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Arctic animals danced as Fru Fru and her groom fed each other cake. Nick and Judy looked like giants as they sat at the head table, next to Mr. Big.
“Otterton is my florist,” said Mr. Big. “He’s like a part of the family. He had something important he wanted to discuss. That’s why I sent that car to pick him up. But he never arrived.”
“Because he was attacked,” said Judy.
“No…he attacked,” Mr. Big explained. “He went crazy. Ripped up the car, scared my driver half to death, and disappeared into the night.”
“He’s a sweet little otter,” said Judy.
“My child, we may be evolved…but deep down, we are still animals.”
Nick and Judy exchanged a worried look.
“You want to find Otterton, talk to the driver of the car. His name is Manchas, lives in the Rainforest District. Only he can tell you more.”
Judy and Nick left the wedding and headed straight for the lush, humid Rainforest District in search of their next clue.
As the steam trees pumped a steady stream of mist into the rainforest air, Judy and Nick climbed higher and higher. They followed a winding road to a home high up in the canopy. Once the steamy fog cleared, they could see Manchas’s moss-covered apartment.
“Mr. Manchas?” Judy called, after ringing the doorbell. “Judy Hopps, ZPD. I’d like to ask you some questions about Emmitt Otterton.” She knocked on the door as Nick snooped through Manchas’s mailbox.
“He’s a kitty,” said Nick, holding up an issue of Cat Fancy magazine. “Hey, buddy, I got a can of tuna out here. Open the door, we’ll talk it out—”
“Not every cat likes tuna,” said Judy.
“Oh, right, got it,” said Nick. He turned back to the door. “Buddy, I got a ball of yarn out here—”
Judy playfully punched Nick. “Sir, my partner’s an idiot. You’re not in trouble. We just want to know what happened to Emmitt Otterton.”
Finally, the door slowly creaked open, just a crack. “You should be asking…what happened to me,” said a voice from inside.
The chain lock prevented the door from opening all the way. Through the space, they could see that Manchas was a big jaguar and he had been badly beaten, with bruises, scratches, and a black eye.
“Whoa. A teensy otter…did that?” asked Nick.
“What…happened?” Judy asked.
Manchas described the scene, sounding haunted. Like he was reliving it. “He was an animal, down on all fours. He was a savage. There was no warning, just kept yelling about the ‘night howlers, the night howlers,’ over and over.”
Nick and Judy shared a look. “Oh. Wow. That’s crazy, because that is actually why we came to talk to you…about the night howlers. Right?” said Judy, pumping for more information.
“Yes,” said Nick, picking up on Judy’s cue. “Absolutely. Whole ride over here we’re sitting there going, night howler this, night howler that. Tell him.”
“Yup. So you just open the door and tell us what you know, and we will tell you what we know,” Judy persuaded. “Okay?”
Manchas considered a moment and then shut the door.
As he unlocked each of the locks from inside, Nick glanced at Judy, impressed. “You’re not as dumb as you look,” he said.
With a smile, she punched him on the arm. Hard.
They heard Manchas make a strange grunting noise.
“Mr. Manchas?” said Judy. “Are you okay?”
A loud thud sounded. Then the door creaked and opened just an inch. Judy slowly pushed it and saw Manchas hunched over in the middle of the room.
“Buddy?” Nick asked.
With a low growl, Manchas turned to them. His eyes were huge. He was SAVAGE! He raced at Nick and Judy like a primal predator.
“Run. RUN!” Judy screamed.