Chapter thirty-nine: Snowflake Gone Mad
Snowflake indeed heard Chester. Upon the pups getting out of the blue sheet, she ran and wrapped it around their bodies so they became entangled in the fabric, but in a sitting position.
"Hehehehehehehe ...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Details?! Well you left some out! You never said anything about pup guarding being funny! It's a safety rule for the game! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Snowflake exclaimed as she laughed like crazy, staring at the pups. It was actually creepy.
"Pup-PY guarding." Chester corrected. "And I think it's only funny because of how ironic it sounds."
"And this is why you tell my sister everything when she asks for details.." Ned said nervously.
"We DID TELL HER!" Chester shrieked. "Please, have mercy on us! Oh yee of ice cold wrath! Tell us what we did WROOONG! AHHHHHGGG!" And as he wailed this, he staggered toward her in such a way as to cower at her feet beggingly like a servant pleading with its master or a subject before a king.. then essentially bowed face down and waited for the response.
"You all told me the game. But then.. hehehe,.. you laugh at the pup guard moment as if it's the funniest joke in the world! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! H-How.. Hehehehe... How is that FUNNY?! It's a rule in the game! AHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Snowflake cackled in reply.
"Ok,.. stop that.. And we can explain.." Chester said, motioning for her to tone it down just a little bit.
"Oh that? We just thought it was funny, because puppy-guarding is the name of something in a game; and we happen to all be puppies ourselves." Rubble explained.
"Ok, so you found it ironic.." Chester sighed dryly. "Exactly what I thought!"
"Can you calm the crazy down now?" He finished, when turning to Snowflake.
"Sorry. Hehehehe! You laugh and made me confused. So now you must suffer the consequences! Hehehehehehe!" Snowflake replied, before walking away. She then returned and put a raspberry on Chester's snout.
"Berry merry, quite contrary! Your laughter makes your punishment hairy…" Snowflake sang before walking away again.
Chester shook the berry off his nose and looked around at the other pups.
"Umm.. anyone else creeped out by this?" He asked. "Is there like a reset button we could push,.. or.."
"We should have just told her all the details. Explain the joke better," Ned replied. "Otherwise you just need to let her get the crazy out of her system."
Suddenly, the lights went out.
"Hehehehehehehe.. Ahhhhhahahahahahaha!" Snowflake laughed.
"Uhhh, what is going on?" Rocky wondered abruptly.
"Oh no, we've really done it now.." Rubble whined. "She'll have us for ghostly lunch,.. -I mean dinner! UGH!"
"Relax, Rubble, I'm sure she's just trying to scare us. Not like she could just turn off some lights and become a-ahh!" This cry came as only a yelp with the presence that appeared right over their shoulders.
"Booooooo.. you were saying? Hehehehehe!" Snowflake said in the dark. She carefully walked away, then came back with some things. She went over to Rubble and ran her claws gently over his paws- like a spider.
"Ah!" Rubble cried, jumping toward Chester and lifting a paw towards him away from the sensation. Chester just rolled his eyes.
"*sigh* really Snowflake?" He sighed dryly.
Snowflake did the same spider trick on Rubble again as well as the others.
"Ahh!"
"Oh!"
"Eek!"
"Ugh! This is ridiculous!" Chester groaned, then wandered off alone into the darkness.
Suddenly, he was pulled back, remembering he was tied in the twisted sheet just like the other pups. He couldn't escape.
Snowflake kept walking around in the dark, then started to.. sing?
"The itsy bitsy spider went up the Rubble's paw.." she sang before doing her spider trick with her paws again.
"Ahh!" Rubble yelped.
"Down came the rain, and drenched the Rocky pup.." the husky sang before grabbing a nearby bowl of water. She tipped it so water drops slowly "rained" onto Rocky.
"NO!" Rocky cried.
"Snowflake!" Chester exclaimed, beginning to struggle more.
Snowflake kept dripping the water faster onto Rocky.
"Wet, Wet, Wet!" Rocky shrieked running forward with all his might. And with everyone else already trying to get out of this, their efforts finally freed them and Chester immediately beelined it from the rest of the group.
Seeing this unexpected moment, Snowflake played a small recorder.
"Hello? Pups? I could use some help. Please?" a recording of Ryder's voice said.
"What is happening?!" Marshall groaned.
"Any time you'd like to chime in and help, Ned, would be great!" Skye added, peering around in the dark.
"Snowflake, I think you made your point! Please stop!" Ned called out.
"But it seems like Ryder could use help. Everyone, gather around me and we'll find Ryder," Ned instructed.
"Hang on,.. that sounded like a recording." Marshall realized, then the lights suddenly flicked on.
"Because it was." Chester said, and they now discovered that he was the one that had turned the lights back on. "Can we be done with this nonsense now? If it means we forget we ever told that story, so be it.. let's just NOT keep doing this, please!"
Snowflake looked around and immediately her eyes and ears dropped before she whined.
"Yes," Snowflake said in a monotone voice. The husky pup was now realizing she had gone too far. She went to get a towel before giving it to Rocky.
"It was only a few drops of water," Snowflake said to him, her voice cracking.
"Oof! A little more than 'a few' Snowflake." Rocky corrected, as he dried himself off.
"So what happened out there today?" Zuma wondered, hoping to successfully change the subject.
"I talked with Alex. He actually gave me a better idea to help Chase. Or at least who could help him when we hang out. I also got to meet Kylie and Skyler. They were nice. Skyler is very enthusiastic," Snowflake answered.
"Well at least you met two of em now.." Chester shrugged. "Looks like you've got a leg up for when you meet the rest of 'em.. including their ring.."
And when he got a bunch of quizzical looks, he decided to finish his statement.
"Ring leader? Come on, guys get with the program already, that's exactly what she is." He said. "Ugh! You'll see if you ever meet her."
"So.. anything else happen? Didn't you say something about hanging out with Jake and Everest? What was that all about?" Skye asked.
"It was Alex who suggested I hang out with them. I talked to them and we have a plan. I just hope I can make Chase happy," Snowflake said.
"Wait, where is Chase?" Snowflake asked, now noticing the missing pup.
"*sigh* Probably still in his pup house." Marshall sighed.
"Seriously?! Ugh! He needs to eat and drink water! He's a pup, not a hibernating bear!" Snowflake said as she was now concerned.
xxxx
They're gonna come looking for me.. The spying pup noted, then realized what that meant. And his first instinct was,.. run!
Turning to run away, he beelined it in the direction of his pup house, but caught his foot on a water bowl and he fell forward. Even worse yet was the pinpoint accuracy of the hardpan corner of his own pup house! As soon as his shoulder contacted the metal, the incredible pain almost made him dizzy, despite not having hit his head at all. He grimaced but he feared how loud, and it took quite a while to actually even think about moving.
Oh no.. no, no, no! Ohh.. man, this is bad!
Any form of movement hurt, he tried to step it under him but somehow his range of motion felt different, and it was a bit harder to move it at all.
"Let's go see if he's awake." He heard one of the pups say.
Pup treats!
Staggering rather than walking, his injured leg barely gave him any aid, as he hastened into his pup house just in time to close the door. And he held his breath for what came next, while remaining as still as he could despite the remaining discomfort that still registered as pain.
xxxx
"*sigh* just as I thought.." Marshall sighed. "Still in his pup house."
"Should we do something?" Rocky wondered.
Snowflake gently knocked on the pup house door.
"Chase? Are you awake? You haven't eaten or drank much today. Please come out," Snowflake said sincerely.
Only silence returned.
"Maybe he turned in for the night?" Zuma supposed.
"Already?" Rocky wondered. "This early?"
"That'd be Chase for ya." Marshall sighed. "Nothing about him makes sense anymore."
"Should we get Ryder? I'm worried," Snowflake said.
"I agree. We haven't even had dinner!" Ned commented.
"For all the 'good' it'll do, why not?" Marshall replied sarcastically, turning away with the least bit of care. "We can have him come wake him up to eat."
"Oh, come on, Marshall.. we'll figure this out eventually." Rocky encouraged, as they headed back inside.
"Well yeah, but I just wish we could figure it out just a little faster.." Marshall sighed. "For his sake if not ours."
xxxx
As soon as silence fell however, long moments passed before the small pup house door opened and a small brown head peered out. Chase sighed deeply.
That didn't take long. He sighed to himself, then pulled himself back in. Seething at the pain, a thought in the back of his mind began to surface.
What have I done!?
He leaned to his right side, but his leg didn't move right and he grimaced at aggravating it again.
Gotta fix this! He thought desperately. But how?!
Avoiding any sort of movement, difficult as it may be, he couldn't help but vocalize various grunts and groans while trying to find a comfortable way to lay till he could think of a way to fix it. When something finally occurred to him, but then he groaned.
Standing up, he kept his weight off the one paw and prepared for what he had to do.
This is NOT gonna be fun. He groaned internally. Then taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he mentally prepared. Then hardening his gaze, his eyes opened strongly and he lurched back to his right and hit his shoulder against the frame of his pup house as hard as he could.
Success was bitter sweet however when he felt the pop, which sounded like a crack.
"Ahh!" he yelped, sounding somewhere between a shout and a grimace.
xxxx
"You guys hear that?" Chester mentioned; everyone looking up with him.
"Yeah. Sounded like someone's in pain," Snowflake replied.
"Sounded like Chase." Rocky said. "But could it be? What do you think Mar-" the mixed breed looked to where their friend was, but he wasn't there. "Marshall?"
Suddenly they spotted him at the window beside the door, as he peered through it carefully.
Snowflake and Ned went to look through the window too.
"Is it Chase? He's been sleeping this whole time," the husky pup stated.
"What do you think we should do, dudes?" Zuma wondered, now that they were all looking out the window.
"Make sure he's okay. There's no way Chase would make a sound like that when sleeping!" Ned commented.
"Second that!" Marshall said. "Let's go!" then all the pups filed out.
xxxx
Chase grimaced.
Ouh! That's gonna hurt for awhile! He groaned internally.
"Chase?" The voice that addressed him startled him into retreating but he stopped himself in seeing no point.
He faked a yawn and barely stretched, for fear of upsetting his already aching shoulder, and he almost felt like crying, but bit his tongue to swallow his pride.
"Chase, how are you feeling? You've been sleeping a long time. You must be tired of being tired," Ned asked, before turning to the others. "Yes, it rhymes but I'm serious."
"Yes, 'crawling the walls." Chase responded dryly. "What do you want?"
Not too abruptly! He told himself. They'll get suspicious!
"We came to see if you were okay. We heard what sounded like yelling in pain," Snowflake explained.
"What makes you say that?" Chase wondered suspiciously, eyeing them.
"Cool it, bro." Chester cautioned. "We're just wondering."
"Well don't wonder too far." Chase returned dryly still. "You might get lost."
"Is that a deflection?" Chester pried.
"No!" Chase challenged.
"Then come in for supper.." Chester beckoned, nodding towards the Lookout doors. "We're about to get under way."
"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up in a minute.." Chase decided, waving a paw at him loosely.
"The last time you said that it took you forever to join us." Chester quipped.
"Ugh!" Chase groaned, flattening his ears to shake his head. "You have to make it difficult, don't you."
"No more than you." Chester shot back.
"Um.. guys?.." Rubble spoke up. "Fire,.. gasoline,.. got it?" His reminding tone made both of them close their mouths and lower their gazes. But frowning at one another still happened, before Chester turned and walked away.
"Thank you, Rubble!" Ned said.
"You need any of us to help? Before we head inside," Snowflake suggested.
"I'm fine.." Chase answered forwardly. "I can handle it."
And they all just stared at him for a moment.
"Let's go guys," Ned said sadly.
And after a moment's hesitation, even Marshall had to follow the rest of the group back into the Lookout.
"Anyone else not convinced by that?" The Dalmatian wondered suspiciously, as they entered back into the light of the Lookout.
"Not me," Snowflake said, as her brother nodded.
"Yeah,.. that was weird.." Chester thought aloud. "But then again, so what's new?"
"Still,.. if he's hurt we need to know." Rocky said. "He's already been through so much."
"And it's only getting worse." Marshall agreed regrettably. "If we could just catch him off his guard, we could finally back him into a corner to finally make him come clean."
"Want me to haunt him with ghosts and scare the truth out of him? Hehehehehehehehehehe!" Snowflake asked with a grinning, crazy face expression.
"Cool it, sis! I don't think that's a good idea," Ned replied.
"It was just a suggestion," Snowflake remarked.
"Focus!" Ned reinforced.
"Sorry but.. -yeah not a good one.." Marshall shook his head. "Unfortunately, Chase doesn't scare easily.. the best way to get him. Is to catch it first hand."
"He's right." Chester said. "He's a detective at heart.. he knows how not to get caught cause he understands how you can get caught. If you wanna bait him into giving in, beat him at his own game.. and you have to document it for evidence, so he can't give you the runaround. He'll try to pull the sheet over your eyes in any way he can.. and if it's REALLY that important to him, he'll do about anything to keep it that way."
"Got it. Do something he doesn't expect!" Ned responded.
"Exactly." Chester confirmed. "And actually we kinda have a leg up on that with this plan of Snowflake's.. Hopefully she'll have worked all the crazy out of her system by then."
"Yeah, I only get crazy when I get super confused or frustrated," Snowflake said.
"You think?!" Ned retorted.
"Let's get Ryder and have dinner though. I'm STARVIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG!" Snowflake stated as her stomach growled. And they all headed off to find the boy in question.
Happy Halloween!.. X2? Sure, we'll go with that since this IS the continuation of the odd madness of the previous chapter.. And as you guys may have seen.. it was a bit of a Rocky ride, am I right? XD
Anyway.. we hope you enjoyed! As always let us know how we're doing, since your comments are SOOO helpful and fun for us to read! And we'll see you when we get another chapter out! Thx!