The plane flew under a golden crescent, and turbulence awoke Nick. An aching pain shot through his spine. His recliner, while nice, could never compare to his bed back home and its familiar comfort. Exhaustion ran from his ears to his toes. He yawned and climbed out of his chair. Nick stretched, and wiggled his arms and legs, hoping to shake some energy into them, all the while taking a peek out his window. His jaw dropped.
"Kathleen, wake up!"
The arctic fox jumped; paws curled into fists.
"What's wrong? What's going on?!" She asked, half-awake eyes blinking rapidly.
"Look out your window."
"A window?" She groaned, falling back in her seat. "Nicholas, you woke me up to look out an accursed window?! I was having a wondrous dream: Isabella and Ryder were flying kites, and you and I were…" She stopped herself short. White ears burned red. "Well anyway, it was a great dream, so you best have a great reason for waking me."
"Just look out your window."
With a sigh, Kathleen pushed herself up onto her feet, and wonder reflected in her eyes.
Below Sliver Lion City illuminated the night. Argent skyscrapers sent yellow electric light in heaven, so the clouds rolled along with a gold twinkle on their bellies. Each building stood fair and proud. On their heads rested lights sweet as starlight. Crimson, sapphire, and emerald neon signs glowed. They drove away back the shadows in every street, and every small soul walking about glimmered in the soothing summer night.
"Thank you for waking me up," Kathleen said breathlessly. "This is sublime."
"I know, right? But I'm curious," Nick said, adding a playful edge to his voice, "What were you and I doing in your dream?"
Kathleen changed the subject in a flash. "I have to fetch Zelda. She'd never forgive me if I let her miss this."
Nick laughed to himself after Kathleen had left. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of Silver Lion City. He sent it to his parents and Judy with a text which read: Safely arrived. This is my view.
Their plane landed less than half an hour later.
One overpriced taxi ride brought Nick, Kathleen, and Zelda to their hotel. A scent of cinnamon filled the black marble lobby of the Serene Savanna. Behind the receptionist's white oaken desk, stood a vast, handsome lion statue, wearing a sword at his hip and shield in his paw. A chandelier's light decorated his strong jaw and smooth jeweled face. His unmoving smile captured everyone's eye.
"Greetings, Gazelle." The kangaroo receptionist said, "Thank you for staying with us. Is your whole party?"
"Yes," Kathleen said, "We're listed under Ivory."
The kangaroo clicked through his computer. "Ah, here we are." He ducked under his desk and popped back not a moment later, holding three black plastic cards with golden writing printed on them. "Here are your room keys. The room for Gazelle and her vixen friend is 579. The room for the red fox is 580. Will you need any help with your luggage?"
Kathleen declined. The trio carried their suitcases into the elevator, rode it to their floor and Nick went into his room after Kathleen and Zelda went into theirs.
Nick never stopped to take in his wonderful room. He ignored the cream-colored rug, high definition 40,000-dollar plasma screen T.V, mini-fridge stocked with mountain water, soda, cheese, fresh-cut watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and minbar lined with wine fit for kings. Why? Because once he stepped inside, Nick threw himself down on his king-sized bed. He fell asleep in a heartbeat and slept well past the morning of the following day. After all, what's better than a nice bed after a long trip?
Day faded into night. The time had come. Less than an hour stood between the trio and the Soiree.
Nick stood in the hall. He waited for Kathleen and Zelda dressed in his white blazer, matching pants, black shirt, and crimson tie.
Kathleen emerged first. Her sapphire dress glimmered.
She gave Nick her phone and wallet.
"Please carry these for me. This dress, while fair, has not a single pocket, and I refuse to lug my purse around all night long."
Nick tucked both items away in his blazer's inner pocket. "Where's Zelda?"
"Polishing her horns. You look nice."
In an over dramatic fashion, Nick bowed. "You as well, milady."
Kathleen put a paw over her mouth. She hid her smile, not her giggles. She bowed in kind and spoke in an exaggerated noble manner. "Thank you, my lord. But thou are sullied. Upon thy comely collar dwell wicked wrinkles. Approach. Let my paws tend to them."
Nick came to her. Kathleen fixed his collar and this moment brought back into Nick's mind a hundred memories like it, where Kathleen, as his Edith, had fixed his collar before he headed out to work in Zootopia's streets. It was little things like this he loved the most, little moments with her. They made him feel like her husband again. Of course, Nick never mentioned how he had walked out into the hall with his collar purposely unmade. He had hoped Kathleen would fix his collar as she had done before. He just wanted those little moments with her back.
"There we go." Kathleen said, "Now you look far more dashing."
"Thanks."
"Think nothing of it."
They smiled at each other, and only looked at one another when Zelda joined them in the hall. The young musician wore a dress, not unlike her teacher. Her emerald gown glittered. At her shoulder and chest, sewn into her dress in a web-like pattern, silken threads bore a hundred tiny diamonds. They shone like little red stars. Her spotless horns gleamed, and over her chest rested a golden necklace.
"Wow." Nick said, "You look amazing."
Zelda smiled. "Thanks, Nick. What do you think, Kat?"
Kathleen put her paws onto her student's shoulders. "You look perfect. But how do you feel?"
"My stomach's doing backflips."
"That's normal. It will fade with time. Come, let us not keep our host and fellow music makers waiting."
The trio ventured down to the front entrance. Within the cold, oft mist which flowed from the fountain in front of the hotel sat a long, black limousine. The driver, a honey badger, stood outside his vehicle. He held aloft a sign which said Gazelle.
With Nick and Kathleen at her side, Zelda approached him.
"Hello, Miss." The Honey Badger said, tipping his black hat to her. "I will take you and your guest to the location of the Sympathy Soiree."
No trouble hounded their trip. The Honey Badger drove masterfully through those packed streets. Nick barely swayed in his seat whenever a hard turn came. He never flew forward whenever the car came to a sudden stop, and the world sweetly passed him like a thousand racing colors.
Kathleen spent the ride counseling Zelda, for the antelope's face looked as green as her gown.
"Is it too late to go back home?" Zelda asked hoofs over her stomach. " I think I am going to be sick."
"Where is the doe that was jumping and down, screaming to the sky with joy when she found out she was to come to this once and a lifetime event?" Kathleen asked, rubbing Zelda's back.
"I think we left her on the plane."
Kathleen hugged her. "Everything will be okay. Just remember, you earned this night through your sweat, blood, and tears, and never forget that no matter what happens, you will always be my pride and joy."
"I thought Ryder was your pride and joy?"
"My pride and my joy are big enough for the both of you."
A faint healthy color came back to Zelda's cheeks.
The car stopped, and the trio walked out to find themselves standing in front of the largest estate any of them had ever seen. It had a wide black iron gate, taller than five elephants. Behind metal bars thrived a garden so large that it had enough grass to feed a hundred starving goats. A thousand flowers bloomed. Tuples, roses, carnations, and marigolds swayed in the white mansion's sprawling shadow.
The Honey Badger walked to the front gate. From the gloom appeared a black panther, dressed in a black suit. The Honey Badger said something pointing back at Zelda, Kathleen, and Nick. The Black Panther stared at them. His solemn eyes showed no emotion. He nodded to the Honey Badger, unlocked the gate with a key from his pocket, and melted back into the darkness.
Nick, Kathleen, and Zelda went along the smooth walkway. From within the earth, a great host of solar night lights brightened their path while grass blades twinkled. At the mansion's lavish double front doors stood a liger butler. He had a lion's golden grace and a tiger's fearsome stature. He bowed to them, saw them inside without a word, and led them to a massive ballroom.
Both Kathleen and Zelda held their breath, for a hundred legends chatted in the room. By an ice sculpture carved in to look like treble clef stood an old gray wolf, Akela Kipling, the King of Rock Roll. An elder lion, Aslan Pevensie, High King of Gospel sat throned on a sofa, speaking before a crowd who stood transfixed by his deep golden words. A middle-aged hare Basil Abbey Jacques, Duke of Dances, hopped and jumped beneath a dozen hung wire lights. His legendary, elegant hops, twirls, and leap spellbound everyone. Beside a roaring fireplace, a white horse Shadowfax Reuel, King of Jazz, laughed with a mare, Hwin Archenland, Queen of Soul. So many more famous musicians walked and talked in the room Kathleen and Zelda became star-struck. Nick's clapping paws broke their trance.
"Oh, my Aurora," said Kathleen, "I knew there would be some legends here, but this is beyond my wildest dreams. Oh, I've admired Akela Kipling since I was a child. I listened to his old album Tiger Terror a thousand times!"
"No kidding," Said Zelda, shaking all over, "I've wanted to meet Shadowfax Reuel forever. Do you think he will let me have his autograph? Maybe he will even give me pointers!"
Teacher and student giggled and squealed like little girls.
Nick had to laugh.
"You know," he said, "This is a party. You can go talk to them."
Kathleen and Zelda gasped
"We can't do that, Nick!" Said Zelda.
"She is right, Nicholas." Kathleen said, her paws on her hips, "One just doesn't go up and talk to someone as famed as Akela Kipling like he is a common mammal off the street! We have to approach him carefully. We must use tact. This is a delightful situation."
Nick suppressed another chuckle. "Don't worry ladies. Just let me handle everything. Tact is my middle name."
Nick cupped his paws over his mouth, and he took a deep breath half a moment before the lights went out. Shadows swallowed everyone. A few, like Zelda, yelped. Yet those blessed with night vision like Kathleen and Nick stayed quiet. Nick saw many younger mammals look around baffled and worried while the older ones rolled their eyes. What was going on? Did they know the lights would go out?
"Greetings everyone!" Boomed a voice from above.
Aimed like spotlights, four butlers pointed flashlights at the ceiling. On a hanging wire, stood an ancient golden-capped fruit bat. He held his large, wrinkled wings around him like a cloak. Then he opened his arms. He had a wingspan longer than Nick's body, and he wore a tux that looked as old as himself. His war medals shimmered. A sharp smile revealed a toothless mouth, and cloudy, marble-sized eyes roamed. The bat titled his head to one side and threw himself forward. Cackling, he hung upside down.
"My, my, my" the bat said, "We have so many new faces this time around. Oh, what fun! What fun! This is going to be the best soiree yet. I can feel it in my wings. But where are my manners? I am Frederick Echo, King of Blues, and your host for this soiree and the past ten soirees as well. Soon, very soon, the contest will begin. When the clock strikes 7, you will all compete amongst yourselves to see who gains the honor of singing at the Zenith Stadium in Zootopia this year."
Excited mummers arose.
"Yes, children, it is wonderful!" Frederick cheered, clapping his claws together. "But that is still a little while off. For now, relax. Talk with your peers. Learn from them so you may grow and become better in your craft than when you arrived."
Frederick's feet let go. He dropped like a stone, and a moment before he fell onto one of his guests' heads, he flew. Flashlights followed him. He soared with a haunting grace. The flap of his wings came like thunder from somewhere far away as he spun, twirled, and did loops. His metals glowed. They moved with their host through the air like purple, blue, and red comets. Then the flashlights died. The main lights came back, and Frederick had vanished.
"How did he do that?" Nick asked, for even with his night vision he had lost sight of the bat.
"A trade secret, sonny." Said a voice behind Nick, so close to him, it tickled his neck.
"Ah!" Nick jumped into the air, and landed in Kathleen's arms, to find Frederick Echo laughing at him.
"Sorry, sonny." Frederick said while Kathleen put Nick down, "Didn't mean to scare you. I've always been sneaky, even among my fellow bats. Plus, I used to be a soldier but that was long ago. I only wished to talk to Gazelle." The Bat's gnarled paws kindly took hold of Zelda's hoof. "Gazelle, it's an honor to meet you. I believe you're the youngest mammal invited to this gathering of golden oldies since me when I first came to the Soiree at 25."
Zelda blushed. "Thank you, sir. It's an honor to meet you as well. My teacher, Miss Ivory, has had me listen to a lot of your old music to better improve. Your trumpet playing is godly."
"Thank you, dear." Frederick turned to Kathleen, his dark face so warm and kind. "Gazelle, who are your friends?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. The white vixen is my teacher Kathleen Ivory. She taught me everything I know."
Kathleen curtsied. "It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Echo. While your name is not well known among those of my age, rest assured, the masterpieces you wove after the war have inspired many. My mother grew up on your music, as did I and my son after me."
"Thank you so much, Miss Ivory. "Said Frederick, a tear in his eye, "That warms my old bones like you wouldn't believe. It's nice to know I've not been forgotten, and you are, good sir?" Frederick asked, turning to Nick.
Nick shook Frederick's cold, hard paw. "Nicholas Wilde, at your service scary old-timer."
Fredrick laughed. "Oh, I like you already, Mr. Wilde. It's so nice to have someone treat me like the old bat I am rather than talking to me like I'm a big ol' hotshot. But come on. Don't let a walking fossil like me waste your time. Let's go meet some mammals. Hey, Akela, get your fuzzy butt over here and say hi to Gazelle!"
Alas, while many things happened between then and 7 o clock, none of them were worth writing home about. The only things which happened were this: Kathleen fainted when Akela greeted her with a kiss on her paw, Zelda get Akela's autograph, and Akela got Zelda's autograph. Nick got into a witty disagreement with Basil, Duke of Dances over who liked blueberries better. This disagreement somehow led to a dance-off. After ten minutes of dancing his heart out Nick gave up, Basil threw his arm around the fox, and they laughed like brothers. Kathleen, once she had woken up, found out Aslan Pevensie had heard her name through the musical grapevine as "Gazelle's mysterious and magical teacher." And gave her his royal admiration. This reduced Kathleen to tears, and she dried her eyes in his rich, golden mane. Kathleen apologized. Yet Aslan only smiled and wiped her tears away like a grandfather would do for his granddaughter. Hwin Archenland gave Zelda tips on her singing while Shadowfax Ruel talked Nick's ears off about his own species' legends like Luthien and Beren. As I said, nothing interesting happened until 7 o'clock came.
"Everyone, may I have your attention?" Frederick said flying above the room, "The contest will begin soon. Everyone, follow me to the auditorium" He flew down the hall and all walked after him
Each guest found their seat in Frederick's massive auditorium, and they still had enough room for one thousand more mammals. Frederick flew and landed on his titanic stage. He needed no mic, for his voice reached the farthest and darkest corner.
"Those of you that know the rules can ignore me," Frederick said, "This is just for the new stars who haven't been here before. How this contest will work is simple. You were told on your invite to call and contact me about what song you wanted to sing. After you and I got done with our chat I had this setup," He pointed to a big black with countless colorful buttons on it. "When you want to get up here to do your piece, just speak your full name into the machine and it will play the song you and I picked over the phone. Don't ask me how it works. I'm old. I understand new technology as well as primitive cavebats understood space travel. Anyway, everyone will be called in alphabetical order by last name. Once that's all done, we will all get to vote. Who has the most votes gets the honor of singing at the Zenith Stadium this year. So, let's get started. Oh, but before I forgot. Only musicians who've never sung at the Zenith Stadium will be in the running for this one."
With pleasantries finished, Zelda looked more nervous than a firework in a candle factory.
Kathleen gently grabbed her hooves. "Relax." She said in her motherly voice. "You will be fine, Zelda. You have trained for years for this, even if you never knew it, and you're no longer that same tone-deaf child I began to train. You have grown. You've blossomed into a flower that stands above the trees. You're ready. You're the best."
Those words worked their magic. Zelda smiled. She glowed with confidence and ventured onto the stage when Mr. Echo called her name holding her head high.
Kathleen sniffled. "My baby's all grown up."
Nick grinned and gave Kathleen his handkerchief.
Zelda spoke her name into the machine. It let out a few mechanical growls and hums. Then the famous song Try Everything trumpeted out from its metal body. Zelda danced with beauty to stun the angles, with every drop of skill Kathleen had imparted to her across the years. Her voice swam through the air. Refreshing notes rose and fell from her song like waves. Music's immoral majesty possessed the room. Everyone looked at her with awe, save Kathleen whose prideful tears had blinded her. Then the music stopped. A powerful hush fell over everything, and an deafening applause replaced it.
Even without a vote, everyone knew who had won
Zelda bowed to her seniors. But when the next contender came, she did not surrender her moment in the spotlight. "I know what I'm going to say may sound typical of someone my age, but I don't deserve to be here. I mean that. I don't deserve to stand here in front of you all. My music teacher is a better musician than I will ever dream of being. She taught me everything I know, and even after over ten years of working myself to the bone, I'm not even half as good as she is. This is why, Mr. Echo," Zelda said looking at the bat who sat in the front row. "If it's ok with you, I'd like my teacher to come up here and perform for you all. I want her to enter the race."
Nick grinned. This was it. This was Kathleen's chance. Frederick would nod his wrinkled head, and say yes, Kathleen would walk up onto the stage, trying to hide her tears with how moved by Zelda's action she was, and then she would sing. She would dance and dazzle everyone. Everyone would love her as much as Nick loved her, and they would all agree she should sing with Zelda at the Zenith Stadium. At least, that's what Nick had hoped.
Frederick Echo shook his head sadly, "I am sorry, Zelda. We can't let your teacher do that. You've got to understand something. We, as musicians, would be happy to let you do that, but our record labels wouldn't. We're allowed to pick who sings on the stage, but that's really a formality. The record labels have the final say on the matter. If they say no, it's because they think the mammal we picked won't sell out enough tickets, and they know no one will come to buy tickets for a fox no one's heard of. Again, I'm sorry. But we've got to decline."
Zelda looked like someone had shot her. "Oh, okay." She said numbly. She bowed and went back to her seat.
Kathleen placed a paw on her knee, a little silent thank you.
"It's okay, Zelda." Kathleen said, "It was enough for me to come."
But it wasn't enough for Nick. He seethed. He understood why it happened, but did it make him less furious? Never. He had sat there. He had heard everyone else go, try their hardest, and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, Kathleen had them beat. He fumed for hours. Even when they got back to the hotel, steam still rolled from his ears, and anger scorched his bones. How could he sleep now?
While Kathleen and Zelda got out of the car, he stayed inside.
"I'll see you guys in the morning," he said.
"Nicholas, where are you going?" Kathleen said
"To sightsee." He lied
Kathleen stared at him hard, and Nick fought not to crumble under her gaze.
"Very well." She said at last. "Do not stay out too late. Be back by midnight, or I will find you and drag you to bed myself."
He saluted her. "Roger that."
Nick waited until Kathleen and Zelda had gone inside before he turned to the Honey Badger.
"Hey, buddy, do you know any good bars around here?"
