DISCLAIMER: I do not own PAW Patrol, the characters, or any association of the series.
A/N: HELLO READERS! Here we go! And thank goodness I'M OFF SCHOOL! So updates will happen much more frequently. I'm hoping another one next week! (for my other stories!) So off with Marshall! He's defiantly my second favourite. He's just so lovable lol.
To the comments!
lovepawpatrol - i know I made his brother an ass. I too feel bad.
RJW82835 - thank you! I'm glad it touched it. I really wanted to hit the emotional side, since Chase was lacking it within himself for so long. Sucks that tragedy had to be the trigger.
Mattwurnm99 - A: not necessarily. But for sure Chase's meeting will have an impact on her. B: Intresting idea..I never thought of the Brazil one. But dog fighting...it's like you read my drafts lol.
Ranger Pup - glad you're enjoying them!
alvinnascar5 - thanks so much! They are really cute, and I like how they're all so different.
mandan1311 - Really?! I'm honoured. Granted, I don't like making people cry, but in terms of writing I'm so glad it did. A And I'm so glad you loved the arc and Archie. He was fun to write. Yeah, a small part of me would had wanted to keep him on, but then the story wouldn't progress. Like they say, sacrifices must be made.
sulfur angel - Yeah lol! I'm tricky like that.
Wolfie - yeah, it was sad bro. *tears drizzles*
PBJNachos - Mr. Snuggles is in here! Funny you predicted that.
Sean - really? I think I read one story with the name Swift. But I guess cause it compliments the nameChase, since well, they're both about speed.
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"Fuzzy! Oh Fuzzy!"
Green Resource and Recycling pup Rocky, who was currently working on some new contraption, gazed his eyes over to the Firefighter pup, his concentration being interrupted continuously for the past few minutes. Rocky was attempting to work on another contraption he made, and was determinedly insistent to see its completion.
Seeing the worrying look on his comrade and friend's face, Rocky decided to halt his work and ask his friend with genuine inquisition.
"Why are you yelling Marshall?"
The pup appeared to have the need to hyperventilate. "I- I can't find Fuzzy!"
"Fuzzy?" His mind dimmed in recollection at the name, but then he remembered the tiny yellow bird. "Oh, Fuzzy… He probably just left somewhere." He suggested lightly. "I don't think he went far."
Marshall didn't heed much to the words though. "But why would he leave without telling me?" a drawled out gasp came from his muzzle. "I bet he doesn't like me anymore!"
"That's silly."
"And probably went looking for a new best friend!"
"I thought Chase was your best friend?"
"Oh the horror!"
Rocky shock his head. It seemed Marshall was in his moods again. "Oh Marshall, have more faith in um, Fuzzy. I bet he's around the Lookout. Like, near the back, where the deciduous trees are. Typically seasonal birds favour those types of trees, as it stipulates great shelter, versatility of different fruits to grow and such. During the fall months, they are the trees that tend-"
Rocky suddenly stopped, looking at his friend who was staring back at him dumbly.
The environmentalist pup sweat-dropped, realizing he was going about his mini "lessons" again, according to the pups. Zuma would fake snore while Rubble would legitimately fall asleep.
Rocky sighed, realizing no one truly understood his talk except Ryder. "Uh, just go to the back."
Marshall smiled brightly. "Really? Thanks Rocky!"
"No problem Marshall…. huh…?" he blinked, the Dalmatian already gone. "Marshall?"
"What's up with the action here dude?" a new voice asked, and Rocky turned, seeing Sea Rescue pup Zuma and Police pup Chase walking towards him.
"Zuma, Chase," he smiled, but when he lifted his paw to his head, confusion dotted his face. "Um, nothing much, but it's just…Marshall."
Chase raised a brow in mild interest.
"What bout' him?" Zuma casually said, head titling to the side.
"I just wonder why he's so…jittery today. I mean, he's usually like that-"
"Wight on dude."
"But he's extremely jittery today. He did mention something about finding Fuzzy, but he never panicked before if he couldn't find the bird. I wonder what's bothering him..."
Zuma shrugged. "Dunno. I mean, it's Marshall. He's always like that. Wocky dude, you need to chill and let it flow."
"Flow?"
"Yeah, like boarding the waves at high tides." He nodded in agreement to his own advice.
"Actually," the two pups glanced to Chase, finally speaking since arriving. "It's his mom. She called him today."
"His mom?!" Zuma sputtered out, evidence of his surprise. "Dude, I never knew."
"Uh, I don't think anyone knew." The mixed breed said, but his orange eyes glanced to Chase for confirmation. "Well, maybe you did Chase, since you knew him before P.A.W. Patrol. Have you met his parents?"
"Yeah," he pondered how to correctly say the right information. "From what I remember, his mom is super nice. Pretty much a replica of Marshall, just more…quiet, I guess."
"And his dad?"
"Different." He said tonelessly, wanting to keep it vague as possible. "Very."
Rocky quietly understood the cut-off tone of that sentence, and to that, he simply nodded.
Zuma, however, didn't seem to catch the hint.
"Like how man?"
Chase frowned. "Different."
"Aww, weally, that's all you're gonna tell me?!"
"Not my story to tell." Chase replied, shaking his head. "Ask him if you're curious."
Abruptly, Chase's pup tag blinked to life, and all three pups looked to the blue lite collar.
"Chase!"
The said pup stood up straight.
"I need you at the lookout. Meet me upstairs for a debrief of our last mission?"
He nodded. "On my way Ryder sir." the light dimmed, and Chase smiled at his comrades. "Well I gotta get going pups. I'll see you later, probably at dinner." The German Shepard then ran off quickly, sprinting across the grass and disappearing into the tower.
Once their law enforcement officer left, Zuma sighed heavily. "Chase is way too vague bout' things."
Rocky sighed and glanced over at Zuma.
"What?"
"You just don't get it Zuma."
The Chocolate Labrador shrugged in confusion. "What? I just asked a question."
Rocky shook his head. And tothat he turned his own paws and went back to work.
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Okay, the trees Rocky suggested were a huge help, but now the problem was where exactly was Fuzzy. He recognized the familiar tweeting sound and Marshall looked upwards, his blue eyes noticing wings flapping away. He zipped to where it was fluttering today at - ah ha! There he was. His little friend. But it seemed he wasn't alone. There were two birds with him, larger in size, with one having a wider neck than the other. There were huddling close to Fuzzy, and their wings were draped around the little bird. The sight of it made Marshall smile contently. It must be Fuzzy's family.
For awhile Marshall remained quiet, his mind drifting to the not-so-distant past, where once, he saw his family every single day. His mother and father.
His mom called him thirty minutes ago, so worrying about her wellbeing was crossed off. She seemed well, still sweet and compassionate as he always remembered her. Their conversation was light, speaking about his work here, his friends, and some of the missions they had. And when she asked about her package she had sent him a few days ago, he answered happily he received it, showing her his favourite pup snacks (they were made exclusively in Trix City) and boy were they delicious! She always knew what he liked, and that was comforting, especially for the first few weeks when he left his home city and moved to Adventure Bay. She even asked about Chase and Ryder, and he replied honestly, and that all was great.
And then there was the topic of his father.
Uh, he didn't really wanna think about him. The sheer thought of the dog made Marshall sink into the ground like putty. Marshall did ask how his father was doing, but his mother said work was getting busy for him, especially at with missions, and as usual, absent from home.
Eventually, their conversation lingered on other things, laughing and such, as soon his mom said she had to get going, and the call hummed in ending. For the strangest reason the Dalmatian felt anxious after, and when he couldn't find Fuzzy, it only spiked his nerves even more. Thankfully, he found the bird thanks to Rocky (he was really was a damn smart pup), and was content sitting under the trees, with Fuzzy and his family a few feet away.
The wind was grazing through his fur, and with the late afternoon sky clear as the sea, Marshall sat there, letting himself getting absorbed with past memories that were of his old home in Trix City.
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"Is everyone here?!"
The pups, too distracted in their own talk, kept chattering away happily amongst themselves.
"Mr Murphy!" A pup yelled from the rumbling crowd, trying to push through the front. "Can we eat now? I'm starving."
The teacher, a medium sized Doberman, frowned at his student. "No, you cannot have food now. Russel, Quinn, stop hitting each other! Buck, don't eat the mud, Jay for the tenth time-uh, that's it, everyone stop moving! Stop moving!"
The shout seemed to bring them all out of their excitement, and with synchrony, they all turned their eyes to their instructor.
"That's better." The dog said contently, finally smiling at his students listening to him. "I'll be doing roll call, so when you hear your name, bark!"
The pups nodded.
"Bailey?"
Arf!
"Owen?"
"Reporting for duty!" the beagle replied.
"Tark?"
"Your name sounds like a tree!" a pup quipped with a laugh.
"Shutup!"
The teacher sighed. "Peggy?"
A dark fur pup barked in reply.
He continued down the list, each pup replying with their own distinctive call.
"Dante?"
"Here and grooving." A Serbian Hound called.
"Zeus?"
"It's the god pup."
"Woah."
Zeus immediately glared back at the pups who made the comment, then with a swish of his head, he answered with a standard bark.
"Beck? Buck?" he called the Dalmatian twins.
"Here sir!"
"Hey, I was gonna say here today!" the boy twin whined.
"Too bad. I said it already!" His sister countered.
"You're Stupid!"
"I'm not!"
"Are to!"
"Are not!"
"Are-"
"Okay, let's move on." Mr. Murphy really felt his head throbbing. Sweet biscuits he needed a Canine drink.
"Champ?"
The largest pup in the group, a boxer, smirked largely, his face smug and voice of pride. "Best of the best."
"Sparky?"
"Is it food time now?"
He ignored the comment. "Rudy?"
"You mean Ruby." Champ added, and other dogs, in particular, the twins laughed.
"Haha funny Champ." He rolled his eyes. "Here."
"Misty?"
"Here teacher!" a Golden Retriever called out, the few girls in the group. Her stance was strong and her green eyes were sparkling.
"Okay…did I get everyone?"
"Yes teacher!" a pup called loudly. "Can we please hurry up and do the next assignment?! I'm starving."
"Yes Sparky, but I need to make sure…" his eyes flickered in realization upon the paper, then back up at the group.
"Wait a minute," he frowned in displeasure. "Where is Maximilian's son?"
They all shrugged.
"Marshall!" he called, his head roaming above the pups. Great, only a few seconds of moving them outside and already a pup was missing. Perhaps that suggestion to have an assistant would have been very useful right now. Oh sweet biscuits his mind would have a moment of peace once in awhile training these energetic students. But nevermind the past! Mr. Murphy needed to find the missing pup, and already the spotted pup wasn't hiding amongst the group. Now where was that –?
"Here Mr. Murphy! I'm here. Here!"
The bushes shuffled and a Dalmatian pup suddenly sprang out, racing straight to the little group of pups. However, the pup suddenly tripped over his paws and tumbled into a ball, rolling and rolling in a rapid, powerful mess. The pups yelled and jumped away at the sight of the roll, but their teacher stayed firm, staring down at the incoming pup who thankfully stopped right in front if his paws. The black and white spotted pup blinked dumbly at the shock of the roll, but he looked up, smiling nervously. "Heh, uh I'm here."
The teacher continued to frown. "Clearly." The pups snickered.
Before Marshall could respond, Mr. Murphy straightened his posture and looked outward to the pups. "Okay! Now that we're all here, I want everyone to get into groups! We'll be conducting simulations of what we learned today in class. Now," He barked, "Get into them quickly!"
They didn't need to be told twice. The pups were buzzing around, all attempting to find partners to their liking, all while barking and howling in either joy or annoyance. Sparky continued to complain about his stomach, and once again, the twins were arguing amongst each other.
Yet, the one pup that wasn't racing around was the latecomer himself. Marshall jumped up on his paws, seeing everyone who was still running excitedly around. He kept flickering his blue eyes, his pace slow and unassuming as he scanned his surroundings.
Great, where would he join? He knew he had to figure out quickly before all the groups were full, and he was already dreading to ask the question. Now who could he-
Ah ha! He spotted someone. Nate sometimes talked to him. Maybe he could join there. O-Or maybe Bailey! He wouldn't mind. Maybe.
Marshall then noticed Owen zipping in front of him, racing to a small group. Owen! He could ask Owen. He was nice enough. He was his partner for another group assignment in the past.
Marshall was already tottering off before he realized it. Owen and his group were yapping away, and seemed to be in a middle of a joke, as they all laughed happily, one even falling over, clenching his stomach.
That was Marshall's cue. He was ready. With a semi-confident stride he began approaching the group. Before he even got close though, a pup noticed him from at a side-glance and eyes turned wide.
"Oh, Marshall."
The group turned dead quiet. Even the laughing pup who was on the ground stopped, looking at the Dalmatian.
Marshall felt sweat beating at his forehead. He never liked being the center of attention, even if it was a small group, and the intensity of their eyes made him wobbly. Yet, with a big swallow, he conjured up a bright smile and said:
"Uh, hi pups! Nice weather we're having."
They all continued to stare at him.
"Our group is full already." One said finally. They all nodded quickly in agreement. Owen was among the bobbing heads.
"Oh." Marshall didn't know what to say. It was all he could think of for several moments. "Okay. That's cool. Heh, I'll, uh, find another group then!" He did a little wave, and turned away, quietly sighing at his failed attempt.
But he shouldn't give up! No, no. There were other groups. Hopefully. Some group had to let him in.
"Sorry Marshall!"
"Ugh, this is awkward. I promised I joined their group!"
"No, no, we're good!"
"Try those pups. Uh, we would add you if we could."
"Um, we're uh, full. Right? Right."
"Okay, are we assembled in groups pups?!" Mr. Murphy shouted over. His ears kept twitching around.
The pups nodded.
"Perfect! Now let's recap the first lesson-"
"Um, Mr. Murphy."
He glanced back, seeing a spotted paw lifted in the air.
"Yes, Marshall?"
His ears dropped. "I don't have a group."
"I see…" He nodded and his nose flailed. "Fine, then be my partner!"
Marshall's face turned an embarrassed blue. "It's okay Mr. Murphy! Uh, I'll be fine!"
"Nonsense! Now come to the front of the class. This lesson cannot be held up any longer!"
The Dalmatian felt his cheeks burning as he disgruntledly walked to the front, then plopping himself beside their teacher. Some pups quietly giggled as he went up, because truthfully, who would want to be paired up with the coach?
Marshall sighed heavily as the teacher began explaining the drill to the class. Again today was one of those days...
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The day buzzed away, and before the pups knew it, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day.
Majority of the pups walked down to the eastside area of campus, where all the pup dorm-rooms were. The pups from Marshall's class came abroad, so often they all walked home together on that perfectly paved cement road leading to the small building. In fact, a lot of the pups at the school came from other firehouses across the city (since it was superbly large, being one of the biggest cites in the county). From what the Dalmatian recalled, only Peggy, Quinn, and Tark had dog parents who worked at this location.
Marshall headed down the road, his head bobbing side to side, taking in the usual scenery that beckoned at Trix City Alpha Pups Academy. Often an outsider, especially from a new pup's perspective, would think this place was ginormous, and in truth it was! Not only was this place had the largest firedog school in the city (and arguably the largest in the country), but it also carried an equally sized K-9 school that shared the same ground space. What really made this place unique thing was that the firedog and K-9 school had their own specialized location, completely separate yet close from the human counterparts.
The Dalmatian passed by the gate and entered in a zone where a small fire station was residing. Marshall immediately recognized the dogs who were hanging around the garage, but he slipped passed them while they kept chattering away contentedly. He went straight to one of the doors in the back, and he placed his paw on a scanner. After the familiar buzz, the door clicked open, and he pushed himself inside, and he was greeted with furniture and smells he knew all too well.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed spotted black and white fur walking across the living room, to which it suddenly stopped.
"Marshall?" a female voice questioned, and immediately she turned, her bright blue eyes burning with joy. "Marshall!"
"Mom!" he bellowed out just as happily. She toddled over to him, licking his cheek affectionately before another smile came upon her face.
"How was school sweetie?"
"Uh, fine!" he tried to conjure his best voice. "We practiced patient care today."
Her eyes lite at the mention of it. "Ah, you did? And how did you feel about it? Did you practice standardized CPR with a pup buddy?"
"It was…" he shrugged, but nevertheless smiled. "Good."
She smiled. In terms of appearance, she was, of course, a full breed Dalmatian; even dotting the same wide-eyed curious look her son has inherited. She, however, had dark blue eyes, mixed with a shade of green. Tall and elegant was what dogs and humans said about her.
"Well, I hope you're not too hungry. Dinner isn't finished yet I'm afraid!" She sighed bashfully. "You can eat a snack while you wait."
"Even the cookies?"
She laughed. "Even the cookies."
He grinned in sheer delight, and after one more peck from his mom, he went into the kitchen. In one of the containers had Marshall's favourite treats inside. With a little tug, he pulled the lid off, and into his mouth were two delicious pup treats. Another was in his paw.
"Oh, mom," he asked, finally the question daunting on him. "Why are you home? I thought you'll be at the hospital all day today."
"I only did half day. Wondered why there was no leftover pup dinner?" she giggled.
"Hehe, right." He munched the cookie happily, heading to the cushions in the living room.
"Besides," she noted with owlish eyes. "your father is coming back today. I wanted to greet him when he gets home."
Marshall immediately dropped his pup treat.
Blue-green eyes swirled in confusion. "Sweetie?"
He forcefully shoved down the remaining treat still lodged in his throat, and he tried to smile. "He is? I-I thought he's coming home in a week."
"He was supposed to, but the mission was completed earlier than expected. He should be arriving very soon."
Woah, woah, woah! Way too soon. "An hour?! Mom! You didn't tell me to prepare!"
"Oh that's silly Marshall. There's no need to prepare. He's fine how you are now."
Marshall didn't seem to listen though. "This is crazy! I-I don't have anything impressive to say! Or do! Mom, is my fur brushed right? Does it look messy? Ugh, is he gonna check my pet house and see how messy it is? I-I better clean it!"
"Marshall!"
He blinked lethargy at her call.
"Relax. Sweetie…" she patted his back reassuringly. "Yes, maybe cleaning your room would be a good idea. I was going to ask that myself!" She quietly giggled, attempting to sooth her son's panic. "But everything else is unnecessary. Just be yourself. That's what we want you to be."
Be himself. Ha. As if that was gonna help him. "Sure mom…"
"What was that Marshall?"
"I mean, uh, okay mom!" he tried to laugh it off, and after a moment of her staring questionably at him, she pouted. "Don't be upset Marshall. Or…" her voice dipped into a teasing manner. "Do I have to tickle the smile out?"
He tried to keep a straight face, but with his mother's quirky grin staring at him, and her paws suddenly lunging at his stomach, he couldn't help it but burst out laughing. He fell to the ground.
"Ah ha!" she exclaimed, "There's the smile."
"Haha, m-mom!" he breathed between, "S-Stop! Haha!"
"Alright, Alright," she ceased her own giggling, giving her son a quick kiss on the forehead.
"This is the Marshall I know." she smiled, "The one who's always happy."
He relayed that in. The one who's happy...
And then there was a buzz.
Both their ears perked a bit, hearing paws padding against the wood. His mother turned just in time and there in her sight was a Dalmatian, standing calmly a few feet away from her, dotting in a dark red uniform.
Marshall jumped from the floor, while his mother, looking genuinely surprised, began walking towards the front. "Max." A sweet smile was on her face. "You've arrived early. Welcome back."
He nodded in acknowledgment. After placing a bag down on the ground that was strapped across his body, he peered his eyes to her with a focused look. As a Dalmatian himself, he was extremely tall, heights often towering other dogs. He was muscular yet lean, portioning right with his body type. His spots were rich with colour, despite his white fur coating more of a cream. Perhaps the most prominent feature on him was his face - a scar stretching through his eye. It didn't, however, distort his vision though.
"How was your work today Pippa," his voice tonelessly stated.
"Fine. Only two paramedic calls, but nothing of major concern. Mostly hospital work today."
He said nothing to that, only nodding as he continued to enter deeper into the house.
That was when Marshall stiffened. His father was heading to his direction! What should he do? It's not like he could avoid the dog. It's his father for biscuits sake! He had to say hello.
When the male dog stopped near his son, Marshall gulped. "H-Hello Father."
The dog, barely inclining his head around to see the pup, conjured a simple glance with his eyes before returning back in front of him.
"Do not stutter Marshall." He stoically replied.
"Uh, right Father."
"And don't say uh either. You sound incompetent."
"Uh-," he stopped his wording, blinking in awareness. "I mean, yes. Yes father."
He didn't reply. After another glimpse the dog strode off, heading straight to his study room.
Marshall received a reassuring glance from his mother before she padded off to her mate, mentioning something about dinner.
When they left, Marshall immediately made a break to his room, attempting to be light on his paws before finally closing the door behind him.
A much-needed sigh escaped Marshall's mouth. It was always tense when his father was around, and how his mom was able to act the same was beyond his comprehension.
But then again, it wasn't like she was the one he was disappointed about.
Nope, that unfortunate title went to him. His father was a fearless hero and a skilled member of B.A.R.K, The Brave Alliance Response Canines. They were a rescue response group consisted of dogs of various skills, who often partnered with humans who were considered "elite agents" in their field. Of course, his father was the fire expert and also the leader of B.A.R.K. At a young age, he surpassed the ranking of a Fire Chief and went straight into special operations.
All Marshall had ever known since a newborn pup was how great his father was, and how everyone highly respected the senior Dalmatian, full of admiration and awe. Marshall cannot recall a time when he met a dog or human that didn't know his father. It was something expected around him. And when Marshall was born...he too was expected to follow in family's legacy, and carry on the Miller name of one of the greatest firedog families that existed.
But nope, fate had other plans.
To be fair Marshall knew he was somewhat…slippery, on his paws, but wasn't everyone once in awhile? Yeah, maybe he tripped too often to count and did the craziest stunts when attempting to run in a straight line, but it wasn't like he did it on purpose! All accidents. He just needed to work on his coordination and skills. That's all. And again, didn't everyone have their clumsy moments? Well – he chuckled dryly – not his dad. Never him. He even bet as a newborn pup his father probably walked on his first try, and spoke his first words with fortunate ease.
Yup, sounds about right.
Okay, and he also knew the other pups weren't really…friendly with him either. At first, he didn't understand. Wouldn't they want to play with Maximilian's son? At first they did. But soon it quickly turned into awkward glances and obvious avoidance, and slowly, but surely, Marshall understood why.
But he was fine with it...really! Yeah maybe the name calling and keeping him out of their conversations and games made him feel a bit isolated, but he had Mr. Snuggles! He immediately grabbed the bear that was resting on his pup bed. The bear was always there to help him out, a comforting ear when he needed it. His mom was also there (but he quickly reminded himself he couldn't be too dependent on her, as she was always busy). Oh! And there was Old Chief Orson. He was the head firedog at the largest station in Trix city. A very sober but kind dog who knew his family for years. He was the one adult dog Marshall could talk to without receiving a look of pity.
"Marshall!" his mother called. "Dinner's ready."
"Coming mom!" patting his fur on his head down in place to look presentable, (for his father seemed to scrutinize him silently whenever he can) he breathed out another breath and trotted outside. Hopefully he wouldn't trip like he's prone to do.
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"Max," Pippa suddenly said at dinner, which for the first two minutes it was dreadfully quiet. "Marshall learned patient training today. Didn't you sweetie?"
He swallowed his mouthful, his eyes darting to his mother's hopeful gaze to his father's façade. He was unfazed by his mate' comment, continuing to eat silently.
"Y-Yes, Mom." Marshall replied, and oh how he tried to be confident.
"You can tell your father what you learned."
Oh seesh now he had to talk about school? Like directly to him? And see his father's reaction? And…when did it get hot in here?
"Well…" he stalled, trying to carefully think of his wording. "Like mother said, we learned patient care…so, making sure they were cared for properly after fires, but not like only fires, like other things too-I mean incidents! Incidents that could happen if they…need…treatment…."
No response.
Feeling nervous, Marshall scrambled up whatever he could, and mouth was moving a mile a minute. "We did CPR which wasn't that hard no not really and there had to practice wrapping bandages on different injury spots and I ended up wrapping an eye which was so weird because wouldn't they need something else and what if they cant see I mean they would need hospital care but then again we did study lot in class so I'm guessing that weird technique to maintain eye from gushing out-"
"It is fine Pippa." Marshall was startled at his father's voice, speech stopping in mid-sentence. He stiffened, and his mother glanced to her mate.
"I am well aware of the curriculum the school provides. Should there be changes they would notify me." His took a sip of his bowl, and then straightened his posture. "There's no purpose for making him blabber like a fool."
The feeling of sinking into the ground…yup, that what was Marshall was feeling right now.
"Max-"
He rose up, staring straight at his mate. "I'll be going into my study once more. Thank you for the food Pippa." And he strode once more.
Marshall swore he heard a dishearten sigh, and he knew, knew his mother was looking at him. But for sure he didn't want to look at her. He didn't want another pity glance. It wouldn't help.
It wouldn't help at all.
.
.
.
"Tag! You're it!"
Currently it was break time, and Marshall was watching some of the other pups running around, playing tag or hide-and-seek. He had his own stuff to play with (like books, toys, etc) but to be fair he really wanted to join in on them. Despite having a vast amount of knowledge on different types of pup games, he never really played them. From what Marshall remembered, the last time he played openly with them was the first weeks of school, and boy wasn't that the best.
As he resumed reading his favourite comic book, something sparked notice in his peripheral vision. He placed the comic down.
Uh, where was his backpack?
He blinked dumbly. Surely he brought it with him outside. Did he stop by anywhere before coming to the tree? Hmm, maybe the toy bin, but he only glanced at the new baseballs the school ordered. The hedges? Nah, he didn't go there. He liked flowers but they always made him ticklish. So maybe the tress behind the playground? He crinkled his eyes in memory.
Before he realized it, he lunged up and began heading to the grasser areas, checking near tress, beside them, even in holes. After a good ten minutes, Marshall was perplexed. Where the heck was his stuff?
Then he had the weirdest idea of looking up, checking if it was in the trees. Why he thought that he really didn't know, but he checked for the sake of it.
And in plain sight, on one of the taller trees, laid a red and yellow backpack.
"Huh?" he exclaimed to himself, dropping his comics on the ground. Why in the biscuits was it in a tree? He defiantly did not go up there. Or did he?
He shock the idea off. If he did or didn't, he needed to go up there.
Marshall climbed the tree. He tried mimicking what cats did, digging their claws into the bark, or be light on his paws, but nothing wasn't working as he smoothly hoped. But thankfully, after several tries, he got a good grip, and he soon ended up at one of the high branches.
Now, Marshall wasn't afraid of heights. But the one thing that did freak him out was the horrible sensation of falling. During ladder training sessions, it was often stationary, so it was fine. But now trying without a harness and climbing freely on the tree? This was way out of his comfort zone.
Abruptly, he heard the sound of pups laughing approaching. One voice he recognized easily.
"Aww look, Marshy Klutzy is trying to find his toy." It was that large pup, Champ.
"I'm trying to get my backpack Champ." Marshall stretched farther with his paw, but with no avail, he couldn't reach. "Someone maybe put it here." He mumbled.
"Well I had no idea!" he said with mock surprise, and the other pups were snickering behind him. "I wonder who did it."
Marshall refrained from saying anything.
Champ looked like he wanted to add to his comment, yet he noticed something, his disinterested face warping into malicious glee.
"You still like these?!" he laughed loudly, and Marshall froze, knowing exactly what he meant.
Champ had the comic in his paws. "Aren't these for little pups?! But then again, you are a little pup… in brain size."
That stung. But Marshall tried to ignore the insult. "They're not for little pups!"
"Yeah they are." He looked back, and the small group behind him (Marshall recognized them, it was Dante, Sparky, Rudy, the twins) stood there. "Don't you agree with me guys?!"
"Yeah!"
"Totally dumb."
"Dumber than dumb."
"You have to be stupid to like it!"
"Who took my granola bar?"
Champ rolled his eyes at the question. "You ate it Sparky."
"Really?" he sighed in defeat, looking positively devastated, but with Champ's eyes still lingering at him, he added. "Oh, and the comic sucks."
This...this is why Marshall wanted to avoid Champ today. During class Champ was annoyingly persistent to bother him today, flicking stuff on the back of his head. Why, he didn't know, but when he tired to tell him to stop, it was the exact time Mr. Murphy decided to turn around and catch him talking. And with Marshall's luck, he was the one who was called out for interrupting and getting in trouble. So when recess came, Marshall blitzed the heck out, determined to avoid Champ, but that was rapidly falling apart.
"Please don't touch my comic Champ…"
"Pff, why? I can touch what I want." He flapped the comic around carelessly in his paw. "Besides, you can't tell me what to do."
Marshall was internally panicking. Champ looked ready to tear it apart with his fangs.
"Hey! Don't- woah, woooaah!" Marshall lost his pawing, attempting to stay on, but in his motion, his front paw got tangled with the strings of his backpack, and he stumbled down, landing on each branch before flopping on the ground.
The pups were laughing. "Too funny!" Champ chirped. "Only Marshy Kluntzy can do something so stupid and funny at the same time."
Marshall wrestled with the strings that tied his paws and legs together. The leaves and twigs too.
"See? That's karma for saying Pablo the superflop is good."
"I-It's Apollo…"
He snorted.
Marshall was really nervous now. "P-Please Champ! Don't rip that page out!"
"Like I said!" his paw was right on top of it, and Marshall's eyes were wide with panic. "It's just a dumb comic-!"
Snatch!
Champ looked absolutely dumbfounded. A Golden Retriever was at his side, who was now holding the soon-to-be shredded comic in her paw.
She sighed lowly. "That's too much Champ."
He looked positively livid at her remark. "Misty! You can't-"
She already had her paw on his forehead before he knew it. "Like I said, enough. He was already stuck in a tree, and now tangled himself. Let him be for now. And besides, Sammy and Quinn want your opinion on who's stronger on relay races."
His chest gloated in pride. "Duh, of course they want my opinion."
Misty nudged his side. "Then come on. Let's leave."
Champ stared with narrowing eyes at hers, and she inclined her head over to the direction of the playground, offering him a look of conviction. After a huff from the Boxer he began walking off, the pup group dutifully following him behind.
Once everyone left, the Golden Retriever glanced back at the pup on the ground, who now had the tangled mess off his legs. "You okay Marshall?"
"Uh," he tried to shake off the leaves from his head. "I'm good! Thanks Misty."
"Okay." She smiled. "I'll uh, see you later in class."
He almost froze, but thankfully he could utter a response, feeling his cheeks turning warm. "Y-Yeah. See you."
After one more glance she turned her head and followed Champ and his friends down to the central playground.
While Marshall was collecting his stuff and placing them in his bag (especially after a careful inspection of his comic books) he replayed the last few minutes that just happened. But it really didn't involve Champ. It involved Misty.
He sighed heavily in defeat. Ugh, why did he have to look like a fool in front her? The one pup that he truly wanted to impress had to see him stuck in a tree like a cat? And falling? And getting tangled with rope, leaves and twigs? Fate was being increasingly cruel to the Dalmatian.
Misty, well…she was nice. Like super nice. The nicest pup out of all his classmates. She didn't bother him, didn't tease him, in fact she told Champ to stop once in awhile. It made it stranger that she hung around with Champ and his friends. She didn't talk to him outside of class, but a few times he did catch her walking to her residence. He remembered the time thier paths would cross, and for good gesture, he would say hello. Now what made Misty different, was in fact she said hello and smile at him. Oh and everytime she did he would freeze up and become a stuttering mess, blushing wildly before saying a robotic goodbye. Marshall knew he had a huge crush on her, and as optimistic he could be, he hoped one day she would feel the same way, and realize Champ and his friends were nothing but bullies.
When he finally collected all his belongings, he contemplated what to do. For sure he wasn't gonna head back to the playground. And he didn't want to stay here either. So, he decided to explore, hopefully finding a place where he could be alone till recess was over.
He ventured farther then he ever did during break. It was an open field, wide with a beautiful clearing, and the sun shore down on the luscious grass. Marshall knew immediately this was the perfect place! And with excitement verging in his veins, he began racing to get there quicker.
But then he saw a figure.
Marshall struggled to stop, as he realized he was rushing straight towards it, but his legs were not listening to him.
Uh oh.
"Look out!" the pup turned around, only to widen his eyes of the collusion of that was sure to endure.
The two sailed into the air, and with a giant thump, the two landed in a jumbling mess. Marshall swore he saw stars for several seconds, but he shock his head adamantly from the fall. He sure was dizzy, but when he heard groaning underneath, his face turned aghast, and he tried to laugh it off. "Uh, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed honestly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." The pup replied, but a low groan grumbled underneath. "But can you get off me?"
"Oh!" he sprung in the air, landing on the lush grass. The other pup stood up, shaking his head and fur from the collision. "I didn't see you, uh, my bad."
"It's okay," the other said, straightening his posture. "It didn't hurt anyway."
Marshall nodded, feeling glad his accident-prone self didn't cause prominent damage to the pup. But now if he thought of it– he blinked widely – this pup didn't look familiar to him. In fact he never met this pup before.
He had to ask. "Are you a new fire pup?"
The pup shook his head. "No, I'm a police pup."
"Really?!" Marshall was amazed by this revelation. Now it made sense! The pup looked like a German Shepard too after all. He didn't often meet other police pups at the academy, only when they did that spilt class session that happened once in awhile. The Dalmatian did nothing to hide his astonishment. "Whoa, that's so cool!"
The pup shrugged half-heartedly. "Uh, guess it is."
"Guess? It's amazing! You get to fight off bad guys, protect the city, almost like me!" He laughed. "But I'm a fire pup!"
It seemed an expression other than neutrality dotted the German Sheapard's face. In fact, almost impressed. "I've never met a fire pup before. So you're from the Firepup academy here? "
"Yup! I live," he pointed his paw upward, pass the trees, "Around the North side of campus. Lived here for my entire life. Did you just move here?"
"Sort of. Came here a few weeks ago."
Hmmm…strange Marshall hadn't met this pup before. But then again, it wasn't like he knew every dog or pup that came to campus, despite having the resources.
"Isn't the firepup Academy on the other side?" the German Shepard asked with a raised brow. It wasn't accusing, rather curious.
"Uh," Marshall itched his head, thinking of an answer. "Yeah, it is! But I wanted to…get away for a bit. Spend time alone and…get some space."
Okay, his answer sounded lame. Like really lame. Who would purposely leave their classmates to be alone? He sounded lonely and pathetic. Or weird. Yeah, defiantly weird.
But to his surprise he heard: "Huh. I thought I was the only pup around here who did that." The pup glanced up the tree beside them, and Marshall's eyes followed, mingled with shock. "It's super quiet here. No one really comes this way."
Marshall couldn't believe it. Another pup liked solitude too? Granted, Marshall wasn't a huge fan being alone, and would rather play with other pups than sit solemnly in the corner. But nevermind his rambling ideas. This pup was talking to him longer than other pups usually did without saying some teasing joke or some quipping insult. "Uh, I actually never been here before, but it seems super nice here. Like if you uh, take a nap!" He added. "Oh, but don't do it near Mr. Gregor! He will bark up your tail if you do. He's a really gruff dog with a-"
"really funny accent?" they both harmonized. Marshall blinked dumbly. "Yeah, one strange dog." The K-9 pup continued, jutting his head to the side. "He's…one of the head dogs here right?"
He snapped out of his stupor, nodding vigorously. "Yup! He's the dog director for both schools. Makes sure both schools operate smoothly and safely."
"Guess it makes sense why the dog is so serious all the time. But I don't understand why he always has that weird smelling dog treat with him. Smells like old cheese."
Finally, someone agreed with him. "Exactly! I've been telling the other pups he must have worked at some cheese store. Or at least hung out with a human who worked in one."
"Wouldn't that be a funny sight?" the other dog snorted in amusement.
"Yeah!" Marshall laughed in agreement. Mr. Gregor, working in a cheese factory? Maybe even a little cheese shaped hat –
Abruptly, something rang loudly. Both pups recognized the sound – it was signal break time was over.
"Oh! The bell." The Dalmatian and German Shepard glanced in the distance, the distinctive sound still ringing vibrantly through the air before coming to a sudden stop.
"I gotta get going now. See ya!" Marshall began sprinting off, charging across the grass, but his eyes blinked, coming to a screeching halt with his paws. He turned around and smiled brightly. "Oh, I almost forgot! I'm Marshall! What's your name?"
The pup looked surprised at this question. For a second Marshall thought he shouldn't have asked (for his mouth ran quicker than his mind) and perhaps now the pup was annoyed at him. It was common for pups around him that didn't want to tell him their names, as the clumsy pup heard they didn't want to gain "buddy status" with him. Before Marshall could reply with the usual 'you don't have to tell me if you don't want to' line, he saw something cross the pup's face.
"It's Chase." He said. Marshall was confused. It wasn't a face of acceptance or disgust, but uh...neutral? (He never got that face before). The new pup nodded his head in farewell, turning around before leaving. "Nice meeting you Marshall."
"Oh, uh, me too Chase!" The said pup barked one more goodbye, and then both the pups went in their respected ways.
Marshall kept blitzing down the path, heading to the playground where his fellow classmates were currently lining up in. He got into line and attempted so desperately not to crash into someone, (which he didn't, just sporadically trip and land in skipping rope). While he tried to detangle himself while everyone went inside, his mind swirled at that pup he met earlier.
Chase seemed… nice. Maybe if Marshall were lucky, he would actually make a proper friend.
And that was a nice afterthought.
.
.
.
A/N: *squeals* FINALLY! Chase comes in. Kinda cute how they met. I mean, they just so naturally talked, despite them being so fundamentally different. A beautiful start to their friendship don't cha think?
And remember guys, I do ship Marshall x Everest. So don't worry about this. Remember, these are BACK STORIES. As in past tense. You'll see what happens ;)
Thank you to all those who continuously read, comment and follow my work! (critique/suggestions are welcomed!) ^_^
P.S REVIEW!
Till next time,
mokocchii