A/N: This is a story I wrote a while ago, I just never published it. I just joined the FanFiction community, so I guess I have yet to prove myself in a sense. Anyway, this story contains characters that me and one of my friends came up with, so if a name is unfamiliar don't try and connect it to other stories at this point. I am working on other stories to give a bit more background to other characters. As you read this, it is important to keep in mind what is said in the first few paragraphs. There is mention of a pup named Isaac, and he was thought up of by my friend. I told him I would give him proper mentioning, so I guess that counts. And no, Isaac is not mentioned too much in this story, but I'll chat with my friend about publishing a story on him later at some point. With that done, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own PAW Patrol.
It had been three years since it had happened. Ryder and us pups did everything we could. We succeeded in protecting Adventure Bay, but it cost us a lot. Two civilians had been killed, many more wounded. Us pups suffered great injuries, but we had driven back the wolves. I had never seen anything like it, my brother attacking everyone to get to me. I know he will never trouble us again, he's finally behind bars.
Some of the newer generation children would ask about what we did in the past, before he came. I was the only one willing to talk about it with them, since it brought us all great pain we lived with everyday. I lived with it too. I had gotten lucky, and escaped without too much damage to my body. Others were not so lucky. In the battle, I had my nose heavily wounded. I could still breathe through it, but I could not smell any scents at all. My food never had any flavor, it had become only nourishment.
My husband, Marshall, had also hardly sustained any wounds. He had a prominent limp, but the biggest wound he suffered were the memories. He had been there when the two civilians had been brutally murdered, and he still had nightmares about it. He had become quiet and cautious, a shell of what he once was. Rubble had lost several toes and an ear, but said he didn't need them anyway. He had taken it the most lightly. He tried not to dwell on it, but he still refused to talk about it. Tonya was missing part of her hind-left leg, after my brother clamped his jaws there and refused to let go. Rocky had become deaf, caught in an explosion by a gas station. I felt bad for Zuma, as he was living in a world with no light. He had become blind after one of my brother's follows raked his claws across Zuma's face, giving nasty scars and a permanent wound. Chase had been trapped in a fire. He had scars from the burns on his legs, patches where his fur would grow back. The smoke had ruined his throat, and he couldn't speak anymore. Rocky and him had become best friends, going on with silent, signing conversations that amused me. Ryder had been overpowered by my brother and his thugs, and they ruined his legs. He used a wheelchair to move about now, and it was depressing at times. We were strong, though, and we pulled through.
Skye had suffered the worst though. It was thanks to her we won and captured Isaac, but she had lost. As far as we knew, she was dead. We denied it at first, but evidence told us that she had given her life trying to save Adventure Bay. We had only ever found her collar, vest, and wings, all of them torn and covered in blood. Chase would sink in and out of depression, and he was mentally unstable. He would wander Adventure Bay, from the town to the mountains to the forests. He would disappear for days, only to return just fine.
All of us who were married, though, had lost the things most dear to us. All of our children had gone, they had left without a trace. They had put in their best into the battle, helping from the Lookout. Afterwards, they had been quiet and reclusive. Then, one morning, we could not find them anywhere. Chase's daughter, Crystal, had written a note saying that they had left to finish it. Whatever they meant by "it", we did not know. My pups, Miracle, Ace, and Winter had all left. Tonya and Rocky's pups, Gadget and Joy, had also left. We had been heart broken, and yet we kept on marching through it. We helped each other with our feelings, supported one another. We did not rescue much anymore, but some of us would still do acts of kindness for the sake of the memories, and what we were. We were still the PAW Patrol. No matter how broken we were, physically and mentally, we always came through. Through brightest day, and darkest night, we always came through, and did what was right.
"Chase," I said, "I know you miss her, I do too. You can't keep disappearing though. Please, please just stay here. Don't go again." He signed something at me, and I was offended. "Chase, how dare you speak like that! I know you're angry, sad, depressed. We all are." He kept signing arguments with me.
But Rubble isn't, he signed. I sighed. He was right, but Rubble was also the youngest. He wasn't married, and didn't have any pups of his own. He hadn't suffered from any sort of serious injury either, but I knew Rubble was depressed at heart.
"We can't keep holding onto the fact that she might be alive. If she was alive, she would have made her way back by now. It has been three years, Chase. Don't you think that that's plenty of time for her to come back if she wanted to?"
You might see me as depressed. I call it hope. I hope she's alive, and that alone is worth keeping the thought she might be alive, alive. I nodded.
"I know, and I hope she is alive to. But, I'm ready to accept that she is probably dead. I'm not trying to hurt you by saying that, but, please stop leaving. You go looking for her for days, scouring Adventure Bay, and everytime you leave you worry us. We're worried about you Chase. We're worried about what you might do to yourself."
I know you are. Sometimes, I worry about what I might do to myself. I don't hope she's out there and alive, I know she is. We have to find her.
"Chase, please just listen to me!" I begged. "We all suffered from that attack. We all payed a price. I would rather live knowing that Skye died helping us, rather than think we have been ignoring her existence for the past three years. The fourth year anniversary of that victory is coming up in a few weeks. Please, don't hurt yourself." He remained silent, but then again, he usually did. He didn't sign anything at me, he turned and walked away. I was hoping I didn't do anything when Marshall came in. He walked towards me silently, and laid down beside me. He was fully capable of speech, he just chose not to speak much. "Hey, my fire," I said, using a nickname I had given him.
"Hm," he sighed at me. I sighed, knowing how much it pressed down on us. No matter how much we tried to forget, we were left with physical reminders about what happened. Marshall and Chase were left with scars on the mind. Chase had lost his whole immediate family, and Marshall had gained images of bloody bodies. I shivered, and Marshall put his paw around me. He kept staring at the floor, and I leaned into him. I licked the side of his face, and he turned to me. He gave a weak smile, and spoke. "Hi, honey. I'm sorry, I was just, thinking." He didn't have to say more. He may have been a good doctor, and sometimes even a good surgeon, but seeing peoples' insides on a table in a sterile environment was different then seeming them still attached to mauled bodies.
Zuma came walking in, a small cane in his paw. He used it for "seeing", even though he knew the ways around the Lookout by heart. "Everest?" he asked, "Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me," I answered. Zuma's sense of smell had gotten better, and I was a little jealous. I could never smell anything, and it got annoying time and time again. "What are you up to?"
"I was planning on going around town. Is that, Marshall, I'm smelling?" Marshall gave an "Hm-mm" in reply. "Do either of you want to join me?" he asked.
"I'd like to," I answered. I poked my mate.
"Yeah, I'll go too," he said after a sigh. I gave him a smile, followed by a kiss. He never liked to go into town much, but sometimes he was willing to go.
"Hey, Zuma," I said, "Do you want to see if the others want to come?" He rapidly nodded his head.
"Sure, the more the merrier! I'll see if I can't find Rubble." He turned down the hall, and started walking away. I turned to Marshall.
"Do you want to see if you can't find Chase? I'll go find Rocky and Tonya." Marshall nodded, and I walked out of the Lookout. They had a special workshop that they spent a lot of time in, and I went there first thing.
"Hello?" I called out when I walked inside. "Anyone home?"
"No, there's no one home," answered Tonya. I smiled. She said that everytime I came to see if she was in here. I walked in, and Tonya was already looking at me. She came over to me, and hugged me. She had developed a habit of coping with what happened by giving hugs. I didn't mind it, but she would start freaking out if she wasn't able to physically touch or love someone for long periods of time. When I say freak out, I mean she would go insane. She was left alone for almost a whole day while she was doing something, and Ryder and the rest of us were on a trip she didn't want to go on. When we came back, she was to the point of insanity. It was only after being with Rocky for several hours did she calm down. "So what are you up to, girl?" she asked.
"I was wondering if you'd like to go with me, Marshall, Zuma, and maybe Chase for a walk into town. Rocky too." I saw her eyes light up.
"Oh, I'd love too! I'm sure Rocky would as well." She walked over to Rocky. I watched her. The part of leg she lost in the attack she had replaced with a metal one. She had designed it to act on her thoughts of what she wanted it to do, and it worked pretty well. It was clacking on the floor as she walked over to her husband. I watched, fascinated with how they got along. Tonya tapped Rocky on the shoulder, and he turned around. He looked at Tonya, then noticed me. He and Tonya were signing to each other, until Rocky set down his tool. Tonya came back towards me, Rocky in tow. He gave me a little wave, and I waved back at him. We all walked out, and made our way towards the Lookout.
The others met us by the doors. Chase was there, and he stared at the ground. We had become kind of an awkward group after the battle. One of us was blind, one was deaf, one couldn't speak, one couldn't smell, one couldn't live alone, and one couldn't escape the memories. I noticed Rubble wasn't there.
"Zuma," I started, "Where's Rubble?"
"He said he wanted to work with Wyder. They awe working on something that they want to get done, so he isn't coming." We walked across the bridge, taking in the day. It was a bright, sunny day, with lots of people out and about. We walked past Katie's just as she walked out the door.
"Oh, hi pups," Katie said. "Is there something I could do for you?" We looked at each other, thinking if we needed anything. Tonya signed to Rocky, and he shook his head. One by one, we shook our heads. Katie nodded. "Ok. If there is anything you want help with, though, just let me know." We heard a crash come from inside, and Katie rushed back in. Tonya, Zuma, Marshall and me laughed. Rocky looked at us with confusion, and Chase had a serious expression. He never gave the impersonation that he was laughing, and he always seemed a bit sad. We continued on, our group walking past City Hall. There was a throng of people there, gathered for something. We looked at each other, not sure what was going on. We snuck through the crowds, me leading the way.
"Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry," I said. Eventually, people started looking at us. They grew silent, and parted so we could get through. It was eerie, everyone just staring at us. Eventually, I heard someone shout.
"It's the PAW Patrol!" came a voice from the crowd. Everyone erupted into cheers, some reaching a tentative hand out to scratch us. I basked in the crowd, and when I looked back not everyone had the same enthusiasm as me. Zuma was beaming, Marshall was giving a weak smile, and Tonya was also smiling. She stayed close to Rocky though, who looked a bit worried. Chase had the same stoic face on, and I noticed no one reaching out to try and scratch or pet him. My smile turned into a worried frown, and I went back to him. I rubbed against him affectionately, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward. I whispered in his ear.
"Chase, these people love you. They are glad for what you did, and you so rarely show yourself. Just enjoy it for now. Return their affection. You've known these people for years." I trotted back to Marshall, and when I looked back Chase was smiling at the crowd.
The crowd was bigger than I thought. It didn't take long to get to the heart since they let us through, but there were a lot of people. When we reached the center, I saw it was a bake-sale of sorts. Several people were there at the table, including Mr. Porter, Alex, and Mayor Goodway. They were grinning at us, and Mayor Goodway came forward. She knelt down, and addressed us.
"Rocky, Tonya, Zuma, Chase, Marshall, Everest, it's good to see you. It feels like ages since we have seen you pups, and you have come at a time no better than this. We are hosting a bake-sale, and the proceeds go to animal rescue centers and hospitals in the state! We were about to begin the pie-making competition. The winner gets a ribbon, and Katie is preparing a special treat for everyone! She has been very secretive about it. I don't even know what it is!" The Mayor was very enthusiastic about it all. I looked at Marshall, who still had the weak smile on his face.
"Come on, my fire! Have some fun! Lighten up! Let's have a good time! I'll let Ryder know what we're doing." He nodded, and I walked away from the crowd. There was people everywhere, but the crowd was really noisy. I could put up with loud noises, but I still disliked them. I went over to Mr. Porter's, and there was hardly any people there. I called Ryder.
"Hi Everest, what's up?" he asked.
"Us pups are going to stay in town for a while. They are having a bake sale, and Mayor Goodway would like it if we stayed. Is that alright?" I knew Ryder was going to say that we could. We had become reclusive, and he had always encouraged us to go out into town.
"Sure. Just make sure you don't lose anyone." I stifled a small giggle. I knew it shouldn't be a laughing matter, but it was possible. Zuma couldn't see anyone, so we had to make sure he was with us. If Rocky got lost, he wouldn't be able to hear anyone calling his name. It all came down to how cautious we were. Anyway, I headed back to City Hall. I made my way through the crowd, having to go by sight and hearing. It didn't take long, since there was a cluster of people around my friends. I snuck my way through the people, and my friends were playing with a bunch of children. Well, most of them. Chase and Zuma weren't. I knew why Zuma wasn't, but Chase kind of surprised me. I walked over to him.
"Chase, what's wrong? I thought you loved children," I said. He signed back at me.
I do love children. It's just, why are we having fun? Our children our gone, Skye is gone, we're all only parts of who we were. Look at us. We are a sorry group. My mouth hung open at what Chase said. I shouldn't have been surprised, he usually said things like that.
"Chase, what have I told you about that? Acting like we aren't 'worth it'?"
I know what you said. It just seems like that's what's true. I sighed at him again, a little disgusted with his attitude. I went off to Marshall, who was letting a little girl ride on his back.
"Wheee! Faster horsey! Faster!" she said. She gave a laugh as Marshall sped up, making sure he didn't slip. It felt like ages since I had seen my friends have this much fun, and it made me happy. Most of the kids stayed away from Tonya though. Based off of their stares, I figured it was because of her robotic leg. I walked over to her.
"It seems the kids don't trust ya," I teased, using my sarcastic voice. She had a pained look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything mean," I hurriedly said.
"No, it's not that," Tonya said. "I have a massive headache." Tonya regularly got painful headaches for no obvious reason. We figured it had to do with her leg, but we weren't certain.
"Do you want to head back to the Lookout?" I asked, but she shook her head.
"No, ow, remind me to not shake my head again for a while. Anyway, no, I don't want to head back. I like being here. But all the noise...I think I do want to go back." I nodded.
"Do you want me to take you back?"
"If you want to. It's not like I haven't walked to the Lookout before." She started walking off, and I followed her. It's not that I thought she needed me, I just felt safer knowing I was with her. Apart from my nose, I also had at times difficulty breathing. I usually can breathe just fine, but if I forget to take my medicine my muscles start to shut down. I needed to stay on top of it, and I hadn't taken my medicine yet. I should've by now, but oh well. So long as I had daily doses within thirty-six hours of each other, I was fine.
I also didn't trust leaving one of us pups alone. We all had the thoughts. The thoughts to just end it. I had come this close to doing it once. I had a food-cutting knife in my paw when I was making dinner, and I had almost done it. I stopped myself before I did it. We were all liable to do it. We made our way across the bridge in silence. I could tell that Tonya's head must've really been hurting, because she kept holding her paw up to it.
"Tonya," I said, "It's ok. We're almost there."
"I, know," she said. I didn't like how she was sounding. She sounded out of breath, wheezy. We were walking up the Lookout driveway when she collapsed. I was instantly by her, looking over her to make sure she was alive. She was breathing, and she had a steady pulse. I pulled her on my back, and continued my way to the Lookout. I had to be careful to not strain myself, otherwise I might not be able to breathe. I reached the Lookout, and it was getting harder to breathe. I knew that if I didn't take my pills I would be in more trouble than Tonya. I went over to Marshall's pup-house where I slept. I also had pills in there, in case I ever needed them. My breaths were starting to become shorter and more labored.
A/N: Just a short author's note, but please tell me what you think. If you want to learn more about Tonya or any of the pups mentioned that were offspring of the couples in this fanfic, I will be sure to make that a top priority. I'll try and regularly post chapters for this story, as I said I already have it complete. Until the next chapter, this is TheMattdude signing off.
