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It was long after they came back to Adventure Bay that Ryder had said he needed to talk to Marshall.
For a moment, the dalmatian hadn't known what for before his memory of the recent rescue began to resurface after dinner. He winced.
He hadn't meant to be disobedient (in the eyes of Ryder, of course), it's just...He wanted to prove himself. He wanted the Princess to know that he wasn't a clumsy pup as seen in most of their adventures, that he could do his job. Moreover, it had been his fault that Sir Claw was able to get the dragon's tooth in the first place; after he'd told the Princess he would guard it.
In his eyes, that was embarrassing, but no more than knowing every time he'd tried to help, he'd only caused more problems for them.
So he had to do it. He had to try to get the dragon's tooth back.
"You wanted to see me Ryder sir?" Marshall asked as soon as the elevator door to the top of the lookout open. Ryder, who had been on his pup pad playing a game, looked up at the fire pup and smiled.
"Yeah." He said, putting down the pad just as Marshall sat close to him. The leader looked at him. "Sooo, I don't think I need to tell you what I wanted to talk to you about."
Marshall nodded. "Okay, first of, I'm so sorry for not listening to you. I know you were worrying about my safety, it's just-"
"Marshall, Marshall," Ryder interrupted. "I'm not mad."
At that, Marshall blinked.
"You're...you're not?"
"Nope," Ryder smiled, but then he frowned. "But I am disappointed. I thought you knew better. You could've been hurt."
Once more, Marshall winced, ears folding down. His guilt tripled when he saw Ryder looking down at him with his arms crossed.
"I know. I'm sorry, it's just..." He bit his lip, looking down at the ground. "It was my fault. Sir Claw had gotten in because of me, managed to get the dragon's tooth because of me, and scared half of the town because of me. I just wanted to make things right."
Ryder frowned.
"Is that how you feel? Marshall, you know nobody blames you for that." He said, but Marshall shook his head.
"But you should! All I ever do is cause trouble for you and the pups, and this time it caused the villain to almost have his way!" He said. He could feel the stinging in his eyes, and he knew he was about to cry, but he didn't stop himself. "It happens almost every rescue too. I didn't want it to be in front of the Princess, of all things." He whispered the last part.
Ryder's heart nearly broke at the pity in Marshall's voice. He had always known, in the back of his mind, Marshall constantly struggled with his self-worth. It was made apparent when he'd thought his friends didn't want him around anymore and was about to live inside Adventure Bay's forest; but more so, it was just a thing he did going all the way back to his younger days when he was bullied endlessly by other dogs. Ryder had tried his hardest to help Marshall throughout, but in the end, the one who really ended up helping Marshall with his self-esteem issues was Chase.
"You know none of that is true," Ryder said, bending down so he could pat Marshall on the head. "No one thinks any less of you because of your nature, Marshall. We all know you're brave, kind, and great at your job."
"But that doesn't mean anything when I would just screw it up again and again. I'm really surprised you haven't kicked me off the team, Ryder." Marshall sniffled. Once more, Ryder felt his heart breaking at the defeated tone. He was just about to pull him into a hug when-
"Don't do this to yourself." A voice said. The two looked up to see Chase coming out of the elevator, looking directly at Marshall.
"Chase-"
"I didn't mean to eavesdropped," At least Chase had the decency to look guilty. "I just coming up to ask Ryder if he wanted to play ball with us, but then...I heard your conversation." At that, Chase frowned and looked back at Marshall. "Please don't sell yourself short, Marshall. It's as Ryder says, you're a brave and kind soul. And you're good at what you do."
"But-"
"When I was guarding the crown for the first time," Chase started as he came to sit next to Marshall. "I was incredibly nervous. I didn't think I had it in me to do the mission, and to do it alone." He looked at the spotted dog. "It was because of you, Ryder, and the others that I was able to handle my job in spite of. I thought, with enough practice, the crown would be safe." Then he frowned, his ears turning downwards. "But then I failed. The crown was taken right from under me and to make matters worse, I was being blamed for something I didn't do."
"I was so scared, at the time. I knew I didn't do it, but it's not like the Princess or the Earl would believe me. They only saw what we were able to do on TV, not in real life until recently. I thought...maybe I wasn't good enough for the job."
"Chase..."
"But you guys never stopped believing in me," Chase continued. He gave Marshall a small smile. "You guys knew I was innocent. You have no idea how grateful I am to have you guys by my side for it, to give me hope. It wasn't the first time either. The fall festival, remember?"
"I remember," Marshall said. "But Chase you were always good at what you do! There shouldn't have been any doubt!"
Chase smiled sadly.
"Maybe, but Marshall, you have to realize you aren't alone in doubting yourself when things goes wrong. I have my moments, you know I have because you've been there by my side. Skye has them too. So does Rocky, and Zuma, and Rubble-"
"And me," Ryder said, making the two pups looked at him. "I'm always doubting myself too."
"Ryder?"
"I worry a lot about you guys," Ryder said. "Yes, helping people is important. We want to make sure everyone is safe and sound as possible. But at the end of day, no matter how much special training you guys got, you are still my pets. I love you guys just like any owner would, because you're not just a worker to me - you're my family. So, when we do dangerous missions, and I have to send one of you guys out to help, I get worried and anxious and it makes me feel like I'm a bad owner should anything happen to you guys."
"But you aren't. We were trained to do this." Marshall protested.
"That doesn't mean I don't worry about it," Ryder said. "Most of the time, I fear what people think of me when they see me and my dogs rescuing people. A lot of people thinks it's brave, but there's always a few that might think I didn't deserve pets."
At that, both Marshall and Chase gasped.
"That's so rude!"
"Why would they think that?! You've always treated us right and rescued us when we didn't even have a home!"
Ryder shrugged. "It's what they think, really. I tried to paid it no mind, but again, we do dangerous rescues from time to time. I always have to send you guys to do stuff I couldn't, or you guys choose to do. It terrifies me. In the back of my mind, I always fear I might end up being one pup short, if our luck runs out."
At that, the two pups were silent.
"We all have fears and doubts about ourselves, Marshall. The important thing is how we handle that. And Marshall, today, as much as I love you being brave and getting back the dragon's tooth, I hated that you almost became a pancake because of it." Ryder said. Marshall looked down at the ground, only to perk up when he felt Ryder's hand on his head. "But that doesn't erase the fact that I'm proud of you too. Please don't do it again, but also, good job."
Marshall beamed.
"Okay. I won't make any promises though." He said, making Ryder and Chase laugh.
Because at the end of the day, as much as it gave Ryder a heart attack, he could not deny the fact that a knight is only as good as they serve. And Marshall? Marshall went beyond the call of duty.