Chapter 15: Assistance From The Assistant Mayor/Alex's Advice To Lionheart
Alex, Judy, and Nick walked into City Hall. They could see Dawn following Mayor Lionheart and carrying a large pile of folders. "Sir, if we could just review these very important… Sir!" Dawn pleaded, almost stepping on a mouse. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Sir!" Dawn apologized to the rodent before continuing her attempts to grab Lionheart's attention.
"Okay! I heard you, Bellwether, just take care of it! Please. And clear my afternoon, I'm going out." Lionheart growled in irritation, slapping another folder on top of her pile. Dawn continued to follow him, all the while trying to keep the massive stack of folders balanced. "Oh, no, but, sir, you do have a meeting with Herds and Grazing. Sir, if I can just...!" Dawn begged before getting the door to his office slammed in her face, causing the pile of folders to topple over and spill all over the floor. "Mutton chops." Dawn groaned as she started picking it up.
The three of them walked over and started helping Dawn pick the scattered folders up off the ground. "Assistant Mayor Bellwether, we need your help." Judy solemnly said. Dawn looked touched as Judy explained their situation to her as Alex gathered up all of the files. The white wolf then walked into Mayor Lionheart's office to give him a piece of his mind.
"O-Officer Alex! What are you doing here!? I'm a busy feline, and I would much prefer it if you set up an appointment before barging in." The mayor quickly said. A look of fear was on the lion's face for a split second before being replaced by a mask of composure. "I'm only going to tell you this once, Leodore. I don't know what you're up to, and I'm not sure I care. But you have to treat other animals the way that YOU want to be treated. Especially your family and allies." Alex growled before slamming the door shut on the mayor's room and heading to Dawn's office.
In the sheep's office, Dawn typed away at her computer to pull up the traffic camera footage. To his horror, Nick was poking the wool on her head. Immediately Alex slapped the fox's paw away. "Do NOT do that. Unless you want to risk a lawsuit." Alex hissed at his friend. Nick blushed apologetically. "Sorry! It just feels so fluffy… like cotton candy!" Nick whispered back.
"Where to?" Dawn asked, looking at Judy. The rabbit inhaled and collected her thoughts before responding. "Uh, Rainforest District. Vine and Tujunga." Judy answered. Bellwether typed away on the keyboard and pulled up a map of the city. "There! Traffic cams for the whole city. Well, this is so exciting, actually. I mean, well, you know, I never get to do anything this important." Bellwether happily said.
"But you're the assistant mayor of Zootopia." Judy replied, a little shocked at this. Dawn's ears briefly drooped. "Oh, I'm more of a glorified secretary. I think Mayor Lionheart just wanted the sheep vote. But he did give me that nice mug!" Dawn melancholily sighed, gazing at a coffee mug with the words "World's Greatest Dad" emblazoned on it; the word 'Dad' was crossed out and had 'Assistant Mayor' written over it. "O-oh…" Judy meekly replied, not sure how to respond.
"Hmm… feels good to be appreciated." Dawn chuckled, though the fondness in her voice was rather forced. "SMELLWETHER!" Lionheart's voice roared through the intercom. "Ah, that's a fun little name he likes to use. I called him Lionfart once, he did not care for that, let me tell you, it was not a good day for me... Yes, sir?" The sheep said, wincing as she heard the name 'Smellwether'.
"I thought you were going to cancel my afternoon!" Lionheart growled. "Oh dear… I'd better go. Let me know what you find. It was really nice for me to be-" Dawn started saying as she got out of the chair. "WHILE WE'RE YOUNG, SMELLWETHER!" The mayor's voice shouted, and Dawn hurried out of there. Alex couldn't help but feel sorry for the assistant mayor. Apparently her situation was a lot worse than she had let on.
"You think when she goes to sleep, she counts herself?" Nick chuckled. Judy smiled, letting out a small giggle at the joke. "Oh, hush. Now let's see… traffic cams… Tujunga, Tujunga… we're in!" Judy spoke as she scrolled through the traffic cams. They saw footage of a black van pull up in front of Manchas's house before several timber wolves burst inside, a flash coming from the windows of the home. That had to have been the concussive blast that had blinded Alex. The wolves emerged from the home carrying Manchas, ensnared in a net and his body riddled with tranquilizer darts.
"Who are these guys?" Judy wondered out loud, looking at Alex silently for answers. "Judy, just because I'm a wolf doesn't mean I know most of the city's canines. In fact, I barely have any canine friends. Never was a part of a wolf pack or anything of the sort… though I always envied those that were able to form those special, intimate, ancient bonds." Alex wistfully remarked.
"Ugh, timber wolves. Look at these dum-dums. Bet ya a nickel one of them will howl… and there it is. I mean, what is it with wolves and howling?" Nick interrupted. Judy's eyes sparkled as an idea formed in her head. "Howlers! Night howlers! That's what Manchas was afraid of, wolves! The wolves are the Night howlers! If they took Manchas…" Judy mused. "I bet they took Otterton too!" Nick exclaimed.
Alex hesitated, not nodding his head in agreement. The logic behind this assumption was solid. However, the white wolf felt as if the timber wolves didn't fit the name of night howlers entirely. The way Manchas had spoken when referring to them, it didn't sound like he was talking about a group of animals. Not wanting to discourage Judy, he withheld his tongue.
"All we gotta do is find out where they went… wait, where'd they go?" Judy asked as she followed the van's route through the Rainforest District to Tundratown, but was not able to find the van anywhere in the frigid city zone. Nick took the computer mouse and went to a different traffic cam. "You know, if I wanted to avoid surveillance because I was doing something illegal, which I never have, I would use the maintenance tunnel 6B, which would put them out... right there." Nick thought out loud, getting the van back on the screen.
"Well look at you, junior detective! You know, I think you'd actually make a pretty good cop." Judy complimented. Alex playfully patted the fox's head. "She's right, you know. With your knowledge of the Zootopia underworld's structure, and your numerous connections, you'd be a fantastic addition to the force. Think about it. The first fox on the Zootopia police force… doesn't that sound enticing?" Alex suggested.
"Ugh. How dare you." Nick jokingly replied as he clicked through more cameras. Alex wasn't fooled, witnessing a flicker of doubt and consideration in Nick's eyes. "They're heading out of town… where does that road lead?" Judy asked. Alex recognized the building, having driven by it a few times on patrol. "Cliffside Asylum." Alex answered.
