Chase slumped down on a couch, letting out a long, exaggerated groan. The remaining pups of the PAW Patrol seemed to mirror the Shepherd's actions upon finally walking into the lounge room, finding themselves laid out on various surfaces and places within the room.
It had been quite a long day for the five. After Mayor Goodway's yelp for help involving the preparations for the canine competition, Rubble, Chase, Zuma, Skye, and Tracker remained there to assist in facilitating most of the events, sometimes even having to act as mock participants in demonstrations for the upcoming events. All of the running around and helping the five had severely worn them out, as the festivities proceeded late in the day, only finishing once the sun had just begun to set from its high position.
The growl of an empty stomach filled the room, Rubble's exhausted moan following, "So hungry..."
"...So tired..." Skye muttered as she laid herself in the center of the floor of the lounge.
Upon returning to the lookout, the small team didn't even consider taking the time to take their work uniforms off, too exhausted to even think about doing anything other than laying wherever they found most comfortable.
"Oy, oy, oy..." Tracker sighed, somehow having found his way onto a tabletop, "...So much work..."
Zuma cringed at the mere thought of any more work, "...Dude, don't even think about saying work in front of me anymore..."
Chase, his eyes closed, finally mustered enough energy to address the team, "Good work today, everyone... Who's up for some dinner and tv before going to bed?"
"Dinner?" Rubble's head immediately shot up.
As did Zuma's, "Tv?"
"Bed?" Both Tracker and Skye asked in unison.
Chase only nodded, his eyes remaining closed. Following his nod, the Shepherd's ears picked up the faint sounds of hurried shuffling. Upon opening his eyes, the officer pup smiled once he saw what was around him. Standing in front of the couch he was laying on were Skye, Rubble, Zuma, and Tracker, who all seemed excited for whatever they desired.
Rubble smiled as the four gave him expectant looks, "So you're saying we can eat and watch tv at the same time tonight?"
"Aw what the heck?" The Shepherd fanned his paw, "After a day like this? It would be a crime not to at least do something a little laid-back... Maybe we can watch a quick movie..."
"Pawsome!"
"¡Gracias, Chase!"
"Good looks, dude!"
As Rubble, Tracker, and Zuma all hurried off to the elevator to get themselves changed and grab their bowls, Skye remained, hopping onto the couch to sit beside the exhausted leader.
"How are you holding up?" The Cockapoo inquired, her sweet voice bringing peace to Chase's mind, "Everything okay?"
"I'm pooped..." The officer pup sighed, "...I never knew we could run around that much until today..."
Skye let out a faint giggle at the reply, "I didn't mean that... I meant to ask how you were feeling overall?"
"Honest answer?" Chase raised an eyebrow, earning a gentle nod from the aviator pup, "...I'm really not sure... When tomorrow hits, it will have been three weeks since Ryder initially suspended Marshall from the team and gave him that time limit..."
"You've been keeping track?" The Cockapoo seemed surprised by his explanation.
Chase nodded, "I never stopped keeping up with the days since everything started... It wouldn't stop bugging me, you know? Thoughts of Marshall. Thoughts of all three of them, really."
"Yeah, I get it..." Skye gave him an understanding smile, "...I miss them too. I miss us being all together, and I miss being able to relax without a time limit looming in the back of everyone's minds..."
"It's probably ten times worse for those three... That is, if they're still looking for evidence..."
"Of course they are!" The aviation rescue pup exclaimed, "Those three can be called a lot of things, but quitters aren't one of them!"
Chase thought for a moment, "...Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"When'd you get so cool?" The Shepherd turned himself completely to look at the smaller pup in front of him, an earnest smile on his face.
"Huh?" Skye's cheeks grew warm, "W-Where'd that come from!?"
Chase burst with laughter upon seeing her reaction, earning a playful punch in his shoulder from the Cockapoo sitting beside him.
His laughter soon slowed, "...I'm serious, though... The way you keep the team's spirits up, my spirits up, is really cool of you to do."
"I'm just doing what you've always done for me..." Skye hopped off of the couch as she began walking toward the elevator, "...Oh, and by the way, Chase."
"Yeah?"
"Maybe you'll see them soon."
.
.
.
Putting his bowl down in front of a beanbag chair, Chase watched as Zuma and Tracker maneuvered their way around the small television on the other side of the lounge room in order to make sure everything was plugged in properly.
"Almost..." Zuma squinted as he leaned closer to the plugs, "...Got it!"
The team cheered and howled as the television finally flickered on, Zuma and Tracker quickly scurrying over to find their beanbags to start watching whatever was on at the time. Chase looked to his left, where Rubble was nearly running circles in his own bean bag in his energized enthusiasm. The Shepherd couldn't help but chuckle. It was always a delight to see the young Bulldog, often regarded as the little brother of the entire team, enjoying himself.
Chase watched the show alongside the rest of the team until his ears picked up the familiar buzz of Ryder's pup pad, which had been placed just beside his beanbag chair.
"Huh? An emergency?" The buzzing noise caught Tracker's attention, who didn't have much trouble picking up the noise with his sensitive ears.
"I'm sure it's nothing too big," The Shepherd picked up the tablet and answered it, "Hello? Chase here."
"Um, yes..." On the other side of the call was a man that Chase didn't exactly recognize as someone he's seen before, "...I'm not sure if this is your jurisdiction or not, but there was a pretty rough crash outside of Adventure Bay and I was worried that there might be someone in there."
"An accident, huh...?" Chase's eyes furrowed, "PAW Patrol is on the way. No job is too big, no pup is too small!"
The instant the call disconnected, the officer pup sprang up from his seat and hurried toward the exit, followed by the other four members of the team. Upon noticing this, Chase stopped in his tracks to turn around and face his team.
The German Shepherd smiled, "You guys can stay back and relax. I've got this one."
"You've got this? You sure dude?" Zuma raised an eyebrow, "This is like... A car crash. You're gonna handle all that solo?"
Skye nodded, agreeing, "Zuma's right. It's a lot of work for just one pup."
"Don't worry, this is an officer's day-to-day. Besides, you guys have worked hard all day. The least I can do for you guys is let you relax before you go to bed."
The Chocolate Lab shrugged, "If you say so..." He commented, followed by various reluctant mutters of agreement from Skye, Rubble, and Tracker.
Chase waved goodbye, quickly padding over to the elevator. He watched the sliding glass doors slowly close in front of him before the elevator began to rise once more. Looking beyond the clear barrier between the interior and exterior of the lookout tower, Chase couldn't help but to allow his thoughts to wander.
Two weeks, six days.
So much had happened in nearly three weeks that it wouldn't be a far-fetched assumption to conclude that much more time had passed. Maybe even multiple months one after another. But yet, they were still within that same time limit Ryder had initially put on Marshall and Rocky in order to find evidence proving the Dalmatian's innocence. Supposedly, Marshall couldn't handle everything happening at once and ran away, leaving most of the team in the dark concerning Marshall's location. That was, until their paths crossed once more that fateful night.
Chase could remember the tension in the air, the gravity of the situation that seemingly pressed down on their backs. And of course, he remembered the ensuing fight. He knew that Ryder would be immensely disappointed if he were to just let Marshall escape, so with no other option in his mind, the Shepherd charged ahead and tried everything he could in order to capture the presumed perpetrator.
But in the end, he was unsure of himself. He was unsure of the events that led up to Marshall's suspension. Unsure of everything he had believed up until that point. And more of all, he was unsure how he felt for his best friend at that time.
If he really believed that Marshall was guilty, then why would he let him go?
If Ryder really believed Marshall stole those bones, then why wouldn't he have him prosecuted there?
Were their feelings for Marshall getting in the way of what should've been an investigation of their own? How would they have reacted if the presumed perpetrator was someone they weren't as connected to? How would that have gone? Well, obviously, it would be himself and Ryder doing the investigating, since they would be impartial in that case. The thought of partial judgment brought another string of questions into his mind. But one of the questions seemed louder than most.
At this point, do they even still believe that Marshall is guilty?
The elevator opened, having finally made it to the observation deck. Shaking his head and walking forward, the Shepherd concluded that he'd be able to work through all of that once the month was up. For now, he had a mission.
.
.
.
Marshall let out a long exhale as he, along with the rest of his newly formed team rolled into Foggy Bottom. By this point, the sun had already begun its slow descent toward the edge of the horizon, displaying a clear indicator of the time. Bringing a paw to his forehead, wiping away stray beads of sweat just before they reached his eyes, the scarved Dalmatian quickly laid his head on the dashboard of Everest's snowcat.
Following the crash of Mayor Humdinger's self-titled "Humdinger Harbinger'', he, along with the group of pups that had helped in his efforts to thwart the purple-clothed mayor's plans, used the snowcat's sled in order to slowly drag Humdinger back to his hometown by the smaller vehicle he was going to use to escape. The mayor pouted the entire way, whining about his destroyed vehicle and his ruined plans.
Mission accomplished... Right?
Now that Humdinger's plans were thwarted, and he was taken back to Foggy Bottom, what next? Like Rocky had explained to them a few hours prior, their team weren't exactly figures of authority. It wasn't like they could send him to jail like Chase would. Besides, he wasn't even sure if there was a jail in Foggy Bottom. They weren't able to give him an official reprimand that would be documented, like Ryder would do. What could they, a band of vigilantes, do?
The snowcat finally came to a stop in the middle of Foggy Bottom, eliciting Marshall to jump out and head toward the vehicle they were towing, the vehicle that Humdinger was sitting in.
"You did a pretty bad thing, Humdinger..." The Dalmatian spoke up, "...That crash earlier could've really hurt someone!"
Humdinger was quick to snap back, "It wouldn't have happened if you just let me get to Adventure Bay!"
"Why would we do that?" Rocky walked up from behind Marshall, "Not only were you stealing dogs, but going back to Adventure Bay isn't really on our bucket list right now..."
"Whatever!" The purple-clothed mayor crossed his arms, "None of this would have happened had you just decided to stay down! Haven't you been knocked down enough after everything I caused!?"
Marshall's eyebrows furrowed with confusion, "Everything you caused?"
Having realized what he had just let slip, Mayor Humdinger quickly stepped out of his small vehicle, "Err... If you're done with me here, I'll just be heading back home—"
The Dalmatian quickly moved himself to stand in front of the man, "Humdinger. What are you talking about?"
"I guess the kitty's out of the bag..." The mischievous mayor gently scratched a patch of hair on the back of his neck, "I brilliantly had an opportunity to get back at Adventure Bay, and I took it! I ran into a Dalmatian on my way to yoga class, hungry and looking for food. I told him that there were special, delicious bones lying in wait below the town hall of the neighboring town!"
Upon hearing Humdinger's laid-back explanation, Marshall, Rocky, Everest, and Anya all turned to look at Hood, who was sitting there, shocked.
"You knew they were fake!?" The wild Dalmatian asked, eliciting further confusion from the other pups.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah!" Anya animatedly waved her paws, "You know Mayor Meanie?"
Hood's eyes drifted down, "I knew I recognized you when I came into your room earlier..."
.
.
The wild Dalmatian began to make his way to the front of the vehicle, eyes roving around. He couldn't help but to shake the realization that the scent he had picked up was quite familiar. Which was strange, especially because he had only interacted with a few humans in his entire lifetime. Shaking the thought away, Hood eventually found himself staring at a door. The scent seemed to be just beyond it, mixed in with the small of cats he noticed earlier.
Using his head to push the door open, Hood looked up at what was just beyond the door. Upon seeing the human waiting for him, his eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates.
"YOU!"
.
.
"...But I didn't know that you were some kind of dognaper when we met... Or a corrupt mayor..."
"Wait... So that's how you found out about those bones?" Rocky's eyes squinted, "Why would you listen to some random man on the street!?"
"I was hungry and desperate, okay!?"
"You didn't at least wonder why a random man would tell you to do that?" Everest raised an eyebrow, "That's pretty silly..."
While Rocky and Everest pressed Hood on the logic behind his earlier decisions, Marshall was left in a daze, standing in front of Humdinger with wide eyes and an agape mouth. This whole time, Humdinger was the one who started this? This whole time, he was facing the repercussions of a targeted attack against town hall from the mischievous mayor? It wasn't even something that was meant to be for him?
Would that mean that he was nothing but…
.
.
.
Marshall's Memories
A single blink from his wide eyes sent him back to the middle of the observation room of the lookout tower back in Adventure Bay, facing the disappointed eyes that weren't ones of the mayor he was reprimanding, but the boy he had grown to see as a father figure over the course of the few years prior to everything that happened.
"Marshall, you are the primary suspect for the theft of the golden bones beneath City Hall. As such, you are hereby suspended as a member of the PAW Patrol."
"I-I didn't steal anything!" The fire dog shook his head adamantly, resulting in disappointed glares from most of his former teammates, who were standing all around him, to shoot his way, "I could never steal from Mayor Goodway, or anyone in Adventure Bay!"
The Dalmatian's eyes flickered around the room anxiously, the events of what had already happened to him weeks prior playing out before him once more. His attention then switched to Rocky, who, instead of wearing the goggles he had been gifted from Katie, was wearing his orange collar, which was just barely visible under his fluffy fur, as well as his green pup tag, which glistened as it reflected light from the sunset outside as it swayed while he walked forward.
"What if he proves he didn't do it?"
Everyone's attention turned to the noticeably nervous mixed breed.
"If you guys want to believe in him... Our friend... Then give him... Give us a chance to prove his innocence once and for all."
"...I'll allow it. Marshall, I'll give you a month to prove your innocence, if you admit to the crime, or don't collect any evidence in the time I gave you, then..."
"...I'll be sent back to the pound, won't I?"
"Until then, you are prohibited from participating in any PAW Patrol missions or activities. Hand in your pup tag."
Marshall's head hung low as his paws slowly guided him forward and toward his owner, but upon looking back up to face what he had expected to be his disappointed owner, he found himself looking up toward the roof of a building, standing on one of the many sidewalks lining the roads of Adventure Bay instead of the top floor of the lookout he was standing in just a moment ago. His eyes focused on the Dalmatian that was standing atop the building's roof, who was looking right back at him.
His ears were filled with the familiar voices of Rocky and Everest, who were going back and forth in a small squabble, the first of many squabbles that would turn out to be a reoccurring happenstance between them.
"Guys!" Marshall's voice echoed into the air as he tried to grab their attention.
"What!?" The responses of both pups could be heard in both of his ears before they both let out a faint gasp.
Marshall could hear Rocky try to bark out a camera from his pup pack, but it was to no avail, as he had left it back at the lookout, missing his chance to capture a photo as the doppelganger Dalmatian hastily disappeared from sight.
Marshall quickly turned around, meeting the faces of Rocky and Everest, "We have a suspect! That means we know who to follow now!"
"Count me in."
Marshall and Rocky looked over at Everest, who had a faint smile on her face.
"In?" Rocky raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! If that was the same Dalmatian that was on the security footage, that means Marshall was innocent!"
Rocky and Everest put one of their paws on top of one another right in front of the Dalmatian, their eyes moving to look at Marshall. They clearly wanted him to join in. Smiling, Marshall quickly went to put his paw on top of the two others.
Just as he did, though, his paw seemingly phased through both Rocky and Everest's, resulting in his paw hitting the ground. As his paw hit the concrete surface of the sidewalk, a large splash of water went in all directions, including toward him, hitting his already damp fur.
Marshall stumbled and fell to the ground, suddenly feeling a lot more weak than he had been before. The scent of damp dog fur filled his nostrils, as well as the scent of rain hitting the asphalt roads of the street beside the sidewalk. The Dalmatian's eyes slowly closed. He remembered this day all too well. He had completely lost hope and ran away from the lookout in order to keep Rocky and Everest from getting themselves wrapped up in his problems.
Though, that only seemed to cause more problems for the ones he loved.
He opened his eyes once more, finding himself in the midst of his first encounter with Hood, the Dalmatian he had been searching around for the days between him running away and finding the antagonistic canine. The headache that had come when he lived through the memories of him collapsing in the rain seemed to grow in magnitude. He had almost forgotten. The first time he met Hood, he was in the midst of a terrible cold.
The angry Dalmatian tackled Marshall to the ground, something that he hadn't seen coming in his daze.
"I needed that!" He shouted, drawing his claws and trying to swipe at Marshall. The former firefighter used his arms to block the scratching, but that didn't come with any benefits, as they began to sting with pain.
Once Hood grew tired of scratching up Marshall's arms, he suddenly grabbed his tail with his teeth, swinging him around and throwing him into a wall.
Marshall cried out in pain as his back slammed into the wall of the building behind him. It was clear that he was at a disadvantage. He found it difficult to catch his breath because of his cold, and he was growing weaker by the minute.
Hood then pounced on Marshall, using a paw to slam the Dally's head into the wall behind him.
"You know... I didn't care one bit about you at first... You were just a stranger to me..."
"But now that you've done this..."
"...You make me want to kill you, Marshall the fire pup."
His head was thrown toward the wall once more, but instead of him crashing into it like he remembered, he fell straight through it, nearly falling to the ground. His fall was stopped by Rocky and Everest, whose arms were tightly wrapped around his body.
In an instant, his headache and cold he felt just a few seconds ago vanished. All that was left within him was a sense of emptiness. One that he hadn't felt since that day...
...The day Rocky and Everest reached him.
The Dalmatian remained sitting on his haunches as both of his friends cried on both of his shoulders, expressing how glad they were that he was okay. He could feel how tightly they were holding on to him, seemingly unwilling to ever let go. They spent a few minutes crying on his messy fur before they looked up at him.
"Marshall, you didn't do anything wrong! You weren't a problem!" He heard Rocky yell, "So please don't act like you are!"
Everest's quivering voice slipped into his ears, "You're stronger than both of us combined, so don't ever say that you're not! Don't even think that you're not!"
"You're strong enough to try and take everything on alone, so we don't have to. You're strong enough to leave the lookout and try not to take us down with you..."
"You might think that you don't have it now... You might think that you lost it... But just like us, your strength will always be there to push you forward!"
"I'm still alive, because of you. I feel more free to be who I am, because of you. I learned that when it comes to friends, you won't ever hesitate, because of you."
"You always make us smile. You always make us laugh. You always cheer us up when we're sad... The only thing you were right about, is that we don't deserve a friend like you..."
"...Because we haven't earned a friend like you. You deserve better than us."
"We're in this together, Marshall. Rain or shine."
"We'll always believe in you."
Both Rocky and Everest spoke in unison, "...Because we're friends."
Marshall, his lip quivering and eyes watering beyond anything he had ever seen before, let out a shaky exhale as his paws slowly raised. His forelegs wrapped around one of the pups each, inhaling sharply.
"ROCKY! EVEREST!"
As he shut his eyes, tears falling from them, two bright lights shone, forcing him to let go of Rocky and Everest in order to try and cover his eyes. Just having them shut wasn't enough to avoid damaging his retinas. The headlights slowly dimmed, allowing Marshall to regain his sight. In front of him was a familiar vehicle. He was no longer in Katie and Liz's home, but was out at night. As he slowly became more able to see the driver of the vehicle, his eyes widened more and more.
Sitting in the vehicle in front of him was Chase.
"Paws up, Marshall!"
"What?"
"Look, just listen to my instructions, and comply. As long as you do that, everything will be okay... I'm bringing you back to the lookout."
The Dalmatian's eyes narrowed, "I'm not going with you."
"...I tried to help you, Marshall..." Chase's ears fell as he began to get out of his vehicle.
The instant he saw Chase's paws leave his vehicle, the Dalmatian turned and began running as fast as he could.
"Hey! Stop, in the name of the law!"
Looking up at the construction above, the Dalmatian gulped down any doubts lingering in his mind, "Okay, let's test this thing out..." He slid to a stop as he looked up at the top of the construction, "Launch!"
Shooting from the two containers on both sides of Marshall's torso were two plungers attached to some rope. Once the two plungers stuck to part of the construction far above their heads, he screamed, "Retract!"
When Marshall triggered the pack's retraction feature, he was propelled forward, crashing through a large pillar. One that wasn't supposed to be there.
Once the pillar was knocked out, the flimsy area began to rumble and shake, causing Marshall to wobble as he kept his eyes glued to Chase. Chunks of dust and debris filled the room, coating both his and Chase's fur in pieces of sediment.
The Shepherd, now laid out on his back, gasped for air. As he struggled to regain his breath, Chase stood once more, "...Not... Yet!"
Before anything else could be done, Chase's pup tag emitted blue light, "Chase? Are you there? We just saw a part of the construction site collapse! Are you okay?" Skye's voice came through.
He coughed, staring at Marshall, "...I'm okay."
"We're on our way now!"
"...Go, Marshall."
"What'd you just say...?"
"I said go. Get out of here!"
"Don't let me catch you, no matter what it takes!"
Marshall obliged, turning around to run away, but before he started running, he found himself in a new environment. One that he had grown to learn was the Canine Valley. He stood in front of Hood, Rocky and Everest at his sides as he listened to what the wild Dalmatian was saying.
"...Every single dog here is a stray, and now that we've been discovered by Dociles, us strays are gonna have to find a new home."
"We don't want to put anyone out of a home, I just want to prove that I wasn't the one who stole those bones!"
Hood raised an eyebrow, "You mean those yellow bones?"
"Yeah?"
"They were useless."
"What do you mean by that?" Marshall heard Everest ask, "Those things must be worth thousands of dollars!"
"Dollars?" Hood initially seemed confused, "You mean that currency humans use? We have no use for it. I went there thinking that they were edible, but they're harder than rocks! It was a waste of time."
The former fire pup's head immediately sunk as he looked at the floor, "Then what do you want!?" He shut his eyes tight, "Why did you have to do this? If they were a waste of time, then what was I!?"
.
.
.
Present Day
"Collateral damage! Collateral damage that should have stayed damaged!"
The shout from Mayor Humdinger finally brought Marshall back to the present. Gasps from Rocky, Everest, and Hood were heard soon afterward as the echo from the shout faintly repeated those cursed words. Marshall's pupils shank, nostrils flaring as his breathing seemed to grow heavy.
Collateral damage. He had heard those words once before. After everything he had been through following his suspension from the PAW Patrol. From the ostracization he faced at home, to the outward rage of the citizens of his town toward him, and even the injuries he sustained along the way. How could all of that be collateral damage?
That was his life! His!
It wasn't Humdinger's life that was ruined by what he did. It wasn't Hood's life that was ruined. Everything caused by that single decision seemed to negatively impact his life. And he was growing sick of it.
Marshall's head hung low, every inch of his body shaking vigorously.
Rocky, meanwhile, took a moment to look around. The arguing between them and Mayor Humdinger seemed to gather a bit of a crowd. One that watched on with confusion once they laid their eyes on Marshall. The mixed breed realized that they had been discovered. Marshall's location was now known. Shaking his head, Rocky forced himself not to think about those around them, but his friend. The friend who had been hurt time and time again for a crime he never committed.
His eyes quickly darted over to the Husky beside him, who shared the exact same sentiment. Her widened eyes and anxious breathing were enough to let Rocky know that she didn't have the best feeling about what was unfolding before her eyes. After all, she had only seen him angry once. And that was after hearing those same exact words.
Humdinger stood, facing away from Marshall with his arms crossed. Similar to how a child would, the man stomped his foot as he whined about how unfair his circumstances were. Marshall, though, remained where he was as his bulging eyes remained glued to the ground.
"...Back..." Marshall muttered a phrase, most of it inaudible under his faint growls.
"Huh? Got more to say for yourself?" The mischievous mayor asked boisterously, his eyes remaining closed.
"...Give it back..."
"Give it back?" Mayor Humdinger repeated, confusion littering his face, "Give what back?"
"It's my life... Mine... My life to live..." Marshall snarled, his disposition uncharacteristically hostile, "Give me my life back!" He barked, lunging toward the man.
The citizens of Foggy Bottom who were watching on let out audible screams and groans of second-hand pain as Humdinger let out a dramatic, ear-splitting scream. Rocky, Everest, and Hood's mouths all fell agape while Anya, who had mostly been watching on with nothing to input into the conversation, threw her paws in the air.
"Whooo! Get 'em, Marshall!"
Eventually, Humdinger managed to get Marshall away from himself by grabbing him by his waist and throwing him toward the rest of his team. The Dalmatian, eyes filled with fury, quickly rolled on the ground and stood back up in order to get another round with the already banged up mayor.
"Wait... Marshall?" One of the citizens watching on asked, "...Isn't he that dog that was stealing from Foggy Bottom?"
Hearing this, Marshall's anger redirected toward Hood, who seemed to not understand, "Oh come on, Hood! You stole from here, too!?"
"No... I didn't..." Hood answered, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion, "...I was here, yeah, but I couldn't find anything of note like I could in your town..."
"Gee, I wonder who got that word around..." Humdinger, not at all willing to test Marshall's patience anymore, nervously twiddled his thumbs as he tried to feign ignorance.
Marshall's head immediately snapped around to look at the man, the fury boiling his blood making his body warmer than usual, "Humdinger!"
Marshall went to charge at him, much to the mayor's dismay, but before he could, something suddenly bounced off of his head and landed on the ground in front of him.
"...A boot?" The Dalmatian confusedly looked at the stray footwear, which had come from one of the citizens in the surrounding crowd.
"Leave our town alone!" The citizen, a man easily well into his fifties, shouted at the Dalmatian, "We don't need you here any longer!"
The man's shout was enough to gather a bigger group who also weren't as pleased with Marshall's presence. Almost in an instant, the crowd was closing in on the five, their faces just as angry as the ones Marshall faced in Adventure Bay.
"...This isn't good..." Rocky's teeth clenched together as he looked around, "We should've gotten out of here sooner!"
"What do we do?" Anya asked, hiding behind Everest.
Marshall's eyes, still bloodshot with anger, shot over to a familiar vehicle just beyond the crowd.
"Back to the snowcat! Now!"
Hearing Marshall's shout, the crowd immediately shifted to standing in front of Everest's vehicle. One of which, the man who had thrown the boot at Marshall, spoke up.
"You aren't going anywhere until Animal Control shows up."
"This way!" Rocky spotted a small alleyway, using a paw to point to it, "We'll make our way around!"
The team immediately followed Rocky into the alley that he pointed to, with the citizens of Foggy Bottom chasing close behind them. As they ran, Hood looked back at Mayor Humdinger, who only anxiously slinked off once the attention was off of him. The wild Dalmatian couldn't help but to growl faintly upon seeing this. He had referred to Marshall as collateral damage before too, but this time, hearing it felt entirely different.
After everything he's seen Marshall do? After everything he's seen Marshall deal with? How could that man just chalk all of that up to damage on the side? Damage that was the unintended result in some kind of grudge against a town? His eyes then widened, his running pace slowing down.
Was that how Marshall felt when he said it that day?
Before he could unpack that question, he suddenly felt the cold hands of a human grabbing onto his body and pressing him down against the concrete. Hood let out a loud yelp, both surprised and hurt by the sudden force.
"I got one!"
The other four members of the newly formed team of vigilantes stopped running and looked back to where they had heard the voice, wondering which one of them had been caught. Seeing that the captive in question was Hood, Rocky and Everest seemed quick to come up with a solution.
Rocky was the first to speak his mind, "Let's leave him!"
"Huh?" Marshall blinked, confused.
Everest began backing away from the approaching crowd of humans, "I'm with Rocky on this one. We need to get out of here before they try and put us in a pound. Besides, everything that happened was because of him!"
Anya, not knowing much of the situation, wasn't exactly with this idea, "He's our friend, Everest! He's a member of Vigilante PAW! We have to save him!"
"Marshall, let's go!" Rocky shouted, "We have to escape!"
Hood, who was still being pinned to the ground by the human, only put his head down, closing his eyes. Marshall closed his eyes tight, racking his brain for decisions, before he threw all logic and thought to the wind and did what felt right to him.
And that was saving a teammate.
Eyes shooting open, Marshall sprinted toward Hood, trying to figure out the best method to get the doppelganger Dalmatian out from under the human. That's when an idea came to mind.
Marshall quickly rolled his eyes back as he ran, bearing his teeth and snarling as much as his vocal cords could muster. He flicked his tongue around within his mouth wildly in order to give his saliva a more foamy look to it before opening his mouth, letting the 'foam' seep from between his teeth.
The human picked up on what Marshall appeared to be, "Oh my god, he's foaming! Rabid dog!" The man let go of Hood, backing away to avoid contracting the rabies Marshall had just gotten his shots for a few months prior. Once thinking he was in the clear, Marshall immediately grabbed Hood's paw and began dragging him back toward the rest of the team.
Hood, surprised, was quick to question Marshall's decision, "Why would you do that?"
"No pup left behind!" Marshall glanced at him, grinning. Just like he had all that time ago.
Joining up with the rest of the group, the five continued down various alleyways, Rocky guiding them with his good memory from looking around Foggy Bottom earlier that day. Eventually, they left one of many alleys, finally making it to the snowcat.
"Everyone in! Go go go!" Marshall spoked in a hushed shout, as he helped Anya into the vehicle before climbing in himself.
Everest quickly started the snowcat, but, since she wasn't using the most stealthy vehicle, the sound of the vehicle starting up made a loud noise that could be heard from at least fifty feet in every direction. The group all cringed at the noise, knowing what was to come.
Marshall smiled nervously, "Maybe nobody heard that...?"
As though it were on cue, various enraged citizens came from multiple directions, closing in on the snowcat.
"Step on it!"
Everest did what she was told, but was surprised when the snowcat began moving. It wasn't going as fast as it usually did.
"...There's something wrong with my vehicle!"
Rocky looked away, "Right... It got a little banged up during the chase earlier..."
"ROCKY!" Everest barked.
"Ummm... guys...?" Anya asked in an uncharacteristically meek voice as she shrank down further into the seat of the snowcat, "...The humans are getting kind of close..."
Marshall looked around, noticing that the citizens of Foggy Bottom were getting closer, not willing to allow them to leave until Animal Control arrived. The Dalmatian gulped nervously as they drew closer, wondering how they could get themselves out of this situation.
"Why did Humdinger have to make you public enemy number one here too!?" Rocky asked, frustrated.
"I don't... Know..." The former firefighter pup's eyebrows furrowed, an idea slowly coming to mind, "Public enemy number one... Right! They hate me!"
"C'mon... Please work for me..." Everest begged, trying to restart her vehicle to see if it would work any better.
Marshall slowly inhaled before looking at Everest, "Hey, I have an idea."
"What is it?"
"On my signal, kick your vehicle into high gear and go as fast as you can..." The Dalmatian explained, "...And promise me one thing."
"What?"
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Days Prior
Coughing and sputtering, Marshall quickly sat up, his paws grasping at his neck tightly. As though he hadn't inhaled a fresh breath of air in hours, the Dalmatian took a deep breath in, his originally rasped breathing smoothing into a more comfortable rhythm. Regaining his senses while he took a moment to catch his breath, the former firefighter pup's eyes drifted around the area he found himself in.
He recognized the place he woke up in. The Medical Bay of the Canine Valley. But why was he there? How did he end up there?
"Ugh... What happened...?" He asked, his speech slurred by his sluggish disposition.
Marshall began to unconsciously paw at his neck once more once he had stopped grasping it. He couldn't exactly put a claw on it, but something about his neck was off. Was he forgetting something? The dazed Dally hummed to himself for a few seconds before an imaginary light bulb flickered on in his mind.
"My scarf!" He shot up from his lying position, springing onto the floor before slipping and banging his face on the floor, "...Ow..."
"Oh, you're awake," A familiar voice spoke up, letting Marshall know that he wasn't the only conscious occupant of the Medical Bay.
Turning his head to face the direction from which the voice had come from, Marshall locked eyes with a familiar canine, one of which he hadn't seen for what felt like ages. Standing there was a black-furred Belgian Shepherd, one that raised his eyebrow upon meeting the Dalmatian's eyes.
"Brutus...?" The former firefighter pup asked confusedly before shaking his head, "My friends! Where are my friends!? Are they okay?"
"Slow down, Marshall. Everyone's fine. Don't you remember what happened?"
The Dally sat on his haunches, putting a paw to his muzzle, "I remember waking up to a weird smell and a dry feeling in my throat..." He recalled, "...After that, I walked outside, and I saw—"
Before he could finish, the haunting image of a blazing inferno that seemed to dwarf himself in size popped into his mind. Fresh embers surrounding him, as well as flashes of falling branches and trees engulfed with flames reminded him of what he had to face.
"...The fire."
"Do you remember what happened after that?"
"I think so. We managed to stop the fire, right? That wasn't just a dream, right?" Marshall inquired, concerned for the potential casualties that would result from such a dangerous situation.
Brutus shook his head, "You three stopped that fire. You saved us all somehow. I don't know how you did it, or how you all managed to stay alive, but you made it. All three of you did."
"Rocky and Everest are okay?"
The black-furred dog pointed to the entrance of the Medical Bay, "See for yourself."
Marshall immediately sprinted toward the swinging doors of the brick-constructed building, the force of him bursting through the doors nearly knocking them from their shabbily built hinges. The light from the sun blinded the Dalmatian for a moment, bringing him back to his haunches as he used his forepaws to shield his eyes.
His eyes adjusting, Marshall slowly lowered his paws, his digits gently resting on the grass below him. In the light of the late morning, the sun illuminated the land of the Canine Valley, as well as all of the dogs and pups that lived there, walking around, interacting, and going about their days. What really caught his attention, though, was the center of the settlement, where three familiar pups were talking.
One of which, a female Husky pup, was wearing the bright red scarf that Marshall had realized he hadn't been wearing upon his awakening.
Walking up from behind Marshall, Brutus noticed the same three pups, eyebrows raising, "Well, that was pretty convenient..."
"They're okay... They're really okay!" Marshall's eyes sparkled with stray moisture that he tried to wipe away.
Brutus looked at the Dalmatian with a deadpan stare, "Of course they are... Why wouldn't they be? You, on the other paw..."
"Huh?" Marshall blinked confusedly, looking down at his fur. Littering his fur were various areas where it had been burned by the fire, dark spots that were the cause of a slight stinging pain he only began to feel once he realized those damaged spots were there, "...Oh, that kinda hurts a little..."
"You seriously didn't notice?"
"No..." Marshall chuckled nervously, "...I was just so worried about Rocky and Everest that I didn't realize that I was burned a bit."
"You really care about those two, huh?" The Shepherd's low voice chuckled.
The Dally's nervous grin slowly formed into a faint smile, "...Of course I do. When everything seemed to be going wrong in my life, they came to my rescue, and did whatever it took to make me feel better. When it felt like I was losing control of my life, they gave me the strength to try and take it back."
"They sound like some good friends. Do you ever wonder what you would've done without them?"
"I don't know... I don't like thinking about what could happen."
Brutus hummed, agreeing with the Dalmatian's admission, "I guess that's fair."
"All I know is that... I want to protect them... I want to do everything I can to keep them safe..."
Turning their heads, the three pups finally spotted the Dalmatian who was looking down on them beside Brutus. Everest grinned widely, shouting his name and waving both of her forelegs in the air. Rocky chuckled, remarking about how his fur looked similar to a marshmallow which had been scorched at the corners. Hood, though, only looked away, nodding his head softly.
"...Even if it costs me my life."
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Present Day
Eyebrows furrowing, Marshall couldn't help but to think back on the times he spent with Rocky and Everest. Everything he had accomplished, everything he had done, was thanks to them. He held an immense amount of gratitude for them, and how they were there for them. Not only that, but the Dalmatian owed an insurmountable debt to them...
...Rocky and Everest. His best friends.
Marshall put a paw on the scarf he was wearing, "Promise me you won't stop."
"Marshall, what's that supposed to—" Everest tried to ask, but was stopped by the surprisingly cold response of her friend.
"That's an order, Everest."
The former mountain rescue pup's eyes widened, "...Okay..."
Hearing the crowd grow closer, Marshall took a deep breath in, "Now!"
Everest started her snowcat, slamming on the gas and making it press forward despite the damage it had taken while under Rocky's care. Just as she did, Marshall dove from the snowcat, letting himself be left behind.
"Marshall!" Rocky, Anya, and even Hood shouted back at him.
Anya pawed at the back of the Husky's head, "Everest, Marshall jumped out! Go back!"
"Didn't you hear what Marshall said?" Hood looked at the little Shiba, "...He doesn't want us to go back..."
"NO!"
Anya and Hood turned their attention to Rocky, who was still looking back at the distant figure of Marshall, who was running away from the crowd that had turned their attention to the Dalmatian.
"Rocky, you're the smartest pup here, you know that we can't—"
"Smartest pup!?" The mixed breed asked, his teeth grinding together, "Screw that! The smartest would be able to find a way for all of us to escape! I won't let him do this!"
Rocky's mind immediately took him back to that fateful day. The day he thought he was going to die. The feeling of his consciousness slipping in and out, the sensation of the various raindrops that dampened his fur, and the sight of the pup who saved his life. In that moment, Marshall was no longer just the pup that made his fur wet every time he was around. But a brave soul that would do whatever it took to make sure he made it out of that situation alive. He was a hero that day...
...His hero.
Rocky began to shake, "He wouldn't let any one of us do this, then why...?"
Anya and Hood both watched with wide eyes as fresh tears began to seep from the frustrated mongrel's eyes, his claws digging into the back of the seat.
"Why him!?"
Everest dared not to speak. She dared not to breathe. The words of her friend, her favorite Dalmatian, her crush, remained fresh in her mind as she kept the snowcat moving. While the other three pups had assumed the Husky to be stoic and cold in her approach of accepting Marshall's wishes, the reality of the situation, the reality of how she felt, was something she hated to accept. Her teeth gritting, hitched sobs muffled by the sounds of her closed mouth, Everest kept her eyes glued to the road ahead.
"Why... Why do I have to leave you again!?"