Hello everyone and welcome to my brand new story. First of all, I like to say thank you so much for the great comments from "Pups At Chernobyl". It was a really fun story to deliver and I know right now there's a huge war happening in Ukraine, I'd like to share my thoughts and prays to the people of Ukraine and hope that this horrifying war ends.

Anyways on to the latest story. Now, before we begin, I know it sounds negative but it's the only solution I have. Due to the amount of hard work my brain goes through to give you the best piece of entertainment as I can, I will be releasing each chapter on the first day of every month. That should give me time to finish up the future chapters that are yet to be written and have the next chapter ready for posting.

I'll explain more later but for now, sit back and enjoy my latest story: "Adventure In Death's Shadow".

THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE, SEXUAL MENTION, VIOLENCE AND TERMS THAT SOME MAY FIND UPSETTING.

THE AUTHOR OF THE STORY FULLY CONDEMS HOMOPHOBIA

Chapter 1 – Rumours

Love is a mysterious wonder. How people love another has different forms. Family, friendship or romance. In romance, true love is shown by those who care for their partner until death does them apart. But love does have consequences. Depending on your orientation, it's not just the individual you love but those around you who are willing to accept you for who you are, or those who will cast you out, never to return to their lives again. Showing your true colours with nobody knowing your preferred gender would easily let the baby loose and talks would spread like gas.

The time came on a normal day in Adventure Bay like any other. The sun shining down with the pleasuring summer's heat, the birds would chirp away in their own songs. But a raven was flying around, spreading an unpleasant secret that had their eyes wide open for a set of individuals. More specifically within the Paw Patrol. Rumours of two certain pups eyeing each other with glittering looks. The Paw Patrol themselves heard no secret whatsoever.

It was during one rescue mission that the police pup of the team noticed a strange and unique behaviour from the town's people, more particular the mayor. In fact, Chase began to pick up on the sudden change of behaviour a couple of missions ago when he and Marshall were called up by Ryder to tackle the problem. However, if it were just him and another pup besides Marshall then the behaviour reverted back to normal.

Chase sensed something odd was wrong. He felt the need to speak to Ryder about his findings but had no evidence to back himself. Marshall didn't seem bothered nor acknowledged the point of the people giving them strange looks. But soon the German Shepherd would have concrete proof evidence. During a cross-country exercise, Chase received a call from his owner telling him that Chickaletta had got stuck on the roof. The Shepherd shook his head in disbelief. A chicken on a roof? The last time he heard a chicken going higher than six feet was when Skye's helicopter was being used for the first-ever chicken helicopter pilot. Chase hopped in the direction towards the Lookout and sprinted just after he rolled his eyes.

"On my way, Ryder sir." Chase reported via his pup tag. The pup ran as fast as he could. He went much faster than his average cross-country pace. Chase raced past the Lookout and converted his pup house into his Police Cruiser. As the vehicle took form, Chase quickly dressed himself in his uniform and equipped his pup pack before jumping into the Cruiser and racing off to the rescue. He couldn't enjoy anything more than the wind bombarding his face. He tightened his eyelids and locked his eyes on the road. The police pup then saw town hall arriving in view. First he saw was Marshall climbing his ladder, which extended up to where Chickaletta was hanging around . The sight of the fire pup seemed pleasing for Chase. He, alongside Ryder, was the first set of members of the Paw Patrol. Although it felt like yesterday, Chase didn't dwell on his past before Ryder. Speaking of the boy, he stood by Marshall's fire truck with Mayor Goodway at his side, looking as if she was getting dizzy at the sight of her precious chicken on the verge of becoming dinner.

Chase parked by the fire truck and joined up by Ryder's side, watching the fire pup slowly approaching a roof-bounded Chickaletta. "Chase, be on permanent standby with your net in case either Marshall or Chickaletta fall off the roof." Chase heard Ryder's voice say as he kept his focus on both of the mentioned pup and chicken. Deep down in him, Chase knew he was worried about the Dalmatian; worried that just one wrong move could be curtains for him.

Chase had a sudden feeling each mission that he cared so much about the fire pup every time he watched a braver Marshall tread on a minefield. He couldn't exactly place a name on his feeling, but Chase continued to observe Marshall performing his duty. The fire pup calmly talked Chickaletta into drawing nearer to him, but Chickaletta jumped and Marshall followed pursuit. Mayor Goodway shrieked in terror and Chase, without Ryder ordering him to do so, barked out his net launcher and shot the net just in time to break Marshall's fall. The mayor sprinted off toward the two and swiftly took Chickaletta from Marshall's paws, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Oh, thank heavens you're safe, my little Chickaletta." Mayor Goodway breathed. Chase himself was more relieved that he didn't let his best friend become a pup-shaped pancake. "Thank you, Ryder, for saving my Chickaletta. And thank you, Chickaletta, for coming back to mommy's huggable arms." Mayor Goodway spoke.

"You're welcome, Mayor. Whenever you have a chicken loose on the roof, just yelp for help." Ryder said. Chase kept his eyes on Marshall, waiting to see if he had fully recovered from his near shock of falling to his doom. Eventually, he hopped off the net and caught his breath. Ryder walked up to Marshall and scratched the back of his ear as he told how proud he was of him. Marshall smiled in response and Ryder started walking toward Chase. Ryder also gave Chase a scratch behind the ear, but neither he nor Marshall had seen what Chase saw: Mayor Goodway giving a disgusted look toward the recovering fire pup. The satisfying feeling of being scratched behind the ear tried to distract Chase from wondering why Mayor Goodway was pulling such a look to the pup who rescued her precious chicken. Then the police pup was retracted from his thoughts by the sound of his owner's voice.

The mayor then turned away and went inside town hall, leaving the Paw Patrol to their business. Chase's mind was still on the look she gave to Marshall behind his back. Like everyone else's when it was just him and Marshall called to the problem, Chase noticed stares and repelled looks from the citizens, except for Mr Porter and Alex who always greeted the pups with welcoming arms. The pup felt suspicion in the air. Another call from Ryder had this time brought Chase out of his thinking zone. Chase gathered his net and took it back to his Cruiser, whilst being watched by Marshall who had just climbed back into his fire truck to retract his ladder. Once they were packed up, Ryder, Chase and Marshall drove back to the Lookout.

Ryder stayed behind in his garage and Chase and Marshall joined up with the other pups, who were watching a dance-off duel between Skye and Zuma on Pup Pup Boogie. Just as the timer expired, Skye backflipped and Zuma spun on the spot for one final move as the round ended. The scoreboard read: Skye – 4626 points. Zuma – 4625 points. The pups were flabbergasted by the difference between the two scores. Both dancing gladiators were belly to floor whilst out of breath.

"I thought I was going to lose, but you're getting better every time." Skye commented to Zuma. The Labrador couldn't agree with her anymore. The highest score Zuma achieved was 6012 points; there were times his score was almost overtaken. Then they acknowledged the presence of Chase and Marshall, who explained what happened down at town hall. Upon mentioning the scene, Chase decided to leave the dally to the rest and step outside. However, in the corner of a Cockapoo's eye, she saw the police pup wandering off. Skye raised an eyebrow as she watched him disappear out of sight. She thought it was out of character for Chase to walk out like that. Being a caring teammate, the Cockapoo decided to check on the strange-acting police pup.

Following him outside, Skye first saw Chase sitting by the tree with his head resting against the bark. His eyelids were sealed shut and his body was still like concrete. Skye sensed something was wrong with Chase; she carefully approached the recovering German Shepherd. The sound of her paws gently brushing against the grass made one ear flick up from its comfort zone. Skye paused in her tracks and saw Chase rotating his eyes toward her.

"Are you okay, Chase?" She softly spoke. Chase lifted his head away from the tree and lowered his eyes down to the ground. The same thoughts from earlier came crawling back to him like crabs. Chase let in a breath of air before finally sharing with Skye.

"I wanted to tell Ryder this but I didn't know what was stopping me," Chase started. "A couple of missions ago, the people of Adventure Bay had started acting odd, more specifically when me and Marshall are selected for the mission. But if either just me or I'm with someone other than Marshall, then they aren't showing their odd behaviour." Skye was puzzled by his explanation. Surely there had to be a reason for this "odd" behaviour toward Chase and Marshall, the pilot pup thought.

"I mean, it does sound odd but I'm sure there's a reason for it all." Skye assured the tensed pup. "But I think I know why…" She heard him say.

Skye shook his head, not believing he actually knows why. "And before I say why, I want you to promise me that you won't mention this to the others, especially Marshall." Chase added. Skye tilted her head and leaned closer by a small inch. Chase sucked in his lips and started biting at them. He held his breath and started slowly shaking his head. Skye heard a sudden gush of wind through the Shepherd's nose and then out through the mouth.

"Marshall and I have been a part of the Paw Patrol for a long time, from the very start to be precise, and we've seen ourselves as like brothers. But truth be told, I really like him." Chase stated.

Skye perked up her ears. "We all know that, Chase. Everyone knows you've liked him as a brother." Skye spoke, feeling the suspense was all for nothing. "No, not like him as a brother, but like him as in…" Chase rejected but then trailed off at the last point. Skye was eager for him to finish the sentence but then she realised it didn't need finishing. The Cockapoo slowly widened her eyes and raised them to the shaking German Shepherd.

"How long?" She raised in curiosity. "Since we recruited Rubble onto the team. But I'm scared, Skye. I know police dogs are meant to be brave and all that, but for once in my entire life, I'm scared that I'm not going to be accepted for who I truly am." Chase stuttered. Skye's thoughts were scrambled like a jigsaw puzzle, then she began to wonder…

"Does anybody else know that you're…" Skye questioned, but then Chase cut her off. "No," the police pup sighed. "Not even Marshall." He then hung his head in shame. He felt his heart beating faster and harder as he just exposed his secret to her. A secret darker than any other secret he held. He started to think if Skye herself was willing to accept him after opening up. The response he earnt was two soft paws being wrapped around like a bouquet, followed by a "I'm so happy for you" in the form of Skye's voice.

Relieve brought a tear to the German Shepherd and felt his stress drain from head to paws. "Thank you," he replied as he hugged her back. "Don't worry, this is between me and you." Skye promised as the two broke out from their hug, then gave one last smile before heading back inside the Lookout. Chase softly smiled in return then laid his head back on the tree. He and Skye had each other's backs like siblings. The vision of Marshall peaked in his mind. He just couldn't stop thinking about the Dalmatian. Whatever he thought of, Marshall would just appear out of nowhere like a hidden jack in the box. But then he started to wonder: "When should I tell him?"

It was a normal quiet day for Katie at her parlour as she was grooming Cali after having a rough day. Nothing else was on the girl's mind other than focusing on brushing Cali's fur without hurting her. Then the doors suddenly opened, then entered a paper delivery boy.

"Morning Katie," he greeted like he always does every day. "Morning Kyle," Katie replied back. "So what're today's headlines?"

Kyle reached into his bag that held the rolled-up newspapers and pulled one out at random. He stretched open the printed papers and Katie awaited for his news anchor voice; instead, his face froze. His lips hungover which made his breath more audible, eyelids stretched out in dread and the eyes wobbled at the speed of a raven.

"Rare Cancer Detected within 41 Homosexuals…" Kyle finally spoke. Katie turned to face the paperboy with a raised eyebrow. Kyle turned the papers around and the headlines were bold clear.

Rare Cancer Detected within 41 Homosexuals, and Still Climbing.

With icicles forming down her spine, Katie stared at the papers and continued to read on. "Scientists and doctors have discovered a rare type of cancer in around 40 gay men. The so-called 'Gay-Related Immune Deficiency' (GRID), as named by health officials, is still being discussed by doctors whether or not the cancer type is contagious." Katie read from the paper. Then Kyle took out a sheet of paper with a black background, and in white bold letters: "Beware of Gay Plague." Katie examined it before looking up at Kyle.

"I've only been told to tell you and others to hang these posters up where people can see them." He told. Kyle slowly headed toward the door, whilst Katie still kept her eyes on the poster that she had in her hand. She had lost all sense of emotions.

"Before I go," she heard Kyle say as she shook her head. "Have you heard what everyone is saying?" The girl raised her shoulders and looked at him with glaring eyes. "They're saying there's a same-sex relationship in the Paw Patrol." Katie dropped her shoulders and shook her head in disbelief. She presumed she was hearing things. Did he really just say that?

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that, could you say it again please?" The girl asked.

"I said, people think there's a gay couple in the Paw Patrol." Kyle repeated. Katie stood perplexed as she felt the control of her own body become inert for a moment. She slightly squeezed her eyelids and slowly shook her head. "Why would they be saying that?" Katie questioned.

"No idea," Kyle answered. "Got to dash. See you soon." Katie watched the paperboy rush out of the parlour doors and looked back down at the newspaper and the poster. The words "Gay Plague" made her question why such a name for a new kind of cancer. A cancer that only kills gay boys? The girl took the newspaper and shaped it into a ball and tossed it in the trash. Then she picked up the poster and placed both her fingers at the top. No tear. Her eyes were pinned to the word 'gay'. Seeing the word made her recall what Kyle had mentioned earlier before he left. Was it true that someone in the Paw Patrol was gay; if so, how does the people know?

Katie scratched her head then turned to face her cell phone. Her eyes froze in place and her hand remained still. Her mind was still debating whether to believe what Kyle said about what the people were saying. Not wanting to wait for the answer any longer, Katie decided to call Ryder. She hoped that Ryder would pick up ASAP. Cali's snoring was all that could be heard as Katie waited for the ten-year-old leader to answer the phone. She waited with good patience, then he answered.

"Hi Katie, is everything alright?" The boy's voice came through the phone. The girl felt her body's urge to speak, wanting to tell him something is wrong in the Paw Patrol. The thoughts couldn't get off her chest.

"Katie, are you there?" Ryder's voice woke her up. "Sorry, Ryder. Listen, I was wondering if there was some kind of relationship within the Paw Patrol?" Katie asked as she scratched the back of her neck. Ryder fell silent on the other end until he came back with a response.

"Not that I'm aware of," he responded. "Why?" Katie knew she didn't want to cause any alarm for the boy, but the mystery still brewed inside her. Many options spun around her whether to explain, but she shook it off.

"It's nothing. Just some stupid thought I had." She faked. She could sense that Ryder thought something was odd about her talking. Katie wanted to slap herself after the way she communicated with the leader of Adventure Bay's famous rescue team. Instead, she made a fool of herself. She sighed before coming forward. "Look, I'm actually calling to know if any of your pups is…well, gay?" A moment of silence filled the phone line between Katie and Ryder. Each second he didn't speak made Katie more anxious about his reaction. She kept biting at her lip. She felt her ears signalling her heartbeats out than any other sound. Then everything stabilised when she heard Ryder's voice.

"Gay? What makes you think that?" He asked. "The paperboy, Kyle, said that the people of Adventure Bay think there's a gay couple in the Paw Patrol." Katie explained. The ten-year-old kept quiet for a brief moment.

"I'll see what's up. But for now, I suggest we don't tell…" Ryder spoke but then was interrupted by Katie. "I know. I'll catch up later." They soon hung up and Ryder continued making dinner for the pups. The thoughts then infected him, worrying him to the deepest part of his mind. Both him and Katie knew if a certain somebody found out if there was a gay couple in the Paw Patrol, then there would be trouble. Being the caring leader he was, Ryder decided to keep it silent until something was devised. He and Katie both knew that someone from Adventure Bay wouldn't be happy to know that there's a gay pair not only living in the town, but within the Paw Patrol. Ryder felt the hairs on his skin stand up. Butterflies filled his stomach. He started to wonder why the pups of all those living in Adventure Bay. He then felt his stomach rumbling and continued making food. He didn't let the thought loose.

We have a confession on the table and who does Katie and Ryder not want to know there's a gay couple in Adventure Bay.

Well, that's it for chapter 1 but do stick around for chapter 2 on the first of July. Now, more on the process on the future chapters, I have parts of July and the whole of August off College so a massive work pace could be picked up on then. That's only if no distractions get in the way.

But from me, I'll see you next time, "La!"