Behind The Mask

Still Have A Brother?

     At the Lookout, Kushina and Edan walked back with distraught looks on their faces. They felt like a piece of them was now missing due to their interaction with the German Shepherd they thought was their son.

When they got back, Edan decided to head inside and Kushina decided to stay outside near Chase's pup-house, looking from his pup-house, up to the night sky.

Flash Back

"H-Hey, K-Kushina."

"A-Are you...coming back to the Lookout?" Kushina stuttered a little bit.

"Not yet, I'm still not ready to leave my family."

"I...better get going, I can't keep 'em waiting." Chase said and quickly ran off. Kushina and Edan, heart broken, watched their "son" leave them. But he didn't leave without saying one more thing.

"I'm sorry."

Flash Back Ends

That memory just broke her heart even more. She didn't even know what to feel at that point. And she didn't notice a tear streaming down from her eye until she felt the entire tickle down her cheek when she lifted her paw and wiped it.

"You can't get your mind off of him too, huh?"

Kushina looked back to see Edan walking up to her with a bothered expression. He sat down next to her and looked up at the stars that filled the black sky. Kushina didn't respond but looked back down, the opposite of where her husband was looking.

"I don't know what to do," She began, causing Edan to sadly glance at her, "I felt like I lost a member of the family." She said, her voice beginning to break which saddened the male Dalmatian even more.

"He didn't call me 'Dad'." Edan commented and looked off once again, "I felt like...If we just talked to him sooner...would things have been different?" Edan wondered and Kushina couldn't help but agree. That's when she allowed a couple more tears to drop and Edan pulled her in for a hug, trying to comfort her.

But the two haven't noticed their son, Marshall, standing behind his pup-house, listening in on the conversation.

Hearing his mothers broken voice, and hearing her sob quietly broke the pup even more. But this also caused him to slightly growl. Chase was the one who was causing them to be like this.

It was one thing to make them worry and upset them, but now that he made his mother cry, was stepping over the line.

What's he thinking!? Marshall angrily yelled in his mind as he began having memories of him and Chase and the brotherly relationship they had for years.

He remembered the first time he had joined the Paw Patrol, Chase was the only pup there to keep him company. It didn't take long for them to get along and soon, they developed a bond like no other. They didn't see each other as friends, but they saw each other as brothers. During that time, it would be only those two who would do missions with Ryder. They would play a bunch of games, talk, laugh, and do so many activities.

He remembered the time Rocky chose him to keep Chase from coming to his own surprise birthday party. Both of them spent most of the time at the playground and even though Chase was clueless to what was going on, they still had a bunch of fun. 

Even before the party, the Dalmatian considered that time to be one of the greatest moments of his life. Especially when there was a big gust of wind and it blew Marshall onto Chase and they landed on the swing and the swing threw them onto the ground with the fire pup on top of the police pup, making both of them burst into laughter.

But things have changed over the course of these past couple months.

The way that he's been acting and now that he lives with Humdinger and the fact that he didn't wanna come back, at least for holidays, angered the Dalmatian much more. How could he just betray all of the moments they had. They called each other "bros" for Pete's sake and now, he feels like he doesn't know his brother any more. Does he even have a brother?

Was he his brother? How could Chase just throw away all of those memories and everything they've been through...how can he just throw it away just like that? How could you just turn your back on everything we've been through? Marshall thought with disappointment.

Now thinking if picking Chase for a brother was a mistake.

With Chase

Mayor Humdinger and Chase returned to Foggy Bottom and after spending the rest of the day with his family, everyone decided to turn in for the night and all went to their rooms.

While everyone was asleep, Chase was the only one who was awake. He tried changing positions on his bed, but nothing helped.

Flash Back

"Mom..Dad...I-" Chase tried to explain, but was cut off.

"We think you should go with Ryder." Kushina said in a calm tone, but it didn't come, it was more like a stern, but also disappointed tone as well which broke the small pup.

"I...I..." Chase tried to speak again, but couldn't find the words to do so. But this time, Edan interrupted him.

"Chase...just go." He said in the same tone as Kushina's, which broke his heart even more.

Flash Back Ends

Was I wrong...to pick them as parents? Chase wondered in his mind, but that thought felt wrong. He still loved them...right? Yeah, he did...but...did he? All of these feelings and thoughts made his head hurt, but it also broke his heart.

Suddenly, the German Shepherd gritted his teeth a little bit in anger and frustration. Why did these things have to happen to him? Why did he have to be the one to go through the life he had to deal with? When he thought things were looking back up, something else came in the way and wrecked it all. Out of everyone in the world, why was he one still suffering? He thought his loneliness and pain would stop when Ryder took him in...but that feeling never went away. Trying to hold back his tears, Chase...in anger and sadness had one final thought before he drifted off to sleep.

When will it stop?