Paw Patrol: Castle of Sand

Chapter 2

"My history on barkingberg is a bit rusty so I'll study up. Could you help me with the books?" She asked, showing me the step ladder. I nodded and held it still as she put the books back. Sweetie jumped down as she finished and we left back to the palace.

Someone was watching me and I felt the hair on my back stand on end, even with my pup pack on. I turned around and looked around me. People, cars, street lamps and the sound of bells from shops.

"What's the matter?" Sweetie asked me. I pushed her in front of me, a bit uneasy. I was stationed in this city to serve them but mostly protect the princess and her pup. We turned the corner and walked to the castle.

I was silent as I listened to my music with my headset connected to my puptag but I kept an eye on sweetie. She walked inside and the princess gave me a pup treat for my trouble of watching her pup.

I walked back to the beach and felt I was being watched again. But no one was on the beach this late at night. Compared to adventure bay the sun didn't stay out as long. Hence colder temperatures.

"Show yourself. You're wasting my time hiding." I said to seemingly no one. The feeling went away and I dove into the water, became a mer-pup when I reached deep water so I could hide the flash, and swam to home. Iris was waiting with a smile and gave me some food.

"It's really pretty living underwater but some nights I'm afraid to sleep because I fear something would break." She said while laughing a bit. I nodded. I'd admit I had that anxious feeling to at some points but all she has to do is say the word and we can move.

"If you want to live in the city we can, I don't mind. Whatever makes you happy." I told her. I joined her in watching TV where I fell asleep on the couch.

~

A pup with long shaggy black fur and red fur running from the underside of his mouth, chest, belly and under his tail sat near the beach hiding a bit behind a wall. Unlike the common dogs, he had no collar. 

"There's no way a pup can hold their breath that long. She has to be one like the people say." He said while heading back to an alleyway, specifically a part of it that had a tarp covering it, this was his home. 

It wasn't his permanent home, he had a ship. The ship he sailed on was called "The Coral", and he searched for treasure. He was a good treasure hunter, hunting for things buried and lost long ago. Though he hasn't decided what to do with the stuff he found just yet.

It made him excited at the thought that not all of the merpups was gone yet. Maybe now he can do the merpup artifacts he has justice by returning them to the rightful owners.

~

Sweetie laughed while wondering the palace library. It had older books with older writing. It should have something that could help her look for a mer-pup or know when to see one.

"Bugsby help me look for merpups in the folklore section." She told it. It beeped and began to look on lower shelves. They looked and looked. Sweetie pulled some books to look at but didn't find much of anything.

She pulled the books to a dog bed to read them at her pace. The books gave a basic description like the public books did to. This irritated sweetie and she threw the book before getting the next one.

It had old writing she could barely understand. She wanted the crown, that was her main focus. But a small part of her also wanted to bring the merpups back or at least see one. If she had one, barkingberg would be a gold mine. Maybe then she'll have her own crown. It was her best backup plan.

Bugsby was on the ladder when he hit a book causing it to fall and hit sweetie on the head. It made her dizzy as she walked around in circles before dropping out cold. As per its code, bugsby went as fast it could to the princess or the Duke to get sweetie.

However, the book landed on the floor and opened to a page with handwritten writing signed by a paw print with dried salt water drops. It looked very old and worn, but the dust showed it hasn't been opened let alone touched for years. When she came too the princess was looking over her in the face.

"Oh goodness, sweetie you had me worried." She said. Sweetie sat up. She remembered what happened, being in the library and something hitting her from above. Bugsby must've done something.

"I'm fine princess. A book just fell that's all." She said while being picked up by the princess.

"No, I'm not letting you out of my sight for a while." She said, hugging sweetie gently. Sweetie huffed but made no move to get out of it. The princess brought her to her room and they watched a movie.

~

When I opened my eyes I was back at adventure bay. I looked around confused. Wasn't I at the base with Iris? Something crashed behind me, making me jump and stand attention. It was a part of a building, the lookout.

"Pups! Pups?" I yelled, looking around for them. I didn't see them but I saw what tore up the lookout. I stood frozen at what I saw.

"No, it couldn't be. They...we..we sealed you away! How could-" I stopped when I spotted something on it's back. Before I could get a look everything became blurry as I bolted up awake.

It was just a dream. It was just a dream. I felt someone shaking me, it was Iris.

"Hey, you alright? You were having a nightmare. Was it bad?" She asked. I looked at the floor still kind of panting to calm my heart. What was it about? Who was that on the back of that water dragon?

But it wasn't just a water dragon, it was the same one we sealed away moons ago. Same color and sound of the roar.