Changing Paths-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Ten

Ryder and Dom arrived back at the Lookout a little before noon. The others walked out to greet them. Ryder left to work on a project, leaving Dom with the others.

"How did it go?" asked Chase.

'It went well," Dom said. "Nothing out of the usual."

"Really?" Rocky asked. "Nothing?"

"Yeah, even I was surprised," Dom confessed.

"So, did you see anyone at all?" Zuma asked. "Or were you by yourself the entire time?"

"Well, for a while, Sweetie was by my side," Dom said.

"Sweetie?!" said Rocky, Rubble, and Zuma in unison.

"What did she want?" Skye asked.

"Nothing, to be honest," Dom said. "She just kept me company."

Marshall scoffed. "She probably wanted something. Good thing you were there. She might have taken the crown if it weren't for you."

Dom couldn't believe that the others were talking like this. Even though he barely met Sweetie, he didn't want anyone talking wrong about her. "She was quite nice, actually," Dom said.

"She was using you, Dom," Rubble said. "She's framed Chase before. Who's to say she won't do it again?"

"Because," Dom said. "She could've turned against me more than once, but she didn't."

"Because she was waiting for the right time," Skye said. "Believe me. You can't trust her."

"Guys, that's enough," Chase interrupted. Dom had forgotten that he was there.

"You know what?" Dom said. "I'm tired. I'm going to go to sleep." He left the area where the pups were and entered his puphouse. From inside, he could hear Chase telling the others something, but he couldn't understand what he was saying, nor did he care.

Dom thought about what the others were saying. He wondered if what they were saying was true. Was Sweetie using him? Dom chided himself for thinking like that. He knew better than to judge someone solely from their pasts.

Eventually, Dom's eyes began to get heavy. He closed them and fell asleep.

Chase was on the top floor with Ryder. It was half an hour after sunset. Ryder called Chase up because he forgot to switch the bandages of his injuries.

"I promise I'm fine, Ryder, sir," Chase said.

"I know, Chase," Ryder said as he continued bandaging him up. "This is just a precaution." After a minute, Ryder finished. "There," he said. "How does that feel?"

Chase was staring off into space, so Ryder had to call him again. "Chase," Ryder said."

"Yeah?" Chase said, coming back to reality.

"I asked how your paw feels."

"Oh," Chase replied. He moved his paw a little bit. "It feels better."

Ryder noticed that Chase's eyes were still distant. He put down the bandages in his hands and leaned forward. "Chase, what's wrong?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Chase asked.

"Chase, I know something is wrong," Ryder said. "You know you can tell me. Are you okay?"

"It's not me I'm worried about," Chase confessed.

"Then who?" Ryder asked. They walked out onto the balcony and looked over the side towards the city.

"It's Dom I'm worried about, Ryder, sir," Chase said. "Something's going on with him."

"How so?"

"He seems distant like his mind's somewhere else," Chase explained. "He hasn't come out of his puphouse since he returned. He's keeping to himself."

"Well, he's been awake all night long," Ryder pointed out. "I remember that after your first all-night mission, you slept for twelve hours."

"I know, but this is different," Chase said. "I don't know how, but I can sense it. After the argument, Dom seemed tenser."

"What argument?" Ryder asked.

"Oh, right," Chase said. He forgot that Ryder didn't know about it. "Well, Dom and the others got in a fight about Sweetie."

"Sweetie?" Ryder asked. "What happened?"

"Well, after Dom told them that Sweetie was next to him for some time, they started to say that she was after the crown. They said that she was using Dom. Dom defended her fairly quickly."

"And what do you believe?"

"I don't know, Ryder," Chase confessed. "I know about Sweetie's past, but I've been taught not to judge people because of that. And she's proven herself during the battle against the Duke. Even though she tried to take the crown right after."

Ryder laughed. "Yeah." He noticed a dark figure move on the ground. He tried to squint to get a better view.

"What is it, Ryder?" Chase asked.

"Someone's down there," he replied.

Chase looked in that same direction as Ryder. "Who is it?"

"I can't tell from here," Ryder said.

"Wait," Chase said. "There's only one other pup that's not me who has pointed ears."

"What's Dom doing down there?" he asked. Then it occurred to him what was happening. "I know what's wrong with him."

"What?" Chase asked.

"Think about it," Ryder explained. "Dom is defending Sweetie against his teammates. He refuses to believe that she is evil. He keeps to himself. Now, look at him. Where is he going?"

Chase looked at Dom and thought about it. "The cliff?"

"Which cliff?"

"Uh, the one I go to most nights. Wait, you know about that?"

"I do, Chase, but I don't mind it. I'm glad you take your time to clear your head. Sometimes, I'm up here, lost in my thoughts. We've all been there. But this is the first time I've seen Dom do it."

"Well," Chase said, stretching the word. "This is the second time he's done it."

"Second time?" 

"Yeah, the first time was right after the mission to rescue the deer off the cliff. He found me, uh, on the cliff, and he joined."

"That, I didn't know," Ryder said. "Well, his actions remind me of someone else who had the same feelings."

Chase thought about it. "Dom has a heartache," he finally realized.

"Why don't you go talk to him," Ryder said. "You may have something in common." Ryder winked at Chase, making him blush.

"Okay, okay," Chase said, making Ryder laugh. He looked down at Dom. "Time to be a leader."