Chapter twenty-four: Causing A Ruckus!
"I told you this was a bad IDEEAAAAAA!" Marshall howled, then took off out of the tent, screaming all the way.
As the dally pup turned and ran, he forgot that he had been under the blue sheet with Snowflake. So when he ran away, he had twisted himself in the sheet, pulling it off Snowflake by accident. Marshall was running towards who knows where, screaming while looking like a blue sheet ghost
"No! Marshall, wait! Come back little buddy!" Snowflake exclaimed as she saw her friend leave. The husky pup nervously turned towards the ghost as it got closer and closer.
"BOOOOOOOOOO! OOOOOOOOOOO!" Ned said, while under the sheets, waving his paws up.
"G-G-GHOST! AHHHHHHHHH!" Snowflake screamed in fright.
"BOOOOOOOO! OOOOOOOOO!" Ned said as he got closer, continuing to wave his forepaws in the air.
"AHHHHHHHHH GHOST! GO AWAY! LEAVE ME AND MY BUDDY ALONE!" Snowflake exclaimed in a frightened voice.
"BOOOOOOO! OOOOOOOOOO!" Ned howled, before flinging the top sheet through the air. The white sheet flew and landed on top of Snowflake, covering her completely.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOO! HELP! GHOST! THE GHOST'S GOT ME! MARSHALL HELP! Get me outta here! HELP!" Snowflake screamed as she flailed about under the sheet, trying to get free.
"BOOOOOOOO! I've got you! OOOOOOOOO!" the ghost said as it waved its arms, getting even closer to her.
"No! Go away ghost! Leave me be! Somebody help!" Snowflake cried out as she kept struggling under the sheet.
There was silence as Snowflake struggled to get free from her sheet entanglement. Then, she heard a laugh.
"Pffffft. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ned laughed, as he peeked out of the sheet he had on to see his sister trapped in the sheet he threw on her.
"Oh! Oh gosh! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! That was awesome!" Ned exclaimed as he tried to control his laughing and stay under his sheet at the same time. Upon hearing the familiar laugh, Snowflake flailed even more under the white sheet, determined to get out. Soon, she was able to get out of the sheet, seeing her brother under another white sheet, laughing like crazy.
"NED! You were the ghost?! How could you?! You scared Marshall and I to death! How could you interfere with our bonding time?!" Snowflake exclaimed, angry about the ghost situation. Soon, Ned calmed down, and stopped laughing.
"I-I'm sorry! But I overheard you two talking about a haunted room, so I decided to join in the fun!" Ned retorted happily.
"YOU SCARED MARSHALL SO BAD HE LEFT! I don't mind you making our bonding moment fun, but you went too far Ned!" Snowflake snapped, angry her brother would scare her best buddy the way he did. Ned's ears dropped once he realized what he did.
"We are going out to find him and you are going to apologize. Understand?" Snowflake said strictly.
"Yes. I just wanted to have fun with you guys," Ned retorted. Snowflake looked at him as if he had said the dumbest comment ever.
"It. Wasn't. Your. Turn. To. Play. With. A specific pup! You can join in our fun but ask next time!" Snowflake responded with a stern look. Ned nodded sympathetically.
"Marshall took off in my blue sheet, so he shouldn't be too hard to find. Grab your sheet and let's go!" Snowflake said before going under the white she had been trapped in. Her face poked out with the rest of her body covered by the white sheet. Ned did the same, as they exited the tent and went to look for their friend.
xxxx
"Aahhhhhhh!" Marshall slid into a turn and bolted for the Lookout doors.
"Ahh! Haunted castle!" He cried barreling past the pups, who all looked up. He resumed screaming and Chase stirred.
Ugggh not again!? He groaned internally. What now?! The screaming continued and even got a little louder.. and noticing the progression in volume he finally decided to look just in time to see the sheet-trapped pup tearing his way.
Marshall leapt over Chase, clipping his shoulder to send him tumbling over, landing the same way he had been(laying on his stomach), and the pup lightly grimaced. And it lit a fire in him that he couldn't ignore.
"Ugghhh Marshall!" As soon as he heard Chase's voice the Dalmatian screeched to a stop and looked back. Chase drowsily stood up, almost limping on every paw as a result of the shock it was to stand.
"Marshall, have you lost your mind!?" Chase scolded.
"Easy Chase.. it was an accident." Skye said, drawing closer to him.
"What the heck are you doing?" Chase asked the Dalmatian forwardly.
"I uhh… uhh.. we were playing.." he finally answered, and as innocently as he could make himself sound. "And.. then I got scared."
"By what!?" Chase shot back.
"Well there was a ghostly sound and.."
"A ghost!" Chase interjected. "Are you telling me you still believe in that stuff? Come on.." Chase's point could have sounded insensitive, but Marshall knew he was right.
"I'm sorry, Chase.." He mumbled. "Are you ok?"
"*sigh* I'll survive." Chase sighed. "I'm sorry too."
"No, you're right.." Marshall sighed also. "I shouldn't be so scared of something that doesn't exist."
"But if ghosts aren't real.." they heard Rubble say, and they both looked over at him.
"Then what is that?" He pointed to the door as some sheeted figures stalked, or maybe floated, toward the door.
Everyone perked up and especially Marshall and Rubble began to shake in their boots at watching this.. Chase just staring hard to try and see better.
xxxx
As Snowflake and Ned had walked around to find Marshall, the sheets slid, covering them completely.
"Ah! No! Who turned out the lights?" Snowflake exclaimed as she now couldn't see anything.
"Hey, I can't see!" Ned yelped, now in the same situation. The sheet pair wandered until they had reached the doors of The Lookout.
The doors slid open as the two "ghosts" stumbled inside. However, Snowflake and Ned had heard what Rubble had said before entering.
"Wait, we're not-" Snowflake began until she was interrupted.
"Ghosts? BOOOOOOOOOOOO! OOOOOOOOOO! Yes we aaaaaarrrrre! We've come to haunt and mingle with you! OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ned said in his ghostly voice, flailing his forepaws around. The ghosts wandered closer to the pups.
"Hah!" Marshall and Rubble yelped, jumping into each other's embrace.
Chase just sighed dryly, then hobbling forward he approached the two sheet figures and pulled the sheets off both pups.
"Awwww. You ruined the fun part!" Ned complained. Snowflake gave her brother a stern look.
"We didn't come to scare them. Remember? Now I believe you have a pup to apologize to!" Snowflake retorted. Ned sighed then walked over to Marshall.
"Marshall, I'm sorry. I was pretending to be a ghost while you were playing with Snowflake. I didn't mean to terrify you. I just wanted to join in on the fun! Make things interesting. I'm really sorry for scaring you," Ned apologized as his ears folded back.
"Yeah. He threw a sheet on me, then I found out what happened and we came to find you, but got stuck. Sorry, pups." Snowflake apologized as well.
"It's ok.." Marshall said, coming toward them.
Chase had wandered away by now, and the other pups had come closer to the two huskies. Ryder gestured for the younger German Shepherd to come and he obediently drew within his reach.
"How do you feel?" He asked him, taking the pup by the underside of his foreleg to ease him closer so he could feel down the pup's injured foreleg.
"I'll be ok.." Chase answered simply.
Ned hugged Marshall for a minute then let go.
"So Marshall, want to continue our bonding moments.. peacefully of course," Snowflake said, before eyeing Ned.
"Oh.. I..uh.. thought you might wanna bond with someone else." Marshall thought.
"Sounds good. But, shouldn't we have lunch, or is that later?" Snowflake asked curiously. "Plus, we need to clean up our tent and stuffed animals."
"Sure thing,.." Marshall shrugged. "Hey, how bout we eat lunch first.. Then clean this stuff up so you can hang out with somebody else after."
"Yes," Snowflake said.
"Alright then." Marshall smiled.
"Great! Then let's go get some yummy lunch!" Rubble decided. And they all laughed as they took off outside to get their bowls.
xxxx
"Alright, hold it right there!" Marshall called, and the pups holding the ropes stopped pulling.
"Rocky?.. You're up.." the Dalmatian said.
"Ok.." the mixed breed answered, pushing a ladder over to the exposed frame. "Arf! Ratchet!"
"Too bad Chase decided not to come.." Zuma sighed, after he'd carefully lowered his rope to the ground to step on it. "He usually loves this kind of thing."
"Honestly,.. I'm kinda starting to get worried about him.." Skye admitted quietly. "He's been so.. off lately.. I feel like he hasn't really been able to catch a break.."
"Can't say I disagree with you there.." Chester sighed. "He's just been so.. animalistic with us.. And I promise he's not usually like that. So I kinda have to put one down the for the team with this one.. He's totally bugging about something; and it must be so deep we can't see it.. You know?"
Everyone just stared at him for a moment, unsure of how to respond.
"I'm just saying, I agree." Chester added. "Chase's not being the pup we know he is.. And I'm about ready to try and find out why."
"I hope it's not because of me. I mean I apologized and he forgave me, but I know I still took things too far! I can't help being a goofball! I didn't mean to make Chase feel THIS bad!" Ned retorted as his ears folded back and he started to whine.
"I agree. I hope by bonding with him I can find out what's making him so sad. It's so odd and concerning that Chase isn't his normal happy, positive, 'ready for duty Ryder sir' kind of self," Snowflake added.
"I don't think any of us did anything." Marshall pointed out, as he completed the circle of pups with himself. "I think he's going through something we're not aware of.. Right?"
"Hm.. sounds about right to me.." Rocky nodded thoughtfully. "I mean any time he's been acting weird, its cause something happens that's out of our control, and he can't seem to handle it."
"Yeah but that's how Chase is anyway." Chester pointed out,.. "He's a natural born control freak."
Marshall restrained himself from a snort, mainly out of surprise that Chester had said it, but also due to the slight humor he took in the thought he himself had had about Chase a time or two before.
"I know.. but,.. more than usual." Rocky re-emphasized. "He just seems so.. obsessed with things going wrong."
"Obsessed with what?" Chester wondered.
"Well isn't he?" the mixed breed reasoned.
"He is. I mean he wouldn't even quit looking for Chess when I said he needed to rest. He just kept going!" Snowflake agreed, giving an example.
"That's just Chase being stubborn." Chester sighed dryly. "But I can see what you're saying."
"Right. I just hope I can make him feel better when I do bond with him. I'd hate to put all this effort into bonding with every pup, and feel like I failed with everyone not having a good time; or had fun. Especially Chase. I really want to make him better after everything he's been through. He deserves all the love, hugs, sunshine and rainbows the world has to offer!" Snowflake responded, showing how serious she was taking her bonding time with everyone.
"Awwww!" the pups mused. "Thanks Snowflake!"
Ned smiled at his sister's comment.
"If only it was that easy to cheer him up," Ned replied.
"If only it were easier." Chester sighed.
"Hey wait.." Rubble realized, turning to Ned. "When did you wander off? We were all in the Lookout playing games and then you disappeared? How'd you make it out without anybody hearing you?"
"Hey yeah?.. how'd you do that?" Chester realized now. "What are you,.. some kind of ninja pup?"
"No. I came out when you all came to help set up the tent for Marshall and Snowflake. I just stayed outside longer. Plus, hiding outside the tent, as well as inside looking like a sheet ghost helped," Ned replied calmly.
"Oh.." blank glances spread among the pups.
"Huh.. guess we never picked up on that.." Rubble finished.
"Yeah. It's okay though," Ned responded.
"Heh Heh Heh.." Rubble and the other pups awkwardly chuckled.
"Um.. yeah.. so uh.. let's finish taking this thing down." Marshall, said. And all the pups bent down to pick up the end of the ropes they'd been standing or sitting on this whole time, nodding to one another to show they were ready once again. Rocky hopped back up on the ladder and let his ratchet begin again.
"How's the tent coming along? Is it coming down, Rocky?" Snowflake asked, with the rope in her mouth.
"Almost there." The mixed breed answered. "Just a few more bolts.. hold tight, guys.. I'll let you know when we're ready to pull this thing apart."
"Okay," Ned said, preparing for Rocky's instructions.
A few more bolts clattered to the ground then the ratchet retracted.
"Ok pups.. that's the last bolt." The recycling pup announced. He hopped off the ladder and ran around to grab the final rope and pulled it snugly.
"Ok.. let's pull fast and then scatter out of the way.." Rocky instructed through the rope in his mouth. "Everybody ready?"
"Ready," the two husky pups said together, as the rest of the group nodded.
"Ok.. one.. two.. three!" Every pup pulled and the pipes jittered till they loosened.
"Timber!" Rocky howled as the pups scattered from the collapsing pipe frame.
xxxx
Chase grunted, then groaned. The crash of the tent outside reached his ears and he shifted over and away from it.
xxxx
"Everyone okay?" Snowflake asked, as she and Ned walked towards the scattered PVC pipes on the ground.
"Uh huh." The pups all answered, as they surrounded the pile of pipes.
"Now to stack these up to get 'em outta here." Chester said. Then every pup began sorting out the jumbled pile to give it some level of order.
xxxx
It took a while for them to stack the piles of pipes, and after about fifteen minutes, the pipes were stacked and carefully taken back to Rocky's truck.
"Done! Thank you, pups," Snowflake told them.
"Any time, Snowflake." Rocky smiled.
"So.. how scared were you when Ned was sneaking around your tent?" Rubble wondered, mainly curious.
"I was fine until he made those spooky noises. He really scared Marshall and I, but I was able to encourage Marshall to investigate with me. But it got too spooky and Marshall ran out. I had to deal with Ned's spooky shenanigans until I found out it was him," Snowflake answered.
"So.. did you ever think he was a real ghost?" The bulldog wondered.
"I think we'll give you two some time." Marshall said. "Come on, guys. Let's go." Then everyone wandered back into the Lookout leaving Rubble and Snowflake in silence.
Look at this ya'll! twenty-FIVE chapters! Can you believe it?! And as such, I just wanna say it's even crazier that this story is getting to be far longer than that even! As Always thank you for your support and I'll see you next time! Thx!