Chapter 2: Simpler Times

South Bunnyburrow, 25 years ago.

South Bunnyburrow,located a few miles south of the town of Bunnyburrow and the more familiar sight of carrot farms and smaller mammals. South Bunnyburrow was even more out of the way, with a similar simple country flavor as its northern cousin, except away from town and the seemingly ready access to the Bunnyburrow train station giving access to the city of Zootopia over the horizon.

In one of the neighborhoods, in the country houses of brick and shingles, lived a fox family, the name Ellison written on the mailbox out front. They had recently moved to the burrows, Robert Ellison,a former Import/Exporter for a company in Zootopia, had decided that the 'energy' of the city was too much for himself, his wife Kathleen and their ten year old son Kaiden, a precocious boy, so full of life and a bright smile on his face. A small rabbit family taken an interest when they saw the moving truck, half unloaded, with various boxes and furniture on the lawn or being carried in by the movers.

"Hello there neighbor." Shouted the older fox with a jovial attitude and a wave, propping a box on his shoulder

"Hello, there, you must be the new family that was coming to the burrows." Said the elder rabbit.

"Robert." Replied the fox offering his paw.

"Jacob Harrington" the elder Rabbit replied, shaking the fox's paw.

"And my wife, Kathleen and my son, Kaiden." Robert pointing to his respective family members. "Kaiden! Come here son, I want you to meet the neighbors."

The young fox, who was helping his mother carry a box into the house, turned to meet the gaze of his father, seeing the rabbit family standing down where the road met the grass of their yard. The boy carefully put down the box, dusting his paws off on his shorts and trotted over to the group. Robert put his paw on Kaiden's shoulder like the ever proud father.

"Kaiden, these are our new neighbors. The Harrington's" he said with a smile.

"Hello there, I'm Maude." Waved the elder female rabbit "And this is, Jake, Luke, and my youngest, Lily." She finished introducing pointing to her husband, older son and younger daughter respectively.

Kaiden followed the female rabbit's paw as she pointed, but when he finally caught the gaze of Lily, he was dumbstruck by her.

"Hi, I'm Lily" the young rabbit introduces herself.

"Hi." He said with a relaxed grin and a fixated gaze. She smiled back and giggled. A few moments seemed to pass before he noticed his father's voice.

"Kaiden?" he inquired softly, nudging the young fox.

"Huh? You say something dad?" he replies, shaking his head slightly, coming back to reality.

"I said, Could you go back to helping your mother."

"Oh…yeah….right." he replied getting his bearings back. The young fox turned to go back to helping his mother.

"Ya' know, he can come over and play with the kids if he wants to." Offered Jacob.

Robert turned to his son "You hear that son, after you're done, would you like to go play with them?" The young fox smiled at the prospect.

Over the next several months, Kaiden would get to know many of the other children in the neighborhood and at school. Very quickly he learned how the burrows divided themselves. At school being one of the few predators to live in the burrows, he would be harassed and picked on by the prey children, a few fights would ensue, winning some but losing most after being outnumbered.

Coming home with his fair share of cuts, bruises and black eyes and playing it off as just a fair bit of roughhousing, Kaiden never complained, he didn't want to cause trouble, to be a source of worry to his parents. He didn't pretend to know the reason, but he just knew that back in Zootopia, there were more than a few shouting matches between them, as well as mom crying, and dad worrying.

The prospect of moving here made them happy, happier than he had seen them in a long time, the worried expressions he would catch on them had faded, and he wasn't going to be the one to take that sense of peace away from them. So he endured it. Every punch to the gut and kick to the ribs, He endured it. On a particular afternoon after a sufficient thrashing, he managed to find a small miracle of nature, one of the trees had overgrown its canopy bending back down into a bowl shape, from the outside it looked like a very full tree, but inside was a hollow in the branches offering a secret space to whomever may happen upon it. Kaiden would use this place to hide, or to recoup from the pain before heading home or mostly just to cry. He would tell himself that he would endure, don't make trouble, don't break their happiness, it was a small price to pay.

It is often said that a mammal can get used to just about anything, all it has to do is become routine. The fighting, the beatings, the recuperation, it just become part of it, like lunch times and English class. It had become routine, pain his constant companion, and eventually being the school yard punching bag, he became numb to it. He asked only once 'Why', the answer was obvious, because he was an outsider, because he was from the city, but mainly because he was a fox and simply because they could.

When Kaiden wasn't in school, he would hang out at the Harrington family farm, playing with Luke and Lily, he enjoyed the open space and the good times there. It was these small joys that gave him some kind of respite. Luke had gone into the house to get lemonade from his mother, leaving Lily and Kaiden talking on the porch. Kaiden was regaling her with more tales of life in the city, omitting the angrier parts of parents fighting. When their conversation took a sharp turn.

"Can I ask you question?" asked Lily

"Of course, Lils." The young fox replied with a smile.

"Why do you let the bullies at school beat you up?"

Kaiden's smile melted and his expression got serious, looking away from her. "I…don't know what you're talking about."

"You can't fool me, Kaiden, I hear about what happens from my brother."

Kaiden spins around with a look of pleading on his face. "Look, whatever you heard, you can't tell my folks."

"Why not?!"

"I have my reasons, just please, don't tell them. Please." He pleaded.

"Kaiden….I can't promise that." Kaiden lurched forward and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You can't, I don't want to cause any trouble ok, my parents….gave up a lot to be here. Lily, please." He replied his voice breaking up, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"You're hurting me." She replied, grabbing at Kaiden's wrists. The fox let go, his paws shaking.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's ok…but you have to tell me why."

"Why what?"

"Why it's so important not to tell your folks." She knew Kaiden didn't want to answer.

"Kaiden…..please tell me." The fox was still silent. "Please…." She pleaded.

He turned to her.

"Is there somewhere we can go…..somewhere I can tell you in private…."

"Yes, take my paw, follow me." Lily took Kaiden by the paw and led him to the nearby barn, where Lily's dad keeps the tractor and all of his farming tools, acting as a garage, storage shed and workshop all in one. Lily slid the ladder to the upper loft over to the break in the guardrail.

"Follow me." She told Kaiden. The two of them climbed up into the upper loft and sat in void in the storage space between the items along the edges of the loft.

"This is my secret place, my dad told me not to come up here because he was afraid I would break my neck or something. But I came up here and made this little space in case I ever need to get away." She explained.

"Wow, nice place, you did all of this yourself?"

"Yeah. Now I'm trusting you with MY secret, now it's your turn. Fair is Fair."

Kaiden thought about it for a moment, Lily was his best friend, and if he couldn't tell her who could he tell. The fox licked his lips and proceeded to tell her.

"Ok. There is a reason we moved to Bunnyburrow, a reason that my folks don't go around telling anyone, probably because people 'round here would think less of us. Well even less of us. I know people don't think too highly of foxes to begin with."

"Well I don't think that way, you know that." She replied

"I know. And that's why I'll tell you." He began, "My dad worked as some kind of manager or something for a big shipping company in Zootopia. For some reason about a couple years ago, my dad would have to go away on business trips, like a lot, and my mom was worried about him."

"Like with another vixen?" Lily asked trying to figure things out

"What?!" Kaiden exclaimed

"Well, I mean you see it on the TV, some mammal is with another woman, keeping it all secret."

"I don't think so." Kaiden replied

"Why?"

"Because when he would come home, he would be relieved to see us, and telling us how important we are to him, and how much he loves us. My dad loves my mom and he loves me, I know that much."

"Then what else could it be."

"I don't know. I just know that eventually my dad told my mom something, explained something about his job to her, and she got scared at first, then she cried, and then she got really angry. She made him choose between his job and us."

"Obviously, he chose you guys."

"Yeah, but they got really worried; he said that just quitting wouldn't be enough, that we had to leave the city. He said 'we have to go somewhere where they won't look.'"

"Oh cheese and crackers."

"I just know that really quickly we packed all our stuff up and moved out here to South Bunnyburrow, far away from whatever."

"So why can't you tell them about you getting beat up?"

"Because, for the first time in a while, they look happy, and relieved, like whatever it was that was bothering them, isn't anymore. And I don't want to give them grief." He said with sadness in his voice

"But Kaiden, that's just it."

"What?"

"I think they did whatever they did for you." she took his paws in hers

"I think they were worried about whatever because of you."

"I don't know WHY they did what they did, I just know that I don't want to spoil it." he pulled his paws away,"Besides, I'm getting used to it."

"That's not the point."

"It is for me."

The small rabbit was frustrated, she worried for her fox friend, she didn't want to betray him but she couldn't let this go on like this.

"Look I'm not going to rat you out, but please Kaiden, you need to fess up."

"I don't know, Lils."

"At the very least if it happens again, just come to me."

"Why?"

She stood up and came over sitting next to him.

"Because you need a nurse. That bump on your head just looks bad, and those cuts are going to scar."

"So you're some kind of doctor now?" he jibed.

She reached down and picked up a small metal tin with a red cross emblazoned on the side.

"Not yet, but I will be." She replied with a smile.

Kaiden smiled back.

"There is one thing that I'm curious about."

"Hmm?" muttered Kaiden

"What was your dad so worried about?"

The two pondered the question for some time until they heard Luke calling for them outside.

Lily's services as Kaiden's nurse were called into play sooner than she expected. That next week Kaiden got a really bad beating because one of the zebra's older cousins moved into town, apparently the zebra didn't need much of encouragement to take part in the brutal ritual this had become.

The older zebra had beaten him pretty savagely, but it was when he threatened Lily when she tried to help him that things took a turn for something more serious. The zebra had hit her and Kaiden did something that he had never done, he used his teeth and bit the Zebra on the arm, growling savagely. The zebra's fear gave way to anger and Kaiden got a fractured rib for his trouble, though he managed to get himself and Lily away from the bullies. That's when it hit the fan, Lily told Kaiden's parents about what was happening, she admitted she knew for weeks but that the fox had asked for her to keep quiet, and she didn't want to betray him.

They were mortified, to learn that their son had been suffering horrible savage beatings for months and they didn't know. That their son had chosen to keep this truth from them and for what, some perceived loss of happiness on their part. Robert and Kathleen felt like they failed their son, they didn't see the signs, even though he was keeping it from them, their preoccupation with their worries from so far away. They felt wracked with guilt, becoming extra doting after that.

Lily was worried that Kaiden was angry at her for telling his secret, and at first the fox's very worries came true, which made him sad. But he was never angry at small rabbit, she did what she thought was right and he couldn't fault her for that. Lily had walked all the way to the hospital every day to see him, and then every day at home, spending practically every waking moment with the fox, helping him with his school work so he wouldn't get behind, that was the reason when asked anyway, but in reality she saw something in the little fox, there was a quiet strength to him, a raw ability to tackle any sized burden and do so with grace and humility, she admired that about him.

Lily was smart and astute, and he knew it too, much smarter than he was. She kept telling him that he can do whatever he put his mind to, and maybe on some level he believed it just because it came from her. But he also knew, no matter how far along he could ever be, Lily would be on a level he just couldn't reach. From that point on the two were practically inseparable.

A few weeks had passed and the over protectiveness Kaiden's parents displayed has toned back a bit, even still they made sure to keep a closer eye on him, which meant all the mischief he himself would like to get in was a bit harder to pull off. However Lily had established herself as trustworthy in the eyes of Kaiden's parents and as such as long as he was with her, how much trouble could he get into?

One particular day at Kaiden's house as he was coming to the end of his prescribed convalescence, the rib had healed nicely and Lily had come over to check up on him. Kaiden had finally gotten out of bed, dressed and they had decided to go for a walk, to stretch his legs but mainly to get out of the house.

"Can I ask you a question?" inquired Lily, as they walked leisurely down the road.

"Sure." The young fox replied.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Not say anything when bad stuff happens to you."

"Well I told you why, I didn't want my parents to worry."

"I don't mean just this time. You're always keep things to yourself." she noted "I just want to know why?"

The young fox thought about it. "I don't know. Maybe I just don't want to bother people."

"But if you're hurt or scared, there are people who can help you." Lily said "People who care about you." She added taking hold of his paw.

"I know, and maybe I just don't want to feel like a burden."

"You're not a burden Kaiden. You have a good heart."

"You think so?"

"I know so." She smiled.

Their aimless walk managed to get them to the Harrington farm, Lily led Kaiden up into the upper loft and into the hidden spot she had made up there. They sat down on a small crate.

"I want to thank you."

"For what?"

"For defending me."

"Oh that….that was nothing." He smiled brushing it off.

"No it wasn't." she insisted. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have gotten that cracked rib."

"Lily it was a fight, it happens. It would have happened regardless of whether you were there or not."

"That's not true."

"But…"

"But nothing Kaiden, you bit that Zebra because he hit me." Lily's eyes watered and tears fell from her soft blue eyes.

"You got hurt because of me." Her voice trembled.

"Lily no, please don't cry." She sobbed a bit but Kaiden hugged her.

"Shhh, don't cry now, I don't like it when you cry."

She sniffed and wipes her eyes. When she looked at Kaiden, she saw that his eyes had watered in response to her crying, trying to pass off an almost sad smile. She studied his face for a second and without thinking she leaned up, closing her eyes and kissed him on the lips.

This caught him by surprise and his small ears shot up alert before relaxing again and folding under their own weight. He has never felt anything like this before, her lips were soft, the fur tickled his lips.

She pulled back when she realized what she did.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." She said, straightening her ears down with her paw. Kaiden has a pleasant and distant smile on him.

"Did….did I do something wrong?" she asked nervously.

Kaiden put a paw to his lips.

"No….it was….it was nice." He replied.

"You just caught me by surprise is all." He added.

"Can I….Can we…try…" he asked, trying to find the words.

"Yeah." She answered knowing what he was asking.

This time as they kissed each other, she held his paw giving it a squeeze and he squeezed right back. They caught the scent of each other, Lily smelled sweet and flowery, just like her namesake. Kaiden smelled soft and cuddly, like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer, as he was too young to have the spicy, heady musk of an adult fox. They could swear they felt each other's heart flutter, pitter pattering in their small chests. It was a sensation altogether new for them, they had heard about it from the older kids but never could imagine how warm and fuzzy it made things feel, especially when it's with someone you really care about. They didn't know about what the outside world would think, and at this moment, it didn't exist. There was only them and the loft they were sitting in, and in that moment of warm, fuzzy feelings, that's all that mattered.