(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)
Ultimate Rescue: Glacier Part 2
"MARSHALL!" Everest screamed, helpless as she watched Marshall fall from sight into the deep dark crevasse.
"Back! Paw! Tail! Elbow! Kidney! Liver! Nose! Tail! Bladder! Tummy! Spots!" Marshall yelped each of his body parts as they impacted the edges of the crevasse as he bounced down. Suddenly there was a break in the impacts. Marshall looked down and saw what looked like a pile of snow at the bottom. At least that will be soft he thought to himself. But as he fell closer, he realized it was a solid sheet of ice. Oh bugger, this is going to hurt Marshall realized. With no time to reposition himself, Marshall just relaxed his body and prayed for the best.
Marshall landed with a splat on the ice. The ice fractured and then collapsed further, burying the limp Dalmatian in ice shards.
"Arf, grapple retract!" Everest yipped, she was shaking almost uncontrollably at having to hold still while her pup pack performed the action. While it only took a second, it felt like forever to Everest. Then the practically panicking pup began zipping around, manic in her desire to save Marshall.
"We have to get down there to save Marshall!" Everest yelped as she ran to her snow cat and threw on another harness. "He might be seriously hurt!" She continued as she pulled the rescue sled out of the side of the snowcat and began piling rescue supplies on top of it. Then the husky dragged the heavily laden sled to the edge like it was light as a feather. "Rocky, hook me up and…" Everest started to say before looking around and realizing no one had moved. Ryder in particular was giving her a piercing stare.
Everest closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No, this isn't the way to save Marshall she thought to herself, I have to think like a leader, I love Marshall but right now he needs me to treat him like just another rescue victim, I have to stop panicking. To everyone else, it was only a split second hesitation as Everest allowed herself a moment to imagine whispering in Marshall's ear that she loved him before locking him away in a safe place in her heart. Eyes still closed, Everest began again by swiping her pup tag. "Chase, how close are you?"
"I'm almost to you guys" Chase replied, cocking his head in confusion at Everest's closed eyes.
"Great, when you get here, send your drone into the crevasse to find Marshall and Alex" Everest ordered.
"Chase is on the wait, did you say Mars…" Chase started to say before he was cut off.
"Skye," Everest continued, "find the end of the crevasse. Tracker, do the same on the surface, head south east towards the edge of the glacier. Let me know what you find."
"You got it Everest" Skye replied.
"¡Corriendo como el viento!" Tracker replied, "I'll find it fast!"
"Everyone else, pack up the gear here," Everest said softly, "depending on what Chase's drone finds, it may be too dangerous to perform the rescue from here, we may have to pull everything we need through the crevasse from the end." Everest opened her eyes and looked around at her team. They seemed less panicked and instead full of purpose as they quickly got to work carrying out her directions. Ryder was smiling at her.
"Dang Everest, how did you even move this?" Rubble asked with awe as he tried tugging the sled back towards the snowcat. "I can barely budge it!"
Everest laughed as she walked over to the rope lead. "Just strong I guess" she said with a smirk as she took the lead in her jaws and started to pull it all by herself. Rubble's jaw hit the ice in shock. Everest didn't let on that it was much heavier now. She wasn't sure if that was because the adrenaline had worn off or because of the increased weight on her heart.
"I'm good?" Marshall groaned to no one in particular as he regained consciousness. I think so anyway, I don't feel fluids rushing through or out of my body Marshall thought to himself. His eyes flickered open and the dented Dalmatian took stock of his surroundings.
He found himself buried in ice shards, shivering, his jacket shredded by the fall, and surrounded by darkness. Flicking the light on his helmet on and focusing his energy, Marshall clawed his way out of the pile of ice. Finally free, he shook the ice from his fur and looked around. All he saw was ice, ice, more ice, the end of a red scarf, more ice… "Alex!" Marshall yipped as he realized that the scarf probably belonged to the kid.
Marshall bounded over and began purposefully digging. Soon, Alex's head and one arm was free, then the other arm, then his torso. Judging that he was loose enough, Marshall sank his teeth into Alex's jacket and pulled hard. Inch by inch, he dragged the unconscious child from his ice prison.
Once he was free, Marshall felt his temperature with his paw. "Way too cold" Marshall quietly murmured. "Ruff, blanket!" The blanket popped out of his pup pack and Marshall carefully wrapped Alex with it. Alex let out a shiver and subconsciously curled into a ball under the blanket.
Marshall reached under the blanket with his paws and felt Alex for any injuries. Fortunately, there was no bleeding but he had definitely broken his leg in the fall. Also fortunately, it was not a compound fracture. Getting what he needed from his pack, Marshall carefully made a splint for Alex's leg to protect it from further injury. Then Marshall snugged the blanket back around the unconscious kid.
Satisfied with Alex for the moment, Marshall took another look around. He heard a gentle whirring sound and looked up.
"See anything yet Chase?" Everest asked. She was fighting the urge to crawl over Chase's shoulder and look herself, and maybe even push the police pup out of the way and pilot the drone herself. Too bad she didn't know how, but she figured that she could figure it out pretty quick.
"Nothing yet" Chase replied, it was taking all of his experience, skill, and concentration to pilot the drone down into the crevasse. On top of that, he was looking for his own brother, whom Everest had let fall. Chase gritted his teeth, he couldn't think about that right now, so he pushed the angry thoughts from his mind.
As the drone wove downward, Chase could see where Marshall had impacted the sides of the crevasse during his descent. Finally, there was a gap in the ice crags that lined the crevasse. Chase zoomed his drone down towards the bottom. "Oh Everest…" Chase almost sang out.
The husky didn't wait to hear what Chase was going to say after that. Everest jumped on top of the German Shepherd, who let out a yelp of surprise as he was squished to the ground. Everest didn't care as she stood on top of the fuzzy brown pancake and stared at the camera footage from the drone. Center screen, his helmet slightly dented and covered in ice, with grin on his face stood Marshall. Everest's heart skipped a beat at seeing him alive and apparently well.
"Hey Chase" Marshall said with a smile, his tail wagging.
"Hi" Chase tried to reply, but it was muffled by the husky on top of him.
"I'm so glad you are ok Marshy" Everest crowed.
"Oh, hi to you too Eve" Marshall replied, cocking his head to the side, "I didn't know you knew how to fly Chase's drone."
"I don't" Everest replied, remembering that Marshall couldn't see them. "Chase found you, I just uh, took over the talking once he did."
Chase started to say something but Everest muffled him with a paw.
"What is your status, Marshall?" Everest continued.
"I'm good" Marshall replied with a natural smile. "I found Alex; he has a broken leg which I splinted. He can't walk so you'll have to lift us out. He is also hypothermic and unconscious at the moment."
"That will be difficult" Chase said, squirming his way out from under Everest and then giving her a sideways glance as he sat down next to her. "I don't think we'll be able to get a stretcher, litter, of even another pup safely down."
"I have Skye and Tracker searching for the end of the crevasse" Everest added.
"Can you not get a litter down at all?" Marshall asked.
"I mean, we probably could" Chase replied with a shrug, "but definitely not back out with anyone on it."
"You wouldn't need to" Marshall replied. "If you can get it down, I can get Alex strapped in and start moving him along the crevasse."
"Hmm" Everest replied thoughtfully. "Maybe, but that wouldn't do much for his hypothermia, other than slightly expediting the rescue. And it would risk you getting too tired out to keep taking care of him. And it could make you more susceptible to getting hypothermic as well."
"Send extra blankets down with the litter" Marshall replied. "And I'm sure Rocky can rig something up so you can keep tabs on me continually and we can talk face to face."
"I don't know" Everest replied contemplatively. She looked at Chase who shrugged his shoulders unhelpfully and then to Ryder who only cocked his head to the side.
"Everest" Marshall said, drawing her eyes back to the screen. "I can do this. We can do this."
Everest closed her eyes again to think. I want nothing more than to get them out and them to be safe; especially Marshall. His plan will work but there are serious risks. Can we mitigate them enough? Everest took a deep breath. "Alright Marshall, we'll send the stuff you need down."
"Thanks Everest!" Marshall yipped happily.
"Chase," Everest said, turning to look at him, "keep the drone on Marshall until we get more permanent comms setup. If you start running low on battery, give me enough heads up so I can make a decision on bringing it back up or not."
"Sure thing Everest" Chase replied icily. His tone made Everest do a double take before she continued.
"Rubble and Zuma" Everest directed, "get the litter ready. We'll need blankets, an emergency med kit,"
"And snacks" Rubble added.
"And and water" Everest added with a smile. "Rocky, can you rig something up so we can talk to Marshall? His tag looked damaged and range may be a factor as well."
"Green means go, going to solve a problem" Rocky replied.
"What about me?" Ryder asked.
"I have a special task for you, Ryder" Everest said, beckoning him to follow her. As the other pups got to work, Everest led the boy around to the far side of the snowcat train. Once they were on the far side, Everest looked around to make sure they were alone. Then Everest tackled Ryder to the ground and buried her muzzle in his shoulder.
"Please tell me I'm doing ok" Everest almost silently cried in Ryder's shoulder. "My first ultimate rescue and Marshall almost got killed in a fall, Alex is still unconscious, Chase is mad at me for letting Marshall get hurt. And now I'm about to abandon Marshall and Alex in the crevasse as night is falling, putting both their lives further at risk."
Ryder let the husky silently sob into his shoulder until her tears turned to silent sniffles. "Everest" Ryder said gently, turning her muzzle towards his face and looking into her teary eyes, "Ultimate rescues are inherently dangerous. That is why I put the best pup for the mission in charge. You are making the right choices, the same ones I would make if I was leading. Yes Marshall almost got hurt, but Zuma probably would have gotten hurt if you had sent him in Marshall's place, then you would have two patients to rescue out instead of just Alex, who is under the care of our paramedic pup."
Everest wiped her eyes and nodded. Ryder hugged her tight. "You are doing great Everest, don't stop making good decisions."
"Thanks Ryder" Everest whispered before releasing him. "Ok, let's make sure that everyone can survive the night."
"That's my girl" Ryder said with a smile as they walked back towards the others, all evidence of their conversation hidden away.
"Almost weady Evewest" Zuma said, pointing a paw towards the litter loaded with supplies.
"Great" Everest replied with a wag of her tail, "Rocky, how are coming with your project?"
"I really wish I had my normal truck" Rocky replied, "I have way more stuff I could use."
"Sorry we don't have more" Everest apologized.
"I was able to put together something that should work" Rocky continued, "I used parts from Marshall's spare tag, some wire, some of the medical nitrogen, and a balloon to make a video caller that should work. I wish I had more spare tags, then I could have just given Marshall his spare and the rig could have helped any pup down there."
"Why do we only have a spare for Marshall?" Rubble asked Ryder.
"Technically, it is a programmable spare" Ryder replied, "anyone could use it. Marshall just seems to need them more frequently so the spare is usually in his colors."
"Why am I not surprised" Chase said with a laugh.
"Ok, let's get everything down to Marshall" Everest brought everyone back on track. "Chase, please use your drone to guide the litter down. Rocky, you are on the winch again. Zuma give me a paw at the edge."
"On it!" the trio replied as they got into position. Rubble pushed the litter over to Everest and Zuma. After telling Marshall to be ready to receive the litter, Chase brought his drone back up to the top. Slowly and carefully, Rocky lowered the winch, with Everest and Zuma guiding the laden litter over the edge until they could no longer touch it. Everest kept a paw on the line to guide it while Chase monitored their progress with his drone.
"Ok, coming up to the tightest section" Chase informed them. They were able to get the litter partially through before running into a snag. "I think it might be stuck" Chase reported, "I'm seeing slack in the cable."
"Does it need to move to either side at all?" Everest asked.
"I don't think so" Chase said, surveying with his drone, "it just looks like it might be too big."
"We can't give up now" Everest replied, "any ideas?"
"Can you pull it through, Chase?" Rocky asked.
"No way to do that without risking the drone" Chase replied, "but maybe I can push down from on top. It doesn't look so stuck that I won't be able to push down."
"If you think that you can do it, go for it Chase" Everest said gently.
"I just need to concentrate…" Chase focused on flying the drone. Everest's waited patiently, giving him all the time and space he needed.
Chase carefully piloted the drone down to the litter, alighting on the top. Making sure that it was semi-firmly in place, Chase slowly increased the power. Icy flurries flew around the propellers of the drone but Chase remained focused. The litter budged a little bit down. Signaling Rocky, Chase pushed the drone harder as Rocky let more slack into the wire rope supporting the litter. The litter budged haltingly, an inch or two at a time, until it was through.
"Got it" Chase said triumphantly.
"Great job Chase" Everest praised.
Chase smiled as he guided the litter the rest of the way down.
"Thanks Chase" Marshall yipped happily as the litter landed down at the bottom. Marshall quickly unhooked the litter and moved it clear so that Rocky could retrieve the cable.
The first thing Marshall grabbed was the makeshift communications kit that Rocky had cobbled together. "Ok, get Rocky on the line so I don't accidentally break this" Marshall said, precariously balancing the pieces in his paws.
Rubble took over the winch controls on the snowcat so Rocky could come over. The grey mix sat down next to Chase so he could see what Marshall was doing and be clearly heard. "Ok Marshall," Rocky began, "the kit is actually multiple pieces. First, setup the pole on the corner of the litter."
"Ok" Marshall replied. He took the pole in his jaws and inserted it into the bracket on the litter that would normally be used to hand an IV fluid bag. "Done, what next?"
"Now take the end of the back wire and plug it in to the top of the pole" Rocky directed.
Marshall took the end of the black cable and gently plugged it in. "Done."
"Ok, now all you have to do is release the balloon" Rocky concluded.
"What balloon?" Marshall asked, looking around in confusion.
"In the weighted down brown sack" Rocky indicated with his paw.
"I don't see it" Marshall replied, looking around.
"He can't see you" Chase whispered to Rocky, "and the drone has a way better line of sight."
Rocky smacked his paw against his head at forgetting that detail. "Sorry, it is on the opposite corner of the sled from the bracket you put the pole in" Rocky explained, "next to the med kit we sent down."
Marshall walked around and immediately found it. "Ah, here it is" he reported happily. Using his paws, he opened the bag and a red balloon slowly floated out. "Should it be moving that slowly?" Marshall asked.
"Unfortunately yes" Rocky replied. "The only gas we had that is lighter than air was nitrogen. But it is only slightly lighter so it will change altitude slowly. It will take it about two hours to float up high enough where we will be able to receive your signal."
"Understood" Marshall's replied. Then he noticed that the light above him was changing color. "How long do I have until sunset?"
"Just about an hour" Chase replied.
Marshall thought for a moment. "Ok, I'll setup Alex on the litter and turn it into a mobile shelter first. If time permits, we may start moving tonight but more likely we'll end up camping here."
"Are you sure about that?" Everest asked as she joined the conversation. "We don't know how stable this area is, and it is likely to not be very stable."
"You are right Everest" Marshall replied, "but I think it will be more dangerous to try and move through the crevasse in the dark. And you guys need to get yourselves and everyone else off the glacier. The lack of stability will be more dangerous for you and the vehicles."
Everest sighed, he was right of course but that didn't make the decision any easier. "Will you be ok down there?" Everest asked softly.
"Absolutely" Marshall replied, his voice full of confidence. "It is only two hours until we have comms on demand again."
"You can't be seriously considering this?" Chase said to Everest, muting the microphone so Marshall wouldn't hear them. "We can't leave him down there alone overnight with no support."
"Neither can we abdicate our responsibilities to our other patients or risk the vehicles causing the crevasse to widen or collapse" Everest replied softly. "We have to get off the glacier before nightfall."
"But how will be know Marshall is ok?" Chase practically whined.
"We'll wait until he has the shelter put together on the litter" Everest explained, "then once he is settled for the night, we will get everyone we've rescued so far and ourselves off the glacier for the night."
"No, I won't abandon Marshall!" Chase barked back at her, his voice laden with ice.
"Chase" Marshall said gently. Chase whipped around in surprise as saw Marshall starting straight into the drone's camera. He looked down and saw that he had accidentally un-muted himself. The German Shepherd face-pawed himself.
"I know you don't want to leave me" Marshall continued, "but you have to. You have to make sure that Mayor Goodway, Captain Turbot, Francois and Mr. Porter make it safely back tonight. And you need to be in a position to help tomorrow when we start working our way out. I'll be fine" Marshall finished with a smile. Then the Dalmatian turned around and got to work.
Chase sat there stunned for a moment. Everest leaned over and whispered in his ear "you aren't the only one who cares about Marshall's safety. But right now, the mission comes first. This isn't an ideal situation but we are making the best decisions with the information we have." And with that, the husky flicked her tail pointedly and started walking back towards the snowcat to get everything ready to leave.
"Funny" Rocky said, prompting Chase to look at him. "Funny how they are over a hundred feet apart and not really having any in depth conversations but are perfectly in sync with each other. But you, who are Marshall's brother, are not." And with that, Rocky turned to follow Everest and help.
Chase sat there motionless, only watching Marshall work, thinking to himself.
As Everest was walking back, a voice echoed from her tag. "Everest" Skye chirped up.
"Go ahead Skye" Everest replied.
"I found the end of the crevasse" Skye happily reported. "There is lots of space for us to setup for the night and stage for entry tomorrow. Which is good because there didn't appear to be anywhere we could enter before the end."
"Thanks Skye," Everest replied happily.
"Estoy de acuerdo con Skye" Tracker added in, joining the call. "There isn't any place for us to really try and enter the crevasse from above. If any, it gets mas pequeño as you progress."
"Copy Tracker," Everest replied, "send us the coordinates Skye, we'll meet you there."
"You got it Everest" Skye replied.
"Ok team, we know where we will spend the night" Everest said, calling the other pups over. "Let's get packed up so we can move out as soon as Marshall is settled for the night."
"We aren't going to stay here?" Rubble asked because he hadn't been apart of the earlier conversation.
"We can't take that risk" Everest explained, "the weight of the vehicles could make the crevasse collapse further, which would probably kill Marshall and Alex. Once Marshall has Alex secure for the night, we will head to the end of the crevasse and link up with Skye and Tracker. Most of us will setup for the night with two of us take Mayor Goodway, Captain Turbot, Francois, and Mr. Porter back to Adventure Bay."
"Don't forget Chickaletta" Rubble added.
"Yes, and Chickaletta" Everest added with a smile. "We've got work to do, so let's get it done pups." With that, Rocky, Rubble and Zuma began packing everything into the snowcat train.
Marshall didn't have much in terms of supplies with which to make a shelter. The first thing he did was to clear everything off the litter and organize it. Next, he laid down a layer of blankets on the litter to form a base to keep the cold out as the litter was not thermally insulated. Next, he carefully moved Alex over to the litter and got him up on top of the base layer of blankets. Ensuring that Alex stayed in a good position for his broken leg and the rest of his body, Marshall tucked more blankets under him on either side and over the top to form a dual layer. Lastly, he tucked a final blanket under the top and sides of Alex's head and brought it loosely over the top.
"Are you sure that is enough Marshall?" Chase asked as he watched.
"I'm not done yet" Marshall replied determinedly. Next, Marshall unrolled the heave weather resistant sleeping bag that has also been sent down, unzipped the sides so he could lay it flat, and then laid it insulated side down over the litter. Marshall tucked the top and bottom edges along with one side under Alex so that it was mostly sealed from the elements. Since only the emergency medical kit was left, Marshall stood it up on it's side and draped the open side of the sleeping bag over it.
"I know this isn't water tight on this side" Marshall explained, "but I want to keep fresh air flowing in; I'm actually worried that this will be too warm for Alex and bring him out of his hypothermic state too quickly."
"Why would that be bad?" Chase asked.
"The body doesn't respond well to rapid changes" Marshall replied, "it could put Alex into shock and mess with his blood circulation."
"Oh" Chase replied. He was always amazed at how much medical knowledge Marshall had crammed into his head. To the outsider who just saw Marshall playing around, they might think of him as an empty headed goofball. But I know beneath that joyful and playful exterior is an extraordinarily capable fire and paramedic pup.
"And that's why I love him" a voice whispered from softly beside Chase.
Chase yelped in surprise, tripped over his own paws and flopped over on his side ungracefully. Chase looked up and saw Everest standing next to him, watching Marshall work on screen.
"How did you know what I was thinking?" Chase asked quietly as he picked himself up.
Everest snorted in amusement. "Because we aren't that different" Everest replied, "he is our playful, empty headed, best fire and paramedic pup in the world. And neither of us would change a single thing about him."
Chase said nothing, his gaze returning to the drone video feed.
"All set here" Marshall reported, turning to face the drone.
"Ok Marshall" Everest replied, "the comms balloon should let you know when it connects to the network. Check in when it does so we know you are still good and we'll talk about other check-ins."
"Will do Everest" Marshall replied with a nod, "we will be safe."
"Chase," Everest continued, not taking her eyes off of Marshall, "recover the drone, time to go."
"Are you sure you don't want to keep it on station until the comms relay is up?" Chase questioned.
Everest turned to look at him. Something about the look made Chase's blood feel icy cold. "Marshall will be safe" Everest said simply before turning and walking away. I love you Marshall, Everest thought to herself.
"Ok" Chase said, his voice betraying his lack of confidence in that statement.
"I'll be fine Chase" Marshall said with a smirk, "now hurry up before she decides you need some negative reinforcement" he added with a laugh.
Chase managed a laugh too, but his heart was heavy as he brought the drone back up. He held the camera on Marshall as long as he could until he had to shift his field of view in order to not crash into the sides of the crevasse.
Marshall watched the drone go. When it was gone from sight, he lowered his gaze and let out a deep sigh. He knew how hard this was on Everest and how much she wasn't saying and the things she wanted to say. I love you too Everest, I promise I'll be safe he thought. Then Marshall made his way under the makeshift shelter to wait. "Too bad they didn't send down any games to play" Marshall joked softly to the ice around him. He didn't notice the tiny new spot forming on his chest.
Everyone except Chase was loaded up and ready to go when Everest reached the snowcat train. Even Ryder had brought his snowmobile inside where Tracker's was normally parked and found a warm spot. The Husky turned and let the icy wind blow across her as she watched Chase recover his drone and then load his snowmobile up with a little help from Rocky. Everest felt a tickle of warmth fill her heart, despite the frozen wind that picking up. "Let's go team" Everest said as she jumped into the cab of the snowcat. It felt so much more empty without Marshall next to her.
Flipping the lights on, Everest gently revved the engine and carefully turned the large vehicle to head down the glacier. Pulling up the map, Everest worked out in her head the best route down that would put them closest to where Skye had reported the end of the crevasse. It would be dark by the time they reached Skye and Tracker; the map showed that Tracker was almost to Skye's location. Focusing back on the ice in front of her, Everest skillfully negotiated their way path.
"I hope they get here soon" Tracker said to Skye with a shiver, "I'm freezing my orejas off."
"They will be" Skye replied confidently, but with a shiver of her own. Both pups had on thick coats but they were also meant to breath so the pups didn't accidentally overheat while performing tasks on a mission. The sitting and waiting that the two pups had been doing had worked against them in this case and both of them wished for some more warmth. They were both sitting in the cockpits of their vehicles with the heat turned all the way up but the icy wind was taking most of that heat away.
Perfectly on cue, they heard a the honk of an air horn. Tracker and Skye turned to see the flashing lights and big headlights of Everest's ultimate snowcat train approaching them. Everest guided the vehicle around, forming a crescent across from Skye's helicopter and Tracker's snowmobile.
"Glad to see the two of you" Everest said as she parked the snowcat.
"We are really happy to see you" Tracker said as he jumped down.
"Yeah, now we can get warm" Skye added.
"Well, we have a little bit of work to do first" Everest said as everyone else got out. "We'll camp here for the night. Rubble, I need you to clear an area for a fire. Tracker, Chase and Skye, find all the broken branches and kindling you can to feed the fire. Rocky, I'm going to have you drive the cab of the ultimate snowcat back to town and drop everyone off. Zuma will go with you and give everyone one final checkup."
"What if something happens to one of them while we are traveling?" Rocky asked.
"Then Zuma handles it" Everest replied firmly. "We can check all of them before you leave just in case. Worst case scenario, if you need to evacuate someone via helicopter, we send Skye to catch up and assist. Possibly Tracker as well if you need another EMT."
"Awe you suwe you don't want to wait for Mawshall?" Zuma added nervously.
"I have faith in you Zuma" Everest replied kindly, putting a paw on his shoulder. "You save people all the time, and you are the best of the three EMTs at resuscitating patients. I know you've got this."
"Ok" Zuma replied, clearly energized by Everest's pep talk, "let's dive in!"
With that, the team got to work. Rubble used his rig to clear out a large enough area for them to camp at overnight. Chase and Skye went to collect good firewood and kindling. Meanwhile, Everest, Tracker and Zuma gave Mayor Goodway, Chickaletta, Captain Turbot, Francois, and Mr. Porter one last check to ensure they were still stable.
Satisfied with their condition, everyone piled into the snowcat, which Everest disconnected from the two snowcat trailers. Rocky got a few driving tips from Everest and without further delay, they headed back to Adventure Bay.
While that was happening, Chase was venting to Skye. "I can't believe it" Chase grumbled, picking up a hefty stick in his mouth.
"Can't believe what?" Skye asked curiously as she selected a much smaller stick. She deposited the stick on the wagon they were using to collect the firewood.
Chase crunched down on the stick, causing it to break in half. "She just left him" Chase spat, "after letting him fall into the crevasse she just abandoned him." Chase grabbed a bigger stick in his jaws
"I think I need more of an explanation" Skye gently replied, encouraging her boyfriend to lay it all out as she grabbed another stick.
Chase broke the stick he was carrying with his jaws again. "Everest is wantonly risking Marshall's life" Chase spat the splinters from his muzzle. "First, she picks him for a dangerous cliff rescue, knowing how clumsy he is, so he predictably falls down into the crevasse. Then, we freaking leave him alone, with no way to get a hold of us, to freeze to death." Chase grabbed a fairly hefty broken branch and began dragging it to the wagon.
"You sure you aren't being a little dramatic?" Skye asked gently, grabbing the other end of the branch.
"Dramatic?" Chase asked in surprise, "Marshall's life is in danger, I think a little concern is appropriate?" Chase set the branch down in the wagon.
"I'm not saying that we shouldn't care" Skye replied soothingly as she boosted her end of the branch into the wagon, "but I think you aren't thinking like a team leader, but as a anxious boyfriend."
"What?" Chase asked in surprise, pausing in his tracks.
"Please" Skye laughed, "Marshall is your brother, you are being overprotective of him when you don't need to be, just like an overprotective boyfriend. Marshall is more than capable of taking care of himself."
"I'm not Marshall's boyfriend" Chase protested, grabbing another branch.
"You are missing the point Chasey" Skye said lovingly as she helped him carry the branch. "Who is the best cliff rescuer on the team?"
"Me" Chase replied without missing a beat.
"Maybe," Skye replied, letting her smirk tell Chase exactly what she thought of his bold statement, "but you weren't there, so who is the next best?"
Chase paused a moment, "probably a toss up between Marshall and Everest" he finally replied.
"And Everest was leading the whole rescue, and Marshall has more medical knowledge to handle a complex situation" Skye led Chase along her logic path, "which makes Marshall the logical pup to send."
"But why did she let him disconnect himself?" Chase asked.
"Who says she did?" Skye rebutted, "we all know Marshall sometimes just does stuff to get a patient out of harms way without asking. We'll have to ask him later why, but I have a feeling it was to get Mr. Porter out safely."
"She still let him fall" Chase grouched.
"'She still let him fall'" Skye mocked him, "you know how ridiculous that sounds hun? You know that the ledge breaking wasn't something any of us could have forseen with any certainty. And from what I heard, she already had her backup plan ready, it just happened too fast for her to catch him."
"Right, she let him fall" Chase repeated.
Skye responded by smacking Chase on the back of his head with her paw. "Stop being ridiculous for the sake of drama" Skye retorted, "I'm pretty sure her reflexes are still faster than yours."
"Fine," Chase acquiesced, knowing Skye was right, "but she still left him alone back there. She wouldn't even let me keep monitoring him with my drone."
"How close was your drone to running out of battery power?" Skye asked.
"I could have made it work" Chase replied evasively.
"Almost dead, got it" Skye replied, "so your plan was to keep your drone there and let it die so we didn't have it available anymore?"
"No, my plan…" Chase replied, he was about to say more but Skye cut him off.
"You didn't have one hun" Skye said with a laugh. "Other than to sit and watch Marshall do all the work he needed to do."
"Maybe" Chase admitted.
"You trust Marshall, right?" Skye inquired.
"With my life" Chase replied instantly.
"But not his own life" Skye made the question a statement. "You fully trust Marshall to save you and other, but not himself."
"Can you blame me?" Chase finally admitted with a long exhale, pausing in their wood collection. "He is so selfless that he will just throw him into danger to save someone else!"
"You say it like that is a bad thing" Skye whispered. "That is who Marshall is, that is why we love him so."
"But we still need him" Chase whined, "I still need him. And Everest is just enabling him!"
"What should she do?" Skye softly asked. "She can't very well lock him away to keep him safe forever. Even if she could, she wouldn't."
"Why not?" Chase asked.
"Because she loves him for who he is" Skye softly answered. "She is trusting him with the most important thing in her life, she is trusting Marshall to take care of himself. Ready to assist him as much as he needs, but letting him tell her what help he needs. If you think it's easy, imagine yourself in her position and me in Marshall's position.
Chase pondered that as they resumed carrying more sticks to the wagon. I guess that makes sense Chase admitted to himself. This is definitely not an easy rescue to lead, and it isn't going perfectly according to plan. And I know that it is probably stressing her out. Maybe Skye is right and I have been a bit unfair to Everest.
"Of course I'm right, you should know that by now love" Skye said with a happy smirk.
"Huh?" Chase asked.
"Did you know you have a very specific face you make when you realize that I'm right?" Skye inquired with a smirk.
"I do now" Chase replied with a good natured laugh as he tossed one last piece of wood on the wagon. "I suppose I should apologize to Everest."
"Probably" Skye replied, "but let's get everything settled for the evening first. I'm pretty sure that just being reasonable again will be good enough for the moment."
While Skye was busy educating Chase, Everest was busy worrying about why Marshall hadn't contacted her yet. He should have reported in by now, maybe something is wrong, maybe something happened. I should have asked Rocky to tell me know to call the tag, just in case.
At that moment, Everest's pup tag went off. Everest answered it with a swipe of her paw. "You're late" she informed her caller. "You look terrible."
"I did fall quite a ways" Marshall replied with a chuckle, "and I think I hit every possible piece of the crevasse on the way down."
"No, you definitely missed some pieces, otherwise we could have just lifted you and Alex out" Everest replied, she was enjoying their banter.
"Sorry, I'll try and do better next time" Marshall apologized.
"You do that" Everest replied with a hint of threat in her voice, before reaching her paws out in a hug. Despite being separated, Marshall reciprocated the gesture. The two of them shared the air hug for several long moments. No words were spoken, but the two of them let their love freely flow. Everest swore she could hear Marshall whispering how much he loved her.
But the moment had to end eventually, in this case with Ryder joining them. "Hey Marshall, how are you doing?" Ryder asked.
"I'm fine Ryder" Marshall replied, "I ate some of the snacks you included and I'm probably going to go to sleep soon so I'm well rested for tomorrow."
"It will be a decently long trip" Everest added, "but it should be doable in a day. We will start early from here so we can join up with you."
"The help will be nice" Marshall admitted. "Alex isn't heavy, but pulling him all day alone would be a real drag."
Everest and Ryder laughed at the pun. "Ok then Marshall, get some sleep, see you soon. Don't keep him up too late Everest."
"Party pooper" Marshall and Everest replied in unison, follow by a laugh as Ryder sighed and walked back to help Chase and Skye who had just returned with the wood.
"Get some sleep babe" Everest said when they finally stopped laughing.
"You too sweetheart" Marshall replied, "I love you."
"I love you too Marshy" Everest replied, blowing Marshall a kiss. Marshall caught her kiss and then blew one back. With that, they hung up. In the dim light, none of them had noticed the new black spot on Marshall's chest. Marshall laid down under the makeshift shelter with Alex, checked the still unconscious boy one last time, and then sealed them in as best he could before falling asleep.
While Ryder, Rubble, Chase, Skye and Tracker made dinner, Everest disappeared into the snowcat trailers. Thet all wondered what she was working on as they could hear her busily doing things. Everest did come out and eat with them but didn't say much of anything, preferring to listen to the others.
When dinner was over, the husky disappeared back into the trailers while Ryder told stories around the fire. She next appeared when Rocky and Zuma returned.
"Any issues?" Everest asked as they hopped down.
"Not one" Rocky confirmed.
"Any scratches on my baby?" Everest asked with a glance at the snowcat.
"Maybe one or four" Zuma joked.
"Nope, none at all, he is just kidding" Rocky stammered nervously.
Everest smiled, "I'm sure there aren't" she said sweetly before hopping back into the cab herself.
"You are going to get me killed" Rocky whisper shouted at Zuma as Everest re-attached the snowcat to the trailers.
"You'll be fine dude" Zuma replied with a nonchalant wave of his paw. "It's not like she will notice."
"Zuma! Cut it out!" Rocky hissed.
"Oh Rocky?" Everest sang out.
"Ah!" Rocky yipped before disappearing to hide behind Ryder, terrified that he had managed to damage Everest's snowcat somehow.
"Where did he go?" Everest asked in confusion, "I was going to thank him for taking such good care of my snowcat." Everyone laughed as Rocky came out of hiding and he and Zuma enjoyed some dinner.
Shortly thereafter, all of them were for ready to sleep. Everest had setup the beds in the warming unit in the cab so that they would not have to worry about freezing overnight. It was a little cramped but the pups all snuggled up to Ryder and each other.
As the pups started to fall asleep, Everest's tag went off again. Slipping outside, Everest answered it.
"What happened to Marshall?!" a soft voice cried out.