AN: Not as long as my other chapters. But still a good one I hope.

Disclaimer: I don't own Paw Patrol.

By the time Marshall finally found a cave up in the frosty mountains that was safe and bear free, he was on his last legs. Exhaustion and pain had finally kicked in when he first touched the snow, and the large gash he had gotten earlier didn't help. He had done his best to clean it with his tongue, but without proper first aid he wasn't going to last much longer.

Lying in the cold, icy floor of the cave, Marshall did his best to get warm by huddling his body into a fetal position. His whimpers echoed among the cave has he lay there hurt, cold, and tired. He had no way of getting out of here, especially with the snow storm that was outside. It would take all day to get to Jake's without his truck, and he doubt he could survive out there without a way to properly heal himself and stay warm.

And worst of all, he had no means of contacting Ryder or the others for help. Even if they were searching for him, they had no way of finding him. He left no clues of where he was going.

There was no more denying the one thought in Marshall's mind that made him more scared than he ever had in his entire life.

I… I… I'm going to die…

Frozen tears began to stream down his face as he thought of his upcoming demise. He didn't want to die, but what other option was there? He was going to either starve, freeze, or bleed out. Only a miracle could save him, and with the day Marshall had he doubted any miracles were going to be coming for him. No, it was best to make peace with what time he had left and get ready for his end.

I'm going to miss everyone. I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad. I love you. I love you both so much. Ryder, I just wish I could tell you how much you meant to me as an owner and a friend. Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, Skye. All of you were the best friends I ever had. I'm sorry for all the mistakes I made, including this one. Forgive me. And Chase…

Chase.

His mind drifted back to a single day where he showed his dedication to his best friend. He flashed back to two pups in a graveyard. A promise between two young boys who became brothers in that very moment.

I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise, Chase, thought Marshall as he felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

With his vision going darker and darker, he saw a bright figure heading towards him from the edge of the cave. It was tall, and look to be stretching out its arms.

An angel? Come to take me away to puppy heaven?

Marshall closed his eyes and accept his fate as he was lifted from the cold, dark earth and carried into the air. He felt warmth wrap around him as a smile decorated his face.

His suffering had finally ended.

Chase drove his car like hell itself was behind him. He was sure Skye was telling him to slow down, arguing he was going at dangerous speeds. He didn't care to listen to her or focus on anything else. All he cared about was getting to that crash site, and finding Marshall alive or any hint of where he was.

He wasn't dead. He refused to believe he was dead. Marshall promised to him that he wouldn't die and put Chase through that feeling of misery and loss again. He knew how much that promise meant to them both, and all he could think about was the day when that promise was made.

"Aim! Fire!"

Twenty-one guns fired into the air as taps were played by the trumpeter. Police squads of over a dozen districts, including the small one in Adventure Bay, saluted as the officers slowly took the American Flag off of the closed casket. Chase wanted more than anything for them to open it again so he could look at his father one last time, even if it was the stiff image of his face that would never again open its eyes. The flag was folded as twenty-one other police dogs all howled in mourning for their fallen brother.

Everyone had told Chase over and over again, his father died a hero, protecting an innocent from a bank robber's gun. Chase didn't want a hero. He wanted his dad back.

He was still denying it, even in his heart. His dad was immortal in his eyes. He wasn't suppose to die. Heroes never die, they come back after the day is saved. Always.

Dressed in his black tux, he felt his entire body go numb as his father's human partner walked over with the flag in his hands and presented it to Chase. He stared at it for at least a minute, unable to even lift his paws or stop his eyes from crying. Ryder's dad eventually took it, and placed it next to Chase, who watched the casket sink lower and lower into the ground until there was a thud.

That was it.

His father was gone just like his mother.

He was alone.

At that moment, Chase ran as fast as he could through the cemetery. He ignored the calls of Ryder and everyone out there as they called out his name. He didn't want to listen to them, saying that things would get better. It would never get better. How could it when the last of his parents were dead? Losing his mother was hard, but she died when he was only a few weeks old. All he could remember of her was just the summer smell of her fur.

His father had been the only parent in his entire life and now he lost him. Blinded by tears and grief, Chase found himself slipping on a loose root and fell into a pile of mud. He didn't bother getting up; he just lay there and began crying his eyes. He wished he could sink into the earth itself and join his father in eternal sleep. If only to end this pain in his heart.

"Daddy…" Chase whispered as he closed his eyes, haunted by the peaceful face of his now deceased father.

Chase didn't know how long he lay there in the mud, but time meant nothing to him at the moment. The sun was setting, he could tell that much. If anything, he didn't mind just resting here forever. Someone will come looking for me. Maybe bring me back to the Lookout. Chase didn't want to go back. Not when so many memories of his father were there. Of course, that begged the question of what he was going to do now?

"Chase?! Hey, Chase?!" shouted a voice in the twilight.

Marshall? thought Chase, ears perking up. He slowly got up from the mud, his clothes a complete wreck, as he saw his best friend emerge from the bushes. Panting like he had been in a three hour marathon, Marshall took a moment to gather his breath before he turned to Chase with a relieved smile.

"There you are! Everyone's been worried!" shouted Marshall a he rushed over and hugged Chase. Despite Chase not hugging back, Marshall nuzzled is best friend. "Come on, let's head back. Plus, I think my parents are gonna scold me for running off like that to look for you. "

"Leave me alone, Marshall," hissed Chased as he turned around. "I'm not going back. I want to be alone."

Marshall whimpered as he stared at his best friends back. "Chase…" He lowered his head. "I'm sorry you lost your dad. I liked him a lot, we all did. My parents, Ryder, Mr. Ryder, all of those police units there? They loved your dad too, and he was an inspiration to all of them. I understand that-"

"Understand?!" shouted Chase as he tackled Marshall, pinning him to the ground. "You don't understand anything about how I'm feeling, Marshall! You still have a family! My dad was my entire family! With him gone I… I'm all alone!" Chase leaked a few tears before returning to his rage. "I never knew my mom! She died soon after I was born! Dad's always been there for me, and I wanted him to watch me grow up like a police dog, but he can't because some trigger happy bank robber killed him! Who do I have left, Marshall?! Who?!"

"You have me!" shouted Marshall, pushing him off, much to Chase's surprise. Getting up, Marshall barked before shouting, "Darn it, Chase! You still have family who loves you! Maybe we're not related by blood, but…" his expression softened as his eyes began to get misty, "… you are a brother to me, Chase. And I love you like one."

Chase's eye widened as his mouth dropped upon hearing this. "M-Marshall…"

Rubbing his eyes, Marshall continued, "I hate seeing you like this, Chase. I wanna help you because your pain is my pain. I may not have been Trigger's son, but he was an uncle to me. We're all hurt by his death, Chase. Maybe it's different from your pain, but we still are sad."

He walked over and hugged his stunned best friend. "Do you know what puppy heaven is?"

"N-no…" whispered Chase, although he had heard of it.

"It's a place where good dogs go when they die. A place of peace and eternal happiness. Your parents are there, happy, and they are looking down at you right now. Watching you, always," said Marshall as he gave Chase a small smile. "I had a grandmother who died before I met you, and when she was gone I was sad too. My mother told me that all of us will see her again when we go to puppy heaven, but we have to wait for it to come. We have to live good and happy lives because that's what they would want us to do."

"T-they do?" asked Chase, tearing up at this point. "But… I… I miss them so much! How can I move on?!"

"By moving on with us together, Chase. If you let us," whispered Marshall.

Chase fell on his rump and started to rub his eyes."Do… do you really want to be my brother?"

"Only if you let me," replied Marshall.

Chase thought long and hard about it before he nodded. "Okay, but I want you to promise me one thing."

"Anything!" said Marshall, wagging his tail.

"Don't die before I do." Marshall looked a bit taken back, but Chase continued. "I don't care what it takes, but I don't want you to die before I die. I can't… I can't go through another loss, Marshall. Please."

Marshall was silent for a bit before he smiled. "I promise. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. Wait, should that be hope not to die in this case?"

Chase chuckled as a real smile, the first in many days, appeared on his face. "Yeah, it would."

The two looked at each as they held their paw out and touched each other. "Brothers?" asked Chase.

"Brothers!"

By the time Chase reached the wreck, the fire was all but gone thanks to the ongoing rain. He leaped out of his seat and began barking over and over again.

"Marshall! Marshall!" shouted Chase as he ran around the area, trying to find even a fur of the spotted dalmatian. Every time he turned his head, he grew afraid that he would see a dead body somewhere on the ground. He sniffed the air, trying to get a scent of Marshall but he could barely get anything. The fire had to have burned it away. Thankfully, he didn't smell a decaying corpse.

"Chase!" shouted Skye's voice as he saw her land nearby on her helicopter. She rushed out, looking both furious and worried. "What the heck is wrong with you?! You could have gotten yourself killed the way you were driving!"

"I was trying to find Marshall!" shouted Chase, defending his actions.

"Look around you, Chase! Marshall is… is…" Skye began to choke on her words while getting ready to tear up.

"HE'S NOT DEAD!" shouted Chase so loud that even the thunder above was muted by his scream. "Marshall is not dead! He wouldn't break his promise! Never!" Nostrils flaring, he saw that Skye looked at him with fear and was shivering. Sense came back to him as he shook his head and looked away in shame. "I'm sorry, Skye, but he can't be dead. There is no body. No smell of death. And look at the way the truck has crashed; it had to have come from above."

Skye did indeed look at the truck, which had landed front first into the earth. Looking up, she saw a cliff right above it. "Arf! Wings!"

Her jet pack opened up from her puppack and she flew up towards the cliff. Chase watched her fly up as he cursed himself for yelling at her. His father told him the most important thing for a police dog was to remain calm and professional at all times. And I haven't done a very good job of that have I?

Chase felt exhaustion slowly overcome him. Everything that had happened in the last few hours was slowly breaking him, and he didn't know how much more he could take. But I have to keep going. I have to find Marshall! He had to find Marshall, apologize to him, knock him on the head for leaving, and then hug him and say how much he loved his brother.

"Chase! I found paw tracks! Marshall must have jumped out of his truck before it crashed!" shouted Skye's voice on his communicator tag.

At that moment, Skye's voice was like that of an angel of hope. Chase barked and replied, "Great work, Skye! I'll be up there in a moment!" He turned to his puppack. "Ruff! Zip line!"

The compartment for his zip line opened up and he shot it at the cliff before using it to bring him up. Reaching the top, Chase carefully climbed up until he reached the road where Skye was waiting for him. He saw the tracks and sighed with relief. "He's alive, Skye. He's alive."

Skye smiled and nodded. "Then let's keep looking."

"Wait!" said Chase, making her pause and look at him. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck with his paw. "I… I'm sorry I yelled at you. It was wrong."

Skye gave a small smile before walking over to Chase and nuzzling him. "It's okay. You're worried about Marshall. We'll find him, Chase."

Chase blushed a bit, but soon reminded himself he was on a mission. Now was not the time to be thinking of such thoughts. He lowered himself to the ground and began to use his nose to follow the scent Marshall's tracks had left. He found himself making for a nearby cave not too far from where they landed.

It was dark and very deep, the kind of caves he and Jake sometimes liked to explore on occasion. "Ruff! Flashlight!" His compartment opened and his tool instantly flashed a beam of light into the cave where it fell upon something.

Upon seeing what it was, both pups froze at the sight of a large bear, but upon seeing what was in its mouth, Skye screamed.

It was Marshall's tag. Bloody and chewed up.

The bear roared in fury.

Before Chase knew it, he was screaming and charged forward.