A/N: Hey guys, sorry this took a bit longer than usual. I had a lot of real life stuff that I needed to juggle as well as my illustration work. But this November I vow to update this story every Saturday night until this one of a kind tale meets its well-deserved end. I really hope you guys enjoy the ride so far and definitely feel free to R&R if you'd like!

Chapter VI
~Preparation~

The whole party was in a tad perplexing situation by what had just happened. The red kelpie's proposal seemed way too nonchalant and confident by the way his tone was executed. Despite that they were thankful for their heroic save, why would Rusty, Jack, and Mackenzie even want to join the Terriers? The latter was pretty certain they had some duty to take care of regarding the Army. Eventually, their curiosity would soon overcome them and incite some inquiries. With just a good amount of relief circulating through the party of pups, the three terriers looked at the recruits that jumped right in the nick of time to lend them a hand. A smile registered in them before their words were sincerely uttered.

"You… really want to join us?" Zeus spoke.

"Of course," Rusty said. "This is definitely something worth fighting for, is it not?"

"Totally!" Rufus placed his fists on his sides. "But what about your duty?"

"And the packages?" Maximus added, albeit a little baffled, as the red kelpie rummaged through his bag to retrieve a weapon one of the Terriers left behind. "They must be very important for your base."

Rusty pulled out the weapon, his sights glancing towards the light grey canine before switching to one with the darker shade. "As much as I would like to confirm that, this is actually for something else." With his sights on the weapon, a great realization had sparked for Rufus. A heart skip and a few double takes in and he sheepishly let out a chuckle as he laid a hand behind his head. The kelpie approached him slightly, handing him the sword. "Here you go, Joe."

A small jump occurred from the terrier, along with everyone else, sans his own brethren. It's almost like a hidden secret that has never seen any light until now. It was nothing new for Rufus' brothers, but this was new information to everyone else. Trying to brush it off, Rufus simply grabbed his weapon and left a laconic compliment. "Er… thanks."

"That's quite a name you have there," Winton spoke.

"How come I'm just now hearing this?" Mackenzie uttered.

"It's nothing special alright?" Rufus retorted, his eyes rolling with slight annoyance.

Rusty resumed speaking to everyone. "Since all of you are wondering why we're tagging along is that I've heard about what happened regarding you guys."

Zeus spoke, quickly jumping on the same topic. "Yeah, Winton informed us about it before we infiltrated these trees."

"The coronation for the princess was going to be today until some things happened," Maximus added.

"We're all aware of what this sitch is all about," the kelpie spat. "There's a letter wrapped around that sword I handed to Joe."

"Would you please refer to me as Rufus?" the terrier requested. "It's a long story and there's not enough time to explain."

Rusty shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, mate."

The Russell Terrier rummaged through his bag for some replenishments. Extracting a baggie with some graham crackers, he faced the three brothers and spoke. "Here, have some of these," Jack said. "I'm sure you guys are looking for something to tide you over for a while."

"Ooh!"

"Looks pretty good."

"I am a little hungry from all this walking around."

The Terriers, along with Winton and Hercules each snagged a piece. A couple of snarfs in, and satisfaction overcame each and every member of the party. The flavor on the crackers left such a good aftertaste, it's almost like they couldn't have just one. With that out of the way, the party grabbed their items before they all wondered what they needed to do regarding a little detour.

"Alright, what do you guys suppose we should head to?" Maximus uttered.

"I would suggest you guys follow our lead," the red kelpie spoke. "Me and Jack have been exploring these roundabouts for a good while now. I think we could get you guys out of these parts and approach closer to completing your important deed."

The party all faced one another, sans Rusty and Jack. With a simple nod and a determined face, they unanimously agreed. Someone with that kind of experience was enough to lend some trust. They felt confident that everything would go smooth like they were sailing.

"Alright, Rusty," Rufus said. "Show us the way."

"Okay," the kelpie responded. "But we're going to get us some proper armor for this mission." His sights turned to his only trustworthy comrade. "Ready Jack?"

The Russell terrier saluted with pride. "Yes sir!"

The three terriers all shouted together at the top of their lungs. "For Scotland!"

And with this, everyone headed back into another array of trees. What could lie ahead for the party of eight? What else could stand in their paths in order to bar them from ever reaching the castle? How far away is it anyway? If anything, they still had a long way to go. The only progress that the Terriers made so far was by infiltrating a wave of trees with barely even a single problem. They also gained four members to help aid them throughout their adventure. It might seem like a good amount, but more shouldn't hurt their chances. They could be outnumbered, blindsided with what the antagonists have whipped up. Just the thought of it was enough to inflict a speck of anxiety to them.

They must prepare… for anything that may occur.

The weather continues to grow more intense with each progressive second. The castle was getting bombarded with lightning and heavy rain. The claps were so loud that they barely held the potential to shatter any fragile objects. The rain was actually enough to fill a moat, right in front of the fortress.

Inside the old, medieval building, instead of wandering around aimlessly for the sake of finding Chloe, Bluey went into hiding in an open room, in case some of the guards were looking for her. She was desperate to reunite with the princess, progressively letting her worry get to her little noggin. It had been a good thirty minutes, but to her, it felt like hours, maybe even days.

She sighed instead of letting out a noisy neigh. It ended up putting a halt on her role as an equine mare. "I can't find her anywhere," she softly spoke to herself. "I'm sure she's got to be close by somewhere… I hope."

The blue heeler had to keep her confidence going strong, refusing to believe in mistrust, knowing that the princess wouldn't dare do anything to jilt her. She had to find a way to keep her exposure right on the down-low. It shouldn't be that difficult, or so she thought.

Bluey quietly gasped. "Oh no!"

Just when the heeler's situation couldn't get any more intense than it already was, the pitter-patter of the guards' paws gradually increased in sound in the hallway. There was barely anything surrounding her that could be of good use right this second. All she observed in the room with her little pupils was a sturdy wood table, three to four canisters just sitting on top, half-empty with either root beer or cream soda. Lying motionless on the floor was a rusty key, uncertain if it was for this specific room.

Bluey's anxiousness increased, almost like it was leveling up. She quietly tiptoed frantically, trying her best to figure out what to do. Having a feeling that the guards are just outside the door, she bolted under the table. She acknowledged how ineffective it was, given that it was the only thing sitting in the room. There wasn't any other choice for her to select. She might as well take her chances, and hope for the best.

Just on the other side of the door stood two guards. With no showing of hesitating, the wood door came flying open into another stone wall. It startled the blue heeler deeply. The door ricocheted back into the guard like a boomerang. A direct hit in the face, inciting a painful yelp.

Bluey couldn't help herself but release a snicker even though it wasn't a very thoughtful move at the time. She figured she'd let it out so it wouldn't build up later on. The door reopened again. This time, the two guards entered the barely empty room. Both of them took their helmets off, revealing to be the father figure of a border collie, the other being the father of a beagle.

He caressed his own snout, trying to soothe some of the ache. "What kind of door does something like that?"

Marcus shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "You're the one that kicked it in."

Rex sighed out of chagrin, shrugging like the big beagle. "Well, who knew? It ain't like this is just some wacky universe where you can defy some physics along with the medium but what's it matter?"

Marcus adjusted his glasses before he took a few steps inside the room. "...Well anyway, I'm most certain that little blue steed stumbled upon around these parts."

Rex followed. "Yeah, I saw that little thing wander around here too." His eyes darted as his nostrils noisily drew in some bit of air twice. "I can practically smell its presence."

"I'm pretty sure it's you," Bluey thought to herself, smirkingly rolling her eyes at the remark.

Desperate to capture the other damsel, and having full knowledge she was somewhere in the room, their search was swiftly beginning progress. They noticed two things, the table with the tankards, and a dresser in the corner. Rex was quick to have any sort of doubt the heeler would try and hide in there. He dropped down to his knees and searched under the table, only to find Bluey with her back towards him, curled up with her eyes closed.

The border collie's dad's sight wasn't sure if it deceived him. "Uh… Marc?"

The beagle father figure kneeled down. "You found that little rascal?"

Rex gave Bluey a good look. He wonders if his eyesight was messing with him. All he saw was a furry-shaped oval with some navy blue spots. "I… Y-you think somebody lost their little pillow?"

The beagle undoubtedly facepalmed. "Rex, those mind games have seriously taken a toll on your own."

The black and white hound went as far as to reach out and touch Bluey's back, causing a sudden jump in her heart as her eyes pried open posthaste. "But it's feels so soft!"

Shaking his head, Marcus spat "Since when did anyone in this darn castle have pillows?" Rex paused. "That's the darn horse we're looking for!"

"Huh?!" Rex touched the heeler's fur a couple more times for the purpose of confirmation. Upon realization, he spoke out slowly "Ohhh… For once I hate to admit how right you really are, ya nerd."

"How are you gonna have a good working nose and not be able to…"

Rex rolled his eyes. "...And this is coming from a scent hound of all people. Alright then, professor."

The beagle stopped to realize there wasn't a point in arguing. "Just-"

Tired of wasting their valuable time, Marcus grabbed a hold of one of the heeler's arms, dragging her out from under the table.

Bluey neighed in fear. She knew that this was coming eventually. She was an intelligent and energetic little munchkin that would always find a way to make anything work out. In retaliation, before Rex could join his hand with hers, she bit down hard on Marcus' fingers, forcing him to release her from his grasp.

"Yow!" the beagle cried out in agonizing pain, barely watching her maneuver around freely in the room. He turned to the big collie, just standing there, observing the events in front of his eyes. "What on earth are you doing?!" He softly growled. "Get her!"

Bluey went for a key she noticed earlier on her fours, picking it up with her pearly white chompers. The only predicament that stood before her were two guards. She thought it wouldn't be that bad. If anything, it was just a second wave of what she had to endure earlier. The heeler needed to think, and fast. With the two hounds cornering her behind the table, they approached her by sprinting.

"Hey you," Rex spat. "Drop it!"

The second Rex and Marcus made an attempt at a diving catch, the heeler bolted under the table, maneuvering through the chairs, and headed for the door, all the while making the two dogs crash headfirst into each other. The impact was good enough, she could witness stars floating around their head.

"That was… totally hurtful."

"Is… Rex and the... Metropolis on the air…?"

The two guards were quick to collect themselves and witness the heeler run. On their feet again, running back into the hallway, Marcus shouted "Hurry! After her!"

Exiting the room, the guards looked their separate ways. Unfortunately, there's no such luck for the duo. Despite that, there was no fret. With a tactic already in mind, the beagle decided to execute it.

"I call the right side, you take the left!" Marcus already bolted down the hall, leaving Rex behind, only for him to speak his complaints.

"Wait!" he said. "I don't think that's…" He sighed in annoyance, sprinting down the other direction. "Whatever happened to sticking together is beyond me."

Bluey kept galloping throughout the hall. Already losing a line of sight between her and the guards felt like a good sign for her. As usual, she liked to go the extra mile like taking the initiative to do things she was fully aware that needed to be taken care of. She went to her right, adding another line of sight for the guards to lose.

The stomping sounds she heard while running off sounded distant to her now. The heeler felt confident that the duo of baddies wasn't anywhere near her how. Such relief flowed through her head acknowledging this. She panted for a brief second as she took the time to look around the hall she currently stumbled upon. Maybe the key she obtained went to one of the many doors surrounding her.

The blue heeler dropped the key that was wedged between her teeth and gave it an examination to the best of her ability. It was a little rusty as she noticed before. The color of it wasn't as bright or loud. She soon reached a conclusion that it was just any old ordinary key. In spite of this, it could probably unlock something that may be of good assistance later on, or not. Who knows?

Bluey retrieved the key once more. With no odd door in plain sight in the blue pup's peripheral vision, she kept on moving forward. It's probably not wise to try the item on several doors while being on the run from the bad guys simultaneously, she thought. Her chances of getting caught in their tracks by staying in the same hall would immensely skyrocket. No matter the situation she was put in, or put herself in, she always needed to think ahead.

Wandering around two more halls like she was trying to navigate through a labyrinth for the sake of escape, she heard some voices. Her ear twitched delicately, listening to the sounds in the distance. It wasn't a simple discussion or any kind of laughter, it was a cry. A scream for help, and almost instantly, she was able to recognize where those sounds originated from. Her mouth barely agape upon realization.

The little princess dalmatian. She was gravely in distress.

"Help! Bluey! Somebody!? Where are you!" she yelled.

Bluey gasped softly. "Chloe? That has to be her! I just know it." Her ears twitched before she walked again, attempting to track her down by any means. "My ears haven't betrayed me yet, but I knew all along that she wouldn't do the same to me!"

The heeler gunned it on her fours. Every gallop she took, the screams of help would grow at a slow pace. A turn to the left, infiltrating another hallway and the sounds were louder than ever. She was close, and she can feel it too. While she trotted, she felt something was a bit off. The castle felt pretty bare regarding the guards. She expected the interior to be filled with a few at every hallway she wandered through. It felt a bit strange to her, but at least she wasn't willing to complain.

The princess had screamed once more. The voices hit Bluey's ear just as she passed. It came from her right. She circled around to witness a door, but it was a different kind of door that stood out above the rest. It was steel, and it had a wheel.

The heeler stared at the door for a while, thinking there's no way those guards left her in here. After once more yelp from the princess, her doubts were completely out the window. She was definitely behind the door that stood in her way.

Anger and determination had riled up the blue heeler. She bolted towards that door and tried twisting and turning it with barely any progress. Too much strain was being applied to her arms while she was shaking and grunting. She had to pause and take a small break before giving it another go.

There had to be another way for the blue heeler to get that door open. But how? There's no keyhole located anywhere. The only way to get it open was by doing exactly what she was trying to do before. It was basically a test of strength for the little blue pup.

When she realized there was no chance of getting that door open herself, there had to be some sort of alternative just lying about somewhere in the hall. All she had to do was do a little bit of hunting. She had a good amount of time to herself, feeling confident that she outran the duo she encountered. It wasn't like anyone in the castle had any knowledge of her exact whereabouts. She got down to business without a second to spare.

Bluey's eyes peered. Her pupils wandered around aimlessly for anything that looked suspicious in the absolute slightest. She didn't witness anything unusual aside from the shining armor display and a camouflaged tarp with some bit of motion. The heeler raised an eyebrow, taking another gander at the moving piece of cloth. She noticed a color that stood out behind it.

That was when confidence began to come into play for Chloe's little steed. She smirked with a little wag of her tail, approaching the tarp insight. She moved the tarp a bit to discover a keypad without a screen. The buttons blinked its lights, showing roman numerals instead of numbers.

Unbeknownst to both of them, that keypad is the way to get the door unlocked. It required a random digit code and to make things more anxiety-inducing for the two kids, an alarm. It was set to go off after a certain number of failed attempts.

Bluey called out to the princess with a staggering neigh. Hearing the sound elicited a gasp as well as a smile out of the trapped dalmatian. "Bluey?" Chloe spoke. "Is that you?" The heeler neighed in an elated response, much to Chloe's relief. "Thank heavens! I thought those mean baddies had taken you hostage! But, it turns out it's the other way around."

The heeler looked down and neighed to her once again trying to stir up a conversation about how she could open the door and save her.

"There's a number pad?" Chloe asked before she received another neigh. "And it's got numerals instead of numbers?" The heeler sputtered in response, getting Chloe to roll her eyes in disbelief. "Yeesh, those darn villains want to be a step ahead with everything huh." She returned her attention to the steel door in front of her. "Now Bluey, my most trustworthy steed, I need you to listen closely. I've found out some very disheartening news and I am completely aware that it's going to leave you shocked once you find out that-"

"GOTCHA!"

Bluey neighed at the top of her lungs, interrupting Chloe as she was getting handled by the same two guards that snuck up on her without any warning.

"Down!"

"Heel you bad little filly!"'

Chloe gasped as this kind of force caught her off guard. "No… no way… it can't be!" She could do nothing but listen helplessly to the baddies restraining her little blue companion crying out and dragging her away. At this point, she would be left wondering where Rex and Marcus were taking her. What did they plan on doing with her? Was she doomed to meet a similar trap like the one she's in herself? This was definitely something the heeler herself wasn't prepared for. Pessimism and fear began playing a factor after each cry to the name of her steed.

"Bluey! Bluey?! Blueyyyyyyyyy!"

Returning back deep into the second wave of trees, Rusty and Jack continued leading the way for the three Terriers walking just behind them. They had been on the move for a good solid ten minutes with nothing out to stall them. The terriers wailed their swords at the falling leaves as a means to get in some bit of training. Winton went out of his way to describe the weather as detailed as possible in an attempt to pass the time and arrive at the castle quicker.

"The clouds seem puffy today… I suppose," The English bulldog spoke. "A little breeze goes well with the gray sky. We could really use that after walking for who knows how long at this point."

"Yeah, what about it?" Hercules asked.

Winton simply responded. "Nothing, I just thought if I talked about it, maybe we'd get to the castle faster."

The saint bernard shrugged, barely shaking his head. "Er, hate to burst your little bubble but, that's never-"

"Hey you guys," Mackenzie interrupted as he turned around, making Hercules feel a bit grumpy as his arms crossed. "I was thinking we should probably think of some ideas regarding our battle with this menacing dragon that kidnapped our princess. There could be a load of thing we would've never seen coming."

"Like when I'll turn you into dough soon enough for interrupting me just now?" Hercules muttered out of spite.

"...I mean, I'm talking about- Woah!" Mackenzie tripped on a tiny unsuspecting stump behind him, lying flat on his fluffy back for the saint bernard to snicker at. The border collie got up and shook his head briefly before irritably uttered "I blame myself for that."

Eavesdropping on the suggestion as Mackenzie resumed walking, Rusty chimed in. "The collie's got a point." The kelpie scoped his surroundings. "We have to expect the unexpected. And even then, if you're not sure what to do, there's always that risky move of taking a guess usually as a last resort."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that," The collie spoke, dusting himself off from the dirt gathering on his fur. "Long story short is, what lies ahead of us can be unpredictable, but it couldn't hurt to get yourself prepared for what life has to throw at you."

"Alright, you loaf, we get it," the saint bernard rolled his eyes.

"Need I inform you that things are repeated for emphasis," Mackenzie crossed his arms. "Emphasis! Now cool it with the name calling."

Hercules sighed. "Whatever you say, mate."

With residence just in plain sight, the two army recruits in front were confident with their travels. "Looks like some houses are just ahead of us," Jack spoke.

The saint bernard looked father away over the horizon to see a trail of dark clouds, along with a little thunderbolt to top it off. Over yonder laid the castle they're looking for. "And I think I found where the castle is," Hercules said, pointing ahead, with Winton leering directly straight ahead.

Everyone stood dumbfounded for a split second. Confidence was swarming around them all as their vision captured the only thing they were looking for.

"Yep," Maximus uttered.

"That's it alright," Rufus added.

The party of eight moved ahead. Rusty, Jack, and Mackenzie still needed the proper items to help storm the castle with the three Terriers. Not only that, they were extremely parched. There wasn't any source of water they could find along the way so they just hoped that eventually, they would find some areas where they know they could retrieve that desire.

When one of the kids stepped on a branch, cracking it in two, it alerted someone. They threw a paper star at the red kelpie, poking him on his wet, crimson nose.

"Agh!" Rusty spat, drawing attention from everyone in the group. He looked ahead of himself, on the lookout for who fired an attack at him. "Alright, who's out there?" The rest of the party did the same thing, looking for anyone else that could be lurking on them. "Come on! Show yourself!"

After a bit of silence building the suspense, The red kelpie heard some little snickers from one of the bushes ahead of them all. With their attention occupied, two ninjas hopped out in front of the party as they let out their unique battle cries, surprising most of if not all of the party. Some gasps ensued while Rusty himself inflicted bafflement on himself.

What everyone witnessed was two kids like them, both dressed up as ninjas. Their colorful cloaks covered their entire presence, all except for their feet, exposing two colors, being yellow and white. as they stood by, waiting for the party to commence in battle without even bothering to utter a single word.

What could these two little ninja fighters want from them? Were they purposely trying to invade property they shouldn't be invading? Was there any beef between them? Whatever the case may be, this was something they had to be prepared for.

Maximus, Rufus, and Zeus all hopped out in front of Jack and Rusty, inviting the two little ninjas to make their first move. Tensions build as everyone just stood there, wondering what was about to go down in the next couple of seconds. Who was going to come out on top? Three roman terriers, or two little ninjas?