AN: First of all, I went back a gave Zuma his speech impairment voice (It's adorable in the show) so if you see that here I also put it in the first chapter as well. Glad to see the story doing so well. You can catch me also on the only thread in this group if you want to talk. Enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Paw Patrol
As he was ordered, Rubble had taken off for the outskirts of town in his search for Marshall. Along the way, Rubble did his best to resist crying until he had separated from the others. When he did, he finally unleashed the waterworks. He didn't like anyone seeing him cry. It was bad enough he was the youngest out of the group, even younger then Everest who had only been a Paw Patrol member for a few weeks, but he didn't want to be seen as a cry baby. However, this was one moment he could let go of his desire to look more grown up. Guilt hung his heart by the neck as he wished he could take back what he said about Marshall. He was a great pup, and a great Paw Patrol member
By the time he finished crying, he had arrived at Farm Yumi and Al's barn. The recently married couple had agreed to help find Marshall by searching their fields. It had been half an hour since then, and Rubble had been calling for Marshall without stop, even trying his communicator tag.
Stopping his bulldozer in front of the farm, Rubble looked around again for any sign of the dalmatian. Suddenly, he gasped with joy upon seeing what looked like a cloud with puffs of black dots between a stack of hay. "I only know one dalmatian that has that look!" He joyfully drove his bulldozer to the hay pile and used it to move the hay, only to realize that it was one of the cows instead. "Hey! Your not a dalmatian! You're not even Marshall!"
The cow rolled its eyes before walking away. Rubble sighed before dropping the hay back. He's not here. Maybe I should check the other areas. But what if he's already long gone from Adventure Bay?
The thought that he could never see is buddy again made Rubble whimper. I can't believe I said those things to him. Sure, he screws up, but all of us do. Even me. Heck, I screwed up a lot when I first joined.
"Okay, Rubble, you can do this," Rubble muttered to himself as he leaned forward from his seat. It had been a week since he had officially joined Paw Patrol. While he hadn't been sent on missions yet, it gave him plenty of time to learn how to use the bulldozer Ryder had given him as the new construction pup.
At the moment, he was still getting used to the controls and trying to lift a large hill of sand as practice. Turning his truck, he howled with the engine roaring as he shouted, "Rubble on the double!" he pressed his paw down on the gas, only he felt his bulldozer head backwards instead. Gasping, the bulldog realized he had left the stick in reverse. "More like Rubble is in trouble!"
His bulldozer continued to move backwards until it slammed into a tree, nearly knocking the wind out of Rubble. Moaning, he turned it off and sighed, "I'm never going to get this down."
"Hey, Rubble! What's going on?" Rubble turned his head to see the Paw Patrol's fire rescue pup, Marshall, walking towards him with a smile on his face. "Hey, you're trying out the bulldozer Ryder made. How's it working?"
"It works fine, it's me that's not working right," sighed Rubble, sinking into his chair.
"Really?" asked Marshall, jumping up and landing near the bulldog. "What's wrong?"
"I keep screwing up. I wanna be a Paw Patrol member so badly, but every time I try to do work this thing I keep forgetting something," said the saddened pup. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a construction pup."
"Hey, don't think that. If Ryder thinks your perfect for the team then I trust him. Besides, everyone screws up. I even did when I started using my fire truck," said Marshall, putting a paw on Rubble shoulder.
"What did you do?"
Marshall blushed and chuckled. "Every time I used my ladder, I used to always come down riding on my butt. It got really sore and red, to the point where I could have been named Marshall, the Red Butt Pup."
Rubble snorted before laughing out loud, imagining the sight of such a thing. "That's so funny! Did you get better?"
"Oh, I did. But I still fall on it occasionally. While also getting in a ton of other crashes as you well know," pointed out Marshall.
"Like this afternoon when you slipped on Zuma's marbles and slammed your head into Ryder's pizza?" asked Rubble.
"Yeah, but that was worth it for the pepperoni," said Marshall, rubbing his stomach and licking his lips at the memory. "The point is, we all screw up a bit. You just need to keep practicing, and you'll be awesome in no time."
"Okay! Let's give it another go!" shouted Rubble. He turned on the bulldozer and this time remember to put it in drive. Pressing forward, Rubble grit his teeth with determination as he lowered his large blade and began scooping up the sand. "Yeah! I did it!"
The two dogs began to bark with joy until Marshall gasped. "Wait, Rubble! You forgot to stop the blade!"
The two watched as the scooper continued going up until it reached the top and tipped the sand to pour on top of them. The two dogs held their breath until they were covered in a pile of sand, head down. Popping out of it, they looked at each other and just laughed at the sight of themselves.
"Hey, when you're done. Do you want to watch Apollo the Super Pup with me?" asked Marshall.
Rubble tilted his head. "Who's Apollo?"
Rubble chuckled at the memory. True to Marshall's word, he did get better as time went on, and was just as good as the rest of his friends. He then whimpered again when he realized that he had insulted the very pup who had given him the confidence to be who he was today by calling him a screw up. But Marshall's helped saved the day so many times, even with his screw ups. Yet I yelled at him, all for messing up my favorite cartoon that he introduced me to!
A cartoon was just a cartoon. It could be seen again, even on demand. But a friend was irreplaceable.
Vowing to never see another Apollo cartoon until he found Marshall, Rubble continued on his search.
Zuma had searched every beach there was in Adventure Bay, but no luck in finding Marshall. None of the people or animals on the beach had seen him either. That left only the ocean and nearby islands to search for his buddy, but Zuma doubted Marshall was at any of them. Granted, any of the islands would have been a great place to run away, but Marshall would have known that Zuma could have tracked him down with his hovercraft.
Deciding to report in, Zuma hit his communicator tag for Ryder. "Zuma here. No sign of Mawshall. I'm gonna twy Seal Island and any of the other neawby ones."
"I doubt he went there, but we can't leave no place unchecked. Search where ever you can, Zuma. Ryder out."
Zuma sighed as he heard arfing and turned to the right to see Wally the Walrus waving at him, fish in his mouth. "Hey, Wally. Have you seen Mawshall?"
Wally shook his head, but in turn threw the fish out of his mouth and hit Zuma straight on the snout. Zuma shook it off and Wally caught it again. "Ugh, thanks anyway, dude."
Wally arfed goodbye as Zuma began to wonder about Marshall again. If Marshall had run away, their words must have been a lot harsher then they mean to be. Zuma didn't hate Marshall, he really cared about him a great deal. He was brave, funny, and always willing to be helpful.
As the second youngest, he saw all his peers as his big brothers or sisters. Chase was the responsible big brother. Skye was the graceful sister. Rocky was the smart brother. Rubble, despite being younger than Zuma, was the playful little brother. And Marshall was the fun big brother. The kind who could keep you smiling no matter what. And with Ryder acting like a father figure to them, it was like having a family.
And we huwt our family by huwting Mawshall, thought Zuma.
Turning his head, he noticed a boat rental shop that brought Zuma back towards his first mission where he saw just how awesome Marshall was. Not to mention how dedicate he was to his duty as a firepup.
Although he had been hoping his first mission as a member of Paw Patrol would be big, Zuma didn't expect it to be this big. An electrical fire had caused a boat rental shop to catch fire, and the entire team was needed to handle it. Marshall took the lead by using his fire truck to spray water at the building while Chase kept the growing crowd away from danger. Skye was keeping an eye on things in the air, being mindful of the smoke, while Zuma and Rocky were in charge of making sure the nearby boats didn't catch on fire.
Zuma was surprised by how calm the team was. They had only been operational for a few months, but they were acting like pros. Zuma, having only been around for two weeks, couldn't help but be impressed. While Rocky was using his tools to unhook the boats and tying them to the hovercraft, Zuma was ordered to bring them to the other side of the bay as far from the fire as possible.
"That's the last one, Wyder!" said Zuma, calling his new owner. He watched as Rocky tied the rope of the last boat to the harbor.
"Great job, Zuma and Rocky! You guys head back here and-"
'Help! Help! That's my store!" shouted the voice of a woman. Zuma activated his view screen on his tag and saw a blond woman talking Ryder. "That's my shop! Oh my gosh! My son's in there!"
Both Zuma and Rocky gasped at the thought of a kid inside that huge fire. Zuma had never seen a fire as big as this one before. If a human is in there…
"Ma'am! Which floor is your child on?!" asked Marshall, running into view.
"Second floor, by the back of the house!"
Marshall looked to be in deep concentration before a look of determination appeared on his face. "Arf! Oxygen mask!" a red mask settled onto Marshall's face as he turned to Ryder. "I'm going in, Ryder. Have someone else take the hose, and keep spraying the shop!"
Ryder nodded. "Okay. Marshall, you head inside, and find that child. Be careful."
"Ready for a ruff ruff rescue!"
"Zuma, you and Rocky head back here to help with the fire."
"Green means go!"
"Let's dive in!"
Rocky jumped back onto the hovercraft as Zuma went full speed ahead. Along the way, Zuma couldn't help but worry if maybe Marshall was in over his head. "Hey, Wocky? Will Mawshall be okay?"
"It's Rocky and Marshall, Zuma," said Rocky.
"Sorry, my speech inpaiwment is something I've had to live with," replied Zuma.
Rocky nodded. "Anyway, Marshall will be fine. He's been training to do this ever since he was born. He'll be okay. Despite his goofiness, he's a good firepup."
Zuma barked in agreement and soon made it to the closest harbor with the flaming shop close by. Before Zuma could follow Rocky out, an explosion from the shop nearly blew the pups off their paws as a giant fireball shot out into the air. "Holy cow! Did you see that, dude?!" shouted Zuma.
"Yeah, but Marshall was still in there!" shouted Rocky with horror.
Pressing his tag, Rocky called out, "Ryder! Is Marshall okay?!"
"I don't know! I'm trying to get in contact with him! Skye, where did that explosion come from?!"
"Second floor! And I could see that fireball all the way up here!"
Zuma gulped. If it was really that big then did that mean that Marshall and the child were..
"*cough* *cough*Marshall here! I'm okay!"
Both Zuma and Rocky sighed in relief upon hearing their teammates voice. Ryder then spoke. "Marshall, what happened?"
"It's my fault. I had to dodge a falling piece of wood, but I knocked over a gas can. The explosion blocked my exit, but I found the kid. He's okay, but we need to find a way out before we run out of air."
"Can you see any way out?" asked Ryder.
There was a brief pause before Marshall answered. "Yeah, I think I have a way, but I'll need Zuma's help!"
"What do you need me do, Mawshall?" asked Zuma.
Marshall giggled. "Sorry, still getting used to hearing my name sound like that. Anyway, there is a window in the kids' room that's right over the water. We can jump in and Zuma can bring us to land."
"Sounds like a plan. You hear that, Zuma?" asked Ryder.
"On my way!" shouted Zuma as he turned his hovercraft back on and made for the store.
Although the flames intimated him, Zuma wasn't going to be a scaredy pup when his friend needed him. He reached the end of the rental where the flames hadn't touched yet and saw the widow Marshall was talking about. Tapping his communicator, Zuma said, "Marshall. I'm here!"
"Great. Watch out below. Arf! Ax!"
The sound of a window smashing alerted Zuma to the window where he saw a red ax smash it up, giving Marshall a clear path for the water. The kid, a blond boy who had to be around seven years old, was right beside him. Getting an idea, Zuma cried out, "Arf! Buoy!" The front of his hovercart opened and shut out a buoy with a line into the water. "Mawshall! Have the kid jump into the buoy!"
"Good idea, Zuma! We're gonna jump! Three! Two! One!"shouted Marshall as he and the kid jumped.
The kid screamed a bit but he managed to land perfectly in the buoy while Marshall splashed into the water next to him. Spitting out water, Marshall pushed the kid to the hovercraft where he climbed in.
"T-thanks for rescuing me… can I get to my mom now?" asked the kid.
"Sure thing, little dude," said Zuma with a smile before turning to Marshall who shook himself dry. "Dude, that was awesome!"
"Thanks," said Marshall with a smile. He tapped his tag. "Marshall here. We got the kid, Ryder. We're coming back to bring him to his mommy."
"Great work, pups. See you soon."
"Glad to see your still one piece. I thought you were gonna break your promise for a second there," said Chase, trying to sound professional, but Zuma could detect a hint of worry.
Marshall chuckled. "Don't worry, Chase. I never break my promises. Marshall out."
"What pwomise are you talking about?" asked Zuma.
Marshall turned to Zuma and said, "Eh, nothing. Just something we did when we were younger. Let's get back to shore. I got a fire to put out."
"You're still up for mowe? Aren't you tiwed?" asked Zuma.
"Is the fire still burning?" asked Marshall with a grin. "Then so am I!"
He was a hewo that day, thought Zuma with a smile as he gazed at the newly repaired shop. And not just that day. The time he sacrificed his chance to be Wowld's Fastest Firepup. The day he won the basketball game for Adventure Bay. And when he saved those kitties all on his own. Mawshall's been hero through and through.
Marshall wasn't just a firepup. He was the most awesome firepup ever.
Zuma only hoped they never lost him as he continue his way towards Seal Island.
Marshall sighed in relief as he came out from behind the tree. "Nothing like a pit stop after a long drive. And this time no angry squirrels." He had made good time so far on his journey to Jake's mountain and decided to stop for lunch. Reaching into his bag in his truck, he dragged out some dog bisects and began to eat. "Hmm, honey flavored. Rubble's favorite."
He frowned upon thinking of his… former friend and thought about how much fun he and the other pups used to challenge Rubble to eat as much as he could. For a little pup, he sure ate a lot and made a lot of messes when he did. Marshall chuckled, thinking on the day Ryder took the to their first public restaurant and Rubble end up eating the entire buffet in an hour. Good thing it was all you can eat.
Marshall shook his head. "No, don't think about them anymore. They don't want to be your friend, so you don't need to think about them."
He packed the food away, finding himself no longer hungry. Maybe I just need a good rest. That's all.
He lay on the grass and closed his eyes, hoping to get some Zs before hitting the road again. It was actually kind of nice to be sleeping in the wilderness instead of the Lookout. No sound of Ryder or the other pups doing what they were doing. Not even Zuma, snoring beside him. The two of them curling next to each other in case they had a bad dream. Zuma always used to have those so each of the team slept next to him in his first weeks at the Lookout.
Marshall began to slowly lose focus and fell into a good sleep, but never noticed the tear dripping down his cheek.