The Pack (HIATUS)

Chapter 5 - Lost

Rocky thought that slipping over the PAW Patroller was just going to be a splat on the mud, but no. He tumbled down on the ground, rolling on the mud and wincing at the sensation of small but sharp pebbles poking him through the dirt. He finally stopped and he felt his head hurt. The world seemed to spin and he couldn't focus on the vehicle that was quickly going out of his sight. He tried to stand up, but the sudden sound of thunder made him crouch back down. It was still raining, not as hard as before, but it was still raining, nonetheless. 

Rocky hated the mud that had stuck on to him and the sensation of the ongoing shower made him shiver. It wasn't like his whole being was engulfed by the infinite blueness of liquid nor was it like being powerfully sprayed by Marshall's water canons. It was like a cold and ongoing dirty shower- Rocky could handle that. 

The clouds roared again and Rocky ducked his head, praying he wouldn't get hit by lightning. His eyes scanned the area and there were a few trees that could help him with shelter. So, mustering up all his courage, he quickly ran towards the trees, minding his own pace and the mud, and had been careful not to slip. 

He ducked his head when thunder roared again and his heart picked up pace when he saw a flash of light in the background. He safely made it to the shelter under the trees, but their shelter wasn't making it any better for him not to be wet. 

He was shivering and cold, and he wished he could just be found and be taken care of by Ryder and his teammates. This must be his karma. He shouldn't have put his team in danger as he did. He shouldn't have been such a selfish mutt and prioritized his childish belief over his friend who just saw something horrific. He shouldn't have yelled at Zuma, his best friend for so long, just because he doesn't agree with his opinion. 

"Ugh, not right now..." Rocky whispered to himself as tears started to drip from his eyes. His throat tightened and a sob just wanted to escape his lips. But he couldn't sit and cry right now. He needed to find his way back and apologize. 

The sound of thunder was again heard and Rocky ducked his head down in response. He was scared, he wanted to cry. But his friends are waiting. He shooed his fear away and gulped down his anxiety and started to walk on.

Chase paced around the room, contemplating on what to do. The image of Rocky's terrified face was fresh on his mind and the thoughts of him being responsible for not saving him in a time plagued his mind. He didn't catch him in time. 

Marshall and Skye shared a worried glance with each other, silently agreeing that there must be something they could do to help their friend. "I..." Marshall shifted from his spot, debating whether or not he should be the one to comfort his friend. He was no fool. He saw the looks Chase gave whenever the pink cockapoo was close. Maybe he could be a great friend and help Chase with his crush, "I'll go check on Zuma..." He then left Skye, much to the dismay of the pink pup, to comfort the young Lab who was crying and cursing himself. 

"I... It's my... My fault... I... I should've kept... My mouth shut..." Zuma's voice quivered and he cried into the blanket he was sleeping in and Rubble tried to comfort his friend and assuring him that it wasn't his fault. Zuma was blaming himself for Rocky's fall. He blamed himself for disagreeing with Rocky and having that petty fight. If Rocky wasn't mad at him, then Zuma could have slept by his side and push him away from the opening, or better yet, he would have been the one who was thrown out of the PAW Patroller. 

"Hey, now..." Marshall walked towards the pups and gave him a one-sided hug as he sat beside him. Marshall knew Zuma and Rocky had a close bond, and he would react the same if Chase and he were separated like this. "Rocky's a brave pup and we'll find him, no matter what," Marshall promised, rubbing soothing circles on Zuma's back to try and stop him from crying. 

Ryder walked in, concern lacing his eyes and he scanned his pups. He didn't know how exactly the door open- let alone, how Rocky fell. The guilt of not looking over his pups crawled on his spine and reached just below his neck to whisper doubts of his competence as an owner and team leader. He pushing those thoughts away as he tried to focus on his pups. Self-loathing can be done at another time. 

He coughed loudly, gaining the attention of his pups. Hopeful and frightened eyes gazed upon him, and Ryder was reminded that they were still young. Young puppies that faced the cruel world too early. And now, the possibility of their friend dead...  Ryder wants to hug them all and tell them that everything will be alright. But the comfort party will have to wait. They need to find Rocky. 

"I know we're all scared. I am too," Ryder stated, "but we need to find Rocky, and fast." The big screen showed their situation in animated detail, and all the pups sat down on the chairs and paid close attention. "We need all paws on deck. I don't think Rocky would stay in one place, so we need to split up in order to find him as fast as possible. We split into pairs. Rubble and Chase, head West. Marshall, I'll need you to stay and prepare your supplies if Rocky or any of us gets back hurt. And Zuma, I'll need you to cover the surrounding areas only. I'll cover South. And Skye, when the rain stops, I need you to fly above and see if you can spot Rocky."

"Ryder, can't I go anywhere else?" Zuma asked. He was worried, more than worried. Knowing his best friend might be alone, scared, and cold with no one to guide him back terrifies him. Many awful possibilities come across his mind and he still blames himself for arguing with his friend, for letting him slip away just like that. He wanted to help more. He wanted to zoom into the woods and look through every tree, every rock, and every corner just to see his friend unharmed. Rocky was his brother; his best friend forever. He wants to wake up the next day and see for his own eyes that he was alright and smiling. 

"Zuma, if something goes wrong, you're our backup pup," Ryder said, pitying the Lab for he knew what it felt like wanting to search the whole world just to find his important person. "Besides, I'm sure Rocky doesn't want to come back and see you're not here." Zuma lowered his head, disappointed he couldn't do anything much more than just stick to the given radius. "Alright, PAW Patrol is on a roll!"

The pups geared up and quickly got into their vehicles, all eager to find their lost friend.