Marshall and Chase: On the Skase!

(8) Battle in Barkingburg

Chase awoke to the sound of snoring.

The Shepherd sat up and looked around. He was currently in the Air Patroller, on his way to Barkingburg. The inside of the PAW Patroller was dark, as the sun hadn't risen yet. The police pup got out of his seat and walked over to his best friend and now traveling companion.

Marshall snored blissfully as he slept, his tail wagging faintly. Chase smiled at the sleeping pup. Maybe he could wait to wake him up. They weren't exactly above Barkingburg yet.

After checking on Robo-Dog to make sure everything was alright, the Shepherd made his way back to the main area of the Air Patroller to watch the sun rise.

Orange light began to peek over the horizon. Chase would've found this sight beautiful, under normal circumstances. But this sunrise marked the approach of the third full day that Skye had been missing. Skye had gone missing in the afternoon two days prior, making it difficult to pinpoint how many days it had been exactly since she disappeared.

But that didn't matter. She was going to be found. He and Marshall were going to make sure of that.

He felt a bit guilty to just be resting on the mission like he just had. While Skye was sure to be uncomfortable within the clutches of Sweetie, here he was taking one of the longest naps ever with a snoring Dalmatian by his side.

His attention turned to Marshall. It was so strange to be with only him again. This had been the longest time they had spent with only each other's company since the formation of the PAW Patrol.

He turned back, watching the sunrise once more. They were on quite the adventure now. He hated to think of the rescue mission as an adventure, but he and Marshall hadn't exactly done something like this before, especially without the guidance of their owner. Now, it was up to him and Marshall to make the team whole again.

Boy, did he miss when the team was whole...

Chase let out a long sigh, taking a mental note to pull himself aside one day and have a long, difficult talk to himself about what had gone wrong, and what he could do to be better. What he could do to do better. He hated to acknowledge it, but that was just how he was. He wouldn't be able to put a situation to rest until he discovered the root of the problem, the circumstances that drove the situation to get worse, and make sure it would never happen again.

Not to mention the apology he had to give to Skye after they found her.

It was completely irrational to blame himself for her pupnapping, the police pup was entirely aware of that, yet here he was, watching the sun rise with a new sense of guilt. He couldn't help himself. He wasn't even dispatched on the last mission they had. But maybe, had he gone to go check up on them, Everest and Skye would be on their way to the top of the lookout for some Pup-Pup Boogie.

Calm down...

He closed his eyes, allowing his paw to wipe stray sweat off of his forehead. He needed to take a breather. He hated to be left alone with his thoughts. Once they started flowing, there was no stopping it. Chase was forced to brief himself on the current situation time and time again. Everest was hurt, and Skye was taken, all at the paws of Sweetie.

Meanwhile, Marshall opened his eyes, a silent yawn escaping his mouth. The ride to Barkingburg so far had been pretty smooth, lulling him into a peaceful rest. But there was one glaring issue, though...

"Man, I'm so stiff!!" The Dally exclaimed, making Chase jump in surprise, "Good dog, I hope we don't have to sleep in here again!"

"Morning, Marshall." Chase turned around to smile at his best friend.