Chapter 1:
Prologue
"This is Marty Muckraker, reporting for today's news on your city's favorite, you guessed it, Paw Patrol." The tall, pale, lanky news reporter shifted his hands, speaking directly into the camera. "In the few recent months since the Paw Patrol's debut in Adventure City, they put an end to a notorious mayor's schemes of controlling the city and saved dozens of lives as a giant storm nearly destroyed downtown."
The reporter put on a happy smile, his blonde pompadour gently gleaming in the morning light. "In another heroic display, the young team defended the city from a meteor shower, started by a mad scientist, which not only destroyed city blocks but also the Paw Patrol's headquarters."
He adjusted his red tie with grey dots and continued, "Despite their old downtown tower headquarters being destroyed, the Paw Patrol has found a new headquarters in a large aircraft carrier located at the city's bay."
Finally, with a large smile, the reporter faced forward again, looking into the camera. "But, no matter what has happened, this city has been indebted to the Paw Patrol since then. And with the evildoers now locked up behind bars, the young leader and his brave puppies now protect the city. Who or what will be in store next for this city is anyone's guess, but you can be sure that whenever you're in trouble, as the leader puts it," The reporter bunched up his chest before exclaiming, "'Just yelp for help'!"
"I've got It!" Rocky shouted as he ran to catch the flying frisbee just a few paw steps ahead of Chase.
With a dash, Chase's paws sped across the warm sand, hardly touching the beach's surface. He ran forward and jumped swiftly, lunging past Rocky.
"Hey!" Rocky shouted as Chase caught the frisbee clean in his mouth midair, his blue pup tag and yellow star symbol catching the bright morning rays, before landing back on the beach.
"Wow, Chase, you are the fastest pup on four paws!" Rocky said, wagging his tail. His grey fur was dotted with bits of sand.
Chase giggled and put the frisbee on the ground to free his mouth, his own brown fur speckled with sand, "Thanks, I've got to make sure I keep my speed up!" He gave a small pose and pushed out his chest, which made Rocky snicker.
"Chase!" Chase's pointy ears flicked to his owner, Ryder, a young pale 10-year-old boy with brown gelled hair across the way on the beach. He was the team leader and had adopted each of the six Paw Patrol puppies, teaching them everything he knew about their roles. He was wearing a sleeveless tee shirt and swim trunks and was currently waving his arm towards them, "Bring it back, bud!"
Chase picked up the frisbee in his mouth and, with Rocky, ran back to Ryder and handed him the frisbee.
"Good catch, bud," Ryder said with a pat on Chase's head, who was panting from the hot sun, "Alright, here we go again!"
"This time, I'm going to get it first!" Rocky yelled at Chase as he dashed off, and Ryder threw the frisbee again.
"We will see about that, Rocky!" Chase retorted as he dashed off behind Rocky. Ryder laughed as they raced off.
After several frisbee throws, Chase stopped and sat down on one side of Ryder, who was now lazing in the morning sun. He was reading a book with Rocky lying beside him. He smiled as his friend Rocky, a male grey mixed breed puppy with a bent right ear, yawned and gently shut his eyes to rest.
Chase looked around and saw his companions, each busy having fun on the beach. Rubble, the male English Bulldog puppy, was off building a sand castle. While Skye, a small female Cockapoo puppy, lay under an umbrella. Zuma, a male Chocolate Labrador puppy, and his best friend Marshall, a male Dalmatian puppy, splashed playfully at the water's edge. He giggled and looked down, wiping some sand from his chest with a paw. Chase was a male German Shepard puppy and the pup pack's proud leader.
Chase smiled and drank in a large breath of fresh air. The salty smell of the sea, mixed with sand, pierced his senses. He closed his eyes and felt the sun gently caress his fur. He pushed his paws into the ground and let the sand sink around his pads. "This," Chase thought to himself, "Is like a home away from home. Adventure City; you are something else."
A soft touch on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts, "Chase, how have you been? Enjoying Adventure City?" Ryder asked inquisitively, giving Chase's shoulder a slight rub.
Chase turned his head to look at Ryder, "Ya, Ryder, I never thought I would enjoy it so much." His confession brought a smile to Ryder's face.
"That's great, Chase. I told you it would turn out okay," Chase exhaled and nodded before moving closer to Ryder, who returned to his book while leaving a hand on Chase's back, scratching it gently.
It had been a few months since they had come to Adventure City to stop Mayor Humdinger from bringing ruin to the city. Chase had hated the city ever since he was abandoned here as a puppy. Adventure City had been unforgiving for someone so young; giant skyscrapers and thousands of people had terrified him. Every angle had been something new and frightening, but with help from Ryder, his perspective had changed over time. He could now see the city in a new light. Now, it felt like a second home to him, second only to Adventure Bay, where Ryder, Chase, and the rest of the pups lived.
In those few months since traveling here, they stopped Mayor Humdinger's schemes and dealt with a large meteor shower that nearly destroyed the city. However, as adventurous and incredible as that all was, it was now in the past, and Chase was at peace knowing that the Paw Patrol had once again brought order to the city.
They sat and enjoyed the beach for several more moments, basking in the sun's warmth before a sudden beeping of Ryder's phone brought Chase back to reality. Chase looked over and listened in, and Rocky perked up as Ryder picked up the phone.
"Paw Patrol, what is your emergency?" Ryder asked the user on the phone.
"Ryder!" The man on the other end yelled, clearly in a panic, "We need your help! Several buildings have gone up in flames, and we can't control it!"
"Get everyone away from the buildings; the Paw Patrol is on their way!" Ryder told the man before he hung the phone up. He immediately gathered the pups from their various activities. "Alright, pups, we have a problem downtown." Ryder showed the pups his phone, which was blinking with several locations of fires in the downtown city section. "It looks like we have several fires; let's get back and suit up!"
The team returned to their aircraft carrier headquarters with a joyful yelp, wagging their tails. The Paw Patrol had a massive aircraft carrier ship floating nearby in the bay. The aircraft carrier was Ryder and the pup's current residence here in Adventure City and the Paw Patrol's headquarters, where they prepped and prepared for their missions. It housed all their vehicles, equipment, gear, sleeping quarters, food, and play areas. The aircraft carrier was painted red with white and brown accents. It had two long frontal runways, which the pups used to launch from the aircraft carrier onto the street. It also featured a large tower bridge in the back with dozens of large window panes in the front. There were also antennas atop the bridge for signal boosting.
In the interior of the aircraft carrier was a large armory that stored their gear for each mission. Each team member had previously been assigned a separate area colored and coded to them, and when standing on the pad, mechanical arms would suit the pup for their mission.
Following Ryder's lead, they all quickly ran into their aircraft HQ, dashed off to their armory, and stood in their individual slots to be suited. Rapidly, they each moved to their separate area in the armory, and the mechanical arms swooped in from above, giving each pup the outfit and accessories needed for the mission.
Chase donned the familiar blue padded vest and hat he had received his first time in Adventure City. The padded, sleek blue police vest felt like a perfect fit on Chase's frame, and his blue pup pack, placed on his back, was equipped with his trusty grappling hook, zipline, parachute, and other tools for rescue missions.
The rest of his team were each given vests and equipment akin to Chase's that fit their individual roles. Each piece was also the same equipment they received on their first deployment in Adventure City.
Once the team finished, they all jumped out and lined up together, fully equipped and ready to go.
"Paw Patrol: Ready for action Ryder, sir!" Chase shouted as the team stood ready for further instructions. "Pups, let's head to the vehicles. I'll explain the mission further on the way. Paw Patrol is on a roll!" Ryder exclaimed as the team bounded off to the garage in the aircraft carrier. They sped for the garage and opened the large hangar doors, with all their cars nicely lined up in front of them.
Chase looked over all the vehicles they had stored in the aircraft carrier. Each pup on the team drove a large vehicle ideally suited to their roles. Skye, the air rescue pup, had a pink helicopter that doubled as a jet. Rubble, the construction pup, had a large bulldozer and crane with a wrecking ball attachment. Rocky, the recycling and fix-it pup, had a large green recycling truck with a compactor and mechanical pincer arms. Zuma, the water rescue pup, had an airboat that floated across the ground and doubled as a submarine and raft for underwater rescues. Marshall, the fire rescue pup, had a large fire truck equipped with a long extendable ladder, water hoses, and large water cannons. The team leader, Ryder, had an ATV equipped with adjustable shocks that could double as a jet ski on the water. Chase, the leader of the pack and police pup, drove a handsome blue sports vehicle equipped with a police tape dispenser, ejectable seat, shields, and a portable motorcycle stored in the front.
Chase looked over his sleek blue and white open-topped police sports vehicle. Recently cleaned, and the rear wing shone brightly in the strong hangar lights. His symbol, the gold star, beamed brightly on the left and right flanks of the vehicle. Every inch of his machine begged him to jump in.
Grinning, Chase sprang into his vehicle first. "I love this part!" Chase thought to himself as butterflies began to fly in his stomach. He raced through thoughts, flicking his ears, as his vehicle pad lifted through a hole in the roof. Marshall and his fire truck rose from an adjacent pad to his left. They exited through the top, which placed them on the runway of the large aircraft carrier. The morning light was radiating around them as they revved their engines. "Chase, Marshall, ready to launch!" A male, robotic voice told them overhead, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go!"
The green light signaled, and Chase gave a happy yelp as he pressed his paw hard on the pedal. The car burst into action and boosted off the ramped platform that led directly onto the city streets. The team howled, "Ow, Owoo!" enthusiastically and subsequently took turns joining him outside the aircraft carrier and onto the brightly lit street.
Ryder took the lead once he joined the team, and everyone quickly followed in tow. "Alright, pups," Ryder started, his voice coming into Chase's police car as he raced down the street, "It looks like we have several apartment buildings on fire. It's in a remote part of downtown. Let's make sure everyone makes it home safe!"
Chase nodded and focused his attention entirely on the road in front of him, his brown eyes squinting to shield them from the morning rays. Streets flashed by him, and the wind billowed through his fur. They swerved around streets and corners, sirens blaring to alert all cars ahead to stay free of the road. Chase pushed his communication radio, "Hey Marshall, ready to fight some fires?"
"Oh, you know it!" Marshall's joyful voice returned through the radio, "I'm all fired up!"
Chase smiled and focused back in as they got closer to their destination. He could already smell the burning and see heavy smoke within a few blocks. Swerving around another corner, they were met with the disaster in front of them.
Two large, narrow complex buildings were smoking heavily, and fires were flaring in several windows. People on the streets were in a panic and running from the building. Chase began to feel a nervous excitement in his chest as the scene unfolded in front of him, "Let's do this!" He thought to himself.
They pushed closer to the building, and Ryder immediately took action. "How many are in the building?!" Ryder shouted to a man holding a phone. Chase correctly thought him to be the initial caller.
"Not many!" The large man shouted back, "These buildings were mostly empty! But this one on the left had a few families in there! I think most made it out, but I can't be sure!"
"Okay, pups, let's move." Ryder said, turning to the team, "Chase, first things first, set up a perimeter. Let's make sure nobody comes near."
"Chase is on the case!" Chase barked back as he sped away down the road. "Arf! Tape!" He pushed a button with his paw, and police tape shot from the back of his car and onto a nearby pole. He raced down the road, blocking multiple lanes and ensuring that people on the outskirts stayed out and away from the blazing fire.
The scene was chaotic, but Ryder coordinated the team quickly with precision. "Marshall, you're up," Ryder called out, "We need to start dousing those flames."
"Oh, I'm ready!" Marshall yelled back. The engines flared as Marshall moved his red, sleek, heavy fire truck into position and aimed his water cannons at the blazing windows.
"Marshall's going to need a lot of water! Zuma, hook him up to the fire hydrant!" Ryder shouted to Zuma.
"Ready set, get wet!" Zuma called back as he jumped from his craft and expertly began to hook a water hose to the fire hydrant closest to the building.
"Skye, I need you to check for signs of anything above and use your drone to see if anyone is in these buildings," Ryder said.
"Aye, Aye, Ryder!" Skye replied, her helicopter whirring loudly overhead. A small drone shot from the aircraft above and began sweeping through the windows.
"Rocky, Rubble, we have some debris here that needs cleanup. Clear some of this rubble away so people can evacuate safely!" Ryder told Rocky and Rubble.
"You got it, Ryder!" Rocky replied as his machine began moving around, removing rocks, dirt, and debris getting in the way of the evacuation. He handled the large, powerful crane arms that extended from his vehicle with skill.
Rubble barked happily in reply and scooped away any loose dirt or debris with his large front loader.
Chase finished setting up the perimeter and looked back towards the burning buildings. His nose was already beginning to itch from the thick smoke. "Perimeter secure, Ryder!" He reported back, ready for his next task, as he drove his car back closer to the buildings.
"Great job," Ryder said, confirming his report, "Skye, how is it looking from up there?"
"Good, I can't see anyone with my drone on the first few floors," she said through the radio.
Chase had returned to the buildings and looked to Marshall, who was shooting large bursts of water into the windows on the first few floors. Smoke began to billow heavily through the air as the fires hissed and sizzled out. Marshall had cleared several floors, and the first building's flames were starting to subside.
"Ryder!" Skye's voice came through Chase's radio again, "We have people on the roof!"
"Understood! Skye, you need to get them down. Use the basket on your helicopter to bring them to safety!" Ryder told her on his radio.
Chase turned his eyes to Skye's vehicle as the bottom of her helicopter opened, and a small basket began unfolding from beneath. She quickly lowered it down to the roof of the building. Chase heard shouts of joy as it got closer. However, a scream from one of the floors cut his joy short. He quickly flipped his head to look at one of the higher windows in the building.
"Ryder!" Skye's voice shot through the radio, "We have someone trapped on the top floor!"
"Oh no," Ryder began as he turned to Marshall, "I don't think your ladder will reach that high window!" Chase could pick up a bit of panic rising in his usually steady voice.
"I can reach the window with my ejector seat!" he thought. Chase felt his heart pound with determination as he shouted, "Ryder, I'll take care of it! I can reach it!" He quickly turned his car to face the building and sat back in his seat, ready to launch.
As Chase prepared, Ryder turned to him, "Be careful, bud. The fire has gotten bad! Marshall, give him a clear entrance!"
"I will, Ryder. Arf eject!" Chase shouted as the seat shot forward, harpooning him through the air and towards the building. At the same time, Marshall readied a large shot of water that preceded Chase and fired directly into the window he was jumping into, preparing an entrance for him. The fiery window sizzled as the large cannon shot burst, showering Chase with cold water as he flew forward.
Chase shot into the window. He tried to steady himself midair, but the momentum kept him going. "Whoa! Whoa!" Chase shouted as his paws hit the ground, but he couldn't land correctly, so he flipped, tumbling across the floor and slamming hard into a cabinet at the end of a hall, pain shooting through his back. Dazed, he stood shakily on his feet, breathing heavily and filling his lungs with dark smoke. His head ached, but he was determined to find the person in the building.
"Chase!" Ryder's voice crackled through his radio, "Are you okay?!" He sounded nervous, giving Chase a warm feeling, a stark contrast to the scorching blaze surrounding him.
"I'm okay, Ryder," Chase coughed, "Going to find them now!"
"Stay safe up there!" Marshall added much to Chase's joy.
He shook his head to clear his mind and then raised his nose, trying to catch any scent of the person inside, but nothing other than the fumes pierced his nose. As he lifted his head, he raised an eyebrow briefly. He noticed the ceilings had sprinklers attached to them, but they weren't going off.
"Where is the water?" Chase thought, puzzled. He then returned his mind to the objective. The heat was intense, and the heat was pushing through his fur to his skin, but Chase endured it and quickly scanned the rooms on the top floor until a small call for help caught his ear. He pushed his way into a room as the flames spread higher, and under a small desk, he could see a young and pale girl.
Chase quickly ran to her as she cowered from the fires around her, clinging to the desk with her tiny hands. Her white skin was covered in bits of ash and soot. "I'm here to help!" Chase exclaimed as the wood continued to burn around him, "We have to get out of here!"
"You're Chase, aren't you," The little girl coughed, her voice tender and small. "She must only be about 8," Chase thought before he nodded in response and moved down to her, crouching to fit under the desk. "I am, and the Paw Patrol is here to help now. Grab onto my vest, and let's get out of here!"
He turned around and gave her room to grab onto him. She nervously released the table and held onto his blue vest, using him as a crutch to walk. She put some weight on him as he quickly moved through the room and out the door into the hall. Chase looked around, but to his dismay, the stairs to the top of the building were covered and burning. Wood planks and stone blocked the entrance.
"What do I do?!" Chase thought to himself as the fire closed in, "We can't be here much longer! The smoke is too much!" Chase and she coughed heavily as the smoke filled their lungs as he scanned the room. His nose burned, and his eyes stung, but he pushed forward. "Ryder!" Chase shouted into his mic, staying low to the ground to avoid the rising smoke. "I have her, but the stairs to the top are blocked! And fires are spreading around the hall!"
"Understood Chase!" Ryder crackled in reply, "Marshall, give him some cover. Chase, you are going to have to jump!"
Chase exhaled sharply, knowing precisely what Ryder wanted him to do. "Arf, carabiner!" A small carabiner and line came from his backpack, which he wrapped around the girl and secured her onto his vest. As he did so, a huge cannon shot of water flew through the window and hit the wall, exploding and covering the room in the cool liquid. She and Chase covered themselves from the water that ricocheted off the wall as they moved toward the window.
"I'm going to need you to trust me!" Chase yelled toward her, "I will get you out safe, okay!? We need to jump from here, trust me!" She gave him a slight encouraging nod, but her face showed nothing but terror. Chase's heart pounded, and he could feel the blood rush in his ears. "Okay, let's go!" Chase yelled as he ran behind her and, with a shove, pushed her from the window, causing her to scream. He immediately landed on her back, still attached to her via the carabiner on his backpack. The outside air finally hit him as they began to fall, "Arf, parachute!"
From Chase's pack, a parachute shot out and caught both of them as they fell towards the ground. The girl's screams turned into rapid breaths as they slowly landed down on the ground. Chase called the parachute back into his pack and carefully removed the line from around her waist. Once they landed, Ryder came rushing over, jumping off his ATV.
"Are you okay!" Ryder asked the both of them. The young girl was taking quick breaths as she recovered on the ground.
Chase nodded to Ryder's response, "It looks like we both are okay, Ryder!" He stood tall but could feel the heavy smoke in his lungs begin to take effect, and his eyes watered heavily from the fumes.
"Yes, I'm alright," She stammered before turning and giving Chase a large hug, which surprised him.
"Thank you, Paw Patrol," She told him through a squeeze.
Chase smiled as she let go, "We are always here to help!"
Not long after, Skye's helicopter hovered in and lowered the basket onto the ground. There were about five people in total, and they cheered as they landed. A man dashed from the basket and raised the young girl in his arms, "You're safe! Thank you, Paw Patrol!" The man told them, holding onto his daughter tightly.
Chase smiled, a pang of joy touching his heart before he broke out into a fit of coughing. Wincing as he breathed, the smoke stinging his lungs. "That hurts really bad…" Chase thought. Marshall was still putting out fires when Zuma rushed over to them with a pair of respirators in his mouth, presumably from Marshall's truck. "Here, take these!" He barked helpfully. Ryder took them quickly and handed one to the small girl, and he put another on Chase's muzzle with a hand on his shoulder.
Chase accepted it gratefully, happy to be rid of the smoke which had engulfed him. The respirator began to fill with fresh air, which flowed quickly, purging his lungs of the thick smoke. He felt relieved as the air around him returned to normal. He took long breaths to steady himself as the rest of the people moved away from the buildings, and Skye's basket returned to its holdings underneath her helicopter.
"Thanks Zuma…" Chase coughed, the respirator still covering his muzzle.
"No problem, dude," Zuma told him with a smile, "That was a great rescue!"
"Stay here and recover for a moment, bud," Ryder told him, "We will finish putting out the rest of the fires."
Chase nodded and watched Ryder move away, retaking control of the situation with Zuma behind him. Marshall finished shooting water through the first building and moved on to the second. His ladder extended out and weaved around expertly, leaving sizzling smoke and extinguished fires as he went.
Ryder assigned more tasks to the pups, and the team carried them out with precision. After some time, they extinguished the fires in the two buildings and evacuated all the people, providing respirators and stretchers to those who needed them.
"I think that's all of them, Ryder!" Marshall shouted down to him from the top of his ladder, which was now contracting back into his vehicle.
"Good work, pups!" Ryder said with an encouraging pump of his fist. "Let's finish putting our gear away and gather up."
Each pup finished their tasks and regrouped outside the buildings. "Great job pups! Another successful rescue! Is everyone alright?" Ryder asked the team. Each pup nodded and barked their response. Other than Chase, who was still breathing through a respirator periodically.
"Good, great firefighting Marshall!" Ryder told Marshall with a thumbs up.
"Thank you!" Marshall said with a quick wave of his paw and a small wink.
Skye then turned to Chase. "Chase, are you alright?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice. The other pups took notice and gathered closer around him, mouthing their concerns. Chase smiled and removed the respirator from his muzzle with a paw. "Yup, I'm alright," he breathed, still heavily panting, "I'm just glad everyone made it out alright."
Rubble moved forward with a smile, "And here I thought Marshall was the fire pup!" The team laughed, and Ryder moved forward, "Amazing work, pups." Then he turned to Chase, "I'm glad you're alright, buddy. Great rescue."
"You can always count on me, Ryder," Chase said, responding with a smile. Ryder gave each of them a pat on the head, and then they all moved toward the gathering crowd.
The team positioned themselves in the open and received a cheer from the crowd gathered outside the tape and from those they had rescued.
"Thanks Paw Patrol!" The group shouted in unison.
The team smiled for pictures as the press came; Chase had to take regular breaks due to the smoke he had inhaled but managed fine with his team. He posed for several photos but eventually pulled away from the group to get some information.
The sun had grown higher in the sky, and those affected by the fire were still nearby.
"Arf, notepad!" Chase barked raspily, and a notepad and pencil flipped from his pack. He padded his way to the man who had made the initial call to Ryder, just a small distance away. He was a short, chubby, and balding man who didn't look pleased with what had just transpired.
"Sir," Chase said as he approached, pencil and pad ready for notes, "You made the call today. Are you the owner of the buildings?"
The man shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned to Chase. "Well, um, yes, these are mine; I'm just glad everyone made it alright! And that I had insurance…" he said, trailing off. His prominent cheeks gave his speech a bit of a slur, and the day's events clearly disconcerted him.
"You mentioned," Chase continued, trying to be brief, a bit of a wheeze in his voice, "That there weren't many people in these buildings; why is that?"
"Because both of these buildings are going up for sale or going to be renovated. We only had about three families left, and they were gonna be moved out here soon," He replied.
"Just a few more," Chase told the man, who obviously had his attention elsewhere, "Would you happen to know how this fire started?"
The man shook his head and gave him a shrug, "I have no idea how it began. It was most likely just a stupid mistake."
"Final one: I noticed the building had a sprinkler system, but it didn't go off. Did you check it frequently?" Chase questioned.
The man's eyes widened, "Well…now that you mention it, I suppose I don't know why they didn't turn on. The building is pretty old."
Chase nodded, his pencil scribbling down information as he went. "Thank you," Chase said as he started to walk away.
"No, thank you, Paw Patrol. I can't imagine how bad this could have been if you weren't here." The man told him, a sincere look in his eyes.
Chase smiled, left, and began questioning the others as they were available.
"Do you know how this started?"
"Were you aware of any leaks?"
"Was there anything strange?"
Each question he asked the families turned up the same response: little information and no leads of how or why this would have started.
Puzzled, Chase sat on the sidewalk while the team finished their pictures and cleanup. He put his pencil and pad away, mostly scribbled with information that didn't seem pertinent to the situation. "Nobody saw anything…perhaps it was just an accident then? But the water systems…" Chase thought to himself as he sat in the hot noonday sun.
He heard a few loud steps behind him, which broke him from his thoughts. He could recognize Marshall's steps anywhere; they were always loud and clumsy, but it was a quirk he loved about him.
"Hey, Chase!" Marshall's voice rang out loudly.
Chase turned and gave him a look, "Hey Marshall." Chase's mind still lingered on the situation and not on the conversation at hand.
"Another great mission!" Marshall said excitedly. Marshall then noticed Chase's demeanor and tilted his head, "Aren't you happy?"
"Oh, of course!" Chase added, trying to match his enthusiasm, "I'm glad everyone's safe…but I would like to know how it started."
"Always concerned about your work, huh, Chase?" Marshall said, sitting down with one forepaw gently dangling in the air. "We've put out dozens of fires. It was probably an accident."
"Yeah, probably," Chase replied, glancing back at the building, its red stone now black and charred. "Do you know where it might have started, Marshall? I have this idea in my head and need to get it out."
Marshall raised an eyebrow and moved the lime green visor from his helmet down over his eyes as he looked at the building. He pondered for several moments before turning back to Chase. "Well…I have an idea, I suppose. Follow me," he said, walking off.
Chase nodded and followed him to a safe distance from the building, which still reeked of smoke and soot. The landscaping around the building was cobblestone pathing, and they followed it along the edge to the backside. Marshall continued glancing at the building's exterior as if searching for something, but they never stopped.
When they reached the back, Marshall took another look, and Chase noticed his eyes widen a bit as he pointed at the building with a spotted paw.
"I would say right there," Marshall said, and Chase turned to look. "Notice that V shape?" Marshall said and started making the sign of a V with his paw. "The fire moves up, and this is the darkest spot on the building."
Chase raised an eyebrow and looked at the broken window with a large black V that rose from the brick.
"Give me a boost; I wanna see what's in that room!" Chase said, a bit of excitement growing again in his chest.
"The smoke still isn't fully gone! You're going to hurt your lungs even more." Marshall told him with a scowl.
"Just a peek!" Chase pleaded, "See those boxes? I think that's an electrical box. I would need Rocky to make sure, but it certainly looks like it."
"Just a peek!" Marshall said with a roll of his eyes, which made Chase smile.
They held their breaths and went forward. Marshall quickly gave him a boost on his hind legs, his front paws holding him steady on the building, and Chase put his hind legs on Marshall's shoulders to reach the low window. Inside the building, it was charred and burned. Soot and ash lingered in the air, filtering through the sunbeams that radiated through the broken window panes, making Chase's eyes sting heavily. He looked around and saw several large silver boxes, metal plates, and switches scattered on the floor.
Several slight scents hit his nose apart from the heavy smoke. He could barely make it out, and one was one that he hadn't expected. "Is that dog?" Chase thought. He shook his head; it was most likely a dog who had lived here previously.
Pleased, Chase jumped from Marshall's shoulders, leaving dark black paw prints on Marshall's red vest. When they reached a reasonable distance, they both gasped, finally able to breathe clear air again.
"We were right, electrical!" Chase told Marshall with a heavy cough at the end; his eyes were still watering, and his throat stung. His nose dripping from the fiery vapors.
Marshall nodded, coughing lightly, and they moved to the front of the building, where they joined their companions, who were wondering where they had gone.
"There you guys are," Ryder said as they joined the group, "We are getting ready to head out, you alright?" He must have noticed Chase's watery eyes because he moved forward to the two of them, concerned.
"Fine!" Marshall said, "We think we may have found something."
Chase nodded and coughed heavily again, "Ya, I think I know how the fire started."
"Really?" Zuma started from behind Ryder, "Give us the details!"
"After we get back," Ryder said with a smile, butting in as Chase opened his mouth to speak, "Are you okay to drive, bud?"
Chase certainly didn't feel the best; his throat was sore, and his eyes were still watery, not to mention the soot and dirt that covered his brown fur. Despite that, however, he felt that he could make it back alright. "I think I'll be fine on the way back. I'm a little winded, but I'll be okay."
Ryder nodded, and they got into their vehicles.
Chase got into his vehicle and revved the engine. Once the team was ready, Ryder took the lead, with the team following close behind, making their way back to headquarters.
Hello everyone!
Thanks so much for checking out the first chapter! I will release a new chapter every week or two, so leave a follow-up to check it out!
If you love PAW Patrol as much as I do, then I'm sure you will enjoy the story!
For chapter art, check out my deviant art - Prince-Noven, on DeviantArt.
You can also read on Wattpad with art attached - Prince-Noven on Wattpad