Rivals to Brothers-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Three

Ryder held Chase in his arms as he walked off the road. Chase looked at the boy. Ryder kept his eyes forward. Every once in a while, he would glance down at Chase. His brown eyes were the same color as his spiky hair. Ryder wore a light gray t-shirt and navy blue cargo pants.

At first, Chase didn't know where Ryder was taking him. But when a familiar scent swept through Chase's nostril, he inhaled. "Are we going to the park?" he asked.

Ryder smiled. "Yeah, my parents are there," he said.

"Why are we going to your parents?" Chase asked.

Ryder looked down at Chase. "Because I want to see if they will let me give you a home if you want one."

"You going to find me a home?" Chase asked. "But you just met me."

Ryder shrugged. "Everyone deserves a home."

"I guess that's true," he said. "But who will want to adopt a stray?"

"Someone who believes in second chances," Ryder said. "Do you believe in second chances?"

"Yeah," Chase said.

"Then there you go," Ryder said. He looked up. "Oh, there they are." Chase faced the same direction as Ryder. He noticed two people standing together inside an open-aired bandstand.

The man was tall and muscular. He wore a navy blue shirt and khaki shorts. His hair was the same color as Ryder's but was cut short on the sides and longer on top. His neatly trimmed beard and mustache covered the lower half of his face. His eyes were amber, and his teeth were snow white.

Next to the man was a woman shorter than him. She wore a white dress with lines running through it like vines growing on a brick wall. Her black hair was pulled back behind her, and the woman's eyes, unlike the man's eyes, were lightning blue. She smelled like baked apples and cinnamon.

"There you are," the man said to Ryder. "I was starting to think that you went home without us."

Ryder laughed. "Sorry, Dad. I went to help this little guy here. He almost got hit by a truck."

The man smiled. "Ryder, you don't need to apologize for helping someone in need."

"And what's his name?" the woman asked.

Ryder thought about it. "Um . . ."

"My name's Chase," Chase helped.

"Nice to meet you, Chase," the woman said.

"Mom, Dad," Ryder said. "I wanted to ask you something. Can we adopt him?"

Ryder's mom and dad looked at each other. They didn't say anything, but they seemed to have a silent conversation. Ryder's dad turned and opened his mouth. "No."

"What?"

Ryder's mom slapped his arm. "Justin."

Justin laughed as he rubbed his tricep. "I'm kidding. Sure, Ryder, we can keep him. I mean, if he wants to."

Chase looked at Ryder. "You want to adopt me?"

"Yeah," he said. "You deserve a home."

"What do you say, sweetheart?" Ryder's mom asked. "Wanna be part of the family?"

Chase didn't know what to say. The last time he thought he had a family, his owner abandoned him. But something about Ryder's eyes told him that he wouldn't do that. "Yes," Chase said.

Justin smiled. "That's great to hear." He looked up at the sky. "Well, it's getting dark. Time to head home."

"You're going to love Adventure Bay," Ryder said as they walked.

Chase looked at him. "I thought we were in Adventure City."

"We are," Ryder's mom said. "But we don't live here. We live in a small town called Adventure Bay, two hours drive from here."

"Then what are you doing here?" Chase asked.

"I had to go to a meeting," Justin said. He looked forward and frowned. "Uh, do loud noises annoy you, Chase?"

"No, why?" he replied.

"Because that's my car over there," he said.

Chase looked forward and almost jumped out of Ryder's arms. In front of him was a dark blue car that Chase had seen many times. "You have a cop car?!"

Justin laughed. "I'm a retired cop. I came to give a brief to new officers."

"Cool," Chase said. Justin opened the back door, and Ryder climbed inside. Chase walked over to the window and looked outside.

Chase watched as the buildings disappeared in the distance, leaving only the glow of city lights on the horizon. After that, everywhere Chase looked, there were trees three stories high. Chase has never seen such large trees in one place. The tallest trees he's ever seen were at the park, but they didn't reach more than 20 feet in height. The trees around Chase were twice as tall, maybe even more.

There was no light pollution in that air, so Chase saw the stars clearly. In the city, he's never seen them so vividly. He would see one or two at a time, whereas here, he stared at thousands illuminating the sky.

Chase couldn't fall asleep, despite it being around ten at night. He was seeing everything out there for the first time. He watched as a herd of deer ran across a field of tall grass. "Ryder, are you seeing this?" Chase asked, but Ryder was sleeping against the other door.

Justin laughed. "Is this your first time here, Chase?"

Chase sat down. "This is my first time anywhere. I have never left Adventure City."

"Huh," Justin said. He stayed quiet for a second. "Chase, do you mind if I ask you something personal?"

"No," Chase replied.

"Well, you don't seem to be the type of pup that would be wandering the city streets alone."

"I didn't always sleep on the streets," Chase said.

"You used to have an owner?"

"Yeah," Chase said. "But two weeks ago, he left me on the side of the road to fend for myself."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Justin said. "I hate it when people do stuff like that. But you don't have to worry about that anymore. You're with Ryder now. You will always have a family with us."

Chase looked at the sleeping boy. "Thank you," he said. Chase realized that second chances were real, and this was his. He found someone who loved him. Chase didn't say it aloud, but Chase promised to never do anything that would cause Ryder to abandon him. He also swore to protect him no matter what. Chase would have to become stronger and better. Not for himself but for Ryder. He will do it for him.