Chapter nine: Snow-flections

"Finished!" Rocky announced, letting his scissors retract away again. "Ready to place the pattern." Ryder knelt down to help release the parachute pieces from the frame, then lifted it away so Rocky could open the folds of the cut snowflakes and the loose pieces cut out of it. And once he got the snowflakes to lay flat he began piecing together the contrasting colors for each, until they were all patterned as they were supposed to be.

"There.. How's that, Ned?" The mixed breed wondered, sensing the husky's approach.

"It looks great! The patterns all look symmetrical, and the colors match. Thank you, Rocky!" Ned exclaimed happily, before carefully giving Rocky a hug.

"Great.. now I can pin them together so Ryder can stitch them." Rocky smiled, then looked at what work he literally had cut out for him..

"This might take a while.." he montoned.

"Don't worry.. I got this.." Ryder said, coming up behind him to kneel and set a hand on his shoulder before rising to start working on it.

"We'll uh.. get back to you after this.." the mixed breed said over his shoulder before following Ryder.

"Guess we're waiting some more.." Chester figured. "So how are we gonna stay busy this time?"

Just then..

"Hah!" Chase shot up, but immediately recoiled, melting down again with the thump that pounded on his head.

"Bright power of sun and night! Ahn.." he mumbled with a groan.

"Uhh, anybody get that?" Skyler asked, as they all drew closer to him.

"Obviously not.." Chester pointed out bluntly. "He makes no sense.."

"You with it, bro?" He asked, looking down on the younger German Shepherd.

"Ugh.. what do you think? Ugh.." Chase groaned, his eyes barely open.

"Bad headaches?" Snowflake asked as she carefully approached Chase.

"Ryder? Can you or Marshall check on him?" Ned asked.

"Aoh, the light! Shut off the lights.." Chase mumbled, pressing his eyes into his paws.

"Lights?" Skyler echoed "Chase your eyes aren't even open yet."

"Effects of the concussion?" Tiny implied.

"Initially perhaps,.." Rayla replied, her gaze remaining fixed on Chase. "..but hanging on this long?.. Not likely." Then stepping forward as Ryder just finished checking his eyesight with a penlight.

"Feelings or a memory?" She asked him, leaning in over his shoulder.

"Ihn.. How did you know?" Chase wondered, rolling his shoulders over just enough to view her.

"Lucky guess?" Rayla shrugged one shoulder.

"Nice try,.." Chase shot back, rubbing his eyes.

"Well you started it with a gasp," the golden lab shrugged.

"Ugh, of course.." the German Shepherd groaned, rolling back over away from them.

"What do you think, Ryder?" Snowflake asked nervously.

"Hold on.." Melody said before going over to Chase. "May I test some things out?"

Melody put her paws gently on Chase's forehead and gently rubbed it.

"How does that feel?" the light gray female husky asked.

Chase just moaned, and remained still with his eyes closed.

"Translation would be nice." Chester remarked and they could tell he was directing this statement at Chase.

"I got nothing." Marshall sighed.

Melody moved her paws towards the upper parts of Chase's eyes, and rubbed them, moving Chase's paws away.

"Better or worse?" Melody asked.

Chase mumbled something, but no one could decipher what it was.

"Come again?" Melody commented.

"I don't know.." Chase muffed, still not moving.. or changing.

"What did you see?" Rayla asked him, as if possessing knowledge of something the rest of them were missing.

"Ihn.. bright light and then.. we were back there.." Chase replied, still keeping his eyes closed.

"The mansion?" Rayla implied.

"Yeah.." Chase breathed. "Suddenly, I.. fell through the floor then.. I'm sustained..-I mean suspended from the ceiling.. where Ryder found me.."

"His memories must be running together in his nightmares.." Rayla figured, turning to those among the group. "The CorDan mansion with the Halloween Mansion."

"Which means what?" Rocky asked, turning to ask this question before resuming focus on the task he was working on with Ryder.

"Wait, what Halloween Mansion?" Melody asked, as Brian also looked confused. Snowflake thought for a moment, then as she pieced the puzzle in her mind together, she came to a realization.

"It means... if Chase's shoulder was hurting him at the Halloween mansion, and that injury is a reminder of the CorDan mansion... his memories are playing together in his nightmares with no end. If he thinks about the CorDan mansion, his mind must be going through those bad memories... then in order to put him at ease, his memories go to the Halloween mansion. But, given how scary and miserable that place was, the Halloween mansion only relaxes Chase a little until he's reminded of something that happened at the CorDan mansion," Snowflake stated, with her ears folded back.

"What do you mean? The two places and situations are different," Ned commented.

"Yes, but what I mean is, if he remembers bad memories from the CorDan mansion, his mind will play through those events until... say he falls through the floor in his nightmare and ends up on the chandelier in the Halloween mansion. Once that happens, Chase is waiting for Ryder to save him or whatever situations are happening below him. However, if during the rescue, Chase slips and hits his scar... that sudden reminder of the scar could get his mind to go back to the CorDan mansion because of his injury. It's like a never ending nightmare where the two mansions and memories are connected, even though the two locations, events, and pups around him are different!" Snowflake summarized.

Several pups blinked.

"Um.. ok sure.. let's go with that.." Chester decided slowly, unsure what to say otherwise.

"Basically she means he's on a roundabout of reminders and that takes him back to the same moments.." Rayla clarified. "But the 'lights' part feels like something else has been added into the mix? Anyone know what?"

"Maybe the flashbacks happen when the memories change to a new location in his mind?" Brian guessed.

"The lights.." Chase mumbled, now laying on his back and staring at the ceiling distantly; either on purpose or just because of how dazed he was from his abrupt awakening. "They're shining.. almost blinding.. can't see.."

"Is his brain even functioning?" Chester asked, waving a paw in front of Chase's face, which made him flinch. "He doesn't exactly seem aware of anything."

"He may still be a little fuzzed from the head injury." Marshall figured. "He'll be fine once he wakes up a little more."

"Blinding lights.." Rayla mused thoughtfully. "Like headlights?"

At this time though, Chase's half opened eyes.. closed again.

"Do you know something we don't?" Chester wondered.

"Did he experience a trauma involving a vehicle?" Rayla asked the group.

"Well, I almost ran over Chase and Ryder when returning from Jake's mountain with Rocky, and Rubble. But, it was daytime, and Chase didn't seem upset when I apologized!" Snowflake commented apprehensively.

"Maybe he's not thinking straight?" Kylie supposed. "I mean, he hit his head pretty hard from what we heard.. A concussion'll do that to you."

"Possibly.." Marshall thought.

"Yeah," Ned agreed.

"So what now? Should we get Ryder?" Snowflake wondered.

"Or how 'bout we try this.." the boy said, appearing as if on cue. Then kneeling down he set a cool wet rag over the pup's eyes, which froze him instantly, like flipping a switch.

"How did you know that's what he needed?" Snowflake asked, surprised.

"Light sensitivity.." Ryder shrugged simply. "My penlight checking his pupils may have made his eyes burn a little.."

"Ohhh." Some of the pups realized.

"Now that makes sense.." Chester confirmed.

"At least Chase's eyes will heal," Snowflake commented.

"It's not that they need to heal, it's just a temporary sensitivity to light which will go away once the bruising of his brain goes down again." Marshall corrected her.

"Thanks," Snowflake said in relief.

"Rocky, how's the frame coming along?" Ned wondered.

"We're done with the small one.." the mixed breed informed them. "But now Ryder can help me make a bigger one.. right, Ryder?"

"Sure.." the boy said, then the two disappeared once again.

"And while they're busy.." Chester began grandly..

"What are we gonna do?" He asked.. his tone dropping to a duller tone.

"Hey, I was wondering.. what's up with your collar.. it seems much thicker than it should be.." Skyler pointed out, to Snowflake..

"Shh.. Sky.." Rayla hushed the border collie.

"Thicker how? I think it's the same size as everyone else's collars," Snowflake replied casually.

"Everyone's? But.. everyone's is different.. I'm so confused." The border collie sighed in defeat.

"I think the truth is in the details.. Skyler.." Rayla figured,.. pointing to the husky's collar, highlighting the difference in texture and thickness of the two different items.

"Huh? A second collar?" the border collie queried. "Isn't that a little excessive?"

"Don't be rude, Skyler. To each their own.." Boomerang reminded her.

"Oh-.. no disrespect.. Honest! Just.. a little confused is all.." Skyler apologized sensitively.

"No problem. Actually, this isn't a second collar; it's a blue scarf my owner gave to me at Christmas when he adopted me. Also, I mean my owner from my hometown Sunlight, not Ryder when I joined the PAW Patrol." Snowflake confessed before turning toward the elevator where Ryder and Rocky had disappeared to.

"Ohhhh that makes loads more sense.." Skyler realized, nodding. "Gotcha.. and how sweet!"

"Want to see the scarf? Only looking though," Snowflake asked, saying the last part a bit cautiously.

"Oh, yes please.." Skyler replied graciously, as if touched that she had asked.

"And scout's honor on the 'not touching'!" She added, sitting back to hold her forepaws up.

"Thank you," Snowflake said, before carefully pulling at her collar. The husky pup carefully unwrapped the vivid blue scarf that was the same color as her pup tag, or christmas lights. The scarf was at least three collars long, and a white snowflake was sewed on at one of the ends. Snowflake carefully laid the scarf on the ground, standing nearby.

"Woah cool.. Hey this thing fits you to a 'T' it even has a snowflake on the end.." Skyler noted, pointing a paw at the bright blue item.

"Exactly," Snowflake said smiling.

"It's so pretty.." Kylie complimented. "Did he make it himself?"

"Yes. In fact, I saw a scarf just like this one in a store, only to find out he talked to the store owner and was able to buy the same fabric and learn how to make one exactly like the scarf I wanted," Snowflake explained.

"Cool!" Members of the group gasped.

"So do you all wear matching things at all?" Skyler wondered. "I mean it's usually a twin thing, but you all seem close.. And.."

"Chase and I never try to match.." Chester spoke up. "Not if we can help it.. We only match in gear because we're both police pups and we both prefer the dark blue."

"I'm the only one with a colored scarf. My siblings have other items I don't have. The only thing we have is similar fur designs," Snowflake answered, her three other siblings nodding in agreement.

"Gotcha.. so not the matching type either." Skyler implied. "Got it."

"Hey we're back!" Rocky chimed, dragging something wood behind him. "And now we're ready to secure the pinned pieces of the parachute into this frame so Ryder can adhere them together with his stitching gun!"

Ryder soon appeared, laying a long piece of wood down to match the one Rocky had, which fit together to make a circle. And in pressing them together, Ryder was able to secure them in place to finish the solid frame.

"Ready to go.." the mixed breed told the boy after quickly surveying the parachute pieces pinned together and laid out flat waiting to be dealt with.

"Ok here goes.." the boy warned, slowly lowering the frame around the parachute, though he did strain to try not to drop it from the tension in his side that poked at him in the transition. He lowered to one knee to carefully set it down, then eased back to give Rocky some room to peer in and make sure it was straight.

"Perfect! Looks good!" Rocky smiled happily. "Now for the easy part.."

He disappeared as Ryder humorously rose to follow.. Making their way around the circle from opposite sides, they clipped the parachute into the frame. Then lifted the frame up to lean it gently against the elevator, displaying the bold pattern of the white snowflake with the dark blue background.

"Now to stitch it together," Ryder said, holding up a drill-type mechanism attached to a cord. He stepped up to the framed parachute and began running the tip of this 'drill' along the pinned overlaps of material.

"Woah cool!" Tiny gasped, earning more of their attention. "Now that's what I call a power tool!"

"That's Ryder for you, dude." Zuma grinned happily. "Always with the coolest toys and gadgets!"

"Looks like a drill, but it's sewing the fabric together. Where did you get that Ryder?" Brian said as he watched Ryder work.

"Wait for it.." Chester piped up knowingly, moments before..

"I built it.." Ryder replied easily, continuing to work with unwavering focus.

"Called it!" Chester announced proudly. "Come guys, he's so predictable! I'll bet you this kid has a tool for every job and task! That he made with his own hands. I bet he doesn't even buy tools anymore, cause he knows how to build his own."

"Not quite every task, Chester." Ryder chuckled humbly. "But as many as I can think of.."

"And you're always adding more.." Chester implied. "Don't I know it.. Seems like you've got something for everything most of the time."

"Well almost. It's not like he can make a drill out of rocks, electricity, lava and glass. That would be dangerous.. you haven't, have you, Ryder?" Snowflake joked before turning to the boy, hoping she was wrong.

"I'm not sure how you'd even be able to make a drill from that stuff." Ryder shrugged honestly.

"Oh. Thank goodness!" Snowflake said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Hey look, the snow slowed down a bit.." Rocky noticed, and all the pups drew closer to the windows, even to the point of barely seeing their reflections.

"Cool,.." Skye awed.

"And the wind stopped howling." Zuma mentioned.

"Hopefully that'll help with the clearing efforts, once it all lets up." Rayla hoped.

"Wouldn't be too hopeful for that.. Knowing snow it's hardly ever 'helpful'.." Chester mentioned bluntly, shaking his head dubiously.

"Sometimes it is. If snow is powdery it can be easy to clear away," Snowflake pointed out.

"Well, how much snow did we get?" Melody wondered.

"Let's find out!" Ned suggested, before running to the front double doors.

"Ned no!" Snowflake exclaimed before hugging him, trying to stop the curious husky from opening the sliding doors. "We can just check Ryder's pup pad. No need to get snow inside."

"Well the snow's not done yet.. So Capt'n Turbot probably won't take measurements till after the snow stops. So there won't be any information yet." Ryder said, "but if you really wanted to find out I suppose you could.."

"But I wouldn't recommend it." Chester added. "Yeesh! Cold! Though I guess you huskies are built for the polar ice cap,.. so go for it.. If you dare!.." The sinister tone at the last part was quite theatrical compared to the simple down-to-earth tone of the rest, but everyone still laughed nonetheless.

"Not exactly. I may like snow, but I'm not able to survive in it like a polar bear. Even we have our limits with the cold," Snowflake corrected with a giggle.

"Agreed, it was cold just being on the balcony when the storm started," Ned added.

"At least you didn't need to fly ahead of it!" Melody suggested with a smirk.

"Thank goodness we got here before the storm caught up to us," Brian confirmed.

"Yes, you were quite lucky to not get caught in it.." Kylie agreed. "My old owner's son was a pilot in the mountains.. And he often had to fly through storms to bring valuable cargo like medicine, medical supplies and household essentials to the valley we lived in."

"Yikes. Was he safe? Did his plane have any trouble with the storm?" Melody asked nervously. "That doesn't sound easy to fly through."

"Sometimes.." the cocker shrugged thoughtfully, a nostalgic haze falling over her at recalling this now. "But it was very difficult to navigate in blizzards, kinda like the ones we've been having lately.. but ours would dump more snow on us.. Much more. He had to be rescued by dog sled teams a couple of times, but he'd only really been injured once."

Snowflake's eyes widened and she looked at Kylie with an almost shocked, yet understanding expression.

"How many times was he saved by dog sled teams?.." Snowflake asked, a mixture of shock and curiosity in her voice.

"Um..well it's been a long time.." Kylie ventured through her thoughts. "And it'd happened a number of times.. Um.. ten times I'd say? Maybe more? It-it's hard to say.. But most of them weren't because he crashed,.. more like.. an emergency landing due to weather conditions."

"Okay. Did the team make it back safe each time?" Snowflake asked, her facial expression and tone of voice not changing.

"Oh sure.." Kylie confirmed, certainly. "The mushers took great care of their teams.. And the teams in turn took care of each other and their mushers. And they brought David back safely every time.. Even the time they brought him back on a stretcher.."

"What?!" The pups gasped, which made her freeze, staring at them quizzically.

Well, how's that for a cliffy! I forgot about some of this.. And actually I really liked how these events are different but the have one thing in common.. I know it's not a word, but.. well.. ok I guess all these events have two things in common.. Snow-related reflections.. What better way to tie everything together!

So even though the title doesn't exist in the dictionary.. It works perfectly to describe this newest entry to our story! Hope you enjoyed and we'll see you next time to find out how Kylie's story ends.. Thx!