Chapter ten: Wayward Thoughts
"Ok.. you ready?" Billy asked, taking up the Zoom-It frisbee and skillfully spinning it on the tip of his finger.
"Thought you'd never ask!" Chase replied all too confidently. Billy tossed the frisbee his way and he whipped around to catch it, leaping up with a backwards momentum; landing straight down on all four paws. The pup then tossed the frisbee aside loosely, spitting it out to his right. "Come on, show me whatcha really got." He teased knowingly.
"Now remember, Chase, we're gonna slowly ease you back into this, just like everything else." Marshall reminded him. "So go easy, ok?"
"Don't worry.. I got this." Chase replied easily. "I'm feeling a lot better than I did before. I'll be fine."
"We'll start you out with some easy ones just to be safe." Billy decided. "Work you back up to what you were doing before."
"We'll have plenty of time to get you there too, dude!" Zuma reminded him. "The Zoom-It dog competition isn't for a few weeks."
"I know.." Chase shrugged. "So.. can we start going now?"
"Well looks like someone's finally back to his old self again." Maggie joked amusingly, strolling up with Ryder, Marcus and Daniel.
"Finally." Marshall mumbled to himself. Boomerang and Mariana strode over to join them, feeling the anticipation in the air as they all found a place to sit and watch.
"Ok, we've been working with Ryder and Zuma individually, during your healing sessions." Billy explained handing a Zoom-It to Ryder. "So we'll be working with them together for today too.. to get them ready for competition as well."
"Cool! Sounds great." Chase smiled lightly, only slightly lacking his usual enthusiasm.
"Oh.. ok um.. so what do I do?" The orange seapup wondered.
"You just watch me." Chase grinned confidently, shooting the glance over to Billy.
xxxx
Chase and Zuma stood together on one end of the yard, and Billy and Ryder stood on the other; Chase and Billy coaching their friends through everything they did. Billy threw the Zoom-It Chase's way.. and Chase caught it easily from where he was; each of them taking time to explain tips and strategies that worked for them. Then having them try them, with varying levels of success.
XXXX
"Great work today, Chase." Billy commented proudly, coming off the yard and off toward the Lookout with their friends and family. "You're really comin' along again."
"I know." Chase shrugged easily. "But Zuma's really starting to improve." The pup went on, turning his gaze over at the Chocolate Lab; who perked up in surprise.
"Who?.. Me? Really?" The sea pup wondered, pointing a paw to himself.
"He's right, you really have been improving." Billy agreed. "No matter where you place.. You'll go great for your first time! I know it."
"Pretty soon.. I'll be back on my game!" Chase gushed, giving an excited hop, as they finally entered the Lookout doors.
"Yes, well.. don't rush it too much." Boomerang advised warmly. "We don't want to see you fall from that level all over again, now do we."
"*sigh* I know." Chase sighed deeply, his demeanor falling from his initial excitement having dampened from this statement.
"Look, Chase we're not trying to dampen your spirits.." Marshall spoke up softly. "But we do want you to remember that you're still recovering, and we wanna be sure tha-"
"That I don't hurt myself again," Chase shot back hotly, raising his voice a little and cooling himself slightly afterward. "I know." He finished, quietly turning away.
"Chase." Mariana spoke up forwardly. "You do not have to take that tone here.. these are your friends.. and they only want to help you. We only wanna help you.." she came toward him to set a paw on his back, which faced them, but he immediately refused her touch.
"Except I don't want that kind of help!" Chase barked, whipping around to glare at them harshly, spreading hurtful glances across the group now in front of him. The pup's hard gaze softened, and clenching his eyes closed regretfully he lowered his head to take off out the doors of the Lookout. Mariana's brown eyes followed him all the way, glazing over with a single tear dropping down her lowered nose. Marshall sat down where he stood, ears dropped, and head lowered; nearing the edge of tears himself.
"Oh Marshall." Skye whined, coming to hug close to him with the other pups.
"Ok.. now-.. everyone calm down." Frank began immediately. "We're-.." the starting of an engine began and they all looked up, Frank craning his neck around toward the door. As they all watched dumbfounded, as the large blue shape drove by and away.
"Chase?!" Mariana vocalized, taking off out the door. She stopped short as the blue police vehicle turned away from view down the hill, just as footsteps indicated the others' arrival. Her gaze hitting the floor solemnly, as she realized what had just happened.
"Perhaps. I.. should just.. go back to the farm.." She sighed, heading off to her left to the waiting vehicle belonging to the Prescotts.
"Oh, come on now, Ana." Billy interjected coming over to kneel in her path. "You know he's not just upset with you.."
"He's just going through a rough patch right now." Maggie agreed taking a step closer to him. "That's all." she shrugged.
"That's right." Ryder agreed. "He'll come back.. once he's cooled down again."
"Maybe he's going to see his PUP Pals." Skye supposed stepping around next to Mariana.
"Yeah.. perhaps." The older dog thought, lifting her gaze toward the empty drive; and Chester crept up to snuggle close to her, hoping it'd cheer her up as the others slowly left in silence.
XXXX
The distant hum grew louder as the forest welcomed his vehicle's purr. The ground crunched to halt it next to a tree on the fading path, killing the hum at his command. Jumping down out of the driver's seat, he caught his own foot and hit the ground. With a sigh, he sat himself up, the heavy rock in his chest weighed him down to where his head hung level with his shoulders. Closing his eyes the thoughts returned to him,.. ending abruptly with those chomping jaws. The sun, by now, had begun to sink into the distant horizon.. which felt like some kind of continuity somehow, becoming a physical mirror image to his own heart. A squawking bird flapped out over him and his truck and he ran, startled, for a short distance into the forest. Slowing to a steady walk his paws padded the ground softly, hardly giving away his presence at all; almost as if he didn't exist here at all. Still he tread on.. the sunset staining his chocolate brown and golden fur with a goldish glow all its own. The bright happiest it emanated still couldn't seem to penetrate through the thickly troubled flesh beneath the skin it illuminated, failing to lift the lowland spirit that lay within him. Reaching the ridge, he took a seat just barely at the edge of the cliff; where he could lay himself down to watch the sunset diminish its fiery light to cast ever elongating shadows across his humble homeland; thinking on all that had happened up until this point. The silence was almost so deafening it nearly hurt to listen to it.
Why am I up here? He thought to himself. Other than hiding from my friends and family. What was I thinking?! They were only trying to help me. Even the sun can see that.
A sigh, and he leaned his head to the other paw, a heaviness beginning to creep on over him.
Wait! I can't stay here?! Stay awake! I can't stay here tonight.
Shaking himself, he stood his front paws up as the darkness continued to grow.
Great, the shadows are already showing up to block my path home. Better get going before I get totally lost out here. SNAP!
What was that?! He whipped around and stood on alert, a quiet rustling dying down to show no movement anywhere. Searching only with his eyes, they found nothing. A strange scent found his nose and he felt a familiarity to it that he couldn't seem to place.
"No!" He gasped at this unrecallable memory.
"Woah!" His sudden descent ended with a whip and a sting finding himself now dangling by a tension on his neck, from where the sting had originated. Bracing both paws to it to ease the sting, he attempted to pull his collar free; yet somehow, instead, he fell once more and hit rock bottom in a dizzying heap. With a groan he sat up, the wind at his neck as a trickle tickled his shoulder.
"What?"
Looking down, the dim light could not mask the small trail snaking down his right foreleg.
"Oh man!" He groaned, setting himself down to hold a paw to his neck wound for pressure.
Glancing up his eyes found the branch that had snagged him, and the top of the cliff itself.
"Great, now what?" His own voice was all he heard and as he looked down to his left, turning slightly to do so, the drop viewed the grassy forest below that lay directly beneath him; the snaking black line of a road just beyond it for a short distance.
No way out. Perfect. Chase thought, silently cursing himself.
Another sting and by now his wound had soaked his paw.
So how am I gonna get out of here? He wondered almost becoming hopeless in the moment. His defeated glance closed, then opened again at the characteristic crack that sounded and inevitable drop; releasing a cry from his throat that he'd almost hoped could reach the Lookout!
XXXX
"He's been gone a long time." Rocky stated peering out from the open door, then coming back over to the group inside.
"The Prescotts told us to let them know when he gets back." Ryder said, laying back against the beanbag; flatly sprawled out. "So we may have to stay awake until he does."
"If he does." Marshall mumbled to himself.
"What was that Marshall?" Ryder spoke up bringing him to attention.
"You don't think Chase will come back?" Rocky questioned hurtfully.
"-eh..- no, I mean... I'm.. kind of afraid he won't show up until tomorrow." The Dalmatian admitted sheepishly.
"Why? Chase wouldn't stay out there alone all night..." Skye said. "Would he?" She wondered a moment later, glancing quizzically back at Ryder; who shrugged innocently.
XXXX
The rocks must've hit the ground, cause Chase was suddenly thrust forward onto his right shoulder tumbling over it to sprawl flat on the ground. Grimacing, Chase's paw found his shoulder quickly, the sting of his new wound and the ache of his old wound colliding to create the perfect storm as a result of his fall.
Ok.. so I'm down.. now what? He wondered holding pressure once again.
I can't wait around here for help. He thought, looking down at the wet paw holding his neck once again.
Better get walking if I'm gonna make it back to my truck to drive it home.
A step forward brought on some more of that nagging ache.
Guess I REALLY better get moving.. before I start to hurt so much, I can barely move.
Racing off maintained that ache, but a ticking clock in his mind begged him to keep going.
XXXX
"Ohhh I can't wait any longer." Skye whined. "Ryder, Chase should've at least checked in by now. We've gotta make sure he's okay."
"Hmm.. maybe you're right." Ryder decided finally. "I'll see if I can call his pup-tag.. if he'll answer it, that is." The last part of his statement, as you would expect, was a little hesitant.. and maybe a little sad. Taking out his pup-pad, he flipped to the right icon and began the call.
"Chase? Hello? Are you there? Come in." But all that returned was static and silence.
"That's weird." Ryder said, scratching his head. "He should've at least shown up on my screen."
"What?! What'do you think that could mean, Ryder?" Skye wondered quickly.
"That's impossible!" Marshall cried, uncertainty crossing his face a moment later. "Unless…"
"Unless what Marshall?" Rocky asked, fearing what he'd say.
"Unless.. what if Chase.. isn't where his pup-tag is?" The Dalmatian wondered regretfully.
"What?!" The pups gasped.
"Think about it guys.." Marshall reiterated. "If Chase can't get to his pup-tag for some reason, it would explain why he didn't answer it."
"Unless he's just ignoring it on purpose." Zuma mumble sadly.
"Come on, Zuma.." Rubble interjected. "Chase wouldn't ignore our calls.. would he?"
A glance at Ryder and the boy shrugged once more.
"I hope not." He said. "But I think you're right.. we have to find him and make sure he's ok."
"Ok.." Rubble shrugged. "So where do we start?"
"By fanning out, and think about where he might have gone." Ryder replied, rising from his seat. "I'll call Katie and Mayor Goodway to see if either of them have seen him, but otherwise we're on our own in finding him."
"Ok Ryder.." Marshall sighed, his head lowered sadly. "Then I guess we better get started."
XXXX
"Ahn!" Tripping over an exposed root didn't help his wound any, and his stinging one added an extra layer to it with the swift movement.
Gotta.. get.. home.. he panted in his mind, finding it amazing in the moment that he could think like that. Rising to trudge on, his paws crunched the ground.
"Ouch!" Lifting a paw, the sharpness of the sticks under them remained where they were.
Gotta be more careful! Can't get hurt again. I can't! The sun, by now was long gone and the night had fully ensued, so creeping through the darkness brought on a new kind of eeriness to the already unsettling silence.
Hey guys! Here's a new chapter.. FINALLY! Oh my gosh, I've been getting behind on my fanfic writing! Severe apologies for that alone. But all things aside, I wanna thank you guys for sticking with it and reading on! I know I've kinda been devoid for a few months now and my only explanation for that is.. well.. life. And I've been working on the process toward publishing my first book; which is nearing the final stage. Hopefully, then, I'll be able to work more on fanfics to finish some of them up for new stories and to work towards my next book. Which will technically be going through an entire re-edit for many different reasons. Either way though this chapter, as you can see, has taken a turn. Where will it lead us?... You'll have to find out next chapter,... and with that.. I'll see you next time! Thx!