? Would it be something useful? Would his parents have put any explanation inside? He had to know. Slowly he opened the box and looked inside. On the very top was a envelope with "Nick" written in long flowing handwriting he recognized as his father's. He picked it up and glanced under it to notice a lot of papers and a few smaller boxes. He turned his attention back to the envelope with curiosity. He turned it over and opened it before dumping the contents on the desk that was right beside his bed. Two more envelopes landed on the desk along with a DVD. The envelopes had read first, read second, and watch me last written on them. He opened the first letter and saw his mothers handwriting..

My son,

I know when you read this i wont be there. I know that something will have separated us if your reading it. I don't know what it might be, but everything happens for a reason. I hope you have grown into a handsome and smart young mammal. I'm sure you look just like your father. I know some things you learn in this box will be overwhelming and maybe a little scary, but know that all of it was done with you in mind. Everything we did was to give you a better life. I have no doubt that you will have a long and happy life, and I'll be smiling down on you from above in the meantime. We will meet again when your time is up, but until then i want you to be happy. I know you want to cry for me, but be happy. I'm in a better place than any of us could ever imagine. I love you my son, and no matter how dark things seem to get i know you will always find the light.

With all my love,

Vivian

Nick was in tears as he read her name again. He missed his mother so much. And to know she had a hand in this touched his heart. He only wished he could hug her again. With tears still tracking through his fur, he picked up the next one.

Nick,

If you're reading this then I'm not able to speak to you in person. I don't know if that means I'm dead or in a coma, but either way I'm still here for you. No matter what anyone tells you or what feelings arise from what you find in this box know that your mother and i love you very much, and only do the things we do because of this. I believe you will grow to be a caring and intelligent mammal and i hope you will always follow your dreams. A long time ago we were in a bit of a jam, and were about to lose everything. We made a deal which you will find in this box. I know you may be angry with me about it but it was the only way to keep a roof over your head. We never told you about it because the only way out of it is if you fell in love and became mated to someone within 30 days of graduating college. Son this is going to be a shock, but your in an arranged marriage. I'm not aloud to give the others identity, but if you aren't mated within 30 days of graduation, you will have to meet her at the altar or her family gets everything in our name and you will be homeless. In this box is the deeds and paperwork for everything you now own. You can't sell any of it, however you can speak to the lawyer who sent it to you should you want to make changes on the business side of it. You do have access to half the profits while the other goes into a savings account for you. The DVD that was in this box is only to be watched after graduation. There is a password that the lawyer will give you upon graduation to unlock its contents. It has the information on the meeting as well as a few videos of the two of you as kits. You were incredibly close. We separated you so you could find love elsewhere if you weren't drawn back to each other. I hope you can forgive us for making this agreement and see the wisdom in it. I love you son. I'll always be with you no matter what.

Your father,

James

Nick was at a loss. He read the page over and over thinking he had misunderstood. Finally realizing he hadn't, he placed the letter on the desk and slumped into his chair.

"I'm due to be married to a mammal I don't even know? What the heck! I've never even been attracted to other vixens. I'm not even sure why i just don't want to think about a relationship right now let alone marriage!"

He was becoming angry now and decided to check the DVD. Maybe he can crack the password and find out what the mystery vixen even looked like, or a name. But as he tried every password he could think of his spirits dropped more and more. Resigning to defeat he decided to check the rest of the box. There were packets labeled for a house in the city, and even one in bunnyburrow with a farm on it. he found that rather odd but maybe that was so he could live close to family. He found a huge packet for the family business and set it aside. He would thumb through that later. He found a file with account numbers with a couple labeled now accessible. He put that on his pillow. He could use the money instead of finding a job like he thought he would need to do. He found a few books in the bottom of the box as well. One was called cirque du freak, another was called lord loss, and the third was called vampire high. He found a note on the cover of them stating one cirque du freak was his mother's, lord loss was his fathers, and vampire high was one they had read to him and his betrothed. He settled into bed after storing everything beneath his bed and decided to lose himself in his mother's book for awhile until his meetup with Judy.

Meanwhile-

Judy got back to her dorm after skipping her last class of their day so she would have extra time before Nick got their. She jumped into her bed and hit the button for muzzletime to call her mother. After a few rings she picked up

"Hey bun bun how's things going?"

"It's going good. Are you busy? I really need to have a private conversation with you.." she said trying not to be rude but also sounding rather hurried.

Bonnie stopped whatever she was doing and noticed her daughter looked upset. "Just a second dear i'll go to the silent room." There was some movement and a few different yells from siblings before her mother entered the silenced room they had made specifically for private conversations. The room was built so no eavesdropping could occur. "Now what's the matter dear your ears are droopy?"

She decided not to beat around the bush "mom am i engaged?"

Bonnie's jaw dropped "where did you..."

"It doesn't matter where. Answer the question please!"

She hesitated for a few moments. She decided to come clean. "Yes you are... when you were little we were in danger of losing the farm. We found a family who was in a similar place and we could mutually save each other's business. The problem was a deal couldn't be made because the men in the family's couldn't get along. We women saw how well you and thier boy got along and decided if they couldn't do it to save each other's business then they would have to become family. That left you two holding the bag. We made sure to put in a loophole so that should you two fall in love with anyone else then the marriage part is off but the business would be saved."

Judy was stunned. She heard everything her mother had said but couldn't process it. She slowly hung up and turned the phone off. She stayed there for a while thinking. She was engaged to someone she didn't even know. She didn't know what to think. After a while she came to a decision. She wouldn't just let this happen. Whether she found someone else or not she would not marry this person. She got up to take a shower and prepare for her evening with Nick. She wouldn't let this interfere with finding out if what she felt for him was real or not.