Cold Heart | Marshall x Everest Story

Chapter Two: The admission

After Everest and Jake had finished the runway sweep, the Husky called Ryder and asked if she could go to the lookout. 

"Good morning Ryder," Everest said greeting the boy, who was in the course of breakfast.

"Hello Everest, are you good today?" He replied.

"Yes, I'm fine. I've called to ask if I can come to the lookout." She asked.

"Of course Everest, you are always welcome. But if I can ask, why are you asking me if you can come?" Ryder asked, confused by Everest's attitude.

"Jake, since he didn't want to bother you, he asked me to call and ask if I could come to the watch." She replied.

"I see. You can come to the lookout," Ryder replied.

"Thank you, see you after Ryder," Everest said before closing the call.

Everest, satisfied with the call with Ryder, went to her kennel, which at the command of the Husky turned into her snowcat. She, after saying goodbye to Jake and telling him that she had received permission from Ryder to go to the lookout, departed for Adventure Bay.

Everest drove her snowcat along the roads of Jake Mountain, which were covered by a thin layer of snow. But that didn't stop the Husky, and he kept going until he reached the main road, which connected his home to Adventure Bay.

In the meantime, the pups were thinking about what to play. With snow, many games were difficult to do, but they knew that with their imagination and ingenuity, they would find something to do.

"How about playing hide-and-seek? The snow will make it harder to find those who hide, as it covers up the smells," Zuma proposed.

"It makes sense, but the white snow makes it easier to spot who's hiding," Rubble said.

"Except for Marshall, he is white," Skye jocked making others laugh.

"How about tug of war? It's been a long time since we played," Chase proposed.

"Snow makes it hard to play tug of war, maybe when the snow melts we can play again," Rocky said.

"What if we play freeze tag instead? That game goes well with the period we're in," Skye proposed. 

"Good idea Skye, who agrees with her raise his paw," Chase said.

After thinking about it for a few seconds, one by one the pups raised their paws, agreeing with Skye. When all the pups had raised their paws as a sign of approval, Skye stood up suddenly, ready to give away the game but was interrupted by Ryder who had just left the watch.

"Hey pups, what are you doing?" He asked.

"We're about to start a freeze tag game," Zuma said.

"Interesting. Anyway, I'm here to tell you that Everest is coming to the lookout," Ryder said.

"Everest is coming here? Great," Skye said, excited to see her best friend.

"Now I have to go to Katie's, you be good puppies in my absence, okay?" Ryder asked.

"Yes Ryder sir," Chase said.

"Why do you have to go to Katie?" Rocky asked, putting his owner in great embarrassment.

"I have to talk with her about the Winter Wonder Show," Ryder said making an excuse.

"But the Winter Wonder Show will be held in a month," Rubble said. 

Ryder, knowing that he cannot deceive the pups, left without saying anything, avoiding other unpleasant awkward moments. The reason he was going to Katie's was that he had to take care of the store all morning because Katie was busy. When she had asked him, he could not refuse because his crush on her was too great.

When Ryder was gone, the puppies began to discuss whether or not to wait for Everest to start playing, after all an extra player would make the game more lively. 

"So, we want to wait for Everest?" Rocky asked.

"For me it's okay," Rubble said.

"Even for me, it makes no sense to start without Everest," Chase said.

"And you Marshall, what you say?" Skye asked. 

Marshall was immersed in his thoughts. His mind was busy thinking about Everest and why he loved her. Finally, Zuma, who was next to him, tapped him on the shoulder and let him out of his thoughts. He found his friends pinned on him, and for this he began to blush, feeling a strong embarrassment.

"Marshall, are you okay?" Zuma asked.

"Yes, I'm okay. What were we talking about?" Marshall asked wanting to get out of that situation as soon as possible.

"We were discussing whether to wait for Everest to play freeze tag," Rocky said.

"I agree," Marshall said hurriedly. 

Marshall's reaction did not go unnoticed as he hoped, and the pups began to smile mischievously, knowing why the Dalmatian was agitated. "Why do you look at me like that?" He asked.

"You know already Marshall," Rocky said.

"Yeah, you are agitated because of Everest," Skye said, teasing him.

"What? No, I'm totally fine with her," He replied, hiding his state of mind.

"Are you sure dude? Your mood says otherwise," Zuma said.

Marshall, knowing he couldn't hide his feelings, decided to confess. "Okay, I was thinking about Everest and how I could finally declare myself." The Dalmatian admitted.

"I knew you had feelings for Everest," Rocky said.

"You knew?" Marshall asked, surprised.

"Like I knew Chase and Skye loved each other," Rocky replied, winking at the two, making them blush.

"Rocky meant maybe we could help you with Everest, right, pups?" Rubble asked, looking at his friends so he could convince them.

"Yeah, let's do this," Chase said wanting to help his best friend. The rest of the puppies nodded, wanting to help Marshall solve his problems.

"All right, so if you all agree, let me set out my plan," Rocky said before clearing his voice.
"The plan is simple. Me, Zuma, Rubble, and Chase, will take you, Marshall, inside the lookout and prepare you for the encounter with Everest. In the meantime, Skye must serve as a distraction to buy us time, and I recommend as much time as possible." 

"Okay, I'll do it," Skye said.

"You would do all this for me?" Marshall said dropping a few tears of joy.

"Yes, we are a team, and team members always help each other, especially in times of need," Zuma said smiling at Marshall.

"Thank you guys, I will always be in your debt," Marshall said smiling.

While Everest was driving her snowcat along the road connecting Jake Mountain to Adventure Bay.  While she was driving, she was busy thinking about her cousin's letter. The idea of having to go back to the place where she was born and had lived many years of her life made her feel various emotions. 

She did not like the idea of returning to her native land, especially because of the events of her past, but if her cousin needed help, she would help him, but she couldn't depart alone. She needed a faithful companion who in case of trouble would be near her, and the answer was Marshall.

Half an hour after she departed from Jake Mountain, Everest arrived at Adventure Bay. The pavements of the streets were covered by a slim layer of snow. The yellow beach had shifted to a white color, and the bay was icy.

After crossing the bridge, Everest arrives at the lookout, where a smiling Skye, dressed in a pink scarf, is waiting for her.

To be continued

|By -The Empereor-|