Chapter 1: Past, Present, No Future?
Marshall was out-numbered by a pack of wild dogs, which had picked up Everest's smell of her wound on her front paw, Marshall did his best to stop the bleeding but the wolves still picked up the scent of food and continued chasing the pair, Marshall had called Ryder and the pups, who were on the way
"Marshall we're not going to make it!" Everest said limping as fast as she could with Marshall's help towards his firetruck "Just leave me! I didn't just become your mate for us to die"
Marshall could hear the dogs closing in "Don't talk like that, we're going to get through this!"
"I'm sorry, but Marshall I can't make it" Everest cried almost collapsing
"I got you it's ok" Marshall picked her up putting her on his back and reached his firetruck "Ruff Ruff! ladder up!" he barked and turned his ladder towards a tree "Climb my ladder and get on a high branch"
Everest nodded jumping off of his back and climbed his ladder, she got onto a branch "Marshall? come up"
"No" Marshall shook his head lowering the ladder down so the dogs couldn't get her "I'm going to lead them away from you" he said then bit his front paw hard making it bleed "Call Ryder back tell him to hurry! Everest, I love you" he cried then ran off into the woods
"Marshall! come back!" Everest screamed as the wild dogs ran passed the tree then followed Marshall scent "Leave him alone!" she shouted watching in horror as the dogs caught up to Marshall
"Everest..." Marshall looked at the dogs "Take me, leave my mate lone!" he closed his eyes accepting his fate
"NOOO! MARSHALL!" tears flooded down her cheeks seeing the dogs begin to tear Marshall a part, ripping into his flesh like he was a chew toy
When out of nowhere black flashes appeared knocking the dogs off of Marshall at a force several of the dogs were knocked out
"Ruff Ruff! net!" Chase barked catching a dog with his net "Ryder Sir hurry!" he yelled into his pup tag, as Rocky, Zuma and Rubble kept knocking back the dogs
"Get away from Marshall!' Rubble growled and started barking standing Marshall
The wild dogs ran off into the woods
Chase was instantly by Marshall's side "Please be ok!" he said looking at his severally injured best friend
"C-cc-ch-" Marshall tried to say between his groans of pain
"Sh don't talk" Rocky said shredding tears "You'll be ok"
Ryder appeared on his ATV pulling up near Marshall's truck, he threw his helmet on the ground and ran over to Marshall "Why Marshall? Why would you go behind my back? Why would disobey my orders?" he knelt down and held the dalmatian in his arms
"I.. I.. lov-e her.." Marshall moaned then fell unconscious
Ryder picked Marshall up causing him to yelp loudly "I'm sorry pup, we have to get you to Katie's" he turned to Chase "Help Everest down"
"Chase is on the case!" Chase said running over to the tree where Everest was and got her down "You ok?"
Everest nodded "My paw is a little sore, but I'm fine"
"Come on pups, quickly Katie needs to stop his bleeding" Ryder said tears falling from his eyes "Marshall's dying" he looked down at the pup in his arms, blood covering Marshall's once white fur
24 hours Earlier
"Marshall? What did you want to talk to me about?" Ryder asked approaching Marshall who was sitting under a tree "Is everything ok pup?"
Marshall shook his head "Well, I want to ask Everest to be my mate"
"That's great! You're finally going to tell her how you feel?" Ryder questioned sitting besides him
"Well" Marshall looked up into his owners eyes "What if she rejects me? She likes me, but what about if she doesn't feel the same way I do?"
Ryder planted a kiss on his head "Have faith Marshall, you will never know if you don't ask"
"I suppose so" Marshall smiled licking Ryder's cheek "Thanks Ryder"
"Ryder? Do you think she likes me?" Marshall asked lowering his head
Ryder giggled "Yes, it isn't heart to see she has feelings for you Marshall" he grinned as Everest pulled up
"What is she doing here?" Marshall instantly turned bright red, Ryder laughed
"Everest!" Skye greeted her with a hug "What are you doing here?"
"Ryder invited me for dinner' Everest hugged her back "Good to see you Skye!"
Skye separated "Yeah! It's been ages since we've done rescue's with you"
"Well Summer is always boring for me" Everest said walking into the Lookout with Skye "Hey pups!"
Chase spun around to see Everest, he and Zuma were head to head in a pup pup boogie game
"And tail spin!" They both said together spinning around so fast they hit into each other and fell on the ground
"What a wipe out dude!" Zuma laughed getting to his paws "Wow the woom is totally spinning..."
Chase giggled shaking his head "Hi Everest, what's up?" he said shaking the dizziness away
"Ryder invited her over" Skye said giggling at the dizzy pups
"Awesome! Hi Everest!" Rocky said finishing off a treat
Rubble was snoring on a pup cushion
Everest giggled "Where's Marshall?" she asked looking around
"Here" Marshall said walking in behind Ryder "H-Hii Everest" he blushed walking over to hear, carefully without tripping over "Hhhow are you?"
"I'm fantastic! Thank you for asking" Everest smiled at him causing him to blush harder "Marshall are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine.." Marshall said walking backwards but tripped over Rubble's bowl then fell into Everest "Sorry about that..." he blushed
Everest giggled "Lets go outside Mr Clumsy" she said leading Marshall outside of the Lookout
Once outside Everest sat down on the grass "Are you going to tell them?" she asked licking his cheek
"I don't know, the time doesn't feel right" Marshall said licking her back "I hate having to act like an idiot around you"
Everest laughed "Oh Marshall, you're my idiot!" she pushed him on his back "You're an extremely cute idiot"
Marshall blushed looking up into her blue eyes
Back to the Present
Ryder placed Marshall carefully into Chase's truck and jumped onto his ATV, he and the pups drove as fast as they could to Katie's, Marshall somehow managed to hang onto life, memories of him and Everest flooded his mind. Upon reaching Katie's Ryder carefully grabbed Marshall's limp body and ran into her Clinic
"KATIE! KATIE!" Ryder yelled panic filling his voice "WHERE ARE YOU!"
"I'm right here" Katie said running out of a back room "Oh no! Ryder what happened? Bring him here" she pulled out a table
Ryder nodded and laid the motionless pup on the table "He was attacked by the Wild Dogs, he went behind my back, please you have to save him" the young leader said tears falling from his eyes
Katie nodded and began to examine the pup "My gosh, these wounds are deep, Ryder I'll need to stitch some of these, and give him needles in-case those dogs were carrying diseases, wait here I have to work fast to save him" she said pushing Marshall through a door into another room
"Will Marshall live?" Skye asked standing besides a weeping Chase
Ryder didn't know the answer, but he knew Marshall was strong "I hope so Skye"
"He has too!" Everest said limping in "Ryder... He has to live... I can't raise his pups alone..."
Everyone turned around, jaws dropping
"Everest what are you saying?" Ryder asked kneeling in front of her
"I'm pregnant, Ryder" Everest looked up at him "It happened a week ago"
"Wait, you two began mates yesterday" Rubble said confused
Everest nodded "We did, it's complicated" she lowered her head "He has to live!" she threw herself into Ryder who hugged her
"No wonder he broke my orders" Ryder said hugging her tightly "At least I understand that, but why didn't he tell me he mated with you?"
"We wanted to keep it a secret, so he pretended to ask advice" Tears fell from Everest's eyes "I know we should have told everyone, but he thought you would be angry"
Ryder shook his head "What no? I would never be angry at him for something like this"
"I'm sorry Ryder for not telling you" Everest said crying in his arms "Please Marshall, please be ok"
Katie had done her best, and stitched up all of Marshall's wounds and dressed them, he looked like a Mummy he had that many bandages on him "That should do" she said placing an oxygen mask over his face "The rest is up to you Marshall" she pulled a blanket over him "You can fight this, think of Everest, think of how much she means to you" she whispered in Marshall's ear then dimmed the lights
To be continued