(Shadow's POV)
(You can find a brief description of Shadow at the bottom of this chapter. She's the only OC at this point. You can also find a brief summary of Ryder Goes Home at the bottom. You may want to read these before you read this chapter, unless you read all of Ryder Goes Home.)
Shadow woke up with a jump. She had just had a dream similar to ones she had been having her entire life. This dream, though, was slightly different. This one had had someone talking to her.
But this still didn't bother Shadow very much. She barely gave the dream a second thought as she stood up and stretched out. It was only a dream, after all.
Shadow walked out of her temporary shelter with a yawn. She was living in this shakily made shack, as she called it, until Ryder could make her a proper house/vehicle and add it to the Lookout with the rest of the pup houses.
It was still fairly early in the morning, and it seemed like all of the other pups were asleep.
They're so lazy. Shadow thought. I haven't been able to sleep past eight my entire life.
Shadow made her way over to the Lookout. Ryder was the only one usually awake at the time Shadow woke up.
As she entered the Lookout, she saw Ryder preparing the pups' breakfast.
"Good morning, Ryder." She said.
"Oh, hey, Shadow. You're breakfast is already made."
"Okay, thanks." She said as she headed back outside. By now, after two months of living with her, Ryder knew Shadow's morning routine- wake up around 7:30, eat a light breakfast, and head out for a morning walk.
She took her time eating her morning meal. No need to hurry on a peaceful morning such as this one.
Just as she finished she saw Chase, who was usually the second earliest riser, walking to the Lookout.
"Good morning, Shadow." He said with a yawn.
"Good morning, Chase. Have a good sleep?" Shadow replied.
"Actually, I did, for once."
Chase had had issues sleeping ever since he was freed from the control of the WAWO masterminds.
"Are you going out on your walk now?"
"Yep. See you in a half hour."
Shadow set off on her stroll. Her normal route included going down to Adventure Bay, along the beach and back. Today she wanted to try something a little different. She set off in the opposite direction, into the forest.
Shadow had been taking a morning walk for as long as she remembered. She assumed the habit was passed on by some sort of parent figure, but… well, that she couldn't remember. But she still did it every day.
The wild was beautiful. Shadow was enjoying it immensely, until she suddenly dropped to the ground in pain.
"Aaarrrggghhh!" Was all she could manage to scream out as her entire body felt like it was engulfed in flames.
We meet again, Shadow. Said a voice. It was the same one from her dream.
"What… are… you?" Shadow said through gritted teeth.
What are you? Asked the voice.
"I-I'm…" But the pain, and the voice, were gone.
Before she could even catch her breath, Shadow's black collar went off.
"We have an emergency, pups." Ryder said through the collar. "To the Lookout!"
"Ugh." Was all Shadow could say before she started running to the Lookout. Her body was free of all pain but her mind was still shaken from the attack.
Luckily, Shadow hadn't gone far into the forest and she was able to catch the elevator as it went up the Lookout.
Shadow was changed into her crime- or problem- fighting outfit. It consisted of a black and purple vest and pup pack, with a helmet. The pack was light, as Shadow was the stealth pup, and it contained a lock pick, smoke bombs, and a small robotic arm. Her helmet provided both protection and night vision goggles.
The seven pups (Everest still lived with Jake) moved to their places.
"Paw Patrol ready for action, Ryder sir!" Chase said.
"As always, thanks for getting here quickly pups. Nothing big today, the mayor just lost her purse, but not Chickaletta, somewhere in Adventure Bay."
Really? Chase thought.
"I see no reason why we can't all search for it." Ryder continued. "Shadow will ride with Rocky today. The Paw Patrol is on a roll!"
The pups headed out. They all stopped at Town Hall first.
"C'mon, pups, let's go inside." Ryder said.
The pups went inside and turned into the mayor's office.
"Happy anniversary!" Everyone shouted as they entered.
It was the Paw Patrol's third anniversary. Ryder and the mayor had collaborated on this, and now all of the Patrol's friends were in Mayor Goodway's office.
The pups were surprised.
"Wow!" Skye said.
"This is awesome!" Said Marshall.
"It's our anniversary?" Asked Rubble.
"This is supposed to be a big celebration, so let's move this party outside!" The mayor said.
Everyone moved to the beach, where everything was already set up. The best part for the pups was that with everyone in one place, there couldn't be any emergencies.
The party lasted all day. All the pups, including Everest, who had travelled to town for the party, had a great time. Well, except Shadow.
As sundown neared Ryder noticed that Shadow wasn't really participating. He sat down next to her.
"Is something wrong, Shadow?" He asked.
Shadow wanted to tell him the truth, but her past had taught her not to trust anyone with personal information.
"I'm just coming down with something, I guess."
"Oh, okay." Ryder said as he stood back up. He had a feeling that Shadow had lied to him at least in some way, and he also had the sense that she didn't quite trust him yet. Ryder didn't know how to make that happen.
Of course, in truth, Shadow was still shaken up from her earlier experience. And, for the first time in a very long time, Shadow was truly scared.
Thanks for reading the first few chapters of this story. I plan to update much more often now that it's summer. Here are the summaries I promised:
Shadow
Appearance: I don't know quite what breed she would be, so I'll just explain Shadow's appearance. She has completely black fur which is organized in long strands that are flat on her body. She's about the same size as all of the other pups. Her eyes are purple. I'll leave the rest up to you to imagine.
Personality: She tends to keep to herself, though she has become more outgoing in her time with the Paw Patrol. She's mentally tough and really smart. She has trust issues because of her past, which will be revealed later in this story. She really dislikes big animals and chaos, and she likes being in control.
History: As I said, her full history will be revealed later. As far as her role in Ryder Goes Home, she was the right hand pup to the leader of the WAWO, Jim Ericson. She eventually turned against her former master, helping the Paw Patrol escape and defeat the WAWO. She was then accepted into the Paw Patrol. She has been living with them for two months at the start of this story.
Ryder Goes Home
Summary: After getting in an accident on a rescue, Ryder is forced to go "home" with his mother. Instead, Ryder gets captured by the WAWO, the Worldwide Agency for World Order. They act under the guise of fighting for peace and order in the world, but they are actually a terrible organization that wants world domination. After Ryder refuses to join them, he is essentially hypnotized, though he can still think. He just can't control his body. Eventually, the Paw Patrol goes after him, but they are captured, too. They are broken by their master's betrayal, and Chase is hypnotized too. When Jim's right hand pup, Shadow, learns of her organization's true purpose, she frees the pups and brings them to Jim, who is about to hypnotize Ryder for good. They have an epic battle that sees the pups come out on top. Both Ryder and Chase are able to retake control of their bodies. After preventing the WAWO facility from self-destructing, Shadow makes the command for the WAWO to shut down. The government also helps shut them down. The Paw Patrol then return to normal life, mostly, for the next two months, which is where this story begins.