Hello! I am sorry I am so late in bringing this back. My old beta reader , I assume, was kidnapped by rouge sea monkeys or something of the like. For months, I have not heard of word from him. I did not want to post any chapters without his go ahead. However, since I have not been able to get in touch with him, and I feel that you all I have waited enough for this.

So here you go. Enjoy!

Also, I am sorry for an awful grimmer mistakes in this. I now have no beta reader. If you wish to take up the role, please message me on here. Any who, I hope that you have a wonderful day or night wherever on Earth you might be when you read this.

P.S: If anyone find those darn sea monkeys who kidnapped my old beta reader tell me at once! I'm ready for war!


Two days before the Symphony Soiree began, Nick slept. In his slumber, he smiled. He dreamt of Kathleen and of their little family having a picnic beneath a gentle sun among dancing flower petals. He dreamt until a strong white paw shook his shoulder. Nick opened his eyes. A nightingale's song fluttered in the room. Dawn's growing sunlight sparkled in Kathleen's eyes. Faced with her beauty coated in pink and crimson light Nick had to ask himself one thing: Was he still dreaming?

Kathleen proved otherwise when she pinched his nose. Nick sat up, her paw still on his face.

"Get up." Kathleen released his nose. "We must depart for Silver Lion City soon. Take a shower. I will make breakfast."

"Okay." Nick yawned, and Kathleen recoiled, her paw scrambling to save her nose from his morning breath.

"Please, brush your teeth. It's as if you chased down a plate of garlic and onions with sewage."

Nick chuckled. "There's a lovely image to think about in the morning."

"Don't dawdle." She smirked and walked out.

Nick jumped into the shower. He scrubbed every strand of his fur with shampoo and soap until his red coat had become lost beneath a hill of suds. He rinsed and dried off. His fluffy fur stood on end. He brushed his teeth. A towel hung around his waist, and a faint cologne clung to his bare, muscled chest.

And that's how he walked into the kitchen.

From tail to nose, Kathleen turned pink in an instant when a seemingly nearly naked Nick entered her sight. Holding a plate filled with food, Kathleen's free paw covered her eyes.

"Cover-up!"

Nick smiled slyly at how Kathleen's peeked at his chest through her dights.

"No," He said, "I can wear what I want in my own house. Besides, a certain vixen I know loves when I walked around like this."

"You're misremembering things."

Nick pointed at Kathleen's tail which wagged thirty times a second.

"Just eat!" A pink-faced Kathleen said, grabbing her tail and trying to tame it within her steely grip.

Nick snicked as he sat across from Kathleen. They ate breakfast together for the first time in years, and Nick counted how many times Kathleen glanced at his chest. (He counted 15) Of course, Nick never told Kathleen this little secret: Before he walked into the kitchen, Nick had put on clothes. If his towel fell, it merely exposed his rolled-up pants. This acted as Nick's revenge for Kathleen pinching his nose to wake up. Also, Nick just loved to make Kathleen blush.

"So, why'd you wake me up so early?" Nick wiped some powdered sugar from his fresh toast off his lip.

"I know how you are with getting up in the morning." Kathleen sipped her tea. "You loth waking up before noon and since I, barring your mother, am the only vixen who is an expert at dealing with you in your groggy state, I thought it best to come and awaken you myself."

"Okay. But why so soon? It's 7 am."

"It's 10."

"It's 10 am. That's what I said."

"The flight to Silver Lion City is 12 hours. I assume by the time we arrive none of us will have any energy. So, as I see it, we'll spend the first day flying, get to our hotel, rest, and tomorrow will be the Soiree. After that, we head home the next morning."

Nick almost spit out his apple juice. "12 hours?!" He had guessed it would take 6 or 7 hours to reach Sliver Lion City from Zootopia. But 12? 12 hours trapped in a small, cramped seat while someone's baby probably wailed and carried on? A headache spawned.

"It's going to be a long flight," Nick groaned.

"The only one's aboard the plane will be us, Zelda, and our pilots."

"What? Did you buy out all the other tickets?"

"I rented a private jet. They have agreed to take us to and from Silver Lion City."

Nick whistled in amazement. "How much did that cost?"

"300,000." Kathleen shuddered. "I hate spending so much, but Zelda is worth it. This Soiree may become the most important event in her career. She's worked hard. She deserves to squeeze every drop of joy she can from this time." Kathleen prodded her eggs with her spoon. "I just want her to be happy." She murmured barely above a whisper. In her eyes, gloom grew. She slumped in her chair, a small potent, frown polluting her face. Her blush had died. She somberly munched on her food, and forced by his worry, Nick asked, "Do you sometimes wish you were the one up there instead of Zelda?"

"I've resigned myself to my fate," Kathleen said, and Nick's heart bled for her.

To have such talent, skill, and passion waste away in her student's shadow, how cruel could the world be?

They finished breakfast with a few more words spoken.

They washed their dishes, Nick got dressed, Kathleen's helped packed his things, and after Nick called a cab, they arrived at the private hanger. They passed through it, and Zelda greeted them standing nearby a sleek obsidian jet.

"This is so awesome!" Zelda jumped into the air, her sunglasses gleaming, her sundress flowing. "We're going to Silver Lion City!"

"Did you bring your homework?" Kathleen asked.

Zelda groaned. "Oh, come on, Kat! This is a once and a lifetime chance, and you are thinking about homework? Relax. I'll live if I don't do homework for one day."

"You're free from homework on your birthday and Christmas." Kathleen unzipped her luggage. She pulled out stacks of sheet music, a laptop, C. Ds of several old and new musicians, notebooks, a dozen pencils, and a manual pencil sharper. She dropped everything into Zelda's arms. "Go to the back of the plane. We will reach our destination in 12 hours, more than enough time for you to study, and relax before we arrive. But you are correct about one thing. This is a special time, so you may study for just 3 hours and stop after that. Don't give me those big, adorable eyes. If I am unfazed by Ryder doing it, you can never sway me. Go. Now."

"Stupid old fox," Zelda grumbled, balancing everything in her arms.

"What was that?!" Kathleen yelled. Her motherly tone thundered.

"I said I've got a stupid old sock!" Zelda ducked to avoid her antlers crashing into the doorway.

"She doesn't even wear socks or shoes," Nick said giving his and Kathleen's luggage to their co-pilot, a warthog with tusks paler than curdler milk. "Also, why are you giving her homework?"

"She needs it. To be a master you must study the masters who came before you. Everyone has to. It's only a fact." Kathleen marched up the stairs, and Nick followed.

The plane took off within the hour. Ebony metal wings soared in heaven, above a white fluffy sea where little rainbows grew, and glimmering colors splashed everywhere you looked. Nick admired the view from his window. He sat in a soft golden recliner. On his right, a glass of refreshing water rested on his chair's coaster, and on his left, sat a little bowl of fresh plump blueberries. With his claw, he plucked one. Sweet juice dripped down his digit. He opened his mouth and tossed a blueberry into the air. It went up and up, higher, and higher, and never came down.

"Eat like a normal fox," Kathleen said, carrying a lyre. She ate the blueberry she had caught and sat across from Nick. A polished marble table rested between them. "I don't want you getting blueberries juice on this carpet. I'm renting this plane, not buying it."

Nick rolled his eyes. "You sound like my mother."

"Thank you." She sat and plucked some of the lyre's strings and crystal notes twanged. "Do you mind if I play? I'm new to this instrument and want to get some practice with it done today."

"Go ahead." Nick folded his arms behind his head. "How many instruments have you mastered now anyway?".

Kathleen counted on her paws. "Piano, guitar, drums, harp, violin, saxophone, trumpet, bass, clarinet, flute, tuba, harmonica, trombone, and bagpipes."

Nick closed his eyes. "That's it? In five years, you've only mastered three more instruments?"

"Between teaching Zelda, and rising Ryder, I have very little time to myself."

More crystal notes flew off Kathleen's lyre, and within his mind's eye, Nick imagined her paws flowing over those strings like a river flowing over rocks. Magical music echoed. Upon a swelling, delicious melody, Nick's soul set sail. He took in every note. He cherished each tune more than food or water. Peace overcame him. Time sunk beath waves of gentle wonder and joy, and Nick felt like a king, rich beyond measure, graced with a solace few would know or ever dream of knowing in all their days. So, it unsettled him when those notes vanished. He opened his eyes. Kathleen had traded her lyre for a book on the instrument itself.

Nick yawned, "Hey, what did you stop for?"

"I played for three hours straight, Nicholas." She said, focused on her book. "My paws need a break, and I need to study. I missed 104 notes. I must be better."

"It sounded wonderful to me."

A smile peeked over her book's edges. "Thank you. But as I recall you once told me I could play a song on a banjo made out of spider webs, and mud, and it would still sound wonderful."

"This is a testament to your tremendously terrific talent."

"Be silent and keep those adorable alliterations to yourself. I must study."

Nick climbed out of his seat. He bent backward until his head touched his calves, and Kathleen shivered in disgust when his back refreshingly cracked. "I think, I'm going to walk up and down the plane for a little bit. I've got to stretch my legs."

"Very well. Don't get lost."

"I'll do my best."

Nick took five steps.

"Kat, I'm lost! Help!"

She hurled a blueberry at his head, and Nick caught in it his mouth and strolled off.

He walked into the last room of the plane. Zelda sat surrounded by piles of music sheets strewn across a table. A dozen open and empty C. D's cases lay around her chair's mahogany legs. Her drooping eyelids rested on her laptop while she clicked, replayed a piece of whatever song she was studying, and jotted down information in her notebook. She grunted and flipped to another page maddeningly. Six soda cans cluttered her workspace.

"Hey, Zelda. Are you working hard?" Nick said.

Zelda didn't respond.

"I think you take a break."

The pop star huffed, and kept at her work, eyes glued to her laptop.

Nick studied her for a second. "Oh." He walked around Zelda and unplugged her earbuds from her computer.

"What happened?!" Zelda cried. "Why's my laptop not working?!" She grabbed it and rattled it, sending music sheets and notes and C. Ds everywhere. Disc after disc dropped to the ground, and paper fluttered down not far behind. Zelda's stifled scream clawed at her throat.

Nick tapped her shoulder. Zelda yelped, fell out of her chair, and landed on her back. Her antlers grazed Nick's shirt.

"Hey." He said looking down at her.

"Nick!" Zelda rolled onto her stomach and jumped to her feet. "Don't you know not to sneak up on someone like that?"

"I walked in here, said hi twice, and strolled around you to unplug your earbuds. We've been flying for three hours. You can stop studying now. I think you need it anyway. You look like you are about ready to jump out of the plane without a parachute. Sit down. Relax. I'll get you something to drink."

Zelda sighed, rubbing her temple. "Thanks." She picked up her chair and plopped into it, face buried in her hoofs. "I'm just nervous. The reality of everything just hit me. I'm going to the Symphony Soirée. I've known about it for months, and I still can't believe it happening."

"What do you mean?" Nick tossed a water bottle into her lap, and she grabbed it before it rolled off her knees.

"Nick, do you know how old most mammals are when they get invited to the Symphony Soirée? Most are in their mid to late 40s because it took them so long to reach this point. Then there's me. For me to even be invited at 18 is like hearing about a 14-year-old being a university professor. Sure, it's possible, but how often does it happen? To top it off, I think I may be the youngest mammal ever invited. I think before me, the youngest mammal invited was 25 or 26, and that was over 50 years ago."

"So what? You're nervous about making a good first impression?"

Zelda gulped. Her hoofs trembled. "It's more than that. Yeah, I want to make a good impression since everyone there will be my elders, but I also don't want to let Kat down. She's been there by my side every day for years. Without her, I wouldn't even know how to carry a tune. That's why I was pouring myself so hard into my studies when you came in. I just want to make her proud, and maybe someday be great as she is."

Nick chuckled. "Zelda, Kat was proud of you long before you ever become a star."

"I know."

"But you do understand?" Nick gave her a knowing soft look and knelt at her side. "This happened maybe 10 or 11 years ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. Kat and I were on a date, and the whole time she wouldn't shut up about you. She just kept yammering on and on about you, how you had finally gotten down the notes for your first song, and when you got your first guitar. She went on for hours and aside from goodbye and an I love you; I never got a single word in that night."

Zelda hung her head. "I'm sorry I ruined your date."

"One, it was over ten years ago. So, I'm more than over it. Second, I found it hilarious. It was cute how Kathleen kept gushing and going on about you like how you were her little girl or something. I know you see her as a sister. But believe me, by the way, she was talking about you, you'd think her baby girl had just taken her first steps. And that was back when you were just a random kid, in a random elementary school. If Kathleen gushed about you like that then, imagine how she feels now. If she could, the vixen probably exploded in confetti."

Zelda giggled. "Thanks, Nick."

"No problem." He smiled before his face took on a sudden and somber change. "But there's also something else I won't mention. You said you wanted one day to be as great as Kat? Well, and I'm not saying this to hurt or belittle you, but that's impossible. You'll never be at Kat's level."

Zelda frowned. She avoided his eyes and so he went on with compassion in his speech and a gentle paw on her shoulder. "Now, don't get the wrong idea. You're great. As you implied earlier the fact that you even got invited to this party is proof of that. You're one in one a million, but Kat? She's one in a hundred billion. Did she ever tell you about how she got her first detention?"

Zelda shook her head.

"It happened when we were in the 6th grade. Kat had only out into the hall to get a drink of water and on her way back into class she walked by the band room. According to her, 'I heard someone murdering Mozart!' By that she meant she heard someone playing a piece of Mozart's music so wrong, she had to correct them. So that's what she did. Kat stormed into the band room and yelled, 'Cease your crime at once!' And gave the mammal a lecture on what he was doing wrong, and how to improve. Then she took over the piano, flawlessly played the piece, and left."

"And she got in trouble for mouthing off to another student?

"She got in trouble for mouthing off to a teacher. Keep in mind, that this teacher had a P.H.D in music. He wasn't a rookie. He knew what he was doing. So, imagine how mad he got when this random 12-year-old fox came out of nowhere and did something he couldn't. That's why Kathleen is one in a hundred billion. Even at 12, she was above a master. A mammal with talent can be matched and surpassed by a mammal with determination. Zelda, you've got no talent but all the determination. That's why Kat took you as her student. But Kat herself? She's got talent and determination to spare. That's why someone like her won't be seen again for generations."

"Don't you think you're being biased?"

"You've seen her dance, heard her sing and play. Do you think I'm being biased?"

Zelda's little smile had sorrow for herself and pride for her teacher mixed inside. "No."

"Now don't go getting down in the dumps." Nick pattered her back. "I'm just saying all this because it's important to know your limits. If you keep trying to do something you just aren't made to do, you'll burn yourself." He pointed over at her slobby workspace. "Just take things are your own pace and I know it'll sound cliché, but just try and be the best you that you can be."

Zelda leaned back in her seat; eyes closed. She let out a few deep breaths and looked back at Nick with a tired grin. "Want to help me clear the table and play go fish or blackjack?"

"Now you're talking! But let's make things interesting. For every round you win, I'll tell you one embarrassing story about Kat's childhood that she told no one but me, and if you win, you will tell me one funny or embarrassing story about Kat that happened while I was away."

"What if Kat walks in and hears us talking about her?"

"Easy. We pray she doesn't kill us."

Zelda's laughter pealed. They cleaned the table and played blackjack, poker, and go fishing for hours. But after Zelda yawned for the fifth time, and after the sun had long since dipped below the clouds, turning white into gold and evening into twilight, they both retired.

Nick walked back to Kathleen. She sat in her chair asleep. Her book lay in her lap, still gripped in her paws. Nick gingerly took it from her. He rested it on the table, turned off the lights, and put a blanket over her. He went to sleep himself moments later in his recliner and his snores rumbled through the plane when the first-night star twinkled in the dimming sunset.