Good day, friends! I know it's been a while! Finals for college had be busy hitting the books and then Christmas being soon after didn't give me much time to write at alln(I hope everyone had a happy holiday). Then I went a little nuts binge-playing Pokémon Sun. It's such a well-done game! But this isn't exactly the right audience for a game review. In this chapter, we're getting Lucas settled into Zootopia. Please enjoy and I hope everyone has a happy New Year!

Chapter 5: A Red-Eyed Vixen

During the whole train ride back to Zootopia, Lucas sat between Nick and Judy, tightly hugging his backpack to his chest. Judy combed her paw through his thick, orange bangs, hoping that the slight and gentle tugs would ease the teenage fox's nerves. She felt bad that his social anxiety was acting up so much, though she knew it would be unavoidable. Nick kept thinking about what he'd read in Lucas's file. The kid had been neglected, violated and traumatized in more ways than Nick could imagine happening to a single mammal. Nick tried not to let it show, but this really got to him.

"H-hey, D-Dad…?" Lucas faintly spoke for the first time the entire train ride.

Nick felt the veil of awkwardness and tension get lifted off of their shoulders upon hearing the shy fox's voice. His green eyes met Lucas's blue eyes as he replied, "Yes, Lucas?"

"Y-you've lived in Zootopia all your life, right? What's it like?" the younger fox asked the older fox.

"Well, like every city, Zootopia has its flaws and dark side, but it's full of wonderful mammals. It's got its highs and lows, but the infrastructure is amazing! The civil engineers did something right in that. Just…don't ever cross Mr. Big. There are plenty of fellow foxes if you look hard enough," Nick started to regale Lucas with the pros and cons of his own fair city as best he could off the top of his head. "Um… Gazelle lives there. So do some other popstars you're interested in. We've got ZooU, too. It's a great school! It doesn't feel as big as it is, either."

"You know, we've got to get you registered for high school, too!" Judy exclaimed in realization.

"Um…f-from the incident up until now, I've always been homeschooled at the orphanage or in one of my foster homes…" Lucas informed the rabbit and the older fox.

Judy's thoughts lingered on Lucas saying 'incident'. There were a lot of things that had happened to him that would have been dubbed 'the incident', but Judy theorized that, in Lucas's mind, the worst of it all must have been the fire that started this downward spiral of misfortune. She told the 14-year-old, "That's going to change. For one thing, it means that you've been surviving, but hardly learning for the first two years since the fire. For another thing, you'll meet a bunch of kids your own age! You'll make friends and have an easier time adjusting to this big change in your life."

"M-Mom, I…" Lucas stuttered, but was cut off by the sensation of Judy grabbing his arm and gazing earnestly into his eyes.

"Lucas, please, you have to trust me," Judy insisted, wanting to get Lucas's paws wet in social interaction. "Savannah Central High School is a great school where you'll meet a diverse group of mammals and really feel at home."

"And yes, you do have to go to school," Nick added slyly. Lucas looked at Judy, then at Nick, and then back at Judy, keeping a consistent gaze of fear and uncertainty, but then he nodded. Judy felt elated. This was one of many small victories that she would have in bringing Lucas up. She almost didn't hear Nick say, "Look, we're here already!"

Lucas slung his backpack onto his back and took up a suitcase. Nick also carried a suitcase and Judy led them off the train. The train station was packed and bustling with mammal activity. The Wilde family started wading through the crowd. Lucas could feel his social anxiety building up again. There were so many people! He would have been overwhelmed had he not been distracted by a female fox that he bumped into. She was wearing a crimson jacket and a floral dress underneath it. Her fur was a light orange and she had fur from her scalp that went down to her shoulder blades. Some locks of it even draped her shoulders. She had big, vermilion eyes that held Lucas's attention.

"I'm sorry. I should've watched where I was going," the she-fox apologized with a slight bow and a pleasant smile.

"N-no, it was my fault. I'm sorry," Lucas returned the apology with one of his own. "My name is Lucas. N-nice to meet you."

"My name's Ashira! It's a pleasure! You seem nervous. You look like you're about my age. Are you starting high school soon?" the vixen introduced herself and immediately asked. She seemed awfully energetic.

"Y-Yeah… In Savannah Central…" Lucas replied, taken aback by how excited Ashira seemed about meeting a new person. She was so giddy, so personable, so…cute! Adorable! Beautiful! Lucas felt his face start to grow hot. Her red eyes sparkled like rubies and her light orange fur glistened like the radiant sun. Her smile was sweet and, in its own way, iridescent. Lucas's mind ran wild! He had never felt that way about a female before.

"Me, too! I'm so nervous about my freshman year!" Ashira informed the he-fox, but she seemed more excited than nervous. "I don't really know what I want to do with my life, though. What do you want to do? Do you know?"

"I think I want to be a forensic scientist," Lucas responded. Ashira's face lit up with fascination. Lucas felt bad about pulling away now, but he told her, "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I shouldn't keep my parents waiting…" Lucas gave Ashira a slight bow, similar to the one that she had given him when they bumped into each other.

"It was so nice meeting you! See you in school?" Ashira asked hopefully.

"D-d-d-d-definitely!" Lucas stammered and walked over to Judy and Nick, who were waiting for him at the giraffe juice stand. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

"Oh, we don't mind waiting for young love. Now, if we had hailed a taxi, that'd be a different story," Nick gave Lucas a pat on the head and responded. On account of his past experiences, the younger fox instinctively ducked a bit. Judy's smile wavered. The reality of how badly neglected her adoptive kit was in the first foster home and how badly abused he was in the second one was really getting under her fur.

"I think it's simply perfect that you're making friends before school even starts!" Judy regained the strength to smile and told Lucas, wrapping an arm around him. "C'mon, let's go set up your new room!"