Rocky Gone Rogue

Okay, I have something to say that I can't get off my mind. You know those stories you might read based off of a cartoon like, say, PAW Patrol, and after you're done reading the whole story, It's changed your whole view of that show forever because it's so emotional, so deep, and it cuts into your soul because you can relate to the feelings and moods in the story? Well, I gotta say, even though HavocHound's story Marshall Gone Missing is so amazing (go read it, you have to,) nothing compares to LightningPelt's When The Past Becomes The Future; Oh my goodness, this story is absolute gold! I can say this is officially the best story I've ever read anywhere, whether real-life book or fanfic. I couldn't get enough of it, and I'm absolutely stoked for the sequel in March. So, whaddya doin here wasting your time reading my garbage stories? Read When The Past Becomes The Future and Marshall Gone Missing! Absolute gems, They're so good I can't describe it. Loved it all. And now, for those of you who actually are still here to read the chapter, (Thanks, guys! That means a bunch!) then I guess we should proceed, shouldn't we? Oh, wait, another thing: I'm ditching my idea of having all my stories be in one timeline. They'll all be separate stories, unless otherwise noted. Okay. I'm done. You can finally read in peace.

Disclaimer: I don't own PAW Patrol.

Chapter 8: The Wounds We Heal

Jax and Ryder walked the block to the hotel in awkward silence, glancing at each other every so often but never catching each other's eye. They were both equally relieved to arrive at the hotel room, to end the tension brewing between them as they strolled in haste into the small rented room, home base for the PAW Patrol for the next couple days till Rocky recovered enough to head back with them to Adventure Bay. All the pups and Wildcat, minus Marshall, who had gone with his ambulance only moments ago to pick Rocky up from the medical clinic in the alley, Rocky, and Eleftherios, who just stood nearby, his tongue lolling out and his tail seemingly wagging at supersonic speeds, shouted "Ryder!" in unison, bounding over and toppling their beloved owner over, licking his face and yipping, howling and barking in excitement. None of them had even noticed Jax, who was sitting quietly in the corner of the room closest to the door, eyeing the rough-and-tumble bunch with wariness and unenthusiasm, calmly cleaning his paws with his tongue. They had already met and talked with Eleftherios for about 15 minutes prior to Ryder's arrival, and had pretty well gotten to know him, but he still didn't feel entirely like he was part of the group.

"How's Wocky?" asked Zuma, concern clearly evident on his adorable little face. He had been so worried on the drive to Chattilan, hearing of Rocky's mishap, and had even secretly cried a few tears, but he wasn't about to tell his friends that. "He's in good hands, Zuma. A kind alleycat and his mother, who are trained medical specialists, as well as Rocky's friend Eleftherios here, took care of him. He'll be coming here to the hotel once Marshall comes back. Speaking of the cat and his mother, that's him right there." Ryder gestured to the thoughtful cat cowering slightly in the corner. "Everyone, meet Jax!"

All the PAW Patrol members present turned and just now noticed the small figure sitting in the room. Chase was the first to speak. "Hey again, Jax. These are my friends, you don't have to be shy. You of course already know Eleftherios" the white werepup smiled and said "Don't worry Jax, these pups are really fun! You don't have to shy away." "Yeah dude, it's okay. We won't bite." chimed in Zuma cheerfully, his tail practically a blur. He loved meeting new friends.

"Ummmm..............hi." said Jax nervously, his back to the wall.

The pups looked at him, expecting him to say more. But when nothing more came, Rubble spoke. "Uh, umm, hi, uhhh, I'm Rubble, nice to meet you."

Jax had been focused mainly on the people he had known prior to coming to the hotel, namely Ryder, Eleftherios, and Chase, and just now noticed the bulldog standing in front of him. He gasped and tried scurrying as far back into the corner as possible, His eyes filled with fear and almost hate at just the sight and sound of the little yellow-clad pup in front of him.

All the pups were confused at Jax's sudden strange behaviour. "Jax, what's wrong?" Ryder asked kneeling down now behind the line of pups, his face showing wrinkles of concern for the black werecat.

"No, no, no, no, no! Stay away from me! Stop!" Jax screamed at Rubble, who had tried coming closer to Jax to console him. "Don't hurt me! I swear I didn't do anything! Please!" He choked out the last words, tears beginning to fall down his face as he stared in wide-eyes terror at the bulldog. Eleftherios ran over to him, holding him close and saying "It's okay, it's okay..." Rubble was scared; he had no idea what he did wrong. He ran back to Ryder, tears falling down his own face. "Ryder, what did I do? Was it something I said?" "I don't think so Rubble. I think Jax is struggling with something, maybe something from his past. Either way, I'm not sure. Just give him some space, maybe he'll come back to his senses." Ryder tried to soothe Rubble by holding him on his lap as he spoke, but every time Rubble just looked at the terrified cat in the corner, he felt guilty for.......something. He knew he was the reason for Jax's sudden panic attack, but couldn't figure out why.

Meanwhile, Jax had calmed down somewhat after the other pups had come over to calm him down. They introduced themselves, asked him questions about why he looked so strange, and just engaged in casual conversation, eventually leading to laughter and just a jolly mood.

This air of happiness just increased Rubble's foul mood even more, as he now knew he was the sole cause of Jax's frightened reaction. He whimpered, jumped off of Ryder's lap, and sadly trotted over to his pup bed on the wall opposite the cheery crowd. "It can't be my fault......can it?" He thought dejectedly as he drifted off to sleep.

Ryder was content that Rubble was asleep, knowing that now Jax wouldn't freak out. He did notice that when Rubble got off his lap and went to the other side of the room, Jax seemed to tune the pups' excited banter out and stared distrustfully after the bulldog, his gaze never wavering. Once Rubble sat down and started sleeping, Jax had relaxed and continued talking with the rest. "Hey Jax, can I talk to you a second?"

Jax knew instantly by the way Ryder asked him that it had something to do with his reaction to Rubble. "Yeah." He and Ryder walked out of the hotel onto the quiet streets, Ryder leaning against the brick wall of the hotel and Jax sitting down beside him, nervously shifting his paws.

"Jax, I know you're a really nice kid, and I know you've got a caring heart, but what was that with Rubble? He's the youngest of the bunch, and as soon as you saw him you acted as though you'd seen the devil himself! What the hell for!? Did Rubble do or say something to you?" He yelled, trying to control his anger but slowly failing to do so. "He's a super nice pup! He's so innocent, why would you act like that to him!?" Jax started crying, letting the tears flow freely this time as Ryder's anger turned to sadness and worry over Jax and his mental state. "Okay, I'll tell you." Jax said, sniffing and wiping his eyes with his hairy paw. He told Ryder that two years ago, his father was brutally ripped apart by a gang of three drunk bulldogs while trying to save a starving kitten. He and his father had gone to the other side of town to find what little food they could, and heard the brutes laughing at the helpless kitten on the concrete. His dad, Piccolo, had ordered them to stop, and in anger they charged at him and his father. His father told him to run, and he obeyed, looking back one last time as his father yelled back "It's okay, I'll be fine. Now go!" That was the last time Jax had ever seen his father. He had gone back across town to get his mother and four sisters, who since then have died in one way or another, and found mutilated pieces of both Piccolo and the kitten strewn about the alleyway. The bulldogs had since left. That was why Jax had reacted so when he left his mother in the alleyway, taking one last look behind him as he left his only surviving family member in the alley, and why he had been terribly frightened at Rubble. (Read A Contrite Spirit for full story.)

Ryder could only whistle. "Wow, I'm so sorry Jax. I had no idea......" He trailed off in thought, as Jax collected himself. He asked, "Can we go back inside now? I'm cold." "Oh, yeah, sure." Ryder said, his thoughts having been interrupted as he led Jax back to the hotel room. But just before entering, he turned to Jax and said, "But at some point in the next three days, you're going to have to say sorry to Rubble. He's really hurt, and I know it wasn't necessarily you're fault, but you have to make things right with him." Jax looked down at the floor in petrified thought. He was going to have to go near and talk to a bulldog! But he knew he had to; it was, after all the right thing to do. So he sat back up, took a deep breath, and said cooly, "Okay, I will." "Good." said Ryder as he opened the door and he and Jax walked back into the room. The others greeted them again, though less enthusiastically this time. Ryder told them all to get ready for bed, as he himself got his pajamas on and brushed his teeth and took a shower in the bathroom. Jax watched as the PAW Patrol team got out their pup beds and blankets, corresponding to each of their own individual logos, said goodnight, and fell asleep. Ryder came out soon afterwards, but just as he got into bed, someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Ryder said in a semi-whisper, walking over to the door. "Ryder, it's me Marshall! I have Rocky and Angelica with me. Can we come in?" The firepup asked tentatively, even though he already knew the answer. "Why did you even have to ask?" said Ryder through the door as he slowly but quietly slid it open. As soon as Jax had heard that his mother and Rocky were at the door, he had sprung up from his sleeping corner and padded over to the door, excited and relieved that his mother was back. Marshall and Angelica rolled the stretcher into the room, and parked it in the corner Jax had just been in. The two quickly checked the still unconscious Rocky over, then said goodnight, Angelica saying she would watch over him during the night, as she and her son were sleeping in that area of the room anyway.

Ryder then woke up Zuma. "Hey, wake up!" He whispered. Zuma woke slowly, his eyes heavy with sleep as he looked up at Ryder. "Five more minutes, Ryder?" He asked, his voice slightly hoarse. "Rocky's here." Ryder said quietly, pointing to the portable cot in the corner. Zuma was instantly awake, and was about to howl in joy before running to Rocky's side, but Ryder stopped him. Zuma looked up at his owner, confused, but then saw Ryder motioning to the rest of the sleeping pups with a finger over his lips, telling Zuma to be quiet. Zuma nodded, then softly walked over to his best friend, gingerly nuzzling him and mumbling things like, "I'm so sorry" and "I'll never let something like this ever happen to you again." Ryder then woke up Eleftherios, who, contrary to Zuma, knew right away to be quiet, but was no less excited as he lightly ran over to the sleeping Rocky, a big grin on his face as he saw his friend all stitched up. He and Zuma looked at each other, then hugged jumping around quietly in pure joy that their friend was going to be okay.

A/N That's chapter 8! I don't have much to say, other than READ LIGHTNINGPELT'S AND HAVOCHOUND'S STORIES! THEY'RE AMAZING!! As always, please review, and I'll see yall next time. Byeeeeee!