There was only one Christmas tree farm within thirty miles of Adventure Bay.
Naturally, it's where the entire town was forced to go every December. Deerfield Farms wasn't a terrible place to buy a tree from, if not a little expensive, but it was hardly a short trip for residents of Adventure Bay. Most residents put off the trip as long as possible just to avoid the drive. Others resorted to buying artificial trees made of aluminum. Others resorted to hanging wreaths on poles in the middle of the room. Others skipped getting a tree entirely and left their living rooms bare.
And others tried to find alternative means, by wandering into the nearby woods with an axe, only to be turned away by a very annoyed Jake and Everest.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, the citizens of Adventure Bay always said. There wasn't a closer farm, even if Farmer Al had briefly toyed with the idea. He went as far as to buy the seeds, before reading on the package how long it took them to grow. "It takes seven years to turn a profit on a Christmas tree farm," he had always reminded them when they begged him to reconsider. "I don't know if I even got seven years left!"
Not that Marshall was a complainer. Or even Chase, for that matter. What mattered was their mission, one they were all too eager to accept the second Ryder posed the question: bringing back the perfect Christmas tree for the Lookout. It was usually a job Ryder handled himself, but he had other business to attend to. Something about Mayor Goodway and politics, they figured. They didn't mind.
Getting the perfect tree was all they could think about. And they wouldn't let Ryder down.
"You're sure this is the right way?" Marshall asked absentmindedly as Chase drove his cruiser down seemingly endless country roads lined with forest. Chase nodded.
"This is the way Ryder went last year," the shepherd shrugged. "I think."
"You think this is the right way, or you know?"
Chase smirked. "Neither. I fell asleep in the car on the way there."
Marshall rolled his eyes. It wasn't rare for Chase to get lost while driving. There was a time where he would regularly get lost driving across town for missions before Ryder had a GPS installed in his cruiser's navigation system.
"I thought you were supposed to have a great memory," Marshall complained.
"I don't remember saying that."
"See? It's already failing you!"
"C'mon, Marshall, I've only taken, like, two wrong turns so far. We'll be there soon, I promise."
Marshall rolled his eyes. Just a few minutes later, Chase pulled into the parking lot at Deerfield Farms. It was almost sundown and there were little to no other people, and what little cars there were in the small twenty-car lot were probably other employees, Chase figured. It was pretty late in the day to be buying a tree. The farmer in charge walked right up to them as they jumped out of Chase's car.
"Welcome!" the farmer said. His nametag read Allen. "Some late shoppers, I see. Can I help the two of ya's with anythin'?"
"We're looking for a tree!" Marshall proudly announced. "The perfect tree for the Paw Patrol!"
"The Paw Patrol, eh? The ones down in Adventure Bay? I've heard all about ye, I'd be happy to get ya's a tree! Most of what we got left is in that lot over there," the farmer said, pointing to a small inlet surrounded on three sides by the forest on the edge of the property. "Help yourselves! I'll get an axe for ya's when you're ready."
"Thanks, Mr. Farmer!" Chase said as he and Marshall bounded towards the trees. When they were far enough away, the pups turned to each other and laughed.
"He's just like Farmer Al," Marshall said. "He even has the same name!"
"A cardboard cutout! Maybe they're long-lost cousins," Chase said as the two looked over what little trees remained. The inlet was mostly empty of trees, leaving only fifteen or twenty to choose from, but it was entirely devoid of people. Maybe we shouldn't have come so late at night, Chase thought. Why did we come so late at night, again?
Chase was suddenly reminded of how he insisted they go at night because it would help them see how a tree would look in the dark, over Marshall's protests. Chase shuddered. He didn't plan on reminding Marshall of that.
"What about this one?" Marshall said, motioning to one near the middle. "It's big, it's puffy, it's green, it has needles, it smells like Christmas! We can put a hundred ornaments on it and it'll never break, and in a few weeks –"
Chase let Marshall's rambling fade into the background as he looked the tree over. The Dalmatian tended to ramble, and Chase figured he'd let him. The tree he found looked decent: it was tall, it was green, and it had plenty of branches. Chase smiled. Marshall always had an eye for plants. If the Lookout had a garden, Marshall would be the gardener.
And besides, Marshall seemed excited about this one.
"– and that big blue ornament that Zuma likes can go right here, and it'll be great!"
"Is this the one we're going with, then?" Chase asked when Marshall settled down.
"Sure! It looks fine, and I know they'll all love it to pieces."
"Hmm . . ." Chase mumbled. "I feel like we're forgetting something."
"Like what?"
"Like . . . someone wanted something that this tree doesn't fit."
"Something like what?" Marshall tilted his head the way a dog would.
"Like . . . didn't Rocky ask for something specific?"
"Rocky? I don't think so," Marshall shrugged.
"I remember talking to him before we left. What did he say..?"
"Make sure there's enough room on the tree for all of the ornaments I made this month! It's all recycled stuff from around Adventure Bay, like plastic bottles and stuff. Big, strong branches would work the best!"
"Rocky said that?"
"I'm sure he did!"
Marshall shrugged. "Alright. Does this tree look strong enough to you?"
Chase circled it twice, sniffing at the tree and poking its branches. He grabbed one of the stronger looking branches near the bottom, only for it to fall off the tree in his paws. Chase and Marshall looked at each other skeptically.
"This one isn't strong enough for Rocky's ornaments."
"Definitely," Marshall agreed, turning his attention to the other trees. "What about that one, over there? That one looks super strong! Strong enough to support Rocky if he climbed on it!"
The shepherd looked to where Marshall pointed, at a wide tree in the corner of the lot with sturdy branches. Chase and Marshall ran over to it as the Dalmatian beamed, proud of his find. The expert gardener struck gold again. The shepherd gave Marshall a paw-five.
"This one is perfect!" Chase said. "Good job, Marsh!"
"Yeah!" Marshall wagged, before inspecting the tree a little closer. "It, uh . . ."
"Hrm?"
"It kinda has a weird shape, though."
"You think so?" Chase tilted his head.
"Didn't . . . didn't one of the pups ask for a certain shape?"
"A certain shape? Like, that the tree be a certain shape?"
"Didn't Everest mention something about that..?"
"Can you find a tree that's shaped like a snowflake? A symmetrical, six-pronged snowflake? It'll be like a beautiful snowfall whenever we look at the tree! Can you find one, Marshall? For me?"
"And then she turned in a circle and gave me puppy dog eyes!"
Chase tilted his head in confusion.
"When did you speak to Everest before we left?"
"You know, through the pup tag. We talk all the time!"
Chase furrowed his eyebrows.
"Are you sure you're remembering that right?"
"Of course! My memory has never failed me!"
"I've never known Everest to use a word like 'six-pronged'," Chase said skeptically.
"Everest knows a lot about snowflakes! She basically grew up around them!"
"If you say so," Chase said as he eyed the other trees on the lot. If Marshall insisted he heard it, he probably heard it. And this tree certainly did not look like a snowflake, he knew. At least not from the side. Or did Everest mean from the top?
Chase shook his head. Everest probably meant from the side. Or top. One or the other.
"What about this one?" Marshall called over his shoulder as he ran across the lot. Chase struggled to keep up. It seemed like Marshall never got tired and never got out of breath, no matter how much the Dalmatian ran. Must be a Marshall thing, Chase thought.
"This one's good!" Marshall appraised. "It's strong enough for Rocky's ornaments, and is shaped like a snowflake! At least from this side," he added shyly. "This tree should be good for both Rocky and Everest!"
"Yeah," Chase agreed. "It's got good strong branches and is shaped like a snowflake."
"Does it have six prongs, though?" Marshall added nervously. "What if Everest doesn't like it?"
"Everest couldn't sit still long enough to count to six anyway," Chase laughed.
"Hrm . . . you're probably right," Marshall said tensely. Chase patted him on the head.
"Don't sweat it, fire pup. This one is the perfect tree! The other pups will love it."
"I just . . . feel like we're still forgetting something. Or someone."
"Oh?"
"Didn't . . . Skye ask for something? She wanted the tree to be . . . something?"
"Can you make the tree pink? Pink is just my favorite thing in the world! It would mean so much to me if you could find a pink tree for the Lookout, and I'm sure the other pups would love it, too! Oh, please please please Marshall?"
"Wait wait wait," Chase shook his head and waved his paw, "I know she didn't say that."
Marshall grabbed Chase's shoulders and shook him nervously.
"Come on! Doesn't that sound exactly like something she would say?"
Chase thought about it.
". . . that does sound exactly like something she would say."
"I know!" Marshall cried.
"Where are we gonna find a pink tree?!"
"I don't know!"
"What if Skye gets mad and hates us forever?"
"I don't know!"
"Whatarewegonnado?"
"Idon'tknow!"
Marshall let go of Chase, running in a circle around the lot, scanning the trees as fast as he could. None of the trees were pink, that was for sure. Marshall yipped and whined and barked, but none of the trees turned pink as a result of his efforts. By Marshall's fourth lap, Chase jumped into his path.
"Calm down, Marshall! We'll figure something out! We'll stop at the hardware store on the way home and get some pink paint! We'll make it work!"
"We're gonna be the biggest disappointments of the Paw Patrol!"
"We're not! We're gonna make it work! We can still get this tree, can't we? The one we were just looking at! The snowflake tree with the strong branches! It's right over here," Chase said, dragging the Dalmatian by the ear to the snowflake tree.
"It's not pink!"
"It's a tree, isn't it?" Chase said, trying to talk some sense into his friend. Marshall's tendency to overreact was well documented, but this time, it wasn't as endearing as it was stressful. "It'll be fine, fire pup, we'll just paint it pink! Or some of it, anyway."
Marshall took a few deep breaths before looking at the tree again.
"What if it's not the perfect tree? We promised to get the Lookout the perfect tree!"
"It's perfect for Rocky, it's perfect for Everest, it's going to be perfect for Skye . . . you and I like it, don't we?" Chase asked. Marshall nodded. "Zuma never asks for anything, Ryder put his trust in us, so I'm sure he'll be fine . . . we're worrying over nothing! It's a tree, right?"
"It's a tree," Marshall said, taking another deep breath. It's a tree. What more could they ask for? "It's a tree! It's made of bark and pine, there's only so bad we could've messed up," Marshall nervously laughed, trying to ease the tension. "We're worrying over nothing! It's just a tree!"
"It's made of bark and pine . . ." Chase said, wide-eyed. Marshall looked over. "That won't work!"
"What's wrong, Chase?"
"We're forgetting Rubble! I spoke to Rubble before we left!"
"Rubble?" Marshall asked quickly. "What did Rubble want?"
"Rubble wanted . . . what did Rubble ask for again..?"
"Can you find a tree made of pup treats? That way, whenever we get hungry, we can just eat the tree! And then Ryder won't have to buy any pup treats, and at the end of the month, we'll only have to throw the bark out! It's super environmentally friendly! Rocky told me about the science behind it! I'm not sure how it works, but I'm sure it's super recyclable!"
". . . Rubble wanted a tree made of pup treats?"
"Of course he did! I distinctly remember talking to him about that!"
"I remember Rubble being asleep when we left . . ."
"Maybe it was before he fell asleep! Rubble's awake sometimes!"
"Maybe?" Marshall asked. "Are you sure you're not remembering this wrong?"
"I've never remembered anything wrong in my life! I have a perfect memory! Remember when I drove us here and didn't get lost once?"
"Didn't you take two wrong turns?"
"No! I don't think so! I have a great memory!"
Marshall thought about it. He couldn't remember him taking two wrong turns, either, now that he mentioned it.
"You're right! We gotta find a pink tree made out of pup treats that's shaped like a snowflake and is strong enough for ornaments by the end of the day or else everyone's gonna hate us forever!"
"No job too big, no pup too small!" Chase said nervously. "We gotta get this tree before the farm closes, the snowflake tree! We'll figure the rest out on the road!"
"I'll get Farmer Allen!" Marshall said as he ran off towards the parking lot. We can do this, the pair of pups thought at the same time. We can do this. No job too big, no pup too small . . .
Farmer Allen had the tree cut down and loaded into Chase's cruiser in less than ten minutes, seeing the pair off with a wave. Chase and Marshall sped out of the parking lot and back down the country roads they came from, both slightly panicked over the possibility of getting disowned from the Paw Patrol for bringing home a disappointing tree. It was only a matter of time before Ryder called them to check in, and they couldn't risk having a disappointing tree in the background before they had the chance to fix it. They were against the clock.
"I only counted five prongs on the snowflake," Marshall said as they drove. "It's gonna be a disaster . . ."
"We'll be fine, buddy," Chase promised. "We just gotta work with what we have."
After twenty minutes of driving, Chase pulled over in a quiet backstreet. The sun had set by this point, and the road was illuminated only by the moon and the cruiser's headlights. Every hardware store for a hundred miles was probably closed by that point, the pair knew. Whatever improvements they had to make, they were going to have to do on the side of the road, with whatever Chase had in his cruiser.
Chase hopped out of the car and inspected the tree. Maybe it wasn't a lost cause.
"Okay, we have twenty minutes to fix this tree! What did everyone want, again?"
"Rocky wanted a tree with strong branches, Rubble wanted a tree made of pup treats, Everest wanted a tree shaped like a snowflake, and Skye wanted a tree that was bright purple."
"I thought Skye wanted a pink tree?"
"No, it was purple. I remember her saying purple, clear as day."
Chase nodded. It sounded correct. "Right. Let's get to work!"
After twenty minutes of running around, throwing things in and out of Chase's cruiser, and even pulling stuff out of the nearby forest, Chase and Marshall sat down in exhaustion and admired their efforts. A few stale pup treats that Chase had in the trunk of his car hung on the tree, a few extra sticks were placed in the branches to support potential ornaments, a handful of snowflakes were dumped on the tree haphazardly for Everest, and a purple blanket that Chase happened to have was draped over it all.
Chase and Marshall looked at each other tensely in between pants.
"It looks . . . fine?" Chase comforted, before the tree fell over under the weight of their additions. Marshall burst into tears.
"They're all gonna hate it!" Marshall whimpered. "We're gonna get kicked off the Patrol!"
"We're gonna be fine, Marshall!" Chase reassured. "We just gotta . . . go home, and show them what we have."
"B-b-but what if –"
"No what ifs, Marshall, just doing. Right?" Chase said, picking Marshall up off the ground. "We're just gonna be brave, and show them the tree, and we'll go from there."
"B-b-but –"
"No buts, Marsh," Chase said, dragging the tree back into his cruiser with his teeth. "Jush gotta be shtrong . . ."
Marshall tentatively climbed back into the front seat as Chase hopped into the driver's side. As Chase started the engine and pulled away, Marshall played through all the scenarios in his head about how the pups would be mad at him. Rocky yelling, Rubble crying, Skye storming off. Or worse. Marshall cowered in the passenger's seat. Maybe it isn't too late to tuck and roll out of the car and start a new life in the woods, Marshall thought.
As the street lights went by and Adventure Bay got closer, Chase found himself similarly lost in thought. The pups were going to hate him, he was sure. It was the worst tree ever. Ryder would be so embarrassed that he sent them on this mission, only for him to screw it up. Ryder would never trust them to even go grocery shopping ever again. Maybe it's not too late to cover myself in cat fur and start a new life as Katie's other pet, Chase thought. If only I wasn't allergic. Stupid allergies.
Adventure Bay came into view much sooner than they would've liked. As they drove through the familiar streets of the coastal town, the pair tensed up for the storm of hatred they were both convinced awaited them on the other side of the bridge. Chase pulled into the vacant spot in front of the Lookout and hopped out.
"It's go time, Marshall. Help me drag it inside?"
Chase and Marshall dragged the tree across the lot and into the Lookout, bracing themselves for what they assumed would be an onslaught of hate and tears. Chase rehearsed an apology in his head. Marshall cleared his path of obstacles as he walked, in case he had to quickly run out of the room. He couldn't risk tripping at a time like this.
Here we go. Here it comes.
"We're back with the tree, guys! Here it is!" Chase announced with as much anxious enthusiasm as he could, wincing immediately as he dropped the tree in the middle of the room, as upright as he could manage. Marshall looked away.
But the anger never came. The pair scanned the room with their eyes. Rocky looked on approvingly. Skye gave the pair a smile. Rubble barely looked up. Zuma was fast asleep. It wasn't the welcome Chase and Marshall had been expecting. It was almost as if they weren't mad at all. It was almost as if it was all in their heads from the start.
"Good job, you two!" Ryder said, dropping two pup treats on the ground for the pair. "I'll handle the rest. I'll put this up in the command center upstairs," he said, pushing the tree into the elevator. Chase and Marshall looked at each other nervously.
"Did we really do a good job?" Marshall asked shyly.
"You sure did! Couldn't have done it better myself," Ryder assured as the elevator doors closed between them.
"But . . . it's not what anyone asked for," Marshall whimpered. The rest of the pups looked at him in confusion.
"We didn't ask for anything specific," Rocky shrugged. "Just a tree. And you sure found one! This one's great!"
"Definitely!" Skye agreed, doing a flip. "This one's so cool and big and lush! I know Everest will love it too, when she gets here."
"It smells fine," Rubble said, not looking up. Zuma stayed asleep.
"Huh," Chase said, looking at Marshall. The Dalmatian held back laughter. It was the exact opposite of the homecoming they were expecting to receive. It looks like we were worked up over nothing, the shepherd realized. Did we really imagine the whole thing?
Marshall nipped Chase's ear to get his attention.
"Chase, a word?" Marshall said between giggles. "Outside?"
Chase followed Marshall outside. The night was much darker and colder than it was before, but the lights around the Lookout kept it reasonably lit. As soon as the pair reached Chase's cruiser, Marshall burst into laughter, falling to the ground with tears in his eyes. Chase was confused at first, but after a while couldn't help but join him.
"We were so worried . . . over nothing!" Marshall managed between laughs.
"Why . . . did we think Rubble . . . wanted a tree full of pup treats?" Chase laughed.
"I . . . don't know!" Marshall wheezed, banging his paw on the ground. After a few minutes, the two finally calmed down. It was an unusually tense day for them, and all they could do was laugh when they realized it was all for nothing.
"I think your memory might not be all it's cracked up to be," Marshall chuckled.
"Fine, fine, I admit . . . maybe I misremember things sometimes," Chase said.
"No kidding!" Marshall said, playfully punching Chase in the arm. "Come on, let's get inside. It's freezing out here, and we got a tree to decorate!"
"Race you to it!" Chase said as the two sprinted inside. For all their doubts, they did get the perfect tree for the Lookout. One that everyone loved, one that Ryder was proud of them for finding, one that Chase and Marshall, despite everything, had fun picking out. It wasn't the worst way they've spent a night. And they couldn't wait to do it again next year, if Ryder would let them.
They accomplished their mission. They made Ryder proud. They shared a good laugh between them. And they brought home a tree that captured a little bit of everyone.
Another job well done by the Paw Patrol.
A/N: This chapter is also dedicated to the incomparable PyreFly77, for whom I meant to have it written and finished for last year, but then procrastination and writer's block got in the way. So here it is, just under a year late! Better late than never, I suppose.