The tender hands of a mother fox delicately folded the articles of clothing before her. She sighed, cracking a smile as she thought of her kit. She couldn't get over the sparkle in his eyes when he saw his new Junior Ranger Scouts uniform. It was expensive to buy, but it was definitely worth it. She imagined how proud her son must've been at that moment, for he was probably in the middle of his initiation. The mother giggled over the thought of him marching through the door, puffing out his chest and proclaiming that he was officially a Junior Ranger Scout.
The smile on her kit's face was one of the things that helped the mother get by. Times were tough for foxes. They were constantly attacked by others who didn't trust them. She sighed over the thought of her husband, a victim of police prejudice. The father of her child was behind bars for something he was completely innocent of. Because others saw foxes as threats, her son would not be able to be with his father for almost a decade. She knew he missed his father. A mother's love could only do so much, after all. So, to see him so excited over something, and to be so happy brought joy to the mother fox.
The mother fox jumped upon hearing the front door burst open. Listening closely, she heard a pitter patter go up the stairs. "Nicholas?"
She ventured into the front room, gently closing the door. The mother peered up the stairs, and sure enough, heard someone entering her son's room. But it was so early. Why was he back so soon, and why was he in a hurry to be in his room? The feeling of worry began to creep over the mother. Something wasn't right.
As she slowly ascended the stairs, the mother heard whimpers. She peeked into the room, her chocolate eyes widening upon seeing the very uniform he was so proud of shoved into his trash bin. Her kit was curled upon the bed, only in his underwear. She could feel her heart begin to shatter as she saw him quivering.
"Nicholas..."
"I-I'm fine, Mom!" The kit shouted.
"No, you're not," she said sternly as she stepped into the room. The mother closed the door, then sat at the end of the bed. "Nicholas, tell me what happened."
"I-I said I'm fine!"
"Nicholas, you tell me right now!" It pained her to raise her voice at him, but she desperately wanted to know what was troubling him. Nicholas was never this emotional.
"T-They muzzled me, Mom," he hiccuped. "T-They hate me, and I did nothing wrong!"
"...My God." The mother clutched her chest. Her heart truly shattered at that moment. This was what the world was coming to? First, innocent adult foxes minding their own business would be targeted, but now children were being attacked? Nicholas had only wanted to join the Junior Ranger Scouts. He wanted to do good for his community. He only had goodness in his heart. Why couldn't everyone else see that?
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the oncoming tears. "I-I am so sorry, Nicholas. If I had known this was going to happen, I would've done everything in my power to stop it." She gently scooped her sobbing kit into her arms, holding him against her chest. "If only they knew you the way I do."
"Why does everyone hate foxes, Mom?" Nicholas questioned as he gazed up at her with tearful eyes. "What did we do wrong?"
The mother sighed. "This all has to do with our pasts, darling. When animals were...savage, foxes were known to be cunning and deceiving. Our kind would often trick prey in order to..."
"Eat them?"
"Yes," she answered. "Animals often look back to those times, and assume that foxes are still the same as they were before. That predators are the same as before. That deep down, we all are still savage."
"But prey are innocent?"
"Not all of them. That's the way I see it, at least. Predator, prey, we all have our demons. Those boys in the scouts were prey, weren't they?" She sighed as her son nodded. "Well, then they prove my point. What they did to you was just as savage as how predators used to be."
"They won't get in trouble." Nicholas huffed. "Because everyone likes prey better than predators. Predators will always be the bad guys."
"No, Nicholas, don't think that," his mother urged him. "Don't ever think that. You must remember that in the eyes of The Lord, prey and predator are equal."
"Then if that's the case, how come God let Dad go to jail?"
The mother's breath hitched. She swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut. "God lets things happen for a reason, Nicholas. Maybe, just maybe, your father going to jail will help open some eyes. Maybe more animals will see how cruel it is to target others just because of their race, and maybe there will be more equality among us all."
"We'll never be equal," Nicholas muttered as he curled against his mother. He clung onto her dress. "I don't wanna go back to school, Mom. The scouts are gonna bully me again. I don't wanna be muzzled, Mom. I-I'm scared."
"Nicholas, I want you to remember something for Mommy." She gently licked his head. "Don't ever let them see that they get to you. Bullies such as them leech off of fear. You must be brave, and you must remember who you are. Not who they see you as, but who you know you are. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom."
And from that night on, Nicholas followed his mother's advice. He would never allow anyone to see that they got to him. Yet, he allowed himself to become someone he wasn't just so the world would get what they wanted. A cunning, distrustful fox. For years, Nicholas would put on a show, and give Zootopia more of a reason to not trust him. This would change, however, after an unlikely friendship would blossom.
The friendship between a fox and a rabbit.