Frozen Fear

Chapter 8

Marshall may not be the smartest pup, but all the clues pointed to this conclusion. This was the cave, it had to be. Everest was here, this was the right place. The feeling of relief dissipated soon enough, he couldn't feel happiness, now he was more worried than before. The task was now find a way to get her out of there.

The entrance was blocked by snow, but how much he had to dig to get to the other side? It could take him days if he goes for the safest path, which was digging it all out. But the other option was winning.

The little gap he opened could be more useful in this case, but it could lead him to instantly fall and hit what looked like solid rock. It was a risk he couldn't take just to enter. Even if all his self was telling him that inside this cave was his love, if he was wrong he could probably get stuck inside instead.

"I can't think of it now. If Everest is there I have to do something now!" he thought.

With great speed he directed to the top of the pile of snow. He may not be the best digger among the pups, but he has spent enough time with Rubble to know a thing or two. The important part of digging a pile of anything was always start from the top, because if you star with the bottom all the weight from the top would fall over you. It was when they were in the beach, making sand castles. He also remembered how funny the bulldog looked when he was running from a crab, because he told him it was a giant spider.

"What are you thinking of?! Get hurry!" he scolded himself in his head.

And so, removed the snow as fast as he could for over fifteen minutes nonstop. The little gap he opened before was getting bigger, but not enough for him to pass through. This was frustrating the already exhausted Dalmatian, who pressed himself against the pile to rest for a bit.

"This is too much. I could take me days to get to the other- Whoa!" said Marshall, before all the snow beneath him got loose all of a sudden. The spotted pup rolled down the pile for quite a long. He didn't know this, but Everest actually helped him with the digging job.

The remaining snow in the bottom cushioned his fall, but it was hard enough to make him wince. His face crashed directly in the snow along with his body.

"Damn... that hurts-"

Marshall immediately froze in his spot when he saw who was lying in front of him.

"E-Everest...?"

But he wasn't shocked because he just find her, but for something else.

She wasn't moving.

Marshall stood in the blink of an eye and rushed over her. "Everest! Can you hear me?!" he said, moving her with his paw, seeing her face without expression, feeling her body so cold. "No, no, no, no, no, no. Everest!"

Nothing seemed to work. He grabbed the blanket he used this last days to cover himself in the nights from his pup pack and placed it over her. "Please, Everest. Respond..." He shaked her desperately, but seeing that this didn't changed anything, he lied down next to her, trying to warm her up with his own temperature, licking her face again and again waiting for a response.

Marshall's movements were not coordinated anymore, he could barely stop himself from shaking, as tears streamed down his eyes like waterfalls. He felt like nothing he was doing was helping.

He couldn't handle it anymore, and broke in tears, burying his face into her fur.

"Please... Everest..."

For some seconds the entire world stopped, not a single sound was heard besides the Dalmatian pup, crying. The storm didn't dare to roar again.

He couldn't move, his heart was being ripped apart, the pain was unbearable.

When he finally was able to move, he slowly looked face to face with Everest, moving her with his paw, sniffled once, and said...

"Y-You don't know this, but the months you've been in the team with us have been all the best moments of my life. Every single thing about you makes me smile all the time: your fur, your smile, your eyes... You're the best pup I have ever met, and anything that happens from now on will never change the fact that I..." He cried even harder, but managed to finish...

"...I love you."

"I promise this, I will never leave you alone. I will always be by your side. I'll hold you close and never let you go. All I do will always be for you, to keep you smiling, to never let you drop a single tear, being always there for you... It's a promise. Just... please, stay with me... Everest..."

He pressed his face against her again, and continued crying.

Please...