All was calm in the forest.

And by calm, I mean the equivalent of a nuclear explosion had occurred in the space of a pine tree's caving. Nuts, pine needles, and an array of other items fell to the ground in a steady stream, disappearing quickly as they were grasped by a pair of miniature paws.

This was the trio's system. As chipmunks, they were hardwired to figure out how to survive in the cold Winter hours – with only the nuts they had gathered in the seasons beforehand. A truly responsible chipmunk would be, at this rather early stage of the colder season, gathering what they had collected and putting it to good use.

Unfortunately, David, Killian and Robin were not responsible chipmunks.

And were currently in the event of stealing another chipmunk's nuts.

It was only a matter of time before the owner of the storage would return, and from the horde that they had uncovered, it was a safe bet that it would be in their best interests to (as Robin would say) ski-daddle.

" Are we almost finished up there? " David called from the base of the tree, beside a sack that would be around the size of a human hand, but the equivalent of a chipmunk's entire body. Inside, it was bulging with freshly stolen nuts, an abundance of acorns popping up from the top of the material.

" Just a tick! " Robin responded, poking his head out of the cavern-like hole in the middle of the tree, his brown fuzz camouflaging with the wood, mottled and uneven. From inside the hole, a shadow-like figure was handing nut after nut to Robin, his midnight fur blending with the darkness. He too moved to the edge of the hole, peeking down at the blonde chipmunk.

" Wait one bloody minute, you impatient bast- " Killian's accented tone was cut off by a large hand falling over his muzzle, pulling him back, a shriek erupting from around the paw.

Behind the two friends, hidden, was a chipmunk-shaped, giant rat-sized figure, swamped in darkness The struggling rodent's bright blue eyes were the only colour distinguishable in the frenzy.

" KILLIAN! " Robin roared, and a rapid scrabbling sounded from the bottom of the tree. David was beside his friend in a matter of seconds, his tail fluffed to shocking proportions.

The giant figure stepped forward, into the small patch of light. He was gigantic, there was no doubt about that, but his features were regular, his face even a little kind.

" You're stealing my nuts. " The stranger said quietly, releasing Killian a little, allowing him to wiggle his way out of the situation as he scrabbled to join his friends. He knew he'd be struggling to win a fight with that giant, and was honestly grateful for the escape route.

" That we are. We're very, very sorry. We are positively starving. We have nothing but what we can scavenge. " Robin lied through his teeth, attempting to appear innocent. At the sceptical look of the giant, he rushed to continue. " My name is Robin. This is David, and the one you just kidnapped is Killian. We're… What are we again? " He turned to David, but Killian piped up. " Pirates! "

" I thought we were Merry Men? " Robin said in question, and David frowned. " We aren't Princes? "

" Who cares what you are! My name is Anton, and I shall give you a minute to get out before I shall add you to my meal! " His tone was weak, wavering despite his easy size advantage. He seemed nervous, as if threatening people was an unpractised skill for him.

The three scrambled to exit, throwing huffs of gratitude over their shoulders, keen to escape the wrath of the giant.

Down the bottom of the tree, thirty seconds had passed and they had just reached the purse, attempting to shift it with their collection of only five paws – Not including their feet. Killian's stump, where his left paw would be, wasn't being much help. The still-sensitive tissue caused him to wince and whimper, the others growing anxious.

They'd barely moved it out of the safety of a root collection before another shout sounded from above. " I THOUGHT I SAID FOR YOU TO LEAVE THE NUTS! " He roared, genuinely enraged. Killian's eyes widened for the second time this morning.

" I DON'T RECALL! " He shouted back.

Bad move, Killian.

The giant roared, furious at the chipmunk's comment, leaping from the high ledge. The trio freaked, dashing in the direction of the roadway where, from experience, they knew they could reach safety. Dodging cars required agility, and that happened to be their strong suit.

The chipmunks, who normally walked on two feet, had moved into a four-legged gallop. Minus Killian. He was struggling with his three-legged hobble, not used to having to bolt as quickly as they were. The giant was catching up to him, and fast.

" Why is it always me? " He half-growled and half-wailed, trying to set himself a rhythm. They were usually stealthy thieves, almost never needing to run, and so Killian had deemed it unnecessary to practise his sprinting.

Bad move, Killian. Again.

His efforts were evidently in vain. Anton was quickly gaining on the dark-furred rodent, a monstrous look on his features.

" WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU BEING NERVOUS?! " Killian panted, stumbling a little as he lost his focus on his legs. Robin kept looking back at the two as they ran, his face anxious. But as he quickly glanced backwards, he abruptly slammed his head into a tree, and Killian overtook him rapidly. Anton's attention fixed on the dazed Robin.

David cursed ahead of them, falling back to assist his friend as he was getting to his feet. Killian continued to run, urged on by a nod from his fellow thief. His eyes zeroed in on a human truck not too far away, a tree being loaded onto the back. He didn't pause to consider why a tree had been ripped straight from the ground, his legs moving desperately. The bag of nuts were far from his mind at this point.

Behind Killian, David and Robin had gotten to their feet. They narrowly avoided the grasp of the giant rodent, and were now racing after him, Robin's steps a little more wobbly than his friend's. Ahead of them, the tree had been loaded on to the back of the ute, and the humans had almost finished tying it down.

But the footsteps of Anton were still strong in their ears, the agile creatures mainly staying a few feet ahead of the giant, Killian struggling to keep up with his friends. There was no chance of outwitting the creature – Only brutal running, their chests heaving with every step, every nerve in their bodies on fire.

So close now. Five meters…. Four… Three… Two…

The three placed every last bit of their energy into their legs, leaping forward just as the ute's back was being closed, the humans oblivious as they scrambled for purchase. Robin and David helped Killian drag himself forward, using their front paws to make up for his lack of one.

All of them safely shivering in the back of the ute, they almost found it in themselves to laugh as they heard the unsuccessful crashing of Anton as he tried to scramble inside.

" It's useless, mate! " Killian gasped, chest heaving as he attempted to control his breathing. " We don't want your nuts anymore! " His friends chuckled, and he joined them for a moment, until the ute moved into action.

As he looked around in vague panic, he noted that David's face was a picturesque calmness, completely at ease with the movement. Robin didn't seem to care. Assuming that if his friends are fine with it, he should be, he lay down and let the rumbling lull him into a restless sleep.

Emma was having a terrible day.

Mary-Margaret was far too happy for comfort, dancing around like it was Summer again, her skunk-like patterns of pitch-black and snow-white (Which had granted a nickname for the rodent Superstar – Snow White) shimmering in the icy light that slanted through the thick glass.

Regina, on the contrary, was being bitchy and miserable, moping around the loft with her head down. The loft was a gift from their producer, Mr Gold - a man with a solid gold cane and a snarky smile, but had shown them kindness in tough times.

The chipmunk ('Emma, we're called the Chipettes') had been labelled the Evil Queen, known for her sharp smile, a rudeness in her demeanour, and the soulful voice she gained during the more dark songs they had sung. She had apparently had a dream of the chipmunk she'd been with a few years ago.

He was 'more attractive than a handsome acorn', according to a very sugar-induced high of Regina's. He'd disappeared a while ago, but as chipmunks weren't exactly the sort of creatures to require a search patrol should one go missing, she never found out what happened to him.

It was a depressing story, even if she were sick of hearing it.

But the Evil Queen wasn't the only female chipmunk to have a dream.

It was a bit of a blur, but the key aspects were the giant creature behind her, the falling snow streaming as she ran, and the inability to run, constantly stumbling and cursing.

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure out why. Not the meaning of it, of why she had it, of why she couldn't run. The dream began to slip from her fingers as time passed, until she could only remember those important pieces. It tore at her, a feeling of importance nagging at her. She took a moment to think, but nothing arose. No sudden realisation, no epiphany. Just confusion and worry. Why was this so important to her?

Emma was known as the Saviour in their trio of female chipmunk singers. It was apparently because she was the one who tied them together. Funnily enough, Mary-Margaret and Regina used to be at each other's throats, before Emma came along and solved everything for them.

Well, not everything. She still had her dream that still tickled the back of her brain, and only when she resolutely ignored it, it finally faded.

But that wasn't important at the moment. Her terrible day needed to be put behind her, the stress of the upcoming performance increasing her previous anxiety. She couldn't go on stage with such a worried look on her features now, could she?

They were due in one minute, according to the little microphone and speaker near where they entered, the lights of the stage flashing in many colours before they were introduced by the woman, her voice loud and obnoxious.

And suddenly she was pushed on by the two other chipmunks flanking her, a fake smile automatically plastering itself on her features. She took her place on the highest raised pendulum, the fog ghosting around her miniature jeans as they shot right into their first song, upbeat and aimed to drag in their audience.

" Oh don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me.
I said you're holding back,
She said shut up and dance with me!
This woman is my destiny,
She said oooh!
Shut up and dance with me! "

Their trio ended, and Regina took the solo, her voice soulful as she stepped forward.

" We were victims of the night,
The chemical, physical, kryptonite.
Helpless to the bass and faded light.
Oh we were born to get together,
Born to get together.

She took my arm,
I don't know how it happened.
We took the floor and she said, "

"Oh don't you dare look back,
Just keep your eyes on me.
I said you're holding back,
She said shut up and dance with me!
This woman is my destiny,
She said oh, oh, oh,
Shut up and dance with me!

A backless dress and some beat up sneaks,
My discotheque Juliet teenage dream.
I felt it in my chest as she looked at me.
I knew we were born to be together,
Born to be together, "

The music floated from the front of the ute, Killian blinking his eyes open as it hit his ears. It was obviously a live broadcast, the echo of the microphone still not masking the beauty of the singers' high voices. He rested his head on his paws as he listened to the rest of the song, and fell into a soft sleep the second the last beat sounded. The message after the song was lost in the haze of sleep.

" And that was a live broadcast of the Chipette's cover of 'Shut Up and Dance'! Emma, Regina and Mary-Margaret are the up-coming music rodents of our age! " The presenter laughed, and by then Killian was long gone, in a slumber lulled by the female's voices. But one name clasped in his mind.

Emma.