If it was possible for one place to have all of the joy sucked out of it, Adventure Bay would likely fit the bill. The sky was shrouded with clouds, blocking off any possible sunlight that could've cut through the bleak atmosphere. It was possible to hear a pin drop in almost every corner of the town. Tumbleweeds practically blew across everywhere that wasn't City Hall, where the entire town had gathered for a solemn goodbye.
Adventure Bay had never been so populated before. A sea of humanity and dogs alike were crammed into the space in front of City Hall, including a pair of near-identical pups with golden fur and blue eyes. It seemed that all of Adventure Bay was there, along with a huge population of people who weren't even from the town. The exploits of the Paw Patrol had reached far and wide, and hearing about the death of just one of the group had clearly hurt immensely for not just the town, but for everyone even remotely-near it. Not just who the Paw Patrol had helped, but for everyone inspired and heartened by their exploits.
From Foggy Bottom and beyond, everyone had come to say their goodbyes to one of Adventure Bay's heroes. The atmosphere of despair and gloom hung heavy over everyone present, and everyone was dressed from top to toe in black and other dark colours. In all, the atmosphere was perfect for a funeral…
...or perhaps it would be if the subject of the funeral was actually dead. And if the subject of the funeral wasn't in attendance with everyone else.
There was practically no elbow room in City Hall's gardens, which had black banners dotted around it. Some bearing Marshall's flame emblem and with some bearing the emblem of the Paw Patrol. In amongst these were speakers and portraits of the pup himself, including the very same one that stood in front of Marshall's Pup House a few days ago. All of them bearing the smiling face of the Paw Patrol's fire pup. And surrounding each portait was a cluster of flowers of various colours, but of course, the most prominent one was Marshall's red.
And at the front of City Hall stood a large, light-brown stage in the centre of the garden. In the centre of the stage stood a large, black podium that also bore Marshall's flame emblem, with a milk crate stood up behind the podium. Just behind it stood a massive object covered up by a large tarp. The shape was indistinguishable, but a couple of attendees had a good idea of what it might have been.
Looking down over the sheer size of the crowd was enough to intimidate many of the pups. Even with familiar faces such as the Turbots, Farmers Al and Yumi, the Porters and Danny among them, they weren't used to crowds of this size. But it was worse for four of them, who wanted to speak before the crowd. At that point, stage fright was hardly exclusive to Marshall. They were, however, thankful for the absences of Sweetie and Harold Humdinger. Presences so malevolent would be furthest thing from welcome on an occasion as sombre as this.
All members of the Paw Patrol occupied one side of the stage, with Katie, Jake and Carlos standing by Ryder's side. And on the other side stood Mayor Goodway and Mayor Humdinger, the former waiting to move to the podium to make her speech. Everyone was dressed in black suits and dresses, includng the pups, in one of the few times you'd ever see the Paw Patrol all wearing the same colour. Marshall couldn't but feel uncomfortable. The entire crowd was there because of him, and not many can say that they had attended their own funerals.
The dalmatian stole another glance around the stage. He looked left to see Chase, Skye and Everest standing in a row, with most of them looking sadly at the floor. He looked right to see Zuma, Rubble, Rocky and Tracker standing in another row, with all of them looking incredibly upset. Clearly, the fact that no-one had died made no difference to them.
He looked behind him. Ryder's face remained as blank as it had been for the last few days leading up to the funeral. But he seemed to be forcing a look of neutrality. As the funeral drew nearer, Ryder had grown quieter and quieter, barely reacting to anything save for people talking to him. But thankfully, he hadn't regressed to the point of shutting himself away again. In fact, he didn't even have the courage to sleep apart from his pups on any night since the night he finally broke down. All he had the energy to do was sit in front of the TV without moving a muscle. Clearly, the funeral was bothering him immensely. Mercifully, rescues had remained at zero ever since they had rescued Cali again.
On his left were Jake and Carlos. On his right was Katie. All of them looked sad as well, but most of their attention was focused on Ryder. Jake had one arm draped over the boy's shoulders, while Katie had her hand on his arm. Even the two mayors looked unusually morose. The only absence aside from Harold Humdinger and Sweetie was Cali. She was hugely apprehensive of going to the funeral, and Katie didn't blame her one bit. But as for the Paw Patrol, she was the furthest thing from their minds.
Until the time had finally arrived. 12PM. The official start time of the funeral. It was to be a relatively brief affair, but one that would feel like forever to the Paw Patrol. Seeing this, Mayor Goodway looked at Mayor Humdinger and tapped her watch. With a nod from the top hat-wearing mayor, Goodway slowly walked to the podium while taking a deep breath. Stopping in front of it, she paused for a while before opening her mouth.
"Citizens of Adventure Bay..." she began in a manner that was composed, but at the same time, obviously pained. "...Foggy Bottom, and all those who came so far to be with us today… We are gathered here to remember and be thankful for what we still have. And what we nearly lost so long ago." The woman cast her eyes over to the cluster of children and pups to her right. "Over a week ago, the Paw Patrol were conducting a rescue in the forest… only for tragedy to strike. In that time, Marshall fell into a fast-flowing river..." Mayor Goodway audibly swallowed. "...and for three days, was presumed dead. What followed… was likely the darkest three days this town has ever had the misfortune of seeing. In losing Marshall, this town also lost its heart. The one who had brought so much laughter to the town had vanished in a freak accident..."
Marshall looked down at the floor, wishing to be swallowed up by the stage, only to feel paws on either one of his shoulders. Looking to his sides, Chase and Zuma were both looking at him with sympathy, along with the other pups. Marshall felt a small smile return to his face.
"...but he returned." Mayor Goodway went on, sounding relieved. "After those three days, through sheer grit and perhaps luck, Marshall fought his way through the forest and returned to Adventure Bay. Despite his hunger, thirst and fear, Marshall soldiered on." Mayor Goodway shot Marshall a proud smile. "It was the happiest news I've ever had the good fortune to receive as Mayor of Adventure Bay… So that is why this funeral, initially held to bid farewell, is now being held to give thanks for what we haven't lost yet… And for what we've gotten back."
Mayor Goodway stole another glance at the upset children that occupied the right side of the stage. Clearly, what they had to say was eating away at them. Ryder, in particular, looked like he was struggling to hold himself together. The sooner he could get what he had to say off of his chest, the better.
"Now, before we begin, you will be pleased to know that the river in the forest is officially off-limits until further notice. Until the Paw Patrol can take action to limit further disasters, it simply isn't safe for anyone to go near." Mayor Goodway announced.
The relief on the faces of everyone, from the pups to the crowd, was palpable. Internally, Rubble swore to himself that he would find a way to slow the river down. He didn't care how tough it would be. Any effort would be worth it if it meant that no-one would ever have to suffer an accident like Marshall's ever again.
"Moving on, a few members of the Paw Patrol would like to talk about how they felt for the last few days. And about how grateful they are for things going back to normal." Mayor Goodway went on. "First of all, a word from Ryder, the leader of the group. Ryder?"
Mayor Goodway looked at Ryder as she stepped back from the podium. The poor boy clearly didn't want to talk about how he felt, or even be at the funeral in the first place. But he knew that it had to be done to finally close the book on the near-tragedy that had affected so many. Without looking up, Ryder slowly dragged himself towards the podium, stepping onto the milk crate behind it, straining to look at the crowd that had gathered before him. Casting his gaze at no-one in particular, Ryder began to speak, however falteringly.
"...It probably goes without saying that this has been a hard week for a lot of people." Ryder began. "Everyone here… my pups… and me. But… three days gave me a lot of time to think. Well, I gave myself a lot of time to think… Mostly about Marshall, I mean, I can't imagine life going on without him. Heck, none of us can… But also… If I was good enough to lead the Paw Patrol after all… If I deserved to have pets after one of them died on my watch… If… If I was even a good person or not..."
Ryder was beginning to get choked up. "And I realised… that I never actually think about my pups being in danger… until it's too late… I-In fact, it wasn't long ago that another one of them got seriously hurt in the mountains, and… we nearly lost him… I… love them all more than life itself… Th-There's no room in my heart for a replacement for… any of them… But times like this just make me think that I'm not cut out to take care of my pups..."
Now tears were starting to flow down Ryder's face and drip onto the podium, his attempt to keep a neutral expression failing and his voice cracking uncontrollably. "I… I… I-I… I… I thought we were all going to live forever… That… n-nothing could stop us… B-But now… I see how… s-stupid and… naive I was being… And how I couldn't even s-see how much danger we all get put through… S-Sometimes I… I thought that… th-these pups d-deserve better than me..."
If Ryder had looked back at his pups, he would've seen them all getting damp-eyed at his speech. They all wanted to charge forward and tell Ryder how there was no owner for them but him. And to comfort him through all of the pain that he was airing to the public. The crowd was starting to look worried, too, with a few even whispering concernedly amongst themselves. For what they saw on that stage wasn't the brave leader of the Paw Patrol, but a distressed, crying child.
"And… th-that's not all..." Ryder whimpered. "I… couldn't take what happened, either… And all I did was r-run and hide… I was s-so sure that I was… g-gonna get run out of town… for losing… M-Marshall… Which I wouldn't have minded, to be honest..."
To Ryder's right, the pups couldn't suppress a loud gasp at what their owner thought.
"...so I hid… I hid in my room… cut myself off from… a-anyone who wanted to… t-talk to me… And… y-yelled at anyone who… e-even tried…" Ryder was starting to struggle. "Which only made me… f-feel even worse… E-Especially when I learned… h-how much I was hurting everyone… b-by shutting them out..."
Ryder had to pause to collect himself before going on, turning his face away from the crowd and covering his eyes, trying to wipe his tears away. But they kept on coming all the same.
"It… It was only after Marshall came home… s-something I… I couldn't be… happier about… that… I… I even left my room… A-And n-no thanks to me… P-People… finally got to talk to me… G-Got me to s-stop hiding… And… one thing I was told… s-stuck with me… S-Something… M-Mayor Goodway t-told me..."
Ryder swallowed heavily as Mayor Goodway looked on in sympathy. And yet, her look also contained a measure of pride, as she knew what Ryder was about to say.
"S-sooner or later… you've… g-gotta face your… problems… E-Even when it hurts worse than anything..."
Hastily, Ryder clambered off of the crate and covered his face, trudging in tears back to the group of pups and people waiting for him. Immediately, he found himself swarmed by several crying bundles of fur, bringing him to his knees and causing him to throw his arms around the group. It would normally be surreal to Adventure Bay for them to lay eyes on such a scene, but Ryder was crying his heart out and he didn't care who knew it. Slowly, Jake, Carlos and Katie all approached the boy and kneeled down behind him, all of them bringing him into a group hug, working to calm him down from the painful speech he just gave. Mayor Goodway pushed a neutral expression onto her face as she walked back up to the podium.
"Thank you, Ryder." she began calmly. "Now, before we begin the next speech, I would like us all to take a couple minutes' silence, so that we can reflect on what was just said."
Of course, Mayor Goodway hadn't planned for the silence, but with the state that Ryder had been worked into, he had to allow for him and the pups to calm down before the day's events could go on. She moved over to the huddle on the floor and gently laid a hand on Ryder's head, his sobbing being the only sound for miles.
It was slow, but eventually, Ryder calmed down. He was still sniffling and whimpering, but he was clearly feeling at least slightly better. The pups and the remainder of the group remained where they were, continuing to comfort Ryder as Mayor Goodway moved back to the podium.
"OK." she began anew. "That should do it. Now, our next speaker is the other pup to be present on the day of the accident. One who was similarly distraught. That pup is the Paw Patrol's second in command: Chase. Chase, whenever you're ready."
Chase flinched at the mere mention of his name. For a moment, he didn't seem to know what to do, but the last thing he wanted to do was leave Ryder. He looked into the bloodshot eyes of his owner.
"Go on..." Ryder whispered hoarsely. "...I'll be fine."
Chase obviously didn't believe it, but slowly, he dragged himself away from the huddle and moved towards the podium. With reluctance, the pup jumped up on top of the milk crate and stood on his hind legs, resting his front paws on the podium. The shepherd gulped heavily as his amber eyes swept over the crowd. He didn't remember speaking in front of crowds being quite so intimidating. But when they were this size, no amount of preparation would be effective. Chase took a slow breath in through his nostrils, and one out through his mouth before inhaling again and beginning to speak.
"It's not just Ryder who went through all that… I did, too. And I handled it just as well..." Chase began guiltily. "I thought about the same things. Whether I'm good enough to even be on the Paw Patrol… whether I even deserve to be friends with all of the other pups when, as far as I'm concerned, I let one of the pups I'm closest to die right in front of me…"
Chase audibly sniffled. "A lot of people say that me and Marshall… we're like brothers. And I find that a little hard to argue with… We're not from the same litter, me and him. But… for all the good times we shared… for all the times we've been there when the other's feeling down… the times we've made each other laugh... we might as well be."
Chase looked back at the dalmatian in the huddle and gave him a sad smile. A sad smile which Marshall quickly returned.
"It might surprise you all to know that I have my own fears…" Chase continued, looking back at the crowd. "I mean, first it was the dentist… But now it's losing the ones I love… Heh, blows my fear of the dentist out of the water... And when it actually came true… When I learned what losing your family does to you firsthand... I… I had no idea what to do with myself… I felt so… small. So helpless. So… weak. People did try to talk to me, but… I couldn't find what it took to reply to them… I worried everyone by just hiding in my Pup House and crying… And in fact, I took this whole thing so badly, I seriously thought about leaving the Paw Patrol..."
Chase winced as the crowd began to chatter. Softly, but audibly. Clearly, if he had gone through with living on the streets in shame, it would have affected them as badly as it would have affected the other pups.
"Honestly, it was a miracle that Marshall found me. Heck, it was a miracle he came back at all." Chase went on sadly. "Honestly, I'd say it's all because of him that I'm here giving this speech right now. And… why we're all still together… I mean, it was because of him and Rocky that I managed to make up with Skye..."
Both pups in question went rigid, surprised that Chase would bring up such a thing. They noticed some faces in the crowd looking slightly confused.
"Yeah… I mean, because I ran away and we all thought Marshall was dead, everything got left up to Skye… And… I just left her to it… She had every right to be mad at me…"
"(No...)" Skye mouthed, noticeably shaking her head.
"...because I was a coward. I was a bad pup when everyone needed me the most..."
"Oh, Chase..." Ryder whispered sympathetically.
It was no surprise to hear about the pain that Chase was in, nor was it any surprise to hear about how much he blamed himself. But that didn't cushion the impact of his words any. But Chase still wasn't done, as he sniffled and took another breath in.
"You know..." Chase continued. "While I was making up with Skye, she told me something that I honestly don't think about all that much… She told me that we're all only pups… A bunch of little kids… And thinking about it… she's absolutely right. None of us could've taken losing someone so close to us… And we all depend on each other more than we realise… Maybe we expect too much of ourselves… And those expectations all led to what happened last week..."
Chase inhaled and exhaled slowly, swallowing before concluding his speech.
"So yeah, I'm over the moon that Marshall came back and that we're all back together… But I took everything I had for granted… And I. Will. NEVER. Let anything like it happen again. Like Ryder said, I can't imagine going on without Marshall. But I think I take something else for granted too. And that's… well, that I'm still just a kid. And I think we all take being kids for granted." Chase smiled slightly. "Who knows? Maybe now we'll work to change that."
Slowly, Chase hopped down from the podium and walked away, somehow feeling a lot lighter with the emotional load he had been bearing being lifted. He quickly moved back to the huddle and joined back in, with Ryder rubbing his back and letting Chase lick his cheek, complete with Skye nuzzling him. The group had to admit, the shepherd's words had made waves with all of them. Mayor Goodway walked back to the podium.
"Thank you, Chase. That was lovely." Mayor Goodway began sincerely, casting a warm smile in the group's direction. "And you make such good points, too. But now, another pup would like to speak."
Skye shuddered, knowing that Mayor Goodway was referring to her. Though she calmed down slightly when she felt Ryder patting her head. She had a fair amount to get off her chest, too.
"This pup has bravely led the Paw Patrol in the absence of its leaders in this difficult time." Mayor Goodway continued. "She has been the public face of the team. Skye, if you please."
With a sharp breath in through her nose, Skye strode forward and hopped onto the milk crate, standing on her hind legs. The size of the crowd intimidated her slightly, but not enough to stop her from immediately launching into her speech.
"Chase is wrong."
Skye's blunt beginning caught everyone off guard, causing everyone to jump.
"He hasn't been a bad pup, lately. I have." Skye began. "See, Chase thinks that it's all his fault we've been so miserable the last few weeks. That it's because of him we started falling apart until Marshall came back." Skye gave a small, rueful smirk. "It's just like him to blame himself, really."
"Huh?" Chase whispered in confusion.
"But the truth is… I wasn't much better. Heck, I'd say I was worse. For all the time Marshall was gone, everyone was counting on me… They were all counting on me to lead them… to answer all the hard questions… to try and make them feel better… And I..." Skye lowered her head in shame. "...did a pretty crummy job, not gonna lie..."
Skye sighed heavily before continuing. "I did all I could to try and keep it together… All that time… I felt like I had to be brave for everyone… To push back how horrible I was feeling… But all it did was make me feel worse… And in the end, it just made me get angry at the ones who didn't deserve it… When I finally saw Ryder and Chase… I just screamed at both of them… Two people who deserved it the least… I just kept bottling my feelings up until it all exploded..."
For a long time, Skye paused. Clearly, the cockapoo was still feeling guilty, and as much as she tried to mask it, her whining was still very audible through the microphone on the front of the podium. She sounded like she was doing her best to keep it together.
"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that I'm NOT ready to lead at all..." Skye whimpered. "...not by a long shot. Especially not if I bottle things up so much that it just leads to me blowing up the way I did…"
Skye sniffled again. "Wh-When… When Marshall came home… That was all the proof I needed to know that miracles DO exist… But it didn't fix everything… Not right away… It sure didn't fix how bitter I was for three days. And I'm still kinda surprised that Chase and Ryder forgive me after how I treated them… I mean, I sure as heck don't deserve it..."
"Don't be silly, Skye..." Chase whispered.
"Yes, you do..." Ryder added quietly.
"...and this all could've been avoided if I'd just let people know how I was feeling…" Skye continued, the crowd enraptured by her speech. "I mean, it wouldn't have helped me with all of my worry, but… I probably wouldn't have blown up the way I did if I hadn't been holding onto all my sadness for three days..."
Skye took some deep breaths before continuing on. "So I'm gonna work to change that. I've made a lot of mistakes, yeah, but I've also learned a lot." Surprisingly, Skye actually smiled, even though her pink eyes were visibly watery. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a leader… But I sure as heck can be a better friend… To Chase, to Ryder, to Marshall… And to, well, everyone!"
Skye's smile shifted to a more determined one. "I'm not gonna make the same mistakes twice. Watch me."
Hopping down from the podium, Skye was surprisingly still wet-eyed from her speech, even though she also had yet to stop smiling. Almost as soon as she reached the huddle was she scooped back into Ryder's arms, who hugged her tightly as Chase licked her cheek. She was surprised to be greeted with Ryder whispering reassurances to her. That she was being silly in believing that she didn't deserve forgiveness. Skye felt even worse, and yet, at the same time, overwhelmingly happy that in the end, perhaps things were going to be alright. Once more, Mayor Goodway walked back to the podium.
"Thank you, Skye." Mayor Goodway began. "You're such a brave pup… Now. Before our time here comes to a close. Before the grand unveiling of Adventure Bay's newest monument: one more pup would like to speak. A bit of an unplanned appearance, but perhaps the most welcome one of all."
Marshall's blood ran cold. Even before the funeral started, he was feeling the stage fright consuming him at the prospect of having to speak in front of a crowd, and sheer size of it was not helping. His fright must have been visible, because the next thing he heard was Skye's voice, along with feeling her paw on his back.
"Don't be scared, Marshall..." she whispered. "You'll be fine. I know you can do it."
"You've got this, Marshall." Ryder added.
As much as he didn't want to believe it, somehow the two's words had at least some measure of effect on the nervous dalmatian.
"Not many can say that they've spoken at their own funeral." Goodway continued. "But thanks to his sheer grit and courage, Marshall has managed to beat the odds and come home safely. Something that I would be so bold as to say that everyone here is grateful for. And earlier on, I was told that Marshall would have some words that he'd want to say to us. Marshall? Please take your time."
With a heavy heart and even heavier legs, Marshall slowly dragged himself to the podium, constantly fighting the urge to freeze up or run for the hills. His breathing only quickened as he approached the podium, and he nearly fell over as he attempted to climb onto the milk crate.
But when he finally succeeded, it took all the speckled pup had to not faint at seeing such a huge crowd. If he could sweat, then Marshall would likely be the canine equivalent of a waterfall. So many faces. So many eyes. All trained on him. His shallow, rapid breathing was very audible over the microphone. Marshall attempted to will his vocal cords into action, but they stubbornly refused to budge. They were as petrified as he was.
Marshall scanned the crowd. There were a lot of sympathetic and worried faces among them. Perhaps they were taking pity on the tongue-tied pup. He looked over at the two mayors, who seemed to be wincing in solidarity with him. He looked back over at Ryder and the others. All but two were giving him worried looks.
And the two that weren't were Chase and Skye, who were instead smiling reassuringly from within the pile. Chase in particular, sat facing Marshall. The shepherd raised his paws to his chest, simultaneously taking a slow, deep breath in through his nose, making sure that every one of his actions was plainly visible. He paused for a second, before steadily breathing out through his mouth and extending his paws towards Marshall with the same reassuring smile.
Realising what Chase was trying to tell him, Marshall copied his actions carefully. And again. Internally, the spotted pup was amazed at how well that technique worked as he felt his heart slow to a more reasonable pace. His mouth was still dry and his thoughts were still somewhat scattered. However, most importantly, Marshall found the courage to will his voice to work.
"E-Errrm… I-I..." Marshall began falteringly. "...W-Well, ah… I-It's… It's a little hard to describe how it feels to give a speech at your own funeral… 'Awkward' would be a good word for it, I guess..."
The ensuing silence gave Marshall the feeling that the crowd agreed with him.
"I-I… I don't really know where to start… I mean, heh, a whole lot went on for me in the last week… A-Actually, I guess I'll start at the beginning..."
Hoping that describing his time alone in the woods would come naturally to him, Marshall cast his mind back to the time shortly after he started to walk back to Adventure Bay.
"When I fell in the river that day… I thought that was the end of me… I thought I was gonna die… So when I woke up in the middle of who-knows-where in a pile of smashed gear with a few bruises… well, no-one was more surprised than me, lemme tell you."
Ryder was thankful that Marshall didn't look back at him in time to catch his expression of remorse.
"For three days, I hiked through the forest hoping to get back to Adventure Bay somehow… All I had to eat was grass and leaves… Better than nothing, but no way for a pup to eat… And if my Pup Pack didn't have water left in it…" Marshall swallowed. "...well, it's probably better if we don't think about it. But on top of all that… I was so lonely… I mean, there weren't any wild animals to worry about, but at the same time… I was so scared I was never gonna see Adventure Bay ever again..."
Skye failed to suppress a strangled sob. Unfortunately for her, Marshall heard it, and ended up accidentally making things worse with a sad look cast her way.
"Now..." Marshall began anew, looking back at the crowd. "...I want you all to know that this was nobody's fault. I don't blame anyone for what happened those three days. Of course no-one came for me, I mean, anyone who saw what happened would think there was no way anyone could survive falling into a river that fast… But… I'm kind of telling a lie, since… I still kinda blame myself for what happened..."
"Wh-?!" Chase near shrieked.
"Shh!" Ryder cautioned.
Chase, however, managed to catch Marshall's attention, despite the dalmatian not turning to face him. Much though he tried not to, Marshall audibly sniffled into the microphone.
"I mean, if I'd known that the whole team would nearly fall apart, I probably woulda been more careful! I mean, all because of what happened, Ryder shut himself off, Chase nearly left, Skye had to deal with it all, and everyone was just… just… I… GAH-!"
Marshall pounded the podium with a paw in frustration, finding himself unable to get his words regarding the matter out. Those who looked closely would also see his eyes beginning to water. But Marshall didn't speak for a while, spending a few seconds trying to get his thoughts straight before continuing.
"...and I can't help but think that this was my fault, somehow..." Marshall whimpered. "Things are getting better, yeah, but… we'd all be happier if this never happened in the first place. Maybe I'm just being silly, but… If I wasn't such a klutz, none of this would be happening..."
Marshall had to push back his surprise at hearing footsteps from the side, along with the sound of paws.
"I've been left with a lot to think about… Like how much I meant to everyone… as well as how much they mean to me. Ryder… Chase… Skye… everyone. These guys are everything to me. And seeing how much they all suffered… it… it hurts… worse than anything… I mean, nearly starving to death all by myself, that's nothing… All I could think about was them… Wondering how they'd take the news… And now that I know..."
Marshall swallowed as if he had just taken a mouthful of broken glass. Now the tears leaking forth from his eyes were very visible, although the pup's watery vision stopped him from noticing the sad and sympathetic looks on the faces of the crowd.
"...I… I can't let it happen again… N-Not ever… I-I don't have it in me to make everyone suffer like that again… I… I swear, I'll be a better fire pup from now on… N-Nobody's going to get hurt from me being clumsy ever again!" Suddenly, Marshall's eyes narrowed into a tearful, determined glare. "You can take that to the bank!"
And just like that, as he concluded his speech, Marshall's energy bled out. He started to make his way off of the milk crate and off of the podium, only to be surprised as he felt himself being scooped into a waiting Ryder's arms, who tightly embraced the damp-eyed pup before sinking back to his knees.
"You. Are. WRONG, mister." Ryder whispered. "We don't think this is your fault. Not in the slightest. You'd better stop blaming yourself, you hear?"
"What are you thinking, man?!" Chase added, putting his paws around Marshall's shoulders. "I thought you said you didn't blame anyone! That should include you! It's not your fault at all!"
The remaining four pups didn't say anything, but instead crowded around the three in another group hug. Jake, Everest, Carlos, Tracker and Katie all stayed where they were, smiling warmly. This told Marshall everything without the use of any words. All he could do was snuggle into Ryder's embrace, the pup weeping slightly as he felt his family's love. To the extent that he didn't notice Mayor Goodway returning to the podium.
"I don't think anyone blames anyone, Marshall. Least of all you." Mayor Goodway began reassuringly into the microphone. "But if there's one thing we've learned… well, I'd say it's that you truly don't know when to quit."
"Yes I do..." Marshall whispered to the rest of the group, smiling slightly. "...and that's 'never'."
Marshall's assertion only caused Ryder and Chase to hug him even more tightly.
"And so, with the final pup having spoken, our time here is drawing to a close. But before I give my final speech… it's time to reveal Adventure Bay's newest monument."
The crowd could be heard murmuring amongst themselves.
"Now… when it looked like Marshall had died… I commissioned a statue for the Town Hall. One that would always remind us of who we lost. One that ensured that one of Adventure Bay's finest pups would never, ever be forgotten. And what he had done for our town. But with Marshall's survival… well, there wasn't really any need for remembering just one, was there?"
The pups and Ryder all shot confused expressions at one another.
"So I asked for some modifications to be made. And on such short notice, I was honestly doubting it could be done. But thankfully, it seems I worry too much. But just before I reveal it, I would also like to let everyone know that we will be undergoing a period of silence while we play a special song that was specifically requested by Skye."
"You asked for a song?" Marshall whispered to Skye, who was receiving a lot of inquisitive looks.
"Well… I thought it only made sense." Skye whispered back with a sad smile.
All was quiet as Mayor Goodway slowly made her way to the huge, tarp-covered object at the back of the stage. And with some effort, she pulled the tarp to the floor with as much of a theatric flourish as she could muster.
The sight caused the entire Paw Patrol's jaws to practically fall off. The loud, collective gasp they emitted could be heard from the middle row. Standing before them was a massive cast-iron statue of Marshall in his firefighter gear, standing tall with his water cannons primed. One that was familiar to Skye, Rocky, Rubble and Zuma.
But there was a rather large difference to be seen to how Mayor Goodway had initially presented it to the four. Now, instead of the statue consisting of Marshall by himself, he was flanked on either side by statues of Chase with his megaphone and Skye with her wings spread. Stood behind them was a statue of Ryder, looking as happy and confident as ever. And behind him was a statue of Rocky, with Zuma and Rubble at his sides. All three of them in their gear, and all looking as confident as the other statues that surrounded them.
Nobody had any words. At the base of the statue was a golden plaque, flanked on either side by the emblem of the Paw Patrol. But nobody cared to read it. They were too busy gawking at the statue in all of its glory, astonished that something like this could be made in their honour.
Then the music started. After a few seconds of silence, a soft, classical piano song started to play through the speakers. Silence fell over the crowd as the music played. In any other scenario, it would put someone at ease. But the gentle music only served to pull at the heartstrings on this occasion.
And Ryder and his pups were swiftly reduced to quietly weeping as they held each other tightly, all overwhelmed with emotion.
