The Stellar Odyssey - A PAW Patrol Fanfic

🪐 9 - Through the Eyes of Another 🪐

"Hey, Chase ... it's been seven months you're gone," Marshall's voice crackles through the small screen, his tone soft but full of warmth, a kind of comforting calm that Chase hadn't realized he'd missed so intensely until now from the clumsy best friend. Sitting in the dim glow of the ship's control room, Chase adjusts the screen in his paws, feeling the familiar pang of homesickness that bubbles up at the sight of his best friend's face.

Marshall smiles broadly, his warm, steady gaze fixed on the camera. Chase chuckles softly to himself, watching his friend's characteristic, almost infectious excitement as he waves at the camera, grinning ear to ear. It's like he's almost waiting for him to say or do something stupid.

"Where do I even start? I can't believe how long it's been already," Marshall says with a chuckle, his tail wagging in that familiar, slightly clumsy way. "Adventure Bay isn't the same without you, you know? It's ... quieter. Nah, just kidding, Adventure Bay is the same without you."
Chase bursts out laughing, that's the Marshall he knows.

"The whole team's hanging in there, of course, but it's different."
Marshall's smile fades slightly, his face shifting into something more serious, more reflective. He takes a deep breath, looking down for a moment before his eyes meet the camera again, filled with a quiet determination.

"Before you left, I think none of us really understood what this mission would mean for us, for you. Back then, it just seemed like an adventure, didn't it? Another chance for you to be the brave leader you are. But it's more than that now. We know what's at stake ... and we're all so proud of you, Chase. You're doing something huge. Something important."

Chase swallows, feeling his chest tighten as he takes in Marshall's words. It's strange, hearing them from his friend, knowing he's so far away, yet still somehow so close.

"And, uh..." Marshall's expression softens, his voice dipping lower, "Skye's been missing you like crazy. She tries to act like she's fine, keeps herself busy with work, helping Ryder coordinate things here and there, getting supplies organized. But I can see it, Chase. Every time someone brings you up, her ears go back just a little, and her eyes get that look, like she's... remembering. Waiting."

Chase's paw tightens around the edge of the screen, his gaze locked onto Marshall's image. Skye, he'd been thinking about her every day since they'd left. Her laughter, her bright smile, the warmth of her fur brushing against his when they'd sit together on the beach, just talking. The moment he confessed. Those memories felt like a lifeline, something he clung to in the quiet moments on the ship, when the weight of the stars pressed down on him and the endlessness of space made everything feel so much colder.

Marshall's voice pulls him from his thoughts, grounding him. "Chase, I know this is hard for you, being out there, so far from everything familiar. But remember, you've got Everest with you. Rocky too, even though he's probably glued to those screens and data sheets right now, doing his Rocky thing." Marshall laughs, and the sound is so familiar, so comforting, that Chase can't help but smile.

"Those two, they'll keep you going, just like we're doing here. I guess what I'm trying to say is... you're not alone, even out there. You've got us, in a way. We're all holding down the fort back home, just like you'd want us to."

Marshall pauses, his expression becoming more serious as he leans closer to the camera, as if trying to bridge the immense distance between them with nothing but his gaze.

"And Skye ... well, she made me promise to say this, so... here it goes. She told me to tell you that no matter what, she's here, waiting for you. That she believes in you, in everything you're doing, and that you've got a piece of her heart with you. She said it better than I can," he admits with a shy laugh, scratching behind one of his ears, "but you get the idea. She's not going anywhere, Chase. She'll wait as long as she needs to."