Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ryder and Chase followed Gabriel down the stairs towards the medical bay. The others followed them as they passed their rooms, wondering what was happening. They reached the medical bay door, where Ainsley was already waiting. She looked distraught as if she saw a ghost. When she saw them, she stopped them before they could enter.

"Thank goodness you're here," she said. "Something happened to Rubble while he was sleeping. I have never seen anything like it."

"None of us have," Gabriel said. "I think The Copycat did something other than just hurting him."

"Let me see him," Ryder demanded.

They poured into the room. A blanket covered rubble. The heart rate monitor beeped once every second or sixty times a minute. His blood pressure was average, but something seemed wrong about Rubble. The shape did not seem right under the sheet.

Ryder carefully reaches for the blanket. As he got closer, the others prepared themselves. Ainsley grasped Chase's hand and held it tight in her distraught state. Chase noticed but was too focused on Ryder and Rubble to worry about that. He watched from the foot of the bed, ready to jump in at a moment's notice. Skye grabbed his other arm, not knowing that Ainsley was at his other side. Everest covered her eyes behind Marshall's shoulder. Gabriel took a step back as if he expected something to go wrong. Zuma and Rocky got in defensive positions on either side of the bed.

Ryder grabbed the corner of the blanket. He took a deep breath, mentally counted to three, and pulled off the sheet. Everyone jumped back instinctually, only to see a sleeping white and orange bulldog in Rubble's place.

"I don't know how," Gabriel said, "but Rubble turned into a bulldog in his sleep. We think The Copycat has something to do with this.

Ryder and the others sighed with relief. Chase looked to either side at the two women holding his arms. Chase slid his arms out of their grip and put his hands in his pockets to prevent awkwardness.

Rubble snored loudly with his tongue sticking out his mouth. Ryder smiled and covered Rubble back up, leaving only his head out of the blanket.

Gabriel looked at Rubble and then at Ryder. "Wait, wait, wait, wait," he repeated. "How are you so calm at this? Was this another one of Rubble's powers you didn't tell us?"

"Well, yes and no," Ryder replied, which confused Gabriel more. "It's better if you sit down for what I'm about to tell you."

Gabriel, Ainsley, and the Paw Patrol entered the living room. They all took a seat on the couches around the lit fireplace. Gabriel sat on a reclining chair while Ainsley stood next to him. Ryder sat across from them. Chase, Skye, and Zuma were to his right, while Marshall, Everest, and Rocky sat to his left. Bruce and Dave walked in and stood behind Gabriel and Ainsley.

"So, what did you want to tell us?" Gabriel asked.

Ryder took a deep breath. "Well, there's no easy way to say this, but all of them are actually pups."

Gabriel stayed silent for a second before laughing out loud, as well as Bruce and Dave. Ainsley covered her mouth as she chuckled softly. "Now, that's a good one, Ryder," Gabriel said. "But we can clearly see that they are human."

Ryder looked at his team. "Do it," he said. The Paw Patrol closed their eyes and transformed into young dogs, one by one. With each transformation, the others dropped their jaws more and more. They watched as the eight young adults transformed into one young male and seven pups.

"What?" Gabriel asked in shock. "You can turn into pups?"

"No, they're pups that can turn into humans," Ryder replied.

"How? Why? Are you aliens or something?"

"Not exactly," Ryder confessed. "We're from Earth, but not this Earth. We crossed through time and space, traveling past different realities, and landed here. The Copycat and Harold are also from our universe. Most dogs and some cats can talk there, while the rest of the animal kingdom sounds the same as they do here."

"You a pup, too, mate?" Dave asked.

Ryder shook his head. "No, but in our universe, I'm a ten-year-old boy. We formed what is known as the Paw Patrol, a rescue team set to protect the town of Adventure Bay and surrounding areas."

"Why didn't we know about this?" Ainsley asked. "Why didn't you tell us?" She looked across the team for a response.

"We didn't want to freak you guys out," Chase said. He transformed back into a human, as did the others. "It's not something you see every day. We're sorry."

"Even though we are not like you, our intentions are still the same," Ryder added. "We still want to stop The Copycat and Harold. We want to help."

Ainsley scoffed and left the room. "Ainsley...um...doesn't take lies and secrets all that well," Gabriel explained. "And frankly, I don't like them either."

"It was never our intention to lie to you," Ryder said. "We just didn't think it was necessary to bring it up."

"Maybe not, but it would've been nice to know," Gabriel said. "You know what? It's been a long day. Let's get some sleep, and we'll talk about how we'll move forward." Gabriel left the room, followed by Bruce and Dave.

Ryder sighed and planted his face in his hand. "What do we do now?" Skye asked.

"As Gabriel said, let's get some sleep," Ryder replied as he looked up at the blaze in the fireplace. "Hopefully, things are better in the morning."