(A/N) Hey guys! It's time to find out if Chase and Skye can make it back to the lookout before Ryder or the pups find the run away note Skye left!
Who will get there first? Will the Paw Patrol survive if someone reads it before they get to it? There's only one way to find out!
Welcome back to Paw Patrol: The Ballad Of Dally!
Chapter 23: Spirit in the Skye
The gas pedal in Chase's car was pushed so hard, Chase was practically standing on it. He didn't need Skye's constant nagging to go faster, to understand how dire the situation was. The car sped through the forest so fast Chase could easily give himself ten speeding tickets, but he didn't care about breaking the law right now. What mattered was them setting up the lookout fast.
Skye's runaway note was still in her puphouse, in danger of anyone discovering it and getting the now wrong idea. There's no telling how bad the note could affect the Paw Patrol. It could stop their progress of moving on dead. Even if Skye wasn't running away after all.
Although Chase hoped neither of the pups read it, he would rather them find it, than his owner, Ryder.
They already had very little time getting there before the pup's woke up, but with Ryder right now, they had a shoestring amount. Ryder declared to him last night that they would talk to Skye first thing in the morning. If Ryder finds that first, it will be yet another crack in Ryder's heart that was already in danger of shattering.
That can't happen, not at all. Even if Skye changed her mind, it would still do great damage to him and the Paw Patrol. So Chase thought it was critical to get back to the lookout.
Despite his anxiety going off the rails, Chase kept calm as he sped into Adventure Bay's city limits, passing by the grounds of city hall, which made him shiver a bit.
Almost there.
Chase looked right to see Skye shaking furiously in fear. He went to nuzzle her, only to be immediately shoved back. "Eyes on the road Chase."
Chase reluctantly looked forward, making sure to bat down the temptation to look at her again. That didn't stop him from talking.
Even though they were in real danger of Ryder finding the note, he didn't want to scare his angel more. "Skye, don't worry too much. I usually get you all up at this time on the dot. There's no way anyone is reading it right now."
"We don't know that for sure Chase." Skye responds, her voice cracking. "Just please get there quickly."
Chase just couldn't help himself. "I love…"
"I love you too Chase, now please….eyes on the road!" Skye yelped out at the speed of sound.
Least he got an "I love you" back.
When they finally got to the lookout, it was bare, just as Chase suspected. Skye flew out of her seat the second Chase pulled in and went over to her pup house with Chase not far behind her. She then stopped dead in her tracks when she looked inside. Chase went up to her and saw the utter look of terror on her face.
"Skye?" Chase called out. Getting a nod forward in return. Chase slowly turned his head to the inside of the puphouse and gasped. Someone got to the note before them, sharing Skye's terrified look as he was reading it.
Chase couldn't move, he immediately saw the wellness of the Paw Patrol flushing down life's toilet.
Skye's voice almost shattered on the spot. "Z-Z-Zuma?"
Zuma shot his head up and was shocked to see the cockapoo. "SSSSkye?" His voice was hoarse.
"Zuma. How much did you read?" Skye asked reluctantly.
Tears were shaking out of the lab's eyes. "I-I wead it ten times."
The eyes of Skye and Chase grew to the size of the moon. "T-Ten times?"
The lab was now fully shaking while he nodded up and down.
Chase noticed that Skye's breathing had slowed down. She was also hyperventilating a little. He put a paw on her to quickly calm her. She then insisted strongly to Zuma. "Zuma. Everything you read. Forget about it. I-I've changed my mind. I'm not running away! I'm staying Zuma! I'm staying!"
Zuma looked at Skye with a broken heart. His voice is as soft as a feather. "Skye, you-you wewe going to leave us?"
"I...I….I...Zuma I…"
"You wewe going to leave us! Wewen't you?!" Zuma fired, his voice hit Skye like a speeding bullet.
Skye looked as if she was caught with a dead body. "I...I…..Y-Yes...I was…
But…"
Zuma dropped his head to his paws in response. He whimpered while he slowly raised his head back up to her, this time feeling betrayed. "Skye…. H-How could you? Do you we not make you happy anymowe?"
"No Zuma I just…"
"Thought you wewe useless to us and didn't think you could hang with us on the team anymowe even aftew we all we told you ovew and ovew how untwue it was?" Zuma said in one breath. "Yeah, I get it."
Skye couldn't take it anymore. "Zuma, I'm sorry."
Zuma lowered his head again and kept it there. "Did any of my, ow any pup's talk we had with you, ever get to you? Ow did it go in one ear and out the othew?"
"No Zuma, that's not the case at all!"
"Then what does this note say diffewent?!" Zuma yelled, scaring both Chase and Skye.
"Zuma! You don't have to yell!" Chase implied.
"I don't have to listen to you Chase!" Zuma objected angrily, shooting Chase in the heart.
"Zuma! Don't take your anger out on Chase! Take it out on me!" Skye shot back. "He has nothing to do with this!"
"Shut up Skye! I'm done talking to you!" Zuma retorted coldly, immediately shocking both Chase and Skye as he ran past them to his puphouse, shutting his house tight.
The two bewildered pups stared at the aftermath, which was the note laying on the floor. Skye slowly went up to it, and ripped the note into a million pieces slowly. She tossed the pieces to the ground as she stiffly walks back out to Chase.
"Th-There…..it's gone…..no one else can read it."
Chase looked at the barley holding on to the pup. "S-Skye…..I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault." Skye let out in a sad monotone voice. She then starts to tear up and shoots at Chase, hugging him very tightly. "HE HATES ME CHASE! HE HATES ME!"
Despite his heart being torn apart, Chase did his best to keep her calm. "No he does not. He's just upset. He'll come around."
"No he won't! HE WON'T!" Skye howled. "He'll never speak to me again!"
"Yes he will. You just got to give him some time." Chase instead as he licked her cheek. "Now please…..calm down angel. Shh. Calm down."
Somehow, Chase's words eased her to whimpers as she nuzzled his face to no end. Once she was sure she was calm, she spoke again. "I-I need to go talk to him."
Chase drew a breath. "No you don't."
"What? Why?" Skye asked as she looked at him in confusion.
"You are the last pup he wants to talk to right now. Give him some time, Skye, and he will come to you."
"You think he will do that?" Skye whimpered. "He sounds like he wishes he doesn't even know me."
"Skye, this is Zuma we're talking about. He doesn't like having squabbles with his friends for too long. It'll be okay. In the meantime, there is someone you really need to talk to."
"Who is that?" Skye asked curiously.
Chase looked at his girl with sincerity. "It's Ryder Skye. You need to tell him everything."
"What? Ryder? Are you kidding Chase? What if he gets mad at me like Zuma did?"
"He won't get mad Skye. He'll listen to you. I know for sure he won't." Chase insisted with confidence.
Skye fiddled with her paws with her head slightly down. "I don't know Chase. I don't want to stress him out."
"Skye, look at me." Chase ordered, prompting Skye to do just that. "If you're ever going to get any real closure for this, you need Ryder's words. Only then, will you finally put this to bed."
Skye's confidence grew a little from Chase. She even cracked a small smile. "You're right Chase. Thank you." She then turned away from him to go to the lookout to speak with Ryder and come clean. Before she did though, she turned back to Chase. "Chase?"
Chase never took his eyes off her. "Yeah angel?"
Skye smiled warmly. "I love you."
Chase gave a smile back to her. "I love you too."
They stared for a second before Skye went into the lookout, leaving Chase with another mission to fulfill. More like the promise as he looked at Zuma's pup house with determination.
Skye walked in the lookout with her confidence at an all time high. She knew she loved Chase for a reason. The pup was a natural at building someone up from the way down. She was so happy to finally let her feelings out to him.
She walked to the elevator with a skip in her step, determined to rise from the ashes and up to the sky. She couldn't wait to see what Ryder would say to her. Though he would probably be sad that one of his pups attempted to run away without saying anything.
Skye's hype deflated instantly when she remembered what she has been through the past few weeks. Chase talked her up so much, she didn't think about her insecurities when she walked in. Then, she remembered how Zuma reacted to her a few moments ago. How one of her closest friends was sad, damaged, and betrayed by Skye's note. Zuma's tone with her was so harsh, so bitter, she seriously thought Zuma would cut ties with her all together. Now, she was about to say to her owner, who has taken care of her and loved her for so long, that she felt useless and tried to run away from him.
She was scared straight with Zuma's words but now, she was going to freak out from whatever Ryder's reaction will be.
Upon mention, the elevator came down with Ryder himself on it. Skye was stricken at the surprise appearance.
"Oh…..SSkye. You're here." The boy stammered, surprised himself.
All the air was out now. Skye turned into a very nervous pup. "Y-yeah...I'm here." She started to shake. "Um….." She wanted to run, and forget about the whole thing.
So far, only Chase and Zuma knew about her attempt to run away. If Ryder didn't know, and she is definitely staying, why should she tell him? All it would do is put more stress and worry on her. Why would she want to make things worse for him and herself?
Chase's words replayed in her mind and blew the claims away. No. Ryder wouldn't get mad. He would want to help her, not make her feel worse. He might get heartbroken, but he won't lash out at her.
Her confidence inflated back up. "Ryder. I came to you because I need to talk to you."
Ryder smiled. "What great timing you have, Skye. I was actually on my way to you."
"You were?"
"Yeah sweetie. You were the first thing on my mind this morning." Ryder added. "I...had a feeling that I had to get to you."
Skye felt warmed by Ryder's caring gesture to her. Made her more glad she didn't run away. "Well….shall we."
Ryder smiled. "Of course Skye, let's go up to the office then."
"Sure. It's really cozy up there." Skye accepted as she got into the elevator with Ryder.
'What's wrong with us?'
That was the question Zuma had been asking this entire week. He could barely remember last week, last month, or last year.
All he could remember was the tears, anger, sadness, and changes that had been going on, all because of the loss of a brother.
'Is this what we're going to be now? Sad, angry, hopeless? When can we go back to laughing and playing again?'
Zuma missed those days about as much as he missed Marshall. Where they all would be out doing a job or playing somewhere. Never sad or angry with each other. Doing whatever they wanted with each other, and be happy. But that was gone. One friend was ripped away from them, and in result, all that happens is yelling and crying, with now way of things returning to the way they were.
He thought it was done. He thought that after saying goodbye to Marshall, everything could be okay, and he would be able to play and be happy with his surviving friends. He thought all the grief in the team was all gone.
But nope. No….It was far from over. Skye proved that by trying to run away.
Why? Why would she want to run away? He knew the official reason but he didn't know why after all he and the others did to make Skye feel happy and wanted, did she still feel that she was useless? Why did she want to leave them so abruptly? Did they not care for her enough? Should they have done more?
It made no sense to Zuma and that's what hurt him most. The uneasiness of everyone around him changing before his very eyes...even himself.
Zuma cried to himself and buried his snout under his paws, as he wondered.
WIll it be like this forever?
Knock! Knock!
Zuma was startled out of his thoughts. He wondered who it was. He hoped it was Rocky. He really needed his friendship right now.
"Who is it?" Zuma sniffed.
There was a short pause before the answer came. "It's me buddy. I wanna talk to you."
No. It's not Rocky. It's the last pup he wanted to see. Chase.
Yesterday at Marshall's funeral, Chase went low...real low. He took it upon himself to reveal his supposed best friend's super secret fear at his own funeral. He was shocked to his core. Marshall never wanted anyone to know about it, not even Ryder. For Chase to betray him like that and tell it and claim that he did for everyone's good was down right heartless.
The only reason Zuma knew about it, is that he caught Marshall one night at his spot while Zuma had to relieve himself. After prying and prying, Zuma found that Marshall had a nightmare of himself dying and Chase shutting down because of it. Marshall said that it was his most secret fear and wouldn't want Chase to know about it.
Up until yesterday, Zuma had only known his fear to be exclusive to Chase, but Chase revealed that it went to everyone Marshall cared about. He didn't know how true that was, but knowing how Marshall was, it had to be, and judging by how Marshall didn't want Chase to know, it would only make sense that it went for everyone else as well.
Ever since his speech, Zuma hasn't been fond of the shepherd. Giving him cold shoulders, even producing a low growl when he won the Marshall Memorial Pup Pup Boogie Tournament last night, blowing away Rocky and Skylar in the bracket. Of course due to cheering, nobody heard him, but he preferred it that way. This was between him and Chase, nothing else.
All the animosity Zuma had surprised him how he was handling it. Normally, he wouldn't get this heated. He usually goes right to the source and talk it out, to solve it right then and there. Zuma never liked being angry, especially at his friends. But what Chase did, made him so hot, so angry, he couldn't even talk or look at him.
Now he was at his pup house, probably to talk about Skye. His problem with Skye could be solved. Chase? At least not right now.
"Go away Chase." Zuma shooed off boldly. "You are the last pup I wanna talk to wight now."
"Zuma. I don't want to talk about you and me. I want to talk about Skye. She's changed her mind, she's not running away."
"I can talk to Skye myself! I'm actually alweady wegreating yelling at hew! Zuma yelled. "Now go away!"
A few moments of silence fell. It made Zuma think that Chase was gone until…
"Zuma? I still wanna talk."
"Can't you speak english dude?! I said I don't want to talk to you wight now! Go away!"
"Come on, Zuma. This isn't you. I know you don't want to be mad at me forever."
"Yeah, well it's not like you to betway youw fwiends!"
Zuma clasped his mouth once he said that. Now he's done it. He just dropped bait for a police pup. Now he's never going to let up.
"Zuma? You're still mad at me for lying to you? Look I'm sorry buddy. I really am. I didn't mean to hurt you so. I promised Rocky I wouldn't tell anyone okay?"
'Oh so now you care about keeping secrets?' Zuma said in his mind. Before he sighed in relief. He thinks there's another reason. All he had to do was roll with it and he'd go away.
"Uh….yeah…..um…..you shouldn't have lied to me dude." Zuma played it off, trying to sound convincing. "I accept youw apology. Now can you please leave?" Zuma hoped that it was enough.
A few seconds went by until Zuma got his answer in the form of a disappointing question.
"Zuma. That's not why you're mad at me. Is it?"
Zuma shuddered as he answered. "Wh-What awe you talking about Chase? Of course it is. Wh-What else could it be."
"Zuma I can tell you're lying and I don't even have to look at you. Just tell me what's wrong and we'll solve it right now. So we can be good as friends again."
"I can't Chase. I can't!" Zuma protested. "I can't even think of you and not get angry. Please dude, I don't want to say anything I'll wegwet!"
A few more seconds of somewhat silence, as Zuma could hear a slight whimper which admittedly tore at his heart. "Can you at least tell me what you're mad at me for? At least give me that."
Zuma gave up at this point. Chase's stubbornness had irritated him to no end. At least if he goes ahead and talks to him now, he would finally go away. Who knows, maybe he won't be mad at him anymore, which was what Zuma wanted more than anything.
Zuma opened the door to see Chase standing there with a very downed face. Almost ready to cry. The chocolate lab willed with all his might to not get heated at this sight, but he did have to look away from him for a second before he looked back at the shepherd. Drawing a deep breath.
"I give up dude. Let's just get this ovew with, so you can leave me alone."
Chase cleared his throat. "Well, um. First, I want to reassure you to know that Skye is okay. Yes, she left a note and ran away last night, but I caught her. I convinced her to come back and how she means to us. She's not going to run away, I'm sure of it."
Zuma wanted to believe him, but he had strong doubts. "How awe you so suwe? How do you know she won't just wun away again?"
Chase got a little uneasy about that. He looked as if he was hiding something. "Well….yo...you see, Skye and I….um…..Skye is….talking with Ryder right now."
Zuma raised his eyebrow at this. "Talking to Wyder? What's that going to do?"
"I don't know, maybe find something else for her to do." Chase shook off. "Look, the point is, she's fine right now okay. She's not going to run away. I'm sure of it, okay?"
Zuma was suspicious. He wondered why Chase was getting all nervous all of a sudden. He then shook it off and rolled his eyes. "Whatevew dude. I'm cool now. I'll talk to hew latew if it'll make you feel bettew. Now if you would excuse me…"
"Oh no no no…." Chase said, as he put a paw across the doorway. "You're not going to get rid of me that easy."
"Look...can we please talk about this latew? I'm not in the mood wight now." Zuma begged.
"I'm not either. But I want to solve this now. You are one of my closest friends, Zuma. I can't stand any of you mad at me. Especially from someone who doesn't get mad that often. Please, buddy. I'm begging you."
The lab had no idea how desperate the shepherd was, but he knew that it was eating him inside. Zuma didn't want that for Chase, but he really didn't want to talk about it. He was afraid Chase would say something that would get him more angry. Like what happened with Skye a few minutes ago. Which is why he never liked being angry.
At the same time, he didn't want to retain this animosity with Chase. He was his leader for Ryder's sake, and a better friend. It was best to get it done so he wouldn't be mad at his friend anymore.
Zuma sat firmly in front of the shepherd. His eyes still, like lasers. "Chase. Why did you tell evewyone about Mawshall's feaw? How could you betway him like that dude? I thought he was youw best fweind?"
Chase blinked. "He is my best friend Zuma, and I didn't betray him."
"You've got to be kidding dude. You know dawn well that Mawshall nevew wanted anyone to know about his supew secwet feaw. You knew that and yet you took it upon youwself to tell evewyone about it."
"Zuma, you're making it sound like I wanted to say it." Chase retorted. "I didn't want to."
"Then why did you say it?!" Zuma jeered, his voice getting louder. "If you didn't want to say it, why say it at all?"
"Because Zuma I…..thought it needed to be said." Chase answered.
"NO! Youw wong! It shoudn't have been said at all!" Zuma protested, his tone getting louder and louder.
"Look, I'm not saying you have to agree with me here. Heck I'm not even asking you for forgiveness. I just hope you understand what I made the decision."
Zuma snorted angrily at the shepherd. "Understand what?! Telling evewyone that Mawshall was scawed to pieces about us?! Making us supew wowied about him?! Is that it?!" Zuma shot back.
"Like you did any better!" Chase rebounded, with authority. "Telling us that Marshall wasn't happy at all in puppy heaven!"
"That was totally diffewent dude." Zuma said harshly. "I just said that to us pups. Not to everyone in Adventure Bay!"
"Doesn't matter, Zuma. It makes you no better than me!" Chase threw back.
"Stop making me the bad guy hewe! You'we the one who took Mawshall's trust and stomped it in the gwound!"
Before the argument could get louder, Chase closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Zuma. Please. I don't want to yell at you or argue. Like I said before, you are one of my closest friends. I don't want to be your enemy and I don't want you to think that I revealed it as a way to kick Marshall while he's down. I already said why up there at the podium yesterday. I did it to let everybody know that Marshall loved us and he would've wanted us to move on. So much that he was terrified what would happen if we didn't. I really didn't want to say it Zuma, but it was the only thing I could say. The only thing I had in my mind that could fully paint the picture of who my sworn brother was. While also giving the message that we need to move on, and forget about everything that has happened. So we can all go back to our lives peacefully. That's what Marshall wants."
Putting aside the fact that Chase said to just "forget about Marshall's death", was that really what he was going with? He did it for everyone's good? How could anyone do something like that and say they did it for the best for them?
Zuma felt cold hatred. Although he could tell Chase meant it in a light hearted way, the lab felt that Chase just admitted to killing Marshall right in front of him. Not only did Chase do it for the wrong reason, like there was a reason to begin with, but he made the entire task of moving on without Marshall more difficult and painful for everyone. How could anyone move on, knowing that Marshall was shaking in his paws for them and how could he think that putting more pressure on them would make it easier?
Chase has lost it. He not only revealed to everyone Marshall's heavy baggage, but now, after scaring everyone, he's basically saying to just deal with it and move on.
If Zuma was mad at Chase then, he was seething now. He slid out a growing low growl at the shepherd. Making Chase's eyes pop out of his head. "Get out."
Chase twitched. "Z-Zuma?"
"GET OUT!" Zuma barked, before he rushed at Chase, and shoved him backwards making him fall and roll a few feet from the lab's pup house.
Chase regained himself and looked at the still growling water pup, who was giving him a very hurtful look. "Z-Zuma? Wh-what did I…"
"NO! I'm done! Leave me alone! I don't evew want to speak to you evew again!" Zuma turned around and shut his door. Permanently separating him from a whimpering scared Chase.
After he shut the door though, some of his anger went away, as hot tears rolled down his face and he began to sob.
Based on his answer alone, Zuma never saw Chase as a friend anymore.
Where most offices are usually boring and uncomforting to sit in, Ryder's office was surprisingly none of those. It was a revolving door for the pups, always open to them if they needed to talk to their owner, no matter what Ryder was doing. Sometimes, the pup would just show up just to see him, either to talk or watch Ryder play his games.
Due to the consoles not being dog accessible, at least not yet, the only way any of them could enjoy any of Ryder's games is by watching him. While most would see it as a bore fest, the pups would treat it as a Saturday night's main event of sorts. They would look in awe of Ryder's playing and react accordingly to what was happening. The most fun part though, was cheering Ryder on in the game whenever he was at an exciting part or was stuck on. To them, Ryder was the best gamer in the world, and would have a blast cheering him on till the very end, or until they would get tired and fall asleep.
Needless to say, Ryder's office was anything but dull to them. A lot of tears, cheers, and smiles filled the office, but for Skye right now, she has no prediction of what the ending result of her talk will be. What she was about to finally reveal to Ryder was full of pain and diffidence that had been torturing her for weeks, it may go in any direction. Hopefully, it won't end how she feared. The Anger route.
Skye sat on a beanbag while Ryder sat behind the desk, scooting his keyboard aside to rest his elbows and forearms on the desk with his fingers interlocking with each other, looking as professional as he could with a smile. "Okay Skye. You go first. What's on your mind?"
Skye was surprised by Ryder's gesture, as if he was really curious about what Skye had to say. A pit formed in her stomach. She was sure that Ryder wouldn't be thrilled about what she was going to say.
"Ryder, I have a confession to make." Skye announced in discomfort, while her head went down. Her voice went down to her paws.
Ryder's smile faded. "Well if you can't look me in the eye, it must be pretty bad."
Skye shivered in her paws. "It is bad Ryder. In fact, it's terrible." Skye nearly caved into her tears as she raised her head to meet Ryder's. "Last night. I-I tried to run away."
The shock on Ryder's face couldn't have been more justified, though Skye noticed that Ryder didn't look as shocked as she speculated. "You did?"
Skye nodded in response. "Yes sir. I ran away from all of you. If it weren't for Chase, I would be in California right now, looking for wherever my parents are right now."
Ryder closed his eyes and drew in a very long breath "I see. So you were going to run away and rejoin the AirDogs with your parents?"
Skye swallowed and nodded. "Yes sir. That's where I planned on ending up."
Ryder sat back and cupped his chin, as he opened his eyes to see Skye shaking in fear. "I can't lie to you and say that this is a shock to me, Skye. Chase and I speculated that this could happen. That's why I wanted to talk to you this morning. Chase wanted to talk last night, but I didn't want to ruin the fun you all were having, so we waited. But I guess that wasn't a good decision to make."
Skye started to tear up. "I-I'm so sorry Ryder. I should've at least talked to you first."
"If anybody needs to be sorry about it, it's me. I should've come to you and mentioned a talk, Skye. But that doesn't matter right now. I want to know why. Why did you feel that you needed to run away?" Ryder stated firmly at Skye.
Skye sniffled as she tried to dry her tears. "Well, there's a number of reasons. None of them were because of you or the pups, well…..maybe Marshall, but…. Basically, I felt that I was completely worthless, and didn't belong on the team."
Ryder furrowed his brow at this. He suspected something like this, but he hoped it wasn't true. "Didn't belong? How so?"
Skye gulped again. "Please don't feel guilty Ryder, but as we speak, my equipment is still down. Ever since I crashed my jets and my helicopter sprung a fuel leak, I have been sitting on the sidelines while you and the others go out and perform rescues. It makes me feel so useless and unneeded. Like I didn't fit in at all. Not without my flying. I understand that things have been crazy, but I often wonder if I'll ever fly again, and even if I do, all that needs to happen is for me to crash again, and I'm back to being useless. Marshall's death and moving on didn't make it better for me either. More work has to be done on everyone's part, except me. I don't have any other talents other than flying, so it will be much longer for me to be on missions again, let alone flying. On top of that, I've been so much of a depressing wreck of myself, that the others have noticed. They've been so worried for me and done all they can to make me feel better. But nothing they said could fix it. I couldn't imagine ever being happy here ever again, so I ran away, to ease all of you, and go where I won't be a useless burden to anyone ever again." Skye's eyes formed more tears as she whimpered. "Thanks to Chase, I have new reasons to stay, but that's not going to solve my problem Ryder. I'll stay, but I'm scared that I won't be any use to you ever again."
Skye whimpered and sobbed in the beanbag, not looking at Ryder and caring how he was taking her confession. She hoped he wasn't mad like Zuma.
She then felt a hand on her back followed by a stroke in her fur. Skye looked up to see Ryder's warm smile at her. "R-R-Ryder? Are you m.."
"Shh. it's okay Skye, I'm not mad at you. I'm so sorry that you felt that way, because in my eyes, all of it is not true. No matter how much you doubt it, you are not useless to me or this team. Wings or no wings, you still bring a lot to the Paw Patrol that gets overlooked, even by you."
"Oh come on Ryder. You're just trying to make me feel better." Skye said, rolling her eyes annoyingly. "I'm a pilot without anything to fly with. How can I feel useful when I can't do the one thing I was brought on to do."
"No Skye, you're wrong." Ryder said abruptly, making Skye double take on it. "Sweetie, your flying skills are not the reason I brought you on the team at all."
Skye was now very confused. "It's not? Then why did you? I thought my flying skills impressed you to want me as your pilot."
Ryder kept his smile on, as he sat down next to the pup and continued to stroke her fur. "That is why you are our pilot Skye, but it's still not the reason you're on the team. Let me ask you this. Why do you think Chase is on the team?"
Skye had an answer right at the top of her head. "Because he's a good police pup?"
Ryder chuckled. "Yes. We all know that, but let's go deeper. Why out of all of you, did I assign Chase as the team leader?"
Skye knew this for sure. She had no doubts. "Because Chase is a great leader."
"Aaaaand…" Ryder teased, cocking his head with a smirk.
Unfortunately, that was all that Skye had. "Aaaand….what?"
Ryder chuckled again at Skye's oblivious manner. "Skye, Chase is a great leader and a great police pup, but he's also a good thinker on the spot. He can read the most dire situations and plan ten steps ahead. He can find the most efficient, and safe way to solve a problem. He can also take charge and be a leading example, while also taking time to consider all of his followers' opinions and make the best decisions based on that. That is why I dubbed him your leader."
Skye looked in awe. She'd never thought about Chase like that. It made her appreciate Chase's talents more than what was on the surface. "I-I never thought about it like that. But, what does that have to do with me and my place on the team?"
Ryder smiled widely, as he answered Skye's question with a twinkle. "Nothing particularly, It was just an example to set what I'm about to say to you. You see, like Chase, you are in the Paw Patrol for more than your talent for flying. Thanks to you being a stunt dog, you are far more comfortable to take risks and be in the light of danger more than any of the pups, while also knowing when things get too tough and back out when you have to, that's something that not even Marshall had."
Ryder's voice suddenly lost its charm a bit, as he took a minute to get over the reminder of Marshall's faith. Skye whimpered for her friend, but a few seconds later, Ryder's voice was back. "But the one thing that makes you stand out is your courage, Skye."
"My...My courage?" Skye repeated.
Ryder nodded confidently. "Yes sweetie. Your courage. You are the most courageous pup on the team. To include myself. You may not have noticed it, Skye, but I definitely have. In all the missions you've had since you've been on the team, there's no moment where you were intimidated by whatever we end up doing. You have that attitude to always be metally ready to tackle anything, no matter how dangerous it is. You've never backed down from anything that was in your way, to include your fear of eagles. You always see through it to the end."
Skye felt herself lifted by this. Almost proud of herself. "Y-you really think so Ryder?"
Ryder put an arm around Skye. "Let me word it this way Skye, to drive it all home. Remember last year, when you joined the Paw Patrol?"
"Of course I do Ryder. It was the greatest day of my life. That was when I helped you, Chase, and…..Marshall….with the birds in the sky, and showed you how I am at flying. Then you asked me to join and I finally had a home." Skye recalled. "What about it?"
"Yes...you did show me what you could do. But you're forgetting one important part of that whole thing." Ryder mentioned, with a prideful smile to the cockapoo.
Skye cocked her head. "Wh-what am I forgetting?"
"You're forgetting everything before you flew to shoo those birds away, where Chase, Marshall, and I were stumped and didn't know what to do. Then you mentioned that you could help with the jet pack, which at the time, was a prototype I just completed not even a day ago."
It all came back to Skye now. She remembered her owner at the time, Judy Banks, issuing that they had to cancel their show, and would go over to Foggy Bottom to preform, but Skye volunteered to use Ryder's prototype jet pack, to go up and disperse the flocks of birds that were preventing the AirDogs from performing, much to the resistance of her parents and brother.
"You had absolutely no knowledge on how to fly the jet pack, and you know that flying into a flock of birds was very dangerous, yet you stepped up, strapped the pack on, and rounded up all of them. You know it had to be done for Adventure Bay not to be robbed of its show, so you put yourself on the line, and got it done. That is what impressed me, Skye." He then pointed at Skye's chest. "That is why I asked you to join the team. I already knew that you were a talented flyer when you came here, Skye, but I never knew how courageous and daring you were. That is why you are a member of Paw Patrol."
By the time Ryder was finished, Skye's heart grew to the size of the moon. All her doubts left behind last night had been obliterated thanks to Ryder's words. She wished she came to him much sooner than she had, or she would've never even thought about running away.
"You will never ever be useless Skye." Ryder declared. "You are more valuable to me than you could ever think. By any means, you will always have something to contribute here. I don't care if you never fly again, I will still give you all the chances to prove your worth here in Paw Patrol."
Prideful and joyous tears formed in the cockapoo's eyes. She suddenly launched at Ryder and gave him the biggest hug she could ever give, with Ryder instantly hugging her back. She couldn't think of what to say to him but that didn't stop her. "...th-thank you Ryder….I love you soooooo much!"
"I love you too, girl." Ryder warmed back, as he kissed her on her head and stroked her back. They let go with Ryder giving her a firm smile. "You're also going to love this. I have some news on your copter."
"You do?!" Skye yipped and barked, bout ready to explode. "What about it?! What about it?!
Ryder chuckled at his pup's excitement. " Your new fuel line came in yesterday. With that, I can finally get to replacing it."
"Really?! That's wonderful news Ryder! When can you get it up?! When?! When?!" Skye yipped again, barely holding her excitement.
Ryder put a hand on his pilot to calm her. "Easy girl, don't want you to launch to the moon yet. It'll take me a day or two.
Skye's excitement died down instantly. She drooped her ears and whimpered. "Oh….r-right. Sorry Ryder."
"Aww don't feel so bad Skye.' Ryder calmed as he scratched her head and neck. "It won't be long. I just want to make sure you are one hundred percent safe when you're flying. I don't want you to get hurt again because of my forgetfulness, okay?"
Skye looked at Ryder with a sudden firm smile. "Okay Ryder. I understand, and I trust you." The cockapoo could easily see Ryder's face lighting up like dynamite after she said that.
"Thank you Skye. I promise, the wait will be worth it, and you'll be back in the air very soon. In the meantime, I do have something for you to do while you're waiting and possibly even after."
"Really? What is it Ryder? What is it?" Skye begged. "I'll do anything."
Ryder's smile faded. As if he was a little hesitant about what he was going to say. "Well…...depending on how you feel about it, it may be a tall order for you."
Skye noticed Ryder's tone lowering and wondered what he had in mind. Still, she kept her smile on, ready for anything. "Go ahead Ryder, I'm sure I can handle it."
Ryder looked away from her and drew a breath. "Well…...I've been thinking…...how would you feel about becoming the new medic pup Skye?"
She wasn't ready for that. "Y-You mean…...you want me to replace Marshall?" Her excitement went away at the mere thought. She was very nervous and unsure about replacing Marshall.
"You're thinking about it too much Skye." Ryder placed a comforting hand on her cheek. "I'm not asking you to replace Marshall. You're just filling in for him. He's….obviously not here to perform his job…..so someone has to pick it up, and I believe that you can excel at that. You adore every creature, and hate seeing anyone get hurt. I think you are perfect for the job and it will also be a good back up for you."
Ryder dressed it up as nice as he could, but…. "I-I don't know Ryder. Marshall was an amazing medic. I-I don't know if I can be any good like him."
Ryder chuckled a little as he wrapped an arm around the cockapoo's body and stroked her upper leg. "Skye. Don't' focus on being as or better than Marshall, be focused on being a good medic for the team. It shouldn't be very hard for you. All you need to do is just get your EMT license from Foggy Bottom hospital, and you're set."
"How long will that take?" SKye asked curiously.
"Not long. I think it took Marshall about four months to get to the first level, and he said it was a breeze." Ryder then pulled her in for a soft hug. "I know you can do it, Skye. You did so well in the fire when you took care of Katie and Alex."
"Only because Marshall was helping me." Skye pointed out.
"That may be true, but you've at least had a taste of how it is. What did you feel then? Did you think you could follow through with it?"
Skye thought about it thoroughly. She remembered in the fire, before everything went wrong, how she was able to pick up on how to use the instruments quite quickly and how good it felt to help Alex and Katie feel better. She wouldn't mind doing that again. Besides, it is a good backup in case her equipment went down again."
"I think I do Ryder." Skye said firmly with confidence. "I'll do it. I'll be a medic and I'll do my absolute best."
Ryder patted Skye's side. "That's my girl. I'm so glad you see it that way. I'll let you know when you can start, and I'll get to work on your copter as soon as possible."
Skye wagged with delight. She licked Ryder's face a couple times, before she mader her way to the door. Before she left, she turned back towards her owner. "Thank you so much Ryder. I'm so sorry I tried to run away."
Ryder gave a smile back to her. "It's okay girl. I'm just glad you changed your mind and came back."
A warming smile inches on the cockapoo's face, before she strutted out the door, and into the elevator. So excited to tell Chase the good news.
Ryder looked at the door where his pup exited with his heart finally lowering down.
When Skye told him that she tried to run away, his heart shot up to his throat, and it stayed there throughout the entire conversation. He feared that the cockapoo would try to after the night she ran off from them when Ryder asked the pups for their loyalty. He should've talked to her before, instead, he didn't and almost lost another pup. He was so relieved that she changed her mind.
Thank god for Chase.
As soon as the shepherd crossed his mind, he was thrown into a deep thought. That's another instance where Chase was at the crucial moment. Why? Why has it always been Chase? It wasn't that he was jealous of him, maybe a little, but he was more worried for him. Due to him knowing about Marshall's fear, he could be going out of his way to make sure it doesn't come true. A commendable act for sure, but Ryder wondered, If Chase was also including himself.
As Ryder walked back to his pup pad, he recalled what Skye said when Chase found her. When she said that Chase gave her reasons to stay.
After thinking about it for only two seconds, Ryder instantly realized what those reasons were. It was obvious as cold ice. Chase mustive confessed his love for Skye, and she accepted it.
He was afraid this would happen so early. He wanted for it to be much later in their lives. But, it happened, and there was nothing Ryder could do to undo it. All he can do is watch them closely, and hope nothing bad would come of it.
Despite this, another thing suddenly entered Ryder's mind, and that's what he was for on his pup pad. He opened his call logs and saw that it was littered with missed calls….from his mother.
He had seen this earlier and thought about calling her back, but reluctantly didn't. He felt guilty for himself that he missed his mom trying to call him in a time of need. She does care…...or does she.
If she did, she would've been here. She would've been a shoulder to cry on. But she wasn't. Why would she even bother if she wasn't even coming?
He then found the voicemail that accompanied the last call from his mother. Ryder hesitated a little, before he finally pushed play, to at least hear his mother's voice.
"Hey kiddo….I-I uh…..I heard about Marshall and…..I just wanted to see if you were doing okay."
"I know it's been an awful long time since we talked and I know there's no excuse I can say to make up for it, so I'm just going to say that, I do miss you so much Ryder."
"I'm sorry if I'm not there for Marshall. I'm just so tied up right now that I can't make it, so I'm going to say that Marshall was a great pup for you, and I'm going to miss him so much."
"And Me!"
"Heh heh. Yeah, of course you Stormy. You know she misses you a lot Ryder. Believe it or not, she's been more worried for you than I have. She can't stop thinking about you right now….and neither can I."
I know you must be mad at me. You think I never made an effort to come see you or talk to you, and….I have to admit, I haven't. I always felt that I didn't need to worry about you. You have already grown so much that I don't really need to come down there. But that's no excuse….."
Ryder heard his mother choking up in her sobs.
"I know that you probably think differently, heck you're probably not even listening to this. But I'm going to say it anyway in case you are."
"I love you...Ryder. I love you more than anything in this world. Half of all this crap that I do is for you to be safe and sound. You probably don't understand but…..that's how I feel. No treasure in the world could ever match up to you, and I'm so proud to have a son who has accomplished more than he should have. I can't even begin to state how easy it is on me to not be petrified about you being alone.
Knowing you...you're probably tearing yourself to pieces about Marshall and that's why I called. I don't know how it went, but I'm confident to say that it wasn't your fault. We all know that, so please….don't beat yourself up about it. You are so smart, strong, and competent for a child your age...no….man. I know you can get through this as well as everyone else can. Maybe more.
If you're still listening, I couldn't be more grateful that you are. I am a horrible mother, one that you definitely do not deserve. A mother that should be there for her child right now."
Soft sobs sounded as the message ended with her last statement.
"I…..I just ask that…...you can give me one more chance. I want to be, I do. So if you think you can forgive your stupid, dumb, worst mother in the world…...please…..call me back….so we can finally fix what I screwed up….for you…..and maybe even for your dad.
I love you so much kiddo. I hope that you can at least let me. I'll keep my phone on me, on the loudest setting and never let it out of my sight….for you."
Message recorded.
Ryder's heart was torn. He never hated his mother. Heck no. He always had love for her no matter what she or even he did to break his bond. He missed her so much and….wouldn't pass up a chance to get her back in his life.
He went to the number and dialed it on his pad. He waited patiently as it rang.
Ring
Ring
Ring
Ring
Ring
Ring
"Your call has been forwarded, to an automatic….
Ryder hung up. So much for always having it on her.
Ryder's heart shattered to pieces. She just said in the message that she would answer him and yet she didn't. A trope of hers that caused this problem in the first place.
Ryder laid his head down and cried softly on his desk. Wondering if his mother will ever hold up her end, and be a loving mom to him again.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Ryder's head shot up and quickly dried his tears. He looked at his pup pad and in quick disappointment, saw that it was Farmer Yumi, calling him.
Putting aside his internal issues. Ryder answered gracefully. Ready to receive the first job for the patrol that was much needed.
"R-Ryder here."
"Oh Ryder." Farmer Yumi called. "I'm so sorry to bother you. I feel so guilty asking for your help right now."
Ryder gave a comforting smile to the farmer. "Don't feel so bad about it, Farmer Yumi. You're actually helping us right now more than we'll be helping you."
Farmer Yumi had a surprised look on her face. "Oh….okay, if-if you say so. Well, let me get on with it then…."
Ryder listened on, as the next chapter of the Paw Patrol was finally going to start.
(A/N): It's time for the Paw Patrol to get back in the saddle. But while Ryder may be excited to go back on the field, will his pups feel the same? Will they go through with it with no problems? or is it too soon for the pups to do any job?
Find out next Friday, when Chapter 24: The Paw Patrol Returns, releases to you all!
Question of the Chapter: Will the animosity between Chase and Zuma ever be solved? Who do you think made it worse?
let me know in your review!
Please review and tell me your favorite parts and if you have any questions about the story or anything else, just put it in your review or pm me and l'll get back with you as soon as I can.
This Is Sean Thames of Dragonsfire Entertainment signing off!