Poor Bullseye. The faithful, fun loving horse had run for cover under another tree and braced himself against it, wrapping his legs around it. But then he'd seen Jessie, his friend, his pal, his mistress, fall to the ground and then...then get buried by the humongous boulders. As soon as the air cleared and all was calm again, Bullseye sprang from his hiding place back out into the open towards the gigantic mound of rocks. He neighed and whimpered anxiously as he pounded vigorously on the stone with his hooves, trying to brush them away, trying to free his beloved cowgirl and find any sign of her. He whinnied loudly and raised an ear, listening for her voice but heard absolutely nothing. The poor, frightened horse trembled and cried. Then he saw a streak of bright red, and his heart lightened. Bullseye dove for it and dug a few smaller rocks away. But the fear returned when he found that it was only Jessie's hat. He scrambled back down off the rubble, and sprinted at full speed back toward the town. He had to get help, and quickly!
Chase believed he was in a good hiding spot. He was inside the enclosed slide like Slinky had been earlier, and was satisfied with his choice of disguise. Marshall was 'it', and the police pup could hear the plucky Dalmatian outside, happily searching for Slinky, Skye, and Chase himself.
"Where are you guys?" Marshall asked eagerly. "I'll find ya. I'm gonna find ya! Wait. What is that smell?" He cocked his head curiously, and started to search near the monkey bars.
Chase chuckled to himself. "I think I could stay in here all day, and he'd never find me."
"Bock-bock, bock."
"Huh?" Chase's ear twitched.
"Bock-bock, bock." There it was again. The German Shepherd pup turned his head to find behind him none other than…
"Chickaletta?!" Chase gasped in surprise. "How did you get in here? I found this spot first." The chicken perched herself on top of his head. "Come on, Chickaletta. I'm in undercover right now, and I must not give myself away. You think you can stay quiet?"
"Bock-bock, bock." The chicken nodded, and raised a wing to her mouth, signifying that she wouldn't make a sound.
"Ha, ha, ha. Found you, Slinky!" Marshall announced proudly, wagging his tail. The dachshund climbed out of the tunnel and sighed.
"Aw, darn. Ya found me!" Slinky grunted, his shoulders sagging. Marshall laughed.
"Yep. I sure did. Now where are Skye and Chase?" Marshall smiled, and continued to look around for them.
"Isn't this fun, Chickaletta?" Chase asked. "No one knows where we are. And we can see everything they're doing from in here. It's fun playing I Spy." Chickaletta ruffled her feathers, spreading them around the dog, and one landed straight on Chase's nose. He gasped and gritted his teeth. "Ah, ah...no. No. No, no, no, no..." He was trying very hard not to sneeze. "Ah, ah, ah...Ah-CHOO!" Chase blurted, which sent him and the little chicken sliding down from their hidden perch out into the open. He landed on his back and Chickaletta casually stood on his stomach, staring at the spectators.
"Chase! I found you." Marshall smiled. Chase rolled his eyes and huffed. Chickaletta clucked casually, hopped onto the ground, and giggled at Chase.
"Aw, biscuits." Chase groaned. "My undercover all ruined."
"You chose a good hiding spot, Chase. I didn't even know where you were." Skye smiled.
"Well, fellas, I guess it's my turn. Unless ya wanna play something else now." Slinky mentioned.
"How about Freeze Tag?" Marshall suggested.
"Yeah. Chasing is what I do best!" Chase grinned widely and the others chuckled at his pun. They enjoyed pursuing and rescuing each other in the game. "Come on. Someone, unfreeze me!" Chase pleaded, as he remained stock still in his spot where he'd been tagged.
"There ya go, pal!" Slinky laughed as he patted him and they ran. Marshall was chasing Skye.
"Can't catch me, Marshall!" Skye smiled, then halted suddenly.
"Oh, yes I can!" Marshall grinned, then tried skidding to a stop but kept sliding. "Whoa! L-look out!" He bumped into a person and the two tumbled to the ground. "Oops. I'm sorry. Couldn't stop fast enough."
"Oh, Marshall," Mitsy Pride laughed, shaking her head. She was the 16-year-old adopted daughter of Sheriff Woody Pride and his wife Bo Peep. "You certainly have a way of giving people big, unexpected greetings!" She smiled, scratching behind his ears. Marshall laughed and licked her face, then they both stood up. "What are you guys up to?" She asked.
"We were playing Freeze Tag." Skye answered. "You want to play with us?"
"Thanks, but I can't." Mitsy shook her head. "Slink? Dad told me to come get you. It's time to go back for lunch, plus he has some work for you at the office."
"Aw." Slinky sighed. "Sorry, fellas. Guess I'll have to go." They were interrupted by the sudden sound of furiously pounding hooves, and then Bullseye appeared out of nowhere, panting breathlessly and neighing in distress. Mitsy ran up to him.
"Whoa, Bullseye! Whoa, now. Easy, boy! Easy." She said soothingly, with her arms raised. "Easy there, it's all right." Bullseye quieted down but he was trying to catch his breath plus he had a frantic look in his eyes. Mitsy stroked underneath his chin and rubbed his forehead under his bangs. "Calm down, Bullseye. Where did you come from? What's the matter? What's wrong, huh?"
"That's Deputy Jessie's horse." Chase stated. "I wonder what he's doing here."
"He doesn't usually run wild like that, and certainly not by himself either." Slinky said.
"Are you okay, Bullseye?" Skye asked. The worried horse raised his head and kept looking behind his back. He gripped Mitsy's skirt with his teeth and kept pulling.
"What is it, boy?" Mitsy asked, growing a bit concerned at his unusual behavior.
"Is something wrong, pal?" Slinky walked up next to the horse. Bullseye poked at Slinky's collar. "Hey!" Then he did it again. "I think he's pointing to the badge on my collar." Slinky said and Bullseye whinnied in agreement.
"Sorry, guys, but I think we need to go. I think Bullseye wants Dad for something." Mitsy spoke. The horse nodded emphatically and knelt down and she mounted his back. "Come on, Slink." The wiener dog hopped on and grabbed Mitsy around her waist. "We'll see you pups later. Have a good day. Come on, Bullseye. Let's go." And the horse cantered away.
"I hope everything's all right." Skye remarked.
"Should we still play Freeze Tag?" Marshall asked.
"Nah. Let's go visit Katie and see what she's packed for our lunch at the beach." Chase said.
"Great idea. Lunch sure sounds good right now." Marshall agreed, licking his chops. "Come on."
"I wonder where Jessie is." Zuma remarked. "She's been gone a long time, and it's almost lunchtime."
"I wouldn't worry, Zuma." Farmer Yumi chuckled. "My cows can be a huge handful when they decide to get into mischief. They could keep you running all day if you let them. Besides, if anyone can bring them back in from all over Adventure Bay, that's Jessie Pride! And the Paw Patrol of course." Zuma chuckled, but kept looking around, hoping to spot the yodeling cowgirl.
"Yeah. I'm sure she'll be here soon." Zuma stated. "But I sure wish she'd hurry up. I'm getting hungry!"
Sheriff Woody Pride was presently speaking with Mayor Goodway and Councilman Hammer at City Hall. They were discussing upcoming community events for the next few months. The Pride family and their many friends they'd brought with them had moved to Adventure Bay a year ago, and for six months now, Woody had been sheriff on the island. But the citizens looked up to him for much more than just his badge. Woody was more than a law enforcement official, he was a friend. He was kind, friendly, warm, brave, and was almost always there to lend a helping hand. He treated everyone with decency and a manner of compassion, which only increased their respect, admiration, and love for him. Mayor Goodway was proud at the people's selection as candidate for the sheriff's seat, and she felt that in the future, Adventure Bay wouldn't need to hold anymore elections for sheriff, except that Councilman Hammer kept reminding her that in a free country, it was the democratic and traditional thing to do.
"Well, Sheriff Pride, it appears that everything is on schedule." Mayor Goodway stated with satisfaction.
"Looks like it," Woody agreed, nodding.
"You sure you don't want to add a greased pig run to the calendar?" Councilman Hammer asked.
"Some other time, Councilman," Woody shook his head. "We're booked up as it is. Besides, the folks will get a real kick out of what we have planned." There was a rapid knock on the conference room door.
"Dad? Dad!" Someone called from the other side.
"Excuse me." Woody said, then walked to the other end of the room to open the door. He was surprised to see his daughter standing there. "Hi, honey," Woody smiled, but his face wore a curious expression. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi," Mitsy replied. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Mayor Goodway, but could I please speak with Dad? There's something outside that I think needs his attention."
"Oh, of course." Mayor Goodway answered. "You tend to your duties, Sheriff Woody. Our business here is concluded anyway."
"Thank you. Good day." Woody tipped his hat, then followed Mitsy outside the building. "So, what's up, hon? What's going on?"
"Bullseye wants you for something." Mitsy replied.
"He's acting strange." Slinky added. "He came running up to us at the park and seems flustered."
"Did Jessie say how long he's been acting this way?" Woody asked.
"No, Dad. She wasn't there!" Mitsy answered. "We didn't see her anywhere."
"And I didn't hear her running after him, scolding him in that loud voice of hers either." Slinky shook his head. Woody wore a very serious expression. It wasn't like his faithful, plucky horse to recklessly run around loose on Adventure Bay, and unless Woody was riding him, you hardly ever saw him apart from Jessie! The grim cowboy walked up to the horse and rubbed his head.
"Hey, buddy. I'm here." Woody spoke reassuringly. "Is something wrong, Bullseye? Where's Jessie? Is she all right?" The horse neighed sadly and kept looking back over his shoulder. He snorted insistently and tugged on Woody's sleeve. "You want me to follow you?" Bullseye nodded very hard. "Okay, boy. Okay, I'm coming." Woody mounted up. "Come on, Mitsy. You can go with me." He held his hand out, she grabbed it and he pulled her up behind him.
"Thanks, Dad." Mitsy said. She liked going places and was always pleased when he allowed her to come along on his investigations.
"You come too, Slink. We might need you."
"You got it, Woody." Slinky nodded.
"Show us, Bullseye." Woody commanded, and the horse took off running through town like there was no tomorrow. Mitsy tightly gripped her father's sides so she wouldn't fall off and Slinky ran alongside them. Woody was worried by Bullseye's behavior. He had a grisly feeling that Jessie was in trouble, though he couldn't imagine why she would urgently need their help, as she was a very capable, intelligent woman who could usually think quickly in chaotic situations. If she needed help, why hadn't she called for it using her iphone? He would've dropped everything he was doing and come to her, and so would Buzz. That is, unless Jessie thought she could handle the situation all by herself. She had a habit of doing that, often much to Woody's frustration and Buzz's concern for her safety. Yet, she had more than once proven herself responsible to take on wild shenanigans.
"Hi, Katie." Marshall and Skye said together as they and Chase entered Katie's Pet Parlor.
"Oh, hi, Paw Patrol." Katie greeted back. She was packing a picnic basket. "So, are you ready to have some fun in the sun?"
"We sure are." Skye answered. Marshall stood on his hind legs and sniffed the basket.
"M mm. Something smells really good in there! What's for lunch?" Marshall asked, licking his lips.
"I'm not telling 'til it's time to eat. It's a surprise," Katie laughed.
"Awww." The pups moaned. "It sure is making me hungry. I can't wait!" Marshall said eagerly.
"Wait. I hear something." Chase said, raising his ear. "It's coming from the basket. Something's in there!"
"What?" Katie sputtered and noticed that the basket was twitching. She opened the lid and peeked in. "Oh, you." She scolded. She dug her arms inside, and out she pulled...Cali, with jelly smeared all over her face.
"Cali!" Skye exclaimed.
"Hey, you're eating our lunch!" Chase scolded.
"Cali, you sneaky little kitten," Katie said. "I made a blueberry pie for dessert, but it looks like someone else got to it first."
Marshall's head drooped. "And now there's no more left."
"Aw, there's some left." Katie corrected. "But it's too messy now to take on a picnic. Well, who wants a slice of pie?" The pups all sat up and begged, barking eagerly.
"Arf, arf, arf! My mouth is watering." Marshall panted.
Bullseye had taken his master far out into the country. Woody, Mitsy, and Slinky glanced in all directions, searching for Jessie. "Oh, where is she?" Mitsy moaned, worried.
"Bullseye must know where she is." Slinky remarked.
"Do you think she's okay?"
"I certainly hope so." Slinky responded.
"Bullseye, where are we going?" Woody asked cautiously. He was getting nervous, wondering where his sister could possibly be. Bullseye halted, and tilted his head forward, whimpering like a dog. Their eyes widened in horror. They saw the enormous rubble of part of the mountain, piled on top of each other. "No, no..." Woody gulped. "Boy, don't tell me that Jessie..." Bullseye nodded his head, and rushed over there.
"Oh, Dad. No!" Mitsy exclaimed shakily. "She can't be!" Woody gulped again. As soon as Bullseye halted, Woody and Mitsy hopped off his back and they all stared in anxiety at the terrible sight before them. Woody grimaced in anger.
"No! Come on!" He demanded. They all raced toward the rocks, climbed them, and started frantically delving into the rocks, trying to pry them away. "Jessie?! Jessie!" Woody cried out."It's me, Woody! Can you hear me? Jessie!" His body was racing with fear.
"Jessie, where are you?!" Mitsy wailed. She tried and tried to pull a large rock away but it was too heavy. She fell back and felt a burning pain on her right hand. "Ow." She moaned and looked at it. It was bleeding from a scrape on her palm. She winced, clenched her hand to her chest and tried again to shove the boulders away. "Oh, Jessie," she cried softly with tears. "Please let her be all right." She prayed.
"Jess! Jess! We're here. Can you hear us?" Slinky called, digging with his paws, only to hear a horrible screeching sound as his claws scratched the hard surface of the granite. Slinky growled at the stubborn rocks that were stopping them from saving their friend.
Bullseye nudged Woody from behind, and the cowboy looked in dismay as he saw Jessie's red hat held in the horse's teeth. Woody drew back a breath, then took it, then went to get Mitsy. "Come on, honey. We've got to get help!" He exclaimed, touching her shoulder from behind. She looked back at him sadly.
"But, Dad. We can't leave her here!" Mitsy cried with tears streaming down her face. Woody stared sympathetically at his daughter. If it wasn't for the urgent gravity of the situation that demanded his immediate action, he'd be crying too. He warmly, firmly gripped her left hand.
"Come on, Sweetie. We have no time to lose!"
"Please, Dad, can I stay here? I could dig while you get help." Woody shook his head.
"You can't get her out by yourself." Slinky stated. "Come on." Mitsy sadly complied. Woody mounted on Bullseye, pulled her up and handed her his sister's hat. She clutched it tightly. Slinky climbed up next to her.
"Ride like the wind, Bullseye!" Woody shouted, and the horse took off like he was being chased by cougars.
"Come on, Rubble. We've got this!" Rocky said through clenched teeth. The two pups were pulling together hard on a rope. They were having a Tug-of-War contest between Buzz and Mr. Phoat to build up their muscles and also see if they could outdo the famed, strong Space Ranger. So far, the Paw Patrol team was out of luck. Buzz and Mr. Phoat were pulling back with such strength that Rocky and Rubble were sweating, trying to jerk away with the superior grip.
"Come on, troops. Pull! Give it everything you've got!" Buzz edged them on.
"Give it some teeth." Mr. Phoat growled under his thick, black mustache.
"But I want to keep mine." Rubble answered, as best he could with the rope in his mouth.
Just then, Buzz's smart-phone rang from the bench. Buzz immediately let go and ran to answer it, sending Mr. Phoat and their two, four-legged competitors falling back to the ground. "Thanks a lot, big shot." Mr. Phoat muttered. "This is the last time I ever help you with a sporting competition."
"Well, you can't say we lost." Rubble smiled at his partner who was lying on his back too. Rocky laughed.
Buzz picked up his phone, slid the lock screen up, read the caller ID-Woody-and pressed the answer button. "Hello, Woody? I'm here." Buzz answered cheerfully. "What's up, cowboy?"
"Buzz?! I need your help. Now!" Woody blurted out. Buzz stiffened. He was alarmed at the fear in the cowboy's voice, and instantly braced himself for whatever information Woody was about to relay. Woody was usually steady and intelligent, so Buzz knew something was terribly wrong just by his best friend's tone of voice. Buzz stared at his phone with concern, looking back at the face of his most trusted companion.
"Woody? What's wrong?!" Buzz asked seriously, tightly gripping his phone.
"We've got a very bad situation on our hands." Woody answered. "We need Ryder and the Paw Patrol's help. I'm calling him next. Meet me at the Lookout Tower! And call Mr. Phoat. Tell him to bring his truck to the PP headquarters! We need all the help we can get! I'll tell you when everyone gets there! This is urgent, and I don't want to have to repeat everything. Hurry, Buzz!"
"Roger that. Woody, what is it?" Buzz pressed for an answer.
Woody didn't hesitate. Buzz had every right to know. "It's Jessie!" Woody answered. "She's in trouble! Big trouble! She's in danger, Buzz!" That was all it took. At the first mention of Jessie's name, Buzz felt a grisly chill run down his spine and a choking nausea in the pit of his stomach, and he took off running immediately.
"I'm on my way!" Buzz shouted, then hung up and darted like a maniac toward the Lookout. He totally forgot about his three friends and dashed passed them, leaving them to speculate.
"What's his problem?" Mr. Phoat asked. "Hey, what do you think you're doing, hot shot Lightyear?!"
"Where are you going, Buzz?" Rocky asked, but the brave Space Ranger shut out everything else around him. Only one face he saw in front of his eyes: Jessie, and at the moment she was all that mattered. She was in trouble, danger! And there was no way that he was going to let anyone or anything in the world stop him from trying to save the woman he loved, to infinity and beyond!
"There. We're good to go." Ryder smiled, as he was about to push the all-call button on his PupPad to call his team so they could head out for lunch. They, Katie, and Alex were all looking forward to a fun, relaxing day at the beach. His phone rang, surprising him. He saw on the caller ID Sheriff Woody's picture. "Hello? Ryder here." He answered.
"Ryder! We've got an emergency here!" Woody exclaimed. "And we need your and the Paw Patrol's help, effective immediately!"
"What is it, Sheriff Woody?" Ryder asked with concern. "What's wrong? How can we help?"
"There's been a landslide at the foot of the mountain. Some rocks fell. Jessie's buried somewhere underneath! She's trapped in there! We've got to get her out, Ryder! We're on our way right now, heading towards you!" Ryder pulled down the telescope and scanned the countryside 'til his eyes fell on the disaster. He gasped.
"Oh no!" He sputtered. "You're right."
"We can't lose any time, Ryder." Woody spoke. "Every hour could make a difference!"
"We're here to help, Sheriff Woody!" Ryder answered encouragingly. "We'll get Deputy Jessie out. Don't worry. No job is too big, no pup is too small." Woody hung up, and Ryder did press his all-call button. "Paw Patrol, to the Lookout!"
"Ryder's calling!" All of the pups exclaimed, and ran to obey their master's command.
"Mitsy? Call your mom, hon, and let her know what's going on." Woody told her from behind his back. Mitsy shifted her dear aunt's hat to her left arm, still holding onto the sheriff's side as Bullseye galloped like a jet, and winced as she reached down into her pocket with her right hand to pull out her phone. But her grimace did not go unnoticed.
"Mitsy, you've got blood on your hand!" Slinky gasped, as he was clasping her skirt, trying not to fall off the horse. At the mention of the word blood, Woody's head quickly whipped around and he tugged back on Bullseye's reigns.
"Whoa, Bullseye! Stop for a minute!" Woody commanded, and the horse reluctantly obeyed. Woody turned around and looked seriously at his daughter. "Honey, are you all right?" He asked in a concerned but firm tone, which indicated that he meant business. "Did you hurt yourself? Let me see!"
"She hurt her hand." Slinky answered.
"I'm fine, Slink." Mitsy sighed.
"Let me see it." Woody said in an unbending tone.
"I'll be okay, Dad." Mitsy answered. "It's just a scrape. It'll be fine once I get it cleaned up and get a Band-Aid." Woody examined the cut. He sighed with relief.
"Youch." He said sympathetically. "Must be pretty painful, but it looks like you'll be fine. We'll have Marshall give you some First Aid when we get there. Slink, don't do that to me again!" Woody scolded. Slinky's shoulders sagged. "Come on, Bullseye. Yaw!"
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Slinky told Mitsy.
"Thanks." Mitsy smiled. She was embarrassed that the dog had made such a big deal over a very minor injury, but yet at the same time, she appreciated his care. It went on to prove that he would do anything for his friends, big or small.
There was no telling how long she'd been out, but Jessie was slowly starting to regain consciousness. "B...Bullseye.." she whispered. She could feel herself waking up. Her eyelids fluttered, as she tried to focus but...but she couldn't see anything! Nothing! Jessie's eyes instantly blew wide open. She sat up rapidly and started feeling around her. "I...I'M BLIND! I'VE GONE BLIND!" Jessie cried frantically. "I...I CAN'T SEE! I can't see at all!" Jessie screamed and dropped back down to the dirt floor of her confinement. She was panicking and wringing her hands frightfully. Then as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out various large, jagged shapes just a couple feet above her head. The same figured shadows were all around her. The space she had between herself and them was only 6 feet long and 6 feet wide. Jessie scrambled to her knees in fear and pounded on the rocks. Rocks? Rocks...where did these come from? What hap...how...then she remembered: the landslide, the avalanche! She was trapped in this puny cave under who knew how many tons of solid stone and nobody knew where she was! They'd never know where to look, she was sure of that, and there was no way she could get out on her own. Suddenly, Jessie found it more and more difficult to breathe, the thin air she'd felt when she saw nothing but darkness seemed even thinner. Jessie screamed and screamed, but her piercing cry echoed terribly in this hollow prison. Jessie started to feel like she wasn't alone, she looked around but didn't see anyone or any creatures, all she could see were the giant boulders. But there was something eerie about them: they seemed to be coming closer and closer, and closer to the terrified cowgirl until she was sure they were going to trample her, and Jessie gasped horribly for air, but she couldn't breathe. She collapsed backwards to the ground and lay there, gasping in terror. In reality, the rocks hadn't budged an inch, but Jessie who was always petrified of darkness and closed in spaces-which the two mixed together were a cruel concoction-couldn't think clearly. She was scared, she wanted out, she couldn't see, she was imprisoned, and worst of all...she was alone!
Hang in there, Jessie! Help is on the way. Poor cowgirl.