AN: I want to thank you all for your patience it's been a busy week for me and my editor but now that school is done for the year, I can focus more on this story.

As it was getting late, the young ones were told they had to get ready for bed. Judy decided to check on her younger siblings and make sure they were doing that. As she was passing the bedrooms, she heard ballet music that sounded like "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" going on and saw her little sister Kathy wearing a tutu and imitating ballet moves.

Kathy saw her big sister and said excitedly, "Judy!"

She smiled, "Shouldn't you be in bed? You know Santa Claws won't come if you're not asleep."

"I'm just too excited!" she twirled around.

"I see you still love ballet." She looked around her sister's room, seeing posters of famous ballets like 'Swine Lake' and 'Sleeping Beaver'.

"And why wouldn't I? It's what I want to do."

"You want to be a ballerina?"

"Yes! Just like you wanted to be a police officer!"

Judy was touched by this, but she knew she had to ease her sister that getting what she wanted was no easy task. "That's wonderful, Kathy, but you know it took me a long time to get my dream job…"

"I know that. I hope that if I train real hard, I'll be a star!"

"And you will be, but you need plenty of rest first, starting now."

Kathy grabbed a book on her bookshelf, "Okay, but can you read me my favorite Clawsmas story? It'll help me fall asleep."

Judy took it and saw the title The Nutcracker. "Oh, I remember this. Mom used to read this to me when I was your age. Good choice."

Once Kathy got in the bed, Judy started reading the story.

When her little sister was fast asleep, Judy went back to the living room to join the rest of her family and Nick. It turned out that things were going well between them as Nick said something that caused half the room to laugh in merriment. The fox noticed her and motioned her to come over.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"Reading a bedtime story to my little sister." She turned to her parents, "Have you considered getting ballet lessons for Kathy?"

"We're trying." said Bonnie. "Since you managed to fulfill your dream, we're trying to help the others fulfill theirs."

Stu pointed, "Daniel wants to be a firefighter, Garry wants to be a mechanic, Abby wants to be a doctor, and Melissa wants to be a model!"

Nick gave an amused chuckle, "You really are an inspiration, Carrots!"

"Well, I'm glad! It's time that we start dreaming big so we can achieve our goals in life!"

Stu said, "If any of them try as hard as you, I have no doubt they will."

"I know Kathy will. I can see in her eyes she really wants to be a ballerina."

Bonnie asked, "What was the story you read to her?"

"That story you used to read to us when we young, the one about the nutcracker and the mouse king."

Nick said thoughtfully, "I think I remember that story… My mom used to read that to me when I was a kit."

Stu then checked a nearby clock on the wall. "Cheese and crackers, it's getting late. We better get to bed because come Clawsmas morning, you're going to end up waking to the sound of a hundred young bunnies cheering loudly at dawn."

Judy said to her partner, "He's right, and you're not an early riser, so you need all the rest you can get."

He joked, "Yes, Mom…"

She giggled as they left the room before saying good-night to everyone.

Judy lied in her bed as memories of past Clawsmases came to her and how she thought that this Clawsmas was the best so far because she got to spend it with her best friend. She then thought of the story she read to her sister and slowly fell asleep…

A grand party was happening all around her in a large manor. She could see her parents were dancing and so were some of her siblings and their mates. The younger ones were playing by the tree and some were trying to guess which presents belonged to them. There were other mammals at the party that were all prey, but she focused on a shrew who was on a table sitting in an armchair, watching the party as well. She went to him with a big smile on her face.

"How are you enjoying the party, Uncle Big?"

The shrew gave her a half-hearted smile, "It is fine. But the only reason I came was to see you, my dear. You are, after all, my favorite goddaughter."

"Aw, Uncle."

"But don't tell the others that."

"I won't."

"I do have a special gift for you, but I'm waiting till the end of the party to give it."

"Good idea, because if my younger siblings saw you giving me a present, there will be a lot of fighting."

"Why don't you join the dance in the meantime?"

"I'd rather stay by you. You look so lonely."

He smiled, "You have a kind heart, my child, but surely you'd like to dance with one of the eligible mammals in this room."

She shook her head, "None of them really catch my interest, Uncle. No, I'm waiting for that special someone who will be my one and only. Silly, I know…"

Big took hold of her finger and patted it, "No, it's not silly at all. Have faith my dear, for he could be coming very soon…"

Once the party started dying down, her parents were saying good-bye to their guests and her siblings were saying their good nights and heading to bed. The only ones left were Big and Judy as she waited for him to give her the present.

"Look in the tree." he instructed her.

She gave a confused look, but went anyway and found a gifted box within the branches. It was high enough so the young ones could not get it earlier that night. She grabbed it and opens it in front of the shrew.

Once she saw what was inside, she gaped. It was a nutcracker, but it was also a fox nutcracker! She noticed the fox was slim while wearing a green and gold uniform. He had a bit of a mischievous look on his face and had the most beautiful emerald eyes she ever seen. Wait, what? Why would she think that?

Big saw her confusion and said, "A very rare item I found. Not many mammals would craft a fox for a nutcracker."

"But… why give it to me?"

"Because I know you don't judge a mammal's appearance and had I given it to anyone but you…"

He didn't have to finish, she knew. If her parents or siblings had this, they would have been disgusted or destroyed the item. Judy knew that foxes were an ancient enemy to rabbits, but they had evolved overtime and predators were not like they were before. Her own godfather associated with polar bears, but he didn't tell Judy's parents that, knowing how squeamish they got by the mention of predators. But one look at Judy and he knew how different she was from the rest of her family.

"I must go now, my dear, but I hope you enjoy the present."

"I'll cherish it always, Uncle." She held her paws out so he could get in them and led him to the door.

He said his good-nights to her parents and left.

She then asked her parents while hiding the nutcracker behind her back, "Mother, Father? May I sleep down here tonight?"

They exchanged uncertain looks, but eventually agreed.

The witching hour was fast approaching and with it, mice of all sizes were squeezing out of cracks in the wall. A chubby mouse wearing regal clothing and a crown on his head came out last. He gave orders to the other mice to scavenge for goods and they started raiding the buffet table that had leftovers from the party.

While that had been going on, Judy was sleeping soundly as her nutcracker was on the floor staying perfectly still until suddenly, he started moving and gave out a gasp.

"Big! That's the last time I let you put an immobilization spell on me!" He then looked up to see the large sleeping bunny. He had been under a spell, but he was still aware of his surroundings. He hated Big for shrinking him and putting him in a box until he was freed by a lovely bunny with sparkling amethyst eyes, only to realize Big had given him as a present to her. It was true he wasn't on good terms with the shrew, but he didn't expect him to cast a spell on him and to be given away like some toy.

He then heard the scurrying of mice and hid himself under the sofa where the rabbit was sleeping.

But Judy wasn't asleep for long as a mouse had accidently moved a dish at the edge of the table and it crashed. She woke up with a startle and saw the mice stop what they were doing and stare up at her.

"Hey, what are all of you doing inside my house?" she scowled.

The giant mouse then came forth and made a bow, "Forgive us, dear maiden, for we are hungry and we were just passing by…"

"Ha!" said a voice, and to Judy's surprise, her nutcracker was alive and was shouting up at the mouse! "That's a lie bigger than all the other lies you have ever told, Mousey! Admit it. You were stealing from this bunny!"

The large mouse scowled, "And if we were? What could you do about it, Nicholas? You're our size now!" he smirked.

"Not for long…"

Judy gasped as she turned to see her godfather was on top of the grandfather clock wearing a top hat and cape. He then took out a long black stick and waved it. Sparks came out and started surrounding the fox as he slowly started to grow. She noticed that the fox was taller than her and it slightly intimidated her.

The red fox smirked to the mouse, "You were saying?"

"Ugh! Retreat!" he ran off the table and was joined by his army as they made for the cracks.

"And don't come back!" Judy yelled as the last mouse disappeared and turned to her godfather. She was at a loss for words, "Uncle Big, how…? Why…?"

The fox said, "Yeah, Big, I want some answers, too, like… Why did you immobilize, shrink, and stick me in a box?!"

"Do not worry, I will explain everything. For starters, Judy, not only am I your godfather, but I am also the rightful King of the Land of Sweets."

She gaped, "What…?"

"Believe it or not, Carrots, it's true."

Judy looked at the fox and scowled, "What did you call me?!"

"You heard me. I said 'Carrots'," he then smirked.

She flicked her ear in annoyance before turning back to the shrew, "I don't understand. If you're a king, then why are you not dressed up like a king?"

"Because, my child, I was overthrown by that mouse you just saw. He used to be my prime advisor until he kidnapped my daughter, Princess Fru-Fru. His demands were I hand him my entire kingdom over and I would get my daughter back. I did as he asked, but the mouse had broken his promise and instead decided he would marry my daughter to legally have the throne. I was forced into exile along with my captain of the guard and a small group of knights that still proclaimed their loyalty to me.

"We had enlisted the help of some of my subjects, but there are others too afraid of the Mouse King to do anything. So I knew I needed to rely on a spy to keep me informed of what the mouse was planning."

"And that's where I come in, Carrots," he said as he took pleasure in her getting irritated at that nickname.

"And just who are you anyway?"

"Nicholas Wilde." he said proudly.

"Yes," said Big, "Nicholas is what you might call a schemer, but he serves his purpose…"

"Like stuffing me in a box without asking?" he crossed his arms.

"I knew you would not like that, so I said nothing."

"Just why did you bring me here?" he eyed the rabbit. "So I could be this bunny's plaything?"

"Hey!" she flustered at that subtle message.

"No." Big stated, "There's a reason I had brought you here, but I couldn't just bring you along without Judy's parents overreacting, so I had to make you a nutcracker so you would go undetected."

"But that still doesn't explain why I'm here."

"A few weeks ago, I consulted an oracle of how I could reclaim my kingdom and daughter. She told me of a prophecy of two heroes that would stop the mouse king once and for all. It goes like this: Predator and prey alone are they when ancient grudges set them apart, but not for those who have the same heart. A fox and rabbit may seem wrong, but united, they'll stand strong."

They gaped as Nick uttered, "And you think I'm that fox?"

"And I'm that rabbit?" inquired Judy.

Big nodded, "You two are my only hope of rescuing my daughter and to take back what rightfully belongs to me."