After The End (A Zootopia Fanfiction) Part 2

Chapter 9: Something Unexpected

Rain. Such a simple phenomenon, yet so biased and opinionated amongst animals of all kind. How simple droplets of water falling from the sky can produce such an array of emotions. For some its overcast also seems to loom over our heads and dull our emotions. It's Mother Nature, crying for the loss of her children. It influences us to feel drowsy, or depressed. For others, it means little more than if someone loses a pen, or a car accident occurs on the freeway. It is a constant occurrence. There is no longer anything special derived from its arrival, or its departure. For the inhabitants of the Rain Forest District, this is a highly shared agreement.

But not for Skye. When it came to rain, there was nothing better. A cooling element for a hot spring day. The scent of moist soil and asphalt, the droplets quenching the thirst of thousands of flora. A scent that cannot be masked nor imitated. A content memory of rain boots and puddles massive enough to soak her pants upon impact with her father. A warm bowl of soup and a carefully knit scarf inside with her mother. A beautiful reminiscence. A more peaceful time.

She gazed out the large window as the rain drops quietly hit the earth, cradling in her arms the little baby red panda as she slept so soundly. She took her eyes from the gentle storm and looked down at the little cub swaddled comfortably in the blanket. Its paws curled ever so gently into two little maroon brown fists held close to its muzzle. She watched as the panda's nose ever so slightly twitched as it slumbered.

Skye couldn't help but stare. She had no idea how to feel at the current moment. She would normally be content and at ease, wearing a faint smile everywhere she went. For some reason, the current situation made it feel, wrong to do so. Normally she would be joyous to hold a baby, just like how she would get at the opportunity to hold Judy's litter in her arms. This was a different case however, because she knew that the happy moment would not last forever as she would have to return the child to their mother soon enough. So she cherished the wonderful moment. Yet there was nothing wonderful about this.

This baby was all alone. It came to her out of nowhere as a mother's dying wish to keep alive. She didn't even know that. For all Skye knew, this mother could be coming here in an attempt to surrogate a new child for her or for someone else. She could be a child beared for a different family. Worse, she could be there in an attempt to place the child in foster care, without any parents . To abandon this poor baby at its most vulnerable from the very beginning like an unwanted gift without a receipt.

She just kept watching.

A secret agent lives by a set of golden rules, and perhaps one of the most important ones is to always expect the unexpected. One never feels more alive until they are almost dead, but they have to make sure that they don't wind up dead in the end. That's why an agent is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. They are always on their toes. They never know who they can trust. Behind every corner creeps a shadowy figure, and behind every shadowy figure is a deeper mystery. Usually accompanied by a knife or gun. A secret they want to know, but could get killed for knowing, and also killed for trying to find out. For Jack and Skye, this was definitely something unexpected.

A baby red panda. Practically out of nowhere. The mother now gone, the little cub was now assumingly without a father in the picture, left orphaned. Red pandas were not very commonly seen in Zootopia, so why was this one given to them, she thought.

The thought was quickly whisped away at the sounds of it starting to cry. Jack was never good with kids. He was never really around them in his life, but Skye was different. She had a natural gift with them, as before demonstrated with Nick and Judy's kids. Skye cradled the baby in her arm. The rabbit wanted to tug on his ears from the sheer high frequency of its cries.

He groaned as Skye rocked the kit, shushing it calmly. If this was what is was like to have a baby, then maybe he was about to make a really bad mistake. It was clear he was not the paternal type. Not yet, at least.