Glad reception to this has been good so far. It's probably not gonna bring in anywhere near the readership that BtBW had (especially when BtBW is required reading for it), but we hope you Jimmy Frost fans out there are feeling the love! Because he certainly is.
On to the plot!
Chapter 2: Wolfing Up
Tundratown
Shangri-Llama Estates
8:38 AM
There was neither sleep nor any other activities to be had for Jimmy and the Vixens after that wake-up call. Despite the insistence that they didn't need to rush, all four foxes immediately wanted to know what the heck was going on and why it had ruined their day off.
"Heading out, girls?" Mr. Nickel asked, the reindeer security guard looking over the Vixens and their skidoo.
And their bags.
And the barely-visible tod wedged somewhere in between. "I'm coming too," Jimmy said, getting some giggles out of them. "I mean, I'm also heading out."
"It's a shame we don't see Carla as much anymore," Wallace added, his voice emerging from somewhere in the depths. "I'm also with them, kinda by default at this point."
"Very good," Mr. Nickel said, nodding a few times and making his antler bells play a merry tune. "Drive safe!"
"As safe as we can!" they replied in unison before heading out of the dome and onto the open road. They still couldn't wear their uniforms, so they couldn't pull over any reckless speeders they saw, but they tended to make other drivers slow down around them anyway.
"I could've just ridden my bike this time," Jimmy pointed out. "Though it wouldn't have been as cuddly."
"Then you made the correct decision," Crystal confirmed. "But I'm still, like, conflicted on the one to listen to what this cat is telling us."
"We're in her precinct now. We kinda all have to do that anyway."
"Ugh, I know. Where does she get off?"
"Wherever it is, it isn't often enough," Opal said. "What do you think this assignment is about? Literally dying of curiosity here."
"Please don't die!" Jimmy squeaked.
"Something out of a monster movie by the sound of things," said Pearl. "Then again, so are we."
"I think we're more, like, the political thriller and espionage type. What do you think, Jimmy-Wimmy?"
"About the assignment or what movie genre you three come from?"
"Yes," they all answered.
"Uhhh…" Jimmy had fallen into a kind of ambush they didn't prepare him for at the academy. "That's a very interesting question, but I'm actually thinking more about Nick right now."
And just like Nick would've done, that answer had the intended response of making the Vixens instantly forget what they even asked. "Awwww, it'll be okay," Opal said, hugging him tight. "We know you liked hanging out with him, but we'll do our literal best to keep you company."
"That's not it," he admitted. "I'm actually kinda worried he needs me more than I need him right now. I think this whole fallout from Wilde Times is really getting to him. And I'm only about 50% sure I can read him most of the time, so it could be twice as bad!"
"We can relate," said Crystal, nodding in agreement. "Getting too famous brings you, like, all kinds of enemies. Or at least creepy stalkers."
"The stalkers were so much worse. At least with most of our enemies, we'd just end up ki-"
"We're here for you, Jimmy!" Opal cut in. "And we can help cheer Nick up as we do for you!"
"Thank you for not saying literally."
"But for now, maybe we should just, like, stay positive. We're all together again and we've got an exciting new case to tackle. I say it's all sunny skies ahead!"
They then pulled off their exit into the Rainforest District and immediately started getting poured on.
Rainforest District
Zootopia Police Department - Precinct 4
10:26 AM
The Precinct 4 building, like many other things in these lush canopies, did not prove easy to find. Their initial set of directions led them to the site of the original location, which had apparently burned down some time ago. After being soaked to the bone in the space of five minutes, the Vixens found this story implausible, while Jimmy had seen it before and knew better than to doubt.
Thankfully, this mishap also pointed them in the right direction, which happened to be much much lower. After losing their old building, Precinct 4 had apparently moved into what used to be an abandoned high school deep in the Understory.
It appeared to have gone through extensive renovations in order to look like anything else, but no number of police cars in the parking lot could hide the distinctive rectangular shape that was likely far more spacious than they even needed. It even had one of those letter board signs out front, reading 'TREETOPS LOWER HIGH SCHOOL'.
Or it probably did at one point, before someone had changed it to just 'COPS R HERE LOL'.
After using an actual school locker room to dry off and change into their uniforms, the four arctic police foxes and their plush companion were left aimlessly roaming the main hall. All of that space meant they had yet to run into any of their now-fellow officers and Chief Catano's directions, flawed as they were already, didn't extend to inside the building. It was so quiet they could do a musical number with just the sound of their claws clicking on tiled floors.
The Vixens might have been so inclined if they weren't huddled together nervously, glancing around at the sleek walls and trophy cases as if they really were back in high school again.
"This place is so unnerving."
"Don't they say abandoned schools are known for being, like, super creepy?"
"It's not supposed to be abandoned now though. I think it's literally just the sheer awkwardness of us walking into the ZPD. By choice."
"Hey, don't worry," Jimmy assured them. "It's just a police precinct. It's not like we're entering some bizarro mirror dimension."
"State your business," a firm voice said, physically halting them in their tracks. They had finally emerged into an actual open room, now facing a portly water buffalo at the front desk. Even seated, he towered over them.
"Oh, uh, we're here to see the chief, Officer…" Jimmy glanced down at his name placard, "...Nogo?"
"Hmm. You're the new recruits, right?" Nogo tapped on his keyboard for a moment, pausing only to grab some onion rings from a nearby box. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he swallowed them instantly. "Says here you four are off-duty today."
"Well, yeah, technically, but this is for the special assignment." It took Jimmy only one glance at Officer Nogo's unamused expression to realize that it was apparently a special secret assignment. Looking over the buffalo's shoulder, he caught sight of an office window just behind him, clearly labeled 'Chief Catano'. "She's right there, isn't she? Just let her know we're here and I'm sure she'll explain." He wasn't as sure about that as he'd like to be.
Nogo's nostrils flared, blowing hot air in the fox's face. "Are you telling me what to do?"
"I'm…giving a helpful recommendation?"
"Like, lay off him!" Crystal slammed her paws on the desk. "It's not like we wanted to come in today! You know what we'd be doing right now if we weren't summoned by Her Royal Spottiness?"
"Things we so can't talk about in the workplace!"
"That's right!"
They showed no fear in the presence of the stoic desk guardian, but he didn't waver either. "I've heard of you girls. You've worked hard to find this opportunity that you questionably deserve. Would be a shame if you were to lose it so soon."
"Ha! You literally don't have the authority to fire us!" Opal taunted. She glanced back at her sisters. "He doesn't, right? I don't think that was in the textbooks."
They gave noncommittal shrugs while Jimmy smiled to himself, overcome with nostalgia. "Ah, the feeling of being inadequately prepared for the real world. Good times."
"Those times ain't over yet, buddy!"
Nogo glared down at the Wallabeanie in Jimmy's arms. "You brought your doll to work?"
"My honor has been insulted! This calls for a fight to the death!"
Jimmy slapped a paw over his cottony mouth. "Oh, this is Wallace. He kinda just comes along with me everywhere. Is that a problem?"
"A very concerning one, but I don't think it's against the rules, no," Nogo admitted. "In any case, I still don't have any reason to let you through. You're not assigned work today. Go home."
"Well, you know what?!" Pearl screamed, getting up in the ungulate's face. "…That is so fine with us! Let's go!" Sticking a tongue out at him, she and her sisters began to pull Jimmy away, the tod complaining even less than usual.
The door to Chief Catano's office slammed open. "Will you keep it down out here?! Some of us are trying to get some sleep!" The cheetah locked eyes with the arctic entourage, taking a moment to look them over. "Oh, shit. That was today, wasn't it?"
"You just called us this morning," Jimmy told her.
She slapped her forehead. "Right, right, I remember now. I was gonna set a reminder on my phone, but then I didn't."
Officer Nogo looked just as confused as them. "So you did call them in today?"
"Yeah, I did. You can relax, to whatever degree you're able." She looked back to the foxes. "Come on in, everyone."
This wasn't exactly a victory as far as the Vixens were concerned, but they all stuck out their tongues at Nogo again anyway as they passed by.
The buffalo just grumbled and went back to his onion rings, Jimmy shooting one last curious glance at his back before Catano shut her door again. "Did you do that on purpose?"
"Did I do what on purpose?"
"Um…nevermind," Jimmy said, immediately distracted by the sight of her office.
Somehow, it was both restored to functionality and in a worse state than most of the untouched areas of the building, home to piles of clutter and actual vines coming in through the windows to crawl along the ceiling. It had presumably belonged to the school principal at one point, who thankfully did not live to see the amount of paper now littering the floor.
"Watch your step," Catano advised, tiptoeing deftly around it without even looking. "Some of my paperwork fell out of the bin. I'll clean it up later."
Jimmy looked down at one page that got briefly stuck to the bottom of his foot. "This one's dated over two months ago."
"Boy, I sure hope it wasn't important then," she laughed. The bin itself was stacked so high that it was a miracle it hadn't toppled over yet. It leaned in one direction as if it were about to, but the cheetah stopped it with a very casual nudge of her claw. "Sorry for falling asleep on you, by the way. I know I said to take your time, but I guess I dozed off waiting."
"We would've been here sooner if you hadn't given us the wrong address," Opal grumbled.
"I did? Oh right, for the old location. I was going to update the site, but then I didn't." Catano plopped down in her seat, arms behind her head, feet on the desk, chair titled at a perfect 120° angle. "Ahhh, that's better."
Jimmy sat down in one of the chairs across from her, while the Vixens all shoved themselves into the other. "What happened to the old location exactly?" he asked, his ears pinning. "Was it Harvey?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, it was before all that. As it turns out, running electricity directly through a giant tree can be somewhat of a fire hazard. Everything around it was mostly okay because, you know, rain, but the building itself? Basically unsalvageable. So we moved down into the Understory, found a place that suited our purposes, and presto."
"And it's…worked out so far?"
"Well, it hasn't caught fire yet, if that's what you're asking. There are a few rumors floating around though that it might be haunted. Probably no basis in factual evidence, but I'd keep your wits about you regardless."
Right on cue, something fell on Jimmy's shoulder, making him yelp. "G-Girls, please tell me that was one of you."
But it wasn't. Closer examination revealed that it was actually one of the bulbous vines from the ceiling falling down and landing on him. "Maybe ghosts and fire aren't the biggest issues here."
"Nah, that's just nature trying to reclaim my office." Catano waved at it dismissively. "Just ignore it and it'll go away eventually."
"Will it?"
"I dunno."
There was a moment of silence before Pearl stepped forward, kicking away another few stray documents. "Now that's so interesting and all, but we came here on our day off and you interrupted something beautiful, so what's this big assignment about?"
"Alright, if you wanna just rush me along…" She needed another moment to get into a position where she could operate her laptop. As she turned it to face her, they caught a glimpse of her screensaver: an endless loop of Chief Bogo being repeatedly hit in the face with a jar of piss. It sadly went away as she then pulled up some files. "What do you all know about this werewolf problem?"
"Nothing," Jimmy said. "You just asked 'How do you feel about hunting a werewolf?' then immediately hung up without waiting for an answer. We had to call back just to get the address out of you."
"The wrong one," Crystal added.
She nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like me. So how do you feel about it?"
"I think the best answer would be 'confused'."
"Yeah. Is this, like, a figurative werewolf?"
"Or is it literally literal?"
"See for yourself," Catano said, clicking a few more keystrokes and then turning the laptop to face them.
On-screen were images from several grisly crime scene photos. Most were of alleyways, abandoned buildings, or even patches of foliage not unlike the surrounding rainforest. Regardless of the location, they all followed a very similar theme, giant claw marks almost acting as watermarks. Mercifully, the actual victims had been moved, leaving only splashes of blood and patches of fur behind. Unless that was just how much was left of them to begin with. Jimmy didn't ask, his tail falling to the floor and his ears trying to join it.
The arms of two of the Vixens soon wrapped around his shoulders in comfort. They themselves were much less affected. "What happened to them?" Pearl asked.
"Guess you haven't heard about the attacks, huh? Not surprising. It isn't the sort of thing most news networks are gonna talk about if they want to be taken seriously." Catano slowly scrolled down, showing that the examples she had given were far from the only ones. "What we know for sure is that something very large and very hairy is going around killing and eating mammals, not necessarily in that order. Mostly prey, but a few predators have been attacked as well, possibly just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The pictures themselves weren't even the worst part. That would be the names Jimmy could see listed in small print next to each one. Names and species. He couldn't help but marvel a bit at the advancements in forensic investigation, as he would've had no idea just by looking at them. Not that it was a perfect science, with the ones only listing species or just labeled 'Unknown'.
"Please stop showing these photos," he squeaked out, a pair of white paws soon covering his eyes.
She minimized the window. "Sorry. I forgot you're still new at this. But you get the gist. It's honestly a good thing the news is burying this for now. The Crime Wars are causing enough chaos in the streets without some kind of savage predator resurgence."
"How do we know it's a wolf exactly?" he asked.
"Witness statements. I don't care how stealthy this thing thinks it is; nothing that big is gonna do all this without getting spotted. Not in the information age," she said proudly, as if she were personally responsible for the advent of technology. "Those who weren't too scared shitless to talk all agree that the killer was a giant wolf. The details were a bit spotty beyond that, as you'd expect. Big claws, big teeth, blackish eyes, bloody markings, breath of the damned, yadda yadda. How anyone got close enough to smell its breath without becoming part of it I don't know."
"So, like, we should take this with a grain of salt," Crystal surmised.
"Take the whole shaker. But it's consistent enough, I'll give it that."
"Consistent enough to give us some kind of lead, I hope?" Opal asked. "Because so far it sounds like you want us to literally just suit up and go out there with guns full of silver to bag this thing."
"As cool as that sounds, it's not the kind of hunting I was talking about. At least not yet." Catano went back to her laptop, pulling up another photo. "But as for a lead, I think I can show you something interesting. Provided you keep Officer Frost's eyes uncovered."
Pearl squinted. "Is it safe for work?"
"For this kind of work, it sorta has to be. One brave soul managed to snap a picture of the beast. Not a great one, but a picture's worth a thousand words and this one can manage at least three."
She turned the laptop around to show them again. The picture was blurry and only seemed to capture the beast's back, but it was enough to tell that it was wearing a tattered biker jacket, adorned with the familiar symbol of a wolf skull emerging from a crescent moon.
Jimmy recognized it instantly. "The Lang Family."
"You're well-acquainted with them, so I hear."
"I mean…kinda?" He tilted his paw side-to-side a bit. "I beat one of them in a bike duel. Then I beat his brother in a bike duel. And between that I kinda sorta got their mom killed? So I'm not overly sure they'd be happy to see me again."
"Good." She smirked, giving a wink. "Because they won't be seeing you."
"...Your words are reassuring but your expression is not."
Catano leaned forward, actually starting to show some semblance of excitement. "I've got the perfect assignment in mind for you, Officer Frost. You, and your Angels there."
Opal narrowed her eyes. "So you are the reason we're all in Precinct 4."
"Yeah, I did a bit of finagling behind the scenes." She looked proud of that too. "Chief Gonghart actually wanted you girls in Precinct 3, but I managed to talk him over to my way of thinking."
"I mean no disrespect, Kii, but the Vixens could do far more good in Tundratown," the dugong said, smiling pleasantly up at the feline while flopped over onto his desk. Which sat at the edge of a hole punched into a frozen pool. "It's the territory they're most familiar with and naturally adapted to, not to mention their knowledge of Mr. Big and his former empire. They'd really be a phenomenal asset here."
"Yeah, but I WANT them."
"Well…alright. I wouldn't want you to feel bad."
"I've always been a shrewd negotiator," Catano finished, reaching for her intercom. "Hold on a sec. I wanna bring someone in to help explain this." A few button clicks later. "Yo. We're ready."
"Are we?" Jimmy asked.
His question went unanswered as a gray wolf officer entered the room. He stood up straight, arms clasped behind his back and wearing a police uniform so heavily polished that he almost looked like a rookie himself if not for the years of experience clearly etched onto his face. Atop his head was an equally-shiny cop hat with a thick gold band around its crown. He wore it so tightly that it completely covered his ears, yet he'd heard the chief's call just fine apparently. "Reporting for duty, ma'am," he said, unsurprisingly a bit on the posh side.
Catano groaned. "Ugh. Don't 'ma'am' me. I keep telling you to just call me Chief."
"Sorry, Chief. Force of habit." He glanced down at the foxes, surprisingly the most focused on Jimmy. "So this is him?"
"He's the one," she confirmed, turning to the group. "Frost, Vixen, Vixen, Vixen, this is Officer Huff Puffman. My consultant on everything regarding the Lang Family."
"And I can assure you I'm quite qualified," Huff said, smiling pleasantly. "After all, I myself used to be a Lang for many years."
"Really?" Jimmy turned around in his seat to look back at him, as did all three Vixens. "What made you leave?"
"Well…as you can see, I am a mammal who values his cleanliness. And those wolves can get very dirty."
They kept staring at him, not terribly impressed, until he clarified. "I am, of course, speaking metaphorically."
"And literally," Catano said, making Opal's ears perk. "Guy's a real dandy, if you couldn't tell."
"I'm just trying to respect the uniform!" he insisted, stepping up so that he now stood at the chief's side. Indeed, he was visibly wary to even be inside this mess of a police office, and must have spent a fortune on what looked to be custom-made black loafers just to keep his feet from touching the floor.
"And respect it he has. Huff has been a crucial asset to the precinct ever since he joined. We've busted up a ton of Lang Family operations because of him."
"Oh, stop. I don't deserve such flattery," Huff said, while simultaneously pointing his nose to the sky and wagging his tail hard enough to shuffle the stray papers on the floor.
"Sure you do. So why don't you tell our guests here about our little project?" Catano suggested.
Huff instantly mellowed out again. "You called me in here just because you didn't feel like explaining it yourself, didn't you?"
"I've explained enough." She yawned, leaning back again. "Exposition is exhausting."
He dusted himself off, both physically and emotionally, before clearing his throat. "Very well. What we're planning is, in essence, an undercover op. A very in-depth undercover op. We need a brave officer of the law to infiltrate the Lang Family by going in as one of them. Once inside, you'll sniff around for anything that could point us in the direction of this 'Beast'. Erm, yes, Officer Frost?"
Jimmy politely lowered his arm. "Okay, I get that part. On principle. But why do you want me for this? I'm not exactly the gritty biker type."
"More of the ditzy creampuff type," Wallace agreed.
"And that's exactly why the Lang Family will never suspect you," Huff replied. "But you were actually requested specifically for this."
"Requested by who?"
"By the Lang Family."
Jimmy tilted his head, and so did the Vixens next to him like a set of dominoes. "Does 'undercover' mean something different now than from when I was in the academy?"
"Can confirm. It literally doesn't," said Opal.
"Not all of the Langs are going to be unaware," Huff explained. "We're actually cooperating with some of their top dogs on this, though they don't particularly like me for turning blue on them."
"Haters gonna, like, hate."
"Their new Alpha, plus a few others we know you've met are in on it. The idea that one of their own is going out as some prowling creature of the night is rather discomforting to a group trying to put on a good public image now."
"They're all creatures of the night. That's just being nocturnal," Jimmy pointed out. "But more importantly, you really think a little inside help is going to convince hundreds of other wolves that I'm one of them?"
"You'll be getting outside help as well. We've assembled a team in a bunker owned by one of the Langs. That includes your Angels there."
"I feel like you're all referencing something I'm too young for?"
"You'll be going to that location as soon as our meeting here is concluded," Huff concluded. "We have an expert stationed there who will tell you more about the infiltration itself. Assuming that you're willing to take this on, of course."
Jimmy hesitated. "Right. Um, first of all, good presentation. That was very helpful."
"Nothing to it. Just doing my job," he said, while simultaneously grinning from ear-to-ear and bobbing up and down.
"But could I speak to Chief Catano again?"
Huff immediately stopped smiling and bobbing. "Yes, aside from a small obstacle." He pointed a thumb at the chief's desk, where Catano was currently passed out in her chair and snoring. It was kind of adorable, but really inconvenient.
"We could, like, give her coffee," Crystal suggested.
"No! No, bad idea," Huff said. "Trust me. I know how to wake her up." Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out a small glass vial. The Vixens peered at it curiously, then gasped and slapped paws over each others' mouths when they realized the contents were moving. Huff calmly approached the chief's desk and poured the live spiders onto her lap.
Catano twitched, then kicked a little, then she bolted upright, screaming bloody murder as she threw her legs to the floor and started stomping. "How do you little shits keep getting in here?! I'll take you all down!" The cheetah opened her desk drawer with actually impressive speed, pulling out a rag and some cleaner that she began scrubbing frantically with. On the other side of the desk, all they could see was her spotted tail lashing violently back and forth. "Run if you want, but I won't let you get away again!"
Huff leaned over to whisper to the others. "The chief hates live bugs. We sometimes sneak them into her office just to get her to clean up a little."
"You may think I'm just a police chief, but here I am judge, jury, and executioner! Pray to your eight-legged gods for mercy, vermin, because I HAVE NONE!"
"Incidentally, this is also why we don't give her coffee."
"So spiders aren't dirty to you?" Jimmy whispered back.
"I'm not the one who caught them."
Once Chief Catano's thirst for blood was satiated, she stood back up again and gave a stretch. She looked about ready to go right back to sleep again when she noticed the visitors in her office. "Oh, you're still here? What'd I miss?"
"Literally everything," Opal answered.
"It kinda just came down to whether or not I actually want to, you know, do this," Jimmy clarified.
"Cool. So do you?"
"Well…" Jimmy weighed the consequences, then turned to the Vixens. "I should probably ask what they think first."
Catano smirked. "You're a good boyfriend."
After a moment of hesitation, Pearl spoke first. "Jimmy, you know we have your back no matter what. So if you wanna head into the wolf's den, that is so okay with us."
"Yeah, what's the worst that could, like, happen?"
"Literally just him being eviscerated and eaten by a giant weremonster."
They all paused. "Maybe we could, like, reconsider this?"
"There will be plenty of eyes in there watching over him," Huff assured. "They might not know who he is, but wolf packs protect their own. Even in my days with the Lang Family, I understood that much."
"Besides, I'm a lot tougher now," Jimmy insisted. "I've been practicing the self-defense you taught me while you were gone and my reflexes are super heightened."
Catano immediately threw a notepad at his head, which Jimmy caught instantly without even looking at it. "Okay, wow, not the way I was expecting that bit to go. I'm impressed."
"So are we!" the Vixens said, wagging their tails in sync. "You are tougher!"
"Physically, perhaps, but you're gonna need to change your whole mentality in order to fit in with the Langs," Catano warned. "Are you up for that?"
Jimmy looked to her, then to the encouraging gaze of Huff Puffman, then to the grinning Vixens all but fist-pumping in support, then back to Catano. And then he said, with all the willpower he could muster, "If it's to save Zootopia, I'm up for anything." The Vixens cheered on his heroic words.
Catano blinked. "Alright. Not…sure things are that bad yet, but I appreciate the enthusiasm. If you're all onboard, then Huff here will take you over to the bunker to make preparations. There you'll meet Danny."
Jimmy recognized that name. Right, that tanuki guy who posed as the phony Sanchez. Guess he'll be the one helping me suit up. "I…think we're good to go then?"
"Yaaaaay, road trip!" the Vixens squealed.
Huff winced a bit. "I'm going to have to listen to this the whole way down, aren't I?"
"Probably," Wallace said. "Don't worry, buddy, I totally get it."
Jimmy shushed him before looking back up at Catano. "Thank you for this opportunity, Chief. I promise I will not let you-oh, she's asleep again."
He was answered only by snores.
The Bunker
11:14 AM
Jimmy really started to feel the pressure of this new assignment as soon as he left the precinct. And cooped up as he was now in the back of Officer Puffman's ZPD cruiser, he really needed to decompress. Which made Officer Puffman quickly regret not just making the foxes follow behind him.
"99 bottles of juice on the wall! 99 bottles of juice! You take one down, pass it around! 98 bottles of juice on the wall!"
It was enough to drive Huff up that wall. It was bad enough that they were tracking muddy footprints into his clean and polished vehicle. He'd never understand the appeal of going barefoot everywhere. Natural connection with the Earth? Oh, you'd feel a 'connection' alright, especially once you got hookworms!
"-take one down, pass it around! 96 bottles of juice on the wall! Everyone!"
Then the Vixens joined in. "95 bottles of juice on the wall! 95 bottles of juice!"
"You take one down, like, pass it around!"
"Literally 94 bottles of juice on the wall!"
Huff looked over at the passenger's seat, where only Wallace lay claim, before putting his eyes back on the road. "The doll was right," he grumbled.
"I think of myself as more of an action plush," Wallace replied.
Huff screamed.
Shortly thereafter, the group was dumped unceremoniously in a seemingly empty clearing while the wolf took off with great haste. "Well that was rude," Jimmy said.
"So rude!"
"I think I remember this place though." The tod approached a nearby cliff-face, covered in overbrush. "There should be a door right behind…ah-ha!" Stepping back, he looked up at the large metal surface built into the rock wall. "Probably won't be as crowded this time, but let's hope someone knows we're coming." He gave it a few knocks.
No answer.
Once again getting drenched, the Vixens came up and started pounding on it much more forcefully. "Hey, open up! We're getting literally soaked to the bone out here!"
Finally, a slot opened on its surface, a pair of bored orange eyes staring out at them. "Hey, you made it. Got the password?"
The foxes were silent.
"Catano forgot to give it to you, didn't she?"
"She might have if she didn't fall asleep," Jimmy offered.
"Of course she did. Lucky for you, I know who you are. Come on in." The door creaked open to allow them inside.
They were faced with a familiar, short red wolf in a yellow t-shirt, blue denim overalls, and brown boots. Jimmy couldn't recall if the bandage affixed to the top of her muzzle had always been there, but it seemed appropriate somehow. "Hey there," Jimmy greeted. "Danielle, right?"
"That's right." She didn't say anything else before heading down the long dark corridor in front of them. "Wipe your feet and follow me. There's a lot to cover and I'm not the most social." They looked down at her welcome mat, which had the word in question scratched out with a knife.
The bunker was indeed a lot quieter when they weren't trying to gather an army in the place. Between that and the general atmosphere, Jimmy found himself a bit unsettled this time around. Though Danielle clearly didn't want it, he couldn't help but make small talk just to fill the void. "So we were told a member of the Lang Family owned this bunker. Is that you?"
"Mmm-hmm. I invented a new security system a while back. Patented it. Sold it. I can buy stuff now. Like an underground bunker off of some doomsday prepper."
"Wouldn't money be kinda useless in the case of an actual apocalypse?"
Danielle shrugged. "Eh, she didn't seem to mind. And once I got rid of all her creepy 'Cudspiracy' posters, I didn't either. This place is pretty solid."
It sure takes being antisocial to a whole new level. "It's…roomy."
"So you're, like, not really used to having guests then?" Crystal guessed.
"I'm not, but this is important. I'm part of a pack. When the pack needs this place, I'm not gonna turn them down. Besides, this is way more manageable than your whole 'FRENEMY' group. I've only gotta deal with a few stragglers, including you four."
"Who else does it include?" Jimmy asked.
"Take a look and see." She led them out into a spacious underground living room that could accurately be called a bachelor pad despite being owned by a female.
Though the descriptor was slightly more fitting now, with the single male fox currently lounging across the couch. "Glad you could make it, Snowball."
"NICK!" Jimmy rushed forward and threw himself on top of the older fox, a move that completely ruined the mood Nick was trying to set.
"Ow! Ribs! Geez, Snowball, did the Vixens teach you the art of professional glomping?"
"We so didn't!"
"He's, like, a total natural!"
"Literally 10 out of 10!"
"Sorry! I was just worried," Jimmy said, pushing himself away. "Since I got transferred to another precinct, I was all freaked out about what was gonna happen to you. Especially since…you know…"
"I'm the unfavorite," Nick finished far too casually. "Officially, I've been transferred to the mailroom, since the higher-ups thought it'd be too suspicious if we all ended up in Precinct 4. Then they gave me the choice between actually sorting mail for a living or coming here to help you out instead."
"Doesn't seem like too hard of a choice," Danielle snarked.
"Well, one was a subterranean lair divorced from civilization and the other was a bunker. You're right, it was no choice at all." Nick sat up himself, stretching out and checking just to be sure Jimmy hadn't broken anything. "But I'm not just here for moral support, Snowball. I'm sort of your mission control, the guy you're gonna be sending information to so I can then pass it on to Chief Catano's right paw. What was his name again?"
"Huff Puffman."
"Ah, right, I think I've met him before. Heavy chain smoker, right?"
Danielle shook her head. "No, you're thinking of Puff Huffman. No relation."
"Gotcha. Anyway, that's my role in all this. The Vixens will be our field operatives. They'll be going anywhere that you can't without blowing your cover. And Danielle here…well, she's kinda just the one hosting us."
"Which is really the most important role of all when you think about it," she said. "You can just call me Dani, by the way. If you're gonna be living with me, you should at least get a bit more familiar."
Jimmy stopped for a moment, remembering Catano's words. "Oh, so you're the Dani who's gonna be helping me become a Lang? Sorry, I assumed it was this tanuki I met."
"It is." Out stepped a tanuki from around the corner, sporting a plain brown shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap adorned with the symbol of a leaf. Around his neck was what appeared to be a black ID card with a crescent moon symbol. "Believe me, I find this just as inconvenient as you," Danny said, his thick accent dripping with contempt. "I have better-paying clients now that I've gotten more publicity."
Nick raised a claw. "My publicity, you mean."
"Not quite. I'm still trusted to do my job."
"Touché."
Jimmy had been ready to jump in and defend his honor too. "Do I even need to look like a wolf?" he asked, suddenly feeling a bit contrarian. "It's not like the Langs don't take in other species."
"That doesn't mean they don't stick out like a sore thumb-pad," the tanuki countered. "Have you ever met Greg?"
"Yeah, I think I've seen him around Nick's place a couple times. Everyone knows Greg."
"Exactly. You can't be a Greg. And you certainly can't be a Jimmy."
"Wallace is also off-limits."
"I already thought up a new name anyway," Jimmy boasted, just as suddenly back on board. "Check this out: James Wolfe."
Danny stared blankly, somehow to an even greater degree than usual. "I'm not sure which upsets me more. That that's the best you could come up with, or that it's a perfectly legitimate wolf name."
Jimmy smiled victoriously.
"Whatever. It'll do. Come along." He started off down another hall, but paused for a moment to glance back at the Vixens. "Actually, you three come too. I'll need some assistance with this one. The doll stays though."
"I am an ACTION PLAAAAAH!" Jimmy chucked Wallace over to Nick, who reluctantly caught him.
"See you soon, Nick!" Jimmy said with a grin, waving to the couchbound fox. "When I get back, you won't even recognize me!"
"Somehow, I think I will." Nick waved back with one paw and tossed Wallace under a pillow with the other.
As he and the Vixens followed after Danny, Nick was now left alone with Dani. "So…got anything good to watch?"
"Unless you count online engineering tutorials, I don't think so."
"Well, nuts."
"Bolts too."
Nick smirked up at her. "Oh, I think we'll get along just fine."
11:22 AM
"So can I ask a question?"
Danny rolled his eyes at the tod behind him. "Ignoring the fact that you just did?"
"I hope so. Because I actually kinda have a couple."
He sighed. "Shoot."
"Aren't I kinda small to pass for a wolf?"
"For most species, yes. You'll be going in as an 'Awoobian gray', the world's smallest wolf, and even then you'll be a bit runty. But we can work dwarfism into your backstory or something."
"We can help with that!" Pearl offered, waving an eager paw. "We have so much experience with backstories!"
"We played, like, all sorts of characters while on the job."
"But no ugly ones. That'd be literally impossible."
"Not what I needed you for, but appreciated," Danny acknowledged.
"What did you need them for?" Jimmy asked.
"Experience." He led them out into the bunker's garage. Once a haven of war machines constructed to invade a theme park, now home to many bottles of fur dye, plastic sheets, and baskets of used biker clothes.
The clothes smelled stronger than the dye. Jimmy pinched his nose. "Euugh. They're kinda stinky, aren't they?"
"You're supposed to be an orphaned street pup, not to mention an entirely different species. We need to mask your scent somehow."
"I guess," Jimmy admitted, stepping out onto the sheets. "It's just something I'll have to get used to."
"Don't worry, I'll try not to make this too uncomfortable for you," Danny assured. "Now strip."
His eyes widened. "E-Excuse me? Don't you have a changing room or-?"
"We have to dye you up before we even think about clothes," he said patiently. "And it has to be thorough. This isn't the kind of dye job that's going to be foiled by someone splashing water in your face, nor should it be the kind that's foiled by someone seeing you shirtless."
"That's a serious concern," Crystal said. "Jimmy has a very rubbable belly."
Jimmy swallowed. "Yeah, that makes sense. I'm just kinda…shy?"
Danny nodded. "I figured as much. That's what I brought the Vixens for."
He raised a paw and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the Vixens sprang into action, lunging at a screaming Jimmy.
When they were done, the tod was mercifully left in his snowflake-patterned boxer shirts, shivering and holding his tail. "I think we broke our record that time, girls," Pearl giggled, carrying the discarded police uniform back over.
"And that was the easy part," Danny muttered.
"How long is this gonna take?" the tod asked sheepishly.
"As long as it needs to. I'm being paid by the hour." Danny quickly scanned the room, ensuring they were ready to begin, then pulled out a small personal recorder and began to speak into it.
"Jimmy Frost, arctic fox. A mammal barely dressed." He turned to the Vixens. "Ladies, we can rebrand him. We have the amenities."
At his signal, the Vixens spread out across the room, gathering supplies and bringing them to the center as Jimmy looked on nervously.
"We have the capability to make the world's first fox-turned-biker-wolf."
Opal dragged over an easel with the image of a dyed-up fox sketched out on graph paper. The Vixens all spent a moment staring at the image, then grabbed Jimmy and yanked him to the floor.
"Jimmy Frost will BE that wolf."
They began to apply the dye to Jimmy's fur, rubbing it in like the skilled masseuses they were. He tried to be cooperative, but the tod's ticklishness eventually required them to just paralyze him.
"Smellier than he was before."
The Vixens looked over the baskets of dirty Lang laundry, none wanting to get too close. After a moment, they all affixed clothespins to their noses and went in.
"Buffer. Stranger. Freakier."
Scanning over his potential outfits, Pearl held up a pair of blue jeans that Opal looked over for a moment before shaking her head. Crystal took out a knife and slashed both knees, which Opal looked over a bit longer before nodding.
"Jimmy Frost is: The Six-Hundred Buck Wolfox!"
6:31 PM
Danny checked his watch. "Ha! Make that seven hundred!"
"But you didn't even do anything!" Pearl protested. "You just watched us and monologued!"
"Who do you think sketched up the designs and got all those supplies ready? Now come on. Let's go show the fruits of our labor."
"Our labor specifically!"
Back out in the living room, Nick and Danielle had not budged from their spot on the couch. The fox peered over her shoulder at a video playing on the wolf's laptop. "Wow, these online tutorials are way more interesting when they show you what not to do."
"Right? That's what he gets for using a pipe wrench instead of a ratchet wrench. The first tends to be better in a fight though."
"Do mechanics often hold underground fight clubs?"
"Aside from Plumberumble, I'm not sure. Maybe I could look up some-"
A thump hit the back of their couch. Both canines turned around to see that an actual red carpet had been rolled out, which the Vixens now stood atop of. While they had painstakingly avoided getting any dye on their new uniforms, their normally white paws were still covered in the stuff and their normally alluring scents were significantly less so.
"Now presenting: our so handsome boy."
"Who has been, like, totally transformed."
"But is literally still a handsome boy."
"MEET JAMES WOLFE!" they all shouted, stepping aside to let Jimmy's new persona through.
"H-Hi, guys." The wolf before them waved bashfully. He was covered head to toe in light gray dyed-on fur, lighter under his chin, belly, and paws. The Vixens had chosen for him a black biker jacket and a plain white t-shirt that didn't scream of too much individuality, plus a pair of blue jeans with very conspicuous tears. He stood there in silence and just smiled, waiting for a reaction.
For a moment, Nick was just too stunned to give one. "Oh! Uh, nice to meet you…James."
"Not gonna lie, that's a pretty good disguise," Dani remarked. "I can't even smell all that dye you must've used over…" She sniffed, "...about a dozen other wolves whose clothes I've borrowed."
"My nose hurts," he replied.
"That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Nick asked. "Having too many scents on him?"
"Nah, we'll just say he's been staying with me before he decided to officially join the pack. Wouldn't be the first time. The important thing is that I can't smell Jimmy Frost at all."
"Awesome!" Jimmy cheered. "Then I'll blend right in!"
"I don't know about that…" Danny stepped out from behind him. "While your appearance is, naturally, flawless, I can't say the same for your demeanor. You can walk the walk, but can you talk the talk?"
"Sure I can! Watch!" Jimmy cleared his throat, putting on a grimace and folding his arms as his voice deepened by several octaves. "Hey there. The name's James. Yeah, I lost my family too. But that's okay because now I've got another. A family of the Lang variety." He hocked a loogie for effect.
"Please don't spit on my carpets," Dani said.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll go find some cleaner and-WAAAH!" Jimmy attempted to run, but tripped on the unfurled red carpet and immediately faceplanted instead.
Danny just nodded. "I take it back. You can't walk the walk either. Thankfully, it's not my problem anymore. I only got paid to make you look the part."
"Being nervous and kind of awkward is pretty normal for your situation," Dani assured. "But we're pairing you with a mentor figure anyway to help show you the ropes. As long as you don't go around acting like a cop, the rest of the pack will probably just think you're a clumsy idiot."
"Phew, that's a relief," Jimmy said, still on the floor.
Danny stepped over him. "Good luck with that then. I'll be taking my leave. You want me to just drop this off here?" he asked Dani, pointing to the crescent moon card around his neck.
"There's a little hook near the exit you can hang it from. Trust me, you're best off keeping it on until then." She ignored the curious glances she got in response.
"Very well. I wish you all luck." He tipped his cap. "You'll be needing no small amount of it, I'm sure."
Crystal huffed. "Yeah, yeah, like, sayonara."
The tanuki took a moment to glare at her. "Just…steal my catchphrase, why don't you? Fine. I can take a hint." He almost went for a smoke bomb, but apparently decided it wasn't worth it and just walked off.
"Finally," Dani sighed, the wolf visibly relaxing. "Having someone else around with a name so close to mine was kinda driving me nuts."
"And bolts?" Nick asked.
"I was tempted to."
"It did seem like kind of a lack of foresight," Jimmy admitted, standing back up and dusting himself off. Or do wolves LIKE the dust?
He was about to ask, but they were all drawn away by what sounded like gunfire coming from down the hall.
"Get behind us!" the Vixens ordered, drawing their knives from actual pockets for once and shielding Jimmy.
"No fair! I can't get caught before I even start!"
"Relax," Dani said, indeed not looking concerned at all. "Sounds like someone just took off his security card too early." They stared at her in shock. "It's just riot control rounds. My insurance wouldn't cover anything else. He'll be fine."
"Hey, who left a raccoon in the hallway?" In walked another familiar wolf wearing a green and black racing jacket, jeans more ripped than his, and a very confused expression. "Guy's less mobile than a cat in sunlight."
"JUNIOR!" Jimmy continued to practice his glomping ability and lunged for the wolf, wrapping his arms around his waist.
"Erm…alright." Junior gave him a few pats on the head. "Not sure the two of us have a hugging sorta relationship yet, but it's appreciated."
Jimmy pulled away. "Aww, so you already know who I am?"
"You assumed I wouldn't and still wanted to hug me?" It took him a moment to recover from exposure to Frost. "Yeah, I can tell, pup. That's what I'm here for. I'm gonna help ya integrate into the Lang Family, learnin' the ways of the pack so ya hopefully don't embarrass yerself too much."
"Will there be a big montage?" he asked.
"I dunno, probably."
"Yes!"
"Wouldn't get too excited about that prospect, pup. I doubt it'll be kind to ya."
"But this is exciting!" he insisted. "A brand new mission, with all of us working together! Nothing's gonna stop the Bunker Busters!"
"The…what?"
"Oh, I thought up a team name while the dye was drying. You know, 'cause we're in a bunker and trying to bust a beastie.."
"Don't explain the joke," Nick reminded. "But otherwise, I approve."
"And I can live with it." Junior looked around, trading glances with the wolf and fox on the couch who waved lazily back, and the three arctic vixens who were unsubtly checking out Jimmy's new look. "We'll need to get movin' pretty promptly, so any sappy goodbyes ya need to get out, say 'em now."
Jimmy turned back to the others and smiled, barely getting a word out before the Vixens all pulled him into a group hug.
"We're gonna miss you so much!"
"Even though we'll, like, still be around here."
"Literally most of the time."
"Grrrrck! I'll…miss you too…"
"Just a heads up: I'd try not to get too used to hugs with us," Junior advised.
"Good luck, Snowball," Nick said. "I know you'll be the best wolfox ever."
"By default, but still cool," Dani added.
The Vixens released their hold on Jimmy, letting him catch his breath before he turned back to Junior. "Alright…I'm ready."
"Hey, what about Wallace?" Nick offered, digging the plush out to hold him up while putting on a falsetto. "I wanna say goodbye to you too, Jimmy!"
"Help! Identity theft!"
"Bye, Wallace!" Jimmy gave the plush an eager wave, not leaving his spot. "Okay, now I'm ready!"
As the wolf nodded and left with his new charge, Nick blinked in surprise, putting on Wallace's voice again. "Wait, that's it?"
6:50 PM
"Thank you for makin' that mercifully short," Junior said as they headed back out the entrance. "I'm gonna take ya to Lang Land to talk with the Alpha now. You can ride on the back of my bike."
Junior's bike looked somewhat familiar, painted with his green and black design and adorned with a trio of wolf skulls. One sat on the hood, with two others aside the handlebars, and all three appeared to have a miniature flamethrower inside their mouths. "Meet Cerberus Mk. II!"
"What happened to Mk. I?"
"You happened."
"Right. Sorry." Jimmy climbed up onto the back of the seat, letting Junior sit up front as the wolfox wrapped his arms around his waist. For now at least, hugging was not optional. "A lot less crowded than my last ride. I do have my own bike though."
"You mean Dinosaur Killer? The one ya rode in front of the whole city on live TV? Yeah, that ain't comin' either. You'll hafta get another one."
"Oh." Jimmy's ears pinned, glancing briefly back over his shoulder. "Guess I'm really leaving everything behind, huh?"
"We've all been there," Junior said, giving him a very subdued shrug of sympathy. "Just part of becomin' a Lang. Not that most of us had much to begin with. Felix and I were sorta lucky in that regard. We had each other, and that's all we needed."
Junior gripped the handlebars and Cerberus Mk. II sped off, soon leaving the bunker behind and surrounding them in twisting, turning canopy.
The lack of scenery changes gave Jimmy some time to process Junior's words. "It might be even harder to blend in than I thought. The attitude's one thing, but how am I gonna fake not having parents? My mom and dad are perfectly…"
He trailed off, his eyes suddenly going wide in horror.
Then he let out a shriek so piercing that Junior nearly swerved into a bush before he regained control. "Ow. I know yer still pretty new to biking and all, but quick safety tip: try to refrain from screamin' in the driver's ears."
"I forgot to tell my parents about this!" Jimmy panicked. "What would they think if they saw me now? That I'm going through a phase?"
Junior chuckled. "Heh. I get it."
Jimmy stared at him.
"Like phases of the moon? No? Well, on the bright side, this is a perfect chance to practice not having parents!"
Jimmy kept staring.
"I'm not normally the intake wolf, if ya couldn't tell. It'll be fine, alright? We can let 'em know. And if they're okay with you dating assassins, I think they can handle a bunch of mostly-friendly bikers."
He calmed down a bit. "I guess you're right."
"That said, we'd best go over yer character real quick. I assume you've got a name and backstory settled?"
"Yep! Worked it out with the Vixens during my transformation sequence."
"Great! So yer name is…?"
"James Wolfe."
Junior nodded approvingly. "Not bad. I would've gone with 'Johnny Goodboy' myself, but that'll work. So why are you an orphan, James?"
"Lost my parents in an industrial accident."
"Wow. Um…alright. Any more details?"
"They were assembling parts for the dome in Tundratown, but something went wrong and they were both flattened by a giant glass pane, like in that one movie. There's some lingering suspicion that it might have been murder, but nothing has been proven. Of course, the city government covered up the incident, so you'll never hear about it in mainstream news outlets."
"I…meant about the rest, but that's impressive."
"I had a lot of time to think."
"So, once upon a time, Mr. Wolfe's parents died in a disturbingly-specific fashion. Then what?"
"Well, I had a large inheritance to keep me afloat for a while, but very little knowledge of the real world."
"A dose of honesty. That'll help."
"So I ended up on the streets and eventually wandered into the bunker. That's when I met Danielle, though her first greeting was a wrench to the face."
"Good. Accurate to the source material."
"But once I woke up and explained myself, she let me hang around until I was ready to join the pack for real. Annnnd that's where I am now."
Junior pondered this a moment longer until they hit a speed bump, jostling him back. "Alrighty then! That's honestly more than you'll probably need. We're not really keen on askin' about each others' pasts. We were orphans, so there's always a happy ending, but a shitty beginning."
"So you think they'll accept me?"
"It's not a question of whether they'll accept ya, pup. You'll be a member of our pack. One of us, whether ya like it or not. We don't turn anyone away who wants to join."
"But will they like me?"
"That part might be trickier," Junior admitted. "It's true that yer…antics are gonna be a bit unconventional. Here's another tip though: in a pack, loyalty means everything. Just do yer best and try not to step on any tails. We respect the effort, no matter how badly ya flub it up."
"Loyalty."
"Uh-huh."
"When I'm gonna be lying to everyone on a daily basis about who I am and why I'm there?"
He swerved a little again. "Okay, there's that. But yer ultimately tryin' to help, right? If ya saw this 'Beast' thing attacking some fellow pack members, you'd try to save 'em?"
"Of course. But I'd do that for anyone."
"Noble. Naïve, but noble. That's the kind of loyalty I'm talkin' about, and it's not as universal as ya might think. Take Fast Tony for example."
"Oh yeah. Whatever happened to that guy?"
Junior glanced back at him curiously. "Wait, you don't know?"
"Why would I?"
"Err…nevermind. The important thing is you've got a good heart, pup. You'll fit in better than a building block in a jigsaw puzzle."
"Aww, thanks!"
Lang Land
Front Gates
7:18 PM
"Hey, that doesn't fit in at all!"
"Shh! We're almost there, pup."
Wilde Times had gotten a pretty hefty makeover since Jimmy last saw it. The massive steel walls and barbed wiring were still present, but the rest of it actually looked more welcoming. For one, the front gates were actually open and they could just find a parking spot instead of going through an absurdly long battle sequence just to get inside. There were just as many mammals crowding the place, but now they were actual customers instead of hapless mooks.
The best part? Being a Lang meant getting to cut the line and Junior brought him right up to the ticket booth. There, they found a teenage wolf in a flashy red and yellow uniform distributing tickets, maps, and wristbands that had to be fastened with a lug nut. Atop his head was a white baseball cap styled after the full moon, a big 'LL' across its front.
"Hey, Neil," Junior greeted. "Got a new prospective here to see the Alpha."
Jimmy steeled himself. This is it, James. Your first interaction with a Lang you don't know. Gotta make a good first impression or I might never be able to blend in. "H-Hi there. I'm-"
"Sure, head on in," Neil said, not even looking in his direction. The wolf was focused only on his customers, and all of them at once by the way his eyes were darting frantically back and forth.
Junior went inside, having to nudge Jimmy to get him to come along. "Dependable guy, that Neil."
"He seemed a little overworked," Jimmy remarked.
"You think so? I'll find a few more guys to help out. See, this is why you'll do great here. You've got that strong sense of empathy. Don't worry though, we won't be putting ya on customer service."
They next came upon a set of metal detectors manned by two black wolves in shades. They weren't the largest he'd ever seen, but still pretty buff, trying to look as intimidating as possible while still being welcoming.
"This way to the main entrance, assuming you make it that far."
"We hope you get to enjoy your stay."
"Shouldn't this have come before the ticket booth?" Jimmy asked as they both stepped through the scanners.
"Hey, we're tryin' to run a wholesome place of entertainment here. Someone tries to sneak contraband in, they deserve to waste their time and money."
"And no one's complained about that?"
"That's what our lawyers are for. Arms up, pup."
"Wha? Waah!" As soon as Jimmy raised his arms, he found a wet wolf nose sniffing him all over. "W-What is this?"
"Sniff test," Junior answered, getting some olfactory profiling of his own. "We take security seriously here. We're locked down tighter than the vaults of Fort Ox. Just relax."
He tried, but all Jimmy could think about was the copious amount of fur dye he was coated in, which carried a very distinct aroma. Would all the musk layering really mask that scent? If he could fool a professional sniffer, then maybe it really would be enough.
"I smell something dirty," the wolf finally said, making Jimmy flinch. "We have laundromats and deodorant products inside. Have a good day."
The other wolf finished up with Junior. "Dirty, but clean. Head on in."
They proceeded to the main area of the park, Jimmy looking up at the sign above. The old Wilde Times sign hadn't been replaced so much as the letters were broken apart and welded back together to make the new sign.
WELCOME TO LANG LAND
ONE HOWL OF A GOOD TIME
With even more lights too. It did give the place a sort of rustic charm, a term Jimmy wasn't entirely sure he knew the definition of.
If seeing roving crowds outside the park wasn't that unusual, then seeing them inside certainly was. This place hadn't exactly been quiet and atmospheric during his last visit, but it was empty. Now, the rows of games and concession stands were being enjoyed by actual mammals who weren't forced to come here.
One in particular caught his eye. A shooting gallery, once armed with actual Tommy guns pointed at badge-shaped targets, now used water guns to shoot targets based on suited criminals. A pair of beaver kits were manning the guns, taking down the cutout crooks with expert precision.
"Ahahaha! Are you SUITABLE enough to hit ME?"
A smaller target emerged at the back, a dancing Count Reynard cutout that looked only slightly goofier than the real deal. "WATER you waiting for?"
"Get him!" one of the beavers shouted.
"Yeah, fox him up!"
Jimmy would've been more unnerved if that didn't happen to be the name of the game. He watched as the Reynard cutout eventually fell to their fire. "I guess I didn't COUNT on your shooting skills!"
"What do ya think?" Junior asked, giving him a playful nudge. "That's a popular attraction for such a simple concept. Shame the real Reynard couldn't be here to see it."
"Not even a year ago he was genuinely threatening the city."
"And now he's bein' bested by children like a Saturday morning cartoon villain. We take our revenge hard, pup."
"Isn't there some kind of defamation law against you using his likeness like that?"
"Not really. The guy's a convicted felon who gleefully admitted to burning five children alive. His son may be a controversial figure, but opinion on Reynard himself is pretty universal. So if there is a law against takin' the piss out of him, I don't see anyone enforcin' it."
Junior leaned in a bit closer and whispered. "And by the way, I don't think an orphaned street wolf like yerself should know that much about law, if ya catch my drift."
Jimmy's eyes widened and he cleared his throat, sounding a bit gruffer. "I mean, yeah! Heck with that guy!"
"Yeesh. Lucky there's a big crowd today." Junior eyes scanned over the heads of their guests, looking for the way to go.
Instead, he saw something else. "Oh shit."
"W-What? What is it?" Even standing on his tiptoes, he couldn't get enough height to see what had spooked Junior. All he managed to spot was a bright yellow beret affixed with a white flower, bobbing along in the crowd. The beret suddenly stopped, the flower turning to face them like a very pretty eyeball.
"We need to move!" Junior hissed, grabbing Jimmy roughly by the arm and dragging him along.
The smaller canine just barely kept up, but knew that one of the most important lessons about undercover work was not asking too many questions. If someone was running, and wanted him to run too, then it was probably for good reason.
But the beret was in pursuit, skimming across the crowd like a lilypad on the water. Jimmy wondered if Junior would appreciate any of these analogies, but decided not to ask that either.
Junior turned a corner, pulling him behind the gift shop. He peeked back out. "Alright. I think we're safe."
But Jimmy was more focused on peering through the window. "Whoooooa! You guys have some cool merch! I didn't know they made clothes that ripped!"
"You don't have any money," Junior reminded him. "If ya wanna cover yourself in cheap junk again, you'll hafta earn that privelage."
"Awww. At least let me look at it." He peered in closer.
"Hi there!"
"AHH!"
Jimmy reeled back, having to be caught by Junior. Now in the window was that same beret, atop the head of a light brown wolf girl in a darker brown vest, yellow shirt, and khaki skirt. She grinned at them through a glass pane, but the barrier didn't make either of them feel safe.
"Hi…" Jimmy said, his politeness winning out. "I'm James. James Wolfe. No wait, I did that wrong. I'm Wolfe, James W-"
"We'll be going now!" Junior yanked him away from the window and towards the back of the building.
Where the wolf girl was now standing. "Gah! How didja-?!"
"Back entrance!" she said cheerfully.
"Those will always getcha," said Jimmy. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I…think?"
He glanced up at Junior, who sighed in resignation. "James, meet Molly Moonflower. Head/only reporter for the Lang Land News."
"And I hear word on the wind that we have a new packmate!" Molly said eagerly, boucing from foot to foot. "If the scent of a scoop is in the air, you know I'll track it down!"
So the wind AND my smell gave me away? Before Jimmy could respond, Molly took off her beret and held it in front of his face. "Saaaaay antifreeze!"
FLASH
He wasn't expecting the flower on her hat to take his picture, or to release a flash blinding enough to make him wince. But it had happened, and now there was photographic proof.
Molly had procured a pen and notepad from one of her vest pockets, writing up a storm. "HEADLINE: Little Recruit Makes Big Entrance! Meet James Wolfe!" She paused a second to glance up at him. "OPINION: And He Is a Cutie!"
Jimmy too was grateful for the large crowds today, as this was drawing surprisingly little attention.
"We don't have time to front page the guy, Molly," Junior snapped, crossing his arms impatiently. "He needs to see the Alpha."
"Come on, just one little interview?" She kept smiling, clicking her pen at a steadily increasing rate.
"I said no!"
"Oh, fine!" She stopped clicking abruptly. "I'll just pencil him in for an exclusive later." Molly leaned in close to Jimmy, close enough that he could see the whites of her flower petals. "Very. Exclusive."
Molly took one last snapshot of his horrified face, then made a flying dive into the nearest trash receptacle, sinking up to her bushy tail before disappearing completely. "D-Did she just…?"
"She did," Junior confirmed. "Rumor has it she's got a whole network of secret tunnels stretching across the park. That, or she's just loonier than that bin."
"I don't see her coming back up."
"Which proves nothing. Now come on, we're behind schedule as is."
Jimmy couldn't take his eyes off that innocuous metal cylinder until he was forced to.
Junior took him away from the games and gifts, leading him over to a circular plaza that split off in six directions. It was a setup Jimmy remembered from Wilde Times, back when the park was a "celebration" of Zootopia's former crime lords.
Back then, he'd only gotten to visit Lady Lang's area, which seemed to be mostly unchanged. A garage with a raised shutter that led to Lady Lang's Bumper Bike Circuit. It made sense. After all, the wolves' tribute to their fallen Alpha had been the least insulting to begin with.
In fact, they seemed to have taken that design approach and ran with it. Now that the entire park was Lang-themed, it was only natural for the other zones to follow that theme.
"I guess we can take a moment for a brief history lesson," Junior said, seeing his charge enraptured. "What yer lookin' at is some of the greats. Previous Lang Family Alphas who have all made an impact in one way or another."
Jimmy looked to the leftmost entrance, in the form of an igloo with some of its cubes replaced by giant letter blocks. It apparently led to Kiddy Lang's Kooldown Korner.
To the right of that was a rocky tunnel strangely decorated with giant food items and cooking utensils, welcoming guests to Chunky Lang's Culinary Cavern.
Next was Lady Lang's, and after that was a rusty gate surrounded by piles of scrap metal that beckoned the way to Stanky Lang's Junkyard Jamboree.
After that, the remains of a pirate ship now wrapped in a giant intertube, forming a gate to Flashy Lang's Sporting Splash.
"I take it their accomplishments were more flattering than their names?" Jimmy had to ask.
"Oh yeah. But honestly, Momma was kinda the outlier there. We've gone back to tradition with the new boss."
On the far right, the last entrance was a high-tech gateway to Foxy Lang's Stellar Stadium.
"I…see." I guess that's better?
"Believe me, pup." Junior grinned. "You ain't seen nothin' yet."
Foxy Lang's Stellar Stadium
7:27 PM
Seeing this place on news reports and reaction videos to the Wilde Times attack really didn't do justice to seeing it in person.
The crowds seemed to agree, as this area was even more packed than the central plaza. Jimmy watched as a cart full of screaming patrons zoomed overhead, attached to the newly-rebuilt roller coaster. All the space imagery was still intact, though the fake constellations no longer showed off Nick's journey of character growth. Now it was just a bunch of images showing biker wolves doing biker wolf things. "I'm kinda surprised by the lack of Nick in this place," Jimmy admitted. "Seems like his dad is getting more attention."
"Well, there's some Nick," Junior replied, pointing back at the roller coaster. As the riders were carried along one part of the track, they suddenly screamed even louder as a giant mechanical paw came inches from slamming down on top of them. Robo Reynard Junior gave a stock, synthesized laugh, the suited robot's other paw swiping at the riders as they zipped away.
Jimmy wasn't even on the ride but he was far more frightened than them. "Please tell me that thing isn't functional."
"Hey now, we're not that irresponsible. That ain't even the real RRJ. You guys trashed the big bot harder than a gang of bulls shakin' down a china shop. We just built a lookalike held up with wires and animatronic parts." He grinned down at him. "But it's nice to hear that it looks authentic from someone who was actually there. We take pride in our work."
"You're…welcome? But seriously, Nick's giant evil robot double is his only representation here?"
"For the most part, yeah," Junior admitted. "Not by choice though. We've already gotten shit for not havin' 'Hero Fox' merch in the gift shop. But he didn't want the attention and neither did Foxy Lang. So we respected their wishes."
"That's fair, I guess." Jimmy never totally understood what Nick had against positive attention, but he too respected his wishes. And more importantly, Nick's not here. You're James Wolfe now and you don't HAVE friends. But still open to making some hopefully?
They stepped onto a conveyor belt, carrying the new wolf and wolf classic through a glass tunnel. One that Jimmy could clearly see what was at the end of. "So you kept the Tower of Power?"
"Well, back then it was more the Station of Overcompensation. Foxy Lang is tryin' to be more approachable, and that went into a lotta the design changes."
Jimmy wasn't sure how, but the giant grinning fox head atop the tower before them somehow looked a lot friendlier than it once had under Reynard's control. The addition of fluttering eyelashes and lipstick could accomplish a lot, it seemed.
The inside was even moreso. He wasn't sure the old location even had an inside, but now they just walked through a set of sliding glass doors and into a room that looked much more like a warm corporate lobby than any kind of evil lair.
No, not even a lobby was this cozy. There were adorable, wholesome pictures of children having fun around the park and a bunch of encouraging messages knitted into hanging cloth like "No matter the pack, moms always have your back" or "Eat, Ride, Hurl". Even the air was scented with a blend of some kind of flower that Jimmy couldn't identify but really liked regardless. He had to keep his tail from wagging, worried it might give him away if he looked too happy, but then he saw that Junior's was already going. "What is this place?"
"Officially? An information center." He gestured to smiling wolves passing out pamphlets to eager patrons. "Unofficially? It's what happens when you let a lonely single mother do all the decoratin'." His tail told Jimmy that was in no way a complaint. "As for us, we're headin' to the top floor. Got a special private elevator and everything."
Jimmy relaxed a bit, not that he had much choice in this environment. The soft carpeting alone was inviting him to keep walking on it. The two of them approached an elevator at the back, where Junior punched a code into a keypad to open it up. The interior was a bit more typical, but as they rode it up, they were greeted with a familiar, soothing voice playing over an intercom.
"Welcome, my children. Thank you for coming to visit me. You are such good boys and girls. Momma is very proud of you!"
Jimmy yelped, getting smacked in the back by Junior's tail. "She's way too good at this," the wolf grumbled, physically grabbing the traitorous appendage. "It's unfair, ya know."
"Do…I have to call her Momma?" Jimmy asked, suddenly a bit uncomfortable again. "It'd just be a little weird, considering…"
"Don't worry about that." Junior waved it off. "Our family dynamic ain't that literal. I mean, you saw all those other Alphas out there, right? Most of us end up workin' under more than one, but that doesn't mean we consider them all our parents. Not even pups with normal, happy lives can just accept a new parental figure out of the blue. And then there's pups like Felix and I who accepted Lady Lang just fine, but only because our birth parents were total scum." He let out a low grunt, looking hard at Jimmy. "So no, don't call her that. Undercover or not, just be grateful for what ya have. No one's gonna question it. Anyone does and I'll personally sock 'em."
The elevator dinged, opening up on the top floor of the tower. Things looked much more official up here and Jimmy could see the crowds below through the giant glass eyes, but the atmosphere was less 'Ruler of all I survey' and more 'I shall watch over you all, dear patrons'.
Not even the presence of Felix Dire Senior could make Jimmy feel too intimidated anymore, his dark blue collared shirt and black jeans making him look more like an administrator than a biker in this environment. Not that he was about to say as much to his face. The massive wolf was currently facing away from them, looking over some documents on the Alpha's desk.
"Isn't this nice, Felix? All these wonderful donations from our guests?"
"Actually, Miss Lang, I recognize some of those names. I think that's supposed to be protection money."
"Not again! When will these mammals learn that we're here to help now?"
"Admittedly, we've been using that word somewhat ironically for a long time."
"How's the quiet life treatin' ya bro?" Junior asked, finally announcing their presence.
Then again, Felix didn't exactly look surprised. "I work at a theme park. It's never that quiet." He turned his attention to Jimmy, and saw through him instantly. "Hmm, that should work. He'll blend in well enough if he doesn't talk too much."
"Hi, Felix!" he greeted, waving cheerfully. "Hi, Ms. Wilde!"
"Or at all."
The vixen behind the desk looked up from her work, smiling at the wolfox. "Oh, you look wonderful, James! Yes, I've already been updated about your new name."
"For a given value of 'new'," Felix muttered.
Jimmy watched as the vixen stood, circling around the desk to come see him. Her outfit was both familiar and different as she wore a violet, button-up shirt beneath a light purple blazer with a crimson skirt. It made her look slightly less like a mother, and a bit more like the ultimate mother. "I took some inspiration from Annie," Marian admitted. "Didn't want to be too derivative with the earrings though, and I wouldn't wear heels even if she put it in her will."
"Yeah, me neither."
"Please, take a seat," she offered, sitting down herself on the edge of her desk. "Thank you for agreeing to help us with this case. I know it must have been a hard day for you."
He nodded. "It started so soft too. But I think I'm managing so far. Thank you, Ms. Wilde."
"Oh, try to avoid calling me that," she advised. "You should go with Miss Lang, or Foxy Lang, or Alpha, or Momma like Junior does."
Jimmy turned to the now mortified wolf, who made a very canine yip in response. "Just as a term of endearment!" he clarified. "That's normal here! Anyone says otherwise and I'll sock 'em!"
"He is right," Marian said, sparing him further indignity. "It was a little strange at first, but these wolves need me, and I'm not going to deny them that form of comfort."
"I just wish I could write all this down," Jimmy sighed, pinching his brow. "But I can't exactly get caught carrying notes."
"You'll learn as you go," she assured. "You're not even the biggest nervous wreck I've seen walk in here since I took over. But do keep in mind that everyone in this room knows about you and we're here to help, unironically, with your investigation or just adjusting."
"Likewise, everyone outside this room is a potential enemy," Felix reminded, instantly getting Marian to glare at him. "I said potential. He'd really have to screw up to make that happen."
She looked back. "The good news is that this hard day is almost over. Maybe a little rest will help you put all this in perspective."
"Yeah, a rest really sounds nice right about now," Jimmy said, halfway through a yawn before he stopped himself. He couldn't lose focus yet. "So when do I go back?"
"Back?" Marian asked, confused. "Well, when your mission here is over of course."
He shook his head. "No, I didn't mean all the way. I meant just going back to the bunker where Nick and the Vixens are. I'm supposed to be communicating with them, right?"
The uncomfortable silence that followed made Jimmy feel as high up as they actually were. "W-What's wrong?"
"Jimmy…" Marian said softly. "I believe you may have misinterpreted some key points about this assignment. You will communicate with the others, yes, but not in person. That would be far too risky. You'll have a private communications channel that's been installed in your hotel room."
His face fell gradually, like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. "Ho…tel room…"
"That one," Junior said, pointing a thumb out the window. Jimmy could faintly see the outline of a tall building topped with a giant, somewhat familiar replica moon. They must've passed it somewhere on the way in. "The Cosmic Hotel, though we Langs like to call it 'Moon's Landing' since a lot of us stay there. We'll be sharing a room."
"That I got kicked out of," Felix noted. "Barely room in there for the two of us, let alone three."
"And you'll be staying there for the duration," Marian finished, concern clearly etched on her face. "Jimmy, you didn't agree to this only because you thought you'd be going back and forth, did you?"
"No!" he insisted. "Not only. I-I mean…what do I look like, someone who impulsively makes huge, life-changing decisions without thinking them through? Heh heh…" He forced a smile, completely failing to fool the trained bodyguard, hardened biker, and mother in front of him. "So I may have assumed a few things…"
"But you went away to the police academy, right?" Felix asked. "You've had experience being away from home."
"Yeah, but back then I was a bored, lonely kit shoveling snow for a living. Now I have actual friends, and girlfriends, and plushfriends. There's a lot more I'm attached to…that I guess I can only see over MuzzleTime now. Again."
"Ehhh, more like two-way radio," Junior said. "More secure."
Felix stared at him. "In case the werewolf taps our phones?"
"It's a Lang Family werewolf! It could happen!"
If Jimmy drooped much further, he'd fall out of his chair. "Right. Of course."
Another pause. "It's not too late, you know," Marian offered. "If you can't do this, we could abort everything and send you home."
And for a moment, Jimmy was sorely tempted. "I could do that," he finally replied. "But then you'd have to find someone else, however long that would take. And in the meantime, mammals will continue to go missing, and get eaten, and die, and be found in pieces, if they're lucky. That'll just keep going on until you find someone else. All because, what, your first choice got too homesick? If I can't handle being away from my friends and family, you think I can handle knowing that?"
They remained silent. Jimmy wasn't waiting for a response anyway. "It is too late, Miss Lang. It was too late as soon as I saw those photos. Because like it or not, I can't just let that sort of thing happen when I'm in a position to help stop it."
Jimmy stood up and crossed the room, looking out the window at the tiny dots milling about below. He could pick out their species about as well as any of those photos, and it was just as likely they'd end up reduced to that size if they fell victim to this Beast. As far as he knew, any one of them could. Or all of them.
Not on his watch.
Jimmy turned back, seeing that his speech hadn't done much to convince them he was okay. "I'll be fine, alright? You don't need to worry about me. I can do this. Just…can I ask for one thing, first?"
"Of course," Marian answered. "What is it?"
"While I'm still in here, could I call my parents? I should really tell them what's going on."
"Well…alright," Marian said, apparently thinking the risk of werewolf wiretapping was worth it and passing him her phone. Jimmy came over to grab it, then went back to the window as he made his call. They were only able to hear his side of it.
"Hey, Mom. Is Dad there?"
…
"Yeah, I'm okay, I just have some news. I kinda got mixed up in something big."
…
"No, it's not drug-related."
…
"It's not gang-related either. Well, I guess it's sorta gang-related…"
Felix only listened in to a degree before he had to ask. "Do either of you think he's okay?"
"Nope."
"Not a bit."
"Didn't think so. What should we do, Miss Lang?"
"I leave that up to Junior," the vixen replied. "Keep an eye on him, alright? Make sure he acclimates well into the pack. Felix, lend your own support where you can."
"Yes, Miss Lang."
"I'll do what I can."
"Good. We need him to be in top shape for this." She opened a laptop of her own, seeing an open document of those very same photos, a collection of those who had vanished. She watched as a new message popped into her feed, followed by a sigh as she added one more photo to the bunch. "Because I'm not sure we can wait for someone else."
Not much happened in this one, we know. Just getting a LOT of needed exposition out of the way as we finally kickstart the main plot that the summary already spoiled. Returning to Wilde Times in the form of Lang Land was a real treat, and we look forward to designing all sorts of new wolf-themed attractions. As you can probably guess, there's going to be a heavy focus on the Lang Family in this story with lots of lore surrounding their various questionably-named Alphas. If like us, you care more about OCs than you should, that should be right up your alley.
Next chapter: James Wolfe has a good first day or dies trying!