Paw Patrol: Lost Hazel

Nine

Chase's POV

I pushed my kibble bowl to the dishwasher door. Rylee was standing in front of the counter, just staring at it. Her eyes were red.

I watched the other pups push their bowls up to the dishwasher.

"Come on! First one to the soccer ball is the goalie!" Skye said, laughing as she ran outside.

The pups ran out, Rubble stopping to look at me. "You comin', Chase?"

"Uh... yeah. I'll be out in a sec." I say, nodding my head.

He nodded back and ran after the other pups. I scooted a a stool up to the front of the counter, and jumped up.

She was staring at Zuma's food bowl. Filled food bowl.

"Rylee? Are you okay?" I ask, walking across the counter towards her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Chase, I just-- What are you doin' on the counter?"

Oops. Forgot that rule. She picked me up off the counter and sat me on the floor.

"Sorry, Rylee. You just don't look happy and I wanted to know what you were staring at."

She rubbed my head. "I'm fine, Chase. I'm just so used to filling 6 bowls that I filled..." She swallowed hard. "I filled Zuma's bowl on accident."

"You're eyes are red again."

"Mama's just having a hard time sleepin', is all. Why don't you go on and play. Be sure to tell the other pups that bedtime's in about an hour."

"O... Okay..." I saw awkwardly, walking out of the room.

She didn't see me in the doorway. I watched her dump the food back in the bag, then put all the bowls in the dishwasher, setting it to sanitize and turning it on.

****

No One's POV

"Rylee! Rylee!" Skye shouted, running up the driveway.

Rylee smashed her head on the bottom of her ATV that was propped up so she could work on it. She wheeled out from underneath it, rubbing her head as she sat up. "What's wrong, Skye?"

"I went down to get the mail like you asked me to -- and there's nothing good in it; just another one of those 'community inspector' newsletters -- and I found this at the end of the driveway!"

She dropped a bone-shaped mouthpiece in front of her feet. Rylee picked it up and looked at it. "It's the mouthpiece off of Zuma's pup-pack! Show me where you found it."

And Skye led her to the bottom of the hill. "It was right here!"

Rylee took out her Pup-Pad and tapped Chase's Com. "Chase! I need you at the bottom of the drive, stat!"

"On my way!"

Chase bunted the soccer ball to Rocky, and ran off the yard and down the drive. "What's up, Rylee?"

"Can you get a trail off this?" Rylee asked, showing him the mouthpiece.

Chase took a good whiff of it. ACHOO!

"Scuse me. My flower allergies are kicking in."

"Flowers!"

"Yeah! It went -- ACHOO! -- this way!"

He went over the bridge, down Pine Street, then up to the news crew's rental townhouse.