Chapter fifteen: Double Trouble?!
"Go!" Tires squealed at this command and while the copter pulled up Chase's rig held the trunk in place and Everest's snowcat pulled with Skye's to bring it over and away from the chair lift and the shed.
"Perfect!" Everest called. "Now we can drag this thing away from the bottom of the mountain so much easier."
"Great! And now we can get those people out right?" Chester agreed, hopping out of the vehicle to start running towards the shed. Though he didn't get far when he stopped to look up.
"Uah! My hook is stuck!" Skye cried, pulling her copter up a little with some strain. And as she did so the vibrate of her line began to loosen the snow beneath the tree.
"Oh no! Skye, wait!" Chester called racing back to hop into the police truck and pull back on his end of the tree as it began to slide a little on the hill that lay below the bottom of the mountain.
Finally her hook released with the breaking of the branch it was caught on, but by then it was too late..
"Uh oh!" The Cockapoo cried.
"The tree's sliding!" Marshall cried. And Chester still tried to stop it from dragging his brother's vehicle with it.
"Snowflake! Help Skye and Marshall get those people out!" Everest called. "I'm gonna go help Chess until Skye can hook that tree again! We gotta stop it before it pulls Chester off that cliff over there!"
"Okay. Chester! Be careful! Skye and Marshall, let's MOVE!" Snowflake replied before she ran towards the shed. Her voice gave off a sensation of fear, but the tracking pup tried to not get overwhelmed.
"Right!" The two other pups called, as Everest took off in her snowcat after Chester.
Marshall stood up against the ladder propping up the shed and tried to hold it steady. Eventually looking up, Skye's hook was slowly coming down again as a sight for sore eyes.
"Snowflake! Be ready to help them out once we get this debris off them!" Marshall called, craning his neck to glance back at her.
"Got it! Just be careful!" Snowflake called out.
"Ok.. here we go.." Skye said, breathing a deep breath, before beginning to ease her copter up slowly again.
xxxx
Everest pushed her vehicle forward a bit more then slammed on her breaks while shooting the grapple once again. And when it caught the tree, she proceeded to try and pull back in hopes of slowing it down and hopefully even stop it.
"Reverse! Reverse!" She cried.
"I'm trying!" Chester called, his paws shaking against the controls trying to hold it steady. "But there's only so much I can do here! We need more paws!"
And Everest could only hope they'd come sooner rather than later.
xxxx
The roof finally came up fully and Skye flew it away from the pile to lay it down next to it. And as soon as the shadow of the roof panned off them, the two people looked up; a hopefulness coming upon them with this action.
"Oh thank goodness!" The man sighed, hugging the child close.
"It's not over yet." Marshall mentioned. "We still have to get you guys outta there."
"I'll grab the man with my harness.." Skye said. "Can you help the girl climb down, out over the wreckage?" She wondered, gazing down on Snowflake.
"Yes I can," Snowflake replied seriously. She got into a stance, ready to spring into action when needed.
"Then let's do it together!" The aviator pup called, lowering the harness to secure around the man, beginning to lift him out.
Snowflake carefully went over to the little girl.
"Get on my back and hold on tight. I'm going to get you out," Snowflake told the girl.
"O..ok.." The girl answered hesitantly, slowly climbing onto the small pup.
"Are you sure this will work?" She asked after a second, gripping the pup's neck securely.
"Yes. Now hold on," Snowflake said, before carefully getting out of the shed doing her best to get to safety. When her paws hit the ground the girl released her.
"Hooray!" The girl cried, jumping for joy. "Thank you, PAW Patrol! You saved us!"
"No problem!" Marshall smiled proudly.
"Um.. guys?.. A little help, here?" Chester's voice cracked, over the com link in their pup tags.
"Oh right!" The Dalmatian realized. "Come pups!" He called leaping back into his truck and driving away with his two other friends.
xxxx
Chester strained, despite the vehicle under him doing more of the work. The winch line still attached to the tree quivered with the screeching tires, as the heavy tree slid further toward the edge beyond them.. And even though he had the help of the snowcat beside him, it didn't seem to make a difference.
"Where are those guys?!" Chester gasped, barely daring himself to glance back for a brief moment.
"I'm sure they'll be here soon!" Everest assured him. "Just hang on!"
"Little..-..-hard-.. -ih-.. to do that!" The older German Shepherd strained, hoping his efforts weren't completely in vain. Especially at the minor expense of his dignity, despite the ever-present gravity of the situation.
The tree reached the edge before they did.. and even worse yet it plunged over it and jerked them forward, yet the squealing tires kept fighting to keep them on the ledge and not off it to the drop waiting below.
"Ahn! We're losing it!" Chester cried.
"Come on, guys!" Everest gasped, almost under her breath.
"Hang on!" Called a voice from above, as a distinct whir could be heard with engines and sirens following.
"Took you long enough!" Chester called. "-ih!- Now help us get outta here before we're sunk! And I'm not talking in an ocean sense."
"Hang on! Can you release the lines? If you two can release your lines, you should stop sliding. Guys, let's help them however we can!" Snowflake said, before going to help Chester.
"Good idea!" Marshall called. "Skye! Hook the tree so we can slow them down and loosen the lines to get them free! Snowflake and I'll help Chester and Everest!"
"Roger that!" The Cockapoo called back. "Coming back in for one.. big.. catch!" Her hook resecured with ease and soon the vehicles weren't sliding as much. So Marshall and Snowflake could now reach the lines and begin to yank.
"Ugh! It's not working!" Marshall cursed. "Skye! Lift a little higher, we gotta get to the hooks on the tree!"
"I'll try!" Skye called. Though her copter seemed to object to the extra strain.. the tree still rose higher toward them. And Marshall reached forward in hopes of getting a hold of it.
"Woah!" He gasped nearly falling forward over the edge.
"Careful, Marshall!" Skye cried.
"Yeah,.. Sorry.." The Dalmatian panted. "Hang on.." reaching once again, Skye eased her copter over a little and Marshall finally got a grip on it.
"Yes!" Chester cried.
"Snowflake! Can you reach the tree on your end?" Marshall went on, holding the tree where it was carefully. "We need to stabilize it so we can get the hooks detached."
"Yes. I got it. Hurry!" Snowflake said.
Marshall could then set the hook loose on his end, looking over as Snowflake did the same.
As soon as the lines were freed, they returned back to the places that came, and retracted back into the vehicles like nothing had happened; just as the grip of Skye's hook came loose and the tree fell from the cliff to the ground below. And as a result, Skye had to do a quick adjust due to the sudden jolt of the drop, then peered down at the wooden wreckage below.
"Wooph! That was a close one?!" She gasped, wiping her brow with her paw.
"Phew! It sure was!" Marshall breathed, wiping his own brow as well. "Everyone alright?"
"Yes. I'm okay. Everyone else okay?" Snowflake asked.
"Hoo!" Chester sighed deeply. "Thanks, guys!"
"Yeah! That was too close!" Everest gasped, greatly relieved.
"Let's.. not tell this to Chase though." Chester decided. "'Least,.. not for a while!" And others among the group nodded, almost cringing at the thought of how he might react to hearing such a tale.
XXXX
Chase finally yawned, and stretched out; shifting in place to lay on his back briefly before rolling back over, when brown eyes blinked open.
"What time is it?" He wondered groggily, rubbing an eye with the back of his paw.
"Only lost an hour, dude." Jake told him easily. "Fell asleep reading my comic book again."
"Ugh! Again?!" Chase groaned, laying his head down loosely.
"Don't worry, Chase.." Ryder told him, almost surprising the pup to know that he was also awake. "I'm sure the other pups'll be back from helping clean up the town soon."
"Not soon enough,.." Chase mumbled to himself, sighing once more. Then spotting his way down, he hopped off the bed and strode for the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ryder wondered at seeing this. "You should stay here, where we can see you. You need to be resting just like me and Jake do."
"Huugh! But that's all I've been doing!" Chase protested, whipping himself around to sit facing the boy in the doorway. "I need to get outta here for a little bit,.. Before I start climbing the walls.." He said.
"And go where?" Ryder questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. "Certainly not out to help the other pups,.. right?"
"*sigh* no,.." The pups sighed deeply. "Just.. outside,.. for some fresh air,.. Besides.. how can I be that much help with this,.. thing on my back." He finished, cocking his flat glance back to the cheerful colors strapped to it.
"Well.. alright.." Ryder said finally, taking a few moments to think on this. "But don't go too far, ok? We need to know you're not gonna go off and get yourself hurt any more, or you'll have to rest for a lot longer. And I know that's not what you want."
"Nope." Chase replied flatly to confirm, shaking his head with a lowered gaze to add to this.
"I'll be on my pup tag if you need me." He sighed, then turned to leave once again.
"Chase? Where are you going?" Katie asked, as she entered the room before he exited.
"Just outside." Chase told her. "I won't run off,.. I promise.. Just,.. taking a break.. Getting some fresh air,.. that's all." And looking to Ryder for confirmation, the boy nodded with a smile and she turned sympathetically back to the German Shepherd pup.
"Ok,.. if you say so.." The girl said. "Have fun."
Tah.. like that'll happen.. His thoughts answered dryly, as he took off out of the room and down the quiet hall.
xxxx
Pushing open the door and strolling out of it, the breeze hit him, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes remained fixed on the ground and he sighed once again.
I wonder how they're doing out there. He thought, but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud,.. or even call to check in with them. He just stood there staring out from the hospital at the dull parking lot and beyond; finding nothing all that exciting to see. And so, his eyes hit the ground once again.
"Meow.."
"Wha?" Chase barely turned toward the sound next to him, when a great big kitten sneeze came to interrupt his thoughts.
"Oh no,.. Cali?!" Chase groaned. "Not ahh..ahh..AHH-CHOO!" He fell forward and lay there until suddenly her blue eyes were right in front of his; and he yelped and shot backward.
But little did he know, that the wrappings around his body were loosening.. And when he tumbled over and sneezed again, he found himself flat on the ground; sneezing once more. But when his eyes opened again, another breeze whipped up and somehow, he went with it! The ground getting further and further beneath him was a confusing sight to him, but then the jolt on his stomach gave him an indicator that he was shocked to discover.
"What?!" He gasped, then looked back on himself.
"Oh no! The Parachute!.. And it's blowing away again!" He cried frantically. "With me!"
A branch from a tree slapped him in the face and then more seemed to come after it as the sight of the hospital began to fade.
"HEEELLP!" He cried, hoping Cali would know enough to tell someone who could help him. But then another gust of wind whipped harder and he started to whisk away on the wind faster and faster.
"Woah!.." He gasped, dodging the sharp fingers that nearly nicked him on the way by, then another,.. and another,.. until finally he hit something hard and the impact almost hurt, as a relief came over him.
And while the material finally sliding off him was part of that, the tension on his midsection being relieved was the other,.. until he realized the possible reasoning behind that..
"Oh no!" He cried, watching the colorful parachute disappear back through the trees.
"Oh NO!" He gasped when looking to his collar and then down.
XXXX
"Hey, Marshall, dude!" Zuma called to his own pup-tag.
xxxx
"We're just about to work our way over to the Adventure Bay hospital." The Chocolate Lab's voice suggested, while the fire pup's pup-tag flashed. "Why don't you meet us there, ok?"
"Sounds good,.." Marshall agreed, lifting his gaze to the road ahead, as he led the charge down the mountain. "We're on route for town now,.. we'll be there soon!"
"Roger that!" Zuma replied. "We'll be there!" And with that the call dropped, for them to continue on.
xxxx
Pretty soon they were coming up on the hospital. Just as Rocky, Rubble, Zuma and Ned were approaching the building on foot, and Katie was coming out of it.
"Hey pups! You made it!" Rocky squeaked.
"Yes, we did. It's good we got everything cleaned up," Snowflake said.
"What took so long, dudes?" Zuma wondered. "I was starting to wonder where you guys were at."
"Let's just say we hit a.. bit of a snag.." Chester returned awkwardly, his glance catching Everest's with a bit of an odd cringe.
"Well at least everyone is safe, and Adventure Bay is cleaned up from the storm. Now what do we do?" Snowflake commented.
xxxx
Chase groaned and strained, pushing and pulling back against the pressure around him; but it didn't hinder any results other than weakness and a bit of pain. And he even feared falling, when he jolted forward and almost lost his footing. With a branch coming up around his right shoulder and another one along his left side, the small little branches that weaved on around him acted as the perfect kind of trap.
Ugh! How am I gonna get out of this?! He thought. My pup-tag's all the way down there, while I'm stuck up here?! But looking just up in front of him.. the answer came as a loose stick coming off the tree limb he was standing on. Straining just a little to reach it, it took hardly anything to push on it. But catching himself from falling, proved harder when his paw slipped on the landing and he fell forward onto his chest with a foreleg now dangling off it.
But when his pup-tag flashed it all became worth it with a sigh.
xxxx
"Um guys?.." A familiar voice flashed over their pup-tags earning some confused attention.
"Chase? Where are you?" Katie asked, and they looked up to see the girl searching around; Cali now in hand.
"Katie? What's going on?" Marshall asked, stepping up to the girl curiously.
"Have you pups seen Chase?" She asked, turning to them with a growing concern. "He said he was coming outside to get some fresh air. He promised he wasn't gonna go too far, or,.. try to go help you pups. But.. I don't see him anywhere!"
"Uhh.. that's kinda the problem.." The voice came again on their pup-tags.
"Chase?!" They all gasped.
Hey guys! We have another chapter ready for ya! Sooo great to say that too! I feel like we've been leaving ya'll hanging lately! So hopefully this is a nice change for now.. and even more amazing is I have a chapter of Ruff Patches ready as well that I'll be rolling out soon! The moment I get a chance I'll edit and post that along with this one, so stay tuned! Till then, enjoy and I'll see you next time! Thx!