PPX: Zuma's First Month
Episode nine: A Moment From Your Past Is Never Your Last
It was the night of Zuma's twelfth day of living in Adventure Bay, and the titular Chocolate Labrador was currently sleeping on the couch. He seemed to be in a much better mood than he was earlier that night, seemingly helped by the comfort of his friends. He was awoken upon the sound of the elevator dinging however, and he got up to see who it was. Rubbing his eyes, he saw that Chase was about to enter the elevator, looking scared and sorrow. "Chase? Are you okay?"
Chase flinched upon hearing his name, and he looked to find Zuma looking worried about him on the couch arm. He didn't want to worry him too much, so he decided to keep it brief. He also didn't like talking about the exact things that caused his nightmares to come up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry Zuma."
Zuma started to wonder what Chase was doing with the elevator. He knew Ryder had his own room up there, but he wondered why Chase was going to him now. "Why're you going upstaiws? Or, up elevatow in this case." Chase struggled to think of a good reason that would cover up his actual one. "Isn't it like... midnight or something?"
"It's nothing serious, don't worry." Chase assured Zuma, seeming about half awake as he let out a small yawn. Zuma then noticed Chase squeezing his arm and looking rather fearful about something that made him worry even more. "Just had a really bad nightmare is all; you know how those are. Ryder lets me sleep with him when that happens."
Chase went into the elevator with Zuma wondering what Chase could need to have nightmares about. He'd hoped Skye would know more than he did, since he couldn't ask Ryder due to Chase beating him to it. "Hopefully Skye doesn't mind a nighttime visit." Zuma got off of the couch and headed for Skye's room, hoping she would know why Chase was acting like that.
Skye was sound asleep in her room, letting out a cute little yip as she lied down comfortably on her bed. She was suddenly awoken by the sound of someone knocking on her door however, and she then heard Zuma's voice that told her who it was. "Skye!? Is this a bad time!? Or... a time where you hate life at least?"
Skye hopped out of her bed and went over to answer her door, smiling as she went to help Zuma with his issue. "I've always got time for you Zuma. What'd you need?"
"Well... I saw Chase looking pwetty scawed about something when I saw him going into the elevatow." Zuma explained, leaving Skye to catch on quickly and understand what was going on. "I know I haven't known him for even half a month so far, but I've nevew seen him like that befowe tonight. I know you two are close. Did he tell you anything about something going on wight now that might be bothweing him?"
Skye didn't know the specifics, but she did know that Chase was struggling with. She was also confident Zuma would understand, since he was struggling with it too. "Chase feels safe in town Zuma, it's nothing going on right now." Skye then gave a concerned sigh, knowing that Chase's issues weren't anything to gloss over. "He DID have a hard life before he met Ryder though, and he's still struggling to move past what he went through to this day. I wish I could help him, but he hates his past so much that he won't tell me why. Ryder won't say anything specific either."
Zuma had to admit that he was surprised to hear that. He didn't think Chase was struggling with trauma. He certainly didn't show it as much as he did. "But Chase is always so confident. How do you know he's going thwough twauma?"
"Chase's trauma affects him in a different way from yours Zuma." Skye explained, knowing that Zuma would be able to understand. "He doesn't express it as often as you do, but his past still molded a lot of who he is now." Zuma was starting to understand better, and Skye was glad to see this. Both him and Chase needed as much support as they could get. "He takes any mistakes he makes during missions, or regarding friends, really hard. Think about how he felt when you had that allergic reaction from Nicky's cookies. He felt him being unable to smell it could've led to your death."
Zuma started to feel bad for Chase, particularly for how he blamed himself for that day. How was that his fault? But Skye had more to tell him. "It was pretty easy for me to figure out this next part." It was kind of hard for her to bring up though, since it was one of Chase's greatest fears. "Chase hates letting others down more than almost anything. Whenever he starts to feel like he let someone down, he starts beating himself up over it. One time, this hit him so hard that he almost shut down."
Zuma never could've imagined that someone like Chase was going through this kind of trauma. He knew other people had trauma, but he didn't expect it from Chase. Another question came to mind regarding this sort of thing. "What's that thing people say when past twauma comes up?"
"I think it's called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD for short." Skye answered, gaining a concerned look as she expressed her hope that she could help Chase one day. "I don't know if Chase will ever be okay to talk about his past, but I hope that when he does, I'll be able to help him." Zuma felt the same way. He wish he knew what to do. "Anyway, let's get you back to bed Zuma. There's still time to get a full sleep." Skye walked Zuma back to the couch, and both of them were glad they had this talk.
On the morning of day thirteen of Zuma's life in Adventure Bay, Chase as sleeping in a comfy looking dog bed in Ryder's room. Once the German Shepherd awoke from his slumber, which he had much more easily thanks to sleeping with Ryder, he stretched his legs before leaving the room. He decided to let Ryder sleep a little longer, since it meant he could find something to do briefly before he got ready for his duties. He left Ryder's room quietly and went for the elevator, going down with a relieved smile on his face. He was glad to have survived another nightmare episode.
Chase got something he didn't expect when he went downstairs however, and this was a scared looking Zuma. Chase became worried when he saw this and hoped that Zuma was okay. "Is something wrong Zuma?"
"Well... kind of." Zuma admitted, and then he told Chase about what Skye told him. "I talked to Skye last night because I was wowwied about you." Chase was a little surprised to hear that with Zuma talking more about it. "She said you have your own twauma, that affects you diffewently than mine does to me."
Chase wasn't ready to tell Zuma about the exact things he went through. The very name of the place he used to live was enough to gave him nightmares. He couldn't just brush off Zuma's concerns however, so he decided to let him know what happened in his own way. "Look Zuma. Some people are just bad people. Stuff like this can be caused from those kinds of people, or creatures, with even the smallest of things being able to trigger it, and it can be hard to find proper closure."
Zuma felt he understood what Chase meant, but he still wanted to help him. He didn't exactly know how to, so he felt he could help in at least one way. "Do you... do you think you live with better people now?"
Chase laughed a bit before assuring Zuma that this was in fact the case. "Yeah, of course! Skye and Ryder are the two most important beings in my life right now. And you may or may not see it now, but you're important to me too. So are Rocky and Richie." Zuma smiled when he head those kind words. Chase knew Zuma could tell they were genuine, and he rubbed his head to add to the effect. "Don't worry about me Zuma. I'll find my own closure when the time is right, and I've got my friends to help me through it. Right now, you should focus on finding closure in YOUR trauma."
Those words confused Zuma a bit. He wasn't entirely sure what 'closure' meant for trauma. "How do I do that?"
"That's... complicated. Too much for me to go in depth about." Chase admitted, knowing that he wasn't the right kind of person to give in depth trauma advice. "If I had to guess... others can help you find it, but it has to be YOU who finds it." Chase then decided to change the subject so this didn't linger on everyone all day. "Anyway, we should be having breakfast soon. Let's see how much we can chow down on before Ryder wakes up." Zuma got excited when he heard that. He was always excited to see just how much Chase could stuff himself with one meal.
Later that day, Zuma was playing with Rocky in Mayor Goodway's house, since Zuma wanted to see some of Rocky's toys. The two pups were currently playing with this tug of war rope with Zuma seemingly winning by a smidge. Rocky was impressed by the pup's strength since he was younger, but he felt it made sense considering Zuma was on his own for a lot longer than him. Zuma gave one final tug and pulled the rope out of Rocky's mouth. By some miracle, Rocky's teeth were still perfectly intact. Rocky did however, crash into the wall and hit his head. "Ow!"
Zuma was already showing regret for getting Rocky hurt, and then some kind of picture Richie had hung up fell on Rocky's head. This left Rocky with a head bump, and Zuma showed even more concern when he saw this and ran over to Rocky. He made sure not to touch the glass, since the frame of the picture almost broke. Zuma instantly checked to see if Rocky was okay, wishing he hadn't pulled as hard as he did. "I'm sowwy Wocky! I didn't think that last tug would do that!"
"I'll be fine Zuma." Rocky assured the remorseful Chocolate Labrador, and then he gestured Zuma over to Richie's bed. "Richie keeps some emergency supplies under his bed. You shouldn't need too much of what's in there."
Zuma rushed over to Richie's bed just as the human/demon hybrid himself opened the door to check on the two. "Are you guys okay?" Zuma flinched when he hard Richie's voice, pulling out the first aid kid and bringing it over to them. Richie kneeled down to Rocky and observed the bump on his head. "Did you guys get too rough again?"
"I'm sowwy Wichie; it's my fault! Please don't punish Wocky!" Zuma begged instantly, leading to surprised reactions from Rocky and Richie. Zuma clearly didn't want Rocky to get punished for something that wasn't his fault. "Pleeeeease don't take it out on him!"
"Compose yourself Zuma." Richie commanded Zuma gently, and he obliged. That was Richie's way of saying 'you look stupid'. Richie then took the first aid kid and got what he needed for Rocky's bump. "Well it's not serious enough for this. I'll head on downstairs and get some ice. Stay here while I do that."
"Got it!" Rocky and Zuma responded in sync, and as Richie left, Zuma got a good look at the picture. It seemed to show a younger Rocky and Richie taking a picture together with Rocky in bandages. Zuma didn't know why, but it made him curious as to what it was about.
Zuma was holding a bag of ice on Rocky's head as Richie put up the picture that got knocked down with a fixed frame. "Luckily for you two, the only problems I saw were a bump on the head and a broken picture frame." Rocky and Zuma were relieved to hear that with Richie letting them know what he was gonna do. "I'm gonna get ready for patrol soon Rocky. And you're gonna have to join me this time, since you've been skipping a lot lately to hang out with Zuma."
"Okay Richie." Rocky replied, and Richie left the room after giving the pups a thumbs up. Rocky was honestly relieved that it wasn't anything serious that happened because of his and Zuma's accident. "I can take it from here Zuma."
Zuma let Rocky take over with the ice pack, and Zuma thought that now was a good time to ask about the picture. He hoped it wouldn't be too sensitive of a topic for Rocky to discuss. "Why does Wichie have a pictuwe of you two in fwont of a hospital?" That caught Rocky's attention hook line and sinker. Hopefully, it wasn't in a bad way. "It just seems like kind of a weird thing to keep hung up like that. Who would wanna wemember a time when someone was badly huwt?"
Rocky smiled when he looked up at the picture Zuma asked about. Zuma may not have known it yet, but that picture brought back a favorite of Rocky's memories. One he was more than happy to share. "That's the picture we took when Richie and Diane adopted me."
Zuma became even more interested in what the photo meant to Rocky, hoping he wouldn't mind telling him the specifics. "Then why are you in bandages?"
"I got... pretty badly hurt, when I arrived in Adventure Bay." Rocky admitted, shuddering at that part of the memory, but then he talked about the part that made him happy. "It was about a month after I ran away from my old home. A month after my sixth birthday to be specific." Rocky laughed a bit as he thought about how that day started for him. "The day didn't exactly start as ideally as it was about to get."
A flashback began with a six year old Rocky walking along the sidewalk of Adventure Bay with a visibly sad expression. Like what Zuma did before, Rocky spoke over the flashback during the parts where no one was really saying anything or showing any serious emotion. "I was looking around Adventure Bay in the hopes that someone would be okay with having me live with them, since I knew I couldn't fend for myself all on my own." Rocky stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green so he could cross. "It must've been fate when I saw Richie."
Rocky saw a younger Ryder and Richie across the street; the two of them were talking while eating ice cream. "I went over to them as soon as I could." Rocky started crossing the street as soon as the light turned green. Little did he expect however, that...
*HOOOOOOONK*
...someone was speeding nearby, and it startled Rocky so badly that he couldn't react in time, and the car hit him! "That was when I went car to body with a bad driver." Ryder and Richie saw the whole thing and became horrified, running over to Rocky to check if he was okay. The car stopped as soon as it hit Rocky, and it only made him drag for a second or two, but his injuries were still serious. Ryder checked for his pulse to make sure he was still breathing. He sighed with relief when he saw that he was. "He still has a pulse! We can get him to a hospital if we hurry!"
Ryder pulled out the key to call his ATV, and then he went to call Chase and Skye to help them out. The one who hit Rocky tried to get out of this, but Richie was so mad at what his reckless driving caused that he stepped in front of the car and punched it with all of his might. This sent the car back by at least ten feet, thankfully not hurting anyone. The driver was shocked, horrified even, and he saw Richie's hair shimmer from white to black for a split second. After his air bag kicked in, Ryder pointed something out about this. "Ya know, he's gonna wanna press charges. Eventually."
Richie sighed, hopping onto Ryder's ATV as he held Rocky so Ryder could take them to the hospital. "Just step on it. (Looks back) And if he knows what's good for him, he'll pay attention to the stop light next time!" Richie flipped off the driver, who was still in shock, and then he looked down at Rocky sympathetically. He didn't want a puppy to die at such a young age, and he was quick to tell him that he would be there for him. "Don't you worry little guy." Rocky woke up slightly as Richie spoke to him. "You'll be okay."
Rocky saw Richie smile to him with hope as he saw his eyes open, making Rocky smile as well. This further supported the idea that Richie could be the one for him.
Ryder and Richie were now at the animal hospital, sitting beside Rocky in his hospital bed as Rocky spoke up in real time again. "I think you can tell that I survived the accident. It was a real miracle though." Rocky was shown in the hospital room, holding broken bones, and having a bunch of bandages around him. He was also hooked up to an IV unit to keep the blood flowing. "I expected at least a coma. Somehow, I was able to avoid even that."
Ryder and Richie were waiting outside with Rocky watching as the doctor explained the situation. "I'm sorry Ryder, Richie. We ran some tests, and the chances of the puppy making a full recovery are... less than slim." Rocky looked horrified with Ryder and Richie being shocked as the doctor finished his statement. "We'll do our best, but I can only determine that without a strong will, he may not make it. Sadly, even with that, owners have lost many dogs this way before."
"His bones should be able to heal properly though, right?" Ryder finished his suggestion once the doctor gave him his attention. "With the right work done, he should be back on his feet with all the time he needs!"
"I wish it were that simple Ryder." The doctor showed Ryder and Richie the chart, leaving them stunned by what they saw. "The tests showed that the puppy's lungs were damaged from the impact. It's almost unbelievable that he was able to keep consciousness." Rocky was shown to be crying silently in the hospital room, fearing for his life. "This breaks my heart more than you can imagine. No one deserves to die at such a young age."
Richie started hatching an idea, and he nudged Ryder, pointing to his pulse to fill him in. Ryder quickly caught on, and nodded in response, leaving the doctor to intervene. "Do you two have something in mind?"
Richie smiled confidently, which surprised Rocky, who listened as Richie made his offer. "Something that might save the puppy's life. But you'll have to trust me."
Rocky spoke in real time to establish his own perspective on that situation. "I never figured out what they meant by that."
The front of the hospital was shown on a bright and sunny day, and the door showed Rocky running out, happy and grateful to be alive. "Somehow I'd made a full recovery overnight! I don't think I could ever explain something like that."
As Rocky in the flashback gave a cute little puppy howl, Ryder, Richie, and Diane walked up to him with Rocky turning around and thanking them. "I don't know what you did that cured me, but thank you so much! I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to walk again!" Rocky still had some bandages on him, but it was clear those were the ones that stayed on when he ran off.
Richie was more than happy he could've helped, bringing up something that would benefit Rocky. "Hopefully that means you're okay with finding a place to stay. No way we can have you getting hit by anymore irresponsible drivers." Rocky beamed when he realized where this was going, leaving Richie to look up at his mother. "Mom, do you think it'd be okay if the puppy stayed with us?"
"I already called the courthouse in advance." Diane confidently assured her son, making him ecstatic as Diane commented on how this wouldn't be too hard for her or Richie. "Now you'll have someone to help you with those patrols Ryder puts you on."
Ryder then realized that they never got the puppy's name and kneeled down to him with a smile to ask. "I just realized we need to know what to call you. Do you have a name you still go by?"
"I do. My name's Rocky." Rocky happily answered, being amazed that he'd finally found a new home after a month of searching. "I can't thank you enough for this! I promise I'll be the best dog I can be for you!"
Richie kneeled down and held his arms out, allowing Rocky to jump into his arms and start licking him. Once Richie stood up, he let Rocky know that he would be okay as long as he stuck with him. "You'll be safe with me Rocky. I'll protect you as much as I can." Those words made Rocky feel even more safe in Richie's arms. He didn't know what to do other than continue showing him affection.
The flashback ended right there, and Rocky was crying tears of joy, which Zuma at first mistook for tears of sorrow. "Wocky? Are you okay?"
Rocky wiped his eyes and composed himself slightly, explaining to Zuma what he was actually feeling. "I am Zuma. Don't worry." Rocky looked at Zuma with a smile, which made Zuma realize that he was actually happy thinking about that memory. "I just can't help feeling the same way when I think about that moment. That what could've been the end of my life... ended up being the end of the worst part of it."
Zuma felt a huge amount of joy when he saw Rocky's smile, and it made him smile as well. Zuma then wondered if he could ever feel that way too. "Do you think that my life in Adventure Bay could be that way too?"
Rocky was confident that what Zuma suggested was the case. Especially considering his own viewpoint of the situation. "Maybe it already has." Zuma looked surprised as Rocky finished what he had to say. "It's just taking longer to realize." Zuma smiled when he started thinking about that possibility. The thought of moving on from his past and forge new memories was a beautiful thought to him. And maybe Rocky was right. He only wished he knew for absolute certain about it.
Zuma was on his way back to the Lookout, and as he walked down the sidewalk, Katie was leaving the convenience store nearby. She wanted to check up on him, so she walked over to him, since the direction he was walking was on the way home anyway. "Hey there Zuma."
Zuma looked to find Katie walking up to him and smiled when he did. Katie was one of the humans he was already fond of in Adventure Bay. "Hi Katie. You have a good time at the pawty last night?"
"I did. And everyone else had a great time too." Katie assured Zuma, which made him glad to hear, with Katie then expressing worry over how the party ended. "That said, I couldn't stop thinking about how the party ended after I got home. Are you alright?"
Zuma was trying to shake the ending to the party off of his mind, but he was feeling well enough to be honest with Katie about it. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just wish I knew what made me have to use the bathwoom so bad." Katie was right there with Zuma on that one. She knew it couldn't be his diet from the examinations she did on him. Zuma then started talking about his time with Rocky that day. "Anyway, Wocky told me how he awwived in Adventuwe Bay. It weally is amazing how he's still alive."
"You're telling me." Katie responded, knowing full well what Rocky was going through at the time. "Ryder told me how happy he was when Richie took him in too."
"It definitely sounds like a happy moment." Zuma admitted. The way Rocky viewed that day was further proof that he wouldn't have changed what'd happened to him. "It's kinda stwange that something howwible can lead you to something gweater than what you had befowe."
From the way Zuma worded that, Katie had her own two scents about it. "Maybe what you went through was what started your path to arriving in Adventure Bay." Zuma gained a look of amazement at what Katie just told him. Could his parents being taken from him be for more reasons than just causing him misery? If only he had a way to know for sure. "Obviously it's not good that it happened. But those who keep going after something bad happens to them, can find something amazing at the end of the tunnel."
Zuma smiled when he heard that and couldn't help but find it to feel right. He knew there had to be a reason he decided to stay in Adventure Bay. "I like that. I like that a lot." Zuma then saw the Lookout, which was close to the Animal Hospital, so he said his goodbye to Katie. "Anyway, I should be getting home now. See ya Katie."
"Bye Zuma." Katie said as soon as Zuma walked off, being glad she was able to check up on him. As she saw him running off, she could tell that, while it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, he was managing to adjust to his new life with time.
Zuma arrived home to the Lookout and went inside to find that Skye was preparing a grilled ham and cheese lunch. The smell of the food was definitely something Zuma was fond of, and he commented on it as he went into the kitchen. "Smells good Skye. Can't wait to dig in."
Skye was glad to hear that, and she seasoned the ham and cheese before putting the second piece of bread onto it. "It should be ready soon Zuma. Hopefully I don't burn it."
Zuma got a look at what Skye was making and licked his lips when he saw. It was a simple dish, but anything good was enough to win over Zuma's appetite. "As long as it's good, I'll eat it any way." The story Rocky told Zuma then entered his mind again, and he hoped Skye wouldn't mind him bringing it up. "So... appawently Wocky got hit by a car the week he awwived in town."
"Yep. That's how he met the rest of us." Skye confirmed, and then she told Zuma some more stuff about Rocky's past, knowing that he wouldn't mind if she did. "He didn't have the best family, from what he told the rest of us." Zuma felt bad when he heard that, but was also glad that Rocky was able to get out of it. "I can't imagine what that's like."
A question then entered Zuma's mind regarding Skye's family, hoping it wasn't anything she wouldn't be open to talking about. "If you don't mind me asking Skye, did you go thwough anything that led to you joining the Paw Patwol?"
"Actually, I joined because it looked like fun." Skye informed Zuma, surprising him a bit as Skye then told him a little more about that. "I'm still in touch with my family when we're all available. Maybe I can introduce you to them sometime."
Zuma liked the sound of getting to know the families of his friends. At least then he'd know some families who WEREN'T messed up in a dark way. "Yeah. That'd be nice." Skye rubbed Zuma's head affectionately as she continued with her food, and Zuma smiled in response before deciding to let her finish it up on her own.
Zuma was sitting by a tree in the front yard of the Lookout with Rocky later that day, while humming a particular tune to himself. Rocky liked the sound of Zuma's humming and swayed his head to the beat of it. He then wondered if Zuma was getting it from somewhere. "That's a nice beat Zuma. Where'd you get it from?"
Zuma was slightly surprised by Rocky's interest in his tune and had to admit that he didn't get it from anywhere special. "Oh, it's nothing. Just the melody to a song I stawted thinking about after lunch today."
Rocky always liked Zuma's music since they met, so he decided to ask some more about the song. "What's the song about?"
Zuma rubbed his arm nervously as he explained, unsure if he'd be able to explain it properly. "It's about, how people, who have a dawk past, can stwive to find happiness if they twy." Rocky didn't think Zuma would've come up with something so profound, and the Chocolate Labrador admitted that he wasn't confident in this song in particular. "It's just something I bwainstowmed earlier though. There's no way I'd shawe it with the public, even the supew nice ones!"
Rocky knew Zuma had to come out of his shell someday, so he decided to encourage him to share his song with him. "Mind if I hear it?" Zuma was surprised by the request, but the smile on Rocky's face showed him that he meant it. "Maybe I'll be a good first impression." Zuma smiled when he saw how genuine Rocky was being. It made him feel more like he could excel with his music one day.
Zuma was getting his guitar ready as Rocky made absolute sure to Zuma that he would be as respectful as he could. "I won't laugh, I won't gag, and I won't make any sounds that could distract you. I'll simply listen to the song, and see how much I like it." Zuma appreciated the assurance, even if it was for something he was already aware of. He started playing and got the right melody, which was an upbeat, but normal paced song, which caught Rocky off guard. Once Zuma had his melody set, he went ahead and started singing You Can Rise From Your Past.
"My life was pwetty tough befowe I awwived here to my new life. A twagedy haunted me for yeaws and stwuck my confidence like a knife. But duwing my time in this town, there's one thing I've leawned for sure. It's that the wowst of it, isn't always the end, for those who find a path that's secuwe." Rocky liked what he was hearing as Zuma continued singing with optimism. "I can't speak for evewyone no matter how hawd I twy. For some they last a while, and for some they just fly by. But I at least wanna twy and speak up about my point of view. And maybe I can help you all find a new way too."
Rocky certainly liked the beat of the song, and Zuma was more than happy to keep singing it for him once he noticed. "It can be haaaaawd... to keep moving forwawd. The lowest poooooint... can make it hawd to look onwawd." Rocky knew all too well what Zuma's lyrics were meant to say, unable to help himself as he smiled to his song. "But keep this in miiiiind... your wowst moment isn't always your last. And if with the wight help, and a stwong will... you can wise fwom your past."
Zuma started to flashback to when he moved to Adventure Bay, being more than happy that he'd decided to stay. "I'm not saying you can't talk about what scawwed you long ago. But you can't let it stop you when life has so much to show. Please don't take this the wong way, but I'd wather act than mope. And maybe togethew, we can find a healthy way to cope." Zuma then played a quicker strum for a couple seconds, and then he got back to the regular tune in his song. "And maybe when we look togethew, we'll find the happiness that seemed looooost."
Zuma continued singing with Rocky scooting a little closer to him. He was glad to be listening to Zuma singing, especially since he knew it was from the heart. "The twials we faaaaace... can often look hawd to ovewcome. The bad pawrts in liiiiife... can be hawder to take than some. But I can saaaaay... the wowst moment doesn't have to be your last. Thewe's always a chaaaaance... you can wise fwom your past."
Zuma reached the last verse of his song with Rocky listening happily as the Chocolate Labrador wrapped everything up. "My life got pwetty tough after my pawents were taken away. And evewy day felt like a twial until I came to Adventuwe Bay. But now I think I'm stawting to find a happy life that can laaaaast..." Rocky couldn't be happier to hear those words from Zuma's song. It meant that he was getting closer to the possibility of Zuma staying in Adventure Bay. The thought of Zuma staying couldn't make him happier. "And if you believe so, then you can wise fwom your past."
Zuma finished the strumming of his melody, and Rocky couldn't help but be amazed by how much that spoke to him. "That... that was beautiful Zuma. I wish I could've heard something like that during my darkest hour."
"I bet. Being on the wun isn't an easy time at all." Zuma replied with empathy, knowing full well that he and Rocky had that thing in common. "I meant what I said with that happy life line too. I know I twied to wun away last week, but since I decided to stay... I think I'm stawting to find twue happiness again."
Rocky held his paw out for Zuma, who accepted it when he saw, and then he saw Rocky's beaming face. It was clear that Rocky and Zuma were both ecstatic to have each other in their lives. "If I can help you find it again, in any way, then I'll do it. Just like our friends did for me." Zuma smiled with as much joy as Rocky was when he heard that. He then hugged Rocky, who wrapped his arms around him, and the two embraced with warmth and affection as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.
