Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Nineteen

Ainsley led Ryder and the pups to their rooms. Skye and Everest took one room, Rocky got a room with Rubble, Zuma shared it with Marshall, and Ryder shared it with Chase. They told each other goodnight and walked into their rooms.

"Nice," Ryder admired as he looked around the room. A gray California king-sized bed pushed up against the window. A drawer with a mirror sat opposite. The walls were light blue, while the trim, base, and closet doors were white.

"I guess the bed's big enough for both of us," Chase said. "Good thing, because I am tired."

"Me, too," Ryder agreed. They took off their shoes and jackets before climbing into bed. Chase laid down for a bit, twisting and turning. "Something wrong, Chase?"

"Sleeping like a human feels weird," he confessed. He got up, transformed into a pup, and hopped back onto the bed. He spun in a circle once before lying down next to Ryder. "Much better," he said with a sigh of relief.

Ryder reached out and scratched behind Chase's ear. "You know, you might as well get used to sleeping as a human," he said. "We might be in this reality for a while.

Chase thought about it. "Okay, but can I sleep as a pup tonight?"

Ryder smiled. "Sure, Chase."

"Thanks, Ryder," Chase said. He curled up next to Ryder and fell asleep. Ryder did the same shortly after.

In the morning, Chase woke up before Ryder. Since Ryder was still asleep, Chase slowly got off the bed and turned into a human. His shirt, pants, and undergarments appeared on his body, so all Chase did was put on his shoes, which took a bit to get the hang of and his jacket. Once he finished, Chase put on his watch, placed his wallet in his back pocket, and walked out the door. He traced his steps from the night before and found himself in the dining room.

The first thing Chase noticed when he walked in was Ainsley. The blonde woman was sitting on the far chair on a laptop. She had a drink to her right and a tray of small brown cakes to her left. She was typing away at her keyboard when she heard someone walking up. She looked up and smiled.

"Oh, good morning, Chase," Ainsley said. "You're up early."

"Good morning, Ainsley," Chase said as he walked up. "And yeah, I usually get up early to wake the others, but I guess I don't have to do that here."

Ainsley chuckled. "No, everyone has alarm clocks by their beds."

"I noticed that," Chase said. "Back at Advent . . . uh . . . where we're from, the only one that needs one is Ryder."

Ainsley lowered her screen a bit to focus her attention on Chase. "Where are you guys from, anyway? It's clear you're not from around here."

"That's for sure," Chase said. "But all I can tell you right now is that it's somewhere different but the same all at once. I will tell you more. It's not that I don't like you, but..."

"You just met us yesterday," Ainsley finished. "That makes sense. Well, sit down. The others should wake up in three minutes. Breakfast will be ready in ten."

"Oh, okay," Chase replied. He sat on the chair to Ainsley's left. She kept typing on her laptop. "If you don't mind me asking," Chase said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm arranging flights, preparing rooms, and securing a place in the overtaken city for you and your team. That is, of course, if you all agree to help."

"Gabriel said he had plans for us. Do you know what they are?"

"Gabriel instructed me not to say anything. He wanted to tell everyone all at once."

"That makes sense," Chase admitted. He noticed the mug Ainsley had at her side. It flowed with a light brown drink with white foam on top. Chase wondered what it was.

Ainsley looked up and noticed Chase looking at her coffee. "Would you like to have my coffee, Chase?" she asked. "I was going to drink it but haven't taken a sip yet. You could have it if you want it. I could get one later."

"I couldn't do that," Chase said. "First off, I never tried coffee before, so who knows if I like it. And second, it's yours. I don't like taking things from others."

"If you never try it, you will never know if you like it. And it's not taking it if I'm offering it to you."

Chase was hesitant to accept her cup. Eventually, he slowly reached over and took it. "Uh, thank you," he said, to which she nodded. Chase raised the cup to his mouth to drink the coffee.

Ainsley looked at him. "Chase, careful, the coffee's . . ." she tried to warn him, but it was too late. The hot coffee burned Chase's tongue, causing him to move it away from his mouth quickly. ". . . hot."

Chase coughed. "Yeah, it's pretty hot," he forced out. He licked his lips. "But it's delicious. And I feel more energetic all of a sudden." He moved the cup to his lips, blew on the surface to cool it down, and took a longer sip. "Man, I'm gonna have to drink this more often."

Ainsley laughed. "I'm glad you liked it."

One by one, the others walked into the dining room and sat down in the same spots they were the night prior. Chase requested that each of them try the coffee made the same way. Everyone liked the coffee except for Rubble and Rocky. They asked for some water instead.

Gabriel was the last one to appear in the dining room. "I hope you all slept well," he said as he sat down.

"We did," Ryder said, to which the others nodded in agreement. "Thank you again for letting us stay in your home."

"Of course, Ryder," Gabriel replied. "We're here to help one another. That reminds me. Let's get breakfast going."

Servants walked out of the kitchen and placed some plates before everyone. Ainsley moved her computer and papers to the side to make room for her food. The plates consisted of two pancakes, potato hash browns, scrambled eggs, and three strips of bacon. Everyone got their own choice of drink, which they already had. Servants walked around refilling cups, putting condiments and food additions on the tables, and ensuring everyone had the correct utensils.

As they ate, Gabriel began talking. "I know you all just woke up, but if you let me, I'd like to express my thoughts and plans."

Ryder put down his fork with a piece of pancake on it. "Go right ahead, Gabriel. It's your house. And back home, we usually discuss our plans for the day during breakfast."

"Excellent," Gabriel replied as he got comfortable. "Well, first off, I wanted to talk about you guys. When I first met you, I told you I felt you had a connection to the two villains we are up against. I don't know where you're all from, but I spent most of last night trying to connect the dots. Here's what I'm guessing. In your town, you guys are the law and order. Ryder is the leader, and if there's a leader, there's a second-in-command, which I'm guessing is Chase. Now, everything is going great until these two show up, Harold and the Copycat, and begin to cause a mess and a half wherever they go. They start it, you finish it, and it becomes a cycle. After a while, the villains decide to leave the town and start anew. You now have to go to the city they took over and stop them before they cause any more damage. How's that?"

Ryder looked at the others. "That's pretty much the gist of it," he said.

"Okay, so now to my plan," Gabriel continues. "I have a building near the city center that Harold and the Copycat took over. It has enough rooms for each of you to have a room for yourself, a training room, a weight lifting room, and everything you need. I also have transportation to get you all there. The Copycat's militia controls the skies, so we better go by road. You can leave today and settle down, and I'll meet you there tomorrow to talk more."

Ryder looked at the others. "Does that work for all of you?" They all nodded in agreement. Ryder looked back at Gabriel. "We're in."

"Great. The transportation will be ready in three hours, so finish your breakfast, grab your things, and head out front."