Zootopia: Runaway: Gazelle's Story

Chapter 18: Try Everything

After Gazelle had written her song and given it to Tru, he sent it flying onto the Internet and into music stores across the state. Within two hours of release, over five million animals had downloaded it or bought the single on disc, and that number was climbing at an unheard-of rate.

Even though she was already a smash-hit, Gazelle was still booked to officially debut at Petalfest in the coming weeks.

* * *

Two weeks later, the sun rose high on the Southeast Belt in Zootopia. The pagoda-styled buildings all around the central plaza of the Belt's largest island cast unusual shadows on the main grounds of Petalfest. Hundreds of musicians, writers, dancers, artists, and many other types of cultural icons all communed in this vibrant, incredible festival. Many of the animals who were there to celebrate the festival were dressed in traditional Oriental garb, but the majority of animals were just there to meet some new indie artists.

A collection of waterfront trailers housed these same artists, all preparing for their first live performances.

From inside her bus, Gazelle prepared for her performance with an eager heart. She had just gotten out of the shower, changed into her casual clothes and was finishing styling her fur, a long, swoopy lock of which she had grown out as part of a new style. It had grown quite a bit in just two weeks, and a single lock of it fell down over one eye. It was short enough that she could fling it over either eye with a flick of her head, and just long enough to add a little "pop" of style to her look.

Gazelle heard a knock at the door.

Knowing whoever it was was trying to get inside to see her, Gazelle quickly brushed the long lock of fur out of her eye.

She heard the knock again, this time slightly more urgent.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she called out as she made her way to the door.

Opening it, she almost had a heart attack as Solomon "Saw Blade Activatur" Oldwood came leaping up, screaming "HELLO!!!!" at the top of his lungs.

Gazelle put her hoof over her heart as she nearly fell backwards.

"Solomon!" TabbyMac's annoyed voice came from across the street. "I told you not to scare her!"

Gazelle's mouth dropped open and she laughed aloud as the members of Difursity all stepped (or flew, in the case of Dylan, Adam and the Kingfishers) across the street, huge smiles on their faces.

"Welcome, you guys!" she called out as she gave Tabby a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we heard you had become a near-overnight sensation," Tabby said, as if it were plainly obvious. "We couldn't exactly not come and congratulate you!"

"You know it's true," Britt Nicollie agreed as she walked up. Gazelle chuckled in delight as she and Britt exchanged a friendly hug.

"Hey," Britt asked, gesturing to Gazelle's new furstyle, "what's this?"

"I grew it out," Gazelle explained, "just to see what it would look like."

"Looks a little like part of your head exploded, Miss," Solomon said as he walked through and sat down on a small table near the kitchen.

Was that a joke? Was he serious?

Gazelle decided she'd rather not know.