Unbeknownst to all three parties involved in planning the trip on the upper floors, however, Skye and Rocky were practically wearing a trench into the floor with the amount of pacing they were doing. They'd pass each other, reach the walls, turn, walk towards each other, rinse and repeat.
Rubble and Zuma had nothing to do but simply watch the two older pups move back and forth in front of them. But they needed something to distract them from their worries of what made Marshall disappear again, and to alleviate the suspense of going up to the top level to hear the answer to their burning questions. Which is possibly why they found themselves feeling even edgier when Skye and Rocky stopped in front of each other with greatly-irritated expressions.
"This sucks!" Rocky finally spat, cutting through the several minutes-long silence.
"Tell me something I don't know!" Skye replied in annoyance. "Marshall ran away and now we can't even see him?!"
"Is he doing OK or what?! I don't know!"
"Well when I see that pup again, I'm gonna bop him on the head for scaring me and everyone else!"
Skye didn't notice the firm looks of the two pups watching them, along with their solemn nods.
"Get in line! First is the head bopping, then comes hearing him out! But, er..." Rocky's expression suddenly softened slightly.
"'But'?" Skye repeated, looking inquisitive.
"I... think I know why Marshall ran off. And why he's been so... far away lately."
Skye gasped, clearly being hit with a sudden sense of urgency. "You do? Well, don't keep us all in suspense, Rocky!"
Rocky would've been quite happy to comply, but the entire group's Pup Tags going off didn't give the mixed breed a chance to do more than open his mouth before Ryder's voice interrupted him.
"Pups? Everyone fall in. I have news to share with everyone."
Skye's urgency quickly melted into a puddle of disappointment and annoyance.
"...really?"
"Errr, huh. Looks like I'm gonna have to this time." Rocky concluded disappointedly.
"This isn't over, Rocky."
"Yeah, to be continued." Rocky agreed, silently continuing his sentence in his head. "(That is assuming...)"
Without a further word, the pups filed quietly onto the elevator. Only for an empty feeling to wash over them all after a brief period of looking around at nothing in particular.
"...wow. This elevator feels... lonely." Rubble observed.
"Without two pups or any wipeouts... this is just sad." Zuma added bleakly, to scattered noises of agreement from the other pups.
Until finally, the noise of the elevator put a halt to the uncomfortable silence, leaving the pups waiting patiently as the elevator ascended to the briefing room without them gearing up. And once the elevator finally finished its ascent, the pups all made their way to the middle of the briefing room to find not just Ryder waiting for them as usual, but Marshall and Chase sat side-by-side just next to him.
"Ryder, sir, what's going on?" Skye asked. "Do we have an emergency? Is Marshall OK?"
Ryder couldn't help but notice Skye repeatedly stealing glances at the Dalmatian and Shepherd next to him "Well, actually Skye, Marshall IS the emergency this time."
Marshall glanced upwards at his owner. "Huh? I am? Er, again?"
"Yep. But first things first..." Ryder swept his gaze across every pup present. "...you pups have a reunion to get out of the way, right?
Suddenly, Skye grew a glare that could melt steel and directed it straight at their resident fire pup. Feeling an incredible increase in intensity in the room, Marshall could only offer an overly-wide, terrified toothy grin.
"We sure do! You scared the bejeezus out of us, mister!" Skye scolded, marching over to Marshall, who was quickly filled with remorse.
"I know, Skye..." Marshall whimpered, dropping his gaze to the floor. "I'm really sor- owww-!"
Marshall suddenly howled with pain as he felt a sudden, yet only slightly painful, knock to the head from Skye.
"And it's not over yet. Rocky?" Skye looked over her shoulder, straight at the displeased mixed breed behind her, who immediately took the opportunity to join her in front of Marshall.
"Yep."
But this time, Marshall knew what was coming, and grew an exaggerated look of despondency...
"Ohh, no... do we have to do- OWWW-!"
...which didn't make Rocky's own knock to the head sting any less.
"Yes, we do." Rocky retorted flatly. "And now we're even. Unless Rubble and Zuma want in, too?"
Everyone looked over at the Chocolate Labrador and English Bulldog who remained sat on the floor behind them, watching the spectacle unfold with neutral expressions. The question prompted Rubble to squint in deep thought for a while before replying.
"Y'know what? Nah. I think he's taken enough head bops for a while." Rubble concluded, smirking slightly.
"Yeah, same." Zuma seconded with the same smirk. "As long he pwomises not to wander off again AND to tell us what's bugging him fwom now on!"
Everyone looked back the Dalmatian who was still rubbing his head to soothe the pain from the punishment his fellow pups had dished out for scaring them.
"Can you do that for us, Marshall?" Rocky asked.
"We're still raw over nearly losing you, remember." Chase finally interjected. "Please. Just talk to us if you're feeling blue?"
Now it was clear to Marshall that all his worries about the pups being mad at him were blown far out of proportion by himself. Why the pups would want to take his problems as their own so badly was another matter entirely to him, but all the same, that fact made him happier than he thought he could be. With a wide smile and eyes shining with tears, Marshall looked back and forth at each of the pups surrounding him.
"Of course... thanks, pups... thank you so much..." Marshall whispered.
Skye's stern expression was soon replaced with a warm smile. "That's all we want, Marshall..."
Sidling up close to Marshall, Skye affectionately nuzzled the pup, a gesture which he returned with obvious gratitude. And almost immediately, Rocky felt prompted to do the same thing, with Chase warmly placing a paw on Marshall's back and Rubble and Zuma quickly running up to join in on the group's embrace.
"Aww..." Ryder cooed from the sidelines, happy, but not surprised, that things were working out in the end.
"So, Ryder." Skye piped up, not breaking with the group's embrace. "You wanted to talk to us? About Marshall being our emergency?"
Deciding to quickly get down to business, Ryder asked the pups to line up as normal before explaining Marshall's predicament. Some pups were surprised to hear the name of Marshall's father again, having momentarily forgotten about him after the longest month of their lives. All except for one pup, who had managed to put two and two together during the wait downstairs.
"I knew it!" Rocky declared, prompting a knowing look from Skye.
"You all remember that we said we'd all go and see him together, right?" Ryder continued. "Well, it looks like we're gonna have to move that day up our schedule a little. Like, 'as soon as possible' a little."
With the memories flowing through the group of Marshall's story about his father and the love that he'd demonstrated for his son through his letter, excitement rapidly built among the pups.
"So we're finally gonna see Marshall's dad?!" Skye asked, her pink eyes sparkling.
"YES! About time!" Zuma cheered, hopping for joy.
"Settle down, pups." Ryder cautioned. "We're gonna have to go sooner rather than later, but it's not gonna be that easy. Because I did some research into the drawing that got left on the back of Ash's letter. It's in a village called 'Redcreek'. Real small village. TINY. Pretty far out of the way and, well..."
To punctuate his point, Ryder moved over to the computer and cycled to the map window. The map highlighted the route by road to Redcreek, but the information on the left is what caught the pups' eyes and elicited a loud gasp from all six.
"612 MILES?!" Rubble shouted. "That'll take us all day to drive!"
"Yep. Waaaaay further up the country than Adventure Bay." Ryder affirmed.
"Easy, Rubble. We've got the Air Patroller, remember?" Skye reassured.
"Sorry, Skye, but it's not gonna be that simple. I'm specifically calling in the Paw Patroller for this little trip."
Ryder's decision prompted a lot of quizzical, skeptical looks directed his way.
"Huh? Why?" Rocky asked confoundedly. "Aren't we gonna waste a lot of time travelling by doing that?"
"Maybe, but the Paw Patroller can hold all your vehicles. If someone needs our help on the road, then we don't wanna be caught short. It's more comfy than the Air Patroller, too. Plus, if we ever go into the wilderness or something, you can all use your Pup Houses."
Zuma continued to squint skeptically at their leader. "...I'm not suwe about that, Wyder..."
"Don't rule anything out, Zuma. Anything could happen."
"Well, a road trip will be fun, too!" Skye said with a shrug, happy at the chance for a new adventure.
"There you go, that's the spirit!" Ryder praised.
There is ONE more thing, Ryder..." Rocky interjected. "...what about Adventure Bay? We can't just run off and leave it to fend for itself, right?"
"Well, I still need to talk to Jake and Carlos, but the plan is to have Everest and Tracker cover for us while we're gone." Ryder explained.
It was clear that there was still an air of skepticism in the room. As much as the pups wanted to trust Ryder on the matter, it seemed to them that there were a lot of 'maybe's about his plans. Especially with how far they had to travel.
"But... they're only two pups... right?" Rubble asked "Could they really do everything?"
"I'd think the same thing if the rescues weren't slow right now. But you've seen Everest and Tracker in action! They're both flexible! Trust me, they can do it." Ryder reassured.
"But... what if they say no?"
Marshall finally interjected from the sidelines, startling everyone with the first words that he'd spoken in a long time. Everyone cast their eyes towards him. Although he'd raised a good point, their concern continued. This pessimism wasn't like him at all.
"I don't want you to worry, Marshall." Ryder replied calmly "If they say no, I'll think of something else. We WILL see Ash. Somehow. I promise."
The conviction Ryder put behind his words was a good indication that the boy wasn't lying.
"But right now, I want you pups to make sure you all pack everything you need." he continued. "Because unless plans change, we're heading out at the crack of dawn! Clear?"
The excited barks and howls that met his ears served as a perfectly adequate answer. And even Marshall was smiling slightly, with Chase at his side barking along with the other pups.
"Off you go!"
And with Ryder's final instruction, the pups all made for the elevator, with Marshall being unusually careful, considering his usual track record. And once the elevator had finally descended out of sight, Ryder's confident smile finally fell into a more serious, concerned expression.
"OK... now for the hard stuff."
Taking out his Pup Pad once more, Ryder took a few deep breaths, bracing himself for what he was sure was going to be a difficult conversation. Putting on his best smile, Ryder tapped on Jake's icon.
"Y'ello?" Jake greeted, answering surprisingly quickly.
"Hey, Jake? Sorry to drop this on you so suddenly, but I need a big favor..."
Much to Ryder's shock, both Jake AND Carlos, along with their respective pups, agreed to his request with surprisingly-little debate. Despite the short notice, the four effectively came running almost as soon as Ryder had asked them to. The boy was amazed at how they were willing to do something as big as this for him just like that, but then, they were all intent on breaking him out of his days-long funk after Marshall's accident, so in some ways, it wasn't too surprising.
The group had all decided on an early night for the next day, however, so they didn't have much time for socialising. And almost as soon as the sun came up, the group was moving again. With Chase and most of the pups loading the Paw Patroller, prepping it for their journey, Ryder and Marshall decided to explain exactly who Marshall's father was and the circumstances that led to the group receiving the letter. Marshall and Ryder were showing off the letter like it was a art in a museum.
"Wow... what a drawing..." Carlos whispered in awe.
"It must've come from Ash's owner, right?" Tracker asked, to a nod from the dalmatian and his owner.
"Dude, it looks like Ash got picked up by a real artist!" Jake observed.
"I kind of wish we could come with you!" Everest added.
"Guys, I'm really sorry again." Ryder said sadly, still hating his imposing on the four. "I know this is sudden, but Marshall's really not in a good way over this."
"Hey, we finally get a chance to help the Paw Patrol outside of the jungle, Ryder! ¡No te preocupes! Don't sweat it!" Tracker immediately rebuffed Ryder's apology with a reassuring smile.
"Tracker's right! This is just as much for all of the Paw Patrol as it is for Marshall! We're happy to help!" Everest added.
"Told ya Ev wouldn't mind, Ryder!" Jake said, gesturing to his pup with a face that practically screamed 'I told you so!'.
"Tracker basically said it all: we won't say 'no' to helping you guys out this time or any time!" Carlos concluded.
And with those words, it felt like a weight had been lifted. Not just for Marshall, but for Ryder, too. Ryder was convinced of his imposition on his friends, but there they were blowing away those convictions like dust on the wind. And as for Marshall, his heart felt more at ease remembering that the Paw Patrol's other members were that eager to help not just him, but the rest of the Paw Patrol, too.
"Thank you so much, everyone..." Marshall whispered, closing his eyes and smiling broadly.
Without any extra prompting, Tracker walked up and laid a paw on the dalmatian's spotted back, while Everest affectionately nuzzled him. The scene didn't last long, however, with the sound of the door opening startling the three pups apart.
"C'mon, guys! We're all ready to get going!" Chase called.
"Well, it's time." Ryder concluded. "Any problems, call me right away, OK? I'll do what I can from a distance."
"No problemo, dude. Hope everything goes well." Jake replied.
"Have a safe trip, guys!" Everest added.
"¡Buen viajes, amigos!" Tracker continued.
Marshall and Ryder looked very confused all of a sudden. Tracker tended to forget that he slipped into Spanish without a second thought sometimes.
"Err..." the two chorused.
"Basically, that means: 'have a good journey'!" Carlos explained with a patient smile.
With shouted goodbyes and waves from the window of the Paw Patroller, Ryder and his pups set off away from Adventure Bay, with Robo-Dog driving them deep into the countryside to finally bring some closure to Marshall about his father, and to lift the veil of the mystery of Ash's identity to the other pups, too.
A few minutes after the Paw Patroller had left the town, the pups had started trying to entertain themselves on the long trip. With Skye and Rocky playing a game of I spy and Chase and Rubble settled in front of the TV, that just left Marshall, who had once more taken a seat away from the pups to have a staring contest with the walls. But this hadn't gone unnoticed by one pup in particular.
"How're you holding up, dude?" Zuma asked, approaching Marshall and sitting down in front of him.
"Same as usual, I guess..." Marshall replied with an emotionless air. "...now that we're really doing this... now that we're getting closer... urgh, my tummy's tying up in knots... I-I don't even know if he's gonna be there... a-and what will I say? 'Hi, Mr. Dalmatian! Guess what? I'm your son!'?"
Zuma chuckled, smiling softly at their fire pup. "You'we way ovewthinking stuff, Mawshall. He's youw dad, and he said that he's still looking out fow you. Just go with the flow!"
"I guess... urgh, I-I don't know if I can deal with this..."
"Heh. Mawshall the fiwe pup... can handle stage fwight, huge fiwes and gweat heights, but can't deal with meeting people..."
Even Marshall couldn't help but smile at Zuma's observation. The chocolate labrador wasn't quite expecting his heart to leap as much as it did at such a small event. But any kind of happiness from Marshall after he'd spent yesterday being a glum, depressed lump was most welcome.
"Say... wasn't it your dad who got you into the Paw Patwol in the fiwst place?" Zuma pressed further. "I can't wemember all too well, but he helped set things up to get you to join Wyder and Chase, wight?"
Marshall perked up slightly. "Oh, you wanna hear that story again?"
"Er... sowwy, is... it a little too soon for that?" Zuma asked sheepishly, drooping his head slightly.
Noticing this, Marshall lightened up further. "Nah. It's kind of a sad one, but I like telling that story if you wanna hear it again."
Suddenly, Zuma sat up straight with an eager grin. "You know it, dude!"
Marshall smirked at the opportunity, before clearing his throat and lifting his nose up to the sky.
"OK..." Marshall began in a haughty voice. "Once upon a time..."
"Dude, weally? No." Zuma stopped Marshall with an unimpressed squint.
"I'm just messing with you!" Marshall replied, giggling. "OK. Serious now."
Coming down off his proverbial high horse, Marshall furrowed his brow in thought, moving a paw to his chin.
"I guess it started when I was only one year old. I was a tiny pup back then. But I was a lonely pup, too. You see, back near when I first met Chase, Mayor Goodway had only just started her tenure as, well, mayor! And Dad never understood why anyone would want the job in the first place after the mess the last mayor left behind."
"Oh yeah... didn't you say that all of Adventuwe Bay's sewvices had no money at that point?" Zuma asked, faintly remembering the last time Marshall told the story.
"Pfft. What services?" Marshall recalled bitterly. "Every last one of them went broke and all of their workers were forced out of town. Nowhere was safe. The Sheriff's Office, the Coastguard..."
"...and the Fiwehouse, wight?"
Marshall paused, Zuma's question striking a chord with him.
"...right. I was only a little pup when it all happened, but without money, the firefighters couldn't keep their equipment in good shape. The firetrucks broke down, air tanks ruptured, hoses jammed... and worst of all... the firefighters all started to leave. Because with no money, they couldn't be paid, so they couldn't even afford to stay in town!"
"And bad equipment couldn't keep the firefightews safe... could it?" Zuma's eyes showed a lot more sympathy all of a sudden.
In turn, Marshall looked far more mournful as the story reached the part he always hated telling.
"Nope... my parents' owner was called Lukas... and... during a pretty bad fire one time... his equipment failed and left him trapped in a burning building... he never made it out..."
Tears were clearly prickling at the backs of Marshall's eyes. The fact that he never knew his owner that well was always a sore spot for him.
"Ohhh, dude..." Zuma whispered, wincing.
"I know... and worse is that my mom, Willow, died not long after he did. Heartbreak."
Zuma quickly got up to offer a comforting nuzzle to the dalmatian, which Marshall happily accepted. Both his mother and his owner were effectively unknowns that Marshall only had the faintest memory of thanks to their deaths so early on in his life. But years on, it was still something of a sore spot for him. The two pups briefly, yet tightly, embraced each other before carrying on.
"I always hated telling that part of the story..." Marshall whispered mournfully. "So bit by bit, firefighters AND firedogs started disappearing to where they could actually get the money to live... but not me. Or Dad. With nowhere to go and none of the firefighters being able to take us – either because of money or not being able to have pets where they were going – we lived as strays out of the abandoned Firehouse. The last few firefighters felt so guilty..."
"And all of this happening when you were a few months old..." Zuma observed sympathetically.
"Yeah..." Marshall replied with a sigh. "I never had anyone my age, or, heck, anyone period, to talk to or play with. And it's not like I didn't try. But I never had any luck. 'Cause we were just strays. People usually ignored us. Kept their distance. Or worse, ran away." Marshall then smiled fondly. "Everyone, that is, until Chase came along."
Zuma chuckled. "Chase was saving the day wight out of the gate, huh?"
"Sure was... we hit it off in a hurry, and he even offered to have me over for dinner! And when Dad met him, Chase invited HIM along, too!"
"Wow, he was just as kind back then, as well!"
"Don't make me blush, Zuma..."
"AHHHH-! CHASE, WHEWE DID YOU COME FWOM?!" Zuma shrieked.
Marshall and Zuma whipped around in shock at the sudden appearance of the extra voice to find that Chase had mysteriously appeared right next to them without so much as a sound, attracted by Marshall telling the story of his – and by extension, Chase's – past.
"Wish I knew." Chase replied with a shrug, reminding the pups that at least Marshall had a definitive starting point, while Chase's past before being given to Ryder was a mystery. "Your telling the story again, huh, Marshall?"
"E-Er, yeah!" Marshall replied, still trying to regather his wits. "I just got to the point where you invited me and Dad over for dinner!"
Chase's eyes lit up. "Ooh! Well, don't stop on my account!" Chase quickly laid down next to the pups.
"OK, OK..." Marshall replied, smirking. "So the next day, we were all just playing around, and then, Dad runs up and says that the Coastguard building was on fire!"
"I still wondew why it hadn't been bulldozed yet..." Zuma observed.
"I think Marshall already covered that." Chase explained. "No money for public services meant no demolition, either."
"Exactly." Marshall confirmed. "So the Paw Patrol's very first mission came a lot quicker than, well, any of us thought! But long story short, one five year-old and two teeny pups had to put the fire out themselves."
"When you put it like that, it sounds way cwazier than it ought to be..." Zuma said in amazement.
"Well, it kind of was!" Chase affirmed.
"Ryder offered to lemme join the Paw Patrol right there... and I nearly said 'yes'..." But then, Marshall sadly lowered his head. "But that meant having to choose between Ryder and Chase... or Dad..."
"Because Ash found out latew that fawmers fwom way up in the countwy wanted to adopt you two..." Zuma completed Marshall's sentence. "I have to wondew why they'd go so faw to adopt one dog..."
"Well, not only did they want to adopt a rescue specifically, apparently the younger members of the family were set on a dalmatian or two, and a dalmatian would've helped most with the farm work, according to them." Chase explained with slight incredulity.
"Which makes some sense! Dalmatians were known for running alongside animals, after all!" Marshall exposited.
Zuma went rigid. "How the heck do you know that, Mawshall?" he asked, cocking his head in disbelief.
"Oh, Ryder told me." Marshall replied, shrugging. "Anyway, it was a super-hard choice, but in the end, I went with Ryder and Chase and, well, here I am!"
"But leaving youw dad behind... I can't imagine how that would feel..." Zuma said sympathetically.
Chase suddenly whined quietly. "Well, I can tell you it didn't feel good for Marshall... or us... we'd spent a few days with him, and then he was gone..."
"I mean, I'm not ashamed to admit I cried like a baby when he left with the farmers..." Marshall went on with a note of sadness. "Of everyone in my life, he'd been with me all the way... until he wasn't."
Zuma quickly returned to Marshall's side to offer a comforting presence, with Chase swiftly following suit. The spotted pup quickly found himself being sandwiched with puppy licks, leaving him unable to hold back his giggles.
"Well, hey. You'll get to close the book on this whole thing at least. That's gotta count for something." Zuma reassured. "AND we'll get to find out all about The Amazing Mystewious Mawshall's Dad!"
Marshall looked at Zuma witheringly, not pleased at having the melodrama tables turned on him. "Zuma... seriously?"
Though as Chase and Zuma both laughed, even Marshall couldn't keep the smirk off his face.
"Well, anyway, another episode of Apollo is gonna start up soon! Wanna come watch?" Chase offered excitedly.
For a moment, there was a pause. As if the speckled pup was still contemplating what to say. But even then, Marshall never stopped smiling. And eventually, he rose to his paws.
"...yeah. OK."
More base-covering! This time, Marshall's backstory! This was covered back in Start Your Engines, but in the interest of having everything covered here and all...
It's also here that Zuma comes to the fore. The one main pup I have yet to include in the character lists of my fics. Figured it was time to give him a share of the spotlight too.
Now, you may have noticed that despite all my yammering on about my worries about OCs, that no OCs that aren't one-shots have actually made a physical appearance yet. Well, that stops now... OCs from now on are going to start making recurring appearances next chapter... ulp...
Right, with my next bout of rambling out of the way, hope you're all enjoying the story so far, thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.
OC KEY
Ash – a male Dalmatian and Marshall's father. Was adopted years ago whilst his son stayed behind with Chase and Ryder to form the Paw Patrol. Sent a letter in the hopes of drawing his son and his friends to Redcreek.
Willow – a female Dalmatian and Marshall's tragically-deceased mother. Sadly suffered one extreme tragedy too many and died of heartbreak, leaving her mate a widower.
Lukas – Ash's owner, and later the owner of Willow. A firefighter who tragically did not survive one fateful outing, leaving his dogs and their pup alone.