PAW Patrol: Spooky Pups

Chapter five: The Adventure Begins

Chase's nose snuffled down the trail. Finding himself more and more inclined to follow it wherever it led. Lifting his muzzle to avoid the sudden rise of the ground under him, his paws hit something and he was suddenly spilled forward onto his chest. Grimacing the pup shifted himself off of his wounded leg to hold it up, as if it'd make it feel better from the burning sensation that stung his skin.

   "Ugh, come on.. Where are you?" Chase asked himself out loud, glancing through the dark shadows of the night.

xxxx

   Snowflake and Ned ran as they followed the trail, after what felt like hours, the scent got stronger.

   "Look!" Ned said, spotting something brown and moving away from them.

   "Chase?" Snowflake called out to the creature. The brown shape froze, a rounded shape thrusting up to form a head.

   "Snowflake?" The familiar voice replied, turning their way. "Ned! What are you guys doing here?!" Chase gasped, turning their way entirely and coming toward them out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

   "I woke up to get a drink of water, and smelled your scent. But when I went to see if you were sleeping, you were nowhere to be found. Plus the pillow and Chess's bedding. I figured you went after Chess who went to the mansion. So I woke Ned up, left Ryder a written note as well as a message on his pup pad, and we followed the scent until we found you," Snowflake explained.

   Ned nodded.

   "But-.. why did you come after me?" Chase wondered quizzically. "I'm just going to get Chess and bring him home. I'd be coming right back, hopefully before Ryder finds out we left."

   "If Chess went to the mansion -which he most likely did- then you wouldn't be back so soon. Plus, I didn't want you getting hurt more," Snowflake explained.

   "I'm fine." Chase replied, stepping over a root that threatened to trip him up again. "..-Ih- just.. gotta.. catch up to hi..i..m..woah!" Stumbling back over another root, he fell backwards and landed with the wrapped paw under him, forcing him to painfully shift off of it; as quickly as he could manage with a heavy groan.

   "You sure? Your groans of pain suggest otherwise. THIS is EXACTLY why I came after you and Chess! What the pup treats were you thinking?! I mean yes, Chess is your brother, but Chase, your paw is still hurt. I don't want it getting worse," Snowflake said, getting a bit angry, then calming down to a more understanding voice.

   "Ugh, yes, I'm sure." Chase grunted, sniffing along the trail again. "But right now we need to find Chess. Before Ryder notices we're gone. The later we stay up the more tired we'll be tomorrow. And it's not safe for him to be out here all alone. Let alone exploring an old mansion by himself. Ow!" Not watching where he was going, he caught his hurt paw on something, rolling over his shoulder and beginning to slide down a ridge on his back. In the moonlit night, he could see the dark gash in the land approaching him and, flipping himself over, dug his paws into the ground to slow his descent; barely succeeding when his bottom half appeared to disappear from view.

   "Chase!" Snowflake exclaimed as she and Ned ran towards him. Chase was dangling off a cliff!

   "Grab on!" Ned said as both he and his sister reached out to the pup, wanting to pull him up.

   Chase lifted a paw to take his, but suddenly his other paw slid and he gripped the ground harder to stop it. Slowing it greatly, his paw strength wasn't enough and he suddenly lost his grip. Pulling the other two pups with him, they spilled over the edge with a yelping cry. Bouncing rather than falling, the pups tumbled down until finally they hit the ground after a seemingly forever long fall; finding themselves in complete darkness.