The little animal took a deep breath as she walked up to the front gates of Zootopia Elementary. It was her first day of 3rd grade. "Make it a good day." her mother encouraged.
"Don't get into too much trouble." her father teased before kissing the top of her head.
"Freak." a tall, lean jaguar suddenly hissed, tripping her with his tail.
Violette Bonnie Hopps-Wilde fell, her backpack weighing her down. As she crashed to the ground, her little nose twitching and her short ears quivering, the surrounding students began to laugh at her and mock her.
"Half-breed!"
"Small fry!"
"Loser!"
Tears stung Violette's rusty red cheeks, even as the bell rang and the bullies dispersed.
Sniffling, Violette opened her eyes and rose steadily to her feet. She wiped her nose and hurried up the steps. As she walked through the door, she caught her reflection in the window. She was a very unique little mammal. Her mother was Zootopia's first rabbit police officer, Judy Hopps-Wilde and her father was Officer Nicholas Wilde, a fox.
Violette had inherited her mother's somewhat short stature, her twitchy nose, her bucked teeth, her purple eyes, and her long rabbit's feet. From her father, Violette inherited orange fur, though hers was a bit duller than her father's fox sears, and a long bushy tail.
Violette frowned. "I really am a freak."
With her tail dragging behind her, Violette made her way to her classroom and sat in the very back. She put her backpack under her desk and buried her face in her arms ignoring the whispers of the students around her.
"Hey… are you ok?"
Violette turned her head. The desk next to her was occupied by a timberwolf with dirty blonde fur and wide green eyes. He wore a black T-shirt marked by a wolf's paw with green paw pads, the logo of a local punk rock band, Veridian Weekend, and blue shorts.
Violette shook her head. "As you can see, I'm a freak, so, no, I'm not ok."
The wolf's expression darkened. "I saw what those creeps did to you outside. I'm sorry. I would've helped, but… I hate confrontation, despite my predatory physique," he extended a paw. "Arron Silverbane."
Violette didn't take his paw. She just turned away.
Aaron frowned. "I, um… I like your dress. Lavender brings out your eyes."
Violette looked down at her dress. It had been a gift from a family friend for her birthday. It was ankle length with short sleeves and a light blue sash. It was a beautiful dress.
"It's far too pretty for a freak like me," she whispered.
—
As the day progressed, Violette tried to draw as little attention to herself as she could, which wasn't easy. Like her mother before her, Violette was a smart little creature. She knew a little about a lot of subjects and what she didn't know, she was eager to learn. She didn't speak up in class if she could help it, but she did take extensive notes.
When recess came, Violette made sure she was the last to leave the room. But as she grabbed her snack, she was stopped by her teacher, a kind ewe with dark curly wool. "Violette, stop a minute. Can I have a word?"
Violette nodded. "Yes, Ms. Van Der Wool," she approached her teacher's desk. Ms. Van Der Wool knelt down.
"Someone told me you had a little trouble with bullies this morning. Is that true?"
Violette's cheeks burned. But she couldn't lie to her teacher. Her parents raised her better than that. "Yes, ma'am. They pushed me down and called me names because I'm half-bunny and half-fox," tears sprang up in her eyes. "They called me a freak."
Ms. Van der Wool hugged her. "You poor sweet child… was it anyone in this class?"
Violette wiped her eyes. "I don't know… I haven't got a good look at anyone in the class," she looked up at her teacher. "Do I have to go out for recess?"
"I'm afraid so. But it'll be okay. You'll have eyes on you at all times." Ms. Van der Wool promised.
—
When Violette walked onto the playground, she kept her eyes downward. Maybe if she didn't make eye contact, no one would pay her any mind. She grabbed her bag of homemade blueberries and sat against the wall. As she nibbled on a blueberry, a shadow loomed above her.
"Hey half-prey." a voice growled.
Violette flinched. "P-please… I don't want any trouble… I just wanna be left alone."
A huge paw grabbed the scruff of her shirt and lifted her off the ground. She was face-to-face with the rude jaguar who had tripped her earlier. His brown eyes bore into her.
"You don't want any trouble, huh? Well, we don't want you here anyway." the bully growled.
Violette looked away. "Please… let me go…" she begged.
"What're you gonna do, freak? Cry like the little half-prey you are?" the bully sneered.
"Hey!" a voice barked.
Violette saw the wolf from earlier, Aaron walking over. Even though the jaguar had a good few inches on Aaron, the timberwolf stood tall. "You heard her. Let her go."
The bully laughed. "Well, well, the sheepish timberwolf."
"First of all, that's an insult to sheep, including our teacher, so knock it off," Aaron's bright green eyes shone with a bravado that was anything but sheepish. "Secondly, not looking for a fight is not the same as not being able to. However, it's only the first day and I'd like to stay out of trouble. So let my friend go."
"This little freak is your friend?" the jaguar laughed as she shoved Violette towards Aaron. "You two make a good pair! The coward and the freak!"
"I am NOT a coward!" Aaron bared his teeth and extended his claws.
The jaguar chuckled. "Well? Show me what you got, dog breath."
Violette grabbed one of Aaron's paws. "You said you didn't wanna get in trouble," she whispered. "So don't. Not for me."
Aaron looked at her. The look in his eyes softened. He smiled a little.
"You know, I like your dress a lot," he said.
"Ahem." One of the yard duties, a bear with golden fur and sharp blue eyes walked up. "Students, are we all getting along?"
The bully said nothing, but he walked away.
Aaron shook his head. "When will some mammals learn?" He turned to Violette. "Let's try this again, shall we?" he extended a paw. "Aaron Silverbane."
After a moment's hesitation, Violette took it. Aaron was big enough that his paw dwarfed hers. "Violette Hopps-Wilde."
"Violette… I like that name. It fits you." Aaron looked at the bag of berries in his new friend's paw. "Wow, those are blue. No way you got those from the store."
Violette smiled. "Nope. Straight from my grandparents' farm in Bunnyburrow. Want some?"
"Please and thank you," Aaron replied.
Violette poured a few berries into Aaron's paw. He popped them into his mouth. "Oh, wow, these are good!"
Violette beamed. "Best in the business."
"I believe it." Aaron smiled.
The bell rang, signaling the students to return to class. Violette took a deep breath. "Here we go…"
"It'll be okay, Violette. I got your back. I won't let anyone treat you bad." Aaron promised.
The two friends walked back into class and took their seats. This time around, Violette was a lot more vocal, raising her paw to ask a question or to volunteer an answer. And if a classmate smirked or snickered, Aaron would fix them with a glare. For a peaceful timberwolf, Aaron could glare like a champ.
At lunch, the two friends shared meals. Their bond was growing fast. Violette started to open up around Aaron. After lunch, they played on the playground again, where Violette showed off her excellent jump roping and hopscotch skills. "I hop like a Hopps." she bragged.
"So give it all you gots!" Aaron laughed.
—
At the end of the day, Violette spotted a limousine pull up, driven by a polar bear. "Oh, my ride's here already?"
Aaron's jaw dropped. "I thought your parent were cops!"
"They are. They're really busy, so my godmother picks me up. She's Mr. Big's daughter."
Aaron gulped. "Jeez, that's… scary."
Violette giggled. "Oh, Aaron, don't worry. You're good." she suddenly hugged him tight. "Thanks for being my friend."
Aaron hugged back. "Thanks for letting me be your friend, Vi. See you tomorrow?"
"See you tomorrow," Violette confirmed. She skipped towards the limo and got in.
"Violette, sweetheart, how was school?" Fru Fru Big asked.
"It started bad, but it turned good." Violette described her day.
Judy Big, Fru Fru's teenage daughter, rolled her eyes. "Mom, are you sure we can't ask Grandpa to ice anyone who calls Vi a freak?"
"That's not the way to solve all life's problems, honey," Fru Fru grinned. "Besides, our Vi is in good paws. She has that nice wolf as a friend."
Violette smiled. "Yeah. Aaron's my best friend. I can't wait to see him again."
