A/N:

Hello everybody, I'm back. And no, this time it is not a short story. I have been working on this for a while now and the plot is going exceptionally well. Originally, I wanted to finish the entire story and then upload chapters consistently and frequently. However, I've now realized that would take a very long time, too long to keep people waiting. Plus, I couldn't help myself from uploading ;)

*IMPORTANT* (Please read this if anything)

Due to the plot in this story, there are a considerable amount of flashbacks. I will try my absolute best to make it as comprehensible as possible so that you can enjoy the plot, since the flashbacks are VERY important to the story. I dislike putting headers that say the time, for example "1 Year Ago" etc., but I might have to use them at some point just to avoid confusion (like in the Prologue...). Ideally, I would use italics to indicate flashbacks, but then it might get confusing whether the section is someones inner thoughts, a POV, a flashback, etc. Oh well, I'll try my best for you guys. :)

Please let me know if something is confusing, as I will do everything I can to make this story understandable. Or if you have a suggestion as to what to do, I'd love to hear it! Thank you :)

ONE LAST THING (I promise), the first part of the story WILL be slightly confusing at first. However everything will quickly piece together after a few chapters, as long as you're following along carefully.

Anyways, without further ado, I present my third story: I'm Not The Pup I Used To Be.

PROLOGUE

Chase's POV

August 25th - Three Years Ago

A Few Weeks After The Incident

The rain poured down hard on Adventure Bay. It was always a sad day for the Paw Patrol whenever it rained. Rain meant staying inside, which meant they couldn't play any sports, go to the beach, or even just enjoy the summer sun. The only exceptions were missions.

However, the poor weather was the least of the pups' concerns at the moment. In fact, throughout the past few weeks, they hadn't enjoyed anything, let alone the sun. One particular pup was considerably worse than the rest. Rather than hiding from the rain inside the Lookout with Ryder and all of the other pups, the german shepherd had locked himself inside of his pup house, alone. There, all the police pup could do was wistfully sigh and ponder about recent events, trying his best to hold back the tears.

I used to live the most perfect life.

I had my dream job. I had friends and an owner who never failed to put a smile on my face. I had a brother, who was kind, caring, smart... and I just.. I just loved him to the core. We had such a strong connection.

My life had meaning, a purposeful meaning; it was the embodiment of pure happiness. It was the kind of life that some people could only dream of living one day.

And then, just like that… it was all gone. Within the blink of an eye, my whole life was… just swallowed down the drain… so suddenly.. so violently...

I never quite found the words to describe how I felt that day, July 30th. It sparked something inside of me. Something I had never truly felt before. Something I never would have possessed before that day. I felt nothing but… just pure rage… and sadness, all mixed into one.

The german shepherd bellowed a deep growl as he started to revisit the incident in his mind, letting the emotions fall upon him all over again. He pounded his mattress in frustration as he lay in bed, only thinking of things that caused him despair. The police pup took a deep breath, slowly yet forcefully rubbing his face with his paws in an attempt to calm himself down, maintaining the cold, impassive look that was almost permanently locked onto his face for the past month.

Chase turned towards the mirror that was sitting on his shelf as raindrops continued to patter down on his pup house, allowing the depressing mood to remain constant. All that glared back at him was an evidently broken german shepherd pup; a shadow of his former self.

I'm not the pup I used to be.

I think people can see it on my face… I know people can see it on my face.

I'd be lying if I said it's what I wanted. I never wanted to change... I never wanted to lose everything that I once had. In fact.. what I once had, is all that I could ever ask for at this moment…

I sometimes imagine that July 30th never actually happened, that it was all just a dream. Sometimes I imagine that everything I lost would just come back one day, even if it were only for a day.

All I want is just something—anything—that would bring peace and justice back into my life. Just ONE thing.

If only it were possible… if only...

Heh, yeah sorry it's only a prologue. In fact, I think there's more of me blabbing on than actual story... whoops. That's all I can really share at the moment. I will begin posting more chapters once I get to a certain point in writing the story. Although I hate to say it, that might take a little while. Nevertheless, I will work hard to get these chapters out ASAP. If you have any questions, feel free to ask because I would love to clear up any confusion. Same thing goes with reviews or suggestions (although I'm far into the story, I appreciate and still may consider all suggestions), none go unread :). Thank you so much for reading, there's lots more to come! Until next time,

~SwarmX