Unknown Time, Unknown Place

"Sweet Karma, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? What, what, what?"

"You've only yourself to ask, Mayor. Though I must say, you've done a wonderful job of it so far. So, do we have a deal, Dawn?"

"As much as I hate this, Atropos, we do. You mind the Wildes there, I'll patch up on this end. Except…"

"Except what, Mayor? Not feeling any regret now, are we?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, not at all, not at all."

"You don't seem convinced. Remember, you do this for me, you get your parents back. Is what I'm asking really such a price to pay?"

"I suppose not…"

"You suppose? Cretin! Be sure, never just suppose something! So, Dawn, are you absolutely certain this is what you want?"

"Absolutely."

"Very well, then." And with a flick of its paw, Dawn Bellwether was gone.

A day later, her obituary was in all the papers across the country, but like the disappearances of Wilde and Hopps, no body was to be found. There were those few who promptly read the news and forgot about it, there were those who thought the real story was yet to be told. Days, weeks, months, then years passed, until no one really thought there was any chance of her turning up- no, it had been far too long. But still, no one knew where she was- except Dawn herself.

Well, maybe, maybe not.


With a lurch, the previous week made sense. Foxes may be notorious in terms of catching colds, but stomach bugs? Not so much. A fifteen-year-old fox going a little too far with her boyfriend-turned-brother?

Yeah, that makes more sense. You, Electra, are-

"Bleaah! Ugh, that tastes nasty, Mom."

-pregnant.

"What's brought this on, honey, you were fine yesterday."

"If by fine you mean locked in a prison cell, yes, I'm fine."

"You've inherited your dad's sarcasm, I see. Look, honey, I know the outlook's bleak, but we have to keep going, keep trying, keep hoping."

"I would be a lot happier if I wasn't hunched over a toilet, vomiting up the little food I've eaten recently."

"I hope you haven't caught a cold. You haven't been licking your snout, have you?"

"Sweet Karma, no, Mom! Gross! No, I got a little carried away last week."

"Forgive me it I sound clueless, but do tell."

"I didn't know this would happen, didn't think this would happen, not with so little food as I've eaten. I thought it would stop. Luke was my boyfriend first, so, no, I wouldn't call it incest."

As those words, I watched her face drop. "You mean you're-"

I nodded, slowly. "Uh huh. Add to that the fact that foxes only rarely carry single kits, and I think it's safe to presume you're going to be a grandma of at least two soon."

She dropped her head into her paws. "Oh, sweet cheese and crackers. I thought bunnies were good at the whole 'teen pregnancy' thing. You know-," she was saying, but as for hearing her-nope…

"Uh- urgh- bleaah! That- urp- never gets more appealing…"

"And I don't suppose sitting in prison is helping any, now is it?"

"Not at -urp- all. Would you get a guard, please?"

"I'll try. You know, hon, you could get off your tail and use those hindpaws of yours."

"Yes, Mom, I'll try."

"You won't try, you'll do. No daughter of mine is going to be a bum."

"Just how did I get myself into this mess?"

"Luke! Just what did you do? Answer me, young man, or face the consequences. What? Did? You? Do?"

"I-I don't get it…don't look at me like that. What?"

"Here's what- in six weeks, you're going to be a dad. You know, when I called Nick a dumb fox, it was all just for fun. But now, son, I'm seriously wondering if there's anything up there. Is there? It sure doesn't seem like it, now does it?" With a huff, she stormed off.

I'm going to be a dad. That means Electra's pregnant? Oh, Sweet Karma, what are we going to do? What am I going to do?

Should have thought of that first, little one.

"Who- who's there?"

Don't you recognize me? There must always be balance. Follies beget trouble, didn't your parents ever teach you that?

"Y- yes, they did. Look, who are you, and what do you want with me? Please, don't hurt me!"

Silly mortal. I'm not here for vengeance upon you, I'm here to ask you a few questions.

"Silly mortal? What on Earth is that supposed to mean? And again, who are you?"

Just someone who needs your help.

"What kind of help…? I mean, there's not really much I can do stuck in here."

The universe needs balance, and it has failed to find it. What is it that you mammals call what kits sit on, one on either end, and bounce each other up and down? A teeter-totter, a seesaw, was it? So many of you, so many words for the same thing.

"Wait a sec- balance- you're Karma, aren't you? The fox goddess. But why are you talking to a poor, genetic freak of a fox?"

I see no one as a freak. And yes, while I may be known as the fox goddess, I was not originally so.

"No?"

No. It was the fourth Kitta, the high priest of the then-fledgling Zootopian Empire, who called me a fox goddess. From then on, that is what mammals knew me as, and so as time passed on, a fox goddess so I was.

"Are you actually a fox, though?"

Yes, and Luke, you look exactly like me.

"You're kidding. You have got to be pulling my tail."

I never kid, and now is especially not the time for that sort of frivolity. The Fates, they have slipped their bonds. Time, in its current state, is the perfect playground for the daughters of Gaea.

"It's sort of hard to be any sort of 'frivolous' when you've been locked in a cell for months, I'd say."

I can help with that.

"You've waited pretty effing long enough!"

"You're just like your mother, with that spunk of yours. Oh, and I sense trouble. You might want to get back to your mate.

"What do you mean, trouble?"

Electra is strong, but her body cannot handle strain in its current state. She will lose them.

"Lose them?"

Yes, lose them. But there is a way. I must warn you, young one, that you will need to hurry.

"What are you going to do, and what am I to do? Jails are a little hard to escape, you know. I only saw her for a day, and then I had to go back to my own cell, not alone, might I mention."

I've never had to escape anything, how would I know its difficulty? But yes, there is a way, and I can only take advantage of it because of the rift in time that Mister Savage caused.

"Go on…"

I can give a little push. Speed up the process a little."

Snap!

"What was that?"

Hurry, little one.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Uh, Mom…?"

"Yes, Electra?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but my water broke. Isn't that supposed to be a while? As in several months, a while?"

"What did you just say?"

"I said, my water broke. How I'm not freaking about that, I don't know, but I don't think this is natural," I said, my voice rising a few octaves and becoming shrill. "But what I do know is-ah! Aaahhh! Hee-whoo, hee-whoo, ow, ow, ow, OW!

"They're coming now, right now, right-right-right n-OW!"

"Are you sure? I pray you say no. Please say no."

"Yes, I'm- OW!- sure! What do I do?"

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Luke, help your sister, your mate, agh, I don't know, just help her. Help her!"

"Okay, sis, breathe. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Now, I won't look, but unless you want to have our kits in your underwear, it's going to need to come off."

"What?"

"Strip!"

"I can't-ow! Help me, please!"

"Okay, I'll help. Sit down. Down, Electra, quit clinging to the bars and sit, or you're going to pass out, I can see it in your face. Sit, please!"

"Oh-okay. Okay. Ow, ow, holy sheet, that hurts!"

"Sanitary mouth."

"Har, har."

"Mom, can you help me with this?"

"Yes, I can. Luke, you get her pants and shirt, I'll get her undergarments off."

"Okay, Electra, take my tail, and don't be afraid to pull."

Ten seconds later, two screams cut the air at once- Electra's, and mine, then came two tiny cries.

"Is it safe?"

"Yes, Luke, it's safe. It's safe, you have two lovely kits, and Electra's just fainted." I looked around me, expecting to see a mess all around, something. There was blood, but nothing else.

"How strange…"

I thought I'd deal you a good hand this round…

Even still, I hate blood.

Whump!

"Dumb fox."