Chapter forty-six: Polar Mush!
Chase's pants echoed like he were in slow motion, and everything but his heart and lungs rang silent. The harness lapped at his body with every stride, which almost fueled the fire of his muscles as he pursued the dashing snow ahead of him.
"I've gotcha now." Chester teased, only looking back briefly.
"No way dude, hu-ah!" Chase powered forward and came up next to his brother, both sliding into home just in time to whip around and stand on the empty sleds, turning them sideways for a screeching halt.
"First!" The brothers chimed.
"You're both right," Billy smiled.
"Awwww.." the Shepherds groaned.
"You know, now that I think about it you must really be on the mend if you're keeping up with me again." Chester mentioned, still trying to catch his breath. "If I didn't know better, you might already be surpassing me. And you're not even a hundred percent yet."
"Then I guess you better watch out." Chase panted, looking up at him with a smile and the two drained bros snickered amongst themselves, as Chase nudged Chess. And they both turned and hopped off their sleds so their harness clattered back to a more normal position on their hitches.
"Alright pups.. Let's get this last load and then you boys can take a break." Billy decided.
"Yes!" Both pups reeled, slamming a high five after positioning their sleds toward the open door. Then assuming a ready stance, they waited for their loads to be given. Maggie rolled her eyes at her brother in amusement, then the siblings turned into the heated storage room and retrieved a small 5 lb bag of food and set one each on the sleds.
"Oo, watch out, I can pull more than this in my sleep." Chester mentioned, settling deeper into his well prepared crouch.
"Oh you haven't seen everything I'm capable of yet.." Chase shot back, cocking a sidelong look at him matching his brother's determination.
"Oo, getting frisky are we?.." Chess tittered. "Ok, challenge accepted."
"Go!" Billy and Maggie called, then both pups ran forward as if on command. The snow shifted and in some ways snowed again, but the paws that unearthed it padded onwards. Shoulders in line.. then one in front, then the other in front. The nose that pulled ahead again, though, burned in the chest with a fire he hadn't felt in a long time, as he momentarily realized, but couldn't fully acknowledge at the time. But all the same, it made him realize that even though there was pressure on one side in particular, the adrenaline pumping through his veins finally gave him the courage to push the limits a little bit. What he would soon realize shocked him when he was met with wood and metal, and looking up, the door of the breeder barn was in front of him. It was only when a panting voice came up behind him that he turned and looked.
"Remember when you said I didn't know what you were capable of yet?" Chester huffed breathlessly. "But did you know?"
"I.. uh.. w-"
"Well look at you.." Billy commented. "Just all growed up and back on your game."
"I don't know how I did that, I-"
"I do." Billy smiled, his understanding cocking a proud smirk across his face. Then without much warning, he knelt down and wrapped him in a bear hug, ruffling the hair of his head playfully. Grabbing the bag on his sled, the man led his sister into the building.
"You boys sit tight," Maggie told them, poking her head back out of the door at them. "We have one more thing to do here."
Then as the door closed the two brothers met glances with curious looks, wondering what this could mean.
XXXX
"In pursuit of the fleeing mayor." Rayla remarked, pulling up next to Ryder. "What exactly is the plan?"
"Well we don't have Chase, so his sirens and jurisdiction doesn't give us the help we usually have," Ryder said, "but we have Rayla. So you'll have to be our liaison for this operation."
"Copy that.." the golden lab replied, becoming devious now.. "I got an idea."
"Wait, wait, wait. What jurisdiction? I don't remember us planning on bringing the mayor to court! And how is Rayla a liaison? She doesn't try to speak in a fancy accent trying to convince people to give money to her business while ripping people off! That doesn't sound like her at all! What are you talking about?" Snowflake said in confusion, not understanding the two big words Ryder had spoken to Rayla.
"No, a liaison is just someone who advocates for another party in place of another." Rayla mentioned. "And jurisdiction is just the level of legality each legal or governmental party has to do things. But don't worry.. I've got this covered."
xxxx
"Almost there, kitties. Then I can give us all a soothing bath with the smoothest hair product on the market!" Mayor Humdinger yammered. But coming around a corner a barricade stood in his way.
"Hey! Who left all these road closed signs here! It was totally open when I snuck over to Adventure Bay this way." The mayor complained, crossing his arms sulkily.
"You really gotta learn to keep your mouth shut." Rayla sighed, leaning back against the side of her vehicle casually, which was parked at the side of the road facing the path. Then repositioning herself correctly, she shot a parking boot onto the kitty-carrier and shot another to displace the trailer with the package sitting on it.
"What?! No-o-o-o-o-oooooo!" The mayor's hysterical cry, didn't appear to phase the golden lab by how she just stood there smiling slightly and shaking her head. Then rolling her eyes, she hopped down right as Ryder, Rocky and Snowflake came up behind Humdinger from their hiding spots.
"We caught you! Now give us back the shampoo!" Snowflake exclaimed.
"I don't think there'll be much trouble with that." Rayla replied, humorously watching Humdinger try fruitlessly to pull the parking boot off his kitty carrier; even losing his grip and groaning discontentedly.
"Great work, pups." Ryder said, "Thanks for the assist, Rayla. Incredible thinking. Now let's get this package back to Katie in time for her special customer's appointment."
"No problem," Rayla responded in a laid back manner.
"Copy that, Ryder." Skye called.
"Ready to go, Ryder." Rocky said, pushing the package off Humdinger's trailer and onto the one attached to his truck.
"Rayla, we can release him now," the PAW Patrol leader decided.
"You got it, sir." The Military pup replied. "Ruff! Release!"
The boot popped off and a grabber hand from the lab's pup pack picked it up and the one laying nearby and put them away.
"Move along, Mister Mayor. Nothing else to see here." Rayla announced, standing directly behind the Kitty Carrier, putting the package behind her.
"Ohhh..-fine! I didn't want a nice long hair smoothing bath anyway.." the Mayor complained, taking up his controller and driving away.
"Let's get back to Katie," the golden lab said, when she turned her head to look at Ryder.
"Sounds good to me." Rocky smiled, jumping on top of his vehicle from the trailer and into his driver seat.
Snowflake then hopped into her vehicle too, with a smile on her face.
"Let's get the shampoo to Katie," she said.
All that was left for them to do was start their engines and drive off.
XXXX
"Ok boys, we're all set." Maggie said, when she poked her head back out of the door and pushed it open for them. "Bring your sleds."
The two brothers met glances, then Chase walked forward to lead the two of them inside. Billy held onto something and his nod drew Chase toward him. Lining himself up with it by the vertical motion of Billy's hand, he recognized the triangle blocks that were set on either edge of it. Then it as he came straight toward it he started to remember as he stepped over the wheeled frame, pulled the runners of his sled up the makeshift inclines till they locked into the frame. The smooth roll that resulted when Billy released it felt a bit strange when the sled rolled into the back of his hind legs, but it was a much freer or at least a more fluid feel to the mild weight pulling on his back.
Catching movement to his left, Chase looked as Chester stepped up to Maggie, locking his sled into his own set of wheels and Maggie shook the sled briefly to be sure the lock mechanism was fully engaged.
"Ok, we're good." Maggie smiled, then planted a quick kiss on Chester's nose.
"Ew.." the pup responded, a bit disgusted as he wiped off his nose.
"Why are you saying 'ew'?" Maggie quoted, "I should be the one doing that, I kissed your soggy wet nose."
"Then why didn't you?" Chess asked, confused completely.
"Because I love you too much." Maggie returned, coming to set a hand around his opposite shoulder. Then she leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"And it doesn't bother me either.." grabbing him in a hug she smothered him with more kisses to the face while the pup struggled to get away.
"Ahh! Awh! Oof! Yuck!" Chester gasped, as he was finally released. "Girls.."
Chase muffled a snort from his begrudging tone when items loading onto his sled drew his attention.
"What are we doing?" He asked, trying to see what Billy was putting on his sled.
"It's 11:30 a.m. and we need to get lunch out.." Billy replied. "So.. we'll just use you guys to help get it out faster,.. and to help cool you guys down."
"Huh,.. another win-win,.. this must be our lucky day." Chester commented dynamically, turning to Chase as he spoke.
"No it's not, because there's no such thing as luck." Chase returned correctively.
"That was sarcasm." Chester breathed through gritted teeth.
"Then don't say it." Chase murmured back a little snappy.
"I'm trying to be funny!" Chess hissed.
"-Well you're not!" Chase shot back.
"Ok!" Chester groaned. "I'll shut up now."
"You kids done yet?" Billy asked, him and his sister sitting there expectantly watching them.
"Yes.." the shepherds replied, one more annoyed than the other, one more exasperated than the other.
"Ok then let's start on this corridor." Billy said, indicating the far hall.
Following Billy and Maggie forward along the short wall nearest to them. As they went, meals were delivered into the whelping boxes by the Prescott siblings, then they turned left down the long corridor and started going down the line.
"We'll need to reload once we turn the corner and finish the other short wall." Maggie said, as she set a bowl inside a whelping box. "Then we can take it down the first line since we did the second one first."
"Seems like it's an effective method," Chase complimented. "Did you always do it this way?"
"Actually we did it a little backwards on purpose today,.." Billy replied. "But that comes with a reason that you'll understand later."
"O-kay.." Chase replied, continuing on his way.
xxxx
"Ok, we're all loaded up for round two.." Maggie reported, Frank observing now that he'd finally joined them. "Let's do this.."
Beginning their final pass down the nearest corridor, the bowls were again placed in boxes on either side of them until the Prescotts halted; K-9 training activating both pups to halt like military personnel.
"Are we done?" Chase asked, losing his formality.
"Nope, there's just one more meal left to give.." Billy said his gaze fixed on something, then it turned down to look at him. "And it's one you're gonna handle."
Chase's expression went point blank with confusion just by hearing this.
xxxx
He was a little apprehensive when he was lowered in, but relieved to be on his paws again when a bowl was set next to him. Leaning down to push it with his nose, he guided it toward the sleeping soul cradling her newborn litter with her body, only stirring shortly before he reached her.
"You need to eat something.. It'll help you feel better." Chase offered softly.
Big dark eyes looked at the bowl, then lifted to her gaze to her son.
"Thank you, sweetheart." Mariana smiled, then slowly lowered her head to start eating. Then Chase smoothly turned round and found a spot to sit angled against the front barrier to the whelping box near Maggie and Billy who stood on the other side of it with Chester.
"Well done, big brother Chase," Billy smiled.
"Now to get ourselves some grub," Frank said. "You kids hungry?"
"You bet!" the two shepherds and Prescotts responded.
"Come on then, let's go eat." Frank beckoned, as Maggie plucked Chase out of the whelping box and released him to run after his brother, so they could race back to the house one more time.
XXXX
"Hey look, they're back!" Skyler gasped, turning her head at the sight of movement out the window, then taking off to lead the charge outside.
Snowflake parked her rescue vehicle in its usual spot before jumping out, and walking towards The Lookout.
"How goes it, Pals." Rayla wondered, hopping out of her jeep casually.
"It's going." Tiny replied a bit deflated.
Melody went over and nuzzled Tiny kindly, trying to cheer him up.
"The rescue went well. Rayla caught Mayor Humdinger after we looked at the clues," Snowflake explained.
"Umm Humdinger?" Kylie queried.
"Doing what?" Marshall asked, cocking his head.
"Stealing the package Katie was expecting," Skye replied. "But he didn't get far."
"As per usual, so I've heard." Rayla sighed knowingly. "All in a day's work for this pup. Maybe one day he'll figure out that stealing things, no matter how he does it or how much he tries to succeed at it, he'll always fail eventually.. as long as the PAW Patrol has something to say about his mischief making."
"I'm surprised he hasn't stopped stealing! If he wanted to, why not ask Ryder for help when he wants to make something?" Snowflake mentioned thoughtfully.
"I'm lost.." CiCi shook her head. "What is he making with expensive soaps?"
"Well based on his whining, the mayor wanted to take a bath using the soap," Snowflake responded.
"Take a bath, with pet shampoos? That doesn't make any sense!" Skyler commented openly.
"Many people do strange things for strange reasons." Rayla remarked thoughtfully. "And around here they don't get much stranger than him.. Except maybe Chase and Chester.. And you huskies.."
"Agreed," the four husky pups responded, then a silence ensued upon them.
"Soo Christmas gifts.." Tiny remarked. "Are we getting any for each other this year?"
"Well Ryder usually gives us an allowance to buy gifts if we want." Skye said. "But usually we end up only buying a few because we make some of them."
"I say we make it fun and do some kind of game.." Skyler spoke up deviously. "Like secret santa or something.. Then we have to guess who got us what they got us.."
"Yes!" Snowflake exclaimed happily.
"Are you sure that's actually a good idea?" Tiny replied, a little apprehensive.
"Yes!" Skyler and Snowflake replied at once.
"Actually we've never done anything like that before." Marshall realized.
"Sounds like fun to me." Zuma reeled. "Let's do it, dudes!"
"Okay. So how do we decide who gets what pup?" Brian asked the group.
"I've got an idea for that.." Rocky piped up confidently. "But we can't do it till Chase and Chester come back.." And this left them all curious, and intrigued to see what he meant.
"Okay. How? Have Chase launch tennis balls with numbers on them?" Ned guessed jokingly.
"Not exactly, but that would be fun," Rocky said. "We're gonna decide this in a creative way."
Hello readers! Well it's a day late, but here we are! Time must REALLYhave gotten away from us for us to forget to post, but thank you whitealex031 for reminding me!
Anyway, as for the chapter itself we're getting to have some fun with this again by throwing in a last minute twist before we work out the final moments of this long-lived story arch. Now it may seem unorthodox when we get there, but hopefully it'll make sense in the end.
Now with all that said, sorry for the tardy post and we'll see you next time! Thx!