Shasta and Sonya sprinted vigorously down the long, snow covered path in front of them, getting into somewhat of a game to see who could take the lead.

Shasta was at first allowing her to take the lead, since she was the one navigating them through this difficult track, but after she taunted him about how slow he is, the two got into a friendly competition.

"And he takes the lead, once again!" Shasta remarked, running ahead of Sonya.

The female pup spied a tilted dead log leaning on the top of a snow covered platform. She ran up it, along the trunk, and jumped down, landing ahead of Shasta once again putting her in the lead spot.

"You were saying" she smirked to him, running ahead. "Keep up your cocky attitude, it's helping me beat you, as usual".

"Hey that's cheating!" protested Shasta.

"Zorry but in sport only ze best vin!" she returned, putting on a fake French accent to mock Francois and Philippe, who always repeat that whenever they are accused of cheating.

"How much further till we get to the forest?" asked Shasta.

"We're already here" Sonya answered, skidding to a stop outside a collection of massive, snow covered bushy trees. Several paths were cleared right through the middle of them to allow racers to mush right through them. "This is where Jean usually pulls his tricks, no one notices in these huge woods".

"Sonya...?" a sudden thought hit Shasta, something that he really wanted to know about his friend. "I don't want to start a sensitive topic or anything, but how exactly did your parents die?"

"Avalanche, in the same mountains we're going to now" she told him. "They were looking for something or someone and then...they never came back".

The snow began drizzling down a lot more faster and rapidly that it was before. The grey clouds had fully consumed the sky and were only getting darker. Although it hadn't completely arrived yet, signs of the approaching storm had.

"It's starting to snow quite a bit, maybe we should turn back" admitted Shasta, realising the danger presented with the snow. "We don't know how heavy it's gonna be".

"What? We're huskies, we're practically made for this weather" argued Sonya. "We can't stop now, we've already made it to the forest".

Shasta didn't argue, no matter how much he wanted to. The confidence he had gained from hanging around with Sonya had motivated him to be more care-free, a trait which he put on hold since his parent's death. However, he noticed the determined look in her eyes resembling the same one in his.

"Sonya, can I ask you another question?" asked Shasta. "Are you doing this because you, yourself, want to be a sled dog just as much as me?"

"...Yeah, I've been wanting to for ages" she finally confessed after a heavy sigh. "But, like you, I don't have anyone to help me, I just muck around when I'm bored cause I've got nothing to be excited about".

So she really did understand then.

Besides it's a stupid idea anyway, five other dog's aren't gonna fall from the sky".

"Four".

"I'm pretty sure it's five" puzzled Sonya.

"Who else would I make a navigator if not you?" questioned the male husky, smiling. "I mean we're both doing this thing, right? So that means we're both gonna become sled dogs. You're already pretty good at finding your way around".

"Really?!"

"Of course".

"Thanks, Shasta!" she cried. "My aunt was right about you, you really are unpredictable...in a good way".


Meanwhile on the top of Mt. Amerock, Adam's group were exploring the very top of the desolate mountain, writing down notes and answering the questions on it's structure and other geographical terms. Luckily, Talon had seen the approaching bus and fled before they got off, so his secret home was safe for now.

"Aw man it's beginning to snow!" complained Ferdinand, covering his paper from the snow with Emily's scarf, although she just tugged it back making him drop his sheet.

"BOO!" screamed Fred and his friends from behind the mountain side, making them jump.

"Fred you idiot don't scare us up here, we could accidentally fall!" shouted Emily.

"Yeah yeah" he rolled his eyes dismissively. "I was just wondering if you babies would like to swap positions, let us be up here and you losers go down there to take notes".

"What no way, we were here first" refused Adam, knowing he was up to something.

"Whoa!" glared Fred's friend, looking at the massive amounts of open land through the cave in the mountain top. It revealed the entire eastern side of the mountain, with nothing but miles of snow, dangerous mountains and icy cold open sea. "I ain't going there, Fred, I'm telling you now".

"Hey I don't want to die, I'm not going there" his friend agreed.

Adam then thought of something. If he could do something that Fred was too scared to, everyone would stop bullying him and treat him with respect.

"I'll do it, doesn't seem so hard" he volunteered.

"What?!" Emily and Ferdinand cried.

The others laughed as Adam went forward. Suddenly, as he reached the edge of the mountain side, the heavy winds finally blew in, unleashing the full strength of the storm upon Alaska. The wind's pushed Adam back as he tried returning to the cave, and the edge cracked, making him fall off the mountain.

"Adam!" the others yelled.

"Uh-oh" muttered Fred.

"Quickly we've got to tell the teacher!" said Emily, as they ran back down.


Sheriff Ryan was talking to Adam's dad when his phone rang. He answered it to a frantic teacher who was explaining the situation to him. The storm had completely blocked the mountain side, so they couldn't go rescue Adam themselves.

"Oh my god, I'll be there right away!" he promised, hanging up.

"Wait, Adam's in danger!?" cried Joe.

"I'm gonna go check it out" the sheriff answered, getting his snow speeder ready.

"I'm going with you, if my son's in trouble I'm going!" Joe declared.

"No, in this storm it's too dangerous for you to go outside" argued the sheriff.

"But-

"I will handle it, trust me".

Akira walked through town, being hit by the wind and snow when Bernie approached him.

"Oh hey Akira, I was wondering if you've seen Shasta anywhere?" he asked.

"Not since Tuesday" lied Akira.

"Well you see Adam's been hurt in this freak snow storm and I'm just afraid he might go after him or something, you know how he's like" chuckled Bernie. "Can you keep him out of trouble until we're back?"

"Snow storm!?"

"Yes, just hit randomly today" repeated the Saint. Bernard. "Luckily there's no races on, could you imagine running down that track in this snow?"

Akira could imagine that because he literally just sent Shasta down there. His eyes were death pale and he immediately ran off to find Echo.

"Where's Akira?" wondered Alpine.

"He'll be back soon, I'm sure" said Echo. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Shasta all day either".

"Haven't seen Sonya either, they're probably together" sighed Alpine.

"Doubtful, only fools would be out in this weather" argued Baron.

"So why are we out here then- in this weather?" chuckled Anouk.

"We must be fools then" snickered the brown husky. Akira ran towards them. "Come on lets go inside".

"Ah there you are, what kept you?" asked Echo.

"It's Shasta...he's running to Mt. Amerock using via the race course" he panted.

"WHAT?!" they all shrieked.

"Sonya must've gone with him, she knows that course of by heart" realised Alpine.

"Why didn't you do anything?!" demanded Echo.

"It was Francois and Philippe...they told Shasta Adam was hurt in their little trip to the mountain" lied Akira, covering up his actions.

"Are you all deaf...move!" ordered Echo, running past the sheriff's office to see Deputy Bernie was gone. "Huh?"

He ran up to Jean George's dog's who were walking past.

"You fools!" he scolded. "You've just sent two puppies down a death road in a storm...what kind of comedy is that? No seriously, I'd like to know".

"What storm?" questioned Francois, eyeing Akira, hoping he would come to their assist.

"I didn't know there was a storm, did you know that?" Philippe added. Francois shook his head.

"I don't know that course, but you do, so you're gonna lead us down there to get Shasta or I'm telling Deputy Bernie" demanded Echo, growling.

"..."

"You'd better or WE'RE all gonna be in trouble" Akira hinted to them about the three of there's problem.

"You are correct; know that track of by heart we do" agreed Francois. "Follow us".

Lieutenant Toffs got into his ambulance an prepared to follow the sheriff, who had already left with his trusty rescue dog. Suddenly, Joe stopped him.

"What is it?" the annoyed lieutenant asked. "I need to go stop someone from dying".

"That's my son whose hurt! Please, sir, take me with you, if anything happen to him-

"...Ugh fine, get in, I'm heading there anyway" he gave in. When Joe got in, he looked at his Shadow trooper uniform with a strange expression.

"What?"

"What's this?"

"It's a very cool Shadow trooper suit" defended Toffs.

"Isn't it hard to walk in that?"

"Don't we have somewhere to go"

"Oh right my son'a in trouble, lets go" urged Joe, remembering the current task. They then spotted the group of huskies running towards the exit. "Hey isn't that that Russian guy's dogs?"

"I have no time to tell him" declared Toffs.

"Oh wait...he gave me his number!" remembered Joe, taking out the paper and his phone.

Doctor Mitchel and Paul exited the his house.

"Thanks for checking on my dog, doc, now I know why he won't eat" thanked Paul.

"No problem. Hey, isn't that Jean's dog's?" Mitchel spotted Francois and Philippe leading the others out of town.

"It is..and their leaving town...I'm supposed to be looking after them" Paul gulped.

Jean George then approached them.

"Oh hi Jean, I was just talking about you" stammered Paul.

"This clown lost your dogs; they've just run out of town in the direction of the race course" interrupted Mitchel, gaining a dirty look from Paul.

"WHAT?! Some dog-sitter you are!" Jean shouted. "How can I race without my two leads?!"

He quickly dashed to the rest of his sled team and wiped them into getting up.

"Come on you lazy mutts mush!" he called out to them; an extra player had joined this mess.

"Jean's never gonna talk to me if his dogs die, I'd better go help" grumbled Paul, entering his truck.

"In that case, I'd better come along to, I am a doctor" decided Mitchel, getting inside as well.

"Oh yeah after you snitched me up" said Paul sarcastically. As they drove towards the exit, they were stopped by the Russian man who stood in front of the van waving his hands for them to stop. Paul nearly ran him over. "Oi, what's the big idea, I'm trying to drive, you complete nut!"

"My dogs have run out of town, can you take me with you so I can get them" he explained.

"I think we saw them, fine only cause we're heading there too" Paul eventually agreed (his first time being nice..sought of). "No room up here, sit in the back".

As Paul and Mitchel laughed evilly, the Russian sat in the back, cramped cargo area of the van, where lots of tools were scattered around. And as the van drove, the tools scattered everywhere hitting the poor man.


On the bleak, high mountain in the lowlands, the spy bug's red eyes switched to green, alerting the duo of evil that their time was now.