Cherish || A Chase x Sweetie Fanfiction ||

(S3-C6) • Cold Paws and Colder Hearts •

Skye's eyelids were black and sunk. The white domain around her pupils were red and her sniffs were weak. She just laid flat on their lobby's floor, unable to even think of anything but what has happened recently. Even Rocky's unasked comfort, causing her to hiss at him every time, weren't enough to bring her back to her sane usual. Well... none of them looked sane at all, for they all were cursed with the thought of murder made by their own bare paws.

Zuma shivered in the corner, his eyes darting everywhere. Amongst the pups, he was the one who was suffering the most. His heavy yet angry heartbeats manipulated his pads to cover his head and turn into a ball, rocking himself back and forth as he turned and twisted his head everywhere in quick repeat. The consequence of his failed plan, he felt his sins crawling up his spine, keeping his eyes frantic.

"Zuma—"

"Don't touch me!" he yelled at the Bulldog, his furrowed brows and piercing glare shooting so suddenly, but he immediately softened, and as his mouth parted in relaxation, he lowered his pupils to the ground, ashamed and he couldn't apologize. He only returned in his blanket of self-hate.

Rubble's ears drooped, turning towards everyone. Marshall crying on Everest's fur, Tracker vomiting in a bucket... the pups were like the people who succumbed to the fate of the black plague, but Rubble can't say they were overdramatic. He literally knew better than others, he just couldn't say anything. That's why he was also the only one able to breathe easier, yet the sight was horrifying for him. No one questioned how he was able to stand tall, but that was probably the best, to his luck.

"You just had to provoke him, Tracker." Everybody turned to the worn out Skye, the puking Chihuahua raising his head, his frowning eyebrows projecting his anger after the accusation.

"Pinning the blame on me now? I wasn't aware of what's been happening in this tower but I'm sure it's all your fault."

"Stop this, both of you," Everest cuts in.

Marshall's face acted as a magnet to the Husky's chest, for he had no strength left in him. He lost his humour and ability to uplift everyone. What he had now was a grudge against himself for failing to be the responsible best friend he should've been. Maybe if he was, none of this might've happened.

The creaking wheels of Rocky's wheelchair came into everyone's ears, their eyes looking away. Rubble stayed back, observing. He knew that to Rocky, their friends were merely unable to accept that they were a part of everything that happened. That wasn't just the case. The complete truth: they couldn't look at Rocky either out of sorrow like Everest and Marshall or anger like Zuma and Tracker.

Excluding the Bulldog, Rocky was able to remain steady in his thoughts. His body was a wreck, inside and out, from everything that's been happening, yet his mind was steel.

"What do you want?" Marshall revealed himself, wet tracks leading down his cheeks. His paws felt cold, like his blood wasn't working the way it was supposed to. Was he dying? But he was breathing. Was he empty? But he had a mate and a family. He kept asking himself what's the problem yet he never had an answer. The foreign feelings and hidden harshness everyone had kept hidden until now... he couldn't handle much of it anymore. He never had many negative emotions that fought to get out and express more than when he thought everyone would rather be a team without him, causing his unneeded runaway before.

Rocky's eyes scanned the peeking eyes that either said "please, not now" or the flying arrow of "I hate you". He wouldn't blame them, for he too wanted to stab himself earlier, only stopping from the undying sadness that flowed out his eyes until he was empty of tears, leaving him exhausted. He walked towards his team.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened, pups. No one knew this would—"

"You sure you're sorry? Because I think you're secretly happy now that you don't have a competition," Zuma lashed out.