Just a Little Miracle
Chapter 1
It was a typical day in Adventure Bay. Rocky was cleaning up the litter that was spotted on the beach. He could never understand why people would not just keep the beaches clean, not to mention the fact that most of the trash he found could have been recycled. Some people were so ignorant…
His rig was parked nearby should he need to unload. He had only been out there for half an hour, and he was already panting heavily due to the sun's rays glaring down on him. He could easily jump into the water and he would be cooled off instantly, but his hydrophobia was the only thing that was stopping him. He could take a drink at least, but ocean water was known for being salty. Still, he had to do SOMETHING about this heat. Maybe when he was done he could take a little drive, the lack of a roof might help him cool off.
When Rocky filled the bag that his mechanical arm was holding, he walked back to his rig and loaded the contents of the bag into the back of the garbage truck. When he finished, however, he noticed movement. Curious, Rocky moved over to investigate. He picked an old trash bag out of the way with his mechanical arm- and gasped at what he saw.
Laying before him was a dirty, thin, Australian Shepherd puppy. She looked as if she hadn't eaten in at least a week.
"Uh… Excuse me?" He asked.
The pup looked up at him, then stood up, "Dude, what's up with that metal… thing?"
"Huh? Oh, the arm. It helps me pick up objects that I see lying around."
"Okay… And the vest?"
"That's my uniform."
"Uniform? Are you a member of some group?"
"Yes, actually I am. The PAW Patrol."
"So… You make sure if animals have clean paws?"
After a short laugh, Rocky said, "No, we're here to keep Adventure Bay safe."
"Uh-huh… And you protect them from… trash?"
"I recycle old stuff, even using some stuff myself for a few inventions.
"What kind of inventions?"
"I made a peanut dispenser once. Helped rescue an elephant."
"How?"
"Well… The circus was leaving town and a baby elephant got loose. Unfortunately, her mom got so worried she went after her calf, and I had to lure her to Farmer Umi's barn, where we could keep her safe."
"Did you ever get the elephant back to the circus?"
"We did. But it wasn't easy, I had to keep those elephants from spraying me!"
"But isn't that what they do?"
"Yes, but I kinda have a problem with water."
"You're hydrophobic, huh?"
"Yeah…" Rocky pawed at the ground.
"Well… I think you were brave for doing that."
"Thanks. My name's Rocky by the way."
"I'm Miracle."
"Nice to meet you. So… What are you doing in my truck?"
"Your truck? You drive?"
"Yup."
"Then… how do you do it without hands? That aren't robotic, I mean."
"The controls were made specifically for pups, such as myself, to be able to drive it."
"Oh. Well, to answer your question, I was trying to look for food."
"Wait, you're a stray?"
"Yeah."
"Then why don't you come with me? Ryder will be sure to find you a home."
"Ryder? Who's that?"
"He's our mission coordinator and our leader. Sometimes he helps pups find a home, we can-"
"A home? Like, with humans?"
"Yeah..."
"No thanks."
Rocky was dumbfounded by her answer. "Why not?"
"I just… I don't trust humans."
"Why not?" Rocky cocked his head.
"I just don't. Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
"Well...okay." The thought crossed Rocky's mind that this poor pup might've been hurt by humans. Those people did exist, after all. The possibility sent a shiver through his spine, especially considering he knew almost everyone in Adventure Bay.
"Well… I had better go, don't want to take any more of your time."
"It's okay. Should we meet up sometime later on?"
Miracle thought about this for a few moments, before she finally nodded, "Can we meet back here tonight? I'm more of a night girl."
"Well…" He's normally asleep during that time, but something told him that she needs help. "Yeah, I think I can work that out."
"Cool, see ya tonight, then."
"See you tonight."
"Oh, and you might want to take a dip in the water; you look like you're burning up."
Rocky's eyes widened. "I… I am?"
"Yeah, your speech seems worn out."
"It… uh, it does?"
She nodded.
"Oh, well, maybe I should get cooled off." Rocky tried to look away from Miracle's green eyes.
"Yeah… Anyway, see you tonight."
"Yeah... See ya."
Rocky backed into his parking space at the base of their headquarters; The Lookout. He hopped out and said, "Rig: House mode." He barked twice and instantly, the garbage truck transformed into a truck-looking doghouse.
"Hey Rocky," Ryder greeted, approaching from behind a wall.
"Hi, Ryder. Where is everyone?"
"Pup Pup Boogie tournament. Wanna watch with me?"
"No thanks... I think I'll take a nap. I'm real tired."
Ryder frowned, "Are you feeling okay, Rocky?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got pretty hot out there."
"Oh, I see. I'll get you something to drink."
"Thanks..." Rocky backed into his doghouse and lay down. He figured that it would be better to get his sleep now; that way, he'd be more awake that night.
After a few moments, Ryder returned with some water. "Here you go, Rocky."
"Thanks..." Rocky tried to smile.
Ryder scratched behind the dog's ear, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"If you need to talk… let me know. Okay?"
"Just yelp for help," Rocky translated with a sideways grin.
Ryder chuckled, "Bingo." With that, Ryder left for the Lookout.
Rocky leaned over the water bowl and lapped up some of the water. It definitely helped to cool down, and at least he couldn't get wet from drinking water, right?
As his mind started to wander, he thought back to Miracle. Yes, there was a bit of irony to her name, and the truth is that anyone could have found her. Question is this: Why him? Why'd he find her? Why not Chase or Zuma? Why him? Was it an accident? Was he meant to find her?
Who was he kidding? He was just overthinking this. Fate was fake; something to tell little pups to keep them from doubting themselves. That was it.
He tried to drift off to sleep, but there was a problem: the sun was shining through his eyes. The sun was not his friend today! He dug around in his doghouse hoping that he could find something to help him. He finally found a black strip of cloth that he could wrap around his eyes like a blindfold.
"Don't lose it; reuse it," he whispered to himself before tying it over his eyes, blocking any light from reaching them.
The sun was out of his eyes, but it was still hot in the doghouse, and his mind kept racing. Miracle; was she okay? What if she got caught by the dog catcher?
Rocky took off the blindfold and thought wearily, 'This is going to take a while.'
The pups were gathered around the screen as Marshall and Zuma were facing off against each other. "No way you'll beat the defending champ, Marshall," Zuma taunted.
"Oh yeah? Well maybe the times come for a new champ!" Marshall sneered.
Chase was still wondering how he had been beaten by Marshall; he usually tail-spun himself out on the second level.
Both pups were tied. But if it remained this way for another ten minutes, it would be declared a draw.
Finally, Marshall tripped and fell on his side. He quickly got up and tried to keep going to see if Zuma would make some sort of mistake. Maybe it would be big enough for Marshall to win, but alas, the lab was on his game, his teeth gritted together as he tried to time his moves perfectly.
Finally, the game ended, and the winner was… Zuma.
"Aww yeah! Two years in a row, dudes!"
"Maybe, but I'd like to see Rocky beat that." Chase pointed out.
"Actually, he's not going to be joining us right now," Ryder said, "He just got back, but he's taking a nap."
"Wait, what?" The German shepard's ears flew up.
"He said he was tired; pretty hot day today. Don't be too worried."
"Okay, but it just isn't like him to… you know…"
Ryder shrugged. "True, but everything's just fine. Don't worry yourself over it."
"Okay… if you say so." Chase didn't look as worried by Ryder's explanation. He'd been sweating even after dunking water over his head, and he wasn't even hydrophobic.
"Soo..." Skye spoke up, "Anyone wanna go to the pool with me?"
Chase's ears perked up, "I would! I would!" he exclaimed, bouncing up.
Everyone stared at Chase oddly.
He noticed the stares and cleared his throat before saying, "I mean… I think that would be a good idea."
"Okay…" Rubble said stepping away from Chase. "I think I'll go too."
"You know I'll want to go, dudes," Zuma added.
Skye giggled, "Anyone else?"
"I think I will," Marshall said, "but I don't really feel right leaving Rocky alone.
"Don't worry; I'll stay behind in case he needs anything," Ryder said.
Marshall sighed, "Okay. I guess I'll go."
"Okay," Skye said before dashing up to her doghouse.
She halted in front of Rocky's doghouse to see him fast asleep, laying on his back and his tongue just slightly lolling out. 'Awww, he's so cute,' She thought to herself, stifling a giggle..
But, unbeknownst to the aviation pup, the happenings in his dream were anything but cute.
Rocky found himself at the bank of a river. Not just any river; Adventure River was the one. Rumor had it that it was the roughest in the county, and the roughest meant… the wettest. The banks were steep cliffs that only the toughest pup could surmount.
But that wasn't even the worst part. He found himself facing a terrified Miracle on the other side, yowling for help as a human with a baseball bat closed in on her. A cliff was right behind her, and teetering on top of it were a wobbly tree and a pile of rocks, which dangled precariously on the edge, as if about to fall and possibly crush her.
It was more than Rocky could take, she was a good pup, and she couldn't die! That childish 'fate' seemed to be against her then. Wherever she turned to, she would be hurt. Then there was his own fear to get over: water. Why did it have to be water?
But then, as if to torture him further, he heard Miracle cry out his name! "Rocky! Help!"
That was all he could bear. Without a single thought he bolted across the water, running on top of it. He payed this no mind; Miracle would perish if he slowed down. Just as he arrived on the other side, charging up to the assailant to start, he heard a short, loud squeak as Miracle was hit with the bat.
She crashed up against the cliff, and the tree and rocks started to shake even more, all at once. They started to tumble, and-
Rocky bolted awake, shouting, "AHH!"
He pulled the blindfold off his eyes and realized he was back at the Lookout, in his doghouse. His breaths heaved as adrenaline struggled to wear out. Had that really happened? Was it just a dream?
He took a step forward and felt his left paw touch something wet. He gasped and jumped back. He looked down and saw that it was just his water bowl. He then remembered how Ryder had gotten that water for him earlier, and that he had fallen asleep shortly after...meaning it HAD just been a dream. Miracle was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, it wasn't real. What time is it getting to be, anyway? Rocky glanced out at the sky, and he jumped when he realized the moon's position in the sky. Nine o'clock?! Darn, I'll be late!
With that, Rocky bolted off into the darkness of the night.