So, as Lary told here, she got the pups as Kinder surprises. She showed some other pics of them to me earlier on Discord, and I got inspired by one of them, added with her comment on it:
So, I wrote a one-shot inspired by that. It's silly and rather quick, but I had fun just writing it XD I admit it's a biiiit based on how @self-indulgent-paw-patrol portrays her version of the pups too... XD
I wanna mention it exceeds 1300 words and that I wrote it in one day, which both make me personally pretty happy achieving that.
And with that, I present you:
Zuma observed the fix-it dog lazily, lying down a few meters away from his pup-house. They had just come from a mission, and Rocky was now rummaging through his stuff in his own pup-house, looking for something.
"Dude, you should kick-off a bit, we just came from a mission”, Zuma spoke. ”You haven't even changed your outfit off yet."
"Neither have you." Rocky retorted back, while clanking stuff inside.
"I was so tired I didn't bother yet", he answered defensively, making his words long. His eyes wandered to notice how Rocky was so focused on his thing, he had spread his hind legs funnily wide while the front of his body was deep inside his truck.
A smirk creeped on Zuma's lips as he got an idea. He got up from his position, walked next to Rocky's truck, and then started slowly stretching his limbs like a cat. First his hind legs faaar back, puffing out his chest, then bending his front waaay in front of himself, all the while giving the most theatrical audible yawn.
As he was finishing his stretching, Zuma left his hind legs spread apart, something that matched at least Rocky’s pose. "Bet you can't spread farther than me, dude."
Now the noises inside the house stopped, and Rocky peeked his fluffy head out. He examined Zuma who was looking at him persuasively. "What are you doing?"
"Hey, you started it. Thought we could do something fun." Zuma had a bit of a grin in his eyes.
"I was already having fun."
"Come on, a little competition doesn't hurt! I'll let you carry on right after!"
Rocky looked at Zuma's pose. "That's pretty ridiculous...?"
"Nah, it's fun! Or are you so old already your joints can't take it?" He tempted while leaning his face closer.
"Hey, I'm just a year older than you! And I did a pretty formidable jump back there on our job, even if I say so myself. Of course I'm still bendy."
Rocky looked sharply at Zuma, but then positioned himself beside the Lab, resuming his previous pose in the truck. This time he just stretched his legs a bit further than Zuma had.
"Oooo, nice, dude." Zuma’s voice was without actual impression, which made Rocky roll his eyes. He spread his legs wider than Rocky had, making it look pretty effortless.
*No way I'm losing to this little punk*. Rocky thought to himself. *...Especially as he already reeled me in.*
And so the mutt widened the gap between his hind legs, still matching the other pup rather easily. "Heh, what do you say about that, huh?"
Both of their legs were quite apart from each other already, but Zuma wasn't going to give up, and so he slid his legs further still while smiling smugly at Rocky.
"Hnnnnnghhh", he let out, to emphasize the work, though a small actual groan hinted Zuma was nearing his limit too. "There, I've won. I'm stretchier than you."
"No way, I'm bigger, my legs are farther."
They both tried looking backwards and under themselves, but they couldn't make out like that who had stretched wider. "Dude, we need someone to measure us!"
Just then, as if on cue, Marshall was skipping towards them, humming to himself. He didn't notice them until he came closer, and seeing them made him halt.
He looked at them for a moment, tilting his head. "Should I ask...?"
"Marshall, there's a measuring tape in my toolbox inside my truck. We're... In a middle of something here, but we could use a third set of paws", Rocky said, and then continued to insist he could make a bigger stretch.
Marshall looked at them, and noted how almost unnaturally wide both of their legs already were, but heaving a sigh of defeat, he went to the recycling pup's truck while listening to their banter. *What am I gonna do with those two?*
In a moment Marshall came back with the tape in his mouth, and left standing behind the bickering pair. He was a bit troubled.
"Dude, we're seeing which of us has a more wider leg-span, but we can't figure out who's won ourselves. Care to help...?"
Marshall looked at Zuma, then Rocky. "You want me- to measure the gap between your legs?"
"Dude, please! We must figure out who's the stretch king. Which would be me, obviously."
Rocky shook his head, but gave a pleading look to Marshall too.
The Dally set the tape first next to Rocky's left hind leg, and pulled it all the way to the right one, having to stretch his own legs quite a bit too. Then he went and did the same to Zuma, not speaking a word while measuring.
As he was done, Marshall got a troubled face again.
"Uhh, it's, uh- It's a tie!"
Rocky and Zuma looked at each other in bewilderment. In reality, Marshall was more worried that if he told the truth, they would dislocate their limbs as a result.
They both turned back to Marshall.
”I-it is! Why is it so important to you anyway?”
Rocky felt his legs start to quiver a bit already. ”Let’s see if this helps, then. Arf! Extender!”
With the tool out, he reached for Zuma’s behind and took hold of his tail, and lifted his rear up in the air so only his front paws remained in the ground.
”Dude, UNFAIR, UNFAIR, that’s cheating!!” Zuma screamed dangling in place, and tried running forward with his front legs.
Rocky pulled his legs back together. ”Phew, I think that clears it up. *I* won.”
”NO, you DIDN’T! You made me lose my pose!” Zuma ran faster, and eventually got his tail free of Rocky’s extender, his hind legs now on ground again too. ”You’re gonna pay for that.”
Zuma jumped towards Rocky, and tackled him to the ground, stirring up a wrestle match between the boys. They rolled on the ground, both getting on top of each other in turns, until a spray of water on their faces interrupted them.
Rocky got straight up and shook himseld dry, then turned to look where the splash had come from. Marshall was with his watercannons out, looking at the sparring partners with a disapproving look.
”What am I gonna do with you two?”
Though serious, the Dalmatian couldn’t stop a small smile from forming on his lips about the situation.
The Labrador was still in a puddle on the ground, comprehending what had happened. ”You couuuld reveal who won…” Zuma tried. Though he didn’t wait, but instead got up and shook himself too, and then walked to Rocky. ”Sorry, dude. Guess I got carried away.” He had an embarrassed smile.
”Sorry for cheating too. I was getting a bit tired, so I’ll give you that, you endured better.” Rocky grinned.
They were quick to resolve, after which they both turned to Marshall, narrowing their eyes.
The white dog got flustered. ”O-okay… Sorry for not telling the truth. But it was for both of your best!”
”So…”, Rocky then said. ”Can you *now* tell the outcome?”
Both looked intently at Marshall's direction again. He considered.
”Will you promise to not try breaking fitness records again…?” Marshall asked. ”…Or yourselves”, he added under his breath.
The green- and orange-geared pups just nodded their heads silently and quickly.
”Zuma won. By a centimeter.”
”YESSSSS, wooooo!!” The Lab sprung up and started running around the Lookout joyfully, laughing.
When his laugh echoed from the other side of the tower, Marshall stepped closer to the mutt.
”You should know better, Rocky.”
”Yeeaahh…”, Rocky said awkwardly, and scratched the back of his head with the extender. ”He just has that ability. To make any situation funnier or brighter." He retreated the tool back to his pup pack. "Sometimes it's hard to resist. Or sometimes you don't want to.”
Marshall retained his warm smile. ”Sorry for splashing you too. It kinda required it.”
Rocky chuckled. ”Well, you do owe me a towel.”
That made them both laugh, their laugh only outmatched by Zuma’s that was heard from around the yard.
