Regaining Trust-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Eight

Chase was still sitting in front of the grave when someone started walking up. Without even looking, Chase asked, "Why right here?"

"What?" Skye asked.

"Why is my grave here? There is a cemetery not far from town. Why is my grave here on this cliff?"

"Because this grave is special," Skye replied softly. She sat down right next to him. Skye looked at him, but his eyes stayed on the grave. She was a bit sad about that. "This is not an average grave, Chase. This grave was the grave of a hero. This grave was your grave."

"But why here?"

"Because we knew that this cliff was perfect for it. We have all seen you here. We talked about it a lot. After everyone had gone to sleep, you were right here. Once in a while, one of us couldn't sleep, so we decided to walk around to tire ourselves out. We would always find you here on this cliff, facing the Bay. You sat right here with your eyes closed, in a world of your own. None of us knew why."

"I remember that," Chase said, smiling. "Sometimes, I would catch you walking around."

"Exactly, Chase, and instead of sending us back to sleep, you would always ask us why we were up," Skye continued. "If something bothered us, or we needed some guidance, you were there for us."

Chase's smile faded. "Until I wasn't."

Skye didn't know what to say. "Why did you leave?" she asked.

Chase just looked over the grave and stared at the moon. The moon was full that night, and moonlight streaks covered the waves in the Bay. "That's a story for another time." Skye could tell that Chase didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't push him. "But what I can tell you is that I will make it right," Chase added.

"I know you will," Skye responded. She yawned and leaned her head against Chase, and closed her eyes. Chase was shocked by the act, but he didn't say anything. Chase stared out into the distance, remembering all the moments he had in that spot. He remembered how he found Skye in that spot many years ago.

After half an hour, Chase realized that Skye had fallen asleep. Chase picked her up and took her back to her puphouse. He laid Skye down on her bed and was about to go back to his when he noticed something next to her bed. After further inspection, Chase realized that it was his old police hat. Chase recognized that it was the hat, burned in one of the corners, as the one he lost in the fire. Skye had held onto it after all those years. Chase picked it up and examined it. Other than the burn in the corner, that hat seemed to be well preserved. There was no dust on it, and the police logo seemed to have gotten cleaned recently.

"What have I done?" Chase asked himself softly. "I never should have left." He left the hat on Skye's bed, which she grabbed and held onto it, and left her puphouse and went into his. He fell asleep soon after.

Chase woke up early the following morning. He looked around and smiled. He was glad that he was back. Chase looked to his side and found a black collar. It had a blue pup tag with a star in the middle. Chase looked outside to see if anyone was around. He turned to his right and noticed Ryder as he disappeared into the Lookout. Chase put on his pup tag and walked out of the door. Immediately, he got a call from Ryder.

"Chase, can you wake everyone up, please?" Ryder asked through the pup tag.

"You can count on me, Ryder, sir," Chase replied. He walked around and woke up the pups. He told them that breakfast was ready. They all ran inside and ate. After breakfast, Chase was walking out of the Lookout when someone called after him.

"Hey, Chase," Skye said. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going for a run," Chase replied. "It's a habit I got myself into five years ago. I go for a short run every day before the day starts."

Chase jogged off. The rest of the Paw Patrol looked at each other. "What happened in those five years?" Rubble asked.

"What do you mean?" Marshall asked.

"Well, I mean, Chase changed," Rubble explained. "You can't act like you didn't notice. For one, he is much bigger and stronger."

"But that came with age," Rocky said. "He's also a German Shepherd. He is supposed to be big and strong."

"I know, but I have seen other German Shepherds before. And Chase is still the biggest one I have ever seen. Heck, he's bigger than Marshall, who is a dalmation, and Everest, who is older than him."

"Now that you mention it, he does seem more responsible," Rocky added. "Like he has become a father."

"Maybe," Marshall said, "but Chase has always been the most responsible of us all. What do you think, Ryder?"

Ryder picked up the photo of Chase, Angel, and Junior from a nearby table. "I don't know, guys," he responded. "We'll have to ask him about it."

Ten minutes later, Ryder got a call. He answered the call, saying, "Ryder here."

"I need the Paw Patrol," Captain Turbot said through the call.

"What's wrong, Captain Turbot?" Ryder asked.

"I was using the crane on the Flounder to load a few boxes onboard when one of the boxes fell. Wally's tail was under the box when the box landed on it. He might be hurt because there was a heavy, new gauge inside the box. I'm pretty sure something broke as well. We need your help."

"Don't worry, Captain Turbot, no job is too big, no pup is too small," Ryder exclaimed. He hung up and extended his pup pad. He pressed a button that called the dogs. "Paw Patrol, to the Lookout."

"Ryder needs us," they said in unison. They entered the Lookout without any crashes. The elevator went up, stopped in the middle so that the dogs could get into their uniform, and then took them up to the top. All the dogs got out of the elevator and got into their position.

"Paw Patrol, Ready for Action, Ryder sir," Chase said. He looked down and realized that he didn't have his uniform. "Um, Ryder, sir, why don't I have my uniform?" He looked to his sides and noticed the others shift their weight. None of them would look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Chase," Ryder said.

"Sorry?" Chase asked. "Sorry about what?"

"You're not on the team. We don't trust you yet."

***Author’s Note***
I am dedicating this chapter and chapter three to SparkCommands099. Thank you for your endless support and have a great day.