(Part 2)

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Rocky muttered to himself, "everything is fine,"

He was still in his kennel, drawn back as far as he could. He had tried many times to calm himself as the wind and rain furiously beat down on the walls of his home. Every moment he seemed to ease his breath had only quickened it.

"Zuma," he said without realizing it, his breathing quickening even more,

All around was the screaming of folding wood and metal, the sharp cries of glass shattering into the wind would forever be embedded in his head. Rocky jumped in fear as something slammed into the outside wall of the kennel, causing the whole den to move slightly.

"No-" he softly cried, face frozen in fear,

He was stuck to the floor like his paws were glued to the pavement again, a memory he feared rising again. In that moment the world changed around him as his kennel suddenly smashed to pieces. Rocky remained standing as broken wood and metal spiraled around him, his ears flattened as he prayed for something to rescue him.

He was instantly soaked by the rain, a feeling that snapped him back to reality. He suddenly cried out as he darted for a place to run, fleeing across the flooded pavement.

"No!" he cried through tears, unable to see his path as the light died around him.

"No, please!" the mix pleaded, as the water rose around him, taking sharp forms and seeking to consume him.

His voice was silenced by lightning, and at that moment his head was suddenly forced down underwater. Fighting as hard is he could, Rocky thrashed in every way possible to shake of his attacker. He felt a hand grip his ears and yank them out of the water, holding him in the air.

"No!" he choked out, coughing water, "please not again!"

"You're so funny when you make those sounds," a dark voice sounded, "let me hear it again,"

Rocky's cries were smothered as his head was forced under again.

"Go on little dog, thrash," it chuckled, "wiggle about like a pest."

The mix desperately tried to save himself, almost feeling like his final breath would be filled with water until his head was ripped upward again. Rocky gasped for air, painfully coughing.

"What's wrong little dog? Can't handle the water?" they growled, "what about my daughter? She just wanted to play with you, and you bit her."

Rocky felt himself lift in the air as the man leered into his soaked eyes, his breathing fighting for a chance to keep his life.

"What kind of dog bites their owner?"

"She-" the mix coughed, "she pulled my tail..."

"You attacked my child!"

As the thunder and lightning pounded in his ears, Rocky was slammed onto the flooded ground, causing a yelp of pain to escape his mouth. The impact caused a splash that sailed over and landed over his nose. A crash of lightning hit the Lookout, shattering its windows and causing the glass to stream downward. The entire structure was growing unstable, rocking back and forth while a groaning noise broke through the air.

"No!" was the word that tried to hit the air before Rocky's muzzle was grabbed and shoved underwater. The man placed both hands, gripping the mix's head and firmly holding him under. All the dog could hear was the crashing and screaming of debris, nearly overshadowed by the storm now circulating above.

It followed him.

The storm had followed him, and now he couldn't escape.

-.-

The duties of a Coast Guard could be summed up as search and rescue, ocean law enforcement, and ice-breaking in some parts of the world. While they weren't essentially cops or firefighters, they were still essential and equally important over the great ocean. Zuma was currently experimenting with an unseen extra duty of the coast guard:

Charging through a hurricane.

He could hear the voices of dogs long past screaming at him in his mind, as glass and debris sailed past his head. He swore one of the voices sounded quite familiar to his deceased father, beckoning to Zuma as he was mere pawsteps away from meeting death in this storm. He had never run like this before.

The roads were unrecognizable as they flooded over, which was fine for his vehicle, but obstacles in the road would cause severe damage. His breathing quickened as he made haste, swerving park benches and avoiding dislodged debris that floated his way. Rain and splashes of water hit his face as he drove down the street as fast as his vehicle could possibly go. He had to get to Rocky, he had to save him before anything happened.

Thunder and lightning surged above him, it was just a mile or two back to The Lookout from town.

"Come on!" Zuma shouted out to the storm, challenging it to a game of death, and the winner would have Rocky. Gritting his teeth so hard blood leaked from his gums, he ripped the cruiser to the left, narrowly avoiding a house that blasted outward, seeking to consume the Labrador in the storm.

Eventually, he neared the end of town, and could clearly see that Chase was right. Entire buildings had crashed onto the main road, and although people themselves could just go over or around the wreckage, vehicles were barricaded in. Zuma felt his heart sink for a moment, then shook away the feeling as he spotted an overturned car leaning against another, forming a ramp. What he was about to do was stupid, sounded stupid, and could easily result in his death. But there was no other way, Rocky was alone and vulnerable, and he would never forgive himself if he was too late to save him.

As he sped to the ramp, Zuma spotted a certain bulldozer on the side of the road, abandoned and overturned. No doubt it belonged to Rubble, and for a moment Zuma prayed the bulldog was okay. Rubble was a smart dog, he had to have found somewhere safe.

With the rain pelting his head, the wind nearly ripping him off his cruiser, and the sheer adrenaline flooding his veins, he gritted his teeth as he braced himself. The vehicle upward as it hit the air, suddenly jerking up as it took to the air. Zuma's heart nearly stopped, and for a brief second, he saw a flicker of another dog watching him, a dog closely resembling his mother. The Leb shut his eyes and prepared for death as he flew over the wreckage, all sound in the world seemingly giving out for a brief second.

The ground beneath him punched upward into his body as he landed on the other side, briefly knocking him dizzy. The water cruiser quickly skidded to a halt on the road, as it finally reunited with solid ground. Zuma took a brief moment to regain his breath, and looked back at the barricade in bewilderment.

He survived.

He was not free from the storm yet, and quickly configured his vehicle back to "ground mode" and floored the gas pedal. Driving up higher elevation released him from flying debris, but the rain was still tearing down on top of him as he drove up the hill. He was nearing The Lookout, but couldn't tell at first as the tower was shrouded in dark clouds. His heart sunk into the abyss when he noticed a good piece of the tower had been ripped off. The windows were smashed, and about a fourth of the tower's roof had been bent and torn out, carried by the wind to a faraway location. Zuma gulped at the revealed truth that The Lookout would not survive the storm.

Zuma tore his vehicle into the main lot and halted it to a stop. He quickly scanned the main clearing with fearful eyes, trying to see through the blinding rain. The only pup house remaining was Rocky's, as the others had all taken their vehicles downtown to stare down the storm in its very eyes.

Jumping out of his rig, Zuma scampered toward Rocky's kennel. A good hole had been ripped in the wall, and some of the mix's things were beginning to flow out.

"Rocky!" he shouted, sticking his head in, but the kennel was abandoned,

He retreated out and looked around in panic, "Rocky!" Where could he have gone? Had he actually walked out into the rain? Fearing for his love, Zuma shut his eyes and reached far into his mind, quickly trying to think of any possible solution. In that moment, in the midst of the pounding storm, the feeling of rescuing the dog he cared about brought forward a fire within him. A fire that jolted him up, surging him in determination.

"Rocky?!" Zuma called again, with no response.

Zuma took to his nose and sniffed the air, trying to concentrate his focus and block out the screeching lightning. The smelling power of a Labrador was quite significant, not the best, but Zuma was forced to fall back on the one other option he had. Ignoring every other feeling in his body, the feeling of the rain dying away, the sounds and noises calming, to nothing, Zuma held his noise high until he finally caught Rocky's scent.

He was far from where he left him. Rocky's scent traveled away from the clearing and back down the hill behind The Lookout.

"Rocky!" Zuma called as he began running.

He tripped off his feet as the ground lurched from under him, his ears briefly going deaf as lightning struck rather close by, splitting apart a large chunk of The Lookout. Zuma froze, quickly bracing himself as objects fell around him. Shattered wood and pounded steel collapsed inches from his body, complete with the gentle shower of bladed glass. The Lab opened one eye, realizing he had been spared yet again.

With no more time to waste, Zuma charged off the clearing and picked up speed going down the hill. His paws splashed in flooded water once again and he looked around. Everywhere he looked trees had crashed down, lying dead in the water. Years and years the trees spent growing tall and strong, only to be ripped from their roots and tossed aside like garbage.

Zuma's eyes came to rest on a grey lump floating in the water a few feet away, and his eyes widened.

"Rocky?!" he called, running over as fast as he could,

Coming before the waterlogged mix, Zuma was overcome with fear. Rocky was still, floating in the water as if he had forfeited himself to it. He placed his paws on the dog and shook him, but there was no response. Panic filled him, momentarily blocking his ability to speak. In that moment he knew Rocky was dead, gone forever and it was all his fault. Yet deep within him, there was a voice, a screaming voice that told him not to give up. Even staring down death, he couldn't give up, he would hold on to Rocky until he absolutely knew.

Dragging Rocky's body back to higher land, Zuma held Rocky's face in his paws and looked into his eyes. He had drowned, but how? Why did he travel down the hill? Did something take Rocky and drag him into the water?

Or did he go willingly?

Zuma shook his head at the thought. No, the Rocky he knew wouldn't do that, not now, not after everything they had built together.

"No! Don't leave me!" Zuma cried, flipping Rocky on his back, "please!"

He placed both his paws on the dog's chest, "please open your eyes!" he had never performed actual CPR before, something he had been ashamed of for a while. What kind of coast guard couldn't save a life?

The chest compressions began instantly, Zuma putting his strength forward to Rocky's heart beating. He refused to let his partner go, even in the grips of cold death he defied it. After wailing on Rocky's lungs, Zuma knew what came next. He wished it wasn't like this, but he was willing to give anything to bring back his mixed breed.

He leaned down and planted his mouth on Rocky, breathing air into him. It was a bittersweet kiss, maybe not even a kiss at all. He was pleading, begging Rocky to awaken.

"Please!" Zuma cried as they broke apart, "I need you!" He restarted the chest compressions, yet a sinking feeling told him it was worthless. Was this how it all ended? Rocky dies in his arms, the others are swept away in the storm, and the Paw Patrol breaks apart all in one night?

"I need you," he wept, tears blocking his vision, "I love you..." He leaned down again and desperately breathed air into him, quickly snapping back to CPR, "don't leave me like this!"

The body under him jolted suddenly, a sickening gurgle emitted from Rocky's throat as he stirred. The mix turned and vomited out a rather large amount of water, violently coughing and hacking.

"Rocky!" Zuma shouted, paws shaking,

"Zuma?" the mix breathed out, looking up into the Lab's eyes.

"Yes, I'm here!" he nodded, as crashing, thunder sounded above them, "I'm sorry Rocky, I- ... I left you here, alone..."

The mix started to push himself up, groaning at his soaked fur,

In a moment of true clarity, Rocky finally realized he had been saved, and all he could see before him was the one dog fit to be his hero. Almost by instinct, Rocky came forward and put his arms around Zuma, pulling the Lab in for a kiss. The world around them silenced, as the two found each other in their bond, a feeling they had repressed for so long.

They finally broke apart, staring deeply into one another's eyes. It was a moment of safety, and vigil to be connected like this. Zuma never wanted it to end.

Zuma stared at his beloved, tears coming down, "I'm sorry."

Rocky's eyes went soft, and shame flashed in his eyes, making Zuma tilt his head in confusion. "Don't be," the mix smiled, softly pulling in his partner for another kiss.

"Why were you down there?" Zuma asked when they broke apart, "Rocky, why were you in the water like that?"

The mix frowned, seemingly searching Zuma's eyes for something. He gave a long sigh and shook his head, "just... bad memories, that's all."

"Will you be okay?"

"Please just, get me out of this rain," the mixed breathed out, "where are the others?"

"Downtown," Zuma quickly remembered they were trapped within the roads and buildings. His heart ached for them, but Chase ordered him to save Rocky, and he had. He couldn't just go back, he had to see his love to safety. With a deep breath, he decided if his friends had truly perished in the fallen town, he would take Rocky somewhere safe, where he could never be hurt again.

He moved toward Rocky and began leading him to his vehicle, "come on, let's get somewhere dry."

-.-

Sunlight shone through as Zuma opened the door. The storm shelter had been located about a fourth of a mile away from the tower, and pushing Rocky through the flooded grasses was not an easy thing to do. Even then, the shelter was made entirely out of concrete, with a sloped steel door that sealed away the horrors of the hurricane. There hadn't been much for them within its walls, as it was just an empty compartment, but they had each other. Zuma took a final look outside, then curled up with Rocky as they both drifted to sleep. Now it was morning, the sounds of the storm had quieted, and the wind calmed to a slow breeze.

Zuma stepped out and observed his surroundings. The grassland was waterlogged over, with most of the trees either fallen or gone entirely.

"Is it over?" Rocky peeked his nose out,

"I think so," he breathed, then smiled softly as Rocky affectionately nosed him, "let's go back to The Lookout,"

The two intertwined their tails as they walked out in the grass, Rocky expressing discomfort at the water as he walked.

"Want me to carry you?" The Lab offered,

"No its fine," the mix sighed, "It's just stationary water, not massive waves,"

They finally broke through the upturned shrubbery, and Rocky audibly gasped at the state of The Lookout. In short, the top floor was completely destroyed, with only tiny bits of the main elevator remaining. The clearing around the tower was littered with what was now scrap metal, something Rocky would probably like having a go at. Zuma observed the state of their home before his eyes rested on another dog sitting underneath it, looking up.

Squinting his eyes for a moment, but then widening them, Zuma recognized the other dog and called his name, "Chase?"

The Shepherd whipped around in surprise, then eased when he spotted the two. His police uniform was waterlogged and torn in several places, and he generally looked ruffled and worn.

"Zuma, Rocky!" he called, running up to them with relief in his eyes, "I thought you were dead!"

"You did?" Rocky could be heard,

"Yeah, I haven't found anyone else," Chase confessed, "I came up here to see if you made it back."

"You haven't found anyone?" the Lab recoiled in shock,

"No!" Chase cried, fear eclipsing the Shepherd, "but you two are here, so that's two good things." He turned his head, gazing back in the direction of the town, "I know they're not gone, we're just... separated."

He turned back to the couple, "I'm going back down there, hopefully with your help..."

Zuma nodded.

"But first," Chase continued, looking at Zuma, "can I talk to you? Over there?"

Rocky gave a look of confusion, but let go of Zuma's tail as the Lab wearily followed Chase around the tower. Zuma was already anxious about leaving Rocky alone, but now he feared what was about to come from his leader. Chase stopped and faced Zuma, a look on his face that made the Lab shrink.

"Zuma," he stated, " why did you think I'd try to stop you and Rocky from being together?"

The Lab grew nervous, then spoke after a few seconds of crafting his response, "I guess I thought you'd be like everyone else..."

"Everyone else?" Chase raised an eyebrow,

"You know, people," the Lab tried to explain, "people who hate us, they're all over. Like..." he narrowed his eyes, trying to find the words.

"Homophobes." Chase flatly said the word.

"Yeah that... I guess. With all of the bad things that people do to dogs like me, why would I not be scared?"

The police dog gave a long sigh, then spoke softly, "Zuma, you're a loved and valued brother of mine, and I would never think any less of you for anything,"

The coast guard dog faintly smiled,

"...unless you murder someone,"

"Well I know that," Zuma laughed, "thanks though..."

Chase nodded with a warm smile, "of course. Now let's get downtown and find the other, can I count on your help?"

"Let's dive in," the Lab said confidently, remembering his catchphrase.

Chase smiled and the two quickly rounded up Rocky. Driving off in Chase's police cruiser, Zuma took another look at Rocky as he sat beside him. They weren't afraid anymore, they didn't have to be, and now they had each other after so long of being scared. The Lab couldn't be happier, and he would spend everyone the next minute of his life proving to both Rocky and Chase that he was still the same coast guard dog as always.

Rocky on the other paw still had some things to work out. Dark memories clawed at him, and he hoped he'd be able to talk with Zuma about his past. Not now, however, he wasn't ready to let it out yet, he needed time. Yet he knew that Zuma would always be there to support him, and he lovingly leaned on his mate as they drove back downtown to rescue the Paw Patrol.