Dawn

Awakening

"Much better now, thank you." Rocky replied. "You're making me care about myself more, and the negative things I've believed for so long are starting to leave me."

"So you don't blame yourself anymore?" Zuma asked eagerly.

"I wouldn't say all that...I still blame myself for what's happened, but you've made me realize there is nothing I can do about that. Whatever decisions I've made in the past, I can't change. But I can amend my mistakes now. I think it's time I ended this sad chapter of my life." Rocky's eyes glowed a bright green, then slowly changed to a warm gold color. He turned and looked at Zuma, who immediately became captivated by them.

"What are you suggesting?" Zuma asked.

"Every time I've been captured, it's because I was powerless to stop it. But I'm not anymore. And because of you, I've finally achieved peace in myself. Michael told me I'd never be able to control my power if I couldn't control my emotions first. But as long as I have you, I can! I can feel it now...all the power I've been given. So I think it's time I stopped hiding and running like a pathetic coward. Since Jason wants a fight, I'll let him have one." His eyes abruptly stopped glowing and he touched his stomach, wincing in pain.

"Whoa, hold on there tiger, you're not in any shape to go fighting anyone just yet. Tell ya what, we'll stay here until we both get better, we find our friends, and the end this war. How's that sound?"

"If you give me some more food and a kiss I'll agree." Rocky replied.

"You aren't allowed to have anymore...but I'll kiss you and take you outside for a bit. There's a really lovely park near here."

"Deal."

"Hey, Wocky, now that you're like...in tune with your spiritual self or whatever, do you think you could let our friends know we're okay?"

"Yeah, that's prolly a good idea, dude." Rocky closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. IT didn't take long before he found them. "I can't connect with any of them. Their energy is all twisted up inside, turned negative."

"Can't you just...I don't know, wait for it to turn positive?"

"It doesn't quite work like that." Rocky sighed and opened his eyes.

"Hey, what about Taja and Mawcus? Did you try them?" Rocky blinked.

"I don't think that'll do anything, but I'll try anyway." Zuma watched Rocky as he concentrated again. "Gotcha." Rocky yawned. "Okay, I'm done. I couldn't reach Taja but Marcus was surprisingly open. It was like a magnetic attraction. I've been feeling it ever since he saved Chase but it's gotten stronger. I don't know what it is though. What I do know, is that there's a lot more to him than anyone suspects right now. I can feel it."

Feeling a little lost without their teammates, the pups began looking through the scrapbook they'd been keeping and smiling at the memories of the two.

"I remember this day." Chase began. "Who knew Adventure Bay could get so cold?"

"That day was pretty awesome. Zuma even taught Rocky how to skate." Skye chipped in.

"They were incredible." Marshall flipped the page. "Remember when he had to fix Turbot's boat while it was leaking? Damn, he was not happy about that."

"I miss him." Rubble said.

"We all do." Skye agreed softly. "I wonder why he took Zuma with him...I miss that pup too."

"He didn't take Zuma with him, Zuma wanted to stay with him." Marshall corrected. "I mean, they've always had a special place for each other in their hearts so it's not really surprising." That and he's Rocky's boyfriend, but that's not important right now.

"I hope he's okay." Taja said. "He seems like he meant a lot to you guys. Zuma included." Skye and Marshall gave each other a knowing look. They'd known about Taja's crush on Zuma for a long time.

"They are both fine." Marcus said suddenly, with his eyes closed. "They are both safe and they will be here soon. He wants me to tell you not to worry. He's coming up with a plan, but for right now we need to stay put and wait for him."

"Rocky's talking to you?" Marshall asked, hopefully.

"Yep. It was really...weird..." Marcus said, shaking his head. "It was like he was talking to me, but I only heard the words in my head."

"Yep, that's Rocky alright." Marshall said, tail wagging.

"Ugh, why doesn't he ever talk to us?" Chase lamented. "That must be so cool!"

"It is." They both admitted.

"But the important thing is that he's safe. Whatever crazy plan Rocky has in mind, I hope it works. And we'll be right here to help if he needs us."

"And things can finally get back to normal!" Chase exclaimed, tail wagging. And just like that, the light of hope shown brightly once more.

While everyone was celebrating, Jason was having one of his own. "You are truly one of the most stupid pups I've ever met. You left your friends...all alone...while you hightailed it out of there. Well...now you're gonna pay the price. It's time I visited Adventure Bay one last time. Except this time, you won't be there to stop me."

Hi guys! Wow, my life has been pretty hectic since I was last here, but I'm back! I was gonna get this to you guys sooner, but a bunch of (unexpected) stuff has been going on for the past few months (including my birthday, which happened exactly a week ago. I'm a year older now! Where has the time gone?!) but it's okay, cause I got a bunch of ideas to finish this story with.

There's still a bit to go, so randomly throwing out a number before thinking about it I'd say there are less than four chapters left, maybe less. I'm actually coming to the end of this story. It was supposed to be short, seeing as to how it's the first story I've ever attempted to do, but it ended up getting a lot longer than planned. After I finish this I'm gonna work on my other story which won't be nearly as long. It's about 30% done as of present.

So Rocky is still clearly traumatized, but after he's vented all his feelings Zuma helps him let go of all his negative feelings, allowing him to achieve peace within himself. He's finally connected with his spiritual self, and some of the changes we've seen already include increased positivity, clear thinking, and a stronger connection to his powers. But the question is, what's the price of true, unlimited power. The world will soon find out....

Marcus's power still hasn't been figured out yet, but Rocky can tell there's more to him than meets the eye. I wonder how many of you will figure out that that change is before I tell you. ;) We get a short look into Jason's life as his efforts to destroy Rocky's spirit have not yet ended. Everyone believes they have the upper hand in this war, Rocky's allies and enemy included. But the price of war is steep. You must decide what you're willing to sacrifice...and who you are willing to lose. ;)

No idea when the next chapter is coming out, but it will! (At some point. And school is starting soon so...yeah...) To all those who had concerns, again, I never give up on my stories, so don't worry about it. Oh, also, I'm going to retire for a bit after I finish my second main story, but I'll give you guys more on that later. Until next time-

Peace out!