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Part 13

Wild Isle was a little more than three hours by train, it was north of Zootopia and even included an underwater tunnel for the express riders to enjoy a crystal-clear view of ocean wildlife, surfacing only about ten miles from its destination. Clawhauser had taken the front seat and was giddy with excitement during the whole trip. None of the others could make it with him, but he wasn't disappointed, he kept on finding strangers to rave over the concert he would be attending. He'd purchased the tickets weeks in advance and kept on clawing at the slip of paper in his pocket that contained his confirmation number. He tried to dress up normally for the event; dressing in a pair of tan slacks and a blue denim jacket. A silky lavender button up shirt rested underneath it, but his collar had a hard time setting in its place. It was nearly an hour before sunset by the time his train finally reached the island's station.

An older looking antelope craned her neck to peer around the doors as they opened. "Welcome to the Wild Isle, please disembark in an orderly--"

Her words failed to reach anyone in the car as suddenly, a flood of mammals big and small poured from the doors, nearly trampling the old thing. The cheetah was about the last one off the train, dilly-dallying until he spotted her. "Oh! Excuse me!?" The antelope coiled back slightly at the sight of the cheetah jogging toward her, but relaxed when he stopped, somewhat winded. "Sorry, goodness... this humidity is killer!" He giggled. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where the Ozark Hotel is, would you?"

"You arrived a little later than most of the people asking about it." She said, looking at a pocket watch she withdrew from the breast pocket of her uniform. "If you're looking to get into the Gazelle concert, you'll have to hurry. It's three blocks that way, turn left and you can't miss it." She said, pointing behind her.

"Oh! Thank you thank you!" Clawhauser said as he blitzed past her, patting her twice on the shoulder as he made his way to the pointed direction.

"Let's see. Ozark, Ozark... Oh no!"

Clawhauser skidded to a stop at the turn the antelope had pointed out and covered his face with his hands. The crowd gathered outside was enormous, he had a confirmation, but it would take him hours to get through this line and they didn't even start checking people in yet from how it looked. Slowly, the cheetah started to wade through the crowd, passing under taller creatures, squeezing between them, even stepping over a couple of rodents as he made his way toward the box office where he noticed a single feline sitting in the protective casing. "Hey! Hey! I got a confirmation number and I wanted to know how I'm supposed to get my tickets."

A sullen look crossed the cat's eye as he activated his intercom. "Sorry, sir but the confirmation numbers are distributed on a first-come service." He pointed to the velvet rope to his left, which the cheetah had skipped to ask. "If for some reason we sell out before your confirmation is claimed, you will be reimbursed for your time and travel."

"Wha-? That's not how a confirmation works! I should be guaranteed a seat because I paid for it."

"Unfortunately, we didn't expect this kind of a turnout." The cat frowned. "Our computer systems took on way too many reservations than we have seats. That's why we switched to this and we will provide you a refund if you can't enjoy the concert."

"Tha-that--That's ludicrous! I want to speak to your manager."

"I'm sorry, I'm closed until we start checking people in sir. If you'd like to complain to the management, you'll need to do so when you get in."

"But!" Clawhauser started, but the cat just as quickly snapped his window shut, blotting him out.

"Gee. I'll have to talk to this place about delivering service with a smile."

"Toby!" Clawhauser turned around to see Fangmeyer standing behind him. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Oh come on, Ben. It's not exactly like I could miss a Gazelle concert.

"Tch. Well good luck, it'll take three hotels for us to get in now." The cheetah pouted, and Fangmeyer simply rolled his eyes at him.

"Come on." He said with a sigh. "Follow me."

Confused, Clawhauser followed the tiger toward the building before noticing a door marked 'STAFF ENTRANCE' across it and a big lion in a guard uniform standing beside it. Fangmeyer nodded at him and the large beast stepped aside, opening the door.

"A-Are you sure we can do this?" Clawhauser asked. "I don't want to get in trouble."

"No, it's fine." Fangmeyer said, leading the cheetah through into the corridor. "Thanks, Tank." He said as he stepped through and the door closed behind them with a loud, metallic bang.

"Where are we going?" Clawhauser asked after a few steps. "How is it you're able to get back here? I didn't think they let fans get this close to the backstage area. At least... not with special passes..."

"Like this one?" Fangmeyer asked, handing the cat a lanyard labelled "Backstage Pass" followed by Clawhauser's name.

"Whoaaaaa!" He stared at it in awe before putting it on. "All this is for me? But where's yours?"

Fangmeyer had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at how dense Clawhauser seemed to be, figuring that it must just be too good to be true. "I don't really need one for these things." He said. "Here, this way to your seat. You'll be in one of the nice seats right in the pit area." He dragged a curtain across that led into the main concert hall, a lion on the other side appeared, but he had a black mane instead of the gold colored one that the first lion had. "This is Seth. He'll escort you."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine." Fangmeyer said with a grin. "You'll see me around, I'm sure."

As Fangmeyer disappeared behind the curtain again, the lion directed Clawhauser to follow him and the pair walked through the giant room. "Y'know, I like it better when Gazelle has a huge open stadium like we have in Zootopia." He said. "This place probably seats about six hundred people, but there've got to be thousands of fans out there who are going to miss out." He said as he looked at the seating, the walls, which were painted a velvet red color, grand gold trimmings that guided up to an enormous dome ceiling overhead where the evening sky was still glowing through.

The Ozark hotel had a bit of a western theme to it, which surprised Clawhauser to Gazelle's want to have a concert in it. The seats circled the stage at almost a full one-eighty degrees and was designed like a catwalk, where the center of the stage extended out well past the pit and toward the first rows leading straight across. The aisles of the main seating were bordered by what looked like white braided rope with intermittent gaps in the braiding illuminated with exit lights. "Wow, this place looks very... nice?" Clawhauser was still trying to gauge the depths of the room before returning his attention to the lion. "You're pretty quiet though, you know when it gets pretty awkward that you're the only one talking and eventually it makes it uncomfortable for everyone to--" He stared as the lion turned toward him and gestured to his neck, he smiled in amusement as he then gestured to the seat next to him and Clawhauser received both signals loud and clear. "Oooohhh... okay, so you can't talk. Gotcha." He approached the seat. "Is this mine?" He asked kind of slowly. The lion rolled his eyes a bit and chuckled gesturing to the seat again before stepping away and letting the cheetah sit down. The lion then made another gesture, placing his hand to his mouth and biting at the air before pointing at him.

"Wh-what's... what's that I don't get what--" He watched it again. "You're asking me to... to bite you? To nibble on your fingers?" The lion then became a bit more steady with his motions, pointing at Benjamin first, then repeating the gesture. "OH! Food! Oh yes, I'm kind of hungry. Maybe a few donuts?"

The lion's expression dawned in amusement and he nodded before quickly disappearing down the aisle as Clawhauser leaned back in his chair, only to find in his amusement that it reclined slightly. "Oh... oh I could get used to this."

Nearly an hour had passed between Clawhauser's seating and the flooding of hundreds of Gazelle fans; many ecstatic that they were able to get into a concert to feature a new song she had been working on. After all of Clawhauser's investigation, he'd only come up with the title "Survival Instinct" but it was supposed to premiere this weekend. As the crowds poured in, Benjamin surfed his tablet and chowed down on a few donuts that had been delivered to him, it wasn't until the lights in the house began to dim that he finally looked up from his device and realized that the show was about to start. Dusting the crumbs off himself and putting his tablet under his chair, he wasn't sure if it was the sugar or his own excitement, but he was jittery and bouncing in anticipation. He looked around, but to his disappointment, he couldn't see Fangmeyer anywhere.

A spotlight came on and shined down on the stage as Gazelle stepped out from behind the curtains to an explosive cheering and applause from the audience. Clawhauser felt like his heart was going to stop from pounding so hard now; she was dressed in an elegant sequined blue gown that shimmered under the spotlight's glare. It looked like she was wearing a sea of stars. There were no sleeves, baring the gazelle's shoulders while one strap rested off to the side. She was silent as she began the slow walk onto the stage, her blond hair draped over one eye as she smiled to the audience and even gave Clawhauser a subtle wink... or so he figured, making him grab his cheeks and swoon in excitement as she raised the black microphone in her hands as she began a soft serenade.

When I was young, my parents told me that it isn't about the life you live;

The work that you do, or the things that you give.

They told me the things that matter most, no matter how hard it seems;

To never give up on my dreams!

In the heart of it all!

Whether you rise or you fall!

The hardest thing is to let them survive!

Suddenly, the tempo of the soft piano music increased and turned into a heavy thumping beat that shook the floor under the audience, who suddenly jumped up and began to cheer as her body entered a full swing. The curtains drew back, illuminating her four tiger dancers, who synchronously leaped out onto the stage and danced in beautifully perfect time with each other as her song became a hard pop ballad. Their outfits were matching blue sequin vests as well, their shorts were torn at the legs like they'd been shredded by wild animals, but they still had a silvery glow under the lighting.

It's Survival Instinct!

Get in sync, sync, you know!

Gotta dream big, gotta dream big Survival Instinct and show;

Them what you've got!

As she turned around, the sound of the last two words reverberated through the stage as two of the tigers viciously jumped forward and slashed at the gown, causing the bottom to come apart just above Gazelle's knees, revealing a wild tattering at the bottom of her newly cropped skirt as she was hoisted up onto their shoulders. "HEYYYY!"

It's Survival Instinct!

Get in sync, sync, you know!

Gotta dream big, gotta dream big Survival Instinct and show;

Them what you've got!

The tigers let Gazelle back to the ground and rejoined the others in a dance behind her as she continued;

Never let your dreams go;

Be who you want to be

If anyone wants to tell you no,

Say that you wanna be free!

Don't tear me down! Don't stand me up, I want to feel alive!

When the chips are down, when my time is up, I just want to survive!

Just be who you want to be;

Don't let your dreams go!

If you want to dream big;

All you've got to do is let. It. Show!

Suddenly, Clawhauser noticed two of the tiger's reaching down toward him and he gasped, recognizing the one on the left. "Toby!?"

Fangmeyer smirked, but said nothing, gesturing with his claw and the cheetah grabbed his and the other tiger's hands, who quickly yanked him up on stage. The roaring crowd cheered even louder as Gazelle entered her final chorus. After a moment of random bounding, Clawhauser felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see the tigers dancing together, jutting their shoulders back and forth as they moved and; trying to establish a look as serious, Clawhauser began to imitate the dance too:

It's Survival Instinct!

Get in sync, sync, you know!

Gotta dream big, gotta dream big Survival Instinct and show;

Them what you've got...

It's Survival Instinct!

Get in sync, sync, you know!

Gotta dream big, gotta dream big Survival Instinct and show;

Them what you've got!

With the final word, Gazelle brought the microphone and her hand up into the air, accepting all the cheering from the audience as the other stage lights came on.

Suddenly, the lights went out all at once, leaving the room in near-total darkness. Gazelle paused and looked around in confusion as Clawhauser looked at Fangmeyer, who shrugged. This was definitely not part of the act. As Clawhauser blinked his eyes, trying to adjust to the low lighting, he saw something suddenly emerge from the curtains and a loud, resounding roar screamed through the auditorium, making everyone unsuspecting of the noise cry out in surprise as a dinosaur suddenly leaped toward the cheetah. Clawhauser gasped and raised his arms in defense, but Fangmeyer was quicker, suddenly sliding in front of the cheetah and grabbing the snapping allosaurus maw with his claws. The weight of the beast suddenly sent him to the floor as everyone jumped back. Another of the tigers grabbed the red sash tied around his waist and tried to pull back on the dinosaur's neck with it.

"G-GO!" Fangmeyer ordered Clawhauser. "Get Gazelle and everyone to safety!"

"But--"

"That's an order, Clawhauser!"

While it was true that Fangmeyer outranked him, the cheetah didn't like having to leave him behind. Quickly, he turned toward Gazelle and helped her to her feet again. "Come on!" He shouted as he picked her up and jumped off the stage. Landing badly he howled out. "Oww-hooo! That hurt! Gotta remember I can't do that!"

The crowd was in a panic, rushing toward the doors at the back of the auditorium, while Seth and one of the other tigers directed Clawhauser to follow them to the backstage door. Another of the tigers continued to try and calm the crowd as they evacuated the house.

As the two other tigers struggled to keep the allosaur at bay, Fangmeyer could hear someone laughing as he emerged from behind the stagehand area. "You!" He exclaimed, recognizing the meerkat as he came into the low lighting.

As they struggled, the other tiger glanced over and saw a series of cabling that he tried to reach for as Lincoln Katt came into view.

"Well, look at this. Not only do I get the dumb cat who tried to thwart me before, but a friend of his who can't let go or poor Officer Fangmeyer becomes dino chow... I really can't wait to see how this one ends." He chuckled.

Fangmeyer tried to move, but his arms holding onto the allosaurus jaw only shook. A thin fabric was the only thing keeping him from losing his grip completely, and his co-dancer was having enough trouble holding him back as it was. "You're not going to get away with this..."

"Do you even realize what you put me through?" Katt said, giving off an almost-eerie laugh, bordering on insane. "Thanks to you, I ended up washed down a drain without the samples I went through the trouble of stealing! I missed my deadline, so I couldn't get paid for any of my hard work."

"Sounds--like you got what you deserved, you weasel."

"No. I am not a weasel, I'm a meerkat. There is a difference, unless you're referring to a verb, which that is just painful... really."

Suddenly, a light illuminated as the meerkat jabbed a taser into the other tiger's side. He yowled in pain and then winced as the taser was removed. "I wonder how many shocks it'll take for your friend to release that silly little belt of his." He asked sadistically.

The other tiger reached for the cabling again, getting shocked once more and causing him to knock them free to fall to the ground. They bounced like snakes uncoiling and came to a rest. "After all, I was able to train old... what did your friend call him? "Hook"? To eat his felines every day."

"Well... what can I say. We are all about balanced breakfasts, right?" Fangmeyer asked as he glanced at the other tiger.

Suddenly, the other tiger jumped off the beast and lunged at Katt; who, caught offguard, shrieked in surprise. Fangmeyer swung his leg up and over the dinosaur's back before throwing every ounce of weight into it and slinging Hook toward the cables, which rained down on top of him as the entire compartment unfurled around him. It struggled to get out, but instead ended up tangled in the wires. Thinking quickly, Fangmeyer threw the wench operator on the stage and the coils suddenly began to wind up, carrying the beast upward toward the rafters before becoming stuck about midway up, where it struggled and roared in defiance but quickly realized he was helpless.

As Lincoln hit the other tiger with the full force of his taser, sending him to the ground, he looked up to see Fangmeyer coming quickly toward him and just as immediately, drew a gun and pointed it at him. The tiger froze in his tracks. "Don't you see, cat? I'm the one in charge here!" He shouted. "I wanted the papers to read "Tiger Mauled in Vicious Allosaurus Attack!" followed by an article of how I successfully captured the beast, and was rehabilitating it for further study or... something like that. I'd be famous and I'd be able to continue the research that Onna worried about on some island away from here."

"Sounds like you've been reading too many books."

"Nah. I skipped the books and moved straight to the movies, but I see your point." He cocked the gun as Fangmeyer tried again to approach. "But I guess I can just kill you and claim I was trying to shoot Hook there... that'll work."

"And what'll happen when he wakes up?" He glanced at the unconscious tiger, then mentally kicked himself for it.

"Well, I guess it'll just have to be 'two' missed bullets then, won't it? HA! HAHAHA--UUNH!"

A loud metallic clank echoed briefly on the stage as the fire extinguisher behind the meerkat found its mark on the back of his head. Instantly, Lincoln crumpled to the floor as Clawhauser stepped out from behind him. "I didn't... kill him, did I?"

Fangmeyer crouched down and checked the unconscious scientist before letting off a sigh of relief. "No, but you really do have a way of making irony, don't you? Now he's the one with his head bashed in." He chuckled. "Thanks, Ben."

***

"No way! There's just no way!" Judy gawked at Clawhauser, who was casually getting things packed up for his lunch break.

"You're pulling our legs, right? You're not actually going out with *the* Gazelle." Nick rolled his eyes.

"It was a mutual agreement." Clawhauser said casually. "A thanks for me helping her, I--I mean I tried to pass it off as it being part of my civil duty, but she wouldn't have it..." He then broke down, grabbed his cheeks and let out a squeaking noise. "OOOH! I'm so excited! Hee! It's like the best day ever and I've had a lot of good days!"

"Fangmeyer, seriously." Howard looked at the tiger, who was leaning against a filing cabinet beside Clawhauser's desk, lazily sipping from a mug of coffee. "Is Clawhauser really having lunch with her?"

"I wouldn't know." Fangmeyer said, taking another slow sip of his drink. "And even if I did, I wouldn't be at liberty to discuss it."

"Clawhauser!" The booming echo from Bogo caused all four of them to cringe where they were standing. "You were supposed to deliver the morning duty rosters two hours ago and the morning is almost gone! Where are they?" He stopped and looked at the others. "And you three... what are you doing here, don't you have anything better to be doing?"

"Oh, just taking out lunch break, chief." Nick responded. "And listening to some tall tales."

"Well, from now on, could you all take your 'breaks' in the "Break Room" for which it was designed?"

"But Chief, Clawhauser's been telling us this wild story about--"

"I don't care if Clawhauser develped an itch below his trousers and was going into detail how he went about scratching it. It is no excuse for--"

"Excuse me?" The voice froze Bogo's own rant in mid air as he heard the familiar sound of Gazelle's voice and stared as she approached.

She was dressed in a long coat for the chilly morning and dressed in a pink blouse and black pants with flared cuffs on the end. She dressed very different than she ever appeared on stage, but everyone froze in place as she approached.

Fangmeyer let off a sly smile. "Well, this is pretty interesting." He muttered to himself.

Gazelle's timid expression lightened and she smiled. "I am looking for Benjamin Clawhauser?"

"Oh Em Gee! She said my name!" Clawhauser exclaimed as he bounced out from behind his desk, briefly startling her. "It sounds *way* better in person than the app! You ready to go?"

"I suppose I am, but we are in agreement that this is a... private lunch? No publicity, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah! Of course! But I do have to tell you, apart from me, Chief Bogo here's another big fan of yours!"

Bogo's mouth had fallen open, frozen in surprise. Judy politely pushed his maw closed again. "He's speechless..." She said. "You're the first person to have that effect on him."

"Yeah. We need to have you come around more often." Nick said, getting an immediate glare from Bogo.

"This is definitely a shock and surprise." Chase added. "Nice to meet you."

"It is nice to meet you, and the rest of you too." She said with a smile as Clawhauser sped up to be by her side.

"Oh, by the way, Chief. The reports are in your email, I sent them about an hour ago. I'll be back soon, but don't wait up!" He laughed in a giddy amusement as he led Gazelle toward the doors leading from the station.

"You... don't think--" Judy said, pointing at the two of them.

"Oh. I hope not." Bogo rolled his eyes. "That's the last thing his ego needs."

"Nah. Gazelle only agreed to meet Ben here because he wanted to show off." Fangmeyer said. "Just another fan service for her most devoted, who happened to help get almost eight-hundred people to safety."

"So... what did the Mayor say about Hook, Chief?" Chase asked. "I mean, are they going to take off the collar and release him into the wild?"

Bogo sighed. "Not sure yet. Last I heard, they were hoping to rehabilitate it. He can't be let out into the wild, he wouldn't survive in the wild with his current behavior. At most, we could be looking at a zoo exhibit after all." He said. "Victoria will be helping with his care as part of her own sentence, so I suppose it's a win-win."

"And she's not allowed to breed any more of them, right? He's it?"

Bogo nodded. "Yes, he will be the last of his kind."

There was a long pause before Nick finally chimed in. "Then, there were four more movies."

"BACK TO WORK, WILDE!" Bogo roared.

THE END