Chapter fifteen: Caught on Tape
"Sorry pups, I didn't mean to get you all trapped in my blue parachute. Hehe," Snowflake said as she went to get her parachute.
"Oof! No worries." Marshall answered while recovering himself.
"Now can we go get lunch?" Rubble goaded.
"Sure,.." Ryder smiled and they all began to make their way towards the pup treat dispensers.
Chase yawned and stretched out on his back. His eyes started to open and he almost tried to keep them open, which only lasted for a moment.
"So what food options do we have?" Snowflake asked.
"Well, we have some gravy-covered doggie biscuit kibble.." Rubble began. "Or.. some pupperoni sandwiches. Or.. Oo! I know!.. chicken fried pup-pizza!"
"Hmmm. The pupperoni sandwiches sound good," Snowflake commented.
"I'll take the chicken fried pup-pizza," Ned replied.
"Coming right up!" Katie smiled, as she and Ryder disappeared to another part of the Lookout.
Chase yawned again and everyone who heard it looked his way. He shifted onto his side and his eyes blinked open.
"Hey look who's finally starting to come back to us." Chester joked, as they all approached the young German Shepherd.
Chase's eyes blinked a couple more times then clenched closed, rolling onto his stomach so he could then press his eyes into his paws on the ground.
"Is he still loopy?" Ned asked, peering over Chester's shoulder curiously.
Sighing a deep breath, the young police pup held his position.
"You good?" His older brother asked.
"Ahn, define good?" Chase's muffled voice rasped.
"I don't know, functioning? Breathing? Anything other than not living?" Chester listed off randomly.
"Heh heh heh, ok, ok, I'm good, geesh!" Chase giggled rolling onto his side again; exposing his face so he could lay his cheek on his paws.
"At least you're awake. Well, at least compared to last night. Why can't you be a goofball all the time? It's fun!" Ned replied with a smirk.
"*yawn* what?" Chase wondered, lifting a paw to rub his eye.
"Yeah, you were a cheesy pup," Ned answered with a wink.
"Ugh, what are you talking about?" Chase wondered, finally rising from his blankets to stretch.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Fupple Puff." Chester smirked.
"Say what?" Chase asked, turning to him.
"Fuppl-"
"Oh I know what that is.." Chase realized suddenly, his tone decelerating as he said this.
"Since when do you bring that up?" He asked a moment later.
"When you thought you were being eaten by queso. It was a gouda time," Ned teased. "You could say you were a cheesy pup." And all the pups laughed at this. Chase just stared at them.
"Ok, am I missing something?" He wondered in complete confusion.
"Sounds like a lot." Skye giggled even as the other pups smiled and/or giggled.
"Yeah, so about that game.." Chester began again.
"So, when can we have lunch?" Snowflake wondered.
"Just got done." Ryder said, as he and Katie returned with warm plates of food.
"Here you go, pups." He said, smoothly taking a knee to place a plate on the floor.
"Oh, Chase, you're up." He said when looking up and noticing him there. "That's good, how do you feel?"
"Ok I guess." Chase shrugged. "I'll be ok."
"Good.. cause I think it's time we get your energy back up," Ryder smiled standing up again. "Starting with some good healthy food." He added when Katie set some food in front of him.
The pizza steamed with a savory aroma that pulled on his nose the moment the scent registered its amazing smell. Digging in slowly, he began to eat quietly, but with some eagerness. The other pups smiled and accepted their food graciously; everyone beginning to eat until nothing was left.
"Mmmm, that was great!" Rubble mused, laying back with ease.
"Hahh, you said it, Rubble." Chase sighed, laying back down, but they could tell it was not to sleep.
"So good," Ned said happily.
"Thank you," Snowflake said to the two humans. And the two kids nodded or saluted, while they ate their own lunch.
"Pst! Ryder.. I need a favor!" Ned hissed to the boy secretively.
"Ok so what did I miss.." Chase wondered, now that he was more awake. "Cause clearly it was something?.."
"Ryder, can you help transfer my video footage on my pup tag onto the TV?" Ned asked quietly.
"Sure thing.." Ryder smiled, setting aside his food.
"You fell asleep during the story last night after you got your medicine.. And the medicine made you a little goofy." Snowflake told him.
Chase perked up at this.
"Uuhh.. goofy.. how.." he asked, almost not sure he wanted to know.
"Does the Saltan's return ring any bells." Chester quipped.
"Oh no.." Chase groaned, lowering his head to shake it. "That bad?"
"Yes. And you said your goodbyes to the fluffle puffs, because you were drowning in queso," Snowflake recalled.
"I what?!" Chase gasped, beginning to internally panic.
"You said, and I quote 'Ahhhhhh! Help me! I'm drowning in queso! It's too much! Ahhhhh! Goodbye fluffle puffs! It's been a gouda life! Ahhhhh!" Snowflake replied pretending to act dramatic, by rolling and wiggling on her back on the floor.
"I did NOT say that!" Chase asserted, stepping a paw forward like he often does. "Right?.." he followed up, hoping the pups would confirm his hope.
"You did, Chase. I got it all on video. Ryder, can you please show the video?" Ned replied.
"What?! You recorded?!" Chase cried, as Ryder hit play. "No, wait! I don't wanna knoowww-oh no!" Chase covered his eyes, as he heard his own drunken giggle and did what he could to block out the goofy nature that was brought out of him. The other pups laughed as the reminders came back, but Chase just remained, as he was waiting for it to be over.
Oohhhh please don't let me reference Cheezit.. please don't reference Cheezit! He silently begged.
"Keep up, Cheezit!" He heard himself say.
I REFERENCED CHEEZIT! Chase internally wailed. NOOOOOOOO!
He tried to look for one brief moment but couldn't do it for more than a second as he continued to hear their bizarre conversations and the laughter of the group around him.
PLEASE BE OVER SOON! He begged and was relieved when it finally did.
"Heh ha ha ha ha, he he he,.. h..h..h.. yo-you ok Chase?" Marshall tried to say as his laughter began to subside, even as the pups gathered around him.
Chase didn't seem to hear him, until he suddenly popped back up on all four paws; making them all hop back a little.
"Why would you record me like that?!" Chase cried,.. somehow finding Ned right away. "That was humiliating!"
"I'm sorry! I thought you'd like to know what happened when you were asleep. I mean yes, the medicine made you stay asleep most of the time, but even I didn't think you'd be goofy. I just wanted to show you what you missed out on last night. I didn't mean to upset you," Ned retorted, his ears going back a bit.
"Honest Chase," he added.
"*sigh* It's ok." Chase sighed, making him feel a little better. "But please don't show that to anyone else!"
"Please?.." he added softly as though he didn't want them to hear.
"I won't show anyone. I promise... Fupple puff," Ned said.
"Ulck! Can't believe that came up again!" Chase cringed.
"You said it, not us." Chester mentioned, with a developing grin. "And had a strange fascination with cheese for some reason too."
"You're not helping, Chess." Chase groaned.
"Hey, who said I was trying to help?" Chester shot back, smirking.
And Chase just gave him a defeated frown.
"So what're you up to now?" Chase wondered, turning to the group, his frown softening in doing so. "And what was all the noise this morning?.."
"Uh.. what noise?" Marshall wondered back.
"Oh. You mean Skye skydiving with me or my tent trap?" Snowflake retorted.
"The what?" Chase asked.
"Tent trap. I trapped all the pups in mine and Ned's sheet tent. I left you alone Chase," Snowflake explained.
"And trapped me in the blankets!" Ned added. "Also trapped Marshall, Zuma, and Rocky under the blue blanket too. By accident,"
"Oh.. that might be it.." Chase thought. "But then.. why was I running through the woods late at night?"
"You mean you don't remember?" Chester asked.
"I might in a few minutes." Chase shrugged. "Last nights still kinda fuzzy after leaving the lake yesterday."
"You went after Rocky's blanket when a raccoon took it," Snowflake answered.
"I did? Wait?.. raccoon?" Chase went on quizzically.
"Boy, maybe you DO need to go back to bed!" Chester deadpanned. "You sure you didn't hit your head a few too many times?"
"Very funny!" Chase bellowed, shaking off his brother's teasing. "I'll probably get plenty of reminders in the next few days that'll put all the pieces back where they belong.. even if I don't see the playback EVER again!"
"That's why I recorded the fire shenanigans. Plus we can always tell you," Ned replied. He then pressed the tag on his collar which played some of what was recorded.
"Fluffle puffs, come on cheezit," came the loopy recording of Chase's voice.
"Aouh!" Chase groaned, laying a paw over his eyes in disgust, internally screaming as his own drunken voice repeated the lines of last night.
Why did it have to be that? His mind wondered, dryly.
"I love you, cheddar," came another line of Chase's goofy voice.
What?! He internally cried and he knew he almost said it out loud.
Ned smiled after the recording played.
"You really should express your goofy side more, Chase. It's fun!" Ned commented.
"Ahhhh! Not the queso!" came another recorded line from Ned's pup tag.
"Noo-o-o!" Chase groaned, mortified by now.
"Where did this all come from?!" He wondered aloud. "I haven't played that game in years?!"
"From your mind when you got the medicine," Ned replied. "Seriously, you're an awesome goofball."
"Easy for you to say." Chase monotoned, his expression reading as unimpressed.
Ned turned to Ryder and Katie with a smile.
"Ryder? Katie? Can we medicate Chase again? I want to play with goofball Chase."
"No!" Chase cried immediately.
"Cheezit sounds like fun." He continued unimpeded. "Isn't that right, brownie with legs? At least you're not a klondike bar anymore," Ned asked before turning back to Chase.
"Uuuggghhh!" Chase groaned.
"Heh heh, only if he needs it." Ryder smiled. "How you feeling, Chase?"
"Don't ask him that!" Chester interjected. "He's just gonna tell you.."
"I'm fine." Chase asserted, wasting no more time for uncertainty.
"*sigh* 'Called it." Chester sighed.
"Sorry, Ned." Ryder told the husky.
"Awww. It's okay," Ned said, before looking back at Chase.
"Still, you're the one who got goofy. It's your choice; cheezit, queso, klondike bar, o-o-ooor blue ghost," Ned told his friend.
"None of the above!" Chase cried, leaping up in a wildly frantic manner. "Help! Get me out of here, this is a bad dream!" He hollered racing away out the door. "Heeeellllpp meeee!"
And even while everyone else laughed, some among them still wondered a little deeper than the rest.
Snowflake looked at her brother with concern
"Ned, I understand you were amused by goofy Chase, but constantly reminding him of what happened is upsetting him. You need to apologize," Snowflake told the husky pup in a serious voice
"Oh come on! I was just playing around," Ned insisted.
"Yeah, but you upset him to the point where he ran off to get away from you!" Snowflake retorted.
"So?... Oh. Oh boy," Ned said, realizing his mistake.
"I'm sorry pups. I'm sorry Ryder," Ned said to the group.
"Umm, why are you apologizing to us?" Rocky wondered.
"Neeeeeeeeeddd!" Snowflake said in a no-nonsense way. She then went behind her brother and started to push him forward, physically.
"Snowflake? Snow?- Okay! Okay! I'll go apologize!" Ned said before running out the doors.
"Chase? Chase?" Ned called out.
"Anyways, with THAT done, want to go bond Zuma?" Snowflake suggested
"Totally.." the chocolate lab answered. "And I got the perfect way to do that!"
xxxx
"Pretty soon the two pups peered over the side of the boat with anticipation rising and falling like the waves.
"So we just jump into the water and swim?" Snowflake asked, making sure she understood the activity.
"I know,.. 'easier said than done' right?" The water rescue pup quoted humorously. "Well don't worry, it totally is!" He jumped overboard and splashed into the water; eventually coming up with his life jacket helping him to remain afloat.
"Come on! You can do it!" He called playfully.
Snowflake smirked.
"I'm not afraid," she said, before jumping into the water with a splash. She then came up, floating with her own life jacket.
"Awesome!" Zuma gushed. "So now.. what kinds of swim strokes do you know? Can you float without using a life jacket? How 'bout seeing things underwater?"
"Butterfly, dog paddle, and normal strokes. Yes, I can go underwater and float," the husky pup said before taking her life jacket off. She then laid back before floating on her back.
"Me too!" Zuma gasped.
"Paddle battle to a buoy line?" He challenged smoothly.
"Yes!" Snowflake said in agreement.
"Sweet." Zuma swagged. "Ok, on you bark.." they both faced outward, side by side, as something retracted out of Zuma's pup-pack.
"Get set.." he barked and the buoy line shot from his pup-pack's cannon landing far out in front of them.
"Arf! Go!" He called, and the two pups began to paddle. One pup would get ahead then the other, then back again. The neck in neck battle continued till one chocolate colored pup pulled ahead and touched the buoy just seconds ahead of the husky.
"Wah-hoo, yeah!" Zuma cheered.
"Wow. That was closer than I thought! I expected you to be ahead of me," Snowflake commented.
"Not against a strong swimmer like you dude!" Zuma smiled. "Now if I'd have had my jets going,.. that would be different."
"Agreed," the husky pup said.
"So Snowflake?" Zuma spoke up again, adopting a mischievous grin. "Ready to dive in?"
"Yes. Why?" Snowflake asked, seeing the look on his face.
"You're not going to drown me, are you? Wait... Are you medicated?!" Snowflake exclaimed feeling uneasy. "Were ALL the pups secretly medicated? Were they going to take over Adventure Bay forever?!"
"No.. wait, chill, dude!" Zuma gasped, slightly amused by this. "I just mean are you ready to scuba dive?"
"Yes- wait, I don't think I have any scuba gear," Snowflake realized.
"Thanks to Ryder you do!" Zuma smiled. That's why we had you suit up before we left! Your pup pack has all the gear you need to dive in!.. Properly, of course."
"Okay. Ruff! Scuba gear!" Snowflake said before the scuba nozzle and other equipment appeared. She was ready to dive.
"Awesome! Ruff ruff! Scuba!" As soon as his gear activated, they both dove together.
Rocks pointed up from the sandy floor like some kind of weird fingers, all pointing up in a very numerous and random fashion.
"Woah cool." Zuma gurgled. "I know I've made a ton of rescues out here.. but I don't think I've ever taken the time to enjoy it down here.. or even to explore for that matter."
"Yeah. I like swimming, but hardly been underwater like this," Snowflake said as she looked around.
Fish swam by and even wandered near the pups in curiosity, but darted away once they got too close for comfort.
"Oh hey, look!" Zuma realized, swimming down further to the sand-covered floor. "This is where I once rescued the diving bell for Capt'n Turbot and Francois."
Snowflake looked at the spot Zuma was talking about. She was both interested and confused.
"A diving bell? I thought bells didn't work underwater?" the husky pup commented.
"This one sure does." Zuma smiled, even as he swam in between the rocks. "Once,.. Marshall and Chase took a ride in it with the Capt'n to find Skye and me.. as merpups."
"So a real bell that goes underwater? And merpups?" Snowflake asked, still confused.
"What? No!" Zuma shook his head, swimming up toward her a little more. "The diving bell is a big sub that's shaped like an orange ball with propellers, which Capt'n Turbot uses to dive underwater. But yeah, Merpups showed up near the beach off of Adventure Bay's coasts and lured us out to sea on my paddle board. And when she finally came up to see us, she turned Skye and me into Merpups to help rescue her little pup stuck in an abandoned shipwreck."
"Nice. Do you see them a lot?" Snowflake asked curiously.
"Well they only come out to play during the magical mer-moon." Zuma admitted regrettably. "Which only happens every so often."
"Awwww. Well, what else can we do while under water?" Snowflake retorted.
"Ar ar!"
Zuma perked up with hearing that sound.
"Hey! Do you hear that?" He asked, swimming forward again, so that Snowflake was now behind him.
"Yes. I heard that," Snowflake answered, also looking up.
Zuma looked down when shadows went dancing over top of them, and then he looked up again. Three similar shapes circled overhead, much closer to the bright surface than they were, then began to descend toward them.
Snowflake got nervous.
"Zuma?! What's going on?" Snowflake said, not knowing what was approaching them.
Wah-hoo! Fun under the sea! Something I'm not used to doing.. maybe this'll be the thing that gets me in the door to other concepts 'under the sea'! XD
Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and we'll keep on rolling with what comes next! Thx!