Lane

Lane is a cheetah and a barista at Snarlbucks in We Can Fix Pawbert. Introduced in S04E13 "Tips," Lane becomes Pawbert's first friend entirely outside the pack—proof that Pawbert can build relationships that are not defined by crisis or trauma. He serves as Pawbert's best mammal at the double wedding in S05E24 "Always."

Background

Lane works at the same Snarlbucks location where Pawbert takes his first job after release from ZCF. Immediately friendly and open, Lane trains Pawbert on his first day and quickly becomes a genuine friend. He is the social connector of the Snarlbucks crew, introducing Pawbert to the wider social circle that includes Mika, Brim, and Tara.

Personality

Lane is warm, open, and uncomplicated in the best sense. He offers friendship without conditions, without baggage, and without needing to understand Pawbert's entire history first. He represents what normal friendship looks like—something Pawbert has never had.

Key personality traits:

• Warm — Immediately friendly; no barriers to entry
• Social connector — Introduces Pawbert to Mika and the wider friend group
• Uncomplicated — Pure friendship without trauma bonds or crisis dynamics
• Loyal — Stands as Pawbert's best mammal at the wedding

Series History

Season 4

Lane is introduced on Pawbert's first day at Snarlbucks (E13), where he trains the new hire and immediately makes him feel welcome. In E15, Lane invites Pawbert to The Watering Hole and introduces him to Mika—expanding Pawbert's social world beyond the pack and the workplace.

Lane's friendship represents a milestone in Pawbert's recovery: the ability to form bonds that are not forged in crisis. Their relationship is easy, natural, and free of the weight that characterizes Pawbert's other connections.

In E22, Lane gives Pawbert an emotional farewell on his last day at Snarlbucks, acknowledging that Pawbert actually showed up rather than just waiting for shifts to end. His theatrical wave and genuine warmth mark the end of Pawbert's time at the coffee shop.

Brim often rides on Lane's shoulder.

Season 5

In E09, Lane organizes the turnout for a gathering at Pawthorne Mansion that Pawbert had forgotten he'd planned. Lane arrives with three bottles of wine, Brim on his shoulder, and an expanded guest list—having interpreted "casual gathering" as "bring everyone you know." He holds court in the kitchen with Snarlbucks stories and promises to plan a themed party next time.

Lane plays a critical community role during the weather wall attack in "Misdirection". When the coordinated strike overwhelms the city, Lane organizes a Meadowlands community center as an evacuation shelter. By the time Pawbert arrives, 217 mammals are crammed into the space with no one who knows how to run a shelter operation. Lane is vibrating with anxiety but holding it together, with Brim clinging to his shoulder. When Pawbert takes charge and organizes the chaos with his ZRS training, Lane defers to his expertise and works through the night alongside him. By dawn, every mammal who walked through the doors walked out again. Lane sits beside Pawbert against the wall at sunrise, exhausted but able to recognize what Pawbert did: most mammals panic in a crisis, but Pawbert made things better.

In "Climate Control", Lane continues managing the shelter with the Snarlbucks crew—directing new arrivals, coordinating with Selma, Mika, and Brim—and physically forces Pawbert to sleep after eighteen hours of continuous work. When Costa calls requesting "the Lynxley expert," Lane wakes Pawbert and tells him to go where he is needed more, gesturing at the functioning operation the team has built.

Lane serves as Pawbert's best mammal at the double wedding (S05E24). His presence at the altar alongside Pawbert—a friend from the coffee shop, not from the battlefield—speaks to how far Pawbert's world has expanded.

Key Relationships

Pawbert Pawthorne

Lane is Pawbert's first genuine friend outside the pack. Their relationship is uncomplicated—built on shared shifts, social outings, and the kind of easy warmth that Pawbert never experienced growing up. Lane's role as best mammal at the wedding cements his importance in Pawbert's life.

Brim

Lane and Brim are close friends; Brim often rides on Lane's shoulder. Their dynamic provides comic texture to the Snarlbucks scenes.

Mika

Lane introduces Pawbert to Mika, functioning as a social bridge between the Snarlbucks crew and Pawbert's creative life.

Trivia

• Lane is Pawbert's best mammal at the double wedding.
• He is Pawbert's first friend entirely outside the pack dynamic.
• Brim frequently rides on Lane's shoulder.
• He introduced Pawbert to Mika at The Watering Hole, indirectly leading to Pawbert's artistic development.