Rivals to Brothers-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Fourteen

During the next few days, Justin had Chase and Marshall clean up and help around the tower. They painted walls, picked up trash, organized material, and took things to the tower's basement. Justin and Ryder had gone on four separate assignments in those days, leaving Chase and Marshall behind with nothing to do.

Justin and Ryder had gone to scout a cage with Jake from the mountain. Chase tried to make conversation with Marshall, but he didn't see how Marshall would want to. Every time Chase would get close, Chase would remember their fight. Chase didn't want that to happen again, so he kept his distance.

As he walked around the tower when he felt a swift breeze down his spine. He turned around and noticed an opening between the trees. He walked through the trees and gasped softly. Chase found himself on a cliff overlooking the cliff. From there, he saw the entire town with the mountains in the background. The waves crashed below, and a gust of wind blew softly around him. The smell of saltwater mixed with the scent of the grass, making a pleasant aroma. Chase sat down and inhaled. The cool air calmed him down for some reason. He stayed there for the next two hours, enjoying the view and remembering his past.

Marshall walked around constantly. He tried to find something to do, but he and Chase finished everything a while ago. Ryder's mom passed by to check on them to bring them food. She decided to stay inside the tower just in case something happened.

Marshall thought about talking to Chase. He wanted to make friends with the German Shepherd, but it was difficult at the moment. Marshall's head still ticked from being pushed into the cop cruiser. Marshall realized that Chase was much stronger than he was. He didn't want to find Chase in a bad mood and have someone get hurt even worse. Despite that, he felt that the tension between the two pups had loosened up between the two pups.

Marshall looked up and noticed Chase through the bushes. He crept over to see what the German Shepherd was doing. He moved close enough that he wouldn't get caught. Chase seemed at peace. The air bristled his hair, causing little waves in his fur. His ears moved slightly to the side, but it didn't bother Chase. Marshall backed up, trying not to disrupt his alone time.

Marshall turned back and walked towards the tower. He decided to rest and take a nap for a while. Hopefully, it would be time to eat once he woke back up. However, that wouldn't come until much later.

Marshall stopped at the door when he heard Ryder's mom talking inside. Marshall wondered who she was talking to, so he hid and listened.

"Are you sure?" she asked. There was a pause before she kept talking. "It's breaking up, Justin. I can't hear you well."

Marshall realized that Ryder's mom was talking through the phone with Justin. From the tone of her voice, she was agitated and uneasy. "Here, I'll put you on speaker. Maybe that'll help."

"Can you hear me now?" Justin asked in a muffled voice.

"A little bit better now," Ryder's mom said. "Tell me what happened again, please."

"Ryder and I were scouting out this new cave with Jake when our line snapped."

"What line?"

"The one that led back outside," Justin replied. "We tried finding it again, but we got more lost. We walked down different paths, looking for the line. We ended up walking out of the cave, but not the same place we entered. Jake hasn't seen this part of the mountainside before, so we can't find our way back."

"What should we do?" Ryder's mom asked. It's going to get dark soon."

"I don't know yet, but don't come up here. It's too dangerous to come alone."

"I can grab people from town to help."

"You're going to have to wait till tomorrow. If it gets dark, I'd rather not have more people lost in the woods. But don't tell anyone until tomorrow. I don't want them panicking."

"Okay, but stay put," Ryder's mom said. "Please take care of our boy."

"I will," he replied. "We'll be fine, I promise. I love you." With that, Justin hung up. Ryder's mom sat down on the couch and planted her face in her hands.

Marshall couldn't believe what he heard from the call. They were lost in the woods with no way to get back until tomorrow. He's never been to the mountain, but Marshall was told stories about the dark woods from older dogs at the pound.

Marshall ran towards the cliff, and luckily, Chase was still there. He was looking out at the town, but he turned his head when Marshall came up. Chase noticed Marshall's anxious face and stood straight up.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Yes," Marshall replied. "Justin, Ryder, and Jake are lost in the mountains!"

"What?!" Chase asked. "What happened?"

Marshall retold what he heard from the call to Chase. "They're in trouble. They won't get help until tomorrow."

Chase looked at the mountain. The sun was still high in the sky, but it would set soon. "We have to go find them, Marshall."

Marshall looked at Chase. "But Justin said . . ."

"I know what he said!!" Chase called out. "But they need help. We can track them down better than any human can."

"But . . ."

"We have to go," Chase said. "Come if you want, but I'm going no matter what. They gave us a home. I can't stay here and do nothing."

"You're right," Marshall agreed. Together, Chase and Marshall ran down the bridge, ready to face whatever was in their way. Nothing was going to stop them from saving them.