Chapter 5: The First Icebreaker (9:50 AM)
The kennel room was bright as the sun shined through the window. There, Chase remained asleep until the glare reached his face.
"Who turned on the lights…?" He mumbled while looking around the room. "Looks like they already cleaned up this place, but where did they all go…?"
"Morning Chase!" Skye greeted. "Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, hey Skye," Chase responded while standing up. "Where did all the other pups go?"
"I think everyone is eating breakfast right now. Katie asked if we wanted to do introductions before we started the tour, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to, so I just said no."
"It's cool. I'm not sure if I'm ready for introductions yet." Chase admitted.
"Thought so." Skye grinned. "Well then, shall we get going?"
"Yeah. It'll be rude if we kept her waiting."
"Okay, let's roll!"
At the main hall…
"I don't know, Skipper…" Katie doubted while looking at her phone. "I mean, it looks nice and all, but it doesn't look like something I'd wear. You know what I mean?"
"I… have no idea what you're talking about..." Skipper admitted while rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh..." Katie sighed as Skipper stood up.
"Sorry! It's just that I'm not really good at fashion designing Ms. Katie."
"No, It's okay. I mean, we all have our talents, right?"
"Yeah. But if it makes you feel any better, I think he'd like it."
"I'm not trying to impress him-"
"Oh look! The new pups are here!" Skipper interrupted while walking over to them.
"I'm back! And I brought Chase too!" Skye said.
"Good morning!" Chase greeted.
"Chase! Glad you could join us!" Katie smiled. "So, are you guys ready for a tour?"
"You bet! I can't wait to see what's around!"
"That's the spirit! But first, there's someone I'd like for you to meet. Skipper, if you don't mind."
"Right! My name is Skipper and it's nice to meet you guys! I'm also in charge if Katie is away, so if there's any trouble going on, you know, if someone's bothering you, or there's an argument you can't handle, you can just call for me and I'll see what I can do."
"Nice to meet you, Skipper, sir! My name is Chase!"
"And I'm Skye!"
"Yeah! Katie mentioned we were getting new pups earlier this month. Who knew you'd end up being so mature!"
"A crewmember on the Cromwell thought so too!" Skye chuckled.
"Well, I highly doubt you two will cause any trouble so if you'll excuse me, I need to go check on the other pups. You guys have fun! And remember, if you need anything, please call!" Skipper finished before leaving the room.
"We will!" Chase and Skye replied. "Jinx! Double jinx! Triple jinx!"
"Alright! Let's get started! Just so you know, a few of the rooms are temporarily closed for cleaning, so we'll get to them another day. Now, if you'll just follow me to the back…"
After the tour (10:25 AM)
"Okay! That should be about everything!" Katie finished. "There's still two hours left before the daily activity so you guys should get some breakfast. Mr. Jordan made scrambled eggs for everyone!"
"Will do! Thanks again, Katie!" Chase said.
"You're welcome! And remember, call if you need anything." Katie replied before leaving the room.
"Well, that was fun!" Skye grinned.
"Yeah! I wonder if she'll allow us to play with the birds one day." Chase agreed.
"Wait, aren't you allergic to feathers?"
"What? No! I don't think so…"
"I remember Brian mentioning something about you sneezing whenever you're near feathers, cats, or flowers."
"That's not true!" Chase denied before a cat walked past them.
"Oh! Please don't run over there Coral!" A staff member begged before picking it up.
"Aah-Choo!" Chase sneezed as Skye raised her eyebrow.
"You were saying?"
"O-okay, maybe he was right..." He blushed as Skye giggled. "But still…!"
"Don't worry about it! I'm sure you'll find a way to manage! Now come on! Let's go meet the other pups!" Skye replied before running to the kitchen.
"Hey! Wait up, Skye!" Chase yelled before following her.
At the kitchen…
After the two received their meals, they decided to look around for a place to eat.
"Wow, I guess we're the last one here." Skye thought out loud as Chase pushed a bowl next to her. "It feels like there are more pups than last night…"
"Yeah." Chase agreed. "I'd think it'd be best if we don't draw too much attention to ourselves. See if you can find somewhere that's not as crowded."
"Well, what about over there?" Skye suggested while pointing to Rocky who was staring at a book. "There's not many pups around that area. Well, besides him, so maybe we can start a conversation?"
"I don't know, he looks kinda busy..."
"I'm sure he won't mind. Come on!"
"Fine, I guess it won't hurt to try," Chase replied while walking over to Rocky.
"Hmm… so maybe if I use more cornstarch, it might stick more…?" Rocky reckoned. "No, then I wouldn't be able to… oh man! This sucks!"
"Hey, Rocky was it?" Skye said as Rocky turned his head.
"Umm, yeah? What's up?" Rocky responded while closing his book. "Out of all the tables..."
"You don't mind if we sit here, do you?" Chase requested.
"Sure, Why not?" Rocky hesitated. "Please go away, please go away, please go away!"
"Thanks!" Skye replied while they sat across from him. "See? I told you he wouldn't mind!"
"I didn't say he would..." Chase whispered as Rocky titled his head.
"What are they…?"
"Well, the eggs taste better than they look," Chase mentioned before turning to Skye. "What do you think?"
"Yeah, I like them too!" Skye nodded.
"I mean, you guys can have mine if you'd like," Rocky suggested.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm not really that hungry right now." Rocky implied with a tone that suggested he wanted to leave. "Guess this would be a good time to leave before things start getting awkward…" Then, Chase notices the book on the table.
"Hold on, can I see that book really quickly?" Chase asked.
"O-okay…" Rocky replied. "Too late…"
"Tommy's Crafting Kit: How to make your own Homemade Utensils with Recyclable Materials?" Chase read. "Whoa! Skye, check this out!"
"Hmm? Homemade glue, tape, and bandages!? No way! Rocky, where did you get this from?"
"Uhh… I asked Mr. Jordan and he bought it off the web." Rocky replied. "You… guys aren't laughing…?"
"No, why would we? My owner was always looking for substitutions before I met Chase over here!" Skye chirped.
"You know how useful the glue could have been when we were fixing her teapot?" Chase mentioned.
"I know right? Delilah would have loved this!"
"It doesn't seem like they're pretending…" Rocky thought to himself.
"Have you made any of these?"
"M-Me? Well… no, I just recently got this edition, but I've made a few things from the other books."
"Wait, you have more!?" Chase gasped while wagging his tail.
"Y-yeah! I have about eight different categories in the storage closet. I can show you guys if you're interested."
"Sure! We still have about an hour and thirty minutes until our first activity. Skye?"
"Sounds like fun! I'm in. By the way, It's really nice to meet you, Rocky."
"Y-Yeah! Right back at you!" Rocky smiled while sitting on his tail. Then, Skipper walks over to their table.
"Ah, I assume you guys have gotten to know each other, correct?" Skipper began.
"Oh, good morning Skipper! I was just about to show them my projects from last year." Rocky bubbled.
"Really? There's no issues? Nothing?"
"No sir, everything is fine," Chase replied.
"Oh, that's great! Well, it's nice to see that you're finally getting along with other pups, Rocky." Skipper smiled. "I'm going to see if the next activity is set up. Make sure you don't cause any trouble!"
"We won't!" Skye replied as Skipper left the room.
"You guys should finish up with your meals. I'm going to go set everything up! I'll meet you two in the storage room, alright? And, please don't forget my book!" Rocky beamed before leaving the room. "Don't screw up, Don't screw up, Don't screw up..."
"Well, he seems excited," Chase noted.
"Yeah! Let's try not to keep him waiting for too long. Come on, let's finish up!" Skye smiled before quickly eating her food.
"Whoa, don't eat too fast. You're going to choke!"
"Relax, I'm pretty sure it's almost impossible to choke on scrambled eggs, right?"
"W-Well, I don't want you to find out..." Chase fretted as Skye laughed.
Meanwhile at a different table…
"Hey, Leo? Looks like he beat us to the new guys…" A Russell terrier mumbled...
"Really? Wow, that sucks! Hopefully, they'll ditch him before things get bad." Leo, a brown chinook, replied.
"I don't know guys… maybe we're just being a little too hard on him. I mean, he hasn't spoken to anyone in months! Isn't that bad?" A female border collie asked as the beagle turned to her.
"Well if you ask me, he's getting what he deserved."
"Yeah, same here. You don't have to worry about him, Mira. After all, he insulted you, now didn't he?" Leo added.
"That's true, but still…" Mira paused.
"I'm sure he prefers to be alone anyways. I mean, he wouldn't have said all those things if he was trying to be nice."
"But that happened a long time ago! What if things are different now…?"
"I highly doubt that. And even if they are different, that doesn't change the fact that he hasn't helped with anything." Colten added.
"But… maybe he has his reasons or something…? I don't know…!"
"Hey, are you sure you're feeling alright? You've been acting differently ever since we had that conversation with Skipper."
"I… I'm fine! I'm… just a little concerned…."
"Well, I guess it wouldn't make sense if you weren't. I mean, it's you we're talking about." Leo smiled as Mira blushed. "I'll tell you what, if he ever comes around and offers to help us out, I'll be a little more considerate. Sound good?"
"I guess that makes me feel a little bit better…" Mira sighed.
"That's great! I'm glad we got that settled! Let's hurry and finish up here so we can see if Skipper needs any help setting up today's activity. I think we're playing dodgeball this time." Leo said before turning to Colten. "You ready to whoop some tail, dude?"
"You bet! But just make sure you take it easy, alright? You never know when you can slip up." Colten responded
"Yeah… I think I'll sit this one out. I've got a lot on my mind and I really don't want to end up accidentally hurting someone." Mira croaked.
"That's fine! We'll make sure to win one for you while you're gone!" Leo assured as the rest of the pups started heading in their direction.
"Leo! There you are! We were wondering if you were going to distribute out the teams for today's activity!" A different pup chimed in.
"Huh? You guys didn't ask Skipper first?" Leo queried with a head tilt.
"Well, we could have, but I think we'd prefer it if you did it instead. The games happen to be more balanced whenever you pick the teams."
"Well, in that case, I'll be more than happy to help!"
"Really? Thank you so much! You just literally made our day!" The pup shouted as the rest of them howled. "Umm… here! We'll start cleaning up around here while you guys finish up. Please take your time!"
"Oh don't worry! We're almost finished here, right guys?" Mira asked before they nodded their heads.
"Alright, then we'll be on our way now! Once again, thank you so much for agreeing with this. Hopefully, it all goes well in the end! We'll see you guys around!"
"See you!" The three replied before Leo stood up.
"Well then, shall we get going? He asked.
"Yeah, I'm about ready. "Colten concurred as Mira remained seated.
"I'll stay back for a little bit. I'll meet you guys outside?"
"Okay then, take your time!" Leo waved as he and Colten left.
"Bye!" She replied before staring off into space. "Something still doesn't feel right…"
The storage room (11:00 AM)
After finishing their meal, Chase and Skye headed to the back of the animal shelter where Rocky asked them to meet up. There, he spent the last ten minutes bringing out his creations.
"Rubberband ball, plastic chew toys, should I bring out my toothpick structures?" Rocky asked himself. "No… I don't want to bore them before I get to know them. Maybe I shouldn't bring out all these-" Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Hey, Rocky? You here?" Chase's voice was heard from the other side.
"Y-Yeah! I'm coming!" Rocky answered before pressing on a little chew toy to open the door. "Well, guess I'm too late again…"
"Whoa! This room is a lot bigger than I thought!" Skye said in awe as she looked around the room. "You made these all by yourself!?"
"Well, most of them. I had Skipper, Katie, and Mr. Jordan help me out with the bigger ones." Rocky said before pointing east of the room. "The books are on that shelf over there."
"Wow! These are insane! You're really good at this, Rocky!" Skye complimented.
"Yeah! It's like you own your very own toy store!" Chase added as Rocky turned away.
"Well, something like that…"
"Hey, is something wrong?" Skye asked.
"N-no! Everything's fine. It's just that, this is the first time other pups are admiring my work. I don't know what to say…" Rocky admitted as Chase and Skye froze.
"Really!?" They both shouted dumbfounded as Rocky nodded his head.
"But, these are amazing! How could anyone not appreciate them!?" Skye wondered.
"I don't know. I guess they aren't interested in recycling. Either that or they just don't like me in general." Rocky replied.
"They… don't like you?" Chase repeated with a sad expression. Then, it hit him. "Come to think of it, Skipper did say he was glad Rocky was getting along with other pups…"
"It seems like it. I mean, I tried mentioning this room to them, but they always made fun of me, so I chose to walk away from it all."
"Wait, so what have you been doing all this time?" Skye wondered.
"Well, I stopped participating in Katie's activities and started hanging out over here about two years ago."
"Two years ago!?" Chase and Skye shouted again.
"Yeah, it's been a while, and I know it seems pretty rude and all, but Katie said she doesn't mind it as long as I get some fresh air now and then. But don't get me wrong! I'm not mad at the pups or anything! I… just wish things were different, you know...?" Rocky finished as Chase stood up.
"Well in that case, wouldn't it be best if we all stayed together?" Chase suggested as Rocky's ears perked up. "Think about it! Skye and I are new here, and we don't think you're a bad guy."
"Yeah! I don't know what the others are on about, but Chase is right! You're a pretty cool pup!" Skye added.
"Y-You guys mean it?" Said Rocky as his tail began to wag.
"Of course! We can be our own little group if you don't mind. I'm not sure if we can convince the other pups to stop, but I promise we'll always have your back, right Chase?"
"Yeah! We can even help you make more projects if you want! So, what do you say?" Chase asked as Rocky wiped a tear from his eye.
"B-but, what about the activities? You guys wouldn't mind missing out on them?"
"Well, staying in here doesn't sound like a good idea, so how about this? Whenever you feel more comfortable around others, we can all try one out together. How does that sound?" Skye proposed.
"Wow… I-I don't know what to say… I've always dreamed of having friends like you guys." Rocky sniffled before nodding his head. "Alright, let's do this!"
"Great! Bring it in you guys!" Chase howled as they huddled in for a group hug. "From now on, let's try our best to stick together, alright? I'll go make sure Katie knows we're in here, so you guys hold on tight. I'll be right back, okay?"
"Sure thing! Thank you guys so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!"
"I can only imagine, I mean, it's been two years, hasn't it?" Skye asked.
"Yeah! This is something I need to get used to."
"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Now if you guys need me, I'll be right back! Chase assured before stopping in front of the door. "Wait, how did you open the…"
"Oh, just push on that little chew toy over by the wall." It's connected to the spring latch, so we wouldn't have to be climbing chairs to open the door, and if you come over to the other side, there's a hidden one in between these walls, so if you want to come in just press over here." Rocky smiled.
"Whoa, that's so cool!"
"Wouldn't it be easier to get a doggie door instead?" Skye giggled.
"I…! Well yeah, but this is way more creative, don't you think?"
"Fair enough."
"Well, I'll see you guys! Don't wait up for me!" Chase said before pressing on the toy. "Seriously, that's amazing!"
"Bye, Chase!" Skye and Rocky replied.
"Wow, and here I thought today was going to be the worst day of my life!" Rocky admitted.
"Really? How come?"
"Well, I didn't know what you guys were planning on doing, so I just assumed you were going to make fun of me or something, but I'm really glad I was wrong! I've also been searching for another project to make, so if you don't mind helping out, that would be great!"
"Oooh! What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking of making like... some kind of manual food dispenser for the kennel in case we got hungry in the middle of the night, but I haven't really thought it out."
"Well, maybe when Chase comes back, we can take a look around and see what we can do!"
"Sure! Then maybe we can all play some foosball or something!"
"You have a foosball table!?"
"Yeah, it's over there in the back, but's a little different from the original. Mr. Jordan, Skipper, and I made it so that it would be easier for us pups to use. We can give it a try while we wait for Chase to come back if you want."
"You're on!"