Chapter thirty-seven: Avalanche Canyon!
Snow grinded as the two vehicles stuttered from the landing. Chase grimaced, pressing into his controls when feeling himself skidding slightly to the left. But leaning to the right seemed to balance this out, so he could continue to fight for control.
"Chester! Come on, think!" The German Shepherd clamored. "How are we gonna get out of this?"
"I'm thinking!" Chester hollered, then something popped into his head from nowhere that he had to think twice on.
"What if I hooked you from behind with my grapple?" He asked.
"-Ih! You'd have to have pinpoint accuracy and a very.. steady.. paw.." Chase asserted. "Are you up for it?"
"I gotta be." Chester decided. Another bump busted the other side of the tread and he fishtailed again.
"Woah!" Chase cried, pulling hard to straighten out again. Looking forward, Chester spotted something that almost made his blood run cold.
"Is that what I think it is?" He called.
"Ruff! Visor!" Chase barked, then scanning the open stretch down the slope now ahead of them, he saw in much more detail what they were approaching.
"It is.." he confirmed. "A stretch of black ice.. if we hit that with no traction..-"
"-We'll go off the drop below, I know! I wasn't born yesterday!" Then Chase started to think.
"I've got an idea," he said. "Follow me!" Flanking Chase from the left, as he swerved back and forth slightly, Chase turned his yoke to the left as he leaned to the right. Skidding his vehicle like a snowboard to throw snow onto the ice.
"Now!" Chase called yanking in the opposite direction.
"Ruff! Grapple!" They barked in unison. The hooks shot out and caught each other perfectly, then Chase geared it to the left and Chester swung across his path and back up the slope.
"Push it!" Chase called, and his brother turned his head just enough to spot his way around the swing, then gunned it in reverse to hook them on a tree, which stopped their descent and he could reel in Chase from the patch of black ice.
Chester got him pulled up to nearly even with himself, both panting for breath and relieved to have stopped.
"We.. made it.." Chester breathed.
"Not yet.." Chase huffed, turning to him loosely. "We've gotta get off this slope first.." he laid his head back to relax, but knew he couldn't rest easy for long. The slight jerk snapped him to attention as he felt himself slide slightly.
"Chess!"
"Ruff! Ice pick!" Chester barked, as two large spikes retracted from the sides of his snowmobile and stabbed deep into the thick layer of snow and ice. Chester hopped out to inspect the damage carefully from a distance, for fear of starting them sliding again.
"It doesn't look bad.." he reported finally. "But you've lost a couple bolts, and parts of the tread are bent. I can brace the loose parts, but it's not a permanent solution."
"Doesn't have to be," Chase replied. "It just has to last us till we can get back to the others."
"Yeah, but will it?" Chess wondered, noting the damage once again.. "I've only got a pup pack welder to work with here. I'm not sure it'll hold for that long."
The snow vehicles slipped once again.
"We're gonna have to try." Chase replied.
"And then what? No way these beasts will be able to make it back up the slope from nothing. The only way out is down and there's a grizzly end at the bottom of this thing. Chase's visor picked something up far above them on the top of the slope, through the trees.
"What if we caused an avalanche and rode it down off the cliff, that should give us a fast way down and provide us a cushioned landing.
"Or it could totally bury us alive!" Chester cried. "Way too risky."
"Why? The drop isn't very large here and the snow is heavy and packs together easily." Chase reasoned. "If the snow falls off the cliff here it should pile up and pack together when we land, creating a smooth transition that we can easily recover from. And if we watch our speed, we could get out of it without flipping, or getting buried alive. All you have to do is fuse my tread so my steering control isn't working double time, then I can blast the snow with my megaphone. And we can ride the snowslide down the mountain."
"This is crazy!" Chester gasped.
"Do you have any better ideas?!" Chase clamored. "We have limited options here, this might just be our best shot and we really don't have much time! Come on, Chess, we got this!"
"I don't think we do, but I'm trusting you." Chester decided, doubtfully.
"Ok, get to it." Chase confirmed, barking out his megaphone. "I'll stand by till you're ready."
"Ruff! Welder!" Chester held the loose part of the busted tread from the bottom and fused it from the top, then moved on to the other side. Chase noticed the other vehicle barely lurch even though the ice picks never moved.
"Chess, please hurry." Chase calmly requested, despite the panic that was beginning to creep into him.
"Got it! That's it, that'll hold." Chester announced, running to strap back into his vehicle. "Fire away!"
Chase then looked upwards toward the top of the slope and set his sights on his goal.
"Ruff!" He barked as loud as he could manage. Soon they could hear a rumble start to grow and Chase lowered his visor once again.
"Did it work?" Chester asked. "It sounds like it worked."
"It did.." Chase confirmed. "Hang on!"
The wave of snow barreled toward them. And when the small fringes of the avalanche started to flow by them, they gunned it with their vehicles till they were able to leverage themselves around to face the bottom of the slope.
"Ok on three." Chase warned, spotting behind them. "One.. two.." The bulk of the avalanche lifted them up even higher. "Now!"
"Ruff! Detach!" Chester barked, and as soon as it released from around the tree."
"Ruff! Magnetize!" Chase commanded, and at his instruction the two grapples stuck together in the perfect clamp lock.
The two brothers rode the wave in an evasive weave, like riding a kayak down a raging river. And when they approached the edge, they hit a small slant at the edge that sent them up like a ramp.
xxxx
A rumble in the distance got the group's attention and they were immediately confused.
"That sounded loud.." Skye commented. "What was that?"
Ryder took out some binoculars and went to look with them out the back door.
"Looks like an avalanche in the mountains," the boy said.
"Wait.. an avalanche?" Skye quoted, becoming nervous with others among her.
"But Chase and Chess went up that way.. do you think they were in it?" Rocky asked.
"Yeah, Chase isn't usually the one in the snow during snow rescues. Plus, given the sound of the avalanche, how do we know they aren't buried?" Snowflake added feeling nervous.
"Should we be worried?" Rayla asked.
"If I know Chase and Chester.." Ryder hinted thoughtfully. "They're able to take care of themselves. And if they did get caught in it.. we'll probably know soon enough. Chase would never hesitate to call for help."
xxxx
Fortunately for the two German Shepherds, they were both able to spot their way down, and enough snow had fallen that they were able to land it smoothly. However they couldn't stop to revel in their success, due to the snow that kept on coming. Making them hurry toward the only exit of the canyon to avoid getting buried.
"Hey, it's stopping." Chase called, beginning to slow, inclining Chess to do the same and both looked back. The powdery cloud was beginning to clear as the waterfall of snow finally dried up, and the sand dune-like pile that was still settling in place like shifting sand.
"Phew! That was close." Chester breathed. Chase laid back and sighed, relieved it was over. And perhaps it was either the adrenaline rush that hadn't died down or the rush of the chase, but he couldn't help but be exhilarated by the experience.
"Yes! That was so cool!" He exclaimed, throwing his paws up.
"Yeah!" Chester heaved with a smile. "I mean it was scary, but it was.."
"Awesome!" The two pups looked at one another like they were surprised they'd said the same thing at the same time to describe the experience. Then both began to laugh, with a bit of embarrassment.
"Hey thanks for having my back." Chase decided to say when they'd recovered. "Even though I've kinda been a jerk to you."
"Hey that's what brothers are for." Chester shrugged, "we take the crap with the candy and we kept on going. Besides, I kinda deserved it. I'm not always that helpful in situations like this.. but I'll never stop having your back."
"Even if I don't want you to." Chase implied knowingly.
"You know it." His brother swagged. "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not. And I get to say that."
Chase just shook his head humorously when he looked up and noticed something about their surroundings.
"Hey.. isn't this the same valley where that mansion was?" He asked, then Chester took a quick look around.
"You might be right!" Chester gasped in awe. "That exit looks familiar.. and it's the only way to get in here.. without dropping in like we just did. It would be just off to our right, through those trees."
"With that avalanche, we could've covered it in snow." Chase supposed.
"Think maybe we should go check?" Chester wondered, observing his brother's thoughtful face. "I mean it wouldn't hurt, right?"
Chase attempted to ease up to try and peer through the trees and find the mansion, but his shoulder popped and he recoiled a little.
"Ow!.. It did hurt.." Chase pointed out, lifting a paw to rub his shoulder gently. "The last time we were there.. So as long as we're not stupid enough to let it happen again.. we could at least take a quick look just to be sure everything's ok."
"Deal." Chess nodded and the two separated their grapples and turned off to head into the woods to the right.
"For a second, I thought we would see our own paw prints." Chester commented after a moment. "But then I remember there wasn't any snow.. and that was like two months ago or something."
"Heh, yeah, Chess. How time flies right?" Chase mocked with a smirk.
"Haha.. you're a riot." Chester deadpanned dryly.
"I try," Chase smiled. Then as they both turned front, what they were looking for appeared.
"The mansion! Woah, weird.. you were right, bro!" Chester marveled.
"Told you." Chase affirmed.
"Wow.. it looks so different in the daytime.. and.. covered in snow." Chess commented. He unbuckled and hopped forward off the vehicle to stand before the large building.
"Chess, what are you doing?" Chase gasped, trying to sit up against his restraints. "We're not going in there. Remember how much trouble this place caused us?"
"To be fair that was my fault." Chester reasoned. "The timing was all wrong. I just wanna see the spot where the chandelier fell again." Chase frowned.
"Hey, I'll be careful.." his brother promised. "I'm just gonna go take a quick look and then I'm gonna come back.. ok?"
"*sigh* I don't think this is a good idea, bro." Chase warned, releasing his harness to hop out after him.
"Hey, you don't have to come if you don't want to."
"If you think I'm gonna let you go in there alone, you're nuts." Chase told him, shoving him at the shoulder as he surpassed him. "And if you must go in there, and apparently you must.. I am too." Chester just shrugged and followed suit.
The doors creaked loudly when they pushed them both wide open. Their shadows were cut out of the sunlight as soon as it was let in through the open doors. Chase caught a whiff of dust and sneezed loudly, sending out an eerie echo.
The padding of their paws was the only sound, though almost as silent as the empty air around them; with the occasional creak of the aged wood floors and other parts of the timely infrastructure.
Chase and Chester paced carefully around the trapdoor laying open in the middle of the floor stopping briefly to look at it and remember how they found it in the first place. The two met each other's gaze when Chester lifted a paw with a formal point, which sent Chase's ears back attentively and they both beelined it for the ballroom door.
Approaching double doors, they skillfully hopped over shapes in the floor, which they sensed could be switches for more traps and surprises; they dove next to the right hand wall beside the door. Both pups laid their ears back as they cautiously drew upon their police pup stealth, Chess prowled forward slightly sending a paw back to halt Chase short. Then pointed laterally forward in a rather wooden military fashion, he ducked around the corner to stay on the wall he was already next to, and Chase leapt through the door and somersaulted in the direction he had pointed. Sneaking forward they both came upon the chandelier at around the same time, slowly approaching with their wits about them.
"Right where we left it." Chester mentioned as they finally stood before it. "Who knew no one ever comes out here. This'd be a great place to hide if you don't wanna be bothered."
"Except, this place is too dangerous." Chase reasoned. "And no one probably comes here, because no one knows that this place still exists except us. And rightfully so I might add. It's bad enough that we're here now."
Suddenly a snapping sound drew their gaze up and Chase jumped at Chess so that when he reached him, they both rolled to the right; narrowly missed a hanging light that had crashed down from the ceiling.
"Wooph! Thanks, little bro." Chester thanked him breathlessly.
"Now can we get out of here?" Chase asked him seriously.
"Yeah, good plan." He said, then crossing paths in an epic exit, the two bounded across the floor with skilled ease.
The two brothers let out a triumphant "hazza!" laughing as they bumped the front doors just enough for them to close behind them, as they raced across the snow to their snowmobiles and jumped up off the hoods into them. Visors down and engines revved, they strapped in and sped off in a cloud of snow.
"You know we're gonna be in so much trouble if they find out we didn't call for backup on this." Chase mentioned as they exited the valley and headed for the designated trail.
"For once you're not gonna be the only one in trouble this time. Hahaha! We are so gonna be toast!" Chester laughed.
"Why do you say that like getting busted is a good thing?" Chase wondered humorously.
"I don't know.. maybe sometimes it's fun getting in trouble.." Chester shrugged mischievously. "Cause at least then we knew we had fun together."
"Give me a break!" Chase shook his head knowingly. "There are plenty of ways to have fun without getting in trouble."
"Less fun ways." Chester shot back. "Now come on, race ya!"
"Chester! That's not fair!" Chase cried. "I'm working on a busted tread, let's not cause an accident before we get back to the Lookout."
"Oh right.." Chester realized reluctantly. "*sigh* fine.. next time.. then it's on!"
"Oh it'll be on alright.. on my side." Chase grinned.
"You wish!" Chester called, as they glided over a hill headed towards the Lookout not visible in the distance.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Ok, I say this alot.. But I LOVED WRITING THIS! Also Hurray Chase and Chester are friends again! I mean they always were 'cause they're brothers, but they're finally not at each other's throats like they have been so progress!
Also formulating this entire scenario was a joy I haven't had for a while! And I would personally go back and read this over and over again.. Like some other moments throughout this series we have here. Now granted there was not much for my partner to write for this one. But I'm thankful he stuck with it like a champ and we'll be back to the entire cast again in the next chapter so yay!
As always let us know what you thought, and we will see you next time. Thx!