Paw Patrol: A Runaway Pup

Chapter Twelve

While that was happening, Chase was questioning why was Rubble taking so long.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe he finished all the treats on the way," Zuma guessed.

"Hehe, yeah, very funny!" Rocky said, giving an eye roll.

"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't... It doesn't matter," Chase answered.

There was another moment of silence between the three of them. Suddenly, Zuma broke into their peaceful moment.

"Hey, Rocky?"

"Yup?" Rocky looked directly at him.

"You know, what? I have been thinking..." Zuma said.

"About what?" Rocky asked.

"I have a feeling that Marshall could be still out there..." Zuma answered, "Alive."

"Really? You think so?" Rocky replied, surprisingly.

"Yeah..." the chocolate Labrador nodded.

"So... What are you gonna do about it?" Rocky questioned.

"I don't know. I would go out there and find him if I could. But, I just don't know how or where to start. He never even gave a clue where he could have gone," Zuma answered. This left the two pups thinking about it quietly.

That night, all the pups were sound asleep in their pup houses. They tried to forget what just happened earlier so they could at least sleep peacefully. But one pup couldn't sleep. At around 4 am, Zuma tossed and turned around his pup house, trying to fall asleep. But it was no use, so he got up and went into the Lookout.

Zuma quietly crept inside the dark Lookout, barely seeing a thing. Just then, suddenly, he saw a strange figure. Jumping to conclusions too soon, he thought it was a ghost and started screaming.

"Ah, a ghost!"

But Zuma was interrupted when somebody covered his noisy mouth, shushing him to keep quiet.

"Shh... It's just me, Zuma."

Zuma looked up and saw that it was just Ryder, appearing from the darkness.

"Oh, phew! You scared me, Ryder," Zuma sighed in relief.

"Me too..." Ryder chuckled.

"But why are you awake at a time like this?" Zuma asked.

Ryder paused for a moment as he saw the Labrador's curious eyes staring at him.

"Look, I know you're gonna get worried about me, but I can't help but think about Marshall. So, I'm going out there to find him. If he just ran away, he could possibly still be alive," Ryder told him.

"Wait, for real?" Zuma asked to clarify.

"Yes, Zuma... I get what Marshall is feeling right now. He thinks he's useless because of his clumsiness and he feels even worse because of that accident. I want him to know that he shouldn't feel that way and that he is an important member of the Paw Patrol," Ryder continued.

"I understand, Ryder... But, if you're going out there to find Marshall, I'm coming with you," Zuma said.

"Are you sure, Zuma? What about the other pups?" Ryder asked.

"Don't worry about that, Ryder! I'll figure something out on the way," Zuma answered, "Let's go before they even catch us."

Earlier in the morning before the sun even rose, Ryder and Zuma left to start searching for Marshall. Zuma had to figure something out how to tell the others without making them worry so much. He didn't want to stress Ryder about it so Zuma decided to do this on his own.