Chapter 6: Eggtastrophe (The next day: 4:45 AM At the main hall)
"Any luck, Skipper?" Katie asked with a worried expression.
"Nothing ma'am."
"Oh, dear! Where could they have gone?"
"I'm not sure. Chase did mention both he and Skye were going to hang out with Rocky, so maybe they're in the storage room?" Skipper said.
"The storage room!? When did they go in there?"
"Uhh, yesterday before the activity started. You didn't notice they were gone…?"
"I-! No…! I promised Ms. Goodway that I would help her out sometime, and that's all I've been thinking about ever since. But even so, I shouldn't…" Katie paused for a moment. "Did they ever make it back to the kennel?"
"I'm pretty sure of it…" Skipper hesitated. "Yeah! I counted 39 pups last night, and there's no way I could have miscounted."
"Well, Let's go check and see if they're in the storage room before we get back to that, okay?" Katie suggested.
"Yeah… Let's go!" Skipper nodded. Before approaching the door, Skipper began to doubt himself.
"I didn't miscalculate… did I?" He thought to himself.
"Oh great! The lights are still on!" Katie affirmed before opening the door. "Phew! They're here."
"They're… asleep?" Skipper gasped before noticing the books next to Chase.
"Seems like it," Katie said before moving the book.
"But, there's no way I could have...!" Skipper thought to himself.
"Hey! Guys, wake up! You've been in here for way too long!" She ordered and Rocky and Skye slowly opened their eyes.
"Huh…?" Rocky yawned confused. "Katie…? Skipper…? Skye…? Is it my turn?"
"Umm… no! Chase and I were still choosing a page. Guess we got a little tired…" Skye replied before standing up.
"Wait wait wait, so let me get this straight. You guys have been here for the whole night?" Skipper asked as Rocky's eyes opened wider.
"The whole night!? What time is it!?"
"About 4:51 in the morning. There's still two hours and thirty-nine minutes left before breakfast." Katie answered.
"WH-WHAT!?" Rocky shouted as Skye gasped
"We must have lost track of the time! We're really sorry Katie! We had no idea!" Skye spluttered.
"It's okay guys. This is your first time, so I'm going to let you off with a warning this time. Just make sure it doesn't happen again, alright?" Katie concurred before realizing Chase was still asleep. "Umm, can you wake him up?"
"S-sure... Hey, Chase? Wake up! We have a slight problem..." Skye barked while nudging him.
"Who? What? Where!? What's going on? Is everything okay?" Chase rambled before noticing Katie and Skipper. "Uhhh…."
"We overslept…" Rocky said.
"Overslept!? But, hasn't it only been a few minutes!?" Chase asked before Skye shook her head. "We...! I..! Umm…"
"Like I said, it's fine! Just don't let it happen again."
"Are you sure…? We can make it up to you if you'd don't mind." Chase suggested as Rocky and Skye nodded their heads.
"I don't think that would be necessary-!" Katie replied as Chase tilted his head.
"Hold on… is he okay?" Skye asked while pointing at Skipper.
"Huh? Skipper, what's wrong?"
"I swear I counted all of the pups present last night…!" Skipper thought to himself while backing up.
"Skipper? Snap out of it! Hello?"
"N-No… It can't be true...! There's no way I'm becoming like him! I-I made a promise..!"
"Skipper!?"
"No no no no no no no! This has to be false! I couldn't have…!"
"Hey, watch out!" Chase shouted before Skipper accidentally bumped into a shelf, causing an hourglass Rocky made to fall over. Before it could reach his head, Chase quickly shoved him out of the way causing it to fall and break on the floor.
"My hourglass!" Rocky gasped as Skipper came to his senses.
"I… I'm so sorry! I-I need to get out of here!" Skipper cried before attempting to leave the room.
"Wait, hold on a second!" Katie worried as she grabbed him.
"N-no! Please let me go! I didn't mean it!"
"Skipper, what's gotten into you?"
"Katie, that was my third screw-up this week and we're not even past Wednesday! It's already starting!"
"It's okay! We can fix this! Just calm down."
"B-But, my promise!"
"I know! Just…. Look, you've been up for a while now, maybe you should get some rest."
"But, I'll buy him a new one, I swear!"
"You're putting too much pressure on yourself. Just stay calm, and everything will be alright."
"Yeah, and besides, we can just make a new one, right Rocky?" Skye asked.
"Umm, yeah! That'll keep us busy for a while."
"See? Problem solved! You don't have to be upset." Katie comforted as Skipper looked up.
"I…" He paused before looking around. "You're… you're right. That was immature of me. I'm sorry…" Skipper apologized.
"That's okay. After all, it's best not to bottle up your emotions right?" Chase asked.
"You know, that's not always the case." Skipper frowned before Chase titled his head.
"Huh?"
"You'll understand when you're older. Anyways, Chase… was it? Thanks for pushing me out of the way... I appreciate it."
"Oh, you're welcome sir! I'm glad I could help!" Chase replied with a sheepish smile.
"Now, if you'll excuse me…" Skipper finished before leaving the room.
"I've… never seen him so down before. I wonder what happened…" Rocky thought to himself.
"You guys should head back to the kennel for now. I'm going to make sure he gets some rest. I'll have Mr. Jordan watch after you guys while we're gone. And if you're going to come back up here, make sure you guys pay attention to the time, okay?" Katie sighed.
"Wait, Katie! If it's alright with you, we'd love to help out with breakfast and lunch to make up for missing bedtime." Chase suggested as Rocky and Skye nodded their heads.
"Guys, it's okay-"
"Please?" The trio begged as Katie scratched the back of her head.
"I really don't feel like arguing right now…" She thought to herself. "Well, what do you guys have in mind?"
"Well, the third book from the collection Mr. Jordan bought me has a list of recipes on it. Like waffles, breakfast burritos, and muffins. If he agrees, then maybe he can help us?"
"Hmm… alright. I'll ask Mr. Jordan." Katie agreed as they beamed.
"Thank you! I promise we won't let you down!" Chase assured.
"I'll trust you on that. Now come on, let's get out of here." Katie smiled.
"Wow, what a way to start the day, right?" Skye yawned.
"You can say that again. I could really use a bath…" Chase agreed.
"I think I'll pass on the baths." Rocky shivered.
In the Kitchen (5:37 AM)
"Well, I think this is coming along pretty well!" Chase stated as the smell of muffins baking filled the room.
"Yeah! You pups are good at this! Now let's get started on the waffles!" Mr. Jordan agreed. "Okay, so if we're going to make this a balanced meal, then everyone should get half a waffle along with a muffin and some fruit.." Rocky mentioned.
"Alright, there's 42 of us including Skipper, Katie, and I. So we'll need to make about 21 waffles. I'll handle the mixing while you two, try and see if you can get at least five eggs ." Mr. Jordan commanded.
"Yes sir! Five eggs, coming right up!" Chase barked before running out of the kitchen.
"Chase, wait for me!" Rocky hollered.
"Okay!" Mr. Jordan nodded before checking up on Skye. "How are the muffins coming along Skye?"
"They're still rising! Should I go get the fruits?" Skye asked.
"Umm, yes! Please do!"
"You got it, Mr. J!" She replied before heading off.
"Great! As for me, I guess I'll just work on the drinks until Chase and Rocky come back." Mr. Jordan said to himself.
With Chase and Rocky…
"So…" Chase gulped while staring at the flock of chickens. "H-have you done this before…?"
"Nope. We're not usually allowed in here, but I've heard these chickens can be very overprotective of their eggs." Rocky answered.
"They aren't fertilized, are they...?"
"Uhh…" Rocky shivered at the thought. "I… I think we need to be extremely cautious. Umm… here! Take this piece of lettuce and try to lure them away from their den. I'll grab one egg at a time and check if there's anything inside. Okay…?"
"It's worth a shot…" Chase murmured before taking the leaf.
"Be careful!" Rocky worried while covering his eyes.
"I know, I know!" Chase fretted as he approached the hens. "Hey, guys! There's nothing to be concerned about... We just want to borrow some of your eggs..."
"Yeah, that's it! Keep it up!" Rocky cheered as Chase felt an itch in his nose.
"Don't sneeze, don't sneeze, don't sneeze!" Chase thought to himself while backing up. "Uh oh! Rocky…? I think I'm gonna…!"
"No, no no! Try and keep it in!"
"I'm trying!" He exclaimed. "Ahh-! Ahhh-! AHH-CHOO!"
"BAAAAAAAAWK" The chickens squawked before attempting to bite Chase.
"H-hey! No! Wait! I'm sorry! Ahh-! Ahh-Choo!" Chase sneezed again. "Ouch! Quit it! R-Rocky!? Help!"
"I'm coming! I'm coming! Just keep them busy!" Rocky yelped while examining the eggs. "Try leading them to the yard! I'll meet you there!"
"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" Chase cried while running out of the pen. "Ahh-Choo!"
"Uhh! Umm! Oh, forget it!" Rocky panicked before putting as many eggs as he could in a basket. "Where did he go?"
"St-stay back! I have a stick and I'm not afraid to use it!" Chase warned before they snapped the stick in half. "Oh come on! You guys are feisty! Ahh-Choo!"
"Whoa… That's a lot of feathers…" Rocky gasped as he looked around the field. Then, he noticed the cow pen was slightly opened. Without hesitation, he rushed over there. "Chase! In here! We'll shut them out!"
"Oh geez.." Chase whimpered while running towards Rocky's direction.
"Almost there! Come on…" Rocky thought to himself as Chase got closer.
"Shut the door! Shut the door!" Chase barked as he entered the pen. Within seconds, Rocky shut the door, preventing the chickens from following them any further. "Aah-Choo!"
"Phew! That was close!" Rocky panted as Chase collapsed on the floor. "You okay dude?"
"Yeah… I'm fine…" Chase replied out of breath. "I'm never doing this again! Ahh-Choo! Wait, are these cows?"
"Don't worry about it! They're domesticated, so we should be safe." Rocky explained as the chickens continued to run into the door. "We'll just wait them out for now…"
"Please tell me you got the eggs..."
"Well, I have a few, but I don't know if these are fertilized. We can take a look while we're here." Rocky suggested.
"Sure, that sounds like a good idea."
"Alright then, let's get started! There should be a flashlight somewhere around here."
"Geez… It smells terrible here!" Chase complained.
"I know, we've just got to suck it in for now," Rocky said. "Ah! Here it is!"
"So, I've been meaning to ask, why do you think Skipper said what he said back there? You know, like how it's not always the case to show your emotions?"
"Huh? Well, I'm not sure. Skipper has been through a lot over the past five years of his life, but maybe it has something to do with being a leader? I mean, think about it. Let's take parents, for example. If something bad were to happen, wouldn't it be best to show no fear? Because... you know, they wouldn't want them to worry?" Rocky explained.
"Wow, I never thought of it that way…" Chase croaked.
"I'm not saying people should just ignore their emotions, I'm just saying it's probably best if they hide them from those they want to protect. But, this might vary. I don't know…! It's pretty confusing.."
"I get what you mean. Now that I think about it, my family was doing the same thing. Even though so much was going on, they still tried their best to hold a smile. Until…" Chase paused. "Until everything came tumbling down..."
"What happened?"
"Well… My owner and father were going to tell me something over a barbecue one day, but in the end, they… I…"
"Chase… I'm so sorry."
"It's fine… I'm still coping, but I'll be okay. After all, I have you and Skye." Chase assured before Rocky smiled. "What about you?"
"I was raised here in Adventure Bay. I don't know what happened with my parents, but all I know is that they're long gone by now."
"Oh..."
"I know, but I had Katie, Mr. Jordan, and Skipper looking after me over the past three years. It's been fine having them around, but I've always wondered what it's like to have an owner. Do you know what I mean? Because back then, there would always be new pups every week, then they were gone the next. I wondered when it would be my turn. So ever since then, I've been trying to work on my social skills with the other pups. But no matter what, they never seemed interested in what I had to say."
"You mean…" Chase asked as Rocky nodded his head.
"Name-calling, teasing, laughing, it's like they already influence them." He sighed. "It started getting the best of me, so I decided to stop interacting with the pups entirely. I thought that maybe that's how I'll spend the rest of my life, but deep down, I knew that wasn't what I wanted. I've always wanted to be there for someone, not cast myself away. Even though Katie said that it's okay if I chose to avoid contact, I couldn't help but feel guilty inside. Luckily, Skipper was able to stop the name-calling before it escalated. They still talk behind my back, but I don't think it bothers me as much as it did before."
"Do you know who started this?"
"I have my suspicions, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions."
"Wow, that's harsh…"
"Yeah, but even then, I never really hated the pups for it. After Skipper stood up for me I was inspired to try and become a leader. That way, I could be someone else's inspiration one day. So, I chose to follow him around for a while, and that's when I stumbled across the first edition of Tommy's toolkit near the bookshelf in the main hall. I ended up skimming through the pages for hours, then I realized that maybe I don't have to become a leader to be someone else's inspiration. That maybe instead of trying to force myself out there, I should instead help out by making supplies and projects for the other pups to use. So, I borrowed the book and stayed inside the storage room to learn how to make the basic projects like glue, tape, all those sorts of things." Rocky explained.
"Is that how you became interested in recycling?" Chase asked.
"Well, yeah! I'm not really a fan of letting things go to waste, and thinking back on the whole leadership idea, I don't think I could have handled all of the stress from it. Even Skipper is having trouble keeping up. That plus, recycling and building are probably the only things I can gladly say that I'm good at." Rocky frowned as Chase stood up.
"You mean, the only things so far," Chase stated before Rocky tilted his head. "Think about it, Rocky! I'm sure you have a lot of potential!"
"But, I'm afraid of messing up…"
"Nobody's perfect, Rocky. You're going to make some mistakes eventually, but it's your choice if you want to continue or not. I mean, would you say you had it all figured out when you started craftsmanship?" Chase asked as Rocky froze for a moment.
"I… N-no, you're right! I've never had it all figured out! I almost spilled an entire bottle of vegetable oil when I created a homemade lava lamp a few weeks ago, but I never gave up!"
"That's it!"
"So, that means I shouldn't give up… Chase, you're incredible, dude! How'd you learn how to become so inspirational?"
"Well, I did pick up a few things from my mother and Skye. I guess some stuff just really sticks in your head!"
"Heh! Well, I'll always remember this, because from here on out, I promise I'll do my best to break out of my shell and try out new things! And who knows? Maybe one day, I'll also be someone else's inspiration."
"That's the spirit, buddy! Remember, Skye and I will always be there if you need us, so don't hesitate to ask for help whenever you need it."
"Thank you! Thank you both so much, Chase! I'm really glad I got to meet you guys!" Rocky praised before hugging Chase.
"I'm glad I could help!" Chase replied before silently gagging. "Wow! We really do need a bath!"
"Heh…! I guess you're right." Rocky chuckled. "Do you think the hens are gone?"
"Hold on! Let me check." Chase said before peaking out the door. "Yeah, the coast is clear! Let's check out these eggs and hurry back before the muffins are done!"
"You got it!"
Back in the kitchen (6:03 AM)
As Chase and Rocky finished up in the chicken coop, Mr. Jordan put the finishing touches on the drinks while Skye was setting up the tables.
"How long does it take for them to get eggs…?" Skye wondered to herself before the two entered the room.
"We're back! And we got enough eggs!" Chase exclaimed!
"Ah! Great work you-!" Mr. Jordan congratulated them before looking at them. "Whoa! What happened to you guys!?"
"We got the eggs like you said!" Rocky smiled. "It took a while to lure the chickens away, but we managed! We even made sure these aren't fertilized!"
"Wait, wait wait, you went inside the chicken coop!?"
"Yeah! Were we not supposed to?" Chase asked.
"Y-you,- I... Umm… Never mind! You guys did a great job! I'll go ahead and get these eggs cleaned out before continuing on the mix. I'll see if I can get another staff member to give you guys baths as soon as possible." Mr. Jordan approved before taking the eggs from Rocky.
"Thank you, Mr. Jordan!" Chase and Rocky said as Skye raised her eyebrow.
"Uhh, you guys do realize that there's unfertilized eggs in the second fridge, right…?" Skye mentioned before Chase and Rocky froze.
"...What?"
"Yeah… You didn't have to do all that extra work…" Skye giggled.
"Well…" Rocky began.
"Well…" Chase continued as Skye laughed.
"I feel so dumb right now…"
"Yeah… me two. But, maybe this wasn't a complete waste of time. I mean, we did get to learn more about each other, right?"
"Y-yeah! I agree!" Rocky grinned.
"Wait, did I miss a bonding moment?" Skye asked.
"Don't worry! I'll tell you all about it after breakfast." Chase assured.
"Yeah! It'll be wrong if we kept it from her."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's start heading down to the washroom! We should be done before Mr. Jordan finishes on the waffles, so let's go!" Skye howled before running towards the bathroom.
"Right behind you, Skye!" Chase barked.
"Oh, alright…" Rocky sighed before following them.