Chapter 9: The First Time

*Warning, this chapter gets emotional. Especially towards the end*

Hours passed by as the snow fell quietly, blanketing the ground in a winter wonderland. The pups had all enjoyed having a good time indoors; they drank warm water, snuggled in blankets, watched a movie, chatted about different topics, and sang songs. Eventually, it was late, so everyone got into their beds, and went to sleep.

The snow fell silently as the pups all slept, but Snowflake was having a hard time sleeping. She just felt like she needed some company. Suddenly, she heard a voice.

"Hey, Snowflake? Are you asleep?" Marshall's voice spoke, making the husky pup turn her head in his direction.

"No Marshall. What's up?" Snowflake replied slightly curious.

"Want to just hang out a bit?" Marshall asked kindly.

"Sure," Snowflake said as she got out of bed. She and Marshall then got out a spare bed, and blanket, before cuddling next to each other. For some reason, hanging out and watching the snow fall outside was comforting somehow.

"So, why did you want to hang out? If you don't mind me asking," Snowflake said to the Dalmatian.

"I just couldn't sleep. Besides, we don't get much time to ourselves. It's nice to just hang out with you once in a while," Marshall retorted.

"Thank you. It's nice hanging out with you too. To be honest, I love doing this during the winter; hanging out inside, snuggled up under a warm blanket, watching the snow fall. There's just something peaceful and therapeutic about it," Snowflake replied, sweetly.

"Yeah, it is. You know, with us hanging out, and the snow falling, it reminds me of ... Well, the first time we met," Marshall replied softly. Snowflake was surprised, but realized Marshall was right.

"It does. When I gave you your teddy bear back, I was just doing the right thing. I hated seeing you so sad, and crying. I just felt like it was my responsibility to bring it back to you. I wanted you to be happy buddy," Snowflake replied honestly, but also in a kind voice.

"Thank you, buddy. I really appreciate that. Besides, my teddy bear brought us together as friends when you think about it," Marshall responded gratefully.

"Yeah. He did. We didn't just meet each other; we bonded. You even invited me to stay until we got that rescue, and I joined the team. I can't thank you enough for that," Snowflake said kindly.

There was a moment of silence as Marshall thought about whether to ask his next question. It was a personal one, and he didn't want to make his best friend upset by accident. Still, he decided to ask, but cautiously.

"Snowflake, I know this is a personal question, and you don't have to answer, if you don't want to. But, I was wondering, if I hadn't stopped you from leaving after you returning my teddy bear, what would you have done? What would have happened when you went back to your hometown?" Marshall asked with both curiosity and caution. Snowflake sighed.

"I would have gone back to my hometown of Sunlight. I either would have gone to my house or stayed at a friend's place. My owner was sometimes at a hospital for medical reasons or was a home struggling to just take of himself and others. On top of the family being busy with taking care of him, worrying about who would live in the house, what would happen if we had to sell it, who would take care of me, money issues, and what to do for Christmas!" Snowflake said as she got watery eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Snowflake. Then again, at least you were around your family," Marshall said sympathetically. The response he got next surprised him.

"No Marshall. You don't understand. Christmas was tough because my owner was in and out of the hospital. Money was something my owner's family had to be careful with. True, I was with my family, but there were times where the house was so loud, so stressful, so overwhelmed, I would be taken to or walk to a friend's house just to stay there for a while the family tried to figure out what options to do next. That or I would stay outside in a makeshift home by myself! My owner was special, but his family struggled financially sometimes. Even when my owner was there," Snowflake replied sadly.

Snowflake then sat up, the blanket sliding off her as did so. She then got up, took several steps forward, then sat back down again.

"The last time I saw my owner was when we were all hanging out. Just several days before Christmas Eve! He would pet me, said he loved me, hugged me, then he suddenly was drove to the hospital. I stayed at a friend's house again and walked around until I got into Mr. Porter's van by accident. That's what would have happened, Marshall!" Snowflake said as she concluded her story. Marshall was shocked.

"Snowflake, I'm SO sorry!" Marshall said, getting teary eyed himself. He walked over to the husky and nuzzled her. The husky pup nuzzled back. She then lowered her collar to reveal a vivid blue scarf with white snowflakes on it.

"This is all I have left of him ... After he adopted me, we were walking one winter night, the town all decorated with Christmas decorations. I saw this scarf in a store through a window and wanted it. It was just so pretty ... My owner said he would get it for me, and he did. ... Little did I know he got it for me as a backup ... That Christmas he had sewed up a scarf that was exactly like the one he bought, and gave it to be as a Christmas gift, along with my collar. ... That's when I got my name, and when I became a part of the family ..." Snowflake explained, her voice cracking. Tears were also rolling down her face as she told the story, now letting the collar cover up the scarf again. Marshall's ears went back, as he now realized just how grateful Snowflake was by his kind invite to stay, but also how important her old family was to her back home. He had no words to express how he felt.

"Snowflake ..." Marshall said softly, before Snowflake threw herself into his arms, crying her heart out. Marshall hugged her tight as the husky cried over how much she missed her family.

"Aaaaaahhhh! M-Marsh - haaaaaalllll! I - I miss him! B- Benjamin! I miss you!" Snowflake exclaimed as she could feel the love from old memories pouring out as cries, missing her old owner. Marshall hugged her as he also started crying. Poor Snowflake!

"I'm sorry. It's okay, it's okay," Marshall said kindly as he let the husky pup cry here eyes out. He could sense the love she had being poured out. He just wished he could help her more. But all he could do was comfort her.

After crying for several minutes, Snowflake slowly started to calm down. She hugged the Dalmatian back, kindly.

"Thank you, Marshall," Snowflake said as she cried softly. Marshall smiled sadly.

"You're welcome Snowflake," Marshall replied softly. The two pups then spent the rest of the night hugging each other, and then fell asleep.