Marshall's POV:

"Rise and shine!" Everest whispered not-so-quietly, "It's time to get up, Marshall!"

With a drowsy yawn, I slowly got up from my plush, red blanket, which I felt cozy under. The first thing I saw was her staring down at me with an energized smirk.

"Good morning, Everest." I yawned, "How long have you been awake?"

She looked as if she'd been awake for a while now. Her smile was large but faint as she started giggling to herself.

"I've been awake for the past thirty minutes, waiting for you to get up. You must've been exhausted." she chuckled, gazing into my exhausted eyes.

She wasn't wrong about me being fatigued. Before this trip to Barkingburg, we've been going on missions back-to-back, leaving little time for ourselves. In my spare time, I've spent it helping people, such as Farmer Yumi and Mayor Goodway. It's worth it, even if I don't get to do things I specifically want. It's not that I'm annoyed. I love helping people with all of my heart. I just don't have enough time for myself.

"I am, but otherwise, I feel fine," I mumbled, my voice lowering into a whisper.

Instantly, her blue, crystal eyes glared at me suspiciously. She probably already knew that I was lying to her.

"Are you sure?" she sighed, her smile gradually disappearing.

"I'm sure, Everest." I sulked, my head shaking slowly, "D-Don't worry about me..."

Everest continued to glare at me, but this time, she looked solemn. Her head was down, her eyes staring at her paws. They glided across the carpet as she muttered softly.

"I know that you're not fine, Marshall. You're acting—" she protested before getting interrupted.

"Pups, we're going to have breakfast at the hotel café in a few minutes," Ryder called through our pup tags.

"Yes, Ryder! We'll be downstairs soon. Just give us a few minutes!" the Siberian Husky replied.

She paused to look at me, her glare slowly disappearing as I started to change the topic of our conversation.

"Are you excited about breakfast? I hear that this hotel has nice food." I muttered, spreading a small, mostly fake smile across my face.

"Yeah, I am." she mused, "I hope that their food tastes great."

"Me too. We should probably go now. The sooner we have breakfast, the sooner we can explore the kingdom." I suggested, glimpsing towards the door.

"Good idea." the Siberian Husky started towards the door, "Let's go."

We walked into the broad, spacious hallway. Other than the noise of a maid wheeling a cart filled with cleaning supplies down the corridor, it was silent. Everest and I took an elevator down to the main level of the building. We joined the other pups, who were near the entrance of the café located inside of the building.

"We're here!" I announced, gaining attention from the pups and Ryder.

"Hi, pups!" Ryder smiled, "Now that we're all here, we should go inside. You'll love this place, especially you, Rubble!"

The Bulldog's eyes instantly lit up as we went inside. His voice sounded more enthusiastic than ever as he simpered.

"I can tell that I'll love this place!" he giggled, savoring the thought of food, "I just wish that one pup could eat with us..."

"And who is that?" Skye asked curiously, chuckling as she gawked at him.

The Bulldog's cheeks instantly turned into a light red hue. He glimpsed down at the polished, marble floor, sweeping one of his paws against it. 

"Oh... Uh—n-nobody!" he stuttered, "I was just thinking about s-something else."

"If you say so, dude." Zuma chuckled.

Rubble is like a little brother to me, causing me to fret about him sometimes. Ever since we arrived at Barkingburg yesterday, he's been acting unusual. First, he asked where Sweetie was, and then, he wants to eat breakfast with a pup. What if that pup was Sweetie? Does he have a crush on her?

The questions that I have will revolve around my head until I get answers. I know that sooner or later, I'll get them. At least, I think I might.

As we reached further into the café, we saw some available tables. The other pups and Ryder filled up a few tables. Everest, Tracker, Rubble, and I gathered together at a table near a window, giving us a nice view of the city.

"Barkingburg is very beautiful." Tracker glanced out of the window, "I love this place."

"Yeah, you're right." Everest agreed with the Chihuahua as she stared out the window.

Outside, I saw a gorgeous flower garden filled with flowers of all kinds. Butterflies surrounded the flowers, making a lovely sight.

"Good morning," a young waiter approached our table, "Is there anything that you'd like to order?"

Staring down at the menu in front of me, I skimmed through the list of foods that the restaurant served. Many choices looked delicious, but finally, what I wanted most. The four of us told the waiter what we wanted as he jotted everything down on this notepad.

"Alright, thank you, pups. Your orders will be ready soon." he smiled.

He shuffled down to the next table diagonal from us, where Chase was located. I stared at him for a long moment before he caught me looking at him. Spontaneously, he gave me a cold glare. Fury started to overfill me as I threw him a piercing glower back.

"Hey, are you okay, Marshall? You look kind of irritated." Rubble concerned. 

Quickly, I plastered a fake smile across my face. I don't want Rubble to come in-between my feud with Chase. I just want him to enjoy our vacation, even if I know that I won't.

"I'm f-fine, Rubble." I lied, "Nothing's wrong."

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering because—" the bulldog concerned.

"There isn't much to worry about. I'm completely fine." I snapped back, shaking my head swiftly.

Tracker, Rubble, and Everest exchanged bewildered glances at each other. Within moments, they shrugged and went back staring out the window. Maybe the tension between Chase and me is a little too obvious... But there is nothing I can do about it.

***

"Did you enjoy breakfast?" I questioned Everest, gazing at the blue sky that was dotted with puffy clouds.

As soon as breakfast was over, the two of us took a walk around town to explore the city. We're located at a popular park in Barkingburg, a couple of minutes away from the castle. The two of us sat together on the soft, green grass, not far apart in distance.

"I did. It was a lot better than I thought it'd be." she slightly grinned.

"Yeah, I agree." I nodded my head.

Sighing, I stared down at the grass. My emotions were up and down, hard to keep up with. Everest slid her paw to reach mines as her energetic smile disappeared off of her face.

"Marshall... I know that you might not want to tell me what's up with you, but I've been worried sick about you for a while now. You seem... down." she said, her frown growing larger every moment.

I can't let the tears in anymore. A few rolled down my cheeks as I wiped them with my paw quickly. I didn't want Everest to see me like this—a complete mess. I hid my face from hers in embarrassment as she set her paw over my shoulder.

"You can tell me what's wrong if you're comfortable with it... It's your choice..." she concerned.

I turned my head to hers, despite the tears that are rolling down my cheek. I don't care anymore... I just need to let some of this out.

"It's Chase." I sobbed, "He hates me... And it's all my fault."

"Oh, Marshall..." Everest reassured me, "None of this is your fault..."

"Yes, it is. Look at how I act! I'm clumsy and useless. I'm sure that everyone has at least one dislike about me." I protested, wailing even more.

"Listen to me." she said sternly, "What you're saying right now isn't true. I like everything about you, Marshall. You always put a smile on my face."

My tears slowly stopped as I heard her words. Even if I wasn't smiling on the outside, on the inside, I felt a tiny spark of joy.

"Wow... I had no c-clue." I stuttered with shock. 

"Now you do." she proclaimed, "I'll be there for you no matter what."

Without hesitation, I hugged her tightly. I felt a heartwarming connection as she hugged me back. Out of all the hugs I've gotten, this one felt... different. In a good way, of course. 

"I'll be there for you, too, Eve..." I whispered, my cheeks gradually turning bright red.