Chapter sixty-two: Dino W..wahhh?
"So, what else can you pups show us?" Snowflake asked curiously.
"Well..we have Dino rescue gear." Chase mentioned.
"Dino rescue gear?" Snowflake and Ned said together, clearly confused.
"Yeah, we got this totally epic dino place we go to.." Zuma gushed. "And whenever the Turbots need us to rescue a dino, we're ready to roar!"
"Well, that's one way of putting it." Marshall shrugged. "But yeah, we get to rescue dinosaurs if you could believe it."
"Ummmmm…" was the response the two huskies gave.
"You mean playing dinosaur rescue right? I don't blame you though. Playing pretend is fine," Ned commented.
"No way, it's for real, dude." Zuma told them.
"Sorry to be rude, pups, but dinosaurs aren't real. They only exist in books and museums," Snowflake politely told them.
"That's what we thought too." Chase told them. "But.. just like the merpups, we were wrong."
"Don't ask how.." Chester piled on. "Cause we don't know."
"Pffft. You pups are joking right? Merpups, I can see. But a real dinosaur? What's next? Unicorns and dragons are real? Bigfoot secretly lives on Jake's Mountain? Come on!" Snowflake said in a joking way. Still, she didn't really believe them.
"Yeah, sorry. You pups must have dreamt the dinosaurs," Ned agreed.
"Wow, you sound just like me!" Chase mentioned with genuine surprise. "So take it from me.. it's not just a dream."
"How? If dinosaurs exist, how come we only see bones in museums? Or fossils in the ground? No reports of a stegosaurus eating grass with cows or a T-Rex eating meat from a deli store," Snowflake stated matter-of-factly.
"Or a triceratops being used to move objects instead of trucks or construction tools. No offense, Rubble!" Ned added before looking at the bulldog.
"None taken." Rubble replied.
"Well.. sounds like a road trip is an order, ey Chase?" Marshall announced, glancing at the German Shepherd.
Chase just smiled, then shooting a look out at the yard he barked, before heading off into it. And when a designated point of the ground split, he jumped and disappeared. But when he came back up, he was recovering himself on top of the brightly striped dino on wheels. And when he stood up, it looked like he were a majestic knight on top of a great mountain. Simply because of his stance and the way the sunlight beamed down on the mighty vehicle under him.
"What are you all looking at me for?" he asked, when finally looking down on them.
"H-How did you know that vehicle was there? What IS this contraption?! It's HUGE!" Snowflake said as she gazed at the big, colorful dinosaur themed vehicle.
"Ummm. A dino themed monster truck?" Ned guessed, as he too was surprised by the vehicle.
"It's the access to the underground garage Ryder built for all our biggest vehicles." Chase replied. "The Air Patroller's down here too. Didn't they bring it up here like this?"
"I don't think so. I thought the Air Patroller jet.. plane.. flying thing was already parked in the yard," Snowflake replied as she thought for a moment.
"Nope, we brought it up." Marshall confirmed. "We just weren't close enough to it for you to see how it happened."
"So are we ready?" Rocky asked.
"Sure.." came the voice above them. "Once you guys get me down from here."
"Uh, just jump off- Oh wait, hurt shoulder. Hmmmm," Snowflake thought.
"Shoulder or not.. I wouldn't jump off from here.." Chase mentioned, peering down to the ground eerily. "No good way to land without getting hurt.. if I wasn't already."
"We could use the Sea Patrol parachute! If we knew where it was," Ned suggested but his ears folded back at the last statement.
"Something soft.. something soft.. Ah! The rubber ball! Chase can jump into it and the ball will soften his landing. Like jumping into a pile of pillows!" Snowflake suggested as she thought of a solution.
"That's not enough," Marshall said. "We need something thicker."
"What about, Ryder?" Rocky asked.
"Not a good idea.." Chase shook his head. "He's much better than he was, but he's not one hundred percent."
"He's right," Marshall agreed.
"Chase, just go in from the hatch," the boy said, appearing from nowhere amongst the other pups. "It'll be a lot less distance to fall."
"Ok but,.." Chase looked back at something on the truck's cab.
"It's still a little far.." he added, turning back their way.
"Want me to come help?" Ryder asked.
"Could you?" Chase wondered, half asking if he should.
"Not a problem," the boy shrugged, then headed over to enter the big truck.
"Don't worry, Chase," Skye said, earning his gaze for a moment. "Ryder's got this."
"Yeah, but does he really got me?" the pup wondered, slightly worried.
"Come on,.. let's go be his moral support." Marshall figured, hurrying after Ryder. And the other pups finally followed, as he was catching up to Ryder. And they all looked up at the sunroof above them, as a head poked in over them in the sunlight beaming down inside.
"Reach down.." Ryder said, holding his hands up.
"You sure you got this?" Chase asked, unsurely.
"Just put your paws on my hands and slide into my arms." Ryder said. "I'll catch you."
"I don't want you to get hurt here, either." Chase replied, nervously stepping around something to move around to another side of the open hatch. "I mean you are still recovering too."
"I'm a whole lot better off than I was.. it'll be ok." Ryder assured him. "Now come on."
"Ryder's right. If he can stand and handle simple tasks, catching you will be easy. You both just need to be careful," Snowflake reassured Chase.
"Yeah. Come on, Chase. Come on, boy! Just slide into Ryder's arms for a hug. You got this, Chase! Go on, boy!" Ned said in a sweet, encouraging, yet childish tone. Snowflake just glared at him.
"You don't need to treat him like a dog. Just be friendly," Snowflake said in a stern monotone voice.
"Ignore him, Chase. Just carefully slide down and Ryder will catch you," Snowflake said, turning back to the pup above them.
"Easy for you to say!" Chase sighed.
He hesitated a moment longer, before finally deciding to reach a paw down. He caught himself on the platform of Ryder's hands. Then slowly tipped his paws back a bit so that the release slid him down into Ryder's grip under his forelegs. And in one smooth motion, Ryder was able to set him down on the ground.
Hopping his paws forward a bit to shake himself off, freed up the tension he'd built up from the transition and it helped to settle his ruffled fur too.
"Ok.. now can we go?" Rocky asked.
"Everybody take your seats." Chase told them. Then hopping onto their designated seats, they strapped in and prepared for the journey ahead.
They sped away and headed off toward Jake's mountain. Snowflake and Ned looked out the window as they drove by trees. Looking ahead, the female husky noticed where they were heading.
"Wait, we're heading for Jake's Mountain? Are we picking up Everest too?" Snowflake wondered curiously. "I thought you said something about dinosaurs. We never saw any on Jake's Mountain."
"Not quite." Ryder shook his head. "Take a look!.." Then turning front in his chair he waved his hand up toward the windshield as a strange shape began to come into view ahead of them.
"A cave? Wait.. are those dinosaurs made of rocks? Who carved those?" Ned asked curiously.
"More like why are stone dinosaurs carved there? Was this Jake's idea?" Snowflake clarified, confused.
"Hm.. you know? I'm not sure." Rocky shrugged. "Ryder?"
"Beats me." Ryder shrugged, still watching ahead of them. "All I know is that they were trying to build an access way for us to get to the Dino Wilds."
"Shhh! Ryder, you'll spoil it!" Chase hissed, still smiling nonetheless.
"Huh? But why make rock dinosaurs near a cave for no reason? I mean art is fun, but why at the entrance of a cave?" Snowflake asked, now both suspicious and confused.
The vehicle jittered a little under them, but thankfully the shock absorbers of the vehicle and the fluent motion feature of the Dino Patroller made the ride a bit smoother than it normally would.
"Woah!.. It's taking a while to get there," Ned noticed.
"Ned! Quit being rude!" Snowflake snapped politely.
"What are you talking about? We barely left a few minutes ago.." Chase wondered curiously.
"And now.." Skye mused.
"We're there!" Zuma interjected, leaning forward to see better as they all turned front. Then out of a bright light, came forth a land of the ages.. A vast landscape like something straight out of a history book, but with a truly realistic look about it.. And the population of giants painted the unique greenery with a burst of life which the bright colors conveyed in the brilliant light of day.
"W-w-wait, what?!.." was all Snowflake could say, as she and Ned stared in awe and confusion at the creatures and landscapes outside the vehicle.
"It's.. not.. possible.." Ned said, trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing.
"Woah.." Chester marveled, as they passed some brachiosaurus roaming nearby.
"I heard you guys could jump into a prehistoric wonderland.. but I didn't think it'd be anything like this.." he added while continuing to soak it all in.
"Wait, IS this real? What about the dino skeletons you see in museums? There are no dinosaurs in Adventure Bay," Snowflake commented.
"Exactly,.. this isn't Adventure Bay.." Marshall corrected smugly. "It's actually called.."
"The Dino Wilds!" another voice said and then a face appeared on the screen.
"Rex!" all the PAW Patrol pups gasped.
"Rex?" Snowflake and Ned exclaimed confused as they looked at the pups, then at the screen. Suddenly, Snowflake remembered something.
"Wait, are you the Rex who hurt Chase?" Snowflake asked suspiciously.
"Um.. I'm not sure what you mean," the mountain dog replied in confusion.
"Different Rex, Snowflake, different Rex." Chase told her.
"Oh, okay. I'm sorry for the confusion Rex," Snowflake apologized, her ears folding back a bit.
'What a way to introduce yourself to a new friend! Accusing him of hurting Chase!' she thought to herself, ashamed of how she greeted Rex.
"It's ok, no harm done.." Rex replied with a smile. "I heard about what happened though, it was just awful! But I'm glad Chase came out of it alright. So what can I do for you pups today?"
"We were just coming over to show our friends Snowflake and Ned around the Dino Wilds Lookout tower." Ryder told him.
"And show them proof that some dinosaurs do still live." Marshall added.
"Well you won't have any problems doing that out here." The mountain pup replied. "Hey, mind if I join you?"
"Of course," Ryder replied. "Climb aboard."
"Great! See you soon." Rex smiled, then the screen disconnected and the hatch of the Dino Patroller opened. But when Rex came up the two huskies were a bit startled by his full appearance.. including the one major characteristic of his overall appearance.
"Hi Rex, glad to meet you. I'm sorry for what I said," Snowflake apologized before carefully giving Rex a hug.
"So Rex, why do you have wheels on-" Ned began to ask until his husky sister turned and gave him a 'don't you even think about it!' look.
"It's alright.." Rex told them eagerly. "I have to have these wheels, because my legs don't work.. Haven't for years.. I kinda grew up like this.. But it's ok.. I can still do sooo many things with them! Including help Ryder and the Pups on our Dino rescues."
"So how can these dinosaurs be real? Ned and I have only seen skeletons in museums," Snowflake asked curiously.
"Well, we don't know.." Rex shrugged. "But legend has it, the first dinos who lived here escaped extinction in the cave you guys just came through, and found their way here to the Dino Wilds. Some even say that the cave used to cover the whole island as one big cave. Which eventually broke down when a mighty earthquake shook the earth and freed them from the cave."
"Interesting theory. Still, can't wait to see them!" Snowflake replied.
"Wait, won't some of them eat us?!" Ned pointed out, a bit concerned.
"It's ok,.. as long as we stay out of their way when they're hungry, we'll be fine." Rex told them. "Plus I can talk to them.. cause I speak Dino."
"'Speak dino'? How?" Snowflake and Ned responded in confusion.
"I don't know.. I just.. know.." Rex shrugged. "I guess since I've lived here so long, I've just figured out how to understand them.. and speak to them."
"Okay. So do you take care of them alone? Sounds like a lot of work for one dino pup," Snowflake wondered.
"Nope.. the dinos mostly take care of themselves.. But when the dinos need us.. Dr. Turbot and her daughter Taylor are here to help.." Rex replied.
"And if that doesn't work.. they call us." Skye put in, proudly.
"Nice. Wait, Dr. Turbot? I've only met Captain Turbot a few times. Who's Dr. Turbot?" Snowflake retorted, getting confused again.
"She's the best dino vet in the world!" Rex beamed, rearing up on his wheels gleefully. "She's the Captain's sister believe it or not that's how Ryder heard of her and got connected with her when building the Lookout tower here."
"That's cool!" Snowflake said, impressed.
"Wait, what do you guys feed the meat eating dinosaurs?" Ned asked curiously.
"Whatever they can catch on their own I'm afraid." Rex replied sadly, deflating his enthusiasm a little. "We can't stop them.. It's what they do.. But it keeps the population manageable for the area.. It's just the circle of life around here."
"Will we meet the Turbots too?" Ned asked, a little excited.
"Probably not,.. Dr. Turbot's a little busy right now.. Lots of dinos need medical attention.. And it's baby season so she'll be checking up on all the babies that have been hatched recently," Rex sighed. "Sorry."
"It's ok, Rex, we can see them another time.." Rocky told him.
"And on that note.. Here we are.." Ryder said, facing forward once again.
"Hatched? Does this place NEED any more dinosaurs?!" Snowflake joked, but surprised nonetheless.
"Wait, is there a way to prove these dinosaurs are real or not.. you know, animatronic or something?" Ned suggested.
"No.. I don't think so.." Rex thought.. "And I don't think we could stop them from having babies even if we wanted to."
"Just want to make sure the dinos are real," Ned responded as they followed the rest of the group down out of the Dino Patroller.
"Hmmm. What if there was damage that only a dinosaur could cause? Or we saw it happen? That would prove they're real!" Snowflake suggested thoughtfully. "Without hurting the dinosaur of course."
"Well how about we go up in the Dino Lookout and see what we can see?" Ryder suggested.
"But just for the record.. They are real. After all, they can't get much realer than making babies." Rex mentioned, then turned to follow the pups with more focus.
"Sounds good," Snowflake agreed.
"Okay Rex. But I still want to see the dinos myself," Ned commented.
"Maybe we'll get to see them up close a little later.. There are a couple of dinos that don't mind being approached by strangers,.. The other pups have already met most of them.." Rex recalled.
"Okay," the two husky siblings replied together.
"Ummm. How high are the cliffs?" Snowflake responded nervously.
"High enough we won't be seen by the mommy dinosaurs." Rex replied. "But,.. it's not too high. Come on, it'll be fun!"
"Now that's what I'm talking about.. a little stealth training. Super spy Chase is on the case!" Chase called, grinning. "Last one in gear is a rotten dino egg.."
"He's in a great mood today,.. isn't he?" Zuma mentioned, watching after him and Rex.
Hey guys what is up?! We are back with another chapter, and I gotta say.. Snowflake's reaction to the Dino Wilds was pretty hysterical. XD But obviously don't just take my word for it.
Also the mention of Dr. Turbot and Taylor Turbot's connection to Capt'n Turbot is not confirmed by the show, but seems implied.. And just the evidence of this in the dino rescues kinda backs this up as well. So actually this is technically a headcanon but, come on, it's obvious they're related somehow right, even though they don't appear to interact hardly at all if I remember correctly.
Either way, that's our story and we're sticking to it. As always thanks for reading and we'll see you next! Thx!