A little intro
This story was written in the middle of Closet, another project I have been working on, because I had a few days when I was struggling creatively in that story. I also wanted to work on this story early, so I can still publish Closet in late November. You see, the backstory to this entry is a little...personal to me. My sister, back in late August, moved away to college, leaving me back home for work. For months, until she left, I didn't think I would miss my sister that much. I knew she was going to come back multiple times during the school year, so I wasn't sweating it. Well, for significant events in my life that I know are coming, the impact of the event only hits me when it actually happens. For the first week after she left, I was very lonely at home. Me and my sister have an amazing bond, and it showed in my loneliness. I would walk by my sister's room and expect her to be there, only to see that it was empty. My sister also experienced for the first time what it was like to be away from everyone that she loved: including me, my dad, her boyfriend and the rest of her family. So, when she came back during the last weekend in September for a visit, we were both pretty damn happy to see each other. You know, having a bond with a sibling, brother or sister (or being on just good terms) is an incredible strength to have. Even though you and the other might not agree on ideas, interests and even morals, siblings almost always have each other's backs.
I feel like the PAW Patrol have high standards for each other with this kind of "sibling mentality."
In my opinion, this "family" thing actually applies more to Everest and Jake's relationship. Ever since Jake found Everest in the South Pole, alone as a pup, she has looked up to him as a "father figure" in her life. Also, though Jake is not a canine himself, he could look at her as a "daughter" type, given how young she was when he found her. They formed an amazing and unique bond working together at the mountain of his namesake in a ski resort, living inside Jake's warm and cozy cabin. Things are starting to change, however.
Eventually, Everest grows a bit older, and by the age of 14, she starts dating Marshall. This fact, along with her becoming a teenager, makes start thinking of leaving Jake and moving down to the PAW Patrol lookout with her other friends. But she is unsure if she wants to. Finally, one event with Marshall in particular causes Everest to change her mind for good.
Finishing this story is ironic for me because my sister actually came home this weekend. I wanted to publish this Friday, but a few friends came over lol. Also, I finished this story at 4 in the morning. I'm tired. Also, I decided that no chapters were really necessary, partially because I couldn't come up with witty chapter names.
This story is a flashback to when the pups are around 14 years old. Enjoy!
paw patrol all grown up #20: climate change
written October 13th to October 31st, 2021
It was a chilly and windy January morning in Adventure Bay. It was only 10 degrees with a wind chill just below zero, and a large, 4 inch blanket of snow covered the entire town. It also was already snowing pretty hard, but it did not stop the PAW Patrol pups from having some fun. With all of them donning hats and scarves, the gang, with the notable exception of Marshall, were already out to have some fun.
"Ok, guys! Who's up for a couple of rounds of Squid Game?!" Chase asked his comrades with excitement. His friends cheered with glee, not to any of his surprise. The pups discovered the entertaining-although violent-Netflix show just a few days prior. Squid Game was a series of child-like games that had a disastrous outcome if a player failed, most likely getting shot. As they watched the events unfold, the canines were appalled and glued to the screen: so much so that they decided to make their own version of it; although with no deaths.
"What game are we gonna play first?" Rocky asked eagerly, his curiosity already peaking, with his tail wagging at a thousand miles per hour.
"You guys already know...Red Light, Green Light!" Chase replied. Just then, Robo-dog, sporting a yellow and orange dress like the statue in the show that the pups bought online, wheeled himself out to the german shepherd, who was waiting for the piece of machinery. Robo-dog drew two lines, one right in front of Chase and the other almost 100 yards away, where the other pups walked to. The rules were simple: Robo-dog would stand at the other line far away, and bark to signal green light. If Robo-dog would bark again, it would mean red-light. If any of the pups were caught moving, that meant elimination. Chase already told his friends if they were caught moving after a red light: Robo-dog would pelt the loser with snowballs. The pups stood behind the other line, 100 yards away, ready to run. Robo-dog barked once, provoking all the pups to start sprinting. Less than three seconds later, Robo-dog barked again. All the pups, except for Rubble, halted. The bulldog lost his balance and plopped onto the snow beneath him.
"AW, COME ON!" Rubble cursed himself, as the other pups laughed. Robo-dog wheeled over close to the construction dog and naturally began to pelt the poor bulldog with a dozen snowballs, much to the pups' amusement.
"Dude, why did you have to make Robo-dog throw snowballs? Couldn't you have made him do something a little less...barbaric?" Rubble complained to the police dog while walking away. All the other pups continued to stand still like marble statues.
"If it was a warm day, Robo-dog would have dumped you with ice water. Would you rather have that?" Chase shot back.
"Not a chance." Rubble muttered as Robo-dog barked again to signal green light. The game went on for 4 more minutes, with the exception of Zuma, the other pups passed the round with flying colors. That was when they saw Marshall, walking by himself to his pup house. Naturally, they all ran over to him to see what the dally was up to.
"Yo, Marshall! Where are you going, dude?" Zuma inquired.
"You wanna play Squid Game with us?" Skye asked.
"Nah, guys. Not today. And you guys know I suck at Red Light, Green Light." Marshall sighed. The dally hated the first round of the game, mostly because of his clumsiness. The first time they played, he was eliminated in less than 5 seconds. Still, like his friends, Marshall enjoyed the competition as a whole. Squid Game consisted of other games that he was actually good at, like Tug-of War among others.
"You still goin' somewhere? It's only 9 AM, though." Chase spoke up.
"Yeah. I'm gonna go visit Everest at her cabin today." Marshall replied calmly as he pushed a button next to his pup house, turning it into his standard fire-truck.
"But...Marshall...I don't think it's such a good idea…" Skye answered nervously.
"Why not? I haven't seen her in a week. When you're in a committed relationship that just started, that time is eternity." The fire dog sulked in disappointment. The dalmatian and husky had only started dating three weeks prior, and they were already very close. They were almost inseparable since they got together, with Marshall making the 10 minute trip up to the mountains to see his girlfriend frequently and Everest visiting the lookout whenever she could, which was pretty rare. Thanks to their pup tags also being a walkie-talkie like device, the couple would talk to each other through those said pup tags almost every day they couldn't visit. They would talk for hours on end and sometimes into the wee hours of the night. Marshall had not seen his girlfriend in person since last week, with Everest and Jake going on a snowboarding trip to Colorado, and they both just came back the night before. Even though they still talked to each other daily through their pup tags, Marshall and Everest just didn't like talking through their collars to each other as much. It just wasn't the same.
"Marshall, as the pilot of the PAW Patrol, I look at the weather channel every morning to make sure it's safe to fly when I need to. Today is gonna be awful to visit her in person, if you ask me. It's already snowing pretty bad right now…" Skye mentioned, pointing upward to the gray, cloudy atmosphere above them as all the pups gazed upward too. The snow was starting to fall slightly harder, but for no cause of alarm. "I saw on the news that there's gonna be a major blizzard that could hit in the next 30 minutes and it's gonna last for the next 3 hours! It could be the biggest one of the season! You simply can't drive in that weather, let alone try to go up a mountain." The pilot begged him.
"Hey, it's 30 minutes. I can make it by then." Marshall said with a cocky expression.
"Dude, you didn't listen to her at all! It could hit any moment now! Just stay home and talk to her through that big screen we got in the tower. At least you can see her with your own eyes." Chase pleaded with his best friend, trying to change his mind. But the dally was not convinced.
"Hey, Chase. Would you do the same thing if you and Skye switched places with me and Everest? How would you feel if your girlfriend lived with you in the mountains, and you can't see her every day? I mean, you are A LUCKY DOG. You and Skye literally live next to each other. Don't take what you guys have for granted." Marshall retorted.
"Did you really have to make this about love? It's not just that! You could get yourself hurt, man. Just stay here." Zuma spoke to the fire dog. But Marshall was more firm than ever. He sighed heavily and looked his friends in the eye.
"I need to do this. You're literally wasting my time! I'm gonna make it before this blizzard hits! If it does hit, my truck's still gonna work! It's very reliable. Anyways, I gotta go." He stated without emotion as he fired up his truck and sped away and onto the bridge. His friends all looked on and shook their heads.
"That's a sick boy right there." Rocky sighed in disappointment.
"Facts." Zuma remarked with agreement.
"They need a break from each other…" Rubble pondered aloud as the pups all walked back into the lookout.
"They literally talked to each other every day during Eve's vacation. Not even distance can keep them apart for a long time." Chase elaborated.
"Not to be mean to Everest or anything, but if I was her, I would have moved down here by now. I mean, it's a good decision. She's with all of her friends and doesn't have to be stuck in a cabin all the time." Skye spoke up.
"And you're the only girl down here! It's gotta be annoying being here with just us guys 24/7." Zuma agreed.
"Exactly! I mean, it would be amazing to have another girl like Everest around here. We're literally BFFs for crying out loud! Think what Everest moving in would do for Marshall, huh? It would be great for both of them! Their relationship would be even better than it already is." Skye pointed out. Just then, Ryder came down the elevator to the first floor from the top of the tower, where all the pups were situated.
"I was up there when I saw Marshall leave in his truck. I asked him where he was going. He said he was going to visit Everest, is that true?" Ryder asked the dogs.
"Unfortunately, yes." Chase replied.
"What do you mean 'unfortunately'? Is something wrong with Everest? She just got back from Colorado on that vacation." Ryder asked his German shepherd police dog.
"Haven't you seen what the weather is gonna be like? There's gonna be a really bad blizzard coming in the next 30 minutes!" The cockapoo told him.
"Oh…I see...I'll try and talk to him." The boy told his pups calmly. It had been 5 minutes since Marshall left and Ryder tried talking the dally out of his plan, but again, Marshall remained incredibly stubborn and did not turn around back home. All of a sudden, the wind started to pick up and howl like a tornado. Snow began to fall incredibly rapidly from the sky and was blistering all over the place. The clouds grew darker by the second. The pups and Ryder gathered at the window, watching the blizzard outside with newfound anxiety and concern.
The blizzard had arrived at full force.
"I hope his truck can make it through this hellish weather." Rubble mumbled.
"He shouldn't have gone in the first place." The German shepherd angrily sighed to himself.
"I hope Marshall's gonna be alright." Ryder sighed as he looked down at his pup pad. It had lost signal of Marshall's location. The pups sensed their leader's worry and walked up to him.
"You mean...we don't know if he's gonna make it to Jake's cabin? I mean, that storm is pretty fierce." Rocky pointed out, worried for his spotted friend.
"Yeah...we're gonna have to wait before the blizzard lightens up a bit. It's too dangerous." The boy spoke nervously.
"How long is that gonna take?" Zuma inquired, sweat starting to flow down his brown coat.
"Two hours at the earliest. It'll be all over in 3 hours." Skye stammered as they all gazed at the outside world in front of them. The dogs started to whimper quietly, as their friend was going a stupid and risky ride.
Five minutes after the dally left the tower, he was a quarter way up Jake's mountain, when suddenly, it hit. The biggest snowstorm of the year rained down on the poor canine, as wind and snow pummeled his vision. Oh my god, it's here! Jesus, I haven't seen a blizzard like this since I was little. Marshall thought to himself as he continued to drive. He was driving on a flat slope of land when his hat and scarf that he had with him flew away.
"Oh shoot, my hat! My scarf!" Marshall cried to himself as he saw them fly away and down the mountain. The dally, who had his goggles on in case of any weather condition, kept working against the wind and snow as it continued to harass him on his path. As he was nearing halfway up the mountain, his truck's engine did the near unthinkable. It gasped and sputtered, shook and trembled. Marshall pulled over and stopped. He tried restarting the truck three times, but the truck would not roar back to life. Marshall leapt out to investigate and popped open the hood of the truck. The dalmatian gasped in horror.
"Wait, what?! The engine froze up?! Come on now…" He complained as he shut the hood in his truck in pure irritation. The snow and heavy winds were pummeling him with every step, hitting him like machine gunfire from WWI. He stumbled a bit, and even fell over after a few steps before getting back up. "Maybe I should call Everest or something. She'll come out to get me." Marshall spoke to himself as he tried turning on his pup tag. "Why isn't it...oh come on...shit! The pup tag has no signal!" The dally shrieked in horror. He was completely all alone, as he realized that nobody knew where he was. He stared up the hill in front of him. Jake's Cabin is at the top of the mountain. I bet I can make it! He thought with optimism. But Mother Nature had other plans in store. She was ruthless in her treatment of the canine, constantly hitting him with her fury. The wind and snow were even worse in the mountains, as Marshall began his trek. He was starting out strong, having his goggles still on him to give some sense of vision. After five minutes and him going only 400 feet, he still wasn't close, and the goggles flew off his face. He was completely helpless now, and his nose wouldn't be very functional in this weather.
"Just gotta go...just gotta go…" Marshall muttered to himself as he started his trek once again. After ten minutes, he finally passed 60% of the mountain. Less than half a mile remained until he would potentially make it. But the wind was whipping his coat. The white snowflakes showered him like an endless waterfall. He had no choice but to keep going. Little did he know that his friends back home were worrying about him. He also had no idea if Everest even anticipated his arrival either-and the love that he had for the husky began to pop into his head. This only pushed him even more. He began to pick up the pace, starting to run with his head down. It worked, as he was light on his feet, carving out countless paw-prints in the snow. 30 minutes passed, and Marshall was 80% of his way up. The weather was finally starting to take its toll on the young 13 year old dalmatian. His paws were beginning to numb and his fur was becoming more and more pale by the second. Marshall was also shivering non-stop, and shaking like a nervous wreck as he kept going. His steps got more slow and measured, his pain beginning to outweigh his optimism. He fell several times, but each time, continued to get back up. But it took him longer than usual to get back on his feet, with every step feeling like a thousand knives cutting through his paws. He winced in agony as he continued nearing his destination.
"Ahhh...ahhh...oh god...COME ON!" Marshall screamed to himself in anger, as he slowly kept trudging on. The snow that he was walking in kept piling up, and there was nothing but evergreen trees around him for hundreds of feet. After 10 more minutes, he was only 700 feet from Jake's Cabin. But he didn't know if he could keep going. He collapsed onto the white blanket of snow beneath him, as Mother Nature showed the dalmatian absolutely no mercy. On top of all that, Marshall was on a high slope, making his journey almost insurmountable. Then, it hit him. The error of his ways. He was incredibly selfish and short-minded to do this. He got up, and his knees were weak. He looked up to the grey skies above and thought about Everest. If he stopped, and even died, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. He knew now that he was gonna get heavily scolded for his actions, but he couldn't turn back. The dalmatian had a new sense of motivation: just make it to the cabin and apologize.
"Everest...I gotta make it...for her…" He whimpered as he kept going. After a few more minutes, he came across several downed trees and other wooden debris. This blizzard was actually intensifying. The winds were screeching like an F3 tornado, snow falling on Marshall's white coat like tons of cement. After forty minutes since his journey began, he came across a familiar place. Jake's cabin. Only 300 feet away. He could barely see the wooden dwelling, but it wasn't damaged at all. The lights were on, and the chimney puffed out smoke. Marshall had done it. He reached his salvation.
"Oh my god, I made it…" The fire dog sighed in relief. He was already weak from the elements, but he also began to feel a little...drowsy. He couldn't feel the pain anymore, but he trudged onward. The lights in front of the house shone like heavenly gates, awaiting him. He also saw that Jake's ATV and Everest's PAW Patrol vehicle were in the driveway, but buried up to the sides in snow. Thank god they're home...He pondered as he saw the door.
It was a quiet morning inside Jake's cabin. The mountaineer and husky just got back from their snowboarding vacation in Colorado the night before, and due to the inclement weather, were forced to close the resort for the day. Jake was busy taking care of cleaning the dusted-up floor in the living room, while Everest was occupying her bored mind with reading a magazine in her room. The fireplace was lit and the house was very warm and cozy: a perfect place for anyone to disappear from society. The young man was sweeping the floors when he heard loud knocking on the front door. It wasn't knocking, rather, it sounded more like desperate banging.
"I'll get it!" Jake called out. Who the hell could that be out here in this brutal weather?! It's a nightmare outside. He thought as he walked towards the front door and turned the knob. He opened the door to be greeted by not only a nasty blizzard, but Marshall himself.
"OH. MY. GOD." Jake cried in terror as he saw the husky's boyfriend. Marshall was a complete shell of his former self. His eyes were incredibly wide and dilated, his coat and paws were very pale, and some of the fur on his tail was actually gone. The dalmatian had a small smile of relief his face.
"Hey...Jake…" Marshall quivered. The mountaineer sprang into action immediately, ushering him into the house, and slamming the door shut. Jake was breathing heavily as he grabbed a spare dog bed from nearby and put it next to the fireplace.
"Everest! Get all the blankets from your closet and bring them to the fireplace! We got company!" The mountaineer shouted urgently to the husky from the living room, as he rushed past Everest's room to the furnace. The husky had no idea what was happening, so she did as she was told. The mountain rescue dog gathered 4 blankets from her closet and walked into the living room. Her heart broke into millions of tiny pieces as she saw her love, barely standing on his own and frostbitten.
"MARSHALL!" Everest gasped in terror as she dropped everything and ran over to him. Marshall gazed at her with sadness and remorse. A single tear trickled down his cheek as he choked up. He felt more drowsy than ever before.
"Everest…I'm sorry..." He whimpered softly. His paws and legs gave out beneath him, causing him to collapse. His head landed hard on the wooden floor first, knocking him unconscious.
"OH MY GOD, NO!" She bellowed as he laid motionless in front of her. Jake heard the husky as he rushed over to see what was happening. He gasped and knelt next to the unconscious dog in front of him. He checked his pulse on the dalmatian's neck and sighed deeply.
"His pulse is weak. I'll go put him on the dog bed next to the fireplace and you put the blankets on him." Jake told her. She nodded silently as the mountaineer lifted Marshall and gently laid his body onto the dog bed. Everest shuddered as she looked at her boyfriend in his broken condition. She threw some blankets onto him, and just for good measure, she laid next to him on the large dog bed, adding her abnormal amount of body warmth to his. As the fireplace was flowing, Jake looked down at his cell phone.
"I'll call Ryder and tell him what happened…" He spoke up. He tried for a few minutes to contact the boy, but alas, the blizzard was too much for the signal. "Well...I can't reach him...we might as well wait until the blizzard clears up a little bit." Jake sighed in disappointment. The young adult turned his attention to the two dogs in front of him.
"I...I just don't understand...what even happened?" Everest whimpered as she still tried to comprehend the situation. Jake walked up to the dog bed and knelt next to the husky.
"I don't know. Maybe something happened with his truck when he came up here. It might have froze up on him. Judging from the looks of him, he must have taken a really long time getting up here." Jake theorized. He began to gently stroke the top of the husky's head as he looked down to Marshall's unconscious body. "But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that he is alive and he's here." The mountaineer said. He then got up after a few minutes to gaze outside to check on the weather, and Everest remained put, staying at her ailing boyfriend's side, not moving for any reason. The husky couldn't take her internal suffering any longer, as she started crying quietly to herself. She laid her head on top of her beloved, tears cascading from her face onto the spotted dog's coat, while the fireplace spread its heat around the both of them. Don't leave me, Marshall. I can't have this happen to me. Not again. She pondered to herself.
1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES LATER
Finally, after just over two hours of when the massive blizzard began, it slowed down significantly. The dogs in the lookout, seeing the weather clear up, pleaded Ryder desperately to call Jake, and the boy did what his instincts told him. The two finally contacted each other, and it was clear: both were incredibly stressed out.
"Hey, Jake...Marshall left the lookout before the blizzard hit...He was going to see Everest...have you seen him? Did he make it to your cabin?" Ryder inquired the mountaineer, trying his best to remain calm. All the dogs in the lookout were emotionally on edge, ready for the worst.
"Yes, he made it...but I think his truck might have stopped...because he was out there in that weather for a long time…" Jake quietly answered. He gestured to Everest, who lifted the blankets off the top of Marshall's still unconscious body. The frostbitten dalmatian was in complete view of his friends back home, and understandably, Ryder and the pups were in absolute shock. Nobody said a word for almost a minute, as they looked at each other in disbelief.
"I gotta go...fuck…" Chase whispered loudly as he took off for the elevator.
"Wait! I'm going with you!" Skye exclaimed with worry as she ran after him.
"I told Katie about it and showed Marshall to her over the phone...she told me that I should keep him here for 2 to 3 days so he can heal. Everest also told her that when Marshall went unconscious, his head hit the floor really hard." Jake told the boy.
"Thank you...I'll see you in a bit." Ryder spoke, as he hung up. He immediately rode down the pole to the basement, where his ATV sat in the garage. He turned it on and met Chase and Skye in the driveway, whom both were riding in his police cruiser. The trio both sped off into the snowy bridge and into town, as Rocky, Rubble and Zuma watched from the top of the tower.
"This is some scary shit, man." Zuma shook his head. The bulldog and mix silently nodded their heads in agreement.
As they drove up the mountain, Ryder, Skye and Chase found several items that belonged to Marshall, including his scarf, winter hat, and his yellow goggles. After a while, they finally saw Marshall's fire truck, sitting abandoned, with snow covering all four tires.
"So, this is where his truck must have stopped." Chase observed as the three walked over to investigate the vehicle. Sure enough, as Ryder popped open the hood, the engine was still frozen.
"And that's why he had to stop. Judging from the distance, Marshall must have climbed halfway up the mountain to the cabin." Ryder noted as he slammed the hood shut.
"God, he's insane. Walking up this mountain in that hellish blizzard...that's unbelievable." Skye stuttered.
"Hey, Chase? When we come down the mountain later, can you tow his fire truck with your wench? The engine's definitely gonna need repairs." Ryder asked his police dog.
"Yes sir, Ryder. I was already planning that." Chase remarked, as the trio got back into their vehicles and sped up the mountain. By the time the trio finally arrived at Jake's cabin, it had been 2 hours and 30 minutes since the blizzard began. The snow finally stopped falling, and the wind was only a slight breeze. Ryder knocked on the door, and Jake answered it. Chase and Skye slowly walked over to the fireplace, where Everest was watching over the still-unconscious dalmatian.
"Hi…" Everest mumbled, as she gazed at the couple for the first time.
"Hey…" The cockapoo and shepherd quietly answered.
"Is he still unconscious? Or is he just sleeping?" Chase asked.
"He's still unconscious. He's been like this for almost an hour and a half." Everest spoke. Silence reigned between them, the only sources of noise in the cabin being the small conversation between Ryder and Jake about the dalmatian's condition and the fireplace simmering behind the four canines. "I just...don't understand any of this...why would he show up to our cabin in the middle of a blizzard...while looking like this? I didn't see his truck anywhere." Everest said, as her ears dropped. Chase's ears dropped as well while he looked down to his silent best friend, who was wrapped in four colorful blankets like a newborn human baby.
"Well, for some reason, he decided to come and visit you. He must have felt a lot of testosterone, because he decided to get out of here before 9 AM. Skye warned him about the blizzard before he left, but Marshall was like, 'I'm gonna make it before then.' Five minutes later, it hit. He made it halfway up the mountain before the truck froze up on him. Low and behold, he walked up here." The German shepherd explained. The husky nodded without another word. Suddenly, a quiet groan was heard. The pups looked down and their eyes widened.
"Marshall's waking up!" Chase told Jake and Ryder, as the dalmatian's eyes adjusted to the light. Once he was fully awake, he felt the sharp pain of his body inflicting him.
"Agggghhhh, my paws...my head…" Marshall moaned, feeling his head throbbing. Jake and Ryder walked up to the spotted canine, and all of them looked at the fire dog with worry and concern for his health. Ryder knelt next to him and looked at the dalmatian with a calm yet firm expression.
"Marshall, I want you to know what you did was ignorant and selfish. You risked your life so that you could see your girlfriend in the middle of a blizzard, and you're lucky to survive with frostbite and a concussion. Don't you ever do this again." The boy told him sternly.
"I learned my lesson, Ryder...but...what's gonna happen with my job now?" Marshall asked in a hoarse tone.
"Good thing you asked. I programmed Robo-dog to do everyone's jobs, just in case one of you guys gets sick or something. Jake talked to Katie, and she told him that you have to stay here for 2 or 3 days so that your body could heal completely." Ryder replied.
"Oh...ok…" Marshall spoke up. He could only speak in a quiet tone, thanks to his condition. He couldn't move much either, and his body was turned on his right side so he could face everybody in front of him.
"Don't worry about the rest of us. We'll be ok. Jake and Everest are gonna take very good care of you. I'll visit you every day to make sure your recovery is smooth, ok?" The boy mentioned.
"Mmm-hmm…" Marshall nodded as Ryder spoke his goodbyes and left the cabin. The police dog looked at the dalmatian with a sense of dumbfoundment and scorn, giving him the death stare. Marshall braced himself, knowing exactly what was coming.
"Dude! Do you know what you just did to yourself?! You literally ignored Skye's advice to stay home and went up the mountain anyways! Your truck got stuck as a result, and look at you! You're broken! Your ears are frozen, your paws are frozen, your nose is frozen, and you can't walk! And don't give us the bullshit excuse of your engine freezing up! Because you shouldn't have gone IN THE FIRST PLACE! You could have just stayed home and waited for the blizzard to clear up for a few hours but nooooo. You don't have enough common sense to do that! We were worried sick about you when the blizzard hit, man! We were beginning to think the worst about you! I thought you fell off a cliff! You're SO FUCKIN' LUCKY that you're even alive! You're way too young to risk your life for Everest, bro! YOU'RE ONLY 13 YEARS OLD! You have a long life ahead of you, man! Don't fucking kill yourself for her, okay?!" Chase exploded. His face was red from his anger, as he put his paws on his face. Jake, Skye and Everest were shook by his outburst. They all knew that the police and fire dog have been best friends from Day 1, and Chase was the embodiment of being calm and collected under pressure. But if one of his friend's lives was on the line, he couldn't help getting emotional.
"Hey...chill out. He's gonna be ok." Skye whispered to her boyfriend, consoling him. A few seconds later, the German shepherd gazed back at his 'brother'. Marshall's eyes widened, as he realized that the normally stoic police dog was crying.
"Listen, man. I'm sorry I yelled at you like that...but...it's just...you kind of deserve it…" The German shepherd said as he put his right paw on top of the dally's head. "I'm gonna be back tomorrow to check on you. Get some rest, man. We need you." He sighed. Chase whispered to Skye that he would be in the police car waiting for her, and she nodded as he walked out of the log dwelling without another word.
"Yeah...he kind of took the words right out of my mouth. But that's beside the point, Marshall. I watch the weather every morning for a reason. And you just...ignored me. When I or any one of our friends gives you important advice...especially Everest...you gotta listen to us. Your love life is not your whole life. Imagine what she would have gone through if you didn't make it in time. We would have gone on a whole search party to find you, only that you would have died due to your immature and irrational decision to visit your girlfriend in the middle of a terrible blizzard. Just...think about it." Skye insisted. She began to walk towards the door and open it. Before stepping out, she took a good, long look at Everest. Her best friend. "I think it's time. For your own good. You know what I'm talking about." The pilot remarked as she closed the door behind her. Everest was as silent as a statue, as Marshall looked up to her.
"I really fucked up, didn't I?" The dally asked softly. Everest removed the layers of blankets on top of him and took a long look at his frostbitten paws. She sighed deeply as she stroked his head.
"Yeah...you really fucked up. Listen, Marshall. You know that I love you, and it's great to see each other in person every time...but you couldn't have chosen any worse time to do it. I mean, couldn't you have waited for a few hours after the blizzard was over?" Everest inquired, raising her eyebrow.
"Well, I couldn't. And I didn't." Marshall answered blatantly.
"Then why did you think it was a good idea to ignore Skye's warning and go up anyway, only to have your truck's engine freeze up on you, having to trudge up Jake's Mountain in the worst blizzard of the year and getting a lot of frostbite?! To see me, of all things! Marshall, YOU COULD HAVE DIED! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!" Everest pleaded desperately. Jake turned around in shock, as he was completely blindsided by her temper.
"Because I missed you!" The fire dog cried. All of his emotions hit him at once, and it caused a few hot tears to escape from his eyes. Everest did not expect, let alone accept this answer in the slightest, as her eyes widened.
"Marshall, we talked every day during my vacation...how could you possibly miss me?" The husky asked, feeling water build up inside her eyes. Marshall made no attempts to hide his raw feelings as he sat up and held her two front paws with all the remaining strength his paws had left. Jake, seeing that they must have wanted to be left alone, went outside the cabin quietly and started shoveling the front porch.
"Even though we talked every day during your vacation, it just...hit me over time...well...I just can't stand talking to you through my pup tag every day anymore. I love the opportunity to talk to you from wherever with my collar as much as the next guy, but it just doesn't work for us. Admit it. Talking to you-face to face-is so much better. And...well...when you went on that vacation, I felt...empty inside. I'm sure you felt the same way. Being away for a whole week when we just started dating felt like an eternity. Talking to you, where you're physically right in front of me...is the best thing I can ask for...and I know what Skye was talking to you about before you left." Marshall admitted.
"You...you know that I've been thinking about-"
"Moving down to the lookout. I know...I understand why you can't move down there though. You already have a great life up here...you live in the snow, you get to hang out with Jake and it's your natural habitat." The dally yawned. He winced in pain as he moved his front paws back to his body and lied in the fetal position. Everest put all the colorful blankets on him, while the dally made himself comfortable.
"Marshall...you get some rest...I'm gonna go down to Adventure Bay to clear up the roads." The husky whispered as she kissed him on the forehead. Just as she grabbed her teal hat and was about to leave, the dally felt like he needed to get something off of his chest.
"Hey...Eve...thanks for taking care of me…" Marshall smiled weakly as he closed his eyes and began a deep slumber. Everest felt a small smile curl on her face, and walked out the front door.
10 PM
The rest of the day was rather busy for Everest, as she cleared the snow off the numerous roads in Adventure Bay. She swore that she hadn't seen a blizzard with this much ferocity since she was a mere pup in the South Pole. It took her three hours to shovel the snow, even with her trusty Snowcat PAW Patrol vehicle. The blizzard dumped 8 inches of snow on the small town. She shoveled everything, including the sidewalks, the long bridge and even the lookout's driveway. When she did so, Rocky, Rubble and Zuma rushed to her, asking if Marshall was alright. She told them that he was resting and his frostbite was slowly clearing, and he would be back in three days. The three males sighed in relief and thanked her for taking care of him as she drove off back home. The dally slept most of the day, and when he was awake, Jake and Everest took turns watching over him. Right now, Marshall was dozing off and Jake was in his bedroom, reading a book to himself. But Everest was wide awake. The only light in the home in the living room was the fireplace that had continually burned since the morning. She was cuddled next to him in the large dog bed in front of the fire, watching over him like a mother to her pups. She tried getting the nasty image of seeing Marshall coming into their dwelling a stiff and shattered dog out of her head, but it kept getting worse. Everest suddenly remembered the day when she was a pup, when Skye was going to visit her cabin one day. She ran into a storm, although not nearly as bad, and her flying equipment malfunctioned. Skye was eventually found and rescued by Chase' drone, and he never felt more relieved in his life up to that point. She was cold, but nowhere near frostbite level. The thought of finding Marshall's dead body as a casualty to Mother Nature's elements even crept into her head, and once they became pronounced, she couldn't take it anymore. The lavender husky's brain was torturing her constantly as she carefully snuck outside without Jake noticing. Sitting alone on the wooden front porch, she gazed at the full moon above her and started weeping bitterly. Seeing dogs die in blizzards wasn't new to the husky at all. When she was only five dog years old, she lived in the South Pole, alone with her parents when they found themselves in the worst blizzard they ever saw. Even though Everest survived, both her parents perished. That event had haunted her ever since, and the fact that her boyfriend nearly suffered the same fate just trying to visit her pushed her over the edge. For almost 30 minutes, she let all of her pain out before slipping back inside. Everest then snuck by a sleeping Marshall before walking into Jake's bedroom. Being still awake, he noticed her mood immediately. Her tail and ears were down, and her eyes were also bloodshot. She jumped onto the bed, where Jake was already under the covers. She lied next to her owner and cleared her throat.
"You know...I've been thinking for a while now...about something." Everest spoke.
"What is it?" The mountaineer asked.
"I...I hate saying this to you...but...I'm moving out." The husky admitted, gazing at her owner. Jake was stunned and surprised by this, but he took a few seconds to connect the dots and understood her motivation to do it.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jake asked her quietly.
"Yes...I'm sure...I just...don't want Marshall to die just visiting me for God's sake." Everest sighed. She then listened closely to the halls outside of the room, only to hear Marshall still snoring. She leaned into Jakes's ear. "I don't want him turning out like my parents." She choked up. Jake embraced her, and she hugged him back. He was the only one who knew about her parents' demise. She decided not to tell anyone else as of now, due to how traumatic her loss really was.
"I'm sure there's more to that as to why you wanna move out. I mean, you wanna be closer to Marshall and hang out with him every day. That would be great for both of you." The mountaineer observed.
"I know...and Skye's the only girl at the lookout... she's literally my best friend." The husky said.
"There's much more to you moving to the lookout just because your friends are down there. I think it's a great decision for you as a whole. You're 15 years old, and you're old enough to be on your own, basically. I don't ever worry about you when it comes to safety anymore...because you're strong, independent and the most amazing dog I could ask for." Jake grinned.
"Thanks…" Everest muttered as she licked her owner's face in appreciation.
"I think everyone in Adventure Bay would love to have you down there...on a permanent basis, you know?" Jake pointed out.
"Aren't you gonna be ok without me? I mean, you're gonna be lonely up here, all by yourself? And who's gonna help you with your ski resort and things like that?" Everest asked out of concern. The only reason she hadn't moved was the potential of Jake being lonely and struggling with the ski resort business.
"I'll be ok. In terms of help, I know some high school buddies of mine who are looking for work. So I'll contact 'em and offer them a spot. And I'll be alright without you. It'll be hard for a couple days...I'll miss you a lot. If you love something, set it free. And, if you want to move down there, I'm cool with that." Jake smiled.
"I love you, Jake." Everest spoke warmly as she licked her owner again, feeling slightly more relieved than before.
"Love you too, Everest. Now go get some sleep." Jake replied as he embraced her. She got off the bed and closed the door behind her, before tiptoeing over to the dog bed in front of the fireplace, where Marshall was still snoozing away. She walked onto the bed and snuggled next to him. The husky's scent always made Marshall relaxed and mushy inside, and he sighed.
"So...you're moving out?" Marshall asked groggily. Everest's eyes widened.
"Well...yeah." The mountain rescue pup answered. Unexpectedly, the dalmatian stood up on all fours. For one moment in time, his body wasn't in pain anymore. He smiled widely as he kissed her on the lips. Everest blushed like a tomato as Marshall separated and looked at her with unconditional love in his eyes, a gaze which the husky considered heavenly.
"You just made me the happiest guy in the world." Marshall whispered, before he laid down in front of her. Everest's heart was set ablaze as she stood over him, adoring how cute she looked when he slept. The husky snuggled next to him, her nose touching his and both holding each other tenderly. The love that they had for each other was stronger than the pain they endured, and the crackling of the wooden fire behind them quickly lulled the couple into a long winter's nap.
1 WEEK LATER
Marshall's recovery was surprisingly quicker than expected. The morning after the near-disaster, Marshall was talking in full sentences, getting his comprehension back. When Chase, Skye, Ryder and all the other male pups came over that day to check on their friend, the dally himself broke the news to them that his girlfriend was moving down to the lookout. The cockapoo was simply ecstatic, hugging her best friend and not letting go for nearly 3 minutes straight. Ryder told Everest that it was ok for her to do so. Chase and the boys couldn't have been more relieved for their fire dog comrade. During the rest of day 2 in his recovery, he regained feeling in all of his paws, and was walking slowly yet steadily. By day 3, Marshall was fully well and more energetic than usual, being that he learned that Everest was moving down in just a few days. Ryder came to pick the dally up in his ATV, and they drove down the mountains together. Upon finally returning home, Marshall was instantly greeted by all of his canine friends all pouncing on him and showering him constantly with licks to his face. He never felt more happy to be back where he belonged. 4 days later, it was finally time. It was noon, and Everest had already packed the minimal stuff that she had into her vehicle. Jake was standing on the front porch, watching his dog get ready to leave, with emotions slowly building inside of him. It had only been 6 ½ months (8 dog years to Everest) since the mountaineer found her alone in the South Pole, only donning her teal winter hat. Everest trusted him and tagged along with his expedition, and when the husky showed off her bravery by rescuing Jake in front of the PAW Patrol themselves, they offered her a spot on the team. As a mountain rescue pup. Jake also offered to give her a home, and she couldn't refuse. They became close over that short period of time, and Everest looked to Jake as the "father figure" that she lacked. In turn, Jake looked to the husky as his "daughter", mainly because he took care of her and her age when he found her. He never thought that she would leave him so soon, but due to her age, he wasn't surprised. When she finished packing, she looked to her owner with a sense of longing. It was time. The mountaineer beckoned her to come closer, and she slowly walked up to him.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" The young man asked, kneeling down to her.
"Yes...I'm sure…" Everest whispered. The two then embraced for over a minute, letting their emotions flow freely. They had developed an amazing bond, and both knew it was going to be a little hard moving on from living together for a few weeks. "I'll miss you…" She admitted.
"I'll miss you too. If you and Skye decide to have a slumber party or if you and Marshall need to escape for a weekend...you know where to find me. You can crash here anytime." Jake spoke as they seperated.
"Thank you...I appreciate that." Everest answered. She jumped into her vehicle and started it up. Before she went, Jake walked up to the driver's side of the vehicle. His height was the exact same height of the Snowcat, the husky's PAW Patrol vehicle that she dubbed herself. "I love you." She smiled as she licked his face three times.
"I love you too. I'm so proud of you." Jake responded. After 15 seconds of glancing at each other, she drove away. The young man felt himself crying from mixed emotions-from being sad due to her departure, to being happy for Everest starting a new life without him. After a minute of seeing nothing but tire tracks in the snow from where his friend left behind, Jake walked silently into his house, alone. He closed the door and sat on the couch, looking at a photo book containing some innocent moments between the pair. The mountaineer sat and looked at the pictures with newfound gratefulness.
After 15 minutes had passed, she was finally down the mountain and came onto the Adventure Bay bridge. It was snowing lightly, and 15 degrees with grey skies: a perfect climate to welcome someone of Everest's caliber. Marshall and Skye had been waiting patiently for her arrival, along with their pup friends and Ryder. Finally, after hours of waiting for them, the moment finally arrived as Everest parked her Snowcat onto the grass in the yard.
"OH MY GOD, SHE'S HERE!" Marshall and Skye cried at the same time, as all the pups began howling and cheering. Being that they were at the top of the tower using the telescope to track her whereabouts, the pups all rushed to the elevator, with Ryder slowly walking behind them.
"Oh my god, I'll get you guys down in a moment. Goodness…" Ryder laughed as he pressed the down button on the elevator. Within five seconds, the pups were at ground level. Marshall stayed behind while all the other pups rushed out to greet their new husky 'roommate'. Everest couldn't be happier seeing her friends, and Skye was the first to reach her. They jumped into each other's arms, squealing in excitement and joy.
"Oh my god, WE'RE ACTUALLY LIVING TOGETHER! I'M NOT THE ONLY GIRL ANYMORE! WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN!" The cockapoo bellowed with happiness.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING!" The lavender husky replied enthusiastically. All the male pups with the notable exception of Marshall greeted her with all smiles and hugs. After a few minutes of peace and harmony among them, Everest and the others, except Skye, figured out that the dally was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey...where's Marshall?" Rubble asked, shivering a little from the cold.
"You'll find out…" The cockapoo quietly told her friends. At that exact moment, out of nowhere, Marshall chucked a snowball from 30 feet away. It directly hit the mountain rescue pup's fur, and she looked in front of her, only to reveal a bush covered in a white blanket. After a few seconds, a white dog with black spots walked out from behind the bushes. The canine had the biggest damn smile on his face, his teeth shining from ear to ear. His husky girlfriend's eyes instantly lit up. For a moment, between the closely knit couple, the world just stopped in its tracks. It was a dream...that finally became reality.
"MARSHY!" Everest screamed as she started running to her boyfriend, delirious with joy.
"EVEREST!" Marshall cried, with sheer serotonin running through his veins. He stood on his hind legs, preparing to embrace her. Instead, his lover kept running at full speed. Right at him. His eyes widened and the dally yelped in surprise as Everest tackled him to the snow beneath him. All the other pups jumped at the occurrence, and Ryder, who was watching from the driveway, laughed pretty hard. The other pups ran to the couple, where Everest was on top of Marshall, attacking him relentlessly with kisses to his face before both started making out French kiss style like no tomorrow.
"Woah, Everest! Easy on Marshall, bruh! He just got frostbite a week ago!" Rocky laughed.
"They've been dating for only four weeks in human time...a year in dog years...and they're already going so damn hard..." Zuma observed, as the couple also couldn't keep their paws off each other.
"I know you're jealous, Zuma. Go and find a girl yourself, bro." Rubble pointed out.
"That's way too hard!" The chocolate lab giggled, playfully slugging his bulldog teammate.
"I wish I had one of those pet names that couples give each other...awww...you guys are so cute together!" Skye squealed as she witnessed the couple making out.
"Uhhh...you have a pet name." Chase told her.
"No, I don't." The cockapoo playfully protested.
"Uhhh...your first name is actually Stella, remember?" Chase asked, referring to his girlfriend's past. Her parents gave her the birth name Stella, but as she became interested in flying and aerodynamics, her name was appropriately changed. Nobody called her that for a long, long time, so it was a surprise to her every time she heard it.
"Oh yeah. I forgor." Skye giggled, causing all the pups to laugh in response.
"Welcome to the PAW Patrol lookout, Everest. Make yourself at home!" Ryder spoke to the husky, who wasn't even paying attention. Finally, the words registered in her head. She looked at the boy, then back to the love of her life.
"Don't worry. I got that covered." Everest spoke, as she stood up and lifted her boyfriend by the collar until he got up by himself on all fours. She pointed to his fire truck and winked suggestively. Marshall knew immediately what she wanted, causing him to blush intensely. The couple both walked into his pup house, and judging by the moans and smooching sounds the others heard outside, they found out too.
"I never knew they loved each other that much!" Ryder joked.
"Well, you just haven't paid attention, Ryder. These two are like this quite a bit." Chase told his owner.
"I swear, Marshall and Everest take 'housewarming' to a whole new level." Rubble spoke.
"You know what? Let's...just give Marshall and Everest their privacy. They deserve some time alone." Ryder told his pups as he walked back inside the lookout, where all the toasty air conditioning waited.
"Agreed." All the pups said in response, as they all followed him back inside the tower. The pups would talk to themselves for 30 minutes, waiting for Everest to come out of Marshall's house. Except...she didn't. After 30 minutes of pure locking-lips moments, they decided to catch a nap. Everest, sleeping next to her man, slept more soundly than she ever had in her young life.
Wowwww...a lot of stuff has happened in the past month lol. I'm unemployed now, as I left my grocery job on my own terms. Now, I've been looking at a post office job, but applying for it is so complicated, and it sucks, because they make 19 dollars an hour and pension money. There's lots of other jobs available, so I'm not sweating it. Anyways, I love Ed Sheeran's new album. It's dope. Also...ANIMANIACS SEASON 2 IS DROPPIN' NEXT WEEK, LET'S GET IT! And yes, I LOVE SQUID GAME. That show is absolutely insane XD. I feel like if the PAW Patrol pups were in Squid Game, they would be like this:
Marshall: Seong Gi-Hun (player 456: the main character)
Rocky: Cho Sang-Woo (player 218: the smart one)
Zuma: Abdul Ali (player 199: the Pakistani guy)
Everest: Kang Sae-byeok (player 067, the North Korean defector girl)
Skye: Han Mi-nyeo (player 212, the crazy short woman)
Rubble: Oh Il-nam (player 001, the old man)
Chase: Jang Deok-su (player 101, the strong bully/intimidating man)
P.S. I need to see a PAW Patrol Squid Game parody in this site. That would be sick.
The Packers just beat the Cardinals in the CRAZIEST finish I have seen in years. Just...insanity. Green Bay is 7-1 and we have so many injuries. It's just insane. The Bucks just got their championship rings and they look absolutely gorgeous. Adele is back. Silk Sonic is dropping their album in a few weeks and that is gonna be SUCH A BANGER. Can't wait for that. Oh, and happy Halloween, everybody!
Be the light- mitch :)