The moon shone brightly, high above Rocky, bathing the beach in a silvery-white. Rocky looked up at it, and a few clouds began hiding its light from him. Stupid powers...Rocky thought bitterly. You know...had I know what I'd have to go through...I never would have agreed to take them… Rocky glanced back at the Lookout and sighed sadly. I'm always running. From someone...something...or myself. When can I stop running?

A tear hit the sand as Rocky realized that he would be running for the rest of his life. No matter how many times Zuma tells me he'll be okay, I know he doesn't want to leave. He's going to miss everyone just as much as I will. Rocky placed a paw in the water, still amazed at how natural it felt. Good old Zuma… Rocky thought, smiling a little to himself. Where am I going to take you, little guy? Where can we go where you'll be safe? What am I doing? Where am I going? Why am I here? Why me? He felt a paw on his shoulder and turned to see Marshall.

"I thought I might find you here," he murmured, sitting beside him. Rocky didn't have to say anything, but he didn't have to. Marshall already understood. "I'm really sorry about all this shit...it's not fair for you. It seems like if it isn't one thing, it's another. Everything seems to go wrong for you."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Marshall," Rocky said dryly. "But yeah...that's about how I feel. But guess what? That's not even the worst part. I don't really care what happened to me."

"Then…?"Marshall asked.

"It's okay that all this happened. I guess fate wants revenge for when my father cheated her." Marshall smiled and rolled his eyes, amused. "But in all seriousness, I really just want this to end. I can deal with what has happened to me. But the problem is...I don't think it ever will end. I'm starting to ask myself...is it worth running anymore? Should I just give in...and let them have me?"

"No, of course not!" Marshall exclaimed.

"But think about it. If I keep doing this, I'll be hiding for the rest of my life. And that will not be good for me...or Zuma…"

"Wha?" Marshall asked.

"I'm leaving, Marshall. And...Zuma is coming with me." Rocky admitted. Marshall was quiet for a moment.

"When were you going to tell us?" he asked softly.

"I wasn't...I don't like sad partings and tears and all of that shit. I'd rather just have them find out. Zuma and I are leaving tonight...please don't tell anyone."

"Or course not, Rocky...I'm just…" Marshall trailed off.

"Stunned? Shocked? Confused? Sad?" Rocky suggested.

"A little of all of that," Marshall replied.

"That's how I feel a lot," Rocky replied. "I don't see a positive way forward in life for me anymore. I know they always say there is light at the end of the tunnel and the rainbow comes out after the storm and the flowers only grow when it rains and all of that...but I don't think that applies to me anymore. How am I going to get out of this?" Rocky said in depression and despair. Marshall barked angrily.

"Oh, how I wish to god that I had never met Jason, and that you had never met him either. I know that technically, he brought us together, in a sick, twisted way, but I'd rather never meet you than have your life in such turmoil."

"I've been thinking that too," Rocky said guiltily.

"Oh, don't sound so ashamed!" Marshall said, hugging him. "You've been through a lot." Rocky sniffed.

"What really hurts is that I thought it was over. I had plans...big plans for my life…and that will never happen now. All I've ever done in my life was to protect others, or myself. That's it! That's everything! I don't like killing people, or anyone for that matter...I feel like a murderer…"

"You are not…" Marshall stopped suddenly. "Well...you kinda are…" Rocky smiled at Marshall's comment. "Why are you up, though? I thought everypup was asleep by now."

"They are...but...I just felt like you needed to talk to me." Marshall said. "You know, maybe get your feelings out."

"Thank you, Marshall," Rocky said warmly. "I really appreciate that."

"Do you ever want revenge?" Marshall asked a little later.

"Hmm?" Rocky asked absentmindedly.

"Do you ever want to get back at Jason for what he did to you...for what he did to us?"

"Sometimes," Rocky said. "But mostly, I just want this to be over. Ryder did report him, so he should be caught soon…"

"Do you really believe that, Rocky?" Marshall asked

.

"No," Rocky replied. "Jason is too fucking smart to be caught. He's been avoiding and escaping people since I met him, and apparently, he has all the authorities in that area brainwashed constantly. And I don't know how much his power has grown since then. But, now we know he can literally possess someone's mind. That's a massive upgrade from what he could do before. With all my power, Jason still scares me. I don't know who to trust anymore! What if he's mind-controlled another one of the pups, and we don't know it? What if he's in your head? What if he's in mine...or Zuma's?!" Rocky looked anxiously at Marshall. He looked just as fearful.

"Can we trust each other anymore?" he asked.

"I don't know...I don't know...I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Rocky howled. Fire leaped into his eyes and his anger and frustration began surfacing. "This is so wrong! How come I have all the power in the world and am still powerless?! If I can't trust my own friends...who can I trust?"

"Rocky...as much as I hate to say it...the only way things will get better for you is when Jason dies or loses his power."

"And as much as I am tempted to do it...I just can't. That's first-degree murder, Marshall. It would be planned out and intentional. I couldn't do that...no matter how evil someone is. I still have a moral compass."

"You don't listen to it all the time." Marshall pointed out.

"That whole thing with Chase was different. You can do a lot of things to me and I'll let it go, but I'll never let someone get away with hurting Zuma. Never." Rocky growled defensively.

"No, no, I understand, what I meant was...you don't always have to listen to it. What about the greater good here? Murder someone, and have the rest of your life free from him, or let him live, and constantly be haunted by him. It seems like an easy decision to make, especially given what you've gone through."

"I couldn't kill someone in cold blood...I'd have to lose my mind before that happens." Rocky said. "I just..can't." Time passed, and the two pups watched the waves crash onto the shore relentlessly… just like problems over Rocky's life. The moon was soon high over them. Marshall sighed.

"I guess it's about time for you to leave," he said sadly. "If you want to stay free." Rocky snorted.

"Free...that not even a word in my dictionary." Marshall looked sad. "I'd better go get Zuma."

"I'll come with you...and see you off," Marshall said. The pups dragged their paws in the sand up the hill, across the street, and to the Lookout. The pups were delighted to have their vehicles back, as they now had a proper place to sleep.

"You know...what do you think is gonna happen while I'm gone?" Rocky asked.

"Oh, just a massive group of army personnel will come to get you. You know, planes, helicopters, tanks, submarines, turrets, nuclear war…"

"Oh, shut up, Marshall," Rocky said. "They are not gonna send all of that. I'm not that dangerous." Marshall smirked.

"Yeah...riiiiiiggghhhtttt…." Marshall said sarcastically, gesturing to the litter of bodies and metal on the ground. "Ryder received so many calls today…"

"But really...?"

"I don't know to be honest. A lot of questions for sure." Was all Marshall could come up with.

Rocky sighed and opened Zuma's door. He was on his bed, sleeping. Rocky licked Zuma's forehead and the sleeping pup stirred a little bit. "Wake up, Zumi…" Rocky whispered in his ear. Zuma yawned before waking up, and he felt a little out of place. Rocky's licking so brought him back around, and he blinked the sleep from his eyes.

"So...we're leaving now?" Zuma asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, Zuma," Rocky said, equally sad.

"Don't be," Zuma replied. "I undewstand. Besides, I pwomised to never leave you, wemember?"

"Yeah…" Rocky replied softly. The two pups heard a sniff, and they saw a tear drip off of Marshall's face and onto the ground.

"I'm gonna miss you guys so much!" he finally cried.

"Oh, Mawshall!" Zuma murmured. The three pups shared a group hug.

"Will I ever see you again?" Marshall sobbed.

"I...I don't... know." Rocky said truthfully. "Just...stay safe for me, okay? Tell them anything, anything at all that will get you and the pups off the hook. It doesn't matter what you say, I'll be fine." Marshall sniffed and nodded.

"Okay," he whined. "Before you leave...I have something for you Rocky." The three pups left Zuma's pup house, and Zuma looked at it ruefully.

"And it was brand-new," he whispered, turning away from it.

"It will still be there when we return, Zuma," Rocky said, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'm scared we won't," Zuma whined truthfully.

"Well, that makes two of us then," Rocky said. Both pups smiled slightly at each other sadly. Marshall came back to them with a small scroll. He unfurled it on the ground. Symbols and signs were all over it. Marshall waved his paw over it. More inky black letters burned themselves into the paper, and the remaining empty space was filled.

"Take this with you," Marshall said. "It's a healing charm. Just...if any of you get hurt, lay this open in front of the victim and it will speed up the process. I made it just in case…" Marshall trailed off, and more tears came to his eyes. Poor Marshall. He's so afraid for us. Rocky thought.

"Thank you, Marshall. That was very kind of you." Rocky murmured. "When did you..."

"I'm into magic. Like a lot. I spend all my free time studying it nowadays. But anyway, just come back in one piece, okay?" Marshall begged.

"We'll do our best," Zuma replied. Marshall took a deep breath and nodded. Rocky waved his paw over the scroll, and it sparkled, disappearing.

"Let the pups know what happened, okay?" Rocky asked. "I hate sad partings; this is hard enough."

"Yeah, I will," Marshall said.

And so, painfully, Rocky and Zuma dragged their paws away, looking more like they had been banished than willfully leaving. It got easier to walk the farther away they went, and after a few miles, Rocky put all of that out of his mind.

"Where are we going?" Zuma asked.

"Somewhere far away from here. I'm working on it, but for right now, we just need to find a place to sleep." Rocky said, yawning. He and Zuma stayed to the side of the road, not wanting to risk getting hit. Hey soon heard mechanically whirring, and helicopter after helicopter streaked across the sky, floodlights shining, going the direction they had come from.

"And so, it's begun," Zuma said.

"Yeah...I guess so…" Rocky said, the realization of how his life had changed permanently finally setting in. And it hurt. Oh well... Rocky glanced over at Zuma. He looked a little unsteady on his paws, and a look of pain was on his face.

"Can we rest for a bit?" Zuma asked.

"Yeah, of course," Rocky said. Zuma collapsed on the ground.

"Ugh….." he muttered.

"I'm sorry, Zuma, in everything that has happened I forgot all about how hurt you are."

"I'll be fine," Zuma replied, breathing hard.

Rocky did not believe Zuma, so he decided to carry him for the rest of the night.

Already, multiple roadblocks had been set up, and Rocky had to do a lot of sneaking to avoid them. I wonder...how long is it going to be before this gets on the news? Rocky asked himself. His mind was a tried fog or gray, and the best answer it could come up with was 'soon' before it went back to hibernating. Rocky eventually passed the city limit for Adventure Bay and entered into Adventure City.

"All I want right now is a nice...comfortable bed," Rocky said tiredly, who had been walking for hours.

"Don't they have hotels here? I wemember when we were twaveling to see Wyder's family, we stayed at one."

"So what…? We're just gonna break into a room and sleep the day away?" Rocky asked.

"Pwetty much," Zuma replied. "We're already basically criminals, what more could happen?"

"I like how you think," Rocky replied.

And so, the pups found a nice, multi-storied hotel room to hide in until morning. While the receptionist wasn't looking, Rocky mentally pushed over a small container on the desk where pens were kept. They fell onto the ground, and while she was distracted with those, Rocky scurried through the doors and up the stairs. Luck was on their side, and they didn't meet anyone on the way there. Rocky climbed up all the steps, and with Zuma's weight added, it was a challenge, and he almost fell backward. Finally, they found a room, with Rocky opened with no problem.

"It doesn't look like anyone is in here…" Rocky said.

"I'm sure they won't mind if we stay here for the night," Zuma said. Rocky closed the door behind him, locking it twice. Then he fell to his paws and closed his eyes.

"I can't do it anymore…" Rocky whined, drifting off right there on the cold tile floor.

"Just stay still…." he heard. He felt Zuma pick him up and place him on the bed. Rocky shivered. Zuma jumped up beside him and pressed his warm pelt against his. Rocky sighed and almost smiled. He opened his eyes and lightly touched Zuma's sides.

"Do they feel any better?" Rocky asked. Zuma winced and gently pushed his paws away.

"A little bit," he responded. "They still hurt a lot."

"This is all my fault…" Rocky murmured. "This shouldn't've happened to you."

"It's not your fault. It's Cha….actually, it still isn't his fault. It's Ja..."

"Please, no, don't say his name," Rocky begged. "I don't want to think about him." Tears came into Rocky's eyes, and they fell silently on the sheets.

"No, no, don't cwy, Wocky….!" Zuma said, hugging him. And then the floodgate burst open and Rocky fell apart, tears streaming from his face.

"I just don't know how much more of this I can take…! I feel like I'm losing myself everyday... like I'm living someone else's life! I don't know what to do...I don't know where to go! I don't know what I'm doing...I'm only six! And I'm dragging you right along with me! You deserve better! I haven't done everything right, but even I believe I deserve better! I'm just so confused, and no one has any answers! I'm sick of trying to figure everything out before it happens, all this planning…! I just want to figure it out as it happens, I just want to be normal! Waaahhhhh!"

Zuma, who was very surprised at Rocky's outburst, felt a pang of sympathy for him. The broken pup in his arms was not the one Zuma normally saw. Zuma never knew quite how much all of this was affecting Rocky, but now he did.

"I'm sorry I'm always crying...or complaining…" Zuma cut Rocky off.

"Shhh...just let it all out...you'll feel better." Rocky nodded and closed his eyes, tears dripping off his face and soaking into Zuma's chest.

"Maybe you don't have to…" Zuma murmured after a while. "Don't overtax your mind. Just...focus on today and nothing else. Don't worry about tomorrow. Just worry about right now. And all you need to do right now...is nothing at all.

"

"But what if something happens?" Rocky asked.

"Then we will figure it out together. You're not alone." Zuma sighed. "Wocky...I know you want to protect me, and that you feel like you should suffer more because technically, these aren't my problems, but dude, I'm here for you. I wanna help you...I don't want you to feel as if you have to do everything by yourself. That's why you are so stressed, isn't it?" Rocky nodded. Zuma cradled his head in his paws. "Stop wowwing so much, okay? Everything will work out in the end. If nothing else, now we have all the time to ourselves we could want." Rocky smiled and licked his nose.

"I feel so tired...and not just physically."

"I know, Wocky boy…" Zuma replied, licking his face. "Just go to sleep now…"

"Will you sing to me, Zuma?" Rocky murmured, closing his eyes.

"Of course I will," Zuma replied softly. He petted Rocky's head gently for a little bit before he began to sing:

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy, when skies are gway.

You'll never know pup, how much I love you,

Please don't take my Wocky away…

Zuma's speech impediment made the whole performance a lot more endearing. Rocky suddenly felt like a small puppy again, and not the half-grown dog he was, with what Zuma singing to him while holding him close, petting his head to comfort him. It was a moment of bliss and joy...and Rocky decided to take Zuma's advice and live in the moment. He forgot about running and planning for tomorrow. His thoughts were centered on Zuma, and how much he loved him.

"That's my favorite song…" Rocky murmured, half-asleep.

"I know," Zuma replied, licking his ears. Between the warmth of Zuma's tongue and his very comfortable position, Rocky felt sleep gently tug at his eyelids. He felt the tension drain from his body, and he relaxed, falling asleep, totally vulnerable, in the paws of his best friend.

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I had a lot of school work this week, and I also have been preparing for my trip to Philadelphia with my school. I'm gonna be totally absent for four days.

Anyway, I think my break was a bit too long and I'm a little fuzzy on how to write, so excuse any inconsistency in this one.

If you guys haven't figured it out yet, I really, really, REALLY want you to understand how difficult this is for Rocky, as he has been dealing with this type shit for years now. It has taken a toll on his mind, and it its affecting his life.

Which makes Zuma really shine, as he is overly affectionate by nature and it really helps pick Rocky up. Rocky always wants to plan for the worst, and know what is going to happen, so much so that he misses the happy moments of life. Zuma advises him to live in the present and leave the future alone.

With no time left, Rocky and Zuma make their sad departure. Marshall is there though, and gives them a little gift before they leave, afraid of never seeing his friends again.

So! Now what happens now that Rocky is officially being hunted down? And with Rocky having no idea what he's doing, where he is going, or what to do next? And with Jason still being a threat, I'd say nothing good.

I'll see you guys later! Peace out!