Chapter forty: Getting Started
Snowflake yawned before she stretched and woke up. She slowly went to get a drink of water and some food, before looking around The Lookout.
Was anybody else awake?
After noticing nobody around, Snowflake quietly walked over to Chase's pup house. The German Shepherd lay asleep in front of her blissfully.
'I think we should start bonding. Early is better than late. I know I shouldn't do this, but Chase HAS been a sloth; both sleeping, and behavior. Plus I've always wanted to do this!' Snowflake thought to herself. The husky pup reached out and gently touched Chase's nose. After noticing no reply, she did it again but slightly harder.
"Boop!" Snowflake said. Suddenly, she was in a playful mood. She kept bonking Chase's nose gently.
"Boop boop. Beep beep. Honk honk!" Snowflake said quietly as she enjoyed the moment.
The smaller series of taps was enough to stir him and he softly groaned, shifting over on his left side a little more.
"Beeeeeeeep. Boooooooooop," Snowflake said as she pawed his nose, pressing it like a button.
Chase groaned louder and shifted even more. He shifted back then forward on his side and shifted to the other. But with how he lay on his left side, shifting onto his right was restricted. And as he leaned over to that side, his shoulder contacted the edge of his pup house in just the right way. And as a result Snowflake saw him noticeably flinch as though suddenly startled by something. And watched him roll back over onto his left side again to keep sleeping with a paw now draping over his eyes.
"Shoulder bothering you again?" Snowflake whispered softly.
Chase didn't answer, nor did he seem to hear her. As he just kept right on snoozing, with his soft vocal breathes sounding slightly strained by his paws around his face.
Snowflake moved closer so her face was next to Chase's ear.
"Ryder's making coconut, pineapple and pickle smoothies for breakfast. You want one?" Snowflake whispered.
Chase's ears just twitched, but he otherwise remained as he was.
Snowflake groaned before getting closer. She lifted his paw to check his pulse.
"Still alive, just sleeping." Snowflake said to herself. Then, a smile grew as she licked his paw.
Chase stirred, letting his top paw slide off his face and he tucked it under his head with the other one.
"Chase? Chase?!" Snowflake cried, beginning to shake him, but when he shifted onto his stomach she found there was only one thing left for her to do.
This'll get him up. She thought.
Then leaning down, she imagined herself waking her friends or owner, and began licking Chase's face.
The pup's face tensed and he stirred. Groaning and grunting louder, he finally stretched and released a deep yawn. And Snowflake kept licking him a couple more times.
Chase's yawn and stretch turned out to be enough for him to slowly blink his eyes open. And upon lifting them, they found some big, observing eyes.
"Ummm.. hi?" he greeted awkwardly.
"Hi Chase, ready to get started?" Snowflake said, after she stopped licking him and smiled.
"Started?" Chase yawned. "*yawn* started with what?"
"Our bonding time." Snowflake said calmly.
"Our what time?" Chase yawned again, letting his head plop back down onto his paws again, a dazed looked in his eyes.
"Our bonding time." Snowflake repeated.
"Ok, but.. does it have to start this early?" He wondered lightly.
"Yes, you know what they say,.. the early pup gets the bone." Snowflake replied.
"Ugh! Who would want worms!" Chase groaned, "That doesn't sound like a good breakfast."
"I said, bone not worm!" Snowflake gasped. "Eww! Anyways, bonding time. Come on."
"You said it, not me." Chase sighed. "Do we really have to start this now?"
"Yes, after breakfast! Come on," Snowflake said, before heading into The Lookout.
Chase just groaned, then trying to get up he winced at the difficulty he found it was to move on the right side. And as he followed Snowflake, he couldn't help thinking in the back of his mind,..
How am I gonna manage this?!
Soon Snowflake went inside The Lookout and looked at the clock.
"Eight thirty am," Snowflake said out loud.
"Yeah,.. too early," Chase grumped, stumbling after her.
"That's saying something." Marshall remarked, as he and the other pups approached through the door having come from their pup houses themselves. "You're usually bright eyed and bushy tailed, around now or before now.. on most days."
"Still, we should have breakfast before we start bonding. Is Ryder up yet?" the husky pup retorted.
"I thought I saw him in the garage." Rocky thought. "Let's go see." Then he led the way toward the lower doors below the Lookout itself.
And once they'd reached the doors, they found it to be cracked open. Rocky, at the front of the group, glanced back at them briefly, as he then pulled the door aside, uncertain of what they'd find on the other side of it. And as soon as the boy realized the door moved, he looked up and smiled.
"Oh, good morning, pups." Ryder greeted, thoughtfully. Leaving his vehicle, by setting the wrench he had on top of it, and approached them with his usual broad smile.
"Good morning Ryder. You're working on your vehicle this early?" Ned asked curiously.
"Anyways, we were wondering if we could have breakfast?" Snowflake added.
"Of course," said Ryder. "Let's go!" Then leading the way, he exited through the garage doors and up around the incline. But when they entered the Lookout, they began to notice something.
"Hey,.. where's Chase?" Rocky wondered. "Wasn't he right behind us?"
"Ugh! He didn't go back to bed did he?" Chester wondered dryly.
"Wouldn't surprise me." Marshall sighed, but he soon ate his words when the elevator rose up with Chase in it.
"Chase? Where did you go?" Snowflake asked curiously.
"Why waste the energy of walking all the way around from the garage, when you could just jump into the elevator that would take you right up to where you want to be." Chase replied simply. Then strode past them, while Snowflake and the other pups blinked thoughtfully.
"He's.. right. Why didn't we do that?" Snowflake said, shocked they didn't go with the simplest solution.
"True but.. isn't that a little.. unlike him? To go the easiest way?" Marshall wondered slowly.
And the others began to think a little and some of them even nodded their understanding or agreement.
"Hey yeah," Zuma realized, "he usually doesn't care about the 'easy way'."
"He's right,.." Chester confirmed. "Chase is practical, but he doesn't care that much about that in every area."
"I wonder why he would care now?" Skye said.
"I can hear you, ya know." Chase mentioned, poking his head around the frame of the Lookout's front door. "Now are we gonna do this or not?"
"Chase is right, time for breakfast! Or my bond time with Chase will be slow," Snowflake agreed.
"The what?" Chase wondered, as they finally caught up to him and he turned to instantly fall in step with them as they all walked side-by-side together.
"Our bonding time,.. after breakfast," Snowflake replied
"Ryder, what's for breakfast?" Ned asked.
"Well I just got some honey," Ryder ventured. "And we have a lot of pup treats laying around.."
"Great idea, Ryder!" Rubble announced. "Pup treats and honey! My favorite!"
"Rubble,.. Everything involved with food is your favorite." Skye sighed humorously, making everyone laugh.
"Really? What about a coconut, pineapple and pickle smoothie?" Snowflake asked Rubble curiously.
"Hm.. maybe.. Never tried it before." Rubble mused thoughtfully. Everyone else cringed in disgust.
"Ick!" they hissed distastefully.
"That actually sounds awesome!" Zuma remarked, then licked his lips with an 'mmm'.
"Coconuts.." he hummed dreamily.
"Pup treats and honey sounds good!" Ned commented.
"Coming right up!" Ryder smiled, then wandered off to prepare the meal.
xxxx
Pretty soon, the Lookout doors opened again.
"Ok, Chase let's get going." Snowflake announced, proudly leading the way. "We've got a lot to do and not a lot of time."
"A lot to do?" Chase echoed. "What're you talking about?"
"Well,.. Snowflake has been taking time to hang out with each of us on our own.." Rocky reasoned.
"Wait what? So that's why she went off with just one or a few of you at a time?" Chase wondered.
"Where have you been!?" Chester sighed dryly. "Why else would we each hang out with just her when we have more fun with all of us together."
"You mean, get into more trouble." Chase grumbled, just as dryly.
"In my sister's defense, she was hanging out and being nice." Ned put in. "I was the one causing spooky trouble."
"We know, Ned." Chase emphasized, shaking his head.
"All too well.." Skye shook her head dryly as well. And they looked at Marshall and Rubble, who nodded innocently with varying levels of restraint.
"Let's go, Chase." Snowflake said, walking forward.
Chase followed quietly with semi-interest.
Snowflake walked over to her vehicle where a rope and harness waited, with a parachute laying attached to it.
"What're we gonna do?" He asked curiously.
"Parasailing,.. on land." Snowflake announced enthusiastically.
"With this?" He wondered, pointing to the contraption.
"Yes,.. strap in, Chase." Snowflake suggested.
Soon the harness was secured.
"Ok, now what?" Chase asked, standing on all four paws again.
Snowflake hopped into her vehicle and started the engine.
"Enjoy the ride!" Snowflake called loudly, then began to roll forward.
"Ok, but how do I.."
"Go, Chase, Go!" Zuma called excitedly, making Chase take off running forward and jump as the vehicle built up speed and the parasail caught wind and began to rise.
"Hooray!" The pups all howled, at Chase's success. But still one among the group didn't seem too convinced of something.
"Don't you think that was a little bit of a rough start?" Marshall wondered, his brows furrowed.
"It looked fine,.." Chester replied, every pup turning to him. "Given the circumstances."
"Yeah but,.. didn't that look just a little bit difficult?" The Dalmatian continued.. "maybe even painful?"
"Dude,.. you worry too much." Chester shook his head practically. "Relax.. let Snowflake do her thing.. Let's not make this into some crazy freak-out moment. Remember,.. we gotta keep our heads on straight if we're to help Chase get through-.. I mean out of this; better choice of words." And this last statement was kinda mumbled to himself.
"Let's just see what Snowflake's plan does for him, and then we can worry.." Rocky suggested. "..if we need to."
"Anyways, what else can we talk about?" Ned asked, and all the pups looked at him with varying smiles. Then all of them ran off into the yard together.
xxxx
Chase held a tenuous grip on the handlebar secured in front of him and gazed down at the speeding vehicle under him. The safe pace Snowflake had set for them was enough to keep him soaring in the air. The harness shifted slightly and he internally groaned.
Oh boy,.. He thought. This is going to be a long day!
"So..uh.." He finally spoke up, having to shout for her to hear him. "Where are we going exactly?!"
"The school. To have fun! Trust me!" Snowflake said happily, as she drove her vehicle. She was careful on turns so Chase wouldn't get whipped around.
"Ok but,.. right now?" Chase called. "Aren't they a little busy by now? Like,.. you know.. doing school stuff?"
"No. It would be recess time. So free time," Snowflake replied.
Gazing up from Snowflake to look ahead, he could see the school, and the business of recess just as she said.
xxxx
Snowflake kept driving until she started slowing down.
Chase was startled when the parasail jerked slightly and started to lower. And reaching his paws out, he began to notice the ominously approaching ground. But when his paws finally did touch the ground, his forward momentum sent him tumbling over. And the parasail, catching on his harness, dragged with him as he finally landed in a scrunched ball within the light, airy fabric.
Uuuggghh! his body and mind groaned.
Snowflake stopped, then turned around. She jumped out of her vehicle and ran to him.
"So Chase, what did you- Ahahaha! You look like a parachute ghost. Wait, Chase are you okay? Are you hurt?" Snowflake said, before checking in on her friend. She hoped he wasn't hurt, or their bonding day would be ruined.
"Ih–I..mean yes.." Chase recovered quickly. And simply sitting up from where he lay, a part of the parasail loosened so that he could gently thread himself through the opening and out of the deflated parasail.
"Thank goodness. I was afraid something bad happened. Hehe. I wish I had landed with you; it looked like fun! Maybe when we go back I can parasail?" Snowflake replied, before carefully folding the parachute.
"Didn't you do that before?" Chase wondered. "Wasn't that part of what you were doing with the pups the other day?"
"Yes, but that was before I decided THIS type of parasailing was safer. The first idea.. failed horribly. Wait, how did you figure that out?" Snowflake replied after folding the parachute and putting it in her vehicle.
"Um,.. I watched you guys fly away on that skateboard contraption,.." Chase replied simply. "And again when you returned, if I remember correctly."
"Come on, let's go in the school!" Snowflake suggested brightly.
"Um.. ok but.. what about all these kids out here?" Chase wondered, as they walked through the bustling crowd of kids in the schoolyard.
"Hmmm,.." Snowflake wondered, glancing around a bit then spotted some familiar faces in the group. There, standing together talking, was Aaron and Alex, and she walked over to them; Chase following close behind.
"Hi Aaron, hi Alex." Snowflake greeted.
"Hey Snowflake." The two boys smiled back, as they watched her approach end by their side.
"Alright, so.. what are we doing here again?" Chase wondered again.
"Still haven't told him, have you?" Aaron laughed.
"Of course not! She's the master secreteer!" said another boy and many children among her laughed with them. Chase just rolled his eyes dryly, and groaned lightly.
"I was thinking we could play inside today." Snowflake suggested. "It's getting kind of cold."
"Ugh! Agreed!" Chase groaned, shuttering briefly. "I'm stiff as a board just standing here! Let's get inside."
Leaning in, Snowflake whispered in his ear.
"You might wanna run," she said. "Go to the gym once we get inside."
"Why?" Chase wondered. And then a thought came to him..
"Is this a trick?" he wondered suspiciously.
"Why would it be a trick?" Aaron asked. "She's your friend,.. she only wants to help. She wants you to feel better." And Chase's expression shifted slightly, but remained confused.
"You'll see!" the husky whispered back, then they all headed inside.
"Is this because I said I was cold?" He wondered, as they wandered down the quiet halls with the kids all flocking after them.
"Sorta." Snowflake responded. Then she stopped as soon as Chase did, as he stared at the open door in front of him.
Hey guys, we're back and ironically enough I think the continuation from where we currently are from a writing standpoint, might actually line up with the holidays. But we'll just have to see how it all lands.. ;D
With that in mind though we hope you enjoy this new chapter and we'll see you next time! Thx!