Chapter 8

Chase paced. That's all he did. Move up, turn, move down, turn. He could have made a hole in the floor by how much he paced. Ever since his best friend (and the mix breed) was admitted into Katie's little medical bay in her parlor, he hasn't slept or eaten. So, physically, he wasn't as strong as he usually was at the moment.

Emotionally, however, is another thing entirely. That German Shepherd was pissed. He couldn't believe that his owner actually rushed into a burning building without anyone's consent and supervision to risk his life to save a pup. But he was also proud. Chase was proud of his friend for putting aside his own selfish mind to rescue someone else, despite putting his own life on the line. 'So maybe he did have a life to save lives' Chase thought, pausing his walk to think about the possibility. It wouldn't seem as crazy as he would think. Maybe he needed to do a more private investigation to determine how they really acted before the amnesia.

Chase sprinted out of the parlor and to the Lookout where the other pups were. However, he managed to spot Skye out near the park, so he decided to talk to her. As he approached the cockapoo, his heart began beating rapidly. He cleared his throat, making his presence known. The smaller pup turned and smiled, making his paws sweaty. 'What the heck is wrong with me?!' He thought furiously.

"Hey, Chase," she greeted happily.

"Hi," he replied curtly, as they both sat to properly talk. He frowned, trying to think of a way to get information. He didn't really think his plan through.

"What's wrong?" She noticed, tilting her head a bit. Chase cleared his throat.

"I came to gain information about how my friend and I behaved before our incident. I saw you here so I assumed I should question you," he explained.

"So you want me to talk about how you and Ryder acted," she elaborated. Chase nodded. She smiled again. "Well, where should I begin?"

Chase thought for a moment. "How about the first time you arrived at the place you live… the Lookout?"

Skye chuckled. "Well, it was… an experience."

Skye was more than excited to start her first day at the Paw Patrol headquarters. She dragged her small worn-out bag with her. She had kept it ever since her original owner abandoned her. But it didn't bug her, at least not for a while it hasn't.

Finally, she saw the tower come into view as she reached the end of the bridge. She stared in awe as her eyes scanned the building. Its modern look was fabulous in her eyes, but what really captured her attention was the giant paw print in the middle.

After her small moment of sightseeing, Skye continued her walk to the doors, almost jumping back when they slid open. She couldn't believe it when she entered the main floor. A large television to the right was amazing, along with the treat dispensers and play area. In front of the elevator stood Ryder with two other pups – one a dalmatian and the other a German Shepherd.

"Welcome to the Lookout, Skye," Ryder smiled warmly. "We are excited for you to join the team if you accepted the offer."

"Of course!" Skye exclaimed, backflipping perfectly.

"Wow! That's awesome!" The dalmatian giggled. "I'm Marshall, by the way. The team's fire rescue pup."

There was a pause. Ryder and Marshall turned to the German Shepherd, who was looking at her with a dreamy look. Skye giggled.

"Dude," Marshall whispered, nudging him. The German Shepherd snapped out of it before sitting straight with an assertive look.

"I'm Chase, the police pup. At your service," he saluted. Skye smiled.

"Well, Chase and Marshall, it's good meeting you both. I can't wait to start," she grinned. Then her expression turned to confusion when Ryder kneeled in front of her. He took out a collar and put it around her. She looked down, gasping to see it pink and had propellers on it.

"Skye, for your bravery from our last rescue, we couldn't have succeeded without your help. So, by our agreement, we named you our aviator rescue pup, since you seem to take a liking to helicopters," he smiled. Skye proudly sat. "Skye, the fourth member of the Paw Patrol. Our first aviator pup and girl of the team."

"Woohoo! Yeah!" Marshall and Chase exclaimed. Skye wagged her tail like crazy before she jumped into Ryder's arms and licked his face.

"Thank you, Ryder." She pulled away, looking straight into his eyes. "But… why would you pick me? I'm a pup no one wanted."

"Because everyone deserves a second chance," he continued to smile. "I see so much potential in you that I just had to get you here. I didn't care that you were an abandoned pup, what matters is how you make yourself. And I see you as a fearless flying pup with big dreams and a bigger heart."

"Wow," Chase said, clearly surprised. "I've never heard Ryder say that to anyone he just met."

"He sees the best in others and helps them in every way possible," she smiled at a few memories. "You aren't that different actually."

"Huh?" He raised an ear.

"Okay, I see the light. I'll meet you all soon," Skye signed off of her pup tag. She flew in her helicopter but was having a hard time. There was a snowstorm that hit her unexpectedly as she tried to meet up with her team at Jake's mountain. The cockapoo narrowed her eyes as she tried to look past the blizzard. Then, to her worst fear, her helicopter began losing altitude.

"Oh no no no," she cried. Suddenly, her helicopter hit a tree. It caused the propellers to stop abruptly, sending the helicopter plummeting into the snow. Skye reactivated her pup tag once more.

"Mayday mayday, going down- AAHH!" She screamed as the snowy floor neared her face. Her helicopter crashed as her body flew out of the seat. The pup groaned in pain, looking back at her ruined vehicle. She held a paw to make another call, but she realized that the tag was missing. 'I must have lost it in the snow' she sighed. She might as well get to walking, no point in sitting there in the middle of the snowstorm.

Skye whimpered as she put weight on her back paw. She must have twisted it from her rough landing. Nevertheless, she began her trek through the forest. First things first was to get somewhere warm.

The pup trudged through the harsh snow, keeping her eyes open for any shelter. It had been, what she assumed, an hour already. Yet as far as she could see was nothing but white. Thankfully, the snowstorm was letting up.

Until it became hail, that is. Skye gasped when she felt a hard piece of ice hit her back before she started walking as fast as she could manage. Luck wasn't on her side at all. As the hail storm began picking up, the balls of ice got harder to avoid.

Soon enough, one hit her head. She fell to the ground, trying to keep her eyes open. Then, her ears picked up a voice in the distance.

"Skye!... Skye! Where are you?!" The voice called to her. Skye tried to stay awake, but her exhaustion began opposing her mind. "SKYE!" Rushing footsteps joined her as she saw a blob of brown run toward her. That's when she blacked out.

"Apparently, you spent three days beside my bed waiting for me to wake up. Even when I did come to, you wouldn't leave me alone," she chuckled at the memory. "You were like my own personal bodyguard."

Chase didn't respond, as his mind tried to dig up the memory himself. He sighed when he couldn't remember.

"I remember you told me once when I was still healing, that you'll never leave my side again as long as I'm hurt." She saw his saddened expression. "What's wrong?"

He sighed again. "I just wish I could remember," he admitted. "All this – the friends, family, home – it sounds like a dream come true. But now I can't even remember any of it. I know what you think of me, Skye. You think that I'm a trouble maker that makes you mad. I heard you the other day, telling Katie that we were getting on your nerves. And I'm sorry. I just don't know how to act around others I don't know."

He took a deep breath. "You see, at the very beginning, I had to live on my own. No family, no home, nothing that you have I had. So, every time I was given something, I was grateful in many ways. But then one day, I trusted the wrong pup. He used me to do… bad things that I never wanted to do. But he told me that's the only way to live in the real world, so I kept helping. That's until one day, I couldn't do something the pup asked me to do. For revenge, he tried to kill me. But then that's when a person found me in an alleyway all beat up.

She brought me to her home and fed me. She helped me heal and we played all day long… but then she got another dog, a better cleaner one. Then she didn't want me anymore and kicked me to the curb. Literally. So, I spent weeks walking around Foggy Bottom until I was about to starve to death when I saw a little boy try to steal a candy bar from a convenience store. I could tell he was hungry and he didn't want any trouble, but the store owner wouldn't have it, so he called the cops. That boy was Ryder. I don't know why but I knew I had to help him. Maybe it's because he was in the same situation as me or something but I couldn't let him down.

So I helped him steal and run away free. In return, he helped me get food. When I began to live with him, it wasn't the best home, but it was all we had. I didn't trust him at first, believe me, you should see all the bite marks I left him. But then he told me that he would never leave my side and he would do anything for me. That's when I figured out I would do the same for him… But, the point is, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and should have trusted you but I couldn't make the same mistakes again. For mine and Ryder's sake," he finalized.

Skye was at the brink of tears when he ended his monologue. The cockapoo did the only thing that best suited the moment – he hugged him. Chase's heart almost leaped out of his chest in surprise. His tense posture soon weakened under her warm gentle hold before he leaned into the embrace.

They stayed like that for another minute before they pulled away.

"Thank you," Skye said. Her statement confused the other again.

"Why?"

"For trusting me to share your story. It means a lot more than you expect," she smiled. For the first time since he awoke from his unconscious state, the German Shepherd did the same.

Skye learned a lot about Chase that day and she couldn't be happier with the results. She would have a lot to talk about with the others, but only little things. She didn't want to break her bond with the pup. Another thing that made her heart warm was that this was the first time he's heard him say her name.

As they sat with each other to continue another conversation about their lives, both pups could agree on one thing;

They could trust each other.

TBC...