Hello all. . . Here's the final part of the three part request for TitanFlame. . .
Enjoy
Drake opened his eyes and focused on the small fire that had dwindled down to embers during the night. 'Guess I'll need to build one before night falls.' The wolf tried to move but realized he couldn't because Everest was leaning up against him. He thought about letting her sleep more, but he knew the sooner he got her home to her friends, the sooner she could apologized to Marshall and Dundee. And, when she got to her friends she could have her ankle wrapped in something better than a rag and a couple of sticks found in the forest.
He leaned over and nuzzled her on the cheek. "Everest . . . time to wake up." She started to stir, but went back to sleep. He shook his head slightly and gave a small sigh. "Everest. . ." The wolf spoke a little louder. "Come on. . ." then he smiled. "The sooner you wake up the sooner you get to see Dundee again."
This time she raised her head groggily. "Fine. . ." She moved herself away from him and tried to stand up, but the same pain from the night before shot through her ankle. "Ow. . ."
"Are you okay?" He shook his head. "If you were okay you wouldn't have said 'ow'. . . Do you need help?"
Now she shook her head. "Just give me a minuet. . ." The husky put her good front paw on the ground and then stood on her back paws. Now she was standing on three paws with the fourth in the air. "Now let's see if I can walk. . ." She moved her back paws forward, then the front one a split second later. Everest moved this way around the cave for a few minutes, and then she stopped and smiled at Drake. "Wow. . . That was easy."
"Ready to go?" he asked as he stood up.
She didn't smile. "I guess so. . ."
Her hesitation was easy to see, so he gave her a warm smile. "Like I said last night, if Marshall and Dundee love you as much as you love them, they'll forgive you. . . Everybody makes mistakes."
Everest paused for a moment, and then sighed. "I guess you right. . . Thanks for rescuing me."
"You're welcome," he walked to the edge of the cave, "but I'm not done yet." As she joined him, she tilted her head in confusion making him laugh. "I'm escorting you home."
She shook her head. "You don't have to do that."
The wolf gave a small smile. "Actually I do. . ." He walked to the opening of the cave. "Do you know where you are?"
She looked at her surroundings in the morning sun and saw his point. "Your right. . . I have no clue where I am."
"You have an advantage though." He said. "You know where we're going."
"Are you ready for a break?" The wolf turned to Everest, and became slightly alarmed. She was panting a little heavy and her three good legs were shaking. He walked quickly to her. "Never mind, sit down."
She laid down on her stomach with a plop. She smiled and looked up at him. "I guess I was more tired than I thought.
"Just rest for a few minutes," He gave a warm smile back, "then we'll start again." Suddenly, Drake focused on a cluster of nearby bushes. After a few seconds, he spoke. "Dundee, you can come out now."
The dingo slowly moved through the bushes into the clearing, keeping his forest green eyes focused on Drakes silver-gray ones. He glanced at the husky for a second. "Ev, are you okay?"
"Other than being a little tired. . . And my paw" she held it out for him to see. "I'm fine."
He focused his eyes on her paw. "Did he do that to you?"
Her eyes grew wide. "No! I tripped over a tree root when I was running and fell, and ended up getting knocked out. . . Drake found me and took me back to his cave and took care of me."
Dundee focused his eyes on the wolf again. "How did you know my name?" The ginger pup asked.
The wolf gave a small shrug. "When I brought her back to my cave, I noticed a scent I had never smelled before. . . When she told me you were a dingo, I knew that's why I didn't recognize it. . . And I caught the same scent just now." Now he sat down. "You've been following us for a while, probably about ten minutes or so."
"I'm impressed." The dingo conceded, starting to soften up. "And you did a good job on the wrapping too."
"Thanks." Drake said giving a small nod. "I did the best I could with what I had. . . I'm Drake, by the way."
He glanced at the husky and motioned to Dundee, and she gave a small nod. She approached her mate and took a deep breath. "Dundee, I'm sorry. . . Last night, before you came home I accidentally kissed Marshall."
"I know." He said simply, but apparently she didn't hear him.
"I was caught up in the heat of the moment and-" She was cut off when he pressed his lips to hers.
After a moment, he pulled away. "I . . . Know."
"How?" she stared in disbelief.
"Marshall told me. . . I ran after you, and he ran after me." Dundee spoke softly. "Once I lost you, he told me why you ran away. . . Ev, he's really worried about you."
She nuzzled him again. "So. . . Do you forgive me?"
"I don't know." He looked into her eyes. And for the first time, she noticed tears in the corners of his green eyes. "Can you forgive me?" Before she could say anything, he began to sing. . .
Everyone wants a piece of my time.
I still put you at the end of the line.
Oh it breaks my heart to cause you this pain.
Give me a chance to prove
I'll make it up to you.
I still believe in you.
With a love that will always be.
Standing so strong and true,
Baby I still believe in you and me.
As he finished, he leaned in and nuzzled her again. "I've been so distant lately. . . And I haven't been giving you the love you need." He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Above anything else, I'm your mate . . . Not just your co-worker or your friend, your mate. And no matter how busy our lives get, I will always make time for you." He pressed his lips to hers again.
Drake smiled as he watched the two lovebirds. Soon he came to the realization that he wasn't needed anymore and started to walk away.
Everest noticed and spoke up. "Drake wait!" He stopped as she stood up and hobbled over to him. Once she got there, she nuzzled him gently. "Thank you . . . for everything."
He smiled. "Your welcome, Everest. . . See you around."
"Wait," She said again. "You're really good at navigating through the forest, and you know first aid. And I think you would get along great with the rest of the pups."
The wolf raised an eyebrow. "Rest of the pups?" he repeated.
"Why don't you come back with Dundee and me and be another rescue pup in the Paw Patrol?" she asked. "We could use and extra set of paw's at the Lodge."
Dundee nodded. "She's right . . . from what I've seen; you would make a great addition to our team."
"What's the Paw Patrol?" Drake asked.
The song is 'I Still Believe In You' By Vince Gill. . . Please Review!
