(A/N): Hey guys!
Well, It's finally here. The next story in the exciting series of Paw Patrol presented by Dragonsfire Entertainment.
Before we get into the good stuff, there are some things I'm going to State for the record.
First, this is indeed a prequal to Temple Of Doom, but it's not a direct prequal to Temple Of Doom.
That also means that any ocs (except for one) that was in temple of doom, will not be in this story, sadly. But don't worry. We will get back to our freinds in Wintergreen
soon.
Also, This my first real original Paw Patrol story, so you can imagine how excited I am to share with you what had been in my brain for a year now.
I'm also very nervous, but I guess that just comes with being a writer. That doesnt mean to hold back on me though, if you see something wrong or something you don't get, don't hesitate to call me out on it, so I can ethier correct it, or try to explain it better than I did.
I generally believe in this fic, and depending on what I have so far...I think this will be something special.
BTW today happens to be my birthday at the upload of this Chapter! It totally surely for realizes, may or may not have affected this Chapter's release. (It totally did).
Anyway I'm pretty sure you want me to stop talking and get on with the show, so before we get on with it, I am obligated to mention that I do not own Paw Patrol or any of the Characters that are from it, just the ones that I have created for my story.
And with without further ado, it is now time for the story you all been patently waiting for...
Welcome to Paw Patrol: The Ballad of Dally.
Paw Patrol: The Ballad of Dally
Sean Thames
Chapter 1: Tempting Danger
Adventure Bay, 2013
The sound of sirens filled the ears of the many citizens of Adventure Bay. Some of them had to close their ears for how loud they were but, most of them were cheering. Including the many children, dogs, and pups whose hearts filled with joy every time they heard it.
Adventure bay was a quiet and peaceful little city a little ways from the coast of California, but you wouldn't believe that once you heard that Adventure Bay had no public services available to its citizens. The story of why was a complicated one, but the short version was years of under funding and corruption. Because of that, Adventure Bay hasn't had a Police department, Fire department, a garbage pickup, or even a hospital in years.
For a short while, Adventure Bay had no one to protect its streets, suppress it's fires, rescue themselves and animals from danger, and if anyone needed to go to the hospital, they had to make the trip all the way to Foggy Bottom, which was where the closest one was.
For the most part, Adventure Bay did quite well for a city with no police or a hospital. It was difficult, yes, but the city found ways to get around these problems. When fires would start, the whole city would get together and help put the fire out. Crime was rare and even if there was, it would usually be caused by someone who was not a regular citizen, but when it happened, the citizens had each other's back. The only thing they had a real problem with, was medical emergencies, as they had to rely on Foggy Bottom for that department. If anyone were sick and injured, they had to endure a one hour trip to the Foggy Bottom medical center.
With the watchful eye and brilliant establishment of order by Mayor Goodaway, Adventure Bay was a very peaceful and nice place to live. But things changed, when the Paw Patrol came to town.
A ten year old boy named Ryder with an extraordinary mind with technology, was able to somehow, train six pups to work as a team, and help out Adventure bay in any way they can.
They were a rescue team, with each pup having a unique talent. Ryder took their talents, and organized them and made them very efficient in the duties. He was also able to develop tools, gadgets, and even vehicles for the pups with technology for dogs that anyone couldn't even try to come up with. Keep in mind that the boy is just ten years old, and already has the mind with an I.Q of three hundred it seemed.
The city resisted the team at first, refusing help from them when they would offer. No one blamed them, for a good while the citizens had their own backs to start with. They weren't too interested in suddenly allowing not only dogs, but pups to help them with their problems. Some even protested them, stating that the pups and the boy for that matter were too young and inexperienced to be a rescue team.
The Paw Patrol had a lot to prove to Adventure Bay that they would be able to pick up the slack, and be their watchful eye.
As fate would have it though, that time came, when the egotistical mayor of Foggy Bottom, Mayor Humdinger, sabotaged the town by sabatogeing the city and making a big mess of things. Not directly of course, but he was the mastermind.
In that single week, there were more fires, crime, and injuries than Mayor Goodaway could keep up with. She enlisted the Paw Patrol which was at the time, only consisted of Ryder and two pups, Chase and Marshall.
Despite their low numbers, the rescue team pushed through and got the city back under control with absolutely no casualties.
From that day on, Adventure Bay's faith and trust grew with the Paw Patrol, and in turn, the two helped each other become stronger with each month passing by. The Paw Patrol gained credibility, that day, and have since been, Adventure Bay's own homemade public service.
Today was no different. One of Adventure Bay's loyal citizens Katie, a vet about the same age as Ryder, had a cat who climbed up on a tree in the forest so high, the cat had now way to come down without hurting herself. The Paw Patrol were called to help her down and at least try to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Chase drove through the streets following his owner Ryder with determination. He took every call seriously, no matter how mundane it was or how much of a repeat it was also. It seemed like every week, at least once, they had to get Calie down from some tree in the area. You think Katie would put some sort of leash on the cat after so many times of her running off and getting stuck in trees, But Chase wasn't gripping too much. After all, it gives him something to do on a friday afternoon.
Although Chase took his job very seriously, these past months actually have been quite fun for the shepherd. Mostly because he was still just a pup, but another reason was driving alongside him in a firetruck.
Chase looked over at Marshall and his seriousness took a back seat for a moment, as he couldn't help but be excited that he was working with his best friend. The dally looked over to him and instantly gave a smile back. They nodded at each other as they turned their heads back to the road.
For the past couple of years, the two pups had been through alot. Starting the team, gaining new members, protecting the town from criminals, putting out forest fires, helping the sick and injured, and long, long days of back to back jobs. They never complained about it, It was usually the funnest times they had. Mostly because, it was the only times that the two could spend some time together without the other pups.
Ever since the team started, they became too busy to do some genuine hanging out and if they did get time to play, a call would show up and it would be time to get busy. Not to mention that the two also had little side affairs. Chase was training to become a super spy, and Marshall just got his EMT license from the Foggy Bottom medical center to become the team's medic. Because of this, the two barely had time for themselves, let alone to hang out. They had been busy for far too long, and it showed.
For the past few months, a rift had begun to sneak up between them, even though they deny its existence everyday, it had become obvious in front of their friends and peers. The big giveaway was the constant fights they would get into at least once or twice a week. There was stuff said, feelings hurt, and tears shed in from both pups. Thankfully, only one ever came to blows, and although they didn't kill each other, the pain still stained them.
Ryder and the other pups all had front row seats through all of this, and it would be too painful to watch every time. They tried everything to get them to be true friends again and sometimes, it would work, and the fights started to rarely happen. But not long after, one would pop up out of nowhere and then they would be back at square one. It almost seemed like the two hated each other now and no longer considered themselves brothers. This of course was not true. The two insist it isn't, but after a while, they even started doubting themselves. It was clear that they loved each other as brothers, and it would be a cold day in hell for them to not be friends any more, but many felt that it was starting to get chilly.
Chase was in deep thought about this as they drove down the road. He wondered if it would ever come to that. He wished it wouldn't. He loved Marshall like a brother. The dally had been a good friend to him for the better part of four years now, and he had always tried to return the favor to him.
But there were plenty of times where he swore that Marshall didn't understand his job.
Marshall was careless sometimes, not for the thrill, but for the sake of the victim. Marshall would do anything to rescue whoever needed it. He would always put his life on the line, no matter how dangerous it was. Although the other pups would as well, but Marshall had no limits. Pile on his clumsiness and you would almost understand why Chase got on his case. To be fair, he got on to the other pups as well, but it was mostly Marshall.
Chase shook the thought off for now. Now was not the time to be thinking about accidents that could happen. Dwelling on it will only make him unfocus on the task at hand. But still, it wouldn't hurt just to look out for him. Right?
Calie meowed from the top of the tree scarcely, while her owner Katie was down below, very concerned for the cat. They went for a hike in the forest for some quality time and exercise. During their walk, Katie spotted a bunny with it's foot stuck in some trash left behind by a heartless individual. Being the person that she is, she went off the trail to help the bunny. While she was dealing with that, Calie caught sight of a squirrel and wanted to try it out for a taste. The squirrel led her up on the tree on a flimsy branch, with no way going down safely on her own, and the worst part, she didn't even catch the squirrel, as it easily got away from her. A true travesty in her eyes.
By the time Kaitie was done with the rabbit, she noticed that Calie was not where she left her. Kaitie became extremely worried and scoured the forest until she found her on top of a very tall tree.
Kaitie groaned in annoyance as she called out to her troublesome cat. "Caaaalie, how did you get all the way up there?"
Calie could only meow in response as she did her best to stay on the branch.
Katie groaned again. "You know one of these days, you're going to get yourself stuck somewhere even the Paw Patrol can't get you!"
On mention, Katie hears sirens in the distance and sighed in relief. "Hang on Calie! The Paw Patrol has just arrived!"
Ryder and Chase pull up near Kaite, while Marshall backs up in front of the tree. Ryder got off his ATV, while Chase got out of his car and went over to greet Katie.
"Hey Katie." Ryder cheerfully said, as he went up to her. "Need our help?"
"You know it Ryder. I'm sorry for dragging you out here. This is becoming a real bad habit for Calie to pick up." Katie said, sorrowful for the Paw Patrol.
"It's alright Katie. That's what we are here for." Chase replied.
Ryder looks over at Marshall who just about got his truck in position. "You all set Marshall?!"
Marshall looked back at Ryder with a smile "I sure am! Arf! Ladder up!"
The ladder shot up the tree near Calie. Chase looked up at the tree itself and noticed that the tree stood really tall. Taller than he expected. "Um….Ryder? Are you sure the ladder can really reach that high?"
"It should." Ryder answered.
The ladder continued to go up until it finally stopped. Unfortunately, It was a little too short about a few feet up.
"Uh oh." Ryder said. "Looks like it is too short."
"Guess we're going to need Skye, huh?" Chase suggested.
"You can't be more right Chase." Ryder replied. He reached for his pup pad to summon his pilot out to help.
Chase then noticed that Marshall was still climbing, despite the ladder's shortness. He immediately began questioning the dally through his pup tag. "Uhhhhhh Marshall? What are you doing? The ladder's too short."
"I know that Chase." Marshall assured Chase, as he climbed higher. "But I'm going to have to help Skye once she gets here. Plus, I need to make sure Calie is okay."
Although he was a little uneasy with it, Chase decided to put his issue aside for the sake of the mission. He sighed before he spoke back. "Please be careful buddy."
"Don't worry Chase, I won't do anything stupid." Marshall warmly said as he continued to climb.
Chase watched him on his nerves. While Marshall was trained properly on how to handle and climb ladders, he didn't have the best luck with him. Thankfully, there were no instances where he straight up fell off of it. He usually came down backwards on the ladder, and either rolled or bounced on the rungs on his but and landed in the cab. Still, Chase was scared that one day, Marshall won't be so lucky.
Chase stood firmly, ready to bark out his net at any moment to catch ethier Calie, Marshall, or both. Ryder just got done telling Skye to come help, and was now watching the events unfold. Katie stood right beside him, keeping her eyes glued on her cat.
Marshall got to the top of the ladder and looked up at Calie who was still a few feet out of reach. "Hey Calie. You're pretty brave to have made it all up here."
Calie looked at the smiling dalmatian and stopped shaking. "Meow?"
"Yeah I know. Don't worry. We'll get you down in no time. We just gotta wait on Skye to get her okay? So hang tight."
Ryder, Chase, and Katie watched Calie and Marshall when Ryder got a call from his pup pad.
"Hey Skye. You're almost here?" He asked as he answered it.
"Uhhhh Ryder? I'm afraid I'm not even in the air yet." Skye whimpered
"Huh? Why? What's wrong Skye?" Ryder asked curiously.
"My copter won't start! I don't know what's wrong with it!" Skye whined.
"Oh no, does that mean you can't help?" Ryder asked sadly.
"I don't know Ryder. Rocky's looking at it right now to see what's wrong." Skye replied.
"I guess we're going to have to figure out another way to get Calie down." Ryder said, a little disappointed. "Let me know if Rocky finds anything."
Skye whimpered as she responded, about ready to cry. "I'm so so sorry Ryder."
Ryder gave a comforting smile to Skye. "Don't worry about it Skye. Things happen. It's not your fault."
Skye lifted up a little bit at Ryder's assurance. "Okay Ryder. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
"I will Skye. Ryder out." Ryder ended the call and sighed in annoyance. "Guess that's a no go on that."
Chase looked questionably at Ryder. "Can't she fly using her pup pack?"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple Chase. Skye's pup pack is still out of commission due to her crash last week with the eagle. I'm still trying to fix the wing."
"How are we going to get Calie down now?" Katie asked. Deeply concerned for her cat still up on the tree.
"We're going to have to figure something out." Ryder answered.
Upon hearing that, Katie sighed sadly, worried that Calie will never get down. Ryder noticed this and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry Katie. We'll get her down. You just got to be patient okay?"
Katie looked at Ryder's eyes and they lifted her spirit up. She produced a small smile to him. "Okay Ryder, I trust you."
Ryder smiled back and then received a call from Marshall, who was starting to get a little impatient. "Hey Ryder? What's taking Skye so long?"
Ryder responded to Marshall with a disappointed tone. "I'm afraid Skye's not going to be able to make it out here little buddy. I'm trying to think of something else."
Marshall looked up at the branch where Calie was, and noticed that the branch was about to break. Marshall gasped, fearing that Calie was about to meet a terrible doom if they didn't figure out something fast.
"Uh Ryder? You might want to think of something fast! The branch is about to snap off!"
"Oh no! Calie!" Katie cried, horrified at the mere thought of Calie falling to the ground.
"Don't worry Katie." Chase assured. "If she falls, I've got her with my net."
Ryder stood there pondering on what to do. He was almost out of options. The ladder wasn't high enough and Skye was unavailable. The only other option was to have Calie jump down and Chase catch her. But that was risky. It wasn't that Chase was inaccurate, it was the fact that it would put Calie in danger in general, and he'd didn't want to give Katie, as well as himself admittedly, a heart attack out of fear that Chase might miss her. But it seemed to be the onl…
"MARSHALL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Chase suddenly called out with anger.
The outburst caused Ryder to snap out of his thoughts and looked up and saw what was going on. He suddenly was shocked to see that his fire pup was off his ladder, climbing the tree up to where Calie was.
Without a beat, Ryder called Marshall through the pup pad. "Marshall! What are you doing?! Get down!"
"Calie's about to fall Ryder!" Marshall replied while climbing on another branch. "I've got to get her now!"
"Marshall! If Calie falls I can catch her buddy!" Chase objected through his pup tag.
"I know that Chase, but we can't fully rely on that!" Marshall protested.
That stung Chase a little. Does Marshall not have trust in him to do his job? He turns to Ryder. "Ryder! Please get him to stop!"
"He's already far away from his ladder Chase and close to Calie. Just be ready to catch them if they fall."
Chase groaned in defeat as all he could do was watch and hope Marshall didn't fall. "Please be careful Marshall."
Marshall climbed each branch, making sure he had a good grip on each one, but due to having only paws to hang on, it was very difficult. He slipped at least once or twice on the thin branches, about driving the patrons down below insane.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Marshall finally got close enough to Calie. While doing his best to stand a pretty sturdy branch, Marshall lifted the top of his head next to the terrified cat. "Calie! Hurry! Before you fall! Hop on top of my helmet!"
Callie meowed in protest at Marshall's suggestion, while she dug her claws in the branch.
"I know you're scared Calie, but it's the only way I can save you right now." Marshall insisted. "Don't worry you can trust me."
Calie thought about it for a bit, until she heard a crack. Immediately spooked, Calie jumped on to Marshall's helmet as the branch finally gave in, and fell to the ground. The sudden weight nearly threw off Marshall's balance, as he hung on for dear life. Calie then jumped on his back and wrapped her fore legs around his neck.
Marshall chuckled a little at the cat. "He he see? That wasn't so bad now was it?"
"MEOW!" Calie sunded sharply, tightening her grip on Marshall's neck.
Marshall nearly choked as he spoke. "Heh hey. Easy Calie. Don't choke me out now." He then looked down at his ladder which was a few feet below them. He judged the distance as he announced to Calie what was going to happen.
"You're going to have to hang on as tight as you can. I'm going to have to jump to the ladder."
Calie protested highly by meowing her head off. Truly scared for what Marshall was going to do. Marshall notices this and tries to calm her. "Calie it's okay. Nothing bad gonna happen. If it does, it will happen to me. Not you. Okay?"
Calie stopped shaking and took in a deep breath. Finally feeling comfortable with Marshall. She gave a short meow as if to say "I trust you."
Chase and Katie watched with anticipation, trying to figure out what Marshall was going to do, but Ryder read Marshall like a book. He knew what he was going to do, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He thought about calling out to him, but quickly decided against it. Thinking that his call would startle Marshall a bit, and would cause him to fall. As much as he was worried for his pup's safety, he definitely didn't want to put him in more danger than the dally already was. All he could do was hope and pray that Marshall makes the jump, and if they do fall, Chase would catch them.
Chase however, got the hint and was horrified. He called out as loud as he could, hoping to stop Marshall from jumping. "Oh nonono No! MARSHALL DON'T YOU DARE!"
Ryder tried to get him to stop, but it was too late. As expected, Marshall was spooked and started to lose his balance. He tried to regain it, but the branch was just too thin to do so. While having only seconds to react, Marshall leapt off the branch and arched over to the ladder.
Ryder, Katie, and Chase held their breaths as Marshall soared through the air, with Calie hanging on to Marshall for dear life.
Unfortunately, due to the rough start, Marshall came up short, and was clearly not going to make it. Marshall tried to reach all the way out with his paws to grab the ladder but he was just toe tips away from it, as he fell passed the ladder.
Marshall hollard as he fell from the branch. Calie probably hollard louder, as she struggled to stay on Marshall.
Chase froze cold as ice while Katie screamed. Only Ryder had conscience in his mind as he quickly turned to Chase.
"Chase! Your net! NOW!" He frantically ordered. As Chase shook himself out of his thoughts.
"R-Right! Ruff! Net!" Chase barked, as a launcher appeared from his pup pack, and fired the net below Calie and Marshall.
The net latched on between branches, right below Marshall and Calie. The two landed on it, stopping their fall just a few feet from the ground. They bounced off the net like a trampoline and Marshall went face first into the dirt with Calie still on his back. Marshall laid out a bit, before he began to spit dirt out of his mouth and shake the dizziness out of his head.
Ryder, Katie, and Chase bolted over to them, with an enormous amount of concern. Katie went straight for Calie, picked her off of Marshall and hugged her close. "Oh Calie, are you alright."
Calie could only shiver after the traumatizing event. Katie stroked her fur slowly to soothe her. "It's okay Calie, you safe now."
Marshall got up on his paws and was immediately wrapped in a very tight hug from his owner "Marshall that was too close! Are you okay?!"
"Yeah. I'm good." Marshall replied with sadness as Ryder let go. He then looked at his owner with sad puppy eyes. "I-I'm sorry for scaring you Ryder."
Ryder gave a long sigh before responding to his pup. "It's okay little buddy, just please be more careful next time. You nearly gave us a heart attack."
They hugged again as Chase stood by and didn't say anything. While he was overjoyed that Marshall didn't meet his untimely demise, he couldn't help but feel a little miffed about the whole situation.
There was no reason Marshall had to put his life on the line like that. Not when there was an easy solution right around the corner. Even if Calie would've fell, Chase had it covered with his net.
This wasn't the first time Marshall had done something like this either. Since the Paw Patrol got off the ground, it seemed that Marshall had always been in the spotlight of danger. To his credit, most of them weren't his fault. Marshall's carelessness almost spelled the end for him countless times, and Chase was beginning to think that the dally was running out of get out of jail free cards.
No doubt about it, Chase had to talk to him when they got home, and this time, try not to yell.
He hated yelling. Especially at Marshall.
Luckily, he wasn't really mad at him so he should have nothing to worry about. Right?
Katie went up to the three and looked at Marshall. "Are you okay Marshall?"
"Yeah…. I'm okay." Marshall said, still down in the dumps. He then looks at Calie who was still shaking in fear. Marshall's mood went down a few more levels as he got closer to Katie. Calie squirmed at the sight of Marshall which caused the poor pup to whimper softly. "I'm sorry I put you in danger Calie. I...I hope you can forgive me."
Calie looked at Marshall and gave a very soft mew before burying her face in Katie's chest. Marshall could only whine in response.
"Don't worry Marshall, she will." Katie assured. She then smiles at the whimpering Dalmatian. "Besides, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise." She then looks at Calie in her eyes. "Maybe this instance finally taught Calie not to climb anymore trees." She then looks at Ryder with a thankful smile. "Thank you Ryder, Thank you pups. I don't know what I would've done had it not been for you."
Ryder stood proudly with his hands on his hips. "You're welcome Katie, and remember, whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help."
Chase and Marshall bark and howl with joy as they climb on to their vehicles and start them up while Ryder puts his helmet on and gets on his ATV.
Katie waved them off, as the Paw Patrol went on their way.
Skye stood in patiently, as Rocky laid under her copter, looking at the various parts under it to figure out what was wrong with it.
Thoughts circled the cockapoo's mind as she was watching. She felt horrible for not being able to perform her job due to her equipment being broken down. Her pup pack was in Ryder's shop with a broken wing due to an eagle fooling around with her last week. She was out for an early morning flight, a habit she had taken up since she joined the team, when the eagle spotted her, and decided to scare her out of the skies. But Skye wasn't going to give up that easy, so she tried to shoo away the eagle and lose it, but the eagle was determined to mess with Skye. She took a right by going into the forest to possibly lose it in there, but while doing that, Skye clipped her wing on a tree, crashed, and tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, all she got from the crash was a few scratches and bruises, but the pup pack was destroyed.
The Paw Patrol quickly found her and after a couple nights stay at Katie's, she was able to return to action in just about a day or so. Though her mind was now plagued with a fear of eagles ever since.
She already felt horrible for the accident, but now, her chopper was down, making her completely useless in her eyes, and she loathes it.
When Ryder called earlier, She was so excited to help, but when her copter didn't start, her spirits dropped to zero. She almost cried when she had to tell Ryder that she couldn't help them, and she hoped and prayed that Rocky could do something to get it to start.
After what felt like forever for Skye, Rocky finally crawled out from under the chopper. Skye wagged her tail in hopes that it was a simple fix.
"Well? What is it Rocky?!" She asked anxiously. "Do you know what's wrong? Can you fix it?"
Rocky looked at the cockapoo with a stern look. He knew Skye had been on edge recently, so his report was going to be devastating to her. He gave a long sigh before he delivered the news. "I'm afraid not Skye, you've got a bad fuel leak, sister."
Skye's ears drooped and her tail stopped wagging. "So….that means you can't fix it?"
Rocky shook his body to dry himself from all the wet gas on him. "It can be fixed Skye. But it's going to take a long time. A week at most."
"A week?!" Skye blew out. "Are you sure?"
Rocky jumped a little at Skye's outburst. "Well….yeah. Although it would really be a few days. But considering all the time we Ryder and I will have in between missions, it's more realistic to say a week at least."
Upon hearing that, Skye hung her head low and whimpered. Not only was her pup pack in for repairs, but now her vehicle is going to be down as well. Without any of them, Skye would likely be sidelined a lot, deeming her useless to the team.
Rocky put a paw on her shoulder and spoke with a very comforting tone. "Hey Skye. It'll be okay. You won't be grounded for long. I betcha Ryder is almost done with your pack, and as soon as he's done, you will be back in action in no time and even if it takes longer, I'm pretty sure Ryder will find some way for you to help out still."
Skye raised her head to look at the small smile Rocky was giving her. Somehow, Skye was able to give a small one back as her spirits were raised a little. "You're right Rocky. There's no way Ryder would think I'm useless without my equipment. Thanks for reminding me Rocky."
Rocky nodded in acknowledgement with a smile seconds later, the sound of Ryder's ATV, entered the two pup's ears. The two wagged their tails, and looked towards the bridge to see Ryder, Chase, and Marshall. However Skye stopped wagging when she realized that they were obviously done with the mission, without her.
Ryder went into the garage, while Chase and Marshall climbed the hill to their parking spots. Rocky and Skye barked and howled at their return and ran over to them. Along with them, Came Rubble and Zuma, who were inside playing pup pup boogie in the lobby. Zuma was basking in his pride at what was probably his one hundred and fiftieth win. He was very good at it. He was currently undefeated since the new one came out, Pup Pup Boogie 2: Extra Dancing.
"Beat you again, wubble." Zuma proudly stated, while running beside Rubble, who was running a little slow due to exhaustion from the game.
Rubble was gasping for air in between his speech. "I….don't understand….how you can move your paws…..that fast Zuma...Hold on a sec."
Upon his finnish, Rubble collapsed to the ground heaving. Zuma stopped and turned to look at the gasping bulldog. "Dude, are you okay?" Zuma asked with a concerned tone,
"Y-Yeah…" He gasped. "I'm okay Zuma. I just need a minute…...catch my breath." Rubble replied.
Zuma chuckled a little as he went up next to the panting Rubble. "Oh wubble, you don't need to push yourself so hawd. After all, it's just a game."
"But you're so good at Zuma." Rubble retorted in one breath. "You've beaten all of us at it. Even Chase."
Zuma laughed a little. "Yeah, but that was only because Mawshall twipped on a toy and knocked out of balance. We haven't had a sewious match yet."
Rubble finally got up with the help of Zuma as he responded. "Maybe, but even before you had more points than him. Way more. There was no way he could catch up. You're a Pup Pup Boogie master."
"Oh come on wubble, I'm not that good." Zuma slurred. "I wasn't this good with the last game. "I suck at Pup Pup Boogie one."
Rubble shook his head. "Whatever Zuma, you just be ready when Chase goes after you for revenge."
Zuma's confidence filled back up. "Well he's got a wude awakening coming to him. I'm not going to hold back by any means."
"We'll just have to see Zuma. Chase isn't going to take a beating easily." Rubble proudly stated.
The two joined both Rocky and Skye, as Marshall got out of his firetruck, and faced the pup's faces. The four pups had sizable smiles on their faces in return, although Skye's was notably a little smaller.
Rocky was the first to speak up. "Hey Marshall, how was the rescue?"
Marshall produced a smile of his own while answering. "Well, it was a little tough, but we got through it, Calie is safe."
Rocky, Rubble, Zuma all bark and howl at Marshall's repeat, but Skye frowned and hung her head. Her voice was soft as she mumbled out her line. "No thanks to me….."
Marshall saw this and immediately went into caring as he looked at the sad cockapoo. "Aw it's okay Skye. It was a little difficult, but it was all good. Please don't feel bad about yourself."
Skye raised her head at the dally, she had a little bit of tears in her sad eyes. "Really Marshall?"
"Yeah, we had everything under control." Marshall replied. He then notices Chase come up behind him and turns around to get confirmation from the shepherd. "Right Chase?"
Marshall waited for Chase to acknowledge him, and help bring Skye's spirits up. But Chase didn't say anything, he just looked at Marshall sternly while the others looked on.
Marshall raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "Chase? A-Are you okay."
Chase kept staring at the dally with a very disappointing face. He then sat down and nodded off to the pups behind Marshall, as if to say that he needed to talk to Marshall alone. The pups' smiles all faded, as they took the hint to go off somewhere. Although, they stood close by, fearing that it might be the latest installment, in the friendship's downward spiral.
Marshall looked at Chase completely clueless to what Chase was about to say. But the shepherd stayed silent while Marshall stared back. A few moments passed as the two looked upon each other's face until Marshall then broke the silence. His tone got sadder and sadder at each word. "Chase? Wh-What's wrong?"
After a few more moments of Chase's silent treatment, I finally hit Marshall as to what was bugging the shepherd. The dally then sat down and took off his helmet. He dropped his head as he prepared for the tongue lashing that he knew was about to happen. It was just a matter of time.
He swallowed hard like a baseball was being pushed down his throat before he spoke. "Okay Chase. Go ahead. Tell me what I did wrong today." He was obviously playing a little dumb.
Chase then proceeded to take his own hat off while closing his eyes and give a long sustained sigh as he finally spoke after what seemed like forever.
"Don't play dumb with me Marshall. You know very well what you did wrong today."
Marshall met Chase halfway. "Look. I-I know the jump wasn't really necessary, I am willing to admit that at least. But as climbing the tree goes, that was necessary for the sake of Calie."
"Marshall, there was no reason for you to do that!" Chase objected, his tone rising slightly. "Ryder and I were trying to come up with a plan to get her down safely, but then, as usual. You went off on your own without consulting me or Ryder, and put yourself in more danger than we would've thought!"
Marshall's tone rose with Chase's as he defended his actions. "You were taking a long time Chase. The branch Calie was on was breaking and I had to act fast."
Chase's voice grew to a low growl at Marshall's stubbornness. "Marshall! you know I had it covered below! I had my net ready to catch her if she fell! You knew that and yet you continued to risk your life for absolutely no reason!"
"Look, I know you had things covered down below with your net! I also know you could've caught her easily!" Marshall retorted. "But I also know that you've been known to miss a couple times! I was trying to make sure we didn't need to take the risk! I know it was a little risky, but that was the only decision I could've made on the spot!."
Marshall's retort enraged Chase to the fullest extent for a second. "A LITTLE?! Marshall! You could barely stand on those dang branches! Let alone climb them! You nearly fell off on every branch you climbed on!"
Marshall clenched a little at the outburst, but continued to stand his ground. "Okay! Okay! So maybe I down played it! But it was still necessary!"
"NO! IT WASN'T!" Chase shot back with a cold bark. "AGAIN! There was no reason for you to climb! I understand if you have to make snap decisions! I have to too! But that doesn't mean you have to make blatantly STUPID ones that could easily get yourself killed!"
"CHASE I HAD TO! It was for the sake of Calie!" Marshall returned with the same fury.
Chase was now livid. He already lost all hope at keeping calm. He tried his best to not make it a yelling match, but the dally's stubbornness shattered that to pieces. "What are you talking about Marshall?! You scared Calie half TO DEATH doing what you did!"
"I know! I know I did Chase!" Marshall admitted, as he was starting to tear up a little. "I didn't mean to do that! You know I didn't mean to! I meant the best of intentions and I tried to be as safe as I could to rescue her!"
Chase tried to tone it down a bit as he noticed that Marshall was on the verge of crying and he definitely didn't want to make him cry. He hated seeing him like that and he also knew that he himself could be pretty relentless. He chose his words carefully. "Marshall, I understand that. But there's a big difference between rescuing and being rescued yourself. Sometimes you just don't seem to know that!"
Marshall however, kept his fury, but he was more sad than angry. His eyes were now filled to the top with tears as he sobbed out his rebuttal. "I do know that Chase! I do! I also know that I make mistakes a bit! But I want you to know that I am doing everything I can to be safe!"
"Well you're doing a horrible job at it Marshall! It seems that every mission, you go on, you just keep making very crucial mistakes! Scaring everyone half to death!"
A little ways from the argument, Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, and Skye were listening to it all. Rocky was doing his best to keep a straight face but he was noticeably tense about it. The others however, could barely hold their concerns and worries back as they look on with horror.
This had been going on for months now. Each time Chase and Marshall would get into it, the pups would feel like their hearts were wanting to leap out of their chests. They knew the two were the bestest of friends, but due to these past months, you wouldn't believe that.
Around the first few times, they tried their best to break them up, but after the paw fight they had bout a month ago, where Rocky ended up getting punched in the snout by accident, Ryder told them to only jump in if it got very very bad…..if biting got involved.
Zuma's voice shook at the horrible sight. "Well... at least I-It seems to be getting bettewr"
"Are you kidding?" Rocky spat out, nearly yelling. "Marshall's crying!"
"S-should we get Ryder?" Rubble suggested, his voice very soft as he tried not to tear up.
"No. Not yet. I don't think it's gotten that worse yet." Rocky declined. "Let's just see what happens next."
"But what if it does get worse?" Skye replied, nearly breaking down.
"Then we will stop it before it gets very bad," Rocky answered.
Skye couldn't take it. Hearing two of her best friends yelling and screaming pained her immensely. She closed her eyes trying to hold the tears in her eyes back, but it was just too much for her to handle, so she let them fall to the ground. Zuma turns around and notices Skye crying. He went next to her deeply concerned for his friend. "Skye? What's wong? Why awe you cwying?"
"Im...It's my fault. If my chopper wasn't down, they wouldn't be fighting like this. If only I was able to help!" Skye sobbed out.
Zuma was dumbfounded at Skye's taking the blame. He put a paw on her shoulder. "What? No Skye! It's not youw fault! How could you say it is?"
"Didn't year me Zuma!" Skye cried out. "I couldn't help them! Marshall would've never put his life in danger if my dumb helicopter would've start! It's FAULT!"
"Skye, stop lying to youwself. It's not twue! What Mawshall did was because of Mawshall! You can't contwol what he does. Neither can you contwol youw helicoptew stawting! Equipment breaks Skye. It happens! You don't beat youwself up fow it." Zuma laid his heartfelt statement very clear to make her feel better.
Skye raised her head and looked at Zuma's calm and caring eyes. "But…but….."
"No buts Skye, you can go ahead and blame youwself all you want, but I will nevew accept it. The bottom line is that you awe not at blame for them fighting. Nethiew awe you to blame fow youw vehicle ow pup pack bwaking. They were accidents Skye, nothing mowe."
Skye was stunned at Zuma's sudden crusade to have her feel better. It surprisingly did as she suddenly cracked a small smile. "Th-Thanks Zuma. You're a good friend."
Zuma smiled back as she responded. "Don't mention it Skye. I don't like seeing you misewble, especially if youw doing it to yowself."
They continued smiling at each other, until they heard Marshall yelling again. Upon that, they joined the others to focus their attention at the argument that was still happening.
"Chase! I'm sorry! I can't help it!" Marshall hollard back. Tears were now streaming down his face. "I know I mess up a lot, and I'm sorry for worrying you so much!"
"Saying sorry won't save your life Marshall!" Chase replied, his tone passing "Sticking to a plan and staying safe will!"
"What do you want me to do Chase! Wrap myself up in bubble wrap before every mission." Marshall bounced back, with a little anger but more sadness.
Chase's tone again rose as he started to get frustrated again. "No! What I want you to do is to be more mindful of your surroundings and to stop tempting danger all the time! You can at least do that Marshall! I know you can because I've seen you do it!"
"You know, I don't understand why you gotta come down hard on me! You're not this way with the other pups!" Marshall stated. "It's like you're signaling me out or something!"
Chase couldn't keep it in, no matter how hard he tried. "THAT'S NOT TRUE MARSHALL! I TREAT YOU THE SAME WAY I TREAT EVERYONE ELSE!"
Marshall shot back with as much force as Chase had. "THEN WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?! I DON'T REMEMBER YOU YELLING AT SKYE LAST WEEK WHEN SHE CRASHED!"
"That's different Marshall! She listens! You DON'T" Chase rebounded, stomping his paw on the last word.
"I DO LISTEN CHASE!" Marshall yells at the top of his lungs.
Chase didn't back down, overtaking Marshall as he too yelled his peak. "NO! YOU DON'T! BECAUSE IF YOU DID, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS ARGUMENT AGAIN!"
Marshall fell to his haunches as he was truly shocked at how loud Chase was. It was louder than his megaphone.
The dally was going to say something back, but then he came to a realization that he hoped wasn't true. His voice lowered to normal as he croaked out his worries.
"You know, I-I'm beginning to think that you just don't trust me."
Marshall stared directly at Chase like a waited for Chase to say that he did trust him. But, unfortunately, that such thing became a fantasy. All that happened was Chase, hanging his head in immediate shame.
Marshall's eyes grew wide at this.
No.
It can't be.
There was no way he was right.
He did trust him. Right?
Chase was his best friend for goodness sake.
He should trust him.
Right?
Marshall panicked inside. He almost didn't know what to say. He wanted to flat out ask him, but he was suddenly scared to. But he had to. He wanted to know the truth, and there was only one way to find out.
Marshall shook slightly as he managed to push the question out very slowly and sternly. "Chase? You do trust me, right?"
Chase rose his heat at Marshall's level, and was immediately paralyzed from Marshall's devastating question. He of course knew the answer. It wasn't going to be a good one. He debated whether or not to tell him as it currently held the power to make or break their friendship.
To make it worse, Marshall added on to the question. "Come on Chase. Tell me the truth now. Do you trust me?"
Chase nearly passed out right then and there. His breathing got slower. His eyes shifted slightly, and his heartbeat was racing.
He had to tell him. There was no way out of it. Running away would only make it worse and he didn't want to lie to the dally. He had to be honest and face whatever came with it. No matter how good or bad the answer was.
"M-Marshall. I-I-I" Chase tried to form words but he was too shaken to say anything.
Marshall's face went wide in anticipation, although he wasn't looking forward to the answer, he almost couldn't breathe as he was terrified of what Chase was struggling to say.
Tears formed in Chase's eyes. Finally, he said his answer to Marshall's grueling question. "I…...I'm sorry buddy. I-I tried, but…...I just can't. I'm so sorry Marshall I-I can't trust you to be safe."
The pups who were watching from a distance all gasped simultaneously. Neither of them could move. They never thought that Chase would ever say anything like that to his best friend, Marshall.
Marshall felt like Chase just shot him in the heart with his revolver. He started shaking. his paws, his head, his shoulders, his tail, and his ears shook like a volcano, ready to erupt. He lowered his head and stared at his paws as fresh, hot tears rolled down his face as if they were lava oozing out of his eyes.
Chase, realizing what he just caused, attempted to put a fore paw on his shoulder and apologize, but a low growl escaped Marshall, making Chase wince back.
The growl then grew louder and louder, until the volcano finally erupted.
"I HATE YOU!" Marshall screamed at the suddenly hurt Shepherd. "I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Marshall then wailed and darted for his truck which had then turned into his pup house. He flew inside it as the door shut. If it wasn't an electronic door, he would've slammed the door in anger.
The pups stood with their mouth a gape, while Chase just stood there, starting to shake himself. He stared at Marshall pup house as if his former best friend just disappeared in front of him forever.
"What….have I done?"
Tears went down his face, as he then made his way to his pup house. But unlike Marshall, Case walked slowly as if each step hurt him more and more. He slowly entered his pup house and slowly shut the door. If it wasn't electronic, he would close it as slowly as possible.
Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, and Skye stood appalled, trying to process what they just watched.
None of them could speak, let alone move. This was probably the single worst argument Chase and Marshall ever had, and the last one involved paws flying.
It was quiet for way too long, like a silent virgil was being performed. Neither of the pups could ever think of something to say. All they know now, was they just watched two of their best friends break apart in the most horrible way possible.
The silence lingered on until suddenly, the doors to the lookout shot open, revealing the pup's owner with a stern look.
It was then that the pups finally broke the silence and all at once, said their owner's name.
"Ryder!"
(A/N): Oh...Man. That was just too hard to write, let alone read.
It looks like the friendship is over, Marshall is done, and Chase looks to be done with life itself. This could be it for them.
I hope not, I really love Chase and Marshall's friendship so much and It always gets tough for me to ever split them up. I hate doing that, but I did it for the story.
Chapter 2 is already written and will be up by Christmas actually, so it will be my Christmas gift to you.
Question of the Chapter: That argument was fierce, who do you think handled it worse, Chase Or Marshall?
Please review and tell me your favorite parts and if you have any questions about the story or anything else, just put it in your review or pm me and l'll get back with you as soon as I can.
Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go stuff my face in some delicious birthday cheesecake! mmmm
This Is Sean Thames of Dragonsfire Entertainment signing off, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!