Chapter thirty-four: Operation: Trial And Error!
"So Snowflake,.. what's your plan on when you're going to hang out with Chase?" Rocky asked that next morning.
"I plan on having him hang out with me, but we're going to be doing fun, safe, silly activities. I want to be careful though," the husky pup responded.
"Of what?" Skye asked.
"And when are you planning on going?" Rocky reemphasized.
"I'm still thinking through what I'm going to do. I'll probably hang out with him two days from now. But I'll need help," Snowflake answered.
"So what do we do till then?" Rubble wondered.
Stopping suddenly, their gaze all fell upon the blue police pup house at once, with its occupant faced away from them.
"Why am I not surprised?" Marshall sighed dryly, shaking his head after.
"Is he asleep?" Ned asked curiously.
"Good thing Ryder was able to wake him up to eat last night, he's still sleeping!" Marshall noted flatly.
"I wonder why he's still sleeping again?" Rocky thought aloud.
"So his body can heal. I think. Anyways, I'm going to get started. Chester? Zuma? I'm going to need your help," Snowflake replied.
And at this, the two pups in question perked up and met glances from across the group at each other.
"Um.. ok.." Chester said, almost sneaking into a run after the husky.
"Right behind you, dude!" Zuma called, racing after them.
And once they'd left, as if on cue..
"Ah!" Chase shot up, but when he fumbled backwards he crashed back into his pup house flopping the blankets around with a couple thumps and a few 'ouches'.
"Chase?" Marshall addressed his friend, slowly approaching the pup house with slight caution.
Suddenly Chase plopped forward and it made the Dalmatian and his friends jump back. But as he recovered himself, they lowered their guard as well.
Chase sniffled, and rubbed an eye; lifting his head for a very deep yawn where he now sat.
"*yawn* yes Marshall?" Chase yawned.
"Can I help you?" He added rubbing his eyes some more.
"We saw you wake up. Are you doing okay?" Ned remarked.
Then Chase looked up at them, his thoughts gathering.. and remembering a few moments back..
xxxx
Gasp! And all he could do was stand there. A crack one way, a groan another.. the ground beneath him made his paws tingle. Yet he couldn't quite tell why. Something crumbled and he'd look up to see nothing in the pitch black darkness. Each crumble sounded closer than the last. He finally made an attempt to step forward, but nearly fell forward off the drop which seemed to appear in front of him. Even scarier yet, was the feeling of it all around him; as he was now standing on the only ground holding him up from the pit of even darker blackness, if that was even possible.
Suddenly the vibration of cracks started to come at him again.. but this time from below.. and when he dared himself to look he hadn't peered long before the ground beneath him dropped!-
xxxx
Chase blinked as though suddenly receiving a blow to the face, and shook himself out of it.
"Fine.. just tired.." Chase answered abruptly then backed into his pup house, eased under the blankets till only his nose and the edge of his paws showed, and laid there quietly.
Marshall acted like he was gonna say something.. but stopped himself and turned to walk away.. and soon the other pups followed.
But what they may never know.. would be how Chase lifted the blanket so one eye could see them go, just so his eyes could finally glaze over to release some of the ache in his chest in silent pain.
xxxx
Snowflake ran with her two friends close behind. Once the husky pup got to the entrance of the garage, she stopped and faced the two other pups.
"Zuma? Do we have any para-sails or anything similar?" the husky asked.
"Um.. I think we do.." the Chocolate lab wondered thoughtfully. "Why?"
"I want to try something... Wait, change of plans. Go get a skateboard and our rainbow parachute. We're going land wind-boarding!" Snowflake said. She then turned to Chester.
"Is the school open? I was wondering if they would let Chase and I have a play day there?" Snowflake commented.
"Um.. yeah.. it's open for three more days this week." Chester replied, a bit dryly as Zuma turned to leave. "Not including today,.. why?"
"I was thinking Chase and I could hang out there, but I also wanted to get permission for us to be there," Snowflake replied.
"Well luckily we can help you with that." Chester said.. as Zuma soon returned, dragging and the items requested with him. "Between my connections and Ryder's, we got you covered. Anything else?"
"Yes. Get on the skateboard with me," Snowflake said, before she got on the skateboard.
"Um.. I'm not exactly sure we'll all fit." Zuma thought aloud, noting the small size of his ocean waves skateboard.
"Oh. Right. Ummm. Any bigger ones?" Snowflake asked nervously, feeling dumb for not being more specific.
"Oh.. um.. sorry dude.." Zuma apologized, beginning to think. "Hm.. oh! I think we do. I'll be right back!" Then hopping onto his board, he skated off to find what he had in mind.
"Wait Zuma- Ah!" Snowflake said, flying off the skateboard when Zuma got on it and started skating in the opposite direction.
"Ummm. I'm okay?" Snowflake quoted before giving a goofy grin.
"Oops.. sorry!" Zuma called awkwardly, as he kept on going.
"It's okay," Snowflake replied.
"Once we get the skateboard, I'll show you how I'll land-board with Chase!" Snowflake mildly explained.
"Land board?.. like.. ride it around the Lookout?" Chester wondered.
"Not exactly," Snowflake confessed.
"Here it is." Zuma called, his voice fading in. And when they looked up, he screeched to a halt on a skateboard twice his size. "And I brought backup!" The water pup added, then a certain grey mixed breed peered out from behind Zuma on the board they were standing on.
"Hi Rocky. What are you doing here?" Snowflake said, confused why the mixed breed was with Zuma.
"Zuma said you needed the mega-board and a parachute.." the recycling pup answered casually. "So.." he hopped down at about the same time as Zuma. "What're you building?"
"A land board. Everyone hop on and I'll show you," Snowflake said, before grabbing the parachute and hopping onto the front of the skateboard.
Rocky stood back while Chester and Zuma hopped on together.
"Okay. Ready... set... here we go!" Snowflake said before throwing the parachute in front of her, holding the handles.
"Hang on, guys." Rocky said. Then taking up a spot at the back of the skateboard, he began to push them up the incline leading out of the garage entrance.
When they reached the top and began to roll forward. Snowflake tossed the parachute again and it floated up and then down, the large board's wheels caught the material and stopped instantly, tossing all three pups over into a pile on the flat parachute.
"Ah! Sorry. I thought that would work!" Snowflake said, slightly disappointed. Chester stepped back as the skateboard then rolled forward over the parachute before catching on it's handles, and got caught up in the metal between the wheels and board. It started to move with the rolling skateboard... right where Zuma and Snowflake stood!
"Oh pup treats! No!" Snowflake cried before the parachute inflated a bit, covering the two pups in the colorful fabric. The skateboard rolled, then stopped shortly, with the two of them now trapped under the parachute.
"Ahhh! Help! Help! I'm stuck! Get me outta here!" Snowflake screamed, panicking under the parachute.
"Oh no!" Zuma cried. "Hey come on, dude, it's not that bad!" he told his friend calmly.
"Wooph! Glad I didn't get caught in there." Rocky said. "Too close!"
"I never took you for a claustrophobic, Rocky." Chester said.. "But I gotta say I saw that coming somehow.. am I the only one?" Then Rocky and Chester saw the violent waves of the trapped pups beneath the parachute.
"I guess so." Chester supposed.
"Come on.." Rocky said, coming forward to lead Chester in pulling the parachute off their friends. Snowflake seemed almost dazed and confused where she sat, while Zuma was relieved, laying as a pancake and he turned back over his shoulder to smile at them, even while Snowflake could just look over at them in momentary confusion.
"Now, I think I've got an idea that would work better." Rocky began, certainly.
"Thanks. I'm sorry. I want us to go forwards with the parachute as a sail; not get stuck in it!" Snowflake said.
"And lucky for you, I know just how to do that! Wait here.." then taking off the mixed breed left curious faces in his wake.
xxxx
With the cinch attaching to the parachute and the cable hooking to the mast.. the board now sported a bit of a 'windsurfing board on land' vibe to the three observing pups.
"See?" Rocky asked, admiring his work. "This mast bolted to the mega board will help hold up the parachute from this cable." His pincer arm gently plucked the cable connecting them together.
"And this will hold it open for when the wind gusts go up again.. it'll fill the parachute like a sail and propel you forwards. Just like you want it to.. and since it's still connected to the board right here on the front.." He bent down next to the front of the board to look at the large metal ring where two pairs of the zip-tied handles on the parachute were secured from the same point. "You shouldn't have to worry about wiping out like that again.. plus.. you can stop by pulling the cable in order to deflate the parachute."
"Uhh, does Ryder know about this?" Chester wondered. "Cause somehow this doesn't seem quite.. safe."
"Come on, what're you afraid of, Chester dude?" Zuma wondered, much more excited than he. "Looks like fun if you ask me!"
"Not sure I wanna ask you, Zuma." Chester deadpanned with a straight face, even as the two settled into position on the mega board.
"I know it looks... complicated, but at least we have a way to slow down. Besides, what could go wrong?" Snowflake said in a semi-confident tone. She hopped onto the board too.
"So.. what exactly is the point of this again?" Chester asked, adjusting his footing for a firmer base of support.
"To give Chase a ride without injury. He likes going on adventures and being part of rescues, so why not go parasailing on land?" Snowflake answered.
"Ok but-.." he looked up at the apparatus above him, then down at the board beneath him.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea.." he told her, slightly anxious.. "For us or him.."
"Why? We can deflate the parachute if we need to. Besides, I can turn it to go anywhere I want. It's not like I'm taking us across the country or outer space!" Snowflake said enthusiastically.
"I don't know,.. but mark my words,.. This is a really bad idea.." Chester emphasized. "I'm telling ya.. Not sure I'd be ok with this if I were Chase."
"Come on, Chess.." Zuma piped up again. "You know he'd be totally into this kind of thing."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Chester sighed dryly.
"So you don't want him to have a good time? I thought we were trying to cheer him up!" Snowflake replied confused. "You've seen how down he's been. He needs some happiness and excitement!"
"Ouch!" Chester responded in surprise, almost showing surrender. "Easy tiger, of course I want him to have some fun,.. but not at the expense of his neck. His shoulder was bad enough!"
Snowflake was surprised by this.
"It's land parasailing with caution, not jumping off a mountain into a pile of prickly bushes!" the husky stated.
"Hey, I didn't say we can't try it,. I'm just saying,.. I don't think this is a good idea." Chester added, looking at the board again. "Hey can we get this over with? I mean I'm in no hurry to break my neck, but hey.. can we-.." he looked amongst his friends as Zuma and Rocky snickered. "Can we get this show on the road so we can get wherever it is you're wanting to take us? Hopefully we'll get there in one piece."
By now Zuma was rolling on the floor laughing, while Rocky was trying and failing to stop laughing himself.
"What?" Chester asked innocently. "Am I the only one?"
"You sound just like Chase. Though seriously guys, I think Chester just wants us to try parasailing to make sure it's safe. Remember our first attempt?" Snowflake reminded the two laughing pups.
"See.." Chester gestured a paw at her. "I rest my case!"
"Zuma and Rocky? Why are you guys laughing?" Snowflake asked, both in confusion and seriousness.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Ahhh!" the four pups cried, when looking toward the German Shepherd double that suddenly appeared there.
"Ahhh,..ohhh..uh.. Hey bro,.. um.. what's up?" Chester stammered, hopping off the board to stand in front of it and nodding for Zuma to do the same, with Snowflake and Rocky soon joining.
Chase's brow arched.
"Are you alright?" Chase asked, eyeing his brother. "You're practically sweating bullets."
"Uhh.." Chester's eyes cocked over to Snowflake and then subtly gestured to Chase for her to see.
"We're fine. Just thinking of ideas for playing with the big skateboard. Been a while since anyone played with it," Snowflake explained.
"Um.. Ok.. so why are you guys all covering it up?" Chase wondered further. "Is it a surprise?"
"Well,..-"
"Yes, exactly, total mystery." Chester blurted, having covered Zuma's mouth before he could say otherwise. "Still working some things out, don't tell anybody. *it's a secret!*" The whispering scream he gave him at the last part made Chase ease back a little, even while his older brother still held a paw over Zuma's mouth.
"Just carry on,.." Chester smiled cheesily, waving a paw at him to keep going.
"Uhhmm o-kay.." Chase said, turning slowly. And as he turned completely around to leave he shook his head as he kept walking away.
"Phew.." the pups sighed.
"That was close.." Chester sighed. "Now can we go? That was too close!"
"Yes, come on!" Snowflake said, as she jumped onto the big skateboard.
"You guys go on ahead,.." Rocky said. "I'll catch up to you guys in my truck."
"Gotcha, let's go!" Chester called, now that the three of them had jumped back up again.
"Here we go," Snowflake said, as she took a paw off and pushed. The skateboard began rolling forwards.
The wind caught the parachute and it pulled it even faster down the Lookout driveway, Snowflake, Zuma and Chester leaning this way and that to guide the mega board around the bends, and the wind only kept up as they continued to build up speed.
"Oh boy.." Chester remarked nervously.
Hey guys! Here we are again, posting another chapter for ya! Can't wait to hear your thoughts, and thank you to all who already have! And sorry about the wait. We appreciate your thoughts, patience, and praise! Thx!