Skye gasped as she tried to comprehend what was happening. "Lily," she began. "We... we did it! We finally found the capsule! We did it!" Skye howled with excitement, and her voice echoed through the cavern.
Lily was still staring at the large round capsule that was right in front of her eyes, a wide smile etched on her face. "I... I can't believe it," she said.
Skye activated her pup tag to call Ryder and the other pups. "Ryder! Chase! Pups!"
"Oh, Skye!" said Ryder. "Is everything alright?"
"Even better than alright!" exclaimed Skye. "We did it! We found the time capsule!"
"What?" Ryder paused. "Hold... hold on, Skye, we're coming."
"What? Coming?" repeated Skye before she heard a shout from behind her.
"Skye!"
She turned around. "Chase!"
Chase ran up to her, panting. It looked as though he had just run faster than a cheetah.
Skye was about to ask him about this, but then he asked her, "Skye, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Chase, but -"
She was interrupted by the arrival of everybody else, who had been far behind from Chase. The first one she saw was Ryder.
"Ryder!" she exclaimed.
"Hey, Skye," said Ryder, relieved he was reunited with his pup. "Are you okay?"
Before she could reply, she was interrupted again by Chase.
"Marshall, check Skye," he said to him as the Dalmatian came. "Is she okay?"
Skye giggled, which made Chase turn around. "I'm okay, Chase," she said. "There's no need to worry."
"Oh, okay," said Chase. "It's just..." He sighed. "I thought something bad would have happened to you."
"Well..." Skye sighed, too. "I thought something bad would've happened to you."
They both gazed at each other, smiling as the meaning of their words sank deep into their hearts.
"Whoa," said Rubble, breaking their silence.
Chase and Skye looked away from each other and turned their attention to what Rubble was admiring. Everyone was gazing at the time capsule, which sparkled under the sun's rays.
Ryder grinned. "This is amazing, Lily," he said to the archaeologist.
"Thank you," replied Lily. "Now we just need to find a way to bring it back with us."
"Hmm..." Ryder turned around and saw Skye standing next to Chase. "Hey, Skye, do you think you could use your helicopter to carry the capsule?"
Skye smiled. "This puppy's gotta fly!" she exclaimed, performing a backflip. Chase smiled at her energy.
"Great! I'll follow you to your vehicle," said Ryder. He turned to the others. "We won't be long."
"Take all the time you need, Ryder," said Lily. "We'll be waiting."
Ryder nodded and beckoned Skye to come with him. Skye followed, and they went back into the tunnel.
About 20 minutes later, Ryder peered into the large hole that the cavern below opened to. Skye was in her helicopter, hovering over the time capsule with her grappling hook extended down towards it. Lily and the other pups looked up at her as she descended closer to the capsule.
"A little more, Skye, a little more..." Ryder instructed. "And... stop! That should be good."
Skye halted her helicopter directly above the capsule and fastened her grappling hook to it.
"Okay, Skye," said Ryder. "Now, carefully lift it."
Skye did as Ryder told her and began to lift the capsule slowly. Before long, it was high above the cavern. Ryder, Lily, and the pups marvelled at Skye's work and the capsule.
"Way to go, Skye!" Ryder cheered. "Now fly straight to the Lookout. We'll meet you there. Once you arrive, make sure to land safely and carefully."
Skye nodded and ascended high into the sky. She saw Lily and the pups waving to her, and she waved back. They watched as she flew away, the capsule dangling beneath her.
Ryder turned to them. "Come on, everyone," he said to them. "Let's hurry and go back to the Lookout ourselves."
They nodded and made their way back up through the tunnel. Ryder walked over to his ATV, securing his helmet onto his head as he climbed aboard. He started it and drove away from the cavern.
That night, while the pups were asleep, Ryder video-called Lily to ask her about the time capsule. He sat on his bed and called her on his laptop. She answered within a minute, and Ryder noticed that she was still in the clothes she had worn when they went to find the artefact. Her room was dimly lit by a blue light that came from the desk lamp next to her. Despite looking tired, Lily also seemed very happy upon seeing Ryder's face.
"Hello, Lily," said Ryder.
"Hey, Ryder," replied Lily. She brushed some of her hair from her face, looking quite weary. "Are the pups asleep?"
"Yes, they are. Any updates on the time capsule?" he asked.
"The shipping crew says they'll send it by cargo aircraft tomorrow morning," Lily informed. "It should arrive in Paris by night."
"Great," said Ryder.
"And Ryder?"
"Yes?"
"Even though I've said this before, I want to thank you and the pups for helping me to find the capsule," said Lily with a grateful smile. "I really can't thank you enough."
"You're welcome, Lily. If you ever need to find a lost artefact, just yelp for help!"
Lily nodded. "I will, Ryder. Thank you."
Ryder grinned. "Lily, I should be thanking you," he told her. "Skye was very happy to be with you today."
"I could tell. She must be a really big fan."
Ryder chuckled. "Well, I better go sleep now."
"You're right," said Lily, who looked ready for a nap as she stretched her arms and yawned. "I'll inform you when the capsule's aircraft takes flight."
"Okay. Good night, Lily."
"Night, Ryder."
With that, the call ended, and as Ryder turned off his lamp and got into bed, he thought about the day's events, and how tomorrow might be. He smiled. "Let's hope it'll be just as good as today," he said to himself. "Or maybe better." He sighed as he lay down, and very soon, he was fast asleep.