(The Search Begins)

Ryder woke up the next morning with his stomach twisting like someone had tied it in knots. For a second he tried to convince himself it was just hunger, but the nausea hit so hard his vision blurred.

He stumbled out of the cave, barely making it past the entrance before he dropped to his knees and threw up into the wet sand and leaves.

"Ugh—" he gagged again, his whole body shaking.

Seraphine was there almost instantly, her paws silent against the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

"Oh, my dear boy..." Her voice softened, full of worry. "I knew that water wasn't safe for you. Are you alright?"

Ryder tried to answer, but another wave hit him and he vomited again, bitter and painful. When it finally stopped, he sat back on his heels, dizzy, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"I... I think so," he managed, voice hoarse. "But I feel awful."

Seraphine flicked her tail, clearly unhappy with herself. "You can't drink from that pond anymore. Not even a little. It will only make you sicker." Her tone turned firm, motherly. "Stay here. I'll try to find you fresher water."

Ryder nodded, but the second she turned away, fear crawled up his spine.

If I can't drink the water here... how long can I last?

He dug into his pocket with shaky hands and pulled out his pup pad. The screen was cracked and the casing still damp. He pressed the button anyway, like maybe if he wanted it hard enough it would just work.

Nothing.

He exhaled, angry at himself more than the broken device. "Come on... please..."

Seraphine paused and looked back at him. "What is that?"

"It's my pup pad," Ryder said, forcing steadiness into his voice. "Like a phone. I built it. It's how I call my pups... and Mayor Goodway... and—" His throat tightened. "It's no good now. It got waterlogged."

Seraphine studied it like it was some strange creature. "You built this?"

Ryder gave a weak laugh. "Yeah. I build a lot of stuff. I'm... really good at inventing."

Seraphine's ears shifted, like she'd just remembered something important. "Inventing..." she repeated slowly. Then she looked toward the jungle. "There may be something that could help you."

Ryder's head snapped up. "What?"

"There is an old radio tower on this island," Seraphine said, carefully, like she didn't want to give him false hope. "It's been there longer than I've been alive."

Ryder just stared at her for a second, stunned—then the hope hit him so hard it almost hurt.

"A radio tower?" he breathed. "Seraphine, that's perfect. If there's still power... or wiring... or anything, I could rig it. I could broadcast. I could contact Adventure Bay."

Seraphine blinked, startled by how fast he lit up. "You said... pups?"

Ryder nodded fast. "Yeah. Dogs. They're my team. My family. They're a rescue team—I trained them myself."

Seraphine's nose wrinkled slightly. "I am not particularly fond of dogs," she admitted bluntly, then added quickly, "but I trust your word, Ryder. You speak of them the way a leader speaks of their pride."

Ryder swallowed. "How far is the tower?"

Seraphine hesitated. "It's on the other side of the island. If we travel carefully... at least two days."

"Two days," Ryder repeated, the excitement dimming a little.

"And we can't travel at night," Seraphine added, watching the shadows outside the cave like she expected them to move.

Ryder's stomach dropped. "Why? What happens at night?"

Seraphine's voice lowered. "The island changes. Bigger hunters come out. Animals that don't fear anything." Her gaze slid to him. "And a human child would be... fresh meat to them."

Ryder's skin prickled. He glanced toward the cave opening, suddenly imagining eyes in the dark.

"Don't worry," Seraphine said, nudging him gently with her head. "I will protect you as best I can. You saved my Lulu. I will not forget that."

Lulu padded sleepily into view, still small and clumsy. Seraphine immediately softened, licking her cub's head before pushing a piece of the meal she'd caught toward her. Ryder watched the little leopard chew, then forced himself to eat more fruit.

He didn't want to... but he needed strength.

"Please stay down," he whispered to his stomach, like it might listen.

At the Lookout...

Rubble's eyes went wide, his earlier sadness cracking into sudden hope. "Of course! I'm such an idiot... when can we go looking for him?"

Even Katie's face lifted, like she'd been holding her breath for hours and finally let herself inhale.

But Chase's expression didn't change. If anything, it hardened.

"First," he said slowly, "we can't just take the Sea Patroller."

The pups' tails sank.

"Second," Chase continued, voice sharper now, "are you all crazy?"

Marshall's ears flattened. "Chase—"

"And third," Chase said, stepping forward, "what about Adventure Bay? We can't just leave. What if there's an emergency? What if—"

Marshall snapped. He'd been holding it in too long.

"Stop," he barked. "Stop acting like Ryder wouldn't matter more than a stupid missing chicken for once!"

Katie let out a tiny laugh through her worry, because honestly... Marshall wasn't wrong.

Chase's eyes flashed. "The Sea Patroller belongs to Ryder. We don't even know how to run it without him."

"We have Robo-Dog," Rocky said immediately, like he'd already been thinking it.

Chase shook his head. "We also don't know where to start. We could search for weeks and still not find him. And if we get lost too, then what? Ryder would never forgive us if we turned one missing person into six."

Marshall's voice rose again. "RYDER IS OUR FAMILY."

The words hit the room like thunder.

"I don't care about the town right now," Marshall said, breathing hard. "I care about Ryder. And I'm going to find him, with or without you."

Rubble swallowed hard, then stepped beside Marshall even though his paws were shaking. "I'm with him. Ryder gave me a home. I'm not giving up on him."

Skye's eyes were glossy. "Chase... please. I love this town too, but Ryder comes first. Come with us."

Zuma nodded. "Same. Driving a boat can't be that hard. I'm a sea pup."

Rocky took a breath, then said quietly, "Chase... he gave all of us a better life. We owe him everything."

Chase stared at them, and for a second his whole face looked exhausted. Not angry—just scared.

Because if they took the Sea Patroller and something went wrong, it wouldn't just be losing Ryder...

It would be losing all of them too.

Katie stepped closer, eyes steady. "Adventure Bay will survive a few days without you. And if Ryder gets mad..." she lifted her chin. "I'll take the blame. I'll tell him it was my idea."

Chase's ears drooped. "No. Katie, I can't let you come. If something happened to you and we found Ryder after—" His voice cracked. "He'd never forgive us."

Katie's expression didn't change. "Chase, I'm coming. I love him. And I'm not sitting here doing nothing while you search."

The pups blinked at her.

Katie's cheeks tinted red, but she didn't back down. "Also, I'm a vet. If any of you get hurt, I can help."

Chase groaned like the universe had personally attacked him. "Of course you'd say that."

Katie pointed at him. "I'm going to grab supplies from my shop. Meet me at the Sea Patroller."

Before Chase could argue again, she was already out the door.

Chase watched her go, then muttered under his breath, "Please don't bring Cali..."

The pups started moving, the decision made. No more standing still. No more waiting.

They were going after Ryder.

And whatever they found out there—storm, ocean, island, danger—they'd face it together.

Because that's what Ryder would do for them.