Chapter 2: Abandoned Pup
Days passed and a week had already arrived after Marshall and Gabriel's argument. Anxiety grew in Marshall's stomach as he worried about how to approach the rather shy and soft-spoken pup. Gabriel seemed to want nothing to do with him, which made Marshall feel as if he was at fault and he knew it was.
Gabriel was indifferent to other pups; he played with them, talked with them, and laughed with them. The only pup he ever avoids is Marshall. Time and time again, he came up with multiple excuses just to avoid being alone with the dally.
"Sorry, Marshall. I need to go help fix Zuma's equipment."
"Oh, no. Not today. I have something to do."
"I'm really busy right now."
"Sorry, Marshall. I need to go."
"Ryder said he needed to meet me, sorry"
In any and every situation where they ended up being alone in the presence of the other, Gabriel always had an excuse. He was never alone with Marshall nor did he approach Marshall willingly. The pattern continued, and Marshall tried time and time again, but all his efforts were avoided. He didn't blame him either.
Guilt settled in his heart as he counted the number of times and the different excuses the chow-chow mix had come up with just to avoid spending any alone time with him. Was he mad? Did he hate him? Was he afraid? 'I don't blame him, After what I did, I'm not surprised he's acting like this. I just want to be his friend, but how can I be his friend if he won't give me the chance to be?' Thought the dally.
Negative thoughts circled around the dally as he sulked in the corner. He messed up really bad this time and he doesn't know how to bounce back. What could he do to make it better? I really wish Hunter was here right now, he always knew what to do.
The constant gray cloud that loomed over Marshall didn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"This is starting to get uncomfortable," Chase stated as he watched the shy werepup tinker with Marshall's vehicle behind the bushes. He thought the pup didn't have to hide the activity from the owner of the vehicle, but it wasn't his place to judge what others do in secrecy.
"Gabriel is working hard on Marshall's pup house," Marcus chimed in, glancing at his friend. "But why does he have to do it in secret?" He asked his face etched in confusion as he stared at the mix.
Zuma shrugged nonchalantly as he followed his friend's gaze. "Maybe the dude's still not okay with theiw last convewsation," he replied.
With a little tinkering here and there, Gabriel had finally installed something in Marshall's water canon. A proud smile graced his face but it faded into a frown. Insecurity washed over him, and he wondered what Marshall would think. A tired sigh escaped his lips as he walked over to his pup house, feeling unsatisfied.
"I weally don't undewstand," Zuma commented, concern etched on his face as he watched his friend go.
Chase would agree with that statement. What is there to understand? Was the situation more severe than it was presented? Was it really that bad? "Well…" Chase trailed on, trying to find the words he was looking for. He breathed out a sigh, worried about what would become of his dear friends. "I guess we'll have no choice but to wait."
With that last remark said, the three friends walked away to mind their own business, but that didn't stop the worry that crawled up their spines. They were concerned for their friends, yes, but they hadn't thought of the possibility that their friend might be affected morally.
Later that day, Marshall, Margareth, and Skye accompanied Ryder for a mission in Town Hall. It was another Daring Danny X incident, with the boy hanging from the clock tower. Ryder wonders how the boy could come up with stunts so fast and so dangerous.
"How did you even get up there?" Ryder asked. He really should give the boy more credibility if he were to get in trouble this fast.
"I thought of an awesome stunt I could have done with my skateboard and I thought that it would be epic! And it was! But maybe I shouldn't have used the acceleration thingy."
Marshall walked forward to inspect the skateboard and upon inspecting it, shock and confusion etched his face as he noticed the acceleration device that was used. "This was the acceleration device Gabriel was working on," Marshall stated, stepping away to let the others take a look.
Daring Danny X shrugged, although it was barely unnoticeable from the height he was in. "Yeah. I saw it and decided to borrow it. I know Gabriel wouldn't mind. I did a favor by testing it for him."
He said it so nonchalantly that the group was impressed by this boy's ignorance. Ryder and the pups were well-acquainted with Daring Danny X's antics and paid no mind. But Margareth did not take his response quite well.
"Do you realize how reckless and dangerous your stunt was?!" Margareth scolded, glaring at the boy who was still dangling on top of the structure. "You could have gotten hurt! Maybe even worse!"
Daring Danny X chuckled quietly, smiling apologetically down at the pup. "Sorry," he apologized.
Margareth shook her head, unable to comprehend why the youth was so irresponsible these days. The others just chuckled, entertained at Daring Danny's behavior as he was scolded.
"Okay, Marshall," Ryder called, paying his attention to the current situation at hand. "Get your ladder up and get ready to get Danny down from the clock tower."
Marshall replied with an enthusiastic tone in his voice, "alright!" and ran back to his truck. "Arf! Ladder!" Marshall exclaimed, and his truck responded, automatically pushing the metal ladder up to the clock tower. Marshall climbed up the stairs and was met with a smiling Danny.
"Hello, Marshall! Don't mind me! I'm just hanging around!" Danny joked, doing gestures along with it. It elicited a chuckle from Marshall, much to the boy's delight.
Marshall let out a small chuckle and smiled. "Don't worry, Danny," Marshall assured, "we're going to get you down in no time!"
"Awesome! And it's Daring Danny X!" Daring Danny X corrected, crossing his arms over each other to form his usual symbol.
Ryder looked from below and smiled when Marshall was in position. He turned to Skye who was waiting for his instruction.
"Alright, Skye. I need you to use your harness to help Danny get off the tower safely. Marshall and you should work fast and in a coordinated manner, we don't want to get Danny injured. As soon as Marshall releases Danny, you will help him with your harness." Ryder then turned to Margareth and instructed, "When Danny is safe on the ground, you'll have to do a medical check-up on him to see any possible injuries he might've gotten during his stunt."
The two pups nodded and went to work. Skye was quick to jump on her copter and release her harness for the dally to catch it below. Marshall tied it around Daring Danny's waist, making sure it was secure before he began to remove Danny's stuck clothing off from the tower.
Danny felt gravity pull him down as Marshall took off the remaining clothing. Danny began to panic and squirm, making it difficult for Marshall to fully complete his task."You're okay Danny! We'll get you down safely! Just stand still and you'll be okay!" Skye quickly assured the young boy. Marshall finally took off the last piece of clothing. Skye then lifted Danny up with her copter and descended slowly onto the ground.
Relief washed the ginger-haired boy as his feet were finally on the ground and not hanging from the air. Ryder was quick to help Danny take off the harness and lead him to Margareth so the pup could do her check-up on him.
"Arf! X-Ray!" and out came said device. Relief washed over her as she had not seen any injuries around the boy. "You don't have any injuries, just a slight irritation in the area where you were hanging from the clock tower," Margareth said as her X-ray went back into the pup-pack.
Daring Danny smiled, and ecstatically, he said, "thanks! Man! That was a trip! Don't worry, my next stunt would be simple, phenomenal, and of course, extreme!"
Irritation made its way onto Margareth's features as she listened to Daring Danny's plan for another stunt. She wasn't pleased, not the slightest, but her team seemed to be more amused. She knew she couldn't do anything to stop the boy, so, with a sigh, she said, "Just be careful, Danny, otherwise you will injure yourself."
"It's Daring Danny X," Danny stated. Margareth paid no mind as she began to walk back to Ryder and the others.
Marshall took small steps as he descended his ladder, but of course, those steps weren't small enough. He slipped, and with a yelp, down he came descending down the ladder, all the way down to his vehicle. Marshall groaned but quickly recovered with a goofy grin. "I'm good!" he exclaimed, slipping out of his truck and onto the ground.
Despite her worry about her brother's possible injuries, Margareth let herself laugh with Skye and Ryder. No one could really deny that sweet smile their lovable jester gives. It was one of Marshall's many gifts and they would thank the deities if they ever had the chance to meet them.
"Thanks for getting me down pups," Danny said to the group, smiling while doing so
"No problem Danny, whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help!" Ryder said, pointing his hand in the air "Alright pups, let's go back to the Lookout" Ryder said, to which all the pups obeyed got into their designated vehicles, and drove off.
Once Ryder and the pups got back, everyone went to do their own thing. Margareth went to watch some TV, Skye went to play some pup-pup boogie on the second floor, and Marshall went to get something to eat, passing Gabriel along the way, who avoided Marshall. "Will he ever forgive me? I don't think I would forgive myself, heck, I don't forgive myself for even doing that to him those years ago" Marshall thought before heading to the kitchen to find something to eat.
"He did it again," Chase said to the group
"Yeah, he did, does he fear Marshall?" Rocky said, adding to the conversation
"I don't think he's afwaid of Mawshall, I think it's his twauma that is making him avoid Mawshall" Zuma answered "But, that's just a thought unfortunately"
"Do you think Gabriel will try to become friends with Marshall?" Chase said, looking at Gabriel who was working on Skye's pup house.
"I think so, it's just like Zuma said, his trauma is preventing him from doing so," Rocky said.
"Is there anything we can do to try and help Gabriel? He communicates with all of us well, just not Marshall" Chase said out loud.
"I don't think so, I think only Katie or Mawgaweth can help him since they know how to deal with things like Gabriel has," Zuma said "All we can do weally is just hope they can become fwiends" Zuma said a bit sadly.
"There we go, Skye's rotors are now fixed up, she should fly more smoothly now," Gabriel said, praising himself for his work while wiping his forehead. As he was putting his tools away, he saw Marshall walk to his pup-house with his head facing down the entire time, only looking up when he bumped his head into his pup house. "Maybe I should try and be more friendly towards Marshall, he's changed and I know that just why is it hard to do just that?" Gabriel thought out loud.
"Because of your trauma" Gabriel turned his head around and saw Margareth standing behind him "Before you ask, I heard everything you just said"
"How do you know if it's my trauma?" Gabriel asked.
"Well for one thing, whenever Marshall, and ONLY Marshall, touched you lightly, you would flinch, even before you figured out what he did to you before. And even after your argument with him, you still avoid him, like he's gonna do it again." Margareth finished "Tell me this, Do you wanna be friends with him?"
"I..." Gabriel stopped for a bit "I don't know at the moment, like I want to say yes, but I'm having a hard time saying it or accepting it" Gabriel concluded, getting a serious look from Margareth.
"I can see why, I just want to tell you this; accept that what he did is in the past, you can't change it, but also accept that he changed into what he is today and isn't the same all those years ago, and in case you didn't see it, Marshall already hates himself for doing what he did to you" Margareth finished, waiting for Gabriel's response.
"Thanks, Margareth, I-I'll think about it," Gabriel said stuttering, getting a small smile from Margareth. Soon, both the pup's pup-tags went off.
"Pup's dinner's ready!" Everyone hears Ryder say, and everyone but Marshall enters the Lookout. After the pups began eating their food, Ryder noticed he was missing a certain Dalmatian, one that also loved to eat. "Where's Marshall?" Ryder asked his pups. All of them looked up towards Marshall's bowl and saw it was the same when Ryder poured the food in
"I don't know, does anyone else know where he went?" Chase asked, to which all the pups shook their heads.
"I saw him enter his pup house not too long ago," Gabriel said, getting everyone's attention
"I'll see if he's there," Margareth said, walking out to her younger brother's pup-house. When she got there, she knocked on his door "Hey Marshy, you there? Dinner's ready" Margareth said
"I'm not hungry, Shortly after we came back from the mission, I had something to eat" Marshall replied, slightly muffled due to the door being in the way.
"Are you sure? Rubble's gonna eat your food if you don't claim it soon" Margareth said, trying to get her brother to come out.
"Let him then, I'm just gonna rest for the rest of the day," Marshall said back to his older sister.
"Alright then, take care of yourself Marshall" Margareth said, getting a grunt as a reply. When she got back inside, everyone was looking at her waiting to see what she had to say "He says he's not hungry because he ate after we came back from the mission earlier today." Everyone then went back to eating their dinner, while Rubble ate more quickly so he could have Marshall's dinner.
After dinner, the pups just chilled for the rest of the day, and soon went to get ready for bed. "Alright pups, time for bed, see you all in the morning," Ryder said as he made his way back inside the Lookout, getting a bunch of howls in response. Gabriel was about to enter his pup-house when someone stopped him.
"Gabriel" he turned to see Margareth right there "Please, think about what I said"
"I will, don't worry" Gabriel responded, slightly blushing "Goodnight"
"Goodnight"
Adventure Bay, Puppy Academy.
Distant Past.
It was in the early morning, and three puppies were walking towards their school. They're about to enter, and all three seem somewhat bored.
"I'm bored!" exclaims one of them, stretching his front legs.
"Yeah, same. There is nothing to do-." The second was saying but got interrupted by the third one, a Dalmatian.
"Will you both shut up already?! It's too early for this."
The two mumbled under their breath as they entered the building. They were heading to their lockers to pass another boring day when they saw someone: a young, timid chow-chow, who seemed to be minding his own business and getting his stuff out of his locker. The first two pups glanced at each other and smirked, and got some ideas.
"Hey, you!" the first one called out to the chow-chow, who looked back in hesitation.
"What do you want?"
"We're bored, so you're going to be our toy, worthless trash," the second one replied. The Dalmatian had a look of hesitation, but he shook it off, fearing what his friends would say if he didn't follow through.
The Dalmatian pushed the chow-chow to the locker and pinned him to it.
"Please, leave me alone. I just want to-."
"Shut up. You two, bring me some water bottles," the Dalmatian ordered the two other puppies, who rushed off to get some.
"What do you need water bottles for?" the chow-chow asked in distress.
"Let's just say we're going to give you a little bath…"
"But I shower every-."
"Silence!" the Dalmatian scolded as the two returned with several water bottles. He then threw the chow-chow inside the locker, along with all his stuff, and emptied all the water in the bottles inside the locker. The two other puppies burst into laughter at the scene.
"Enjoy the bath!" the second one taunted, as the three began to walk away.
"Oh… they always do this… It's so unfair…," the chow-chow said to himself, as he sighed and sat in the locker, cold and alone.
"Hahaha! Yes! Look at him! He looks like a wet towel!" the first pup said as they were still walking off. The Dalmatian looked back at the events, feeling the remorse crawling on his back. He didn't want to do all of this, but he also didn't want his friends to see him as weak.
"Alright, that's enough. We better get to our classes. We don't want to be late," he told his two friends, and they headed off to class.
The two puppies continued laughing while the three walked to their classroom. Reflecting back on his actions again, he felt more remorse, but he didn't want to seem weak, so he went along with his friends.
The morning passed quickly and at the time of recess, the young Dalmatian was walking through one of the corridors. But when he was approaching the teachers' room, he heard some yelling. Out of curiosity, the Dalmatian went towards the room and looked through a crack in the door. He saw the pup from earlier, and what he assumed were his parents.
"But ... but Dad ... Mom …," the young Chow Chow said, trying to calm them down.
"No, I don't want to hear it!" the yell from the father caused the Dalmatian to shiver in fear.
"Son, you really need to stand up for yourself. How many times has this happened now?" the mother told her son, with her stern look able to bring fear to anyone.
"Your mother is right. You need to defend yourself" the father told the chow chow. The chow chow looked at his father with a concerned look.
"But-."
"No, we'll talk about this once we get home," the father interjected.
"We'll have to buy you some replacements for your school supplies, and you'll need to start taking martial arts class," the mother informed the chow chow, who shook his head in disbelief.
"But Mom, I don't want to take martial arts! I can't-."
"Hush! We've already come to the decision, and you're taking it whether you want to or not."
Listening to his father, the little Chow Chow gave up trying to fight back and nodded slowly. While the three of them start walking out of school, the Dalmatian felt a wave of guilt rush over him, as he stood there, still taking in the scene.
Adventure Bay, Paw Patrol Tower.
Present.
"It's… It's my fault!" Marshall yelled, suddenly jolting awake. He glanced around to see he was still in his pup-house.
"Oh… it was just a dream. Ugh… that was a horrible one," Marshall said to himself, yawning.
Marshall noticed he was the first one awake, and decided to quench his thirst by fetching himself some water.
"I should talk to Gabriel about this. I… I just want to know if we can fix this or not."
Marshall went to Gabriel's Purple Pup House to try and see if he could try to talk to Gabriel, but he stopped when he heard his voice.
"From dawn to dusk, I am always alone
Beaten by bullies
Not able to show courage
All I wanted was some parental love
My parents didn´t love me much
My owners all left me alone
I wasn´t able to have a girlfriend
I was too cowardly
My parents always treated me unfairly
I want some love for me
Forgot by love
Shunned by parents
Abandoned by owners
I just wanted some love inside of me."
Marshall was completely taken aback. The song Gabriel was singing sounded similar,
"What's going on? Why is Marshall there? "Rocky asks somewhat surprised to see Marshall awake so early.
While Gabriel was singing, the rest of the Paw Patrol were waking up. Upon seeing Marshall standing beside Gabriel's door, they walked closer to investigate. Marshall motioned his paw at them to stop, and the singing became clear to them as well.
By the time Gabriel had finished with a heavy sigh, Rubble was in tears. He ran to the Lookout, as everyone else stood there, shocked by what they had heard.
"His parents didn't love him because he was shy?" Chase questioned.
"Abandoned?" Zuma whined sadly at the thought.
Marshall only gave a gulp. "Bullies? I think I get it now."
All the pups turned their attention centered on Gabriel's Pup House. Nobody realized that Marshall seemed to be shaking. Marshall was thinking of something and praying that he was wrong.
'Man, Gabriel must be tougher than I thought to have endured so much pain,' Margareth thought.
Margareth went to Gabriel's pup-house and knocked on the door. "Gabriel, are you there? I want to talk with you."
"Is that you Margareth? Hang on a minute," Gabriel told her. After a moment, he emerged with a smile on his face.
Margareth narrowed her eyes. One didn't need medical expertise to see that Gabriel was fatigued. Heavy bags hung under his bloodshot green eyes. His head drooped a bit.
"So, what do you need Margareth? Can I help you with something? Do you need to talk to me?" Gabriel asked when he noticed the others. He blinked. "Why are you all here?"
"We heard your song. Was that ALL true? I mean, about you," Margareth inquired curiously.
"Yes, everything was true. I didn't get much love from my parents, because they wanted a puppy with a lot of courage. But I wasn't like that, they always intimidated me, but they never defended me. Finally, my parents got bored, they got tired of how I was a weak puppy that didn't meet their expectations and one that would get pushed around all the time. They abandoned me here in Adventure Bay" explained Gabriel, a tear streaking down his eye.
Margareth stared at Gabriel in shock, then suddenly pulled him in a hug. Gabriel stiffened at the act but gradually relaxed into the gentle embrace.
"Oh, poor pup, you shouldn't have had to feel all that pain. You aren´t alone anymore, you are a member of the Paw Patrol. You have an owner and a family now," Margareth told him gently.
'So, this is what family love feels like. It feels nice and warm,' Gabriel thought happily.
"Hey, Gabriel," Marshall said slowly, scuffing a paw on the dirt. "After all you went through, you must be the toughest Paw Patrol member out of all of us. I am sorry for picking on you."
Gabriel blinked slowly and said: "It's okay, you didn't know."
Marshall noticed Gabriel's tone of voice. He knew that Gabriel was still afraid of him. In Gabriel's song, Marshall's Nightmare, everything points in the same direction. A direction that Marshall feared.
"Would you care to explain all of your past to us?" Skye asked with curiosity.
"Please, don't make me talk about that. I abhor it, and don't want to be reminded of it." Gabriel pleaded.
"Don't worry, Gabriel, I can tell them," Ryder told them as he came up the group. Rubble was huddled together in Ryder's arms, eyes still damp. "Why don't you go inside and relax while I explain to everyone what happened?"
"Thanks, Ryder. I appreciate it," Gabriel thanked Ryder before hurrying inside.
"Please, Wyder, tell us what happened to Gabriel," Zuma pleaded.
"Okay, but bear with me. It's not a very happy tale," Ryder warned them, as everyone sat down and listened to Ryder speaking.
"Since he was born, Gabriel was always a shy puppy, always hiding when he got scared or confused. His parents always wanted to make Gabriel brave, but their attempts only made Gabriel more afraid. Finally, Gabriel's parents were tired of trying, and the two of them made him go to a puppy boarding school, where Gabriel made only one friend. A Dalmatian, because everyone else simply ignored him or made fun of him because he was shy."
All the puppies listened attentively to what Ryder was telling them. For one, however, he began to connect the dots as he listened in more.
"This one pup, who he also had a crush on, was named Margareth. Gabriel always observed Margareth from a distance when they weren't playing together. One day, he decided to be brave and confess his feelings to her. But on the day that Gabriel was going to tell her, she told him that her family was moving. She and her brother, who was one of Gabriel's bullies whom she was unaware of, would be leaving the next day."
Ryder paused. The pups looked at Margareth in curiosity. Gabriel had a crush on her years ago? Slowly, realization replaced curiosity, and heads slowly swiveled over to Marshall.
The Dalmatian's eyes had grown wide at the last sentence. At everyone's stare, he dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Oh, I try to forget that I was a bully. It just never came to me what I was doing, and if I would ever meet them again, especially here in the Paw Patrol."
"You were a bully?" Chase asked, shocked at his kind-hearted friend.
"I did it to distract myself from my clumsiness. It wasn't until someone put me on the right track that and learned to accept my clumsiness.
Margareth would have scolded her brother if were not for the fact she was in deep thought: 'Gabriel was an old friend from school? I thought I would never see him again. Maybe that's why I liked him so soon after coming here.'
Ryder nodded, having been told by Carlos about Gabriel's past. "Yes, Marshall has come a long way since then, but Marshall was always teasing Gabriel about his timidness. He often made Gabriel trip, knock him into the lockers, or hurt himself in other ways. One day, after Gabriel came home, limping from an injury that Marshall here had dealt, Gabriel's parents were fed up with his timid ways. They left him alone in Adventure Bay without remorse and no money or ways to care for himself. Gabriel was forced to drop out of school and move to a technology scraping shop, where no one minded that Gabriel was timid. He was so friendly and helpful, that the owner didn't mind that Gabriel wasn't the guard dog he had in mind However, that went downhill when Gabriel's owner's shop was robbed clean. Gabriel's owner became angry with Gabriel. He was forced to leave and has lived in the alleyways ever since."
"Marshall hurt Gabriel?" Zuma questioned with an incredulous look.
"Unfortunately, yes, Gabriel had been taking lessons from Pup-Fu, and apparently, Marshall knew it. Once he figured that out, Marshall, who was being pressured by the two pups he met with, challenged Gabriel to a fight that Gabriel didn't want to. Because he was under so much pressure, Marshall's 'friends' forced Marshall to attack Gabriel, causing his leg to be injured. Marshall immediately regretted it, trying to apologize, but before the move of Marshall's family, he couldn't find Gabriel, since Gabriel wasn't a part of the school. Gabriel had already been abandoned by his parents. "
Ryder's words echo in Marshall's ears like thunder, and his heart ached terribly. Marshall didn't know that part of the story.
"Pups, remember that Marshall acted like that because of the fear of rejection, and he isn't that way anymore. We all know perfectly how Marshall is now, and that is what should matter to us all."
The pups agreed with Ryder, Marshall is now different, and they know it. Marshall didn't feel the same way, however.
"Marshall, are you alright?" Chase questioned, noticing Marshall's timidness.
Marshall wrapped his paws over his head. "No, I feel awful now."
"You should," Skye told him, sounding harsher than she wanted to be.
Marshall gave a long, sad whine. "Now I know why he is so jumpy around me. I'm just a bad dog."
"No, you just needed some help," Margareth Told him with a warm smile.
Skye leaned against him. "I didn't mean to sound that harsh. You obviously feel bad about what you did and are a better dog now. We all know that, and Gabriel will realize it, too."
"The dude needs ouw suppowt and fwiendship," Zuma exclaimed and stooped up. "He is a member of the Paw Patrol now. One of us and one of the family."
"We need to make sure Gabriel knows that he has people who care about him. That he isn't alone anymore," Chase agreed as well.
"I am with you, Chase. I've got to make amends for being one of Gabriel´s bullies," Marshall said. "I sure hope he can forgive me, and we can be friends."
All the pups stood and ran inside the Lookout, where they saw Gabriel resting on a cushion. He sat up slowly when they arrived, nervously eyeing them as they surrounded him.
"What's up, pups? Need something?" Gabriel asked, still trying to sound unconcerned.
"Ryder told us all that happened to you. We came to make sure you know that you aren't alone anymore. You have a family now, the Paw Patrol," Chase said sympathetically.
"Thanks for saying that, Chase," Gabriel said with a shy smile. "I want you pups to know that I have never felt happier than during my time with you all. You all are amazing friends to me."
Marshall stepped forward, a very solemn expression on his face. "Gabriel, I know I can't begin to make up for the pain and teasing I caused you, but if it means anything, I am very sorry for bullying you in school. I was wrong, very wrong, and misguided, and I am deeply sorry."
Gabriel turned his smile to Marshall. "Apology accepted, Marshall."
Marshall slumped to the ground with a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank you, Gabriel. I wish I had known earlier, maybe I could have-"
Gabriel silenced Marshall by pressing a paw to his muzzle. "I said you are forgiven, Marshall. I hold no grudges. Besides, you have proven yourself to be a better dog."
Marshall sat up, and both pups hugged, relieved to have their difficulties behind them.
"You know," Skye began as Gabriel and Marshall stepped back, "You might think you have no courage, but you must be one of the strongest pups in the Paw Patrol to receive all that pain and sadness for all those years."
"Yeah, you really are brave, in your own way," Margareth added.
"Thanks, pups, you all are awesome," Gabriel said with a smile.
"Let's stawt ovew. Gabriel, do you want to play Pup Pup Boogie and watch Apollo the supew pup with us?" Zuma asked.
"Sure! I must warn you, though, I have been practicing Pup Pup Boogie with Skye. I won't lose to you," Gabriel exclaimed boldly with a cocky smirk.
"Is that so? After all, I am one of the best pups at Pup-Pup Boogie," Zuma said to him back.
All the pups laughed as Gabriel and Zuma raced off to see who really the best at Pup Pup Boogie was.
However, Marshall quietly left the lookout while no one was looking, and went off to a secretive spot on a cliff that overlooked the ocean, a tear streaking down his eye as he gazed out to the blue waters.
"I know I'm already forgiven, including Gabriel… but I still can't forgive myself."
Marshall continued to look at the ocean, as he wiped his tears from his face.
"Gabriel, I need to make it up to you, I just gotta figure out how."
Marshall decided to take a walk around Adventure Bay to get his mind off of things and happened to pass by Mr. Porter's. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head. It wouldn't be much, but he felt it would be better than nothing.
"Good afternoon Mr. Porter!" Marshall greeted
"Marshall! Good afternoon! Are you taking a walk?" Mr. Porter greeted back
"I guess so. Can I ask you a favor?" Marshall asked.
"Sure, Marshall! What is it that you need?"
"Well, I need to apologize to a friend for something I did in the past, and I was wondering if you could do something…?" Marshall explained.
A few hours later, at nightfall, the pups head to bed after a night of fun. While Gabriel was returning to his pup-house, he noticed something in front of it.
"What's that?!" Gabriel questioned in curiosity and investigated further.
At the entrance of Gabriel's Pup House was a huge liver sausage of about a kilo, cooked with spices, hot and ready to be eaten. To the side was a note signed by Marshall which said: "Enjoy this delicious Snack! And once again, I'm sorry."
Gabriel gets a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest as he smiles broadly, almost on the verge of crying tears of joy. He decided he needed to pay Marshall a visit, so he went to his pup-house and knocked. There answered Marshall.
"Can I help you with something, Gabriel?" Marshall asked.
"Yeah, I need you to help me eat this huge liver sausage!" Gabriel answered.
"Huh? But... that sausage is for you! It's my way of apologizing!"
"It may be, but I want to share it with you. What do you say? We eat together friend?" Gabriel suggested.
Marshall smiled and nodded, as the two enjoyed their snack. Little did they know, everyone else was secretly stalking them and witnessing the moment.
"I told them pups, the two will be great friends!"
All the puppies agree with Ryder and are happy to see that it seems that the problems begin to be solved.