About four hundred years ago, the place on the map that the modern-day cities stood upon was a much different scene. Wide open spaces of thriving land stretched as far as the eye could see, with only a few log cabins around by the settlers that made the treacherous journey to this great place. Though there were some challenges that came with the changing of the seasons, those that arrived remained grateful, giving nothing but thanks that they spotted the land when things seemed at their bleakest.
Among those settling on this land was a doe by the name of Judith Hopps, who was thankful that the most harrowing side of the expedition was behind her and the others. Now she sat down on the ground where some of the seeds for future crops were being planted, her lovely white dress stained by the dirt she had gotten on it.
As she made some small mounds in the earth to place the corn seeds inside of, a tall red fox was not too far from where she remained. The vulpine, whose name she learned was Nicolas, watched carefully as she continued to prepare the ground for the plants that would one day flourish in this spot.
The fox, though others might have thought otherwise, turned out to be a kind and trustworthy mammal. The same went for the others in his tribe that lived here, who approached those who traveled to the land and turned out be friendly enough to help guide them across it as they settled here.
"But there is much more to growing maize than just placing seeds in the ground and covering them in dirt," Nicolas said to her informatively. "If we want the best to sprout from the earth, we must be as kind to it as we would be kind to those we loved."
"How so?" Judith inquired, looking over at him.
"The dirt cannot be handled roughly," the fox replied, "the way others in my tribe saw farmers eastward do. The ground beneath our paws has feelings like us, so if we handle it gently, it will smile back and treat us as kindly as we were to it."
Judith reached forward for some of dirt to cover the seeds she had place in the mound closest to her, brushing it over them with the lightest touch as if she were handling a delicate artifact.
"So I hear your journey to this beautiful land was a harrowing one," Nicolas said to her.
Judith nodded her head. "It sure was," she responded. "Definitely will make quite a story to tell."
"That boat that you all arrived here on," the fox continued. "I've seen much smaller crafts sail past before, but never have I seen one so big."
"She nearly didn't stay afloat at one point," the rabbit remarked, "but we all prayed that our fate wouldn't be grave and ended up making it here."
From there, Judith painted the picture of her journey here for him. When she left her home and set sail on a massive square-rigged ship, she first believed that, because of the calm waters at the time, her travels would be as pleasant as the skies above. That, however, could only be said about the first portion of the days she spent aboard the vessel.
During those moments of short-lived pleasantry, she spent her time reading books under candlelight or playing cards with some of those she had become acquainted with while on board. She placed these activities aside, though, once the elements started to take their toll on that mighty ship. She recalled how the waves crashed ferociously against the deck when storms rolled their direction. Some of the storms everyone experienced were so fierce that the sails couldn't be hoisted for days. Whether they wanted to call it sheer luck or a miracle sent to them, the voyagers sighted land in the midst of the strife, and the ship maintained her seaworthiness.
Judith could only think that it was thanks to the faith she kept during those nasty storms.
Nicolas listened as she recollected this to him. Just she finished her story, Judith reached over to delicately cover up the seeds with dirt a few spaces away from the mound she did before. Just as she was reaching to do this, Nicolas reached over to do the exact same thing as well. The paws of the fox and rabbit touched each others, and they looked up at each other in a bit of surprise.
The vulpine smiled back at her, lifting his paw up before placing both of them together. "And now we must thank the ground for the blessing to come," he said, "as well as for what came before that. Since all things around us compose the spirits from long ago, it will listen to us."
With that, Nicolas started to say something that sounded like the prayers Judith had been taught from an early age, only the one he was saying was in a different language. The language he and others in his tribe knew before learning the one the settlers spoke. The doe simply looked down at the ground where she had just planted what would become future crops, listening to him as he breathed this blessing.
The fox finished what he was saying before turning his attention back to Judith. "If all is well," he remarked, "then we will have a great harvest when autumn nears."
Two Seasons Later…
The summer shades of green were gone as autumn introduced itself, tinging the leaves on every tree with red and gold. The harshness of the beating heat was now behind everyone for the greater good, and those upon the land were more than happy to welcome the colder winds that now blew around at times.
Walking through the interior forests that stood a good distance away from the shoreline, Nicolas crunched through the piles of fallen leaves with every step he took. Over to his right was a young and white-furred vixen who went by the name of Skye, as she was given it when she was born in the winter season under star-filled skies.
Nicolas held tightly onto the bow he was carrying as he looked around the landscapes that had transformed to the color red. Though he was doing this, he did not seem to have his full attention set on the activity. Meanwhile, Skye was listening carefully for anything that might have been inside of this forest, looking around to see if anything was behind any of the flourishing trees as well.
"Have you spotted anything I have not seen yet, Nicolas?" she asked the fox to her left. An instance of silence went by before she turned her head to him. "Nicolas?"
The red-furred vulpine's mind, judging from the look on his muzzle, seemed to be elsewhere. His thoughts were not placed upon spotting anything around here. He turned over to look back at Skye and responded, "Were you speaking to me just now?"
The vixen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "How will we find something out here when you never seem to be focusing?" she inquired in reply. "Just what is it you are thinking of other than that?"
"Somebody," Nicolas responded simply. "Somebody with purple eyes that are as beautiful as the violets that used to grow here."
Skye wasn't sure for a short moment who he was talking about, but she soon realized who he meant. "That doe who came here?" she responded. "The one you taught how to plant all the crops during the spring?"
"Yes," answered the tod with a smile. "Judith is her name. She has such a brave spirit despite what she said she went through, she shows no judgment to anyone even if they are a fox, and she is always kind to others even when they might not be kind to her in return."
"It sounds as if you are in love with this mammal," Skye replied, smirking back at him.
"I am not the only one, though," Nicolas retorted. "What about that buck that came here with the stripes in his fur? Did I not hear you speaking about him before?"
Skye became red as a beet upon hearing this mentioning from the russet-furred fox to her left. "Who? Jack?"
"So you are in love with him?"
"He is very strong," Skye explained, "and he is always eager to provide help when somebody needs it. That's what I like about him the most, along with the fact that he is simply handsome. And you remember what our former chief said before his passing."
"When two mammals love each other," Nicolas quoted, "they should simply be together."
"Exactly," the vixen responded. "My only fear, though, is if he does not feel the same about me in return. You remember that one piece old folklore that was passed down to us all, about how one of the spirits of darkness once started as a mammal who died from a broken heart. I know that perishing will not be what occurs to me, but I cannot help but be reminded of that."
"I understand. My only advice is to tell this buck exactly what you feel, which is what I will do with Judith."
While the advice that came from Nicolas was rather simplistic, Skye appreciated it. "But even if feels the same for me, what will others think of a fox and rabbit being together?"
"Our world has changed with passing time, I believe," the tod answered, "and with that we must change to. Our tribe and those mammals that established their homes here are both friendly to all, and perhaps those outside of this land will learn to be the same."
"You have been trying hard to sound as wise with words as our chief, haven't you?" Skye smirked back at him.
Nicolas chuckled under his breath. "I can only try."
The sounds of fallen leaves being crunched came from up ahead just then, and the two vulpine looked forward to see what was near. A good distance away from where both of them stood was a plump turkey bearing plumage the color of bronze. The bird pecked through the leaves as it scavenged this part of the forest, presumably looking for either insects or the nuts that came off the woody plants nearby.
Spotting the feathered target that did not seem to notice him standing there, Nicolas grabbed an arrow from the makeshift quiver on his back, pointing his bow downwards as he got it attached to the string. He pointed the arrow towards where the turkey was, just as it lifted its head up and looked over towards him with innocent eyes.
Nicolas hesitated for a few seconds before putting the bow down and uttering a long sigh. "I cannot hunt it," he said out of admittance. "It just does not feel right."
"Are you serious, Nicolas?" Skye replied in disbelief. "Do you know how hard it is for a target like that to simply fall into one's lap?"
"But why must I be placed in charge of the hunting?" Nicolas inquired in response. "You know that I am a vegetarian."
"The autumn harvest will be here before we know it," the vixen reminded him, "and you know there are plans to have a feast now that the chief made an alliance with the settlers."
Nicolas nodded understandingly. "That is true, but can we not choose something else to serve for this feast? What if this innocent turkey has a mate and children it must go back to?"
Skye shook her head in response to his inquiry. "I don't see what else could be a main staple for this feast."
Several Days Later…
Nicolas strolled into the room with a serving tray crafter from wood in his paws. "I give you all the main course," he said to everyone.
He set the tray down in the middle of the table that had a freshly-caught and prepared lobster inside of it, the sole dish with meat in it against all of the dishes made from plants in the feast. The gathering was taking place inside one of the building those that came here made, constructed using the wood they gathered from the trees that once grew around this spot. While it was far from some massive hall that one would host a party or event inside, everybody thought that it was a quaint place to hold the feast.
Across a long-stretching log table sat a abundant buffet of food, all of it coming from the crops they planted back in the spring and gathered this autumn. The mixing smells that came from the freshly prepared cuisine surely made the mouths of those seated around the table water, and they could not wait much longer to enjoy the bountiful harvest nature blessed them with.
Nicolas, being the last one to sit down, grabbed a nearby plate and placed an ear of corn on it. Before he could begin to dig in, he held a paw up when he realized something. "There is someone missing," he said. With that, he stood up once again and called out, "Jake!"
The tod then did his best attempt at a gobble, much to the confusion of those sitting not too far away from him. A few seconds later, a turkey came running from out in the field and into the log building, uttering a gobble that seemed to be its response to the call. Some of the settlers that had gathered couldn't help but giggle at the turkey that the fox seemed to befriend. The bird went right up to the vulpine and obediently stayed to his side, cocking its head curiously as it looked around.
Skye snickered from where she sat as she started to dig into the lobster that Nicolas caught. "You named him Jake?" she asked with a smirk. After much persuasion from Nicolas, she settled for whatever lobster they could catch, not expecting for him to keep the turkey and tame it for companionship.
"It was the… second name that came to mind," the russet-furred tod responded. "I really had my heart set on the name of Gobble, since that is what turkeys do, but you laughed when I suggested it."
"I think Jake is an interesting name, in my opinion," Judith chimed in. On top of her head was the crown of bright pink flowers that Nicolas had given her as a gift. Needless to say, though he was never she would say otherwise, she absolutely loved what he made for her.
"Thank you," Nicolas said to her in reply. "At least someone else agrees."
A moment of silence was had for those who passed away in the previous seasons. Just as this was concluded and a prayer was said shortly afterwards, everyone around the table began to place what they wanted on their plates. The smiles on everyone's muzzles was enough to let those in charge of cooking the feast know that it was all delectable.
"You know," the striped buck that was walking into the room said, "I have a feeling this moment will be remembered for a very long time, maybe even centuries from now."
"Always thinking of the future to come rather than the present," Judith remarked.
Laughter arose from the table. The feast carried on from there, predator and prey sitting harmoniously at the same table together, speaking and supping with one another without prejudice.
Author's Note: Hey there, everybody! I know this story was a bit late for something inspired by Thanksgiving, but I guess it's better late than never. I have no clue why the idea for this came to me just after Thanksgiving was over.
As always, your thoughts, good and bad, are always appreciated. And since Christmas is going to be here before we know it, I'm super excited to start churning out some holiday stories as well! There's just something about Christmas and the like that makes it my absolute favorite thing to write about.
'Til next time, everybody! :)