Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Twelve

As rays of sunlight hit Ryder in the face, he began gaining consciousness. Ryder stood up and opened his eyes. In front of him, he saw the sunrise over open waters.

Ryder wondered how long he had been unconscious. It could have been hours or days for all he knew. All he knew was there was sunlight when he and the pups crashed.

Then he remembered something important. The pups, he thought. He felt the presence of a group of beings behind him, which he guessed were his pups.

The Paw Patrol found themselves on a small mountain on an island. The top of the peak was a flat area covered with grass. At the base, roughly fifty feet away, a forest surrounded them from every side. Beyond the trees, a sandy white beach met the ocean.

"What happened to Adventure Bay?" Ryder asked. "And where's Harold?"

Ryder turned around and jumped backward. In front of him, seven teenagers, five male and two female, were staring at him. "Y . . . you . . ." Ryder stuttered. "Your humans?!" Ryder examined each one of them.

The first one he noticed was Chase, who was using a nearby tree to help him stand. Instead of looking at a German Shepherd, Ryder stared at a six-foot-one twenty-one-year-old male (for story-telling reasons, I will give them ages and heights). His skin tone was tan, almost almond-colored, blending perfectly with his brown hazel hair. He still kept his amber eyes. Chase's jawline was defined and bold. He had the build of an athlete. He wore a blue-gray shirt, a blue hoodie, dark denim jeans, and Air Jordan 1s Hi Blue Mariners (I'm a sneakerhead, so some of the shoes chosen will be specific). A thin gold chain hung around his neck.

Chase turned to his right and noticed Skye on the ground, so he helped her up. Skye, once a Cockapoo, was now a five-foot-eight twenty-year-old female. She had light blonde wavy hair that reached a few inches under her shoulders. Her rosy pale skin contrasted with her magenta eyes, which stood out. Next to Chase, she was a little taller than his shoulders. She wore a white blouse, a pink lambskin biker jacket, light denim jeans, and pink/white Converse. She was fit like an athletic cheerleader. The Phrase "Born To Fly" was on the back of her Jacket.

Next to Chase and Skye was Marshall, who was getting up. He was a twenty-one-year-old six-foot male with pale skin and black hair, but Marshall kept his diamond-blue eyes. Marshall wore a white tee, red hoodie, black jeans, and Air Jordan 1 High Bloodlines. He wore a silver necklace with a fire pendant.

Everest, now a twenty-two-year-old six-foot female, stumbled out of the woods. She had light silver wavy hair with purple touch-ups, blue eyes, and pale skin. Everest wore a teal denim button-up shirt rolled up to her elbows, a white blouse, light blue jeans, and blue Vans. Marshall walked up to her and asked if she was okay.

Ryder focused on the next person over, a twenty-year-old five-foot-ten male who once was a mixed breed. He had gray hair, which was odd for his age, and brown eyes. He wore an army green jacket, a gray shirt, khaki jeans, and Timberland Boots. (This was the only fit I could think of that made green work.) Rocky stood up and looked around. He steadied himself and took a few steps forward as if he were practicing using human feet, which made sense.

Next to Rocky, Zuma sat up and placed his palm on his head as if he had a headache. The chocolate lab was now a twenty-year-old five-foot-ten male. He had an African-American complexion, a surfer's build, and black hair cut into a taper fade. He wore an unzipped orange hoodie with a surfboard logo over his left pec. Zuma wore a black shirt, dark blue jeans, and running shoes. With Rocky's help, he stood up and looked at his body.

Ryder turned to the last one in the group. Rubble, who once was an English Bulldog, was now a Bulldog, was now a nineteen-year-old, five-foot-nine male. He had pale skin and strawberry-blonde hair. He wore a yellow hoodie, white shirt, light brown jeans, and white Air Force 1s. Rubble wasn't fit like Chase or Marshall but wasn't chubby either.

For Ryder, it was easy to identify his pups. Their human personas were similar to their pup version, their skin tones and hair color matching their fur. It took a second for Ryder to come out of his shock. "You're human!" Ryder exclaimed.

Chase looked down at his hands. "How can this be?" He asked. "We were pups two minutes ago."

Marshall took some wobbly steps forward before falling. "This is way too weird."

Rubble whimpered. "I don't like this. I loved being a pup."

"It's okay, Rubble," Ryder comforted, even though he was still shocked. "It's okay."

Chase managed to stand by using a tree as support. He then helped Skye up, who leaned up against the same tree. "What if we're stuck like this forever?" Skye asked.

"No, please, no," Rubble pleaded. Rubble curled up and put his hands over his head like he was trying to hide from everyone. "I don't want to be human. I want to go back to being a pup. I want to go back." After a long, silent minute, Rubble looked up. All the others were looking at him. "What . . .what's wrong?" He asked.

"Um, you're a bulldog again," Rocky replied.