Chapter thirty-seven: Making Plans
As soon as Ryder looked beyond Ned, he found the pitiful display with the pile of pups not more than a yard or two away from the elevator entrance. And with a troubled expression already falling across his face, he strode forward toward them, cautiously observing the situation to get an idea of how to respond.
"Pups?" he addressed them curiously. And as he neared them they seemed to unpack themselves, and turned to him almost in a cascading fashion; all bearing deep tearful glances dripping with sorrow. Until he got to Marshall, who had the deepest looking eyes of them all. Ryder knelt down to him quietly, his soft eyes seeming to communicate something that apparently invited the Dalmatian to nuzzle into him for a hug. And he took a moment to hold the pup close, even as he began to sob some more.
"What's going on here, pups?" he finally asked, his tone lower and more serious than they were used to.
"Marshall is sad that Chase keeps pushing us away. Even when we try to help him," Snowflake said softly.
Ned gave a confused look.
"That's what I said!" the husky brother retorted.
"Well, where is Chase now?" Ryder wondered.
"Pup house," Snowflake answered.
"What happened to cause this? Did Chase and Marshall fight again?" Ryder wondered further.
"It's my fault. I tried to get them to be friends again, but it didn't work," Ned answered.
"How?" Ryder asked, still holding Marshall close, as he finally began to calm again.
"I tried to bond with Marshall, and I think I helped a little, but I could tell he was still uneasy. So I trapped him and Chase in the big blue sheet, and tied it up like a bag. I thought putting them in a situation where they would need to work together and cooperate would help them be friends again, but it didn't work as much as I hoped. The wind trapping them a second time didn't help either," Ned admitted honestly.
"Why did you think trapping them would help?" Ryder asked, and his gaze seemed genuinely curious, as did his tone.
"For them to stop fighting and be friends again. If I trapped them, they would have had to work together and make decisions to get out of the sheet bag. Plus their attitudes and decisions would either help or not help them to get out sooner or later," Ned explained.
"*sniffle* except for it didn't help! I ended up doing it all myself!" Marshall wailed, beginning to cry again.
"WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I honestly thought that would work!.. I failed to help guys. I'm sorry, Marshall. I'm really, REALLY sorry!" Ned replied, as he whined and his eyes started to tear up.
"Alright everyone, calm down." Ryder announced. "We're gonna fix this and get everyone back on track, including Chase. Snowflake, how's your activity planning going?" and he turned to the husky intently.
"Okay. One of my activities is ready, but another,.. didn't go well. I still have other ideas though, I just need to set them up," the husky pup replied.
"Um,.. set them up how?" Rocky wondered curiously, glancing at Zuma in confusion.
"I need to go talk to some friends so other activities are ready for Chase and I," Snowflake reassured them. "I know what to do."
"Ok, you do that,.. and whatever else you need to do to get things set up.." Ryder said, as Marshall began to dry his tears again and the pups recomposed themselves. "In the meantime, let's give Chase some space.. Clearly he needs it right now, until we can put Snowflake's plan into motion."
"Right. Oh, can someone call Mr. Porter and ask if I can talk to Alex? Part of my plan," Snowflake said.
"What? Not gonna drag us halfway across town and nearly risk our necks in the process?" Chester quipped dryly, though it sounded more like a deadpan than anything else.
Snowflake rolled her eyes.
"Haha! Anyways, can one of you please ask if Alex can hang out with me?" Snowflake retorted.
Marshall continued to compose himself, while Ryder rose to take out his pup-pad and wandered away for a moment.
"So what exactly do you intend to discuss with Alex?" Rocky wondered curiously.
"And what's it got to do with Chase?" Chester wondered, while Skye nodded her agreement.
"I want to talk about us hanging out at the school or otherwise. So Chase and I can bond and relax with a familiar face," Snowflake replied calmly.
She then went over and hugged Marshall.
The pup-pad rang and moments later the face of the restaurant owner appeared within the whole screen.
"Hi Ryder, what can I do for ya?" Mr. Porter greeted, with a wave.
"Actually I'm asking for Alex on behalf of Snowflake, our tracking husky." Ryder replied brightly. "Any idea where he is? She'd like to talk to him for a minute, if that's alright."
"Of course." Mr. Porter chuckled. "And I think he said something about meeting Kylie and Skyler out at the docks today. She can probably meet them there, he just left a few minutes ago."
"Great! Thanks Mr. Porter." Ryder smiled.
"Anytime." the older man beamed, then they dropped the call.
"Alex is headed to the docks." Ryder said. "You can probably meet him there if you leave right now."
"Sounds good!" Snowflake said happily.
Snowflake separated from the hug she gave Marshall then grabbed the big, blue sheet. She threw it over her back before turning around toward the team.
"I'll be back later. To the docks!" Snowflake said, before giving a superhero pose. Grabbing the blue sheet in her mouth, the husky pup quickly turned around and ran towards town.
"Good thing, cause I wasn't about to kill myself on any more failed neck-breaking experiments." Chester deadpanned, suddenly earning him various expressions of humor, curiosity and confusion. "What?"
"What failed experiments? If anything, I'M the crazy one!" Ned replied.
"DON'T TELL THEM! IT'S A SURPRISE!" Snowflake yelled from their pups tags.
"Um,.. what?" Chester wondered, as his confused glance lifted from his pup-tag to the group. "Tell us what?" and other pups among them just shrugged or shook their heads in confusion.
Snowflake rolled her eyes, before disconnecting the call on her pup tag. Soon she saw Alex with,.. two other dogs?
Oh well, the more the merrier.
"Alex!" Snowflake called out as she ran towards them; the big blue sheet still held in her mouth as it waved behind her like a kite.
"Oh, hi Snowflake." The small boy greeted, holding a frisbee and a kite in each hand.
"Snowflake?" A border collie perked up brightly. "That's a funny name,.. then again I've heard funnier." Then she looked over and saw a strange husky coming towards them.
"Oh.." the collie mused in complete interest.
"Hiya!" She continued, getting up close and personal. "I'm Skyler..- Sky as in Skye with the added 'ler' but I think you got that already- so hi, hey, hello! Nice to meet ya!"
"Alright, Skyler, take it easy." A cream spotted cocker spaniel smiled, coming up alongside her friend sweetly. "Let her catch up, you're about five steps ahead of being besties by now." The cocker then turned to Snowflake, her smile slightly widening.
"Don't mind her." She said, nodding over at the border collie. "She's a little over the top. Most folks don't know what to do with her.. I'm Kylie, by the way. And I reckon you wanna talk to our boy, Alex about something important."
"Say,.. why do you have that blue sheet with you?" Skyler began again, suddenly appearing from nowhere startling the husky momentarily. "*slow gasp* Is this a game? The one where you hide underneath it and everyone has to figure out what you're pretending to be?! I'll go first!-"
"Skyler!" the cocker spaniel lightly chuckled as she came over to ease her friend away from Snowflake gently, embarrassment showing across her face with the fake smile she forced in redirecting the boisterous border collie. "I'm sorry,.. She can be a little much,.. *clears throat*.. anyway, you were wanting to talk to Alex?"
"Ah! Oh! Hi Skyler! And kinda. I brought the sheet for us to play with. Thank you Kylie! Anyways, want to play and chat.. Wait! Aren't you guys Pup Pals?" Snowflake replied in shock, realizing who she was talking to. Suddenly a gust of wind blew the blue sheet out of Snowflake's mouth.
"Ah! No! Come back!" Snowflake cried out, seeing the sheet blow away and onto Kylie and Skyler.
"Woah," Skyler marveled as the colored material floated through the air.
"Uh oh." Kylie realized, noticing how it was coming toward them.
"Woah!" Skyler yelped, realizing this as well.
"Ahh!" The two pups were soon covered in the sheet, and as they struggled they seemed to make their way backwards till they bumped into Alex, knocking him over.
And after the crash, Skyler's head shape popped up, then moments later the material slid off her to expose her head.
"Oh,.. heh heh." she chuckled and Kylie rose up out of the open fold after her. "Well,.. so that happened. Hey sorry about the sudden crash, there, Alex, 'didn't see ya there."
"It's ok,.. I'm ok." Alex smiled. "You good, Kylie?"
"Yup." The cocker nodded. "So what exactly were you coming to do with this thing?" She asked Snowflake in turning to her.
"Play with it of course. But I need to talk to Alex. I have some plans to bond with Chase and was wondering if you could help me?" Snowflake said. She then took the blue sheet and threw it over Skyler and Kylie again before helping Alex up.
"Oof! But,.. why us?" Skyler wondered. "Wait,.. did you say 'bond with Chase?'"
"What happened now?" Kylie ventured. "Is he alright?"
"Chase is.. having a hard time. So I'm trying to cheer him up. So, I was thinking Alex could help me. I was wondering if you would like to hang out with us at the school, and maybe during the day. If Chase sees a familiar face, it might help him feel more willing to be positive," Snowflake explained to the boy. "Besides, you did suggest playing under the blue sheet, Skyler."
"Yeah but,.. not like this?!" Skyler gasped, quickly finding a way out and diving out from under it; shaking herself out afterwards.
"Wait.. not doing so well?" Kylie repeated as she too poked her head out of the sheet. "Is he sick? Or hurt? Hope he's not hurt again! What a nightmare! As if the first time wasn't bad enough."
"Yeah,.." Skyler agreed, her bubbly demeanor deflating a little as her tail lowered slightly. "Everything sure does pile up, doesn't it.. maybe that's why we were meant to meet today! Cause we are fated to rescue him all over again! To the rescue!"
"Hang on there, Sky.. let's first figure out what we're getting ourselves into before diving right in.." Kylie interjected. "You know that's what Boomerang would say.. and Rayla too for that matter."
"Oh right.. ok!" Then she came to stand beside Snowflake, leaning in really close to listen with an almost creepy smile in complete focus on the husky.
"Chase has been acting like he's holding onto something. Whether it be from what he went through; Chester getting us and my brother trapped in that spooky house on Halloween, guilty Ryder got injured when the pups and I tried getting the rainbow parachute back without him knowing, or anything else! Don't worry, Ryder is safe and fine! But Chase,.. I know he's feeling upset, but no matter what we do, he's determined to keep the door in his mind locked and not let us in! No matter how much we knock and bang on the door! Marshall even broke down crying because Chase won't let us help,.. My poor buddy, and the pups," Snowflake explained, her ears folding back a little at the last statement.
At this, the two pups looked at one another.
"Sounds like we need to re-convene.." Kylie sighed.
"Darn! I'd hoped we were past that!" Skyler complained, sprawling flat on the ground dramatically, then using one paw to tenderly sift at the ground as if it were sand and not wood.
"Fortunately, there aren't any crazed rottweiler's involved.. so I think we're safe on that front." Kylie noted.
"True. But that wasn't even the worst part!" Skyler reminded her. "Sure he was ruthless and nasty, but what was even worse than that was what those things did to him mentally.. and all the emotional gymnastics his brain twisted him into knots over. It's no wonder he needed us to keep his head screwed on right."
"Exactly! For some reason, Chase has been reminded of what happened and feeling down again, so I thought maybe time with Alex could help. I've bonded with the other pups to get ideas, but after hearing Chase's story.. It broke me emotionally. I knew I had to change my method of bonding, and I just hope it will help. I just want the old Chase back," Snowflake replied.
"Sounds about right." Skyler sighed. "Sometimes we wondered if he would ever get through it.. but he did,.. with some help along the way of course." And at the last part, she met glances with Kylie while saying this.
"But what does this all got to do with me?" Alex wondered, now holding the sheet so it wouldn't blow away.
"You are going to help cheer up Chase by playing, talking and bonding with us. I thought if he's around you, it might help brighten his mood," Snowflake replied.
"Why?" the boy wondered. "I mean, he lights up more with Katie than he does me."
"True story." Skyler put in, as Kylie nodded. "Come to think of it, he also seems to do that with Aaron too.. uh-Aaron,.. the owner of a friend of ours."
"Billy." Kylie added.
"Yeah, but Billy doesn't count.." Skyler declined loosely. "He practically raised him for his first couple years of life! Of course he'd light up like a christmas tree at the sight of him.. Just think of how happy he was when Billy came to save him that one time."
"Right, but I thought playing with Alex would be good. Unless you don't want to. Maybe Billy could work? I mean we are going to play with Aaron," Snowflake replied.
"Hmm.. I can.." the boy ventured.. Then another thought came to mind. "Well wait,.. what about Jake,.. Remember when he went cave exploring with him?"
"No. What are you talking about?" Snowflake wondered in confusion.
"Oh,.. Chase and Jake were exploring a cave one time, when Jake slipped deeper into the cave and got his foot stuck." Alex explained. "Chase had to call for help to get him out cause he hurt his foot when he fell."
"Woah,.." Kylie and Skyler awed.
"That happened?" Skyler breathed.
"Yeah." The boy shrugged loosely.
"Poor Jake," Snowflake commented.
"Don't worry, he's ok now.." Alex assured them. "Plus also, Chase seems to get along with Everest pretty well too.. more than any of the other pups I know."
"You should see how he is with Rayla." Skyler beamed. "She loosened him up, like, instantly!.." her proud smile however faded with a thought that came to mind.
"Well unless he gets suspicious of something.. but you get my point!" she added forwardly.
"Good. I think Jake would be a good idea- Uh oh!" Snowflake said, until the wind interrupted her.
Hey guys, here's the next chapter. What an interesting turn of events. Also.. enter the PUP Pals! XD
Oh man, have I been looking forward to releasing this chapter because of that! Having my OC characters involved in other stories has been fun! And all the more fun when played off of someone else's OC.. Namely Snowflake. Question is.. Who's in for seeing the rest of them in this story? ;)
All things considered though.. This chapter as a whole was a variant mix of events that still flows towards another goal..
Can't wait to hear your thoughts.. and we hope to see you in the next one.. Thx!
