The Wounds We Heal

Chapter fifty-six: Shenanigan Stories!

Chase groaned aloud and everyone turned to him. He had rolled himself over on his back and, almost like a cat, he stretched his forepaws up over his head and brought them down his face; firmly pressing them together over his eyes. Ryder took a knee to slide a hand under the sleeping bag carefully so not to disturb him.

"'Heat and vibration's still going." He said, pulling his hand out again.

"Is he coming out of it already?" Rocky asked.

"Highly doubt it.." Marshall shook his head. "He probably won't fully 'come out of it' till tomorrow. Or maybe this evening at the very least. If anything he'll be stumbling around here like a drunken sailor pup later, if we can't stop him from trying."

"So.. he'll be sick tomorrow? Ah man! Chase can't catch a break!" Ned commented feeling sorry for the pup.

"If there was a break to catch! He's been elusive and running around so much, he's like a fish you can't catch in your paws!" Snowflake remarked.

"He won't exactly be sick." Marshall corrected Ned. "But we know from the last time that he was a little groggy after coming off the medicine's effects."

"So he might just be a little out of it till the medicine fully processes through and sets him straight again." Chester reiterated.

"Probably." Marshall shrugged.

"So then what's our plan? I tried bonding with him, and it helped a bit. But Chase still feels sad," Snowflake commented.

"Right, but I think it might have done something." Marshall reasoned. "I mean.. doesn't he seem even a little bit.. lighter to you guys?"

"Not sure, couldn't tell under that rough untruthful exterior he's got going." Chester returned bluntly, but everyone could sense his seriousness in it.

"There's got to be something we can do," Snowflake said seriously, thinking of what the team hadn't tried yet.

"Hm.. well we have about a week till Thanksgiving.. Maybe we can use the holidays to cheer him up." Rocky suggested.

"How, dude?" Zuma wondered.

"Hm.." the mixed breed thought. "I got it! What if we take each day to provide an activity we know he'll enjoy and make this his most relaxing week ever!"

"But how would that help?" Chester wondered.

"We do stuff Chase will enjoy for a week. Then when Thanksgiving comes, hopefully he'll be in a better mood," Snowflake suggested.

"Exactly.. maybe then once we back off completely we'll show him we care enough to leave him be like he wants." Rocky suggested.

"Yeah, sorry, not following,.. What?" Chester deadpanned, showing his confusion by the wandering of his gaze for the first part and then leaning in toward the pup far to his right for the second part.

"I'm saying.. If we all completely leave him alone about what's going on with him,.. and instead help him relax in any way we can.. just until Thanksgiving. Then if he still doesn't wanna talk we can use our distance against him and then he'll have to tell us."

The pups all perked up in confusion, exchanging glances among them.

"So like,.. make it an ultimatum?" Marshall asked.

"Sure, you could call it that." Rocky shrugged.

"Woah,.. that actually might be a good idea." Chester remarked after a brief silence.