"Good Morning Katt County, Im Kippy with WSKR News Network and I just know today is going to be one of those days that'll stand out." A female cat sat at her desk as she smiled and stared at the multiple broadcast cameras pointed at her with the white curved screen behind her that showed all sorts of past news articles and live traffic video feed from outside the news station.
"Before we tell you the weather for the day, I just want to introduce someone very special that's sitting right across from me. Shes made time in her planner to be with us here bright and early in the morning, we have the County's sweet apple pie sweet heart, Susanna" She continued with a smile, flicking her head and tail toward the end of the curved polished wooden table.
At the end of the table was indeed her, her black fur was brushed and sleek and clean, her white necklace shined just as her eyes did. She had a wide welcoming smile just as Kippy the news reporter did. "Awww, You're too kind. If Im bein' honest here, I dont deserve this level of praise. Im just a cat doing whats right as I was raised, although my brother knows I was quite a rule breaker back when I was a kitten" She joked, getting an effective laugh and chuckle from news crew around the studio. "Speaking of your brother, Griffin our Mayor, There's been a rumour going around that he's been treating your business much favorably that others because you're his sister, what do you have to say about that?"
"Kippy, I would prefer not to use profanities so early in the morning with young kittens watching at home, but I'll just say this. These rumours are baseless and flat untrue, my brother has always opposed nepotism ever since he knew about my plans for my own diner. I'm a self made cat through and through and thats that" She replied, holding her head high with a smile, not seeming as If she was offended at all at the question, but more so a pose for the camera.
"Now I dont want to end that on a bad note, so I want to confess somethin' exciting. I have a secret to tell I've been hiding for quite some time now. I am announcing that tomorrow night, Saturday night, At my Diner, There will be a large monster meats mayhem event. Every single meat you can think of will be on sale, all you can eat and family friendly for everyone to enjoy." Susanna broadened her smile as she stared past the cameras that filmed her on set to the news cats, they all smiled with joy and excitement too. "That's amazing Susanna"
"And it gets even better, We're also going to be having the cat with the voice himself, you know him, yall adore him as much as me. Tyran himself is going to be there and is going to sing up some entertainment for the night" She proclaimed, Kippy the new anchor was all to astonished at the name drop. "That is amazing Susanna, How on earth did you manage to secure such a thing"
"Oh it took a lot of phone calls and a lot more rescheduling, and of course everybody knows Tyran and I have been seeing each other, so it was a little bit easier to persuade him of course" She explained with her innocent smirk and smile toward the camera. "This county is very grateful for you Susanna, I couldnt possibly give you all the thank yous you deserve just in this time we have right now" She continued praise, and of course, Susanna smirked and flicked her paw right back in a playful manner.
"I have to be honest with all of you, Not one ounce of praise should go to me, It should go right to the farmers of this county, the hard working blue collar cats are the real angels. They've been nothing but helpful and eager to help me with this event, I wouldnt be anywhere without them"
Back at the Farmhouse, Chase had already gotten up and walked down the stairs. He heard the voices from the television, recognizing one of the voices being Susanna talking about how she honoured and respected the hard working farmers, which couldnt be farther from the truth. The German shepherd looked across from the television as paced down the stairs, seeing Dixon sitting up right on the sofa, staring angrily at it.
He was taking deep breathes trying to calm himself down, trying not to throw anything at the TV in a fit of rage for the black female cat. Chase walked over to his side and nudged him, quickly getting his attention as Dixon looked over at the German shepherd quite shocked, as if he never saw him coming.
"Shouldnt be getting yourself all worked up on purpose like that, Just relax, Wheres the others?" Chase asked. "Dixie asked both of them to stay with her in the barn, just in case that Ridgeback decides to get violent" Dixon relayed, Chase thought it was a good idea for Dixie to bring Rocky and Rubble with her as she checked on Dash. There was no telling what Dash could try if he were alone with Dixie.
Chase left Dixon to his own and left out the back door of the homestead, as he walked toward the Barn's front side he could already see through the slightly opened large barn door that Dash was laying on his side with his head up facing Dixie, who was down by his neck side padding his injured paw with gauze and bandage. As Chase slipped in inside the barn, he saw Rubble and Rocky both near Dash and Dixie just in case anything happened. All eyes fixed onto the German Shepherd as he came in, giving nods of hello and friendly "Morning" Dixie spoke to Chase. Chase smiled as she padded over to his friends that stood nearby. "How is he doing so far?" Chase whispered.
"Shes been padding his paw for at least 30 minutes, You should have seen him when Dixie first came in, We had to hold him down until Dixie was able to convince him it wasnt that bad" Rubble replied to Chase, Chase looked at the Ridgeback who's still laid on his side, his breathing wasnt sharp and fast like he would expect from him, more slow and calm, and relax above all. "Did you notice his tail?" Chase heard Rocky whisper, The German shepherd looked at his sleep brown tail, it laid still for a short moment before sudden, it flapped against the dirt in a side to side motion.
Chase didnt know what to think, even considering he may be seeing this that wasnt actually happening. From what it seemed like, Dash seemed to enjoy Dixie's soft stroke pads on his paw, Dixie paid no attention to his enjoyment, rather focusing on giving him the best care she could. "You're lucky to be here you know, They're starting to snatch up dogs that are running a muck" Dash muttered for the three dogs to hear him.
"The Sheriff's Department?" Rocky asked.
"I dont know, I couldnt tell. I just saw cats with pole catchers snagging dogs and throwing them into the back of white vans." The Ridgeback stated, Chase and the others looked at each other, knowing this was coming sooner or later, that dogs would be hunted down and locked up back again. However the question was where, The Jail house was for Cats only, and the Prison was destroyed, so where would the Sheriff's Department imprison the dogs. "What do you mean you dont know?" Chase asked.
"I mean I dont know, what part of that dont you understand" The Ridgeback started to get more tense and confrontational, prepping up his body as he was going to get up, however Dixie padded his side. "Shhhh, Just relax, Im sure Chase didnt mean it like that" Dixie attempted to calm him in a soft voice, Surprising Dash obeyed, laying back down except now onto his stomach.
"Can you tell us exactly what happened after we last saw you?" Rocky asked. Dash sighed as he closed his eyed to recall each event the best he could. "After I left you all by the lake, I ran around and met up with a few dogs. It was alright I suppose, finding food by the dump and hiding out in an abandoned shacks when the weather was bad.
"Until…this van pulled up out of nowhere, All of sudden multiple cats jumped out and chased us. They werent trying to chase us away, they were trying to catch us. I saw a few of them catch some dogs. They hook their catchers around their necks and dragged them into the back of the van and sped off." Dash held his head low as he recalled his tale, It wasnt a pleasant thing to remember at all.
"I tried to chase down the van, Just to try and see if I could rescue them somehow. I kept up with it until it turn down through an open gate, I saw it was guarded so I held back and hid in some bushes. I looked and I saw this...this building, it was big and concrete just like this barn, it was longer and it had chimneys and steel bars on its windows, and also this smell, like, something just died. After that I stuck to myself and then I found here" He concluded, Of all of them, Dixie looked puzzled as she still padded Dash's paw. "Those details about that building, This sound so familiar, I-I just cant remember what"
"Anything else you remember about it?" Chase asked.
Dash sighed heavily as he pinched his eyes shut, trying to dig back into his memory to find some other trait about the building that could Jog Dixie's memory. "I-I think I saw this decal type logo, It was round and it had this black cat on it and some name above it, Something with an S" Just as he said it, Dixie gasped, the knowledge flooding right back into her like a shot of lightning. "I know it, Susanna's Slaughterhouse. She owns her own Slaughterhouse where she prepares all her meats. I've been there once"
"S-Slaughterhouse?" Dash couldnt even believe it, there was only one purpose for a slaughterhouse and it was no mistaking in why dogs were being snatched and taken there.
"It cant be, I-I dont believe it." Dash's demeanor soon turned from fear to anger as he bared his teeth at the ground, but no one in particular that was around. Dixie stopped padding him and started to back away, fearful on his sudden change in attitude. The other dogs rushed over to Dixie, positioning themselves in between her and Dash just in case.
"The fucking cats would rather drag us to our death than let us live free, theres no hope for any dog, none, Its either try and flee the county or leave in a body bag"
"Its not over yet Dash, Have some hope. T-There has to be some other explanation to all of this, but whatever it is, I dont think its going to be pleasant." Dixie tried to reassure him from a distance, but Dash refused to look even her in the eye anymore. "I want to be alone...please" He muttered to the pair of them.
"Well at least he said please" Rocky whispered in Chase's ear, noting Dixie was kind enough to compel him to have decent manners when wanting something. The others didnt push back on his request and turn tail to walk out the barn. Once outside, Chase had a spark of an idea.
"Dixie, you said thats where Susanna processes her animals?" He asked.
"That's right" She replied.
"Well I have an idea, it may be extreme, but its probably the best idea I have right now"
"You're not planning what I think you're planning, are you?"
"It absolutely is I'm afraid" He replied.
Griffin sat slouching in his office chair, his front turned toward his massive window which over look the county he was in charge over. He sat silent, looking out with silently with a grim cat, the face of betrayal was written all over him as he pondered all he worked for and all he knew out all over the vast green plain of the county. There was a rhythm of knocks coming from his office door, he sighed as he recognized the pattern of knocks. "Come in Lou" He said.
Inward squeaked the fine french made door, Lou stepped in, Griffin could hear his familiar footsteps aside from the paw steps of a fellow cat. "They're on their way up, I just wanted to let you know I found this at the front door" Griffin's ears perked up, he twisted his office chair around to face his adolescent son, Lou placed a single document on his desk, they both recognized it to be the document that would have signed over the Paw Patrol lookout to them. Griffin padded the document with his paw for him to bring it closer and have a better look, everything looked signed and formed except for the one incorrect piece.
"Red ink, Hmmpp" Griffin wasnt surprised, Redred ink was an ink that was unprofessional for a document, only blue or black. Jello had signed it with red ink, making the document itself void and useless now. It was no coincidence that this would be found at this penthouse building as well as Maxwell disappearing. "I suppose it was a lost cause to mess with Paw Patrol's assets, Maxwell turning tail and leaving me is worse than this"
"Its not your fault Dad, Nobody could have seen this" Lou stated.
"I could have, The signs were clear. I've known him since Law School, he always put the books over being a team player. With him gone Im going to have to watch all the other judges closely, I picked Maxwell as head of the Judiciary Council because he could keep his mouth shut, or so I thought. Now I have to put my trust in another slew of judges I wouldnt trust with a tuna sandwich" Griffin grunted in frustration as he lifted his head up from exhaustion to look at Lou.
Lou was speechless, he couldnt figure out what to say or offer. His original plan of getting Paw Patrol's lookout went down in flames as he looked at the document further. Griffin looked past his human son and saw the usual compatriots standing at his office door. Reno, Susanna, and Tyran. "Come in and have a seat, I dont have a lot to talk about, but its matters that still need to be said either way" All of them came in, and took a seat around the desk of Griffin, except for Lou who just stood at attention nearby. All the chairs were slanted and leaned to face Griffin as he was the VIP of this meeting of course.
"Im sure you all know about Maxwell and why he isnt here, To put it short and simple he abandoned us to leave the county, If I had to guess, seek protection from the Federal Government from us" He said, trying to contain his wrath.
"Called it, I knew his was weird from the start" Susanna whipped her puffed tail and she held her head high, finding amusement where her brother only loathed. "Anyways, This is just going to make things more difficult for all of us. If we have no one to trust on for a legal getaway, we're officially walking on thin ice for the Federal Government. One wrong move and they'll have a target on our backs, and that includes the Sheriff's Department" Griffin eyed his Sheriff, Reno looked equally worried from the threat of Uncle Sam looking over him.
"Im too famous for Federal Prison" Tyran exclaimed.
"...and too spineless without those glasses" Lou muttered to himself, pointing that Tyran still wore those dark aviator sunglasses, it was like another organ to him truly. "Reno, How are the dog hunts coming along?" Griffin asked.
"Tough, but Susanna is helping me with it until I can convince a judge to sign warrants so I can broaden my search"
"Wait, but if you catch them, Where are you going to put them, the Prison is destroyed" Lou asked, posing a good question. The Jail cells in the Sheriff's Department was out of the question, it was designated cats only and it couldnt hold the mass of dogs for sure even if they tried.
"Susanna is helping me with that too" Reno looked over to the Black furred female feline who just simply nodded to the acknowledgment of her contributions. "Where?" Griffin asked.
"My little secret, But I can assure you they won't escape this time"
"As long as you can guarantee that, I suppose I dont have to dig into it further. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it" Griffin flicked his paw, not wanting to bother himself with too many details to add even more stress to a stressful situation. "Its been harder to get warrants lately, I often have good ideas to where they could be hiding out, but without a warrant there's nothing I can do apart from waiting for a dog to run out into the open" Reno stated.
"You're just going to have to tough it out for now, Its better for us to have no one to trust rather than risk everything." Griffin exclaimed, coming to the realization that there was only a few people he could trust, if Maxwell had chosen to leave, who else might do that same.
"Griffin, I could always lean back on my old idea of getting evidence, I think It could work if we have the right people, the right set, and the right people to trust" Reno spoke of his 'old idea'.
"I never liked that idea, but I suppose my back is to the wall right now. Fine, you can go ahead with it, but after the dogs are locked up, its no more. Eventually by that time I would have sorted this judge situation" The Mayor relented. "Wait, what is this old idea?" Tyran asked.
"Funny you're asking that, because you're going to play a big part in it" Reno stated. Tyran didnt know whether to feel honoured or a bit concerned, He was glad he was being apart of this finally, but now he wasnt so sure about his role anymore.
"If theres nothing else, Then you're all free to go, Go on get out" He turned his chair around, turning back to the large window the size of a wall looking back toward the county with it blocked off by the cloudy sky. The others looked at each other, shrugging and getting up to leave. "Lou" Griffin spoke suddenly, Lou stopped in his tracks to walk back to his father.
Griffin motioned for him to come closer, Standing right by his side he leaned down his head as Griffin whispered in to his ear. "I want you to find out where my Sister is hiding those Dogs, Just find out where and thats it." He ordered calmly.
"Sure, I can do that" Lou stated, turning back to walk right out the door where the others left from, closing his father's office door as he left. Griffin tried to steady his breathing as he covered his face with his paws, slowly under the pressure, he was cracking.
"That's insanely reckless" Dixie protested, Sitting on the couch with her brother right next to her. She was flabbergasted and totally taken back, Chase and the others apart from Dash where in the room too. Chase had laid out in detail what he was planning on doing about Susanna, and now he knew about the captured dogs, it was a good opportunity. At least from his point of view.
Rocky, Rubble and Dixon all shared the same expression as Dixie as the german shepherd tried to reassure them that it wasnt a bad of a plan they were making it out to be. "Think about it, with any luck once we get there, we get in, free the dogs, and get out."
"You say that like its as easy as going to the bathroom, 'with any luck' is the thing Im afraid of to be honest Chase, I think this definitely needs more time to plan"
"But we dont have much time, Who knows what Susanna is doing with those dogs. Do I have to remind you that its a literal slaughterhouse, even If they're all dead, at least we can put a stop to it as soon as possible" Chase added, everyone in the room became quiet remembering that there was only one purpose for a slaughterhouse. The first to talk once again was Dixon.
"Its very unfortunate that I have to say this but...Chase is right. We can talk over the details a bit more if we can, but one thing is for certain, Whatever Susanna is doing with those dogs, it needs to stop before it can keep happening" He relented, being the first one to take Chase's side on the matter, at least some what at least.
"We can go over some details for sure, maybe we can destroy the slaughterhouse itself if we can. Sending a message to Susanna that she cant bully you two anymore, forcing her to cancel her little event"
"I have to admit, It would be nice pissing her off and making her cancel something shes put so much effort into. Alright Chase, Dixon and I will do what we can to help. Just please, for the love of everything, be careful. You dont know what you're going to find in there, shes a wicked cat from head to tail" Dixie reminded.
"There's a lot of holes in that plan Chase, I'll help fill them though, With enough thought and planning this could actually work" Rocky stated.
"Same here" Rubble added in.
Back at the friskily made village down by the river, Lily and the others had gathered around as they listened to an audio recording, They heard the voices of Griffin, Lou, Reno, Tyran, and Susanna. They had just found out about Maxwell's absence and what their reaction's were, If no one had known about Griffin, they would immediately feel bad for him hearing of a friend deserting another friend.
Thanks to the bugs that were planted into his penthouse, it captured everything Lily wanted to hear and being recorded. The recording ended hearing Griffin's low voice whispering for Lou to find out where Susanna, His sister, was keeping those dogs.
"This is great, he's looking over his shoulder. He doesnt even trust his sister anymore" Lily pointed out, getting Griffin paranoid was a clear sign that all of this was working, slowly chipping away at his inner circle of cronies until it was just him and Lou. "And with Maxwell gone, Everything Griffin wants done legally through the justice system is going to be stuck in the mud. No more laws against dogs and no more easy warrants for the Sheriff's Department" Maple said.
"Any word on Maxwell?" Ryder asked
"Either confessing everything he knows to the FBI or sleeping in a cold hard cell with a pit bull as his cellmate. Either one, I feel satisfied." Lily relayed, knowing which ever one, Maxwell wasnt going to get off easy when his time came to be in court, not as a judge, but a defendant.
"Whats our next target now?" Klaus asked, conflicted on how he should feel about everything. This was truly something he always wanted. For everyone of them to face some kind of justice, forgetting that one of those cats that had done such terrible things, was his brother, Reno.
He couldnt imagine seeing his brother behind a cell for the rest of his life or even getting sent to the chair depending on what the FBI could slap on him. "Definitely finding those captured dogs, Maxwell gave me a book of legal requests Griffin made, Im willing to bet theres something in there about Sheriff Reno too. It shouldnt take me long" Lily trailed off, grabbing the large thick book of pages getting ready to scan through anything she could find.
"But in the meantime, Lets go meet your lost friends" She revealed, there was a shock joy in the room from Marshall, Ryder, Skye, and Zuma. They were finally going to do it, they were finally going to meet up with the friends they hadnt seen.
Back at the Farm House, Chase, Rocky, Rubble and Dixie stood around as they looked at Dixon with anxious eyes as Dixon stood by a landline, gaining the confidence to start the plan and grab the phone. "Ready?" Dixon gave a nervous look back, all the others nodded as Dixon turned back and breathed a sigh of exhaustion. Grabbing the landline and punching in the number he knew, He placed the phone to his pointed ear as it continuously rang, he kept doing so as he looked back at saw all the eyes were still on him, a part of him wanted to hang up the phone and maybe construct a different plan, but just as he thought of doing it, the ringing stopped and he heard the familiar female feline voice over the phone. "Hey Susanna, I uhhh...Just wanted to let you know that the...animals you wanted, w-we're ready to give them up now."
Even from a few feet away, They others could almost certainly hear some form a squeal of delight that came from Susanna, at least it showed in a way that she didnt expect what was coming.
"H-However, We can only give the pigs and goats right now, We're having issues with the bigger ones but you'll get them, I promise" Rocky could tell by the sudden silence Susanna wasnt too pleased with the delayed product she wanted, however, Dixon was able to sweeten it and make it seem like a small inconvenience. "O-Okay, Uh huh, No problem. Okay, See you then" Dixon hung up the phone afterward, turning back the rest of the group.
"Well?" Rubble asked, seeing the fear in Dixon's eyes as he faced them all. Having news that was complicated to say if it was good or not.
"Shes coming for the animals. RIGHT NOW" He exclaimed.