The following day, Chase's mind was haunted with thoughts about his ex-best friend. Something didn't seem right. Every time a day passed, everything began to feel more and more empty, a lot emptier than it should have been. Inside his pup house, he couldn't help but notice a picture of Marshall and him, making silly faces. He found the photo under a pile of pup toys, which he meant to clean up beforehand. 

Instead of hiding the old picture, he just stared at it. No words were said, and no actions were made. He tried to remember exactly what happened in the photo when it was taken. It turned out that the two were located at the beach, specifically last summer, splashing through the calm waves. Originally, both of them were supposed to be on a floatie when their owner took the photo, but right at that moment, Marshall lost balance and fell off of it, sticking out his tongue with a cheeky grin as Chase joined him. 

The German Shepherd shook his head in memory, remembering how fun those times were. No tension, no hatred, just plain, innocent fun. That was what friendship should be. And that was what it was, up until a certain point. That's when it struck him — he had no one to blame but himself. He was the one who tore it all apart. He was the one who damaged everything, but for what cause? 

His mind took him back to the day where he broke everything up. It was because Marshall was clumsy and all the other crap reasons that never mattered in the first place. He wondered how he could've been so stupid to say those cruel words to someone who's been there for him no matter what. 

He sighed as his ears rung. A chirpy voice coming his way sounded louder and louder as the voice approached. He quickly put away the photo, burying his pup toys on top of it. But it was safe to say that he wasn't quick enough. 

"Chase, you've been here all day," Skye raised an eyebrow, leaning her head slightly to try to see what the matter was. "What are you hiding?"

"Me? Hiding something? Why would I be doing that, Skye?" Chase tried to play everything off with a scoff. "You know me, Skye. I have nothing to hide, I promise you." 

"If you insist, but that doesn't explain why you've been cramped here all day," the Cockapoo reasoned. "It's the middle of the afternoon, and I haven't heard from you all day. The others are starting to worry." 

"All of them? Even Marshall?" The Shepherd blurted out, covering his mouth with regret afterwards. 

"Marshall didn't say anything about it," Skye said. "Is that why you've been here all day? Because you've been thinking about him a lot?" 

"Okay, fine, you got me. Yes, that's why I've been here the entire day," Chase admitted, rummaging through his toys to locate the photo. Once he found it, he showed it her. "I just feel so bad about everything now. It's like I lost a piece of me." 

"That's because you did," the Cockapoo assured soothingly. "Marshall's been a huge part of your life. When you threw away your friendship with him, you let your pride get in the way, and now, you're where you are now." 

The Shepherd's stomach began to churn. What Skye just said was the truth, and sometimes, it hurts. But was that the reality of what happened? Sure, it was. 

"Couldn't have said it better myself," he nodded, then frowned. "But what do I do now? I truly feel bad, and now, I want to make things up to him in any way possible." 

"Just be honest, but don't expect things to automatically turn back to normal," Skye warned. "It might take time, but I'm sure everything will be okay." 

"Thank you, Skye. I'm glad that I have you," Chase pulled her in for a hug. 

"I'm glad I have you, too," the Cockapoo hummed. 

***

The decorative fairy lights hung up on the big, oak tree nearly blinded Marshall's eye as he took a bite out of his sausage. Ryder decided to have dinner different that night. Instead of a traditional pup food dinner indoors, he ordered dog-safe sausages and decided to grill them for the pups. He even invited Everest over, who was nice enough to bring liver treats for dessert. 

"Liver treats, anyone?" The Husky offered with a grin.

The other pups exchanged hesitant glances, waiting for one another to respond. None of them were too much of a fan of liver treats, but Marshall said, "I think we're okay, Eve." 

"More for me, then," Everest shoved a treat into her mouth. "Dinner was great, Ryder. Thanks again for having me over." 

"Anytime," Ryder nodded before taking a bite out of his homemade hamburger. 

After finishing their meal, the pups decided to play a quick game of kickball. All the pups except for Marshall and Everest. Instead, they stood behind a tree, watching the sky, the day fading away into night. The sky was a pastel mix of pink, orange, and blue, a beautiful sight to see. 

"I'm so glad Ryder decided to have this special dinner tonight," Marshall remarked. "You're the highlight of my entire day." 

"Stop, you're going to make me blush," Everest giggled with an accidental snort. "But to be fair, ever since I got to see you, my day turned a hundred times better than it already was." 

"And that's the point," the Dalmatian smirked. 

That's where everything became silent. Instead of talking more, they stared at the sky, watching it grow darker and darker upon every minute. It was a calming way to end off their days, even if they hadn't done much or gone on any missions. It was just a relief. 

"Pups, it's getting dark. It'll be time for bed soon, so start cleaning up," Ryder announced as he clasped his hand together. "And Everest, you'll need to get home soon. Jake just called." 

Everest nodded before leaning in for a quick kiss with Marshall. It might've lasted a second or two, but that didn't mean it was any less special. 

"We'll talk tomorrow, Marshall," the Husky smiled before trudging away to her snowplow. The Dalmatian watched her leave, not once turning away until she was completely out of sight. Before he could walk away to his pup house to sleep, the most unexpected pup approached him. 

It was Chase. A desperate Chase that was willing to make things right. But Marshall didn't know that, so he gave him a look — one tense enough to scare the Shepherd away. However, he wasn't willing to give up that easily. 

"Marshall, there's something I need to talk to you about," he muttered, looking Marshall straight into the eye. 

"What is there to talk about, Chase? Tell me," the Dalmatian demanded before storming off. "I'm not going to let you ruin my day. It was going just fine before you showed up." 

"Marshall, wait!" Chase ran after him, then came to a halt. Maybe it's best if I talk to him tomorrow, he thought. It did make sense. It would be a fresh, new day with a fresh, new start. Based on the way Marshall was reacting, it wouldn't be the easiest conversation, but Chase was willing to do anything to make things right. 

But at what cost?