Chapter 10: Trust Your Feelings

It didn't take long for the pups to spread the flyers around Adventure Bay. Pretty soon, Amber's ad was hung in the pet parlor, animal shelter, pet store, vet, park, and anywhere else pup lovers might frequent. Amber wondered about the possibility of searching for a family back in Cape Catfish. Mr. Sabello must have used the picture of her, which had been used to make the lost pup posters as well, to make flyers like those that Ryder had made. But, how many did he make? Did he hang them in very many places? It had seemed that they were moderately successful, because for those not so distant agonizing weeks, at least a dozen families had come to visit her mother and siblings. Amber wondered if there was even just one family in her hometown that would want her. Or, was everyone who was looking for a pup intolerant of blind ones? She would love to live in Adventure Bay close to her new friends, but what if there was a chance for her to find a family that would give her the best of both worlds, being near the PAW Patrol and her family. On the ride back to the Lookout, she finally got the courage to ask Ryder.

"Ryder, do you think we can print out some extra flyers?" she asked timidly looking up at him.

"I guess so, Amber. Is there somewhere we missed?" he asked unsure of her intention.

"Well, sort of. I was wondering if tomorrow, when we go visit my family, we could spread some flyers around Cape Catfish too. I mean, you know, just in case my old owner missed somewhere the first time. That is, if you think that would help at all," she said completely unaware of how effective her reasoning would be.

Ryder understood her hesitation in asking. Amber didn't know whether she should be hopeful or give up on Cape Catfish entirely. Ryder was sure there would be a better home for her in Adventure Bay where there were more, younger families. He also knew that Amber loved her family dearly and it would be hard for her to live in a different city than them. Amber hadn't had much luck with finding a home in Cape Catfish, but she wanted to be positive that absolutely no one was interested in her there before moving on. "That is a very good idea. I'll bring some with us so we can tape them up around the city before meeting at Mr. Sabello's house. The pups can even use their air rescue gear to make it a quick errand. Does that sound good?"

Amber nodded and smiled. A miniscule spark of hope gleamed in her eyes just long enough for Ryder to catch it. Everyone got back to the Lookout around the same time and enjoyed a late lunch. Chase had finished his lunch before everyone else and had disappeared with Ryder around the backside of the Lookout.

"I wonder what they're doing?" asked Rubble after munching the last bit of kibble from his bowl.

"I don't know, but Ryder said we had to stay here until he called us," recalled Rocky.

"I wonder if it's a surprise," thought Skye excitedly aloud.

The pups chattered amongst each other in anticipation of what they would find on the other side of the Lookout. A few minutes later, Chase peered out from the side of the tower and called out to the pups with his megaphone. "All pups to the obstacle course!"

"Come on, Amber. Follow me," said Everest cheerfully. Amber joined Everest at her side. Although it was sunny out, Amber was still unfamiliar with the layout around the lookout.

They all pranced over to the back where indeed there was an obstacle course set up. It left the pups staring. It wasn't an ordinary obstacle course. There were cones that outlined the path of the course and some stereotypical obstacles, but there were also some random things scattered throughout as well.

"This is a funny looking obstacle course," commented Rubble.

"Why are the cones connected with a string like that, Ryder?" asked Rocky puzzled.

"By now I know you pups have figured that this isn't your usual obstacle course. Let me explain. For this course each of you pups will get a chance to go through blindfolded," Ryder commenced.

"Blindfolded? This course just got way hawrdewr," said Zuma with a frown.

"The reason I'm having you pups do this is so you can get to know a little more about how it's like to be a pup with a visual impairment, like Amber. Now, I know that Amber still has some vision, but being blindfolded will help everyone only focus on the other senses. I think this will be a great exercise for you too, Amber. It'll kind of be like how you see when it's dark out," Ryder explained walking down the now formed row of pups along the length of the obstacle course.

"Well, it's definitely different than anything we've done before. I'm ready to try, Ryder," said Skye bravely.

"Yeah, I guess I'm ready to try too," said Marshall taking a step forward.

One by the pups followed the example and fed off each other's courage. Skye placed herself inside the hula-hoop that marked the starting point of the obstacle course. Ryder knelt behind her and tied the blind fold around her eyes, under her fluffy ears, and behind her head. "Can you see anything?"

"Not a thing," Skye said smiling.

"Alright, before you go, make sure to take it slow. Remember you still have your sense of touch, smell, and hearing. The cord along the cones will help you know when you're getting off track. I'm going to be walking along the other side of the cones keeping right up with you and giving you clues if you need them." Ryder then turned to the other pups. "Try your best not to give anything away, but still cheer her on. Can you do that?"

"Yeah!" the pups said now really excited to see Skye conquer the course.

"Alright, Skye. Whenever you're ready," he said stepping to the side of the course.

Skye took a step and felt the edge of the hula-hoop. She stepped over it and took a couple of more steps. She remembered that she had seen a large cube in the beginning of the course. She stuck her front paw out and felt nothing. She stepped forward again and kicked something.

"Great! You found the first obstacle. You can only get around it one way. Give it a shot," Ryder said encouragingly.

Skye stood on her hind legs and used her two front paws to see how tall the cube was and how wide. She first walked to the left, but met with one of the cones. She retraced her steps and tried the other way. There was a clearing! She rounded the corner of the cube and followed its side to keep herself going straight. Her paws soon hit something else. She used her front paws again to feel what it could be. It was a carpeted object. It was flat and long like a thin rectangular box. She stretched her paw out to see how wide it was. She was surprised when her paw hit something. With one paw atop the first part of the object, Skye examined the top of the next part. "Are these… stairs?"

"You got it! Go ahead and climb up. Make sure to check your step. And, don't worry, there's a railing to either side so you won't fall off," Ryder told her.

The pups cheered as Skye pushed forward and reached the top of the steps. There were six. She knew she had reached the top because her paws couldn't find any more edges. She cautiously walked across the platform. She was startled when her paw was left stepping in midair. She took a step back and slid her paw across the last stretch of carpet. Her paw found some sloping thing made of plastic at the edge where the carpet ended. She explored it a bit and figured out that it was a slide.

"Wee!" she yelled as she slid down. The pups cheered for her again.

"Great job, Skye! For this next part, you're going to need to rely on your nose. There are a few mud puddles along this part of the course. I know you can probably sniff them out, but, to make it easier, I've marked the path around them by sprinkling the grass with some lemon juice."

Skye lowered her head to the ground and sniffed the grass in front of her paws. She picked up the lemony scent and followed it carefully. The path curved this way and that, around one puddle and then around two. Skye wasn't sure when she would be clear of the mud trap. When she did reached the end of the lemon trail, she couldn't remember which way was straight.

"Alright, Skye. If you walk forward a bit, you'll find the cord on the left side of the course," said Ryder sounding close to where she was standing. "Once you find it, you can straighten yourself out and find the next obstacle. Oh, and watch your head."

Skye followed Ryder's instructions and got going forward again. She walked slowly sticking her paw out in the air around her head intermittently. After a few paces like that, she finally found something. From the top, it arched down and to the ground. She could feel something about this obstacle. Things sounded different around it, like if the sound was coming through… "A tunnel!"

"That's right! At the end of the tunnel, there will be a series of pool noodles that I've set up to stretch from left to right. I've fixed them to be at different heights, so you have to decide whether to climb over or go under them. Are you ready?" Ryder asked to see how Skye was feeling.

"Yes!" she said with a cheerful yip. The pups' cheers echoed in the tunnel as she stepped inside.

She could feel the openness at the end of the tunnel getting closer. Suddenly her nose hit the soft foaminess of the first pool noddle. She decided to crawl under. The she was met by the next one. She when over and under and under and over. The more she relied on her senses the faster she got at passing them.

"Awesome! There's just one more obstacle. You can probably hear it from where you are. A few steps in front of you, I've hidden a ball that's making that beeping sound. You're going to find a bunch of upside-down buckets, but only one has the ball under it. Come on, Skye, you can do this," Ryder encouraged.

Skye stepped forward and found a couple of buckets. Focusing her ears, she could tell the beeping was coming from further up. She found a few more buckets. The sound was louder and seemed to be coming from the right. She leaned her head to that side and listened closely. She was sure now and lifted the bucket to reveal the beeping ball. Ryder came over the removed the blind fold. Skye squinted at first as she adjusted to the sunlight. Everyone cheered and ran over to congratulate her.

"Wow, Skye! That was great!" said Everest with a big smile.

"Yeah, totally!" agreed Zuma.

"That was really fun, Ryder. It was like playing a game!" Skye said turning to Ryder. 'I never really knew how much you have to work your other senses when you don't have one of them!"

"I'm next, Ryder, right?" asked Marshall with a little hop.

"Yup, Marshall, you're up," Ryder laughed.

Marshall stood with his tail wagging at the starting point. Ryder blindfolded him but had him with while he rearranged some things on the obstacle course. The order of obstacles stayed the same, but some of the positioning was different just so there was no cheating by memorizing where things were seen. Marshall was sent off with Ryder walking at his side behind the cones. He started walking askew and ran into the boundary cord. Ryder helped him find his way and soon he came to the first obstacle. Surprisingly, Marshall wasn't as clumsy as the other pups thought he would be. He only ran into some things when he got excited, but, other than that, he was very careful once he tried taking his time. Taking only a little longer than Skye, Marshall reached the end of the course as well receiving many cheers and compliments. Chase even jokingly suggested that Marshall walk around blindfolded all the time.

Chase was next, then Rocky, Everest, Zuma, and Rubble. Amber was having so much fun watching the pups that she forgot that she was also supposed to go.

"Hey, Amber. You still haven't gotten a chance to go," Rubble reminded her as blindfold was removed from his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," she said. She swallowed hard. She started to feel nervous. The pups probably expected her to do very well, but she wasn't sure how she would do. She tried to calm down and not think of what would happen if she messed up. If all the pups were doing so well, why should she worry?

"Come on, Amber. You can't let the pups have all the fun," Ryder said with a laugh as he led her to the beginning. He tied the blindfold around her head and reassured her, "Just do your best. Don't feel bad if you mess up. Plus, if you do it perfectly, then you'll leave me with nothing to do."

His joke made her laugh a little relieving the tension that had started to build. Ryder rearranged the course and gave her the signal. The pups cheered her on as she took the first step. She took each obstacle slowly making sure not to under or overestimate anything. She passed the giant cube, went up the stairs, down the slide, around the puddles, through the tunnel, over and under the pool noodles, and then finally found the beeping ball. It went by much quicker than she had expected. In fact, Amber had finished the obstacle course faster than even Chase.

"Amazing Amber!" congratulated Rocky. The other pups joined in. Ryder removed the blindfold so Amber could see all the pups circled around her.

"That was the fastest time yet!" exclaimed Marshall.

"What a good pup," said Ryder giving Amber an ear scratch. "It wasn't that hard now was it?"

"No. I guess it wasn't. It actually showed me what kind of skills I've picked up from having to walk around on my own sometimes. It's definitely not as fast as if you guys were to do it without the blindfold, though," she said honestly.

"That may be true, but doesn't it feel good to know that you can do it all on your own?" Ryder asked looking at the bright side.

"Well, yeah," Amber said trying to look at it positively like Ryder was. She couldn't help thinking back to that night at the luau when she lost track of Ryder and panicked. Could she have found him if she had calmed down and used her other senses? Maybe not, but this thought got her thinking of what she would do if something like that happened again. Could she manage to at least find a safe place to wait until someone could help her?

"I've got another exercise for you pups," said Ryder bringing Amber out of her thoughts.

"Is it another blindfolded test?" asked Rubble.

"Actually, yeah. This time, though, two of you will be blindfolded at the same time and will race through a different obstacle course. Also different, you'll have a pup to lead you through. This will be great to practice using your other senses, but it will also be great practice in giving directions and keeping someone safe when they can't see," Ryder declared.

"Wow! That's sounds like fun!" said Everest ready to start right that instant.

"It also sounds like a challenge," said Rocky.

"I'm game for a challenge!" said Chase.

"Yeah, let's do it!" exclaimed Marshall.

"Okay, follow me inside," said Ryder eager to show the pups what he had planned.

Once through the doors of the Lookout, Amber could only hear oo's and ah's while her eyes were adjusting. She stayed close to Rocky, who had walked in with her through the door, as they gathered to one side of the lobby.

"Okay, so this will be a relay race which is perfect since we have an even number of pups. For the first leg of the race, the leader will have to help his or her pup circle around some objects and then walk through a hula-hoop. The blindfolded pup will be carrying a rope that the leader will then grab onto at the end of the first leg. At this point, the leader will also be blindfolded and the two blind pups will be led by another pup through the second leg of the race. This part will include a ball pit to go through and two hula-hoops. This leg ends at the elevator which you will take up stairs where the fourth pup on your team will meet you and become the new leader. This pup will have to lead his or her three blind teammates under a table, around the escape pole, and to the snack dispenser where each pup has to pour a serving into his or her own bowl. Think you can handle it?" Ryder asked with a big smile. All the pups responded with vigor. Even Amber was excited to try.

"Which pups awre going to be on which team, Wrydewr?" asked Zuma.

"Hmm… Chase and… Amber. You two are team captains since you had the fastest times on the obstacle course," decided Ryder.

"Rrrar! Alright!" said Chase happily. "You can pick first Amber."

"Umm… Zuma," she said picking one of the pups that she was more familiar with.

"Skye," called Chase.

"Uh, Marshall," said Amber.

"Rubble," Chase went on.

"Rocky," Amber called turning her head to where he was standing.

"And that leaves Everest on our team," Chase said ending the team picking.

"Alright, now, pick the order you want to go in," Ryder directed.

"C-can I be the first blind pup?" asked Amber right away. She did feel like she would be a very efficient leader, especially not under the pressure of a race.

"Sure," said Rocky. "Who wants to be the first leader?"

"I'll do it!" volunteered Marshall.

The order ended up being Amber, Marshall, Zuma, then Rocky on the first team, and Rubble, Skye, Everest, then Chase on the other. When the pups were finally in their respective positions, Ryder gave a few more instructions.

"Remember, even more important than winning the race is keeping all your teammates safe and finishing the race together. It is the leader's job to make sure his or her pup or pups safely get through each obstacle without touching the rope that they are carrying. Work together and have fun! And, the race starts in… Three… Two… One… Go!"

The room filled with talking and cheering as Marshall led Amber and Skye led Rubble around the first object which was an inner tube. The two leaders did their best to describe how big the thing was and how much closer the blind pup was to making it all the way around. Marshall tripped at one point as he was walking backwards and fell right into the middle of the tube. Amber did her best to help him out blindfolded and with the rope in her mouth. Next came a small overturned bucket and a large one with water that Rubble almost spilled by coming at it too fast. Rubble and Skye only reached their next teammate a few seconds before Marshall and Amber. Once through the hula-hoop and blindfolded Everest and Zuma had their team follow their voices to the edge of the ball pit. Despite Marshall sticking his paw out to feel the lip of the small pool of plastic balls, he ended up falling head first into the colorful obstacle causing Amber to let go of the rope. It took her team a bit to regroup and finally step out over the other side. By the time they reached the first hula-hoop, they could hear Everest pushing the button to open the elevator. Zuma quickly did the best he could to help his team find the second hoop. He managed to get them there just as the elevator doors opened.

Topside, Chase and Rocky were waiting anxiously for their team to arrive. When everyone was there, blindfolds were put on quickly and Everest and Zuma scrambled to grab their part of the rope. Chase took the right side under the table and Rocky took the left. Chase did really well at telling everyone when precisely to duck their head and when they were clear of the table. Rocky was a little more nervous about his team getting hurt so his commands came much more slowly but no less helpful than Chase's. Rocky and Chase continued on their chosen side as they approached the pole.

"Alright, we're coming up on the pole. I'm going to try to walk as far away from the hole as possible. Just keep following my voice," Rocky said. He could see the worry in his teammates' faces. Chase had decided to stay closer to the hole to make a straight shot for the snack dispenser. His plan seemed to be working fine until Rubble tripped on the back of Skye's heel and fell to his side nearly falling off the edge. Luckily, he was still holding tight to the rope and Ryder had temporarily placed a safety net right below the hole in case anyone was to fall. Getting Rubble reoriented and feeling safe again took Chase's team just enough time to let Rocky get the lead, but the race wasn't done yet. Ryder was now standing at the snack station where two dispensers stood at his left and right. Rocky came over and had his pups line up behind him and drop the rope. Ryder blindfolded him and gave each pup a bowl.

"Alright, you don't have the rope anymore to help you out. You have to help each other out by giving descriptions and using sounds and smells to find the dispenser and fill your bowl. One pull of the lever should be enough," with that, Ryder stepped away from the machines and let Rocky have at it.

Rocky heard Ryder walk to the other side of him and blind fold Chase as his team arrived. Rocky sniffed and took a couple of steps forward. The other pups stayed still behind him. He felt with his paw where the dispenser was and where the lever and chute were. He released his bowl from his mouth and pushed it forward. When he pulled the lever down, he heard the satisfying sound of the hard treats clanging against the metal interior of the bowl. He heard Chase's bowl make the same noise.

"Okay, Zuma," said Rocky moving the bowl and himself to the side. "The dispenser is free."

"Your turn, Everest," Chase said.

Zuma and Everest reached the dispensers at the same time. The teams cheered them on. Zuma almost missed the bowl. It was a good thing he pushed it into place when he noticed the treats were about to spill over one side. Soon, Marshall and Skye were up. Marshall accidentally knocked the lever before his bowl was in place and treats spilled on the floor. Rocky and Zuma, still blindfolded, tried their best to find all the pieces and help Marshall put them into the bowl. Rubble was up before Amber had a chance. When things started to look bad for Amber's team, Everest accidentally tipped Skye's bowl over and Chase had to help them put everything back in. This gave Amber time to catch up. Amber was quick to find the right place to put her bowl and pull the lever. Just as the last few pieces fell into her bowl, Everest and Rubble had placed the final stray treats into Skye's bowl.

"It's a tie!" proclaimed Ryder from behind the pups. "You can remove your blindfolds. Good work pups!"

There were sighs of relief and giggles as the pups opened their eyes and looked at what they had accomplished. "Hey, there's still one treat on the floor," noticed Rubble.

"I wonder who's it is? It's in the middle of our two sides," Rocky pointed out.

"I'll get it!" Marshall and Everest said diving for the treat at the same time. The two pups rushed to put their paw on top of the treat. The stood there for a second and slowly lifted their paw up. Marshall had nothing under his paw and frowned. Everest was the lucky one, but in the end decided to split it with Marshall. Everyone laughed at what had happened and then dug into their own bowl of treats.

"So what did you pups think of the race?" Ryder asked as the pups finished up.

"It was totally fun, but it was hawrd to come up with the wright things to say," said Zuma recalling his attempt at helping Marshall and Amber through the ball pit and hula-hoops.

"Yeah, you've got to really chose your words wisely, especially when it comes to keeping someone safe," Ryder said.

"It was also kind of scary doing what the leader was saying without knowing exactly what was around you," added Rubble.

"I can imagine. This game was about trust just as much as it was about the other stuff," Ryder pointed out.

"This was a really cool exercise Ryder," Everest said with a yawn and a smile.

The other pups agreed. "I'm glad you think so. We might be doing more of these later on, but right now, it looks like you pups are getting tired. You've had quite a long day. How about we do one last team effort and put all of the obstacles back where they belong and we can call it an early night?" Ryder said seeing that more pups had begun yawning.

"Sounds like a good idea, Ryder, Sir," said Chase laughing after a big yawn.

The pups were soon scattered throughout the Lookout and outside picking up. Amber stacked up the bowls and went with Ryder to bring them to the sink to be washed. The Lookout was cleaned up in no time. Ryder sent Everest back home to Jake reminding her of their plans for tomorrow. By the time the bright golden sun was tucking itself in bed behind the far horizon, Ryder was petting the pups good night.

"Sleep well, pups. Tomorrow's the big trip," he whispered to the half-awake room. Amber was just awake enough to hear those last few words and fell asleep with an excited smile on her face and cuddling with her sweet smelling Little Blue.

Ryder stayed up a little later preparing the Air Patroller. He added a couple of extra seats for Amber and Everest and packed up some food and other miscellaneous things that they might need on their day out. He triple checked everything before turning in for the night. He was very happy that Amber would soon be reunited with the ones she loved most. Going on missions like this reminded him of why he loved leading the PAW Patrol. It wasn't for the fame or opportunity to be around an amazing group of pups every hour of every day. He truly believed that when you have a special talent, it should be shared with others, especially when that talent can do things like protect others from harm or bring joy to someone's life.