This is the result of being a tired student with some soda and the old draft of a story. Pretty different from anything I have done before, confusing on propose to keep some drama. Three chapters only. Enjoy!
You actually know how cold it could get in Adventure Bay when you notice that even the sea turns into a ice rink from Seal Island to the coast every year during winter. This, though, has never stopped the pups from having always a great time. In fact, and specially this day, they were preparing the best party they have ever organized. Why is this day so special? Two words.
Everest's Birthday.
It was just a happy coincidence that her birthday was right in the first month of winter, her favorite season ever, and it was even more that it was just a week away from the day she joined the team. This was going to be the second and best birthday party they would prepare for her, since last year got interrupted by some issues.
Everyone around Adventure Bay was asisting to the quarters tonight, of course, after selecting the perfect present for the snow pup, even the pups.
Something interesting was that one pup had his present ready... since the last year.
Marshall knew this day was getting closer, and expected to give her a beautiful silver collar with an "E" hanging from the chain for her first birthday in Adventure Bay, to finally admit his feelings for her, but something strange happened last year and he never had the chance to do so. It had to be in a special date, but Christmas wasn't good enough, so he waited a whole year just to give it to her and make his move.
And there he was, hypnotized, pretending to be helping Rocky with the decorations while he waited until she was completely alone. If he could only hear what was Skye telling to Everest to one side of the tower. What made her laugh so brightly and drew that gorgeous smile in her face?
If he had continued staring at both females with that goofy smile for only one second more, Rocky would have turned and seen him. He would start asking series of questions about who I was staring at and why, so he played cool and controlled his daydreaming moments, but continued peeking for moments to see if Skye or Everest had moved. He has been hiding his crush for more than a year, he was not going to get caught like that.
In the end, Skye got called by Ryder and finally leaved Everest alone. It was perfect, because she was doing absolutely nothing, just staring to the snow on the trees and the decorations, and most importantly, again, completely alone. So, he leaved Rocky in his ladder hanging the lights and rushed over the Husky pup, who was just standing there, like waiting for him. It was almost too good.
Marshall was mentally prepared for this, but of course this was totally not like talking to his picture of Everest, which was taped to one of the walls inside his pup house, this was the real Everest. A couple of feets away he sensed her smell: lavender, just like the tone of her fur. He could see how her eyes sparkled whenever she stared at the snow, like recalling good memories. The nervousness was climbing up his being, but didn't think of backing off.
"Everest!" Marshall exclaimed, coming from behind. Hearing the call, Everest turned with a bit of surprise and innocence in her eyes, smiling seeing who called her.
"Oh, hi Marshall. Didn't see you coming." She said, showing that same smile from before, which made him smile in response.
"C-Can I talk with you for a second? Alone?" he finally asked, finding hard to keep his smile.
Everest looked confused, and stared around them. "More than this?" she grinned.
"Oh, right." He nervously chuckled, making her laugh for a bit. So far, so good.
So, the time has come.
"Everest, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it. Uh..." he said while sitting in front of her, and she came closer and did just like him.
Come on, you can do this!
"I-I like you, and I mean I really like-like you. Not as friends 'like', I mean, I like you as... well... you know..." he nervously shaked while trying to be specific, avoiding eye contact.
Everest blinked a blinked a couple of time, looking quite amused, and asked. "More than friends?"
"...yes."
"You mean..." she said, standing in four. Marshall silently nodded in response to an obvious question, but it wasn't what he was expecting. "Best friend?" She smiled.
The Dalmatian blushed at this showing of innocence."N-No! I mean-" He tried to correct her, but then he felt her soft lips landing on his red left cheek and staying there for a couple of seconds. He was totally speechless, he couldn't move at all. When she finally let go, she spoke.
"I'm joking!" said Everest, placing a paw on one of his, "You know how long I've been waiting you to ask me out, Marshall?"
Oh. My...
From the nervous posture he adopted since he started talking he almost jumped to stand in four, his tail moving at full speed and his smile almost hurting him. "A-Are you saying that...?!"
Everest got closer and kissed his other cheek. "Yes, Marshall. I like-like you too."
And this was the last touch to make Marshall go nuts, running and jumping around the Lookout like an overjoyed puppy, catching all the pups' attention, who followed him to the place where Everest was giggling at this. "Wohoo! She likes me too! SHE LIKES ME TOO!" He leaped a few feets from the Husky pup, but instead of landing, rolled in the snow and ended buried in it, showing only the head. "I-I'm good!"
All the pups laughed while Zuma helped him. Skye and Ryder came over from the Lookout after hearing the commotion.
"So you finally confessed, Marshall. I was wondering when you were going to ask Everest out." said the boy. After hearing this, and shaking off the snow, his cheeks showed a small red. Everest came closer and licked the snow remaining in his face, and he went tomato red.
"Technically, he hasn't done it yet." the snow pup commented.
"Uh? Oh, right!" the Dally said, and turned face to face to his crush, still somewhat nervous. "Everest, will you go on a date with me?"
"Of course I will, silly!" she exclaimed, "This is already the best birthday ever!"
All pups around them cheered and greeted while Ryder walked by Marshall and patted him on the head. "Why don't you two take the day off and go on your date?"
Marshall's eyes shined brighter than the sun above in that moment. If he could get to spend the entire day with Everest it would be the best gift the world could ever give him, and it wasn't even his birthday. With a smile, turned again to Everest. "What do you say?"
"I say, ice or snow, I'm ready to go!"
It turned out to be the best day on Marshall's short life, one that he spent entirely and only with Everest. More than a crush on her, he has always felt more than this, something that he wasn't afraid to call love, and something was telling him that Everest was feeling something like him, the connection between the two pups, the synergy felt so natural. He loved absolutely everything from her, from beautiful eyes to her majestic and elegant body. There was nothing on earth that could compare with such beauty.
The hours passed like minutes for the new couple, going to the frozen bay to ski together, going for lunch at Mr. Porter's restaurant and to Jake's for some fun in the mountains, like snowboarding and belly-bogganing, and after being tired, they just sit down in the snow of a cliff where, even if it was snowing lightly, you could see the bright sunset in the distance.
And there they are right now, staring next to each other at the sun hiding behind the horizon. But Marshall wasn't interested in the landscape, but in the little box in his pocket.
"I wish I had confessed before." he commented, nuzzling Everest's ear, getting her scent in his nose that would drive him crazy sometimes.
"It was a great day. But we probably should head back, they are waiting for us." she stated, moving her head from Marshall's shoulder and standing up, disposed to leave with him.
"Can we just stay for a moment? I swear, it won't take long." he stood too in response, making her turn and look at him, the sun reflecting her eyes and fur. And so, Marshall pulled out the little box. "Everest, I've been wanting to give you this since-"
Something froze Marshall's blood in an instant. Something else was reflecting the sunlight, something in the Husky's neck. Taking a step closer he saw it better, a silver collar. But not only that, it had something else hanging from the chain. The silver "E".
There was no doubt about it. It was the exact same collar he had for her since a year ago. But it was impossible, he had it in his box, the one that he is holding in his paw, wrapped in blue and white with the ribbon and the card. He checked it in the morning, it was inside the box, but for some reason she was wearing it. How?
"E-Everest?" he stuttered.
She looked quite confused. "What is it, Marshall?"
"Where did you get that collar?" the fire pup asked, pointing with his paw to the spot on her neck.
Everest looked down at the collar and chuckled like she just heard a joke. "Marshall, you gave me this collar last year for my birthday, don't you remember?"
"No, I didn't." Marshall mumbled. "I didn't give you that collar last year because- Oh God..."
That's when it hit him, the reason why he couldn't give Everest her birthday present last year. The reason he couldn't remember in the morning, the reason why last's year birthday got interrupted...
"This is a dream, isn't it?" Marshall stated with a shocked expression, sitting on the snow.
Everest approached rolling her eyes. "Dream? What are you talking about, silly? This is not a dream."
Marshall put the final pieces together, everything now made sense.
"There is something I will never forget, Everest, and it's the fact that I never get to give you that collar." he said, starting to shake, and appearing tears in his eyes. "Because when I was going to give it to you... you... you were..."
...dead.
Marshall was heading to Jake's mountain to surprise Everest for her birthday by giving her a small box wrapped with a ribbon, that inside had the collar with an 'E'. The pups were organizing everything back at the Lookout; balloons, decorations, gifts and food were being prepared for the special day, but Marshall wanted to do something special that day. He spent months collecting coins and cash, even selling some things of some value to finally afford this gift. He gathered a good amount by working on Farmer Yumi's barn, Cap'n Turbot, Mr. Porter and even Mayor Humdinger, but it was worth it.
He was parking his truck in front of Jake's Chalet and hopping down. He knocked the door twice, but no one responded. Just then his pup tag lit up, it was Ryder. He sounded sad and shaky, but trying to stay firm.
At hearing what he heard from his leader, he dropped the box from his paw, which landed on the wooden floor, and rushed to his truck. His face, even if his fur was white for being a Dalmatian, looked pale, like he just saw a ghost. He started the engine and drove down the mountain.
After some minutes, he made it to his destiny. Adventure Bay's Central Clinic.
He run as fast as his short legs could, passing swiftly through the corridor between nurses and beds, until he saw the team along with Jake. The only thing he could remember perfectly was how Jake lowered his head and tightened his fist before turning to Ryder and hug him, while his tears streamed down the boy's shoulder. The pups closing their eyes at the news that the nurse gave them.
Everest was gone.
Everything after that moment is just some things they told him that happened, because in that moment Marshall collapsed in the clinic's floor completely unconscious.
And with this, the sun dissapeare, leaving a dark clouded sky instead.
Marshall felt his legs out of strength and dropped himself in the snow, his front paws preventing him from completely bury himself in the white. He felt the cold climb his spine at seen the pup in front of him. This wasn't Everest, it was a product of his dream tormenting him.
"Eve-Everest!" he screamed from the bottom of his heart, it sounded so painful that Everest started to cry.
"Marshall..." she ran close to him. "Marshall, please don't..." she tried to calm him, noticing the tears coming down his face and his shaking body. Before she could do anything else, he extended his front legs and hugged her tightly, not controlling his actions anymore. Everest returned the hug and pressed him against her own body.
"I-I miss you, Everest. You don't know how much!" Marshall exclaimed between sobs, not letting her go in any moment.
"I know you do..." she sighed. "But, it's the way it happened, I had to leave." her voice sounded sad, with some regret in it.
"That last day on the cabin, I told you I had a special present for you. It was that collar..." said Marshall, tightening the embrace. "I-I was going to confess that I was in love with you, but-... but-!" This only made him let out cries of pain and fury, the waterfalls in his eyes getting the Husky's fur all wet, as the tears of her own did the same with his fur.
"No one could have done anything to save me, it was hopeless. We all knew it was going to happen, we just didn't know when." she commented, separating him to see him in the eyes. Marshall had his eyes closed, not daring to look at her eyes. He felt like he was not worthy of such act of mercy.
"Some of us didn't want to accept it." At seen that he still refused to open his eyes, Everest took him by the head with both paws and gently placed him in front of her, their noses and foreheads touching. Just with this Marshall opened his eyes, and stared deeply into her. He couldn't describe how he felt in that moment. It was like anything he had experienced before. The feeling of... forgiveness.
"Here you have me." She spoke in a sweet, almost angelical voice. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"I... I..."
The feeling of wet beneath his face was the first thing he felt when he noticed his dream was gone, and then his eyes opened in a blink to see himself in the mirror inside his pup house, his eyes vacant and stained.
It was one of those night when he felt his throat being rip apart by the cold and unpleasant gust of wind coming from the outside. One of those nights when he wakes up to find himself over his wet pillow for being crying in his sleep, and always stare into himself through that old mirror. Occasionally he would toss away his pillow and go back to sleep, but this dream was different from the others, because it was the first time he would see that collar, that same collar that is next to a corner in his pup house, still wrapped in its blue and white cover, with the same card he wrote attached with a red strip to the ribbon.
'To Everest' That is what it says. The Dalmatian pup stood up with a blank expression in his face, and took the unopened present in his paws, recalling what day it was. Two words.
Everest's birthday.
He felt his sore throat closing as he shaked weakly. More tears came down, as he pressed his gift against his chest, closing his eyes hardly, trying to hold his body from shaking. It was useless though, he started shaking with violence and the tears couldn't be contained anymore.
Marshall let it all out in a painful scream, hurting himself by doing it.
Why...?!