Vigilante PAW

Chapter Forty-One: Lost Leaders

The PAW Patroller quickly ascended a hill, one that allowed the sole passenger to see Adventure Bay. Just like always, the young leader's attention quickly focused on the look of the bay. The glimmering, shining ocean that the light of the afternoon sun reflected off of, providing those lucky enough to be gazing upon it with a galaxy of stars on earth. It brought a smile to his once downcast face.

The sole passenger of the PAW Patroller, Ryder, was finally returning from the "short" conference he had to attend in Adventure City related to the recent events spurred on by all of the drama with Marshall. Thankfully, with some skilled maneuvering and trickle truth, he managed to get past the conversation without revealing how fractured the PAW Patrol had really become over the past couple of weeks.

Reminded of the current state of the team, the young leader wondered how the remainder of the team was doing. He wasn't worried about them while he was in Adventure City, knowing that Chase would work hard to properly lead the team. But regardless, he still left his pups alone in the lookout to fend for themselves. While he had stopped by Katie's in order to ask her to check in on the team, the young stylist could only do so much, considering that she still had an establishment of her own to run.

With the silence of his solitude the only thing keeping him company aside from the faint noises from Robo-Dog, the driver of the PAW Patroller, he thought back on the events that led to that moment. How could he not, considering that after what seemed to be ages, they had finally hit the three week mark on Marshall's time limit. One week remained. That is, if Marshall even still cared about proving his innocence. He hadn't seen the Dalmatian in weeks. Who's to say that Marshall didn't just turn tail and escape while he still had the chance? No, he wasn't like that. If anything, Marshall was no quitter. If he was really innocent, then he would be doing his best to make it back on the team. Right?

Would Marshall even still want to be on the team?

In the weeks following Marshall's suspension, it seemed as though more and more people and pups decided to stand with the Dalmatian, even after Mayor Goodway publicized the whole incident for everyone in both Adventure Bay and Foggy Bottom to see. Rocky and Everest risked everything. Throwing away their tags and chasing their friend. Even Katie, one of his closest friends, eventually spoke out in support of Marshall.

That alone was enough to start swaying his mind toward other possibilities. The entire time, Ryder struggled to hold onto his own beliefs, and struggled to find the correct path to walk down each time a decision presented itself. But since that day, Ryder couldn't help but to wonder how everything came to this. He wanted to know how it happened. He needed to know.

Ryder soon shook his head. He already had enough on his plate as it stood for the time being. He didn't need any more issues plaguing his mind.

He had enough problems. He didn't need any more.

"Chase is what!?"

Scratch that, there never seemed to be an end to the problems that arose.

"He's missing!" Skye, standing in front of the group, was quick to repeat, "We haven't seen him since he left last night. Now I can't reach him through my tag..."

Facing the concerned and shameful faces of Rubble, Zuma, Skye, and Tracker, the young leader couldn't prevent himself from stumbling backward into his favorite bean bag chair. He put a hand to his forehead, rubbing it as his stress grew.

"No... Not again..." Ryder muttered beneath his breath, Tracker's sharp ears being the only things to catch what spilled from the human's lips.

Tracker's eyelids lowered, "What did you say, amigo?"