Requested by PuzzleMaster1998
(Part 1)
In their early years, the Paw Patrol was famous for their unmatched ability to bring joy to the citizens of Adventure Bay. From misplaced items to runaway chickens, the six dogs loved nothing more than helping the people they lived alongside. As time went on, the dogs got older, Ryder began to grow the Patrol into what he called a "legion," although it required him to leave home. It was saddening for the dogs to see him leave, but Ryder promised everything would be okay.
Chase was promoted to leader of the patrol, and he wasted no time taking the dogs in new directions. One of the first things he did was use his title to land a position in the city council, where he advocated for a "Green Movement" Rocky had pitched to him. As authority and power coursed through the Shepherd, he got his first taste of what it was like to truly be in charge. The other dogs didn't mind his new power role, some even enjoyed it, especially Skye.
With expansion underway, Chase united Rocky, Marshall, and himself into a strike team. Much to everyone's amazement, the Shepherd aspired to create a more effective form of law enforcement: three dogs who did a little more than yell in megaphones and throw nets. Rocky was surprised at learning how to wield a taser, but he grew more confident in himself. The firefighter of the team was not sharing the mix's enthusiasm. Marshall didn't like brute force or violence, he just wanted to put out fires and play with bubbles. It was alarming for him to suddenly look up from his bowl of food and see Chase handing him tactical gear.
Today was going to be an eventful day. Criminals had swept through town, namely a recurring team of misfits known as the Ruff Ruff Pack. It was a squad of three, malicious dogs on motorcycles, riding through town as if they were guiding a raging stampede. They stole anything they could get their paws on, scaring people on their bikes, and trashing public places as they rode through. They were vandals, thieves, and scoundrels in every sense of the word, and Chase finally narrowed in on their hangout.
"There it is," Chase growled, bringing his vehicle to a stop.
"An abandoned gas station?" questioned Marshall, who came up in his fire engine.
They were miles from town, chest-deep in a dry, hot field with nothing but a stretching road as far as an eye could see. Chase and Marshall rode in their vehicles, with Rocky riding with Chase for efficiency. After a long drive under the scorching sun, they finally came to a stop in front of an old, dilapidated gas station. Windows were shattered, gas pumps were trashed, and every inch of the wall was either peeling or missing.
The two motorbikes parked outside were unmistakable.
With justice on his mind, Chase hopped out of his cruiser and landed in the street, Rocky and Marshall following behind him. Marshall was unsure of the whole ordeal, feeling uneasy at the danger they were seeing. Deep down, the Dalmation preferred it back in the day when they weren't doing reckless things on every single mission. He looked to his left, wearily glancing at Rocky to see if he shared his feelings. To his disdain, Rocky looked completely determined, fully committing himself to his role. Knowing he wouldn't get any help, Marshall sighed and tried to keep his head down.
The leader behind the misfits was a French Bulldog named Hubcap who usually sat in the passenger carrier that was welded to one of the motorbikes. His driver was Dwayne, a Great Dane whom Chase firmly believed wasn't all mentally there. The team's technician, and likely the designer of the bikes, was a Siberian Husky named Gasket. Despite voicing themselves as a team, Gasket had a bad habit of going off alone, refusing to listen to Hubcap in her grumpiest times. Chase once tried to take advantage of her need to go rogue, managing to apprehend her and hold her in The Lookout. Every question he used to interrogate her was met back with sass and condescending words. Gasket eventually broke out of the cage and zoomed off into the horizon, Chase was sure not to make the same mistake.
"So what's the plan?" Rocky asked as they carefully approached the old structure,
The Shepherd flattened his ears as he sniffed the air, "ambush them in the gas station, and I do mean ambush," he grinned, anticipating the attack, "zip-tie their paws, then lock them in the back of the police cruiser."
"What about the motorcycles?" Marshall nervously asked,
"I don't care, we'll process them later," the Shepherd waved off, "let's just focus on getting these strays on the ground."
Slightly distressed at Chase's violent wording, Marshall gave a low whine, looking toward Rocky for help. The Mix was obvious to his friend's discomfort, and the three of them approached the wall. There was a broken window above, and Chase quickly moved under it and kept low, motioning for the others to do the same. Unsure of his actions, Marshall lowered himself onto his belly and pressed up against a rusted ice machine.
Pricking his ears, Chase could hear the Ruff Ruff Pack talking inside.
"... you see, these big cities are all about justice and… freedom or whatever," Hubcap's voice could be heard, "but what they actually want, is order in place of the chaos," the Bulldog grinned, "in the end, no one gives a shit about politics,"
"Wow, really?" Dwayne gawked with a mouthful of beef,
"Your view is significantly flawed," Gasket rolled her eyes, sitting with her back turned to the group. She was pawing at a can of tuna, trying to figure out how to open it. She turned away just so none of the others would see her failing over and over and break the metal top.
"Oh, you have something better, Husky?" Hubcap shot back, standing up at the thought of his words being questioned.
The grey Husky rolled her eyes, briefly flicking her tail, "it depends on what you call order and freedom. Governments aren't black and white like you're describing,"
"What are you, a fascist?" the Bulldog puffed out his chest,
"A what?" Gasket turned around, "Hubcap, I don't think you know what you're talking about, just saying."
Outside, the Paw Patrol was listening in on the conversation. Dissatisfied they weren't going to catch anything incriminating, Chase made the paw signal to move in.
The conversation inside continued, "I don't think you should talk political if you don't even know what you're talking about," Gasket held up her paws defensively, "because for all you know, you could-"
She was cut off as three dogs invaded the room, charging through the door and jumping through the broken windows. Rocky wasted no time charging into Dyawne, blindsiding him as he was shoved to the tile floor and pinned.
"Aaahh!" Hubcap jumped, going wide-eyed as the room turned to chaos. He turned and tried to make a run for it, but a German Shepherd quickly threw himself into the Bulldog's side, painfully pushing him to the floor as he was held down. A surprised yelp was all that emitted from the Bulldog as his head hit the dirty floor.
Chase snarled at his prisoner, "Hubcap, consider yourself under arrest for vandalism and thievery! We can add terrorism to that, now let's see how many of your bones I can break…" The Shepherd was much too absorbed with his job.
"Nng- you can't hurt me!" the Bulldog protested under his grip, "that's police brutality!"
Chase grinned sadistically, "yeah, but I'm not wearing a body camera."
As Chase and Rocky pinned their captives, Marshall stood idly in surprise, half not knowing what he was supposed to do. Tackling someone in such a brutal way wasn't his nature, all his time in the medical field made him more inclined to heal instead of hurt. The room fell silent, as Chase looked up to survey the room. It took him a solid three seconds to realize something was out of place, and he quickly recoiled in shock as the realization hit him:
"Marshall, grab Gasket!" he barked the command in a panic. No one had noticed that Marshall never actually apprehended the third member. The Dalmation was zoned out, uncomfortable in his new surroundings, and quickly snapped back to reality from Chase's shout. "O-oh-" he stuttered, looking to Gasket's position, just in time to see her flying at him with a glass bottle.
The bottle collided with the side of Marshall's face, shattering into broken glass as he took the blow into his skull. The Dalmation was thrown backward from the hit, landing awkwardly as his vision blurred.
"Marshall!" Chase called out, reeling in horror at his friend's attack, momentarily taking his focus away from Hubcap. The Bulldog seized the opportunity and wedged out from the Shepherd's grip, kicking out his legs and diving away as Chase fell to the ground. With Hubcap back up, he and Gasket instantly came at Rocky, throwing him backward as they pulled Dwayne back to his paws.
"Get on the bikes!" Hubcap shouted, "we're getting out of here!"
Grimacing as he pressed a paw to his head, Chase felt his rage cloud away the pain, and he bared his teeth in savagery. Twitching his legs for a moment, Marshall's vision finally recalibrated, and a searing agony began to tear into his cheek.
Hubcap charged out of the gas station with Dwayne not far behind him. Gasket was last to leave but suddenly stopped at the door, taking a moment to look back at the fallen Paw Patrol. Marshall looked up, meeting Gasket's eyes for just a second, gazing into her dark green irises. The Husky stared down at him, narrowing his eyes as she seemed to study the weak link of the squad. Hearing Chase's furious snarl, she quickly turned and ran outside. Marshall could already hear the motorcycles starting up and revving.
"They're running!" Rocky jumped up, his spry frame unharmed,
Chase jumped up, bristling his fur, "then we'll have to catch them,"
"Catch them?" Marshall stumbled up, panicking as he tried to recover from the blow to the head, "how, they're on motorbikes!"
"We have vehicles too you idiot!" The Shepherd barked, "and why the hell did you freeze up like that? Why did you let Gasket jump you, we had the advantage!"
The Dalmation was stumbling from Chase's brash words, "I… I don't know!" he pleaded, "I just… did, I'm sorry!"
"Forget it," the leader shook his head, "back the rigs, after them!"
The Ruff Ruff Pack had already sped away as they ran outside, but Chase refused to let them go. Charging outside and into their vehicles, they floored the gas pedals and gave pursuit after the vandals. Rocky had to grab the sides of the vehicle and desperately hold on, as they picked up speed to uncontrollable levels. Against every instinct in his body, Marshall gulped and raced his fire engine after them, tearing ahead at speeds such trucks were not designed for.
"Chase this is crazy!" Rocky almost stumbled, taking a weary glance at the deadly road that was more than easy to fall onto.
"I thought you were with me on the plan!" Chase barked, yet not taking his eyes off the bikers up ahead,
"This is different, we could die doing this!"
The group quickly broke over seventy miles per hour, driving so fast the wind was becoming deafening. Marshall was having great trouble controlling his vehicle, frantic that something was going to stray on the road and be obliterated. Rocky was just trying to focus on not falling off Chase's cruiser, slowly beginning to fear for his life.
The Ruff Ruff Pack only sped up even faster, tearing down the road at blinding speeds. Dwayne was panting, sticking his tongue out as he enjoyed the wind coursing over him. He didn't seem to have any concept of how much danger they were all in, as motorbikes were even deadlier to make a mistake on. Hubcap was firmly planted in his passenger pod, almost clinging to Dwayne as the reality of running from the cops came to him. Even then, the Bulldog growled as the pursuit broke over eighty miles per hour, making a pact with himself to never be caught.
Driving her own bike, Gasket was slowly beginning to panic as the pursuit intensified, realizing the danger of their given speed. She tried to bark a warning to the team, fearing for their personal safety, but the distance between them and the tearing wind drowned out her voice.
The environment around them turned from a dry field to a canyon in a split second, a change almost instantaneous given their speed. The road turned unsafe, requiring metal barriers along the edges to protect from the gaping drops. One wrong move and they would all sail over the cliff to a jagged, echoing death.
Spotting the cliffs they were dangerously close to, Rocky pawed at Chase's shoulder to get his attention, "this is too much, we need to turn back!" The Shepherd only growled, further flooring the gas pedal to increase the speed. Behind them, Marshall was starting to hyperventilate as he desperately to control his vehicle.
"Chase!" Rocky tried again, and this time his friend actually looked back.
"I'm getting in close," the Shepherd grinned, "we'll intercept them!"
"While we drive?!"
Sure enough, the police cruiser was steadily gaining on the motorbikes, slowly closing the distance between them. Hubcap realized this, as his eyes went wide with panic, and he dipped his head down to search his passenger pod for anything useful. Chase steadily drove until he was merely a few feet behind Dwayne's bike, coming in close to finally take down the riders.
"Ha!" Hubcap picked his head up, pulling out a spare exhaust pipe, seeing to use it as a weapon. Chase narrowed his eyes, a feral instinct coming over him. If it was a fight they wanted, they'd get one.
"Dwayne, keep us steady!" Hubcap mouthed as he held the pipe in his teeth,
Chase suddenly stood up in his driver's sight, "Rocky, take the wheel!"
The Mix reared around, "what?! Are you insane!?"
"Probably!" The Shepherd steadily climbed over the windshield, swaying a little as he keep balance on the moving vehicle. Marshall stared from behind, bewildered at what his leader was trying to do.
"Back off!" Hubcap swang the pipe, Chase swiftly leaned back to evade the hit. Growing angrier, the Bulldog swang again with more force, although Chase dodged it yet again. The cruiser lurched to the right and Rocky had to swerve it back into place, the force nearly threw Chase off to his death.
Furious, Hubcap directly lunged forward with the pipe, bringing it down for an overhead assault. Chase dodged the attack, then suddenly dove down and grabbed the end of the pipe in his own teeth, snarling as he tried to wedge the weapon away.
Realizing catastrophe was on the horizon, Gasket began to slow her vehicle, bringing it beside Marshall's fire engine. Boiling with drive and adrenaline, she reached her paw out to grab onto the truck.
"Get… off!" Hubcap jerked the exhaust pipe in all directions, his teeth beginning to wear out from scratching against the metal. Chase wasn't letting up, keeping a hold on the pipe in the deadliest game of tug-of-war in the history of mankind. Channeling forth all the strength in his body, Hubcap ripped the pipe back toward him, an attempt at ripping apart the Shepherd's mouth. What happened next left Marshall and Rocky completely aghast.
Chase jumped.
The Shepherd used the momentum of Hubcap pulling back the pipe to propel himself forward, sailing over the lethal-moving road. The Bulldog was caught off guard as Chase landed on the motorbike, latching his paws down as he invaded the vehicle.
Trying to bring his fire engine back in line, Marshall's mind was swimming, almost breaking under the pressure. What could he possibly do? He had to help in any way possible, seeing Chase do something so reckless was almost an out-of-body experience. He was so focused on the road, he didn't see the grey Husky climbing up his truck.
"Waahh!" Hubcap jumped at the dog that was now right in front of him, "are you crazy?! Get off!" his violent tendencies completely abandoned him as he recoiled backward, now terrified at the sight of the Shepherd. The commotion made Dwayne glance behind him, and upon seeing Chase, he froze up in shock, taking his paws off the handlebars of the bike. Chase reared up and bared his teeth, but stumbled as he came dangerously close to losing his balance. The motorbike swerved, barely grazing against the banister that stood between them and a long way down.
"Get off my bike!" Dwayne barked, struggling to control the vehicle.
Bringing his paws down on the Bulldog, Chase stepped on top of Hubcap and attacked Dwayne from behind. The Great Dane howled as teeth latched into his neck, then desperately tried to hang on as Chase jerked backward, seeking to throw the dog off. Rocky went wide-eyed at the sight, it was something new seeing Chase so feral, and it was surely disturbing Marshall. Dwayne probably had a shot at overpowering Chase, but he was unfocused, overcome with fear and panic from the situation. Gripping his teeth into the dog, Chase successfully ripped the Great Dane out of the driver's seat, throwing him backward off the bike. Dwayne hit the road hard, tumbling like discarded trash as he slowed to a stop.
"Rocky!" Chase turned back, "grab Dwayne, I'll deal with this!"
"What?!" the Mix called, unable to hear him,
"I said grab Dwayne!"
Enraged at his partner's defeat, Hubcap jumped from his pod, gripping the handlebars in a desperate attempt to control the speeding bike. He firmly kicked with his back legs, landing a blow into Chase's back that shoved him forward, placing him just a small tap away from plummeting into the road. Nodding in obedience, Rocky took full control of the police cruiser, slowing its speed back to normal levels so he could reclaim the Great Dane.
Marshall wove his engine around the cruiser as it fell behind. Rocky and Dwayne were out of the field now, it was just them. He was going to say something when he was suddenly attacked from behind, two grey paws latching over his mouth and yanking him back. The Dalmation instantly went into a flight response, lurching his body around in panic as he tried to shake off the attacker. Jerking his head up, he felt the back of his skull collide with Gasket's soft nose, causing her to audibly react and release him. Marshall turned to face Gasket, clearly able to see that she was beyond furious. Her green eyes were narrowed and her ears flattened, fur bristled against the wind as the Husky snarled, getting into an attack stance.
"Gasket, wait!" Marshall pleaded, "just back down and let me arrest you, it doesn't have to go farther than this!"
"This is nothing!" the Husky barked, "I see this kind of action every single day!"
The firefighter was appalled, "seriously? Is that really a life you're happy with?!" He briefly glanced back at the road, Chase was visibly struggling with Hubcap.
"I'm ecstatic! Couldn't be happier!"
All vehicles suddenly lurched at once, roughly bouncing in the air as they tore off the main road. A sharp turn had come up, one in which they were going way too fast to cleanly make. They bounced offroad and took to the cliffside. The sudden jerking of the floor blindsided Gasket, "Aah- aahhh!" She lost her footing and fell over the back edge of the truck. Marshall jumped to action just in time, throwing himself forward and grabbing her paw, saving her from a brutal death on the jagged ground.
"Cliff!" Hubcap cried out, causing all the other dogs to pick their heads up and stare ahead at what was coming. Marshall was beyond overwhelmed, struggling to pull Gasket to safety and quickly turn his attention to the road. It was a terrifying sight to see the edge of the canyon hurdling toward them, soon to be a plummeting drop into death.
"Oh shit!" Chase shoved Hubcap backward, jumping his paws to the handlebars. He gripped the brake so hard one of his claws broke, but the bike was moving so fast it failed to stop, instead skidding out of control. In a moment of quick thinking, Marshall pulled Gasket up and tossed her into the passenger seat. The Dalmation whipped around, his eyes watering as dust clouds beat into his face, and floored the brake of the fire engine as hard as he possibly could.
There was no hope of them stopping. The motorbike carrying Chase and Hubcap nearly broke apart from the force, suddenly turning sideways and flipping over. Chase shut his eyes and braced himself, feeling his body smash into the ground and tumble with such force that it scratched off patches of his fur and flayed away a layer of skin. Both dogs were thrown overboard, sailing over the cliff's edge. Having their speed already slowed as they hit the ground, Chase and Hubcap didn't fly far over the edge, instead, they landed on a small surface jutting out the side of the mountain.
The discarded motorcycle crashed into the front of the fire engine, smashing it into metal debris that blinded the Dalmation as it flew upward. Gasket tried to attack Marshall again, but quickly realized the reality of the situation. They both screamed in terror as the ground left from under them, the full vehicle flying off over the cliff and the other dogs' heads. They would've been thrown directly down the full lethal drop if the motorbike hadn't crashed into the fire engine, providing a valuable few seconds of drag to slow the vehicle. Gasket instantly planted her claws into the seat of the car, panic and hesitation spiraling through her as she blanked on any escape option. Marshall's breath left him as he plummeted down, the car smashing into tree branches that blasted out splintered wood and leaves. The fall gradually slowed as they hit more and more trees, the fire engine coming up quick to a massive, sturdy tree that stretched out of the rocky surface.
They collided with the tree, the branches grabbing onto the engine and holding it tightly. The powerful plant was unable to absorb most of the recoil, however, as the impact of the vehicle fractured a segment of the cliff's side, throwing rocks and branches down the fall. Gasket's claws ripped out of the chair, screaming as she was forcefully thrown out. A few gasps escaped Marshall as he hit the windshield, the collision cracking the grass, threatening to shatter and drop him to his end. With a few seconds to breathe, Marshall's mind recalibrated as he laid on the weak glass, his eyes flicking around as his paws twitched. Frantically trying to calm himself, he fearfully tried to reach for a branch to stable himself.
At the smallest movement, the glass under him shattered, and the Dalmation plummeted down out of the fire engine. He grimaced, pulling his head under his arms as he braced himself for the ground. His small body was almost saved by some weak branches, but he slipped through them, ricocheting off the jagged slant of the mountain, and crashing into the river below with a cold splash.
Far above where Marshall was vanquished, Chase hobbled himself to his paws, growling furiously as he fought against his body's screaming agony. He was scratched and burned all over, with an entire patch of his skin sanded away into a stinging red. He was injured and disoriented, but with every ounce of strength he had left, he'd tear Hubcap to pieces. The Bulldog had landed a few feet next to him, also trying to stagger up but was showing clear difficulty. At the sight of his enemy, the Shepherd snarled in rage, baring his full set of fangs. A long, thin piece of metal debris had landed nearby from the smashed motorbike. Without thinking, Chase sprang forward, grabbing it in his mouth and he jumped into Hubcap. The Bulldog had no time to react as the weapon was smashed against his head, knocking him back to the ground. Unrelenting, Chase jabbed the blunt end of the weapon into the dog's head, likely shattering his teeth, then snarled as he swang it hard to the side. With the final blow connecting with his enemy, Hubcap fell unconscious, blood spilling from his wounds. Dropping his weapon, Chase fell onto his side, breathing heavily. Dragging himself to look over the edge of the cliff, the Shepherd gazed down, trying to spot any sign of Marshall.
All he saw was the fire engine, lifelessly hanging in the tree below.
-.-.-.-
"Hurrrk!" Marshall lurched as his body forced up a stomach full of river water, his throat painfully contorting as it retched up the undesired liquid. As he finished vomiting, the Dalmation's lungs instantly pulled in a massive breath of air, flowing life back into the dog.
"Uuugh…"
Twitching his paws, he slowly opened his eyes, letting his vision focus back as his brain stabilized. He was in more pain than he had ever felt in his life, a simple flex of his leg stabbing screams and cries through his nervous system. His pup pack was completely gone, likely shredded into pieces from the fall. Trying to move his head, Marshall blinked a few times, realizing the soft, cool feeling of the ground. He was lying in damp sand, his body washed up from the large river. He was exhausted and soaked, fearing that shutting his eyes for even a moment would surrender his soul to the sky.
He had to get up. He had to move before something stronger came across his body and ripped it apart. There had to be buzzards circling him above, waiting for the Dalmation's final breaths so the dark birds could swoop in for a meal. Calling forward his strength, he slowly moved his arm and held up his paw, allowing him to see his broken claws and bloodied leg. Grimacing, Marshall gritted his teeth and pulled in his legs, gripping his beaten paws into the sand. Despite every part of his body crying out, he flexed his muscles as he began pushing himself up. Groaning in pain, he was unable to bite the bullet as agony escaped his voice, filling the canyon with cries as he fought against his own physical limitations.
"Okay," he breathed, trying to steady his heart as he stared into the sand, "okay," he gritted his teeth, slowly picking up his head as he straightened his neck up. He wobbled slightly as he felt lightheaded, but he willed himself to move and he wasn't stopping now. Shaking his head, he brought his paw to his collar.
"Chase, Rocky?" he winced, speaking into the metal tag, "do you read me?" No response, the radio within it was smashed from the fall and waterlogged by the river. There was no hope of contacting his friends. With a jolt of fear, he remembered the one companion in his fire engine: Gasket. The recoil of landing in the tree had thrown her out of the vehicle, sending her plummeting down into the canyon. For a small puppy, taking a fall like that was near instant death. The deviant husky was surely gone, her body probably wedged under a rock somewhere.
He was all alone.
Whining like a lost puppy, he fearfully looked around at his surroundings. The beach he washed up on gave way to a small jungle, providing a roof of dense leaves over the overgrown paths. He didn't know anything about wilderness survival, although Chase could've, and his old friend Tracker definitely knew a thing or two about the jungles. It was a pity none of them just happened to be here with him.
"Hello?" He whimpered out, feeling much smaller than usual.
"Hello?!" He barked out in a cry, his voice breaking as panic slowly entrapped him.
Bowing his head fearfully, he tucked in his tail and took a few steps forward, wincing at his beaten state as he left bloody paw prints. Leaving the sand and pushing his nose through the bushes, Marshall crept under the trees and out from under the sun. Coming to a quick stop, he let himself fall against a tree, craving a rest even after a few seconds of moving.
"Okay, okay," he repeated, resting his eyes for a moment, "okay, okay okay." He lowered himself down into a comfortable sitting position and took more deep breaths, trying to determine what was broken on him. His legs were violently sore and his tail hurt to wag, making it difficult to walk properly. He didn't feel any broken ribs, but there was also the possibility he broke a bone so severely he couldn't even feel it. He was EMT certified, but all his gear and equipment were in his fire engine. His car wasn't even visible from where he was, likely meaning the river had carried him a considerable distance away.
The sky had turned a hot orange when he got moving again, signaling that the sun was going down. With no other option, Marshall dug into the ground and scooped up piles of dirt, padding them onto his wounds for some temporary relief. He'd seen on TV people using leaves and vines as makeshift bandages, but he knew right away he wouldn't be able to make them due to lacking thumbs. Tying anything without thumbs was difficult enough, and the only way he could grip something was with his teeth. He had to settle with what came from the ground for now, and he was thankful that it was at least cool in temperature. He soon caked himself in enough dirt that his fur dulled into a cool brown, almost making him pass for Zuma.
As he painfully walked through the bristling jungle, he discovered right away that the mud was efficient in keeping flies and mosquitoes off, as the insects quickly began buzzing in clouds around the trees. "I'm an animal," he said to himself, his voice strained, "this is nature, the home of my ancestors, there's no excuse for dying out here." His self-pep talk did little to actually help his worries.
He continued along the trees, although choosing to follow the river downstream. An idea came to him that if he lost anything in the wall, it would have likely drifted into the river with him. If he washed up in the sand, it certainly could too.
The light was dimming around him, the Dalmation let out a whine as he realized he wasn't getting anywhere. He was about to turn back when something caught his eye: a piece of metal washed up in the sand. Tilting his head, Marshall walked onto the beach and approached it, closely inspecting the odd object. With a jolt of shock, he recoiled as he quickly recognized the debris.
It was a piece of a motorbike, torn off and thrown into the river. Squinting his eyes, Marshall picked his head up and looked downstream. He quickly spotted more pieces, scattered along the river and reflecting in the sunlight, each one either washed up or caught in the underwater rocks. Gaining a burst of adrenaline, Marshall quickly picked up his pace, ignoring the pain as he raced along the water. He had to investigate the wreckage, maybe one of the Ruff Ruff Pack dogs left something behind on their bikes, something he could use to call home.
Panting as he ran up to a dented muffler, he sniffed the metal, catching the scent of river water and motor oil. "Well," he picked his head up, sighing, "at least I'm finding things."
He resumed his walk along the riverbed when he suddenly came across a large collection of rocks and branches that had collected in one place, clogging the river and intensifying the current. His mind flashed back to when his fire engine smashed into the tree, the impact blasting out a small piece of the mountain and sending it into the river.
"I guess this is where it all landed," Marshall said aloud, approaching the natural-made dam and glancing around.
"Is someone there?" came a weak voice, causing Marshall to jump in alarm. The voice was pained, speaking as agony rose from every word.
"Wait- huh," the Dalmation shook his head, "h- hello?!" He called over to the mass of rocks and debris.
"H- help me…" came a soft cry, "I'm… stuck,"
Going on full alert, Marshall jumped into action, ignoring his own pains that were skyrocketing at his explosive moment. He ran onto the beach and jumped out, landing on one of the rocks. Frantic, he tried to stabilize himself as he searched for the source of the voice. The water was crashing against the rocks, splashing up into his eyes and soaking him again. Carefully walking along the dam, Marshall stopped as his eyes locked in, and something that made him stop cold. A leg and tail were sticking out from the rocks, grey in color. The tail was missing several patches of fur, likely shredded through as gravel and small fish drifted through it. The leg was scratched up, the paw drifting helplessly as visible pink abrasions spotted its pads.
Marshall reared in horror, realizing a dog was trapped in the rocks. Quickly jumping to the other side of the barricade, he was met with a grizzly sight.
Gasket's upper body was sticking out, held tightly by the rocks pressed in around her. An unending torrent of water constantly streamed around her, straining through the cracks in the rocks and leaking down around her head. She wasn't visibly drowning, although a considerable amount of water was flowing over her nose. The Husky was completely helpless, trapped under the debris as nature ate away at her body.
"Gasket!" Marshall exclaimed,
"Help… me," she weakly cried, having to talk through the massive amount of water that flooded her head. It took Marshall a second, having to break himself free from the paralyzing horror he fell into upon seeing her.
The Dalmation quickly surveyed the area, scoping out the large rock that had the dog pinned down into the water. Sucking air through his teeth, he propped his front paws onto the rock and began to push with all his might. He could feel it budge, but it was still firmly in place. Rolling it front or backward was impossible, as it was sitting in a small dip created by other rocks. To push it over in that direction would require even more strength to shove it over. He had to push it to the right or left, they were the only directions it could freely move.
Budging the rock caused a groan of pain to escape the Husky, Marshall knew with fear he had to free her soon before she surrendered to her injuries.
Rolling the rock to the right would put it against the current, and Marshall had no hope of fighting against the weight of the coursing river. The only possible way it could go was to the left, directly over Gasket's head.
"Gasket!" He yelled, "I need you to put your head down!"
"Under the… water?" She weakly looked to the side, her eyes widening in response.
"Just trust me!" the Dalmation strained, gripping his back paws down as he fought to shove the massive rock free, "do it!"
With a weary glance, Gasket winced as she took a breath and dipped her head down, entirely submerging her mouth and nose. Knowing it was now or never, Marshall aligned himself and shoved against the boulder with all his might. It budged again, but still, the piece of the mountain defied the Dalmation. The dog snarled out and bared his teeth, coursing with adrenaline as his weakened body screamed out in agony. Gasket couldn't stay underwater for long, Marshall reared every piece of strength he had.
"Come on!" He yelled into the canyon, "move God- dammit!"
Faint bubbles floated up from Gasket's sunken nose. Putting through not just his strength, but every single bit of energy in his body, Marshall gritted his teeth so hard one of his fangs broke in his mouth. Screaming out as power was forced from him, the rock began to move. With a final push, Marshall shoved the boulder off, it rolled over Gasket and splashed into the river, floating away.
Marshall collapsed in exhaustion, coming dangerously close to falling back into the river. Gasket's body slowly drifted free, traveling down the river for a few seconds before she washed up in the sand, coming to rest like a piece of lifeless discarded plastic. Even as he was drained, Marshall pushed himself up, hobbling off the rocks and falling clumsily onto the beach.
He made haste over to Gasket, coming to a stop over her and gently moving his paws under her arms. He gently pulled her from the water, bringing her into the soft grass where she was already coughing up water. Despite wanting to say a few things, Marshall finally collapsed from the overexertion and fell into the grass beside her.
-.-.-.-
It wasn't until night had fallen that he woke up again, painfully opening his eyes into the dark jungle. If it wasn't for the moonlight softly shining down, he'd be completely blind. Squinting his eyes in the low light, Marshall pushed himself up. His body was in severe pain, severely beaten down from the preexisting damage by the wall, combined with the massive expending of energy to save Gasket.
"Gasket," he suddenly said aloud, jerking up in surprise as he looked around for her. She was gone from where he left her in the sand. Fearing for her safety, he crept into the dense jungle.
"Gasket?!" He called for her, barking into the dense trees.
"Over here…" replied a frail voice, unexpectedly off to his side. Marshall turned around back to the river, following in the direction of the sound. He quickly came up to a small pile of flat rocks, gentling shining in silver in the moonlight. Sitting atop them was a severely bruised and battered Husky. A visible trail of blood followed her from where she moved in the sand. Marshall felt the smile burn into his face, flooding him with relief as tears almost fell from his eyes. She was okay, maybe not perfectly fine, but okay, and that was all he cared about.
"Are you-" he stopped mid-sentence, wincing as he walked over to her, "alright?"
Gasket looked off to the side, "I… I think so," she spoke quietly and softly as if her throat had been struck while she was trapped, "are you… going to arrest me?"
The Dalmation was aghast at the statement, "what? No! No, I- I think we have…" he looked around wearily, "... more important things to deal with right now." He looked down at his paws, which were muddied and slightly tinted red from the blood washed into them.
"Where are you hurt?" He asked her, limping over as he was already scanning her for injuries. Instantly, Gasket shot her tail underneath her body, tucking in her ears and paws.
"I'm fine," she muttered, "just a few bruises."
"I do not believe that," Marshall said sternly, "let me look you over."
"Leave me alone."
"Gasket, I'm EMT certified-"
She suddenly jumped upward, lashing out at the Dalmation as she bared her teeth, "I said leave me alone!"
Marshall was about to bite back when he noticed something, "Gasket… your ear."
To his horror, Gasket's entire left ear was gone, likely torn off her head during the fall, or shredded into nothing while she was caught in the rocks. It wasn't bleeding, at least not anymore, as the constant barrage of river water likely cleaned away the wound. Marshall grew restless, knowing she was badly hurt.
"I am not leaving you alone," he growled back, "and I said, I'm EMT certified," he shot his title back in her face, "now unless you want to catch an infection and die a slow, painful death, shut up and let me look you over!"
The biker Husky reared back in surprise at the Dalmation's sudden outburst, flattening her one remaining ear. Grimacing, she wanted to fire off another insult but suddenly found herself holding her tongue. Hanging her head down, she looked away from him, "fine," she submitted to him, "just… don't touch me."
"Sure, whatever," Marshall waved off, happy she was at least complying.
A brief glance over revealed that Gasket had more than a few bruises. In addition to losing her left ear, there were several cuts and patches of missing fur all over her torso. Her leather jacket was so ripped up it could only resemble that of a crudely made scarf, and her studded collar was only hanging on by a few threads. Marshall winced looking over her back and sides. Not only was a good portion of her fur on those areas gone, but her skin also had thin patches missing, likely rubbed off by passing rocks. While there was no serious damage to her outer skin, Marshall could clearly identify where her epidermis layer had been shaved down a little too closely, faintly revealing her nerves. Her front legs were fine, but her right back leg had taken a beating.
"Can you hold up your paws?" Marshall asked absently, looking up and down her tail. Clumps of fur were missing from it, and what did remain carried gravel and algae from the river.
"What, why?" Gasket looked back at him with a questioning face.
"So I can check your pads."
"I think I can do that myself?"
"Just do it," Marshall growled, growing tired of her defiance.
Scowling, Gasket sat up straight, turning to face him. Refusing to make eye contact, she held up her front paws, exposing her pads underneath. They had no visible damage.
"And your back legs," Marshall said in irritation.
"Ugh," the biker rolled her eyes, "perv." She planted her front paws into the ground and leaned back, picking up her lower legs and holding the paws out in front. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."
Ignoring her comments, Marshall glanced over the left foot, easing when he saw no visible damage. Upon coming to the right paw, however, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked down for a closer look. Her spur was gone, likely ripped out for the paw and taken off to wherever her ear went. Most of the metacarpal pad had been scraped out, exposing the pink, fleshy underside.
"Gasket, your right main pad is destroyed," he looked up at her as she put her paws back down, "how long were you in those rocks?"
"What do you care?" she fired back at him, "just a few hours ago, you tried to kill my friends!"
"First of all," Marshall was beyond ready to argue, "that was Chase, secondly, I care because in case you hadn't noticed, we're trapped in a canyon!" His voice echoed up the mountain.
Gasket flattened her ear at his tone, bristling her fur, "you think I don't have eyes?!"
"Hell if I know, you could've lost your eyesight along with your ear!"
"Oh fuck you!" the Husky suddenly got up from the rock, turning away and walking off on the sand. It was mortally painful to walk on her damaged pad, but she didn't dare expose it again to the firefighter.
Marshall stared after her in disbelief, "wha- where are you going?!"
"Away from you!" She barked at him, vanishing into the jungle, "I don't need you, I can get out of here all by myself!"
Snarling to himself, a piece of the Dalmation wanted to leave her behind, fearing she would just be dead weight. Although, even if she was just a criminal, he'd be damned if he left someone to die in the jungle. There were other pressing matters now, the earlier affairs could wait. It was just him and Gasket now, alone in the wilderness, and they weren't going to survive separated.
Sighing in defeat, Marshall raced after her.
(To be continued…)
