Fully awake and slightly wrapped in bandages, Marshall was taking into account his new situation and surroundings. For the former, the memory of a past incident lingered on in his head. One moment he was in a burning building saving civilians, and the next? He was not. He was now recovering in a small house. A small but nice-looking house with a flat-screen TV, a fireplace, and a nice-looking kitchen, the counter of which he was currently laying inside; judging by the presence of nearby stairs, the house he was recovering in had to be at least two stories high. A perfect place to raise a perfect family.
Speaking of which, a young girl with dark brown hair and eyes was carefully approaching, examining him from head to paws. Marshall glanced back and forth again, wondering if anybody else was home, before offering a halfhearted smile.
"Uh...hi."
"Hi!" The girl smiled and waved back, "So you really can talk?"
"Uh...yeah."
"Are you a scientific experiment or were you just born with it?"
"I...don't know actually. I guess I was born with it."
"Cassie, let's give the dog some space. He just woke up."
Thankfully, before any more awkward conversation could continue any further, an adult woman with green eyes, long and braided red hair with blonde tips, and alvina skin entered the kitchen carrying two objects: a bag of pup treats and a doggie bowl for the treats in question. The sight made Marshall's mouth water and, as soon as the bag was opened and its contents were poured into the doggie bowl, happily dug in without hesitation.
"Thank you, ma'am," Marshall thanked the kind woman with a grateful smile, "I have eaten anything in days."
"Oh, you're quite welcome," The kind woman smiled back, "I figured you would need that."
From the pass-through window that connected the kitchen and the living room, occasionally exchanging looks of confusion, Kayla and her father watched their own situation unfold before their very eyes.
"Okay...there's a talking dog. In our house."
"He doesn't seem too bad."
"Why is there a talking dog in our house?"
"You brought him here so we could treat him. You did say the nearest vet was two hours away."
. . .
"God, I hate it when that happens."
"You mean, when you say something supposedly meaningless before it comes to fruition afterwards? That's how the universe operates sometimes, sweetie."
Scoffing in contempt, Kayla continued, "The idea was to revive him and then take him to the vet. A talking dog just complicates matters now, don't you think?"
"Sometimes it can't be helped, Kayla."
Groaning in agitation, Kayla regained her composure as she exited the living room and entered the kitchen to join her mother and Cassie, her father trailing behind. Carefully approaching the talking animal, she did try her best to act professional.
"So...you're a talking dog."
Of course, try was the key word...
"Oh, yes, ma'am," The Dalmatian was at least cordial as well, "Thank you for saving me back there."
"Oh, well, you're welcome, but don't thank me yet."
Kayla then produced a notepad and a pen to jot down her notes, "If you don't mind, I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay?"
"Okay," He nodded in understanding, "What kind of questions?"
"And shouldn't it be me asking him these questions?" Kayla's father grinned cheekily.
"Not yet, Dad. I found him first."
Kayla's father hmmed and let his daughter proceed with her interrogation, much to the amusement of Kayla's mother and Cassie.
"First question: what is your name?"
"Oh, that's easy. I'm Marshall."
Kayla nodded before her mother held back laughter, prompted her to shoot her a confused expression.
"What?"
"Marshall," Kayla's mother let out a chuckle, "Of course his name is Marshall. The firefighter gear makes a lot more sense now."
"Firefighter gear?" Marshall perked up before gasping in realization, "My Pup-Pack!"
Standing on all fours quite heroically for a brief moment, Marshall's legs shook as he tried walking forward and then gave out as he plopped back down belly-first on the doggie bed. All the while, Kayla and her parents plus Cassie exchanged looks of confusion once more.
"Um...your what?"
"My Pup-Pack!" Marshall tried to stand up once again only to plop back down belly-first once again. Cassie walked over and retrieved the Pup-Pack for him, placing it in front of him. Carefully observing it up and down, he was not too sure if the pup-pack would function properly due to its heavily damaged state.
"Okay. Uh... Pup-Pack, activate water cannon and X-ray screen!"
Miraculously, the water cannon did activate and thankfully did not malfunction the second-to-last time he used it. Of course, this could be due to the fact that the water tanks were empty from the very last times he did use it. The X-ray screen activated as well but it showed much more visible signs of damage, such as the cracked screen and flickering lights.
All the while, Kayla, her parents, and Cassie looked on as Marshall tinkered with his Pup-Pack. The former in particular furiously jotted down a slew of notes about this new device he possessed.
So... A puppy...a Dalmatian puppy...with high-tech firefighter and medical gear?
"Ok, Marshall," Kayla frowned, "A follow-up question: who are you?"
"My name is Marshall," Marshall repeated his introduction in confusion.
"No, no. I'm sorry," Kayla shook her head, "Let me rephrase that: What are you? Are you some sort of science experiment or...just a regular dog who was just born with the ability to talk?"
"Cassie asked that question earlier," Marshall understood a little better, "and, to be honest, I don't know. All I know was that I was separated from my parents at a young age before Ryder took me in as a member of the PAW Patrol."
Her eyes knitting together in interest, Kayla looked up from her notes. She hesitated to continue talking for a moment, trying to process what Marshall was telling her.
"Wait a minute. The...PAW Patrol?"
"Uh-huh," Marshall nodded before hesitating to continue himself, an act Kayla could not help but notice herself in sympathy.
"You don't have to continue if you're not comfortable with talking right now."
"No, it's fine," Marshall regained his composure before continuing, "Ryder and my friends... We help protect Adventure Bay."
"You're from Adventure Bay?"
When Marshall nodded, Kayla jotted down in her notebook.
"And who is Ryder? I assume he's the leader of this...PAW Patrol? Is he...a dog too?"
"Yes and no," Marshall responded, "He's the leader of the PAW Patrol but he's not a dog. He's actually human, younger than you but older than Cassie."
Kayla nodded and continued her note-taking.
So this Ryder must be in the preteen stage. Smart and capable enough to lead...the PAW Patrol.
"Okay then. One last question for you today, Marshall: What is...the PAW Patrol?"
"It's like I said: we help watch over Adventure Bay."
"Okay. How?"
"Well, Zuma is a diver who handles aquatic rescue, Rubble is a digger who handles construction, Rocky is a mechanic who handles recycling and handyman material, Skye is a pilot who handles air rescue, and Chase..."
Chase... Who was he to me now? My brother? My best friend? Or...my biggest regret? I let him down. I let them down. That night. All of them...but especially Chase.
All the while, Kayla was listing the members' names and looked up when Marshall got to a particular one. It was this moment she knew from his current mannerisms and body language that this "Chase" was a sore subject for him.
"Chase...?"
"Oh. Chase... He was a police officer and super spy who served as...the co-leader."
"Was? Not is? Is he not..."
"Oh, no," Marshall shook his head, "He's not dead...but he probably thinks I am."
Before she could ask why, Kayla immediately knew the reason, a realization reached by her father seconds later, "So that's how my daughter found you."
Marshall nodded and sniffled, prompting Cassie to approach and carefully hug him.
"Don't be sad, Marshall. Everything will be okay..."
Cassie had no idea if everything would be okay, but she knew Marshall needed. The Dalmatian melted into the embrace as Kayla's parents watched their daughter survey her notes.
1. Zuma - Aquatic Rescue
2. Rubble - Construction Rescue
3. Rocky - Handyman/Recycling Rescue
4. Marshall - Firefighter/Emergency Medic
5. Skye - Aerial Rescue
6. Chase - Police Officer/Super Spy(?)
7. Ryder - The Leader/A Real Boy
- This "PAW Patrol" operates mainly in Adventure Bay, a few hours outside Adventure City.
- How is this possible?
- Why is this possible?
- Who is the PAW Patrol?
- WHAT is the PAW Patrol?
Despite her manic presence in person and on paper, Kayla's sympathy for Marshall was clear and present. Like Cassie, she had absolutely no idea if everything was going to be okay for Marshall, but alas...
"Cassie's right, Marshall," Kayla nodded as she gently patted the Dalmatian on the head, "Everything will be okay."
"So are we still taking him to the hospital?" Kayla's mother examined Marshall's injuries again.
"Yes," Kayla nodded again, "we have to...but not today. Maybe tomorrow. It's getting late. Marshall?"
The Dalmatian looked up from the hug to look at Kayla.
"You can...stay here for now."
"I can?" Marshall looked up in excitement.
"He can?" Cassie smiled with that same emotion.
"Cass," Kayla chuckled, "Remember you and Kate still live with Lucy. Speaking of which, I still have to drop you off."
"We'll set up his bed and cook dinner before you get back," Kayla's mother smiled as Kayla retrieved her keys for her car.
"Can't I have a sleepover with you guys?" Cassie pleaded to no avail.
"I don't mind," Marshall supported her.
"Not today," Kayla repeated, "I know it's the weekend, but Cassie, your dad and stepmom have that wedding in a few weeks. And Marshall, you need to rest because you just woke up. Maybe if you recover fast enough can you two have that sleepover. Deal?"
Marshall and Cassie exchanged smiles and turned back to Kayla, "Deal."
"Good," Kayla nodded once again, "Now Cassie, let's go."
As Cassie beamed happily to the car, Kayla instructed her to wait there while she walked over to her father.
"Dad?"
"Yes."
"About this...PAW Patrol... Should we tell them about Marshall? Let him know that he's alive?"
After a moment, Kayla's father sighed, "It's like you said, kid. Marshall needs time to recover, so by contacting them early, we may be overwhelming him. So...until we can also learn more about this PAW Patrol...I think it's best not to tell them yet. It's the best choice we have at the moment."
Kayla nodded in understanding, "Okay. I just figured since you're the top cop of the family, this would be in your pay grade."
"A group of talking dogs who essentially act as the emergency services of Adventure Bay?" Kayla's father smirked despite himself, "The department definitely doesn't pay me enough."
Kayla shared a laugh with him, "And that's another thing. Hopefully we can make a stop at the local animal shelter and see if we can find...more talking dogs."
"That's a rare sentence. Love you, kiddo."
"Love you too, Dad."
Kayla and her father shared a hug before she left to drop off Cassie. Watching the car drive out of the parkway, he sighed and nodded in reassurance before entering the house.
Love you always, Kayla...
