Behind The Mask

Ill Pup

     A couple more coughs broke the silence as Chase moaned after trying to recover from it. A blanket was placed over him as he shifted his position, trying to get comfortable while his eyes remained closed. Tired, miserable and in pain, that's what the Flu brought to the German Shepherd pup.

The others watched in worry. Rocky, Tracker and Zuma were lying near the shepherd with their paws holding their heads.

Skye, Sylvia and Everest sat in a circle, awkwardly staring at the ground while taking other glances at Chase.

Liberty, Marshall and Rubble were fidgeting around with their pup treats that were laid out in front of them. While the other parents just say in the bean bags in awkward silence.

They just couldn't lift their spirits today, they looked over again to see Ryder, slowly supporting Chase's head with another pillow.

"Is...Is he gonna be okay?" Skye stuttered a little bit in worry while others looked in concern as well.

"The conditions seem bad," Ryder sighed, "But hopefully he'll get better soon." Ryder tried but the answer didn't sound good to them as they wanted him to feel better now.

"What does the Flu even do?" Tracker asked, as he knew what the sickness was, but foggy to the symptoms of it. Katie then walked up to them after she quickly decided to run back to her Pet Parlor and back with a black bag on her back.

"It's like a cold, but it has extra effects." She answered.

"So, like a wowst vewsion of the cold?" Zuma asked and Katie nodded back.

"When one has the flu, they'll be experiencing high fevers, muscle and stomach aches, headaches, sore throats and stuffy noses." Katie added and each symptom she listed, the pup's eyes widened even more.

"And Chase is going through all of that right now?" Rubble gasped.

"Yeah." Ryder sadly sighed with a slight nod which earned whimpers from the pups.

"How long will he have the Flu for?" Sylvia asked and Katie looked over to her.

"Two weeks? More at most." Katie added and everyone then stared at her with wide eyes.

"You mean that Chase will be feeling this miserable for a few weeks!?" Rocky practically yelled out, now everyone else was more worried. Katie quickly stared at them and realized it and nervously chuckled.

"Oh, no, no. Not for a few weeks, no. But sadly, he'll be feeling like this for the next few days, probably." Katie said and the pups sighed a little bit in relief. At least, on the bright side, he won't be experiencing the immense pain he'll be feeling right now for the next few weeks.

"Will he get better before the holidays?" Kushina asked, hoping that some more good news will come out of it.

"Only time will tell. But for now, let me give you guys your flu shots, it's best to go with safe precautions." Kate said as she pulled out a couple of syringes with small needles. Everyone looked at each other and agreed with Katie.

While the dogs were getting their shots, Ryder sat with Chase, deciding to get his shot last. He stared at his favorite pup, as he breathed heavily and was sweating from his face. He then looked to the side and noticed Chase's hoodie was still on him, but he used it as an extra blanket. He really doesn't want them to know. Ryder said in his mind.

"Don't worry, bud. Everything will be okay." Ryder whispered, hoping his voice was getting through the sick German Shepherd. He didn't respond but with a light grunt. Ryder has never seen his second-in-command in this sort of condition before. It was painful to watch, and heartbreaking to listen to. The pain he must be going through was unimaginable.

Pain Ryder frowned at the thought and immediately began going through his memories of finding Chase and the pup crying out to him about his past. How much does he need to suffer? Ryder thought with a hint of anger.

Just then, he heard footsteps and looked up to see everyone walking up, along with Katie behind with a sad smile.

"Everyone got their shots, you're the last one." Katie said softly and Ryder nodded and walked over, leaving the pups with Chase. He moaned weakly and shifted his position a tiny bit. For a second, he cringed as the pain was still radiating over his whole body. The pups watched as Chase's teeth began showing more, already seeing that the pain was getting worse and worse. What made it worse was that they couldn't do anything...

But just watch

All they could do is just watch as Chase suffers right before their eyes. After Katie finished giving Ryder his shot, she dug through her bag and pulled out an ice pack and placed it on top of Chase's messy hair. Suddenly, he slowly moaned into the feeling of the pack on his head. His headache softened, but the room still felt hot for him and the pain is still radiating on his body.

Ryder watched as everyone stared at the German Shepherd in worry and it pained him again. He then realized that the guests that he called up were on their way now. Oh no, Ryder quickly thought and panicked on what to do.

"Hey, Katie? I know this is gonna be a stretch, but would you mind staying here for a while, just so we can check up on Chase?" Ryder nervously asked and Katie only looked at him, surprised along with a faint blush, but smiled at him nonetheless.

"I wouldn't mind. I'm actually worried about him too and I'd like to stay to see how he's doing." Katie agreed and Ryder smiled back. At least they have someone that will properly look after him.

Just then, everyone heard vehicles pulling up to the Lookout and all of them were confused except Ryder. It didn't take long for their footsteps to get louder and the doors slid open, revealing the guests and everybody's eyes widened, except Ryder and Chase, as they stared at the new guests that their leader had invited.

"Hey Ryder!" They all said.

The Princess Of Barkingburg, Sweetie, Jake, Ace, Rex, Tuck and Ella.