Rivals to Brothers-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Fifteen

Chase and Marshall ran through the bridge and up the main road. Since they were still young pups, it didn't take long before they had to stop to catch their breath.

"We need . . . a faster way . . . to get to . . . the mountain," Marshall said between breaths.

"Yeah," Chase agreed. He looked around the area. He noticed a bald guy carrying crates of fruit and vegetables out of his truck and into a cafe. "I have an idea," Chase said. "Follow me."

They ran over to the man. "Oh, hey, pups," the man said. "I know who you are. I'm Mr. Porter. Would you like a pup treat."

"Maybe later," Chase said, even though Marshall accepted the offer. "Could you give us a ride up to Jake's Mountain?"

"Certainly," Mr. Porter replied. "May I ask what's the occasion?"

Marshall remembered that Justin didn't want anyone to know. "We need to help Jake pick some Bayberries," he lied. "Right, Chase?"

"Uh, yeah," Chase agreed. "He didn't want to do it alone."

"That makes sense," Mr. Porter said. "Hop in, pups."

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Jake's cabin. Chase and Marshall hopped out of the van and walked to the driver's side. "Thank you for the ride," Chase said.

"My pleasure," Mr. Porter replied. "Hey, when you collect Bayberries, could you take me some, please? I haven't had some in a while."

"Sure thing," Marshall replied. "Have a good day, Mr. Porter."

"You too," the man said. He turned his van around and left the area, leaving Chase and Marshall alone. Once the vehicle was out of sight, they ran inside. As they expected, the cabin was empty.

"Let's look for some clues," Chase said. "Anything of theirs that could tell us where they went." Marshall nodded and began to look around.

At first, they didn't find anything that could help. Chase tried looking at the map, but it didn't do them much good. Then Marshall found something. "Chase, over here."

Chase walked over and looked at what Marshall found. "That's a piece of a bag," Chase said as he sniffed it. "A bag of beef jerky."

Marshall looked around. "Where's the rest of the bag?" he asked. Chase remembered how Jake said he loved them.

Chase sniffed the ground until he found the same scent and followed it outside. "I got the scent," he told Marshall.

"Really?!" Marshall asked.

"I think so," Chase replied. "But we better hurry. The scent will disappear soon. It's already fading."

"Then lead the way," Marshall said.

Chase followed the scent down the side of the mountain with Marshall at his tail for the next hour. Ryder's mom tried contacting them, but they ignored her since she probably would have told them to return. The sun was starting to set behind them.

Eventually, they made it to a cave entrance. "The scent goes in there," Chase told Marshall. Chase called out his flashlight and walked in. He turned around and realized Marshall hadn't gone in yet. "Marshall, you coming?"

"Y . . . Yeah," Marshall said hesitantly. He walked up slowly next to Chase, and they both continued into the cave.

Chase noticed a line against the side of the cave, which he figured was the one that Justin, Ryder, and Jake used. Chase and Marshall followed the rope down deeper into the cave.

After a while, Marshall stopped. "You know what?" he told Chase. "On second thought, why . . . why don't you find them and I wait outside?"

"Marshall, they need us," Chase said.

"I know, but . . ." Marshall didn't have to finish the sentence. Chase understood that the dalmatian was afraid.

He remembered Ryder's mom telling Chase about Marshall's past. He didn't have any experience in the real world like Chase did. Chase had gotten used to being in a cold, dark place. He faced his fear of the dark, and now it didn't bother him, but Marshall hadn't. He was used to being inside a heated area with some light. He wasn't used to the cold or the dark. Marshall still saw the darkness as something to be afraid of.

There are still things he has to learn, Ryder's mom told Chase. He needs someone to be an older brother to him.

"Look, Marshall, there's nothing to be afraid of," Chase told him. "I'm right here with you. Nothing's going to happen to you. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" Marshall asked.

"Let's just say I know what it's like to feel scared, cold, and dark. Trust me, everything's going to be fine."

Marshall sighed. Something about Chase telling him that nothing will go wrong made him believe it. "Okay," Marshall said. He took a deep breath. "I'm ready. Let's go." Marshall couldn't help but smile. He was glad to have Chase with him.

Chase and Marshall kept on going until the line stopped. Chase looked around. "Where do we go from here?" he asked. He sniffed the air. "The smell of the jerky is gone. I can't track it."

"What about the scent of Justin or Ryder?"

Chase sniffed around. "No, I can't find it." Chase sighed. "Some German Shepherd I am. Can't even find my owners." He lowered his head to the ground and stayed silent.

Marshall felt guilty for Chase saying this. He felt like it was partly his fault from earlier. Marshall also remembered what Ryder's mom said. Chase thinks he has to do everything alone.

Marshall walked up to Chase. "Hey, man," Marshall said. "You're not alone. Let me help you. We can find them together."

Chase looked up. "How? The scent's gone."

Marshall scoffed. "Don't German Shepherds have a good hearing as well?"

"Yeah?"

"And don't you have a good memory?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Dalmatians have good hearing, too. Come on, let's find them." Chase got up and smiled. He was glad to have Marshall with him. Together, Chase and Marshall were able to walk through the right tunnel until . . .

"Wait, do you hear that?" Chase asked.

"Hear what?" Marshall replied. It went quiet enough that they could hear people talking. They immediately recognized the voices.

"It's them!" Chase exclaimed. "We found them!"