Chapter 8: Promises, Part Three
Marshall and Raven walk into the training room to find everyone except Hunter and Kade on the bleachers, "Looks like we are just in time," Raven tells Marshall with a smile as they walk up to the bleachers and sit.
"What happened Marshall?" Margareth asked her brother, being curious.
"She just showed me something," Marshall answered but knew there was more.
"Come on, I know something happened," Margareth tells him with a smile.
"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it," Marshall tells her with a smile.
"Here they come guys," Raven tells the two as a door opens, revealing Hunter and Kade, in full gear.
Kade's gear color was blue and green and was shiny, his helmet had a horn on it and a red top and a blue bottom. And he had a dark blue cloak.
Hunter wore mostly yellow and had a dragon jaw on his helmet and shiny, his cloak was yellow.
"You two ready?" Bolt asked, now standing up.
"As I will ever be," Hunter answered with a muffled voice.
The pups wait in anticipation as the two armored men take on different stances, "Go!" Bolt yelled as they both raced at each other.
Hunter adopted one blade as he raced at Kade, Kade held a small knife as Hunter reached the distance.
Kade quickly dodged Hunter's first swing as his blade extended. Kade blades were not knives, they were extendable blades. Kade quickly went for the neck with his first attack.
But Hunter quickly spun around and blocked the attack while grabbing his gun, he pulled the trigger three times but no sound came out, the gun he held was a training gun meant for this type of use.
Kade staggered back as he hit a button on his wrist and started disappearing. Hunter closed his eyes, listening for his footsteps. Hunter put his gun back as his hand hovered over his other katana.
Kade went for his neck again but Hunter heard him coming and struck him with both swords in the chest. Kade fell to the ground. Kade stood up and looked at him.
"You have come a long way Hunter," Kade tells him.
Hunter twirled his sword around a little, "I know, and you are becoming too predictable," Hunter taunted him.
"Will see how long that lasts," Kade warns him as he disappears again.
The pups watch with amazement, "How does he do that?" Marshall asked Raven.
"Each member has special gear made just for them, Kade is a cloaking device, his armor can blend into any environment," Raven tells him with a smile.
"What is Hunter's special gear?" Marshall asked her.
"We are still working on a few of them but the one he has right now is only meant for real combat, not sparing," Raven tells him.
Hunter focuses on his surroundings, listening for Kade's step as he just stands there. Kade jumped out and attacked with two blades which Hunter used too, Hunter blocked every attack before landing a neck blow.
"And just like that, it is over," Raven says to Marshall.
"Over," Bolt says to the two as he walks over to Kade, "I think he kicked your ass," Bolt said with a laugh.
"Lucky shot," Kade said as he took off his helmet.
Huner takes off his helmet too, "Is that it, I thought I still needed more training," Hunter said with a smug smile.
"Okay hot shot, then your next opponent will be me," Raven said surprising him, "But you aren't in gear," Hunter tells her.
"Lucky for me I have all I need right here," She tells him, taking something off her belt. It was a metal stick, about a foot long, and two arrowhead-like things on the end.
Raven walked up to him with a smile as Hunter put his helmet back on, "You land one hit, you win, sound good?" Raven asked him.
"Fine by me, just try not to hurt yourself," Hunter said worried about her not being in gear.
"Relax you are the medic here, I will be fine, come at me when ready," She tells him with a smile.
"Is she crazy?" Margareth said out loud.
"No, I do not think she is, I think she is a lot more skilled than she looks," Marshall says with a smile.
Hunter held both his swords in his hand as he rushed her, she smoothly dodged and extended her stick and it formed more of a spear. She wacks him three times before he recoils back.
Hunter shook his head as he regained focus, Hunter knew he couldn't run in recklessly, he had to be smart. He switched one of his swords to hold it backward. He rushed at her as she smiled at him.
She blocks the first three strikes before his other sword almost strikes before the other side of her staff extends, blocking his attack before she pushes him back. She strikes him three more times before he falls to the ground.
"You had enough yet kid," Raven mocks him.
Hunter only took off his helmet before throwing it to the ground with a smile, "I thought you knew me better, I never give up," he tells her with a smile.
Raven just twirled around her double-sided spear, "Then come at me," she said to him with a smile.
Hunter draws a new sword, Wakizashi, he puts one of his other swords back on his belt. He rushed at her with a smile as the other pups watched with a smile.
She blocked most of his quickie furry of attacks but the change of blade side gave Hunter the edge, he first struck with the Wakizashi and quickly used his Katana to lift the staff before softly striking her chest with the Wakizashi, making sure not to strike past the clothing.
Hunter then backed up as Raven clapped, "Well done, not many can adapt to my spear that fast, you keep impressing us day by day."
Hunter smiled before falling to the ground. Marshall and Margareth quickly ran to his side, "Are you okay?" Marshall asked worried.
Hunter just smiled at the pups, "Yeah, just tired," he replied softly.
Margareth and Marshall smiled back as Margareth softly shoved him, "You made us worried, idiot," Margareth teased.
"His training is hard, has to be, he will be fine in a few minutes," Raven tells them with a smile.
"Looks like we missed all the fun," Spyro jokes as he walks in with Gabriel, Rocky, and Fritz.
"Yeah, all the fun, how is it, everything ready?" Raven asked him with a smile.
"A complication has occurred, Ryder, I need to talk to you for a minute," Spyro tells them.
"Sure but what is this about?" Ryder says with a grin.
Spyro didn't return the smile, "It is important."
Ryder could tell it was something serious, "Follow me you two," Spyro tells Gabriel and Ryder as they walk out.
"What was that about?" Marshall asked confused.
"That face, Spyro was scared," Raven said with a sigh.
"Scared? Scared of what?" Hunter asked, "Spyro isn't scared of anything."
"I don't know but I know it is serious," Raven tells him.
"Would giving someone Dragon DNA make him act like this?" Rocky asked her casually.
Raven's ears twitched when she heard that, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!" she yelled as Rocky closed his eyes.
"No, he wouldn't, not even for Gabriel, right," Raven asked herself crazily.
Bolt walked up to her, "All we can do is trust his judgment," Bolt tells her.
"But he can't, of all people, he should know the danger of it," Raven said with anger.
"Maybe that was the lesser evil," Rocky tells her which seems to calm her down.
Raven sighed, "Why can't things just be simple."
The other pups walked over, "What is so wrong with giving someone Dragon DNA?" Marcus asked them.
Bolt sighed, "Dragon DNA is unstable, giving it to another person could do many things, and death isn't even the worst one."
Everyone gasped, "Then why would Spyro even consider doing it?" Sebastian asked.
"I don't know Sebastian, after all, I know nothing about Gabriel and you guys know more than me about him, All I know is what Spyro told me about which isn't too much," Raven sighs.
"What a day," Hunter says and lays on the ground, "And here I thought this day would be amazing, can't stop a man from dreaming though."
"Well, I have something that might cheer you up," Fritz says as the little droid jumps over him and looks at Hunter curiously.
Hunter looked curiously, he could it was based on a BD-1 droid yet it was different, it had ear-like antennas and four legs instead of two legs and normal antennas, "Who by you be?" Hunter says with a smile as sits up and holds out his hand. The droid jumped on his hand and onto his back, slotting into a piece on his back plate.
"I am sure you recognize the droid, it took a lot of work to build and a few days to finish the coding, Rocky and Gabriel even helped, and its name is Caramel," Fritz tells him with a smile.
"So, what do you think?" Fritz asked with a big smile.
Caramel peaked over his shoulder as Hunter patted in on the head, "I love it, thanks Fritz," Hunter said with joy.
Marshall looked at Caramel as it looked at him, "Cool," Marshall said with a smile. Then a blue light came out of its visor and covered Marshall, "What is it doing?" Marshall asked confused.
"It looks like it is scanning you," Hunter says with a smile as it jumps down to Marshall's level, Marshall looks at him with a smile as Caramel's visor shows arrows pointing down like he is happy.
Then Caramel started to scan all the pups as they laughed and played with the small droid. The other smiled at the pups, "I knew pups were cute but this is just something else," Raven said with a smile.
"Yeah, they just seem to brighten up the mood no made what happens," Hunter says with a soft smile.
"So, where did you take Marshall anyway Raven?" Bolt asked her.
"Oh, I just took him to Hunter's room," Raven shrugged.
"Why?" Kade said confused.
"I had my reasons," Raven says with a smile.
"Come on tell me!" Kade said desperately as she giggled, "Nope."
"Aw come on, Huner don't you want to know?" Kade asked him.
Hunter was just watching the pups and Caramel play, "No, I trust her, if she or he doesn't want to tell then it is okay with me," Hunter says with a smile.
"AW, come on, now you are starting to sound wimpy, and here I thought you were cool," Kade whined as the other three laughed.
Spyro led Ryder and Gabriel into the meeting rooms, and all three of them sat down, "So, what did you need? and why is Gabriel here?" Ryder asked him seriously.
Spyro looked down, not looking at him, "Gabriel asked me something, something I don't know if I can do, the only reason I am considering it is because of what he said," Spyro said with a sigh.
"I know someone is after me," Gabriel said emotionlessly which surprised Ryder.
"So, what now?" Ryder asked Spyro.
"First, we tell him everything, then he will decide whether he thinks what he wants is still worth it," Spyro said looking up at him.
Ryder sighed, "Well, it isn't how I thought things would go."
"Do you know who is after me?" Gabriel asked Ryder.
"Here, this is the files I have on them," Spyro said as he handed him a file with the name of Crimson Star.
Gabriel opened the file to see a few names, "Wiliam, so he is one after me?"
"To put it short, yes, but it is more complicated than that," Spyro tells him.
"But why is he after me?" Gabriel asked.
"Because of a Prophecy, one you might have heard," Spyro tells him.
"But before I tell you it I have to tell you about where the information lies, Canine Global Security Watch Force," Spyro sighs.
"What's wrong with them?" Gabriel asked curiously.
"Not much, I did work for them once with my father, but it's more of what they have done to you, do you remember when Marshall was attacked?" Spyro asked him.
"Of course I do! I could never forget that, how could anyone attack Marshall?" Gabriel says irrated by the pup that attacked Marshall.
"Yeah, well my father ordered his son, my brother, to attack him to test him and you," Spyro tells him with a sigh.
That answered surprised Gabriel, "Your brother attacked Marshall?!" Gabriel yelled out in surprise.
"Yes, he did, but Rodrigo isn't the bad guy here, he was just following his father's order, which was idiotic but I digress," Spyro tells him.
"My father did something even stupider, after that he tried to kidnap you," Spyro says as he looks at the pup.
Gabriel's eyes widened, "What! When?!"
"A few months ago, I still don't know what to do about him," Ryder says.
"But the reason is because of a Prophecy, that states, When one shy and timid Chow Chow, Werepup mix breed overcomes his own timidness and shyness by growing out of his own shell of insecurities, he makes his mark on the world by roaring and clawing his way to his true calling and when he grows out of his deepest fears, the once shy and timid pup will make his place in the world by dissolving evil, pain, and misery and bring an age of everlasting peace," Spyro tells him
"Because of this Prophecy your father trained you rigorously, training you for the harsh world, but others found out about it, people who would rather see this world burn," Spyro says with a snarl at the end.
"Now with this knowledge, do you still want me to give you my DNA? This isn't something you can reverse," Spyro warns but what he said surprises Ryder.
"Wait, you want to give Gabriel Dragon DNA, I can't let you do that!" Ryder yelled.
"You got it wrong Ryder, I am against it, I am only considering it because he is right, someone is after him and if we aren't prepared then the pups on your team could die," Spyro tells him with a sigh.
"B-but, then what do we do?" Ryder asked, knowing he didn't know the answer.
"It is up to you and Gabriel, I can do it, but it has a cost, it alters your appearance, and you will become a monster," Spyro tells him seriously.
Gabriel only looks at him with determination, "So what if I look like a monster? I would rather look like a monster than let the only people I care about die! Gabriel yells, "You guys are the only people who have to treat me like I matter, you Spyro taught me that it is okay to embrace my Werepup side rather than hide it."
"I people will judge me for the way I look but that is already true, I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect the ones I love," Gabriel tells him as Spyro couldn't help but grin at his response.
"If you are that determined then I will permit Paul to start the Mutation, but there is still one person you need to convince," Spyro says.
"So Ryder, what will it be?" Spyro asked with a grave stare.
Ryder stood there before he sighed, "I won't stop you but I would get other pup's opinions, they are the ones you are doing this for after all," Ryder told him as they got up.
"Well, I will go get everything ready, Meet you guys in the BT room," Spyro says as he walks off.
"Better to go talk to the pups, this isn't something you can do without saying anything," Ryder tells him as they walk back to the training room.
They walk in to see the pups running around with the robot Fritz made. All the pups noticed them as they ran up to him, "Hey Gabriel," the pups said but noticed he wasn't in a smiling mood.
Caramel walked right up to him and scanned Gabriel, Gabriel smiled at the little droid as it finished with curious eyes, "I need to tell you guys something, and I need your opinions on it."
"You can tell anything, you know that," Margareth resources him as the other pups agree.
"This isn't easy to say but, I want to get a mutation like Moby, but different," Gabriel said, trying to explain it the best he could.
"You want Dragon DNA, don't you," Marshall asked with an emotionless stare.
Gabriel slowly nods much to the other surprise.
"B-but, wouldn't that alter your appearance forever?" Margareth asked worried.
"Yeah, it would, but think it would be for the best," Gabriel tells her.
"Why would you want that?" Rubble asked.
"B-because, I d-don't know how to tell you this," Gabriel says with a stutter.
The pups look at him with confusion, "What do you mean?" Rocky asked.
"I-I want to be p-part D-dragon b-because, someone is after me," Gabriel which made the pups worry.
"WHAT!" The pups yelled.
"Who?" Margareth said with a growl.
"Why?" Marshall asked confused.
"I don't know, but I know that if I am not prepared, t-they c-could, t-they c-could," Gabriel tried to say but couldn't.
"He isn't doing this to protect himself, he is doing it to protect you guys," Hunte said walking over and holding his hand out for Caramel as it jumped on him.
"What?" The pups said confused.
"You guys are his only family, he is worried they will go after you," Hunter says with a sigh as Caramel climbs on his back.
"You knew?" Marshal asked.
"There is a reason Spyro showed himself to you guys, it is to protect him, he cares about him more than he lets on," Hunter tells them.
"But still, can't you guys just track them down a get rid of the problem," Margareth asked irritated.
"If it was that simple Spyro would have done it, from what I hear these people are elusive," Hunter tells her.
"But, there must be something you can do," Margareth said, desperate.
"I can't do anything right now, I only hear about what is going on," Hunter tells her with a sigh.
"I need to know, am I making the right decision?" Gabriel asked, not knowing the right option.
"I don't know," Marshall answered.
"For one, you change your appearance permanently but you gain power, Spyro also says power can be a curse, but if you don't take it, it could cost you your lives, I don't think there is a right or wrong answer," Marshall says with a shake of his head.
"No one knows what the future holds, better to be prepared than let it consume you," Hunter says with a shake of his head.
Gabriel looks at the pups, "Will you think of me any different if I take the DNA?" Gabriel asks, forming a tear in his eye.
"Of course not!" The pups yelled and tackled him to the ground.
"You will always be our friend," Chase tells him.
"No matter what you would look like," Rubble tells him.
Gabriel only smiles at their words, "Thanks guys," Gabriel tells them.
"We will always be here for you," Margareth tells him with a smile.
"I would think Spyro is getting everything ready, let's not keep him waiting," Hunter as he started to lead the pups to Spyro.
Meanwhile, Paul was pulling different vials of blood and other objects out of a box as Coral and Moby watched, "So, how do we start?" Coral asked Paul.
"Simple, see those tanks?" Paul points them out.
They were three big tanks full of liquid-like water, and there were stairs to access the top, "We call those Bacta tanks, they are used for mutations a recovering from injuries, pretty useful things."
"How do they work?" Moby asked confused.
"We just lower you in there with a breathing tube and we work on the mutation, simple as that, but what about you Coral, you are a Merpup too?" Paul asks the girl with a grin.
"No, I am a normal pup, why?" Coral asked.
"We have three tanks, one for Moby, the other for Gabriel," Paul explained.
"So?" Coral asked not seeing his implications.
"Do I have to spell it out for you? Do you want the same mutation Moby is getting, it would probably be easier for you two to stay close," Paul tells her.
"Huh, I have never really thought about that, I was just doing this to make Moby happy, I never thought about changing to become a pup and Merpup," Coral answered.
"Why don't you do it with me, it would make things easier for us," Moby tells her with a shy smile.
Coral cheeks became a light shade of red, "Yeah, why not, what's the worst that could happen."
"Okay, let's get your blood drawn before they get back," Paul says and takes out a needle.
Spyro walks in a few minutes later to find Paul pulling out different viles, "Is everything almost ready?" he asks him.
"If you are referring to Gabriel's mutation then yes, everything is ready," Paul tells him.
"And we are doing three now, I thought I would do Coral too," Paul says and points at the two pups, sitting next to him.
"Oh, not a bad idea but, how sure are you that the DNA will hold up with his?" Spyro asked him with worry.
"Right now with his Werepup DNA it would be about 25%, but I think I can increase that by a huge amount," Paul tells him and hands him a vile of blood, "This Tyrannosaurus Rex DNA, this should make it more stable."
Spyro looks at it, "But this would mean," Spyro says.
"Then you make sure he knows what to do, never let him combine them," Paul says with a serious look, "Only you can tell him what to do, he trusts you, make him know the consequences."
"Got it, Now, where is Fritz?" Spyro asked.
"Right here," Fritz said walking in and going over to the tanks.
"Okay, are we ready for the tanks?" Fritz asked Paul.
"Yup, just waiting on you and Gabriel," Paul answered him.
"Okay, let me get the breathing tubes ready," Fritz said and walked up the stairs next to the tanks.
"Now, the pups should be here soon so let's finish up everything," Spyro says with a smile and starts to help the others too.
A little later Hunter led the others to the room to find the three hard at work but Spyro noticed the company, "Good, you guys are here, everything should be ready, are you ready Gabriel?" Spyro asked him with a nervous grin.
"I think so," Gabriel tells him with a small smile.
"Okay, you two ready too?" Spyro asked the Moby and Coral.
"Yup," They both said with a smile.
"Okay, Fritz, you help Coral, Paul, help Moby and I will help Gabriel with the tank," Spyro said as the three led the pups up to the tanks.
Gabriel looked down at the open tank, "How does this work?" Gabriel said with a squirted eye.
"Simple, you put this on and jump in, the liquid will do the rest," Spyro reassures him as he hands him a rebreather, "This will feed you oxygen."
Gabriel puts the mask over his mouth, "Do I just jump in?" Gabriel asked with a raised eyebrow
"Yep, just close your eyes, this should feel like when you go to sleep and you might go numb," Spyro tells him and pats his head, "This will be over before you know it."
Gabriel smiles back at him, "I trust you."
Fritz and Paul got their breather on Moby and Coral just as fast as Spyro did with Gabriel, "Jump in when ready guys," Spyro tells them and they all nod and get in the tank. All of them closed the top of the tanks, "Okay, now we need to wait until they are fully out," Spyro tells the others.
"So, how long will this take?" Ryder asks Spyro as he walks down.
"For Moby and Coral, a few hours, for Gabriel, I don't know and I don't want to rush it," Spyro tells him as Paul and Fritz walk over to their computers.
"Yeah, but what do we do?" Ryder asked him.
Spyro thought, "Well this could take a bit, you could go out to eat," Spyro suggested.
"Yeah, that could work, what time should we be back?" Ryder asked him.
"Right now it is 12, how about 3, I would recommend this place, it is dog-friendly, and I need a place that could accommodate Salem being a dog," Spyro said and sent him the location by phone.
"Got it, be back then, Are you guys ready for some food?" Ryder asked the pups.
"Yeah!" the pups said with wagging tails.
"Okay, have fun you guys," Hunter tells them which makes both Marshall and Margareth grin, "Oh no you don't, you are coming with us," Margareth said as she and Marshall grabbed Hunter by his hands and dragged him out with the rest.
Raven walked in right after with a grin, "Looks like someone is occupied for the day," she said with a giggle.
"Yeah, might be a little while, but if it makes him smile then I call it a win," Spyro responds to her with a grin.
"Now, let's get to work," Spyro said staring at the tanks.
Later
A motorcycle pulls up to the Dragon Den. On the bike was a man and a pup. The man wore a green cloak that was ripped, he had a similar suit to Hunter and Kade but its color was green and its helmet had some weird ears on it. The pup wore a unique suit, and his helmet had two pieces, the top was silver while the jaw piece was red, and his suit was mostly silver and red.
The man takes his helmet off to reveal a smile, "Nice to me home, been while, ah Sliver?" The man asked the pup. The man had green hair and a few freckles.
The pup opens his helmet, the front part goes up and rests on his back while the front part stays in place. He was a German Sherperd and was mostly silvery-grey but had black parts around his eyes and snout. "Yeah, Issac, I can't wait to meet the new guy," The pup giggled.
The man was in his twenties while Sliver was a full-sized dog but had a higher pitch voice. the man had green short, scruffy hair with blue eyes "Well, let's get going already, no time to waste," Salem said with a big grin while wagging his tail like a puppy.
"Hold on, no need to rush," Issac said as Salem rushed in and he raced in after him.
Salem rushes in, rushing into every room, looking for people, he then comes across the BT room. Spyro looked at him and smiled, "Hey kid, welcome back."
"Hey Spyro, where is the new member?" Salem says with big open eyes and a wagging tail.
"He went out to eat with the PAW Patrol, he should be back soon," Spyro tells him.
"Aw, I wanted to meet him," Salem said as he deflated.
"Yeah, Marshall dragged him out, it was pretty funny," Raven said from the doorway.
Issac ran into the room, "Oh, there you are Salem," Issac said and ran up to him.
"You can't run off all the time," Issac said and kneeled down to his level and scratched his ear.
"It is fine, we are in the Dragon Den, nothing could go wrong, aw, right there," Salem said as he embraced the scratches.
Issac smiled but noticed the three pups in the tanks, "Who are they?"
"They are Moby, Coral, and Gabriel, and they are part of the PAW Patrol, Moby, and Coral are getting legs and or fins so they can walk on land and water, Moby is a Merpup and Coral is just a pup," Spyro tells him.
Issac looked at Gabriel, he could see two fangs, almost like a saber tooth tiger, and rough scales under his fur, "So this is the famous Gabriel Locksmith, but what did he want?"
Spyro's smile disappeared, "He wanted Dragon DNA, I am still coming to terms with what that means," Spyro says coldly.
Issac looked at Gabriel, he could see the Dragon-like features, "Do you think this was the best decision?"
"I don't think there was a right choice, I just have to trust him, no matter how much it hurts," Spyro tells him as his wings and tail go down in sorrow.
Salem looked at the three pups, "Wow, I can't believe other pups are here," Salem said with tail wagging a mile a minute.
Issac and Spyro smiled, "Yeah, there is gonna be even more later," Spyro tells him.
"Really! I can't meet them!" Salem said bouncing around. They watch Salem jump around with a grin but Paul is in deep thought.
"Hey Spyro, do you know Rocky's last name?" Paul asked which confused Spyro.
Spyro thought about it, "No, I don't, I think he, Rubble, and Skye didn't have a last name but that is because they were strays, why?" He asked him.
"Didn't Gabriel have a brother?" Paul asked him.
"Yes, He has two older sisters and two brothers, Why," Spyro asked.
"Could it be possible that Rocky is Gabriel's brother?" He asked him.
"Hm, I don't think so but I can access the Locksmith family tree," Spyro shrugged and looked at it.
Spyro scrolled through it but what he found surprised him, "He has two biological brothers but his parent did adopt a pup," Spyro said and looked for more information.
"Right here, they adopted a pup named Rocky, wow, I would have never thought they would be brothers," Spyro said with a smile.
"I thought so," Paul said.
"Who Rocky?" Salem said while calming down.
"He is one of the pups you will meet soon, actually, shouldn't they be here by now, aren't you almost done with the three?" Raven asked Paul.
"Yup, a few more minutes before I can release the three, making sure they don't fail when we take them out," Paul tells her with a smile.
"And they are on their way back too, should be any minute now," Spyro tells him.
Just then Ryder, Hunter, and the other pups walked in, "We're back," Ryder said as they walked in.
Salem's tail started to wag uncontrollably as he saw the other pups, "OH, MY GOD!" Salem said as he raced to the other pup, "Hi, Hello, nice to meet you," Salem greeted every pup which made the others confused but happy.
"Hey, what's your name?" Rubble asked with a smile.
"I am Salem, but you can call me Sliver nice to meet you," He said with a wagging tail.
"Sorry about him, he doesn't meet too many pups, probably the first contact with dogs in the last few months," Issac tells them.
"Don't worry, they like meeting other pups," Ryder reassures him.
Salem and the other pups start to get to know each other, "So, you are the new recruit, not very inconspicuous," he says with a laugh, referring to his bright yellow hair.
"Yeah, well, I don't think anyone here is," Hunter said with a smile.
Issac giggled, "Yeah, you're right, I certainly didn't get here because I was normal."
"Okay, everything should be ready, just a few more adjustments," Paul tells everyone with a small grin as he types in things on the computer.
"That's great," Ryder tells him as he looks at the pups, "They definitely look different," Ryder says with a nervous grin.
"Okay, let's go get them," Paul tells them as the tops of the tanks open up.
Spyro walks up to Gabriel's tank and slowly gets in he grabs Gabriel as he climbs out and the other two do the same.
Water leaked off his bright purple scales as he held Gabriel, he walked down with him and gave him to Ryder, "Hold on a minute, I need to get something," Spyro told him with a smile.
Paul and Fritz walk down with Coral and Moby. Spyro walks over to a box as three vials pop out, "This should wake them," Spyro says, injecting Moby, Coral, and Gabriel with it.
The three started to stir as the other pups looked at them with anticipation. Their eye opened, and they looked around in confusion as they put them on the ground, "What? Is it over?" Gabriel said with a yawn as he stretched.
"Yeah, am I land pup now?" Moby asked with a big smile.
"Take a look for yourself," Spyro hands the three a mirror.
Gabriel's body was completely changed, he had a larger muzzle, he had brown scales poking out but his fur still covers a lot of it, his legs were more dragon-like and had larger claws, small brown wings poking out of his back, and lastly his tail was more pointed and had an arrow at the end.
"Looking pretty cool Gab, it is quite fitting for you," Margareth tells him with a small smile and a blush.
"Yeah, never seen anything like it," Marshall tells him.
"Yeah, I do look different," Gabriel says looking into the mirror with a smile.
"You look like someone no one wants to mess with, I think anyone would think twice before crossing you," Rocky tells him.
"That's not it, you have three forms, your base form which you should change back into, your Dragon which you are in now, and finally a T Rex form which was needed to stabilize my Dragon blood," Spyro tells him.
"Really, how?" Gabriel asked him.
"Just focus and try to change back to your base form," Spyro says.
Gabriel closed his eyes to focus and he began to glow purple as he returned to his normal size, his Drgaon features were covered up by his fur, and only his tail and wings were visible, "Wow, so cool," Gabriel said with a smile.
Moby looks at himself in the mirror as his eyes start to water, he looks mostly normal but now had had four legs and four little fins on all four of his legs that were green while Corals were pink, they both had gills on their necks, "A-am I really a n-normal pup?" he asked himself as the tears started to fall.
Coral puts her paws around him, "Of course you are," Coral comforts him.
The other pups watch with a smile as Moby cries from his happiness, "I think you did a good job Spyro," Raven tells him while smiling.
"Yeah, I think I did too," Spyro said and stood next to her as the others celebrated
"So, what now?" Raven asked with a smile.
Spyro smiled at her question, "What we always do. smile, no matter how much it might hurt."
The pups continued to celebrate through the day with Team HOPE, but happy days always end. They were in a living area where there were couches, TVs, and dog beds for relaxing.
Hunter, Kade, Bolt, Issac, and Raven were all playing Super Smash Brother on the TV as Marshall, Margareth, Gabriel, Moby, Rubble, and Sliver watched.
Rocky and Zume were talking on a dog bed and so were Marcus and Sebastian. Of course, Skye and Coral were talking with each other with giggles. Spyro and Ryder watch the others. Chase watched everything from his own little corner, not letting his guard down for a second, he still felt like Spyro was unethical and risky to be around. Spyro could tell he was skeptical of him but didn't say anything.
"You're not gonna beat me this time Raven," Kade said with determination.
"Tell yourself whatever you want to make yourself feel better," Raven teased.
"And I thought Pup-Pup-Boogie was competitive," Margareth said with a laugh as she watched them fight over and over again.
"Yeah, but it is nice to see them go at it, it is pretty entertaining," Marshall said with a laugh.
"Didn't I give you this game Gabriel? Maybe we can do this at the Lookout sometime," Marshall says.
"Yeah, sounds like fun even though I am terrible at it," Gabriel said with a giggle.
Moby just watched intrigued, "What is this?"
"That is a video game, and it is played on a TV," Gabriel tells him, "It is quite common."
"Wow, I can't wait to see more," Moby said with a wide smile.
The other giggled at his reaction, Spyro smiled at the little momet but something had been bugging him. He got up and walked over to Rocky, they can see you for a second?" He asked the mixed breed with a smile.
"Sure, what do you need?" Rocky asked with a smile.
"Follow me, kid," Spyro said and let him outside the room.
"Okay, this should be good, now, tell me, what does Gabriel mean to you?" Spyro asked him with a smile.
Rocky thought about it for a second, "Well, he is a great friend and a great inventor, fun to hang out with, I would say we get along just fine," Rocky said with a smile but Spyro didn't return which he noticed.
"What's wrong?" Rocky asked him.
"Does he even know who you really are?" Spyro asked coldly.
"What do you mean? What does he not know?" he asked innocently.
"Don't play mind games with me kid, I have done this too many times, Does, He, Know, Who, You, Are," Spyro tells him slowly.
"What do mean, do you think I am hiding something?" Rocky asked annoyed.
"Rocky Locksmith," Was all Spyro said to him and it was enough.
Rocky was surprised to hear him say that, "H-how d-do you know?" was all he could mutter out.
"Because I can access most data, now tell me, does he know you are his brother?" Spyro tells him softer than before.
"Rocky only sighed, "No, he doesn't, I don't blame him either, we only knew each other for a few weeks before his parents disappeared."
"Then tell him who you are, it isn't right to keep this kind of information away from him," Spyro tells him with a small smile.
"And what if he hates me for not being there for him?" Rocky asked as a few tears fell.
"Do you really think Gabriel can harbor hate?" Spyro asked with a giggle
"I don't know probably, it has been so long, how do I even begin to right my wrongs?" Rocky asked desperate.
"You start with a (I am sorry) then you figure it out from there but you won't get anywhere if you don't tell him anything, you have to rip the Band-Aid off," Spyro warns, "Now, are you going to continue to hid from your past or face it head on?"
Rocky thought about it for a minute, "Yeah, maybe it would be better if I just told him," Rocky said with a small smile.
"Great, let's get back to them," Spyro says as they walk back in.
They could see the game they were playing was over, "Again, I can't believe this," Kade grunted as Raven, Bolt, and Issac laughed.
"No need to be a sore loser, everybody loses, you just lose more," Raven teased.
Others laugh at the two, "Why are you two always so competitive, I feel like whenever I see you you are arguing about something," Hunter says as he giggles.
"That is just how they bond whether or not either of them admits it," Bolt tells him.
"I hate her guts," Kade says with a laugh.
"He sucks," Raven laughed too.
Rocky walks up and sits next to Gabriel, "Hey, I need to talk to you about something."
Gabriel looks at Rocky and smiles, "What do you need?"
"I need to tell you something but I don't know how," Rocky tells him with a sigh.
"Just say it, what's the worst that can happen," Gabriel shrugged.
"Well, I don't know if you remember but I didn't meet you in the PAW Patrol," Rocky says wich his ears twitching, and Marshall and Margareth look at him.
"What do you mean," Gabriel asked confused.
"We met a few years ago…"
Flashback
Rocky was running through the forest while panting, he stopped running suddenly and fell to the ground because he tripped on a branch, he groaned from the pain and looked back to find nothing.
He sighed in relief to find nothing, "I thought I would never outrun them."
He gets up with a groan as he looks at his leg to find it twisted, "Dang it, now how am I gonna get up from this."
He then heard rustling in the bush as freezes from fear. Then a little Chow Chow pup pop out, "Hello," He greets him with a smile.
Rocky was just confused, "H-hello, who are you?"
"I am Gabriel, nice to meet you," he hands him his paw and then sees his paw.
"Oh, looks like you could use some help, I am sure my mom and dad can help with that," Gabriel says as he tries to help Rocky up.
Rocky accepts the help as he leans on Gabriel, "T-thanks."
"No problem but what's your name?" Gabriel asked with a smile.
"R-Rocky, the name's Rocky," he says with a small smile.
"Okay, Rocky, then let's get you some help.
They walk through the woods until they reach a mansion, "Wow, you live there?" Rocky said amazed.
"Oh, it is nothing, let's get you out of the cold," Gabriel says and leads him inside Rocky feels the warm air and sighs in relief.
"Gabriel! Where have you bean!" his father yells at him as his ears go down, "You know it is dangerous out there, stop wandering off!"
His father was Chow Chow like Gabriel.
"I am fine Dad, but look, he needs help," Gabriel pleaded.
His father looks at Rocky and sees his twisted knee, "Oh hold, Carolina, bring the first aid kit, we have a guest who is injured!" his father yells as a wolf-like creature appears, Rocky's ears go back in fear.
"Oh dear, what happened to you," She asked him but Rocky jumped back in fear.
Carolina noticed his fear, "No need to be afraid, I don't bite, I am not like most wolves, I am a Werepup," She reassured him.
"Now, can I look at that paw of yours?" Carolines asked with a smile.
Rocky reluctantly held his paw out for her, she looked at it and grabbed a few bandages, "Now what happened to you dear?" she asked gently as she wrapped his paw.
Rocky shivered from pain, "I t-tripped on a vine,"
"Now, you must have been going pretty fast to cause this kind of damage, now, what were you running from," She asked as she finished wrapping his paw and put it back in place.
"I was r-running from some b-bullies," he answered nervously.
"Oh, well you are safe here, make yourself at home, now, where do you live sweetie?" she asked with a smile.
"At the junkyard," Rocky answered with a sigh which surprised everyone.
"What do you, are you a stray?" she asked him and he nodded.
"Now that just won't do, why don't you stay here a while with Gabriel until we can find a home for you?" She asked him.
"Yeah, I don't have much company around here, I would to have a friend!" Gabriel said jumping for joy.
Rocky smiled slightly, "Yeah, I think I would like that."
End of flashback.
"And after a few months, your parent adopted me, do you remember that?" Rocky asked him shyly as Gabriel had an epiphany.
"Oh my god, I completely forgot, I guess being abandoned by them has been the only I have thought about since then, I am so sorry," Gabriel said and hugged Rocky.
Rocky returned the hug, "I am sorry I didn't say anything sooner, I was still conflicted," Rocky said as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"No need to cry," Gabriel tells him with a smile.
"So you guys are brother? that was expected," Margareth giggled.
"Could have been a lot worse, I think this is a nice outcome," Marshall smiled.
They continued to hug for a few minutes, Ryder looked at the clock, "Pups, I think we should get going, it is getting late," Ryder said as the pups groaned.
"Do we have to leave now?" Marshall whined much to the other amusement.
"Yes Marshall we need to get going, but this was a nice little trip," Ryder tells Spyro.
"You guys are welcome here anytime, well, as long as one of us is here, we won't always be here," Spyro tells him.
"Okay, pups let's go," he said as they walked outside.
They all started to walk to the PAW Patrol as the rest of Team HOPE watched them board. Moby looked back at them with a smile.
Moby stopped moving and thought about something, "You guys are a team yes, well are you hiring?" Moby asked with a shy smile.
Spyro smiled as he looked back at him, "Funny you should say that, I was just looking at a potential new member."
Moby smiled and got bigger, "Do you mean?"
"I can take you in, of course only if you want," Spyro held out a claw.
Moby runs up and hugs which he accepts and catches him, "Looks like you won't be the only rookie anymore Hunter," Raven joked.
The other pups cheered as Ryder smiled, "So this is where you belong? I think it fits you," Ryder tells him as Spyro lets him down.
"I won't disappoint," Moby tells Spyro.
"I know you won't but I think some pup wants to talk to you," Spyro tells him as he turns around to see Coral smiling at him.
"I am proud of you, just promise me something," Coral tells him with a blush.
"What?" Moby asked her while smiling.
"That you will come and visit, I will miss you, you know," Coral tells him.
"I will, I couldn't leave forever, Puplantis is my home," Moby tells her but she shakes her head.
"I wasn't talking about Puplantis," Coral tells him
"Then what are you talking about?" Moby asked confused.
Coral smiled as his blush grew as she reached in and kissed him which surprised everyone.
"I called it!" Margareth yelled out as the others laughed.
"Come visit me, Okay," Coral said to him as his tail started to wag he blushed hard.
"I will," Moby tells her as he tries to hide his blush.
"Then, see you later," She said and nuzzled him as she ran back to the other as they left.
"Well, are you quite the lady's pup," Raven teased Moby.
"I-I," Moby tried to say something but Spyro dragged him inside, let's get you set up," Spyro said with a laugh as they all went back inside.
And that is the end of the Promises chapters, sorry it took a few months to get these out, editing and writing took a little time but don't worry, I am not giving up on this or my other books. Anyway, I posted the third book in the Purple PAW series, it is under crossover because of how things are going if any of you want to give it a read but for now, I am gonna be posting this series and the Purple PAW series, I will take turns on each book, and again sorry for the wait.