Rivals to Brothers-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Eleven

Ryder drove the ATV up the farmer's barn. He was pulling Chase and Marshall in the trailer behind him, along with a few tools.

Since Ryder was told he would fix a fence gate, he brought the tools Ryder knew he would need. Ryder took a compact drill, a level, a tape measure, some bolts and nuts, and a hammer. He's fixed some fences in the past, so Ryder knew what to do.

Marshall and Chase sat next to each other, but they faced separate ways. They were still mad about their contest. They thought Ryder would choose one or the other to stay with him, but not both.

When Ryder arrived at the barn, the farmer walked up to him. "You must be Ryder," he commented.

Ryder took off his helmet. "Yep, that's me," he replied. "I was told that you have a gate that needs fixing."

"Right this way," the farmer said. Ryder, Chase, and Marshall followed the farmer to the pig pen.

When they got there, Ryder saw the damage immediately. The hinges were hanging on by a single screw, but the gate was leaning against the fence. The pigs were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are all of the pigs?" Chase asked.

"I put them inside the barn for now," the farmer replied. "They shouldn't cause you any trouble while you work."

Chase walked around the corner of the barn and looked at the farmer. "Uh, that may be a problem," he commented.

The farmer got confused by the young pup's statement, so he walked over to Chase. The barn door was swung open, and there was no sign of pigs anywhere. "Oh, no," the farmer exclaimed, putting his hands on his head. "I forgot to close the barn doors completely.

"Maybe we can help with that, too," Ryder said. "Chase, do you track down the pigs with your nose?"

"My nose?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, German Shepherds usually have a great sense of smell. That's why they make good police dogs."

Chase thought about it. He always wanted to be a police dog. "Yeah, I can try."

"Thanks, Chase," Ryder said.

Marshall looked back and forth between Ryder and Chase. "Hey, I can help too," he exclaimed. He wanted to prove that he was valuable.

"Okay," Ryder said. "Go along with Chase and help him find the pigs."

"Okay," Marshall said. He looked at Chase and smiled. Chase responded with a soft growl under his throat.

The farmer walked up to the German Shepherd holding a small cloth. "This belongs to the pigs," he explained. "It still has their scent, so I figured you could use it."

The German Shepherd sniffed the blanket but immediately pulled back. "That stinks," he said.

"If it's too much for your sensitive nose, I could give it a go," Marshall teased.

"I got this," Chase responded. He took another whiff at the cloth. "It smells like . . . banana and orange peels, dirt, and something else I don't know."

"Okay, so you know your way through trash," Marshall commented.

Chase growled softly, but he ignored the Dalmation. He sniffed the air for a minute before he stopped. "I think I found it," he called out to Ryder.

"Great," Ryder said. "Follow it, and let's hope it leads you to the pigs."

"Okay," Chase said. He bumped into Marshall as he walked by. Chase kept his head close to the ground because he realized the scent was more distinguishable the lower he was.

Chase and Marshall walked around the farm, looking for the pigs. At one point, Marshall tripped on a fallen log, rolled into Chase, and they ran into a tree. After ten minutes, Chase and Marshall were starting to get impatient.

"Are we getting closer, Chase?" Marshall asked.

"Not since the last time you asked me five seconds ago," Chase said. He bumped into a tree and fell backward. "Agh," he said, and he rubbed his head.

Marshall laughed. "Guess I'm not the only one who trips, huh?" he said.

"Yeah. Well, you're the only one who trips every ten minutes. I'm starting to think that you're doing it intentionally."

Marshall's cheeks turned red with anger. "Why would I be doing it on purpose?!"

Chase got up and looked at him. "You tell me. I have never met anyone who can be so clumsy. How do you plan to help like that?"

"And I have never met anyone so bad at their one job. You couldn't find a few pigs. And yet you still call yourself a German Shepherd." At that point, Chase and Marshall were inches away from each other.

They were about to keep talking when they noticed some movement in the corner of their eyes. Chase and Marshall turned and realized that it was a group of pigs. They were grazing the field, eating the fruits that fell from nearby trees.

Chase sighed and walked over to the pigs. He and Marshall started them towards the barn, but they didn't talk to each other on the way back. They thought about what the other one said and whether or not it was true. They couldn't help but believe that it was partly correct.

Ryder was leaning against the fence next to the fixed gate. The farmer was leaning on the gate, testing its durability, and ultimately impressed by the handy work of the ten-year-old.

"You found them," Ryder said.

"Yeah," Chase and Marshall said in unison.

"How did it go?" Ryder asked.

"It was okay," Chase said in a shallow tone. He and Marshall jumped into the trailer and sat down, facing in opposite directions from each other.

Ryder frowned. Something's wrong, he thought. I have to figure out what.