Blood Red

Fox

*9 years old*

I came downstairs seeing Nick looking at himself in the mirror. His smile was as large as his hopes today. The biggest and probably best day yet. Today he would be part of the Junior Ranger Scout. I walked over to him and squeezed him into a hug, both our faces beaming with joy.

"Well, today's the day. Good luck, be respectful, be polite, and be yourself." I ruffled the fur on his head.

"It's as if you haven't said that a million times yesterday, Casey," he sarcastically joked.

I smiled as mom and I hugged Nick and let him be on his way.

Suddenly, I started to feel kind of...strange...

I didn't feel sick or anything. I didn't feel dizzy, either. It was more of a feeling trying to tell me something.

I decided not to pay much attention to it, though. Maybe I was just nervous. Afterall, I do tend to overthink a lot of things. Maybe this is just another case of that...

Hopefully...

***

I walked down the streets of Zootopia. It was late at night and pretty dark. I mean, there shouldn't be much light at 8:39 pm.. The Junior Ranger Scout usually closes at 8:30 so Nick should be waiting safely inside. I, as the "responsible" older sister I need to be, had to pick him up since mom is busy doing chores and dad isn't home yet.

I arrived at the building but was shocked to see what laid in front of me.

My little brother on the side of the apartment, curled up and crying...

I rushed up to Nick immediately. I had to know what was pestering him.

"Nick?" I tapped his shoulder.

He looked up, his large green eyes filled with transparent tears.

"C-Casey?" his scratchy voice questioned. "W-when did you come?"

"Just now. Is everything alright? Why are you crying?"

He looked down and sniffed.

"Th-they said I couldn't become a scout."

"What!? Why?"

"Because...I'm...I'm a fox..."

The words hurt deep as I stood there, silent by shock.

They didn't let him join...because he was a fox. They hated the one thing that he wasn't responsible for. They wanted him to change something he can't.

They want him to change his category. They want him to change his species. To change his identity.

They want him to change the very thing Nick is.

"Casey?" his glossy eyes looked up to me, searching for an answer for my silence.

"They want you to change..." I finally responded. "Just like the way they want me to change..."

Suddenly, two mammals exit the building and looked down at Nick and I. A woodchuck and a zebra.

Both of the mammals smiled. A smile that was so scarring and frightening, you could sense the evil from a mile away.

"Hey, look who it is! The one and only dipstick who was dumb enough to think he'd actually join!" the woodchuck said.

"Can you believe he thought a fox could actually get in? Pfft! Ridiculous!" the zebra joined in.

I started to growl as those words came out. Not because they were targeting my species, though. But because they were targeting my brother.

The woodchuck looked at my brother.