Frozen Fear

Chapter 15

Gears ready, spirits high and ready to go. The PAW Patrol plus Jake had everything ready for the trip, all with the same objective: find  their missing friends. However, one of them had doubts about the circumstances, the reasons that led Marshall to take the decision that complicated an already difficult rescue mission.

The younger pups were the first to step outside the cabin, anxious to start looking for their friends, after them came Skye and Jake, while Ryder was finishing getting his gear ready along with his own equipment. The boy was walking for the door when he saw Chase next to the cushions, he had his backpack and gear on, except for his helmet, which he was keeping beneath his paw. The leader thought of getting closer, but...

"Chase, we're about to leave." He said from a fair distance. "You... might want to hurry up."

Chase made a gesture without turning his face, followed by a silenced sigh. "Yes, sir." answered the pup, lowering his head and getting his helmet on. Still not facing the boy, the Shepherd walked silently for the door, pushing it open with his paw and stepping out into the white.

Ryder knew that Everest going missing was going to affect the pups, especially Marshall, resulting in the latter creating this whole situation. Chase was showing the same angst the fire pup had when they arrived to the cabin, this feeling of anger mixed with impotence, with the difference that the police pup  was not even bothering in hiding it.

The pups and Jake were waiting for him outside. The boy asked Jake about the area. There was a road that leaded right towards a big gap in the earth, similar to a canyon in the ice. It was a fact that Marshall took this road, as it was the only way from the cabin to get to the Mountains, but it was uncertain that he had made it without complications. Even then, early in the morning, the storm was still a nuisance, and it was three times worse the night before. The plan was to scan the zones in the forest that were close to the road, and follow it in direction to the canyon.

Divided in groups, it took them a couple hours to finish the task. As they were getting closer to the next area, Ryder thought they should have gone directly there, as they found nothing. The tracks of Marshall's ambulance were nowhere to be found, and there was no evidence of a crash or a similar mishap. "Be sure to check for any clue of Marshall."

Suddenly, the leader heard one of the pups barking, and as he turned around he could see Chase standing alert. "Ryder, I smell smoke!"

Red alert. Everyone ran after Chase, who was now searching for the source of the suffocating smell. He stopped. They were now in the cliff of the abyss.

"Down there!" the shepherd pointed out, but no one dared to step forward, except for Ryder. Deep down at the bottom, a weak yet noticeable trail of dark smoke was coming from a pile.

Both the pup and the boy opened their eyes in awe, and the same thought ran through their head. Not good thoughts.

In an instant, Ryder reacted. "Chase,  get your drone!"

He did not need to be told twice, and the Shepherd dashed off back to his spy cruiser. As they would only be a burden in that thick snow and such a narrow place like that pine forest, they left all their vehicles in the road close to them, just in case they would need anything from them. Chase came back with his truck and parked nearby. He quickly barked out his drone and directed it to the bottom of the canyon. In the meantime, everyone took a glance. Needless to say, they were petrified.

Ryder approached and watched from the screen on the cruiser, followed by the others, who still didn't understand what was happening.

There they spotted the back smoke coming from a ball of burned, twisted metal with the emblem of the PAW Patrol stained black lying on the snow.