Hello all! So I thought this would be the last chapter, but it is broken into two chapters- see the A/N below.
Please enjoy! I own nothing.
Conqueror
Chapter 3
"Wait a minute... did you say mer-pups?" Everest and Tracker asked at the same time, their jaws slacked. "I thought that was just a legend!"
Rocky shook his head no. "Trust me, Chase said the exact same thing. For a loooooong time. But Zuma and Skye were actually the ones who proved that it wasn't a story. It was real... all of it was real. Puplantis, the mer tails, everything."
The husky was amazed, and a little jealous that her friends got to experience such a magnificent moment. As for Tracker, he was still trying to wrap his ears around what he had just heard.
"Wow... that's amazing... but what does that have to do with Zuma?" Everest asked, looking to Zuma to hopefully answer. Sadly, the quivering chocolate lab didn't reply.
Rocky sat down and let out a huge sigh, looking at his scars. "Well, I think it's all of it, really. And I'm thinking that's what had Zuma so shaken up in his nightmare."
"I don't know what would be so scary- Zuma loves the water!" Rubble said, not really following. "And he and Skye were so excited when they got to swim with them and everything!"
Chase, on the other hand, was thinking about something. He was piecing together something that was bothering him since they all returned from Puplantis. 'I didn't think too much of it myself- shoot, I barely believed it! But Zuma had been acting funny... it was like, he was almost... relieved we were getting out of there. But I thought it was because he didn't look too good? But then, I thought he was excited about seeing the Mama Mer-Pup and the bab- waaaaaiiiit. Wait, wait, that incident! Is that really it?'
"I know, but..." Taking a deep breath, Rocky started over.
"Guys, you already know about this." He pointed to the main five pups, before turning to Everest and Tracker. "For you two, here's what happened."
Rocky explained the entire story, starting with the discovery of the mer-pup moon. Everest raised her paw, cutting Rocky short.
"Wait, let me make sure I'm following you. So you guys and the captain were out on the beach, and then you all told the story of the mer-pup. And I'm guessing Chase had a hard time believing it, so Zuma and Skye went out to prove it was real. Is that about right?"
Rocky nodded. Tracker tilted his head. "Mer-pups really do exist? Wow, eso es asombroso! That's amazing! But, I'm still confused, amigos. That sounds like buena memoria, a good memory. Why is Zuma still so sad?"
Zuma had finally poked his head out by this point, but wasn't looking at anyone. He still wasn't ready to talk, and if he were being honest, he felt sick to his stomach. He let out a soft whimper and rested his head. Rocky smiled warmly at him before he continued, leaving his paw atop his head for some support.
"So our mission was to rescue the trapped baby mer-pup. That was how Zuma and Skye ended up with their merp pup powers in the first place. We were able to find her, trapped in an old pirate ship. Zuma did manage to get her out unharmed, and Skye carried her out."
Everest took another look at his scars, then her sad aqua friend. "I'm assuming this is where things went south, right?"
Except for Tracker and Zuma, everyone nodded. "VERY south." Rubble added.
"What happened? Qué ha pasado?" Tracker wondered, hating all the suspense. It was Chase who answered his question.
"Zuma wanted to take a quick look around the old ship, which we didn't think too much off. It's not very often we get to see things like that, well, at least, at the time." He sighed heavily.
"He swam back under, but that's when the ship lost whatever footing it was resting on and slid down deeper under the water. Zuma was shaken up, but he seemed unharmed. He called us to see if we could help him get out, and Rocky was the one who ended up diving under water to find him."
"Wait, Rocky?" Tracker asked, shocked. "But amigo, you hate water!"
"Yeah... trust me, I've never been so terrified of water in my life. Still am, frankly, and I don't care what ANY PUP says- you'd have to knock me out to get me to Katie's now!" Rocky declared. Everyone laughed and shook their heads.
"Nah, we'll just leave it to Ryder. If you smell bad enough, he'll get you in that bath." Rubble giggled. Rocky rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"So Rocky, what happened next?" Everest brought the conversation back. Rocky tapped his chin as he tried to remember where he'd left off, unconsciously rubbing Zuma's head as he did. Everest caught the little display of affection and smiled a little.
'That's really sweet for him to do that. I think Zuma's really apricating it right now. Poor guy... what an ordeal...'
"Uhhh, where was I... oh, yeah. It was pitch black dark and I was freaking out, but I had to keep going. I was the only other pup with mer powers and I was already in the water, which is why I went to get him."
"Wait, wait. I'm confused on one thing." Everest sat up. "Zuma, didn't you still have your mer-pup powers? Why couldn't you just swim up to shore?"
Zuma let out a low whine and buried his face in Rocky's side, still not ready to talk. Rocky softy murmured something to him, but Zuma was not moving from his spot. Sensing Everest's concern and sadness, Skye, thankfully, jumped in.
"The power of the mer-pup only lasts until the moon gives way to the rising sun." Skye explained. "Basically, once the moon is gone, so is the mer-pup powers. And... when Rocky jumped in, he didn't realize that the moon was going away."
Tracker looked at his friend in horror. "So... you dived in the water... without your powers?"
Rocky looked at Tracker and grinned a little, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah... uh, yeah." he chuckled nervously. "I really didn't notice that. Not until the last possible second, anyways."
"And if you lost your powers mid dive, and Zuma was still underwater, then-" Everest gasped in sheer horror, her eyes widened and her paw over her mouth. "Oh my gosh... Z-Zuma, pups..."
Rocky saw the realization wash over her and nodded grimly, hugging poor Zuma tightly. Tracker caught on about a fraction of a second later, and he looked around at each of his pup pals, his eyes wide with horror, too. "Amigos... that can't be..."
"Zuma lost his, too. And he was trapped and drowning since he didn't have his pup pack with him." he confirmed softly. "We almost lost him... and I almost died, too."
At this point, Zuma wasn't able to hold back his tears any longer. He scrunched his eyes tight, tears spilling from the corners as his face stayed pressed against Rocky's side. He didn't want to remember that horrifying feeling... not ever again...
Zuma didn't realize until it was FAR too late that he was no longer a mer-pup.
As the ship crashed and rolled, he bounced around, hitting his head and back a few times. Scared out of his mind, he tried to cover his head to avoid further damage.
Finally, the ship stopped falling. But most of the interior had grown weaker from the sudden movements. Zuma opened his eyes slowly, looking around as the water bubbled cleared away.
"W-woah, dude... that was crazy! I better call Wyder for help- huh?"
Suddenly, Zuma heard a loud creaking sound. Not planning on sticking around to investigate that loud creaking noise, he moved towards the door, trying to push the old thing open so he could free himself. But it wouldn't budge. He pushed harder, but it still wouldn't budge.
Zuma swam about the interior of the captian's quarters, trying desperately to find a way out, but finding none. He was definitely trapped, and the creaking and cracking sounds were not helping his anxiety any.
"Cwud, I'm stuck!" Zuma tapped his pup tag. "Hello? Hello! Wyder! Anyone? Help me, I'm stuck inside the old ship!" he yelled, hoping his signal was strong enough at least one pup could hear him.
"Hello? Wyder? Chase? Anyone?! Guys, help! I'm twapped!"
And then, it happened. Zuma felt his legs get all tingly, and his lungs felt were slowly being compressed, making it hard to breathe at the depth he was in. He began to feel woozy, and the dark interior wouldn't stop spinning.
'Wh-what's happening... to me...? I... I don't... feel good... my head...'
Before Zuma had any time to figure out where the sudden seasick onslaught came from, he heard a louder cracking sound. He glanced up, but had no time to properly react as a large beam that was holding up part of the ceiling completely came down, falling on Zuma's mer tail and one of his paws, pinning him down tightly to the ground.
"W-Wyder! Please help me! I'm twapped and... and I can't... move!"
"Oh, Zuma..." Everest felt tears come to her eyes herself. To think that one of her more happy and fun loving friends went through something that traumatic... no wonder he wanted to forget about it. 'That must've been so terrifying! Poor Zuma, and Rocky's being so strong for him... they all are. They acted like nothing was wrong!'
"I don't really know what I was thinking, to be honest." Rocky heard a small sniffle below him but continued, giving Zuma whatever time he needed before he told his part of the story.
"Ryder gave me a direct order not to go under, not until we had a plan and we knew where Zuma was. Skye warned me the mer moon would be gone soon. Heck, Chase was darn near ready to drag me out by the scuff of my neck- I've never seen him so angry in all my life. And I... I never felt so angry like that, either."
Tracker and Everest looked at their defacto leader for confirmation. They never saw Chase break his professional demeanor before, either, and to hear that it happened made this already crazy story seem more insane.
"... he's not lying." Chase finally said after a long pause. He looked ashamed as he thought back to how he handled that situation. "Me and Rocky were both at each other's necks, yelling, growling, the works. It wasn't helping any, but... I was just so angry at him! Ryder pulled me aside, and I was mad at him, too. I was just angry at everything. That was how Rocky slipped away and dove underwater to get Zuma, even after Skye's warning."
Marshall moved closer to Chase, resting his head on his shoulder. "That was scary..." he whispered. " I never saw Rocky so angry, and it scared the heck out of me. Like, scared me for days afterward... and I've seen Chase angry before, but he was just so mad... I didn't know what to do..."
"Ah, Marshall..." Chase nuzzled his best friend. "I'm sorry for scaring you guys like that."
Rubble scooted closer to Skye, huddled in his yellow blanket. "It seriously was! There was a lot of stuff going on, and we were yelling at one another! Even Ryder was yelling, and THAT was scary!" he whimpered. "I don't ever want to see that again!"
"W-What happened after that?" Tracker asked shakily, not sure if he wanted to know at this point. This was a crazy time for his amigos he realized, and he was beginning to feel as if he had been there and witnessed it himself. It was a very confusing feeling.
As for Everest, she was still trying to take in all she'd heard up until now. Her head was spinning, and she made no attempt to hide the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She felt sick inside, and as she looked at Zuma, who was shaking and quietly sobbing himself, she wondered if her original idea would be of any help.
'I've lived on my own for years, but not once had I ever thought about death like that. But Zuma and Rocky had to face it head on! How is someone supposed to deal with something like that? How did he deal with his constant nightmares after all that?'
Rocky's eyes were watering himself, despite him trying valiantly to keep it together, at least for Zuma's sake. But he felt his side grow damp and he knew it wouldn't be too much longer under he lost a few tears himself. Clearing his throat, he continued.
"After I dove under, I started noticing that I couldn't see as well as I could when I was a mer pup. Breathing was harder, too. It really didn't hit me that I was reverting back to normal, not until I got all the way to the ship and saw Zuma..."
Rocky was so heated! How dare Chase tell him to wait?! Zuma was calling for help, and all that stupid police idiot could think about was following orders?! Forget it!
'I'm getting him out! Forget about Chase!' Rocky thought angrily as he swam as hard and fast as his tiny pup body could manage. He felt tense, his paws balled up, but now was not the time.
Zuma came first. He would have to deal with Ryder and Chase giving him an earful later.
As Rocky swam deeper under the water, his vision began blurring a little. He blinked a couple of times, trying to get his vision to clear lest he run into a boulder or something more... alive.
'No, no! I can't give up! Zuma needs my help! Get it together, Rocky!'
Rocky forced his body to keep pushing, his mer tail working a bit overtime. Still, he felt as if he were so far away, and who knew how badly hurt Zuma could be?!
'Oooh… my head... what's going on...' Rocky groaned as his head felt very, very heavy. There was a slight moment where he felt like his lungs were about to give in and burst open, and he paused, trying to get everything back to equilibrium.
'Okay, just... just calm down! Ryder said that Zuma's signal was coming from a ship... I have to find it! I need to keep it together, at least for him...'
After about five minutes, Rocky felt the worst of his symptoms pass, and he resumed swimming. But it didn't take long before they began to rear its ugly head once more, adding nausea to the list. The eco pup swallowed it down and kept swimming down, down, before he used a flashlight he'd swiped from Ryder's gear to see where he was.
'T-There! That's the o-only ship I-'
Rocky gasped, his eyes widening with fear. It was an old ship, but it looked completely destroyed. Was Zuma trapped under all that wood and debris? Was he... gone?
'Oh no... it can't be...' He scrubbed his eyes, taking in the scene. 'N-no, he's alive! He called us! He needs our help and that's just what I'm going to do!' Ignoring the sadness threatening to swallow his heart whole, or the ever growing sickness building in his stomach, Rocky forced his tired body one last time and swam over to the wreckage.
"Zuma! I'm here! Answer me! It's Rocky! ZUMA!"
"Shhhhh. It's okay, Zuma." Rocky soothed his sobbing friend. He had to stop the story mid way when Zuma's sobs became too much to ignore any longer. He rubbed his friend's head in an attempt to calm him. "It's okay. I'm almost done, alright?"
Zuma didn't reply, and he wouldn't pry his face from Rocky's chest. He didn't seem to realize he was crying in front of the others, but it was fine by them. They weren't doing a very good job holding it together, either.
"R-Rocky... if you don't-" Everest sniffed a little and wiped her eyes. "If you don't want to finish this, it-it can wait."
"I have to." Rocky said quietly, a few loose tears rolling down his cheek. He stared at Zuma and squeezed him just a little tightly, still gently rubbing his head. "You both need to know. And we all need to put this to rest for good. Especially him."
He pulled Zuma's blanket around him, and Zuma pressed himself against Rocky more, holding onto him for dear life. ''I'm sowwy! I'm sowwy, I should've said something, Wocky isn't supposed to be doing this, I- I should've said something!'
"Take your time, Zuma. I'm not leaving you. We're all here for you, you understand?" Rocky kept rubbing Zuma's head before he lowered his paw and began rubbing his back, keeping his voice low and gentle. "It's okay... it's going to be okay, I promise you."
Zuma was forcing himself to keep his sobs under control, and Rocky knew it. It wasn't supposed to be like this... he shouldn't even be thinking about this! And why was everyone crying, too?! It wasn't fair!
'I am such an idiot! I'm making evewyone else sad over a stupid, stupid dweam! So why... can't I stop cwying? What's wrong with me?'
Rocky glanced up at everyone apologetically. "Guys, I'm sorry. But... Zuma needs this. Can we-"
"Do you have to ask?" Rubble said, his smile long gone and his earlier upbeat attitude falling apart. He looked at the others. "Chase, can you finish the story? Give Rocky and Zuma some time?"
"Guys, it's really not a big deal." Everest insisted, a little upset that they were trying to push this whole story thing. Zuma was clearly a wreck and he needed them more, the stupid story could wait! "Me and Tracker can-"
"No." Chase spoke up. He looked at Everest, a firm expression set on his young face.
"No. I... listen, Everest. Even though Zuma should be the one telling this, it's been hurting him to the point he doesn't want to talk about it. And to be honest..."
Chase sighed heavily. "We were no better. We tried to forget about it just as much as he did, playing along with him and acting like he was fine, that he was telling the truth. I knew something was up, too. Especially after we went to Puplantis. Ryder knew, and he told me to talk to him, but... I guess... I never knew what to say or how to approach it."
Everest was a bit taken aback by the admission, although she had a slight, slight suspension that this was bothering all the pups more than they originally wanted to admit. "But, Chase... Zuma's a mess. He needs all of us right now. Can't the story wait until he's calmed down?"
"I know, Everest! Don't you think I know that?!" Chase snapped. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
"I'm sorry... I..."
Everest waved it off, not feeling offended in the slightest. "Pups... this must've been hard, huh." she said, unsure if there was anything else that could help. Chase just shook his head.
"You have no idea..."
Annnnnd done!
O-kay, so this is going on four chapters- the first two chapters alone were over 5200 words each, but this chapter was close to 6100 words and I felt that it was kind of... rambling. So I broke it into two, but there may be a fifth one after these two. I'll see.
Anyways, please let me know what you think, and I'll do my best to wrap it up with the next chapter.
Until next chapter!
