Vigilante PAW

Chapter Thirty-Two: Reflection

Another cross was scribbled over the previous day on the calendar, joining the collection of crosses laid out on the days before it. Putting the marker back down on the desk below it amidst the messy, disorganized surface, Ryder turned his attention to a large collection of sticky notes beside the calendar. Many of the sticky notes had doodles revolving around three specific subjects. Above the collection of sticky notes was a large piece of paper stuck to the wall.

Pups Away: 14 Days

It had been two whole weeks since Marshall had left the lookout, followed by Rocky and Everest. That was two days after Marshall's one month countdown had begun. So, if his math was correct, at the end of the current day, that would mark seventeen whole days since Marshall was suspended from the team, leaving him with only two and a half weeks to prove his innocence before he would have to seriously hunt him down and take him to the pound, like he had told the Dalmatian the day of his suspension.

Many of the sticky note doodles were of the three pups that had left the lookout, drawings of their faces, their pup tags, as well as the vehicles they used back when they were on the team. The drawings were made by himself, as well as the other pups. When they noticed Tracker drawing the three MIA pups at the top of the lookout, they had decided to do the same. While they weren't nearly as good as Tracker's drawings, they could at least tell what each other was drawing.

All of them had been doing this, save for Chase, who couldn't bear to even walk into Ryder's bedroom to look at the mural of illustrations that grew bigger by the day. Out of all of the pups, he could tell that Chase was working overtime to keep his own emotions in check. Seeing those drawings of the pups the team were left without wouldn't do him any favors.

His pup tag then began to vibrate on his nightstand, the buzzing noise amplified ever so slightly by the wooden surface it was laid on. He turned himself away from the calendar and sticky note mural to look at the electronic device still vibrating on the nightstand. For once in his life, he picked up his pup tag with the sincere hope that there wasn't any issue in Adventure Bay. He wasn't sure how well they'd be able to perform in their fragmented state, and the citizens of their beloved town seemed to notice this as well.

From the moment Marshall had been the face put to the 'Thief of Adventure Bay' title, public opinion seemed to shift away from him, as well as the PAW Patrol. Their help seemed to not be as needed as it was before everything went left. Had Ryder not publicly come out and stated that he was personally looking at ways to bring Marshall to justice, it would've been a lot worse for them.

The young leader picked up his pup pad, studying the screen. It was his alarm. Was it morning already? He could've sworn that he sent the pups to their pup houses for sleep an hour ago. Had he inadvertently stayed up the entire night again?

Whatever the circumstances, despite how exhausted the team was, physically as well as mentally, he would have to make sure they stayed on schedule. Time for breakfast.

Ryder opened his door and walked out into the lookout observatory. His bare feet met the chilly surface of the slick floor as he made his way over to the kitchen. Each step seemed to be more heavy than the last, slowing him down as he trudged across the top of the lookout. Just as he rounded the corner to walk into the small kitchen area, his eyes quickly spotted a presence on the floor.

Sitting in a small circle were the remaining PAW Patrol pups. Chase, Skye, Zuma, Rubble, and Tracker, who Ryder had invited to stay with them due to the empty spots needing to be filled on select missions. All of the pups in front of him wore faint smiles, each of their paws on their food bowls, anticipating the special moment where they would be served their first meal of the day. The young leader mustered a faint smile, walking past them and pulling the dog food from on top of the refrigerator.