Of Flames and Fury

Fun and Games

"I'm good," the young Dalmatian pup called to his friends. He quickly glanced backwards to see what had caught him this time. "How many times do I have to tell those pups to pick up their toys?" he thought to himself.

The other pups immediately stopped their volleyball game and rushed over to the fallen Dally.

"Marshall, what happened?"

"Yeah, dude, watch where you'we going!"

"Seriously, Marshall..."

Rubble, Zuma, and Skye rolled their eyes as they watched their friend pick himself off the grass. Marshall quickly shook it off and walked back to his side of the net, shouting "Ok, I'm ready again. What's the score? 3-1?"

As Marshall readied himself to serve, Skye shot Rubble a quick smirk: "What do you think the klutz will do this time? Or maybe I should ask, what won't he do?" The bulldog pup let out a small snort as he responded, "Oh, this is going to be good!"

Meanwhile, a stoic shepherd pup slowly stood up and stretched from his nap under the bright Adventure Bay sunlight. Chase wasn't one to miss a good game of volleyball, but the stress from the previous week of rescues had finally caught up with him. He glanced backwards towards the lookout, seeing Ryder working on his ATV with the helpful grey mixed-breed Rocky by his side. Chase chuckled to himself softly, wondering why any pup would rather toy around on machinery than play a game in this beautiful weather.

He stiffly bent down to stretch his back legs before looking up at the game in front of him. His best friend and constant companion, Marshall, was about to serve. Chase and Marshall were the first members of Ryder's team, brought together around the same time. They quickly became brothers and the de-facto leaders of the PAW Patrol. As the team grew around them, their bond only grew stronger. Only Marshall and Ryder knew the secrets of Chase's past, and likewise Ryder and Chase knew about Marshall's. He glanced over towards Marshall's team-mate, Zuma, and then at the other side of the net, where Skye and Rubble were snickering to themselves.

"I wonder what they're laughing about?" Chase thought to himself, as the pups in front of him readied for the next point.

"Ok, let me try this again," called Marshall to his playing partners. He tossed the ball in the air and sprinted towards the service line, leaping in the air as he reached for the ball. As he lifted his front paw to serve, a leaf fell from the tree above, distracting him momentarily.

The Dalmatian quickly regained focus, though his timing was now off. He smacked the ball towards the opposing court, but the ball did not cooperate with Marshall's intent. It rebounded off the net post towards his partner, Zuma, who sprung out of the way quickly to avoid the collision. However, Zuma's paw got caught in the net, ripping the netting from the posts and catching Skye and Rubble in tangles.

Marshall closed his eyes in embarrassment, knowing what was coming from his friends.

"Again, Marshall?" Skye whined.

"Uggh, my head," mumbled Rubble. "A little help here?"

"This is the last time I'm picking you as a pawtner, dude. I'VE HAD ENOUGH! My paw hurts, and I can bawely walk now. Thanks a lot," scoffed Zuma as he limped over to untangle Rubble and Skye from the downed netting. "Let's go, pups. We'll gwab some ice from the freezer and watch Apollo. We can't get hurt in there."

Chase stood to attention, watching the sore pups saunter slowly away from the wrecked game. Though he was some distance away from the court, he was able to hear what the other pups had said to Marshall. He gazed over at his buddy, who was pawing sadly at a leaf on the ground.