Requested by The Atlas Guardian

It was winter in Adventure Bay.

What was usually a warm climate had gracefully flourished into a new season of falling snow and chilly wind. Their traditional grassy field was painted white, christening, and sparkling from the crystals of ice that descended down onto the surface. No one could go outside without an ensemble of winter padding to keep warm, even the dogs needed at least a scarf. The snow wouldn't have been so bad if the wind didn't keep delivering waves of frost and freezing air every few minutes.

Rubble, Skye, and Marshall, puppies at heart, gleefully took the snow day to romp around outside. Rubble instantly threw himself forward upon stepping outside, faceplanting into the snow. Pangs of concern drew from others, until the Bulldog popped up again, happily rolling around. Marshall was so overjoyed by the presence of snow that he couldn't sit still, running all around the courtyard at high speed. He never actually stopped to do anything, the Dalmation just kept running and running, leaping over mounds of snow as happy as can be. Skye found a spot of untouched snow and sat down, beginning to roll the slush with her paws as aspired to make something. She had to wear mittens and a hat, as she was smaller, and produced less insulation in her fur.

The other half of the Paw Patrol decided not to participate in the snow. Rocky realized right away the snow was frozen water and excused himself inside for the heating and hot vanilla drinks. He wasn't alone though, as Zuma politely left the group to keep Rocky company, the two of them sharing a blanket in The Lookout.

Chase, the German Shepherd of the group, was busy in his kennel with the door closed. It wasn't that he didn't want to be the snow, he loved it just as much as anyone else, and his dark fur provided great amounts of warmth. He just had different matters to attend to, things that were significantly more important.

"Let's see," Chase muttered to himself, holding a pencil in his mouth, "Rocky wanted that new toolset," he tapped his paw on the floor, "what does Marshall like?"

He was standing over his desk with a piece of paper in front of him, trying to document what his friends had wanted over the years. Faint orange light gently kissed his face, illuminated by the lone candle that sat on his desk. His den sparkled in color, the Christmas lights he hung up glowing in brilliant harmony.

"Marshall likes everything," he said in quiet frustration, then sighed to himself.

A loud knocking came from his door, causing the Shepherd to jump and quickly swipe the list somewhere it wouldn't be seen.

"Chase?" Skye's small voice could be heard outside, "come out!"

"I'm busy!"

"But there's snow, we never see snow!" she whined,

"What do you mean? We've seen snow plenty of times," Chase tilted his head,

"Well, yeah," the cockapoo admitted, "but it's always like once a year!"

"That's how seasons work, Skye,"

"Just come out!" she defiantly tapped the door again, "make a snowdog with me!"

Getting slightly annoyed, Chase shook his head but spied his blue scarf sitting on his bed. For a moment, he felt himself relax, thinking about how nice it would be to do a little rolling around. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to spend just a few minutes outside, but his thoughts quickly vanished with a frown, knowing he had to get his work done.

"Sorry," he apologized, "maybe later,"

"Ugh, you scooge."

Chase blinked, "what did you just call me?"

"A scooge!" she yipped,

"You… you mean Scrooge?" Chase remembered the story, "from the Christmas Carol?"

"Whatever!" Skye huffed, running off,

The Shepherd gave a sigh, realizing the season of love and giving was a lot more difficult than many realized. It was hard balancing having fun and actually doing the work to make the holiday enjoyable for the ones you cared about.

"Ugh," he flattened his ears, rubbing his eyes as he groaned into his paw. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his family, he just knew that Christmas wouldn't be at its best if they didn't have a truly amazing time. Ryder had done most of the background work getting The Lookout grounds prepared for the holidays, Chase was just the one responsible for the presents. Even if Christmas wasn't truly about presents, he couldn't deny how much he loved seeing the elated faces of his friends when they opened their gifts.

He was going to retrieve his list from where he had thrown it when his collar began ringing, buzzing with a low tune.

"What, why now?" Chase protested to himself, reaching up to answer it, "hello?"

"Hey Chase!" chirped the voice that came through, and he recognized it immediately as a certain Husky that lived up in the mountains.

"Everest?" he tilted his head, "no offense, but why are you calling me?"

"It's a funny story actually," she could be heard chuckling nervously,

"Need help with something?"

"Ah, no," she quickly added, "Well, yes. You see I invited Skye up into the mountains, I wanted to take her into this cave I found."

"You wanted to take Skye into a… cave?" Chase raised an eyebrow, looking at his collar weirdly,

"It's a nice cave!" she insisted, "It's pretty in there, it has like… cool rocks and stuff. I just thought she'd enjoy a nice bit of sightseeing…"

"So…" he began, "why are you telling me all this?"

"Because she bailed on me," Everest sighed sadly, "I guess she'd rather play in the snow or something."

"Oh, sorry," Chase felt sympathy for the Husky,

"So I was wondering," she began, "If maybe you wanted to go with me?"

"Me?" the Shepherd was taken aback, "uh, gee, Everest, I'd love to but-"

"But what?"

"I have… a lot of work to do, and," he looked down at the floor, awkwardly pacing around his kennel, "I'm sorry, I really can't,"

"Oh come on, please?" she pleaded into her collar, "I already have everything set up, you wouldn't even have to bring anything! I don't want to go in there alone… I get lonely easily."

Chase sighed, staring at his wall of Christmas lights, "no one else, huh?"

"No one."

He badly wanted to deny her, knowing another few hours spent not working could be devastating for the holiday. At the same time, he couldn't deny the sympathy he felt, knowing what it was like to be alone. As a puppy, he had been left on the streets and abandoned. It wasn't fair to leave Everest to the same fate, especially on the holidays.

"Alright, I-" he started saying, regretting every word leaving his mouth, "I'll go,"

"Oh thank you!"

He swore he heard the Husky jump into the air.

"You can meet me outside Jake's resort, I can't wait to show you all this!"

"Yeah, sounds-" Chase was cut off as she suddenly hung up the call. Grunting in mild annoyance, he rolled his eyes and went to put on his scarf. Just a few hours with Everest, that was all, then he'd get right back to work.

.-.

Driving up the mountain was a good reminder that Chase really needed to buy some goggles. The scarf firmly tied around his neck did well to keep him warm, but the freezing wind constantly bludgeoning his face made driving difficult. He was thankful the roads were fleshy plowed of snow, at least someone was doing their job today.

After a few minutes, he arrived at Jake's resort, bringing his vehicle to a slow stop. The snow was noticeably much more intense due to the higher elevation. Even with the cleared roads, stepping off the pavement lead him to almost an entire foot of snow covering the ground. The skies were clear back home, save for a few winds, but at the resort, snowflakes were visibly falling, and the Shepherd stopped for a second to observe them. As if by instinct, he stuck out his tongue and tried to catch one.

"Heh, you do that too?" came a voice to his right,

Chase quickly snapped to attention, flicking his tongue back in as he turned red. He made a promise to himself to never let anyone see him trying to catch snowflakes, and it just broke marvelously. Looking to his right in surprise, he caught sight of the familiar Husky walking up, trudging through the snow.

"How long were you there?!" Chase blinked, stabilizing himself,

Everest gave a hearty laugh, "sorry, I kinda blend in with the snow a little."

"Tell me about it," the Shepherd tried to slow his heartbeat,

"I'm happy you're here though," she smiled thankfully, "I didn't really want to do this alone,"

Chase nodded as he looked around, "so what's so special about this cave?"

The husky instantly brightened, "oh you have to see!"

"Okay, that's- ahh!" the Shepherd yipped as Everest suddenly grabbed his shoulder in her teeth, pulling him along at a quickened pace, "okay okay, I'm following!"

The two dogs navigated away from the resort, passing by the massive log cabin resort as they entered through the trees. Chase followed behind her, his scarf blowing in the wind as his breath made clouds. His paws were getting slightly cold from the constant plunging into deep snow, but he bit his tongue when he saw how happy his companion was. He was warm enough, but he figured Everest was more than comfortable in her thick fur. It was the nature of Huskies to thrive in freezing weather, she wasn't even wearing a scarf.

"So what's it like being built for winter?" he asked her after a while, as they passed by trees and snow-covered rocks.

Everest gave a little bounce, "oh it's amazing, I've never felt so alive," she frowned a little, "at least until summer rolls around… then I have to get my fur shaved."

"Seriously?" Chase snapped his head over, wide-eyed.

"Don't you dare laugh," she glanced to her side at him,

"Sorry," the Shepherd struggled to suppress a giggle, "I'm just imagining you with a buzzcut," it was impossible to ward off the grin on his face.

"Well, I promise you I look ridiculous," she sighed, "it's humiliating, I'd rather keep my coat and stay inside under the AC."

"Always one for looks," Chase playfully teased,

"Looks? Oh no," she shook her head, "that's Skye's thing." she said with a flat tone, shrugging, "I'm not really one for looks,"

"Skye?" Chase questioned, "she's a Cockapoo."

"And?"

"Everest, Cockapoos aren't the most aesthetically pleasing of dogs," he quipped with a smirk, "Skye doesn't exactly have looks on her side,"

The Husky froze, stopping to turn to Chase with a shocked expression. She looked like she was about to reprimand him when she broke into a smile and began laughing uncontrollably. Chase slapped his paw over his mouth, trying to stifle his own laughter.

"Oh jeez," Everest wiped a tear from her eye, "you better hope to God she never hears you say that."

"It's true!" Chase insisted.

"Well, if she isn't, then what is?" Everest asked,

"Hm?"

"You said she's not aesthetically pleasing," she said matter-of-factly, "which is fancy talk for unattractive," the Husky snickered, "so what is?"

"Uh," Chase wasn't expecting the question, and he narrowed his eyes at the ground as he walked,

"Let me guess, Shepherds," Everest smirked at him, raising an eyebrow knowingly,

"Hey that's-" Chase tried to fight the statement, turning to her with an annoyed expression, but he stopped himself. Tilting his head to the side, he came to a lightly biased agreement, "well, not to chew my own bone…"

"Narcissist,"

"Hey, Shepherds just are," he bit back, "also the Belgian Malinois."

Everest laughed again, "a species best known for resembling Shepherds,"

"Okay that's not fair," he frowned, turning back to her as he walked, "it's not my fault I happen to be part of a great species of dog,"

"Yeah sure," Everest made sure to drag out the last word, knowing it would get under Chase's skin, but little did she know he had another comeback ready to be fired off.

"Huskies, too," he pointed out with a grin.

Everest's playful demeanor quickly died, staring at her partner with mild shock. She quickly turned her head away, even though her red blush was obscured by her fur, "you're just saying that."

"Snow dogs with lovely thick fur?" Chase teased further, "sparkling as snowflakes land on them?" The Husky was unresponsive, walking a little faster as they neared their destination. Chase giggled at his vocal victory, feeling warmer than usual as he watched the Husky sway in front of him. He hadn't realized just how admirable Everest really was, he had spent so little time with her since she lived away from them.

The Husky stopped before a large opening in the mountain. The path lead under a stone archway, leading into a dark cave. Small icicles formed at the top as snow had partially covered most of the entrance. Despite the absence of light coming from the structure, Chase could spy faint glimmers coming from far within.

"So," he began, shivering a little from the cold, "what exactly is so amazing about this place?"

Everest beckoned him to follow with her tail, "follow me," she stepped inside, her paws meeting solid rock. Happy to stand on a ground that wasn't frozen snow, Chase followed behind, looking around as they moved. Immediately, they crossed into warm air, sending waves of comfort into them. There was no wind in here, letting them finally shake off the snowflakes that had collected on them and let the heat build within their fur.

The Shepherd squinted as the path became darker and darker until they were completely blind.

Chase looked around, trying to get a fix on light, "you're not about to kill me, are you?"

"What?" came the Husky's voice,

"Cause this would be a great time to do it,"

"I think you watch too many movies,"

Already listing off several murder movies in his head, Chase prepared himself to unload his vast knowledge of gruesome slasher flicks. Before he could get a single word out, his eyes suddenly centered on something up ahead. It was a flicker of light, gentle and faint, acting as a small glimmer in the vast cave. The closer they got to it, the more light began to return to their surroundings, and they were once again able to see each other.

"What… is that?" Chase narrowed his eyes at the small sparkle,

Everest turned toward him, smiling, "go see," she held a paw out in front, gesturing for him to move up.

Curious, the Shepherd picked up his pace, trotting over to the odd object. Quickly his confusion turned to wonder, as he approached the shining light. His eyes went wide, voice almost leaving him as he stared ahead in awe. It was a large, pure white, stone of hexigonial shape. Faintly translucent, it shined brightly in the darkness.

"Is that… a diamond?" he stared at the crystal in awe,

"No," Everest walked up next to him, "if it was, Jake and I would be long gone," she laughed, "I'm not really a geologist, though, it's just a shiny stone to me.."

Chase stared into the stone, captivated by its beauty, "how is it shining if there's no light in here?" he glanced around in bewilderment.

The Husky put a paw to her chin, "that's the thing, I have no idea," she shrugged, "there's something special about this place. Wanna see something even better?"

Without even listening to Chase's response, she grabbed his paw in her own and pulled him along. Usually he would've pulled away, as was the case whenever Skye tried such a thing, but to his own surprise he didn't feel protest. The Husky's touch was different, it wasn't abrasive like what he usually felt, it was warm and friendly. For a moment Chase felt himself turning red, shocked that this was the first time he had ever hung out with Everest.

She led him to a small opening in the wall, it was narrow and slightly jagged, prompting mild concern from Chase. However, Everest quickly ducked her head down and slipped into the small passageway, unafraid of tight spaces. Figuring he may as well follow her until the end of time at this point, Chase got low and crawled after her.

"We're here!" she exclaimed, emerging on the other side,

"Where-" Chase began to ask, until she moved out of his view, allowing him to fully take in the room. All words left Chase as he crawled out of the tunnel, emerging into a room covered entirely in shining crystals. The walls and ceiling glistened, sparkling like a starry night sky. Crystals formed along the edges of the floor, growing up the stone walls into lovely glowing stones.

"Holy-," Chase was aghast, "how did you find this place?" One crystal in the wall alone was enough to be captivating, but an entire cave of them was giving him an out-of-body experience.

The Husky looked into one of the minerals for a moment, watching her reflection, "just kind of… found it, I guess," she turned back to him with a coy shrug, "beautiful, isn't it? I wanted Skye to see it, but…" her voice faltered, "I guess she's too busy for me,"

She looked to the side for a moment, then met Chase's eyes with her own, "do you think I'm boring?" her small ears flattened.

"What? No," Chase was appalled, "you brought me to a cave full of crystals," he gestured at the glistening wall, his tail wagging excitedly, "this is amazing, you're amazing!"

Everest shot her ears up, recoiling slightly, "you…" she stepped back, "you honestly mean that?" her tail began wagging itself, "Chase you can't just say that,"

The Shepherd shrugged, the lowlight and gentle shine of the crystals were putting an effect on him. He didn't know if it was the lighting, but there was something new about Everest, painting her in a lovely light that was impossible to stray away from.

Giggling slightly, the Husky flicked her tail toward a corner of the cave, "anyway, one more surprise." Bounding over to a hidden parcel, she gently pulled out a metal case. Chase watched her movements in interest, noting how unbothered she was from the cold.

"I packed us something," she smiled, opening the case with her nose, "Hot Vanilla for two, want a bowl?"

Chase instantly smiled in excitement, "oh yes, please,"

Hot Vanilla was something of an unspoken tradition among dogs around the winter holidays. Dogs were physically unable to consume hot chocolate, as it poisoned them rather than be a refreshing cup of comfort. Instead of risking death, a new drink began gaining popularity in Adventure Bay: Hot Vanilla, a delicious mixture of warm milk, honey, and sugar.

The Husky pulled two dog bowls from the box and placed them on the ground, taking care to remove a metal thermos afterward. Chase was overly excited about the treat, but his glee turned to faint sadness as he remembered it wasn't intended for him, "I'm sorry Skye blew you off," he apologized, looking down, "I can tell you put a lot of work into this,"

Sighing sadly, Everest tipped the thermos into each bowl, filling it with the hot winter beverage, "I thought she'd like a little girls' night out or something," she shrugged, "oh well, who needs her? At least I have you, anyway,"

"I can't be that much of an upgrade,"

"You'd be surprised," her smirk returned, "you don't ramble on and on about yourself every minute or the day,"

"Small dogs tend to be yippy and annoying," Chase joked, flashing a smirk of his own,

"Don't let Rubble hear you say that," she struggled to hold a laugh in, "well, enjoy."

A bowl of Hot Vanilla was pushed before him, usually Chase would shun such treats in favor of letting Marshall or Rubble have them, but they weren't here. It was just him and Everest, alone in a cave. He happily dipped his tongue in, quickly bathing it in the warm milk. The honey and sugar worked wonders, dancing in his mind as he began to feel giddy. Any serious demeanor he tried to maintain was now gone, as the luring spell of sweetness brightened him. Everest was visibly enjoying it too, as she gleefully licked the honey off her muzzle.

"Have you ever tried this with marshmallows?" she looked up, her blue eyes shining, "ooh, we need to do that next time I bring you up here."

The Shepherd tilted his head with a joyful expression, "next time? Didn't know I was a VIP of the mountain now."

"Well, no one ever really hangs out with me," Everest trailed her paw along the ground, seemingly nudging it toward Chase.

"What about Jake?"

"Well sure, but he's my owner," she pointed, "I wanna go running with other dogs, roll in the mud, catch a tennis ball, all the cool stuff you do with your friends!" she bounced a little, imagining all the fun to be had.

"Jake doesn't play with you?" Chase raised an eyebrow, "won't even throw a frisbee?"

The Husky thought for a moment, then let out a sigh, "no, I guess not. I've asked him before, and then he goes outside to make a snowdog with me, but," she shook her head, struggling to put her words together, "it always feels like I have to ask first, he never wants to play on his own accord."

Chase frowned, saddened at the thought of Everest being alone all day, "doesn't he ski with you?"

"Well sure," she rolled her eyes, "but that's all he'll do. It gets old after a while, I just wanna roll around a little, tussle even,"

"Tussle?"

She chuckled, forming a mischievous expression, "I've been watching dog wrestling on the TV, always wanted to try that,"

"Wrestling you say?" Chase raised an eyebrow, then stood up with a knowing expression, already prepared for what was coming.

"I guess," Everest was oblivious, then she suddenly noticed, "why are you standing up?"

Chase didn't respond, taking a few steps back. Narrowing his eyes playfully, he lowered his torso in the ground, with his rear in the air as if he was about to launch forward.

The Husky stared at her partner's odd positioning until the realization hit her. Her eyes went wide as she jumped up, "wait, wait wait wait," she sounded startled, "are you serious?"

"Oh yes," Chase said simply, kneading his paws on the ground,

"You're- … in here?" she exclaimed in surprise, glancing around the studded cave, "you're insane."

"Oh come on," he flattened his ears, readying himself, "you wanted it, right?"

Everest seemed unsure at first, but her spirit for adventure quickly smothered any other thoughts she could've had. Fluffing up her fur a little, she quickly matched Chase's stance, staring into his eyes, "fine then, bring it on!"

As if on cue, Chase launched himself forward, springing from the ground and colliding with Everest's fur. She grunted in surprise as she was swiftly pulled to the ground, falling onto her back.

"Ha!" the Shepherd gloated, leaned back a little to let her up, "police work gets you-"

His legs were suddenly smacked out under him as the Husky whipped her lower legs to the side, completely tripping him up. Before his body could even hit the ground, Everest rolled out from under him and snapped to face him, butting her head into his side. It was a solid attack, as Chase was now pressed into the ground as the Husky planted her paws into his chest.

"What, can't fight a girl?" she grinned, leering down at him,

"Lucky hit," he growled, reaching his own paws up in an attempt to shove her off, "I'm still… stronger than you!" he called in a burst of strength pushing her off. Everest quickly absorbed the force and skidded against the ground, briefly bristling her fur as she jumped right back. Chase utilized the few seconds to get back on his hind legs, bracing himself for the attack. They smashed together, each dog digging their hind claws into the ground for a foundation, grunting as they shoved against one another. Letting a snarl escape his muzzle, Chase overpowered the Husky and forced her back, managing to slam her against the wall. The Husky's thick fur absorbed most of the collision, but a faint squeak of surprise could still be heard from her.

"Oh shit, are you okay?" Chase jumped back in surprise, releasing the Husky,

Everest hobbled as she returned to four legs, "I… think," her face looked tired, wincing in silent pain.

The Shepherd was flooded with concern, even more with horror as it was him who hurt her. Shock rocketed through him, what would he possibly tell the others? He had actually attacked his friend and hurt her, taking the playfight to levels it never should have gone.

"Oh no," he worried, turning away, "hold on, I'll call Marshall for-"

The minute he put his back to the Husky, she suddenly rocketed forward, completely blindsiding the Shepherd from behind. Chase smacked forward, hitting the ground on his stomach before his brain could even register the attack.

"Ha!" Everest proudly barked, standing on his back, "I was acting! I wasn't hurt at all, didn't even feel it!"

"Mmf," the Shepherd stirred under his attacker, "oh that is not cool, I was genuinely concerned!" he groaned in annoyance, as mild pain leaked through him.

"As they say," Everest continued, "your heart is your biggest weakness," she smirked, briefly taking on a dramatic tone of voice.

Chase raised an eyebrow, "I think it's you who watches too many movies,"

Laughing, Everest stepped off him in victory. Chase rolled his eyes and started licking his paw, trying to slick his fur back into place after it had been so violently ruffled. He was annoyed at himself for falling for Everest's ploy, as he tried to maintain his embarrassment by fixing his fur. Everest briefly marched around the sparkling room of crystals, chest puffed out proudly, until she noticed Chase hadn't actually moved yet. Smiling, she walked over and laid down next to him, tucking her paws in under her fur.

"Heh, never been outsmarted before?" she teased, "not everything is teeth and claw, you know."

"It kinda is," he replied flatly, not taking his eyes off his cleaning.

Everest nodded to herself, glancing around the cave for a moment. The warm feeling of the Hot Vanilla danced within her, and the blanketing twinkles of the crystals around them shined in her eyes. She slowly began to feel emotions she never knew she had, and she turned back to Chase with a warm smile. Leaning her head down, she rested her chin on Chase's arm, "thanks for hanging out with me," she looked up at the Shepherd with her blue eyes,

"No problem," he smiled down at her, somewhat taken aback by her affectionate gesture. A part of him wanted to gently push her head off, yet another piece of him was savoring every second she was there, "you're pretty fun to be with."

"You think so?"

Chase nodded happily, wagging his tail as he looked off at the minerals in the walls. His smile faltered, he suddenly remembered the work he had to deal with at home, and what it stood for.

"Christmas Eve is tomorrow," he said, tapping his free paw on the ground, "hard to believe the year's almost over."

"It's kinda sad," Everest admitted, "in a bittersweet way, knowing a whole year of time has passed."

The Shepherd nodded, before a question peaked in his head, "hey, what do you want for Christmas?"

She thought for a moment, thinking back to all the different snowboards and mountain wear she had passed in the stores. The dozens of studded collars and engraved tags had caught her eyes and forced Jake to pick her up and carry her out of the store. Despite all the items that shuffled in her mind, she only had one answer.

Everest smiled contently, moving closer to Chase as she nuzzled her face into his chest, "a big, handsome German Shepherd,"

Snapping to attention, Chase quickly blushed a dark red, something he was grateful was invisible due to his dark fur. Trying to ignore his beating heart, he cracked a joke, "well tell me if you see one," he chuckled to himself, as his tail wagged even faster than usual.

Opening her blue eyes, the Husky looked up at her partner, gazing into his amber ones, "found him,"

Chase wanted to say something, every instinct was telling him to politely reject her and go home to finish his work. Something was different, something that had been swayed by the vanilla and beautiful crystals, something changed from her gentle touch as she pulled his paw into the cave, something that surged from their contact as they fought. No words were spoken as Chase slowly scooted away from her, prompting her to flash a frown of confusion, only to change as the Shepherd reached forward and gently cupped her face.

The Shepherd, gentle as if he was handling a frail little mouse, pulled Everest in for a sweet kiss. She immediately returned the loving gesture, wrapping her arms around him as they passionately embraced one another. The Husky's fur acted as a big coat that pressed against him, warming him so well he couldn't even feel the cold anymore. After a few seconds, they broke apart, staring into one another's eyes as their clouds of heavy breathing puffed in the freezing air.

"Please don't leave me," she breathed,

"But the sun should be going down by now," Chase looked off, ears back in worry,

"Just… come inside, please,"

"Where's Jake?"

"Out."

After packing up their things, Everest wordlessly led Chase out of the cave, slipping through the passageway and navigating the dark corridor. They silently emerged back into the snow and wind, Chase visibly jolted when the first gust of wind hit him, making Everest chuckle. The Shepherd quickly looked away in annoyed embarrassment, while she lead him along with her tail. They trudged through the snow until they came back within view of the wood resort, standing tall in the mountain clearing. Without a word, Everest pushed Chase through the doggy door and then followed him in. Chase was quickly bludgeoned with warm air as he entered the resort, stepping into the main lobby. He reached to his neck and pulled off his scarf, letting it drop to the floor. No offense to Everest's crystal cave, but he was more than grateful to be in a powered building with heating.

Everest walked in after him, taking a moment to shake the snow of herself. Taking Chase's scarf in her mouth and draping it over a small coat hanger designed for dogs, she turned back to see the Shepherd sitting firm, waiting for her. Smiling warmly, she returned to his side and lead him off to a special place in the building.

.-.

His paws twitched for a moment, then Chase slowly fidgeted as he woke up from his sleep. Opening his eyes to focus his blurred vision, he opened his mouth and let out a yawn. Blinking a few times, he glanced down and noticed the blue blanket that was draped over him. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Chase quickly realized his surroundings. He wasn't in his kennel, he was in a large, comfortable dog bed under a blanket. It took him a few seconds to register, but the memories swiftly returned to him as he remembered how he got there.

Looking over the bed, he found a Husky sleeping beside him, comfortably snuggled under the blanket as she soundly slept. Smiling warmly, he reached his paw forward and gently brushed the top of her head. She was lovely, adorable, and endearing in every way imaginable, Chase kicked himself for never seeing it before. For too long he had been blinded by objective, too focused on the missions that placed him and Everest together to actually see and notice her. It was better late than never, but the Shepherd wished he had acted earlier, perhaps then he would've had more time to devote to her.

Quiet and gentle, Chase slipped out of bed, walking out onto the cold floor. As much as he wanted to stay with her, he had to get home. The others were surely looking for him, and he didn't dare look at how many missed calls he probably had on his collar. He took a moment to stretch, reaching out his arms and arching his back, letting out a few cracks and pops from his spine. Shaking off his drowsiness, he walked over to the window and looked outside. It was dark out, draping a cold night over Adventure Bay as more snow was promised in the morning. Christmas lights could be seen far in the distance, flickering brightly in a way that reminded him of crystals. Shifting his focus to his reflection, he realized just how ruffled his fur was. It was sticking out in all sorts of places, almost mangled like he had just fallen down a flight of stairs. Licking his paws and arms, he made an attempt to smoothen it all down. Ruffled fur was more than noticeable, and would emit questions he'd want to avoid answering.

"Chase?" came a gentle voice behind him,

The Shepherd wasn't startled, as he had actually seen her coming in the reflection of the window. Speaking slightly, Chase looked off at the town below, "I have to get home,"

Looking down, Everest was sad but understanding. Even as she left the bed, she took the blanket with her, wrapping the blanket up like a cloak as she followed her partner. Looking out at him from under her cozy hood, she asked the question that had stewed in her head all night, "will I see you again?"

Thinking for a moment, Chase turned back to her, smiling lovingly, "you just name the time and place," his head tilted slightly, the very sight of her wooing him over. Everest nodded in contentment and walked over in a desperate measure to get every last second with him. She pressed her face into his chest, and he responded by draping an arm around her head in a hug, resting his own head upon hers.

He left her a few minutes later. They exchanged their goodbyes, and Chase tied his scarf around himself, and pushed through the doggy door into the snow. Everest ran to the window, watching him as he entered his vehicle and turned the key. She longingly reached her paw out, pressing it against the window as he drove off into the night. He was gone, and Everest was left alone once more. Even as her tiredness still pulled her, she smiled, grateful to whatever great provider above had granted her this moment with the Shepherd.

"Everest!" Jake called as he shut the front door, "I'm back, and going to bed. Watch a movie or something if you want,"

Her smile instantly died, and she sighed in disdain as she heard her owner crashing around in the kitchen. Jake was unworthy of her time, Skye was unworthy too, they all were. But Chase was something else, an occasion that opened her eyes and filled her with wonder. Blushing under her fur, she pulled the ends of the blanket tighter around herself as she fantasized about her Shepherd, nuzzling into her own fur. As the faint music of Christmas played over the resort speakers, Everest returned to her bed and dreamed of running through the snow alongside Chase, laughing all the way.