Chapter 2

"What do you mean, Katie?" Ryder asked. She sighed "Marshall is resting right now, so we should talk here" then she motioned for all them to sit down, which they did. She started to speak "Do you know how he got hurt" she asked hoping she wouldn't have to break the news. "He probably just fell again, right" Ryder said, slightly confused.

"No, that's not what happened" she stated, "Then what?" All the pups yelled. She looked down at them, they looked back with those big puppy eyes. They were all so young and it just made telling them a lot harder. "Please Katie, I need to know" Ryder pleaded, now he was making it worse , "This is gonna crush him" she thought.

"Marshall did this to himself on purpose" she spat. "What!" the pups screamed in unison, they didn't understand how he could do this. Ryder on the other hand said "How do you know?", it took a little bit to process this. "While I looked over his cuts I noticed that they were even lines and the way they were shaped matched his own claws" she answered slowly. "I don't understand, I know Marshall and he would never do this" Ryder proclaimed in utter disbelief. She went on to explain.

"After I stopped the bleeding I brushed away some of his fur to stitch him back up and I noticed he had more cuts. Unfortunately he's been doing this for a long time. Guessing on how they've healed, he's been cutting himself for... months". It was hard for her to say that without tearing up. She loved all the pups almost as much as Ryder and now one of them was in trouble. She felt her eyes water at the sight of their devastated looks "I'll go check on him" she said before leaving the room.

" 'Wyder' why would he do this?" Zuma finally spoke up. Ryder didn't respond, he just sat there looking up at the ceiling in gut wrenching distress. The pups all hopped onto Ryder and snuggled up with him as an act of comfort. He squeezed them as hard as he could and said "Sometimes when people are depressed they try to hurt themselves" in a sheepish tone. "But, but Marshalls always happy" said Chase "Why is he so sad?" Rocky said agreeing like. "I don't know " said their leader while they gave him another hug. "This has been happening for months and we had know idea" Skye said in a melancholy whimper.

"Ryder can I talk to you" Katie said interrupting their grief, "Pups you can go see him now" Katie finished. The group of pups to a look at Ryder then proceeded to go to his room. "I know you're going through a lot Ryder but-" she started to say. He surprised her by pulling her into a hug. She held him while he gently cried into her shoulder. "I'm a horrible owner, my own pup was suicidal and I didn't even know" Ryder said. She broke his grip slightly and looked him in the eye. "Marshall has serious problems and NONE of us knew because he hid it and I'm not sure , but now we do and we have to help him or he might do worse". She proclaimed honestly.

Ryder just realized that he might have as far as ending his own life. "I don't what to do Katie" he said still on the edge of crying. "Luckily I might know someone who can" she reassuringly stated.

We won't find out until next time (Sorry for this chapter being short/Next one will be longer...