The Wounds We Heal

Chapter eleven: Howls And Cheese

"Oh I have something!.." Rubble said, hopping up on all four paws. "One time.. Marshall and I were playing in the yard around the Lookout.. and one of Capt'n Turbot's old sails blew over and trapped us both!"

Everyone laughed.

"It took us forever to get them both untangled!" Skye giggled.

"And even longer to get it back to the Capt'n." Marshall grinned, while he and Skye exchanged smiles.

Snowflake raised an eyebrow.

"So the sail just blew on top of you guys and you got stuck? Have any of you other pups gotten stuck under bed sheets, blankets, parachutes, ect?" Snowflake asked.

"Yeah.. it was hilarious once we thought back on it." Rubble grinned.

"Which actually wasn't as bad as when Marshall was a sleepwalking bedsheet ghost." Rocky mentioned.

"Really? How did you end up sleepwalking under a bed sheet, buddy?" Snowflake asked, the husky pup still flailing about under the blue blanket.

"Well I'm still not sure why it happened.. or how it started.." Marshall shrugged earnestly. "But I do know that every morning.. I sometimes felt more tired than when I went to bed!"

"He was sleepwalking.." Rocky began.

"And sleep eating.." Skye added.

"Sleep dancing.." Zuma said, strutting a couple moves even within the small space he had.

"And sleep skateboarding!!" Rubble finished with a bit of a chuckle. "Eventually we had to rescue him off a water board on a whale's back out in the middle of the bay!"

"Yikes. How about the rest of you? Anyone get stuck?" Snowflake asked.

"I thought you didn't like bed sheet ghosts, sis?" Ned asked her a smirk

"That doesn't mean I'm not curious about other pups getting stuck under fabrics," the husky pup retorted

"So you DO like bed sheet ghosts. You just like it when others look like them or get stuck," Ned teased.

"Only for fun! And get me outta here!" Snowflake exclaimed as she kept wrestling with the blanket.

"Why? I could take a picture and show you later, you look cute as a blanket ghost," Ned mused teasingly.

"Quit it, Ned!" Snowflake commented.

The chuckles that rippled through the group subsided again and they all regained their thoughts.

"Well, Chase has some stories." Rubble mentioned. "I'll wake him."

"No!" Everyone cried, freezing the bulldog in his tracks.

"What?!" Rubble wondered innocently.

Chase winced at their sudden vocalization, then shifted sides to turn away from them, the warmth of the fire almost keeping him asleep even after that brief disturbance.

"Chase needs to rest." Ryder said. "He'll probably sleep off those pain meds we gave him.. he could use the extra sleep."

"Why do you say that, Ryder?" Skye wondered, her face shifting to concern.

"Ugh! Isn't it obvious?" Chester groaned, he stood up to look over at his brother.

"Halloween night." He murmured, then sighed.

"It's all my fault." his gaze lowered to the flames, which licked the air of the dark night, and he could swear he could see his own memories travel across each fiery tongue.