Vigilante PAW

Chapter Five: Lookout Lockdown

Marshall found himself hiding behind the legs of a human. Upon peeking past the legs, he saw a young boy with brown hair looking at him with a kind smile. The little Dally whimpered, burying his muzzle into the pant leg of the human he was hiding behind.

The little pup had spent a long time in the pound. So when a human came in and requested to adopt the Dalmatian, he was over the moon about it. Marshall always thought that the day he got adopted would be the happiest day of his life. But, upon seeing the boy who was looking specifically for him, he feared that he wouldn't meet the boy's expectations. After all, this kid had some bright aspirations.

The boy crouched down to meet Marshall eye to eye, the same smile on his face, "So, you're Marshall."

The Dalmatian couldn't help but to look back into the eyes of the kind boy. They seemed honest, earnest, and above all, trustworthy. Marshall stepped out from behind the human's legs so that he could face the boy on his own. As he did, though, he tripped over a paw, falling to the ground and tumbling into the wall to the kind boy's left.

The little kid turned to look at Marshall, "Are you okay?"

"I'm good..." Marshall stood up once more, looking at the boy.

"My name is Ryder," He spoke faintly, "And I want you to be my pup."

As Marshall stood there, staring at his owner, he could no longer see the earnest eyes of Ryder back when he was young. All he could see now was the disdain and disappointment in his eyes as he stared back at the Dally, waiting for him to speak. The young leader desperately wanted to know what he had to say for himself.

"I-I didn't steal anything!" The fire dog shook his head adamantly, only causing further glares from Rubble, Chase, Zuma, Skye, and Ryder to shoot his way, "I could never steal from Mayor Goodway, or anyone in Adventure Bay!"

"Marshall, we all saw the video!" Chase spoke up, "I didn't want to believe it... We were best friends! Did some golden bones mean more to you than me? Than all of your friends?"

The Dalmatian turned to the police pup, who still had a comforting arm around Skye. Marshall's eyes grew wide, "Chase, we are best friends! As my best friend you should know me!"

"I thought I knew you..."

"Seriously, dude. Just give it up..." Another voice spoke up, being Zuma, "We all saw the proof."

Rubble agreed, "Maybe if you confess, the punishment won't be too bad..."

"You guys too?" Marshall's eyes grew even wider, "I'm not lying, it wasn't me!"

Rocky stood there, frozen in place. None of them knew the truth but him. He had to say something. He struggled to speak, because once he did, it would be against everyone else. The recycling pup was never really good at arguing. He wasn't the best at anything social.

Marshall's attention turned to Rocky, desperation in his eyes. They pleaded to the mixed breed. They begged him to not be like the others. He needed something. A lifeline, anything. Just knowing that Rocky was on his side would be enough. He didn't need to do anything for him, all he wanted to know was if the recycling pup believed him or not. That's all he needed.

But in that moment, he knew that he would have to forget that just once in order to protect him. This time, he needed to be the one who saved Marshall. He wasn't going to be silent anymore.

"What if he proves he didn't do it?"

Everyone's attention was taken off of Marshall at that moment, turning to look at Rocky. The mixed breed gulped before speaking once more, "If you guys want to believe in him... Our friend... Then give him... Give us a chance to prove his innocence once and for all."