Hey everyone! I'm back :) I normally do AN's at the end so I'll try and keep this short but I should put it out there that this short story is based on an earlier scene from my previous work, The Water Pup. I just wanted to say that first because some parts, in reference to Zuma's past, might be a little confusing to those who haven't read that one. Having said that...

The setting sun came off like fire as the horizon threatened to take the last of its remaining orange-kissed light. The percussion of the waves at high tide crashing at his paws was the perfect echo for his calm heartbeat. As he closed his eyes, he took a deep breath of the warm, ocean breeze that took any tension he had right out of his body. A grateful smile formed at the corner of his lips as his paws sank deeper into the sand until they were covered, lost in his reminiscent thoughts about just how much his life had changed in the past two years. Zuma couldn't help but feel happy every time he reminded himself of that. Except, this wasn't just one of those ordinary days. Today held significance and while he tried his best to remain happy, his surfacing thoughts had other plans.

"Hey, Zuma!" Shouted a familiar voice from a distance. One that he was thankful for that interrupted his spiraling daydream. "Earth to Zuma!"

"One more minute," he mumbled back, never taking his squinted eyes off the glistening sea.

Rocky laughed softly to himself as he playfully shook his head. His favorite thing about Zuma was his ability to lose himself in the things that others take for granted. Something that hasn't changed since the first day he met him. Rocky's learned a lot from him, including how to just take a step back for a minute and just appreciate what was around him. He walked steadily down to the shoreline, stopping just behind Zuma to avoid the threat of getting his own paws wet. That's the one thing about Rocky that's never changed. He'd always hate water at this rate. "Everyone's heading home."

Zuma tilted his head slightly over his shoulder, "You guys can go without me."

Something about the tone of his response made Rocky feel uneasy. "Are you okay?" He asked softly as he sat in the sand next to Zuma, tensing with each drop of water that touched him. "You seem a little off today, you haven't said much."

"I'm okay."

"Seriously? I know you better than anyone else, Zuma, I know when something's bothering you."

Zuma let out a small laugh. He rested his head on Rocky's shoulder, blushing as Rocky gently kissed his forehead. "Sometimes I think you planted something in my brain that lets you read my thoughts."

"I've thought about it, but all I'd hear are your thoughts about endless liver treats and probably surfing and all things water. Just the thought of that alone makes me shiver. So, no thanks. I'll stick to my own mind," said Rocky with dry sarcasm. Zuma nudged him with his shoulder playfully. "Huh..."

"What?" Asked Zuma curiously.

"Come to think of it, I don't actually think I've seen you surf since you've been here." Rocky could feel Zuma tensing as he lifted his head off of his shoulder, pulling his paws out of the sand. Zuma looked defeated all of a sudden. "What's wrong? Did I say something?" Asked Rocky with worry in his eyes.

"I'm just not into it anymore," replied Zuma, brushing it off.

Rocky was now certain something was bothering him. Zuma loved to surf. He had pictures of surfers covering the walls of his pup house and loved telling stories of his own surfing adventures. "What are you talking about? I thought surfing was your favorite thing to do."

"Guess you don't know me as good as you think then."

Rocky was shocked and suddenly at a loss for words. He wanted to say something as he watched Zuma walk away but his heart and mind were fighting each other for the right words to say. He stayed behind, staring at the ocean as the velvet night began to fill the sun's void. His mind tried comprehending what just happened. What did I say? He loved to surf...I'm not crazy, it's a fact. Do I go after him? I haven't seen him like this since..." Suddenly, his eyes got wide and his frown formed a straight line as he remembered something. "I gotta find Ryder," He said to himself as he sprinted back towards the lookout, the sand underneath him creating clouds only visible in the night by the street lights in the distance.

Quickly approaching the lookout, he saw that Zuma's pup house was closed shut which meant he wasn't inside with the others. He sprinted through the doors, panting heavily. Suddenly, he tried stopping his out of control pace, skidding with his paws only it was useless. He crashed into the rest of the pups who were eating, like a cannonball sending them flying until they landed in a jumbled pile on the kitchen floor.

"Oww..." grumbled Chase, rolling over and rubbing the golf ball sized knot that was forming on his forehead.

"Wow, Rocky," said Skye, pushing Rubble who was now crushing her, away. "What are you doing?"

Marshall, seemingly unaffected as he was at the top of the pile, wagged his tail with excitement as his eyes grew wider, "That was the most awesome wipeout ever!"

"You would know, you're the professional of wipeouts," said Skye nudging Marshall, as they all laughed.

"Are you okay, Rocky," asked Chase as scooped up what was left of his dinner off the floor back into his bowl.

Rocky rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Have you seen Ryder? I need to ask him something."

"He's upstairs in the control room," answered Rubble, still laughing with a mouth full.

"Sweet, thanks!"

"Hey Rocky," shouted Skye as he darted towards the elevator, "tell Zuma his dinner is ready!" It was useless.

Ryder sat in a green bean bag on the floor with his feet propped up on a rolling office chair. He was playing Corn Niblet Crush on his pup pad, one hand on the pad while the other fed his mouth with popcorn. An angry buzzing game from the game as Ryder looked up to see who was coming. "Aw man! I got so far too..." he said, throwing it to the side. "Hey Rocky."

"What are playing?" he laughed slightly at Ryder's intensity.

"I was playing that game that Chickaletta always plays on Mayor Goodway's phone. It's a little ridiculous but it clearly got my attention." Ryder replied almost embarrassed at his game choice. "Are you okay?"

"I needed to talk to you if you have time."

"Of course I do. What's up?"

"Well, Zuma's been acting weird."

"Rocky, I'm not the best choice to give you relationship advice, ya know?"

Rocky blushed, "No, it's not like that. I brought up surfing and I thought about it and I came to realize that I never actually seen him surf."

"You know, now that you mention it, me either..." replied Ryder, looking to the side as he rubbed his chin, thinking hard about a time he might've forgotten about.

"I just don't know why that would've made him so upset. But then I realized, this was the day you brought him here two years ago."

"You're right. We talked about it earlier before you pups left for the beach but he wasn't acting unusual or anything. Where is he now?" asked Ryder.

"He's locked himself inside his pup house."

"Well that's not good," said Ryder with worry growing in his eyes. "You don't think it has to do with his past do you?"

"I don't know. I know when he gets like this if I keep pressuring him to talk to me it only makes it worse so I was trying to leave him alone for a little while. I thought maybe just the whole him being here now, reflecting on his past, might've triggered something."

"Rocky!" Shouted Ryder as he jumped to his feet, shocking an unsuspecting Rocky. "That night, before we came here, we went to where he was living up in the woods on a cliff. He had a surfboard in there!"

"You're a genius, Ryder!"

"I don't know if it would still be there though...but what if it was? I'm sure he'd love to have that back. I remember he kept looking at it before we left." Ryder and Rocky sat quietly for a minute as their brains went into overdrive. "Wanna go on an adventure?"

"It's late and dark, will we even be able to still find it?" Questioned Rocky.

"I saved the coordinates back then, they'll take us right to it. I actually almost deleted them."

"Let's do this," replied Rocky assertively as he and Ryder high fived.

Ryder and Rocky looked at each other and smiled. Ryder took the pole as Rocky ran towards the slide. At the bottom, Ryder was ready and waiting and when Rocky landed on the back, they sped off into the distance. The full moon above broke up the midnight blackness but wasn't bright enough to dull the light from the millions of silver-sequined stars that shone brightly. Rocky gazed above him in awe, smiling every time his eye would catch a sapphire - a beautiful blue gem hiding amongst the rest, begging to be seen by only those who could appreciate their uniqueness. The drive seemed to take forever until a green sign reading, "Coral City" was now fast approaching.

Rocky's stomach was in knots for some reason, growing more unbearable the closer they got. Maybe it was that he was nervous going to see the conditions Zuma used to live in. Perhaps it was that this might all be for nothing and he would be back at square one. One thing he knew for sure was that just knowing Zuma was hurting, was enough for his own heart to ache also. Rocky loved him with every inch of his being and wanted nothing more than to see Zuma smile with that pure happiness, glistening in his honey eyes that always drove him wild.

Ryder's ATV and the trailer he pulled behind it, hummed and bounced violently as they made their way through the forest up to a narrow, windy trail that had since been covered by fallen saplings and tree limbs since Ryder had last been here. "We're almost there!" He shouted behind him to Rocky who was hanging on tightly as every bump threatened to knock him off the back. The headlights were the only light they had, not even the moonlight could pierce the thick canopy of the oak trees. Suddenly, they stopped. Rocky's heart began to pound and his breathing quicked as he got off the back of the ATV.

"Are you sure this is it?" Asked Rocky, looking around the tall brush and trees with a flashlight from his pup pack.

Ryder got out a flashlight of his own and started searching. Checking his coordinates to make sure he was right. "This is it, I'm sure of it. Keep searching." Both looked around for several minutes, before Ryder tripped on one of the fallen limbs, in a familiar, hollow cave. "Rocky! I found it!"

Rocky ran towards Ryder who was about 50 feet away from him. Hesitantly, he walked inside and a very faint smell of Zuma lingered but it was enough for Rocky to recognize. There wasn't much to look at inside the small, wet, cramped space and after taking it all in, a sharp pain filled his chest as he imagined what Zuma had to go through while he lived here alone. A silver tear escaped his eyes, rolling down his cheek onto the dirt floor. His gaze followed it and something buried in the dirt caught his attention. It was an old, striped beach towel that Zuma once slept on. More tears threatened to break free until a tall, surfboard perched in a back corner was caught his light. "It's still here..." said Rocky no louder than a whisper.

"Wow, I can't believe it," Ryder replied as he petted the top of Rocky's head. "A little overgrown but everything looks just like the night we came here."

"I can't believe this was his home."

"Me either. I'm so thankful for that pup - all of you - every single day. You all came from bad conditions and that only makes me strive harder to give you the best lives I can possibly provide."

Rocky licked Ryder, "We all love you, Ryder."

"Let's get this home, huh? It's a long drive back and it'll be morning soon."

With the board tied down in the trailer, they were homebound. Rocky took one last look behind him, unable to see anything in the pitch black, but maybe it was better that way. With this last piece of his past on his way to him, he felt Zuma could finally find his passion again for the one thing he loved and kept him holding on during his darkest days when all he wanted to do was give up. Only Rocky still felt nervous for some reason. What if this is a bad idea?

To be continued...

So I know I mentioned in The Water Pup that I probably wouldn't be doing anymore Paw Patrol stories, but with some serious pushing from some of you to write again, and a sudden bit of inspiration, my writer's block is cured and here I am with Fractured. It won't be a ton of chapters, maybe two or possibly three. Hope you like it! Anyways, I'll post the next chapter in a few days :) Love ya!