Marshall and Skye woke up inside of the shelter next to each other as both pups yawned, the other pups currently living in the shelter were still asleep as the Dalmatian and Cockapoo got up, feeling that they were hungry as their stomachs rumbled.
"So, what's your name?" Skye asked as the two pups walked into the room where every pup's food bowls are, the two of them locking eye contact as Marshall replied to Skye's question.
"My name is M-Marshall, but my family always called me little Marshy. What about you? You're cute as well." Marshall said as he looked over to the Cockapoo next to him.
"My name is Skye, Marshall. It's nice to meet you. I hope we can be good friends for a long time." Skye said as Marshall had an idea as he looked into Skye's pink eyes, and she looked into his blue eyes.
"Do you think we could each share what happened to the two of us? Considering we're in the same shelter, I'd i-imagine we can relate to each other." Marshall suggested, using this as an excuse to get to know Skye a bit more. After all, how could he not? She was just so adorable.
"Sure. So, for me it all started when our helicopter was struck by lightning, and we crashed into a tree. The p-pilot died instantly, and I'm pretty sure my family left me to die in that helicopter. That's about all I can remember though. What about you, you cute Dalmatian, do you want to share as well?" Skye asked as Marshall's ears turned into a deep rose color briefly before he spoke in reply.
"Sure. So similarly to you, everything started because of this storm that's been happening. Our house caught on fire because of it, and I'm pretty confident in saying that my family left me behind in that house on purpose." Marshall explained as he cried, standing next to Skye as the two pups began to eat their food, trying to silence the onslaught of thoughts that were pouring into their minds about their parents, the pup next to each of them, and both of their futures, but to no avail.
"I'm sorry to hear that, I know that feeling of betrayal all too well. I'm just glad we're both still alive." Skye said as she cuddled into Marshall, finishing eating her food as she slowly leaned in towards Marshall's bowl, snatching a few pieces of kibble as Marshall giggled for the first time since he escaped the burning house.
"Hey! That's my food, silly." Marshall said as he licked Skye's head, moving his head aside and allowing Skye to eat some more of his food.
"Oh come on, I'm a hungry pup." Skye joked as she licked Marshall back, feeling things she had never felt before as she kept staring into the Dalmatian's blue eyes, and he stared into hers. What was this feeling? Skye didn't know. But she knew that she wanted more of it, and she seemed to be getting it when she was around Marshall, despite the fact that the two pups had only met today.
"Well that's okay, Skye. Let's get to know each other more soon, okay?" Marshall said as he walked away from the Cockapoo and laid back down to the other pups.
"Y-Yeah, that sounds good." Skye stuttered out as she followed the Dalmatian, laying back down next to him as they fell back asleep, their tails intersecting without their direct knowledge as they cuddled into each other.
When Skye woke up again later that day, she stretched her legs before rolling onto her side so she was facing Marshall.
When she saw the Dalmatian looking at her, she smiled before nudging him slightly, and he responded by nuzzling his face into her fur. He liked having her cuddle with him, even if it was accidental. The two of them had spent all of their waking hours together lately, being cuddly with one another and talking to one another.
It was like they were old friends, almost like their families had raised them together. They talked about anything and everything, from how they ended up on the ground outside to their favorite foods and movies.
As far as Skye knew, they haven't talked about everything that had happened in both of their pasts enough yet. As she lay there listening to Marshall's breathing, she thought about what exactly had caused him to escape the burning house.
If he doesn't tell me he probably isn't going to tell anyone else either. Skye thought as Marshall shifted closer towards her, causing her tail to curl under herself. Maybe she could coax him into telling her about it himself... But at the same time, she didn't want to force it. Talking about her own past was painful enough, she imagined it was similar for the Dalmatian next to her.
"Marshall, baby, do you want to talk about your past?" Skye asked as she placed her paw on Marshall's chest to try and catch his attention. She watched as the Dalmatian looked at her for a few moments, thinking, before opening his mouth to speak.
"Not really Skye. I don't want to burden anyone else with it, especially when it hurts so much for me." The Dalmatian said as Skye nodded, she understood that, she could relate to that, after all, she had a similar past to Marshall, and she didn't want to burden anyone with her problems. But at the same time, the two puppies did have an initial conversation about what happened to the two of them.
"Okay, but promise me something, if anything makes you want to talk about it then you can, okay?" Skye said, gently poking Marshall with her nose in order to get him to respond.
"Alright... I'll try." Marshall replied as he looked at Skye, before placing his paw over hers and intertwining them together, making Skye blush lightly.
"Good, now let's go back to sleep, I'm tired." Skye said softly as she curled up closer to the other pups.
"We can rest later, let's sleep now, yeah?" Marshall replied in return, wrapping his paws around Skye, pulling her into his embrace, which made Skye smile.
She finally felt like she had a place in this world after being abandoned by her family. And with Marshall, she would make it so much better. With Marshall, she wouldn't wake up alone anymore. The two pups eventually drifted off to sleep with each other, holding onto one another for comfort. Even though their lives wasn't perfect, they were happy together in the animal shelter, that's all that matters, right?
After a while, Skye opened her eyes again, noticing that she hadn't moved since she fell asleep last night, instead, she was resting her chin on the top of Marshall's head. She lifted her head up slightly so she could look at Marshall's sleeping figure, smiling happily as she remembered how comforting Marshall's scent was, and how he was able to calm Skye down when no one else could help her.
Skye couldn't believe what she was doing. But she needed someone who could help her through the pain she went through. Someone who wouldn't judge her for her past or her family, because they might not understand her problems, but they're willing to listen to her and accept all her hardships and issues as she struggles through life. This Dalmatian was that person. The one that was willing to wait patiently for Skye to open up to him and allow him to show her what was behind those blue eyes of his.
All the more reason she could trust him, and she already did, and she wanted nothing more than to be able to share this with him. Not only would he be able to help her through this rough patch, but she would be able to help him through his rough patch as well. The two of them would always have each other.
She hoped that one day, Marshall would be ready to tell her who his dad is, and he would be ready to tell her his story about how his family left him to die in their burning was time for Skye to take care of Marshall. For now, she would just give him a small hug, and maybe one day, the two of them will start dating under far better circumstances.
For now, they should both focus on enjoying one another's company for however long they are stuck here. And in the meantime, the two pups will try to find their families, and hopefully they'll learn the truth about what happened. They'll need to move somewhere safer in case they need to protect themselves again, and hopefully they'll be able to leave this area as soon as possible. After all, it's best to put everything behind you when you are trying to move forward with new beginnings. Skye was going to stick with Marshall for as long as she could; for he was the best kind of support she needed, and she couldn't think of a better option at the moment.
She closed her eyes once again, hoping to fall asleep again so she can spend the remainder of the night curled up next to the Dalmatian pup who was also asleep beside her. The pair woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after having slept all throughout the night, with Marshall waking up first and stretching, and Skye sitting up, yawning softly as she stretched her back. She was happy to find that Marshall was the first one awake, she didn't mind at all that the two were cuddled up together, neither of the two wanted to wake up just yet, and honestly, Skye couldn't think of a more pleasant way to start the new day. However, it took all of Skye's willpower not to squeal as she noticed Marshall slowly waking up as well, the pair of them still wrapped around each other, as their eyes met and locked in a passionate embrace, neither wanting to let go just yet. Their noses brushed against one another several times, until Skye broke the moment.
"Hey Marshall." She whispered as she rested her chin on the top of the Dalmatians head and sighed contently. She couldn't remember a time where she enjoyed sleeping quite as much as she does now.
"You awake Skye?" Marshall asked softly, not wanting to break apart from Skye.
"Yes I am... Did you have a nice sleep?" Skye asked as she pulled away from the Dalmatian and looked up at him.
"Very much so, thank you," Marshall said softly as he smiled slightly at his close friend. After all, that's all they were, right? Close friends that cuddled while they slept, nothing unusual about that at all.
He could feel the tips of his ears becoming red as he started blushing. Was he getting flustered by the proximity of Skye again? How embarrassing could that even be? His cheeks turned a bright shade of orange as he buried his head in Skye's chest.
He could hear his heart racing against her chest, he was so nervous about the contact of his face with her bare skin, it seemed as though that was going to be happening more and more, but for whatever reason he found comfort in the softness of her fur against his fur. He wanted to stay there forever. Just like how they were now.
After a couple of minutes of silence between the two, they both heard someone knock on the door. Both of them immediately straighten up as they heard some noises coming from inside, Skye assumed that whoever was knocking must be calling out for them, what if it was someone coming to adopt the two of them?
The thought of that sent a shiver down the Dalmatian's spine as Skye's ears laid flat against her head. "I guess we'd better see who that is, huh?" Skye said as she untangled herself from Marshall and pushed herself off the floor, standing up to go look towards the door.
"Wait here, I'll come check it out. Just wait here for a second, please." Skye said as she headed over to the door to look outside, before turning back towards the bed to see Marshall staring at her, looking confused and worried. At the door was a seven year old boy with a smile on his face and a German Shepherd at his side, he was looking down to Marshall and Skye before extending a hand out and introducing himself to the two puppies.
"Hello you two cute puppies, my name is Ryder. I'm here to adopt both of you." Ryder said as Marshall and Skye only felt their excitement growing.
In fact, they were so eager to be adopted that they both jumped right on Ryder. Ryder looked surprised but soon laughed as he picked both of the pups up in his arms and hugged them tightly, and they both wiggled their tails in response to the sudden embrace, causing their tails to whip against Ryder's stomach causing him to laugh even harder.
"Oh my god! You're adorable!" Ryder said laughing loudly as he set the two pups down on the floor and crouched down to their height.
The German Shepherd who was walking next to Ryder walked up to Skye and Marshall as he introduced himself. "Hello you two, my name is Chase. What are your names?"
"I'm called Skye and this is my friend Marshall. We're both orphans." Skye said as she pointed towards Marshall.
"Wow, what a coincidence, I was orphaned too!" Chase said as his brows furrowed in concentration. He then looked up at his owner, Ryder and smiled happily.
"Did you live in Adventure City as well, Chase?" Marshall asked as Ryder began to fill out the paperwork to adopt Skye and Marshall.
''Y-Yeah, I did. I was abandoned by my owners and Ryder found me seconds before I was run over by a truck. And now I'm living happily with Ryder in Adventure Bay." Chase replied as he looked towards the two other pups, who would be his new friends when Ryder completed the adoption process.
"That's amazing! Maybe we can work together to rescue lost pups and people from dangerous situations?" Skye suggested excitedly. It had always been her dream, after all. Chase nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! That sounds like an excellent idea! Let's hope this works out for us too!" He exclaimed happily as his tail continued to wag back and forth.
Ryder finished filling out the necessary documents and handed them to the receptionist at the animal shelter. "Here you are." He said holding out the papers to the girl.
She quickly skimmed through them, making sure that they were actually real, and not fake. Once she was satisfied, she glanced towards Ryder. "Thank you so much for taking in these pups, Ryder. Please take good care of the two of them." The girl said as she shook his hand firmly.
With that, Ryder and Chase led Marshall and Skye outside of the shelter that they had both lived in ever since the vicious storm, the Dalmatian and Cockapoo having bright smiles on their faces, especially compared to where their mental states had been after the massive storm that separated Marshall and Skye from their respective families, potentially forever.
Regardless, this new beginning with the human named Ryder, and the German Shepherd named Chase was one that Marshall and Skye needed badly. It wasn't just because they both missed their families so much, but also because they wanted to make sure the world wouldn't keep hurting the same people no matter what, which was something very common for the two pups. They knew exactly where they belonged, and that was with people like Ryder and pups like Chase who cared about them and helped them get through the tough times. They were going to be safe and sound, and they were going to be loved.
Skye and Marshall were now more free than they had ever been, and they were both extremely grateful for that. They were both exhausted, and they were both hungry, although they both chose to hide it under the pretense that they didn't want anyone to know that they were starving.
"We're on the way to Adventure Bay, you two. Me and Chase will show you all around our home. Have you ever heard of the lookout in Adventure Bay?" Ryder asked as he held onto Skye's paw, gently squeezing it, trying to comfort the small female pup, who was already starting to sniff around the area curiously as if she was trying to figure everything out, probably to try and figure out what adventures awaited them there.
"Uh uh yeah I've heard of it!" Skye said excitedly with a huge grin on her face as she sniffed around every corner and alleyway they passed by.
"And we have food there too if you guys want some. It might be cold by the time you finish eating but it's fine either way." Ryder said calmly as he gently scratched behind the puppies' ears. Both dogs nodded eagerly in reply as they finally reached Adventure Bay, it looked just as picturesque and beautiful as any other town Skye had ever seen, as did the large sea of sand in front of it.
It wasn't long before they saw the lighthouse perched proudly atop the hill overlooking the bay, and they felt themselves relax as they walked along the shoreline.
The water was calm and clear as usual, even though it looked a little darker than usually due to the heavy clouds overhead. But it never seemed like a bad thing to Skye. She would watch the waves roll in and then break apart again, and she liked how the wind felt on her fur as she ran along the beach. She loved watching the birds flying by, or seeing the occasional fish swim underneath the surface. The sounds of wildlife surrounding the bay made her feel relaxed, and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there would be some dolphins or sharks around here soon.
"Look at all the animals! They're so pretty!" Marshall and Skye suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards a group of dolphins playing in the surf with their paws, as Chase barked out in agreement.
"Alright Chase, I think we should get to the lookout. Marshall and Skye follow us, okay?" Ryder said calmly, glancing down at the two dogs as they wagged their tails enthusiastically. They were obviously excited and ready to go on an adventure, even though they had yet to see what kind of adventure it could possibly be.
Ryder lead the way towards the lookout, Ryder and Chase were both extremely familiar with all of the sights in Adventure Bay, but to Marshall and Skye, it was all brand new. But somehow, neither the Cockapoo or Dalmatian found any of this scenery overwhelming or scary. Maybe it was because they were used to being alone, or maybe it was because Ryder and Chase were always there when they came back to Adventure Bay. Either way, their presence and their kindness helped ease the pups anxiety, as well as their worries. As they got closer to the lookout, they crossed the bridge that connected the lookout to Adventure Bay as Ryder and Chase continued to lead the way.
Slowly, the lookout came into the view of Marshall and Skye. It was the tallest building in Adventure Bay without a question, there was a logo of a paw on the front of it that Marshall and Skye didn't recognize. But, they still loved the sight of it regardless. They were looking forward to seeing the inside of it and the wonders within it, as well as whatever adventures the four of them could possibly go on together.
When they arrived at the lookout, Ryder and Chase walked in as the automatic doors opened for them, and Marshall and Skye followed, their excitement only growing as they realized that this was their new home, and Ryder had truly adopted them. Despite the fact that they both knew this was reality, it was still so hard to believe.
"What do you guys think? Are you guys excited to stay here?" Ryder asked the two dogs, turning to smile down at them. Marshall barked happily as he started licking at Ryder's face, trying to prove just how much he really appreciated his new owner. Skye just wagged her tail and leaned against Ryder' s leg happily as she watched her friend's play.
Chase let out an ear piercing howl in celebration, and Skye turned her head to look towards Chase, her curiosity growing as she watched him play tag with Marshall in the sand. Even though they had just met today, it was obvious that the Dalmatian and German Shepherd would get along very well. They seemed to click together like puzzle pieces.
Ryder laughed at the sight before him, before he pulled out his phone from his pocket, snapping a few quick photos. Before he sent one, he glanced up at Skye, wanting to take a few of her as well, before he smiled.
"Hey there Skye, want a photo?" Ryder asked with a laugh, showing the tiny poodle the picture, which consisted of Chase and Marshall playing tug of war.
Skye's eyes widened in surprise for a moment as she nodded, and Ryder took a picture of her, Chase and Marshall standing next to each other in front of the lookout with bright smiles on their faces. This new chapter of their lives had begun, and Marshall and Skye were happy that it was someone like Ryder who adopted them.