Changing Paths-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Fifteen

Sweetie was on top of the tower, overlooking the kingdom of Barkingburg. The sunrise was leaving an orange and red stain on the sky.

It had been a full day since she last talked to Dom. Sweetie told him about her plan to go to Adventure Bay and make the others trust her. She knew that if they trusted each other, they could be friends. And if they were friends, Sweetie may not feel so lonely.

Sweetie was thinking about Dom. She had been thinking about him a lot lately. The thought of him always made her smile. She was not sure why, but she didn't question it. She decided to enjoy the moment.

Suddenly, Sweetie's pup tag rang. "Sweetie here," she said.

"Hey, Sweetie," a male voice said. "It's me."

Sweetie's first thought was that it was Dom. He said he would call her back on whether or not she should go. She waited patiently for the call, but it didn't happen.

With a bit of disappointment, Sweetie remembered that the accent did not match Dom's. It was of someone she liked a lot less. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Come down to the basement," the Duke of Flappington said. "I got a surprise. I think you will like it."

Sweetie sighed. "Alright, fine," she said. "I'll be there in a second."

"Fantastic," the Duke said as he hung up."

Sweetie looked up at the city one more time and frowned. She sadly realized that even if the Paw Patrol ended up trusting her, she would still betray them. As much as Sweetie hated it, Sweetie started something already with the Duke, and it would be hard to end it. She would take back the deal if she could.

Sweetie climbed down the stairs of the tower. She crossed to the other side of the castle and walked into the basement. As Sweetie passed the door nearest to the one where the Duke was, Sweetie heard some shuffling noise inside. She decided it was best to walk past it.

Sweetie opened the door and entered the large dark room. Everything looked the same except that some of the torches hanging on the wall had a fire burning, dimly illuminating the room. The Duke was in the same place he was last time, staring out onto the city. "All of this will one day be mine," he said. The eagle shrieked, and the Duke turned to look at Sweetie. "I mean, ours."

Is that what I want, though, Sweetie thought. Ever since fighting alongside the Paw Patrol and bringing down the Duke, Sweetie debated where he stood on the topic. Sure, she liked the attention, but was taking over an entire kingdom worth it? The Paw Patrol didn't need to take over anything, and they're known everywhere.

"What was it that you wanted to show me?" Sweetie asked.

"Oh, just something that I thought you would like," the Duke said, grinning.

"Well, it better be good, or I'm leaving."

"Trust me. It won't be a waste of time." The Duke walked past Sweetie and into the hallway. Reluctantly, Sweetie followed. They stopped right in front of the first door, where Sweetie heard noises inside earlier.

The Duke slowly opened the door, and Sweetie entered the room. She looked around as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The only light came from a single torch on the far wall.

"What did you want to show me?" Sweetie asked as the Duke walked in after her. "I don't see anything."

"Look closely," he said.

Sweetie squinted her eyes and noticed two dark figures inside a large cage. They seemed to be asleep. "Who is that?"

"The two who caused our humiliations against the kingdom," the Duke said.

Sweetie realized what he was referring to by that. She got closer to the sleeping hostages. One of them was a German Shepherd, and the other was a cockapoo.

"You captured Chase and Skye?!" Sweetie asked.

"Not me personally," the Duke replied. "But I had it arranged. What do you think? They will be the first to watch as we take over this kingdom."

Sweetie didn't know what to say. If they knew she was part of it, they would never forgive her. And something was off about Chase. He seemed smaller, and his fur had more of a golden tint. Sweetie's suspicions turned out to be true when he opened his eyes. He only had them open for a second, but it was enough for Sweetie to notice that one eye was red and the other was blue. Her heart sank into her stomach.

"Where did you find, uh, Chase?" She asked. "Was he at the Lookout?"

"Oh, no," the Duke said. "He was outside of the city on his cruiser. I'm surprised he went down without a struggle. He stopped for a second, and that's when he got hit by the tranquilizer dart."

"Oh," Sweetie said. She didn't know whether or not she should tell the Duke that it wasn't Chase who he caught. Sweetie wondered why Dom was in Chase's cruiser in the first place, but that didn't matter. She saw the dart sticking out of Dom's hind leg.

Sweetie didn't want anyone getting hurt. The Duke broke his deal, which meant Sweetie could break hers. She figured it would be best not to tell him. Her new plan may work if he doesn't.

"Well, this is quite a surprise," Sweetie said. "Anyway, I have to get back to the Princess," she lied. "She might suspect something if I'm gone for too long."

The Duke nodded. "Go," he said. "Soon, we will get what we deserve."

"Yes, we will," Sweetie said. "What we deserve." She looked back once more at Dom and Skye before exiting the room. As she walked down the hallway, she thought about her new plan.

Sweetie knew that she couldn't take on the Duke by herself. He had a group of followers. She will need some help. She will need the Paw Patrol.