Vigilante PAW

Chapter Forty-Six: Story of Trust

"C'monnnn!" Whined Rubble, following behind a silent Ryder, "Just tell me where the new stash of treats are!"

Ryder glanced back at the Bulldog, who was giving his owner begging eyes, "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. How can I trust you not to immediately go and eat all we have again?"

"It's been a while since that happened!"

"I say give it up, amigo..." Tracker shrugged, looking at Rubble, "I wouldn't trust you with the whereabouts of food either."

The former construction pup groaned, "Aw come on! What happened to supporting your best friend?"

Ryder let out a small chuckle at the conversation, going back to looking at some medicinal items.

Ever since it was announced that the PAW Patrol would be disbanded indefinitely, Ryder decided to spend the time they had off to ensure the pups' wellbeing. Even more than he had before. Today, he was browsing around a nearby store for some medical supplies for Marshall, who needed a change of bandages. The Dalmatian's wounds had healed over time, but there were still a few areas that needed to be patched to avoid complications.

The PAW Patrol being out of action left a lot of the pups with a void of nothing to do outside of the usual playing. While some remained close to their home, others took the opportunity to explore their personal lives more outside of just the lookout. Rubble and Tracker were two of those pups. Deciding that they had spent way too long holed up at the lookout, the two offered to keep Ryder company on the small trip to the store, and in Rubble's case, perhaps convince Ryder to buy more food so he could see where it all went.

Tracker began to laugh following a joke from Rubble. Even though the problem with Marshall had come to an end, and the PAW Patrol was no longer in action for the time being, Tracker wasn't exactly willing to return to the jungle just yet. It had been a while since he had seen his owner, sure, but he wanted to remain at the lookout with everyone else. If Everest could, so could he. Besides, there was something he still wanted to do there. Connect with the pups. He wanted to form bonds with the team just like Everest had.

Rubble, meanwhile, was overjoyed that Tracker decided to stay longer. With all of the drama and mushy, gushy romance floating around, the Potcake's presence was exactly what he needed. Ryder's presence was also welcome. Just some relaxation with good friends. Bros being bros. No romance to be had, and he was more than happy about it.

Standing up tall, the Bulldog quickened his pace once more to catch up with Ryder, who had stopped in his tracks, "Hey Ryder, what's—?" He stopped speaking once he noticed Ryder looking ahead with wide eyes.

Following the boy's gaze, Rubble realized that he was looking at a blonde girl on the other side of the aisle.

Oh come on!!

Ryder shakily gulped. He hadn't spoken with Katie at all following him discovering that she had been taking care of Marshall for a good amount of time during his suspension. He had always been grateful to her for her good deed, but beyond his gratitude for her taking care of Marshall, there were a few questions that lingered in his mind. Why didn't she tell him that Marshall was telling the truth all along? Did she feel as though she couldn't trust him anymore? Was he not trustworthy to her? Was she scared of him?

Katie, meanwhile, was busy looking for some cat food for Cali. For her, it was just another normal trip to the small store to grab some food for her cat. She still wasn't used to going about mundane activities following the Marshall incident. She was used to constantly worrying about him, as well as Rocky and Everest's safety. Days where she wasn't were far in the past. She figured it was just a part of the adjustment period after Hood's arrest. As she shopped though, she couldn't shake the strange sensation telling her that she was being watched.