The next morning, Katie and Liz were busy in the kitchen, getting breakfast for the three pups they suddenly found themselves looking after. While the blonde was putting together some food for Rocky and Everest, her aunt was working on a more nutritious breakfast for Marshall so his body could recover faster. The two were up pretty early, as Katie still needed to open up the pet parlor.

"...So that Rocky pup hates water, huh?" Liz raised an eyebrow, filling up a bowl of water for Marshall, "Isn't that more of a cat thing?"

"Pups can hate water too, you know..." Katie looked at her aunt, "I wouldn't underestimate Rocky's hatred toward water."

"Why do you say that?"

The young blonde's face went blank at the question. She gently put down Rocky and Everest's food bowls as she turned herself around completely to look at the redhead. Once she did, though, Liz couldn't help but to take a step back in response to seeing the look on her niece's face.

Katie had developed a crooked smile, her lips curling in cartoonishly impossible directions. While she was smiling, her eyebrows threaded together, tensing up once they met in the center of her forehead.

"Please don't ask..."

Before Liz could even begin to decipher what that meant, a sudden scream from the living room made them shoot up in surprise and look in that direction. The two exchanged a quick look of concern before rushing off to see what was wrong.

Hurrying into the living room, the two immediately noticed that both Marshall and Everest were now awake, and the latter was frantically looking over the former's bandages.

"Marshall, how'd you get these!?" The Husky asked, looking up at the slightly embarrassed Dalmatian, "How'd you get injured like this?"

"She's just now seeing those bandages?" Liz raised an eyebrow, confused.

Katie sighed faintly, "Yesterday was very emotional for them. I could see why neither she or Rocky were focused on—"

"You're noticing them now?" An annoyed groan from a sleepy Rocky made the young blonde stop what she was saying.

"...I can see why Everest wasn't focused on his bandages..." The little vet finished, smiling nervously.

"You did?" Everest turned her attention to the mixed breed, who was trying desperately to go back to sleep.

"Yeah I did... I just needed to get what I needed to say to Marshall out of the way first..." He spoke, putting a pillow over his own head, "Now could you quiet down so I can get back to sleep, please?"

Katie interjected, letting her and Liz's presence be known, "Really? Because we just finished getting your breakfast together, Rocky."

The mixed breed's stomach suddenly growled, making his cheeks flush under his fur, "Maybe I can stay up for some food..." He stood up, the pillow he was using to cover his ears falling to the ground.

The blonde giggled as the five began making their way toward the kitchen.

"But to be honest... The Husky's right to ask that, Oreo," Liz spoke up, "I've been wondering how you got all of those injuries too."

Marshall began to sweat, wondering how his four friends would take the news. He wondered how they would react to hearing what happened to him that night. They seemed to care about him a lot. More than he had been expecting anyone to care for him after seeing how Adventure Bay acted toward him.

"Well... You see..." Marshall lightly tugged on his collar, "...I kind of got in a fight."

"You what!?" The four stopped in their tracks, looking back at the Dalmatian.

Marshall shrank under the glares of both the pups and the humans, unsure how to alleviate their worries. He opened his mouth to try and speak, but was quickly cut off by Everest.

"Don't even try to say that you're okay, and that it wasn't a big deal, okay?" The Husky glared at the Dally, "Tell me what happened."

"Yeah, tell us what happened... Over some breakfast, okay?" Katie crouched down to get closer to the pups' heights, "No use talking about all of this on empty stomachs, right?"

Everest nodded in agreement as the five continued toward the kitchen. Liz was quick to step ahead and grab the food and water bowls for the pups, placing them down on the floor in a straight row, a space between every two bowls.

"Oreo, your food bowl has something different in it," The former vet explained, "Yours has some vitamins in it so you can deal with that... Issue..." The redhead gestured to the various bandages on the Dalmatian's body.

Katie sat down at a table nearby, "And in the meantime, how about you start telling us what happened."

Marshall nodded, and after taking a bite of food, he began to explain, "While Rocky and Everest were still at the lookout, I wanted to keep looking for Hood. I decided to start calling him Hood instead of 'that other Dalmatian'. Anyway, two nights ago, I finally saw him. I went to chase after him, but I tripped and ended up crashing into him."

Rocky held back a snicker, taking a bite of his food, "Classic Marshall..."

"We fell down into an alley, and when we landed, I saw that some food Hood had stolen fell into a puddle and got dirty... Then he got angry at me."

"Angry?" Everest seemed confused.

Liz shrugged, sliding a plate of breakfast over to Katie as she sat down across from her niece, "If I were a thief and I was able to be stopped by a clumsy pup, then I'd be pretty pissed too..."

"But that's the thing..." The Dally interjected, "Hood was super tough... He was faster than me. He was stronger than me. Everything I tried to do to defend myself, he seemed on top of it."

Rocky, who was getting pretty into Marshall's story, even to the point of laying down as he ate his breakfast, nodded along impatiently.

"That's when he said—"

"You make me want to kill you, Marshall the fire pup."

Marshall's eyes widened at the memory that suddenly played in his mind. He didn't really have to tell them that part, right? They already seemed fed up with him getting in danger as is. That would only make them worry for him more.

"...Marshall?" Everest popped into his line of sight, completely derailing his train of thought.

The former fire pup's eyes cartoonishly bulged to the size of his pup bowls, "So close..." He blushed under his fur as he tried to get out of her personal space. In the process of doing this, though, he tripped over his water bowl, sending water, and himself, flying.

The water went where you might've expected, hitting Rocky square in the face. The mixed breed cried out in agony, as if acid had touched his face and begun to melt his fur and skin off. Marshall, meanwhile, tumbled into the refrigerator, the now waterless bowl landing on his head.

Everest was the first to move, hurrying over to Marshall while Rocky began trying desperately to rid himself of the water on his face. The Husky lifted up the bowl from off of Marshall's head.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I'm good..." He uttered the same phrase he had all of the time back when he was a member of the PAW Patrol. Old habits seemed to really die hard in his case.

Liz, unfamiliar with Marshall's clumsy tendencies, looked around at the scene confusedly. All of the time she had spent with the Dalmatian was either while she was treating him, or talking to him while stationary. Before that day, in fact, Marshall hadn't even eaten in the kitchen with her and Katie.

"What the hell...?"

Katie giggled faintly, looking at her aunt, "Marshall's a pretty clumsy pup."

"Be careful, I don't want you beating yourself up... Literally..." Everest joked with a faint giggle. A giggle that seemed to pierce through Marshall's heart.

"Get it off, get it off!" Rocky screamed, rubbing his face on any dry surface possible. Once he finally did, the mixed breed, now having bits of dust and dirt smeared into the fur on his face, went back to eating his breakfast.

"These guys are so weird..." Liz couldn't help but mutter, taking a bite out of her own breakfast.

Everest went back to eating as well, but decided to strike up another conversation, "So, when should we start looking around for that Dalmatian?"

"Considering that thefts have only been increasing since Marshall ran away from the lookout, I think we should take action as soon as possible..." Rocky explained, "But the question is when."

"We have to start looking when it gets dark," Marshall joined in, "He only acts during the night. I've spent a whole day walking around Adventure Bay in search of Hood one time, and I didn't see him once."

The mix nodded in acknowledgement, "So we go at dusk."

"Umm... I don't think so?" Another voice came from the table. The trio looked over to see Liz sitting in her seat with crossed arms, "Now, if Marshall only had those injuries on his forelegs and tail, I'd happily let you go out and look for this Dalmatian, but until his head wounds are healed enough for action, he's on lockdown."

"What?" Marshall, Everest, and Rocky all asked in unison.

The former eco pup looked at the redhead, "We've already lost a week dealing with our own problems. We're on a time limit to get Marshall's position back."

"You three are living under my roof, so you'll have to follow my rules," Liz spoke resolutely, "What kind of caretaker would I be if I just let Marshall go out and possibly make his head worse?"

Rocky coughed, "Okay, that's a really good point, but—-"

Marshall put his paw on the mixed breed's shoulder, "It's fine. We'll just use today to make some kind of plan. You know, to get ready. I don't think Hood will be too happy seeing me after last time..."

Like a lightbulb turning on in a dark room, Rocky's eyes suddenly sparkled with inspiration, "Marshall, that's it!"

The Dalmatian stepped back, a tad concerned, "That's what?"

"Marshall, Everest, follow me!" The former recycling pup dashed off.

"What about your...?" Marshall began to say, but realized that Rocky's bowl was empty.

Everest stood up as well, nudging her Dalmatian friend, "Come on, Marshall."

Marshall looked at Everest's bowl, and it seemed to be licked clean. He was the only one who hadn't finished his breakfast yet. He tried to silently shuffle off, but once he looked at Liz, whose freckled face was staring right back at him, he knew he would have to finish his food before he was allowed to leave.

While the Dalmatian struggled to finish quickly, Rocky guided Everest to the two backpacks they had brought with them after leaving the lookout.

Rocky slung one of the backpacks on, "Grab one and come with me."

The Husky, interested to see what Rocky was going to do, complied and followed behind him as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Hey Liz?" Rocky walked into both her and Katie's line of sight, "Is there a room in this house that you don't really use often?"

"Hm..." The woman thought for a moment, "Well, there is the guest room, but what are you—?"

The ex-eco pup quickly grabbed Everest, dragging her out of the kitchen, "Great, good to know, we'll be on our way now, thanks!"

"Hey, hey!" Liz called to them, standing up from her seat, "What do you plan on doing to the guest room?"

Marshall was quick to raise an eyebrow, still eating the rest of his breakfast, "You can't leave if you don't finish your breakfast, Liz."

Looking down, the woman saw a half empty plate sitting on the table in front of her. She soon heard a faint giggle from Katie as Liz sat back down in her seat.

"He's got you there..." The blonde smiled, finishing up her own breakfast.

Liz shoved a mouthful of eggs in her mouth, glaring at her niece, "Quiet, you."

Katie stood up, taking her empty plate to the sink and gently placing it down within it, "I'm going to head to the parlor now. Keep getting better, Marshall."

The Dalmatian slightly cocked his head to the side in response to his name.

The young vet walked past the former fire pup, a reminiscent smile on her face, "...I've missed hearing you talk."

Marshall watched Katie leave, surprise littering the spotted pup's face. Why did it always seem as though he was being reassured? There was constant affirmation from all places saying that it was okay to be as he was. He was aware that he was in a fragile state, but there really was no need to worry about him. He was okay-ish.

Stuffing another mouthful of food into his mouth, the Dally finally finished his breakfast, running down the hall in order to join his friends in the guest room. When he walked in, he was immediately struck with confusion.

On the left side of the room, Rocky had a small workbench made using the nightstands that were supposed to be around the bed nearby. Everest was only watching with awe as the mixed breed worked on something.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked after gulping down the remnants of food left in his mouth.

The mix looked up and at Marshall, "Well, when you said we could come up with a plan, it gave me an idea. Since you weren't able to defend yourself and got you butt kicked—"

"Hey!"

Rocky continued, "...I decided that it would be a good decision to prepare ourselves for combat."

"Combat?" Marshall parroted, his eyes widening, "We've never done that before..."

"Well, not necessarily for combat, I'm just getting some items ready in order to protect ourselves if need be."

"Check out what he's planning to make me!" Everest exclaimed, her tail wagging in excitement.

The Dalmatian, chuckling a bit at the Husky's enthusiasm, trotted over to look at a piece of paper with crude drawings on it. Marshall's eyes moved to the top of the paper, reading the words aloud.

"Everest; Artificial claws."

Rocky cleared his throat, "You see, Everest is a Husky. She's basically built to dig, scout, and do damage..." He grabbed the paper from Marshall, putting it back down to where it was supposed to be, "So, what better to represent that than an upgrade?"

Marshall then looked at another paper, "Rocky; Projectile launcher."

"For me, I decided to make a pup pack specifically built for firing off any type of projectile. Whether it be fruit, mud, or rocks, I want to be able to support you guys from a distance."

"What about me?" The former fire pup asked, trying to see if there was a third paper.

Rocky gave Marshall a small smile, "You'll have to wait and see. I don't know exactly what I'm making for you, but I know you'll like it."

Marshall then switched to asking bigger questions, "How are you gonna get the tools for all of that?"

"Well, Rocky thought ahead and brought us these!" Everest gestured over to two backpacks filled to the brim with materials.

"What's in them?" Marshall raised an eyebrow.

"Scrap electronics from the discarded storage..." The mix replied, earning further confusion from his Dalmatian friend, "...Basically, I went dumpster diving for old electronics Ryder didn't need anymore. With the help of those, making our new gear will be a cinch!"

Everest grinned, "That's great! That Hood will never know what's coming to 'em!"

"Exactly," Rocky nodded, satisfied with the praise being thrown his way, "Now, let's get start—"

"Pups!" A yell came from down the hall, "Katie called me on her way to the parlor and told me to get you ready for your baths!"

Marshall could've sworn he heard a shattering noise fill the room, as well as a record scratch. He and Everest slowly turned to look at Rocky. Somehow, the mixed breed had teleported from his makeshift working table to a high up windowsill.

"...Rocky's escaping!" Everest suddenly shouted, knowing she was loud enough to grab Liz's attention.

Rocky turned his head 180 degrees to glare at the Husky, "You traitor!"

The redhead came bombing down the hallway, bursting into the guest room. She looked at the two pups on the floor, who were looking up. She followed their gazes to see Rocky slowly sliding the small window open in order to make a run for it.

"Hey!" She shouted, catching the mongrel's attention.

Rocky flinched at the sudden shout, trying to squeeze himself through the space he had made in the window. Liz rolled her eyes, walked over to him, and pulled him back into the room.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm not taking a bath! Ever!" He struggled against the woman's seemingly unflinching grip, "If you want me to go to that cursed parlor, then you'll have to drag me kicking and screaming!"

.

.

.

Marshall and Everest sat in the backseats of Liz's car, watching as the redhead dragged Rocky towards them as the mixed breed kicked and screamed. The Husky's eyes looked down for a moment, wondering if she should ask Marshall something while they were still alone.

Everest turned to look at Marshall, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

"Like, fine fine?" The Husky wanted clarification, "Or, fine in the sense you don't want me to worry?"

"The first one, honest!" He answered quickly, "It just feels a little too good to be true, sometimes..."

The former mountain pup tilted her head, something that made Marshall's heart skip a beat, "What does?"

"You, Rocky, Katie, and Liz..." Marshall sighed, "Sometimes it feels too good to be true that I have friends looking out for me. That there are people and pups who believe me when I say I'm not a criminal..."

The Dalmatian's head began to bow in sorrow, but a quick action from Everest in the form of her putting a paw on his chin prevented this, tilting his head back up to look her in her eyes.

"The rest of Adventure Bay don't know what they're talking about!" She exclaimed, not noticing how hot Marshall's face had grown in the last few seconds, "I swear, we'll get some evidence, take it to Ryder and the other pups, and shove it in their mean faces!"

The Husky's cheeks puffed up slightly, unintentionally pouting. Marshall's lips turned upward ever so slightly at this. He always found it funny how Everest, despite being two years older than he was, seemed to have some of the most childish mannerisms of them all. Not in a bad way, of course, but in a way that always seemed to make the fire in Marshall's heart burn brighter.

She was always full of life. Energetic, always willing to get out there and do what she set out to do. She was filled to the brim with confidence, exuberance, and life. Her life always seemed to make his brighter. He'd do anything to repay her. Anything possible.

"Thanks, Everest..." He smiled at her, to which she smiled back.

The Husky shook her head, "Marshall, you're my friend. One of my best friends, actually... You took care of me and Jake after I first met him. I hate seeing you struggle. Especially because you were one of the happiest pups I knew."

"...Are we interrupting something?" Liz, who was now in the driver's seat, asked.

Marshall's face went beet red, embarrassed that she was seeing this happen. Everest, however, was completely blind to the romantic undertones of their private moment. After all, she was just comforting a friend who was down. Nothing wrong with that.

"Nope, not at all!" She exclaimed, her tail wagging, "We're ready to go!"

The Dalmatian turned his attention to Rocky, who was whimpering and clawing at the door, trying to escape the trap that was a locked door.

She turned her attention to the mixed breed, "Damage anything in my car, and you owe me a new one! I know good and well you can build stuff."

Rocky grumbled, slumping down in the passenger seat.

"That's better. You two good back there?"

Everest nodded, a cheerful grin on her face. Marshall, meanwhile, was still in his head about how the Husky tilted his head up to look at her a few minutes prior.

As the car began to move, Marshall looked out of the window. Everest, meanwhile, looked at the road ahead, "You know... This might be one of the first baths I'm gonna get where I haven't argued with Skye about what the best scent of shampoo is..."

The words she had meant to keep in her head unconsciously slipped out, resonating within the silent interior of the car. Her ears perked up slightly. Once she looked away from the road ahead, she noticed both Rocky and Marshall looking at her.

"I remember how Zuma would try and comfort me and explain how once I got through my bath, I wouldn't have to go through it again for a while..." Rocky admitted, looking at the Husky.

Marshall immediately looked away, a sense of guilt filling his mind. This was all his fault, wasn't it? If it weren't for him, they wouldn't be there with him, separated from the other pups. They left the PAW Patrol for him, but why? If they missed the others so much, why did they leave just for him?

Everest smiled, reminiscing on the time she spent with the other pups, "That's really nice of him."

"Let me guess, Skye said the best scent Katie has is strawberry?" Rocky raised an eyebrow, "Every time after a bath she'd walk into the lookout and make everything smell like fruit!"

The Husky let out a faint laugh, "You guessed it. She's so stubborn about it. I kept trying to get her to try something new, to be a little adventurous with her scent, but nooooo it's always strawberry."

"Skye's just like that, I guess," Rocky shrugs, "It does smell good on her, though."

"You say it smells good on her?" Everest raised an amused eyebrow.

The mixed breed's cheeks went a faint shade of pink, "Not like that! I can't help it, the smell is overwhelming!"

The two laughed, reminiscing on the baths they spent with the PAW Patrol. Even Rocky, who wouldn't touch water with a forty foot pole, had a good time with the team no matter what. Marshall, meanwhile, was only growing more guilty by the second.

"...I'm... I'm sorry—"

"It's not your fault, Marshall!" Both Everest and Rocky shouted at the pup.

The ex-eco pup shrugged, "Trust me, if we held any hard feelings, we wouldn't have come with you."

"Besides, it wasn't you who stole those bones..." The Husky sighed, "...And you weren't the one who suspended yourself from the team."

Rocky nodded in agreement, "We left because we knew it wasn't fair. We might miss our friends, yes, I know you do too. But things happen... Sometimes they're not always your fault."

Marshall gave a light nod, "I miss them... I really do..." His voice grows shaky, "Even though they didn't believe me.. Even though they think I'm a criminal... I miss them."

Everest could hear the Dalmatian sniffle, and that's when she decided to step in. She leaned over and pulled Marshall into a hug. Allowing Marshall to put his head up against her chest, the Husky gently pet his head.

"They don't deserve his kindness..." Everest's eyes narrowed.

.

.

.

"No! No!" Rocky screamed, "You can't make me!"

The young vet was wearing black, protective clothing as she tried her best to pull the mixed breed out of her aunt's car. She was wearing a black, long sleeved hoodie. There were pads on her shoulders and knees, and she was wearing protective goggles. She wasn't trying to take damage as she bathed him.

Everest, meanwhile, was happily heading into the parlor, talking with Marshall. Both seemed generally excited to take a bath after so long of being dirty. Especially Marshall, who had been soaked by the rain and given a cold because of that.

"Hey, Marshall!" Liz, who was lying on the hood of her car, called to him, "Before you take your bath, you got a minute?"

The two pups stopped, exchanging a glance.

"Go and talk to her, I'll save a bath for you!" The Husky grinned, lightly pushing her towards him.

The Dalmatian gave her a smile before heading over to the redheaded woman. He hopped onto the hood of her car, looking at her with a subtle intrigue in his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No, no, nothing's wrong, I just wanted to talk to you."

Marshall nodded slowly, "Okay..."

The space between them was silent for just a moment, only the distant sounds of Rocky's screaming, Katie's yelling, and Everest's laughter filling the air.

"So, that Husky, huh?"

The former fire pup's cheeks flushed with a pink hue beneath his fur, "H-Huh? What about Everest?"

"You like her?"

"No..." He stubbornly looked away, "...Maybe..."

Liz suddenly laughed, making Marshall blush even more, "Seems like you know how to pick 'em... I say go for it."

"W-What!?" His eyes bulged as Liz picked him up and began carrying him toward the parlor.

"You heard me. Make a move."

"Well, I don't... It's just... I..." Marshall stuttered, trying to find the proper words.

"I'm listening..."

"...I don't deserve—"

Liz suddenly flicked his forehead, making him yelp in surprise, "I shouldn't have been listening had I known the next thing to come out of your mouth would be a load of bull..." She put him down, kneeling to his height, "There's only one pup or person on this planet who can decide your worth and who you deserve. That pup, is you."

Marshall nodded in response.

"Now, do you know what your worth is?"

"You want an honest answer?"

"I'd prefer it."

"I'm still trying to figure that out for myself..." Marshall looked down at the ground, "My worth... Is a little hard to find these days..."

The woman's lips narrowed at the confession. As she listened to the sounds of Katie and Rocky fighting and Everest commentating, her usually stoic expression grew softer.

"Don't you hear that?" She asked.

"Katie and Rocky fighting?"

"Yeah... Your world isn't silent. There's movement. There's life. And most of all, there's love," Marshall looked back up at the woman, who simply put a hand on the Dalmatian's head, "We all think you're worth quite a lot..."

Marshall, sniffling up a bit of snot hanging from his nose, suddenly jumped at the woman, hugging her. Liz, while surprised at first, returned the hug tenfold.

"...Now go take a bath, Oreo... You smell funky."

The Dalmatian let her go, laughing. The redhead gently patted his head before standing up and walking back to the car. Marshall closed his eyes, thinking about the sensation of Liz's hand.

It was warm. Really warm.