Chapter sixteen: Not Again?!
"Chase?!" Marshall repeated lightly, after some odd scuffling sounded.
"Yeah, it's me!" Chase called dryly. He grunted and a slightly distant scuffling created a couple more thumps that sounded much closer.
"Uhh, Chase?" Rubble ventured nervously, strolling further into the circle of pups. "Where are you?"
"Oof! In a tree." Came the answer once another shift rustled through the open com link.
"A tree?!" The pups gasped.
"It's a long story." The German Shepherd mentioned dryly. "Mind giving me a paw out?"
"How did you get stuck in a tree?!" Chester wondered.
"Yeah. It's not like you can grow wings and fly like a bird," Snowflake said matter-of-factly.
"I just said,.. it's a long story.." Chase answered back. "And I'd be more than happy to tell it once I get down from here."
"Ok,.. sit tight.. we're on our way.." Marshall sighed, then looked up to his friends, when dropping the call. "Guess we're performing one more rescue today."
"Yep,.. then let's hustle to it!" Chester decided, turning and dashing for the vehicle he'd been borrowing this whole time.
xxxx
Chase by now had kind of laid himself down where he'd ended up, and held a foreleg up to brace his chin. At least until sirens and vehicle engines faded in, and stopped right below him.
"Woah, dude!" Zuma remarked at seeing his friend stuck in the tree in front of him.
"Geez how'd you swing that, little bro?" Chester teased, maintaining a straight face while doing it.
"Not funny, Chess." Chase quipped, restraining himself from falling once again. "But if it's any consolation, we're even."
At first Chester was confused by this, but looking closer something eventually hit him.
"Uh, Chase?.. Where's the parachute?" He asked.
"Are you gonna get me down from here or what?!" Chase shot back, dodging the question.
"You lost the parachute?!" Chester cried, reading his frustration as it was.
"I know!" Chase exclaimed, internally kicking himself again. "Just get me outta here so we can go find it, 'looked like it was headed back towards town. You must'a missed it on the way by."
"Got it." Chester nodded in his own dry frustration. "Skye?"
"Not sure my copter can handle this one.." the Cockapoo mentioned. "There's too much.."
"What?" Chess wondered. "You just lifted a giant tree by yourself, but you can't do this?"
"Only because there's not a lot of room to maneuver in here. It's too risky to try an air rescue with all these branches in the way."
"Doesn't matter." Marshall decided. "We have another way to deal with this.. Rubble, crane! We can use it and my ladder to try and get up to him. So we can try and pull apart the branches to help free Chase and bring him down."
"Great idea! And we can use a safety harness on him in case he falls." Rocky added. "I've got one in my truck. We can hook it onto your ladder."
"Great! Thanks Rocky!" The Dalmatian called, as the mixed breed dashed for his recycling rig.
"Let's get into position!" He told Rubble.
"You got it!" And the two hopped into their vehicles and began positioning them on either side of the branch.
"Arf! Crane!" Rubble barked, and the device began to extend at its master's request.
"Ruff! Ladder!" Marshall ordered, and again the ladder began to lift, with the Dalmatian hopping up onto it, as it reached up to the tree branch.
"Ok Chase, let's see what we can do here." Marshall decided. Then looking at how the branches had him trapped, he knew just how to fix it.
"Ok guys I think this'll be an easy one." He said after a short while, peering down on his friend below. "Rubble use your crane to snag the branch on your side. And I'll pull this one on my side back, so Chase can back out."
"Ok! Coming in for the grab." The bulldog pup answered, turning his crane arm a little. And when the claw lowered, Skye waited there; with her wings in hover mode, so she could turn the claw to clamp onto the tree branch at Chase's right shoulder.
Marshall then made it to the top of his ladder and took hold of the branch at Chase's left side.
"Ready,.. set,.. pull!" Marshall called and he and Rubble began to pull the branches apart as far away as they could. When Chase felt the pressure diminish, he wasted no time backing out away from it.
"Phew!" Chase sighed, but slipping and almost losing his balance everyone gasped, and he did the only thing he could think of,.. jump.
"Chase!..What are you..-" Chester's sentence was halted when his little brother caught the edge of the ladder with his upper half and dangled off it for a second.
Ouch! His mind thought mildly, from the wrenching of his shoulder due to the impact. But managing to keep his grip, he was able to pull himself up so that only one paw hung off the ladder, when Marshall grabbed a hold of him and the ladder began to lower.
"Phew!" The pups breathed.
"That... was close," Snowflake commented
"Wooph!.. tell me about it!" Chase huffed, grateful to finally be safe.
"So how'd you get stuck up there anyway?" Rocky wondered.
"And how'd you lose the parachute." Chester added challengingly.
Chase frowned at him and nearly responded in the way he wanted to, but seemed to get distracted with the first question and turned from his brother to Rocky to answer.
"I got stuck up there because, wouldn't you know it, the wind was just strong enough to catch the loosening parachute enough to carry me away with it and land me in that tree." He explained. "Which, might I add, we need to go find? And as I said it headed back towards town last I saw, so come on! Before it causes any more trouble than it already has." Jumping into his truck, they all stared a moment before Chester shook himself out of it.
"Hey hold up!" He called, racing over to jump in after him as the police vehicle sped off. Then all the pups looked to one another and nodded determinedly.
"Come on, Snowflake!" Marshall called speeding off in the general direction to Chase and Chester, but slightly off course to search another area.
Snowflake nodded and hopped back into her vehicle to follow him.
"Zuma!" Rocky called, turning to his friend from his own truck.
"Right behind you, Rocky dude!" The water pup called, activating his vehicle to follow the green recycling truck after their friends.
"Let's go help look together, Rubble!" Everest decided.
"Great idea!" Rubble called, hopping into his vehicle. And as their friends all left Ned stepped about as if wondering where to go, until something dropped down in front of him.
"Come on, Ned!" Skye called from her copter where her harness had lowered from. "We can try and spot the parachute from the air!"
"Good idea. Hopefully the parachute doesn't go after us," Ned said as he harnessed himself in. And as soon as he was set they took off to the air after their friends.
xxxx
The door to Mr. Porter's restaurant opened, and the boy that strode out of it smiled into the sunshine. He'd barely made it to the sidewalk before a colorful shadow panned over him which made him stop and stare at the color-changing sidewalks.
"Huh?" And when he looked up, he had hardly any time before things went dark!
xxxx
"I think I heard something over this way!" Chase called and somehow all his friends turned from different directions to join them on the same road they'd just taken. And as they sped on, a colorfully odd shape wobbled along the sidewalk. The pups all gasped and slammed on the breaks.
"Oh no!" Rubble cried. "Parachute ghost!"
"What?!" a muffled voice cried. "No wait!"
"Huh?" the pups wondered, confused that this 'ghost' had spoken to them. The parachute flailed and shuddered, and whoever made it do such a thing grunted and must have fallen when they suddenly got shorter with an 'ooff!'.
And at that moment, a gust of wind rose up and the brightly colored material blew off to reveal who was actually under it.
"Alex?" Chase addressed the boy.
"Phew! Finally!" He sighed, relieved to be free from that earlier intrusion.
"That thing came outta nowhere and got me!" He said, rising to his feet again. "Sure glad it's gone now."
Chase smiled humorously, until his gaze panned over beyond him and realized something that was still on the loose.
"*gasp* but now its floating away again!" He cried, in a low and progressively louder voice as they all realized this same fact again.
"Not again?!" Chester groaned.
"Gotta go, Alex!" Chase called, kicking his vehicle into gear. "Sorry for the trouble it caused!" He finished as his voice faded down the road with all the pups thundering after them.
"Uh,.. no problem.." Alex called unsure as to what just happened, and slowly went on his way as he thought on this a little more.
xxxx
"We gotta catch that thing before something else bad happens!" Chase called.
"Hang on! I think I got it!" Marshall called, speeding up ahead of them. The parachute floated down a little and he switched his vehicle to auto-pilot in hopes of timing himself just right to jump up and grab it. But when his teeth caught the material, a pop occurred. And he realized, as he paws left the seat of his truck, that it was because the wind had filled the parachute to the point of lifting him up with it into the air.
"Uh oh.." he managed to say through the material. "Woaaahh!"
"Marshall!" The pups called speeding faster, Chase barked out his mega-phone to warn drivers of their pursuit and they could continue the chase across town. Marshall disappeared over a line of buildings, and the pups all screeched to a halt.
"Where'd he go now?" Skye whined, pulling up from a scramble of seagulls cutting her off from getting spooked. And they all peered around a bit, trying to think on where he might be going.
"*gasp* He's headed for Katie's shop!" Chase cried, recalling now what was in that direction. And they all scrambled to push their vehicles faster toward the direction he thought their friend was going.
xxxx
Don't look down,.. don't look down.. Marshall's mind thought, clenching his eyes closed as he held on tighter to the parachute.
Gosh, where are those guys?! He wondered impatiently. But when he finally dared himself to open his eyes, pink shades and pet faces met him. And when he hit it, he noticed that he lay on top of something and that the wind had suddenly died.
Oh convenient.. he thought dryly. But then he felt himself sliding forward, and how the colors of red, blue, and yellow were beginning to surround him. When he finally fell, though, he stumbled about with little to see other than color. And it seemed the more he struggled the harder it became to do so..
xxxx
"Over there!" Chase called, speeding up to the pet parlor. And as soon as he pulled his truck to a screeching halt, he leapt out of it with some effort and looked up with a gasp.
A colorful shape danced atop the roof like some kind of ghostly being and even jerked around a little with a bit of a moan.
"Oh no, it's back!" Everest cried. The figure stopped and a vocal response they guessed was a 'huh?', but then slipped and tumbled down off the dome of the roof. And hitting the flat part of the roof to the left of the sign, the pups felt inclined to follow out of curiosity. And as the figure stumbled about a bit and grabbed for any grip they attempted, it however seemed to be in vain as a sudden tightness from the parachute surrounded them.
"Oh no, watch out!" Rocky cried, as they finally tumbled off the edge of the building. The pups were almost amazed that their 'ghost' cried out, and how familiar it sounded. When a quick jolt tightened around their body to expose their head, just barely feet off the ground, the corner of the building acting as the saving grace of his fall.
Thankfully, the parachute had caught the edge of the roof right on the corner of the left side of the building, and a white spotted head hung down from it by a bundle of twisted color; floppy ears hanging from his head in such a way as to make him look a little silly, amongst the concern they felt for his safety.
"Marshall, are you ok?!" Rocky cried.
The Dalmatian's vision spun just a little from being dizzy, and the upside down view he had of it seemed odd, especially as he swayed back and forth a little from where he seemed to hang.
"Ugh,.. got it.." he groaned, sighing, as his ears blew in the slightest breeze that couldn't really even be considered wind by now.
"Heh heh,.. um.. sorry, Marshall." Chase lightly chuckled, knowing this to be his fault.
"Brbrbrbrbrb!.. It's ok." Marshall smiled, after vocally shaking the dizziness from his head. "I was just hanging around while I waited for you guys to show up."
Everyone laughed and couldn't hold it back for the life of them, even though the danger of the situation still stood firm and bold.
"Either way it sure beats flying." Marshall shrugged as best he could in the bright wrappings of the parachute around him; which still swayed back and forth ever so slightly.
"Hahaha, well.. at least you're ok." Zuma chuckled.
"And at least now we can all help you get down." Chase added. "Preferably without losing the parachute again."
"Yeah.. that'd be nice." The Dalmatian agreed lightly, nodding even as he hung there. "Kinda getting tired of racing all over town looking for it, all the time."
"Right.. Rubble, time to help get him down." Chase decided, suggestively hinting at the bulldog politely.
"You got it!" Rubble replied. "Hang on, Marshall."
"Uhh.. I think you mean, hang up there, Rubble." Marshall replied, beginning another round of laughter once again.
"Arf! Crane!" The construction pup called, and that was enough for the apparatus to lift. Lowering the claw down to clamp the parachute still caught on the corner of the building, it snagged a grip and began to lift again. But when this happened a loosening affect happened and Marshall dropped out of the parachute as the material slipped out of the crane's claw and fell down on top of the Dalmatian.
"What?! Oo.. ah.. ooff! Oh no!" Marshall cried, thrashing about like that would help his cause; which he soon found it didn't.
"Hehehe! Marshall! You look like a rainbow ghost! Normally I'm scared of ghosts, but you look kinda cute. Come here, little buddy!" Snowflake said, before going over to the parachute covered dally, and giving him a hug. It looked like she was hugging the rainbow ghost.
"Heh heh,.. Um.. ok.. But,.. can someone help me get outta here now?" The fire pup wondered. "Please?.."
"Sure buddy." Chase smirked. "Come on, guys,.. grab a side."
And when they'd all taken one, they pulled it all the same direction until it finally slid all the way off Marshall, and he sighed with relief.
"Ahh,.. that's better." He breathed lightly, earning some more snickers.
"Now everyone lay on this thing," Chester said, leading them all to lay on their end of the colorful material toy. "So it doesn't.. go.. Anywhere!"
"I think, from now on,.. this thing should be an indoor toy for open gyms or something." Everest suggested mildly.
"Ugh! Good idea!" Marshall huffed, plopping down onto the edge of the parachute; almost in a dramatic sense to cause more laughing where they all lay together.
"So.. now that we got it.." Rocky mentioned, glancing around the circle of pups. "How do we get it back to the hospital without losing it again?"
"I think we should carry the rainbow parachute together. Carefully," Snowflake suggested. "Did you like my hug Marshall? Hehe. It was kinda fun hugging a rainbow parachute ghost. Who also happens to be my best buddy." As she said the last comment, she smiled at Marshall.
"Haha,.. Yeah,.." The Dalmatian smirked, grinning. "And thanks! Hey good idea by the way... If we all carry it together,.. the wind won't be strong enough to carry it away again!"
"Then let's give this a try shall we?" Chester spoke up again, almost giving off a dramatic feel to this tone that was complete with cocking eyebrows that made Chase snicker. Then grabbing their respective ends, they headed off with Chase driving traffic, so to speak; as he often did.
"So what about our vehicles?" Rocky mentioned through the material in his mouth. "We'll be leaving them all here and have to come get them if something happens."
"Oh, good point." Marshall realized. "What should we do about that?"
"We'll have to carry the rainbow parachute together. Someone else will have to take our vehicles. But who?" Snowflake suggested.
And if Marshall had fingers he'd have snapped them, like Ryder often would, with the coming of an idea.
"I only know of one more paw that can roll on over." He mentioned with a smile. "Ruff! Robo-dog!"
xxxx
The shuffle had become easier by the time they reached the hospital. And as they approached, they caught sight of a figure in pink.
Katie kept pacing, as nervous as she could be. And when she turned for another round, the motion and sound that approached finally lifted her gaze with a suddenness that stunned her with shock and relief.
"Pups!" She gasped as they set the parachute down and stepped on top of it so it couldn't blow away.
"Chase! Thank goodness you're safe!" She cried, coming over to hug him tightly.
"Yeah,.. I'm fine." He said calmly, allowing her to hold him like this, in a bit of a neck hug wrapped with her arms, for a good long while, before releasing him. "Just a couple scratches and some bruises, I think."
"Hello everyone." Farmer Yumi greeted, giving a little wave as she approached.
"Oh,.. hi, Farmer Yumi." Marshall replied, when they'd all turned her way. "What are you doing here?"
"Well I was hoping to come visit Ryder, if that's alright." Yumi replied. "Is this a bad time?"
"Actually,.." Marshall thought turning himself all the way around to face her, as the other pups did the same. "No.. it's not,.. it's actually a great time."
"Oh good." Farmer Yumi sighed, relieved to hear this. "I'm glad."
"And since you're here,.." Skye spoke up, realizing something else. "We found your weather vane for you. We were gonna try and return it to you, but,.. some.. things happened that kinda stopped us."
"What kinds of things would that be, Skye?" Farmer Yumi wondered, out of genuine curiosity.
"Yeah,.. what did take you so long to get back here?" Katie wondered. And Chester caught Snowflake's blank glance, while Marshall exchanged one with Ned.
"It's a.. long.. story.." Marshall finally admitted.
"Oh, I'm sure it is." Katie nodded thoughtfully.
"One I'm sure Ryder and Jake would also like to hear." Chester added.
"I bet they would." The girl agreed.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Chester wondered. "Let's go!" And with that, the pups all picked up the parachute and they all filed into the hospital together, as the sky turned colors with the time of day it was getting to be. And with this happening, they knew that when they'd finished their story.. They'd be coming out to a quiet dusky night for their journey home; knowing.. that they'd be coming back the next day.
~The Road Back~
Hey guys! Here we are again! And as you can tell by the signature of the title here at the end, this is the final chapter of this story! And it's a bit longer than we normally do, so yay for that!
However.. this is not yet the end.. My friend and collaber Bluewolfbat and I, are proud to announce the title for the prequel for this ever-growing series. And it is called..(drum roll).. The Wounds We Heal.
And same as always we will begin production of the story immediately and release it as soon as the first chapter is finished so stay tuned for that! If need be I can post a review or an "update chapter" at the end of THIS story for you guys, so you can know that we've posted it. Lemme know what works for you!
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Can't wait to see what you think and we hope to see you in the next story! Thx!