FYI: This is a flashback story to where all the dogs are their regular ages from the show. This story is also partially inspired by an old Sesame Street sketch. Enjoy :)
the list
written September 12th to 13th, 2021
It was a sunny, spring day in Adventure Bay. The birds were chirping, Chase was desperately trying to catch squirrels in the front yard and Ryder was busy working on a brand new project of his that he kept secret from the rest of his pups: Robo-Dog. The boy had been working on the robot for almost a month, and things were going smoothly for its development. It was in its prototype phase, and while the data results and tested were promising as of today, it still needed some tinkering. He decided to take a break and fetch himself something to eat. Ryder took the elevator up to the main floor from the basement where he was working, and walked into the kitchen. He peered inside the fridge, and noticed something off. Three items that were normally there were not. They were rather important items, as they did wonders for Ryder's diet. The boy turned on his tablet and called one of his pups.
"Rocky, can you hear me?" Ryder asked the mix through his pup tag. The recycling pup was in the front yard watering the plants when he heard his owner's voice.
"Yeah, Ryder! What's up?" Rocky asked.
"Meet me in the kitchen. I have a job for you." Ryder told him. Rocky walked into the kitchen not a moment too soon, as the boy looked down to him.
"Rocky, I have a job for you. It's pretty important." Ryder told him.
"What is it?" The recycling pup inquired, with his curiosities peaking.
"I need you to go to Mr. Porters and get me a few groceries for me." Ryder spoke to him.
"How much stuff do you need?" Rocky asked inquisitively.
"I don't need a whole lot. It's three items, don't forget. I need a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter." The boy instructed him.
"Ok, that should be easy-peasy for me." Rocky said cheerfully, a smile coming onto his face.
"You want me to write a list for you?" Ryder asked him as he handed his dog a $10 bill right out of his pocket. Rocky was only five dog years old, but had surprising intelligence for his age. The mix hailed from an orphanage, and life was not easy for him. He was a loner, and no other puppies wanted to hang out with him, because they they thought he was strange. After his orphanage called in a doctor, it was discovered that Rocky had aspergers' syndrome. Due to this, it was deemed that Rocky couldn't be adopted until he showed signs of what they called "normalcy". The mix was trained in social cues and situations, educated and was taught basic dog commands. It was frustrating at first. Being only 3 dog years at the time of his diagnosis, he didn't fully understand the impact of his condition. He watched for two more dog years as more of the puppies in his orphanage got adopted into families. This pushed him to improve his therapy, and by the age of 5, things were going well in his sessions. He rarely threw a fit at all, and although Rocky was quiet, he was rather friendly and polite. He also developed a new passion: tinkering with old, undesirable materials, such as metal and iron. He would make new items out of these materials, such as a clothing iron. One day, a boy was walking past the orphanage when he saw a young Rocky working by himself, making a trash can out of spare metal. The boy introduced himself as Ryder, and adopted him the same day. Since then, the mix always has had a high respect for him. Some of his canine friends even joked that Rocky was secretly infused with Ryder's DNA. All jokes aside, Rocky was loved by his pals simply by who he was: a quiet, different but nice dog who was sociable once he knew more about his friends.
"It's ok, Ryder. I can remember." Rocky replied dutifully. He stuffed the money in one of his uniform's pockets, and walked out of the lookout. He felt rather energetic today, so he skipped merrily out into the road and onto the bridge. All the while, he was reciting the three items he was going to retrieve for his human.
"A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter. A loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter." He repeated to himself. Rocky would sometimes say things several times to make himself remember something, and it seemed to work. As the neighborhood kids said hello to him, Rocky kept going, as his eyes were on the prize. After five minutes of skipping with joyful puppy-hood innocence, he made it to his destination. He walked inside Mr. Porter's, and inside, an old man whose namesake that was on the building was busy cleaning his tables.
"Hi, Mr. Porter!" Rocky acknowledged the old man cheerfully.
"Why, hello, Rocky. Whatcha need?" Mr. Porter asked him.
"Ryder sent me to grab a few things for him...he wants a loaf of bread...a container of milk...and...uhh...oh no. I can't remember the last thing he wants." Rocky mumbled to himself, worried as to what his owner might say. As Mr. Porter loaded the two items onto a wagon for the mix to wheel back home, the recycling pup turned his gaze to a set of food items on a shelf not too far away. He saw an item that he thought was familiar. Not a second later, a lightbulb popped off in his head.
"The stick of butter! That's it! I remember! I remember!" Rocky barked with joy, pointing the item out.
"Whatever you were trying to remember, Rocky, I'm happy that you did." Mr. Porter smiled as he put the stick of butter into the same wagon. All of a sudden, a familiar voice called on Rocky's pup tag as it lit up.
"PAW Patrol, to the lookout!" Ryder commanded.
"Ryder needs us!" Rocky cried out of instinct. He began to sweat. "Uhhh...how much are these items, sir?" The mix asked quickly.
"That would be a total of 7 dollars and 16 cents." Mr. Porter answered as he calculated the price.
"Here's a 10! Keep the change, I gotta go!" Rocky hastily said as he handed the old man the money and rushed out with the wagon. He knew that he wasn't gonna get far, so he looked around for any source of transportation to get him back home faster. Luckily, a bulldog was riding his rig when he saw his recycling pup friend.
"Hey, you need a ride?" Rubble asked him.
"Yeah dude, thanks!" Rocky replied as he loaded the groceries into the rig as they drove to the lookout in a flash. When they arrived, Rocky grabbed the bag of groceries in his mouth and hustled inside the lookout. Only one thing laid in his direct path: a lone doggy bone in the middle of the floor.
"Yo, Rocky! Look out, dude!" Zuma proclaimed with fear to his best friend. His pleas fell on deaf ears, as the recycling pup tripped and fell to the ground. The groceries flew out of the paper bag and flew into the air.
"Oh no…NOT THE MILK!" The mix yelled as he saw the groceries fly in midair.
"I got in the bread!" Skye shouted as she grabbed the loaf easily with a flip. But the costliest thing-the gallon of cold milk, was still flying in the air, and now, it was starting to fall. The pups knew that it was gonna be a mess, and it was gonna be inevitable. Thankfully, Marshall was running into the lookout and saw the milk flying. He gasped as he ran to catch it. It was gonna be hard for the dally to get it, but he had to try. The pups all held their breath as Marshall dove for the milk, fully extending his front paws. Just before he landed on the floor, the gallon of milk landed safely in his paws. As he crashed down, the pups, including Rocky, cheered with joy.
"Thanks for saving the milk, Marshall! I owe you one!" The mix grinned as he embraced his good friend.
"It's nothin'. It probably would have exploded on me anyway." Marshall shrugged.
"Dude, that catch was straight outta SportsCenter Top 10 plays. You gotta be proud of that one." Rubble grinned as he smacked the dalmatian's back in approval.
"Yeah, you could be in the NFL for crying out loud. You'd wreck everybody!" Chase pointed out.
"The only thing I would wreck are my knees." Marshall giggled. All the pups laughed as the elevator went up and their gear was set. The pups went front and center in the control room on the top of the tower.
"PAW Patrol ready for action, Ryder sir!" The shepherd declared with obedience. They all gazed at Rocky, who was dragging the bag of groceries to the boy.
"Ok...I got your groceries here, Ryder…" Rocky panted as he laid the bag in front of him.
"Milk...butter... and bread! Thank you, Rocky. You're a good dog." Ryder grinned as he petted him.
"No, Ryder. Thank Marshall. He saved the milk before it exploded." The recycling pup laughed.
"It would have been fine if you spilled, Rocky. I mean, it's milk. You guys would clean up the mess in 10 seconds flat." Ryder laughed, as the rest of the pups chuckled in response.
MONTERO IS FINALLY COMING OUT AND I AM SO EXCITEDDDD :) I gotta listen to this awesome album now, catch you guys later -mitch