"Just like that, we were let into the Canine Valley..." Marshall spoke as he helped Rocky and Everest pack up their camp, "Despite being what they call Domestics, the skills we've learned while on the PAW Patrol really came in handy and helped us calm the bear called Forest Fury!"

"I don't know exactly how long we plan on staying here, but I think we've made great progress when it comes to making sure that the dogs in the valley don't starve. We're just one step closer, but maybe after this we can finally return to the lookout."

Everest, who had been packing the tent into its bag, looked over at the Dalmatian, "Who are you talking to?"

"I uhh..." The former firefighter looked back at her, "I don't know..."

Rocky raised an eyebrow, "How hard did that bear smack you?"

"I'm good, don't worry!"

Just like Marshall had unconsciously narrated, after unexpectedly clearing the Valley Trial of dealing with the rampaging bear only known as Forest Fury, Elder stuck to his word and allowed them to come into the valley. The trio were packing up their tent in preparation to drive the snowcat past the front gate. It would be safer in the valley than it would be spending more nights in a tent alone in the woods.

"Is that everything?" Marshall looked at his friends, eager to finally go into the valley with them.

Rocky nodded, "The tent was all we really needed to pack up, since most of our bags are unopened. Let's go. The sun should be coming down soon."

Marshall looked up at the sky. He was immediately confused by what his mixed breed friend told him. Covering the sky was a blanket of clouds that blocked out the sun.

"How do you know?"

"Just a hunch."

Now that he was thinking about it, the sky looked pretty familiar to him. The sky looked exactly the same as it did the day he left the lookout. It seemed like it had been forever ago, but the memory was fresh in his mind, almost as though it had happened the previous day. With how much it was on his mind, it might as well have happened the previous day.

He wondered if they were looking at the sky, thinking of that day too. Did they regret accusing Marshall? Had the PAW Patrol already decided that Marshall was innocent and were looking around for him? He shook his head. It didn't matter. His top priority wasn't on himself any longer. At this point, he needed to focus and do what he and his friends were trained to do. Provide a helping paw to those who need it.

Once he finally took his eyes off of the sky, he noticed that Everest's snowcat was pulled up next to him, "Need a ride?"

The Dalmatian chuckled, climbing into the vehicle, "Always!" He then looked at the open gate to the small hound populated village, "Let's go see Hood."

"Hood?" Both Rocky and Everest looked at Marshall, befuddled.

The former EMT pup seemed just as confused as they were, "What? Is something wrong with that plan?"

"Well, Marshall..." Everest looked away, her voice trailing off as she struggled to find the words, "...It's just that... The thing is..."

Rocky rolled his eyes, deciding to get to the point, "We don't trust that guy."

"I know things have been a little tense, but—"

"My bad. It's not just that we don't trust him, we don't like him either," The ex-eco pup's eyelids lowered in irritation.

Marshall smiled awkwardly, "I get that there was some tension between us for a while while we were trying to track him down, but right now, we're trying to help the valley. I thought we put all of that on hold."

"He attacked us!" Rocky exclaimed.

"He tore my hat!" Everest added.

The mixed breed nodded, "Worst of all, he beat you up, after he was the reason why you got kicked from the PAW Patrol."

"But Hood convinced that large dog to give us the trial... Without him, we wouldn't be allowed in the valley at all!" The Dally exclaimed, "On top of that, he got us to the valley with the snowcat."

Rocky's eyebrows furrowed. He should have known that Marshall would act like this. He was forgiving. Way too forgiving for his own good at times. He was ashamed, remembering that had he been in Marshall's paws, he wouldn't be as forgiving and helpful as Marshall was that night Hood explained everything to them.

He could picture himself learning why Hood was stealing from them in the first place, and while he'd want to help the dogs of the valley as well, he would make sure that he had the evidence that he needed before proceeding just in case he ever decided that he wanted to go back to the lookout. Marshall, meanwhile, didn't seem to want it at the moment. He was focused on helping, and that's all that seemed to be on his mind.

"Why are you trying to defend him?" Everest kept driving forward, "He did so much to you... You lost so much..."

The Husky sighed. She couldn't help but to keep remembering the day she found out that Marshall was innocent for sure. Everest was hellbent on arguing with Rocky until he told her what they were talking about in private so she could get to the bottom of what was going on for herself. She was so headstrong about it that she didn't even notice that they were all being watched.

Her ears fell, resting on the new hat Jake had given her. From time to time she wondered what would've happened had she never seen Hood to begin with. Would she still be with Jake, believing that Marshall and Rocky were hiding something from her? Instead of comforting Marshall, would she have been comforting Chase and Skye instead?

"It's because we're not enemies... Not right now at least..." Marshall looked forward, "Out of all of the dogs we've met in this place, he's been the only one taking action to ensure that the dogs here have food to eat. He wants the same thing we do."

"He has a pretty sound point..." Rocky nodded, "It's not like we're on the PAW Patrol anymore. There isn't a large number of reserve pups on standby to help. There are just three of us. No other paws on deck. We need all the help we can get. Even if it's... Him..."

Everest, now outnumbered in this discussion, sighed and nodded, "Fine. Let's go to his place."

Marshall listened to the sound of the snowcat's wheels rolling over rocks, the soft crackle filling the silent air of their surroundings. The Dalmatian leaned himself against the right side of the seating area, his right foreleg hanging out. He scanned the area, noticing that not many dogs were out, and those that were appeared to be scrambling around. That didn't stop the various wild dogs from stopping in their tracks and bearing their teeth upon seeing the three pups slowly drive past.

The Dalmatian smiled nervously. He was sure that Elder relayed the news of them being let in after the trial. At least, he thought he did. Maybe that's why the dogs weren't saying anything to them this time around. While they weren't actively yelling at them and shielding the little pups from even looking at them, the dirty glares and faint growls were enough for Marshall to get the message.

He took his eyes off of the residents of the shabby village, looking at Rocky, "The last time you guys were in here was that night, wasn't it?"

"The one where we talked with Hood?" The inventive pup raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, it was... But something about this place has been bugging me..."

"What is it?" Marshall inquired.

"While you and Hood went into the valley, I left Everest for a bit to look at the wall," Rocky began, "Just as I thought, it's being constructed with the same type of wood they use for houses... But they aren't making this wood. They're reusing it. But from what? And who's the one who has been building this wall? Or the houses?"

The Dalmatian looked around the area once more. Just like Rocky had observed, he noticed that the small houses for dog families were in fact, constructed with the exact same kind of wood that the wall was being put together with.

"You're right. There has to be someone putting all of this together..." Marshall turned back around, "But wild dogs don't really know how to build, do they?"

"None from the forest."

"Well we have more than enough time to figure it out!" The former firefighter reassured his friend.

Rocky smiled, "There's that blind optimism of yours. I was wondering when it would get back."

"Is that Hood's place?" Everest suddenly asked, her eyes focused on a particular tiny home.

Marshall followed her gaze, looking at the small house in front of them. While they had been to Hood's house before, it had been late at night days prior. On top of their exhaustion from being up until the early hours of the morning, visibility was low. The memory was hazy for not only Marshall, but for all three of them.

The Dalmatian jumped out of the snowcat, sniffing the grass leading to the small house. It was a skill that he learned to refine during his time spent on the PAW Patrol, and learning from Chase. He had a good nose for smoke and any scents caused by fire, but he learned to track scents if they were left in the past day or so.

He kept sniffing, closing in on the small house. That was until he bumped into something.

"...What are you doing?"

Marshall slowly looked up at what he bumped into, his eyes meeting the unamused eyes of the only other Dalmatian he knew, "...Uhh... Hey Hood! Whatcha up to?"

"Well I woke up from a nap and it smelled like rain, so I'm going to find some branches."

"Smelled like rain?" The Dally's face contorted with confusion.

"Everest, let's set up the tent now!" Rocky immediately began to panic, jumping out of the snowcat, "We don't have time to talk! Park the snowcat!"

"What's his deal?" Hood looked at the frantic mixed breed scramble around as Everest parked her snowcat.

Marshall chuckled a bit while he watched, "Water isn't really Rocky's favorite thing in the world."

Everest soon parked the snowcat and switched it to its pup house form, letting Rocky handle the rest. She walked over to join the two Dalmatians.

"So why are you collecting branches for rain?" The Husky pup stopped to sit on her haunches beside Marshall.

"Well, we might have these little houses with roofs, but the roofs aren't waterproof..." Hood looked at the little building in front of them, "So we collect branches to do our best to minimize the water that gets in."

Marshall perked up, realizing that the reason all of the dogs he saw were hurrying around for the same reason. Did they have to do this every time it was about to rain?

"Oh..." Everest's eyes looked down at the grass before she looked back up at Hood, "Don't worry. Rocky, Marshall and I—"

"No I won't!"

The former mountain pup paused upon hearing the sudden shout from Rocky, "...Marshall and I will help!"

"Really?"

Marshall nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we said we'd help the dogs of the valley, and we meant it."

Hood nodded, "Alright, let's get started then."

While the three split up, dispersing in different directions, Rocky remained with Everest's pup house, which was sitting beside Hood's small house. He quickly pulled out the tent they had set up when they weren't allowed into the valley's interior, but decided that he wouldn't use it the same way he had back then.

He looked up, realizing that Hood's small crudely constructed house was in front of a large tree. By the looks of it, the tree must've been there for longer than any of the dogs had been. It probably outlived all of the humans he knew by a substantial margin. The mixed breed took a few steps back, studying the tree. It wasn't just that the tree was tall, but it was also wide, giving enough space for both Everest's snowcat and Hood's home to sit in front of it.

Curious, Rocky circled around the large tree before finding a nice spot on the side of it. It wasn't parallel to Everest's snowcat, but it still would be sitting in front of the same tree to the vehicle's right, with Hood's small house on the left. Nodding to himself, he quickly set up the tent. Good thing he had decided to be a forest scout with Skye and Mayor Goodway, as setting up a tent was muscle memory at that point.

Thinking back on it, he was glad that he decided to camp with Skye and Mayor Goodway. While he was a part of the team, he spent most of his time around Ryder and Zuma. Skye, alternatively, liked to associate with Everest and Chase from time to time. Camping with just her and Mayor Goodway was... Well... A "good-way" to get to know both his team mate and the mayor of Adventure Bay better.

Rocky chuckled to himself. Puns were definitely not his strong suit, but he'd have to keep that one in mind.

Everest's eyes scanned around as she wandered just outside of the valley's walls. It was useless trying to find any discarded branches within the wall, as most dogs would claim they saw it first, and since she wasn't trying to stir anything up, she'd just have to back off. Surely there were a few branches that she could find.

She quickly glanced up at the sky above her. Hood was right. The clouds above her were growing darker by the minute, and she assumed that the rain would be quick to follow. Worriedly turning her attention back to the ground, the Husky quickly noticed a branch sitting on the ground nearby.

The branch in question was large, with fresh leaves still attached to it. It was perfect for covering a small home like Hood's. Mission accomplished. Everest hurried over, her teeth quickly clamping down on the end of the branch as she began to pull.

"Okay, now all I have to do is to pull it over. Hopefully before—"

Her train of thought was immediately derailed upon feeling the branch tog back against the grip of her mouth. She grunted with surprise. Had it gotten caught on something on the ground? Everest let the branch go in order to investigate it. Upon a first glance, everything looked normal. There was nothing on the ground to catch the branch and stop it from being pulled.

But it seemed like there was something tugging it in the other direction.

The Husky's face contorted with confusion, watching the branch slowly slide away from her. Her confusion was only multiplied once she heard faint, but heavy breathing coming out from under the branch.

"Ummm... Hello?" Everest greeted, hoping that nobody was around to question why she was speaking to a branch.

"I've been discovered!" A high-pitched voice came from under the branch, "Quick, gotta come up with an escape plan!"

"Um... Was that supposed to be out lou—"

The branch suddenly launched upwards to reveal yet another pup, who smiled ever so confidently as she got into what Everest knew was a playful bow.

"You'll never get this branch!" The pup dramatically announced, "I'd rather die than hand over my hard work!"

Everest paused, silence falling between both her and the little pup, who was still in her readied position. The Husky's mouth slowly fell agape. For once, she didn't need Rocky or Hood to tell her what breed the pup in front of her was. She had seen it many times in the magazines shown to her by Skye. Her eyes began to sparkle.

"Shiba Inu!" The Husky squealed, her paws moving up to press on her own cheeks.

The pup seemed confused, "Uh... It seems as though my opponent is frozen in... Fear at the mere sight and knowledge of my breed!"

"You're so... So..." Everest struggled to find her words.

"But I understood why... Not many know how to act when facing the true terror of—" The Shiba tried to continue.

"CUTE!"

"What a twist!" The dramatic pup exclaimed, "It seems as though my opponent is disoriented and confused? Is this some new mind control magic I've gained overnight? No... It has to be something else... Another explanation as to— wait a minute!"

"Huh?" Everest snapped out of her trance.

"I'm not cute!" The Shiba protested, "I'm fearful! Wait... Fearless! No, that doesn't work for this... I'm a tough pup!"

The Husky smiled and chucked in a nervous manner, akin to how Marshall usually would, "Right, right, sorry."

Before either of them could say—or narrate, in the Shiba's case— anything else, they both heard the sound of thunder echoing through the forest. Everest's ears perked up and she looked in the direction of where it came from on instinct. It was never a good sign hearing thunder. They were lucky that they were even given a warning at all that rain was soon to come.

The Husky looked back over at the Shiba, who had already gotten herself under the branch she had been carrying.

"Looks like it's gonna be a storm..." Everest told the only other soul around.

The Shiba nodded nervously, "Y-Yeah! A storm... Yay storms..."

The Husky smiled faintly. She was used to dealing with pups younger than her. It was everyday life back when she was on the PAW Patrol. She knew that awkward stutter better than any.

"How about I help you carry that branch to wherever you need it to go?" Everest offered.

"Another twist?' The Shiba's eyes widened, "My branch opponent offers a helping paw, will I take it?"

The Husky giggled, "It's either we join forces, or we both get soaked, and so does your home."

The younger pup looked up at the sky above them. The clouds were way darker than before, and so was the sky. The Husky had a good point. Her mother had tasked her with the utmost important duty. Branch collecting. She had already completed the first half, but time was waning. If she didn't complete the second half of her task, she'd surely be in for the harshest of scoldings.

"Okay, us branch rivals will join forces if it means I get there faster!" She decided, "I decided I would take the helping paw. After all, she did humbly apologize for nearly stealing my branch."

With one end of the large branch in the Shiba Inu's mouth, and the other end firmly gripped between Everest's teeth, the two proceeded onwards, moving a lot faster than either of them would have on their own.

Just as the rain began to trickle down, the younger pup let go of the branch and grinned, "And there we were. We made it just in time."

"This pup really has a love for narration..." Everest smiled at her, "Well that's my job done."

"Job?" The Shiba tilted her head confusedly.

"Well you see, I'm a pup who loves helping others!" The Husky explained, "Whether it be rescuing someone from a cliff or saving someone stuck under a tree, me and my friends will do whatever it takes in order to make sure everyone's doing alright!"

"That's pretty noble. What's your name?"

"Everest, how about you?"

"Anya," She answered with a smile, looking up at the Husky, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Anya!" The former mountain pup grinned, "Now I better get going before the rain gets any worse..."

Everest turned around to leave a blissful smile on her face. She soon stopped once she heard something from behind her.

"As I watched the stranger, now identified as Everest, leave, I wondered to myself... Have I made a new friend?" Anya narrated, "She had been a big help in completing my task for mother, so I suppose that—"

The Husky cut her narration short, "Yeah, we're friends now. Nothing wrong with that."

The Shiba blushed, embarrassed, "Did I say that part out loud?"

"You said every bit of it out loud!" Everest laughed, "Next time you want to narrate, keep it up here, okay?" She suggested, pointing at her own head.

"With that, Everest left. She gave me a crucial piece of advice for further interactions with other dogs before departing off to the friends she mentioned. I, meanwhile, finally brought the branch to my mother, and all was well. I walked over to my bed after a long day of twists, surprises, and unexpected friendships, ready to finally turn in for the—"

The sound of thunder boomed through the Canine Valley, making Anya jump in surprise.

"...But something did bother me though. I've never seen a pup like her around the valley before, which is impossible. I've seen almost every pup and dog in this place. Is she new? Maybe I should ask her tomorrow. She is my new friend, after all."

Everest quickly ran toward her pup house, but stopped once she saw Marshall, Rocky and Hood staring at her from inside Hood's little house, branches laid out on top of the roof.

"What happened to helping?" Hood raised an eyebrow.

The Husky chuckled awkwardly, quickly having realized that she forgot about telling Hood that she and Marshall would help him with collecting branches for his home. She had only remembered once she was halfway back to Hood's, but wished he had forgotten as well.

"I got a little sidetracked... Helping another pup."

"Another pup?" Both Dalmatians asked, while Rocky remained focused on staying as far away as possible from the sprinkling rain outside of the small building.

"Yeah, she looked like she was struggling to get a large branch to where she lived on her own, so I helped her."

Hood's confused expression soon fell back to its usual unamused default. He had forgotten that the pups he decided to let help the Canine Valley were all selfishly selfless. Every time they seemed to encounter someone who had the smallest of problems, they would go out of their way to solve it.

The wild Dally looked between Marshall and Rocky, "Well she's back. Everyone clear out."

"Clear out?" Rocky asked, his eyes widening, "But... The rain. It's wet out there."

"Better get going before it gets worse then."

C'mon, Rocky..." Marshall grabbed his wrist, "He's right. Might as well go now before it gets any worse. Besides, didn't you say the tent is waterproof?"

"Well, yeah it is... I guess it is!" The mixed breed grinned before quickly leaving the little house.

The Dalmatian chuckled as he heard Rocky complain about how wet his fur was getting. He then turned to face Everest, "So, I saw that the pup house and the tent aren't connected anymore."

"Yeah, I guess not since we're in a safer area."

They both fell silent. A slow realization gradually set in for them that they wouldn't be sleeping in the same exact place anymore. While they had never had a problem sleeping in two different places before Marshall left the lookout, being miles away from each other daily, but after she and Rocky tracked him down to Katie and Liz's house, things changed from there.

Marshall, Everest, and Rocky had all shared the same sleeping place from the moment they found the Dalmatian. At first, it was because it felt too good to be true. She couldn't believe that Marshall was okay after disappearing that day leaving nothing but a note vaguely describing a horribly thought out plan. Next, it was because she and Rocky didn't want Marshall waking up in the middle of the night alone. The last thing he needed was to be alone.

Then, it was because all three of them enjoyed each other's company. It was nice, having two other breathing pups beside them, reminding them that none of them were alone. Not Marshall, not Everest, not Rocky. None of them were alone in their situation. After that, once they had begun living in the forest, it was only natural that they'd set up the tent so that it was against Everest's pup house. Once they did, they were sleeping with each other once again.

But now they had no need to, did they?

Marshall finally spoke, "Let's get to bed."

"Yeah, it's getting late..." Everest faintly replied.

Both left Hood's small house, walking the very short distance to Everest's snowcat. The two snuck one last look at the other, smiling.

"Night, Marshall."

"Night, Everest."

Marshall tiredly meandered over to the tent, where he could hear Rocky furiously rubbing himself against any dry surface he could find. The Dalmatian smiled, a small chuckle slipping from his lips. Rooming with Rocky would certainly be fun.

As he slid inside the tent, using the zipper inside to shut it, he quickly found a small patch of grass that he saw as suitable, circled the small area a few times, and laid down curled up, just like he would back in his pup house when he was on the PAW Patrol. He was ready to go to sleep and start the next day anew.

Little did any of them know, though, the night had other plans for them.