Vixen VII

**Queen Vixen VII,** born **Valda Vixen**, is a main character in *War.* She first appeared as a featured character in the 2018 Christmas special "Silent Night" and the 2020 Christmas special "Hollow Crown."

In terms of the series narrative, Vixen VII is the Queen of Vulpus in the years before and during most of the War. At the time of the War's outbreak, she was also in possession of the Harmony Crown. She is directly responsible for instigating the War, and successfully led the Summer Sun alliance against the Granite Bloc. She perished at the destruction of the Vulpus Dam and never saw total Vulpus victory.

As the driving force behind the War in Cartonia, the Vixen Queen serves as the main antagonist of the series. Her actions directly caused the War and the flight of the original founders of Toontown from their ancestral home. Further, the conduct of foxes during the War later inspired the behavior of the Cogs.

## Appearances

### "Silent Night"

   The Vixen Queen made her first appearance in "Silent Night" in a flashback episode. Six years into her Harmonious Reign, the Queen's two daughters fought in a duel and both died, leaving the Queen without a direct heir. The next in line was her sister's daughter, Victoria Vixen. Victoria fell in love with Bentley Connelly from Canis and caused a national scandal when the relationship became known, as interspecies love was strictly forbidden. The Vixen Queen conspired with Ewan I of Canis to keep the two apart, but the scandal climaxed when Victoria was assassinated in Vulpus directly in front of Vixen VII. The Queen blamed Mallardia for the attack and publicly demanded they fulfill outrageous demands to an ultimatum before New Year's Day. However, she was behind the hit after all and orchestrated the entire event to ensure war. When Mallardia refused the ultimatum's demands, Vulpus invaded Mallardia on New Year's Day 708 and the War began.

### *Contact*

The Vixen Queen made a brief reappearance in the nightmare of Mickey Elias in "Countdown." In the dream, she repeatedly stabbed Mickey while her fox supporters chanted "Long Live the Vixen Queen!"

### "Hollow Crown"

   The Vixen Queen returned in another featured capacity in "Hollow Crown." This episode introduced her real name: **Valda Vixen.**She appeared as a young teenager in Vulpus on Christmas Eve, 684. She and her sisters, Vora and Valencia, were trying on gowns and dancing around a secluded part of the Rook of Vulpus, until they were caught by their mother, Queen Vixen VI. Valda was scolded by her mother, but then shown the Skulkisch Doktrin. The ancient tome, written by the original foxes, predicted that a dominant species would naturally emerge in Cartonia. The text further posited that the foxes would be that species. Valda Vixen became radicalized by the sentiment. She ascended to the throne in 692 after Vixen VI's death as **Queen Vixen VII**. Valda committed herself to realizing the destiny of Vulpus, as foretold in the Skulkisch Doktrin. Vulpus began to illegally militarize and arm itself. These actions were noticed in 700 by several other nations of Cartonia. King Horatio V of Equine Isle, King Cottontail IX of Leprolia, King Poultrus III of Gallix, and Madonna Jacquetta Lazoy of Felexa plotted to derail the Vixen Queen's Harmonious Coronation in 701. The Vixen Queen hid her illegal activities well, as the Great Plot was unable to uncover anything concrete to stop the ceremony. Thus, Queen Vixen was officially coronated under the Harmony Crown when it returned to Vulpus's jurisdiction. The public ceremony was held in Vista, Vulpus, where her predecessor Ewan I of Canis passed along the Crown. The episode ended with a written passage from the year 709, explaining that the Harmony Crown was abolished in the year 709, one year after the War began.

### *War*

Queen Vixen VII returned in the season premiere, "Winter of Discontent" in the days immediately following the invasion of Mallardia and the outbreak of war in 708. The Vixen Queen met with her sister, Valencia, to discuss the war and their planned assassination of Victoria Vixen and her murderer. Though they rejoiced in her death, the Vixen Queen was concerned about the lack of allies in the War's initial days. However, Scuridiae soon entered on her side. She ordered her Chancellor and Martial to conduct ruthless foreign policies, unafraid of the power of the neutral nations.

In December 709, in "The Lamps Are Going Out," the Vixen Queen gave birth to Crown Princess Violetta Vixen, a health daughter guaranteeing an heir apparent for Vulpus. In February 709, the Vixen Queen dissolved the Harmony Crown. Though many nations joined the war on the side of Bentley Connelly's Granite Bloc alliance, the Vixen Queen recruited Cervidium, Psittancyna, Capricon, and Felexa to her Summer Sun alliance. Later, the Harmony Crown disappeared from the Rook of Vulpus.

In "Suddenly the Skies Darkened" during June 709, the Vixen Queen and Stag Ellis of Cervidium recruited Gallix into the Summer Sun due to its unfortunate location between the two giant nations. King Poultrus III agreed to joining the Summer Sun under the conditions that Galligasque sovereignty be upheld and that no chickens be drafted. The Vixen Queen and Stag reneged on their promise and issued a harsh conscription notice a few months later. Poultrus attempted to send his citizens into exile, but the plot was discovered. Joint Vulpine and Cervidian forces invaded and occupied Gallix. The Stag and Vixen Queen, as close allies, conspired to split the territory between them. On public television in November 709, the Vixen Queen executed Poultrus. Ellis executed Henna Petukinau and Henrietta Petukinau. The Summer Sun dissolved the Kingdom of Gallix. Vulpus occupied eastern Gallix.

The Vixen Queen would later order the sinking of Simenese Queen Ana III's ship, destroying the Simenese royal dynasty and precipitating the creation of the first republic in Cartonia.

In 711, during the events of "Fall As Lucifer Fell," the Vixen Queen was searching for an opportunity to strike at Bentley Connelly, who was safely behind miles of allied territory. Valencia Vixen suggested sending a message that implied co-conspirators in Victoria Vixen's assassination resided in Canis. A telegram was sent, causing Bentley to order a covert investigation. The investigation uncovered Libby Connelly's role in the conspiracy to assassinate Victoria in "Remnants of the People." However, despite Canis making public their findings, the Summer Sun monarchs remained loyal to the Vixen Queen, choosing either to disbelieve or ignore the claims.

In "Infamy," the Vixen Queen watched remotely from Cervidium as Talonclaw Castle and Felexa fell siege in 712. The attack was a coordinated strike by the Summer Sun on their former ally in an attempt to drive out another weak link from their alliance. The plan was to capture Roxanne II and the Lazoys, but none were home in Talonclaw at the time of the attack and escaped to the Granite Bloc.

In "Remnants of the People," the War Plague ravaged Cartonia, causing a temporary standstill to the War. The Vixen Queen prioritized finding a vaccine to keep the war machine moving.

During the fall of Mallardia in 716 ("Lest We Forget"), the Vixen Queen personally went to Beakfield Manor and killed Swan XX in single combat. She later oversaw the capture of the Mus Royal Family as they fled Willie. They were entombed in Vulpus, where the Queen ordered their execution. She negotiated a nominal ransom with Daisy Mus, never intending to uphold her end of the bargain.

The Vixen Queen led the 719 Summer Sun summit in "Two Moths Drawn to the Flame," hosted in her own capital. She and her fellow allies castigated Stag Ellis for his experiments and the gas that had killed many of their soldiers. The four devised a split of the Cartonian continent at the conclusion of the war. The Vixen Queen was to take Mallardia, Willie, half of Capricon, Eusuchia, Equine Isle, and most of Canis, including West Terrier. However, she had no intention of sharing so much land with Psittancyna, Scuridiae, and Cervidium. Though she agreed to the proposal, she secretly planned to take all of Cartonia for herself. Domestically, the Vixen Queen was weary of her sister, Valencia Vixen, and her niece, Vanna Vixen. As the Queen's own daughter Violetta Vixen was not yet old enough to bear children, the Vixen Queen continued to keep an eye on her only surviving sister in case she tried to rush for the throne. However, the Vixen Queen's popularity in Vulpus was higher than any other Vulpine monarch in history.

In "Blood for Blood," the Vixen Queen visited the Vixen Cliffs to watch the enormous amounts of gems be pulled from the rocks.

Violetta turned 16 in "Pro Patria Mori" in the year 724, and was appointed Crown Princess of Vulpus. The last person to hold this title was Victoria Vixen. Unbeknownst to the Vixen Queen, her sister Valencia Vixen was plotting to install Vanna Vixen as the next Vixen Queen over Violetta. In 725, the Vixen Queen negotiated with Stag Barrow to annex the Leap, giving Vulpus unbridled control over the Vixen Cliffs. She was furious with the Stag over his conversion of his kingdom into the Union of Cervidian Centralized States, but the Stag was unapologetic. She bailed out Scuridiae after the Chequer pleaded for money to aid the bankrupt nation. In return, Scuridiae was promised to be a principality of Vulpus upon the conclusion of the war.

In 725 in "The Good Must Associate," the Vixen Queen published the infamous edict proclaiming the foxes as the supreme species on the continent, fulfilling the Skulkisch Doktrin's prophecy in "Hollow Crown." This enraged her allies, but she knew that the war could be won even without their support. Toward the end of the year, the Vixen Queen learned that Bacon IV had altered his succession, but could not figure out why.

On November 11, 725, in "Bless My Homeland," the Vixen Queen learned of a disturbance at the Vulpus Dam. It was revealed to be an in-progress escape attempt led by Granite Bloc royals. The Vixen Queen traveled to the Dam to thwart the escape, and ordered the slaughter of all except Bentley Connelly, who was not even in attendance. The Vixen Queen personally descended into the Dam Basin, intent on being the one to kill Bentley. Unbeknownst to the Queen, one of her Generals, Matthew Palmer, had infiltrated the control room and worked with Diana Loudoun to destroy the Vulpus Dam. The Vixen Queen was caught in the flood and drowned. The entire Dam collapsed, pushing half the escapees out of Cartonia. The Vixen Queen's body was swept up in the deluge. Word of her death was relayed back to the Rook of Vulpus, where Violetta Vixen was proclaimed Queen Vixen VIII.

The Vixen Queen's body washed up in Lake Beyond, where it was never found. Her opulent mausoleum in Vista remains empty, a secret well-kept from the public.

## Character

### Namesake

The Vixen Queen's real name is never said in "Silent Night," as she is known purely as the Vixen Queen. Her surname, Vixen, means a female fox.

Vixen VII's real name is indirectly disclosed in the "Hollow Crown" Christmas special trailer. It is confirmed in the episode as **Valda Vixen**. The German name means "Power Rule."

### Antagonist

Despite having died before the end of the War, the seventh Vixen Queen is arguably the series' main antagonist, having used brutal Machiavellian tactics to ascend to higher power and obliterate the peaceful democratic society that had lasted in Cartonia for 707 years. The emotionless calculating she utilized to murder her own niece and heir highlights her thirst for power and a blatant disregard for any morality. Without the Vixen Queen's War, there would never have been a settlement of Toontown.

## Trivia

* Though not said in "Silent Night," the Vixen Queen's husband name is Reynard, which is a male fox. He later became a supporting character in *War.*
* When planning the fox Kingdom and its traditions/customs, the author liked the way Queen Vixen and Vixen Queen could be used interchangeably, as both instilled some sense of portend.
* The Vixen Queen's special appearance in "Countdown" is the first time a Cartonian character from "Silent Night" appeared outside the special.
* Along with Maximilian Walters, Vixen VII is the only other character to appear in a featured capacity in both Christmas specials.