The Rottweiler had just finished eating her burger when a shadow - albeit a small one - fell over her and caused her to tilt her head to the side, brown eyes peering up at the stranger. From the smell, she could tell that the bulldog - English if you want to be specific - was a male, and she huffed.
"Hi," He started, tail wagging as he looked at her eager eyes. "My name's Rubble. What's yours?"
The Rottweiler didn't say anything. Instead, she just laid her head on the ground, eyes moving towards the sea. Frowning at the clear dismal, Rubble continued to talk.
"Are you a stray? I was a stray once, too. But then, a nice human named Ryder took me in, and now I have a shelter, food, and most of all - love! I bet if I took you to him, you'll like him." He said, chuckling. Still, the Rottie didn't say anything. "You know, it's okay to talk about it. I won't judge. I know it's scary to be out all on your own, that you think no one cares for you, but that's not true! Lots of people care, you just have to find the right one!"
"...Don't you have something better to do?" She asked, startling Rubble, who blinked, before chuckling.
"Not really. If I did, my tag would light up by now and then Ryder would be all 'PAW Patrol, to the lookout!'" He said. The Rottie blinked.
"PAW Patrol? You're part of the PAW Patrol?" She asked. Rubble nodded.
"Yep! I'm the constructive pup. I help build things and move things out of the way with my rig." He said. The Rottweiler just stared at him.
"What's a rig?" She asked. Rubble stared at her, bewildered.
"It's a machine that helps me dig holes, or push things such as boulders out of the way. You've never seen a rig before?" Rubble asked. The Rottie shook her head, somewhat confused and shyly looked away, embarrassed.
"Not...really. Not one made for pups, anyway. Most of the constructions are done on a site blocked from view, so..." She shrugged. "And besides, I have been living under the docks a good while. The only time I ever stepped out is for food, water, or bathroom breaks. I...I don't socialize much."
"Why not? People don't bite. At least, I don't think they do. Their teeth aren't sharp enough to hurt anyone." Rubble said, smiling when he saw the Rottie's lips twist into a small smile.
"No, it's just..." She hesitated, before shrugging her shoulders again. "I just don't. Since living on my own, I have no desire to socialize with anyone."
"You're socializing with me," Rubble pointed out, grinning as she blushed. Cute. "Look, I get it. As I said, I was a stray too. One of the perks of being a stray, is that you don't have to listen to anyone, and you're free to do as you wish," He paused. "But I was incredibly lonely. I had no one to play with, and walking around town without a spare glance hurts - a lot. No one gave me the time of day, and I had to beg for food and that's it. I wasn't skittish, or anything. I had been socialize with people, so I know what to do and what not to do. Still, to be overlooked as much as I have been, it left a deep wound in my heart. I thought there was something wrong with me, and until I had met Ryder, I kept thinking that I was never good enough. That I wasn't a good pup." Rubble gave a small smile. "When Ryder decided to take me in, and made me a part of the team, that was the happiest day of my life. I never regretted it. I'm sure the same could be said about you."
"That's where you're wrong," The Rottweiler said, Rubble blinking at the interruption. "No one would want me. I'm not 'perfect', whatever that means."
"What are you talking about? You seem fine to me." Rubble said, cocking his head to the side.
"My tail's docked, and people don't like that. I have a scar on my face because I had gotten into a fight, and now everyone thinks I'm too 'dangerous' to be around children. My parents are dead, washed out to the sea, and my owner had abandon me." She snarled, quickly wiping away the tears. "He told me he would be right back. He said he loved me and he wouldn't leave me. So no, no one would want me."
"I understand that too." Rubble said, honey-brown eyes taking on a serious tone, surprising the Rottweiler. "My mother passed away weeks after the birth of my fifteenth sibling. My dad had been nowhere on the scene. I did have owners before Ryder, and they had packed up their things and moved out of Adventure Bay, leaving me behind. I had waited and waited, until a new family showed up and I had to leave the property. I'm not perfect either. People claimed me as childish and too energetic, only having kiddie's view of the world, and often fallen under the 'too young to understand' trope. And you know what else? None of the PAW Patrol is perfect either. Skye's annoying when she wants to be, Marshall can't even walk in a straight line, Chase is too bossy, Zuma's speech impairment sometimes gets on my nerves, Rocky's fear of water - not anymore at least - drove me nuts, and Everest is too darn hyper AND she talks a lot. It's a Husky thing, but still. Also, Ryder's attitude for every mission makes me angry sometimes too. So, no, we aren't perfect, but for all the things we lack, we make up for with compassion and desire to help others." He said. "So with all that being said, Ryder still wanted us. Still loved us. And again, someone would want you too, you just gotta look for it."
She just stared at him.
"For someone around my age, you sure seem wise beyond your years." The Rottweiler said, and Rubble laughed.
"If anyone is paying attention to me, they would have known that," He sighed. "Still, I love my friends and I love the things that I do. One of the things that I enjoy is helping someone who needs help and pardon me, but it seems as though you need help yourself."
"You're not going to force me to join the PAW Patrol, are you?" She asked, giving Rubble a blank stare. The bulldog laughed, long and hard.
"No no, not if you don't want to. But you seem as though you need a friend, and I'm more than happy to be that friend. So let's start over shall we? Hi, I'm Rubble." Rubble said, holding out a paw. The Rottweiler stared at it before giving her own paw and shook his. Rubble grinned.
"Diamond."
