Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Fourteen

Ryder pushed the throttle to the maximum speed, forcing the speedboat forward. As he drove, the others sat at the front of the boat, enjoying the view and feeling of the cool water. Luckily, they found eight life jackets on board. Skye and Everest were pointing out some dolphins to Chase and Marshall. Rubble laughed as Rocky tried avoiding the water, which he failed to do. Zuma sat next to Ryder, watching how to drive the boat.

After a minute, Zuma decided to speak up. "Hey, Ryder," he said.

"Yeah, Zuma?" Ryder asked, his gaze fixed ahead.

"Can I drive the boat? I've always wanted to drive a boat like people do."

Ryder looked at Zuma's golden eyes. He saw how they filled with interest and excitement. "Go for it, Zuma," he said as he stopped the boat. Ryder switched spots with Zuma, who looked at the boat's console like a chest full of treasure. Ryder stood over Zuma, explaining how the controls worked.

"Alright, Zuma," he explained. "Gently push the throttle forward until you feel it shift into gear." Zuma did as instructed, forcing the boat forward slowly. The others watched as Zuma learned how to drive. "Okay. Now that we're moving. Steer the wheel towards the city, then push the throttle more to give more power to the motor."

Zuma grabbed onto the throttle and moved it forward. He felt the engine churn and the waves pushing against the moving boat. Zuma felt the rotor spin faster and faster and the fin turning to guide the vessel towards the city. "I think I got it," he said proudly. Zuma forced the throttle forward, launching the speedboat to full speed. Zuma felt as the mass lifted out of the water, crashing into the waves instead of pushing them aside.

Ryder and the others grabbed the railings, and Zuma drove towards the city. Zuma felt at home driving the boat as if he had meant to do that since birth. He wasn't just propelling the craft, but Zuma was part of a much larger system, containing the speedboat, him, and the water working harmoniously. Zuma watched as the city grew as they got closer. He noticed a large dock where other vessels of various sizes were tied down.

Ten minutes later, Zuma slowed the boat down and parked it on the dock. He set the throttle to neutral and let go of the controls. "That . . ." he said between deep breaths, "was awesome, dude. Thanks, Ryder."

Ryder grabbed onto the rail and tried to stand despite his trembling legs. "You're welcome, Zuma. I ask that next time, maybe go a little slower."

Zuma looked at the others and noticed how nauseous they looked. "Oops," he said, embarrassed that he didn't realize it sooner. "Sorry."

Slowly, Ryder and the others got off the boat one by one. With the help of a nearby local man, Ryder tied down the boat to the dock with a rope. Once he finished, the team looked up at the city. Skyscrapers and large buildings towered over them. Cars drove the streets, and pedestrians walked on the sidewalk. The sound of cars honking, people talking, and commotion filled the air.

"Now, this is a big city," Chase said. Something about this place made him uneasy.

"No kidding," Marshall agreed. "Compared to this, Adventure City looks small."

"So, what's the plan, Ryder?" Rocky asked.

"We need to find a way back home. I can build a new machine with enough energy to power it. But first, we have to find some help. It will be challenging here since it's a big city, and no one knows us. Let's start by walking through the streets."

Ryder led the team down the sidewalk. As they walked, they looked into the local businesses. They passed a clothing store in which Skye, Everest, and Rubble were interested. Next to it was a sports and hunting store, which caught the attention of Ryder, Chase, and Marshall. Rocky fixed his gaze on a technology store while Zuma checked out the surfboard displays of the store next to it. They passed many stores, such as shoe stores, fast food, and a pet store.

"It's crazy," Chase exclaimed.

"What's crazy, Chase?" Ryder asked.

"Before coming here, I never wanted to check out a sports store, but now that I'm human, I do."

"Yeah," Rubble agreed. "And I have a weird craving for something sweet."

"Your body must have changed more than appearance," Ryder hypothesized. "Maybe now that you're human, your canine cravings have changed into human cravings."

"Does that mean we can eat human food?" Marshall asked. "Like chocolate and grapes?" The others looked at him. "What? I got hungry." The others laughed.

"Maybe," Ryder replied. "There's only one way to test it, but I don't want to risk it if we're wrong."

Rocky looked up. "Well, if anything goes wrong, there is a vet's clinic across the street." They all turned to their right and saw the clinic Rocky was referring to.

"If you guys want to try it, I guess you can," Ryder said. The others nodded. They always wondered what chocolate and grapes taste like. Ryder reached into his back pocket. Luckily, he kept his wallet when they entered this new reality. Ryder opened his wallet and saw a couple of American hundred-dollar bills. "I wonder if these work here," he thought aloud. He walked into the nearest store and grabbed a Hershey's chocolate bar.

"A dollar seventy-six, please," the woman at the register said.

"Um, do these work here?" Ryder asked awkwardly.

The woman grabbed the dollar bill, inspected it, and raised her eyebrow at Ryder. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"It doesn't work here?"

"Of course, it works here," the woman said. "But you're using a hundred dollars to pay for less than two bucks. I don't have that kind of change, so either get more stuff or break this bill."

"Oh, um, okay," Ryder said. At least he knew the money still worked. Ryder grabbed seven more chocolate bars, eight sodas, and a bag of Doritos chips. He ended up paying a little over forty dollars, which didn't bother him much. He grabbed the bags of food and his change, thanked the cashier, and walked out.

"Okay, so I got chocolate bars and sodas," Ryder said. They crossed the street and stood in front of the clinic. They each broke off a piece of their bars and held it in their hand.

They were going to try it simultaneously, but Chase stopped them. "Wait," he said. "One of us should eat it first to ensure nothing bad happens. I'll do it." The others watched as Chase raised the chocolate to his mouth and ate. His eyes grew as he got hit with the flavor. "You guys, this is amazing," he told them. "You should tr. . .tr. . ." Chase began to twitch before falling to the ground.

The others shrieked in horror as they watched Chase go into shock. Ryder got next to him. "Chase?!" he called out. "Chase?! Are you okay? Please answer."

Marshall opened the door to the clinic. "We need to take him inside now." Ryder and Skye grabbed Chase's arms as they tried to lift him, but Chase started laughing.

"I'm kidding," Chase said as he laughed. "It was a joke."

Skye punched him in the arm out of anger. "Don't do that," she yelled, but Chase was laughing too much to care. After a second, the others laughed. They tried the chocolate, which all of them liked. They drank the soda, which they enjoyed as well.

"Man, I wish we could've eaten this as pups," Rubble said. The others nodded in agreement.

Ryder turned to his left and noticed a box displaying newspapers. Something about them caught his eye. He grabbed a newspaper and read the title. "Uh, guys?" Ryder said. The other turned to face him, and he showed them the main article. They almost dropped their food while reading it.

The article's title was "HAROLD HUMDINGER AND THE COPYCAT TAKE OVER THOR CITY."