Chapter twelve: Wild Night!
Sleeping breaths filled the air, the occasional yipping or snoring kept the sounds fresh as the pattern varied. But even in the tender silence that remained otherwise, one soul still shifted uneasily..
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Stumbling around the darkness seemed far too normal.
'Why has this become so familiar?' he thought, but the words never made it to his lips.
"Let me go!" The voice echoed toward him and he looked immediately. And though it were his own, it's sound went blowing by and he wanted to think it was someone else's.
Suddenly a laugh filled the deafening silence, and up rose a figure far larger than what seemed natural, which immediately lunged down towards him in a big, toothy swoop. Pain shocked through him as the blow flashed by, but when he opened his eyes it was gone, and the pain subsided.
Then the ground cracked beneath him like the wood of a planked floor, then splintered before his eyes, dropping him down what felt like a long shaft. He cried out but no one seemed to hear,..
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His body tensed and shifted, light groans becoming soft murmurs of..
"No.." and "stop!.."
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"Ahhhh!" He cried, finally finding the air to scream.
He soon hit rock bottom on the right shoulder, but was found to be immersed in water as it seemed. His skin crawled with a chilling bite and he immediately swam for the glowing surface. Bursting through the surface, a gulp of air met him. His vocal breaths rasped with the demand for more air and he tried his best to keep his head above water.
'Oof! I gotta get outta here.' His mind thought and he could swear he could hear it surround him, like some speaker was projecting it over him, even after his head dunked below the water's surface.
More water splashed up in his face, while he rode the gentle wave of the water's glassy face; and he continued to search for a way out of the freezing, cold water.
'So.. c-cold!' His mind shivered, yet still no words could be spoken. And even though he couldn't speak, it shocked him with how well he could see his own breath.
'It's gotta be, like, the polar vortex in here.' He groaned internally.
The more he paddled beneath the water's surface, the more he began to notice the difficulty in it. He dunked under a little and he fought to keep his head above water, but he could only struggle more. The pins and needles of his limbs began to make it hard to keep going, and the harder it was to move the more frantic he became to keep paddling.
"No!-b-bg-g-g!.." Chase's voice bubbled under as he found he could no longer move and with the growing chill he could swear his own body was becoming ice.. And even the panic of his heart couldn't empower him to stop his frozen body from sinking like a rock..
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"Hah!" The sudden sound, coupled with the disturbance of his mind, finally jump started his pounding heart to force his eyes open.
Now sitting up with his breaths slowly normalizing, he then heard the soft steady breaths of various voices as he stepped his forepaws up to sit up straight. He looked back at himself to find the bunched-up folds of the thick, blue blanket, which he recalled snuggling down with earlier.
What time is it? He wondered, glancing around and then up at the moon, as if expecting it to tell him the answer.
A snapping sound shot his glance down, flashing with the alarm of its coming. And he jumped up onto his paws in a bit of a prowl.
His ears searched, while he stood there stalk-still and he sniffed the air without moving an inch, hoping it would give him an edge in figuring out what was happening.
Suddenly a pungent smell kicked in and he groaned with the shock to the olfactory sense, before looking up to his left. Then scampering around the fire pit to start a quiet sneak around the campsite with his nose as his guide.
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The pup lay on his back, his foot twitching in mid air as he lightly snored. The mask over his eyes seemed to keep any disturbances out, but when a snapping sound occurred he couldn't help but stir suddenly.
"Huh? What?" He mumbled sleepily, lifting part of his mask a little.
A shape slowly panned across the moonlit material of the tent and when it looked up it had a distinctly ruffled shape.
Rubble gasped, but tried to stop it. The figure appeared to look toward him and he held his breath, both paws covering his mouth as he watched with big, attentive eyes. Eventually, another sound drew the silhouette's attention away from him and the shadow soon strode away.
"Hah!" Rubble hissed, jumping up and crawling across Rocky to exit the tent, stirring the mixed breed but not waking him. Once out, he raced around the fire pit to the tent on the opposite end of their semi-circle.
"Snowflake?.. Snowflake!" Rubble hissed, hoping his whispering yell didn't attract any unwanted attention to himself. "Are you awake?!"
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Chase's nose sniffed the ground some more, the appalling scent getting stronger, but he still couldn't quite recognize where he'd smelled it before.
Maybe it's those crazy hot dogs after us again! And even this thought got his attention.
Where did I get that?! He wondered, though it was a subtle thought as he kept tracking. At one point he even thought he could smell the scent of burning cheese, but pushed it away because of how odd such a thing sounded.
Stopping short of something, he stared hard in the dark to try and make it out and as soon as he recognized the familiar shape his eyes flashed.
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"Huh? What?" Snowflake asked, as she slowly opened her eyes. Unzipping the tent, she poked her head out to see Rubble.
"Rubble? What's wrong?" the husky pup asked in a confused voice.
"I saw something!" Rubble hissed, trying to be discreet. "Over by my tent!" He pointed and couldn't keep from trembling.
"Are you sure it wasn't one of the pups?" Snowflake asked kindly
"No!" Rubble breathed, shaking his head stiffly. "But it sounded like,.. like,..-"
"A ghost? Wild animal? Wait a minute!" Snowflake commented as her eyes got use to the dark. She carefully walked over towards Chase and Chester's tent. The husky pup sniffed near a log, finding nothing but a blue blanket. Her eyes widened with realization.
"Why is this blanket- CHASE?! Where is he?!" Snowflake gasped, as she started looking around.
"Ow-owwwwww!"
Rubble and Snowflake's glances met.
"WEREPUPPY!" They cried.
"Everybody, wake up!" Rubble cried, as the two pups raced around the campsite circling the fire pit. "The werepuppy's here!"
"Wake up everyone! We need help!" Snowflake added.
"Huh?" Zuma and Marshall vocalized, as soon as the two pups poked their heads out of their tent.
"Oof! What's going on?" Skye wondered sleepily, as she peered out from their tent since Katie had lifted the flap for the both of them.
Rubble tripped himself up, but got up to keep running.
"Quick! Everybody help!" He cried, stumbling around as he ran.
"There's a werepuppy here! We heard it!" Snowflake exclaimed, looking to see if anyone else was awake.
"Ugh, what're you guys talking about!" Chester mumbled, stumbling out of his tent.
"I thought the werepuppy was just a story." Rocky remarked.
"It is, Rocky?" Ryder said, and they could hear him futzing around in his hammock. "If I could reach my,.. ahn! Light.."
"Ryder..?!" Katie began, about to come over to him.
"I'm good." The boy said, and finally he appeared from around the tents.
"Oowwwww!"
Everyone gasped at hearing this for themselves.
"Wait,.. where's Chase?" Skye realized, finally noticing the empty blanket by the singed fire pit.
"Oh no! Did the werepuppy get him?!" Rubble gasped.
"What!?" Everest, Rocky and Zuma gasped.
"Ts.. No way!" Chester shook his head, taking on the same dubious look that they've often seen on Chase.
A loud crash sent a scampering set of paws past them. And as soon as Ryder's flashlight finally turned on, he shined it straight ahead of him and they were all stunned to discover the brown fur and squinting eyes that halted with being exposed.
"Chase!?" they all gasped, as the pup shielded his eyes from the blinding light sent his way.
"Chase? What on earth ARE YOU DOING?!" Snowflake exclaimed, baffled by Chase's actions.
"Ihn!.. what?" Chase asked, his eyes still stinging from the sudden shock of the light.
"She means what are you doing up?" Chester answered, as Ryder finally lowered his light so it wasn't shining directly at him anymore. "Rubble thought you were the werepuppy."
"Werepuppy!? Uck! You guys know that's just a story right?" He sniffled and shook as though receiving a chill.
"Then why did you knock down the trash can? And what were those howls from earlier?" Snowflake asked curiously.
"I don't know about the trash can thing," Chase shook his head. "But I think we have a visitor."
"Really? Who?" Skye wondered.
"Or what?" Marshall added.
"Well- I didn't exactly get a good look at it.." Chase answered. "I just,.. heard a noise and tried to follow it.."
"A noise? Waking you from a rock solid sleep? Why didn't any of us hear it then?" Chester wondered.
"What?" Chase asked, finding himself even more confused, but eventually shook it off to continue. "Anyway, I smelled this awful scent and figured I'd follow it right to whatever was making that annoying scratching noise."
"Hang on.." Chester thought. "You didn't happen to stop over by Rubble and Rocky's tent, did you?"
"Well, -yeah I guess.." Chase shrugged. "I heard a noise close by and waited quietly to find out, but then it sounded further away and I caught a glimpse of it."
"Well that explains it." Chester asserted, glancing at Rubble.
"Hoh.. it was just Chase.." Rubble sighed, thankfully sinking to the ground.
"Then I guess that was you howling then,.. right?" Marshall guessed, turning his gaze back on Chase.
He was about to reply when a chatter filled the gap of silence. Turning to look back over his shoulder the light shone further over past Chase, to find the masked bandit that smiled a cheeky grin; chattering as if to taunt them.
"A raccoon?!" Everyone gasped in unison, then they noticed what it had in its mouth.
"Hey! My blanket!" Rocky cried, beginning to whine.
The raccoon just chuckled then retreated.
"Hold up, furry bandit!" Chase called, leaping after it,.. "Fluff-blanket napping shan't suffice to say!"
"Chase wait!" Marshall cried, watching his friend disappear into the night. "Come back!" And they all just stared,.. wondering whether to rush after him or wait to see if he'd return on his own.
"Should we go after him?" Snowflake asked.
"I don't know,.." Ryder said. "Chase?!"
Everyone waited in silence, watching and listening for a short time longer.
Eventually Chase appeared and they were all able to sigh with relief.
"Don't scare us like that, buddy." Ryder breathed, coming toward him a couple more paces, gesturing an arm for him to come.
"I'm fine." Chase said, after dropping the material in his mouth to come within Ryder's reach for him to hug the pup close at the neck.
"My blanket!" Rocky gasped, snuggling onto it happily.
"How did you get it back?!" Marshall asked, genuinely amazed.
"Well,.. it didn't take much.." Chase answered,.. looking back briefly..
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Chase's paws padded the ground, his long strides feeling almost freeing even as he felt a bit of restraint on his body, one side in particular.
But catching a quick grip, ripped the material from the cleaving paws of his blanket hustler, and he immediately marched it back the way he came.
The raccoon just chattered something of frustration, then scampered off into the night again.
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"Like I said,.. the price of zuluberry sly." Chase finished, letting the memory fade away.
And the group just stared at him.
"Alright,.. come on,.. let's get you back to bed.." Chester began stepping towards him.
"What!? Already? But we barely got exploring?" Chase protested, as Chester eased his shoulder over towards their tent.
"You need rest,.." Chester reiterated. "It's been a long day,.. plus.. you're still a little loopy."
"What!? No,.. that's just Noodle's vanguini pie talking.." Chase mumbled, having to stop and yawn. "You know how weird that makes us.. that's why we try not to earn tickets for it!"
"Fully aware of that…" Chester sighed, rolling his eyes as he practically dragged Chase along.
"Need any help getting him back down?" Ryder asked. "Sounds like he might put up a fight."
"Nah, I got it." Chester decided. "Say good night, Chase."
"*sigh* good night-hey! I see what you're doing!" Chase stopped himself suspiciously. "You're trying to make me repeat you for extra points, right?"
"Yep that's exactly it." Chester gave in dryly. "Can't put anything past you, Fupple Puff, now go lay down. Before you start seeing stars and rainbows." And after Chase finally entered the tent Chester had opened for him, he closed the flap to look at the group; sighing deeply.
"Well, at least the raccoon is gone and Rocky has his blanket. Goodnight, everyone," Snowflake said, before going back into her tent to sleep.
"Yeah,.." Chester thought aloud, his gaze wandering down. "I guess."
Then entering the tent slowly, those that remained stared after him, all pondering how to respond to that. But they eventually just decided to split off into their pairs to return to bed.
As Chase was settling down into their sleeping bags, Chester came long behind him and laid down. Chase snuggled down and Chester nestled his head over him at his brother's neck, which fit perfectly somehow even with their difference in size. And as they closed their eyes, neither of them could keep from snuggling further into one another. And Chester finally felt compelled to wrap him in a hug as the last act of comfort before sleep finally overtook them both..
Hey guys, here we are again with another chapter! Man, this is going fast! Though I guess to you guys it doesn't quite seem that way.. but believe it or not we are getting chapter after chapter written, and sometimes it seems like hardly any time before we get a new one done! So yay for progress! ;D =D
Enjoy this new chapter and we'll see you next time! Thx!